SILVERYMOON
Chapter 27
"Is there a point to this corridor?" Kate was somewhat at a loss. They just kept walking and walking. A soft left turn followed by a hard right and then straight again. It finally opened into a room with stairs leading up to the far end.
"Did we miss something? I haven't been this far. Hang on, stay, Patches." Alexis vanished and was gone.
"None of the three are in the same place." Rick could maybe understand that. "There's one protected by your long-lost brother. The other is in the middle of a boiling lake."
"Keep talking, and you're sleeping on the sofa for a month," Kate warned him. That had Eslor snorting out a stifled laugh. She had really questioned traveling with Demons and a Vampire, but these three were clearly different. A Demon wanted to marry a Vampire, and a half-Celestial and a Demon were obviously involved. Lovers, most likely. And that had her wondering if she was too hard on her boyfriend.
Alexis was back. "Okay, you're not going to believe this. Past this door is a short room that's sloped to either end. On each end, there's a pit. Each pit is maybe 30 feet deep. There are rusty old blades embedded into the sides and still more at the bottom. No one is in either of them, so either they made it past the pits, or we're first.
"Now, this is where things get really weird. The next room past that space has a river of water flowing through it about three feet off the floor. It's like looking at a tunnel of flowing water. I actually saw a fish go down it. I even managed to stick my hand in the water. The water's warm, not freezing cold.
"What I don't get is the room with the two pits. It doesn't make sense."
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"I didn't notice the silvery sheen last time," Alexis commented as they each took turns to look it over. "Those blades look even worse this time."
"Here, try this." Eslor offered a small bottle of oil to Kate, who was up front looking it over now. "Give it a toss."
They were all thinking trap, of course. But why was it so exposed like that?
Kate took it and gave it a soft toss. She didn't want it to break open and spill its contents, but she did want to see what happened.
Kate and Eslor noticed that the bottle didn't break but slid straight for the pit at breakneck speed. It fell in and broke either along the way or when it reached the bottom.
"So that's what that silvery stuff is. It's slippery, meaning we can't walk on it." Kate understood it now.
Eslor hadn't anticipated that. "Great! What is it with needing to fly everywhere?"
"I could try taking someone with me. I've never actually tried that before, but it might work." Alexis eyed Eslor. "You don't look like you weigh much." Eslor was a little taller than Kate, and without her armor, she might weigh less than Kate.
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It didn't work, and Alexis was betting it might be her weight. So Eslor was there, stripping off her armor and stuffing it into her Backpack. Her Backpack was just like everyone else's. Bigger on the inside. Her primary weapon went inside it as well.
"Ready?" Alexis asked since she was ready to try again. This time they both vanished, and Eslor got first-hand knowledge of just what Alexis saw when she did that.
Alexis waited till Eslor had her armor back on and her weapon out before she went back to collect whoever was next. Kate flew across with no trouble and was soon standing next to Eslor.
"I'm not sure I can take you, Dad." Even without armor, Rick was a big man. "You want to try this, babe?" Alexis asked Corimin.
Corimin thought about it and shook his head. "If Rick stays, I should stay with him. What if this is a bigger trap than we think?"
"Jinx, I call jinx," Rick exclaimed, even if Corimin had no idea what he meant.
"Sounds like it's just us ladies, then." Alexis could see the need. "Stay safe, babe." Alexis gave him a quick kiss. "You too, Dad." Rick didn't get a kiss, and they watched Alexis vanish.
"Dad weighed too much, and that was without armor. It looks like it's just us," Alexis informed Kate and Eslor.
"Great, us three against a Lich." Kate didn't like the sound of that. He was about the only thing they hadn't yet met. "Maybe I should leave this weapon with them." She was thinking of taking the Wave back and leaving it with Rick.
"What do you mean NO!?" Kate burst out.
"Sorry, this thing is talking to me again," Kate told them. "I'm still trying to figure out how it does that."
But it was still talking to her."FINE! FINE! You win. Can you please shut up now?" Finally, it was silent. "Thank you."
Alexis put Patches down. "I'll be right back. Stay and protect them, Patches. Be a good kitty." Alexis vanished and headed off to see what was next.
While she was gone, Kate and Eslor both stuck a hand in the flowing tube of water to test it. "She's not kidding, the water is warm." Kate gave it a quick taste test. "Not salty, so it's not from an ocean." Still, it came out of one wall, went across the room, and into another wall.
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Alexis was back, but she was silent. "Well?" Kate questioned her.
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. You need to see this." Alexis began walking. Patches was right next to her, followed by Eslor and then Kate.
"NO-FUCKING-WAY!" Just when Kate thought this place was nuts, now this.
They were looking out and down into an enormous chamber defined by terraced steps that ringed the entire area and descended toward a central enclosure.
A few feet south of the door, water lapped at the edge of the stone floor. Looking to the side, they could see that the ring of the terrace that laid beyond was a ten-foot-deep ring of water held in by a nearly transparent wall. Another of these watery steps was somewhat lower than the first in the terrace. At the level in between these aquariums, the terrace steps were dry. But the area was still enclosed by a glassy wall like the others.
"What is it?" Eslor wasn't expecting whatever it was that she was looking at.
"An inverted Pyramid Aquarium, I think. It even has sea life in it." Kate saw things moving in all of them.
"Giant Crayfish, Aquatic Scorpions, Aquatic Manticores? The last two are desert creatures. I've never seen aquatic versions before. I never thought it was possible," Eslor said as they watched all of them coming their way.
"We've been noticed," Alexis commented. "Do you think they can get out?"
"I have no idea. I didn't even know they existed. Though I do see a door on the far end," Eslor mentioned.
"Be right back. You stay, Patches." Alexis vanished to go and investigate what was behind that door.
Kate and Eslor were left looking at these things that were soon up against the glass on this end, looking at them. Kate looked over at Eslor. "Why is it I get the feeling they want to eat us?"
"Maybe because they do," Eslor said quite seriously. "Just so long as they stay in there." Eslor had her hand on her weapon, waiting. Kate even took out her Wand and waited.
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Alexis was back. "Look what I found!" Alexis held it out in front of her.
"Blackrazor!" Kate was impressed.
"You stole it from him?" Eslor was betting the Lich was behind that door.
"Based on your description, I don't think it was the Lich. This guy was bigger than Dad." Alexis painted a word picture of what she had found. Well, the person, just not the room itself. "Solid dark blue skin, long black hair, talons for nails, and except for some pants, he was naked. I saw it, became solid and grabbed it, and left again. He was resting on a massive pile of pillows. I'm not sure if he saw me."
Suddenly the door opened, and there in the doorway a big, dark blue guy stood. "Uh-oh, he did! I think we should run," Alexis urged.
Just the sight of him had them running for the next room. It was there Alexis waited for Eslor to remove her armor again and stuff it into her Backpack along with her weapon. Kate shifted into a swarm of bats and raced them back to Rick and Corimin.
"Can we get out of here now?" Alexis was beyond done with this place. They had the three weapons that they had come for.
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They'd made it back to the first three-way fork in the road where they'd started off. But, all of a sudden, someone was in the way. Now, this one looked like a Lich to them.
"Ah-ah-ah! You're not thinking of leaving, are you? You've been so very entertaining. I couldn't think of letting you go, especially with those three little items of mine. And since you've eliminated all of their guardians, why, you'll have to stay...and take their places. I'll have to ask you to leave all your ridiculous weapons behind and let Nix and Nox escort you to the Indoctrination Center. I'll be most disappointed if you cause me trouble since Nix and Nox will have to eliminate you. Don't worry – you'll like it here."
He promptly vanished and just behind him, out of either wall, stepped Nix and Nox. Humanoid in appearance, they were very tall, generally reaching a height of 12 feet. They were massive and solid, weighing 2,000 pounds. In addition, they were well-muscled and had red or black skin that was always burning. Their bodies were supposedly composed of basalt, bronze, and solidified fire.
"MEOW!"
"DEVILS!" Eslor declared. They fit the description that she had learned. "They're immune to fire."
"How about Electricity?" Rick took out his Wand and spoke the command word. Apparently not, since the one on the left took a lightning bolt, and it looked like it hurt a bit.
"How about Cone of Cold?" Corimin was willing to expend two charges on his Staff of Power, then a cone of freezing cold ice and snow sprayed out. That looked to hurt a lot more than one little lightning bolt.
But, both Nix and Nox were still standing. It was their turn now, and both charged, one ramming into Rick and the other into Corimin. Each huffed out all the breath in their lungs and fell backward with a thud. Rick lost control of his Wand, while Corimin lost control of his Staff.
"MEOW!"
Patches was pissed now and launched himself at the one on the left. The Ember Cat circled his head, scratching and biting all he could.
Kate was still holding Whelm, and it was talking to her again. "You can do what!? PATCHES! COME!" He needed to be out of the way.
The second Patches was out of the way, Kate pointed and willed this to work. Surprisingly, another Cone of Cold, just like Corimin's sprayed out. Only this one was worse.
Wonder of wonders, both of them looked encased in ice. But it was only for a moment or two. Each broke free. However, that gave Alexis a chance to pull out an old Wand, point at one, and launch a Lightning Bolt at the one on the left.
Corimin grabbed his Staff, and while still lying on the floor, he pointed and sent out another Cone of Cold at both of them.
The one on the left fell to the floor instantly, though the other one remained standing. That one took a step and swung a fist at Alexis. However, his swing went right through her…as if she didn't exist.
"Missed me!" Alexis taunted him. She was fast and had gone Ethereal. But like this, she couldn't do anything to him.
Thankfully Rick regained control of his Wand and fired another Lightning Bolt at him, and they watched him fall.
Alexis was solid again. "Can we get the hell out of here now?"
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It was three days later. They were heading for the bridge to Citadel Adbar and the Dwarves, hoping to get some food and maybe some hay for the horses. However, what they found wasn't what they expected.
"ORCS!" Alexis warned since she and Patches were out front.
In front of them on this side of the bridge, there had to be a least a hundred Orcs. A few more were on the bridge but what was on the other side was more concerning.
Lined up against the chasm behind them were several small catapults that looked much like the broken one from earlier. With them were hundreds of Orcs. A lot were dead, but not nearly enough of them.
"It figures!" Kate complained. Luckily for them, none of the Orcs were watching their backs, or their small group would have spotted by now.
As they watched, a few catapults launched rocks at the portcullis that looked heavily dented and possibly, it would no longer open. Each catapult still had a pile of stones to throw.
"Mithral Hall is over a week from here," Rick mentioned.
"Sundabar is close to four days from here. Another two to Silverymoon," Eslor added.
"Our friendly Brass Dragon is maybe a week from here, and that's if we can find him," Alexis said.
Determined to help, Corimin said, "Take your Wands of Fireball out of your Rod and use them one at a time. We clear this side of the bridge first. We're all they have." He looked at Alexis, and she nodded her agreement.
That had everyone but Eslor pulling out a Wand since she didn't have one. But that changed when Alexis handed her one and told her the command word that was to be said in Elvish.
"It is a good thing I speak Elf." Eslor took it. They spread out slightly to stand side by side, and she pointed her Wand.
"We work in from the edge first, then work on whoever is on the bridge," Rick directed. He fired his Wand of Lightning Bolt and hit just one Orc. That was the bad part about his Wand. The next thing he thought about finding out was if he was in range of a catapult.
Immediately four Fireballs were fired, killing a lot of Orcs on this side of the bridge. It also got the Orcs' attention. But it took a minute for a leader to issue orders.
Rick realized he could reach a catapult and ruined that one, followed by four more Fireballs.
It took three Fireballs to clean out this side of the bridge, so the bridge itself, made of stone thankfully, was next. It also meant two more catapults were destroyed. The others were out of range. Rick was going to have to get closer first.
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"I'm out," Eslor told Alexis, who had given her the Wand.
"Me too. Here, take this one." Alexis gave her last Fireball Wand to Eslor. It was low on charges as well. Her Rod used up a lot of charges, and while the damage was three times more, it came with a price.
That left Alexis with a Wand of Lightning Bolt. It, however, still had lots of charges.
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They had managed to clear the bridge, destroy all the catapults, and save for some attempts using arrows, not a single one attacked them.
Each just used another charge from a Wand when the main doors opened. They watched as the portcullis was pushed down since it could no longer be raised. A heartbeat later, screaming all the way, hundreds of armed Dwarves rushed out.
That meant they didn't dare fire another Fireball or Lightning Bolt for fear of hitting a Dwarf.
It also meant they just stood there and watched every Dwarf get involved in hand-to-hand combat with the surviving Orcs.
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They were standing at their end of the bridge and watched as Dwarves checked each and every Orc to make sure they were dead. Soon, though, they watched as three Dwarves, all wearing very heavy-looking armor, walked across the bridge.
Once granted admittance to the Royal Presence, they saw Fiona and her familiar, Night, standing next to King Harbromm, who was seated. He had guards and other Dwarves next to him.
"Your timing is excellent," His Majesty told them. "The Orcs were never going to breach our walls or gate, but your help is most welcome. We will think of a way to repay you.
"We will find rooms for you to stay in behind our walls. Thanks to Fiona and her knowledge, our plants are growing strong and fast. When we are certain it is safe for you to leave, you are free to depart. Till then, we will charge you nothing. We have many dead Orcs to dispose of."
The King motioned to her. "Give them the finest rooms we have to offer. See to it they are fed well and are comfortable. We will send runners to Mithral Hall, Silverymoon, and even Sundabar. Supplies should be here in two weeks' time.
"Please tell us if there is something you need." He rose and left them. He still had a lot of work to do.
Kate hurried over to her, "Fiona! It's so good to see you," and she gave her a quick hug.
"You did arrive right on time. Harbromm talks a good talk, but I'm pretty sure that door wasn't going to last. Thankfully it was just Orcs. I didn't hear anything about Ogres being part of it. Plus, their growing fields are limited. I think I've talked him into expanding them.
"If they sat out there and we didn't receive help, they could've starved us out. I have plans to fix that," Fiona added.
"It sounds like you plan to stay." At least it did to Kate. While nice, her home was tiny, and she was alone there.
"They need me, but it's all Dwarves. I'm conflicted." Fiona didn't know what to do once she had solved their problem. Should she stay or go home?
"I don't know much about Druids, but I would say do what you love. Do it here or do it somewhere else. It sounds like you'll be in charge. He clearly likes you." Kate meant the King.
"He's a little old for me," Fiona responded dryly, and that got Kate to break out in laughter.
"Maybe he has a son or a daughter if you lean that way. Just saying." Kate held her hands up, hoping she didn't get mad at her. "Be in charge. They need someone like you."
"I'm considering it. Let's see if we can't find you some rooms." Fiona called over a Dwarf, and they all went to find rooms and some food.
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Their stay there ended up being two whole weeks in three different rooms. They didn't even have to cook a single meal. And their horses received excellent care.
Rick was folding up his Portable Hole. It had all small crates, with each one filled with processed Mithral. Not ore that needed to be separated, but actual metal ready to be made into something. Armor usually, but other things as well.
There were eighteen pony kegs filled with metal, and each keg, so to speak, weighed in at twenty pounds. The benefit of Mithral was its lack of weight, making twenty pounds of Mithral worth 1,200 gold pieces. So 1,200 times eighteen pony kegs was a total of 21,600 gold pieces. It made Kate happy. She was going home with almost real gold plus what little they had found. They just needed to split all this with Eslor since she had helped and risked her life.
The others were packed and ready to leave since Rick was ready to go. Kate stopped at her horse with Fiona standing next to the mare. They had learned Fiona took care of their horses, so they were in perfect shape.
"Any decisions, Fiona?" Kate asked.
"Yes, I've decided to stay," Fiona told her. "Maybe I'll meet someone. We'll see."
"Well, I'm sure you'll love it here. It's clear you're needed." Kate hugged her, and then she swung up into her saddle.
"We'll be back now that we have a friend here." Rick loved having friends. But around here, he couldn't just call them. He had to go to them, and this place wasn't just around the corner.
They had an escort of a dozen Dwarves for six hours till they wished them well and returned home. It was just in case there were more Orcs out here.
It was three days to Sundabar and two more to Silverymoon. It meant getting to Silverymoon in the dark, so they went their own way till tomorrow when they would meet again at the Palace.
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Early the next morning, Rick, Kate, Alexis, and Corimin found Eslor at the first gate with Guards already there, waiting to escort them inside.
"Mitala!" Kate was happy to see him.
Mitala smiled. "I am pleased to see you. I trust that you accomplished your mission?" He had faith that they would, but he needed to make sure.
"We did," Kate told him. "We even helped the Citadel Adbar defend itself against an Orc attack."
"So we heard. We sent some supplies and a few guards just in case. They should return in about a month. We have found out that Sundabar has done the same.
"I see one of the weapons already." Kate was holding Wave.
"Wave. Did you know this thing has been talking to me? I was barely allowed to set it down. It practically slept with us," Kate told him and blushed slightly. "Well, you did, so don't lie."
That had Mitala starting to laugh. "Intelligent weapons are not unheard of, simply more rare. I assume Wave does not object to you being a Vampire?" He was quite interested in hearing about that.
"He was a little shocked at first. I had to tell him a lot, but he's adjusted. You can have him now." Kate went to hand Wave over to Mitala. "It has been a pleasure," she told Wave as he left her hand.
"Blackrazor and Whelm." Rick took them out of his Backpack and placed them on the table.
Mitala nodded as he looked them over. "We will send word today that we have them. In addition, we will need to send your payment request with that message. They can bring what you desire from Waterdeep if you are ready," he said.
"We've talked about that a lot," Kate told him. "Eslor should go first. She was exceptionally helpful."
"I did very little! Alexis did all the work, her skills are amazing. I will happily go anywhere with them. As for my heart's desire, that is an object." Eslor paused for effect. "I desire a Ring of Elemental Command, Earth, preferably. Air, if I must," she told him. She had asked and had learned that it sold for 200,000 gold pieces, so she knew she was asking for a lot. But he had said what her heart desired.
Air
Feather fall (unlimited use, wearer only)
Resist energy (electricity) (unlimited use, wearer only)
Gust of wind (twice per day)
Wind wall (unlimited use)
Air walk (once per day, wearer only)
Chain lightning (once per week)
Earth
Meld into stone (unlimited use, wearer only)
Soften earth and stone (unlimited use)
Stone shape (twice per day)
Stoneskin (once per week, wearer only)
Passwall (twice per week)
Wall of stone (once per day)
"Duly noted." Mitala made a mental note and would write all of this down later.
Alexis chose Corimin to go next. "Babe."
"Much like Eslor, I'm not so sure just how much help I was. However, what my heart desires is a Robe of Archmagi. White preferably, naturally." Corimin wanted it to match his Staff of Power. He also knew it sold for 75,000 gold pieces. So it was quite a large amount in his eyes.
+5 armor bonus to AC
Spell resistance 18
+4 resistance on all saving throws
+2 enhancement bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance
Alexis was third. "I had a lot of trouble with this." She meant to not ask for too much but to get something really nice. "I've decided on a Staff of Power if that's possible? If not, perhaps a Tome of Leadership and Influence +5 or maybe +4," she suggested hopefully.
Magic missile (1 charge)
Ray of enfeeblement (heightened to 5th level) (1 charge)
Continual flame (1 charge)
Levitate (1 charge)
Lightning bolt (heightened to 5th level) (1 charge)
Fireball (heightened to 5th level) (1 charge)
Cone of cold (2 charges)
Hold monster (2 charges)
Wall of force (in a 10-ft.-diameter hemisphere around the caster only) (2 charges)
Globe of invulnerability (2 charges)
Her first choice was 200,000 gold pieces. The second choice was 137,500 gold, and the third choice was 110,000 gold. The Tome would increase her Charisma by a permanent number, perfect for a Sorceress.
"Now I know I have to write all this down." Mitala hadn't thought they would do this. So he really did need to write all this down.
Alexis looked down and apologized. "Sorry," came out in a whisper.
Rick stepped back so Kate could go next. "Ladies first."
"I had trouble with this as well, "Kate admitted. "After talking with my Master, I finally chose…Ring of Djinni Calling." Kate hoped that wasn't too much. It was selling at 125,000 gold pieces.
Djinni Calling: One of the many rings of fable, this "genie" ring is most useful indeed. It serves as a special gate by means of which a specific djinni can be called from the Elemental Plane of Air. When the ring is rubbed (a standard action), the call goes out, and the djinni appears on the next round. The djinni faithfully obeys and serves the wearer of the ring, but never for more than 1 hour per day. If the djinni of the ring is ever killed, the ring becomes nonmagical and worthless.
Rick cleared his throat; he wanted to be noticed this time. "Um..." He thought he had the perfect thing. He wasn't sure just what he was going to do with it, but it sounded so very cool, plus it was expensive.
"One Ring of Three Wishes. Maybe two, but one will do," Rick told him. Rick knew it sold for 97,950 gold pieces. He didn't know what everyone else's cost, so he believed his was the most costly. After all, he was asking for Wishes. How much more powerful did it get than that?
Three Wishes: This ring is set with three rubies. Each ruby stores a wishspell, activated by the ring. When a wish is used, that ruby disappears. For a randomly generated ring, roll 1d3 to determine the remaining number of rubies. When all the wishes are used, the ring becomes a nonmagical item.
Kate rolled her eyes. "I should have guessed."
"If they cannot provide your desires, you can expect to receive an equal amount in gold, I would guess. It will take at least two weeks for you to receive your items. These items will remain here in the Palace, under Guard, until then.
"Now tell me in detail who and what you encountered, save for the Orcs at the Dwarven Stronghold." Mitala needed to know everything so he could inform the Lady later.
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It turned out to be three weeks, and a member of each family was there to hand out what everyone wished for. Eslor got Earth, just as she asked, and everyone else got exactly what they requested.
They also had to find out from each of them just how they had recovered the items.
And yes, each of the three items was Intelligent. Each was extremely powerful, and each had spells that they cast, amongst other things. There was only one of them in this Realm or any other. They were priceless and irreplaceable.
They would also be guarded and watched more closely since the person who stole them was not captured or killed. If he even was who he said he was.