Rise of The Runelords - David Drake's Saga

by Raulfur

This is the Rise of the Runelords series as told by of David Drake, an American pagan who got tricked into the adventure. This series shows how he comes to understand the world and his journeys through it. The first three posts detail his companions, Faunra: a time displaced elven Magus, Dame Rebekah: a child of crusaders, and Jonathan: a skinwalker monk/kineticist. Still ongoing.

21. Day 17 or It's a time

Day 17: It's a time for Fireday the 5th Lamashan 4707 repeat of "The Harpy's Curse"

Well, that was a night. Savah asked me to help her out of her armor, and I of course did. I set my tablet down and helped her with the hardest parts of getting the armor. She smiled and thanked me and got herself out of the lower two layers. She looked kind of sad while she did. I went over to her from the bed and asked her what was wrong. Savah was standing there in her underclothes and she went to hug me. I still had my armor on, so I asked her if she would be okay while I got out of my armor. She sat down and waited while I did whatever I could to get out of the armor quickly. I used my prestidigitation abilities to undo some of the straps, but it was still a fairly long endeavor. Savah kept her eyes down while I was getting out of the armor, something that she had never done before and was kind of confusing to me.

As soon as I had gotten out of the base layer and only in my boxers, Savah leapt up and held me fiercely. I was a little uncomfortable to be that close to her nearly naked skin. Savah looked up to me and asked why I wasn't interested in her. I could see the sadness in her eyes when she asked me that. I told her that I was confused about what she meant. She told that she wanted to know why I didn't want to be with her. I looked her in the eyes. There were tears.

I could never deal with tears. Not Savah's, not anyone's. Not when there was something that I thought I could do about it. I told her that I had not made up my past to be mysterious. I told her that I really was with someone another world, and that it was taking everything I could to remain true. I told her that every day I struggled with the realization that I might be trying to be true to a relationship on a world that I would never see again. I told her that I had hoped that I wouldn't have to make a choice because I would find a way back without causing her so much stress and leave her with decent memories of me.

She asked why I was so focused on being faithful to someone I might never see again. I told her that I had been cheated on a lot in the past, and that I had been hurt. I told her that I wouldn't ever want to hurt anyone like that, not my family back home or her. I told her that I'd rather be miserable and prevent myself from experiencing even a minute of joy than hurt the ones close to me. She looked up at me for a minute and told me that not being with me was hurting her. That hurt me. I asked her if she wanted me to leave. She shook her head. She told me that everything she had worked on had been to try to get us closer together.

I asked her if she'd like to hear about why I thought that I got these new powers. She nodded her head, and I asked her if she wanted to lay on the bed with me. She nodded to that as well. I lay down on the bed and with Savah lying beside me, her head on my chest again, listening to my breathing. I told Savah about my experience back when I first had my vision in my home-world, the full story, and then the vision that I had had the night she gave me that spectacular massage. She smiled a little at me complementing her abilities.

I told her that the vision had told me that I would have to choose soon, and that if I went home, I would end up damning it in a small amount of time. I told her about how I was only holding on to a wisp of hope of being true until I had the chance to make the decision. I told her that I expected to make my decision based on what would keep my home-world safest, and that based on what I had seen so far, it was likely me staying here. I finished with asking her if she was willing to hold on until I could make that decision.

Savah looked up to me and said that she would try. She told me she was cold and asked if we could get under the blankets. We slid the blankets down and got under them. I drifted off to sleep quickly with her nearly naked skin against mine, her ear on my chest. It felt really good to have skin to skin contact. It was really comfortable. REALLY comfortable.

I woke up with Savah's head still on my chest. I felt that her hand had drifted down uncomfortably close to an area that would have really appreciated the attention. I gently moved her hand up to my chest and she snuggled in closer. I focused my will and used the prestidigitation power to get my pants and shirt from where they were to the side of the bed. I didn't know what time it was, but I didn't see a lot of light coming through the windows. I realized that I wouldn't be able to get my tablet to drift over to me, but I could get my phone. I got it out of my gear bag and drifted it over to me. I went through the phone and saw it was only midnight. I locked the phone and floated it back over to my gear bag. I could get used to a power like this. Now I only need to figure out how to keep it powered using my new skills. I looked back down at Savah and immediately regretted it. The blankets had slid down a little and I saw that she had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction. I gingerly pulled the blankets back up and hoped that she wouldn't notice the fact that my body was more than willing to do something right now.

Soon. That was the word that reverberated through my dreams. In every scene, someone said that word. Jonathan, Dame Rebekah, Ameiko, Faunra, Savah, Mayor Deverin, Cyrdak, Cracktooth, Sheriff Hemlock, even the people from back home. I rarely, if ever remembered my dreams, but I remembered this clearly. I figured that I would have to make the decision very soon, from what the omen said.

I woke up to kisses on my face and head. I opened my eyes to see Savah was on top of me, knees on either side of my hips, leaning down and kissing me. I saw that she was clothed now, so at least I didn't have to worry about that yet. I also noted that I wasn't anymore clothed than I was the night before. I told her good morning. She told me that it certainly was. Panic. Fear. Worry. I froze. She giggled, and said that we didn't do anything… yet. She said that she had gotten a visit in her dreams from Desna, her goddess, that said that you would be making your decision soon. I asked her if Desna had said anything else. Savah told me that She said that she couldn't tell me how you would decide when I asked, but she did wink.

I guess it tracks with everything else. I asked if I could get up and get dressed. Savah resisted at first, grinding herself harder onto my waist. She must have noticed "it" then because she got a slight look of amused shock and approval, probably noting that her efforts were paying off. She closed her eyes and pretended to not ear me the first two times I asked her if I could get up and get dressed. Finally, she relented and got off of me for long enough that I could summon my pants from across the room and hurriedly put them on. She pouted for a bit, but then got started getting dressed again. I got dressed the rest of the way with her helping me, realizing that I still needed to put pockets on this armor. I'll focus on getting that done when we get back to Sandpoint.

We got our gear and headed downstairs. Savah whispered to me almost as an aside while we were walking down the stairs that since we spent the night without the pajamas without any problems, she told me that she wouldn't be wearing them when we got back, except to travel to and from our bedroom. She was grinning the whole time when she added that maybe I'll get another peak of what I saw last night. I know I blushed because she giggled as we got to the bottom of the stairs. The Innkeeper asked if we would be coming back through. I told him that we might be stopping by on our way back through, especially as a thank you for such great hospitality. He told us that we'd be welcome to come back again, especially if I had another story like I had last night.

We had a simple breakfast of porridge and eggs. I quietly offered to make Savah's food taste like something from my home world. She smiled and accepted. I made it taste like peaches and cream. She seemed to enjoy it. Mine I made to taste like maple and brown sugar. Jonathan asked if he could have a taste of mine, and I let him grab a spoonful. Savah offered him a taste of hers, and I made his taste like strawberries and cream. Then everyone wanted something different, so I took the time to make everything taste like a different flavor of oatmeal. Everyone tried some of everyone else's and a good time was had by all. I got a chance to update my journal quick while all of the chaotic breakfast feasting occurred.

We got everything packed up and headed out. Faunra noted that I had at least a decent command of the prestidigitation ability, and that my ability to use it should progress as I keep practicing. She had some arrows that she wanted me to practice repairing things. I would fix them and she would break them again. She had me study what could be repaired and what could not. I fixed other things including the sleeve of the shirt that had gotten burned that day in the Glassworks by the goblins. Faunra told me the I could not repair magical items with the ability, but she didn't know how it worked with either technological or firearms. She noted that I a decent command of my mending ability as well.

Faunra took the time to wonder why it was those specific abilities that had been unlocked. I told her that in my faith, my god is known as the god of magic and knowledge, among other things. I wouldn't put it past him that the influence that he exerted caused the abilities that popped up would be good reflection of his focuses. She nodded to that, and asked me to tell her everything I could about my faith. It took a fair amount of the day but I gave her as good an explanation of the background of the Aesir and the Vanir. She listened with a good amount of attentiveness. When I got to a good stopping point she asked me a question that I had not asked thought to ask myself. And the thought was a little distressing.

Faunra asked me if I thought that it was possible that I could have been sent to this realm to complete this mission by my deity specifically. She noted that Odin seems to be a long-planner type and that he tends to put people, deities, and items in places where he needs them to be to either avert fate or make sure it happens. She asked if it was possible that I was here because I was destined to be here. I nodded with a bit or recollection from a movie, about how destiny wills when someone will die. The strand of one's life was woven long ago, and you can try to run and hide from it but you'll die just the same except you will just die a coward.

Faunra nodded to that and said that this is even more of a point towards it being a long ranged design to stop something from coming over that would impact his goals. If the faith points that you shouldn't try to escape fate but fight your hardest, pointing me in the direction I need to go should only serve to get me heading in the right direction. I pondered over that and said that even if I wasn't initially inclined to pursue this quest, that I would not have turned away from it once I found out that it would save my world. She told me that was because I was good.

Dame Rebekah was listening at the carriage and added that we couldn't really escape the will of the gods when they pushed the issue. She noted that we could try, and this was an expression of our free will, but if something needed to be done, the gods could be heavy handed. I realized that I had been asking the two of them the wrong questions. I asked if they had the same dream that Savah had. Faunra spoke up first and said that hers was slightly different. She saw me aiming a bow at a pair of targets with a blindfold on. I was going to choose one but I asked her which one I should hit.

Dame Rebekah said that hers was somewhat similar, in that I was being tasked with making a choice between two horses, and I had asked her what her opinion was about each of the horses. Chelger noted that his was about a pair of beautiful statues that I was going to have to pick from. I thanked him for his inputs. I thanked them all for telling me this, and for fulfilling the roles that I needed in the way of advisement. I asked them if we could stop for a mid-day break. Dame Rebekah nodded that we should probably do just that.

We all stopped at the next good area and got food set up. Jonathan was busy cooking, Shayliss was helping him. Faunra and Shalelu went off to scout around to make sure we were safe, and Dame Rebekah was working with Chelger to give all of the horses a onceover. That left Savah to just hang around with me. I had gotten my tablet out to try to get things up to date in my Journal. I told her that I was trying to think of some other things that could help us out and I asked her what she might want. She smiled and told me a faster way to get out of armor. I told her that I would look into a way to make it quicker and easier to get free of the armor. I told her that I had some ideas already and that I would look into getting the parts in Magnimar.

She cuddled up to me and thanked me for being there for her to listen to her and for opening up to her with everything. It really helped her understand why I was acting the way that I was. She told me that she understood that I had to make the decision on my own, but that didn't mean she couldn't make sure that I know everything that I would be missing if I left. That was what she told me that she got from her dream anyway. She stood up to go talk to Jonathan and Shayliss, smiling back at me as she swayed her hips seductively. I'm pretty sure that she realizes what it was doing to me, and hopes it makes me more likely to stay. I just hope that I know all of the information about whether I will be putting my home-world in danger by heading home. Looks like food is ready. I'll save my progress and update the rest after we get to Magnimar.

Magnimar. Is. Awesome. And exhausting. I was surprised to learn that Shalelu had been given the keys to Ameiko's familial manor here in Magnimar. The place is great! The upkeep seems a little bit lax, but I figured that I could try and help out a little, since I have these abilities. While everyone else was getting things unpacked, I convinced Faunra to help me in doing a whirlwind tour of the place, using the wondrous powers of prestidigitation to clean up as much of the place as we could in an hour or so. I was cleaning the walls slowly a foot at a time when Faunra noticed and told me that I was wasting time.

She showed me that it was a cubic foot in volume, not specifically in dimensions. That meant I went from doing a small area to doing a much larger area, but shrinking one dimension to one eighth of an inch, I could get a floor to ceiling height more than ten feet long. The cleaning went very quickly then. We finished the whole of the manor with a cleaning in less than an hour. Housework will never be the same again. I volunteered to do the dishes from here on out. Jonathan was a bit amused by that, and said that he'd welcome the help. Savah pouted that I would be spending less time with her if I did that. I whispered to her that if she was good, I'd tell her about the idea that I had for much more enjoyable baths. She perked up with that and whispered back that she didn't know for sure what she needed to do to be good, but that she was willing to learn. I smiled at her and didn't say another word.

There wasn't much to eat in the pantry, so we made do with what we had brought with us. Jonathan whipped us up something presentable, and we all got set up to head to bed. Savah, true to form was dressed only in her underclothes. She stopped my protestations about the need to be able to get out of the house quick in an emergency by noting that she had set her clothes up right next to the bed for just such an emergency. I sighed, knowing that I would not be getting out of this. I stripped down to my boxers and likewise set up my clothes. She cuddled up to me tracing her fingers up and down my stomach. I asked her not to push me into doing something tonight. She told me that she wasn't going to, but it was nice to know what would do so.

I finished up writing in my journal while she listened to my breathing. I swear it gets harder and harder to deny what she wants. I don't want it to cloud my decision though. I need to at least keep that until I make the decision to either stay or go. I know I'm likely going to have to stay, but I still want to be able to honestly say that I did all I could to be level headed about it.