2. Water's Edge
On a night of starfall, the child of the stargazer returns. He asks her to come with him. She accepts.
The three walked up the steps of the temple complex, admiring the woodwork and colored roof tiles. In the courtyards young women trained in a variety of weapons and martial arts.
"You sure these are nuns?" whispered Eric.
"Didn't I tell you?" Bobby whispered back. "It's a military order."
"I think I see wife number four over there with the katana..." The nun sliced the training rod three times before it touched the ground. "Maybe not."
A nun in flowing yellow robes waited for them at the top.
"Barbarian, Cavalier, welcome to the Temple at Dawn."
"Don't you mean of Dawn?" asked Eric.
Bobby elbowed past him. "Thank you, Sister, we are honored by your hospitality."
"And a great honor it is. Men are rarely admitted to the Temple. But we recognize need, and worth – even when others do not."
"See, Bobby? They recognize worth." Eric turned to their host. "I need to recharge my shield, sister."
"An acolyte will show you the way. She may be familiar."
"Was she the one with the kat…" Eric spun around with the force of the slap and was further surprised by the hug that followed.
"Eric! Bobby!"
Uni protested.
"And Uni. It's been ages."
"Diana!" cried Bobby, hugging her in turn. "It's so good to see you." She wore yellow, and her hair was finely braided.
"Wish I could say the same," said Eric, feeling his cheek.
"I like the beard, but you're still not off the hook. What are you wearing?"
"It used to be Armani. How do you say rags and tatters in Italian?"
"You should be out there changing the world," said Bobby, "not in here training and contemplating."
"This is my way of changing the world," Diana said with a smile. "Come, I'll help you with the shield so Eric isn't a total deadweight."
"Hey, I… thank you."
#
They walked across gardens and orchards to the edge of the grounds.
"This has got to be the easiest – well, mostly painless – recharge so far," said Eric. "Why didn't we come here before?"
"Weren't we needy or worthy enough?" asked Bobby.
"Maybe not," said Diana. "Or maybe we got what we didn't know we needed."
"I see they teach DM-speak here."
"Don't push it, Eric."
They came to the wooden doors of a great pavilion, the sound of surf growing louder.
"There are many places of power if you know to look," said Diana, pushing through.
The doors opened into a wide balcony facing the open sea, waves crashing into the rocks below. There was a rocky pool in the center, gleaming in the approaching daylight.
"Do you have insurance?" said Eric. "You know our history."
"Any destruction was always for a good cause."
"This is beautiful" said Bobby. "I've never been to the ocean."
"Actually, we have all been here before – only a few leagues underground."
Bobby's face lit up. "The Heart of Dawn!"
"The water seeps from the Underworld pool and feeds the spring. The Temple was built around it long ago."
"As I recall," said Eric, "DM was the one doing the channeling. How do you know I won't blow a fuse?"
"As I see it, a win-win proposition," said Bobby.
"Go on, you coward. It's only a shadow of the source, but more than enough to recharge a single weapon."
"If you say so… If anything happens, Bobby can have the shoes. Use real wax."
Eric approached the spring. Taking a deep breath, he submerged the shield. The ripples scattered reflections until he was consumed in white light. The other three waited.
"Armor Class," Eric boomed, "never had this much class."
The light subsided and Eric walked back to them, swishing his red cape. The shield glowed. He spared a thought for the thousands of dollars' worth of designer clothes, but no amount of money could buy this kind of magic. "How could you wear anything else? I feel invulnerable."
In a blur of movement, Diana sidestepped the shield and struck a pressure point on his shoulder.
"Ow! That didn't count, I wasn't ready."
"Good to have you back, Cavalier. Dawn moves into Day and the Gate is closed. It will open again in ten years."
"What?" cried Bobby.
"I'm kidding, you can leave tomorrow morning. But tonight you are our guests. I'm sure the girls will enjoy the company of a dashing young man. And Eric."
"You're hilarious."
#
The horizon turned pink, and the empty night around the Temple coalesced into the familiar grasslands. Diana escorted them to the Gate.
"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" asked Bobby. "We could use your help."
"I'm certain, Bobby. I have played my part." They hugged.
"Thanks for the supplies and stuff," said Eric.
"Come over here, grouchy." She hugged him.
They started walking. "Be safe!" she called behind them.
In a few minutes the sun rose and the Temple was no longer there, its Gate closed.
"So, that katana chick…" said Eric.
"What?" said Bobby defensively. "A fellow warrior, a kindred spirit."
Eric smiled. "You smooth bastard."
"So what's the plan?"
"Does that mean you're joining the quest?"
"Only as long as it suits me."
"Fair enough. I thought we could visit Sheila and Hank. I was hoping he'd have a plan to bring down Tiamat."
"Don't get your hopes up. But it has been a long time since I've seen sis."
#
Grasslands gave way to trees and eventually a thick forest. They made camp for the night.
Eric was rudely awoken by a barbarian hand over his mouth.
"Bobby, what the…" came his muffled protest.
"Quiet," Bobby whispered. He pointed up.
Eric couldn't see anything. Then he heard trees shaking under gusts of wind –with rhythm. He opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly overcome by a constricting panic. Uni cowered beside them. A shadow momentarily eclipsed the sun and was gone.
"Dragon," said Bobby after a while. "Big one."
Eric found his voice. "Do you think it didn't see us?"
"Possibly. Maybe it had already fed, maybe it had a more appetizing target, maybe it's just toying with us."
"I have my shield back. Do you think we could've…"
"No, I don't think we could."
Eric jumped as the bushes ahead rustled. Uni glared at them.
"Dragon?" Eric whispered.
Bobby rolled his eyes and motioned Eric into position. With a nod, they charged screaming to meet their hidden assailants. Beyond the bushes lay five orc soldiers – restrained and struggling against their own ropes.
"Well, I... don't know quite what to make of it," said Eric.
"They were going to ambush us."
"But who's our mysterious ally?"
"Maybe someone with more sinister designs."
"Always the optimist."
"A lifetime in the Realm, Eric. You wouldn't understand."
"Hey, I did my time. I say we count our blessings and move on."
"It's not the same thing."
#
They packed and resumed their journey, wary of the shadows.
"What's it like, Eric? At home, I mean."
"Well, the clothes got better, and the hair. Music got worse. You remember that Transformers show?"
"Of course."
"In the end they land on another planet and it starts all over again."
"What kind of inconclusive ending is that? I'd rather have no ending at all."
"Tell me about it."
"And what was it like for you?"
Eric thought about it. "It was hard. Not what I had imagined. I thought you guys would show up any minute."
"We thought so too."
"All your parents blamed me for being the only 'survivor'. I said I didn't remember anything, so they sent me to a shrink. I must have let slip something about the Realm. That fell in with the 'D&D is evil' mania of the time, but my dad managed to hush it up. I still don't know what they really believe."
"And here we were picturing you stuffing yourself with junk food."
"There was that, too. But I felt really bad about leaving you guys – I still do. Maybe I had already made my decision then. After college I took the trust fund and started WhiteHawk, and tried to forget."
"Interesting choice of name."
"I kept the shield in the living room. People thought it was a family heirloom, kept asking where the castle was. Maybe I should've told them."
"So what changed?"
"I'm not sure. Third divorce? Mid-life crisis? I just know I was at home staring at that shield and suddenly I knew what I had to do. Tracking down the roller coaster was a nightmare, parts of it had been resold separately. I also acquired the old amusement park grounds just in case. It's not like there's a manual for these things. Was it the place? The time? The will of some berserk nun warriors? I hoped the shield would improve my chances. The rest is history."
"It's good to have you back, Eric. Hey, do we still have any chocolate?"
#
Forest gave way to misty swamp. Night fell as they searched for a camp site.
"I give up," said Eric, "I don't care where we camp."
"Quiet, Eric."
"Really, I don't. I don't care about the bugs anymore."
"Will you shut up?" Bobby hissed. "I heard something."
Eric stopped to listen. A rustling sound came from the fog around them.
"Dragon?" he whispered.
Bobby glared at him and pointed to the tree on the right. Eric strained to see past the haze. The sound grew louder, then seemed to come from behind him. He jumped as a mighty beak snapped above his head.
"Grick!" yelled Eric.
"No, that's something else," said Bobby, taking a swing. "Any tips?"
Eric peaked above his shield. The beak belonged to a shrieking floating blob, its tentacles flaying. He scrambled for his notes.
"Flying head… beholder… it's a grell!"
Bobby dodged a tentacle. "And?"
"Says here they're also afraid of sunlight."
"It's night, Eric."
"Oh. In that case I got nothing." He rolled as a tentacle whipped towards him.
"Now what?" asked Bobby.
"Honorable retreat is always an option."
As the creature approached, a cloaked figure emerged from the mist and jumped underneath it.
"Are you mad, man?" yelled Eric. "You'll be brain food!"
The stranger struck the underbelly with the staff. The monster shrieked in pain and retreated.
"No, that's what you would've been if I hadn't arrived, man." Diana removed her hood. "You need to put yourself in danger to reach their weak spot. You can add that to your notes."
"Acrobats gain +1 to attitude, duly noted."
"Thanks, Diana," said Bobby. "But why didn't you show yourself back with the orcs?"
"I saw them on the way, thought they were your work. I only caught up to you now. Just in time, too."
"The plot thickens…" said Eric, stroking his goatee.
"What made you change your mind?" asked Bobby.
"The Head Sister helped me see my part wasn't over yet."
"Glad to have you aboard," said Eric. "But I just realized something else that wasn't in my notes."
"What is it, Eric?" asked Diana. "And why are you still on the ground?"
"Paralyzing tentacles. Would you mind, Uni?"