Chapter 14
They made good time and the sun had not long set before they reached a shelter on the road. The glow of Okku's form was enough to let them see without spoiling their night vision like a torch or a spell of light and they could have kept going but there seemed no rush. A few hours saved continuing on into the night would only be a few hours rather than missing them some meeting or deadline. Blake did wonder though if a few more hours of walking might have tired him enough that sleep would not be so difficult to find. He was very happy to have Neeshka snuggled up against him, and he knew he would have felt guilty over causing the spirits pain so he could give her pleasure, but it was hard to not dwell on how much less sleep they would both be getting had they been in bed together in that house.
Morning eventually arrived and Blake was glad he had a beard as the way he felt he'd not have wanted to have to trust a blade near his face to shave. Even a smile from Neeshka did not shake the fatigue of the curse and of having only had a few restless hours sleep. A small fire within the stones laid out for that purpose in the shelter was enough to heat some water for tea and to then bake and crisp and draw more flavour out of some of the cold meats. Blake might also have boiled some eggs but those they were carrying had already been hard-boiled to make them less vulnerable to being cracked. As he alternated nibbles of egg and warmed cold meat Blake noticed that Okku was looking unsettled.
"If you wish to share then by all means. I know you do not need to eat, and consider this carrion since it was not your own kill, but a few morsels for the taste can be spared and replenished once we reach Mulsantir again."
"No!" roared Okku, making Blake pause with a partially eaten boiled egg part way to his mouth. Okku took a moment to control his voice and continued. "I mean, thank you for the offer little-one but that does not smell as good to me as it might to you. That was not what was on my thoughts."
"Then what, my friend?" Blake asked. "You seemed to be debating something with yourself, and my apologies that I mistook what."
"No apologies are needed," rumbled Okku, "or at least not from you." The bear-god hesitated again. "Little-one, your defence of me to my clan has shamed me."
"I don't see how…" Blake began, rather puzzled.
"When we first fought I gained an appreciation for your strength," replied Okku, "and that only increased when you defeated me with an army of spirits at my side."
"Gann and Neeshka, and Kaelyn and her siblings, did a great deal to help win that battle, my friend," Blake demurred, still not sure how he had shamed Okku, "and it was still hard fought. Enough to make me very grateful I had reached Mulsantir and gained the extra help."
"And so you should be," nodded Gann. "Though I do wonder if without my advice about where to strike first you might still have won. While you were fruitlessly striking at Okku your graceful lady might have defeated enough of old father bear's army in guarding your back to have rendered him vulnerable."
"I know how much they did, little-one," Okku rumbled, ignoring Gann with the ease of practice, "and I know that when we started travelling together that, as much as they did, your might was not something I questioned."
Blake frowned. "The way you say that makes it sound like you did question something else?"
"At first I was concerned that you would revel in the ability to destroy," murmured Okku, sounding embarrassed at the admission as he continued. "Many spirit-eaters have done just that, given in to the hunger and embraced it, and though your willpower to rein in the attack on me was impressive that could have been eroded over time by your defiance of the wrath within you. But you have not become the spirit-eater, not embraced the twisted power within you, and I am confident that you genuinely wish to end this curse."
"Took him long enough to be convinced," Neeshka muttered sourly to Blake.
"Thank you, my friend," said Blake, giving his sweetheart a quick glance. "It has been a struggle but thanks to your support, all of your support, I have managed."
"No, your mate has it right," Okku rumbled, turning yellow eyes on Neeshka and making her wonder how many other of her asides he had heard. "I should have admitted this long ago but… you defeated me before, twice, and if you did falter I did not want you to be even stronger when we fought again."
"Stronger?" asked Blake in surprise.
"My confidence in you, in my oath, has empowered my will," Okku replied. "I feel fearless and without concern and that has given me extra strength. It would have been of little effort to share some of that strength with you and you had more than earned it." He chuckled to himself. "As little as you have seemed to need that extra help, and whether or not you would have wanted that gift, you had earned it just the same."
"But you still had doubts?" nodded Blake understandingly. "Were still worried that the more I learned of this curse and its possible uses the more tempting it would become to experiment?"
Okku looked at Blake and at Neeshka sitting close beside him as she so often did, when she was not walking or standing nearly as close or lying even closer. Over the journey his more pressing doubt had become instead whether Blake would sacrifice Neeshka to defeat this curse and fulfil Okku's oath. That still seemed dubious to Okku but the little-one had shown he understood how many spirits might be devoured if they failed. Shown that he agreed how much was worth sacrificing to achieve success even if that agreement might only be with his mind rather than his heart.
"I had my doubts about that, but no longer," Okku rumbled, not mentioning his other doubts. "They had left me long ago, I think, but until I heard the conviction in your voice as you argued for the rightness of my oath I had not noticed their absence. I cannot relieve you of the hunger's burden but I can lend you my will in resisting it. I am here to help you, to protect you, and by making you stronger I do more to keep you safe than I ever could with tooth and claw."
Blake opened his mouth to ask the same sort of questions as when Gann had mentioned the Dreamer's Eye. Becoming stronger did seem like a good thing but he had tried to not become so accustomed to his magical items that removing them would make him feel crippled rather than normal. If Okku gave him strength and then that strength was lost or withdrawn then it could cause a similar problem. Before Blake could say anything though he felt the lingering fatigue leave him as Okku did not wait for permission. This was nowhere near as great a relief from the curse as when Blake had beseeched Chauntea for aid against the blight in the Ashenwood, but it was still enough that a slump Blake had not been aware of left his shoulders. He straightened slightly and decided to not protest, though he would be careful to keep his perspective on how much of his strength was now Okku's and how much his own or the effects of his magic or equipment.
"Thank you, my friend, both for the gift and for the faith in me that led you to give it."
Okku just rumbled, still looking a little embarrassed that he had not given this sooner, and Blake dropped the subject to continue his breakfast with less tiredness to interfere with his enjoyment of it. This eaten he donned the parts of his armour he had removed to sleep and made his persistent spells for the day ahead. Neither was necessary as nothing interfered with their travels and the rest of the day passed as quietly as the milestones. It was with some relief that Blake realised it was late enough they could stop and eat and rest again. Thankfully this time he was tired enough, despite the extra strength from Okku, that the feeling of his darling in his arms was comforting rather than frustrating with the armour separating them.
It was early afternoon the next day before the Walls of Mulsantir came into sight as they approached down the road from the North. Blake's mind was on what he was going to say to Sheva Whitefeather so at first he did not notice the group of people loitering near those walls. They looked like a family and had not triggered his instincts as a potential threat but, looking at them now he'd noticed them, it did seem strange they were there. The previous day he'd have been tired enough to not want to be bothered and he did remember Neeshka reminding him this was not his city. But the Witches and their Berserkers had not helped Shelvedar with his stuck wagon so with a sigh Blake decided to approach them and find out whether they needed assistance. This was neither a nice enough day nor that a nice enough spot for them to be enjoying the fresh air and they had an air of nervousness about them.
"Helpfulness!" Neeshka muttered.
"I know. I can no more help it than you can help being so beautiful in mind and spirit and body."
"Smooth talk doesn't help harbour-boy," Neeshka said, going a little pink and showing she was not as immune as she suggested, "and if you are not careful I'll think you've been taking lessons from Gann. But I suppose this interfering is part of what I love about you."
"Papa, papa," said the little boy just as they got within easy hearing of the group, "whatever will we do without our wagon?"
"I don't know, son," sighed his papa. "I just... don't know."
"Greetings," Blake said. He'd hoped their lack of tents and supplies had shown that, despite the weather and location, they were just residents out for a short walk but they did not sound Rashemi. "You seem…"
"Papa! Papa!" the little boy cried, scurrying behind his mother. "It's the angry bear! It's come back for us."
The father turned and spread his arms defensively to block the way to his family. "Oh wrathful, heathen bear spirit, I respectfully request that you return to the hereafter and cause this humble family of Shou no further grief."
"What?" Blake blinked, surprised at the strange turn to the conversation, though pleased he was right about their accents.
"I did not intend…" rumbled Okku, also sounding surprised.
"No, Demon bear!" the father continued. "Please shut your carnivorous maw and find some other prey."
"But I…"
"Ah! No, bear spirit," said the father, shrinking back a little, "don't eat us!"
Okku stared at the man for a moment before shrugging his huge shoulders. "Bah! There's no use talking to these superstitious folk. Perhaps you should return to speak with them without me."
"Or not return at all," Neeshka suggested, hoping her harbour-boy had discharged his helpfulness.
"Okku draws his strength from the land and from that lent him by other spirits," Blake said, disappointing Neeshka by persisting with the conversation. "Not from flesh and he was quite angered when he found some Telthors still eating such."
"I was more insulted that they were acting as scavengers rather than hunters," murmured Okku.
"Spirits can still eat?" asked the father before pleading again. "Oh bear-spirit, please don't hunt us! We would not be challenging prey."
"I have no intention of harming you," Okku rumbled angrily, his anger counter-productive to Blake's efforts to say he was not a threat.
"There's a splintered wagon out there containing all our goods of Shou that would argue differently," the father said, rallying slightly against his fear. "If only we'd never left glorious Shou. It would have saved this family from its present woe."
"You destroyed their wagon?" Blake asked, turning to Okku.
"I don't recall as such," replied Okku with genuine puzzlement.
The father looked at Blake as he realised this armoured man in the hat seemed to be at least partially on their side and at worst they could at least flee in the few seconds it would take the Demon-bear to kill and devour him. "We were travelling north, to sell our wares of Shou in Immilmar. We are not from this area, but we heard tales of fey spirits running wild, fomenting chaos."
"No more chaos than some of the civilised Gods," Gann interrupted. "Such as the one that has caused much of the present trouble."
"Was none of the true Gods that sent a fell host of terrifying spirit creatures," declared the father, "led by this monstrous bear-thing and that trampled over our wagon of Shou to smash it and some of our goods."
"None of them sent the spirits directly but, as Gann said, one did create the problem those spirits were reacting to," Blake said to the father before turning once more to Okku. "You smashed their wagon?"
"As I say, I don't recall as such," rumbled Okku, "but the rage was upon me and I did not care to go around whatever obstacles were in my path."
Blake nodded to Okku, realising he had been hanging around the bear-god for too long as that actually seemed fair. "Very well," Blake said, turning back to the father. "We bear…" He stopped as he realised the pun. "We have some responsibility for your loss…"
"Harbour-boy!" hissed Neeshka in irritation, that was too helpful even for him.
"So how can we help?" Blake finished.
"Well, we need a wagon to retrieve our goods and complete our trek to Immilmar," said the father, still sounding very unsure. "If you could enter the city and purchase a new wagon for us, we would pay you for your trouble and the cost of the wagon."
"That seems simple enough," Blake said, frowning a little in suspicion as he added, "though perhaps too simple."
"What sort of con are you trying to pull?" Neeshka asked accusingly. "I know how far it is from his barrow," she said, jerking her thumb at Okku, "and how long ago it was he'd have squashed your wagon between there and here."
"I'd have put it more diplomatically," Blake nodded, "but it does seem that unless you travelled very slowly you must have been here long enough to have already bought your own wagon."
"We saw the lights of this city, far away," the father replied dolefully. "So we travelled here looking for shelter and a replacement wagon, but found neither. We cannot enter the city."
"Have the gates been barred?" Blake asked, worried and glancing towards them.
"No, but as soon as we came close to the city we were approached by a mask-wearing heathen witch!" explained the father, eyes widening a little like a respectable matron being mistaken for a lady of loose skirts. "We ran back to here, and now this family of Shou does not know what to do. Unless you can help."
"You were scared away by a single witch?" Gann asked in disbelief. "When travelling through a country run by them? And in any case the witches are not heathen."
"Oh, they're heathens for sure. They wear masks to hide their shame from Lathander, the one true god!" scoffed the father, his self-righteousness overwhelming his common sense as he sneered slightly at Gann. "Anyway we cannot enter a place run by heathens."
"I say we leave these people to rot," Gann said, turning to Blake, some anger in his eyes and voice though his expression remained calm. "You and I may disagree about your gods but you don't belittle the spirits and I don't belittle your faith. Much."
"We are wasting time little-one," growled Okku, drawing the eyes of the father to him and causing the boy to huddle closer to his mother.
Neeshka winced a little as she saw some colour had seeped up her harbour-boy's neck and that his hand had gone to the hilt of his sword. "I have seen their shrine and the statues of the Three," Blake said, eyes narrowed and an undercurrent of anger beneath each word. "The only Druid I knew worshipped Silvanus rather than Mielikki but... are you calling the people of my home village 'heathen' because as farmers they preferred Chauntea to Lathander despite Brother Merring's efforts? Are you calling me 'heathen' because as a Wizard I give frequent thanks to Mystra?"
"They were concerned I might eat them," chuckled Okku, "perhaps they should have considered where their words might cause other offence."
"Despite the temptation to follow Gann's advice," Blake continued after a deep breath, "and leave you the choice of abandoning your goods or having to enter the city yourself I shall still help. If there is a wagon for sale then I shall purchase it for you."
"Thank you so much!" said the father, looking a little relieved as Blake's hand left his sword hilt. "We will be so happy to leave this place."
"And I am sure the spirits of this place will be so happy when you leave," Gann replied.
"Papa?" the little boy asked, peeking out from behind his mother. "Are they gonna help us get a new wagon?"
"Yes, my son, I believe so," said his papa, turning to look at him. "Remember this, even heathens can show good manners. Sometimes."
Neeshka opened her mouth at this confirmation that he was calling her harbour-boy a heathen. But Blake caught her eye and gave an eloquent shrug so she just nodded to him rather than waste her breath on insulting them back. They moved back to the road and along it to the city gates where they got the usual dubious look from the Berserker Guards. The residents of Mulsantir though seemed to have become rather blasé and the noise and bustle of the marketplace continued unabated rather than hushing as it had on Okku's first visit inside the walls after he had been laying siege. Okku ignored that they were ignoring him as that was not something worthy of a god-of-bears to notice. Gann however looked a little insulted that his return had brought so little in the way of response.
"And now there is a second temptation," Blake commented, looking around. "To now follow Gann's advice and leave them out there waiting fruitlessly."
"We were planning on travelling by portal rather than out the gates again," Neeshka smiled, reaching out to cup his cheek affectionately for a moment, "but I know you are soft-hearted."
"Aye," sighed Blake, rejecting the temptation, "let's spend a few minutes to see if we can, as Gann said, spare the spirits of the land from those people's presence."
On the basis that his goods seemed to have been shipped in from further away and so he'd have more reason to know caravan merchants Blake decided to speak to Azim at the rear of the market. Seeing his approach the stall keeper smiled in welcome and sketched a half-bow. "Well met again my friend, but I regret that if you are here to sell then we cannot deal. As worthwhile it has been to buy your things I cannot, alas, give a price that would satisfy your lady as a fair one until I sell some."
"Fortunately we are here to buy," Blake replied. "That is if you have a wagon suitable for a family of merchants? Or know someone who has."
"A strange request coming from you to be sure," said Azim, his eyes wandering over the quartet of bear-god and Hagspawn and armoured and cloaked, "but I do have just the thing. A fine, sturdy wagon, barely used. It can be yours for the modest price of ten thousand gold."
"Modest?" Neeshka repeated. "Hah!"
"Modest considering the lack of wagons," replied Azim firmly. "Yes, with a normal supply the price would be much less or I would be willing to haggle and enjoy testing my skills in such a contest. But this happens to be the only wagon available in all of Mulsantir."
"That seems unlikely," Blake said flatly.
"Ah, but it is true and, with respect, true because of your comrade the revered Okku," nodded Azim. "When he arrived with his army the citizens here bought all the wagons they could. And with the even less modest prices they paid they are reluctant to sell and admit how much coin they lost in buying and selling."
"Very well, then I shall pay your price," nodded Blake back, ignoring Neeshka's 'what?' of protest, "deliver the wagon to the Shou family outside of Mulsantir's gates."
"Certainly my friend," Azim replied, "I'll see that your purchase is delivered immediately! And a pleasure to do business once more."
"Maybe too much pleasure," Neeshka muttered as Blake steadily counted out the asking price. Thankfully Azim had a wooden counting board to slot horizontal stacks of coins into and an abacus to keep track of each board-full.
Leaving Azim to deal with the delivery Blake strode up the hill from the marketplace, through the inner gates and past the Temple of Kelemvor and the Berserker Lodge and its ever-vigilant spirit-badger. This did not dare to approach and hiss but did glare at them as they passed. As they neared the Witches Blake paused to look at the statues of the Three, then muttered something very uncomplimentary about people from Shou. Gann nodded, Neeshka giggled, and even Okku murmured in agreement. Blake blushed very slightly as he'd not meant to mutter loud enough to be heard and then resumed walking towards Sheva. She nodded to Katya and Kazimika and then gazed calmly at him.
"Our wisdom is yours for the asking Blake," Sheva greeted. "How do the spirits keep you?"
"They keep me well Madame Whitefeather," Blake replied politely. "There are a couple of matters though which I thought you should be informed of."
"Speak," said Sheva simply.
"We travelled to the Wells of Lurue," Blake reported. "I had been approached near the gates here by a little girl who claimed her grandfather had knowledge of this curse and that you Witches had long been hunting her tribe."
"And did she mention any reason why we would do such?" asked Sheva.
"Not directly," Blake replied, "though that she had referred to the curse as a gift made it understandable even before she and the other members of her tribe reverted to their true Uthraki forms and her grandfather accused me of 'betraying the gift' by not devouring Okku. We'd expected this meeting to be a trap and were prepared, so when he said he would kill me slowly in the hope the 'gift' would pass to him we instead killed him and the rest of his Hill Tribe more swiftly."
"Not all of them," muttered Gann, "which I still think could come back to bite us. Literally."
Seeing Sheva's questioning look Blake continued. "We spared the children, and I told them I'd cast a spell that would let you track them with a stone I'd give you. But I also told them I would give you that stone only if you swore to not hunt them while they restricted themselves to prey that cannot talk."
"The Hill Tribe has long been a blight on our lands," Sheva frowned. "Do you suggest we not try to finish what you almost did?"
"And do you expect us to swear such an oath?" Kazimika added.
"The oath would be irrelevant as the spell was nothing but a bluff," replied Blake, inclining his head to Kazimika before returning his attention to Sheva. "As to the other I… don't know." Blake shook his head. "Morally I prefer to not kill children, of whatever race. Dispassionately I don't think they have any special knowledge or the strength to be of use to you, unlike the Lizardfolk I brokered a peace with on the Sword Coast. Hunt them if you wish and if you feel that is best for your people and your land."
Sheva nodded. Their decisions would be their decisions rather than influenced by some foreigner but it was good that he recognised this rather than presume to dictate to them. "And the second matter?"
"There was a house in the gullies, and outside it were a group of Durthans. Like the Uthraki U'juk they wanted to kill me in the hope the curse would pass to one of them so they could use it against you… your name was specifically mentioned Madame Whitefeather… but like U'juk they also lie dead." Blake reached into his pack to withdraw a sheaf of papers and a key. "Inside their house where we placed their corpses they had these records of bribes given. They naturally were not foolish enough to use real names but perhaps you can link the figures to people who acquired similar amounts of wealth."
"You have performed us more services," Sheva replied graciously, taking the papers and the house key, "if both in self-defence, and you have our thanks. We shall consider what actions we need to take."
Blake half-bowed to her and turned and walked away. Neeshka hesitated though and only strutted after her harbour-boy when she was sure there was going to be no tangible reward for their good deeds. Sure it had been fight or die but they hadn't needed to take the trouble to tell the Witches about things or let them have that house key. Someone might have paid good coin for a house or, if the spirits had calmed down by the time they freed Blake of this curse, they could have spent a few days there 'relaxing' before trying to make the long journey back to the Sword Coast.
The spirit-badger outside the Berserker Lodge started hissing and growling at them when Blake slowed so, rather than upset it, he walked a little further towards the prison. "Right, I think we are agreed we have to go to Thay? For the Sword of Gith to make Neeshka happy and because it would be so difficult to attempt to recreate Nefris' research?"
"Even without those reasons I would still wish to go there little-one," rumbled Okku. "Fighting Red Wizards would be a pleasure rather than a chore to me and we have not yet revenged ourselves for Nakata."
"Aye, to the Hells with them all," Blake agreed. "One faction kidnapped and enmeshed me in their plot and the other tried to kill me and has hampered my attempts to un-mesh myself. But I am still concerned over fighting an entire Academy."
"I am confident in our skills," Gann said smoothly, "but unfortunately also confident we would not be able to get any help without Magda suffering. We would have to reveal the Room of Doors and, though you are getting on better with them now, you have seen that the Witches can be suspicious and intolerant."
"And in this case with good reason," nodded Blake. "If this were a similar situation in Neverwinter or Crossroad Keep I'd not call Magda's actions treasonous, but that would just mean Exile rather than Execution. So no help from the Witches and I doubt the Berserkers would travel with us unless ordered to do so by them. And even if they would travel with us I doubt they would keep the secret of the portal."
"There were those two initiates…" Neeshka began to suggest before her voice and expression turned dubious, "though they probably wouldn't be much help. And they'd want to tell the head of their lodge what they were going to do."
"So just us then," Blake said.
"Just?" rumbled Okku.
"True, cannot really say 'just' a bear-god," Blake smiled, "though thinking of your might does make me wonder. Visiting the Death God's Vault seemed something to only do if we needed to, but we may be better prepared for Thay if we do go and grant some there rest to get some spirit essences for… ah…"
"Nak'kai," Gann supplied as Blake searched his memory for the name.
"Yes, him," Blake nodded, "though I do still have qualms about using this curse, even on Undead, to provide those essences."
"Our shared purpose strengthens us both, little one," murmured Okku. "I need no further strengthening if this would erode your control of the hunger."
"Very well then, to Thay next and hopefully answers…"
"And loot," added Neeshka.
"But first we had best check on that family of Shou," Blake finished.
"Why?" Gann asked with what sounded like genuine puzzlement. "We have already done them more service than they deserve."
"Maybe so, but there is the chance they are honest enough to be waiting to repay us," smiled Blake.
"Aha!" grinned Neeshka in sudden understanding. "So that was why you didn't haggle, you were spending their gold so no need to spend your time."
"I thought it was because I was just a poor dumb heathen," Blake replied deadpan.
They returned down the hill and as they neared the marketplace Azim waved and smiled and gestured towards the city gates. Blake waved and nodded back to him while hoping he was right in thinking what those gestures meant. Leaving the city once more Blake peered to the north and was relieved to see a wagon and figures moving about there. It at least appeared that Azim had made his delivery and the family of Shou was still there. For a moment Blake was tempted to sacrifice the coin just to not have to speak with them again, but he was trying to avoid losing sight of how much money was worth despite the wealth he'd acquired. Besides this return was more so the family of Shou knew the business was complete and they could leave rather than continue to wait.
"There's our saviour!" the father cried, catching sight of the approaching group. "Thank you very much for getting this wagon delivered to us. Now we can go recover our trampled supplies of Shou and take what remains up north."
"So you can," Blake replied, "though there is the matter of repaying the purchase price."
The father hesitated. "Did you really pay ten-thousand?"
"I did. Why?" asked Blake. "Are wagons not worth that much?"
"It was expensive," replied the father.
"My apologies then," Blake nodded. "You might have got a better deal, despite the shortage, as you are a merchant but I don't have much experience with wagons..."
Neeshka gave a little snort and though she managed to stifle anything more her eyes glittered slightly with the effort. Gann glanced to her but fortunately the father was still intent on Blake and did not seem to notice, or did not want to notice and risk trouble. There was still the looming form of the 'Demon-bear' and the father had angered Blake before so politeness seemed wise.
"I did say I would repay you, even though you associate with the creature that splintered our old wagon," replied the father, his eyes flicking to Okku, "so here is your payment, stranger. Now, if there's nothing else, we need to prepare for our trip. We were due in Immilmar more than a moon ago and the Golden Way is long and winding."
"Shaundakul bless your travels," Blake said, turning and leading the way back towards the city gates.
As they reached what he judged a safe distance Gann looked again at Neeshka and her efforts. "You seem amused by something."
Neeshka turned twinkling eyes to Gann and then looked at Blake before releasing a burst of giggles. For a few moments as they walked that was the only sound she could make but as the pent-up pressure was released she was finally able to speak. "Not much experience with wagons!" she managed to squeeze out before another quick fit of giggling took her.
"I still don't see the joke," Gann replied, his puzzlement not helping Neeshka to get her giggling under control. "Your paramour doesn't seem like, and never mentioned, being a trader."
"Do you know how many wagons it takes to haul enough stone to rebuild a keep?" asked Neeshka, managing to reduce her amusement to 'just' a brilliant grin. "Or for repairing roads? Or how many might pass along those roads and through that keep?"
"Ah, not really," Gann said smoothly, "though from your reaction I take it that Blake does."
Blake had been looking at Neeshka as she giggled and although he was happy she was happy there had been a definite air of puzzlement about him. "I did have to decide a few times whether to buy another wagon," he admitted, still sounding not sure why his words had been so amusing. "Whether one was needed and whether the price being asked was a fair one. Or if a Wright had overcharged for repairs to one of the keep wagons or that of a merchant."
"Which does sound like you know the cost of wagons," Gann smiled, "and I note you did not invite them, unlike Shelvedar, to trade your way."
"Ah, but they cannot enter a place run by a heathen," nodded Blake, "and they did call me such even if I was a well mannered one."
The guards at the city gate looked rather surprised to see them again so soon and one muttered something to his friend about how the foreigner was fortunate to have mighty Okku to remind him of whatever it was he had forgotten to take. Rather than inform them of the true reason, and of what he thought about them having not already aided the family of Shou, Blake just continued on to the Veil Theatre. As they entered the wide double doors a snippet of dialog and the appearance of some of the props gave Blake a suspicion about what they were rehearsing. Magda turned and bustled towards them to greet them rather than continue shouting directions up at the stage.
"Milord, our thanks again," Magda said, confirming Blake's suspicion as she continued, "Vesper has been able to make what I think you will agree is a fine play from what you shared with us."
Blake cast an eye over the three actors on the stage and wondered who they were meant to be. Costumes and make-up would come later and just standing there their body language gave few clues. But Amber was wearing a long skirt and not much on her upper half so she perhaps was going to play Zhjave and it seemed without the detail of that Githzerai cleric wearing armour when appropriate. Strangely though she was holding a sickle.
"There seems two options," nodded Blake, looking back to Magda. "You are either making this accurate so I don't regret telling the tale or you are changing so much that I could regard it as only 'inspired by' rather than being about myself and my friends."
"More the latter milord," Magda replied, "as we said before we are only a small theatre company and combining characters does alter the flow of things."
"I see that you are using a traditional method to keep the audience's attention," smiled Gann, "and you are fortunate to have an actress in Amber who is beautiful as well as talented enough to carry this out."
"Why the sickle?" Blake asked, as Amber tried to pose and maximise the effect of her outfit at Gann.
"Simply put milord it is easier to give Amber brown hair and Elven ears than to make so much of her skin green," smiled Magda, "and you did say how making your companion Zhjave younger made her sound more like your Elven druid Elanee."
"She was never 'his' Druid," Neeshka winked, "however much she wanted to be."
"Er, yes," Blake said, glancing at the happy Neeshka before returning his attention to Magda. "So combine a Druid's sickle with the outfit Zhjave wore… when she was unarmoured… rather than Zhjave's weapons with the more concealing clothes Elanee wore."
"As wise Gannayev said, the former would be the more traditional," replied Magda, "but I am sure this was not why you have visited us milord."
"We are going to use the portal in Lienna's secret room, but I would also ask you to buy some new sheets."
Magda looked almost as puzzled as Neeshka and the others, though this did not stop her from taking the coins Blake offered. "New sheets? Those you used were not that dirty after you used them."
"Glad to hear it," Blake replied with a slight smile, noting the emphasis, "but my intent is to clear some of the corpses in the Shadow Veil. They are not rotting there but they are untidy and it makes more sense to use old sheets to wrap them than to buy and use new for this."
"Ah, you are a sensible lad," smiled Magda. "If only these rogues here had your foresight. Your mother raised you well."
"Foster-father," Blake reminded her flatly.
"Oh, of course, my apologies milord," apologised Magda hurriedly, "you did mention about your mother and the shard."
"I've been trying to keep him well trained," Neeshka grinned.
"And doing a fine job of it," said Gann, with a nod to her, "despite the notable lack of opportunities for you to use a carrot rather than a stick… or rather, I should say, the lack of opportunity for him to use his carrot."
"More like a cucumber," Neeshka replied with another wink.
"Er-herm," said Blake eloquently before rallying. "In any case half-a-dozen sheets should be enough."
"Of course Milord," Magda agreed, happily planning where she could get some cheap sheets to have plenty of money left over.
They continued on to the back room, the actors standing respectfully aside for Okku and the actress giving Gann another smouldering look and smile. Neeshka rolled her eyes to show her opinion to Blake as they caught each other's gaze and he had to swallow a laugh. As long as it had taken him to realise that Neeshka and Elanee were competing for him Blake did not think even he could have mistaken that much lack of subtlety. As they got closer to the corner of Lienna's bedroom the portal responded to the Shadow Stone coming closer and swirled into appearance. They stepped through and into the grey colourless dimness of the Shadow Plane.
Entering the room with the portals Gann nodded across to the one marked 'disposal' and what was piled in front of it. "Looking at that I wonder about you thinking only six sheets would suffice," he commented. "Those Gargoyle corpses are large and still seem quite damp."
"It is because they are large, my friend," Blake replied. "They'd need something larger than sheets and they are, despite Okku's ease in the task, rather heavy to move and wrap."
"Hrm. If you can get that Golem to open a portal it would be simple to throw them through, little-one," rumbled Okku. "Without needing to wrap them."
"The problem with that is if this opens outside we do not want to mark its location with corpses," Blake replied. "Nor to attract Wyverns to there, though they would at least reduce the pile…" Blake hesitated a moment. "Assuming those Gargoyles taste edible?"
"They were not that pleasant," complained Okku, "though I remember enough of flesh to know how hunger can make things more tolerable."
"Wait, you say if this opens outside?" Gann asked.
Neeshka nodded as she removed and folded her cloak. "When I chased those things," she replied, gesturing at the Gargoyles, "we came out in a short side valley off the road towards the academy. That was where Nefris returned to, probably from here after cutting my harbour-boy open." Neeshka broke off a moment for some muttered cursing and to put her cloak in her bag. "But when she sent her daughter to Okku's barrow she used a portal in a room in her tower."
"So I'm not sure if this portal will link to the one outside or the one inside, likely outside as if she could have returned to her tower then she would have done rather than walk, I suppose. This gives us the problem of getting into the academy and gives me something to check."
Blake crossed to the Golem that the Hags of the Slumbering Coven had described as the Keeper of Doors when they advised begging passage of it. He looked at the impassive clay figure and though it showed no signs of noticing him he remembered that they had learned on the previous visit that it only responded to words directly addressed to it. "Golem, do you hear me?"
"State your command," replied the Keeper of Doors.
"Tell me of the door marked 'outgoing', the fourth door. Where does it go?"
"Wherever paths have been laid for it," said the Keeper of Doors, "Listing. The Academy of Shapers and Binders in Thay. The Barrow of the Bear-God Okku. No other destinations."
"Does it link to the portal in the tower or the valley?"
"Unknown," the Keeper of Doors replied. "The path leads where it leads."
Blake nodded and turned back to the others. "Only one way to find out it seems."
"Then let us be about this, little-one," Okku rumbled.
"Hopefully we won't have to go from here to Thay and then from Thay back to your barrow my friend," Blake smiled, turning back to the Keeper of Doors. "I'd like to open one of the doors."
"State your command," said the Keeper of Doors again. "What door shall I open?"
"Fourth Door. Outgoing. Academy of Shapers and Binders," Blake commanded simply.
"That path was shut by the Red Wizard, Nefris, when she last departed the Room of Doors," stated the Keeper of Doors, almost frowning. Blake drew in breath to curse but the Golem continued. "Shall I break the seals she set in place?"
"Go ahead. Break them and open the door."
For a while nothing happened as the Keeper of Doors continued to stand impassively between the bookshelves. But then gradually a swirl of colour and clouds began to fill the frame of the portal to prove this was working rather than the Golem having become dormant again. Last minute doubts started to crowd in on Blake and he looked at Neeshka and wished once more that he could find some way to leave her where she would be safer. Unfortunately she would not stand for that and in any case he did not think Rashemen would be that safe for a lone Tiefling even with the skills she possessed.
"The seals are withdrawn," the Keeper of Doors said, slightly unnecessarily. "The way is open."
"Good," Blake nodded, leading the way into the portal before he felt any more strongly that this was a bad idea.
A moment of disorientation and the calm and darkness of the room in the Shadow Veil was replaced by wind and the smell of dust. Gann looked around in distaste as he took in the barren scenery and sensed the surroundings with more than his physical perceptions. "What a desolate place," he commented quietly. "I hope the few spirits I feel that have escaped the attentions of its Red Wizards will be able to aid me enough."
"Hrm, as quickly as these Red Wizards would be replaced," growled Okku, "feeling their effects on the land here gives me fresh reason to want them dead."
Blake nodded to them both and looked at the portal hanging there, an oval of colour without a frame to contain it, and dredged up what he remembered from Aldanon's discussions of how he would teleport them to the fortress of the King of Shadows. Teleportation was not something he had studied in great depth but he had managed to learn enough to not be completely baffled by what Aldanon was saying. Or not baffled by the magic at least, the old sage's metaphors and sudden changes of subject had been even less easy to follow.
As Blake muttered some words in the language of magic and made a few arcane gestures the portal suddenly shrank away into nothing.
"Oh," Gann began to say, "I suppose we did not want that visible to passers-by but…"
Blake made another set of gestures and recited more words and the portal reappeared. Then he repeated the first set and it vanished once more.
"Seems I can open and close it," Blake sighed, "but I don't know how long that will remain possible. I'm only manipulating the link created and maintained by the Keeper of Doors so if it closes that link we are stuck."
"Then we shall hurry, little-one," replied Okku, starting towards the road.
"Wait!" Neeshka almost squeaked. "If you go out there they will see you."
"And?" asked Okku, with what sounded like genuine puzzlement.
"I think Neeshka would prefer a more subtle approach," Blake smiled, "as would I. A little of the Red Knight's strategy to mix with Tempus or Clangeddin's battle."
"We should be able to get close in the hills," nodded Neeshka. "I'm not sure if I can get you in but we can get within sight. Have to be careful though in case they replaced the traps I disabled."
"If you managed it once," said Gann reassuringly, "I am sure you could do so again."
"Of course," Neeshka replied, trying to not sound too pitying at Gann having missed the point, "but if they found the traps were disabled then they know someone disabled them."
"Ah," breathed Gann, "and that would rather spoil the element of surprise you and your paramour, if not old father bear, seem to favour."
Ignoring Okku's harrumph of agreement Neeshka stalked over to a section of valley wall that appeared no different to the rest. "This way," she said before starting up the sheer slope.
He'd assumed it was her pretty perky horns that had gained her the insulting nickname 'goat girl' but seeing her climb, and nearly slipping as he paid too much attention to the view of her from beneath, Blake did wonder if he had been mistaken. They'd not spent much time in the mountains, but he'd heard the tales and they'd seen a few of those local goats and their abilities. With remarkable speed and very few dislodged pebbles Neeshka reached the top and a moment later peered back over the edge at their slower progress.
Okku was doing well with how his claws dug through the thin layer of soil into the rock beneath and Gann was lightly armoured and fairly agile. Blake had to be careful though as, even without considering his sword and shield and even with how much lighter Mithril was than Iron, his full plate was still quite a weight on the hand and foot holds. It was not that he risked losing his grip, since his belt of strength helped with that, as much as he had to make sure that what he was holding would not tear free. Neeshka frowned a little at them and the trail they were leaving with Blake and Okku having to dig deeper for a grip and then vanished.
Suddenly as Blake looked for another handhold he found a rope appear by his face and nearly knock his hat off. Glancing up he saw Neeshka grin to him so he reached for the rope instead and with that to pull himself up with his progress notably improved. Gann continued climbing until it was his turn but as he noticed Blake start to pull the rope up he looked puzzled for a moment before he realised that Okku's bulk meant it would be impossible to just try to swing the rope across. Of course had he been foolish enough to comment Neeshka would have pointed out that would also leave a lot of scrapes.
Reaching the top to join the others Gann glanced back down at the determinedly climbing form of Okku. "I'd say lower the rope for him," Gann murmured to Blake and Neeshka, "but I think he would only be able to take it in his teeth and that the rope would fare as poorly as anything else that finds itself in his jaws."
"Aye," Blake said, hauling in the rope again. One he had drawn it in Blake continued. "Hold this here, please."
Gann looked at the rope and the boulder it was firmly wrapped around but before he could do more than that Blake had moved a few feet away so they were either side of Okku's path. Slowly Blake paid out the rope so a curve of it extended down towards Okku. As this reached the bear-god's nose due to it getting lower and him getting higher Okku sniffed at it and then gave Blake a glower that eloquently conveyed both puzzlement and deep insult at the idea he might need any aid. Blake tossed his head a few times at Okku as if he had hair as long as Gann's and was trying to flick it back from over his face. Okku glowered a little more but shoved his nose under the rope and with one heave of his neck flung it back over himself as Blake released the few feet of slack he'd made ready.
The curve of rope just about made it low enough to be past Okku's hump and as Blake continued to release more rope and Okku to stubbornly climb this curve stroked down Okku's spine and over his rear. Then Blake pulled back and the curve shortened to settled snugly across the bear-god's rump just below his tail. Okku managed to control the roar of surprise prompted by having only half expected this. He had more trouble though with the roar of displeasure Blake starting to haul provoked. The rope went taut and Gann tried to pull as well and take some of the strain off the boulder.
"I am not a donkey to be encouraged up a hill," Okku growled softly but menacingly as he reached the top of the slope.
Gann smiled and opened his mouth to speak but the look in the yellow eyes Okku turned his way caused the witticism about ropes and 'asses' to stick in his throat. Had he been more confident in how to phrase it he still might have attempted the joke but that glare was enough extra discouragement, this time.
"You do not have to prove your might to us, my friend," Blake calmly replied, coiling the rope as Neeshka unwrapped the other end from the boulder. "Nor do you have to stand on your dignity. We know you and would not respect you less for accepting whatever aid we can offer."
"Hrmrm," grumbled Okku.
Neeshka shrugged to Blake as she finished detaching the rope from the boulder and then started on smearing the dirt to make it less obvious where the rope had rubbed the boulder slightly cleaner. There was a slight sound of distant hissing and Gann decided to ask the question he'd intended to ask before Neeshka began up the slope. Traps might not be a problem but they had mentioned something that might be.
"With her grace," Gann commented, "I am not surprised that Neeshka was stealthy enough to move unseen…"
"It was night as well," admitted Neeshka.
"But their noises and your mention of them does make we wonder about the Wyverns," Gann concluded. "We know they are foolish enough to attempt to prey on such as old father bear so they could be a problem."
Blake smiled slightly. "Do you remember how Neeshka and I met?"
"You saved her from…" a puzzled Gann started. Then in deference to Neeshka he restarted. "You helped her against some thugs in uniform."
"Because?"
"Because you are a good person," frowned Gann to Blake, still not seeing the relevance. "Because you could not just walk by when someone was in danger, and that it was a pretty girl to rouse your chivalrous instincts only added to this."
"Er, thank you," Blake replied, a little embarrassed by the assessment as he pulled a bottle out of his pack, "though the answer I was thinking of was because she had been sold a watered down invisibility potion."
"That as well," smiled Gann, seeing Neeshka had taken out an identical bottle. "And I take it that those are not watered down? And are the answer to my question?"
"Have to circle quite wide to avoid being heard or smelt," Neeshka nodded, "but should manage with these."
"Smelt," grumbled Okku, "my spirit-form does not get dirty or sweaty and smelly, unlike some mortals."
"And my footsteps don't jar small rodents from their burrows with their heaviness," Neeshka retorted.
The two glared at each other for a moment before the mood passed with the suddenness of all of the bear-god's moods and he chuckled. He appreciated Neeshka's feistiness as he would a ferret's and he even considered her worthy of pouring the invisibility potion into his mouth. Blake was not sure if the potion would work on Okku since the bear-god lacked flesh and digestion. Okku did fade from sight though and whether it had been the potion or whether him thinking it would work was enough for his spirit-form to respond to those thoughts seemed irrelevant.
Spells cast to let them see through each other's invisibility they continued on with Neeshka in the lead. She winced to herself a few times at the amount of noise they and the Wyverns were making. As careful as they were to keep a distance from the nests and as expensive and effective as the high quality invisibility potions had been the Wyverns could still sense something was moving out there. Okku began to look grumpy again as the desire to roar back and silence this impertinent defensive hissing grew and began to feel more important than the need to not betray their presence. Sneaking about was not worthy of a god-of-bears, but at least muttering about how unworthy it was did help release some of his anger.
Despite how long it felt to Okku they quite soon reached a vantage point from where they could view the Academy. "Bloody Wyverns," Blake muttered, glancing back towards where the hissing was subsiding now they were no longer moving. Then he looked ahead and seemed impressed as he saw the building looming against the night sky. "Can you really sneak into there, my love?"
Neeshka grinned prettily to him. "As Gann would say 'As easy as dreaming'."
"Do not take too long in this dream then," Blake smiled back, "or my nightmares would bring me smashing in the front door. Which Okku would appreciate."
"Aww," replied Neeshka, cupping the side of Blake's face in her palm, "I'll try to be back soon enough you won't be too worried. Love you though."
They settled down to wait and though the potions wore off long before Neeshka returned they'd taken the chance to conceal themselves in a dip in the ground. Okku was the main problem as his spirit-form was large and colourful, but he reluctantly agreed to have a tent-cloth draped over him and the arid terrain was fairly close in colour to the unbleached canvas. Blake found himself looking again and again at the tower and each time feeling even more impressed that Neeshka had managed to climb the outside of it. He jumped a little as Neeshka plopped down beside him and grinned at his reaction.
"Miss me?"
"No more than you can imagine," replied Blake.
"Tower room was a lot less tidy than the last time I saw it…"
"You climbed it again?" Blake interrupted. "So fast? You really are exceptional my darling."
Neeshka blushed lightly as she continued. "There were a lot of scorch marks on the wall, the shelves were ransacked, what you'd expect from searching and fighting."
"Does sound a mess," Blake nodded, "and that even if they were not looking for the same things as us, and had not already found them, that their efforts would make it more difficult for us to find anything."
"Oh, I didn't do too badly," smiled Neeshka, "and we might still be in luck. This book looked interesting and I took a good look at the door the other portal is past."
"Aye?" Blake asked as he took the book and started to flip through it while listening.
"Still sealed and still intact despite obvious efforts to break it open, so whatever is behind it is worth protecting and worth getting. I tried stabbing one corner of it with my dagger in case it was less proof to steel than magic but couldn't even scratch it. And no keyhole, just four recesses and an inscription."
"So could be Nefris' records are still waiting for us, if we can get the door… open…" Blake stuttered to a stop. His eyes widened slightly as he realised what he was reading and he cursed a little under his breath. "Gods, I've never been hugely devout, but I've believed in the sanctity of the soul and being able to see and feel spirits has only strengthened that. These people though… they seem to be trying to manipulate souls, to split them and combine them and even create them."
"Create them?" asked Gann. "Food for the spirit-eater?"
"I don't know…I can barely follow these equations," Blake admitted. "But it seems…"
"Seems what?" prompted Gann.
"Seems there was a key hidden in the book," Blake replied, holding it up. "What I was going to say though was that it seems they were not having much success with their blasphemous experiments."
"Read the inscription harbour-boy," said Neeshka, handing over the note she'd made, "they might have been having some success."
"Hmm?" Blake murmured as his eyes flicked across the paper. "Oh… poetry" he said before reading aloud with some sarcasm. "Four wayward souls, four incomplete… unique in flaw, with fates forgone. Four hidden now, each place discreet… assemble here, advance the pawn. Imitated and damned, imagined and splintered…four reunited souls, their door thus re-entered."
"Kind of you to say 're-inter-ed'," smiled Gann. "And 'advance the pon'."
"Is it just me," Blake frowned and not commenting he could have said 'forgawn', "or does it seem from this attempt at rhyming, and there being four recesses, that Nefris decided to use souls as nothing but keys to her door?"
"I cannot argue with your interpretation," sighed Gann. "It does sound like they are warping people's spirits for the pettiest purposes."
"And I have the feeling that I know who 'advance the pawn' refers to," Neeshka scowled, "and nobody uses my harbour-boy as a pawn."
"Let us leave this place a charnel house," growled Okku.
"Agreed, no mercy, no survivors," Blake nodded. "How to get in though without providing too much warning?"
"Would any warning be too much?" asked Okku confidently.
"Perhaps not," Blake admitted, "though as a Wizard I know how much difference having a few seconds to let Mystra aid you can make."
"I have an idea," smiled Neeshka, pulling out one of the many scrolls she'd found.
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It seemed a waste of time to be out here watching an empty road where Wyverns could get them but the Gnolls were not going to argue with Red-Wizard-Masters. Not when some of their packmates had not returned from being sent out with other Red-Wizard-Masters. Better to not complain and risk being sent somewhere that was even more dangerous, and better to be out here rather than in the masters' sight, where could draw bad attention, or than hunting those that used to be masters. Safer was boring though so their ears swivelled eagerly as they heard heavy footsteps approaching down the road.
Pounding and flapping towards them came a Wyvern, hissing its rage and seemingly intent on the Gnolls as they barked to each other. The two Gnolls with bows on the hill above the road began to fit arrows to their bowstrings, but the Halberd armed Gnolls were already charging and into the way. Fighting a Wyvern would be fine entertainment and though the meat was not that good Gnolls were not that fussy. The Gnoll in the watchtower yipped and started to move as it saw the Wyvern would be met outside the range of its bow but there was a snarling from the ground between the inner and outer walls.
Slowly the gates in the outer wall opened and a Gnoll emerged and snarled again at those charging away, this response and its better armour showing this was the leader. It barked more orders that were ignored before it set off in pursuit, to either try to get them to come back or to at least share the kill. The Wyvern's feet skidded slightly in the loose dirt blown across the road as it appeared to see the pack of Gnolls and think better of the idea of trying to eat one now there were several in its sight. It held its ground for a few moments longer, roaring and hissing in warning, but then slowly backed off and turned and began to retreat.
This encouraged the Gnolls and they yipped encouragement to each other as they continued down the road. The two bow-Gnolls were not as swift to pursue as they had still hoped to get a clear arc for their arrows from the high ground, but they started down the slope towards the road as they gave up on this. Suddenly the great form of a bear-god became visible as Okku charged and this dispelled the effects of his second potion of invisibility. With the two Gnolls close together and with the extra momentum of going downhill Okku easily bowled them both other and down onto the dirt road below.
One died almost instantly as the bear-god's weight came down and a huge paw crushed its skull. The other Gnoll had enough wits left after the fall and enough time to twist around and start to sit up. Okku lunged and snapped and his teeth closed on the Gnoll's neck and shoulder. One twist of Okku's own mighty neck tore his spirit-teeth through the flesh in a bright spray of blood that showed he had torn fatally deep. The Gnoll leader turned in surprise at the new enemy behind it and between it and the gates. It barked fresh orders to his subordinates and very reluctantly the pursuing Gnolls slowed and also turned.
The Gnoll on the watchtower had just enough time to get over some of its surprise when it got a second and even more unpleasant one. Although one of the things Gann had recovered from the Witch warden had been a shortbow its existence had slipped Blake's mind with how little use it had got. It had been a relief when Gann reminded him that he had a shortbow and the skill to use it and did not have to be lent one. Now Neeshka and Gann appeared, the effects of two uses of Neeshka's Ring of Invisibility dissipating, and both sent arrows up into the Gnoll before they started to jog towards the open outer gate, notching fresh arrows as they did.
Seeing this the Gnoll leader barked encouragement to the others to hurry to join it so they could slay this bear and trap these new foes. Despite their surprise the Gnolls seemed invigorated by finding themselves with an even better challenge. They barked more encouragement to each other as they spread out to cover the width of the road and prevent the bear's escape. Okku growled happily and almost hoped the little-one would leave him to this battle in peace. But the bear-god knew that Blake would feel obliged to assist and that victory would be achieved a few moments sooner with that assistance.
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The Wyvern had continued to retreat and with the Gnolls moving back towards the Academy Blake judged it had gone far enough to be safe. He reached inside himself to the link between his mind and the Wyvern's that the magic from the scroll had created. There was the temptation to force it to attack the Gnolls and, with the hunger and blood lust the Wyvern felt, this would not take much forcing. But instead Blake released it so he could concentrate. It seemed unsporting to strike from behind as well as invisibly, but Blake didn't really give a damn about that as he sliced his sword backhand across the small of the Gnoll's back in the gap between the backplate and the guard from which its tail protruded.
Even before he'd been exposed to Neeshka and then the military axiom of 'kill them first, kill them any way you can' he had been raised peasant and practical rather than noble and honour-bound. Blake's Invisibility faded with his attack and the Gnoll leader's forward leaning posture straightened as its back arched and then it crumpled. Blake was confident he had severed its spine with either the metal or the magic that had discharged from the blade but to make sure he took two quick steps, turned slightly more, and drove the point of his kite-shaped tower shield down to snap the Gnoll's thick neck.
Okku had already started counter-charging before Blake reappeared and struck. With the speed he had built up he rushed past Blake and towards the Gnolls who were looking as if they were reconsidering the challenge. Fighting the colour-bear with their pack leader had seemed like fun; fighting the colour-bear and armour-man without their pack leader and when more enemies might be hidden seemed less so. Blake finished his turn and started jogging after Okku as he tried to judge distances and whether he could use any magic. He hoped The Lady of Strategy was blessing his plan.
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Neeshka and Gann had reached the outer wall and pressed up against either side of the open gates. They exchanged nods and quickly slipped through and around so they were not silhouetted in the gateway. There was not that much distance between the inner and outer walls so it was a steep angle to be loosing arrows up at the two inner watchtowers. Fortunately the Gnolls on them were better supplied with fighting spirit than with brains and rather than one or both of them having retreated to sound the alarm they were still there and eager to put arrows in the intruders. In the shadows of the wall Neeshka and Gann were rather less distinct targets than the Gnolls were against the sky as they leaned up and out from behind their protective walls in this eagerness. They were still trying to draw their bows and aim when Gann struck one with an arrow and Neeshka struck the other with one and then another before it finished falling.
"Show off," Gann murmured as Neeshka moved forward to examine the inner gates.
She stuck her tongue out at him before leaning her bow against the wall and clambering slightly up the gate so she could reach down through the grillwork above the band of solid planks. Stretching her fingers brushed the bar that was preventing the inner gates from opening and she squirmed and tried twisting her slender arm different ways to try to find a good angle. To her frustration though if she got a good grip them her arm was too awkwardly bent to be able to push hard enough and if her arm was not awkwardly bent then she couldn't get a good grip.
Then Neeshka squeaked slightly as hands closed on her arm and yanked down on it, pulling her so her head jolted the half inch into the metal and with what felt like claws digging into the fine chain links. She turned her head and eyes slightly and saw an amused looking Gnoll snarl-chuckling back at her. It started pulling at her arm, in no hurry to end its game and amused by her efforts to pull free. Neeshka was glad her belt of strength meant she could resist but knew the Gnoll would soon work its way up from painful twisting to inflicting more serious wounds.
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Blake continued down the road in pursuit of Okku and saw that the Gnolls were slowing to prepare to meet the bear-god's charge. They moved together a little with the ones to either side advancing slightly so they could strike from different angles. The Gnolls lowered their halberds and braced themselves to either meet Okku or attack his flanks or rear if he attacked one of their pack-mates. Blake was not completely sure if they were close enough together or if Okku was in the way but he cared less about accidents with how the bear-god had previously grumbled his contempt for his concern about hitting him with a spell.
Slowing, but trying to at least walk and think and chant, Blake reached out to the weave and made his incantation. If any of the others had been watching they would have been utterly unsurprised to see a ball of flame form in front of him before it split and streaked away as separate Firebrands. To Blake's relief Tymorra smiled her luck and Mystra allowed her mysteries to unfold as he'd hoped. Each of the Gnolls was struck rather than any being fortunate enough to be outside the effect or have the smaller fireball strike Okku instead. They staggered with a smell of burnt fur and flesh and Okku took advantage of this to lunge and swipe a huge forepaw into one of them while the others were unable to counter-attack.
The Gnoll's armour was good but would have been no match for Okku's razor-sharp spirit claws even if the bear-god had not been so immensely strong or so precise in his blow. One side of its waist shredded under the blow as the paw swept into the gap between the plates of armour. The Gnoll flew backwards off its paws and skidded a short distance along the road, its blood making red mud from the dust and it understandably losing its grip on its halberd. Despite the pain the Gnoll was still snarling in defiance and looking around for its weapon and trying to persuade its legs to work when it realised it had a new problem.
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Hearing Neeshka's squeak Gann had realised almost at once what had happened. He dropped his bow to unsling his spear before jumping up onto the gate, squashing Neeshka a little between him and it, and stabbing his spear through and down. He was confident in where the enemy that had hold of Neeshka's arm must be from the angle she was pulling back against but he still hesitated a half-second to make slightly surer of his aim. Despite how awkward a grip he had needed to use and the haste of the blow Gann managed to drive his spear deep into the Gnoll's head. He was annoyed this lacked his usual precision and went more into one eye rather than between them and even more annoyed that the awkwardness of the grip meant he did not manage to keep hold of his spear. As the Gnoll fell the spearshaft levered itself out of Gann's hands and wedged firmly in the grillwork.
Neeshka pulled her arm back from out of the Gnoll's dead hands and back through the gate. She glanced at Gann who had stumbled back a little on landing and then lithely hopped down herself and flexed her arm to feel how strained it felt and to examine the damage to the sleeve. "Thanks," she said simply but sincerely.
"Any time," Gann replied, looking at his spear and then moving to pick his bow up again.
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In looking for its halberd the Gnoll had noticed something else. Blake had not sent the Wyvern that far away and although it had been confused as to where it was and how it had got there its mind was not one given to great introspection. Not on this and not on why that huge bear looked and smelled so strange. What the Wyvern did understand was the scent of blood and of wounded prey. It darted forward and its tail lashed down into the Gnoll to further incapacitate it with some poison before its jaws came down and closed around the already wounded waist.
Another Gnoll turned and started to move to attack the Wyvern and save or avenge its pack-mate. This was all the distraction Okku needed to strike again, though as the other two Gnolls were still facing him he made this a more hurried blow. One Gnoll managed to stab forward with its halberd and score a shallow wound across the spirit-muscle of one of Okku's shoulders. But this was too late to prevent Okku from smashing his target off the edge of the road. The strong metal of the breast and back plates was torn and crumpled by the impact and it was quite impressive the Gnoll retained enough wits to realise it was going off the edge of the cliff and to try to prevent this.
Its fingers and their claws dug shallow furrows in the ground as it skidded. This slowed it enough that it did not fall but not enough to prevent it from ending up dangling over the edge with its legs weakly scrabbling to try to raise itself back up. Okku glowered at this and then the Gnoll that had wounded him, though the wound was already shimmering closed, and then roared at the Wyvern. He had long since given up the need to eat but the instinct to protest that another predator was scavenging one of his kills was still very strong. The Wyvern hissed back around its mouthful of Gnoll and then, pride satisfied by that act of defiance, it spread its wings and took a few bounding strides to the edge of the road and cliff. For a moment it dropped away out of sight before its flapping and the wind pushing up the mountainside brought it back into view as it flew off to find its nest and feed its mate and babies with the bear-god's gift.
Blake had managed to further close the gap between himself and Okku and although it did look like the Gnoll was slipping Blake decided that there was no point in taking any chances. As unlikely as it seemed that the Gnoll would manage to climb back up onto the road it had also been rather unlikely it would have managed to stop itself at all. Slowing again to a walk while Okku growled and snarled at the two Gnolls to keep them from helping their packmate Blake reached out to the magical weave and chanted a simple spell. Arcane power twisted into the form he'd demanded and a Melf's Acid Arrow streaked out from him and into the Gnoll's face. The pain of its injured back was joined by agony in its eyes and snout as the acid burned away at them. Reflexively the Gnoll grabbed at these fresh wounds and then found itself falling. It bounced and rolled and crunched its way down the mountainside to what Blake hoped for its sake was an immediate death rather than just being crippled for the scavengers.
The Gnolls looked at that, and then at Okku, and then at Blake as he started jogging again. Being reduced from four to two seemed enough for them to decide that as much as they disliked boredom they would prefer to leave this challenge for another time. With a flurry of yips they turned and began fleeing at their top speed. Blake cursed as he realised that although he was slightly faster thanks to his spells that there was no way he could run that fast and have any chance at casting anything at them. Walking was something you didn't need to think about but the same was not true of sprinting down a road covered in loosely packed dirt. This could be a long chase.
"I'll handle these!" Okku growled back over his shoulder. "Return to the others, little-one."
Blake slowed but did not obey for a few moments until, with a nod, he turned around and began jogging back the way he'd come. As much speed as Blake's magic gave him the spell also affected the others and Okku was closer to the Gnolls, faster than them or Blake, and as a god-of-bears had nearly endless stamina. Okku could not run that much faster than a bear of flesh and bone but he could sustain that speed rather than it only being for short bursts. A distant yelp floated up the road and showed that one more Gnoll had met its fate and that Okku no longer had to worry about them splitting up as there was only one left.
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A few moments of consideration had made Neeshka wonder why she had even bothered to try to slide the gate-bar from this side. Not only were there banners hanging down the outside of the wall there were ridges across and these to her were as good as a set of stairs. She hopped up and onto the one between the base of the wall and the first section and steadying herself with a light hold on the banner with one hand reached up with the other. Her fingertips got a good grip on the inch deep and inch wide ridge between the first and second sections and she released the banner and reached for that with the other hand as well…
Very soon Neeshka was peering carefully over the top of the wall for any more surprises. The only Gnolls in sight were dead and the doors into the Academy were still shut so it did not look like any had gone to raise the alarm. It seemed safe enough so with a quick pendulum of her hips and tail and legs she swung herself up to lie flat on top of the wall. A moment, and a look down at the ground beneath, later she shifted her grip and let herself swing down over the other side to hang there briefly and then drop. She landed almost noiselessly as her lithe legs took the impact and as she sank down into a crouch rather than remain rigid.
Flowing up out of this crouch like a cat after a leap she strolled over to the gate and where the Gnoll was hanging from Gann's spear. With a grimace fuelled more by the unwashed smell and by the evidence of a minor flea infestation rather than by it being a corpse she took hold of it and lifted. Gann's face appeared as he saw his spear move and he grabbed hold of the shaft as it came within reach. Together they pulled and managed to get the right angle for the spearhead to come free. With another grimace Neeshka dragged the Gnoll corpse aside and then returned to the gate bar that had stymied her from the other side. From this side it was simple to slide and she had just done so when Blake arrived.
"Okku is hunting down the last of them," Blake said, smiling to Neeshka through the gate and then bracing himself to push it open.
"You missed quite the impressive display of acrobatic talent," commented Gann as he removed the carrying strap from his spear. "Should destroying ancient curses and threats pale your lady could make a fine living in the circus."
For a moment Neeshka's expression soured as the gate creaked open under Blake's efforts. She remembered the last time someone had suggested the circus and that they had meant the freak show rather than the acrobats. But she knew what Gann had meant and that he was paying a compliment so that expression cleared and she grinned at him. "He gets the private show," Neeshka said in her best sultry voice.