Disclaimer: See first chapter.
AN:
This is the third of five chapters that all take place during the same time frame. Locations, some characters, and some situations in this chapter are drawn from the Everquest II game. The dialog is not from the game, however. This chapter contains some scenes that although not graphic, are what some people may find morally objectionable. If anyone feels the rating should be bumped up, please let me know. This update took so long because I got distracted playing Everquest II and reading fanf...No wait, I was doing research, that's right. I was doing research! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Beta:
Me, Myself, and I still. There are bound to be mistakes, especially dropped final letters and suffixes. If you spot plot holes or other mistakes, feel free to let me know.
[First Day, Qeynos]
The first thing that drew the eye of Luna and Kasumi as they appeared next to the world bell in Qeynos Harbor was the castle that dominated the skyline of the city. It stood far taller than any of the other buildings they could see despite the fact that it was obviously some distance away. Dragging their eyes down to look at the harbor, they saw a tavern on the left as they faced the castle and a shipyard on the right. A wall with two archways separated the dock area from the city proper.
Leaving the dock area, they stepped onto a wide street where they discovered a statue of Queen Antonia Bayle giving a short speech. They both thought was amazing even though Luna was used to magic. To the left as they entered, there were open air vendor stalls along the street as it curved out of sight. In the other direction, there were a few open air vendors but more substantial shops as well. Directly in front of them was a large round building with no entrances visible on their side.
After talking to a city guard about possible places to stay, they toward the substantial shops and the section of Qeynos referred to as South Qeynos. Shortly after they crossed a bridge over a canal, they passed what appeared to be a hiring hall for mercenaries. Passing through the gate into South Qeynos, they saw what look like mansions on the right and a tower surrounded by a small moat with a small park in front on the left. Passing another statue of the Queen, this one non-speaking, they passed through an arch where they found a residential section with homes mixed in with various shops. Following the directions the guard had given them, they began looking for the Lion's Mane Inn and Tavern, which backed up against the canal or moat that surrounded the castle. After a short search, they found the inn in question and went inside.
They approached a woman who they thought might be the innkeeper.
"Excuse me, ma'am", Kasumi greeted the woman. "This is Luna Lovegood and I'm Kasumi Tendo. We were wondering there are rooms available here?"
"Greetings, ladies.", the woman replied. "I'm Feodra Iceslayer and yes, indeed there are room available. We have both the basic and some that are a bit more upscale. What were you looking for?"
"We're pleased to meet you, Miss Iceslayer.", Kasumi said. "We are just in need of the basic room for now."
"Well, the closest one is up the stairs to the right, first door you come to.", Feodra told them. "And just call me Feodra. Everybody does. Once you get your room squared away, you can bind on the walkway or down here in the main tavern."
"What do you mean, 'bind'?", Kasumi asked looking slightly confused.
"You've never been taught about binding?", Feodra said amazed. "What were your parents thinking!?"
"We are from a long way from here and I don't think they do binding there.", Luna explained.
"I suppose you don't know the recall spell either?", Feodra huffed.
"No, ma'am.", Kasumi replied.
Feodra reached in her pack and removed a book. "This is how you set your bind point.", she explained to the girls using the book. "Most people set their bind point near where they live for convenience, but it can be changed at any time to anywhere in a city that accepts you. Once you have your bind point set, you can recall back to it from any place on Norrath. This is how you do the recall." She once again used the book to explain the spell.
"Is this just for mages and clerics?", Luna wanted to know.
"No, sweetie, anyone can do it. This is very simple magic! Now why don't you set your bind points here. After you do that, walk to the end of the room and do the recall."
The girls did as they were instructed and ported from across the room back to Feodra's location.
"This is very neat!", Luna exclaimed.
"I'm glad you think so!", Feodra said with a smile. "Just remember that the recall spell takes a while to recharge so you can't do one after another but it will get you have after a long day of adventuring."
"Thank you so very much for showing this to us!", Kasumi said. "I believe it will come in very handy!"
"You are very welcome, sweetie.", Feodra replied. "Now is there anything else I can help you with?"
"If you could tell us where to find a bank, a crafting center, and the nearest world bell, we would be most appreciative!", Kasumi requested.
"The world bell is easy, it is right behind the inn along with a local bell.", Feodra informed them. "To find the bank, turn left as you leave the inn, turn right at the corner, continue until you reach the southwest corner of the next to last block and you will have found the bank. As for crafting, a lot of the shops will let you use their workstations and there are a few in with the bank but for a full crafting center, you will need to go to the Ironforge Exchange in North Qeynos. It is not far from the palace entrance."
"You have been very helpful, Feodra!", Kasumi said.
"I'm glad to answer questions anytime.", Feodra smiled. "I'm usually around and if I'm not, Bella Ward is."
"I guess we will take our leave then.", Kasumi said and smiled. "We will see you later!"
Kasumi and Luna climbed the steps to the door that Feodra had indicated, touched the door, and acquired the room. After confirming that it also recognized Luna as a resident, they entered the 'room', which turned out to be two rooms on the same level. Both rooms were square and the same size with windows overlooking the canal at the back. The entrance room had windows on the left as you entered but they only let in light. On the right was an archway into the second room and built-in bookshelves in the corners.
They decided to set the Tent up in the second room at the corner of the two walls that had no windows or doors with the Tent entry facing toward the archway.
"Kasumi, you should try to activate the Tent since you have magic here.", Luna suggested.
Oh, my! What do I do?", Kasumi asked.
"Touch this rune with your finger and push a little magic into it."
Kasumi touched the rune but nothing happened. "Oh, my!"
"You didn't push any magic, Kasumi. You should try again!"
Kasumi managed to get her finger to glow slightly and touched the rune. Immediately the tent unfolded and took on the form of a small room in the corner.
"You did it!", Luna said. "That could be important later!"
"I did, didn't I!", Kasumi said with a grin. "This will make a good base of operations and with the recall spell, we can slide somewhere if we are needed and recall back here!"
"That is true!", Luna agreed.
Leaving the 'room', the girls set out to explore a bit. They found the world bell down some stairs on a landing in the canal. The bank was were they were told it was and included a broker at the same location. They found shops where they could acquire materials they would need and additional food stuffs. There was even a horse barn with mounts for sale.
They headed into North Qeynos where upon entering the area, Luna suddenly turned left and rode over to a grate near the intersection of the wall and the canal.
"What is the matter, Luna?"
"There is something down there we need to deal with, Kasumi. We should start early tomorrow morning."
"In the sewers?"
"The storm sewers lead to catacombs which is where we need to investigate."
"How do you know this?"
"It is something I feel."
"Very well, we will investigate tomorrow morning."
The girls continued their exploration of North Qeynos, passing what appeared to be a church but which they were informed was a guild hall. There were several parks, a monument shaped like a sword, a small bandstand, the entrance to the palace, and another bank location. They found the Ironforge Exchange, the Ironforge Estate, and the Temple of Life when they decided to go back to the Tent to brew more potions in case they were needed.
That evening, Ukyo contacted Kasumi to check on the location of a world bell. After confirming that there was one near the inn, Ukyo and Winky then slid to Kasumi and Luna. After explaining the bind and recall spells to them and telling them where to find the bell, they sat down to dinner with Ukyo and Winky telling of their adventures so far.
Luna and Winky spent the night in Harry's bed; Kasumi and Ukyo slept in Ranma's.(1)
[Second Day, Qeynos]
The next morning found Luna and Kasumi standing at the drain that Luna had pointed out the previous day.
"Oh my! Do we really want to do this?", Kasumi asked wrinkling her nose slightly.
"Want to, no. Need to, yes!", Luna replied.
"Well, at least I'm not wearing a dress!", Kasumi thought as they opened the grating and began to climb the ladder down into the dark.
Luna cast Light so they could see in the storm sewer and they followed it to where it joined several other drains in a small torchlit square room. The water flowing into the room drained out a grate in the floor. Two passages, other than drains, led out of the room, one to the north and the other to the west. The room was infested with rats the size of small collie dogs that began to move toward the girls.
"That is strange!", Luna observed as Snowball tore into the rats. "Normally rats will flee unless cornered and we do not have these trapped." She cast Wrath followed by Velium Winds.
"I don't think these are normal rats, Luna!", Kasumi said as she also cast Wrath and followed with Dawnstrike and Icefall. Both girls were dealing crushing blows between spells and the rats didn't last long with Snowball ripping the throat out of the last one.
"Rats were never a favorite of mine.", Luna commented. "I suspect that rats are not all we will encounter down here, though. We need to go that way for our first objective." She pointed to the west passage.
The hallway quickly turned to the south. The floor was covered by rubble in spots but there were torches along the way that provided light to see by.
"I wonder if these torches are magic or somebody maintains them.", Luna mused.
After a while the passage turned to the northwest and the girls ran into a nest of vicious snakes. While destroying the vipers, both girls received poisonous bites, but being clerics, easily cured the poison themselves. A short distance later, they were attacked by very loud, large bats that came out of a side crypt. The three bats took turns charging at them, attempting to bite and claw them to death. Snowball had problems because she had to leap to reach them so Luna and Kasumi cast their combat spells and crushed skulls with their weapons.
A bit further up the hall, they discovered a side passage leading to the northeast but Luna had them stay in the passage they were in. They did encounter an occasional rat, snake, or bat that had to be killed but no further groups of animals.
Soon, they spotted a Ratonga(2) that appeared to be standing guard at a three way intersection in the passage. Since he appeared to be outlined in red and hadn't noticed them yet, the girls stopped in the shadows to confer. They decided to send Snowball to attack him so that they would have time and distance if he had any friends close by.
It was a good thing that the girls took this approach because the lookout was quickly joined by two other guards dressed identically in what to be uniforms. As the three fought Snowball, Luna and Kasumi cast their attack spells and healed Luna's pet as needed. When the first enemy was eliminated, the other two (a human and a gnome) decided to go after the girls directly. With Snowball chasing them, they quickly closed to melee range forcing the girls to switch tactics. While both of them used their weapons, Luna began casting wards while Kasumi continued with her destructive spells. Using this approach, the attacking guards were soon dealt with.
"The Bloodsabres will avenge us!", the human gasped with her last breath.
"I guess that means we need to keep a sharp eye out for more of these ruffians.", Kasumi commented.
"I agree that would be a wise move.", Luna replied.
With that, the girls moved cautiously to where the assumed to be Bloodsabre guard had been standing. The northern passage of the intersection opened into a large cross shaped room with the three other arms of the room recessed and out of sight. In the center of the room was a small statue surrounded by four uniformed people of various races. There were no other people in sight but the girls couldn't see into the arms of the room.
"We need to destroy that statue!", Luna said quietly. "It contains a piece of the dark crystal like that we have found before!"
"We need to be as quiet as possible!", Kasumi replied just as quietly. "We don't any of their friends to hear and come to their aid!"
"Since they do not seem to be talking among themselves, I will use my wand to cast Silence on each of them.", Luna stated. "I will follow that with my area effect root and then do Body Bind on them with the wand. Assuming I get all that done, we can just walk over and bash the statue."
"That seems to be a sound plan.", Kasumi said thoughtfully. "Why didn't you use that approach on the guards we just fought?"
"I could not see the first guard's friends so I could not be sure of hitting them before they got to us.", Luna replied.
"Ok, then proceed with your plan!"
Luna's plan went off without a problem and the girls destroyed the statue. After confirming that the dark crystal was powdered and no longer effective, Luna turn to Kasumi and said, "We need to take care of these evil people before we leave!"
"What do we do with them?", Kasumi asked.
"As bad as it seems, I think we need to go ahead and kill them!"
"Oh, my! Are you sure? After all, they are helpless at the moment!"
"Kasumi, in the war that we just barely won when Harry killed Voldemort, we found that people we stunned and captured were often set free to kill and destroy again and again. This world is worse in that there is only law within the cities. We could turn them over to the Qeynos Guard but I feel they would not be able to hold them long even if we could get them there and they would soon be free to do more evil! Unfortunately, on Norrath we will often be required to be judge, jury, and executioner! It may not seem honorable but it is better than letting them continue their evil!"
"I guess I have to agree with you but I don't like it!"
"I would be afraid for your soul if you did but it must be done! I can at least make it quick!" With that, Luna beheaded each of the captives with Cutting Curse.
"Kasumi, I picked up your distress! What is the matter?", Ranma's mind voice broke into her thoughts.
"We just killed some captives so they couldn't hurt anyone else!", Kasumi replied, shaken. She filled him in on what had occurred.
"I know it is hard and it is not something I like but I agree with Luna.", Ranma said with a warm but sad feeling. "Calm yourself and if you and Luna can meditate for a few minutes it would be good."
"It will probably not be possible at the moment as we are in a hostile area but maybe when we get back to the Tent.", Kasumi informed him. "Thank you for caring!"
"Your welcome, my Love!", Ranma returned. "Be very careful and I hope to see you soon!"
"Ranma agreed with you, Luna, though he doesn't like the situation either. He suggested we meditate about it when we can do so safely."
"I do not think any of us like having to do that type of action but sometimes we have little choice! We need to look around this room as there is something here we need! Keep an eye out for more Bloodsabres so we do not get surprised like we did to this group!"
As they searched the room, the girls encountered three more small groups of Bloodsabres which they dispatched without much trouble although not as easily as the group of four. Eventually, in the northeast corner of the northern arm of the large room, Kasumi found what Luna was looking for. It was a set of maps showing the current level of the catacombs and the levels below them.
"Now that we have the maps, there is one more thing we have to do on this level today.", Luna told Kasumi.
"What is that?"
"We have to destroy a fallen Prince."
After making that declaration, Luna lead Kasumi back to the room where they entered the catacombs and proceeded through the north passage. Luna's choices at intersections always were for the right tunnel. As they traveled, they again had to deal with the occasional rat, bat, or snake along with some things that looked like mobile sludge and more than a few skeletons. None of the encounters were particularly difficult but the girls were becoming tired. Finally Luna called a halt just before they were to enter a large room.
"We need to rest a little before we go in there. It is likely to be a big fight.", she said as she handed Kasumi a Pepper Up potion. "We should probably eat something as well." She drank a potion of her own.
Kasumi nodded and downed the potion. As steam came out of her ears, she removed sandwiches and a thermos of tea from her pack and gave some of both to Luna. The girls settled back against the wall while Snowball stood guard.
"I feel like we have been in battle for days!", Kasumi sighed.
"I feel that way as well.", Luna agreed. "We should be done for the day after we deal with this monster, if nothing else pops up. Although, you know what Ranma says about looking forward to the end of a battle—do it after the battle is over."
Kasumi smirked at her. "Well, let's dispatch this dastardly prince and get out of here!"
As they entered the room, the girls were beset by roughly a dozen skeletons but since they were slow moving, Luna had time to cast Flame Whip while Kasumi cast her Norrath spells. Both girls spells were very effective against the skeletons and they were soon destroyed. After they cleared the room, they entered another room through a door across from the one they entered.
The second room had half a dozen or so slightly larger than normal skeletons, one of which wore a crown. The skeletons began to move toward the girls and a few began to cast spells. Luna cast her AE root on the crowned one and managed to trap him and three others but the rest were unaffected. Kasumi also cast her root spell, Willow Wisp, which snared the rest and interrupted the casters. Luna then cast Body Bind on the Prince with no affect. She then cast it on one of the other skeletons with the same result.
"Uh oh! Apparently Body Bind doesn't work on skeletons!", she huffed. Looks like we have to do this the hard way! Concentrate on the one with the crown. I will have Snowball stay with us to protect us in case root breaks for some of the bone piles!
Kasumi nodded her head in agreement and cast Dawnstrike, Icefall, and Wrath in quick succession. Luna cast Flame Spear followed by Flame Whip. While these attacks severely damaged the Prince, he was not yet down. One of the companion skeletons broke root and Snowball intercepted it. Kasumi cast her spells again while Luna tried the Cutting Curse. Luna's spell barely did any damage so she tried Bludgeon followed by Blasting. Bludgeon destroyed him finally and the Blasting curse hit the wall behind him. Kasumi switched to helping Snowball while Luna gave her (Snowball) a quick heal. She then began using Bludgeon on each skeleton as Kasumi continued with her assault. After a few minutes, all the skeletons were bone shards.
"Well, it seems that Bludgeon works better than fire spells on these animated bones.", Luna commented. "I seem to recall a book on skeletons in the library. Maybe it will explain why that is."
"Maybe we should research some of the other creatures we may run into down here if we will be coming back.", Kasumi suggested.
"I would think we should research vampires, ghosts, ghouls, and other undead since our mission seems to bring us into contact with them frequently.", Luna said. "Since these are catacombs, we are even more likely to encounter some of them down here."
"Oh, my! Well, I suppose you are right. However, now I could use a nice soak in the spa followed by a quiet dinner."
"I could as well. I wonder if Winky and Ukyo are there yet?"
"Let's recall and see!" And so they did.
[Third Day, Qeynos]
The next morning, after seeing Ukyo and Winky off for the day, Kasumi and Luna spent some time going over the maps they had obtained the previous day. They also spent a little time in the library searching for information but although they did find the book on skeletons there was little information on anything else. The book on skeletons did give them a few titbits such as skeletons are resistant to some spells, are hard to damage with slashing weapons, and are fairly easily destroyed with crushing weapons.
"We need to ask our hostess some questions.", Kasumi said.
With Luna agreeing, the girls went downstairs to the tavern where they found Bella Ward. After introducing themselves, Kasumi asked, "Miss Ward, is there a library or bookstore around where we could do some research?"
"Call me Bella, dear! Yes, the Concordium has a library in their tower and they also have some books for sale there.", the woman replied. "The tower is on your right as you head toward the docks and has a moat surrounding it."
"I believe we saw it the day we arrived so we should be able to find it with no trouble.", Kasumi said. "On another subject, what do you know about 'Bloodsabres'?"
"It's best to stay far away from that thieving bunch of cutthroats. They will kill you as soon as look at you.", Bella said with a shiver. "They are rumored to practice some foul rites and rituals. They are also known to seek to destroy Qeynos!"
"We did encounter a few of them yesterday but managed to defend ourselves.", Kasumi told her.
"I hope you killed them!", Bella said with a grimace. "The city guard tries but they can't be everywhere. Those evil bastards pop up out of nowhere and grab some poor soul off the street who is never seen alive again. I've lost several friends that way!"
"We will be extra careful if we run into them again, Bella.", Kasumi said in a calming tone. "Thank you very much for the directions to the library and the information!"
After taking their leave, the girls followed Bella directions and were soon at the Concordium Tower where they discovered the joys of teleporters instead of steps. After asking around, they found a helpful librarian who showed the books they were looking for and showed them where to buy copies. After buying the books they felt they needed, they returned to the inn where they spent the rest of the morning doing research on undead monsters.
After eating lunch, Luna cocked her head and said, "We need to go visit the palace steps. Something is going to happen there that we need to know about!"
"Alright, Luna. We can pick up some supplies at the Ironforge Exchange while we are over there. Plus, it beats wandering around catacombs."
As the girls entered North Qeynos, a bell began to toll. People on the street looked up and many of them began to move toward the castle. By the time Kasumi and Luna reached the front of the castle, a fair sized crowd had gathered. The girls could hear many of them wondering what the summons was for.
Soon, guards came out of the castle and took up a protective formation. The guards were not dressed as palace guards nor as regular Qeynos guards but appeared to be from a militia. After they formed up, a regally dressed man came out of the castle and proceeded down the steps to the lowest landing surrounded by the guards .
One of the militia guards stepped forward and announced in a loud voice, "His lordship, Kyle Antihilius Bayle will now speak to the public!"
The man now identified as Kyle Bayle stepped forward and began to speak.
"Citizens! The might of the Bayle line guides me! "In the dark times we see ahead, only I can bring you triumphs as my ancestors did. "My knowledge of the foul pretenders, our enemies Lucan D`Lere and Drinal, is needed for us to prevail."
"It is not luck that I have returned now, the firstborn son of Antonius Bayle III, to take my rightful place on the throne. I laid down my life to be reborn to serve and save you from ruin. I suffer in this immortal form for you willingly, my fellow people of Qeynos. I've come to lead you out of the darkness and into the light of victory."
"You are soft in the hands of Antonia. Discipline is weak amongst you. Uniting with the scourge of Freeport is unforgivable. We must fortify our walls and protect who and what we are. No more will your pride be tarnished by an alignment with evil."
"With the throne, I vow to strengthen you as I have so many others. You will become unshakeable and undefeated as all Bayles before me."
"No compromise."
"No failure."
"Only victory and dominion over Norrath."
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Look! It is Queen Antonia Bayle!"
A young woman with a regal bearing glided down the steps to stand in front of Kyle Bayle. The Queen waved to the crowd and then addressed them in a clear voice.
"I did not know you had such wavering confidence in my leadership, Kyle Antihilus Bayle. As rightful queen, I have something to enlighten the good citizens of Qeynos as well."
"My most gracious citizens."
"We are not weakened nor compromised in our endeavors."
"In my time as Queen, we have overcome great threats and tyranny to find ourselves in an era of unity and prosperity. All of us, here and abroad, wish to live free! And our combined power has seen us triumph time and again."
"I implore you all to keep your aim true on the righteous path. Our power is in this united purpose. Do not be lured astray by the false promises of Kyle Bayle and his kind. If his heart was with the people he would share his knowledge, not use it as a threat to deliver my throne to him!"
"And I am flesh and blood. Kyle, in his now-immortal form, is nothing but a shade from our city's past... from my family's past. "We are the ones whose blood will spill. Not his. He bears no sacrifice or suffering."
"Our past is proven! Do not be swayed! Divided we splinter, grow brittle and crumble."
"Together, we are stronger than the heart of the Ironwood tree."
"Together, we are the unshakable might and will of the entire forest."
"We shall see, false Queen.", Lord Bayle said with a sneer.
He turned and returned to the castle surrounded by his guards. The Queen watched him go and then turned back to the crowd speaks again.
"Remember ... all things shall pass."
"Only time will tell if we are destined to prevail."(3)
She then waved to the crowd and returned to the castle.
After the speeches, Luna looked contemplative for a minute.
"That person was a lich.", she said with a frown.
"Who? The Queen?!", Kasumi asked, startled.
"No, Lord Bayle.", Luna replied.
"What is a lich?", Kasumi wanted to know.
"A lich is someone who had a spell cast on them to bind his or her intellect and soul to his or her animated corpse to gain a form of immortality.", Luna explained. "It is a necromancer spell and very evil."
"Obviously, the Queen doesn't care for him so he must have backers. I would bet that some of them would prefer a King, even an evil one, over a Queen, even a good, competent one.", Kasumi mused with a frown. "I was impressed by the young Queen. I hope she can stand against him!"
"Come on! Let us get the supplies you wanted and return to the Tent to study!", Luna urged. "We need to add liches to our research and we just happened to obtain a book on the subject."
"Oh, my. We just happened to?", Kasumi giggled.
The girls finished their errands and returned home to prepare for their excursion the next day to the lower catacombs. Winky and Ukyo found them still in the library that evening.
[Fourth Day, Qeynos]
As the four girls were getting ready for breakfast and to start the day, Daphne and Nabiki contacted them to ask about the world bell. After being assured there was one close by, the girls working in the Butcherblock Mountains slid to them. Hugs occurred all around and all six girls spent the meal (breakfast for some, dinner for the others) bringing each other up to speed on their adventures. When the meal was over, Ukyo and Winky returned to Nektulos Forest while Nabiki and Daphne, after learning the binding and recall spells, went for a soak before getting some sleep in a bed.
Luna suggested they take extra food, sleeping bags, and a bearskin tent with them, just in case. According to the maps they had, to get to the lowest level, they would have to travel through some areas controlled by the Bloodsabres so if they didn't finish up in one day, it would be best to stay overnight. Both girls shuddered at that thought but they were determined.
Leaving the inn, Luna paused and said, "We are going to need help for this!"
"Should we ask someone to slid here to help us?", Kasumi asked.
"No, they have their own missions and we can get temporary help at the harbor.", Luna answered. "Follow me."
Fairly soon, they reached a tavern not far from the docks where mercenaries hung out waiting for a job. Luna looked around as they entered until she saw a halfling woman chatting with the other patrons. Luna approached her and said, "Excuse me miss, but are you available for hire?"
"I am if you are looking for a troubadour.", the woman replied. "I'm Bildi, Bildi Pieflinger, by the bye."
"I am Luna Lovegood and this is my friend, Kasumi Tendo.", Luna told her. "We are looking for someone to help us do a task that will probably involve fighting undead, Bloodsabres, and assorted other nasties. Would you be willing to help?"
"Aye, if you can meet my price.", Bildi said. After a few minutes discussing fees and costs, the three reached an agreement. Luna handed over her hiring fee and Bildi handed her a token.(4)
"This token allows me to find you if you decide you don't need me for a while and then need me later.", Bildi explained. "Just activated the token and if I'm not in the middle of something, I will port to the token. If I don't respond, activate it again and one of my buddies will show up."
"Will we need to pay the hiring fee again?", Kasumi asked.
"Nay, the hiring fee is to cover the token.", Bildi replied. "You just have to cover my hourly rate."
"Oh, that is good.", Kasumi said.
"Let me get outfitted and I'll be right with you.", Bildi said as she headed upstairs. Within minutes, she was back dressed in chainmail and with her weapons. "Let's get started! Times a wasting!"
Entering the storm sewers through the drain near the docks, the girls soon found themselves back in the same square room they had entered before. After blasting a few rats and discovering that Bildi seemed to be a buzz saw with her blades, they crossed to the northwestern corner and entered the drain there. The drain lead them to a circular cistern with steps leading out of it to a ramp that connected two passageways. Strangely, there were people on the landing for the steps and at the entrances to the tunnels but since they weren't hostile, the girls just greeted them as they exited into the north passage.
"There are two entrances to the level below us.", Luna stated. "The closest one and the shortest path to the other one is this way but the map shows we will have to go through an area controlled by Bloodsabres for either one. If I read the map correctly, the closest one gets us nearest to where we need to be on the level below.
"So that is the one we should use.", Kasumi said.
They followed the passage north, occasionally having to kill a rat, bat, or other creature or destroy a skeleton or two. After one of these brief battles, Kasumi turned to Bildi and said, "Bildi, how do you play music and fight at the same time? "You don't seem to use an instrument."
"Aye, 'tis a skill all bards have.", Bildi replied. "We are not called spellsingers for nothing. We can take several magical tunes that have different effects and blend them together so that they sound like one and don't give everybody headaches. Unless of course, you are the target of one of the attack songs. We even do it while speaking to keep the effects from fading."
"So no instrument then?", Kasumi queried.
"Not unless I'm performing for entertainment. I doubt my lyre would fair very well in a sword fight. I have it with me, though. You never know when you'll get a chance to work on a new ballad.", Bildi replied with a grin.
The passage curved to the east and the girls began to encounter to encounter Bloodsabres in ones and two. For the most part, these were simple thugs and were easily dealt with. Occasionally, one would be a caster of some sort which might have been more dangerous if they had had time to get a spell off.
A final pair seemed to be guarding a room the girls were approaching. Luna used her wand to disillusion the trio and they kept to the side of the passage so as to not make splashes in the water that ran down the center of it. Creeping past the guards, they entered a square room where a Bloodsabre was performing a ritual while surrounded by a dozen cutthroats. Luna tugged her companions over to a unoccupied corner behind some crates.
"We need to stop this ritual", she said quietly. "It would be bad for Qeynos if it is completed. Kasumi, you and I need to cast our roots to ensnare as many as possible. Bildi, you target the ritualist first then whoever comes to hand. Kasumi, keep Bildi healed and assist her as you can. I will do the same and take care of the door guards if they join the fight. On three. One..two...THREE"
As the spells and arrows began to fly, one of the Bloodsabres yelled, "Zerak! We are under attack!"
"I can see that you numbskull!", the ritualist sneered. "Grind them to a paste for daring to interfere with Bloodsabre business!" He began casting a spell just as one of Bildi's arrows took him in the throat, causing him to die with a gurgle.
The door guards heard the fight and ran to assist their fellows. Luna sent Snowball to stall them until she could cast her spells. Bildi did her buzz saw impression on the rooted scoundrels. Kasumi cast her offensive spells to aid Bildi as she seemed to move too fast for the Bloodsabres to hit. A couple of Bloodsabres joined the fray from the passage across from the one the girls entered from and were quickly rooted by Kasumi. With in a few minutes, it was all over.
Luna searched the ritualist and his minions. She found several papers that she pocketed as well as a handful of coin and a couple of charmed items which she handed to Kasumi. She then vanished the bodies with her wand.
"Hopefully these papers will tell us something about what is going on.", she explained. "Also, not having any bodies may spook them a bit." She thought for a second and said, "Well considering where we are, maybe not. We need to head east from here."
The east passage contained a handful of the low level Bloodsabres which posed no problems for the three. Following the tunnel through a shallow 'S' curve, they came to yet another square room containing a small group of the cult group. Using the same tactics they had employed earlier, the cutthroats were quickly dispatched. They found the entrance to the lower level in the southeast corner and descended to that level where they found themselves in another cistern.
"Careful, there are Bloodsabres at the top of the steps!", Bildi said in a low voice. "And up the ramp a bit, there are some skeletons, if my senses are not fooling me."
"So, hit them like we did the last group?", Kasumi queried.
"Aye, works for me!", Bildi said. "But you lassies are the bosses."
"Let us go with that.", Luna agreed. "According to the map, we need to use the tunnel opening to the west so they are in the way, anyway."
Quickly wiping the Bloodsabres out, they were able to pick the skeletons off one at a time and reach the west bound passage fairly easily. The trio entered it cautiously with Bildi using her scout abilities to try and detect problems before they walked into them. Fortunately, all they encountered were single monsters but they did wonder what minotaurs were doing so far underground. The tunnel curved to the north and 'T'd into an east-west passage. The map directed them to follow the east path which snaked around until it at last headed north into another square room, this one with a circular platform in the center. The space was infested with skeletons with one in particular giving off a strong evil aura.
"I am going to cast my area root, then switch to Bludgeon and Blast.", Luna instructed them. "Kasumi, you hold back and provide cover. Target anything that gets too close. Snowball will help cover me. Bildi, do what you can to take them out fast."
The two nodded their understanding and Luna began the attack. After about ten minutes of constant battle, the skeletons were finally in small pieces and the group slumped to the floor.
"Thanks to you, Kasumi, for the timely heals.", Bildi said tiredly. "That big 'un almost had me."
"No thanks are necessary.", Kasumi returned with a tired smile. "That is what I'm here for, after all."
"Let us rest for a while and eat something.", Luna suggested as she handed out Pepper Up potions. "Bildi, this should help with the fatigue."
"Now that has a kick to it, lassie!", Bildi commented after downing hers. "Feels like I'm ready to go!"
"You probably could but it is best to have something to eat as well.", Luna told her.
After a small meal and a rest, they cleared out two more rooms that had basically the same setup, only the number and type of skeletons varying a bit.
At the third room, Luna took out the map and looked at it for a minute. "If we go west from here, there is another room that is probably full of these animated bones. If we go north and stay out of sight of the other room, we are closer to out goal with out the fight, so unless someone just wants to do battle, north it is."
"Well, it's not like we are trying to earn experience points like some of those games Akane like to play", Kasumi said. "Plus, it is getting late and I for one do not want to spend the night down here or have to come back."
"So keep going until we are done and recall out?", Luna asked. "What about you, Bildi. Are you up for it?"
"You lassies are footing the bill so what ever you want to do.", Bildi replied. "I would note that there are Bloodsabres to the north and slightly west."
Letting Winky and Ukyo know they would be late getting back to the inn, the group followed the narrow north passage until it joined a wider tunnel that ended at an east-west hallway. Turning west, they began to run into isolated Bloodsabres at a north-south hall. They once again headed north and spotted several guards in the now familiar uniform.
"They are guarding what we are here to destroy!", Luna said.
"Let me handle the guards!", Bildi said. "If I need help, it will be obvious!" She then vanished into stealth.
Soon, the guard at the rear collapsed and Bildi appeared briefly. The process repeated until two were left. As Bildi dispatched one of them, the other caught sight of her and turned opening his mouth just as Luna hit him with a Body Bind. A flick of Bildi wrist and the guard didn't have any more worries about moving.
"There is some kind of ritual going on in there.", Bildi said as Luna and Kasumi joined her. "Looks like a fair number of mages around some kind of statue."
"Too bad I do not know any wide area silence spells.", Luna mused.
"My root spell has stun and interrupt effects.", Kasumi said. "Perhaps that will be enough."
"It will have to do.", Luna said. "Bildi, as soon as Kasumi casts her root, go after any that do not get snared by the spell. I will send Snowball to help you. I will also attempt to destroy the statue from here. Kasumi, help Bildi and Snowball. Cast your root again if you need to. Whenever you are ready, Kasumi!"
It took Luna three shots with the Blasting spell to smash the statue and by that time more than half the mages were down as well. With Luna joining her companions in attacking them, they were soon sent to their eternal reward. After Luna Vanished the bodies, she turned to the others.
"Well, we did what we came to do. Thank you very much for you help, Bildi. Before we recall back, we should settle up. How much do we owe you?"
Bildi quoted a sum and Kasumi handed over the coins. "It has been nice working for you lassies. Remember, as long as you have the token, you can call on me anytime. If you lose the token, you will have to pay the initial fee again to get another one. I hope to see you around!" With that Bildi recalled back.
"Our turn to get out of here!", Kasumi said. "I'm ready for a shower, some food, and bed!"
"Me, too!"
With that the girls recalled back to the inn.
[Fifth Day, Qeynos]
The next morning, Kasumi and Luna managed to get up in time to join Ukyo and Winky for breakfast. After the two girls returned to Nektulos Forest, the remaining two decided to visit the Concordium Tower for some more research material. They then spent the rest of the morning doing more research on undead monsters, especially liches, and on Kyle Bayle.
After a quick lunch, Kasumi decided she wanted to gather some materials to use in crafting. Luna agreed to join her and after asking Bella for advice on locations and directions, the girls set off for Oakmyst Forest which was on the local bell network.
Oakmyst Forest was a part of the island on which Qeynos was built and was left mostly in its natural state. It was used by the citizens of Qeynos as a place to gather materials for their crafts, do research on the animals there, and as a place enjoy an afternoon. The Qeynos kept a presence there because the animals were wild and they occasionally had problems with poachers. As the girls entered the forest from the docks tunnel, a guard named Madeline told them to be careful around the bears, to watch out for poachers as some had been active recently, and warned them that some of the normally peaceful Dryads were acting strange and very hostile. The girls thanked her for the warning and began their harvesting.
Kasumi carefully searched for the food stuffs, fibers, and wood she needed Luna decided to try a different approach and began to 'Summon ore'. She had to jump out of the way when a large number of ore and gem bearing rocks converged rapidly on her position. It took her several minutes to store it all in her pack. She then repeated the spell but concentrated on having the ore arrive at a safer pace.
After about an hour, a gnome man approached them.
"Good afternoon, ladies.", the man greeted them. "I'm Steward Tredo, one of the people tasked with preserving Oakmyst Forest."
"It's nice to meet you, Steward.", Kasumi said. "I'm Kasumi and this is Luna. What can we do for you?"
"The Empress of the Dryads sent me to ask if you would meet with her.", Steward Tredo explained. "She has a problem she would like to ask your help with."
"I don't see why not.", Kasumi said as she looked a Luna, who nodded. "When would she like to see us?"
"Now, if that wouldn't be a problem.", the Steward replied.
"Oh, my! She must be in a hurry!", Kasumi exclaimed. "Very well, lead the way, if you would."
The Steward lead them to where the Empress and her court were gathered and introduced them to Empress Anassa. The girls bowed(5) and Kasumi spoke. "How may we help you, Your Majesty?"
"Our scouts have observed you in the forest and you seem to be very powerful.", the Empress informed them. "Of late, our sisters have been corrupted so that they attack all who come near them and they do damage to the forest which we are to protect. We believe that sickness originates in a cave not far from here but all that we have sent to investigate have been corrupted and not returned. It is our hope that powerful adventurers such as yourselves will be able to destroy the cause of this madness and release our sisters."
"Does the sickness affect anything other than your sisters?", Luna asked. "For example, are the deer or bears affected?"
"We have not had such reported to us so we believe that only our sisters are sickened.", the Empress replied.
"If we have to hurt some of the infected sisters, will that be a problem?", Luna wanted to know.
"While it saddens us, we have had to kill several of the infected ones so you may have to as well.", the Empress said with sorrow. "If this problem is not resolved quickly, there will be now one left to save!"
"Then we will get to work at once!", Kasumi said. "By your leave, Your Majesty."
As they left, Steward Tredo gave them instructions on how to find the cave in question. In a short while, the girls were at the bottom of the trail that lead to the cave. Unfortunately, the path was blocked by three dryads that they could feel the evil pouring off of. Hoping they would be able to cure them later, Kasumi cast her root spell and Luna put them in body binds. They then followed the path up the hill.
At the top of the hill they found spiders, LARGE spiders that seemed to think the girls were their next meal. After a battle that lasted a few minutes, the girls were able to dispose of the arachnids and enter the cave. The two guards just inside the cave were subdued and they proceeded into the cave. In a room that opened out from the entrance tunnel, they found a dark elf casting a Charm on a dryad. She saw them come in and laughed.
"So someone dares enter the lair of N'Almia the Corrupter. Well entering is one thing, leaving as your own self is another." With that she cast a Charm spell at Luna which Luna resisted. Kasumi hit her with a Dawnstrike followed by Wrath while Snowball went for the dark elf's throat. Luna used her wand to cast a Bludgeon spell which allowed Snowball to finish her off.
"She was not as strong as she thought she was.", Luna commented. "She is obviously the one responsible for the corrupted dryads."
"Yes, I agree!", Kasumi stated. "But you need to look at this stone!. It is not the same as the dark crystals we have been destroying but it still feels evil!"
Luna walked over to the stone. "I agree. Let me check something!" She walked down the passage to where the subdued guards were and returned. "I think this stone was or is reinforcing the control that N'Almia had over the dryads. It would be best to destroy it."
Using their weapons and Luna's Blasting spell, the girls broke it into pieces and the pieces into powder. It took a while as the stone didn't conveniently fall to powder like the crystals did. After it was all power, Luna Vanished it with her wand.
The girls returned to the guards to find them awake, confused, and no longer corrupted. After releasing them and the dryads at the bottom of the trail, they returned to the Empress who was very happy and generous. Deciding to call it a day, they recalled back to the inn.
[Sixth Day, Qeynos]
After breakfast with Winky and Ukyo, Kasumi went to work on preparing potions while Luna went to the Library to do more research. After a couple of hours, Kasumi came rushing into the library and shouted, "Ranma and Harry need us. Grab your equipment and let's go!"
The girls quickly closed up their armor, grabbed their packs and weapons, and slid to the guys.(6)
A few hours after lunch, Kasumi and Luna were still not back when Winky and Ukyo returned. Although the worst of their injuries had been fixed by the potions, they were still a bit battered and bruised, sore, and very tired. They got something to eat, took a shower, and went to soak in the spa.
It was around dinner time when a smiling Kasumi and Luna found Ukyo and Winky napping on a couch. Waking them up, Kasumi and Luna filled them in on what had happened after which Winky and Luna told about the events of their day.
Hermione and Shampoo slid in late that evening. After hugs and a quick shower, they joined the four girls already in the Tent in retiring for the night.
[Seventh Day, Qeynos]
The next morning while breakfast preparations were underway, Daphne and Nabiki returned to the tent. After a quick shower, they joined the rest of the girls for breakfast where everybody discussed their adventures. Daphne talked with Hermione and Luna about the need for runes on the teams weapons and both girls agreed that it should be possible.
After the meal, Nabiki and Daphne went to sleep until lunch. Hermione, Luna, and Ukyo began working on how best to add runes to the various weaponry. Kasumi, Winky, and Shampoo discussed the various foes they had encountered and how best to deal with them. After a few hours, Kasumi and Winky went to care for the greenhouse while Shampoo joined the runes discussion to see if they could help armor.
Lunch time rolled around and the girls were wondering what was keeping the guys. The girls could feel that Ranma and Harry were ok and not alarmed so they weren't too worried about them but still wished they were back. Finally, at mid-afternoon, the guys slid in to the Tent looking tired but not too worse for the wear.
The girls promptly gave them a group hug and covered them with kisses before sending them to get showered. It was generally decided the rest of the day and evening was cuddle time and they would take at least the next day off.
TBC
Footnotes:
(1) No slash going on here. The girls have just gotten used to not sleeping alone.
(2) A rat like humanoid. One of the major races on Norrath.
(3) These two speeches are directly from the game. I finally got one of my characters there with the game logging function on when the scene was played out. The bold text is the direct quotes.
(4) Bildi is an actual mercenary in the game and is used by several of my characters. Her speech patterns and conversation are NOT from the game.
(5) Kasumi and Luna are in armor so bowing is appropriate.
(6) This side trip will be covered in the chapter after next as part of Harry and Ranma's story. I have not written any chapters beyond this one yet but I do have them plotted out. Thinking about it now, I should have probably done the next two chapters before this one since it has links to what is going on in them but what is done, is done.