Here is the next chapter. This is a longer chapter than the others and is really where the story gets started. Hope you enjoy this one.
"What in Heaven's Tear was that all about?" Lyssa yelled over to Kat, still stunned by the appearance of the young man in front of them.
"I have no bloody clue." Kat turned to look where the man had been standing and noticed that he had appeared again but further away. Unfortunately this also managed to put him closer to the ursogs that were charging across the grassy field.
"We have to help him." Lyssa had also glanced over her shoulder.
"I have no idea who he is or what he is doing here." Kat slowed her horse. "This all seems a little fishy to me, him popping up right in front of us like that."
"Nonetheless, I'm not leaving him there to be slaughtered by those animals. Follow or don't follow it's your choice." Lyssa spurred Lucky and galloped off toward the imperiled young man.
Kat readied another poisonous scarab as she started off after Lyssa cursing under her breath. "By the Elder, what should I do now?"
All six ursogs had recovered by now and were not very choosy about who they took revenge on. Marcus was still reeling from the small teleportation spell he had cast to avoid being trampled by the horses and was in no shape to cast another so quickly. He decided he only had one chance, and a slim one at that. Summoning every last bit of magic left to him he called forth a spell he had only ever used once before. Dragon's breath.
The two young ladies on horseback who had nearly ridden over him were turning around and heading back. Marcus wondered what they were up to when he saw the dark skinned one in the lead lower her spear and begin to charge towards him. Marcus assumed they were trying to help him so he turned towards the closer threat. All six ursogs were very close now, no more than fifteen feet away.
Marcus planted his feet and yelled out an incantation that shattered the air around him. A myriad of energy bolts erupted in a cone shape around him and the ursogs began to convulse and fall to the ground. He thought he had caught all of them in the spell radius and cursed to notice that two of them were not within range. That was the last thing he saw before he blacked out.
Lyssa almost turned her mount at the appearance of what appeared to be a tent of lightning around the man she was trying to rescue. Four of the creatures nearest him fell convulsing to the ground, but the man collapsed also. She couldn't tell if he had been wounded or not. She couldn't worry about it at the moment though, having to concentrate on the remaining beasts.
"Hiya!" Lyssa spurred Lucky on at one of the ursog, leveling her spear right at its chest. It was still dazed from the spell that had stunned its companions and never saw Lyssa coming until it was too late. The spear went through the creature's rib cage and it fell to the ground dead.
Lyssa rode on by but discovered she was no longer armed. She turned to see what was happening and saw the last standing ursog collapse in a heap amidst a cloud of venomous gas.
"Let's get this guy loaded up and get out of here." Kat grinned at Lyssa, but she seemed pretty upset.
"I'll get him." Lyssa rode over to where the young man lay and dismounted. The four ursogs lying near him seemed to be unconscious or dead, she wasn't about to check. She bent down and lifted the man off the ground; he didn't seem heavy at all, then she hoisted him up over the front of Lucky's saddle and climbed on behind him. "Okay Kat, let's go."
"I think we should find a place to hole up for the night and get some rest." Kat looked at the man lying in front of Lyssa. "We can also see about getting him to come around and finding out who he is and where he came from."
A short time later the two young women found themselves in a cave not far off of the path they had been following. After getting a fire going and checking on their injured passenger they talked about their next move.
"I think you should stop being so stingy with that medicine you have and use some on him." Lyssa could not believe that Kat would not use her chaos powder to help the man. "It can't be that expensive."
"It's not the cost that concerns me." Kat took a vial out of her bag and held it up. "The problem is that this is all I have left, and if we need it for ourselves later we will not have enough. Besides he's not in that bad a shape and his biggest problem is he's exhausted from casting that spell."
Just at that moment the young man stirred and raised a hand to his forehead. "Oh what a headache, are either of you a cleric by any chance."
Both girls started, surprised by his sudden outburst.
"No." Kat shook her head. "Neither of us is familiar with the healing arts."
"How do you feel, other than the headache of course?" Lyssa showed a lot more concern than Kat. "Do you have any injuries? I tried to look you over but there wasn't any obvious bleeding or anything."
"Ah you looked me over did you?" the man got a wicked gleam in his eye. "Did you see anything you like?"
"Watch yourself ruffian!" Kat pulled a dagger from her belt. "I'll give you a wound you won't forget."
"Take it easy, I was just joking." He turned to Lyssa. "My name is Marcus and I did not mean to offend. Sometimes humor is a better tonic than medicine or cleric spells." He glared at Kat. "I am not going to harm either of you, so you can put away your pig sticker."
Kat put the dagger back in her belt and turned back to Marcus. "We want some questions answered. Where did you suddenly appear from and what are you doing here?"
"I was teleported here from the City of Blades or Etherblade if you prefer. And I am here seeking an object of great power." Marcus worked himself to a sitting position. "I have a device with me for detecting its location, now that I am within its proximity. Can you please pass me that bag?"
Lyssa grabbed the bag in question and handed it to Marcus who began telling the story of the demon Agramon. The girls listened intently to his tale and once he finished he reached into the bag and pulled out a round device with a pointer attached in the center of it.
"This device is called a diraksor, it will point the way to the key my master seeks." He began making motions over the object and it started to glow. "Now I can find the object and fulfill my quest."
The pointer started spinning at a rapid pace but soon started to slow. When it stopped it was pointing directly at Lyssa.
"It is in that direction." Marcus pointed toward Lyssa. "I wonder if it is in this very cave."
Marcus started walking toward Lyssa and then went to move around her. As he did the pointer spun back to point at her again.
"This is mysterious." Marcus gazed at the device again. "Do you have any objects on your person?"
Lyssa reached inside her tunic and pulled out a necklace with a rather odd looking gemstone on the end. It was in the shape of a star, but with multiple colors running through it. Its colors swirled with emerald green, ruby red and sapphire blue. "This is the only connection I have to my real parents; it was left with me at the tavern in my basket. For some reason my foster parents never tried to take it or sell it, which seemed rather odd to me because of how valuable it appears."
"I believe this is the object I seek." Marcus gazed deeply into the swirling colors. "May I see it?"
Marcus set the diraksor on a rock and held out his hands as Lyssa removed the necklace. She was handing it to Marcus when there was a loud curse behind him and a crunching sound.
"Blast it, my knee!" Kat screamed out.
Marcus turned to see her hopping around on one foot and blood flowing through her breeches at her right knee. "What happened?"
"I'm sorry." Kat looked upset. "I was trying to get in closer for a look and I tripped. My knee went right into your thingy there and the glass top cracked and cut my knee open."
"The diraksor is ruined!" Marcus glared at Kat. "How can I confirm that this is indeed the object?"
"Do you have anything else on you Lyssa?" Kat asked.
"Just my clothing at the moment, everything else is in the packs." She replied.
"There you are then, it must be the necklace." Kat said, rolling up her pant leg to get a better look at the gash.
"Well you can't take it back to Etherblade." Lyssa grabbed the jewelry back from Marcus. "It goes where I go, and Kat and I are heading for Archosaur."
"Then I must go with you." Marcus looked pleadingly at Lyssa.
Neither Marcus nor Lyssa could see the look of satisfaction on Kat's face in the shadows of the cave.