Fetch thrashed wildly as the four armed creature grappled him. The cleric was a fair wrestler but the creature with its extra arms, and sinewy strength easily overpowered him. Both of his arms were pinned by the beast, and the creature sat on his stomach to hinder his mobility . Fetch expected the creature to either flip him on his back, rain blows on him, or strangle him with his extra arms. Instead the alien chitinous creature brought his head closer to the cleric and attempted to kiss him of all things. Fetch head butted the creature , but he lacked strength in his blow. The creature , gave him what was his closest facsimile to a smile , and used his extra arm to pin his head instead. It then lowered itself to attempt to kiss the cleric once again.
Fetch wasn't sure what the creature was doing, but it send a shiver down his spine. He recalled the stories of Lord from the plateau. He remembered the tales of dungeon denizens that reproduced by capturing adventurers and reproducing with them. They would fill them with eggs, or worse . Fetch didn't want his epitaph to read "Here lies Fetch. Died from being raped by an alien insect creature."
"What the hell are these critters?", gasped Fetch as he struggled with the monster.
The cleric , considered a holy word, but knew his companions would be caught in the blast as well. He knew not all of them followed his view on life and that his spell would make them vulnerable as well. Despite his raw power , his didn't wield magic with the finesse or skill of either Clovis or Surry. Surry could throw a fire ball at a crowded room, and none of her companions would be hit by it. She claimed it was some type of special feet. Fetch wondered at that, her feet didn't look that much different from his own.
Fetch knew his options were limited. He raised his legs and hooked a pair of the creature's arms. It was a weak grip but he manage to stave off a "kiss" from the monster. He cried for help but knew there was little likely hood of that happening. He saw Dietrch battling a pair of the swift 4 armed creatures. Henrietta and Vanna were being accosted by those strange multicolored long legged chickens. Trip he saw go down to another demon chicken. The warforge seemed to go berzerk and started shooting everyone and everything when exposed to the chicken's dark cloud. Finally a demon chicken knocked the warforged to the ground . The beast seemed happy to stomp the small wooden man's prone form. He lost track of Tyris in a cloud of inky smoke . The swift moving chickens seemed to delight in emitting the deadly vapors. Surry vanished a few days ago right before their expedition to the ruined elven shrine. He wasn't sure where she went . Fetch assumed she was looking forward to this, and wouldn't want to miss it.
Suddenly Fetch found the creature enveloped in a great surge of strength. While the creature was stronger then him before, it seemed almost immovable currently. The cleric then realized that even though he could not budge it, the creature wasn't moving either. It took a second for his mind to process what was going on , but finally he realized the creature had turned to stone.
He looked up and saw a giant blue grey horse with the familiar Surry atop it. Her hands were fluidly weaving magic and lightning flew across the battlefield . The deadly bolts jumped and skipped around the battlefield, dodging friends and striking foes. The remaining creatures hadn't expect such power and quickly retreated from her onslaught. The odd looking demon chickens sprinted into the woods, while the 4 armed alien insect humanoids started fading from view.
Vanna the golem smashed her metal fists into a fading creature , but her swing passed through him easily. She swung again, but by then they were all gone.
"Sorry I missed the fun. Looks like they were about to give you some tongue on tongue action there.", said Surry before sighing," I never get invited to the cool parties."
Fetch examined the group and most seemed fine . A bit of Tyris's armor was ripped, but the bard seemed unhurt from the fight. Vanna's clothing and metal skin were rended by the demon chickens , but Henrietta quickly repaired both with a spell. Also, Dietrch's fey skin spared him from most injuries. Trip on the other hand was stomped pretty badly by the creatures. He was gibbering wildly at first and Fetch wasn't sure what to do. He applied the prayer of healing and the wounds of the mechanical ranger healed and his insanity was cured. Trip told him before that healing magics were only partially effective on him due to his mechanical nature, but Fetch never had a problem treating him with his prayer of heal.
Baalphzon flew and landed on Fetch's shoulder then addressed the returned wizard, "So where have you been? That was the second group of Xill and Achaierai we tangled with. The forest seems to be full of them. "
Surry shrugged, "Sorry, but it wasn't really my fault. I was running errands on Pixietrampler here, then he went crazy and started hopping towards the mountains. Near Tornic and Heldamar to be exact. Seemed he was being called or something and decided to respond. It was Tank and some of his...err companions... They were fighting demons. I saw Agni there as well. I knew you guys were in a hurry so I rushed back as soon as I could. "
All annoyance of Surry's disappearance vanished when Fetch heard Agni's name. "Agni? Is he OK? What's he doing near Tornic? Did he get my letter?"
Surry chuckled at Fetch's worry." He's fine. I guess he got most of our "care" package, but the messenger lost the letter. He left Ymir's hold and he decided to strike it out with Tank. You remember Tank right?"
Fetch nodded , Tank was Frank's younger brother. The last he heard, he helped defend McDunnalds against the Darkriver horde last year. "Oh...they're adventuring now? That's great! Who are the rest of their companions?"
Surry looked at Fetch carefully," An ice halfling named Svikki, an old friend of mine named Sasha, and ...a paladin named Fyrisvellir.". Surry examined Fetch's face but saw no reaction from any of the names. Tyris on the other hand shuffled uncomfortably at his side.
Fetch shrugged, "Oh...never heard of any of them. Are they doing alright? They figure out maps yet? Do they have a 10 foot pole?"
Surry smiled, "They're doing fine. Agni said he'll come visit soon. In the mean time , we have our own worries. While jumping here, I saw signs of a very large force of Xill and Achaierai in the woods. Not enough to endanger the city, but enough to harass or burn one of the outlying communities. I guess several hundred at least, but I'm not sure. I'm only juding by their camps. Who knows how many more are waiting on the astral plane. "
"Malik should be warned, those are dangerous monsters! ", said Fetch .
"Don't worry , I made a detour and warned the guards. Don't even think of retreating now, we're almost at the shrine. We could fall back and help defend one of the communities, but it would be fairly useless, you saw how fast the Achaierai moved, and how the Xill can step through planes. If you guard one community they will just attack another. Its best for Malik to strengthen his overall defenses . We can organize a strike against them later.", said Surry.
"Why don't we attack them now?", asked Dietrch.
"Go ahead...try and catch them...I was on Pixietrampler...the fastest , most dependable mount around, and I couldn't even see them. Except when they were attacking you of course.", challenged Surry.
"You showed up just in time priestess. Your flesh to stone and chain lightning spell were expertly cast!." , Henrietta said in admiration.
"Yeah, I like fire better of course, but I'm branching out with lightning spells. The flesh to stone thing is one of my mother's specialties. She knew how to make guys rock hard in more ways then one.", Surry said with a smirk and a wink.
The group shrugged at her comment, except Trip who started to make grinding noises in his wood and metal throat.
"Awww, c'mon...Only Trip got that. You guys don't know good humor if it bit you.", huffed Surry.
Their journey to the elven ruin was finally finished. Before them in a clearing lied a vast bog. The water was strangely clear and signs of ancient stonework tantalized them from under the water.
"We couldn't see this in our initial scout of the area , because it was under ice and snow. ", apologized Trip. "I'm still not sure if this is the ruins we seek, but whatever it is , it is well defended.". The warforge emphasized the point, by rubbing his neck which was almost severed by one of the guardian's claws.
Fetch nodded, and motioned everyone to stand back. Surry walked up and handed him a scroll tube. Fetch unsealed the scroll and channeled its divine power into the bog. The water began to miraculously lower and the ruins underneath the waters were fully revealed. It was an odd sight, Fetch expected them to be covered in mud and debris, but they were remarkably clean , the only signs of them being covered by water were a few misplaced plants and some flopping fish.
Surry smiled,"I'm glad I found that ancient scroll of water lowering, I'm not sure why that's a forgotten prayer, it seems to be useful... Looking at the ruins, the lack of mud, and the general design of the place I think we found our ruins."
Suddenly Tyris walked in front of Surry with blades raised. An arrow streaked towards the two but the now beautiful bard calmly swatted it away with her rapier.
"Turn back! ", shouted a harsh voice in a strong accent. Even though the language used was the common tongue, Fetch noticed some elven traits in the voice. It was strange for an elven voice, it did not posses any of the usual musical and light tones common to the race. Even Surry with her sharp harsh tongue, had a musical quality to her voice.
By this time Dietrch had stood by Tyris with his shield ready to block any more arrows. Vanna's skirt suddenly sprang out like metal barbs and her dress draped on top of it , like a tent or bunker of some sort, and Henrietta and Trip ran underneath it. Fetch almost laughed out loud at the amusing sight, but could not find fault in the effectiveness of their tactic.
"Turn back! I will not warn you again if you proceed further.", said the invisible voice.
"A lone elf on a tree , 40 feet up near the big bush of berries.", said Baalphzon mentally to him.
"At least two more are here probably three , but they are hidden behind an illusion. I smell a foul demonic taint as well." ,continued the imp." Be careful, I sense great power."
Fetch nodded and was thankful for the pact he made with the imp. He was sometimes annoying, but he could trust him, and he was very handy as an extra set of eyes .
"Not to mention, I keep your interests at heart, and I'm a free source of baby sitting.", added the Imp mentally.
Fetch smiled in agreement then shouted out towards the tree indicated by Baalphzon. "You in the tree, don't think I can't see you. We mean you no harm, we just wish to visit the shrine. We need to for a quest."
Fetch couldn't help chuckling when he said those lines. He spoke the truth , but he never thought he would say such words. They sounded more appropriate from one of King's or Galatea's heroic tales.
"I praise you for your keen senses, but you still can not pass. My next arrow will strike one of you down if you persist to remain here.", said the voice.
Tyris looked at Fetch and nodded. Even though Hush had brought them closer the last few months, they still had troubles talking to each other. However, on the battlefield, the two seemed to know almost emphatically what the other was going to do. Fetch knew she wanted him to distract the voice some more.
Fetch nodded and complied, "Listen, you can shoot arrows at us all day, but we aren't budging ...we...".
*thunk*
"AAHHH!", cried Surry as an arrow struck her deeply in the shoulder. Despite her magical protections , the rune covered arrow penetrated her defenses. She fell to the ground, mumbling something about. "God damned arcane archers..."
Dietrch was shocked the archer had still managed to hit Surry despite the fact he shielded her. He repositioned himself to again block the view of the archer, and hoped he would be able to stop any more arrows .
Trip readied his dragon golem out of his strange bunker, but then waved everyone down. Fetch looked and saw an elven archer with her hands above her head standing on a light tree branch 40 foot high, near the area Baalphzon had pointed out , a rapier was at her throat . Fetch hadn't even noticed Tyris disappearing, he suspected it was more of the high level bard magic she was now using. Tyris was standing behind the archer , but he knew it wasn't over yet. Baalphzon said there were 2 or 3 more attackers here.
His first thought was to destroy them quickly, but he knew that wasn't the right choice. He was attempting to enter an elven ruin and seek its blessings , his choice of action shouldn't be to slay elves. He decided he would make another attempt at diplomacy before he unleashed his band upon them.
"You in the forest, hiding behind the illusion. We mean you no harm, despite you shooting our companion. We seek only the shrine of Hanali Celanil, so we can enter and do battle with the evil infesting the Temple of the Baboon.", shouted the cleric.
An eerie silence drifted through the forest as Fetch's words echoed through the woods. Then three individuals seemingly walked out of the forest.
The first was a noble looking elf. She was as tall as Surry, which was considered tall for an elf. She wore a regal looking ermine/mink fur coat, and had a crown of roses and other wild flowers around her head. She had long light green hair, and a light brown skin. Her eyes however were wild and feral like a cats, or some sort of wild beast . Even with her savage looking eyes, she was stunning looking. Fetch thought she was the most beautiful elf he had ever seen, Brita included.
"Careful ..Lamia...", whispered the injured Surry, referring to the quasi mythical beast women . Even with Fetch's limited knowledge he knew them from tales as vicious monsters that were half beast , half women, that took pleasing forms to snare unsuspecting prey in ancient ruins.
The second was a large human wearing a red scale mail tunic. He had short blacked hair, and odd looking blue and black tattoos on his arms. Fetch remembered seeing him before , but could not remember where. He was most notable for his lack of weapons, but he looked more like a warrior then a wizard.
"Dragon...", continued Surry as her gaze drifted towards the man.
The third, was easily identifiable. Fetch had walked under her gaze many times in the arena. She was tall blond northern woman, wearing a light leather and chain tunic. She wielded a large two handed sword effortlessly , and even had a black and silver great axe strapped on her back for extra measure. She looked like a Valkyrie or one of Champion Fleur's bodyguards. Although he never met her personally, he knew instinctively who she was.
"Ulla...", whispered Dietrch interrupting Surry before she could comment.
"I am Princess Kirrin ! I am the guardian of these elven ruins. Please release my servant and turn away from your path.", said the noble elf.
"I am Fetch, a captain of the guard in Lower Lueders and the Warmaster of Rawk. We seek a few hours in the shrine of Hanali Celanil, then we will leave this place in peace. We do not wish to harm you , even though your archer attacked one of my companions. ", said Fetch. He glanced at Tyris's prisoner, and suddenly realized it was a woman. He would have never guessed it from her harsh voice. It was almost an opposite of Yasmina and his feminine speech.
"I would not hesitate to sacrifice my archer for her carelessness. However , I have heard of you Warmaster. Your reputation even reaches the wilds of the Devil's Woods. I believe we have much to discuss.", smiled Princess Kirrin.
Fetch smiled, and noticed the princess was walking towards him around the edge of the drained bog. Her two companions waited patiently behind. Fetch motioned for his friends to wait as well, and proceeded towards the Princess.
"Do not let her touch you...", warned Baalphzon mentally, " Her touch is lethal ...it will sap your will power like her three poor guardians."
Fetch nodded and looked again at her "guards". He didn't notice anything strange about them, but they did watch him with blank eyes . Regardless if they were mentally compelled or not, Fetch normally took his familiar's advice. He was meant to serve and advise him, and for the most part he did his job well.
Fetch and the Princess, walked around the drained bog , and were a mere 10 foot apart. The princess walked up to gave him a customary greeting/hug, but Fetch held his hands up. Kirin smiled , and nodded at the cleric. "Fear not, I do not mean you any harm. Know that I am not intimidated by anyone in my woods. Not even the Aspect of Arcturus or an Abyssal Dragon. Those 2 tried to enter my realm a few months ago , and disregarded my warnings. Their impudence has caused them to become my servants."
Fetch shook his head, "Look, Princes Kirry or whatever your name is. I don't want any trouble. I just want a blessing at the shrine here. My wizard tells me it might help us enter the Temple of the Baboon . I'm sure you've noticed the animals behaving strangely, I was told if we clear the evil from the place they will return to normal."
Princess Kirrin winced when Fetch called her Kirry, but she never lost her composure," Yes I am aware of the evil that lives there, and I loathe its presence. I am guardian of all the elven ruins from the coast to the Bloodwoods. The fact an evil presence has infested the Temple of the Baboon has infuriated me. Those 2 behind me also sought to free the temple of this evil, but they showed me great disrespect by not heeding my warnings. I was forced to enslave them for their mistake. "
Fetch considered her words, "Ok, I get it. You want a payment of some sort don't you. We can arrange that. Just give me a figure. "
Kirirn fumed at the human's crassness, but she didn't let her anger control her, " No tribute is required from you. It is my belief that you are the one chosen to rid the Temple of the Baboon of its evil. I shall not impede your progress. However, be warned... even my wrath will not by stayed by a prophecy. I will give you exactly one hour to seek your blessing from the shrine , then you must leave or risk my wrath."
Fetch stared at her in disbelief,"That's it? You shoot my daughter, then say its all cool? We can just waltz on it now?"
The Princess smiled at his confusion, "Of course, I did not know you were the Warmaster at first, and needed to be up close to determine this. I just have one question, I am sure you heard of the prophecy of the hero, have you accomplish the 11 tasks? "
Fetch shrugged, " Err...aren't there 12? I've done 11 for sure...not too sure how I can do the 12th."
"Your translation of the prophecy is incorrect. There are 11 tasks the hero must perform. The fact he has a grandchild older then he is , is not technically a task. ", corrected Kirin.
"Wow, you really are a stickler for wording...", commented Fetch,"The thing about the grandchild, I haven't done , or guessed how to do."
The Princess's eyes narrowed on Surry. "She is not that young, if she were human, she would be older then you I suspect but not by much. She hasn't born you any grandchildren has she?"
Fetch chuckled," 'Fraid not. She's what we guys call, unmarriable .", he said in an audible whisper.
The joke fell flat on Kirrin and she frowned, "That's a shame, the tasks you have accomplished is an epic accomplishment by itself, but the prophecy specifically states that a grand child is needed. One with certain qualities. I'm sure you are aware of this. "
Baalphzon flew onto Fetch's shoulders and bowed to Princess Kirrin before Fetch could inquire more." As beautiful and dangerous as ever, Kirrin."
Kirrin returned the nod, " Baalphzon, I should have guessed you were involved in this. Are you sure you know of the prophecy? "
The imp nodded,"Indeed I do. However I'm thinking its going to be a witch king of Angmar type prophecy. "Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall! " ...HAH I bet Glorfindel had a good laugh at that one . I'm thinking Fetch will pull it off , with something along those lines. Maybe he'll get into a political marriage and marry some old broad with grand children already."
Kirrin gave a light laugh, "I'm sure the prophecy specifically mentioned a grand child of his blood that will be older then him, but you are probably correct, something misdirecting will probably arise. Although the fact he has a daughter seemingly older then him gives me hope. "
Fetch didn't like it when people talked about him as if he wasn't there, especially something concerning his family."Hey look, I'm not into this political marriage thing. I thank you for your permission to enter the shrine, but I'll tell you right now, I'm gonna handle this by shoving my hammer into this evil's face."
Kirrin stared at the human in front of her, and gave a sharp almost howling laugh. Fetch thought it sounded more like a cackling beast then an elf, her voice chilled his bones. " Do you even know the nature of your foe? I can assure you , you will find "shoving your hammer in its face." more difficult then you think. I wish you the best on your journey though, I will even aid you in your task. "
"Oh really?", said Fetch with suspicion towards the feral looking elf princess. Despite not being hostile, she had ordered her elf to shoot Surry, and had apparently placed a charm on both Ulla and the unnamed warrior.
Kirirn smiled , disregarding Fetch's cautious tone." I will release my two servants to you, I tire of them, and they may aid you in your quest." , she said while waving at Ulla and the man in the red scale mail.
"What about the archer?", asked Fetch as he waved at the elf named Priscilla. The more he talked to the guardian , the more the cleric knew he would not leave a prisoner behind.
Kirrin's face grew visibly angry,"Do not tempt my wrath Warmaster... You test the limits of my generosity."
"Again with the girl in distress thing...", thought Baalphzon with a sigh.
"Yeah, well don't piss me off either sister. You shot Surry, you keep slaves...thats two strikes by my book. I've been patient in trying to get a blessing before I go to the shrine, but I'm not going to walk away from this. You might be a bad ass Elf or Fey guardian, but my friends and I aren't slouches either. I figure even if we walk away as allies right now, we'll probably meet again and not on the best of terms. So we can throw down now...or later on? Its your choice princess. Dance now or later? ", said Fetch with an uncommon swagger. Fetch wasn't sure how he managed to say all that without tripping his tongue. He normally attempted such speeches but they usually fell flat. It might be the circlet in action he thought.
Princess Kirrin's face briefly scowled. For a moment it looked more akin to a savage animal then an elven princess. However, as quick as it transformed, it changed back. The guardian gave a slight laugh, " Oh you choose interesting companions don't you Baalphzon. I'll release her , but only because I know you intend my rival under the city harm. Whether you succeed or not remains to be seen. Whatever the result, it will be amusing to watch. "
"You seem to know more about my foe then I do. Can you elaborate more about it?", inquired Fetch.
"Others will provide you with greater answers than I can. I can only say she is a rival of mine. Cerasum is the name it takes.", commented Kirrin.
"Cerasum...that's one of the old foe's of my mother if I recall. Or more specifically of the Knight's of Winter. An abjurer of great power and beauty . They barely defeated her but she escaped. That was decades ago though. ", noted Surry.
The Princess nodded at the half elfs comments then waved her hands . All three of her slaves slumped to the ground. The elven archer named Priscilla tumbled off the high branch and plummeted towards the ground, her fall was stopped at the last moment by a bluish glow. Fetch thought Surry must have used some magic, but he observed Henrietta concentrating intently instead.
"Good luck on your quest! ...Remember one hour in the shrine...", she said with a trailing laugh as she disappeared into the forest.
"Abjurer? Are those some kind of legal mages? ", asked Fetch oblivious to the schools of magic.
Surry looked at the man who was the high priest of Rawk, one of the most powerful divine casters of the north, " ...abjuration...its the school of magic specializing in protective and dispelling spells. A counter spell style of magic. ", she explained with much embarrassment to his lack of knowledge.
"Protective magic eh? Doesn't sound that tough. ", shrugged the cleric.
Dietrch pulled the unconscious captives to the side. The three seemed both drained and exhausted. Fetch suspected that Kirrin's "magic" or enchantment drove her slaves to their limits. The elf seemed the most drained, her skin drew tight around her bones, and she looked tired, taut, and pale. The cleric thought she was probably enslaved the longest, months...maybe even years. The other two seemed drained, but did not appear as worn as the elf.
"Before, we spend too much of our time on Kirrin's former captives, I suggest we proceed to the shrine right away. Even though Fetch here secured these prisoners release , I don't think our host will tolerate us if we stay here past the hour.", said Surry.
Fetch agreed, despite the princess backing down , he did not relish a fight with her. At least not on her territory. Who knew how many more allies she had in the woods?
"YASMINA!", Fetch shouted. "YASMINA!"
The air grew warm , and suddenly fire and smoked briefly filled the air. A second later the pyrotechnics faded away and a young man wearing pantaloons and a light vest appeared. "Yes master?"
"You don't have to call me that Yasmina. Captain Fetch or just Fetch is fine.", reminded Fetch marveling at his aides magic. Yasmina only knew a few spells , but they were powerful and he seemed to have no limit on the amount of times he could employ it.
"Yasmina!", said Dietrch with a smile. Fetch's aide smiled at the knight, and raised his hands to hug him. Dietrch hesitated but returned the hug. Fetch didn't approve of their odd relationship but it wasn't really his buisness. Guys with guys wasn't the weirdest thing he heard about, he heard about guys with dragons, guys with demons...even guys with goddesses of entropy.
"Look ... we found Ulla! My quest will finally be over! I can return home!", continued Dietrch in delight. Yasmina on the other hand, seemed visibly stunned by the revelation, but quickly recovered and smiled at the happy knight.
Fetch interrupted the pair, before they began to bicker, shout...or worse, make out . That was the last thing he wanted to see from the couple. "Yasmina I need you to get these three to Penguin manor. We're being timed here, and we'll be back right away after we visit visit the shrine. "
"They look sick...are they ill?", asked Yasmina in her high feminine voice.
"I'm not 100% sure ... just take care of them till we get back. ", said Fetch.
"Two of them are very weak...the third is critical. You should secure a healer for them immediately . ", coughed Vanna unexpectedly, with emphasis on the word healer.
Fetch was a bit annoyed at being corrected, but appreciated the second opinion. He intoned a mass healing spell on them, but their condition did not improve dramatically. They seemed to breath slightly better though, and the cleric was happy he demonstrated some healing skill.
Yasmina folded his arms and nodded,"As you wish." . With a wink of his eye , the 4 vanished in fire and smoke.
"Ok...now that we got that handled, lets do this.", said a confident Surry.
"Careful !", warned Trip as the group descended into the gulch. "There was a lobster creature that almost defeated me down here."
Fetch nodded , his shield and hammer were both ready to do battle. His other companions seemed readied as well, as they descended towards the ruined elven temple.
"From your description , it sounds like a chuul. ", commented Surry. "I've encountered them before, a long time ago. When Agni and I first struck out on our own. It was a pretty vicious creature, and it even paralyzed our cleric . It was a wonder we made it out with everyone safe."
" Young Surry evicted from her village with her twin brother and a cleric. A fascinating tale , I'm sure. ", yawned Baalphzon.", but a tale for another time."
Surry shrugged. "I just wanted to stress how dangerous these beasts are. They are heavily armored, good grapplers, and can paralyze people. They've been known to defeat powerful adventurers if they catch them unprepared."
"Aren't elves immune to paralyzation?", asked Dietrch with a hint of nervousness on his voice. Fetch knew the walrus knight's fey skin was resistant to most weapons, but he had his doubts if it granted him protection from other attacks, like poison, disease or paralyzation.
Surry stopped , annoyed at the knights question," First off, only ghoul paralyzation, and those were ancient elves...from the Red Age. Second, I'm a half elf. Despite our many similarities we're pretty much a different race. "
Fetch wondered if the stories of the chuuls were exaggerated or were they truly such fearsome beasts. He encountered a polar chuul when he journeyed to Grom, but Tyris and Frank did most of the fighting. He was still sea sick, so he missed most of the action. He scanned the ruins and saw no sign of the creatures. If they were as large and ferocious as his companions made them out to be, he shuddered if they were going to attack.
Despite the threat of a chuul attack, the group nervously reached their destination. Fetch expected a mud encrusted temple, but the "ruins" were remarkably clean and intact. In fact, upon closer observation, the temple was strangely beautiful and serene.
Tyris held out her hand and made a fist. The group stopped at her command. "There's something here. Something strange."
Surry uttered some arcane words and nodded in agreement. "There's a powerful aura here, but I can not discern its exact nature. Something other then the latent magic of this area. An enchantment of some sort."
Henrietta raised her hands and her eyes glazed over for about 10 seconds. Then they cleared and she stumbled back. "Its a temporal barrier. It wasn't created deliberately. It most likely formed from the ambient magic in the woods, and these ruins. This whole region actually. The amount of people highly skilled in magic is quite frightening here. All these powerful spells being cast by clerics, wizards and demi gods...there are consequences to it. Its like the strange effects you can find in ancient shrines or wizards academys. Most effects are benign, some are dangerous, but all are random . "
Fetch pondered Henrietta's observation, "Wait a minute, are you telling me casting magic is dangerous ? People do it all the time I thought."
Henrietta shook her head,"Magic is inherently dangerous...but its basically a controlled skill. You can predict fairly accurately the effects and outcomes of most magics. Thats for common , laymen spells. Even forbidden magics are fairly predictable. However when you start getting into spells of the 7th, 8th, 9th circles... well...strange things start to happen. Especially when its used multiple times in the same area . The fabric of reality slowly begins to tear and unravel. Strange creatures are attracted to it, poltergeists, fey, even minor outsiders. At best, they are just cosmetic changes, at worst...well I haven't seen the great mists, or the dungeons of Boryis, but I don't have to tell you about them. This is high magic I'm talking about, the type that only 1% of 1% of spell users are capable of casting. I won't even get into legendary spells weaved by epic casters."
"Wait a minute... are you telling me the spells I cast could be screwing things up?", Fetch said curiously as the gnomes implications dawned on him.
"Let's just say I don't approve of your careless use of magic sometimes. Like really...I like Hush as much as anyone else, but summoning a demi plane for her to play in ..so she doesn't have to get cold...that's a little too much !", lectured Henrietta.
"Are you guys done?", asked Surry impatiently, "So is this safe?"
Henrietta shrugged, "I don't know for certain. Its a temporal field. It could accelerate time or decelerate it. We could go forwards a month , or even go back a day. Who knows without experimenting. The field is strong, but not overly powerful. That's all I can tell."
"Well we're being timed... let's do this .", said Fetch as he bravely strode in. The others knew it was a hazard of the profession and they walked in as well.
Fetch marveled at the beauty of the shrine as he walked inside it. Marble pillars and statues with wooden carvings and vines decorated it. A depiction of a beautiful elven woman dominated the area. She wore a simple short gown , and was reclining in splendor on a marble couch. Before her, was a wide pool, with crystal clear blue water. Fetch knew they had found what they were looking for.
"OK, here's how this works.", instructed Surry,"You go in the bath , you go out. This aint a drinking pool. If you are worthy , the goddess Hanali Celanil will give you her blessing. "
"Do we have to get naked or something? ", asked Henrietta nervously.
"In ancient times, elves would bathe in this pool. I assumed they did it naked, but I do not think its necessary. However, I think it would help win the goddesses favor if you do disrobe before bathing in the pool.", the half elven wizardess stated as she started taking off her clothes.
"Dietrch, Trip, Baalphzon, Fetch...wait outside, get the hell out of here...girls first.", commanded Surry as she removed her tunic, and stood before them with her tightly bound leaf wrapped body.
Fetch turned away and ushered the knight and the warforge outside the shrine. He noticed the sky and the surroundings looked odd , kind of hazy and green. He began to look closer, but was distracted by the sounds of women laughing , splashing, and giggling.
Some cheers and playful shrieks were heard from the shrine, and eventually Surry, Henrietta, Tyris and Vanna walked out fully clothed with wet hair. Tyris smiled at Fetch and gave him an unexpected kiss as she walked past him.
Despite Tyris's show of affection, Fetch didn't notice any change amongst the women. They seemed excited and happy none the less. "Check this out...my A's became Bs! ", Surry proclaimed while pointing at her now clothed chest.
Trip stared at the half elf, "I assume you are referring to your breast measurements. You are incorrect. I would say your AAs became As. ". The warforged deadpanned.
Dark magic emanated from the wizard but Fetch quickly intervened by snatching the wooden halfling and dragging him to the shrine. "No time to waste, lets do this."
Fetch and Trip entered the shrine, and noticed Dietrch was already there, disrobed. The cleric looked nervously and decided to enter the pool , fully armored. The thought of Dietrch staring at him naked made him uncomfortable. Trip was minimally geared, and removed his weapons and went into the pool first.
Dietrch saw Fetch's hesitation ,"Don't worry ...I like girls not guys."
Fetch's eyebrows piqued in curiosity," What about Yasmina?"
Dietrch sighed,"Well...that's a special case. Its hard to explain . Like I know I have fey blood in me, and you can make fairy jokes all you want, but I still get turned on by women, all women. I'm ashamed to say it, but I'll do any of our fairer companions in a heart beat, with or without their circlets. I'd even do Vanna. However, ever since the fall party I've grown attached to Yasmina. Yasmi has this thing. I won't get into the details but..."
"No need...No need...don't have to explain !", said Fetch quickly. "I understand , no need to say anything more."
He waited for Trip and Dietrch to bathe themselves. Baalphzon hesitated , "Should I enter last? In case my fiendish nature despoils the pool?" , asked the imp with a smile.
Fetch shook his head, and indicated for the imp to proceed. Baalphzon dove into the pool without hesitation and came back out smiling. Fetch was the last one entering the pool. He was fully clothed , despite Dietrch's assurances.
Fetch hadn't noticed much change in his companions, and wondered if this journey was worth while. It wouldn't surprise him if this side quest proved to be fruitless. It seemed the last few months was one delay after another. Not that he minded, he enjoyed the quiet time with Hush and Tyris. However, Fetch wondered if directly confronting Kerr and demanding the seal to the dungeon would have been a better choice. Sure, there would have been blood shed and violence, but things would have been accomplished. He respected Kerr and wondered if his decision was the right one. Was the price of political stability worth it? Fetch figured 100 sacrifices were made in the last 5 months. Was 100 lives worth the city? As a captain of the guard, Fetch knew that more died in bar fights and the arena in the last 5 months then were sacrificed to whatever evil lives below the city.
"Myleka...", corrected an elven voice that seemed to echo around the room.
Fetch stopped and looked, he was in the shrine still , but his friends were all gone. The strange blue green sky had disappeared, and he was in a tranquil forest grove. The marble woman dominating the shrine was no longer reclining but standing infront of him . Radiant in her beauty .
"I was about to curse you, for not disrobing before entering the sacred pool, but your thoughts are intriguing.", said the beautiful elven goddess.
Fetch bowed his head, "Forgive me goddess , I just feel nervous disrobing in front of other dudes, especially ones that like other dudes..if you know what I mean.."
Hanali Celanil looked at him , puzzled and disappointed. "I am surprised. Most mortals would tremble in fear or at least be unnerved by my divinity and beauty. You on the other hand, seemed unimpressed."
Fetch bowed,"No disrespect was intended, but you're not the first god I've met. I don't know much about avatars and aspects, but I don't sense that from you. You're something else."
The elven goddess looked at the cleric in surprise, "Oh? Who have you met?"
Fetch shrugged and took a deep breath,"Errr...Let me see, deities I've met directly, Velmon the drunk on the plateau , Yeenoghu in battle , Kard in a dream , Rawk on the battlefield , Bel at the siege of McDunnalds , I saw Serrtous or whatever his name's corpse...I'm not sure if the Dynast or my wife counts...and recently Ulla the aspect of Arcturus, although she looked pretty beaten up."
The goddess looked intently on him , but then sighed, "I sense you are not exaggerating your exploits, you are both remarkable and correct. You've seen through my guise. I am not the aspect or avatar of Hanali Celanil. I am but a shard of a shard of the goddess. The original aspect of the temple was captured by the said evil underneath your city. I am the last remaining essence of her. My power is great, but it pales compared to what it use to be. "
Fetch scratched his head, "Hey , whatever power you are missing, you seem to at least know what's going on around here. Can you please explain to me what's going on here? I'm just going with everyone else. I know there's a bad guy under the city, but she's behind this magic door or something. That's all I can figure out."
Hanali Celanil looked puzzled at the cleric," You wish to strike at a foe , you don't even know?"
"Yeah, that's about the gist of it. People assume I know stuff, but I really have no clue. A lot of the times I just nod and act like I do. Its embarrassing.", admitted Fetch sheepishly.
The goddess grimaced at the revelation,"Hearing this from the Hero of the prophecy is troubling to say the least, but I will attempt to explain the foe you face. Your enemy is the goddess Myleka though she's assumed a mortals guise. Cerasum I believe she calls herself now."
Fetch slowly nodded,"Errr I'm not too good with this religious study thing. She's the goddess of ...?"
Hanali Celanil sighed, "Beauty, lust, jealousy ."
The cleric seemed surprised, "Goddess of beauty? I didn't expect that. I was really expecting some type of god of evil , disease, death, even war or something. Err wait, my god is the god of war. "
"Do not be overconfident. She is a very dangerous deity. She strives to be the most beautiful being in the Great Wheel...", warned the goddess.
"Great wheel?", asked Fetch puzzled.
"You really are empty of knowledge aren't you? The Great wheel is another word for the multiverse. The collection of inner and outer planes.", explained the goddess. " There are other goddesses of youth , and beauty in the great wheel, but Myleka strives to be the most radiant. On her path to accomplish this, she has developed a way to steal , drain, one's beauty and confidence . In the past she had captured the ancient Goddess Shiran and drained her beauty. The other gods were not please with this and stripped most of her power away from her . She managed to escape the bulk of their wrath however...she was not fully defeated and her victim was never freed. Since then, she has plotted behind the scenes for many years and her power has slowly grown. She even fashioned a seemingly benign group of worshipers that celebrate love and beauty. However it is all just a facade for her cult. The cult captures and sacrifices beautiful women and handsome men to their cruel goddess. Each sacrifice adding to her power. The rumors of her power are all true, she has recently began abducting and binding divine beings to sacrifice. Angels, azzata, even gods and demi goddesses. She has even taken my aspect away from this shrine."
Fetch struggled to comprehend the information presented to him, "What about the temple of the baboon thing? What does this have to do with baboons and elven temples?"
Again the goddess sighed at Fetch's ignorance. "The baboon is the most sacred animal to the ancient elves. They venerated it for its strength, ferocity , and wisdom. Even today the elves of Adrenal hold it in the highest esteem. The Temple of the Baboon was one of the main elven temples back in the day. The other gods had shrines built into it to honor the baboon. I assume Myleka stumbled upon the ruin, and realized it was the perfect place to plot and grow. She obviously has corrupted its purpose and power. The temple's ancient construction prevents even the highest magic from penetrating or scrying it . Normally only the Disc of the baboon can open it. However , I assume you and your friends seek an alternate entrance to the temple through my shrine. My magic is weakened but I will grant you access. You won't need to wear those circlets to enter, but you may need them when inside. She has most likely corrupted my shrine, and the main temple of the baboon. Even if you gain access you face a difficult road ahead of you. Not only will you have to battle the goddess herself, but also her army of demons. "
Fetch rolled his eyes at the phrase "army of demons". Why couldn't it be an army of dryads or an army of goblins ?
"Thank you for the information. At least I know the foe I face.", said the cleric .
"No I wish to thank you for taking up this task selflessly . ",replied the goddess. " You do know the part of the prophecy right?"
Fetch rolled his eyes, "Yeah , but I don't really believe it. I didn't even lay a finger on Bel and they tell me I'm flagged for it. That seems pretty ridiculous to me."
The goddess paused briefly and then nodded, " From reading the thoughts of your companions, I see you have accomplished all 11 tasks and labours. "
Fetch scratched his head,"Again with the 11, others told me it was 12."
Hanali Celani shook her head ,"No..No...11 tasks to be the hero to defeat the dread goddess. Your grandchild who will be older then you will be the one to slay it. "
Fetch stumbled "But...that makes no sense...I don't even have a grand child let alone one that is older then me . I'm pretty sure time doesn't work like that. If my grand kid is gonna kill it , won't he be considered the chosen one? This prophecy makes no sense, if its true how can anyone kill it ? "
The goddess once again shook her head. She had no immediate answers. "You know the full prophecy correct? Not some amateurish translation which you apparently received..."
"The bane of beauty shall be felled
by a hero whose deeds are sung throughout the land
a man with no parents , but raised by kings, legends, and gods
who strides in the land of demons with no fear,
a leader of men, a champion of a host, that battled and defeated a fell horde
slayer of masters of both the abyss and the hells,
loved by a saint but betrothed to entropy,
friend of the emperor of darkness, and allied to the grandfather of shadows,
a hero whose will can tame even the greatest lord of the pit.
The champion shall battle the bane of beauty and lay her low, but he shall not be the one to slay her.
The hero's son's son, who will be the hero's senior, shall be the one, that slays the bane and welcome freedom to come."
"So you see...", said the goddess," your grandson who is your senior , must slay Myleka not you. If you do not have one , all your efforts may be for naught. "
"It says my son's son. Well I do have a son , kind of. But I'm pretty sure he has no kids, especially one that is older then me. ", shrugged the cleric. "Do you think , he will get tossed into a time warp or something, and come out with a big brawny grand kid for me?"
The elven goddess laughed ..."Doubtful, but with your past, who knows...now before you go, besides allowing you entry to my temple, I will grant you a boon. You can either be blessed by beauty, know your true love, or grant love to someone. I've given this same boon to all your companions, though they may not have realized it."
Fetch though deeply," I don't need to look any better. I might not be able to recognize myself in the mirror. And I already know my true love. Can I grant love to all my daughters? Is that possible? Or do I have to choose one?"
The goddess smiled, "A rare choice, I applaud your generosity. Its normally not possible, but for you I'll make an exception."
Fetch found himself surrounded by churning and swirling water. He left the shrine and the goddess and suddenly walls of water crashed down on him. He wasn't the best swimmer in the world, but managed to release a prayer of water breathing before he was over taken.
The cleric scanned the turbulent waters around him. He saw no signs of his companions. Were they swept away ? Or did they make it to safety?
Fetch tried to call for Baalphzon but there was no reply. Although he was underwater his spell enabled him to intone a prayer. He attempted a word of recall, but whatever magics protected this place , prevented him from leaving by such a method. He tried to swim to the surface but he was too overladen with gear . After a few more attempts he decided to plod along the bottom of the lake instead.
The cleric walked slowly, the water and the silt slowed his progress considerably. As he made his way to the surface, he tried again to summon his imp, but it was to no avail. He sensed Baalophzon was still alive, just not in range of his mental calls. That startled Fetch a little, he could normally communicate with his familiar miles away.
Fetch broke through the surface of the water and looked around. There was no sign of the Princess Kirrin or her companions. He briefly recalled Henrietta mentioning a time displacement in the area. Did he go forward or back in time. If he went back in time, was it all some scheme for him to conceive a son and then he would hop back to his present time, and hopefully his son would bear him a grandson so he could fight this Myleka person. The train of thought with its reverse and changing continuity confused him. Fetch had experienced some strange things, but that would be too bizarre even for him. He doubt he could court a woman besides Tyris and make a child with her, in the hopes of fulfilling some quest requirement that he didn't even fully trust. Fetch wasn't going to let something like a prophecy get in his way. He would figure something out.
*SPLASH*
Fetch turned and saw a massive chitinous beast behind him. It was a monstrous bipedal crayfish lobster creature. It swung a massive claw at Fetch and struck him before he could block with his shield. The cleric tumbled into the shallow water , but scrambled back to his feet . He instinctively threw his hammer at the creature, but it calmly swatted the massive stone projectile aside.
The lobster like creature charged Fetch and struck him solidly in the shield. Fetch reeled from the blow, but managed to keep his balance. The blow rattled him to the core, but the cleric kept his cool. A simple prayer surrounded him with blades, but the chitinous creature ignored the spectral constructs as it continued its assault.
The creature raised a claw to strike him again, but Fetch anticipated the move, and braced himself behind his shield. Despite the uneven and slippery ground, Fetch was certain he could resists the creatures initial blow. The cleric waited in anticipation for the strike but none came.
Suddenly a shadow blotted out the area around Fetch. He scrambled to the side but saw no sign of his foe. He only saw the swirling of his blades. A monstrous shriek filled the air, as a large object plummeted from the sky and crashed into some jutting stone ruins. The dieing chitinous creature weakly bubbled and gurgled but its fate was sealed.
A sudden gust of wind battered Fetch as a dark shadow descended on him.
"You've been Frank Spanked ! hmmm...the more I say it the less it works.", said a voice mounted high above on a familiar green gold dragon. "Oh..hey Fetch! Is that you down there?"