"Arrest that man!", commanded Zahzon. The summoner was flanked by his eidilon and twenty assorted henchmen . Some members of the group were dressed in robes wielding wands, others in platemail with great swords. They seemed a cut above regular thugs, and goons .
"I don't have time for this ...", gasped Fetch as he stumbled out of the sewers. His companions were all captured , lost or dead. His equipment was gone. More importantly , he was in a foul mood.
"You'll have all the time in the world while rotting in a cell, Captain Fetch. Perhaps you will contemplate the folly of going against Kerr's wishes, and making a fool of me in the past.", said Zahzon smugly.
"Get out of my way. This is your last warning.", warned the cleric with murderous intent in his eyes.
"Resisting arrest. Excellent! There's no reason to be gentle now. Seize him! Dead or alive is of no concern of me!", smiled Zahzon.
Normally Fetch would attempt a diplomatic solution, or attempt a non violent spell , but he was short on time and was angry. He considered calling for Yasmina to solve this, but anger and rage over took him.
A wave of lightning surged from the cleric. Several of the wizards readied for his attack, and intoned lightning protection . The swifter mercenaries attempted to bound and flip out of the way. They were all swept away however. The fury of the spell, overcame any protection, and the speed of the attack was too fast to evade. Fetch frowned, wondering why he couldn't overpower those Xill in the same way.
Zahzon fell to his knees. "I beg forgiveness." , blubbered the summoner.
Fetch had spared him once, Surry had spared him another time. The cleric had few spells left in his repertoire and was tired of this. He simply pointed a finger at the summoner.
Zahzon clutched his heart and his face was frozen in fright. He fell to the ground lifeless.
"Anyone else!", the cleric yelled, but no one responded.
"That's the dumbest plan I ever heard!", declared Dietrch .
"I dunno...The time I tried to taunt the enemy general by saying I wanted to sleep with his mom and then I called him a man whore was pretty dumb. Or the time I let my brother chop off my head, to make everyone think he was me ...that was pretty dumb too.", thought Frank wistfully.
"What...? ", was the only response Dietrch could give. After a few moments the Walrus Knight shook off the confusion." You want to get your fat friend to seduce that Valkyrie. While she's swooning from the attention we go into this mystic viewing room?"
"First, its the Divine Viewing Room or sometimes referred to as the Pious Viewing Room, and second don't call Branndr fat...he's just ...well built. Sturdy. ", stated the crab knight. "Besides, he doesn't have to sweep Gertrude off her feet, he just has to distract her. I can't think of anything more distracting to a Valkyrie, then 300 lbs of Boar Warrior trying to mack some fine ass. "
Dietrch blinked at Frank, "Could you repeat that...you were using a dialect of common I'm not familiar with, it sounded like insane derro chatter. "
Frank waved off his suggestion, "Trust me. You don't get killed 4 times without learning a thing or too."
"Clovis ! Brita!", cried the dwarven maiden. The warrior was so overcome with joy she did a cart wheel towards the pair. What was more remarkable was that she was in full dwarven mountain plate. Despite the encumbrance , she managed to flip effortless towards the pair.
"Ymir, Its good to see you too ! ", exclaimed the smiling half elven sorceress. The beautiful warrior mage stood regaly, her tattoos seemed to pulse and almost move with their own power.
"How did you do that?", pointed the balding , paunchy man. He wore a light Grommish engineering uniform , despite having his tailor modify it, his belly stretched the tunic in an unflattering way.
"Do what?", asked the dwarf, who began prancing in little circles around her two friends. She wore black and silver dwarven mountain full plate. The heaviest and most protective armor ever devised, besides the infamous dragon proof suit. The artificer could tell from a glance it had adamant protective plates, with mithral chain greaves for mobility.
"The hand stand thing...how did you do that with that armor on ? Is it glammered?", asked Clovis.
"Nope", the dwarf said with a wide grin.
"Don't tell me you've mastered the secret dwarven mystic art of Fox-fu? ", wondered Clovis in amazement.
"Fox-fu? What's that?", asked Brita . She was simply happy to enjoy the light conversation between the dwarf and the merchant at first, but now her curiosity was piqued.
Ymir shook her head,"Its a legendary meditative trance. Supposedly if you ignore weight or encumbrance , it ignores you back as well. Its silly I know, but there might be some truth in it. Everyone's heard tales of dwarves carrying a dozen two handed weapons, 5 sets of armor, and 100 weeks of rations. "
Clovis chuckled at the ridiculous explanation, and admonished himself for even thinking down that path,"I take it no to the Fox-fu then."
Ymir nodded,"I'm just showing off my armor training. Its pretty cool, but not unique like Fox-fu. I can move in armor like it was hardly there, but I still can't lug around a dozen weapons, a barrel, and a pony.", she replied with a wink.
The 3 shared a laugh, but were silenced when a small form entered the room.
Ymir stood at attention and gave a crisp salute. Clovis who was still getting use to his military rank reacted after Ymir and fumbled his similar response . Brita who was not part of the army, gave the small figure a simple nod.
"Excellent. The Armsmen are here, along with the Enginseering Corp. I've received your reports Commander Ymir, I commend you on readying your forces on such short notice.",commented General Olive . "I've yet to receive any reports from the Enginseers C though. How many golems do we have ready to deploy? I need their size and weight to determine if we can transport them by Skyship."
Clovis sweated, "Sorry..My scribe disappeared or something. We have a dozen siege golems ready, they each weigh upwards of 100 tons a piece. The largest close to 500 tons. "
Brita interrupted the merchant, "I have the reports here. The "scribe" in question passed them to me, before he had to attend to urgent business at our destination."
Clovis and Ymir did not catch the inference of the scribe, but Olive did. Brita and the general nodded , as she flipped through the reports.
"I must admit , I'm a bit dubious of the summons by Father Ferdinand a few weeks ago. Mobilizing the bulk of the 3rd army on the words of an oracle, could make or break careers. However, I've received reports from my "scouts" to confirm the danger that is gathering.", sighed Olive.
"That's why the Armsmen are here. That Ferdinand guy paid up front. I don't care if its a false alarm, or a ' rivers of blood ' type battle. We get paid , we fight. Its as simple as that. Even if it on the words of a cleric of a bogus god.", shrugged Ymir.
Clovis smiled privately at the dwarf maiden's comments. Ferdinand was an old buisness rival and the high cleric of the Goddess Taranta, the deity of the hearth and construction. It was popular knowledge that the benign sect of Taranta had fallen awhile ago, their once powerful priesthood now unable to cast the simplest of spells. It was also common knowledge that Ferdinand possessed an uncanny buisness acumen , fueled by divine visions if one could believe it.
"We got a request to come to Lower Lueders before the general even gave us the orders.", shrugged Clovis.," My scribe pretty much ordered us to mobilize before we even received confirmation. He's a lousy scribe, but hes good at giving orders. I think he oversteps his bounds sometimes though. He acts more like my handler or something, then an assistant."
Brita smiled,"I'll admonish your scribe the next time I see him. I received a summons from Ferdinand as well. It warned of a great evil, and a gathering storm . It warned, Fetch, my daughter, my son, and...errr my grandson were in danger. The strange thing is...I don't have a grandson. At least I'm not aware of one."
Ymir laughed, "Well if you have one, its not from Surry. ", Brita shot her a stern glance, but the dwarf shrugged it off. "You know what I mean...she's as flat as a board, has the personality of shrew, and doesn't get wasted drunk. You're not gonna pick up guys like that."
Clovis laughed,"The lady Surry is truly not that terrible. I found her quite enchanting actually. What's your son's name? Agilnor , Agnos? Maybe your grandson is from him. ", added the master merchant with a chuckle.
"Agnar, though sometimes he goes by the name Agni.", replied Brita . The normally reserved and calm sorceress seemed agitated at the course of the conversation but the others did not seem to notice.
Ymir waved her hand in a mock attempt to dismiss Clovis's comments," Agni's a different matter. That guy could attract any maiden he wants. Single handily boost the elf population even . If he was interested in girls that is."
Brita turned red, she had no reply to their jests. Mainly because she suspected the same thing. She recalled several pretty elven maidens in her village that tried to catch her son's eye, but all failed. Even her daughter's friend, the beautiful Calla could not raise Agni's interest. It was not uncommon amongst elves to be attracted to both genders, but most were attracted to the opposite sex. Very few were attracted solely to their own gender. For Agni however, Brita was unsure if he found anyone tempting.
"I guess even Ferdinand can make mistakes, I wish he made more in his buisness deals.", smirked Clovis.
"Enough idle conversation. Lower Lueders is four days away. My scouts confirm troop movements in the forest and in the southern mountains. False alarm or not, we will treat this threat as real.", commanded General Olive, "My servant Kube will provide the Armsmen and the Enginseers with liaisons. Lady Brita , I trust you have your own agenda to attend to."
Brita nodded, glad the conversation had shifted from her son. "Yes..yes I do."
Fetch contacted Yasmina right away , and told him to brief Kerr immediately. He then wanted him to warn Malik of the enemies closing in on the city. Yasmina was concerned with the fate of the cleric's companions, but said nothing. He vanished in smoke and fire to quickly run his errands.
Fetch was relieved that Hush was alright. He placed some wards on his manor , then took stock on his situation. To his knowledge Surry was still missing, so no help there. Under other circumstances he would be worried for her safety, but his wayward daughter seemed to be caught up in her own agenda sometimes. Fetch wasn't sure where Molly the dragon was. Frank mentioned that his dragon could take strange forms including that of a canary, but the cleric found his statement dubious. Molly had shown no such ability in the past before. Trip's pet Freiki the fiendish dire wolf was also at the manor, it was trained enough so that it would not attack him , but it wouldn't obey him either. It would still serve as an effective guard though. Yasmina was loyal and possessed powerful magics, but he had little combat experience. The cleric mused he could enlist aid from the city guard, but that would be a suicide mission for them. Demons, Xill, demonic animals,...they were all beyond the guard's skill to handle. He wondered if Kerr would assist him. He wondered if the governor would even believe his report, or would he cling to the hope that a peace could still be maintained.
"Where's mommy?", asked a quiet voice, breaking Fetch's concentration. Fetch gave a weak smile and picked up his daughter.
"She's away.", Fetch said. Choosing his words carefully.
Tyris had disappeared many times in the past, but even Hush recognized that this time was different. "When will she return?", the tiefling asked.
Fetch was about to say soon, but hesitated. He looked at Hush, and knew the enemy would strike at his daughter if they couldn't strike at him. He couldn't take her with him, but he had no one but Yasmina to watch her. Another worry to his growing pile.
"I don't know... I don't know.", he finally replied.
Fetch retrieved some of his spare gear, his old battered breast plate ,a shield , and a hammer. He looked at the old breastplate and smiled nostalgically, recalling how he tried to sell that thing to the dwarf Lord at the plateau. Then he ordered a squad of guards to watch his house. He doubt the men he posted could stop demons , but hoped together with Yasmina, his wards, and possibly Freiki they would be able to delay any foe for Hush to escape. Fetch told her to run into her pocket dimension if there was any danger. When he constructed the small demiplane , he made sure it was secluded and secure. Even though the Xill were able to travel through planes, he was fairly certain they could not penetrate the protections he placed on the worlds he created. He consider placing Hush in the plane till the crisis was over, but his talk with Henrietta about the misuse of magic made him rethink that plan. The last thing he wanted was his daughter warping due to the powerful magics he commanded. Her unique appearance was at least subtle, easily hidden..he didn't want her to stand out in a crowd, an object of mocking or fear.
Fetch's immediate goal was to reach the temple district but gave it a puzzled stare when he got there.
It was the first time he entered this part of town. His patrol passed by the area a few times, but they never had the need to stop in it. Malik told him that most temples had their own guards and paladins. Also most rogues and thieves avoided the area, for fear of divine guardians. There was little need for the town's patrols there.
Fetch half expected a smug remark from Baalphzon or Surry but none come. Despite being a cleric of Rawk for four years, not once had he stepped into a temple of his god. He never found a need for it, up until now that is. The holy symbol Cook gave him ,seemingly a life time ago, was taken along with the rest of his battle gear. The crude replacement symbol fashioned by his familiar had begun showing cracks and other signs of wear. The last thing he need was it breaking during a crucial battle.
Fetch stared at the dozen or so temples and shrines, and was a bit ashamed to admit that he didn't recognize his own temple. He expected a large sign or at least a carving of his god's holy symbol, but he did not spot one. He walked up and down the district, hoping to see some banners dedicated to his god, but did not spot any. He noticed there seemed to be activity in many of the temples though. He gave an empty smile, news of the invasion was being spread at least. Fetch was glad that the news was being taken seriously and had not caused widespread panic. There was still time for crazed panic , but at least for now the mobilization seemed organized.
Fetch spotted a pair of mercenaries of some sort walking through the district. They wore armor and were armed with spears. Fetch thought the shorter one wore showy armor which reminded him of the northern Valkyries, while the taller one wore more rugged, "adventuring gear". The cleric approached the two and noticed the shorter one was a slim athletic older woman with comely noble features . She was in her mid 50s he guessed. The younger warrior was very stocky, almost bordering on fat, but still possessed a powerful athletic build. He had fine features which were similar to the older woman's. Something about him looked familiar though, but Fetch couldn't put his finger on it.
"What are you looking at? Don't you have poor people to oppress or baboons to chase around?", demanded the younger warrior as he noticed the cleric's gaze.
"Now Sarin, that's rude. Apologize to the nice guard. He was probably just staring us because of our weapons. Rest assured we have the proper documentation for our gear. Guard captain , my apologies for my companions rude comments. ", said the calmer older woman.
" Sorry , for staring, but I just thought you guys might help me. Errr I need to find the temple of Rawk. I don't see it here. ", said Fetch sheepishly.
Sarin barked a short laugh," Hah, now why would a young pup like yourself want to find the temple of Rawk? Only hardened warriors go there."
Fetch wanted to silence the man. It was true that he was only 22 , and appeared young for his age , but to be called a young pup really drew his ire. This Sarin guy didn't appear much older. In fact he guessed they were close in age. Fetch stared at him trying to determine his exact age, then realized something. "You're a half elf!".
"Oh, he's not only hopelessly lost , but he can state the plainly obvious as well. ", sneered Sarin as he pointed to his belly, the tell tale sign of his racial origin.
The older woman silenced the young man with a glance,"Sarin! Silence ! I'm gone for a few months, and you've lost all your manners it seems. I apologize again for my son Sarin's behavior. I am Sasca, priestess of Linel. You are partially correct , he's more of an 1/8 elf then a true half elf though. His elven bloodline has been diluted through the years. Despite his appearance he favors his...human ... parent more then his elvish one. "
Fetch shrugged. Their relationship explained his earlier assessment of their appearance. He guessed the woman was fully human, and Sarin's father must had a trickle of elvish blood. He wasn't sure how half elves worked though . He was told once that the only thing different between let's say a 3/4 elf and a 1/4 elf was their maximum life span. Otherwise they shared the same racial characteristics, low light vision , long life, huge gut. He dispelled his racial musings and talked to the older woman,"That's OK. I'm use to rude, or worse. However, I really need to get to the temple of Rawk. I errrr lost my holy symbol, and the replacement one I have , well I don't think it will last a battle ."
Sarin suppressed a chuckle, despite the woman's warnings. Fetch thought, the pair must have thought he was a rookie idiot of some sort. To some degree he agreed with them. His last expedition was disastrous , and he was in no mood to proclaim how great and experienced he was.
Sasca pointed at Fetch to follow her, and she led them to an old temple at the very center of the district. It was an old building and had a wooden sign with a symbol that Fetch did not recognize. It was a spear and shield. Some military order or religion thought Fetch. " The temple of Rawk had been abandoned years ago, it was once the most popular religion in the land. It still is in many areas, but organized worship has ...broken down. Its rare to find a skilled cleric who would devote themselves to maintain a temple, most prefer to practice their faith on the battlefield. The cleric's that shy off the battlefield, well...most are not very competent, and fail to attract worshipers. This particular temple would have fallen into ruin years ago, but the church of Linel had taken it over. The church of Linel is not rich or powerful, but they still managed to maintain the building. Although the two religions are battle orientated, they are not related in anyway . Not like Rawk and Nirrodin or Mirrodin are. However, the church of Linel has maintained a shrine to Rawk as a sign of respect for the Lord of Battle. "
They entered the temple and the old woman and younger man both knelt and said a silent prayer . Fetch was unsure what to do , and just mimicked their actions to not offend anyone. The old woman continued," You are a cleric of Rawk I take it? I'm surprised you don't know this. Did you just begin your path, or perhaps you are new to the city?"
Fetch wasn't sure how to respond,"Errrr yeah on both counts. I only arrived her half a year ago. I'm also a cleric of Rawk. I only started 4 years ago ."
"15 years, here . 40 some years for mother.", replied Sarin. His hint of sarcasm had vanished . He was neither bragging or boasting.
"You're both clerics?", asked Fetch.
The stocky half elf shook his head, "Although mother left the church proper a few months ago, she's still a respected cleric or our order. I'm a holy knight of Linel. Some call us paladins. "
The woman lead Fetch to a small shrine, and saw a large statue of a massive armored man, wielding a hammer and a sword . There were several holy symbols hanging from chains adorning the statue. Sarin took his spear and lightly lifted a chain bearing a sturdy looking symbol , and deposited it into Fetch's hands. He motioned to a collection bowl, and Fetch placed a few coins in it.
"Most of the statues, and tapestries of Rawk's victories and accomplishments were unfortunately sold a long time ago. To maintain the temple I suppose. This small shrine is all we've managed to preserve after we became its new custodians.", explained the older woman.
Fetch looked at the temple in general. It was large, but simple . He noticed a few banners, and tapestries, but nothing extravagant. "How many of you are there?"
Sasca smiled," Not many . People gravitate to the more violent war gods these days. I officially left the church hierarchy a few months ago. Partially to aid a friend, partially to earn funds for the upkeep of the church. "
"Mother has brought much fame and honor back to us though. She's battled goblins, undead, even dragons .", bowed Sarin respectfully. "Just look at her armor !"
Sasca was embarrassed by her son's pride and the revealing armor she wore. Although it looked ancient and sturdy, it also appeared to made for a younger more...bountiful..woman. Fetch admitted though, for an older woman , she filled out the Valkyrie armor well.
"Sarin, we are being poor hosts. Please bring some tea for our young Captain .", said the woman regaining her composure.
The half elf nodded and left . The woman turned to Fetch , "Forgive Sarin for his earlier rudeness. He's almost of the age where he must leave the temple to quest on his own. To bring valor and honor to our god. He's battled evil before but the trials he will face will not be easy, others who undertake this rite pass and become great heroes , some fail and seek atonement maintaining old temples. ". Fetch noted her tone sounded very regretful , almost sad.
"I'm guessing you failed?", Fetch surprised himself for being so forthright. Also for being so observant.
The woman paused, and gave a smile."The High priest at the time, told me I had passed, but in my own eyes I failed . I left my post to save those that were dear to me , and my comrades suffered for it. My actions resulted in our eventual victory, but abandoning my duty was unacceptable to me. I returned to the temple and maintained this shrine as my self appointed punishment. "
"I..I know how that feels. Well sort of. I did it the other way. I stuck with my duty and abandoned my friends. I feel like crap right now. What's worse is I don't know if we'll eventually win or not. ", Fetch spoke softly.
The old cleric regarded Fetch and her gaze pierced his soul . She regarded him intensely for a few moments. "You are still on that same quest I take it. From your tone, it sounds like the battle you described happened recently."
Fetch nodded and sighed. The weight of the recent events finally struck him. "They're all gone. My wife, my best friend, my miniature body guard, my daughter's friends, even my aide's companion. Nar...my friend Nara, and even my familiar. All gone."
Fetch slumped down and sat in silence. He escaped the Temple of the Baboon but now what? Go back down? Rally the soldiers and prepare to battle the demons? Flee?
The thought of running would never have crossed his mind, but he had Hush to think about. If he couldn't fight off the demons, his only other option would be to flee with her. Maybe to McDunnalds. Possibly far off Grom City. General Olive's troops had fought gnolls, and goblins before, but could they handle the evil under the city? The decisions that he would have to make soon was a great burden to the young cleric.
"Despite the poor quality of your gear, I sense a great power in you. The fact you've achieved being a captain at so young an age is proof of this.", smiled the old woman.
"He probably has a general as a friend and he gave him that rank.", smiled Sarin as he returned with a kettle of tea and a few cups. "No offense , this is Grom you know. That happens all the time. "
"He's right. I did get my rank because I know a general.", admitted Fetch . Fetch wondered if anything he did or accomplish was due to his own skill. Frank and Ymir did most of the fighting under Mammoth Keep, Sir Hildraxel was the one that slew Yeenoghu, Galatea slew Ari, Frank banished Bel, Clovis was the one that drove off the Darkriver Horde. Tyris saved him countless times. When he thought about it, Eagle was saved by Earl, not himself. Kard mentioned his fate being pulled by an unseen puppet master of some sort, was his entire existence all due to someone else's whim and effort. Did he earn any of his accolades and achievements?
Sarin saw the cleric go deathly quiet, and wondered if his joke was the cause of it. He silently poured 3 cups of tea and waited patiently .
Sasca drank her tea in silence. Fetch eventually drank the hot beverage , and curiously found himself invigorated from it. Regardless of what people did for him in the past, he was going to see this through. Win or lose, chosen one or not, he was gonna make Myleka and whoever else got in his way pay for their crimes.
"Thank you for the holy symbol, and the tea. but I just realize I have no time to waste. I have lots of planning to do, and bad guys to take care of. " Fetch thanked his hosts and got up to leave. The two wished him well as the cleric left. Fetch looked at the old temple, and vowed to take a more active role in maintaining it. If he survived the upcoming battles of course. For now he was determined to make defeating Myleka his priority. The first step was to get Hush to a safe spot. Maybe the grove? Maybe send her to McDunnalds or Grom City.
He made his way back to the manor, and was glad the guard he placed was still around. The guards saluted him as he entered the manor.
"HALT!" , a guard cried behind him.
Fetch looked behind him, and saw Sarin detained by the guard. He look like he did a short while ago, except he wore a large backpack . "Get out of my face , boot lickers, I have to speak with the captain there. "
Fetch waved the knight over. Sarin muttered something crude to the guard, as they muttered something obnoxious back to him. The stocky half elf whistled as he approached as he admired Fetch's grand manor. "Wow , swanky place you got here. I like the stuffed penguins on the roof, gives the house a sense of class."
"Hello again Sarin, did I forget something at the temple ?", inquired Fetch.
"Err no...Its hard to explain, well here...read this.", said Sarin with an embarrassed tone and shoved a note to the young Captain.
Fetch took the letter and read it.
"Dear Captain.
As I have discussed with you previously. My son is of the age to begin to test his devotion to Linel. This trial is normally a great quest or service to a great lord. I do not know the problems that trouble you but sense you are of a noble nature. Please accept my son's spear, and his devotion to aid you in your battles. He has battled orcs, goblins, demons and giants in the past. He will not fail you.
Sasca of Linel."
Sarin shrugged after Fetch read the letter. "Soo...how about it?"
Fetch wasn't sure he needed the portly half elf's assistance. He was to battle demon lords, and demi gods. A man that could beat up a few goblins or even a giant could be useful but not to him. As he pondered his decision, he could hear the sounds of his daughter at play. He then looked at the half elf and smiled, "How are you at taking care of children?"
"I look stupid.", complained Trip. The small warforged stumbled as he imitated Vanna's saunter. Despite his mechanical voice, he appeared to be a short elven maiden wearing light blue silks.
A similar elven maiden in front of him hissed in Henrietta's voice, "Quiet, your appearance has changed, but not your voice. Just let Vanna or I do all the talking."
A bat winged woman was attracted by the trio and swooped towards them. She had long dark hair and pale white skin. She landed gracefully before them , and smiled at Vanna." You've brought snacks I see.", she said while licking her lips at the false elven maids.
Henrietta motioned to Trip and the pair ran and hugged Vanna's long bare legs. The golem's appearance was basically the same but she wore skimpy chain garments instead of her normal long dresses. " They were meant for the mistress , but I don't think she would miss them. Would you like to share them with me.", she said in a husky voice.
The succubus smiled and indicated a side corridor where they could be entertained. Trip looked at Henrietta with a confused look, but she smiled and gave him a wink.
The group went into the corridor and the succubus licked her lips in anticipation. "Are they twin's ..they look so similar." Before she could receive a reply, Vanna wrapped her seemingly delicate hands around the creature's head. A second later, its skull was silently crushed in a spray of hair, blood, and bone.
"One down, a couple hundred to go.", smiled Henrietta.
Fetch slept a little better that night. He doubt Sarin could replace Frank , Trip or even Dietrch..but it was a start. He could at least take care of Hush while he was away. As long as Hush was safe, he could battle Myleka without reservations.
"Fetch, Wake up.", whispered a cold voice.
Fetch eyes flicked open, and he felt steel pressed to his throat. It was dark, but he recognized the thin nondescript silhouette in his room .
"Oh, hey Earl. What's up? Did you get my message?", said Fetch groggily.
"Nope. I'm just got into town, and I'm finishing up some errands. ",said Earl pointing to his blade with his chin."You know why I'm here don't you?",
"I'm going to guess you're going to kill me. Don't try to cast a spell or you'll slash my throat right? Lord Kerr sent you I guess?", replied Fetch as his senses rapidly awakened.
"Very observant. Seems he wanted you to throw stones at the hornets nest. Not knock it down with a stick and kick it around like a Lem Ball. Kerr has it in his head that your death will appease the bad guys under the city.", smiled Earl.
Fetch sighed,"Take care of Hush for me OK? Or at least see she's well taken care of, alright ? Tyris and I adopted her a few months ago. Oh Hush is my daughter by the way, take her to Brita or something. How is Brita by the way?"
Earl frowned,"Your request is noted, and ...Brita is fine. We parted ways. Things were going good between us. We got along, got along great actually but she didn't approve of my "evil" ways or something. She gave me a choice...and well ...as you can see from the blade at your throat, you can guess what I chose."
Fetch frowned as well,"That's too bad. She really seemed to like you."
"You're taking this rather well. I'm not joking you know. Only reason I woke you , is I figure I should at least kill you face to face. Given our history, I owe you that.", replied the assassin changing the subject.
"Well...believe it or not . This isn't the first time I woke up with your blade at my throat. I found out last time, its not like I can stop you or anything. As long as Hush is safe, I can die with some semblance of peace. The demigod underneath the city will be your problem though, but I trust you can handle her.", stated the cleric with unnatural calm.
" Oh...Before you slay me , you should know there's a clone or simulacrum thing of you running around.", added Fetch with a shrug.
"Oh ...you've met Longarm? and he didn't kill you?", the assassin replied his curiosity piqued.
"He wanted to , and I'm sure he was going to , but Tyris stopped him. Afterwards, I told him to get lost.", answered the cleric.
Earl nodded," I've known about him for awhile, I tracked him after he robbed the Great Vault. I should have killed him then , but its kind of hard to kill your own duplicate. Is he hiding like a rat? Miserable at knowing he's a pale copy ?"
Fetch shook his head,"Actually he looked pretty content and happy . He's shacking up with his clone friend Ignis or Iglesia or whatever she's called ."
"That seems pretty hard to believe, but I'll take your word for it.", said Earl considering the information Fetch had given him.
Fetch waited for the blade. He didn't want to die, but knew no one could stop Earl at this range. Tyris had managed to stop Earl's much weaker simulacrum, but doubted even she could stop the master assassin from killing him now. Once again he had failed, but at least his daughter was safe now. If Sarin didn't take care of her, he was sure Earl or preferably Brita would.
The pair sat in silence in the dark, for several uneasy minutes.
"Hey..If this is gonna take awhile, can I get a glass of water?", asked Fetch.
The assassin sighed, and sheathed his blade, and tossed Fetch a canteen. The cleric uncorked and drank the strangely cold water.
"Err does this mean you're not gonna kill me?", asked the cleric.
Earl paused and hesitated,"Yeah, I guess so. "
"That's not like you.", replied Fetch. "You get the job done regardless of who gets killed ."
The assassin sighed,"Look at me, you're the closest thing I have to a friend, and I was about to kill you. Brita was right, I have problems. ...You know when she left me I've been miserable . I'm always a miserable son of a bitch , but I mean I felt real miserable . I miss her voice, her eyes, her smell, her touch... I always accepted the fact that misery was my lot in life. Killing people and being wretched was my path. However, the last few months with Brita , well I thought maybe there was another route I could take. Hearing how my simulacrum is actually happy, well that got me thinking . "
"What about serving the best interests of Grom and all that other stuff?", wondered Fetch.
Earl looked at Fetch curiously,"Look? Are you trying to convince me to kill you or something? If I killed you, Brita would never forgive me for that. I could never lie to her, with those deep blue eyes of her. She'll see straight through me. Call me selfish but I'm not gonna sacrifice whatever chance I have with her, just to kill you. And about my loyalty to Grom...I have doubts that killing you will placate the evil beneath the city. If anything, it fears you for some reason. You are the most capable person I know to handle it. The more I think about it, the less likely I'm about to give up our trump card just to satisfy that satrap Kerr's whims."
"So now what?", asked Fetch.
"You keep on doing what you're doing. Don't even mention me. If anyone asks, say some bandit attacked you and you took care of it. I'll stay low and out of sight. If anything , Kerr will think you bested me, and that should get him out of your hair. If that's what he believes he won't make another move , for the time being at least. I'll stay out of sight , till Olive arrives.", replied Earl.
"Olive is coming?", replied Fetch in surprise.
Earl smiled, "Olive , the 3rd army. Your friend Ymir with her Armsmen. Even *cough * Colonel Clovis with a detachment of siege golems. We hear Father Ferdinand's portents and read our scouts reports. A baboon army, xill in the woods, penguins and baboons. The army of Dow Mow awakening. If these guys think they can show up in Grom and start kicking asses, well they better be prepared to pay a price for that."
Fetch laughed,"Don't forget its almost tax season. They'll be paying a lot more then they bargained for."
Although she had used the rapier for the greater part of 5 years now, Tyris felt instantly comfortable when she grasped Dragon's Flame. The blade would normally fill her mind with temptations and visions of blood , but it was silent at her touch. She felt her will overpower the sword's formidable ego. Never had she felt more sure of herself .
She faded from the shadow realm and appeared in the vast caverns of Myleka. She quickly surveyed the area and noticed several things. There were scores of handsome men and beautiful women attempting to excavate a cave in of some sorts. There was also a palace of some sorts in one of the higher ledges of the cavern. Lastly she noticed many crude holes dug through out the area. They were too small to serve in a practical role for Myleka's servants. Perhaps they were made by the local fauna or maybe escaped slaves?
Tyris gracefully bounded through the dark towards the palace. She easily bypassed several patrols who seemed intent on finding interlopers. Perhaps Fetch or one of her other companions escaped. She considered dispatching a few and questioning them, but she knew it would all be over if she chopped the head off of the snake.
She quickly reached her destination and surveyed the palace for entrances. She spied a main door and several windows. Tyris silently slipped though a window, and was impressed by the opulence of the place. Jeweled furniture, silk curtains, marble walls, aromatic scents, romantic music, ...it was all very erotic and hypnotic.
The rogue focused on her mission and stalked through the mansion. Each room in the upper mansion seemed to contain a beautiful male or female courtesan. Some were frozen in a variety of poses, but most were resting or sleeping on beautiful silk pillows and cushions.
The lower rooms, were more mundane. They contained books, laboratories, and magical circles of all sorts. Tyris made a point of examining them later , but for now she stalked her prey.
The passages deeper in the palace were confusing to the untrained eye. They were shifting tesseract constructs, doors and passages that lead to non intuitive directions and dimensions. It would drive a normal person mad, but Tyris glided through them as easily as a 10x10 tunnel. The area was smartly decorated she thought, she paused briefly to admire the paintings and statues adorning the walls, noting to maybe redecorate her manor when she got out. Many of the statues and portraits seemed to be of the same woman. Though it appeared she had several incarnations. From the portraits she guessed she was above average height, slim , possibly a red head, or at least a reddish shade of brown. In some depictions she appeared matronly, others waifish, some as a noble, there were even a few that showed her as a feral woman. Tyris marveled at the woman, and thought she looked very pretty. The woman portrayed in the hall was always depicted as seductive, desirable and commanding. She was much more attractive then herself, noted Tyris.
A hint of jealousy passed through the bard, but the notion was quickly dismissed. Tyris smiled then paused. She grasped the circlet from her head , then took it off and placed it seemingly in midair , storing it in an unseen dimensional pocket. Her appearance quickly reverted back to her normal form. Her own unnatural seductive beauty replaced by her more familiar cold hard look. She only wore the circlet to gain entry to the temple and it pleased her to see Fetch approve of her appearance , but now she felt no need for it especially when compared to the deadly beauty she stalked. Her altered appearance seemed almost unnatural to her , almost like cheating she thought with a smile. She knew good looks and a powerful personality greatly aided adventurers, but the last few years she had done fine without them. She wondered was she overconfident or just crazy for relinquishing an advantage? Most likely crazy .
It was all Fetch's fault she thought with a grin. The cleric's unusual decision making must be contagious she reasoned.
Tyris continued deeper into the palace. There were few guardians, their attention seemed to be focused elsewhere. The few demons and constructs that were placed, she easily avoided . Almost too easily , she thought, but dismissed the idea of a trap as she remembered her own terrifying skill at stealth. Slipping through the shadows with scarcely a trace, was second hand to her.
Finally she reached a gold and ivory door. It was exquisite in craftsmanship and depicted women chained and suffering. She was amazed at the unknown artist's skill. A lesser hand would have created a garrish monstrosity , but somehow even with the grim motif, the door was strangely mesmerizing.
"This has to be the treasure room, the throne room, or the master bed room.", Tyris guessed. She considered opening the door, but doubt it would go unnoticed. She looked for a crack to "slide" through, but found the craftsmanship to be impeccable. She sighed and knew she could attempt to use magic to bypass it. It was most likely warded and would trigger an alarm, but the alarm would be triggered if she opened it anyways. She judged the risks and considered her escape alternatives, and considered it to be worth taking.
Even without her circlet she opened a portal and stepped through , and was surprised that it not only worked but no alarms seemed to be raised. Before she could congratulate herself on her skills, the normally cool Tyris seemed taken back at what was inside the room.
The sides of the rooms was some sort of trophy area. Weapons , armor, scrolls of defeated opponents were proudly displayed in various niches along the walls. What caught her attention though was the large structure in the center of the room. A vast silver and gold mobile of some sort. Supported from the roof , and slowly spinning in several directions at once. The central rod seemed to be slowly dripping a red liquid into a golden cup on a dais. The arms of the mobile bore seven man sized silver cages. What was most shocking was the inhabitants of the cages.
Tyris quickly surveyed the device and found two were empty. One had the husk of a skeletal winged woman . Her elaborate gold silk gown suggested her to be a noble celestial of some sort. One had the slumped form of an Ethengar woman in full curiass, with long dark silken hair. The avatar of Shiran she guessed, the personification of beauty, skill and excellence amongst the barbarian horsemen. Another had the curled form of a matronly but beautiful woman , dressed in simple clothes and a bricklayer apron . The avatar of Taranta the builder, patron god of Father Ferdinand. The third seemed oddly familiar. Even though Tyris met Champion Ulla briefly the prisoner in the cage seemed very similar to her, but at the same time she knew it wasn't her. She seemed conscious and stared with angry savage eyes at the rogue, despite being hidden. The aspect of Arcturus , the goddess of wild beasts she guessed . The last prisoner Tyris recognized immediately. She had met her or at least a shard of her a month ago. The drained elf sat serenely in her cramped prison. The strains of captivity were clearly etched in her face, but some how did not hide her beauty. The maiden opened her eyes and stared blankly at a wall. Tyris guessed the elven goddess could sense her presence but could not pin point her location.
"I knew you would come, Dancer of the Dragon's Flame. I allowed you through my shrine, and I obscured your presence from the guards. You can not slay Myleka with your current power, but I beg you to do what comes natural to you. Please kill us...and take our strength. ", said Hanali Celanil with a desperate edge in her voice.
"SHRIEEKKK!", cried the unmistakeable voice of Hush.
Fetch sprang out of his bed and pushed Earl out of the way as he grabbed his hammer and ran to his daughter's room. The assassin evaded his rush but Earl was still surprised at the speed and force of the cleric. He followed Fetch more out of curiosity then a sense of danger.
"Someone got through my wards! Sarin was suppose to guard Hush! ", explained Fetch as he raced through his manor.
Earl shrugged as he casually kept pace with the cleric,"What do you expect from a guy you hired off the street. It took all my skill to get through your wards, someone must be very powerful to evade them as well."
Fetch didn't recall telling anything about Sarin or the way he employed him to Earl, but assumed the assassin was probably tracking him for sometime before confronting him in his bed.
When the pair reached Hush's room , the door was ajar. Fetch jumped in ready for battle and was surprised to see a large stone statue with a spear raised and aimed at his daughter's bed.
"Calm down. I stop the nutcase .", said a familiar dry sarcastic voice.
"Surry! You're back! Where's Hush?", Fetch cried with a mix of confusion and fear.
Fetch's adrenaline settled and he focused on the room. Surry was indeed back, but she was adorned in some strange black silver elven armor and a flowing midnight cloak. Her familiar look of smugness and confidence reminded Fetch how much he missed the wizardress . Behind Surry, hiding behind her armor and cloak, was Hush . Even though her daughter aged a few years in the last months, she was still under 5 feet and had hidden herself by cowering behind her "sister".
"I just got back , and decided to check up on Hush before waking your lard ass out of bed. When suddenly this fat guy with a spear busted into the room. He looked at Hush and cried "Demon!", then tried to impale her . Luckily I used one of my mother's spells on her and turned him to stone. I'll release him if you want to question him.", smiled Surry proud of her work.
"Hmm, that explains the wards.", replied Earl as he entered the room. He bowed his head to Surry , but the wizard shrugged and did not return the gesture. She remembered him as the gardener turned scribe that tried to date his mother, she had no time for grubby social climbers.
"Oh...this is my fault.", said Fetch in an embarrassed tone. "I hired this paladin of Linel to guard Hush earlier, I told him demons were probably going to be after my daughter. I never got around to telling him Hush was a tiefling."
Surry stared blankly at Fetch for a moment and then began to laugh,"Same old Fetch. I forgot how much I missed your stupidity ." she said as she placed Hush back in bed. Hush smiled at her sister , and promptly went back to sleep. Surry sighed as she realized the young girl was getting use to the insanity that followed Fetch.
The three left the room with the petrified Sarin in tow. Surry employed some sort of telekinetic magic to lift the portly statue. Earl indicated he would wait downstairs as Fetch and his daughter greeted each other.
"Four days .", said Fetch.
"Five months ", replied Surry, "It should have been less but this golden inevitable guy interfered with my return. I thought I had this time hopping thing all planned out, but they put a quick stop to it. You'll never guess where I went !"
Fetch shrugged. The passage of time was difficult to keep track of especially in the magically weakened north, he was more worried about the impending demon invasion then one of Surry's side trips. "You raided an elven tomb, in a dimension with an alternative timeline?"
Surry paused," That's not a bad guess, Fetch. I was actually running errands again on Pixie trampler. Yeah I know , that's what happened last time. Then , without warning, he jumped through the astral plane. I think he even jumped through temporal barriers. I didn't know he could do that, I didn't think anyone could do that actually. Anyways, Brita summoned me, seemed she wanted to get her adopted daughter back to this plane and called Pixietrampler to bring her. Well she didn't want to go , so I convinced her by switching spots with her. I knew I should have waited for you to return, but you were gone for a month . I thought, whats a couple of weeks."
Fetch interrupted her, he was clearly confused , "What ? Brita has another daughter? Err is it mine? Wait, is it our Brita? Or some alternate Brita?"
Surry ignored the questions and continued. "Anyways, my sis so to speak came back here, and I stayed back to fulfill her military obligations. I know I know...its crazy, but I really felt I needed to help her out. Poor thing, was heartbroken...where was I ? Oh yeah military obligations ? So I helped that world's Brita out. Seemed they were being overrun by gnolls or something. Well , with my magic and archery , it was pretty easy to take care of. Their world is similar to ours, their rank and file guys are really good, but they they lack a lot of higher end guys, like you or myself. So it was a piece of cake really. A couple of firewalls, and other mass destruction spells and we got barbeque hyena men from here to the northern wastes. Our armies stomped the hell out of the gnolls and pushed them north, way north. So far north that their scary gawd showed up. At first I thought it was an avatar or something , but it turned out to by a half rate aspect. Not that scary around here, but pretty scary to those guys. Well after I tentacle raped that guy, the war with the gnolls was pretty much over. They showered me with gifts. Like this armor and cloak, and proclaimed me Exarch of the elves. So after doing my victory tour, I came back right away. Like I said, I thought I could come back and evade the temporal barriers, but the inevitables stopped me. I thought they would destroy me, but they seemed wary to tangle with me or something. Just gave me a warning."
Fetch paused to make sure she was finished. "My head hurts from your story. I don't even know what an inevitable is. Some sort of fate creature? Anyways my turn, things, didn't go too well on our part. We should have waited, but things were coming to a head here. We attacked the Temple of the Baboon. Frank came, but it was still not enough. We lost everyone down there. I saw Frank and Dietrch ripped apart. Trip , Henrietta, and Vanna overwhelmed. I lost sight of Tyris during an earthquake. Even Baalphzon was cut off from me . They captured me, took my stuff, but eventually I got out. Our foe is mobilizing, we have to worry about not just one demon army, but four. Things look pretty grim."
Surry smiled oblivious to the danger and reveling in the blank confused look Fetch gave. " Well I'm sure Tyris is fine, and we can get Dieter and Frank back on their feet, once we scrape them up of course. Hey cheer up, I'm back. "
Fetch gave a half hearted smile , he was not convinced with the wizard's bravado. She waved him downstairs and they went down to continue their conversation in the sitting room. Fetch wished Trip was around, he could use a snack and a hot beverage of some sort.
When he reached the room, Fetch saw something he thought he would never see. In the room was Brita, except she had blond hair, and somehow her dragon tattoos were missing. Fetch just assumed she used a simple spell to disguise them. However, the thing that surprised Fetch was the sight of Earl seemed paralyzed in shock.
The blond Britta saw Fetch and Surry and smiled at them, " Fetch! It's been years ! I was just talking to Sir Eggbert here about how long its been since I've seen you. "
Surry gave Earl a curious look, "Wait...what? The gardener is Sir Eggbert?", she said with a blank and confused look.