School #2
Chapter 5
It was a month later.
Kate was late. She was presently standing in front of a mirror, turning from side to side to see if she could see any bump. She sucked it in and let it out. She didn't even know if she could get pregnant and what if she was?
Rick caught her. "What are you doing?"
She almost jumped out of her skin...literally. "Nothing."
Rick looked at her like he didn't believe her, but for now, he let it go. "Don't forget you have class."
That was the thing she didn't understand. She had made it to first level Witch, so why did she need to go to class still? "Why?"
"You made it to first level, yes, but if you want to make it to second level without combat, you need to go to class."
"Oh." That made sense to her. And she did want to make it to second level. What she really wanted was to make it to third level. Then she could learn and cast second-level spells.
"So if I can go into combat, I'll gain levels faster?"
Rick raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Why, what are you thinking?"
"You told me you would take me with you the next time you left. What if we left on purpose?"
Ah, he understood now. "You're talking about going camping. We'd be gone for a week, maybe. Are you sure you're ready for that? It'll mean relieving yourself out in nature. There won't be a bathroom to use. You won't be able to take a shower, either. It'll mean wearing the same clothes for days."
Kate hadn't considered that, but it didn't matter. "I already wear the same clothes for days. It's all I have. One as a Succubus and one as a human."
"We can fix that. What I can't fix is the bathroom issue."
Kate needed to think about that. "I'll do it. I want to make it to third level to cast second-level spells. So if that's what it takes, I'll do it."
"It'll mean you can't search for your spell for a few days," Rick reminded her.
"I know, but Tara will be here to search...unless she comes with us. She wants to reach third level, too. Please, please, please?"
Rick groaned. "Fine, she can come too."
Kate squealed, launched herself at him, and kissed him. "Thank you, you won't regret it."
"I'll arrange something. We won't be going alone. Several others will be with us."
"That's fine. I'll let you plan it all. I'm going to go searching some more. I only have a few more months at best. Love you." Kate kissed him and left.
"I love you too." …I think, he said to himself. Rick was beginning to regret loving her.
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Later in the day, Rick went to her and saw she was still searching. "I've generated a team. Team member one is a Rogue or Thief named Horton Hillfingers. He's a fifth level Halfling, and he's a student. Number two is Nue Xiang. She's a human Cleric who's third level and a student of Lyla's. Finally, there's Jennan Goldenbranch. She's a Dwarf who's a Magic user. She's fifth level and a student of Duke's.
"Then there are you two. That work for you? Plus me, of course."
Kate was excited. "Sounds good to me. We'll have you in case we get in over our heads."
Tara beamed. "I like it."
"Good. We leave at first light. We're going on foot, so get ready to do a lot of walking."
"We'll be ready, right?" Tara looked at Kate when she said that.
Kate nodded. "Right. But I don't have any weapons. No backpack, either. Or sleeping bags, or anything else."
"We'll meet in my office, and I'll take care of all that. I hope you both know what you're getting yourselves into. We're camping. Talk to you later." Rick kissed Kate in front of Tara and left.
Kate questioned the look on Tara's face. "What?"
"Nothing." Tara continued to smile at her. Kate glared back at her and got busy looking for the other half of that scroll.
They quit for dinner, so Kate went to find Rick and found him in his office. "You weren't kidding." Kate saw a pile of backpacks and weapons and other things.
Rick pushed back from his desk. "Ready for dinner?"
"I'm all yours." Kate walked with him hand in hand to the cafeteria.
They made love to each other that night and met up in Rick's office before dawn. The others trickled in one by one. They each introduced themselves to the others.
"Listen up. I've gotten each of you a magical backpack and a magical bedroll. Then there are your weapons." Rick handed them out to everyone. "Each of them is magical. Horton, you should already have your thieves' tools. Nue, you should have your own holy symbol, and Jennan, you should already have chosen your spells."
He got confirmation from each of them. "You two," he pointed at Kate and Tara, "should already have your spells chosen as well."
"We're all set," Kate replied, and Tara nodded.
"All right, let me get mine together, and we can leave." Rick put on his backpack after making sure he had everything in it. He picked up his two weapons and knew he had his spells ready.
"Everyone ready? Let's go." Rick headed out in the lead.
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They moved along as a group with no real order. They walked and walked and walked, only speaking quietly so as not to give themselves away.
They gathered firewood early in the evening and started a small fire to cook their dinner over. There was no cafeteria out there.
Kate touched Rick's hand to get his attention. "Have you been this way before?"
"No. We're going someplace I've never been and nowhere near the Yuan-Ti Temple or its remnants."
"Good, I guess." Kate didn't know what else to say.
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Rick took the first watch, which lasted two hours. Kate was next, followed by Tara, then Horton, Nue, and finally Jennan took her turn. Nothing happened, but since they weren't used to the sounds of the jungle, they were alert to every little noise it made.
They each fed the fire a little firewood. Later, Jennan had to go out and collect more to keep the fire burning. Come morning, they had breakfast and headed out for another day of travel.
They repeated it that night and the next night. Then, they came across a set of wide stairs leading down. They were rough stairs, but they were stairs. At the bottom of the stairs were three wooden doors lined up side by side. Rick looked at each of them. "Which door do we try first?"
Kate spoke up immediately. "The door on the left." The others looked at her. She shrugged. "I don't know, it's as good a door as any."
Rick nodded at the other man. "Horton, you're up." Down Horton went to look the door over.
"No traps, at least none I can detect," Horton called up to them as he tried the door only to find it was locked. So, he got to work on it and was able to open it.
Rick told them the order they were to enter. "Horton, you're first. Jennan, since you're a dwarf, you're next. Then me, followed by Kate and Tara. Nue, you bring up the rear." They went through the door in that order.
It curved to the left and went down into the darkness. Jennan took out her stone with a Continual Light spell and held it up so they could see.
Nue took out her stone with the same spell on it. Jennan, being a dwarf, could see in the dark but knew no one else could. So they went down the stairs and came to a door.
Horton was up front, so he checked for a trap and found one triggered by someone attempting to open the door. Out came darts. There were five from the door, another five from the right side, and five more from the left. While disarming it, he realized the door was a fake. "It's fake," he told the others.
Rick frowned. "Dead end?"
"Maybe, maybe not." He checked right and left and came upon a hidden door in each location. They weren't locked.
"Stand back and let me go first." Rick looked at each door and chose the left one. He opened it and stepped through it.
Rick instantly regretted it when he saw nine Lizard Men lounging around, and all were awake. He changed into a Dire Bear and attacked a group of them. The others followed Rick in and were set upon almost immediately. It was a large room, 70-feet by 50-feet, with spears leaning against each wall.
Two of the Lizard Men charged them while the others ran for a spear as Rick attacked two of them.
Kate cast Witch Bolt and watched as a bolt of lighting reached out to touch one of them. Thankfully, it didn't go away so long as she concentrated on it.
Tara also cast Witch Bolt and got the same result on another of them.
Jennan cast Magic Missile and hit one of them while Horton and Nue pulled out their weapons, waiting for the Lizard Men to come to them.
Kate and Tara killed theirs with the next bolt, ending the spell. Horton and Nue got the first swing, and thanks to their magical weapons, they hit and did considerable damage but didn't drop them.
Rick killed his two with one paw each and turned to go after the ones attacking the team.
The battle soon ended, and all nine Lizard Men were dead.
They spread out, and each found a skull with coins inside it. There were 14 gold pieces each and six silver pieces in nine of the skulls.
Next came the hidden door on the right. Going one at a time, the six went down a spiral ramp that ended at a door. Just inside the door stood a statue carved from black glossy stone. It was a serpent with its coils wrapped around the base and its human-like arms hugging the stone.
Rick saw it and knew what it was. "Yuan-Ti. Spread out." They did just that.
Eight smaller vipers dropped on them from the ceiling. The party got the first attack since the vipers' was to drop from above. They killed all eight quickly.
"Anyone get bitten?" Rick called out and heard a no from each of them. "Keep your eyes open; it isn't over just yet."
They spread out and looked around. Nue screamed, swinging at a large viper that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. She hit it but barely made a dent in it. Nue backed off as it slithered toward her. Rick pounced on it as a Dire Bear and killed it. He looked around for more of them.
Rick spotted two more of them and attacked them just as the others saw yet another. They combined to assault it while staying out of range as it lunged at them, trying to bite them.
No sooner had those three died than three more of them showed up. They got the same treatment as the others. Another three came and got the same treatment.
"Was anyone bitten?" Rick asked them and felt relieved when he got a no from them all.
"That was exciting," Tara exclaimed.
"Speak for yourself. I hate snakes," Jennan said and shuddered just thinking about them. "Give me a cave any day."
"Let's get out of here," Kate urged the others.
"You don't have to ask me twice." Jennan was the first one out the door and all the other doors until she was outside. "What's next?"
Rick just shook his head. "We continue looking, what else did you expect?"
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They set up camp and ate dinner over the open fire yet again. They each took turns finding a place to relieve themselves. The women didn't like it, but what could they do? After all, they knew what it would be like before they left.
They took turns keeping watch and had breakfast in the morning. Then they began walking again. The jungle in this area was thick, so Rick was out in front, hacking and slashing, clearing the way. While doing that, he came upon something. "Interesting. What have we got here?" Rick saw a pair of double doors with snakes engraved on them. "More Yuan-Ti, maybe. Horton, the door is yours." Rick stood to one side with the others back just a little.
"You're good to go, Rick. It's not trapped or locked."
"Stand aside and let me open the doors." Rick looked down and saw that they'd been opened before, and relatively recently. He opened the doors, peered inside, and saw five Lizard Men immediately. He changed into his Dire Bear form and charged them before they could react. He killed two of them and blocked the door on the far side, allowing the team to enter and attack them. They died quickly, and Rick changed back and looked around, realizing he was inside a 60-foot by 60-foot room with a glass ceiling about 60 feet above his head.
There were a pair of double doors on one end. Rick opened the doors and saw a short corridor that turned right at the end of it. There was a lone door on the left side. He stepped aside to let Horton look at it.
"It's fine, not locked, and there are no traps." Horton stood aside as Rick opened it and saw three Lizard Men sitting at a table playing a game. He quickly shifted into his Dire Bear form and attacked them. One of them tried to escape but ran into the team and was killed quickly by one of them. The room was unremarkable.
Rick moved to the corner of the corridor, and saw a door to his left. There was a corridor to his right with three other doors on the right hand side and yet another door at the end. He came over to the door on the left and could smell the stink coming from within. He decided to take the first door down the corridor instead.
He didn't bother to have Horton check it. Rick opened the door only to find four Lizard Men inside. Two were resting in bed while the other two were sitting at a table. He rapidly changed into his Dire Bear form and attacked the two at the table. The other two tried to escape and warn the others but ran into the team, who killed those two immediately. The room itself was unremarkable.
The next door opened on to a room that held three Lizard Men. Rick changed into his Dire Bear form and attacked two of them while the other one tried to escape to alert the others and ran into the team and was killed in a heartbeat. The room was unremarkable.
There was a door at the end of the corridor, and Rick let Horton look at this one. "It's not locked and there are no traps I can find."
Rick opened it only to see a very large room with a statue in the middle of the room. Four Lizard Men clad in robes were chiseling part of the other statue in the room.
Rick changed into his Dire Bear form right away and attacked two of them, leaving the other two for the team.
One of them ran for his weapon while chased by Kate and Tara. They both cast Ray of Sickness and watched as he started throwing up, allowing Horton and Jennan to attack and defeat him.
Kate and Tara high-fived each other.
They searched him and realized his armor was magical. His weapon was, too. In addition, he had two potions of Cure Moderate Wounds and two Cure Light Wounds, but strangely, no gold coins or even silver coins.
There were three doors: two to the south and one to the west. They chose one of the doors to the south. That one held nine Lizard Men. Three were sleeping, two were arm wrestling, and the others were betting on who would win.
Rick immediately changed into his Dire Bear form and attacked two of them, leaving the others to the team. They won in the end, but two were hurt, so they used up the two Cure Moderate Wounds they had just gained.
They decided to skip the other door to the south and went west instead. That door led to a corridor filled with doors. The first door on the right opened up on a Lizard Man asleep in his bed. Rick came up to him and decided it wasn't sporting to kill him while he slept, so he woke him, and then he killed him.
In the room, they found a magical breastplate, a magical great sword, two potions of Cure Moderate Wounds, and one potion of Neutralize Poison. There was also a chest that required Horton to open, and inside it, they found 140 gold pieces, two rubies worth 250 gold pieces each, and some Dust of Disappearance.
They reached a door that they couldn't open. "Arcane lock," Rick told them after trying the door, time and time again. "Jennan, you're up."
Her face flushed. "I uh, I don't have Knock memorized."
"We're not getting inside it without Knock." Rick sighed. "I guess that's that. We might as well leave and let Jennan memorize a Knock spell."
Jennan didn't look at him when she said, "I can't do that either. I don't have Knock in my traveling spell book. Sorry."
Rick glared at her. "Great, that's just great."