Savior
Chapter 22
They searched the Forest and found two separate ruins. Both were large, but all that was left was the base of the buildings. That was the third ruin that they inspected. There were no Undead, no nothing. Then Rick noticed something and knelt to look it over. "Dragon tracks. They're about a week old." He followed them to a ruin and saw a cave complex at the back. Since it was dark inside, Roy lit a torch and held it up high.
Rick followed the tracks into the cave and didn't turn right or left but went straight. Then, it took a right bend and opened into a large cave. At the back of the cave was an enormous Green Dragon that saw them. It reared up and was about to breathe on them for daring to enter its cave when Kate cast Disintegrate and watched as it just vanished.
"That was too easy," Kate told them. Unbeknownst to her, she got all the credit since she alone killed the dragon. Meaning Kate gained all the experience and also gained a level. She didn't realize it until the morning.
"Nice, Kate, really nice," Rick told her.
"I'm amazed, to be honest," Kate replied.
"Let's see what goodies the Dragon left us with," Roy said. The others joined him and began counting coins while Kate cast Detect Magic and found one magical item. She identified it as Pearl of Power, a fifth-level spell. Kate gave it to Meredith since she was the only one there that could use it.
They counted 23,889 gold, 34,690 silver, and 44,034 copper pieces, meaning they had 3,981 gold each plus one and 5,781 silver each plus one, leaving the copper pieces behind.
They set up camp in a distant ruined space and ate trail rations. Rick and Kate made love to each other, as did Roy and Lanie. In the morning, after peeing in the countryside, Kate learned she had gained the fourteenth level.
Kate gained the ability to know a seventh-level spell and could cast another sixth-level spell and three seventh-level spells. But she didn't know any seventh-level spells, so it wasn't such a great benefit. And she gained a few skill points.
Given where they were now, they could go to the Sword Mountains, onward to Neverwinter, then back to Waterdeep.
oo0O0oo
On day two, they came across a fence with a gate. They observed from a distance, believing it to be a safe place to watch. But they were surprised to learn it wasn't when an Orc patrol spotted them. One Orc ran for the gate while the other five attacked to cover his retreat.
Unfortunately for the runner, he was still in range of Rick's bow. Rick fired four arrows and hit him but failed to kill him. Kate cast Magic Missile, and that killed him. But the runner was close enough to the guard tower to be noticed.
Five Orcs were dead and the alarm sounded. The Orcs took positions on the wall, guarding both towers with archers. They fired a barrage of arrows to get the range of their enemy. They came up short, which told Rick he was also out of range. But they were not out of range from Kate's Fireballs, so she fired off the first of many. She targeted the Orcs in one of the towers and watched as it blew up, killing every Orc inside it and damaging the tower.
The Orcs fired another volley but came up short. Kate fired another Fireball, targeting the other guard tower. She watched while it blew up, killing those Orcs inside it and damaging the tower.
The Orcs fired still another volley but came up short yet again. Kate fired another Fireball, and this time, she targeted the Orcs on the wall closest to the gate. It damaged that wall and killed the Orcs on it.
The Orcs fired off a desperate volley of arrows, but they all came up short. Kate fired another Fireball and targeted the Orcs on the wall closest to the gate on the other side. She damaged the wall and killed every Orc guarding it.
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The Orcs sounded the retreat, and they fell back to their defensive positions, got into place, and waited.
Roy, Rick, and the others slowly advanced on the wall and stopped at the gate. That was when that they noticed a bridge leading to another wall with a gate. That wall and gate were in perfect shape.
The Orcs fired a volley of arrows and knew the enemy was in range this time. Roy, Rick, and the others hid behind the remains of the wall and the gate.
Kate stepped out and fired a Fireball, hitting the guard tower, killing all of the Orcs occupying it and damaging the tower. Then she stepped back behind the damaged gate.
The Orcs on the wall fired a volley of arrows but hit nothing. Kate fired another Fireball and hit the gate, damaging it beyond repair. Those Orcs tried again, firing another volley of arrows but hitting nothing. Kate fired another Fireball, hitting the wall, damaging it, and killing the Orcs.
The remaining Orcs fired another volley of arrows and hit nothing. Kate fired another Fireball, hit the wall, and damaged it, which killed the Orcs on it.
Realizing they weren't getting anywhere, the Orcs sounded the charge. As they thundered out of the damaged gate, they met four arrows from Rick's bow, killing one of them, while Kate cast Magic Missile, killing another one.
That left eight Orcs and their leader to attack them. Those Orcs all died quickly at the hands of Roy, Lanie, Meredith, and Javier.
They then searched the site, looking for gold and silver. They found some as well a magical item, according to Kate. She identified it, and it turned out to be a +1 shield.
They found a total of 1,034 gold and 1,677 silver pieces. Meaning they each got 172 gold plus one and 279 silver plus one.
"Thanks to Kate, we were victorious," Roy announced. "You have our gratitude, Kate."
"You're welcome, and I didn't even have to use my staff," Kate told him.
No one gained enough experience from that encounter to go up a level.
They left the compound, went far enough to feel safe, and set up camp. Rick didn't have time to go hunting, so they ate trail rations for dinner. He and Kate went to bed and made love again.
Come morning, they went outside to take care of business, then went back inside, packed up, took down the tent, and began the journey over the Sword Mountains and on to Neverwinter.
oo0O0oo
They searched several caves, but so far, there was nothing until Rick saw prints in the dirt. "I've got something. I see bare feet. Could be Trolls," he told them, and followed the tracks to a cave opening.
Roy and the others drew their weapons before entering it. Even Rick drew his sword, although he was a bowman.
It soon got dark, leaving Roy no choice. He took out a torch and held it high so they could see.
It was about eighty feet back, when they noticed it got light up ahead, so Roy put out his torch. He and Lanie put on their rings and became invisible. Rick saw them and followed their lead.
"Why don't we have rings?" Javier asked, not expecting an answer.
Roy, Rick, and Lanie came out in the open and saw two Trolls and steps leading up to a door. They got between them and the door, and Rick and Roy picked one Troll while Lanie took the other one. They each got in a full attack since it meant swinging twice.
The Trolls hit them and they became visible. Meredith and Javier rushed in and attacked them from behind, doing damage. The Trolls swung back at them but missed both times. They all turned, and Kate came around the corner and cast Magic Missile. Both Trolls fell, and Kate handed over two of her flasks of oil to Roy, who lit them on fire. They held their noses and watched until they were crispy.
They listened at the door, which radiated warmth, and could hear ringing hammer blows and a roaring fire from beyond it. Slowly, they cracked open the door, where they saw a large room, a pile of iron ore, and a Troll beating a hammer at a forge. They put on their rings and moved in, flanking and attacking him. They killed him, and Kate handed over her third flask of oil. They searched the room while he burned.
They went south through a door and found a set of stairs going down to a door. They listened at the door but didn't hear anything. Roy cracked the door open and saw a rough-walled room like every other room in this space. He also saw a large rock in the center, but that was all.
So he opened the door and went inside. He and Lanie went around the rock on one side, while Rick and Javier went around the rock on the other. They both saw a tall Troll on the other side getting water from the stream beyond. They attacked and killed him. They quickly searched the room but found nothing and saw no other doors.
They went back to the forge room and went north instead. There was a worked corridor, not a rough one. They turned left, then right, and saw a Troll standing in the distance. "Wait for our signal," Roy told them. They put on their rings and became invisible.
When they reached that Troll, they saw two more above them. There was an opening on both sides to the north. So Roy motioned for Lanie to stay there, and he and Rick went up the stairs and the northern end, back down the other, and got behind those two.
They each took a Troll and attacked them from behind, which was the signal for Lanie to attack hers, and Meredith and Javier rushed in. They killed them, but Roy and Rick took damage. Both took a potion of Cure Light Wounds and healed part of the damage.
Roy took out flasks of oil and burned them. Kate took out her last flask, and Javier burned their Troll.
They saw a corridor to the east and took it. They crossed a stream on a tree log and continued onward. They went down a set of stairs and turned left. They entered a room suddenly and unexpectedly. The room was filled with fungi all over the place. They saw four cages hanging from the ceiling. They were ten feet off the ground, hung by chains. All of the cages looked empty.
They followed the chains secured to the wall and one by one, they lowered them and searched the cages. They were indeed empty.
Roy, Rick, and Lanie put on their rings, and Kate, on a hunch, cast Invisibility Sphere and put everyone in it. "That includes you, too, Flame." He listened to her for some reason.
Roy cracked open the door. He saw a space divided by a stream with a log as a bridge off to the left side of the room. Inside the room, he saw three Trolls and someone all dressed in black. To him, it looked like an Elf.
"You and I will cross the stream and attack the Elf and the Troll. The other two you can handle," Roy told them. Carefully, he opened the door. Roy and Rick went inside and worked their way to the far side.
Lanie and the others walked into the room slowly, and Kate watched Flame.
"Who opened the door?" the Elf asked them. He pulled out his weapon and looked around but saw nothing. That was until Flame bolted out from the cover of the Invisibility Sphere.
"Flame, no!" But it was too late. He ran to Rick. With their cover blown, they all attacked. Roy took the Elf, Rick took the Troll, and Lanie, Meredith, and Javier took the other two.
They all hit their targets and did damage. Kate cast Disintegrate on the Elf and was rewarded with watching him disappear.
Flame breathed on the Troll Rick was attacking and barked at him. It was the first time he ever barked at anyone.
Roy helped Rick kill the Troll, and the others killed their two Trolls. They poured oil on these three and watched as they became crispy critters.
Meredith achieved the twelfth level after these encounters, and Javier, the tenth level.
None of the others gained a level. They just got closer.
Meredith gained a few skill points and feat, an Ability Score adjustment, another fifth-level spell, and a sixth-level spell.
Javier gained Blindsense 60 feet and the Half-Dragon template. Over the next week, his transformation into a Half Dragon would be complete: a Half-Brass Dragon.
oo0O0oo
"So what was a Drow Elf doing down here, or perhaps I should say up here," Roy asked them.
"Maybe these two chests will offer us a clue." Rick stood in front of them and opened them. They contained a +3 bashing shield, +3 sunleaf leather armor, 6,600 gold, seven pearls worth 50 gold each, and a gold signet ring worth 700.
"Anything?" Rick asked Roy, who was searching the other chest. Roy shook his head. "Nothing. I guess it'll have to remain a mystery."
They each gained 1,100 gold. They would sell the two magical items when they got to the City.
They went outside and moved far away from the cave, getting closer to the City. Then they stopped to make camp. It was too late in the day for Rick to go hunting, so they had a cold camp and ate trail rations.
Kate and Lanie had something they needed to tell their men, but they both held their tongues. It was their problem, and they would deal with it.
That didn't stop them from making love that night, however. It wasn't going to hurt anything. Then, in the morning, they went outside to take care of business before returning to pack up and take down their tents.
Then they made their way on to Neverwinter. It took them three days to reach it. It was a walled city, so they paid the copper piece each to enter. The first thing was to find a general store, purchase more trail rations, and search for an inn later.
Humans, half-elves, and a minority of dwarves inhabited Neverwinter. It was home to about 23,000, nowhere close to the 1.5 million people in Waterdeep. Neverwinter had four districts: the Blue Lake District, the Tower District, the Chasm District, and the Protectors District.
They got three separate rooms and went down to eat dinner since it was late. They had a room for a week since they planned to stay that long. When they retreated to their rooms, they made love to each other. All but Meredith and Javier. He was slowly changing into a Half Dragon.
In the morning, they used the bathroom, took a hot bath, their clothes cleaned, and went down to eat breakfast. Then they met up just outside of the Inn.
"We're here for a week, so we can tour the City. I want to get a closer look at that Castle," Roy told them.
They split up and toured the city. Rick and Kate found themselves in the Protectors District when they passed a burnout building. The one next to it was also damaged, but not as severely.
"What happened here?" Rick stopped to look at it. It was housing, but not now.
"Rick, I have something to tell you." Kate looked down, unsure of what to expect in return. She looked up at him. "I think I'm pregnant."
"You think you are or know that you are?" Rick asked her.
"I'm pretty sure I think that I'm pregnant. I don't expect anything from you. It's my…" Kate had to stop talking when she found herself kissed.
Rick broke from the kiss and kept his arms around her, and she had her arms around him. "Marry me, Kate."
Her eyes opened wide. "You want to get married?"
"Yes. I love you, and you're pregnant with my child. What do you say? Marry me," Rick asked her again. "We could buy a house and live in it. Maybe even this house." He nodded toward the burned-out building.
"You want us to live here?" Kate didn't see there was any place to live.
"We have that Lyre of Building," Rick reminded her. "Thirty minutes of playing is equal to the work of 100 humans laboring for three days. We could have this place fixed up in, say, three weeks. Of course, we would need to furnish it. So what do you say? Marry me?" Rick asked her again.
Kate smiled. "I would love to marry you." And she kissed him.
oo0O0oo
Rick and Kate announced it to the others, but Roy and Lanie had their own announcement. Lanie was pregnant, and they were getting married.
They were happy for each other, and Rick had an idea. He took them to view the burned-out building. "We could purchase this and live here side by side."
"It's a burned-out building!" Lanie didn't see any place fit to live.
"We have that Lyre of Building. It may take three weeks to fix, but I think it is possible. And I think we can purchase them both for a song," Rick said.
"You'd retire and live here?" Meredith asked them.
"Yes. Kate's pregnant, and I want to marry her. That's worth settling down for. Besides, I have a plan," Rick told her. "And I'm not getting any younger."
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