Magic
Chapter 16
Rick talked Jim and Johanna into getting some armor if they wanted to go adventuring again. He would spend the money to help them. Rick got 2 Rhino Hide for Johanna and 2 Mithral Shirt for Jim. He also talked them into getting a 2 scimitar for Johanna and a 2 dagger for Jim.
He got a Wand of Cure Light Wounds for himself. The wand he had didn't have many charges left.
Jim and Johanna were visiting with her pup when Aerial came over one day, and she adored him immediately. She played with him while Alexis and little Johanna played with him.
"So, what's his name?" Aerial asked Johanna.
"I haven't named him yet," Johanna replied. "I need to do that, but I don't know what to call him."
Aerial rattled off a few suggestions. "How about Noah, Forest, Teddy, Casper, Peppermint, or Bailey?"
"Bailey. I kind of like it. What do you think, Bailey?" Johanna asked him but didn't get a response; he was too busy playing. "Bailey, it is."
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Rick was a 7th-level Alchemist with four secrets. For the first secret, he chose The Secret of Divine Agility. The alchemist gains a bonus 4 to Dexterity and may cast Dimension Door once daily at her base caster level.
For his second secret, he choseThe Secret of Great Logic. The alchemist gains a 4 bonus to Intelligence and may cast Identify three times daily at her base caster level.
For the third secret, Rick chose Secret of Perfect Metabolism. The alchemist gains immunity to all poisons and diseases regardless of their origin. She also automatically succeeds all saves against spells or effects that affect her metabolism, such as spells that dehydrate the target.
For his fourth, he chose Secret of Adaptive Vision. The alchemist gains Darkvision and Blindsight, and may cast Detect Magic at will at her best caster level. If it already has Darkvision, its width doubles.
Kate was proud of him. His caster level was 24, which made him Epic level, not that she knew what that was or what it meant.
She needed to remember to start using her Shield spell, and Rick needed to use his Mage Armor spell. That way, they had some armor to block attacks.
It was now three months later.
Bailey grew like a weed and already had Link, Share Spells, and Evasion. He would gain other abilities as Johanna rose in levels.
Little Johanna was into her terrible twos, while Alexis was a solid three-year-old.
Including Aerial, they were all over at the Castle house, as it was a Monday. Then, there was a knock on their door. "I'll get it." Kate got up and answered it. She came back with a scroll case.
Rick looked over and asked, "What is it?"
"I don't know. The man didn't say, just handed it to me and left." Kate opened it, pulled out a scroll, and unrolled it. "I can't read it. Hang on a minute." She cast Comprehend Languages and read it to herself.
Rick was becoming impatient. "Well, what's it say?"
"We're all invited to a Fall Festival with the Wood Elves next week. That's all it says, but it mentions all of us by name, even you, Aerial, and you're invited." Kate looked at Rick first, then her parents and Aerial before asking, "Do we go?"
Rick shrugged. "I don't see why not."
"Our store isn't open yet, mostly because I can't decide what to sell," Johanna admitted. "I'm leaning toward plants and Christmas. Flowers are too much of a pain. I would need fields of them. There would have to be someone to tend to the fields, then harvest them, and most of them would only be available in the spring unless I had a greenhouse, and that means more money, so the flower idea is dead."
"We would handmake the ornaments and scatter them around the store," Jim added. "My idea. I think we should go to the Fall Festival. It might be fun."
"I agree. Going when we're not needed to fight someone might be nice, and Wood Elves tend to keep to themselves. Being invited is a great honor," Aerial told them.
"Then I guess we go," Kate said. "But I want everyone armed and ready for combat, just in case. We'll take two tents this time. The kids are getting bigger."
"What about a third grandchild?" Johanna asked her.
"Bite your tongue, Mom. Two is more than enough." Kate was even making sure of it. She was giving Rick a blowjob before he fucked her, thereby lessening the chance of semen finding one of her eggs, seeing as how most of it went down her throat. Besides, she liked giving him a blowjob.
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It was the following Monday, and Aerial was already at their home. They were waiting for Kate's parents to show up. Aerial even had a new Staff. "It's a Staff of Healing. It does four things. The first is Cure Serious Wounds for one charge. The second is Lesser Restoration for one charge. Remove Blindness/Deafness for two charges is third. And Removes Disease for three charges is fourth. That, and I could afford it. Barely."
"I'm happy for you, Aerial. Later, you'll have to tell me how much it cost," Kate said.
Just then, her parents showed up wearing their new armor and carrying their new weapons. They even had their old backpack on. "Alright, we're ready," Johanna announced.
"I guess so." She wasn't expecting them to wear backpacks. It was only a Festival, though it didn't say how long it lasted. That's why she was wearing hers, too. Everyone was. Even Alexis had her little backpack. They were also wearing their coats since it was fall and a bit chilly, especially at night.
Rick clapped his hands to get their attention. "Everyone step into the circle. We're going directly to their home, about a mile from the Tree. Ready?" Rick said the activation word, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone and arriving at the Wood Elves' place.
They were spotted straight away. Bows were raised with arrows drawn until the Wood Elves realized who it was, then lowered them. Kate cast Comprehend Languages so she could understand and talk to them. Their family set up their tents on the edge of their encampment, and then they mingled.
They learned a few of the Wood Elves could speak their language, so it wasn't all on Kate anymore.
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The Festival didn't start until tomorrow, but there were signs of it everywhere. There was colored cloth hanging wherever possible. And totem poles were stuck wherever you looked. There were tables set up to handle all the food. It was certainly looking festive.
Alexis, little Johanna, and Bailey were off somewhere, playing with the Elf children. Only the sound of laughter gave a hint of where they were.
"It seems Bailey is a hit, Mom," Kate commented.
"Tell me about it. I've lost my Animal Companion. But it's alright. He knows who the boss is," Johanna told her as she looked at the sound of the laughter.
"Is it a pup or a cub?" Kate inquired.
Johanna thought for a moment. "I think it's called a cub, technically, but pup will do."
"Are you sorry you came?" Kate asked her. "You could have stayed, you know."
Johanna knew she didn't mean the Festival. "No, you and your dad were right. I couldn't fight Bracken. It was too late for that. But I do miss a few things. Electricity, mostly."
Kate nodded. "Tell me about it. I'd kill for a washing machine. Doing clothes and other things by hand in the bathroom is a pain. Running water is another thing I miss. I mean, there's no toilet."
"You know what I miss the most? Taxis," Johanna told her. "It's a big city. You have to walk everywhere, and there's no refrigerator, meaning I have to go out and get fresh-whatever every day. And come winter, that can be a challenge."
Kate sighed. "I would kill for some Chinese. Even a pizza would be nice once in a while." She was interrupted when she heard, "MOMMY!"
"What is it now?" Kate rolled her eyes and went to find out what was wrong.
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They spent the night sleeping. There was no making love for them, given they slept with the kids in the same tent. Jim, Johanna, and Aerial used the other tent.
That morning, their Festival was in full swing. There was music and dancing. Kate even dragged Rick out and danced with him. Aerial was dancing with an Elf, and she was laughing, too.
Then it was time to eat. There were no chairs, so if you wanted to sit and eat, you did it on the ground. And there was lots of all kinds of food. There was fruit, vegetables, roast pig, and many different drinks. There was even moonshine. Kate found the moonshine and tried it. She coughed and said it was "Smooth."
"It's battery acid," Rick told her, but he drank it all the same.
An Elf runner raced in unexpectedly and talked to the leaders. They began issuing orders, and everyone scattered. The women rounded up the children and took them away.
"What is it, what's going on?" Rick asked.
"I'll find out." Kate cast Comprehend Languages and talked to the leaders. Hearing what was coming, she inhaled sharply, then returned to them, including Aerial. "Ettins, Bears, Orcs, and Goblins are coming this way. Four Ettins, four Brown Bears, a dozen Orcs, and sixteen Goblins."
"The kids!" Rick looked around for them frantically and spotted them. The Elf women were herding them with the other kids; Bailey went with them.
"Sounds like we're in for a fight. So much for the festival." Rick, Kate, Aerial, Jim, and Johanna took off toward the Ettins and the others.
"Sounds like we're in for a fight." Rick sighed. "So much for the festival." He, Kate, Aerial, Jim, and Johanna took off toward the Ettins and the others.
"What's an Ettin?" Jim asked them.
Rick pointed at them. "That is an Ettin."
Jim stared at them. "They have two heads. How can they have two heads?" The Orcs he knew, though Goblins were new.
"Katie?" Jim asked. She handed him a potion instantly. He needed to drink it at the right time to make it last.
The Elves were right behind them, with more coming all the time.
"Let's give them a warm welcome, shall we?" Rick offered. Kate and Aerial knew what that meant: Fireball. They each cast one while still at a distance, and the combined Fireballs took out two Ettins, four Orcs, six Goblins, and both Brown Bears.
That got them to scatter and charge at them, with all of them yelling at the top of their lungs.
Johanna cast Barkskin on herself, improving her armor class.
Kate cast Shield, and Rick cast Mage Armor in case they needed them. They were learning. Then Rick, Kate, and Aerial cast Mirror Image, and instantly, there were four each of every one of them.
Johanna cast Summon Natures Alley III while Jim drank his potion and moved out. She gained a Lion, who immediately attacked by running down a Goblin.
Arrows came flying over their heads, and most, but not all of them, struck something, be it an Orc or a Goblin.
Rick, Kate, and Aerial each cast Magic Missile, and as luck would have it, all three selected the same Ettin and killed him. Or at least, he fell flat on his face. Well, one of his faces.
By now, the remaining Ettin, the Orcs, and Goblins made their way to attack them.
For every one of them, two of their images vanished on them. A Goblin suddenly fell dead for no reason that they could see. Johanna had an Orc attack her, but it bounced off her armor, which she'd put on in haste. She cast Summon Natures Alley III, got a Lion, and had it attack the Orc.
More arrows came. They were behind them and struck various Orcs and Goblins, killing three.
Rick cast Magic Missile and hit the Ettin, but he didn't die. Kate cast Prismatic Spray and hit the Ettin and three Orcs. She was rewarded by watching the Ettin turn to stone. The three Orcs died: one from fire damage, one from acid damage, and the third one vanished, never to be seen again, at least not on this plane of existence.
After seeing the Ettin turned to stone, the remaining Goblins and Orcs ran for it.
Aerial cast Magic Missile and killed one of the Orcs. Another Goblin fell dead for no apparent reason.
A volley of arrows went over their heads, hitting the remaining Orcs and Goblins, killing all but one of the Goblins. He managed to escape and was never heard from again.
"Well, that was easy," Rick commented. He smiled since he knew it wasn't all that easy.
He searched the bodies and found a few gold, silver, and copper pieces, as well as one Magic item. He used a pearl and cast Identify to find out what it was. It turned out to be an Elemental Gem, meaning, when smashed, it summoned a large Elemental of Fire. He pocketed the gem for later and handed out the gold, silver, and copper pieces.
The Wood Elves thanked them for their help. They returned to the Festival, freed the kids and Bailey, and everything returned to normal, little by little.
Jim and Johanna gained enough experience to achieve the 5th level each. They both attained a few skill points, but that was about it.
Johanna, however, gained a 3rd-level spell and could Wild Shape for the first time, which was exciting. For her 3rd-level spell, she selected Neutralize Poison. Jim gained more ability to deal extra damage in a sneak attack.
But soon, there was music and dancing, and Johanna talked Jim into dancing with her. Rick danced with Alexis, and Kate danced with little Johanna. Bailey moved around them, growling but having fun.
They thanked them for the Festival, for being invited, and said they'd be back again next year. Then they took down the tents, joined in a circle, and vanished, only to show up in their home.
Jim, Johanna, and Aerial took their leave and told them they had a good time despite the sudden arrival of the Ettins and others.
Kate dropped her stuff and went downstairs to start a batch of beer so she could open CASTLE BEER tomorrow. Rick put everything away and puts Alexis and Johanna to bed. Kate returned to find it was all done. She kissed Rick for helping. Soon, the kiss turned into something more. Clothes went flying everywhere as they hurried into their bedroom, where they made love.
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It is now one year later.
Alexis was just about ready to start school. Little Johanna wasn't yet old enough for school. Bailey was now a full-grown Leopard, though he still loved to play. Aerial still visited, but it had become more spotty. She had a boyfriend who happened to be Wood Elf, so she traveled back and forth.
Today, she was visiting, though, and Kate was grilling her about her boyfriend. She was happy for her but wanted to learn everything she could about him.
Then, there was a knock on their door. "I'll get it. Don't think you're off the hook, though." Kate pointed her finger at Aerial and hurried to answer the door.
She returned with a scroll, which she took out of the tube and opened. "We're invited to see Lady Alustriel Silverhand. She wants to see us immediately. I wonder what that's about?"
"While you're gone, I'd be happy to watch the kids," Aerial offered.
"Thanks. It says Immediately, so I guess we'll go. You be good for Aerial." Kate kissed them both, and together with Rick, the couple headed out.
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"My thanks for coming. I will get right to the point. I wish to hire you and anyone that goes with you. I am offering ten thousand in gold for each of you and those with you.
"Goblins stole an egg. It is not just any egg, it is a Gold Dragon egg. I need you to go immediately. The egg was about a week or two from hatching. I cannot begin to imagine the danger this poses should a Gold Dragon be raised by Evil. Evil will be all it knows and will be Evil itself.
"As a result, you must leave immediately. Rescue the egg or save the young Gold Dragon. Unfortunately, Scrying for the location of the egg does not work. We believe they went somewhere to the east, likely into the mountains.
"Now, since Goblins are too stupid to have done this alone, there has to be someone helping and directing this. So watch out for whomever it is. Do you accept?" the Lady asked them, her heart pounding.
"Why us?" Kate asked her. "Why can't you send someone else?"
"I would, but they are all out doing other things. I need this immediately, Katherine, so you are my choice."
Rick spoke up. "We have kids."
"I can arrange for one of the Temples to watch them. They will have to stay at the Temple, though. You should be ready to find them converted," the Lady told them.
Kate looked at Rick, and he nodded. "I suppose that would be alright."
"We accept," Rick told her.
Alustriel felt relief flow through her. "Excellent, you leave immediately. Take anyone with you that you want. I will pay them the same amount in gold. Thank you so much," the Lady said and dismissed them.
"A Gold Dragon? What do you know about a Gold Dragon?" Kate asked him.
"I know that they're Lawful Good. When it comes to good Dragons, they don't get any better than a Gold Dragon," Rick said. "But she's right about the Goblins. They're too stupid to have done this on their own. There's someone behind them."
Kate stood there and looked at him. "Huh. So that's why you accepted without talking to me first. But I agree. We'll need to stop at my parents on the way home and talk to Aerial, too. See if they want to come. How big is a Dragon egg anyway?"
"About yea big." Rick used his arms to demonstrate the size of the egg.
"That's a big egg. It would take what, two Goblins to carry it?" Kate guessed. "What's to the east of us?"