Beloved Child 30
Like Valygar had asked, the party moved out an hour after they had finished their talk in the tavern. While Mazzy was still worried about Valygar going with Groder and his companions she seemed to have come to the realization that she could do little about it. Her own troupe would make their way back to her home and ailing sister.
On the second day of their journey back to the city of Athkatla, the party camped by the same lake that they had camped by on their way to Imnesvale. As they were setting up the camp Groder caught Haer`Dalis and took the actor aside.
“Yes, My Raven?” The actor asked as they stood a bit from but well in sight of the camp.
“Look, I eh…” Groder paused for a few seconds. “…understand your recent… affection towards me.” He found it hard not to stumble on the words as the subject made him uncomfortable. “But I am not interested in men and that is final.” Groder finished and waved his hands in an apologetic gesture.
The bard drummed his hands on his pants legs. The man pouted then sighed and said.
“I do wish to see your saga through, My Raven and if you truly have your eyes set on Viconia I suppose I will have to bow to your will.” Haer`Dalis shook his shoulders and smiled. “I will be here if you change your mind, My Raven, you can count on it.”
Groder choose to ignore the last comment and replied.
“So no more.” He made air quotes. “Seduction attempts then.”
“On my word, My Raven.” Haer`Dalis held a hand over his heart solemnly.
“You are lying like hell aren’t you? “ Groder raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly.
Haer`Dalis laughed.
“By my demon blood I swear I do not.” He said. “But seriously I will back off.” The tiefling winked.
Groder nodded and returned to the camp.
“For now…” Haer`Dalis said to himself before he set off after the youth.
**
That evening Valygar sat by the campfire and regarded his new companions. He had rested the blue blade in his lap after spending some time sharpening it. Years as a scout in the army had thought him to be observant and he turned that skill onto the people fate had thrown him together with. Whatever glue held the group together was not the strongest stuff. The young girl that had introduced herself as Nalia De`Arnise, he had remembered that noble family vaguely, seemed to be there only because she had nowhere else to go and her obvious infatuation for the Kara-Turan Yoshimo. Now that was a man that smiled far too much and that made Valygar vary off the man. He seemed friendly enough but something about the eastern man made the hairs on the rangers back stand. Then there was the half-elf, Jaheria, she seemed as much leader of the group as the boy Groder was. She had broken into the conversation in the tavern and steered in a favourable direction and she had also taken command of the camp building. The boy was curt with her and she with him, they did not seem to enjoy each others company much. Groder had briefly explained that they were collecting gold to find the location of the Cowled Wizards prison called Spellhold. He had said that they sought to kill a man kept there. It was at this point that Jaheira had pointed out that a girl named Imoen had been taken there unjustly and they were after her as well. Groder had begun saying something derisive and Jaheria had given him a stern gaze. Valygar imagined that braver men then he had nightmares about that gaze. They had almost begun fighting when the bard had cut in with a song.
Haer`Dalis was another mystery, the actor seemed odd in the group and had from what Valygar collected and strange fascination with Groder. Lastly there was the Drow, Viconia. The ranger had tried to ignore her but he marvelled at the rudeness the woman sometimes displayed. A Drow was an odd sight on the surface, odder together with surfacers. Valygar reckoned it was survival tactic and she seemed on good terms with Groder at least. Which was not surprising, most young men would not have minded her company.
All in all they were odd and while he thought that the chance existed that they may turn around yet again and sell him existed, they seemed the best hope he had off ending Lavok.
**
The morning after the group alternated for baths in the lake. Splashing and yells of “quit it!” shook Yoshimos concentration and he cracked his eyes open. Groder was flailing his arms running through the water from Haer`Dalis, both of them were laughing however. All the Kara-Turan saw was two monsters that were playing in the water like children. There was a cough near him and he turned his head and saw the dark skinned ranger swim up to him.
“I had a question.” The man intoned.
Yoshimo nodded and waited.
“The markings on Groders upper body, what are they? I can almost feel the residues of magic on them.”
Valygar said the word magic like it was a plague.
“Those?” Yoshimo asked. “We ran afoul a sorcerer whom intended to use the young Groder as a sacrifice or something.”
Yoshimo regaled the tale of the kidnapping and rescue frankly not caring if Groder wanted it told to people or not. It was a petty notion but until Irenicus had Groder in his hands, Yoshimo would have to do with petty.
**
They poured forth from the doorway, masses of shambling, groaning bodies. Men and women, some garbed in white and some robed in black, some naked with tattoos and among them one girl looking about ten. Behind them Ganishuka walked into the sunlight surveying the deck with dead black orbs and a sneer on his thin lips.
“Father!” His daughter pressed through the throng of walking dead. She stopped and knelt before the old man.
“I overestimated Ishan, I did not think his need for that woman was so great.” The man spoke slowly. “The thralls will help with the repairs. Are the falcons still alive?”
“Yes father… but are you alright.” The woman looked up.
“Mewling dogs cannot kill me… but you let the sacrifice escape… why are you not among the thralls?”
“I…” The woman trailed off and bowed her head in shame.
“Never mind.” Ganishuka looked around. “Fetch a falcon; I will prepare a message for those still loyal. The boy shall not escape a second time. I shall fetch him and perform the ritual myself this time.”
**
Six days after Groder and his companions left Athkatla, they stood in the metropolis again. Around them roofs drooped on tightly packed buildings that were rent almost grey by ingrained sot. The shabby buildings packed small streets and alleys together into a maze. The slums never looked inviting. By some miracle the planar sphere had landed and fused itself into a few of the taller buildings in one of the impromptu districts corners. As the street turned up against the sphere it widened and became a small square. Groder stood looking up at the sphere, the party next to him. The sphere was huge, easily as large as the De`Arnise keep. The grey metal glinted in the sun. Inhabitants of the slums that passed the square hardly glanced at the thing, the initial general amazement gone and now the sphere was just another thing that weighed on the shatters that were their lives.
“I am surprised rivvin can actually build something like that.” Viconia remarked as she craned her neck to look at the sphere.
Yoshimo and Nalia came rushing out of one of the buildings that the sphere had fused it self too.
“We think we can climb up through that building.” Nalia said and pointed to what had been a tall multi-storey house.
“Ah… wonderful…” Groder said and looked at the house.
“It does not matter; we have to get in anyways.” Valygar muttered.
The group moved into the entrance of the house where in the remains of lobby, a lonely stair went straight into what had been someone’s kitchen.
“Ye just stand still there!” A gruff voice called from behind them. “We are here for the bounty on his head.”
The party turned and was faced with a small group of armed people. The speaker was a dwarf with a heavily scarred face and long dark beard. Groder recognized him; it was the dwarf they had bumped into at the council building. He gripped an axe in his right hand and his left side was practically obscured by a large tower shield. The rest of the dwarf’s group was human save a nasty looking Halfling that cocked a crossbow and aimed it at the party.
“Unfortunately we need him to get into the sphere.” Groder sneered.
“What sphere?” One of the humans opposite of them asked.
“The large one in front of ye, Screwloose. Ye daft goblinshagger.” The scarred dwarf said and then addressed the party.
“Fine by me, Korgan Bloodaxe has never said no to a little bloodsport!”
One of the men in Korgans group began chanting but abruptly stopped when a crossbow bolt pierced his head. Groder caught sight of Sime crouching on a rooftop, reloading her weapon. Korgan and his group of bounty hunters charged and the party found itself trapped in the narrow passageway between the ruined house and charging men.
“I propose we climb.” Groder said. “We will easily deal with them once we have gained some higher ground.
Climbing through the building that the planar sphere had fused itself to proved to be somewhat difficult in armour and the party had to stop every once in a while to regain their strengths. Being hounded by the dwarf and his companions did not help either. Groder kicked the Halfling in the head when the small man tried to climb onto the ledge the party was currently occupying. The Halfling fell screaming to the ground and Groder had to duck a bullet thrown from a sling wielded by one of the man’s companions.
It continued like this until the party made their way out onto the metal walkway that ran around the sphere. Indentations like a door sat in the spheres wall not far from where they had emerged.
“So how do we get it open?” Groder asked and cast looks back into the ruined house through whose interior they had climbed up.
Valygar put a hand to the door and it slowly slid inwards. Wind rushed past them in both directions.
They entered the sphere and found themselves in a corridor that led into a circular room with four doors. The floor was steel and intricate gold patterns were woven into the floors and walls. The doors were thick circles with wheels in their centres that operated them. One of them was slightly open and investigating the others they found a keyhole in one of them.
Proceeding through the slightly opened door they found another smaller circular room which looked the same as the last except it held only the one entrance. Strange thick metal tubes that could be opened lined the walls. They went through them, Yoshimo and Nalia carefully checking each one for traps. The barrel like objects yielded nothing but dust and metal objects that were rusted beyond use. Nalia fished a key like object out of a rusted pile.
“This looks like a key, could we use it on the lock in the other room?” She asked.
Groder was sifting through another barrel and asked.
“Why would anyone just leave all of this to rust and even a key that may be useful?”
“Someone who has no need of such things.” Haer`Dalis responded.
They went back into the first room and Groder tried inserting the rusted key into the lock. After some effort the key slid in.
“You go first dwarf!” A loud voice sounded from outside.
“Oy! Stop pushing.” Korgan`s voice yelled.
Groder turned the key and the whole sphere began shaking. It threw the party off their feet.
“Planar jump activated.” A sexless voice announced. “Power levels are now minimal. Recharging required before the next jump.”
Outside Sime sat on a roof and saw the sphere start blurring out of existence. Soon there were only the ruins of the buildings it had landed on the time it arrived.
“Oh, Aran will love this.” She said to herself.
