Rashemen Book 2

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Once everyone was on the ice boat Jex untied the boat and pushed off. It moved slowly down the stream. Nakia pulled out some honey mead and cakes for the adventurers. They could eat and rest a little as the boat moved. She looked over at her companions. All were tired and battered; even Maron had joined them.

 

Sepp dipped his hand into the slushy water. It was cold, being freshly melted ice, but it held none of the anger and spite that the water had held the last time he was in a river. Before long, a familiar face was smiling at him from beneath the water.

"Hello, Drell. Thanks for your help the last time. I owe you one," Sepp said.

"You're welcome. You've done well for yourself, and for Nature. And yes, you do owe me," his sister's spirit replied. "I'd like a favor. I wasn't ready to die. Not like Ma and Pa were, expecting imminent death ever since they'd escaped the first time. I want to look on the sun and the earth one last time with mortal eyes, and breathe a last breath. Will you let me?" she asked.

Sepp was a little adverse to letting spirits totally possess his body again, especially now when anything could happen at any time. But then he remembered how he had danced with Ma's spirit when his back had been broken in the last fight with the Fellowship of the Serpent. "Kind of," he told Drell. "Come on in, and dance with me. I'll let you lead." He shifted to the side of his mind and body, and felt her come in.

She looked up at the sun, took a deep breath, and started to cry. "This life is so beautiful. The spirit world is different. There's lots to see, but you just don't experience it as fully without your flesh and bones." She walked over to where Nakia had layed down for a well deserved nap. She put her hand on Nakia's shoulder.

"What is it Sepp?" Nakia asked, looking up from her nap.

"I'm not Sepp, dear cousin," Drell said. Looking in her eyes Nakia understood. "Give me a hug," Drell said.

Looking down the river, Drell called to the group, "Things are going to get a little rough before they smooth out again. Hold on everybody. Jex, hold your scimitars out." He did, and Drell caused ice to form on the blades until they resembled long rudders. "Now, give one to Alexi and you two steer."

The ice boat entered a long stretch of rapids, as the river was cutting a trench in the ice wall. It would have been fatally dangerous, had Drell not had complete control of the water elementals carrying the boat through the ice filled churning water. They came through the ice wall into a large, newly formed lake.

A small group of cloaked figures was setting up a camp on the shore of the lake. Drell guided the ice boat to a gentle stop on the rocky beach. The figures turned to look at them as Drell/Sepp walked off the boat.

A small figure with a large hood covering his head strode up to Drell/Sepp. "The Prophets meet!" one of the larger cloaked figured said in an awed voice.

"Good to see you, brother," Drell said. "I've got some work to do, bye now." Then Sepp was back in control. The small hooded form removed his hood to reveal a horribly burn scarred head.

"Gesed!" Sepp said. "What happened to you?"

"You didn't duck! Little brother!" Gesed replied.

"What are you talking about?" Sepp asked.

"Priestess Alinyss and I were watching the fight with the fire demons in the Silver Pool. One swung at you and would have killed you, but I stuck my face in the pool, and took the blow for you. She was pretty mad about it, because the blood and burned skin fouled the pool for the next few years, but it was worth it to keep you alive. I think you've got something for me." Gesed held out his hand.

"Oh, yeah," Sepp said, pulling the other ring out of his pocket and giving it to his brother. Gesed took it and kissed the crystal.

"Thanks, Sepp," he said through tears.

"Gesed, who are these people, and how did you get here so fast? It took us days of traveling." Sepp asked.

"We're the first servants of Saint Atten, from the temple of Bhalla in Iceborn. We're here to repair the damage and imbalances you caused, such as this lake here, in your efforts to restore the Earth's Heart. We don't blame you, you did what you had to do. But now something must be done. And yes, it took awhile to get here, but you were fighting the Air demon for three weeks, so we had plenty of time," Gesed answered.

"Sleep-walking Prophet," the large cloaked figure who'd spoken before said. "You did the only thing possible."

"Prophet?" Sepp laughed. "I've never prophesized." he protested.

"You just haven't woken up from this dream yet," Gesed said. "I am the Weeping Prophet. The Earth knows I shed enough tears at the hands of the Serpents. Then I shed more feeling your and Saint Atten's suffering in your ordeal. Who knows what you'll see when you start listening to your dreams?"

Atten climbed off the ice boat. "What's this about Saint Atten? I refuse to be your saint. I'm not even dead yet!"

All of the cloaked figures except for Gesed dropped to their knees. "The Saint speaks!" they whispered.

Atten had a look of utter revulsion and contempt on his face. Sepp started laughing.

 

"Who are these idiots?"

 

"For once, I totally agree with your sentiments, aside from my brother, these people are idiots! Thinking you a saint and me a prophet!" Sepp actually fell down on the ground, laughing uncontrollably.

 

Nakia is trying to stiffle a few giggles of her own when suddenly she becomes very quiet and a strange look passes across her face.

"And when the Heart has found its home the Earth will rejoice but Darkness will come to destroy the Life. The forces of the earth will be lead by the small one of big mind and the holy one who speaks little but wisely." She stares off far away then shakes her head. "So spoke some guy. Always thought it was just a child's tale." She shivers a little.

 

Nakia's sudden pronouncement extinguished Sepp's laughter as quickly as the Coldness had put out the fire demons. He suddenly remembered a horrible recurring nightmare that he'd had when he was six, and apparently repressed until now.

He was back in his goat skins in the cave, watching the shadows turn into black night demons, coming to get him. Ma had always taken a torch to 'dispel' Sepp's dream demons, but Ma was gone.

"They're coming," Sepp said, now shaking on the ground in terror. "No," he howled, watching as the sun dissappeared and shadows came out of the ground, turning into all too real demons, from somewhere in the nether regions, "they're here!"

Sepp pulled his cloak over his head, his six-year-old mind set thinking that if he couldn't see the monsters, they couldn't see him.

How wrong he was.

 

Jex placed a hand on Sepps shoulder "Calm little one, we can handle this. Del would help, but we'll have to make due with what he have."

He watched as the shadows moved closer. "Sepp do you have any idea of what they are or how to fight them?"

 

"What the flame is going on now?"

Atten was still feeling tired from the Heart of the Earth adventure. He had had no time to recover mentally from that before being faced by this new nightmare. Here was yet another situation he had no experience of. These shadows did not look natural and Atten did not really know how to deal with unnatural things.

 

Sepp looked out from under his covers, hoping to see Ma coming to his rescue, but it was a strange, grey skinned man. No, it was his friend Jex, and he was not a little boy in his bed, he was on the ground under his cloak. He stood up, next to Gesed, who had moved to help him up, and looked at the shadowy forms moving closer to them.

"I have awaken from my dream," he told his brother. To Jex he said, "I don't know what they are. Ma always woke me and chased the shadows away with a torch. I'll guess we'll find out today."

"We must protect the Prophets and the Saint!" the robed man who seemed to be the leader of the first servants of Saint Atten yelled. The fifteen or so robed figures made a semi-circle in front of Sepp, Gesed, and Atten.

As one of the five shadowy shapes neared a robed figure, the darkness receded a little to reveal a truely grotesque monster, over ten feet tall, with a boarish looking head, black feathered wings way to small to propel it coming out of its back, massive black haired arms, and cloven hooves. The robed figure drew a scimitar, but the massive creature just picked the man up and bit his head off in one bite.

The other shadowy forms revealed themselves to be similar creatures, one of them holding what appeared to be a large grub. As this one stepped forward, Gesed and Sepp could make out the familiar face that the grub thing wore.

"Pa?" they both said in amazement.

"Sorry boys," the grub said. "Your Ma was an angel, and since meeting her I walked the straight and narrow path of goodness, but there was too much blood on my hands, too many things I'd done in my prior life to attone for any other way than this. I wish I had the will to resist these beasts."

"Enough talk, worm!" The winged beast holding him, which was a foot or two taller than the others, growled. "You've done you're duty for today!" he said, shoving the grub into a large bag. "Now, we do ours so we can collect the pay from that tentacle face!" He kicked a hoof through the chest of a robed figure approaching him with a staff. "Kill everyone, but leave the drow to me," he growled to his companions.

 

Nakia jumped at the sight of the demon shadow things.

"Shirkit! I've had it up to here and beyond with shadows!"

With that she pulls a bottle out of bag and hurls it into the midst of the shadows causing a big firey explosion.

 

With barely a flinch Jex had drawn both scimitars and plunged both blades into the chest of the nearest demon. As he withdrew the swords the wound he had left began to steam and grow rapidly in size. He smiled at Sepp "I have just the thing to fight these monsters. I've kept it back because it didn't seem relevent against Mycoids and humans. My swords have been blessed by my god; Illmater. They have the power to do incredible damage to demons and similar feinds."

Both groups watched as the wound in the fiends chest grew and continued to burn. After a few moments of stunned silence the beast lay crumpled on the ground quite dead.

"Shall we" was all that the grinning half drow had to say as his eyes snapped back to the leader of the beasts.

 

The larger one looked a little dismayed that his companion had fallen so quickly. He pulled a small metal gadget out of a bag and looked at it for a few seconds. Looking back up at Jex he said, "You're not one of the ones wanted. I'll get to eat you then. Yes, let's begin." He kicked the ground and ice shards and gravel flew towards Jex's face. He moved into grab Jex, who countered with his scimitars, but the demon managed to avoid getting cut.

He laughed joyfully, "You'll find I'm a bit quicker than Grumchluk was."

 

"Good. A challenge" the half drow snarled. He had barely notcied the ice and gravel. He was to well trained to fall for such simple tactics. He was surprised by the demons speed, but he was prepared. Enacting the magic of his amulet, he slipped into the familar embrace of bloodlust.

Lunging at the demon Jes led with both scimitars tight together, at the last second he snapped them both out wide, hopeing to catch one of the demons appendages. A minor cut wouldn't do much even with Ilmaters blessing, but a wound to the demons arm or leg would leave him crippled.

 

Knowing that the demons were after them, Kelvados and Delinos were ready to fight with all of their might. "You should know that your only purpose is to serve the Drow, dog, and after we are done, you won't soon forget!" Delinos spat at the demons, lunging forwards with both blades outstretched.

Kelvados ran up the back of one demon who was turned, and sliced off the thing's wings. It screamed out in agony and Kelvados stabbed at its head, but he was too slow and was thrown off.

 

Atten tried to think of something to do. Maybe now was the time for him to try out his shapeshifting skills again. He had not practised them for a while. He closed his eyes and attempted to draw on the life force of the mountain cat that lived in this region. He felt he could almost make the link, but all that happened was that his face became a bit hairier.

“One day I’ll be able to do it!”

He kicked the ground in frustration and tried to think of something else to do. He looked around and saw some scummy algae floating in a nearby stagnant pool.

“Hmm, I wonder…”

He picked up a handful of the slime and concentrated again. This was a bit more like familiar territory. He closed his hand, channelled the living force and then threw the algae at the nearest demon. Most of it missed completely, but a tiny bit splattered on the demon’s shoulder.

 

Sepp felt a vibration in his scabbarbs, and smelt a faint acrid smell. He pulled out the green daggers, they were humming and dripping a liquid. He let a drop fall on his cloak, and the hissing and burning confirmed his suspiscion that they were dripping acid.

Gesed had pulled a small staff out of his robes, and was hobbling towards the lake. "Your feet healed yet?" Sepp asked him.

"All but my toes. As my feet grew more and more towards completion, the regeneration got slower and slower. Makes it a little hard to stay balanced." Gesed replied.

"Here, take one of these," Sepp said, handing him a dagger. He took a bit of bark and grafted it to his skin, taking the tree's hardness and adding it to his bones as well.

"Look out!" Gesed called, as a demon broke through. It knocked Gesed to the ground and was about to stomp him with a hoof when Sepp jammed his dagger into its other leg. The hoof came down next to Gesed, who had roled a bit, and the other hoof kicked back into Sepp's stomach, throwing him into the stagnant pool.

When he came up from the water, all green, stinky and slimy, he saw that Alexi and a few robed people had moved in to keep the demon busy while Gesed crawled away. He bumped something underwater, and saw that it was a decomposing caribou, which the algae was slowly eating.

He suddenly understood that the process by which the daggers made acid, though magical in its generation, was the same process, though greatly more efficient, that the algae was using to make its acid to eat the caribou. Could the algae change its process just a little to become more efficient. A quick examination told him that it was likely. He put a glob of algae on a sling bullet, showed it how to quicken its production of acid, and told it to tell its friends. Then he lobbed it at the demon who was already covered in the algae that Atten had thrown.

Soon after it hit, the demon started smoking and howling. "Great leader!" it howled to the biggest demon. "The illithid lied! These prey are not easy! Let us flee!"

The 'Great Leader' turned and was about to rebuke his comrade, when Jex's scimitar sliced through his left forearm, the hand of which was still holding the metal gadget, for some odd reason. Great Leader howled for his part now, ichor squirting on the ground. "I'll be back to eat your heart!" he growled at Jex.

A black hole opened up in the middle of the battle field, and the remaining demons all hopped into it before it dissappeared.

Five or six robed bodies lay on the ground. Fresh martyrs of Saint Atten. The tall robed man, looking at the halfling brothers and Atten, called out, "Praise to Bhalla, Saint Atten and the Prophets are safe! Wait! The Awakened Prophet will speak!" The robed figures looked expectantly to Sepp.

Sepp's throat began to tickle, he hacked up a large mass of algae, phlegm, and muscus. He spit it out on the ground. "Goodness, that stuff is really vile!"

 

"Huiy'Trej hired them. He is on our tail. We have to move faster or.. if you wish.. confront him." Kelvados said, getting up slowly from the ground.

Delinos looked up at the sun. It was stinging his eyes and skin. "Or maybe go to the shade for a moment."

 

Jex grinned, he had enjoyed the fight. Powerful oppenants were rare, so he enjoyed his encounters with them when they arose.

"I'll be waiting with scimitars in hand" he said quietly to no one in particular.

 

The robed people gathered up their wounded and dead. Gesed spoke quietly with the tall one, then approached Sepp.

"We have much work to do here, Sepp, and you and your companions have your own quests. I'm sure the demons were just after your drow companions, and I'll be safe here with the Servants of Saint Atten. It was good to see you. Good luck, try and stay alive. And sweet dreams." He gave Sepp a hug.

"I don't know if I want to dream anymore. I can't imagine that I'll have nice ones any time soon." Sepp replied. Sepp looked around at the lake that hadn't been there before he started throwing the forces of nature out of balance. "Sorry I made such a mess for you to clean up. I'll come back for you when all of this is over."

Sepp walked over to his companions, who were looking at the large demon's arm and the strange metal gadget still gripped in its hand. "Well, that's the second time that we've been attacked by servants of this mind flayer monster. I say we find him and take care of it, before he sends someone who is able to do the job right. Where is this monster? How do we get there? And then, how do we kill it?"

 

"We have no idea how to contact him, how to get to him, or where he is. He will be coming soon, though. He can only tolerate incompetence for so long."