Rashemen IV

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Nakia and Perim soon arrived at the Grove, greeted Sepp, Grandma Chrys and the others then wandered off to the side where they sat talking while waiting for the others.

Kongol arrived and joined Sepp and the Druids. He was moving very carefully and being very quiet. He soon found himself with a crown of children around and on him.

 

Ciana wandered deep in the woods trying to absorb some of the calm into herself, that feeling of solidity and deep serenity that all earth power seemed to hold. It didn't seem to be working, she felt unsettled, unbalanced within herself as if something dark was trying to surface. She wasn't sure whether it was having being so close to death or something else that was causing the uneasiness. While she played or sang there wasn't a problem, but she couldn't do that all the time. Oh well perhaps it would settle down with time she thought, as she moved back to join the others; she could have sworn that she heard the sound of dark, sinister laughter in the distance.

 

Kelvados leapt out of sleep, he felt he was surrounded. His head swam and he fumbled with his swords, his eyes saw nothing but he felt it. Like a plague that festers, like death crawling across, an open wound diseased and poisoned. He stumbled about and swung his swords, he hit something. He felt the crunch of bones and the death squeals, his vision rolled. Everything was ab blurr, he only felt the need to lash out. Death surrounded him, agony, destruction, it grasped him clamy fingers. He tugged his sword, but it was stuck in his victim. He laft it there, and turned and ran, death, destruction, loss. They were quick and followed him, their fingers ripped his face. Their apendages tripped him. He ran into there hard steady bodies, rough like tree bark. He ran, he ran, until he crashed into, not death, but a being. He lay on the ground panting, his vision came back to him. He ran from trees, their branches scratched him, their roots tripped him, and their mighty trunks heeded his flight. Fear consumed him, what did he kill? Did some innocent die for his paranoia? Forgetting about the figure he crashed into he ran back, he ducked the branches, and missed the roots. Bursting back into the meadow, he saw his sword. It was embedded in a tree, pinned to the tree was an innocent little tree squirrel. Kelvados roared in anguish, and fell to his knees, sobbing.

"I'm crazy, I'm crazy." He panted, he repeated it, while he sobbed. Something else inside him, that wasn't him, but it used his voice.

"Fool, you are crazy! I am the real Kelvados, I am the one that kept you alive. Go back to the subconciousness and rot!" A massive headache pierced into Kelvados' mind. He replied, gasping in pain.

"YOU are a monster, leave now! I don't need you!"

"What?" The monster cackled, "ofcourse you need me, without me you'd DIE!"

"Not anymore, leave now and never come back!"

"NO!"

"LEAVE NOW, and NEVER COME BACK!"

Silence replied, Kelvados sighed and fell. He panted, on the ground. He shook his head, and vowed never to let the monster come back. He blacked out.

The same woods, that became familar in his dreams surrounded him yet again.

"Congratulations, Kelvados Kin Slayer. You are no longer the monster, live in peace." The same elf told him, as he stepped from bgind a tree. "And Kelvados remember, let love in."

 

Ciana picked herself up after Kelvados had knocked her over and then run away, she ran after him; she watched him seemingly struggle with himself and then fall unconcious. She pulled the sword from the tree, then gave the poor squirrel a decent burial. Picking up both swords she cleaned and then sheathed them for him. She sat with her back to a tree and cradled his head in her lap, her hand absently stroking his hair.

"Oh Kel, my beautiful Kel, why must things be so hard for you" she whispered wistfully as she gazed round the forest. Here was her peace, she felt calmer now than any time since she had woken after being returned. She looked down only to see his puzzled frown as he looked at her.

"Hi," she smiled at him "how are you feeling now? You knocked me over and I followed you, whatever happened here is yours and yours alone, I shall never mention it. If you areready we should join the others."

 

Kelvados scrambled up, he unconciously checked his weapons and they were there and sheathed. His composure returned and he nodded. He turned and walked back. His mind was too troubled for him to thank her, or even wait for her. Maners were never the Drow's best quality. He walked back into camp and noticed everyone was packed and ready.

"I am ready, I carry what I need." Kelvados told Sepp, actually he only carried a satchel full of herbs, and a pouch with the tree's flower. But he felt that was all he needed, his mind was free. He would not burden his body with trival nescessities.

 

Delinos awoke as the song playing girl ended her tune. The song still resonating in his head, he stood, stretching his sleep away. Seeing the others gathering in the grove, he grabbed all of his things and turned to walk, but he felt something pulling at him. It was the little girl. He looked down into her large eyes and smiled.

"Young girl, may I ask your name?"

The girl smiled a toothy grin, her green eyes twinkling.

"Are you from here, or are you lost?"

The girl's smile faded, and she nodded. Her eyes darted around the grove, avoiding contact with Delinos'.

He smiled again and crouched beside her, "I loved your song, lotha linath ligrr. Did you write it?"

Her smile returned, and she blushed, shuffling her feet and looking at the ground. Delinos thought he heard a small 'thank you', but wasn't sure. She nodded.

"Well, if we are to become friends, I need to know your name. Is it Rosie, like you mentioned in the song?"

At the mention of her name, Rosie perked up and beamed at him. She nodded rigorously, her messy red hair dancing around.

"You're not from here, are you Rosie?"

Her smile again faded a little, but still remained. She looked around, then nodded. She pointed into the forest. Delinos noticed, as other children ran by, that Rosie was much different. Her head was larger in comparison to her body, and her limbs were very thin. Her eyes were the main point of her face, and they were big for such a small girl. The ears of the girl were different from that of a halfling, and her crazy red hair poked out here and there, and was tucked behind her ears.

"So, you're from the forest, or from beyond the forest?" She nodded again, and pursed her lips. She indicated with her hands that she was from very far away. "Well, Rosie, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to get to my friends. I might be leaving soon. It was nice meeting you! And thanks for the song!"

He turned to leave, but her prescence caused him to turn back to her. A few small tears fell from her eyes, and finally she spoke, in a small, frail voice, much like her singing, "Don't go dark-friend."

He was taken aback at her voice, and then smiled. "Rosie, I really would love to stay, but I have to go." She shook her head. "Well... do you want to come with me?" She opened her mouth in surprise and jumped towards him. Rosie leapt into his arms and onto his shoulder. A bit taller than his head, she looked around at her new vantage point. He walked and she swung her little feet back and forth.

When he arrived with the others, she jumped down and sat in front of his feet. "Uh, everyone? This is Rosie!" She grinned, her large eyes turning into slits as she waved quickly.

 

"Delinos," Kelvados said, he had stopped calling him Brother. "Where ever we go, we are attacked. I do not think that is very good for a... child." Kelvados stammered as the young girl pulled on his fingers, and gave the most charming smile. Kelvados melted in the smile, he knew he must have gone soft with the loss of the monster. But she was too cute, he hoisted her up to look her in the eye.

"Well look at you! Arn't you the cutest little thing, I am Kelvados." And then he made a funny face, she squealed with laughter and hugged his face.

"Kelly!" She happily said, "Unky Kelly!"

He smiled as she hugged him. He stopped for a second and grinned. "That's right darlin', you can call me Unky Kelly." He felt better, he like felt a new man. He let the little girl down, and smiled again. He was doing a lot of smiling, and he couldn't be happier. He was new, he was Unky Kelly!

 

Delinos smiled as Rosie went to play with Nakia. "Kelvados, I don't believe Rosie is a child! Or, not of any type we know of. She is no halfling, nor human or elf. And she is magical, I can tell." He beamed, "Unky Kelly.. suits you!" Kelvados punched him in the arm, and he grinned.

 

Ciana strode into the grove picked up her bow and bag, and then looked st the others "Come on then, let's go" sshe huffed out irritably.

 

"I agree" Jex said stepping out from the trees. "The only way I'll find Gruntak is on the move, and the dwarves might know something about him."

 

"Gruntak? Who's Gruntak? why are you looking for Gruntak? Is he that important to find, or is it some test of strength?" Kelvados inquired, he felt a bit bitter for some reason. He was annoyed with Jex's need for dominance, and power.

 

Rosie sat and watched the banter, picking at her teeth. She snuffled a few times, then sneezed. At the mention of Gruntak, she cocked her head.

"Gruntak?" She quietly asked. "Is big ugly, yes? Know him I do." Her voice was again small and frail, but had an urgency behind it.

 

"Gruntak is the ogre who leads the hobgoblins around here. If you want to view it as a test of strength thats fine. But I'll view it as doing a favor for friends." Jex said to Kelvados.

"I don't need to test my strength. I don't fight for the glory of it, or power. It's a necessity of chosen path and with the havoc and evil that Gruntak brings with him, I believe it is necessary to kill him."

Leaning in close to Kelvados he whispered "Remember full blood, I'm not like most drow, I don't crave power. I would have died along time ago if I did."

 

Atten sighed and went over to the halfling druids again. He had been annoyed by Sheela's words. Who was she to think she was so big?

Anyway, there was still work to be done in restoring harmony and it appeared that he would soon be departing with the others.

"Look" he said to the druids "It's simple. It's all very well to be so good at tending the earth, but you also need to spend more time just listening to it. Try closing your eyes and feeling the living force flowing through and around you. Then, when you are ready, you will find you can manipulate that force in subtle ways. If you do that, in conjunction with your skilled tending, you should have this place restored in no time."

When Atten had finished his speech, he was a little surprised at himself. He actually sounded a bit knowledgeable. Maybe he HAD learnt something on these travels.

He then went back to Sepp, to see what was going to happen next.

 

"Why is you want to kill him, really? Voice says that it's for friends, but heart says different." Her voice had strangely strengthened, and did not shake.

 

"What does my heart say little one. Unless you know something different my heart lies with my friends and loved ones. So yes, my heart and voice agree." Jex said looking at the childlike figure.

 

Rosie blinked a few times, apparently in thought. She shrugged her little shoulders and continued, "I'm not sure grey-one. Your insides are churning, or so it seems. Perhaps indigestion?" She shuffled her feet in the dirt and licked her lips. "Trust me, something is amiss."

Rosie retreated to the safety of Day-Day, what she called Delinos, and sat on his feet.

 

After everyone was finished with lunch, Nakia’s father stepped up on a rock and called for silence. “We wish that our daughter and her friends could stay with us longer, but we know that the Guardian must be on his way. We hope that you will soon return to us. All of you will always have a home here, as you have our eternal thanks.”

Gramma Chrys also rose. “For me, this will be a goodbye, at least for this world. I was privileged to be allowed to meet all of you. May the Mother and Maiden bless you all, always.”

Sepp jumped up onto the stone as the chief jumped down. “I never knew I had so much family until recently. I am happy to have met you all. I only wish I could have met those who fell before we arrived. It was a terrible price that you all paid on that day, a toll that I would take from you, if I could, and I believe I can. This I vow to you, as Guardian of the Eye, you will pay no more to keep the Eye from Ole One Eye, or should I say, No Eye, now?” That brought a round of laughter. “We are leaving now, hopefully to successfully deal with the Eye. If we come back, I mean, when we come back, do not ask any of us what happened to it. If you truly do not know, those who come asking about it, as some surely will, will understand that you have no information to give, and hopefully will leave you all in peace. Goodbye, for now.”

He brought for the Eye from the pouch he held it in, taking it out of the protective metal sack and holding it to the sky with both hands. A strong gust of wind came down and started whirling around the center of the grove, where the central standing stone had stood. A good amount of desert sand and dust had been deposited there when the companions arrived, and now it was picked up into the whirlwind.

“My friends,” Sepp said to the companions, “You pledged your life to me when you came here. Rosy, you are welcome to join us, but know that our path is perilous. The task is not yet complete, and I still have need of your aid. Know that I do not take your lives into my hands lightly. I will guard you with the same care that I guard myself.”

“Oh great,” Atten quipped to anyone who would listen. “We all know how well Sepp takes care of himself, say goodbye to your fingers and toes, and other favorite appendages. And we’re all flesh and blood!”

Nakia gave a nasty glance towards Atten, but before she could scold him there was a huge whooshing sound, and all the companions were turned to dust and sucked into the whirlwind.

A moment later they were back in the cave in the desert. The dragon’s corpse had sprouted a nice crop of mushrooms, despite the dry air. The scent wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t completely nauseous.

When everyone was reassembled out of the dust, Sepp addressed them. “I have a plan for the Eye. When I die, I’m going to attempt to take it to the Earth’s Heart, and join with my mother and the others there. In the discussions I had with Gramma Chrys, we figured that that was the best chance we have to keep it away from Gruumsh and other ill doers for good. But I’m not ready to die just yet, so for now I’m going to hide it in my chest cavity, where my left lung usually is, and we’re going to try and confuse Gruumsh as to what actually happens here. I’m going to need all of your help. It will surely be an exhausting endeavor, possibly to the point of death, and I will be drawing on all your life forces to aid me. I hope it does not come to that, but if it does, so be it. I promise I will use your energy no more than I use mine. Each of you will have a task, or several tasks, in this project, but first, through the Power of the Eye, I geas all of you.”

“You may never tell the truth about what happens here with the Eye, except when discussing matters pertaining to it with members of this group here. You may, however, and in fact are encouraged to, tell all manner of tales about what happened with the Eye, even with yourself as the hero of the story, so long as they serve to confuse and obscure the truth.”

“Now, I will be going to the surface for a little while. It will be quite inhospitable up there to anyone not made of stone, so I suggest you all stay down here and get some rest for our upcoming ordeal. Ciana, I have a commission for you. I need you to create four songs, they don’t have to be epics like the one about the battle, short little ditties or jigs will do, whatever the muse inspires you to.”

“Each song will start with a verse saying something like, ‘Do you know what happened to the Eye of Gruumsh after the Battle of the Grove and Burrow? Well, I do, I was there, and this is what happened…’”

“In the first song the warriors of our group will fight the Eye, after it spouts a new body and attacks us. There can be verses about each of our warriors, and maybe after defeating it they all argue about whose blow killed it, Jex’s scimitar, Kelvados’ blades, Kongol’s axe, Del’s arrows, and so on.”

“In the second song, mention the first song, and say how that couldn’t be right, because the Eye couldn’t be destroyed by weapons, only magic. Then, all the spell caster’s in our group cast tremendous battle spells and blew the Eye to millions of tiny pieces, which then scattered to the four quarters. Again, everyone can argue about whose spell destroyed the Eye.”

“For the third song, tell about how Sepp used the Eye to create the volcano in the desert, hoping to repeat his and Atten’s success in dealing with the Heart of the Earth. But then when the time came to throw it in the volcano, Sepp claimed the Eye for himself, squishing it down to his size, to replace his eye that had been put out by the shard of Gruumsh’s spear point. Have me say in one verse, ‘An eye for an eye is only fair.’ When Atten tried to convince me to pitch the Eye in the pit, I said that he’s just jealous of my power, and that my wild form of an earth elemental is more powerful than his of a tree squirrel. Then he turned into a tree squirrel, ran up my arm and bit my little finger off, then pushed the Eye into the volcano, proving that he is the wiser and more balanced druid. Have it end with something saying like, the truth to this story is easy to see, just look at Sepp’s hand and it’s missing finger.”

“In the fourth song, shortly recap all the versions of the story that the first three songs tell, and then say that they’re all wrong, because the Eye became a farmer. Tell how its time living with the halflings influenced it to see that destruction and death were the wrong way to live life, with the earth being so abundant. So after it created a volcano in the desert, then it created a great oasis and went north, searching for orcs to teach how to be farmers.”

“Okay, I’ll be gone for a while now.” Sepp hugged the Eye tightly, drawing a surge of raw power from it, then lunged a fist up at the ceiling of the cavern. With a cracking roar a tunnel to the surface cracked open. Sepp clambered up to the surface of the desert. It was a blistering hot day, with no wind or breeze. With the power of the Eye, he searched the atmosphere, and found what he was looking for.

Four sandstorms were blowing across the vast desert. He shifted to stone, then let the Eye exude its power and grab the storms and pull them to him. Before long he was at the center of the worst sandstorm in history. Planting the Staff of the Tree in the sand, he call lightning bolts out of the storm, through the Staff and into the earth. Thus he channeled all the power of the four storms into the earth. The tip of the Staff started to burn, then turned charcoal black. Sepp continued to pour the might of the North, South, East and West winds, each of whom had been leading one of the original storms, into the Staff and deep into the ground.

Sepp was feeling the omnipotence of a god, with the Eye fully flowing through him. It was a good thing too, because he had a lot he wanted to accomplish. He brought a surge of magma up through the bedrock, and soon a sizeable volcano was spewing a little lava and a lot of ash into the sky. At the same time, part of his mind was searching through the magma for useful items, and another was having the storms deposit the dust and dirt and seeds that they carried at the base of the volcano.

In what seemed to Sepp a short time, but according to the position of the sun was almost the whole day. Sepp had done what he wanted. A small volcano had sprung into existence, with a nice layer of fertile ash and dirt all around it. Something in his hand glinted in the setting sun. It was the tip of the Staff. The charcoal had turned into a small diamond with all the intense pressure and power going through it. It was also stuck into the ground, and had grown a little as well. Carefully, Sepp pried the original part of the Staff free, and found to his satisfaction that it had sprouted a new tree. Water flowed out from the base of the tree. Sepp followed the roots of the tree into the ground with his senses and found that they went deep, to an underground lake, pressure sending a slow stream of water up to the surface. He hadn’t foreseen that, but was pleased.

The four winds that had been the storms waited at the top of the volcano, playing in the plume of smoke that came out of it. Sepp instructed them to stay there and wait for Ciana. Then he went back down the tunnel to the cavern.
“Follow me,” he told the companions, leading them to the collapsed tunnel. He pointed a finger at it and the rubble turned to rock dust. He went through the tunnel, in the room leading out to the desert a lava tube had passed through. It was still steaming hot, but he took everyone down it to a large circular room that seemed to have been made out of bubble of gas growing in a glob of molten metal. “Just as I hoped it would be,” Sepp said. Along one side were five small pools of lava.

“Kelvados or Delinos, I need to borrow that stone that protects you from magical scrying. Nakia, I need to borrow your philosophers stone.” When he had them both, he attuned Nakia’s stone to the brothers, then touched the metallic wall of the bubble room with Nakia’s, turning the entire room into an anti-scrying shield.

“Hopefully we’ll have a little privacy here. Kelvados, get out your sharpest blade, healers, get me some bandages. Everyone else, listen up, here are your orders.” Sepp went over to one of the lava pools and fished a few things out. A large purple gem, and several huge nuggets of a light metal. He smacked the metal with both hands, turning it to powder, which he put in four large buckets that he took out of his bag of holding.”

“Ciana, when I’m done here, go outside and find the North, South, East and West winds. Give each of them a bucket of this metal, whose main magical quality seems to be that it radiates great magic. Teach each one of the Winds one of your songs. They will carry the songs and sing them in the ears of bards and minstrels wherever they go, and the lying will begin. They will also scatter the magic dust to the four quarters, giving credence to the story of the magic users destroying the Eye.”

Sepp brought the strange gem to Jex. “This is an empty soul gem. While I was making the volcano, I felt the presence of a servant of Gruumsh there. I believe it is a fairly major demon, whom Gruumsh has sent to the bottom of the volcano to intercept the Eye as we drop it there. I want you to kill that demon and entrap his soul in the gem. It will have to be done quickly, I don’t want him to get word to Gruumsh or be able to gate in any help. I want Gruumsh to suspect that the demon has taken the Eye for himself, or maybe double crossed him and gone to Lloth or some other god with it. The way down to the bottom is rough, but you ought to be able to handle it with some ropes. I’ve got several in this bag here. Chose a small team, or go alone, but stealth and speed are paramount here.”

“Warriors, go with Jex if he chooses you, or stay here and guard us from whatever may come. Spell casters, when we are finished, go to the surface and make as much magical mayhem and destruction as you can.”

"Atten, I want you to go out to the Tree, and help it make the oasis something that would make even Gruumsh think that maybe the Eye did in fact become a farmer. Do it up grand."

Sepp went to Nakia and Perim and spoke quietly. “Cousin, the worst task is to be yours. I believe that once the Eye figures out what I intend to do with it, it will start to resist, actively. I hope that we all together will have the strength to prevail, but if we don’t, I still want to have enough power to get it back in the sack and figure out something different to do with it. I know I will be working at close to my breaking limit, and I need you to be the trip wire. I’ll draw more from you than from the others. You need to stay conscious, regardless of how painful it is. If you pass out, I’ll know we’re close to the brink, and will try to pull back.”

“You’re asking her to be the canary in the mine! To risk death for you! You can’t do that again! I won’t allow it!” Perim burst out.

Nakia held up her hand, “It’s okay, Perim. It needs to be done.” Looking in Sepp’s eyes she said, “I’ll do it.”

“Okay everyone, I think we’re ready to start this crazy process.” Sepp said.

“For once he says something lucid,” Atten interjected.

Sepp lifted his chain vest off and took his shirt off. “Kelvados, I want you to carve out my lower left rib here. Healers, keep enough healing spells going into me that I don’t pass out.” He put the Staff between his teeth and clinched down. Everyone looked at him with a look that asked, “Are you crazy?” But they all knew the answer already, and the look in his eye brooked no disagreement.

He grunted as Kelvados quickly and expertly worked with his blade. As soon as the rib was out, he shifted, but to clay this time, not stone.

“Goodness, that was painful, but I needed the rib as bone, not stone.” He reached into his chest with a hand, and pulled out a mass of pure white clay. “Wish all surgery could be done on a clay patient, it would make it so much easier.” He examined the lump of white clay, about as big as his fists.

“This is my Goodness. Let’s hope it’s enough to cover the Eye so it’s not always tainting and tempting me, and have a bit left over to put back in me.”

He spread the white clay all over the Eye, then held it over a lava pool to bake hard. When he was finished, he did have a little bit left over, about as big as a walnut, which he put back next to his heart. The next step was to put the Eye in the metal sack, to protect himself from it. Then he dipped the whole thing in another pool, this one of molten lead. It cooled off soon enough, and he touched it with the Nakia’s stone, turning it to the brother’s scry proof metal. Lastly, he took his rib, and used its material to completely cover the now thrice enwrapped Eye.

“So far so good,” he said. “Now comes the hard part, everyone get ready.” He opened up his chest and put the wrapped Eye in where his left lung would normally go. Then he shifted back to flesh and bone.

He gasped for breath, “Well, good thing I’ve still got one lung, but now I know why we have two.” Then his body started to shake. “It’s trying to break out! Brace yourselves!”

Kongol sat down and hugged Sepp to his chest. The world started to rumble and shake. Sepp drew on everyone’s power, but his own and Nakia’s most of all. He wanted Jex and the fighters to have enough energy to accomplish their tasks afterwards.

Nakia’s face was beet red, then blood started pouring out her nose and eyes. Still the Eye struggled to break free. When blood started coming out of Nakia’s eyes, Perim could take it no more.

“Stop it!” he screamed in Sepp’s face. “You’re killing her!”

“Just a few seconds more!” he groaned, it’s almost done.

“Aaaiee!” Nakia screamed, and passed out.

“There!” Sepp yelled triumphantly, as he stopped shaking.

“My love, come back to me!” Perim cried, holding the still Nakia in his arms.

Sepp crawled out of Kongol’s lap to his cousin, pushing Perim out of the way. He had been holding one last small breath of the Eye’s power in his one lung. He put his mouth on Nakia’s and blew it into her lungs, and she breathed again.

Her eyes asked him a wordless question.

“Yes, dear cousin, we did it.” Sepp replied.

“Now, all you others, you have your tasks. Go to them, with all our blessings.”

 

Jex nodded. "Anyone interested in joining me on a trek to the bottom of a volcano to fight a powerful demon?"

 

Daie looked to Maron, and whispered a few words in her ear. SHe grabbed hold of the front of his tunic, and pulled him to her, her eyes pleading, but he gently broke her grip and turned to Jex.

'I'll help you,friend.'

Looking back to Maron, he laid a hand on her shoulder, and kissed her cheek.

'I'll be back before you know it, my darling.'