Outside, the rain continues to pour, bringing a chill to the entire interior of the shrine. Gundar moves to a firepit made of broken stone, piles in some of the wood that sits nearby, and begins to spark a fire.
"You lot know what we're doing next?" he asks as he works at coaxing the flames to life. "Or is that the job, and home again?"
Luca quietly returned to the chamber after having led Kelsa off - the woman needed some rest, and truth be told, it was probably best to have a little distance between her and, well, anyone else... but that was how it always went, wasn't it? When things were dangerous and upsetting, you wanted them far away...
"I think we're going to need to take the girl with us. Correct me if I'm wrong, Master Forgelight, but the orcs are likely to attack eventually?"
"Right. Her master should have a much better idea as to what all this is. Best pack it up and head back. Preferably before the orcs figure out Emerine's gone and decide what to do about it. Let's get started and see if Kelsa is better tomorrow." If the others agree he starts searching for boxes or scroll cases to pack up notes on magic.
"... Correct me if I'm wrong, Master Forgelight, but the orcs are likely to attack eventually?"
Gundar pauses for a moment and nods. "Aye, eventually. When they can muster up enough fighters so that they think they can beat Emerine. The shrine isn't on their land, really, but the fights they've lost to the daemon is a challenge they won't ignore. Best for us to be gone when that happens."
"With us, then. Dante, who do you think should tell her?"
"Let's wait and see how she is in the morning," he says looking up from the notes. "What are the odds she's back to normal tomorrow?"
Tyrus looks grim "That would depend on how badly and how long she was warped. Still, a good night's sleep cures many ills." His look turns to one of haunted desperation "I..." he starts, then falls quiet.
"Normal? She'll never be the same. Knowing that this can be done to you. Knowing your memories and thoughts aren't necessarily yours. Wondering what else has been left behind. Those things can haunt you forever."
He thinks "On one hand, we should ensure we are rested. On the other, this may be our best chance to study the stone."
"If all it does is help call up evil things, it should be destroyed." Luca said quietly. "Nothing good comes from bringing more monsters into the world - there are already enough people filling that role, and we don't need anything else joining them."
Fire lit, Gundar takes up a burning splinter and lights a pipe, then settles back to listen to the others talk.
The mental control seemed to strike Tyrus personally. Had he been the victim or perpetrator of a similar event? Dante wondered over that for a moment but decided against it. He would give the man the benefit of the doubt considering all they had been through.
Dante looks over at Luca, surprised to see her so vocal about something for once, even considering her personal involvement in the subject. He wondered if she was referring to herself more than she was Kelsa. Still, it was a good change. "She's right. And all of us are novice's compared to Naswel. Might as well let him deal with it."
With a combination of their own packs and some parchment and scroll cases found among the pile, the group packs away all of the notes and tomes to be found.
During the confusion, Tyrus attempts to sneakily pack the stone away amongst some nondescript and unrelated gear, hoping to keep it from Luca's attention.
Using essentially the same skills he once used to hide sweets from his children, he cleverly ensconces the stone away.
Everyone bunks down where they can, listening to the rain still pouring outside. Wrapping yourselves against the chill the weather is bringing, you sleep through the night, taking watches without incident.
When dawn comes, the rain has finally stopped, with the lingering damp in the air producing a fog that reaches even into the shrine. The group rises and notes that Kelsa is still fast asleep where you left her.
"Hmmm" remarks Tyrus, examining the comatose conjurer. "Probably better to let her sleep for now. A good meal, and water when she wakes. Tea, if you can do it."
Noting an initial lack of responsiveness as he gently checks her over, Tyrus decides to be more thorough. He finds that whatever methods of compulsion the demon was using have taken an extreme toll on Kelsa's mind and body: she is completely comatose. She may not wake up for days, and there is little that Tyrus' skills can do to help.
Dante mulls over Tyrus' diagnosis and comes to the conclusion that they can't wait wait that long. Emerine had lain down the challenge to the orcs and he really didn't want to pick it up in her stead. Thankfully they had a wagon. "Unless you deem her unfit to move, I say we move her into the wagon. Don't want to be here any longer than we need to be." He thinks a bit longer and snaips his fingers as an idea pops into his head. "Let's also hide Emerine's body. I bet the orcs will come to investigate eventually and the longer it takes them to figure out we defeated her, the longer we have to run. If I understand what you have said about them," he says looking at Gundar, "we'll be the next object of their focus if they find out we defeated her. Greater challenge and all that."
"That is a good plan, Dante. We fought, we ran, we're going for more help. Perhaps we can set up some sort of mechanism that makes it look as if there is still someone here?"
He looks sadly at the girl "We're going to need help, and soon. We might be able to drip enough water into her mouth to stave off dehydration, but she doesn't look to have many reserves."
Tyrus looks around at the pile of goods packed to take, a frown on his face.
"I-I can help take care of her... at least to the point of drinking and such..." Luca offered nervously, raising one hand a bit. It was about all she was good for - even if her companion simply dragged things along behind it (and Fluffy could drag quite a lot of stuff), she couldn't.
Over the course of the next day, with some help from the others and Gundar, Dante is able to rig up a stretcher with a pair of harnesses. It can be carried by two people or dragged by one at a pinch (resulting in a significantly rougher ride for whoever is on board). Straps make carrying it for extended periods far easier.
Tyrus tries everything he can with the materials and medicines he has at hand. Kelsa shows some signs of improvement, but remains unconscious.
Between Dante and Tyrus's work, the day otherwise passes uneventfully.
Luca stayed close to Tyrus throughout the day, trying to bring over anything he needed so he could focus on taking care of Kelsa. Aside from that, there honestly wasn't too much she needed to do.
"She's getting better - perhaps we should stay a few more days..." Tyrus doesn't sound at all certain.
Dante agrees to wait another day in the hopes that Kelsa will wake up.
Despite her improved color and other vitals, Kelsa remains in her deep sleep, responding to neither touch nor noise.
Gundar suggests that the group leave in the dark, in the hopes anything watching will be less alert then. Tyrus rigs up a simple ruse with a light visible from the outside, burning in the ruined tower.
"We've got one more choice to make," Gundar says. "We came here by the shortest path, which led over the orc land but also through Vimmel. All in all, the best balance of risk and speed. Now as we're slowed down with lugging your sorcerer friend about like a cask of ale, though, we might want to think about avoiding orc-country altogether and heading east." Gundar sucks on his pipe for a moment. "It's much harder land, slower going. Doubly so carrying the stretcher. But at least we're not likely to be attacked. Thing is, you lot seem pretty capable in a fight - hell of a lot more than I suspected, really. So what do you think? Take the faster route and risk the orcs, or head east and take our time? Suppose there's a risk of running out of rations that way, but I'm pretty handy at keeping folks fed..."
"Take our time." Luca said quietly. "We might be a bit hungry by the time we get back to town, but we shouldn't go looking for a fight. We're not storybook heroes, and taking care of her won't do any good if she just gets murdered by orcs on the way back."
"You're the guide. You got us here in one piece. I trust you to get us back in one piece."
Tyrus looks torn "Well, we'll have to be careful. Kelsa is sensitive to privation right now... but I suppose that that is to be preferred to Orcs. We'll need to do a proper camp each night - and I'm afraid I'm not sure how useful I will be. When the kids and I went camping, we always took food with us."
"We've got two weeks of rations left, near enough. Might take more than that to get back, but I can do some hunting. I think we'll get by. East it is, then. Best make sure everything is ready to go - we'll set out a bit after sundown."
"Very well. Dante - was there anything you wanted to study from my book, or the other one?"
"Gundar - is it worth starting the hunting now? Meanwhile I think I'll try to boil some of the grain and jerky down into gruel, see what I can get into Kelsa."
Luca quietly nodded, getting out the tools for cooking. She wasn't very experienced at making meals, but at the very least, she could follow directions and do what she could to help.
"Well obviously," Dante responds to Tyrus. The more spells the more options.
"Not sure I want to hunt in the area with the threat of orcs about. We'll have plenty of time for it when we're clear of the area."
The sun sets. Tyrus arranges his ruse in a visible point in the tower, and Gundar leads you out the door with some tips on how to leave the area unseen and undisturbed, even while carrying Kelsa on her stretcher. He then takes up the rear to erase what signs he can.
Tyrus and Dante do stumble about a bit in the darkness, but before long Gundar removes a shielded lantern from his pack and produces a weak light that helps show the way. He leads you east for several hours, moving cautiously in the dark, until you reach a secluded copse of trees.
"We'll rest here for a bit, at least until daylight. Not much use trying to make it farther in the dark," Gundar announces. "After a couple day's travel I'll be confident we're safe from the orcs."
"I think I twisted my ankle" Tyrus complains - quietly - as they sneak out in the dark.
Over the three days - and on the last in particular - Luca was not doing especially well with the marching. This... probably wasn't much of a surprise, when you thought about it. The small army of eldritch minions was a good distraction, but at the core of it, she was a weak, unhealthy young girl...
Over the next few days, Gundar grumbles about not making good time as the group stumbles along, occasionally stopping to let Tyrus and Luca rest. "Hoping you folks just need to get used to travel again," he mentions one night over the fire.
On the fourth morning he returns from another of his scouting trips, checking the path behind. "A spot of good news: it looks like the orcs were either fooled enough or content to leave us be. Haven't seen any sign of pursuit. But we should still be pressing on! Still a long way to go."
After the rocky start, the group picks up speed. Even carrying Kelsa - still unconscious. Each morning Tyrus tends her, but while she shows no sign of worsening she also shows no sign of waking. Midway through the sixth day you enter a light wooded area. The terrain rises in the north, but Gundar leads you through firm, level ground, avoiding the most heavily forested parts.
"We'll stop for a day here," Gundar says. "I'll try and hunt for some game, and some of you can forage around for berries and the like. This is a rich area, we should have some luck."
You've seen some interesting signs in the area, signs which might indicate the presence of magical herbs. Could be worth a look around.
As they entered the woods, Luca's head kept tracking around to the north, and she often paused for a few seconds to simply stare in that direction before continuing, looking rather perturbed by... something. It wasn't clear what, and even she didn't seem to know why she kept looking there, but it was far too consistent to be a coincidence.
"Rest sounds wonderful. Perhaps even a proper roof." Tyrus sighed wistfully.
"We need to make sure someone is with Kelsa at all times. While my berry-foraging skills are subpar, I did think I saw some signs of magical flora. I'd like to investigate it - I know at least one researcher was combing this area for supernal herbs." He strokes his round chin "Hmm - I might even be able to find a stimulant to help with Kelsa, if we can find the right supplies."