"I see." Drago replied before taking another sip of wine. Then something caught his eye. Turning to Skaar, the Dhampir asked, "That is a rather fine mace you have there my friend. Did you aquire that the same time you picked up your companion?"
Skaar pauses and belches loudly before picking a bit of fish from his teeth. "After. A good man had to die, but I picked it up in Brassport", he grunts.
"I saw a lotta s+%% out there Drago. I'm glad I made the trip but it wasn't easy."
"I'm certain you handled yourself fine." Noticing someone behind the Orc, Drago said, "Uh Skaar...."
Sneaking up behind the Orc, Corda put her arms around him and said, "Well you certainly made it look easy, sweetie." Then kissed him on the cheek. "I have some good news. There is a building availble for me to setup an herbalism shop. Since you're going to be away for periods of time, I figured it would keep me busy." Leaning in closer, she whispered in his ear. Afterwards she let out a mischievous giggle.
Sādhanā felt a sensation that was becoming familiar, the deep sense of accomplishment and purpose that came with destroying another of the shards, yet this time it came with a sense of dread.
Not only was there a risk of releasing the worst thing to have terrorized the land thousands of years ago, but the distortion of time could have had dire effects on everyone else outside.
On Clara.
"We need to get out of here before this place comes crumbling down around us."
Skaar grunts in surprise and then chuckles as Corda approaches. He firmly squeezes her rear end with a massive paw as she shares the good news. ”Herbalism, eh? Sounds good. What about your Pa? Is he gunna help you out?”
Slight disappointment briefly crossed her face at Skaar's reply. Then answering his question, "Herbs......are not really his forte. He'll most likely be apart of the fishing fleet." Taking the Orc's hand, she continued, "You want to come and see it?"
”Sure thing Wildcat.”
Grabbing one last flaky chunk of fish, Skaar stands and excuses himself. ”I’ll catch up with you in a bit. The girl’s gunna show me a space she’s picked out.”
"Would you mind if I came along? I'd like to get an idea of this new shop, and if we pass by any spots of interest, I could point them out for you."
Many salves will be needed in the days ahead.
"Fine by me", the big orc answers with a shrug.
Guiding Skaar and Harakhty to the open building, while hanging on to the Orc's arm, Corda asked the Vanara, "So, what brought you to this place?"
"A boat," mentioned the vanara, matter-of-factly. "Captained by a man valuing revenge above much. But it is pride that will drive the forces that be against us here."
"Very evasive, lil' `Nara, but what caused you to seek out this forsaken place." Corda replied with a mischievous grin.
Leaving the fortress proves to be easier than your entrance, as some of the water seems to have dried up in the short while that you have been inside. The bright light of midday shines upon your faces as you step back out into the swamp. You easily find your path and makes your way back to Malwen. Upon your approach to the village, the guards at the gate give you a curious look and ask you to wait. Zeph, the aasimar, comes to the gate and also gives you a curious look.
"Why have you returned after a month?"
"What?! We were gone for a couple of days!" Sādhanā says incredulously.
"Looks like you may have been right Sādhanā, time was altered." Alethiro said while giving a sidelong look at Arista. How is she going to do being displaced in time again?
Arista looks at Zeph, she shakes her head in disbelief.
"A month?! Are you sure? There were things...we had to deal with. I was needing to speak with you, if it's alright and you have the time. I'm sorry we were gone for so long, it didn't seem that way to us. I just...."
Feeling at a loss for words she looks at Alethiro and then back at Zeph.
"I wish I wasn't." Sādhanā replies concerned. "A lot could have happened in a month."
"Much has already happened, and there is yet more to come. I feel as if I'm trying to pull thoughts and memories together, but they are all swimming around in my mind. I knew the voice, the second one we heard. There are things surrounding it that have to do with the shards that we've been destroying with Sadhana. I just need a moment to try and put it all together. Zeph, if it's alright with you, may we enter back into the village? We all need to have a sit down and I think I could do with a bit of drink....there is much to discus."
As they walked, Harakhty gave the witch a sterner look. "Its forsakenness. I must cleanse the land to be reunited with my tribe." Why so acute with her questioning? Usually, that was Harakhty's approach.
Zeph opens that gate for you, looking at you with obvious concern. "Of course, you are welcome here. Please rest and we can talk. You may use the caves as before. I will be at the dining hall."
Umina is standing at the entrance of the caves. "Quite an uproar you caused, coming back after all this time. We feared you were dead."
The Anizari's eyes drift to Sādhanā, before she draws her sword, placing the flat of the blade against Marcus' forehead. The young man's color improves and he stands on his own two feet again. Umina sheathes her sword and heads back to her smithy.
Arista is quiet as she passes by Umina and goes into the caves. She goes to one of the nearby cots and sits down, depositing her things at her feet. She pulls out the carefully wrapped item that Zeph had given to her before they ended up leaving the village and lays it on her lap. Weary from everything they've been through she simply slouches on the cot and covers her face with her hands and sits for a little while. What does all of this mean? How could we have been gone for so long? How did Zeph come to have this? There is so much yet to uncover, and yet such little time. She sighs as she sits up on the cot holding the package to her breast. I will find out what happened to you brother, I swear it. After dusting herself off she takes the package and walks to the others.
"I think I'm going to head over to the dining hall to see Zeph. Once the rest of you have deposited your things could you join me over there? I really need to talk to all of you together, but I just need a few moments with Zeph before we get into everything else. I'll see you all later?"
She gives them a friendly wave as she walks towards the dining hall.
Harakhty leads Corda over to some cluster of plants that resembled those Hasina used to pluck for remedies. "I confess I don't know the names of all these. Hopefully they will be of use to you though."
"No, but your friends left a couple weeks ago," Umina answers. "We couldn't do anything for the elf here, so the vanara and the oread took him to your fort."
The gnome takes measured steps, glancing at Drago slightly. He didn't look as depressed as he was when they traveled together. Perhaps it was seeing his friends again.
Perhaps she came to him...
She waved the thought away. There was business to take care of. She walked up behind Corda and cleared her throat.
"So, you're the herbalist here?" Ylrhea asks, confidently.
Arista walks to the dining hall and goes inside. She looks around for a moment before spotting Zeph at a nearby table. As she walks over to his table she motions for one of the bar maids to come over and sits across from the other Aasimar. Once she places her drink order with the bar maid Arista sets the carefully wrapped package on the table and looks at Zeph as she reveals the broken sword within the cloth.
"I was wanting to ask you a few questions about this particular weapon. You gave it specifically to me, so I can only assume that you knew it was my brother's sword. What I would like to know is exactly how you came to have it and if you knew my brother, or someone else that knew him. You have been very kind to my friends and I and I appreciate all the things you have done for me, but I would really like to have some answers now. That is if you have them to give."
She tries to remain strong as she talks about her brother's sword, but the inflection in her voice gives away her true emotions. She looks at Zeph with something akin to pleading in her eyes, her pain very evident in her body language and appearance. It's all my fault he went missing in the first place.
Zeph sips his tea and folds his hands. "I'll tell you what I know. After your brother left to find you, Lansing sent out a group of hunters to find him. All they found was that broken sword of his. They found some tracks leading north, but they were stopped at the Rimespire Mountains. Whatever happened to him is unknown and more answers may be in those forsaken mountains..."
Arista just nods her head and thinks for a couple of minutes. She had been sipping on her drink while listening to Zeph. Finally she looks up and tries to give him a half smile.
"I thank you for being able to tell me at least that much. Alas, I'm afraid I won't be able to go looking for more answers about this until more pressing matters are handled first. There are many things going on in this land that should not be, and some things that are unavoidable. I know we are going to have to be leaving soon to go back to the fort. I'm trying to decide if I need to speak to my companions before we leave, or if I should just wait until we get back to the fort so I can tell everyone at the same time."
She shakes her head and finishes the rest of her drink. She looks back at Zeph and puts a hand on top of his.
"I really do thank you for everything you've done for me. It means a great deal to have even a piece of his weapon with me. I am hoping that I will have time to see my family here at least one more time before we have to leave again. I have no idea how long it will be before I can come back here again and resume my hunt for information about my brother. I know it's unlikely that I'll ever get to see him again, but I would at least like to know what happened to him. If only he hadn't gone off on his own to look for me...."
She sits there for a few minutes looking around the rest of the hall. She grows pretty quiet for a while.
"Well, I'm not sure how long it will be before my other companions arrive here, or how many will show up. I guess another drink while I wait wouldn't hurt. Would you like some more tea?"
She calls over another bar maid and places another order for herself as well as Zeph, if he so wishes. While the bar maid goes off to get the drinks, Arista tenderly picks up her brother's broken sword and wraps it up in the cloth it was in and waits for her friends and her drink.
Trying to shake off the eerie feeling that came with the time displacement, Sādhanā heads into the smithy to speak with Umina.
”Time flowed differently there, it felt like we left here no more that 2 days ago.”she said to the other woman, shaking her head.
The young Witch accepted the herbs from Harakhty and looked a little closer at them, "Well, these particular ones wouldn't do well for potions, like healing, but...." She gives Skaar a sidelong glance, "They're good for something else."
When the red-headed Gnome appeared, Corda answered, "Why yes I am. Do you need something?"
After stowing away his gear, Alethiro headed for the dining hall. On his way there, his thoughts began to wander. She's been displaced in time twice now. I can't even imagine what she must be feeling right now. Although, I can sympathize how she feels that she lost a sibling, not knowing his exact fate must be terribly difficult. The Cleric's thoughts went on like that for several minutes, causing his pace to slow considerably. When he finally reached the hall and entered, Arista was ordering a drink and sitting next to Zeph. Not knowing if she was done talking to him or not, the Elf went to the serving counter and ordered a glass of wine.
While his companions left to see the young woman's prospective shop, the Dhampir turned to Nicatha, "So my dark skinned friend, may I ask you something? It's about...... spiritual matters." As if on queue, Alexandros appeared in his head, "Really Brother? That's the best you could come up with? Just drain her now and get it over with." Not giving his Half-Brother the satisfaction, Drago waited for Nicatha's response.
"Yes, I do actually. I'm Ylrhea of the Green Circle," Ylrhea answers Corda. "A friend of ours is not doing well, I was wondering if you could take a look at him and see if you can figure out what ails him."
Umina nods understandingly at Sādhanā. "So what was causing that distortion?"
***
Zeph smiles at Arista. "I wish I could give you more. But what I really wish for is this land to be better. Perhaps that sword can aid you, maybe not. We are, for better or worse, rooted in our history. It defines us and our course in life. It strengthens us, but we are unprepared for the unexpected. You are without a piece of history, you are still writing your own. I think that might give you an advantage. I will take some more tea, thank you."
"Ask your questions, son of Chalandra."
"I'm not sure. But I know that it was more directly tied to the Dragon that terrorized Zhavroma centuries ago, ans when I was destroying it, Zon-Kuthon appeared in front of us." she runs a hand through her mane of platinum hair.
"If we didn't have it before, we definitely have the attention of the enemies of this land and the necromancers now."
Taking in a deep breath and letting out a long sigh, the Dhampir said, "From what I've gathered by watching, you have some sort of connection to spirits. Tell me, how do you deal with them pestering all of the time?"
Turning to Skaar, she once again kissed him seductively and said, "I have to go Sweetie, be sure to take care of the lil' `Nara and the others. I'll see you later tonight." Corda then turned to the Gnome, "Lead on Ylrhea of the Green Circle, and let's see what I can do for your friend."
"I listen. Just because they speak doesn't mean that one must act. Some spirits can directly act in this world, while others solely rely on our intervention on their behalf. Yet, all spirits who communicate with us -- ancestor or god -- want us to act for them. Knowing how they push and pull be better than ignorance to me. They tell me I am the night's. I listen; then I choose."
"But what if one.....doesn't like your decisions? What's the worst they've done to you?" Drago asked with a hint of trepidation in his voice.
Umina crosses her arms. "You'd be surprised what necromancers pay attention to. If you don't interfere with their interests, they don't care."
She runs a finger down a small scar on her forearm.
Ylrhea leads the witch to a small cottage. A sick looking elf lies in a bed in an upper bedroom. "That's Sathorn. He's been like that for a month. It doesn't seem to get better or worse..."
Corda knelt down next to the Elf, waved her hands over his body and looked very closely at him.
"Tonight we'll break this place in Wildcat", Skaar grunts in reply as Corda breaks away to lend the gnome a hand.
Returning his attention to the pragmatic vanara, the big orc's brow furrows with momentary worry again. "What 'bout the others. When are they gunna be back?"
Arista looks down at her carefully wrapped package before looking back up at Zeph.
"I hear what you're saying, and I think I understand what you mean....but I'm not sure how the sword can exactly help me. It's not as if it is actually in one piece, but who knows....maybe it will help in some other way. I'm not really worried about finding someone that has more than likely been gone for a long time now....there are, as I said, far more important matters at hand that need to be addressed. Having this small part of him gives me some peace, so I thank you again for that."
As she is waiting for her second drink and talking with Zeph, Arista looks around the hall once more and spots Alethiro at the counter with a glass of wine.
"Oh look, there is one of my companions now. Will you please excuse me for a moment? I'll be right back."
Arista gets up from where she is sitting and goes to where Alethiro stands by the counter. She gently taps him on the shoulder and waits for him to turn around before addressing him.
"Hey, I'm at that table over there with Zeph. I think I've worked out what I needed to for the time being and wouldn't mind having some friends around for a bit. Why don't you come join us?"
She looks up at him and even though he can see that she has felt troubled, she still gives him a warm smile and wraps her hand around his arm as she leads him back to the table she was sitting at with Zeph.
Alethiro felt a sinking feeling in his chest when he looked into Arista's eyes. Such pain. What can I do to alleviate it? Sitting down next to her, the Elf turned to Zeph, "So, what has happened in the past month? Anything of importance?" Taking a sip of wine, the cleric stole a quick glance at the Aasimar. Such beauty. He found himself thinking.