"Would you care for some assistance? I'm only a novice with the blade and bow, but I'm a reasonably accomplished wizard and scholar."
The elf nods.
Elendyr brightens at the mention of his research. "It really is a fascinating field. To make the transformation lossless required developing techniques for modifying the retained force-pattern on the fly and creating the replacement pattern in an unenergized state. That's the hard part--once it's done, I just collapse the existing pattern and energize the replacement."
From their seat near the back of the Feedmill, Leofric continues to attempt to keep Sir Lawren in his seat. While Sir Lawren has expressed the need to talk to the town's newest heroes, Leofric hadn't had much luck sobering the older knight up enough to make sense.
With a sigh, the squire dives deep into the hearty sweetened oatmeal and blessedly hot coffee. Undoubtedly, the scene Sir Lawren made the previous day had soiled Leo's chances to get some work to gain the pair coin.
"Sir Lawren, please. Sit," he grumbles as the older knight partially stands again as if to make some comment to the ulfen adventurer- Gamble he thinks.
The elf nods. "Ah, yes. Most of the technical terms are borrowed from Elvish or Draconic, or sometimes from one by way of the other, so it's harder to follow if you don't have either of those. The etymology gets tricky. The important thing for now is that I can call up fire and lightning, and do a few other things besides."
"Indeed. We could use all the help we can find if that monster in the caves was a sign of what this woman is capable of creating," Gamble says. "Let me walk you through what's been happening the past couple of weeks..."
He describes their experiences to the wizard and the knight, should he extract himself from his charge.
Sir Lawren stands up woozily on hearing Gamble's story.
"I say! That is downright diabolical! We must... we, uhm... you mist allow us to join you!" he says with effort, his words slurred as he leans against the table.
Delma is quiet as she serves the meal, her mind thinking on Sinan and how kind he was on taking her father out. She reflects on her own childhood as she busies herself while Sir Lawren insists that they should have told him earlier about the evil plaguing the town and how he would set things right —all of this being said with drunken bluster.
Noticing the holy symbol hanging around Simon's neck, a light dawns in his mind as Leofric places his hand on Krent's arm. "Sir Lawren, No."
Leo turns to the goblin and ulfen fellow with a slightly sheepish glance. "Sir Lawren won't be able to help. Not without some help of his own. I know I'm but a squire, but I would be willing to lend my sword to help you if you could return the favor for us."
Leofric disdains the thought of haggling when people are in need, but if he could find a way to help Sir Lawren, they could work for the coin they need to travel together instead of acting as the older man's caretaker while trying to earn enough coin for a second horse.
He looks to Sir Lawren, forestalling the inevitable argument. "With these men gone, we both know that Etran's Folly is relatively undefended. They will need a good sword here. And with their help, that will be you, Sir."
He turns back to the party, letting Sir Lawren bask in the intent of his dismissive statement.
"Sir Lawren is a great knight. He was close friends and swordbrothers with my sire, Sir Talmore. When our cohort was attacked, Sir Lawren's sword and quick thinking are the only things that kept me alive. Sir Talmore was not so lucky. My master fell to the undead before we could escape their advance. Since we left Lastwall, Sir Lawren has been sliding quickly to his current state. At first we simply drank to mourn our dead brother and sisters in arms. But he never recovered. Sir Lawren sees Talmore everywhere. And something haunts him at night. If I could gain your help to find and defeat whatever stalks him, I would swear my sword to your service. On my honor, I would help defeat your villainess while Sir Lawren defends the town in our absence."
Sir Lawren Krent looks hurt, as he's being dismissed by the goblin and his own squire! His squire. He stumbles back, hand reaching for something stable on which he can lean against.
"You all leave me. Always. Will I always be hounded by my mistakes?"
The man weeps as he falls on the floor, his hand reaching for a mug of ale.
"Given what we've faced already, I'll be happy for all the help we can muster," Gamble says.
The elf eyes the weeping knight with some confusion. "It seems best to hurry. For all our sakes."
Leofric takes in the gathered company as a whole.
"If we're to set off to face your foe, we'll need to supply up and from the looks of the lot of you, you'll need to take a rest and gather yourselves. Save Elendyr- who is doubtless fairly fatigued from his caravan, the lot of you look a fright. So. Help me deal with whatever demons plague my friend tonight. Rest, eat, gather supplies- maybe work on that home of yours for a day or so. Let us be off the morning after. I've been a part of too many parties that rushed off when they were not truly ready."
Then more to Sir Lawren that anyone else, he intones. "I'll not leave you alone, Sir. I'll return, but only after we've vanquished your tormentor. But you will need to be more specific than you have been for me in the past."
"Talmore! He's here!", he says with a wild smile as he grips Leofric by the arms "He lives and will help us, won't you Talmore?" he says as his unfocused eyes this time turn towards Elendyr.
"Your charge can stay in our home here, I would think," Gamble says, looking to the others for confirmation. "Otherwise, yes, we should probably take advantage of the fresh supplies brought in."
|
Simon jumps to volunteer to lead the expedition to recover the alchemical items from the base. He'll bring some extra wood and nails to nail the door to the blood ooze room shut, and in his pockets, he brings some extra bread and seeds to make a makeshift shrine to Sarenrae.
He clearly has no idea how to make a proper shrine to Sarenrae.
With the door secured and the shrine built, he'll cast light on a small stone and leave it on the shrine.
"In honor of your sacrifice, Sinan, may it always be dawn in this dark place."
The following days, while they wait for Kunsheng to craft his alchemical wares and for Sir Lawren to sober up, Gamble works on the infirmary.
Leofric helps with nailing the door shut, tending to Sir Lawren as he can.
"It's not getting better, M'Lord." he says to Simon on the return trip. "He's convinced he is seeing Sir Talmore- especially at night. I have no reason not to believe him."
He shakes his head. "It's not something I can stab with my blade, it's what I'm best at. But not this."
One night while visiting at the inn's common room for dinner, he sits near the older, disoriented knight. "Let me see if music will help to focus his thoughts," he suggests to the younger knight.
He picks up his lute and swiftly tunes it before beginning to strum a slow tune until the strings almost immediately snap with dramatic underpinnings to the cords.
"Tell me the tale of Sir Talmore," he urges the older knight.
Krent listen to Gamble's song and seems to lose his weary looks for a moment. His shoulders straighten, his standing gets better, his hands stop shaking.
With a calm voice without the hint of the alcool the knight starts Talmore, Talmore was my fellow crusader in Lastwall and my closest friend, bright and fair, a true knight. We drink together, fight together, laugh together ... but when Lastwall fell, I was separated from Talmore during a fight. I... I had to... to hide from the undead horde! When all was over, I searched the battlefield... I... his voice breaks and with difficulties he adds Only to find his mangled body.
His hands start shaking again as he touches his holy symbol.
Then, he stands up in the middle of the song, looks at Leofric with his eyes wide and bloodshot and says. Talmore! Talmore, my old friend. You have to help me. I think his minions have followed us here. I seen ’em. They’re coming!
They're here!, there're here,
Leo shakes his head, struggling to maintain a kind disposition. "This is how it starts. No matter how much I sober him up, Either my master, Sir Talmore, or the monsters that pursued us come to him in waking nightmare. Sometimes I'm Talmore to his hallucinations. Sometimes others- even my horse- are Talmore."
Another head shake. "And sometimes, m'lords, it's only the cups that sate him."
"Where are they, Sir Krent," Gamble asks, setting down his lute. "Here in this room?"
His crazy eyes turns to Gamble, full of drunken hope. Trying to stays up despite his precarious balance he says.
N... No. But I.. I know where! turning to Leofric he adds Talmore my friend, please help me defeat these vile undead agents!
Then, if Simon let him go, he tries to walk to Gamble. Pointing the door There are heeee. *hips* here, they have followed us! I... I can... can get you... where... where there are... hiding.
Shaking from toes to head, he gets to the closest drink and finishes it in one gulp.
"If it will help him," Gamble says to the others and then turns to Krent. "Take us to where you have seen the enemies."
Leo belts on his sword belt and mouthes an elated "Thanks" to the group behind Krent's back.
Nee to the group, Elendyr remains behind.
"We're still nursing our wounds before we head out for the witch," Gamble says. "And besides, Kunsheng is still working on those elixirs."
Gamble, Simon and Leofric follow Sir Krent out of the inn while Deerslicer and Elendyr stay at the in.
Leodric quickly recognize the path as it take them to the place that Sir Kent take if for himself the first time they arrived at the village, one of the many abandoned houses. He remembers that they quickly left it after one night for another place, as Sir Kent was convinced that the site was cursed.
A sagging straw roof barely protects this abandoned house from the elements. Piles of debris litter the common room, which shows signs of occupation, although not too recently. A backpack sits in one corner with a glint of silver inside its open flap, resting next to a shattered chair and a moldy old blanket.
Once you followed him inside, Sir Krent looks at Leofric with his eyes wide and bloodshot and says. Talmore! Talmore! THEY ARE HERE!
Then, quite suddenly the air seems to grow cold, and the sound of moaning fills the house.
As the hairs on his arm begin to rise in response to the sudden chill, he frowns. "Well, the old knight seems to have actually seen something," he says with a hint at dismay in his voice.
"We've been here before," Leofric intones to the others. "I remember now, m'lords. This was one of the first houses we sheltered in. Only once. Sir Lawrens was convinced it was cursed."
With a silent oath, the squire draws his blade and wraps his holy symbol of Iomedae around the gloved hand bearing his shield as his cousin, Talmore, had taught him.
"Is this it, Sir Lawrens? Is this where the dead yet live?"
As the air grew even colder, a form grows from the backpack that Leofric recognize as the one Sir Krent have abandoned here when they changed place.
When it finish to grow, it looks like the gaunt form of a soldier whose raiment is quite similar to Sir Krent’s. The ghost appears to have a nasty-looking scar running down one side of his face.
At the same moment, Sir Krent falls on his knees and starts crying and sobbing! Talmore! Talomore! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!
And Leofric realizes with dismay that this form is the ghost of Sir Talmore!
Despite the surprise of the presence of Sir Talmore's ghost, everyone is able to act before him.