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When Kaylee and her party came around the bend, Jenika was waiting in the middle of the road. Orensland was blended into her shadow, and he was watching closely. It appeared that none of them noticed him. He smiled. Good.
Kaylee’s three compatriots were also all on horses, one with a bow slung over his shoulder the same way that Rynn carried his, and one a pudgy balding human. That was probably Azkabar. The final companion was an elf, his hair shaved around his ears and braided from the top.
Kaylee drew her horse up short, and for a moment, the two monks just stared at each other. Orensland could see the whiteness of Jenika’s knuckles she was clenching her hands so tightly. The evil monk was dressed in clothes that mimicked the monk’s robes that Jenika wore, but Kaylees were of a very fine linen. Probably silk.
“It’s been a long time, sister.” Kaylee’s tone was mocking. But when Jenika didn’t react, the smile on Kaylee’s face dwindled and then vanished. “I guess there’s no point in asking. You’ve come to die!” With that, Jenika walked forward without a word, and without taking her eyes off of Kaylee.
“Gentlemen, this will just take a moment,” the evil monk said. She dismounted. One of her compatriots followed suit, Azkabar Muldoon. He walked up to pull Kaylee’s horse back away from where the two monks stood. The two monks were completely ignoring anything but each other until they reached a point about 10 feet from each other.
Then, simultaneously, they both dropped into identical battle stances and moved as one.
Back in the grove of trees, Rynn was absolutely astonished at the display of martial prowess. The two monks converged in a whirlwind of feet, elbows, hands, and knees, a kalediscope of punches, blocks, counterattacks, grappling, and kicks. Jenika seemed to be holding her own. With a final glance at the two monks, the ranger drew up to his full height, sighted down his drawn arrow, and loosed at the other men. He simultaneously heard chanting from Sanjin and a prayer from Khaska, and all three of them attacked at the same time.
Rynn’s arrows flew with the Acid Arrow and the Searing Light spells. Sanjin’s spell flew wide, but Rynn managed to hit his target all three times, while Khaska’s spell blazed into the other person. Both cried out in pain and dismounted quickly. Muldoon looked panicked, and quickly began mounting his own horse.
The battle was on.
Rynn had half an inclination to fire at the fleeing man, but just then one of the others dropped to the ground and … turned right before their eyes into a cheetah. It growled once and then sprang forward, even as the other of Kaylee’s associates grabbed his bow and began shooting arrows at them in the copse of trees.
“Druid!” Rynn called out, returning to his original target, which was coming at him fast! It seemed to him that the creature was moving almost as fast as the arrows that suddenly began to fly at him from the other combatant. He managed to get two more arrows into the creature and then it was on him, having covered the ground in an astonishingly small amount of time! And to add insult to injury, Khaska had just finished blasting the archer again, yet the man was still up and still launching arrows at Rynn!
The cheetah bowled into the ranger at full speed, claws raking across Rynn’s chest and arm. The force of the charge spun the ranger around right as another arrow embedded itself in his back. But, concentrating, the ranger drew more arrows and in quick succession buried three of them in the cheetah as it coiled to spring at him once more. Sanjin also coated the cheetah in fire erupting from the wizard’s hands, and the druid managed to attack the ranger just one more time before collapsing literally on top of him. Khaska has just drawn his scimitar, but hadn’t even struck yet.
Back by the horses, Orensland crept quietly up to where the severely burned archer was still letting arrows fly, studied him carefully, and then struck. The human cried out, turning and quickly returning the favor. He managed to get two arrows into Orensland before an eagle came screaming out of the sky, throwing the shadowdancer off as it attacked, mildly scratching his face. Surprised, Orensland momentarily took a step back and then lunged forward, stabbing the man in the chest before he could get off another shot, and before his eagle could circle around for another pass. The man groaned, and then collapsed onto the ground. Orensland ducked down as the eagle flew over again. Nagini had arrived, and the big snake flicked its tongue out at the snadowsancer.
Muldoon was on his horse, and fleeing fast.
Kaylee and Jenika were still wrapped in their own fight, whirling in their tornado of elite monk combat. It was a sight to see. And the women seemed equally matched.
Orensland pulled out a bolt for his crossbow and sighted at Muldoon. Wounding the horse would help. He was sure that Rynn could track the animal if it were wounded or crippled, and especially if it were bleeding. He blew out his breath and loosed his bolt.
Apparently Rynn had the same thought. In the time it took Orensland to load, aim, and fire, the ranger stepped just outside of the trees and fired a quick succession of three arrows. The horse went down, and Muldoon rolled around in a heap of robes as he was thrown clear of the wounded animal, injured, but not dead.
The eagle swooped down by Orensland again, but the shadowdancer dodged it. Sanjin was approaching now, and the eagle, seeing an easier target, dove at him. The wizard raised his hands and bathed the bird in fire, injuring the poor creature badly. As it circled around for another pass, the wizard finished it off contemptuously with a Ray of Frost. The animal dropped down to the ground.
The fight was over … except for the two monks still going at it in their ferocious whirlwind of combat. Kaylee and Jenika both looked haggard, blood and bruises all over their faces and arms and legs, their monk robes torn in various places, dirt all through their hair and smudging on their faces, kicked up by their constantly-shifting feet. Kaylee took a step back, trying to disengage for a moment, to get some bearing on the ferocity that was her opponent, but Jenika was having none of that. Jenika charged at her, grabbing Kaylee around the waist and pinning her arms, knocking her to the ground. The two rolled in the dirt, still fighting, but now Jenika had the upper hand. The sharp crack of bone sounded as she twisted Kaylee’s arm, and the evil monk cried out in pain, trying desperately to get away from the grapple. Jenika was relentless, however, and with a sharp jerk managed to free an arm and elbow Kaylee viciously in the head.
Kaylee collapsed, unconscious.
Jenika disentangled herself from the other monk standing up and looking around, now allowing herself to assess how the rest of the fight had gone.
Muldoon was now fleeing on foot, but he was alone. Both of Kaylee’s companions were down on the ground, and Jenika’s friends were slowly approaching the site of her combat with Kaylee. Rynn half looked back at Muldoon, but just smiled. Khaska had just emerged from the trees, and Orensland and Sanjin were over by the other horses, which had scattered just a little bit.
She had won.
“Well,” said Rynn, approaching. “That was quick and bloody.”
“We still have to deal with Muldoon,” said Orensland.
“I approve of you shooting the horse instead of the human,” said Khaska, “but perhaps I can still heal it of its wounds. The animal should not suffer for the crimes of its rider.”
Muldoon had finally untangled himself from his robes and began to run, heavily, away from the group. Orensland sighed. “I’ll go get him.” The shadowdancer moved off in a slow jog.
“Ranna, seek,” said Rynn, pointing at Muldoon. The wolf bounded away. “I’d prefer to stay here,” the ranger said, looking at his blood-stained tunic. Khaska reached out to touch the ranger, muttering a healing prayer as he did so. The ranger instantly felt better as the divine magic mended his wounds a bit. Khaska smiled at him, and then followed Orensland, who was following Ranna, who was pursuing Muldoon.
“What will we do with Kaylee?” asked Rynn. Jenika hadn’t said a word, still looking down at the form of her former monk-sister. The monk reached her hands out, then brought them back. She did this several times before finally kneeling next to the prone form and doing her best to stabilize Kaylee. “You don’t want her to die?”
“I can’t just stand here and let her bleed to death,” the monk replied.
Between the monk and the ranger, they were able to bring Kaylee around so that she was no longer dying. Khaska managed to heal the horse and brought it back. After a few minutes, Muldoon stumbled back to them, prodded by Orensland’s crossbow. The large man was sweating profusely and was very out of breath; Rynn guessed this was more exercise than he was used to dealing with.
“Orensland, can you tie up Kaylee?” asked Jenika. The shadowdancer smiled and nodded, reaching into his pack to pull out the rope. He set to work tying the monk up.
Muldoon sat down heavily on the ground, still wheezing from just the walk back. “What are you going to do with me?”
Khaska responded. “That depends on who you are. I hope you'll understand that we have little reason to trust your word, so I'll be casting a Zone of Truth spell here to make sure you're being honest.”
“Oh … okay.” Muldoon looked over at the ranger nearby. “And if I'm not the kind of person you like?”
“We will see. But rest assured that we take no pleasure in death. Now I will cast the spell.” Khaska held up his symbol of Teresh and chanted the prayer that invoked the spell. The air around him shimmered for a moment as he completed it. He dropped his symbol down and folded his arms.
“Ask your questions of me,” sighed Muldoon.
“First, please tell us your name, your trade, and your relationship to this party.”
“My name is Azkabar Muldoon. I am a merchant originally by trade. Eventually I fell on hard times and needed to seek employment elsewhere. My list of contacts was extensive, and eventually I became employed by Kaylee. I am her bookkeeper and go-between for many of her jobs.”
“Do you know with whom she is contracted now?”
“Lady Maramos of Darkcrest.”
“Please, tell us everything you know of this Lady Maramos.” Khaska glanced at his friends. They seemed to be deferring to him now, a role he wasn’t entirely comfortable with.
“She's some kind of bigwig from Darkcrest. She's been traveling all over Gallidus the past few months on business, but that's ended now, and she's returning home.”
“Near as I can tell, she works for some Cult as some kind of ally. She influences people to help her organization. People in high places. Gets them to ally themselves with their objectives.”
“This is the Cult of Skyrnyn, right?”
“Yes.”
“What are their objectives?”
“I'm not entirely sure.”
“What have you heard? Do you have any guesses and, if so, what are they?”
Muldoon sighed. He was still sweating profusely, but he had finally caught his breath from the walk back. “When I was a merchant, I helped some people move things to the death side. They paid well, but it was really weird. Lots of construction materials. And things like foodstuffs. Seeds. Potable water. Always people with rings with a certain symbol. I don't know what they're doing on the death side, but it's big. They've been working on it for … years.”
“What was the symbol? Do you remember?”
“I …” He looked around, and then got to one knee and scratched something in the dirt in front of him. Everybody leaned in close. Orensland glanced at the ring on his finger. Muldoon’s scrawling in the dirt was definitely an approximation of the symbol.
Khaska nodded. “Yes, we know that symbol. Thank you. Did you ever hear of people being transported to Darkcrest?”
“To Darkcrest? I don't know where they go when they get to the Death Side. That wasn't my part of any of the contracts I did when I was a merchant.”
“Ah. Did you hear of large numbers of people traveling to the Death Side, then?”
“No. But they must have had a huge organization on the Death Side to keep moving all the things I saw sent over there. I don't know how they keep it staffed.”
Khaska looked around at his friends. They exchanged knowing looks. Rynn in particular seethed at the thought of slavery on the death side. “We think we know. Do you know why Lady Maramos was coming to Uptide now?”
“From the letters, I gather that she's done with her work on Gallidus and is heading back home.”
“Do you know why Uptide would be her port of departure?”
“Easy to slip in and out unnoticed. I think it's how she came to Gallidus in the first place.”
Khaska nodded. “That makes sense. We have also heard that, when she travels, she cares about the length of the night. Do you know any particulars about her travel arrangements and why they may be?”
Muldoon began to look around, looking at each individual present. He opened his mouth, and then shut it, shaking his head vigorously. Khaska was more stern. “For your cooperation, we will do what we can to protect you from reprisal.”
“Then I'll need to not be around when she arrives in Uptide.”
“Our friend Jenika will be traveling to Laishtek before Lady Maramos arrives.” Khaska nodded towards the monk. “I believe you could go with her.”
“Oh lovely. Then she can just track me down and kill me later. Or have one of her lackeys do it. Her family runs Darkcrest! She runs a spy network all over Gallidus! I'm not safe if I give her up!”
Khaska thought it worth trying to appeal to his sense of self-preservation. “We have evidence that she is involved with something much darker than odd shipments across the sea—slavery, murder, deception. If you know anything that could stop it, we have powerful friends who, I'm sure, could protect you in exchange for the information you have.”
Muldoon snorted. “Yeah? Like who?”
“The Knights of the Silver Dragons.”
“Maramos and the Cult have been operating under their noses for years,” he said as he waved his hand dismissively. “You'll forgive me if I don't exactly have faith in them.” He then folded his arms.
“Not so much anymore. The Knights in Hammerdine and Laishtek have discovered evidence of their activities and are pursuing them.”
Muldoon remained there, with his arms folded.
“Any information you have would likely help them protect you. Even the Death Side receives some light to banish the dark.”
No change. Khaska decided another line of inquiry might yield better results.
“Then let me ask you: what other options do you have?”
“All I've told you so far is stuff you could easily find out on your own. Maybe you already knew it. Even if I get captured …”
With that comment, Orensland blurted out. “If? You're captured! Now!” Sanjin snickered.
Muldoon glared at the elf. “I'm not revealing any more.”
With that, Rynn drew his orcish dagger. “Looks like his usefulness is at an end.” Khaska was momentarily surprised, but then realized that it was a bluff, meant to intimidate their captive into talking more.
Muldoon was looking the ranger over. “You're not nearly as scary as Lady Maramos. I'll take my chances with not betraying her over whatever you plan to do to me.”
Khaska frowned. It wasn’t working. Muldoon seemed to have clammed up. Perhaps yet another tactic … letting him know, subtly, that they already knew some details he was likely holding back.
Khaska intoned. “Of course, in the midst of the shadows Lady Maramos likely casts none …”
With that Muldoon started violently, clearly surprised.
“Ah,” said Khaska, a bit smug, “so our strong suspicions are confirmed. If that is the biggest secret you were hiding, know that we already suspected it.”
Muldoon brought his hands together, quite literally wringing them, cringing further down into the dirt. “She'll kill me!”
“You revealed nothing besides confirming something about which we were nearly certain already. You could hardly be guilty of betrayal. She will never know about it.”
“Never know about it! How can she not know about it! She'll show up and there won't be any bodyguards to escort her on the Death Side! She will know something is going on!”
“We can make sure that there are bodyguards when she arrives,” said Khaska.
Muldoon looked right at the Maha’i cleric, confused for a moment. Then his face lit up. “Oh.” He thought some more. “Oh! You read the letters back in Laishtek, didn't you? That's how you knew to be here. You're going to pose as bodyguards for her?” He began to laugh. “I hope you're prepared to face the dangers of the Death Side! We brought our best ranger and our best druid! Hope you are as prepared as they were!” He continued to giggle.
“We defeated them,” said Khaska, without missing a beat.
Muldoon’s mouth snapped shut so hard they could hear his teeth click.
“And let me ask: has she ever heard the name Azkabar Muldoon? You were in Kaylee's employ, not hers, unless there is more you are not revealing.”
“She knows of me. I was the go-between to first arrange the contract.”
“Would she look for you if she thought you were dead?”
Muldoon shied away, his body language drawing back into himself. “Probably not. Why would anybody look for a dead person? If I'm going back to the Knights … I want protection. I want to be set up with a new life. A nice cottage somewhere. Anonymous.”
It was clear that, given the circumstances, this was Muldoon’s best option available. Khaska ran with it.
“My thought exactly. We can inform her that you have passed away while you travel back to the Knights with our friend. I am certain that they would be able to provide you the anonymity you seek.”
“Deal!”
He stood up, laboriously. Orensland almost had to snicker the man was so overweight.
“I feel bad for the man’s horse,” he whispered to Sanjin, who smiled and nodded, taking the shadowdancer’s meaning instantly.
“You're right. She's a vampire. I get the impression that she has other vampires all over Gallidus, and they all work for or with this cult, helping keep things flowing. I think I met one when I worked in Tidewater City, but he never tried to drink my blood or anything. But he was creepy as all the Abyss.”
Khaska nodded. “Thank you. Do you remember his name?”
“His name was Jeremy Bruvial.”
“And do you know the nature of his work?”
“With people in thrall to the vampires, they can grease the wheels when needed to keep their interests alive and doing well. I think Maramos was here checking up on people and making sure all was in order.” Rynn and Khaska exchanged glances. This was precisely the situation with Judge Stoneheart in Hammerdine … in thrall to a vampire, which allowed him to help hide their various doings in the city. “She’s not a member of the cult, but the cult has hired these vampires to make sure that things run smoothly here. They are allies. Temporary partners, perhaps. I don't know the exact nature of their arrangement. How long it's lasted. How long it will last. Things like that. That's all I know, I swear!
“Thank you very much. While you will go into your new life, all Gallidus will owe Azkabar Muldoon its gratitude.”
“Assuming you survive. I'm sure she's very good.” He narrowed his eyes. “I wonder if you're up for taking her on.” He jerked a thumb at Jenika. “Especially if your prized monk isn’t going to be around.”
Sanjin smiled and stroked his staff. “Leave that to us.”
“Now stay there while we confer with ourselves,” said Rynn. He had an arrow half knocked, and brought it up ever so slightly. Muldoon got the message. Running was a bad idea, even though he had already given himself up.
They talked quietly a few yards away. Their options seemed to be either to kill Kaylee, and as deep as Jenika’s hatred ran for her sister-monk, she was reluctant to do so, to take her back to the village, with Muldoon, or to take her back to the Knights of the Silver Dragons in Laishtek.
Ultimately, it was decided that, since killing her wasn’t an option, and since having her and Muldoon in the village was too risky, given Lady Maramos’ impending arrival, that Jenika would escort the two of them back to Laishtek. With Kaylee trussed up as well as she was, and as injured as the evil monk was, it wouldn’t be that much of a problem.
“Won’t Kaylee heal over time? It’s several weeks travel to Laishtek,” Orensland queried.
“Only if she gets a good night’s sleep and isn’t further injured,” said Jenika, who cracked her knuckles. The shadowdancer smiled and nodded. He understood. But he was taken aback by the monk’s next statement.
“Then I guess I should be on my way.” Everybody in the group started.
“Right now?” asked Rynn.
“Is there a reason I should stay longer?”
The group all looked at each other, each wanting the others to perhaps find a reason for the monk to tarry, but in the end, Khaska spoke with the wisdom they all needed, but not that they wanted. “Jenika is right. A further delay only serves to increase Kaylee’s chances of escaping, or of the townspeople discovering our ruse that Jenika is not actually Kaylee. She should leave.”
There was a bit more awkward staring at each other, until Orensland broke the silence. “Well, let’s at least loot the bodies before she goes! Maybe something that she can use!” Jenika rolled her eyes.
After divesting the mercenaries of their gear and dividing it up, it was time for goodbyes.
Muldoon mounted his horse, with some trouble (Orensland and Sanjin exchanged amused glances yet again), and Kaylee was tied to her horse’s saddle. Jenika mounted one of the horses without a rider.
Again the Maha’i cleric broke the silence. “You have been a faithful friend and a sturdy fighter. May Teresh will his face to see our next meeting.”
“I hope that I will see you again as well, my friend,” was her reply.
“I guess you’ll have to find some other thief you don’t like to hang out with,” Orensland said, that goofy grin on his face.
“I doubt I will ever find one that I dislike more than you,” was her reply, through a smile.
Rynn was more stoic. “Good luck with Kaylee. I’ll miss you.”
“I will miss you too.”
Sanjin didn’t have much to say. He really knew her the least of anybody. But Jenika knew what to say. “Take care of them for me. You’re kind of my replacement, now.”
Sanjin nodded at that, and then bowed. “I can tell that I can never replace you, but I will do my best to carry on what you have started with these good people. Be well, Jenika.”
And with that, Jenika turned and kicked her heels into the horse. The horse with Kaylee tied up followed, connected to Jenika’s by a rope. Muldoon came along after.
After they had vanished into the distance, Rynn reached down absentmindedly to scratch Ranna’s head. The wolf whimpered, keying in on her master’s solemn mood.
“Yes, I’ll miss her too,” the ranger muttered. Then he turned to his companions. “So, Lady Maramos should be in town sometime in the next month or so. I assume we carry on as we have for now, but the question is … when she comes, do we just drag her coffin into the middle of a field in broad daylight, then kick it open and drive a stake through her heart, or what?”
Khaska was savvy enough to notice that as Rynn spoke these words, the ranger’s hand rested on his orcish dagger.
“While I’m sure that would bring us much satisfaction,” replied Khaska, “it is true that Lady Maramos is merely a symptom. To treat the disease itself would be a better course of action.”
“I’m with the cleric,” Sanjin said. “Killing one vampire won’t make that much of a different. But escorting her back to her city? Think of what we could learn on the journey? Or especially at Darkcrest itself, once we’ve arrived!”
Orensland shrugged. “Khaska’s probably right, but” he grinned, “Rynn’s plan does have a certain appeal.”
“As much as I’d love to see the look on her face as she turns to dust, we should play the part. Escort her through the deadlands to Darkcrest,” said Rynn. “Perhaps we’ll have the satisfaction of watching the Knights destroy the vampire enclave that’s probably based in Darkcrest someday, but after we’ve collected more information on them and what they are all about.”
“Muldoon say that she was a, what was the term, ‘earwig,’ in Darkcrest. No, that’s not right.” Khaska frowned.
“Bigwig,” said Sanjin. “Whatever that means.”
“Then let us go,” said Khaska. “There is nothing more to be gained here this morning.”
The townsfolk took “Kaylee’s” departure well. With the party having laid the story’s foundation ahead of time, it was easy enough to explain why the monk would no longer be part of their entourage. Master Hodrin wondered if they were prepared for the horrors of the Death Side without the monk, but Rynn assured him that they would be fine. (In truth, the ranger was not overly concerned. Between his time on the Death Side and Sajnin’s journeys there, the group had more than enough experience to safely travel the Deadlands.)
It was now just a matter of waiting for Lady Maramos to arrive.
This page is part of the campaign story. << Previous Chapter | Next Chapter >>
