Campaign Log: Chaotic Pioneering

[coronatiger]

Half an hour later, they felt rested enough, and Leopold called for Mattea. I straightened my dress, and Mattea put on her armor again. I peeked out from behind our boulder, watching Mattea sashay away. Having moved to the side, I couldn’t see the troll corpses anymore, but the pedestal was visible again. Ilzo came into sight from behind the stone wall with a troll corpse across his shoulders. He staggered towards the pedestal and heaved the corpse at the statuette so it toppled off. He shoved the corpse away and grabbed the statuette. The troll corpse exploded! Bone splinters and chunks of rotting meat flew everywhere.

Mattea wisely ducked behind the stone wall with Leopold and Va’lyndra when the troll blew up, but she pulled herself up and looked over the wall as soon as the debris settled. Ilzo lay unconscious on the ground. Serves him right for being so reckless! Va’lyndra felt compassion for him, and dashed for the orc. As she started pulling on him, I saw the remaining intact troll corpse stand up and laugh. I couldn’t see the pieces of the last two trolls, but they started moving towards Mattea and the others, somehow laughing too.

Mattea tried to pull an arrow, but instead hooked the entire quiver off her belt so it fell on the ground. I felt a twinge of guilt. If I hadn’t made her take it off while we were canoodling, she wouldn’t have put it on hastily. The troll summoned a fireball between its hands. Va’lyndra shouted that it was going to explode. By “it” I assumed she meant the fireball, but considering what just happened, she just might refer to the troll itself. She dropped Ilzo and summoned an ice dagger.

Calmly, Mattea picked up the fallen quiver and replaced it on her belt in one smooth motion before pulling an arrow. Va’lyndra shot her magic projectile at the troll, but it didn’t react at all to being struck. It only stood there, its fireball growing. Leopold had pulled out his lightning wand, and peered out from behind the wall to aim at something I couldn’t see. Va’lyndra came running back towards Mattea and Leopold, shouting that they mustn’t let the fireball hit them. I should think they were smart enough to realize that on their own. Mattea jumped up on a rock and aimed at the troll, over the stone wall. Leopold shot a lightning bolt at a troll piece.

Va’lyndra was nearing the cover of the wall, and called for Leopold to move out of the way. One troll piece had made it all the way to Ilzo, and exploded over his still body. He was wearing plate armor, but that still couldn’t be good for him. The intact troll launched its fireball at Va’lyndra, but her flying shield blocked. The fireball exploded, shooting flames everywhere, reaching as far as Va’lyndra and Leopold, and the shield fell smoldering to the ground; better it than Va’lyndra, I thought. Mattea returned fire, but the troll ignored the arrow as far as I could tell.

Covered in soot, but moving easily, Va’lyndra made it behind the stone wall. She told Leopold that he should try earth magic against the trolls. One troll part made its way towards Ilzo, but the rest converged on the trio behind the wall; one was almost upon Va’lyndra. The intact troll laughed again and bellowed that we all would die.

Mattea moved out, leaving Va’lyndra and Leopold between several troll pieces. She drew Scorchmark and tried to slice one of the pieces as she moved past it, but missed. Dropping Scorchmark, she pulled an arrow and fitted it to the string. The troll piece nearest Va’lyndra exploded, and one near Leopold started shaking violently, giving away that it was about to blow. Va’lyndra and Leopold were struggling, but I had only eyes for Mattea, who foolishly had exposed herself to the fireball-wielding troll. She aimed at it while the fireball grew.

A troll piece exploded on top of Ilzo again, and two more blew up near Va’lyndra and Leopold. Mattea released, and her arrow struck the troll in the arm, but it didn’t drop the fireball; I assumed that was her goal. The troll launched its fiery projectile at Mattea, and I squeezed my eyes shut and hid behind the boulder. I didn’t want to see any more. Va’lyndra called out “The fireball arrow!” I didn’t know what she meant by that, but the message wasn’t for me. I could hear the pain in her voice, though. She wouldn’t be much help against the last foes.

Leopold had been staggering, likely on the verge of unconsciousness, like Va’lyndra. I took a deep breath and forced myself to look again. If Mattea had succumbed to the fireball, there might not be anyone between me and the troll, a decidedly unpleasant thought. I sighed with relief when I spotted Mattea. She was standing upright, looking light on her feet, but the troll started running towards her just as she drew an arrow. If the troll had run out of magical energy, Mattea could run circles around it and fill it with arrows. But no, the troll accelerated to something near Mattea’s sprinting speed, so she dropped the arrow and seized Scorchmark, willing it to return to her hand. In a tremendous burst of energy, she moved sideways out of the troll’s path, while giving it a deep cut with the fiery blade. The troll crashed to the ground behind her and started shaking. Mattea ran, as fast as she could, and the troll exploded. There was one last troll piece that still followed Mattea, but she put an arrow through its head, and that was that.

“Olivia! Healing!” Mattea called, running over to Ilzo’s still body. I rose on unsteady feet and ran towards Va’lyndra and Leopold. The elf lay still, but the gnome was conscious. As I began pulling my medicine gear from my backpack, Mattea shouldered in and grabbed a few potions before heading back to Ilzo. I bandaged and treated Va’lyndra and Leopold, while Mattea administered to Ilzo. Leopold dug Walter out of the troll goo and explained what had happened. Mattea pulled Ilzo back to us and deposited him next to Va’lyndra. Then she asked me if I thought Ilzo and Va’lyndra needed more healing salves. I double-checked our supply and told her we didn’t have that many left. We still had quite a few liquid potions, though, which I said we could share with Va’lyndra when she woke up, if she had run out.

I checked on Mattea. While she was still able to run around, that didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt. I discovered to my great relief that although her left side was rather sooty, the only real damage had been done to the end of her braid, and she needed a haircut anyway. I’d see to that when we got some time alone. Mattea always gets hungry after I’ve given her a haircut or a shave.

I realized that lying in the middle of a field of troll goo wasn’t good for my patients, so I instructed Mattea to pull them away. I also went over them again, removing bone splinters. Va’lyndra woke up while I tended to her, and took a few potions of healing, before summoning a water jet to cleanse herself and Leopold. I told them that they had been filled with pieces of rotting troll flesh, which couldn’t be wholesome. If they started feeling ill, they should let me know immediately.

Mattea asked Leopold if he wanted some of our healing potions. His backpack had been in the blast zone of several explosions, and the fragile glass bottles inside had shattered. Mattea offered five, but he would only accept three. I pulled them out of my backpack and handed them over.

When we get back to civilization, I want Mattea to find me a teacher. If I had been trained in surgery, I could have made the necessary cuts to remove all the corpse bone fragments from Va’lyndra and Leopold. I’d even treat Ilzo, if Mattea insisted. I don’t hate him, at least not enough to want him dead.

Ilzo took a full two hours to regain consciousness. After being told about the battle, he said he felt something invade his head when he touched the statuette. He stood up and walked over to the demonic artwork, using Surkalpi and his pickaxe to lift it up without touching it directly. I flinched when he shifted it, but nothing happened. Va’lyndra wrapped a blanket around the statuette, using that to carry it with her. In an inexplicable moment of stupidity, she poked it with her finger, reporting that something pulled mana out of her. Regaining wisdom, she wrapped the statuette up again.

Suddenly, thunder crashed against the mountain and dark clouds gathered in a circle above us. Va’lyndra started a spell dance, and Mattea came running towards me. Ilzo called to Leopold and asked if he could make a big hole in the ground for him to hide inside.

Lightning struck. Two bolts hit the ground between my friends, but the third felled Mattea, who tumbled to the ground, spasming with sparks dancing over her corpse. The lightnings continued to pummel the ground around her. Choked up, I decided it was time to get away. I ran as fast as I could towards the path down from the mountain.

[coronatiger]

The thunder chased me down the steep path, and in my hurry, I nearly stepped off it, but a hand grabbed my shoulder and steadied me. I was about to dash off again, when I recognized the familiar touch. I turned, beaming at Mattea. She was alive! Even the dark clouds above withdrew before the force of my joy. “Seems Va’lyndra finished her spell,” Mattea concluded with a glance at the empty, blue sky. “We had better go back to the others. They may have need of your healing, Olivia.” “Screw the others,” I exclaimed and ripped the helmet off Mattea’s head so I could kiss her. I gave Mattea first aid, too, and a healing potion. Once I had time to think, I realized I was too scared to return to the plateau, so we found a hiding place for me, and then Mattea climbed back up alone.

Leopold asked Mattea if his papers were wet. Mattea didn’t know what he was talking about, so he had to explain that she had been carrying them in her backpack, among other stuff she carried for him. The papers turned out to be safe and dry.

They returned shortly, and I stayed as far away from Va’lyndra and the blanket-wrapped statuette as I could, while remaining with the party. She suggested that Mattea and I walk in front down the mountain, which everyone thought was a bad idea. If we ran into trolls, it would be best if the two of us were in the back. Ilzo could take the vanguard.

We had to rest another hour before Ilzo felt up to the climb down. He seemed exhausted far beyond what a short battle should do. He hadn’t even participated in it, for crying out loud! I blamed the statuette, and Mattea agreed.

It took us five hours to get to the bottom of the ladder-like path again, and it was about time to make camp, but Va’lyndra wanted to go a little further, to a place with more trees, so we trudged on. Finally satisfied, Va’lyndra started shaping wood around the statuette, which still remained inside a blanket. I camouflaged the camp. When I was done, Va’lyndra had started repairing her shield while debating wooden lean-tos versus rocky caves with Leopold. Our tent was erected, and Mattea was impatient.


Thoughts on July 24th

We walked back to our previous campsite, and discovered that the horses were still there. Olivia and I said hello to Marvin, Lightfoot, Bluebell and Snowflake. They were as happy to see us as we were to see them.

Leopold opened the boulder, and we retrieved our equipment. Repacking our gear, Olivia realized that there were quite a few missing healing potions unaccounted for. I had to tell her that I had given ten to Ilzo, back on the mountain top, for he had run out, just like Leopold. She glared at me, but then she shook her head and gave me a kiss. “Did you at least get paid for them?” she asked. It hadn’t crossed my mind.

Having visited the last temple, it was time to turn back home. According to the map, we had traveled clockwise in more or less a half-circle since the first temple on this tour, so we were much farther west than when we began. Leopold and Va’lyndra debated what would be the best route back. I left them to it, stealing a few more moments with Olivia before we had to mount up.


Thoughts on July 25th

The others had decided that going through Ilzo’s village again made sense. It wasn’t far out of the way. Riding Marvin felt like flying, for I had removed most of the weight from my backpack and either given it back to Va’lyndra and Leopold, or handed it over to Olivia to reorganize into our saddlebags, according to her plan.


Thoughts on July 26th

We reached Ilzo’s village in the afternoon, and spent the evening with Fark and a few others. I put on a small show, before Olivia declared that it was time for bed. She didn’t like the way the orcs were looking at me. Although she couldn’t decide whether they wanted to bed me or fight me, neither option was agreeable.


Thoughts on July 27th

After a good night in Derevni, sleeping while the orcs did their daily work, we said goodbye to Ilzo’s friends and family, and headed for human lands. We have a long ride ahead of us.


Thoughts on July 28th

Today was a dream day, at least for me. During the day, I practiced in the saddle, fantasizing about the grand shows I’d put on when we got home. In the evening, the girl of my dreams woke me from my reveries, and after an evening snack, we shut ourselves away for an evening snack. The day couldn’t get any better. Happy thoughts buzzed through my mind as I dozed off in Olivia’s embrace. We had succeeded in our mission, finding several relics. We were going home, and I could perform again without fear of Olivia being afraid the crowd might turn ugly. And I had Olivia, the sweetest, cleverest, most beautiful girl in the world!

A jarring thought popped my eyes open. The war! What if the Tamburin Supremacy stood waiting when we returned? I shifted uneasily, but Olivia pulled me closer, holding me still. The tension seeped out of me. We would find a solution. I closed my eyes again and strengthened my grip around Olivia, careful so I didn’t hurt her, even while sending a silent, metaphorical signal that I’d never let her go.


Thoughts on July 29th

I woke up alone and panicked. Where was Olivia!? Her packs were still there, which made me relax a little, until I got the idea in my head that she had been kidnapped. I sat bolt upright. Olivia entered and made big eyes, for I had drawn Scorchmark, and she’s uncomfortable around weapons. I sheathed the blade with a sigh of relief and put it away.

“Happy twenty-two, Mattea!” Olivia exclaimed and presented me with a piece of art, a wooden sculpture depicting her. I balanced it on one of our packs and studied it. It was very lifelike. “Va’lyndra?” I asked, and Olivia nodded, “It’s made of living wood, you know.” “Remind me to thank her later,” I told her, seizing her dress and pulling her down on top of me.

I was unusually weak in the knees when I staggered outside to have breakfast. Olivia had really pulled out the stops this morning. I thanked Va’lyndra politely and sincerely for the gift. I hadn’t thought she’d waste living wood on an ornament.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on July 30th

We had traveled for a few hours, and was just taking a break, when Ilzo looked up from his saddlebags, remounted, and called “Charge!” The rest of us looked around for the threat, and Va’lyndra noted, “Burgh lions! And Ilzo is attacking them!”

I pulled out my bow and strung it with calm, but quick, practiced moves. The three monsters were three hundred meters away. Va’lyndra dismounted before stringing her bow; she doesn’t have my sense of balance, and I supposed she wasn’t planning to ride into battle. She quickly explained about burgh lions to Leopold, who suggested that we approached them with ready weapons, and let Olivia take the horses to safety. That sounded like a good idea, so I dismounted, too.

Ilzo realized that his weight, with armor and weapons, was hard on his poor horse, and decided he could run faster that it could with him on top. He jumped off and ran towards the monsters. When they spotted him and met his charge, he stopped. Having gained enough speed, the burgh lions leapt off the ground and soared towards us. Ilzo was thirty meters ahead of Va’lyndra, Leopold and me at the time, and decided he wouldn’t risk being left behind.

Va’lyndra did a spell dance while I released an arrow. I missed. The monsters were incredibly fast, and I next fired when they were only a hundred meters away. Va’lyndra and Leopold joined in with bow and lightning wand. This time, I struck one of the flying beasts. Leopold’s lightning bolt hit another one, and it spasmed and started plummeting. The falling beast shook it off, but crash-landed anyway, not far from Ilzo. Leopold, who didn’t have to prepare another projectile, fired at the one I had wounded, but it dodged. I managed to hit it again before it was time to pull Scorchmark, but Va’lyndra fumbled with the grip on her bow, failing to get another shot off. Irritated, she tossed the bow aside and drew her staff. Ilzo hurled Surkalpi towards the burgh lions as they passed him, but the weapon was never meant to be thrown and landed in the nearby shrubbery.

Standing ready, I gave the closest burgh lion a deep gash. It had twisted sideways at the last minute, to slam into both Va’lyndra and me, but the burning wound stunned it, so it simply crashed into the ground between us. The other monster tried the same trick with Leopold and Va’lyndra, who stood between me and the gnome, and managed to land on Leopold with its forepaws, tossing him to the ground.

Burgh lions have two parts with separate minds, the lion head and the snake tail, which has its own head with venomous fangs. I knew from experience that you needed to kill the lion part to take the snake out of combat; just knocking it unconscious didn’t affect the snake part. Cutting off the snake was obviously a solution, but to do that, I would have to step in close, where it could bite me. Therefore, I focused all my attention on stabbing the lion through the eye. The eyeball sizzled when Scorchmark dug through, into the brain, and the snake tail flopped down.

The other monster tried to bite Va’lyndra with its snake tail, but her shield blocked. It also turned towards her and swiped with its paw, but that attack missed. Since it was preoccupied with Va’lyndra, I ran by the tail end and attempted a double cut with my knife, but I missed. Leopold blinked his eyes and sat up. Va’lyndra poked her staff at the burgh lion, but she didn’t come close. It wouldn’t have done any damage anyway; it would barely have felt the touch.

The burgh lion tried to bite me with its snake tail, but I dodged so elegantly, it lost its balance, unable to decide whether to complete the attack or bow down to its superior. I dashed in and cut deeply into the snake tail. Leopold had retrieved his lightning wand and aimed at the burgh lion, but it fell when Va’lyndra gave it a solid thump over the head. The snake end was still active, and it darted frantically for me, but failed to connect, of course. I stepped out of reach, dropped Scorchmark, and pulled an arrow. Va’lyndra and Leopold could finish the burgh lion easily, now that the lion part lay still.

Ilzo still contended with his burgh lion, and while he had given it a couple of deep wounds with his pickaxe, I could tell it had managed to retaliate several times. One arrow was enough to put down the lion part, and then Ilzo retrieved Surkalpi and cut off the snake from a safe distance. Then he stiffened and collapsed. I ran for Olivia.

Olivia determined that Ilzo would be fine with some rest, and gave Leopold first aid instead. She was right. Ilzo started stirring while she was still applying bandages to Leopold, and was on his feet in no time, cutting the lion head off. The rest of us were ready to move on, but Ilzo decided to cut up the monster’s body as well. We mounted and waited for him to finish his grisly work. When he was done, I thought he seemed a little confused, perhaps uncertain why he had done what he just did, but he shook it off and departed the scene with the rest of us.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on July 31st

Va’lyndra warned us that we entered blob territory, and of course, we had to debate their colors. It was the green ones that were dangerous; hidden in the foliage, they waited for unaware passersby they could drop onto and choke to death. I recalled that they’re afraid of fire, so I made sure to keep Scorchmark handy. Red blobs are plant-eaters, so they don’t care that they’re easy to spot. Someone mentioned that maybe there were other colors of blobs that we hadn’t seen yet. Va’lyndra hoped for blue blobs that she could imbibe to restore mana after spell-casting. I could imagine wizards walking around with bottled blobs and drinking straws.

Va’lyndra had her shield float above her to block falling blobs while she scouted ahead of the party. It seemed a wise precaution, and she never once called for help.


Thoughts on August 1st

Leopold discussed history with Walter while we traveled today, and the skull went on and on about how the elves had invaded the orcs, back in the old days. I tried my best to ignore them, and instead focused on doing balance exercises and watching for blobs in the trees.

The history lesson finally came to a conclusion, and Leopold asked Ilzo, Olivia and me if we wanted to go back to Walter’s temple to unbury a corpse there. It would be more than a week’s detour, possibly two, so I asked Leopold if there was something to gain by digging up the corpse. He answered that he wanted to talk to the late priest in question, as he was a “time witness”, whatever that meant. It didn’t seem relevant to our quest, so Ilzo and I overruled him.

I’ve seen many strange sights during my adventuring days. A talking skull, while disconcerting, is far from the worst. However, condoning necromancy just to satisfy Leopold’s curiosity about the past … That’s a line I won’t cross. What’s so interesting about how people lived long ago, anyway?


Thoughts on August 2nd

Like yesterday, we spotted blobs now and then, but rode around at a safe distance, so none fell on us.


Thoughts on August 3rd

Olivia spotted something behind us and to the side, following. It was not a blob, she informed me, when I asked. Blobs move slower than horses, anyway. I notified Leopold and Ilzo, and the gnome asked the rest of us if we recalled the signal for Va’lyndra to return. I just shouted her name. She returned shortly and asked what was going on. Leopold explained, and Olivia added that she thought it was some kind of animal; it wasn’t large enough to be a boogeyman, for instance.

Va’lyndra and Ilzo went to check it out, and after a while, I could hear wolves howling. The scouts returned to tell us it was indeed wolves. The bad news was that they were planning to attack us tonight, if they could gather enough numbers. I suggested that we leave their territory, but Ilzo preferred to ambush them. Leopold wanted to find a defensible campsite in the evening, and the rest of us agreed.

I held my bow ready, and told Olivia to alert me immediately if she saw more wolves while we traveled. After a while, I spotted one myself and shot at it. I think I struck, but the wolf made no sound.

In the afternoon, we found a place above a scree and made camp. I proposed to guard the scree with Olivia, but she was brave enough to watch it alone, as she deemed it too steep for the wolves to climb. I didn’t think I’d have much trouble climbing it, but wolves don’t have fingers, so I guessed they’d struggle. Ilzo set snares, and Leopold constructed a stone wall around the other sides of the camp, and we tied the horses to trees so they wouldn’t run away when the wolves came. In the end, we decided to do more or less normal watches during the night, so Olivia and I went to bed.


Thoughts on August 4th

Nothing happened during our watch, but Va’lyndra told us she had spoken with the wolves, using a potion of beast speech, and learned that they considered themselves too few to attack, but hoped to be enough by tomorrow night. When she used the potion and stayed out of sight downwind, Va’lyndra managed to trick the wolves into thinking that she was one of them.

We traveled further, and the wolves followed at a safe distance. I was ready to shoot, but they didn’t show themselves to me.

In the afternoon, when it approached the time to find a campsite, Va’lyndra went to speak with the wolves again. I followed behind her and took aim at one of the wolves while Va’lyndra talked. As soon as the conversation ended, I released my arrow, and Va’lyndra yelled that she was going to fill my tent with water and ice. I ran ahead of her back to the others.

Leopold asked Va’lyndra if the wolves thought they had sufficient numbers to attack. They did. I contended that if we shot a couple of them, they wouldn’t attack, and we wouldn’t have to kill them all. I knew Va’lyndra was reluctant to hurt animals, even when they threatened us. She didn’t like my reasoning.

We found a cave, just large enough for all of us and our horses. Va’lyndra determined it was an abandoned animal den. Leopold investigated the cave, and found a second entrance. Marvin was hesitant to enter the cave, and wouldn’t let Olivia pull him, so I had to get on his back and force him. Va’lyndra glared at me for treating him so, but I wouldn’t leave him outside for the wolves. Ilzo struggled with his horses, too, and got kicked by two of them when he pulled them inside. Va’lyndra gave him a potion so he could talk to them.

I asked Leopold if he could block the entrances so the horses couldn’t flee. He complied, shaping earth into a rampart across the main entrance, and nearly blocking the rear exit. We also jammed a log between the floor and ceiling to tie the horses to. We sharpened poles and drove them into the rampart to make it harder for the wolves to enter.

We made a new night watch routine. As both Ilzo and Leopold have perfect dark vision, they should take the middle watches, when it’s darkest. Olivia and I got our watch shifted to the first after Va’lyndra had made a feeble attempt to split us up. The elf was to take the last watch, in the morning.

The predators made an appearance outside not long after Ilzo, Leopold and Va’lyndra had fallen asleep, testing the air. I shot several arrows at them, and while I missed with all the shots, I managed to chase them off.

[coronatiger]

Suddenly, they burst out of the trees, heading straight for the cave. I loosed another arrow, this time felling a wolf, while shouting to rouse my companions. Three larger shapes charged along with the wolves. Bears. I tried shooting one of them, but missed. The evening gloom made archery difficult.

Ilzo bellowed a war cry and took position near me with Surkalpi. Va’lyndra and Leopold followed just behind. I fired another arrow at the charging animals, striking a wolf. The animals rushed up the spiked slope, and several skewered themselves on the sharpened poles. Surkalpi took another beast in the chest, spraying entrails and blue goo on the rampart. I pulled Scorchmark and scratched another wolf. I didn’t cut deeply, but the smell of singed fur assaulted my nostrils.

Ilzo changed the grip on his polearm, so he could use it in close combat. Leopold shot a lightning bolt from his wand, but the struck wolf ignored the zap. Va’lyndra poked her staff out over the rampart and made a hailstorm outside. A wolf bit her shield, and one of the bears ran onto a sharpened pole. The other two trampled wolves to get over the poles and attacked Ilzo and Leopold. Leopold was too small to be struck, and Ilzo parried.

I figured Leopold needed my help more than Ilzo, and made a deep, burning cut in the side of the bear that was attacking him. The gnome dropped his wand and pulled a knife. Ilzo stabbed at his bear, but the unfamiliar grip on his weapon made him miss. Va’lyndra did another spell dance, and Ilzo’s bear continued between him and me to swipe at the mage, but her shield interposed itself. I gave the bear a deep slash for its troubles, and Ilzo penetrated it with Surkalpi, leaving it lying still on the cave floor.

Leopold cut at his bear, which was still stunned after my attack, but he barely grazed it. Va’lyndra cast a spell, dehydrating the blue slime that hung from the belly of the third bear, and it shriveled and fell off.

A wolf snapped at me, but I parried with Scorchmark and dug into its face with my magic knife. A couple of seconds later, all the wolves and bears lay still, and I thought the battle was over. Not so! The blue slime unattached itself from the beasts and came at us. The slime seemed related to the blobs we’ve met before, and had the same aversion against fire, so a single hit with Scorchmark was enough to put one down, but there were so many of them! Va’lyndra lay about her with dehydration spells, as they seemed vulnerable to that attack, but Leopold and Ilzo was having a harder time, needing several strikes to destroy one of the small blobs.

Even with my superior weapon, I found the situation unbearable when the slime started crawling up my legs, so I dodged back along with Ilzo, who also found the slime creepy. Va’lyndra and Leopold stood steadfast in the center of the slime, while Ilzo and I, the main fighters, danced around the outside of the danger zone.

I drew a sigh of relief when the last blob shattered, and looked around. Nobody seemed injured, except for Ilzo, who had been kicked earlier. Va’lyndra and Leopold reasoned that the blue blobs had infested the animals, somehow controlling their minds. Ilzo and I found shovels and tossed every last blue trace outside.

Leaving the horses safely inside the cave, we brought our tents outside and pitched them there. I notified Leopold that it was his turn at the watch, and asked Va’lyndra to spray me with her water jet, for it wasn’t tempting to bring slime inside the tent.

Sprayed clean, I told Olivia that I was cold and wet and in need of warmth. We disappeared into our tent to get warm, but suddenly, a thin layer of frost covered every surface, including our bodies. Olivia held me tight, for the frost hadn’t gotten between us. She also whispered that it was Va’lyndra making real on her threat, and that she didn’t want me to retaliate. Instead, we could get fresh blankets from our packs. Olivia’s frisky, hunger-rousing hands made it easy to remain inside the tent.


Thoughts on August 5th

Leopold opened the cave and we fetched the horses. We traveled onwards and homewards, crossing an overgrown road in the afternoon. The clouds were dark and heavy, but no rain fell.


Thoughts on August 6th

We continued straight ahead, and the clouds thinned the further we went. In the evening, Leopold asked Va’lyndra if we weren’t going too far to the right. Those mountains ahead… according to the map, we should be going on their left side, not on their right, which was the direction we were heading. Va’lyndra agreed, and said we would turn more to the north, tomorrow.


Thoughts on August 7th

In the evening, while Olivia kept watch and I distracted her, she noticed goblins sneaking up on us. I leapt into action, shooting, while Olivia alerted Ilzo, Va’lyndra and Leopold. Together, we trounced the goblins pretty good, and none of us got hurt. I commented to Olivia afterwards that we’ve come a long way since my first battle. Lady Karita, Magnar, Kine and I had fought only half as many goblins that time, and if I remember correctly, only Kine and I walked away unscathed.


Thoughts on August 8th

Leopold looked at the map and said there was a city not far away, and wanted to check it out. Va’lyndra led the way, but we didn’t reach it before nightfall.


Thoughts on August 9th

Leopold and Va’lyndra packed light, planning for a quick jaunt into town. I suggested that Ilzo join them in case they met goblins or boogeymen. Ilzo insisted that he was too heavy for his horse to keep up with the others. My longing glances at Olivia gave away my intentions, but in spite of that, or perhaps because of it, I managed to convince Leopold and Va’lyndra to take him along. Olivia and I had a nice day alone in camp.


Thoughts on August 10th

We continued north, today. Leopold and Va’lyndra couldn’t have found anything interesting in the ruined city, for Leopold didn’t mention anything to me. I’m pretty sure he would have, as enthusiastic as he is about old things.


Thoughts on August 11th

We came abreast of the mountains, today. On the left side. It could have cost us as much as a week had Leopold not noticed that Va’lyndra was leading us astray.


Thoughts on August 12th

Nothing of note happened today while we traveled. What Olivia and I got up to when our watch was done, on the other hand …


Thoughts on August 13th

Va’lyndra raised the alarm early this morning. Kobolds had tried to surprise her, but we took care of them easily. I went back to bed with Olivia and tried to get another hour of rest before breakfast, but I was too concerned to sleep. These latest encounters, with the goblins and the kobolds … I feared they were designed to make us complacent. A hidden menace was waiting for us to lose focus, and then it would spring its trap on us. I told Olivia about it when she woke up again, but she told me not to be silly.


Thoughts on August 14th

Traveling had been boring if not for the possibility of practicing acrobatics in the saddle. Although I brought up the rear, guarding our backs as it were, I got some delighted smiles from Olivia, who watched me over her shoulder. I gave her a neck-rub before sleep.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on August 15th

The land here was rather flat and densely forested. Had we found a bare hilltop, we might have seen the Silent Lake in the distance. Urdon, our destination, lies where the Grand River flows out of the lake. It shouldn’t be more than a week until a decent bed in Urdon’s best inn. Unless, of course, the Tamburin Supremacy has invaded and occupied the small town.


Thoughts on August 16th

I practiced with my bow while we traveled, today, shooting at trees with arrows from my infinite supply. I asked the others not to tell Va’lyndra, just in case she took offense at my choice of targets. I really need to get a better bow. I wear exotic swamp wurm leather armor, fight in close combat with a fiery knife and pull fine arrows from a cornucopia quiver. My plain and simple reflex bow needs an upgrade. I can certainly afford higher quality, and I think I’m up for using a bow with a slightly heavier pull.

When we made camp, I mentioned to Va’lyndra that I might get a new bow when we reached Urdon, and she expressed interest in my old one. I promised she would have the first claim if I decided to sell it.


Thoughts on August 17th

We finally reached the Silent Lake around midday. Va’lyndra noticed tracks going south along the shore, and estimated that they were at least a week old. Possibly adventurers, but it might also be Tamburin troops.

Continuing north, we saw more tracks, and Va’lyndra decided to climb a tall tree. She noticed a dark spot on the lake that had to be a boat, but no other sapient activity. At the end of the day, she climbed another tree and determined that the boat was heading north, possibly towards Urdon. The presence of the boat was baffling, as there were no ports south of Urdon. Maybe it was a Tamburin scouting vessel?


Thoughts on August 18th

In the evening, we reached the southern end of the road to Urdon. We saw no people, though, even if there should be farmsteads nearby. Maybe they had retired for the day.


Thoughts on August 19th

We encountered a farmer coming south from Urdon, where he had sold vegetables. The donkey-drawn cart was empty except for a few tools. Va’lyndra interrogated the farmer, who informed us that Tamburin forces lurked around the region. They had taken Garuk, and seemed content with that, for they hadn’t moved in strength towards Urdon. We decided to give the farmer some of our dried fruit, as we had more than enough to get us to Urdon. Our fruit was unfamiliar to the farmer, who asked where we had found it. We told him it came from a grove far to the south, two days outside a boogeyman town. I warned him not to go there. Boogeymen are dangerous. As we parted ways, the farmer alerted us to rising food prices.


Thoughts on August 20th

Since we would be reaching Urdon tomorrow, I suggested that we ask for lodgings at a farm tonight. That way, we could freshen up, so we’d be presentable when we entered town.

Farmers are obliged to take in travelers, but we had to pay for our baths. Olivia cleaned our clothes and did some much-needed mending. Shaving has been kept to the most essential regions while we’ve been traveling, but tonight we shaved each other’s legs and armpits, too. And then we let our inner rabbits out, although we kept the noise down, so as not to disturb the poor family living here.


Thoughts on August 21st

Va’lyndra had also taken the opportunity of a warm bath, and it slipped out of me, only in Olivia’s hearing, fortunately, that Va’lyndra looked hot! “Oh, that,” Olivia explained, “she’s been like that for weeks now. I’m pleased that you didn’t notice it before now!” “Well,” I defended, “I’ve thought that there was something different about her for some time, but I didn’t really …” “Don’t stare, Mattea,” Olivia said with a finger on my cheek, turning my head towards her, “it’s not polite. I may not have Va’lyndra’s grace, but I have something better.” She took my hand and placed it on her chest, not quite where I would have put it, but I could feel her heart beating. “I have you!”

We said thank you and goodbye to the farmers and rode on. A few hundred meters outside Urdon, soldiers had set up a checkpoint. Most of the ten soldiers hardly glanced at us as we approached, some were even playing dice, but three confronted us: “Stop! Who goes there?” I removed my helmet and tossed my head, not very impressive with my hair in a braid, but none of the three recognized me. Leopold just gave his name, but I hopped up on the saddle and proclaimed my identity. Some of the soldiers in the rear clearly knew me, for they started whispering.

The officer asked our errand, and Va’lyndra explained that we were adventurers returning from the south. The soldiers waved us on, and we soon arrived at the Urdon gates, where a single guard stood leaning on his pike, half asleep.

I suggested we find an inn, first; we didn’t have to lug all our equipment along all day. There were rooms available, some of the best, at Urdon’s most prominent inn, and we checked in. I smiled at Olivia. It felt like coming home.

We stabled our horses and moved our luggage inside, and sat down in Va’lyndra’s room to talk. We wanted to contact her knowledge guild and trade one of our new-found relics for the one Ilzo desired. Which one should we give up? Not the staff found in Walter’s temple, as he needed that to function. Nor should we relinquish the whale statuette representing the god of dimensions. That god had spoken to Ilzo and Va’lyndra, if only to inform them that they owed a service for taking the artifacts from beyond the glass bridge, but Va’lyndra especially felt connected to that god afterwards. That left the perversion statuette or the violent chaos statuette. I thought the last one was unsafe, and argued that we should give it to the knowledge guild, but Va’lyndra was flirting with the idea of using it as a weapon against Tamburin.

Va’lyndra and I decided to fill in Ilzo and Leopold on our dream vision, as they had proven reliable and trustworthy. We had revealed some details already, but we now endeavored to tell the whole story, the reason why we were collecting these relics. They listened intently to our story, and then Ilzo asked Walter if he was Chaotic. Va’lyndra repeated the question, hoping to get an answer. Walter said that he didn’t understand the question, so Va’lyndra explained that Ilzo, she and I were Chaotic. Walter brought up the long-dead priest back south, and said that he’d know. How useless!

We picked up the two statuettes that we might want to sell and left the room. We suddenly realized that we didn’t know where in Urdon the knowledge guild had settled down after leaving Garuk. Hiding away the statuettes again, Va’lyndra wandered out to search for familiar faces, leaving the rest of us to our own devices.

Evening was coming, so it was time to get up on the tables and perform. The show went exceptionally well; these folk had starved for entertainment while I was gone. I gathered the equivalents of a whole gold coin in tips, and the innkeeper said I didn’t have to pay for my stay here as long as I performed in the common room in the evenings. I thanked him and retired for the night.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on August 22nd

At breakfast, Va’lyndra informed the rest of us that she had run into an acquaintance from the knowledge guild, yesterday, and had agreed to meet up with him this morning. The dwarf would take her to the guild’s encampment, which was hidden somewhere in the forest outside the village.

When she had left, a guard walked up to our table, cleared his throat and said that his master had heard that I offered alternative favors, private entertainment, if you will. He was willing to pay ten gold pieces for a session this evening. That was a lot of money, so I accepted. “When and where?” I couldn’t live on my adventuring earnings forever. It turned out his master had taken the best rooms here at the inn, and would expect me after dinner.

The guard left to inform his master of our agreement, and I turned to other topics. I told the others I would be going to the adventurer’s guild, among other things to pay the membership fee. Ilzo and Leopold wanted to come with me, but Olivia wanted a word in private, first.

In the privacy of our room, Olivia expressed her opinion. She thought it was regrettable that I agreed to private performances when the whole village longed to see my act. We had enough money to last for a long while, so I didn’t have to take the jobs that paid the most. Olivia appealed to my long-term goal of being recognized as the world’s premier acrobat. “The more people who get to see your performances, the better,” she said. I thanked Olivia for her wisdom, and she broke our kiss after a while to impart some more sense: “Why don’t we have Ilzo bring the cancellation message? That way, we can enjoy each other’s company in the common room while he takes the brunt of the disappointment.” I pecked her cheek and we left to tell Ilzo.

Ilzo returned to the common room after a while and let us know the people in room three weren’t very polite. It was just as well I cancelled with them. I said goodbye to Olivia, who would knock on Leopold’s door to let him know Ilzo and I were heading for the guild. Olivia wasn’t a member, and anyway, she had chores.

Gnomus, the local chapter master, was happy to see us alive, and asked after Va’lyndra. We said she was fine, but busy with other errands, today. We paid our guild dues; Ilzo paid for Va’lyndra and Leopold paid for me, who had forgotten to ask Olivia for money before leaving the inn. I promised to pay him back the moment we returned to Olivia.

We reported to Gnomus that we had visited the southern forest, beating up goblins, orcs, boogeymen, kobolds and exploding trolls. I added that some of us had encountered crocodile heads, too, but that I wasn’t around for that. Gnomus asked if he could copy our map. I asked Leopold if he had written anything secret on the map. He replied that he had noted down what we’d found where, but I thought that was all right, for we had brought all the treasures and relics with us. Leopold agreed to return this evening, when Gnomus wasn’t as busy.

Ilzo left on some private errand, and I returned to the inn to have some fun with Olivia. I told her of my debt to Leopold, and she said she’d handle it.

An officer of the town watch halted me before I could begin my performance in the evening. He had received a complaint about a monster that apparently had tried to bring a message from me to a prominent merchant. I explained that it had to be a misunderstanding. Ilzo wasn’t a monster, even if he’s big and strong and looks kind of like an ogre. Being in the wilderness for most of the summer, I hadn’t practiced my smile for quite some time, but I hadn’t lost my touch. The officer agreed that it had been a misunderstanding and turned to leave, but I put a light hand on his shoulder. “Wait! I’m about to perform. Don’t you want to watch?” Having no more duties tonight, the officer sat down to enjoy the show.


Thoughts on August 23rd

Va’lyndra practically dragged me off to the adventurer’s guild this morning. I barely had time to retrieve Olivia’s money pouches before we went to shop potions. Leopold and Ilzo came too.

I had already made plans for healing potions with Olivia. As I rarely get wounded, most of my potions are used on the others when they are unconscious, and our collections still held quite a few liquid potions of healing. We were nearly out of healing salves, so I bought twenty of those. They take slightly longer to take effect, but unlike liquids, they’re completely safe to administer to unconscious patients. The price was the same, one hundred and twenty coppers. I restocked on potions of fetch and carry and potions of water breathing, buying two of each of those. I also bought three potions of flight, having seen the usefulness when Va’lyndra brought a nearly dead Ilzo out of that boogeyman village. I thought Olivia and I should have one bottle each, in case we needed to flee, and an idea occurred to me, that made me buy a third. They were frightfully expensive, at forty-seven gold per bottle, and with the other potions, it consumed a large portion of our money.

I had to buy potions for Va’lyndra, too, since I’m the only one with rank to buy advanced potions. She wanted potions of flight and potions of beast speech among other things. Ilzo and Leopold only wanted to replenish their healing potion stores, but they could do that themselves. Looking for a new bow, I checked out the notice board, but I found nothing that suited my desires.

When everyone was done shopping, we returned to the inn and fetched Olivia and the horses and all our gear. Then Va’lyndra led the way out of Urdon. She found a path leading away from the main road, and took us to the palisaded encampment of the knowledge guild. The people there welcomed Va’lyndra back. We followed some high-ranking guild member into a large tent, and he asked about the statuettes that we had for sale. Leopold corrected him, saying that we were looking to do a trade.

An expert was summoned to study our statuettes. It was the same old fellow I had met before. Va’lyndra and Leopold retrieved the two statuettes we felt we could give up. The statuette of violent chaos was still wrapped in the sheath of living wood that Va’lyndra had made, and she explained that the relic inside frightened animals, so we left the encampment to unpack it safely. Va’lyndra warned the old fellow about the dangers of messing with the statuette, and I started to send Olivia back to the encampment. Leopold suggested that I join her; we could keep an eye on the horses and the expensive equipment they carried.

I stood on Marvin’s saddle, and could just see above the palisade. Nothing exciting happened; they just looked as if they were talking, which I relayed to Olivia on the ground. Our ten horses, well, nine and a pony, gave us a bit of privacy, and Olivia and I reminisced about the old days, when we lived in Duke Leonard’s mansion.

After an hour or so, Va’lyndra rewrapped the statuette and handed it to Ilzo, who sat on it. I had hoped they would return, but they remained out there, talking for a while longer. When they finally came back, they told me they had made a deal. Someone from the guild would go and fetch Ilzo’s statuette, and we would then make the exchange. The trip would take two weeks, but I offered to do it faster. I have a very fast horse, after all. Depending on the nag the guild member would ride, and the amount of baggage they would bring, I could probably beat them on foot, but Leopold thought that it would be good for all of us to take a break from traveling.

Leopold wanted to utilize the library that the knowledge guild had brought from Garuk, and Va’lyndra wanted to spend some time with her colleagues. They’d keep Ilzo for protection, and he could be useful lifting and carrying building materials, for the guild wasn’t done building their camp, yet. I would go back to Urdon with Olivia, of course, as I could perform every day there without book people complaining that I was distracting them from their studies. Va’lyndra wanted a word with Olivia before we parted.

On our ride back to Urdon, Olivia told me that Va’lyndra had said that it was important that we didn’t reveal the location of the encampment to anyone. I told her I’d keep it in mind.

When we returned to the inn, I went for a walk alone while Olivia got us settled back in our room again. I first said hello to the innkeeper, of course, in case he had forgotten that Olivia was with me, but he remembered. I tried to locate a bowyer, but without luck. I returned in time for dinner with Olivia, and then I performed again.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on August 24th

Olivia decided to hire a body guard for us, for some reason, so we headed over to the adventurer’s guild. Olivia picked an out-of-work elf named Tinalla to do the job, and paid her for two weeks in advance. My sweetheart was in a masterful mood, today, and made it clear that while I was the famous one, she was the one who held the purse strings, and therefore, she was the boss. She even took Tinalla aside to whisper instructions when I went to scan the notice board for a new bow sale. I didn’t expect any relevant notes again, not so soon, and I wasn’t surprised at the lack of news.

I walked around town to socialize, and Olivia latched on to my arm as if she never meant to let go. Tinalla followed behind us. We met three ogres and two dwarves, poor-looking people, who told me they were going to the Land of the Free. They weren’t quite sure where that was, just that it was beyond Urdon somewhere. I warned them about the Tamburin Supremacy, and they said they had no intention of going anywhere near there.

Recalling that Olivia had expressed a desire to learn more about medicine, I asked around for someone who could teach her. I soon found out that Urdon had a surgeon, but he had been arrested. Tinalla in tow, Olivia and I headed over to the Sidel residence to ask about it. We got to speak with Lord Fidel, with whom we’ve done business before, but he wouldn’t say why the surgeon was locked up. I explained that we were looking for a teacher for Olivia. Lord Fidel reminded me that he owed me a favor, and I could cash it in to gain access to the surgeon.

Olivia and I talked it over in private. She didn’t want me to expend a valuable favor just for her; we could find a teacher elsewhere. I told her she was more important than anything, and I’d gladly let Lord Fidel get even with me, if it helped her. But I also knew that Olivia was terribly shy, and might not want to have anything to do with a potentially dangerous criminal. I told her as much, and swore that if she decided to meet that surgeon, I’d be with her every step of the way. I’d even let her use me to practice on. With that, I let Olivia make the decision. We walked back to Lord Fidel, and I informed him that we wouldn’t avail ourselves of the opportunity he presented.

Back at the inn, Tinalla ate with us and then watched the performance with Olivia. She didn’t follow us into our room afterwards, which was just as well. We weren’t paying her for that.


Thoughts on August 25th

Olivia and I stayed inside most of the day, only going outside for a stroll. I kept my eyes open for a bowyer, but my hopes weren’t high. Urdon was just a village, after all. I guessed most people who needed a bow made one themselves. Getting a new bow shouldn’t be that difficult. However, getting a good one seemed impossible.

The lack of a decent bowyer was slightly depressing, but talking to fans and doing acrobatics in the streets picked me right up, so much so that Olivia decided to take me back to the inn before I did something I’d regret. Fat chance, with her around, but better safe than sorry, I guess. Or maybe Olivia just got aroused watching me. I have that effect on people, even when I’d prefer not to.


Thoughts on August 26th

Olivia reminded me that I had promised to report to Lord Karl Morgenstern, Lady Karita’s cousin, about my exploits, so I wrote a short note saying we’d returned from the southern forest, where we had encountered many hazards and bested them all. I’m not good with words, so he’d have to be satisfied with that. If he wants more information, he can look me up and ask. I paid a merchant who was heading back east to bring the letter along to Surd.


Thoughts on August 27th

The weather was nice today, so we decided to go for a ride and have a picnic. As the forest around Urdon wasn’t completely safe, I brought my weapons along. Tinalla came with us, of course, and she and I did some target practice. Being an elf and an adventurer, Tinalla was a decent archer. We returned to Urdon in time for dinner at the inn. I performed in the evening, of course, like I’ve done every night since returning from the expedition.


Thoughts on August 28th

It was raining heavily this morning, but I still wanted to go outside. Olivia and Tinalla came with me, but we practically had all the streets to ourselves. I spread my arms and faced the sky. “Isn’t it wonderful to be alive?!” Olivia muttered something that might have been agreement. I felt like tumbling, but the muddy ground wasn’t very inviting to put my hands upon, so I did some aerial cartwheels and a variety of somersaults, circling Olivia as we moved along the streets.

Somehow, we ended up back at the inn rather quickly. I told Olivia I would like to play in the rain a bit longer, but she looked me in the eyes, asking in a low voice, “Wouldn’t you rather get out of your wet clothes? And perhaps you could help me get out of mine?” I wasn’t hard to ask.


Thoughts on August 29th

I invited Olivia to go swimming in the river with me, for the sun had returned and banished the dark clouds. Olivia declined, for we either had to swim where people could see, or we had to go so far it was getting dangerous. When she put it that way, I had to agree, so instead, I had a bath tub brought to our room and filled with cold water. I got in first and flinched, which Olivia noticed, so we left the tub alone for a while. Olivia dried me off with a towel and shared her body heat with me. When I was thinking clearly again, the water had warmed enough to be pleasantly cool, and we had a bath together, which of course led to other stuff. We alternated between the hot bed and the cool bath until we were both exhausted.

After lunch, I spent some time practicing acrobatics outside. I set up a tightrope and had fun with that while Olivia and Tinalla watched as I gathered a crowd of onlookers. Some of the village children wanted to try the tightrope, so I took them up one by one and held them so they didn’t fall. Someone voiced concern, for the rope was a full two meters above the ground, but another villager hushed them: “Of course, it’s safe. That’s Mattea Vishi, that is!”


Thoughts on August 30th

We walked over to the guild today, and as luck would have it, a recently arrived adventurer was a bowyer. I invited him to the inn for drinks and a show tonight, and I’d show him my bow and lay out how I wanted the new one to be. He said he needed five days to make the bow. I was so thankful I nearly kissed him, but Tinalla alerted me that Olivia wanted to go to bed, so I said goodbye to the bowyer and ran over to escort Olivia upstairs.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on August 31st

“There’s that secretive smile again, Mattea,” Olivia declared. It had been a long day of acrobatics, both exercising and performing, and we were heading for our room for the night. “You’ve been planning something ever since Va’lyndra and the others moved out to the forest,” Olivia accused, “and I’m dying to know what it is.” “All right,” I said, “just give me a minute.” I started rummaging through one of our saddlebags.

When I found what I was looking for and turned around, Olivia’s clothes were folded in a neat stack on a stool, and the woman herself was lying on her side on the bed, one hand propping up her head as she eyed me, the other playing sensuously with a lock of brown hair. I moved to open the potion bottle, and Olivia asked what I was doing. “Is that a flight potion?!” she exclaimed. She was on her feet in a second, fists on hips in an angry pose. If she wasn’t naked, I’d be scared. “I just thought it would be fun to, you know, do aerobatics while we … Wouldn’t it be awesome, riding a flying me?” “No!” Olivia said sharply, and I couldn’t tell if she really was angry or if she just used that voice to break through my hunger. I certainly was horny as hell. “You put that down, Mattea! I won’t have you waste a fortune on frivolities. That potion is for an emergency! At the price of those drops, we could live comfortably for a year! Put it away, or I swear I won’t sleep with …” Olivia’s eyes widened in shock at what she was about to say, and she clasped her hands to her mouth. Stunned, I returned the potion to the saddlebag.

Olivia crossed the room and seized my hands in hers, looking down on me with eyes brimming with tears. “Do I not please you anymore?” she continued in a lower voice. “Do you need drugs to spice up our lovemaking?” She stepped back and spread her arms demonstrably. “Is this not enough?” Actions speak louder than words, so I moved in for a kiss. The faintest flicker of a smile danced across her lips before we connected, and I knew we would be all right. She tore at my costume, and I was about to tell her to be careful, but her tongue darted forward and then my hunger took over.


Thoughts on September 1st

We talked it over after breakfast, when we were both dressed and I had my wits with me. Olivia made me see sense. Using a forty-seven-gold potion to enhance something that didn’t need enhancing was indeed a waste. With a contortionist’s body, a talent for gymnastics that certainly covered horizontal activities, and embarrassingly vast experience, I made Olivia enjoy herself immeasurably when we made love. Knowing me better than I knew myself, Olivia certainly knew how to reciprocate, even if, as she put it, I got off on getting her off.

Tinalla knocked on the door and entered our room. She apologized for peeking inside last night, but she had heard Olivia’s raised voice and thought something might be wrong. Olivia blushed furiously, and Tinalla assured us she had seen no more than a kiss. I told the bodyguard that she had done nothing wrong, that she had just done her job. I thanked her for her honesty. She understood my dismissal and returned to the hallway. Olivia locked the door.

Olivia needed some time to calm down. She berated me with variations of “Just because we have a bodyguard, doesn’t mean you don’t have to lock the door!” I sat on the side of the bed while she walked up and down the room, and nodded sincerely each time she glared at me. Eventually, the redness receded, and she plumped down on my lap. “Thanks for being so understanding, Mattea!” She bent down and planted a kiss on my lips. “Let’s go outside! I want to watch you practice.”


Thoughts on September 2nd

Curious about the progress on my new bow, I made a surprise visit to the bowyer, with Olivia and Tinalla in tow as usual. We chatted for a bit, gossiping about topics of interest to adventurers, but talk makes no bow, so we didn’t stay long. The bow should be ready the day after tomorrow.


Thoughts on September 3rd

I decided to change things up a little, tonight, and did a contortionist routine instead of the acrobatics that I usually did. The spectators didn’t mind, of course. Olivia didn’t either, especially not when I gave her a private performance afterwards.


Thoughts on September 4th

Olivia informed me that paying for my new bow would take more or less every coin we had, so she suggested that I looked up Va’lyndra first, and asked if she wanted to buy my old bow. If she decided she didn’t want it, maybe I could get an advance on our share of the loot from the expedition.

I put on arms and armor and saddled Marvin. Without saddlebags, and with no slow companions to wait for, he ran like the wind. We reached the knowledge guild encampment in no time. Va’lyndra tried my old bow a few times and decided to buy it. I told her such a bow cost around nine gold new, and let her choose how much she wanted to pay for a used one. She gave me ten gold pieces for it, and thanked me for working out the kinks for her.

I dashed back to Urdon, put Marvin in the stable and rubbed him down. “Good boy!” Inside the inn, I picked up Olivia, Tinalla and our coin purses, and headed out to see the bowyer again. The bow was ready, so Olivia counted out the coins, forty-odd gold and about as many silver. I tested the bow, pulling back the string. The pull was indeed heavier than that of my previous bow, almost too heavy, but I thought I could get used to it.

I forewent my usual acrobatics practice today, so I could get acquainted with my new bow. I carried a large rock up to our room, and practiced drawing and aiming at that, just in case I accidentally released an arrow. Arrows from my cornucopia quiver vanished as soon as I dropped them to the floor, so I didn’t have to replace them in the quiver. I smiled at Olivia. She smiled back, but not with as much mirth as I displayed. She doesn’t like weapons, and I don’t think she was looking forward to handling this one. She’ll be stringing it for me, from time to time, if past experiences can be trusted to repeat.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on September 5th

My arms were still sore from yesterday’s bow practice, so Olivia decided to give me a massage before breakfast. She straddled my back and set to work on my arms and shoulders. I closed my eyes and enjoyed her ministrations. She worked in silence for a while, and I recognized when she started to tire, both in how she touched me and because she started talking, complimenting my “strong, sleek arms”, and how she loved to be held in my embrace. It was obvious how she wanted me to repay her favor; she hadn’t even bothered putting on a dress. I decided to surprise her. Using her weight to anchor my torso to the bed, I lifted my legs and then my hips off the mattress. Stretching my legs forward stealthily, I caressed her breasts with my feet, eliciting a startled scream.

Tinalla hammered on the door and asked if we were all right, and I answered that we were just fine. Olivia scrambled for a blanket, and it was clear she had thought there was someone else in the room. “It’s not natural, you bending that way,” she exclaimed, “I really believed someone had snuck past Tinalla!” She discarded the blanket and straddled me again. “Do it again, Mattea! I promise I won’t scream.” We had a late breakfast, today. More like lunch, really.


Thoughts on September 6th

Ilzo’s statuette was delivered this morning, and he, Va’lyndra and Leopold made the trade with the knowledge guild. They marched into the inn in Urdon just as Olivia, Tinalla and I were finishing lunch. They rented rooms, and we all went up to Va’lyndra’s room to talk. Tinalla stood guard just outside the door, so we spoke mutedly so she wouldn’t accidentally overhear any of our secrets.

Va’lyndra and Ilzo brought out our loot and we split it five ways; Olivia’s share was smaller since she doesn’t participate in the dangerous stuff. Combined, Olivia’s and my share added up to well over five hundred gold pieces, a king’s ransom! The coins vanished into Olivia’s pouches for safekeeping. Ilzo had some urgent business at the market, and didn’t stay long enough to get his share, so Va’lyndra set it aside.

“What now?” I asked. Leopold told me he had tried to interpret the visions that Va’lyndra and I had shared, but failed. We might be able to summon demons, like in one of the visions, but Leopold thought that was a bad idea, and I couldn’t agree more. I really didn’t like the direction we seemed to be heading, with necromancy and demon summoning discussed in the same tone as last night’s dinner. Trying to contact the gods sounded more reasonable, but even that gave me goose bumps. Olivia shifted against my side. She wasn’t comfortable either. Leopold asked Walter if he thought Carnus might be a good choice if we wanted to spread chaos to create balance. The skull was uncertain. He had trouble grasping the concepts of Chaos and Order.

We struggled to find a good plan, something reasonable that everyone might agree to, for every idea that cropped up seemed to have some flaw. “Could we contact the order of that creature from the vision, the one who answered our questions?” I asked, “Or maybe reach out to the Sidel family? They’re influential around these parts.” From what I knew of them, though, they didn’t really seem like the kind of people who might possess knowledge that we’d find helpful. Va’lyndra mentioned that we had an old, elven spell book that she knew some people who found interesting, and she suggested that we contacted them and sold a translation of the book to them. While I didn’t think that necessarily would progress our quest, it wasn’t ridiculously stupid and incredibly dangerous either.

Leopold brought up returning to Carnus’s temple to unbury that priest. The elves who were at war with the orcs were affiliated with Order, and an enemy of our enemy might be our friend, and Leopold thought he might have valuable information. Even though the idea made me queasy, it was the one that I thought might bring us closer to a solution, without introducing unnecessary risk. The idea of talking to the gods, and having them talk back, was not at all tempting, even though we had planned for it. Ilzo returned and sat down.

Va’lyndra wanted to talk to that other knowledge guild, those people that were interested in our spell book, before we headed out on another expedition. I told the others that if we went on a longer journey now, we had to prepare for winter and snow. Last time, we were lucky enough that we evaded snowfall until the end of December, when we were nearly home, but we couldn’t count on being that lucky again. The snow might fall much sooner this year.

Leopold and Va’lyndra talked about using a teleportation ritual to bring us to the temple of dimensions, and utilizing that temple’s features to teleport to Carnus’s temple. They admitted they hadn’t figured out how to work out the proper coordinates, and mentioned that we might emerge high up in the air, so everyone should have potions of flight at the ready. I’d rather risk the snow. What if, instead of popping out high above the temple, we appeared inside the earth beneath it? No way! Snow wouldn’t kill us, not if we prepared properly, unlike powerful magic that we really have no control over.

An idea occurred to Leopold, and he asked Walter if all the temples fought against the elves. Walter wasn’t sure. The temple of Carnus certainly was, and the orc nation was at war, so since the temples were nominally part of the nation… Ilzo suggested that his god, who he had renamed Gromsh since it was easier to pronounce than Animamea, might be of help. He retrieved the statuette and asked, but got no answer. I looked at the others quizzically, and Va’lyndra explained that the statuette had talked to him earlier.

Leopold and Va’lyndra decided to meditate over the relics. Ilzo, Olivia and I went down to the common room. It was time for my performance, anyway. I noticed Ilzo talking to an ogre, and the two of them went outside. A few others followed them, and I frowned inwardly. Maybe Mattea Vishi had overstayed her welcome in Urdon, if she couldn’t hold on to a crowd?

Ilzo staggered inside a little later, blood seeping from gashes in his tunic. He held a healing potion in his hand, so I bounced over to him to prevent him from using magic in front of everyone, but I didn’t reach him in time. Hopefully, the crowd didn’t think much of it; he was certainly still heavily wounded afterwards. I told Ilzo he had to go up to Va’lyndra, and tell her exactly what he had done. She would tell him what he did wrong. “Exactly what you just did!” I repeated, then I leapt up onto a table and resumed the show. I wanted to draw as little attention to him as possible. Olivia and Tinalla watched him ascend the stairs, but Olivia didn’t really like the orc anyway, and Tinalla was paid to watch out for Olivia and me, so they stayed.