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Company of Chaos - All Around Golarion
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<blockquote data-quote="Lwaxy" data-source="post: 5844213" data-attributes="member: 53286"><p>The next morning, the caravan broke camp a bit later than usual, but when the missing travelers did not show up, they had little choice but to continue, especially as the weather seemed to turn sour and no one wanted to be caught inside forested area in a thunderstorm in winter. It took less than an hour to clear the forest. From the storm brewing over the trees, they only got a few snowflakes and small hailstones. When the caravan turned slightly south at midday, the party decided to stick with it anyway, so they could reach the Arthrosh River with them and travel east and north on it, to turn back west right to Falcon's Hollow. It was much better than going through the hills alone. </p><p></p><p>Kronk, because he was still too sick to do much, talked about his home in the area of Falcon's Hollow, about the Lumber Consortium owning basically everything there – including, so it seemed, the people. Most who came to the taown never managed to leave again, usually barely surviving with what they made from cutting down wood for their employers. Those who protested often vanished, and it was not assumed they just went up and left. Kronk's clan had all but stopped trading with the town in the last decade. </p><p></p><p>It didn't really sound like a place to settle at when they were done helping with the problem of the other kobolds there. Majek was especially disappointed about that. "Not that I don't like traveling, I wanna see the world. But not so much world at once, and with less perils coming our way."</p><p></p><p>Just as he said that, an elf they had not noticed before neared their group on a sorrel horse with a shining fur. It was an older man, with a regal aura about him despite the worn traveling robes which blended in well with the surroundings. "Do you think your elf friend will catch up with you soon?" he asked without introduction. </p><p></p><p>Majek blinked, while Zaza stared at the elf outright. "We have no way of knowing that," she said. "Hasn't anyone told you that it is rude to talk to people like that without introducing yourself?"</p><p></p><p>The elf looked down at the halfling and smiled, if barely so. "My name is of no concern to you, but your friend is of great concern to me.If you see him again, tell him to meet me in Augustana. He can leave a message at the Tree Top Inn if I should happen to be away." With that, he turned his horse around and rode off to the head of the caravan. Not even the guards looked at him as he turned onto a trail away from them a moment later. </p><p></p><p>"What was that all about?" Edawon blurted out.</p><p></p><p>"Devil if I know," Malik grumbled. "But that was one mighty arrogant elf, and he can stay in Augustana as long as he wants and not cross my part again."</p><p></p><p>"Well, we are going the other direction anyway. I just hope the two of them are fine and will find us soon. I can't help but worry," Zaza signed. </p><p></p><p></p><p>The two in question, Zayel and Mook and their animals, had come to a large pool formed from a bubbling, clear spring surrounded by thickets. It looked relatively deep but they couldn't see all the way down because of the spring troubling the water and some ice at the borders. </p><p></p><p>Mook was about to comment on the peaceful scenery and admire the beauty of nature, when all of a sudden a flash of energy struck her painfully in the chest, throwing her backwards to land on her behind. Dooda was at her side snarling at the bushes immediately, but she barely registered that. Her robe was torn and smoldering, and she had problems breathing. </p><p></p><p>Zayel had been diving for cover at the first sight of the flash. He knew the spell and noticed its origins to be somewhere to the left and front of them. The hawk let out an angry screech and dove into the bushes without being told so, and a surprised voice cried out in pain a moment later. Then the grey streak of the wolf flew by. Zayel got up again as quickly as he could and went after his bird, worried the next magic missile would strike the familiar down. He drew the short sword he had at his side since their stint on the island, never mind he had barely learned which end was front. As so often, the young man forgot that spells would be his best defense, as he could barely think clearly. </p><p></p><p>He found the wolf had locked his jaw firmly in the leg of a fat man vaguely familiar, while the hawk was clawing at the bald head and face. The stranger beat at the wolf with a wooden club but missed half of the time, partly because there was blood running into his eyes so he could barely see. Then his hand went to a solid belt and reached for a bottle of what seemed to be a potion. </p><p></p><p>"Hey, stop!" Zayel called out. The stranger hesitated, as if he was about to do as asked,. But something drove him to continue beating at the wold even as his hand opened the bottle. With some difficulty thanks to the hawk attacking, he drank it. A moment later, he appeared blurred as if seen through moving water or a rainy window. The hawk let out an angry shriek, but was confused enough to take off for a moment. </p><p></p><p>Mook's crossbow bolt flew wide of the man. Slightly unsteady on her feet, the oracle tried to aim anew. Zayel lost his balance just that moment when his feet became entangled in some roots. The young man fell forward without being able to grab anything to hold him upright. His sword, which he had been holding with obvious incompetence, flew out of his hands and went right through their attacker's chest. The fat guy fell without another sound, and the wolf barely jumped aside not to b buried under him. </p><p></p><p>Staring in shock, Zayel tried to get up again. "Wow... wow... who was that?"</p><p></p><p>Mook stared at the dying man with no sympathy, clutching her chest. "That's one of those folks from the inn, remember? The ones with the goblin trying to make trouble." </p><p></p><p>"Oh, Yeah." Zayel could not make himself to retrieve the bloody sword in the man's chest. "Why in the name of all gods was he here ambushing us?"</p><p></p><p>"Maybe after the same things we are? They could be considered valuable, you know." </p><p></p><p>As the wolf whined and danced around his master, Zayel became aware of how Mook looked. "You are hurt."</p><p></p><p>The oracle limped a bit as she came closer. "Yes but it is not only the magic that hit me. I think the other magic is beginning wear off." She lifted her left hand and showed a simple, wooden ring on her middle finger. It had been part of their payment after they had cleared out the manor ruins. It was filled with a magic allowing an oracle to ignore her curse, or even multiple curses, until its color faded to white. The ring had been of an almost black wood, and now it was light brown and there were many white streaks.</p><p></p><p>"The clerics said it can be recharged, yes?" Zayal said.</p><p></p><p>"Yes but, that is a major undertaking, and not something done on the trail. Let's finish this quickly so we can be on our way before anyone notices what I am."</p><p></p><p>"What you are is not evil," a tiny voice behind them said. From the surface of the pool, the head of a nixie was peeking out, smiling shily. "But this man was, and his companion, so I charmed him."</p><p></p><p>"I see," Mook nodded in complete understanding. </p><p></p><p>"Here," the nixie said and handed over the vial they were looking for. "You and your wolf need to drink this to make the hurt go away."</p><p></p><p>While Mook took the vial and gave to her wolf first, Zayel introduced them. "We are looking for just that vial for a ritual. Would you be willing to borrow it out? We'll return it after, as with all the other stuff we need." </p><p></p><p>"You will bring it back? Promise on the power of nature?" </p><p></p><p>"We promise," Mook replied before Zayel could think about what exactly that meant. </p><p></p><p>"Watch yourselves out there," the nixie said. "There are more bad people out there." Then she vanished. </p><p></p><p>"Oh, I would have had another question," Zayel sighed. </p><p></p><p>"What question?" Mook, looking decidedly better now, retrieved the bloody sword and cleaned it before handing it to Zayel, who absentmindedly took it. </p><p></p><p>"How she makes do in the cold water. I mean, we all know water conducts heat away from the body, and the nixies don't grow winter fat or anything so..."</p><p></p><p>Mook laughed like she had not done in a long time. "You arcane types, always the weirdest questions. It's probably magic. Now, let's hurry."</p><p></p><p>A while later, the trees parted, revealing a small clearing before a steep embankment. A dark, eight-foot-diameter opening breached the small rise. Small humanoid footprints were leading from the cave. A snoring could be heard from inside, and when Mook checked, she found a black bear in his winter sleep in front of an empty wooden coffer where the wand must have been. "Too late," she simply stated. </p><p></p><p>"So we have to hunt down those thugs now?" Zayel was really upset upon hearing that. </p><p></p><p>"Let's get to the last part first, and worry about them later," Mook decided. She turned into the direction the last riddle had indicated. </p><p></p><p>An ancient road wound its way through the trees, some of which encroached upon the road itself. Dimly visible in the green gloom ahead was an old ramshackle building. It was so overgrown and encrusted with moss and ferns among its shingles as to almost seem to be a part of the forest itself, a fey hillock here at the heart of the primeval wood. Closer examination revealed gaping windows and an open doorway, the door hanging by the remains of one leather hinge.</p><p></p><p>"Nice place," Zayel mumbled. He felt he was done running through the forest for today. He peeked in through the door, which promptly fell off. The boy barely jumped aside to avoid getting his feet slammed. "It is all rotting in here," he called back to Mook. Something stirred in the back of the former common room just as he said that. </p><p></p><p>"Step back," Mook called. "This place has a protector." The gnome pointed behind Zayel, and he saw a wooden trunk with many movable branches making its way towards him. Mook mumbled a few ancient sounding words in the druidic language – a language she had learned from her mother while she had still hoped to become a druid. Before the curse of the oracle had gotten a hold on her. </p><p></p><p>The defender turned towards her, shuddered, and stood still. Zayel let out a breath of relief. "What is that thing?"</p><p></p><p>"Kind of a walking tree. It will not harm us as long as we stay friends of nature. It was made to defend the woods from intruders with bad intentions. Or," she pointed, "in this case, the room."</p><p></p><p>"I'm glad I have you with me," Zayel admitted. Mook grinnded widely at that compliment. </p><p></p><p>A few minutes later, they had found goblin skeletons, the skeleton of what looked to be a satyr of sorts and the remains of a centaur. Next to the fallen apart fire pit was a gleaming skull and spinal column – which for some weird reason made Mook giggle like a little girl – and after another minute or so, Zayel finally noticed that the staff they were looking for was under those remains. He grinned again like a child finding a Spring Festival egg, but a snarling voice stopped him in his movements.</p><p></p><p>"Hold it right there, kid. That's ours, and by the way, so is the rest of the stuff you took." The tall, imposing human they had seen leading th mercenaries at the inn stood in the doorframe, wearing a mixture of mocking grin and serious determination. "You are but children, and outnumbered, too. You better be smart." </p><p></p><p>Zayel didn't really listen. His eyes were fixed on a member of the opposing party he had not noticed last night. A female elf, thin and pale with all white hair, looking so full of light and pure while she was joining up with those bad people. She was standing right next to the goblin, too, as if that was the most normal thing. For some reason, this caused a deep sense of dislike, yes even hatred, inside Zayel. All he wanted was to bring her down.</p><p></p><p>"I'm not a child," Mook replied. "And we are not exactly outnumbered. But if you would let us outside, we won't stand in the way."</p><p></p><p>The tall man's smile was one of victory now. "You will give what you took to her," he pointed at the elf.</p><p></p><p>Zayel frowned. He was not to give anyone anything, especially not that elf. But as the leader of their foes stepped aside, bow drawn, Mook took him by the elbow and steered him outside. "defender," she whispered. The boy's face brightened as he understood. </p><p></p><p>The goblin and the human went inside, while the elf turned to them with what could only be said to be an evil smile. "Now, hand over what is ours like nice little children."</p><p></p><p>"I just said before," Mook replied as if talking to an imbecile, "I'm not a child. And all we have is this," she lifted the scroll from a pocket. "You have the staff already, and your friend was throwing magic at us when we came to the pool." She indicated her damaged robes as proof. "Not like we could get past him. And that vine on the clearing, we wanted to get back to later, with some fire to root it out."</p><p></p><p>Vine? Zayel only vaguely remembered some growth on that clearing. Was Mook making that up or had he not noticed the danger he had been in when checking out the columns. He promised himself to be more watchful of his surroundings from now on. </p><p></p><p>The elf's face contorted and she was about to reply, when the sound of fighting could be heard from inside. For a moment, the woman stood frozen, then she decided it was wiser to help her friends. She disappeared into the building and a moment later there was the flash of some spell. "I'm glad I put the breastplate and the rest in the bag of holding," Zayel moaned. "But what now? We need the rest of the set."</p><p></p><p>"We'll wait, of course," Mook announced as if that was the most natural thing in the world. "If the goblin tries to run, Dooda and Will can grab him. If one of the others comes out, well, you have some spells, don't you? So have I, but they probably won't anymore."</p><p></p><p>"Sometimes I swear you are evil," Zayel shook his head. "But I like it."</p><p></p><p>Mook was right about the goblin. A few minutes into the fight, the sneaky little mercenary came running out of the ruins, both the staff Zayel had wanted to take before and the wand they had not been able to find earlier tucked under his robes. The staff was really large and made the attempt to flee look pathetic. It was obvious the goblin had not forgotten them, as he drew the wand as he came out and pointed it at them. A moment later though, the hawk had disarmed the unsuspecting little guy, and a snarling wolf had his teeth right at the shrieking goblin's throat. "Very nice," Mook simply stated, taking the staff from their foe while Zayel collected the wand from his familiar. "Finish him off." </p><p></p><p>Dooda did as asked, and Zayel had to jump back to avoid the blood spray as the screeching goblin was torn apart. She had the same air around her Zayel had seen when she first confronted the skeletal dragon in the golden city. He did not like that, but he decided not to comment. "Do we leave now?" he asked.</p><p></p><p>"You bet, and the faster the better. I'm not sure the defender would win, plus they might decide to leave when they notice their treacherous friend is gone." With that, Mook hurried back the way they had come,leaning on the newly acquired staff. She was limping less than before but it was clear the magic of the ring would only last a day longer or so. If they were lucky.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lwaxy, post: 5844213, member: 53286"] The next morning, the caravan broke camp a bit later than usual, but when the missing travelers did not show up, they had little choice but to continue, especially as the weather seemed to turn sour and no one wanted to be caught inside forested area in a thunderstorm in winter. It took less than an hour to clear the forest. From the storm brewing over the trees, they only got a few snowflakes and small hailstones. When the caravan turned slightly south at midday, the party decided to stick with it anyway, so they could reach the Arthrosh River with them and travel east and north on it, to turn back west right to Falcon's Hollow. It was much better than going through the hills alone. Kronk, because he was still too sick to do much, talked about his home in the area of Falcon's Hollow, about the Lumber Consortium owning basically everything there – including, so it seemed, the people. Most who came to the taown never managed to leave again, usually barely surviving with what they made from cutting down wood for their employers. Those who protested often vanished, and it was not assumed they just went up and left. Kronk's clan had all but stopped trading with the town in the last decade. It didn't really sound like a place to settle at when they were done helping with the problem of the other kobolds there. Majek was especially disappointed about that. "Not that I don't like traveling, I wanna see the world. But not so much world at once, and with less perils coming our way." Just as he said that, an elf they had not noticed before neared their group on a sorrel horse with a shining fur. It was an older man, with a regal aura about him despite the worn traveling robes which blended in well with the surroundings. "Do you think your elf friend will catch up with you soon?" he asked without introduction. Majek blinked, while Zaza stared at the elf outright. "We have no way of knowing that," she said. "Hasn't anyone told you that it is rude to talk to people like that without introducing yourself?" The elf looked down at the halfling and smiled, if barely so. "My name is of no concern to you, but your friend is of great concern to me.If you see him again, tell him to meet me in Augustana. He can leave a message at the Tree Top Inn if I should happen to be away." With that, he turned his horse around and rode off to the head of the caravan. Not even the guards looked at him as he turned onto a trail away from them a moment later. "What was that all about?" Edawon blurted out. "Devil if I know," Malik grumbled. "But that was one mighty arrogant elf, and he can stay in Augustana as long as he wants and not cross my part again." "Well, we are going the other direction anyway. I just hope the two of them are fine and will find us soon. I can't help but worry," Zaza signed. The two in question, Zayel and Mook and their animals, had come to a large pool formed from a bubbling, clear spring surrounded by thickets. It looked relatively deep but they couldn't see all the way down because of the spring troubling the water and some ice at the borders. Mook was about to comment on the peaceful scenery and admire the beauty of nature, when all of a sudden a flash of energy struck her painfully in the chest, throwing her backwards to land on her behind. Dooda was at her side snarling at the bushes immediately, but she barely registered that. Her robe was torn and smoldering, and she had problems breathing. Zayel had been diving for cover at the first sight of the flash. He knew the spell and noticed its origins to be somewhere to the left and front of them. The hawk let out an angry screech and dove into the bushes without being told so, and a surprised voice cried out in pain a moment later. Then the grey streak of the wolf flew by. Zayel got up again as quickly as he could and went after his bird, worried the next magic missile would strike the familiar down. He drew the short sword he had at his side since their stint on the island, never mind he had barely learned which end was front. As so often, the young man forgot that spells would be his best defense, as he could barely think clearly. He found the wolf had locked his jaw firmly in the leg of a fat man vaguely familiar, while the hawk was clawing at the bald head and face. The stranger beat at the wolf with a wooden club but missed half of the time, partly because there was blood running into his eyes so he could barely see. Then his hand went to a solid belt and reached for a bottle of what seemed to be a potion. "Hey, stop!" Zayel called out. The stranger hesitated, as if he was about to do as asked,. But something drove him to continue beating at the wold even as his hand opened the bottle. With some difficulty thanks to the hawk attacking, he drank it. A moment later, he appeared blurred as if seen through moving water or a rainy window. The hawk let out an angry shriek, but was confused enough to take off for a moment. Mook's crossbow bolt flew wide of the man. Slightly unsteady on her feet, the oracle tried to aim anew. Zayel lost his balance just that moment when his feet became entangled in some roots. The young man fell forward without being able to grab anything to hold him upright. His sword, which he had been holding with obvious incompetence, flew out of his hands and went right through their attacker's chest. The fat guy fell without another sound, and the wolf barely jumped aside not to b buried under him. Staring in shock, Zayel tried to get up again. "Wow... wow... who was that?" Mook stared at the dying man with no sympathy, clutching her chest. "That's one of those folks from the inn, remember? The ones with the goblin trying to make trouble." "Oh, Yeah." Zayel could not make himself to retrieve the bloody sword in the man's chest. "Why in the name of all gods was he here ambushing us?" "Maybe after the same things we are? They could be considered valuable, you know." As the wolf whined and danced around his master, Zayel became aware of how Mook looked. "You are hurt." The oracle limped a bit as she came closer. "Yes but it is not only the magic that hit me. I think the other magic is beginning wear off." She lifted her left hand and showed a simple, wooden ring on her middle finger. It had been part of their payment after they had cleared out the manor ruins. It was filled with a magic allowing an oracle to ignore her curse, or even multiple curses, until its color faded to white. The ring had been of an almost black wood, and now it was light brown and there were many white streaks. "The clerics said it can be recharged, yes?" Zayal said. "Yes but, that is a major undertaking, and not something done on the trail. Let's finish this quickly so we can be on our way before anyone notices what I am." "What you are is not evil," a tiny voice behind them said. From the surface of the pool, the head of a nixie was peeking out, smiling shily. "But this man was, and his companion, so I charmed him." "I see," Mook nodded in complete understanding. "Here," the nixie said and handed over the vial they were looking for. "You and your wolf need to drink this to make the hurt go away." While Mook took the vial and gave to her wolf first, Zayel introduced them. "We are looking for just that vial for a ritual. Would you be willing to borrow it out? We'll return it after, as with all the other stuff we need." "You will bring it back? Promise on the power of nature?" "We promise," Mook replied before Zayel could think about what exactly that meant. "Watch yourselves out there," the nixie said. "There are more bad people out there." Then she vanished. "Oh, I would have had another question," Zayel sighed. "What question?" Mook, looking decidedly better now, retrieved the bloody sword and cleaned it before handing it to Zayel, who absentmindedly took it. "How she makes do in the cold water. I mean, we all know water conducts heat away from the body, and the nixies don't grow winter fat or anything so..." Mook laughed like she had not done in a long time. "You arcane types, always the weirdest questions. It's probably magic. Now, let's hurry." A while later, the trees parted, revealing a small clearing before a steep embankment. A dark, eight-foot-diameter opening breached the small rise. Small humanoid footprints were leading from the cave. A snoring could be heard from inside, and when Mook checked, she found a black bear in his winter sleep in front of an empty wooden coffer where the wand must have been. "Too late," she simply stated. "So we have to hunt down those thugs now?" Zayel was really upset upon hearing that. "Let's get to the last part first, and worry about them later," Mook decided. She turned into the direction the last riddle had indicated. An ancient road wound its way through the trees, some of which encroached upon the road itself. Dimly visible in the green gloom ahead was an old ramshackle building. It was so overgrown and encrusted with moss and ferns among its shingles as to almost seem to be a part of the forest itself, a fey hillock here at the heart of the primeval wood. Closer examination revealed gaping windows and an open doorway, the door hanging by the remains of one leather hinge. "Nice place," Zayel mumbled. He felt he was done running through the forest for today. He peeked in through the door, which promptly fell off. The boy barely jumped aside to avoid getting his feet slammed. "It is all rotting in here," he called back to Mook. Something stirred in the back of the former common room just as he said that. "Step back," Mook called. "This place has a protector." The gnome pointed behind Zayel, and he saw a wooden trunk with many movable branches making its way towards him. Mook mumbled a few ancient sounding words in the druidic language – a language she had learned from her mother while she had still hoped to become a druid. Before the curse of the oracle had gotten a hold on her. The defender turned towards her, shuddered, and stood still. Zayel let out a breath of relief. "What is that thing?" "Kind of a walking tree. It will not harm us as long as we stay friends of nature. It was made to defend the woods from intruders with bad intentions. Or," she pointed, "in this case, the room." "I'm glad I have you with me," Zayel admitted. Mook grinnded widely at that compliment. A few minutes later, they had found goblin skeletons, the skeleton of what looked to be a satyr of sorts and the remains of a centaur. Next to the fallen apart fire pit was a gleaming skull and spinal column – which for some weird reason made Mook giggle like a little girl – and after another minute or so, Zayel finally noticed that the staff they were looking for was under those remains. He grinned again like a child finding a Spring Festival egg, but a snarling voice stopped him in his movements. "Hold it right there, kid. That's ours, and by the way, so is the rest of the stuff you took." The tall, imposing human they had seen leading th mercenaries at the inn stood in the doorframe, wearing a mixture of mocking grin and serious determination. "You are but children, and outnumbered, too. You better be smart." Zayel didn't really listen. His eyes were fixed on a member of the opposing party he had not noticed last night. A female elf, thin and pale with all white hair, looking so full of light and pure while she was joining up with those bad people. She was standing right next to the goblin, too, as if that was the most normal thing. For some reason, this caused a deep sense of dislike, yes even hatred, inside Zayel. All he wanted was to bring her down. "I'm not a child," Mook replied. "And we are not exactly outnumbered. But if you would let us outside, we won't stand in the way." The tall man's smile was one of victory now. "You will give what you took to her," he pointed at the elf. Zayel frowned. He was not to give anyone anything, especially not that elf. But as the leader of their foes stepped aside, bow drawn, Mook took him by the elbow and steered him outside. "defender," she whispered. The boy's face brightened as he understood. The goblin and the human went inside, while the elf turned to them with what could only be said to be an evil smile. "Now, hand over what is ours like nice little children." "I just said before," Mook replied as if talking to an imbecile, "I'm not a child. And all we have is this," she lifted the scroll from a pocket. "You have the staff already, and your friend was throwing magic at us when we came to the pool." She indicated her damaged robes as proof. "Not like we could get past him. And that vine on the clearing, we wanted to get back to later, with some fire to root it out." Vine? Zayel only vaguely remembered some growth on that clearing. Was Mook making that up or had he not noticed the danger he had been in when checking out the columns. He promised himself to be more watchful of his surroundings from now on. The elf's face contorted and she was about to reply, when the sound of fighting could be heard from inside. For a moment, the woman stood frozen, then she decided it was wiser to help her friends. She disappeared into the building and a moment later there was the flash of some spell. "I'm glad I put the breastplate and the rest in the bag of holding," Zayel moaned. "But what now? We need the rest of the set." "We'll wait, of course," Mook announced as if that was the most natural thing in the world. "If the goblin tries to run, Dooda and Will can grab him. If one of the others comes out, well, you have some spells, don't you? So have I, but they probably won't anymore." "Sometimes I swear you are evil," Zayel shook his head. "But I like it." Mook was right about the goblin. A few minutes into the fight, the sneaky little mercenary came running out of the ruins, both the staff Zayel had wanted to take before and the wand they had not been able to find earlier tucked under his robes. The staff was really large and made the attempt to flee look pathetic. It was obvious the goblin had not forgotten them, as he drew the wand as he came out and pointed it at them. A moment later though, the hawk had disarmed the unsuspecting little guy, and a snarling wolf had his teeth right at the shrieking goblin's throat. "Very nice," Mook simply stated, taking the staff from their foe while Zayel collected the wand from his familiar. "Finish him off." Dooda did as asked, and Zayel had to jump back to avoid the blood spray as the screeching goblin was torn apart. She had the same air around her Zayel had seen when she first confronted the skeletal dragon in the golden city. He did not like that, but he decided not to comment. "Do we leave now?" he asked. "You bet, and the faster the better. I'm not sure the defender would win, plus they might decide to leave when they notice their treacherous friend is gone." With that, Mook hurried back the way they had come,leaning on the newly acquired staff. She was limping less than before but it was clear the magic of the ring would only last a day longer or so. If they were lucky. [/QUOTE]
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