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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 4951050" data-attributes="member: 5203"><p>Goodness! I didn't realize I hadn't updated in so long!</p><p></p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------</p><p></p><p> Many hours later and many miles away, Kaliel and Rutendo were returning to Petgrana, followed slowly by five plague-stricken tribesmen. The scouts that had accompanied them trailed behind, covering their tracks. Kaliel’s plan had gone exactly as he had hoped; the barbarians had been unable to resist his aura of authority granted by the Unconquered Sun, and had willingly followed him out of the camp.</p><p></p><p> Moving through the forest, Kaliel stopped when he saw Rutendo ahead, kneeling on the ground and conversing with a small figure that appeared to be made of white stone. The figure sunk into the ground, and Rutendo stood with a frown.</p><p></p><p> “An elemental?” Kaliel asked.</p><p></p><p> “White Rocks Dancing,” Rutendo replied. “There is another tribe of warriors, a panther totem tribe, approaching with great speed, and with clear violent intent.”</p><p></p><p> Kaliel turned to the five tribesmen he was leading. “Follow this man back to Petgrana,” he ordered. “Obey him as you would me.” He then faced Rutendo again. “What is the fastest way to intercept them?”</p><p></p><p> “They come from the northeast,” Rutendo said, pointing.</p><p></p><p> Kaliel immediately turned and began running in that direction, thundering with every step under the weight of his armor.</p><p></p><p> “They are nearly two days out!” Rutendo shouted.</p><p></p><p> “Then there is still time!”</p><p></p><p> Kaliel ran for most of the day. Late in the afternoon, he came to a small creek running through the forest; on the far bank stood Ghost and one of the scouts from the town.</p><p></p><p> “I told you we would catch him,” Ghost said.</p><p></p><p> “Rutendo told you of the approaching panther tribe?” Kaliel asked, taking a moment to catch his breath.</p><p></p><p> “He did. He arrived with your ‘followers’ just as Ayama had finished preparing a dose of the cure. She has treated them, and they are already showing signs of improvement, though Ayama says that this medicine is weaker than what she prepared in Chrysanthemum, and will require more time and more doses. Rutendo has now taken charge of making more of the cure for the mortals who are afflicted, and Ayama is working on the divine version of the cure, using the essences of the spirits that Sunlight summoned. She is attempting to go and examine Neck-on-Neck’s shrine to see if the spiritual cure will be effective.”</p><p></p><p> “We should continue on,” Kaliel said. “I hope to reach that ridge in the next hour.”</p><p></p><p> “We should also start heading more in that direction,” Ghost said, pointing to the left. “You have been travelling due north, not northeast.”</p><p></p><p> A puzzled look crossed Kaliel’s face. “How…”</p><p></p><p> “You should really take the time to confirm your bearings before assuming that someone is pointing in the direction they say they are.”</p><p></p><p> “Why…”</p><p></p><p> “He did it because he was trying to save your neck, Kaliel, because he does not know you as well as we do. He assumes that when you decide to attack a barbarian horde single-handed you are being foolhardy. Still, we have forced you to show restraint against Peleps Deled and House V’Neef, so by my reckoning we owe you. Come, we can still make that ridge by sunset.”</p><p></p><p> They ran the remainder of the way, arriving at a location that intersected the panther tribe’s most likely route to Petgrana. After resting, Ghost set out at twilight to take a look at the approaching barbarian tribe. He found the camp easily, as they made no attempt to conceal themselves. He confirmed that there were about two hundred fifty in the horde, mostly warriors with a scattering of shamans dressed in panther skins. In the glow of their fires, Ghost could see that several bore signs of the plague. When he circled around to examine the path the horde had followed, he found the corpses of those that had died while running. This tribe had chosen to deal with the risen dead by simply leaving them far behind.</p><p></p><p> As he broke off and moved back to rejoin Kaliel, Ghost did not see a dark, shadowy shape detach from the omnipresent gloom of night, and follow the Nightbringer into the forest. Ghost returned to the camp and reported to Kaliel and the scout about his findings.</p><p></p><p> “This seems to be their most likely route, then,” Kaliel said. “They would reach Petgrana by the next sunset, but will strike here by dawn. We should prepare for their arrival. If we…”</p><p></p><p> “Down!” Ghost suddenly shouted, as he leapt aside and shoved the scout off into the underbrush. A huge, indistinct black form shot out of the trees and slammed into Kaliel, wicked teeth scraping against the jade armor at the Dawn’s throat. Kaliel heard his armor ring from the impact, but realized that his assailant made no sound at all, not even the scrape of its claws against the jade.</p><p></p><p> Kaliel rolled free as Ghost ran across the clearing and jumped up to a low-hanging tree branch, hurling both boomerangs in mid-air. One dug deep into the dark creature’s flank, but the other skipped harmlessly off its back. Ghost’s gold and amethyst aura flared to life, bathing the clearing in light. They could now see that the blurred form was a huge panther, four feet at the shoulder; the panther’s black fur was mottled with open sores and weeping pustules.</p><p></p><p> The panther crouched as though to spring at Kaliel again, but instead leapt past him into the warrior’s shadow, and vanished. It reappeared out of another shadow in the tree where Ghost was perched, its claws raking him across the face and chest as he tried to handspring away. Kaliel ran forward and attempted to grasp the panther by the tail to pull it to the ground.</p><p></p><p> “This is unnecessary!” he shouted, as his grip slipped on the fluids oozing from the panther’s sores. The beast reared back to pursue Ghost further, but was shaken from its perch as Kaliel swung his tetsubo into the branch, snapping it off near the trunk. Ghost himself was barely able to leap to another branch in time. The panther snapped at Kaliel’s legs, and then flipped over and bound back into the forest, vanishing in the dark.</p><p></p><p> Kaliel and Ghost waited for several long moments, tense and ready. “Don’t make us destroy you!” Kaliel shouted into the forest. “We can heal you!” When there was no response or further movement, Ghost jumped down off the tree, and extended a hand to the terrified scout, who was still hiding in the brush.</p><p></p><p> “I believe that we have met the tribe’s god,” Ghost said, as he walked over and picked up the boomerang that had struck the panther. It was coated in blood and other fluids, and with a grimace Ghost moved to clean it, but was stopped by Kaliel.</p><p></p><p> “That is the blood of a god who has been infected with the plague,” Kaliel said. “It may well aid Ayama in her efforts to create a divine cure.”</p><p></p><p> “You could be right.” Ghost carefully packed away his weapon. “I will return to Petgrana with this scout.”</p><p></p><p> “And I will see if I can slow them,” Kaliel said, “though they may now choose a different path to the town now that they know we are here.”</p><p></p><p> “Good luck, then.” Ghost turned to the scout. “We make our best speed to Petgrana. Try and keep up.”</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">۞</p><p></p><p> Ghost arrived at Petgrana’s gates only a few hours before dawn. He found Ayama and Rutendo standing over the pit that held their captive snakeman shaman, looking down into it thoughtfully.</p><p></p><p> “What is happening?” Ghost asked.</p><p></p><p> “My son has become quite skilled in medicinal lore,” she said proudly. “He was able to utilize some herbs that had not occurred to me to create a catalyst, and has also been able to remove some impurities, which has vastly improved the efficacy of the cure. We have given the medicine to one of the tribesmen that Kaliel recovered, and the shaman has inspected our work and now takes me at my word that I can cure them and wish to help.”</p><p></p><p> “Now we are testing the effects of the medicine that Mother has created from the divine essences that Sunlight procured for her,” Rutendo said. “Her efforts to approach the snake tribe’s camp and inspect the shrine were rebuffed, so she has given a dose to the shaman to see if it can affect Neck-on-Neck through his priests.”</p><p></p><p> “But the only result we have seen is that the shaman’s connection to Neck-on-Neck has been suppressed,” Ayama said. “My theory is that the medicine has treated the symptom of the god’s ailment, which is the corrupted connection to this shaman. He is now no longer in danger of receiving misguided instructions from Neck-on-Neck, but it has done nothing to help the god himself.” She sighed. “I was hoping for some way to tell if this cure will be potent enough before challenging the snake god.”</p><p></p><p> “I have something for you, then.” Ghost produced his boomerang, still covered in thick, tacky blood and pus.</p><p></p><p> “That… is…”</p><p></p><p> “That is the blood of a plague-infected god,” Ghost said. “Kaliel thought it might prove useful.”</p><p></p><p> Ayama had Ghost carry the weapon to the longhouse where the alchemists worked. There, she produced a small vial from a pocket, and gently let two drops of the contents fall onto the boomerang. The liquid seemed to shine with an inner light as it fell, a glow which spread across the weapon. When the glow faded moments later, they could all see that the infected fluids that had coated the glass boomerang had vanished, and the blood that remained seemed pure. A quick alchemical test confirmed its purity.</p><p></p><p> “Congratulations,” Ghost said, “you have a cure, it seems.”</p><p></p><p> Rutendo came into the longhouse, along with the snakeman shaman. “He has agreed to take us back to his tribe,” Rutendo said, “and help us reach the shrine of Neck-on-Neck.”</p><p></p><p> “I think I will get some rest,” Ghost said. “The panther tribe is on their way here. Kaliel will try to slow them, but it is likely they will arrive by the afternoon.”</p><p></p><p> For the first time, Ayama noticed the wounds on Ghost’s neck and chest. “You need your wounds cleaned first,” Ayama insisted.</p><p></p><p> “They are already clean,” he said, reaching under his shirt and producing a pendant. Ayama knew that the pendant was a minor item of magic, which prevented dirt and other impurities from settling on Ghost.</p><p></p><p> “That is because you cheat,” Ayama said.</p><p></p><p> Rutendo laughed loudly. “I find your definition of ‘cheating’ to be very interesting, Mother.”</p><p></p><p> “She is just upset that she does not have an excuse to give me a sponge bath,” Ghost joked.</p><p></p><p> Rutendo’s laughter stopped. “I would take care what you say to my mother in my presence,” he said grimly. Ghost’s smile did not fade in the slightest as he walked toward his home.</p><p></p><p> <em>I have stolen a shaman from the middle of a barbarian tribe, helped create a cure meant for a god, fought a panther deity, and even managed to slip in a bit of innuendo with both Zanka and Ayama,</em> Ghost thought to himself. <em>It has been a good day.</em></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">۞</p><p></p><p> The shaman stepped forward, and with a few barked commands in their native tongue, the guards surrounding Neck-on-Neck’s shrine dispersed, leaving it unattended. The shaman beckoned, and Ayama and Rutendo quickly ran forward, dashing into the shrine under cover of night.</p><p></p><p> The interior of the shrine was designed to emulate a serpent’s den as much as possible. The altar at the far end was made of bronze that had been beaten to resemble scales, and old snake skins covered the floor.</p><p></p><p> The air shimmered, and suddenly Neck-on-Neck manifested before them as a giant serpent, at least thirty feet in length. The snake reared up and regarded the three intruders, even as they all noticed the patches of skin where scales had fallen away and exposed oozing sores.</p><p></p><p> “Intruders!” it hissed. “Who dares defile my shrine! You will all suffer for your blasphemy!” Neck-on-Neck glared at the snakeman, “You most of all, traitor!”</p><p></p><p> “I think not,” Ayama said, as her caste mark blazed on her forehead. “Your mind has been corrupted by the disease which ravages your body, Neck-on-Neck. Submit now, and I will end your suffering.”</p><p></p><p> “Lies!” the god screamed, and it darted toward Ayama. The Zenith dodged out of the way, the snake’s fangs striking the earth where she had stood only a second before.</p><p></p><p> Ayama and Rutendo moved swiftly around the shrine, trying to draw the god’s attention long enough for Ayama to get an opening. But despite its illness, Neck-on-Neck was still swift, and evaded their attempts to grapple him. Rutendo also had to restrain himself, to keep his anima from flaring so much that it burned down the entire shrine, an act that would surely bring the rest of the tribe down on them despite the shaman’s efforts. Thus it was Ayama who had to take on much of the fighting.</p><p></p><p> The battle went back and forth with no clear advantage on either side. The god connected with Ayama a few times, leaving bruises and scrapes, but was unable to cause a mortal wound against the Solar’s iron-hard flesh. Ayama hoped to render the giant snake unconscious, but it proved too swift. The battle shifted, however, when Rutendo stepped out from cover to try and distract the god, and was caught by its lashing tail, sending him flying. Distracted, Ayama was unable to defend herself when the snake suddenly lunged at her. She managed to avoid its fangs, but the weight of the massive serpent sent her sprawling, and the vial of medicine tumbled out of her hand.</p><p></p><p> Neck-on-Neck loomed over the fallen Pillar of Heaven. “Solar scum!” it hissed. “Prepare for your next life!”</p><p></p><p> “Not today,” called out a voice. The snake’s head turned and saw Rutendo standing, bow drawn and loaded with an arrow, the vial of medicine lashed to the shaft. Rutendo fired, and the arrow went straight into the serpent’s open mouth and down its throat.</p><p></p><p> Neck-on-Neck reared back, thrashing and gagging. The arrow came out with a great cough, but the vial had detached inside. Rutendo helped his mother to her feet as the god writhed and gasped. As they watched, the disease seemed to drain away, until at last Neck-on-Neck vomited forth a pool of black Essence. The snake shimmered and vanished, and Ayama stepped forward, holding her hand over the inky pool.</p><p></p><p> “Unconquered Sun,” she intoned, “I call upon your holy light and wrath to cleanse this blasphemous darkness from the face of Creation.”</p><p></p><p> Her hands glowed, and the black pool began to smoke. Within moments, nothing remained of the corrupted essence. Ayama smiled as she finished her work, but the smile faded when she heard a great commotion outside the shrine.</p><p></p><p> The air shimmered again, and Neck-on-Neck reappeared. This time, however, it looked healthy, and had adopted a much smaller form. “Wait here,” the god said, and it slithered forward and stuck hiss head outside the shrine. Ayama heard the snake speak a few words in the barbarian tongue, and the noise subsided. Neck-on-Neck then returned to the inside of the shrine, where it bowed his head low at Ayama’s feet.</p><p></p><p> “Lawgiver,” it said, “I thank you for what you have done for me, and beg your forgiveness for my actions these past few months.”</p><p></p><p> “You have been healed,” Ayama said, “and this is most important.”</p><p></p><p> Neck-on-Neck looked over at the snakeman who had aided Ayama, and nodded in approval. “My priest tells me that you also have medicine that will cure this plague among my people. I humbly ask that we be allowed to negotiate with you for this medicine.”</p><p></p><p> “Making sure that all of your people are well again is my primary concern,” Ayama said.</p><p></p><p> “It may not be for long,” Neck-on-Neck said sadly. “With my venom, I can enthrall the minds of others, even other gods. Before I commanded my people to journey west to seek out your town, I enthralled the panther god Tattered Shadow to my service. Even now, he and his people hunt your god, Sunlight Pierces the Canopy.”</p><p></p><p> The color drained from Ayama’s face. “Dear gods…”</p><p></p><p> “Tattered Shadow cannot manifest himself during the day, “Neck-on-Neck explained. “Much as your god cannot manifest in the night. But dawn comes soon, and in the times between day and night, both may manifest.”</p><p></p><p> “We must depart,” Ayama said.</p><p></p><p> “Go,” Neck-on-Neck said.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">۞</p><p></p><p> Inside the shrine of Sunlight Pierces the Canopy, Zanka had just begun her dance in front of the altar. She had not yet decided if she would allow this performance to end as it had the previous morning, but she also knew that they would likely be leaving Petgrana soon, and she was unlikely to find another lover of Sunlight’s caliber soon.</p><p></p><p> She smiled as she felt another presence in the shrine, and Sunlight manifested before her, smoothly stepping into the Eclipse’s arms as she danced.</p><p></p><p> “Another morning dance?” he asked.</p><p></p><p> “Indeed,” she replied, having now made up her mind. “But this time, I will take the lead.”</p><p></p><p> She was about to push him gently down onto his back when they heard a deep, wet growl from the door. Silhouetted in the entry by the first rays of dawn was an enormous panther, covered in sores, whose form seemed to blur like a shadow on the water. As the panther-god locked eyes with the forest-god, Zanka heard a great shout rising up from the forest just outside the walls of Petgrana.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 4951050, member: 5203"] Goodness! I didn't realize I hadn't updated in so long! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Many hours later and many miles away, Kaliel and Rutendo were returning to Petgrana, followed slowly by five plague-stricken tribesmen. The scouts that had accompanied them trailed behind, covering their tracks. Kaliel’s plan had gone exactly as he had hoped; the barbarians had been unable to resist his aura of authority granted by the Unconquered Sun, and had willingly followed him out of the camp. Moving through the forest, Kaliel stopped when he saw Rutendo ahead, kneeling on the ground and conversing with a small figure that appeared to be made of white stone. The figure sunk into the ground, and Rutendo stood with a frown. “An elemental?” Kaliel asked. “White Rocks Dancing,” Rutendo replied. “There is another tribe of warriors, a panther totem tribe, approaching with great speed, and with clear violent intent.” Kaliel turned to the five tribesmen he was leading. “Follow this man back to Petgrana,” he ordered. “Obey him as you would me.” He then faced Rutendo again. “What is the fastest way to intercept them?” “They come from the northeast,” Rutendo said, pointing. Kaliel immediately turned and began running in that direction, thundering with every step under the weight of his armor. “They are nearly two days out!” Rutendo shouted. “Then there is still time!” Kaliel ran for most of the day. Late in the afternoon, he came to a small creek running through the forest; on the far bank stood Ghost and one of the scouts from the town. “I told you we would catch him,” Ghost said. “Rutendo told you of the approaching panther tribe?” Kaliel asked, taking a moment to catch his breath. “He did. He arrived with your ‘followers’ just as Ayama had finished preparing a dose of the cure. She has treated them, and they are already showing signs of improvement, though Ayama says that this medicine is weaker than what she prepared in Chrysanthemum, and will require more time and more doses. Rutendo has now taken charge of making more of the cure for the mortals who are afflicted, and Ayama is working on the divine version of the cure, using the essences of the spirits that Sunlight summoned. She is attempting to go and examine Neck-on-Neck’s shrine to see if the spiritual cure will be effective.” “We should continue on,” Kaliel said. “I hope to reach that ridge in the next hour.” “We should also start heading more in that direction,” Ghost said, pointing to the left. “You have been travelling due north, not northeast.” A puzzled look crossed Kaliel’s face. “How…” “You should really take the time to confirm your bearings before assuming that someone is pointing in the direction they say they are.” “Why…” “He did it because he was trying to save your neck, Kaliel, because he does not know you as well as we do. He assumes that when you decide to attack a barbarian horde single-handed you are being foolhardy. Still, we have forced you to show restraint against Peleps Deled and House V’Neef, so by my reckoning we owe you. Come, we can still make that ridge by sunset.” They ran the remainder of the way, arriving at a location that intersected the panther tribe’s most likely route to Petgrana. After resting, Ghost set out at twilight to take a look at the approaching barbarian tribe. He found the camp easily, as they made no attempt to conceal themselves. He confirmed that there were about two hundred fifty in the horde, mostly warriors with a scattering of shamans dressed in panther skins. In the glow of their fires, Ghost could see that several bore signs of the plague. When he circled around to examine the path the horde had followed, he found the corpses of those that had died while running. This tribe had chosen to deal with the risen dead by simply leaving them far behind. As he broke off and moved back to rejoin Kaliel, Ghost did not see a dark, shadowy shape detach from the omnipresent gloom of night, and follow the Nightbringer into the forest. Ghost returned to the camp and reported to Kaliel and the scout about his findings. “This seems to be their most likely route, then,” Kaliel said. “They would reach Petgrana by the next sunset, but will strike here by dawn. We should prepare for their arrival. If we…” “Down!” Ghost suddenly shouted, as he leapt aside and shoved the scout off into the underbrush. A huge, indistinct black form shot out of the trees and slammed into Kaliel, wicked teeth scraping against the jade armor at the Dawn’s throat. Kaliel heard his armor ring from the impact, but realized that his assailant made no sound at all, not even the scrape of its claws against the jade. Kaliel rolled free as Ghost ran across the clearing and jumped up to a low-hanging tree branch, hurling both boomerangs in mid-air. One dug deep into the dark creature’s flank, but the other skipped harmlessly off its back. Ghost’s gold and amethyst aura flared to life, bathing the clearing in light. They could now see that the blurred form was a huge panther, four feet at the shoulder; the panther’s black fur was mottled with open sores and weeping pustules. The panther crouched as though to spring at Kaliel again, but instead leapt past him into the warrior’s shadow, and vanished. It reappeared out of another shadow in the tree where Ghost was perched, its claws raking him across the face and chest as he tried to handspring away. Kaliel ran forward and attempted to grasp the panther by the tail to pull it to the ground. “This is unnecessary!” he shouted, as his grip slipped on the fluids oozing from the panther’s sores. The beast reared back to pursue Ghost further, but was shaken from its perch as Kaliel swung his tetsubo into the branch, snapping it off near the trunk. Ghost himself was barely able to leap to another branch in time. The panther snapped at Kaliel’s legs, and then flipped over and bound back into the forest, vanishing in the dark. Kaliel and Ghost waited for several long moments, tense and ready. “Don’t make us destroy you!” Kaliel shouted into the forest. “We can heal you!” When there was no response or further movement, Ghost jumped down off the tree, and extended a hand to the terrified scout, who was still hiding in the brush. “I believe that we have met the tribe’s god,” Ghost said, as he walked over and picked up the boomerang that had struck the panther. It was coated in blood and other fluids, and with a grimace Ghost moved to clean it, but was stopped by Kaliel. “That is the blood of a god who has been infected with the plague,” Kaliel said. “It may well aid Ayama in her efforts to create a divine cure.” “You could be right.” Ghost carefully packed away his weapon. “I will return to Petgrana with this scout.” “And I will see if I can slow them,” Kaliel said, “though they may now choose a different path to the town now that they know we are here.” “Good luck, then.” Ghost turned to the scout. “We make our best speed to Petgrana. Try and keep up.” [center]۞[/center] Ghost arrived at Petgrana’s gates only a few hours before dawn. He found Ayama and Rutendo standing over the pit that held their captive snakeman shaman, looking down into it thoughtfully. “What is happening?” Ghost asked. “My son has become quite skilled in medicinal lore,” she said proudly. “He was able to utilize some herbs that had not occurred to me to create a catalyst, and has also been able to remove some impurities, which has vastly improved the efficacy of the cure. We have given the medicine to one of the tribesmen that Kaliel recovered, and the shaman has inspected our work and now takes me at my word that I can cure them and wish to help.” “Now we are testing the effects of the medicine that Mother has created from the divine essences that Sunlight procured for her,” Rutendo said. “Her efforts to approach the snake tribe’s camp and inspect the shrine were rebuffed, so she has given a dose to the shaman to see if it can affect Neck-on-Neck through his priests.” “But the only result we have seen is that the shaman’s connection to Neck-on-Neck has been suppressed,” Ayama said. “My theory is that the medicine has treated the symptom of the god’s ailment, which is the corrupted connection to this shaman. He is now no longer in danger of receiving misguided instructions from Neck-on-Neck, but it has done nothing to help the god himself.” She sighed. “I was hoping for some way to tell if this cure will be potent enough before challenging the snake god.” “I have something for you, then.” Ghost produced his boomerang, still covered in thick, tacky blood and pus. “That… is…” “That is the blood of a plague-infected god,” Ghost said. “Kaliel thought it might prove useful.” Ayama had Ghost carry the weapon to the longhouse where the alchemists worked. There, she produced a small vial from a pocket, and gently let two drops of the contents fall onto the boomerang. The liquid seemed to shine with an inner light as it fell, a glow which spread across the weapon. When the glow faded moments later, they could all see that the infected fluids that had coated the glass boomerang had vanished, and the blood that remained seemed pure. A quick alchemical test confirmed its purity. “Congratulations,” Ghost said, “you have a cure, it seems.” Rutendo came into the longhouse, along with the snakeman shaman. “He has agreed to take us back to his tribe,” Rutendo said, “and help us reach the shrine of Neck-on-Neck.” “I think I will get some rest,” Ghost said. “The panther tribe is on their way here. Kaliel will try to slow them, but it is likely they will arrive by the afternoon.” For the first time, Ayama noticed the wounds on Ghost’s neck and chest. “You need your wounds cleaned first,” Ayama insisted. “They are already clean,” he said, reaching under his shirt and producing a pendant. Ayama knew that the pendant was a minor item of magic, which prevented dirt and other impurities from settling on Ghost. “That is because you cheat,” Ayama said. Rutendo laughed loudly. “I find your definition of ‘cheating’ to be very interesting, Mother.” “She is just upset that she does not have an excuse to give me a sponge bath,” Ghost joked. Rutendo’s laughter stopped. “I would take care what you say to my mother in my presence,” he said grimly. Ghost’s smile did not fade in the slightest as he walked toward his home. [i]I have stolen a shaman from the middle of a barbarian tribe, helped create a cure meant for a god, fought a panther deity, and even managed to slip in a bit of innuendo with both Zanka and Ayama,[/i] Ghost thought to himself. [i]It has been a good day.[/i] [center]۞[/center] The shaman stepped forward, and with a few barked commands in their native tongue, the guards surrounding Neck-on-Neck’s shrine dispersed, leaving it unattended. The shaman beckoned, and Ayama and Rutendo quickly ran forward, dashing into the shrine under cover of night. The interior of the shrine was designed to emulate a serpent’s den as much as possible. The altar at the far end was made of bronze that had been beaten to resemble scales, and old snake skins covered the floor. The air shimmered, and suddenly Neck-on-Neck manifested before them as a giant serpent, at least thirty feet in length. The snake reared up and regarded the three intruders, even as they all noticed the patches of skin where scales had fallen away and exposed oozing sores. “Intruders!” it hissed. “Who dares defile my shrine! You will all suffer for your blasphemy!” Neck-on-Neck glared at the snakeman, “You most of all, traitor!” “I think not,” Ayama said, as her caste mark blazed on her forehead. “Your mind has been corrupted by the disease which ravages your body, Neck-on-Neck. Submit now, and I will end your suffering.” “Lies!” the god screamed, and it darted toward Ayama. The Zenith dodged out of the way, the snake’s fangs striking the earth where she had stood only a second before. Ayama and Rutendo moved swiftly around the shrine, trying to draw the god’s attention long enough for Ayama to get an opening. But despite its illness, Neck-on-Neck was still swift, and evaded their attempts to grapple him. Rutendo also had to restrain himself, to keep his anima from flaring so much that it burned down the entire shrine, an act that would surely bring the rest of the tribe down on them despite the shaman’s efforts. Thus it was Ayama who had to take on much of the fighting. The battle went back and forth with no clear advantage on either side. The god connected with Ayama a few times, leaving bruises and scrapes, but was unable to cause a mortal wound against the Solar’s iron-hard flesh. Ayama hoped to render the giant snake unconscious, but it proved too swift. The battle shifted, however, when Rutendo stepped out from cover to try and distract the god, and was caught by its lashing tail, sending him flying. Distracted, Ayama was unable to defend herself when the snake suddenly lunged at her. She managed to avoid its fangs, but the weight of the massive serpent sent her sprawling, and the vial of medicine tumbled out of her hand. Neck-on-Neck loomed over the fallen Pillar of Heaven. “Solar scum!” it hissed. “Prepare for your next life!” “Not today,” called out a voice. The snake’s head turned and saw Rutendo standing, bow drawn and loaded with an arrow, the vial of medicine lashed to the shaft. Rutendo fired, and the arrow went straight into the serpent’s open mouth and down its throat. Neck-on-Neck reared back, thrashing and gagging. The arrow came out with a great cough, but the vial had detached inside. Rutendo helped his mother to her feet as the god writhed and gasped. As they watched, the disease seemed to drain away, until at last Neck-on-Neck vomited forth a pool of black Essence. The snake shimmered and vanished, and Ayama stepped forward, holding her hand over the inky pool. “Unconquered Sun,” she intoned, “I call upon your holy light and wrath to cleanse this blasphemous darkness from the face of Creation.” Her hands glowed, and the black pool began to smoke. Within moments, nothing remained of the corrupted essence. Ayama smiled as she finished her work, but the smile faded when she heard a great commotion outside the shrine. The air shimmered again, and Neck-on-Neck reappeared. This time, however, it looked healthy, and had adopted a much smaller form. “Wait here,” the god said, and it slithered forward and stuck hiss head outside the shrine. Ayama heard the snake speak a few words in the barbarian tongue, and the noise subsided. Neck-on-Neck then returned to the inside of the shrine, where it bowed his head low at Ayama’s feet. “Lawgiver,” it said, “I thank you for what you have done for me, and beg your forgiveness for my actions these past few months.” “You have been healed,” Ayama said, “and this is most important.” Neck-on-Neck looked over at the snakeman who had aided Ayama, and nodded in approval. “My priest tells me that you also have medicine that will cure this plague among my people. I humbly ask that we be allowed to negotiate with you for this medicine.” “Making sure that all of your people are well again is my primary concern,” Ayama said. “It may not be for long,” Neck-on-Neck said sadly. “With my venom, I can enthrall the minds of others, even other gods. Before I commanded my people to journey west to seek out your town, I enthralled the panther god Tattered Shadow to my service. Even now, he and his people hunt your god, Sunlight Pierces the Canopy.” The color drained from Ayama’s face. “Dear gods…” “Tattered Shadow cannot manifest himself during the day, “Neck-on-Neck explained. “Much as your god cannot manifest in the night. But dawn comes soon, and in the times between day and night, both may manifest.” “We must depart,” Ayama said. “Go,” Neck-on-Neck said. [center]۞[/center] Inside the shrine of Sunlight Pierces the Canopy, Zanka had just begun her dance in front of the altar. She had not yet decided if she would allow this performance to end as it had the previous morning, but she also knew that they would likely be leaving Petgrana soon, and she was unlikely to find another lover of Sunlight’s caliber soon. She smiled as she felt another presence in the shrine, and Sunlight manifested before her, smoothly stepping into the Eclipse’s arms as she danced. “Another morning dance?” he asked. “Indeed,” she replied, having now made up her mind. “But this time, I will take the lead.” She was about to push him gently down onto his back when they heard a deep, wet growl from the door. Silhouetted in the entry by the first rays of dawn was an enormous panther, covered in sores, whose form seemed to blur like a shadow on the water. As the panther-god locked eyes with the forest-god, Zanka heard a great shout rising up from the forest just outside the walls of Petgrana. [/QUOTE]
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