NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Funeris" data-source="post: 1924297" data-attributes="member: 22792">Chapter 7 ContinuedMerry Christmas everyone.  This will be my last update before christmas.  I'm going out of town...need a break from the Yeti's demanding emails <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />--------------------------------------------------------------------------“Myra, come in here please?”  Lady Erigal’s overly sweet tone requested from the private chambers in the rear of the church.  The apprentice’s eyes opened wide and she turned to hurry into the bedchambers.“Yes, Mistress.”  Myra bowed her head low in a show of respect and awaited her orders.“I have a small task for you, dear Myra.  I want you to follow that group of,” her words twisted into a tone of disgust, “heathens.  I need to know anything and everything about them before tomorrow.”“You can’t be serious!” Myra blurted and quickly dropped her head into a respectful gesture again.  The manipulative smile on Lady Erigal’s face was replaced quickly with a stern, almost angry quiver of her lips.“I am quite serious, Apprentice.”  Condescension hung on the Lady’s words now.  “I need to know about these individuals.  These heathens.  They travel with a druid and quite possibly a priest of Ceria.  They may cause problems.  And,” she paused to grope Myra’s chin, pulling her eyes upward, “I will have the church ready in such an event.”“Yes, Lady Erigal,” Myra whispered.  The Lady released her grip on the apprentice’s jaw.  And broke into a wide smile again.“They’ll probably stay in the Weeping Willow tonight.”  Then she turned from her apprentice and back into her own thoughts.Myra pivoted toward the door and sulkily left the church.  Her thoughts were shrouded with the drooling looks of the Heroes of Marchford.  Myra shivered, despite the warmth of the early summer evening, and moved toward the Willow.--------------------------------------------------------------------------The Weeping Willow Bar and Inn stood only a few blocks from the church of Qwynna Pru.  Aside from the overbearing plants that draped lazily from the ceiling and stood in nearly every free space on the floor, the Weeping Willow was like every other bar any of the heroes had seen.Trying to keep a low profile, Fitz quickly purchased rooms and a round for his friends.  Then, he headed off to find the table his friends had taken.  The table was in a shadowy corner and nearly surrounded by several tall shrubs.  The flickering light of the tavern cast the plant-life in an almost maniacal shadow.  But, the shrubs did offer some degree of privacy, at least.Fitz chose the seat closest to Magus, to hinder the witless mage’s exit.  A bar wench brought the five tall ales over to the corner table.  Her long brunette hair ran temptingly down her chest.  She made sure to bow extra low for the dirty travelers.Magnus’ mouth dropped open again, saliva spilling onto the table and Fitz’s drink.  But as the mage started to clamor across the table, Funeris grabbed him by the robes and threw him backward into the wall.  Magnus sighed, the air pummeled from his chest, and slid into his seat.“You make uncle Fitz mad at us!”  Tobias barked.  Then the paladin grabbed his ale and swallowed it all in one quick gulp.  He slammed the glass into the table, cracking and splintering it but not shattering it.  “I’ll have another, thanks.”  The bar wench smiled and headed off to refill the massive warrior’s ale.  Magnus grumbled but his slurping of ale drowned the sound out.  Fitz sighed and consumed his own glass of brew then turned to Motega and Calyx.“So,” Fitz tried to peer through the shrubbery to make sure no one was taking special notice in the heroes, “what next?”“Finish that accursed spirit,” Motega spat.  He looked uncomfortable in the bar and was only sipping the ale.  Calyx hadn’t even touched her own.  She looked as though she was planning defensive strategies.  The plants would definitely give her an edge in any battle in the bar.“Right.  So, we’ll go back to Llyndofare, again, when we’re done here.  Maybe with my presence, you’ll do a little better, eh?”  Fitz grinned, the ale slowly taking its toll.  Suddenly the bar wench turned the corner with the next round of ales.Magnus’ arm leapt toward a point above Tobias’ shoulder and shouted, “Look!”  Everyone turned, the bar wench nearly dropped the drink.  Magnus took the momentary distraction and leapt toward the bar wench, groping hands pointed toward her overflowing chest.Tobias’ reflexes were unfortunately quicker than the mages.  A gigantic hand slammed into the mage’s ribcage throwing his leap far off the mark.  Magnus landed upside down in a shrub with an audible ‘Whump’.  His body pressed many of the poorly trimmed branches toward the bench seat of the table.In the next booth Lady Erigal’s apprentice sat with a piece of parchment and a quill, scribbling notes.  But her scribbling had paused when Magnus flew into the shrubbery."Wow,” Magnus exclaimed.  “You’ve got some huge knock—.“  Fitz leapt from his seat and clamped a hand over the mage’s mouth.“Shut up fool!”  Then he saw the apprentice in the booth.  Fitz’s face flushed maroon with anger just as the apprentice’s face flushed with embarrassment.  Fitz pulled Magnus back into the booth and stood up.  “Let’s go to our room.  We can’t discuss anything here.”  Fitz stalked off, dragging Magnus with him.Magnus latched onto the apprentice’s booth.  He leaned in and didn’t stop until he had a nice close view of her robes.  “Ers.  I said, ‘You’ve got some huge’.”“I know what you said!” Myra squeaked.  Her look vacillated between one of frustration, embarrassment and anger.“Oh.  Well if it makes you feel any better, they look great even upside down.”  He flashed one more grin before Fitz pried him off the booth.  Funeris didn’t even stop when he left the table.Motega, however, stopped right in front of the apprentice.  He glanced at the parchment and Myra made an attempt to cover it.  Motega snapped it away from her and stuck it into his haversack.  He leaned in real close and she cowered against the wall.  Motega gnashed his teeth and growled in a low feral tone.  Myra shuddered, trying to push herself through the wall.When Myra opened her eyes again the heroes had disappeared toward the rooms.  In the distance, she could hear one of them screaming about someone’s grandmother.  Eric’s grandmother?  Who is Eric, Myra thought.  Then sighed, realizing Lady Erigal would not be pleased.</blockquote>

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