Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kid Charlemagne" data-source="post: 41521" data-attributes="member: 93">Fencig, February 12th, AE 420The party recovered Sharat’s treasure, Batista’s body, and Aris and Batista’s equipment, and returned to Fencig without any trouble.  They’re still in shock over Batista’s death, especially Aris.“Buck up, Aris,” Jovah says.  “We’re not done yet.  We need to get the Egg hidden away.”He produces the diamond that Janketh gave him, and using the image of the forested island it gives him, casts dimensional folding.  A portal opens to the beach of the island.“Alright,” Aris says.  “Who’s coming with me?”“No one,” Jovah says.  “Like Janketh said, the fewer who know, the better.  I’ll open another portal tomorrow at ths time.”Aris gulps, and nods.  He steps through the portal and onto the beach.The wind is bitingly cold, and Aris pulls his green-dragonskin cloak tightly around him to stay warm.  The island is covered in a light dusting of snow, and is forested in pine trees.  It seems later in the day here than it was in Fencig.  The Bladesinger looks around, and sees that there is no other land in sight of this place.  Then, he notices a lean-to built just at the edge of the trees and beach.  He loosens his sword in its sheath and approaches the lean-to.A cloaked figure sits in the small shelter, cooking something in a pot over a small fire.“Care for some stew, Aris?”“Vershanion?” Aris asks.  “What are you doing here?”“Janketh came to me in a vision, and asked me to prepare this place for the Egg.  It’s very out of the way; there is a dungeon here that me and some friends of mine cleared out over a hundred years ago.  I thought it would make a good hiding place.  I’ve been here for a while, fixing things, making traps and snares, resetting the traps that exist in the dungeon.”“Vershanion…  Batista is dead.”“I know.  Janketh told me.”“I killed him.  Twice.  Tolaro wanted me to protect him, and I killed him."“There’s nothing else you could have done,” Vershanion replies.  “Batista was able to avenge his mother’s death, with your help.  That’s all he ever really wanted out of life.  He never seemed to fully fit, no matter where he went.  I’m certain he’s in a better place now.  He has a place where he truly belongs.  Don’t be sad.”Aris fights back tears.  Vershanion throws his cloak on, and gets ready to trek into the woods.“Let’s get going.  I’d like to be back by nightfall.”“Yeah,” Aris says.  “Wait a minute…”He rummages through his pack, and pulls out the velvet bag he has been keeping the Egg in. He holds it out to Vershanion.“Jovah is right.  We need to keep this knowledge in the minds of as few people as possible.  You take it, and hide it, that way no one will be able to make me tell them again.”“And if I don’t know, then even if the Egg has a hold on me, I won’t be able to find it either,” he thinks to himself.Vershanion takes the velvet bag, and opens it, looking at the jade Egg, with its beautifully carved gold dragon coiled around it.  He closes the drawstring on the bag, and stuffs into his rucksack, and then jogs away, into the woods.  Aris sits on the beach, and helps himself to a bit of Vershanion’s stew.  He sits there, silently, for hours, until just as it is getting dark, he hears Vershanion approaching.“It is done,” the druid-ranger says.“Jovah will fold us back to civilization in the morning,” Aris replies.  “Thank you for all you’ve done.”The next morning is clear and bright, with no wind at all.  Just as the sun rises, a portal opens up on the beach, where Vershanion and Aris are waiting.  They step through, into the firelit warmth of Jovah’s drawing room.“Welcome back,” Reana says.The portal snaps shut, and the beach is empty again, as seagulls fly above, without any care, without knowing the dangerous evil that is hidden on their anonymous, small island.THE END</blockquote>

Verification