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="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1185585" data-attributes="member: 143">Thanks for the bump; it seems I must post daily to keep this story on page 1...* * * * * Chapter 62The next morning came swiftly.  The storm broke sometime during their rest, leaving scattered gray clouds strewn across the sky in its wake.  The world outside had been reduced to greenery and mud, with some rock scattered in between for flavor.  At least the beasts that had attacked the bandits the night before had departed; they found little more than the shredded remains of several of the rogues in the space outside the kitchen doors.  Their reinforcements from Cauldron had not yet arrived, so they gathered up their possessions, including the body and head of Sarcem, and prepared to depart.  Their horses were still in the stable where they had left them the night before, which was a relief.  Shensen elected to come with them rather than stay behind; while she stated her intent to rebuild the shrine at the Lucky Monkey, and help restore the roadhouse to working order, she said that she needed to first report to her superiors in Cauldron.  Zenna offered to let the half-drow woman ride double with her, but Shensen spent most of the journey on foot, and proved quite able to meet their pace even with the rest of them mounted.  The others seemed to accept her presence, distracted as they were by their own thoughts, but Zenna observed Dannel casting several covert but intent glances at Shensen during the trip.  From what she understood of their culture, the moon elves had a deep abiding hostility toward the drow, although Dannel did not make any overtly hostile gestures toward the woman.  They fastened Sarcem’s body to Illewyn’s mount, and Mole shifted to ride behind Dannel.  They met the column from Cauldron shortly after noon.  The riders included a squad of armed and armored city watch, a full dozen with extra mounts.  Riding at their head was a familiar face: Morgan, the cleric of Helm.  The cleric reacted strongly to the news of Sarcem’s death, and he did not even try to hide his emotions as Illewyn related what else had happened.  “I will ride back with you, and deliver Sarcem’s body to Jenya personally,” Morgan declared, when they had finished. Illewyn shook her head.  “No, Morgan.  There’s nothing that can be done now, and we can bring the news ourselves.  The roadhouse must be secured; we left some nasty apes in the inner courtyard, and there were some other hostile beasts in the area as well.  A few of the bandits may have escaped us as well, though I doubt they would linger behind there.”Morgan mastered himself with a bit of effort, but it was clear that he wasn’t fully convinced.  He made a gesture toward the side of the trail, away from the others.  “We should not argue in front... of these people,” he said.  He didn’t specify, but it was clear whom he meant by the way that his eyes settled first on Zenna, then on Arun. But Illewyn didn’t take the bait, nor did she move to follow him.  “We must all cleave to our duty, now more than ever, Morgan.”  The cleric reined in his mount, drawing the animal back a pace, and it was clear from his face that the words had stung.  He brought his horse roughly around to face back down the road to the Lucky Monkey.  “We ride on, lieutenant,” he said, putting his words into action as he spurred his mount onward, the rest of the patrol falling in quickly behind him.  “That man has a lot of things going on inside him,” Dannel commented. “Yeah, what a jerk,” Mole added. “Morgan is... complicated,” Illewyn said.  “He’s not all bad, but he tends to let his emotions catch him up and carry him headlong, rather than letting reason guide his steps.” “Aren’t all men like that?” Mole asked, too innocently to be credible.“He has suffered a great loss too,” Shensen reminded them.  “People respond to such in different ways.  Perhaps the young man’s anger is the only way he knows.”Perhaps, Zenna thought to herself as they set out again, starting up the steep and winding road that led back up to Cauldron.  But Morgan had made it quite clear how he felt about her, and after all of their encounters she found herself reciprocating his feelings quite readily. * * * * *Cauldron was much as they had left it, if rather wetter.  The city was in good spirits, with preparations for the annual Flood Festival in full swing, but as they rode down Obsidian Avenue toward the Temple of Helm Zenna could sense the undercurrent of unease that hung in the air.  She supposed she understood the reason; living in a big bowl, one had to be worried that the storm that they’d just experienced was just a precursor of a wet winter to come.  That, and with the memory of the recent abductions still fresh on the minds of most Cauldronites...  Certainly once the news of what had happened at the Monkey became public knowledge, the nerves of the people would not likely be eased any. As they arrived in town, with the sun already half-gone beyond the western horizon, Dannel left them.  The elf dodged their queries, saying only that he would see them again in the coming days.  With the duty of Sarcem’s body still weighing upon them, they had no choice but to let him go on his way.  Shensen left as well, thanking them for their help and promising to return after she reported what had happened at the Lucky Monkey to her superiors.  Zenna watched Dannel depart with hooded eyes, her feelings about the elf still mixed.  There was no doubt that his role on their mission had been crucial, and he’d shed his blood freely for their cause, but there was something hidden about him that still worried at the tiefling’s thoughts like an unscratchable mental itch. Jenya received them instantly, dark circles under her eyes betraying her concern for the fate of their mission.  She took the news of Sarcem’s death stoically, drawing upon some inner reserve of strength.  Illewyn offered what comfort she could, and she related what had happened.  As the story drew on, the expression of the new High Priest of Helm darkened. “We must find those wands,” Jenya said.  “This first storm is just a precursor, I can feel it.  Without the wands of control water, half of the city might be destroyed in the floods.”“We will do what we can,” Zenna promised.  But as they departed, she didn’t feel so certain.  There weren’t many leads, but they had the description provided by Shensen, of the woman cleric of Bane that had led the attack.  As they left the Temple, Zenna looked up at the clouds gathering once more in the darkening sky above.  Flood season was here, and she suspected that they weren’t done, not by a long shot.</blockquote>

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