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Message: <blockquote data-quote="rchodges" data-source="post: 8587939" data-attributes="member: 7031385">Part 2: Call Forth DarknessAct 3: Thirty-one WeeksSession 17: Hurry Up and Wait to Die“I’m going to go meet with the Baron. The rest of you should go with Bebop and see what you can discover.”, Donovan said with a sense of purpose, after taking the Haversack from Bebop and handing a stack of gold to Lucius.“I’ll go with you, love.”, Tamsen replied.“I wish you could. But the Baron made it clear that the rest of you were not welcome back to his home.”, Donovan was irked at this, but resolved.Tamsen’s face was clearly pouting, but Donovan simply shrugged. Tamsen pulled herself against Donovan, then kissed him passionately. “You be safe”, Tamsen insisted.Donovan smiled as their kiss ended, and nodded to Tamsen, “You too, my love.”Heading off, Donovan headed back out to the home of Baron Vandermir. Following the instructions that had been given to him from the previous encounter, Donovan waited in the established meeting spot, and had notice sent to the Baron.The Baron met Donovan after a period of time, and looked over Donovan with curiosity, “I take it you have found what you were looking for?”Donovan nodded enthusiastically, “Indeed, sir! This is the reason my family and I have returned to town. According to the information we have discovered, the ritual will take around seven months. So, we’re going to have to set up some sort of shipping between us and Farholde in order to move goods between the two areas. As part of this, I’m in need of some… specialized items to complete the process.”The Baron’s eyebrow pulled down as Donovan paused on the word ‘specialized’. “What exactly are you in need of?”“A Portable Hole.”, Donovan said that with little fanfare, but also understood the complexity of his request.The Baron was momentarily shaken by the request, and eyed Donovan closely. How much wealth could these younglings have possibly acquired in the span of less than a week? This Half-Elf and his companions were turning out to be more than advertised. The Baron pondered his choices momentarily, then he pulled an unusual golden key out of his pocket and showed it to Donovan.Not waiting for a response or query, the Baron continued, “This is important, Donovan. There’s no room for your mind games or clever quips. If you damage my relationship with this individual, you will feel the might of my reprisal.”Donovan nodded, unsure what was about to happen. A secret room in the Baron’s home, a connection to another world? Donovan’s thoughts were answered, however, when the Baron simply snapped the key in twain.Moments later, a creature with blue skin arrived, accompanied by two insect looking humanoids. The man with the blue skin regarded Baron Arkov Vandermir. “This is not our agreed upon meeting time, Arkov. You had best have a good reason for calling me to you under these circumstances.”Donovan stared at the creatures before him wordlessly. He recognized the subordinates quickly enough as Thri-Kreen. But who was the man in blue? An Ifrit? A Djinn? No, too many eyes and not enough fingers.“Anagaz. I thank you for your time.”, the Baron began, “If it pleases you, I have brought an individual who is in need of rare and specialized magics that would not be available to any but the most discerning collectors. He is a bright young individual who I believe can continue to provide you with many trading opportunities.”Anagaz scoffed, “Is he now? I’ll be the judge of that.” Facing Donovan, the blue creature continued, “And who exactly might you be?”The revelation hit Donovan just then, that he was dealing with a Mercane. Donovan smiled his best merchant smile, “My name is Donovan Thorn, and the Baron is most assuredly correct, I am looking for an individual who will allow me to trade my magic wares for something even more exotic.”“What do you consider exotic, Donovan Thorn?”, Anagaz asked.“A Portable Hole.”“I have two of them, but what do you have to trade?”Donovan opened the Haversack, laying his recently gained goods on the table for Anagaz’ inspection. While Donovan wouldn’t say as much, he knew going in that he was in the weaker bargaining position. Going against a layperson, he could easily have negotiated for better terms and gotten out in the superior deal. But a Mercane was effectively a Merchant that had traveled many worlds and made lifetimes of negotiations. Donovan knew the Mercane could ask even more, and he would have to relent.But, perhaps Anagaz realized that as well, and considered Donovan more of an investment than a resource. After picking up and looking over the items for a while, he handed back the Manacles of Cooperation, saying “These have been out of style for decades.” Anagaz then outstretched his hand over the rest of the pile and said, “This will do.” From another space, Anagaz drew out a large ornate chest, setting it on the floor. The Mercane drew a Portable Hole from this chest and handed it to Donovan. He then had his assistants take everything that had been agreed upon, and place it into the chest.Once the transaction was complete, Anagaz addressed the Baron again. “It seems that this wasn’t a complete waste of my time.” With that, he handed the Baron another key that looked like the one the Baron had originally produced. Anagaz then turned his focus back to Donovan and pulled out a key, “Perhaps you and I will enter into a business relationship as well. If you are able to acquire more unique items such as the ones you have shown me here, you may call upon me.”Aragaz began to hand over the item, but then as Donovan reached out for it, Aragaz pulled back, “To be clear, you will not call me in cases where you not in a relaxed and comfortable environment. I’m not interested in being involved in your conflicts. Impress me, Donovan Thorn, and you and I can continue having profitable dealings.”Donovan bowed his head, “I thank you for your time, Merchant Aragaz. You’ve honored me today.”Aragaz smiled, “Yes, I do think you understand.”With that, the Mercane and his entourage teleported out of the building, with no trace of themselves left behind.Donovan and Arkov regarded each other momentarily without words.“Thank you again, Baron. I am truly grateful for what you have shown me today.”, Donovan finally spoke.“Indeed, I hope you notify the Cardinal of what I have done on his behalf. Now, is there anything else you are in need of from me?”Donovan smiled, “Well, now we should talk about the items that I will need to sell off from the Horn.”The Baron waved his hand dismissively, “We’ve already agreed on this Donovan. You will deliver the goods to me, and I will acquire them, or resell them as I decide to.”Donovan persisted, “Yes Baron, we have spoken on this. But, in the interest of full transparency, I need to clarify that I have come into possession of over three thousand stones worth of gold and silver items.”The Baron’s eyes widened, “Uh, ok, you should probably have that delivered to one of my warehouse areas. I have an individual there who can reimburse you for the items, and then I’ll ship it out as needed.”Donovan nodded, “Excellent plan. I will make those arrangements and have the goods delivered. Thank you again, and good evening.”Bebop, Lucius, and Tamsen entered the Drownington area, with Bebop especially excited about the prospects.“This place is perfect, guys! No real law enforcement, lots of areas to produce supply. It’s everything we could want.”, Bebop was salivating at the prospect of producing narcotics in this area.Looking around the area for some familiar faces, Bebop found one of the individuals that they had been speaking with previously, “Hey! I remember you!”The man, clearly indigent and not having the best of luck in his life, looked up to see Bebop. A look of concern came over his face, “Hello again, sir. I see you have returned already.”Bebop continued, “So, when is the big fighting game? I’m ready to go!”The man tilted his head, somewhat confused. “It’s still happening on Sunday.”Bebop realized that only three days had passed since they were last in the town. “Damnit!”Lucius sighed, clearly annoyed at the whole of this event. For Tamsen’s part, she appeared to be distracted, as if she was having a conversation in her own head that didn’t involve the rest of the group.Bebop shrugged, figuring on different ways he could spend his time. “Oh, right. Well, thanks for your time, buddy!” With that, Bebop pressed some coin into the man’s hand.The man looked around in almost a panic, “What are you doing?” His voice changed to almost a whisper, “Are you trying to get me killed?” With that, the man headed off to Drownington Manor.The group followed the man into Drownington Manor, with Bebop looking around at the different females there who could accompany them. “I’ve had one of those, and one of those, and one of those.”Lucius noticed the man who they had followed into the manor. He was apparently talking with a muscular man, whom Lucius assumed to be one of the hired hands. The man gave the help all of the coin he had received from Bebop, and they appeared to have some sort of conversation. “We all have our debts to pay.”, Lucius mused to himself.A redheaded woman with Elvish features walked by the group, and Bebop stopped her as she was passing by, “Are you an Elf?”, Bebop asked.The woman smiled and pushed her hair back over her right ear. “Sure baby, I am.”Excited, Bebop took the woman’s hand, and headed off into a room for the two of them, leaving Lucius and Tamsen sitting at the table.Lucius continued to be annoyed, “Why exactly are we here?”Tamsen teased, “Maybe you need some closeness with a creature from this plane of existence?”Lucius countered, “I think we’ve just been sent here as nannies.”Just then, one of the patrons propositioned Tamsen, “Well, if you aren’t the most beautiful creature here! How much are you charging for your time?” The three other individuals who were with this individual were almost licking their lips in anticipation.Tamsen giggled, “Thanks for the offer, cutie. But, I’m here with my boyfriend.” With that, Tamsen leaned over and started snuggling against Lucius.The group of men seemed to be unphased. “Don’t be coy, pretty lady. No woman that dresses like you could just be a customer of the bar.” The lead man pushed up against Tamsen, his hands rubbing against her exposed thighs. “My mates and I will take good care of you.”Lucius gritted his teeth in frustration, “Well damnit all, if we aren’t here now! Lucinda!” Lucius snapped his fingers, and the form of Lucinda appeared in the bar, wielding her weapon. Her form and demeanor were threatening to be certain, and the men who had previously found such confidence began to shrink away in the moment.Tamsen locked her gaze with the man who had dared to set his hands on her body. “You are inches away from the worst decision in your pitiful life. Now, you can either take your hands off me and walk away, or you can find out exactly what it means to try raping a succubus.” All humor and mirth faded from Tamsen’s tone.The group of men considered their options, then considered the less risky situation. They moved away from Lucius and Tamsen, and out of the manor. One of the “guards” within the manor briefly stopped by to make sure that Lucius and Tamsen weren’t trying to cause issues, but left the two of them alone after understanding what happened. It didn’t hurt that Lucius knew when to be generous with coin.“Wasn’t that interesting?”, Tamsen giggled.“No!”, Lucius replied, the irritation clearly growing in his tone. “That was an unnecessary risk! We could have avoided all of that if you would simply stop dressing like an open invitation.”Tamsen’s gaze grew fierce as she leaned close to Lucius, “No! I won’t be told how to dress or how to live anymore! I spent my whole life being the slave of men who made all the choices for me. Men who decided how I would look, and dress, and who could touch me. I hated every moment of my existence, every choice I was denied. And then, I found the most wonderful man in the world who doesn’t tell me how to dress, or how to live, or who I can touch.”Lucius tried to speak up, “I’m not saying you should not be able to express yourself…”Tamsen interrupted him, “I can assure you, Donovan never goes to bed lonely or unsure of where he stands with me. So, I’m not changing for these men anymore. These men can change for me.” Tamsen continued to stare at Lucius, her frustrations clearly visible.“I hear you, Tamsen. I shouldn’t have made you feel your choices aren’t valid. We’re just trying to navigate a very delicate situation where we are escaped criminals who are continuing to do harm to the kingdom. A little subtlety wouldn’t hurt us.”, Lucius attempted to defuse the matter, something he had become very good at over time.As if the Fates themselves were intervening, Bebop walked up at this moment. “What’s going on? We should try and get a meeting with Rubal Thram.”Lucius laughed in frustration, “Sure, let’s do that. Go ask one of the people who work here about having that meeting.”Bebop walked over to one of the waitresses, who look confused, but said she would go fetch someone that could help him. Shortly afterwards, a man walked up to the group, and introduced himself as the manager of the bar. “How can I help you fine adventurers?”Bebop didn’t hesitate to respond, “How do we get a meeting with Rubal?”The manager smirked, “You don’t get a meeting with Mister Thram. If Mister Thram wants to meet with you, you will be meeting with him. It’s as simple as that.”Bebop seemed quite cocksure in his response, “But Mister Thram will want to meet with us, we are going to help him become even more successful.”The manager’s gaze seemed skeptical, but he continued, “And why is that?”“Because we are going to help him succeed in the drug market.”Lucius put his face in his hands, wishing that he was anywhere but where he currently was.The manager snorted, “Ah, I see. Well, I’ll be sure to pass along your names to Mister Thram. What did you say your names were again?”Bebop pointed at the members of his party, “I’m Bebop, this is Tamsen, and over there is Lucius. Donovan isn’t here now, but he’s with us as well.”The manager nodded, “Understood. I’m certain Mister Thram will deal with this as soon as his schedule allows. Can I offer all of you something to drink before you leave?”Bebop started to say, “Yeah, I’ll have a….”, before Lucius cut him off.“No thank you, sir. We appreciate your time. Thank you for taking a meeting with us.” With that, Lucius set coin on the table for the drinks they had purchased, then began escorting the group out of the manor.As the group began to walk away from the manor, Bebop confronted Lucius, “What was that about? The manager could have helped us get a meeting with Rubal.”Lucius shouted in exasperation, “No, he could not!” Lucius’ immediately attempted to calm himself. “There was no meeting to be had, there was nothing we could offer him yet. Now I get why Donovan sent us on this little escapade. He didn’t want to deal with your nonsense, and wanted to make sure you didn’t get into trouble while you were there.”Bebop dismissed Lucius’ cynicism, “Don’t be ridiculous. Donovan is all about making a profit.”“If there is profit to be made! You don’t have a product, you don’t have customers, you don’t have distribution, you don’t have anything yet! If you want this narcotic plan of yours to take off, you will have to show him that there’s something that people will buy.”, Lucius looked intently at Bebop.“I get that, ok. I know we have to put it all together, but I figured we weren’t going to be in town again for a while, so we should have our man on the inside before we get started.”“Cart before the horse, sweetie.”, Tamsen patted Bebop’s face and smiled a knowing smile.Bebop sighed, frustrated. From an alchemical creation standpoint, he was a genius of production. Unfortunately, he lacked the other pieces that he needed to put it all together. He had truly hoped that this was going to be an opportunity to get someone who could aid in some of the other points, but he began to realize that he would need a proof of concept to get the group to see his vision.An excited smile came over Tamsen’s face. “Donovan is headed back, he wants us to go rent out rooms, and then we’re going to purchase items for the trip back.”“Thank the gods!”, Lucius responded. With that, he and the rest of the group made their way back to the town proper.Tamsen sat naked on the bed in her room. She was all too eager to see Donovan again, with this being their first opportunity to spend time alone together for some time. She looked out from the open window onto the town streets. From time to time, she would walk closer to the open window, looking out onto the street to see if he was close. More than one individual caught her in this state of undress, which she giggled about, thinking of the thoughts that would swirl through those person’s mind as they traveled home from having seen her. Heading back to the bed, Tamsen did not notice the dark spot in the sky that was flying directly towards her room. Tamsen closed her eyes, letting the words of her mind drift to Donovan’s head. “Hurry and come to bed, my love. I’ve been aching to feel you inside me.” Donovan was clearly in agreement, telling her how much he had been craving her.Moments before Donovan opened the door to the room, a large creature came crashing into via the open window. At first, the creature looked like a massive bird with electricity crackling around it. Instinctively, Tamsen jumped up, startled at the appearance of this creature. She gasped at the creature, and its mouth opened wide, grabbing Pooky and crunching into its tiny body. A piteous shriek came from the rabbit, as Tamsen screamed in horror, “Pooky!”Donovan opened the door, as a swirling mass began to spin around in the corner of the room. He moved over to where Tamsen had pressed herself against one of the walls, interposing himself between the mass and Tamsen. “By the gods, what is this?”Where once was wings and beaks, arms and faces began to manifest themselves. The creature was changing, becoming smaller and more humanoid. The swirling slowed, and what was left behind was the form of a naked humanoid. The form appeared to be female, with wings along her back, long claws for fingernails, and talons for feet. By many standards, this creature was beautiful, but would not be mistaken for human. Seeing Tamsen, the creature moves over to the part of the room where she and Donovan are standing, and gets on her knees before Tamsen.“My Mistress, my name is Camille. I have been sent by your mother in order to protect you and provide you guidance to assist you in finding out more about her.”, the creature was prostrate before Tamsen, her head bowed low.“You… you killed my Pooky.”, Tamsen’s voice shuddered in disbelief.“Forgive me Mistress, it was the only way I could pass on the abilities that you and the rabbit maintained, and allow you to speak them through me.”, Camille seemed unphased at her actions.Tamsen stepped in front of Donovan, then pulled Camille up from her kneeling position, “You know my mother?’Camille nodded with certainty, “Yes Mistress, your Mother wishes very much for you to be safe and protected when you travel. You are my charge for as long as you remain on this plane.” Camille’s eyes shifted to Donovan every so briefly when she said the word “Safe”. Donovan imagined he had earned himself more retribution for his failure in Balentyne.Tamsen gently touched Camille’s face, then she said some words that Donovan couldn’t recognize, but he had heard before. This was the way her and Pooky had spoken in the past. Camille responded in the same “language” that Tamsen was speaking in, and Tamsen’s face brightened immediately, “It’s true. You really do know what Pooky knew!”Tamsen hugged Camille excitedly, and Camille responded by hugging her back.“I have so many questions for you Cami!”“Of course Mistress, I’ll answer anything I can. I can even help you ask questions directly of your Mother, if you so desire.”Tamsen looked over to Donovan, “Would you mind if I stayed in here and talked to her for a while? I can’t believe this is happening to me.”Donovan smiled, “Of course, my love. This is a wonderful moment for you. I’m so glad you are able to have this.” With that, Donovan left the room and closed the door behind him.Donovan went downstairs and found Lucius and Bebop, “So, ready to do some shopping? We’re going to need to find some crops that will survive those caves and the limited light.”Lucius looked at Donovan, somewhat confused, and then agreed to his request. The group headed out through the city and began making purchases. Word soon got out in town about the unusual individuals who paid for stuff with exotic coins and opened up a huge hole in the middle of the room to load the goods into.Several hours later, the group returned back to the inn for the evening. Tamsen and Camille were downstairs with GrumbleJack, talking and passing the time. Sitting next to them were the members of the Seventh Knot. Elise’s gaze caught Donovan and the others as they walked in, and she waved them over to the table.“Tamsen tells me you have made a breakthrough with regards to the Ritual.”“This is true Elise, and is the reason we have returned to the town. We’re going to need to prepare for the extended period of time that we will be at the Horn.”, Donovan responded.“What do you mean by extended?”“Seven months. The ritual will take seven months to complete.”“If you aren’t going to be serious about this operation, then the Cardinal will hear of your betrayal.”Donovan’s eyes narrowed, “You think I’m kidding?” Donovan pulled out the Dirges of Apollyon. “You want to see it for yourself?”“Yes.”, Elise responded without hesitation.Donovan handed her the book, which she stared at momentarily. Elise cast a spell on the pages to allow her to read them, which caused Donovan to chuckle ever so briefly. After casting an angry glare at Donovan, Elise continued to parse through the dark tome she had been given. Upon arriving at the ritual penned in at the end, she studied the words carefully. The group could see her confidence drain away as the text confirmed what Donovan had told her previously.Elise handed back the tome to Donovan, clearly perturbed, “I know you are trying to make us fail, but we are simply following the orders that were given to us.”“You misread my intentions, Elise. I have done nothing but make suggestions to increase the likelihood of our success, and you seem determined to ignore them.”“And what exactly would those suggestions be, Donovan?”“As I said before, I believe a member of your team should make a mental link with Tamsen, so that our groups can continue to make plans together, without having to worry about whether or not you can get a messenger out safely to us.”Elise steepled her fingers together. While she wasn’t particularly fond of Donovan, his family, or his tactics, it would be hard to argue the success rate. “How would this work, precisely?”Donovan smiled. “Simple, one member of your team would hold hands with Tamsen for a bit.”Elise looked over her team, then settled on Trik. “You do it.”Trik seemed nervous at first, but Tamsen’s disarming smile seemed to set him at ease. He began holding hands with Tamsen as she stared into his eyes.Trak, Trik’s brother, decided to tease him lightly, “Look at you, finally holding hands with a girl.” Trik blushed at the situation, but found himself more and more drawn into Tamsen’s eyes. She was beautiful, even more beautiful than Elise. He started thinking about what it would be like to have a girl like this in his life. “I wonder what Tamsen thinks about me.”, Trik thought to himself. “I think you are a very handsome young man.”, a voice responded in his head, sounding exactly like Tamsen. “Can you hear my thoughts, Tamsen?”, Trik looked around the room as he continued to think to her. “I can when you want me to hear you.”, the voice responded again.Tamsen and Trik released each other’s hands.“Did it work?”, Elise asked curiously.Trik nodded, “Yes, it worked.”Elise sneered, “Good enough. We’ll set up a schedule for you two to communicate at set times, and relay any information each of us gets to the other.”Donovan smiled and made a toast, “Here’s to our mutual success!”Retiring to their room for the evening, Donovan was all too eager to make up for the missed opportunity that had passed them by when Camille first arrived. However, it would appear that Camille was not going to allow Donovan to get that close to Tamsen. Each time Donovan would try to touch Tamsen, Camille would lash out at him, her claws slicing open his skin. She would then stare at him with an odd look that one could describe as hunger.“Gah! Why is she doing this Tamsen?”, Donovan exclaimed in frustration.“She’s just settling in, she doesn’t know who to trust here.”, Tamsen tried to reassure Donovan, as she petted Camille gently.“I feel like she does know, and she’s doing this intentionally.”“Be patient, Donovan.”, Tamsen’s hand touched Donovan ‘s face. “She’ll get used to this, and I’ll always be yours.”Donovan sighed, “Of course you are right. I just really want to be with you soon.”Tamsen nodded eagerly, “Soon!”With that, a resigned Donovan attempted to go to sleep. However, each time he woke up, he saw Camille staring at him. Her actions were so disconcerting that he eventually just decided to sleep on the floor.The next morning, Donovan pulled himself off the floor and walked past the bed where Tamsen and Camille were cuddled up together. Donovan pictured this going on in the Horn for the next seven months, and a long sigh came out of him. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road.”Donovan and the others availed themselves of the bathing room, not knowing when such a luxury would be available to them again.Bebop was in his usual good spirits, as he interrogated Donovan, “What was it like having two girls in bed at the same time, huh?”Donovan looked at Bebop with an irksome expression, “Restless.”Bebop nodded with excitement, “Oh yeah, I’m gonna get me some of that soon.”Donovan chuckled to himself, thinking about how well him and Camille would get along.Finishing their baths, the group had their breakfast in plans for the long trek back to the Horn.“Well Donovan, do we have everything?”, Lucius asked.Just then, a voice from behind them spoke up, “Donovan… Westermeyer?”All of the group looked at each other in concern. No one in this town should be using that last name. He never introduced himself to anyone as that name. Which meant, this was someone who knew him from before.Donovan turned around in his seat, looked at the individual, and asked, “Instructor Diggle?”“Hah!”, the female Halfling laughed, “I knew it was you!” Taking a drag from her pipe, she blew out smoke before proceeding, “How exactly did you get free from Branderscar?”Donovan rushed towards her, kneeling down and trying to make sure no one was listening at that point, “Instructor, please. I’m happy to explain this to you, but I’m not going to do it out here in the open. Let’s go back to my room, and I can elaborate further.”With that, Donovan and the group returned to his room.“You really turned this into a catastrophe, didn’t you Donovan?”, Idrees Diggle spoke as she struck him over the head with her pipe. Idrees was looking at a copy of the Contract that Donovan and the others had signed with Thorn, after he explained what had happened to the group.Donovan winced in pain as the metallic pipe rapped over his head in the all too familiar way. “I didn’t have a choice, Instructor. They were threatening my family!”Idrees pointed at the others in the room, “Oh yes, your family. Another group of poor unfortunate kids you have dragged along into your harebrained schemes.” Idrees struck Donovan over the head again.“It’s not like that! I didn’t know that things were going to turn out this way!”, Donovan protested again, red bumps appearing on his forehead.“You mean, the woman Tiadora, whom you initially suspected was a Devil, but you had no idea what sort of agreement that her employer might put you under? That’s what you didn’t know.”, Idrees continued to accost him, but this time was chewing on her pipe rather than striking Donovan with it.Donovan was immediately embarrassed at how easily his Instructor had seen something that he walked blindly into. “I… I had a plan.”“Ah yes, the Donovan plan, is it? Another one of your insane concepts that destroys everyone around you, while you manage to avoid the worst of it.” Idrees considered striking Donovan again, but instead pointed the pipe at the rest of the group, “Any of you kids know why Donovan was expelled from the Academy?”Lucius chimed up, “He told us that his dad didn’t want to have to keep paying for him when school wasn’t teaching him anything.”Idrees snorted, “That’s true, but only in the sense that Donovan wasn’t learning anything from school.” Idrees pressed her pipe against Donovan’s forehead, “This prodigy here had already spent so much time studying books that he was done with anything the school was offering. But his dad didn’t want him around the house, for obvious reasons.”A glare came across Donovan’s face, but Idrees continued, “So Donovan gets it in his head that he's going to figure out all of the questions that were going to be on the exam tests.”“I never cheated!”, Donovan exclaimed, before Idrees struck him on the head again with her pipe.“Now, Donovan isn’t going to try to steal answers, because he already knows the answers. Instead, he started studying the teachers, learning their body language and how they acted when they talked about subject material. From there, he gets a list of the questions that they seemed to emphasize, and the correct answers, and sells that to the other students.”, Idrees puffed on her pipe again, angrily relaying the story.Tamsen chuckled, “That does seem like something Donovan would do, Instructor Diggle.”Idrees smiled at Tamsen, “Call me Idrees, dearie. You seem like such a wonderful young woman.”“Can you please stop telling them this story, Idrees?”, Donovan pleaded.Idrees struck Donovan on the head yet again, “That’s Instructor Diggle, you shortsighted dunce!” Puffing on her pipe a few more times, Idrees continued. “Of course, for Donovan, none of this was about money, so he didn’t even spend the money, he just kept it to prove that he was successful. When I finally figured out what he was doing and confronted him about it, he freely admitted it to me, and then gave me all the money he had earned. Of course, that just made the Academy board assume I had helped him somehow, since why on the planes would a student charge money for something when he didn’t want money. I ended up losing my tenure, and now I can’t get a position in academia, thanks to this one.” Idrees pushed her pipe against Donovan’s face in a accusatory manner.Lucius shook his head, “Yeah, that all sounds about right. That seems exactly like something he would do.”Donovan rubbed his head in pain, “Instructor, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I put you in this position. What do you want from me? Money? Revenge? Take whatever you want out of me, but please leave my family out of this. These are my actions, and they shouldn’t have to pay for them.”“Oh no, Mister Westermeyer, you don’t get off that easily. If I take money from you, you’ll just make more. If I try and get you thrown back in jail, you’ll just dupe another group of unfortunates into your plan and get back out.”Donovan pulled out his rapier and pushed it against Idrees’ hands, “So, blood is it? Fine.”Idrees looked at the rapier, and rapped Donovan upside the head again. “You’re not listening, Donovan. I’m very well aware that anything you set your mind to, you are going to accomplish. It’s my intention to follow you through this situation you have got yourself in, and make sure these other kids don’t have to suffer because of your brashness. In the meantime, you are going to pay me to help get your gear in better working order, since you won’t get far on what you’ve got currently.”Donovan snorted, “Why would I need you to help with gear? I’m fully capable of doing that myself.”Idrees chuckled, “And just when are you planning to do this, Donovan? While you are maintaining the ritual, and training the Boggards, and renovating the Horn, and growing the crops? When exactly are you going to be able to spend hours out of the day to work on gear?”Donovan looked down at the floor. His Instructor was far too keen on his situation.Donovan began, “I’ll just…”, before Idrees cut him off. “You’re a good kid, Donovan. You have the ability to see ideas and concepts most don’t. But you’re also impulsive and rash, and make decisions in moments without thinking of the consequences. You need someone to rein you in. Agree to my terms, Donovan. You have a lot left to learn from your instructor.”Donovan looked at the rest of his family, and then back to Idrees, then nodded to her, “Yes, Instructor.”Idrees nodded and chuckled, “Perfect.” She then pointed at GrumbleJack. “You, big fellow. Carry me.”GrumbleJack nodded, “Yes ma’am.”, and picked up Idrees.The group piled into a carriage summoned by Lucius. While they had the luxury of not needing to carry all the supplies due to the Portable Hole, they were still forced to move on the land due to the number of people they had traveling, and the size of GrumbleJack. Bebop excelled at moving through the undeveloped lands without drawing the attention of the local wildlife. His senses told him there were many other predators around that they would potentially need to deal with at some point in the future. But, for now, they were blessed with safe travels and no need to defend themselves.Arriving back at the Horn, the group began to prepare for the ritual that was to be enacted. Tamsen went to speak to Halthus, while showing him the nature of the ritual. Halthus, seeing the specific sacrifice that would be required, wanted to write a document to discuss his hopes and dreams for what would become of the “new brotherhood” that Halthus wanted to see. Knowing that he would not live to see it because of his sacrifice, Halthus took final comfort in the belief that his actions would be a moment that would be remembered by those who came after him. Studying the set of instructions provided to him, Bebop created a strong sedative that would keep Halthus asleep throughout the initial ritual.After Halthus consumed the sedative, Bebop brought him to the altar at the top of the Horn. Donovan instructed GrumbleJack to bring up the water from the fountain to the bowl in the Sanctum. However, when GrumbleJack arrived at the top of the Horn, he began to suffer from dizziness, and sat down at the top of the stairs.“I’m so thirsty, boss”, GrumbleJack complained to Donovan, then grabbed one of the two tubs that he had brought to the top of the stairs.“Sure buddy, you carried those heavy tubs all the way to the top of the stairs. Get yourself something to drink.”, Donovan responded, while taking the other tub and moving it over to the bowl at the altar.Donovan poured the water into the bowl, and watched the transformation of the water take place. The water took on a quality that suggested it had been tainted by Abyssal magic.For his part, GrumbleJack actually consumed all the water in the first tub he had been drinking from. Even though his stomach appeared distended from the consumption of water, GrumbleJack continued to ask for more water, “I’m still thirsty, boss.”The rest of the group suggested that GrumbleJack should be brought downstairs, but Donovan thought perhaps something else was going on. “I can patch him up if something goes wrong.”Pulling a cup of the water from the altar out, he brought the water to GrumbleJack, “Here you go, buddy.”GrumbleJack smiled weakly, “Thanks boss.” GrumbleJack drank the glass, and then fell over and started groaning in pain.The rest of the group looked at Donovan accusingly. Donovan fumbled through his bandolier to find one of his curative elixirs. As Donovan approached GrumbleJack, he saw that GrumbleJack was transforming. GrumbleJack’s body mass increased, and wings appeared on his back. GrumbleJack’s horns became far more pronounced than they were previously, and it was apparent that GrumbleJack’s fiendish heritage was manifesting along his body.GrumbleJack stood up, flexing the muscles of his body. “I feel strong, boss! Stronger than I’ve ever felt in my life.” GrumbleJack pushed off the ground, and found himself floating in the air, powered by the strength of his wings.The group celebrated GrumbleJack’s newfound strength and power, but Donovan reminded all of them that they were acting within a limited window of time. Stepping up to the sleeping form of Halthus, Donovan recited the words of the ritual that he had repeated to himself many times before. Donovan plunged the blade into Halthus, cutting out the heart and setting it into one of the designated bowels that were next to the altar. A voice rang out through the altar in Abyssal, speaking the words “I hear.”Immediately following that, a flame burned across the outside of the Horn, burning away all of the vegetation that had creeped up the mountain, and hurling itself into the sky. A sickly green glow extended outward from the entire Horn, certainly alerting everyone in the area that something had occurred at this place.Donovan took Tamsen’s hand as the group stared out from the balcony of the Horn and looked out into what they had caused, as they looked at each other. “I guess we’ve woke up the neighbors.”, Donovan said, trying to be humorous.Session 17 Ends.</blockquote>

Verification