'You
want me to do what?'
“Drakleth's balls! It is you isn't it!”Hank is looking straight at the figure in front of him, a smile on his face. Pointing quickly at the two Dark Kin he adds, “Do you want these or can I have them?”
“Calm yourselves little ones,” says Walker, reaching one hand down each side of him and charming the two Dark Kin as he does. He gives them their ‘dark orders’ and sends them on their way before looking the chieftain up and down.
“So,” announces Walker pointing at Hank, “is this truly Hank standing before me or just more Tormentriach trickery?” His loyalty power proves it not to be Tormentriach.
Walker gazes at him for a moment, reading his mind as he does so, “So it really is Hank. Come, it is not safe for you to speak with me here.”
Hank nods in the direction of the building behind him and says, “Aye I think it wise if we get off the streets and have a talk about what our next move might be. If that’s alright with you?”
Dar', the mordel, takes up watch inconspicuously outside of the building whilst Hank leads Walker into the house.
Back at the inn, Blue Moon is going a little redder than usual.
“Max, I like your style, and hey, what girl doesn't like to be flattered but, lets be honest,” she subconsciously moves her right hand to move her fringe from across her forehead, “Do you... really think I'm...looking good ?”
“You sure are a face that radiates the beauty of the world.”
Considering that they are on the Dark Lands, Blue Moon is not so sure she should take that as a compliment.
“So what you're saying is that after Than lost his mind and someone else died that they decided to leave,” says Wulf after Walker finishes his story. “And lets get this right,” he continues, “everyone and their pal wants what you've got and they are all tracking you constantly.”
“That’s pretty much it,” replies Walker, twitchily looking around as if any minute the hordes of hell will come bursting through the walls.
Brut wipes Dark Kin ichor off of himself and comments, “Wellll it sounds very risky and all that but you reckon that F'nor will give us nearly anything we want... sounds good eh Lord Wulf of er.. Somewhere.”
“Well we’re in,” declares Wulf, “as long as you swear an oath of loyalty - in so much as you did for the others you were travelling with.”
“Remember Wulf,” says Hank putting his feet up on the table and leaning back in the chair, “when we were offered for 3000 silvers the ‘Mask Of F'garl’, which when worn allows the wearer to take on the form of F'garl himself and to use his impressive abilities? Well it strikes me the acquisition of this, if Walker our friend, can help us monetary-wise, may well aid us in carrying out the plan.”
“Perhaps Walker,” he continues, “not able as he is to wander freely throughout Caradeth, may wish us to purchase items on his behalf before we undertake this attack on the ‘Tower’? No... I suggest we wait for a short time, purchase things to aid this initial part of our grand scheme and then decide on our plan of action.”
“LOOK,” says Walker his voice a little raised, “we don’t have time to waste… I don’t have time to waste… just staying here is dangerous!”
He asks Wulf’s permission and places a ‘Send/Receive’ spell upon him explaining that in eight hours time, he’ll activate it and therefore be able to blink to wherever Wulf is.
“Just be ready and have that blasting powder stuff by then,” he declares and with nervous glances around, he then releases his ‘stored’ Blink.
“Pushy isn’t he,” comments Hank.
“He’s got rather a lot on his mind,” says Wulf being quite glad he does not have to carry something as ‘heavy’ as Walker.
The triple shrunken Death Fly climbs through the gaps between the rocks and boulders, its small frame allowing it to make considerable progress. It eventually reaches a point where it becomes a little confused. The gap it is currently moving through slopes up and becomes blocked with dust and tiny rock fragments (boulders to the minute creature). As this has seemed the best route thus far it starts to try and claw its way through the debris.
Unfortunately it soon releases a veritable landslide.
If it could squeal “Help meee!” it would before the weight of the rocks crushes it.
“Damn it!” exclaims Walker, the link having been broken. He looks down at the demonic wolf by his side and says, “Well at least I’ve got you boy, and I’d like you to look after someone for me.”
“Toad! I should have known that. He was being too co-operative, he must have known that there would be an ambush.”
Jedran is fuming.
“Only he could have guessed that Nightingale might attempt to get onto the Dark Lands and arrange for a welcoming party! No one else knew we were here. No-one. And did he say 'Guys, there may be some trouble?' Oh no, 'just walk down the path.' If the alliance wasn't over, it is now - I'll rip his lungs out. I'll... I'll... calm down and defeat him yet." The liche pulls himself together. Perhaps the strain of recent deaths is taking its toll.
However he is not calm for long when he sees Saffy petting a large, black, familiar-looking demonic wolf. It appears to be the creature which met them at the edge of the forest and was to lead them to the lair of H’ragul.
“Step away from the wolf,” he declares authoritatively only for the creature to growl at him and go back to nuzzling into Saffy.
“It seems friendly,” says Kyrin, but the beast growls at her, “well to Saffy anyway.”
The creature had approached Saffy out of the darkness and as far as she is able to tell it wishes to stay at her side as if it wishes to be her companion and protector.
“Look we know who it’s come from so it will be dripping with spells,” hisses Jedran who has the ‘dead wolf’ look in his eyes.
“Look I’ll cast Detect Magic,” announces Jud’.
<Grrroowwwll>
“I mean Saffy, you cast Detect Magic.”
Saffy nods to Jud’ and casts the spell which reveals no magic on the beast at all.
“Maybe he really does like you,” says Kyrin and Fern nudges the fighter and joins in with, “A gift from a boyfriend it looks to me.”
“Alright,” declares Thanatos, “let’s go!”
“Well it all seems fine to me,” says the Queen after having checked over Walker and all his kit, “no curses or anything untoward.”
“As for these other things,” she continues, “the Unholy Sword is infact a Sword of Dark Severance. It is damned three times [+3] and when it strikes there is a good chance of it severing a limb. The severed limb cannot be re-attached or regenerated as the wound is seared with the dark power of the blade.”
“These things appear to have foul Tormentriach curses upon them,” she says pointing to some of the items, “but this wand, well it is an Unholy Sceptre of the Dark Servant. It sends forth a powerful Dark Servant which will attack the target it is aimed at. If the Dark Servant defeats and kills its target, then that individual becomes consumed by it and is damned to become the Dark Servant for the next time the Sceptre is used. If the Dark Servant is slain then unholy power must be sacrificed to call forth another Dark Servant into the Sceptre.”
“Now then Walker,” says the Queen, “we should be setting off to deliver the Ring very soon.”
Having stored a blink location back to the Inn, Ashnar now prepares a flask of best inflammatory fish oil and a flask of holy water. Thud and Brut, who have been dragged away from the bar, to do the same.
“Well here they are,” announces Hank as Wulf joins him in the stables behind the inn.
“Its a cart,” comments Wulf, a little unimpressed.
“It is a damn sight more than that,” comes the voice of a figure off in the shadows. He steps forwards and it is possible to see that he is a badly scarred, muscular man in his late thirties. He whips the tarpaulin from the cart and Wulf is able to see the twenty one wooden kegs.
“The plan is simple,” explains the man who Hank introduces as Sigurd, “some of you will produce a distraction on the North side of the courtyard wall whilst others roll a fused keg to the gates. The gates blow and then the heroic one of your number will race the cart through the gateway, across the courtyard and into the front of the tower. The Nightmares are trained to charge so you shouldn’t have to worry about them stopping. The heroic one will have the Fireball Ring and needs only release it on the crash. Hank here tells me your quite heroic.”
“I didn’t know this was a suicide mission,” hisses Hank in apology to his comrade.
“I have a better plan,” comes another voice.
It is Walker who strides from the shadows next to Wulf.
