Chapter 3-3

Garkhen followed just in time to see Almonihah run up some stairs at the back of the room beyond to reach a trap door. The half-bronze dragon pushed against it, then shoved it with all his might, but it hardly moved.

“Stuck something on top 'f it!” Almonihah growled. He stepped back a bit, took a deep breath, and exhaled a bolt of lightning.

It struck the trap door right next to its hinge, blasting a smoldering hole in it. This was followed quickly by the door collapsing inwards. Almonihah leaped aside just in time to avoid the large rock that fell through and crashed into the stairs. 

 

“Thought it was heavy,” he commented before lifting himself up on top of the stone and then outside. Garkhen followed as quickly as he could.

They came out in a back alley near the city gates. Almonihah was growling again.

“Must've left town,” he said, baring his teeth a bit. “Easier to find out there.”

Before Garkhen could catch his breath, Almonihah was on the move again, sprinting towards the gates... until he realized they were closed. He slowed to a stop, allowing the shorter-legged half-dragon to catch up to him.

“They must have gone elsewhere,” Garkhen pointed out, only slightly winded. Things had happened quickly... but they had not really traveled that far.

Almonihah snorted. “Yeah. Where?”

Garkhen shrugged slightly, armor creaking with the motion. “I do not know... and I believe the man whose cloak we used to track them thus far is... still within.”

The half-bronze dragon nodded slightly, nostrils flaring. “So what now...”

After a moment's thought, Garkhen suggested, “The box and the amulet both have powerful magic. Perhaps they might be located by magic detection?”

Again Almonihah snorted. “'nd we're supposed t' go back to th' wizards when it got stolen th' night after we talked t' them?”

Garkhen sighed. “I should have been more wary, yes. But what other option do we have? We must retrieve the amulet as soon as possible, and I think we have reached the limits of our own efforts.”

Grudgingly the Ranger nodded. “So now...”

Garkhen turned to look back the way they came. “No doubt the city watch is now at the inn. We will have to answer for our actions this night...” 

*****************************************

This post is shorter because I was busy losing to my brother in Beyond Earth today. :D 

But yes, this isn't going to be resolved quickly or easily. Especially since now Almonihah and possibly Garkhen might be accused of murder. 

Chapter 3-2

Almonihah growled low in his throat. “I'll go after them.” He turned and ran down the stairs and out of the inn.

Unfortunately, by the time he arrived, he saw no sign of the robed assailants. With a grimace, he took to the air, circling wider and higher, searching for any sign of them. He still hated flying, but this was too important to let that get in the way. But despite his search, he saw nothing that would indicate where they had gone. And so he landed and looked closely at the ground... there! Where one of them had jumped from Garkhen's window, he'd left footprints in the soft ground... but he had soon gotten onto cobblestones. Still, it gave him a direction.

Meanwhile Garkhen had looked around the room more thoroughly. The innkeeper had been up to see what the commotion was, and he had simply informed him that thieves had broken in and stolen some of his possessions. Once he was again alone, Garkhen had looked around the room again and noticed that there was a small piece of black cloth on the ground—likely torn off of one of the attacker's robes while he had fought them. He knew a spell-prayer that could use such a thing...

Soon enough he was armed and armored, walking briskly out into the night. The piece of cloth floated above his outstretched hand, pointing the way to the rest of the robe. He had never thought he'd be using a 'lost item' type of spell-prayer in such a manner, but it seemed to be working.

He was startled to see Almonihah flying towards him. The half-bronze dragon landed beside him and followed as he led. Almonihah nodded at the floating piece of cloth.

“That'll lead us to 'em?”

Garkhen nodded slightly in return. “At least to the robe this was torn from.”

“You make enough noise t' let th' whole town know you're coming.”

“Let us hope they do not realize what it means.”

They hurried on in silence after that, save for the sounds of Garkhen's armor. It was difficult to follow the direction of the spell, as they sometimes had to go around a house to another street to continue in the indicated direction. Eventually, however, they reached a house that the little piece of cloth pointed straight at no matter where they stood.

“Must've taken it in,” Almonihah commented.

“Yes. Now...”

Before Garkhen could finish his thought, Almonihah ran at the door, drawing Eldereth as he turned to strike it with his shoulder. He burst through in a shower of splinters as it broke around the door's latch, and pointed his sword at the first person he saw within.

“You. Th' men that came here. Where'd they go?”

Garkhen ran to catch up to him, hoping to head off whatever disaster looked imminent. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of the man the Ranger was threatening—a large man in a familiar dark robe, but what caught his eye was the hint of an iron chain around his neck.

The man looked down at Almonihah's sword, which was now barely an inch from his throat, and then up at the half-dragon. He visibly swallowed.

“They... they went... downstairs.” He pointed to a doorway opposite him.

Without hesitation, Almonihah turned and went through. Garkhen paused a moment, considering the still-trembling man.

“I am afraid I cannot leave you here to your devices,” he said, raising his holy symbol. He uttered a spell-prayer, and his symbol flashed a bright silver light. When the light faded, the man was perfectly still. Garkhen took a moment to make certain he was truly locked in place, then followed Almonihah.

There was indeed a staircase down in the next room, but at the bottom was another door. Almonihah had clearly not had as much luck breaking through it as he had with the one upstairs, for he was now hacking at it with Eldereth. He looked up as Garkhen arrived.

“Might do better,” He said, nodding at the stocky half-blue dragon.

“Perhaps,” Garkhen agreed. He pulled out Silverflame, lifted it over his head with both hands, and brought it down with all his might. 

 

His mace smashed through the wood of the door, and then a swift kick finished its ruin. As soon as he was through, however, a bolt of fire soared out of the room beyond and struck him in the chest. Garkhen winced, but sent up a silent prayer of thanks for the enchantment on his armor that turned what would have been a searing flame to a comparatively mild heat. It still hurt, certainly, but it was not lethal.

Close your eyes! Garkhen shouted back to Almonihah in Draconic, then shouted another spell-prayer, this one flashing a brilliant light into the room ahead. 

 

When he opened his eyes, Garkhen could see three black-robed men in the room beyond, all clearly trying to recover from the blinding light. He charged ahead, and lacking a better option, punched the nearest of them in the gut with all his strength. The man fell back, striking his head on the wall as he did so, then crumpled to the ground. The half-blue dragon stared at him in shock for a moment, hoping that he had not just killed the man.

Almonihah, however, had no such compunctions. He charged past Garkhen, plunging Zithrandrak into the chest of one of the still-recovering men, and slashing the other with Eldereth. Once he was certain none of them were still a threat, he started searching them and the room, looking for the Amulet. 

 

“Almonihah!” Garkhen exclaimed, the shock of what he had seen enough to refocus him. “You... killed those men!”

Almonihah gave him a strange look. “They tried t' kill you first.” He went back to searching.

“But...” Garkhen was at a loss for words.

Suddenly Almonihah looked up. “Someone else here,” he said, and charged through a doorway in the back of the room.

*******************

Almonihah is not a nice guy.

Also, I think this shows more clearly than usual the fact that Almonihah and Garkhen are, quite frankly, superhuman. Draezolnian dragons tell the laws of physics to pack up and leave, and while half-dragons aren't as good at it as full dragons, both Almonihah and Garkhen are stronger and tougher than should be possible with their muscle mass. And both of them are quite fit to begin with. 

And yes, Garkhen is actually stronger than Almonihah, despite being two feet shorter than him.

Chapter 3-1

Chapter 3: Loss

“Righteousness does not mean that all things will go right, only that we do right with the circumstances we are given. Often this means coping with the consequences of the unwise choices of others. In such cases, I prefer to assume ignorance or folly to actual malice, and even in cases of proven evil strive to bring to the paths of light. But... I fear there are times when to allow evil to happen is a greater evil than causing harm to those who would commit the evil.”

The first warning Garkhen had was of his alarm ward being triggered.

It took him just a moment to reorient himself. He was in the inn... they had returned there after showing the Amulet to Maritha's colleagues, as it had been rather late. Almonihah had gone off to see to Zakhin'Dakh, returning late in the night. And Garkhen had felt he should ward his room...

He now saw it was wise. The intruders had thrown open the door when his alarm ward had started sounding, and he only just had time to grab his mace before they were upon them. He didn't have time to count, but there were at least three robed men. Then one was upon him with a knife, and Garkhen had no more time to observe.

He fell back out of his bed as he dodged the first slash, then caught the man's wrist when he tried for another. The half-blue dragon squeezed, applying his superhuman strength, and his assailant cried out and dropped his weapon. Then Garkhen felt a sharp blow on his back, and turned to face another foe, who was cursing as he saw the Warder turn to face him. 

 

Garkhen had no desire to kill these men, despite their obvious intent to harm him. And so, instead of activating Silverflame's power and swinging, the thrust it into the second would-be assassin's gut, knocking the wind out of him. Then he punched him in the face. He feared for a moment that he struck too hard when his foe stumbled backward, but he heard the other one behind him moving and had to turn to face him again.

However, he found he did not have to defend himself against another attack, for the man was fleeing now. Whirling again he saw the other attacker throw himself out of the window of Garkhen's room. He turned again and ran out into the hall, just in time to see Almonihah running over to him.

“Th' Amulet!” The half-bronze dragon almost shouted.

In horror, Garkhen realized his companion was right. What other reason could they have for their assault? Hoping against reason he knelt and examined his pack. After a frantic search he stood back up and solemnly shook his head.

“They have taken it.” 

********************************

Sorry for the late post. I had fun yesterday with setting up my shiny new computer. :)

And yes, Garkhen did pay for a nice inn room, while Almonihah did not. 

Chapter 2-7

Garkhen recognized one of the soldiers at the gates of Elifort, though it was clear that both recognized him. The Warder felt vaguely embarrassed by how much his reputation had clearly grown in the telling as they spoke with him, but they were more than happy to point the two half-dragons towards where the remaining wizards in the city had set up shop.

Almonihah was clearly unaccustomed to the kind of attention they drew as they walked through town. People would walk up and greet Garkhen, asking for confirmation of rumors of him single-handedly defeating twenty Infernals or other such exaggerated deeds. The half-blue dragon corrected the stories in good humor. For his own part, Almonihah noted just how much respect his new companion clearly had... and wasn't sure how he felt about it.

If he were perfectly frank... he was a bit jealous. After dealing with suspicion or outright hatred in many places, seeing this kind of treatment was like rubbing salt on old wounds. But at the same time, he had to admit, this was not the reception of someone evil. Unless the half-blue dragon were very good at hiding his true nature, Almonihah had to admit to himself that he had probably been wrong to so mistrust his fellow half-dragon. And yet... it was not so easy.

“Just what'd you do?” Almonihah growled to Garkhen when they had a quiet moment.

“I was one of a number of champions who faced the head of the Infernals during the war not too long ago,” Garkhen replied, gazing off into the distance rather than meeting the Ranger's eyes. “My... heritage makes me rather recognizable even to those who never met me, and of course brings the interest of bards, so I have gained something of a reputation over time.”

He looked up at his companion with a bit of a grin. “My heritage also made me of interest to mages, which will now aid in our cause, will it not?”

Almonihah snorted in grudging agreement, but said nothing more.

The place the guards had directed them to was a large home across the street from the ruined temple of Mashano, where the story the pair had just been discussing took place. Garkhen shook his head slightly as he looked at it. 

 

“Still we do not know just what happened or how...” he murmured. “No doubt this is why the wizards are working here... and I must wonder if this amulet did not have something to do with it.”

Almonihah grunted in agreement. “Maybe.”

A single guard stood at attention by the door as the two half-dragons approached. Garkhen did not recognize him, but it was clear he recognized Garkhen.

“Say, you're the half-dragon champion... Grekhin, was it?”

“Ah, Garkhen, yes,” the half-blue dragon replied, “And this is Almonihah, a Ranger. We had hoped to consult with some of the mages here, if we might?”

The guard nodded, smiling. “I'm sure they'd be glad to speak with you!” He turned and opened the door, spoke briefly to someone inside, then turned back to them. “All right, come on in!”

As they passed, Almonihah heard the soldier murmuring to himself, “Not one, but two! Never thought I'd see even one half-dragon in my life...”

A servant greeted them in the small antechamber within the grand home, and directed them to a sitting room, then ducked out with a bow. Soon he returned, leading a woman in deep purple robes.

“Greetings, greetings, good sirs!” She said, taking a seat across the room. “I am Archivist Maritha. You,” she pointed at Garkhen, “I know by reputation, but I'm afraid I have no knowledge of you,” she pointed at Almonihah. “However, based on what I know of Garkhen, I suspect you're here for something important. Am I correct?”

Almonihah snorted, surprised (pleasantly) by the Archivist's straightforward approach. Garkhen seemed a bit more taken aback, but quickly recovered, grinning slightly.

“I am indeed Garkhen, Archivist, and this is Almonihah, a Ranger. You are correct that we are here on a matter of great import, as well. To explain, after the end of the war, I spent some time investigating the castle here in Elifort. While doing so, I stumbled upon on odd amulet, which seemed to be fashioned of some sort of multihued, rough stone wrapped in chains. As soon as I placed it in my pack, I completely forgot about its existence.”

Archivist Maritha's expression grew concerned, but she did not interrupt as Garkhen continued. “I carried it unknowing until shortly after I met Almonihah. When he learned that I had been attacked quite frequently by Madness-Touched beasts, he grew suspicious, and took me to meet the Commander of the Southern Ranger Order. When we arrived, the amulet... reacted to the wards set by the Rangers, which allowed me to remember its existence. Their druids examined it, and while they have not been able to divine its purpose, they have confirmed that it seems somehow to be connected to the chaotic power of Jivenesh. However, they were not able to discern a method by which it might be destroyed. Instead we have fashioned a container warded sufficiently to quarantine its powers, and have come in hopes that a more permanent solution might be discovered.”

The mage's voice was as solemn as her face as she responded. “This is grave news indeed you bring, though if you found it in the castle here, it is likely connected to the mysteries we have sought to uncover here. Might I see the amulet?”

Garkhen nodded, and pulled its box out of his pack. As he did so, the Archivist murmured a quiet spell. Holding it in front of himself, he opened it slightly. Maritha gasped slightly and anxiously waved a hand.

“Close it! Close it up again, please.”

Garkhen obliged, and the Archivist breathed a slight sigh of relief. “That is, indeed, the most powerful source of chaotic magic I have ever had the displeasure to encounter, and containing such creations is my specialty. Speaking of which...”

She frowned in thought for a moment, then shook her head slightly. “I don't remember. I'm sure it will come back to me later.”

It was Garkhen's turn to look concerned. “Is it possible the amulet's powers are blocking your memory as it did mine?”

Maritha cocked her head to one side slightly, then shook it. “No, I'm pretty sure this is just me getting old.” She laughed a bit—Almonihah noted that she hardly looked middle-aged for a human. “There was just... a little something in the aura that seemed familiar from somewhere. If I dared take a closer look at it, I'd probably be able to remember what it was, but we need more power in the room in case something happens before I'd dare let you open that box again. Let me go round up my colleagues here and we'll see what we can do.”

**********************************************

There, a little longer of a post to make up for last week. 

I wish I'd covered more of how Almonihah and Garkhen dealt with townsfolk and such before, but... I never did. Oh, well. 

No Post Today. Sorry

I'm afraid I've been working on a project for school this weekend (I know, terrible), so I haven't written anything to post. However, if you check out Zakhin'Dakh's character page, you might see something new... ;)

Chapter 2-6

Nothing further attacked them that day, nor the day after. Soon enough they saw signs of civilization—farms and hamlets below them, though Zakhin'Dakh flew high enough not to disturb them.

“Ah... I feel I should ask,” Garkhen began, “How have you found yourselves... accepted?”

Almonihah snorted. “Depends. Mostly Zakhin'Dakh stays outside of towns 'ways. 'Self, 'm used t' the looks, 'nd if they don't want me...” he shrugged.

Garkhen nodded slightly. “I am, at least, known to some degree in this area of Ferdunan now, so we should be able to travel into the town together... though Zakhin'Dakh may still best stay outside.”

Said griffon screeched disappointedly, and Garkhen reached forward and patted his neck. “I suppose we simply need a greater reputation,” he suggested, with a hint of a grin. “Then they will be glad to see the great Zakhin'Dakh coming to town.”

Zakhin'Dakh's screech this time was more cheerful, and Garkhen chuckled a bit. At first, he had not realized it, but he was learning quickly that the griffon was far too intelligent to be a simple beast—rather, he seemed his own person, particularly since Almonihah could apparently speak with him. A thought occurred to Garkhen: Was there not a spell-prayer for understanding languages? He recalled having once heard of it, though it was little used with the universal prevalence of the Common Tongue. Perhaps he might see if he could find it.

He had been lost in thought enough that Almonihah's sudden words in the strange, bird-like language he spoke with Zakhin'Dakh startled him. Garkhen looked down and saw that they were descending, heading for a hill that had no signs of cultivation. They did indeed land where he had thought. 

 

“Zakhin'Dakh'll meet us here when we're done. Couple hours' walk from here to that town you talked about.”

Garkhen nodded. “That is most likely prudent.” He looked about. “I believe I recognize the area. We need to go that way, do we not?”

Almonihah nodded. “Let's go.”

**************

Another short post, I know. I'll try to do a longer one next week. 

Chapter 2-5

They flew in silence for a few minutes, alert for any further attacks. Finally Garkhen decided to speak.

“It was almost as if it was waiting in ambush for us.”

Almonihah growled. “Javni'Tolkhrah don't plan. They're chaos-touched. Mad. Can't think intelligently.” After a moment, he added. “'nd I hate t' think it was.”

Garkhen shook his head slightly. “Nonetheless, I think we must admit the possibility. Whatever this amulet is, it has certainly attracted their attention, and we cannot deny that such behavior is unusual. Who can say that they are not also capable of cunning, despite their madness?”

The bronze half-dragon growled again and shook his head, but couldn't say anything to deny the point. Zakhin'Dakh, however, screeched a boast in Great Eagle. Almonihah snorted in amusement. Garkhen half-turned, as if to ask, and the Ranger translated.

“He said it doesn't matter. We'll beat them all.” Though really, it had been more like “Not matter! Me beat!”, but Almonihah could fill in for his friend.

Garkhen laughed. “Indeed? Well, I am glad to have such mighty friends in this undertaking.”

“Not your friends,” Almonihah growled.

The half-blue dragon sighed. “Perhaps not yet, but I hope we can become such.”

Almonihah snorted derisively, but didn't deign to answer.

*********************

 Well, it's a short post, I know. I've been distracted by other characters recently.

Chapter 2-4

They flew out of the camp on Zakhin'Dakh's back, Garkhen again riding in the saddle while Almonihah made do with holding on. They were headed south, back towards Ferdunan. Garkhen was very conscious of what lay in the bottom of his pack... as were Almonihah, and even Zakhin'Dakh. 

 

“I believe the mages I know have moved back to the capital,” Garkhen said, after several uncomfortable, silent minutes had passed. “It should not be too hard to...”

Suddenly Zakhin'Dakh shrieked, Look!

 

Almonihah followed his big friend's gaze, and saw something flying towards them. It didn't take long for him to realize what it was.

“Javni'Tolkhrah,” he spat, then growled, “You're in the way, blue. Have to do this differently.”

The half-bronze dragon released his grip and jumped, spreading his disused wings. He winced a bit as unfamiliar muscles got to work, but Almonihah welcomed the distraction from the thoughts of just what the wings meant. If he used them to take out Jivenesh's twisted minions... He pushed that thought aside, too.

Meanwhile, Zakhin'Dakh had altered his flight path, angling so as to come at his foe from above. He shriek-roared a challenge at the Madness-Touched, which roared its own challenge back. It was a big creature, its individual pieces too mingled to recognize. It had a long neck, scales that seemed vaguely crocodilian, huge wings that were only partially feathered, and a half-dozen differently shaped legs. A long tail ended in a bizarre amalgam of spikes and stingers.

Garkhen began chanting as the griffon and his prey neared one another. A few moments before they met, he finished his spell-prayer, and a lance of holy light shot forth from his outstretched palm and blasted the Javni'Tolkhrah in the face. It roared as it flinched, Bahamut's power searing its eyes and flesh... which gave Zakhin'Dakh the opening he needed to slam into it. His talons sank into its shoulders as his beak sought its neck, but it recovered quickly.

As it flailed at the griffon with its variety of claws, Zakhin'Dakh decided holding on was unwise. He pushed it away from himself as he flapped powerfully with his wings, narrowly avoiding a swipe of its tail as they separated. Garkhen began chanting another spell-prayer as the griffon ascended.

Then Almonihah dove past, slashing at the Javni'Tolkhrah's wing as he dropped below it. His wild flight meant he caused it only superficial damage, and he struggled to turn and climb again. 

 

The wings, Zakhin'Dakh! He shouted.

Okay! The griffon screeched back, turning for another attack.

Garkhen wondered what they were saying, but had no time to ask. Instead, he finished chanting, this time flipping his holy symbol up and breathing lightning through it. The now blessed lightning coursed through the monster below him, and it flailed wildly at the air in pain and rage. Again Zakhin'Dakh took the opportunity to attack, this time diving to one side, seizing one of his foe's wings in his talons and holding on as he continued dropping. 

 

The two great beasts tumbled crazily through the air, Zakhin'Dakh managing to remain just outside of the reach of the Javni'Tolkhrah's claws. It snapped at him with its fangs, but he warded it off with his beak. Then it lashed its tail at him. Garkhen saw it coming, and managed to lift an armored arm to ward it off. He still saw one spine scratch Zakhin'Dakh's wing, but it did not seem to bother him. 

 

Almonihah managed to fly by again, this time slashing a great rent in the monster's other wing. Let him fall! He shouted as he pulled away.

Zakhin'Dakh waited until the Javni'Tolkhrah tumbled under him, then again pushed away with a defiant shriek. It dropped, struggling to right itself with its rent wings. Somehow it managed to regain control. Almonihah growled in frustration. 

 

Then Garkhen chanted another spell-prayer, this time directing the searing light of his god at its less-damaged wing. The beam struck bone and burned through, and finally the monstrosity dropped, roaring in defiance until it struck the ground.

For a little while, none of them spoke. Almonihah made his way back over to Zakhin'Dakh, but it took him several tries before he was able to grab onto the saddle and pull himself back onto the griffon's back. 

 

Need practice! Zakhin'Dakh declared.

Almonihah nodded and sullenly agreed, I need practice. The wind seemed to be laughing at him. He growled at it in Draconic, Quiet, Jivenesh. I won't listen to you.

Garkhen started slightly, but after a moment, decided to say nothing.

*********************

For more epicness, listen to one of these while reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VbLTGy0TFk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJDyv-YVPgw 

My brother and I joke about how Zakhin'Dakh is the monster other monsters are scared of, the one that makes them look up and watch the skies. :D

Chapter 2-3

It took three days to prepare something that the Ranger druids deemed would be 'safe enough' for carrying the amulet. It was a deceptively plain wooden box, just large enough to fit the amulet and its chain. Despite its plain appearance, however, powerful magics were woven into the very fiber of the wood, and bound in runes carved into its inner surfaces. 

 

Almonihah had spent the time getting acquainted with the differences between the Southern and Northern Ranger Orders. There was less ground to cover here in the south, but he learned that the Rangers also had to patrol the waters, for Jivenesh's madness would twist the creatures of the sea as well as those of the land. Yet for all that, they were much the same.

Zakhin'Dakh, for his part, enjoyed meeting new people, and impressing them with his intelligence and size. Almonihah found himself dragged in to provide translations for the curious more often than he would like... though he had to admit he was just a bit proud of how quickly his friend was learning. 

 

Garkhen, however, was ill at ease. He worried about how long he had carried the amulet, and what it meant. He aided in the construction of the carrying box, and asked the druids if they knew anything of it as he did, but they did not. This only increased his concern—how long had this chaos amulet existed, and what had it done? How was it related to what had happened in Ferdunan? And why was it attracting Javni'Tolkhrah?

It was clear even now that more of the Madness-Touched were attacking then normal, and that they were trying this place. The Ranger Commander (she never shared her name) showed no concern, but Garkhen could see the strain it was placing on the Rangers, and so he worked harder to help prepare to remove the artifact.

At last all was ready. Carefully, without touching it directly, they placed the amulet in its box. For a moment its swirling colors grew brighter, but then they dimmed, and Llitthos shut the box with a final prayer to Naishia.

“It will not last forever,” he said, carefully picking up the box and handing it to Almonihah. “But it should be enough.”

“Where will you go?” The Commander asked.

“I became acquainted with a few mages in Ferdunan,” Garkhen replied. “While they may not have the skill themselves to unravel this mystery, I trust them enough to begin with them, and they will likely at least know how we may begin."

The Commander nodded. “Then may all the goodly gods be with you three. You'll need the help.”

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Another short post because of Beyond Earth. :D

Chapter 2-2

Another druid arrived while Llitthos was gone, and with his aid, containing the amulet was easier. Which was not to say it was easy—the chaotic magic seemed to be actively seeking weaknesses in their efforts to hold it in, writhing and twisting against the bounds the priests set against it. But eventually they were able to lift it out of Garkhen's pack (with a staff, so that no one had to touch it), slowly carry it a few hundred yards away, and place it in a circle Llitthos had prepared. They then strengthened the wards he had begun, until at last they felt confident it was safe to leave it for a time.

Garkhen slowly stopped channeling Bahamut's power, and found himself wobbling from exhaustion. Steadying himself, he saw that the druids also seemed exhausted from the strain.

“Go get some sleep, all of you,” The Commander ordered. Garkhen was surprised—he hadn't noticed her follow them out. “Even you, Garkhen. We'll wake you if something changes here.”

None of the priests complained. Garkhen stood, looking around dully as the druids left. The Ranger Commander waved someone over and whispered something to him.

“Herkhim here will show you somewhere you can sleep,” she said, as the Ranger walked over to him. 

 

Garkhen nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

Almonihah watched as Garkhen followed the other Ranger towards one of the small cabins. He noted as the Commander turned her attention to him, and spoke before she could.

“Zakhin'Dakh 'nd I can camp outside. Doesn't bother us.”

She nodded. “Do not go to far, but do get far enough you're not in the way.”

Zakhin'Dakh screeched, and she looked over at him. “I'm not insulting you, if that's what you're asking.”

“He's not. Just said okay,” Almonihah said. 

***************************

I'm sure no one who knows me is surprised that the release of Civilization: Beyond Earth has cut into my writing time...  

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2: Dangerous Cargo

“Should've known there was something more going on. 'Course, at th' time, suppose I was... not thinking straight. Hate magic like that. Messing with your head. Shouldn't be something someone can do t' you. Man's mind should be his own.”

Before Garkhen could respond, a loud shriek interrupted them. Almonihah looked up, then stood as he saw Zakhin'Dakh charging towards the door. 

 

Calm down, Zakhin'Dakh, he called out in Great Eagle. They're trying to help.

The two druids were looking behind themselves nervously at the huge griffon that was suddenly looming over them.

“'t's all right,” Almonihah said in the Common tongue this time. “Nobody's trying to hurt me. No enemies here.” He paused, then glared at Garkhen. “Better not be, at least.”

Okay... Zakhin'Dakh screeched uncertainly, settling down on his haunches, clearly still wanting to keep an eye on what was going on with his friend.

Garkhen gazed back at Almonihah. “I certainly have no intention to aid the Mad God,” he stated, evenly. “As with the other gods, Bahamut stood with Naishia against him.”

Almonihah snorted, but before he could say more the Ranger commander interjected, “And from what Llitthos says, you must have his blessing to still be yourself. Now, let's not throw around accusations. We have a problem to solve.”

“Right,” the elven druid said. “I think... we'll need to gather more of the circle. The three of us,” he nodded at his companion and at Garkhen, “Can keep it contained here, but we're going to want something... mobile.”

“So you're saying you can't do something about it here,” the Commander prompted.

Llitthos nodded. “Perhaps one of the others might have an idea. However, I rather suspect that unraveling this magic will take a wizard's talents, not a priest's. It seems to be warded specifically against divine power.”

The Ranger Commander frowned. “Well, we'll call the circle together. I hope you're wrong, Llitthos, but if not...”she turned to the two half-dragons. “I can't say I like letting two strangers carry this thing around, but you got it here, and you both are telling the truth.”

Almonihah nodded, his head-frill stiffening slightly as he noted the certainty in her tone. Was there some kind of truth magic going on she hadn't mentioned?

“You'll need to take this and have it examined by some wizard you can trust. We'll do what we can for you, but...” she shook her head slightly, “I can't spare any druids from the Line here, and I don't think I could pry a Ranger free as quickly as you'd need, either. So it will be the two of you.”

Zakhin'Dakh screeched from outside. Almonihah grinned. “He said three.”

The Commander's eyebrows rose. “Right, three. Now, then... it will take a couple of days, and I'd rather not have that thing sitting on my doorstep the whole time. Can we move it?”

Llitthos hesitated. “I believe... with the Warder's help, and if we prepare a place, we should be able to temporarily. If you would...” he looked expectantly at the blue-scaled half-dragon. 

 

“Garkhen. And yes.” He narrowed his eyes, focusing on his connection to his god. His symbol glowed brighter.

Llitthos nodded. “I shall go prepare, then.”

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I debated about putting the chapter break here, but decided I wanted to shift more to Almonihah's point of view, and thought it appropriate to do a chapter break for that.

Chapter 1-6

They walked in silence for a couple of hours, the dwarven Ranger leading them along a subtle path through the woods. Though, it was silence only in terms of words—Zakhin'Dakh's passage through the underbrush could hardly be called quiet. Garkhen thought he occasionally caught glimpses of movement out of the corner of his eye, and thought it likely their passage was noted by other sentries. 

 

In time they reached a place where the trees were spaced out more widely and the underbrush was cleared. Scattered through the area were three small wooden structures. Their guide led them towards the central one.

“Think you'll have t' stay out here, Zakhin'Dakh,” Almonihah said to his friend, patting him on the leg. The big griffon nodded in acknowledgment, with only a slightly disappointed-sounding screech.

The dwarf walked up and knocked on the cabin door. “Commander, I've got a couple fellows here that you should see.”

After a few moments, the door opened, and a human woman dressed in well-worn leather armor looked out. She looked Garkhen and Almonihah up and down for a moment. 

 

“Well they're certainly unusual, Karhin,” she said. “But why do they need my time?”

“The tall one says he's from the Northern Rangers. He at least knew one of the calls,” the dwarf replied, “And he says the other one's been attracting a lot of Madness-Touched.”

She narrowed her eyes, looking at Garkhen again. “I see. Well, come on then, you two.” She stepped back into the cabin, and their guide stepped aside.

Garkhen followed Almonihah to the doorway. Inside, the cabin was clearly a headquarters of sorts. A table covered with maps and a desk with several books and papers were the main furnishings, with the rest of the room taken up by shelves, chests, and other storage. One chair sat behind the desk, while three others were arranged hap-hazardly around the table. The commander took her chair behind the desk, then looked at the two half-dragons still standing in the doorway.

“I don't know if the chairs will suit you, but I have a feeling you might be standing for a while if your story's as long as it sounds. At least come in, though.”

Almonihah stepped in without hesitation, but Garkhen found himself hesitant. How much could he really trust these strange people? Certainly he had heard of Rangers, but rumors often lied, and the only one he'd met... well, he knew Almonihah virtually viewed him as his captive. And it was clear they viewed him with suspicion...

He shook his head. Why was he thinking such thoughts? They were unlike him. He did not think the Rangers were a threat to him. He stepped forward... or tried to. It seemed that his legs would not obey his mind. What was happening? A thought tickled at the back of his mind, but it slipped away as he tried to catch it... or was it being pushed away?

With a low growl, Garkhen threw his will into moving forward. Slowly, jerkily, he was able to take one step, and then another. As he crossed under the threshold, however, he found himself frozen in place. At the edge of his vision, he could see a green glow flare to life. 

 

The Commander rose to her feet. “What were you trying to do? Did you think it would be so easy to bring Chaos-taint in here?” She shouted.

Garkhen gritted his teeth. Chaos-taint? What did she mean? Again a thought tried to rise to the surface, but this time, when it met resistance, it broke though.

The amulet from the castle.

With the suddenness of a dam breaking, the memory came flooding back into his mind, and Garkhen felt dull worry in the pit of his stomach. What had he been carrying? With a mental prayer to Bahamut for strength, he tried to move. His symbol glowed white, and he found he was able to slowly move his arms. It took great effort, as if he were pushing his limbs through thick syrup, but he was able to reach up and cut the straps of his pack with his claws. 

 

Suddenly the magic that had held him in place released him. He tumbled forward onto the cabin's floor with a crash.

“The amulet! The castle!” Garkhen gasped. 

 

He realized that the Commander and Almonihah both had been talking, but he had not heard their words. But it seemed that his sudden release had silenced them.

Still struggling against some strange compulsion, the Warder forced himself to speak. “In... the castle. Demon-summoners. Found... an amulet. In my pack. But...” he growled, trying to force his thoughts and words to work, “Some kind of compulsion. Couldn't remember. Can't speak...”

The Ranger Commander's expression had been one of anger, but now Garkhen saw a thread of doubt enter. She looked behind him. “Karhin! Go get Llitthos, Marik... anyone who's nearby with some sacred magic! We'll get to the bottom of this.”

Almonihah was baring his teeth. “Knew I couldn't trust you, blue,” he snarled. 

 

Dully, Garkhen shook his head. He felt exhausted. Reflexively, he reached up and grasped his holy symbol with his hand. Seeing the motion, the Commander looked down.

“I doubted it at first... but you really are a follower of Bahamut, aren't you?” she murmured, the doubt and concern growing on her face.

“Yes,” Garkhen rasped, nodding convulsively. 

 

“Well keep praying to him. It seems like we're going to need all the help we can get.”

Grimly, Garkhen focused on his connection with his god. The fog over his mind and the stiffness in his limbs seemed to be slowly receding, but now he could identify the source of his fatigue—he was channeling more divine power than he had thought. Again he wondered just what the amulet was.

Voices behind him. “Llitthos! What can you do about that?” The Commander was pointing behind Garkhen... at his pack, he supposed. 

 

Garkhen had never heard an elf swear before. “What is that thing, Commander?” 

 

“That's what I was hoping someone could tell me. This fellow says it was blocking itself from his memory.”

Another voice joined. “Whatever it is, Commander, it's the most powerful source of Chaos magic I've ever had the displeasure of encountering.”

“So I've gathered.” She seemed to be more at ease now as she slipped into her role of commanding. “But I need to know what it is and what we can do about it. The wards seem to be holding, but I've never seen them flicker before.”

Garkhen could hear chanting, and the strain on him eased further. With a sigh of relief, he got to his feet and turned around. And elf and a human, both in green-and-brown robes, were chanting over his pack. The green glow came from flaring runes all around the doorway, but there was another glow—a sickly, shimmering light that seemed to flash through every color in existence leaked from his pack.

“Can you speak now, Bahamut-worshipper?” The Commander asked.

Garkhen nodded more easily now. “Yes. The compulsion is eased.”

“Any idea what's going on?”

Garkhen hesitated. “I was involved in the recent unpleasantness in Ferdunan. After the war was over, I was searching through the former stronghold of the rebellion's leader. In a corner, as if it had been discarded carelessly, I found an amulet. It seemed to be made of some sort of multi-hued gemstone, wrapped in chains. I did not recognize it, but... thinking back, I believe it encouraged me to pick it up.”

He shook his head, wearily. “I was suspicious of it, but... as soon as I had it in my pack, both myself and my companion at the time forgot entirely about it. Since that time, I have been attacked many times by Javni'Tolkhrah... Madness-Touched, as you say. But I could never think of why, even though there always seemed to be a thought in the back of my mind that I could not quite call up.”

The elven druid—he was fairly certain they were priests of Naishia—stopped his chanting. “Well, you are a fortunate... being. Carrying around this powerful of Chaos magic, I am surprised you are not an angry ball of tentacles and claws now.”

*************************************

Well, you all knew that thing was bad news, now we'll finally get to see something of why.

Chapter 1-5

Both half-dragons arose early, though for different reasons. After eating, Garkhen reverently took his copy of The Law of Bahamut out to study and meditate for the morning. Almonihah looked over at him and snorted.

“We're leaving 's soon 's I break camp,” the half-bronze dragon stated.

“I do not see the reason for such haste,” Garkhen replied, calmly, “But if we must, I shall be prepared.”

The Warder was almost as fast as the Ranger in packing his things. Almonihah looked as if he wanted to say something, but instead turned to Zakhin'Dakh and asked him to let Garkhen mount. Soon they were airborne again, and Garkhen decided he could use the relative silence to do his morning prayers and meditations. Certainly Almonihah was not going to distract him now.

They flew for a couple of hours before the Ranger spoke to Zakhin'Dakh, pointing out something down below. The griffon dove, and soon they landed in a clearing near the edge of a wooded valley. Almonihah made a surprisingly accurate bird-call that was unfamiliar to Garkhen, then stood expectantly. After a moment he glanced over at Garkhen.

“Get off. We'll be walking.”

Patiently the half-blue dragon dismounted. Zakhin'Dakh crouched down to make it easier, but it was still a bit of a drop. Almonihah growled a bit at the crash Garkhen's armor made when he hit the ground, but then turned as he heard the counter-call. Again he imitated a bird-call, though a different one this time. 

 

After a few more moments, a dwarf suddenly appeared from the underbrush. Surprised, Garkhen glanced over at his companion, and saw no sign of surprise on his face. Indeed, it seemed he had expected this.

The dwarf looked over the three for a moment. “Never seen you before,” he stated.

“'m from th' Northern Rangers,” Almonihah explained.

“And I don't suppose they're all griffon-riding dragon-men, are they?”

Almonihah snorted. “Just me.”

The dwarf grinned slightly. “Good, wouldn't want to think they'd gotten so far ahead of us in recruiting. Or so far behind. Now, then. If you're from the north you've got a good reason to be here. Let's hear it.”

Almonihah pointed at Garkhen with his thumb. “This one here's been attracting a lot 'f Madness-Touched. Thought bringing 'im here was th' best bet t' find out why.”

The dwarf's expression turned to a frown. “A lot of those things have been slipping through recently, and you say they've been coming to him?”

“For 'im. Trying t' kill him.”

The dwarf scowled. “I don't like having him here... but the Commander should see you. This way.”

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I've been playing around a bit with point-of-view here. This is mostly from Garkhen's viewpoint, with tiny bits of Almonihah's thrown in here and there. I'm debating on whether or not I should continue.