It was peaceful in the glade as Rena settled down to make a campfire. She and her party were on a timed mission, but there was no need for them to hurry. Kelsey would take care of things soon enough, as soon as the Djinni, that Kelsey was talking with, stopped laughing...
"You amuse me, Sorcerer. I ask from you one final time. Will you have no regrets?"
"Actually, I do have a lot of regrets... Just do it already, and get it over and done with."
"And so it has been commanded, and so it shall be done."
With that, the Djinni smiled, and people started dying.
~~~~ ~~~~
It all started back at Watcher's Keep. Demogorgan had been defeated and sent back to the Abyss. When they came out from the building, a yellow-robed man approached them.
"Rena? Is that you, Rena?"
Rena sighed, "I knew it was too good to last. Somebody had to get me sooner or later..."
"Please, please. Do not misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to fight, but to hire your services."
And so a
conversation started between Rena and the man, who was named, 'Pontifex'. The mission seemed daunting at first, but Rena began to see openings in it as the conversation dragged on.
"So... only the Priestess needs to stay alive?"
"Yes, yes. Only she needs to. The rest are expendable."
"You will not mind if we attack them wantonly? With no rhyme or reason?"
"There is reason! You need to stop the Ritual! And I think you will find it to your advantage if you attacked them covertly. You only have seven hours left after all, although it is less now, due to all our talking."
"One last thing... The Priestess will not appear until we defeat her Guardian right?"
"Yes, that is true. Which is why you need to fi-"
"Hush-hush, the fighting is not important. I just need to make sure that she will be out of harm's way when we get there. See you in an hour or so..."
"An HOUR?! You look like capable people, but there's a limit to bragging!"
"I wasn't bragging. I was being modest... We'll probably be back in less than an hour."
Pontifex was aghast. Had he made a mistake in hiring these people? His mouth flapped silently as he tried to find words to reply with, but his mind was blank. He had little choice in the end. There were only hours left, and this was all he had to work with.
"Hurry now, you yourself said that time was of the essence."
"I-I am warning you now. Do not mess this up."
"Whatever, just get on with the show already."
"Gnargh!"
~~~~ ~~~~
As they entered the glade, Rena started giving out orders. Imoen casted
Protection from Magic Energy on everybody in the party, and as she did so, Kelsey started a
talk with Rena.
"By the way, Rena. I still don't quite get what you are trying to do."
"Don't think too much about it, Kelsey, and drink this will you?"
"A Potion of Insight? What for?"
"You're going to need it..."
"Why?"
Rena giggled, but she did not giggle like a sweet little girl. Nay, she giggled like a diabolical miscreant who had just laced somebody's underwear with nightshade. "Come closer, Kelsey."
Kelsey gulped as he went nearer to Rena. Rena used one of her hands to cup over Kelsey's ear and whispered into it mischeviously.
"You... you've gone mad..."
Rena laughed and winked at Kelsey, "We'll be fineeee. Just fine."
~~~~ ~~~~
As screams echoed throughout the glade, intermixed with the wailing of women and the lamentations of men, Kelsey thought back on that split moment of insanity. Yes. That was what it was.
INSANITY. Only an insane person would have done what they had just did.
It was true that they were protected from the spell, but they still felt some nauseating effects as the spell tried to rob them of their bodily fluids. Kelsey could only imagine what it must have been like for those who took the
full brunt of the attack. Those who survived the first time... did not in the second round.
After the screamings had died down, and there was no more whimpering to be heard in the glade, the only thing left for them to do was to pick up the
spoils of their victory. Kelsey felt sick. He felt like a mass murderer. Was this not what mad Sorcerers were suppose to do? Does this incident make him one of them? Why, Rena. Why? He asked himself over and over again. If not for Imoen, he would have left the party long ago already. Curse the blindness of love!
~~~~ ~~~~
To be continued...
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Coming up next. A battle report, and the most difficult fight of Watcher's Keep.