The new day dawned, streaks of light shining across the land as the sun rose over the horizon. As the sun rose higher, the light spread, and as it did, it fell across a black speckled dome of stony material sitting atop a rocky area.
As it did, the black speckles seemed to fade, save for two of them near the center, which enlarged into roughly eye shaped spots. Slowly, the dome began to reform itself, the stony seeming material seeming to flow more like putty than rock.
Within the span of a few minutes, Granite's humanoid form stood where the dome had been. The rocks beneath him seemed to have been affected by his presence overnight, appearing as though the portions of surface of them that the dome's material had covered had dissipated away, leaving smaller remnants than the night before.
Granite immediately strode towards the building, his 'joints' seeming to flow just as they had before, just as all of him had when he altered his form for the night. He soon reached the building, and entered, as the sun continued it's ascent over the much larger dome of the sky above.
Talabrina has awoken before dawn and quietly crept outside making sure she disturbed no one. After searching around for a brief while Talabrina found a spot where she could watch the sun rise over the horizon. Talabrina sat entranced by the rising of the sun as if watching a miracle form for the first time. The look upon her face was one of wonder and awe.
Nagard swung the door to the spell room open and said, "get ready. Demons tend to be on time when it suits their purposes."
After watching the sun begin its daily journey, Talabrina rubbed her eyes and stood. Then she began to sing and dance. It wasn't an ordinary song, but a song of prayer and renewal, sung in the drow tongue. A shining example of beauty and grace Talabrina sang and danced for about threequarters of an hour. before drawing to and close and returning to the group.
Kaa looked up from where he was sitting with his axe across his lap. An hour or so before dawn, he had awakened and quietly gathered his things. After strapping on his backpack and replacing his things in their proper places, he had poured one last tankard of the tasty ale and sipped it until it was gone. Kaa then settled back and napped until Nagard entered the room.
Talonn had been awakened by Kaa's movements. He had sat motionless and watched the others. When Nagard entered, he stood and began to gather his things. He disassembled the Harp bow and stowed it into his pack. He drew out another leather pouch, about a forearm in length, and a short leather quiver. He bound the quiver to his pack with leather cords. It appeared to be empty but when placed a hand above the opening, the grey and tan fletching of an arrow appeared between his fingers. He opened his fingers and the arrow dropped from sight and the quiver was empty again.
Talonn opened the pouch and drew out four flat metal slats with rounded wood pieces attached to one side. Moments later, Talonn had assembled the Rogue's bow and strung it with a cord of silk, horse hair, and a thin filament of wire. He stood and pulled the bow to full draw and aimed at the ceiling. He held it for several breaths then fluidly released the string. The bow flexed and snapped the line forward with great power but made barely a whisper of sound.
Talonn belted on his swords, picked up his cloak and pack, and entered the spell room.
One hour past dawn, the portal began to appear over the remnants of the spell circle. Four paces tall, three paces wide, and precisely vertical to the floor. The edges rippled and sparked with the same eerie light that had surrounded the DemonLord. The stench of brimstone and ozone were heavy in the air as the portal solidified.
Through the portal, the murky, grey light of dawn was just beginning to touch the visible landscape. Rolling hills of short grass and small, scattered copses of trees could be seen among the shadows of first light. No signs of habitation and no road or trails were apparent. The horizon was broken by high hills and rocky ridges. A notch could be seen along one such ridge and possibly marked a pass or ravine.
The thundering voice of the Demon shattered the quiet of the room. "Thy prey lies west of the portal. Bear toward the notch on the horizon and thou shalt find him. Once thou hast slain thy quarry, another portal shall appear to bring thee back to this place. Remember thy oaths, assassins. My Prince and I watch thee closely. Take care that no harm comes to his plaything. Hurry along my pets, let the hunt begin." It took several heartbeats before the Demon's maniacal laughter ceased to reverberate in the room.
Ifreet takes point, leading his steed quietly through the portal and looking over the empty plains. With a slight smile he begins across the barren landscape with the look of one who has lived his entire life in such a place.
Granite followed immediately after, silently accompanying the group once more. His appearance and demeanor remained the same as the previous day, giving no hint of his dramatic change during the night.
The golem stepped up behind Sala and peeked around her at the landscape beyond the portal. One thing you could say about recent events... he was certainly seeing a lot of different places! As Sala stepped through the portal Qki followed right on her heels (literally!). On the other side he apologized for stepping on her feet and proceeded to wander about the other side. He had brought the dagger with him. Ever since he found out what he could do with it, he felt a little better having it around even though its resonance clashed with his.
Hammer awoke after Nagard had cleared his throat. Startled, he almost launched his War Hammer at him. He quickly got up, and stretched his sleepy joints. Then he followed the others into the spell room. There was the Portal. A touch of the frustration he had felt yesterday gnawed at him again today, and he scowled at the Portal. He took a deep breath, and entered the portal.
Kaa gripped his axe tightly and stepped through the portal behind Sala. He scanned the area intently for several moments. He turned to Sala and joked, "What, no goblins to welcome us? Fah, that demon sure knows how to ruin a morning."
Talonn stepped through and stopped beside Kaa. He lay his bow aside and quickly folded his grey and black cloak. He opened his pack, stuffed the cloak in, and pulled out another. When he unfolded it, it was patterned like the other but had deeper greens and browns instead of blacks and greys. He strapped on his pack and then donned the cloak. Talonn secured it and adjusted it so not to hamper his sword or quiver.
He knudged the dwarf as he picked up his bow. "I hope that you are up to a stroll, old one. Since there is no road, do be careful that you don't fall down a gopher hole." Talonn grinned at Sala and added, "It took me a day to find him the last time that happened. The owner of the hole took him for a suiter and I had to parley for his freedom. It cost me a weeks ration of herbs and seeds, she was so smitten with him."
Talonn danced away from the dwarf as Kaa tried to thump his head as he bent over. Talonn squinted and looked over their surroundings. Noting the clouds on the horizon, he remarked "We had best get moving quickly. A storm approaches. We will likely get wet this day. Good news for you, Kaa. Another bath." He chuckled as Kaa shook his fist and growled.
"Shame to thee Lord Talonn." Talabrina giggled. "The shouldst not hath broken up such a happy couple!" Talabrina finished with a laugh, making sure she was well out of Kaa's immediate reach. Talabrina looks up at the sky and sighed. "I am fearing that thou art corect Lord Talonn. I couldst attempt to do something about the weather but I might just as likely bring us worse weather as better. That and we know naught how close we be to our quarry and I fear that he might dectect such a powerful magic." Talabrina looked at Kaa, "I am sorry milord. It appears that thou art going to get that bath after all." Talabrina giggled as she swung herself up on Muffy's back. The panther growled a complaint and Talabrina just shook her head. "I doth not be that heavy Muffy and thee knows it so quit being such a ham. If we had more time I wouldst put the saddle upon thee."
Kaa's beard bristled as he scowled at them all. "Fah! Of all the groups I choose to journey with, I have to choose a bunch of cackling jokesters" He looked to the gathering clouds as well. "We have a few hours before we meet it. Lets be off. Mind you stay downwind of me, lad. Thy smell offends my sensitive nose" Kaa said as he pointed to Talonn and pretended to be a courtly gentleman. He gave a laugh and began walking to the west.
Talonn moved a few paces away from the others and scanned their northern flank. He reached back and drew out the arrow that appeared. He lay it upon the bow and settled into an easy pace.
Hammer smiled at the joking attitude that the group had taken. It eased the nervousness that everyone surely felt. He waited untill the group had started off, and then took the rear guard. He tried to keep an eye on the terrain behind them.
Kaa squinted again at the approaching storm. He scanned the landscape then nodded his head. "Aye, lass. I believe that is all the time we shall have afore we meet yon storm."
Kaa cupped his hand and shouted. "Ifreet. There is shelter due west, a league or more. We shall make for it, aye"
The old farmhouse sat placidly in the middle of the plain. There was no roof to speak of and the wall facing them had completely collapsed. The front, rear, and, most importantly, the wall facing the storm were crumbled and sagging but intact. Rafters and stone littered the area within the walls. The house had not been large but appeared to have enough room for all of them to crowd inside its protection.
They were within one hundred paces of the ruins when the first hailstone landed among them. It was not much bigger than a pea and bounced merrily across the ground. Soon there was another. Then five. During a lull in the thunder, the sound of the hail falling in the distance sounded like a thousand horses charging across grassland.
"Everyone cover your heads and run for the ruins!" Kaa shouted. He slipped his axe into its harness, shook his pack off, and started to run.
"What is the purpose of doing that." Granite asked, but Kaa didn't hear him. Granite sped up somewhat, but was certainly not running, and was making no move to cover his head.
He kept his head down and tried to ignore the hail that pinged off of his helmet. By the time he had reached the ruins, he had pulled a folded canvas from his pack. He threw it aside and began to kick and toss some of the rubble away from the storm side wall. He grabbed one of the rotting rafters and muttered a curse. It was nearly rotted through. He hoped it would have the strength to survive the storm. He hurried to unfold the canvas as the charging hail drew nearer.
Talabrina had acted at the same instant that Kaa had and nudged Muffy into a run with her knees. Muffy surged forward and easily reached the ruins. After they got there Talabrina hopped off and Muffy went to one side, clearing the way for those who were quickly following.
Talonn looked to be sure that the others, especially Sala, were covered and running. He flipped the arrow back into the quiver and sprinted for the house. He dropped his bow and scampered up the crumbling wall. He fought to keep his balance as a couple of the stones dislodged and threatened to fall. He squatted and grabbed one as Kaa used the rafter to push the corner of the canvas up to him. He placed the canvas atop the wall and set the stone to hold it. The wind buffeted him as he seized another stone and secured another portion of the canvas. Hail beat upon his back as he moved along the wall to the storm side and caught the stone that Kaa tossed to him. He swayed as the wall shifted a bit but held. The flapping canvas fought Kaa's attempt to raise the edge to Talonn.
After ducking through the crumbling doorway, Ifreet looks about with an odd expression on his face, then he sighs and shakes it off, looking out into the wasteland as the hail falls. He then turns to scan for rocks or beams or anything large that won't fall apart to brace the wall with.
Hammer loped behind everyone else, not wanting to leave anyone alone. His magical tatoo deflecting most of hail without bothing him. When he reached the ruins, he took the end that Kaa couldn't get to Talonn, and handed it to him. Then he helped Ifreet look for something to brace the wall with.
Qki stopped to look up into the sky. Here was something new. Evidently someone was up there throwing these things at them. They were making pinging noises on his head. Seemingly this was a bad thing, since a bunch of the others were making a shelter to protect themselves. That noise in the distance was really neat! The golem tried to catch some of the falling things in his hands so he could get a better look at them.
Talabrina went over to Sala and sat down next to her. "May I take a look Lady Sala?" Talabrina smiled gently and looked at the bruise and gently rouched teh area around the bruise but not the bruise itself. "Art thee feeling any pain anywhere else milady?" Talabrina asked looking at her.
"Well met, Hammer." Kaa shouted over the wind after Hammer had gotten the canvas to Talonn. He watched from the corner of his eye as Sala strengthened the wall. "Mighty fine work, Lass. Ye got some dwarf in ya, aye Sala!" he croaked as he tossed another stone up to Talonn. He quickly guaged the size of the canvas and found that it would be just wide enough to reach from wall to wall. The house was smaller than he had thought, barely five paces wide. 'Twill be tight for us all', he thought, 'better that getting your head thumped by an ice ball.'
Kaa glanced quickly through the crumbled window on what had been the front wall. The hail was increasing in size and falling thicker. The thuds could be heard hitting the canvas. "Quickly! Brace some of those rafters across the corners of the walls. Use the rest like tent poles to hold the center of the canvas. Use as many as you can. The hail is nearly the size of a fist and we will need all the support we can get." Kaa turned and noticed Granite striding toward their hasty shelter. "Granite, can you help support our covering? I dare say the hail does not hurt you like it will us."
Talonn grabbed the canvas from Hammer with one hand. Tottering slightly, he lodged the stone he held onto the covering and side stepped along the wall. He caught Kaa's toss and jammed it in place. He put the canvas in his mouth and drew up his hood. He kept his head low as hail battered his pack and shoulders. He kicked loose another stone to secure the canvas and moved onto the remains of the front wall.
Talonn pulled the canvas to him and placed a stone on it. A hail stone the size of an apple struck a glancing blow to the back of his head. Dazed and wobbling, Talonn secured the last portion of the canvas before he fell off the wall. Luck and training took over and allowed him to land heavily but without further injury. Another hailstone struck him like a kick in the stomach. Rolling to his hands and knees, Talonn crawled through the crumbling doorway and collapsed under the protective canvas.
Granite reached the outside of the shelter and tilted his head upward, looking at the canvas cover. "The weight of the hail stones will pull it down." he said a moment later. "It will need central support. I can provide that."
Granite strode under the canvas, until he stood roughly under the center of it. As he reached it, his form seemed to begin stretching upward, his humanoid features 'melting' away into his body. Slowly the top of him, no longer resembling a head, approached the canvas, as four new protrusions branched out sideways from the top of him. His base reshaped itself in a similar fashion. The transformation took several minutes to finish, but when it did, Granite stood among the group as a circular supporting column, four braces jutting out on the top, holding up the canvas, and on the bottom, steadying him. Black speckles ringed the middle of the column, the same color as, though not the usual shape of, his eyes.
Seeing that the problem with blocking the wall is being covered by those more adept at this sort of thing, Ifreet moves over to Sala and puts a bit of salve on her developing bruise. He then turns towards Talonn, but stops and gestures for the Talabrina, the real healer, to take care of him. Seeing little else to do, Ifreet starts setting up a small fire to help fight the cold weather in a different way.
After finishing up with Sala, Talabrina immeadiatly went to Talonn and checked him over. "Thee hath taken some hefty blows milord didst anyone teel the not to fight a hailstorm?" Talabrina gently chided as she continued her inspection.
Kaa took a quick look around to be sure all were safe. The largest of the hailstones were now upon them and battering their shelter. It was obvious that were it not for Granite, a pitiful shelter it would be. "Well done, Granite. Methinks that you have saved our lives this day."
Kaa moves over to the corner near the window and gathers some loose stones to him. Putting his dwarven skills to use, he quickly blocks the opening with the rubble, leaving only a small space for which to watch through. Kaa stood for moment and surveyed their shelter. Although it was completely open on one side, the standing walls would block most of the wind and Ifreet's fire would chase away the chill. Kaa sat down on a nearby stone and drew his cloak tighter around him. Lightning flashed and thunder shook the ground. "Tis a good omen we found this place. Between our weapons and Qki there, we would have drawn every lightning bolt from the Storm God's hammer to us. Bargaining with Demons are one thing, being a lightning rod is another. Qki, lad you may want to move closer to the wall. That dent in your noggin is nothing compared to the likes of what one of those bolts will do to ya."
"What does lightning do? I've never seen lightning before! I think it looks neat..." He stood open-mouthed, looking out at the bolts splitting jaggedly on their way down toward the ground.
Kaa chuckled and added, "I could fix that dent for ya, laddie, but it would mean I would have to remove your head. I am sure the last thing that you want is a ragged old dwarf banging around on the inside of your head."
Qki shot Kaa a quizzical look and asked, "What dent?" Suddenly he realized what had happened and reached up a hand to feel his head. "Wow, that must have happened when that big thing knocked me down... I can just take it off, you know." With that he lifted the back piece off, which turned out to be a large metal bowl. Behind it Qki's head was quite hollow.
Talonn lay still while Talabrina examined him. Not so much for her to work her craft but because he was truly in pain. His vision was still blurred around the edges but it was fading slowly. His side ached but it wasn't as serious getting kicked by a horse. Taking stock of things, the worst thing Talonn found was that the pain had awoken the 'Rage'. It wasn't a threat, yet. Just a nagging sensation in the back of his mind. A feeling he knew all to well.
"Talabrina, do you see a wound? I feel only dazed and should be well in a moment. Is everyone all right?" Talonn asked as he slowly moved to a sitting position. "Before you say anything, Kaa, I think I will keep the dent in my head. I have seen your work.", he grinned.
The hail passed their shelter and pounded its way eastward. Heavy rain swept in to take its place and soon restricted sight to five paces from the ruins. The wind eased a bit but still whipped the rain into a torrent. Talonn squinted as another flash of lightning lit the dark sky to rival the hidden sun. The clap of thunder that followed rattled his teeth and fueled the 'Rage' further. In that odd moment of silence that followed the thunder and before the rain drowned all sound, Talonn thought he heard something out in the storm. It sounded like someone or something drumming on a large pot. "Did anyone hear that?"
Ifreet nods, patting his horse's neck as he puts more fuel onto the fire he built. He looks about once more, something tingling in the back of his mind, but he can't quite place what. He brushes it off again, and concentrates on keeping the fire going and scanning for whatever made that sound.
Once the wall was reinforced, Hammer moved to the open side of the shelter. He sat down and watched the hail storm turn into rain. So wrapped up in the storm, he barely heard Talonn say he heard something. After realizing what Talonn had said, he quickly got up and strained his own hearing for any noise other than the rain pounding down .
Ifreet glances over at Sala, then produces a large colorful blanket from one of his saddlebags, which he tosses over her to help her keep warm. He himself didn't mind the weather much. Sure, it's freezing cold, but it's just natural cold, and magical cold is worse. Much worse. And he ought to know.
Talabrina took out a black bag from her cloak and set it on the ground. "The hath a nasty welt on the back of thy head milord," she said to Talonn as she took out a bottle and a cotten swab, "now stay still this is going to sting." Talabrina poured a little of the liquid on the cotten swab and briskly wiped at the welt. Once she was satisfied that the would had been cleansed Talabrina began to sing softly and wave her hands about. the she toched the welt on the back of Talonn's head and it shrank immeadiatly. Then she looked at the wound in his side and decided that at worst he would be inceadibly sore the next day but her would live. Still it wouldn't do to have him distracted so she sang some more and touched that wound as well. Sure enough it faded away quickly.
Talabrina looked Talon carefully over once more. "How art thee feeling now milord?" Talabrina asked in a quiet voice and by the look on her face she wasn't asking about his health. At Talonn's words she replied, "I heard nothing myself milord but Muffy might have." Muffy herself was looking ou at the storm with her ears forward, listening intently for something.
Talonn winced slightly as Talabrina worked on his head. His entire body tingled as she sang away his wounds. "I am fine, thanks to you. You work your craft well, Lady."