Chapter 07 - When You’re Hot, You’re Hot

3-25-6050

In the Nick of Time

It is the end of the pre-dawn quintar on the 25th of summer in Sel-Kai. Already steamy and odiferous, today promises to be another hot day in canal town. Cricket, Tasher, Taelvis, and Emmet head to the library quarter aboard the Blue Drake. The others have either recuperation or other ugent business to attend to. En route they distribute herbs and some treasures from the previous few days’ adventures. Taelvis evaluates some gems.

Arriving at a familiar black obelisk near the Eidolon Ferry Service docks, the group disembarks and summons a navigator. The old bearded man (referring to himself as a Pathmaster), appears and accepts a large payment of gold and gems to Jump Cricket, Emmett, Tasher, and Taelvis south of Moralis Sanctity. The old man disappears and what looks to be the same old man appears a few minutes later (introducing himself as a Pathmaster) and Jumps the party. The unique sensation of the Jump hit Cricket and Emmet hard, causing naasua and vertigo. The Pathmaster locates a horse trail that approaches Moralis Sanctity a few miles distant and guides them them, then leaves in a prismatic explosion of light.

Our quartet of rescuers quickly stakes out a spot on the trail and all hide, except for the Bard Taelvis, who sits in a tree just off the path and begins strumming his Huoca. They don’t wait long before 4 people appear on 2 horses. Things seem to appear just as Bat indicated in his recent telepathic conversation with the drug-induced Moth. The horses and their riders appear to ……..be …….. moving……. very ……… slowly……..perhaps they like the Bard’s song? Before they can draw weapons they are assailed by Emmet, Tasher, and Cricket, who quickly knock them off their horses as the captives are pushed to the ground. They are quickly dispatched.

Bat quickly frees himself and introduces his fellow captive, Kellas, a Prince of Reandor. They are unharmed and ready to travel. They decide to return to the Medusa stronghold to regain Bat’s magical cloak and an item of importance taken from Kellas.

Return to Medusa

With the help of the 2 horses and Kellas’ equestrian skill, the small group arrives at the stronghold by evening. They traverse the 50′ of water to the shore of the stronghold by swimming, flying, or jumping, and in the case of the over-confident Tasher, a combination thereof. Cricket, familiar with the terrain from previous painful experience, does some reconnaissance and discovers that there are five or six people that he can hear, and some are hauling dead bodies out of the keep to a pile outside the wall. Ambushing two of the workers, the group ties them up around the corner of the castle.

Entering in through the Kitchen, a cry is heard…”MEDUSA!”

The crew climbs the southwest tower to the top level and entering into a small nicely furnished parlor. There is little time to look around before battle ensues from both doors exiting the room - a man and a women begin to brutally attack all in their way. All who oppose the man drop before him, while the women battles with Cricket and Emmet. Soon the women is killed Tasher, Cricket, and the Medusa man are the only ones left standing. Tasher, surveying the situation around him, goes ape-shit. Nearly frothing at the mouth he reigns unholy blows upon the man, ruthlessly beating him to a bloody pulp. Completing the carnage he looks around for others and unable to see Cricket as a friend through his frenzied eyes. He knocks Cricket to the floor, knocking him out, before he is able to regain control.

Tasher quickly searches for herbs and manages to barely revive all except Taelvis. The group is bloody, sore, wounded and tired, but not defeated. The room contains two bags filled with treasures and Bat’s cloak. The duo had evidently been gathering all the valuables in one convenient carrying container for the ease of our stalwart Nightwings…