Arc 2 - Heart of a Monster (Completed)

[PupSage]

Kuori's head hurt. She didn't want these people involved, they didn't listen. Thats why they were here. They didn't have good chemistry, so obviously they hadn't been together long. While manpower would be nice if Aria showed their faces, these people didn't seem ready for what laid ahead. The gnome was too happy, the other one was too fearful, and that tiefling was too headstrong.
This entire situation stank. "I don't think that we need to leave per say. Aria is brazen, but not stupid. They won't raize an entire town to get to these two, but they will most likely be able to get the town guard on their side. Our only real hope for a proper end to this is to petition the kingdoms surrounding Aria to sever ties and to try and save as many of the women that they had experimented on as possible." She turned to Abby and said, "You said that you had training in magic, at least enough to make an illusionary wall, yet you hired three guards. Do you know any offensive magic?"  

[Kowsauni]

Abby's Boutique

A place for the strange and wondrous!

Image by wwsketch.

Abby would respond to Kuori's question. "My magical abilities are mostly illusory in nature, but I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I can't take on an entire division of Arian soldiers..." Abby smiles for a moment "...Well, maybe I could, but I have no intention of finding out. Using my abilities is problematic and will draw more attention than I desire."

Abby pauses to stroke Petra's head. The girl is finally beginning to calm down enough again to talk. Abby ask, "Petra, did you recognize the man who came into our house.?"

Petra shakes her head no and Abby lets out sigh. "Well, that means he is not directly from the people who were holding us, but he could still be an agent. I did a pretty good job making sure there were no Arian informants when we settled here, but with the amount of visitors we get, I might have missed one. We could investigate back at my house, if they haven't moved him, but I don't think it would be wise for me personally to return there. I secretly destroyed all records the town had of my ownership of the place so it could not be traced to me. However, I have no doubt now they are watching the place to see who actually does reside there."

Abby would pause to collect her thoughts. "But Lavander and Kuori, you are both right. The guards will no doubt try to keep this quiet, but if word gets out that four people were randomly petrified in Gladesdale, and it reaches the ears of Aria, they will no doubt send people to investigate. We must prevent this from happening. That's why we have to un-petrify these guards and talk to them first. Plus... it is the right thing to do. It is not their fault they were turned to stone and if Aria gets a hold of them I fear for their fates."

Abby purposely faces Twyla and Lavander. "Remember that task I had for you all? I recently learned of a noble who resides a few days north of this town, a man named Kail Araethos. I was told he is a great wizard and has created an artifact that can undo petrification. I was originally going to have you guys travel there to negotiate the purchase of the artifact under the guise of wanting to sell it in my shop. In reality, I wanted it as a precaution for this kind of situation. Now... we actually need it."  

[Lavander42]

"Isn't there the "remove affliction" ritual that we could use instead?" Lavander asks. "I'm sure the town has a temple that could cast it."  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge would shake his head at Lavander. "When I came here, I spoke with one girl who was selling talismans on behalf of the temple of Sehanine here; if they're trying to raise money selling talismans, it's unlikely they have anyone powerful enough to cast such a ritual. Otherwise, such rituals would be the source of the church's income." He lowered his gaze slightly. "Not to mention, paying for it to be cast four times."

He would nod in thought. "This artifact is probably our best bet; if this was honestly one big misunderstanding, fixing the mistake is the best way to buy Gladesdale's silence. Thank you, Abby, for thinking ahead on this, it'll probably save us a lot of trouble."

At this point, Revenge would prepare to depart the store for the Inn, in case anyone was coming with him.  

[Lavander42]

Lavander will follow.  

[AlphabetFish]

Twyla listened with interest to the talk of possible spies from Aria. She'd never been to Aria and everything she'd heard about it made it sound scary and suspicious. Spies seemed definitely possible, but from what she'd learned about Abby over the past few weeks, she knew she wasn't kidding when she said she'd been thorough. It was still worth keeping in mind at least.

First things first, though, thought Twyla. It was important to deal with the collateral damage here. She briefly considered what being petrified was like... Boring, she decided, and that to Twyla was a fate worse than death, so she felt it was only right to help.

"If no one here can do it, then we'll really HAVE to go see this noble. Let me think, maybe I've heard of him... And it's fine if it's dangerous," Twyla said proudly. "I have my trusty songblade Tinsel and I'm always ready to tussle! I'm tougher than I look!

"Here," she said, "I'll go with you guys. I'll introduce you to Valac the Irrepressible myself! Otherwise, uh, he might not talk to you."

((History check of 30 (crit!) to see what Twyla knows about Kail Araethos.))  

[Kowsauni]

Abby's Boutique

A place for the strange and wondrous!

((Twyla knows the Araethos line almost died out 50 years ago when a mob of villagers, angry with the tyrannical cruelty with which the Araethos's governed them, managed to storm their manor and murder the entire family, with the exception of Kail, whose birth had been a secret. Kail alone survived due to being smuggled out to a family that sympathized with the Araethoses. The ghost of Kail's sister, who was innocent of her parent's crimes, haunted the lands, killing those who were responsible for murdering her and searching for the soul of her lover. When Kail reached adulthood he returned to the lands of his family, claimed his birthright, and put his sister's soul to rest. He also smoothed over relations with the villagers in the lands his family controlled. Kail has since then devoted his life to the study of magic, mycology and botany. He is married to a priestess of Pelor that he met in his travels and has five children with her, ranging in age from 14 to 21.))

Abby confirms Revenge's assumption. "Revenge is correct. I have already extensively looked into this. The artifact this noble has created is our best chance at fixing this issue, and also gives us a way to prevent it from happening again. The hard part now will be convincing him to give us the artifact, but I will trade him everything I own if that's what it will take... and thank you, everyone. I can't tell you how much it means to us that you are willing to help us. For today, I think everyone should rest for the journey ahead and give the guards a chance to cool down a bit. Petra and I will spend the night here in the shop. In the morning we'll leave. I've got quite a cart to pack."

As everyone prepares to leave, Petra regains control of her emotions and goes to sit down in a chair. She still seems quite upset with herself . As Revenge goes for the door Abby would grab his sleeve. "Wait. Before... w-when we were married... I would kiss you before you left to go someplace, w-would I not?" By this point Abby is blushing something fierce and finding it hard to look at her husband. Petra's attention is also drawn to this scene. By her expression, you don't think she has ever seen Abby behave like this before.

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Back at the Red Lion, Valac is enjoying quite the feast. He is waited on by two beautiful Halfelf women who bring him whatever he would like to drink, and this Inn has quite the selection.  

[Mongooseh]

Valac took this diverse selection of food and drink available as a challenge. He begun ordering smaller portions but seemed to be going through some sort of checklist of animals and possibly even monsters to get a taste of every kind of meat. He also took to naming any obscure beers, ales, cider, spirits or liquors in small quantities trying to sample them all really trying to stump them secretly also trying to get his moneys worth.  

[PupSage]

Kuori watched as the others left, "I'm staying with Ha-... Abby. I don't feel comfortable leaving her alone."
Freaky bug monster or not. Aria would have killed Ying, and maybe Corsica if they hadn't been there.  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge hesitated only for the briefest moment, looking over his shoulder at Abby and gave her a somewhat reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll return before you know it." Though upon saying that, his expression quickly soured.

----------
7 years earlier...

"Must you go, Naeem?" Halima would ask, pouting in an exaggerating manner as she flashed her big, sad eyes at him.

"Haha, Halima, my love... that's a complicated answer," the young tiefling would say, smiling broadly in face of the beautiful woman's saddened face before him. "No... no, I guess I don't have to... but I should. It's awful timing, but our lives will be so much better when we finish this trip if I go."

"But we have each other. What more do we need?" Halima responded, stepping closer to her husband, placing her palms up before her. Turning fully from the saddled horse before him, he reached up and interlocked his fingers with hers.

"I wish it were so simple. I really want to be my own man, you know this. I don't want to simply be another 'Son of Apophis', living off reputation alone," Naeem explained, despite the sigh his wife gave in response to his same old song and dance routine about this matter. "I want to give you the world, Halima. I want to do it with my own two hands."

"You are my world." Halima would step forth, resting her temple to her husband's chest and closing her eyes.

"And you, mine. But what if- and bear with me for a moment- what if sometime after this trip, I wanted my world to be a little bigger?"

Halima's gaze shot upward to meet his, as her cheeks flushed in a combination of embarrassment and excitement. She had hinted at wanting children for some time, but he always had one excuse or another, usually involving work. "You mean-?!"

"I do," he responded, cutting her off. The young couple quickly met in an embrace, her thrilled squeak sounding despite the kiss. It was when the messenger nearby cleared his throat that the two separated. "I have to go, my darling. We can discuss this matter more when I meet up with you in Gladesdale. Stay with the caravan, and don't lose those reservation papers. I'll ride like the wind in the meanwhile." He smiled happily, lovingly at Halima, adding in "I love you," to finish his parting.

"I love you more," Halima returned affectionately to her husband, her eyes tearing up with both sorrow and joy.

Mounting the horse, Naeem would turn one last time to his wife, with a confident, assured smile. "Don't worry, I'll return before you know it." And with that, he rode off in the opposite direction, not knowing that would be his last truly happy moment.
----------

A chord seemingly struck, Revenge would turn to Abby, who had barely aged a day in seven years, while his own face had been weathered over the years by sorrow, desperation, and eventually, cold accepting apathy. He would not meet Abby in a kiss, but would rather pull her to him, hugging her tightly to his chest, arms wrapped fiercely around her. Had she not been changed as she was, he might have even possibly hurt her in the gesture.

After a few seconds of not saying anything in response, he instead spoke aloud to Kuori: "You keep her safe. I'll only be a few minutes. Do not let anything happen to her. Do not."

After few more seconds passed after that, he would then break the grapple hug, turn, and leave for the Red Lion.  

[AlphabetFish]

Oh yes, thought Twyla, something was definitely up between her employer and this strange tiefling who called himself a name so foreboding. She knew better than to bring it up, but all the same she couldn't help but wonder.

On the way to the inn, Twyla told Revenge and Lavander all she knew about Kail Araethos. "He's a super interesting person in all the books--none better when it comes to all kinds of magical plants," she concluded. "Maybe this artifact is some kind of plant he cultivated or something."  

[Kowsauni]

Abby's Boutique

A place for the strange and wondrous!

Abby is initially caught off guard by Revenge's hug, but quickly returns the embrace. Once he leaves, she turns around, brings her hands to her face and blushes like a school girl.

Petra's eyes open wide at this interaction. She stares curiously at Abby. "What was that about? Who is that guy?"

Abby turns to her friend. "Oh Petra, I haven't told you yet. He is my husband. I... I have a husband! Can you believe it? I didn't even know before today. He will be able to tell me all about my past, my family, who I was before I lost my memories, everything!" A big smile stretches across Abby's face as her eyes begin to tear up. "I knew coming here was the right thing to do. Things are coming back together. I have a past again... a place I belong."

Petra stares at Abby for a moment longer, then looks away. She draws her legs up close to her chest and wraps her arms around them. "I'm happy for you, Abby. I'm truly am." Though her words did not seem false, there is a tinge of sadness to them.

Abby moves behind the chair Petra is sitting in and puts her arms around her. She leans down to put her head next to Petra's and speaks to her softly. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to rub it in. I let my excitement get the better of me. I promise, we will get you back to your home too. I'm sure Arthur is waiting for you."

Petra shrinks down even more behind her knees at the mention of the name Arthur. "I sure hope you're right, Abby... Otherwise... I really will have nothing to return to."

Abby hugs Peta deeply for a moment and then lets go. She turns to Kuori. "Please, make yourself feel at home, or if you like, you can help me load up my wagon out back. I'm going to take everything." Abby smiles at Kuori. "So, you met Corsica the Blade Breaker and her sister Ying. That must have been quite the experience. I hope she wasn't too gruff to you. Ying is a darling, but Corsica is a bit rough around the edges. She's always been like that, at least as far as I can remember."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lavander, Twyla and Revenge have no problem making their way to the Red Lion Inn, though they still see quite a few guards poking around in what they personally know to be a fruitless search. When they arrive at the inn, they see the lunch buffet is being put away with vast majority of the patrons leaving to continue their day. However, Valac is found still sitting at a table with a bizarre assortment of drinks and small plates of food being brought to him. The well dressed dwarf at the front desk waves at Twyla and speaks with his gruff dwarven accent. "Ah, you have returned. Will you be performing with us again tonight?"  

[AlphabetFish]

"Ah! Yessir! But that'll be the last time for a while!" Twyla bowed low to the dwarf--so low that she disappeared behind the front desk for a moment. "I have some business coming up! Super important! But I'd love to perform again tonight! Please excuse me, though!"

She bowed again, then darted past the dwarf. "Valac!" she called. Waving her hands at him wildly, she ran over to his table. "Oh wow, you sure got a lot of stuff... Valac, Valac! Guess what, Valac? We gotta go and--" she broke off, suddenly aware of the sensitive nature of the news she had to deliver. She dropped her voice. "Valac, see this guy? The one that was at the shop earlier? His name is Revenge and we're going to go with him to help Abby out. The, um, problems Petra caused... Abby knows a way to fix it. I'll fill you in, but we have to leave tomorrow morning. It sounded super heroic!"  

[Rain Yupa]

"Uh... hello," Revenge would greet the other Tiefling, with a bow of his head. He would force a smile, then. "I have it on good authority that you're indispensable. We really need your help."

Revenge would look down at the gnome, then back at Valac. "I suspect it will be pretty heroic."  

[Mongooseh]

Valac looked at Twyla with a mouthful of food and a look that is a mixture of bewilderment and offense.

'Does she think I'm five or a dog?' Thought Valac chewing his food slowly as he also gave Revenge a once over.

"Indispensable, eh? I think I've gone from zero titles to four within the space of this morning thanks to Twyla. Though they keep changing and I doubt any of them have stuck." Commented Valac as he grabbed a tankard of... he wasn't sure but he was going to drink it and gesture with the tankard anyways.

"You two don't sound sure that heroics will be needed" Valac said gesturing at each of them with the tankard before continuing, "Promise me heroics, drink to it and I'm in."