Darvin grinned - he had managed to not only distract the black horsemen from Beranhond and Talathel, but he had also managed to lose the black horsemen. "Success!" He said raising a fist. Then he paused. "Wait..." He said looking around. "This doesn't look at all familiar."
He turned his horse about in the darkness, the woods not appearing at all like the woods near Baldur's Gate. Suddenly, to his absolute surprise, out of the edge walked a hobbit.
"It's been a while Darvin."
Darvin, initially perplexed by being lost in the woods, was now even more confused. The halfling did look slightly familiar but Darvin couldn't place them.
ReplyDelete"Hello fellow traveler. Have we met?" Darvin replied while also putting his hand on his rapier.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness the halfling in front of him became easier and easier to see. After a moment, Mashy, smiled at him. More cocksure and confident than she had appeared last time he had seen her in Silverymoon when he had broken her heart.
ReplyDelete"Have we met? Have we met? You took my virginity Darvin!"
"Fuckstockings," Thought Darvin to himself, "As if this situation couldn't get any weirder."
ReplyDeleteDarvin had not seen Mashy in years. Close to 10 by his count. Now that he knew who she was he realized that she looked more or less the same with the addition of the normal aging one would expect. Life had been so different when he was spending time with her. He knew nothing of the world back then, now he probably knew too much.
"My apologies old friend. The last 10 years have not aged my mind well. It is good to see you, although strange to find you in the middle of the woods. You don't, per chance, happen to know the way back to Baldur's Gate do you?"
Mashy stepped farther into the clearing and away from the tree coverage. "why yes, yes I do." she said eyeing him. Although years had passed on a second glance her physical features appeared to be remarkable steady - though her eyes now showed a severity and firmness that had not existed before. "before I do that I wanted to talk with you.." she stepped closer still. " I know you are heading to fight the evil in the north and I can help you with that." her eyes lingered on his. "I can help you defeat that evil and deliver the glory you so richly deserve."
ReplyDeleteDarvin did not know what to think of this version of Mashy. She was no longer the innocent girl he had left so long ago.
ReplyDelete"In the last 10 years I have learned some very hard lessons. One of them is that people rarely deserve glory. As we go back to Baldur's Gate, you can fill me in on how you plan to help in the days ahead."
She frowns, not making a move toward the path. She doesn't talk for a moment before smiling again. "It's not really me - it's you. Something inside of you." She says looking around with a conspiratorial ease. "What if I tell you I could help you not only have the power you wish, but also to bring a long lost friend back?"
ReplyDeleteDarvin was intrigued but also more than a little skeptical. He knew that the long lost friend had to be Thjodolf. He missed his half-orc companion but had come to terms with his death years ago. He had seen enough to know that if it sounded to good to be true it probably was.
ReplyDelete"I am interested in hearing what you have to say. Forgive for being more than a little skeptical."
Mashy smiled, "I have learned much in the world - and I can give you power to end all that is wrong." She said looking at him with her bright eyes. I could tell you more, but it's probably easier if you just see a demonstration. Just try a bit of it." She said raising her hand to him. "Seize your destiny."
ReplyDeleteDarvin couldn't understand why she was being so vague. He also had come to the realization that she wasn't going to help him find his way back to Baldur's Gate until he let her show him...whatever it was.
ReplyDeleteHe reached out to her hand and sighed, "Show me your demonstration."
She smiled, and as he touched the hand, the world around them faded around him - a haze washing over it. Darvin's body faded away from him and he was left floating in space.
ReplyDelete"Darvin…" Mashy said nearby him. Her voice transformed as if icy. As he looked he saw that she was gone but replaced with a floating black shadow. Looking down he saw he too was a black shadow.
"This is but a taste of the power. We can't do the real extremes, but we can try something to demonstrate what might be possible if you truly commit to the power." she said dryly. "We can travel right to Baldur's Gate, we can go and view the wizards of Thay… we could possibly even speak with a shadow of Thojdolf, though that does require a bit more effort..."
Darvin was confused. Mashy was a halfling from a simple upbringing in Secomber. How had she acquired this apparent power of the dark arts?
ReplyDelete"How are you doing this?" He asked on the edge of panic, "Please, just help get me back to Baldur's Gate."
Mashy's voice came back an icy whisper. "Of course..." Their awareness moved through the vague hazy terrain of the woods south of Baldur's Gate until the city arrived in the distance. "This power can do so much more than just this of course." Her voice came back. "It could even help you defeat the dark power up north." Their awarenesses moved through the hazy landscape - passing over the walls and settling in the southern part of the city near the harbor. "We could do so much more together and I could really help you." She said in her icy voice. As they settled to the ground their forms shifted from the shadows and the world snapped into reality around them. "Consider it..." She said in her previous voice. She stepped forward, a shell in her hand, "take this and if you need my help just say my name." She said proffering it.
ReplyDeleteDarvin took the shell. It looked rather unremarkable. An appearance that did not convey the power it possessed.
ReplyDelete"Thank you, Mashy. I will keep this and consider your offer. Stay well until we meet again." Darvin waved and turned to go. He quickly stopped and turned back around,
"Wait, how does this shell work exactly?"
"just put your hands around it when you want to access some power and commune with it." she said turning away. "you'll understand what to do next once you are ready." with that she stepped behind the corner and was gone.
ReplyDeletealright, you are caught up to talathrl and beranhond - both of whom are on the lady narath by this point. If you want to see and talk with them let me know. Otherwise we'll get ready for stage two.
Johan and Nym are about a month behind you but I'll deal with that when it is time.