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After Red

Mae, Dugal, Niahm, Tunley, and Hinnom looked at the divided treasure in awe. It was more money than any of them had ever seen. It would keep them in “the pink” for years to come.
“Now we just have to sell it.” Mae quipped.
“Yes,” Dugal agreed, “but first, let’s see who among us wants what item as well as cash.”
Gold and silver was easily divided between the five of them. Dugal got a magical ring of protection, the divine spell scrolls went to Hinnom, Mae kept a potion of water breathing for her familiar Pearl and also took an ivory ink pot with a very well made silver pen and quill set for writing scrolls. Niahm took an amount of money extra so that she could buy back her ring of protection that she sold to help pay for all the scrolls and potions that they made before hand and Tunley had gone back to his singing telling the others to do as they pleased, as he really wasn’t at the battle at all.
The four that were left then looked with amazement at a golden rod about two feet long, and thin. Mae tried to identify what magical properties it had. The impressions she got were that it could cast silence spells and cause other spells to be cast silently.
“This could come in handy.” Mae smiled.
“And what about this?” Niahm said, “This could belong to a current ruling family somewhere.” She held up a crown of gold with blue star sapphires all around.
“I’d rather sell it.” Said Mae.
“But getting the gratitude of a ruling family will go a long way, much further than what we could get for it.”
“I could ask the King’s Senchel about it.” Dugal said.
Mae wavered between her greed and her good sense and this time good sense won. “Fine let’s research a bit and see who lost their crown.”

A week later, the troop was at their hometown of Shady Meade relaxing. Mae and Niahm were busy putting the lab together, unpacking boxes and boxes of equipment. Dugal was helping with the farming and teaching the younger boys about the fine art of fighting with a sword. Hinnom was holding services in his church and praying for a good harvest.
As they settled for lunch at the Dragon’s Head Inn, there were screams outside. They rush out to see what the matter was. In the nearest field of sheep, some shepherds were running from something very big and very hungry. With one look the troop realize that it was a bulette, commonly known as a land shark and one of the biggest they have ever seen. Hinnom knocked his bow and fired off an arrow or two. It didn’t notice. The bulette jumped a fence and ran after the shepherds.
Mae went forward to put herself between the shepherds and the monster. She waved a hand and an arrow of acid shot from her fingers and hissed into the monster’s carapace. The monster charged her and took a huge bit out of her side and leg.
Dugal and Hinnom charged the beast. Dugal ran to the side of it and Hinnom to the head to make sure that Mae was covered.
Niahm told everyone to duck and sent a fireball to the bulette’s back end.
The two warriors chopped away at the beast and finally it fell after it tried bull rush Dugal and trample him.
The townspeople were very glad to have the troop there that day. Hugs went all around and back at the Inn, drinks went into everyone’s hands.

The next day after Dugal, Hinnom, and Mae were cured of the damage they took from bulette, they proceeded back to Eldhome.
Mae cast three spells that called forth three steeds of smoke. These were of the raptor kind that some people use for riding. They could make Eldhome by dark this way. Dugal liked to fly with Shri-awk and they took to the skies.
Some time later, Dugal looking down spotted something large coming towards the boardwalk and his friends. Hinnom saw it too and pulled his mount to a halt.
“By the Gods, a basilisk!” he cried.
It was indeed a basilisk, but a large one that seemed to have a fire of its own and large spikes growing out of its back. Its face had an almost evil grin to it.
Dugal and Shri mean time swoop and charged the beast, hitting it with the lance. The beast stops in its tracks and tried to stare at Dugal. He could feel himself grow stiff in the joints, buts shrugged it off. Dugal dismounted off Shri and sent the hippogriff away.
Both Mae and Niahm cast their spells from the boardwalk, but they did no harm. Hinnom dismounted and ran at the monster telling Dugal to shut his eyes as the creature could turn him into stone.
Dugal did his best at hitting the thing with his eyes tightly shut. But the monster has the advantage and knows it. Hinnom casts a spell and the plants surrounding the basilisk grow and entangle the creature, but its great strength allowed it to escape.
Mae spurs her mount over the boardwalk and once again cast her spell of acid arrows, which finally hits the creature. Dugal and the basilisk exchange blows and bites as the creature moves off.
Hinnom summoned a giant spider to attack the creature. With one glance the basilisk turned the spider into a statue. Hinnom cursed it under his breath. Dugal lost his quarry and opened his eyes to try and find his target. The monster gave him a single look and Dugal found he had turned to stone.
“You cursed the wrong one.” Mae joked as she rode by.
Hinnom was not in the mood for such things. He called for his steed and mounted it follow the monster. Niahm joined them.
It seemed that the monster liked Dugal and started to drag the statue behind him as it wandered off. The others had no choice but to follow it throwing what vials they could to see what would hurt it. The best they found was throwing holy water onto it.
“It must be from the Abyss.” Hinnom growled. He through more holy water and the creature would hiss for several more seconds before it gave a final grunt and fell over dead. Hinnom closed his eyes and made his way to the creature with the women’s guidance. Once at the monster’s head, he gouged out the eyes so that no one else would be turned to stone.
Then they all looked at the statue of Dugal and sighed at the same time.
“Now how are we getting him to Eldhome?” Mae asked.
“Boy, Shelli’s gonna be pissed.” Niahm said. “Second time it’s happened….”

Hinnom placed a spell upon himself so that he could talk to Shri-Awk. He called the hippogriff down and after a few minutes smiled. “Shri-Awk is willing to carry Dugal to Eldhome. We need to drag him to the boardwalk, then put him on Shri’s back.”
“That’s going to look weird.” Said Mae.
It took a while to drag the statue into place. Shri waited patiently while the three of them tried to lift it onto his back. Each time was a failure.
Hinnom started to take off his armor and cast a spell of strength upon his self then started to punch himself and get angry. The two women looked at each other and took a step back. With muscles bulging and straining, Hinnom lifted the statue alone and put it on the hippogriff’s back. Shri’s legs straddled wide to take the weight. Mae and Niahm quickly tied ropes for security and steadied Shri.
“Are you alright?” Mae asked Hinnom.
He nodded yes through sweat and pounding veins. “I just need to calm back down. Raging is easy, peace is not.”

Walking slowly the troop made it to the city gate. It was late at night and already the gate was closed. They pounded on the gate and asked for the guards to open it.
Looking out their window, the guards recognized the troop smiled at them. “Whacha got there? A statue for his Majesty?”
Mae bit her tongue. “Kinda.”
“Just open it.” Niahm said. “If you don’t I’ll have a word with my husband Captain Pelerine, and he’ll make your life miserable!” She was tired and not happy.
The guard shrugged and opened the gate. The troop made their way to their common house.
Taking Dugal off Shri was a lot easier than putting him on. They dragged him into the front pallor. Hinnom pushed Shri out of the house and made motions that he should go to his stable.
The twins’ cat watched sleepily as the troop took off backpacks, pouches, weapons, and cloaks. Then down from the bedrooms Shawn walked in.
“What is this?” he said.
“It’s Dugal. He got turned to stone again. We gonna try and keep this from his wife, so don’t tell her.” Mae told him.
“Sure, for a price.” He smiled. “It’s great to know two rich women.”
Mae grumbled. “Don’t start, I know greater spells that you do.”
“Yeah, well I can call my sister…”
“I still know greater spells than both of you.”
Shawn backed down for the moment. Mae knew that it wouldn’t last long. “Niahm, you better stay the night here. It’s too late for you to head home.”
Niahm nodded and took her stuff upstairs. Shawn followed with mischievous thoughts buzzing in his head.

Mae came downstairs from a good night’s sleep. She glanced at the front door in time to see the twins leave. The smell of breakfast was coming from the kitchen and hunger nudged her stomach.
Niahm came down behind her. “Hey, what’s wrong with the statue? Has Cindaer been here?”
They both went to the statue to see that the siblings had put make up on Dugal. The women had a good laugh.
“Oh oh.” Mae said, “I think that they went to get Shelli. Save me some breakfast, I’ll go for Cindaer and hopefully we can get back before they do.”

Mae ran for Cindaer’s dress shop. She waited till Cindaer was through with a customer and gave her hellos. She then gave a quick description of what happen. Cindaer shook her head. When would he learn, she asked.
It took a few minutes to find the scroll that would turn stone back to flesh. Once found, they were off back to the house. Cindaer found it amusing that they were trying to beat Shelli in all this.
Back at the house, the spell was cast. Dugal felt his joints loosen and he finally finished the swing that he started when he was petrified.
“Whoa,” He recognized the house and thanked Cindaer.
“When will you learn Dugal McAllister, that you are not invulnerable?” she asked.
He simply smiled at her as the twins walked in with Shelli.
“See we told you!” said Shawn.
“Nothing’s happened.” Dugal assured her. Niahm nudged Dugal and whispered to him about the make up. He quickly turned and grabbed the towel that was offered and scrubbed his face.
“Really, then why is Cindaer Thorn here?”
Shelli’s face was scrunched up in a “you’re gonna get it” look.
“Well,” Niahm said, “I’ve got a husband to look for. I shall see you guys later.”
“I also must get back to the shop.” Said Cindaer.
“I’ll walk you there.” Mae volunteered.
With the room cleared, Shelli looked at her man. “Stoned again? Most men come home drunk. I’ve got to worry about mine coming home in pieces.”
Dugal grinned. “Why did you believe them and not me?”
“One, you’re in your armor and I know for a fact that you don’t sleep in that spiky thing. Two, you’re bleeding. Let me help you with that.” Shelli reached over to him and started to unclasp the latches on his armor. She winced once she saw the wounds underneath. “Dugal, don’t make a widow outta me.” She laid her hands upon his wounds and cast several heal spells to close them.
“Not in your lifetime.” He said. “Let’s go home. I want a hot bath. I’ll let you scrub my back.”
“You do know that could take all day…” She said.

“Cindaer, since the only wizard’s spell book I’ve ever seen is from a gnome, I was wondering if I could copy some of your spells.” Mae asked.
Cindaer smiled, “Of course, can I copy some of yours? Especially from the gnome book, I’ve never seen one.”
“Certainly!” Mae had been searching for other wizard’s spell books, but since wizardry is so rare, they were very hard to find.

Niahm found Pelerine just waking up for work. After they became known to each other again, Niahm asked, “Can I be with you all day today?”
Pelerine smiled, “Of course you can! You’ll be bored though. It’s just routine stuff.”
Thinking upon all that had happened recently she replied, “Boring is good!”

Weeks go by. Things fall into a pattern for all concerned. Dugal, with his money, orders a composite bow made to match his strength and also asked the temple to put another blessing on his armor so that it would come to him when called.
One day he was waiting in the garden hoping to hear back from the King’s Senchel. He had asked about the crown and was awaiting an audience. On his rounds of looking at the flowers he heard a little girl crying. Walking to see why, he saw that she was sitting on a bench and crying because a small red lizard had bitten her foot and she was trying to shake it off without touching it with her hands. Dugal smiled and walked over to her.
“Here let me take care of that.” He kneeled down carefully took her foot and with fingers on either side of the lizard’s mouth squeezed on the jaws. It let go and squirmed in his hands. The lizard then went “poof!” into a green cloud.
The child yelled “thanks!” as she walked away. “Dugal takes good care with nasty things like that!”
Dugal watched her leave only then noticing that she had four arms! He realized that this was (whatshername) the Goddess of War. Then this must be a...Dugal awoke in his own bed next to Shelli.

Niahm slept peacefully next to Pelerine. It was good to sleep in a warm bed with a warm man. She snuggled closer. Then she heard the noise. It was the sound of many frogs creaking and croaking loudly. She could have just ignored the noise, but knew that others were trying to sleep as well. She sighed and got up and went downstairs.
Stepping over the frogs and around them she went to the front door and opened it. “Look you can do that outside! No one will bother you there! Now go!”
The frogs understood and one by one hopped out.
A man stood in a nightshirt with a candle lamp. “Thank you, Niahm. You’re always a good balance between the two and a good diplomat.” He walked back up the stairs taking the light with him.
Niahm wondered where she had seen him before and then remembered he was (whathisname) the human God of (what again?).
She awoke from her dream next to a sleeping Pelerine.

Mae stalked the market place looking for a good purse to take. She tried to use her new powers of taking such things from far away but this time it didn’t work. As the owner of the purse turned around, so did she and pretended to be interested in a merchant’s stock.
A young man touched her shoulder. She turned to try to bluff her innocence when he asked, “Mae why do you want a purse when you don’t know what’s in it?”
She was taken aback. “How do you know my name?” she asked the Mialee women. Mae thought that she was talking to a young man.
“Why do you want a purse when you don’t know what’s in it?” the middle aged elf asked.
“I don’t know what’s in it till I take it and see.” Mae said. “Who are you?”
“That’s what we like about you, Mae, but you are too narrow. You must widen.” Said the old lady. She opened the purse and a red snake popped out and bit Mae on her nose.
Mae jerked back and tried to fight the snake.
“Hold still.” A man said. He grabbed the snake in one hand and touched her forehead with the other. “Widen!” he commanded.
Mae awoke in her bedroom alone. She raced to the mirror to see if the bite marks were still there. None were. She rubbed her nose. She hated it when the Gods came calling, especially when it was the God of Tricksters, (whathisname).

Dugal did get his audience with the Senchel about the crown. He also asked about the seemingly high rise in large monsters of late.
“Don’t worry about large monsters, Mr. McAllister. It’s normal for this time of year, especially when things are dry. They seem to come out of the woodwork as you humans say.” He gave a quick diplomatic smile. “I’ll need to do some asking around about this. But I think I know where this belongs.” He gave a bow and left.

Dugal had one his “I know something you don’t know” and “I told you so” smiles. “This crown does belong someone, it belongs to Arkaris.”
Niahm smiled, “I smell a trip coming on!”
Dugal nodded. “They promised us free passage and expenses paid to transport this ‘obvious copy of the known crown’ to Arkaris.”
“Copy!” Mae exclaimed.
“They can’t come out and say that the crown had been stolen now could they.” Dugal explained.
“Guess not.”
Dugal clapped his hands together. “We leave in a week from Allcome.”
Mae winced.

Cindaer and Mae finally had time to copy spellbooks. As she was doing so Mae stared a one particular spell.
“Fireball.” She said.
Cindaer looked over at what she had written. “Yes that’s right.” She paused. “That’s a forbidden school for you and yet you can read it how?”
“I’ve been ‘widened’ by the Gods.” Mae said. “I thought that it was bad enough when the town guards knew my name, but now the Gods take an interest in me. Or rather, I should say, me and my friends.”
“Hmmm, they’re not a bad lot to have in your back pocket you know.”
“Or a pouch…” she mumbled rubbing her nose.

On the evening before they left Eldhome, the Gnome ambassador visited with Dugal.
“We heard from the Voice of Arakis that you and your band were going to Mialee.” Dugal, who was distrustful of the Gnomish people remained silent. “We would like for you to deliver a package to the city of Gumm for the Temple of the Sea.”
Dugal’s eye narrowed. “It’s not dangerous or anything, is it?”
“No, no, it’s just that few people go to Arakis and messengers are hard to trust on so long a journey.” The ambassador said. “We are very willing to pay your band 50 gold trade bars to do so.”
Dugal nodded his agreement.

On their way to Allcome, the troop stayed in a shelter on the boardwalk. All was quite for most of the night. Then as Hinnom silently sang songs of his home country, he heard some almost familiar sounds. By the time he remember where he had heard them, they entered the shelter through the solid walls themselves. He gave a yell as the xorns walked in.
The four were up in a hurry slashing and casting spells. These xorns seemed tougher than those she and Hinnom had fought before for none of her spells were penetrating their tough stone hide. Niahm gave a yelp and went invisible. Mae thought about doing the same when she felt a xorn bit deep into her and her spirit left her body. Hinnom raged.
The xorns gathered around Mae’s body and started to grab anything of mineral content: her magical dagger, the gold rod, her two pearl necklaces, one a pearl of power, the other a pearl of continual light. Hinnom then grabbed Mae’s body while the xorns were eating and ran out the door. Unknown to all Niahm did the same. Dugal followed last keeping the creatures at bay, but finding that hard as they came through the walls to follow them. Niahm then touched Dugal and made him invisible as well.
Once outside, Dugal called Shri-awk who had been following them from the air. He jumped on when he could and grabbed the lance off the saddle.
The xorns crawled towards Hinnom who backed off as much as he could. One xorn “smelled” the metal on Niahm and followed her down the boardwalk. With one whack of it’s tentacle, Niahm fell unconscious. Hinnom took several more blows from the aberrations before he fell.
Dugal, seeing his friends fall, wheeled Shri on wing tip and charged one of the creatures on Hinnom. He struck it mightily with his lance, but it stood. Wheeling again they struck the other one on Hinnom. It died from the blow. Then the aerial team killed the two more of the xorns. The last one, fearing the death from the skies, jumped over the boardwalk and melted into the stone floor below.
Dugal jumped from Shri to and poured a healing potion down Hinnom’s throat. He awoke with a sputter.
“How’s everyone else?” he asked.
“Don’t know.” Dugal said as he jumped on Shri’s back and glided over to Niahm’s body. He poured his other healing potion into her and was relived to hear her cough and breath again. He helped her up and together they walked back over to Hinnom.
They all three checked over Mae’s body. There was no hope for she was dead.
Hinnom picked up Mae placed her on Shri’s back and they all silently made their way to Allcome.

They entered Allcome early in the morning. The people up at that time saw the troop and nodded that it was fitting that the one who stole the town’s guardian had paid the ultimate price for her wrongdoing.
They placed her body on the temple alter and made sure that the body did not decompose to quickly.
The troop spoke amongst themselves. “I can raise her,” said Hinnom, “but I need a diamond of great worth.”
Niahm shook her head. “I know that there is nothing like that here. It’s a small town.”
Dugal’s eyes narrowed. “Bet that xorn has something in its lair.” The other two agreed.
“Tracking it will be hard.”
“It’s got to be done.”
They all agreed and with a final look upon Mae the three left Allcome.

Finding the spot about where they thought the xorn went underground, Dugal found a small tunnel leading inward. Between Dugal and Hinnom they opened the tunnel wider and followed it in.
It was a very tight squeeze for the two brawny men. Eventually the tunnel lead below the water line and Dugal had to remain behind. After some more twists and turns, the two remaining came “face” to face with the aberration.
Another fight ensued but this time Hinnom was prepared with a mace and bludgeoned the creature to death. Niahm looked about and saw the lair indeed was full of treasure and wealth. Hinnom looked very pleased as he picked up diamond that was suitable for his spell. They gathered all there was and left.

Once again in Allcome, Hinnom cast his spells to raise Mae from the dead. As she recovered, he quietly said to the others, “I think we should leave her for the moment.”
“So that she can recover?” asked Niahm.
Hinnom smiled, “No, I don’t want to be around when she finds out what the xorns ate of hers.”
The others nodded agreement and quickly left only to be followed by Mae’s scream and a lighting bolt from the blue.