#defraction | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

demigodforfend · 1 year ago

Text

Twilight of the Demigods: Forfend Edition - Session 25

Forfend hummed to itself as they descended ever lower.

It tried to keep its gaze on River, but the glowing emeralds almost seemed to call to it. It took care not to stare into them, but it chanced glances from time to time.

Overhead, light filtered and defracted through the green stalactites, creating a startling effect. If Forfend watched for more than a moment, it felt as though it could see clouds sailing softly from crystal to crystal. As though the cavern ceiling was nearly translucent and a faint display of the sky was visible above.

They were deep underground. Weren't they?

Emerald dragons were known for trickery though. Any number of illusions could be causing the effect.

Forfend settled for appreciating the beautiful unexplainability of it all.

The path wound onward and treasure began to dot the cave floor between emerald stalagmites.

Some of the treasures were chests of gold and jewels or ancient suits of armors. Others were items that seemed more sentimental such as old furniture and sewn dolls.

Soon, they entered a pathway lined with floor-to-ceiling murals. Statues, professional artworks, and even chunks of preserved architecture filled the floorspace.

Melzaryn lit up at the ancient geometric terracotta structures. He inspected them all in turn.

Forfend observed the murals. They hadn't been painted on the cave walls. They'd been removed wholesale from their places of origin and installed here. Forfend couldn't image the work it would take to do that without damaging the art.

All of the murals were painted with charcoal and plant dyes. The first one was rough, as though it was done hastily or with less than ideal materials.

That didn't stop it from being impactful. It depicted the very sky falling from a flaming mass above and flattening a mountain range.

The next mural showed people literally rising from the ashes. They joined hands, cared for one another, and some of them seemed to be beginning to build things.

Another depiction showed them conversing with the land itself. They spoke with animals, but also rocks and plantlife. All of these beings worked together, shaping the earth around them.

Forfend recognized the adamantine beetles particularly. They worked diligently alongside the people.

The next mural was startling by comparison. Large monstrosities with too many limbs or too many heads attacked the people. Manticores and hoards of orcs, ogres, and goblins raided the people's homes.

But onward down the hall, yet another mural depicted salvation.

Four elegant, winged creatures descended from the sky and breathed what seemed to be powerful gusts of wind that whisked away the horrible monsters.

The last mural in the line showed the creatures encircling the people as they rebuilt and improved their works in harmony with the earth itself. The creatures protected them and became a part of their lives.

Forfend wanted to ask if this was the tale of the Genasi and their dragon guardians, but River seemed intensely focused on moving forward.

It hummed to itself.

Melzaryn's steps faltered mid-stride as the group approached a particular set of statues. These seemed to have been carved by wind and rain. Not a tool had ever been taken to them, despite their levels of sharp detail.

Many of them resembled earth genasi. Some were dragons. Some were a combination of dragons and genasi working side by side.

Tapestries began to line the wall in place of the enormous murals. Their colors were bathed strangely in the emerald green light of the translucent sky. Whatever stories they told were too abstract for Forfend to catch their meaning.

Finally, they entered a large chamber.

Wealth lined the walls and floor, but it was hardly the main feature here.

No, the main feature certainly was the entire village that seemed to have been magically transported into this place in one fell swoop.

Many of the buildings here were also weathered into shape rather than built or carved.

The village seemed ancient in make. And it wasn't uninhabited.

Elderly genasi and very young genasi both roamed the streets.

Forfend realized they were protecting their most vulnerable. Those old enough and abled enough to fight were the ones on the surface looking to make change. The rest stayed here where it was safe.

The genasi villagers watched them come through with wide, curious eyes.

River led them to the mouth of a new corridor and bowed in front of a pile of stones and emeralds that seemed to glow with a sort of power.

He spoke what Forfend assumed to be the native genasi language, his voice like cracking stone and growing vines and burrowing roots.

The formation of rock and gem shuddered and pulled itself together. Roots wove through it to hold its form in place. It rose up, taking shape as an earth elemental towering over even Forfend and River.

The elemental responded to River with a sound like flowering branches and distant earthquakes.

River answered in kind and bowed his head respectfully. He turned back to the group and gestured to the elemental.

"This is Ko'Dan," he introduced. "He's an earth elemental, guardian of the village and of the Slumbering Dragon, Ry'Ha'Dach."

Forfend ducked its head politely to Ko'Dan.

"Unfortunately," River continued, "I will not be able to enter the chamber with you, given the information you've given us about Ry'Ha'Dach's current state and what is causing it. You will enter and Ko'Dan will seal the door behind you. You will not be able to leave until the ailment is resolved."

River studied their faces seriously.

"Lovely." Melzaryn smiled in his inscrutable way.

Kairi nodded, a fiercely determined look on her face.

Forfend tilted its chin up, acknowledging the danger and rousing its confidence in its center. "Alright."

Ko'Dan knelt down in front of Forfend and tilted its head back and forth quizzically. It reached out slowly with one of its massive hands. Fingers of twisted vine and emerald jewel brushed gently against its runic face.

Ko'Dan made a sound like grass swaying in a summer breeze.

It prodded gently at Forfend's chest and sides.

The grumbles of an avalanche ended in the snap of twigs.

River cleared his throat to translate. "He says, 'Curious. Where are you from?'"

Forfend hummed, considering the best way to answer the true base of the question. "Originally, Fornax's Forge," it decided. "Somewhere near the Adamantine Mountains, I think I have figured out."

"According to Ko'Dan, you are not of elemental nature," River said.

"No. I am not," it confirmed.

Ko'Dan rumbled like a jungle waterfall and stood back up. He lumbered to the corridor and gestured to it with his full body.

Forfend straightened its back and strode forward.

Kairi slid from her adamantine beetle's shell and pat the beast on the side of its face. "It's alright, Wisteria."

The beetle—Wisteria, Forfend presumed—was hunkered low to the ground. It chittered quietly.

Kairi followed Forfend and Wisteria followed her.

Melzaryn ambled casually along right on their heels.

Ko'Dan's steps thundered off the walls as he took a few steps into the corridor. He stretched his arms wide and gripped either side of the stone walls. Rock slid free of the walls effortlessly as it pulled its hands together, closing off the corridor as easily as if it had been a sliding door.

The resounding thud and sudden plunge into pitch darkness created a firm finality. An ultimatum hung in the air. They were trapped. Either they succeeded or they died.

Forfend cast Light, the runes of its shield illuminating the path ahead.

They walked.

The sounds of their footfalls echoing off the walls changed pitch as they eventually entered a wider cavern.

Blinding green light suddenly burst into being.

Forfend dashed its Light and shielded its face from the brilliant onslaught.

Slowly, its vision adjusted. It shook its head and peered over the top of its shield.

A massive obsidian dais rose up in the center of the room. Upon the top of it slumbered the great emerald dragon, Ry'Ha'Dach himself.

All around the sprawling cavern were piles upon piles of gold and jewels so high they could've buried half the houses in Cragwall.

Forfend whistled like a kettle.

Statues, overflowing chests, thrones, crowns, and assortments of a thousand other kinds of treasures adorned every available space.

Statues occasionally loomed up out of the mounds of gold.

Four particularly enormous statues were stationed in each corner like guardians.

Ry'Ha'Dach snored softly. Glimmers of illusion magic shimmered over him, not unlike the strange translucence of the cave ceilings.

One moment he seemed to be a gold dragon, then red, then silver, then he disappeared altogether just to fade back into existence a second later. His true vibrant emerald showed through only in the brief glimpses between shifting illusions. It was as though the magic couldn't settle.

Forfend tilted its head.

Was Ry'Ha'Dach dreaming?

It watched him closely for a moment, awestruck and curious.

His sleep seemed disturbed. His claws twitched occasionally. His tail lashed. A snarl curled his lips before dropping back to uneasy blankness.

The magic layered over him, by contrast, pictured dragons sleeping calmly, as though Ry'Ha'Dach knew what he wanted from his rest and was subconsciously trying to project it into being.

Beneath the illusions was always the same pulsing blue. A mass of the sickly color was gathered in the dragon's chest, undulating through his veins with every beat of his heart.

That's what was causing his uneasy sleep, Forfend was well certain.

"I know he's sleeping and it's never nice to be unexpectedly woken up," Melzaryn mused, "but it's probably best to introduce ourselves before an operation."

"I was thinking the same," Forfend hummed. "Though..." Forfend gestured up at the enormous adult dragon slumbering high above them on his pedestal. It recalled Erzor saying his behavior was erratic, even dangerous lately. "Well, I hope he is friendly," it sighed like hissing steam.

"I hope my first real interaction with a dragon goes well," Melzaryn nodded.

Kairi gripped her staff as she watched Ry'Ha'Dach huff in his sleep. "The only emotion on him at all is sadness. A lot of it."

Forfend assumed that was due to the Calamity Crystal's influence.

Wisteria chittered and clicked. It hunkered as low as it could and stuck to Kairi's back.

Forfend was feeling similarly disconcerted, but there was work to be done.

"I speak Draconic. I could say hello," Melzaryn offered.

"That is a decent start," Forfend accepted.

Melzaryn started forward.

Forfend and Kairi followed, but Wisteria remained firmly where it was.

Kairi didn't try to call to it. She let it be.

They began a careful ascent up the obsidian dais.

"I think you should be very, very nice to the dragon," Kairi whispered.

"Agreed. I suggest reverence and politeness," Forfend seconded.

"We'll open with an unsure hello and if we get a response, we'll introduce ourselves as politely as possible," Melzaryn decided.

They stepped up onto the top of the platform and all of them stayed huddled near the edge.

Up close, the difference in size between them and Ry'Ha'Dach was exceptionally stark. It would take little effort for him to maim or kill them with his weight alone, much less his slew of natural weapons.

Melzaryn took a half step forward and spoke a single word in a gravelly, gutteral language Forfend presumed to be Draconic.

Ry'Ha'Dach flinched. His ears perked up. Slowly, he mulled his head up and appraised the lot of them.

The blue pulse in his chest picked up, matching his waking heart rate.

He yawned, but it devolved into a mournful groan.

"Guests? Travelers. Welcome," rang a gentle, breathy voice in Forfend's mind.

By the look Melzaryn and Kairi both wore, Forfend guessed they'd heard it as well.

"That seems painful," Melzaryn noted in Common, pointing at the wretched blue light. "I'll make this a little faster than I planned. We're here to try to help you with that issue. Is that okay?"

"I see," Ry'Ha'Dach's wispy voice sulked through Forfend's mind. One of his claws touched near the mass of blue in his chest. "Try, if you must, but I do not wish to see another kind person fall trying to save me."

"We'll be extra careful," Melzaryn promised. "One of us has picked up one of those before. It should be okay," he hazarded.

"What makes you different from the others?" Ry'Ha'Dach asked. "All the genasi, the arcanists, the travelers that have come here thinking they could save me have perished or turned to monsters that I've had to slay."

Forfend could physically feel the quivering heartbreak in his words.

"What makes you so sure you will succeed?" Ry'Ha'Dach tilted his head ever so slightly.

Melzaryn looked to Forfend and Kairi, a question in his eyes.

Both of them nodded at the same time.

"The three of us are demigods," Melzaryn answered honestly. "We have some level of resistance to that thing in your chest."

"Demigods," Ry'Ha'Dach rasped aloud with a voice far more rusty and worn than the one he projected into their thoughts. His eyes widened.

"Do you know the thief? The thought taker?" The words were spoken aloud as well as telepathically. The tone in Forfend's mind was far clearer than what the dragon could manage with his physical voice. And that tone was startled anger.

Melzaryn shook his head, perplexed. "I don't think that we do? Either of you know?"

Forfend shook its head immediately.

"No," Kairi said.

Ry'Ha'Dach slowly settled back down. "Fine then," he responded only in their minds. "Be warned: if this does not go smoothly, the gem will react negatively."

"Is that more of a problem for us, for you, or both?" Melzaryn questioned.

"For you," Ry'Ha'Dach replied grimly.

"Okay, good. That makes me feel better." Melzaryn cast his inscrutable smile.

"Approach, brave guests," Ry'Ha'Dach granted.

He shifted onto his side, laying his head down and lifting his wing up to give them easy access to his exposed chest.

Pebbles began to tumble nervously in Forfend's own chest as it observed the wound. It stepped forward and placed a tentative hand on Ry'Ha'Dach's sleek scales.

Melzaryn leaned in as well, scrutinizing the situation.

The shard was remarkably visible despite its depth within Ry'Ha'Dach's flesh. It was slightly larger than the others they'd dealt with and embedded in the head of an arrow.

"Cruel," Melzaryn muttered under his breath. "Effective, but cruel."

The scales were misshapen and overlapping as they tried to grow over the wound. The flesh had closed in tight around the arrowhead as well. The injury was so old the skin didn't bother to be irritated any longer. The wooden shaft of the arrow had crumbled away with time.

Melzaryn circled careful fingers through the air just over what little remained of the brittle wood. A small wedge of the metal protruded out of the wound and could likely be grabbed.

"Metal should be intact enough for us to touch, but it's close enough to the crystal that it's dangerous," Melzaryn observed. "The crystal is part of the arrowhead. We should assume the power will resonate through it. Don't touch it barehanded."

Forfend nodded.

"The scales are misshapen. Something about the crystal is stopping them from closing the wound," Forfend hummed. It pointed out scales curving outward as though the shard were pushing them away. "The flesh has healed tightly around it, but it should still be malleable. With the right tool, I may be able to extract it without causing much damage to the skin or scales."

"What tool would that be?" Melzaryn asked. He flipped through his spellbook.

Forfend touched its runic face, considering all the tools it had used in ages past. "Something long and thin, but strong and sturdy. It will need to grip like tongs. A curved tip would be ideal. That will allow me to grasp the arrowhead by the point and pull it straight back out for minimal trauma to the surrounding area."

Melzaryn was frantically scribbling in his notebook. He looked up at Forfend. "I have a decent idea what we'll need, but I've got a few more questions before we get ourselves in over our heads." He turned to Ry'Ha'Dach. "Would you be alright with me casting Identify on you and have you noticed that people touching the metal directly has adverse effects?"

Ry'Ha'Dach had his tired head in Kairi's lap. She gently stroked the side of his face as he heaved a slow sigh. "Do whatever you must do to get it out," he permitted. "The moment anyone has touched the metal previously, they have immediately disintegrated or transformed into horrible monsters."

The shudder in his telepathic voice almost physically shook Forfend.

"Did you have any adverse effects yourself?" Melzaryn asked.

"No," Ry'Ha'Dach answered. "But I felt the shard react negatively. It does not want to be touched."

"I won't be able to Identify the crystal directly then," Melzaryn decided. "I'd still like to make sure there are no other malicious spells affecting you though."

He touched his hand to Ry'Ha'Dach's slender neck and peered into the pearl embedded in his staff.

A wealth of information sprung up for Melzaryn to read. He scanned through it as quickly as he could.

Melzaryn's brows shot up. His eyes darted briefly to Forfend, showing a rare sign of real concern. "There's trace of an old magical, uh, phenomenon. It might be related to the thought taker. Is that still affecting you or have you managed to take care of it?"

"What?" Ry'Ha'Dach rasped aloud as well as mentally. He turned to stare at them, alarm tensing his features.

"Right, okay," Melzaryn fretted under his breath. "I'll fill you in completely soon," he said aloud. "Let me just..." He tugged Forfend around so they were no longer facing Ry'Ha'Dach.

Behind them, the dragon's form rumbled as he slowly eased his muscles.

"He's got minute traces of Envema magic on him," Melzaryn whispered.

"Is it currently active?" Forfend asked.

"It feels miniscule and old. I don't know if it's active or not," Melzaryn answered honestly. "He didn't even know it was there at all."

Forfend hummed low in its chest. "One problem at a time," it decided.

"Right," Melzaryn agreed. "Other than that potential hiccup, there aren't any other spells that should cause us any trouble."

Forfend nodded and turned back to Ry'Ha'Dach.

Melzaryn held up his open spellbook and tapped the page. "I think this is what you described."

Forfend tilted its head at the page.

Melzaryn had drawn out precisely the tool Forfend had explained, giving it rounded grips on the curved tips and handles large enough to accommodate Forfend's overlarge fingers.

"This is perfect," it praised.

Forfend envisioned the item three-dimensionally and called up the magic in its core. Heat coursed through its body and caused the air around it to waver. The magic rose, breaching through Forfend's face as spilling ichor.

It touched its face, drawing the magic slowly out into a physical item.

Ry'Ha'Dach raised his head, his mouth open as worry filled his features.

"Don't worry, that's kind of his thing," Melzaryn dismissed.

"Alright, strange one," Ry'Ha'Dach muttered uncertainly. He looked no less offput.

Forfend watched the tool cool from molten gold to silvery surgical steel. It wiped the pouring ichor from its face and splattered it across the ground.

Only a second later, the substance evaporated away.

Ry'Ha'Dach grimaced, clearly disturbed. He settled back down uncomfortably.

"Forfend." Kairi placed her hand on its leg. Rainbow magic surged from her fingers into it.

Forfend felt the Guidance arcana settle in its hands. An iridescent rainbow shimmered almost imperceptibly around its wrists.

"Thank you," it nodded.

It pulled its work gloves from its belt and donned them.

Melzaryn cast Prestidigitation on them, whisking away all the dirt. He cast it again on the tool just for good measure, and once more on Ry'Ha'Dach's chest. Cleanliness and precision were of the utmost importance here.

Forfend pat Ry'Ha'Dach gently. "I will be as careful as I can," it assured.

Forfend slipped the tool into the wound, keeping it butted right up against the arrowhead to minimize damage.

Ry'Ha'Dach grit his sharp teeth, but remained still.

"Three inches deep," Melzaryn stated the exact depth of the arrow.

Forfend nodded. It stopped precisely when it needed to and opened the tool slowly.

The arms of it slightly spread the wound as they spread apart.

Ry'Ha'Dach growled, his breathing catching in his chest. Still, he didn't move.

Forfend's hands were unnaturally steady, far more so than what a creature of flesh and bone would be capable of. It guided the tool open only as wide as it had to be and carefully latched it around the tip of the arrow.

A pulse of horrid blue magic whipped through the tool, through the gloves, and into Forfend's body.

Forfend felt the deep sorrow of the shard seep into its core and try to latch onto it.

It grasped for the warmth of its memories of home in Foumedo. The icy depression melted in the heat of its happiness. It squashed the effects of the Calamity Crystal and began pulling the wretched thing free.

Kairi kept her hand on Forfend's leg. A second bout of helpful rainbows encircled its wrists.

Forfend slowly, slowly extracted the arrowhead. There was more resistance than there should've been, as though the shard was fighting to stay put.

Ry'Ha'Dach clenched his claws. His heartbeat thundered so strong and so fast Forfend could feel it through the tool.

The arrowhead snagged.

Ry'Ha'Dach gasped aloud, pain contorting his features.

Forfend trusted in the barely visible Guiding magic around its hands and the steadiness of its own fingers. It adjusted its grip very slightly and continued drawing out the stubborn shard.

The overwhelming sadness inherent to the Calamity Crystal assaulted Forfend's senses. It continued valiantly ignoring the emotion by drowning it in kind memories.

The arrowhead's thickest section finally slid free of the wound. The rest followed suit with ease.

Forfend immediately opened the tool and dropped the wretched shard onto the ground. The depressive crush left its body with such suddenness Forfend almost felt as though its core had shot up from its midsection to the proper place in its chest.

The arrowhead disintegrated into little more than metal dust upon striking the obsidian dais. Only the shard was left behind, pulsing ominously.

Ry'Ha'Dach heaved heavy breaths. He stared with wide eyes. Disbelief, relief, and joy overtook his expression.

"I can't see his emotions anymore," Kairi quietly noted.

Ry'Ha'Dach inspected the wound in his chest. A small amount of blood trickled from it, but the painful intrusion was gone. He prodded around it with his great clawed hands.

"You removed it," he breathed.

"Would you like it healed?" Forfend asked, letting the tool poof away in a huff of smoke to free up its hands.

"Please. If you would be so kind."

Forfend touched the edge of the wound and channeled its soft orange magic.

The dragon's flesh sealed itself back together at the behest of the sunlit warmth of the healing magic. The misshapen scales fell away. New ones, bright and brilliantly emerald, grew forth and seamed together until they properly interlocked.

The wound was gone. Wholly gone. As though it had never even been.

Ry'Ha'Dach trailed his hand over the now smooth and painless scales. He drew in a deep breath, letting his chest expand to its full capacity for probably the first time in more than a century. His wings snapped open. He stood, stretching his whole body like a great cat. His feet tapped excitedly. His muscles quivered beneath his scales. He looked, and likely felt, far more alive now.

"Would you like us to dispose of that?" Melzaryn asked, pointing at the pulsing crystal.

Ry'Ha'Dach glared down at the horrible little thing. The frills around his neck rattled with a rage he hadn't been able to express in ages. His jaw dropped open.

The air between his mouth and the ground warbled, but there was no roar nor visible breath weapon.

The shard rattled violently into the air as though affected by some great force. The very air vibrated with a violent hum.

Ry'Ha'Dach snapped his jaw shut.

The crystal clattered to the floor.

"Curious. It cannot be destroyed by the psychic dissonance of my breath," he said with a voice still hoarse from underuse but far stronger than it had been only moments ago. "Take it if you wish. I do not wish to see it any longer."

Melzaryn nodded. "I won't touch it because that looked dangerous," he said to Forfend.

It hummed. "It was. I did not think it would invade my senses through so many layers of protection."

"I'll cast Unseen Servant." Melzaryn snapped his fingers and looked to the air at his left. "Pick that up for me please and drop it here." He held open one of the many pouches on his belt.

A moment later, the Calamity Crystal began levitating.

A vibrant pulse of blue shocked through the Unseen Servant and lit up what appeared to be a humanoid nervous system that now floated in a horrifically disembodied-looking state.

The Unseen Servant was no longer unseen.

Luckily, without a mind or any capacity to feel pain or emotion, it continued on with its task. It deposited the shard into Melzaryn's pouch.

The startling blue blinked out, returning the Unseen Servant to its proper lack of appearance. The pouch zipped closed.

"Thank you," Melzaryn said to the air. He turned to the rest of them. "That was very strange."

"I did not like that display at all," Forfend shook its head, feeling perturbed.

Ry'Ha'Dach sighed, immediately looking more relaxed now that the shard was out of sight.

"I thank you, brave heroes," he said. "How may I ever repay you for what you've done for me this day?"

Forfend shook its broad head. "Nothing wanted."

"Are you sure?" he asked, clearly surprised.

"I am certain," Forfend nodded once. "The genasi asked for our help. We gave it. That is all."

"Oh." Ry'Ha'Dach blinked. He tilted his head up, considering this. Something of a smile quirked the corners of his mouth. "I am used to the greed and the envy of outsiders in the Land. You are a breath of fresh air."

Forfend's chest lit up bright orange.

"If you'd like to repay us with something," Melzaryn piped up, "one thing that would be beneficial to me is if you could tell me if you've ever met any silver dragons."

"Silver dragons," Ry'Ha'Dach mused. "Not in a very long time. I've been residing here since my injury a century or two ago."

He perked up, his ears springing forward. "However! I could grant you an item that would help you in your search, if that is what you seek."

"That would be great. Because I've got this," he trailed off and held out his arm, showing off silver scales as he let a magic sheen pass over them, "and I don't know where it came from."

"A sorcerer," Ry'Ha'Dach observed. "Well, in that case, try this."

He held out his clawed hand. A distant gold pile rattled, coins sliding down it. A sphere made up of multiple spinning rings burst free of the riches and floated to Melzaryn. It hovered over his hands before collapsing into a flat disc and dropping into his outstretched palms.

In the center of it sat a tiny glass dome.

"Place a drop of your blood within the glass and activate it," Ry'Ha'Dach instructed. "It shall float beside you once you do that. When it senses one of your kin nearby, it will react and pulse with light."

"Perfect. This will be extremely helpful." Melzaryn bowed reverently and shuffled off to the side to set up his new device.

"May I ask a couple of questions," Forfend hummed.

"Please do, my stone friend," Ry'Ha'Dach nodded.

"How were you wounded?"

"I was wounded during the initial war against us," Ry'Ha'Dach rumbled, folding his paws over each other and settling in to tell his tale. "King Falco and his armies attacked us. I defended the genasi villages the best that I could, but a stray arrow struck me and I was incapacitated by such a small thing during that grand battle."

"No idea who shot you?" Forfend asked.

Ry'Ha'Dach shook his head. "No, I am not aware."

Forfend hummed low in its center. "What is the thought taker?"

"The thought taker," Ry'Ha'Dach spat, a snarl baring his teeth. The telepathic words resonated in Forfend's mind with such venomous vitriol its own body responded with the sharp shing of metal across a whetstone. "He is the one who stirred the wisest of us all to attack the Howling Plains and give them reason for their invasion. He somehow found his way into the wisest's lair, laid hands upon him, and what followed was horrifying."

Ry'Ha'Dach's claws flexed. He growled. "I was a young dragon when it occurred, hardly more than a wyrmling. I saw a flash of gray and heard the words, 'Give unto me your peace and pacifism.' And then the wisest of us rose up and roared with an anger like I'd never seen. He left. On that very day, he attacked the Howling Plains."

Ry'Ha'Dach sighed mournfully. "The thought taker disappeared without a trace. The next I saw him was in a great battle. He was in many more great battles after that, always wearing the scales of the wisest of us on his back as armor." Ry'Ha'Dach lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"What could you tell me about the thought taker's appearance?" Forfend prodded. It had a hunch this man was the leader of Envema, or at least one of them.

"I..." Ry'Ha'Dach trailed off. His scaly brow ridges knit together.

His confusion washed over Forfend.

"I cannot remember," Ry'Ha'Dach realized. "I only see vivid details, but never the whole. Humanoid. Young, from what I could tell. Not a child, but far from elderly. I distinctly recall male, but no further details beyond that."

"It may have something to do with the trace amounts of Envema magic on you," Forfend theorized.

"That was mentioned!" Ry'Ha'Dach leaned down close to Forfend's face. His forked tongue flicked out of his mouth. "Is there a way you could cleanse it?"

Forfend touched its chest and stirred up the dwindling magic stores in its center. It let little sparks of gold flame fizzle between its fingers. It wouldn't be able to cast the spell it needed right now.

"Not today," Forfend replied honestly. "I will need to rest first."

Ry'Ha'Dach's disappointment reverberated through Forfend's body as he spoke, "Hm. That is fine. I will find you when the time is right. In the meantime..."

A grin cut across Ry'Ha'Dach's face. A flash of green briefly blinded Forfend.

In the dragon's place there now stood a boy not much older than Jace with moss green hair and emerald eyes.

"I'm going to do some investigating of my own," the boy said. "I wish to see what has become of the Land."

Forfend hesitated. All it had heard recently didn't paint Tyrwedia in a good light. The Land was a fraction of what it had once been.

"It is not..." Forfend started, but changed its mind about its phrasing. It hissed steam. "Be prepared for what you will see and know that there are people working to change it."

"I see," Ry'Ha'Dach hummed. He nodded.

A new flash of green and the boy was replaced by a blue jay with feathers of brilliant emerald. Ry'Ha'Dach flit into the air and flew out of the cavern. The stone blocking the entrance audibly removed itself from his path.

The door was open again. They'd succeeded. They could leave.

Kairi smiled and hopped off the dais to comfort her reasonably nervous beetle.

Melzaryn tromped up to Forfend, scrutinizing his staff.

Forfend could see vague forest green energy pulsing around the grip.

"I think it got dragon-touched by the proximity," Melzaryn guessed. "Neat!"

"Interesting," Forfend hummed, though it wasn't sure it knew what that meant. "We should return to River," it decided.

Melzaryn nodded.

They rejoined Kairi at the entrance and meandered their way back into the village cavern.

The entire village had gathered around, whispering and gawking amongst themselves.

"You... You did it." River was staring in the direction Ry'Ha'Dach had flown. His face was slack. He couldn't quite close his mouth. "You saved Ry'Ha'Dach."

"We said that we would," Forfend replied simply.

"My utmost thanks extends to you, Forfend," River said, tearing his eyes off the distant tunnels to meet its gaze. He bowed his head.

Jewel and Flint approached and followed suit.

A wave of bowed heads swept through the genasi crowd.

Forfend's chest lit up a soft pinkish-red. It returned the gesture.

"Did Ry'Ha'Dach gift you a reward yet?" River asked.

"He offered," Forfend hummed.

"And you refused?!" River's eyes darted down the open pathway to Ry'Ha'Dach's lair and then around to the dragon's other riches scattered about the village, undoubtedly confused as to why they would take none of it.

"Well, Melzaryn got a... whatever that thing would be called." Forfend pointed at the strange floating device.

Melzaryn turned in a circle before he caught sight of where the oddity trailed him. "Yeah, this! I asked for a little help finding family."

"All I would've asked was what his favorite flower was," Kairi shrugged. "I would've liked to give him one before he left."

"Well, there is surely something we could give you in return for what you've done," River offered. He looked bewildered more than anything. "We will take up a collection."

"No." Forfend shook its head firmly. "That is not necessary."

"What?"

Forfend shrugged. "I believe that your people are dealing with enough right now. Paying us is not a necessity. I did not help, none of us did, for money."

Kairi smiled up at Forfend and nodded her agreement.

"I helped because I really wanted to meet a dragon in person," Melzaryn piped up. "I've studied them for decades, but this is the first time I've ever seen one."

"I... see." River blinked and tilted his head, considering the information the same way Ry'Ha'Dach had. "Thank you, Forfend. You are too kind."

The light of Forfend's chest shifted from red to orange. It nodded once.

It caught itself scanning the crowd.

Kiyori leaned against one of the houses. She wasn't glaring at it for once. She was just observing, looking it over with what Forfend hoped was new perspective.

Forfend slowly lumbered toward her.

She watched it approach with scrutiny and said nothing when it reached her.

It knelt.

She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"I apologize," it said sincerely. "I probably did not make you very happy returning like this."

"The genasi needed it," Kiyori replied. She tilted her chin into the air. "I'm not going to complain about that."

"As promised, I will leave you alone the best that I can from this point onward."

Kiyori nodded. "Mhm."

"But if you were to need me or the genasi were to need me, please never hesitate to ask. I will always help," Forfend promised.

"That's up to them, not me." Kiyori folded her arms and watched it from her peripheral vision.

Aloof.

Forfend had expected as much, though it was glad to see she was less angry than she had been before.

It ducked its head low and stood slowly, turning to leave her alone.

It could feel her eyes on its back.

Kairi wedged herself against its side once they were out of earshot. "Why does she hate you so much?"

Forfend's footsteps faltered. Had Kairi seen that in her emotions? It shook its head and tried not to dwell.

Some people would never like or respect it. That was okay.

"She dislikes demigods," it answered. "And she is right to do so."

"Let's head out," Melzaryn said as he sauntered over with River right behind him.

Forfend nodded.

Kairi hopped back up onto Wisteria's back. "Let's go, Wisty."

River led them back through the lengthy, winding paths. He took them to the enormous trees at the mouth of the cave and touched one. The same spell as before engulfed the group.

River passed right through the tree trunk.

Everyone followed right behind.

Forfend touched the bark and hesitated at the solidness for a moment. It hummed to itself and pushed through.

They found themselves at the genasi hideout again.

"Your wounded," Forfend started immediately. "I did not get the chance to heal them last time. May I please?"

River blinked. "I... Yes. Come in."

Forfend followed him into the storage building. It let itself into the room the wounded were housed in.

There were so very many of them here, some in much worse condition than others.

"I am here to heal. Bring me your most critically wounded first," Forfend requested. "I may run out of magic before I am done."

The genasi stared blankly.

River set to work doing as Forfend had asked.

A few of the least injured jumped up to help.

Forfend sat down and put the Orison Aegis in its lap. It placed both hands upon the shield and began a slow, rumbling prayer in Celestial.

An aura of healing light emanated from its chest and engulfed the wounded in its proximity.

Their injuries knit themselves closed and faded away over the course of several minutes.

The next group of ailing genasi took their place as Forfend reached the end of its prayer and started over from the top.

Its magic was pouring rapidly from its core. It had very nearly bottomed out its last reserves. That was alright. It would have the opportunity to rest soon.

Forfend watched as the third new group was switched in. All of them were capable of standing with minimal or no assistance. If these were the most wounded people now remaining, then it had already saved all those who may not have survived their wounds alone.

Forfend drew up the last spare magic it had and unleashed the divine warmth as it repeated its prayer from the start a third time.

The radiating aura faded as Forfend's energy ran dry. It hissed steam.

The last few injuries on the wounded genasi disappeared just as the aura rose like steam off their bodies and dissipated.

"Are you an elemental?" one of the genasi asked. She had skin so light gray it was nearly white and citrine crystal clusters that cascaded from her head to frame her face.

Forfend was struck with the beauty of every new earth genasi it encountered. They were all astoundingly natural in a way it had never been. The difference was both negligible and stark, and Forfend found that compelling.

"I am not," it remembered to answer.

"Then what are you?" asked a man of dusty red with bismuth crystals creating geometric spires all across the top of his head.

"A Fornaxian. A machine created by Fornax," it hummed.

The genasi all muttered amongst themselves. They were confused, curious, and somewhat skeptical.

River nudged it. "Thank you."

Forfend nodded. "I do not wish to upset Kiyori, but I will always be available should you need me. Do not hesitate to ask."

River grunted affirmatively.

"We must return to Cragwall for the moment," Forfend hummed. "I hope to see you all again."

It bowed its head politely to River and the rest of the genasi.

Forfend took its leave, meeting up outside with Melzaryn, Kairi, and Wisteria.

Erzor awaited as well.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

Forfend nodded.

"Since you saved the dragon, we won't need those blindfolds anymore," Erzor grinned.

"Oh, excellent!" Melzaryn clapped his hands and pointed. "Town's that way."

"You knew where we were the entire time?" a nervous young woman with sandy-colored skin and raw jade crystals asked.

Forfend was curious about just the same, but it found itself paying more attention to the natural divots and angles of the stone formations covering her scalp.

"Not until I came here," Melzaryn shook his head. "But I remember the route."

"You were blindfolded!"

"So? I know when I turn left or right."

"Somehow, it did not occur to me that you would simply memorize the entire path," Forfend hummed.

"You witnessed me map out the entire underside of Cragwall in five minutes," Melzaryn reminded it.

"I did not think that was the same," Forfend said. "Your eyes were doing something odd then. I thought that was related to your mapmaking."

"It was, but still."

"Who brought you here?!" the woman cried. "The turns are supposed to take you in dozens of disorienting circles!"

"Alright, time to go!" Erzor hollered. He ushered them away from the camp as quickly as he possibly could.

The walk out of the Llardel Forest was much easier and shorter now that they were taking a direct route.

Erzor stopped at the east gate. "Stay safe, alright?" he said before turning back the way they'd come.

"You as well," Forfend called, waving to him.

It, Melzaryn, Kairi, and Wisteria made their way through the quiet evening streets.

Eamon's house looked calm and undisturbed as they arrived. Forfend huffed a jet of relieved steam. It was getting tired of all the excitement lately.

It dusted off its feet and let itself into the house.

Melzaryn followed behind it, removing his shoes in the corridor.

Kairi took Wisteria around to the side of the house to settle in before she came indoors.

Forfend followed the sounds of amicable chatter into the living room.

Farley listened with rapt attention as Howell spoke.

"Ah, you have met," Forfend hummed.

"Why didn't you tell me he was here?!" Farley just barely schooled his voice below a yell.

Forfend cocked its head. "I told you he made breakfast."

"I thought he left after that!"

"Evidently not," Forfend said.

Howell got up and placed a pearl in Melzaryn's hand as he entered the room. "Thanks for letting me borrow that."

"No problem," Melzaryn nodded and pocketed the pearl.

Three rhythmic, perfectly spaced knocks struck the front door.

Melzaryn's eyes lit up. "That should be for me."

He tromped to the front door.

Forfend tilted its head at Farley and Howell. "Did Kagoshi ever return home."

"He did," Howell confirmed. "Seemed pissed. Holed himself up in the guest bedroom with Duncan."

"I see." Forfend wondered what Kagoshi had been up to out in the woods, but it would have to find out later. "I believe we should collect them and the lot of us should find an inn to stay in. Eamon is quite stressed having so many people in his home."

"Where are we going?" Farley asked.

"The Brass Buffalo will be the best place," Forfend decided. "I will let Eamon know we are going."

Farley nodded.

Forfend knocked gently on Eamon's door.

Eamon opened it, looking exhausted.

"We are moving everyone to an inn. This space will be wholly yours again within the hour," Forfend promised.

"Oh." Eamon's demeanor immediately brightened. He tried to subdue it into something more polite and casual. "It was nice working with you. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Cragwall."

Forfend ducked its head politely. It made its way around the house to inform the rest of the inhabitants.

It didn't take anyone very long to collect their things. The entire extended group was packed and headed out the door in less than thirty minutes.

"For your troubles," Forfend said, turning back to Eamon and placing five gold coins into his hand.

Eamon smiled slightly, closed the door, and released an audible sigh of relief from within the comfort of his finally empty home.

Forfend hummed to itself.

It and the rest of the haphazard crew followed Melzaryn through the streets to the Brass Buffalo.

Kairi paused. "I have a stop to make. I'll meet you back here soon."

She skipped off.

Forfend waved to her as she disappeared around the corner.

Everyone made their way into the tavern.

Narmouth lit up as they entered and rushed to meet them by the door. He glanced over the new additions curiously. "Welcome back! How can I help you?"

"We need rooms," Kagoshi gruffed.

At the bar, one patron's head snapped up at the sound of Kagoshi's voice. He looked to Kagoshi, then Forfend, and finally Howell's obscured form.

He nearly dropped his drink. He scrambled from his seat and dashed from the inn.

Forfend recognized him then. He'd been the man that got caught in the alley with them in the midst of their battle against Howell and the other Envema members. He was frightened, but ultimately alright. That was good.

It turned its attention back to the matter at hand.

"I will be covering these three." Forfend hovered its hands over Farley, Duncan, and Howell.

Howell shook his head. "Thank you, but I'll cover myself."

"That will be five silver for you," Narmouth said.

Howell nodded, paid his due, and found his way up to a room.

"Seven copper each for the rest of you," Narmouth smiled.

Forfend lit its chest. It placed twenty-one copper into his hand and escorted Duncan and Farley upstairs.

"I hate to see a building broken," Melzaryn mentioned. He flipped a gold coin into Narmouth's hand and followed Forfend up.

"Oh, thank you!" Narmouth called. "Do you want any food or anything before you go?"

"I could go for some food," Kagoshi answered first.

"Do you want another Death Wish?!" the goblin cook hollered.

"Sure."

Forfend shook its broad head and continued to their rooms.

Melzaryn, on the other hand, headed back down to presumably get food and watch whatever commotion Kagoshi was going to cause.

A loud thud sounded almost immediately.

Forfend hissed steam. It made sure its two companions safely entered their rooms before returning downstairs.

Kagoshi was flat on his back and out cold. He snored softly.

"Well, I'll be damned. He lived again," the cook commented, amazed.

Forfend hefted Kagoshi up and carried him to his room without a word. It unceremoniously dumped him in his bed and returned to its own room.

It settled into a spot on the floor. Immediately, it was hammered by the day's exertion. It clicked its rune off to rest.

The night crawled slowly past. Forfend lit its rune in the early hours of the morning when the sunlight outside its window was just barely cresting from purple into pinkish-orange. It made its way downstairs to sit in the tavern.

Melzaryn joined it next, yawning through his breakfast order.

Kairi and Kagoshi made their way down late in the morning.

Narmouth met them at their table as soon as they were all assembled. "I got a message for you all late last night," he said.

He placed an envelope down on the table.

Kagoshi groaned, his face tucked into his pulled up hood. "Could you talk quieter? I have a headache," he whispered.

"Mm, sorry," Narmouth nodded and left them to their own devices.

Melzaryn picked the envelope up. It was pristine and bore a black wax seal sporting the royal crest.

Melzaryn opened it and scanned through the contents of the letter within.

"Oh, that's nice," he nodded. "King Falco says he's got us a means to Foumedo and back again if we want it. He also says when we return, our work will begin in earnest."

Forfend hummed, its chest lighting up. "When does it leave? How long can we stay?"

"Today," Melzaryn shared. "In about an hour, actually. Sounds like it'll have to be a short trip though. He's only counting on us spending one night to rest there before we return."

"I was hoping for more, but our work here is prudent," Forfend sighed in a long rush of steam. "I am prepared to meet our means of travel immediately. Our all of you or any of you accompanying me?"

"I won't," Melzaryn decided. "I've got a lot of things in this city that I need to do. Including finally setting us up a meeting date with the Summerstead patriarch."

Forfend sat up straighter. It had nearly forgotten about that amid everything else going on.

"I want to go!" Kairi raised her hand up high and waved it around.

Forfend chuckled softly. "Certainly."

"No," Kagoshi whined, drawing out the word.

"But we'll get to see Jace," Kairi prodded.

Kagoshi huffed. "Fine."

"Yay!" Kairi hopped up and rushed back to her room to gather up her things.

The three of them were on the carriage headed back to Foumedo as quickly as they could possible be.

Forfend couldn't so much as dim the brilliant light from its chest. Excitement bubbled up in its core. It was finally going to see its family again!

It reached for its replenished magic stores and cast Sending, envisioning Fletch in its mind.

"I am finally on the way home to visit," it projected. "I should be there within the week."

"Forfend!" Fletch shouted back across the link. "You're really coming home?! I've missed you so much, buddy! I can't wait! I'll let everybody know you're on the way and we'll all--"

He'd run out of words and cut himself off again.

Forfend could help the rumbling chuckle in its chest. Already, it was feeling impatient to reach its home.

Luckily, travel by carriage was several days quicker than travel on foot. The days passed by rather easily. Nothing eventful happened.

Forfend stared out the carriage window as they drew into Foumedo. There were people around it didn't recognize. Quite a lot of them, in fact. New faces were on guard duty.

That was good. More people in the town guard would be immensely helpful.

Forfend figured the host of new folks were the guards from the Galloford occupation who'd chosen to stay behind and move in. Fletch had managed to briefly mention that in his first Sending message.

The carriage came to a stop in the center of town.

Kairi and Kagoshi filed out first.

Forfend carefully freed itself from the tight interior and touched down on the cobblestone plaza.

Home.

The sights and sounds and smells and the feel of the very air relaxed it.

Jace's eyes lit up from where he sat on the edge of the fountain. He jumped up and screamed, "Forfend's home!" at the top of his little lungs.

Everyone in town froze and stared. A clamoring chatter went up. Everyone approached, yelling greetings.

Forfend's chest brightened to the vibrant orange of melting metal.

Jace put on his little helmet, charged Forfend, and leapt straight into its arms.

It caught him and hugged him as gently at it could before lifting him up to his favorite spot on its shoulders.

It turned to the rest of the villagers and approached them with its arms thrown wide.

Joyful hugs were had all around.

"Forfend!" Fletch tore through the crowd, leaving Jessie in the dust.

He paused for a second to look Forfend over, tears in the corners of his eyes and a grin plastered across his face.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" He jumped into Forfend's arms just the way Jace had.

Forfend lifted him up and squeezed him so tight it heard his back pop. "I missed you dearly," it hummed, emotion seeping into its usually monotonous voice.

Fletch wheezed, but didn't loosen his grip on it in the slightest. "You were gone for twelve days too long."

Was that really all it had been? Forfend figured so, but what a rough twelve days they were.

Jessie eventually managed to free himself from the crowd and tuck himself against Forfend's side for his own hug.

"How did it all go?" Jessie asked.

"Obviously, it went well since they let you go," Fletch grinned at his husband. "But yeah! How was it?!"

The whole town waited with bated breath for Forfend's answer.

Forfend hummed low in its chest as it attempted to figure out how it was going to sum up the mess of situations.

"Well, it was not a lot of fun," Forfend allowed, steam hissing loudly in its chest. "I can tell you that."

"Yep, I knew it," Byr shouted, ever the codger.

"You were right," Forfend directed its gaze to Joel as it spoke. "There are a lot of conspiracies in the large cities."

"I told y'all! You all thought I was crazy!" Joel hollered.

"You are crazy!" Byr snapped right back.

Forfend chuckled like grinding stone.

"Let's get you settled in," Jessie quietly suggested. "You must be tired."

Forfend nodded.

They strode through the crowd.

Forfend waved to everyone as they made their way towards its home.

"So are you back now?" Jessie asked.

"Regrettably, no," Forfend replied. "I have work to do."

"Oh." Jessie's brows creased.

Fletch pouted.

"Aww," Jace whined from his place atop Forfend's shoulders. "Well, before you leave again, let me go get you something to eat!" He scaled down Forfend's back and hit the ground running.

"He's been saving up pebbles since you left," Fletch chuckled. "I think he thinks you haven't eaten since he ain't fed you."

"I see." Forfend nodded. "I will accept as always."

Jace didn't waste any time running back to them with a burlap sack of pebbles nearly the same size he was. He strained and grunted as he dragged it across the ground.

He dumped the sack of stones at Forfend's feet.

"I know you're hungry since you've been gone so long," Jace panted. "So I've been finding you all the best rocks!"

He pulled one from the very top of the pile and held it up. "Look! This one's shiny and round!"

Forfend inspected the little glimmering stone. "It is. Very much so. Did you get this from the river?"

"Yeah! I found it in the mud." Jace's eyes went wide. "But don't worry! I washed it off!"

Forfend let a rumbling chuckle roll through it. "Thank you. That is very kind."

Jace beamed.

Forfend's chest couldn't possibly glow any brighter, but the light fluctuated as though it was trying.

"I will take this home with me," it promised. "You should return to Mavis. Your mother will be worried about losing you in the crowd."

Jace hugged Forfend's legs. "Okay, but you have to play with me later!"

"Certainly," it nodded.

Jace dashed off.

Forfend hefted its new sack of rocks.

Fletch took its free hand and tugged it along. "You've got to see the new place they're building."

He pointed out a new structure going up on the outskirts of town.

"It's housing for all the new citizens," Jessie mentioned.

"I am glad to see Foumedo growing. More helping hands will be good for the town," Forfend hummed. "I would like to see it more in depth, but I feel I should speak with the two of you privately about my time away first."

"Yeah, of course," Jessie said.

"Storytime?" Fletch grinned.

"Storytime," Forfend agreed.

The little crew made their way into Fletch's and Jessie's home.

Forfend ducked and sidled through the doorway. It sat down on the floor in front of the couch.

Fletch and Jessie took their spots pressed against each other right in front of it.

"So what's the story?" Fletch prompted. He was nearly vibrating with excitement.

Jessie looked far more subdued, but no less interested.

Forfend let a lengthy bout of steam rush through its chest. It launched into the full, honest, no-holds-barred version of events. It hid nothing from them. Not demons, not cultists, not even dragons.

They'd kept its demigod identity secret from the rest of the town these past two years. They were its family. It trusted them and felt it owed them the whole truth.

Fletch and Jessie stared, enraptured by the tale.

Fletch couldn't seem to get his jaw to close.

Jessie's eyes were saucers.

When it finally finished speaking, they both took several minutes to process before anyone spoke.

Jessie swallowed hard. "I've heard of Envema. Sometimes, the news makes it out this far. I just thought they were a boogeyman story."

"They are disturbingly real," Forfend hummed grimly.

Jessie nodded slowly. "But, I mean, hey, you saved a dragon. Maybe that'll help."

"Let us hope," Forfend said.

"And you caught the attention of the king." Jessie sounded awestruck and concerned. "Wow."

"That is also going to be quite the situation," Forfend hissed steam.

"My guy's famous!" Fletch suddenly hollered, a huge grin threatening to escape the confines of his cheeks.

Forfend couldn't help but laugh, rocks grinding deep in its chest as it lit up bright orange.

"You saved a whole town! You saved a bunch of protestors! You saved the Brass Buffalo! You even saved a dragon!" Fletch playfully punched Forfend in the shoulder. Forfend saw him wince as he pulled his scraped knuckles back and shook out his hand, but his smile never faltered. "Just look at you!"

Forfend chuckled. "Speaking of me," it began, "I have learned a good deal more about myself in my time away."

"Really?" Fletch settled comfortably back in his seat and clasped his hands, waiting impatiently for the story.

Forfend hummed for a moment.

It meandered through the tale of its visions, its call to work, and its fluctuating faith. It described the situation in which it had lost its metal coating and been left irreparably damaged in its present state.

Fletch held a finger out to stop it there. The explanation of it being flayed alive by a god had evidently gotten to him.

He stepped around the back of the house, retched into the grass, and immediately returned to his seat. "Alright, continue," he said as though that hadn't just happened.

Jessie gave his husband a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"The most difficult thing in all of this is what I have learned of demigods. We alter the world around us whether we intend to or not just by our proximity to people," Forfend hummed. "My influence may never fade, given that I was buried near the town for millennia. I do not want to alter the way that all of you think and act. It frightens me."

Jessie shook his head. "I don't know what I do or don't believe about demigods, but I don't think you've changed us by being here. If anything, you've changed us by being kind. Don't fret over things you can't fix and especially not over things that don't need fixing. Everyone here is happy and they're glad you're here."

Forfend hummed long and low in its center. It hadn't expected Jessie and Fletch to have advice on this. It had only wanted to inform them. It couldn't help but worry about how casual they were regarding all of this. Was that its fault?

"So, do you want to answer Fornax's call?" Fletch asked tentatively.

"To the best of my ability, yes," it replied.

"Well, what do you need?" Jessie offered immediately.

Forfend tilted its head. "The trouble is that I am really not sure. I do have something for you though."

"Oh?" Jessie sat forward. "What's that?"

"A few things, actually," Forfend clarified.

It pulled the Summerstead red wine it had gotten in Brightcrossing from its bag and placed it in Jessie's hands.

"Wow," Jessie almost startled. "This stuff is really expensive, you know? You didn't have to--"

"It was a gift to me and now to you," Forfend cut him off.

"We'll save it for a special occasion."

Fletch was already shaking his head. "Wait a minute. Why don't we go ahead and open it up now! I want to give it a try!"

"Well..." Jessie hesitated. "I guess Forfend coming home is a special occasion."

"Yeah!" Fletch jumped up and ran to the kitchen. He was back in a flash with three wine glasses.

Jessie popped the cork off the bottle and filled Fletch's glass followed by his own. He left the third one empty for Forfend.

"A toast to your return," Jessie smiled.

It picked up its glass and gently tinked it against both of theirs.

Both of them took a sip of their wine and paused to savor the taste.

Jessie nodded his approval.

Fletch turned his glass up to gulp more.

Jessie grabbed Fletch's wrist and pushed his hand back down until the glass was on the table. He chuckled. "I know it's good, but don't get yourself drunk."

"Right, sorry." Fletch blushed and scratched at the back of his neck. "It's just really good shit."

"I also have these for you," Forfend hummed.

It pulled several oversized pouches from its belt and set them out across the table.

The contents were the majority of the money it had collected throughout its time away.

The amount was astronomical, literally thousands of gold. Which was thousands more gold than Forfend could ever recall seeing in one place before.

If guessed Fletch and Jessie would be the same.

Fletch leaned forward and opened the smallest bag. His back went rigid.

Jessie choked on his sip of wine.

"Gods above, we're rich!" Fletch hollered.

"I want you to use this for the town, and the house, and to enclose the forge," Forfend instructed.

Fletch gasped. He slapped his hand over his mouth. "To close in the forge?" he nearly whispered.

"Yes," Forfend nodded.

Tears pricked the corners of Fletch's eyes. He snapped a handful of platinum out of the bag, crashed through the front door, and charged Byr.

"Are you sure you don't want to keep some of this?" Jessie asked.

"I am keeping a bit of it." Forfend pat a pouch at its side. "But the majority is yours."

"I don't know what to say."

Forfend lit its chest up bright.

"Thank you," Jessie settled.

"I think that you, Fletch, and the town as a whole deserve it," Forfend said.

"Thank you," Jessie repeated. "Are you sure you don't want to take more of it back?"

Forfend shook its head. "I have shared all that I can which is exactly as much as I wanted to."

"What the fuck?!" Byr's voice called faintly from outside.

A minute later, Fletch made his way back inside. He was vibrating giddily.

"Byr says he'll get it for me just as soon as he's done with the new place for the new folks," he said, his voice an octave higher from pure excitement. "He ain't never seen a platinum piece in real life before either! Asked me where I got it. You should've seen his face when I said Forfend brought me a couple hundred of them!"

Fletch squeezed Forfend in the tightest hug he could manage.

Forfend pat his back. "I am glad you are happy. I have wanted to be able to close in the forge for you since the first winter I worked with you."

"Aww, you big sap," Fletch sniffled. "I love you."

"I love you too," Forfend hummed.

"Hey, listen," Jessie began. "You've told us all the wild stuff that's happened to you lately and you talked about that thing with the hound demon..."

Forfend straightened its back. A concerned hum reverberated through it.

"I just want to know how you're feeling," Jessie finished.

"Things have been very difficult recently," it answered honestly. "I often find myself feeling nervous. Unsure."

"Well, if there's anything I know about you, it's that you can do whatever you set your mind to," Jessie smiled at it. "I mean, you're a demigod and that's one thing, but you're also Forfend. Look what you've done lately."

Jessie spread his arms. "Look what you've accomplished in Cragwall in two days. Look what you've accomplished in Tyrwedia in just twelve days. Not even quite two weeks." He held up his hands and started ticking items off on his fingers. "You defeated an Atroxian cultist twice. You slayed two greater demons. You saved a whole bunch of people from a collapsing teleportation hub, thwarted two or three different terrorist attacks, and you saved a dragon. In two weeks!"

"Not alone, mind you," Forfend reasoned.

"But you did it," Jessie said matter-of-factly. "Do you think they could've done it without you?"

Forfend turned to look out the window behind it.

Jace was sitting on Wisteria's back while Kairi carefully watched to make certain he wouldn't fall off the enormous beetle.

Bell bounded around them, barking incessantly to no avail.

Wisteria didn't seem to mind the noisy dog in the slightest.

Jace slid off Wisteria's back and tromped over to Kagoshi. He pulled a bunch of smooshed flowers from his pocket and shoved them up into Kagoshi's hands.

To Forfend's surprise, Kagoshi took them with an expression that seemed to attempt to portray kindness. Or at least, he wasn't scowling.

Jace took a flower crown off his head and offered it up to Kagoshi as well.

Forfend wondered if Kairi had made it or taught Jace how. It noticed Wisteria had one around its horn as well.

Kagoshi crouched down to allow Jace to bestow the flower crown upon his head.

Jace jumped around excitedly and ran back to play with Wisteria some more.

"Look at that," Jessie said, following its gaze. "You did that. Those two never would've gone to Cragwall without you. They probably would've kept heading south."

"Perhaps," Forfend hummed.

Despite its uncertain words, its chest had brightened itself with all the warmth of a sunrise.

"Come on, Forfend, I know that look," Jessie teased. "You're literally glowing."

"If I could turn it off, I would," it rumbled, a low chuckle emanating from it.

"No, you wouldn't."

"Perhaps not." Steam huffed through its chest. If it were possible, the light in Forfend's center brightened.

"You're doing good," Jessie insisted.

"I am certainly trying." Forfend touched its metal brace and traced its broad fingers lightly across the steel. "That reminds me, I do have one more thing I would like to show you."

"Sure," Jessie allowed.

"To the forge?" It stood.

"Oh? Sure, why not?" Fletch piped up. He led the way outdoors to the workshop.

Forfend inspected the space. It wasn't as clean as Forfend usually kept it. That was Fletch's least favorite part of upkeep and it seemed he'd been slacking off a bit in its absence.

Small, eccentric sculptures made up of bent nails littered one table.

Forfend took notice that several of them were in its approximate shape.

"You have been busy," it commented.

Fletch shrugged, a sheepish grin on his face. "Well, you know, nothing's really been needing made or fixed and I got a little bit bored."

Stone grumbled in Forfend's chest with its odd chuckle. "What do you have around that needs fixed or improved?"

Fletch and Jessie both started rattling off items until they were practically rambling.

"Could always use a new hammer, need to fix that door, lost my good tongs, nicer knives in the kitchen would be great..."

"Wore out the washboard, could really use new armor, one of the new guys managed to break a sword the other day, I need a new spear..."

"Your spear," Forfend latched onto that particular complaint. The others could quite easily be solved by all the money it had gifted them, but this was something only it would be able to do. "Give me your spear."

Jessie handed the weapon right over without a second's hesitation.

"I learned some new tricks," Forfend stated proudly.

It turned to the nearest open work space and let itself drop into its trance state.

"What?!" Fletch gasped as the golden sparks scattered harmlessly about the area.

He was familiar with the black smoke billowing from Forfend's back, but the golden embers were new to him.

Fletch spoke further, but Forfend was rapidly sinking too deep into its work to hear or understand.

All it knew was what it wanted this spear to be and how to get it there. Everything else faded from its perception.

Forfend worked with blinding speed and very soon came aware again.

It tilted its head at the finished spear in its hands.

Fine work, even if Forfend did say so itself.

The speartip was frighteningly sharp and far sturdier than it had been before. Geometric shapes were etched around the thickest point. A sheen of magic glinted off the metal.

Forfend nodded, passing the weapon back to Jessie.

Jessie gripped the spear in his hands. He gave himself space and jabbed forward. He seemed to sense the difference. He readjusted his grip and knit his brows thoughtfully.

The next jab saw the speartip burst into flame.

Jessie startled, nearly dropping his weapon. "Whoa!"

Fletch squealed. He applauded like he'd just seen a masterclass play. "Where the hell did you learn that?! Because I need to go there and learn it too!"

"I discovered it by accident," Forfend hummed. "In Gilthur's Forge in Brightcrossing."

"Gilthur?!" Byr hollered.

He stomped to them just as quickly as his short dwarven legs would carry him. "What were you doing with that witch?" he demanded.

Forfend drummed its fingers on its chest and tilted its head, amused. "Learning witch techniques."

"Now you listen here, alright? I don't know what the hell he does, but that shit's witchcraft. You best stay away from him," Byr warned. He was joking. Forfend knew as much. But he hardly sounded like it.

"I am also still an expert in masonry," Forfend promised. "I have not forgotten what I learned from you either."

"Good!" Byr eyed Forfend suspiciously. "Don't you forget it and you leave that old witch alone. You're lucky I let you stick with that human tornado."

Fletch laughed as Byr pointed an accusing finger at him.

Byr slowly backed up. "You stay away from him, alright?"

Forfend chuckled rather than answering.

"Alright?" Byr repeated as he continued backing away.

Forfend waved to him.

"Alright?!" Byr said a third time. He was nearly out of earshot.

"No promises," Forfend finally answered.

"You're killing me!" he yelled before stomping back to his work.

Fletch's face was crinkled with entertained joy. "Human Tornado. Right good name for a bard group, wouldn't you say?"

Jessie laughed. "No."

"I have missed Byr's aggressive cynicism," Forfend said.

"Forfend." Jessie stepped in front of it. "I just want to say thank you again. You gave us the wine and all that money and now you've made me a magical spear. Just wow."

Fletch put his work gloves on and took the weapon from Jessie's hands. He prodded at the tip. "How come it's not on fire now?"

Fletch flipped the spear around and jabbed with it.

The tip erupted in flames once more.

Fletch jolted so hard he dropped the weapon. It clattered to the floor.

Jessie raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, maybe you should keep that," Fletch decided. He tentatively picked the spear up and returned it to Jessie.

"Mhm," Jessie agreed. He looked to Forfend again. "You've got all day and night, right? You don't have to go until tomorrow morning?"

Forfend nodded.

"Then let's throw a party in the town hall," Jessie suggested. "What do you think, Fletch?"

"Ooh," Fletch grinned. "You give me a couple hours. I'll have everything set up!"

He darted from the forge into the streets as quickly as he could run.

"You deserve a celebration, don't you think?" Jessie said.

"I certainly do want to enjoy the Foumedo tradition of impromptu parties before I leave again," it teased.

Jessie grinned. "Come on, we can tour the town and you can meet the new folks in the meantime."

"That sounds wonderful."

The greetings and introductions took longer than Forfend expected. More guards had decided to stay than it would've guessed. They were all friendly. They seemed to be fitting in well in their new home.

Unlike the meetings, the party slipped away from Forfend faster than it would've liked.

It danced and talked and hugged nearly every citizen in Foumedo, but the night was over remarkably quickly.

Forfend retired to its own room in its own home against its own will, but it needed to rest. Everyone else had already gone to bed by the time it pulled itself away from watching the silent village.

It settled in and shut its rune off only for daybreak to take it by surprise what felt like minutes later.

Too soon, it was time to go.

Forfend hissed steam and got itself up.

It was greeted immediately by the entire population of Foumedo surrounding the carriage it would be taking back to Cragwall.

Jace tackled its leg and hugged it, tears steaming down his face. "Come visit, okay?"

"I will. As soon as I can," it promised.

"Take care of yourself, big guy." Avery pat its shoulder.

"Stay safe," Mavis told it.

"And you watch them big city types," Joel growled.

Jessie hugged Forfend. "You're going to do amazing things out there. You know you will."

Fletch had tears streaming down his face just the way Jace did. "You got everything you need? All your tools? You want to rest another hour or two? Stay for breakfast?"

Forfend wrapped Fletch in a gentle hug. "I have all I need and I cannot keep King Falco waiting. I will come home again. My journey will stop here many times and it will end here too. I will be back."

"Promise?" Fletch squeaked.

"Promise." It released its dear friend and carefully climbed into the carriage.

It waved to everyone in Foumedo. "I will miss you all! Stay safe! Take care of each other!"

A cheer of affirmatives filled the air.

Forfend shut the door and settled in across from Kagoshi and Kairi, its chest glowing brightly.

The carriage immediately set to course.

The travel back to Cragwall was uneventful. More or less, it was five days of Kairi and Kagoshi playfully bickering.

There was little of note until the group entered Cragwall's southern gate and were immediately greeted by the fully intact Teleportation Hub.

Melzaryn met them just outside the Hub with his usual inscrutable smile on his face. "I was busy while you were gone."

"It seems so," Forfend hummed.

"The problem is gone." He tapped the pouch on his belt where the Calamity Crystal had been stored, but presumably was not stored any longer. "Got the Teleportation Hub up and almost running again. I've been doing a lot of reading at the library too. It's been fun."

Forfend nodded.

"Nerd shit," Kagoshi grumbled.

Kairi giggled.

Melzaryn started to speak, but was interrupted by a new figure inserting himself into their group.

He was a knight, but for once it wasn't High Knight Erest Ledrian.

Instead, it was Garin Doverba, the second-in-command.

This was the first time Forfend was getting a decent look at him.

He was a half elf, judging by his short but pointed ears. His blond hair was closely cropped and well kept. He held himself with an air of authority.

"I have a message from the good king himself," Garin informed. "There have been some developments and some things he wishes for your lot to investigate."

Everyone nodded.

Garin tugged a scroll from his belt and handed it over.

Melzaryn accepted it, unrolling it to read immediately.

"Starts with niceties asking about your stay in Foumedo," he said. "Talks about the work I've been doing. I can update you on whatever you need to know about what's been happening around here. Oh, there's the important stuff."

Melzaryn glanced up at them. "They have some suspects for who might be leading Envema."

"Oh," Forfend straightened, listening intently.

Kairi leaned forward as well.

Even Kagoshi seemed to suddenly tune back into the conversation.

"Odolan Sagemantle and Adhron Galloford, both patriarchs of their respective families," Melzaryn read. "That's fun."

"We have suspicions, but no proof. We need proof beyond doubt," Garin said. "It's your job to find it. The suspicion regarding Highlord Odolan is that the Sagemantle family would have the ability to create magical effects like those seen on Envema members. Highlord Adhron, on the other hand, has the wealth to fund it."

"It may be both," Forfend hummed grimly.

"If you find proof of that, by all means, bring it to us." Garin nodded once and took his leave.

"We have our work cut out for us," Forfend said.

The rest of the group hummed their agreement.

#forfend #twilight of the demigods #session notes #session 25 #llardel forest #cragwall #foumedo #dnd

2 notes · View notes