Siegfried’s
hand drifted towards Hack’s handle as he took the measure of his new
companions. He had a rough idea of their capabilities based on information
Sildar Hallwinter had given him back in Phandalin, and felt reasonably sure of
victory. He knew that the party of adventurers was capable, if a little
impulsive.
Radegast
didn’t contradict Sildar’s assessment. Pursing her lips, she stepped forward,
her hand on the shard of the ise rune, and cast Winter’s Howl on the loose
skirmish line of needle blights. Her eyes turned white with the raging storm.
Instantly,
a maelstrom of mixed precipitation blasted forth, coating the blights’
coniferous bodies with a layer of ice in a heartbeat, causing their leafy forms
to sag under the ice’s weight. The wintry blast also caught a surprised Erwen
and Siegfried.
From
his pocket inside Erwen’s bearskin tunic, Stemly the houseplant screamed.
The
ground beneath Radegast’s feet slicked over as the temperature plummeted. “Uh
oh!” she said as she began to lose her balance, skidding on the sheet of ice.
“Erwen, you chill these guys out!” she called to the druid in what she hoped
was an inspiring tone. Then she fell, ass over teakettle, onto the frozen
ground.
Bob
threw up his hands in disgust. “Why even are we doing this?” he shouted as he
backed away from storm and melee alike.
Alex
nodded and stayed where he was, watching the storm rage before him.
Erwen
shivered under the chill of Radegast’s sleet storm. He looked down at his
frozen pet houseplant and turned to glare at the bard.
“Chill
out?” he repeated. “Looks like I have to heat things up!”
He
raised his arms and cast wall of fire .
A
sheet of fire blazed into existence like a roiling ribbon, scorching away the
icy coating that immobilized five of the twig blights in a hiss of steam before
setting them alight. Their screams were like the crackling of firewood.
Erwen
began to slip on the ice but planted his feet, digging in his toenails. He
turned back to the sixth blight and stared at him with undisguised menace.
Siegfried
sighed as the sleet storm whirled about him. His boots of the winterland
retained their uncanny grip on the icy ground, but he felt the bite of the cold
all the same. He cinched his scarf around his neck and stepped towards the
needle blight, pulling Hack out of his belt.
Siegfried
hefted the axe. “This might seem a bit familiar to you,” he said to the blight,
and swung the axe, which bit deeply into the plant creature.
As
the blight staggered back, Siegfriend brandished the axe. “This one has a
friend,” he said. “Perhaps you’ve seen it lying around the forest?”
He
hacked at the blight again. “I want! The! Other! Axe!”
The
blight withered under the assault. It hissed something that Radegast’s keen
ears caught as “G-grandfather!”
From
the wall of flames burst another needle blight, limbs ablaze, wielding a
gnarled staff whose point was coated with glowing blue ooze. It rushed at
Siegfried and stabbed, mouth agape in a silent scream of pain and rage.
Siegfried
cast shield and a wall of force deflected the blight’s attack, but the
creature, ignoring the flames that burned its bark-like skin to flaking
cinders, stabbed again and penetrated the half-orc’s defenses.
Siegfried
gasped as the spear’s point slipped beneath his sternum, injecting the blue
ooze into the wound. The burning weapon scorched him, but that pain was
miniscule compared to the body blow itself.
“Gods!”
shouted Siegfried, reeling. “Perhaps I was barking up the wrong tree!”
Fools ,
the injured needle blight said. Our roots run deep .
There
was a rustling as more twiglike creatures joined the fray, crawling out from
the shrubs and bushes where they had been waiting, nearly invisible to the
naked eye.
From
his unsteady perch in the tree beyond the hedge, Varien tried to peer into the
ash cloud and catch sight of any marauding undead.
There
was the sound of a scuffle on the far side of the hedge, and suddenly Varien
felt a biting chill as a sleet storm raged about him.
“This
is somewhat out of season, this weather,” remarked Fiendsbane.
“Quiet,
you,” Varien whispered. “We’re about to kill some undead.”
“Undead?
Those aren’t fiends, but whatever,” said Fiendsbane.
Varien
lurched as he began sliding down the slippery limb. “Hang on Fiendsbane, I’m
losing my grip!”
He
fell from the tree and landed on the frozen ground, his breath expelling in a
white fog.
From
the swirl of sleet and wet ash that blew around him, he could hear the moans of
approaching undead.
“Fiendsbane,”
Varien whispered as he got to his feet. “I’m going to need you to-”
The
creatures were on him in an instant.
Radegast
got up, slipped again on the ice, and fell to one knee. “Damn it!” she shouted,
unlimbering her lightning bow and loosing an arrow at an approaching twig
abomination that scuttled towards her like an animated pile of underbrush. The
arrow penetrated deep into the creature, which spurted sap-like blood as it
staggered.
Erwen,
his hands still held up, guided the wall of fire in a sweeping motion that set
an entire section of the tall hedge ablaze as he engulfed the remaining twig
and needle blights he could see. “Uh, sorry Roy,” he said as the flames began
to curl around Siegfried.
Siegfried
moved to shield himself from the worst of Erwen’s magical flames as two of the
marauding twigjacks popped and sizzled as their bodies burned. He grabbed for
his scarf to cover his mouth as he moved to safety, and froze as he saw a
figure standing in the flames.
A
very familiar figure.
It
was a woman, dressed in the burned remains of a formal gown, her skin blistered
and face smudged with soot. Her hair hung loose in clumps, the ends burned to a
crisp tangle.
Siegfried ,
the woman called to him in a croaking singsong. The fire burns us all .
Siegfried
stumbled as the needle blight, keen on escaping the flames, ran into him and
pushed him beyond Erwen’s magical fire. When he looked over his shoulder, the
burned apparition was gone.
Gone
for now, Siegfried knew. She would be back.
Siegfried
pointed his axe at Erwen, who cringed, and cast a hex before throwing an eldritch blast at the needle blight creeping up behind the druid.
The
staggering needle blight, limbs still ablaze, fell to the forest floor in an agonized
crackle.
“You,
small man, will help me find my axe,” Siegfried shouted at Erwen.
Erwen
pointed. “Your scarf is on fire, sir.”
Siegfried
arched an eyebrow as he regarded the smouldering end of his favourite scarf as
it flapped in the wind. “It does that when I’m upset!” He looked down at his
punctured thorax and blanched. “More importantly, I appear to have sustained a
grievous injury.”
He
looked about for Bob in the swirling sleet. “You there! Trevelyan! I require
your healing services!”
Bob
looked on in horror. “We’ve gone too far,” he whispered to his brother, and to
himself above all. “Look at what we’ve become. I could not convince these
creatures not to attack us, nor could I convince Radegast to not attack them.”
His eyes welled with tears at the horror of it all.
“Trevelyan!
Are you not a member of the Lord’s Alliance, and a cleric of Sune to boot?”
Siegfried pointed at his wound. “Or would you first like to inspect my damaged
organs yourself?”
Alec
cast a fire bolt that blasted another needle blight, sending it flying back
into Erwen’s wall of fire where it disappeared in a flash of kindling.
One
of the twig creatures rushed at Radegast, its twisted limbs curling into knotty
bludgeons. Radegast dodged the creature’s attacks, only barely maintaining her
balance on the slippery ground.
She
turned on her attacker and cast toll the dead on the creature. The sound of a
dolorous bell filled the air around Radegast and the creature reeled as if
struck, its twig-like body shrivelling as necrotizing magic ate into its outer
bark.
“We’re
getting to the root of the problem now!” Erwen shouted as he continued to stoke
his magical wall of fire , burning blight, twigjack, and hedge alike.
Radegast
and Siegfried rolled their eyes.
Bob
shook his head. “Let’s go, Alec,” he turned and walked towards their campsite.
Alec
reluctantly followed.
“Fine
then,” Siegfried called after them. “I’ll just put my kidney back in myself!”
Varien
found himself under the assault of no less than four zombies, their rotting
corpses the same colour of the ash clouds that roiled around them, save for the
dull brown-red of gaping wounds across their bodies. Their fists smouldered as
they rained blows down on the paladin’s shield, and Varien grimaced a
fatalistic smile each time a clawed hand managed to slash him.
“That’s
right, show me what you’re made of!” Varien shouted as he drew his sword.
Let’s
do this thing , said Fiendsbane.
Erwen,
satisfied that he had burned his enemies to the ground, dismissed his wall of
fire and wildshaped into the form of a giant eagle, taking wing from a running
start and swooping over the smouldering hedge.
Siegfried
put a finger to his temple and cast sending . I will find you when this is over,
little man .
He
turned and followed after the Trevelyan brothers, leaving a trail of dripping blood
behind him.
Varien
shoved his attackers back with a push from his shield and brandished
Fiendsbane. Before he could act, there was an eagle’s scream from above, and a
feathered blur as Erwen made a three-point landing before the mob of undead
creatures.
“I
like my zombies well done!” Erwen shouted and reignited his wall of fire .
The
four zombies were turned into undead torches in an instant. Three of them
exploded in great puffs of ash that spread in all directions, joining the cloud
around the adventurers. Varien and Erwen coughed but were not overcome by the
fumes.
“Um,
Erwen, you’re kind of stealing my thunder here,” Varien muttered.
Erwen
shrugged.
“Fair
enough!” Varien said. “Shield bash!” He lunged at the remaining zombie and
swung his shield like a battering ram, shattering the creature’s ribs and
driving it back further into the flames. A contemptuous swipe from Fiendsbane
separated the zombie’s head from its shoulders and it dissolved into an ashen
corpse that blew away in the wind.
“That
was pretty kickash,” Erwen offered.
Varien
rolled his eyes.
Radegast
dispelled the ise rune’s Winter’s Howl and looked around for a moment at the
terrible beauty of her handiwork. Everything within a forty-foot radius was
coated in a heavy shroud of ice – everything not on fire, that is.
“Hey,”
she said, realizing she was alone. “Where did everybody go?”
“Erwen
and I are over here,” Varien said through a smouldering, ragged gap in the
hedge.
“Hello!”
Erwen said, jumping into view for an instant. “It’s really cloudy on this side
of the hedge!”
“Indeed!”
Radegast said. She stepped back and regarded the broken barrier before her.
Tendrils
of ash were already spilling through the gap in the hedge, pooling around her
knees and drifting with an almost deliberate, searching malevolence. It behaved
like a gas one moment, and a liquid the next.
Radegast’s
eyes widened. No, it can’t be , she thought. Just a trick of the wind .
As
she watched, a swirl of ash entered the gawping mouth of a half-dead needle
blight. The creature made a choking noise and shuddered a final time.
“Erwen,”
she said carefully. “How far are we from Thundertree?”
Erwen
jumped up again. “About five miles as the eagle flies!” He winked.
Radegast
backed away from the breach. “Varien, Erwen, pull out of there now! We have to
make plans!”
“What?”
Varien argued. “We just got here!”
Radegast
shook her head. “We’ll never make it five miles in that fog, boys. You’d
suffocate before you found anything worth killing!”
“What
are you talking about?” Varien said. “I can breathe in here just fine.” He
inhaled deeply and coughed.
Erwen
held up a smouldering severed head. “Plus we’ve already killed a few things in
here.”
“I
am not going in there!” Radegast said. “If we do that we’ll die, and not by any
zombie. Varien, Erwen, please, leave that blighted place!”
Erwen
chucked the burning zombie skull back into the fog. “Maybe she has a point,” he
said to Varien.
“What’s
your plan, Radegast?” Varien said, sheathing Fiendsbane.
“Look,
if we travel to Neverwinter, we can stock up on, I don’t know, potions of
breathing or something to ward off that ash cloud. I’m sure we can find a way
to move through this gaseous aberration without being hindered.”
“ Potions
of breathing ?” Varien echoed. “Radegast, this is ash, not water. Besides, I’m
not feeling any ill effects! I’ve been in here for what…a minute? I’m fine.” He
exhaled and inhaled, and then coughed anew. “Excuse me, sorry. We’re here to
take out whatever this corruption is, and that will clear the air, I’m
certain.”
Radegast
rolled her eyes.
“Maybe
we can have Erwen and his wingmen fly us straight to Thundertree,” Varien said.
“We get in, kill whatever’s causing this, and get out easy. It’s either that or
we walk to Neverwinter and then backtrack. That will take too much time!”
Varien
peered through the gap in the hedge. “Hey Bob, what do you think?”
Radegast
frowned. “I don’t know what happened to Bob. Or Alec, for that matter.”
“Well
I don’t know where he could have gone,” Varien said. “I was on the other side
of the hedge, remember?”
“Looks
like they left,” Radegast said. “With Siegfried?”
“That
doesn’t sound right,” Varien said. He began to push his way through the ragged
tear in the hedge.
Siegfried
followed Bob and Alec back towards their campsite.
“I
mean, this is interesting from a medical standpoint,” Siegfried said, pressing
his hand to his wound to stanch the bleeding. “I now know what a kidney looks
like inside and out. Fascinating.” He stumbled as a bout of light-headedness
rippled through him. “Ugh.”
Bob
ignored him. “Alec, why are we here?”
Alec
shrugged.
“What
are we doing?” Bob continued.
“Oh
look, arteries connect to organs, inside this new abdominal porthole that
creature installed. Isn’t that…interesting, Doctor Trevelyan?” Siegfried was
starting to slur his words.
Bob
rolled his eyes. “Alec, we've been away from home for so long. I think we've
lost sight of the reasons we set out in the first place.”
“I
know what you mean,” Alec said. “My comrades-in-arms are all dead or missing.”
“Fine
then!” Siegfried spat a wad of bloody phlegm and staggered back to the north.
Bob
sighed and continued. “And through no fault of our own, we have become enemies
of an entire city-state, possibly being hunted, brought into some plot that
puts Neverwinter itself in danger."
“Things
were simpler back east,” Alec said.
“Yes,
I agree-” Bob suddenly froze as he heard something in the woods ahead.
“What?”
Alec asked.
“Shh!”
Bob said, hunkering down. “I hear something!”
Varien
stood next to Radegast on her side of the hedge, watching the ash pour through
like steam boiling off a pour of hot soup.
“Radegast,
are you saying this isn’t normal ash cloud behaviour?” Varien asked.
“I’m
not sure,” Radegast shrugged. “But this doesn’t look normal to me. You said you
were fighting some sort of ash zombie on the far side of the hedge?”
“That’s
how I’d describe them, yeah,” Varien said.
“Well,
we’ve got ash, and we’ve got ash zombies,” Radegast said. “Back beneath the
ziggurat, we had worms, and then we had worm zombies, you follow?”
“Yes,”
Varien said.
“I
don’t know, I just…I kinda want to breathe in there, you know?” Radegast said.
“So
you’re saying we need some sort of breathing assist?” Varien said. “Like a
mask?”
“You
know,” Siegfried said from behind them. “I’m going to have to agree with Bob.
It was awfully reckless tearing a hole in the magical hedge like that.”
“What
are you talking about?” Varien said. “You’re the one who played lumberjack when
negotiations went south.”
“Yes,”
Siegfried said evenly, “I stood with you when the fight ensued, but…” he
indicated the hedge. “I wasn’t about to tear down something I didn’t know
enough about.”
“So,
what do we do?” Varien asked.
Siegfried
sighed and walked over to the corpse of one of the twigjacks that was still
burning brightly in the evening light. “Well,” he said to the flames. “Do you
have any insight into this?” He toed the drift of ash that was beginning to
settle around the burning wood.
Radegast’s
eyes narrowed. “Who, or what, are you talking to?”
The
cinders at Siegfried’s feet began to move of their own volition, twisting and
turning like a small tornado that coalesced into a vaguely female shape.
It
was her.
Siegfried
averted his eyes at his mother’s gaze.
That
day in Neverwinter, the day of my ruin, the streets were filled with living
ash, his mother said, her voice like fingernails on a chalkboard . The Neverwinter River flowed with it. It sought us out, choked those who
could not outrun it. Blinded those who tarried within it. The ash lived for the
hunt, and it hunted us down as we tried in vain to escape it.
Siegfried
sighed. “So it’s alive and you had to run from it?”
When
Mount Hotenow blew its stack, a wall of fire, flame and ash scraped the city
clean , the apparition hissed. There was no escape from its searching tendrils.
No escape.
A
blast of wind swept her ghostly form away.
Siegfried
turned to Varien, Erwen, and Radegast. “It was almost 40 years ago that the
City of Neverwinter was destroyed in a volcanic eruption. That means the
survivors have been dealing with things like this for four decades as they
struggled to rebuild. They don’t call Neverwinter the City of Skilled Hands for
nothing. Their industriousness no doubt has led to innovations that would
ensure people were safe when working amid the clouds of ash from Mount Hotenow.
Perhaps they’ve kept some masks around in case of emergency.”
“We’re
about 25 miles from Neverwinter as the eagle flies,” Erwen said.
“Let’s
take care to leave things the way we found them,” Siegfried said, casting plant
growth to fill in the hole in the hedge.
Varien
shook his head. “You just undid all our hard work!”
Bob
crept forward through the underbrush. He thought he’d heard voices in the woods
to the southwest.
Sure
enough, a group of six men of martial bearing were walking purposefully through
the clearing ahead. Bob’s heart sank as he took note of the Gilded Eye tabards
they wore over their heavy chain mail. Two of the men carried themselves like
paladins and were obviously ranked higher than the knights in their retinue who
followed behind, watching every shadow. The paladins and two of the knights
were armed with sword and shield, while the remaining two hefted heavy crossbows.
"Alec,
we are not alone," Bob hissed. "Ready yourself."
Alec
crouched down and his knees popped explosively.
Bob
clapped a hand to his forehead as he saw the party of Gilded Eye fighters tense
suddenly.
“Who
goes there?” their leader cried.
Alec
gave Bob a sheepish look.
“Did
you see where Alec and Bob went?” Varien asked Siegfried.
“Yes,
they apparently wanted to have a heart-to-heart and complain about their lot in
life,” Siegfried sniffed and then eyed Varien’s shield. “Say, you’re a paladin
of Sune, are you not? Because I could really use a healing word from a faithful
defender such as your-”
He
stopped.
“You
were about to flatter me some more?” Varien said.
“Quiet,”
Siegfried cocked an ear. “I think the Brothers Trevelyan are making some
friends in the forest.”
“That
sounds like their style,” Varien said.
Siegfried
suddenly turned about and cupped a hand to his mouth. “Oi lads! Found those
Gilded bastards, we have!” He deepened his voice and shouted again. “Let’s get
‘em!” He modulated his voice again and danced about, shouting in varying tenor
and basso tones, making it sound like an entire band of brigands were on the move in the woods.
“Are
you…are you trying to hold a conversation with yourself?” Varien asked.
“Shut
up, we’ve got company!” Siegfried hissed, and then darted into the woods to the
southeast.
“In
the name of the Gilded Eye, show yourself!” the leader called out, hand on the
hilt of his sheathed greatsword.
Bob
looked at Alec and gave him a look that asked should we respond ?
Alec
shook his head no .
Bob’s
mind worked furiously. These Gilded Eye men were on patrol, which meant it was
likely that they had not been in Helm’s Hold when the trouble started. He
reasoned that not every member of the Gilded Eye was a tool of Javen Tarmikos.
Bob
gave his brother a look that said I have a plan .
Alec
gave Bob a cautious thumb’s up.
Bob
got to his feet and stepped out from the bushes, hands held out before him.
"Hello there!" He
said in his friendliest tone.
“Hello
yourself, traveler,” the Gilded Eye paladin said warily. “You are far off the
beaten path, friend. These woods are no place for an evening walk.”
Bob
nodded. “I agree wholeheartedly! I was alone on my way to Neverwinter and lost
track of the trail, and decided to wait things out ‘til morning.”
“If
I were you, I would not tarry in these woods overnight,” the paladin said as
his men fanned out beside him. “All manner of strange creatures won’t need much
of an excuse to make a meal of you.”
“Well,
I don’t see much choice unfortunately,” Bob said. “So, what brings you here?”
he asked nonchalantly.
“We
are out here carrying out the business of the Order of the Gilded Eye,” the
paladin said. “Which, I should say, is no business of yours.”
“Of
course, I don’t mean to pry,” Bob said placatingly. “I’d be grateful if you put
me on the right track to Neverwinter.”
In
the clearing near the hedge, Varien and Radegast listened.
They
could hear the exchange of voices to the southeast.
“Oh,
bugger,” Varien and Radegast said at the same time, and dashed towards the
noise.
“You’ll
never make Neverwinter before the sun goes down and the risks go up,” the paladin
was saying. “But if you hurry, you can make for the safety of Helm’s Hold and
find shelter in her walls before darkness falls completely. It’s just a few
miles south of here.”
“That
sounds like a good plan!” Bob said. No it doesn’t , he thought to himself. To
the Gilded Eye patrol he tipped an invisible hat and said. “Farewell then!”
“Hold
a moment, please!” the paladin said. “It would be remiss of me not to offer you
an escort to Helm’s Hold.”
“Oh,
that won’t be necessary,” Bob said cheerfully, but with a persuasive tone. “I’m
more than capable of looking after myself, thank you and I wouldn’t want to
take you away from your important business. I’m headed for Neverwinter and
would like to try for it if you don’t mind.”
A
flicker of doubt crossed the paladin’s face. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to
insist, friend.”
There
was a sound of snapping twigs and a muffled curse as Alec took a bad step in
the bushes.
“Wait,”
the paladin said, frowning. “I thought you said you were alone?”
Bob
cursed inwardly but made sure his expression was one of pleasant surprise.
“Alfonzo! Thank goodness I've found you!” To the Gilded Eye paladin he said,
“Yes I was separated from my traveling companion. We were on our way to
Neverwinter, as I said, and-”
“So
it’s ‘we’ now, is it?” the paladin asked.
Siegfried
moved silently through the bushes. He saw a sprig of holly and inspiration
struck. He exhaled slowly and began to cast disguise self .
Radegast
skirted the edge of the clearing, nocking an arrow into her lightning bow and
lining up a shot, just in case.
Alec
spied Varien approaching and did his best to creep towards him. His armour
clanked noisily.
Varien
put on his most imperious airs and stepped out where the Gilded Eye patrol
could see him. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Bob. “What’s the issue here?”
The
Gilded Eye paladin blinked. “Tell me, Alfonzo, who are you that I should answer
your questions?”
Varien’s
hand strayed to the symbol of Helm on his borrowed plate armour. “I’m a
paladin, same as you.”
The
Gilded Eye paladin nodded slowly. “Then you no doubt can feel the evil that
permeates this land.”
“Feel
it?” Varien sniffed. “I’ve seen it.”
“Then
it appears you already know our business in these woods,” the Gilded Eye leader
said. “Just who are you, anyway?”
“Someone
who knows that you should have brought more men,” Varien said darkly.
A
strange voice cackled through the trees. Oh, but these are plenty of men for
little old me!
“What
the hell?” Bob said.
A
tall, willowy shape emerged from the trees. Female in form, its skin was green
and covered with veiny leaves. The creature’s mouth was split in a malevolent
slasher smile, and its voice was like the twisting of vines. Around its neck
was a garland of holly berries, the same shade as Siegfried’s jaunty scarf.
I
do love it when the city folk send forth their firm young boys to join my
company. My, aren’t you all so handsome and delicious?
“It’s
a forest witch, come to steal our souls!” one of the Gilded Eye knights cried.
The
creature reached out her spindly arms, which stretched horribly into fierce
claws.
Steal
your souls? No, my pretty. I’m going to eat your hearts, and then you shall
nourish the forest as composting corpses hanging from my many branches.
“Helm
protect us!” one of the Gilded Eye knights shouted.
Don't
run , the forest witch said, her smile widening hideously. It just makes the
meat tender .
“Forest
witch?” One of the knights shouted. “More like forest bitch! I was raised in
these woods, and you don’t scare me!” He raised his heavy crossbow at the
creature.
There
was a flash as a lightning-charged arrow slammed into the Gilded Eye knight’s
chest, fired from parts unknown.
Radegast
readied another arrow.
“Fear
not, comrades!” The paladin shouted as he began to cast heroism .
“Uh,
uh, uh!” Bob said with a grin as he cast counterspell .
The
paladin’s spell fizzled.
So
much for talking things out , Bob sighed. To the Gilded Eye patrol he shouted,
“I'd advise that you leave now, while you still can!”
Varien’s
eyes were drawn to the utility belts that each soldier wore. It appeared as
though each man had a mask of sorts hanging on their belts.
“Nice
masks you have there!” he shouted.
Oh
yes, my pretty young things , the forest witch sang out in a way that chilled
everyone within earshot to the bone. Drop your trinkets and the belts holding
up your breeches and run along home. And think twice before trespassing in my
domain again. I will be hungrier the next time we meet.
The
Gilded Eye men looked at one another and then hastily unbuckled their belts and
tossed their equipment aside before making a run for it.
Bob
waited until the Gilded Eye patrol had fled out of earshot. Then he rounded on
Varien and Siegfried, who had removed his disguise and was smirking
triumphantly.
“I
had a plan guys, a solid plan to talk these Gilded Eye soldiers down, and maybe
get them on our side, and you both just ran roughshod over it!” Bob shouted.
“Typical westerners! I do not understand you!” He threw up his hands in
frustration and stalked away angrily.
“That’s
a funny way of saying thanks,” Siegfried said.
“Shut
up, Siegfried,” Bob called over his shoulder.
“Well
then,” Siegfried beamed at Varien. “I’d say that bit of subterfuge and
intimidation warrants a rather eloquent healing word , wouldn’t you?”
Varien
shook his head but grinned. “I’d say you earned it.” He uttered a short prayer
and laid hands on Siegfried’s wound, closing it up with a divine flourish.
Siegfried
stepped away. “Much better. Now, grab a mask, one and all!” He rooted through
the belts left on the ground and picked up one of the masks. It was made of
thick leather, with polarized glass eyepieces and a breathing tube that lolled
like an oversized tongue. It had a rubber gasket around its neck opening that
looked as though it was meant to affix to the wearer’s breastplate. “Hey guys,
guess who doesn’t need to make a return trip to Neverwinter!”
“That’s
a funny way of saying you’re welcome,” Radegast said.
Erwen
held up a brace of healing potions nicked from the utility belts.
Siegfried
read the maker’s mark on the mask’s inner lining. “Clockdrive’s Ghast Mask,” he
said aloud. “Clockdrive’s the best tinkerer in Neverwinter, or so I’ve heard.
The Gilded Eye doesn’t skimp.”
“Ghast
mask?” Varien repeated. “I knew there was something about the look of those
masks I didn’t like.”