DAY 290 (25th Nightal)(December) cont ...
The fighting continued and it was one they could not win. Dire wolves and giant bats swarmed out of the cave, enough to trouble a small army. Fenrir flew further back and started blasting from a safe distance. Harvel put up a brave defence but was overcome by the wolves. Arahel turned into a giant, but Mr Rattles knocked her unconscious with a blow from his great sword. The skeletal warrior then picked them both up and took them into the cave.
Fenrir, the last man standing, gave it a minute or two then, while invisible, flew back into the cave. Wolves, regular sized ones, could smell him, but could not see him.
He saw that the goblins were getting Harvel ready for the pot while Nexelmode had Arahel at the back of the cave. Nexelmode was taking care of Arahel in her own weird way so deciding Harvel was in more danger, Fenrir decided to rescue him first.
He started blasting at the goblins. They were not strong so the chief and his cohort all died instantly and then the shaman and any other goblin with a bow stupid enough to attack him. He may also have killed a female or youngling in the onslaught. He had not meant it deliberately, but in the milling confusion of the tribe it was difficult to pick out targets.
Mr Rattles came to the chasm and told Fenrir, 'That's enough!'
Fenrir called back, 'Call them off then, while I get Harvel.'
Rattlesa agreed, so Fenrir flew down, used his healing pine cone on Harvel and then helped him gather up his gear. He found everything except his pack.
Together they then crossed over to Nexelmode's side of the cavern, Fenrir turning on the charm again in a diplomatic offensive, apologising for the 'confusion'.
Harvel hung back, although at one point he did do a run along the walls of the cavern.
'Odd fellow,' remarked Mr Rattles.
Nexelmode then demanded that Fenrir gave her a kiss, as a means of apology. He did so, noting that while her lips were like regular lips, her tongue was longer than he was expecting.
She smelled of mushrooms and damp earth.
As she kissed him deeply he felt himself fall under her spell, a sensation he remember from just a few ten-days ago when Imaug the Aboleth had dominated him.
'Tell that man to leave,' she told Fenrir, pointing at Harvel. Harvel left without further comment.
Nexelmode healed Arahel a little and she woke up. Arahel said that she wanted to leave.
'No no, stay here with me,' demanded Nexelmode.
'I cannot stay here any longer, I am leaving now,' said the Kiloren.
The two hag-like servants of Nexelmode went to block her from leaving the cavern.
'Please let me pass.'
'Now now, don't be naughty, little Arahel. Come back here or I will punish you.'
'Well, then your choice is clear, you can either kill me or let me go,' said Arahel foolishly putting her life on the line.
'I would prefer you alive, but you can serve my while dead as well.'
Arahel took a step away and a hag clawed at her, drawing blood.
'I see you have chosen to kill me,' said Arahel the master of the obvious.
The other hag clawed at her and she fell back to the floor.
Fenrir could do and say nothing until he was told to do so, so could only watch on in dismay.
Harvel went back to the campsite and waited a couple of hours then went back again. He saw Mr Rattles at the entrance watching the goblins as they burned their chief and other dead on a funeral pyre.
'Where are my companions?' asked Harvel.
'Not that it is any of your business,' replied the skeleton. 'But they are alive and inside.'
Harvel then returned again to the camp and waited for the remainder of the night.
Nexelmode had a nice dinner with her new friends. Arahel was still alive, just, and decided to keep quiet. Despite being dominated, Fenrir was making the most of things and tucking into what was a pretty decent spread of fresh fruit, vegetables and barbequed meat. When he asked for something to drink she got out a very pleasant bottle of dandelion wine.
With permission to talk freely he used every ounce of charm and cunning to persuade her to lift the spell from him and she eventually relented, making him promise to spend the night.
Later that evening Arahel 'was sent to bed' and Nexelmode and Fenrir sat by the fire, drank wine and talked late into the night.
Later still, needless to say, they made love in the druid's private chamber. She was youthful in appearance, plain featured and smelled of caves, but the young warlock decided that he'd definitely had worse.
DAY 291 (26th Nightal)(December)
Harvel spent a really rough and lonely night in their first campsite. Lacking the skill to light a fire he shivered, wrapped in his cloak, his bedroll lost to the goblins the night before.
Fed up and angry he returned to the cave and yelled, 'Nexelmode you old hag, wake up!'
A few minutes later Mr Rattles appeared at the cave entrance, but by now Harvel was well hidden in the trees.
He waited another ten minutes and then had a notion to scout around the back of the cavern and try and find another way in. Poor Harvel though, was a gentleman of the city and while he was an expert at hiding and sneaking he still attracted the attention of two shambling mounds.
He was still weak from the battle yesterday and his rough night, so the were able to easily slam him to the ground. They are territorial creatures so may well have been happy with that, but unfortunately for Harvel one of them was hungry and started to eat him boots first.
Despite all his bad luck so far, fortune finally smiled on him when Fenrir suddenly arrived, having been sent out by Nexelmode to see what as going on. He blasted the Shambling Mound enough to make it spit out its breakfast and quickly applied a Blessed bandage to Harvel's legs, or at least what was left of them. Harvel was missing his left foot.
Fenrir persuaded Nexelmode to let them all go. She seemed sad but said,
'I suppose I must in the end. Arahel is a wilful child and I would have to kill her to keep her. You are too tricky and dangerous to keep around. Leave then. I am used to my solitude.'
She returned to the cave and before they left Mr Rattles offered them this advice;
''
Which one of you idiots attacked Nexelmode yesterday anyway? Lucky for you I was there to save your skin.
She's a lot tougher than you three put together, I can assure you of that, and killing her would only make her angry. She may live in the forest, but she has a long reach, you would do well to make peace with her some time soon. Perhaps bring her a present later once the dust has settled? I know there are many that would think the world would be better off without her, she is very evil after all, but just bear in mind that she holds down this area of the forest.
If she was gone, then something even nastier would take her place. She is reasonable to a certain degree, what lies further south is less so.
''
Fenrir grew his dark wings and as he took off, gave a wave and called, 'Cheerie-bye Boney!'
Arahel turned into a giant owl, Harvel clambered painfully onto her back and all together they flew back to Ferbone. It started to snow and this obscured their vision, but Arahel lead the way which was just as well for Fenrir otherwise he would have gotten hopelessly lost.
They arrived at Ferbone at lunchtime. Weynay took Harvel into her small hospital and listened to Fenrir report back. He spun it out to sound like everything had went well, but did admit there had been a fight and he'd killed a few goblins.
'Well,' said Weynay. 'I suppose with the chief dead, perhaps they will be preoccupied with choosing a
successor for a while. You did your best, thank you for that.'
Fenrir talked to Weynay privately and admitted he'd had relations with Nexelmode.
She examined his bits and not liking the look of them gave him some ointment and told him to apply it every day for the next month.
Fenrir and Arahel then went to the Badger Inn to sit out the storm.
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