Separate Ways

07 Newkolt 349 AC

AT THE ABANDONED TEMPLE OF KIRI-JOLITH

Grotto goes to investigate the temple ruins. He starts with the largest tree in the middle. While searching he continually prays to Hanseath to see if he can feel his divine power. The Dwarven God of War and Drinking does not answer but all the same, Grotto can feel a sense of serenity in the small grove.

He crouches down, scanning the earth, running his fingers along the ground, closing his eyes to shut out input from his other senses. Lorraine watches in quiet amusement when Grotto pauses, pinching some soil between his thumb and forefinger. He brings the ground up to his nose and sniffs it, and then touches it to his tongue. He nods and lies flat, turning his good ear to the ground and listens.

The scarred dwarf sits up, "There's a passage below, maybe twenty feet down." He scoots along the ground, stopping to listen every couple of feet until he reaches the base of the tree itself. He feels along the thick roots, "There's a doorway here but the roots have grown through the opening."

He reaches over his back and pulls out Longtooth, his fallen brother, Delve's pickaxe and takes a deep breath, recalling the battle at Jack's castle where he ended up taking his brother's life.

EN ROUTE TO THE DRAGON ISLES

"I'm both excited and nervous for this next step. I wish I could be meeting them under better circumstances. But I'm glad it's with you," Arthur rubs her scales. "How many days do you think it will take us?"

"To get there? I'm not sure," she continues to alternate between scanning the horizon and the ground below, "The entire northern edge of the forest looks like it is on fire. We will have to go around, perhaps to the east and out over Balifor Bay?" She shrugs, a movement that threatens to topple Arthur from his perch. "Oops, sorry. I have never carried anyone on my back before. You are much heavier than you look." She drops down, skimming the treetops. "If we don't run into any troubles along the way, we can make the Serpent Point in the far north of Nordmaar in seven days, but the Nordians were overrun by the Dragonarmies more than a year ago. And the lizardmen livong in the northern swamps and jungle have probably shifted their allegiance to the invaders by now." She flies in silence for a few minutes and Arthur gives her the time to put her thoughts in order. "When I left my island, I rode aboard a ship crewed by humans whose families had lived in the Isles dating back to almost when the Isles first rose from the sea. We were at sea for weeks. But I can fly far further in an hour than most ships can sail in a day." Her voice shifts, taking on a more concerned tone and although Arthur cannot see her face, he can tell that she is frowning. "But, the islands are hundreds of miles out to sea. There will be few, if any, places I can land to rest and the thought of floating out in the middle of the ocean makes me...uneasy. There are things out there large enough to swallow even a dragon in one gulp."

IN COUNCILOR SUMMERWALKER'S WAREHOUSE ~ NOW SERVING AS RA'ZIIR/SHADOW/KYSEK'S COMMAND CENTER

Ra’ziir leans in close to Shadow, “We’re up. Scry his location, and get us there. We may be coming into a hot zone, so be ready for anything… he sent the survivors to the forest nearest his location on the water.”

He pauses, “Once we have them, we can each bring a group back. If necessary, I’ll get you and I back again… knowing the Black Bird, he’s going to cover the extraction, but we have to bring him home too, regardless of the situation.”

Kysek says, “If there’s trouble, bring me as well. I can assist. Should everyone be extracted and there’s no room for me; I can hold out. They’ll never find me. I can help cover the escape from the shadows and stay until I can be recovered if need be.”

Shadow, who began casting the spell almost an hour ago, focuses on Raven. His vision clears, revealing the swordsman cutting into the hull of the prison ship. The dark elf watches as Raven forms the rescued elves into a line and starts leading them away along the ice. He hears the ringing of the alarm bell and Raven's command to run.

Cedron stands ready while the wizards work their magic to bring back Raven and the elves. “Please let me know if I can be of assistance; otherwise I’m prepared to heal those who need it as you return.”

AND, LASTLY, IN KURINOST...

Raven draws Thorgrim with his other hand, faces down the charging minotaurs and takes a deep, calming breath. The lead brute drops its head, aiming sharpened horns at the elf and bellows a throaty roar.

Raven takes a step to the left and makes a quarter turn towards the marine. Nightwatcher flashes down in a silvery arc, chopping across the shoulders of Raven's much larger foe. It stumbles, pitching forward to land on its face and slides several yards on the ice. It comes to a stop and pushes itself back to its feet, snarling in fury.

Then the other three arrive, the first two of these ruffians try the same tactic that failed for their wounded compatriot. They achieve near identical results and both go sliding on their faces, with deep slashes across their shoulders, to collide with their ally as he tries to get to his feet.

The last minotaur slows, stopping several feet short of Raven. The elf quickly recognizes the grizzled warrior he saw instructing the other sailors earlier in the day. The towering warrior looms over Raven, nearly double the elf's height and hefts its greataxe in one hand and begins circling to its left, appraising the warrior who just took down three of his sailors with frightening ease.

"Don't s'pose I could ask ya to surrender, save us both some trouble?" The minotaur's voice is a low grumble, so deep Raven can nearly feel its vibration through the ice.

Raven shakes his head and the minotaur sighs and places his second hand on his massive axe. "Didn't think so. Thought I'd give ya the chance."

The three wounded warriors shout encouragement as they get to their feet.

"Get 'em, Sarge!"

"Split that pointy-ear freak in half!"

Raven remains impassive, his eyes on his enemy, one of the tiny gems set into Nightwatcher's hilt glows faintly. The Minotaur Sergeant shifts his weight, raising his axe but before he can do anything more, Raven strikes, faster than the eye can follow. Three deep gashes suddenly appear on the minotaur's chest. Blood erupts in a fountain and the brute falls, the axe dropping from his hand. A confused look briefly crosses the sergeant's face before he topples forward in an expanding pool of blood.

Except for the clanging of the alarm bell and the heavy footfalls of more sailors coming from the ship, silence falls across the ice as Raven turns to face the other three warriors and whispers, "Run or die. Your choice."