Descent Into Avernus
Demon Zapper
More effective than you’d thinkTorgun strode outside, feeling confident even as he pushed through his exhaustion. He stood outside the crypt, feeling good about the redemption he had achieved, and the direct connection he had forged with Torm. The armoured guardians continued their eternal vigilance, and he said a silent prayer of thanks.
He flexed his new wings and took a few tentative steps forward before leaping ito the air. He held his breath as he glided a few easy feet through the overheated air. He landed with a laugh, ran a few more steps and leapt into the air, this time flapping his leather appendages.
He flew. Only for a few yards, but he flew.
Everyone else stared with a equal mixture of despair and amazement.
Madam Portencia pulled Morad aside as Torgrun continued his antics. Her wig was burnt to a crisp, hanging loose. Her dress was charred and torn, and her make up a mockery of good taste. She was a mess.
“Morad,” Madam Portencia said, a great weariness in her voice, “I can’t do this anymore. I’ve been making this up as I go along, and I was…I…” She stopped, and pointed up at Torgrun.
Morad glanced up at the flying dwarf, then back to Madam Portencia. “He’s still Torgrun, as far as Al’Akbar tell me. He ok,” Morad said encouragingly.
“Sweetheart,” Madam Portencia continued, “It’s you. You’re in charge now.”
Morad rocked back, shocked. “No! No-”
Madam Portencia shook her finger to stop him. “And if you have to trust anybody, trust Spider - but only as much as you have to, ok?”
“Me no in charge, me, uh, me sometimes have to do god things? Not so good for everybody, I understand, so best me not in charge-” Morad protested.
“Morad!” Madam Portencia cried. “We don’t have a choice!”
“Well…we um, Spider? You, Spider, you work it out?”
Madam Portencia looked ready to burst into tears. “No. No, I can’t do it anymore.”
Behind them, Togrun landed safely from another flight, dropping to his knees and genuflecting into a prayer. Morad watched in horror,
“The wings a bit scary,” Morad admitted.
“The choice is yours now, buddy,” Madam Portencia said before turning away.
“Well we have to have a big decision,” Morad started, “So we probably have to get the car going, and then maybe go in your tent at some point, and we have a discussion, because, where do we go now? Either Bel and talk to Bel, and talk to Bel, or go to mirror, and make a deal, or-”
“I SAID STOP ASKING ME!” Madam Portencia yelled. Morad flinched and everyone turned to look. “I CAN’T DO IT ANYMORE! I’m a fraud, don’t you get it?!” She dragged the burnt wig off her head, exposing her short clipped hair.
“Don’t…that’s, Madam…” Morad shielded his face from the sight. This was too much for him, the combination of the wings and now Madam Portencia bald head. But he could see Madam Portencia’s great suffering. He took a deep breath and reached into his bag, pulling out a finely patterned scarf. He offered it gently to Madam Portencia. “For your hair. You’ll be ok.”
Madam Portencia took it, a tear in her eye, and started folding it restlessly
Spider gently placed his hand on the small of Madam Portencia’s back and gave it a small pat, comfortingly. “You just need a cup of tea, love. Let’s get back on the Demon Grinder.” Madam Portencia sighed and climbed to her position atop the Holy Terror II.
Morad watched her climb. “Both her, Togrun, both dead. Come back. That’s a lot,” he said mournfully.
“It’s enough to give anyone a crisis of confidence,” Torgrun added helpfully.
“But not you,” Spider observed wryly. “You’ve gained, in fact, diamond clarity.”
“Newfound clarity,” Mak agreed.
“Well these crises do hope you to focus,” Torgrun agreed happily.
Morad and Mak started their engines, the screaming souls almost a comfort such was their familiarity. A slight cough on startup reminded Spider that there were no more soul coins.
“We might do well to go back to Fort Knucklebone, see what we can do about getting some more gas,” Spider opined. “It’s on the way to Bel’s anyway, more-or-less.”
Morad agreed. “Let’s get back to the base, reassess.”
“Neutral ground,” Torgrun concurred.
Morad mapped out a route that took the North roads, before heading East before the ‘Demon Zapper’ marked on the map. Around a lake of black sludge that Morad tagged as ‘Shummrath’s cousin’, then finally swinging North again toward where he figured Mad Maggie’s compound stood. It looked a good route. And everyone agreed avoiding the Sibriex (or ‘giant floating spined tentacle brains,’ as Spider dubbed them) at all costs was of paramount importance.
Four hours of hot, sweaty, draining travel later, the Eastern junction was approaching. Torgrun and Madam Portencia were dead on their feet, having been dead in their bodies not long ago. They were shattered. Morad knew they needed rest, but wanted to press on to shelter before stopping.
Lulu suddenly shot into the air above Torgrun, ears perked. She flew down to Torgrun, eyes shining with excitement. “There’s a celestial! I can sense it!”
“Where? Where?” Torgrun asked quickly.
“To the North - we must find it!” Lulu squealed.
Torgrun squinted his eyes to the North, finding something glowing on the horizon, an unusual light. “Perhaps this is a place we can rest,” Togrun suggested.
Madam Portencia had wrapped Morad’s scarf around her head, feeling somewhat more settled as a result. “Why don’t we just-” Madam Portencia started, before correcting herself, “-what do you think we should do, Morad?”
“I do not know, because a celestial? Whenever we think good here? Not so good. But Lulu, she very good, and she know. We do need the rest so why don’t we draw closer, then rest in tent.”
“Where better than in the shade of a celestial’s light?” Torgrun affirmed.
“Let’s not make any assumptions,” Spider said warily.
Morad led the convoy to within eyesight of the Zapper. Radiant light cascaded from a rusted metal monument shaped like the upraised mandibles of a giant beetle, each rising fifty feet into the sky. Torgrun found the light reminded him of a softer version of the insidiator when it had hung above Elturel.
Morad pulled the vehicles to the side of the road, slowing to a stop below the ruins of a watchtower. As everyone climbed wearily down, there was a crackling noise from the direction of the monuments. A beam of radiance discharged from the glowing light, shooting out and crashing into the earth somewhere to the West.
“Shit,” Morad said simply. He estimated the encampment was several miles away, and hoped that was far enough.
“I feel this is a place of safety,” Torgrun grinned.
Madam Portencia created her tent, much to everyone’s relief. A watch rotation was established and those not on duty collapsed into blessed sleep. Those that were on watch witnessed several more radiant beams, though what they were targeting remained a mystery.
Spider watched everyone carefully the following ‘morning’, wanting to gauge their physical condition. The rest had obviously helped, especially Torgrun and Madam Portencia who looked vastly better than they had after their near-death experiences.
Bili was the only one looking a little worse for wear. He rubbed his belly as if too soothe something within, and had a decidedly pale look as if he was feeling slightly queasy. Spider watched as the lithe barbarian conjured up endless cubes of ice, crunching them down in short order.
Bili glanced at Spider and waved - the ice tasted warm, which was disappointing, but it was alleviating at least some of the craving he had developed overnight. He stretched his chest and belly to dampen the mild cramps, then continued with his frozen meal.
Torgrun woke, still weary but much improved. He pondered how whilst things had been quite pragmatic and ambivalent recently, he needed to reaffirm his connection to Torm, and show due reverence for the gift He had given. On his knees, Torgrun started an extended prayer session.
Morad noted the fervour Torgrun put into his prayers, understanding. Sometimes you have to work hard to allay the doubt, fear, and qualms. He watched as Torgrun rose with renewed energy and commitment.
Spider was perturbed to see Madam Portencia staying to herself, quietly packing and preparing. Still no wig, just Morad’s scarf, and none of Madam’s normal joie de vivre. Morad offered her some weak tea, which she took silently with a small nod of thanks. Bili conjured up a small bouquet of flowers which he handed to Madam Portencia, who smiled weakly. “You’re a wonderful little man, Bili.”
“We have to keep an eye on Madam P,” Spider said quietly to Morad as he sipped the dirt flavoured concoction.
“Me doing that,” Morad nodded, “I gave her scarf for hair? We have to watch… we have to watch everybody.”
“Yeah we do. Mak’s fine at least.”
“I not worried about Mak,” Morad agreed, both looking over to him.
Mak sat with his head in his hands. Morad sighed - and added Mak to the list.
“So, plan for the day,” Spider said, rounding everyone up. “Let’s go knock over this celestial, whatever that is - I was watching those beams during the night, they are hitting the ground, so let’s hope we aren’t a target.”
“I’ll go in via the road,” Morad nodded.
“Once we do that, and undoubtedly find out it’s not what we think it is, but I’ll reserve judgement, then - Knucklebone. See if we can get some more-” Spider glanced at Morad, “-just Fort Knucklebone, I’ll see about some stuff. And then we gotta go talk to Bel.”
“Good thing is if celestial is ok, it shorten our journey to Fort,” Morad said hopefully.
“I’m giving it about a 20% chance of being ok,” Spider said glumly. “Realistically it’s just not going to happen.”
Mak glanced at Samael, the devil that was Spider’s boon companion, then caught Spider’s eye. “Is it?”
“What?”
“Going to be ok?”
Morad groaned - Mak was cracking?!
Spider didn’t like what Mak was implying. “Course it’s gonna be fine. Look - it took me a while, this whole place scared the shit out of me until we got to Fort Knucklebone. After that it’s all been fine.”
Torgrun and Madam Portencia begged to differ, and Morad shook his head.
“Because you know what,” Spider continued, “All of these devils? I know how they think. They’re all trying to scramble their way up a ladder, and it’s all fine. Bel? Bel’s going to be fine too - he’s a big scary guy, but the thing is he can squash us like bugs, but if we give him something he wants, he can help us out.
“And if it comes down to it,” Spider said quietly, glancing at Torgrun and Lulu, “If we redeem Zariel, that’s fine. If we ice her with her own sword, that’s fine by me too. I don’t give a shit. I just want to get Elturel back, because that’s the best way to be sure Baldur’s isn’t going to go the same way.”
Mak listened as Spider continued his surprisingly effective rant. “It’ll be ok. It’s all just deals. Look - we just went to a big scary place where no-one survives. We survived!”
Torgrun let out a barking cough at that, having tuned into the philosophising. ‘Survived’ was perhaps a little strong.
Spider went on. “We released that giant gorilla baby from the circle - we survived! It’s fine. You know what - we can kill devils now, they’re not scary. It’s ok. You’re a bit guy - nothing’s killed you yet!”
Mak was nodding slowly, overwhelmed, having forgotten his initial dig at Spider’s spider.
Spider was aware of his larger audience now. “Mak - you gotta play the card you’re dealt, pal. There’s not point worrying whether you’re going to die every day, because the simple fact is people die of heart attacks and eating too much pork. Everyone’s gonna die sometime, but I’m not planning on dying here!”
Spider looked around the room to find everyone staring at him, open mouthed. He grinned. “I’m not worried about that stuff. We go and see Bel, he ices us straight away? Everything just goes black, it won’t make any difference. It’s fine.”
Mak backed away slowly, picked up his axe, and started sharpening it. Going ‘black’ didn’t tally with his beliefs, but Spider was right: no point worrying. Torgrun walked over and put his hand on Mak’s shoulder. “He has no religion, son,” he said with conviction. “Have faith.”
Spider stared at Torgrun and scoffed. “It’ll be fine!” he insisted. “Follow my lead and you’ll be ok - it’s worked so far.”
On the short journey North, Madam Portencia spoke to Torgrun, asking if he knew how to get the fuel from the bike into the Holy Terror II, should the fuel run short.
Torgrun grunted. “I assume so?” Madam Portencia wasn’t filled with confidence, despite Morad’s insistence that Torgrun was an engineer.
Morad and Mak slowed as the construct loomed ever closer, and Spider held his hand up to stop. The map was squeaking out another ‘guide’:
“The purest of souls lures fiends into a Hellish trap.”
“Forward we go!” Torgrun cried.
Inside the mandibles was a glowing circle of light, and from this distance it appeared there was something inside that circle.
“Is that what you sense?” Torgrun asked Lulu.
“It might be.”
“And as a celestial, it must be good?”
“I would hope so. I can’t see how it couldn’t be.”
“Uhhh, unless you’re Zariel,” Spider suggested.
“Lulu was good, but she is no longer a celestial,” Lulu said sadly.
“Madam P, can you pass me the spy glass?” Spider asked.
“I don’t think there’s much left of that celestial, it’s been trapped and used for a purpose,” Madam Portencia said, handing over the glass.
Spider nodded. He agreed, but he wanted to see. He didn’t want anyone traumatised any more than they need to be. He focused on the radiant glow, already dreading what he was going to see. It was quite difficult to focus, the light almost blinding, but once he did he let out an involuntary gasp. It wasn’t easy to surprise Spider, but this sight did.
Inside the glow was a fully formed Unicorn with a beautiful pure-white coat and golden mane. It looked uninjured, but it held its head dropped sadly as if stunned or exhausted.
“So is it terrible and disgusting?” Madam Portencia asked, hearing Spider’s reaction.
Spider removed the eyeglass and tried to regain his composure. “No. It’s a live…unicorn?”
“Oh shit,” Madam Portencia sighed.
Bili leapt of the bike and started sprinting toward the trapped beast. “Come on!” he yelled.
Mak scratched his head and rumbled forward, catching Bili very quickly, who saw his enthusiasm might be better served by jumping back on board, which he did. “Hurry!” he yelled.
As the convoy sped forward, another beam of celestial light crackled and shot out from the epicentre of the unicorn. The creature arched its back as if great pain as the beam of radiance shot out and exploded into the ground to the North.
Torgrun observed that the vehicles were obviously within the range of the beams now, but thus far safe. “It hasn’t struck us down,” he yelled excitedly over the screaming engines, “Because we are good”
“It hasn’t struck us down yet” Mak corrected.
“We are on the true path!” Torgrun corrected corrected.
The vehicles were now only fifty feet away, so Bili launched himself off the bike, shape-changing in mid-air into the fastest thing he could think of, a huge great-coated wolf. He sped across the surface toward the unicorn, which hung fifty feed in the air.
“Noooooooo, Bili, nooo!” Madam Portencia cried.
Bili charged on regardless. The ground in front of the right mandible started to crack and rumble, and a huge creature rose, seemingly forming itself from the earth itself. It was adorned with jewellery and wielded a massive stone hammer.
It hefted the hammer and spoke to Bili in a voice like thunder:
“Go no further!”
Spider immediately fanned to the left of the creature, trying to take the opposite to flank to wolf-Bili. As he did he couldn’t help notice that the gems the creature wore were of no small value. Mak run forward to stand next to Bili, but withheld any attack, following Spider’s lead.
Morad needed to find out the creature’s intent, so he stepped up behind Mak and concentrated hard. A wave of overwhelming goodness was centred on the unicorn, unsurprisingly, and equally predictable was the fact the rock-being was evil - controlled evil, but evil none-the-less. “The guardian is evil!” he yelled.
Madam Portencia recognised the creature as a Dao, not something to be trifled with. She grabbed Morad by the shoulder. “I might have forgotten the detail, but remember the Twelfth Book of the Prophet: know when to fight, and know when not to fight,” she whispered.
Morad looked confused. The twelfth book was mainly about how you cook - no seafood, no pig (obviously). “That is not the book,” he corrected.
“Eleventh book! I don’t know the exact book - you take my point!”
“It’s ok,” Morad said, patting Madam Portencia’s hand, “We fight when we fight, and we need to fight this thing.” He was taken aback by this sudden interest in Al’Akbar from Madam Portencia.
The Dao stepped forward and slammed her hammer into the ground. “Stop. Do not approach. I am the protector of this creature, and I will die before I let anyone interfere. For that is my fate. If you stop, you may leave. If you continue, I will kill you, or you me.”
Bili sat down on his haunches, stopping, surprising everyone. Madam Portencia squeezed Morad’s shoulder.
Torgrun couldn’t understand why everyone had hesitated, arrayed around the rock creature like a tea party and not doing anything. And this evil creature was laying down a gauntlet in front of a celestial that was obviously trapped and being used as a tool. He strode past his prevaricating colleagues and looked up to the unicorn.
“Does this creature protect you, or is this your jailer?” Torgrun asked in Celestial.
Morad nodded, good question, he thought. Madam Portencia squeezed Morad’s shoulder harder. This was going well.
The unicorn lifted its head and shook it slowly, sadly. Torgrun could see the despair in its large eyes. He was about to speak again when the Dao spoke instead - clearly it had understood Torgrun words, despite his use of Celestial.
“I did not imprison the unicorn. But I keep it imprisoned. For that is my fate,” it explained simply. “It is not my choice, but I have no choice.”
Torgrun hefted his flail and looked at the Dao. “But we do.”
A beam of radiant light shot from Torgrun’s hand and punched toward the Dao, who growled with determined anger and stepped away from the attack. Spider circled behind, skipping off the ground and running his daggers through both kidneys, drawing a thundering howl of agony. He rolled to the ground and out of harms way.
Mak gave his own raging howl in response, smashing his axes into the Dao’s rocky torso. She was taking a pummelling, front and back.
“What book was it again?” Madam Portencia whispered to Morad.
“No time for that, Lady, I must kill this thing now,” Morad replied. He ran forward and swung his sword, but the small push Madam Portencia had given when he moved made him stumble slightly.
Madam Portencia coughed with embarrassment, deciding to make up with it by sending an extra effective ball of thunder that exploded shards of rock off the Dao. “Good work Morad!” he yelled encouragingly.
The rock creature mumbled a few earthen words and another elemental rock beast rose from the shattered earth, a huge creature of earth and stone, chunks of metal and gems embedded in its ‘flesh’. It looked like a walking hill, plodding forward and thudding its huge club-like fists into Morad, who staggered back under the force of the blows.
The Dao raised her massive hammer, bringing it down with full force onto Mak. He was shocked to find himself knocked off his feet, toppling over onto his back. The Dao smiled grimly and followed through with another crunching blow into his midriff. Mak felt like he was being punched into the ground.
Bili transformed back to his handsome-self and called on the power of the earth. The ground beneath the Dao and elemental erupted into a fountain of rock and chaos. Both were enveloped in the maelstrom, which Bili had cleverly positioned to avoid his companions.
Torgrun considered throwing a heal out, but he gambled Mak and Morad could hold themselves together a little longer. He was frustrated at his first miss, so this time he made sure, the radiant bolt shattering rock and stone from the Dao. He summonsed forth his spiritual weapons who added to the general melee.
Spider dashed forward and dug his dagger deep into the Dao, targeting the exact same wound he had earlier opened, twisting his dagger for extra oomph. The Dao let out a long wail, then disintegrated into a shower of crystalline powder, the motes sparkling beautifully in the radiant light. As she dissipated, so too did the elemental.
All that remained was a pile of very valuable gems. Madam Portencia idly toed through them before deciding they were all too large.
Torgrun looked up to the unicorn, who bowed its head in thanks - but was still trapped.
“Can you hear us?” Madam Portencia yelled.
The unicorn nodded, but obviously couldn’t communicate. Torgrun spread his wings and flew up to hover eye-to-eye with the trapped celestial. It’s eyes opened wider on seeing the wings. “How might we rescue you?” Torgrun asked.
The unicorn merely stared, glancing toward the pillars. It moved it’s head toward the sphere of energy and rested against it, making it clear there was no through. Torgrun put his hand on the sphere, feeling the crackling energy, and confirming it was a barrier he couldn’t pierce.
He motioned for the unicorn to move back, then pulled his flail out and struck the sphere. The weapon sparked off the sphere, sending an electric jolt up Torgrun’s arm. He was flung backward, and lost control of his neophyte flying skill, dropping unceremoniously to the ground.
“You need to take a look at those pillars,” Spider suggested to Madam Portencia. She poked around, discovering there was an arcane lock of some description, but that’s about all. There was nothing connecting the sphere to the pillar, it just hovered. The metal structure itself was about a quarter inch thick. Not easily moved.
“We need to get rid of these pillars, I know that much,” Madam Portencia reported expertly. “Mak - how are you feeling?”
“A quarter inch of metal won’t bend without a lot of heat,” Mak grunted.
“Right, so maybe you can pull them down,” Madam Portencia schemed. “Now - who’s got welding?” she said facetiously.
Much to her surprise, Bili perked up. “I do!”
Hearing this, Torgrun went to work on the pillar, using his dwarven knowledge to determine the precise location where an application of intense heat might weaken the metalwork. Spider handed Torgrun a loop of rope. “Go flap up the top of the pillar and tie this ‘round the end. Bili - you’re going to heat it up, Torgrun you’re going to bash away, and the rest of us - especially you big Mak - are going to pull whatever leverage we can into this and pull it over.”
It was a great plan, and it worked. Torgrun chiselled a line for Bili, who directed his magic and heated it until it was glowing red hot. Torgrun used his smiths tools and hammer to weaken the metal, summoning a crew of spiritual dwarven allies to add their work to the endeavour, then called to the tow-crew. They hauled, the metal groaned and flexed, and slowly but surely the mandible was wrested toward the ground, until with a shriek it snapped in two.
The sphere dropped gently, the sparking energy fading as it fell, and when it reached the ground the unicorn stood unimpeded. It reared up on it’s hind legs, celebrating the joy of freedom at long last. Radiant light cascaded out from it, bathing everyone in the glow.
It cantered over and gently kneeled down on its hind legs, bowing its head in acknowledgement and thanks. “You have freed me from this torment, and for that I cannot thank you enough. My name is Mooncolour, and you have my favour, should you wish it. I have been used as a battery for evil, now I would give you that same strength, but this time for good. How may I thank you?”
“Why don’t you come with us, on our journey?” Madam Portencia said immediately.
“No,” Bili said bluntly.
“What journey are you on?” Mooncolour asked. “I no longer know why I was here, or how long I have been here.”
Torgrun waved Bili to hush. “We quest, and seek redemption.”
“Leave here,” Bili said, frowning at Torgrun.
The unicorn turned to Bili. “I should leave? You wish that?”
“Yes. This is Hell - you are not meant to be here.”
“Stay with us,” Madam Portencia said again.
“No!” Bili cried. “Go!”
“Stay with you? Go? What do you wish most?”
Morad watched the unicorn with tears in his eye. This was the finest steed he had ever seen, almost beyond imagination. Her coat glowed with beauty, her perfect stance and power stunning him. He desperately wanted to beg her to stay, to talk to her, to ride her into glorious battle. He stepped forward and laid a hand on her coat, his voice catching as he spoke: “You should go.”
“Morad! I-” Madam Portencia started to yell.
“You told me Madam, to think, and make decisions?” Morad interrupted. “This creature should leave here. It is horrible.”
“I could leave,” Mooncolour said to Morad. “But you released me. I would pay back that debt, willingly, if you would take it. I can accompany you, should you wish it.”
“We so wish it,” Madam Portencia said passionately. “Your divine light shining upon us would guide our way immeasurably.”
“No we don’t,” Bili countered. “This is Hell.”
Morad nodded. “No, you should go. This would attract a lot of evil to us, and we have much to do.”
“Morad goddamn it!” Madam Portencia yelled. “We can use this!”
Spider reached out and grabbed Madam Portencia wrist. He shook his head - time to let this one go. “Madam P, you need to shut your trap now,” he said quietly. “It’s like having a giant beacon saying ‘Come and get us, here we are’”
Madam Portencia was ready to burst. Her head pounded and she felt panic overwhelming her. She grabbed Spider and hauled him away from the group.
Morad turned back to Mooncolour. “When we get back, it would be nice to see you. Especially Bili, who loves all animals. But you should leave here.”
“You are not meant to be here,” Bili said, stroking the unicorn’s cloak as he rubbed his belly. He wanted to draw its goodness into his growing child.
Torgrun couldn’t stand this. “We are not meant to be here!” he cried. “That city is not meant to be here!”
“We chose to be here,” Bili explained patiently. “It didn’t. This is an anathema to it.”
“It can’t do anything down here, and it would get hurt. It would attract badness,” Morad added.
Torgrun understood this argument, but this was too great an opportunity. “We are fearful that your good cannot survive here on this plane,” he said.
“My good can survive,” Mooncolor responded.
“It should go,” Bili insisted.
“Give the celestial its power to choose,” Torgrun argued. “You are welcome with our party. We seek redemption, we seek the return of Elturel to the plane of men. We seek to leave this plane as well.”
“I know nothing of Elturel, and the plane of men means little to me. But I am in your debt. However if you wish me to leave I shall,” Mooncolour said.
“This is not conclusive. Some of our party fear for your safety, as a creature of purity,” Torgrun repeated.
“Two of you wish me to stay, two to leave. I am beholden to your decision.”
“Your help would be greatly welcomed,” Torgrun pleaded.
Bili was getting angry. “Let me make it clear to make it easier for everyone,” he said pointedly to Torgrun. “The greater world diminishes by being deprived of creatures such as these.”
“We have released this unicorn, where it was lost!” Torgrun argued.
“Yes, and the world will be a better place with it in it,” Bili said. “And it would be selfish of us to even request it to come with us. Even if it is willing, it is the wrong thing to do. You know in your heart it is the wrong thing.”
“Bili is right,” Morad said quietly. He was certain in his knowledge that he and Bili were right. This creature did not belong here.
“This is the worst place there is,” Bili continued, “And that is the best thing there is. The two don’t go together, as much as the aid would be great, the risk is too high. That’s all we have to think about.”
Torgrun bowed his head, finding doubt in his heart when he considered the compromise he was asking. He looked to Mak, and was surprised at what he heard.
Mak squatted on his haunches and spoke, solemnly. “I think sometimes good people,” he said, looking around at his companions, “Do need to sacrifice. And if that is what Mooncolour is offering, knowingly, to help us in our quest - that is what we have done too. I would never command or require it to stay, but if it believes our quest is noble and important? We all think that too. We must win. We have to win this.”
Bili listened carefully to Mak. “We will win this, we will win this because of who we are, not because of aid we seek from such as this,” he said, nodding to Mooncolour. “There are people this unicorn can save and help and inspire.”
“Those people include those lost souls here, that have been bought to this plane also against their will,” Torgrun interjected. “We have been given this opportunity to change the odds, to help us help others. We must use every tool at our disposal in order to redeem, to save those that have been lost here. To cast aside this advantage would be not just foolhardy, but would be to condemn the souls of Elturel.”
Mak nodded in agreement.
Torgrun continued. “This is not about me, this is not about you. This is about the city and those that have been lost here. We came here to bring them back, how could we possibly turn aside this will soul, this pure soul, and it’s offer to help. What gives us the right to spurn what is so clearly good?”
“Because the creature said ‘I will give you a boon’,” Morad countered. “It is not voluntary, it is a debt. If it said it would fight without that debt, I would accept that. But even if it did, there is a downside. This was a trap for demons. Every demon come here, that is going to happen wherever we go. But if the creature fights with us, I will accept it.”
“I will fight with you, it is my choice, but I do not want to be burden to you. But you are right, I will be a beacon,” Mooncolour explained. “I was trapped in there, a lure for demons. They sensed by goodness and could not resist trying to take it. I was used to destroy them, over, and over, and over. That has been my purpose these centuries. So yes, they will be drawn to me, and you will be targets.”
Torgrun nodded slowly, pondering the risk. He looked over to where Madam Portencia and Spider were arguing, realising the company needed their input.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Madam Portencia wrenched free of Spider’s grasp and pointed a finger at him.
“I need this!” Madam Portencia whispered heatedly.
Spider didn’t understand Madam Portencia’s urgency. “The unicorn? Why? Talk fast.”
“To save a soul,” Madam Portencia paused, then said quietly, “Madam Electra.”
“Why does she need a unicorn?” Spider was still confused. And who was Madam Electra?
“It’s a price.”
“What, like a trade? Does the unicorn die?”
“For fuck’s sake, Spider, what does it matter?”
“Madam P, you know what, I think I just found my line. So answer the question.”
Madam Portencia sighed. “I have no idea.”
“Where’s Madam Electra?”
“She’s somewhere here. Look Spider - it’s an offering, a sacrifice,” Madam Portencia said tiredly, pointing to the unicorn.
“You need to explain who she is?”
Madam Portencia sighed. “My mentor…whose place I took.”
“And? Explain yourself!” Spider hissed.
Madam Portencia took a deep breath. “She sold her soul to Mahadi,” she said flatly.
“Ah,” Spider said. Suddenly all this made sense.
“That warlord at Knucklebone knows how to find him. She has a coin that can lead to him. She wants something in exchange; something…good.” Madam Portencia turned her head again to the unicorn, standing glowing, a beacon of purity in a landscape of everything but.
“Feonor, with the parasol? Right well we’ll find some other way to find Mahadi.”
“Mahadi can’t be found, he finds you.”
Spider had a better idea. “Then we’ll just kill Feonor and get the coin off her. We’ve killed Warlords, we’ve killed Devils. We have to go to the Maw of Kostchtchie for Bili to find Hedrun, his Ice Witch, and probably kill her too for fuck’s sake. We will find another way.”
Madam Portencia stared at Spider, red eyed and exhausted.
Spider hated to see his friend in such agony. “It’s fine,” he muttered, “We will.”
“We’d better.” She spun away and screamed in frustration, tears running down her face.
Mooncolour watched Madam Portencia with concern. Spider stalked back to stand with her. “Bili and Morad are right,” he said definitively, “It needs to go. I get the points Mak and Torgrun made, but a) It doesn’t belong here; and b) Look at it. It glows on the ground even when it’s not stuck in a giant sphere. This is going to be like catnip for every demon, devil, warlord. Everyone is going to want a piece of this thing and we don’t need the shit.”
Spider looked at Mooncolour. “I’m sure you’re great, and I’m sure that horn can do a lot of damage and so can the hoofs. But adding one more horn to the arsenal isn’t worth the downside, and the downside is fuckin’ massive.”
“Understood,” Torgrun said, convinced. He turned to Mooncolour. “We release you from the boon, and its burden. But should you have anything you can leave us with that might help…but save yourself. We cannot defeat the hordes that would come for you.”
Mooncolour looked sadly around. “I have nothing to give, but myself. I am sorry not to be able to help you in your quest. I can heal you, bless you. And maybe,” she looked again to Madam Portencia, “I can help her.”
“She’ll be fine,” Spider grunted, “Unless you know how to find somebody down here, I can’t think of anything we need you for.”
Morad brushed Mooncolour’s flank again, revelling in the wonder. He lent down to the unicorn’s ear and whispered: “We have a baby,” he said quietly, pointing at Bili, “You could bless the baby?”
Mooncolour bowed her head in acknowledgement and turned to face Bili. She spoke a few words in Celestial, which Bili could not understand, but he felt a glow in his belly, warmth and serenity spreading through his body.
She trotted over to Madam Portencia and nuzzled her head against the soothsayer. “Are you ok?”
Madam Portencia grabbed Mooncolour’s neck in desperation and started sobbing. “I’m so, so, sorry,” she wept and wept.
“Would you like to leave with me?” Mooncolour asked softly.
Madam Portencia froze. She lifted her head and glanced over to her gathered companions who were watching with concern. Her heart felt torn in two, but she knew the answer. She turned back to Mooncolour. “So, so much. Just fuck off. Fuck off!”
Mooncolour turned away and returned to the group. “Very well. I will leave. Again, I am eternally grateful to you, and I am sorry I have to leave.” She concentrated for a moment and everyone was bathed in a glow of healing, salving all wounds and pain. “I hope to meet you again,” Mooncolour said, bowing down on one knee, then vanishing.
Mak let out an enormous sigh.
“You alright, big guy?” Spider asked.
Mak looked to where Mooncolour had been. “A little envious,” he said, imagining being rid of this infernal place.
Spider swore quietly under his breath. He knew he was right, but still. “Well it’s one for the right side of the ledger,” he muttered.
Morad had had a moment of shame, a moment when he aspired to riding Mooncolour for his own glory, but now he felt renewed in his faith. Something genuine, something good, was done here. Torgrun dropped to his knees and prayed, thanking Torm
Bili felt good too, he knew Mooncolour was safe and the balance of the universe was in a better place as a result. He helped Torgrun to his feet when the prayer finished, then collected the fallen gems and delivered them to Spider.
Spider walked over to Madam Portencia to check she was ok. She gave him a silent look, the look of an unfinished promise. She stumbled over to Morad and grabbed him in a hug. She choked out a whisper: “Morad, what have I become? I’ve never been to Jakkar…teach me how to pray,” she gasped.
Morad held Madam Portencia at arms length and stared into her eyes. “All you need to do is look in heart, and say: Al’Akbar.” He grasped her hands. “You have to say the words.”
Madam Portencia held Morad’s gaze. “Ok,” she said quietly. She backed away and nodded, heading toward the vehicle. She knelt by the vehicle, trying to emulate Morad’s prayer position. Her mind was too busy, but it was worth a try.
The journey to Fort Knucklebone was quiet, as everyone contemplated what had just happened.
Morad skirted the field of black goop for several hours. Treelike growths were clustered along the shoreline of the bubbling goo. As he prepared to turn North to cross the mountain range ahead, Torgrun spotted a crew of five bearded devils working on the shore of the dark lake.
Spider pulled out the spyglass to study the scene closer. The devils were huddled around a bonfire, four of them taunting a fifth, who was holding a chicken-like creature in its arms protectively. Several more of the creatures were pecking around the fire. The ‘chickens’ looked horrendous, and the group seemed to be goading its protector for some reason.
Abyssal chicken
As Spider watched, one of the devils stood and pointed at a tree on the lakeshore. He moved the eyeglass and saw one the fetid trees. On its limbs, a writhing membranous sac was budding, ready to burst open. The devils grabbed burning lumps from the bonfire and tossed them over to the tree, which roared into flame, bursting in the heat, the sacs popping like a boil being pierced.
“Sam?” Spider asked queasily.
“Let me guess, you want me to go check?” Sam groaned.
“No, just take a look through the glass. What are they doing?”
Sam squinted. “Demon trees, they’re burning them. The trees spawn the chickens, can get out of hand without some management,” Sam shrugged.
Spider nodded and reported, “They’re just doing pest control,” he explained.
“Are the trees plants?” Bili asked.
“I think that’s a strong term. They’re demonic - they spawn the little chickens, also demons.”
“They’re demon-spawn, not plants, come on Bili,” Madam Portencia said tiredly. “Morad please, let’s go.”
“I agree, we get going,” Morad said. “They’re not clean plants.”
“The only reason to stop is if one of those has soul coins on it,” Spider speculated. “We need fuel.”
“That’s a long bet,” Morad disagreed. “Low chance of success.”
“Or we just point that at them,” Spider said, indicating the Demon Grinder’s front appendage.
“They might not have anything, and they’re doing good, keeping demon down. We get to Mad Maggie,” Morad decided.
“Doing good? They’re the bad guys! Everyone’s the bad guys!” Spider was incredulous.
“No but they doing good!” Morad insisted. “And it’s out of the way - we going that way!” he said, pointing the opposite the direction.
“It’s worth driving through them just to mince them up though,” Spider shrugged.
“Oh, I do not care, we have long way to go though!”
“Ok just keep driving, it’s not worth the effort,” Spider said resignedly.
Morad wrenched the steering around and headed to the mountains. A pass led over the crags, surprisingly unambushed, despite a constant feeling of being watched for the entire journey.
Reaching the pinnacle and beginning the descent brought a strangely welcome sight: Fort Knucklebone. It almost felt like home.
Session played: 28 July, 2 August 2021