Xania nods. "Tell them we are friends of that woman and would not knowingly harm them. We only captured them so they would not harm us. Indeed, we appreciate their sense of mischief only that the warrior there," she points to Asif, "is greatly attached to his helmet so was angry."
Rhune translates Xania's words to the little sprite. Looking back her, "I have told him what you said."
The fairy nods, though his angry look does not fade, "Humans love things. They do not know that things are just 'things'," he says, shrugging his tiny shoulders.
"Also tell them I could have left them in the water to drown, but did not, as I did not want to harm them. That I used magicks that would only stun them as they used only magicks that would make us sleep," Xania continues.
"Please ask them also, if Marika is still there. And if there is any other help they can give us. Or, if they can tell us more about the ones they think are coming to hurt them. And, if you can get them to swear by some deity they revere, if such a thing is possible, I would free them."
Xania looks warily at the others as she says this.
Rhune once more translates what Xania says to the little creature.
The spokesman says, "We are grateful that we were not killed, though if we had known she used magicks..." he pauses at that, not finishing his sentence. "Killing is the human way, not ours." Gathering himself in response to the second round of question, "I do not know Marika. The woman is on the island yes. She does not want to leave. We will not help. You are humans and she is human. We will not hurt you, but we will not hurt her either. We do not want to fight. We swear by Erevan that no more shooting at you will we. Is this enough?"
"Sorceress, perhaps if the creatures agreed to guide us around the island and aid us? Or at least warn us of the hazards that we face? Then you could set them free. I would feel more comfortable if we knew what we were in for," Taglio interjects into the conversation.
"I'm not sure I trust them that far. And, I have the feeling they won't do as well if forced. Perhaps our gesture of good will, letting them go, may win us small friends," Xania replies.
Tag shrugs and nods. "Small, flying, invisible friends, Si."
Xania smiles, "Handy friends."
Dakath watches in fascination as the sprites slowly come round. He doesn't understand the conversation but finds their shrill voices curious, he absently picks up one of their tiny bows and examines it.
Each of the little fellows wears a silvery neckband and is armed with a knife-sized longsword and a bow and quiver of tiny arrows. None of them appear to have been damaged, and none looks exactly like the one that Forte nailed with the arrow, though they are much similar to each other and you cannot be sure.
Rhune finishes questioning the little sprites and then sits back and looks over at Xania. "They are your prisoners. Do you want to release them or not?" she asks her politely, still rather curious as to why Marika would tell them they spelled their destruction.
Once she is done and as there are no objections Rhune helps Xania to release them.
The creatures do not show any signs of gratefulness, though they are quiet enough while being untied. The second the last is released, they all vanish and you hear a buzzing sound quickly depart over the water. Rude little creatures.
Once the sprite incident is over, Xania dives into the water to look for Asif's helm.
As Xania does this, Tag unbuckles the straps on his armor, ready to take it off and dive in and fish Xania out if she looks to be in danger.
Xania dives into the water, but it is dark, and especially so the deeper she gets. She comes splashing to the surface, unsuccessful in her quest.
Xania looks at Asif almost apologetically, her face is pale from either lack of oxygen or fear and she keeps looking down at her chest. "I cannot get it," she sits on the raft wrapping her cloak around herself as if cold for the remainder of the journey. Her brown eyes look haunted. As they reach the island, she manages to push this mood away and is acting almost normally.
"Many thanks efendi for your efforts. But by Aten I swear it is but a helmet. I wish not your death as payment for its return. It is enough that you are of your word. You said you would try, and try you most certainly have. So please I beg, rest now. Aten will bless me with funds to buy another."
Asif puts his hand on Xania shoulder.
"Please sit. Take pleasure in the warming rays of Aten."
Xania flinches slightly at Asif's touch. As if she expects him to hit her.
Asif sits back down and opens his backpack, taking out of it a small bolt of black cloth. He measure out two arm spans of cloth which he then cuts from the bolt. Putting the remainder back in his pack, he then with delicate care winds the two arm spans of cloth around his head, binding it with a headband he removes from within his robes.
"This shall suffice efendi. Worry not."
Xania is clearly surprised that Asif is not angry with her, and gazes at him often out of the corner of her eye as the raft travels.
Asif eyes cross with those of Xania as he too looks at her out of the corner of his eyes. Meeting her glance briefly he turns away, his eyes a mirror for his thoughts. What is so briefly seen is not anger, but deep concern. Asif's thoughts churn in his head. (Why Xania so afeared of me? I offer but a friendly pat on the shoulder in thanks, but she reacts as if I threatened the greatest harm, So strange is the ways of this land. I must ask Rhune of this.)
Before Dakath goes off to scout, she whispers something to him.
"When I dived into the water, I felt its refreshing coolness, though not the way I felt yesterday. I guided myself deeper into the water when I felt a sharp pain in my back. Staring down, I saw that I was not underwater at all, but in a dark room. All but Rhune were fighting against some unseen foe. Looking at myself, I saw the blade of a sword sticking forth from my chest. It was covered in blood, and the wound was surely mortal."
"The next thing I was back in the lake again. But I could not bring myself to search more for Asif's helmet. I am not one to believe in visions, Dakath, nor in gods. But this felt...very real. I think my death might lie here. If that happens, and you live, would you see to it that I am not buried beneath the earth, but burnt?"
Dakath can feel Xania trembling slightly, though she is obviously trying to hide her fear from him.
Dakath nods slightly, "Not that it will, but if it comes to that I'll see to it."
Ullar interrupts the conversation, "People, can we get going again? I hate to sit here any longer and I believe I've heard one of those thingies fly away. Probably to get his friends or even worse, his big brother."
"Anyway, I've learned another lesson today, I'm not going to talk to animals anymore in a crisis situation. Druids and Rangers are really stupid to do so and I will never follow such an advice again."
"Talk to it, before you attack it..."
"Duh!" says Ullar, remembering some of the words he overheard in a conversation between a Druid and a Ranger. "Talking is really, really stupid!"
The raft quickly moves on with it's voyage. As you reach the shore of the island, Kyo groggily awakes, clearly quite upset at being spelled. You all feel a distinct unease the minute you depart the raft, as if something is very wrong here (not unlike the feeling of the tombs).
Dakath steps lightly off the raft the moment it reaches the shores. He moves into a slight crouch before drawing his longsword and he quietly curses as he realizes his shield is back on his horse, Stenu. Glad to be back on solid ground he quickly scans the area.
Before going ashore, Tag fully amours himself again.
Once ashore, Rhune puts her armor back on, feeling much more secure now.
Thankful for the trip's end, Amibar quickly steps off the raft and onto the relative safety of solid ground. His relief is quickly displaced, however, by a deep sense of uneasiness, and he peers around through the mist, trying to locate it's source.
Kyo shook his head trying to clear it of the sleep poison. Through the drug induced haze the savage warrior sees realizes the log raft had landed. Snatching his meager gear he bolts off the raft to solid earth. Feeling a sting on his chest Kyo lifts a few of the scales and pulls the tiny arrow from his chest. "What happened? This what magicked Kyo? Where it come from?" Kyojabbers frantically as he draws his short sword looking for the foe.
Looking about, you see that the island is not large. It is wooded lightly, with tall trees reaching to the sky, and lots of grass. It looks almost a paradise. You see no immediate signs of habitation. There is a large clump of dense trees near the center of the island.
"This island LOOKS peaceful enough," Amibar says to no one in particular, "though the sinking feeling in my belly tells me otherwise... ".
"It's quiet, too quiet," Xania says.
"Yes it is," Rhune whispers in agreement.
Dakath looks across at Amibar, "It's quiet, almost TOO quiet." Seeing the small gnome alight on the island alerts Dakath to something. He turns to look back at the Sprites on the raft and then says to the others, "This grass and these trees make a perfect place for an ambush for creatures that small," he indicates the sprites on the raft with a jerk of his thumb.
"I suggest we proceed with extreme caution."
After the group unties their equipment and unloads it off the raft, Forte, with a quickly passing look of envy on his face, helps Ullar put on his armor.
"Thanks Forte," says Ullar, seeing the envied look in his eyes. "I'm sure we'll get you one in the near future as well."
Stepping from the island close behind Asif, Rhune shudders as she immediately feels very uncomfortable, "Hmmmm...feels like it did at the tombs," she whispers as she looks around taking in the area. "What do we do now? Head for the center of the Island?" she whispers as she slowly and for some inexplicable reason draws her longsword.
Following Rhune, Forte draws his massive sword. "Well, there's nowhere else to go," He looks around at the others. "So, to the trees in the center?" He waits for their responses.
"Yes I suppose that is the way to go," replies Rhune, who for some reason seems at ease with the woods on this island.
"I suggest we first walk around," says Ullar, feeling quite uncomfortable.
"I suppose there is trouble waiting in those woods, and I'd rather see the rest of this isle first. It's not that big and perhaps we encounter Marika," he says, his eyes filled with hope.
Tag whispers, "Have we crossed over into the netherworld once more mio amico? I can tell that there is some great evil here, si. This island must have once been a paradise."
A tear comes to Taglio's eye as he recalls the holy water in which he bathed. "Here is lost all that was good, si."
'Io ritornai da la santissima onda rifatto sė come piante novelle rinnovellate di novella fronda, puro e disposto a salire alle stelle.'
But, alas here the stars are lost!"
Translation: From the most holy water I returned Regenerate, in the manner of new trees That are renewed with a new foliage, Pure and disposed to mount unto the stars.
Tag dries his tears, sniffs and clears his throat. A determined tone comes into his voice. "Let us purge this place of evil, my friends."
When Rhune, Forte and Taglio speak of heading towards the center, Ullar interjects. "Friends," he says, "I don't think it is wise to head straight for the center. What if we circle around it first and try to find out if there is anything out of the ordinary. The feeling this isle gives me is quite unpleasant and I don't want to face whatever is here right away before knowing if there are any other entrances to something."
"Yes that might be better than going straight to heart of the matter.... I am not looking forward to facing those woods either," Rhune replies with a shiver.
"However, if you all want to head to the woods first, I'll join you," Ullar continues.
"No, your idea is better," responds Forte.
"Perhaps I should scout around first?" Dakath says to the others.
"Yes, that's a good idea," agrees Forte, not wanting to rush into combat given his current armorless state.
Dakath gives Forte a side-long glance as the huge warrior seems to eagerly agree to his idea. "I'm glad you liked my idea," Dakath says somewhat dryly.
"Dakath if you want some company on this scouting mission I could take the armor off again and join you," Rhune says to her companion.
Kyo, having calmed down somewhat from his initial panic at being put to sleep took a moment to glance about the island. "Why walk around trees? This island, no? Any place we go we walk straight to the trees. Why get tired first just to go to the same place?"
"I think the others are saying there might be a short cut through the trees, Kyo. Also there might be another ambush waiting for us if we take the direct way. I agree with Ullar, lets look around the forest before we tackle it. We should keep our enemy guessing, Si. If they can be coaxed into attacking us in the open, rather than in the comfort of their home turf, then all the better."
"Because then, Kyo," replies Ullar, "we have a better perception of these woods. If we can walk around it, it might provide us with more information. If you get a coin you don't know, you have to turn it around as well to see it in whole, don't you?"
Ullar, pretty proud of his example, makes himself ready to explore the area around the woods.
Xania grins, taking the chance to barb Ullar a bit more, "Or, you could just spend it," she adds sweetly.
"Yeah...and get caught when the found out that the coin is counterfeit, which you didn't check," says Ullar, biting back at the... eh.. female mages of the group.
"Counterfeit? Now who would do a horrible thing like that," Xania laughs. "Besides, I'm sure Dakath would tell me the coin was counterfeit before allowing me to spend it. Well, pretty sure..."
Dakath chuckles, "Oh don't worry I'll be sure to save all the counterfeit money to myself, it's so much fun to play with."
"Not if you are behaving like this.... I can't imagine anyone, let alone Dakath, could stand it," says Ullar, grumpy again by the sharp words coming out of the mage's mouth.
"I am how I am, Ullar. I'll try not to speak to you, since it bothers you so," Xania turns and follows Dakath.
"Always afraid to lose your face in a discussion," replies Ullar, while Xania is walking away.
"I really can't judge you, sometimes you laugh about things and I think you are sincere, sometimes your laughter is nothing but cynical. I really don't know which is when Xania, honest."
True to her word, Xania doesn't acknowledge Ullar's words. She does, however, remain for the moment with the rest of the group.