FANTASY STORY
“Adventures of a Lifetime” Chapter 7 -Babbling Travel
Conversation between Elewin and the others at the Start of the Journey.
Chapter 7
Babbling Travel
A few hours of silence passed by after taking the first steps past the gate of Syvais onto the journey of a lifetime as it would seem. The air was stale of sound between Elewin and the other party members. It was as though everyone was minding their own business on the long journey, some eight days away if they all managed to push through at a good steady pace.
The lush sounds of leaves swishing around ever so lightly among the treetops were perfectly soothing to the ears and created a perfect time to travel during the mid-summer air. The day was already coming to an end only shortly after leaving the town a few hours back. The twin suns fell beneath the horizon in the distance sky over the high grassy yellowish-green plains to the west. The casting of the reddish clay mine’s dust filtered through the sunset sky, creating an astounding bluish-purple-lit sky with a hint of yellow pushing through at the horizon very brightly like the peaking eyes of two stars starring through your soul.
Elewin looked around after taking in the beautiful sunset falling quickly, darkening the sky slowly. “I think it would be a good idea to set up camp before the light is truly gone.” Pulling her horse to a stop on the dusty reddish harden road, mixed with some clay and dirt.
Immediately Randell comes to a complete stop almost a few trots forward after spotting Elewin and hearing her speak. “I think you might be right, after all, I could use a good nap, you definitely need your beauty sleep” His slander and rude comment were spoken with a lot of sass.
“Yes, Randell, Yes I do my dear boy” Elewin responded with a slight bit of tension, you know that feeling when mom looks at you and gives you that sweet but stern reply.
“The road looks clear ahead, a nice little spot perfect to stop and make camp is just up ahead some 50 feet or so. I believe that would be a great place to stop and take our rest.” David said as he hopped off his horse and took the reigns by the hand near the mouth of the horse. “Follow me, I have some small tents to put up on the back of each of our horses.”
Gabul was slightly ahead of David, not realizing what was going on was still going forward, almost as if he could not process the entire were-stopping moment, or he was just being dumb at ignoring the group.
“Gabul, Slow down, we are stopping you dumb giant” Randell calls out from beside Elewin, his semi-girly voice almost making Gabul laugh.
“Otay, Girly voice man” Gabul replies in that scary sounding deep resonating voice. Gabul pulled his giant of a horse black stallion to a halt. The stallion is big enough to hold the bearing weight of a 9-foot-tall Goliath of a man weighing in at over 400 lbs without armor.
Gabul climbed off his Stallion and proceed to wait for Elewin to lead the way even though he wasn’t sure who was leading the show at the moment, but Elewin was the only one that was really nice to him so she seemed to be the one in charge, — in fact, his thought was dead on —
Elewin looked at David as she climbed down off her horse, snagging her foot slightly at the horse's saddle left stirrup, almost hopping on one foot, “David, take, take, take… us over to the site to set up. Ooof,” as she managed to get the cute little snow-white furred tip tops of her boot out of the stirrup smashing down into the reddish clay mud, trying to talk to David at the same time in between getting off the horse and caught on the stirrup.
Gabul, David, and Randell all watched for a second as Elewin struggled with getting off her horse. Randell looked at Gabul and the return look, shrugging his shoulders and looking forward, calling out to David. “You heard Elewin, get a move on dark is coming.”
Finally, after all the excitement proceeded to end with Elewin safely on the ground, David took the lead moving over to the nearest opening that was 50 feet away and started pulling out the tents off the backs of each of the horses, being the only one that knew how to even set up a tent. David begin spending time setting up Elewin tent first and then started fixing up the others.
Meanwhile, Randell decided to throw a few sticks on the ground and start up some type of simple little campfire about the center of where the tents were being set up. Using a simple parlor trick of lighting his finger on fire to lite up the kindle of the campfire and prepare some nice clean area’s around it to sit with the occasional use of some a feint mystical hand gathering up sticks and tossing them on the fire a little at a time.
Not smart enough to help out with putting complicated tents together and so forth, Gabul decided to tie the horses off to the nearest tree and give them some hay that he had brought along, it wasn’t that much but enough for the first night out of town. Thankfully knowing how to tie a knot was something he did know how to do, and it was a very good knot, taking a moment to give his own back a pat. “Good Gabul”, saying out loud but speaking seemingly to no one.
Elewin while very old had much of her energy back and wanted to help, but for some reason looked around and everything was being done for her, everything except food. A slight little laugh crossed passed her lips as the three men were taking care of her like she was something so very fragile. Leaving her the only option left, cooking, however, what the others didn’t realize is she never learned how to cook with her prayers taking priority over the other things in her life. With some idea, she always had a few tricks to solve that problem.
Pulling from her bag that was prepared by David on the back of one of the horses a large blanket. Lays it down on the ground a few feet away from the campfire and waves her hand, lightly speaking a few words “May the light of Raylor provide a feast of many,” and supplying the ground with what looks like an insane amount of assorted foods appearing on the blanket, enough to feed a group of fifteen people or more. Opting to avoid creating the water to avoid putting the small fire out that Randell had just created.
Finally, Elewin took her seat on a log near the fire, seeing that Gabul was pulling them from the edge of the tree line after he had fed the horses and tied them off. She could hear the dragging of the logs across the ground like they were rubbing across a rocky sandy surface mixture, although it was likely the hardened clay in the ground that she was hearing the logs rub against. “Dinner is served, I believe this might be bland but nothing little salt couldn’t fix.”
About this time things were starting to come into play and everyone was finishing up their assigned unspoken task and began to sit around the fire and join Randell and Elewin. Gabul plopped down beside Elewin, although he sat rather heavily on the log, he was sure not to throw Elewin off the other side of it through the forceful power of his weight sitting onto the log. Although, making sure he was close enough to reach over and grab the food for as long as it remained.
David, choose to sit across from Elewin looking around the fire at the others, sitting down on the stump that was next to Randell in an Indian-style appearance, crossing his legs over one another on sitting up with his feet off the ground. “Thank you for a wonderful evening, I believe I have set everything up, dear Priestess Elewin. I believe you will like your stay for the night.”
“How many times must I tell you, sweetie, you have no need to address me as Priestess Elewin, and that goes for the rest of you as well. Please call me Elewin, it will do just nicely.” Elewin replied kindly to his statement. “Thank you for setting up the tents, please eat at your own pace, all of you should get your belly filled.”
“Yes of course, though I am not Hungry tonight Prie…Elewin.” David replied almost calling her Priestess yet again.
Every now and then Randell would use his mage hand to swindle some food from the blanket to him. “Special treatment for the lady, David? You wouldn’t happen to have a crush on her would you now?” Giving a chuckle from his belly, sounding like a small kid laughing.
“Of course not, what would give you such an idea like that?” David responded with a bit of hesitation.
“hahaha, like tiny girl.” Gabul points to David, laughing and a thundering chuckle that squashed Randell's childish laughter.
Randell straightened up his posture a bit, “The obvious, you blind bat.” Rhetorically rattling off to David.
“You always seemed to have an interesting sense of dry humor. Perhaps we should know a little more about each other before we go on. I will start since you seem to have little explanation of your stories at the moment. Granted Elewin knows most of my skills as we have worked together, but for you two it might be best if you know of some.” David replied with little effort in response to Randell's comments. “While things are not as they seem, my skills are not that of a rogue, but of the hidden art of the ancient teachings of the Nightengale monastery. Between you three and myself, the way of the shadow has taken a huge portion of my life, learning to deal with combat in the quench of the moment, I am very good with my hands in combat, but especially good in the night of darkness.”
“So basically you are one of those monks? Typical!” Randell said as he takes another sip of his wineskin.
“In simplistic terms, Yes I am a monk, but my teachings are far greater than the average advocate of the martial arts,” David replied to Randell's annoying assumption of simplicity. “What about you Randell?”
“Me!!!” Pausing for a second as David asked Randell the question. “Well, that's a good question I guess for a person who lacks any skill in arcane magic. As you already know, I am a wizard. Isn’t that enough for you?”
Elewin quickly picks up the conversation, “Yes! I believe we understand you are a wizard of sorts, but I think what David is trying to ask is if you have any additional information about what skills you have within the arcane world since wizards come with all sorts of assorted skills. Especially since our time at the Red Tail Inn was cut short on the account of a fiend or demon of sorts.”
“Sorry…Sorry… I not, hurt you. Not me control me!” Looking at David when talking, biting into a large drumstick that didn’t quite taste right, but was filling his belly. “I protect you Now” You can hear him talking through each bite of his food in his mouth like an uncivilized man.
“See David, he won’t smash your face in no more, well granted he didn’t get to smash your face in the first time but at least you know he won't do it again until the next spell controls him.” Randell gave off his usual nit-picking attitude. “However, as for me I am a skilled wizard in the Abjuration field if any of you know anything about that at all, and since I am going to assume you likely don’t I should probably clarify for you some of these for those of you who can’t seem to keep up.” Looking directly at Gabul when finishing his sentence. “See basically, while I have other skills up my sleeve, for the most part, I can provide protection for myself and for others in immediate need should I feel that they needed it. Seeing that the Red Tail Inn, I didn’t know anyone other than David before this, I was not inclined to help anyone. For all, I know you could have been in on the attack. Now that I know you are here as my traveling companions, I think I might offer up my protection from time to time, I can see that some of you will likely need it, including you Elewin, and that frizzy hair you sustained while electrocuted.” Randell offered up another childish girly laugh, that quickly muttered to a stop when Elewin begin speaking.
“I see, so you have additional skills of protection, I think that this will be of great service to us, especially with your innate ability to be immune to the effects of lightning harming you.” Elewin raised up with a soft tone response.
“Yes, it seems so!” Randell responded to Elewin while twisting his very shiny silver ring that seemed to have an engraving of a bolt of lightning sparkling off the ring much like that wand the demon was carrying that only Elewin noticed. Elewin gave a gentle nod, more of understanding. “What about you Elewin? I am sure have something to offer in skills with that clumsy body of yours.” Randell now trying to direct some of the questions off of him.
“Yes my dear boy, I have skills that have been unquestioned until now, but I would be happy to share with you, as David already knows. Please don’t lose yourself in my under-education words.” Elewin replied as she gathered her thoughts, hearing in her mind — Don’t tell them everything, especially about me, that would be bad, very bad, don’t tell them. — A slow pause came over Elewin for a second as she seemed to be gathering her thoughts of how to reply, but in actuality, she was replying in her mind to something other than the party. — Yes, I know, I must not speak of you. They will find out about you in time, especially if you need to make yourself known. — The unknown conversation finished up clearly in her mind — Yes I know, I know, I know, don’t keep reminding me.” — The unknown voice said.
“I assume by now you know that I am a Priestess, a Cleric of the Light of Raylor and Demor, although because the light of Demor is weaker, my power within the divine world seems to have a deeper connection with some untapped power of the gods, likely due to my long-lasting age, and my devotion to the God Raylor and Goddess Demor, a matching lover of gods in the sky.” Elewin took a sip of water from her waterskin while taking a breath before speaking again. “I have been through the ropes of time for some time now and can also offer flares of protection from the light burst, healing to assist. With my devotion to both gods Raylor and Demor, I have been blessed with immunity much like your lightning immunity to damage radiant energy. It is a wonderful gift from the gods above and a blessing I am thankful for every day.” Pausing again, as though she was thinking, but honestly, it felt like the moment of old timers' delay and slow speech. “I have to say though I had given up almost all that I had owned at one time many years back, it wasn’t for a few personal items that I kept which have helped.” Tapping her belt buckle. “The strength of a Storm Giant comes from my belt, and the newly found endurance established from the borrowed neckless from Dryrid in town with the -Serenity of the Elven Enteral Tree of Life-, which is where I planned my funeral to pass on into the heavens that are currently on permanent hold should this quest pan out successfully.”
“Ell, Me speak!” Gabul said after swishing some type of water around in his mouth. Spitting on the ground across from him at the ground of Randell's feet.
Elewin replies “Cute you tried to say my name! Beautiful Gabul, you may speak now, I think I have spoken enough for now.” She reaches over and gives Gabul a slight pat on the back.
“I not Stupid, I not Speak Good…I not learn speak common. Family not teach…Maybe Ell Teach me? Giant speak I know!!! I know lot Giant speak. I strong fight, I kill bad, you tell, I kill. I smash, I strong, strong. Not like Ell. Me strong, I work strong.” Gabul Pauses to swallow another huge gulp of his waterskin, pointing to it. “Need Ale, Ale good.” Looking around the campfire at the others. “I know fight, I learn. I have good axe, Axe is Baby. Baby likes Fire, thing I hit, burn. I good health, better health, no better health than me. Breath I hold, long. You see?” Gabul takes a very massive swallow of the surrounding air around him and holds his breath to show the others at the fire. The campfire goes silent for a few minutes, as they wait for Gabul to breathe again, but he just keeps holding his breath poking at his own cheeks. Assuming everyone can understand him. — See, See, See — His thought keeps running through his mind, and while he still wasn’t that intelligent in his mind he could speak perfectly Giant. — I wonder if they know I can hold my breath for like 10 minutes or longer. I don’t think they know, maybe they know. Should I stop now and ask? Maybe they understand. Okay, I will just tell them. — Finally letting out all the air that he had inside his massive lunges. “See, breath hold long, ten time.”
“Oh Gabul, you are a cute adorable man. You did very well at holding your breath for a long time, I do believe that you are fully capable of holding your breath even longer but let us pray that there will be no need for you to have to do that.” Elewin says with a sweet adorable innocent sounding voice, though the crispy old age still breaking through here and there. Good health doesn’t always clear up old-age situations.
“Wow, he can really hold a lot of hot air in the big head of his. I wonder where he puts it all?” Randell mentions as he takes yet another sip of his wineskin.
“Randell, I am sure his skills will be of good use to us, and maybe even to you one day,” David says with a condescending attitude towards Randell.
“What use would a dumb wall have for me a powerful god of arcane mystic arts? I highly doubt he could even compare to me.” Randell said once more.
“I am sure if this adventure is anything like I expect it to be, I do believe Gabul will be of some great assistance to us.” Elewin reminds Randell with the support of Gabul. She knows how powerful a melee powerhouse can be when it comes to combat. It is with great benefit to have someone who is capable of withstanding insane amounts of damage. “I do think if we come across the opportunity we may need to find a way to improve your odds of not being charmed.” Elewin stood up and look the others up and down with a small smile, lifting her wineskin. “To a successful adventure, and may the gods watch over us on this journey.”
The others stood up and with a group effort almost in Unionson said “To Success!” Everyone at this point took a sip of the drink they had with them, with one note that David lifted an empty hand up and cheered with the rest but without taking a sip of anything.
“Where is your cup?” Randell asked with curiosity.
“Interesting you ask! Actually, I don’t require food or water anymore. I have obtained ways to avoid the need for fluids or material things to sustain my body.” David answered in a very common but semi-serious tone.
Elewin presented an oddly shocked look on her face, her crinkling lines becoming almost flat as her mouth widen in surprise. “I did not know you had obtained such enlightenment. This is a great accomplishment, congrats even if it is well past due.”
“Thank you Elewin, time has been good to me as my adventure to date,” David responded with a gentle nod of acceptance.
“I do believe it is time to make my way to rest. I look forward to our time together with everyone. If we could avoid watching if you happen to have an alarm you could cast for us, Randell?” Elewin said as she started her walk toward her tent.
“Yes!, I can sound the bells if something was to happen through the night.” Randell stood and begin casting a spell near the tents to protect them throughout the night, mainly setting off an alarm if something was to enter the area. Whispering words from his mouth in a soft arcane tongue. “Mystical sounds grow loud, louder and louder should one enter this area.” Casting a spell with the wave of his hand in the casting of arcane words as though casting as part of a ritual spell that he happened to retain the memory of.
Meanwhile, Gabul and David headed to their separate tents and found themselves all cuddled up inside for a nap that didn’t take long to obtain. Following this only moments after was Randell making his way into his tent, reading a few things from the assorted books he carried along with him before falling asleep too.
Elewin however opened her tent, looking into the neatly made tent with a very nice white sleeping bag that had the Black Swain emblem threaded into it. On top of the bag laid a single rose, no note, no words, no information as to where it had come from, but she did recall that David was the one that had set the tents up. — Isn’t this sweet of David, I wonder what would cause him to gift an old lady a rose. Isn’t he a monk, isn’t he bound to not do these things, or have romantic relationships of any sort? Maybe he did it out of being sweet and kind, or maybe he wasn’t even the one who did it in the first place. — Her mind started racing, she climbed into the sleeping bag and cuddled up smelling the rose before closing her eyes till the morning light.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9
