Chapter 2: Nulb and the Ruins

As the light from Blæcsæx and his friends shriveled Zuggtmoy, Ixion bashed the mycelium madam with evil-deflecting Rꜵshilde!

"ROT!!!"

Ixion stood his ground and let Itkovian and the forge fire of his god end Zuggtmoy!

Itkovian burns brightly, his body becoming a living vessel of Bleredd's forge fires. The white-hot radiance obliterates the demon's flesh, stripping it away until nothing but a smoking black mark is left on the floor.

When the demon is dead, the light fades, and he collapses to his knees. His mind is clear, at peace. He cannot recall his dark visions, nor does he feel the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.

He is free.

With the death of Zuggtmoy, you all sink down to the ground, suddenly exhausted. Overcome with fatigue, you can't help but lay there on the ground, breathing heavily as the power of the gods leaves you. A hollow ache in your chests is the only thing that remains after several minutes and you simply lay on the ground as sleep overtakes you.

You wake after some time in soft beds. Sitting not far away at a kitchen table is a figure you surely recognize (at least most of you): Elmo! He doesn't seem to notice that you're awake as he reads over some papers in front of him.

"Where's Kella?" Esmenlara groans, trying to sit up. As her surroundings fill her blurred vision, she follows her question with, "Where are we?"

Itkovian rises from the soft bed. "Yes, where are we? Not to be ungrateful, friend Elmo, but we have had some trying days of late." While he is talking, he looks for his weapons and armour, especially his shield.

All of your equipment sits in the corner, ready for you to take at any time. Elmo smiles, "Ah, it's good that you're awake. You've been asleep several days. I'm not sure who Kella is, but I found the three of you in the Temple after the earthquake collapsed part of it. You're lucky to be alive!"

Itkovian has seen some truly strange things over the last many days and can't quite shake the idea that this is all some hallucination worked up by the demons they were trying to slay. He decides to don his armour and shield while immediately talking to Elmo to be on the safe side.

"Three days! Who was it that bore our sleeping selves to your home?"

Ixion yawned, stretched, and listened to the others for a bit. The sight and feel of Blæcsæx and Rꜵshilde nearby comforted him in this bewildering change of scenery.

"Trying and harrowing days. What of Thomas, Harold, and Richard?"

"Kevan helped to bring you all back. That boy's toughened up since last you saw him," Elmo says fondly, clearly having taken a liking to the boy.

"They returned to Nulb with a woman, but I'm not sure what happened to them after that. All four of them have gone missing," He says, much more soberly.

"Please extend our gratitude," says Esmenlara. "As well to you, Sir Elmo, for your help."

She considers the news. "What of the temple itself? Has it been cleansed of the demonic taint? Does the land lie fallow?"

"It's still early, but I do believe that the land is beginning to recover, though I expect it will take many years before it could be considered fully cleansed," Elmo confirms, "Whatever happened down there must have been something else!"

"It's something I'll need some hard liquor with breakfast for before I even try figuring it out myself."

Ixion looked around at Esmenlara and Itkovian with a broad smile.

"We survived, thank Rao. We won this fight but I feel there are greater battles ahead in this war. I finally feel able to walk this road I've found myself on with you."

Elmo perks up, "Liquor already? I was going to save it for dinner, but..." he smiles as he pulls out a bottle of 20 year old whiskey from a cupboard, "This should do the trick, eh?"