The Adventure

Gevin is still too dizzy to be doing the things he's attempting and pays the price for it. He stumbles over a small rock on the ground and falls over into the grass. His shield is sent flying into one of the bushes nearby, now nowhere to be seen. The only thing he can manage right now is to get on one knee before the witch turns back their way.

Somehow, Gevin has persuaded or tricked the witch into stopping her magical barrage. Etta isn't sure exactly how he accomplished it, so lost was she in her pain and confusion, but she isn't concerned about the details at the moment. The battle had begun!

Unfortunately, like Gevin, Etta is still too weak to enter the fight in earnest. She flails against the large rock they'd hid behind earlier, hitting her injured leg. Pain shoots through her, nearly dropping her again.

Would the poultice hold, or would the leg begin oozing blood? Would the witch notice her injury and target it?

Doesn't matter. I won't retreat unless Gevin does. We must prevail!

Getting her bow back into her hands focuses Etta's thoughts, and her pain seems to subside.

"Alright, witch! Now you'll see why Etta Karl is undefeated in archery contests!"

'Undefeated' is definitely a stretch, but her skill would be apparent to the most jaded observer, as she fires off three arrows so fast it's difficult to follow her movements!

All three strike true! One hits the witch in the shoulder, the other in the stomach, and a precisely-placed one hits her hand, causing her to drop her glowing staff.

But though she curses and screams, she still scrambles for the fallen staff. The battle isn't done yet!

Gevin watches the woman scramble to grab her staff. He tries to get up to stop her, but she's too far away. She points the staff straight at him. "Put down your bow and your friend may live another day." She shouts with heavy breathing to Etta.

As the weapon is directed at him, Gevin stops dead in his tracks and puts his hands up. "My friend here will not hesitate to shoot you down." He responds to the witch. "Even if that means my possible demise. The damage your are causing is a far greater loss than one ironsworn. I suggest you take your own advice and put down your weapon so that you may live." He tells her, trying to de-escalate the situation. Perhaps she will see reason in this request.

The woman utters a word of unknown language and the red stream starts again, engulfing Gevin in another stream of chaotic imagery. He cries out in anguish. "AAAAAHHHHHH" Again he sees himself covered in spiders. He lets go of his axe and starts to scratch his skin feverishly, causing deep scratches in his arms and face where blood starts to ooze from them.

The woman repeats her words. "Put down that bow!"

Gevin's courageous words hit Etta hard...as do his pain-wracked cries. But only a fool drops their weapon in combat when asked.

If I do what she asks, she'll simply slay us both...and with ease. Hold on a few seconds longer, my friend....

She notches an arrow and takes a deep breath. This time, she aims directly for the witch's head. A tougher shot, but necessary to end this foul being's torture of Gevin.

The arrow flies true, but the witch tilts her head at the last second, saving her life. Still, the arrow slices the side of her head as it whizzes past, causing her to yelp in pain. The red magical storm diminishes in intensity.

Time to end this!

Being an archer, Etta naturally prefers to fight at a distance. But this witch was still standing, despite the barrage of arrows, and her red-gemmed staff was clearly key to her powers.

Therefore, it was time to get up close and personal.

Quickly strapping her bow to her back, Etta draws her dagger and lunges at the witch. The witch, clearly surprised at this change of tactics, gets slashed a few times before she can even think to defend herself.

By the time she does, it's too late. Etta blocks the witch's weak staff parry, yanks the staff from her hands, and then cracks her over the head with her own weapon. The witch flops to the ground, bleeding and defeated, and again sobbing at the injustice of it all.

As Etta looks around to make sure no more threats have emerged, she feels an odd sensation washing over her. Power...glory...transformation...the staff's red gem thrums.

The staff! I feel...incredible! But I shouldn't use it just yet...if I can even figure out how. It seemed to drain her, after all. First, I must make sure Gevin isn't lost or dead....

Gevin is still breathing when Etta reaches him. But he's in a bad way. His face and arms are all bloody from where he scratched himself violently and he appears to be unconscious. In his mind, he's still fighting a battle, trying to find the way out of the maze the staff put him in.

He walks through a thick jungle. This is where the spiders attacked him last time. If he could only get to the waterfall and pass through it, he'd be safe. The only problem is that a giant spider is blocking his path to the falls. It looks dangerous and would probably eat him as a snack if the opportunity presents itself.

Gevin grabs a cotton tail reed and ties some cloth to it, torn from his own clothes. A few sticks for support and he's got something that resembles a large rodent. With some luck that will distract the spider just long enough for him to slip through. He throws the reed in the direction he's not planning of heading to and hopes for the spider to take the bait.

The spider pounces on the decoy and Gevin makes a run for it. The cold fresh water hits his face as he passes through the waterfall. He can feel it running down his face.

Gevin opens his eyes again. He's not near any waterfall. He is.. in the glade with Etta and... The witch! He suddenly remembers and touches his face. The water he felt wasn't water, it was blood. His blood? His skin stings and he can barely see with his blood soaked eyes. "Etta?" He calls out.

Etta gasps as she sees Gevin's horrible condition. She thought she'd gone through enough torment, but Gevin had received a double or even triple dose of the magical storm's fury.

Luckily, Gevin awakens and calls for her. Crouching beside him quickly, Etta drops the staff and grabs his hand. The rush of power fades, and she feels normal again...but there's a whisper in her mind, a whisper telling her to use the red gem's power to fulfill her desires.

She pushes those thoughts aside as best she can. "Gevin, we did it. That filthy gods-damned witch is defeated. But you're...OK, I'll be blunt: you're in bad shape. Try to relax and gather your thoughts while I patch you up."

Etta reaches into their packs, pulling out waterskins and the poultice Gevin used to patch up her leg. She works quickly but efficiently, all the while chatting light-heartedly with Gevin to bring him back to reality. She also glances over her shoulder often to check on the witch, but the villain is in dire straits herself, and seems to have little desire to escape.

Then she suddenly feels an unstoppable wave of nausea. She can't even get away from Gevin before vomiting. Whatever is roiling inside her must come out now!

She opens her mouth, but normal vomit doesn't come out. Instead, a reddish ooze spews forth, splashing on Gevin's back and the nearby ground. The ooze also hits Etta's foot. Immediately, it starts to burn through their clothes, and then their flesh!

Hollering and cursing, Etta uses a cloth to wipe it off her foot and shoe, but the damage has been done. Her flesh sizzles and bubbles.

"What in----?! Gevin, I'm sorry. I----"

Then she glances at the staff. The red gem is pulsing exactly in sequence with the ooze.

"The witch! She must've...put something in me during the fight! Some despicable, hidden magic, just waiting to erupt!"

A dozen questions swirl in her mind. If she hadn't puked up this disgusting substance, would it have eaten her from the inside? And why didn't it burn her to begin with? Was the effect delayed? Would there be long-term damage?

Perhaps it was best to just suffer their wounds for now. They needed answers, and the witch had them....

The red ooze washes over Gevin's back and eats through his armor and clothing. Strangely enough though, it doesn't harm him. Instead it seems to seep into his back where it disappears under his skin.

He breathes a sigh of enjoyment as the red liquid soothes him. He turns his head to face Etta and she notices that some of his facial wounds have somehow gotten better. Then she notices why that might be. As Gevin opens his eyes, Etta sees that one of them is red, just like the broken they saw earlier today.

"Thanks. That actually feels good." He tells her, without having noticed the hole in his clothes.

The look on Etta's face reveals that something is definitely going on. "What's wrong?" He asks and notices the burn on her foot. "That wasn't the poultice you put on my back, was it?" His eyes drift to the pulsing crystal on the staff.

"That thing. We need to do something about it. Maybe we should..." He was going to say destroy it, but some inner part of him held him back. Why destroy such a powerful artifact, after all. It should be studied, put to good use perhaps. His mind is flooded with positive ideas about the staff. "... Take it with us. We can learn about the red eyes and perhaps reverse its effect on the creatures."

With the healing from the ted ooze he feels ok to stand up again at this point. "Are you alright?"

"I'm...fine."

Which isn't true. Her foot is burned, and her leg wound has reopened. And Gevin had absorbed that red ooze, practically sighing in contentment!

Is he corrupted now? Or does one red eye mean he's halfway there? If he attacks me, can I take him? At range, maybe, but in close....

She picks up the staff in what she hopes is a non-threatening, non-covetous way, and walks over to the witch. It was time to reverse all this strangeness, before it led to catastrophe.

Etta: "OK, witch: it seems you've infected both of us with magic. Tell us how to undo it...NOW."

The witch lets out a hacking cough: "And why...would I do that? I'm near-death, my plans are in ruins. Why should I help those...who defeated me?"

Etta: "If you don't, I'll give you a taste of my dagger again."

Witch: "Torture, hm? I wouldn't last...five minutes under your...heh...tickling. So go ahead. Finish me off, and my knowledge...will be lost forever. Good luck...mastering the gem's power...on your own."

Etta mutters some curses, and ponders. If she were alone, she'd kill the witch right now, and worry about any consequences to her mind and body later. But she couldn't leave Gevin to his strange fate.

Etta: "You know, I could always patch you up, make sure you recover...then commence with the 'tickling,' as you put it. Then you and my dagger could spend a long time together. But you're clearly tough, and I'm in haste. Let's make a deal. What do you want in exchange for your knowledge?"

The witch: "Finally, you show...some wisdom. I want what all beings want: to live. But I know...what you're thinking. If you don't kill me now, I'll return somehow...perhaps even stronger. You doubt any prison will hold me for long. You're right about that, dear Etta."

She pauses in her speech to cough again.

Witch: "Therefore, I make this oath: if you let me live, and let me depart unmolested, I will travel to the coast, find the first ship that departs into the unknown, and leave the Ironlands forever. If you want, you may escort me, but I also swear to do no harm to anyone else during this journey, unless compelled by self-defense. I swear this on Malkath's Vestige."

In response, the gemstone flashes once...but black instead of red. The temperature seems to drop twenty degrees, and a gloom seems to settle on the area, though no storm is overhead. Then the moment passes.

Etta stares at the gemstone. So that was its name. And it was clear that it "heard" the witch's oath, and that breaking it would be her undoing.

Etta: "Impressive, witch. Am I supposed to gape in awe? But I have some questions: what of this Vestige? How much will you actually teach us? And what happens if you reach a land far beyond the Ironlands? Will you continue your cruel ways?"

A long pause as the witch considers.

Witch: "Veyla, the Waking Mirror is my patron. As you know, transformation...is one of her domains. My...plans have failed in the Ironlands. It is time for...something new...though it pains me to give up my life's work. I pledge to do no harm to others, unless compelled by self-defense, for the rest of my days...and beyond, if there is something for me beyond death."

"As for the magic, I will teach you the basics: how to undo your effects, and how to cast simple spells. But to truly master the Vestige, you must commune with it. I can only do so much."

"Again, I swear all this on Malkath's Vestige."

And again, the Vestige hears and answers. Now Etta has to pause as she considers.

Etta: "Suppose you make it to a place far beyond the Ironlands. Can the Vestige's power cross such vast distances? You could get a safe distance away, break your oath, and suffer no consequences."

Witch: "These oaths cannot be escaped. Now, make your decision quickly, or...aid me...before I perish."

The simple and stern way she says this convinces Etta. But what about Gevin? She turns to him.

Etta: "I believe her oath is binding. Should she break it, she'll suffer. I think we should agree to her terms. But what do you think?"

Gevin follow along as Etta is bartering with the witch. Somehow, he understands her. He feels a connection there, which he hadn't felt before. Perhaps that's also how she knew their names when they first showed up. He thinks about this and then it hits him. "Reina." He says a bit randomly in between their talking. "Your name is Reina. I don't know how I know this, but I do."

"I believe she is being truthful." He replies to Etta. "This gem will surely hold her to her vow, like an ironsworn." He starts to gather his things, still unaware of his red eye. "Let's start our journey back as soon as we can. Can you patch her up enough to start moving?" It hadn't occurred to Gevin that Etta may be in bad shape too. With her leg wound opened up again, she was in a bad way to start a long journey. He only notices when she winces a bit later on when she thinks nobody is watching.

"Actually." Gevin says. "We're running a bit low on supplies. It maybe better for us to set up camp here. We can rest until morning and make sure we can do the trip in one go. I'm feeling a bit better, let me go and set some traps for small game and we can have a good supper."

After leaving the traps to do their thing, Gevin returns with some hares and rats to eat. "Got lucky with the catch it seems." He tells the others. "I'll skin them if you set up the fire."

Hopefully his actions will help Etta. With that wound she should take things easy for a while. "Let me take a look at your leg again, Etta." He offers. While he was out in the woods, he gathered some healing herbs to use for anyone who's still wounded. "I found some hallowleaf. That should soothe the pain I'm assuming you're in." He spends some time binding her leg again, hopefully getting her ready for the journey tomorrow.