A Solstice Night in Obelisk Cove
A Solstice Night in Obelisk Cove
A tall ship threads a needle of jagged rocks great and small as it sails the treacherous waters of what is known as the Shadow Sea or Blood Ocean due to its crimson hued waves and the abundance of sea monsters inhabiting the area ever hungry for unwary sailors. The columns it must sail through vary from five and twenty to fifty feet roughly in diameter and anywhere from one to two hundred feet out of the water straight up in the air with many of them carved out and inhabited as evidenced by small docks and the outcroppings of houses on random sides, and rope bridges connecting some of the columns of the outskirts of the fishing town of Obelisk. Once past the Column Commons the ship faces the Obelisk Gate where twin obsidian obelisks with angry red runes glowing in the near light as the first sun starts to set flare out a warning to all who would trespass upon this domain with malice in their hearts while the wrought iron gates between them remain closed and the fences between each monolith and the sheer cliff face on either side of the gate forbids passage by sea anyway but through the gates.
The ship itself is a whaler with a rather broad definition as to what constitutes a "whale" for the purposes of what it goes after to bring back to Obelisk for processing, in fact its flag is a silver octopus, a sperm whale, a dire shark or megalodon, a tylosaurus and a dunkleosteus on a blue field, the flag of the city-state of Obelisk itself. The name of the ship is the Leviathan Hunter and as otters, rats, dogs and cats struggle to keep her on an even keel a wolf-bear, black furred with red hair and sea green eyes in a light suit of scale mail armor and a triangular bladed warbrand a kind of hand and a half sword with an extended handle and little to no pommel to speak of, stands at the bow of the ship and hold aloft the silver plated skull of a dunkleosteus or Crush-Jaw Leviathan as it's more commonly known to natives of Obelisk and yells to the obelisks: "By the Leviathan's skull I command thee Obelisk Gate, Open!" Beams of crimson light shine forth from the ever vigilant carved eyes on the apex of the obelisks which strike the eyes of oversized fish skull which causes the mouth to open and a beam of azure light vomits forth to strike the third eye of the kraken design of the gate itself causing the gate itself to open up and let the Hunter through.
Beyond the Obelisk Gate is Monolith Bay or Monolith Harbor depending on who you talk to in the region of Obelisk Cove and the city-state of Obelisk which sprawls out a thousand miles a side in an octagon surrounding a titanic evergreen tree on concrete pillars encrusted with runes and driftwood buildings in a wooden web of boardwalks with spiral stair cases and elevators to take people and cargo from the waterline to the town above with platforms in between supporting warehouses, flop houses and brothels for those that can't afford to live on the upper levels of Obelisk. The sheer cliff walls of the cove are roughly octagonal as well with sturdy bridges of concrete and glass strengthened with magic connected four sides of the town with the cliffs. Behind the city state is an imposing mountain with a massive sea cave where the stone meets the sea carved to resemble the open mouth of a cephalopod creature with eye stalks and tentacles.
The sea cave leads to flooded mines where rabbits, badgers and moles dig for metal ore and gems. Connected to the flooded mines on a high plateau deeper in the mountain range is Apollyon Asylum which is quickly becoming a district unto itself as more and more furs go insane from encounters with the horrors that are encountered in the mines and the surrounding waters that occasionally surface. Obelisk supports itself through industry and to a limited degree via tourism as the local fauna is of interest to wizards and alchemists the world over included in tourism are those that wish to study at the eclectic Mysterion University which works with Apollyon Asylum to study the psychology of its patients and investigate their claims of monsters with specimens confirmed consigned to one of two places: Mysterion University Museum for preserved corpses and other evidence for their existence; Mysterion University Menagerie Zoological Garden and Aquarium for living specimens that are cared for until their demise.
Yggdrasil, the pine tree around which Obelisk is built, is decorated for Yule with bonfires covered by tear shaped containers of colored glass, the tapers of which are open to allow smoke to escape and the fire to breath. Druids and witches attend the great tree as best they can with its branches so thick and sturdy that it can easily support the weight of the heaviest furs that might wish to visit. The flickering colored lights of the tree gain even more prominence as the second sun sets and the first moon rises.
By second moon rise the Leviathan Hunter has reached the eastern slaughterhouse and processing plant to unload the carcasses it has brought aboard and partially processed but the rest of the work is done here and on the opposite cliff face as well, but the captain of the Hunter is on better terms with the administrators of the plant on the east side and thus gets a better deal for himself and his crew. A pair of sperm whales, a kraken, four dire sharks, two oar fin leviathans (what we on Earth would call a tylosaurus) and three crush jaw leviathans is what the Leviathan Hunter delivers at a healthy profit all who survived the trip.
The wolf-bear that held aloft the leviathan skull hurries off after getting his pay, diving off the pier into the icy waters where he sees a school of reefclaws, four eyed abominations that combine the worst aspects of eels and crabs, attack a white furred fox-wolf woman with blue hair and eyes to match. Without hesitation he takes out his harpoon and torpedoes his way towards the monsters. The lady folf is trying to swim to safety but the reefclaws see her as an easy meal with no one to help her until Duncan O'Connor throws his harpoon and lances one of the ten easily.
For her part the folf bitch who is dressed as a tavern wench targets one of her attackers with magic, singing out words of power to doom the closest one to her. A tiny manta ray made of sea blue energy flies from her hand and slams into a reefclaw and pushes it back. She casts the spell twice before taking out a slingshot to finish it off.
Duncan has to hit his first monster twice to kill it and both monsters the furs killed start thrashing about as if reaching for something to latch onto with their poisonous claws but the only ones in reach are others of their kind. The remaining eight are undaunted as they divide themselves evenly to take on both swimmers. This was not the smartest thing on their part as Duncan gets a lucky through and kills one of those on him with one powerful toss as the wench treads water and swims away after firing her slingshot which starts to glow in her hands as she channels some of her power through it.
Two shots later, Aurora Morpheus racks up another kill to her name as she growls at the things that would shred her to pieces if she tried to get back onto the boardwalk. The remaining six are undaunted but when a second reefclaw gets killed by a power shot, its fellows may start to wonder. It takes Aurora four shots to make her next kill but she soon follows suit with her third victory as a crowd gathers to watch.
Both reefclaws close on Duncan and try to latch on but his scaled armor is too well made for either to get a good purchase. Duncan continues to use his harpoon, but now he thrusts it like a spear instead throwing it and gets one of the two with a great thrust of his weapon that kills it instantly and it latches onto its fellow monster in blind frenzy with allow Duncan to spear it more easily. This time it does get a good hit on him and tries to pump poison into his veins but the wolf-bear's constitution proves too strong as he gathers up the carcasses for later consumption, stealing the net that Aurora had brought with her to do so.
A rat on the pier tosses Aurora a weapon that looks like a staff with a wooden bar flail at the one end that she catches and uses to one reefclaw that was getting to close. She was also running out of ammo to the change was welcome. Each reefclaw needs two hits to die this way but with the staff she can push them away from her so they don't get too close.
"Dammit!" Aurora fumes, "the little bastards tore my dress! Hold on a second...Mendis Arcanis!" The rips and tears in her tavern dress are instantly repaired. "Just thought of that one. Well, it worked in any case."
"You mended your dress with magic!" The rat exclaims. "I can't have this in my tavern, you're fired Aurora!"
"You little skinflint!" Aurora yells, "After all I went through today!"
"Calm down, Aurora, he's not worth it," Duncan says as he puts a big hand on her shoulder as he keeps the ten dead reefclaws in the net on his back. "Besides, with these we can easily get a weeks salary for what he was paying you."
"True, Duncan," Aurora says with a pouting smirk. "But it's the principle of the thing. Aren't you supposed to meet with Murdock today? I know you promised him to help out with the solstice celebration tonight when the Hunter came into port again."
"I also promised you some quality time," Duncan says as he kisses Aurora. "Sell fish first, religion next. Let's make a profit."
"I can't argue with that!" Aurora announces and goes with him to the Lusty Mermaid where Rizzo Rattus is setting up shop.
"What do you want, Duncan!" Rizzo growls and then looks at his ex-employee. "What did you bring this no good bitch with you for? I got a bizness ta run!"
"You owe her back salary<" Duncan growls, "I'm going to offer you a deal, You're going to pay me a golden compass for each of these reefclaws and I won't tell anyone else what a creep move you just pulled."
"And if I refuse?" Rizzo growls.
"I have a meeting with Murdock today," Duncan growls. "What do you think he'd do if I told him what you did to Aurora?"
"The old gator would shut me down so fast, my whisker would get whiplash!" Rizzo exclaims in a worried tone. "You can't do this to me, Dunk!"
"I can and I'm gonna do it if you don't pay!" Duncan growls menacingly. "You owe Aurora that much at least."
"She's a folf!" Rizzo protests. "Bitches like her are a dime a dozen in Obelisk! You know that, Dunk, I can get anudder in half an hour. Just cause you're sweet on her..." Duncan plows a meaty fist in Rizzo's face which puts him on the floor clutching his jaw. "Ow!! No fair! That suit or armor you wear comes with battle gauntlets! I'll pay! I'll pay! Just cause you're a ranger you don't need to get violent with me! I'll pay whatever you want, just don't hit me again."
"Lay off me brudder, ranger if ye know what's good fer ye!" A voice growls behind him Duncan knows is Fink Rodent, one of the big shots in the mouse mob,. "I got plenty of friends wit me too so don't...."
"There's five of them, Duncan," Aurora warns but Duncan just shakes his head before throwing the net of reefclaws at them.
Members of the Mouse Mob are used to getting their way so when the batch of monsters hits them it catches them off guard. Nobody is hurt by the throw but it gives Duncan time to draw his sword. Fink is his first target and while the swing is wild it connects with enough power that the leather armor the rat wears is useless as Duncan cuts a deeps scar in his chest. Aurora is wiling to work with the wolf-bear to send Rizzo a message and she gets into the act as well, clobbering one of the rat thugs with her staff.
A one eyed otter in leather armor like a pirate but those leathers have symbols of sacred water etched into them indicating him to be an oracle of the waves. Jacob Undine is a good friend of both Duncan and Aurora so when he sees more rabbits and rats of the Mouse Mob rush the Lusty Mermaid with his friends inside he rushes in to help out. With dark glee he uses a similar staff that Aurora is using to fatally crack some rabbit's skull before ding the same to a beaver.
Sitting quietly in a corner eating his breakfast of reeflcaw steak and eggs is a brown furred scholar who sees the fight and sighs as rough looking rabbit comes out from the kitchen with a meat cleaver in his hand and makes a bee line for Duncan. A senior student at Mysterion University, Walter Wesley needs Duncan's help to complete his studies so he takes careful aim with a heavy crossbow and kills the rabbit with a bolt to the back of the head. When a second rabbit comes out, Walter sighs, picks up his mace and shield to take care of business although a part of him is getting a visceral thrill by all the excitement even if he would be loathe to actually admit it.
His female companion at the booth however sees the fight and the only reason the skunk doesn't tear in right away is because she is too busy making a bomb and throwing it at Rizzo who has picked up a golden melon staff is preparing to bash Duncan's head in. The resulting explosion finishes the job Duncan's punch started. But she is caught in the blast herself and needs to whip up a quick healing potion to stay in the fight.
Jeanette creates a smoke bomb to cover their escape when the Watch arrive. All five of them are forced to flee as this sort of behavior is rather frowned on at least in this part of town as Jeanette Pasteur is giggling like a fiend when they accompany Duncan to see the old alligator druid Math Murdock. Murdock is annoyed with Duncan that he let the mice get that much under his fur, but the Lusty Mermaid needed new ownership anyway as far as he was concerned.
"I see two senior students at the university have decided to join your entourage, Duncan," Math says with a little bit of mirth in his usual Cajun accent. "Come to see the final preparations for the ceremonies first hand have we, hmmm?"
"We might as well, Walt,"" Jeanette prompts to her fellow student. "Besides, this might actually be fun."
"Only you with your love of pyrotechnics would find this fun, Jean," Walter grumps then cocks his head to the side. "But it could be good on that religious paper we need to turn in next week."
"That's the spirit!" Math beams then turns to Jacob. "Any visions lately, Jake?"
"None so far, elder," Jacob says with respect. "And sometimes I'd really rather keep it that way."
"It's never that simple, boy," Math scolds lightly. "What do you make of the pattern of lights of Yggdrasil this year?"
"Nice spread to the lights," Jacob starts to say and then realizes something. "It's a warding pattern! Are we expecting trouble?"
"The Dagon in the deepest bowels of the flooded mines have been quiet lately," Murdock states. "Too quiet and we all know what that means."
"They're planning something," Duncan growls. "But what, we don't know, do we, Math?"
"No, we don't, Duncan," Math says with a heavy sigh. "We've had some random abomination attacks but nothing conclusive. The only thing we know for sure is that the dark folk are active again."
"I've seen dark creepers skulking about the museum at night," Jeanette reports. "My lab time has been running later and later lately so I have seen them with some frequency. I can't bomb them without fear of destroying the exhibits. But it looks like they're searching for something."
"Have you seen any near the vaults?" Walter asks. "I know we have some potent artifacts of the dark times kept locked away."
"I managed to snipe one," Jeanette admits, "it was carrying this," she holds up a silver compass tarnished from being in the hands of one that is often caked in filth. "I have no idea what it could be though."
"Let me see, please?" Walt asks and is given the compass and then looks it over carefully. "It's a Seeker's compass! Not very well maintained though, but if it was being carried by a dark creeper that's no surprise."
"How much functionality does it retain?" Math asks.
"About as much as anyone not of the Seeker organization can get out of it I suppose." Walt freely admits. "I wonder how long it's been down there?"
"Can't you tell? Your dad was a Seeker wasn't he?" Duncan asks.
"Oh, no!" Walt exclaims as he falls to his knees crying. "It...it is my father's compass!"
"That does not bode well for the man," Math states. "If he wasn't sacrificed or used for food for the dark folk by now, he might be a deep one."
"Can the Dagon make deep ones out of our kind?" Jean asks.
"It's not always successful but it does happen." Duncan admits." I saw a ceremony for it once when I was stranded by shipwreck before I signed on with the Leviathan Hunter. It helped strengthen my reserve to fight the darn things."
"At least none of us here are compatible enough for them to mate with," Math conjectures, "Unless some of my kind and maybe some of the primates, perhaps."
"The Dark Folk have females among their number," Aurora states. "I have dreamt of some truly horrible things going on as of late."
"Your family is replete with prophetic dreamers," math states with a grim nod. "I would put some faith in what vision you might receive."
"I have been having a recurring nightmare lately," Aurora offers. "The Deep Ones attack Obelisk during the main solstice ceremony and celebration.. Many maidens, myself included are carried off to be raped and sacrifice to the elder gods as the Dagon know them."
"It's a pity you are not a sorceress or wizard who can cast the dark magic spell magic missile," Math says as he fiddles with a wand in his hand made of blackened willow wood that cradles an octagonal sphere of quartz in which swirls a bluish spark of energy. "You could use this wand as a means of defense."
"What was that spell you used on the reefclaws earlier?" Duncan asks of Aurora. "The one sent off those energy manta rays?"
"That was my version of magic missile," Aurora admits, "I find manta rays dream; otherwordly in some ways."
"Take this wand then," Math says as he gives the stick of power to the folf, "On days and nights when you do not adventure, you can charge it by casting the spell into it but for now it can be used ten times till it needs recharging again. And that is its maximum number of charges, ten. It was your grandfather's entrusted to our care in case any of his grandchildren ever got his power in their blood."
"Thank you," Aurora says and as soon as she touches it, the blue light in the crystal assumes the shape of a manta ray.
"Is that what flies forth when you use that spell?" Math asks to which Aurora just nods with causes the old gator to smile. "It would seem I was meant to give this wand to you then, good, I had been getting the feeling the wand was restless, yearning to serve a new master. When I was leaving to perform my duties today it empathically begged me to take it along. It is a pretty thing even when not designated to a sorcerer or wizard so it was nothing for me to bring it along even if I can't use it."
"Bluster," Aurora says as she caresses her new wand, "You're name is Bluster, well, Bluster I will keep you with me always. I wish I had you earlier."
"I can do that, Bluster," Duncan says to which Aurora looks at him strangely. "Bluster wants me to alter your slingshot so he can fit inside."
"I get it," Aurora states, "I can already imbue some of my magic ability to improve the power of each shot and you can use the weapon to channel your power without spending a charge provided I have the ammunition for it."
"Is the forge available, Math?" Duncan asks. "I want to remake her sling shot with maybe some razor bullets before the ceremony tonight."
"Razor bullets are those slashing sling bullets that have come into fashion?" Math asks to which Duncan just nods. "Sure, make me some too while you're at it?"
"That was going to be your Saturnalia gift from me!" Duncan mockingly whines. "But I will do."
"Saturnalia is part of our Yuletide and Winter Solstice celebrations and you know it!" Math mockingly thunders. "But I appreciate your thinking of me."
The forge that Duncan is headed to is one reserved for use by the Druids and those associated with them religiously like Duncan as he is a ranger acting as a Holy Warrior or Sacred Huntsman of the faith. One of the ways they keep it secure is by a warp gate that teleports persons from Obelisk to the sacred forge located in the mountain itself where the flooded mines come into contact with a lava pool in which there is little safe room to maneuver but in which the wolverines of the mine who are druids themselves built a forge and through arrangements with those druids attending the needs of Yggdrasil opened it to all within their shared faith. Aurora accompanies Duncan to the forge as she is interested in seeing what is here.
Duncan sets about doing a few things at once, with getting the metal melted to be poured into the molds to make razor bullets being just one thing. A badger merchant is also in the forge when the wolf-bear and the fox-wolf arrive who has just made some steel for sale and gladly accepts Duncan's coins for the materials for making what he wants to makes before moving on, but not before giving Aurora a good grope. It's actually quite warm in the forge and Aurora gives the badger a show on his way out as she strips to next to nothing and likewise does Duncan.
In adjacent chambers to the forge is an alchemist's lab which is also what Duncan came here for. He processes some of the lava from the forge into flasks of alchemist's fire while Aurora looks around. She finds restraints for some of the treatments of madness from the asylum that they dare not perform on their own grounds.
The druids use the same restraints as an aid while performing exorcism rituals for those unfortunates that are cursed with the invasion of evil spirits that linger in the region. Aurora can intrinsically sense some of these spirits but remains largely immune to their influence. But some spirits just will not be denied as Aurora feels herself drawn to the chains dangling from the ceiling and is compelled to remove the strips of cloth over her loins and her breasts.
Once he has things set up where he does not need to attend them constantly, Duncan goes looking for Aurora to make sure she hasn't gotten herself into too much trouble. He finds her in a trance like state, restrained in chains and completely naked. Aurora had done some wenching before and even slept with Duncan as one of her clients but this is a little different.
The spirits who dwell in the region do occasionally need to be appeased in various ways but rarely do they need a porn show for them to be satisfied. Aurora looks over at Duncan and licks her muzzle as she presents herself to be used by him. When Duncan attempts to verbally reach her, Aurora does not respond to but when he fondles her groin she moans and encourages him to play with her in a voice only partially her own.
As Duncan watches the chains restraining her suspend Aurora from her wrists and ankles as she swings herself to a position in which she can easily lick at his scrotum. Duncan gets the hint and acquiesces to the request of the spirits as he holds Aurora's head to his naked groin while he lowers himself to eat her out. When she gets him hard enough to penetrate her folds he takes her slowly but firmly as the spirits themselves reward the warrior and his witch by completing his tasks in the forge and the lab for him; although this is more so he can perform sexually without interruptions than anything else.
The identity of any individual spirit is unknown to both partners in passion but among them is actually the very sorcerer who left Aurora her wand and he makes sure that by the time Duncan is finished with his descendant, the slingshot Duncan was making for her is completely made to his specifications, he placed a little bit of himself into the wand when he made it and now he is optimizing its use for his grandchild. Duncan helps himself to folf tits while he fucks her which only enhances her pleasure. Aurora herself is and is not present for this ceremony as her consciousness is largely in the dream world looking back on her body while her astral form is looking around.
While in the dream world, Aurora sees deep ones, ichthyoidal humanoids brainwashed into serving the elder gods of evil upon their transformation from normal beings into these fish folk by the will of the Dagon, marching from a subterranean grotto towards Obelisk. She rushes back to her body just in time to hear Duncan howl in pleasure and feel his semen flood her body. Aurora moans and smiles as she welcomes his seed into herself and not just because he saved her life earlier today but she likes him personally as a potential husband.
"Duncan," Aurora coos with a smirk, "When you can extricate yourself from inside of me, we need to get back to Yggdrasil. The deep ones are on the move."
"Alright, Aurora, let me free you," Duncan says and does what he stated.
"I hate to say it, but I am disappointed," Aurora says as she drapes herself around him. "I want to do this again after the fight. You're enough of a sailor to be good with knots aren't you?"
"I hear you, defend Yggdrasil and then see what we can do about having some fun afterwards." Duncan says.
Aurora gives him a kiss afterwards and they get dressed, armed and armored before going back to Obelisk. A small army of deep ones swim out of what is referred to by the people of Obelisk as the "Mouth of Madness" underwater with half their number in malyx trailing not too far behind. It is the malyx that surface first, the snake like bodies undulating in the water and their quartet of chitin covered tentacle arms waving menacingly about.
The malyx perform a weird aquatic ballet in the bay that fascinates many of those watching from Obelisk's many decks. The dance is a distraction as the deep ones take out the lower sentries on their way up as well as capture a few other folks of random species to take back to their Dagon masters. The efforts do not go unnoticed as Duncan and Aurora are on hand to witness everything.
Malyx are among the monsters on Duncan list of creatures he does not allow to live but he is not willing to charge them while he knows the deep ones are coming. Duncan is able to recognize the water ballet for the distraction it is meant to be and goes lower to look for the fish men he knows is coming. After dropping down a level he finds on such creature climbing the ladder to the platform on which he is standing.
With a dark grin on his muzzle Duncan raises his warbrand blade over his head and chops down and nearly splits the skull of the thing in one shot as he goes for maximum damage on the payload instead of making super sure he actually hits the damn thing. Blood and brain matter splatter everywhere as the deep one dies and falls into the bay where a hungry shark-seal or bunyip soon claims his body. The deep on behind him thrusts his trident at Duncan and spears his foot giving the wolf-bear cause to be truly angry at the thing.
Duncan responds to his hurt foot by dropping a flask of alchemist's fire on the deep one and sets him on fire. Shrieking in pain the deep one dives into the water to extinguish the fire but ends up dead when he completes the thousand foot dive from the top of the platform where he almost was to the water below. Elsewhere in the city similar battles are taking place with similar results; while the malyx were not expected the deep ones were.
A waterspout erupts under the malyx that sends them hurtling into the piers of Obelisk with five of them sailing through to menace Duncan, Aurora, Jacob, Jeanette and Walter. Walter and Jeanette are taken aback when the malyx land in front of them as these are monsters Duncan has talked about but ones they never thought they would see. Jacob and Aurora are startled but they raise their weapons and get ready to attack as Duncan merely glares at the one before him and readies his blade to slice.
Walter fires his crossbow as a matter of course to start his fight and gets his monster in the middle of its cyclopean compound eye which impairs its vision for the rest of the fight. It lashes out with its light maces but the weasel is able to bob and weave around them as he takes out his broad sword and puts a shield on his other arm. He gets knocked about when he goes into strike but he manages to get enough solid hits in to kill it and survive in order to cast a healing spell on himself after the fight is over.
Jeanette opens up her combat with a blast; specifically by throwing a throwing her last bomb of the day into the malyx's face and blowing out its eye completely. She then uses her lashing staff to crush her opponent, getting hit herself a few time by lucky blows and subsequently she needs to brew herself a few healing potions throughout the fight but luckily whenever the malyx was going to inflict wounds with a touch of its tentacles it manages to miss her completely. But even with bobbing and weaving she is severely hurt when the malyx goes down and she needs a healing potion that she toasts her fellow student with as the formula for creating a stink bomb suddenly hits her.
Jacob's fluid nature as an oracle of the waves allows him to keep from being tossed into bay and certain death as it's almost fifteen hundred feet from the top platform to the water below, as the spirits that haunt him invisibly keep screaming in his ears almost to distraction. The otter pays them little heed he uses his lashing staff for both offense and defense. His fluid nature also prevents his opponent from getting a good hit on as he manages to push his opponent off the side and it crushes itself when it hits the waves as Jake sighs and casts a healing spell on himself.
Aurora was having fun dropping orbs of acid on the deep ones and had already killed two of them when the malyx showed up. She reacts rather than thinks and points her new wand at the malyx to fire off her first spell with her new toy. Seven manta rays of energy fly out and hit the thing in rapid succession as it charges her but weaken it enough that a single swipe of her dagger is enough to kill it as she just giggles with delight.
Duncan faces off against a malyx with a dagger in each of its four tentacles and it knows how to use its weapons to bypass his armor. But unfortunately for the malyx it's things like it that really grind his gears. Yelling a battle cry he makes a vicious chop with his sword that actually severs one of its tentacles while it manages to plunge three of its daggers into his hide.
Both of them are bleeding but undaunted as Duncan again makes a powerful slash that trades accuracy for sheer carnage and a second tentacle is severed. After the second attack the malyx gets the idea that maybe using daggers is not the way to go as it channels negativity into its next attack. Duncan roars in sheer rancor as he brings his warbrand to bear even as the malyx stabs him with its dagger.
Both warrior and monster collapse on the platform but only Duncan is still alive as he loses consciousness due to massive blood loss. His prey is dead, from a fatal case of lead poisoning from Duncan's sword. Aurora screams when she sees Duncan go down which alerts Jacob who rushes to Duncan's aid. The first curative spell Jake would have cast would have been the one to stabilize Dunk's wounds but upon seeing that his large friend is already stable, he performs a simple healing spell to return some much needed health to wolf-bear's oversized frame as Math soon joins Jake.
"He's alright, Math, I just did a healing spell on him so he's in no danger of dying on us no matter how bad it looks." Jacob reports.
"That's one of the things about rangers, my boy," Math says with a smirk. "As they get more experience they get tougher to kill. Looks like he just had something kick in for his training but still he gave the sorceress a shock."
Math picks up Duncan and pumps another healing spell into him as a matter of course as Jacob retrieves his blade. A few minutes later, Duncan revives and stands up enough for him to be able to participate in the ceremonies. With Yggdrasil alight and shining brightly in all the colors of the rainbow Duncan, Aurora, Jacob and everyone else gathers around the ancient and titanic tree to hold hands and sing praises to the power of nature and how that power sustains her servants to stand against the tyranny of corruption as a beacon of freedom for all to enjoy.
Aurora and Duncan nuzzle after the sing along with Duncan taking out a bodhram and Aurora finding a harp to play. They sing a duet with one another as they play until Jacob finds a flute and joins in on the fun. When they finish the one song Duncan and Aurora switch to ocarinas as Jeanette finds a concertina and jams with them and makes Walter jealous that he can't join in except as an interpretive dancer but even with this the three on wind instruments have to control themselves lest their laughing spoil the music they make.
It is at that time that Math requests they do a song of the season together. Duncan goes back to his drum while Jeanette and Aurora both play concertinas. Jake gets himself a xylophone and Walt sings and dances in harmony with the rest of the team; in fact all five lend their voices interchangeably within the confines of the song.
The quintet play until the wee hours of the morning where Walt and Jean make their way back to the university, Jake finds himself a brothel to spend the night and Duncan takes Aurora to the floating Ranger Lodge which consists of a series of houseboats with bridges between them. The head of the lodge is an old grizzly who is actually Duncan's father. The old bear nods approvingly at his son as he takes his lady friend to their own quarters which is enough to share snugly, a fact that causes Aurora to smirk as she beds down with Duncan for a nap even as they drift off to sleep.