The team moved the stone altar where the Grimhold Doll was placed to the side and what met them was a tunnel that had been flooded with water. There was no problem with underwater breathing as long as the curse held in place and they had roughly a couple of hours left.
The team swum for about one hour and every now and then they saw really bright sections followed by really dark ones. What the team didn't know was, that what they went through was a magic tunnel that used translocation magic to transport them far into the distance while all they felt was the seamless changes in light. When the first hour was done the team saw the end of the tunnel and when they cross the doorway, it made them cheered. There were fishes swimming about in a predetermined direction which perhaps indicated that they had come out underneath a river.
Rahz and the others followed the flow of traffic while Rahz killed and captured some fishes for dinner. It didn't take them long to collect a few fish and break the surface of the water, but the traveling didn't stop there as they were dragged about 30 minutes downstream until they reached the bottom of a middle size waterfall.
As the sun came out signifying the beginning of the new day, the curse mark on their foreheads faded away and the almost two and half year old hunger assailed them like a stab in the gut. The hunger was so bad that they couldn't wait for Rahz to cook and had to eat it sashimi style. The scene was quite Barbaric but the team didn't expect the hunger to hit them in that particular way.
To make matter worse they didn't realize they were not alone, a group of people were walking towards the river to restock their water supply and stopped in their tracks after seeing the scene in front of them.
" Ahhh...I thought I was going to die, even if we don't need to eat let's just do it anyways that pain is too much" said Rahz after devouring a pound of raw fish.
"DON'T MOVE!!" Chin...Chin.. Chin many weapons were taken out at the same time as many guards got into formation.
It was a pretty basic setup but it was good enough to protect their employers from any possible harm that could come from the Barbaric people in front of them. Anybody in their right mind would get ready to fight after seeing an 11 ft serpent, and a purple humanoid with a fire crown on his head and an imp on his shoulder.
The moment the warning shout came out everything stopped as Rahz and the team turned to look at the source of the voice.
(silence)
Everyone looked at each other...
HA HA HA!!!
Rahz laughed and very joyfully said out loud " Finally some people!! I knew it would work out somehow"
"Hello Friends!!"
Rahz was about to head over but Elune stopped him and said, " Let me handle this". Elune had travel before with the slave caravan and she understood that a wrong move could land them in a very sticky situation. It was not uncommon to meet people during travels but trust need it to be earned and they were not the most normal bunch so, it was natural for others to be wary of them.
Elune looked at the opposite party and said, "My name is Elune and he is Rahz, We come from the Northeast side of Elysian and were traveling Southeast until we got lost and were dragged down here by the river current. Do you happened to know in which direction the nearest town is located, we are in desperate need of a map of the region"
The short introduction let the mercenaries relax a little bit as they did not feel any killing intent coming from Rahz and the others. The Bodyguards were still in the 18's and 19's in terms of levels but their captain was a Level 22 Champion and a retired adventurer of the human race. Even if their captain was not with them that exact moment the fact that they had a second evolution in command let the bodyguards feel at ease when looking at Rahz's team that only displayed first evolution auras. There was also the vast difference in their numbers it was 4 of them and 8 of the guards, in case of an attack they could use a flare and called for reinforcements.
"The closest town is about a month away, and is the town of Naas. The majority of the beast around the area are Level 19 and some have already reached their second evolution. It is a pretty dangerous road, so I would recommend you don't travel alone. We could always used some extra hands in case of an attack and if you want, I could introduce you to the leader of the merchant caravan and let him decided if you could come with us"
"Thank you, that would be great". Said Elune.
The bodyguards were there to protect the daughter of the Leader that wanted to watch her face in the river while the others filled their canteens and other water receptacles. It was pretty common to meet creatures or beast at a water supply so it was very important to provide them with protection, especially for the leader's daughter Emma that was only 5 years old.
Rahz and the others left with three of the bodyguards to meet their boss, despite acting a little bit friendly they didn't relax for a second and were ready to use a flare at anytime in case of an emergency. The camp was massive and this got Rahz really excited. There were huge wagons full of what look to be ores and pelts and other goods and massive beast being fed fruits and other herbs. There were people cooking, others were taking care of the tents while others were training or setting up a perimeter.
"We travel year around and visit a total of 4 towns so we might have a map of these parts of the woods but there is also a chance that the merchant leader can give you a bit of directions to where you need to go. Wait here while I go get her"
The leader of the Caravan was a middle age lady that reminded Rahz of his mother, except that she had a wilder demeanor that complemented her red hair. She was using pants instead of a skirt and it was made with a very expensive material and on the top she displayed a corset that complemented her beautiful curves. On her back there was a red mage robe that look more like a cape with a hood and it did not really cover her face.
Rahz and the others could feel the pressure of a second evolution from her and also felt weird vibrations from some of her items.
"I heard that you would like to travel with us to Naas but our protection is not free, it would cost you 10 gold to join us in our travels and if there is trouble we hope that you could lent a hand".
"Deal!! I wonder if lady…"
"You can call me Amber"
"I wonder if lady Amber has a map of the area that we can look at, we had been lost for quite a while and don't know where we are. We come from a Barbarian Village called Helgahvall to the Northeast of Elysian and were crossing some arid planes when it happened".
"The only arid planes I know are the Highlands but we are extremely far from them, even with fast mounts it will take you at least 5 years to get there. Right now we are Southeast of the realm and if you go straight East from here the great city of Blackrock Port will greet you. However, if you are heading there I recommend heading to a big town and using their aerial mounts to travel, it can shorten the travel time by a couple of years. As luck would have it, Naas does have the service although is extremely expensive"
The group looked at each other and smiled while Elune produced 10 gold coins from her pouch. The fact the pouch was enchanted didn't escape Amber's eyes as she had one herself, and was a second evolution Wizard.
Amber fancy herself a good judge of character and while engaging in the small talk about where they came from, she was observing the group like a hawk looking at their body language. The more she look the more she realized that Rahz and even the purple humanoid had very pure eyes and they were very comfortable while telling the story as they had really lived it.
"Let me introduce you to my husband, he is in charge of the security of the caravan and in case of a bandit attack please follow his directions".
Rahz and the others followed Amber and met a human with brown hair and blue eyes in full armor that was giving guard duties to a group of warriors. He was a Level 22 Champion and very easy to talk to as long as you were not a subordinated of his, in which case you would meet a very strict person.
Amber's husband was the captain of the guards in one of the towns where he met Amber and fell in love, in order to be close to her and win her affection he quit his position and followed her in her travels. He was a 35 year old man and a follower of Odos the God of Justice and since he left his captain position, he had never look back. Now he had been married to Amber for almost 10 years and had a 5 year old girl. His name was Tom.