Using the orb as a guide, the portal out was located just around the side of the amphitheater in its own separate hall. Tulvig waved his hand as the portal shimmered with life. Soft, blue particles radiated off it that felt cool to the touch. Everyone proceeded to make their way out of the cave. What was once a temporary encampment within the cave forest, was now a shell of its former self as they walked through once more. Less than twenty four hours ago, this place would've seen heavy traffic as they prepared to take on the portal.
Nothing could threaten the party or inflict pain on their morale after what they went through. The remaining kobolds and vermin were like swatting insects in comparison to what they went through. In fact, kobolds seemed to hide in their crawlspaces.
Volodar chalked it up to that his undead jotun were intimidating the kobolds back into their dens. It wasn't his problem to kill them all, so there was no harm in leaving them as he couldn't be bothered.
The last few hours were exhausting as he contemplated just having a jotun carry him outside. Because Lucas told him to not show weakness, he decided to walk instead. Weakness is when the unknown will pounce at him quickest.
Volodar didn't know what it was, but he felt something from within as he looked towards his allies that he deceived. He knew from Lucas that clerics would hunt and kill cultists or any other obscene arts user. Drake appeared to be distant as there wasn't much chatter on the way back to the camp. Gaulk and Nokken, on the other hand, seemed to not care about the fact that it happened at all. This made Volodar feel strange, and it irritated him to not know what it all meant. The unknown, Volodar thought, lack of knowledge is my weakness.
Intrusive thoughts such as these passed through his mind frequently. Adelia seemed to notice as she walked beside him. She asked,"Is there something on your mind, my lord?"
"No," he feigned, "I was merely thinking about how valuable your help has been on this journey. That is all." Adelia gave a smile as she saw the others.
"It's better this way," she said. "You'll be happier with everyone knowing who you are. Deceiving can be good at times, my lord." She paused as she grabbed his hand, "However, that path is lonely. There are friendships to be had with honesty."
Volodar accepted what wisdom she knew, "Where did you learn about all of this?"
She laughed, "It's just what you learn by living. Mother taught me compassion while my father taught me about common sense. He was a woodsman."
"I see," he nodded as he took mental notes, "so parents were vital to gaining that knowledge."
"It helped, that's for sure." She asked, "Where were your parents at?"
Volodar appeared emotionless as he responded, "I don't know. I know my father was the head of my house. Mother was never brought up by Lucas, but he spoke of my father a lot as he was a creation of my father."
Adelia tilted her head as she thought about her interactions with Lucas, "Why did your father not raise you?"
"From what I understand, he is a necromancer. You could say that we have a bloodline for this sorcery. He wanted me to experience life, according to Lucas."
"So, he left you with his vampire?"
"I guess so." Volodar thought about it for a while, "Although it was vague, I always felt that Lucas wouldn't tell me about him. Nothing useful was ever brought up when I asked about my father." He kicked a rock, "He was good with words, filling me with empty platitudes of being the best I can be. Showing progress and being on the path towards becoming the strongest necromancer that's ever walked this land."
Adelia was silent as he stopped his rant. Sometimes, she knew that words wouldn't solve this issue. This is something that she knew well. Staying by his side was the best thing that she could do as they made progress through the cave. Before long, they were at the entrance of the cave as fresh eyed adventurers watched.
At first, they cheered when the first faces appeared. Once the bodies of dead adventurers were being taken out in droves, the cheering stopped as solemnity and anger hit the camp. Jotuns unceremoniously had to use mining carts for the bodies.
Using what was at hand when they started the trip back from the portal. Their disbelief and anger turned into shock as the undead appeared as well. Some wielded their blades defensively as Hunter clicked his tongue towards them.
Hunter looked at one the adventurers that were close by, "Any other day, I would shove that blade back down your throat for threatening the master. But, he is benevolent today so put it away before you cut yourself." Doppel agreed with a low growl as he passed, causing the adventurers to lower their weapons. Bodies of the deceased adventurers were lined up as they took rows upon rows. A grim reminder and a new problem for the new faces of the camp.
Volodar looked towards the bodies as he raised his hand for an incantation. Tulvig went to grab his hand as Doppel snarled at him, "Don't do it, old man." After a few words, the bodies that were once mangled and filled with heat started to resemble their normal selves once more.
Tulvig watched as this happened, "What did you do?"
"I made their bodies more pleasant for travel." Volodar stated as a matter of fact, "Corpse preparation is one of the most basic tools that a novice necromancer learns. Adelia says that this will help the morale of the newcomers." She affirmed it as her name was brought up.
"Oh," Tulvig said, "thank you then." His voice seemed to pick up, "It will help the others. We leave for Strosa tomorrow. What was your name, again?"
"Volodar. Volodar Oriynore."
He tilted his head in respect before heading back to the camp, "I see. I will remember this, Oriynore." Volodar was certainly done for the day as he went to his tent and wrapped himself inside of a bedroll.
"Hunter," he said, "don't let anyone in. I'm going to rest. Wake me up when we leave for Strosa."
He nodded before leaving the tent, "Of course, my lord."
Adelia found herself by the fire that night, recounting the events that just occurred as she practiced her life magic. Drake walked towards her and nodded. The two of them sat for a while before Drake spoke, "Why did you feel the need to conceal your identities?"
She didn't feel like hiding any information as she replied in earnest. "Master Volodar is being pursued by the family of Boar. They knew of our location, so we fled and took aliases for the town of Strosa."
"Makes sense," Drake nodded, "if I can be completely honest with you. There's a secret that we had as well." He chuckled as he thought about his next words. Adelia looked at him in a baffled manner for a minute.
"What is it?"
"Nokken and I are both aquentis, a subrace of humans. We may look like humans, but they certainly don't view us that way." He unwrapped the bandages along his forearm as small slits could be seen underneath.
The slits would move in a similar manner to gills as he rewrapped his arm. "Aquentis is a group of aquatic humans. We may look human, and we've lived alongside humans for a long time. But, I remember when our home was taken from us. We're in hiding, just the same as you guys tried to be."
Adelia was surprised to see such a reaction as she thought about the heat of the pocket dimension. She joked around, "That would explain why you and Nokken handled it so poorly. You really were being cooked alive."
Drake laughed, "Yeah, you could say that." A few moments passed as Drake picked the conversation back up, "How do you meet Volodar? Were you his apprentice or something?"
"No, nothing as grand as that." She thought about how to word the next part as she cleared her throat, "I was a simple girl from the hamlet of Tamarak. It was a nice place before the bandits appeared. They would ask for food frequently and take our wealth. A 'payment' for the protection that they provided." A moment of silence fell over the topic as she continued, "There was never enough, though. They started to assault the people in the village and do as they pleased. My parents told me to flee as they helped me escape. That's when I found Volodar."
"Where are your parents now?"
"They didn't make it." She wiped away the corners of her eyes as she repeated, "They didn't make it out. Volodar avenged them and took care of their bodies."
Drake watched the embers crackle on the flame as he nodded his head, "I'm sorry that happened to you." Adelia didn't respond as only the pops of the fire kept the dialogue alive.
"I'm going to turn in for the night, Drake. We have a long road before we reach Strosa." She said, "You should do the same." Days would pass as the party started to talk to each other once more in jovial terms. The air seemed lighter as they would talk about their pasts.
Hunter especially enjoyed the time he had talking to Nokken, although it was one sided most of the time. They seemed to mirror one another as they would both handle beasts. Alive or dead, the similarities were similar enough for Hunter to talk about it for hours on end. Gaulk enjoyed ribbing Volodar as he would reply in a serious manner. Two days out from Strosa now, Volodar thought.
"Doppel, I need for you and Hunter to take command of my forces while I head into Strosa." He added sarcasm as he looked towards his army, "I'm sure that hiding these nine foot tall undead won't be a problem. This is why we are leaving them such a distance away."
"That's not a problem, my lord!" Hunter immediately responded as he slapped Doppel on the back, "The big man and I love challenges. We'll see if we can do some makeshift camouflage for them or something similar."
"Do as you wish; I have faith in you." Hunter seemed to be beaming with determination as he led the jotuns into the woods, "Have a safe trip, my lord." Volodar nodded as he continued his path.
Tulvig watched as they disappeared off into the woods, "Do you think they'll be fine, Volodar?"
He replied confidently, "My creations will perform the task to the best of their ability. That, I can assure you."
It didn't take long before the breathtaking exterior of Strosa was visible. Tulvig wasted no time in getting his fellow adventurers back into the city. Volodar couldn't comprehend how the city of Strosa managed to be this busy all the time. "You seem dazed," Tulvig mentioned, "not used to the big cities?"
"No," Volodar took a deep breath as he watched his steps, "I've only been here once before. Even that time was confusing."
"Kid, my only advice would be to stop going through the market square. It may be fast, but you got to navigate it quickly." Down a main street away from the interior of Strosa, he pointed. "If you went to the more poverty stricken east side, you would have less congested roads. Although it can be dangerous at night." Volodar made a mental note of it as they found themselves at another checkpoint. More large walls led into another area within. The banners of Strosa swayed gently with the wind as they talked.
Tulvig laughed as they stood in line, "Don't worry, this place is built like dwarven hold."
"Doubtful," Gaulk said, "this would be a weaker hold if it was one." Finding a resupply for his favorite bad habit while back in town, he offered some liquor to Drake. "I haven't been back home in a while."
"I would like to be there when you do," Volodar added. He thought about the basics that Lucas taught him. Amazing creatures and architectures are a part of most stories that involved the dwarves. Most commonly to be found within their holds as they fight back endless supplies of enemies. Although, it could just be an over exaggeration.
"It'll be tough, but it shouldn't be impossible." Gaulk seemed to slur his words as he spoke, "Desmond and I are excommunicated for now. Only a present of a black diamond or some quest allows the return of a dwarf once they've left a hold."
Volodar took this information in stride as he knew of the black diamonds. Using black diamonds were in some of the most powerful necromantic rituals of legend. The god of death, Valdier, was said to fight off three other gods with the use of dwarven, black diamonds. Novice necromancers could abuse the item as a conduit instead of using their own power.
Tulvig asked, "What about gold?"
"It's possible, give them enough of anything and they'll let you back in. The amount would be immense though." Adelia pushed the adventurers out of their trance as they entered the second layer of walls.
"This here is the aristocrat's area," Tulvig pointed out the buildings as they passed. "If you want fancy clothing or looking for magical devices, this is your place." Glancing over Volodar as he continued, "They don't have anything crazy though so don't bother. You'll have more luck with the college of mages up there in Zaiford. The name of it is Axis, it got its name some wizard or something."
Many people stared as the group made their way towards the keep. The layout of the roads are clean and organized. Large gaps allowed for the movement of several carriages beside one another. Tulvig smiled as they passed an intersection, "They host large events here in the aristocrat's portion of the city once in a while."
"I would hate it," Gaulk said, "too stuffy for my liking. The women are fine though."
"If you like the women, you would like the events, Gaulk. I was sweet on a girl here for a while. Those parties are some of the best fun an adventurer could have. There's plenty of quality booze as well. We'll get invited for this summer's event as we reclaimed the core."
Gaulk's temptation rose as he wiped of the corners of his mouth, "I'll have to test this party for myself to see if it stands the constitution of a dwarf."
Guards were more common, the closer the moved towards the keep. Patrols of two to six guards a time walked around constantly through the aristocrat's domain. One of the patrols stopped and spoke to Tulvig before allowing everyone into the building.
No expense seemed to go to waste as the halls of the castle were beautiful. Statues lines the wall alongside expensive hand-drawn paintings. A gold tasseled; red carpet led into the throne room where light would shine through glass windows along the wall.
Many murals depicted events as it presented themes of conflict and love. Symbolism that Volodar couldn't comprehend stained the glass as he looked at all of the fancy artwork. A throne fit for the queen of Strosa was at the end of the grand room.
Alvina sat upon the throne, expecting the arrival of the adventurers. Nobles and courtiers were abound as they watched from the sidelines. One of the courtiers made a gesture to the adventurers as they knelt before the queen. Volodar watched everyone for a moment before following suit.
A moment of silence went by as Alvina spoke softly, "Raise your heads. I've heard of your many exploits, Tulvig." Her figure was pristine, and her mannerisms were precise. Volodar felt uncomfortable around her, as it all felt unbelievable. He heard stories in the past of creatures that had no ability to think for themselves.
Automatons were the names of the creatures. They could do no fault and bore no fault in their creation. Alvina seemed to fit that description. She may have been human, but that was the face of someone who was controlled their whole life. Volodar shook his mind of the thoughts as Tulvig's voice replied.
"Yes, your Grace. I have acquired the core for you." He stood up as he offered a courtier the core.
"Thank you, you have a done a great deal for this country. As such, each of you will be awarded with two hundred gold coins. A wealth that would allow you to retire and live out your days with peace if you so wished within the confines of the walls." Volodar frowned as he thought about how expensive his dagger was. It was unfortunate that he didn't heed the advice of Adelia sooner. "As for you, Tulvig. I was made aware that you led the three groups within the raid on the portal. You will be provided for with five hundred gold coins. I also name you a knight of the realms for your ability in combat."
Tulvig was stoic as he accepted, "That is most generous, your Grace."
She smiled, "Yes. I will provide you with the hamlet of Hensia, east of here. That should do for a just reward. You will pledge loyalty to your liege-lord, Garrin. If you cannot do that, the reward will be forfeit."
Courtiers came from different hallways as they provided the adventurers with the reward money. Adelia looked at all the coins as she ruffled the bag to hear the clink of coinage. Outside, Volodar sighed as he opened the bag and counted his coins. At least they did the math right, he thought.
He found himself alone with Adelia as they walked towards an inn. Volodar looked the currency she had, "You have more money than you would need now, should you return home to Tamarak."
Adelia looked surprised as she glanced at the bag, "Why would I do that?"
"I told you that necromancers were stubborn people." Volodar paused as he thought about his words, "We refuse to let good resources go to waste. I respect the work that you have done for me so far." His voice trailed off as he continued, "Therefore, I will give you the chance to return home."
Before he could finish his sentence, Adelia placed her finger up to his lips. "Master, you couldn't get rid of me if you wanted to. I made a promise to Lucas that I wouldn't betray you."
"Lucas has no jurisdiction to tell my own what they can and cannot do."
"Well, I also am learning a lot about magic with you."
"I don't specialize in your magic."
"You know more than you know, my lord." Her beauty was on full display in the moonlight, "I have seen your growth throughout time as you provided for me. Sometimes, the value that another has to you isn't one of logic or favors. It can be one of emotion." She grabbed a hold of his cuff as she walked alongside, "I told you that I want to be with you on your adventures. That is all, my lord."
Volodar could feel hot as he responded, "Let's return to the others, Adelia." He continued, "I agree with Gaulk that this side of town is too stuffy."