Tales of Fantasy, Fables, and Fiction

by Thomas H. Tribble

  Maewyn told them to wait for her in the rooms and that she would tend to her errand by herself. The other three immediately protested and insisted that even she was not safe on these town streets. Also, the mystery of why they had come here was a question that had to be answered.

  Finally, Maewyn said, "Since you have come this far with me I will tell you that I must go to the Royal Bank of the Globe. My family has had a private vault there for some time."

  Lotus asked, "I thought your family had died during the last Age. That was long ago."

  "That appears to be the case," replied Maewyn. "But, my clan has had a vault at that bank since its inception. We helped found it, you see.

  Gomer then stated what, to him, was obvious, "Those vaults are mystical in nature. You could have accessed its contents from two dozen places on the planet. Why come to Norec where rent is four times what it is in Bentoakstonshire or Willowspile? This place is costing us a fortune!"

  Maewyn said, "Not this vault. It is special. It can only be opened by a few people and, then, only a certain number of times. I actually do not know what lays inside it, but I must find out."

  "So, what, you can only open it like five times or something?" asked Gomer who seemed very interested in the subject.

  Maewyn replied as courteously as possible, "Actually, I am not sure of the actual number. I do know that someone else opened it shortly after we awoke from our long slumber. Who it was, I cannot be sure of though."

  "Others?" Nostromo asked as he had always thought she had been sent down her unusual journey alone. "You never mentioned any others."

  "We were not placed in stasis together or at the same location. Some distant cousins and myself were 'preserved' to survive the ending of the Age. It was all very erratic and barbarous, I am told. When the greatest Cleric in all of history is slain, the gods change just as we change the gods. The world is but a tapestry of their whims. In this case, the one God of which all other Deities are but its reflections became irate when his beloved Norec died and everything changed. The world and the rules of the game, you might say, went out the window."

  "But you survived," said Lotus. "Your parents must have been great indeed to have seen to that. I know in my religious studies I was often told that the Great Balance over us all disappeared leaving the world to the tending of Men, Dwarves, Elves, and their Deities.

  Gomer finally said, "So this town is named after a dead Cleric? I'll be dipped."

  Nostromo added, "Yeah, it seems a bit seedy for that."

  "Well, it used to be a veritable Utopia before the un-named one killed Norec," replied Maewyn. "After that, as I have said, everything changed and not for the better. But, apparently at least one of the great rivals of my family also survived. He was banished from this plane via some powerful items. If they are not in my family's vault, then I will have no leverage against him." And, with that, she left for the Royal Bank allowing the others to follow her and ponder what she had told them.

  At the bank, Maewyn had a teller inform his manager of her request. Upon hearing that one of the ancient vaults was to opened, the manager rushed from what could loosely be described as an office and seemed to be falling over himself trying to accommodate Maewyn. "As you are aware, Lady, this type of vault is voice activated. If you are not on the approved entry list, you might succumb to grievous harm!" The Elf assured him that all was in order and that her need for privacy was absolute.

  "Why certainly, " the Manager replied, "We give a full measure of privacy to all of our vault owners. You must access it from a totally enclosed, scry-proof room. But, we have no special accommodations for the older vaults. We have never really needed them. I personally have been a manager at this bank for over forty years and I have never even heard of one of these vaults being opened."

  "She can only open it five times," added Gomer trying to help in his fashion.

  Maewyn strode into a small room and its thick, black doors sealed behind her. What happened after that was anyone's guess as details from her were not forthcoming except to say that whatever she was looking for was not in the vault. But, they all noticed, especially Gomer, that she seemed to have a few more bulges and items on her person hidden under her under her thick robes.

  The group retired to a very scenic cafe near the bank. She insisted that she pay for the rooms and buy them at least one good meal while in Norec. Her insistence was, of course, not needed for a congress to be made, but it did seem heartfelt on her part.

  Gomer and Nostromo decided not to sit with their usual backs against the wall but, instead, at a table as near as they could to where the waiter could best serve them without actually being in the kitchen itself. "Never pass up a meal because you never know when you are going to get to eat again," was what Nostromo had been taught as a boy. He did not miss many meals, but then, the strong always survive. Lotus sat on the inner side of the table which, quite coincidentally, allowed a shimmer of sunlight to reflect off of the cafe's central fountain and indirectly onto her face. The lighting made her eyes appear to be made out of the purest peridot and her hair to have been spun by Drendella, the noblest and best tapestry-maker to have ever lived. Maewyn sat rather off to the side from her companions and seemed lost in thought; enough so she actually did not feel outright shame at Gomer endlessly quizzing the waiter over the price of a meal that he was not even expected to pay for.

  After much eating and a little discussion on the subject, Nostromo finally asked in a hushed tone, "Since the mystery item you brought us here to look for is not here, what is it we are to do next? I still insist that that business with the glowing lights and such had nothing whatsoever to do with us or your past. I don't understand you think that it does."

  "Well then, let me explain it to you!" said a man dressed in an odd blend of cloths and armor as he took a seat between Gomer and Lotus. "Also, you might want to get another bottle of this wine, my introductions might take a while and are certainly not for the uninebriated," he said with a hint of a laugh.

  Nostromo made a slow reach to draw his only available weapon, a dagger, for he had been asked to leave his axe at the front desk in what he was assured was a completely unbreechable safe. Gomer and Lotus just watched the brazen man to see what they should do next. It was Maewyn who stood up and said in a dull voice, "Please, allow me to introduce to you someone from my past. He used to go by the name Raislin though I know not his moniker now."

  "Raislin is still correct. I never saw the need to hide from anyone. Which is why you and I are both here I gather." He then leaned slightly towards Lotus and all but whispered to her, "I was aware that our family's vault was opened this morning. So, I teleported here straight away. Do you come to Norec often, Lotus is it?"

  Nostromo leaned forward a bit and said, "All right, so this is your cousin then? He doesn't look Elvish so I am guessing he is not your brother or Uncle or something."

  "Correct. At best I would be considered a distant cousin, if that. But, family ties do not always involve blood lines, Nostromo," replied Raislin. "I like that axe of yours, by the way. I know where you can get a good price for it," he added.

  "I like that necklace of yours. Can I have it?" asked Gomer staring at the double weave gold braid that looped tightly across Raislin's neck.

  He responded by saying, "This necklace has to be earned. You would have to kill its wearer to lay claim to it and then, it cannot be removed." Then, he motioned for the waiter and ordered an extravagant seafood dish and two more bottles of wine. "Now," he said, "let the interrogation begin!"

  The next hour was spent by the three companions asking question after question of the two mysterious relatives and getting little true resolution to their confusion. Finally, in slurred speech, Raislin said, "Look, like I have been saying, I don't know if our parents are even dead. I have tried communing with their spirits unsuccessfully many times. But, they had all became blood brothers after slaying some bad ass dragon and were inseparable until ShadowJack went off the deep end
with his necromancy. That's the short of it."

  "You knew ShadowJack? He is, like, one of the foundations of evil! That can't be right," Gomer said reaching for the last of the wine.

  "Yes, we knew him. He was not always a crazy Demon Lord. He just sort of wound up that way. But along the way, he and my father managed to drive away some of the darker forces from this realm. The Great Lich Azznu'ten was the last power they sent away," explained Maewyn.

  Raislin nodded and added, "That's right. Unfortunately, before all of his loyal subjects and henchmen could be found and slaughtered, if for no other reason that having bad taste in overlords, the Age came crashing to an end. I don't really know what happened next as some of us kids were shuffled off into some kind of temporal stasis."

  Maewyn waited for Raislin to finish a coherent thought then asked, "Do you know what they did with the Staff of Banishing? I opened the vault looking for such a weapon against the Lich."

  "How to you even know it is a Lich that opened that dimensional portal?" asked Nostromo. "You keep on acting like it is a certainty." Gomer was busy looking at a wealthy looking couple at a nearby table, but he would have asked the same, relevant question if he had been paying attention.

  Raislin answered, "Oh, it's him. Maewyn and I felt the same thing, I'll warrant. You see, the first thing the Lich did after arriving on this plane was to cast an ultra powerful locator spell. It felt like someone was poking my brain with their fingers for a second or two. He is looking for all of his old relics and artifacts. With those things, he would be a big problem. Without them, well he's not so tough. None of them were in the vault, were they?"

  "None," responded Maewyn sadly. "It just had some gold and a lot of family related things. My mother was more sentimental than I thought. I guess evil relics do not exactly go well with family heirlooms. Which, of course, means that the Lich might have located at least some of his old things and is now in the process of reacquiring what he can. Once he is back to his full strength, I think you and I, Raislin, are dead."

  Raislin nodded. "Possibly. He was always a vengeful cuss. Hell, the only reason he was banished instead of being outright killed was expediency. He wasn't really the problem at that particular moment. Besides, who knew Norec was going to be killed that same week? Everything changed so quickly then."

  "Yeah," said Gomer, "especially for that un-named guy who killed Norec. Tell me, if you would, why did he not have a name?"

  Raislin learned forward with the look on his face of someone starting a long story that only he would find interesting, "Well, he did have a name, it's just that no one now can remember what it was. You see, he was un-made, not just killed. It is almost like he never existed, except that he did. I think he was the original Lolth and that all the other Lolths are just crappy wannabes."

  Maewyn seemed to be getting upset, "All that does not matter now! If the Lich finds out you and I are still alive, he might come looking for us."

  "He probably already knows," added Nostromo. "That lackey of his seemed to recognize you"

  "Lackey?" asked Raislin. A rather descriptive version of what had happened in the tiled cavern with the Demon and the glass case was recounted to Raislin. His first response was, "Actually, it is a good thing that you didn't try to cross that seal at the door with any of the treasure, at least not while the crystal case was unopened. My guess is that would have summoned a coupla more Demons for you to play with. Diabolist runes are best left alone."

  Nostromo asked, "Tell me, Raislin, what is your profession? You claim to know much about runes and swordplay. Which is it?"

  Raislin bolstered himself up as well as he could with a body full of wine and replied, "Both. I used to be quite the Magic-User before the ending of the last Age changed everything. Now I can intuit spells instead of book learning them and my swordsmanship is getting better all of the time."

  It appeared that Raislin was about to go into a long winded speech about the good 'ol days when the waiter appeared and the group was politely driven out of the cafe. It was explained to them that the dinner crew was beginning to arrive and they liked to clean the establishment before beginning their dealings with their evening clientele’s. Just as the waiter was motioning Nostromo to the safe where his axe was stored, the Fighter just smiled and snapped his fingers. Instantly, his axe was in his hand. "A family heirloom," was all he said.

  "I cannot go with you," said Lotus after they had reconvened in their overpriced rooms. "I have a fear of the undead. My service to my Deity has suffered from it too much already and I would be of little use to you."

  "Don't fret, my pretty," Raislin told her in a soothing voice. "He is not even a real Lich anymore. We just call him that out of tradition. The word 'Lich' originally meant 'old man', you know. After he was raised, he had living energy poured into what remained of his body. While he is still not a healthy looking person, he is now immune to a lot of what would have harmed an undead creature. A Resurrection spell, for example, can no longer kill him. So, you have nothing to fear from him."

  Nostromo replied, "So, he is even tougher than a regular extra-powerful, undead Sorcerer? That figures."

  "Please explain it to him, if you would, Maewyn. I would not want our Healer... or Swordsman, to be frightened unnecessarily," responded Raislin with a slight wink no one else saw.

  The Elvin maiden sighed and said, "That is true. He is not a typical Lich. Also, he is probably still weakened in this realm from the last battle he fought here and, largely, without henchmen at the moment."

  "That one who turned my axe with his bare skin was enough," replied Nostromo. "Remember him? You keep telling me that was a temporary spell that was on him, but even if it is, who says he isn't just as tough when he is fully armored and armed. I am sorry. I like you, Maewyn. We all do. But, you can't ask us to go like lambs to a slaughter fighting his thing. It is only a matter of time before he offends someone really powerful and they kill him. The Man in Black certainly knows as much about him by now as you do." Then the Fighter, having stated his final words on the subject, left the room to go for a walk so he could think.

  Nostromo sat on a bench overlooking a fountain by the city's East gate. The daylight was waning and all the wine he had consumed was also fading from him. After a half an hour or so, Maewyn sat down on the other end of the bench. Even through her robes, she looked sad.

  "It wouldn't do me any good, you know; going into hiding," she said in a hushed voice. "If he still has any of his old alliances, they might hunt me down trying to find his old artifacts. On the other hand, if he has outlived his usefulness or potency, he will probably be killed soon and I will never know about it. Either way, I will be living in fear for years to come."

  Nostromo replied, "I would go fight this thing with you. It is what someone in my profession does. But I can't ask the others to come with us. I don't care what Raislin says, Lotus still might have one of her panic attacks at the sight of that Lich. And, what could Gomer do for us? He's good at back stabbing and lock picking, but he is not an Assassin."

  "I give you this," she said handing a beautiful platinum ring to the Fighter. "I took something for each of us from the vault which will be of great help to us all. That ring holds three Disintegrate spells. This rod carries with it more healing that a Cleric's staff does and Lotus can use it fully. If we keep her away from the Lich's touch, she should be fine. This potion will give Gomer the strength of a Titan, if only for an afternoon. So, you see, we are mightier together than you might think."

  "Yes, we have always survived and won our battles together," replied Nostromo. "And, in truth, fighting alongside a sorcerer again would be exhilarating. I miss having a spell caster around. It is a shame Mohaundus had to leave us, but his heart was clearly not in it after he had to be raised from the dead for a second time."

  The Fighter continued, "Tell me though, do you really trust your cousin? Is he as reliable and potent as he says he is?"

  Maewyn thought for a moment that replied,
"Those are really two separate issues. He used to be very competent and I am sure he is even more so now. It is just that he can be, well, unpredictable at times. He likes to bend the rules of engagement to his advantage."

  "Who doesn't? Well, if you trust your life to his skills, I supposed I can as well. I will leave it to you to keep him sober though. He is a happy drunk, to be sure, but happy and Lich-Lords don't mix, I'll warrant." Nostromo heard a footfall behind him and he turned to see Raislin approaching them via the path behind the bench.

  "So," he said, "we are all going then. Good. It should add up to a pretty good payday."

  The group left early the next day heading straight to where the underground castle held by the Lich-Lord had been as it was not only a good bet that would be where he, or 'it' if you like, had returned to, but also because the epicenter of the midnight disturbance seemed to have come from that direction. Much of the world's geography had undergone an upheaval when the last Age ended, but few mountains had totally disappeared and the range where the stronghold had been was still intact. With any luck, Raislin would be able to lead them right to its rusted gates. Of course, if the Lich was somewhere else, which was certainly possible, they would have to hire a Seer either brave or foolhardy enough to locate the undead miscreant for them. This would most likely forgo any element of surprise the group might have, so they opted to just ride to the mountains and hope for the best.