Kildo gripped his holy ankh symbol and closed his eyes. “Rigga, I seldom be praying to ye. I be having no tongue for it. No one, not even ye, be remembering if we be good dwarves or bad. Why we fought. Why we died. No, all that matters be that four stood against evil. That be important. Healing pleases ye Rigga. So, grant me one request. If there be no replacement chosen for the dead god, Nusen, will the vacancy of Nusen’s position itself allow harmful, outside entities into our realm? And if ye not be listening. Then the nine hells with ya!”
As if from a great distance, a faint feminine, soothing and calming voice in the back of his mind spoke. “If the Ten are not complete and in their proper roles, the barriers will fall, and the world will descend into chaos.”
Kildo opened his eyes. He was back in the cultist Dark Chamber with the party. The circumference of the large square room was stone with a total of eight portals, including the yellow one they came from in the northwest corner of the room. Traveling around clockwise, portals of brown, red, black, green, blue, purple, and white. In the center was a massive round table with seven unoccupied chairs.
“Well?” Guo Gan asked.
“Yep, Rigga be confirming it. We need to be making a choice, or we be up to our beards in worms,” Kildo said.
Kai began pacing back and forth. “We don’t have any good candidates. All of these cultists’ sods are right out. I don’t know whom to pick, or even a direction to go.”
“The only place we haven’t been is the White Portal. Only if we could go through there and see what lies beyond,” Gou Gan said.
There were several heartbeats of silence in the cultist’s Dark Council chamber.
“I know how to get through the White Portal,” Scomatch spoke.
All eyes turned to the halfling mage.
“How do you know how to get through the White Portal?” Guo Gan questioned.
“I just know.”
“All right. How do you get through?” Kai asked.
“You have to sacrifice a sentient weapon, and the White Portal will open up.”
“Good, we have a spare. The Brown Cultist’s weapon is Iron Fang. We can use that,” Kai said.
“Wait. It would be bad if we go through the White Portal,” Scomatch informed.
“How do you know?”
“I just know.”
Guo Gan rubbed his eyes as if to ward off a headache. “Is someone telling you this?”
“No, I just know, or I just remembered,” Scomatch replied. “The guy that wants my book is through the White Portal.”
“Who is this guy?”
“I don’t know.”
“So, what is special about this book that this guy wants it.”
“It’s hard to explain to non-wizard folk like you. In the simplest terms, it’s a first edition of the source of all magic,” Scomatch explained.
“So what happens if he gets a hold of your book?” Guo Gan asked.
“Bad things.”
“Can you describe further?”
“Uh, very bad things. End of the world bad things.” Scomatch winced as he tenderly touched his bright red skin, burned by eye monger acid.
“Right back to square one,” Kildo said.
Breathing out heavily, Kai said, “We need time to think and heal. We’ll return to the ship to rest up and determine our next course of action.”
* * *
“Surprise inspection! Everyone on deck!” Kai bellowed as Imago helped the group climb back aboard the Sea Ghost.
The crew scrambled and lined up. At the lead was the ranger Imago, the Navigator. Next was the tiefling Odium, cook and known servant to Belial. Following was Chutney Vic and the bilge rotation crew, Duarte, CragEar, Johnny One-bags, Rukh Glitterstone, Squat Hank, and Red Fred. Last but not least was the newest member of the crew, the female high elf Gyne.
Kildo followed Kai as he inspected each. They all appeared to be in good shape, appropriately nourished, and while a bath would do them no harm, they were in surprisingly good condition.
Snorting as he passed the last crew member, Gyne, Kai bellowed, “You call yourself sailors!? This is the saddest-looking, ridiculous group of sailors I’ve ever seen!” The paladin paused for effect and then said,” Until you compare it to every other group of sailors. You pass, but barely.”
The crew stood as straight as they could under the gaze of their captain.
“Scomatch, you’re my second. Do you have anything to say?” Kai asked.
“Get back to work!”
“Well said.” Nodding at the halfling, Kai echoed. “You heard him! Get back to work!”
* * *
After a good eight hours of sleep, Kildo made his way to the galley for some of Odiumn’s scones. He wanted to ensure that the cultist of Belial, Odium, didn’t know how much he liked them. Carrying a handful back to his cabin, he saw Imago approach Kai’s quarters.
Knocking on the door, Imago said, “Captain, someone is here to see you.”
“Who?” Kai questioned, opening the door.
“He just appeared on deck.”
A figure then moved past Kildo. He didn’t make a sound; if anything, he seemed to be gliding as if floating on water. The man, or a man at one point in the past, was generally gaunt and skeletal, with withered horribly blackened flesh stretched tight across. He was dressed in dark, tattered, business-like clothes that were in fashion over a century ago. Bald, except with dirty white hair going around his head’s circumference, he had a hooked nose, thin, reedy lips, and glassed-over eyes. He carried an ancient tomb in his arms. A trail of grey moths followed the creature down the corridor.
The undead lawyer spoke, but its thin lips didn’t move naturally, as if he was magically projecting his speech from his mouth. “Greetings Captain. I’ve been sent to communicate with you in recovering some merchandise you are in the possession of.”
“Ugh, ending a sentence with a preposition?” Kai scoffed.
Ignoring the comment, he continued, “My firm has been hired to acquire a…” he paused, referencing his tomb. “A blue gem.”
“I see. Are you at liberty to disclose the identity of your client?” Kai asked.
“No.”
“Why does your client think they have a claim on the blue gem?”
“They do not. They want to purchase it from you. I have been authorized to negotiate on their behalf,” the lawyer said.
“What is their opening offer?”
“Give it over of your own free will.”
“I see,” Kai said and turned his eyes up in thought. “What is that old saying? I wouldn’t want to stab the negotiator in the face? No, that’s not it. Ah, don't shoot the messenger. So, my counteroffer is to get the nine hells off my ship,” Kai retorted.
“There is a cash offer of five hundred thousand gold pieces.”
“Each?” Kildo asked behind them.
Turning his head over his shoulder, causing popping and cracking of bones and joints, the undead lawyer said, “No.”
Holding his hand towards the dwarf, Kai said, “A transaction of that kind would necessitate me to meet with my command staff. We require forty-eight hours to make our decision.”
“Normally, I would wait for you to be killed or succumb naturally to your death, but that is not a luxury we have. Forty-eight hours is cutting things close.”
“Is that a threat?” Kai asked and not receiving a response, continued. “How about thirty-six hours?”
“Is there something I can help with so you don’t need that amount of time?” the undead lawyer asked.
“We are not dismissing your offer or your client. We have one more loose threat that needs to be tied up before we make a decision. If you would please wait here in my quarters, that would be much appreciated, and in thirty-six hours, hopefully less, we’ll be prepared to speak to you on this issue.”
“I be having some scones,” Kildo said, raising the handful in his arms.
“Yes, you can enjoy the lovely scones from our chef and have some hot Earl Grey tea,” Kai said.
“I will forward your request to my client and not eat any scones,” the lawyer said towards Kildo. “Please know there are other interested parties, and they will pursue other paths to achieve what they need, as there is a tight deadline. Dead being the optimal term.”
“It would be very unfortunate if your client assaulted us in any way, as that would be perceived as an absolute reject of your offer,” Kai explained.
“Understood. I’m letting you know there are only four days. Any other plans that were underway are already underway. Anything else you’d like me to pass along?” the lawyer asked.
“I think we understand each other’s position.”
The undead lawyer’s form began to dissolve, like he was standing in a bucket of acid, through the ship’s floorboard and said as his lips began to melt, “I will then return in exactly thirty-six hours.”
Treasure:
· The ultimate decision, or the end of the world, will be decided in the next thirty-six hours.
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