3. "Finding a Balance of sorts" - A journal of Leena

"Finding a Balance of sorts" - A journal of Leena


  • _Being haunted is one thing.

    Don't get me wrong, being haunted sucks, but while it will make me mad, a little freaked out, and all around anxious, there's one thing that didn't bother me until now.

    The little ghost-bitch, who… I now realize is more likely an illusion since holy water and healing didn't touch her, said that "Things are almost ready for you and your friends!"

    My friends.

    Lady, you can mess with me all you want, but there's two reasons not to mess with my friends.

    1.) I would kill for them. I would tear the throat out of a living, thinking, being for my friends, with my teeth.

    2.) Most of them are way more badass than me ... soooooo... good luck!

    I'm still mildly concerned, though.

    On a happier note? I got some goblin grenades, I'm well stocked on arrows, decent on potions, and things are going ok, for now. Sure there's scary stuff on the horizon, but things are alright.

    I don't dare write about what's really on my mind at the moment, so I'll write the other big piece of good news.

    I'm finally a member of the Circle! Staff and everything.

    I'm going to hunt down Marty and Willow's Llama, and see if they'll join me, and help decide which of us should 'lead' it for now, if anybody ... since the Elders seem busy and for the most part, elsewhere. It took this long just to get their attention and let me in!

    Maybe I'll ... hold a festival, and advertise it as far as Damara, and see if we can attract some new Druid blood around these parts. I'll kick the idea over with the others. For now, I feel like I have a project of my very own, finally. Maybe strengthening the circle will help drive the necromancer out of my damned woods.

    If not, there's always my flying, pointy, backup plans._


  • _It's been a busy couple of days!

    I've collected Displacer Pelts, gotten displacer beast armor from Z, even had him re-sew the armor he made into an outfit like my old one! It's beautiful!

    I encountered the ghost girl again … though I think she might just be an illusion, which makes me ... relieved? Not quite sure yet how I feel, but I do know this.

    If she's an illusion, that means a mage of some sort, most likely, and I got some mage killer arrows from the auction, with Sabre's pal Scarlet! I'll be saving those arrows for whoever is behind this ... AND for whatever damned necromancer is messing with the Rawlins close to Norwick again. I WILL find them. I will shoot them with a fancy arrow. I WILL make them pay.

    I'm not quite so bent that I'll make them suffer, intentionally ... but I won't be upset it if happens.

    Not in my woods._


  • _Aaaaand, now I'm crazy.

    Or something?

    There I was, minding my own business, after Peltarch was nearly swarmed with Kobolds! I can't even imagine bloodthirsty kobolds wandering the streets of this city. People would die all over the place. There's not enough guards to cover the people who don't know to get inside and lock their doors when there's trouble!

    Turns out a swamp hag, a powerful one, was mad about people going into her swamps. Now, I get that, I do. But… they're not yours, lady. And attacking Peltarch? Not smart.

    There were a few of us out, including Raryldor, who cast some crazy spell he called "Storm of Vengeance" in an effort to save the poor guards who forgot what walls were for, or who just thought they were putting down some rabble, not a whole swarm...

    Several fell.

    We killed the kobolds, and I threw so much lightning magic around that I still feel like I'm crackling... then once the hag was dead, I beseeched Talos to take her, for his glory, as thanks for his gifts.

    ZOT!

    Just like that, ashes! It was awesome!

    After everyone left though… I heard a giggle.

    I looked around, figured it was some goofy kid out late, and paid it no mind, trying to calm my nerves. The whole brush with Talos's attention again, made me shaky.

    Then I saw the eyes.

    A ghostly figure with burning eyes wanted to "Play" and "Be my friend ... ForEVERRRRRR...."

    Nope! I told her to piss off, and eventually tried to threaten her away, then my chair attacked me! The others seemed to move too... so I raised my hand, and smote them down with a triple bolt of lightning.

    Ha! Take that, ... you... chairs?

    I felt silly when Lisa came over and asked what happened, and though she was understanding, cause let's face it, stranger things have happened here... she still made me pay for them, and warned me. The ghost even pranced around her, SINGING, but she was oblivious.

    I lured it outside where I could fight it without going to jail for a bad case of the crazies, and it left me along. And I looked ridiculous to the outer wall guards, too.

    Well farking yay.

    I quit today, I'll do things again tomorrow._


  • _Oh! Note to self!

    First, try to go every forthnight or so to the mushroom cave. Otherwise, someone is going to beat you to them. And while you're there … dummy ... pay attention!

    Some yahoo either made, brought, or summoned a skeletal warrior down there, one of the badass ones. Restless champions, I think they like to refer to them as.

    I was running willy nilly through the place, and tada! What happens, but I run smack into this boney knight looking guy, who immediately starts attempting to make two of me out of the one of me.

    Needless to say, I kicked it's ass, smote it with lightning, called up a summon, all the usual asskickery stuff, but it still put a hurt on me. I'm no frontliner.

    I need to find out what godsforsaken whacko is making the problem WORSE down here, and take them out, or something.

    For now, I think next time I go down there, I'll leave a note where I found it._

    Leena does just that, too. The next time she visited, she sketched a quick note that read

    **I found your present, and dealt with it appropriately. Don't let me find another, or you're next. These woods are MINE, and things are bad enough already.

    Piss. Off.

    -The Thunderwitch**


  • _This … has been a busy week.

    One scary infiltration of a Gargossan stronghold? Check.

    A couple dozen deadwood trees felled, and almost as many axes destroyed?
    Check.

    A lot of rat and bat meat eaten from cooking them up after hunting for small hides? Also check. Good thing they're snack sized!

    I've started making labels for my friends bags, after doing my own of course, but it's surprisingly hard to learn! I had to busy my mind somehow, though. That infiltration was ... scary to say the least. And I'm no longer too worried about writing about it, since... well, they caught us.

    We had made it into the Gargossan temple of sorts through a series of winding caves and passages, and posed as acolytes, before being "tested" to see if we were worthy.

    Naturally, things fell apart, but not before we got tested, and then most of the others received information. Something big is happening soon, another one of the enemies objectives has been completed, and we're no good for sneakystuff any more, since one of them identified poor Nica as the one who killed a bunch of them, and the fight was on!

    In ... robes...

    Lightning flashed, I got a couple nasty sword wounds, Nica beat some serious ass, and we made it out alive, all of us, after passing their little 'test' that got them near the information. Four or five people died in the test, which was literally being asked if we wanted to stay, and answering questions with conviction. That was it ... and the strangers who tried to back out were casually slaughtered. Like cattle.

    I had to clean the blade of the boss broad, when it came to my turn. With my tongue. It was still warm with the blood of the still-yet-innocent, and I did it without flinching. I mean come on, I tear the throats out of goblins with my teeth when I'm shapeshifting, and they taste WAY worse. Still, I feel sick when I think about it.

    Gah, now I'm thinking about it again, but hopefully now that it's on paper... I can close this journal, and forget about this stuff til the next time I open it.

    On another note, new projects. I'm GOING to find out the secret on my bow, even if I have to sneak into the woods of the Irmunsil alone to do so.

    AND, I'm going to find a way to get goblin grenades before they throw them, so I can collect enough to be useful. I never use my grease or web spells, but I can... because they're flammable!

    Spell, grenade, boom-FWOOSH! What an entrance, right?

    Hopefully I can do better next time. I killed every damned goblin south of their cave... and got one. ONE grenade, for my trouble.

    I am not cut out for this solo stuff..._


  • _Today, was a very good day.

    Hanging about with Ras seems to be a good way to pass the time. There's stories, jokes, food, tips, and best of all … he CAN be uprooted for adventure. This time, it was Ras, myself, and an elf who returned who I had heard about in passing from Dad's notes, Suldin!

    I'm meeting a lot of Dad's old friends, it seems. I wonder if they miss him...

    Anyway, before I get lost on that runaway thought haycart. I should write down where we went, since it was AWESOME. Ras got to talking about Ky, but big white dragon, and Suldin wanted to see something NEW. So, off we went, to the Coldstones.

    I got to drink an ale from the monks at the Order of the Endless Keg. It was SOO good! We rested up there, and continued, fighting the occasional snowgoblin, but for the most part, sneaking about. Wolves gave us a fight, but we handled them as they came, and kept on. I even sketched the keg!

    Past the wolves were some frozen undead I've never seen before… that was creepy, and two of them got the jump on me at some point, and almost took me out. Scary!

    Past some ice spiders, into the goblin caves, more sneaking, more almost getting caught (I'm unseen but I'm not that quiet), and we came across a ritual room, with a bloodied altar, and some -being- trapped in ice. It looked a bit like this...

    I don't know what it is, but I hope it stays there…

    We got all the way to what appeared to be a DIRE POLAR BEAR, and an Ice Giant, and decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and trekked back. It didn't seem as long going up there as it did going back... now I'm exhausted, but excited to see just how far as can go.

    Maybe I can meet Ky.

    Maybe he won't want to eat me for being Dad's daughter?_


  • _Goblins.

    Nobody really likes them. Most folks go out of their way to kill them. I suppose enough of us have lost family or friends to them that there's a grudge to be had… but I admit that I'm a pretty vicious hunter when it comes to them.

    Grudge is too light a word for how I'm feeling now, though.

    I had some hours before meeting up with the others about the newest threat of sorts, and Ras mentioned something about how I was paying too much for choking powder, since he knew how to make it, and would show me where to find the mushrooms it's made with.

    I guess that makes sense. Oscura always has it. Perfect place for mushrooms, too. I really should have thought of that before ... ya know, DRUID ... but hey. You learn something new every day, if you try.

    This way my day apparently, and off we went, into the ruins and into the caves, greeted by the stench of a particularly rank and musty cave. My favorite... bleh.

    We didn't have to go far before a corpsethieving goblin gave us a visit, and then his friends, but we dispatched them easily enough, and got to the first mushrooms. Ras made with the teaching, and I got my first harvest. Easy!

    That really should have been my first hint.

    Easy? Here? Hah.

    The stench of undead became apparent, and the horde burst forth. Undead animals led the charge, and I saw red. Rasuil only saw targets, naturally, and Willow saw a reason to heal, because I kind of lost my cool, and charged in.

    It wasn't too tough, even with the undead bugbear in their ranks... but I'm not very well cut out for fighting undead. I'm just not that strong, physically. Then things got ugly. The tattered roar of a bear, it's vocal cords obviously shredded just from the sound of it, battered at our ears, and we continued on, poor Willow thinking it could be saved.

    No, I've heard that sound before. That was the sound of a creature furious at those that still had life, and at those who took its own.

    I went to go kick open the big door just ahead... and heard air whistle past my ear. Then again, then something hit me in the back, and I spun, finding myself completely surrounded, the door at my back, and sneaks all around me, between Ras and Willow and myself.

    I fought, blade flashing, shield desperately blocking blows where I could, then the door opened when I got knocked back against it ,and there was the damned bear. The dire bear. The UNDEAD dire bear.

    Shit.

    I tried to push past, but the goblins were stopping me, and I got smacked on my face, then battered about like a rag doll. A pale arm flashed in and healed me with Shaundakul's gusts of power, but I was losing... yet there was a flight of birds, or so it looked like ... it was just feathers really, attached to swiftly flying deadly shafts of wood. Rasuil's wood, to be exact. He feathered the goblins, and I finally found room to move, and chug a potion as I scrambled for safety. It was a less than dignified scamper, to be sure, but I made it far enough to regroup my wits, and get back in at a better angle.

    We fought. We killed. We triumphed ... and we moved on.

    The stench-emitting mushrooms clouded everything, but messed the goblins up more than us, especially since I'm immune (Thank you Mielikki), and the other two were inured pretty well, either from strength of will or body ... or from dealing with Brumir after he has had eggs from the Tuck-Me-Inn.

    Seriously, that place should be shut down, or buried way deeper than it currently is...

    We got all the way to an ominous black plinth, near a door of a similar quality, and Ras talked about how negative energy is required to open it, producing a scroll to let us in, after the taunts from the goblin on the other side made it clear that we indeed needed in there.

    He was tricky.

    We got in, and he harried us with spells while his minions attacked, and we chewed through them, but he kept disappearing.

    Not well enough to avoid his eagle eyes, though. I tease him about getting old, but hellsakes, how did Dad ever beat him in a fight?

    The goblin lost his cool, and bolted for the door, which I didn't see AT ALL ... and Ras's arrows found its back just as it tried to open the door ... without the key of negative energy.

    Thunk, thunk! Zap!

    One deader than hell goblin, facedown and sizzling slightly.

    My favorite.

    Willow had Shaundakul help wreck the altar, since I was out of juice, and then I bashed the hell out of it, letting my anger off in a semi-productive fashion... then, the loot. We made a couple thousand gold out of all the rings and shinies in that chest, and I even got a ring to help negate the nasty energy that deaders sometimes have, that saps your will to live.

    Not a bad day...

    Got my choking powders, got some loot, and got a ring to let me try and keep up with my old friends, who honestly, outclass me even more than before.

    Maybe there's hope yet.

    I hope I'm making you proud Dad.

    Time to go see who's about. Maybe Artemis is around._


  • **Find the light.

    _I admit that upon sitting down to write about what's on my mind, I had to re-read my pathetic attempt at writing down what goes on with me on a regular basis before … and I've only written a couple of times. I should be ashamed, especially given how many entries Dad's journal has. Then again, I'm definitely not Dad.

    That last entry though, and the spirit's last words to me, make me wonder.

    Yesterday, I wandered into a left open portal, knowing the tracks that led up to it, and even the lingering scent of a few people I knew on the wind nearby, so I dove in, flew through some tunnels, and joined the group that was necromancer hunting.

    Oops that was today!

    I appeared just in the nick of time too, as Jonni was whimpering about evil spider women coming after him, Elaine was trying to comfort him, and the others were gauging how close a farking MUMMY LORD was advancing upon them!

    I barked some people up, passed out some potions, and stood fast as much as I could in the face of such a thing, and then let the lightning snake down through the small places in the earth that only lightning can find it's way through, to strike our foe when we couldn't delay any longer!

    It felt good, to help. Was that finding the light? That line keeps nagging at me. I should have remembered it at the end... past the monstrous teddy bear made of people parts and human hair. It made me shudder even to look at, but lo and behold ... the group took it on! The fighters dashed forward, I fired an arrow or two, and let loose the saved lightning I had kept just for this... and it ignored them. It came right for the back line. Where I was.

    Caution says, "Back up, keep shooting, trust your frontline."

    My blood says, " Fight, rend, kill, destroy what threatened you and yours. Stop the threat, or at least hold it back!" First, blind battlefury, then cautious recklessness.

    I drew Spirit and the Moonguard my loving sister made for me, and stood my ground, screaming defiance at the giant thing as it charged me, and swiped madly at it when it loomed over me.

    I nicked it, and it definitely knew I was there. Not to self... find a way to get a stronger weapon, or something that helps against undead... because yikes!

    Now I was it's primary target.

    Now I was a leaf on the wind.

    Now Shaundakul, Akadi, blow me out of harms way.

    Now, you are on my time, creature!

    Then, it had me.

    It got me by the sword-arm, and yanked me clear off my feet, setting me back down a few feet away, seeming surprised that it even had me between it's teeth before it accidentally dropped me.

    Those few moments were all it took though, and my bite wasn't serious... the swords of Albryanna, Jonni, Eragor's axe, Lady Ashena's shining blade... then made quick work of the beast once they caught up and flanked it.

    I did my job. I kept the back line safe.

    Was that the light? No, not even then did that sentence cross my mind.

    The necromancer appeared out of nowhere once we reached the end. He had probably been invisible before the spells started flying. I had prepared my death ward, given Ashena a couple of said potions (She insisted I take the gold she threw at me for them, I was in too much of a hurry to argue, I think I owe her cookies!) and at the last moment, remembered that I had a secret stash of spellcrystals.

    I smashed the Spellmantle one on myself, and a protection from evil, and then went in with the others. When it all went mad, I got distracted in an awful hurry. Spells rushed toward me like hungry water snakes, leaving glowing trails instead of rippling water in their wake... but they hit little blue squares of light in front of me, which shattered and reformed right before my eyes. Again, and again, they lit up, til I looked past them, and saw him try to rush past me.

    I swung, and gave chase, even as something screamed by my ear, leaving me pale and breathless in it's wake. I heard something heavy hit the ground, but knew not what, even as I slashed and stabbed, and dogged his every step. I wish I was a heroic fighter, I think I bounced my sword off of him once, but I'm not nimble or strong enough to pose much of a threat to a being so powerful...

    But Ashena was. The lady knight dashed past me, then, and grabbed the necromancer. And then, there was LIGHT!

    A bright flash, and a victorious shout, and then all was still. Too still. Where there should have been shouts of joy and victory, there was a murmur about Eragor instead, who lay prone and still and cold on the floor. I dove on him, and tried every resuscitation trick I knew.

    Somebody kindly told me quietly that death magic didn't leave the body able to be revived... so I gave up, shoulders slumped, and sat there a moment.

    Then, he appeared. Theroy, looking pale and ghostly, and ... well, not all there. He was already missing a hand, so quickly was he fading, but he imparted to us a tidbit of knowledge with his heartfelt thanks.

    He was the necromancer. Or at least, it was a part of him. He had apparently split from himself when he went after power, and gave up his mortal life or soul or however necromancy makes one of it's own able to do what they do... and we enabled him to let go and be free. Both parts of him.

    Find the light.

    Is there a darkness inside of me?

    Yes.

    Others saw it during the dreamwalks and visions. I scared some of them, then. I scared ME. I even saw me, fighting me. Was that vision about an inner struggle, or am I going to have to fight my double to the death?

    I don't know what the light is, how to find it, or even if I need it yet, but I'll keep looking. I don't want to end up like Theroy. I'll find my light on my own, without having to be vanquished, or split from myself. Still... between it hurting more every time I shift, my jealousy spiking nearly out of control sometimes, and the bizarre feelings of being watched and restlessly waking from sleep ... I wonder what is going on?_

    Xp pending**


  • _Well, that was disturbing, yet kind of awesome. I don't think I've ever been awoken by a ghost before.

    "The blood is awakened."

    Well then. So it is. But why does my … oh.

    That was me talking to myself, looking at this spirit that just said something ominous to me, causing me to lift my hand and take a look. I was cut, but it wasn't badly ... thankfully. I bent to retrieve my sword, however, since that was what I asked the spirit about, and it was out of it's scabbard, and had been spattered with my blood, so I went to wipe it off.

    It didn't wipe off. A close look... showed me that the blood, red as rubies, wasn't wet, but rather... part of the blade now, almost like it had been forged with it.

    The spirit asked if I had any other questions, then, or anything to say. I inquired if it wanted any last messages passed, or anything done in it's old home, and it said no, so I asked a more personal question.

    "What advice would you give someone who doesn't know where to go from here? What to do? Someone who poured all of her effort and talent into, and suddenly had nowhere else to direct herself? What advice would you give?"

    **"Find the Light."

    Damned cryptic spirits.

    I nodded, and it left, and I set out for the day to see what changed about my blade.

    You know when you score the perfect strike? You usually cut the hell out of whatever you're fighting, right? Well… I landed a fine strike on a goblin ... and nearly cut him into sliced chunks. I felt something near my hand when I struck true... and two slashes join my blade's wound on the body, parallel and deep.

    I can live with this!

    Now... time to put it to good use.**_


  • _I've decided to take Dad's journal slowly. Not read it all in one go. Perhaps I'll open to a random page when I need guidance, inspiration, or an idea… but for now, I've read the first entry.

    It turns out, Dad came first to Narfell, through Jiyyd. His first job was for Horbag, collecting rats and bats... and that's totally one of my favorite places to eat! Apparently he erm... died right away upon getting there, too. But, there's good news!

    As he was working, and pondering what to do with himself ... Mielikki sent a messenger, or avatar. A Unicorn visited my Dad, left him a pendant, and when it left, it kicked up some leaves, and a wind... then the leaves spelled out a message.

    **The Lady's Blessing…

    How cool is that!? I already know that most of this journal won't be quite as uplifting as this, but it's both a somber note, and a high note. It also spells out how Dad got his start here, which … well, kind of makes sense with how he ended up!

    Time to pay attention to the others again, before they ask if I'm depressed! Truth is, I haven't felt this good in days!**_


  • _I've not written in this thing enough, that's for certain, but I suppose following the last two entries with a conclusion of sorts is appropriate.

    We've done it, though I wasn't there for the last stone. My meddling destroyed two, then Kessmiah's bow wrecked the third, apparently the scrolls were able to magic the power out of the last one, though a spirit was freed and had to be destroyed?

    I know it's done, not only because the others told me, but because last night, I was visited in a dream. Since I can dreamwalk, myself, this wasn't that disturbing, even though the spirit looked just as terrifying as it did in the camp, just without the same horrific angry expression.

    "You risked your life to aid my people in their quest to free our trapped souls, foolish though your reasoning may have been. Before I find my rest what gift can I leave with you to help you in future struggles?"

    I thought long and hard on that one … before I got up from my bed, in the dream of course, and presented the sword Mom and Dad left for me. Mostly Mom, I think. My "Sword of Elven Blood" was part of the reason that I helped, really. I mean, I need to get out there and -do- things, but this was my attempt at reconciling who I am. I'm half elf, which means I -should- be interested in both halves of my race history, right?

    I presented the sword, and told the spirit what I knew of the sword possessing secrets to unlock, and left it in the spirit's 'hands', so to speak. With that, came closure. I helped, we won, it's over... right?

    So what now?

    That question has been keeping me up at night. Distracting me during the day. Bothering me when I'm in an otherwise fine mood. What do I do now? Do I seek out a new quest? Hang around waiting for adventurers? I feel like I should at least have a -direction-. Something to point myself at. I've been so off that sis lectured me, Salin got worried about me, and I'm getting funny looks.

    Peltarch held the answer, oddly enough. I went to go visit Auntie Lycka. We talked. We had tea and snacks. We talked some more. We talked, and you know what? I feel -better-. I feel renewed. Now I sit in her room in the Bardic College, with Dad's journal in my lap. I haven't opened it yet. I will, though. As soon as I get the courage. I know he left it for all of us, but ... gah. I'm excited. I'd better not knock over any of the TOWERS of books in here. Lycka wasn't kidding. Bohemian indeed...

    Well, if there's any place I can start to learn, and find a place to apply myself, it's here.

    Time for you and I to have a talk, Dad. Even if you're not here to have it with._


  • _Well, that went …. well enough?

    It's been such a day, that I find myself once more compulsively picking up quill and ink, and setting to sort this backwards little mind of mine.

    I've decided two things.

    The Gods are scary, and praying is getting a little more frightening than I thought. Can they read my mind when I'm not trying to reach them? I -really- don't want to get smote.

    I need to meet new people more often.
    Really. That was great!

    So, when I look back on this later, or someone finds it on my pretty litlte corpse, I suppose I should explain.

    I've once more helped out the elves with their quest. We sat about the fire, and Raryldor confessed to having thought about where to go from here... and come up with nothing other than that mortal magicks probably couldn't break the stupid gems. "Duh," I thought. If it were that easy, we'd have figured it out by now.

    So, if not by Mortal hands... then what about by the Gods?

    I've been petitioning the Gods all along for help on their quest, and despite the fact that I've figured, and been basically TOLD by them that they could hardly care less about the captive spirits of a couple dozen elves, they helped me anyway. I mean -really- stepped in. Visions, Dreams, low-grade prophecy in general. Good stuff, rare stuff. Are they being dishonest, and have a goal in mind?

    At any rate, Raryldor caved, seeming reluctant, and agreed to let me figure out a way. So, given that I didn't have any time to prepare, I figured I'd pray on it, and work on a plan for the next time we meet, in a few weeks or so.

    Instead, I got answered. That voice in my head, kind of gravelly, deep, and patient, as if talking to a child, with a hint of annoyance. I'd call it Talos, but I'm not sure. It wasn't like walking up and introducing oneself!

    Basically, the Gods asked me why would they care. Instead of getting discouraged, I gave them the answers I had, because really, why should -I- care? Either I'm working for their goals all along, or I've been doing it wrong. Perhaps they were just testing me? Hells it's hard to tell.

    If they were, though, I passed.

    "Two. We agree to destroy two, but the silly mortals are on their own for figuring out the other two, they can deal with it on their own."

    I was given instruction to get two stones, then hold up the arms of two willing souls, to aid in the stones' destruction. So, I did just that. Lightning crashed often, and the ridiculous dwarf who kept mocking me nearly got fried several times over. Sirion got too close, too, and several people said they were going to stop me, but nobody actually laid a hand on.

    Which is probably for the best.

    Hen's Arm grew cold, Kessmiah's, hot. They slumped, and I made them hold them higher again, and the gems were blasted out of our grips by lightning onto the grass.

    Derision followed. Sneering onlookers commented how that didn't seem to work, but I pressed on. More lightning struck, the air temperatures were everywhere, and their hands were uncomfortable in mine. Kessmiah's felt nearly on fire, and Hen's threatened to freeze to mind. I worried for my friends, but I was doing as bidden, and would not fail. I knew they would not chicken out either.

    Mostly.

    Then came the command. "Tell them to use the power they have been granted!"

    I said so, and they both flew into action. Each of them leaped over the rock, and onto the stones, fists first, creating an ear-shattering noise. Kessmiah's fist erupted into flames, consuming her arm, and blinding everyone looking with a tornado of divine flame.

    When my sight returned, Hen was stuck to the ground by the pillar of flesh and ice that -was- her arm, which snapped off from her weight, leaving them both missing a limb, but the stones, obliterated.

    We win?

    Raryldor was right there, as I counted on him to be, and he set right to work healing them, and regenerating the limbs, even as others blasted my on-the-spot decision making skills.

    "What if he hadn't been here? What if this backfired? What if, what if, what if?"

    What if you go fark yourself with a porcupine, you arse.

    The girls, I asked, before we all left, if they held any regret or grudge. They did not, and Hen wanted to keep her arm as a frozen trophy, heh. Good luck with that, lady.

    The rest, I don't care what they think. Rary okayed it, I made it happen. He gets to live with that, and I'm happy to. I feel like I've done my part, and I hope that my Mother's love for the elven side of us, and whatever part of it I end up caring for, is satisfied.

    Perhaps I've done as I was meant to, perhaps I'm going against my own grain. I don't care, honestly. I did what I felt I needed to.

    And for now?

    That's good enough._