Yè fēng notices he is not the only one who is shocked by what they had just witnessed. He points his hand at the partly open door and states, “That was an Extractor… where the hell did you get that from?”
Raven is a little perplexed by the question and it is reflected in his answer, “The hidden basement… seriously you have not seen the basket that is full of them?”
The teacher looks to Dusk who shrugs and prompts his lover to ask, “What basket? Where?”
The legend rests his hands upon his waist and his eyebrows rise as he explains, “It is inside the middle room, the Crystal Master room, at the back, next to the bookcase is a small basket filled with Extractors. I can’t believe neither of you have seen it.” Then it dawns on him it is in quite a dark corner, he giggles and continues, “Next time we are in there I will point it out with a floating orb.”
Yè fēng slaps the side of his face and slightly shakes his head. “I am an idiot, now you described it I remember. They are hiding in that dark corner.”
“Yep, now you’re remembering,” chimes the hero with a chuckle. I just left them where I found them in a dark tucked out of the way corner.”
Dusk emits a sigh and remarks, “That’s why I forget they are there. Wait, no way is that a small basket either. It’s quite big, isn’t it?”
The teacher shrugs and quickly goes to stop the hand from entering the house. “What am I doing?” he questions himself, “It is not alive, it’s not in any danger.”
Dandelion has been listing to what they have been saying about the hidden basement and it leaves him wondering what other things, which were meant to have been destroyed during the great divide the calamity are hidden down there. He also finds it adorable the way his dear friend cares about the Mage’s Claw, he places his fits under his chin and says, “That is so sweet the way you care about it.”
“I agree it is adorable,” says Raven patting his old friend’s arm. “It is leading us to hopefully the pod.”
They watch the floating claw push the door open and disappear inside. The companions though are a little unsure about following it and Yè fēng gets out his compass. “It is looking like the pod is in the back. Hopefully the Extractor has done its job.”
“Wasn’t the scream a sign?” Dandelion questions and shivers. “Ooh, that was creepy.”
Dusk realises he is still holding the book, he quickly scans the information about the curse and notices in the margin near the spine it is written in small letters, Extractor must be used by an Orb Master. Scream indicates Extractor did the job, safe to enter. He quickly reads it aloud to the others who also have to see the writing for themselves.
The owner of the Unicorn rolls his eyes and states, “I can't believe I never saw that. Nice going, Dusk.”
“Ah, you see those sharp eyes of his don’t miss a thing,” implies Raven giving his husband a kiss on the cheek.
The wingless Vern takes a bow and notices the teacher is staring at the compass. “Yè fēng, what are you detecting?”
“A body,” answers the teacher in a soft voice.
Dandelion pats his good friend’s shoulder before he enters the house and walks over to the lamp to discover an elf lying on the floor with his face taunted in fear. It takes him right back to when he and Yè fēng first met under similar conditions. Only this time they are going to be able to deal with it a lot faster with Raven being involved and he still coming around to the idea of him just carrying an Extractor in his bag, than again it is so him. He crouches to take a closer look at the body and calls, “Yè fēng, are we dealing with a Valley Elf?”
The teachers enters and replies, “Yes, and young, he’s only five centuries old. The makes upon his lips and the silvery residue is also evidence of the Kiss of Death. It makes me wonder how many more have been to Moonlit Cove.”
The owner of the Unicorn rises and gives his dear friend a hug. “That is going to be a problem.”
“It sure is,” says Dusk looking down at the corpse. “So young… I wonder if we can find anything to help us.”
Raven strokes his lover’s back as he comes around him and agrees, “You’re right, my sweetie, there has to be something. I will check his beg.”
Dusk gives him a nod and continues into the kitchen to find the hand is just hovering by the back door. “Emm, darling, isn’t this suppose to go once it has found its target?”
Dandelion peeks his head around the doorframe and questions, “Yeah, what is it up to?”
The legend joins them and replies, “Not sure. Sweetie, open the back door, let’s see what it does, as the pod does not appear to be in here.”
Dusk opens the door and when the hand still remains where it is he huffs, “This is what I hate about them, when they just hover and twitch. I just keep thinking any minute now we are going to be consumed by vines.”
Raven gives him a hug and tells him, “It is just thinking, that’s all.”
The wingless Vern is not convinced, he shakes his head and steps away from the floating mass of vines. When it starts to move off outside he breaths a sigh of relief.
“See everything is fine,” says Dandelion following the hand outside to find himself within a walled garden. “Well, this is cheery,” he announces stepping to one side so the others can see.
The garden is completely bare, there is not a single weed or plant to be seen anywhere. The three high walls have remains of a vine with heart shaped leaves, that has been dead for quite some time and there is an odd oder to the air.
Yè fēng changes the stone that lies in the hole in the centre of the compass to a light pink one with white edges. Then he moves some of the outer rings in opposite directions and mutters, “No spell, bubble or barrier. I am detecting Fuchsite Gems in the outhouse and the claw is heading that way. Still the gems wouldn’t course this.”
Dandelion makes his way down the path, pulling the tops off his gloves a little higher up his wrists before he slides open the door and calls, “Shit! There is a pile of them in here. Dusk, up for some burning?”
“Yeah, I am up for that, aunty,” he replies trotting over to him. They work together to place some of the wood around the base of the pods and in between them before they both make a fireball appear within their left hand when Yè fēng stops them and says, “We can’t burn them here, the smell is going to be overwhelming.”
“Hey you’re right, it smells like really bad rotting veg. And I mean bad,” expresses Dandelion screwing up his face. “Good job you remembered, my sweet Snow Elf, that is the last thing we need making everyone sick for miles.”
Raven crosses his arms and casually says, “Salt.”
“Salt?” Yè fēng questions to Dusk who shrugs and gives him a blank expression.
The owner of the Unicorn on the other hand snaps his fingers and responds with a delighted tone to his voice, “Yes, salt. Hmm, it might just work to one neutralise the smell and dry them up. I don’t suppose you are carrying a jar of in that bottomless pit of a bag of yours?”
“I am afraid not, aunty, mainly because it won’t make a nice condiment.”
“Ah, you have a point there, you would be dying for a drink, literally,” remarks Dandelion with a chuckle. “How did we collect it? Do you remember?”
The legend slightly holds out his left hand and replies, “Didn’t just use my abilities to grab a handful for we did not need much.”
The owner of the Unicorn is a little hesitant to respond and seems to take a moment to rethink things. “Yes, that sounds about right,” he says a short time later and notices the other two are staring at them. “Sorry, Dusk, Yè fēng, neither of you have any idea what we’re talking about.”
Dusk smiles and responses, “It’s fine neither of you need to explain when it sounds like you both have come up with an interesting plan to get rid of them, stinky pods.”
Raven throws out his left hand towards the ground and the next minute a portal to a cold place opens. With it being the middle of the night all that can be seen is a star covered sky. He starts to scoop his hands, lifting them up in front of his waist, making on the other side of the portal a lump of fine, sand as white as snow rise. He is not worried about pieces of it cascading off the pile as he moves it over to sprinkle on one of the pods and there is an immediate reaction. The surface of the pod starts to sizzle, like a piece of Kin-kin on a hotplate, and it begins to collapse in on itself.
Dandelion starts to sniff the air and emits a happy, “Hmm.” He goes on to use his abilities to scoop up a larger lump of the fine white sand and pours it over the rest of the pods. “I’m impresses this is working so well. This why we are not realising any more of that awful smell and it’s absorbing all the goo.”
“Of course salt from the Salt Flats is really, really acidic,” says Yè fēng still puzzled by how Raven figured it out. “How did you guess this would work?”
The hero is pouring another scoop of the salty sand over a pod and answers, “The remans of the vine, on the walls of this garden reminds me of when aunty and I first met. The vine in question is called Creeper of Death, because this is what it does, it destroys all other plant life. It lives in the Mist Swamp, also known as Swamp of Doom or Ghost Swamp. And it had shown up in one of grandmother’s gardens.”
“We had no idea how to get rid of it,” informs Dandelion taking over the story. “We were relieved to hear an Orb Master was back in the East City. The thing is I was not expecting to meet a child… correction a young adult, for you were around eighteen then, right?”
“Yes,” answers Raven taking back the story. “And it was the first time I had ever seen a Vern. I was walking around him as he was telling me of his problem and little confused how the vine had got in when the palace is under a protective barrier and I came to the conclusion that someone must have brought it in on their clothing or shoes or just simply been mistaken for a pretty vine, because it is. It has these lovely delicate flowers that hang down from the branches which have a soft sweet fragrance, giving a false innocent appearance. When in fact it is a creeping killer which will render a garden lifeless within days. Luckily I had read that the only thing that kills such a vine was Salt Flats sand and it worked a treat, didn’t it, aunty?”
“It sure did and within an hour the killing vine was dead and there he was stood in the middle of the garden looking very proud.”
“Well, I was also pleased to see what I had read actually worked and I also knew it wouldn’t take long for the garden to recover because once Salt Flat sand is out of its environment, it quickly devolves away. That is why I am using it here,” informs the legend.
Dusk gives his husband a soft nudge and questions, “Why have you never told me this before, how you two first met?”
Raven chuckles and replies, “Well, because you’ve never asked.”
“Ah, fair point. Anyway, it is a good job you remembered as it is working a treat. So not only are Fuchsite Gems here, we are also dealing with a dreaded vine… how did any of this happen without raising any alarms?”
“Dusk is right, how did all of this go unnoticed in such a busy town,” expresses the teacher looking around.
They all take a moment to think as Norven’s Gate is a busy town regardless of the time of day nothing really comes to a stop when the suns set. It is clear the smuggling of the pods from Moonlit Cove has been going on for some time. Then it dawns on them the Valley Elf was carrying the pod from somewhere else, he stopped off at the Dragon’s Pit before continuing to this house. The problem is there is noway to find where they had come from as the hand will only be able to detect what is here. All the foot traffic could have taken the sap far and wide across the town. But there has been no reports of strange sickness within the town. If it is not to course illness or death on a large scale then why risk their lives in the first place?
The Dusk notices the leaves on the Mage’s Claw are starting to take on the appearance of autumn and begin to drop. The moment they hit the floor they instantly turn to dust. The fingers close into a fist and all the vines start to turn yellow and begin to decay. He cannot help but think it is a little sad to watch the once vibrant green Vine Hand slowly return to the dust from which it was summoned from and all that remains is the napkin it was holding. Then he hears Yè fēng sigh and whisper, “Poor thing.”
“I know that was a bit grim to witness,” remarks Dusk watching the teacher nod in agreement.
Suddenly the portal Raven was using snaps shut coursing a gust of wind to go across the garden making the back door creek on its hinges. He starts to laugh and declares, “Oops, kept it open a bit too long and a Gate Guardian slammed it shut.”
“You were letting in a draft, naughty,” says Dandelion wagging a finger at the Orb Master trying to appear all innocent. “Anyway, I think that should do it. Let’s check around inside once more as there has to be something to tell us where that Valley Elf came from.”
“I will check the body for tattoos,” suggest Yè fēng and they all return to the room.
The legend even gives the teacher his glowing floating orbs to light up the body as he checks it to discover the man has some marks upon his chest and shoulders. “Ah, he is from the East Valley known as the Yellow Valley or Valley of the Bunnies. He was a story teller. A Bard.”
This evidence only makes the team more confused for they all know Valley Elves of Yellow Valley never mix with outsiders, let alone get on board a ship and sale for days to the North to reach Norven’s Gate as they have been against gates and portal stones since the War.
Raven is checking a desk that lies on the far side of the room, he opens the cupboard to discover a book lies within. He picks it up setting it down on the desk to discover it is a logbook from a ship called Sylydark. A small cargo ship with a crew of eight to ten men under Captain Oakenshard. He starts to read the last entry, “We sailed into the harbour of our cursed family home to take what we need, Fuchsite Gems to help us reclaim what was once ours. Storm though prevented us reaching our target, must keep a low profile in Norven’s Gate, second mate has a girl there he knows he can trust to keep what we’re doing a secret.” He turns the page to find it blank. “That’s it. So, was there a girl living here? I’ll check upstairs.”
Dusk gives him a nod. “Call if you need us.”
The legend pats him on the arm as he walks out of the room and makes his way down to the short corridor to enter the hallway and is about to walk up the stairs when something is thrown at him. Lucky his abilities stops it inches from his head to see it is a heavy book and his eyes look past it to focus on a terrified woman dressed in a nightgown is standing on the landing.
He realises all she is seeing is a shape moving in the darkness, with one flick of his hand the illumination stone flickers in to life and in the dull glow the lady is able to see him.
The woman produces a dagger and she questions, “What are you doing in my house, Dark Elf?”
The legend is about to explain then he remembers Valley Elves do not have anything to do with magic so if he told her a giant floating hand led him here, she would think he had gone mad. So, instead he responds, “We are investing strange cargo, some of which has ended up in your back garden.”
The lady drops the dagger and snaps, “I knew it was too good to be true. Those stinky pods are nothing but trouble. You come to arrest him?”
“Not exactly. We were hoping to talk to him… I am sorry to break it to you, he is dead.”
The woman’s eyes open wide and she gasps, “Dead! How?”
Again Raven is unable to tell her the truth for she would just scoff and remark there is no such thing as a curse. Instead he blames the pod, “He obviously was unaware how toxic the sap which is seeping from them was.”
The lady walks down to him shaking her head. “I knew from the start they were trouble. The idiot getting me also into trouble for allowing them to keep them here in the shade. I guess I did it out of curiosity to see if they would bring this great fortune he spoke of.”
“What fortune?”
The woman shrugs and sighs. “No idea, for that idiot never went into details. Nor can you ask any of the others because they left days ago to fetch more of those, gems, Captan Oakenshard called them. I bet that ship is nothing other than a ghost ship now. Serves them right for taking something they knew nothing about. Oh well, I guess I will be having this baby in prison.”
The legend waters her place hands upon a slightly swollen abdomen and he shakes his head. “No, not at all, for all you were doing was following orders, and with the sounds of things they were going to do this despite what you said.”
The lady realises a soft giggle and remarks, “Well, that seems about right, he never listened to me and now he is dead. Idiot.”
Raven extends his hand and asks, “How long have you been here?”
“A year,” answers the woman with another sigh. “Fenris, the father of this child and the idiot who is now dead, brought me here so we could start our new life here. Then Captan Oakenshard turned up with this idea of reclaiming their lost fortune and they needed those stinky pods in order to do it. It was clear from their interaction they known each other a long time… the thing is it was more than brotherly love, if you know what I mean?”
“Yes and there is nothing wrong with that,” answers the legend knowing full well the lady would look down on him for even suggesting such a thing and thinks boy she is in for a shock.
The woman coughs and is quick to react, “Right. Well, I now know none of us are going to discover what this great fortune was.”
“Ah, a lady,” comes a smoky voice from the shadows of the corridor.
“Yes, my sweet. How rude of me, my dear, I am yet to ask of your name.”
“It is Shabella Mirnor of the Chestnut Valley,” she replies performing a slight bow.
“I am Raven and this is my husband Dusk,” announces the legend as his lover steps into the light.
The woman is shocked to not only hear he is married to the same sex but that man is a wingless Vern. Shabella is not going to remark anything for she is learning things are very different from her valley dwellings. She gives them both an awkward smile and says, “Nice to meet you both. I wish I was more help, but they were being very careful to not tell me everything which is kind of ironic giving that I was Fenris’ wife. I bet you two don’t keep things from each other?”
“The thing is, no one can keep anything from an Orb Master,” replies Dusk with a slight chuckle gesturing his hand to his lover.
Shabella gasp and then she hears another man’s voce come from the shadows of the corridor, “Raven, get ready to catch her, that came as a bit of a shock.” When she sees the man dressed in white with long white hair she breathes a sigh of relief placing a hand to her chest. “I am fine, Healer.”
Dusk opens a door and announces, “Ah, bring her in here, darling.”
Raven helps the lay into a small sitting room where he gets her to take a seat on a small settee. “Are you sure you are all right?”
Shabella nods and pats her abdomen. “Yes, the baby is just very lively.”
The teacher enters the room and questions, “You have not been here for a few days, have you?”
“No, I have not long come back from spending almost a week in the infirmary, because of this little one giving me a bad case of the hiccups.”
“Ah, not surprising when you’re this stage, when the baby gets its lovely hair. The thicker it is, the worse it is for the mother.”
The lady giggles and nods. “You could say that, Healer. Now I know I certainly got it. I don’t suppose you would know about a fortune us Valley Elves are entitled to?” When the Snow Elf shakes his head she slightly raises her hand. “Forget I ask.”
Then they hear an angry sigh and Dandelion snaps, “This house is not built for someone with wings!”
Dusk quickly goes to check on him to find him coming sideways down the corridor and not looking at all pleased. “You can make it, aunty,” he cheers trying to lighten the mood. He goes on to help him into the room and they hear the woman gasp.
“Yes, another Vern with sodding big wings that are a pain to get through this tight, pocky house,” he grumbles giving his wings a small flex. “Anyway, what was I going to say? I have completely lost my train of thought. Not to worry it will come back to me.”
Yè fēng folds his arms and mutters, “Cáifù?… Shénme fúqi?”
The owner of the Unicorn claps his hands and says, “That’s it, wasn’t that fortune tale made up during the War, just to keep their men going? Could that be why they hate the Orb Masters and refuse to acknowledge their existence, all because the ones back then proved where the Valley Elves had come from no longer existed.”
The teacher is unsure at first then it hits him and he emits a disappointing sigh. “No, we are not dealing with that again are we?”
“I bleeding well hope not,” grumbles Dandelion. “I guess all we can do in the morning is head back to Longthorn to chat with the crew of the Yulescissa.”
Yè fēng uses his hands to hide his yawn and says a moment later, “That is an excellent idea. Come with, my dear, for you cannot remain in this house.”
Shabella takes hold of his hand and replies, “I knew I should have gone home, back to my valley.”
Raven places a hand to his chest and offers, “My dear, in the morning you will be able to do just that.”
The lady’s eyes blink in shock and is quick to ask, “What? How?”
“By the use of a gate key, that’s how,” answers the legend giving her a wink.
Shabella is curious to hear this and states, “Oh, I was not aware there was a portal gate in Chestnut Valley.”
“There is,” answers the hero rubbing the side of his neck. “Ah, the problem is we are going to have to make a trip to the Cross Roads in order to use the old gate there to get you home. Do not worry both work well despite their ages.”
“I am happy with that as it beats going by sea especially now I am with child,” implies the lady patting her abdomen.
Yè fēng allows her to take his arm and he says, "Come, let’s get you away from this place and over to a very nice inn.”
Shabella nods and they are about to walk away when the wingless Vern asks, “Hold on, where was Captan Oakenshard’s ship docked?”
The woman frowns and replies, “Something to do with mushrooms.”
“No, not the main harbour,” sighs Raven. “I hope they are not still there.”
“Go, leave the rest to me,” offers Dandelion pushing him out of the room, making the legend laugh before he vanishes.
✶✶✶
Mushroom Cap Harbour is run by a grumpy old dwarf who is partly deaf and most of the time has no idea what is happening due to him snoozing the day away. His sons however, do not miss a thing and they are shocked to see Raven is trotting down the stone steps. The eldest who has a big bush beard and hardly any hair on his head bounces over to greet him.
“Why good evening, my good sir,” he announces in a bold voice. “ How may I help, the Hero of Fin?”
Before Raven has a chance to respond the dwarf’s younger brother comes over to clip him around the head and scold him, “Not so loud, I don’t think Raven wants everyone to know he is here. Besides I bet he is here about that odd ship that is anchored just off shore.”
The legend leans down to them and questions, “What odd ship?”
“Why that one,” answers the smaller dwarf pointing his hand to a small cargo vessel that is bobbing around in the waves.
“Has anyone come off it?” Raven asks a little concerned.
The dwarfs shake their head and the one with the beard answers, “She just been sitting out there for the past few days. No one dear not get close because of the stench of rotting veg.”
The legend is not about to mention the curse or the gems until he has some more information. “Who owns that ship?”
“That would be Captan Oakenshard,” answers the clean shaven one, noticing in the moonlight the hero’s expression is far from happy. “What is the matter?”
“That ship must be destroyed for it is carrying dangerous cargo,” Raven informs going on to make his way down to the end of the harbour with the two dwarfs fast on his heels.
“What? Are you absolutely sure?”
“Hendrer, stop asking him question and just let the man work,” insists the one who has hair. “All we are doing is holding him up.”
“I was just making sure, Hufrut, as far as we know it is just anchored their minding their own bigness the last thing they need to see is a fireball hitting the deck.”
Raven is a little puzzled and turns to them asking, “When did I say I was going to set it ablaze?”
“Please ignore my brother’s remarks, Raven, and you do what you want,” responds Hufrut pushing his brother aside.
The hero shakes his head and turns his gaze once more on the small ship out at sea. She is in complete darkness and begins to wonder how he is going to destroy it, for he could not ask a Sea Dragon to do it as they would get cursed. If he just sets it adrift someone is bound to go aboard. What he needs to is send her in to the Salt Flats to neutralise the gems but that will not get rid of the curse, he needs to get another Extractor get the Mage’s Claw take it a board before sending the ship to her final resting place. He slightly rises his left hand before he vanishes to reappear inside the hidden basement, he quickly grabs a few of the black rough stones from the basket and portals back to Mushroom Cap Harbour and again makes his way down to the edge of the walkway.
The dwarfs are pleased to see him return and watch with fascination him perform an incarnation from which a severed left hand rises from a pile of chalky looking soil. Raven places the stone upon the palm, then the floating hand is off across the water to the cargo ship and a few minutes later they all hear a faint scream and the hand returns holding a slightly different looking stone.
“Ah, it has done its job,” expresses the hero whilst patting the hand. “Thank you. Now we can send it into the Salt Flats.”
The dwarfs are shocked that the hand is able to take its master over to the ship so he can open a portal to place neither of them recognise and they watch the ship drift through to land with a bump on the snow covered land. It is not until they see the cloud of dust, they realise where the legend has placed the ship and begin to wonder how he could possibly know about such a cold and lifeless place. Not one of them though is about to as Raven as he comes back and gives the hand a pat before slowly turns into sparkling dust that gets blown away on the breeze.
“Right, that is that job take care of. Tell me are there any more Valley Elf ships docked here?”
“As far as I know,” answers Hendrer pulling a small book from inside his jack, “that is, was the only one.” He flicks through the pages and nods. “Yep I was right.”
“I will be staying at the Blue Pearl so if any more come in, please alert me or my family who are staying there.”
“Will do,” answers Hufrut with a smile.
Raven gives them both a nod before he trots off and makes his way to the gate, to take it to the second layer of the town and meets up with his husband outside the inn who is pleased to have him back and to hear what he has done with the ship.
“Nice one, sending into that place, no one will find it there,” remarks Dusk pulling him close. “Anything else you have got to do?”
The legend shakes his head and allows his lover to lead him inside. They head up the stairs to enter a small room which overlooks the town and they both settle down for the night.
ns216.73.216.253da2
and then Add to home screen.