Chapter 590: Vespri: Dharta

/Inferno: Bali: Some hot springs?

/Inferno: Nix: That's my guess.

A wave of humid, warm air hit the Inferno duo in the face when they ducked under a heavy curtain that was drawn across the entrance to the caverns. The slight smell of sulfur combined with body odor's staleness tempted Nix to tear down the makeshift door to let fresh air in.

The narrow entrance quickly expanded into a cave about five meters wide. Stalactites hung from the brown rock ceilings, lit by torches that put out just enough light to navigate. Nix paused to examine the nearest torch; it definitely wasn't the flame variety.

/Inferno: Bali: It's a druid lamp, must be one close by. They create them with wisps.

He touched the torch with his bare hand; the light it cast was slightly bluish, and Nix found it uncomfortable to look at. "I'll take fire any day."

The cavern tilted down at a steep angle and meandered back and forth like a lazy snake for several minutes before ending in a large dome-like room.

Bali whistled softly. "Never seen one this big."

Nix nodded in agreement. The cavern ceiling was more than fifty meters above them; a dim cloud of smoke hung just below it, a testament that this had been occupied for several days. Even though it was lit with dozens of druid lights, the other side of the cavern could barely be seen. He had expected to see some disorganized mess, but this was nothing like that. From his vantage point, he could see that it had been divided up.

"I'll take you to see Mr. Sah. He's in section three." Flazie shrugged out of her heavy fur coat and tossed it into a large bin next to the entrance.

"How many sections are there," Nix asked?

Flazie paused for a moment, rubbing her chin with her slender fingers. "There are three. We have the garden where Priscillian and her helpers grow things. There's the nursery where the really young ones are kept; I work there sometimes to help out. Then there's section three where the older kids and grown-ups live."

Nix stared at their surroundings for a moment; the cavern's entire center section was green from plants, shrubs, and small trees.

/Inferno: Bali: It's druid work, Sir. They can grow things really fast... but this seems slightly off to me.

/Inferno: Nix: Same here. Deep winter is in its second week. One druid did all this?

The route to section three took them directly through the garden. Up close, it was even more impressive; dark green leaves and low-hanging fruit made it seem like a walk through a well-kept orchard.

Their final destination was a round table where a handful of people were sitting. Three men and two women were enjoying a meal together a few meters away from a cookfire. A round man wearing fine red robes stood when Flazie approached.

"Mr. Sah, this is Nix from the Inferno Guild." Flazie seemed nervous under the gazes of the adults, moving slightly so that Nix was closer.

Quest Updated.

[Report to Felid Sah in Vespri.]

You have made contact with Felid Sah and his settlement. Find a way to reconnect the trade routes in Vespri. Heal the wounds and rewrite their fate!

Felid Sah looked nothing like Nix had envisioned him. He was a rotundly large man with dark braided hair and olive-colored skin. His bright blue eyes seemed out of place given his complexion, but they lit up with goodwill when he heard the Guild Leader's name. "Mr. Nix! I am so happy that you're here."

/Inferno: Bali: He's a crook... Don't trust him.

Nix shook the offered hand while struggling to maintain a serious expression. "I don't want to waste your time. Could you brief me on the last few weeks?"

Felid Sah motioned for Nix to sit. "Of course."

/Inferno: Nix: Find this druid person and have a chat with her.

/Inferno: Bali: She's in the garden, it shouldn't be a problem.

The ranger patted Nix on the shoulder once and then turned back toward the garden; Flazie followed her for a few steps but lost sight of her when the Ain'Dhassi entered the undergrowth.

"A ranger? What race are you?" A gentle voice filled with humor spoke from a large tree base that was much too thick to have recently grown.

Bali stared as the tree's bark retreated from the womans' form, much like she'd seen the dryads in Oasis do. "I'm a Demon-kin."

The druid played with the dark green braid that hung over one shoulder. It was hard to be sure in the garden's low light, but her pale skin seemed to have a greenish tinge. "Demon-kin? That's very interesting. Why are you here?"

Bali felt a strong compulsion to say what she knew; although it wasn't a secret, she resisted it. "I was teaching my apprentice how to track game in the Deep Winter."

"Game? There isn't any game in the area."

"We hunt the Ice Howlers." Bali caressed her bow with one hand, " Four of them led us to a clearing less than a mile from here."

Priscillian has charmed Bali.

**************Author's Note********

Ray, Yu Yan, and Mason Dixon are three roommates living in Chinatown, New York. When a mystery woman died near their building, fate aligned to give them into a DRP capsule. They've been making it work for nearly two years. Ray is the Tatoo Artist, Mason Dixon is the exotic dancer, and Yu Yan is the software engineer who lost her first two jobs when the buildings were burned to the ground.

************************************

"FUCK!" Ray sat up so quickly that she slammed her head into the closed lid of her capsule. "MASON!"

Mason's hair was still wet from her recent shower, with all the make-up removed from her night of dancing, she looked like a teenager. "I'm here! Why did you log off early? Did you put her to sleep?"

Yu hurried in from the kitchen; something was obviously wrong. "Don't tell me that Bali died!" Yu Yan usually played the ranger during the day; they'd been switching things around since Mason was the only one with fixed hours.

Ray shook her head and quickly climbed out. "Get in, Mase! I'll brief you. Sorry, I fucking panicked... I'm so sorry!"

Mason Dixon lay back and pulled the capsule lid until it was nearly closed. "Twenty seconds on the loop, brief me now!"

"Nix and Bali are in Vespri on the Felid Sah quest. Currently, they are in a cavern where the surviving children of Dharta hid."

Mason nodded, "Children? Where are the parents? Eight seconds."

"Frozen to death in Dharta. A female magic-user attacked me..."

Mason closed the lid the rest of the way, interrupting any further conversation.

Ray cursed loudly. "I fucked up, Yu."

Yu shook her head slightly. Each of them played Bali slightly differently. Ray's Bali was funny, her own Bali was a fountain of ranger knowledge, but Mason's Bali was pure badass. "You did fine. Mase is really good at this."

"I hope so." Ray stretched her tattooed arms overhead. They'd been playing Colonial for two years; slowly, they were building up a sizable nest egg. "When are we going to confide in her?"

Yu's pretty face showed the same indecision it always did when the topic came up. The trio often discussed Ronnie among themselves. They had partnered with the dark archer to run a Pawnshop in Free Trader city. "Soon, I guess. We bought the other capsules to start player accounts."

Ray held her face in both hands and let out a long sigh. Ronnie always tried to split things 50/50, but because Balto would trace an NPC's money, they insisted Ronnie hold all the R & B Pawnshop profits.

**************

Priscillian stared at the Ain'Dhassi ranger; normally, any question she asked would be answered immediately. She leaned closer until she could feel the tiny ranger's breath on her face. "What is your intent in coming here?"

Bali has resisted charm.

Bali slammed her forehead into the druid's face, feeling the bone crunch under her strike; with a quick movement, she swept Priscillian's legs and vanished from sight when the magic-user fell to the ground.

/Inferno: Bali: This isn't a druid, Nix! Help me!

Bali used the trail since her big concern was speed. She dodged to one side when her ranger senses suddenly warned her of an attack. A thick glob of dark green goo splashed the area where she'd been; she didn't need to hear the sudden hissing to know that the substance was highly toxic.

"Fucking with my ranger... You should know better." Nix's Archon form appeared over the trail; silver dread flames lit up the entire garden like a spotlight. A soft green substance splashed against his aura but was instantly evaporated into a foul-smelling cloud.

Nix has cast [Silent Summons].

Priscillian has been silenced.

Nix pushed the silver dread flames into his bone hilts just as Priciallians arrived in front of him. The fear on her face was evident as he stabbed both blades toward her body, cursing loudly when she disappeared in front of him.

"Where'd she go, Nix?" Bali had an arrow notched; her breath was somewhat ragged from the fight.

Nix let his flames fade away before stowing his bone hilts. "She opened a breach. I should have used my flame strands."

Bali shouldered her bow and moved back onto the path. "Like a Breach Commander?"

Nix nodded. "Seems to be happening more and more nowadays."

"Thanks for the help. That's why you're on my wall!" Bali smiled as she fell in step beside him. "Going to beat up Sah, now?"

"Only if I don't like his answers."