The Final Destiny of Pik and Desli
"So then they told me, they couldn't resurrect me again, my body was gone, so they would have to reincarnate me."
"Okay, so did the dwarves throw you in the lava or something?"
"No, Tithleth said that it was destroyed by something bigger, like a god."
"But they didn't say who?"
"They didn't, no."
The walk through the forest was quiet, and peaceful. Only once did they encounter wolves, not brave enough to harass them both. They did startle a grizzly bear, who attacked them, but was put down unceremoniously. They were traveling back south to Ashcinders, the only place where they could acquire dwarven steel, this time in Pik's size.
"I want you to meet my new parents, Ive wanted to prove I wasn't crazy for decades."
"We should find out what the gods want us to do first. It sounds like we might not have much time left."
"Well, maybe not another three hundred years, but we don't exactly have to sprint across the world."
In a few days, they arrived at Ashcinders again, and found Pik a suit of steel fitted for humans, and a blistered metal long sword. Apparently, all the divine weapons taken from the vault were brought here, where the dwarves melted them down and worked them into skillfully crafted pieces of modern equipment. Conveniently provided for free to adventurers "working for the museum." The dwarves also asked them to deliver a gift, Fortresssect the andesite ring.
After another week traveling they returned to the Realm of Silver, in the hamlet of Speechrags. Here, Pik stopped in his tracks, "there are undead here."
"Zombies?"
"No, resurrected."
"I should probably sit this one out."
Pik crept off, while Desli set a small fire in the middle of the farm field to attract them. Soon, Pik came upon an unarmed stalker, creeping towards the fire. She ignored him at first, probably assuming he was attacking the mortal like she was. She was almost, but not quite, caught totally unawares by the sword swinging by her neck. Pik used his power to propel her away, slamming her into a tree trunk, and his sword missed twice more before a third swing finally connected to her lower arm as she came in to strike him in turn. Her blows did nothing, but she could in turn propel Pik into the earth. He scrambled to his feet just in time to avoid a boot crashing down where his skull had been, and swung out to slice her leg in twain, bringing her to the ground. With two more blows, he quickly cleaved her head in two. The other undead was crawling across the field further north, disemboweled and missing an arm and a leg. Decapitating him was relatively easy. The two spent the rest of the night here, before moving on to the north, to the Tundra of Heroes. The rest of the trip was uneventful, if cold. Only a starving polar bear harassed them as they marched. They found Boltspumpkin in disarray. Outside the gates of the keep were scattered most of the collection of books, and many of the artifacts and exhibits. They gathered the stray books, brought them inside, and put them on a pedestal inside. The gremlins inhabiting the place had nothing so say about the state of affairs, but they did listen intently to the siblings' story of their adventures, both old and new.
The area to the north had been accosted by demonic patrols, a problem the pair agreed to solve, as they set out to find something they would need for the coming work; at least two more companions. On the way, they encountered their first quarry; a firebreathing clear brute, Seducedeath. Pik crept up on the beast from behind, and attempted to decapitate the beast with his sword, but the blow barely dug into the flesh. The enraged beast turned and breathed a great gout of fire, engulfing Pik and cutting Desli off from the action. Bolts fired from her crossbow missed the beast, while Pik struggled to land another blow, and deflect the demons' fists. Eventually, he would get lucky, severing an arm and mutilating a leg, but the demon struck equally dangerous blows against Pik as well, removing his left arm and with it his shield. Without a shield, more and more blows rained down upon him despite his best attempts to dodge. When the beast grabbed him, there was no escape but to aim for the heart, and one blow struck deep enough into the demon's chest to release a great gout of blood. Eventually, the demon bled to death, surrounded by flames, which still engulfed Pik. With the fight over, Desli guided him to a nearby pool to extinguish the flames. The damage was done, though, and his shield was missing.
For the next challenge, Pik opted to wield the great sword. The sharper adamantine would bite deeper. Again, Pik crept up behind the demon, Largelord the iguana demon, but this time he went for the throat. The blade bit deep into the demon's flesh, and immediately found an artery. The creature whipped around and struck Pik to the ground, catching his head under its clawed foot, and crushed his skull before he could react. The demon bled out and collapsed without moving, leaving Desli to carry her brothers' body back to Boltspumpkin, where she left it. She then set out looking for a new companion.
A few days travel north, she found someone. An ardent worshipper of Sut the Tomb of Quests, she agreed to perform the ritual to protect the future of the world. Her name was Thine Boatsarmors, she was a doctor by trade, but importantly, was able and willing to learn the secrets of Life and Death. She would become the necromaner to aid in the ritual, but first, she would have to resurrect Pik. Again. The Trip back to Boltspumpkin was uneventful, and Pik's resurrection bog-standard. Back in the world of the living, he led the group in collecting the necessary components; two of the slabs that bound demons to this world. The first, The Equal Lord of Riddling, was present in Boltspumpkin. The other, Buriedhate, would have to be taken from Coverashes, the vault where Desli had found it. But the final piece of the puzzle was one innocent and unwilling participant, one Edri Humfocused. She was convinced to come with the party as an entertainer, to delight the world with poetry and song.
The party travelled south for two weeks, beyond the tundra of heroes and the mountains, through the dense forests and on to Coverashes. The Vault was unchanged, the gremlin Zur still overlooking it from the cliff. Inside, Pik retrieved the slab, and soon the party set out for the north again. But they weren't returning to Boltspumpkin. Instead, it would be necessary to conduct the ritual in a temple dedicated to all eleven gods of death, and one would have to be built for the purpose. The party came to Championvaults, and there they enlisted the help of the dwarves of the Walled Dye. A new fortress would be constructed in the mountains, over the camp Longwatches, where Pik and Desli had called home.
The building took long. Almost too long. The shrine itself was a rush job, as the ideal moment approached.
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Topic: Museum III, adventure succession game (DF 0.47.05) (Read 409906 times)