Rashemen Book 2

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Sepp cut some branches from a tree and together the group pitched in to make a stretcher and wrap Alexi’s body up in his blankets and cloak. In a short while they were ready to go, and headed off towards the south, towards the village of Iceborn.

They made fairly good progress that day. Stopping a few times to eat and rest. Nobody seemed to feel much like talking, which suited Sepp just fine. He was actually quite worried about what he’d do if Nakia’s idea for getting his earth-link back didn’t work, and he had to spend the rest of his life as a normal person. He planned to do a full mental preparation, like Ma had taught him to do before dream-voyaging, before attempting to regain his powers.

Jex found a small glen that he said would be good for a night’s camp, and the Drow brothers volunteered for the first watch. Sepp and Nakia found a comfy spot under a pine to put thier blankets in. “Nakia,” Sepp asked his cousin, “Could you watch me while I sleep? I’m not sure what, if anything, is going to happen, and I want to be sure that nothing bad happens to me.”

“Sure, don’t worry about it.” Nakia replied. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Thanks.” Sepp layed down on his blanket and closed his eyes, beginning his meditation.


He woke up in Drell’s boat again, though this time he was sitting next to Gesed, Nakia, and Jex. They all seemed totally unsurprised to be there, like they were taking a nice boat ride on a sunny day.

“Don’t push me in the water again, okay Gesed?” Sepp said to his brother, remembering what had happened after the last time he was in the boat.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Gesed answered. “You’ll be jumping in all by yourself today, just as soon as you figure out which boat you need to get to.”

Sepp was about to ask him what he meant by that, but as he looked out at the water, he saw thousands of Drell’s boats all around them, to the sides, behind, and in front of them. None of them were as real as the one he was currently in. All of them seemed somehow translucent, not really there, some were much more difficult to see than others, and they all had various configurations of his family and friends in them. Himself, Gesed, Nakia, and Jex. Or himself, Drell, Ma, and Nakia. Or himself, Gesed, and someone else. Or hundreds of other different groupings of his close friends and relatives. Who were all these people?

“Gesed, what is this? All these boats with me and you and everyone else weren’t here the last time I was in this boat with you.” Sepp said.

“Oh, they were there all right. You just weren’t looking for them.” Gesed explained. “Just as most people aren’t even aware of the River, but just float along in it until they eventually sink, even fewer who see the River perceive all the Others floating on it. You came here looking for a specific time when you still had your connection with Nature, so your eyes are open to the Others.”

“But what are they?” Sepp asked. “Why am I in all the boats I see? And you’re in most of them too, but everyone else is different? Why are some clearer than others?”

“They are Other possibilities that your life could be. Ghosts of eventualities, or shadows of dreams. The ones behind us from the past, the ones ahead of us from the future. And the ones to our sides from the current moment. Some seem more real because they are closer to what really happened, but Ma thinks that ‘real’ is just what you perceive to be where you’re currently at, so maybe we here in this boat seem just as ‘unreal’ to those sitting in the other boats. I haven’t figured it all out yet. It makes your head spin and spin, thinking of all the possibilities.” Gesed was looking off behind them.

Sepp took some time to look at the other boats too, both ahead and behind, as well as to the side of them. After several minutes he said, "Gesed, I’ve looked and looked and looked and looked, but in none of those boats do I see all of our family, Ma, Pa, Drell, you and me, happy together.”

Gesed nodded, “Now you know why I’m such a cry baby. I weep not only for the suffering endured now, but also for all the torment the Others know, and all the happiness denied our family across so many eventualities. But enough whining, you need to be on your way, have you found where you need to be yet?”

“Yep, I think that boat back there aways, it has me, you, Nakia, and Jex in it. I look healthy and whole in it. Good thing I know how to swim.” And as Gesed said, he did jump in the River all by himself.

He struck out for the boat he’d picked out, swimming against the current. He was making progress when he felt a sharp pain in his calf. Looking in the water, he saw blood flowing, and a medium sized Time Creature with a mouthful of his flesh.

“Why did you do that?” Sepp asked it.

“You should not be here!” It answered. “You are not one of Us. It is not given to you to swim towards the Mountain. Turn back to the Sea!”

“But I’ve got to get to that boat back there!” Sepp pleaded. “Why does it bother you?”

“It is not for you to ask those questions, or know those answers,” the creature said, then took another bite, this time from Sepp’s arm. The blood flowing in the River was attracting more creatures, hungry for living flesh.

“No sense arguing anymore with these things,” Sepp thought, and swam for his life towards the boat. He felt another bite at his leg, then strong hands lifting him into the boat. It was Jex.

“Thanks Jex,” he said, looking at the wounds, they were fairly deep. The other Sepp took out some bandages and bound the wounds. Oddly, everyone in this boat seemed like it was perfectly normal for another Sepp to suddenly be hauled into their boat.

“I suppose you know why I’m here,” he said to himself. “No, I was thinking you would,” he replied back. “Well, I need to regain my, uh, I mean our, earth-link. I was hoping you could help me.” He nodded back, “ Sure. Hop on it.” He looked at himself a bit confused. “Uh, what do you mean?”

“Just jump in yourself.” Gesed said. “Here on the River things are more controlled by your mind than by the physical laws. Though you definitely don’t want to get bit by those creatures any more. Injuries sustained here hurt you throughout all time, in reality.”

Sepp did so. It was quite easy, like putting on an old slipper, though that was something that he had never experienced himself, being a halfling. Maybe it was a memory from Jex. He felt whole again immediately. He noted the parts of his brain that had been damaged in the mind flayer’s attack, and felt confident that he would be able to find his powers again when he got back to reality, if he ever did.

Something bumped the little boat. It was one of the Time Creatures, a larger one. Many more could be seen, circling in the River. “It really isn’t safe for you to be with us any longer,” Gesed said, “But of course it isn’t safe for you to swim back to your boat. I’ve got an idea. Nakia, give me a sling stone.” She did so. “Now, visiting Sepp, slide into the stone, like you did when Ma took control in the battle where I was rescued. Then Nakia will sling the stone to your boat, where Jex will catch you. By that time I’ll have figured out what to do next, okay?”

Sepp wasn’t quite sure, but he didn’t have any better ideas, and didn’t want to jump back in the River for another bloody swim, so he slid into the stone that Nakia was holding out. It was a little small, but comfy.

Nakia took the stone in her sling and was ready to throw. The Jex in the other boat looked ready to catch, but just as Nakia threw it, a large creature bumped the boat, and Nakia’s throw went way long. Sepp the stone splashed into the River a bit ahead of the boat he was supposed to be in. Of course, he sank like the stone he was to the bottom of the River, where three creatures swam ominously above him.

Great. Spending the rest of his life as a stone on the bottom of the River of Time wasn’t very appealing. He had to chance it. He slipped out of the stone, but before his feet were totally out, two creatures bit him, one in the face, and the other in his back. He quickly retreated back into the stone.

As he was trying to figure out what to do, he heard a loud pounding reverbing through the River. Looking downstream, he saw an enormous Earth Elemental walking towards him. It kicked the stone with its toe and he tumbled upstream a ways.

“What’s this?” the Earth Elemental said, picking up his stone. “Oh, it’s you, Small One. What a coincidence.”

“Do I know you?” Sepp asked. “Who are you?”

“Not yet, you don’t,” it said, “but you will, one day. It’s better that you don’t know my name yet.”

“Oh, where are you going? I didn’t know that the Earth People traveled in the River.” Sepp said.

“Mostly we don’t. It’s so hard to constantly work against the current, but occaisionally something IMPORTANT happens, and it is worth it. Like where I’m going to now.” The elemental said.

“Where are you going?” Sepp asked.

“I can’t tell YOU, of all people, that. Too much fore-knowledge always leads to chaos-knots, but then I guess you haven’t discovered that yet, have you? Lets see, oh, you’ve got your Mother’s ring. I guess I can let you know where I’m going. I’m going to help you and Atten return the Earth’s Heart.”

“But we’ve already done that!” Sepp said.

“Well, yes, but I’m going to be there, or I was there. What you don’t, didn’t know, was that while you were fighting outside the volcano, we were having a nice fine war against the Fire inside the volcano to keep it from burning everyone of you up before the Balance was restored. But you know now. Don’t forget to put it in the Book, when you get to that chapter. Anyway, I’m sure I didn’t almost just step on you by accident, let’s see what I can do for you. It’s that boat, is it?” The elemental said, pointing to where Sepp wanted to be as it picked up the stone. “Okay, here you go.” It threw the stone up through the water, but a Time Creature swatted him back to the bottom of the River.

“Well, that’s not going to work. Why don’t you just wild-shape? They won’t be able to bite you then.”

“What are you talking about?” Sepp asked.

“Oh, I see. Ha, ha, ha.” The elemental laughed. “It was ME who taught you to wild-shape. No wonder you always shortchanged me in the Book. If I had known too much, I might not have been here. Here’s how you do it.” He picked up the stone and put it in his mouth, smashing it to bits between his granite molars, then swallowed Sepp, and Sepp was an earth elemental. “Now, it’s time for you to be off on your own,” the elemental said, breaking off his arm, which became Sepp. He lifted Stone-Sepp up to the surface and placed him in the boat, not even saying goodbye.

“It’s good to have you back, little brother,” Gesed said, “but you’re a little heavy for the boat.”

Sepp saw that the boat was rapidly sinking from his increased weight as stone.

“What should I do?” he asked.

“Wake up!” Gesed said, as water started pouring into the boat.

“How?!” Sepp frantically asked.

“Just open your eyes!” Gesed yelled.


“Wake up, Sepp!” Nakia yelled.

Sepp opened his eyes, and saw Nakia, surrounded by most of the rest of his companions, looking extremely worried at him. Bloody bandages were on his arms, legs, and face, but he knew instantly that his earth-link was back.

“What happened?” Sepp asked.

“First, you were lying calmly and still, then you started bleeding from several wounds that appeared all over your body. I bound them up, and you were still again for awhile, but then you turned to stone, which is usually a very bad thing to have happen to a person, but then you started talking again, so apparently for you it’s not so bad. And, um, Sepp, you still ARE stone.” Nakia sounded a bit out of herself.

Sepp lifted up and looked at his hands, and indeed he was, stone.

 

Delinos, unshaken, had become more confident and strong during their adventure. He could weave spells better than any wizard he had met prior. And his stealth and agility had greatly increased as well.

Kelvados noticed the strength as well. His muscles were more prominent and his reflexes were dead on. His connection to nature had strengthened and he had become more in tune with the animals around him. Although, there was a new glint in his eye. His blood rage had become more manageable, and his tendency to lash out was lowered.

Delinos, on the other hand, had become more full of himself, and was entitled to do so. Although he gave no ill will to his companions, anyone who crossed their path would be sure not to receive any mercy whatsoever.

 

Maron woke in the boat and instantly knew something was different. That area in the back of her mind, the place where she heard Sune's rapturous voice. It was larger, more was open to her.

She looked around, then clasped her hands to her medallion and began praying. She felt the familiar rush flow into her as spells flooded her mind, but it continued for longer then normal, and much faster. She moaned, and dropped back to the bottom of the boat.

Dragging herself back to a sitting position, she noticed her reflection in the water. Her appearance had changed from the beginning of this adventure. Her hair shone like silver, and her face radiated beauty. A delicious whisper in the back of her mind informed her that she had increased in Sune's favour, and that Lady Firehair had granted her powers beyond that of other clerics.

Smiling broadly now, Maron leant back, and giggled happily. Her quest would be easier now, and she could recover the artifact and return to Starshadow, to Daie.

 

Sepp walked over to Atten, noting how he made deeper impressions in the earth when he was stone, and asked him, "Uh, Atten, do you have any idea how one changes back to their normal form after wild-shaping? I think it might be easier to travel as my normal self."

 

"You are asking the wrong person when it comes to wild-shaping. I was supposed to have been training as a shapeshifter before we lost Darwyn. It was supposed to have been a way to enhance my link with the living force but all I ever managed to do was to change into a squirrel.

And you haven't even changed into a normal living thing, you've just had your elements stuffed up so you're more Earth than anything else. To change back I would guess you need to change the balance back. But it's only a guess."

 

"Thanks for the advice, Atten. I guess I didn't change into a 'normal' living thing, but don't forget what Ma and I have been trying to get you to understand: The Earth is alive, but you're right, not like normal animals. I'll just have to experiment I guess."

Sepp focused his sight into himself. He was mostly rock right now, granite to be more precise, but there were veins of iron ore running through him too. He concentrated, trying to see if he could move all the iron into his fingernails and hands.

He could.

"Hey Nakia, see what the stone will do to this iron. Try and turn it into adamantite."

"Are you sure you want that?" she asked him. He nodded, and she pulled out the stone and touched his hands with it. They changed to a deeper color, and got a little heavier. This could be a good idea, but first, he needed to see if he could change back to his normal self.

It was a little confusing, trying to change all of himself from stone to flesh, but after awhile he managed to do it.

"Well, that sure was an interesting experience."

 

"Can you turn back to stone?" Jex asked from behind Sepp. "It would be useful in a battle."

 

Nakia looks around at the group. They were all growing and gaining strength and abilties. The most mysterious to her was Atten. He was so quiet and standoffish. She wonders what the experience with the Stone had done to him. Prehaps more than he yet realized himself.

She smiled to herself. She knew herself well and had no false modesty. She was a master rogue and knew her strengths and weaknesses. But compared to the others she was an ordinary mortal.

She glances over at Kelvados. Of all of them she thought the two of them had the most in common. Prehaps they could learn from each other.

She moves over near Kelvados. "Kelvados, I know you don't care for 'surface dwellers' but I'm only a semi-surface dweller. I think you and I have a lot in common. Prehaps we could help each other." She pulls out the ever present honey mead and cakes and offers them to him.

 

Kelvados accepts the honey mead and cakes graciously and smiles warmly at Nakia. He and Delinos had made some great friends and had decided to treat them with the respect they deserve.

He bowed low for the halfing. "My thanks, dear Nakia. But I do question, what things do you think we have in common?"

 

"Lack of wings" Maron interjected, with a smile as she moved past them to Sepp.

"It seems you have gained the effect of stoneskin. If only I had noticed, I could've helped your return to your present state. I am sorry."

She thought for a moment, and then continued "I have seen stone creatures like that before. How did you get in that state? Perhaps that could shed light on the matter."

 

"Well, we both work well in darkness, we're stealthy, good at throwing things, have a link to the earth and don't think either of us care too much for humans in general."

Nakia places cake and mead where both can reach it easily.

 

He smiled again. He was sure that they would develop a great relationship, both teaching each other tricks of the trade and such.

"That's true." He chuckled, "Maybe we can teach each other some skills and tricks for our similarities."

 

"Sepp grew up protected by his parents from the outside world. He has grown a lot and faced horrors most never know but he has still to learn the day to day horrors. He has never had to face people who simply don't like you because you are different.

Now me, I've been adventuring about 7 years and one of first things I learned is humans don't like halflings. Oh, to be fair, a few are all right. Mostly adventurers like us."

She gives a heavy sigh and frowns slightly.

"Sepp is also very good. I'm afraid he wouldn't approve of many things I've done. Pure and simple I'm a thief. I never went in for assaination and don't take from just anyone. For one thing I want it to be worth taking. I think you and I have in common that we do not see the world through some sort of rosy lens."

 

Jex sat back quietly and listened to the others. Especially to Nakia and Kelvados. Like himself they had seen alot of the world and lot of the dark things that others do. He knew what it meant to be persecuted for nothing more than his skin colour and race.

He also understood what Nakia was saying about seeing the world from both views. He'd seen and done more than afew things that blurred the lines. He wasn't proud of them but in the situations the actions were warrented.

 

Sepp looked to Jex, then back to Maron. "Hmmn, good questions. I'll tell Maron how I became like that, then try again. Maron, you called it a stone skin, but I was stone throughout my entire body. I was an earth elemental."

"When I was trying to refind my earth-link, I found myself on a River, which I dreamt about before the demon attack. I think it is Time. This last time I was there, I had to go back to when I had my earth-link, which I was able to do, but then getting back to now, or a little while ago, a time creature bumped the boat so Nakia's throw went long so Jex couldn't catch the stone I was in, so I sank to the bottom of the River. Well, a big earth elemental came along, and tried to put me back in the boat, but a time creature kept knocking me back to the bottom of the River, so the earth elemental chewed me up and I became him and then he broke off his arm and I became it and got back in the boat, but I was too heavy, so Gesed told me to wake up, and Nakia here did too, so I woke up, but I was stone. I know that's a little confusing, or very confusing, but that's the best I can do to explain it."

"Now, can I do it again? Obviously I can't chew myself up and break off my arm, but there was a certain feeling that the experience generated. Maybe if I just think about that feeling."

Sepp's skin rippled, then set to a dull gray color. He sank almost imperceptibly a little bit more into the dirt.

"Yes, I can do it again. But it was kind of hard. I don't think I'd want to do it more than once or twice a day. It'd get pretty tiring."

He concentrated on his composition. The iron that Nakia had turned to adamantite was still adamantite. He focused his energy to bring all of the metal to his fingers, then grow his fingernails out into blades.

"Okay Jex, I can see how this would be useful. Can you give me some pointers on how to best use these blades connected to my hands?"

 

Nakia relaxed as adventurers do when not threatened. She watched Sepp and then turned to Kelvados.

"You have some skill with the knife throwing I liked to learn. If ye be interested in trap setting I be right good. I have no magic abilities except what some folk call innate. I do have the link to the earth which seems natural to halflings. Most have it."

 

"Yes, I'd be very interested in trap-setting. My brother there is too pompous to teach me. No offense to him of course. And I liked to teach you how to throw too." He grinned.

 

"Great, let's move a little away from the others. Wouldn't want one to get accidentally injured." They moved off to the side and Nakia showed Kelvados some tricks of traps setting.

"Now these seem like simple traps but they can cause a lot of trouble to the unwary. The real trick is in hiding them." She proceeded to show him how to do this.

"These traps have no magic aura around them and most mages don't sense them. It would take someone with top notch rogue skills to find a trap I've hidden. A lot of adventurers look down on rogues. 'Hey, I'm not a thief. No pick-pocketing. What do I need a thief for? A door or chest can be bashed in or magic opened. Heh. Just watch out for traps and if you really want to rest a few traps can help.

Now how about a showing me a few of those fancy knief tricks of yours?"

 

"Sure! I wouldn't call them fancy, but.." He grinned, and unknown to him, Delinos had been eyeing them with an utter distaste.

"OK, the key for throwing straight is to hold it by the very tip, totally vertical, and stepping into the throw. Kind of like throwing a dart." He pulled a small knife from his boot and demonstrated how to hold it. "See how it doesn't even move in the wind? You have to have total concentration and the knife has to be unaffected by the elements."

He threw the knife as quick as lightning at the nearest tree. The blade was two thirds covered. "You see? The wind didn't affect it. Now you try." He handed her a boot knife and told her to throw. She threw it, but the hilt hit the trunk with a thump.

"You're not concentrating enough. You have to focus on the tree and the exact point that you're going to hit. It's like backstabbing.. you have to know what muscle or organ you're going to slice. Here try again." Three more knives this time, and she got two in, the third one sticking in for a moment, then falling onto the leaf-strewn ground.

He looked at her eyes. He could tell that she wasn't going to give up this easily. He grinned, "I can tell you want to try some of this on your own time, so here's five daggers. Good luck with that." He winked.

 

The next morning, after a nice breakfast and some training sessions, they set off again in the direction of Iceborn. They took a somewhat leisurely pace, with no demons or mindflayers after them. They stopped for a nice meal of fresh fish from a stream, and continued training sessions. By the time they reached the place where they initially met Atten, everyone seemed to be fairly satisfied with the progress they'd made on their new skills.

Sepp asked the mole who was living in and around Alexi's father's skeleton and breastplate if he would mind having Alexi buried next to him. At first, the mole wasn't sure, but when Sepp explained that Alexi was a prince and his father a king, the mole agreed.

They laid Alexi on the ground next to the tree above his father's grave.

"Alexi saved my life, more than once. He was a faithful companion the whole time he was with us. I wish I'd gotten the chance to talk more with him and find out more about him. May your spirit rest in peace, Prince Alexi." Sepp stood back and waited for anyone else to speak before asking the earth to take him in.