Difference between revisions of "Xanthippe (Chapter 15)"

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The jungle outside was frightening; you could stand there and watch it pulling the nearby buildings apart.  Very few animals were in the green, just vines, twining roots, and huge leaves that blocked out the sun.  The dockside was protected by a power dome built into their pyramid, but the spell was old and no one had upgraded it for centuries.  A lot of progress had been made in protection spells since then, but that wouldn't do them any good now.  Unless the dome could be strengthened, Xanthippe had a definite time limit for invading the city and killing Mephisto.
 
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Outside of town, Xanthippe and Kasim saw a strange man walking into the jungle.  Wearing a long, fully concealing robe with a hood pulled over his face, he sure didn't look local.  There was only one way to find out, so Xanthippe took matters into her own hands, and drove the butt of her bardiche into the trailing edge of his robe.  "Oh, sorry!  Was this yours?"  The guy kept walking, his feet shuffling in the mud.  Whoever he was, he wasn't very bright.  "Peekaboo, I see you!" she said, lifting the hood to look underneath at his face.
 
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His eyes were yellow, with slit pupils.  His skin looked like a mask that was rotting away, with red scales underneath.  And there was a glowing red spot *inside* his forehead.  The eyes focused on her; they were proud, utterly cold, and completely indifferent.  The cloaked thing disappeared in a puff of brimstone; four small, fleshy things appeared and attacked.  After they'd killed them, Xanthippe turned to Kasim.
 
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"You know, I think that was our boy."
 
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"Was he scary beyond all reason?" Kasim asked.
 
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"Yep.  Think he stowed away with us?"
 
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"How else could he have gotten here?"
 
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"Good point.  Unless he's just zapping around.  Wonder why he didn't kill us?"
 
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"Maybe he would have if you'd looked under his robe and said, 'I see England, I see France, I see Diablo's underpants.'"
 
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"Do demon lords wear underpants?  Boxers or briefs?"
 
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"I don't think you'd want to get to know a demon lord that well."
 
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"True."  Xanthippe looked into the jungle.  "I wonder where Baal is?"
 
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Kasim shrugged. "We'll find out."
 
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The jungle had mosquitoes three feet long, walking tree trunks, and tiny little men with teeth half the size of their bodies.  They made cute little squeaky noises as you killed them.  In a couple of sections, giant spiders had built huge communal webs.  There are such things as social spiders; they are very small, and need numbers to prey on the large insects of the jungle.  But these spiders were gigantic: even the babies were the size of tarantulas, and the adults could prey on people.  Inside the cavernous webs of one group, Xanthippe found a small jade statue of a proud barbarian.  Another held a shining chest full of gold and magic, and an odd thing - a small sculpture of a human eye, with a red iris.
 
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The statue was part of a set, made locally.  Meshif had collected them since he was a boy, and this one happened to be the only one he was missing.  After the long delay at Lut Gholein, he was a bit short on cash, so he offered a golden bird statuette in exchange.  Just a glance told Xanthippe there was magic inside this bird, and she eagerly traded for it.  The eye sculpture was not as easy to figure out.  It was hard, like alabaster, but warm and obviously magical.  None of the locals could say anything about it, so they went to Cain, their resident antiquities expert.
 
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"Ah, this is the Golden Bird of Ku Y'leh!  He was a great alchemist long ago; perhaps Alkor will know more of his history.  The eye you have there is not a sculpture.  That can only be a relic of the Zakarumite saint Khalim."
 
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"Aren't saint's relics body parts?  This thing is hard as a rock."
 
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"Yes, its present incorruptible state is a sign of sainthood."
 
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"The saints I've run into have all been bits of bone."
 
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"And were very corruptible.  So, in all likelihood, sainthood was improperly bestowed.  Khalim was a member of the Zakarumite high council, who withstood the corruption of Mephisto after it had claimed all of his fellows.  When the other council members killed him, it caused a schism within the church, and a large proportion of the sect fled into the west."
 
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"Places like Khanduras?"
 
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"Exactly.  Khalim's body was all but destroyed by the demonic assault, but according to legend, three pieces of him survived, carrying his vision, knowledge, and soul."
 
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Xanthippe looked directly into the eye.  The iris contracted slightly, like it was focusing.  She dropped it and jumped back.  "Ewww!!"
 
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Laughing softly, Cain picked it up and looked into it.  "Poor Khalim.  But this may be for a greater good.  The relics of a true saint cannot be anything but a help for us."
 
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Xanthippe shivered.  "Why does religious stuff always involve dead things?"
 
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"Oh, I'm not sure about that," Cain chuckled. "Let me see... the eye would most likely carry Khalim's true vision, able to see corruption through all obscuring veils of deceit.  Finding his knowledge and soul would be helpful as well."
 
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"Do I have to touch them?"
 
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Cain smiled indulgently.  "I am sure that will not be necessary."
 
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Alkor knew the bird on sight.  "Ah, the Golden Bird of Ku Y'leh!  Busy yourself elsewhere, while I go to work on the ashes contained within."
 
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"Something alchemical?"
 
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"No!  I will sprinkle them over your precious licorice, stupid girl!"
 
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He made no move towards the licorice jar, so he probably wasn't serious.  Xanthippe got some treasure identified by Cain.  One was a rare poleaxe, about as good as Kasim's "Malice" poleaxe, but without the life-draining problem.  She was strong enough to use it now, too.  After buying some plate mail from Hratli, she went back to Alkor, who had a potion ready.
 
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"Hey," Xanthippe said after drinking it, "that was good!  Most potions taste like socks."
 
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"Ku Y'leh was the greatest alchemist.  His body was so saturated with good chemicals, how could something prepared from his ashes be less than wonderful?"
 
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"Those were HIS ashes?"
 
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"Indisputably!"
 
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Hopefully, Ku Y'leh wouldn't mind his new final resting place, in the swampy muck outside Alkor's door.  Dammit, religious nuts were supposed to be the only ones who play around with dead people.  In spite of her reaction, she still felt suffused with new life.  But she wasn't going to try getting Ku Y'leh back to see if he had any more to offer her.
 
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Deeper and deeper Xanthippe and Kasim went into the marshes.  Sticking close to the river made travel easier, there was less to trip over.  Her new poleaxe was a thing of beauty.  Well, maybe not, but it was very helpful for slicing and dicing.  After chopping up the immortal remnants of the strongest man in Kurast, now a very strong zombie, Xanthippe found a magic long sword.  The enchantment was terrible - +1 to maximum damage - but Cain had mentioned an alchemical recipe that used swords.  She had some chipped gems set aside, so she used the cube to transform the sword.
 
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As predicted, the long sword came through the transformation with three sockets and a new enchantment, a brutal one.  That was good... but Xanthippe felt she could do better, and she had the gems to try again.  Bronze sword of quality... sword of the icicle... then, out came a Soldier's Long Sword of Alacrity.  That was good enough for her.  In the Spider's jungle, she'd found a gem shrine, and made a perfect ruby with it.  It was stowed in her luggage now... no, it wasn't there anymore!  Instead, there was a runestone and a note:
 
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"Oh, what a pretty shiny thing you've made for me!  I'll take this as payment for the ruby in your crown, my little princess.  Make the next one an emerald or topaz, I don't have many of them.  As for your sword, when you make it, here's an Amn rune to keep you healthy.  Don't be too upset!  You're fiery enough without this.  -- The Mule."
 
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Eyes narrowing, Xanthippe finally saw what was his little game was.  Breaking into luggage, moving things around as he saw fit, giving and taking depending on what HE thought she should have!  How DARE he!?!  She promised herself that she would find this guy and make him squeal like a pig, no matter how long it took.  He had to be around here, he had to have stowed away on the ship SOMEWHERE... but she still couldn't find him.  She couldn't even find that great warrior woman who was supposed to be hanging around the southern docks; everyone kept telling Xanthippe she was there, but there was never anyone where they pointed.
 

Latest revision as of 09:16, 12 February 2017

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