Part IX: Into the Woods

Into the Woods!

 

The first Sending to Merrick began.

We have arrived in the Forest of Loc-Sil and the Wyld Elves are providing us with a guide to the Skrayling Tree. Love, Zyf.
“Excellent, their knowledge may prove useful to your quest. If the seasons and the sun can be restored, much will be forgiven. Keep me posted.”

The spell ended, and Zyf began another.

How goes the war in Evenfall? Is the new Marquis effective? We may not be back for some time, can you hold out? Love, Zyf.
House Galbadon feuds with Pace, and Spiritus is divided. The young lord has his hands full. I’m fine. Continue your quest, the greater good requires…"

And, the second sending ended, cutting off the words of former high priest Merrick until tomorrow when the spells could be recast.

Two and a half weeks had passed since Zyf’s Talons had arrived. In that time, the party recuperated and prepared for the next part of their journey. Dannis had sequestered himself in the Elves’ forge and had begun work on a piece of armor that would better protect him in combat, and Frik had been transformed into a huge dire wolf. Quintain had busied himself by formally binding D’Breezy, the Air Mephit, to his service. Flann, Chun Yao, and Emma focused on the material preparations for the trip. The journey would be long and arduous so sufficient rations and gear were necessary.

Finally, the trek to the great Summer Tree began, and Zyf, for one, was grateful. Being surrounded by so many elves had given the mighty cleric the heebie-jeebies. Fog and mist surrounded the brave adventurers as they traveled North by North-West…

Suddenly, a bi-plane appeared out of the sky and chased Zyf through the corn field. Diving for cover at every pass, the incredibly handsome and suave fellow barely escaped with his life as he wound his way through the Black Hills of South Dakota searching for the stunning Eva Marie Saint and the diabolical James Mason and Martin Landau. There! In that house on the cliff, she was being held captive by the nefarious duo! What to do? Zyf was just a mild-mannered executive from New York who had been the victim of mistaken identity! Ah, opportunity, the villains were leaving the room! Now, sneak in and liberate the beautiful lady and escape into the rocky crags of America’s greatest monument, Mount Rushmore!!

Then, Zyf flew down and rescued Quintain from his perpetual boner while simultaneously laying waste to the orgiastic fiends that had risen out of their hedonistic delight to attack the mighty cleric and his charges.

“Not so fast,” said Zyf, and one wondered whether he was addressing the cannibalistic creatures bent on attack or the swooning Quintain who was barely holding onto consciousness. “Let me just deposit you,” and this time he was certainly speaking to the fading elf, “here with Emma while I go save Frik, Dannis and the others.” Moments later it was done and the weakened party left the scene of the bizarre fracas and exited to thunderous applause as Martin Landau fell to his death.

Wait..what?