The Crimson Storm (Ch. 3)

The Adventure Continues yet again)

Chapter Three: Gathering the Group.

Eternal youth is given to those who don’t want it.

      Shaman Teiliman

The three entered the white bricked house, covering their mouths as to not inhale the vast amounts of smoke that was being pumped out of the chimney. Once inside, the three tried to warm up by the fire.
“Sure, don’t bother saying hello Almen.” The Shaman jokingly said. Grand Almen began hugging the Shaman as the other two sat by the fire.
“Please, resume your warming. The winds of the past are blowing their ugly head in. I would need all the warmth I could get too.” The three resumed their warming up.
“Celtìca…Degriţito…I would like to introduce you to Shaman Teiliman.” Grand Amen introduced.
“Please, call me Kilé.” She spoke as she offered her hand to shake. The two were stunned at the woman’s beauty. She was very tall and very dark skinned. She had ancient tattoos on her legs and arms. She wore ancestral garments, most of which were a top and a bottom and all the skin to bare. The two soon shook her hand in return.
(Degriţito received a ton of useful information about the shaman from the handshake and deemed that she was suitable as their healer. He didn’t tell anybody of what he saw though...but Celtìca knew what he had seen)
Around Shaman Kilé Teiliman were a bunch of bottles and books. Near the fire was a rather normal sized cauldron bubbling and steaming.
“I take it you are still trying to master the art of apothecary?” Grand Almen asked in a rather cruel way, at least Celtìca thought so. Degriţito, meanwhile, was still warming up by the fire, though at a distance as to not catch a whiff of whatever Kilé was preparing.
“I am…old fool.” Kilé replied with a great big smile and a large oversized laugh. Celtìca soon realized that Kilé was a fun woman to hang around with.
“Well whatever you have brewing, it sure smells awful.” Degriţito said with a pinched nose. Grand Almen laughed at the sound of Degriţito’s voice. It was a rather hardy laugh and it filled the tiny house with warmth.
Grand Almen ceased laughing and his brow furrowed and a serious look grew on his face. The look soon went to Kilé’s face as well.
“Have you been getting by on your own out here? Have the Crimson brigade been snooping recently?” Grand Almen spoke with care in his words.
“Aw, they are always bugging me, you know that. Not only that…but I am working for them now too.” Grand Almen, as well as Celtìca and Degriţito, had a worried look on their face as Kilé said that. The three were concerned if they were spotted because they went to Kilé.
“Not like that. I am being forced to work for them. I am the only Apothecary nearby. The only other one would be in Grömédær. The travel would be too horrendous to make, so they forced me to be their potion maker.”
Celtìca rose to look outside at the winds shifting; blowing heavy snow. Grand Almen looked at Celtìca and then back at Kilé.
“I am being forced to make an eternal youth potion…but you always know my saying….’Eternal youth is given to those who don’t want it’.” She chuckled, but sadly. She hated not being able to roam wherever she feels like. She felt trapped…which she was to some degree.
“So what you are saying is that you can’t leave the forest?”
“I can’t even leave my home let alone the forest. The guards would hunt me down.”
“That would be ok. We could fly west towards Sing Village and get ourselves more help. They wouldn’t find you there”
Celtìca still stared out the window at the storm. She knew this weather was a sign that things are not right with the world.
“Fly…oh yes, the druid, I forgot. I think we can do that, if you use some of that magic of yours to hide my house.”
“I can do that, but we would need to put out the fire.”
Grand Almen and Shaman Kilé were still talking when Degriţito went over to Celtìca. He looked concerned for her well-being and was worried what the travel could do to her…again.

The four went to bed that day, still weary from the storm, and slept. Grand Almen was hovering in his sleep because there wasn’t much room for him to sleep on the floor. Kilé had her bed and Degriţito and Celtìca shared the floor. The large Giant was sprawled out like a tiger rug, though she held onto Degriţito firmly in her arms as if he was a teddy bear.
Morning came and the four put out the fire after brewing some coffee for all of them. They soon covered the fire up too. Grand Almen sat down on the floor as soon as Celtìca got up.
“Hovering is very exhausting. I can never seem to get a good enough sleep while hovering.” Grand Almen said while sipping his tea he had prepared for himself. Celtìca was outside, sitting in the snow. She had gotten used to the cold by now and thought it was very odd. Does that mean she could get used to this journey?
Degriţito came out from the bathroom. He looked around and wondered where Celtìca had gone. Grand Almen and Shaman Kilé both pointed outside and Degriţito, after getting his boots and snow gear on, went outside.
He sat in the snow by Celtìca and put his arms around her to warm her up. She loved the feel of his gloves on her robe, and sighed with joy at the feel of it.
The two snuggled together for a while longer before Great Almen and Shaman Kilé came out with their belongings. Celtìca put her staff on her back and Degriţito did the same with his sword. The sparkle from his new armor nearly blinded Almen but he was glad to have someone use it for once.
The three secured their belongings on their back. Shaman Kilé had her potions in her bag as well as spell scrolls. Grand Almen waved his hand and slowly the house disappeared. It would never be seen by outsiders, only by Shaman Kilé. She could still see the house but knew it was invisible for it had a clear blue aura to it. She patted Grand Almen on the back and the four journeyed onward.
The Belíthian dragon was formed by Celtìca and the three mounted her. The three flew high in the air tightly holding onto Celtìca’s scales. The wind nearly blew their faces off. Their scarfs blew wildly in the wind as Celtìca flew high in the clouds. The four were nearly past the Forest and were about to come to the South Village of Sing. Grand Almen motioned for Celtìca to land there. He thought perhaps the warrior that they needed would preside either here or to the north at Sing Village.
Celtìca landed a little outside of the South Village and shapeshifted back into her Giant form as soon as everyone departed from her backside. The three, Shaman Kilé not carrying a weapon, drew out their weapons. Grand Almen drew out his to lean on for support as though it was a cane, which he mainly used it as. The four ventured over to South Village of Sing and wandered inside the tavern, which was not an inn like most taverns were. This tavern was separate from the inn. Grand Almen knew that his adventurous warrior would be in here…most likely drunk and not able to pay his tab.

As the four entered, the barkeep nodded to Grand Almen since he had been there on many occasion. The loud music that filled the tavern came from a wind-up piano. The noise from the piano, and not to mention the noise the patrons made, was infuriating to Celtìca. She then realized that there was no way she could fit comfortably inside the tavern so she decided to wait outside, with Degriţito following closely behind her. Grand Almen and Shaman Kilé, on the other hand, slowly made their way to the drunken patron, who was their warrior.

“I don’t like the looks of this one Almen, perhaps there is some other alternative that you have in mind.” Shaman Kilé hated taverns for she used to work in one. She hated all the drunken men grabbing her butt, whistling, and hootin’ and hollerin’ at her.
“I don’t think I have an alternative, but don’t worry… I can fix him.” Grand Almen said as they finally made their way across the room trying to push pass all the drunkards. The two came up to the table where four gentlemen, if you could call them that, were playing cards.
“Almen…not now…” spoke one of the card players as he leaned back in his chair and had his feet up on the table. He continued to play cards whilst Grand Almen and Shaman Teiliman stood by staring at the fool.
The man raised his head from his hand and looked at the two. He was mesmerized by the beautiful woman that stood before him.
Shaman Kilé rolled her eyes. She knew she would hate being back inside a tavern. The drunken man winked at the shaman and she grew red in the face. She suddenly stormed outside and waited with Degriţito and Celtìca. Grand Almen, on the other hand, stayed put and waited for the warrior’s reply. The warrior got up as the lady left. He was mighty sad to see her go.
Meanwhile, the other players at the poker table grew restless.
“Are you going to play your hand Ven or aren’t you?” One of the restless gamblers asked.
“Yeah, I’m a playin’. Cool your grits and give me a second to think, will ya?” Ven said while taking his seat. He resumed playing and ignored Grand Almen standing where he stood the whole bout. Ven then pointed at Grand Almen and spoke “I’ll get back to you later Mage…” and resumed his card playing.
Not a minute passed before the warrior swept the card table. He carried off his winnings out into the cold and waited for the Mage to follow suit. The warrior and Grand Almen, who stood behind him, stood in the snow. The warrior looked at the other three who were slumped down on the ground, leaning on the tavern’s outer wall. He let out a quite large hmph and strode off. It wasn’t soon after that he turned around and stated to the world what he thought.
“I’m in.” The other four cheered, Shaman Teiliman not very excited but excited enough, and the warrior continued. “But…” he stated, “I am not going to be the party leader even if you want me to. I will go along if the price is right. I don’t want to know who or what we are fighting until we get there. I will follow along and say nothing and do nothing until orders are given. I am a follower…never a leader.” By the look in the warrior’s eyes, one could tell that he had lead before and that the outcome was quite horrific. A sparkle grew in his eye, as though tears were about to fall, yet he gave a huge sniff and shoved the tears back in.

“Warrior Venregaar, let me introduce you to the party you just joined.”