Chapter 28 ( Two of Four Treasures and A Samurai )

 Present day:

Thibideau awoke with a start sitting up in bed and breathing rapidly. It took him a few moments to calm himself before he could throw his feet over the edge of the large bed and put his feet on the floor. He stood up and his bones cracked and crunched and he smiled. He didn't have to put on his armor today. He so enjoyed spending time with the children. Who knows how many more years he had left and he was going to impart as much knowledge to them as he could before he met his maker. He laced up his boots and combed back his hair and ran his hand over his beard smoothing it down. He reached for the door and walked out of the room and into the hallway. Rage Gale Keep was bustling like a humming bird looking for sugar already. He dodged a chamber maid with a stack of bedding taller than she was and bumped into the gardener. He put his hands up and said," I'm sorry ole fellow." The gardener nodded his respects to the old paladin and continued on down the hall. He finally made his way to the kitchen and opened the door to find a room full of children sitting around the large servants table with various things to eat.

" Ahh, Children, what have we got here?" He said as he looked over the food on the table.When the younger cook came in and said," Sir. Fordging they are awaiting you at the table in the dining hall. There is quite a large breakfast laid out for you all. The little ones are looking forward to the reading today. They were up in this kitchen when the sun broke the sky this morning." He chuckled," Someone I used to know called it ," The ass crack of dawn." Cheryl started laughing and said," Yes, sir, the ass crack of dawn, they were in here rooting around for food. The fires were not even lit in the ovens and they were riffling through left overs and trying to get to the chocolate cake that I made for this afternoon. I rescued it though much to their chagrin sir. They plan on having you start early so get some food before they rush you."

He made his way to the dining hall and found his place at the table and began loading his plate with sausages, eggs, bacon and pancakes. He looked at the red syrup and exclaimed," Oh, Oh It's the Boysenberry syrup! This is my favorite!" He said as he began to eat. He finished his bite and nodded his head,' Goodmorning everyone, I am quite famished so give me a few moments to aquaint myself with this beautiful saugage and the bacon then I can take a few moments to talk. "Is there any coffee?" He said and a arm came from next to his right side placing a large hot steaming mug of coffee mixed with cream and sugar and a touch of vanilla. He reached for the cup and breathed in deeply and then drank closing his eyes and reveling in the taste of the roasted beans. He opened his eyes and saw that Miralania was chuckling at her mentor. Thibideau's eyes shone brightly and said," This really is the best cup of coffee I have ever had." He said as he lifted it up and said," Cheers!"  

Everyone finished their meals and snacks were sent to the large room where they were gathering for the story.  All the children ran to get their pillows and blankets. Thibideau went to the hearth and pulled the tome from the shelf and went to his chair. He made himself comfortable and crossed his ankle over his knee as he opened the cover of the book. " Ok, where we? Ahh, Yes, Here we are. The Druids and Banshee head into the forest and speak with Morrigan."

The Morrigan reached forth her hand and touched Rhiannon's face. " Such a beautiful face. There are tasks one must complete in order to obtain the treasures." Looking to Val, " You have become King and watched over the royals so the stone is yours." Looking at the others she said, " There are trials that you must endure and tests to navigate through appropriately in order for me to justify handing you these items." To retrieve the Spear of Loo, you must travel through Time and find where it has been hidden. To the realm of  Tuatha when it was young. Then you must defeat Balor once and for all and retrieve the spear from his lair." Val nodded and said," And what of Nuada's Sword?" The Morrigan took a breath and spoke sweetly," Dear Brother, Nuada's sword is in the lair of the Kelpie." They all looked at one another and growled." Really? The Kelpie? Who would put it there?" said Ambrosious. 

Morrigan looked at Rhiannon and said," Will you tell them or shall I?" Rhiannon gasped with exasperation and stomped her foot in irritation looking at her sister," You told me to put it there because I was in the lake. You said the waters of Avalon would keep it from rusting so I did as you commanded. The Kelpie and I have an agreement, I don't mess with it and it stays peaceful. We will have to kill him." Karogen spoke," Aye. What a pickle you got us into Lass." Lastly, the Cauldron of Dagda is in the realm of Carman and the Sluagh guard it. They too will have to be slain to gain access to the Cauldron. When you touch the cauldron the witch will emerge." 

Meanwhile...Isles of Japan;

Briesef the beautiful approached the Samurai master and bowed her graceful neck and flexed her wing out behind her and said," Oh great Samurai, we need your help to slay the angel and bring peace to the Earth." The Shogun responded to her. " Oh beautiful one, I will do what I can. Give me three days to gather my men and signal the monks up in the mountians." Briesef smiled, showing her sharp fangs, responded," What is your name mortal? The elder  bowed low and flurished his hand to the left and spoke clearly," I am Shogun Furukawa Kichisaburo. My friends and family call me Furuki. You may call me this if you so wish." The she dragon bowed her head in respect and reached under her arm for a scale and plucked it.

She placed it on the ground in front of him and said. " When your men have decided to join with the armies of the world in Avalon, this scale will open your wormhole portal. Procure some silver dust and toss it upon the scale then use the scale to scater it into the wind and say, " Shemanch Rhie Rhom, Shores of Avalon." It will open the portal and your armies will walk through. Then you yourself will go through carrying the scale, when you have completed the pass the wormhole will shut behind you. If at any moment, the scale goes in without you, it will shut and you will have to find a mage to make the trip." 

The shogun nodded and stepped towards the beautiful dragon and said," Thank you beautiful one. The scale shines like the Moon it's self reflecting upon the ocean's waves. I look forward to seeing you again. If you fly high above the clouds and then circle back down once you cross into the mountains a hidden city lies there. You will find a monk by the name of Wangdak Dhompa, He is the new Llama there." Briesef nodded and said," Ahh yes my birthing grounds. It has been some time since I have been there. Over nine hundred years have come and gone since I left the Lotus city. I bid you a fond parting." She said as she gathered her self up to launch into the air and take to wing. The shadow of her body dissapeared from over head and Furuki stepped forward and picked up the scale. It was quite large and it actually seemed strong enough to be fasioned into a sheild. He nodded and turned towrds his men." Gather everyone meet me back here in two days." General Xiao, acknowledged him and turned to leave. Furuki turned towards the stables and grabbed his saddle and began to tack up his horse and stepped into the stirrups and flicked the reins and gently nudged his mare towards the house.

Meanwhile... Back in the Summerlands,

The arch druids tallied what they would need to do and Sherari was going to have to heal them as they fought through the trials. Val turned to his half sisater and said,"If you could please go to Rahnyah and tell her to fetch the stone from my throne and have it at the ready I would be appreciative." Morrigan nodded and shifted into a crow and flew away.  Karogen spoke, " How the feck are we going to go back in Time? To Summerlands Past? Where did Loo live?" Val reached a hand out to calm the old druid. Karogen always freaked out before he calmed down and thought clearly. It was his way. He was so reactive which was why they always used him to go in first to attack something.

His big ass grizzly bear form would just pummel with brute force. Andronus and Valudus  tended towards fighting with their tigers or panthers. Rhiannon either fought in her natural form with a sword and her Banshee wails or as a badger. Ambrosious always fought as a huge gray wolf Sherari looked in her pack and tossed a few things out and growled getting Andronus's attention. He looked at her and said," What is wrong child?" She looked up at him and said, " My sister made me this potion that I can use while I am in animal form to heal so I can fight as well. But If I can not find it, I will have to use spells and then I can not fight with you." She said frustrated and dumped the bag out onto the ground and Andronus knelt down to help her.

He said gently," Sher, look in the outer pockets." She looked in the pockets and found the vials Kerari gave her. She sighed a sigh of relief and repacked her bag and then slung it over her shoulder and she said," We aren't looking for Loo's house we are looking for Balor's lair. Does anyone know where he resides?"

Rhiannon smiled and said," I think I know where but we are going to have to go to the river. Follow me." She began walking further into the woods where she found a deeply worn path. They all stepped on the path behind her and walked and looked around themselves. The air was crisp and a soft chill hung low. Brilliant colored leaves crunched under foot as they made their way up a steep incline that led to a cliff. They could hear the water rushing to their left as they approached the edge of the cliff and looked down. Carved into the side of the steep hill were steps from eons ago. She began to descend the steps and the spray of the river showered them as they stepped lower and lower. Nine hundred and ninty nine steps they went to the bottom where the river was still small at the base.

You could see the deep depression where the water had eroded the stone into a deep pool and it flowed through a canyon. She just kept walking down the path that led to a stand of large sequoia trees that towered above them for hundreds of feet. Their roots grew as deep as they were tall. the sound of the river got louder as the path led into the forest along the edge of the canyon. Deer bounded about in the underbrush and a large squirrel the size of a Saint Bernard skittered towards them. On they walked it seemed like for an hour. No one spoke they just followed Rhiannon.

Soon they came to a large tree that had fallen over the gourge. It was strong and sturdy and she climbed up on it with the help of her husband and her brothers. As they all made it to the top of the fallen tree, The banshee balked. It was Ambrosious's turn. He reached out for her hand and said," Come love, I know. It will be ok. Just one step at a time. Look how strong you are. You can do this my queen. Look into my eyes," He said as he started walking backwards across the tree. Everyone followed behind them as they moved slowly across. On the other side, Rhiannon breathed quickly and then composed herself. They moved after her as she continued to walk past a large field where her Mares grazed and the foals played. The lead mare turned and followed her mistress as she walked along the path. Soon the path led to a large field with a circle of stones that curved inwards and in the center there was a distorted circle that swirled. " This is where we cross through Time. Zahuba will stay as a link on this side so we will be safe. When we come out in the past there will be a small village nearby. At the top of the hill is a castle. There is where Balor resdies." 

Reaching for her dagger, she cut the length of her hair to her waist and turned to them and said," Before we go through we must make a rope of my hair and tie ourselves to it so we are not seperated. You do not want to get lost in Time. She nodded to Sherari and held a portion of her hair and tied a knot. then Sherari braided and twisted it into a fine rope. Rhiannon's hair fell to the ground so there was plenty of it to make the rope. As Sherari twisted it, Rhiannon whispered spells and incantations to make it strong and safe for them. The whole world rested on them, to be able to retrieve these ancient things. Billions of lives depended on them to carry out these ardous tasks.

When Sherari was done braiding she twisted the end into Zahuba's mane which grew long and strong giving them added length. Rhiannon rubbed Zahuba's muzzle and whispered in her ear. The Mare flicked her tail and nodded her head up and down indicating she understood her mistress.  Everyone tied themselves to the rope and they stepped through the Time portal. They sped quickly to the Time they needed when Val reached out his hand and stopped the flow . They all stepped through to the other side. Everyone untied themselves and laid the rope out smoothly. Rhiannon Knew Zahuba would never let anyone come to harm.

They all made sure they all had what they needed. Ambrosious handed Rhiannon her sword that he had been carrying on his back along with his staff. They touched foreheads together and he reached up and caressed her cheek." Ok let's get this done quickly. Move silently through the city. We all can go translucent in our animal forms, so let's do that once we get to the village so no one asks any questions." Val said as he touched his sister's cheek and nodded. They all moved towards the village swiftly and silently trying to stay out of sight. However,If anyone did see them, the sight of all the druids dropping into animal form in fluidic motion would have been odd. Seamless and smooth they shimmered into translucency and began to move their way through the village. They could hear screams coming from the castle on the hill and chills ran down Sherari's spine. She kept getting flashes of blood and and abject horror.

Soon they rounded the bend and started up the hill and the sounds of pain and agony grew louder still. Rhiannon reached out and touched her husband's hand and everyone looked at Karogen. " Ok Mate, it's all you. We will follow you through the doorway." Andronus said as he shifted into elven form and pushed open the doorway. Then he shifted back into his tiger form and allowed them all to proceed after Karogen. They all bunched around his big bear ass and peeped around it to see what lay beyond. Rhiannon in badger form jumped onto Ambrosious's Wolf back and scooted up to his shoulder blades and peered over his shoulder.

Val growled softly and chuffed at Sherari and Andronus to flank Karogen as they advanced forward. Silent as mice they moved. They heard a scream in a nearby room and Rhiannon jumped off her husband's back and scurried to the room. She slinked forward and stuck her head into the door that was slightly ajar and sniffed. When there was a loud crash and this great fat demon with a butcher's cleaver turned and barrled at her to the door. She jumped wildly and flew back into the chest of Karogen who had moved up towards the door. The creature smelled putrid and there was blood crusted all over his body and weapon. The smell of rotting flesh hit their nostrils as Karogen launched himself at the demon. As soon as Karogen slashed the back of the demon's legs a putrid smell filled the hallway and the three tigers and wolf joined in the fray. Slashing of claws and snapping of jaws sounded through the whole castle and Rhiannon shifted into Elven form and unsheathed her sword. The cleaver came very close to Ambrosious's head as she began to keen her banshee song and slash with her sword.

One more slash and Karogen disemboweled the creature spilling his entrails upon the gray stone of the floor. Val jumped over the guts and leapt to his throat and latched his canine teeth in while his brother jumped up on his back biting down through the tough piglike skin around the spine. It just seemed like he couldn't quite get a good enough bite when the blade struck Rhiannons shoulder. Blood seeped from the wound and turned her gossamer shirt maroon. Sherari, shifted to elvinform as she hit the demons back and flipped into a back handspring and slid over to Rhiannon and pulled the vial from the closest pouch. She opened it in one swift motion and brought the goo down upon the slashed muscle causing Rhiannon to scream out in pain as her wound was cauterized. Sherari shifted back into Tiger form and and began slashing the beasts' Achillies tendons causing him to drop to his knees and then to the floor weighed down by two full grown tigers. Rhiannon jumped on it's back and shoved her brother to one side and hacked at the back of the neck until his head rolled free from his body. 

The putrid smell emenated more from the creature beneath her feet. She growled and jumped down and grasped the demon's weapon and shoved it into her backpack and moved towards  Sherari to check her wound. " Rhiannon, your wound is healing very well right now. Just try to favor that side for a little while. We are not sure what we are going to encounter. Who is going into that room to see what was screaming?"

Rhiannon said as she rubbed her shoulder and shrugged past her into the room. Sherari riffled in the butcher's clothing to see what things that were hid there. She held her breath as she felt something hard and pulled it out of the pocket and saw in her hand a silver bracelett with four rings that had fine filigree chains attatching each ring to the center point of the bracelett and there was a large black tear drop onyx stone with hyroglyphs etched around the outter edge. She placed it in her pocket and looked into the room where a young girl was strapped to a tourture table whimpering in fear and pain.. She had been raped and tortured in some pretty unnatural ways but seemed to be whole. Sherari unclasped her arms while Valudus unclasped her legs. Rhiannon fiddled in her back pack and removed a gossomer dress of fine linen and held it over the young woman's nakedness as the men averted their eyes. Karogen unfurled his wings to block the other's gazes so she did not feel any more violated than she already was.

Rhiannon crooned into her ear," It's ok my dear. All will be well soon. It is safe to go out of the castle and back to the village but go now. Do not tarry. Go to the river and wash. Submerge yourself thrice for Maiden, Mother and Crone. Use the flowers upon the bank and crush them on a stone. Use the juice to wash your body and hair. Then put the dress back on and you shall be whole once more. No more will you think upon this horror. She touched the small of her back. No longer will your bride price be gone. You shall be free of all that encumbers your soul." The young woman looked at her with wide eyes and nodded then quickly left to do as she was bid to do.

The druids left the blood filled room and continued on towards the stairwell that led to the throne room and the most obvious place that Balor would keep the spear. Val led the way and he motioned with his hand out to slow the ascent up the stairs. " Something is moving on the stairs, I can not quite figure out what it is." He said over his shoulder. His brother, moved up quickly behind him and smirked saying," As slow as we are moving, they are going to have our brother dead before we are done." Rhiannon hissed harshly," We are back in Time. Our brother has not lost his shit yet. Let's get moving so we can retrieve the cauldron and Nuada's sword."

Andronus made a face at his sister and kept right on moving. Sherari slid along the outter edge of the stairwell and triggered a latch. Karogen looked up and tilted his head to the side and said," Woman, how many times have we told you in training not to step on triggers?" Sherari gasped indignantly," How could I have known?" She hissed back. Karogen nodded his head and said," Fuck off." Sherari huffed ahead and Karogen spoke after her and said," I tell her to fuuck off and off's have been fucked. Let's figure what the fuck she released before we all die." Sherari turned to say something offensive to him  when a large arrow tipped with neurotoxin slammed into the muscle between her collarbone and right shoulder.

Karogen shouted," Ahh Fuck!"And rushed to her side. Everyone else scattered to find the archer as Karogen checked her wound. " Lass, this is going to hurt like the dickens but I am going to have to shove this the rest the way through so I can break off the tip and pull the arrow out. Wait, your lips are turning purple. Ahrgh, what the fuck?"He sniffed and riffled in her bag to find the right potion to neutralize the neurotoxin poisoning. Looking up he yelled," Rhi! I can not find it in her bag! Shes turning purple!" The Banshee turned and screamed into the room which blasted anything back from them for about thirty yards and ran down the steps. She sniffed and realized that she had something in her bag that would work. It was horse blood and human globulin that she gleaned from her mares. She came over and knelt down by the younger woman and pulled out a syringe and put it in the stoppered vial and extracted half the substance within it and stabbed her in the neck and pushed down the plunger. He eyes still weren't opening so she reached into sherari's bag and found some adrenaline and slammed it into her heart and pressed the plunger down. Sherari sat bolt upright and turned her head to the right and vomited down the steps and started breathing heavily. She reached up and slapped Karogen in the face as Rhiannon pulled her up. " Comeon get yourself together. If you die now that Rabbi of yours will never forgive me."