Wynlynn’s Reflections 6

As I step back onto solid ground, I am relieved to be out of that dangerous strange place. Val is looking worse for wear but is safe for the moment and I can relax, at least about that. We are back in the room where we had made the access stone. While we had certainly faced our share of dangers here, they were tied to getting the colored liquids which we certainly didn’t need now. 

As we catch our breath most of the others appear up through the light shaft and step out into the room to join us. No one says anything in those long moments as we wait to see if Travis and Agenar have made it out of that place, as if saying something will somehow make the fears come true. I had seen them with the large metal warforged standing over Travis right before I came up and I am not certain if they could have made it away. It’s also uncertain how we will ever make it out of this place if they did not make it away since Travis seems to be the key to opening the staircase that leads out of here. But that is a worry I cannot worry yet. 

After what seems like an eternity the two of them finally emerge into the room and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, as relief washes over me. Travis does not look good but they are alive and have made it back to us so we have every reason to be grateful. We head up the stairs, all of us, together.

Now that we are back in the caves not far from the fountain and the statue that hides the secret stairwell, we can take a moment to assess how everyone is. We are all alive at least but Val is seriously injured and Travis has some dark coloring under his… skin? bark? and it is spreading from the area where Agenar says he was injected by the warforged below. Travis insists he is fine but the dark coloring is spreading quite quickly. Before we can even decide what to do it has covered him completely and reached the crystal at the center of his chest. He passes out, but only for a moment before getting up without a word and walking back towards the fountain. We can only assume to head back down and since he isn’t speaking to us as we frantically ask him what he is doing. He doesn’t seem to even notice we are there. If he goes down there, we cannot follow for without him on our side, and in the state he is in now I can’t say we have him on our side, we will surely die. Val grabs a hold of large wood man attempting to stop him. Even as she holds him he continues to walk determinedly towards the fountain. I help grab a hold and finally we stop him. We call out to the others to get some rope and tie him up till we can figure out what is happening. Pantaghion pulls rope out of his bag and helps secure him as Val and I hold him still.

With Travis tied up we take the moment to discuss our options. We have no idea what is wrong with him, none of us have ever seen anything like it. I am concerned that taking him to town will put the people there in danger. What if it is contagious? What if Travis escapes and attacks people? There is no saying what he would do. But in the end, the only options are to seek out help or leave him here to whatever fate befalls. Since the second option is out of the question, there is no other option but to see if Wilhelm, the cleric back at the fort in the Glade, can help Travis.

With a plan decided on, Val picks up the securely tied Travis, swinging him over her shoulder and we head out. We do not get very far before Val, for no apparent reason, puts him down. He starts to worm his way back the way we had come. Val seems to shake herself out of it, seemingly as confused as we are by the action. Whatever the reason, it has passed and she picks him up and we resume our trek. Just to be on the safe side, Val give Travis a big wack, knocking him unconscious as we head out into the daylight.

It is early morning and I, despite all our troubles, it feels good to be out in forrest again. It is a perfect day, sunlight trickling down through the canopy of trees, the sounds of animals going about their day around us. The traveling takes mind of my worries for a moment. We make good progress through the day with no more difficulties from Travis, but we know we can not make it all the way back to town in one hike and that we must eventually make camp. As we find a suitable place and settle in for the night, we make sure Travis is tightly secured before Val and Tilia take up first watch, the rest of us laying down to rest.

***

I come out of my meditation and am relieved to hear that Val and Tilia had faced no difficulties. Travis is still asleep and all is quiet as they settle down to get some much deserved rest themselves. I was a little on edge as Agenar and I started our watch, but slowly relaxed as the hours went by. Eventually, Agenar went back to sleep as Teal and Pantaghion woke up to take the third watch. We had nearly made it through the night with no struggle. 

A short while later I look over at Travis and see that he is awake and watching us. Behind those eyes I do not see our companion, but instead a calculating adversary who only wants to escape. He quickly closes his eyes as if we would now believe he is asleep. Teal and Pantaghion confirm that they saw it too. I hear Travis whisper something but I can’t make out what. It is the first time I have heard him speak since the dark coloring covered his whole body. Pantaghion gets up, and goes over to Travis. At first I think he is just checking on Travis. He reaches down to the knots holding the ropes securely around Travis. Is he checking them to make sure they are still tight? No, he seems to be trying to untie them. I jump, “What are you doing?” No response. I run over and struggle to stop him. I shout out to wake the others but no one stirs. They are in such a deep sleep after our long taxing day. Pantaghion pushes me away and goes for the knots again. I can’t let him release Travis. Between Val releasing Travis from her hold the day before and Pantaghion’s actions now I have a suspicion that Travis is behind this. As Teal comes to help me stop Pantaghion I turn and wack Travis in the head, knocking him unconscious once more. Pantaghion stops struggling with Teal, looking confused by his own actions and what he had just attempted to do. This confirms it, the word Travis had said right before Pantaghion went to untie him, Pantaghion stopping the moment Travis was knocked out… Travis was using magic to control him. We can’t let this happen again.

***

As the others start to wake up for morning only a short while after our struggles with Travis, we share the events of the night. Agenar thinks he may know what spell Travis used. “Most likely, if we gag him, he won’t be able to perform the spell again,” he shares with us. So we form a gag and get ready for another day of traveling, Val carrying Travis over her shoulder.

***

As we enter town and I fall back to walk behind Val, watching Travis over her shoulder. He is chewing on the gag in his mouth, perhaps trying to chew through. He seems to have made some progress but it holds. All except Agenar, who never goes anywhere near the fort, go to seek out Wihelm right away. It is getting to be evening and we have to bother him in his quarters. We seem to be making a habit of this.

“I have never worked on a wood man before,” he shares as he examines our friend now laying on a table in Wihelm’s workspace, still tied up. “I have never seen anything like this but I do have something I can try.” He honestly tells us, that while he thinks there is a good chance, he has no idea if it will cure our friend. On top of that it will not be cheap. Teal worries that if it doesn’t work, we may not have the money to seek out other cures for our friend. As we debate this point Wihelm tries to convince us that this is really the best choice. I trust him. He has helped us many times before, if he believes it is the best choice, then we have to try. 

Finally we all agree to have Wihelm try and he gathers his supplies. He spreads diamond dust around Travis and works his spell. As he does, the dark coloring that covers Travis’s body starts to recede from him limbs. Wihelm, the dark coloring following his hands as he waves them up and away from Travis, extracts it out. Soon there is a black formless blob floating in the air, small parts of it jumping away from it and back in like fleas on an animal. At Wihelm’s urgent request, I get him a large vial and stopper and he moves the mass into it and seals it. I hold the vial up and look at the swarm inside, a million tiny flecks jumping around. At that moment, Travis says, “Hi, why are your all looking at me? And why am I tied up?” Relief washes over me, realizing that it worked and Travis is himself again.

I give the vial to Val for safekeeping. Maybe we can eventually find someone who knows what is inside and what it did to Travis. In the meantime we can just be happy for a moment that Travis is okay.