Fantasy FtK: The Demon Chalice

[A Play On Words]

"Thank you." She gave him a polite smile and bow. Althea then stepped into the room, the little bird rested against her shoulder with a happy chirp

 

[Jodyguru]

The bird followed Althea around the room. There was a lot to this bedroom. There was a bathroom and closet full of miscellaneous things. She could eat, sleep, and educate herself on the task at hand. The headmaster disappeared after she entered the room. The door seemed to shut itself.

 

[A Play On Words]

She let out a quiet sigh and sat down on the bed.

 

[Jodyguru]

There was a stillness in the air. The room was nice, the view pleasant, and the canary sat on a high perch in the corner. The suit of armor gleamed in the light. It looked to be somewhat her size.
Nearby was a book with marks in it for spots to read on. The cover was titled “Demons of the Netherworld: a reference guide”
The canary sang a soft little melody of four notes. High, high, low, flat.

 

[A Play On Words]

She skimmed through a few different books before turning her attention to the armor. She reached to her bag and pulled out a small chisel and her blade. From there she began to create a variety of different markings and engravings.

 

[Jodyguru]

While skimming the book she’s see words like “harbinger” and mention of “Mhertak the Relentless”.

When she hit the armor with her chisel, she’d see a momentary change of color rippling across the armor’s surface, and no scratch left by her effort.

 

[A Play On Words]

She frowned and tried again, the same result befalling her. Althea muttered some curses before dropping the weapons. She shrugged and decided it was a good time to meet or pick the person accompanying her, in hopes that they would have a bit more information on what she was supposed to do. Althea pushed open her door and continued down the hallway.

 

[Jodyguru]

She’d walk down the hall and around a corner. She’d find a dead end with a door on either side. One had red trim around and said “Fire” on a name plate. The opposite door had blue trim and said “water”

 

[A Play On Words]

She frowned and pulled the fire door open

 

[Jodyguru]

The air in the room was foggy and dripping with moisture. There was a pot of steaming rocks that were boiling the water.
“Hello? Who let the cold in?” A male voice spoke. A short rotund man was caring for a bunch of large plants that required the heavy moisture to survive.

“Oh, you must be the one Goldleaf hired, yes?” He turned his attention towards her and handed her a face mask.
“Better safe than sorry. These plants emit a lot of pollen particles, bad for the lungs.”

 

[A Play On Words]

She took the mask and slid it over her mouth. "Yes- I am the one." She smiled

 

[Jodyguru]

“Ah, brilliant. I am Ritz Largot, the Botany Mage. I studied evocation magic in my undergrad years. The exotic fey wildlife fascinates me. You’re going after the chalice, aren’t you?”

The man wore little glasses and a kerchief around his face. He had a dwarven ancestry but was clean shaven and less husky.

A fat looking flytrap started lowering its jaws towards Ritz. It didn’t seem like he noticed this.

 

[A Play On Words]

She nodded and smiled. "Yes- also should you be concerned regarding that?" She asked pointing to the flytrap

 

[Jodyguru]

He couldn’t see her smile but her eyes were bright. He spun around and whacked the hungry plant.
“No, bad! It’s not feeding time yet!” He scolded the creature

“Apologies, I wasn’t expecting the magic door to activate here. Did you speak to Welshie, the Whirlpool mage? He’s eager to talk about demons with someone.”

 

[A Play On Words]

"I'll go see him and leave you to... Whatever that is." She chuckled motioning to the creature as she returned to the door. She offered him a wave and a word of goodbye before stepping out the door. She was pleased the door brought her back to where she had left it. Althea then opened the water door and poked her head inside.

 

[Jodyguru]

Inside the water room was what looked like a study that had a massive water tank in the north wall. A large aquatic mammal was swimming around and peering into the room.

Aside from that the room was empty. No Welshie to be found.
Until a door appeared on the west wall, where a tall elf entered. He had gray skin and whiskers that was morphing into a regular face. His skin turned pink, and his narrow face took shape.
“Hello, I am Welshire Feif. Welcome to my study, Drifter.”

 

[A Play On Words]

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir. Ritz said you could help me with my job. He said you'd be open to talking about demons and stuff." She replied quickly feeling rather intimidated

 

[Jodyguru]

The man studied her for a moment. “Tell me your name, and what you know so far. I hate redundant conversations:”
He touched his finger to his lip. Something about her didn’t seem right in his eyes. Either that or it was a nervous tick.

 

[A Play On Words]

"My name is Althea... And to be completely honest, I don't know a lot. Just bits and pieces of what I'm supposed to do."

 

[Jodyguru]

“I see...” he started a pot of tea on a small hotstone. “Care for tea?”
He drew a couple books from his shelf and sat them down on his desk.
“The Demon Chalice is a cursed artifact that drains the energy force out of all magical things and twists it into foul apparitions. No wizard dares lay a hand near it. It lies at the bottom of a deep abyss, and much lies in the way to reach it. Once acquired it must be destroyed. How does that sound for starters?”

 

[A Play On Words]

"Good." She nodded, sitting down and sipping the bitter tea.

 

[Jodyguru]

“I’ve openly questioned the interest in this matter. The old men fear what lies beneath, so they send us to shed a little light. There’s something down there for sure. It’s sinister, and it’s protecting something. It’s behavior is like a dragon guarding a horde, but it doesn’t resemble one.”

Welshie drank his tea and recalled his chance encounter with a shadowy black monster reaching out from a cavernous wall.

 

[A Play On Words]

"I see." She frowned with a slow nod.

 

[Jodyguru]

“Have you encountered a dragon or similar creature before, such as a drake or kin of dragons?” He asked her. “Why should I risk myself for someone so, shall I say, monosyllabic? I don’t quite enjoy ventures into murky depths.”

 

[A Play On Words]

"I've spent time with dragons and all manner of mythical entities." She responded a little harshly due to his words.