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Chapter 5 tangent: Rayla's Return
Rayla and Aqu sprint down the cave path to their lair. They grab their go-bags in a hurry, tie up their bedrolls, and dump out the small wooden chest containing their money and a few sundry valuables they collected in the last few days.
“Invertigo,” Rayla says, standing before the ornate magic mirror. A skull with flaming eyes appears in the glass.
“Yes, my mistress,” it says.
“There are some adventurers right behind us. I need you to stall them.”
“You’re not taking me with you,” Invertigo asks.
“No, you’re too heavy. Look, just do whatever you can to keep them here as long as possible. They’ll probably try to pump you for information.”
“But... my geas?”
“Damn the geas,” Rayla bites. “Just do your best.”
“Are you even coming back?”
“Yes,” Rayla says, “After they’ve left, we’ll come back for you.”
“What if they break me?”
Rayla looks at Aqu, who shrugs and then taps his left shoulder suggestively. Rayla nods, and says, “Tish!” A black, smoky raven-like spirit appears, perched on Rayla’s left shoulder. “OK, Invertigo: I swear to you on my life that, if you stall the adventurers, you shall continue to live so that you may serve me still.” The raven pulses with dark energy, its eyes flashing, and it disappears with a puff of smoke. “Happy?”
The skull nods. Aqu says, “We gotta go!” They give their belongings one last check and leave through the back way.
Outside, they make a plan: Rayla says to Aqu, “You hide here in the brush, I’ll circle back to the front entrance. Whichever way they leave, that one comes and finds the other one.”
“Got it,” Aqu says. “But then what?”
“I don’t know,” Rayla says with a sigh. “We’ll probably have to make some kind of deal with the noobs. I’ll figure it out while we’re waiting.” He nods, she departs, and he takes ten to find a good hiding place.
After the trio of adventurers leaves the front entrance, Rayla waits a minute for them to clear the area, then goes to find Aqu. They head back into the lair and see Invertigo’s shards scattered on the ground. “Tish,” Rayla says, and the raven appears at her left shoulder once more. “I’m ready to fulfill my oath.” The raven croaks and flaps its wings, and a pulse of dark energy emanates from its breast and coalesces at Rayla’s chest. She clutches at her heart, screams in pain as she takes full damage, and falls over dead.
The glass shards then clatter on the cave floor, float up into the air, and reform themselves in the mirror’s frame. All in place, they then ripple like the surface of a pond; the cracks disappear, and the mirror stands whole.
Aqu sits cross-legged at the empty firepit and waits with his chin on his fists.
Two full minutes later, Rayla’s lifeless body begins to glow with blue energy. It lifts a couple of inches into the air, she takes a deep gasping breath, and then her body floats back down to the ground. She rises on hands and knees to take a couple deep breaths.
“Everything OK,” Aqu asks quietly, barely turning to look at her.
“Never better,” she rasps, getting to her feet and walking to the mirror. “Invertigo.”
“Yes, my mistress,” the skull says, reappearing in the restored mirror. “Thank you for fulfilling your oath.”
“Yeah, sure,” she says. “Look, what happened?”
“I did as you asked. The adventurers are headed to Fort Roguelike to free Alice.”
“Good,” Rayla says with a nod. “And what did you tell them?”
“Nothing that she couldn’t have done, and a good deal less than that,” Invertigo says. “They still think they tricked me.”
“Pretty naïve, for demigods,” Aqu says.
“They are not demigods,” Invertigo says. Rayla and Aqu each raise an eyebrow. “They are mere mortals - just first level.”
“Really,” Aqu says. “Could’ve fooled me - you should’ve seen the elocuen fight, Rayla. And they foiled our ambush with Vector.”
“They are quite overpowered, for first level,” Invertigo adds. “Yet they are still mortal.”
“But this is the Pannych,” Rayla asks, “The one I’m looking for, right? No more of this destined decoy bullshit?”
“She is not like the others,” Invertigo says. “Beyond that, I cannot say with certainty. I have no memory of her.”
“And Vector,” Rayla asks.
“He is with them, but he still does not realize his full power.”
“Hey,” Aqu says, “They’re headed to the fort - do they have any items or abilities to detect traps?”
“Nothing beyond a standard Observation or Savvy check,” Invertigo says.
“Huh,” Rayla says, tapping her chin. “Say, that gives me an idea. The goblins probably won’t kill them - they’re semi-drunk teenagers, for all intents & purposes. The traps might not either, but should at least soften them up a bit. So how about we send the noobs to mop them up on their way out?”
“I mean,” Aqu says, pondering, “That could work, but why would the noobs go for it?”
“Because I’ll give them their cave back,” Rayla says. “Besides, we should find a new lair anyway.”
Aqu nods, and then says, “I still don’t think you need to be such a jerk with them. More flies with honey than vinegar, after all.”
“That’s not true,” Invertigo says. “Flies are attracted to vinegar because it is excreted by the microorganisms they eat.”
“Who cares,” Aqu shoots back, “You know what I mean.”
“It’s relevant in this case,” Rayla says. “The noobs are distrustful of all humans, since Noob Town’s entire economy revolves around slaughtering them.”
“Yes,” Invertigo says. “I told mistress Rayla that the only way to get them to agree to anything would be to either team up to sack Noob Town - which you still probably can’t successfully do - or to back them into a corner and give them one way out. They won’t like it, but they’ll do it.”
“And he was right,” Rayla says. “Our best bet is to stoke their indignation, and redirect it to our purposes.”
“Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth,” Aqu mumbles with a sneer.
“Duly noted,” Rayla says, “But we’re kind of on the ropes, here. You come up with a better idea, and I’m all ears.” Aqu rolls Savvy, Lore, and Leadership to consider other options - seeing none, he grudgingly nods his assent. “OK, then. Let’s go make a deal with the noobs. Invertigo, while we’re gone, find us another place to hide out. Ideally, one we won’t have to abuse anyone to occupy. We’ll be back for you in a bit.”
Invertigo nods, and disappears from the face of the mirror. Rayla and Aqu leave the lair to find the noob chief.
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