There will be a new part soon! Hopefully by Friday. In the meantime, be awaiting a thread based on this to pop up (contest!)

Eris sipped her third pint of ale with a scowl on her face. This wood elf was insane. Beautiful, yes, adorable, absolutely, but completely insane.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Illaeara said beside her, nonplussed.

The wood elf grinned. “I’m Starflower, of course, from the wood elf kingdom of Vrinsa. I have work for your party, world-saving work!”

“I’m sure. Eris, will you stop that?” Illaeara hissed, glaring at Eris’ fourth mug of ale.

“Shove it, phantom,” Eris said, downing the pint in one sip. Illaeara huffed.

“You could be a tad less… vague about the nature of this world-saving work.” the wizard said. Eris flicked a bit of foam at her. Illaeara kicked her under the table.

“I agree. What are the dangers, Starflower?” Esthaenie asked, brow furrowed. Starflower laughed. Eris blushed. Her laugh sounded like a quick strum down a lute in the middle of a maypole fair. She mentally berated herself and ordered another round, face pink.

“Oh, don’t worry! I’ll accompany you. Anyhow, it’s not as though the fate of the universe hangs in the balance! It’s only the fate of the world. You’re at least 20% less likely to die a horrible death!”

Starflower beamed and sat back, content. Eris snickered. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Danie and Esthaenie, bemused and a tad less confident than when they walked in, and Illaeara, eye-lights bright scarlet in irritation. She turned to Westward and scowled. He was staring at the wood elf like a lovestricken idiot.

Well, ha. Eris met her first.

“Thank you, Starflower. My fears have been put to rest. When do we start?”

“Great! We’ll set off-”

“She was being sarcastic,” Danie said, picking her teeth with her dagger. Starflower deflated.

“Sorry. Your humor is too subtle for me.” The druidess said, slumping.

“Look,” Eris slurred, “Illaeara’s humor is about as subtle as Westward’s flirting when he’s had too many pints.”

Westward looked as though he were about to strangle Eris. Eris smirked.

“Anyways… we’d be stupid to trust you and stupid to help. We have no idea what we’re up against. So you can go take your quest and shove it–”

“We’d be glad to assist you, Lady Starflower.” Westward said.

Eris’ head whipped to the side. The room swam for a moment. She cursed her drunkenness. Lovesick idiot! Eris let out a snort and rolled her eyes.

“Like I said, stupid.”

“What in the Great Underdark, Westward?” Illaeara snapped, eye lights pure red. Westward flinched, taken aback, then smiled.

“Speaking as a person of lawful good alignment, it would be wrong not to assist this woman. Are we in agreement?” He said, turning to Starflower. She beamed at him.

“No!” Esthaenie said, aghast, “I’m trying to lay low, if you’ve forgotten!”

Danie put a hand to the avariel’s shoulder. “I’m in agreement with my ava-elf friend. This is a suicide mission.”

“Yeah, what are we,” Eris began, “some kind of Suicide Squ-”

“Eris, for the love of Corellon, stop imbibing that ale. You’re going to sing those idiotic songs again.” Illaeara said, taking a sip of her tea.

“I’ll idiotic your songs into next week,” Eris said, trying her best to be threatening. Judging by Illaeara’s eye-lights, blue with amusement, it wasn’t working. Eris slumped against the table.

“I can offer you… hmm… how about one billion gold pieces per party member?”

Eris’ head shot up. “I’m in!” she shouted, instantly sober.

Danie was nodding vigorously while Esthaenie blanched in shock. Starflower shrieked with joy and gave Eris a kiss on the cheek. Eris turned to smirk at Westward, who turned red and tried to contain his rage. The four turned to the silent member of the party.

Illaeara’s eye-lights were multicolored with confusion. “I–how–how do we know you’ll give us the money?”

“Simple!” Starflower said, “I’ve already put one million into your accounts at the bank.”

There was a long pause. Danie nodded and dashed out, footsteps receding into the night. The others waited in silence. Eris snatched another ale tankard. Illaeara yawned quietly. Westward looked at her with a mixture of hope and apprehension.

The pounding of Danielle’s footsteps grew louder. Eris could hear her panting as she ran. The door burst open again.

“HOLY FL-” Danie began, eyes bright with excitement. The table erupted. Westward was smug, Esthaenie hugged Danielle, and Eris cheered drunkenly, banging her tankard against the table. Even Illaeara’s eye-lights turned turquoise with barely-contained excitement.

The table quieted down. West, Star, Danielle, and Esthaenie turned to look at Illaeara. Eris lurched in her seat and barely managed to turn.

“So,” Westward said, grinning, “ready to learn how we save the world, Illaeara?”

Illaeara paused and sighed. “Alright, we’ll hear her case.”

Westward whooped and moved to embrace Illaeara, then thought better of it. He slowly shrank back in his chair, ears pink.

“So, erm, Star,” Danielle said, breaking the silence, “what’s wrong with the world?
Star’s face turned grim. “The Vakashards are being hunted.”

New part coming Wednesday or Thursday! Top!

Westward nearly tripped over Danie’s cloak, the voices of his companions dull and droning in his ears. He caught himself and gave her a glare. She shrugged and continued onward, hopping over a stump.

“The Vakashards are impossible to reach.” Esthaenie said from the front of the party. Starflower shook her head.

“They’re not impossible. We need to reach Verineth, then Vrinka-Wood, then Varisol, then Vosikoth.” Starflower said.

“I feel that someone in the distant past had a fixation on the letter V,” called Illaeara, lagging behind at the back of the party. Her heavy cloak was dragging her down, and seemed to snare on a thornbush every other step. Her eye-lights were purple with resigned embarrassment.

“Try to keep up,” Westward called, absent-minded, staring at Starflower’s hair as it cascaded over her shoulders. She was dressed in a woven fabric of verdant vines that hugged her figure and trailed delicately through the grass. Thornbushes shied away from her, unwilling to hurt her. She let out a sigh.

“The shard in Vrinka-Wood is relatively safe, what with the druid cadre on watch day in and day out. Anyways, the shard of Vosikoth is by far the safest. It’s buried deep within the stronghold of the dark elves. No sane person would venture there.” Illaeara paused to wrench her cloak from the stump it was caught under. Westward let out a snort. Illaeara’s eye-lights turned pink with embarrassment. He felt a bit guilty, and turned back around.

“Someone might be able to reach Vosikoth’s shard, but Varisol’s shard is so high in the air that even avariel cannot reach it without suffocating. There isn’t enough air.” said Esthaenie.

“Gee, you sure seem to know a lot about avariel,” Star said innocently. Esthaenie stiffened, going sheet-white. Westward winced.

“Yes–well–I-”

“Yeah, because she is one. Thought that was obvious.” Eris said, ruffling a chestnut-toned hand through her hair.

“Oh, that makes sense! Can I see your wings?” Starflower smiled. Esthaenie sputtered. Danie looked ready to pummel Eris into the earth.

“No use. She won’t sell them.” Illaeara said. She was now around forty feet behind the party, struggling with a particularly aggressive thornbush. “Also, isn’t there a shard in Vilimount?”

Starflower frowned. “There was a shard in Vilimount.”

Illaeara gasped, though Westward barely heard it. She was around sixty feet behind, boot lodged in the side of a tree stump. “It has been stolen? How? It’s under ten miles of sheer rock—”

“What?” Danielle called, straining along with the others to hear the wizard.

Illaeara muttered to herself angrily and pulled at the stump. She was just getting her boot free when she took another step forward and groaned.

“There’s another thornbush here. My apologies.” she shouted. Westward huffed and stomped toward her, boots crushing the plant material beneath. He stopped just short of her and looked down. The thornbush was attacking her with gusto.

“Get free or I’m using Operation Princess on you.” Westward said, unable to suppress a smirk.

Illaeara turned to look at him, enraged. “I am a wizard, and I will coat you in weevils, do you understand? I will coat you in spiders, cockroaches, anything I can get my hands on, and when you wake up screaming for someone to pour a bucket of water on you, I’ll get Starflower to help me geyser you with it. Do you hear me? I-”

“You aren’t free, Operation Princess is a go.” Westward said, grabbing the thornbush and ripping it away. He swept his arms under her and picked her up. She was slender and hardly weighed a thing as he carried the fuming wizard carefully back to the party. Eris was on the ground, cackling. Danie chuckled. Esthaenie tried to keep a serious expression.

“Aww, that’s so sweet!” said Starflower.

Westward quickly dropped Illaeara, blushing.

“When we make camp,” Illaeara said, lying prone on the ground, “I will cover you with ants.”

Ack! I can see that Brookeira just posted a new part, but it hasn't showed up yet! *Goes off and sulks in a corner*

It has shown up!!! Yay!! I love this story

also Westward carries Illaeara??? ❤️❤️

Aw, the last part was adorable! Keep it up! 

Starflower shrieked and whirled, staring at the spot in the earth where the troll had buried its club. She scooped Eris up in her arms and ran out of the way, panting. The troll seemed weaker than most, dazed, yet it was still a threat.

“We have company!” Danielle shouted. Five goblins dashed out of the woods, letting out cries of bloodlust. Esthaenie slashed through one with her sword and drew back, pale.

Danielle threw a knife at one. It lodged in his shoulder and he dropped to one knee, screeching. The rogue nearly finished the job, but yelped as the troll’s club went just over her head. It roared. The goblins jeered.

Westward dashed to the side, pushing the others back. “Stay behind me. We can take him down with-”

“No,” said Illaeara.

“What?” Westward said, nerves jittering down his spine, “That’s a terrible idea.”

“West, listen to me. You need to act like you’re retreating.” Illaeara hissed, firing a ray of frost at a goblin. It hissed, but still stood. The troll nearly hit Eris, who was playing a Whitney Knives song on the gitar.

“What? That’s-”

“No, she’s right!” Esthaenie hissed, blinking, “West, let’s start moving back. How far?”

“About 60 feet, unless you want to die.” Illaeara said, flatly.

Danie and Esthaenie moved back. Eris quickly followed suit, with Starflower following behind. The goblins jeered. One fired a crossbow bolt; it grazed Eris’ arm. She let out a swear in southern halfling.

“Culo de caballo!” she shouted, furious. She turned around to throw something back, but Starflower dragged her away.

“Illaeara, you’ll be hurt. Come on!” Westward shouted, sweat dabbing his brow. Illaeara turned to him, eye-lights turquoise.

“Funny, I thought you didn’t care about the party wizard.” Illaeara said.

“I’m not leaving your side!” Westward said, anger boiling up inside. Illaeara laughed. Westward brained a goblin. The troll and two goblins were still standing, clearly about to charge. The troll roared at its leash, held by the more nervous-looking goblin.

“I thought you might attempt some heroics. Which is why I prepared Thunderwave this morning.”

“Thunder-what–” West began, before a ripple of seismic force sent him back thirty feet. He yelped and clattered to the ground, winded by the leaden weight of his armor.

“Illaeara! Stop! What-”

“Cone of Cold.” Illaeara said, extending her hand toward the troll and goblins.

As they rushed forward, a sound like a clap of lightning resounded, and a wave of blue light flashed out from the wizard’s hand. The goblins shrieked as shards of ice ripped through them and froze them solid, their terror immortalized in statue. The troll roared and was silence, hand outstretched.

Silence fell. Illaeara panted, eye-lights turned off with exhaustion. She turned to the other five a moment later, eye-lights flashing back on. Westward sagged with relief.

“Don’t worry about the wizard,” Illaeara chuckled.

There was a crackling sound behind Illaeara. West froze, blanching. Illaeara turned, readying her hands.

The troll, half-dead yet royally miffed, burst out, limping, ice still frozen over much of its body. It had the dexterity, however, to send its club crashing into Illaeara’s side with a crack.

Is Illaena ok!!?!!