Chronicles of Rygorh: Return to Bronce

As soon as the Children recognized Jim and his lackeys they ran over to him to my complete dismay. Jim suggested that he and his boys take the children back to town for us, or at least escort us back. "Hmm, yeah, escort my flaming ass! Last thing I need is an escort, especially from the likes of him. All I need is one excuse and my sword will drink his blood, by Firinna." Jim and his boys kind of tried to make a circle around us as we walked back to the village, but I don't think he expected our group to expand to nine while we were down there. I allowed myself to fall to the rear keeping the trash back there within sword reach as we walked.

It was a maddening trip back. Neil was his old self talking to himself and now we had Celegorm singing and several folks had decided to converse in different languages. So, now we had a constant chorus of noise. "Why cant these people be quiet like Tilk?" Larien spent most of the trip talking to the children who were now intent on walking with Jim. The group assumed that Jim and his boys were planning on taking the credit for saving the children and possibly implicating us in their abduction. As we approached the Village, Larien took one of the boy's hands and ran ahead with him as John followed closely. Celegorm was still singing loudly of the battle in the mines and how Jim had nothing to do with saving the children, "Hmm, guess there is some good to his constant singing."

Everyone in the village was ecstatic as we arrived. The hobgoblin prisoners were handed over to the constable and the corpse of the tax collector to the priest. Jim is in the Inn announcing to all that drinks are on him for the night. "Yeah, I bet . . . I'll be the wart on a troll's scrotum before I let him buy me a drink!" I sat in the corner and bought my own drinks and finally had a chance for solitude and peace. Well, kind of, with my companions all standing in the middle of the room milling about and soaking up all the praise. I guess some of it was good someone volunteered to the Elf that the sword was indeed in that flaming church. I arose and told the group that we should turn in for the night, but no one seemed to want to listen. I thought, "Screw ‘em; I need sleep and I haven't spoken to Firinna in way too long". I headed up to my room and prayed for some time before turning in. I am not sure what time it was but sometime in the middle of the night that damn Barbarian started beating on my door with Casey behind him going on about that tax collector's ghost haunting him. I told him to leave me the hells alone and go back to sleep and we would talk about it in the morning "Damn barbarian with overactive imagination," I muttered as I went back to sleep.

The next morning during breakfast everyone was buzzing about going back to that flaming church to retrieve the sword. I decided that I wanted nothing to do with that place; I am a servant of Firinna and will not subject myself to weak sensations in a church of a strange God. After the group left I sat there drinking a couple of beers and meditating on the strength of Firinna. For how long I am not sure but suddenly it was back. "That feeling, from the church! Contentment, the other half of my soul near the door?" Turning I saw only Tilk holding the most beautiful long sword I had ever seen. "I must have that blade; I know now what Firinna has saved me for my whole life. The severed part of my spirit the sword that was meant to be mine my whole life sat in Tilk's unskilled hand."

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