Missteps

Chapter 66 – The Star Sisters

The climb up to the workshop was quiet as the two sisters led the way. The ramp that the group had initially slid down, was now a staircase with uneven steps. While the rest of M.A. tiredly trudged up the steps, both sisters merely coasted up with no issue on the floating wheelchair (the gloved sister standing on a small platform that she attached to the back of the chair). Whenever anyone did try to make conversation with the sisters, the only answer they received was a command to wait till they'd arrived.

When they finally reached the large oak door at the top of the stairs, it swung open on its own and into a large, circular room. Waiting in the middle of the room was the same youth as before. A grin crossed their face as they gestured all of them to come and sit in the straight-backed wooden chairs that'd been arranged in a semi-circle around a small hearth. The group hesitated, looking to the sisters for their invitation instead.

The gloved sister jumped down off the small platform and quickly made her way towards the hearth. She grabbed a poker and stirred up the dying remains. "Go fetch another round of wood, and some food for our guests." She barked towards the youth.

They rolled their eyes at the command. "Would it kill you to say 'please', Aunt Astra?"

Astra rapped the poker loudly on the ground and turned to look over at the impertinent youth. "I will say 'please' once you learn your place as an apprentice." The two of them held each other's tense gazes for a few moments before the teen gave a loud huff and headed out a side door.

A loud sigh emanated out from the wheelchair. "Forgive Celine, she's still sore about being sent here." The sister gestured again for the members of M.A. to take a seat. This time the tired members moved and took their seats on the uncomfortable chairs that not even the thin cushion could help. Almost immediately Iados slipped out of his chair and settled on the floor instead.

The wheelchair-bound sister moved their chair into an empty place in the circle. She folded her hands in her lap and looked at their guests. "So, how was it? Did you have a favorite challenge? Were any of them too easy?"

Ander raised his hand. "I'm not sure what your criteria is, but you may want to speak to Beebe. He let us go by after a simple game."

"We saw that." Astra laughed. "Honestly we weren't sure about his inclusion. His brains got scrambled a while ago, and he's not quite at full strength." She shrugged and gave the hearth another poke, sending bright sparks into the air. "He wanted to participate, and who are we to deny him the chance. Luxa," Astra pointed to her sister. "Put forth the idea of adding another challenge, just so it matched up with the lamia."

"Speaking of her, were we supposed to kill her?" Jun squirmed in his seat. "Your niece suggested that you were disappointed we hadn't."

Luxa shook her head. "It is probably for the best that you didn't. If my sister and I are correct in what she truly is, then killing her would have been more problematic." Confused looks crossed everyone's faces.

"You don't think Natasia is a lamia?" Lia asked. Tales of lamia, in general, weren't that uncommon and could be found throughout history. It was correct that true sightings of them were rare, but to Lia, Natasia had seemed to check all the boxes of what she'd learned a lamia was.

Luxa shook her head again, her braid falling off her shoulder. "There's no doubt that she is a lamia, we're just under the assumption that she's the only lamia."

"As in she's the only one left?" Lia clarified.

"As in there's only ever been her." Astra set down the poker and turned to face the elf. "We believe that every story is about Natasia. That she is the only lamia in existence." Several jaws dropped in confusion.

"How the hell does that work?" Carric asked. "Not only have the lamia stories been around for literally hundreds of years, but a great deal of them end with the lamia's death. How could they all be Natasia?"

Luxa chuckled. "Have you ever heard of an Apidian?"

Ander was the only one who nodded. "That's the name for the child of a mortal and a god."

Astra nodded. The door opened and Celine entered, once again with a floating tray full of food and drink on her heels. An excited Shomma barreled past her and straight to Carric. "Celine, might you tell them what an Apidian is?"

The girl paused and considered the question. "Without or without expressed powers?" The sisters shared a smile before they turned back to their niece.

"Go ahead and explain both, please." Luxa asked.

"Well, in general, an Apidian is created whenever a mortal and a god have a child. Except for a rare instance, these kids don't inherit any of their godly parent's powers." Celine explained. "Usually all they got were long lifespans and a natural talent in whatever the parent's domain of power was. In the olden days before the cataclysmic event that created the Great Divide, these kids were more or less commonplace. Some of them went on to become leaders in their godly parent's religion, while some just lived quiet lives."

Iados reached over to the floating table and plucked an apple out of a bowl. "And what about those with 'expressed powers'?"

"They were called Dipidians." Celine quietly passed the former pirate a small wooden box that he slipped into his pants pocket. "Only a small handful could claim that title, and even then they weren't natural."

Lia tilted her head to the side in confusion. "How so?"

"What she means is that a third party had to awaken the godly power within them." Astra stomped over to the table and gathered up a few logs that had been placed on the back end. "Most of the Dipidians known to history have been the villains of their tales. For most of our lives, my sister and I have been fascinated by these beings that many don't believe even existed."

"In our research, we have found two methods by which the powers are awakened." Luxa gestured towards the table, and Celine brought her an orange. "The most common method involves dark magic and the blood of a fiend. This ritual corrupts the mortal, turning them into something less than human. As their mind corrupts, they become fixated on a singular goal. This goal becomes all they can think of, and they hunger to accomplish it. If they are killed, then due to the blood of a fiend, their essence is merely scattered on the material plane until it reforms."

Ander gulped. "Don't fiends rematerialize back on their home plane?" Luxa nodded. "Then wouldn't it make more sense for the Dipidian's essence to go to their godly parent's plane of existence instead of staying here?" He continued.

"One would assume so by the usual logic of fiends," Astra commented as she examined her stacked logs. "We surmise that when the cataclysm occurred, something must have happened to prevent that. At least that's the speculation as the gods seemed to have abandoned this world to some degree ever since."

The members of M.A. all shared wide-eyed looks, their minds jumping back to the story of the god's banishment behind a divine gate that was shared with Carric by the Goddess Glendaia.

Luxa's eyebrow raised as she saw the tell-tale looks. "Whatever you know, tell us now." By the hearth, Astra set down the poker with a loud metallic thud and narrowed her eyes at the young group before her.

Almost immediately the trio of Carric, Iados, and Ander all launched into the tale.

Astra clapped her metallic gloves together and a great gong sounded throughout the room. The boys quieted down. "Let's try this again." She pointed at Carric. "Speak."

And so Carric relayed the story as best he could, and whatever he could not remember Ander easily supplied. At one point Luxa pulled out a piece of parchment and hastily scribbled notes on it. There were several follow-up questions from both sisters, many of which dealt with the mechanics of the gate spell, which the boys could not answer.

"This is the missing piece." Luxa's eyes gleaned as they roved over her notes. Astra stood at her shoulder, equally entranced by the writing. "Astra, this answers so many questions!"

"Too bad you don't have a way to verify it." Celine said from across the room. She sat in Iados's discarded seat. "For all you know, these idiots could have made it all up in order to pull a prank on you."

Carric shook his head. "As far as we know it's the truth."

The youth yawned. "Yes, heard from the mouth of a goddess no one follows. It sounds more like you went to the theatre high on mushrooms."

Astra's nostrils flared and she looked ready to say something, but Luxa held up a hand and stopped her. "No, Celine raises a valid point. Unless we can verify this with suitable sources, it is nothing more than hearsay." She sighed and rolled up the parchment. "At the very least, we have a new theory to investigate."

Iados cleared his throat. "Getting back to Natasia, you think she's one of these Dipidian's?"

"Pretty sure." Astra moved over to a multi-drawer cabinet along the wall. She pulled out several sheaves of parchment and paper and passed them out amongst the group. Each one was an illustration of a serpent-tailed woman. In some depictions, she was seducing men while holding a knife behind her back, and in other's, she's coaxing a group of small children towards a hidden pit. In all of them, the creature looked similar to the black-haired woman locked up below them.

"If you'll take a look at the dates on all of them, you'll see that they span several hundred years." Astra pulled up a chair next to her sister. She tugged the metallic gloves off and set them down heavily on the floor. "If this is indeed the same creature, then that would explain why she was found marooned on an island instead of dead."

"You make a compelling argument." Iados pursed his lips as he passed his illustration to the next person. "You said that you found two ways to make a Dipidian. What's the second?"

Luxa shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "We're less sure of the second method, as there's even less written of it. All we've been able to discern is that it involves an Apidian somehow consuming a piece of divinity." She sighed dejectedly. "What would count as a 'piece of divinity' we have no idea. We can't even for sure attribute this method to ever actually working. We found it scrawled on a scroll taken from a tomb in the Gaudin Desert."

Ander leaned forward. "Why did they have it?"

Celine tapped Ander on the shoulder as she leaned closer. "It seemed like they were trying to awaken the power of an Apidian for a power grab."

"Were they successful?" Lia asked.

Celine shrugged. "No idea, the record didn't say, and my aunts haven't been able to get their hands on more artifacts. How much do you know about the desert?"

"Not much." Carric admitted as he was finally abandoned by the weasel, who had decided to reacquaint herself with the other members of the party. "I know it wasn't created naturally, but that's about it."

"I've visited there a few times." The former pirate reached up and scratched Shomma's head as she visited. He frowned as the thought back to the small community. "The populace isn't really there, and it's extremely poor. They rely purely on trade for everything from food and water to textiles. I never could understand why anyone would live there."

"Because they don't have a choice." Astra sighed heavily. "The region used to be a lush paradise full of life and greenery. Then they had their own calamity that cursed the entire land. From what little we've been able to glean, the populace are trapped in some way to the land. They cannot leave, and yet they can barely survive. Many of their records are locked away in the tombs situated in the center of the desert. The journey to them is perilous and very dangerous, and no amount of money we can offer is enough to get even the most seasoned of adventurers to take the job."

A morose silence followed that lingered in the air. The thought of being the ones to uncover the secrets of the desert flitted through the mind of more than one member of M.A.

It was Ander who broke the silence. "So, where's Master Bymer's book?"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Luxa laughed. "I'd almost forgotten that we still had business. Celine, would you bring the merchant trunk over please?"

The youth hesitated for a moment before she stood up and grabbed the handle of a large black trunk a few feet away. Jun quickly got to his feet and moved it for the young girl. Under her direction, he deposited it at Astra's feet.

The sister produced a silver key from a string around her neck and quickly unlocked the elaborate silver lock on the outside of the trunk. Inside, the inky blackness was divided into four equal compartments. Astra plucked several pieces of paper folded together out of a pocket on the underside of the lid and quickly consulted it.

"Let's see, which book was it that Bymer ordered?" She mused aloud as she ran her hand down the page."

"I believe he ordered the latest Scine novel." Luxa advised as she leaned over.

Astra shook her head. "No no, that was Benedict from the Osthom Chapter House." They flipped to the next page. "Ah, here it is! 27 Basic Recipes for a More Virile You. Remember, he'd wanted it for his honeymoon."

Both Lia and Iados were caught off-guard, as they sputtered and choked on water and a grape respectively. Elaine, who'd been about to take a gulp of her water, instead silently set down the cup with a bemused expression on her face.

Ignoring the sudden coughing, Astra held a hand out over one of the compartments. A moment later, a soft-leather-covered book rose out of the inky darkness and into her hand. She lightly tossed it to Ander.

"While we've got the trunk out, are you by any chance interested in purchasing any new items?" Luxa plucked the list out of her sister's hands. "Let's see, we've got a few interesting staffs, a very nice ring and circlet, and then a new enchantment service that we're offering."

"What kind of enchantment?" Elaine asked.

Luxa chuckled. "It's a very simple cleaning spell, designed to keep one's armor always looking its best. As long as the enchantment is active, no grime, blood, dirt, or bodily substance will be able to adhere to the surface. Now, it doesn't protect against acid or physical damage, it is only there for the cosmetic value."

"They debuted it at a tournament a few months ago." Celine explained. "It went over very well with practically all the knights in attendance who wanted to look their best. Brought in a lot of money."

"We can apply the enchantment in under an hour, and it's reasonably priced at 75 gold." Luxa finished.

The cleric seemed very intrigued. "That is very interesting. Can it only be applied to armor? I'd be interested in purchasing it for my vestments."

Astra nodded. "We're still working out the kinks of the spell, so right now we can only apply it to metal. Fabric is trickier, especially if it's something you're going to wear around other spells. One has to consider indirect spell interaction after all."

Elaine visibly deflated. "Ah, I understand. If you do manage to get it to work on fabric, please let me know."

"Can you tell us more about the other items?" Lia asked.

Astra snatched the papers out of her sister's hands. "Let's see, we'll start with the circlet. It's a charged item, which is able to fire a handful of force bullets once every few days. The ring allows its wearer to jump a great height twice a day. For the staffs, we currently have three that are available. One is able to cast a set amount of low power healing spells per day, another can summon swarms of insects, and the final one is called the Diplomat's Staff."

"What does it do?" Ander asked.

"A great many things." Astra took a moment to read the description. "Like the circlet, it also is a charged item in that it can be used to cast a handful of different spells. These spells can be used to charm or command someone. It can also be used to translate foreign languages."

Iados smiled. "With Kerri gone, it would be nice to have something to make people more complicit." He looked over at Lia. "As this group's democratically elected leader, I think it'd do you a lot of good."

"I don't know, I already have a staff." She reached down and touched the curved wood of the woodland staff that leaned against her chair. As much as she liked her staff, she did have to admit that for the majority of the time it was used mainly as a walking stick rather than a magical item. So far the only abilities she'd managed to unlock were situational, and those types of situations didn't come up very often.

"Astra, you forgot about the wand." Luxa admonished as she pointed to something on the paper.

The sister shook her head. "No I didn't, that order is for Malcolm in Winter Horn. He's coming by next month to pick it up."

Luxa tutted. "No no, he wrote to us last week and canceled the order. Surely I showed you the missive?"

Her sister rolled her eyes. "Obviously not if I have no recollection of such a missive." She turned her attention to the group. "We apparently also have a very fine wand available. It can be used to shoot out a line of acid a number of times depending on many charges you use at a time."

The wizard's eyes went wide as he scooted to the edge of his seat. "Might I see the wand?"

Astra nodded and pulled out the wand for inspection. She also called for the Diplomat's Staff, handing it over towards Lia.

Ander practically salivated over the thin wand in his hand. It was made of a dark hardwood, with thin bright green lines that crisscrossed over the surface. "How much is it?"

"8,000 gold pieces." Astra proclaimed proudly.

The wizard's brow furrowed. He did not have that much money. "Do you take items in trade?"

Luxa nodded. "Depends on what you have to trade."

Reluctantly Ander handed back the wand before he began to rifle through his own belongings.

Across the way, Lia admired the staff she held in her hands. It was composed of a lighter hardwood and was capped at both ends by long sheets of gold. Three sets of runes encircled the shaft, each inlaid with gold, before being covered by a glossy finish that extended the length of the staff. The staff was both unobtrusive and beautiful at the same time. Unlike the woodland staff with its large bulbous top, this one could be easily hidden or stored away if needed. The more the druid handled the Diplomat's Staff, the more she found herself liking it over her current one.

"How much is this?" Lia asked.

"5,000 gold." Luxa answered.

Celine nudged Iados with her foot.

He looked up at her. "What?"

"My aunts and I watched you guys fight a bit. Mind if I make an observation?"

The former pirate raised an eyebrow. "Sure, go for it."

The youth smiled. "That shortsword kind of cramps your style."

Iados scoffed. "No it doesn't."

Celine nodded. "Yes it does. We could tell by your fighting style that you've been trained in the martial arts. However, when you fight with a sword, all of your techniques are focused on the blade and getting it in the correct position. It makes it really awkward to watch when you try to throw a punch or a kick into the mix."

Carric chuckled from his seat. "Told you."

The akudaem grumbled. "Pirates don't fight with staffs. They fight with swords."

She tilted her head as a quizzical look crossed her face. "Are you really a pirate? When I think a pirate, I think of the sea." She shook her head. "For your fighting style, I think a quarterstaff would be much better. In the hands of a trained martial artist like yourself, it can be just as deadly as a sword, plus it's more versatile in how it can be handled." She pointed with her head towards a large pot full of quarterstaffs and swords along the wall. "If you're interested, we can sell you a nice one for a steal."

Iados leaned around her and looked at the pot, but didn't give her an answer as he mused quietly. As they days went by and the smell of sea salt faded more and more from his clothing, he felt his past as a pirate fade as well. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not, or if he really wanted that. He'd been happy as a pirate, for the most part, he just hadn't left the profession on good terms.

"Hey Elaine, you got anything we can trade?" The halfling called over as he mulled over the small pile in front of him. Currently he had a tree token and a rolled-up scroll.

The cleric smiled and shook her head. "I don't think so."

Carric snapped his fingers. "Hey, what about your necklace and that crystal ball we got in the Palace?"

Jun's head snapped up, and he immediately locked eyes with Elaine. "Wait, doesn't that ball let you scry on people?"

"That is what Ander said," Elaine sighed and dug into her bag, pulling out the crystal ball. "I've tried to use it several times since we got it, but so far I've been unsuccessful. In light of what's going on with your daughter, I didn't want to mention it because I didn't want to bring your hopes up."

"Identification and troubleshooting is a service that we can provide." Luxa commented from her chair, her eyes just barely visible over her papers. "It's a bit pricey, but it seems like this may be an in-demand service." She pointed down at the rolled scroll next to Ander. "What is that?"

"It's a spell scroll." The wizard handed over the scroll and token to the wheelchair-bound sister.

Luxa took a few minutes to discern the items handed to her. The thin wisp of a smile crossed her face. "Yes, this scroll is nice. So nice in fact that it will cover the full cost of the troubleshooting service for the ball. This token is a mere trinket, but I can offer you a straight trade of it for a rather nice quarterstaff for your friend here." She inclined her head towards Iados.

A troubled look crossed Ander's face. "What about the token for the wand?"

Both sisters laughed at that.

"I'm afraid that there is a world of difference between this tree token and the wand." Luxa shook her head. "Now, if your cleric friend was willing to part with that necklace around her neck, we could strike a deal."

Elaine's dark hand immediately went to the necklace. She shook her head. "I was given this by the church, and I'm pretty sure I have to give it back at some point. It's not for sale."

Astra crossed the room and stood in front of Elaine. The elderly gnome reached out and fingered the beads on the necklace. Out of the five beads, four of them were dark still.

The gnome tutted. "It is a gorgeous piece, but I bet it has a long cooldown time, right?"

"It didn't use to, but it's gotten longer the more I've used them." Elaine admitted reluctantly.

"We've been seeing that a lot with religious artifacts." Astra fiddled with the beads as she talked. "With the gods no longer as connected to this world as they once were, the items connected to their magic lose their potency faster. If there really is a gate like you lot claim, it could be the cause of the trouble." She took a step back and gestured at the top of the trunk where the prospective items sat. "None of those are deity-based, so they won't have the same issues."

Elaine bit her lip. She could see the wisdom in the old gnome's words, but at the same time, it wasn't exactly her item to sell. "I'm sorry, but without my church's permission I cannot sell it."

"What if we were to sign a binding document that we would ensure it got back to your church?" Astra offered. "We do quite a bit of business with the church. If you'd like, we could even leave your name out. We'd allude to buying it off some thief or pickpocket."

"Let me think on it." The cleric finally said.

"Don't think too long." Astra turned her attention back to Ander. "So, do we have a deal on the scroll?"

"Do you have a scrying service that you yourself provide?" The wizard asked instead.

"We do, would you rather use it than troubleshoot the item that would let you do it yourself?" Luxa leaned forward in her chair. "It would cost the same amount, and we'd need a reference item for whomever it is that we're scrying."

The wizard looked over at the berserker. "I'd rather spend the money on something we know will work, but since it's your daughter, it's your call."

Jun pursed his lips together. He glanced over at Elaine, who didn't meet his gaze. The berserker pulled out the drawing he carried of his daughter and handed it to Astra. "Her name is Kai. She's three years old, and the last time anyone saw her she was leaving town with a strange woman."

Astra took the drawing, and softly traced the child's outline with her finger. "It will take me about an hour to complete the ritual." Distractedly, the old gnome walked towards a clear stretch of wall. An opening shimmered into view as she approached, and then closed as she crossed the threshold.

Celine tapped Ander's shoulder. "Are you alright with the token/quarterstaff trade?" The wizard gave a deep sigh before he finally nodded. With a smile, the youth dragged Iados towards the pot. The akudaem got off a quick thanks before Celine began to pull out various weapons for him to try out.

Luxa turned her gaze towards Lia. "Have you made a decision on the staff?"

The druid frowned. She held both staff's in her hands. She could very easily make an argument for both staff's, but Iados's words about not having Kerri around anymore kept rattling in her mind. Reluctantly, she held out the woodland staff. "Could you do a straight trade for them?"

The old gnome took the staff in her hands and carefully inspected it. Her hand glowed faintly as she moved it up and down the rough wood. After a couple of minutes, she nodded. "A deal could most definitely be made." Luxa's eyes traveled over towards Elaine. "In fact, between this staff and that necklace, a deal could very easily be made for the Diplomat's Staff, the wand, and an identification."

Ander crossed his arms. "I've already identified the crystal ball."

"I understand that, but I've been around longer than you, and I'm confident that my identification would be more comprehensive than yours." She turned her eyes back to the cleric. "What do you say, my dear? Do we have a deal?"

With closed eyes, Elaine removed the necklace from around her neck and held it out to the gnome. "You can ensure that it gets back to the Church of Vowil?"

Luxa nodded and reached out for the item. Elaine moved to let go of it, but was stopped by the older woman. "You have my word, as a practitioner of magic, a businesswoman, and an honest gnome, that this item will be returned to the Church of Vowil, and no one else." As she spoke the words, a blue thread materialized and wrapped itself around the hands of Elaine and Luxa, and the necklace itself. The two ends of the thread came together and tied themselves into a knot before vanishing from sight. Afterwards, Luxa took the necklace and placed it into the trunk, along with the woodland staff. "If you will please give me the crystal ball, I will do a formal identification on it."

Elaine handed over the ball, and Luxa headed towards the wall after Astra. "Celine, go ahead and write up the paperwork for the transactions." She called over her shoulder before the wall closed up behind her.

Ander snatched up the wand eagerly. "Thank you!" He said to both Lia and Elaine before he sat down and admired his latest toy.

The next hour passed by slowly. After choosing his new quarterstaff, Iados and Lia leaned up against the wall and quickly fell asleep. Jun changed his seat from the uncomfortable chair to the floor, but the whole time his gaze was kept on the far wall. Elaine and Carric carried on a quiet conversation as they snacked off the tray.

Finally, the wall opened up and the sisters returned to the room. Carric took the liberty of waking up the dating pair as everyone gathered around the hearth again.

"Which news do you want first?" Astra asked as everyone sat down.

"Jun's daughter." Lia said immediately, a sentiment which was echoed by everyone else.

With a nod, Astra turned towards Jun. "First, she is alive." Jun's shoulders relaxed as he bent double in relief.

"Do you know where she is?" He asked.

The older gnome shook her head. "The impression I got is that she doesn't know either. She was surrounded by other children, but she did not feel safe. From what I could see of the scene, she seemed to be in a classroom, but I don't know what was being taught. Based on all of that, it's my opinion that whoever took her, took her for a purpose. As long as she serves that purpose, then your daughter should stay alive." She gave back the drawing. "I wish I could tell you more, but the spell has its limitations."

"You've already given me more than I had before." Jun lightly kissed the drawing before replacing it in his pack.

"My turn." Luxa rolled up and handed the crystal ball back to Elaine. "Like the halfling said, it can be used to scry. However, it cannot be used by itself. It has been specifically tuned to work with a spell. In this spell, you ask the spirits for the answers you seek, and they communicate their answers through this ball. It's sort of like asking the spirits to spy for you, and in some cases, their answers are more precise than what a regular scry can give you."

"How do I get the spell?" Elaine asked as she stowed the ball away carefully. "Can we buy it off of you?"

Luxa shook her head. "That is the sort of spell that can only come from your deity. I imagine that once you are strong enough, she will make it readily available to you." The older woman rolled back till she stood next to her sister. "Now, it is getting rather late in the day. You are more than welcome to bunk here for the night, but we would advise that you start out as soon as you can in the morning. Weather is expected near the end of the week and I imagine you'd like to be back in Aleton at that point."

Iados raised his hand. "No offense to your lovely tower, but do you mind if we set up our own in your yard? I'd really like to sleep in my own bed."