I Can't Get the Vampire Rogue to Romance Me

Chapter 40 - May I Introduce the God Asher

"What's going on with me is all very simple," Harrowheart declared as she led the party down the path toward the twin trees. "You know about the game to steal the idols back and forth right." The orcess indicated between the two trees. "Long ass tradition, blah, blah, blah. There is supposed to be some religious significance with it or whatever. No disrespect, it's just not my experience or journey. I don't go to temple. But what I do is repair metal and that is what I've been asked to do. Now I'm not going to say much more until we're out of a bird's hearing, if you know what I mean."

"No, no I don't," Valerian said. The others all shook their heads, agreeing with the rogue.

"A bird's hearing? Not even you?" she asked, directing the question to Hagor, who shook his head with a little shrug.

Harrowheart sighed. "The birds around here report to various druids, either as familiars or just hapless victims in their little political games. It happens so much, it's a saying, you know. Anyway, you gotta be careful what you say within a bird's hearing which is why..."

The orcess stopped in front of a large stone outcropping, formed by the slow growth of the enormous roots undulating from the ground via the ancient, sacred trees. She rapped the surface in a series of longs and shorts. A glyph appeared on the surface with a tiny light mote dancing around the design. Then the stone disappeared, revealing an entryway into the heart of the hill.

"Ladies and gents, this way," Harrowheart crowed proudly as she continued to lead the way.

"Ooo, a literal underground movement. Fun," Valerian cooed, following with the eagerness of a puppy.

Hagor also followed, undisturbed by diving into the sunless tunnel, and Artmond would have to follow, but he paused when Sigismund hesitated.

"Is everything alright?" Evangeline asked, also hesitating just within the threshold, looking back. She knew there was nothing to fear. The Meta points were quiet at the moment, but that didn't mean it was universally true.

"Want to hold my hand?" Artmond offered his hand with a sweet, innocent smile.

Sigismund eyed it, then sniffed, stiffening her chin in a fairly predictable stubbornness. She walked past his hand, nearly shouldering Evangeline out of the way as she entered the tunnel.

Artmond, not taking any offense, followed, leaving Evangeline to bring up the rear. "Well, that's probably a story for later," she commented and followed herself.

A few steps in, the entire tunnel went dark as the illusion covered the entrance once more. Or rather, it took a few seconds for Evangeline's eyes to adjust to the light from the lanterns set every few feet in the tunnel walls. The tunnel wasn't very long, and they were greeted by clinks of cutlery and the low, cheerful murmur before they stepped into the cozy main room of an underground speakeasy.

It was clear from the size and shape of the large space that it had probably been a natural cave, but it had since been improved with a bit of engineering and magic to make a comfortable room. The air wasn't even stuffy, despite the number of lamps and people sucking up the limited air. Tables were set up like any other tavern, and there was even a bar at the far end with the standard overly large barrels behind it, waiting to be tapped. A round-faced, round-bodied bartender leaned on her bar, a towel in her hand resting on her hip as she talked animatedly with a patron imbibing one of her offerings before her.

She paused when she spied Harrowheart approaching. "Got the mess under control at the forge?" she asked.

"More or less," the blacksmith agreed, clapping the other patron on the shoulder in greeting. He nodded but did not feel the need to comment as he took another drink.

"And what in the world happened? One of those clerics try to sabotage you?"

Harrowheart shook her head. "No, no, it was my own folly and now it must be my mess to clean up." She indicated the party. "And this is my clean-up crew, if you can let us into... you know."

The bartender sighed, then slapped the cloth back onto the bar. "Be right back," she said to her patron companion and snapped up a ring of keys attached to her belt.

Harrowheart gave Evangeline a mischievous wink before moving past. The bartender met them at the end of her bar and passed down another tunnel in the back. The floor sloped downward, then twisted and turned. A few other corridors appeared, but the bartender clearly knew the way. At last, when Evangeline was just getting lost, she stopped and opened another door set in the rock. Instead of sticking the key into a lock and turning, however, she tapped a fob-like item to a crystal. Then the door lifted open.

"Take your time," the barkeeper said. "The door will automatically lock itself when you leave." Then she turned back, leaving the party with it.

"Oh my," Sigismund breathed, as all of their eyes landed on the single item taking up space in the room.

Like the statue of Kish, this one was also carved from wood. The details were exquisite, almost like the god it represented had been frozen instead of emulated. Like his sister, he had his totems carved in place with him. An owl sat on his shoulder with a fox wrapped around his feet. In one hand, he held a small bouquet of moonflowers, an angel trumpet, and evening primroses, while the other bore his signature baton.

Where he differed from his sister's statue was in the huge deforming cracks that permeated the piece and the metal bands wrapped around that held the whole thing together.

"May I introduce the god, Asher."

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