A Critical Role story - In the Shadow of the Titan

A Shadows Goodbye

Allura blinked as the actinic light faded and the walls of the Alabaster Lyceum were now around them.

The clerk near the door looked up, then stood and bowed his head.

"Arcanist Vysoren, welcome back to Emon. I'm afraid that I hadn't realised you had departed."

"We left rather hurriedly a couple of days ago."

The clerk nodded then turned. "Lady Kima, Gilmore," as he bowed again to the other travellers. The pair both nodded in return then Gilmore gestured to the ladies and they all departed out into the streets of Emon.

Kima was still sulking a little.

"Can't believe Vox Machina had come back to Vasselheim already and neither of you told me."

Allura looked at her wife with a mix of fondness and exasperation. "At the point I heard about their return, you were in the depths of the titan leading a rescue party for the insanity that Zahra and Kashaw were causing."

"But they were there for two days." Kima was actually pouting.

"And you were in the titan for three." Allura replied

"Honestly, my dear woman," Gilmore interjected, "They were barely any fun. Scanlan was the wanest I've ever seen him, and I include the times he was dead in that list. And Trinket was wearing Grog like a barbarian skin rug."

Despite herself, Kima couldn't help giggling at that image

"My dear, I suspect you are taking a little too much pleasure from this situation," replied Gilmore grandiosely, entirely failing to hide his own smile.

"It's just so Grog though." Kima replied, almost girlishly, eyes shining.

Allura sighed and followed behind them as Gilmore once again gave a florid description of Grog's misadventure with the Deck of Many Things, which meant that Vox Machina, heroes who saved the world, were currently in Pandemonium searching for his imprisoned soul, rather than say mourning the loss of Vax'ildan, or accepting the thanks of grateful nations.

It had been pure chance that Pike had even witnessed the goliath pulling a card but for the party that had just banished a god, it was a simple task for them to return to Vasselheim, descending upon the Sanctuary of the Platinum God and it had taken the group surprisingly little time to determine what had happened and where Grog's soul had been sent. Allura shivered slightly at the thought of Scanlan having enough magical power to be able to re-write the fabric of reality, and was secretly glad that he had met Kaylie before that point. There was a little part of her that remembered some of the exploits the gnome had got up to, or at least admitted to, or had been caught doing and was more than a little worried of what someone like that could or would do with a Wish spell. Hopefully, the backlash from this use of it would discourage more casual usage of it in the future. Of course, as soon as he had recovered, in true Vox Machina fashion, they had then immediately plane shifted on a hasty rescue mission.

With nothing more to be done on this plane, and when Kima had returned, bringing back Zahra and Kashaw alive, they had returned to Whitestone with Gilmore, who having dropped off the two casualties of Cassandra and Kaylie, had since returned to Vasselheim to provide any assistance he could – the memory of a city wrecked by the invasion of a powerful entity still strong from the invasion of Emon only a year and a bit ago.

The three had arrived back in time to witness Syldor and his wife arriving to collect a much improved Velora, who spoke endlessly and with awe about her 'bewtiful' sister Vex and endlessly wondering when Vax would stop hiding and pop out to say 'boo!'

Kima had been the one to finally break the adult's uncomfortable silence to tell the young elf that her half-brother had gone away and no-one knew if he was coming back.