Once we were certain none of the combatants or other Powers that we had witnessed were going to be forcing their way through the portal after us, we began to breathe easier. We were away, and that was enough, at least as far as that went. We were strong, but I knew that there was no way we were ready for a fight like that.

Now, however, we were left with an interesting conundrum. I knew that we were on Izrail, but we didn’t know where. The spellwork that had brought us here from the Plane of Shadow had been thrown off, altered somehow, by the Powers trying to interfere.

Looking around, it was easy to see that we were nowhere near the city of Geburatiel. The marble city skyline could not be seen anywhere. Instead, there was only a grassy plain, like any other you might see on the material plane, assuming you found a place where the soil was white and the grass the color of midnight. But other than the colors, it looked like anything we’d see in our world.

In the distance, we saw what looked like a curtain of smoke, or perhaps smog, stretching for what looked like miles. Beyond, there were glimpses of brass gears turning, somehow clearly visible despite the distance. Each gear turned in perfect time, never stopping or slowing. Even from afar, it was mesmerizing in its cold perfection.

Vestele’s Knowledge (The Planes) Check: 1d20+19 = 25 (Success)

“Oh, by the Queen!” Vestele exclaimed. “This must be where Izrail touches the other planes! That can only be the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus!”

Siora’s Spot Check: 1d20+40 = 57 (Success)

Her sister pointed in the same direction, smiling. “And, more importantly, there’s a settlement at the veil between the two worlds! This must be one of the trading outposts, where the nomads Oriel spoke of trade with the residents of Mechanus.”

That was good news, since we needed a way to get back to the capitol. At the very least, these people would know where on the plane we were, and how far from the capitol we had been thrown. I hoped that they would have some kind of teleportation magic, but, depending on how far we had to go, I would settle for arranging transport of some kind, since flying a long distance across a plane of law and good was just asking for trouble.

The distance between our landing spot and the town looked to be a day’s march for a normal person. Yet, when one took magic into account, even the sisters, the slowest of our group, were faster than a warhorse when they took wing. What would have been a full day’s work for a warrior on foot had us landing on the outskirts of the town in just three hours.

And yet, with everything that had gone on this day, that left us entering the town just as the silver sun in the sky began to set, and a golden moon began to rise to replace it. So much had happened, it was hard to forget that it was only midday when they stepped through the portal to Izrail. By this point, it was getting late, and our thoughts were primarily on finding a place to rest the night.

Thankfully, there was an inn on the main street of the orderly town. The Rift’s Edge was, to all our senses, a normal-looking bar, like any we would see in the Material Plane. If you could over look strange colorations, then even the people were the same, for the most part.

Several people looked up as we walked in, but most turned away, once they saw our disguised forms. There were a couple other avariels in the room, but they just glared, and went back to their drinks. I noticed they all had tribal markings, and we didn’t. It was a detail that a city-dweller like Oriel might have missed, but out here? We might as well have screamed that we were either outsiders, or exiles.

Not all of the patrons turned away from us, though. Three half-dragons with golden scales were watching us, with intent. Two were orcs on their non-draconic side, but the third? I’d never seen a half-dragon ogre before.

The ogre spoke first. “Well, looks like we got fresh meat boys!” He grinned lecherously at us. “I know all them nomads roaming around, acting as traders, but I never seen you lot. And you ain’t got the marks of a tribe, which means you’re not under anyone’s protection. What brings some pretty pieces of meat like you all the way out here?”

I looked back at the ogre with a frown. The way it talked made it sound more intelligent than its normal type. Well, that wasn’t a high bar, of course, but that could mean this was an ogre mage, with draconic heritage. That spoke of more power than the typical ogre. If only it had enhanced his personality as much as his mind.

Still, I didn’t want to start a fight in the one inn in town. “Our business is our own. We’re simply passing through, on our way to Geburatiel.”

“Well, ain’t that interesting,” the ogre smiled lecherously. “You’s a long way off from the capitol, missy. Seven hundred and twenty miles, by the quickest road, through the Telura Pass, but since you don’t have any goods to pay the toll, by the looks of things, you’ll be needing to pay on your back. Or you can try and get around the toll by taking the Darklit Way. Pretty things like you? The Darkclaw Tribe would just love to have new breeders to play with. And don’t be thinking you can just fly the whole way there. Not unless you like dealing with Celestial Rocs as you cross the mountains.”

Melinda’s Sense Motive check: 1d20+31 = 37 (Success)

My eyes narrowed as I realized the brute was telling the truth, but the ogre just laughed. “Now, don’t be giving me those looks. You’re looking at the only one in Tarme that can get you to the capitol, without paying all the tolls, or getting yourselves turned into breeders, or a roc’s lunch.”

I took a deep breath. “And just who might you be? And what is the cost for getting us to the city?”

“I’d be Rakash Goldscale. And you want to get to Geburatiel, you go through me. As for the cost? Well, you got your normal costs, plus the fact that you ain’t with any of the tribes or trading companies. So, I’ll be generous, and say ten thousand gold, each. Pay, and you’ll be in the city tomorrow.”

My eyes narrowed again. “Ten thousand? Fat chance. That’s plain banditry, wrapped up in a pretty bow.”

“Banditry?” Rakash laughed. “That’d be illegal. We’re just here, offering a service for paying customers. They need to get to the city, and we help them out, for a price. All nice and legal, especially since no one else around here has the spells to make it work.”

He made a show of looking us up and down. “Now, maybe you’re just upset because you can’t pay? In that case, perhaps we can come to an alternate arrangement. See, my boys and me, it gets real lonely, out in the sticks, here. And the guards in the city, they’re a mite judgemental, based on looks, so they don’t exactly let us in to have our fun in the brothels, see?”

The ogre walked forward, towering over me. “But, you and your two pretty friends there? You look like a mighty fine drink of water on a hot day. So, here’s the deal. You and your birds spend the night with me and mine, and in the morning, we send you on to the city. Everyone wins.”

I just sighed, and shook my head, while the sisters giggled to themselves. “That is not going to happen. It would be much simpler to just slay anyone garishly asking for tolls or such things. It would do the realm a favor to eliminate the dross.”

The ogre mage just laughed, and leered, clearly not convinced about the threat she posed. “That’s some scary talk, there. But you think you can back it up? Or are you just another little harpy screeching, but without any real power?”

Melinda’s CL Check: 1d20+28 = 42 (Success)

Rakash’s Fort Save (Baleful Polymorph): 1d20+1 = 11 (Fail)

With a backhand motion and a jolt of magic, the spaces Rakash had been standing was now occupied by a small rabbit, with all his clothes and other gear falling in a pile around him. It was one of my favorite abilities for getting rid of pests, but it felt like ages since I’d gotten a chance to use it on someone. With a smile, I reached down, and picked up the rabbit that had once been Rakash.

Melinda’s Intimidation check: 1d20+43 = 50 (Success)

The two orks were just starting shake off the shock of my sudden magical outburst as I walked up to them, still holding the rabbit Rakash. “Now, boys,” I said, sweetly, “Why don’t we talk about how Rakash gets people to the city, and you better tell me the truth, or I’m going to have two more rabbits to go into the soup pot, understand?”

Between my smile, and the fact that I was holding their boss in rabbit form in one hand, the orks quailed. It didn’t help their dispositions any when the rabbit began fighting in vain to escape my grip once I mentioned the soup pot. They were intelligent enough to understand that Rakash was still very much aware of what was going on, despite his change in form.

“Look, we don’t want any trouble. That was all Rakash.”

The ork on the left spoke, and I turned to look him in the eye. “But you two didn’t try and reign in your ‘friend’, either. So, you’re going to tell me what I want to know, or I’m going to get upset. So, start talking.”

“D-don’t say anything, Ughat! She’s not going to do anything. Not in front of all these witnesses. Yeah, Rakash was one thing, but we ain’t done nothing, so the Justicars won’t sit back if they hear about her doing anything to us!”

I smiled at Ughat, ignoring his friend, who was obviously trying to act tough. “You think your friend’s right, Ughat? Remember, we’re not from around here. No tribal ties, no company to go after us. We’d be gone, and no way to trace us. And it still won’t bring you back from being in the cook pot, will it?”

“Th-there’s a teleport circle, at the edge of town, in the walled off area next to Rakash’s shop! One of the fancy engraved ones! It teleports you an hour’s ride from the capitol!”

“Damnit, Ughat! Don’t tell her any more!”

Ork’s Will Save (Bestow Curse): 1d20-11 = -10 (Fail)

Another backhanded use of magic, and the ork was left with his mouth flapping, but no sound came out, cursed to be silent. My eyes never left Ughat, and I never stopped smiling. “Oh, don’t listen to your friend there, Ughat. I’m almost done with you, and then you and your friend can go about your evening. You’ll even be able to go and find someone to remove that curse on your friend, so he can speak again.”

“What is it?” the ork asked, like a drowning man just thrown a life preserver.

“How do you activate the circle?”

“There’s a crystal, acts as a key. Rakash keeps it on him. Hold the crystal and say the command word gehthak, and off they go. Someone on the other side has another circle that leads back, but I don’t know anything about them! Honest, that’s all I know!”

“I have the crystal,” Fartooth chirped. I saw eyes turn to look at him. Everyone had been so focused on me and Rakash, and the twins, to a lesser extent, that they had forgotten about the ‘gnome’.

“Excellent,” I nodded to Fartooth, before shoving the rabbit into Ughat’s hands. “Since you’ve been so good, I’ll let you keep the rabbit. You look like you could use some more meat in your diet. Now, I know I don’t need to tell you that doing anything stupid like going and messing with the circle would be a bad idea, right?”

“R-right, I got it!”

“Good! I’m so glad that we could talk this out. Now, run along, will you?”

“Right away!” And, with that, the two thoroughly cowed orks ran out of the building. I wasn’t worried too much about them actually trying to damage the circle. Ambush us at it, maybe, but not damage it.

Looking back to the room at large, which had gone silent as everyone watched the ‘entertainment’, I smiled. “Now, I’m in a great mood, so, bartender, a round for the house!” That got a couple cheers, and more than a few smiles. It always did.

As I paid for the drinks from the pouch Fartooth handed me from Rakash’s effects, the ordinal human bartender just shook his head. “Well, you handled that without any damage, so I won’t be calling the Justicars. But what about the circle? Trade’s the main lifeblood of this outpost, after all, and if people have to trek across the plane to get to the capitol, then that’s going to make things… uncomfortable.”

“What’s your name, sir?”

“Helman. Run this place since my dad passed, and he got it from his dad before him. Grandpappy was the one who found the rift, back in the day.”

“Well, Helman, we’re looking to have a few drinks, some food, and a place to sleep for the night. If you have someone you can send with us in the morning, we’ll pass along the crystal to them before we go. Let you control the circle, instead of Rakash and his friends. That sound agreeable to you?”

Helman nodded. “You hand over the crystal before you leave, and I’ll give you food for supper and breakfast, as well as a room for the night. Drinks are normal price.”

He held out a hand, and I took it. “Sounds like a fair bargain to me. Now, about that food?”

“Right away.”