BACK TO BUSINESS

  “How many camps and patrols are left?” Tanner asks.

  “Two patrols and two camps.” Bree promptly replies.

  With a look at the sky, Tanner says, thinking out loud, “We have enough light to take both patrols. I don’t think we can take the Camps before dark.”

  “Works for me,” Jackson says.

  “Okay, we need to get back into our roles. Mick are you still main front line?” Tanner asks.

  “You bet.” He replies.

  Tanner continues, “Lilli, Karnna you still got Mick’s back?”

  “Of course.” They both reply.

  “Jackson Control still?”

  “Yes. Better than ever.”

  “Claire Backup Jackson if he needs it, and damage?”

  “Yes Tanner.”

  “Connie, Iris, heals and damage?”

  “Yes Boss.” Connie snickers. Tanner, shaking his head at her, smiles. Iris simply smiles and nods her head.

  “Dylan, Milly still damage and damage? Secure the final two patrols. Mick, we don’t want them running off. Try to hold back on the Fear aura. Taunt them in close and hold the line. Lilli, Karnna give a five count then move in with the pain.”

  “You got it Boss.” Karnna answers him.

  “Jackson pick up any that Mick cannot hold. Claire watch Jackson if he needs help give it to him. Connie heals on Mick as primary and Lilli and Karnna secondary. Iris anyone that steps into melee is fourth for heals then monitor everyone else please. I’ll be on over watch and protect Connie and Iris. Dylan you still have lead caster damage. All casters follow Dylan’s lead. Don’t forget to get Analysis or Identify. There are still some skills we can pick up that are not class related.”

  “I am counting eight in this patrol, why so large?” Tanner asks out loud.

  Rhys answers, “It may have to do with wiping out all the other patrols. Some times the dungeon reacts to stimulation.”

  “Really?” Tanner asks, surprised.

  Bree informs him and the others. “It usually happens when the party has been in the Dungeon for a longer period.”

  “Do we have to worry about re-spawns?” Claire asks.

  “Doubtful, maybe if we stayed another week. But we should be good.” Rhys tells everyone.

  “Okay, Mick your lead on three. Lilli, Karnna watch out for him if he gets into trouble go early. Mick the party is yours.” Tanner finishes.

  After the fight, The group gathers around. “What went right what went wrong?”

  “We need to get used to our new powers and working them together.” Jackson says.

  “Unfortunately that is just going to take some time guys.” Rhys tells the group.

  “Honestly, you all were not that bad. You just need more time to work on your team collaboration.” Bree tells everyone.

  “If we had advanced differently would we be having these issues?” Claire asks.

  “Really hard to say, you can make a case for either way. You have the situation you have so there is really no point in what ifs.” Rhys tells her.

  “Let's continue, shall we?” Bree interjects. The attack on the last patrol improves slightly after the critique. “Okay that was better.” Bree announces. “Lets set up camp and then talk about it.”

  After establishing camp, critiquing, and receiving instructions, Tanner and Connie move off to the side of camp and place blankets on the ground. The couple settle on the blankets facing each other like before. Tanner erects a privacy bubble. “Well?” Connie starts.

  “I could see something, I have no idea what. It was very faint, if I hadn’t been looking I really don’t think I would have seen it.”

  “What did you see? Could you get any kind of feel for it?”

  “I couldn’t get any kind of feeling about what it is. Other than it did not feel very healthy. Their daggers, absorb a very trace amount of Essence, it goes into the sheath and through the belt. Then it goes into their stomach to the base of the spine, and up to their heads. It looks like it has been building up. I don’t know anymore than that.”

  With a sigh, Connie slumps. “I was hoping for some kind of affirmation.”

  “Honestly I was surprised to see anything. If it is a curse, I don’t think I would see it at all. It may not be all curse Essences, it could be a combined thing to get it to work properly.” Tanner speculates.

  “That actually makes sense.” Connie says thoughtfully, “Get Claire, please?”

  Nodding, Tanner rises to his feet and walks over to Claire. “Got some time to train our Origin Essences with Connie? We have actually made a little progress and want you to join us.”

  Claire, looking up from her seat, snarks, “Ooh, I get to play with the big kids now?”

  “You do know you are the only one that thinks you are funny right?” As he pull he to her feet, into a quick hug.

  “And yet you are laughing.”

  Tanner guides Claire to a place to sit with her back to the Camp. Tanner casts another privacy bubble. “We have some dreadful news and you can not react badly or show excitement. Do you understand?” Tanner asks while sitting down. Connie nods her head in agreement with a very serious look.

  “Okay, you are both making me a little nervous.” Claire says quietly.

  Tanner nods at Connie, “Tell her.”

  Connie goes into her feelings and thoughts. Tanner explains his observations. “We would like you to look over Rhys and your Mother with your Primal sight to see if you can spot anything at all. Connie thinks that all the Imps are affected.”

  “What do you want to do if they are? I do not doubt you Connie, I have gotten some feelings and insights the same way, over other things so I am willing to believe you.”

  “For now just examine them. We can make a plan after, We will figure something out.”

  Claire stands and takes a breath for courage, then turns toward camp. Tanner breaks the silencing spell. The trio walk back into the camp, Claire uses her sight to scan the others for a few minutes. When Claire turns back to Tanner and Connie, she has unshed tears in her eyes. Tanner announces to the camp. “The three of us want to walk a bit we are going to take turns using our Essence sight in the dark, to look over the goblin camps.”

  “Be careful,” Bree frowns.

  As the three friends walk into the darkness, Tanner slips his arm around Claire’s shoulder. “I think we are far enough can you cast that silencing spell again?” Claire asks. Tanner nods his head and casts, while Connie spreads blankets on the ground.

  “Well?” Connie asks once all have sat.

  “Something seems off with the daggers, sheath, belt, and buckle. The worst thing. There is something inside them.” Claire sobs.

  Connie reaches over to hug Claire. Claire and Connie look at Tanner, “Well what do we do?” they both ask.

  “I don’t know anything about curses..” Tanner softly exclaims. “How do we break a curse?”

  Connie, appearing deep in thought, says, “This sounds like a threefold curse. According to my crystal, curses need an anchor, either a person, an object or both. As none of the Imps are blood relation, we can eliminate a bloodline curse. Equipment forms the anchor's initial part. It has formed an attachment to the victims, creating the second part. The third part is whatever is growing inside them. We will need to separate them from the equipment, remove the growth and cleanse the body of the curse energy.

  “They got the daggers around two years ago, I have never seen them take them off.” Claire informs the other two.

  “We do not want to touch any of it. I may spread to us.” Connie warns.

  “How do we remove what ever is inside them?” Tanner asks.

  “We either use a cleansing spell or cut it out.” Connie trails off. “I don’t think I am strong enough to cast a spell that powerful. If the weapons were removed, and one of us could cut them open to remove whatever is growing inside them. I maybe able to get rid of the residue.”

  “So those three things are needed to remove it?”

  “Yes.” Connie nods firmly.

  Claire’s expression turns hopeless. “There is no way we can take them both on. Mother is an agile warrior, she could take us all with both hands tied behind her back. Rhys is not the warrior Mother is, but he is still no slouch.”

  “What about one at a time? We take Rhys remove the curse then he could help with Claire’s Mother.” Tanner asks.

  “That may actually be an idea.” Claire states.

  Connie warns, “We cannot touch the equipment when we remove it from them.”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “We could cut it off of them.” Claire answers.

  “I maybe best for that, I could cast Arcane armor and weapons, cut it off of them and throw it away. That way I would not be touching any of it and it would be away from them.”

  “Removing it that way would be excruciating. Which may give us a better chance.” Connie says.

  “If someone cuts them open, I could use my Arcane armor again to pull out whatever is in them. Then Connie could remove the curse residue, heal them and we should be good.” Tanner says, thinking out loud.

  “That sounds like a good start to a plan lets talk through it all a few more times.” Claire tells the other two. After an hour, the trio have a plan in place. “We can do this right?” Claire asks nervously.

  “I will tell the others to trust us and follow orders without question.” Tanner answers her.

  The trio return to camp, and find that, Bree has gone for a walk. Claire and Connie approach Rhys and whisper to him. Rhys nods his head and walks off with the two. Tanner tells the other seven to follow him. “I need you all to trust us and follow orders, no matter what. This is crucial, if you don’t we will all die. Now silence no more talk.” Tanner orders marching after Claire and Connie, the rest following. The small group walks into the clearing they had picked out earlier. They come upon Claire and Connie talking to Rhys about a new training exercise they have thought up. Tanner, walking casually up behind Rhys, cast his Arcane armor and along with a large knife. Slicing into his back, and through his weapons belt. With a wet tearing sound, Tanner pulls the belt and weapon away from Rhys while jumping back as far as he can. Tanner orders. “Attack we need to hold him still.”

  Rhys leaps at Tanner, snarling like a rabid dog. Connie jumps on Rhys’s back, casting Divine Cleanse. Rhys' muttering, “Hurts” over and over. Claire Roars at the big healer, stopping him in his tracks with a stunned look on his face, completely forgetting what he is doing. Mick, charging at Rhys, hits him in the head with Titan Smash. Overbalanced and in terrible pain from the separation and Connie’s spell, Rhys falls to the ground. Karnna slams his head with the flat of her axe. “Get him on his back quickly.” Claire orders. Everyone grabs Rhys and flips him on his back. Connie grabs his head between her brightly glowing hands. Claire plunges her knife into the man and slices deeply across his stomach. Tanner, glowing with Arcane Essence, reaches into Rhys’s body, to everyone's shock, pulls out a struggling blue/black tentacled creature. The thing looks like a cross between a large centipede and a squid, it emits a high-pitched squeal and stretches back toward its unwilling host.

  “Milly hit it with lightening. Now.” Tanner screams. Milly cast her lightning, damaging but not killing it. The creature’s spasms pull the tentacles out of the healer’s body cavity. Tanner steps back, still holding the thing trapped, orders. “Everyone hit it from range don’t get close.” Spells, from all directions, land on the struggling creature. The creature explodes into black smoke with a final screaming wail.

  The entire time, the decuplet are fighting for their lives and sanity. A sobbing Connie wages her own battle for Rhys’s soul. Driving the foreign essences out of Rhys’ body through sheer willpower. Black sludge pours out of Rhys. His eyes, nose, ears, and the large wound in his belly, every opening weeps with the viscus fluid.

  Rhys regains consciousness, and abruptly casts a heal on himself and rolls over, vomiting blood and more of the viscous black slime. After she stops sobbing, Connie reaches over to the man’s shoulders and holds him while he continues to vomit the foulness. Connie, growing calmer, begins casting divine cleanse again to verify everything is gone. Claire, facing the man, asks if he is going to be okay.

  Nodding his head and gasping for breath between bouts of vomiting. Softly tells her, “Yes, give me a few minutes.” After a few minutes, Rhys staggers to his feet. “I need to clean up, help me to the river.”

  Tanner inspects the clearing for any remaining traces of the creature. “Connie, can you please look around and confirm that we have destroyed it all? Mick, Jackson, can you two help Rhys?”

  “Yeah no problem Tanner.”

  Tanner thanks the boys, when an odd double voiced, echoing screech sounds from the edge of the clearing. “WHAT HAVE YOU LITTLE BASTARDS DONE?” Bree comes barreling into the center of the clearing, knocking Claire and Connie to the side. Mick, Jackson, and Rhys turn back to Bree. Standing before the enraged woman, Tanner, and Milly receive her attack. Tanner, casts his Arcane weapons and armor, steps into the furious woman’s sword swing, completely blocking it from Milly. Tanner folds over Bree’s sword. The powerful swing is slowed but not stopped. Iris casts healing spells on a critically injured Tanner. Milly stabs her spear, casting lightning through it and into Bree’s side. Bree, raises her leg, and kicks Milly in the chest, throwing her back a few feet. Bree disengages from Tanner and follows Milly with a lunging sword thrust at the girl's head.

  Jackson yells, “No.” and jumps in front of Bree’s sword, taking it through the stomach. Jackson yells at Bree, “I won’t let you hurt her.” Grabbing Bree’s sword arm. Jackson pulls himself higher onto the sword with all of his strength. Jackson latches onto Bree’s arm with both hands and wraps his legs around her chest as tightly as he can, sobbing with exertion. “I can’t hold her long.” Rhys casts healing spells on Jackson as fast as he can. Mick charging in from the left hits Bree in the shoulder, with Titan’s Slam, spinning her and knocking her off balance, and into a healing Tanner. Tanner slashes deeply into Bree’s side, pulling his long knife down and sticking into her hipbone, severing the weapons belt. Tanner falls back after grabbing the belt and pulling it away from Bree.

  Bree, her arm trapped to the elbow inside Jackson’s abdomen, starts pounding on Tanner with the other boy, using him as a weapon. Screaming, “Give it back.” Jackson screams back at her, casting his spells into Bree’s head, bursting both of her eyes. Connie jumps onto Bree’s back, like she did on Rhys earlier. Hands glowing with Divine Cleanse, land on Bree's head, Bree hesitates for a moment. Karnna and Lilli tackle her to the ground. Tanner, dropping the equipment belt, reaches inside Bree, pulling out another creature. Tanner pulls and backpedals away. He can not help but notice the thing in his hands squirming and reaching tentacles back toward Bree. Bree throws the two women off and regains her feet. Gagging on the stench of the virulent, green, ball shaped creature. Claire usess Primal Scream at her mother and casts damaging spells at the ball shaped organism. Milly, also now on her feet, casts lightning. While the others cast damage spells at the abomination. Mick charges once again into Bree and pushes her back away from the creature. The tentacled ball evaporates into a dense, yellow green, foul cloud with a last scream. Bree falls to her knees and sags forward onto her face.

  Jackson pulls himself off of her arm and rolls away. Rhys, rushing to the stricken young man, lays hands on him for healing. Jackson bleeding from his eyes, ears, and nose. Looks up at Rhys and asks. “Is Milly okay?” then passes out. Tanner stumbles over to the just gained cursed equipment and places it in the bag with the one Rhys had. Connie, casting Divine Cleanse on Bree and meditating, ignores the foul substance coming out of the unconscious Bree. With a tired sigh, Tanner asks Mick, Karnna, and Lilli to go back to camp and gather all of their equipment. “We need to go to the river and set up so we can get clean and discuss what happened.”

  Connie, stopping with Bree, stands. “She is cleansed for now. Let me check on you two before you go, just to make sure.” After checking on the rest of the party and giving everyone a pass. Rhys casts healing spells on Bree. By the time the titans come back from breaking the first camp, the injured members have been stabilized. Claire picks up her still unconscious mother. Rhys, picking up Jackson, stumbles. Dylan quickly takes Jackson to carry. Mick puts his shoulder under Rhys, supporting him to the river. The boys find a good place to set up a new camp, Then take Rhys and Jackson to the far side of the river and start washing.

  “I think our clothes will need to be burned.” Tanner speaks up, breaking the silence.

  Mick, with Dylan’s help, removes the unconscious Jackson’s clothing, answers. “No kidding. I don’t know what the hell those things were but damn, they stunk.”

  “The residue coming out of me does not smell any better, believe me.” Rhys replies, naked, standing waist deep with a bar of soap and a scrub cloth, vigorously rubbing as hard as he can to get clean. “What happened?”

  “You and the Empress were Cursed, is the short story. We removed it.” Tanner continues. “Lets all get cleaned up and we can gather and talk.” Jackson stirs as Tanner and Mick wash him.

  “Are you back with us Jackson?” Mick asks the boy.

  “Yeah, I think so. Is your sister okay?”

  Mick, handing him a bar of soap and a cloth, tells him. “She’s fine. Wash up hero.”

  Rhys, having gotten clean, walks out of the river, and starts gathering sticks for a fire, still naked. “Uh Rhys you going to get dressed?” Mick asks while washing himself, now that Jackson can take care of himself. Tanner, still keeping a careful eye on Jackson, starts cleaning himself.

  Rhys snorts. “Not until I burn the garbage, our clothes have become. If I get any more on me, I don't want to burn additional clothing, or take another cold bath.” After starting the fire, Rhys takes a long stick and gathers the clothing, tossing it on the fire. The soiled garments burst into bright, white flames almost instantly. After gathering the rest, and burning them. Rhys dresses while the four younger men walk out of the river, drying off. Smothering the fire, the four men then walk along the river to find a place to cross back, taking their time to allow the girls to finish up.

  The girls are accomplishing similar tasks during the same time frame. After removing Bree’s clothing. The girls start gently cleaning their mentor. Claire, breaking her long silence, speaks up. “I have never heard her talk that way.”

  “I think the curse was influencing her mind.” Connie says quietly.

  “Well I think she was fighting it. There is no way we would have won against her otherwise. I don’t care how painful the curse was. She is just to strong.” Milly observes. “Also how the hell did you guys figure they were cursed?”

  “Lets wait until the guys are back, then we can all sit down and talk.” Claire says.

  “Well we got your mother clean, lets get her over by the fire and clean up ourselves.” Connie suggests.

  “The boys will be back soon. I do not want to be still bathing when they get back.” Claire snickers. The girls giggle and scrub faster. After finishing with their baths, the girls start another fire off to the side and burn all their clothes. While Connie fixes a late supper.

  The men call out as they approach the camp and enter the firelight. “Bree is still out, I see. I’ll check on her then sleep myself. Not sure what is going on, I feel barely functional.” Rhys says, sitting next to Bree and laying a hand on her. “She is healed physically, She may just need to sleep off what ever this is.” Rhys lays down on the ground and promptly falls asleep.

  “Well let’s make up a bed for him and put him on it. I’ll take first watch, Jackson you get to sleep after eating, you were the worst injured, no watch for you to night.” Tanner orders. “Connie how are you?”

  “I am okay I’ve been meditating.”

  “Mick and Karnna, then Lilli and Milly, then Iris and Claire, Dylan and I will take last watch. Connie please watch over our wounded. Sound good?” After agreeing on the watch rotation. Tanner grabs a plate of food and sits down with the others. “Okay explanation time. Connie you want to start, please?”

  While Connie goes into her story. Tanner finishes eating, stands and walks around camp. When Connie gets to Tanner’s part of the story, she defers to him to continue. Tanner winds up his part and then indicates to Claire to continue her side.

  “So all the Imps are cursed then?” Jackson asks.

  “We think so, Connie was right about Bree and Rhys, no reason to doubt her for the rest.” Tanner answers quietly.

  “What do we do?” Milly asks.

  Claire, clearing her throat, answers, “We wait for Mother and Rhys to wake up and then make plans.”

  “I wonder where they got cursed items? I want to avoid that Dungeon.” Mick announces. The other all nod agreement.

  Claire shares with the others that the Imps received the matching daggers as a gift. After several seconds of stunned silence, Connie asks. “Who would do such a heinous thing?”

  Claire angrily snarls, “Grand Duke Tidewell, Lord of the 4th District.”

  Tanner sharply asks Claire, “Who did you say?”

  With a surprised look at Tanner, she repeats. “Grand Duke Tidewell. Why do you know him?”

  A stunned Tanner answers, “There was a Lord Tidewell and a Lord Hasting involved with the whorehouse.”

  “Oh, this is bad, Tanner.” Claire whispers.

  “Nothing we can do now. Once the others wake up, we can talk. Lets check our Status sheets, go over our fights and try to get some rest okay guys?” Tanner asks.

  Milly blurts out, asking, “Why are we not talking about the quest?”

  Tanner replies, “I tried several times to say anything but my vocal cords froze every time.”

  Mick, agreeing with Tanner, tells the group, “Mine too.” The rest all nod their head in agreement.

  Tanner tells his party, “I got the quest when I Tiered up. I believe someone gave it after we met recently.” Everyone sits around the campfire thinking, Tanner decides to share his encounter. Standing, Tanner reaches into his storage and passes a small sheath of papers to Claire, telling the rest, “I want everyone to read this please it may shed some light on the quest I think.”

  Claire, glancing at the papers, looks at Tanner in alarm. “Tanner mother told you not the share any of this before talking to Eunice first.”

  “Your mother does not have this quest. We do. There are clues in this. You all need to read this.” Tanner's account circulates, and the group ponders once more.

  Claire stands and says, “We need to finish making the oath, Party business is not to be shared with anyone no matter who or what they are.”

  “We should think about what we want to say and write it down.” Milly says. Short time later they have the party oath memorized. Mick stands, telling the others he will go first.

  Connie announces, “We should all hold hands in a circle and repeat it together.” The group stand around the campfire, holding hands, reciting the oath they had proposed recently. The decuplet’s lips fall silent as the oath's last words fade, and a gentle light from the dungeon's night sky grows closer. The light splits ten ways, illuminating the individual party members.