By Richard LeBlanc
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| Forbidden Places By Richard LeBlanc |
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| Chapter Two: The meeting | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On the far side of the city - in the boarder lands on the far outskirts of the empire. Several peasants were looking at the damage that was caused by the insects that had migrated that way. This had been the fourth consecutive season when the bugs had come and gone and left precious little in their wake. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Damn these bugs! Why must they come here year after year?" one farmer cursed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "It is just the season. You know that." another farmer replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I know that! But why must they come here?" he retorted. Unknown to the two, a stranger was sitting in the branches of a nearby tree. He was playing with several strands of silky webs between his outstretched fingers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Insects - by nature - go where the food is. Such is why." The stranger commented as he hopped down from the tree. The two farmers stopped what they were doing and watched as the mysterious person made his way towards him. His eyes were deep black - his hair was a silvery gray - and just by the way he moved - it was clear that he was a plainswalker. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What do you want?" one farmer asked hesitantly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Want? Many things. But that can wait for now. I heard of your plight. If you wish - I can help." He offered. The two farmers looked at each other and then over at the wizard. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You one of those wizard?" one asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Yes. I am. Do you desire my help?" he repeated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Uhm, I don't know..." the other commented. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You doubt my intentions? I will try not to be too offended." The wizard stated as he tossed the silky webs he was working with onto an outstretched branch. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "My name - is Lord Arachnid. Accept it or no - is of little consequence to me. In my travels here - many friends of mine - have lost their homes. Mainly because of your kind muscling in on their domain - but that is a debate I won't bore you with. I will regrow all that which you have lost - and ensure that the insects that migrate here every season - never return. All I ask - is that you let my brothers - my family - live in peace - in the forest behind me." Lord Arachnid offered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Arachnid - like spider?" one asked. Lord Arachnid rolled his eyes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yes - but I fear that the meaning of what I am offering is going over your heads. I am a very busy man and I haven't got all day. Do we have an agreement?" he asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "How can you ensure that the bugs won't come back?" the other farmer asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Listen - tell me - do you hear and bugs - any birds - any pests that hurt your crops? The answer is no. Just by my being here accomplishes that. I have that affect on their kind. As to how I intend to keep them away - that is what my family is for. They will be vigilant while I am gone." Lord Arachnid closed his eyes. When he opened them - they looked like those of a cat. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You're eyes - they look like they came from a cat." The other farmer commented. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "It was the price I paid to the ancient spider god for the power I possess." Lord Arachnid continued. The farmers watched as a furry spider the size of two hands scurried up from the wizard's pocket and perched itself on his shoulder. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You - you have a spider on your shoulder." One commented. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I know. He is my best friend. Nibbles - these are the people that are considering helping us out." He replied. The two farmers heard the spider make several quiet chirping noises. Arachnid quietly laughed and nodded agreeingly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Uhm, what - I mean - is he a part of that family you were talking about?" one farmer hesitantly asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Nibbles? No. he travels with me always. The family I spoke of are much smaller - many no bigger than your thumb. They eat only insects and other such pests." Lord Arachnid replied. Just then Nibbles hopped up onto Arachnid's head and happily chirped. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I - I don't know." one farmer replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "They wouldn't come into the house would they? Or the garden? Our wives aren't overly fond of spiders - uhm, no disrespect intended." The other farmer added. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "As much love as your kind has spiders - the spiders and I feel the same way about humans. If you leave them alone though - if you do them no harm - they will not harm you - or any of your family. All they will do is exist happily in your forest - and keep your pests from your crops." Lord Arachnid replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "So - let me see if I am understanding all of this. We let your spiders - live in the forest near our land - the spiders will keep the bugs and other pests from ours crops - and you will regrow all of the crops we have lost?" the farmer asked. Lord Arachnid mentally recounted his offer and nodded. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "And they won't terrorize our families?" the other added. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "So long as they are left alone - they will leave you alone." He reaffirmed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Sounds good to me." the farmer stated. Lord Arachnid looked to the other farmer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "And you?" he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I'm in." he replied. Lord Arachnid clapped his hands happily. He then looked over his shoulder and made several clicking noises. The two farmers focused their eyes to the shadows and watched as thousands of spiders seemed to filter out and spin their webs in the section of forest that they had promised. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Now that - the first half has been dealt with..." Lord Arachnid began. He waved his hands over the bug eaten crops. The two farmers watched as the crops quickly decayed. They were about to comment when new crops began to grow up from the old ones. The wizard then smiled at the two happy looking farmers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Now - listen - and listen closely. I have placed a special enchantment on the land. The yield you see before you - it is what shall always surface when you plant. What you harvest will always be the same. This enchantment will be held in place - by my family of spiders. However, should you be foolish and choose to betray -hurt - or kill my spiders - a curse will fall on your land that will last ten thousand years and I promise you that the only thing that will grow from the land will be suffering and pestilence." He warned. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What if we have nothing to do with it?" a farmer asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Such - are my terms. If I were you - I would ensure that no one harms them. that way - everyone - comes out on top. Is this understood?" the wizard asked seriously. The two farmers hesitantly nodded. Lord Arachnid politely bowed to the two farmers and began to walk away. it was then that he snapped his fingers and headed back towards them. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Oh - there was one more little detail. It is about the original reason that I traveled this way to begin with. I am seeking a human sorceress that supposedly lives in this area. Rumors and clues have told me that the one I seek is - Markys the Unbalanced. Although why anyone would call herself unbalanced is beyond me." he asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "She didn't chose the name - it was given to her. She isn't exactly all there if you get my meaning. Don't get me wrong - I never met her or anything - but from what I hear - she's - touched." A farmer commented. Lord Arachnid sighed and looked to be in deep thought. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I have heard of mages like that. they open their minds to the power and it overwhelms them. turns brilliant masters into creatures with the intellect of babbling children." Lord Arachnid muttered to himself. Nibbles chirped some more. Arachnid looked up and saw the two farmers staring at him. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Hmm? Oh - sorry about that - thinking out loud. I have heard stories and rumors of this Markys girl - tell me what you know." he replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Not much to say really. From what we heard she charted a ship and went out into the Wasteland Ocean in search of the Forbidden Isles - where the source of the forbidden magic lies buried." One farmer began. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "After that - the stories go in all different directions. I heard one person swear that she found this place. Channeled all her power into the land - and the land flooded all of that power and then some back into her. Another person down the street believes that she encountered monsters of such horrific power that they humbled her and did things to her and that was why she ended up the way she was. I heard about twenty other such endings - but I take it you get the meaning." The other farmer added. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Amazing. And very intriguing. It is quite the little web she has spun." He said with a wicked smile. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If you don't mind our asking - why are you looking for her?" one asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "A short while ago - I came across some old documents that spoke of an ancient race of spiders - a branch of my family that I didn't know of and thought never existed. The more I searched - the more I became certain that it was all true. The unbalanced sorceress is the key. She knows where the Isles are. And once my family is once again whole we will exact our revenge on those who have hurt and betrayed us - but not you two of course." Lord Arachnid added with an enigmatic smile. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Of course." One farmer replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Then that would wind this down to one last question. Care to guess what?" he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You want to know where she is." The other farmer answered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I knew I was dealing with intelligent folk. So tell me where the girl is and I will be out of your hair." Lord Arachnid offered as Nibbles hopped from his head and into his hood. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The old abbey of the Eternal Sisterhood. The sisters of the order take care of her when she isn't off questing with wizards in search of the forbidden magics. It's a huge building on the other side of town. If you ask around - you won't be able to miss it." A farmer replied. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Excellent. It was a pleasure doing business with you gentlemen. Do remember the terms of our agreement. My family - all of them are my eyes. Through them I will know if any harm has befallen them. And if that happens..." he began. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The land will be cursed." One farmer began. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "For ten thousand years." The other one added. Lord Arachnid smiled. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I like dealing with intelligent people. But I will be honest wit the two of you - I make it my passion and my obsession to deal with people who aren't. Good day kind sirs." He concluded as he began to walk away. the two farmers stood - almost afraid to move. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "He - he isn't joking - is he?" one asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I ain't going to be the one to find out." The other answered. The two managed to calm themselves down. Now that the crops were in full bloom - there was much work that had to be done. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To be continued... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||