CH. 3: Guardian Mountains

[HorizonsDream]

"Thank you," Echo says as she tucks the box under her arm and walks back towards the inn that she is staying at.

[JadedDM]

Echo returns to the inn and finds the common area has filled up with pilgrims, including a number of familiar faces, having lunch.

[HorizonsDream]

Echo walks back to her room, knocks on the door, and opens it. "I have something for you," she says to Keet after she closes the door behind her. She holds out the box to him.

[JadedDM]

Keet is curled up on the bed he chose, not unlike a cat, resting. He lifts his head and blinks when Echo steps inside, peeking his head out from her black cloak. "Something for Keet? Present for Keet?" he asks, attempting to jump up, but he gets tangled in the cloak and clatters to the floor in a heap.

[HorizonsDream]

Echo snickers softly. She places the box on her bed, then helps Keet out of her cloak. "Yes, it is a present, so go ahead and open it."

[JadedDM]

Keet eagerly untangles himself from the cloak and hurries over, tearing into the present. I mean that literally; he has claws, and he practically shreds it to pieces. Luckily, he doesn't damage the cloak itself inside. He pulls it out and looks at it with wide eyes. "This...this for Keet? But it so nice! Nicer than even chieftain wear!"

[HorizonsDream]

"It is all yours," Echo says. "So take good care of it, okay?"

[JadedDM]

Keet shrugs off Echo's black cloak and quickly dons his new red one. Tears in his eyes, he proclaims, "Oh, happy day! Keet is so lucky to have nicest mistress in whole world!"

[HorizonsDream]

"Well, I don't know about that," Echo says as she takes her own cloak, folds it up, and places it on her bed. "I'm going to go back out, so stay in here and get some rest. I'll bring up some food for you later," she says as she turns, and walks back out to head to where all the pilgrims seem to be.

[JadedDM]

The kobold happily sings to himself while posing in front of a mirror, modeling his new cloak.

Stepping back into the common area, Echo notices a number of familiar faces; Hollidan, Cadegund, and Argis are sitting at a table together; Nuvain and Gimog at another; she also spots the people she helped rescue from the trolls, including Leonor and Sofia.

[HorizonsDream]

Echo walks over towards a table that holds the men that were rescued from the trolls. "I trust you are all are doing okay?" she asks.

[JadedDM]

The two men Echo helped rescue sit together at a table, and both greet her when she approaches. The younger one, with dark hair, nods. "It's a little weird, as everything is so small. But it's nice to have a roof over our heads, even if only for a little while," he says.

The older one, with red hair, agrees. "It's invigorating to know we are so close to our destination, as well. With any luck, the shield will be found very soon."

[HorizonsDream]

"I have to ask," Echo says. "Say that this shield is found, what exactly are you expecting?" she asks curiously.

[JadedDM]

"Well," the older one states, "once the shield is found, the plan is pretty simple. The Pharise is going to build a new temple, one dedicated to housing the shield. Then pilgrims can visit that temple and see the shield at any time."

[HorizonsDream]

"That's great," Echo says. "But why are you tagging along to find the shield?" she asks curiously. "I mean, if the plan is for the shield to be on display for pilgrims to see anyway, why not wait until it is actually found then make the journey to see it?"