Is That a Portal? Part 3 of Calming the Volcano

The Minotaur Stands Waiting

As the boat grinds against the dock, they see the Minotaur standing there waiting.

Fiesty Lotus groans and drags herself out of the ship.

The Minotaur stands silent on the dock, watching the boat return to the shore

Talia Sunsong: "You young man! Stealing my wand!" Talia shakes her finger at Rorn, who playfully tries to bite it.

Fitheach Eun climbs carefully from the boat and leans on her staff.

Fiesty Lotus turns and sees the Minotaur standing there.

The Minotaur: "I didn’t think you could actually do it," he says to them as they climb out of the vessel.

Talia Sunsong: "See there Mr. Minotaur, these druids are verrrrry powerful." 

Fiesty Lotus growls in her throat.

Fitheach Eun glares at the Minotaur: " You should not doubt druids; we are not given to useless boasting."

Talia Sunsong: "Unlike me."

The Minotaur: "Well it seems you did help out the situation a bit. For that, the town will be grateful"

Fitheach Eun grumbles: " A bit; we calmed your volcano; you are all out of danger. That is way more than a bit."

Minotaur: chuckles at the elf, "Are you the one they call Fiesty?"

Talia Sunsong: "Does this mean you will give us shiny coins?" Talia asks eagerly.

Fitheach Eun stands up taller; " I am called Fitheach"

Minotaur: "Coins? Was there any mention of coins? I don’t recall...."

Fiesty Lotus: “ I am Fiesty.”

Fitheach Eun sighs at Talia.

Talia Sunsong: "Yes!" nods head although she doesn't remember coins exactly.”

Fiesty Lotus huffs.

The Minotaur: "Fitheach? How do you spell that?"

Fitheach Eun:  “What we need is the portal we know must lie here somewhere.”

Fiesty Lotus: “No shilly shallying Minotaur.”

Minotaur smiles at the hobbitess and winks, "You do look fiesty, little one."

Fiesty Lotus" “You promised to show us a portal.”

Fitheach Eun smiles at her druid sister.

Fiesty Lotus: “Now- we need to go.”

The Minotaur: "Portal? Hmmm...ah yes, the portal...I know just the place..."

Talia Sunsong: "I hope this portal leads to a fun place. No lava."

The Minotaur grins at them trying to seem cordial, but inadvertently comes off as sinister.

Fitheach Eun watches him with distrust.

Fae Talia and The Minotaur

The Minotaur: "Just follow me, ladies. I'll take you where you should go."

Fiesty Lotus peers at the creature and shakes her staff.

Talia Sunsong wonders if Minotaurs eat Fae.

The Minotaur beckons them with a large furry hand and starts walking down an alleyway into town.

Fiesty Lotus  follows.

Talia Sunsong follows slowly.

Talia Sunsong grabs a colorful Minoan dress off a clothesline.

Fitheach Eun follows at the rear watching carefully.

The Minotaur turns right, then left, then right, down a maze of back alleys, and soon they are not certain which way they are headed.

Talia Sunsong: "This path makes me dizzy."

Fitheach Eun grows more suspicious.

Fiesty Lotus marches along wearily, trying to stay sharp.

Fitheach Eun tries not to make it obvious that she needs her staff to lean on.

Before you know it, the painted sandstone walls have changed to rough-hewn dark granite and they find themselves inside a tunnel, not exactly sure at what point they transitioned underground.

Rorn sniffs the air and looks around.

The Minotaur keeps moving onward, not even looking back to see if you are still following, just turning corners, left, left, right, left....

We Appear to be in a Cave

Fitheach Eun looks at the ancient walls with concern; "We appear to be going into a cave."

Talia Sunsong: "Fairies don't like tunnels. We like fresh air and sunlight."

The Minotaur’s  hulking mass lumbers forward, the clop of his hooves echoing off the stone walls in an eerie fashion.

 Fiesty Lotus digs her feet into the earth of the cavern for a second, pulling on the earth for strength.

Fitheach Eun wonders if we can trust him and starts making plans.

Talia Sunsong whispers: "Mr. Minotaur, are you sure this is the right way?”

 Rorn growls.

The Minotaur starts to hum a low rumbling tune to himself, a slow dirge that resonates throughout the tunnels.

Fiesty Lotus: smiles at the Fae.

Fitheach Eun :  “Elves like fresh air and sunlight, too, Talia.”

The Minotaur:  "Don’t worry ladies, we're almost there," he says without looking back.

Fae like Fresh Air and Sunlight

Talia Sunsong looks at slime dripping down the walls of the tunnel.

The air gets heavier and more oppressive, the light gets dimmer, and we start to wonder if he can even see in this darkness.

Talia Sunsong trips over the skirt she pulled off the clothesline. "Ewww I brushed against the slime."

Fitheach Eun  calls on her staff to glow brighter;

Savage Taurus follows along in the rear, not concerned at all.

Fiesty Lotus gives a thought to her full skirts and how they work in damp environment.

Talia Sunsong: "I'm hungry. Is there food down here?"

Fitheach Eun :  “I'm sure there are mushrooms, Talia.”

The Minotaur moves faster and faster, and they find it harder to keep up with him.

Talia Sunsong: looks for mushrooms. "All I see is slime, unless that gray goo is mushrooms."

The Minotaur:  "There will be plenty of food where you are going...."

 Fiesty Lotus stumbles and is forced to give some of her strength to her staff for lighting.

Fit's Staff Glows Brighter

Talia Sunsong: "Are we there yet? I can't fly in narrow tunnels."

Fitheach Eun :  “ Will we get there, are you sure?”

The Minotaur:  “The tunnels go down and down, and the air becomes warmer, until you can nearly feel the weight of the mountain pressing down on you.”

Talia Sunsong: "This is where dwarfs go, not FAE."

The minotaur slows down, and suddenly turns around to face everyone.”

Fitheach Eun  wonders how their dwarf friends have fared since they left.

The Minotaur:  "It just around this corner folks. The reward you so richly deserve..."

 Fiesty Lotus gives her staff more power from the earth.

Fitheach Eun  sends some power into her staff in readiness...

Talia Sunsong: "Rich rewards? Where? Where?"

Talia Sunsong looks around for jewels and coins.

Fiesty Lotus throws a warning glance at the fae- while knowing it will be useless.

The bull steps aside and reveals a large hole in the floor of the tunnel. Foul air seems to rise out of its gaping mouth.

Fiesty Lotus: : “Ugh!”

Talia Sunsong: "What is that!"

Rorn stretches his neck and tries to look down the hole.

Fiesty Lotus: “It's a foul hole.”

Talia Sunsong: "That looks like a hole a monster pops out of."

The Minotaur:  "Or poops into.."

Talia Sunsong: "Like a giant tentacle comes out, and grabs you, dragging you down to some beak like mouth..."

Fiesty Lotus: : “Awwwk!”

Talia Sunsong: "Where's the rich rewards? I don't see gems or coins."

This is a Portal?

Fitheach Eun :  looks suspiciously into the hole; "This is a portal?"

 Fiesty Lotus holds her nose and looks down into the hole.

Fitheach Eun sees a faint glimmer.

Fitheach Eun :  "Savage, look down there, please."

Fiesty Lotus slides aside to let Savage see.

Savage Taurus  steps up and adjusts the knobs on the spectacles and looks down into the hole. "I see runes. This is indeed a portal."

Talia Sunsong: "You don't mean I have to jump into that hole?" she shudders.

Fiesty Lotus makes a face

Fitheach Eun  sighs with relief; " Ok, can you draw them in the dirt here?"

Savage Taurus nods and draws the runes in the dirt.

Fitheach Eun  looks at his drawings and traces the runes in the air above the chasm, as she adds the last one they all begin to glow.

Fitheach Eun  turns to the others; " Ok, time to go."

Talia Sunsong: "You first."

Fitheach Eun :  "Fine."

Fitheach Eun climbs onto the stones and jumps feet first into the dank hole.

Fiesty Lotus concentrates and feels her Druid sister's life force still active and sighs in relief.”

Savage Taurus :  "Ladies first," he says with a grin.”

Fiesty Lotus climbs up on the rocks , holds her nose and jumps.

Fiesty Jumps In

Talia Sunsong: "I don't want to jump in there! It smells."

Fitheach Eun  falls through blackness and then lands suddenly, stumbling a little and finds herself in a brighter cave.

Fitheach Eun steps back, hoping the others will appear.

Savage Taurus steps up onto the rocks lip of the hole as runes swirl around in the air above it and a glow emanates from the opening.

Savage Taurus :  *Rocky.”

Fiesty Lotus appears in the cave and stumbles to the side.

Savage Taurus takes a leap and playfully slaps the stalactite hanging over the hole with his hand before dropping through the portal beneath.

Savage Jumps Playfully

Fitheach Eun  greets her sister with relief.

Talia Sunsong realizes she is alone in the slimy cave with a Minotaur.

Rorn whimpers

The bull grins at the fae. "You could always stay here and be my servant girl, if you wish."

Talia Sunsong: "Me? A servant? I don't do work."

The Minotaur chuckles.

Talia Sunsong edges over to the hole.

The minotaur pinches the fae's behind, causing her to jump.

Talia Sunsong: "Eeep!"

Talia Sunsong jumps and falls through the portal.

Talia Sunsong screams all the way through the portal.

Fitheach Eun  exhales when she sees first Savage then Talia and Rorn appear.

Talia Sunsong: "Hey, that beast PINCHED me!"

 Fiesty Lotus shakes her head.

The bull sighs as the last visitor disappears and turns to trudge back up to the surface. "I'm in the mood for a gyro now."

Fitheach Eun smiles; "I guess we should find out where we are?"

Fiesty Lotus: : “Well, we are all here. Let’s go find some grub.”

Talia Sunsong: "Food!"