Chapter 69: Chapter 69: The Green Moon Festival

The catering contingent from Quincy's Lodge had pop-up tents set up on the Lac Coinescar beachhead next to the rows of the long feasting and drinking tables. Poles bearing torches had been planted into the ground, and strings hanging with moon-shaped green lanterns crisscrossed above from pole to pole. Nay watched the boats gather for the Green Moon Race in the water as she prepared bowls of Char Siu and braised chestnuts.

These were placed next to the assortment of sliders, Fish n' Chips and baskets of steamed crab. Tuk-Tuk was monitoring the pots. He wore an apron. Tongs and ladles and other kitchen utensils hung off his belt. He was in charge of steaming the silver and blue Coinescar crabs that were caught in the Lac.

Town councilman Durfin was at Gracie's table, where the townsfolk could peruse and order their food. "How delightful! I am actually seeing choices that aren't just fish! I'm afraid I won't be able to make up my mind though. So I'll have one of everything!"

Councilman Durfin waddled back to his table, carrying an overflowing tray of food in both hands. It was so full and piled so high he had to peak around a tower of food to navigate the crowd.

There was a considerable group of men and a few women gathered around Quincy's bar set up. Nom's conjured table of exotic brews and curious cocktails was next to him, the tentacle himself nowhere to be seen. Nay knew he was around somewhere, staying out of sight. Hopefully he would manage to stay out of mischief, too. Though that was a tall order.

Already his new drinks were turning some of those with a penchant for drink into budding craft beer snobs. They were gathered around the table with the sign, ‘Nom’s Tasty Bevs & Brews’.

"The Eldritch IPA has accents of barley and tastes like a strong bitter beer washing the blood off your bleeding gums after an energetic bar fight," one of the miners turned beer connoisseurs said.

"The IPA is okay," another freshly converted connoisseur said. "I'm partial to the Shoggoth Sour. I'm not a fan of a mouthful of hops."

"Mixing the Lurker Lager with this sparkling lemonade though," another new craft beer snob said, "is just downright refreshing."

“There’s already a brew like that on the table,” yet another said. He held up a beer bottle labeled R’lyehian Radler. There was an illustration of a dark ocean and a tentacle poking out of the waves holding a brewski.

“Lord,” Nay said. She had enough Char Siu set up and she made a survey of the other dishes, satisfied at how smoothly the operation was running. Everyone seemed to be happy.

All of the townsfolk were out enjoying the festivities. Stitchkids chased each other along the Lac, Volva Serrilda's butter cookies in their hands, and the band, Minekeeper’s Daughter, played songs about the beauty of the green moon.

The Green Moon of Vermira

watches in the night

when you think you're lost

look up to the sky

and know love can't be gone

where there's light

There were baskets of overflowing moon cakes next Gracie’s table, so people could grab them as they put in their orders. She saw several people try them out. Their faces were pleased as punch and they grabbed extra to eat when the Green Moon herself reached her apex. By that account, the festival was already a success.

Nay passed by Gracie and told her, “Good job.”

That’s when a familiar face startled her. It was Alric. She tried to turn around but he had her out in the open. “Nay,” he said. “Is it possible if I could have a word with you?”

Nay looked around. Besides the remainder of the line, most of the people already had their food. Gracie and the girls would be okay for a few minutes. “Fine,” she said.

/////////

Nay met with Alric on the snow-laden shore near the Moonpole where many stitchgals and children were dancing. Night was on the verge of replacing the dusk and the Green Moon was approaching her zenith.

“The food today has been astounding,” Alric said, breaking the ice.

“You didn’t ask to talk to me to praise the food,” Nay said.

“You’re right. I wanted to apologize for what happened the other day,” Alric said. “The veritas booth can be uncomfortable, especially the first time.”

“Uncomfortable?” Nay said. “That’s one way putting of it.”

“I don’t make excuses for Veritax’s manner,” Alric said. “But she frightened you and for that I apologize. She is directly opposed to the Phantomhead and their deity.”

“Who’s their deity?”

“Mortem, the god of death.”

“Of course it is,” Nay said, sighing. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“In her way, she was trying to protect you,” Alric said. “I shouldn’t have been so enthusiastic about getting you to participate. I just figured since you were already in the booth you wouldn’t mind giving it a go. It’s usually a peaceful experience for people.”

“It was unsettling.”

“Your business is your business. I’m sorry I pried.”

“Really? You’re not concerned about me talking to someone from the Phantomhead?”

“Of course I’m concerned. But, you already have friends here who would be concerned as well. I’m sure they would have talked sense into you.”

Nay chuckled. “You’re right about that. They were quick to intervene and I’m constantly reminded of my choices.”

As Alric was about to respond, they were interrupted by the screams of men out on the water. Everyone's attention turned to the Lac. Despite the light of the Green Moon and all the lantern light, whatever was happening was out of sight in the darkness.

/////////

Nay had caught Quincy on the shore. He produced his spyglass and looked out into the water. "Oh no..."

"What?" Nay said. "What is it?"

He handed her the spyglass. She pointed it in the same direction and gazed through the eyeglass. Out in the Lac, just out of the radius of light, she saw overturned boats. An appendage of inky blackness erupted out of the water and smashed down onto a boat. Water, men and splintering wood flew everywhere.

She could tell by the crackles of violet light in the dark form of the monster that it was a nether being.

Rolf and Jolf ran up onto shore next to them.

"Get the watchmen and militia gathered," Quincy said. "It's another Nether Realm attack."

/////////

Quincy and Nay wolfed down Pasties of Nether Being Slaying. Tuk-Tuk appeared and Nay pulled another pastie out of her inventory and held it out to him.

“I’m not hungry,” Tuk-Tuk said. “How can you eat when your town is under attack?”

She shoved it in his hands. “Just eat it.”

“Trust the lass,” Quincy said.

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Tuk-Tuk looked at the pastie and took a bite. As the taste wowed him, he looked at the tasty treat in a new light. He shoved the whole thing into his mouth and chewed.

Nay also took out a basket of candied frog legs and a thermos of venison stew from her inventory. She passed them around with Buff biscuits so they could buff up and augment themselves.

“The candied frog legs will allow you to jump twice as high for the next two hours,” Nay said. “The venison stew will make you be able to run as fast as a deer for three hours.”

Tuk-Tuk bit into a candied frog leg. “I run as fast a bear.”

“Not in your human form you don’t,” Nay said.

“Quickly,” Quincy said, swallowing some stew. “I need to get out onto the Lac and help those on the water. You two deal with the netherlings coming out of the Lac onto the shore. The watchmen and the militia are gathering.”

“Everyone!” Quincy shouted, catching the attention of the townsfolk in the vicinity. “Everyone get back to your homes! Lock and barricade your doors! Spread the word!”

The people, scared and confused, began to scatter.

Quincy sprinted towards the dock, enhanced by the fleet-footed spell. He leapt into the air and landed in a boat. He began rowing for the men dealing with the Nether Spawn Mother in the water.

Two coils of netherlings burst out of the water and were coming up on shore. Little nightmares scrambling like lizards through the snow.

Nay’s blades materialized in her hand, the aura imbues lighting up with a sizzle. She whipped around, releasing the blades at the shore. “Salvo of knives!”

The two weapons skewered two netherlings each. The spirit salvo raining from above finished off the rest of the coil.

Tuk-Tuk shifted into his polar bear form and stampeded into the other coil. He used a swipe attack with his paws, ripping through the group of netherlings. Black and violet smoke fizzled into the air.

All along the shore, more of the netherlings emerged out of the Lac. There were screams as the townsfolk who dared to remain saw the monsters. They turn and fled then, the nether beings chasing after them.

A man’s voice broke through the screams, and Rolf and Jolf emerged through the crowd, coming onto the beachhead. They wore their armor and were wielding their pikes and battle-hammer.

Behind them the watchmen ran onto the beachhead to engage the netherlings. Across from them, the town’s militia, hastily geared and armed, arrived and met their own wave of nether beings.

As Nay’s blades returned to her hands, she scythed through a stray netherling leaping at her, cutting it down.

Up on the field before the beachhead, she saw a burst of red light streak in a horizontal line and a resultant shriek as the energy blast fried the netherling.

“Nom,” Nay said. She headed in that direction, hoping to meet up with her friend. They could protect each other while fighting to protect the townsfolk.

She leapt into the air, aided by the spell from the candied frog legs, clearing the beachhead and landing in the snow field along the tree line. It was exhilarating, jumping that high into the sky. And with fleet-footed, she flew towards where she saw Nom’s Disintegration Ray.

She thought she heard something.

She turned to see a white wolf running parallel with her. There was something familiar about it. Its eyes glowed violet.

It kept pace with her and adjusted to run at an angle, heading straight for her. It snarled and leapt to intercept her. Nay jumped into the air. It leapt with her and nipped at her, but she avoided its jaws.

When she landed it was on the other side of her. Her pace didn’t slow as she landed. She increased her speed and the wolf increased its speed, on a collision course for her. She readied herself to engage, blades ready.

But before she could fend it off with her blades, a massive white blur collided into the wolf. There was a roar and a growl and an explosion of snow. The polar bear and the wolf were rolling across the ground, snarling and gnashing at each other in a frenzy.

It was Tuk-Tuk.

The polar bear went to bite for the wolf’s throat, but the wolf darted way and shifted into the form of a human.

It was Martygan, the Gloom Ranger.

Except there was something different about him. His eyes had changed from brown to violet, and the veins underneath his pale flesh were blackened. He looked tainted. He looked possessed.

Tuk-Tuk, still in bare form, charged Martygan. But the Gloom Ranger punched the bear in the face, stunning him. The Bronze-enhanced Ranger hit the bear with a combo of punches, knocking him end over end. They were approaching a cliff.

When Tuk-Tuk got up, the Ranger closed the distance in the blur. When he reappeared, energy vigor burst from his body in a stun attack. The blast of vigor energy sent Tuk-Tuk flying off the cliff.

"No!" Nay said. She looked over and saw the polar bear just miss the rocks below, landing in the dark water in a big splash.

Martygan turned to her. "You can come with me conscious, or you can come with me unconscious, you're choice."

"I don't like either of those choices."

She swung ice scythe at him, but he deflected the blade easily with his now-drawn short sword. He was amused. "An Epicurist who can fight!"

She lunged at him with Thorn. He easily side-stepped her. "You really think you're undisciplined Iron attacks can hurt me?"

"I can try."

She swung again, this time slashing down with ice scythe and following with a stab from Thorn. Steel rang against steel twice, Martygan's sword meeting each of her attacks.

Nay circled him. Martygan stood in the same place, just turning to slightly face her, his body always at an angle to her. "You show promise, but I'm trained in the Way of the Ranger.

Frustrated, she went in for another attack.

She slashed. Clang! She jabbed. Clang! His sword was always there to meet her blades. He was doing it all with only his wrist.

"You fight with anger, that's good."

He swept her blades aside. He moved so fast she couldn't keep up with him. His foot kicked the inside of her calf. She lost her balance.

As she tried to regain it, his shoulder planted into her chest, pushing her back. Her sliding feet left tracks in the snow. There was something about how easily he was handling her that angered with her. He was toying with her.

"Parry this!" Nay said.

She swung, crossing her arms together, activating her Decapitate ability. The vigor spirit blades spun towards Martygan. Her eyes barely registered him moving. He sliced the spirit blades in half with a vertical slash. The halves of the spirit blade flew past him on both sides. They stuck in the snow, smoldering. Then they turned into vigama and fluttered away.

"Interesting," Martygan said. "But play time is over."

He blurred and appeared right next to her, the vigor blast radiating from his body. She took the brunt of it and was swept off her feet. She was hit with momentum he had kept stored, the equivalent of rereleasing the energy of a car crash into a single blow.

By the time she hit the ground, the world had gone black.

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