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The Road Goes Ever On Chapter 14
Picking along the crumbling ridges overlooking the fiery, ruined landscape, Jason and Daphne eventually reached the outskirts of a small village. But something was wrong - no lights or sounds came from within the huts. Cautiously, they crept between the silent buildings until emerging into the central square. A grisly sight awaited them. Lifeless, petrified villagers lay strewn about as if struck down in mid-action. Men, women, children - none had been spared from the flash of evil that froze them in place. This was no natural chaos. "Dark magic curses this land," Daphne observed, face etched with sadness. "We may already be too late..." Jason shook his head firmly. "There's always hope. Stay here and see if any villagers can be revived. I'll go to the mountain and confront whatever dwells there." Daphne started to protest, but Jason silenced her with a gentle kiss. "Your magic is best suited to undoing the curse," he said softly. "This is my purpose." Reluctantly, Daphne agreed.
The Road Goes Ever On Chapter 15
Still reeling from his confrontation with the embodiment of chaos, Jason raced through the collapsing caverns back towards the surface as boulders crashed down around him. He leapt and scrambled upward with desperate, draining effort. If the exit sealed before he escaped the mountain, all hope was lost. With a final burst of adrenaline, Jason threw himself out of the smoking cavern entrance just as the entire side of the mountain fell in thunderous ruin, dust and debris billowing outward. Though battered and burnt, miraculously he had survived. As the haze cleared, Jason perceived the landscape was no longer choked in fire and darkness. The stark black clouds lightened to gray, then finally parted to reveal blue skies. Lava slowed its advance and cooled to solid rock. Life began to return to the ravaged domain. Down in the village, the petrified inhabitants blinked and looked around in confusion as Daphne's cleansing magic freed them from their living death. Joyous cheers went up w
The Road Goes Ever On Chapter 16
Many more years passed as Jason and Daphne wandered distant realms using their gifts to help others. They outwitted tyrants, battled fearsome beasts, and unearthed ancient secrets. Jason's healing hands and sword laid low a thousand evils, while Daphne's sorcery illuminated even the darkest shadows. During a stay in the bustling river city of Kalanth, they uncovered a guild of thieves exploiting the poor folk. By night Daphne and Jason raided the guild's hideouts throughout the city, freeing captives and capturing ringleaders for the authorities. After the climactic rooftop duel atop the guildmaster's mansion, the cult of thieves was scattered for good. A brighter dawn rose over Kalanth. Next, in the fungal-choked underworld of Deepholme, they discovered a young dragon, the last of its kind, being forced into brutal arena combat for gambling patrons. That night, Jason's healing touch nursed the dragon's wounds while Daphne used her illusion magicks to disguise them all as cave forma
The Road Goes Ever On Chapter 17
After months of crossing scorching deserts and storm-lashed seas, Jason and Daphne reached fabled Acadia, a realm isolated from the rest of Phantasma by impassable boundary mountains. The brush-choked landscape showed no signs of human habitation, but the legends insisted a great kingdom awaited discovery somewhere within. On the fifth day, Daphne used a scrying orb and spotted ruins buried beneath vines in a nearby valley. They trekked to the site and found crumbling structures almost swallowed by the jungle after ages of neglect. Following clues and Daphne's divining magicks, they descended into a hidden complex beneath the ruins. In the depths, they entered a massive chamber with a shimmering mirror-like gate sealing off the far end. Strange energies pulsed from the gate, hinting at a portal to someplace or somewhen else entirely. Was this the legendary kingdom's location? Daphne deciphered the runes along the gate's frame. "It's locked...but these glyphs indicate four relics ar
The Road Goes Ever On Chapter 18
Passing through a remote village on their long road home, Jason and Daphne learned of a deadly plague that had struck without warning, leaving the inhabitants weak and bedridden. This seemed no normal illness. They went to the village healer's hut to offer their assistance. But the healer only glared suspiciously when they entered. "You must leave immediately!" she declared. "By law of the baron, no magic wielders are allowed here." Puzzled, Jason and Daphne pressed for answers. The healer explained that the nearby Lord Ashthorn had banned magic and its practitioners from his lands after his own daughter, born with talent for sorcery, had fallen prey to dark powers and fled rather than face punishment. In his grief, the baron had blamed all magic for corrupting his child. Daphne attempted to reason with the healer, saying their gifts could help end the plague. But the healer refused to defy the baron's edict, saying only true prayer could deliver the village now. That night, Jason
The Road Goes Ever On Chapter 19
On a remote island, Jason and Daphne found a village held in thrall by a hag coven. The crones controlled the islanders by magically trapping their souls in bizarre spirit cages. After scouting the coven's twisted tree temple, Daphne cast a risky spell to project her consciousness inward so she could find the captive souls. Meanwhile Jason stood guard over her body, fending off patrolling hag sentries. Within the dark temple, Daphne's spirit followed faint cries of anguish to a grove of ghostly spirit cages hanging from the trees. Studying the arcane locks, she thought she could unseal them. But freeing one soul caused alarming psychic ripples. She would have to work swiftly. Back outside, Jason grew weary battling more hags arriving to stop the intrusion. He hacked down a couple crones, but a hurled hex blotted out his vision. The blinded hero could only flail desperately as the screeching hags moved in for the kill. At that instant, Daphne's consciousness emerged from the templ
The Road Goes Ever On Chapter 20
Returning at last to Rockhaven after their years-long odyssey across Phantasma, Jason and Daphne were welcomed as celebrities made good on the promise of adventure. Even Walter, the kindly fisherman who had ferried a confused Jason into town so long ago, tearfully embraced them upon hearing of their exploits. Among the crowds greeting them was Ralph, proprietor of The Gold Fox. "It seems only yesterday you two were sitting in my tavern, eager to explore beyond our little town," the robust innkeeper proclaimed. "Now Jason is a warrior of renown and Daphne a mistress of the elements! But no matter how you've changed, you'll always have a place here." Despite the hospitality, as Jason and Daphne settled back into Rockhaven, both privately felt something lacking. After experiencing so much beyond this rustic town's borders, normal life seemed trivial and dull. They yearned for purpose. Fortune soon provided. One night, Ralph burst into The Gold Fox with an urgent summons: "To the sout
The Road Goes Ever On Chapter 21
Venturing east through forests and meadows, Jason and Daphne came across increasing numbers of refugees fleeing some ominous threat. Questioning the bedraggled travelers revealed they came from a mining town called Stonevale now haunted by a "dark terror" lurking in the depths that killed those bold enough to investigate.Intrigued, the heroes altered course toward embattled Stonevale. They reached the remote town and found it half deserted and many buildings damaged by quakes. Only guards and a few stubborn souls remained. The captain of the watch confirmed they were plagued by unknown terrors from the mines that caused tremors and snatched away explorers.Jason and Daphne descended into the cavernous mines with magical illumination. The distant echo of falling rocks and eerie shrieks set their nerves on edge. In a deep chasm, they came upon several human corpses...and were then confronted by their killer! A hulking insectoid horror with four scything arms.Jason's sword barely fazed