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Spellhold Studios' Fiction Contest Details and Submissions


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#1 Kellen

Kellen

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Posted 31 December 2007 - 04:17 PM

Welcome to the Fantasy and Science Fiction Fiction Contest!

What would be a better way to start the new year 2008 than with a dual-contest to get the creative juices going! By saying dual-contest, I really mean that we have two contests running at the same time - Ilmatar has opened a similar one in the Layers of Reality. You are of course welcome to join either or both of the contests, as long as you read the following rules carefully!

There is a catch however - both contests have a theme that all entries should follow: Team Spirit! Think about it - what is Team Spirit, how could you depict or describe it? In what situations does it occur, what would lead into feeling strong Team Spirit? Get immersed, use your imagination and creativity, and remember that humor is not by any means forbidden. ;)

Time table

1st January
The contests open, time for entering begins!
31st January
Time for entering closes - this is the last day to submit your entries!
1st February
Voting by polls begins!
15th February
Voting polls close!
16th February
Winners are announced!

Rules
  • The theme of the contest is Team Spirit, and all entries should follow it.
  • Must be new and original piece of fiction.
  • Can be general fantasy or science fiction, but can be also fanfiction.
  • If the entry is fanfiction, it must be of any fandoms represented in Spellhold Studios - Baldur's Gate, Oblivion or Neverwinter Nights. This is to help judging - if you choose a fandom that is more or less unknown, we might not understand everything represented in the story, and thus not appreciate it as much as those who know the fandom.
  • Maximum lenght of story 31 500 letters (including spacebar) - around 7 pages in Word, depending on font and size.
  • You can submit only one story to save the eyes and brains of others who are reading, judging and voting. Put everything you have in your entry story!
  • Submitting will be done anonymously - do not post them yourself, but send them to Kellen via PM. He will post your story to the separate entry thread.
  • If you recognize or otherwise know the author of some of the entries, do not reveal this to others. Posts that reveal the authors' identities will be deleted or edited without asking. Anonymity is important for the sake of being as unbiased as possible. The identities of the authors will be announced on 16th February when the winners are announced.
  • You must be registered to Spellhold Studios to participate (and vote).
Judging will be done with a poll, and everyone registered to Spellhold Studios can vote. Voting time will be 2 weeks, from 1st February to 15th February. Winners will be announced on 16th February. There will be 1-3 winners depending on how many participants the contest gathers.

Prizes

In addition to fame, glory and admiration, the winners will get an illustration based on the winning story. The winner chooses the artist from a list of our talented volunteers, and the chosen one will get to work and create an illustration for you, based on your story.

The winner holding first place will get to choose first from the list, the second chooses second, and so on.

Here is the list of the artists:
  • Ilmatar
  • whatbrick
  • SpAE
  • Orthodoxia
  • Galsic
If you have questions or comments about the contest, pleace state them in this thread! A separate one will be opened for the contest entries. Remember - do not post your entries yourself but send them to Kellen. Do not reveal the authors, either, but you can still comment, discuss and analyse the stories freely. Have fun, and get to writing!

Edited by Ilmatar, 15 January 2008 - 11:59 AM.
fixed the artist list because she herself forgot one name. x)

"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#2 Kellen

Kellen

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Posted 31 December 2007 - 04:27 PM

All submissions for the Fiction Contest will be placed in this thread. Remember to pm your submissions to myself. Any questions may be asked in the other thread.

Entries:
The Mightiest Foe Ever by Choo Choo
The Inner Beast by Solar's Harper
Team Spirit by Rianess
A Camaraderie of Errors by Caelellowynn
Shades of Scarlet by Lysan Lurraxol
The Soul of Company by KedorLao (Posted as Everyone Dies Alone, because Kellen misread.)
The Fallen Spirit of the Lost Wanderers by Jarno Mikkola
Incompetent Companions by Decados
Inmates In Arms by K'aeloree
True Bonds by Kellen
Grand Theft Cookies: An epic? Baldur's Gate fanfic in three acts by vilkacis

Edited by Kellen, 15 February 2008 - 06:42 PM.

"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#3 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

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Posted 01 January 2008 - 08:06 AM

A question was brought up about the 31,500 character count.

No you will not be disqualified if you send me an entry that goes over the limit. I will not however post it until it is brought down to 31,500 or less.

You can find a character count in Microsoft Word. Under Tools select Word Count. However to keep things simple and uniform I will be using this one. Please check your count before sending it in; it will make things much easier for me.

Thanks for you cooperation and good luck as you participate in the challenge.
"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#4 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

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Posted 04 January 2008 - 10:42 AM

The Mightiest Foe Ever


"Imoen!" Linjo shouted as the fearsome creature jumped for the neck of her best friend and sister, baring miscoloured, bloodstained teeth as it prepared to rip the younger girl's throat open. Imoen, however, managed to dodge it just barely and hit the ground in her desperate attempt to avoid the attack, tumbling and rolling on the ground, but soon back up on her feet.

When the human was out of its reach, the monster turned its attention to the elf, who completely forgot to put her swords to use, just staring at the foe charging against her. She had never seen the like of the intense bloodlust which shone out of its eyes, and it fascinated her, in a sick, paralyzing way - she couldn't really do anything but stare back, mesmerized, before Imoen hauled her out of the way, dragging her along as they ran for their lives.

"Are ya daft?!" she shouted, finally let go of Linjo and quickly drew her dagger. The elven girl blinked a few times, then remembered herself and unsheathed her swords as the monster ran against them again.

The two sisters looked at each other and shared a knowing look. After so many years together, they could almost read each other's minds, despite the racial and personal differences.

"We'll do this"
"We will."

And they did.

A few seconds later, the ground, their clothes and their blades were stained with blood, their fallen enemy at their feet.
They stared at the creature in dumbstruck surprise and awe, then at each other, then at their unclean weapons.

They had just slain their first gibberling.
"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#5 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

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Posted 05 January 2008 - 08:03 AM

Two more questions were sent in today.

Will participants be allowed to vote? Yes.

Are the participants allowed to vote for other stories but not their own? No. You are allowed to vote for whichever story you honestly think is best.
"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#6 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

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Posted 20 January 2008 - 01:21 PM

The Inner Beast


?You are weak and a fool godchild, surrender to me!?

Fenris shook his head, although he could barely move from injury.

Another poor attempt at a charge, the Deathbringer Sarevok had fought with all his strength but to no avail, the Ravager?s carapace was impenetrable even to the might of their magics. The demon laughed and lunged its wing into the deathbringer, throwing him against the wall of the pocket plane?s final chamber.

?Me axe ain?t done wit? you yet!?

?Annoying gnat!? Without pause the demon lashed it?s right wing into the dwarven warrior, but narrowly missed the greater portion of Korgan?s body, axe in hand, blows were parried. But it seemed the demon also had it?s focus elsewhere... on it?s creator no less.

?You still refuse... Have you even considered the possibility unworthy spawn of Bhaal? What is the life of mere mortals to us?? The demon?s gaze then turned to a drow woman, lying battered and barely clutching her mace and shield.

?Ah! I sense this one is of great importance to you godchild... perhaps even more than your own life? We shall see about that, once the dwarf is out of my way... oh yes, she will suffer like your sister shall.?

?No! I will not allow it!?
?YOU ARE WEAK, GODCHILD! YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS HERE!!?

The woman stared up at the demon, which although still fighting the dwarf, appeared to be leering down on her, either as a meal, or as its new prize. A look of disgust was all the demon would receive from her, Fenris was too far away, and his leg prohibited movement, Edwin would be of no help either.

?Viconia! Get away from it! Quickly!?

Viconia turned her head to meet the distant gaze of her lover, she was too weak to move, and the Ravager held out one of it?s claws, baiting her to say her final words to her loved one. Knowing the will of Shar had no power here; she spat upon the distant demon, although she received the better end of it, cursed gravity.

?Any last words, FEMALE?!?

?Oloth zhah tuth abbil lueth ogglin!?

?An odd choice, it will do your mate nothing, HE WILL LEARN!?

With lightning speed, the Ravager then with a single thrust, its razor sharp claws struck into Viconia, effectively spearing her to the ground.

?NOOOOOO!!!!? Fenris tried to get up but ended up limping back onto the ground once more, and Edwin was still unconscious nearby as a rock fell down and barely missed his right leg.

The Ravager grinned and then kicked the dwarf hacking away relentlessly into it?s hide down to his leader?s position. The armor weighted the dwarf down, and his axe dropped from his hand.

?Blighted... stinking (cough) demon! I?ll... I?ll be dancing thrice over in yer grave ?afore I piss on it, mark me bloody (cough! cough!) words!?

Fenris?s world began to fade into darkness; he heard the Ravager?s voice still inside his mind, and the voices of Imoen, Viconia and the others as well. The voices of Gorion and many of his previous companions also filled his mind ? but among the distorted voices, Viconia?s came crystal clear.

?Oloth zhah tuth abbil lueth ogglin. Darkness is both friend and enemy, Fenris. Do not let me down.?
?Viconia... I cannot go on...?
?You can powerful one, with my strength.?

~***~


His sight returned, Sarevok still refused to surrender; Edwin had awoken and wasted no time in unleashing his magics on the Ravager once more. As for Imoen, she was in bad condition, however her aim with arrows still proved to be up to the mark. The Ravager triggered a quake that knocked everyone but itself back onto the ground.

Viconia?s body made one last twitch, before all life faded from her... Enraged by his loss, the Bhaalspawn Fenris immediately grabbed the Axe of the Unyielding from Korgan, and ignoring his injuries and pain, charged towards the Ravager.

?FOOL! YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME! DIE AS YOU SHOULD!?

The Ravager reached out with its long arms, trying to claw Fenris, but each blow made was narrowly dodged, causing the demon to back into a corner.

In a last ditch effort; the Ravager shielded itself with its wings, but to no avail. Not only did its right hand become severed, but also the wings were breached and the axe buried deep within the creature?s infernal heart.

Within moments upon realising it, the demon wailed in agonising pain and its wings went ablaze, its severed hand disintegrating into ash. Collapsing upon a slope of rock, the Bhaalspawn climbed the demon?s body, pulling out the axe.

Fenris locked his eyes with the demon, or rather his own... as the creature?s eyes showed nothing but a pure image of the Bhaalspawn?s truer demonic form, beyond that of the Slayer.

?FINISH IT! AVENGE YOUR LOSS! SUBMIT TO THE HATE! CALL ON THE INFERNAL RAGE THAT IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT! THE MURDEROUS SPIRIT THAT FUELS YOUR VIENS WITH LIFE!?

?You are a fool. I will kill you; because I know what price I must pay... know that although I command you, I will never call upon you. You are nothing to me!?

Without any other words, Fenris plunged the axe once more into the open wound, the shrieking cry of the demon?s final gasp was chilling... but no sooner was the beast dead, that a mist began to surge around Fenris, an unholy aura of the taint?s power.

There were no words spoken, Imoen kneeled down by the body of the fallen drow priestess while Sarevok stared at his brother, the dwarf and Thayvian were too busy sorting themselves out to notice anything else. The taint engulfed Fenris, and an hushed whisper was heard, but even more indecipherable than the ancient tongues used by wizards reading the most ancient of scrolls.

~***~


?YOU ARE WORTHY OF THIS FINAL GIFT! ACCEPT IT!?
?My abilities are my own. But if I must pay this price, then I will do it for the right reasons.?
?YOU ARE NOTHING LIKE OUR SIRE! YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO--?
?I WILL DECIDE WHAT I HAVE THE RIGHT TO! The end is nigh, and I refuse to be controlled by you. You WILL obey ME.?

The mist was silent for a time. But then in an unlikely gesture it seeped into the drow priestess?s body, restoring her life as Imoen immediately took hold of her. The red mist then turned to it?s new found master, no longer capable of controlling him, but rather being the one forced to obey. However, it was never that simple.

?YOUR LOVED ONE SHALL LIVE, LORD OF MURDER. AS FUTILE AS IT IS.?
?Then get on with it.?
?YOU DEMANDED A BOON IN DIRECT DEFIANCE OF YOUR SIRE?S REALM. FOR THIS, YOUR SIGHT IS NO LONGER YOURS. YOU WERE MADE AS YOU ARE, AND YOU CAN BE UNMADE.?

The mist evaporated and the world went into darkness.
The price was paid this time, and the taint no longer possessed a control like it once did, although it was now clear that the price of defying Bhaal?s gift would be irreversible.

?Fenris? Fenris!?

Viconia?s voice rang in his ears, clearly of concern, Imoen?s followed in a slightly more hushed tone. To them, his eyes were now obsidian black. To him... he would never know.

?The price of beating my inner beast... I was made as I am, and I can be unmade. But darkness is both friend and enemy.?

?This was unwise of you, Fenris. If you... if I had not got myself killed I--?
?No more words. Let?s just see this through, my sight is veiled forever, but our enemy is still out there, waiting.?

This was true... the Ravager was but the last step in defeating the inner self, and now that the price has been made ? the pinnacle of the prophecy is nigh.

~*********~


"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#7 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

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Posted 20 January 2008 - 01:38 PM

__________________________________________________________________


Team Spirit



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


?Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.?

Aristotle


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Once upon a time, in a land far, far away...


?Fiend, you will return from whence you came before I live to see you raise a new hellspawn flock behind your banner of murder!?

Zane glanced at Aerie and rolled his eyes. She nodded back at him and then shook her head at the two warriors arguing a few paces ahead of them.

?Not again! Can?t they leave each other alone for five minutes?? She demanded quietly and Zane laughed softly in return. He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple and pulled her a little closer.

?They don?t seem able to. Perhaps it?s a bizarre courtship ritual known only to themselves.? He replied. Aerie snorted and then giggled, smacking him on the arm. Exactly what he was being reprimanded for was beyond Zane, but he thought it best to grin and bear it, lest she decide she really wanted to make him suffer.

?Growl at me again, Helmite, and you will squeal all the way to the grave!?

Zane sighed as his so-called brother shouted at Anomen. Things were stressful enough lately, without their daily fights, not mention all the times they had nearly come to blows. Once or twice it had been necessary for him to physically separate them, and if things carried on as they were, he would have to seriously consider asking one of them to leave.

He really didn't want to be left with no other option, but there was more than himself to consider and if they pushed things too far... well. It was not something he wanted to have to do, especially with the way the world was currently, it would be dangerous for anyone to be on their own. Though, if he was honest with himself, he couldn?t quite find it in him to worry for Sarevok in any significant fashion.

Sudden silence from the front of the group, which had been preceded by a loud, rather solid sounding thunk, drew his attention away from his dark pondering and back to his two circling hedgehogs. Though, thinking about it now, it wasn't a very apt comparison. Sure, they were both prickly enough, but where Sarevok was concerned, it wasn't so much that he was prickly, no. He was just more of a ?

?WHAT the ??

At the sound of the confused exclamation, Zane exchanged glances with his bride to be, and made his way forward to find out what all commotion was. When he got there, he discovered the portal they usually travelled through in order to leave his Pocket Plane was sealed. The sound they had heard was Sarevok?s helmet connecting with said barrier. Zane wondered privately if this would serve to knock some sense into him, and then realised suddenly that it wouldn't. Probably nothing ever would.

If Hell itself couldn't make Sarevok amiable, or at least agree to insincere civility and a cessation of overt hostility, then blunt force trauma was unlikely to even give him a headache.

?Imoen, come and look at this!? He called, and his sister joined him with a curious light in her eyes. She reached forward tentatively and pressed her hands against the blackness, not quite sure what she would find. She almost looked a tad suspicious, as if she would fall forwards flat on her face. Zane wasn't sure if he was disappointed in himself for not thinking of that earlier.

?See, it?s blocked or something. We can?t get through.? He told her, fear rising slowly in his chest.

?Yes ? I ? it?s sealed up tight. It feels magical." She frowned and cursed under her breath. "Oh, don?t say it, Zane! Don?t tell me we?re stuck here. Have you tried using a spell, like the one that brings us here?? Imoen asked and he shook his head.

?No, I?ll try that now ??

He didn?t get a chance however, as a familiar voice interrupted him.

?That is not going to be working, oh Great One! Cespenar has blocked it, see?? Declared the imp who claimed to be his butler.

?Cespenar!? Shouted quite a few people in accusatory voices.

For his part, Zane felt rather resigned; clearly the butler had something up his non-existent sleeves. And he was as implacable and unmovable as a glacier when he wanted to be. In point of fact, the little guy had been something of a menace since the day he?d arrived. But at the same time, he was very helpful, and, if Zane was honest with himself, he thought he was cute. Like an odd looking puppy.

This latest development, however, had him firmly back into the menace category. And, unfortunately, Zane felt that infernal Bhaalspawn temper of his begin to kick in...

?Cespenar ? you had better explain right now! What in the Nine Hells possessed you to lock us all up in here? Don't you realise how dangerous this could be? Aerie is due any day now, and I will not have our child born in the Abyss if I can help it! The first thing he sees is not going to be a sodding demon, you get me?? He thundered, seriously worried for his love and their unborn child. A gentle hand on his arm brought him down from his towering rage.

?Hey now Zane, there?s no need to be nasty to the little guy ? though I do appreciate the sentiment and everything?? Aerie trailed off as she realised he did have quite the reason to berate the little pest.

?Cespenar is not liking the shouting! Sick of it he is! So Cespenar decide he needs to fix it! Oh yes!? The imp cavorted around the plane a little before coming back to hover in front of the party.

He was met with blank faces. One might suppose they were blank because they were still in shock. In such a case, one might be correct. Shock only lasts so long, for however, and in a few seconds the incredulity stepped in to take its place.

?You decided what? You wretched imp! Why I ought to?? Sarevok didn?t get far with his threats, as words failed him. His face was rapidly turning an unattractive shade of puce, and it seemed all he could do to shake fist and splutter unintelligibly.

?Cespenar is finding a book! Lots of pretty pictures! It found its way into the Abyss. Cespenar is not knowing how? uuuuhhh, anyway, Cespenar is reading it!?

Sarevok was now stomping around in an incoherent rage, and Zane was beginning to worry for his brother?s health. He looked like he could collapse with a hear attack at any moment. Shame. No really, shame. He turned to regard his other companions, to see if any of them were trying to fume their way into an early grave.

Anomen was still looking blank, having not taken the step in to outraged disbelief yet. Minsc was sitting on the ground with Boo, who was running over the ranger?s hands, and Aerie had conjured herself a stool to perch on. She seemed quite content to let things play out, or perhaps she was merely happy just to get the weight off her feet. Who knew?

Imoen, however, seemed to find something vastly amusing in the whole business, and she smiled at Zane?s diminutive butler-demon. Or should that be demon-butler?

?What book did you find, Cespenar? And was it a good read?? She asked.

?Oh yes! Cespenar is reading it left to right, upside-down and even sideways, he is! Cespenar is finding, ?Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers: 50 Exercises That Get Results in Just 15 Minutes?. Cespenar is thinking it will a great help for getting party to work as a team, so Cespenar has arranged a team building day for yous.? He said, nodding gleefully and tugging on one of his ears.

?Oh sweet Sune!? Cursed Zane, slumping on the ground at Aerie?s feet as he realised the implications of that last statement. Perhaps his dearest love would let him hide under her robes. Or perhaps he should keep that idea to himself, while he still had his health...

This day just couldn?t get any worse.


~*~



?That?s not straight, you know.?

Anomen cursed far more than priest should even know how to, at Sarevok?s loathsome interruption.

He had spent the last two hours painstakingly sanding down the area he wished to paper, and now that he had finally hung his first piece, that glowy-eyed blister on the face of humanity just had to come and disturb him at the crucial moment.

He silently counted to ten and continued with his task, but it was in vain. Because of that wretched fool he had an air bubble. And not just a little one. Not one he could just brush away, nooo? it was the Queen Mother of all air bubbles.

He sighed in consternation. There was nothing for it, he had to rip the whole lot down and start again.

Curse that demon-spawned, pus-filled boil on an orc's bottom!


~*~


Minsc looked up from where he was slathering what must have been his thirteenth sheet of wallpaper at the pasting table near his station, and shook his head at the crazy Helmite. The frazzled priest was obviously having an episode of some kind, and Minsc wondered if he should perhaps purchase a hamster for him.

The poor man obviously needed a steadying influence in his life, like Boo was for him.

Whistling a happy tune, Minsc hung the paper on the wall expertly ? after all, he and his father had helped to decorate the Icedragon Berserker Lodge ? and began planning on how he would tackle the big nose of the statue Zane was sanding down on the other side of the room. Though, if he carried on the way he was, there wouldn?t be much of a nose left when he was finished.

Perhaps Zane needed a hamster too?


~*~



At the sound of ripping paper, a not uncommon sound in the last few hours sadly, Zane looked over to where Anomen appeared to be having a nervous breakdown.

?He?s taking this way too seriously.? Imoen said from his left.

?Don?t I know it! Please tell me again why we are doing this? No, don?t answer that, it was rhetorical. I know why we?re doing this, in theory at least. But what in the whole of the Abyss persuaded Cespenar that wallpapering the challenge rooms, no less, would be a good way to give us all a dose of team spirit? Anomen for one is behaving as if this is his life?s most critical work. I don?t dare to imagine what Helm thinks of it.?

Zane sighed as he refolded his sanding paper and started attacking a particularly rough spot on the face of the statue he and Imoen were working on. He almost expected the statue to start complaining at his vehemence. This place did give him the creeps at times. And what did that make him? This plane was, by all accounts, created by his own imagination.

He was obviously a very bizarre and twisted person on the inside? who wouldn?t be, having grown up with Imoen for company? Heh. He didn?t share this opinion with her mind you; he wasn?t stupid, after all.

?He needs to get himself a girl.? Imoen said, glancing over at Anomen, who was currently sorting through the sheets of wallpaper provided, apparently looking for the perfect piece. What his standards were and just what constituted the perfect sheet of wallpaper to decorate a hell dimension in Anomen's opinion, was one of those things that Zane filed under, 'Things I never want to know?.


?Who, Helm? Are you volunteering then, Imoen?? He asked innocently and she smacked him on the arm, with a tad more force than necessary. ?Hey! That hurt ? I might get a bruise, you beast!? He protested, though with amusement in his eyes.

?Big sissy.? She sniffed.

?Short stuff.? He returned. It occurred to Zane that he really ought to spend some time thinking about his comebacks. Imoen always got the better of him. Thinking about it now, he dreaded what kind of influence she would be on his son or daughter. That thought, in its turn, sparked another, and not being able to help himself for worrying about his pregnant fiancé, Zane looked over to where she was sitting with Cespenar.

When Cespenar had told them what he had in mind, there had been no end of complaints. The little guy was not to be gainsaid however, and put his tiny foot down. This had made no difference, until he began chasing Sarevok round the room, and shooting jets of fire at his unprotected posterior.

Imoen had commented that the man might not had gotten singed so often if he had not presented the imp with such a large target. In the end, they capitulated when it became clear they would not be getting out of here until the wretched creature had the empty challenge room wallpapered to his peculiar tastes.

Zane had put his larger foot down, though not on Cespenar ? despite the temptation, and told him in no uncertain terms that Aerie would not be participating.

Clearly knowing how to choose his battles, and who wouldn?t after serving Bhaal for countless millennia, he agreed it was no place for a pregnant elf, and the two of them had got Cespenar?s sewing box out and were at this moment darning socks. He didn?t know whose socks and frankly wasn?t sure he wanted to. There were a lot of things that he was sure he was better off not knowing.

As he was watching her, he saw her try and lean over to retrieve something out of the box, but with her current girth she couldn?t quite manage the feat. Just as he was about to go over and assist her, Sarevok breezed by.

?You want to cut down on the pies, broken bird. You?ll never get back in the air if you keep piling on the lard, you know.? He said, in a much milder tone than was his norm. He did it on purpose, of course. Sarevok might bellow like a belligerent bulldog at times, but he really knew how to push a person?s buttons. That casual, off-hand remark would bother Aerie a lot more than him shouting would have.

The man really had no sense of his own mortality, or when it was in peril. If he did, several alarm bells should have been going off right now.

?Say, since I brought our dearest brother back to life with a piece of my soul, does it mean I get to kill him guilt free the second time?? Zane wondered aloud to Imoen.

?Say what? Hang on, what did he say to Aerie? She looks madder than a wet hen!? She declared in alarm.

?He called her fat. Well, not directly, but in so many words, most of which were very insulting.? Zane replied calmly, and then frowned and putting down the sand paper. He dusted off his hands, and crossed his arms. Leaning back against the wall, he waited for the inevitable explosion.

?Aren?t you going to go over and defend her?? Imoen protested.

?Nope, she can take care of herself. Really, for someone who counts himself wise in the way of the world, he really can be an oblivious ass at times. Everyone knows it?s catastrophically moronic to tell a pregnant person they look fat. They?re emotionally charged, delayed fireballs. You just sit back and enjoy the show ? she isn?t going to let him get away with that.? He replied, not at all worried.

And true enough, Aerie didn?t let him even consider the mere possibility of getting away with it.

Once the bruises had gone down, and Sarevok had managed to reattach his lips - and make them stick, he suggested they take the final leap and confront their father's former priestess. It was a good idea in theory, but since his feet had ended up somewhere near Baator, they had to wait for Cespenar to return with them. Anomen spent the rest of that time hanging his second piece of wall paper. His hair was standing on end as if he'd been hit with chain lightening. Zane was hoping that some extended rest and relaxation would bring the poor fellow back from the brink.

It was touch and go, however.


~*~



And so we come to the end of our tale.

Due to their team-building exercise, it came to be that when the party stormed Chateau Melissan, the former Deathstalker was a tad confused as to why Sarevok, whom she had planned to woo over to her side, was sporting puce striped skin, along with armour decorated in a nasty paisley pattern.

Just when she thought things could not get any stranger, he turned around and revealed his back was covered in a mix of green and purple tartan. Before she had time to react to such a sight, and her gut instinct was well ? it was a gut reaction that?s for sure ? she was assaulted by a barrage of flying paint brushes, rollers, lining paper, carpet protectors and woodchip from a very disturbed looking priest, who kept shrieking, ?The bubbles! The bubbles!?

Melissan was so disturbed by the assorted missiles and vomit-worthy patterns which were making their incursion into her perfect green and glowing world, that she ran headfirst into the pits with a long wail of despair.

Watching her long fall with an impassive look in his eyes, Sarevok turned to face his brother. Indicating the heavily armoured woman?s descent into the depths, he raised a sardonic brow and observed:

?Clearly not a DIY fan.?


~*~



It wasn?t quite what Cespenar had planned, but at least he now had a nice, bright and cheerful room in which to read his new book, ?A Modern Imp's Guide to Dynamic Dating: How to Play and Win the Game of Love?.
"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#8 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

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Posted 20 January 2008 - 01:40 PM

A Camaraderie of Errors

The group was a disaster. Endolwynn, ward of Gorion, resented them, resented being here, and resented this swamp. It had all seemed like such a grand idea a week ago. Be the hero of Trademeet! Adoration his to do with as he pleased. And to think I had actually heard trumpets Endolwynn thought to himself with no little amount of shame.

That they were lost was news to no one. If there had still been a question in anyone's mind, last night had cleared that up. Jaheira had been the first to figure it out, and the hardest hit. She was after all a druid on her way to a druid's grove. Endolwynn couldn't help but give a short laugh at the thought. Jaheira's always had been a big ego. Never a question on what to do next. And never wrong.

Well, Endolwynn mused, when you could just chalk it up to keeping the balance it was hard to go wrong. Thinking back again to last night, balance had been the last thing on Jaheira's mind. Smashing the log into tiny little bits, the log that had been part of their first night's camp, now that definitely had been on her mind. It was perhaps the first time in days that the griping had stopped. Mostly due to the fact everyone was staring in fascination at a madwoman. The Harper trouble was getting the better of her.

Later, it would occur to the rest of the group that they had been going in circles. Oddly, Viconia's mood actually improved for a bit right after that, Drow find the oddest things funny. Aerie, bless her heart, still walked around saying "Oh my!" and irritating just about everyone with the whining about her wings. Valygar had actually walked up to the group earlier today, back from scouting, and tossed a dead bird at her saying, "Here. Use these," and then walked right back into the swamp.

Endolwynn sighed, and then there was Anomen. So bright and talkative and happy and just so bloody killable sometimes. His teeth ground at the thought. And then, there was Anomen, who was now as dirty and grumpy as the rest and as close to fitting in with the group as he had ever been. Of course, waking up the third morning out, to find he had been trussed up like a pig and gagged probably had helped. No one admitted to it of course, but that was likely because it had been a group effort and there was no one person to blame. Otherwise the fingers would have been flying.

Still, there had been the obligatory search for enemies and attempts to find out whose watch it had been or what the supposed assailants were after. Anomen had wondered aloud as to why he had been the only one tied up, at which point meek little Aerie impressed the rest of the group by speaking up with, "I bet it was because they thought you were the biggest danger!" Everyone loudly agreed, missing her quietly add, "to the group".

Yes, the group was a disaster. Wingless Elves, Emotionally Stunted Half-Elves, Incomprehensible Drow, Moody Rangers, Knights of the How Shiny am I, and yet for seven days they had managed not to get killed by all the trolls, spiders, and ettercaps they had come upon. But perhaps more impressive was that they had managed not to kill each other. For some reason Endolwynn found himself feeling better at this thought.

The smell of food brought him out of his musings and over to the fire around which everyone sat. Viconia handed him a spit of mystery meat flavored with the secret ingredient all good campfire cooks have on hand, starvation.

"You were over there a long time," Jaheira said in her charming way that meant "Speak!". "Well let me tell you what I was just thinking," Endolwynn replied, and proceeded to relate his thoughts about the last week. One by one they each started to add their own accounts to his and laughter began to make itself known around the fire. Slowly, but with building momentum, the tension eased out of the group and smiles began to appear on faces which accepted them gratefully. Of course some smiles are best described as smirks but even that can be a road in the right direction.

The time passed quickly for these budding companions helped along by the newfound affection until someone made the mistake of forgetting that some things are better left unsaid, at which point all hell broke loose around the campfire. Endolwynn, having seen this coming, used his potion of invisibility, quietly removing himself to the edge of camp and looked on at the newly created chaos. They really should not have told Anomen, he chuckled, then surprised himself with his next thought. This feels a lot like family, and that's not such a bad thing.

Endolwynn smiled. And then proceeded to launch himself into the middle of his newfound family.
"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#9 Ilmatar

Ilmatar

    is not here anymore.

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  • 2172 posts

Posted 30 January 2008 - 01:41 PM

Shades Of Scarlet

The dead man grinned at Scarlet as she passed, rotted lips curling up in a grim parody of a smile. She could barely suppress a shudder, even knowing what he was. Drey didn't seem to notice, for he walked straight past. Scarlet had no choice but to follow him upward to the Palace.

The marquis was waiting for them in a little sidechamber off the Welcoming hall. Eleanor and Seb must have already assumed their positions. He raised an eyebrow when he saw them. "Where's the other one?" he asked. "Connor?" Scarlet replied, and shrugged, "I think he's bailed, too scared to go through with this.? The Marquis frowned. "I'll have someone find him. Too dangerous to leave him, he knows our plans." You won't find him though, not yet. "I trust you know what to do?" Scarlet nodded Of course we do, you fat pompous fool. "Good". He nodded and left. And now the game begins.

It occurred to Scarlet that now was not the best time to confuse the two glasses of wine. She wasn't sure how long the illusion would last, the Royal Steward had been glancing in her direction suspiciously, and Sebastian's magic was unreliable at best. Damn. Deciding it was now or never, Scarlet reached into her bodice for the velvice poison, and sprinkled the powdered plant into both glasses. That way, their Majesties were guaranteed to drink the poison. Hopefully.Oh no. Shit. The fine Meridian wine was changing colour, from rich red, to a crimson-purple. Panicking, Scarlet scanned the table, and noticed- Yes, the doilies! Quickly, she grabbed the pieces of cloth and draped them over the glasses. "Excuse me, what are you doing?" Thank the gods. The disguise was still working. She turned and smiled at the Steward. "I was just putting the finishing touches to the Royal beverages, sir, as per the orders"
"Orders?" Damn. Who's in charge here? "The Marquis Du Maris" Scarlet said, reaching out wildly for a name. "Yes, he wants the wine to be a surprise to the Royal Couple. So it's to be hidden until their Graces are ready. It's a rare vintage, sir" "I know that. Why was I not informed of these 'orders'?"
"The Marquis mustn't have wanted to trouble you sir." Damn right, the Marquis had given strict orders too stay away from the Steward, to allow the assassination to run as smoothly as possible. The Steward raised an eyebrow. "I shall go and speak to him. Just to make sure. Stay here. I'm sure I can find a covering more presentable" With that, he strode off into the crowd of party goers. Scarlet allowed herself a sigh of relief. Her job was over. Now she just had to stay out of sight until her illusion wore off, otherwise she may have to answer some rather awkward questions.

An hour later, she slipped back into the main hall, confident she would not be approached by any of the guards, a woman dressed as she was, in fine crimson cloth, must have been invited to the Royal Reception. Scarlet found sheer bloody arrogance worked nine times out of ten. She scanned the crowds and found Sebastian. She scarce recognized him, powdered, and richly dressed, feathers in his hair. Judging from his pose, his seduction of the Crown Prince was going well, the young prince certainly looked interested. The Marquis had requested the Prince be drugged, by any means necessary. He had to be alive, but unable to interfere. Seb was to bed him, and request the Prince take the drug to heighten their pleasure.
Scarlet's eye was caught by the huge chandelier, a magnificent gilded monster, looming over the party. She knew Drey was waiting in the shadows for his moment.
She could hear Eleanor singing to the accompaniment of the royal orchestra. She went over the plan again, just to be sure. When the Royal Couple took their glasses, and raised the poisoned wine to their lips, Eleanor would stop singing, scream and collapse. This was Drey's cue to cut the ropes tethering the chandelier, which would crash down onto the throngs below. The distraction would mask the deaths of the monarchs, and it would be assumed they had been killed in the accident. The Marquis would ensure there was no inquest.
The Crown Price would be proclaimed King, and the Marquis would be his regent for at least a year. The Marquis had ensured them that they would be rewarded well, and all evidence of their involvement would be destroyed. The chandelier would be so badly damaged that none would be able to tell it were not an accident.
The plan seemed so perfect, and so easy. Too easy.
Scarlet had ensured a fast coach was awaiting them outside. A very fast coach.

Laughter interrupted her thoughts. Seb was leading the prince away from the crowds. Seb winked at her as he passed, before disappearing into the antechamber she'd just come from, prince in eager tow.
Not long now.
The clock read almost midnight. The moon would soon be at its highest, and the Queen and Prince Consort would take their glasses. And then it would begin.
Eleanor was building up to a crescendo, her voice rising higher and higher, the orchestra rose with her, the pounding of the drums drowning out all conversation in the hall. Nothing for it but to wait.
Scarlet found her hands clenching. This is too easy. Worryingly easy. But, we're in far too deep now. Think of the reward. We'll be rich enough to pay our debt to the Guild, and end our contracts. We'll have to do it by proxy. Even with the Marquis' protection, Lisadore'll be far too dangerous for us. Still, freedom, even in exile, will be worth the risk. A silence, louder than the cacophony preceding it, disturbed her thoughts. She must not be lax now. Not so close to the finish.
The dancing had stopped. A clear path had formed between the royals and the wine table. The Royal Steward strode as fast as dignity and his girth would allow him to the glasses. Scarlet noticed a beautiful cloth had been draped over the wine, in place of her own hastily thrown doilies. With a ridiculously elaborate gesture the Steward unveiled the Royal beverages. And stopped.
Oh shit.
The damage was worse than she'd remembered, the previous reddy-purply mess had changed into a vivid violet. The steward blinked, and turned his head. Scarlet followed his gaze. He was looking straight at the Marquis, and, almost imperceptibly, the Marquis nodded.
That's not part of the plan. The Steward shouldn't know anything. Worried, Scarlet began to push through the crowds, making for the stage Eleanor stood on. She could see Sebastian re-entering the hall, hair ruffled and clothes askew, he looked confused, and scared? This is not good. The Marquis should've told us who was involved.
Seb motioned to her. The slight glow around him told her he had placed wards around himself. Prudent. They wouldn't be heard. She shoved her way through the throngs of people; all watching the royal couple give thanks.
"I saw the wine." Seb said, he sounded frightened "Why hasn't anyone said anything. Surely-"
Scarlet cut him off "I'm afraid the Marquis appears to have taken matters into his own hands. The Steward appears to have been bought"
"Why weren?t we told? Any changes in plan, he told us he'd keep us informed. If we'd said something to the wrong-"
"I know. I'm not happy either. But we can't go back. Look, they're going to the cups."

Indeed they were, Scarlet watched, heart pounding, echoed by the slow beat of the drums, as the Queen and the Prince Consort made their way to the table. Eleanor carried on singing, voice rising as the couple neared their intended, and final destination.
Seb clutched her hand. "This'll work. It has to."
The drums quickened, and Eleanor's voice dramatically rose an octave, and the Steward bowed, and presented the goblets.
The Queen frowned and said something to the Steward. He looked worried for but a moment, before saying something, again, inaudible to Scarlet. the Queen nodded, and, together with her consort, raised the glass to her lips, and drank.
The assembled guests burst into applause, and the cymbals clashed their approval.
And then there was a scream. High pitched, and terrible. The audience turned as one to see Eleanor tumble from the stage, clutching her chest.
Deftly done, Eleanor. The Queen dropped her glass, but it was far, far too late. Courtiers rushed to the singer's side, fanning her frantically. Scarlet heard cries for water.
"And now Drey" Seb whispered to her. Scarlet nodded, and turned her eyes upwards to the swaying chandelier.
And they waited. Nothing came. The pendulous swinging continued above the room. Seb looked at her, terrified. He's late, that's all, he must be drowsy or, or-
Scarlet saw Eleanor open her eyes, and scream again, louder. Drey had to hear that. But he didn't. Nothing continued to happen. Oh no, please, no.
And then it happened. At the right time, but in the wrong way. The Queen clutched at her throat, and began to cough. Her paramour bent over, and retched.
The attention turned from the singer to the ailing monarchs.
The Queen opened her mouth, and blood poured out, Scarlet couldn't help but think how much the crimson liquid resembled the colour of her dress. The crowd began to scream, as the Prince Consort keeled over, and the Queen went to her knees.
Too late now. Too late. How?
Scarlet turned her attention to the Marquis, now kneeling at the felled Queen's side. What is he doing? Where's Drey? How did this happen?
The Queen shuddered, and lay still. A collective wail arose from the guests. The Prince Consort too fell to Death's grasp, in a wave of blood and urine.
The Marquis stood, and waved a hand for silence. The crowd, terrified, obeyed.
"Guards." He called "Lock the doors to the hall. The Queen has been most foully murdered. I feel her killers are still amongst us, even now."
Scarlet started with shock as she realized he was looking right at her. "Even now" he repeated.

"Be calm, I beg of you good people. It is a tragedy that has befallen us this night. But we must remain strong for our beloved Prince who will need us, now more than ever." The Marquis continued. The screams of the crowd ceased. "Now, we must-"
Scarlet stopped listening. She turned to Seb, "What do we do?" she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
"I don't know" he replied. Scarlet rolled her eyes. Wonderful. Just bloody wonderful. She watched Eleanor fight her way through the crowds to them. Her knights in shining armour were watching the Marquis, too distracted to pay attention to her.
"What in the void just happened?" She hissed. "Wait, don't answer yet. Can we be heard? Are wards in place?" Ever pragmatic. Seb nodded vaguely. "Good. Where's Drey? Why didn't the chandelier fall?".
"I don't know. If I did, do you think I'd be standing here and not-" No. I mustn't get angry, not now, we must stay together. "The Marquis' betrayed us." She raked a hand through her hair. "Gods. Why didn't we foresee this. It was all too bloody good to be true." She groaned. "He won't move against us, not yet, he needs to secure his position with the nobles. He's got the place sealed off. We're trapped and he knows it. We have to find Drey, and we have to hide or run."
"Do we have much time?" Eleanor asked.
"I don't know. He can't just accuse us. It'd rather ruin his good reputation with the nobles if he starts behaving like a manic tyrant. I'd say we have an hour, maybe more before he sends his men after us. I think we'll have to slip out now, before he can give the guards any orders to keep us here."
"Do you really think we'll be allowed to leave this hall anyway, after what's just happened?" Eleanor said.
"I think I can convince one of the guards." Seb spoke up, Scarlet turned to look at him. "How?"
"There was one guard who watched the Prince take me up to bed. If I convince him I'm under orders to bring the Prince down-"
"Too risky" Scarlet said "How would you explain my and Eleanor's presence?"
"Can you think of another way to get to the upper chambers?" Seb asked. "I have to find Drey". Eleanor was watching her, she knew. But she didn?t feel anger at Seb. He loved Drey, even if it was an unreturned love. And she was worried for her lover too. How strange the way in which envy can bond us. She raised her head to meet Seb's eye. "As do I" she said. "Shall we?"

Finding the guard was not difficult. He was still posted by the back stairs, just off the little room of black and red. He was obviously shaken and rather confused, though he puffed himself up when he noticed them. Perfect. A blustering self important fool. He should be easy to trick. Scarlet watched as Seb worked on the guard, his antics never failed to amuse. And right now, she desperately needed some amusement.
"Oh, good sir. Do you recognize me?".
The guard nodded, and smiled, "You're the pretty boy who fuc-" "
"Yes, that's not important right now. What is important is that you let me pass, I must find the Prince. He must be seen to support his people in their hour of need. And he must be informed of the dreadful news"
"Is his Highness still upstairs?"
"I believe so, as does the Marquis. He sent me to fetch him"
"That so? I'd better check with his Lordship."
"No need." Scarlet interrupted We don't have time to banter[/i. "Good sir, you must understand our urgency, we must get to the Prince, he must know of what has happened, and the Marquis should not be disturbed. He is comforting the people"
"Really. Why do three of you have to get the Prince. Surely one would suffice."
Bugger. I was hoping he wouldn't spot that.
"In fact, wouldn't it be easier if I go and rouse the Prince myself. You can wait here."
"Wait!" Seb said. "He may not believe you. He may go mad with grief, he will believe me, and I know he wouldn't hurt me."
The guard looked unconvinced. "Why don't we all go. That way you ensure our good intent, and restrain the Prince if need be." I'd rather have this lackwit where I can see him. The guard nodded his assent, and motioned them up the stairs. Scarlet smiled at Seb as they clambered up the irritatingly windy stairs. "Well played" She mouthed. Seb grinned. Perhaps this can be salvaged after all.

The upper chambers were bathed in the same red glow as below. The effect was rather unsettling. Scarlet found herself shivering. "It is perhaps a small mercy so many goodfolk are here tonight, despite the tragedy" The guard was saying.
"Really?" Eleanor asked. "And why is that?"
"Have you not heard? The plague's been found in Liador, all the lower ward's been quarantined."
Scarlet exchanged a glance with the others. It was a good thing they were leaving the city tonight.
The upper palace was a maze of corridors. Scarlet found herself wondering how the Prince's lust had lasted the time it took to find the bloody bedchamber. Then again, Seb could be very persistent.
"The Prince's chambers are just down here m'ladies. Of course you already know that" The guard said to Seb.
"Thank you for your escort, good sir." Scarlet said. "Alas I fear we may have somewhat misled you." The guard looked puzzled. "What do you -aah, ack" Scarlet watched with interest as Eleanor's garrote tightened around the man's neck. He struggled a bit too much though, and soon blood was pouring from his throat. Thankfully the carpet's red, so it shouldn't stain too noticeably. It is a very fine quality.
Eleanor removed her hand from the man's mouth and let him fall to the floor with a thud.
"Should we hide the body?" She asked.
Scarlet shook her head. "No need. The Marquis'll have the palace guard after us soon enough. One more body will make no difference."
"Do you know where the gallery is Seb?"
The boy nodded. "Back that way, and right. I saw it before. Do you really think Drey'll still be there?"
"We have to hope. He may have been drugged. Shall we be off?"
Eleanor smiled "This is rather fun isn't it?" she said.
Scarlet couldn't help but agree.

The corridor opened out onto a small gallery overlooking the hall, almost hidden from view. Peering over the edge, Scarlet felt dizzy.
"Scarlet" Eleanor hissed, motioning for her to get back.
Scarlet backed away from the edge.
"We have to remain unseen." Eleanor whispered, when Scarlet was safely amongst the shadows. "The winch is that side. I think it's a safe bet that we'll find Drey there. In whatever condition."
"He's not dead" Seb said, "He can't be"
"Not now" Scarlet hushed him. Now, how to get across this.

Crawling along on her belly, wrapped in Eleanor's black cloak, Scarlet was beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea. Honestly, if anyone looks up now, they'll be in for a shock. "Ack". Shadow, and void. I've stubbed my bloody toe. Her cry of pain must have been audible for Eleanor looked up sharply and placed a finger to her lips. Yes, I know. Just a little further. Just keep to the shadows. And then, Oh sweet Lady. The gallery opened up as the railings came to a stop midway along. A staircase, or something may have been there once, but now there was just an empty space, yawning out to the hall below. In full bloody view. Wriggling, Scarlet was able to move toward the wall, but still she was aware that she was uncovered. She turned and motioned to the others, so far away. Eleanor began to crawl along, quickly darting through the shadows, ducking behind the arches. How does she do that? Then again, she's in black, and doesn't have to drag along a bloody great cloak to hide herself. Eleanor grabbed her hand, and pointed ahead. Seb appeared behind her, in a sort of crouch, his dark cloak draped protectively around one shoulder. "How in the void do we cross that" Scarlet whispered.
"I could go alone. But I don't want to leave you here. I heard noises behind us. I fear the Marquis may have moved sooner than we anticipated." Eleanor said. Scarlet groaned. Just what we need. She removed the cloak from around her shoulders. "Seb, can you crouch behind your cloak again?" The boy nodded. "Good. Eleanor, can you help me with this?" She lifted Eleanor's cloak up. The other woman grabbed the other end. "If we hide behind this, and Seb covers himself with his own cloak, and we move quickly enough, and stick to the wall, we may be able to get across unseen."
"You think people won't notice two cloaks ambling merrily across the gallery?" Eleanor asked.
"The Marquis must know we've ran. We just need to avoid any of the guards spotting us, or at least, firing at us. Although, at this height, that may prove difficult."

It was perhaps the most nerve wracking thing Scarlet had ever done, unable to see beyond the wall of black cloth, holding onto Seb and Eleanor, slowly, painfully inching their way across the floor, unable to see if they'd been detected, or if they had wandered too close to the edge. Surrounded by the darkness, relying on her friend's sight to guide her, Scarlet wondered if she would even know if she fell.
At long last, they reached the other side of the gap, or so Eleanor informed her. Gratefully she shed the cumbersome cloak to find....
"Oh no. Please, no-"
Seb stifled a cry. Lying against the far wall, a grim red smile across his throat, was Drey.

"Drey" she whispered, kneeling at her lover's side. She stroked his hair. He's not dead. He can't be not now, I need him, you can't just leave me! She let the tears fall then, in the darkness, hidden away, she wept for him. Her jealous lover and bitter rival. And she wept for herself more than anything. For the pain to come, the inevitability of her capture and the certainty of her death. Damn you. Why did you have to get us involved in this? Why couldn't you have stayed with us? You've just left us to die, you bastard! She buried her head in his chest, muffling her screams of rage, slowly turning into wracking sobs. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned unwillingly to see Eleanor. She was surprised to see the woman's face lined with tears. She took Eleanor's hand and allowed herself to be dragged upright, and then collapsed into her arms, sobbing together with Eleanor. Reluctantly, she pulled herself from Eleanor's embrace. She saw Seb fall to his knees, and kiss the dead man. She would not think of his name. He was not dead while his name still lived.
Seb kissed him again, probably the first time he had ever done so. Scarlet realized it would also be the last time. "Drey" she whispered, and let the tears fall anew.

"Scarlet". She ignored the voice. It didn't matter. "Scarlet" Eleanor repeated. "We have to go now. I can hear voices behind us. We have to leave." She felt the Eleanor tug on her arm. "Please, Scarlet, come on. We'll die here if-"
"What about Drey?" Seb choked on the name, "We can't just leave him"
"We can" Scarlet said, the others looked at her in surprise, "He left us behind. He's gone. Dead and." Ignoring their horrified gazes, Scarlet swept past them, and pulled back the curtain on the wall, revealing a long staircase spiraling downward. Drey got us into this mess, and he's left it to me to get us out of it. Deliberately not looking at Drey's body, she descended.

Only a few flickering torches lit the chambers, and the air was stale. Yes, think about that, remember what he said, to look back is to admit defeat. And the Marquis doesn't have us beat yet. Not if he can still save us.
Eleanor opened her mouth, then stopped. She spun, horrified to face behind them. And then Scarlet heard it, the sound of running feet, raised voices, and the clank of steel. The Marquis had found them.
"Run!" she said, Together they ran, blindly, stumbling, not daring to turn around, to see their hunters. The sound of their feet clattering against the stone and the harsh, gasps of their breath filled Scarlet's mind, she could barely move through the pain, but she forced herself on. They had gotten too far to give in now.

A double portcullis, a relic of the old castle loomed ahead of them. If we can just get to that, we can cut them off. She could hear their pursuer?s feet getting closer. If they get in firing range, we're finished. The pain was unbearable, her feet begging her to stop, but she continued. She had to. The gate came closer, they were covering the distance quickly. Biting back a scream of pain, Scarlet forced herself to run faster, her heart was pounding. Just a little further. And then, she was there, unbelievably, she had made it though the open gates. She had to stop herself from screaming in relief. But it's not over, not yet. Scarlet whirled around, to see Eleanor and Seb running, just ahead, getting closer, and behind them were the guard and the Marquis. I'll kill you yet. Eleanor and Seb ran through the first gate, so close. Scarlet reached up toward the mechanism that would bring the gates crashing down. Her hand was inches from the lever when she heard the clank of metal, and watched in horror as the ancient lock spun, stirred by her own grasping hands and the thunder of the soldiers, and too soon, too quick, the iron gates fell to the ground on both sides, sending dust into Scarlet's face, leaving her on one side, the Marquis on the other, and Seb and Eleanor trapped in the middle.

The guards crashed into the first gate, sending shudders through the neglected metal. Eleanor gasped as the force of the impact flung her against the iron.
"That'll never work!" The Marquis roared, "We need a battering ram to bring that down." Scarlet watched as some of the men began to wrench a door on the right wall from its moldering hinges. Eleanor looked at her, and Scarlet thought she must be wondering why she wasn't fleeing. She must know I wouldn't leave her. Not like this. A crash and several curses told her that the door was free. Scarlet ran to the lever, it was too far, set firmly away from her. One of the others might be able to reach it from the other side. "Seb" she whispered, "Can you reach that lever, that one, there. If you force it toward me, I can grab it and set it in place, quickly." The boy nodded, and began to clamber the iron bars of the portcullis, too small to reach on his own. He was almost in pushing range, when the door smashed into the first gate, sending it jarring into the second, the impact throwing Eleanor against the metal again, blood ran from her face, and hands. "Ele!" Scarlet said, This is stupid! If that ram works, it'll send the gates crashing down and crushing us. We won't be able to stand trial. He'll have no proof. Then realization dawned. Of course he doesn't want us to survive. Who knows what we might say. And right now, I think the people'll believe whatever he tells them. He won't need proof. Another crash almost sent Seb sprawling from his perch on the gate. "Ele, can you hold him steady. Now!" Scarlet said. the gates wouldn't last much longer. Eleanor grabbed Seb's legs, holding him against the iron, his hand, steady and supported, reached for the lever, so close. Another crash smashed Seb's face against the bars. "Come on, Seb, just a little further." Scarlet called, her hand ready to receive the lever. She watched the muscles in the boy's arms tense, and he raised himself a little higher, a little further. But too far. The makeshift ram, battered, but not broken, was braced for another charge. "Eleanor, lift him, just a little more" She called, and watched, not daring to hope as her friend groaned, and shoved the boy, struggling, sweat pouring from her face, upwards, straining against his weight. Scarlet bit her tongue to stop from screaming as Eleanor's knees buckled. She could see the door, all but a broken splintered frame now, being pulled back for another attempt. And then, Seb reached up, and forcing his chest against the bars, stretching as far as he could, he pushed the lever, pushed hard, sweat poring from his forehead, eagerly, Scarlet grabbed the lever, and pulled it toward her. Seb dropped from the portcullis, and he and Eleanor stumbled back, as the gates rose, clanking and swaying. Eleanor and Seb were free, but the Marquis now had a clear path to them.

Eleanor stumbled toward Scarlet, half dragging Seb with her. Scarlet, ran toward them, and grabbed their hands, propelled by fear, they ran on, we can't do this, we can't keep running. The Marquis' men were just behind them, slowed by their armour, but still fast. Scarlet could hear the Marquis bellowing someway back. "How far?" Eleanor gasped, Scarlet shrugged, not daring to speak. On and on they ran, through the bowels of the palace. The long hallways sloped upward. We must be near the front of the palace. There was still a way of escaping this. But first they had to get there. Heart pounding, breath coming in short, unpleasant bursts, and the uphill climb, would make that rather difficult. Drawing another gasping breath, Scarlet ran on, she could see her friends just ahead of her. The corridor turned, and rose, just ahead was a magnificent double door. The same one she had seen earlier. We've made it! Just a little further. With renewed strength, Scarlet forced her aching limbs on, trying desperately not to think of the red hot pain in her muscles, or how in the void they were going to open the bloody door. And then she noticed that the guards were far behind them, she could barely hear their footsteps. Footsteps? They must have stopped running, they're not even bothering to chase, why - And then the doors ahead were flung open, and she saw more men, more guards than even those behind her, and all around the mocking laughter, from ahead and behind. And laughing loudest of all was the Marquis.

This is ridiculous. How could we have been so stupid? We let him in on all our plans, he knew everything about us, enough to anticipate our every move and then trap us like rats in a cage. We should have seen this coming. And now the stupid smug bastard's going to gloat at us, before having us all killed. Damn you Drey! The thoughts raced through her head as she was marched, with the others, to the front of the welcoming chamber and turned around to face a crowd of shocked nobles, smug guards, and the triumphant Marquis, grinning from ear to ear of his ugly fat face. The Marquis wasted no time in launching into his tirade, words like cowardice, barbarity, and villainy filtered into Scarlet's ears. A slow, insistent tap-tap-tap on the main doors behind rather distracted her. She knew exactly the cause of those noises, and that made her all the more hopeful. Maybe we can still turn this. The Marquis paused for breath, and Eleanor took the opportunity to shout "You paid us to kill them, you lying, treacherous bastard". Scarlet put her head in her hands, as the crowd gasped. Eleanor, you fool! They won't believe us, not now. Sure enough, the Marquis roared innocence at the white faced Eleanor, and judging by the nods and tuts of the half wits, the mob believed him. The Marquis continued his rant, and Scarlet took the opportunity to whisper to Eleanor, "When he stops, scream, as loud as you can." The woman nodded. The hammering at the doors was growing louder, as the Marquis got into his stride, face purple with righteous wrath. And then, he stopped, and drew in a massive breath. And Eleanor screamed, louder than ever before. Some fainted, others clasped their powdered hands to their ears, and even the Marquis stopped to stare. And there was silence.

All could hear it now, a steady knocking upon the great doors. "Who in the void is that?" The Marquis asked. A chilling whisper answered him. "I seek entry. I bring an urgent and grave message from the Lower Ward. for your eyes only." The Marquis reddened. "Have you not heard of what has happened here?, "No. No word has come from the Palace this last hour. I am who I say I am. Let me enter." The Marquis turned and seeing all of the swords surrounding him, nodded to a guardsmen who began to pull back the doors. "You have your entry, sir". Scarlet clutched her friends' hands. "When I say, we run. We won't be stopped, believe me."

A lone figure, hooded and cloaked stepped into the chamber. Scarlet had to suppress a grin. [i]Oh, how they'll scream.
Scarlet watched as the more aware in the crowd began to edge back. The figure swept past Scarlet and the others, the guards at their side shrank back away from their prisoners to get away from that hooded gaze. The figure walked near halfway across the hall before stopping. There was a moment of pure, perfect silence, and then it dropped its hood. The face was covered in scars and sores, blood and pus poured down its face in a grim parody of tears, cracked lips, eyes encrusted with scabs, and lank, dead hair. It was a nightmare. For one second, the crowd stood and stared. And then Pandemonium reigned. The crowd, soldiers and Marquis all, fled screaming from the creature.
Alone behind the unmasked death, Scarlet seized her chance.

?Now!? said Scarlet, together they ran from the hall, through the doors, ignored by the terrified fleeing mob, they ran down the stairs into the cool night. To her relief, the coach was still there, waiting by the Palace. Gleefully she jumped into Seb?s arms, hugging him tight,?We made it. We?re alive!?. She let go, and grabbed an astonished Eleanor, and kissed her full on the lips. ?We?re free! Thank you, thank you!? She began to cry. ?I hope you?ve not forgotten me??
Scarlet turned, and saw Connor, wiping mucus from his face. Scarlet embraced him, ?Thank you? she sobbed. ?You saved us.? ?What about the Marquis?? Seb asked. ?The oaf tried to set me aflame, but dropped the torch on the carpet in his panic. The place?ll be burning nicely by now I think.? Scarlet found herself laughing, manically, and the others joined, the four of them laughing at almost nothing, and in the light of the burning Palace, surrounded by screams, the dead man smiled.


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#10 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

  • Member
  • 7092 posts

Posted 30 January 2008 - 06:46 PM

The Soul of Company

Everyone dies alone.

His foot stumbled in the thick snow. Hands splayed out, he tumbled into the white powder, his aching body colliding with the frozen earth and scattered rocks hidden beneath winter?s white shroud.

His skin was bare and bruised. Blood had long drained from the epidermis, seeking protection deeper within his core. It made him look pale; a ghastly apparition that, had anyone come across him, they would likely have mistaken him for winter?s spirit or some frightful fey instead of a human being.

His feet finally found ground beneath him and using the coarse bark of a nearby sapling, he wretched himself from the ground. Small trickles of blood, like thin snaking ribbons, ran down from fresh cuts. The heat provided little, futile warmth to the blue skin.

Naked and cold, this was how he was going to die.

The world around him offered little comfort. Colv, known for its rugged and harsh land, was in the middle of a terrible winter. Temperatures had plummeted rapidly, choking the last of the crops with frosty fingers. As farmers were trying to salvage what they could, the snow swooped in. A sizeable amount of food store had been lost to the inclement weather. With the promise of kingdom wide shortages, it was really no surprise that the Colvians looked upon each new visitor with suspicion and half concealed hostility.

Furthermore, excessive hunting had forced many of the native animals into retreat from the anxious hunters overly concerned about famine. Many plants and trees were withering from the early snowfall, unprepared for the sudden change in climate. It was the type of season that left the land barren and empty and wherever Keirn turned, he saw death.

And all the while, the skies continued with their steady downfall. The snow drifting in thick curtains like flaking ash.

He didn?t even know where he was headed anymore. His feet moved and his body followed. Had he once had a direction or destination in mind? He couldn?t tell. All that seemed to press on his mind was the overbearing cold, the chill in his body which he couldn?t even shiver out. His teeth had once clattered, his muscles had once twitched and his arms had at a time rubbed for heat. All that had stopped now. Only the shaky steps continued.

Perhaps he was looking for a place to die.

Had he one word of advice to pass on, it was this: if someone ever offers you a Colvian Nap quickly refuse and run away. Apparently, the tradition entailed being brought into the middle of some gods? forsaken wood and stripped of all your belongings. Keirn wasn?t positive, but he suspecting that the beating was optional. Perhaps it was an additional ?thank you? for visiting Colv during these hospitable times. If Colvians are known for something, it?s their hospitality.

This wasn?t how he had planned to go. Though most people usually don?t plan how they die, no one expects to perish in some strange foreign country, stripped of all their things and left to freeze to death in the wilderness. He was only twenty four years old and had looked forward to living at least triple that. He didn?t know what he was going to do with all that time; a predicament that had ultimately led him to his current state.

As it was, it started many moons ago when Keirn had gotten the bright idea. Since he was at that important stage in life where one finally chooses their career and settles down, he was instead going to scrounge up what belongings he had and pursue a childhood dream of his.

He was going to be an adventurer.

Course, what the minstrels and bards don?t tell you in their stories is that adventuring is perhaps the worst possible career in existence. This likely explains why there are so few people in the field. However, Keirn hadn?t stopped to think about that. Instead, he had convinced his sister and two friends to join him on ?discovering the world?. It sounded a lot better than ?vigilantism? and ?grave robbing?. Apparently his friends agreed, as they had joined him on his mad quest.

They had heard all the tales while growing up and knew what had to be done. At least they thought they did. They quickly discovered that you can?t just call yourself an adventurer and be done with it. Though they had initially decided each other?s role in the group, apparently the business worked quite differently. While Keirn had insisted on being the warrior of the group, somehow he had ended up as their token sorcerer.

Which was all well and good, except he couldn?t cast any magic.

Even the most basic cantrip escaped his mortal understanding. Almost as embarrassing, his childhood friend, Jeremiah, had ended up as their priest. His only problem was that he was an adamant atheist. Keirn suspected this radical stance arose from a rather disastrous relationship he once had with the village priest?s daughter. However, through either his austere moral compass or some secret religious devotion, Jeremiah had an uncanny ability to heal grievous injuries. He called it ?holistic medicine? and insisted it was a friendly nondenominational alternative form of healing that involves the understanding of both the functioning and interaction between the body and the mind and then utilizing that knowledge with the basic herbal curative properties to speed an individual?s natural recuperative abilities. He says holistic, everyone else says divine.

Jeremiah.

He could see him, just below in the forest?s gulley. He knew it was a hallucination, there was no way he would be here now. His stocky frame looked oddly out of place in the snow covered Colvian woods. He always claimed he was descended from half giants, but Keirn suspected that he said this in defence of all the teasing from the village?s kids. But, for a half giant, he was pretty short. Though Keirn had never met one, he was sure they would be taller than him, and he was only a few inches over six feet himself.

But in his mind?s eye, Jeremiah stood there, all noble and self righteous. He wasn?t in the battered chain mail. He didn?t carry the great two handed sword. No, he stood in his familiar worn shirt, tunic and ragged pants. The knees were still stained with dirt from poking around in his herb garden. And in his hands he held a steaming plate of meat and vegetables. What Keirn wouldn?t give for a hunk of meat cooked by his hands. Or even some vegetables covered with his famed gravy.

He couldn?t even remember what they had fought over. Likely, it was something trivial. Recently they had been arguing over just about everything. Things like, whether they should spend the extra gold, of which they were running low on, to get a room at the inn with a bath or to save their coin and sleep in the stables. Whether they should head south for warmer territories or press on into the north to see some of the winter all of them had been missing. Or even whether they should untie that kidnapped civilian or if they should just loot their pockets and pretend they hadn?t seen him.

In the end, Keirn suspected it was his choice words about Jeremiah?s ex that may have finally torn the rift between them.

?You?re just jealous,? Jeremiah?s spectre accused as he took a large bite from the succulent roast in his hands.

Keirn paused, gasping for breath. The cold air ripped at his throat and, even though he knew the young man standing in front of him wasn?t his friend, he couldn?t help but lower his hands to cover himself.

?As delightful? as it would be? to banter with? my delusions?? Keirn gasped, ?if you don?t? mind, I?d really like? to find? someplace warm??

Keirn had wondered if his life would flash before his eyes as he approached death?s door. Apparently his past would rather haunt him as he made his way up the front walk.

?Admit it. You always wanted what me and Autumn had. You want an intimate relationship where you could share yourself with someone else, make yourself vulnerable and not be afraid of being hurt.?

?No? That?s what? you?ve always thought? I wanted?? Keirn replied. ?Remember? Calandria???

Calandria had been the one moment when Jeremiah had interfered with Keirn?s personal life. Jeremiah often commented on how the ladies seemed to flock to Keirn?s side, fighting with themselves for the young man?s affections. He had spurned them all. Jeremiah felt he had found the perfect one, Baroness Calandria Del Morden. After a whirlwind courtship, Keirn had managed to accidentally get himself engaged to the Baroness just as Jeremiah and the others were discovering that Calandria had murdered her father, imprisoned her suitors and was hell bent on the complete domination of her kingdom. Tragically, she had thrown herself off the balcony during the very revolt she had staged herself, right before Keirn?s very eyes. Or, at least that is what Keirn maintained.

Jeremiah, however, maintained a different opinion on the matter.

?Clearly she doesn?t count. People don?t kill the ones they truly love.?

?For? the last? time?. I didn?t kill? her? She threw herself??

?Off the balcony. Yes, the woman who at the very moment she had everything decided prematurely plunge eight stories to her death. Most people do that when they?re losing.?

Jeremiah?s spectre took an unconvinced stance. Keirn couldn?t help but notice that the food had vanished from his hands as he crossed his arms across his chest.

?You know? what your? problem? is?... You?re to damn? moral??

?Only for you would that be considered a problem??

?It is when you? hate yourself because? you can?t even live? up to your own? standards? No one?s? perfect??

?You always have to be right, don?t you!?

?I don?t have? to be? I just? always am??

And with that, Keirn pushed past his friend, intent on finding some miserable place to curl up and die away from Jeremiah?s judgemental eye. His friend didn?t make an effort to follow. He never did. He never knew when to give up on something and when to pursue it. Maybe that?s why his relationship ended so badly.

Or, it could have been because Autumn was utterly insane. Sometimes it was hard to tell.

But as Keirn pressed on through the snow, he wasn?t entirely sure that there wasn?t any truth to Jeremiah?s words. Was he possibly running away from something, even now? Could there be something which he would rather take Death?s frigid embrace over instead of facing?

As he stumbled through the sloped ridges of the small ravine, he didn?t have much time to ponder this disturbing line of thinking. Instead, he found Derrek. He was sitting upon an ice sheathed boulder, carefully tuning his lute and appearing rather oblivious to the cold that Keirn was trying desperately to forget.

?Am I to be? haunted by all? the incompetent? people I know?? Keirn sighed.

?Hey, don?t blame me,? Derrek replied, still examining his lute carefully, ?I?m your delusion, you?re not mine.?

?Then? as my delusion? I banish? thee??

He had meant to sound more forceful, but his voice was starting to crack. His throat was hoarse and seemed to scream out for some water. Or, more tantalizing, tea.

Instead of obeying, which was actually rather a testament to how accurate Keirn hallucinated, Derrek instead leapt from his perch and strolled to Keirn?s side. He strummed absently at the instrument in his hands, his eyes still mirthfully twinkling. Out of all of them, Derrek was the most likely to benefit from their harrowing travels. He had the makings of a fine minstrel and was heart set on heading to the city once their journey was all over to join a wandering troupe as a bona fide playwright.

Unfortunately, Derrek also felt himself somewhat of an inventor, specifically of a new type of music that would revolutionize the entertainment business. He dubbed it ?noise?. Uncreative, but accurate. Keirn knew little about music but Derrek assured him that every song he produced had absolutely no harmony amongst its notes. And Keirn was apt to believe him as it was as bad as it sounded.

?If? you?re going to? bother me? could you at least? not play anything?? Keirn sighed.

?But I wrote this for you,? Derrek replied. ?I call it, The Ballad of Broken Wings.?

The only thing that sounded nice was the title. Keirn could feel his teeth clenching as his ears were assaulted by the dreadful cacophony.

?Is there? any purpose? to this visit? or are you here? to make this more painful? than it really is??

?I?m no more than I have ever been,? Derrek replied, fingers still twisting and snapping at the lute?s strings.

?An? irritant??

?A friend, who?ll stick by your side no matter what.?

There was something undeniably odd about Derrek that Keirn couldn?t quite put his finger on. He doubted that now, in the grip of pre-mortem madness, he was likely to unlock whatever secrets troubled that carefree smile. It was just another unnerving reminder of how you can know someone for a long time and still not understand them.

?I thought? I told you? to go? away?? Keirn grunted, raising his sore and tired limbs in an attempt to cover his ears.

?Well, it?s not my fault that you chased away all your good friends.?

?I?m? quickly? remembering why?? Keirn hissed. He took a pointless swipe at Derrek. As his arm passed through his head, the image of the loud minstrel faded. The noise, however, lingered.

Keirn turned, summoning what little strength he had left to flee. He was tired of this ravine and its memories. He was tired of seeing the faces of the people which he had stormed away from. But, mostly, he was just tired. The snow grew deeper, clutching at his legs and tripping his feet. More than once he fell, unsure if each stumble would sap the last of his strength. Each time, he lay sprawled in the snow, the pain momentarily vanishing.

But each time, the cold dug further, and he climbed shakily to his feet and pressed on.

The trees parted, and the earth opened up to a shimmering lake surrounded by large rolling hills. The clouds were hidden behind the dance of the multitudinous flakes of snow. The wind whistled gentle across the scattered stones creating long snaking snowdrifts that wiggled across the frozen lake?s surface.

It was elegant and peaceful. There sort of place young couples came to be alone and older couples returned to reminisce. It had strength in its pure beauty and natural tranquility. It was a fine place to rest. A fine place to sleep.

But, of course, she was here.

She sat upon the edge of the lake, watching his broken shuffle ambled towards her. Unlike the others, she didn?t wear her normal cloths. Instead, she wore a simple white gown that seemed to wash over her, blend with the very snow gathered around. She was not some ghost juxtaposed against the winter landscape, but a piece of the very environment, like another icicle or frosty tree.

She looked upon him with eyes rimmed with tears. Like tiny diamonds, they dotted her cheeks, the cold and wind having frozen them to her face. She watched him till he was but a few feet away, the uttered a single word.

?Why??

Nothing else could have been so powerful. He didn?t know how to answer it. He had plenty of excuses; he had used many when they had parted ways. The rest he had saved for himself as he wandered alone and abandoned but all of them sounded hollow now. He just stared back.

A single tear appeared at the corner of her eye. It trembled there, perched at the edge. When it finally jumped, it streaked down her round face, freezing before it reached the bottom of her chin. There it crystallized, catching what little light broke through the squall and holding the sunlight within like a frozen flame.

?Why did you do it??

?I??

He was going to tell her all the reasons. If there was anyone who he would tell it would be her. He had plucked up the courage and strength to tell her all his fears. He was so tired of hiding it that he just wanted to share everything with her.

Instead, his knees buckled and the ground embraced him.

*~*

Is this it? am I dead?

I don?t feel anything.

?You didn?t answer my question.?

What are you doing here? You shouldn?t be here. I should be alone.

?Why Keirn??

Why is it so important now? Why can?t you just leave me? Leave me to die.

?I will, once I have your answer.?

Because, Kait! Because? because I?

?You can?t even tell your sister? Do you think so little of me??

No.

?Well then??

I?m afraid. I don?t want to lose you. I don?t want to lose any of you.

?How noble.?

Don?t patronize me. I?m the one that is dying.

?We?re all dying, in one way or another.?

Since when did you become philosophical?

?Oh, I?ve had someone tell me a thing or two.?

Well here?s another. Leave me alone.

?Why, so you can die??

Everyone dies alone.

?Don?t be so dramatic. And stop being so pig headed. You can?t do everything by yourself.?

Yes I can.

?Well, excuse me. But last I checked, you?re the one that?s unconscious by the lake.?

If I can?t do it on my own, then?

?Then what??

Then there?s no guarantee I can do it with you. What if I fail when we?re together? What if I hadn?t stopped that gate and it had landed on Jeremiah? He would have been paralyzed. He wouldn?t be able to practice his healing. How do you think his parents would react? He has brothers and a sister too and do you think any of them are prepared to take care of a cripple?

Or what if I didn?t stop that assassin from killing Derrek during his performance? What would I tell Aliessa? She would be heartbroken. And the kid has talent. He could be some playwright in the big city some day. There isn?t reason for him to be trudging through the mud and dirt of swampy villages in search of a warm meal and a comfy bed. He should be heading to the city, writing the next great performance!

And had I not been there, you guys wouldn?t have been imprisoned. You wouldn?t have been hunted. Had Calandria been more vindictive, she could have killed you. What would I tell mother? We?re all that she has left. You?re all that she has left. She?s always been so worried about you.

?Oh, so you?re pulling the martyr? Don?t you think that?s rather rich coming from you??

I dragged you guys into this. If I hadn?t you would be?

?Sitting at home being bored out of our minds and dreaming about doing what we are doing now. You didn?t drag us into anything, we choose to come along. Don?t you understand, we?re a team! You aren?t solely responsible for all of our wellbeing. Besides, if you?re so worried about us, who?s going to worry about you??

I can take care of?

?Don?t you understand? No one is asking for you to take care of yourself. We take care of each other! That?s why you got your friends to come along on this, isn?t it? That?s the reason that Jeremiah and the rest of us get so frustrated. You keep us all at arms length, making all the decisions and never involving us. The stories we heard back home are just that, stories. They aren?t real.?

What do you want from me?

?I want you to be you. Remember when we were kids and we would go running through the woods pretending to be knights? Remember the fun you had with Derrek playing all those tricks at school together? Remember all the nights you spent with Jeremiah beneath the stars talking about your futures? We want to be a part of your life again, stop pushing as away.?

Isn?t it a little late for that?

?It?s never too late.?


*~*

?I think he?s coming to.?

He felt strange all over. It was like a thousand needles had been heated in a fire then stabbed into his body. Then, to top it off, he had been bathed in lime juice.

He felt them standing over him before he even saw them. Lazily he opened his right eye, then the left. They were crowded by his bedside, all of them bleary eyed and tired. Kait was still wiping tears from her cheeks. Jeremiah looked indignant and Derrek, oddly, appeared genuinely concerned.

?Move back, move back! Give him some room!? Jeremiah ordered. The other?s shuffled away, though only by a foot.

?That was a close one.?

?You wouldn?t believe the cuts you got!?

?You scared us half to death!?

?What were you thinking anyway??

The questions came at him in a barrage. Feebly, he scratched for his pillow in an attempt to block them out. However, his arms merely flopped like beached fish.

?Well, what do you have to say for yourself!? Kait demanded.

??wa?ter??

?Move aside, move aside, oh the poor soul.?

An elderly, grey haired woman brushed his friends aside, carrying a small cup in her hands. It seemed rather clichéd for them to be gathered in some old hag?s home. However, those thoughts were immediately banished when the cup was lifted to his lips and he felt the cool water running down his throat.

?What? are? you? do?ing?here??

?I?ll explain that,? Jeremiah said. He proudly stepped to the bedside, pulling a thin pendant out from around his neck. ?I believe you?ll recognize this.?

Keirn frowned at the piece of jewellery.

?Not really? did your boyfriend give that to you??

?Funny. It?s actually yours, I forgot I was holding on to it.?

Jeremiah handed the thing to him. Keirn took it, looking the object over. He shook his head.

?I?ve never seen this before in my life.?

Jeremiah turned to Kait who had a weird smile on her face.

?You?re not really good at this, are you?? she accused. She walked over, taking the large center of the pendant in her hands and applied some pressure to its side. There was a small click and the thing opened. Keirn turned it around in his fingers.

It was a picture of the four of them, though the picture wasn?t great quality. Clearly, it had been painted by some amateur that had waylaid the others in the streets. Hopefully they didn?t pay too much for it, but he had a feeling that his friends had once again been swindled by a welcoming smile and useless trinkets. Keirn looked back at his friends, who were all smiling.

?Turn it over,? Kait prompted.

Keirn obeyed. On the back, a message had been etched.

Keirn and Company. Together Forever.

He looked back at them, his face trying its hardest to appear unimpressed.

?You wasted our hard earned coin on this? this? thing??

?Oh, I think he likes it,? Derrek laughed.

?Remember when you were saying how one day you wanted to look back on these days fondly?? Kait smiled. ?Well, now you have something to remember with. And look, it?s been enchanted so that the paint will never fade!?

?I told you that when I had stones digging into my back and I was trying to fall asleep. Don?t you understand sarcasm??

?Yeah, he definitely likes it,? Jeremiah laughed. ?Think of it as an early Birth gift.?

?Gee? thanks??

?See, I told you he would thank us!? Kait laughed.

?My, you foreign folk certainly have such strange customs,? the elderly woman muttered, taking the empty cup and shuffling from the room.

Keirn slapped the clasp of the locket shut before shoving the thing under his pillow and rolling over. He felt so tired and so sore that all he wanted to do was sleep. Also, he didn?t want them to see him smiling so goofily. And, somewhere deep down, he felt? was this happiness?

?By the way, Keirn,? Derrek piped up, ?where are your clothes??

Edited by Kellen, 15 February 2008 - 06:41 PM.

"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#11 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

  • Member
  • 7092 posts

Posted 31 January 2008 - 08:10 AM

The fallen spirit of the lost wanderers.

"Here, this, take it!? a grim looking barbarian woman said, as she handed a sack to Ranamar, a monk of Selûne. Dressed in the rags of rusting armor, bloody and ripped cloths, the woman seemed as to have never washed herself. In the City of Coin this was most unheard of.
"Now, what I want you to do, is to use the bounty from it, to rebuild the asylum in the island of Brynnlaw."
Ranamar hadn't really listened to anything before this and hadn't even noticed the woman before she had given him the sack, as he had his hand full of the day?s works.
"But wh..." Ranamar got to say, but the barbarian interrupted him again, "I have a friend that needs your help." She said, turned and walked away.
Ranamar just stared the woman as she walked, and when she turned at a corner, he turned his attention towards the sac. He opened it, and surprised by its content, dropped it down onto the street. It was a human head, a famous sea captain's!

~*****~

As she awakened with Ajantis, she knew something was horribly wrong! As she tried to lift her head up to sit, there was an invisible wall build by headache, striking at as she tried to raise. The magical poison, that ran its course strong, was still in her veins. Even more so for Ajantis, he was still out. The ghosts, hunters, trappers or whatever had managed to completely surprise her and her companions. And as she tried to ignore the aches, she had the most grim realization, all but one of her friends and allies, were... gone.

~*~

For Branwen this was just another test of Tempus, her fate. After all, she had lost her weapons, most of her friends, but she had her armor and faith. She would do fine without the, she had lost.

So, when Ajantis was up and about for a run, Branwen decided that they should split up, to cover more ground, in search of their lost friend. Ajantis would head to South, while Branwen went North. And if they discovered some kind of a clue, they would contact the other with the usual means.

~*~


As Branwen didn't have a weapon, she decided to visit one of the old hunting lodges, just a little north of where she woke up after the ambush, to get one.
But the cottage was nowhere to be found! There was just a thick forest around her, and a long but narrow pond She couldn't remember having ever been there. She was lost. And even worse than the fact that she was lost, was that she began to hear wyvern attack calls, from above the trees. And from the sounds of them, she knew there were several of them.
Ok, she decided, as this was going to be the last test of courage, hers, she wouldn't back down.

As she came to a clearing, she saw a pile of dead cows, their flesh ripped open; the blood was still flooding through the pile. But the wyverns hadn't done the massacre! Spear traps had, the same once that had brought two of the monsters down. One had been killed by two traps, and the other one was severally injured to its wing and tail by another trap's hit. The third wyvern just flow by the pile as it probably could see just several more traps hidden. Then an arrow flew past it, so it turned around flow past the pile once more and went to search more easy prey somewhere else. The archer was in a tree, and when he began to climb down, Branwen recognized him, as Kivan.
But when she was a little closer to him, he raised his arm and said. "No, don't!" To which Branwen just stared him until she heard an elf putting it's dagger into a sheath besides her. "This is Coran, we were on a wyvern hunt together, but where is..."
"Well, this is a little embarrassing, as I don't know. We were traveling with him, Imoen, Jaheira, Khalid, Minsc and Dynaheir, but as the night came I couldn't see much, and then it was too late. I got hit to my throat with these poison darts and then I fell. I was still awake when they came closer, but I couldn't move when I saw one of them, they took my warhammer, and then when I..."
"Hhmm, so they surprised you, that's strange. But I thought that you killed all the Sarevok's men."
"Well yes, we killed Sarevok himself too, but then again, there is always more of those enemies, probably... everywhere."
"Ah, a new enemy! But you said we?"
"Yes, me and Ajantis, we were both passed by the attackers, our weapons were taken, and I think that they had too much already to carry us with our plate armors..."
"Aah, as he doesn't wear one. So you think that your attackers knew who they were to capture."
"Well, not exactly, but good enough info still not to take us, me and Ajantis."
"So, where is Ajantis?"
"Well, we decided to try to split up to cover more ground to find him faster."
"So, you wouldn't mind, if we were to tag along, now would you?" Kivan offered.
"No, none at all! Welcome to join, but ah, could you lend me a weapon as..." Branwen smiled and raised her empty hand.
"Ouh, and besides that she is stupid and ugly, lost all of her friends, she doesn't even came with a weapon! Now tell me again Kivan, why would I let myself to be led to an obvious trap, by this ugly wench that I wouldn't let to touch me even with a mile long stick?" Until now silent Coran burst into a speech.
"Ah, she can heal you!"
"Ouh, my bad! Now tell me exactly where are we going? And how much gold is in it for me?"

Once Coran had handed Branwen a warhammer from his backpack, and killed the near dead wyvern with Kivans and Corans bows, they started to travel along a small path, which ended up to a road that leaded to Berogost. There they went to the Jovial Juggler and met Officer Vai. To whom they told what had happened, but as there was no one that had seen the attackers that Branwen described, nor dressed like one. They decided to collect the wyvern bounties from officer Vai, and return back to the road.

~*~


When they arrived at the Friendly Arm Inn, they saw a familiar face at the main gate, it was Gellana Mirrorshade.
"There is a message for you, it's from Ajantis. It seems he has gotten to Athkatla. And by the looks of it, he says that some attackers were Shadow Thieves working for someone else."
"But, we just got here, how was he able to learn all this so quickly?"
"The message says that Ajantis met a mage that his family knows, and that took him strait to Athkatla. This is because the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart had some assignment for him. But as he had some time before he had to leave, he was able to find this much of the attackers." She replied.
"So what should we do now?" Kivan asked from Branwen.
"Well, we should go to Athkatla, but as we are a little out of coins now to hire a mage to take us there, I don't know."
She answered, but not wanting to give away any of his hard earned money, Coran said.
"Well, we could take a ship from Baldur's Gate to there, and explore the waves."
"That would definitely be a more dangerous rout that to walk around the Cloudpeek Mountains, but it might be a quicker path." Kivan said and Branwen agreed.
They exited from the Inns courtyard, leaving poor Gellana to wonder what this business was all about, what did the Amn's dangerous Shadow Thief's had to do with Ajantis and Branwen...
And so... they went to Baldur's Gate, and they got themselves hired on a ship to Athkatla, as its guardians.

~*~

The ships journey was full of adventure too. When they came out of the river Chionthar, to the Sea of Swords, there was a ship in the horizon. The captain ordered all men on deck and work as hard as they could, as the ship could be a pirate ship. And it was! The winds gale was to West by South West, so the captain decided to take advantage of their bigger sail with full power to avoid a fight with the smaller pirate ship, even though this just took them farther away from the cost and their destination.

Once the pirate ship was out of sight, they could turn back to east. And they saw an uncharted island. But not knowing what dangers laid in waiting over there, the captain steered the ship far away from the island. The winds that favored them earlier now were against them as they had to zigzag mostly against it to east.
The worst was yet to come as the weather worsened and the sky darkened. A storm erupted, and the wind broke the ships main mast, and with all the means to furthering their travel. So they were alike a duckling in a way too large pull of water.
To make things more difficult, the pirate ship came to a view. As it came close two fireballs scorched what was left of the main mast, and then the pirates invaded the ship, coming to the deck in pairs to investigate at the empty ship.
As Branwen had led the ship?s crew to the waters, giving them all short water walking ability and then leading them from the rear of their ship to the backside of the pirate ship, and then inwards with the anchor chain. Kivan and Coran killed the pirate ships battle mage with their bows and while the pirates were still just searched the empty and damaged ship, they managed to free the ships from each others, before the pirates had really noticed. After this, the rest of the journey with the pirate ship to Athkatla was smooth sailing until the docks, but a captured pirate ship drew the attention of the authorities only for so long as there were other problems the city had.

~*~

As Branwen came to Athkatla, following the clue Ajantis had sent to her, the lead had already dried up, as most of the Shadow Thieves were dead, and the rest were on the run. The peculiar thing was that Ajantis hadn't even mentioned this, but then again, the info was almost two months old already.
The weakness of the formerly so strong Shadow Thieves had raised a quite bad undead problem for the city. There was skeletons and other undead creatures, even a few vampires moving in the night throughout the city. The problem needed to be solved, and so the city council had arranged a reward for a proof of a solution. Although Branwen wasn't an expert of the undead, she knew she could solve the problem by killing the source of them, and might find a few answers to her own questions that seemed to stem from the problems on Athkatla. But to do so, she would need more help than Coran and Kivan would be able give her, as bows aren't the best weapons to fight the undead. And because they were in need of the rest, they decided to search for help another day and went into a shady inn called the Copper Coronet, in the city's slums.

When Branwen walked inside the door, she heard yelling. "Darn human wench, I need my money, and I need them now! It's for a proper drink, and not some elven piss!"
It was Kagain. So Branwen intervened, saying.
"Kagain, could I hire you for a job?"
"Yep, but I need my money from this harlot first to quench my thirst."
And, when Coran walked inside from the door, a scream was heard.
"Ouh, Coran my hero! You got to help me!"
It was the woman Kagain was angry at, another familiar face, a one that Branwen knew would only bring harm to her cause. It was Safana, as Branwen saw it, one of Corans conquests on the wrong side of the battle field. As for her, live is like building a castle to the shore line, with hard work one can compile a wall that will hold the burdens of the tides forever, but building a sand castle to every shore, you get only a lot of sandy water.
She came rushing into meet Coran, she hugged him and gave him a kiss and spoke again after a while.
"You left me all alone, so I didn't know where to look and I found a map in the Entar Silvershield's Estate, that shows a way into an Elven City in the woods near here, so when I heard you being in a ship to here, I decided to come to look for you, as the elven city is in Amn. But I am in a little bind, as I am out of cash and this dwarf that I hired to guard myself for the journey, is now the brute that's threatening to kill me! I can't pay him just now! You got to help me! We could have so much fun in finding the city and then taking all the gold from the elves." She winked at Coran, promising more than just the shine of gold to warm his heart.
"Would you be willing to come with me?"
"Ah," But Branwen interrupted Coran.
"Well we can give her the coins, but if you are swooped by what she has, I don't need you, nor would I mind you, gone!" This was a cruel judgment, but she had grown impatient of his so tiresome hinting, that always ended up bad or worse.
So Coran just left with Safana, giving Kivan a hard look, but he just raised his hands to signal that he could do nothing.
"I don't understand that boy, with the items and we are going to get from this quest, he could buy any of the harlots in the Sword Coast, and he goes after that one now?!?" Kagain noted his disapproval.

When the two had left, and Branwen had paid Kagain the amount Safana had owed to him, there was still yet another familiar face in the crowd. Minsc was there carrying an unfamiliar two-handed sword in his hand, and was with a woman, but the strange thing was that it wasn't Dynaheir, the woman was a moon elf dressed in an almost black dress with a hood that covered her face. Branwen noticed this, went to meet Minsc to ask.
"Where is Dynaheir, and what's that in your hand?"
"Well, it's kinda sad tale and Boo doesn't like me to tell it to you, the sword I found under this very structure, as Boo smelled something in there, and it was an evil Carrion crawler and evil Kobold Shaman planning evil deeds. But... Ah."
"But what?"
"But Boo tells me that we must go on, so we can kick more of the Evils buttocks! But oh, this is Nax, Boo says that she can lead us to a quest against undead monsters, after we have rested of course."
Surprised by the fact that their quest would be the same Branwen looked the woman, said nothing for a while. And then she coughed to say something, but Minsc looked at her and said.
"Could you not interrogate her, as Boo says that as she has many secrets, but they will all soon be revealed to us, so there is no need to drive her away just for them, and we couldn't get all of them that way."
This just added suspicions to Branwen's mind, especially as Nax's black dress was decorated with golden skull buttons.
"So what do you exactly do, and why the dress with a hood?" She asked.
With a whispering voice, like a ghost she answered.
"I am a necromancer, and I wear this hood so other people won't be afraid of me, because of the little scar that I have on my face."
There was a quiet chill in the air, as Nax spoke. Branwen heard from the voice that obviously the scar wasn't so little.
"The scar." She said.
"Yes, it was done to me by my brother, as we were still young siblings and he didn't know what he was doing. The blade was magical, and it inflicts wound's that can't really be closed in the normal way, or with the magic my parents had in their possession at the time. So the wound was closed by another mage, a necromancer. It saved my life, but the scar is..."
Nax stopped speaking, as she hadn't more to say.
"Can we kill something now..." A voice was heard.

When they had memorized their spells, bought a few things and rested, they began their new mission that took them first to Alkathala's graveyard, and then to the tunnels beneath graves. Even though there had been reports of massive army of skeletons rooming around the city at night, there was only a few moving one's even in the tunnels now. And the ones that did, never really tried to hamper the journey of the adventurers. So Kivan got the scout duty, using his new torch arrows to light up the dark tunnels.

"What about now, please, pretty please?"
Then they came to a cross tunnel junction, Nax said.
"It's this way; I can sense the skeletons in there."
As they then began to follow Nax, Kagain left himself behind and kicked a wall with his steel plated boot. Branwen looked the strange behavior of the dwarf, for a while. Then he just stood there looking at the wall. Branwen went back to him and asked.
"What...?"
But the dwarf had the answer already.
"Well the tunnel, it's a 'dead end', so I'll be here building a small trap to whatever lies at the end in there. Just yell when you are coming."
Branwen looked at the dwarf a while, but decided not to ask. After all, he was a dwarf, so if anyone would know, then he would. She continued to join the others.

And after a while they had advanced, Nax followed Branwen and said.
"I want to know, is this really worth a try? Or even the effort of it. You know one such as you or I could easily use these undead for our advantage."
"You begin to sound like a man I knew, but what you are suggesting doesn't sound like him, nor do I approve the suggestion of using the undead. After all, most of them are just tools of evil." Branwen said.
Nax just stared at her, and although her face was mostly covered by the hood of her dress she always wore, Branwen could have sworn there was nothing but two red dots and a skull in the hood. But being the leader of the group, she also had to keep it on check, meaning she had to trust Minsc's trust on her, as much as any cleric can trust a necromancer anyways.

~*~

Short while after this, they came to a large room. And Branwen noticed that Kagain had told the truth, there was no other exit tunnel! The interesting thing was that although there were a few sarcophagi, a chest and two dead thief corpses and a shattered skeleton on the moddy floor, there was no guards in the room. Unless of course! Branwen casted a spell, a prayer that would reveal any and all traps. But there was none! A little disappointed to the reaction she ordered Kivan to check the chest, but Nax went ahead first and opened the lid. There were no traps, and there was quite much of treasure in the chest. Gold, a magic bastard sword, dagger, belt, some magic scrolls and an amulet. When she had gone thought them all and taken the scrolls and the belt they heard an ominous sound. It was like aloud resound inside one of the sarcophagus. Then a skeleton appeared from the mud.
"Darn, of course there are guardians for the treasure." Branwen said. Then something began to push the lid on of the sarcophagi. So she jumped on top of it.
"We don't want these to open!" She said, and as if ordered Kivan and Minsc jumped on top off two other sarcophagus, but Nax didn't move, she just throw the items on the mud and just cursed something. Then more of skeletons came out of the mud and the party began to be surrounded by them, so Branwen toke her holy symbol from her necklace and began to pray. At the same time Minsc had taken his the sword and began to slash the skeletons from the top of his sarcophagus. "Kill, Kill!" Sounded!
As Kivan didn't really have any better weapon to fight the undead with, he had taken a quarterstaff and as to his mind, it was a little out of balance, the swings weren't very deadly, or lively depending on whom you ask. But he got one of them good.
"Damn, it's not here!" a masculine voice said as Nax knocked the chest over on the mud. Then there was another skeleton right behind her and between her and Minsc. He saw this as an opportunity and jumped on top of it to smash it to bits. But this just made two other skeletons rise before him. Then again the voice was heard.
"You really think that you can take them all." Nax said as she turned and as did, Minsc's froze for a second and said.
"Xan?"
"You, you know of my brother? You know of the one that did this!"
She threw away her hood, but as she did, the horribly scared face had become males, it had the resemblance of Xan but the black scar was made it clear, it couldn't have ever been Xan, and the voice was 'it's.
"Of course I know you Xan, we were kinda friends, although you were a little bleak!" But then he noticed Boo biting to his hand, but it was too late as the hit was already coming. The magic touch, colder than death itself, ate a part of him before he fell on his back! The vampire had risen from its sarcophagus and hit him with its dreary hand. This made Branwen, who was too far away, to throw her symbol at the vampire, which then fell to its back as the symbol burned its dead flesh away. She then casted a fast protection from mass protection spell, and hit at the nearest skeleton with her warhammer.
"So you were Xan's friends, for that you shall be my mindless slaves forever! I used these skeletons to scout out the place, but now I shall kill you with them. Raise my army; raise my army of the dead." Nax began to cast spells to raise more of the monsters.

As this happened, Branwen had also heard steps at her backside, Kivan had jumped down from his sarcophagus to come near her, so she said.
"Just a while longer, protect me."
"OK." Kivan said back and smashed the zombie that she had assumed to be Kivan with the staff, as she began to gate in a Pit Fiend.
The Gate opened to where Minsc had been standing; the demon came out of it and jumped in the middle of the skeletons breaking and crushing most of them, while it approached Nax, and smashed the vampire that stood in the way, with its claws. Nax released a Sequencer at it, a minor one. Magic Missiles flow on to the Fiend, but they just burned it a bit as it approached. As the demon was already too close, Nax casted the last resort, the most powerful spell known in her spell book, the Destruction Touch. Swimming in the powers of the negative energy plane, the hand became the instrument undoing. With an open arm swing, reaching the demon, Nax he had gotten a hit on the demon! But the swing pasted the demons body as it was immaterial! The swinging arm had nowhere else to go, but back to its possessor. Hitting its owner onto the shoulder, and the destructive negative energy, blasted the creator into small chunks of flesh.

The battle wasn't over, there was still many undead up and the vampire was already recompressing, back from the mist form near it?s the sarcophagus. But their main opponent was out of the way, and the demon could not see her allies, as the protection spell she had casted prevented evil creatures from doing so, so Branwen went to cast restoration spell to Minsc, protected by the Kivan from the rest of the undead while the demon attacked the skeletons on the other part of the room. Minsc had stood up and had to again knock a skeleton with his sword.
"Where are all these skeletons coming?" Kivan said, and as an answer Branwen just looked to the mud and said nothing.

The demon did a good job at destroying the skeletons, while Kivan kept the vampire from reforming back. There was but a few left of the skeletons, but then the demon suddenly stopped, looked around as if searching for something, closed its fiery eyes, and opened them again. Its stare looked straight at Branwen. Then the demon spoke with an abnormal language, and although the words didn't make any sense and even the letters fought each others, the rhythm and pronunciation was as if the being had always been talking with the language:
"Sfwfspg fwjm mmbit E spg, Sfesvn gp Espm fiu gp mfuobn fiu ujsfioj obd J! Eobut pu fop utbm fiu fc Mm'j, uvp tsfiup idbf tmmjl ojl tji ofix eob, mpvt T'obblsbn fwbi zebfsmb J. Tobmq zn efesbxpg utbg eob vpz efzbsufc utvk tbi PB Espm Fiu!"
The impact of the words was sudden, and as Minsc raised the Lilarcor to strike the demon, he noticed that Boo just stood there as if stunned, he asked.
"What kind of evil trick is this, what did the demon say?"
A silent sound said something or another and ended with "-ve forever!"
Minsc looked at his sword, and as it fell from his grasp to the ground, his eyes opened as if he had seen something far more horrible than the demon ahead of him. Then his legs gave out, first he fell on his knees, and then on the ground. The demon raised his grim smile, and as Branwen returned it to it's home plane, it laughed. Even though the fight wasn't over, feeling the responsibility of what had happened, Branwen said. "This fight is over, we are getting out of here, now!" She throw a blessed stakes to Kivan who loaded it to his crossbow, and then launched it to finish off the vampire bodies in the sarcophagus's. Then Branwen crapped Minsc from his arm, pulling him away from the rest of the skeletons. Kivan joined her soon after as he heard the dwarf coming in. Kagain said.
"I can handle these for now, but hurry up, the rope is already burning and when I'll leave here, no one will be able to save you, if you are left behind."

Kagain kept hitting the undead a while, as the others made their escape. And then the small fire that he had lighten up in the tunnel began to glow red, he changed directions and just ran as if there was no tomorrow. He jumped a little above the fire and just kept running until they came upon the crossroad in the tunnel. He went to the left one away while the others went to the other and put his hands on his ears, there was also a vampire coming but it was a little too late. A huge explosion shook the ground and tunnels roof caved in and blogged the cave.
"I would have suggested you to put your hands to your ears like I did, but whatever."
The smiling dwarf yelled to his half-deaf companions as he put his hands down, and added eyes glowing.
"A little Kaboom powder!"

~*~


When Branwen saw the light of the day, a brief relief conquered her, until the reality hit her that the demon she had summoned to fight the skeletons and the vampires had somehow been able to overcome her protections and stun Minsc into a catatonic state.

Now she began to become desperate, none of her, nor even the high priest of Helm spells were able to cure or even identify the source of Minsc affliction. His body was fine, but it didn't even react to anything, it was just like his mind wasn't ever there. The eyes didn't react, even to the brightest of lights, the muscles were flabby, and they didn't even react to pain. More than ten times it had been tried all failed in everything else but slashing wounds and spilling more blood out of him. And this all took weeks.

The demon had broken his mind, or taken his soul, and it was all her fault, everything. Branwen though, that she had failed. To her was it like the previously so radiant Team Spirit had been replaced by a ghost or been possessed by the demon, she had conjured. But her guess was that this is, what happens when you combine a cleric, a necromancer, and more than few dead corpses.

This all, could be seen in the way the rest of the group behaved. They really didn't talk. Kagain once said, "Above all else, there is gold, ale, and only more gold." as he left, and was not seen by the others anymore. Guarding Minsc, Kivan couldn't stay at anyone place, he walked back and forwards, always. Or if he did, it was because he had not slept but had fallen into it. But as the time passed, he always woke up and was frightened by the fact that he had fallen asleep.

She left Kivan, as she thought that it was time for a renewal, but where to search it? To find another path, a path that would bring a redemption. Not for herself but for the friend that laid there in front of her, every day. That maybe there could be a new horizon out there, which could bring all the things she wanted.
But it never came.

~*~


On one day, when she had already lost all hope, and the faith she carried was becoming a burden that could hardly be lifted from the ground, came a sign of hope, a sign of possibility.
There was great kerfuffle in the docks, it seemed like the whole Amn wanted to go to the sea. After all, there was bounty notice for Saemon Havarian's head, 100 000 gold pieces, to the first one to deliver his true head on a stick, to the honorable clerics of the Helm. The Church of Helm had a small reputation of dealing with the bounty business, one that would guarantee the payment as the church had already been paid off.
Nobody knew why the priest wanted this, nobody wanted to know! As the ships were loaded...

~*****~


"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#12 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

  • Member
  • 7092 posts

Posted 31 January 2008 - 01:56 PM

Incompetant Companions


Edwin Odesseiron, student of the Arcane and Red Mage of Thay allowed his prodigious mind to drift as the conversation droned on. That Firkraag was, in fact, no mere well-connected noble had come as a bit of a surprise (although he would never admit it to anyone other than himself), but that he would gloat over his deception was entirely predictable. If only the wyrm had taken lessons in modesty from myself, thought the mage. That and some instruction in the selection of minions.

The object of Edwin?s ire was currently staring back at him insolently from beside the great red dragon?s feet. Dressed in shabby excuses for robes and with an entirely unimpressive moniker, he is barely fit to call himself a mage. Conster of all things? Only a charlatan would name himself something so?ridiculous! I will no doubt have to teach this arrogant whelp a lesson or two when the fighting begins.

That Firkraag and Elith would come to blows, Edwin possessed no doubt. The elven Bhaalspawn had far too volatile a temper to restrain himself. Kivan will probably urge caution, but with Anomen and Minsc to urge him on, the result is inevitable.

Edwin suppressed a shudder as he considered the final member of the group: Fade. The Fey'ri set his teeth on edge and had an unsettling (and in Edwin?s mind, most definitely untrustworthy) habit of suddenly appearing behind him when he had his mind on greater matters. Not that the elven ranger is to be trusted any further- he is forever watching me. Probably envious of my fine, athletic body. It is I, after all, that the tavern wenches flock to.

Nor can I rely on the rest of the group- that armour-plated prat Anomen has been bleating on about his pathetic need to join the Order for far too long I hope the blinkered fools making him sweat get a move on and fail him. Maybe then he could be guided on to a more useful path?

A defiant roar from Firkraag interrupted his idle thoughts and, with a start, Edwin realised that the battle had begun. The dragon had risen onto its hind legs and was chanting the beginnings of a spell. Yelling various battle-cries, the other adventurers were unsheathing their weapons and throwing themselves at the monster. Edwin, however, hesitated. Where did- aha!

Edwin grinned in satisfaction as he caught the trail end of a Dimension Door closing over the spot that Conster had previously stood. The smug grin grew even wider as he correctly guessed where the spellcaster had relocated to: the bottom of the stairs leading into Firkraag?s lair. Evidently the fool believes he can outwit me. As if!

With this thought, Edwin spun on his heel and threw a bolt of lightning at the newly-materialised mage. There was a bright flash of light and the conjured energy dissipated harmlessly off the mage?s magical protections. The grin vanished, was replaced with a slight frown, and the battle of wills began in earnest.


*****



I am the stronger, realised Edwin exultantly as his latest spell pierced Conster?s shielding. They had been throwing magic back and forth for some time now and Edwin dared not look away to see how his fellow adventurers were coping. With their usual lack of talent, going by the shouts.

Conster had begun to slump in defeat when the rush of air created by Firkraag?s wing buffet passed over them. Supported as he was by a pillar, the dragon?s pet mage escaped the worst of the hurricane. Edwin, on the other hand, was not so lucky. Feet tangled in his characteristic red robes, the mage was hurled against the hard stone steps and the world swayed as he groggily wiped the blood away from his eyes. A handful of metres away, his enemy had found new strength and, with an almost demented cackle, moved his hands in a sequence that Edwin dazedly realised would culminate in the Fireball spell.

Knowing that it would be too slow, Edwin desperately tried to form a counter-spell. The words failed him, however, as fear slowly wormed its way up his chest. To be defeated is insult enough, but to lose to this barely trained monkey? Bah!

Almost in answer to his thoughts, Conster suddenly froze, incantation dieing on his lips. Even afterwards, Edwin wasn?t sure who was the more shocked- himself or the other mage- at the arrowhead that had burst through Conster?s chest in a spray of blood. As the corpse slowly crumpled into a heap, Edwin could just make out Kivan, bow half-raised, give him a quick nod before turning his attention back to the larger fight.

Muttering curses under his breath, the Red Wizard struggled painfully to his feet and turned his tired gaze upon the rest of the cavern. Firkraag himself appeared to have been wounded half a dozen times, but rather than slow him down, the arrows sticking out of his hide appeared to merely enrage him further.

Anomen was staggering as he slowly made his way to the blood-soaked form that, judging by the black leathers, could only be Fade. Going by the mess her left leg is in, I may have to use the past tense about her soon. Minsc, who was usually the first to engage, took a moment longer to spot; a large, very burnt mass was sprawled not too far from where he now unsteadily stood.

The last to be found was Elith, the elf that had got them into this mess originally. Perhaps he has become suicidal after all, noted the mage. Bravely, if foolishly, the Bhaalspawn has interposed himself between the towering form of Firkraag and his badly wounded lover. Long red hair flowing behind him, Elith was the very image of a tapestry hero as he ducked and wove around the dragon?s vicious attacks. Of course, not many heroes had the advantage of being surrounded by a variety of defensive magics, but that was one of those things never mentioned in song. ?Like,? Edwin almost snarled, ?the mage who has to come and rescue this sorry band of incompetents. As usual.?

The mage gathered his robes to himself and strode forward, next to the massively muscled form of the party?s ranger. He?s breathing. Looks like even the wrath of a dragon is unable to pierce that barbarian?s thick skull, he sneered as he withdrew a scroll of Breach from one of his many pockets. Much as he hated to admit it, the battle for magical supremacy with Conster has drained his available spells to the point where he would be unable to assault Firkraag directly with any form of powerful magic. It appears that I may have to suffer the assistance of their brute force to back up my own arcane might.

As he drew power to himself and began to shape the spell, Edwin became dimly aware of a small shape tenaciously pull itself up his dusty robes and dive into the nearest pocket. Realising that he was starting to lose the spell, Edwin tore his mind away from the invasion and concentrated on the casting.

At the moment the completed spell left his hand, Edwin turned and made an undignified leap for what could only be Minsc?s infuriating hamster as it returned to the fallen berserker with a small vial clutched determinedly in its tiny mouth. He was too slow: Minsc, barely conscious, bit down instinctively as the glass container was dropped into his open mouth. The mage recognised the concoction immediately; it was a exceedingly potent potion of healing that he had purchased at great personal expense just before they had left Athkatla.

Muttering in fury at the theft, Edwin pulled himself to his feet and started throwing Magic Missiles at the dragon in the hope of distracting it from its intended target. The plan worked altogether too well- his self-satisfied smile vanished as quickly as if had come as he realised the consequences of drawing Firkraag?s attention.

Oh. Oh dear, thought Edwin as the great red dragon growled in anger and turned its reptilian gaze on the upstart mage. It had even taken a lumbering step forward before Kivan?s bow announced his presence to the combatants. To Edwin?s suddenly widening eyes, the Arrow of Detonation appeared to slow to a crawl as it effortlessly pierced Firkraag?s right eye. There was even a moment of absolute silence. And then the arrow, along with part of the dragon?s snout, exploded.

While it was not possible to read the dragon?s scaly features, Edwin would have hazarded a guess that agony was top of Firkraag?s mind. A quick launching of Melf?s Acid Arrow later and the roar that emitted from the monster was enough to cause the whole party to stagger a step back and protect their ears. All except Minsc that is. Whether truly guided by Boo or simply from the single-mindedness that his berserk state granted, the burly ranger stepped behind the dragon and brought his two-handed sword down on the beast?s tail with all the force he could muster. A spray of draconic blood rewarded his efforts as the enchanted blade cut deep to the bone.

Visibly swaying now, Firkraag turned his to face his latest tormentor. In doing so, he unwittingly exposed his rear to Elith who, with a cry, brought his own enchanted sword across the back of the nearest knee. This proved enough and the dragon finally fell, toppling to the side. Anomen, visibly glowing with power granted by Helm, brought his warhammer down on the dragon?s head, caving in its skull with a loud crack.

*****


The celebratory mood that followed afterwards was both long and exultant. Firkraag?s defeat served as proof to the party that they really did function as a team, a worry that had been lurking in all their minds. Even Kivan managed a smile after finishing a bottle of wine. However, the most memorable moment was Minsc getting drunk on their first evening back in the city.

?Boo tells me that you gave me your potion back in the cave,? Minsc declared, before half-embracing and half-collapsing into the stunned mage?s arms. ?He says that you must be on the path of goodness! We are mighty heroes and brothers all!?

?Oh yes,? muttered Edwin sourly, grudging admitting to himself that the group might be a necessary inconvenience. ?Brothers all.?
"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#13 Ilmatar

Ilmatar

    is not here anymore.

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Posted 31 January 2008 - 03:55 PM

Inmates In Arms


Wanev cackled softly, an oozing sort of laugh bubbling up from smoked out lungs. Softly, softly, always softly, always softly! Can't let them see, oh no, can't let them tell him!

"What've you got there, Wanev?" Imoen asked from behind him.

Oh, it's just the soulless one - she doesn't count, she's not one of them, she doesn't have a soul! "Nothing, soulless one! Leave Wanev to his spells!" The wrinkled man glared at her from under a rug of matted hair.

"Sheesh... come on, it's dinnertime... we have to go and eat. Remember eating, o crazy one?"

"Wanev is not crazy, Wanev will save us all!" He whispered hoarsely, suddenly beside her, rotted teeth at her ear. He cackled again and hastily exited the room.

Imoen stared after him coldly. Little nuisance, always getting in the way... what is his problem, anyway? It would be so much easier if Irenicus would just kill him already.

Shocked at her own thoughts, she shook her head and entered the make-shift "living room" that the original Spellhold Coordinators had fashioned for the inmates. It was actually fairly ornate, and it would be so easy to take one of the knives, and...

"Imoen? W-we were just about to take sustenance..."

She blinked, and shook her head once more. What's wrong with me...?

She turned and rolled her eyes at the panicked Aphril. Not that she'd ever seen Aphril calm; the closest Aphril came to calm was when she was sleeping, and even then her eyes were open.

"I - I - I have seen what food it is and it is not this, food is living and raw and filled with life, green and healthy, it is not orange liquid and things to do not walk through it!"

Yeah, yeah, just eat it already. Imoen was used to Aphril's rants by now, and had mostly learned to ignore them. Of course, they were no where as near as bad as-

"Your overlord is here! Bow to the great and mighty Tiax, and he may spare your pitiful lives!"

"We all know that the great and mighty Wolves of the East will be the ones to devour our souls, gnome. You have nothing of their sharp-toothed doggy good looks." Dradeel muttered, his aged hands fluttering at his side.

Aphril laughed nervously. Imoen shook her head. "Sometimes I worry about you, Dradeel."

"You should be worrying about the hordes of doggydemons who'll rip out your throat at a moment's notice!"

None of them noticed the little girl and the old man hiding underneath the table. Dili was practicing her faces, and Wanev was frantically scribbling his plan to escape.

"It'd help if you wrote on paper, rather than on the air," Dili informed him wisely. "At least then you'll be able to see what you wrote when you look tomorrow."

"Silence! Silence will be more help than talk... talk is cheap. Cheap cheap cheap! Leave Wanev to his planning, little girl, he is very busy."

Dili sighed. "You're no fun," she informed him, and got out from under the table. She walked over to Aphril, who deposited the small girl into her lap. Dili promptly became a cat, and began to purr.

There was a clap of thunder, a bright flash and suddenly Naljier was standing in the middle of the room, looking extremely confused. "Where are me pretties? Oh... oh, it's you lot. Well, have ye by any chance seen me pretties? I seem to've lost ?em..."

"T-there is nothing here but us and Irenicus and mice and bloodsuckers and puzzles and traps! There is gold... yes, but small bits. The only treasures here are in your mind, Naljier, they are not around, above or below or within or-"

"Naljier, nobody has your gold. Come on and eat dinner already." He stared at the bowl suspiciously.

Imoen sighed, and changed her tack. "Naljier, perhaps your pretties will be in the bottom of your bowl? You better eat all that soup just to make sure."

The bard's eyes brightened and he lunged towards the table. Within moments he was greedily devouring the soup Dradeel had painstakingly prepared.

The others watched him bemusedly. "When Tiax rules, such displays will be outlawed on threat of death." Dili murred amusedly from Aphril's lap.

Imoen almost felt sorry for Naljier as he reached the end of his meal. His bright, childlike smile turned into a heartbroken line of distress as he sighed. "No pretties... all for nothing. I miss me pretties. ?Tis such a shame..."

Tiax sat at the head of the table and eyed his soup with the same heartbroken look Naljier had worn a moment earlier. "This is no soup fit for Tiax! Send for another!"

Aphril sat up and stretched wearily, placing Dili on the floor. "Take the sustenance, Dili. It will make you feel much better than the demon in the corner."

"There's a demon in the corner? Oh. You're doing your - weird seeing thingy again, huh?" Dili's face cleared and she sat down at the table, followed by Aphril.

Imoen sat on the opposite end to Tiax. "So, uhm... well, I don't mean to be - I don't mean to make anyone feel bad. But has anyone seen... him... recently?"

Aphril stared at her, and she shuddered slightly. "He's here. He's not close, but he's not far. Sometimes the dead one visits. At least, I think she does - it's hard to separate, because there's so many dead ones and so many places."

"... Right. Okay. But - do we know what he's doing? Sometimes, at night, I can hear screams. And I don't know... I don't..."

Dradeel patted her arm sympathetically. "I hear them too. But then again, the howls of the doggies mostly drown them out." He turned his head to the side slightly. "Of course, we are all in an asylum, so perhaps you're just going mad."

"I'm not." The cutlery rattled menacingly. "I'm fine. Fine."

Dili's hand sought Aphril's.

"I hope I never see him again."

Naljier smiled beautifically. "Oh, but me dear, you'll always see him. He'll never leave you alone, not now he's been in your head."

"Shut up."

"Forever and ever, just like me pretties, stretching into always..."

SHUT UP!

A door slammed and Imoen was gone. Naljier looked down at his bowl, hurt. Nobody ever cared about his pretties.

He forgot the whole incident as he saw Imoen's unfinished soup, sitting there, tempting him on the table. He picked up his spoon and quickly began to eat, hoping against hope for something that somehow, he knew he would never find.

Lonk watched them all silently, eyes never closing. If he closed them, he might miss something. Irenicus had told him to never miss anything, or he would be punished again.

He would be good.

~~

"Pass me the cabbage." Dradeel instructed. "Yes, that one. Err, on second thought, not that one, there are things crawling in it - I'm sure the doggies are looking for them. Quick! Throw it away before they find out!"

Tiax almost hurled himself out the window in his haste to remove the cabbage from the kitchen, which Imoen found rather amusing. Then I wouldn't even need to touch him.

She frowned. There'd been... She'd wanted to him to do it. Wanted to watch as he fell. Laugh as his frail body broke on the rocks below.

It had been happening more often - dark thoughts. Violent ones. But they didn't feel wrong, they felt... it felt like everything else was.

A scream pierced Imoen's ears and she whipped around just to see Aphril falling. There was a great commotion as everybody rushed to her side, and a great many concerned comments.

She found herself almost uninterested. "What is it, Aphril?" she asked, not wanting to appear out of place.

The elven woman shuddered visibly, and her eyes rolled. Drama queen, Imoen thought sarcastically.

"There is someone coming!" Aphril cried in tones of great mystery and import. "Someone from beyond! He rides a storm of destruction, and death follows in his wake..."

"Lantar," Imoen whispered quietly, sick to her stomach.

She left the room without another word.

~~

It can't be him. He wouldn't. He never cared, not even in the beginning.

And then she suddenly understood. Irenicus. He wanted Irenicus, not her - she would be the trophy, the token of his victory.

Just like he'd taken Sarevok's armor and sword, after they had defeated the bastard.

She put her head on her pillow and wept.


~~


He was coming. Aphril confirmed it - he was on the isle.


~~


It was quiet. That was the first thing she noticed.

Something was wrong.

"I know why you have come. You have been observed since you arrived on the isle. No doubt you are brimming with concern for your 'Imoen.'"

He was here.

She knew she had to act quickly.


~~


Lantar sauntered through the building, listening to Irenicus' whining - he'd play along with the mage's game. Gave him the element of surprise.

"What was that you said, Coordinator?" He fixed the hooded figure with a dazzlingly vapid smile.

"This is the one you seek, is it not? She is quite well, considering the circumstances."

"Give us a moment, please. I'd like to speak with her - alone."

The "Coordinator" hesitated slightly. "Of course. I shall be inspecting the cells when you have need of me."

Lantar smirked at the vacant-looking girl before him. He brushed a calloused hand over her cheek, and pulled her against him roughly. "You know what I'm gonna do, little girl?"

It took all of Imoen's strength not to scream.

"I'm gonna kill all your little inmates, and I'm gonna make you watch. You're gonna love this, little sister."

He smiled. Imoen had never seen him smile - and she never wanted to see it again.

"Irenicus has somethin' up his sleeve. An' I'm gonna use all those loonies as fodder for his spells before he can do but a thing to me. You just wait."

He pulled away abruptly as Irenicus re-entered the room.

"I trust you have found her in good condition? I would hate for you to have found her... lacking. Her consciousness comes and goes. It is fortunate you arrived when you did."

"What are you talkin' about, wizard? It ain't Imoen I'm here for at all."

Irenicus turned his full gaze on Lantar's intimidating figure. "Then it is fortunate for me that you arrived when you did." He pulled back his hood, revealing that ugly mask and a face deserving of all hatred.

"You are intent on revenge or justice, or whatever. I care not. You can do nothing I do not wish."

Lantar swayed. "You... you bastard! You drugged... me..."

His vision blurred, and he roared as his knees buckled. He fell to the floor with a resounding clash.

The last thing he remembered was Irenicus' voice coming through the fog.

"You will find you are powerless. I have taken precautions that you will not be damaged. Rage would be wasted."

"There is no battle; no heroics. Only sleep."

~~

Imoen could hardly believe what was happening. Lantar - Irenicus... he'd just gone down without even a fight. Was Irenicus really that powerful? Powerful enough to destroy Lantar? And Lantar was...

I have to warn them.

"Where do you think you're going, little missy?" Lonk seemed to appear from nowhere, as he was wont to do. Imoen grabbed at his belt frantically.

"I need to release the inmates, Lonk! You need to give me the key."

"And why would I want to do that?"

Imoen sighed frustratedly. She'd forgotten how difficult Lonk could be. "I know it's your job to keep us safe. But Irenicus isn't. Isn't it your job to protect us from him, then?"

Desperation flared in the young man's eyes. "Imoen, he'll hunt me down and kill me."

"He's going to kill all of us if we don't act now."

Imoen could tell he was tempted; he knew it was the right thing to do. It might even save his life.

"I can't. I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "Your choice. We're all going to die anyway."

She turned around and grimaced, the key tucked safely away in her bodice. She didn't like to steal from people with good intentions, but she had no choice. None of them did.

With a speed she didn't know she had she raced around the asylum, unlocking each cell and ushering the inmates into the living room.

"I... there's something I have to tell you. I haven't been completely honest."

Aphril looked up from her hands, eyes even wider than usual.

"When I was taken, I was taken from... from Lantar. Irenicus had captured us, tortured us. I - I think he was conducting experiments on us, to find out more about our souls. I don't know."

She wrapped her arms around her waist nervously. "But that's not the point. Lantar, he... he and I have travelled together before." If you could call it that. "We grew up together, in a place called Candlekeep, under the eyes of our foster-father, Gorion."

"I always knew Lantar was different. But one day, there were - assassins, and he... well, he killed them. I don't really know what happened, but they said... they said the bodies were barely recognisable as human."

"Gorion said it was no longer safe for him to remain in Candlekeep, and whisked him away under cover of night - naturally, I followed them. I didn't... I didn't want to be alone, y'know?"

A tear spilled down Imoen's face as she continued. "They were ambushed. Gorion killed two ogres and incapacitated one of the others, but a man I later found to be Sarevok, he... he attacked Gorion. My foster father - the man who raised me - was dead within moments."

"I stayed until morning, and went to see if Lantar was okay. He didn't say anything, just went over and... he... he kicked Gorion. In the face. Said he didn't need him or me. Said I was too weak to be of use, and I should toddle back home if I didn't want to get hurt."

"I ran, started hiring myself out."

Dradeel looked scandalised. "Young lady, that is in no way appropriate for our ears! We're mad! You have to treat us like children."

She smiled slightly. "Or the demon dogs will eat me?"

"Precisely."

"I hired myself out as an adventurer, Dradeel."

"... Ah."

She sighed. "Lantar is evil. Earlier, he... he told me his plan. I don't think he realised I was conscious."

They all leaned in slightly, except for Tiax.

"Pfah, when Tiax rules, he will be the only evil! All other evil will be destroyed, and he will reign supreme above all others! You, you and you shall be my servants, if you so wish!"

"How benevolent of you," Aphril muttered sarcastically. "You can never defeat evil, only delay it. Push it away. I've seen too much of evil, I see how it works, you can never stop it, it's always coming forward towards, never stopping, from above and below and within and-"

"He's planning on using us as a human shield. To protect him from Irenicus' spells. It sounds like he plans on confronting him. I'm not sure how, but... but..."

And suddenly he was there, in the door. Nightmares made flesh. Lantar, Harbinger of Death. Oh god oh god oh god oh god... he's going to do it.

"As me dear little sister's so kindly pointed out, you lot're the diversion. The distraction. She can watch as, one by one, you fall by the mage's hand."

"Just like old times, hey, Imoen?"

Kill him. Kill him now. Do it! She would leap for his throat, her teeth would taste blood as they tore through tendon and cartilage. He would be dead within minutes.

"You're all coming with me. Got it, loonies? Or do I have to repeat it?" Aphril shook her head violently. Dradeel crossed his arms, and Naljier stared, five years old again.

"If Tiax was in charge, this never would have happened," the gnome hissed under his breath. He stopped talking when Lantar's boot connected with his chest.

He stopped breathing when Lantar crushed his throat.

"Any questions?"

"O-oh my god... you killed him. Lantar, you - you won't do this. I won't let you. I'd rather die." Imoen's throat was hoarse, and she felt numb. Nothing left but hatred, implaceable. Determined.

Deadly.

The corner of Lantar's mouth raised slightly. "Oh, you will die, dear sister. Just like the rest of the cattle. Just like Gorion, and Sarevok, and whoever else stands in my way."

There was a bright flash and a deafening blast. The next thing Imoen knew, she was on the ground, and Lantar was flying through the air. He hit the wall with a loud crash, sliding to the ground with a sickening thud. He looked dazed, but it wouldn't last for long.

Wanev moved from behind the table and stood behind Imoen. Naljier strode to his side, and Aphril took Dili's hand. Dradeel's hands were a blur as he put up protective enchantments around the group

"Family," the Dili informed the armoured man quietly, "Protects its own."

Lantar rose to his feet, steadying himself on the wall. "You think you've got a chance against me, do you?"

Imoen stepped forward and shoved him in the chest.

"The question is, brother; do you think you stand a chance against us?"

Edited by Ilmatar, 31 January 2008 - 04:12 PM.


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#14 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

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Posted 31 January 2008 - 04:01 PM

True Bonds



It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of good company must not be an adventurer.

Magni Frostbeard agreed. And not for the first time he wondered what had propelled him into this foolishness. Probably the blasted elves, and their Ghiladin hating, thrice-cursed death threats, he thought darkly. Can?t leave well enough alone. Can?t leave a fellow to his own work, and instead send him off to his doom with the worst excuse for adventurers this side of Frostfell.

Grumbling beneath his breath, Magni turned his eyes to his companions. Currently the elf was pulling their cleric out of the snow for the fifth time in the last five minutes. Why the halfling couldn?t move three feet without falling into the snow was beyond him. The last he?d heard they were competent, religious nomads who traveled through some of the most dangerous regions of Highpoint.

The human was their bloody spell-slinger. So far he?d cast a cantrip to keep his long red robes dry, while he stumbled along, hugging around him a blanket the elf had seen fit to give him. He?d been fool enough to plan only spells for his warmth, and worse had misplaced his spell components on their long ride the first day. Blasted, viijen, nancy.

At least the elf showed skill, as much as it was his ice-riddled, snow-hugging, warrior race that had sent him on this quest. Finally having been pushed to the limits he was carrying the halfling by his boot, the latter swinging back and forth as he tried to escape. He moved easily through the snow, always knowing which way they were heading. More than that, the elf?s blood was as native to these lands as Magni?s own, and both endured the cold much better than their companions.

If it hadn?t been elves that had sent him on this cursed quest in the first place they might actually have exchanged names, instead of glares and a ready weapon.

The first day on their trek through the frozen and desolate wastelands of Frostfell had been relatively silent, save for Magni?s constant grumbling, their boots on the snow, and the halfling?s shrieks as he sunk in the snow for the hundredth time. Today was just as silent, save that Magni was sure the halfling was sinking more often. Why the elf hadn?t chosen to carry him earlier was probably muttered at least as many times as his desires that they?d all be dropped off the edge of a glacier, or mysteriously vanished in the night or would be eaten by wolves.

He hadn?t really meant it.

The cave was a perfect place to rest. It would provide shelter from the winds, and Magni was sure it would hold a hundred ways for the fools to get lost and never return. Over dinner the mage found his spell components as the cleric tried to put rose petals in our stew. For the first time names were exchanged. The human went by Maek. The Halfling called himself Jidan. The elf hadn?t answered immediately, but Jidan hadn?t let the point go. Finally he gave up and said simply, ?Alvarin.? Magni had answered as soon as Maek had looked over to him, wanting to get it over with and keep them from bothering him any longer than necessary.

It was the next morning when the wolves came.

Magni had been impatient to go, as had the elf, but both Maek and Jidan needed time to prepare their spells. Grumbling to himself Magni waited at the entrance to the cave for the next hour while the two did their mystic mumble jumble.


Alvarin froze, head tilted slightly. A moment later Magni saw what he was listening to. Three wolves were weaving their way through the snow. Cursing profusely Magni, stumped back inside to fetch the others and stumped back out complaining about how slow they were and how they would?ve been gone by now if they hadn?t been waiting on them.

Alvarin had drawn his blades and was standing just past the entrance to the cave, apparently waiting for the wolves to come to him. With a snort Magni galumphed forward and lifted his crossbow. A few seconds aim later and a crossbow bolt impaled itself in the snow about twenty feet from its mark, as the human finally managed to make it to the front of the cave, and right over of the dwarf. They both fell in a heap. Jidan didn?t seem much interested in waiting either. With a short blessing on the group he went charging forward, and sunk into the snow about five feet out, just behind Alvarin.

The elf remained where he was.

Kicking, grunting, and muttering more oaths than fit in a sailor?s vocabulary, Magni finally extricated himself from Maek. Standing up he let loose another bolt, this one landing in the hide of one of the wolves, now much closer. All three wolves broke into a run and it took them little time to cover the distance to the small party.

They were met with a whirlwind of blades. Jidan, who had finally managed to rise back out of the snow, was now content to call on his god?s blessings and anger, and even sent more than one dagger through the blades. Maek, also risen, sent rays of frost at the wolves, as well as flames, from which Magni shied away uncertainly.

Alvarin raised a blade and beneath his arm passed another bolt. A ray of frost ended and on it?s heel?s followed a dagger. One beast leapt at Jidan and another blade darted for its throat. A bolt embedded itself in the flank of one wolf as it lunged for the elf?s knees.

It may have only been seconds or it may have been hours, but soon the wolves were all dead. Panting slightly, but grinning far more, Magni spoke. ?So, who?s up for round two??
"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#15 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

  • Member
  • 7092 posts

Posted 31 January 2008 - 04:01 PM

Grand Theft Cookies: An epic™ Baldur's Gate fanfic in three acts


(Epic™, I tell you!)





== Act One: The (lack of a) Cunning Plan ==


It had started, like so much else, as the beginning glimmers of a plan somewhere in Imoen's clever yet occasionally unstructured brain.

"Cookies, Imoen?" I had asked, raising an eyebrow and peering at her over the book I had, until just recently, been engrossed in.

"Yes!" she had said. "Cookies. 's enough for the whole keep and then some. I heard 'em talking. Cook's been at it all day, she said -"

Ah, yes, the cook. Royal dictator of the kitchen, keeper of snacks and arch-nemesis of Imoenkind. I would come to understand, later, that Cook - who was known only by that title, never a name - was as stereotypical as they came. She was a large woman, rosy-faced from the heat of Candlekeep's many large stoves and ovens, brown hair tied in a bun at the back of her head; always wearing a white apron, spotlessly clean despite hours spent handling some of the most stain-prone substances known to mankind. (It was my firm suspicion that she had started with red beets and was busily working her way up from there on a mad quest to find the one food that would produce the most virulently resilient stains in the world. But I digress.)

"Then why," I asked, "would you want to steal them? There will be enough of them for you as well, even after the Keeper of the Tomes has his share."

She gave me a Look. She had several varieties of those; this one was the I can't believe what I'm hearing one. "Because it's fun!" she said, in a tone which suggested that the answer should have been blindingly obvious. "Besides, you know there's no such thing as too many cookies. We'll have all we can eat!"

Gorion would perhaps have reprimanded her for that blatant streak of greed. I simply sighed.

"Forget it. It would be too much work."

She frowned. "Don't you like cookies?"

"There is not a living soul in this world who likes cookies as much as you do."

She opened her mouth as if to retort, thought better of it and closed it again. There was a brief pause. "I'm not admitting anything," she said finally, giving me what she probably thought was a sly look.

Imoen was perhaps thirteen years old at the time, and she had not yet mastered the subtleties that would have been necessary for that look to work. It came off as more guilty than anything else.

"Besides," she continued, more confidently, "it'll be fun."

We were back to the word 'fun', but I was not quite convinced. "Do you have a plan?"

She blinked. "Well, no! I figure we'll think of something as we go. You and me, right?"

I sighed again, and put the book down. "In other words, the whole idea is to get me to come up with a way so you can eat cookies."

She pouted. "That's mean. I thought two heads were supposed to be better than one. Besides, it's been a hundred years since we did anything fun together. But you don't have to... if you don't want to..."

I take that back - she was perfectly capable of subtlety. That slight tremble in her voice towards the end was masterful. Unfortunately for her, my analysis was equally masterful. It would have to be, after all the time we had spent together.

"You know that only works on Gorion."

Imoen hmphed. "You really don't want to?"

"I did not say that."

"Great!" She beamed at me. "D'ya think we'll need a rope? 'cause I have a rope under my bed"

I did not have the heart to tell her that I had not said that I agreed to it, either.

"Dare I ask why you have a rope under your bed?"

"Well. You know. In case I need one! We need a bag, too. Oh! And we should wear dark clothes so we don't stand out, too. Just like when princess Sari sneaks into the sultan's palace to rescue Prince Lyle!"

I shook my head. I knew the play she was referring to - it was one of her favourites - and the comparison was, to say the least, far-fetched. Compared to sneaking a prince out of a guarded compound, it would be insultingly easy to make off with a sack of baked goods. This was perhaps offset somewhat by the fact that neither of us could hold a candle to the protagonist of the story, who, in the chapters preceding the rescue of said prince, had made her way through a labyrinth filled with deadly traps and swum across a moat filled with starving crocodiles, and at one point killed four of the sultan's elite guards using nothing more than a kitchen knife.

I decided to focus on reality instead. "You are going to stand out no matter what you wear. No one could mistake you for someone else."

Imoen's hair was currently bright cerulean blue after a very deliberate accident involving a broomstick, a shelf and a bottle of enchanted dye. Undaunted, she shook her head, sending the shock of blue flying about. "I'll wear a hood. I need a cloak anyway. Adventurers always wear cloaks."

"You do not own a cloak," I pointed out, silently wondering if those claims that bad plays could be detrimental to one's mental health might hold some truth after all, "and I think one theft in a day is enough. You know who the first and only suspects are whenever something goes missing around here."

Being the only children in the keep often meant that we had no one else to blame, and on occasion had to take the consequences for crimes neither of us had in fact committed.

"Details, details! C'mon, go get dressed." She gestured towards the door. "Hurry up! Shoo!"

I looked down at myself. The familiar soft, grey shirt and trousers were in place, held in place by a thin belt that held a tiny knife on the left hip and a small pouch - empty - on the right.

"I am dressed," I said, and then, after only a brief moment's hesitation, added: "And this is my room."



== Act Two: The Dastardly Deed ==


Imoen returned to my room a little later, quite conspicuously dressed in black, with a hooded 'cloak' which was probably intended for use as a cape by a much larger person and kept twisting itself around her legs. She had most certainly stolen it from somewhere on her way here. I sighed. It would not be the last time I did so this night.

She made an attempt to study my rather less 'professional' attire in a critical manner, and the hood dropped down over her eyes.

"Imoen," I said, as she struggled to free herself from the wretched apparel. I waited until she had managed to untangle herself and look up at me.

"What?"

"Leave the cloak."

She did so, though not very happily. Being an unconventional adventurer, somehow, was not quite as appealing.

We also left Imoen's rope behind. It was rather long and about half as thick around as her wrist. She gave up on protesting once I pointed out that if she carried the rope in, she would have to leave behind its weight in cookies on the way out.

Along with the rope and cloak, we had also abandoned any notions of a plan, deciding instead to 'use whatever means necessary to accomplish the objective', which, while not overly helpful, at least sounded vaguely impressive.

It was dark outside, even though it was not very late; it was late autumn, and the days were growing noticeably shorter. The keep itself was always well lit, however, by enchanted 'torches' lining every wall, a few paces apart. There were no flames present; instead, each 'torch' held a clear, fist-sized crystal ball, which, once lit, shed a warm, golden light. This, naturally, made stealth rather difficult. My companion's very conspicuous attempts to be inconspicuous did not exactly help matters either. It was not as though she was incapable of stealth; it was more that she was incapable of combining it with theatrics.

Fortunately, the majority of the keep's population were tired old sages with bad eyesight who tended to go to bed early. The corridors were almost eerily empty and quiet. Candlekeep was watched by forces many times more powerful than mere guardsmen, so there were few of the latter and they rarely patrolled the inner keep. We only had to hide once - on Imoen's insistence - as a bored-looking man in a mail hauberk ambled by; obviously paying little attention to his surroundings, as he somehow missed the toes of my shoes sticking out below the heavy curtain Imoen had pulled me in behind.

This was the easy part. The kitchen was better fortified - Cook being the biggest obstacle, her small army of aides a distant second, though few if any of them would be present at this time. It was also just as well lit as the rest of the keep, and lacked any decent hiding places. We knew this well - it was not the first time Imoen had dragged me along on such missions. A good third of them ended with us getting caught red-handed; sometimes literally so, depending on the, as Imoen put it, 'swag'. (The Strawberry Jam Incident still weighed heavily on my mind, but we had both agreed never to speak of that ever again.) I did some quick calculations and came to the conclusion that statistically speaking, we were well overdue for yet another catastrophic failure. It would be pointless to share this information with Imoen, however. It never helped.

We had started on the third floor and were heading for the first. After the stairs, there were still several corridors to navigate before we arrived. There were a few times when we heard people talking, mumbling just a little too quiet for individual words to distinguishable, but otherwise nothing.

The kitchen itself lay in a small building of its own, connected to the main keep by a short corridor, which had obviously been added after the completion of the actual buildings and lacked the enchanted torches that were present everywhere else. It was completely silent when we arrived. The door was open just a crack, and a careful peek through it revealed Cook standing alone at the largest table, on the far side of the room - facing, but not looking at the door, a large feather pen in her hand and a determined frown on her face. I knew that expression; Cook was going over the tallies, keeping track of hams, cheese, flour and everything else that passed in and out of the kitchen.

I had seen those books a few times, and the frown was certainly understandable. Candlekeep was not the smallest household on the coast, and the assorted scribes, clerks and monks could eat a lot or a bunch of scrawny ancients. Add in a few desperate and despicable individuals bent on unlawful and unsanctioned snacking and a tight-fisted treasurer who would make a fuss if so much as a copper went missing along the way, and the calculations could give anyone a headache. I imagine that Cook might have turned a blind eye to our 'unsanctioned' activities a little more often if it had not been for the treasurer, but with the way things were now, we would have to be careful.

"Oh, no, she's gonna be here all night," Imoen moped, sinking back against the wall and staring at her shoes. A moment later, she perked up and leaned in towards me. "Maybe we can get in while she's busy, all sneaky like? I made Gorion jump eight times this week, you know."

"Once he gets busy, Gorion would not notice if there was an ogre in the room until it hit him over the head," I said, throwing a sideways glance through the door. "And there is no way we can get that far with her standing there."

She pouted. "Yeah, I know. 's just-"

I gestured for her to shut up and pointed towards our adversary. "She is moving."

Imoen instantly shut her mouth and turned to the crack of the door, almost missing Cook as she turned away and tossed the pen on the table. She vanished somewhere to the left; there was a muffled, far-off noise of footsteps on stone, then a sound of a handle being turned, then a door opening and closing, and finally silence.

"Gotcha!" Imoen hissed, but she did not reach for the door, not just yet. Both of us waited, straining our ears, in case the woman was coming back. Several moments passed, closer to a minute, and we slowly breathed out.

"Let's get to work."

I nodded, and she pushed the door open, just enough to get by, and slunk inside. I followed closely behind, returning the door to its previous nearly-closed position behind me, just in case. Even though we were alone, we ducked down behind the tables as we moved, keeping as invisible as possible while advancing towards the larder.

We were heading for a room at the far right of the kitchen, kept chilly all around the year by the same magic that lit the torches on the walls and kept bugs from chewing on the books. Some of the shelves went further still, keeping anything placed on them in stasis, timelessly staying fresh for years if need be. We had fresh vegetables even during the winter months, something the keep's population generally appreciated, even though nobody seemed to know just why so much of it consisted of spinach. Or red beets.

The door had no lock; the builders obviously had not thought of food as something important enough to steal in a place like this, from which it was easy to deduct that none of them had ever actually worked in a kitchen.

The larder was enormous and well stocked. The room was lit by the same golden torches that illuminated the keep, revealing wheels of cheese lined up along the walls, rows of smoked hams and sausages hanging from the ceiling, crates full of grain, potatoes and vegetables, jars of various sizes and shapes, bags of flour and more, all of which would require several long minutes of exposition to describe in detail. We were here for one specific reason, and this was not the time to admire the facilities - we needed to find the loot and get out fast, before someone found us.

Fortunately, it did not take very long. On a stasis shelf near the floor, smooth dark wood that hummed silently with arcane energy and seemed to glow faintly blue if I focused on it for a few moments, we found a row of large clay jars, the contents of which proved to be just what we were after.

"They're still warm!" Imoen exclaimed - somehow managing to do so quite quietly - and held one up with an awestruck expression on her face. "This is so awesome. So awesome."

I shook my head, while she stuck hers in one of the jars and drew a deep breath. "It even smells awesome!"

"Save it for later," I said, casting a look towards the door. I had left it ajar, not entirely closed, so we would be able to tell if someone was heading our way. There was nothing there now, but that could change at any time. "We should hurry."

Imoen pulled her head out of the jar and gave me a sour look, as if accusing me of spoiling her fun. Then she nodded and pulled out the bag she had brought and started filling it, pausing occasionally to stuff a cookie in her mouth. I followed suit, quickly digging into the various jars and filling my own bag. A handful from every jar just about did it, and since we did not dig too far into any single one of them, I hoped it would not be too obvious what we had done.

Then came the last step, which was to get back to our rooms undetected. This was where things started to go wrong.

Imoen, who had been going first, peered through the crack of the door and froze, then started backing away as slowly and quietly as she could. I understood the signal. Someone was out there. We had not heard them arrive, and could only hope that they had not heard us either.

Imoen turned towards me, eyes wide, more from excitement than fear. "Cook's back!" she hissed, dragging me further into the room.

"Did she notice?"

She shook her head. "Don't think so. She's back to that boring ol' book."

The larder had no windows. The only way to get in or out was the door. We knew this because it was not the first time this had happened.

I looked around nevertheless, thinking.

There was one thing.

The keep was warded in so many ways that it was a wonder the various enchantments did not rip themselves apart and tear the building to pieces in the process. There was one thing they had never been able to keep out, however: rats. The keep had several cats to help keep the rodent population down, but so far, they were too outnumbered to make much of a difference. The cooks knew this, and there were mousetraps laid out in the corners, baited with meat and cheese. One of them had a small and scrawny rat stuck in it. It was a rather pathetic sight, but it could be our ticket out of here.

As I have already mentioned, Cook was something of a walking stereotype. Another of her more clichéd traits was a near phobic fear of rats. Granted, it did not seem as though she was afraid of anything other than rats, but that scarcely mattered. I had a rat, and I was not afraid to use it.

Imoen watched, wrinkling her nose.

"Ew," she said, as I picked up the contraption and extracted the rat from it. "Poor rat."

"We should help it extract revenge," I said, rather absently, as I turned it over in my hands. A large amount of arcane energy was necessary to animate a dead object. Fortunately, dead objects that had once been <I>alive</I> seemed to have some peculiar trait that made them easier to manipulate. It would not need to last long, either. Still, this feat was very nearly beyond my limited understanding and capacity.

Imoen watched silently as I turned the tiny corpse over in my hands. The background pattern of magic ebbed and flowed. The room seemed to bathe in silver-blue light, drowning out even the enchanted torches.

The rat twitched.

I shifted my feet, instinctively adjusting my body to better conduct the forces running through me. It was almost complete.

The energy rose and seemed to evaporate, like a sigh. The rodent shivered, trembled, and twitched again. I sunk to the floor and set it down. It stood unmoving, its body oddly angled, twisted in an unnatural manner where the trap had broken its back.

I had taken possession of a rat zombie. I sat still for a few moments, trying to catch my breath. Imoen poked my creation gently with the toe of her shoe. The rat fell over. I gave her a stern look, and she hurried to set it back on its feet.

"Are you ready?" I asked, struggling back to my feet. Imoen hurried to help me up, nodding. We headed to the door. The rat hobbled after us. It was nowhere near as graceful as it had been in life, but it would not have to be. The fact that it moved would be enough.

I commanded it to continue as the two of us peered through the tiny opening. It took a painfully long while to reach the table where Cook was standing, and almost as long to climb up the closest table leg.

It was rewarding, however. The zombie rat pulled itself onto the tabletop. I imagined the light click-scratch of its claws on the dark wood as it made its way towards poor, innocent Cook.

Deeply engrossed in her calculations, the head chef did not notice the rat until it had made its way halfway across the table. Then, she looked up.

I pressed my hands over my ears just in time. Cook shrieked like a banshee, threw her feather pen at the approaching rodent like a javelin, spun and fled at a speed that was just amazing for a person of her age and size. Only moments later, we heard the door slam behind her.

Imoen elbowed me in the side and grinned. I grinned back. We pushed the door open and ran - pausing only briefly to retrieve the rat on the way.




== Act Three: Reaping Rewards ==


We had made it successfully out of the kitchen, through the corridor connecting it to the main keep, and just about halfway to the stairs when Cook caught up - chest heaving impressively, face even redder than usual and with an enormous wooden spoon held high like a weapon. She also had two rather perplexed-looking guardsmen in tow; I recognised them as Talan and Richard. We heard them coming long before they saw us, however, and only just barely had time to make preparations. And so it came to pass that we were found very visibly trying to avoid detection, hiding behind yet another heavy curtain. Cook prodded it aside with her spoon. We looked up at her wearing our best cute-yet-guilty expressions, and holding between us exactly one rodent and one bag of cookies.

Cook glared. "You... you little rats!"

Coming from her, that was an unusually strong insult. She snatched the bag of cookies out of Imoen's hand; I offered up the rat, and she backed off. The two guards were having a hard time not sniggering behind her back. Imoen was having a harder time not sniggering in her face. I discreetly stepped on her toes.

Well out of rodent range, Cook regained her composure and resumed her glaring. "I thought I heard something! I've half a mind to smack the two of you about the ears, I have!"

"We're sorry," Imoen managed to say with a straight face.

Cook, understandably, did not buy it. "And I'm a daisy-eating elf! Do you think I'm daft, girl?"

Imoen shook her head, blue hair flying in all directions.

"Is there any way we could convince you not to tell Gorion about this?" I asked, trying to sound mild and depressed. It was not so much a request as a suggestion. Cook would tell someone about this, there was no doubt of that. The idea was to soften the impact as much as possible, and Gorion tended to be rather more lenient than certain other figures of authority.

"Oh, don't even think about getting away with this."

Cook was nothing if not predictable. She turned to the two guards, who straightened up and tried to look serious.

"I have a kitchen to run. Take these... miscreants to the Loremaster's room. And bring that thing with you!" She gestured towards the rat in my hand with her spoon, shivering slightly at the sight of it. Then she turned and stormed off. The two men exchanged looks and shook their heads. Talan sighed and ushered us along, not entirely unkindly.

"All right, kids. You know the way."

We went, with the guards at our backs. Before long, we stood outside Gorion's quarters on the third floor. Richard knocked, and we waited.

"Wish us luck," I said, rather dryly. Imoen gave them a conspiratorial wink.

"She keeps them on the bottom shelf, you know. On the left."

"We'll keep that in mind," Richard said with a chuckle, just as the door opened. Gorion peered at us, not particularly surprised. He sighed and shook his head.

"What have you two got yourselves into this time?"

"Grand theft cookies, sir," Talan said, completely straight-faced.

"Unlawful use of animated rodent, sir," Richard filled in, equally straight-faced. I groaned. I had been hoping that they would forget that last bit.

Gorion gave me a stern look. I held up the offending rat, which by now had lost any semblance of life or unlife and hung limply in my grasp. Gorion sighed once more.

"Very well. Thank you, Talan, Richard. Children, inside."

We had little choice but to obey.

As expected, the lecture that ensued was quite long and felt even longer. Gorion was an excellent lecturer. To make things worse, even after the speech on the evils of greed, selfishness, theft and bullying, he kept me for another virtual eternity to deliver a follow-up lecture on the dangers of unsupervised rodent necromancy. My ears still buzzed when I finally managed to drag myself back to my room.

"Stable duty," Imoen greeted me, rather morosely. "I hate horse poo."

"Count yourself lucky," I said. "I also have to clean the alchemists' lab all week for 'unlawful use of animated rodent'. And he took my rat. I was becoming rather fond of it, you know." I threw myself down on the bed.

"Aww. And ouch! Alchemists' lab, huh? Oh, but hey!"

I looked up, and only barely managed to avoid getting hit in the head by the object she threw at me. Somewhat dusty and lacking some of its original content, the other bag of cookies - the one we had hidden behind the other curtain before we allowed Cook to 'discover' our hiding place - landed beside me on the bed.

"The plan worked," I observed, and picked it up to dust it off.

"It did!" she exclaimed. "Right under her big red nose! We're awesome."

"It could have gone better." I gave her a meaningful look. It was not as if it was entirely her fault, but we both knew whose idea it had been. She winced.

"Don't worry about it. I'll help ya out with the lab. And," she added, "I saved you most of the cookies."

I think that is what they call 'sacrifice beyond the call of duty'.


.


(See? I told you it was epic™.)

(And yes, I am aware that a bag of cookies does not qualify as "grand theft".)
"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#16 Kellen

Kellen

    Earn a person's heart, and they'll die a thousand deaths

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Posted 15 February 2008 - 07:03 PM

Winners have been announced. Head over here to see them and offer congratulations.
"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan