Disclaimer:

I do not own either Darker Than Black or Dragon Lance. I never have and never will. Also, there are passages taken from the Dragon Lance Chronicle novel in here. They too do not belong to me.

R&R is appreciated and flames are accepted although disappointing they are welcome. Constructive criticism is warmly receive and a writers best friend. Enjoy. Also, does anyone want pairings in this fanfic? I will do all pairings, keep in mind that I will try to keep this a PG-13 rating aka rated T.

Thanks.

Chapter 1

The arrival

Hei had no idea where he was, or how he had gotten there. He had come to a logical conclusion of how he was where he was, but it was still a 50% chance he was wrong. Leaning back in the chair he was currently occupying, Hei eyed his surroundings. One of the reasons he had chosen this spot was due to the visibility it provided. It was close to a window for easy escape but also gave the occupant an almost 270 degree visual range of the room.

A blazing fire crackled cheerfully in the hearth as the Inn of Last Homes began to fill up. Every single patron was carefully analyzed and determined if he or she was an immediate threat before filed away for future use. The entire process took less than two seconds; Hei's face never lost its pleasant, easy-going smile, and open honest expression.

As evening descended, a buxom read-head approached his table, "I would like to thank you for all the help you have given me this afternoon. Setting up the inn was much easier with an extra hand."

Answering easily with Li Shensheng's gentle smile and soft voice, Hei spoke, "Ah, it's nothing, you seemed in the need of help."

Sticking out her lower lip, the barmaid pouted, "but this is the thirteenth time in a week that you have helped me out even though the agreement was that you would cook for us twice a day to pay for you room and board!"

Rubbing the back of his head, Hei responded, "Eh, betsuni nandemonai. I even get some extra steel to spend on new clothes."

"And in turn you spend most of it on more food as well. After all you eat more than all the customers combined Li," a new voice interrupted. "Now Tika, leave the poor boy alone. He as only been here a week after having traveled here form beyond our boarders."

"Otik!" She exclaimed.

Blinking his eyes owlishly, Hei interjected, "Tika-san, you have some customers."

Spinning around, the girl gasped as some of the regulars came in. They waved towards the attractive read head before noticing Otik and Hei. Walking over towards the two with Tika right behind them, they nodded towards the innkeeper before greeting Hei.

"We if it isn't the young man who has managed to make Otik's famous spiced potatoes even more delicious and mouthwatering," one of the new comers laughed.

"What?" the other man asked, "not working tonight Li?"

Shaking his head Hei noticed Tika move off somewhere when it was clear that the new costumers wanted to talk first. "No, I gave him the day off," Otik answered for him. "Thought it would do him some good to spend the day out in the town since he only goes there when he need's food."

As if on queue, Hei's stomach growled loudly. All three men laughed as their friend's expression turned to embarrassment. "What, not enough food yet Li?"

Smiling fondly at his newest employee, Otik shook his head as he stood. "I'll get you some more potatoes. Would you gentlemen like to take a seat over by the kitchen? I'm sure Tika or one of the other servers will be with you shortly." Nodding in agreement they said their good-byes to Hei and moved off after Otik.

Watching the two men and Otik leave, Hei let his gaze wander over to the table closest to the fire. Taking a better look at those whom Tika was currently interacting with, he settled down into the food he had been eating.

"Here we are, " Hei heard the child-sized customer, a kender, his brain supplied for him, cheerful cried out.

Upon seeing the tall, young red-haired girl looming behind the kender with a tray of mugs, the large warrior with a dragon shaped helmet, Caramon was his name, Hei remembered from a previous conversation they had been having, grinned. "Now, Tanis," he boomed, "guess who this is. You too Flint. If you win, I'll buy this round."

Tucking this new piece of information away, they seemed to be well acquainted with one another or had known each other for a long time. Hei wondered why he was so interested in the group, but dismissed it from his mind. The logical reason was because out of all the people in the inn, they were the only people who were fully armed, more so than others and simply because they were new. Having been here only a week he had seen many people but none as mismatched as this group.

The conformation that the group was old friends was confirmed when the one named Tanis, the contractor's mind supplied again for him, said, "I give up. But then, to elves humans seem to change so rapidly that we loose track. I am one hundred and two, yet seem no more than thirty to you. And to me those hundred years seem as thirty. This you woman must have been a child when we left."

"I was fourteen. " Tika laughed and set the tray down on the table. "And Caramon used to say I was so ugly my father would have to pay someone to marry me."

"Tika!" Flint slammed his fist on the table. "You're buying, you great oaf!" He pointed at Caramon.

"No fair!" The giant laughed. "She gave you a clue."

Hei let his attention drift back to the other conversations taking place as he lost interest in the group. Though, at the mention of a letter and its strange arrival was safely filed away in the assassin's mind. As the door opened again, Hei's mind only half registered the man's name as his gaze locked on the door.

Framed by the doorway, a straight-backed figure dressed in full plate armor and chain mail, the symbol for the Order of the Rose on the breastplate. A great many people in the Inn turned to stare, scowling. The man was a Solamnic Knight, and the Knights of Solamnia had fallen into ill repute up north. Rumors of their corruption had spread even this far south. The few who recognized Sturm as a long-time former resident of Solace shrugged and turned back to their drinks. But it was still more unusual to see a knight in full armor that dated back practically to the Cataclysm!

Hei blinked his eyes before his face went blank, a stoic mask of indifference as cold and uncaring as the winter snow. Tracking the man's movements as he made his way towards the group, Hei got up and left for his room, food all but forgotten.

Going up the stairs and taking a left, Hei entered his room. It was dark and barren, not that he minded. Changing into the clothes he had worn in Tokyo when on missions, the assassin bent down and withdrew a leather bag made of good quality. Withdrawing his custom made two pronged daggers as well as his wire, Hei methodically placed the items in their usual places with practiced ease. Slipping his gloves on, Hei again reached into the bag before taking out his trademark white mask with its joker's smile and purple lightning bolt scar across the right eye. Taking out a small coin purse, Hei dropped his spare clothes into and watched as they vanished, still leaving the purse as weightless and limp as if it had nothing in it. Quickly dropping a small purse of coins into the magic purse, Hei drew closed the purse and secured in one of the pockets on his belt.

He had learned about magic the hard way when he had first woken up and had had a nasty run in with two men garbed in black robes somewhere to the East of Solace. The two men had seemed as surprised and confused as Hei had seemed annoyed and confused at the disorienting arrival. Hei's day had gone from bad to worse and when the humans had started moving towards their belts and their stances became defensive, the assassin had wasted no time in slamming his knife into one of the strange men before wrapping one of his wires around the other's throat, cutting of the last of the man's words. He then proceeded in smashing the dead man's companion into the ground and dislocating his opponent's right shoulder and left arm at the elbow.

The black robed man, he later learned was a wizard, hadn't stood a change as Hei ruthlessly interrogated the man squeezing every bit of information that he had out of him. By the time he was done with the wizard, his face, if it could be called that, had been an unrecognizable pile flesh. Out of habit Hei had activated his power and sent a jolt of electricity to the man's heart, stopping it cold. He had been mildly surprised and pleased that his contractor's ability still worked on this land called Abanasinia. The next logical thing to do was loot the body for any valuable items, thus he had obtained the bag, money and magic purse among as two small knives. Finishing his preparations, Hei made his way back down the stairs to the common room. Not once did he look back.

The assassin re-entered the room just as a drunken voice, The Theocrat Hedrick, Hei's mind quickly interjected, shrieked, "Blasphemy!" He weaved unsteadily on his feet, pointing at an old man. "Heretic! Corrupting our youth! I'll bring you before the counshel, old man." The seeker fell back a step, then staggered forward again. He looked around the room with a pompous air. "Call the guardsh!" He made a grandiose gesture. "Have them arresht thish man and thish woman for singing lewd songsh. Obviously a witch! I'll confishcate thish staff!"

Just as the seeker lurched across the floor to the barbarian woman, who was staring at him in disgust, a grip tha seemed to be made of iron jerked hi to a stop. Glaring at the hand, the Theocrat followed the arm attached to the hand to the face of a young man with pale skin and blue eyes that seemed more a reminiscent of the night sky than eyes. Smiling pleasantly at the drunken High Theocrat, Hei spoke, "I believe that the staff belongs to the woman, please settle down before you upset the other guests. Or do I have to escort you out like I did the night before?"

"Impudent boy!" the Seeker sneered. "I am high Theocrat! I take what I want."

Just as he wrenched his hand from Hei's grip, the contractor's foot shot out as he sent a jolt of electricity at the other man's leg causing him to loose feeling. Completely unprepared the drunken high Theocrat failed his arms wildly and lurched forward too far as he tried to righten himself. Tripping, he fell head first into the roaring fire.

There was a whoosh and a flare of light, then a sickening smell of burning flesh. The Theocrat's scream tore through the stunned silence as the crazed man leaped to his feet and started whirling around in a frenzy. He had become a living torch!

Tanis and the others sat, unable to move, paralyzed with the shock of the incident as Hei blinked his eyes, trying to come up with a rational answer to why the man was doing the most illogical thing to try and put our the fire. Tasselhoff had wits enough to run forward, anxiously trying to help, but to no avail.

"Here," the old man grabbed the barbarian's feather decorated staff and handed it to the Kender. "Knock him down. Then we can smother the fire."

Tasselehoff took the staff. He swung it, using all his strength, and hit the Theocrat square in the chest. The man fell to the ground. There was a gasp from the crowd. Hei narrowed his eyes as the flames died instantly. The man's robes were whole, undamaged. His skin was pink and healthy. Said man stood up, a look of fear and awe on his face. He stared down at his hands and his robes. There was not a mark on his skin. There was not the smallest cinder smoking on his robes.

"It healed him," Hei muttered to himself just as the old man proclaimed, "the staff! Look at the staff!"

Tasslehoff's eyes went to the staff in his hands. Hei silently and unnoticed by all except one person, into the crowd and towards Tika. Lightly tapping her on the shoulder as the chaos unfolded before his eyes, the contractor murmured, "you should get your friends out of here."

"Call the guards! Arrest the kender! Arrest the barbarians! Arrest their friends! I saw them come in with this knight." The old man pointed at Sturm. "And arrest the young man who stopped the Theocrat from taking the staff!"

Dragging Hei as she ran over to her friends, "you have to get out of here!" Tika gasped, her breath coming in short wheezes. "The whole town's been hunting for that staff! Those hooded men told the Theocrat they'd destroy Solace if they caught someone harboring the staff. The towns people will turn you over to the guards!"

"But it's not our staff!" Tanis protested. He glared at the old man and saw him settle back into his chair, a pleased smile on his face. The old man grinned at Tanis and winked. Turning his head back to Tika he asked, "And who is that young man with you? Do you know each other?" Tanis asked.

"Do you think they will believe you? And what kind of question is that anyway?" Tika shot back as she wrung her hands.

"I hate to interrupt, but look," Hei interjected softly.

Tanis looked around. People were glaring at them balefully. Some took a firm grip on their mugs. Others eased their hands onto the hilt of their swords. Shouts from down below drew his eyes back to his friends and the youth with eyes that looked like the night sky.

"The guards are coming!" Tika exclaimed.

Tanis rose, "We'll have to go though the kitchen."

"Yes!" She nodded. "They won't look back there yet. But hurry. It won't take them long to surround the place."

Hei nodded his head as he watched how effectively the group reacted as a team, it strangely reminded him of his team when they were in the South American Wars. Scanning the room, Hei took notice that the knight was the only one who didn't seem ready to flee even though it was the most logical thing to do under the circumstances.

"Sturm!" Tanis said urgently. "Come one! We've got to get out of here!"

"Run?" The knight appeared astonished. "From this rabble?"

"Yes," Tanis paused; the knight's code of honor forbade running from danger. He had to convince him. "That man is a religious fanatic, Sturm. He'll probably burn us at the stake! And" – a thought struck him – "there is a lady to protect."

Hei grew board with the whole talk between the companions; after all it didn't really concern him. Turning to Tika, the assassin murmured, "I will be waiting at the bottom of the drop. I will see if I can convince the cook today to not try to stop us."

Nodding her head, Tika barely noticed Hei as he slipped through the kitchen and out of sight. Nodding to the cook, Hei struck up a pleasant conversation before lightly shocking him with his power just enough to knock him out. Quietly, the contractor dragged the now unconscious cook around the counter and out of sight before resuming his way back to the hole with a forty foot drop. Ignoring the rope, Hei glanced back over his shoulder as the rest of the misfit group came barging in. Satisfied, Hei jumped, disappearing into the churning darkness. But not before casting the man with the dragon wing helmet and the man in red robe, Raistlin, and Caramon, a blank glance. Landing silently on the ground below, Hei slipped unnoticed into the shadow to wait. After all, this was the most rational path considering he knew next to nothing outside Solace.

So, that is it for the first chapter.

I hope that you all enjoyed. FYI if you don't know about Darker than Black or Dragon Lance I highly suggest that you look it up online just so you know roughly what this fic is about.

Though if you don't that is fine as well. :D

Hye-suk Kim