Family Matters
Ches 8 1370 DR, Year of the Tankard
Attack in the Library
It was quiet inside the well lit library that sat deep within the High Palace of Silverymoon. There were seventeen large wooden shelves filled with old books, tomes, and other documents that told the different histories of the countries and continents of Toril. The walls were painted in a creamy white color, and four large flat glass windows sat at the top of the library.
Sitting at a round wooden table, Shadimir and Stephanie had been spending the evening looking at an old book about the regions of Zakhara that were south of Fauern.
Dressed in her grey-blue clerical vestments that covered her slim figure, Stephanie sat closely to Shadimir. Every once in a while, she would glance into the undead hunter's eyes. It seemed so long ago when we first met, she thought to herself as Shadimir finished the section about Zakhara's deserts, and the dangerous creatures that lurked there.
It was after she turned down Shadimir's proposal two months ago, that Stephanie's duties as a doomguide of Kelemvor had earned her a trip to the farm town of Eveningstar. During her trip, she had taught some of Eveningstar's citizens about the teachings of Kelemvor's beliefs on death and repose. She also performed funerals and last rites for purple dragon knights, war wizards, and even the townspeople who had lost their lives in the previous year. During all of this time, Stephanie had missed her family back in Silverymoon. She had missed her Shadimir.
While Stephanie was away, Shadimir continued to train under the watchful eyes of Lady Alustriel. The High Mage of Silverymoon was currently teaching Shadimir about the different lands outside of Fauern. Shadimir had also watched his daughter Dalla develop a fascination for the martial arts. However, Shadimir went nights without sleep, missing the woman he loved.
When her mission trip was finally over with, Stephanie was teleported out of Eveningstar by the Lady Lord Tessaril Winter, and teleported back into Silverymoon. The moment her feet had touched the familiar surface of the Moonbridge, she ran home, and leaped into Shadimir's arms.
Shadimir looked into her hazel eyes and smiled. "This Zakhara is interesting," he stopped speaking as he saw Stephanie slowly lurch over and grab hug her arms around her stomach. "Are you all right?" he asked with a concerned voice.
The priestess of Kelemvor nodded, then sat back up. She'd been having stomach pains all night, and tried her best to keep it from her man. I can't tell him until later, she thought to herself as she looked back up into his eyes. "That's an interesting outfit," Stephanie said, looking at Shadimir's long sleeved purple shirt and finely stitched black pants.
The hunter knew Stephanie was trying to change the subject, but he decided to go along with it. "They're from Alustriel," he answered with a sigh. He quickly brushed his sleeves off, then felt something small land on his head. "She says it makes a good study outfit."
"Maybe this is payback for cutting your hair," Stephanie answered, then noticed the small black fly in Shadimir's hair. The cleric stood up, and batted the fly away.
The fly buzzed curiously around Shadimir's head once more, then flew over to Stephanie's head.
It was Shadimir's turn to bat the fly off of Stephanie's head, but before his arm could reach her hair, Stephanie caught it, then pulled him into a deep passionate kiss. "I have a secret for you?" she purred softly.
"It is about what lady clerics keep under their robes?" Shadimir asked with a wicked grin on his face, as he ran his fingers through her hair. The fly in her hair quickly dodged Shadimir's fingers.
"Well actually, I just Azrael sheathed on my belt, but nothing else," she responded with a giggle, then waved a finger and shook her head. "How dare you suggest such things Shadimir Deachron. Especially before we are in the palace library.
"Well Alustriel is away with my mother in Shadowdale, and I don't think..." he stopped, quickly remembering how Alustriel could hear if someone was speaking about her if her name was spoken out loud, and how she could also hear the next words that were said after her name was spoken.
The doomguide of Kelemvor smiled, but she heard the glass window break with a loud crash that came from the opposite side of the room. Stephanie turned her head, and suddenly two orcs dressed in leather armor jump through the window, breaking whatever glass was left. Using their quick feet, the orcs landed on top of a bookshelf.
The two orcs quickly held up their crossbows and began loading them. They aimed their weapons directly at Shadimir and Stephanie. Channeling the grace and energy of her god Kelemvor, Stephanie began to chant while moving her fingertips.
A long red whip of energy slowly dangled from the cleric's hands. Stephanie brought her hand up, and snapped it forward. The long red whip extended out far, leaving Stephanie's hand. The red lash flew quickly in the air, and hit one of the orc's, knocking him off of the shelf.
Shadimir looked up, seeing six more orcs jump through the broken window and onto the library floor. Another figure jumped through the window and landed behind the orcs. She was a tall, slender looking woman with brown hair. She wore a very tight leather outfit that revealed much of her body.
The hunter quickly stepped towards the shelf he had placed his bastard sword Gabriel. He quickly grabbed his weapon off of the shelf and unsheathed his magical blade.
Reaching into her robe, Stephanie unsheathed Azrael from her belt, and in a swift motion, she brought the sword out of her robe.
Shadimir looked over, seeing the priestess holding her weapon in front of her. "Looks like you were telling the truth." The doomguide winked at the undead hunter, then cried out word "Lyonsbane". A glowing blue flame sprouted from Azrael's hit and swirled around the blade continuously.
Just as it seemed Shadimir and Stephanie were ready to defend the library alone, the door busted open with a loud crash, and a blond haired woman dressed in black studded leather armor quickly ran into the room. "Shadimir, Stephanie," she panted," I saw some men climbing up the palace walls up to the window."
"Thanks Aliyah," Stephanie said softly to her sister as she held Azrael forward. The orc she had hit with her mystic lash spell quickly rose to his feet and charged at her.
Aliyah quickly reached onto her belt and drew her scimitars. In her left hand, she held her green hilted blade named Harmoni, and in her right, she held her blue hilted scimitar Tendirhart. Her hazel eyes looked past the orcs that were about to attack Shadimir and her sister and focused on the woman in the tight leather outfit. The woman however, looked past her, staring at Shadimir and Stephanie. "I'll take the woman alone," Aliyah growled softly, loud enough for Shadimir, Stephanie, and one of the orcs to hear.
The undead hunter darted forward, swinging Gabriel in an upper diagonal cut. His attack missed the one eyed orc that stood in front of him, but it caused the orc to drop his longsword. Shadimir quickly made up for his missed attack by slashing a deep cut in the orc's midsection.
The first orc fell over dead, but two more jumped forward, swinging their blades at Shadimir, only to have them parried by the undead hunter's enchanted sword and his quick reflexes.
A few feet away from Shadimir, Stephanie began to channel more divine energy from Kelemvor. Azrael's blue flame began to burn brighter, and Stephanie stepped next an orc holding a battleaxe. With one stroke of Azrael, Stephanie slashed a large gash across the orc's chest.
The orc who had been hit with the cleric's Mystic Lash spell watched his comrade fall dead to the marble floor. Filled with rage he let out a terrible war cry, and drew his greatsword. He jumped forward at the cleric, but felt a sharp pain in his stomach as the cleric's sword was imbedded deep in his gut. The orc felt more pain as Azrael's blue flames began to burn the inside of his wound.
Standing in the back, the monk Karin Ryzin watched the action. She had hired the orcs to help her break into the library, then distract the palace guards while she looked for Alustriel. She hadn't expected them to live through the night, nor had she expected anyone to be inside the library when she and her small band of orcs entered the library. "At least they were of some use," Karin said softly, stretching her arms behind her back. The bones in her arms and shoulders made small crackling noises as she stretched them. Oh how she loved to hear the sounds of bones snapping and cracking.
For a moment, she looked over at the silver haired man in the purple shirt and the black haired woman in the robes. Her contacts within Silverymoon had informed her that the name of the man was Shadimir Deachron, while the woman's name was Stephanie Munoz. Karin was informed that Stephanie was a very powerful priestess of Kelemvor, and that Shadimir was very knowledgeable when it came to fighting undead. From the way it looked, it seemed they were pretty decent fighters overall. I wonder where Alustriel or her palace guards are hiding? Karin asked herself as she, continued to stare at Shadimir and Stephanie.
"Are you just going to stand there and watch, or are you going to fight?" asked the blond haired woman who stood now stood five feet to the monk's left.
Karin turned, seeing the blond haired woman holding her scimitars at her sides. Her contacts told her about this woman as well. "You're Aliyah Munoz, Stephanie's sister," Karin said in a calm voice.
Aliyah quickly stepped forward, her left hand bringing Harmoni down across the monk's leg.
Karin stepped into Aliyah's attack, feeling the scimitar's blade rip through her leather and into her skin. A small crimson blood trail went down Karin's leg. The small painful sting from the ranger's cut filled the monk with adrenaline and excitement. For many, sharp pains were irritating, sometimes unbearable. Yet for Karin Ryzin, disciple of Loviatar the sharp pains were exhilarating.
Aliyah's right hand drove Tendirhart forward, but Karin's right also hand snapped forward, deflecting the scimitar. Then, the monk's left hand moved upward, bringing a hard balled fist into Aliyah's jaw.
The ranger staggered as Karin stood in a fighting stance with both hands open in front of her. In a movement of quickness, Karin spun right in a half circle, bringing her left leg forward and delivered a hard roundhouse kick into the left side of Aliyah's face, knocking her to the floor.
With a soft growl of frustration, Aliyah stood back up on her feet, then lunged forward recklessly, driving Tendirhart down towards the monk's neck. Tendirhart was ready to taste Karin's flesh, but the monk's reflexes were too quick, and she caught the scimitar with her right hand.
Karin closed her fist tightly around the scimitar's sharp edge. The monk continued to let the blade dig into her palm. The sensation of pain began to flow through her body, as Karin let the sharp blade dig into her hand a little bit more. After a few seconds, she used her strength and snapped the blade of the scimitar in two.
Aliyah jumped back, as she fall the broken scimitar's hilt fall from her fingers.
"You have troubled me long enough," Karin said softly as the palm of her right hand slowly bled a crimson stream down to the floor. She could see the look of frustration in Aliyah's eyes, knowing that her love of pain intimidated the ranger. The monk's left hand reached behind her back, and she pulled out a rolled up black whip.
After letting the whip's black tendril unravel on the floor the monk of Loviatar brought the whip above her head, then snapped it forward.
Aliyah tried to sidestep the monk's attack, but her reflexes weren't fast enough.
The long black tendril smacked Aliyah hard in her face, the iron tip of the whip cracked hard against the ranger's left eye. She quickly covered her eye, unable to see out of it, then began to feel a strong nausea feeling in the deep pit of her stomach.
From the opposite side of the room, Stephanie and Shadimir watched as Aliyah slump down to the floor and monk roll up the whip. The doomguide quickly slashed Azrael through the last remaining orc that stood in front of her and with Shadimir, began to race towards the fallen ranger.
Karin looked over, seeing the cleric and the undead hunter moving towards her. She liked the idea of facing both Shadimir and Stephanie, but the monk realized she had little chance of surviving.
The monk quickly envisioned herself on the outside wall of the palace library, then used one of her abundant step ability and vanished out of the room to the outside of the library.
When they had reached the ranger, Shadimir and Stephanie both examined her closely. They had noticed that Aliyah's had turned a pale color, and her left eye was cut open from the impact of the whip. The undead hunter looked around, seeing no sign of Alustriel's palace guards. They were probably napping in the throne room, Shadimir thought to himself.
"Its poison," Stephanie said softly, gently stroking her sister's hair. The cleric used the energy she had channeled from her god and healed Aliyah of the poison from within her body. "Who was that woman?" Stephanie asked Shadimir, looking up at him.
"I don't know Stephanie, but I have a feeling though, that we haven't the last of her," the undead hunter responded coldly.