Blade and Bow
Author's notes: This is an adaptation of the Baldur's Gate story. Don't expect things to go EXACTLY like they did in the game. Many thanks to Domi and her Kivan mod. Hell, she needs a author credit as many scenes are inspired by the mod and I had to use her dialogue for Kivan 'cause it's just that good. This story does a bit of crossover with the Drizzt Do'Urden series by R. A. Salvatore. Knowledge of the series is not required, but helpful. Also, a warning: Allesyn is an author avatar. Prepare for some Mary Sue action.
Now that you, my dear reader, are probably completely freaked out, I invite you in to my little love story.
Chapter One: Meetings
It seemed strange to Allesyn that it should be such a warm sunny day to be out hunting bandits, but here she was. Imoen trailed behind her, red-haired and wide-eyed. Having never ventured so far out of Candlekeep, Imoen seemed to find the forests of the Sword Coast to be a beautiful mystery, sharing Allesyn's enthusiasm. The trees smelled wonderful to Allesyn's elven senses and she took a deep breath, capturing the essence of the woods in her lungs.
"I think we've all seen enough waking hours to take a short break," a stern voice sounded from a distance. Jaheira strode over to the two young women, dropping her quarterstaff in a manner that commanded attention. "Especially since we still do not know where we are going."
Jaheria's husband, Khalid, placed his pack on the ground. "Co-come my dear, it is g-good to be out of doors," he stammered out.
Jaheira snorted in response. She did not like the possibility of wandering in circles. The last few days had the odd group in search of a bandit camp headed by a leader called Tazok. Unfortunately, the directions from the mage back in Beregost were sketchy at best. It might have had something to do with the fact that he only cooperated under the threat of getting a hamster thrown at his eyeballs. Minsc had a way of making people talk at least.
"A short break, Aunty Jaheira," Imoen agreed.
"Don't call me that!"
Imoen just giggled. For someone who had watched her foster father get cut down by a mysterious assailant not a few weeks ago, the girl was in good spirits. Allesyn considered it a good thing.
Allesyn herself had seen some rough times in her life as well, but like Imoen, she tried not to let it get her down. There was nothing to really do about it anyway except move on in life. Allesyn tucked her brown hair behind her ears, her fingers gently running the length of the pointed ear tip. Had it really been ten years since...
"Hey!" Imoen's chirpy voice brought Allesyn out of her thoughts. "Minsc and Dynaheir are stretching out over by those trees. I'm going to see if Dynaheir will teach me some magic today!"
"You give that a try, see how far you get." Imoen's endless pestering of the Rashemi witch was bound to get her somewhere. "I think I can hear a stream not too far ahead. I'll fill up the water skins."
Allesyn took Imoen's empty water skin and headed off between the trees.
Oh, how Allesyn had missed being among the trees! She had spent the last ten years far north of the Sword Coast around the mountain range known as the Spine of the World. The rugged arctic lands of Icewind Dale did not have much in the way of forests, just snow, snow and more snow. Every winter had been a lesson in survival.
As the elven girl crouched by the stream, she thought about Drizzt Do'Urden, the ranger who had trained her. She wished she had paid more attention to his lessons about tracking. She did, however, listen very intently to lessons on combat. The two short swords at her side were not for show, after all.
A rustle in the underbrush returned Allesyn to the present. She needed to learn to not let her thoughts wander so much, especially with the possibility of bandits nearby.
The rustling occurred once more, closer this time. Allesyn stood to investigate. The origin of the disturbance turned out not to be bandits, but gnolls.
The hairy beast stepped out from behind the tree, halberd at the ready. Allesyn suspected there were more about somewhere as gnolls traveled in packs. As a confirmation to her guess, two more mangy gnolls appeared behind the first one.
Her swords were in her hands in the blink of an eye, Allesyn stood and poised herself for the battle.
The first gnoll charged, halberd swinging in a clumsy arc. Allesyn easily side-stepped the rusty blade and slashed the creature along its side.
The first blood drawn, the other two gnolls seemed to whip themselves into a fury at the sight of their wounded companion and rushed the elf.
Again, Allesyn managed to keep herself out of the path of their weapons but she knew that she would not be able to take all three of them at once. Her twin blades whipped back and forth, blood following in their wake, but it did not seem to slow the creatures down much.
The young elf's luck ran out when her arm was caught in a filthy paw. She was dragged to the ground.
The gnoll pulled a dagger from its belt as it crouched over Allesyn. The dagger came down for the kill, but Allesyn's hands shot up and managed to catch the paws, holding the knife just at bay.
For a long moment, a clash of raw muscles ensued. It took all of Allesyn's strength to keep the deadly blade from entering her throat, but she knew she could not hope to outlast the large beast.
Suddenly, the gnoll's arms went slack, its eyes rolled back into its canine head. Allesyn pushed the creature off her, observing that from the creature's back now protruded a white-feathered arrow. Allesyn had no idea where it came from but she did not take the time question her good fortune.
Using the distraction to her advantage, Allesyn jumped to her feet and buried her swords into the next gnoll, felling the thing. The second gnoll followed suit shortly thereafter.
Not wasting any time, Allesyn dashed into the trees back towards the group. She was not far, when she heard footsteps behind her. She spun around, swords at the ready. A man dressed in leather armor and a green cloak stood a few feet from her, his bow and arrow trained on her. The stranger's face was obscured by the cloak's hood.
"Friend or foe?" Allesyn asked, lowering her swords a little to show that she meant no harm to this stranger who had saved her life, but not enough that she couldn't defend herself if need be.
The man also lowered his weapon, keeping the arrow nocked. "I am not your enemy," he answered in a rough, but somehow refined voice.
A scream from Imoen stole Allesyn's attention and she turned and ran back to the group. Curiously, the stranger followed.
Back at the temporary camp, ten gnolls were assaulting the rest of the group. There were two creatures already dead on the ground, but the tired party was starting to feel overwhelmed. An arrow from the cloaked stranger felled one beast and Allesyn charged in.
When the battle was over, the companions finally took the break they deserved. Fortunately, their injuries were minor and Jaheira set to work with healing spells. Imoen walked up to Allesyn, nursing a bruised shoulder.
"That was unexpected. How did we not notice those gnolls before?"
Allesyn shrugged. "I suspect they knew the area better than us. Easier for them to hide."
Imoen nodded, then turned to regard the unknown archer who had helped them win the fight. "Thank you for the assistance, stranger. I'm Imoen. This is Allesyn. You got a name?"
The archer pushed his hood back. "I am Kivan, a ranger."
Allesyn eyed Kivan curiously. He was an elf with tan skin and long black hair, tied back to stay out of his eyes. He had a curious marking on his brow and chin in green war paint, but what struck Allesyn the most was his eyes. His eyes were so dark they were almost black and they looked... Allesyn couldn't decide if 'tired' or 'old' was the right word.
"It is not often I come across strangers in these woods," Kivan said. "What brings you so far from civilization?"
"Bandit hunting," Imoen answered. "We've been told there's a camp somewhere in this general area."
Kivan cocked an eyebrow.
Imoen took a deep breath. "I'm from Candlekeep. A few weeks ago my father and I were attacked by a mysterious armored figure, who ended up killing my father. I joined up with Allesyn, Jaheira and Khalid in investigating the iron shortage at the Nashkel Mine where we met Minsc and Dynaheir and together we found out that the mine is being poisoned by bandits who are operating somewhere around here. We've learned the leader is some guy named Tazok who also sent assassins against us to eliminate me in particular and we don't know why. So here we are!" Imoen took another deep breath.
"You really should just write that down," Allesyn joked.
Kivan's face twisted in anger for a moment. "Tazok," he hissed, "is known to me. He took the life of someone very dear to me."
"I'm sorry," Allesyn said, softly.
"It would seem," Kivan continued, "that we share similar goals. I offer you my skills as a tracker, if you desire."
Imoen nodded. "Any help would be appreciated. We thank you, Ranger." She raised her arm towards Kivan to give him a friendly handshake, but winced in pain. "If you'll excuse me, I have a shoulder for Jaheira to mother over."
As Imoen departed, Kivan turned to Allesyn and said something in a language she did not recognize.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand."
Kivan's brows knitted in confusion. "You do not speak Elvish?"
"I was... raised by humans." It wasn't quite a lie.
The ranger regarded her for a few seconds, noting Allesyn's dwarven-style armor with his dark eyes. His examination complete, Kivan then drew his hood up and walked away.
Allesyn couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer.