She never intended to enroll in Drogan's adventuring school, but an event shatters Nikeisha Darkmoon's life. Left with nothing, but a heart of pain, lies and betrayal, she turned to adventuring, a life she had once claimed to despise. Base on Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of the Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark.

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A/N: I have re-edited the first lot of chapters that I submitted, the first two chapters have changed a fair bit, and have also combined some chapters into one chapter. I hope you like the changes.

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Warning: Story may contain PLOT SPOILER

Disclaimer

This fiction follows the Neverwinter Night expansion games rather closely. Criticism is not only welcome but also encouraged; only constructive criticisms please, so if you don't like it, please don't just say it sucks; tell me why it does.

Either I or the producers and developers of Neverwinter Nights and its expansions have created all elements of this story, that have been said, this story should not be recopied or used in any way except to enjoy reading it.

I am rating this as PG 13, due to minor sexual references, although they are not much different then what is featured in the actually Neverwinter Night games. Parents please use your own discretion on whether you allow your child to read this fiction.

On an end-note, all characters that do not appear in the game belong to me. Please do not re-create them.

Now on with the story.

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The almost eighteen years old, Nikeisha Darkmoon, a half elven girl, laid grief stricken on the bed, her pale skin even paler and her chest hurting in more ways than one. Her dark blood coloured hair conflicting with her cheeks that were flushed red from crying and wet tear stains streaked her face.

Nikeisha had never planned to apprentice herself the dwarven wizard known as Drogan Droganson, a great adventurer now retired in the small village of Hilltop. She had never wanted to be an adventurer, only wanting what most simple village girls wanted; a good husband and children, but with her mother gone and her village in ruins, all she wanted when she first arrived at Drogan's was revenge for the devastation inflicted upon her life.

It had been a month since she arrived, but Drogan had refused to teach her until she had deal with the worst of her grief. That refusal had infuriated Nikeisha during the first week, as she hadn't allowed herself to grieve and wanted to smother her emotions in activity and be able to seek her avengement.

It was only Drogan's simple question of "don't all creatures have the right to live?" that brought Nikeisha back from the brink of becoming a merciless monster and set her on the path she was now on. The question reminded her of the same thing her mother had always taught her, and like a dam bursting, she cried, mourning for her mother and at how she had betrayed her mother's ideals. It was then that she vowed to help others, to not let the same thing happen again.

Prior to Nikeisha arriving, Drogan's previous apprentices had left to be the adventurers that he had trained them to be, all except one. The one that stayed was an elf named Ashuador Fireleaf, and was Nikeisha's best friend. Ashuador and Nikeisha grew up in neighboring villages, he in an elven village and she in a human village; her mother's village.

Being half elf, Nikeisha felt a little like an outsider in her village, and since the age of seven often she would wandered into the forest that surrounded the village. It was during one of her outings that Ashuador stumbled across her. She was upset that day too, Nikeisha recalled to herself.

He had been the first elf she had met and she found him vastly intriguing, part of her hoping that she could find her place amongst elves. Nikeisha soon discovered that she still felt like an outcast, her idiosyncrasies were neither elf nor human, but a little of each and undoubtedly her own.

Ashuador found her very interesting too. His first comment to her was about her ears. "Are you an elf?" he had asked her, looking curiously at her ears, ears that are shaped like humans but come to a point at the top, "because you have the funniest elf ears I've ever seen." The intense expression on his face as he playfully examined her ears had sent Nikeisha into gales of laughter and it took a while before she could explain that she was half-elf.

With that opening as prelude to their friendship, it quickly grew to the point that they had no secrets from each other. Both were accepted into the others family as one of the members, and before long Ashuador was calling her elle seler', little sister.

Despite their friendship, or perhaps because of it, Ashuador was for ever getting her into trouble with either his dares or his practical jokes. Nikeisha smiled, however briefly, as she remembered Ashuador daring her to cast light on her mother's bed as a practical joke, but she had cast it on her mother instead as she startle them when she walked into the room.

Fresh tears streamed down Nikeisha's face as the thoughts of the past made her mourn even more.

It was some time later, after her tears had dried, that there was a knock on Nikeisha's room door, and Drogan entered after her response. "How are you feeling today, Nikki?" he inquired as he sat down on the end of the bed, his balding head glittering in the candle light.

"Alright" she replied, giving him a sad little smile.

He smiled back at her, fondly, his glassy grey eyes glittering with kindness and understanding. "Well, I've been giving it some thought and, if you feel up to it, I thought you might like to begin your training tomorrow."

She smiled broadly although still sadden. "That would be nice." She answered.

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The following morning Nikeisha came down the stairs to join Drogan and Ashuador for breakfast. During her grief, Nikeisha had isolated herself in the room and hadn't been about the house. Her emerald eyes were bright as she surveyed the room, sparkling with her usual playfulness; though there was still pain in them, an injury so deep, it scarred the soul. All the same, it was by far more desirable than the chilling deadness that they had during the first week, when she hadn't mourned, but only lusted for revenge.

Nikeisha attention was drawn to the far left of the room where, through a doorway she could hear Drogan preparing the morning's meal perhaps. The smells that came from the room stated that he was. Near that door, in the far corner, stood several bookcases loaded with books on every subject. In front was a plain wooden table surrounded with some plain wooden chairs, the corner was obviously used for studying, and a number of tomes lay open on the table.

Most of the rest of the room was rather empty. Somewhere close by, to her left, a fire crackled. Nikeisha turned her contemplation to the hearth, a fire burned fitfully inside in, warming the common room and in front was two comfortable chairs, and a small table between them. In the chair closes to her sat Ashuador, his golden hair glittering in the flicking fire light. His sky blue eyes stared unseeing into the flames as he dealt with his own grief.

He sighed and lifted his head up sharply as he heard Nikeisha reached the bottom of the stairs. His face brighten as he saw her smile, he had kept his own mourning to himself, protecting her from seeing him grieve so not to upset her more. The worst of her own grief had near past, and her excitement about beginning her training over shadowed it.

Her eyes flicked to Ashuador's items, which were in packs beside him, her eyebrow arched questioning, and she looked at him quizzically. He grimaced as he prepared to tell her something she knew she wasn't going to like. She steeled herself, feeling her exuberance fading.

"Breakfast." Drogan announced emerging from the kitchen, carrying a tray of food across the common room to a room that was to the right of the stairs. Ashuador quickly followed Drogan, his eyes refusing to look at Nikeisha. She sighed irritably and followed as well.

The room that she entered was the Dining room. It was very bare consisting only of a long oval wooden table, that had a beautiful carved pattern around the edge, and six chairs, each with the same carved pattern on the backs. The tray of streaming fried eggs and bacon sat at the upper end, and Drogan took a seat in front of them. Ashuador joint him at the table, sitting to the side of Drogan, and was already heaping food on his plate. Nikeisha sat down opposite to Ashuador, trying to get his attention, but he totally ignored her.

"Nikki you really should have some breakfast," Ashuador told her, shoveling food into his mouth, "Drogan is a wonderful cook, far better than you." He teased her, his eyes gleaming with mirth.

"I'm a good cook!" She retorted back then smiled impishly, "don't you remember the time when I was eight, and made you mud pies?" she giggled wickedly at him, and he laughed.

"How can anyone forget your mud pies, they are the best." He told her jokingly, and she poked her tongue out at him, Drogan laughed at the two of them.

"Have you told her?" Drogan asked Ashuador bluntly as Nikeisha helped herself to some food.

"I am right here." She pointed out playfully.

"Well so you are." Ashuador said in mock amazement, making her giggle again. "I was about to." He then told Drogan seriously, Nikeisha put her fork down and looked at him expectantly.

"I'm waiting." She said sternly, crossing her arms across her generous sized breast, all signs of her playfulness was gone.

Ashuador swallowed hard. "Well, um, with Drogan planning to begin your training," he said, "I thought it might be better if I was to start my adventuring now." Ashuador flinched back as Nikeisha's anger rose, Ashuador, of all people, knew that her temper wasn't to be taken lightly, especially when she's a mage that likes to take her temper out by destroying something.

She stood up, slamming her fist on the table. "So that's it!" she yelled at him, "you're going to leave me here with this… this dwarf that I hardly know."

"Be reasonable, Nikeisha," Drogan told her, trying to placated her, "You knew that he was planning to leave a month ago and I'm hardly a stranger now, am I?"

"Reasonable!" she yelled turning her attention to Drogan, "Reasonable!" her voice went up a level.

"Oh, now that's a mistake." Ashuador said joviality to Drogan. Nikeisha turned her attention back to Ashuador. She knew that she was being unreasonable, and not knowing what to say, she stormed out of the room, leaving her meal untouched. "I think that went rather well." She heard Ashuador say as she ran up the stairs. When she reached her assigned room, she looked around for something to destroy. Seeing nothing, she settled for slamming the door as hard as she could without breaking it; after all, she wanted her privacy.

Some short time later, she heard the soft tap of Ashuador at the door, and then he entered carrying her breakfast. He came over to the side of the bed, placing the plate on the low dresser beside it. "You didn't eat your breakfast." He told her, sitting on the edge. She turned her back on him, sometimes her quietness was worst that her temper. Ashuador sighed.

The food smelt delicious and Nikeisha stomach growled. Finally, she gave in, sitting up she began eating her breakfast. "Do you really have to go, Ash?" she whined, after eating about half of it.

"Yes Nikki, it's for the best. I'm just under foot here." Nikeisha sighed, continuing to eat. "You knew this day would come, Nikki. You got your life and I've got mine." Ashuador stood up, looking out of the window. "I really should get going." He said apprehensively. "The sun is already fairly high." Nikeisha sighed; she nodded her head and got off the bed. They went down stairs and Ashuador walked over to his belongings. Drogan was already in the common room, waiting for them.

Ashuador took a deep breath and looked around the room, fixing the details into his mind. Then he looked at Drogan, and finally Nikeisha. He sighed. "Well I guess this is it."

"It is my boy." Drogan said, holding a hand out to Ashuador. He took it, shaking it in a gruff hand shake. "Now you be careful, and don't come back here because your mouth has gotten you into trouble."

Ashuador smiled, but said nothing. He walked over to Nikeisha, holding his arms out wide for her. She hugged him tightly, not letting him go. "I'll get your mother's ring back from what ever thief stole it." He vowed to her, knowing how much she cherished the ring. Tears glisten in her eyes, partly from Ash leaving, and partly from the mention of her mother.

"Please be careful." She begged him, choking back a sob.

"I will." He promised her. He lend back looking at her face, slowly he wiped away the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks. After some difficulty, he managed to detangle himself from Nikeisha's grip and went over to pick his things up. Lastly, he slung his bow over his shoulder, then he looked around for the last time, finally he sighed and left the house.

Nikeisha stood at the front door, watching as Ashuador walked down the path towards the village of Hilltop. Once he was out of sight, she went back inside, wiping away her tears. Drogan was sitting in the same chair that Ashuador had been that morning, and he indicated for her to sit in the other one.

He looked at her for quite a while before speaking. His eyes looked into hers with concern, and a frown creased his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess." He eyes were intense, and she could help herself, she had to add more. "A little sad that Ash left, but I'll be alright."

Drogan nodded. "I'll begin your training then." He announced. "To start with, I like you to address me as Master Drogan."

"Alright, Master Drogan." Nikeisha teased playfully. And so began her training as a sorceress, although she had learnt skills of a ranger from Ashuador's village and skills of a fighter from her mother.

For a while, she was the only student and with only Drogan in the house, she got to know him very well. He was a bit gruff and strict but his nature was like a parent, and he soon filled the void in her life as the father she never knew.

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Nikeisha sat at the table in the corner of the common room. The tiny flame of the candle before her danced hypnotically, as if it was trying to draw her eyes away from her task. Drogan had assigned her the tedious task of researching the names of several spells he had show her the day before, many that she already knew. She sighed and began letting her mind wander.

A little over a month had past since Ashuador had left. Drogan had trained Nikeisha hard as a sorceress, the strongest area of her expertise although he also taught her some skills to enhance her ranger and fight abilities. He pushed her to her limits, leaving her too tired, too exhausted, to even think about Ashuador, let alone miss him.

This was the first time she hadn't done any physical training and she welcomed the rest, despite the assignment's monotony. Her eyes shone like emeralds as the flame lured them into its seductiveness. All bemused she stared.

"Nikeisha!" Drogan snapped from where he sat before the fireplace, relaxing and reading a book. Her body jumped at the sound of his voice. "You are not concentrating." He chimed her. She sighed again, turning her deep green eyes back to the pages in front of her. Suddenly the door slammed open, letting in the cold frigid air of the first days of spring.

She looked over to see a half-orc standing in the doorway; his green coloured skin had turning a slight bluish tinge from the bitter cold. He wore raggedy pants and a tunic that look more like a burlap sack that had been converted, than an item of clothing. In addition, he also had an old patched and threadbare blanket around his shoulders; his stance was as if his clothing was the most regal looking attire in all of Toril.

Nikeisha did not find him regal looking, in fact she found it very comical and burst out laughing. He turn to look at her, seeing her for the first time concealed in the shadows, his deep, dark brown eyes narrowed as he glared at her with an imperious gaze to silence her. Nikeisha only laughed more, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"You dare to laugh at Xanos!" He demanded to her, his face of indigent rage.

"No," she replied, wiping her eyes, "I dare to laugh at you."

"How dare you laugh at the Great Xanos Messarmos!" he exclaimed. Nikeisha realized that he was going to do something rash, and began to prepare herself mentally. To her surprised he didn't attack with brute strength, but haltingly began to cast a spell.

Nikeisha recovered quickly from her surprise, standing up, and began casting her own spell, her hands moving in synchrony with the half-orc's. Together they release their spells, but nothing happen. A look of dismay crossed Xanos' face and Nikeisha laughed with delight.

"I don't know why you think its funny little half-elven," he told her, "your spell didn't work either."

"Well, that would be true," Nikeisha replied, playfully, "if it wasn't for the fact that I wasn't casting a spell." She smiled winsomely, as she saw the confusion on his face. "I was countering your spell." She told him sweetly. Xanos was anger by this and was about to cast another spell when Drogan decided that it was time to stop.

"That's enough from the two of you." Drogan told them sternly as he moved to stand between them.

"Yes Master Drogan." Nikeisha replied meekly.

"She's a student here?" Xanos said incredibly. "This worthless little half-elven is a student."

"I am, not that it matters to you, half-orc." Nikeisha snared back, his words stinging her.

"I told you two that 'that's enough,'" Drogan snapped. "Nikeisha, allowing yourself to be lured into battle like that is deadly, you should know that." She nodded her head mutely, feeling absolutely humiliate and disgusted with herself. "As for Xanos, he is my newest student." Nikeisha felt a hot surge of disappoint at that announcement, things had been great at Drogan's for the past month, but she knew that those days were over. Xanos most definitely wasn't going to make the days great.

Far from great, she thought to herself. "Will that be all?" she asked Drogan politely.

"Yes."

"I think I'll continue my work in my room then." She told them.

"If that's what you want." Drogan agreed.

Nikeisha gather the books she was reading and began to head upstairs. She felt jealous as she saw Drogan already starting to teach Xanos. She knew it was childish, even petty, but she hated Xanos for coming here, for stealing Drogan away from her.

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Xanos Messarmos, a sorcerer like herself, was absolutely convinced that he was the greatest person that had ever lived, and that he was destiny for a life of wealth, luxury, and power. His fondness for the sound of his own voice granted on Nikeisha's nerves, especially considering his favorite topic was himself and his great destiny.

Xanos embodied all the characteristic of a half-orc: Tall, greenish skin, dark eyes, and dark hair, with that harsh prominent facial bones and the lower jaw that jabbed out. He was also physically powerful but something uncharacteristic was that he was mentally powerful.

With his mental prowess, he pushed Nikeisha to the limits of hers, but no matter what he said about her, she always was quick to come back with a clever and witty remark about him, never letting him get the best of her. Soon it settled into routine and Nikeisha discovered how much fun it was to bait Xanos into insults, only to out maneuver him.

It wasn't too long after Xanos arrival that a beardless dwarven lass saying that her name was Dorna Trapspringer come to Drogan's asking to become an apprentice as well. Dorna was a rogue but was also a cleric to Vergadain, the god of wealth and luck.

Nikeisha was happy to have Dorna at Drogan; after all, females do need other females for companion, at least, she was happy until Drogan started spent most of his time with Dorna, while Nikeisha was left to help Xanos with his training.

Nikeisha wasn't exactly nice to Xanos about the arrangement, constantly ridiculing Xanos when he did something wrong, not in a mean way but enough to deflate his oversized ego. This continued for around six weeks before she voiced her outrage to Drogan about being left with Xanos.

"Why me?" She complained to him one evening while they sat by the fireplace, revising what her training had taught her so far. The other two had already retired to their rooms to study on their own.

"Beside that you are my eldest student, you are a sorcerer yourself, and you know the stuff that Xanos is learning, my girl." He replied, his glassy grey eyes looking at her over the rim of his glasses.

"Alright, Master Drogan," Nikeisha gave in, fidgeting uncomfortably under Drogan's scrutiny.

"Tell me, my girl, why don't you want to teach Xanos. What do you have against him?" He looked intensely into her emerald eyes, making her squirm even more; she jumped slightly as the fire crackled in the hearth.

"Nothing," she replied quickly, but he just continued to look at her "well it's just that he is obsessed with himself. His convince that he is destined for greatness, and has plans to use what he learns here to become a ruler."

"And why do you have a problem with this?" he asked seeming to be somewhat relieve.

"Well, if he is a bad ruler, he will have to deal with me. I will not allow him to be a tyrant; if he is, I will stop him. I am becoming an adventurer to help others and I will not sit by while he hurts them."

"But what if he's a good ruler and the people love him?"

"Well then I guess I would help him should he require my assistance." She answered, embarrassed of having judged Xanos without any prove.

"I am glad that your problem with Xanos is due to his personality and not because he is half-orc, well kind of," he replied, as he stroked his long grey beard. "I was worried that with what happen to your mother you were judging him from his heritage."

"I have nothing against orcs, Master Drogan." She sounded surprised by Drogan's statement, "You know that they weren't the ones who killed my mother."

"I know, Ashuador told me the whole story. I was worried that you might hold a grudge against orcs as well though."

"That's the real reason why you saddle me up with Xanos, isn't it?" Nikeisha asked shrewdly.

"Well, maybe it was part of the reason," Drogan replied, his eyes twitch slightly with guilt, but nothing else betrayed the truth. Suddenly Drogan laughed.

"I don't think that's very funny, Master Drogan." She said primly.

"I'm sorry Nikki, but talking about Ashuador just reminded me of the time he turned himself green." He chuckled again. "He got into my potion ingredients one day; how he managed it is beyond me, but his turned himself bright green. It took all day to get it off." Drogan smirked, "Apparently he was making something for a prank he was going to do to me. The funniest bit is his remarks about it; he just made it a big joke."

"Ash makes everything a joke." Then she sighed forlornly.

"What's wrong, my girl?"

"I just miss Ash. All my life I never went more than two days without seeing him, at least not until he started his apprenticeship with you."

"You love him dearly, don't you?" he asked Nikeisha compassionately.

"He's my best friend; he is like a brother to me."

"It's getting late," Drogan changed the topic, sensing Nikeisha's sorrow, "and I want to test you tomorrow. Go and get some sleep." He told her gently, knowing that she needed time with her thoughts and memories.

"Alright Master Drogan." She agreed, getting up and going to her bed.