Hello everyone. I, your humble Scribe, welcome you all to the first tale in the Chronicles of Enari and Youko: The Mystery of the Goo (as witnessed by the Scribe)
First off, credit where credit is due:
Dungeons and Dragons is a tabletop RPG. The monsters in this story, the combat style, and spell functions are all credit to this wonderful game and their brilliant creators.
Enari and Youko are my own characters. Their stories and personas are credit to me, the Scribe.
The world that Enari and Youko inhabit, as well as all the provinces mentioned herein are all created by my wonderful partner and DM, the King.
This story is based off of a one-player campaign in a homebrew world, meaning that there is one DM (the King) and one player (me!) running about in a world map the King has created for this campaign. Since the beginning I have known I wanted to turn this campaign into readable story format. My partner has poured energy and effort into this tale for me, and I, in turn, am pouring energy and effort into enjoying it and riding/sharing this wave of awesomeness. I have kept this story as close to what happened in-game as possible based upon my notes. Really I am just writing this for fun to chronicle our very first game adventure together, and I hope other can enjoy it as well ^_^
Anyway, that is most of the important intro stuff, I think. Without further ado, I present to you, dearest reader, with chapter one: Just a Small Town Girl (aka, Welcome to the Big City)
Enjoy~
Gather 'round, ye children of Drafael, to hear a tale of heroes bold
In diverse province of fair Oderon is where our journey shall unfold
Our story follows an elven ranger known as 'Enari' by those who ask
And her snowy fox dubbed 'Youko' who accompanies her every task
From southern forests they passed through every hamlet and borough
Doing menial jobs to earn a meal, only to be gone upon the morrow
Now their road winds northeast towards the towering canyon wall
To meet their destiny and fortune in the Tiered City of Brightfall
Mid-morning and the city was alive and bustling. Civilians, adventurers, merchants, and craftsmen blended together in a hive-like churning of bodies that filled the tiers carved out of the canyon walls. Chatter, banter, and bargain hung over the air, accompanied by the occasional sounds of gulls cawing from the docks and the song of a wandering bard dancing to earn his wares in the square. The din of general liveliness poured out through the archway of the canyon's defending wall, spilling out over the river docks and out towards the entrance of the city. It was there stood rugged Enari at the town map studying the contents of the city's four tiers. As the sounds of the hive reached her ears, the corner of an emerald eye gave a faint but distinctive twitch.
"People."
The word was uttered with more dread than disdain. Though it was true she preferred Youko's company to that of most people, Enari wasn't an elf who disliked others. Her grandparents had brought her into town with them when it was time to trade during her younger, less experienced years. However, once she proved herself capable of handling her own in the wilds Enari was perfectly content to keep to their hidden corner of the woods. Being a small town girl whose only interactions were with her grandparents and local sylvan made communicating with others quite the challenging endeavor simply for the fact that she didn't know how it was done. Though gods be damned if she didn't try her best.
On the other hand, fair Youko didn't seem bothered in the slightest. He merely yawned up at her as if to say 'I'm not fussed.'
"Well, it's all well and good for you, innit, pretty boy?" Enari huffed. Youko could charm the pants off anyone. Both of them knew he carried the charisma for the whole team. More people meant more attention, and he was always up for basking in adulation (on his terms, of course).
"Alright." Enari sniffed and thumbed her smudged nose. "Let's get on with it. Come on, Youko." With a pat to her thigh to signal the fox to follow she started off in the direction of the tavern, Youko falling in step beside her.
'The Night Yonder', a well-kempt tavern just outside the defending wall, was not far from where Enari had been at the city map. Knowledge of towns visited previously told Enari that if she wanted work then a tavern's job board would be the first place to look, and she wasn't one to dawdle.
"Hello, and welcome to the Night Yonder." Greeted a cheery barmaid as the elf and her snowy fox strolled in.
All different sorts had made their way to the tavern for a midday pint and meal. Travelers on the road, dock workers, and a few shopkeepers who worked at the town's entrance were all scattered throughout the common area at various tables and booths. They sat chatting over a cold brew, carrying on about business, old and new, and they all looked up with an inquisitive eye at the disheveled ranger- smudged with earth, bits of twigs sticking out of her curly hair- who'd just entered with an oddly colored animal on her heel. Enari paid them little mind as she made her way over to the bar.
"How may I help you, love?" asked the barmaid.
"Postings." Grunted Enari. "Job postings. Where can I find them?"
The barmaid was slightly caught off guard by the hesitant exchange but she kept a smile.
"O-oh, well," she motioned to the far wall, "all of our jobs are posted at the board in the back. You're more than welcome to look through what's been put up." Enari gave a gesture- a cross between a shallow bow and a wave- grunted out a "thank you" and made her way to the board, completely ignoring the curious eyes that were drilling holes in her back.
Crisp pages and tattered missives stared out at the elf from their mounts on the wall. Enari eyed one notice that appeared fairly new mentioning something about finding a thief within the city and returning an important trinket to a noble. She sniffed at this. Nobles were a bit too uptight and snobbish for her taste, not to mention air-headed and nonsensical. Too many jobs her grandmother took her on involved going after some noble lost to the wild. Their blatant disrespect for the wood and the dangers it held did nothing but instill within Enari an apathy for nobility and their concerns, so her eye moved on.
Another page mentioned a man at an address in Tier One who was looking for a book on the fae, namely 'Found in Fae Wild, Vl. 1, ed. 3'. This one tweaked at her interests. Given that her many years of youth were spent in the company of the sylvan that inhabited the woods she called home, she didn't think such a task was beyond her consideration. However, a single word in bold print on the third notice instantaneously drew her attention.
"Wanted: Goblin Killer
Goblins dripping with tar have been emerging from cave on Farmer McDuffin's homestead. Unholy shrieking and foul odor emitting from cave. Family forced to flee. Entirely livelihood at risk! Will pay 100 gold per ear collected
HELP ME PLEASE!"
Killing goblins? Oh, she was made for this! Keeping those blighters in check was what she was trained for.
Keep safe the People, and hold the darkness at bay. Her grandmother used to tell her. That is your task, my little dae.
Snatching the paper off the board, her boots clunked heavily on the floor as she hasted towards the bar. A flat palm slammed the sheet of paper on the counter, very effectively startling the poor woman pouring out drinks behind it.
"Where do I go for more info on this?"
"Ah," the barmaid collected herself quickly in spite of nearly jumping out of her skin, "well, let me see…" she scanned the notice. After a moment, "Oh! I remember who posted this. Yes, this was brought in just a few days ago by members of the Fighter's Guild." She held the paper back out to the elf. "You can find them on the second tier."
Enari recalled the town map and the guild clearly marked on it. She gave that awkward half bow, half wave gesture again and grunted out a "Thanks."
Slipping the missive into her shirt for safe keeping, she doubled back towards the job board also picking up the request for the fae book. Investigating the goblin hunt was top priority, no question, but it wouldn't hurt to have this one tucked away in her back pocket for later, especially since it was so simple and a task right up her alley.
"Alright Youko," she patted her thigh once again, "let's go. Double time."
With pep and purpose Enari and Youko made their way out of the tavern. Side by side they went across the stone bridge over the canyon river and past the bustling docks towards the arched entryway. The defending wall gave way to a maze of houses intermingled with shops. Translating the image of the map in her head to what she could see of the road before her, the elf dipped and weaved her way between bodies and merchant stalls towards the stone stairway that led up to the second level.
The sign swinging above the door of the Fighter's Guild looked beaten to hell as if someone had used it one too many times for axe throwing practice. Most of the letters had been chipped away by wear and weather so the sign actually only read 'Fi s Gu d'. When Enari pushed open the heavy, iron studded door and cast her eyes about she was almost pleased that the interior was just as boorishly impressive.
A stout man with a thick salt and pepper beard grunted from behind a bar as she strolled in. Two bulky figures- what appeared to be a haggard mountain man and a half orc- sat over a couple of drinks in the far corner. At the back she could make out battered straw training dummies, a sectioned off sparring ring, and a rack of weapons mounted on the wall. Compared to the rest of the city, it was rather quiet in here. And none of the patrons seemed to give the elf much of a second glance.
Quiet. Roughed up. Enari thought to herself. Bunch of stoic, burly, rough and tumble brutes who don't say much. She quirked a brow and exchanged a look with Youko. "I could get used to a place like this."
"Ooh~"
A high pitched squeal of delight shattered the quiet. Enari and Youko both whipped about just in time to see a silver dragonborn come bounding out from the back, her arms outstretched towards the fox. "Well, hello~"
Youko's eyes went wide and instantly he puffed out to twice his size, perplexed and unsure as to why this large, flamboyant creature was rushing him. Just as he was about to duck behind his elven companion, the dragonborn slowed her pace and went to her knees. A clawed hand slowly reached out, offering for the fox to sniff. Youko paused momentarily before he stuck out his nose and took a whiff.
Both Youko and Enari took note of the fact that, unlike the rest of the Fighter's Guild, this female was quite clean and well-groomed. Her silver scales tinged with icy blue were pristine, gleaming with a polished shine that could rival a proud nobleman's best silverware. She wore sorcerer's robes that were beautifully embroidered with royal purples and gold, and Enari couldn't help but notice the scent of jasmine. Unlike perfume that nobles seemed to bathe themselves in making their presence known for miles this scent wasn't overpowering. Its subtle floral sweetness lingering on her clothes merely accentuated the pleasant air she carried.
"I'm so sorry to startle you," The dragonborn apologized, "I just couldn't help myself. Your fox is so beautiful. I've never seen colors quite like his before."
'Beautiful'. Youko's mouth curled upwards at the word. Seemingly more than convinced of her good intentions, he bumped his head into her hand, practically demanding her attention.
"Well, hello there handsome." she giggled sweetly as her fingers danced over his chin. "See? I wouldn't hurt such a pretty thing."
Well, that about did it. Youko was officially head over heels. Turning his expressive crystal blue eyes to Enari, he gave her a look that said quite plainly, 'Oh, I really like this woman. She's got impeccable taste' as he allowed the stranger to faun over him.
"What's his name?" the dragonborn asked.
Enari's lips twitched into a subtle grin. "Youko. His name is Youko."
"Youko." The other cooed at the fox. "A beautiful name for a beautiful boy." If Youko's head could have inflated any further, Enari feared the beast would simply topple over. He licked at her fingers and the dragonborn squealed again.
"Oi, Narsi," said a voice from the back, "could you please bring it down a few octaves? I think my ears are bleeding."
From the same backroom that the dragonborn had originated from came a human. He was fairly tall, standing a full head higher than Enari, and broad. Judging by first appearance, he was the sort of fellow you'd do well to stand behind when big baddies are coming. The big, tough ones make the best cover, and by the looks of him, that's what he was used for. He was decked in full armor that was dented and dinged up in a few places. A pike and shield were strapped to his back, and Enari caught a glimpse of a deep scar over his right eye, barely concealed by his mop of chestnut hair.
"Sorry about her. She's annoying but harmless, really." The dragonborn stuck out her tongue at the man as he thudded up to join them. Enari noted the smell of ale and hard liquor on his breath. He didn't appear stupidly intoxicated, however, in spite of his early start.
"Since she is so charmed she forgot her manners," the man continued, giving a lopsided grin to the elf, "Hi. I'm Brand. That there," he gestured to the woman behind him, "is Narsiis. She's a sorcerer. Bit odd for the Fighter's Guild, but she keeps coming around for some reason."
Narsiis huffed. "I come to hang out with you lot."
"Has a taste for yer brand of brutality, does she?" Enari offered
Brand, seeing an opportunity for a bad joke, puffed out his chest as he said, "Yea, she has a taste for some kind of 'brand' alright."
Enari paused. A weird, foreign sensation began to bubble up within her belly. It churned and rolled, forcing its way up from her belly to her throat. It was like she was about to heave, yet what came out of her mouth instead was a monotone, but unmistakably genuine laugh.
"Uh…" Brand chuckled nervously. He was glad, he supposed, that he could make her laugh. But it wasn't every day he met a girl who could manage to laugh so flatly.
"Heh," she managed to say between residual bursts of chuckles, "I'd no idea ye were a funny one."
"Oh… thank you." a bit of color tinged the skin under his eyes, and Brand quickly redirected their conversation before anyone could notice. "So…What's your name?"
Well, he asked. So she gave her name.
"And what brings you this way, Enari?"
Rather than waste her breath, she pulled the notice for a goblin hunter out of her shirt and held it up for him to read. Brand arched an eyebrow and grinned as he watched her fish around in her cleavage before he leaned in to look the paper over.
"Oh, Farmer McDuffin. I know the place. The cave is to the west of Brightfall along the forest line."
This gave Enari reason to ponder for a bit. Brand knew where the cave was, and he was a big, tough fighter. Logically it wouldn't hurt to have someone as useful as him tag along. Goblin hunting was what she trained for all her life. There wasn't a doubt that she could handle things well enough on her own, but...
Many hands make light work, as her grandfather used to say.
"Oi. Wanna tag along, earn a little coin?"
At the mention of money, Brand perked up. "How much are we talking?"
Enari gave a casual shrug. "Fair share of the work earns fair share of the reward. This here says 100 gold pieces per ear. Ye come along and pull yer weight, I can see me way to divvying up the pay, fifty-fifty." Almost instantly Brand's face lit up gunpowder set to a candle flame.
He jutted out a hand."You got yourself a deal."
"Oh~!" piped up Narsiis as the two shook on their bargain. "Are you two going off somewhere? Are you going to go do something? Do I get to go too? I want to go too!" Enari couldn't help but smile. It was like listening to a hyperactive ferret.
"Well, me fox likes you, so-"
"Excellent! Now I've the perfect excuse to go shopping." Narsiis gave Youko one final scratch under his chin. "I'll see you soon, handsome." The fox grinned lazily, looking pretty enamored with this lady. "And I'll catch up with you later!" And with that, Narsiis skipped out the door.
"Guess we'd better follow her, pick up some supplies." Producing a flask from his belt, Brand took a swig. "You coming?" Enari grunted in agreement, and together with Youko in step alongside they headed out of the Fighter's Guild and onto the streets.
Following the lead of their new companion, Enari and Youko made their way through the crowd towards the tunnel stairway to Tier Three. By now the midday Sun had nicely warmed up the air. Aqueducts of crystal clear water threaded throughout the city shimmered under the light of high noon, the peacefully clear summer sky reflected in rivulets as it flowed.
That, however, was the only thing that seemed peaceful at the moment.
As the trio ascended the stairs to reach the other side of the canyon Enari hesitated and exchanged a glance with Youko. There was something on the air that hadn't been there previously, and it hung over the crowd like a fog; it was a sense of apprehension.
As the elf scanned the square she noticed that those who had been casually milling about their daily routines before were now moving with a bit of urgency in their step. Across the way she could see several members of the city guard whispering among themselves, a look of unease etched into their usually stoic faces. They spoke briefly before half of the group broke off and jogged up the tunneled stairway to the next tier. Even Youko seemed off. Generally content and quiet, the white fox was now whining incessantly for his companion's attention. This was most unlike him. Enari frowned and stooped low a moment so Youko could hop up onto her shoulder.
"Oi," Enari held out a hand to stop a man as he was hurrying by, "are ye alright? What's going on? Everyone's looking spooked." Brand stopped and glanced back.
Peering at Enari through thick spectacles, the man looked up at the strange elf with puzzlement. "Are you mad, woman? Can't you feel it? The entire city is trembling." Looking like he could not stand to be there another moment the man ducked around Enari.
"I'd get somewhere safe if I were you." He called out over his shoulder and with his head tucked low he simply disappeared, melding into the crowd.
Curious. Perhaps her first trip to the big city was jarring her a bit more than usual, but she hadn't noticed it until the man brought it to her attention- a distinctive rumbling like thunder, but with a steadier rhythm coming from the ground beneath her feet.
"Brand-"
"Yea." Noticing it as well, the warrior looked about as nervous as the rest of the crowd. His lips formed a line as he jerked his head towards the stairs. "We should catch up with Narsiis. Right now." Enari said nothing but followed close on Brand's heels in a quickened pace across the tier. They had made it but a few paces when-
KABASH!
The stone of the canyon wall erupted outward. A thick plume of dust billowed out into the square. Screams of panic filled the square, and guards shouted in alarm as dust obscured all vision.
"Everyone get back!"
At several points above and below came the tremors of additional crashes. Waves of screaming and clamouring rose with the dust cloud into the air. Amid the chaos as the people of Brightfall were scattering like insects beneath an upturned stone, a single word in elven tongue tickled the back of Enari's mind.
'Dae'. Shadow.
'My clever little shadow' her grandma used to call her.
Compelled by a command engrained in her bones Enari immediately stepped back several paces and jumped behind the corner of the nearby blacksmith's shop. Crates and barrels had been stacked against the side of the building and Enari used them as cover for Youko and herself to watch from. Still where they left him, Brand was up ahead holding point, bracing to see what would happen.
For a moment all of Brightfall held its breath before a jarring, gurgling shriek, like something screaming underwater, echoed in cacophonous stereo throughout the canyon.
Thunderous rumbling shook the stone and multiple shapes, humanoid in form but inordinately tall, erupted from the tunnel. Obscured by the opaque veil of dust, several skittered up the wall, heading up towards the higher levels. Three more, meanwhile, lumbered forward out of the haze. As they stepped out of the dust, the elf could see the shapes for what they were, or at least what they used to be- gnolls.
Thick tar-like goo was dripping from their fur and fangs. From where they were Youko and Enari could pick up an aroma of putrefaction, the acrid stench of a festering mass grave, and it was easy to notice that each of the gnolls appeared to be in various stages of decay. Half of one's face had completely sloughed away leaving the bone and sinew of its jaw exposed; another stared out with dead milky eyes, gnashed snaggle-teeth penetrating its skeletal upper jaw; taking the rear, a gnoll riddled with gory holes and missing its entire right ear hefted a cleaver over its shoulder.
Those feckin' beasts. Hatred flared within her like a dried prairie brushfire. The tips of her slanted ears burned bright red with ire at the sight of the same creatures that burned her life away naught but two years ago. Youko dropped down as she pulled her longbow off her back, the name 'Long Tall Sally' etched in elven runes in the wood.
Well, Long Tall Sally, she's built for speed~ She's got everything that Uncle John needs
Enari notched an arrow in her bow and took in a breath as she lined up a shot. This wasn't the adventure she was expecting today, but she was ready to kick some ass anyway.
Yea, baby, havin' me some fun tonight~
"Move, move, move!"
Frightened citizens scrambled out of the shops and houses closest to the tunnel as Brand ushered them through, his shield and pike at the ready. An elderly woman shrieked as the snaggle-toothed gnoll lunged towards her. Shield up, Brand slammed his body into the beast, knocking it back.
"Get out of here! Follow the guards!" He spread his feet and braced himself firmly between the woman as she fled and the creature that stood a full head higher than him. With a roar, Brand threw down his shield and rushed the rotted creature. All of his body weight drove the point of his polearm through the gnoll's throat. Thick black ooze sprayed from the hole in its neck; it splashed over Brand's armor only to evaporate into a moted haze as the gnoll crumpled lifelessly to the ground.
"One down, two to go!" Brand whooped. Oh, he was pumped up now!
Peeking out from behind cover, Enari's aim fell on the partially faceless gnoll as it advanced on the warrior. A whisper of breath passed her lips before she loosed her arrow. It whizzed towards the beast and- czzt- shattered on the stone wall behind it.
"Bugger!"
The whisper in her mind telling her to stay hidden was lost as her fury overwhelmed her reason. Every part of the elf wanted them dead, and she wanted it now. She had to get closer. Her best bet was to flank them, and glancing up at the roof of the blacksmith's shop, she had herself an idea.
"Youko," Enari whistled, "on me."
Youko jumped onto Enari's back as she clambered up the stacked boxes leaning against the forge. Teetering unsteadily atop the haphazard tower she took a breath and sprung as hard as she could towards the roof. Her fingers curled over the edge of the building's embellishment and Youko quickly hopped off to lighten her load. For a moment her muddied boots shuffled against the stone as they tried to gain purchase. It took a moment, but Enari managed to gain a foothold. Grunting with effort, and with unrelenting tenacity, she managed to pull herself up and over the overhanging cornice.
Once on the flat stone roof, the elf looked to the ten foot gap between where she was and where she needed to be. Youko eyed the divide and looked back up at his companion with a whine. He saw nothing but confidence in her eyes. No little jump was going to scare her off from doing what needed to be done.
"Just like tree hopping back home." she said.
Scooping her fox under her arm Enari bolted the length of the roof and flung herself over the edge. Youko's eyes widened with worry. Would they make it? There was a moment where the two of them seemed to pause midair. For that suspended moment in time it seemed like they might fall just short.
Luck, it seemed, was smiling on them- for now, at least.
Enari managed to clear the distance, her boot touching down just at the opposite ledge. She stumbled a little as she landed, but they made it! Releasing the breath she had been holding, Enari whispered a 'thank you' to Luck in Sylvan tongue. Youko, meanwhile, slapped a paw to his face and huffed with relief as his keeper set him down.
On the ground, Brand jumped over the corpse of the first gnoll, facing down both its pack mates as they attacked in retaliation. Snarling and goo-dripping, both gnolls swung their hefty weapons at the warrior simultaneously. To their frustration, Brand managed to easily avoid both swings, ducking down and dodging with a quick side-step.
"Come on!" he goaded, beating a fist to his chest.
Fueled with the fervor of battle, Brand lunged for the partially faceless gnoll. It wasn't as mighty a hit as he had been hoping for. The point of his pike caught the exposed sinew of the its face. There was a snap as the few threads of tendon were severed and the gnoll's jaw swung down, now mostly unhinged from the rest of its head.
"Oh, that's super gross." Brand shuddered as he stepped back, trying to shake off a bit of skin that was stuck to the end of his pike. It was in that moment of distraction that Brand noticed a shadow suddenly eclipse the sun. His eyes trained upward just in time to see Enari and Youko in mid swan dive from the roof of the nearby building. Brand's mouth hung agape in awe as this odd, socially-awkward elf he had met moments before swooped down from the sky like a falcon.
As he watched her fall, a flash of blinding white cut the air as her short sword caught the sunlight. With a flip timed just perfectly Enari landed square on the nearly-faceless gnoll's shoulder, and her blade slid through its skull as smooth as a hot blade through butter. Gore and ooze-streaked steel winked at the fighter from within the beast's gaping maw as its milky, dead eyes rolled back in its skull. Enari twisted the sword and gnoll twitched hideously before she yanked her weapon back out. Then, light as a feather, she flipped from its shoulders and landed on her feet with the grace of a cat just as the creature collapsed.
Feeling rather pleased with herself, Enari allowed herself a proud grin in the face of Brand's gaping expression. "Nailed it."
Thus far, Luck had been kind to her, but It is a finicky mistress. Its blessing can only last so long. In the moment Enari turned about face to continue the fight she had only enough time to register the tarred, furious visage of the last remaining gnoll before its weapon came down- whobash!- cleaving her torso in twain.
Searing pain shot across her breast and stars erupted over her vision. The world seemed to slow. Somewhere nearby Enari heard Youko yip in distress. She wanted to tell him everything was alright, but words didn't come. There was only pain and the warmth of blood seeping into her shirt, trickling down her arm as she sank to her knees.
"Enari! You sonova-" Brand's voice seemed to come from far away even though she saw him standing right over her.
Steel gleamed as the hooked point of his pike pierced through the final gnoll. His blow wounded it, but it wasn't enough to fell the beast. There was enough life in Enari for one more hit, but she had to make it count. Her breath was coming heavy, and the world felt rather unsteady even though she wasn't moving. In desperation, the elf closed her eyes and prayed- to the Fates, to Luck, to any spirits around that would hear her plea:
Luck be with me.
Two years worth of anger flared as that prayer echoed between her ears. Memories of her homestead churning in a sea of embers and ash stoked her tenacity like a poker stirring glowing coals to set new tinder aflame. Unleashing a mighty roar Enari channeled her fury and swung her sword with all her might. With a sickening crack the blade shattered its calves. A mad howling went out across the battlefield as the gnoll toppled to the ground. Its last sight in all of fair Naphalia was the venomous eyes of a furious yet satisfied wood elf as her blade plunged through its mouth, silencing it for good.
Life left the gnoll with a raspy gurgle. Enari let go of a breath and with it the last of her strength diminished. Dizziness clouded her senses, sent the world reeling, and next she knew, the ground was coming up to meet her. It zoomed up fast, pitching and whirling as the blood loss hit. She fully expected to taste dust, and she would have, if not for the strong arms that slipped around her, pulling her virtually lifeless form to its feet.
"Come on, girl. We gotta get you out of here." Brand's voice reached her through the ringing in her ears. Her arm was draped over a pair of broad shoulders and an arm at her waist held her aloft as she was pulled towards the stairway.
"Youko-" In a moment of panic Enari struggled to focus her vision enough to find her furry companion. Relief washed over her as she caught his sleek white form darting ahead of them, but the relief seemed superfluous. Chaos permeated the air. Sounds of guards in battle and screams of frightened townsfolk echoed from above and below; it seemed every level of the city was engaged in the fighting.
"Keep moving. We're almost there." Brand grunted, shifting the load of the elf's weight as they trudged up the stairs. Light and dust poured over the last few steps, and just as the mayhem of the third tier came into view, a trio of gnolls spilled across their path.
"Ah, you gotta be fucking kidding me." With an elf bleeding out in his arms, Brand had no way of getting to his weapons. There was no way he could guard against an attack. Youko inserted himself between these beasts and Enari, puffed out and growling. He was small, but they weren't getting to his woman without a fight. It seemed, however, that there was little reason for him to fret. The undead creatures hadn't even noticed the presence of those in the stairway before a mighty roar bellowed over the din and a blast of air rendered them frozen.
"Take that, you horrible ruffians!" Enari's ear twitched at the familiar voice.
"Narsiis!" Brand shouted. "Help us out."
"Brand? Is that you?" the silver dragonborn popped her head around the corner. "By Helm! What happened to Enari-"
"No time. We have to get her somewhere safe."
"Of course! Of course!" Narsiis rushed to Enari's other side. "Dain's place is just up ahead."
Narsiis and Brand hauled her towards a house just off the main road, Youko at their heels. The party had just reached the welcome mat when an unholy shrieking- the same sound that preceded the gnoll attack- racked through the canyon. It pierced their brains for a moment, leaving them all feeling chill, and then dropped into a silence that was broken by a chorus of answering gnollish howls. Glancing behind her, Enari made out hunched, furred forms rushing back towards the tunnels.
Her brow furrowed. "What the-?"
This was most unusual behavior for gnolls. Sure, they were pack animals, but they worked with other gnolls; whatever was calling them away was no gnoll. Even in her current state, she knew that much. Unfortunately, as pain pulsed through the wound in her chest all further capacity for reasoning was cast to the wind. She winced and bit back a groan as Brand and Narsiis threw open the door of Dain's abode.
"Narsi! Thank Helm you're alright!" called a voice as they stumbled into the house, which added curiously, "Who is this?"
"Not now, Dain." insisted Narsiis. "Would you help us?"
At the sound of thudding footsteps, Enari lifted her head and watched as a second dragonborn- a male with sapphire blue scales- hurried down the hall to meet them. As he came up, she watched his eyes train to her, this strange elven woman who was trailing blood across his threshold.
"Oh, dearie me." Oddly enough, the scaled man was rather collected about this and immediately turned heel. "Bring her this way."
Brand and Narsiis pooled their collective strength to carry Enari across the common area and lay her down on one of the sofas. Pillows were placed to prop her up comfortably, and a weight settled on her lap. Youko… Enari let her eyes fall closed, a prayer in the quiet of her mind thanked Luck for keeping her best friend safe. His soft, warm tongue brushed over her hand, and she relaxed under his attentions until an unfamiliar pair of hands glided over her shoulders. Enari tensed up at the touch; noticing this, Youko growled and snapped his teeth in warning.
"There's no need for that." Dain's voice said from behind her. "I'm here to help."
Enari plopped her hand on Youko's head and rubbed his ears reassuringly. True, the touch was startling, but survival was top priority. A stranger's contact was worth enduring if it meant keeping her alive.
'Sorry', Youko whined as he lay his head down on her. 'Can't I be a little dramatic? I almost lost you today'. This was true. Enari could hardly chide him for that, but they both had made it thanks to everyone in the house. The least they owed them was a little trust.
Today had started off just another ordinary day, no different from any other day she had seen during these last two years of travel. Until this morning it was just her and Youko taking on the world, looking for work and doing what they could to get by. How could she have foreseen that in a mere few hours time she would find herself in the company and care of such kind people? It was strange, unusual, and a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, having others look out for her.
The gnoll attack was also a bit of a surprise.
All in all, Enari decided, this was a very weird welcome to the big city.
Dain's touch grew warm and a peculiar tickling sensation bloomed on her breast. With the briefest of glances down, Enari watched as her body hasted to stitch her wound before her eyelids fluttered shut once again. Behind her closed eyes, memories seemed to flood in. She could see summer sunlight pouring through open windows, refracting off mobiles of crystal and colored glass to send motes of light dancing off the walls. Nostalgia brought with it the scent of the wild green her grandmother carried with her, and the musk of old tomes in grandfather's library.
In the background, Enari caught the sound of Brand whispering to Narsiis, emphatically describing how awesome their new friend was in the fight. "She just dove off the roof, and blam! Aw, you should have been there, Narsi."
There was more, but Enari was too exhausted to train her ears to their conversation any further. The comforting warmth faded, as did the scents her grandparents, when Dain withdrew his hands.
"Sleep." said Dain.
Enari didn't need to be told twice. Sounds warbled and faded. Her nose, still chasing the familiar odors of her memories, picked up the subtle waft of flora- the same subtle aroma of jasmine that clung to Narsiis seemed to come from the pillows and even the fabric of the sofa. It was soothing, as much as anything could be on this very peculiar day. Lulled by the scent of flora and the presence of her canine companion on her lap, Enari slipped soundly into a rest.
AN: First off, thank you for making it to the end of chapter one! Woo
A couple of things to clarify regarding the story:
Naphalia- the world
Darafael- the continent
Oderon- the province that this story begins in. Other provinces will be introduced later on in the story.
The word 'dae', to my knowledge, is not a D&D specific elven word. I wanted to look up an elvish translation to the word 'shadow' since that's what I wanted Enari's childhood nickname to be, and 'dae' was what came up. Just wanted to clear that up.
The lyrics for 'Long Tall Sally' by Little Richard are my homage to one of my favorite movie series 'Predator'. This song plays in the first film, and when we played this session, I thought it would be pretty bomb to have that as Enari's little battle tune. Plus I thought it would be a cool name for a long bow, so... there you go.
Cover image was done by the amazing Noah Hayes, on Twitter ParagonRaptors. And none of the art posted with this story will be my own. I'm a writer, not a visual artist.
Brand and Narsiis (and, really, all characters in this story that aren't Enari and Youko) are all created and played by the King. The fighter and sorcerer will be joining Enari on her journey for now. Welcome, Brand and Narsiis, to the fold. May your coffers never empty, and your adventures be many
Thank you all again for reading. Look forward to seeing you all next chapter (which this Scribe notes will probably be shorter. This was only most of session one, and chapter 2 will be wrapping up the last of that session)
Until next time, Ta~!