A Neverwinter Nights 2 Fanfic.

ChapterOne
NeverwinterNights
ByAzooozi

A/N: Well, Haii! This'll have to be my first NWN2 Fanfic. So it hope you'll enjoy it. I'm pretty committed to writing this, so I'll probably be updating every week or so... But anyway, the beginning of the story probably wont be as serious as the later part. And there might be a few errors in the time-frame and whatnot. But never mind that. My character is pretty complicated, took me a while to design her. But I hope I don't go all Mary-sue on you though... xD I probably wont though. And obviously from the description this is a KC/Bishop Fanfic! :) The super juicy bit's will be just at the end. ;) I'm completely obsessed with writing this so I'll probably be updating soon! :)

So this is Neverwinter? Quite a lively place, not what I expected though – I thought it would be… different. But anything's better then that ship…

Sliding her hands into her pocket, Aura 'Dovil pulled out a small potion, her own special brew. She brought the bottle to her lips and downed the repulsive liquid. She was a natural cleric, although she never had intended to expertise in the class. It was something about her family heritage, so they said. It was easier that way anyway. Training was a bore, unless it involved a sword. It didn't matter to her, either way. If she didn't pray, she couldn't heal. And she hadn't prayed, hence... Sliding the bottle back into her pocket, she sighed with frustration. Getting hit in the head with an Dwarven Waraxe wasn't the most pleasant way to be woken up on a dreadful ship ride. Not to mention, a portly dwarf being pushed onto your face afterward. The trip to Neverwinter wasn't an easy one, and the aasimar had one hell of a headache. Running both hands through her hair, pushing the silver strands from her eyes, she stared out at the sea, trying to get her mind off the pain. The captain of the ship had practically thrown them off, right on the very comfortable port—the landing, a wonderful addition to her throbbing headache.

Thankfully everyone had stopped arguing, giving Aura time to relax. Khelgar, leaning on a fence, was inspecting his axe for any faults. Neeshka glancing up every five seconds was counting the gold pieces in her purse. As for Elanee, she wore a gloomy look, staring at a strange necklace tangled between her fingers.

The young woman pushed her hands deep into her pockets and arched her body forwards. She glanced down at her shoddy boots. The life of an adventurer, huh? Definitely takes its toll on your clothes. Aura wore a simple tunic with a pair of tight fitting pants, a belt tightly fastened around her waist and her scimitar in its sheath. The reason she was dressed in simple clothing was because she had sold her old armor in Highcliff for a cheap glass of ale. The woman was a terrible alcoholic, and living in West Harbor was most likely to blame. She had paid the price though. Aura, being in-evasive to the enemies attack, was now covered in cuts and bruises—another wonderful addition to her throbbing headache.

Aura 'Dovil then made her way to the pavements, her companions at her heel. Khelgar walked off ahead of her and extended his arms upwards with a yawn, and then pulled them back down. He then opened his mouth again, but this time to talk, "Ah… So this is Neverwinter? Suppose it's passable - for a city built by humans." He said while fingering his beard. He then grunted disapprovingly and continued, "Can't say I care for it, though. You want a proper city, you build down, not up."

Elanee then started to shift, feeling a little uncomfortable. In the city it was hard for her to hear the nature and it made her feel ill. The druidess then added on to the rant, and Neeshka sighed, frustrated, at hearing that the elf had started talking, "I... am starting to feel weak, as if my body is being drained of its strength..." Elanee stated, staring intently into the ocean. She then added on, "Also... this place feels... unnatural, the wood and stone, it's as if they've been silenced."

Finally the teifling blew, "I wish you'd both be silent. The entire trip was just one long whine from the two of you!" she then threw her hands in the air, expressing her frustration. She then started imitating Khelgars actions on the ship ride by wrapping her arms around her stomach and making faces. She then mimicked Khelgars dwarven twang mockingly, saying, "Oh, me stomach feels funny. This boat rocks like a baby's cradle."

Khelgar just scoffed, and Neeshka continued raving on. She then started complaining about the druidess, impersonating a high-pitched elven voice while saying, "This water is so unnatural and deep, not like the swamp of dead people I grew up in."

The teifling then finished, her arms crossed with a conclusive look on her face. Aura then sighed, putting a hand over her face, slightly chuckling.

"That ain't funny lass. That boat made me guts churn," Khelgar said in his own defense after hearing Aura laughing.

Neeshka, still in a foul mood, hissed back to Khelgar in an aggravated manner, "Shut up, you undersized dwarf. No one wants to hear you complain. Not that I've got great memories of this place, but its home."

"Gods... Ye need to burn some of that steam of yours, demon."

Neeshka just sighed and said, "Oh, shut up. I'm just tired, okay." then turned her face to Aura then continued, "So... where are we going first?"

Aura turned her vision to Neeshka, and then replied, "My uncle's inn should be close by. Let's head there first. It'll be easier that way."

"Aye. I'm in need of a good, stable bed after being trapped on that filthy excuse for a boat…" Khelgar said with a relived smile on his face. He then grunted and continued, "…not sure I can stomach any food yet though. But a stiff drink and a good tavern brawl, on the other hand..."

"As much as I'd hate to agree with stumpy, I wouldn't mind a comfy bed either." Neeshka agreed.

"Well then, let's go." Aura finished.

- x -

At the door the sign read, 'The Sunken Flagon'. It was a fairly big inn. "Well this looks like the place," Aura said putting her hand on the door handle.

She turned the handle firmly and opened the door. Finally, they all set foot into the tavern. It was pretty much your typical tavern, it was big, crowded and loud. Glancing around the room, the all tried to look for someone who worked there. Not long after they entered, a man, appearing to be from an elven descent, noticed the strange group. He also noticed the strange looks some of the customers were giving them, and decided to go over and talk to them. He put down the tray of empty tankards on a spare table and made his way. Standing in front of the woman who appeared to be the leader of the group, put a welcoming smile on his face and said, "Well, now what can I do for you? Bit of venom for the belly, perhaps? Or maybe a tankard or two to shave the edge off yer' day?"

Aura then replied, "No thanks, but I'd like to ask who the owner of this inn is?"

The man, appearing to be a bit weary, coughed and continued, "Oh…You mean old Duncan? Well now, if you're looking to collect on some debt, I'll tell you that he's a drunk and he hasn't got two coppers to his name."

"Actually, I'm his niece."

"Oh really, I can see that. Thing is, last I heard Duncan was still a Realms man. So what part of the family tree did you fall out of?"

Aura then sighed, and put a hand on her face, irritated at the bartender. She then continued and said, "His brother, Daeghun, sent me."

The bartender then paused to think. He then said, "Daeghun, eh?" He paused once again, this time to study the woman standing in front of him. After a while his expression started to change from cheerful, to serious, and then continued, "So the time's come, has it? Troubles chasing on yer' heels and you barely know why..."

He then continued ruefully, and said, "S'pose Daeghun told you less than half of what you need to know, then sent you packing," He then folded his arms and said, "Don't take it hard, done it to me twice in my life, all for good reason," in a slightly consoling manner.

Aura stood there, lost in thought. Was Daeghun always the way he was? Was he really as cruel as she thought? It was his fault she was the way she was. It was his fault that she couldn't bring herself to trust anyone. It was his fault she hated everyone, for treating her the way they did. They treated her like a guardian angel, someone to protect the village from danger, someone to be their hero. It was his fault that she couldn't live up to their expectations. And now it was his fault they hated her. Everything was his fault. Her expression changed to angry. Digging her nails into her palms, she tried to contain her anger.

Calming down, she looked up at the man with a fake smile, clearly fake smile. But her eyes gave it all away—She was mad. She then finally spoke, and said, "Uncle Duncan?"

"That I am lass." He said with a merry smile. He had just remembered how close the two were. And all those times they had spent together were coming back to him. He remembered, she had great potential, but now, he could see a lot of it had been thrown away. Disappointed, He then put on a serious face and said, "I can probably guess why you're here, but why don't you go ahead and tell me anyway."

"Daeghun told me to seek you out, that you might know something of the silver shards recovered from the battle at West Harbor." Aura told him with a grave expression.

Duncan just rolled his eyes and sighed. Gods Daeghun, why can't you just deal with your own problems. Bringing me into everything… not to mention leaving your own daughter to solve the problem herself. He then replied, "Oh he did, did he? Nothing more than I did years ago, plain silver near as we could tell, you and those shards were all that were left of that West Harbor battle."

Then man in the far corner at the counter spoke, in a way that he knew what Duncan was talking about. "Duncan... I thought you said that shard was magic – didn't you?" he said.

Duncan then replied with a frown, "Trace of an enchantment on it is what that eel Sand said, but nothing of importance. Probably residue from demon's fire, or maybe wizard magic."

The man in the far corner then retorted quietly, "Demon's fire? Sounds important to me."

Duncan just gave him a decisive look and said, "And that, Sal, is why you are cleaning tables, and I own this place. Those shards were magic, yes, a trace, but again, it was Sand, and he's a fool."

Aura, annoyed that they had started ignoring her, butted in asking, "Who is Sand?"

Duncan answered with a spiteful tone, "A hedge wizard, somehow set up a shop in the Docks, but it's telling enough he can only run a business down here in the crack of Neverwinter," scoffing, he continued, "Got a dry wit, and he'll always rub you the wrong way, so his name's well-chosen."

"And what does he have to do with any of this?" The woman replied, eyeing him with curiosity.

"Well, me and Daeghun took the shard to him, back when he lived in the Merchant Quarter. Before his run of bad luck…" he said slightly mumbling. Trailing off he finished, "Anyway, it's barely worth mentioning. But is that really why you came all this way, to hear about yer' mother?"

Aura looked at him with a perplexed look. She hadn't spoken about her mother in eight years. She hated her mother, for leaving her all along. For leaving her with Daeghun. For dying. No, not dying, running away. She knew she wasn't dead, she could just feel it. No one believed her though. Either way, she didn't want to hear about her mother. She only thought of her as some useless, good-for-nothing hag. She finally replied, "I couldn't care less about her. I'm just here to find out about the shards."

Duncan looked at the girl. She had a lot of hate in her for someone of that age. He knew she had a long way to go, and a long journey ahead of her. Putting his hand on her shoulder, he looked her in the eyes. "Aura 'Dovil, lass. Yer mother loved you, more than you could imagine. Sh-"

Pushing Duncans hand off her shoulder, she snapped at him, "I already told you, I don't care about her. Never talk about her! She never cared about me! It would be easier to just admit it now... then to keep lying to me."

"Don't be silly girl, every mother cares."

"Well then why can I still feel she's alive. That she faked the whole death. She left me with Daeghun because she didn't want me. Probably because I was just an accident..."

"Okay, now yer' just being silly. I knew her, Esmerelle. She was... definitely not the woman that would do that kind of thing."

"Look, whatever. It doesn't matter, I came here because of the shards, that's it. Okay."

Elanee put her hand on the aasimars shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. Duncan sighed. The little girl he had once known had completely died inside. "Oh... sorry then lass, I understand. Yer stickin' to the matter at stake."

Duncan stood there with a sympathetic look, "It's getting pretty late, and I think it'd be better to talk about all this in the morning. All yer friends are welcome to stay, everything's on the house. After all, a friend of kin is a friend of mine." the half-elf finished with a jolly smile.

Disregarding the conversation about her mother, Aura smiled then looked back at her companions. Neeshka and Elanee stood there with approving looks on their faces. Elanee knew that she could get some rest there and Neeshka thought of it as a perfect hideout. Khelgar was happy too, putting up his hands in a cheering gesture, he shouted, "Free ale!"

Before the half-elf left to show them their rooms, Aura pulled out something from her bag. It appeared to be a letter, signed with the initials 'D.F'. Tapping Duncan on the back, the woman handed him the letter. "Daeghun told me to give this to you. Probably a report on the attack or something... Although, I don't know, I can't read elf." the aasimar said, letting go of the letter.

The half-elf chuckled. "I'll have a look at it later, now I'll show you yer' rooms, eh?" Duncan said with cheerful smile painted on his face.

- x -

It had been three days since Auradovil and her companions had made their way to Neverwinter. After speaking to Duncan they all rested at the flagon. The next day everyone had healed up, finally getting back to normal, excluding Elanee—her health seemed to be in decline. Neeshka on the other hand was ecstatic. She was in and out of the flagon, her purse seeming to grow every time.

The second day, she met a wizard named Sand. After throwing a few insults a Duncan, the elf ran some test on the shards, blew up part of the tavern. He then told Aura that she'd have to meet some sage, Aldanon in the Blacklake District. Unfortunately, it was going to be an effort to get to him.

"So you're saying I only have those two choices," the woman asked, annoyed with the fact that she'd have to join the City Watch of work for some lousy thieves.

The wizard, standing with his arms crossed, looked at her impatiently and replied, "Yes. I think you've asked me that about ten times now. Now, have you made up your mind?"

Sighing, the aasimar yawned, "I think I'll sleep on it," she finished, leaving the two elves to quarrel amongst themselves. She then made her way to her companions sitting at a table in the front of the room.

Khelgar, who was excitedly awaiting the woman's return, quickly spoke, "So lass, who's gonna be gettin' a good ol' Ironfist beating," he said after taking a large gulp of his ale.

Aura, picking up Khelgars tankard, took a good swig of swig of the liquid, and replied, "Not sure yet, just have to chose who I hate most."

"Whaddya' mean?" the dwarf asked, taking back his tankard.

Sighing, the woman said, "Well, we have to go visit this sage. He's gonna have a look at the shards. But, we can't get to him just yet, cause' the Blacklake District is shut down for some reason."

Neeshka butting in, said, "Oh yeah, I heard something about that yesterday. They said something about all these nobles getting killed. They aren't letting anyone in or out."

"Well that's wonderful. But Aura, I don't think I can accompany you for a while." Elanee said in a fatigued manner.

"Why? Is there something wrong?"

"I just need a bit of rest… If you don't mind…"

The woman smiled at the elf, but at the same time was somewhat worried about her, "Don't worry, we've got it all handled."

Neeshka, slightly worried about the druidess agreed, "Yeah! Don't worry 'bout us, we've got it all under control."

- x -

It was one o'clock in the morning, and Duncan had just started closing up. As the last of the customers left, the few who were staying the night, had left to their rooms. But one shadowy figure in the corner, accompanied by an ominous wolf, still sat in its place, in the far right corner, sipping the last of his ale. Slamming down the tankard, the man stood up, making his way over to Duncan, who was wiping down the counter. Sitting on the stool in front of him, he leaned on the counter casually.

He had noticed earlier, the group of adventurers speaking to Duncan. From where he was watching, it looked like quite a commotion. The whole thing sparked a bit of his interest, especially the girl. Hadn't seen a woman yell at Duncan like that in years. Maybe she was his ex? But the half-elf had no luck with women, so he scratched that from the possibilities. Duncan could never score that good anyway, the wench had a nice body, and her face wasn't bad either. But she had this… holy glow to her. He hated people like that.

A few minutes later the man was lost in thought, curious at whom the people were. Placing his elbow on the counter he leaned his chin on his hand, staring down at a ring on his hand. He was then pulled out of thought as Duncan started shouting his name, "Bishop! Gods, wake up you drunk!"

The ranger, shaking his head from the shock shouted, "I am! Now stop yelling in my fucking ear!" in reply.

He then noticed Karnwyr below him, tugging at his pants. What had just happened? Had he passed out? If he did, he really had to cut down on the drinking. Looking up at Duncan, the half-elf retorted, "You're in my way. Go to yer room or something'"

Sliding his hands though his hair, Bishop grunted, "I'm sitting here. It's a free country, isn't it?"

Duncan just ignored Bishop, and then the ranger continued, but this time smirking, "By the way Duncan, who were those tools that came up to you before," Smirking even more he continued, "...and who was that wench that told you off... I have a feeling she'd be worth a good bedding."

Duncan, angered by Bishops comment, slammed his fist onto counter and said, "You better watch your tongue Bishop, that's my niece you're talking about."

"All the more reason too," Bishop replied with an evil grin. The ranger then continued, "But seriously, the dwarf looked like he wanted to axe you good. Not that I'd mind."

Duncan, a frustrated at the conversation he was having with the ranger replied, "It's none of yer' business. Now could you go entertain yourself somewhere else?"

Persistent, the ranger continued, "Okay fine then, just tell me about that little niece of yours," looking at Duncan with a sly grin.

"I ain't telling you anything about her Bishop. And don't be getting any ideas, she ain't one of yer' cheap, one gold whores."

"Oh, I'm sure she's not. That's what makes her so beddable. Those girls are surprises, you never know what you'll get. You're little niece could even be a virgin, although I highly doubt it." Bishop said, pleased with the innkeepers reaction.

Duncan was furious with the ranger. He was clenching his fists, trying not to attack the man. "Bishop, ya' better shut yer' mouth or I'll beat that smile off yer' face," Duncan said in a vicious tone.

Mocking an apology, Bishop replied, "Oh, I didn't know I offended you. My sincerest apologies."

Duncan gave him an angry glare. Bishop responded by putting his arm around Duncans shoulder, "C'mon Duncan, we're buddies aren't we. Tell me a bit about her, eh?"

"I ain't yer' buddy Bishop. But I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you a little something about her if you get outta' my face, got it?" the half-elf said as he pushed Bishops arm off him.

Bishop nodded his head approvingly, "Pretty fair deal," he said while grinning largely.

Leaning himself on the counter Duncan started talking, "Okay, so she's the daughter of my half brother. Sent here from West Harbor on some quest. There was an attack on it not too long ago, whole village had to fight these... things. That's pretty much it."

Bishop, unsatisfied, tried to pry more information out of the half-elf, "C'mon Duncan. I'm sure you know much more about her then that."

Duncan, replied reluctantly, "Well, I trained a bit with her a couple of years ago on my last trip to West Harbor," Continuing, a bit more confident he said, "She was a brilliant swordsman, aced me every time we fought. So I hope that'll warn you to keep yer hands of her. She was also knew quite a lot of magic, mostly healing spells. Shame though, she won't be doing any good for anyone but herself. Villagers drove her mad, treated er' like some angel, expected her to look after em'. Poor girl. Had quite a lot going for her."

"Rough life? I think someone just has a soft spot for a girl ten years younger than them," chuckling, Bishop continued, "To tell you the truth, I couldn't care less about the little wench,"

"Bishop, you're disgusting. Sometimes I forget why I even keep you here."

"I could leave if you want. That solves both our problems."

"Yeah, and I could tell Nasher 'bout what you did. Now, go. I gave you what you wanted."

Ignoring Duncan's finishing comment, the ranger got up onto his feet, making his way to his room—Karnwyr at his side.

A/N: Well, that's that. Hope you've enjoyed my poor attempt at a re-write. Probably made it worse... Oh well. Reviews would be nice. :)