A/N: Just so everyone knows what to expect, I didn't sit and memorize every word the characters said. So the dialogue that I put in here is partly based off memory, and partly made up. Also I will have to bend some of it anyways to fit my plot. So please don't flame me for incorrect dialogues. It should fit the basic flow of the game to a certain extent.

/--/-/-/-/-/--/

Bloodstone. Sparrow gazed down the pathway that led into the pirate city with reluctance glimmering in her blue eyes. Smyla, her faithful and beloved dog, sat beside her obediently. Sparrow took a breath and trudged into the port town. Sleazy prostitutes littered the streets, most jeering distastefully at her, a few evaluating. Smyla growled deeply, but just loud enough for her master to register the warning. Sparrow simply lay her palm upon the dog's crown to quiet her. Still, the pirates stared obviously at her glowing veins. Sparrow was proud of her mastery of Will though, and their gazes were familiar.

The Reaver Mansion hard to spot; it was the largest and fanciest estate the city had to offer, and so it stuck out like a sore thumb on its hill crest. Sparrow made her way up the gradually rising slope through the city, her mage robe's black silk dancing with the night's shadowy apparitions.

At the entrance to the mansion, a lowly servant informed her that no dogs were permitted indoors, and then lazily pointed her in the right direction. Sparrow walked straight down the hallway, passing under two doorways, and there he was. She stopped with one foot partially raised when her eyes stopped on him. Reaver stood posed with one leg perched up on a cinder block and the opposite arm raised a master turret pistol. A sculptor busily chiseled away at a marble slab seven feet tall only a few feet away.

So this was the legendary pirate that all of Albion knew of except her. He was very attractive, she admitted, but there was an electric arrogant aura that he gave off. Nevertheless, Sparrow knew she was staring, and not so innocently as she would have liked to be.

Reaver grinned charmingly at her, and she knew she was going to have trouble with him instantly.

"Ah, welcome to the Reaver Mansion." His eyes sparkled.

Sparrow dipped her head in response.

"I do know why you're here, so don't start on the whole begging ordeal just yet." His lips smirked and he turned his head away.

Reaver had already devised a way to both distract this bothersome adventurer and serve his own purpose at the same time. He hadn't expected the adventurer to be a woman though, let alone an alluring woman. He had trouble remembering the ploy he'd come up with to tell.

"The thing is, I can't just run off with every adventurer that asks for my help."

Sparrow stiffened. She'd expected the pirate to at least be interested in helping. "What does one have to do to attain your standard of worthiness?" She asked.

Reaver smiled as he replied, "Perhaps if you had a bit more renown, you know, better known by the people here. Come back when you're at least a bit famous."

Before Sparrow could reply she heard the door behind her creak open, and she knew she'd been dismissed. How crude! She thought to herself, and her eyes hardened as she turned to leave. When her back was turned she didn't notice Reaver's eyes twitch to her backside and stare after her.

How tempting she makes it to accept this proposal, Reaver thought to himself after the door closed. He was having a hard time deciding if he should go through with his plan to be rid of her. Why should I care? She won't do it.

/-/-/-/-/

It only took Sparrow a few days to complete tasks for pirates in town. For the most part, doing these quests earned her enough renown to please Reaver's standard. But she couldn't help showing off her trophy she'd won after completing the grueling Crucible challenge. She also liked to let the bard sing the songs he'd composed about her. It didn't cost much, and it attracted a lot of attention. All the while she had lingering thoughts of the pirate mayor. His voice had a velvety undertone that had dulled her senses slightly, and his looks captivated her attention. She hadn't event thought about men since her ten years inside the Spire, but this one definitely made her come alive inside.

When she'd reached her goal of renown, Sparrow made sure her short black hair looked better than it had on her previous visit, and then returned to the mansion.

Reaver had been waiting impatiently for her to return, despite deciding he didn't care. He didn't expect to see her again so soon, but he had heard his servants whispering about her, so he knew she'd been making her presence known. When she walked through the doorway for the second time, he let his eyes linger longer on her figure.

"So you return, and better known this time." He'd resumed his post on the cinder block so the sculptor could continue to try to capture his essence.

"I have done what you requested, Reaver. My renown among your people has soared just about as high as possible." Sparrow replied.

Reaver nodded. "Yes, you have pleased them well. And yet, you still haven't done anything for me. Don't I get something in return for helping you and your friends save the world?" He grinned at her expression.

"Shouldn't you be content to save Albion?" Sparrow objected.

"I don't see why. I don't get anything out of it. So, I have a little errand for you to run for me. See that seal over there? Yes, the one on that desk. You'll need it to get into the cave I want you to go to. Give the seal to the person you find inside there for me. It's that simple." Reaver almost felt guilty as the woman pocketed his Dark Seal and walked out. Then he reminded himself that there was no way she would do it, and pushed her away from his thoughts.

Sparrow examined the seal as she and Smyla headed out of Bloodstone back towards Wraithmarsh. It looked interesting.

"Be careful, Reaver's task is more than it appears." Came Theresa's wizened voice in her head.
Sparrow rolled the seal back up and picked up the pace to her destination. She had hated navigating through the Wraithmarsh on her way to Bloodstone. The banshees there had been more than troublesome, and the fog gave her an eerie sensation. She'd had to give Smyla her specialized elixir more times than she felt comfortable with. But here they were headed right back there for this arrogant yet appealing pirate.

When Sparrow felt the fog settling overhead, she knew they were back in the vicinity and prepared herself for assault. A few moments later she heard the familiar screeching destituteness of a banshee's voice, and then the ghostly figure rose out of the bog underfoot, summoning up three of its miniature minions. She automatically felt the fire blaze at her fingertips and threw the fiery bolt towards the banshee. As the three miniatures set in at her heels, she let loose her fire ring to scorch them all at once, and then threw more bolts at the banshee. She'd gotten fairly skilled at taking them out quick the last time she'd been here, and so it wasn't long before the banshee screamed pointlessly and sunk back into the bog, evaporating.

Sparrow brushed off her shoulders and looked ahead. She could make out the entrance to a cave, probably the one she was looking for. She walked to it, Smyla whimpering slightly at her heels. She traced her fingers along the entrance and saw the weathered letters stenciled in. Her skin went paler. She was at the Shadow Court. Taking a deep breath, she held Reaver's seal up to the stone door, and it cracked open.

For a long time, she met no opposition in the cave as she and Smyla went cautiously along. They came to a large, open catacomb. Smyla growled, and Sparrow knew there were beasts close. She stepped further into the room, and then two shadowy balvarines descended upon her. She hated the furry wolf like creatures – they were a bit cleverer than she liked her enemies to be. To her dismay, as soon as wiped the first two away, more and more jumped down to her level. She used her Will to raise the dead to help her fight, and alternated fire bolts and lightning strikes at the balvarines. It seemed like they would never stop in their coming, but eventually the last one fell. Sparrow panted slightly and Smyla skulked to her side. She drank a health potion for herself, and then offered the dog elixir to Smyla. It was then that she heard the sound of weeping.

She turned and found a door waiting for her to open. She held up the seal again, and passed through, the weeping getting nearer and louder. She came to a new catacomb. Both the ceiling and the floor reached on in what appeared to be a never-ending vastness. In the middle of the room was a hovering island with three large statues shaped like wraiths. Just in front of her was a crying woman. The woman saw her and reached out desperately.

"Please, you must help me! I woke up in here, and those horrible creatures won't let me leave! I'm so scared, please help!"

The frantic woman almost fell to her knees, but Sparrow caught her. Before she could say anything, the wraith statues twisted, and black shadowy figures that looked identical appeared. The Shadow Judges looked at her, and she hesitantly held up Reaver's seal once more.

"So Reaver continues to send his sacrifices." The caustic voices declared. "That was our deal, but one day he may run out of people to send to us. And then we'll come after him."

Sparrow could tell the Judges harbored a great disliking for Reaver. But she was horrified at what she had heard. Sacrifices?

"You have two options. Either you can let this woman be the sacrifice, or you can do it yourself, Sparrow. Whomever serves the purpose will lose some of their youth."

As the last words were spoken, Sparrow felt the room begin to shake and rumble. She had barely begun to grasp what was happening. She fumbled back in forth in her mind, trying to decide if she could do what had to be done, or if she was going to let the clueless woman take the toll. She finally stepped into the glowing circle before her as the shaking and rumbling got to its height, and before she could wonder what happened next, a shadowy fume and ghosts enwrapped her, screaming and clawing at her without ever touching. Their cool breath was gone after only a few moments, and when the air around defused, the woman was gone. She touched her hands to her face, and she felt her soft skin was a little less soft. She sighed, and knew however she looked now couldn't be too horrible.

/-/-/-/-/

When Sparrow returned the Reaver Mansion, Reaver looked up expecting to see the same person that had left. His arrogant eyes lost their luster when he did not see that person. Sparrow now looked older. She did do it…He was so surprised he almost forgot to say something as she glared at him.

"A little less...vivacious, aren't you?"