Disclaimer: still the same, still don't own Bioware, but I do own Jaiyan. And this chapter gets a little violent, so warnings for that.
Chapter Two - Decisions
Tall, high caverns arched above her. Her feet crunched against gravel and stone. Somewhere far away, the sound of dripping water. She looked down at herself, saw that she was entirely naked. Some part of her mind informed her that this was simply a dream, and that she should not worry. The air against her bare skin was cool, and her hair was wet, spilling over her shoulders.
Before her, a dark opening, leading into shadow. She stared, shook her head. "I am not going in there."
"Why?" A female voice, low, throaty and accented. "Because you are afraid?"
"Because I was always told that a girl shouldn't walk under dark archways when she's naked."
"Indeed. Wise words."
Jaiyan turned, stared into the encroaching darkness, saw nothing. "Who am I talking to?"
"Turn around."
She obeyed, found herself staring at an obsidian-skinned woman. She was undeniably beautiful, if the tilt to her head and the fire in her crimson eyes was unsettling. White hair cascaded down her shoulders, held back from her angular, thin face with a jagged black crown. "You're a drow."
"Well-spotted." The woman sounded amused. "And you are an adventurer."
"Call me a hero at least. Sounds much better. Makes me seem less likely to die the next time I get ambushed by orcs."
The drow woman arched a snowy eyebrow. "You are a strange one, surfacer. Perhaps we will meet again. Though I very much doubt it."
Something tickled the back of Jaiyan's mind, that she should turn away from the drow woman and run, and return to herself. This was no normal dream. "Why?"
"You will see, surfacer. You will see."
Jaiyan snapped her eyes open. She searched the room, could see nothing stirring in the shadows. Still, uneasiness prickled at the nape of her neck. The gloom seemed too deep, too thick. She reached down onto the floor, groping for her sword hilt. Her fingers scraped along the floorboards.
No sword. No clothes.
She froze, tried to slow her breathing. Something flickered in the corner of her eye, and she flung herself out of bed, landed hard on her knees. The sheet drowned her, slowed her as she tried to make it to her feet.
A dark, lithe shape barreled out of the shadows. Jaiyan saw the glint of magic, burning around the point of a knife, and the flash of white hair. She threw herself sideways, snapping the sheet at her attacker. In the same motion, she lashed out with her feet, connected with leather and solid flesh. Her attacker gasped, and then she was lurching away as the knife scythed down, embedding in the floorboards.
She flipped over, punched blindly, felt her fist slam against skin. Her attacker twisted away, but Jaiyan followed, locking her arms around a slim waist. She heaved backwards, bringing her knees up into the back of her attacker's legs. The slender body she held thrashed and writhed, snarling words she could not understand. Jaiyan wrenched, ended up on top of her attacker, pinning the smaller figure onto the floor. One dark hand reached out, scrabbling for the dropped knife.
"Oh, no, you don't." Jaiyan drove an elbow into her attacker's throat, was rewarded with a hissed, cut-off breath. She dived over narrow shoulders, snatched up the knife. Turning, she smashed her fist against her attacker's face again, and plunged the blade to the hilt at chest-level.
Her attacker juddered, and she heard whispered, harsh words. Jaiyan dragged the knife up, slicing through skin and leather armour, and felt the hot gush of blood.
The door crashed open, and Jaiyan whirled, tearing the knife free.
Framed in the doorway, not another assailant, but Tamsil, Durnan's young daughter. And behind her, hopping madly from one foot to another, was Deekin. "Is Boss hurt? Is Boss alive?"
Tamsil stared. "Are you alright?"
Jaiyan lowered the knife, suddenly aware she must look a fright, naked and splattered with blood. "Yes. Yes…I'm sorry. I must look terrible." She reached out, wound the sheet around herself. "I…got attacked."
Tamsil nodded nervously. "I can see that. My father…didn't think it would happen. Not here."
"It's happened elsewhere."
"Noble houses," the girl said. "People turning up dead. Their possessions and weapons taken from them, killed by a single knife-thrust."
Jaiyan glanced at the still-flaring knife. "Yes, well…is everyone else alright?"
"Yes, I think so. Do you need anything? Bandages? Potions?" Tamsil's hands twisted together shakily. "Should I get my father?"
"No." Jaiyan pushed upright. "What time is it?"
"Near dawn, my lady," Tamsil answered. Her soft green eyes darted, trying not to look at the blood or the knife. "I'm so sorry that happened."
"Don't worry about it. Just…could you get me some clothes?" She scanned the floor quickly, saw that she had been right, that her belongings were missing.
Tamsil ducked her head. "Of course. Right away."
While Durnan's daughter darted off, Jaiyan beckoned Deekin into the room. "What did you hear, Deeks?"
He scuffed one foot. "Deekin was on his way downstairs, when Deekin and pretty girl heard noises coming from Boss' room. And not good noises to be heard coming from someone's bedroom."
Jaiyan laughed helplessly. "Thanks for that."
"But Deekin not see any drow downstairs, so Deekin not knows how drow got in."
Finally, Jaiyan turned her attention to her dead attacker. Drow indeed, small and slender and female, clad in supple leather armour. Red-streaked white hair spilled over narrow shoulders, and the woman's elegant hands were twisted together. "I had a dream about a drow."
"This drow?"
"No." Jaiyan studied the dead woman's feline briefly. "No, not this one. The one I dreamed about was far more…powerful, somehow."
A shadow slanted through the doorframe, and Durnan emerged, his face creased with concern. "Missy? Are you alright?"
She gave him a tired smile. "I came off best."
Durnan eyed the dead drow. "I never thought it would happen in here. Not tonight. I am so sorry."
"Stop gushing. I hate apologies." Jaiyan tightened the sheet around herself. "Just loan me a sword, and we'll call it even." She glanced up, to where pale light lanced in between the curtains. "Go and round up the rest of your adventurers, and we might as well talk about how to go about finding Halaster."
Durnan nodded briskly. "As you say. Will you be wanting breakfast?"
Her eyes strayed back to the blood on the floor, and the cooling ebony skin of the dead drow. "Oh…I'm not so hungry. I'm sure Deekin could do with some sustenance, though. He looks like he's wasting away."
Deekin's head perked up. "Deekin always make time for breakfast."
While Deekin pattered out after the innkeeper, Jaiyan rocked back on her heels and waited for Tamsil. She took a moment to study the dead drow's face, her closed eyes, her sharp cheekbones. Long, pointed ears fringed with thick white hair. The woman was beautiful, in that svelte elven way. The dropped knife lay with the tip facing away from her, and she could see the elegant, unsettling designs carved into the hilt.
Footsteps creaked against the wooden floor, and she turned in time to see Tamsil, arms laden with fabric. "I found you everything I think might fit you."
Jaiyan nodded. "Thank you."
After sorting through Tamsil's offering, she chose leggings, a shirt, and well-worn leather armour and boots, all in dark colours. Gloves that fit close enough followed, along with a dark cape. Feeling uneasy without a weapon, she went in search of Durnan's armoury. There, amid heaps of wrapped crossbows and stacks of arrows and propped up halberds, she found a serviceable, plain-looking longsword with matching dagger.
She buckled the blade to her waist, tried not to let her mind drift to the sword the drow had stolen. It had never been a particularly prepossessing weapon, was more functional, with its faded leather-wound grip and dull black pommel. Still, it had been the sword she had brought with her from Hilltop, and carried far into the sands of Anauroch, before the edge had found its way through Heurodis' throat.
Shoving such thoughts away, she marched briskly through the door and made for the stairs, leaving the blood and dead drow woman behind her.
Downstairs, she found the common room empty of normal patrons, and the air thick with tension. Durnan paced before the roaring fire, arms crossed and a thunderous scowl on his face. Around the table sat an odd collection of people that Jaiyan assumed were others brave or foolish enough to heed the summons.
"Good. You're here," Durnan said gruffly. "I don't think you've met everyone?"
She shook her head, leaned on the edge of the table. "Haven't yet had the pleasure."
She regarded them, saw that the first was a tall, broad-shouldered half-orc. His solemn, brown eyes were touched with a certain wariness. "Daelan Red-Tiger," he said quietly. He indicated the woman sitting next to him. "This is Sharwyn."
Jaiyan nodded, flicked her gaze along to the next, a pale, pretty elf. "My name is Linu," the elf woman explained. "We were just speaking of the attack. You were not injured?"
"No. But I did lose all my things."
"You did?" Sitting beside Linu, a wiry-looking halfling howled with laughter. "Easy mark, were we? Drifting off in happy little dreams?"
Jaiyan glared. "You try taking on a drow assassin stark naked and weaponless."
The halfling raised his hands and grinned. "While that is an interesting prospect, I prefer the idea of you doing it, since you seem such an expert."
Jaiyan was about to growl a vulgar retort, but Durnan grasped her elbow. "Enough, please. Tomi, watch your mouth, and missy, keep your temper under wraps."
The halfling shrugged amiably. "Anything for an old friend. Tomi Undergallows, by the way, girl."
With a wry smirk, she reached out, grasped the halfling's hand. "Please tell me your second name is a prophecy."
"Not yet it isn't." He cocked an amused eyebrow. "Come and sit, and let's pretend to be friends."
Grudgingly, Jaiyan found a spare chair and slumped into it. "Sorry, Durnan."
Durnan inclined his head. "You all know why you're here."
"Halaster the mad wizard," Tomi cut in. "We all know that. How much do we get for the job, though?"
The innkeeper fixed him with a frosty stare. "Payment upon discovery of what in the Nine Hells is going on down there. You might be here for the coin, but my tavern opens onto a shaft that goes all the way down there. All of Waterdeep could be in danger, halfling, and you're whining about payment."
Tomi shrugged, unoffended. "What counts, counts."
"If you're not averse to suggestion," Durnan continued, ignoring him, "I think you should go down together. Safety in numbers and all that. We don't know what's in Undermountain."
"Mazes," Deekin chirped from his poise on the far end of the table. "Mazes and traps and monsters."
"And you'll keep a sentry at the portal?" the big half-orc inquired.
"Yes. Night and day." Durnan opened his mouth to say more, and the door behind was flung open, letting in a white-faced kitchen girl and sudden, billowing smoke. The girl kicked the door closed again with her foot, raked down a deep breath.
Jaiyan leaped away from the table, her hand going to her sword.
Durnan grabbed the girl's shoulders, tried to calm her. "What is it? What's happened?"
"The portal room…" The girl trembled, twisted against his hold.
Jaiyan heard footsteps, running light and fast against the floorboards. Somewhere close by, a scream, and the dull throb of magic.
Daelan Red-Tiger pushed up from his chair, his hands wrapped around the haft of a huge double-headed axe. "Into the portal room! Now!"
The girl shook her head madly. "No, you can't! There are…there are drow."
While the others launched away from the table, Jaiyan glanced to Deekin. "Spells ready?"
The kobold's hands were already moving, the air whining and flashing between his fingers.
With Daelan Red-Tiger in the lead, they hurtled for the door. Jaiyan hung back behind Sharwyn and the halfling, not wanting to charge blindly through. Daelan stepped up the door, spun his war-axe in huge, gauntleted hands.
And the door crashed inwards, spilling drow into the room.
With a tremendous sweep of his war-axe, Daelan decapitated the first through on his side of the door. He side-stepped fountaining blood and pressed on, driving another drow back with the flat of the axe. Arrows whipped past him, embedded in the doorframe.
More drow darted past him, running quick and quiet. Jaiyan braced herself, and hated that her mind wandered, even at this most inappropriate moment. She watched the drow glide over the floorboards, and was reminded of hunting cats, or striking snakes. She snarled to herself, and swung her sword up as a drow warrior lunged at her, twin shortswords flashing in slender hands.
This drow was male, she realized, lean and wiry and with braided-back white hair. And he's pretty, some absurd part of her mind supplied. She sighed and dodged his attack, sweeping her blade around and under both of his. Her sword crashed up against his, jarring. Shamelessly, she slammed her elbow into his jaw, kicked him in the stomach when he staggered, and drove her sword into his chest. When he slipped limply off the blade, she spun around. And saw, slightly disgruntled, that the others had mopped up the rest of the drow, leaving only blood and scattered bodies.
"Hah. Good reflexes you got there, missy." Tomi nodded amiably at her while he cleaned his knives. "Did better than I thought, for a scrappy little human."
Jaiyan glared good-naturedly. "Sterling praise."
By the door, Linu knelt beside Durnan. Suddenly worried, Jaiyan hurried across with Deekin hopping after her. "Durnan?"
The innkeeper lay on his back, a great swathe of blood patching his shirt. "I'm fine," he ground out. "Dagger scraped my ribs. Had worse shaving."
Jaiyan grinned. "Whatever you say, old man."
Daelan Red-Tiger swung his axe across his shoulders. "Do you hear that?"
Jaiyan cocked her head, listening. "No..?"
"The portal room," Durnan said. "It's open."
"Then we go there now." Without waiting for discussion, the big half-orc strode away through the door with Sharwyn and Tomi on his heels. Linu followed suit, her hands still glowing with pale healing magic.
"No, wait!" Jaiyan surged after them, but Durnan's cough stopped her. "Idiots," she sighed. "Are all adventurers so block-headed?"
"Takes one to know one, as they say." Durnan grimaced and levered himself up on his elbows. "What will you be doing, lass?"
"You got a proper healer here?"
"Aye, that we do. White Thesta, her name is. Vain as a courtesan, but knows her trade well, she does."
"Good. Then you get Tamsil to help you upstairs and get that looked at." Jaiyan sheathed her sword. "And we will be heading down to the portal room. Right, Deeks?"
Deekin nodded briskly. "We be ready to fight evil where we find it, Boss."
Durnan grunted. "Well, steal yourself any supplies you might need on your way out, missy. And take care of yourselves, you hear me?"
"You know us, Durnan. Sharp as tacks and twice as clever."
Durnan raised a greying eyebrow. "Well, get on down there and prove it. And don't you dare come back if you're hurt or dead, you hear me?"
Jaiyan grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it. Now get out of here. You're bleeding all over the floor."
