Chaper 3 – "Bazaar" Shopping.
Nica, Safiya and Gann strolled up the slight hill to the Market District. The sun was shining brightly, and a slight breeze caused the tarps on the colorful tents to flap and twist. Gann pointed out several vendors with small, charcoal braziers. The aroma smelled delicious. Nica sampled several of the exotic delicacies, however, the hollow feeling inside of her did not go away. "I hope I'm not coming down with some foreign Rashemi disease," she thought.
As they walked around the market, Nica turned to Gann. "I see you brought your short-bow with you but you're going to need some more equipment."
"I do carry a small skinning knife," he grinned, "However, if you're springing for new equipment, might I put in a request? I'm in dire need of arrows and it would, perhaps, be wise if I had some kind of a sword or melee weapon. I suspect a bow won't be of much use in close quarters battle. Something exotic, I think. A katana with an acid enchantment would do nicely."
Nica shook her head in disbelief. He certainly isn't shy about asking for what he wants, she thought. "I'll see what I can do, " she replied huffily. "And another thing, you'll have to get rid of that outfit you're wearing. With all those bells and trinkets clacking & ringing as you walk, enemies will hear you coming from miles away!!"
Gann was taken aback for a moment. No one had ever commented on his dress in this manner. Compliments were what he usually received, and expected, not derision. He was under the impression he had charmed Nica enough to wrap her around his little finger. Gann rarely allowed himself to stoop to the vernacular but he reacted sharply to her words. "Is this big, blond warrior bitch actually making fun of my clothing?" he thought. He glared at her, bit back a sharp retort then smoothly said, " As you wish, my lady. I was not expecting to be going into the thick of a battle, otherwise I would have called in my smith. A thousand pardons."
Nica ignored his sarcasm and was more interested in examining some chain shirts and pieces of armor that Azim Qo'toth was showing her. Gann eyed the armor with a quizzical eye.
"If I may make a suggestion, my dear captain, before you start throwing your gold away? I'm afraid I must protest. My unique style of combat is such that any type of metal armor will hinder my movements and considerably slow my ability to cast magic. We are not all of us plodding warhorses capable of wearing full plate armor," he paused. " Such as yourself, " he muttered under his breath.
Nica scowled. She had heard him mumble something but couldn't quite make it out, but it didn't sound complimentary. She was so used to taking charge when it came to outfitting her Greycloaks back at Crossroads Keep, she hadn't even thought that Gann might baulk at wearing armor.
"Point taken, " she said crossly. "Azim, do you have any padded jacks and leather breastplates? Also, leather greaves and bracers?" She looked at Gann's decorative leather shoes. "And maybe some sturdy leather boots?"
"Ah, yes, my lady, everything for the soldier, I can supply. Here, young sir, try this on for size."
Gann stepped forward cautiously, removed his leather tunic, and allowed Azim to fit him with a padded canvas under jacket and padded cloth sleeves, on top of which he buckled a smooth, supple golden cuirass with intricate designs tooled into the leather. Nica took note of Gann's heavily muscled back and shoulders. His smooth chest and stomach were finely chiseled. "At least he looks fit, " she thought clinically, trying to not dwell too much on the images of running her hands over the smooth, bluish skin that were popping into her head. She had to immediately turn her head away. Thoughts of Bishop's strong, hirsute body flashed before her eyes. "Stop it, " she told herself. "That's over. I have no time for this. I can't afford to get all ga-ga over this hagspawn just because I'm missing being held by a man."
Azim offered Gann some matching greaves and he pulled them up and secured them over his leather leggings. Leather braces were fastened around his forearms. Boots were presented for him to try on, as well.
"There, " Nica said admiringly. "That looks much better." Gann frowned and breathed heavily. "Indeed. I, however, feel like a stuffed, suckling pig!!"
"You'll thank me, later, " Nica said firmly, ignoring his histrionics.
The air of command had come back to her naturally. "Now, can you move in those?"
Gann walked up and down in front of the booth theatrically swinging his arms back and forth, squatting down, turning sharply. He raised his bow and simulated taking a shot. Nica stood patiently waiting with her arms folded and her eyes rolling again. Safiya had a slight smile on her mouth as she watched Gann strut up and down the aisle.
He returned to stand in front of them huffing and puffing with a frown on his face. "Yes, I suppose they will be acceptable, " he conceded. "But if I fall in battle, I think it will prove that your judgment is considerably lacking!"
Nica laughed. "Well, if you fall in battle and I survive I'll get the Wychlaren to give you a ceremonial funeral."
"Somehow that doesn't really console me, " he said mournfully but with a twinkle in his eye.
"Normally," Nica continued, "If you were a Greycloack archer, I would stick you up in a tree or on top of a hill so you could shoot your arrows to your heart's content. But, unfortunately, I'll need you in the front lines, so you better get used it. Now, how about a helmet?"
Gann widened his eyes in horror. His long, flowing hair was one of his best assets, to his mind, and to have to cover it up with a tight, binding helmet? Unthinkable! He turned and faced Nica with a pained look. "Must, I?" he said in a whinging tone.
"Well, " Nica looked at him doubtfully. "I suppose you could go without one, but I would tie up your hair so it doesn't impede you." Gann breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately cut a string of leather from his leggings and tied his hair back in a tail. "Is that acceptable, your honor?"
"Yes, that'll do, " Nica said. She was thinking it was nice to see all of his face. It seemed he liked to hide behind his hair as well as behind his sarcastic words. "Well, let's go find the fletcher and sword smith."
And you had better be worth it, she was thinking.
About an hour later, with Gann fully equipped but still making small groans and grunts as he walked, they moved down towards the Veil Theater. Safiya grabbed Nica's arm and pointed. Two extremely strange looking people were standing across from The Veil. The woman was dressed all in black, the man had a huge helmet on his head with deer antlers protruding from it. But the most unusual thing of all was that they both had wings!! They reminded her of Light of Heaven, one of her sergeants back at Crossroads Keep.
As Nica approached them they caught sight of her and ran up eagerly. "We heard what you were talking about with the witches, " the man said, "We're here to offer you our help in fighting the spirit army, however, we'd like a favor first."
Nica eyed them suspiciously. "What kind of favor?" The woman spoke up. "We need your help to find our sister, Kaelyn the Dove."
"Your sister is a dove?"
"Allow me to explain, " the girl smiled. "I'm Susah the Crow, and this is my brother, Efrem the Stag. We and our other siblings are called the Menagerie. We're from the slopes of Celestia. Our sister, Kaelyn, came seeking the abandoned stronghold of Myrkul the Death God. His vault lies in Shadow Mulsantir. She wanted to learn about Akachi's crusade. We cannot go there because it would be a violation of our faith in Kelemvor."
Nica was confused. "Well, how come your sister could go there and you can't?"
Susah hung her head and Efrem spoke up. "Our sister abandoned her faith in Kelemvor and now follows the god Ilmater, God of Martyrs. It was one of the reasons our grandfather banished her from Celestia. Please, we really need your help."
Although Nica had no clue what they were talking about concerning Akachi, Myrkul and the Death God's vaults, she looked over at Gann and Safiya. Gann was still peeved about having to wear leather armor so he shrugged his shoulders elegantly and said nothing; Safiya, though, nodded her head. "If we can find their sister, than we will have more help in our fight against Okku," she said logically.
Nica turned to Efrem and Susah. "How do I find this Death God's vault? I've never heard of it or seen it."
Susah spoke up. "It's supposedly hidden in Shadow Mulsantir. The witches say Shadow Mulsantir is a myth but we know they're hiding something."
"Yes, they are, " Nica concurred. "I've recently been there. Well, at least a small part of it. But the portal I went through did not go any further than the Veil Theater."
"Portals are supposed to open at night in Mulsantir, however, we do not know the places they might be," Efrem said dejectedly. " I wish we could be of more help."
"All right. We'll walk around town later and see if we can spot any. If we come up with anything, where can we find you?"
"Oh, we'll be right here. We've been waiting here for three days already, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kaelyn walking by."
"Don't you need to sleep?" Nica questioned.
"Oh, just like the animals we bond with, we can sleep standing up," Susah explained. "We take turns. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Just please go and find Kaelyn."
"Well, " Nica turned to Gann and Safiya. "If we're going on a mission tonight I suggest we all head back to The Sloop and try and get some rest. Gann, I can get another room for you, if need a place to stay. Or," she grinned wickedly. "Do you walk in your sleep around town trying to enter people's dreams?"
"Ah, I see my delightful wit and impressive sense of humor, has created a monster, " Gann smiled uneasily.
"Well, you started it!" Nica shot back. "As we say in West Harbor, don't dish it out if you can't take it."
"Point taken, " he mimicked. "As for dream walking I usually like to be in a prone position for that. It's so much more relaxing and better for the concentration."
Back at The Sloop, Gann removed the padded armor as soon as he reached the small, dingy room he was given.
"Ahhhh, much better, " he sighed. He stretched out on the lumpy bed and after a few thumps here and there on the mattress he was able to get comfortable. He lay on his back with his hands behind his head. He had been waiting for a chance to walk in a particular person's dreams and immediately he went into a kind of trance in order to be able to speak with his spirits. "Is she asleep, yet?" he inquired.
"No, " was the garbled reply he heard. 'Walking, pacing, hungry, empty." "Who are they talking about?" he thought. "The spirit army?" He could still hear the muted screaming & wailing of the spirits outside the Gates of Mulsantir. He tried again. "I was not inquiring about Okku's army. I want to know if Nica Shadowbane is sleeping." Again came the reply, "No!, walking, pacing, hungry, empty!" He came out of his trance and thought disgustedly. "I suppose I'm not going to make any progress with the dreamworld spirits until that Bear God is removed from the vicinity. That's all they seem concerned with at the moment."
He rolled over on his side letting his thoughts drift in and out. "This has certainly been quite an unusual day," he mused. "That woman is certainly intriguing. Too outspoken, by far, but intriguing."
Gann considered himself an authority on women. Their feelings, their dreams, their personalities – he had experienced the gamut. And he enjoyed playing with those feelings and visiting them in their dreams. He knew how good looking he was and he shamelessly used that to his advantage.
What he would not admit to himself, was that he was afraid to have a relationship with a woman outside of the dream world. Occasionally, to satisfy his physical cravings and his laziness, he had taken up with a woman for a few days but had always made it clear to them that it was only temporary. He turned on his charm, bedded them, and in return, they fed him and gave him a place to sleep when he was tired of sleeping out under the stars. He could wander willy-nilly through their dreams, however, after a while he would get bored with them. Their dreams were always the same. Gann was going to be their knight in shining armor, marry them, settle down and raise children. It made Gann shudder to think of it, not to mention, he hated wearing armor!
Losing his freedom was tantamount to losing his life. He had always considered himself a free spirit, albeit, a corporeal one, not realizing his so-called freedom chained him to a life of loneliness and endless wandering. His hagspawn heritage made him an outcast in most places he traveled and it was only in dreams that he felt the most comfortable.
He lived in a dream world of his own making, not wanting to investigate too closely his real feelings, his sense of abandonment or his intense hatred of his mother. When situations became too painful or life became too real, he would escape to his dreams and commune with the spirits. He certainly would not admit that he was a coward when it came to reality. He just preferred his dreams, he told himself. They kept him safe. Safe from what he couldn't quite put a finger on. In his dreams, he was the brave, romantic brigand who had women falling at his feet right and left.
But this Nica, this warrior woman! She was not fawning all over him like most women did. She seemed to enjoy baiting him and went along with his little games for the most part, which he enjoyed. However, she was not above putting him in his place. She was also seemed to be a very determined woman. Taking on Okku was not child's play. Her bravery was admirable. Her past exploits in Neverwinter had stunned him. The story of the shards and the Shadow King was chilling and he was somewhat amazed she had survived. And, now, it seemed someone or something had removed the last shard from her chest and had deposited her in Okku's barrow many miles from her home. That bothered him. Were the spirits up to something?
In talking about her companions, he recalled, she had paused several times or tended to skip over parts in a hurried manner as if she didn't want to think about those things. Especially the part that concerned the person named Bishop. Was he her past lover? She had seemed upset when she talked about his betrayal, but had tried to hide it. Was it just that or was there more between them?
A tiny twinge of jealousy appeared in Gann's mind. He didn't want to admit that he was attracted to her. Yes, she was very good looking in a warrior type of way, but he had been with more beautiful women than she. Perhaps it was the way she walked, her long legs, striding purposefully, head held high. Her hair was beautiful, long, thick & pale but she wore it in a tight braid. Her deep, brown eyes contrasted wonderfully with her light hair, but they seemed too intense for him. "I think it's more the sadness I sense in her than anything, " Gann realized. "She's an orphan as am I." He even went as far as to think, " We've both struggled with loss, however, in different ways it seems. Is that the absence I sense in her? The losses she's had throughout her life?" But he didn't want to dwell too much on the losses he had experienced so he rolled over and tried to stop thinking about her.
She had basically hired him to do a job and would probably go on her way after the fight with Okku or die trying. That thought suddenly bothered him. He didn't want her to die and the feeling that he would do everything in his power to protect her was very strong. Which surprised him. Why he suddenly was so willing to risk his life for a total stranger intrigued him. It suddenly occurred to him that he might die also, but, somehow, that thought didn't bother him as much. His life had been boring and depressing of late, although he wouldn't really admit that. He just assumed his lack of fear of death was because death would be like a homecoming with the spirits. He had been surrounded by the dead since his birth. They were more real to him than the people of Rashemen.
His reverie ended when a sudden knock came upon the door. "Gann, it's Nica, time to get going."
"I will be with you presently, " he called and rolled off the bed. The padded leather armor was in a pile on the floor and, with a long-drawn out sigh, he slowly, very slowly, started to put it on.
As soon as they had reached their room, Safiya's curiosity got the better of her. "Well, he certainly is a strange bird."
"Yes," Nica laughed. "He is, isn't he? I've never met anyone like him. He's so funny, but what an ego!! I'm not sure if he really believes all that crap about himself or not. He seems to be laughing at himself along with everyone else. You should have heard him in the prison. He told me the reason he was in there was because he was too handsome. Can you believe it?"
"I feel that anyone who talks about dreams too much, is trying to sell you something, however, he seems trustworthy enough, " Safiya said matter-of-factly. "I do know that Shamans have some powerful magic at their disposal. And they can call on spirits to help them. He should also be a good healer, if we need one. However, I don't want him walking through my dreams at random. Perhaps I should mention that to him."
"Gods, I never thought about that. I don't particularly care for him to be wading around in mine, either. Maybe I should make that clear to him. Our dreams are off-limits as long we're all together. He'll probably be offended but, at this point, I don't care. I just want to get this whole thing over with."
"I agree. We don't have much time. Who knows how long Okku will wait outside the gates before attacking the whole town. The sooner we go out to meet him, the better. Hopefully we can find this Dove person quickly and settle this all tomorrow. We'd better get some rest." Safiya lay down on her bed and closed her eyes.
Nica sat down on a chair but continued to look at her companion. "Safiya, are you sure you want to help me with this? It's not really your problem, you know. If you want to return to your Academy, I will understand."
Safiya looked thoughtful. "I know it's not my problem, however, I promised my mother I would take care of you. If she's really dead, I would be honoring her last wish. I want to know more about what happened to Lienna. She was a friend of my mother's. Your appearance here in Rashemen is somehow tied to what's going on at the Academy or Khai Kmun and the other wizards wouldn't have been at the Veil theater when we arrived. I'd like to know why. You also saw a woman in red in your vision which indicates a Red Wizard was involved in cutting out your shard. If it means going up against Okku to get some answers, I'm more than willing to fight at your side."
"Thank you, Safiya. It's good to know I have at least one friend I can count on. You better get some sleep."
Nica, rose, lay down on the bed, however, she could not get comfortable. She tossed and turned and her mind started racing. Her stomach felt empty again. "Gods, what is wrong with me?" she wondered. Thankfully, after an hour or so , she fell into a fitful, dreamless sleep.
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