Black Dragons
Chapter 4: Times of Change

Disclaimer: I do not own Dungeons & Dragons

The woman shifted her weight from one hip to the other and deftly tossed her staff into her other hand before raising an eyebrow at the trio standing stunned in the room.

"Listen boys, I know I'm pretty but this is getting a little ridiculous don't you think?" She asked calmly, a slight smirk appearing on her face.

Harbek and Arjhan recoiled as they came out of their stupor and Corrin sighed again.

"Alright lass, who might you be then?" Harbek asked.

Her smirk turned into a chilling smile before opening her mouth to reply: "My name is Sariel, I advise the Baron on matters regarding magic and the unnatural,"

"So you work for the Baron… have you come to recapture me?" Arjhan asked, gripping the handle of his sword tightly.

"No, I actually came to free you, but it seems these two have beaten me to it," she indicated Harbek and Corrin with two, long, outstretched fingers.

The three lost any hostility and were all immediately confused.

"What?"

"Oh yes, that daft old man has been mistreating me for years, he doesn't respect me for my knowledge or age, treating me like I'm just some wine-wench at a tavern. I've had enough of it, I was going to free you Kimbatuul Arjhan, before leaving and finding employment elsewhere,"

"That's all well and good, but… I guess I'm still a little lost," Corrin shrugged his shoulders as he asked.

"Oh, well, you see, he's convinced that your friend here is some enemy spy and wants information. I know better, I've seen your name in reports. An accomplished soldier, decorated at least a dozen times and always praised for your strength and honor,"

Arjhan's eyes glanced to the floor as she said all this,

"I assume you know why I left the military then Miss Sariel?"

"Oh yes, that terrible incident regarding Woodsedge?"

Arjhan nodded solemnly.

"Nothing but a fit of imperial jealousy and espionage," She said dismissively.

"What?"

"The General of the Empire? What was his name again? Oh it doesn't matter, he was reprimanded a few months ago, dishonorably discharged for ordering the slaughter and burning of a civilian village, and the blame that was solely placed on you has been allocated to him. You're a free man again, but I suppose that doesn't mean you'll go back anytime soon?"

Arjhan shook his head, "No, I have no intention of going back. Especially now, after being told my General was such a gutless coward and so easily inclined to acts as atrocious as that,"

Sariel gave a simple nod of her head, "Well, as much fun as this has been I think I'll be on my way,"

She turned to leave when Arjhan's head shot up, "Wait!"

She looked over her should at him expectantly.

"You said you're going to look for another place of employment? I'd like to hire you,"

"Really? And what might you have for someone like me?"

Arjhan smiled to himself, "I'd like to repay the Baron for the generous time he's given me while I've been here. You know the strength of his troops, the layout of his castle, and most importantly you are an Arcanist are you not?"

Sariel fully turned to face him again, "You're quite astute aren't you?"

"If you're looking to fight the Baron count me in, I've been meaning to have some words with him for weeks now," Harbek added.

Arjhan nodded his thanks to the priest before looking to Corrin.

"I thank you for your aid in my release Corrin, but I can understand if-"

"How much gold is in the baron's coffers, if I might ask," Corrin cut Arjhan off as he looked to Sariel.

She shifted her weight once again and considered his question. "I'd say a few thousand pieces at least, enough that should anyone happen upon it they'd be well off for a good while,"

Corrin nodded and looked to Arjhan, "Consider that my reward for the release, and anything else I happen to stumble upon and want and I'll help you deal with the Baron,"

"Now wait just a moment, I cannot condone any theft of goods on my watch, even if it is against someone as corrupt as the Baron," Arjhan told him.

"Oh, how else did you expect to pay me then?" Sariel asked, "I assumed you were going to take the gold from the coffers and use it as my reward as well,"

"Aye, your purse did seem a little empty to be hiring out," Harbek nodded an affirmation of this fact.

Arjhan looked between the three of them and sighed, "Fine, just this once I will allow it,"

Corrin and Sariel smiled before Arjhan stood tall and made his way toward the door. Sariel stepped aside and allowed him, Corrin, and Harbek to pass through. The group readied themselves at the top of the stairs before beginning the trek down.

"Oh, I should mention something that might be relevant to our little plan here," Sariel told them.

Arjhan continued his descent without looking up at her, "What might that be?"

"Before I came to free you I may have 'burned the bridge' with the Baron," her ears drooped a little and her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink, "One of my less regal moments I assure you,"

"What did you do lass?" Harbek asked.

"I may or may not have insulted the Baron's honor, tact, appearance, lineage, and general way he runs his castle,"

Corrin stopped in front of Sariel and turned to face her, the fact she was on a stair behind him made it even harder for him to look her in the eyes as he craned his neck back.

"You did what?!"

"As I said, one of my less regal moments,"

"So I can only assume the Baron has troops waiting outside the tower?" Arjhan asked.

"Yes, I would say as such,"

"If you knew that how did you plan to escape?" Corrin asked.

"Easily, I would have simply dipped into the feywild for a moment and appeared down on the grounds outside the castle with our friend there," she lifted a finger to point at Arjhan.

"And what about us?" Corrin asked.

"I didn't expect there to be anyone other than myself and Arjhan," Sariel explained simply.

Corrin's mouth opened to say something else before he snapped it shut.

"Sounds to me like we have a fight on our hands," Harbek said with a grin as he gave his hammer an experimental half-swing.

Arjhan nodded and drew his sword from it sheathe, examining the blade he nodded when he didn't find any defects in the metal, readying his shield he and his group continued down the stairs to eventually arrive at the door the tower.

"Is everyone ready?" He asked.

The group nodded and Arjhan turned to the door, lifting his foot he kicked it in, sending the wood splintering into the courtyard. He rushed out with Harbek, Corrin following behind them and Sariel gracefully stepping into the doorway.

Sure enough they found themselves surrounded by armed soldiers pointing halberds at them. One of them stood apart from the rest, he was a good head taller than the others but thinner in build. His scale armor shone in the sunlight and the shield on his back and the sword on his belt gave him the appearance of a warrior. His helmet, gleaming in the sun, bore an emblem that Harbek, Sariel, and Corrin recognized as the Baron's mark. He stared at the group before opening his mouth to speak.

"Kimbatuul Arjhan, Harbek Steadhammer, Corrin 'The Fleet', and Lady Sariel of Masmith, you are hereby under arrest on the authority of the Baron. As you can see, you are surrounded, so come quietly and no one has to get hurt,"

"I don't think we'll be going quietly Aldain," Sariel called from the back, "You've seen what I can do, and I'm sure you have an idea of what these boys are capable of, so I suggest you stand down and let us go about our business,"

The leader, Aldain, gritted his teeth and scowled at them "And what business might that be?"

"I'd like to have a few words with the Baron, nothing lethal I assure you," Arjhan answered.

Aldain turned his gaze to focus on Arjhan, "You will not have such a chance. This is your last warning: Stand down or be taken by force,"

Arjhan gripped his sword and raised the point, lifting his shield so that only his eyes peered above the top to stare at Aldain. The man sighed and released the scowl on his face, drawing his blade and he pointed at the group.

"So be it, men! Arrest them!"

The soldiers began to sidle forward, making sure that the heads of their halberds were kept a good distance in front of them. Arjhan looked to his team and saw that Harbek and Corrin had already taken up positions on his left and right. Sariel meanwhile finished preparing a spell in her hand before lobbing a crystal-blue sphere of magic into the line of soldiers in front of Arjhan. The sphere hit the helmet of one of the soldiers and exploded sending ice shards out in all directions, the soldiers lifted their arms to protect their faces from the ensuing blast.

"Go!" Sariel shouted to Arjhan who nodded, stepping forward he slashed his sword through one of the soldiers and across the chest of another, downing both of them. The others, recovering from the surprise attack thrust their halberds at Arjhan, he used his sword to knock the weapon aside and while the man was lunging forward he caught a hit to the face from Arjhan's shield sending him reeling. Two other soldiers managed to cut Arjhan on his sides, he grunted his way through the pain as his armor absorbed most of the blow. Suddenly his armor began to glow dimly with a faint aura, taking a glance over his shoulder he saw Harbek down a man and a similar aura overcome him as well. Corrin meanwhile had lunged forward past the Halberds, dipping his head low he dashed past the weapons and into the legs of the men who were wielding them. Lodging one of his knives into the man's calf he yelled in pain as he clutched at the wound and dropped. Corrin simply strengthened his grip on the weapon so as the man fell it dislodged itself, turning to his team he almost caught a halberd swing to the neck but ducked it quickly. Sariel was preparing another spell in her hands, a purple, icy-spear.

Aldain meanwhile shrugged his shield off his back and charged into the fray, as he approached Arjhan he shouted at one of his men "Follow me!" The soldier nodded and followed Aldain as he charged the dragonborn. Aldain lifted his sword above his head and brought it down in a powerful, overhead blow that Arjhan barely managed to catch on his shield, but while he was distracted the soldier who'd followed Aldain swung at Arjhan from behind, but he found his blade was caught by the aura that was currently surrounding Arjhan, seeing the attempted double attack Arjhan summoned the strength to knock Aldain away and kicked the man's Halberd haft so it spun out of the man's hands and away into the courtyard.

Backing up Arjhan, Corrin, and Harbek took another look at their situation and realized that there were only a handful of soldiers left.

"You two go left, I'll take care of the right and Aldain," Arjhan said.

The two nodded and Corrin turned and leapt onto Harbek's shoulders, throwing the dwarf off balance as he sprung into the air, descending on one of the two remaining soldiers on that side he cut the man's chest with a quick flourish of his blade before leaping back just in time to avoid the other's halberd thrust. Recovering from the sudden spring-board Harbek grabbed his hammer and brought it around in a powerful side-blow that cracked a few of the soldier's ribs. He dropped to the ground clutching at his side while Harbek and Corrin turned to face the two soldiers behind them, catching a glimpse of Arjhan as he cut through the disarmed soldier and into Aldain's armor.

Sariel meanwhile had finished preparing her spell and shouted at Arjhan "Stand aside, I've got him!"

Arjhan, hearing her voice and having an idea of what she had planned quickly backed away, Sariel threw her purple javelin of ice at Aldain who, not expecting the attack, took it in the chest. It exploded in a flash leaving Aldain dazed and reeling from the blow. His ears ringing and his vision blurred and leaving after-images as he tried to shake his head he couldn't bring himself to do much other than take a poorly attempted swing at Arjhan who dodged the attack with ease and knocked away Aldain's blade with his shield, the force of the hit and his dazed state knocked Aldain to his knees. Harbek and Corrin finished off the last two soldiers, leaving them surrounded by a ring of groaning and bleeding men. Arjhan held his blade down in front of Aldain's face.

His vision recovered and Aldain immediately noticed the blade in front of him.

"Go ahead," he said simply.

"No, I refuse to kill someone like this," Arjhan replied as he sheathed his sword and offered Aldain a hand up.

"What?"

"I saw the way you could command men into battle, even when they knew they were outmatched. That ability of leadership is rare and shouldn't be wasted," Arjhan told him.

Aldain took his offered arm and Arjhan helped him up.

"Come with us," Arjhan told him.

"What? You'd expect me to betray my lord?" Aldain asked.

"I expect you to make your own decision," Arjhan said as he let go of Aldain's arm.

He considered it for a moment, seeing that he was clearly outmatched and now outnumbered, his mind flashed to the aftermath of this attack: A bloodied and beaten baron scolding him for his carelessness and inability to do his job, perhaps he'd be fired or dishonorably discharged from all military service. With a shake of his head Aldain came out of his day-dream.

"I'll do it," he said with a smile.

Arjhan clasped his free hand on his shoulder "Good man,"

Corrin approached and offered Aldain his sword, which he took with a nod of his head and sheathed the blade on his belt. Placing his shield on his back he lifted his helmet and looked at the emblem of the baron's that was emblazoned upon its surface. He threw it aside with a huff and at that point everyone noticed the slightly pointed ears that were poking out from Aldain's hair.

"You're an elf?" Corrin asked.

"Half-Elf," Aldain and Sariel replied together.

"It doesn't matter," Arjhan said to his companion who shrugged.

"Long as I get paid he could be a troll, was just making an observation is all," Corrin replied.

The group proceeded to gather up the soldiers and tie them off with some rope Arjhan had in his pack, leaving their halberds beside them. Once they were finished they made their way to the center structure that marked the Baron's offices and dwelling. Aldain also informed them that he had taken all of the guards currently positioned at the castle, except for the Baron's personal guards, to arrest them.

The group entered the center structure and immediately found themselves in the Baron's court chamber. Here he presided over the fief and any legal matters such as convictions and disputes were settled here. Aldain led the way to the left side wall where a doorway led to the stairs that would take them up to the Baron's personal quarters. The group ascended the stairs as quietly as they could, and eventually they reached a landing at the very top of the stairs. Two soldiers in full-plate armor were standing at attention when they approached. They drew their blades when they saw Arjhan not bound and looked at Aldain for an explanation.

"Stand aside, we're here to speak with the Baron," Arjhan told them.

The two looked to each other and then back to the group, readjusting their grips.

Arjhan sighed before inhaling deeply and releasing a blast of green liquid from his maw. The two men shouted in surprise before the rancid smell of acid-melted metal began to fill the corridor.

"Come on, that won't do much but surprise them," Arjhan said as he led the way past the two panicking soldiers who were tossing off their pieces of armor in a frantic speed.

Arjhan approached the door and lifted his foot, kicking it in the door flew off the hinges and landed with a dull thud on the floor of the baron's office. The man looked up to see Arjhan, Aldain, Corrin, Harbek, and Sariel enter.

"Do not worry Baron, we're not here to kill you, we only wish to talk," Arjhan told him.

The Baron sighed as he dropped the pen he was holding on his desk and stood, the group noticed the sword dangling from his belt.

"That's unfortunate, as we have no intention of talking with spies," He said glaring up at them. The clanking of armor alerted the group to soldiers that lined the room, each of them wearing gleaming plate armor and wielding a sword.

"Seems this isn't going to be a civil conversation," Sariel said as she readied her staff.