A/N: Hello, folks. This is the first fic I have written outside of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Take note that this is based off D&D and LOTR. And for those who think I have no clue about D&D let me tell you this. I have spent over one hundred and seventy dollars on just buying the books, which includes The Player's Handbook, DM Guide, Monster Manual, Book of Challenges and Deities and Demigods. And dice, which cost a good twenty bucks. Not to mention all the supplies needed to play the game such as graph paper, pencils, copies of the character sheet, etc. And I have memorized the Player's Handbook, so I don't want to hear that I have no clue as to what D&D is. I'll bet someone will still put that in their review though. This has taken me a long to time to create, and people have bet read it, but sadly, these copies will go in without anyone but myself editing them. It might be confusing but it will make sense later on. I have five chapters working thus far and I will put them up in segments, or until I get ten reviews for this chapter. Well I'll bid you adieu, enjoy your reading time. This Author's note is two hundred twenty two words.
Chapter One
The Bard
"Woeful be the pitiful demon,
For he cannot find,
Something to eat.
Devour his victims must he,
To survive in the underworld
Of demons and imps alike.
But nary a trace of meat in sight,
For the demon to chew
So banned was he from the underworld.
When banned you must learn
There is no coming back,
Until you find a chest's worth of meat to eat.
Yet he set off determined
That he would catch a human
To the human city of Balbin.
Slowly sneaking around does he,
Until he reaches what he seeks,
The ancient city of Balbin.
Death follows thee as thee travels
Slowly in the night
To the terrible city of Balbin.
Seek what he must,
The demon will kill and destroy
Anything in its way.
Walking with no prior warning to what's taking place,
A poor little human stumbles upon the demon.
First meat doth he have.
Seek more must he
So run does he
To the dread-driven city of Balbin.
Seeking, seeking he seeks evermore,
To find more meat so he can
Get back to Hell.
But one human was not enough,
As demons go and demons come,
Lots of meat is required to gain acceptance again.
Henceforth the doomed city of Balbin
Will last but only a few moments longer,
When the demon comes to eat.
No longer does the city stand,
You can ask me all about it
But you will find out, it was doomed."
Applause broke out from the crowd that surrounded the bard. Many a gold coin was tossed into the bard's wickerwork basket. The bard had made his living by traveling all around the world he knew and giving performances; hoping people would be thankful enough to give him some gold.
The bard's voice was strong and clear, and he put it to good use. This bard was a slippery fellow. Amid his travels he had made many enemies and most of which would like to put an end to his singing career. From Dwarves to Elves, he was not liked in such large cities as Nezzbanidor and Kazadrim. Often he would be banned from most cities because of his curiosity.
The bard's outward expression seemed cheery, brave and foolish. But on the inside a whole different story was being told. He was as cunning as he was slippery. Making friends was something he must do to survive but his associates were far from being even close to what you call friends. They acted as his eyes and ears during, before and after his performances. They would give him inside information on the King's drinking problem and the like.
Yzza, a halfling rogue, was perfect for sneaking around the palace and collecting information about guards, prison inmates and even the Royal Family of the city she was in. Yzza works for the bard.
The next member on the bard's team was a crafty and resourceful elven wizard named Alcmet who could charm his way in and out of any situation. His main purpose on the team was to sneak the keys out of the guard's own hands or fill up sacks with food from the King's very larder.
Zirtz is the group's cleric. A simple human, Zirtz is adept at healing every type of wound and was able to get to restricted areas because he was a member of the clergy. Aside from healing and ministering to wounds, Zirtz is a skilled warrior and was good to have at your side when a battle starts.
The final member of the team is Lurg, a ruthless half-orc barbarian. Often thrown into fits of uncontrollable rage, Lurg kills anything in sight that moves. The only one who can control Lurg in these fits is Zirtz, whose healing powers are unsurpassed. Lurg sole purpose for the team is to make sure no one gets killed and go to the Orc lands and receive information from them.
The bard bowed to his audience and struck up another song to give Yzza time to sneak off into the palace he was performing just in front of. Zirtz was off in a nearby monastery studying the city's diagrams not to mention the palace's foundations. Alcmet was charming a group of unwary tourists into giving him all their gold. Lurg was still at the city gates because the guards didn't like the look of him and the residents in the city were very stereotypical towards Orcs. When the bard finished his song, he hopped his way over to the city gates.
"What do you think you are doing," the bard shouted at the guards holding back Lurg in mock indignation. "Are you not aware of how dangerous this thing is?"
"It will be our choice to decide if he's dangerous or not," replied one of the guards pompously.
"I command you to let him go at once," exclaimed the bard as if he were captain of the guard.
"Who are you to order us around," snarled another guard.
"Haven't you been told already?"
"Obviously not jester."
"I have been sent from the Mistress to release this vile creature," he pointed at the bound and gagged Lurg.
"Pity," smiled the first guard disdainfully, "A pity our poor Mistress died only two weeks ago."
"Your eyes must have been fooling you," said the bard solemnly, "For there she is coming from the East beyond the gates." The guards, who were just as smart as the post they stand behind, looked in the direction the bard pointed. But when they looked back they saw someone entirely different.
"Your majesty," cried a guard while bending on one knee. All the others did the same except one.
"You dare not kneel before me the Mistress," puffed the bard snobbishly.
The lone guard picked the others up and said, "I'm on to you jester. I saw you change clothes in the blink of an eye when the others weren't looking."
"So you have it," yelled the bard with mock arrogance. The bard threw a tiny orb on the ground cascading the guard post with smoke. When the guards looked back at the Mistress, he was again the same old jester.
"Leave jester," shouted the guard infuriated.
"Fine," cried the bard over his shoulder as he was walking away, "But it's not going to be my fault if you get torn from limb to limb." That had done it.
"What do you mean 'torn from limb to limb'," inquired a cautious guard.
"You know, Have your body parts spread across the land, become dismembered viciously by his bare hands. He does have fits you know."
"In that case," whispered the head of the guards, "Why don't you just take him and pretend we never met." The guards released Lurg, who ran out to follow the bard.
"Thanks for helping me out back there," murmured Lurg when they reached town square."
"Ah the bard's life is a hard one but a bard must live through it," said the bard causing Lurg to laugh. "Go find Alcmet and bring him to the palace entrance at sunset."
"Got it boss," said Lurg as he trundled off. The bard followed the winding path through the slummy part of the walled city to find the monastery Zirtz was at. The monastery was packed to the brim with monks and various clerics. Fishing out a single cleric amid the scattered holy men was an exhausting task if done without help but luckily, Zirtz had been expecting the bard.
"Ready to go," muttered a voice behind the bard that made him jump.
"Don't do that," shouted the bard as he walked out of the monastery with Zirtz.
"So have you retrieved Lurg yet?"
"Well of course otherwise I wouldn't be here to pick you up."
"Right," said Zirtz thoughtfully. They reached the palace mid afternoon. When the crowd of people surrounding it saw the bard they started to shout for an encore. Zirtz stepped up to the stand the bard had used earlier to sing on.
"Now my good people," he shouted over the all the voices, "You will have your dear jester back soon enough! People please let me speak. By the hand of God I command you!" Everyone fell silent immediately and listened to what the priest had to say. "All I ask for if you want to hear your jester again is a small fee for attendance."
"Attendance to what," shouted a voice in the crowd.
"Yeah it's free to be out in the open isn't it?" The cleric only smiled.
"You will pay a fee for attendance in order to see your bard."
"But where will he be performing," consisted the voices in the crowd. The cleric on the stage waved his hand in a manner as if he was summoning something. Almost immediately a white light flashed and a strange portal opened before the crowd. An Elf and a Half-orc stepped through the portal.
"You called," drawled the Elf.
"Yes," responded Zirtz, "Yes we need a stage at which the bard can perform at."
"You've got one right there if I'm not mistaken," he said pointing to the cleric's feet.
"No, no," said Zirtz impatiently waving aside the remark. "A theater."
"Oh right," the Elf sneered. He waved his hand almost lazily and right before they're eyes emerged a magnificent three-room building. The entire crowd gasped.
"Follow me, follow me," shouted the cleric heading into the theater. Lurg positioned himself at the entrance and collected the fee of admission. No one was around the palace giving the rest of the group time to have a conference. Lurg maintained his spot at the entrance, lest any member of the audience decide to come out for some air.
"So," twanged Alcmet tenor voice, "Where is your friend?"
"I don't know," snapped the cleric.
"I thought you said she would be here. It's sundown already."
"Oh come off it she'll be here soon enough." Just as Zirtz spoke a small shadowy figure dropped from a second floor window, rolled and sprang up beside the Elf. "I told you she'd be here," barked the normally friendly cleric. Alcmet scowled at him.
"I don't trust him," squeaked Yzza high, reedy voice.
"But we must Yzza, we must."
"Yes," said Alcmet, "I don't trust him either but he seems well enough."
"How could he seem 'well enough' if you don't trust him."
"That's enough Yzza," reprimanded Zirtz. "Did you get the letter?"
"Of course," she said as drew a slip of parchment from her belt.
"Read it," snarled Alcmet. Yzza threw him a look of disgust then read it aloud.
"Dear Joseph,
I have thoroughly enjoyed all the time we spend together and I wish it could never end. But all good things must come to an end. I'm sorry to say this but I will not be able to spend any more time with you. My husband suspects I am seeing someone other than him. Death is the price of adultery so I cannot be with you anymore. I am sorry about your wife. Deepest Regrets, Elizabeth.
"So our good Lord has been seeing someone lately," mocked Alcmet.
"Well it's not illegal because the Mistress died two weeks," said Lurg in a slow, deep voice as he joined the conspirators.
"But have you seen he date on the letter," asked Zirtz knowingly.
"Oh do tell us," moaned Yzza impatiently.
"April the Fourteenth."
"So," said Lurg dully.
"That's three weeks ago," figured the wizard.
"Precisely," said the cleric, "So not only is our good Lord adulterous, the Mistress was murdered."
"And he knew about the it beforehand," added Yzza.
"Exactly my point."
"I wonder what the bard will think," grunted Lurg.
"Oh must we carry on about this 'the bard' crap," whined Yzza halfheartedly.
"You must remember Yzza," frowned the cleric, "The bard has many enemies from many different places. They could be anywhere, and even you could be one of them."
"Okay fine."
"We should tell the bard about this letter right now before he gets angry," said Lurg with a rare spot of wisdom.
"Right. Best thing you've said tonight Lurg," praised Alcmet with a smile on his face. He had a liking to Lurg.
The group of them went to do what was planned.