Chapter 39: Back in Calimport



The air was hot and smelled of fruits, spices, garbage and people; alive, dead, dying. The smell was so familiar to Entreri that for a moment it had felt to him like he had truly returned home, that he should not - could not - leave ever again. Then he remembered why he was in Calimport, why he had come there, and what he really thought about the smell of the streets. It had always been the smell of death to him. True, the smell of death had also been the smell of his livelihood, but that had been then and this was now, he finished his thought, almost laughing out loud to the cliché. He was back, but he wasn't planning on staying too long. He had grown up in these streets and the only thing he had learned was death. Now he needed to learn something else and Calimport was not the place for that.



"Daydreaming?" Jarlaxle asked and Entreri gave him a quick, amused look. "Do you say those things to annoy me or just because you want to hear your own voice?"



"Both, I guess," Jarlaxle replied grinning. "Anyway, Erik is getting impatient and he wants to know when you will be taking us to your friend."



"Soon," Entreri replied. "It's best that you wait here, I'll send someone to get you once I've spoken with Dwahvel."



"How will we know that the messenger is coming from you?" Jarlaxle asked. "For all we know, some guy approaching us could be anything, and you know what happens to that sort of people."



"They get killed," Entreri said smiling. "Don't worry, you'll recognize the person I send for you. Trust me," he added and Jarlaxle was surprised of the broad smile on the assassin's face. It soon disappeared when the assassin spoke again: "We will do this as quickly as possible. I want out from this place." After saying this Entreri moved to the main street from the small alley they were in, and disappeared into the crowd. Jarlaxle moved his feathered hat to a more dashing angle and walked back to Erik, Alenson and two Shadow Thieves who had accompanied them on their journey to Calimport to find Reanan. Find him and kill him. After seeing what had happened to the Shadow Thieves and mostly innocent people Jarlaxle liked that plan very much.



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The look on Dwahvel's face remained normal when the guard ushered Entreri into her room, but as soon as the door closed and they were left alone, a huge grin appeared on the halfling's face. "I didn't expect to see you here in Calimport so soon," she said.



"Did you expect to see me at all?" the assassin asked, sitting down on a halfling-sized chair and trying to find a comfortable position.



"Not really," Dwahvel replied and sat down on a chair next to Entreri's. "What you brings you back here?"



"I'm in Calimport because I need to find someone, and I came to meet you because I need your help in finding that person."



"So you wouldn't have come at all if you hadn't needed my help?" Dwahvel asked, sounding sad. "Oh, poor me."



"I would have hoped I could come to see you under more pleasant circumstances, my friend," Entreri said, and flashed her one of those rare smiled of his. "Trust me. But now I'm here in need of your help."



"First I need to know who this person is and why you are seeking him. I do not wish to anger the guilds, at least the stronger ones, unless the reason is a good one," Dwahvel said, switching to her business-mode. She wished that she could help Entreri, but she also had to think what was best for her people, and sometimes friends' requests were not as important as their well-being.



"He has murdered innocent people," Entreri said, realizing that it sounded very strange coming from his mouth. "I work for the Shadow Thieves, in Athkatla, as you must know. This person wanted revenge on the guild and in order to get his revenge he, or his minions, killed many people who had never even met him. Servants and such."



"I had not thought you would be so concerned about the fate of servants," Dwahvel said, looking at Entreri closely. "I can understand that the guild wants revenge, but what about you? Why do you want to get him so badly?" Entreri looked at her, and after an uncomfortable silence finally said: "Because someone I care about cares about the servants and cooks and... I can't stand to see her suffer. And I know that she will if the man lives."



"Someone you care about?" Dwahvel said, staring at Entreri, trying to see whether the man was serious. Was there actually someone who could pierce Entreri's thick armour and reach his heart? Dwahvel had been very surprised when she had realized that Entreri had accepted her as his friend, but this was something she found difficult to understand.



"It is a long story," Entreri said, smiling sadly. "But that story can wait a little longer. The man I need to find is called Reanan. I have other information as well, but first I need someone to get my companions so that they can assure you that this mission is important. And don't worry, my friend. If you can find this Reanan for us, we take it from there and no one can track his gruesome death back to you."



"Gruesome death?" Dwahvel asked raising an eyebrow. "Very well, I'll send someone to get your companions and in the meantime you can tell me all about this Reanan, and especially about this someone you care about."



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Reanan was sitting on a couch, eating grapes and watching a young slave girl. The girl was dancing slowly, dropping her clothes to the floor at the same time, revealing more and more of her beautiful light brown skin. Although her skin and hair was darker than Shandara's, she still reminded him of her. Then again, everything reminded Reanan of Shandara right then. The bitch was still alive and so were the Shadow Thieves, who had survived the attack.



Now he realized that revenge on the guild had been too much. He should have concentrated on the reason the guild had turned against him; Shandara. And he would. He would get her into his hands and have so much fun with her. He would make her scream and beg for mercy. He would have her again, and this time she would not get away. They would be together until death would them part. Her death, of course.



Reanan was starting to feel a bit better, but there was still the slave girl, with her Shandara-like appearance. He got up and spoke to the girl: "Come with me." The girl started to collect her clothes but he ordered her to leave them and follow him to his bedroom. The girl followed, she had learned that in the guild there were a couple of people who you obeyed without questioning, no matter what other orders you had. You could always apologise to other people later, but the likes of Reanan didn't listen to any objections or excuses.



Reanan walked to his bedroom, the girl behind him. He ordered her to lay on the bed and then locked the door. He didn't want anyone to disturb him while he made her scream as much as Shandara had screamed.



An hour later Reanan left his bedroom, wiping the blood of his cheek. He saw a servant girl in the corridor and ordered her to clean up the mess from his bedroom. He was feeling quite pleased with himself. The girl had screamed well, and he had had many new ideas what to do to Shandara when he would have her back. All and all an hour well spent.



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"This is the place," Eliza said to Entreri, looking at a sewer exit above them. Dwahvel had sent the halfling thief to guide them, telling them that she knew her way around the town even in her sleep and could help them to cause distraction if that was necessary. They had left the Copper Ante late in the evening, walking under the city in the sewers that granted a person access to almost every part of the city, given that he had a lot of patience and a high tolerance for the smell. Jarlaxle had sighed after seeing the sewers and put his feathered hat into his pocket. Entreri had thought that it would be wise not to wonder how the drow could manage to fit a large hat into a small pocket of his stylish coat, since it wasn't even close to the strangest things the drow had done during the time Entreri had known him.



"And you are sure you can trust this halfling? And Dwahvel?" Alenson whispered to Entreri. He had instantly liked the halfling, who reminded him a bit of Mitsu, but he was suspicious and careful by nature, as most thieves are. Eliza glared at him, and Alenson realized that he had whispered too loudly. Entreri nodded and said in a normal voice: "We can trust her. Although Reanan has influence, he is not liked much around the town. Dwahvel won't get into a lot of trouble for helping us even if someone finds out she was the one who told us where Reanan was."



"I won't tell anyone she told us," Erik said smiling. "But enough of this talking. I have always disliked sewers and we won't be able to do much by standing here."



"You're right," Entreri said. "Everyone knows what to do." It wasn't even a question, Entreri knew that every man with him was focused on this mission. The assassin closed his eyes for a moment, hearing Charon's Claw's hungry cry for blood. The sword would be pleased that night.



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Hark (or something): I had to rewrite this chapter a bit, so I threw out the stupid hark-thingy. I guess you all noticed, I added Eliza, who I kind of forgot and then got into real trouble in the next chapter because she was missing from this one... *sigh*