She carefully stepped down the ramp, being help by Gliz on her left
and a human on her right. A little further down the dock, several
suitcases were being slid down another ramp. One of them struck the bottom
heavily and fell over, making a loud slapping sound as it hit the stone
street.
"Hey! You must be careful of those! Do you realize how expensive these are?" she demanded as she stormed over to the other ramp.
"I'm really sorry, milady. I didn't mean to."
"I'm sure you did not mean it, but whether you did or not is the issue here. You nearly damaged my luggage! How do you know whether something in it was glass or not? Do you realize what you could have done?" Suddenly Gliz rushed over and slightly tugged on her arm.
"Come, Lady Perpheliot, we must be meeting Lord Semp`Tal."
"Very well! See to it my luggage is treated with more care, and this wretch is dealt with," she fumed as she stormed off. As soon as she had walked away, Gliz turned to the young man.
"I'm really sorry about that, lad. Here, perhaps this will make it up to you," he said as he handed the young man a few golden coins and hurried after her.
"Thank you, sir!" called the boy as Gliz vanished into the crowded street.
Lady Perpheliot followed her servants as they made their way down the busy Freeport street. Gliz caught up to her as they neared the tavern at which they were to meet Lord Semp`Tal. Lord Semp`Tal was the one of the most respected and feared men in the Elvish court; and certainly the only human. Many hated him, mostly out of fear. He was a magician of unspeakable power. It was said he could bring forth elementals that could rival the gods' own creations. She had known him since she was a little girl. She couldn't imagine him as a powerful and deadly man. He was always so gentle and kind to her. He and her father were very close friends. She always wondered how they had met, since her father was a politician and Lord Semp`Tal was a mage dedicated to research. Usually those two groups were totally opposed to one another.
She turned to look behind her, and saw a cart being pulled by a small horse with all her luggage piled in. She thought of the boy she had yelled at, and hoped she had not been to hard on him. "Gliz probably let him really have it," she thought. Gliz was never patient with foolish mistakes. Her servants turned towards a large two-story building painted entirely blue, with white trimmings. One of them opened the door and stepped aside for her. She stepped inside, and looked about. The tavern was amazingly bright and full of music. People were sitting at small round wooden tables and enjoying meals while chatting happily.
"Ah! Lady Perpheliot! How good it is to see you again!" came a voice from in front of her. She saw a tall and thin human wearing black and blue robes. His beard was very narrow, long and black. His mustache extended so far to the sides that the ends drooped and mingled with his beard. Immediately upon seeing him, she lit up. "Lord Semp`Tal! I have not seen you in so long!"
"My, how you have grown. You are truly becoming a woman," he said while standing back and admiring her. "Now come! You must join me for a meal. We've much to discuss, and time is short. We must make for Erudin before the fall of darkness. Tidings of a war are carried on the wind, and such times are not favorable for travelers."
"Yes, the elves have agreed to assist the Vah`Shir with the impending war," she said as she followed him to a small wooden table with two seats.
"So I have heard. Fools. This is one matter they should not be involved in. I am sure that Firiona Vie has her hand in this, spouting Tunare's praises no doubt."
"I think that Lady Vie is very courageous in wishing to aid the poor Vah`Shir despite their differences." As soon as they sat down, two men dressed in white hurried over and began to set their places at the table.
"Indeed. I believe there is more to this than anyone really realizes. It is often a wonder to me how you elves believe that everything on Norrath is part of your business."
"Lord Semp`Tal!" she declared loudly, obviously offended.
"I apologize, milady. I simply think that at times you elves are a bit, how shall I say, ambitious."
"We must be. If we do not defend our land, who will? The humans? The dwarves? The halflings? The guilds? They exist only for profit."
"There are some forces at work that you have not yet begun to see, milady. But that is not a topic for this time and place. The issue at hand is, of course, the disappearance of your sister."
"Oh my! Yes, of course. I trust you have some leads that we shall begin following up on?"
"Sadly, no, milady. We must journey to Erudin and speak to them there. It is clearly not kidnapping, for there has been no ransom demanded. This circumstance baffles even me."
"How very odd. I do hope she is alright," Lady Perpheliot said. For the first time, a look of worry crawled across her face. If not even Lord Semp`Tal has any ideas, this could be much more serious than she thought. She had assumed her sister had run off with some adventuring hero, or gone to explore some magical place like Surefall Galde.
"Ah! The food is arriving," Lord Semp`Tal said as more servants dressed in all white began to approach with large silver dishes.
~ ~ ~ ~
They walked side by side down the street. The sky above them had a bright yellowish glow. Both of them had their hoods pulled over their heads. All around them, people were swarming past. The street beneath their feet became increasingly a thicker layer of dirt as they moved further towards the great spire reaching up far before them.
"Nintey Thousand all together, eh mate?" asked the man with spikes protruding his shoulders, wrists and ankles.
"Shouldn't be tough, just gotta deal with a few clueless sods," replied his brown clad companion.
"So, we'll have this girl with us the whole time we're there, 'ight, mate?"
"You know as well as I do, chief. Just don't do anything stupid. What's the big deal about it anyway?" the brown clad man asked. The spiked man looked over at him.
"You gone blind mate? She's piking beautiful. That's top shelf material right there."
"She's rich. She won't let you touch her."
"That's why you went after her, right mate?"
"Hey, I have a certain grace, a charm if you will," the brown clad man said smugly. "Either way though, we'll be makin a whole lotta jink."
"Pike the jink, mate. I want the girl." The brown clad man smiled slightly. At least his friend had his priorities straight.
They veered towards a long, low, and ram shackled wooden building. Its entrance was in poor repair, and appeared to be barely held up by two beams made of rotting wood. A short fat, and dirty man stood beneath the awning yelling to the crowded street.
"Beds here! Beds! Don't get caught out here in the cold tonight! Beds! Comfortable, cheap, and mostly bug free! Beds for rent here!" he called. The two men approached him.
"Excuse me, good sir. Is there a woman staying here? Can't miss her, she's an elf wearin rich clothes. Prolly cryin a whole lot," the brown clad man asked him.
"Aw, come on there, basher. You know I dun't rat out my houseguests. If I did that, you'd be dead a few times by now," the man replied. "Oh! I almost fergot: there was some graybeard 'round here the other day askin 'bout two nameless wanderers. Lot a people told um 'bout you, and 'e seemed pretty interested." The brown clad man looked over at the spiked man.
"Hey, chief, are we nameless wanderers?"
"Not last time I checked, mate. We're just two hard workin' berks tryin ta make an honest livin."
"Hah! Honest my arse!" replied the short fat man. The brown clad man's hand disappeared into his sleeve. When it reemerged it was holding a small coin purse. He handed it to the short fat man.
"There, chief. We're even. Neither one of us owes you any jink at all now. Count it if you'd like," he said. The short fat man fumbled with the purse's strings for a moment before opening it. He glanced inside, and rolled it around in his fingers.
"Alright, cutter. The girl you're lookin' for is here. She rented the private room in back 'bout a week ago. Her money ran out two days ago, but I didn't have the heart to kick her out. She hasn't left the room since she went in. I hope you'll be gettin' rid of her. Every night we can 'ear her sobbin. Some of my customers are gettin' mad," he said after examining the coin purse.
"All right, chief. We'll take care of it. Here, take this, it'll make up for those two nights," said the brown clad man as he threw ten small copper coins to the fat man. The man stopped for a moment to count them.
"Ey, you paid for an extra day here, cutter."
"I know. I need the room for a day," said the brown clad man as the two men entered into the building. All around them were bunk beds stacked upon one another, four or five tall. They all reached the ceiling, and many were used at support beams as well as beds. The floorboards were chipped and broken. The ceiling above let some light from the sky shine in small holes. They made their way across the room to the opposite side of the entrance. There, in the back wall, stood a narrow door. "Remember, chief. We're heroes. We're savin her ass here. She has no idea she's helping us out."
"Yea, yea. It's all under control, mate. Just be careful 'bout it, ok?" replied the spiked man.
"Chief, don't worry 'bout it. It's no different than any other con job we've ever pulled," the brown clad man said. As soon as he finished he started chuckling.
"'An what's so funny, mate?"
"Just thinkin' about you goin soft. An assassin who's never once let a mark get away doesn't wanna hurt some 'lil elf girl."
"'Ey! I just don't wanna get her hurt if we can avoid it, that's all. Come on, mate, ya can't tell me ya don't share my vision,"the spiked man said in defense. The brown man just stared at him and shook his head from side to side slowly, not saying a word. "Pike you," the spiked man barked. The brown clad man laughed a little and pushed the door open. He glanced inside for a moment before stepping in and closing the door again.
The room was surprisingly dark. The shades over the window were closed, and let very little light through. A dilapidated dresser could be seen standing next to the door. The drawers looked as if they would fall apart if opened. A nightstand in the same repair as the dresser stood next to the bed. The bed itself was obviously once a grand bed, made of steel painted gold. Now, in its late age, it was peeling and rusting. The sheets heaped over her hid the elf from his view. He approached the bed slowly without making a noise (he was clearly experienced in this manner). The sheets stirred a little as he moved along side. As he came to the front of the bed, he could see a mound of blonde hair that completely covered her head, which was buried in the pillow hiding it from view.
"M'lady, are you able to breathe like that? You look like you're drowning in your own hai," he said in a very soft tone. Suddenly she jolted, holding herself up on her arms. Her hair was still covering her face until she brushed it out of the way.
"You!" she declared loudly. "You have a lot of nerve coming here! I asked you for help, and this is where you sent me? Get out! Get out, now!" she screamed. Her screaming was so loud that all the people in the room just outside hers could clearly hear it.
"Shh, ya don't wanna wake up the barbriar in there. Those things are mean if you make them mad."
"I too can be very mean when someone makes me mad! Now GET OUT."
"Listen, m'lady. I don't see why you're so upset. I had no obligation to help you, and I was even nice enough to give ya a little jink to get you by. You even managed to squander that, I see."
"If you do not leave, I will have the owner of this establishment come and remove you!"
"Actually, m'lady, you really can't do that."
"Oh? And just what do you think will stop me? I do not even fear your dagger at this point!"
"Well, m'lady, your money ran out a few days ago. So, as of about ten minutes ago, this room became mine until this time tomorrow. So, if you'll be so kind, I need to get some rest," he said smugly as he nodded towards the door, indicating she should leave. As she saw him do this, she reeled up. She realized that he was right. There was nothing she could do about this. Fear began to build in her again. Where would she go? What would she do? She was starving, but had no means of getting food; the owner was kind enough to give her little bits of food every now and then. She had no belongings to pack. Her once beautiful golden hair was now greasy and dirty. She threw back the bed covers in a fury.
"You, sir, are a rotten piece of life, as corrupt and dirty as the rest of this horrible city."
"You don't look so clean yourself, m'lady." With those words, she fumed.
She quickly got out of the bed. As soon as she did, he threw out his arms to either side and collapsed in it with a loud sigh. Her anger raged, but she clearly saw that she had no impact on him. She stamped over to the door, and threw it open, slamming it against the wall, and almost breaking it. With that she stormed out.
As soon as she entered the large room full of beds, she stopped for a moment to look around. All around things were staring at her. Some were men, others women, others she couldn't tell. In the corner of the room she could see a large centaur like creature with its head dipped to the side. Out of its head, large horns protruded. She guessed that was the barbriar, it didn't look friendly at all. She huffed and walked briskly to the exit. As she passed one of the pillars of bunk beds, a voice spoke.
"Piking sod, that one," it calmly said. She jumped a little and turned to look at the speaker. For a moment she thought it was the man who had just booted her out of her room. This man was dressed almost identically. The only difference were the tall leather spikes protruding off of his shoulders, and the spikes coming from his unusually large bracer which reached up to his elbow. He was leaning up against the bed-pillar she had just passed. As soon as he saw he had her attention, he stepped towards her. His hands went up and pulled back his hood. The face that came into view was that of a human. His hair was a much darker brown than the other man's. A small goatee pointed forward off of his chin. She looked into his eyes, and saw the exact same calm, laid back look she had seen in the other man.
"Well, sir, it appears we have a common enemy," she said, grasping for how to respond.
"Enemy isn't the right word, m'am. In fact, you should be thankful to him."
"Oh? And why in the world would that be?" she asked, visibly annoyed.
"He told me of your plight, and I'm here to help you. All ya gotta do is show me where this portal is, and tell me everything ya heard, saw, smelled, felt, and thought at the moment ya saw it open. But, fer the moment, lets go to a more suitable environment to have this conversation." She was at a complete loss. Had the man she had just screamed at really gotten her this aid? He had said it was very expensive, and that he was poor. She was at a loss, and began to feel guilty.
"Ok. Where did you have in mind?" she asked, her voice much less sure of itself.
"Follow me, m'am," he said and smiled as he walked out. She followed closely behind him. "Now, we can't be doin this thing today. I've got some askin 'round to do first. We'll get you a nicer place to stay, an edible meal, and maybe even cleaned up a 'lil."
"That sounds absolutely wonderful," she said, much happier. "When do you think I will be able to return?"
"Well, m'am. It's like this. Portals are tricky things to nail down, an' it's even tougher to figure out what key ya need to open it with. It's gunna depend on the portal, really."
"Ah, I understand. That's why it is so expensive then?" she inquired, hoping to find out just how much this had cost. "Ya don't need ta be worrin 'bout money, m'am. It's been taken care of," he said as they moved down the street. The street was becoming increasingly busy as they moved along. The buildings along the sides were becoming less and less dilapidated as well. Some even looked almost regal in their own cold stone way. She also noticed that the light was beginning to fade. She looked up, but could see no sun anywhere in the sky. It was just a dull yellow haze. She followed closely behind the spiked man, almost clinging to him (which was much to his delight). She couldn't believe the number of people here. It was almost like watching a bee hive that children had been throwing rocks at. Suddenly she recalled the hooded man's words ".you just happened to get stuck in the hive." Creatures she had never even dreamed of pushed their way past them. At one point a drunken man grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to the side raving about a great elf queen returning. The spiked man quickly and forcefully separated the man's hand from her shoulder, and pulled her along forward.
He turned off the main street they were on and onto a smaller almost deserted road that was just slightly bigger than an alleyway. He moved along more swiftly now, and she struggled to keep up. Suddenly, a man wearing all red robes stepped in front of him from out of nowhere. The spiked man stopped in his tracks and looked at the man in red robes suspiciously. His head turned slightly to either side, allowing his peripheral vision to pick up on at least three more behind him. Velonishia audibly gasped.
"That woman does not belong here. If you would be so kind as to turn her over without creating an incident, we would be most grateful," the red robed man in front of them declared loudly.
"The man I saw exit the portal was dressed exactly like these men," she whispered into the spiked man's ear. He tilted his head and pondered a moment, and slowly smiled.
"Well, mate, that's quite the subjective request. I mean, I've no idea what ya'd call an incident," he said with a playful tone.
"Give us the woman, sir. Now," came the reply.
"Well then, mate. At least make it worth my while, if ya get what I'm sayin." As the spiked man said this, she recoiled from him. Would he really turn her over like that?
"Allowing you to keep your life is compensation enough."
"And what makes ya think you can beat me?"
"Sir, you are outnumbered five to one. This is growing tiresome. I will not ask again." The spiked man pulled out a miniature crossbow and, with an outstretched arm, pointed it right at the head of the man in front of him. Immediately Velonishia recognized him as the man who had caused the bar fight that first night she had arrived. As soon as he had his weapon out, she heard several swords being drawn.
"I only counted three others. What'd ya think the odds are of them killin me 'fore I can pull this trigger?" he asked, still smirking at the robed man's face. "As you would have it," the robed man said. He immediately waved his arm in front of him, creating a transparent barrier that held a barely detectable yellow tint without saying a word. The spiked man grabbed Velonishia with his free hand as he dove to the ground, and fired a bolt with the other. She could not see anything, but she heard a slight yell of pain from the direction the bolt had gone in. The spiked man let her go and pulled out his second crossbow, letting an arrow fly at the barrier. It slammed into the barrier, and hung there as if it had almost broken through glass. A visible crack could be seen. By now three other men were moving quickly to close in on them.
Suddenly a figure jumped over her, seemingly from a building above. She propped herself up in time to see the brown clad man spin around one of the robed men wrapping an arm around his neck as he did so. He jolted his arm quickly, and the blade he held in his hand slit the throat of the robe man. He used the momentum from the jolt to spin again and parry a slash coming from another of the men. Before the man had a chance to recover, he slammed his second dagger into his chest. Her eyes shot to the side to see the fourth falling back with a bolt in his face.
The man who had created the barrier had stood and watched, stunned. Suddenly the barrier faded, and the bolt it had been holding up clattered to the ground. His eyes were wide with fear as they watched the bolt fall, and then look up. Both the spiked man and the brown clad man were standing side by side now.
"The way I see it, chief, is that you have about four seconds to save yourself before you're dead. The big question on everybody's mind is how you're going to use them," the brown clad man said in a smug tone. The robed glanced back for a moment, looking as though he was going to run. Suddenly he turned back towards them screaming, and sprinted towards them while drawing his blade. "Bad plan, chief. I'm disappointed." The brown clad man waited until but a moment before he would have been impaled on the robed man's sword, and stepped to his right, holding his dagger out to his left side. As the man charge past him, he spun half way around, using the man's own momentum and the momentum from his spin to slice across the robed man's stomach. He took a step back, spun his blade, and sheathed it as the man fell dead.
It took Velonishia a moment to grasp what had just occurred. Around her were the bodies of five men, all robed in red.
"What have you done? These men could have told us how to open the portal to Norrath!" she screamed.
"Listen, m'lady, if you want to try to bargain with them next time, you need to say something before he starts shooting," said the brown clad man, indicating the spiked man.
"I should have known you two were working together! How could be fooled so easily? This is a nightmare." By now, the spiked men had returned his weapons to their holsters and walked over as if to console her, while the brown clad man rolled one of the bodies over onto its back with his foot.
"Actually, m'am, we really were gunna take you back to your prime," the spiked man said, trying to ease her anger.
"I see no further reason I should trust either of you. I would have been better off staying at the flophouse and working for my bed!" she said as she turned away and began walking a few steps.
"Wait, wait one se."
"Nah, let her go, chief. If she wants to be a harlot, that's her prerogative. We don't need her now anyway, I think I got the key," the brown clad man said, standing up with a small medallion dangling from a chain. Upon hearing him say this, her walk slowed, and she timidly turned her head slowly around. Then she realized what she had heard and spun around.
"You don't need me anymore? So I was just a convenient method for you to find your way into Norrath, is that it? You wanted to use me so that you could go and try to scheme and pollute Norrath as you have this place, am I right?" she demanded. Her anger again made her self-confident. She stormed back up to them. The thought of men like these being in Norrath sickened her.
"You're in quite the spot to be accusing people, m'lady. You come to our city, insult it and me to my face, take money from me, squander it all feeling sorry for yourself, and you saw fit to yell at me for renting a room at the flophouse. Then you blindly accept a stranger's help in a place where every other man you see would probably kill you given a moment's chance. Now, after all that, you decide it's wise to accuse us of wanting to destroy your unknown little berg when we clearly have the means to get you back there, and are your one and only shot. Brilliant, m'lady, absolutely brilliant," the brown clad man replied in the same laid-back manner in which he always spoke. His words made her stop for a moment. She thought about what he said, and hated to admit to herself that he was right.
"I. I am sorry. I know that there is no excuse for my behavior. I." she began.
"Sure there is," the brown clad man interrupted her, slapping her on the shoulder as he walked past. "They don't call you people clueless for nothin'." Now then, it'll be dark here soon. That's good. If these damned berks had friends, they won't be able to find us."
"Hey! You must be careful of those! Do you realize how expensive these are?" she demanded as she stormed over to the other ramp.
"I'm really sorry, milady. I didn't mean to."
"I'm sure you did not mean it, but whether you did or not is the issue here. You nearly damaged my luggage! How do you know whether something in it was glass or not? Do you realize what you could have done?" Suddenly Gliz rushed over and slightly tugged on her arm.
"Come, Lady Perpheliot, we must be meeting Lord Semp`Tal."
"Very well! See to it my luggage is treated with more care, and this wretch is dealt with," she fumed as she stormed off. As soon as she had walked away, Gliz turned to the young man.
"I'm really sorry about that, lad. Here, perhaps this will make it up to you," he said as he handed the young man a few golden coins and hurried after her.
"Thank you, sir!" called the boy as Gliz vanished into the crowded street.
Lady Perpheliot followed her servants as they made their way down the busy Freeport street. Gliz caught up to her as they neared the tavern at which they were to meet Lord Semp`Tal. Lord Semp`Tal was the one of the most respected and feared men in the Elvish court; and certainly the only human. Many hated him, mostly out of fear. He was a magician of unspeakable power. It was said he could bring forth elementals that could rival the gods' own creations. She had known him since she was a little girl. She couldn't imagine him as a powerful and deadly man. He was always so gentle and kind to her. He and her father were very close friends. She always wondered how they had met, since her father was a politician and Lord Semp`Tal was a mage dedicated to research. Usually those two groups were totally opposed to one another.
She turned to look behind her, and saw a cart being pulled by a small horse with all her luggage piled in. She thought of the boy she had yelled at, and hoped she had not been to hard on him. "Gliz probably let him really have it," she thought. Gliz was never patient with foolish mistakes. Her servants turned towards a large two-story building painted entirely blue, with white trimmings. One of them opened the door and stepped aside for her. She stepped inside, and looked about. The tavern was amazingly bright and full of music. People were sitting at small round wooden tables and enjoying meals while chatting happily.
"Ah! Lady Perpheliot! How good it is to see you again!" came a voice from in front of her. She saw a tall and thin human wearing black and blue robes. His beard was very narrow, long and black. His mustache extended so far to the sides that the ends drooped and mingled with his beard. Immediately upon seeing him, she lit up. "Lord Semp`Tal! I have not seen you in so long!"
"My, how you have grown. You are truly becoming a woman," he said while standing back and admiring her. "Now come! You must join me for a meal. We've much to discuss, and time is short. We must make for Erudin before the fall of darkness. Tidings of a war are carried on the wind, and such times are not favorable for travelers."
"Yes, the elves have agreed to assist the Vah`Shir with the impending war," she said as she followed him to a small wooden table with two seats.
"So I have heard. Fools. This is one matter they should not be involved in. I am sure that Firiona Vie has her hand in this, spouting Tunare's praises no doubt."
"I think that Lady Vie is very courageous in wishing to aid the poor Vah`Shir despite their differences." As soon as they sat down, two men dressed in white hurried over and began to set their places at the table.
"Indeed. I believe there is more to this than anyone really realizes. It is often a wonder to me how you elves believe that everything on Norrath is part of your business."
"Lord Semp`Tal!" she declared loudly, obviously offended.
"I apologize, milady. I simply think that at times you elves are a bit, how shall I say, ambitious."
"We must be. If we do not defend our land, who will? The humans? The dwarves? The halflings? The guilds? They exist only for profit."
"There are some forces at work that you have not yet begun to see, milady. But that is not a topic for this time and place. The issue at hand is, of course, the disappearance of your sister."
"Oh my! Yes, of course. I trust you have some leads that we shall begin following up on?"
"Sadly, no, milady. We must journey to Erudin and speak to them there. It is clearly not kidnapping, for there has been no ransom demanded. This circumstance baffles even me."
"How very odd. I do hope she is alright," Lady Perpheliot said. For the first time, a look of worry crawled across her face. If not even Lord Semp`Tal has any ideas, this could be much more serious than she thought. She had assumed her sister had run off with some adventuring hero, or gone to explore some magical place like Surefall Galde.
"Ah! The food is arriving," Lord Semp`Tal said as more servants dressed in all white began to approach with large silver dishes.
~ ~ ~ ~
They walked side by side down the street. The sky above them had a bright yellowish glow. Both of them had their hoods pulled over their heads. All around them, people were swarming past. The street beneath their feet became increasingly a thicker layer of dirt as they moved further towards the great spire reaching up far before them.
"Nintey Thousand all together, eh mate?" asked the man with spikes protruding his shoulders, wrists and ankles.
"Shouldn't be tough, just gotta deal with a few clueless sods," replied his brown clad companion.
"So, we'll have this girl with us the whole time we're there, 'ight, mate?"
"You know as well as I do, chief. Just don't do anything stupid. What's the big deal about it anyway?" the brown clad man asked. The spiked man looked over at him.
"You gone blind mate? She's piking beautiful. That's top shelf material right there."
"She's rich. She won't let you touch her."
"That's why you went after her, right mate?"
"Hey, I have a certain grace, a charm if you will," the brown clad man said smugly. "Either way though, we'll be makin a whole lotta jink."
"Pike the jink, mate. I want the girl." The brown clad man smiled slightly. At least his friend had his priorities straight.
They veered towards a long, low, and ram shackled wooden building. Its entrance was in poor repair, and appeared to be barely held up by two beams made of rotting wood. A short fat, and dirty man stood beneath the awning yelling to the crowded street.
"Beds here! Beds! Don't get caught out here in the cold tonight! Beds! Comfortable, cheap, and mostly bug free! Beds for rent here!" he called. The two men approached him.
"Excuse me, good sir. Is there a woman staying here? Can't miss her, she's an elf wearin rich clothes. Prolly cryin a whole lot," the brown clad man asked him.
"Aw, come on there, basher. You know I dun't rat out my houseguests. If I did that, you'd be dead a few times by now," the man replied. "Oh! I almost fergot: there was some graybeard 'round here the other day askin 'bout two nameless wanderers. Lot a people told um 'bout you, and 'e seemed pretty interested." The brown clad man looked over at the spiked man.
"Hey, chief, are we nameless wanderers?"
"Not last time I checked, mate. We're just two hard workin' berks tryin ta make an honest livin."
"Hah! Honest my arse!" replied the short fat man. The brown clad man's hand disappeared into his sleeve. When it reemerged it was holding a small coin purse. He handed it to the short fat man.
"There, chief. We're even. Neither one of us owes you any jink at all now. Count it if you'd like," he said. The short fat man fumbled with the purse's strings for a moment before opening it. He glanced inside, and rolled it around in his fingers.
"Alright, cutter. The girl you're lookin' for is here. She rented the private room in back 'bout a week ago. Her money ran out two days ago, but I didn't have the heart to kick her out. She hasn't left the room since she went in. I hope you'll be gettin' rid of her. Every night we can 'ear her sobbin. Some of my customers are gettin' mad," he said after examining the coin purse.
"All right, chief. We'll take care of it. Here, take this, it'll make up for those two nights," said the brown clad man as he threw ten small copper coins to the fat man. The man stopped for a moment to count them.
"Ey, you paid for an extra day here, cutter."
"I know. I need the room for a day," said the brown clad man as the two men entered into the building. All around them were bunk beds stacked upon one another, four or five tall. They all reached the ceiling, and many were used at support beams as well as beds. The floorboards were chipped and broken. The ceiling above let some light from the sky shine in small holes. They made their way across the room to the opposite side of the entrance. There, in the back wall, stood a narrow door. "Remember, chief. We're heroes. We're savin her ass here. She has no idea she's helping us out."
"Yea, yea. It's all under control, mate. Just be careful 'bout it, ok?" replied the spiked man.
"Chief, don't worry 'bout it. It's no different than any other con job we've ever pulled," the brown clad man said. As soon as he finished he started chuckling.
"'An what's so funny, mate?"
"Just thinkin' about you goin soft. An assassin who's never once let a mark get away doesn't wanna hurt some 'lil elf girl."
"'Ey! I just don't wanna get her hurt if we can avoid it, that's all. Come on, mate, ya can't tell me ya don't share my vision,"the spiked man said in defense. The brown man just stared at him and shook his head from side to side slowly, not saying a word. "Pike you," the spiked man barked. The brown clad man laughed a little and pushed the door open. He glanced inside for a moment before stepping in and closing the door again.
The room was surprisingly dark. The shades over the window were closed, and let very little light through. A dilapidated dresser could be seen standing next to the door. The drawers looked as if they would fall apart if opened. A nightstand in the same repair as the dresser stood next to the bed. The bed itself was obviously once a grand bed, made of steel painted gold. Now, in its late age, it was peeling and rusting. The sheets heaped over her hid the elf from his view. He approached the bed slowly without making a noise (he was clearly experienced in this manner). The sheets stirred a little as he moved along side. As he came to the front of the bed, he could see a mound of blonde hair that completely covered her head, which was buried in the pillow hiding it from view.
"M'lady, are you able to breathe like that? You look like you're drowning in your own hai," he said in a very soft tone. Suddenly she jolted, holding herself up on her arms. Her hair was still covering her face until she brushed it out of the way.
"You!" she declared loudly. "You have a lot of nerve coming here! I asked you for help, and this is where you sent me? Get out! Get out, now!" she screamed. Her screaming was so loud that all the people in the room just outside hers could clearly hear it.
"Shh, ya don't wanna wake up the barbriar in there. Those things are mean if you make them mad."
"I too can be very mean when someone makes me mad! Now GET OUT."
"Listen, m'lady. I don't see why you're so upset. I had no obligation to help you, and I was even nice enough to give ya a little jink to get you by. You even managed to squander that, I see."
"If you do not leave, I will have the owner of this establishment come and remove you!"
"Actually, m'lady, you really can't do that."
"Oh? And just what do you think will stop me? I do not even fear your dagger at this point!"
"Well, m'lady, your money ran out a few days ago. So, as of about ten minutes ago, this room became mine until this time tomorrow. So, if you'll be so kind, I need to get some rest," he said smugly as he nodded towards the door, indicating she should leave. As she saw him do this, she reeled up. She realized that he was right. There was nothing she could do about this. Fear began to build in her again. Where would she go? What would she do? She was starving, but had no means of getting food; the owner was kind enough to give her little bits of food every now and then. She had no belongings to pack. Her once beautiful golden hair was now greasy and dirty. She threw back the bed covers in a fury.
"You, sir, are a rotten piece of life, as corrupt and dirty as the rest of this horrible city."
"You don't look so clean yourself, m'lady." With those words, she fumed.
She quickly got out of the bed. As soon as she did, he threw out his arms to either side and collapsed in it with a loud sigh. Her anger raged, but she clearly saw that she had no impact on him. She stamped over to the door, and threw it open, slamming it against the wall, and almost breaking it. With that she stormed out.
As soon as she entered the large room full of beds, she stopped for a moment to look around. All around things were staring at her. Some were men, others women, others she couldn't tell. In the corner of the room she could see a large centaur like creature with its head dipped to the side. Out of its head, large horns protruded. She guessed that was the barbriar, it didn't look friendly at all. She huffed and walked briskly to the exit. As she passed one of the pillars of bunk beds, a voice spoke.
"Piking sod, that one," it calmly said. She jumped a little and turned to look at the speaker. For a moment she thought it was the man who had just booted her out of her room. This man was dressed almost identically. The only difference were the tall leather spikes protruding off of his shoulders, and the spikes coming from his unusually large bracer which reached up to his elbow. He was leaning up against the bed-pillar she had just passed. As soon as he saw he had her attention, he stepped towards her. His hands went up and pulled back his hood. The face that came into view was that of a human. His hair was a much darker brown than the other man's. A small goatee pointed forward off of his chin. She looked into his eyes, and saw the exact same calm, laid back look she had seen in the other man.
"Well, sir, it appears we have a common enemy," she said, grasping for how to respond.
"Enemy isn't the right word, m'am. In fact, you should be thankful to him."
"Oh? And why in the world would that be?" she asked, visibly annoyed.
"He told me of your plight, and I'm here to help you. All ya gotta do is show me where this portal is, and tell me everything ya heard, saw, smelled, felt, and thought at the moment ya saw it open. But, fer the moment, lets go to a more suitable environment to have this conversation." She was at a complete loss. Had the man she had just screamed at really gotten her this aid? He had said it was very expensive, and that he was poor. She was at a loss, and began to feel guilty.
"Ok. Where did you have in mind?" she asked, her voice much less sure of itself.
"Follow me, m'am," he said and smiled as he walked out. She followed closely behind him. "Now, we can't be doin this thing today. I've got some askin 'round to do first. We'll get you a nicer place to stay, an edible meal, and maybe even cleaned up a 'lil."
"That sounds absolutely wonderful," she said, much happier. "When do you think I will be able to return?"
"Well, m'am. It's like this. Portals are tricky things to nail down, an' it's even tougher to figure out what key ya need to open it with. It's gunna depend on the portal, really."
"Ah, I understand. That's why it is so expensive then?" she inquired, hoping to find out just how much this had cost. "Ya don't need ta be worrin 'bout money, m'am. It's been taken care of," he said as they moved down the street. The street was becoming increasingly busy as they moved along. The buildings along the sides were becoming less and less dilapidated as well. Some even looked almost regal in their own cold stone way. She also noticed that the light was beginning to fade. She looked up, but could see no sun anywhere in the sky. It was just a dull yellow haze. She followed closely behind the spiked man, almost clinging to him (which was much to his delight). She couldn't believe the number of people here. It was almost like watching a bee hive that children had been throwing rocks at. Suddenly she recalled the hooded man's words ".you just happened to get stuck in the hive." Creatures she had never even dreamed of pushed their way past them. At one point a drunken man grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to the side raving about a great elf queen returning. The spiked man quickly and forcefully separated the man's hand from her shoulder, and pulled her along forward.
He turned off the main street they were on and onto a smaller almost deserted road that was just slightly bigger than an alleyway. He moved along more swiftly now, and she struggled to keep up. Suddenly, a man wearing all red robes stepped in front of him from out of nowhere. The spiked man stopped in his tracks and looked at the man in red robes suspiciously. His head turned slightly to either side, allowing his peripheral vision to pick up on at least three more behind him. Velonishia audibly gasped.
"That woman does not belong here. If you would be so kind as to turn her over without creating an incident, we would be most grateful," the red robed man in front of them declared loudly.
"The man I saw exit the portal was dressed exactly like these men," she whispered into the spiked man's ear. He tilted his head and pondered a moment, and slowly smiled.
"Well, mate, that's quite the subjective request. I mean, I've no idea what ya'd call an incident," he said with a playful tone.
"Give us the woman, sir. Now," came the reply.
"Well then, mate. At least make it worth my while, if ya get what I'm sayin." As the spiked man said this, she recoiled from him. Would he really turn her over like that?
"Allowing you to keep your life is compensation enough."
"And what makes ya think you can beat me?"
"Sir, you are outnumbered five to one. This is growing tiresome. I will not ask again." The spiked man pulled out a miniature crossbow and, with an outstretched arm, pointed it right at the head of the man in front of him. Immediately Velonishia recognized him as the man who had caused the bar fight that first night she had arrived. As soon as he had his weapon out, she heard several swords being drawn.
"I only counted three others. What'd ya think the odds are of them killin me 'fore I can pull this trigger?" he asked, still smirking at the robed man's face. "As you would have it," the robed man said. He immediately waved his arm in front of him, creating a transparent barrier that held a barely detectable yellow tint without saying a word. The spiked man grabbed Velonishia with his free hand as he dove to the ground, and fired a bolt with the other. She could not see anything, but she heard a slight yell of pain from the direction the bolt had gone in. The spiked man let her go and pulled out his second crossbow, letting an arrow fly at the barrier. It slammed into the barrier, and hung there as if it had almost broken through glass. A visible crack could be seen. By now three other men were moving quickly to close in on them.
Suddenly a figure jumped over her, seemingly from a building above. She propped herself up in time to see the brown clad man spin around one of the robed men wrapping an arm around his neck as he did so. He jolted his arm quickly, and the blade he held in his hand slit the throat of the robe man. He used the momentum from the jolt to spin again and parry a slash coming from another of the men. Before the man had a chance to recover, he slammed his second dagger into his chest. Her eyes shot to the side to see the fourth falling back with a bolt in his face.
The man who had created the barrier had stood and watched, stunned. Suddenly the barrier faded, and the bolt it had been holding up clattered to the ground. His eyes were wide with fear as they watched the bolt fall, and then look up. Both the spiked man and the brown clad man were standing side by side now.
"The way I see it, chief, is that you have about four seconds to save yourself before you're dead. The big question on everybody's mind is how you're going to use them," the brown clad man said in a smug tone. The robed glanced back for a moment, looking as though he was going to run. Suddenly he turned back towards them screaming, and sprinted towards them while drawing his blade. "Bad plan, chief. I'm disappointed." The brown clad man waited until but a moment before he would have been impaled on the robed man's sword, and stepped to his right, holding his dagger out to his left side. As the man charge past him, he spun half way around, using the man's own momentum and the momentum from his spin to slice across the robed man's stomach. He took a step back, spun his blade, and sheathed it as the man fell dead.
It took Velonishia a moment to grasp what had just occurred. Around her were the bodies of five men, all robed in red.
"What have you done? These men could have told us how to open the portal to Norrath!" she screamed.
"Listen, m'lady, if you want to try to bargain with them next time, you need to say something before he starts shooting," said the brown clad man, indicating the spiked man.
"I should have known you two were working together! How could be fooled so easily? This is a nightmare." By now, the spiked men had returned his weapons to their holsters and walked over as if to console her, while the brown clad man rolled one of the bodies over onto its back with his foot.
"Actually, m'am, we really were gunna take you back to your prime," the spiked man said, trying to ease her anger.
"I see no further reason I should trust either of you. I would have been better off staying at the flophouse and working for my bed!" she said as she turned away and began walking a few steps.
"Wait, wait one se."
"Nah, let her go, chief. If she wants to be a harlot, that's her prerogative. We don't need her now anyway, I think I got the key," the brown clad man said, standing up with a small medallion dangling from a chain. Upon hearing him say this, her walk slowed, and she timidly turned her head slowly around. Then she realized what she had heard and spun around.
"You don't need me anymore? So I was just a convenient method for you to find your way into Norrath, is that it? You wanted to use me so that you could go and try to scheme and pollute Norrath as you have this place, am I right?" she demanded. Her anger again made her self-confident. She stormed back up to them. The thought of men like these being in Norrath sickened her.
"You're in quite the spot to be accusing people, m'lady. You come to our city, insult it and me to my face, take money from me, squander it all feeling sorry for yourself, and you saw fit to yell at me for renting a room at the flophouse. Then you blindly accept a stranger's help in a place where every other man you see would probably kill you given a moment's chance. Now, after all that, you decide it's wise to accuse us of wanting to destroy your unknown little berg when we clearly have the means to get you back there, and are your one and only shot. Brilliant, m'lady, absolutely brilliant," the brown clad man replied in the same laid-back manner in which he always spoke. His words made her stop for a moment. She thought about what he said, and hated to admit to herself that he was right.
"I. I am sorry. I know that there is no excuse for my behavior. I." she began.
"Sure there is," the brown clad man interrupted her, slapping her on the shoulder as he walked past. "They don't call you people clueless for nothin'." Now then, it'll be dark here soon. That's good. If these damned berks had friends, they won't be able to find us."