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"This is speak"
This is descriptive text
'This is thought.'
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The Wyvern gave a hoarse, primal scream, as the magically enhanced arrow tore through its scales and imbedded itself in it's voice box, and it plummeted to the ground. It hit the hard white substance that was the floor with a sickening crunch, its tongue hanging out of it's mouth, it's deep, thick blood flowing in a steady stream across the floor as even in death, its lifeless eyes glared blind hatred.
"Good shot Minsc." Loké looked past the body of the wyvern, to its 'perch'. It seemed to be pulsing. "Gods this plane is weird. Why did we come here again?"
"To... to rescue Haer'dalis Loké. Remember?" asked a slightly timid Aerie.
Loké turned around and gave her a slightly withering look, though there was some amusement on his face. He simply responded, "It was a metaphorical question Aerie," to which the said elf blushed slightly as she stuttered an apology.
Loké was a half-elf, just under six feet tall with short, spiky, unruly raven hair that seemed to resist any attempt to be styled- Loké had given up on it when he was seven. Lightly scarred, he was fairly muscular- not too muscular, but not too skinny either- just above average in fact. He had fairly high cheekbones and deep brown eyes that had seen more than most 50- year-old humans, and he spoke with a deep voice.
Wearing the Darkmail chain mail, he was adequately protected-he also wore the boots of the north on his feet that they had found when travelling to that gnoll fortress when they'd first met Minsc, as well as his cloak of the wolf- fortunately Irenicus hadn't managed to sell a fair amount of their original equipment. He had Celestial Fury in a scabbard over his right shoulder, a generic magical short sword on his left waist.
He walked over to where they'd managed to kill the balor look-alike just before the wyvern and picked up the green orb.
"Right, lets get this to that hole thing the gnome said we had to shove it in. I hate this prison plane."
With that the party, consisting of Loké, Aerie, Minsc, Jaheria and Keldorn, they walked past all the bodies of the Yaun-ti and enslaved races to the bizarre glowing pedestal they'd passed on their way here. It'd had a small slot for a round ball shaped item, the item a gnome had mentioned to them when they'd
Loké got out the green orb, muttered "Here we go..." And placed it into the slot. The ball promptly sank into the structure. There was a deep, rumble as the ground trembled slightly. It kept getting louder and louder, the party having trouble standing after a few seconds due to the trembling.
Then it stopped, as suddenly as it had started.
Keldorn opened his mouth to say something, when northwest of their location; a massive explosion rocked the ground, even where they were, the fireball rising to over ten metres high.
As one man, the party started running towards the fighting.
When they got there, it was chaos. Bits of charred body lay everywhere- since the thralls had been freed from their mental domination they had fought with their masters for their freedom. They didn't stand much of a chance though against their masters- mainly because only a handful of the thralls were armed and secondly, they were fighting against accomplished fighters and mages.
They party absorbed this after observing the carnage in a nanosecond before they entered the fray. Aerie's contingency spell cast a salvo of magic missiles at a mage. Jaheria started to heal some of the wounded thralls. Keldorn dispelled some of the protections the enemy mages had cast. Minsc and Loké simply charged into battle, Minsc telling Boo to 'Go for the eyes!' Loké never bothered with war cries. He unsheathed Celestial Fury, twirled, using the momentum of the twirl in conjunction with Celestial Fury's momentum to slice through the arm of a heavily armoured figure as if it was air, ignoring the scream of agony and blood that had spurted from the wound onto his face. He parried a blow from a Githzerai and thrust, forcing it through his neck and cleaving the spinal column.
That was when Loké saw her for the first time. They say time stops when you see some people. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for him when he saw her. She was about five-foot-six, brunette, looked human except for a tail, and from the way he saw her just take out those two bounty hunters with her punching daggers, she wasn't a half bad fighter either.
He saw her turn around again and try to punch a figure in jet-black full plate mail with her dagger, but as another fireball exploded she lost her balance; as he watched, he gripped Celestial fury with both hands and started running.
Loké twirled the sword in his grip and held it over his back, ready to deliver an overhead slash. The woman looked up at the armoured figure as it raised its two handed sword. He was facing the same direction as Loké, so Loké was coming from behind him. She couldn't see him because of the size of whoever, or whatever, was under the armour. As Loké charged he saw, out of the corner of his eye, her tail wrap around the ankle of the knight-she was going to try and take his leg from under him.
She never got the chance.
Loké swung Celestial Fury in a horizontal slash and decapitated the black knight in a single blow, the thick, black blood spurting out from the wound. He slipped on some of the blood though, and, unable to stop, crashed into the headless body of the knight and onto a rather surprised Annah, getting themselves blood all over each other, skidding with the blood's lubrication a few feet, leaving a black smear across the white floor, Annah somehow ending on top of Loké, faces barely inches apart and brown both with a look of surprise on both their faces.
After the initial shock of seeing her attacker's head go flying off, ending up lying on top of some man [albeit a handsome one] who nearly kissed her [albeit accidentally] Annah responded in the way only she does.
She practically snarled at Loké when she said: "Ye got blood all over mah armour! Pike off yer bloody sod!"
Suffice to say Loké was taken aback, his surprise showing clearly on his face.
"Pardon?" "Are ye deaf yer berk? Pike off!" Loké wasn't normally a man to get annoyed easily... well you hadn't to be, growing up with Imoen and her pranks; but he'd just probably saved her life and even though he didn't know what 'pike' meant, some things translate easily. So he did what he always did when he was angry-he acted logically.
"You're on top of me." Annah looked as if she was going to wallop him before she spoke quietly, her voice gathering volume as she spoke. "Aye, and I cannae get off BECAUSE SOME STUPID BERK WON'T LET GO AH MAH ARM!'
Her eyes burnt with anger, her teeth were gritted and her face was slightly red as Loké realised that he was holding her left arm at the wrist-and quite tightly too. His hands were so large his fingers wrapped around it easily. He also couldn't help noticed it was pretty soft and very warm. He blushed at the thought... and the suddenly realised fact he could get a good look down her body from his current position too. He let go of her wrist and she immediately got up, still looking livid; though the colour had faded from her face.
"Sorry." he simply stated, still blushing faintly. "If ya hadn'na helped me with that lummock ah'd gut ya, pike." Lok's curiosity got the better of him, so he asked while he was getting up himself: "Despite having a good idea, I have to ask: what exactly does 'pike' mean?"
Annah gave him a look of contempt as her tail flicked from side to side. Neither of them had noticed that while lying on top of each other the others had taken care of the bounty hunter/slavers and were watching the interaction with interest, as were some of the surviving thralls Jaheria and Keldorn had amused looks on their faces despite their [albeit] minor wounds.
"Wha' the hell are ye yer leatherhead? A prime?"
Loké wasn't too familiar with planar beings vocabulary but he did know that, that word referred to anyone from the prime material plane-where he came from.
"Yes."
Annah smirked, but before she had the chance to say anything Jaheria interrupted: "While watching you two bicker like children is amusing, we must find Haer'Dalis and the others." Annah's smirk grew even larger as she said to Loké, her tail swished from up and down slowly as she folded her arms under her breasts, the amusement clearly in her voice when she asked "Who's she laddy? Ya ma... or is she yer lover?"
Both Jaheria and Aerie's body postures stiffened slightly at the question, and it didn't go unnoticed by the others... well, except for Minsc for [hopefully] obvious reasons.
"I am neither his lover OR his mother you... you... affront to nature!" Loké saw the danger as Annah's arms straightened, that spark of defiance entered her eyes again and she clenched her fists around her retrieved daggers.
"Now isn't the time to squabble. We must find Haer'Dalis and the rest of the troupe as soon as possible." Keldorn stated. Loké gave him a look that seemed to say 'Thank you.' before turning back to the still tense Annah.
"Names Loké. Loké Nightflame. You are...?"
"What's it to ye?"
"I like you know whom I'm talking to," he responded. After a few seconds, he realised she wasn't going to tell him, and apologised for the blood all over her. And all over her it was. Annah's torso, as well as most of her left arm, was covered in the black substance-and most of her legs. Loké wasn't any better- most of his torso was covered in the stuff too, the left side of his face was positively drenched in the stuff-he'd need to wash his hair before the blood dried to stand any hope of getting it out quickly. Annah smirked and replied 'Yeah, well, yer paying for the cleaning, berk."
Loké opened his mouth for a comeback, but decided not to bother. She looked like she had a pretty severe cut along her arm and her abdomen, though he couldn't be sure on the latter for blood. "Aerie, can you heal her please?" Loké asked. Aerie walked over timidly and cast the spell, but not before Annah turned around and nearly punched her- she would have if she hadn't recognised the words of the spell. Her wounds glowed, started closing, and then disappeared.
Loké regarded the two 'catwalks' they were yet to explore. One led north, the other northwest. "I reckon we go down," he pointed to the northwest route, "that one." He regarded Annah, who glared back. "...Wanna come with us? We could use another man." Annah opened her mouth to [in Lok's mind at least] brush the offer aside with a catty remark, but the others didn't give her the chance. "I do not like the idea of this affront to nature being in our midst Loké!" Jaheira practically shouted. "I-I don't think that's a good idea..." Aerie stuttered nervously "Though I cannot detect anything ill from her, I too am unsure, if we should allow her to travel with her." Keldorn stated in an even tone. "We know nothing of her race."
The ending of Keldorn's statement visibly surprised Annah. "Yah mean yer never seen a tiefling before?" the surprise evident in her tone. "Actually yes. About two hours ago we met Haer'Dalis." Loké replied off- handily as he went about looting the bodies. "Shut it laddie." Loké stopped, sighed, and looked at her while hunched over the decapitated black knight. "Look, do you want to come with us or not? You'll be safer with us and you'll be welcome,' he said looking at the others, giving Jaheira and Aerie meaningful looks, 'right guys?' Keldorn merely gave a small grunt, Aerie stammered out a yes, Jaheira muttered, "It's her decision" and Minsc bellowed, "Boo and I think that the pretty woman should come with us! It's not safe for young damsels to wander around this den of evil!" Much to the bemusement of Annah.
"What in the hell's is he talking to?" She asked as she raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly. "Some kindah rat??"
An angry squeak was heard from Boo, and Minsc cried out "Boo is not a rat! He is a miniature giant space hamster!"
Annah face-faulted, turned to Loké and calmly asked "Do ya know ya've got a loon in yer group?"
Loké replied in shrugged. "You get used to it. We need to get moving, so are you coming with us or what?"
Annah looked thoughtfully at the gang, and then at the smouldering bodies around her while Loké looted the bodies and found another wardstone. "I dannee 'av much choice, do ah?"
Loké gave her a small smile, "Great, what are your skills?"
"I ain't met a lock I cannae pick yet or a trap I cannae disarm."
Lok's smile got even larger. "Great, we need a good thief. I've been doing the traps 'n stuff myself but I'm not that good. How are you with a bow?" Annah shrugged. "Well here," he said as he handed her the short bow in his pack, "It's magical, it creates it's own arrow as you pull the string back, so it should be a bit easier for you."
As he spoke Annah took the bow, drew the string back experimentally, nearly letting go in surprise, as an arrow suddenly appeared, knocked and ready to be fired. She gently relaxed the bow, and the arrow vanished as quickly as it had appeared. As she looked at the bow thoughtfully her Keldorn interrupted her thoughts.
"Milady, your position in the formation is behind me."
To which she silently got into position, and the group moved on.
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To say Ulgreth was bored was an understatement. Here he was, standing there like a prize berk guarding these stupid poncey actors while gods-only-know- what was happening throughout the rest of the prison. If only someone would come and relieve him he could go see what the hells had been going on at the main...
Ulgreth swore. He had a good idea of just what had been happening, and who'd won, when he saw six heavily armed-armoured-people calmly walking up to him.
"You here for the prisoners?" He asked as calmly as he could.
The one with shaggy black hair responded, "Yeah, and there's two ways of doing this. You get out of our way and get lost, or you fight very bravely and die very quickly." He smiled sweetly at him. "Your call."
Ulgreth didn't need to think for long. He immediately got out of the way and ran past them along the catwalk.
"You should have warned him about the thralls Loké," Keldorn reprimanded.
"Bollocks. 'E's gonnae get what 'e deserves, that bastard." Annah practically growled. "E's always been pickin' on the week 'uns tha' cannae defend 'emselves."
Loké gave a small shrug as he walked up the doors, the said objects disappearing when Loké held up the wardstone he looted from the black knight's body. "Bit late either way now."
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"Yer goin' back ta Sigil?" Annah asked Raelis.
"Indeed my child. You would like to return with us, I sense," she replied, smiling knowingly. Annah's tail stopped swishing and coiled around her leg again as a look of sadness flickered briefly across her face. Raelis nodded, and said, "Fill this place with song, in memory of what has transpired here. Go, and let us each part in love."
With that, Haer'Dalis, Raelis and the rest of the troupe walked into the new portal to Sigil, which faded away a few seconds later.
'...What the hell did that mean?' Was all Loké could think of. He gave out a heartfelt sigh, turned to the others and said, "Well I dunno about you guys but I'm knackered. How does this inn's finest rooms sound?" A suggestion met with much approval by everyone.
Everyone except Annah Loké noticed, who'd walked off the stage and was sitting on the front bench, looking around with... with an almost touchingly lost look on her face. He jumped off the stage and walked up to her, her watching him since she heard him hit the floor. As he finished closing the distance she looked up and glared. "Whadya want, berk?"
"There's no need to be like that," he said as he closed the distance and stood in over her.
"There's every need to be like this yer stupid prat," she snapped as he tail suddenly cracked like a whip without the sound, "Ah'm stuck on the bloody prime material plane! Ah've never been 'ere before, so ah'm totally lost, ah've nae got anyae equipment..." She stood up and glared furiously at Loké who unconsciously took a step back in the intensity of said person's glare. He'd had enough of being belittled by people for one day though and snarled, "Well it's hardly my fucking fault is it! You had the opportunity to bugger off to some place called Sigil instead of stay here and you bloody well didn't!"
"Aye, and I cannae go back there!" she yelled.
Loké paused for several seconds. "Come with us."
It caught Annah of guard, but she still snapped, "oh sure, come wi' a group of people I dannae know in a world I dannae know and do I dannae what!"
"Why the hells are you so damn antisocial! We've helped you so far, we need someone with your skills, you're unfamiliar to this land, so why not stay with us?"
"Cause I dannae have any reason ta trust yeh!"
"Then let us prove ourselves for the gods' sake!"
Before they could carry on any further Jaheira walked up next to them and interrupted them.
"Loké, young woman, we are all tired. I suggest that you both stop arguing now, we pay for your room fee, and we discuss this like adults tomorrow."
"Fine," was all Annah's response, arms folded across her chest again, and Loké gave a sigh and walked past her upstairs.
When they walked upstairs and outside into the bar, the room fell silent as they looked at them. Annah soon realised that they were actually looking at her. Loké whispered, "Stay here," talked to the caretaker barman on duty for several minutes, and eventually came back with three keys. "Upstairs."
Aerie noticed the keys and asked why he only had three keys, to which Loké responded, "I'll explain upstairs". They walked upstairs leaving the staring crowd behind them, past the first few doors on either side, then Loké turned and unlocked on of the beds, the others following him in, Keldorn closing the door behind them.
Loké spun around and spoke. "I'll get straight to the point. The good news is we have rooms. The snag is that the inn's bloody full, so we've had to buy the most expensive rooms because no-one else can afford them." The end of that sentence made Annah raise an eyebrow. "The bad news, is that there are only three of those, two double's and two singles." He paused to let this information sink in before clapping his hands together and doing a mock grin of pleasure, "Soo... who goes with whom?"
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"If ya try anything laddie-"
"'I'll be spittin' teeth for a week'," Loké interrupted, "I know... If it's any conciliation I'm as happy about this lark as you are."
"Sure." The sarcasm was dripping.
Keldorn and Minsc had gone together into one of the double beds, Aerie and Jaheria into the other, leaving Annah and Loké to the single beds. The two beds were the usual fair-two beds a good few metres apart on either side of the room, a candle on each dresser next to the beds. Annah had had no inclination to disrobe in Lok's presence, and was lying on her bed, the one nearest the door, fully clothed, candle extinguished. Loké wasn't feeling that inclined to strip in front of an audience either, so he was lying on his bed, heavy chain mail pooled on one side, Celestial Fury within easy reach.
The silence was as deafening.
"I don't suppose you want to tell me anything about yourself now?" Loké asked while looking at the ceiling with a bored face.
"No."
"Why?"
Annah rolled off her back to face him. "'Cause ah've learnt notta tell people thengs they dannae need ta know."
"Hm." Loké lay there silent for several minutes before he spoke again. "If I told you about myself, would you tell me something about you?" He turned to look at her. "Even just your name?"
Annah lay there looking at him, analysing the potential problems in agreeing. 'Ah, what 'arm cannaet do...' "Alright."
And so Loké started from the beginning, of how he'd wound up in an inn with a grouchy tiefling. He talked about Imoen, how they grew up together, how he left Candlekeep with Gorion and how his half-brother murdered him, he talked about their friends along the way until he arrived at the end of just after they escaped from Irenicus' dungeon and how the Cowled Mages captured Imoen.
"I'm trying to get enough money to buy the Shadow Thieves aid." He finished, his eyes dark as he gazed into the ceiling, apparently trying to make it crumble with his eyes. Annah could sense the change in atmosphere from nervous tension to determined, controlled hatred.
"Shadow Thieves?" That some kinda guild?" She asked. He nodded. "Right," Annah yawned, "well 'am really beat now." She rolled over, presenting her back to him. Loké turned his head to look at her back and her tail lie limp on her bed, before turning over away from her. As he tried to fall asleep, Annah called out to him.
"Laddie?"
"Mmhm?
"Mah name's Annah."
He gave a small smile. "Thanks... Annah." With that, he blew his candle out, and they both lay like that until sleep claimed them.
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Wee. My second fanfic posted, and it's even worse than the last. Ah well. If you like the story so far post reviews 'n stuff please. I'm working on the rest of the chapter and posting it as I progress in the Imoen Romance mod forum (Do a google search for it) so if you have ideas for the story or are too impatient for Chapter 2 then you can pike off there and look.
"This is speak"
This is descriptive text
'This is thought.'
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The Wyvern gave a hoarse, primal scream, as the magically enhanced arrow tore through its scales and imbedded itself in it's voice box, and it plummeted to the ground. It hit the hard white substance that was the floor with a sickening crunch, its tongue hanging out of it's mouth, it's deep, thick blood flowing in a steady stream across the floor as even in death, its lifeless eyes glared blind hatred.
"Good shot Minsc." Loké looked past the body of the wyvern, to its 'perch'. It seemed to be pulsing. "Gods this plane is weird. Why did we come here again?"
"To... to rescue Haer'dalis Loké. Remember?" asked a slightly timid Aerie.
Loké turned around and gave her a slightly withering look, though there was some amusement on his face. He simply responded, "It was a metaphorical question Aerie," to which the said elf blushed slightly as she stuttered an apology.
Loké was a half-elf, just under six feet tall with short, spiky, unruly raven hair that seemed to resist any attempt to be styled- Loké had given up on it when he was seven. Lightly scarred, he was fairly muscular- not too muscular, but not too skinny either- just above average in fact. He had fairly high cheekbones and deep brown eyes that had seen more than most 50- year-old humans, and he spoke with a deep voice.
Wearing the Darkmail chain mail, he was adequately protected-he also wore the boots of the north on his feet that they had found when travelling to that gnoll fortress when they'd first met Minsc, as well as his cloak of the wolf- fortunately Irenicus hadn't managed to sell a fair amount of their original equipment. He had Celestial Fury in a scabbard over his right shoulder, a generic magical short sword on his left waist.
He walked over to where they'd managed to kill the balor look-alike just before the wyvern and picked up the green orb.
"Right, lets get this to that hole thing the gnome said we had to shove it in. I hate this prison plane."
With that the party, consisting of Loké, Aerie, Minsc, Jaheria and Keldorn, they walked past all the bodies of the Yaun-ti and enslaved races to the bizarre glowing pedestal they'd passed on their way here. It'd had a small slot for a round ball shaped item, the item a gnome had mentioned to them when they'd
Loké got out the green orb, muttered "Here we go..." And placed it into the slot. The ball promptly sank into the structure. There was a deep, rumble as the ground trembled slightly. It kept getting louder and louder, the party having trouble standing after a few seconds due to the trembling.
Then it stopped, as suddenly as it had started.
Keldorn opened his mouth to say something, when northwest of their location; a massive explosion rocked the ground, even where they were, the fireball rising to over ten metres high.
As one man, the party started running towards the fighting.
When they got there, it was chaos. Bits of charred body lay everywhere- since the thralls had been freed from their mental domination they had fought with their masters for their freedom. They didn't stand much of a chance though against their masters- mainly because only a handful of the thralls were armed and secondly, they were fighting against accomplished fighters and mages.
They party absorbed this after observing the carnage in a nanosecond before they entered the fray. Aerie's contingency spell cast a salvo of magic missiles at a mage. Jaheria started to heal some of the wounded thralls. Keldorn dispelled some of the protections the enemy mages had cast. Minsc and Loké simply charged into battle, Minsc telling Boo to 'Go for the eyes!' Loké never bothered with war cries. He unsheathed Celestial Fury, twirled, using the momentum of the twirl in conjunction with Celestial Fury's momentum to slice through the arm of a heavily armoured figure as if it was air, ignoring the scream of agony and blood that had spurted from the wound onto his face. He parried a blow from a Githzerai and thrust, forcing it through his neck and cleaving the spinal column.
That was when Loké saw her for the first time. They say time stops when you see some people. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for him when he saw her. She was about five-foot-six, brunette, looked human except for a tail, and from the way he saw her just take out those two bounty hunters with her punching daggers, she wasn't a half bad fighter either.
He saw her turn around again and try to punch a figure in jet-black full plate mail with her dagger, but as another fireball exploded she lost her balance; as he watched, he gripped Celestial fury with both hands and started running.
Loké twirled the sword in his grip and held it over his back, ready to deliver an overhead slash. The woman looked up at the armoured figure as it raised its two handed sword. He was facing the same direction as Loké, so Loké was coming from behind him. She couldn't see him because of the size of whoever, or whatever, was under the armour. As Loké charged he saw, out of the corner of his eye, her tail wrap around the ankle of the knight-she was going to try and take his leg from under him.
She never got the chance.
Loké swung Celestial Fury in a horizontal slash and decapitated the black knight in a single blow, the thick, black blood spurting out from the wound. He slipped on some of the blood though, and, unable to stop, crashed into the headless body of the knight and onto a rather surprised Annah, getting themselves blood all over each other, skidding with the blood's lubrication a few feet, leaving a black smear across the white floor, Annah somehow ending on top of Loké, faces barely inches apart and brown both with a look of surprise on both their faces.
After the initial shock of seeing her attacker's head go flying off, ending up lying on top of some man [albeit a handsome one] who nearly kissed her [albeit accidentally] Annah responded in the way only she does.
She practically snarled at Loké when she said: "Ye got blood all over mah armour! Pike off yer bloody sod!"
Suffice to say Loké was taken aback, his surprise showing clearly on his face.
"Pardon?" "Are ye deaf yer berk? Pike off!" Loké wasn't normally a man to get annoyed easily... well you hadn't to be, growing up with Imoen and her pranks; but he'd just probably saved her life and even though he didn't know what 'pike' meant, some things translate easily. So he did what he always did when he was angry-he acted logically.
"You're on top of me." Annah looked as if she was going to wallop him before she spoke quietly, her voice gathering volume as she spoke. "Aye, and I cannae get off BECAUSE SOME STUPID BERK WON'T LET GO AH MAH ARM!'
Her eyes burnt with anger, her teeth were gritted and her face was slightly red as Loké realised that he was holding her left arm at the wrist-and quite tightly too. His hands were so large his fingers wrapped around it easily. He also couldn't help noticed it was pretty soft and very warm. He blushed at the thought... and the suddenly realised fact he could get a good look down her body from his current position too. He let go of her wrist and she immediately got up, still looking livid; though the colour had faded from her face.
"Sorry." he simply stated, still blushing faintly. "If ya hadn'na helped me with that lummock ah'd gut ya, pike." Lok's curiosity got the better of him, so he asked while he was getting up himself: "Despite having a good idea, I have to ask: what exactly does 'pike' mean?"
Annah gave him a look of contempt as her tail flicked from side to side. Neither of them had noticed that while lying on top of each other the others had taken care of the bounty hunter/slavers and were watching the interaction with interest, as were some of the surviving thralls Jaheria and Keldorn had amused looks on their faces despite their [albeit] minor wounds.
"Wha' the hell are ye yer leatherhead? A prime?"
Loké wasn't too familiar with planar beings vocabulary but he did know that, that word referred to anyone from the prime material plane-where he came from.
"Yes."
Annah smirked, but before she had the chance to say anything Jaheria interrupted: "While watching you two bicker like children is amusing, we must find Haer'Dalis and the others." Annah's smirk grew even larger as she said to Loké, her tail swished from up and down slowly as she folded her arms under her breasts, the amusement clearly in her voice when she asked "Who's she laddy? Ya ma... or is she yer lover?"
Both Jaheria and Aerie's body postures stiffened slightly at the question, and it didn't go unnoticed by the others... well, except for Minsc for [hopefully] obvious reasons.
"I am neither his lover OR his mother you... you... affront to nature!" Loké saw the danger as Annah's arms straightened, that spark of defiance entered her eyes again and she clenched her fists around her retrieved daggers.
"Now isn't the time to squabble. We must find Haer'Dalis and the rest of the troupe as soon as possible." Keldorn stated. Loké gave him a look that seemed to say 'Thank you.' before turning back to the still tense Annah.
"Names Loké. Loké Nightflame. You are...?"
"What's it to ye?"
"I like you know whom I'm talking to," he responded. After a few seconds, he realised she wasn't going to tell him, and apologised for the blood all over her. And all over her it was. Annah's torso, as well as most of her left arm, was covered in the black substance-and most of her legs. Loké wasn't any better- most of his torso was covered in the stuff too, the left side of his face was positively drenched in the stuff-he'd need to wash his hair before the blood dried to stand any hope of getting it out quickly. Annah smirked and replied 'Yeah, well, yer paying for the cleaning, berk."
Loké opened his mouth for a comeback, but decided not to bother. She looked like she had a pretty severe cut along her arm and her abdomen, though he couldn't be sure on the latter for blood. "Aerie, can you heal her please?" Loké asked. Aerie walked over timidly and cast the spell, but not before Annah turned around and nearly punched her- she would have if she hadn't recognised the words of the spell. Her wounds glowed, started closing, and then disappeared.
Loké regarded the two 'catwalks' they were yet to explore. One led north, the other northwest. "I reckon we go down," he pointed to the northwest route, "that one." He regarded Annah, who glared back. "...Wanna come with us? We could use another man." Annah opened her mouth to [in Lok's mind at least] brush the offer aside with a catty remark, but the others didn't give her the chance. "I do not like the idea of this affront to nature being in our midst Loké!" Jaheira practically shouted. "I-I don't think that's a good idea..." Aerie stuttered nervously "Though I cannot detect anything ill from her, I too am unsure, if we should allow her to travel with her." Keldorn stated in an even tone. "We know nothing of her race."
The ending of Keldorn's statement visibly surprised Annah. "Yah mean yer never seen a tiefling before?" the surprise evident in her tone. "Actually yes. About two hours ago we met Haer'Dalis." Loké replied off- handily as he went about looting the bodies. "Shut it laddie." Loké stopped, sighed, and looked at her while hunched over the decapitated black knight. "Look, do you want to come with us or not? You'll be safer with us and you'll be welcome,' he said looking at the others, giving Jaheira and Aerie meaningful looks, 'right guys?' Keldorn merely gave a small grunt, Aerie stammered out a yes, Jaheira muttered, "It's her decision" and Minsc bellowed, "Boo and I think that the pretty woman should come with us! It's not safe for young damsels to wander around this den of evil!" Much to the bemusement of Annah.
"What in the hell's is he talking to?" She asked as she raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly. "Some kindah rat??"
An angry squeak was heard from Boo, and Minsc cried out "Boo is not a rat! He is a miniature giant space hamster!"
Annah face-faulted, turned to Loké and calmly asked "Do ya know ya've got a loon in yer group?"
Loké replied in shrugged. "You get used to it. We need to get moving, so are you coming with us or what?"
Annah looked thoughtfully at the gang, and then at the smouldering bodies around her while Loké looted the bodies and found another wardstone. "I dannee 'av much choice, do ah?"
Loké gave her a small smile, "Great, what are your skills?"
"I ain't met a lock I cannae pick yet or a trap I cannae disarm."
Lok's smile got even larger. "Great, we need a good thief. I've been doing the traps 'n stuff myself but I'm not that good. How are you with a bow?" Annah shrugged. "Well here," he said as he handed her the short bow in his pack, "It's magical, it creates it's own arrow as you pull the string back, so it should be a bit easier for you."
As he spoke Annah took the bow, drew the string back experimentally, nearly letting go in surprise, as an arrow suddenly appeared, knocked and ready to be fired. She gently relaxed the bow, and the arrow vanished as quickly as it had appeared. As she looked at the bow thoughtfully her Keldorn interrupted her thoughts.
"Milady, your position in the formation is behind me."
To which she silently got into position, and the group moved on.
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To say Ulgreth was bored was an understatement. Here he was, standing there like a prize berk guarding these stupid poncey actors while gods-only-know- what was happening throughout the rest of the prison. If only someone would come and relieve him he could go see what the hells had been going on at the main...
Ulgreth swore. He had a good idea of just what had been happening, and who'd won, when he saw six heavily armed-armoured-people calmly walking up to him.
"You here for the prisoners?" He asked as calmly as he could.
The one with shaggy black hair responded, "Yeah, and there's two ways of doing this. You get out of our way and get lost, or you fight very bravely and die very quickly." He smiled sweetly at him. "Your call."
Ulgreth didn't need to think for long. He immediately got out of the way and ran past them along the catwalk.
"You should have warned him about the thralls Loké," Keldorn reprimanded.
"Bollocks. 'E's gonnae get what 'e deserves, that bastard." Annah practically growled. "E's always been pickin' on the week 'uns tha' cannae defend 'emselves."
Loké gave a small shrug as he walked up the doors, the said objects disappearing when Loké held up the wardstone he looted from the black knight's body. "Bit late either way now."
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"Yer goin' back ta Sigil?" Annah asked Raelis.
"Indeed my child. You would like to return with us, I sense," she replied, smiling knowingly. Annah's tail stopped swishing and coiled around her leg again as a look of sadness flickered briefly across her face. Raelis nodded, and said, "Fill this place with song, in memory of what has transpired here. Go, and let us each part in love."
With that, Haer'Dalis, Raelis and the rest of the troupe walked into the new portal to Sigil, which faded away a few seconds later.
'...What the hell did that mean?' Was all Loké could think of. He gave out a heartfelt sigh, turned to the others and said, "Well I dunno about you guys but I'm knackered. How does this inn's finest rooms sound?" A suggestion met with much approval by everyone.
Everyone except Annah Loké noticed, who'd walked off the stage and was sitting on the front bench, looking around with... with an almost touchingly lost look on her face. He jumped off the stage and walked up to her, her watching him since she heard him hit the floor. As he finished closing the distance she looked up and glared. "Whadya want, berk?"
"There's no need to be like that," he said as he closed the distance and stood in over her.
"There's every need to be like this yer stupid prat," she snapped as he tail suddenly cracked like a whip without the sound, "Ah'm stuck on the bloody prime material plane! Ah've never been 'ere before, so ah'm totally lost, ah've nae got anyae equipment..." She stood up and glared furiously at Loké who unconsciously took a step back in the intensity of said person's glare. He'd had enough of being belittled by people for one day though and snarled, "Well it's hardly my fucking fault is it! You had the opportunity to bugger off to some place called Sigil instead of stay here and you bloody well didn't!"
"Aye, and I cannae go back there!" she yelled.
Loké paused for several seconds. "Come with us."
It caught Annah of guard, but she still snapped, "oh sure, come wi' a group of people I dannae know in a world I dannae know and do I dannae what!"
"Why the hells are you so damn antisocial! We've helped you so far, we need someone with your skills, you're unfamiliar to this land, so why not stay with us?"
"Cause I dannae have any reason ta trust yeh!"
"Then let us prove ourselves for the gods' sake!"
Before they could carry on any further Jaheira walked up next to them and interrupted them.
"Loké, young woman, we are all tired. I suggest that you both stop arguing now, we pay for your room fee, and we discuss this like adults tomorrow."
"Fine," was all Annah's response, arms folded across her chest again, and Loké gave a sigh and walked past her upstairs.
When they walked upstairs and outside into the bar, the room fell silent as they looked at them. Annah soon realised that they were actually looking at her. Loké whispered, "Stay here," talked to the caretaker barman on duty for several minutes, and eventually came back with three keys. "Upstairs."
Aerie noticed the keys and asked why he only had three keys, to which Loké responded, "I'll explain upstairs". They walked upstairs leaving the staring crowd behind them, past the first few doors on either side, then Loké turned and unlocked on of the beds, the others following him in, Keldorn closing the door behind them.
Loké spun around and spoke. "I'll get straight to the point. The good news is we have rooms. The snag is that the inn's bloody full, so we've had to buy the most expensive rooms because no-one else can afford them." The end of that sentence made Annah raise an eyebrow. "The bad news, is that there are only three of those, two double's and two singles." He paused to let this information sink in before clapping his hands together and doing a mock grin of pleasure, "Soo... who goes with whom?"
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"If ya try anything laddie-"
"'I'll be spittin' teeth for a week'," Loké interrupted, "I know... If it's any conciliation I'm as happy about this lark as you are."
"Sure." The sarcasm was dripping.
Keldorn and Minsc had gone together into one of the double beds, Aerie and Jaheria into the other, leaving Annah and Loké to the single beds. The two beds were the usual fair-two beds a good few metres apart on either side of the room, a candle on each dresser next to the beds. Annah had had no inclination to disrobe in Lok's presence, and was lying on her bed, the one nearest the door, fully clothed, candle extinguished. Loké wasn't feeling that inclined to strip in front of an audience either, so he was lying on his bed, heavy chain mail pooled on one side, Celestial Fury within easy reach.
The silence was as deafening.
"I don't suppose you want to tell me anything about yourself now?" Loké asked while looking at the ceiling with a bored face.
"No."
"Why?"
Annah rolled off her back to face him. "'Cause ah've learnt notta tell people thengs they dannae need ta know."
"Hm." Loké lay there silent for several minutes before he spoke again. "If I told you about myself, would you tell me something about you?" He turned to look at her. "Even just your name?"
Annah lay there looking at him, analysing the potential problems in agreeing. 'Ah, what 'arm cannaet do...' "Alright."
And so Loké started from the beginning, of how he'd wound up in an inn with a grouchy tiefling. He talked about Imoen, how they grew up together, how he left Candlekeep with Gorion and how his half-brother murdered him, he talked about their friends along the way until he arrived at the end of just after they escaped from Irenicus' dungeon and how the Cowled Mages captured Imoen.
"I'm trying to get enough money to buy the Shadow Thieves aid." He finished, his eyes dark as he gazed into the ceiling, apparently trying to make it crumble with his eyes. Annah could sense the change in atmosphere from nervous tension to determined, controlled hatred.
"Shadow Thieves?" That some kinda guild?" She asked. He nodded. "Right," Annah yawned, "well 'am really beat now." She rolled over, presenting her back to him. Loké turned his head to look at her back and her tail lie limp on her bed, before turning over away from her. As he tried to fall asleep, Annah called out to him.
"Laddie?"
"Mmhm?
"Mah name's Annah."
He gave a small smile. "Thanks... Annah." With that, he blew his candle out, and they both lay like that until sleep claimed them.
End Chapter 1
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Wee. My second fanfic posted, and it's even worse than the last. Ah well. If you like the story so far post reviews 'n stuff please. I'm working on the rest of the chapter and posting it as I progress in the Imoen Romance mod forum (Do a google search for it) so if you have ideas for the story or are too impatient for Chapter 2 then you can pike off there and look.