An: They said it couldn't be done but I did it. I wrote ten chapters, ah hahahahaha. I bite my thumb at you. Okay, I'm done being crazy. By the way, I don't own the places in this well written, exciting story. The overall plot and many of the characters are products of Bioware. When I get rich from writing this story I'll make sure that I reimburse then for the thousands upon thousands of hours that I put into the game. I also stole the title from Trick Daddy or Jay-Z, I don't know which one dropped their rhyme first but I really yanked it from the LP vs Jay-Z CD and btw-I've gotta 99 problems be it a b---- ain't one.
Guan- thanks for beta-reading. You are the greatest -wink-
Fomy- mucho gracios for the grande commentos. (trying to speak espanol)
Tasharene- I did my best to make this chapter the best I could.I lost a part of my soul…really, I did.
Firalya- I'm still your biggest fan. -smiles-
Everyone else, I hope you like my story enough to read on. -smiles wider- on to the tale…
Chapter Ten- 99 Problems
I flew as fast as my wings could carry me. Sharwyn was gone. I'm alone, drained and mystified by the whole situation. Envisioning heroism in my subconscious, I glided through the pressurized air, burst into his domain and I bolted through Meldanen's halls as I killed everything and everyone in sight. But that was only in my mind's eye. My blood was frenzied.
I saw his house and landed on his roof, as I unsheathed my rapier. I scrutinized the delicate sword that Delphie gave me. The hilt filled with words. They appeared to be words to a song. And I began to sing it…
Look around and tell me what you see, a place
Surrounded by the hate that hides in the
Shadows inside of you, inside of me, what can we
Ever hope to see if we're not looking... don't you
Want to find your own way home again just leave
Your hate behind
When will you learn to just be you, find your
Own way
When will you learn to follow through, make
Your own way
Looking for something to believe,I find the
Answer starts with me each time i follow inside
Of you, inside of me, what can we ever hope to be
If we're not trying don't you want to find your
Own way home again, just leave your hate behind
Find another way to get inside me
Find another way to get into me
Find another way tobecome likeme
Find yourself
Find another way to get inside you
Find another way to get into you
Find another way to become like you
Find yourself
Don't you want to find your own way home again
Just leave your hate behind
The bright afternoon sky turned dark and filled with bolts of light and howling winds from the west. Then cascades of wintry globules escaped their homes from above and pummeled the earth below it. I closed my eyes and my face seemed to seal around them, defending them from the inevitable.
Tears.
I knelt down and rested my rapier on the roof. I wanted to scream but couldn't. I just genuflected there, seeming to give homage to the storm. I attempted to regain myself.
'You are strong, you've battle hordes of undead creatures, demons, powerful mages…' My inner me spoke.
'I did that with people around me. I haven't ever been in a situation like this. I can't break into a person's home and kill innocent people all by myself.' I spoke.
'You are just going to leave Sharwyn all by herself. I guess your dreams are right, you're just using her.' The voice spoke again.
'What? She tried to kill me! I was defending myself.'
'No, you provoked her and you know it. You want the fame all for yourself. You love the way everyone here treats you…like a princess.' My inner me said.
'I don't want fame. Do…I?' I said as I rose up fighting the drumming rain.
'You want it. Your thrive on it. The more you get the more thirst you seem to have. You…we want to destroy anyone that doesn't entrust us. You want to rule over them…TO BE THEIR GODDESS!'
I snapped awake on the roof. Still raining. I was unable to see anything and ran my fingers in front of my face removing the drench strains of auburn hair from in front of my face. I picked up my rapier. It felt lighter than usual in my left hand as I hacked from side to side of the atmosphere around me. My knuckles become white from the artic climate and their death grip around the rapier as I gracefully danced about the roof with my rapier stabbing through the rain drops.
"I can do this. I'm amazing and I can do this. Sharwyn hold on," I said to myself and started to run to the edge of the near side of the covering.
"So you are Sharwyn's friend," the second most horrible voice I ever heard, Desther is still in first place, "Your friend will be okay. I'll make sure of that."
"Are you Meldanen?" I inquired as I braced myself to be ready for battle.
"I am. I need your help." He smiled, it was sinister much like Sharwyn's at times, "You are capable of casting spells, right."
"Somewhat," I said dropping my sword a few inches.
"I need someone to remove a charm spell that's been cast on me," he said and held out his hand.
"Sharwyn, where is she? She'd better be okay." I said pointing my weapon at his nose. He backed up a few steps with his arms reaching up to the sky. I noticed his hair wasn't wet. "Are you protected magically? If you're trying to attack me I promise that you won't live to regret it."
"I've never met you. I didn't know what type of…mood you'd be in."
"I'm fine but I don't do business with people hiding behind enchantments, remove it or I will." I said and the spell fell and he walked forward.
"Your Sharwyn is fine," he said coolly.
"I want to see for myself." I said as I stood up straight.
He smiled again. I was losing it, my control, and he said, "Are you two lovers or something?"
"No, you perverted little…," I scream as thrusted my rapier forward toward his abdomen.
He caught it with his hand and glimpsed into my eyes as he said, "There is no need for violence We don't need another person injured today."
That was it. I pulled my weapon back and my eyes filled with tears, again. My grip on the hilt was tighter than mesh. My muscles seemed to expand beyond capacity. I could feel sizzling steam rising from my hair into the air. I ground my teeth as I wiped the saltiness from my face. I was ready.
He stood as an idol as he said, "Your not planning on attack me are you. This is my home, when I heave your fairy ass off my roof and kill you, it'll be deemed self defense," he turned away from me and finished his threats, "So listen to me, little girl. If you do so then you and your feasty girlfriend will be fine."
I jabbed forward aiming at his heart. He moved quicker than I thought he could and briskly side stepped my assault causing me to stumble forward near the edge of the slanted rooftop. I nimbly leaped into the air as I heard him chant a spell and I looked over my shoulder as I noticed a cluster of magical darts hurling toward me. I dodged them as I flew upward into the sky and felt their heat detonate around me. He was still standing in the same place casting another spell. I condensed my body and sliced through the air aiming at the idiotic mage. As our bodies were jumbled together I felt my skin tingling… burning. Acid. I stood up slowly as I heard the mage laughing hysterically.
I tried to speak but the pain was consuming me and all that I could manage was inaudible. Then the mage rolled over and vaulted up. As he stood up he began to smile. That inept smirk, I wanted to cut it off his face but my arms felt as if they were being set ablaze from the acidic substance that embedded them.
"You don't like my acid shield," he walked up to me as I was standing placid near a corner of the roof, "Let me clean that up for you, harlot" He said as he held his arm out grabbed my burning body and pulled me closer to him. Holding me. I clenched my fist in pain and anger. I exerted all of my force to raise my arm as he tried to force himself on me. I felt more of his acerbic safeguard seep into me. I thrusted my rapier into his abdomen with all of the valor that I could muster. I forced it through him up to my hilt. I ran it back through his belly twice as fast as it entered and switched a grin.
He fumed with anger no longer smiling and stared into my eyes and propelled me backward off the roof as he struck me across my forward with his staff. The last thing that I saw was the circling raining pursuing me toward the ground. I tried to move my wings but couldn't. I was immobile. I closed my eyes and said, "Sorry Sharwyn."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
"LEEEENNNNNAAAAAAA….," I heard the voice of Delphie engaging me to speak as I laid down surrounded by darkness. Nothingness.
"Delphie," my voice was raspy, "Where are you?" I said and a look around into the empty void.
"I am with you. You have to stand up. Stand up Lena and be strong for me. Stand up." Delphie's voice baited me.
I stood up and sunbeams raced around me….
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
I stood up and the sun prevailed above me and beneath me was the half foot deep impression of my body in thee pavement. That must have really hurt. All of Blacklake seemed to be circled around me inspecting my situation. They appeared to be in disbelief. I remember that I had fallen. No. I was pushed of the roof by Meldanen. That slack jawed lout would pay for trying to kill me. Nobody had ever in my 70 years of life had ever tried to take my life. I raised my fist toward the roof and spewed out a curse. I inspected myself for wounds and breaks. My arms and legs looked burnt to a crisp and sizzled as they bubbled and popped, the back of my head was most likely spliced open, my right pinky was the size of my thumb and my butt felt as if hot coals were placed upon them.
"Thank Uere that the ground broke my fall," I laughed out loud.
"Are you okay, young lady," an older woman asked me.
I stretched my arms out making myself into a "T" and said, "Yeah, I'll be okay." I started to try and fly into the air but I guess that I did some damage to my wings as well and I couldn't take flight.
A young girl probably no older than thirteen approached me as the crowd began to disperse and spoke very quietly, "Hi, I'm Punkin. I can heal you. I got me a kit from my momma."
"Really," I said and bent down and looked at her face. Her big green eyes stood at attention without blinking and her curly blonde hair bounce in the wind.
"Yeah, I been practicing. I real good, too." Punkin said.
"Alright heal me, Punkin," I said and smiled at her.
"Really yeah." She said and grabbed into her pouch and revealed her healer's kit and began to mend my wounds, wrapping my head and putting a smooth gray salve onto my burns cooling them and beginning to restore my skins former beauty. She wasn't that bad.
Then she walked around me and looked and worked on my back then she said, "Take off your pants."
"What?" I exclaimed guarding my waistline.
"Your butt's hurt. You want me to fix it right," She said with her hands on her hips.
"It'll be fine, thank you very much," I said, stood up and felt better. A bit alarmed from the last comment but a lot better.
"You're that elf, right. Ashylenka." Punkin said.
"Ashmorlenna. But everyone around her just calls me Ash or Lena," I said.
"This is so cool. I didn't notice you at first. You look more like a chimney than a beautiful elf. You're my hero, I want to be a warrior just like you when I'm older. I want to join the City Guard just like my papa but my momma says I can't but when I'm grown-up I'm gonna do it anyway. Just like you, I want to be just like you." Punkin said twice as fast as a normal person would have.
She took a quick breath and I interrupted her disclosure as I said, "Do you know how long I was laying there?"
"A good four hours, Ash. Why? Are you on a mission? I bet that I can help you. I knew everything about Blacklake. Lived here my whole life. If you need to know something about this here district I'll know the answer." Punkin said as she bowed her chest forward. There was something about this girl that I liked. Maybe she remind me of myself when I was younger, full of life and energy. I used to be ready to take on anything but lately…
"Really, do you know anything about a guy named Meldanen?" I asked her.
"Sure, what do you want to know? I know he is a wizard that trained in Waterdeep. He's really bizarre and wears funny clothes and almost never comes out of his estate. He has no kids. Milly is the only person that has seen inside of his house. She used to be his girl back in the day but that was wayyyy before he got all creepy and stuff. She says he's hiding some people, girls actually in his dungeon."
"His dungeon." I usurped again, "Is that inside of his estate?"
"Of course. Anyway, Milly also said that he seemed really weird lately. Other than trying to steal all of the food supply she says he is planning some wedding. Which is crazy since he's not even datin' nobody and he ain't got no family either. Weird, huh"
Sharwyn. He was going to try to marry Sharwyn. What the hell is going on inside of his head? I had to stop him but how, he'd be waiting for me and if I fought him again one of us wasn't going to make it out alive.
"Ah, Ash, can I see your rapier, PLEEEEEZE." Coaxed the smiling Punkin.
I was captured in thought and said, "Sure here," and handed the slender weapon to the preteen as I thought about how I was going to rescue Sharwyn.
"This is cool. HIYA." Screamed the five foot high girl as she slash through an invisible enemy. She held the weapon closer and read of the words along the edge.
AN: Broken belongs to Seether and the most beautiful woman in the world Amy Lee.
Alone again again alone
Patiently waiting by the phone
Hoping that you will call me home
The pain inside my love denied
Hopes and dreams swallowed by pride
Everything I need it lies in you
'Cause I'm broken
I know I need you now
'Cause deep inside I'm broken
You see the way I live
I know I know your heart is broken
When I turn away
I need to be broken
Take the pain away
I question why you chose to die
When you knew your truth I would deny
You look at me
The tears begin to fall
And all in all faith is blind
But I fail time after time
Daily in my sin I take your life
All the hate deep inside
Slowly covering my eyes
All these things I hide
Away from you again
All this fear holding me
My heart is cold and I believe
Nothing's gonna change
Until I'm whole again
"Where is this Milly at?" I asked.
"She out cleaning houses. Actually I think she at the Rumbutton's today. They are really messy and she works all day at their place. Oh, oh. I gotta stupendous idea." Punkin jumped up and down.
"Okay," I said wondering what was running through the little girls mind.
"You and me could sneak in Meldanen's with the extra-secret-ultra-special nobody-knows-about portal in Milly's house and rescue the girls he's got it there," she said and pulled me by one hand and clenched my rapier in the other. She came up to a locked door and picked it quicker than I could blink. I was lead into a house very close to the impression I left on Balcklake. What as I getting into?
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
There really was a portal in this Milly's house. I stood there thinking. I couldn't take this girl with me. I would have to tell her that.
I began, "Punkin, thank you for everything but I can't take you with me."
Punkin darted into the portal, "Okay, I'll met you there then." She flashed her huge smile as she was gone in a puff of magical smoke and vanished into the evening composition.
I grabbed for my rapier and quickly remembered that I hadn't got it back from that 'Lady Punkin' who was quickly turning into a thorn in my side. I leaped into the portal and was transported into the middle of a battle. Punkin was swirling my rapier around with reckless abandonment occasionally landing a hit on a creature. But her uncultivated technique kept the monsters at a distance so I guess it was pretty effective. She turned and looked at me still smiling. Obviously, she wanted to be a fighter. As she stood tall with the weapon, my weapon, I started to see the early developments of a compelling soldier. Her slender toned arms, her quick moving feet maintaining their balance by staying under her shoulders and her head was always facing forward keeping a collective eye on the opponent. She was as good as a someone her age could be.
"This is so cool," Punkin shouted as she ran forward and slashed a pair of magical golems turning them into dust. "Take that. ONWARD."
"PUNKIN," I barked and she slowed down, "Come back here." But of course she didn't listen to me. I wouldn't of either. I took out my bow and trailed the spirited Punkin as she started to become more proficient with the dominating weapon. Destroying enemies left and right, she looked like a natural. She seemed as if she had a knowledge of the general direction we needed to head so even after we had defeated the greeting party I let her lead the way.
"This weapon is much cooler than my wooden longsword," She said and pointed to her splintering blade that was dangling haplessly on her side. "It's so cool that it's a lefty blade. I'm left-handed are you? We should watch out for traps. Do you think that there are traps around here? I have a spell that will destroy them for us. Can I use it, Ash?" Punkin asked as she dashed from one room into another.
"Slow down," I enticed the little blonde ball of energy, "Use your spell. It's better to be safe than sorry and I don't want you to get hurt."
"I'm not gonna get injuried. I'm with the greatest hero of all Neverwinter. And you're stronger than Nasher, prettier than Aribeth and braver than Sharwyn…"
"You know Sharwyn." I asked as she took out a scroll and I heard numerous traps snap apart.
"There was a lot of traps. I just that you were right.. Yeah, I know of Sharwyn. She went to the private school I got to, of course before I did. All my music teachers compare everyone to her. 'If you want to be half the musician Sharwyn is….' it gets on my nerves. Sharwyn is so dumb. She's allows running around town like she owns it. She needs to marry Nasher and get her wish." Punkin said as we slowly, thankfully slowly, walked forward into the oddest looking room.
"You know Sharwyn is one of the girls that been captured by this guy right." I said.
"Really, cool I get to rescue Sharwyn. I'll tell everyone about this. I'll be SO popular…" Just at that moment I smelt him. Meldanen. I darted forward and saw a group of cages and heard Sharwyn voice.
"ASH," Sharwyn screamed, "Watch out he's still here. He's captured me and the dryad."
"Oh my goodness." I exclaimed almost forgetting about the snake that slither about.
"Ash," Punkin said heartbreakingly from behind me, "I think I'm in trouble." She spoke as Meldanen had her in his grasp.
"Let her go, Meldanen, before I have to…" I spoke.
"What? Fall for me again. ALL I WANTED WAS FOR SOMEONEA TO REMOVE THIS CHARM!" He said as he tossed Punkin across the room causing my rapier to fly clear into the door of the room we just came from. He summoned a huge brown bear that charge straight for me. I reared my bow back and made quick work of him. He was chanting a spell as I fired an arrow at his throat. I hit him precisely in his adam's apple, stopping his beckoning. I had silenced him.
He fell to his knees grabbing for his throat. Blood downward into his robe and colored his entire front side within mere moments. I stood there staring into his wide eyes. I walked closer while I aimed my arrow into his forehead. He shook his 'no' but I wasn't going to spar him. My skin was covered in sweltering goose pimples, my eyes were half closed, partly from anger and partly to keep my tears inside. I wanted him to feel my pain, he deserved my anguish, his actions entitled him to share my torture. I looked over at Punkin who was unconscious and napping on the floor, I half-heard Sharwyn screaming some obscenities but didn't acknowledge them. I stood about a half an inch away from him with my arrow drawn fully, ready to fly. Tears gathered in his eyes, praying for my failure but that wouldn't happen. Definitely not at point blank range with my hand behind the bowstring.
"I pray that you would have a pleasant journey all the way the ninth gate of hell." I grinned wildly, almost animalistic ally, "Tell everyone I said 'Hi'" I said and released my bowstring, piercing his skull causing him to soar backwards a few inches and landing on his back with my arrow standing in the middle of his head as if it were a tree. I walked over and stood over him. I wished that I knew how to resurrect people, so that I could bring him back and slay him again. Perhaps even continuing to do so over and over again never allowing him to have an eternal rest…
"Ash, I swear if you don't hurry up and get me out of this cage, I'll…" Sharwyn hollered at me and I ran over to her cage still with my bow in hand.
"Or WHAT!" I yelled and pointed it at her.
"Ash," Sharwyn said calmly, "Are you okay?"
"Stop it! Threaten me again and I'll…" I said.
"Ash, it's okay. Calm down, darling." Sharwyn said starting to soothe my temperament. My head was still reeling. I couldn't think straight but I lowered my bow as Sharwyn started to sing.
I heard a tale that a man would climb the Never Mountains
Just to be with the one he loves
How many times has he broken that promise
It has could been done
And I heard a tales that man would swim the up the Sword Coast
Just to be with the girl that he loves
But how could he ever make that promise
It could never be done
But just to be with you he'd try anything
He'd go anywhere and do whatever it takes
Just to be with you he'd fight anyone
And he'd even give his life away
I began to make sense of the situation and ran over to Punkin and picked her up. I thought that she was lighter than she actually was, or maybe I was just fatigued after the battle. Either way I struggled to bring her to her feet. Thankfully, she opened her eyes as I raised her of the ground.
"Did you beat the bad man?" She inquired weakly flickering her eyes.
"Yeah, he's not going to hurt anyone else anymore." I said as I released her and returned to let Sharwyn out of the cage.
Sharwyn walked out and immediately caught on to what had had happened, "I see, I leave for a few moments and you replace me with a kid."
Punkin balled her fist up and said, "I ain't no kid, I happen to be twelve years old and I bet I could kick your…"
"Punkin, it's alright. Sharwyn was joking. She does that a lot," I said.
"You're that little brat that started my fan club, right," Sharwyn said and tossed her arms around Punkin's neck giving her an awkward side hug with the much taller Sharwyn towering over Punkin.
Punkin quickly retracted from Sharwyn's embrace and said, "I disbanded it. Now I'm starting an Ashy fan club cause she's the best ever."
"Oh, really," Sharwyn said with her sly smile, "But I was the one that found the dryad."
"The dryad…the Waterdahvian one," I screamed.
Sharwyn nodded and said, "Yes, Meldanen was charmed by it and had fallen in love with the creature. I actually have to say that its harmonious voice enraptured me and made my stay in Club Meldanen survivable."
"Let's get it to Aribeth as quickly as possible. Where is she?"
"Over there," Sharwyn said and pointed to the farthest confinement, "Why don't you go and talk to her?" I did just that and she gave me her part of the cure, a lock over her lovely hair, and returned home via a tree that Meldanen grew inside his home to her far off land. As I saw her retreat into the tree's essence, I thought about my home. Avarivase. I wanted to return home. I wanted to see Delphie and Amar. I wanted to hug my aunt and uncle. I wanted to sing to the trees in my forest. I mostly longed to see Salzatorre, to embrace him. To tell him of my passion for him. To kiss him. Just to be with him. My prince.
"This is super cool," said Punkin as she handed me back my rapier and looked at the hair of the dryad, "Why is it so important?"
Sharwyn interjected, "Let's just say it can cure what ails you."
Punkins eyes doubled in size, "You mean this will cure the wailing death."
"It's part of the cure," I said assuming our anonymity was already breached, "We have gathered half of the ingredients right now."
"The Waterdhavian ritual. I've read about it." Punkin said straightening out her shirt, "Are you going to see Aribeth now."
"Yes, why," I asked as if I didn't know.
"Can I go, can I go, pleeeeeeeeze, Ash." Punkin begged pulling on my leather armor.
"Out of the question," Sharwyn said.
"Is your name Ash. Nope, it isn't so…" Punkin said.
"I am not going to take that kind of tone from a kidlet." Sharwyn said as she reached for her double sword which she was just reunited with.
"Sharwyn!" I hollered, "Stop it. Sure you can go. After that you go back home. I don't want to see you get hurt, alright." I hoped that she'd agree and follow through. I was fond of the girl but she was more trouble than merit.
"Sure," Punkin spun around euphorically with her arms stretched out and her bouncing blonde hair orbited her exuding smile, "This is the most implausible day of my entire life. Thank you, Ash. I can't wait until I am just like you."
We all recalled back to the Halls of Justice. Aribeth was ecstatic to be given another component of the cure. Punkin was uncharacteristically speechless in the presence of the Paladin of Tyr and Sharwyn seemed to be preoccupied with her heavy thoughts. Fenthick thought that it was jovial that Meldanen was planning to marry the dryad and Desther, well, he still upset about me not showering still. I've work to do though and really don't care about my person appearance or smell anymore. I've recovered half of the cure and I wanted to go find the rest of it. I bid everyone goodbye and followed Sharwyn and Punkin out of the door.
Punkin hugged me tightly and said, "Thanks for believing in me. I really will make you proud of me one day. I'll be just like you, watch and see." Her look, I will never forget it. She was determined, focused, with a purpose and I had a small part in it. I just smiled as she walked home as the sun shielded himself behind the tall building and prepared for his rest as his mistress, Moon, slowly started to emerge.
Just then, another girl, taller than Punkin, ran up to Sharwyn and myself saying, "You two, aren't you part of the guard. I need help, please. My family will all die, somebody has to do something. "
AN: Alright, even after all my editing it's still a behemoth of a chapter but thanks for reading it. It's an important chapter but hey aren't all suppose to be.