Light Wrapped in Darkness

Magicman: My computer kinda caught a virus and I lost the chapter before the problem was fixed. That would be the reason why it took so long to get this up and running. But now that we're back on track.....

(The PCs drag the chapter in, driven from behind by an electro-whip wielding Smokegirl.)

Smokegirl: Move it you maggots! We've got a deadline to meet! Of course if you don't meet it I'll be happy enough just smacking you guys around. (Whips a few PCs randomly)

Li: Ow! Criminey, that hurts!

Gemini: What about that mind over matter stuff you monks always go on about?

Li: I'm a monk, not a God you twit!

Magicman: It's nice to see that they're happy in their work. On with the story!

Aerie paused in between bites of bacon and scrambled eggs. "So let's see if I've got this straight", she said, washing down her breakfast with a glass of orange juice. "This Claire that we're looking for is being held prisoner by the local slavery tyrant, and she's currently on death row guarded by mercenaries and a wizard. There's definitely a chance of us getting killed and a load of important stuff is on the line." The elf grinned wryly. "What are we waiting for? Let's get to it."

Viconia smirked. "Do I detect a hint of the bloodthirsty in your voice butterfly?"

Aerie shrugged. "What can I say? I've been hanging around you way too long."

Somehow Aerie was the only one who still had an appetite while watching Minsc inhale vast quantities of sausage and fried potatoes. The ranger paused in his meal to swallow and throw in his two cents. "There are too many evil butts that need kicking in the world to smite them all, but Boo thinks, and I agree, that some practice would help us prepare for the wizard's kicking. His is a strong butt and much kicking will be needed."

Taurus nodded after first sorting through the metaphors. "Do we want to go in with magic blazing or shall we try a little subtlety?"

"We must not let the bad lady escape!" Minsc emphasised his position with a fist to the table that nearly broke the poor piece of furniture. Aerie nodded. "If we're going to do this then lets do it right and make sure Galvena won't be torturing or enslaving anymore young girls ever again. We won't manage it by getting killed on the way in."

"I've said it before Taurus. Slavery is a vile institution that makes a mockery of all involved." Jaheira finished off her cup of tea and pushed her chair back, brushing her hands off against each other. "We'll be running against them no matter how we go about this. We may as well strike down a local slave mistress while we're at it. But if we can get in and out in one piece at the same time, well then so much the better! I would suggest subtlety of some kind."

Viconia shrugged, stretching as she did so. "It matters not to me. Either way I will strike a blow for Shar and earn glory in her eyes."

"Alright then, we go by the stealthy way. We'll have to deal with fewer guards that way. Can anyone think of a reason not to get started right away?" Taurus got a negative answer and grinned. "I thought so. Imoen, here we come."

Galvena's fest hall was the most gaudily decorated building in Brynn Law. Streamers of pink and blue drifted lightly in the wind and the building itself was on a slight high rise, enabling people from a distance to see the scantily clad men and women strutting about the entrance, making advances to passer bys. As the party watched from a little ways off, a man and one of the female courtesans went into the gaudy fortress. Before they were even off the street, he was feeling her up to her giggling.

Jaheira wrinkled her nose. "This place is filth", she spat.

"Maybe, but our target is in there."

With that, Taurus strolled forward purposefully. The rest of the group trailed slowly. It didn't take long for a couple of the women to start circling him, suggestive looks on their faces. One of them was even bold enough to walk right up to the crintri. She draped an arm around his shoulder and looked up coyly into his slightly slanted ice-blue eyes. She winked a grebe eye suggestively and stretched up towards his ear, brushing her breasts lightly against his armoured chest. "Has anyone ever told you that you're gorgeous?" she whispered in a sultry voice.

Over on the sidelines, this display was not having a wonderful effect on two certain elven women. Aerie's blonde hair was starting to frizzle unnaturally and her power hand was twitching madly, while Viconia's face was freezing over like a pond facing winter. Clearly both were on the verge of murder.

Equally clearly, Taurus knew this, for he took the young woman's hand from his shoulder and backed up a bit. "Unfortunately I'm spoken for. I just need a little information." This made Aerie and Viconia relax and back away from murder but only just barely.

The courtesan pouted sexily. "Rats. They say that men from the Underdark can do things a girl can't even imagine. Ah well." She sighed. "What was it you wanted?"

"My friends and I", Taurus waved at the rest of the gang, "Need to talk to a girl named Claire. You know her I see", he noted when the girl's face betrayed surprise and a little fear.

"Yeah, I know her. And I know what Galvena would do to me if I started gabbing about it."

Taurus snorted. "Galvena won't do anything when she breathing out of a new hole in her neck."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "You think you could kill her? That you could get past Vadek and Rerdes and the rest of them? What are you, some kind of super elf?"

Taurus grinned widely. "That's one way of putting it. So what do you say?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "What is it about you that is making me trust you? Ah well, I guess it doesn't matter. Come on, I'll get you inside. My room is down on the lowest level, past most of the guards. Your little girlfriends over there can come too if they like that sort of thing." She laughed before suddenly turning to glare at the women who were still circling. "Back off you bitches! He's mine!"

Groans of protest rose up from the other courtesans. "But Candy!"

"Screw off Zephyr!" 'Candy' threw the brunette the finger and clung to Taurus' arm. "Get your own stud!" She shook her head. "I tell you, the competition in this business is nuts. If Galvena didn't keep us all under watch there'd be 'accidents'. It's not good to have to many of us under one roof, you know."

"What's your real name?" Taurus asked. Candy blinked. "Your name" he clarified. "I doubt your parents named you Candy."

"...Laurel" she said at last. She brushed a lock of her red hair from her face and looked up at Taurus curiously. "You know, you're the first man who's asked me that in seven years?" She shook her head and grinned. "Well Darkie, lets get a move on. Poor Claire won't be alive forever."

"Well you can imagine the look on Galvena's face when Claire's boyfriend told her off. It was priceless, I'll tell you that. But when Galvena gets pissed then people suffer. I hear she had poor Sanik killed recently, just before she dragged Claire down the hall to the dungeons. She's really a nice girl. She doesn't deserve what she's getting. Seriously, killing Galvena is the best thing you could do for us. Do you know how much I make? Well Galvena gets half of it. You try living on half of what I make Darkie! Well, we're here. The little hole in the wall I call home." Laurel stopped chattering long enough to open the door to her room. With a flip of a supple wrist, she gestured the group into the room before laying herself down in a red leather love seat.

The room was bigger than Taurus would have thought, considering all the mean things he'd heard about Galvena. The door led into a little sitting room where Laurel led them. There was a curtain dividing the sitting room with Laurel's bedroom, from which wafted several scents and perfumes, probably to increase sexual pleasures.

Viconia sniffed at the scent and a curious expression came over her face. "Now that's interesting" she murmured thoughtfully.

Aerie sniffed curiously. "What is it? It smells spicy."

"That scent is a perfume designed by drow priestesses to heighten the senses. Originally it was meant to help in summoning demons and others spirits beyond this plane. However it soon came to have more..." the drow cast a hungry sideways glance at Taurus, "...practical uses. I wonder how Galvena came to possess it?"

Laurel shrugged. "You can get anything on the black market I guess. Anyway, right now you're past most of the guards. All that is left are Galvena's personal security guards. Plus her wizard Vadek. Look out for him and Captain Rerdes, they're the nasty ones. They alone could give you some trouble."

Taurus grinned at her and bowed low from where he stood by the door. "You've made things a lot easier for us as it is. Thank you."

Laurel grinned back, cocking her head suggestively. Then a thoughtful look came over her face. "You know" she said slowly, "If you really want to get Claire out of Galvena's dungeon there just might be a way to take out the guards quietly."

"Oh? What's that?"

Laurel's idea was to go for a disguise. Apparently the courtesans of the guild house could go just about everywhere, as they doubled as servants and couriers. One of the party's women, dressed in one of Laurel's professional dresses would approach the guards with a tray from the kitchen, claiming that it was breakfast for Galvena or Vadek. Then when the guards opened the doors the rest of the group could dispose of them quietly, not warning the inhabitants of the dungeon. It was a good plan, though the choice was limited. Jaheira didn't have the properly submissive or seductive attitude, and Viconia flat out refused to play a roll that was so beneath her, as she said. So that left...

"W-WHAT?!"

Jaheira spread her hands and explained it again in a calm and reassuring voice. "To get to Claire we need you to dress as a courtesan and bluff your way past some guards and into the dungeons. Nothing fancy, just simple deception that any idiot could do."

The druid's calm and reassuring voice did nothing to reassure Aerie, who was gripping the arms of her chair and trying her very best to sink through the cushions and then the floor. "Then why not get some idiot to do it?!" the elf demanded, half hysterical.

"Because you're the best woman for the job. I don't know why, but men like the innocent look."

"Thanks a lot" Aerie grumbled and turned away. Viconia rolled her eyes.

The women had retreated to Laurel's bedroom to try and sort the problem out. Minsc had been reluctant to leave his new witch alone, but Viconia had whacked him upside the head when he'd tried to follow.

"Shy and sweet to the end, eh butterfly?" The drow grinned, amused. "The druid has a point though. Men don't like women who can fend for themselves. However sweet you may look, you can fight back. You know that as well as I. If the stinking rivven try something with you, then just blast them. You need a confidence boost, and blasting some amour clad nimrods would do you some good."

"I don't like killing people" Aerie muttered sullenly. "You know that. Look, I'd really prefer it if I didn't have to go prancing around in my underwear."

"You want to save that kind of thing for Darkie, eh?" Laurel asked shrewdly. A light pink dusted across Aerie's cheeks and the courtesan smiled. Ah, to be young and innocent again. Her smile widened to a grin. "Think of it as an experiment."

"An experiment? What do you mean?"

Laurel half sat, half lay down on the bed and crossed her legs, deliberately exposing more flesh than necessary. "The prison guards aren't eunuchs, you know. You could use them to find out a few things and get some experience. See what you like better, teasing with your breasts", Laurel leaned over showing off the ample swells of her breasts, "Or if you prefer to show off your legs", now she stretched her right leg, the slit in her dress opening to her upper thigh. "Darkie would shake out of his skin if he saw you in some of my clothes."

By now Aerie's cheeks were aflame with colour and her slender fingers entwined themselves tightly in her mage robes. But there was something about the shock in her blue eyes that was...curious. "...You think so?"

Picking up on the conversation Jaheira shrugged. "I'm sure I don't know what Taurus finds attractive. To be fair, it would be a good chance to find out."

Viconia smirked. "But if you don't want to go prancing around in your underwear I guess I could make a few sacrifices. I'm sure Laurel has some makeup that could lighten up my features."

Aerie hesitated. "Well, I guess it's for the group, isn't it? I wouldn't want Taurus' friend to stay in the asylum any longer because of me."

"That's the spirit!" Laurel slapped Aerie on the back and pulled her over to the wardrobe in the corner of the room. "Now let's see if I can work some magic. I think I have just the outfit."

Whilst the outfitting and makeup-ing were going on, Taurus killed time by flipping through his spell book. It didn't matter to him if they blew up the guards or simply knocked them out, so he had no reason to meddle in the affairs of the party's women. Minsc on the other hand was growing increasingly nervous. He kept casting mournful gazes at the curtains, behind which whispered voices, giggles and the occasional gasp were emitted. Dynaheir had mostly kept away from other women, with the exception of her sister, so this new experience was fretful and nerve- wracking to the extreme.

But when Jaheira and Viconia stepped from Laurel's bedroom, they would only smirk at Taurus' questioning eyebrow quirk. Confused, the crintri looked over to the curtain where Laurel was pushing Aerie out into view. Afterward, Taurus always remained proud of the fact that he managed to keep his jaw from hitting the floor.

Aerie smiled shyly, her lips painted the exact shade of blue her eyes were. Her delicate elven features were framed by her long blonde hair, brushed back and showing off her pointed ears. Her neck was bare with the love bite showing for the entire world to see. The dress that clung to her body was as blue as her lipstick and showed off a figure that was rather better than her usual dress and mage robes let on. A V neck line and no straps revealed the tops Aerie's creamy breasts and two long slits ran all the way from the floor up to her thighs. When she shifted her weight slightly, a flash of light blue panties could be seen between the folds.

For once, Taurus was shocked into complete silence.

Laurel grinned slyly. "So what do you think Darkie? She pretty enough?"

Taurus was still unable to say anything. Viconia rolled her eyes. When the two of you have put your eyes back in your respective faces, can we finally get down to business?"

Aerie glided down the hallway, balancing a plate of breakfast foods in one hand. The other hand rested on the swell of her hip and her body swayed lightly as she approached the door at the hall's end. Two guards waited at the end. They had seen her, and apparently they liked what they saw.

The elf girl bestowed upon them an utterly bewitching smile and stopped two feet from one of them. "Hello sir" she said in a breathy voice. Might I get through this door please?" She blinked innocently, making full use of her gorgeous eyes.

Guard one grinned. "Well that depends pet. What would a cute little girl like be willing to pay to get in there?" He caught Aerie's waist in his hands and pulled her close to him. The elf mashed her breasts to his chest, her thigh pressing against his crotch. Her breath caught a little as she balanced the plate, nearly spilling it.

"Please don't sir" she breathed, putting the sound of the weak and helpless in her voice. "The Lady Galvena requested that I bring her meal as quickly as possible."

The guard didn't release her. If anything, he held her tighter, running a hand up and down Aerie's back, caressing her lightly tanned skin. "Galvena can wait" he said. He tried to kiss her but Aerie turned her face to the side.

Guard two snorted before his colleague could do anything incredibly stupid, and reached into his armoured vest. Pulling out a key, he fitted it into the dungeon door and turned it, opening up the gloomy hallway to Aerie's infravision. Stepping back, he gestured. "You shouldn't keep Galvena waiting" he told Aerie. "She wouldn't want us delaying her breakfast."

Aerie squirmed out of Guard one's arms and bowed to Guard two, a hint of relief and a real smile on her face. "Thank you sir." Before she could step through the door though, Guard one caught her by the arm and drew her close, covering her lips with his, his hand groping up and down her leg. It took all of Aerie's willpower not to twist away and turn the man into stone. Pulling back after several long seconds, he grinned and slapped her butt. "Move along cutie. I'll see you on your way out."

Aerie smiled again and backed away slowly. Guard one watched her with covetous eyes.

Then suddenly those eyes bulged out. His mouth gaped open and tried to gasp for breath as a mysterious force lifted him from the ground and slammed him back into the stone wall. Guard two swore and reached for his sword, but a blow to the back of his head felled him without a fight. Guard one's struggled grew weaker slowly but surely. Then the force slammed him back into the wall again with enough force to shatter his skull. The body went limp. Then it was raised and brought down suddenly, snapping its spine with a sickening crunch.

The spell of invisibility over Aerie's party vanished, revealing Taurus holding the mutilated corpse of Guard one, and Jaheira standing over the unconscious form of Guard two. The druid sighed at the furious look in Taurus' eyes. "Was it really necessary to break him in half?"

"Yes! He touched Aerie." Taurus ground his teeth, looking ready to kill.

"And Shar forbid anyone but you from doing that, hmm?" Viconia's sarcasm was followed immediately by the drow herself, along with Minsc and Laurel from around the corner, who had offered to come this far. The courtesan looked concerned over at Aerie, who was spitting and wiping her mouth off, smearing her lipstick. "Is she gonna be alright?" she asked.

Viconia grinned amusedly. "She'll be just fine. I'd bet solid gold that Taurus just did what she wanted to do."

"No wager" Aerie groaned. Jaheira passed her a skin with water in it and she rinsed her mouth and spat over the corpse of Guard one. Then she kicked him a few times for good measure and breathed deeply with a grimace. "I am not doing that again!"

"For anyone but Taurus?"

"Yeah, for-"she cut off two words too late and glared at a laughing Viconia. "You talk far too much, you know that?"

Laurel rolled her eyes as Minsc went over to his witch, carrying her mage robes. The courtesan picked up the unconscious Guard two. "Well it was nice meeting you guys" she said. "I'll stuff our little friend here in a closet and take off."

Taurus bowed slightly to her. "Thanks so much for all your help Laurel."

Laurel shrugged. "You're the one who's doing all the work Darkie. I should be thanking you. Oh, and Aerie? You can keep the dress. Have fun with it!" She winked and went back up the corridor, dragging Guard two along behind.

Still laughing, Viconia slapped Aerie on the butt while she wriggled back into her mage robes, drawing a squeak of surprise. "Not bad Butterfly. A little more hip action though would make it perfect."

Aerie was barely able to stammer a half-coherent denial, so embarrassed was she. Jaheira took her down the corridor to compose herself, followed by Minsc. Taurus raised an eyebrow at his laughing lover. "I must have missed the joke."

This only made Viconia laugh harder. "You can be so naïve sometimes my dear Taurus. Remind me to instruct you in the finer points of seduction later tonight. You'll get the joke." She suddenly seized Taurus by the neck and yanked his head down, kissing him hungrily. The released him and pulled away just as suddenly, and took off through the door into the dungeon. It took the crintri a moment to recover his wits enough to follow her. But when he rejoined his friends the humour and seduction had leaked out of the air.

Jaheira's face was solemn and Aerie's face was stony as the muted cracks of a leather whip lashed through the walls. Claire's cries of agony went unheard, even to the keen hearing elves, but they could feel them. Viconia didn't seem overly affected, having seen far worse than a simple whipping, but Taurus and Minsc were quivering with fury. The half drow glanced at Aerie, who nodded and approached the door of armoured steel that was the last barrier before the dungeon. She whispered several words of magic, twisting her hands in an intricate dance of the arcane. The sophisticated locking mechanism fell before Aerie's Knock spell and the door swung slowly open on well-greased hinges. Another whispered incantation made the elf a ghost of the night. Thus cloaked with her magic, Aerie stepped softly into the room.

The stone walls were cold and hard like the woman Aerie saw. Galvena was strongly muscled, carrying a heavy mace and wearing a suit of chain mail without apparent difficulty. Short black hair framed a hard faced, edged like Taurus swords. As Aerie watched, she raised an arm and brought down a razor tipped whip viciously upon the back of a young woman. The victim was partially obscured by Galvena's large form, but even so, Aerie could still make out the vicious lacerations to back, neck, and arms. The girl, Claire was weeping with agony.

"Why?" she gasped against the pain ripping through her body. "Why couldn't you let me go? I've served you faithfully for years! Why?!"

"Be silent!" Galvena's voice was as harsh as her face. "You are my property, no one else's! As such you will not be set free and you will never see your 'husband' again. For your disloyalty to me, a sentence of death has been imposed, to be carried out immediately."

"Hold Galvena. We have visitors."

It was a thin man partially obscured by shadow. For a minute, Aerie thought he had seen her, but when Galvena whirled and glared, she was looking past the avariel. "How did you get in here?" she snapped. "Where are my idiot guards?"

Taurus grinned wickedly. "Dead, ma'am. Give us the girl and you just might walk away from this."

Galvena gave a short bark of laughter. "Well, it seems we have a brave one here."

"Arrogance is a common trait among the dregs of adventurers" the man in the shadows put it. "I believe a lesson would be in order."

Galvena nodded and raised her mace. "Well put. Vadek, begin the lesson."

The wizard smiled. "With pleasure."

Chaos instantly erupted. Galvena rushed Taurus while Claire managed to drag herself to the safety of a nearby cell. Aerie stuck out her staff, tripping the slaver woman. Startled, she stumbled forward, right into the Blade of Roses. The startled look on her face was exquisite.

However, the hallway was too narrow for the rest of the party to rush through. Thus Vadek had a perfect opportunity to cast a wide area- affecting spell, which he did. With a last word of power, he hurled his spell, and much of the party suddenly went crazy.

Jaheira stared blankly at the wall, her staff held loosely in her hand. Viconia was hacking relentlessly at Taurus, who defended himself with skill, despite the shock that engulfed him. "Vicky" he shouted, "What are you doing?!"

Aerie understood. It was a Confusion spell. It would wear off in time, but those affected wouldn't know what they were doing while it was happening. While Minsc raged ineffectually at the back of the hallway, trying to get past the scrapping Viconia and Taurus while Vadek laughed at the lunacy he caused. Then he concentrated and chanted a few seconds more and sent a deadly bolt of lightning lancing at the party.

Aerie screamed as the spell passed through her and fell to the ground, clutching her chest. She gritted her teeth and stood up, her hands weaving a spell of her own. Calling upon the power of Baervan, she released her magic just as Vadek tried to cast another spell. He literally lost his voice in the middle of the chant. Looking around wildly, his eyes came to a rest upon Aerie, whose invisibility spell had dissipated upon her silence spell's completion. Snarling, he drew a knife and jumped her.

Completely bowled over from the attack, Aerie managed to raise her staff at the last second, blocking the knife inches from her skin. The two mages remained in that position for a few seconds, then Vadek jerked away, his mouth open in a silent scream. Minsc had finally pushed his way past the fighting elves and grabbed the mage with his bare hands. Heaving back, he slammed Vadek headfirst into the stone wall. The wizard went limp very suddenly.

The range reached down and picked up his witch, beaming happily. Aerie beamed back. A whimpering drew her attention, and she turned to the left, setting eyes upon Claire. She winced inwardly. Galvena had treated her worse than Aerie had thought. The once pretty face was now a mass of bruised and dried blood. Her gentle soul was touched, and she approached the beaten woman slowly.

Claire flinched away as Aerie placed a hand gently upon her hair. "It's alright" the avariel murmured. "Galvena can't hurt you anymore. You're free."

Claire managed to look up into Aerie's eyes and sobbed with relief at the sincerity she saw there. "Oh...thank you so much! She was going to kill me. And I don't even know what she did to Sanik! My Sanik..."

Aerie swallowed a lump in her throat. "I'm sorry" she said, trying to be as gentle as possible. "Galvena had Sanik killed."

The young girl's face was so bruised it was hard to see the devastation crash across it. "Killed? No..." Tears leaked from her eyes as she cried softly and quietly.

By this time, the magic effects of the now deceased Vadek's spell had worn off, and the rest of the party had gathered around. Jaheira bowed her head in respect before asking the question. "Do you have any place to go?"

Claire dried her tears and answered. "Sanik's captain. He was going to take us away from here." The druid nodded and offered the former slave girl a hand.

"Then come. We will escort you to your captain."

"Yes" Claire sighed. "This place has nothing for me now. Thank you. Thank you all. For everything."

With Aerie and Jaheira supporting her, Claire slowly made her way from the dungeon and the guildhouse.

Smokegirl: Alright boys, hold it there and let go!

(The PCs release the chapter and groan with relief, collapsing upon the ground.)

Smokegirl: Well done my little minions. That's some good work. I think you all deserve a nice bonus.

Folken: What's that? A bucket of ice water?

Smokegirl: Nope. Pulls out her electro whip A nice long head start. Thirty seconds boys, so I'd bests tart moving if I were you.

(While the PCs scatter, Magicman sits peacefully on the sidelines.)

Magicman: You know, I just had a revelation. Taurus Halfbreed is remarkably like Tanis Halfelven. Part human and part elf, loves two women, shunned by random people, that sort of thing. But Taurus seems a much happier chap. Tanis would just take the abuse and seethe on the inside, while Taurus just doesn't care. However, things wound up not half bad for Tanis, while things are going to get much worse for Taurus. But that would be telling now, wouldn't it?