D&D Tag Along
Chapter 3: The Fire'n'Water Inn
A/N: It's so nice when school is cancelled because of -40 degree weather. So I got this chapter started a little earlier than expected. Enjoy this new chapter and please continue with the reviews.
(----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)
The group was still confused as to why the Kobolds had attacked us. That is why we had decided to stop at the Fire'n'Water Inn on the way to Dondoria. There, we would find an expert on the local wildlife that may know the reason behind the unexplained magic that these Kobold's wielded. This expert was a Centaur who had been cursed by Boneheimer for being rebellious. Jillian had known this Centaur long before she had chosen to follow the path of a Paladin.
The forest opened up slightly, letting in a strong ray of light. Gabriel flinched slightly at the sudden change in brightness. The fiend in her must not like bright lights, which was understandable. Fiends almost always lived in dark places, attacking only at night. I had been lucky that Gabriel had been awake at the time of the Kobold attack.
Tucked neatly away among the trees was a two story building. Hanging loosely above the front door was a sign showing a lake lit on fire. Very interesting representation of the name. "Tint, go park the cart. Meet us inside after." Jillian ordered.
I grumbled slightly as the other five wandered inside of the Inn. I directed the cart over to an area where some other beasts of burden and their loads. The two workhorses were happy to get the rest as I attached them to a tree.
I calmly made my way back to the door to the Inn. I opened the door and walked inside, assaulted by the sudden silence that was inside. Every inhabitant was staring menacingly at the group. "Hey! We don't serve their kind here." The barkeep said, pointing at our group.
"What?" Rurik asked in disbelief.
"That fiend. She'll have to wait outside." The barkeeper was obviously referring to Gabriel. A few of the drunks were readying their weapons for battle. I had a feeling that a fight could break out at any second.
Tagorus turned to Gabriel. "Do you mind?" He asked her. She shook her head in response and quickly exited the Inn. Maybe it was just me, but it looked like she was upset. As soon as the door slammed shut behind Gabriel, the bar turned into a regular scene of drunkenness.
Jillian apparently spotted her contact and was making her way towards the far side of the room. Rurik and Tagorus were following closely behind her, trying to lose her among the feet. Deanna stood at my side, as if she was waiting for me to move first. "I feel bad for Gabby." Deanna said, sounding somewhat depressed.
Meanwhile, my brain was racking itself. "I'm sure that scene happened in Star Wars." I stated, totally ignoring whatever it was that Deanna had just said. Deanna looked at me like I was crazy. "You know the scene right before Obi Wan cuts off those guys' arms? Now that was sweet! Well anyway, as you know, the bartender didn't like droids."
Deanna shook her head. "I just had to pick a nerd." She muttered to herself.
I smiled proudly, "Speak for yourself! You were the runner up in our high school."
"And who got first?" She asked smugly.
"I did." I said with a smile.
"Then, the bigger nerd should go talk to Gabriel." Deanna suggested, ushering me out the door. Then she proceeded to shut the door behind me.
I looked around the clearing, trying to locate Gabriel. Of course, she was nowhere to be seen in the light. I found myself taking my search back into the forest, searching the treetops for the elven half fiend. Sure enough, I found her perched up on a branch. Her wings were curled around her and she appeared to be shaking uncontrollably. "You ok?" I asked when I stopped beneath her tree.
She looked over at me, her eyes glowing with an unusual glimmer that I had never seen before. "What do you want?" She hissed. Maybe my imagination was running wild, but was she crying? I didn't know that fiends could cry.
I hesitated slightly from her remark, somewhat afraid for my personal safety. I pulled myself up a couple of branches and sat down close to Gabriel. Gabriel kept her eyes locked on me as I leaned against the tree. "It's nothing to cry about." I stated.
The tree shuddered as Gabriel's mace struck against the tree near my head. "I am not crying!" Gabriel denied, even though her voice betrayed her words. Meanwhile, I was very thankful that I wasn't sitting any closer to her. "Everywhere I go, everyone treats me that way. They take one look at me and scream, 'look, a big stupid, ugly fiend.' I just want to be treated like a normal elf would."
I honestly felt bad for her. It wasn't her fault that she was part fiend. "You know, I like you just the way that you are. If I could, I'd take your fiend heritage from you." I said, attempting to sound nice and caring.
Gabriel had stopped her crying. "Do you really mean that?" She asked.
I nodded my head. "Honest. It's because of you that any of us are lucky enough to still be alive." I stated, referring to the Kobold attack.
"I expect you to repay that favor in the future." Gabriel chuckled. "Did you see the look on their faces when I dropped that one from the sky?"
I nodded my head as I envisioned the fight. "They almost died in fear right then."
"You are not like any other human that I have ever run into. You are actually a very kind person. I am honored that we are traveling together. I consider you a friend." I looked at Gabriel in surprise. I never expected that I would make friends with an elven chick with black wings.
"I say it's time to make a stand." I suggested as I jumped from my branch. I looked back over my shoulder. Gabriel was looking at me with great interest. I motioned for her to follow me as I walked towards the Fire'n'Water Inn.
The two of us made our way across the clearing and up to the door of the Inn. Just as I reached out for the doorknob, a nearby window suddenly shattered as a drunken orc was flung through it. I looked at Gabriel, who was just as confused as I was. We stepped over the unconscious orc and looked in the window.
The Fire'n'Water Inn was a madhouse, with furniture and punches being thrown in every direction. In the center of the commotion were Rurik, Tagorus, and a green Centaur. Jillian and Deanna were carefully threading their way towards the entrance, trying to escape without any harm.
Gabriel was already climbing through the window, fighting her way towards the guys. The scene reminded me of the fights between the nerds and punks back home. Good times. I jumped through the window, ready for an attack on me at any second. For some reason I headed over to where I had last seen Deanna and Jillian.
A human with a dagger in his hand stepped in front of me. He swung out at me, aiming for my stomach. I jumped aside, pushing over another person as I did. I grabbed hold of the man's extended knife hand, pulling him towards me. As I did, I kicked out with my left foot, striking the man in his stomach. He quickly doubled over in pain, clearing a path between me and the females.
Jillian had made it safely outside, but Deanna wasn't in as good of position. She had been backed into a corner, surrounded by a couple of boorish appearing drunks. The two human males looked at each other with a dirty look on their faces. Then, they advanced upon the defenseless girl.
I reached out and managed to reach out and tap one of the men on the shoulder. He turned his head to look at me only to receive a solid hook across his face. The second man saw his partner fall to the ground and turned his focus on me. He picked up an overturned chair, raising the furniture above his head. Just as he was about to throw the chair, something happened to him, causing him to drop the weapon and fall to the floor.
Deanna stood smugly behind the fallen man. In her hand was the broken remains of a jug. "I appreciate the rescue attempt, but next time remember that the rescuer should not require help from the rescued." She stated as she tossed the remaining pieces of the jug aside.
"I didn't ask for help, did I?" I retorted, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the mob. Apparently, they had forgotten their original purpose for the fight and were just attacking people at random. After fending off a couple of drunken fighters, Deanna and I safely made our way out the door.
Jillian and the others were waiting patiently for us on the outside. "Let us get away from this place before anyone decides to disturb us any further." The halfling suggested.
Of course, I was sent to retrieve the cart and horses. I quickly untied the rope that kept the horses in place and jumped behind the reins. The two animals actually responded to my orders, which hardly had occurred since we left from that first town. The cart lurched forward, past the other heroes and down the trail. Deanna, Rurik, and Jillian jumped aboard the cart as it went passed them. Gabriel, Tagorus, and the Centaur had already gone ahead.
We traveled along the path for about an hour before Jillian decided that it was safe for us to stop and make camp. I was surprised when I looked up and saw that the sun was already setting. The day had gone by really fast, but then again, most of the time had been traveling to the Fire'n'Water Inn.
By the time I had secured the horses, Deanna had already started a fire. The others gathered around and waited for me to join them. Jillian proceeded to introduce me to the Centaur. "Tint, this is Fido. Fido, I believe you know the others."
Fido looked around at the other faces that had gathered. I stared in amazement when I noticed that his green coat let him blend in perfectly with the wilderness that surrounded him. "If it isn't too much of a bother, may I ask a question?" I asked.
Fido nodded his head in approval, saying, "If it is about my fur, I will save your breath. Back before this region fell under the powers of Boneheimer, I was the leader of my clan. Boneheimer invaded and my people put up a fight. I was the only one to survive and as punishment, Boneheimer cursed me with this fur. But, that was back when he was only a Mindflayer and not a Lich, yet."
I suddenly thought back to my D&D group back home. Hadn't one of the players wanted to create a Mindflayer/Lich? I remembered what I had read about the two monsters. The Mindflayer was one of the evilest creatures in the game. Its pastimes included sucking out someone's brain and using mind control. The Lich was the ultimate undead creature. In order to become a Lich, something had to go through an incredibly evil process that involved killing hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
My thought process was interrupted by Fido. He was explaining how the Kobolds had gained access to a sleep spell that could overpower even an Elf. "Recently, someone managed to sneak inside of Dondoria and steal a special jewel from the forehead of the Copper Dragon that guards the castle. This jewel has the magical ability to grant the owner unlimited magical powers. It was because of the jewel's disappearance that the Dragon of Dondoria was unable to defend the castle against Boneheimer. I do not know how this thief managed this event, but nonetheless, this jewel has fallen into the hands of these Kobolds. We must retrieve the jewel and return it to the dragon. That way, we will be able to deal a decisive blow against Boneheimer. If we regain Dondoria, we just might have a chance to win this war."
(----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)
A/N: A power hungry Mindflayer/Lich ruling the world, a fiend to get revenge against, and a herd of Kobolds with the power to destroy the world. Who are you scared of most? Poor, poor Tint and friends. Thanks for reading and please review.