Disclaimer--I do not own the forgotten realms setting, but I do own the characters used within the story. In other words, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING THEM! I SWEAR I'LL SIT ON YOU!
AIDEN'S FLAME
Chapter 3
Aiden walked Waterdeep for some time before he found what he sought.
The sounds of battle alerted him from far off. Making haste, he was there in moments. Six drow, a patrol of eight humans, two already felled by drow steel.
Why not add an elf to the mix? Was that a way into Skullport behind them? Yes, it had to be…
Aiden stepped forward and grabbed the sword off the closest fallen guard. He was a fighter who preferred his fists, but a sword had its use. His glance swept the field for a drow wizard.
Two, he realized. Those were his first marks. They stood back from the fight, looking for deadly openings for their spells.
Aiden moved swiftly through the ten battling soldiers, knocking aside more then one drow blade. One of the drow wizards drew a sword, and the other, two wands.
Aiden jumped toward the first, slashing with his sword, hoping to get past the dark elf's guard before he was blasted by the wizard and his wands. The drow blocked his slash and made a lightning-quick incision deep into Aiden's chest. So, the wizard could use a blade, as well, he thought.
The drow slashed again at Aiden, who danced back out of his reach. Stepping in, Aiden blocked the next slash and spun, stepping back and scoring on the drow's arm -- all in the width of a breath. The drow was nowhere close to being Aiden's match with a blade, but his wizard companion gave him an edge, if he could draw out the fight long enough.
Glancing at the wand-wizard as he sidestepped a lunge from the first wizard, Aiden saw him trigger one of his wands, sending a bolt of lightning straight at Aiden.
Jumping aside, he received only a small wound on his shoulder, while the first drow narrowly escaped the lightning's wrath. Which gave Aiden an idea. If he could appear exposed, and maneuver properly… It might work.
Maneuvering with slashes, blocks and lunges, he had his back to the second drow within moments, presenting an easy target. Hoping he would hear the drow trigger the wand, he fought with the first drow while he waited.
He allowed the dark elf to knick him twice -- letting him think he had a chance -- before he heard the trigger phrase. He dropped and rolled to the side, ending up in a crouching position to the right of the first drow. He turned just in time to see said drow drop his sword and fall to the ground, having been hit in the throat by the wand's lightning blast.
The drow with the wands first seemed stricken at what he'd done, but soon smiled and even laughed at it. Aiden sighed. Drow competed over everything -- the wand wizard likely assumed he'd just taken care of some of that competition.
Aiden grabbed the drow's sword from where it had fallen and hurled it like a javelin at the remaining wizard. The dark elf raised the other wand and triggered it. The sword disappeared with a flash of black light, leaving only drifting ashes as evidence it had ever existed.
Another bolt of lightning narrowly missed Aiden as he ran toward the drow. Three more went past him and into the entrance to Skullport before he rolled under a fourth and came up kneeing the drow in the groin, then spun out, slashing, taking one of the dark elf's hands.
The drow fell to the ground, dropping his other wand and clutching at his arm, whimpering. Aiden brought the flat of his blade to the drow's face, breaking his nose and rendering him unconscious.
Turning back to the main fight, he was not happy at what he saw. There were only five humans left, still against four drow.
One of the men was on the ground, with a drow about to bring his sword down into the man's chest. Aiden could not allow that.
He threw his first sword like a javelin, only this time, there was no wand to protect his target. The sword went straight through whatever armor the dark elf might have been wearing and through his heart, to stick out the front side of his body.
Aiden moved silent as an assassin to deliver a flying side kick to one dark elf's back, in turn delivering him into the blade of a stunned human he had been battling. Maneuvering behind another quickly and quietly, Aiden broke his neck and moved out of the way before the two guards he had been fighting knew what had happened.
"Halt!" he called to the guards and remaining drow who were still fighting. "Humans, back off. Surrender or die, dark elf."
They were all still for a moment, then the man who had been the first to be saved by Aiden stepped up next to him and nodded to the two exhausted guards, who were more than happy to back away with all possible haste.
"Put down your sword, now. I have killed all of your companions, and I will not hesitate to kill you. Surrender and I will see to it you live," Aiden promised. He of course had no method of ensuring such, but he had to promise the drow something.
The dark elf thought it over for a moment, eyeing Aiden and the guards. Eventually, he nodded and dropped his sword, going to his knees.
Aiden turned to the commander and began to speak, but was cut off by the man. "You must be Aiden?" he asked.
For the second time, Aiden began to speak, but was cut off. This time by a commotion near the surrendered drow. He turned to see two guards on the ground, one unconscious and the other dazed and rubbing a bloody, and likely broken, nose. The dark elf was running to the Skullport entrance with the other two humans pursuing him.
Aiden pulled the crossbow from his back and took careful aim, sighting the target before he fired. The dart hit the drow in the back of his right knee, immediately causing him to yelp in pain and drop to the ground. The guards were on the fallen dark elf in seconds and the poison from the darts coupled with the pain of the dart in his knee allowed him to do little more than mumble and blindly swing the sword he had retrieved from the ground.
The guard whose nose had been broken had recovered from the shock of the drow's attack and was now joining his two companions as they tried to tie the struggling foe.
"Subdue him!" ordered their captain. The previously disoriented guard obeyed immediately, delivering a kick to the bottom of the drow's chin and rendering him unconscious.
Aiden replaced the crossbow on his back and turned back to the captain, acting as though nothing had happened. "I am indeed," he stated. "How did you know?"
"Faridim told us of a young elven warrior who had taken on four drow and demanded our respect," he responded, bowing his head in recognition. "I must say I doubted the truth in his words, but having seen you fight, I am confident that you could best the entire guard in swordsmanship!"
"Your flattery is appreciated, but I doubt that if the rest of the guard has many warriors who are half as brave as yours that I would stand very long," he replied, somewhat uncomfortable now that the battle was over. "It takes a great deal of skill and even more gall to stand against the drow, and for your so doing, I salute you and your men."
The captain bowed his head as his eyes shone with pride at the compliments. "I see that you are not inexperienced in the art of flattery and sociality."
"Not inexperienced, no, but still as uncomfortable in them as any warrior," Aiden responded.
The captain smiled and extended his hand. Aiden clasped his wrist in a warrior's handshake. The captain nodded, noting the firm grip, and said, "I am Captain Flamecaller, and my men and I are in your debt, Aiden."
"Flamecaller? Are you a mage?" Aiden asked, glad not to have to respond to the captain's other comment.
"No, I am afraid I lack a certain mindset for the arcane. The name comes from my father, and his father, and so on. Most of my family at least dabble in the arcane. I believe I am the first in the line to not take up the arts," he responded. Aiden feigned interest in the man's story, but felt none. He didn't much care of the man's abilities, arcane or not, but wanted to consider the drow and their peculiar behavior.
"Captain," he said as the man finished. "Did your men travel into Skullport, or did the drow come out of the Underdark?"
"The drow ambushed us as we passed, on patrol."
"So they were in Waterdeep?"
"Yes, I suppose they were."
"Do not the drow stay in the Underdark, of norm?" Aiden asked.
"Yes, true…so why were they here? I shall report this to my superiors as soon as the wounded have been taken care of," Captain Flamecaller stated.
"Good," Aiden responded. "Speaking of your superiors, I should like to meet this General who commands you."
"That should not be too difficult," he said. "I will send an escort to you when a time is decided upon."
"Thank you," Aiden said. "I must take my leave. Good luck, my friend. I shall look forward to meeting you again."
A.N.--Well, that's one way to make friends... R&R!