A/N: I would like to preface this chapter by warning y'all that this chapter contains implications of sexual assault, as well as scenes of bloody and violence. Also, this will be my first ever attempt at writing a battle scene so do keep that in mind.

/

Chapter 2: The Scouring of Tristram

"Whether in times of strife or times of peace, there will always be those cruel enough to prey on those with no recourse to defend themselves…"

-Drizzt Do Urden, Champion of Mithrall Hall

/

By Mei's estimate, they had been riding for about half a day now. According to her maps of the Sword Coast, Karag Krazak was at least three days ride from Silverymoon, though given her eagerness; Mei felt that she would be able to reach the Dwarf hold in two days at most. A surge of excitement rose within her; even now, she could scarcely believe that she had been deemed worthy to embark on such an important task. If it were just her on the road, she would drive her mount at all haste to Krazak with zero concern whether she ate or slept.

Alas, fate said otherwise…

"With all the time I have to spend in the Church, I always seem to forget just how beautiful the hills look this time of the year," said the woman riding slightly behind the mage. Mei scoffed softly at the sudden break in the silence. Sun had already left the Material Plane to her astral home, leaving just the two of them on the road.

"Yes, yes," she said hurriedly, "it is all very exciting."

"Indeed," replied Miriam, seemingly ignorant of Mei's frustration, "Lady Alustriel's realm is truly beauty itself."

Mei rolled her eyes, but even so, she could not exactly disagree with the paladin's statement. The countryside truly was a thing of beauty; its rolling, windswept hills and calm streams almost being lifted from an artist's easel. The midday sun was warm, yet not so insufferably unpleasant as it might be in the desert kingdoms of Al-Azradd. As they rode, they passed farmers tending to their crops of wheat and potatoes; some smiled warmly and waved at them as they rode by.

Needless to say, Miriam was right.

"Yes, quite so," Mei finally replied.

The Paladin kicked her mount in order to move up beside Mei, much to the mage's consternation. "I can see you are a woman of few words," joked Miriam, flashing a toothy grin. Mei could see that her teeth were somewhat crooked, with a pronounced overbite. Truly, by most Silverymoon standards, Miriam would be considered quite plain and homely. Still, as much as she fervently wanted to deny it, there was something about that grin that exuded a great deal of warmth.

"I am quite capable of holding a conversation, Paladin," Mei huffed, "I just think we should focus on the task at hand rather than engage in pointless conversations regarding local geography."

Miriam laughed, a hearty and mirthful sound escaping her throat. "Ah, but would you not agree that any sort of good conversation will ease the monotony of travel?"

Nine Hells, she has a point, Mei conceded silently. In truth, even though they had only been riding for a relatively short time, it felt as if days had passed since the left the gates of Silverymoon.

"I suppose you are correct," replied Mei, "Very well then; how long have you served the Order?"

"It would be ten summers, by my reckoning," answered Miriam, deep in recollection, "I was...an urchin before; my mother lost to the plague, and my father lost to drink."

Mei was shocked to hear about the Paladin's childhood. She remembered reading about the Great Plague of Silverymoon and the mountains of dead that it left in its wake. How many others were left without family, she wondered. Now, Mei felt a great deal of guilt for how she had earlier treated Miriam.

"Oh Miriam, I cannot imagine how hard it was."

The Paladin nodded solemnly. "It was not easy. All I could think about was what I was going to eat one day, or where I could take shelter from the rains. Needless to say, I committed many acts that I deeply regret. One day, I had attempted to steal the purse of someone I believed to be an easy mark. However, as soon I reached to lift the pouch, his hand immediately grabbed my wrist. Oh, I was deathly afraid; I believed he would report me to the guard and I would spend the rest of my days rotting in a dungeon. However, as I looked at his face, I saw him smile; only then did I realize it was High Marshall Galatar, himself. Rather than haul me to the guard post, he took me to the temple and there he told me that I had two choices: either I continue living on the streets, wondering whether I would be able to eat, or I could dedicate my life to a greater purpose."

"Goodness, Miriam, you have been through so much," said Mei, softly.

Miriam cleared her throat; Mei could not be so sure, but she could have sworn she saw a hint of red forming on the Paladin's cheeks. "Yes well, I am sure I have bored you enough with my life story. Tell me, what was your life like? Mainly books and spell training, I imagine?"

Mei looked down in sorrow; she had hoped Miriam would avoid asking about the mage's past. Her life before joining the College was something she preferred not to think about, much less discuss with anyone.

"I…yes, absolutely!" she replied, somewhat unconvincingly, "Nothing special about me. I have been in the College since I first showed signs of proficiency in the arcane."

Well, that part was true, from a certain point of view…

Thankfully, Miriam's grin told Mei that she had believed her white lie. Hopefully that would be the end of that, and she would never have to think about the homeland for the time being.

She would not have to think about that for much longer as a loud rumble filled the air, seemingly coming from her stomach. Miriam laughed again; "By Tyr, Mei, even I heard that!"

Mei blushed in embarrassment. "Quiet!" she shot back, "I am just hungry, is all!"

"Come to think of it, so am I." Miriam placed her thumb and forefinger to her chin in thought. "In fact, dusk is coming soon, I reckon." The paladin pulled out a map from her horse's saddlebag. "According to this, there is a village just a few leagues away. Perhaps we can stop there for the night and enjoy a hot meal and a warm bed?"

"No, we must not delay any longer than we have to. This missive must reach the Rune Master post-haste!" Mei exclaimed, trying to seem convincing. In truth, a part of her could not exactly refuse a chance to enjoy some comforts before being forced to sleep on the hard ground and eat salt jerky and hard waybread for the rest of their trip.

"Come now, dear mage! I am certain you would like an opportunity to rest your legs and enjoy some semblance of civilization before the wilds," teased Miriam, as if she had read Mei's mind.

Mei tried to form a coherent retort but in the end, the prospect of sleeping on a soft mattress was too great of a temptation. She sighed in defeat. "Very well, but we only stay one night and we leave at the break of dawn. Understood?"

Miriam grinned again. "As you command, my lady," she replied with a wink.

Gods, she truly is insufferable, Mei thought scornfully, unaware of the blood rushing to her cheeks.

/

By the time the pair sighted the village on the horizon, the sun was beginning its descent. Mei sighed in relief; they have arrived just in time. As they rode closer, she could closely observe their destination. It was a fairly large village, much larger than any other peasant hamlets that dotted the Forgotten Realms. Having been built right on top of the Queensroad, it was evident that Tristram saw many merchant caravans passing through it to reach their respective markets. As such, it seemed that the village saw a great measure of growth, judging by the presence of well-built two story homes made of strong timber and stone.

The women entered the town, earning a few curious looks from the village people milling about in the main street. This was something Mei expected; most of these villages were quite place. A mage and a Paladin were sights that were as rare as gold dragons here.

The street was quiet, with most of the villager having finished their daily toils and returning home to their hearths. Others would have most likely stopped at the local tavern to toast another day's work. Still, Mei noticed that the main street was not completely empty.

As she looked to her left, she could see a group of men loitering about near one of the buildings. They did not look like typical country folk; doubly more evident given their appearance. They were dressed in a motley assortment of leather and scuffed iron, each adorned with a black scarf around their necks. The men carried an assortment of weapons: short swords, cudgels, daggers, amongst others. Their eyes were hard, as befitting of men of foul deeds. One of them looked at Mei and shot her a leery sneer, to which she immediately pulled up her hood to hide her face. Miriam saw this and rode up so she was right next to Mei, blocking the man's view. The swordswoman shot a fiery gaze at the ruffian, taking him aback; his companions laughed at his discomfort and one spat on the ground in apparent insult.

"Do not provoke them, Miriam," Mei ordered, "let us find the inn and rent a room for the night. No fighting, understood?"

"As you wish," replied Miriam.

The pair came to a stop in from of a two-storied building; Hanging above the front door was a sign that read "The Drow's Plunder," which told them they had finally found what they were looking for. The women tied their horses to the hitching posts in front of the inn and walked through the door.

As they passed the threshold, the smell of alcohol and roast pig immediately filled their nostrils, which made Mei salivate as if by instinct. The tavern itself was busy, but the two were able to find an empty table for them. As they made their way to the table and sat down on the chairs, a sudden burst of raucous laughter drew Mei's gaze to the farthest corner of the room.

At the table sat three men of the same cloth as the hard looking individuals she had seen outside. They were laughing uproariously as they shoved pieces of pig into their mouths and washed them down with swigs of ale. Mei did not doubt that they were well and truly drunk. One of the three, a particularly large and ugly one, promptly smacked the rear of a passing serving girl, eliciting more laughter from his two mates. A look of discomfort and embarrassment was etched on the girl's face, but it was clear she was too afraid to call out their behavior. Mei felt her bile rise at the sight, but fought to keep herself in check; the last thing they needed was to start an unnecessary fight with the locals.

She glanced at her companion and saw Miriam's face contorted in barely contained anger. It was not surprising; the code of Tyr's paladins stated that they were bound to help those unable to defend themselves and bring justice to those who would harm the innocent. Mei knew that had the woman not already pledged to follow Mei's orders, she would have already enacted Tyr's justice on the loathsome curs. One sharp look from the mage told the paladin to steel her choler.

"I will ask the tavern keep if he can gives room and board for the night," said Miriam as she stood up; it was clear this was a way for her to distract herself from the ruffians. Mei nodded, giving leave to her companion. As the paladin left, another serving girl approached her table.

"Welcome to 'The Drow's Plunder,' m'lady," she said in a sweet, country accent, "what'll it be tonight?"

"Nilean Red, if you have it. A mug of ale for my companion when she arrives." The serving girl nodded and turned to retrieve their drinks. Before she could leave, however, Mei gently grabbed her wrist.

"Those men in the corner; who are they?" asked Mei.

The serving girl swallowed. "Hard men, they are," she began, "Bad men, very bad men. They came 'round these parts less than a fortnight ago. They wanted to burn the town and steal all of our valuables, but the mayor, he made a deal with them. We give them food, drink, and….comfort for the cold night, and they spare us." The serving girls face became downcast. "My sister was given to them. I ain't seen her in days." Tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I'll bring your drinks, but you should leave as soon as you can, before they lay their filthy eyes on you."

The girl pulled her hand away from Mei and shuffled quickly to cellar door, allowing Mei to mull over what she had told her. Bandits, just perfect, she mused to herself. They had only just begun their journey and already they ran into possible complications.

No, we will be okay, she corrected herself, as long as the paladin can keep her righteous fury in check, we shall be away from her with nary a problem

"Well, well, well," a rough, leering voice sounded near her left ear, "What do we have here, hey?"

Mei sighed; it seemed trouble was coming to them.

/

The man towered over her, at least by three feet, maybe more. He was dressed in the same motley as the men outsides, with a steel morning star clasped to his belt. His face was hideous, horribly scarred and pockmarked, with worm-like lips and a misshapen nose that seemed to have been broken countless times. His breath reeked of ale and rotting teeth; Mei felt the urge to gag.

"Been a long while since we've 'ad new beauties 'round 'ere. Welcome to Tristram," he said with an exaggerated imitation of a courtly bow, "Name's Bruce, little tart. What say you come over and meet my boys?"

Mei snorted; "I appreciate the offer," she said with barely concealed sarcasm. If the brute had noticed it, he made no sign of it. "But, I think I would rather drink alone."

"Now that would be unwise, hey. Times are dangerous for a sweet little thing like you to be drinkin' alone, y'hear? Me an' me mates will sure as sure keep you safe and we can all have a bit of fun." He punctuated this last statement with a leery smile that showed his decayed teeth. The stench of his breath was becoming unbearable to Mei.

"I think I can look after myself, thank you very much. Now, if you don't mind;" At this moment, the serving girl Mei had conversed with brought her a wooden goblet filled with her favorite wine. She took the goblet and sipped the warm liquid, feeling the warmth fill her stomach. She looked back at the man, "I would like to enjoy my drink in peace."

Bruce was slightly taken aback by brusque refusal; most women seemed too afraid to stand up to him and his boys. He felt his anger rise, not helped by the sounds of his companions sniggering at his misfortune with the red-haired woman.

"Now, now, girly," he said, his tone darkening, "Let's make somethin' clear: no one says no to Bruce. Now, I ain't goin' to ask again. Come to our table, or we might have a slight problem." The man grabbed Mei's shoulder in order to show that he was not taking no for an answer.

Big mistake, Mei thought deviously. She grabbed the man's wrist and began calling upon the Winds of Magic. She felt the arcane power enter her body and she used her innate skills to transfer that power to her palm and fingers. Her hand began to burn as if engulfed in white-hot flame (though to the untrained eye, her hand appeared to be as normal as their own hand. Bruce began to scream as he felt the skin of his wrist sear and bubble, the smell of burning flesh filling the room. At this point, all conversation within the tavern ceased and everyone turned to look at the cause of the commotion.

The brute pulled his hand away from the mage's shoulder and looked pathetically at the hand-shaped burn mark seared into his skin. His face twisted in rage as Mei smiled devilishly at his pain. The man looked straight into her eyes, and Mei could tell he had murder in his mind.

"You bloody cunt!" He exclaimed raising his hand as if to slap Mei straight across the cheek. The mage had already prepared a cantrip in order to blast him away, but the last thing she expected was a gloved hand grabbing the man's wrist before he could lay a hand on her.

The last thing Bruce probably expected was Miriam's fist colliding straight into his jaw. Blood and a few loose teeth exploded out of his mouth as he tumbled backwards from the blow. His two companions had already gotten up from their table when the commotion started and were there to keep him from falling face-first onto the floor. As Bruce recovered, he got a good look at his aggressor. Miriam looked at his stoically, but it was clear that her eyes burned with determination and fury.

Bruce looked at the other two ruffians. "Well?" he barked, "Don't just stand there, you louts! Get her!"

The two looked apprehensive, but one murderous look from their leader convinced them otherwise. One of them, a tall, lanky twig of a man lunged forward to try to catch her off guard. Unluckily for him, Miriam was more than ready for his move. She quickly grabbed his arm and used his own momentum to throw him down to the floor with ease. He groaned in pain as his back landed upon the hard wood with a loud smack.

The other man, a heavier wide set man, took one of the chairs at his table and threw it at Miriam. She expertly ducked under the thrown piece of furniture with almost inhuman like reflexes. As the big man was distracted with how his attack failed, Miriam surged forward, catching the man unawares with a swift uppercut to his chin. He fell back, clutching his injured jaw with tears forming in his eyes.

Bruce stood aghast; this mysterious woman just swiftly bested two of his best mates, while she looked none worse for wear. Her eyes caught his, filling him with extreme dread.

She grabbed him by the scruff of his tunic and pulled him towards her; he could feel her breath on his face. "Leave," commanded the paladin, throwing Bruce through the tavern door, his two friends following him closely behind after recovering from Miriam's attacks.

Miriam followed the three men outside the tavern, followed by Mei. Truth be told, and she would deny it openly, but the mage was impressed by her companion's show of force. She managed to utterly humiliate three larger men with nary a scratch and without having to unsheathe her sword. Indeed, she was curious as to how this was going to end.

As Bruce and his cronies stumbled out of "The Drow's Plunder," the five men that the pair had passed approached the three cautiously; it appeared that they were all part of the bandit group the serving girl had mentioned. Bruce pointed a shaking finger at the five, then at Miriam and Mei.

"Kill them!" he yelled, a mixture of blood, froth, and rage, dripping from his mouth, "Kill them both! Make an example out of 'em!"

The five bandits looked at them with a murderous gleam in their eye; it seemed they were itching for some excitement today. Each brought out their arms and began to walk menacingly towards the two visitors.

"I shall deal with them quickly. You keep your pretty red head out of trouble," said Miriam, turning to Mei and giving her a cheeky wink. Mei once more felt a blush forming on her cheeks.

Miriam strode forwards, her hand firmly on the grip of her longsword. She stood around two meters from the approaching men, showing no fear in the face of these violent curs.

"I will only say this once," she began in a loud, commanding voice. Truthfully, Mei was slightly taken aback by the change in her tone of voice. She had become so used to her somewhat jovial demeanor she showed near the beginning of their journey. "If you all value your lives, then you shall leave this town and never bother these people again. If you refuse, then I shall bring Tyr's justice upon you."

The five ruffians looked among themselves and began to laugh loudly. "Are you blind or foolish, lass?" said one carrying a rusted short sword, "There be five of us and only one of ye." The man boldly approached the paladin. "How's this: you get on your knees and beg fer forgiveness, an' maybe we forget this whole thing." The man licked his lips and gave her a leering smiled.

Miriam responded to the man's proposition by quickly unsheathing her sword and slashing his throat in a blink. He stood there dumbfounded, as if he was unaware of what had just happened. It was not until he looked down and saw his tunic begin to stain with his blood. A look of horrible realization flashed on his face as he threw a hand to his throat in a futile attempt to stem the bleeding. However, it was all for naught as he soon collapsed onto the dirt, his crimson lifeblood pouring out from the cut on his neck. Seconds later, the life in his eyes disappeared, and he became deathly still.

The other four stood in shock and disbelief at what they had just saw. This woman just slew one of their own in a single stroke. How could one person be capable of such a feat?

With a sleigh of her hand, Miriam threw off her travel cloak, showing the men that they were dealing with one of Tyr's judicators. They stepped back, fear beginning to flood their features. It was one thing to torment a few malnourished peasants, but this was a fully anointed paladin of Tyr.

"What are you doing, you louts?" cried Bruce from behind them, "Bloody kill her or the Boss will know that he hired a bunch 'a cowards!"

That seemed to whip them back into shape; Mei surmised that whoever their leader was, he did not take kindly to cowardice. With their resolve restored, they resumed their advance towards Miriam.

One man, whom Mei recognized as the one who sneered at her when they had arrived, lunged forward, attempting to bring down a wooden cudgel upon the paladin's head. Miriam sidestepped the blow and as the man tried to recover from the momentum of his attack, she quickly thrusted her sword, plunging the blade into his back.

She kicked the corpse away just in time to parry another attack, this time by a bandit carrying a steel dagger. As she deftly parried the blow, she kneed the man in his groin; he doubled over in pain, tears streaming down his eyes. He would not feel the pain much longer as Miriam brought her blade down upon his neck, separating his head from his body.

Unbeknownst to the swordswoman, one last bandit managed to sneak up behind her as she dealt with the dagger wielder. The man smiled evilly as he saw how lucky he was to catch her by surprise. Miriam cursed as she noticed his shadow wash over her, knowing full well that she would be unable to block him in time. As the man began to bring down his axe, she steeled herself for the killing blow.

The blow did not come, however. Instead, she heard a sound that seemed like a crash of thunder. The man's face contorted into a visage of pain, his mouth wide open in a silent scream. He fell forward and Miriam could see a smoking, charred spot on his back, the stench of ozone and burnt flesh filling her nostrils. She looked up and saw Mei, her arm held up with wisps of smoke coming from her fingertips.

They both nodded and shared a wry smile.

/

As the dust settled, five men lay dead on the main square of Tristram. Bruce and his cronies, seeing how unprepared they were to face this interloper quickly mounted their horse and rode away as if their lives depended on it. Before passing the entrance to the village, Bruce turned towards the pair and the gathering townsfolk who were shuffling out of their homes to see what the commotion was all about.

"Wait till the Boss hears of this!" he warned, "We'll be back and you and this whole town will burn!" He kicked his mount into full speed and the three rode off to the horizon.

Mei walked towards her companion as she was wiping the blood of her blade. She crossed her arms and gave the paladin a disappointed look.

"I know, I know," sighed Miriam, "'Do not cause trouble, Miriam. I told you to keep your head down, Miriam.'"

Mei smiled; "Actually, I was going to say that I am disappointed you let that man catch you unawares."

"Well, I do have you to thank for watching my hide. That was an impressive shot."

Mei smiled warmly and began to blush at the compliment. Before she could compliment Miriam's skill, however, they saw a wizened old man approach them, a look of worry marring his feature.

"What have you two done?" he said, "Oh dear, you have doomed us all."

"What do you mean, 'doomed you all,'" asked Miriam.

"You killed The Titan's men. Now he will rend our town asunder.

"And who might you be?" Mei interjected, somewhat annoyed at his ungrateful attitude.

"I am Maurice, mayor of Tristram," he replied, "My duty is to protect this town and its people from harm.

"And I suppose you are the one who made a deal with these bandits?" said Mei. The old mayor looked down to the ground, regret forming on his face.

"You did what?!" exclaimed Miriam, anger rising in her voice.

"Please! You must understand, I had no choice!" said Maurice, holding up his hands in defense, "They said they would burn down Tristram and take everything. They would have killed all of the men and force the women and children into servitude. No one here knows how to wield a sword; we are merely farmers and ranchers. This was the only way I keep us alive." He looked at the corpses strewn about the ground. "But, now The Titan will hear of this, and he will come in force."

"Who is this 'Titan' that you speak of?" asked Mei.

"He is the leader of this group. They say he stands as tall as a giant and that he can tear a man in two. Oh dear, if he comes, we are all doomed."

Miriam took a deep breath. "Not unless we find him first," said Miriam. She glanced at Mei, who merely sighed.

"As much as I wish to not get involved in matters outside of current quest, I cannot in good conscience leave these people to their fates," she admitted. This brought knowing smile from the Paladin.

"Fight him?! Just the two of you!? You are mad!" exclaimed Maurice in disbelief

"Maybe so. However, I am Tyr's soldier and I am bound to bring His justice upon those who would harm others," said Miriam.

Maurice opened his mouth to voice concern, but the look on Miriam's face showed that any arguments would fall on deaf ears. The old man sighed; "Very well, if you can defeat those bandits, this will owe you a debt of gratitude."

He pointed a wrinkly finger towards the horizon where the three survivors galloped; "Their camps lies down that road; about two leagues from here. I know not how many more still live. If The Titan is slain, I am certain the rest will flee for their lives."

The pair nodded. "When it is done, we will return," Miriam promised. She turned to the mage; "Well Mei, it seems we may have a small detour planned."

The mage sighed loudly. It was going to be a long night, indeed.

Chapter 2 End