Chapter Three – Goat Man and the Erstwhile Kobold Companion

A/N…again. – So it seems I have more time to write than I first thought I did. I suppose I should take advantage of the fact that I still have one more full week before band camp starts and I become sufficiently busy…and hope my chronic writer's block doesn't come back. One of the reasons I would never make it as a published author…but I digress. Yes, I agree with you; I talk too much.

Fhulhi: Much thanks for the review, and for solidifying future chapters from Valen's POV. It was something I had questioned at first, and talked myself into doing only through sleep-deprived insanity, so it's a nice surprise to find out it wasn't a total failure. To put it shortly, I greatly appreciated your input.

Enter…chapter three of this insane tale.

"As the Boss and the erstwhile kobold companion made their shaky way off of the giant boat that had brought them through dastardly dangerous black slimy waters – did Deekin describe water too much? – through dark, black slimy waters, they began to feel sudden dread! Goat man follow, of course."

Tazieyn grimaced; as much as she found Deekin's narration to be highly amusing and entertaining, she found it unsettling how he managed to pinpoint and nail with words the exact emotion she felt at the time of each scene he diligently wrote. And write he did, almost endlessly in fact, on their truly disturbing boat trip to the island upon which they now stood.

The entire trip had caused a rather clenching feeling to grow in her gut, and she had spent the journey seated on the deck with her back against the roughly hewn ferry railing trying to force down the constant nausea. And so, her position left her with little else to do but watch her two companions.

Deekin somehow managed to not be bothered at all by the sinister depth of the water; in fact, quite on the contrary, he seemed fascinated by it, almost unable to tear his eyes away from it as he frantically scribbled details down on his travel-worn ream of parchment he always carried. He was so carefree, that one. Never worried, always focusing on what he believed was most important – the telling of his tales and the singing of his songs.

The half-elf regarded that thought as slightly amusing; how similar was the outside world's view of her. Carefree, unburdened by past mistakes of herself and others. Such was the life of a rogue such as herself, she mused, at least to the eyes of one not living it.

Tearing her thoughts away from the path they were taking, she focused on watching Valen's slow pacing at the ship's bow. She was venturing close to her past…too close for her liking. She directed her thoughts, instead, to the way he walked back and forth, alert and anxious to be back on dry land. He hadn't said a word since their conversation in Lith M'yathar, choosing instead to spend his time in silence, though whether it was contemplation or simple observation she had no way of knowing.

And now, here they were, stepping with uncertainty onto the Isle of the Maker.

"If you don't stop that, kobold, I swear, I will tear your tongue out with my bare hands and pickle it in a jar." Tazieyn turned around to see Valen glaring at Deekin, who was sticking his tongue out at the man and glaring with equal ferocity. She almost said something, and would have, had she not suddenly felt the sharp, icy tip of a spear pressed against her throat.

"Make one move, surfacer, and your neck will be skewered to a cold rock surface. What are you doing here?" The voice was gravelly but definitely female. It also seemed to be coming from below…

Tazieyn looked down and caught the cool gaze of an armored duergar woman who looked like she would rather kill than parlay with strangers. "My business here is my concern alone, but I swear to you, I will not harm a hair on your head, or on the heads of your men, as long as you return the favor to me in kind." She felt the divine power course through her for the first time in years, but now was no time to be falling to her knees and offering prayers of thanks to her goddess. Instead, she kept her gaze trained on the dwarf, who suddenly looked down and backed away.

"Damn it all," she heard the woman mutter to herself before regaining her composure. "Look, surfacer, how about we make ourselves a little deal, hmm?"

"Watch who you make deals with, my lady," Valen warned from behind her. "The Underdark is full of treachery."

She ignored him and cocked her neck sideways, giving the duergar an appraising look. "Name the deal, then."

The dwarf shouldered her spear defensively as she spoke. "That golem hall has been our treasure mine for years. Who do those self-righteous drow think they are, to just go in and take over like that? So here's my deal. You go in, kill the drow, find out what's going on to make them go in there in droves like that, and leave most of the treasure to us. I return, we spare your lives."

Tazieyn surprised everyone when her laughter rang light and clear through the cavern. "How about I add to that deal. Let us take fifty percent of the spoils, and we kill the drow, calm the unrest in the hall, and leave and never bother you again."

"Twenty-five percent."

"Forty."

"Done." The duergar reached out a hand which Tazieyn promptly clasped. "The name's Dahanna."

"Tazieyn," the half-elf returned as she shook hands and sealed the deal. "We'll be back when the drow are dead."

Ignoring Valen's splutters of protest and Deekin's howl of "Waiiiit! Deekin needs names of dwarf lady's men!", Tazieyn strode up to a small stone structure about the size of an outhouse and kicked the already loose door. It creaked open, revealing a long flight of stone steps and a blast of stale, icy cold air.

Halfway down the stairs, Valen grabbed Tazieyn's shoulder and eyed her with amusement on her face. "How is she to ever know whether you take forty or seventy-five percent of the treasure down here, anyway?

The half-elf shrugged. "She won't. But haggling's half the fun of a good bargain, tiefling." She grinned. "Might as well have a good time when you can, right?" With that, the woman practically skipped down the steps.

Valen turned to Deekin with a raised eyebrow and asked in a low voice, "Is she always that happy?"

Deekin shrugged and shook his head. "Not really. Maybe winning over dwarf lady got something to do with it? Maybe goat man ask Boss?"

"Maybe," he said to himself thoughtfully. Goat man. The nickname was beginning to grow on him.

One moment, please!

Might I take a moment to grovel and beg for reviews here? Lack of sleep seems to be draining my motivation. -wink- Not asking for a big long summarization; just your opinions. Good? Bad? Extremely terrifyingly horrible? I mean, if you really don't want to...but if you took the time to read through three chapters...

Oh, never mind me. I'm just another author hungry for feedback. :)