Chapter Six – Chaos
A/N – Sorry for the ridiculous delay in updating. At least, that's how it's felt to me ... but here is chapter six at last! A crap chapter, I'm sure but...oh well, there will be others.
Zesyyr Maeviir rubbed her coal-black hands together in delight. Everything was going as planned; she had turned Captain Tebimar to her cause, and the charismatic drow male had already accumulated quite a few allies among the rogue drow of the city.
Most Houses shunned the houseless rogues, some even going as far as killing them on sight, but Zesyyr had welcomed them into the house of Maeviir, giving them new identities, and had them work against her mother for quite some time now. She respected the skills that living on the streets of a drow city gave a person, and her allies gave her somewhat of an edge against most other houses.
She still, however, like many other drow leaders, feared the Valsharess. Oh, how hearing that name made her want to scream in frustration, hatred, and rage! Still, she composed herself as she addressed her small group of followers. Maybe her mother was the matron of House Maeviir in name, but she, Zesyyr Maeviir, was the true ruler of her house! And now, thanks to her successes, she would soon be ruler in name as well.
Zesyyr looked at each of her followers in turn: Captain Tebimar, the rogue Kalith'sa, Tebimar's two apprentices, the human Durshan, that arrogant priest of Vhaerun whose name she did not know, and her own priestess Shisilli. "Today, we strike the Matron Mother, allies of House Maeviir," she said, each word lifting her spirits. "When you enter the throne room, you must distinguish between the forces that are loyal to Myrune and the forces loyal to me. Keep her guards busy, and I will personally be the one to slit her weak, sniveling throat."
"We will serve you well, Matron Zesyyr," they intoned one by one and bowed respectfully.
oOo
"Do you have a plan yet, leader?" Valen asked acidly as he got to his feet and turned to the door, shoving Bellamina aside as she tried to stop him. "Tazieyn?"
"I hope you're happy, tiefling," Bellamina sniffed. "Looks like your all-faithful leader just deserted us."
"Aasimar, I swear, if you don't shut your godsbedamned mouth, I will shut it for you. Permanently."
"Well, then do something!"
"You do something. You got us into this." he snarled. His patience was snapping.
"Oh, so it's all my fault now, is it?"
"Bellamina, by the multiverse and Ao himself, if you don't shut up..." He trailed off as the door suddenly crumpled, splintering under the weight of the large creature that came crashing through it. He watched in horror as the iron golem raised its hammer, preparing to crush a completely oblivious Bellamina beneath it.
"You stupid bundle of flowers; get out of the way!" he yelled as he tackled her bodily, both of them crashing to the floor just as the boards where she had been standing were shredded by their attacker's massive weapon.
Valen jumped back to his feet, battle instinct taking over his body as he pounded at the golem with the weapon in his own hands. His rage settled into a methodical comfort; this was where he belonged, on the battlefield. The world around him was a blur as he focused on his opponent; the objective was to kill, and everything else came later. He barely heard the golem roar in defeat as it fell to pieces before him with a loud crash.
oOo
Bellamina watched, frozen in wide-eyed terror as the tiefling warrior felled their assailant with a final, mighty blow. He was almost...inhuman? No, that wasn't the right word; he wasn't even human to begin with. Godlike, she thought slowly as she pulled herself to her feet. Or like a powerful demon in the throes of battle. She couldn't help but shudder as she imagined what would happen if he suddenly decided he wanted her dead. Why was he still keeping her alive, anyway? Was there some merit to what the woman Tazieyn had said? And yet...he saved her, hadn't he?
"Who are you?" she whispered, backing away from the scene slowly, her heartbeat pounding in her head as she blacked out and hit the ground again.
oOo
"Damn it, girl; you die on me and there'll be hell to pay," Valen muttered as he searched through a tangle of bloody silver hair for the source of the wound. "I can't believe you. I knock you out of the way to save your life and you still split your skull open. On your own weapon, no less."
After rummaging through his pack, he tipped his last healing potion down her throat. "I hope you're happy. You almost got us killed, you know."
Kill her. Now.
There it was again, that confounded demonic whisper.
Kill her, Valen! I know you want to. She has been enough trouble for you; why not dispose of her now? We can even blame it on the golem. Do it, and no one will ever know...
"Um...where Boss be?"
Shaking, Valen turned on the kobold furiously. "Do you want to die too?" he roared. Deekin squeaked in fright and scrambled out of his reach.
"What...what you mean? You not...you not kills little Deekin! That not makes Boss very happy, Deekin thinks..." he babbled as he reached for his crossbow. "Well, Deekin not just any little kobold! Deekin gots dragon blood! No one kills Deekin without Boss's permission!"
"What the hell...?"
Both of them turned to find Tazieyn standing in the doorway, a bemused expression on her face. "I don't get it," she said finally, suppressing a laugh. "I leave to scout the hallways for a split second to see if a way was clear, and I get back and find..." She gestured helplessly with her hands at the wrecked floorboards. "And Deekin, please tell me that's not a line in your book."
The kobold scrunched up his eyes in thought. "No, it not, but that be a good idea; thanks Boss!"
A slight groan escaped Bellamina's lips as she came to. "Tazieyn? Where were you?" She jumped as she noticed Deekin in the corner. "And where did that kobold come from?"
"Actually, that's a really good question," Tazieyn said slowly, eyeing the kobold with raised eyebrows. "Deekin? You first, then we can all swap stories."
A delighted expression washed over Deekin's face as he nodded eagerly. "Well, Deekin hear Boss say golems, and Deekin be thinkings, golems big, strong, magic-made things, right? Deekin reads about these things. So Deekin decides, maybe if magic make them, maybe, magic break them apart, right Boss?" He fished through his pockets and pulled out a small statue. "Deekin sees the Boss, goat-man, and lady with pretty gold eyes not gettings anywhere, so little Deekin goes by himself. Little, not noticed easily, Deekin thinks." He frowned.
"Golems get mad when Deekin takes statue, though. Deekin finds book on statue, too; it made to take golems apart, Deekin thinks. Deekin tries it on angry golem, and it fallings apart. Golem, not statue. Deekin thinkings, maybe statue work for Boss?" He held the stone piece up to Tazieyn and shrugged. "If not workings, then maybe something like it that does, Deekin thinks. Mage not make all these golems and not have way to control them, Deekin thinks."
"Gods, Deekin, you're brilliant!" Tazieyn whispered, a grin coming to her face as she took the statue and studied it carefully. "Well, there's only one way to find out if this thing works, right?" She smiled brightly at the incredulous faces before her and practically skipped back out through the tattered doorway.
Bellamina stood up and shouldered her mace with a grimace. "You are all out of your minds." Nevertheless, she strode into the hall after Tazieyn with a look of set determination.
"And the Boss and the intrepid kobold companion set out once more, to face the terrors of the deep, dark..."
"Deekin, can you not talk for once?"
"The intrepid kobold companion begins to wonder..."
"Deekin."
"Why goat man gots tail that not look like goat?"