Disclaimer: Yes, I totally own Neverwinter Nights. Make that the entire Forgotten Realms Universe! (Maniacal laugh) ok, anyways, Aribeth, Fenthick, etc. don't belong to me.
A/N: So, did you review last chapter? Lol of course not! This chapter is more or less later than I intended it to be because was acting like a beast, but then again I just didn't feel like writing another underappreciated chapter. But then my net stopped working and I figured I'd spend the time I wasn't reading writing. Long story short, chapter nine is officially the beginning of the OC campaign now that I've got most of the background stories sorted out.
LFK
Halls of Justice, Temple Sanctum…
Before dawn even broke the sky, the fate of Neverwinter was divided up and put in the hands of a few brave adventurers, each a stranger to the city and newly arrived.
"Kaerion!" Kaerion Galadorn glanced up from inspecting his blade to see a group of people entering the quiet temple from one of the side doors. He easily recognized Aribeth and a pale looking Majandra, but it took him a moment to remember Fenthick and Desther as the heads of Neverwinter's clergy.
"Milady Aribeth," the paladin of Lathander bowed and gestured for his squire to do the same. "Milords Fenthick and Desther." The leaders of Neverwinter bowed to him in return, and he turned his attention to his one-time sparring partner. "Habari, Majandra Damar of Nurikabe Forest." The others seemed surprised at the venom that came out of Kaerion's mouth as he spoke in Kara-Tûran to the Fey'ri.
"Habari, Kaerion." Majandra gathered herself enough to return the greeting, all the while shouting in her head, How does he know? I didn't tell anyone what part of Kara-tûr I hail from!
"Well, now that that's out of the way," Desther said gruffly, shooting a nasty glare at Majandra before dismissing her entirely.
"Let's move on with the business of saving the city, shall we?"
"Agreed," Fenthick replied smoothly, "We haven't much time before the city becomes to unstable to function. Lady Aribeth, will you issue the orders?"
"Very well." Aribeth stepped forward to address the three adventurers. "Kaerion, you and Pavel are responsible for the recovery of the Waterdhavian creatures that escaped during the sacking of the Academy. Now, our intelligence indicates that while the creatures haven't breached the outermost walls, they have escaped the Core altogether."
"So they are in the districts then," Kaerion replied thoughtfully, frowning as he processed the information. "Will we get clearance to bypass the military checkpoints?"
"Yes," Aribeth replied as she handed a silver disk and a small piece of what appeared to be granite to each warrior. "As well as temporary enlistment in the city guard, I have given you each a Stone of Recall attuned to this temple. Should you need healing, supplies, information, or have met success, simply hold it and think of the temple. You will be instantly transported to that portal over there." She indicated a golden circle lying before the altar to Tyr.
"Useful." Majandra remarked as she disposed of the stone and badge in one of the many pockets in her new, custom-made outfit. Each item of clothing was pitch black, from her tunic to her boots, and the whole thing was topped off by her muffler and many-pocketed cloak. (A/N: basically, she looks like a Chloe from Noir, Neverwinter style. If you haven't seen Noir, do so! Shutting up now…)
"Cool!" Pavel flipped his stone and pocketed it, only to wilt under the combined glares of the adults present.
"Is that all that's required of us, milady?" Kaerion asked as he stowed his away in his belt pouch. "We mustn't waste any more time."
"You should begin your search in the Peninsula District," Aribeth continued with a nod. "Prison riots have turned the area into a war zone, and we have a feeling any one of the creatures could be responsible. Keep in mind that the goal is to get the creatures back alive, but dead is better than nothing at all."
"Yes, ma'am!" Kaerion and Pavel saluted with fists to their chests and turned to leave, the paladin catching Majandra's eye and reading the message held inside.
"Now, what should we do with the little demi-demon?" Desther sneered down at her, hand closing on the mace at his hip in overt threat. "They're only good for two things: killing and being killed."
Majandra's fists clenched, but she otherwise remained silent. She'd promised Aribeth that she'd try her best to get along with the others, and she'd do it if she had to trample her own pride in the dust. Oh really? Rekkei muttered rebelliously. For a moment, Majandra could've sworn she could see her counterpart standing beside her in an identical pose. I wonder how that bastard would feel having our steel buried in his gut, eh, Maggie? Desther stepped back as a grin of pure, malicious glee spread across the fey'ri's face.
Sensing the rising tension in the room, Aribeth stepped in front of Majandra and impeded his gaze with a frigid glare. "Put a civil tongue in your head, priest. We haven't time for pettiness and fighting amongst ourselves."
"Well said, my dear." Fenthick said in a charming, oily tone that made Majandra's hackles rise when she saw the look of adoration Aribeth sent him. "You, Majandra," the elven cleric continued, "will be under my command as we search for the perpetrators of the attack on the Academy, as well as whoever it was that sent this cursed plague. It is your duty to use your talents to trace this plague back to its origin, and retrieve any information you encounter on the way."
"Understood." Majandra replied shortly, careful to keep her expression neutral. "I'll begin my search with the mages then. I know the taste of dark magic, and especially that in the plague, so I should be able to trace it back to its origins." Was that panic I saw in his eyes? She thought as both Fenthick and Desther shot each other quick glances. Perhaps I should keep my eyes on the good cleric and his friend…
Just kill them! Rekkei snarled. Solves our problems, and if they're traitors, all the better!
Aribeth shot a glance at the fey'ri and noted the tinge of pink in her eyes and the blank expression on her face, realizing immediately what was going on in her friend's mind. "That's an excellent plan, Majandra." She was relieved to see her friend's attention turn to her and away from the skittish looking cleric. "Good luck, my friend." What is Majandra to me? I don't know. "Take care of yourself, ok?"
"I will," Majandra smiled crookedly and disappeared in a rustle of cloth.
"I don't trust that demon," Desther said a moment later, face settled in a permanent grimace. "She will betray us, mark my words."
"I agree with Desther," Fenthick cut in just as Aribeth opened her mouth. "We don't know nearly enough about her to determine her loyalties."
"If anything else," Aribeth stated firmly, "Majandra is loyal to me. She trusts me, as I do her, and both her pride and honor won't let her go back on her word."
"Don't be a fool!" Desther whirled on the lady paladin, venom dripping from her words. "Demon's have no honor, and their bastard ilk even less so! Mark my words, Lady Aribeth: no good will come of an association with infernal kind."
"Then I shall take my leave of you, priest of Helm." Aribeth bowed sparingly to the balding man and swept out without another word, smiling slightly at Fenthick as she brushed his arm in her path.
City of Neverwinter…
"She's going to figure it out!" a man exclaimed as he stalked back and forth in the dimly lit room. "We're finished!"
"Quiet, fool." His partner remarked calmly. "We will let her trace the magic, and, in doing so, cover our own tracks. Do not worry, friend. We will have her taken care of before she comes close enough to uncover us. Our connections will benefit us greatly, as will our allegiance to the Mistress. Remember, there's a little surprise awaiting the fey'ri at her first stop!"
The first man chuckled roughly and growled, "Look out, demon bitch. When the time comes, I will strip your bones and adorn my armor with your horns!" Evil laughter rang out from both men as a strike of thunder tolled the beginning of the end for the city of Neverwinter. Somewhere, out there, the most sensitive of peoples shook as a terrible premonition for the future chilled their blood…
Neverwinter, City Core…
"Majandra! Stop right there and talk to me!"
Majandra whirled at the sound of Kaerion behind her and shouted in Kara-Tûran, "Stay away from me, paladin! Stay away from my secrets, lest you get hurt!"
"They are no secret, fey'ri." Kaerion responded in the same language, tone cold. "It took me a while, but I finally remember where I recognized you from. Over three hundred years ago, my family's poorer relatives, the family of my great-great-great (how many greats gets up to three hundred or so years?)… Great-grandfather's brother lived in a village outside the Nurikabe Forest. That forest, said to be inhabited by a wicked elven mage and his pet demon cub. Those two were responsible for the complete annihilation of that village, as well as a good half of the Galadorn bloodline. Why did you do it, Majandra? Did your filthy blood thirst for that of innocents?"
"Shut up!" Majandra growled, red flooding into her eyes. "My father was killed by the so called benevolent leaders of that village for no reason! We were peaceful, at home in the forest. You cannot fault me for getting my just revenge!"
Meanwhile, Pavel watched the exchange grow more and more heated as the two warriors conversed in their native language, growing more and more frightened by the moment. I thought master Kaerion liked the fey'ri woman! He thought as Kaerion's gauntleted hand squeezed the life out of the pommel of his sword. They're acting like bitter enemies now! Oh, I'm so confused… off to the side, Pavel's tiny head proceeded to burst from the strain of thinking so hard, and Kaerion and Majandra were splashed with the gore. Upon tasting the blood splattered across her face, the fey'ri was sent into a killing rampage, slaying the various acolytes and guards scurrying about the area with ease. She was then put out of her misery by a firm blow to the head from Kaerion's razor sharp bastard sword.
Thus, the only hopes of Neverwinter were slain or jailed. Nasher went on to become a dictator in the north, Aribeth committed suicide when Fenthick came out of the closet with Desther, the Marus were melted down into a set of rings that spoke to their bearers, Aarin Gend became a highly sought after male model, Mikhail eloped with his glaive, and everyone else lived happily ever after.
Thus ends Never Again………
(A/N: Oh come on! Like I'd actually end the story like that! Though from the serious lack of reviews and over one thousand hits encompassing the previous eight chapters, I think I really ought to:Sigh: go on, keep reading… I don't expect any reviews from ya'll anymore anyways… T-T :feels unloved:)
Meanwhile, Pavel watched the exchange grow more and more heated as the two warriors conversed in their native language, growing more and more frightened by the moment. I thought master Kaerion liked the fey'ri woman! He thought as Kaerion's gauntleted hand squeezed the life out of the pommel of his sword. They're acting like bitter enemies now! Oh, I'm so confused…
"So, a Galadorn finally hears it from the slayer's mouth herself." Kaerion said with steel lacing his voice. "Now is not the time to settle our vendetta, fey'ri, but I assure you!" he paused, meeting her bloody glare with an equally ferocious one. "I will have revenge for those of my line lost so many years ago."
"So be it." Majandra spat as she watched the paladin and his squire march off in the direction of the Peninsula District, only to be joined by a huge half-orc and a tiny halfling midway there.
Making her way from the temple and to the huge mage's tower she could see rising in the distance, Majandra banished the memories that two-faced paladin had conjured up. She muttered a few choice curses in the infernal tongue as she ducked into the Guild of the Many-Starred Cloak.
The inside of the tower smelled of dust, parchment, and spell components like any other typical mages' tower, yet it was strangely bare of any of the items that should've carried the scent. Up ahead at the end of the long entry way, Majandra could see two human women arguing, one a fiery red-head wearing tight leather leggings and a red halter top and the other almost lost in the folds of a (haha get this) many-starred cloak; she was obviously a guild member. Off to the side, a gnome was gesticulating wildly as he chattered to the air, the pillars, and, oddly enough, a housefly that seemed to have made permanent residence at the tip of his long nose. (A/N: sorry to those who like Boddyknock, but he's going to be very insane for the duration of his appearance in this fic. Oops, shutting up again!)
"Excuse me!" she called, and was immediately rewarded as three pairs of shocked eyes landed on her face as she appeared from the shadows beyond the ring of mage light. "Don't worry," she added hurriedly and in a friendly tone as she saw the guild member's hands and lips begin to move in a casting. "I'm tame." She waved the hand with the bracelet on it in the air, making sure the Neverwintians recognized the instrument of their justice.
"What do you want?" the guild lady demanded arrogantly as Majandra slowly moved closer. "Why are you here? I didn't summon you!"
I doubt she could summon a pixie if she wanted to. Rekkei smirked from the pillar she had taken to leaning against on Majandra's right. We should show her what a true demon looks like!
Majandra shook her head slightly in response to her alter-ego's not-so-subtle request and instead turned her attention to the other intelligence in the room. "I apologize for interrupting you, my lady. I am on a mission of utmost importance under the authority of Lady Aribeth." She flashed the badge Aribeth, silver disk glinting with the unmistakable sigil of Neverwinter appearing in the air before her. "May I have this moment of your time?"
The redhead nodded, eyes calculating, as she stepped aside. "Go ahead. My business can wait." Majandra nodded her thanks and turned to the considerably calmer guild member.
"Um, can I help you? My name is Eltoora Sarptyl, journeyman of the Many-Starred Cloak."
"I am Majandra Damar." The fey'ri replied, gaze trailing back to the fiery woman for a moment before she forced it away. Feeling the heat yet, Majandra? Rekkei walked a circle around her target; tail flicking from side to side lazily. Violence isn't the only thing that sets demon blood aflame!
Majandra mentally slapped herself, to Rekkei's immense enjoyment, and forged onward. "I need information on the various mages and labs in the city. Can you help me?"
"Assuredly," Eltoora replied. "The registered mages of Neverwinter have been gone since long before the plague began, attending a conference in Candlekeep called by Kelben Blackstaff. The only mages remaining in the city are those employed by the guard and temple, and convicts trapped in the Prison. Other than that, all I can tell you is that there are four labs, one in each district, reserved for public and private use by Neverwinter law. That's as much as I can help you with, I'm afraid."
"You mean you can't even tell me the exact location of the labs? Street names? Landmarks? Why were you left in charge?"
Eltoora wilted beneath the fey'ri's piercing gaze and mumbled, "I told you, I'm a journeyman. That's the lowest rank in the guild…"
"Alright, fine." Majandra pinched her nose between two fingers in a vain effort to hold off her rising headache. "Thank you for your help then."
"I can help you." The redhead hailed her retreating form with an aristocratic accent. "My name is Sharwyn, bard extraordinaire, and this is my companion, Boddyknock."
"A pleasure, my lady," Majandra replied smoothly, including Boddyknock in her bow. "Now, how exactly can you help me? There's no time to waste." Her shoulders shook as another cough tore through her body.
Sharwyn noted the trickle of red liquid quickly hidden, but tucked that piece of information in the back of her mind for later. "I know the location of each lab, as well as the password to get in since they've been locked."
"And you?" Majandra glanced down at Boddyknock.
"IcanusethetemporaldistancebetweenmyselfandmyfoetolaunchadisruptedphotonbearingchargesnighonUNMEASURABLE,thusrenderingmyenemies'mortallifespanvoid!" he exclaimed in one breath, immensely proud of himself.
"He can do what?" Majandra deadpanned after a moment of shocked silence from all parties. Can I just kill him? Rekkei added with a slightly bemused expression on her face.
Sharwyn just shook her head helplessly and replied, "He's a mage. I don't always know what he says, but the basic concept is that he can cast magic missile."
"Oh," Majandra held her forehead for a moment and wished it would stop pounding. "It's great to have your, um, expertise on the team, Boddyknock."
"Shall we leave then?" Sharwyn gestured towards the door. Majandra nodded, and the three adventurers said their goodbyes to a much-humbled Eltoora, leaving the tower and beginning the long walk to the peninsula.
A/N: Ya know, I actually considered making this chapter a little longer for you kiddos out there. I mean, it was handwritten that way in my notebook and everything! Ah well, I suddenly didn't feel like writing this anymore, so you guys will just have to bear with until I type the rest of it out. Oh, and do that review thing too please! should i do the next chapter (the peninsula dsitrict) in one or two halves? majandra and then kaerion or vice versa? (Though I haven't a clue why I still ask…) ja ne, readers!