Zak returned to the inn sweaty and without sighting or hearing about Tyra. His rage had died to a low ebb, but it was still there, and he was not at all panicked or worried about getting his sword back. She might think to use it against him, but he'd paid good gold to have the item attuned to him and only him. If she attempted to activate any of it's powers, it would burn her hands. As he walked in, breathing hard from his dash up and down the city, Jemic stepped forward, looking similarly disheveled.

"An interesting person, the woman you sent me to track down. You didn't happen to mention she was a powerful cleric!" She crossed her arms across her chest and scowled at him. Zak wasn't about to get angry with two people at once, and answered calmly.

"I didn't have time. You know that people who I associate with are generally like that. You probably could have just ambushed her and knocked her out or rammed a sword through her heart, or something like you rangers can do, but you decided to talk first, and here you are. C'mon, am I right or aren't I?" With an exasperated sigh, Jemic turned away and paced about the room, moaning,

"Zak Crimsonleaf, you are impossible!"

"I agree. Relax. Get some sleep and we'll head out again when it's light."

"What, you're not going to rush off right away?" Zak shook his head, and his expression softened somewhat.

"If I were alone, I would, but you're only human. She can't run far, and I want both of us to be well-rested when we start out." Jemic offered him a tired grin, and yawned.

"Oh, don't give me that line, Zak. You're just as tired as I am, there's no need to act tough for my sake." With that, she made her way up the stairs, leaving the half-elf to his thoughts. He massaged the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

"That woman'll be the ruin of me yet, if I keep on like this," he reprimanded himself lightly.

Across the city, Arakanzar Z'tran awoke to a knocking at his door. Blinking at the intrusion, he sighed and got up, rubbing his eyes. Picking up his staff, he murmured one of the words of power that activated it, and rapped it on the floor softly as he was able. When dealing with unexpected callers, he had found that it was a good thing to have a stoneskin enchantment already cast. Glancing over at Devlar, who was asleep in the corner, the wizard decided not to wake him, and opened the door. It was the man he'd hired to take up station in the common room of the inn to direct anyone who was interested in seeing him. He hadn't really expected to get results quite this fast, and indeed, it seemed more than a little suspicious. Especially given the second man holding a sword to his throat.

"You are Arakanzar Z'tran, yes?" the black-armored man queried, with a certainty that said he already knew the answer. The half-drow smiled indulgently, showing teeth.

"Naturally. I do hope that whatever reason you came to see me is worth losing sleep over, not to mention threatening one of my informants."

"The only one of your informants." The wizard shrugged helplessly.

"Just now, I'm on a budget, and I've not been in town long at all. Which begs the question of how you found me." Pulling the sword away from the petrified man's throat and sheathing it in one smooth motion, the stranger made an elegant bow, made all the more so for the armor. The informant backed away as quickly as he dared, then ran down the stairs, his footsteps fading into the distance.

"It was not difficult. I knew beforehand you had not been in town more than a day, and that you were a wizard, and you had drow blood. Given this, I reasoned that you would seek an inn that is not discriminating about it's customers, was convenient to a shop or two that sells spell components and other magical items, and was as close to a gate or the docks as possible, in case you had to leave just as quickly as you arrived. This establishment is the only one that fulfills all of those points. And here you are." Arakanzar's mind was racing, and he was becoming deeply unnerved. The only way to regain the advantage was to try and deduce something equally damaging about the stranger, and he wasn't sure if his skills in that area were as sharp as they used to be, after years of neglect. Wondering if it wasn't too late to wake Devlar, he began hesitantly.

"Perhaps you are not the only one with prowess in deduction. Your sword seems decidedly out of place with the rest of your garb, and when it was drawn, I was able to spot the symbol of Tyr just above the crosspiece, which leads me to believe it was made for a paladin, something you most certainly are not. A blackguard, then, perhaps a fallen paladin? I'll not hazard a guess that way, but you most certainly have a mission in seeking me out, and if you meant no ill towards me, you would never have had the audacity to threaten my informant, so either you have been sent here to kill me, take me captive, or garner some information from me that you believe I will be reluctant to provide." The stranger laughed quietly, a smirk pervading his features.

"Very perceptive. I am here for information. May I come in?"

"Please do." Arakanzar backed out of the door, and as he retreated, he jabbed Devlar in the ribs with the butt end of his staff, evoking a muffled groan and blankets rustling as the thief rose up, struggling to get his bearings.

"I swear I never saw that ring before in my life…Whoa…what is it, boss?"

"We have a customer, Dev," the wizard murmured quietly. "Make yourself useful." Finally throwing off the tangle of blankets, the thief stood up, raking a hand through his the wild mess that had been made of his hair and, muttering to himself about the injustice of the world, located his crossbow and took up his usual station to the back of the information seeker. Sitting down, Arakanzar reached into his satchel and took out a thick ledger that appeared to have been used as a coaster dozens of times as well as a prop for a too-short table leg. Opening it to the proper page, he produced a quill pen and inkwell from an inside pocket and steepled his fingers.

"What can I do for you, sir?" he inquired in his best business voice.

"Kimdezar Z'tran. What do you know about him?" The half-drow concealed his surprise, and fought down the threat of a smile, and shrugged.

"Never heard of him."

"I have it on good authority you are the best man to come to for information in a hundred miles. Don't insult my intelligence."

"Coin before information, friend, you seem to have forgotten that." The stranger reached into his cloak and brought out a heavy leathern bag that clinked in a most satisfying way. Laying it down on the small table, he made no move to remove his hand.

"You were saying?"

"Oh well, he's a half-drow wizard of some skill in Dambrath, also I believe he has a few relatives who claim noble blood." Without changing expression, the stranger brought out a second bag of similar size to lay alongside the first. His heart leaping at the thought of the gold he would make on this deal, Arakanzar struggled to restrain the impulse to count it there and then. Instead, he said without preamble.

"He's my younger brother and blood kin to a noble Dambrath house. The current patriarch is our uncle. Would you like the address of his estate?"

"No thank you. What I would like to know is why he would want to kill you." The wizard's thoughts took a darker turn, and he made sure his spells were still ready before answering.

"He's trying to rope me back into the family, and I got away from him again. Where did you hear this?"

"From my usual sources. And why do you wish to remain apart from the family?" The half-drow chuckled quietly.

"If you'd ever been in my place, you'd understand. I enjoy intrigue and manipulation as much as the next person, it's the meat and drink of all Dambrath nobility. Suppose I received invitations from two other nobles. Whichever one I go to, the other will think I'm plotting against him, which I probably am, but still…" he rolled his eyes in derision. "And if I do nothing, each of them will think I'm plotting with somebody else against both of them. After twenty years of trying to get into the game proper, I've decided it's just easier to leave. I certainly couldn't take up residence in T'lindhet."

"T'lindhet?"

"A drow city beneath the Gnollwatch mountains, my ancestors came from there. They're even worse." The stranger nodded slowly, considering all he had heard.

"I begin to grasp the situation. Accordingly, I will offer you a chance to buy back your life. The current price is whatever your staff is worth and five hundred gold besides. If you can top that offer, well and good. If not…" he rested his hand on his sword hilt. "Things will become…unpleasant." Arakanzar rose to his feet and, gripping his staff in both hands, took a step back.

"Kimdezar hired you, didn't he?" he asked. The other nodded.

"I only wanted to hear the details of his motives, and they are less than honorable, hence my offer." The wizard's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Why would you care about his motives?"

"People such as him, you, and I serve a cause. A cause cannot prosper if those who support it work against themselves. Too many defeats have been suffered due to such discontent. I direct your attention to the abortive Cyricist attack on Candlekeep." Arakanzar considered his options. While he could afford the price, it would take a considerable chunk out of his finances, and if Kimdezar had the resources of the family behind him, he couldn't match that. Accordingly, he resolved not to try at all, and began whispering a spell under his breath. The man's ears must have been sharper than he had thought, for at the first syllable, he drew his sword and turned the motion into a slash at the wizard's neck. Secure in his stoneskin, Arakanzar merely stood still and hardly noticed as the weapon rebounded off. Finishing his spell, his voice rose to a crescendo on the final word, and the air in the room quivered, seeming to grow thicker under the power of his magic. Nothing visible happened, save that his attacker's expression grew strained for a brief period, then returned to normal.

"Impressive spell," the stranger remarked, moving his blade to a high guard position, glancing backward at Devlar, who had his crossbow loaded, but seemed as though he very much wanted to be somewhere else.

"I'd hoped to turn you into a lizard," Arakanzar replied with distaste. "Perhaps something a little more unsubtle is necessary." Before he could start his next spell, his attacker intoned a few short phrases and gestured once, and the room went black. Ignoring Devlar's panicked cry, the wizard dove to the side, recognizing a spell of darkness, and knowing that his foe would try and use the opportunity to remove his stoneskin. Fortunately, he'd had the foresight to prepare his dispel magic spell so that he could cast it without speaking, which would have instantly alerted the other to his presence. Flicking a finger, he saw the room spring back into visibility, and began yet another spell, simultaneously scrambling for the ledger and stuffing it back into the satchel, nearly causing the invocation to falter.

Another half-dozen hits rebounded off his stoneskin, which was rapidly becoming less than useless. Finishing the spell just as the final layer of his protection was reached, he sprang across the room, yanking Devlar along with him, and seemed to vanish right through the wooden wall. Sheathing his weapon, Armand smiled to himself. Things were shaping up nicely, and he was not worried about finding Arakanzar again. There was nobody alive who could escape him, and none had yet.

Dozing in a chair in the common room, Zak was suddenly knocked sideways, and sent sprawling onto the floor. Struggling to his feet and whipping out his sword, he wheeled about prepared to kill, and his jaw nearly dropped through the floor in astonishment. Arakanzar and Devlar were sprawled on the floor, both of them cursing loudly. Looking up and seeing the sellsword, the wizard's eyes widened.

"Uh…" His eyes darted around the room, and he looked over his shoulder, clearly agitated about something.

"Well?" Zak inquired. After a short time, the half-drow spoke up again.

"I can explain," he began.