Zallach sat bolt up right a chill all over his body. It was night time and his body was shivering. It was too cold and he didn't have a cloak or anything beyond his shirt.
He stood up and looked around at his surroundings. Then after a long while he went to his belt and pulled a small square frayed map from the pouch. He wasn't stupid, so in his attempt to flee the city he'd grabbed a map of the surface. The vendor in the market hadn't minded; he was dead.
He looked about to make sure he wasn't being watched. Had he known more about the surface world he probably wouldn't have done.
He looked down at the map, it was no help apart from he was on a mountain, no idea which one of the many? He looked long and hard at it then decided that he needed to head off. It would do him no good just looking, he had to find they city of Calimport he knew that Jarlaxle was there and he had to tell him what had befallen the rest of Bregan D'aearthe and the rest of the drow.
He stood up and tucked the map back away and with a deep sigh he headed through the bushes and began to follow a track away from the rock pool.
X
By the late afternoon, of the next day, Zallach was walking further along the mountain path, he had come to a junction and had taken the higher road, which gave him a view of a lower road which must have been used for trade caravans as it was very wide. His shaggy hair was blowing around in the pleasant breeze. He was surprised, for all the stories he heard in the Underdark about the surface world, it was a pleasant experience. Normally if there was a breeze in Menzoberranzan it was warm and stank. It made manual labour in the Underdark an extremely horrible experience. However apart from the sunlight he was doing fine, so he thought.
He had no idea how he could find Calimport or how far it was away from where he was. He'd heard Jarlaxle mention agents in places called Luskan, Neverwinter and Silverymoon. He'd have to find his way to one of them, then to Jarlaxle. However he couldn't speak the languages of the surface. He knew a few words of common tongue and knew how to speak many of the slave languages. He would just hope that would be enough to find an Agent.
Working around another bend in the track, he looked down the road beneath him and let his mind wonder again. Something had a certain charm to it. Obviously it wasn't as splendid as his home city, not that he was being wistful, as such emotions were alien to the drow. Walking along the mountain path in the warm sunlight with such a breeze cooling him down and the view was incredible. He'd never seen trees before but had heard of their quantity.
In most drow literature trees were described as ugly evil things that aided many of their surface cousins. Some of them even could talk and would trick travellers. Now he was surrounded by them, and he couldn't understand this reputation. There was something just natural about them, as though they belonged here and nothing in the world could move them.
His trail of thoughts was broken by a scream. It had come from beneath him. He ducked behind a tree as his natural instincts had preached to him and he looked down from round the tree.
There was the source of the scream, several orcs had befallen onto a wagon, pulled by a strange creature. The wagon was filled with various pots and crates and had two drivers. A young female human who's golden hair was flickering in the sunlight, and a male human who was standing up wielding a sword, he was almost a burly as the orcs were. The orcs although there were five of them were being cautious about their charge. They apparently had no urge to face the large man with a sword, which by sight was sharper than any of theirs.
Zallach rolled his eyes; only orcs could plan an ambush that meant they didn't eliminate the main threat first. He watched on as the woman tried desperately to keep the creature pulling the cart in check. One of the orcs did it for her eventually by slamming it blade into the whining creature. It seemed to not notice the hit initially but the other orcs joined it the first and eventually it died. The man seemed to try and stop them but understood it would be reckless. Then they began to circle the wagon.
Zallach decided he needed to try and make some friends in order to get to any agent. Not that he felt sorry for the humans in any way. That wouldn't be drow like, however he knew that orcs weren't exactly a dominant species on the surface. He would need to make some human friends to find his way.
He rushed down to the steep slope as quickly as he could reaching a tree near the bottom close to the road.
He hid next to the tree and peered round a to see the orcs grinning knowing that they had won the fight and that it was only a matter of time.
Zallach looked around, being unarmed, then reached down for a rock. He gripped it firmly and span round the base of the tree. He turned to see a single orc charge the man. Their blades met and they both pulled away for a second attack. At least the man seemed to have some skill with a sword, more than an orc any way.
As the orc went to parry the man's counter attack a second rushed in to finish the fight. A large stone hit the side of the orcs head and it stumbled, almost falling to the ground. The man pulled a feint on the orc and slammed his sword eventually into it's gut leaving one dead, and another with it's head bleeding wondering why a rock fallen out of the sky.
The man turned to face the other orcs, who too were wondering why a rock had appeared from nowhere. The man hadn't noticed it, but his female companion had and she was currently trying to discern the shape in the trees where the rock had appeared.
Zallach slipped to his left working his way through the bushes and trees not giving himself away.
He heard the man shout something, the only thing he understood was the word "sword".
Zallach gripped another rock again and leant against another tree. Peering out again through the overgrowth at the swordsman holding off two of the orcs. The third was about to join. The forth was to busy nursing it's head to notice that the fight was about to end.
Zallach knew he didn't have much time as the third went to join the fray. He launched the rock and hit the orc on it's shoulder. Putting it off balance and making it stumble to the floor. This did not escape the man's notice even though he was in a pitched battle with the two orcs.
Zallach saw his opportunity to turn the tide of the battle. The orc nursing it's head appeared to be now getting dizzy and it dropped it's weapon as it went to sit down. Zallach thundered out of the undergrowth, the woman on the cart screamed. She obviously thought an evil drow was coming to aid the orcs.
Zallach reached the orc that had sat down. The stupid creature made an attempt to stand up but Zallach, rather uncouthly pushed the orc back to the ground and scooped up it's own sword. Again the orc tried to stand again but found itself skewered on it's own sword. The ugly creature looked at him in shock as one of it's lungs gave up. Zallach raised his foot and pushed the stupid thing off the blade.
He then advanced on the orc that was trying desperately to get up but it's arm had clearly been dislocated. It stumbled to it's feet only to fall over again and grunting in pain. Zallach impaled it to the floor. The creature squealed and clawed at the ground to get away. It did itself more damage doing so.
Zallach slammed his foot on the back of it's skull ending it's pointless screaming. With a grin he scooped up the other sword from the orc and with a flick of his wrist a globe of darkness engulfed the three fighters by the cart.
Zallach sprinted to the globe and slide on his knees as he reached it's outer rim. He sliced between the two orcs and felt a sword narrowly miss his face. He leaned backwards as he slid and slashed out either side with his weapons. He felt them both sink home, with both Orcs grunting in pain
He span as he rose, both blades out scraping into the orc's flesh. After a few seconds of taking serious wounds they both fell out of the globe on to the floor dead.
A moments later Zallach dropped both weapons and stepped out of the globe with both of his hands in the air. The man who was outside the globe still kept his sword raised and pointed it straight at the evil elf's heart.
Zallach smiled at the man as he searched for the correct words in his head. Then after a tense few seconds, where Zallach was sure he was about to die, he spoke up.
"He-low" he said painfully, as though the next few seconds were his last.
"What are you wanting drow?" the large man asked.
Zallach was confused, he didn't know what the man was saying other than "drow". He decided he would introduce himself. He placed his palm on his chest and said.
"I Zallach." He said uneasily.
The man frowned, the woman was the first to speak.
"Your name's Zallak?" She asked
"Careful Alice, he's a drow they're evil and wicked creatures." The man ushered.
"He helped us didn't he?" she asked bickering with her brother.
"It could be a trap." Her brother grumbled.
Zallach watched on through this confused as to what they were saying. If stories of the surface world were correct. They were probably about to gut him, he'd heard that humans were basically puppets of the elves. Willing slaves to their masters, Zallach had never heard of willing slave.
"What one of them trapping us two?" she asked her brother in a patronising tone.
"I've heard of their trickery." He grumbled back.
"And I've heard of an black elf, he fought the barbarians many years ago defending ten towns. They can't all be evil can they?" she told. Remembering the story of Drizzt Do'Urden and his companions defending their home land of Icewind Dale.
She turned back to Zallach and pointed at him and said "Zallack?" her eyebrows were raised in a questioning way.
"Zallach." He corrected her.
"Zallach" she repeated.
The she pointed at herself, and said. "I'm Alice."
"Alice?" Zallach repeated.
"Yes that's it, and this 'ere is my brother" pausing for effect then pointing at her large brother. "Dankiel"
The drow looked at him and smiled, "Dankiel" he repeated.
Dankiel nodded then held out his hand for a hand shake. Zallach looked at the hand, such a strange thing to do, hold their hands out. Zallach decided it would be wise to copy it. He did the same and held his hand a few inches away from Dankiel's. Dankiel then gripped his and shook it. Zallach was outstanded by the man's firm grip, what was he doing jiggling his hand like that. A few seconds later the ordeal was finished and Zallach snatched his hand back to nurse it from the crushing handshake.
Dankiel laughed as the elf was obviously confused by such a strange gesture. Alice too stifled a laugh, Zallach's gaze flicked between the two wondering if it was some sort of joke at his expense.
"How can we help you the drow? You saved me and me sister what can we do for you?" Dankiel asked the stunned elf.
Zallach reached into one of his pouches and pulled out the parchment paper that had the map on. He pushed it in front of Dankiel and pointed at Calimport.
"What is it brother?" Alice asked,
"He wants to go to Calimport." He replied looking at the elf.
Zallach smiled in innocence almost as though he believed they would help.
"We can't take him there." She said, disappointed that they couldn't help.
"No but, we can take him to Luskan he may catch a boat from there." He said.
"We can't afford that for him though." She said.
"No, but he might be able to." He then pointed at himself and too his sister.
"Dankiel and Alice go to Luskan." He then used one of his large figures to indicate Luskan on the map. He then pointed at Zallach. "You can get a boat to Calimport from there." He said.
Zallach smiled and nodded, he understood where the two were going and if his memory served him right he was looking for a man named Trenk Alamard.
"Trenk Alamard" he said simply.
Alice looked at her brother, "What does he want with Trenk" she asked in a hushed voice.
"I don't know, but we will show him to Trenk then slip away, I've never found someone who wants to meet with Trenk." Dankiel replied.
"We know Trenk." Dankiel told Zallach.
This made the drow happy, although Zallach wasn't sure what he'd said but he knew that he had heard of Trenk by his tone of voice.
"Come on then drow, you can join us on our journey. Truth be told we could do with you around encase there are more orcs up a head." He bent down and picked up the two swords that Zallach had been using and handed them to the drow.
Zallach smiled and took them off him.
"We going to walk all the way to Luskan brother?" Alice asked.
"No we'll have to walk back and get another horse and come back. It's not far back to Bremen ." He helped his sister down off the cart.
"What about the goods?" she asked no keen on leaving them behind.
"We'll just have to hope that they're still here when we get back." He replied.
"Me and the drow could wait, he seemed able to handle himself. Besides he wouldn't be welcome in Bremen. Even if we told them what happened." She reasoned.
Dankiel looked at his sister doubtfully then at the drow. Zallach grinned when he was looked at. This didn't make him feel any better, but his sister was right.
"Right, you stay here." He pointed at the drow then at the floor, "with her." The to his sister. Zallach smiled again.
"Do you have that dagger?" he addressed his sister directly.
"Yes, but I don't think he'll give me reason to use it." She replied.
"I'll be back before it's dark." He replied that set off down the road back to Bremen.
Zallach went to walk after him but Alice grabbed his shoulder stopping him. He looked at her and she shook her heard. She pointed at the horse.
Of course how could he be so stupid! They must need another one of those creatures to pull their trade cart to Luskan. At least they would be at Luskan soon, soon he would find Jarlaxle and tell him of their danger, and the massacre in Menzoberranzan
X
Fac'real marched through the dinning hall of the underground temple. The monks here isolated themselves from the outside world. They did not care for it's ways and wanted nothing to do with it. So much so they entire complex was covered in a spell. One that meant anyone coming near it would automatically remember something that meat they would rush the other direction, or would induce a sickness on them if they fought the command hard enough.
There were still those who resisted, well they were soon sacrificed to their dark god. Fac'real was nothing more than a mere acolyte but one with definite aspirations. However for now he would have to wait for his time of opportunity to pass, to make his way into the masters of the temple.
He passed several drow who were eating their evening meals. Fac'real looked at them with an air of distaste he had never liked the arrogant creatures. So proud and willing to believe in their own skills. They had nothing on their own surface brethren, they were liked the barbarians in the northlands. Wild and untameable and should be kept in a cage somewhere.
Fac'real looked up and down just to make sure he wasn't being followed. He then turned down a corridor to his master's study.
Fac'real's blood red robes seemed so dark in the mildly let temple. He wore ebony coloured armour over the top of them. That had hideous symbols of flames and creatures of different realms were carved into it. A mace dangled at his side as did a large book connected to a chain. It contained the many spells granted to him by his deity. After many twist and turns he reached his destination, he rapped on the door and awaited a response. Instead the door creaked open revealing an office where his master sat behind a desk looking through books.
"Master Veshkhan." He said attracting the attention of his callous master.
"What is if Fac'real?" he asked impatiently.
"We now control all of Menzoberranzan." He replied an evil smile appearing on his mouth.
Veshkan smiled at his acolyte, "this is good Lord Tral will be glad to hear of it. What loses have we sustained?" he the asked.
"More than expected, the drow fought harder than anticipated, especially as their clerics were powerless. We've lost three full human companies of acolytes, one drow company and many duergar companies. Some demons will have to be re-summoned as well. The Spark Rangers proved themselves on the battlefield, the fought they're way through the main compound of House Baenre's."
"Ha," Veshkhan laughed, "Asmodeus' elite guard of course they would decimate mere drow." He exclaimed in joy, knowing how deadly the human like fighters were.
"There were many losses to the orc companies as well-" Fac'real continued only to be interrupted.
"Only orcs, there are thousands more to replace them." He said. "What about the kobolds and goblins?"
"Also many losses in the thousands."
"Bah! Again replaceable they breed like vermin. Thank you Fac'real, I will pass on the news to Lord Tral." He said then beckoned the acolyte to leave with a wave of his hand.
Fac'real bowed his head and then turned and left. He closed the door behind himself.
"Soon it shall be I who owns this office master." He grinned as he moved off down the corridor.