Sorry for the late update, school, tests, and health related issues have consumed my life. Ugh! It's so annoying. Anyway, I hope to update at least once a month if not more frequently. Hope you enjoy this newest installment of this fanfic.
Disclaimer:
Dragonlance and Darker than Black to don't belong to me.
Chapter 2
Flight into the Darkness
Caramon stood and stared in shock as the young man that had been with Tika jumped through the hole from forty feet in the air and his eyes could barely make out the man's shadow as he landed on the ground without a sound. Turning to his twin, Caramon and Raistlin shared a look, it was clear that the young man was more than he let on. The sound of running feet drew closer and the rest of the companions as well as the two barbarians came to a halt at the exit.
"Ah!" exclaimed Tas, laughing. "Here the ale comes up and the garbage goes down." He swung out onto the rope and shinned down easily.
"I'm sorry about this, " Tika apologized to Goldmoon, "but it is the only way out of here."
"I can climb down a rope." Then the woman smiled and added. "Though I admit it has been many years."
She handed her staff to her companion and grasped the stout rope. She began to descend, moving skillfully hand over hand. When she reached the bottom, her companion tossed the staff down, swung on the rope, and dropped through the hole.
As the other barbarian moved to follow the woman, Tanis looked around the room. A frown marred his face as he failed to see the young man who had stopped the high lord and in had ended up in the current predicament with the rest of the small group.
"Tika, were is the young man who was with us?" Tanis questioned.
Looking around, Tika shrugged before replying, "he said he would make sure the cook gave you no trouble and went on ahead. I wouldn't worry too much about him. He can hold his own in a fight if he has too." Biting her lip, the red head added, "after all, from what we were able to learn from what he told us, he has been traveling for along time."
"He's at the bottom," Raistlin whispered after Tika finished. A strange glint flickered in his golden eyes before disappearing making Tanis wonder if it had truly been there to begin with.
"What?" the knight blinked.
"You heard me knight, he is at the bottom waiting with the kender and the barbarians," Raistlin sneered.
Trying keep peace between his brother and friend, Caramon asked his brother, "how are you going to get down, Rasit. I can carry you on my back ––"
Raistlin's eyes flashed with anger that startled Tanis as the mage's ire was redirected at his brother. "I can get down myself!" the mage hissed. Before anyone could stop him, he stepped to the edge of the hole and leaped out into the air. Everyone gasped and peered down, expecting to see Raistlin splattered all over the ground. Instead, they say the young mage gently floating down, his robes fluttered around him. The crystal on his staff glowed brightly.
"He shivers my skin!" Flint growled to Tanis.
†
Hei watched as all the members finished their descent before slipping off towards the group. They seemed startled to see him. Smiling at the group assembled before him, Hei raised his hands in a peaceful gesture as he continued his approached. Humans with their emotions could be unpredictable at times. Once he was close enough to be heard, he glanced at Tika as she whispered, "go to my house." Before vanishing from sight.
Cocking his head, he glanced around at the others before speaking, "I assume you all know the way to Tika-san's house?"
"San?" replied Raistlin softly.
Blinking his eyes in fake confusion, Hei rubbed the back of his head in a childish manner as he flicked his gaze around the group briefly. He had long ago learned that small gesture, that imitated that of a child, seemed to unconsciously cause people to lower their guard. The contractor was proven correct when all present, except the magic user, he noted relaxed slightly. Filing that small bit of information way for latter, Hei retorted, "where I come from it's a form of respect. In your culture it's like saying Madam, Sir, or Lady."
Not waiting to see the other's reaction, Hei slipped away into the darkness. To most people, it would simply look as if he had vanished form the spot. Making his way to Tika's house, the contractor silently took out the spare key that Tika had given him and unlocked the door. Entering the small dwelling, Hei closed and locked the door behind him and slipped the key into one of the pockets on his belt and took up a chair in the small living room to wait.
What happened to the staff or the others didn't really matter to Hei as he lost himself in his thoughts. So long as he could find a way back to Tokyo and find his sister, he didn't really care about the out come of the war that was plaguing the country. He briefly wondered were the rest of his teammates were and entertained the idea of how to find them. Having them with him would definitely make finding his sister and get back to Tokyo and thus Amber, a whole lot easier. He would be lying if he said that he didn't completely care about Huang, Mao, and Yin. They had become a sort of makeshift family to him and in his own way he cared about them.
A small smile flickered across his lips as remembered how he had gotten the key in the first place. He had spent the first month building up his contacts in both Solace and Haven. Soon after he made a formal appearance in Solace were he felt the most at home with the towns huge trees that reminded Hei of the buildings and skyscrapers of Tokyo. He had come to the Inn of Last Homes and had make friends with the cook, that he had been introduced to Otik while help cook some of the meals. He wasn't sure how he had ended up with a job at Otik's inn but he had. It was here that he had met Tika.
She had immediately taken a liking to Hei and in Tika's opinion had become fast friends. She had quickly learned that Hei tended to spend too much time to himself and had given him her spare key saying that if he ever got tired of living in the room that Otik provided him with, he could bunk with her at her house. He was jerked form his thoughts when the faint sound of the door unlocking reached his ears before swinging open. Hei slipped from his chair and stood with his back to the wall has the form of Tas came into view.
"Come in," the kender's voice reached him as Tas waved the rest of the company into the house.
To say that they were shocked to see Hei there before them and inside the house waiting for them was an understatement. "How did you get here before us!" Sturm demanded in a quiet but angry voice. "Explain yourself!"
The contractor had learned that in this world, trust was hard gained and that unlike Tokyo, people tended to look deeper than appearance. Holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture as he took out the spare key that Tika had given him. Deciding that the best way to defuse that tension in the room was to appear as non-threatening as possible. Giving a sheepish look, Hei rubbed the back of his head in a childlike manner.
"Tika-san gave me her spare key," he paused before scowling, "she said something about me needing a proper meal that wasn't at the Inn."
In the back of his mind, Hei vaguely registered the man in red robes stirring up the fire as the kender pulled the curtains closed. Caramon stood near the window, starring out into the darkness. Shifting to the curious eyes of Tanis, Flint, Raistlin, and the angry eyes of Sturm, Hei quickly focused his attention on the woman and her staff.
"Your staff healed that man, how?"
"I don't' know," she stuttered as she gazed from Hei then to the staff then back to Hei again. "I-I haven't had it very long."
Tanis looked down at his hands. They were bleeding, Hei noted absently. The skin had peeled off leaving them red and bloody. He held them out to her. Slowly, her face pale, the woman touched him with the staff. It began to glow blue. Narrowing his eyes, imperceptibly, the contractor noted the similarity between it and the blue glow that seemed to emanate from contactors when they used their power back home. While the glow contractors gave out was blue in color as well, theirs seemed darker, more menacing than the calming glow surrounding the staff.
The assassin's thoughts were interrupted as Tanis exclaimed, "True healing."
The contractor glanced at the magic user as he sat down by the hearth, rubbing his thin hands in the warmth of the small fire. His golden eyes seemed brighter than the flames as he stared intently at the blue crystal staff resting across the woman's lap. Hei pretended to look out the window as the other man's eyes shifted his direction.
"What do you think?" asked Tanis.
"If she's a charlatan, she's a good one," Raistlin commented thoughtfully.
"Worm! You dare to call the Chieftain's Daughter charlatan!" The tall barbarian stepped toward Raistlin, his dark brows contracted in a vicious scowl. Caramon made a low rumble in his throat and moved from the window to stand behind his brother.
"Riverwind…" The woman laid her hand on the man's arm as he drew near her chair. "Please. He meant no harm. It is right that they do not trust us. They do not know us."
"And we do not know them," the man growled.
Hei watched quietly form his position near the back of the room. Hei agreed with the man named Riverwind, trust was something that was hard earned and rarely kept. However in this case the assassin would stay with these people and see what they could do and how they could benefit him in returning to Tokyo.
A bright flash of blue light and a crackling sound had the contractor on the defense as he pulled out one of his blades and assumed a defensive stance. The mage jerked his hand back, crying out in pain and shock. Caramon jumped forward, but his brother stopped him. Seeing no immediate danger, Hei quickly sheathed his weapon but not before the knight locked gaze with him. Mistrust and anger had been replaced with curiosity and intrigue.
Hei mentally cursed as his face resumed its normal apathetic and cold look. He waited for what he knew would come. Frankly, he was surprised that he had been able to maintain the somewhat modified persona of Li Shensheng as long as he had. Rationally he knew that his cover would be blown eventually and formed a way to salvage what he could to reduce their suspicion of him. After all, the contractor rationalized, anyone of them could be from the Syndicate trying to kill him.
Hei glanced at the mage and the half-elf as Raistlin continued with his explanation. "No, Caramon. The Lady had nothing to do with that."
The woman indeed, was staring at the staff in amazement.
"What is it then?' Tanis asked in exasperation before sparing a glance at the pale young man in the corner. "A staff that heals and injures at the same time?"
"It merely knows its owner." Raistlin licked his lips, his eyes glittering. "Watch. Caramon, take the staff."
"Not me!" The warrior drew back as if from a snake.
"Take the staff!" Raistlin demanded.
Reluctantly, Caramon stretched out a trembling hand. His arm twitched as his fingers came closer and closer. Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth in anticipation of pain, he touched the staff. Nothing happened. Hei's eyes widened in surprise as he stored this new bit of information away. This world certainly was full of useful things.
"See there." Raistlin gestured like an illusionist showing off a trick to the crowd. "Only those of simple goodness, pure in heart" –– his sarcasm was biting –– "may touch the staff. It is truly a sacred staff of healing, blessed by some god. It is not magic. No magic objects that I have ever heard about have healing power."
Hei eyed the Solamic knight as he opened his mouth, but his attention was diverted when the kender spoke.
"Hush!" ordered Tasslehoff, who had taken Caramon's place by the window. "The Theocrat's guards!" he warned softly.
No one spoke. Now they could all hear goblin footsteps flapping on the bridge-walks that ran among the branches of the Vallenwood trees.
"They're conducting a house-to-house search!" Tanis whispered incredulously, listening to fists banging on a neighboring door!" he whispered. "Caramon––"
But the warrior had already moved over to stand behind the door, his back to the wall, his giant hands flexing. Hei watched as everyone hid out of sight and joined in as he stood by the giant warrior silently as he listened to the footsteps stop outside.
"The Seeker demand right of entry!" croaked a voice. There was a pause, then the same voice said, "No one home, do we kick the door in?"
"Naw," said another voice. "We'd better just report to the Theocrat, let him kick the door down. Now if it was unlocked, that'd be different, we're allowed to enter then."
Hei glanced at the door opposite Tanis and was again amazed at the irrationality of the group he had ended up with. Not only had the knight tried to fight a loosing battle, but now they had left the door open slightly. Hei knew for a fact that it had not been he, who had left the door open and so concluded that one of the others had, most likely the kender, the contractor rationalized. None of the others except the mage's brother seemed like the type to make such an elementary mistake. Hei wasn't truly worried about what would happen, he could take care of himself and if worst came to worst, he could always kill the night patrol and slip out of Solace unnoticed by anyone.
After some mental debating, Hei decided to stay with the group instead of heading off before the small group was detected. After all, he was quite curious as to what the others would come up with as a plan, deciding it was a tactically sound way to gauge his temporary traveling companions' mental capacity to function under pressure and limited time to formulate tactical plans.
