Chapter 22: Road House
Soreal moved swiftly through the streets. Jeral watched in amazement as she managed to move almost silently. Yoshimo glided along a few steps behind her, his feet seeming to glide across the uneven cobblestones. Jeral was painfully aware of the jangling of his sword belt as he tailed the two light footed thieves. However the steady metallic clank from Minsc reassured Jeral that he was still able to move more quietly than most. The quartet managed to navigate the deserted streets without attracting any undue attention. The Sea's Bounty looked very different at night. The ground level was made of stone and mortar while the upper level was think timbers joined tightly together. The entire building looked more gatehouse than tavern. The windows were all shuttered on both levels of the tavern and very little light escaped around the edges. A low murmur reached their ears from inside the tavern.
"Quieter than I expected," Jeral muttered. Suddenly, the front door of the tavern opened and a wave of light and a roar from the crowd inside assaulted their senses. A massive half-ogre stood in the door and tossed a man out into the street. The man slammed face first into the pavement and did not move. Drunk or dead, the man lay in a slowly expanding pool of blood in the middle of the street.
"I stand corrected," Jeral said as he looked over at Soreal. She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow in response and smiled her best 'I told you so' smile at Jeral.
"The Sea's Bounty is warded to prevent most sound from escaping into the night. By keeping the noise down they manage to avoid the attention of the garrison. That leaves the owner free to run his business as he wishes. It is also warded to contain magic within its walls, so your spells should not attract the attention of the Cowled Wizards. Not sure how accurate that bit of information is though so I would use them sparingly."
"Who is the bouncer?" Jeral asked as he eyed the building appraisingly. Soreal shook her head, "First of all he is not a bouncer. He is the cooler, the cooler is in charge of the bouncers, and he is Aragog. He is a former gladiator who the owner purchased from Lehtinan and put to work protecting his tavern. He is extremely dangerous and fanatically loyal. He is aided by six gnolls who serve as the bouncers. They are also former gladiators and are extremely dangerous. They do not hesitate to maim or kill an individual for the slightest offense."
Minsc growled like an animal, and his rumbling chest sounded like thunder before a storm. Minsc slowly drew Licaror and looked at the blade gleaming in the moonlight, "Minsc hates gnolls, they kidnapped Dynaheir and planned to eat her." Smiling the big man looked at Jeral with a look that was more thoughtful that one usually associated with the ranger, "If it comes to violence, well when it comes to violence, the gnolls are mine."
"Soreal, this does not make any sense. We have eaten in this tavern before. We had lunch there after we encountered Mae'Var in his guild. It seemed like a respectable enough place."
"It is Jeral, it is completely respectable…..during the day. After dark they open up the basement and it is a known meeting spot for the most disreputable types in the city. The guild prohibits us from working in there at night for it is too dangerous. On an average night a handful of people die and their bodies are rarely found."
"Knowing Jeral as I do I suspect this will be far from an average night for those in the tavern my good Soreal." Yoshimo shook his head grimly as he gripped the pommel of his katana for reassurance.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Yoshimo." Turning to Soreal he continued, "So who owns this place?"
"I have no idea," she said shrugging her shoulders, "over the winter the prior owner sold the tavern in a hurry. It was odd though, for he was found dead a few days after the sale. Someone had broken into his estate and killed him and his entire family. The house was heavily guarded and warded but the killers slipped in and out undetected."
"Do you think the new owner killed the previous one?" Jeral asked.
Soreal shuddered and rubbed her arms against an unseen chill, "I do not have any idea. I do not believe in coincidences but I have not heard so much as a whisper about the owner. No one in the guild has laid eyes on him."
Something about the whole tavern felt wrong but Jeral pushed past the doubt and adjusted his sword belt to sit more comfortably.
Jeral walked over and whispered to Minsc. The big man nodded and rummaged through his belt pouch, he pulled out a small vial, unstoppered it and swallowed the contents in a single gulp.
"Enough talk, let us go get a drink." Soreal stepped in front of Jeral and placed a hand on his chest. "Hold on Jeral, what are you planning to do?"
"We are going to walk in the door. I am going to have the bartender point out the Roenall guardsmen and I am going to let them know what I think of them almost beating Anomen to death." Anger flashed in Jeral's eyes as he glared down at the woman standing in his way. Unimpressed Soreal tilted her head to the side, "And how does this help us free Nalia?" Suddenly Jeral deflated, "It may not help us free Nalia, I know that. However that is a worry for tomorrow, tonight is about revenge." Jeral slipped past Soreal and boldly marched up to the door of the tavern.
He reached the large door and stopped dead in his tracks. The door was made of highly polished oaken planks and was held together with thick iron bands. A small metal plate was affixed to the center of the door at chest height and a black iron pull ring was on the left edge of the door. Jeral grasped the door pull and started to pull. The door did not so much as budge, it was clearly locked or barred from the inside. Jeral placed a foot on the doorframe for support and pulled with all his might, once again the door did not so much as budge.
"Have you considered knocking?" Soreal asked innocently.
Gritting his teeth to bite back a sharp retort Jeral looked at Minsc questioningly, "Think you can open this door for me?" Minsc strode up to the door and leaned his two handed sword against the side of the building. He then squared up to the door and placed both of his gauntleted hands on the pull ring. Leaning back he pulled with all his might. Grunting from the exertion Minsc continued to tug at the door. The door shook slightly and the iron pull ring bent slightly but the door remained closed.
"Out of the way Minsc."
Scowling, Jeral strode away from the door a dozen paces and then turned around to face the door. Drawing his wand Jeral aimed it at the door and uttered the command word under his breath. A bolt of lightning leapt from the end of the wand and raced to the door, the bolt struck the center of the door, sending fragments of metal and wood flying in all directions as the door blew apart. The bolt rebounded off the door and headed back at Jeral, forcing him to dive to the ground to avoid being struck by his own spell. The lightning bolt passed harmlessly over his head and continued out over the water until it was lost from sight.
Bright torchlight streamed out from the interior of the tavern, bathing the quartet in light almost as bright as the mid day sun. The tavern quickly fell quiet except for the sounds of heavy metal shod footsteps. Jeral quickly got to his feet and dusted himself off as he heard his companions stirring uneasily bedside him. The light was momentarily blocked out as a massive figure stooped to step out the door. Aragog. The half-ogre dwarfed Minsc and was clad in a black suit of custom made splint mail with black steel boots and gauntlets. A thick band of black steel circled his head like a crown and a massive blade hung in a scabbard on his belt. Jeral involuntarily took a step back at the sight of the fearsome creature. The creature lumbered forward and stopped a dozen paces away from Jeral.
Before Jeral could react additional heavy footsteps echoed from within the tavern. A half dozen gnolls strode out into the night and wordlessly moved into position on each side of the half ogre. The gnolls looked almost small next to the massive Aragog, but each one was still taller than Minsc and almost as broad. Each of the gnolls wore a long leather tunic with metal plates sewn into it for added protection. Each gnoll wore a smaller black metal headband and wielded a single headed battle axe with a spike in place of the second axe head. Each of the gnolls looked far more capable than the gnolls Jeral had faced in the past.
"Pretty impressive security for a tavern," Jeral muttered under his breath. Jeral looked to his left and saw that Soreal and Yoshimo both stood stock still, their hands a hairs breath from their blades. Minsc stood staring and the gnolls and shaking with rage, his face getting redder and redder as the seconds past. One of the gnolls tilted his head to the side and inhaled deeply. Growing slightly he spoke to Aragog in badly mangled common, "I smell fear on the young one master." The half-ogre grinned, his upper lip pulling back to expose the fangs in his lower jaw line. Nodding slightly at the gnoll Aragog replied in a deep rumble, "Then you may kill the boy and feast on his flesh." The gnoll nodded quickly and took a half step forward before a pair of throwing daggers embedded themselves in his eyes. With a single whimper the gnoll collapsed to the ground. Jeral turned to look at Soreal, the shadow thief was in the same position as before. The only indication of anything different was that two throwing daggers were no longer in the custom pockets sewn into her pants.
The remaining five gnolls looked first to one another and then to Aragog for direction. Snarling the half-ogre slowly drew a dark blade from his scabbard. The blade was the side of a bastard sword but the blade curved back and forth like a snake, making it a very unusual and dangerous weapon. "Kill the others," Aragog commanded, "the boy is mine." Sneering and drooling the half-ogre lumbered towards Jeral.
Everything seemed to happen at once, roaring a battle cry Minsc drew Licaror and charged for the three gnolls to Aragog's left. Soreal dropped to a knee and hurled a pair of throwing knives; out of the corner of his eye Jeral watched the knives catch a charging gnoll in the shoulder and throat. Whimpering piteously the gnoll dropped to the ground and started writing in pain. Yoshimo drew his katana and strode forward to meet the remaining gnoll on Aragog's right.
Jeral's focus was brought back to the threat to his immediate front as he barely managed to draw his blades in time to parry the first strike, his crossed blades just intercepting Aragog's overhand strike. The force of the blow drove Jeral to a knee as he struggled to retain a grip on his weapons. Jeral felt the half-ogre's weight shift forward and he dove to the side, just avoiding a massive knee as is pistoned upwards. Jeral's shoulder hit the filthy cobblestones as he tucked forward and rolled, quickly hopping back to his feet, just in time to parry another strike from the massive half-ogre. Jeral backed away slowly as he sized up his opponent. Aragog was stronger, armored, likely more experienced, and moved incredibly quickly for a creature of his size.
Jeral risked a glance at his companions; they were all faring far better than he was. Soreal stood sideways with her short rapier held in her left hand and watched as she drove it through he stomach of one of the gnolls. Jeral recognized the Numedian fighting style although she knew some moves he had not seen previously documented in his readings. She danced away from the wounded gnoll and then slithered back in to deliver another grievous stab wound. The gnoll started to stagger as the blood gushed from the pair of wounds. Jeral watched as it dropped to a knee and Soreal finished it off with a blade through the muzzle. Yoshimo stood over another downed beast, his katana held as the ready as he looked for other threats. Minsc was standing over a pair of gnoll corpses and both he and his sword howled in delight. Other than a small wound on his shoulder Minsc appeared uninjured.
Jeral rolled away from another overhand slash, the bastard sword sparking off the cobblestones. Rising again to his feet Jeral move in to attack. Aragog swung out with a massive horizontal slash of his blade. Jeral parried the strike slightly with the Blade of Roses. Stepping inside Aragog's guard Jeral stabbed out with his enchanted short sword and was rewarded with a gush of blood as he buried the blade to the hilt in the half-ogre's side. Aragog roared in pain and anger as he threw his right elbow backwards. The unexpected maneuver caught Jeral in the chest, cracked a handful of ribs, and left him staggering back struggling for breath.
As Jeral gasped for air, Minsc stepped forward and swung Licaror at Aragog. The half-ogre raised his blade to parry the strike and grunted as he struggled against the force of the blow. Jeral watched as Minsc struck again and again at the burly cooler, no attempt at precision, Minsc was counting on his magically giant enhanced strength to carry the day. Soreal grabbed Jeral buy the arm and shouted, "We must get inside or those Roenall guardsmen will flee."
"What about that one?" Jeral shouted back. Just as the words left his lips Minsc drove his blade into the armored shoulder of the half-ogre and staggered the creature.
"Your big friend will be fine, we have to move." With an iron grip on Jeral's forearm she pulled him towards the tavern. Jeral stopped resisting and raced towards the tavern. Before he followed Soreal into the darkened tavern he called back to Yoshimo, "Help Minsc and then catch up with us!"
Soreal raced into the tavern and threw herself to the floor at the sound of crossbows firing. With her right hand she threw a small vial at the ceiling. The vial shattered on the ceiling and a half dozen purple mage lights appeared. Four raced to illuminate each corner of the room while the other two remained at the ceiling in the center of the room. A quick glance around the room showed about three dozen armed men. The Roenall guards were clustered in a group in a far corner while a dozen armed men who looked like pirates were on the opposite wall. A half dozen crossbow men stood behind the bar frantically reloading while another half dozen armed men stood at the base of the stairs.
Jeral entered the room in time to watch Soreal leap over the bar and land amongst the crossbow men. In close quarters her short rapier was deadly as it pistoned in and out of each crossbow man as she rapidly worked her way down the bar. By the time she reached the end of the bar her grey leathers were covered in blood and the crossbowmen all lay dead at her feet. She sprinted to the middle of the room and stood beside Jeral as he took in the scene around him.
Taking charge Soreal pointed her blade at the Roenall guardsmen and called out, "We are just here for them, the rest of you may leave unharmed." A handful of confident laughs – and a few nervous ones – greeted her command.
"What business do you have with us?" one of the guardsmen asked nervously. Jeral looked at the man scowled, "Your master attacked one of my companions earlier today and kidnapped the other."
A second Roenall guard stepped forward, "We did no such thing. We merely set things right. The Lady Nalia is declared to be his wife."
"And beating Squire Anomen almost to death, was that setting things right as well?" Jeral roared.
"Nah," the guard chuckled, "that was just fun. That pompus git thought he could stand against us with no weapon and no armor."
Jeral pointed his blades menacingly at the Roenall guardsmen, "we are going to avenge Anomen, rescue Nalia and kill Isaea."
Suddenly laughter erupted from everyone in the tavern. Jeral and Soreal whirled around nervously as they eyed the men all around them.
One man stepped forward as the laughter died down. "You have to be the greatest fools in Athkatla. This place belongs to Isaea. We all work for him."
Jeral examined the speaker with a critical eye. He wore faded navy breeches tucked into salt stained leather boots. His muscular upper torso was covered with tattoos and he wore a black vest with ivory buttons. He had long greasy hair that hung down almost to his waist. He held a cutlass in his right hand and a dirk in his left.
"And why would a pirate work for scum like Isaea?" Jeral challenged.
The man tossed back his head and laughed, "You really have no idea about him do you?" He took a step forward and then slowly turned in a full circle holding his hands outstretched. "Everyone you see here in this tavern is loyal to Isaea. We all work for him, and make a pretty penny doing it."
Looking to keep the man talking Jeral looked as doubtful as he could before he mockingly replied, "I fail to see how an officer in the city watch and the eldest son of a noble house could have anything to do with the likes of you. Your words are so much wind."
The long hair pirate's face reddened at Jeral's words. "You dare call Barg a liar?" he screamed pointing his cutlass at Jeral.
"Of course I call you a liar for everyone knows the word of a pirate is less than worthless."
Enraged, Barg slammed his cutlass down on the table and reached inside his vest. He quickly held out a small green ledger in front of his body. "Call me a liar boy? See this ledger? It documents every transaction I have made with Isaea. He trades in slaves, black lotus, stolen items, anything where he can make coin. He even stole this tavern from its owner so he could have a safe place to meet with us."
Smiling Jeral glanced quickly over at Soreal, as she stood guarding his back. She stood in a defensive crouch with her rapier held low, poised and ready to strike. "Well thank you for the information Barg. Since you have been so helpful we will kill you last."
Jeral's mocking comment caused Barg to chuckle as he drained a tankard of ale and reclaimed his cutlass. "You are a big talker boy, but the way I see it you and your lady friend are facing pretty long odds; looks to be about 30 against two. Gotta admit those are odds I quite like."
"Actually it is thirty against four my good man," Yoshimo quipped as he sauntered into the bar followed by a limping Minsc. The bounty hunter strode up to stand next to Jeral and slowly wiped the blood off his katana with a rag as he cheerfully eyed the pirates. Breathing heavily Minsc strode over to stand next to Soreal and rested Licaror on his armored shoulder.
Barg licked his lips nervously as he eyed the newcomers. "I still like the odds," he said, although Jeral could hear the first hints of doubt behind all of the man's bravado.
Jeral muttered a few words under his breath and mirror images of his materialized. Crossing his swords in a salute he charged the pirates. "For Anomen!" he cried as he closed with the first pirate. Jeral easily parried his sloppy attack and thrust his short sword through the man's chest. As he pulled his blade out the pirate dropped lifeless to the floor as Jeral moved onto his next target. The second pirate attacked with a spiked mace but struck one of Jeral's duplicates. As the image winked out of existence the man paused, as if shocked by what happened. Jeral took advantage of the man's lack of concentration, the Blade of Roses lashed out and the pirate's head fell to the floor. Jeral waded deeper into the mass of pirates as he pursued the retreating Barg. Trusting in his mirror images for protection Jeral lashed out left and right and more pirates fell to his blades.
Jeral's last mirror image disappeared and he dove under the table to avoid the strike from a scimitar wielding pirate. He rolled out on the other side and ran his short sword through the back of a heavy set bearded pirate. As the man slid off his blade he twisted to the side and watched as the scimitar missed his head by inches and slashed into the fat man's skull. The heavy blade wetly crashed into the skull in an explosion of blood and bone. As the man struggled to pull his scimitar free Jeral stabbed the Blade of Roses through his neck and watched as he dropped his scimitar and placed both hands over the wound in a desperate attempt to staunch the bleeding.
Seeing the other pirates cut down, Barg bolted around the other side of the table and sprinted for the door. Jeral turned to follow and was forced to step back and thrust his blades up in a desperate attempt to parry an attack. A mountain of a pirate stood in front of Jeral wielding a massive was hammer. The man was almost as large as Minsc and grinned, showing a mouthful of broken teeth, as he advanced on Jeral. The pirate swung out with his hammer and Jeral sidestepped the attack as the hammer struck the floor, sending up a shower of splinters as it cracked the thick floor boards. Jeral stabbed out and landed a few insignificant blows before the man swung out his war hammer again. Jeral rolled under the man's sweeping strike and came up inside his guard. Dropping the war hammer the man grabbed Jeral in a bear hug and lifted him off the floor.
Surprised by the unconventional move Jeral was lifted bodily off his feet. He pulled back his right arm in an effort to make room for a sword strike, when suddenly the pirate started to squeeze. The man pulled Jeral in tight against his chest and Jeral found his mouth full of an unpleasant mass of chest hair and filth. Jeral weakly swung his blades against the man but could not manage to generate any real strength since his arms were held in tight against his body. Grunting with exertion and pirate leaned back and squeezed harder. Jeral's body spasmed in pain and his swords dropped to the floor. He felt his damaged ribs start to bend and then break. First one, then a second and then a third; Jeral knew he would soon pass out from the pain. Jeral forced his head back and started to mutter the words to a spell as his fingers started casting.
The pirate, sensing something was amiss, adjusted his grip and then squeezed with a renewed vigor. Jeral cried out in pain and the spell died on his lips. Jeral stared at the man's face as the pain continued to intensify. He could not believe that he allowed himself to get bested by an unwashed slob of a pirate. He stared at the face and suddenly a wave of hot blood poured all over his face as the man released his grip. Gasping for air Jeral dropped to the floor and desperately wiped his face on the sleeve of his jacket. Once his vision started to clear he scrambled to pick up his swords and rose unsteadily to his feet.
He saw the massive pirate on his knees with Soreal's rapier sticking out of his right eye socket. Soreal planted a boot on his back and kicked out, Jeral watched transfixed as the now lifeless body slowly toppled forward and smacked into the floor.
Jeral nodded his thanks to Soreal, who nodded grimly in response. "Where is Barg?" Jeral cried as he looked quickly towards the door.
"He is not going anywhere," Yoshimo answered brightly. Barg lay on the floor in a pool of blood and intestines and was struggling to put his organs back inside his stomach as the life flowed out of him. "Fear not, I did not let him bleed on this ledger."
Yoshimo tossed the book to Jeral who caught it against his chest and then secured it in an inside pocket of his jacket. Jeral quickly rummaged through his belt pouch until he found a healing potion. Gulping it down Jeral the pain in his ribs decrease and he could breath easily again. Minsc had dropped his sword and held a Roenall guardsman in each armored fist as he alternated slamming the two of them against the far wall. Their heads slammed time and time again into the unfinished stone and Jeral watched as their faces became waxy and emotionless as the life left their bodies. Satisfied that they were dead Minsc dropped the bodies to the floor and reclaimed his sword. Smiling he nodded at Jeral, "We have punished those who almost killed good Anomen, this is a good night's work." Minsc then disappeared into the kitchen and quickly returned, reporting that the cooks had all fled into the night. Jeral handed Minsc a healing potion and the large man quickly drank it down.
A silence fell over the room as the men all caught their breath and looked around warily. Soreal seemed completely unaffected by the massive brawl. Her hair was still held tightly in place and she did not look the least out of breath. Despite the blood covering most of her armor she calmly
moved around the room looking carefully at the floor.
"What are you looking for," Jeral asked.
"This tavern has a basement, and according to what I have learned, that is where the true dark business goes on. I am looking for the entrance."
"What could be worse than slavery" Jeral asked.
"I suspect we shall find out," Soreal noted wryly.
The sound of furniture dragging across the floor, followed by a woman's scream carried through the ceiling. "What is upstairs Soreal?"
Not taking her eyes off the floor Soreal waved a hand towards the ceiling, "There are a dozen rooms upstairs for the pleasure girls. They have a girl chained up in each room for the use of the men."
"We must free the ladies!" Minsc roared.
"Do what you must, I will stay here." Soreal continued to nervously pace about the floor as she eyed the floor with a critical eye.
"We must aid the women upstairs Soreal."
Jeral stepped forward and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, in an instant he froze as the tip of her rapier was pressed against the tender skin on the underside of his chin.
"You do what you need to Jeral, I will remain here." With a flick of her wrist she pulled her rapier away, leaving a small trickle of blood dripping down his neck. Rubbing his neck gingerly he looked to Minsc and then Yoshimo. "Very well, we shall deal with whatever lies upstairs." Turning slightly Jeral motioned to Minsc, "Would you mind leading the charge?" Nodding Minsc sheathed Licaror on his back, the massive warblade would be of limited use in the close quarters upstairs, and grabbed a hand axe in each hand. Taking a deep breath Minsc bounded up the stairs, closely trailed by Jeral and Yoshimo. The stairs ended in a small sitting room where four guards men wearing chain mail and armed with swords and round shields stood waiting for them to arrive.
Wordlessly the quartet charged with swords raised and slammed into Minsc, Jeral and Yoshimo. Minsc slammed an axe into the head of one of the guards, his reach allowing him to easily swing over his opponent's shield. Yoshimo deftly parried his opponent's attacks and slid smoothly away from the guardsman. Jeral launched a flurry of strikes and forced his opponent to raise his shield and cower behind it. Once the man's vision was blocked by his shield Jeral dropped down and stabbed the man in the stomach before he could respond to the attack. The guard dropped his sword and shield and fell forward clutching his wound. Jeral leapt over the fallen man and raced down the hallway.
Jeral threw open the first door on the left and stole a glance into the room, there was a narrow bed in the small room, a small table with a wash basis on it and a chamber pot tucked in the corner of the room. A naked young woman, younger than Imoen, was curled up in the corner with her knees tucked to her chest. A chain went from a metal ring on her wrist to a heavy iron ring bolted into the wall. Once Jeral was sure she was alone he smiled reassuringly at her, "You are safe young lady, I will be back in a moment to set you free." Jeral quickly searched the other 11 rooms and found no one other than more young girls, all held in terrible conditions. A pair of shutters was thrown wide open and whatever soldiers had fled upstairs had escaped into the darkness. He turned back to see Minsc and Yoshimo stepping over the quartet of corpses and walking down the hallway.
"Well any other soldiers from downstairs escaped but I think we have made our point clear. Yoshimo, please free the ladies from their chains." Minsc and Yoshimo went room to room unchaining the young women and helping them find a bed sheet or towel to cover themselves. A few of the girls were hysterical until Minsc showed them Boo. Something about the small rodent quieted them down and one of them even smiled shyly. "Get them ready to move," Jeral directed, "I am going downstairs to check on Soreal. Wait here."
Jeral carefully walked downstairs in time to see Soreal slam shut a large iron bound trap door in the floor and throw her body on top of it. Strange howls echoed from under the tavern and the sounds of dozens of claws tearing against the trap door set Jeral's nerves on edge. Soreal's face was pale and something had torn deep bloody gashes in her back. "We need to keep this trap door closed or we will all die." She cried, eyes wide with terror.
"Minsc!" Jeral yelled, "We need you down here now!" Minsc lumbered down the stairs and landed heavily as his momentum slammed him into the stone wall at the base of the stairs. Jeral pointed to the trap door when Soreal was struggling to keep it closed, "We need to put something heavy on this trap door now!" Jeral shouted. Nodding Minsc raced behind the bar and started rooting around. Within moments he carried over a massive beer keg, straining to take the weight. As he started to lower it down Soreal rolled out of the way.
For an instant the trap door was not forced closed, during that brief flicker of time the trap door raised up slightly and a pale hand – a pale hand that ended in long blood drenched claws - reached through the gap. The keg slammed down on the trap door and the fingers were quickly pulled back underneath the trap door. Minsc carried out another keg and set it next to the first, completely covering the trap door. Once Soreal was confident that the trap door would not open she rolled to her feet and stood up, grimacing in pain as she felt the wounds on her back. She looked ashen and far paler than she normally did, her confident demeanor gone. Soreal started shivering uncontrollably as she struggled to open a potion bottle she pulled out of a small pouch on her belt. He hands shook wildly and she was on the verge of dropping the bottle.
Jeral sheathed his blades, walked over to Soreal and calmly took the bottle from her trembling hands, unstoppered it and held it to her pale lips. He had to gently place a steadying hand on the back of her head to calm the shaking enough to allow her to gulp down the strong healing potion. After she swallowed the potion the shivering went away, and when Jeral looked at her back her wounds had closed, but strangely she remained as pale as the grave. Jeral knew that whatever was in the basement was more powerful than they were and to remove the kegs meant certain death.
Jeral quickly came to a decision; they needed to get out of there before whatever was in the basement found another way out. "Minsc, go upstairs and tell Yoshimo that we need to leave right now." Before the ranger could protest Jeral hastily added, "We are taking the girls with us. Make haste." Minsc ran up the stairs and Jeral could hear the mummer of high pitched voices as the girls realized they might taste freedom.
"Jeral," Soreal hissed through clenched teeth, "find the strongest drink you can behind the bar and bring the bottles here."
"I hardly think this is the time for a drink Sor.."
"Now!" Her shouted order cut short Jeral's protest and he watched her body spasm in pain from the effort.
Jeral hastily found a handful of bottles of a very potent clear drawven drink known as grappa. Jeral thought the drink was terrible and it made his eyes water and throat burn on the few occasions he had tasted it. He handed a bottle to Soreal and she quickly shattered the neck of the bottle on one of the beer kegs and poured out the alcohol all over the trap door. Minsc led the girls downstairs in a neat line with Yoshimo bringing up the rear.
"Wait outside," Soreal commanded, "We will head to the guild in a moment." Nodding obediently Yoshimo and Minsc shepherded the girls outside. The girls all looked dazed and started numbly at the death and destruction all around them. Once the girls were safely outside, Soreal started throwing bottles of grappa everywhere; against the walls, behind the bar, on the stairwell. When she was out of bottles she walked unsteadily towards the door, before heading outside she turned back and looked at Jeral.
"Burn it," she commanded, "burn this place to the ground. That is our only chance to survive the night." She turned away and staggered outside to join Minsc and Yoshimo.
Jeral turned slowly and took a long look around the common room of the tavern, his arms crossed, one hand contemplatively scratching his chin. "Seems such a waste to burn this place down," he muttered to himself. He walked over to the bar and searched behind it for a few moments before he found the strong box. Disappointingly there was not much coin in it. He poured the coins into his belt pouch and filled it almost to the brim. "Well better than nothing I suppose," he mumbled to himself. He heard something and froze. There it was again, a faint scratching. Jeral strode over to the trap door in the middle of the room and stopped again. The scratching was louder now; it was the sound of claws, dozens of them, clawing against the heavy wooden trapdoor. Jeral found the noise unsettling, something about it chilled him to the bone. Uttering a quick incantation jets of flames shout out of his spread fingers and bathed the room in fire.
Where the magical fire touched the dwarven grappa the flames leapt to the ceiling and burned with an intensity that quickly forced Jeral out of the common room. As the fire spread Jeral swore he heard hissing and cursing coming from the basement. He quickly turned and fled into the night. Minsc had the girls clustered tightly together and hovered protectively over them. Yoshimo was quickly searching the corpses outside for anything of value. Soreal saw Jeral exit the tavern and started slowly walking towards the exit to the district. Jeral fell in with Soreal while Yoshimo brought up the rear. Minsc walked in the middle as he herded the scared girls along. He hummed softly to them and allowed them to pass Boo amongst themselves for reassurance.
"We need to get these girls to the Copper Coronet," Jeral said quietly, "Hendak can help them start new lives, or return to their old ones if that is still possible."
Soreal shook her head grimly, "You will never make it there alive, not tonight. The guild is not far, we should be safe there until morning…..I hope." She walked as fast as she could on her unsteady and weakened legs. As the guild came into sight Jeral was startled to see a half dozen heavily armed men standing around a flaming metal barrel. They were all clad in well made chain mail and carried swords or maces. Each looked far more proficient than the usual thugs that guarded the guild entrance.
"The guild hired mercenaries for additional security?" Jeral asked incredulously.
"They are mercenaries we lured away from the Flaming Fist." Soreal sighed softly, "We have taken casualties and are losing new recruits, and we had no choice."
The guards stiffened at their approach and quickly split into two groups of three. Weapons at the ready one guard stepped forward and held an arm up in warning. "That is close enough. Building is closed until the morning. Move along."
Growling in frustration Soreal stomped angrily up to the guardsmen. She stopped two paces in front of him and looked up at him while poking a finger into his chest. "Either open the doors by the count of five or I will gut you like a fish. I am a senior member of this guild."
The mercenary leader blanched slightly and his hand dropped to the pommel of that sword as he looked back to his companions for reassurance.
Soreal poked him in the chest with more enthusiasm, "If that blade leaves the scabbard you die."
Stepping back a step she continued in a softer voice as she held her hands out away from her sides, "I know your orders, I was there the guild master ordered Renal to give them to you. Now let us in or wake up Renal immediately. We do not have much time."
Having made a decision the guard acted quickly, he strode to the door and hammered on it. When the viewing slit opened he ordered the door open. "Let this lot in, watch them carefully and do not let them move about until Renal meets with them." The viewing slit closed and the heavily barred door opened; Soreal strode inside and motioned the others to follow. Once they were all inside the door was quickly closed are barred once again.
The four ushered in the dozen traumatized girls and found themselves surrounded by dozens of armed men and women. No one was directly threatening them but they were clearly under a close guard for the time being.
Soreal looked around the room and snapped her fingers, "Borden, grab some others and fetch these ladies some clean clothes and some hot food. They will be staying with us until morning so prepare the guest rooms." She continued with some soft menace in her voice, "Ensure that everyone knows the young women are not to be touched. They are under my protection." The young thief nodded and raced off to comply with her orders. She turned on a heel and locked eyes with Yoshimo and then Minsc. "Please make yourselves comfortable. We will return the girls to the Coronet in the morning, it is too dangerous to move tonight." Yoshimo and Minsc nodded obediently. She strode off and looked back over her shoulder, "Jeral with me. I need to report to Renal."
She wended her way through stacks of boxes and crates until she arrived at a small non-descript door. A large man leaned against the wall, seeing Soreal's approach he pushed himself off the wall and stood in front of the door. Soreal stopped a few paces away and tapped her foot impatiently.
"Out of the way Zevon, I need to see Renal."
The large man smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Jeral stopped for a second to take a good look at the man. He was almost as large as Minsc and well muscled, although his stomach showed a love for too much food and ale. He wore a studded leather tunic and a large spiked club leaned against the wall next to him. His face was that of a bare knuckle brawler who lost as many fights as he won. His nose was shattered beyond repair and scars on both side of the face showed that many a bottle had broken over his head. He had greasy blond hair that was tied in a long ponytail that hung down his left side. While not an attractive man he did look competent and dangerous. "Renal just got word you wanted to see him; he will be out when he is ready."
"Step aside; I am not in the mood for your games Zevon."
Smiling he licked his lips and rubbed his hands together. "Now that is a shame, fine thing like you not in the mood. I hear you are never in the mood, maybe you need the right man."
Soreal had stopped tapping her foot and Jeral watched as her body tensed. Looking at the floor she spoke in a low whisper, "It has been a long time since I have lay with anyone, that is true." She lifted up her right leg and twisted her body to her left, bringing her right leg across her body. Uncoiling she straightened out and her right heel snapped back and smashed into the inside of Zevon's left knee. As her leg straightened his knee shattered and off balance he collapsed to the ground. She delivered two swift kicks to his head and he lay still on the floor.
The entire attack happened in an instant. One second the big man was blocking the door, the next he was laying unconscious on the floor with a shattered knee. Stepping over the large man Soreal opened the door and stepped inside, "Good evening Renal, I do apologize for the intrusion." Renal was sitting on the edge of his bed in a large scarlet sleep shirt. He had obviously been sleeping when alerted to their presence in front of the guild.
"Do you really?" Renal asked as he pulled his hair back to tuck into a black scarf. "I think you quite like tormenting me and bullying my guards. I trust Zevon still lives." Getting a nod in response he sighed heavily and completed putting his hair in a scarf and then slid on a pair of dark grey pants. "Well since you are here you might as well make your report." Renal leaned back against the wall and looked from Jeral to Soreal expectantly. Sensing Soreal's reluctance Renal impatiently clapped his hands, "Come now, Jeral is not one of us but he may be considered an ally of the guild after taking care of Mae'Var. We will have no secrets here, at least not at this late hour."
"Very well," Soreal slid wearily to the floor and sat cross legged, once she was settled she started her tale. "Jeral and his friends wanted to pursue the Roenall guards at the Sea's Bounty. I decided to accompany them so I could get a look inside and confirm the rumors that have reached our ears.
Renal leaned forward and looked at Soreal intently, "So what did you find?"
"I managed to find the hidden entrance to the basement of the tavern. I made myself invisible and dropped down through the trap door. What I saw there will stay with me for a long time," Soreal shuddered at the thought. "There was blood everywhere, bodies and parts of bodies lay strewn over the floor. The bodies had been drained of their blood, throats ripped out, and hearts torn from their chests. They were no more than food, just sacks of meat."
Jeral shuddered in voluntarily at Soreal's tale. Even though the room was warm he felt a chill creeping up his spine as she continued her story.
"It is as we feared?" asked Renal quietly.
Soreal shook her head slowly, "No Renal, it is not cultists or the Scarlet Brotherhood. It is worse, so very much worse."
She paused and her lips tightened as if she was unwilling to say the word, "Vampires, the other guild is led by vampires."
Author's note:
Totally borrowed the name Aragog from Hagrid's spider in the Harry Potter books. Just love the name and always wanted to use it for an interesting bad guy so it seemed to fit here.
I know grappa is Italian but I needed a strong alcohol to make it work so it seemed to fit.