Disclaimer: I don't own Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Game of Thrones or A Song of Ice and Fire. They belong to their respective creators, and/or copyright owners. I'm not writing this story with commercial purpose, it is not for sale or rent.

Dragon Kin in Golarion

=DK=

Part 3

=DK=

No assassins waited for us behind the next corner. Instead, we found an empty guard room combined with a small armory. While the place had been mostly emptied up by the guards in a hurry – discarded dice, cards, and food pointed at this, there were a few useful pieces of equipment. No swords, unfortunately. However, I managed to pick up a breastplate that actually fit, a stout wooden shield, and a mace abandoned in a corner.

While I got myself outfitted, Tartuccio and Linzi looked over the rest of the armory for anything of use.

"What do we have here? A chest full of gold? The guard's salaries I guess." He looked slyly at us. "Those freeloaders haven't been working too hard for it. You saw that right? Perhaps we should help ourselves to it?"

"What?! NO!" Linzi screamed in unmitigated horror. "We're heroes, not thieves!"

That brought a smile to my face. It reminded me of times long past. Of simpler times before I knew how the world usually worked. Sometimes even honorable knights had to live off the land during a campaign and almost always that turned out very ugly.

"Who said anything about stealing?" Tartuccio glared at Linzi once she was a bit calmer. "We'll be merely securing it, yes keeping it safe from assassins!" He nodded, at his particularly clever idea. "Then we can heroically return it to Jamandi when it's over."

"Steal from a Swordlord from her home? Are you mad, she'll have our heads for such an act!" I snapped. After a long session with her interrogators, if we were particularly unlucky. You don't steal from a Lord's stronghold unless you were at war with them and reasonably sure you could get away with them. And in that case, it wasn't called stealing but acquiring rightful plunder.

"How would she know it was not the assassin and us?" Tartuccio narrowed his eyes Linzi. "Unless someone plans to tell her?"

I narrowed my eyes at him in return. What was his game? Until we got here he was all about helping the good Lady hosting us. Now he wanted to steal from her? Was he testing us, or perhaps he was goading us to get rid of the competition?

"Don't drag me into this! You do what you want, but I'm not taking a single coin!"

"Sunfire, if he stabs us in the back, please eat him." I mentally told my companion.

The Drake turned her long neck away from a table where she was polishing off the guards' dinner and sent me her agreement back.

Soon enough I was properly armed and armored, and we left the guard room. Another locked door barred our path forward. This time, it opened with a click, and another familiar face showed itself.

She was an Elf with ghostly pale skin and aloof bearing. However, her most memorable feature was her weapon – a large scythe she carried around. That by itself assured that any first impressions wouldn't be the best.

"Oh, familiar faces!" She smiled at us, sharing my sentiment. "I hope you aren't so frightened as to strike or shoot at every shadow." She pointedly looked at Linzi's crossbow.

"She smells dead." Sunfire declared, and wasn't that interesting?

"It's me, Jaethal, in case you forgot." The Elf introduced herself. "I don't recommend advancing down the hall. The place is full of traps now." She waved at the floor behind her. "There were a few people with me, and you can see what happened to them."

Jaethal moved aside and we could see a number of bodies. They didn't die well.

"And how did they all end up dead while you seem to lack a single scratch?" Tartuccio leveled an accusing look at our new acquaintance.

"I'll answer but briefly and just once. Further scares and explanations should wait until we aren't hunted by a bunch of assassins. Deal? I'm undead. Those traps did nothing to me. As to the living?" She pointed at the nearest corpse. "They live no more."

"What do you mean undead?" Linzi perked up. "Like Zombies or skeletons… you don't look like a skeleton or a mummy…"

"As I said, further explanations have to wait." Jaethal gave Linzi a look of annoyance. "All that matters is that we're on the same side and we have a small army of assassins to fight through. Can we go now?"

"That's all and good." I looked at my companions. "Can any of you disarm traps?"

"What do you take me for a common rogue?" Tartuccio snapped.

"I can find them, however, I can't disarm them," Jaethal announced.

"Um, I think I can?" Linzi gave us a wan smile.

"Why am I not surprised?" Tartuccio gave the bard a withering glare.

"Then please get to it, fair lady." I offered a reassuring smile and waved down the corridor.

Linzi perked up and slowly crept over the floor, intently looking in every which way. Eventually, she paused by the wall, pulled a pair of instruments from a pouch on her belt, and began fiddling with it.

"Done!" She proclaimed after we had heard a faint click.

"A dastardly rogue this one, watch her, I tell you!" Tartuccio intently whispered to us. "And an undead monster." He glared daggers at the Elf, who sneered right back.

"Um, if you're done bickering, I'm ready?" Linzi waved at us.

"Can I eat them?" Sunfire asked, looking between the Gnome and the Elf. "They're annoying."

"You can't eat people just because they're annoying."

"Why?"

"I'll explain later."

The Drake settled down and led the way.

More creeping around awarded us with an ambush. A pair of assassins were busy trying to unlock a door, muttering something about Aldori's stash. Two bolts caught one in the back, while the other one ended on the business end of Jaethal's scythe. While not an ideal weapon in close quarters, it was very deadly, as one gored assassin could now attest.

For once, Tartuccio didn't offer any comments, much less desire to search for our hostess's stash, and we proceeded. Eventually, we reached an open garden built within the mansion. The place was no longer one of peace and relaxation. Instead, it was a bloodbath. We found some more of Lady Aldori's guards. While they were dead, they had died hard, taking at least twice their number of assassins.

Three of the bastards were left, pocking around the bodies and perhaps trying to help a few of their blackguard lot. We weren't going to give them the chance.

"Attack!" I charged at the nearest assassin, using the shield to protect myself against arrows. Sunfire and the elf ran right behind me, while the small fellows offered ranged support.

Linzi shot at the archer, who barely managed to shift aside, though it cost him, his arrow missing me by a wide margin. Tartuccio muttered an incantation, and a shower of golden moths fell upon the three assassins. Two of them shrugged it off, while the third fell asleep.

A small ball of fire flew from the darkness on the other side of the garden and slammed into the sleeping enemy, who jumped with a jolt and a scream back into the fight, immediately returning to the fight. His luck ran out at that point as he found himself face to face with Sunfire, who pounced and gleefully did her thing.

I was upon the other swordsman and took his short sword upon my shield. Old skills awakened, and I used my momentum to push his weapon aside, leaving him open and struck, catching him on the left shoulder. Bone shattered, and Jaethal finished him off.

Two down, one more to go.

Bright light bust in front of the archer's face, and I was pretty sure it was courtesy to our little bard. Tartuccio followed with one of his rays of frost, which froze the assassin's leather jerkin and got his aim off, making him release an arrow early, wasting it.

A second ball of fire came from the darkness and missed, bursting harmlessly near the archer's feet. He quickly retreated, avoiding Sunfire's snapping jaws, my sword, and even a wide slash from Jaethal's scythe. I don't know if he was that good or lucky, however, he averted his eyes from a burst of light, and even managed to avoid Tartuccio's magic. A third ball of flame flew his way, and he twisted around in a manner that should have been supernatural. Or perhaps a sixth sense?

It didn't matter in the end. That last feint slowed him down and a moment later, Sunfire was on him, grappling with her claws and chomping down hard with her jaws. The assassin died up screaming and the source of the fire made her way out of the shadows.

She was yet another familiar face. One more would be adventurer had survived the assassins it seemed. I remembered her, obviously. The red-skinned and horned woman was the most distinctive among the odd group of would-be conquerors and liberators lured by the Aldori offer.

If her skin was a shade or two paler, and she lacked horns, I would have taken her for a Dornish woman. Her outfit was vaguely similar, if particularly richly colored – it did show up skin, yet could be adjusted to easily cover it to protect from the elements.

"Hah, everything is so much fun with a little fire!" The thiefling girl stopped nearby. Her tail waved in excitement, and Sunfire looked at it, almost mesmerized, her own tail mirroring its movements. "What a night, huh? I thought I was all alone. It's good you're here. Chasing assassins all over the place with no one to watch the show," She sighed in mock regret.

"It's not fun at all! Many people died tonight! Others are still dying!" Linzi snapped in outrage.

"My little friend is right." I voiced my agreement."

"Pfff…" The thiefling snorted.

Not a good impression that.

"You sound like Kaleshite." The accent was vaguely familiar. I've met a few from that region on my journey here, and they did favor similar garbs. It was their striking resemblance with what the Dornish wore when traveling in their desert that made it stuck in my head.

"Of course! I'm from Quadria." Which told me nothing. "But tales of hot deserts and shady oases could wait until the fighting is over." She confirmed her origins. "But if you want to share a dinner and a pleasant conversation, just say the

word… I like making new friends!" She happily jumped at that, completely at odds with her previous aloof behavior.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced." I kept looking warily at her. Any woman who can throw fireballs was someone to be very polite and careful of. Like granny Urika, the Shaman who tried to teach me her craft.

The thiefling offered a mocking half-bow. "I'm Kaesi, one of the many here who came seeking a better fate, answering the call of the Lady Jamandi. But unlike the others, I never drop my guard, day or night!"She preened. "That's why I'm still alive! And you have to thank your dragon, I'm sure!"

"Of course! I'll be the best dragon!" Sunfire sent through our bond.

"There are assassins all over the place. We better go." I didn't like the garden. It was both open and offered too many hidden places for comfort.

"I don't know where you're heading, but I'll be at the entrance of the main hall. I think I saw some guards there. Join me if you wish!" She saluted us and quickly vanished into the darkness.

"She's odd." Linzi declared.

"That's rich coming from you, short stuff." Jaethal shot back and slammed her boot into the throat of an assassin who might have been quite undead.

"Check the wounded, make sure the assassins are really dead," I suggested.

This time even Linzi nodded with grim determination written all over her face. She was slowly becoming accustomed to the grim realities of combat.

Everyone in our immediate vicinity was dead. The guards had their throats slit by the assassins, and there were no other breathing murderers to worry about. We advanced through the garden and found another body nearby.

This one was properly armored and didn't look anything like the assassin. He was breathing, groaning, and mumbling to himself. He was a proper Dwarf too.

"I'm not seeing any serious wounds. Just the odd scratch." Linzi peered at him.

While his armor was a bit dented and worse to wear, he seemed more or less all right. That didn't stop him from mumbling nonsense.

"Groetus…" The Dwarf groaned. That was the God of the End times, entropy, and other such gloomy stuff if I recalled right. A particularly unpleasant character that one. "I can sense your silhouette hovering over me! It won't be much longer!"

"Uh, that's just us." I walked beside Linzi and looked at the odd Dwarf. "You're a bit premature, you know. You've got a few scratches and bruises, but that's it. There's nothing to die of that I can see." I frowned at the Dwarf. What was with tonight and meeting odd people?

"That's impossible!"The Dwarf scoffed. He nevertheless raised his head and looked at himself, then slowly tried to move his hands and feet.

To no one's surprise, he managed it all right.

"It seems… it seems you might be right." I've rarely heard someone sound this disappointed in my life. He grunted and got on his feet, looking down at his blood-stained armor.

"No fresh blood." Sunfire declared after sniffing at him from a distance. "He doesn't look tasty."

"It seems… it seems I might live yet." The Dwarf said haltingly. "I must postpone meeting my god. Not for long, I'm sure. But while we're still on this transient world - Harrim is at your service."

"Duncan Targaryen, a pleasure I'm sure. Let's get going. I don't like this place."

Now with a gloomy Dwarf in tow, we made our way through the maze-like garden until we finally found the exit. Said exit was buried under collapsed debris. However, we also found a group of guards clustered near a side door billowing smoke.

An officer in fine plate led them, barking orders.

"Get an ax, you, more water! Hurry! You two cover them! Everyone else holds this position, there are still assassins running around.

The guards ran past us giving us wary looks.

The officer finally turned to look at us and his face brightened.

"Aha! Some of our guests survived!" He sounded quite happy with that turn of events, a sentiment I shared. "You need to get to the banquet hall and help Lady Jamandi!"

"Who are you, Sir? I'm Duncan of House Targaryen." I introduced myself properly.

"I'm Sir Kesten, of House Garess." The officer did the same, in a tone that showed his approval. "A knight in the service of Swordlord Jamandi Aldori. Right now I'm in charge of the mansion's guards." He frowned. "What's left of them anyway. As you can see, there is a lot to do, and we can use the help."

The thiefling girl, Kaesi came out of the shadows and smirked at Sir Kesten.

"If I was a rich and influential lady like Jamandi, I'd also get myself…" she licked her lips, "a manly captain of the guard. Or two." She winked at me.

Those words earned her a few dirty and a few more speculative looks. That woman would be right in home in Dorne.

"What's going on?" I demanded, trying to avoid any more complications.

"Someone opened the gate and let in a group of assassins in the middle of the night. You can see the rest." Sir Kesten pointed at the burning hallway. "That's the way to the main hall and Lady Jamandi. We have to get the fire under control and save the mansion, then we'll be on our way. They set it on fire to cut off reinforcement, the bastards."

"Considering Lady Jamandi's fame, I'm not surprised that someone unleashed a whole pack of assassins on her, including a Giant. Anything less wouldn't stand a chance." Kaesi spoke.

I had to agree. We heard about this halfway across the world, which led to my journey here.

"But what's at stake? What would anyone hope to gain from this?" She waved a hand, probably meaning all the destruction and death tonight.

"I'll go." I nodded at the fiery hall with a grimace. That brought up some nasty memories I thought I've put to rest. I shivered at the thought of running straight into the fire, however, I wasn't going to let it haunt me when there was something important at stake!

"Fire doesn't bother me thanks to Hell's blood running through my veins. I'll run ahead and wait for you on the other side." With those parting words, Kaesi ran into the fire.

I grimaced at the reminder that both Hell and daemons were real, just like the gods of this world. What I wasn't so sure about were the Seven and the Old Gods from home.

"May Abadar keep you safe!" Sir Kesten said a prayer to us and went back to coordinating his soldiers.

"We need to prepare or will burn." I shivered again, as phantom pain ran up and down my body. "We need to cover our faces and drench ourselves with water, or we won't make it."

Fortunately, there was a fountain nearby, and one of the soldiers offered his clock, which we quickly hacked on strips we used to cover our mouths and noses. As it was, we nearly wasted too much time. Almost as soon as we were through the door, part of the wall and ceiling behind collapsed, cutting off the way.

There was only one way to go now.

The hot air burned my lungs, and the smoke watered my eyes. It was just like the hell that was Summerhall… Yet, this time around I wasn't caught in a disaster unprepared and wasn't crippled. Not yet, anyway.

A stunning armored figure walked through the fire like an angel, carrying a badly burned guard. "There are two more, badly wounded! Help me pull them out!"

"There's no time! Jamandi is waiting for us!" Tartuccio grumbled.

I was too stunned to react. This woman, it was like Visenya come again. I shook my head and cursed the fire. I wasn't letting anyone die like I did if I could help it! I rushed into the fire and smoke. The two poor bastards were nearby. However, getting them out was much harder than I feared. By the time we dragged them out, we were all burned and gasping for breath.

The armored woman was right beside us through it, doing her best to help us.

"Thank you!" She bowed her head. "That was truly noble of you! I'm Valerie." The warrior woman introduced herself "Now let us rush to Lady Aldori's aid!"

"Yes, let's go." I rasped. Getting away from the fire was the best idea I've heard all day.

Only Sunfire was relatively unbothered by the ordeal, unfortunately, she couldn't be of much help. She was smug too, thinking about dragon superiority or something like that. I was too tired to care, and we still had a hard fight ahead of us.