The Dark Flames – Book 6 - New Beginnings (no spam)

[Aqua-chan]

When BS had returned to the clearing with the horses he had found it empty. It seemed that AC decided to follow Rylak to the fire as opposed to standing around in the dark.

"Winghaven is somewhat large," she was reasoning when he got there, "It is on the main road, but unless our pursuers are truly vengeful I doubt we'll have much trouble there."

"What about local law enforcement? There's gotta be warrants out for us by now."

"Guards stick mostly to the upscale area, but there is a slumming district that is relatively unpatrolled." With this statement Rylak was about entirely bought.

"Sounds like you know this place well. Been there before?"

AC moved towards the fire and sat. Admittedly, it didn't get too cold this far south, but she was a woman who preferred to be extremely warm as opposed to somewhat cool. Rint, who had experience with the flames of hell, didn't mind moving so close either.

"My sister lived there. I'd go to her home every so often when I needed to lay low," she replied absently.

Rylak looked at BS, who had an equally intruiged look on his face. For some reason the thought that such a solitary woman might have relatives had never crossed their minds.

"You have a sister?" the rogue asked plainly, enough control to withhold the other part he wanted to know: is she as messed up as you?

"I did at one time," she said, sounding morbidly bouncy about it, "She's dead now. Murdered by arson. Bad way to die."

There was no response fitting to the situation, the men thought. Not even Rint, who had never heard this story, either, could come up with something seemingly appropriate.

Still, there was a curiosity.

"Who did it? Why?" asked Rylak after a moment. The priestess looked at him and the over to BS, still somewhat guarded, and gave a short amused noise.

"The lover of some wench I defeated in a campaign. He torched the house because he thought I was there."

"That's... rough," Rylak offered weakly. AC shrugged.

"I didn't like her much anyway."

Rint whimpered, and BS couldn't help staring at her in disbleif. The woman didn't notice, however, and began looking around for edible herbs. As a vegetarian she wasn't about to try whatever meat concoction BS had loaded up for them before leaving Crowhill.

"Winghaven it is," Rylak informed BS after she had strayed away. Rint still appeared somewhat offset by the monotonous reaction: you could tell because his eyes were wide and glittered in the fire light.

"That woman," BS mused, staring in the mageling's general direction, "She's got... major issues."

"No kiddin'." Loyal or not, Rint couldn't argue on that account.


(Over to you, Mr. City#1. )

[Bloodstalker]

Winghaven wasn't what one would call a beacon of civilization, but it was considerably larger than most of the smaller towns in the general area. It's location had allowed it to grow beyond the small frontier outpost it had originally began life as. Situated as it was near where the main road wound it's way through the mountains, it had been an ideal location for a military outpost when it had been founded. In fact, the inner workings, which now housed the cities governing body, were surrounded by the high stone walls of what had been the original fort.The years had seen the military presence dwindle to token representation, however, as the surrounding area became more and more settled and the likelyhood of disturbances had ebbed to next to nothing. Only it's position at the mouth of the pass through the mountains had allowed it to enjoy a second, and more vital, life as a trade city.

Caravans made their way up and down the road between the major ports to the south and the more populated areas to the north. The surrounding farming communities also provided a strong local market for the merchants who ran things. While the inner fort housed the local administration, the surrounding areas provided for the day to day needs of the comunity. The North Quarter cradled the merchants. A bustling marketplace the lifeline of the city, while a small theatre provided for some entertainment to the various travellers. This region, along with the inner city, held the prime attention of the city guard. The East and Western Quartes were for the most part residentual areas, scattered amongst which a few various faiths had dedicated temples to corresponding gods.

The Southern Quarter, however, was a far different affair. In any city that had access to the type of wealth that came through Winghaven, there was bound to be a criminal element lying in it's shadow. Such it was in the Southern Quarter. The constant travel and many new faces going in and out of the city provided a realative annonyminity to those who prefered for one reason or another, to stay out of the mainstream. It was well know that this area, with it's taverns, gambling establishments, and brothels set up for the travelling merchants diversions would also attract the less moral of the regions citezens. It was also for the most part largely ignored. The Council and Guard left it mostly to it's own regulation unless some pressing need dictated otherwise. It was universally accepted that theives and other less savory characters frequented these streets. It was also accepted that as long as they stayed in their place so to speak, it was more trouble to deal with them than they were worth. As such, travelling caravans, merchants, preists etc were warned to visit the area at their own risk.

And, as such, this was precisly the area that the small band of refugees from Crowhill had sought out.

BS walked his horse down the center of the street, abreast with Rylaks, while AC rode a bit ahead of them with Rint. It made sense to let her take the lead since she was familiar with the area, not to mention that both men were still a little unsure of the womans mental state. Well, Rylak was unsure, BS had concluded a few miles back that she was definatly addled. The trip had been spent with little talk, BS still feeling a bit irritable, Rylak trying to avoided any further agitation, and AC doing whatever it was that she and her horse decided was needed at the moment.

Yes, BS had decided she was quite off her rocker. He also decided she was still for some reason intrigueing. Probably the fact that he didn't know what to expect at any given moment, and she could go from puzzleing him to infuriating him in a heartbeat. Currently, he was debating which he was with her, but was leaning towards a sullen irritation.

Drawing his horse up in the middle of the street, BS sniffed the air for a moment.

"This one." he commented loudly enough for his companions to hear, bringing Rylak up with him and truning AC around in her saddle.

"That place?" She sent back at him with an incredulous look. "You have got to be kidding me."

BS glanced over at Rylak and the man simply shrugged, hoping that distancing himself from the discussion would avert another scene.

"This one. It's got class. And besides, it's here." He stated confidentlly as he slid from the saddle and tied off his horse. Neither of his companions had been able to exact just where the animal had come from. BS had disappeared for awhile back on the road on foot and returned riding as if nothing had happened out of the ordinary. All questioning had only turned up that somewhere along the road, he had "found" the horse, evidentallly all saddled and waiting.

Looking over the establishment, AC shook her head. " There's a better place at the end of the street. Cleaner, bigger, easier to keep a low profile. You go in there, you're likely to come back diseased." She hesitated a heartbeat before continuing. "Nevermind. I guess there are some things that you don't have to worry about."

BS stood for a moment contemplating whether to go in for a drink immediatly or spend a few precious seconds in another screaming match. While still aggravated, he wasn't as mad as he had been though, and besides, he wanted a drink a lot worse than he wanted to fight. Even if it would be fun to get her riled again.Still, he couldn't let things sit totally, so he turned and slid her a wink.

"What's wrong? Scared I'll catch something and ruin myself for you?"

Before she could answer, he pushed his way into the tavern, his companions in the street.

[Aqua-chan]

The nameless bar was cramped and gloomy inside, just the type of place that the Jack of Trades BS was comfortable with. It felt like the setup for an old gig when he realized that Rylak had hesitated a while to come in after him: the pair had conducted many scams on an unknowing public, and one of the key tricks was to act as though you were traveling solo. BS briefly thought of just calling Rylak over, but then considered that this place was a potential target. If they wanted to pull something later - admittedly, probably not a wise idea at this point - it would be good to have a cover. BS let Rylak sit at a table while he took to the bar.

After an hour long sleep at the valley and a day long trip the party had finally arrived in Winghaven. It was somewhat late in the afternoon, about the time when tired men coming home from work would take a detour - and a day's pay - to the taverns and entertainment houses. There, just as every night, the mass would get collectively drunk and spew our half-sober stories until night fell. That's when the patrons would be greeted by either angry wives or eager paramours.

BS had been observing the crowd inconspicuously, taking note of fat coin purses and drunken spenders. He'd already gone through one shot of whiskey before he caught sight of AC walking in. BS couldn't help but feel a little smirk coming on at seeing her obvious distaste for the seedy place, feeling a need to establish a territory by openly snarling at the dregs who dared to serve her up with low cat calls. Eyes must have been transfixed on her, because nobody seemed to notice the little hell spawn running along at her feet, trying his best not to be stepped on.

Between sips BS kept tabs on both her and Rylak. The Talon made her way over to the rogue, said a few inaudible words, and left him. Heaving the bag on her shoulder again, she waited for him to nod an agreement to something, and then proceeded to a back portion of the bar. She was presumably going to a bunker of some sort. Regardless, BS didn't see her or Rint again after that.




Around the time when BS could tell that the barkeep was getting curious as to whether or not he intended to pay for the four drinks he'd consumed Rylak broke their cover silence. It was well enough, anyway: most patrons had left, and instead of a massive scheme BS had stuck to merely introducing himself to drunkards and slyly snagging coin purses left unguarded. Many were light, but he had an estimate of about seventy coins altogether. When Rylak approached, ale in hand, BS took a flamboyant swig and dropped several pieces onto the counter carelessly. Some bounced off the bar and onto the floor, much to the barkeep's clear annoyance.

"Get tired of sittin' by yourself?" he asked. Rylak shrugged.

"Most folks are gone. Only nocturnal business is out now, so I figure we don't have much to worry about. Get anything good?"

"After these?" BS waved a hand at the empty glasses, "About sixty gold. You?"

Rylak grinned superiorly, "One-twenty-five." This statement was received with an annoyed glance, an order for another shot, and not much else. For a while they spoke furtively about what was going to happen and contemplating recent events. One of them got a fleeting idea that the Helmite Inquisition was going to pop in any time soon, and this caused the men to look around instinctively.

"Won't happen," Rylak found himself saying, "They can't come if you're expecting them."

"What happened to AC?" BS asked, mildly curious. It had to have been at least two hours since he had last seen her disappear to the back.

"I dunno. She just said she may or may not be back tonight."

"Hmm." Another drink of ale, and the priestess was mostly off his mind. He wasn't so much angry with her after getting the fact that he, aware of it or not, crossed a line with her back in Crowhill. Several lines, maybe. This woman was difficult to predict.

"How long are you figuring we'll stay here?" Rylak began playing with the froth at the bottom of the mug, turning the glass to create a thin, bubbly veil throughout it. The first few nights of laying low were always the worst, because you really didn't want to go out and do anything that might get you recognized by the authorities. There wasn't much left but sit in and be bored.

"Anxious to get somewhere else?"

"I'd like my name to be out of the gutter." BS followed Rylak's eyes downcast to the floor to see Rint bounding up to them happily. He appeared to have a piece of bread in his mouth that crumbled when his tiny teeth bit into it. He stood bipedal and took the food into the front claw, freeing his mouth.

"Heya!"

"Hey, yourself. Where's AC?"

Rint looked at BS curiously, then turned and examined the common area around them. Now it was filled with patrons of a different sort, and there had been a good number of women come in alone and leave with a partner in a short amount of time.

"Here, I's thought. Got all dressed up, said she was gonna go talk to a friend in the bar. Might leave with him, she says. There she is!" his clawed finger pointed across the room to a small table in a dark corner. There sat both a man and a woman. The woman had very short blonde hair, was wearing a green draping skirt and a white bustier with a wrap around her shoulders. Altogether, sh ereally didn't stand out.

"That's not AC," Rylak said, disbelievingly.

"Yuh-huh!" the mephit insisted, "When we's was sone talking to you, we's went to a haircut lady who made AC look real pretty. She'sa gave me this, too!" He held up the bread chunk enthusiastically.

"Do you know the name of this nice lady?" BS asked skeptically, still watching the woman identified as AC. She and the man were standing up from their table. Together.

"Madame Alilla's." Rint couldn't understand the knowing look Rylak and BS gave each other.

"A 'Madame'."

"AC didn't seem like that type of woman. You think she's got a split personality?"

The pair was leaving together, heading for the door quickly. This made BS somewhat upset; even more so when she didn't look in their direction. Either she thought that they hadn't noticed her, or she just didn't care.

"Who cares?" the gambler replied stiffly, causing Rint to wonder just what was going on. Rylak sighed, knowing full well what was going on, and waved his hand for another ale.

"Nothin' you can do about it, really. She's her own woman; she can cover herself if he crossed her limits. Anyway, you got Gaze?" BS pulled the artifact from his pocket, looking at it only once with disinterest. Rylak almost revealed all of his teeth with his wide grin. "I don't believe it. How did you manage that without getting offed?"

"No big story."

"What are you talking about?" Rylak pushed on, trying to get his friend's mood to move up a little. Unsuccessfully. “Something had to have happened up there? How’d they pin you out?”

When BS merely shrugged Rylak finally gave up on him.

[Aqua-chan]

AC and the man were met with a cool wind upon leaving the bar. The shadows of night added to the energy of their escapade, and eagerly the man took her by the arm and pulled her around side the building, away from the view of the street. They weren’t the only couple taking to the night, she figured, but anyone she didn’t want to be seen by was in bed by now.

He pushed her against the wall and pressed himself against her; he kissed down her neck quickly, and through the material of the green skirt she felt his hand traveling down her thigh. All distracted and obscure thoughts of anything were thrown from her mind as all the woman could do was focus on the present. The man’s touch was all she could really pay attention to, and he happily adjusted to whatever moan or giggle that resulted.

That went well until a pain in her stomach ripped through her senses, ending the moment. She jerked rigidly straight, and the man was forced away unexpectedly. Talos - he was warning her again.

“What? What was that about?” the man demanded, beginning to sound somewhat angry.



“Chickadiddy’s hurt!” Rint screeched, seemingly out of nowhere. Rylak, who had been speaking, and BS, who hadn’t been listening, both snapped to attention when the little mephit dropped his crumbs and charged for the tavern door hysterically.

Without a blink or word, BS was off his stool and running after the mephit. He had just been thinking of breaking up AC’s little date anyway.



AC dug her nails into Jargoth’s thick wrist. While it resulted in some bleeding but ultimately no real damage, she still tried frantically to get the massive hands of her Faith Brother to stop constricting her throat.

“How many times do we have to do this?!” he roared furiously, then pulled the deceptive priestess forwards and pushed her back into the brick wall. Her companion, now lying in the street either dead or unconscious, would be of little help now. AC’s eyes searched around her for some way to get message out, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t even try to smooth talk herself out of this: it was hard enough just to breathe.

Rint! Her mental connection with her familiar should have induced some sort of flag to the mephit. Unless, of course, he was sleeping, and from the way AC’s luck was going, she wasn’t being too optimistic.

Hearing the blood flowing through her hears and feeling her heart beating in her tightened through, AC stopped trying to struggle all together. Maybe Jargoth was like a bear? Maybe, if she played dead…

He jerked her into the wall again, and briefly the mage was blinded by the impact. What was of more concern was the fact that a bone in her neck had popped under the might Talonian warrior’s strength. AC would have hollered in pain if she could have, but a suffocating grip was pretty much restricting that.

Finally, Jargoth finally did cast her aside. Weakened, still unable to breathe, and surprised, the mage-priestess fell flat on the ground.

“Now, before I break your head open, I’d like to know where the hell is my damn horse, you lying wretch!”

Even if AC had wanted to reply, she still couldn’t. The only sound that came out from her throat was shallow breath and a few pathetic squeaks. Air came to her in short, sporadic bursts, and somehow AC had figured that this likely wasn’t going to end in her favor.

“Hey!” A voice echoed through the ally vengefully. Jargoth turned his attention around, and AC was eternally grateful to whomever it was who was about to die by Jargoth's hand for this last distraction.

[Bloodstalker]

Bloodstalker came to a sudden halt as he rounded the corner, almost causing Rylak to crash into him from behind. Taking in the scene, he felt his blood boil at the sight before him. Ac was on the ground, seeming to be in considerable pain. Of course, he mused to himself as his eyes travelled to the huge man who was just turning to stare at him, it was completely understandable. The man looked like he could drive nails with his spit. Normally, this observation would have triggered his survival instincts and moved him to try and talk his way out of this. But it had been a bad week all around, and he found he simply wasn't in the mood to talk.

Seemingly, neither was Rint. The familiar chose that moment to launch himself at Jargoth, succeeding only in earning a laugh as the big man backhanded him and sent him flying several feet.

"Oh, that's real impressive, you gonna keep beating the mephit some more or go back to manhandling the girl?" BS commented casually, his stance disdain.

Rylak shot him a look as if to ask if he'd finally lost his mind."You sure that's the smartest way to go about this?"

"Don't start with me." BS bit back.

"We can't start a fight here. Laying low, Ac hurt, not equipped to fight freakishly huge, bald, masses of muscle...any of this ringing a bell?"

"Right. WE can't" BS stressed, hoping Rylak would just take the hint and shut up.

He did, and was about to protest vehemently when he was cut off by Jargoth, who had been studying BS intently for the last few minutes."I know you." he proclaimed.

"Figure that out all by yourself did you? I bet you keep working hard, you might be able to move up to words with more than one syllable in a few months." BS said, rolling his eyes to try and agitate the man further. It seemed to be working, if the step Jargoth took in his direction was an indicator.

"This isn't you're business, boy." He growled, closing the distance to stand face to face.BS shot a look to Rylak and was rewarded when the man took the momentray distraction to move to AC, mumbling curses under his breath.

BS grinned brightly before slamming a right hook into the bigger mans jaw, causing him to take a step back as his head turned suddenly from the impact.

BS grin faded a moment later as Jargoth simply truned back and smiled widely before launching a punch of his own that staggered BS back out of the alley and landed him in the street in front of the tavern. Shaking his head to clear it, BS felt himself being lifted to his feet and thrown up against the front of the tavern, opening his eyes to find Jargoth grinning sadistically in his face. Instictively, BS brought his knee up and caught his foe in the stomach, causing him to loosen his grip somewhat. Taking advantage of the lapse, he slammed his head forward into Jargoths nose. Jargoths head rocked back and BS twisted, trying to get himself free, but Jargoth chose that moment to shove forward, thinking to slam his head into the wall. The movement caused them to lose ballance, however, and sent both of them crashing through the front window of the tavern, crashing in a pile together through a table, sending coin, cards, and patron flying in every direction.

It was then that all Hell broke loose, as any such entrance into a bar was sure to degenerate into an all out brawl. BS found himself seperated from Jargoth, simply trying to keep his footing in the mass of humanity that all seemed to be trying to take his head off. For a good ten minutes, BS had his hands full before he found a break in the form of getting tossed behind the bar. He sat on the floor for a long moment, catching his breath, excitement pounding through him. This was more his style.

*

Jargoth, for his part, was lashing out at anything that moved, revelling in the violence and destruction. He'd lost track of BS when they'd entered, but at the moment he didn't care. He had even forgotten about the horse theiveing priestess in his lust for carnage. For fifteen minutes or so he bashed heads at random before finding himself standing against the bar. Taking a moment to survey the scene, he felt a sense of satisfaction of the moment. This was living, he thought smugly as he turned around and came face to face with BS standing up on the other side of the bar.

*

BS stared at his enemy for a long moment, cursing his luck. He knew he should have taken the opportunity to bolt out the door in the confusion, but he'd been running on pure adrenaline at the time. Now he was just plain stuck. Nothing for it now, he supposed, and he sighed and readied himself for another go. His train of thought was interupted, however, as Jargoth spoke.

"I figured you would have lit out." he said in a somewhat surprised tone, unknowingly echoing BS' earlier thoughts.

"I guessed you'd have found us later anyway. Might as well finish this now." BS lied smoothly.

Jargoth narrowed his eyes, not buying the excuse for a second. He could see it all over the smaller man. As much as he enjoyed little exursions like this one, he could tell BS was just as happy with the way things had turned out. The devilish glint in his eyes gave it away.For a moment, they shared a moment of comradrie as they glanced around the room. Despite things, he had to admit that if it wasn't for that one sticking point of AC, he could actually start to like the gambler. But, that seemed to be a major point of contention for some reason he couldn't grasp.

"You know she ain't worth it," he voiced his thoughts. "Hell, I'll be willing to bet if you did manage to get rid of me, she wouldn't even thank you. More likely to make off with your coin and horse. She's nothing but trouble."

"Tell me something I don't know." BS sighed, taking Jargoth by surprise.

"Then why not walk away?" Jargoth asked, his curiosity now in force.

"Oh, believe me, I'd like nothing better." BS retorted. "But for some insane reason or another, I seem to have developed a nagging case of conscience. It's disgusting for a man in my line."

Reaching behind the bar, he pulled out a bottle and two glasses, pouring a couple drinks as he watched the fight dwindle away.

"Look, why don't you just take the horse. Hell, I got some money, I'll even pay you off for whatever time you lost." BS suggested, passing a glass to Jargoth.

"Not that easy. There's the principle to consider. you just don't steal a mans horse." He commented with conviction.

BS wisely chose not to pursue that line of reasoning.

"There's got to be something. Look, let's talk it over over a few drinks. If nothing gets settled, we can always handle it the hard way"

Jargoth thought that over for a few minutes before sighing.

"You buy the ale. Personally, I'd just as soon split her open, but I'll listen. I'll probably still kill her though. You understand. Business and all."

"More than you know," BS grumbled under his breath. "Let's take this somewhere else. You can't drink in a place like this. The patrons are just damn inconsiderate."

Jargoth let out a ringing laugh as he and BS stepped over the scattered chairs, tables and bottles and made their way out of the tavern.

[Gwalchmai]

Gwally looked at the mule, Betty, as she happily munched on the clover, her little sighs and grunts of contentment sounding less and less like the noises a woman might make and more like the noises a mule might make. He glanced at the rapidly receding Yshania, who was already riding back toward Ogre Ford, in order to ask a man named Bob about the whereabouts of a natural hot spring in a town called Ogre Fall, and from there they would have to come back to Ogre Ford for the performance of Lashtongue’s Troupe, and then they would have to continue looking for the ingredients to Betty’s curative potion….. it all seemed like so much work. With a shrug and his decision made, Gwally left Betty to her clover and spurred his horse onward to catch up with Yshania.

Yshania had ridden some ways away in the time it took him to reach his decision, and he had to ride at a trot to make up ground. He again found himself admiring her slim figure as she rode so effortlessly upon her mount, swaying in perfect unison to her horse’s gait. She was obviously quite experienced or a natural rider. Gwally, too, was no stranger to life in the saddle, but her expertise made every bump and jolt he experienced an embarrassment. He just wasn’t used to riding this particular horse, he told himself.

His flighty mind quickly switching gears again, he recalled the words of some poet who had claimed that the sight of a lover approaching was far preferable to the sight of that lover leaving. The vision of Yshania before him – the strength of her shoulders, the curve of her back, and …. other things …. made him briefly doubt the veracity of the poet’s feelings. No doubt the poet had been talking about things less visceral than just what he saw.

“Where’s Betty?” Yshania asked, looking around once Gwally had caught up.

Gwally shrugged and looked a little sullen.

“You left her? But, aren’t we supposed to cure her?” Yshania looked a little confused and sounded a little exasperated as she began ticking off the list of ingredients that Mr. Ed gave them in order to create a curative draught. “We have to gather more hummingbird urine, a cup of dragon breath, whipped cream, a hero, and a bunch of other things, right? We can’t just leave Betty behind!”

“Why not?”

Yshania goggled.

Gwally shook his head. “Look, the fact is, Betty seems quite content to be a mule. And I don’t really have any strong desire to do all that work unless she really wants it. I don't think there's any urgency to her situation, do you? She knows where to find us if she really wants our help. It's really up to her. Until then, don’t we have other things to do?” Gwalchmai hoped desperately that Yshania wasn't some goody-goody that needed to go to the ends of the earth just to help every person - or mule - she met.

Yshania was silent for a while. “Yeah, she said slowly. I should probably be helping Ungmar to clean up the Traveler’s Rest for the big show tonight…..” she suddenly looked straight at Gwally, “Gods! Aren’t you supposed to be in that show as well? Don’t you have to rehearse or help Artemis Lashtongue?”

Gwally’s face grew darker, “Aye, I suppose I should be.”

“Won’t he be angry?”

“Aye.”

“And what about Betty? Won’t he be angry when he find out you’ve left her in a forest? Maybe we should go get her!”

“I expect he’ll be plenty mad about my losing the mule. But if we bring her back now, we’ll have to work on curing her, and he’ll end up losing her anyway. Besides, this is probably better for Betty anyway.”

Yshania looked questioningly at Gwally.

“Well, we had to buy Betty in Crowhill after our other pack mule died mysteriously.” Gwally looked like that was all he was going to say, but continued when he saw Yshania’s look of confusion. “Look, all I know is that Crowhill was a town full of monks (who didn’t tip very well) and Lashtongue had trouble finding the admirers he needed for his massive ego. He was seen going into the stable that night, and the next morning the mule was dead. I had to buy Betty with my own share of the show’s box, or else I would have been pulling the wagon myself. If I had known that Betty was a polymorphed person, I could have gotten her for half as much.”

Yshania wasn’t sure she believed a thing she had just heard. Still, she was a little worried. “What will your master do when he finds out you’ve lost another pack mule?”

“Not half as much as he’ll do when he finds out I’ve been riding his horse all day.”

[Bloodstalker]

Jargoth simply stared open mouthed at the somewhat intoxicated Bloodstalker sitting across the table from him. They'd managed to find a less crowded tavern after leaving the last one in much worse shape than it had been when they had arrived. After several tankards, his drinking companion had started to talk a bit. A few more, and he had started to talk a lot. Currently, he had just gotten through relating the entire story of his life in the past week or so, and Jargoth was fascinated at the man's ability to get himself into trouble.

"And here I sit. A gambler on the run from two towns, saddled with a psychotic priestess, a bossy hellspawn she insists on taking with her, the entire Helmite faith likely out looking for me, I missed my card game in Ogre Ford, not before being backtalked by an ass mind you," BS rambled, waving his hand dismissively at Jargoths questioning look, "Don't even ask. And to top it all off, I'm sitting here in a tavern, drinking with a man who just tried to kill said priestess and trying to figure a way to keep him from trying again."

Bloodstalker finished his rant by slamming his tankard down on the table, drawing several curious glances from a few of the taverns customers.

"What the hell are you lookin' at!" BS exclaimed, causing the patrons to return to whatever they were doing before his little outburst. Grinning wickedly at his sucess at diverting their attention, he slumped back in his chair, taking another long pull from his drink.

Jargoth waited a moment for BS to continue before realizing that the drunken gamble had for all appearances forgotten he was even sitting there. Clearing his throat loudly, he enjoyed the puzzled look BS gave him before speaking.

"So, aparently this woman has been more trouble to you than she has to me. So why all the fuss? I'll just get what she owes me, with a little interest, and not only will I be out of your hair, but you'll get the satisfaction of seeing her put in her place"

BS seemed to consider for a moment, waging some internal battle with himself, before sighing and sinking even deeper into his seat.

"That's just the kicker," He started slowly, seemingly having to force the words out of his mouth. "For some reason, I just can't stand by and see something happen to her if I can help it. I think she cast some damn conscience spell on me or something." He finiches, looking thoroughly stricken at the thought.

"But didn't you just say one the trail you could have," Jargoth started before being cut off abruptly.

"That's not the point. I'd had a long day, Hell, a long week, and she just made me mad. Wasn't even her, just took it out on her." Bs stated flatly, before leaning into the table and beckoning Jargoth to move a bit closer, as if he was about to reveal some deep secret. "Wanna know the truth of it? I like her. Plain as that.The girls got fire, even if she is at times the most infuriating human I've ever had the mispleasure to run across. I may give her Hell sometimes, but I ain't gonna sit back and watch some undergrown ogre wring her neck either."

Jargoth considered the words, weighing his options. He had little doubt he could just overpower the smaller man and do what he wanted anyway. Actually, Jargoth was of the opinion he could wrestle three ogres, two bears, and a fire giant barehanded and emerge victorious. But there was something to be said about being in BS's company. The probabilities of chaos anywhere this man went were astronomical. Still, he had to have something for his trouble, and grinned to himself as he recalled part of their erlier conversation.

"I suppose I could take some other payment. It was a good horse though, and a lot of time on the road..,"He trailed off, feiging deep thought before continuing. "I'd say something like Helms Gaze could more than make up for my time and loss."

BS exploded, rising to his feet suddenly as if about to throttle the man in front of him. Jargoth didn't even bother to react,however, as the sudden movement cause BS to sway drunkenly before dropping to the floor on his rear.

"That's thieving!!" BS shouted as indignantly as his position would allow him.

"No, you stole it, if you give it to me, it's bartering"

"Like Hell." BS said, standing more slowly this time and wagging his finger unsteadily at Jargoth. "That, my bald friend, is no deal"

"I could just kill you and take it, then deal with her as I please anyway." Jargoth reasoned, ticking off his options."Or I could just arrange to have the Helmites notified of your location. Wasn't very bright of you talking so much in front of an enemy."

"Didn't figure it matters" BS said stocially. "Figured we'd just come to an agreement somehow, or if not, I'd just kill you. Either way, not like you knowing the story is a big deal"

Jargoth choked back a laugh at such an inpossible in his mind statement. "And what makes you so sure?"

BS just grinned, his eyes momentarily sober before replying. " I said I'd kill you. Never said I'd do it face to face, with my bare hands, or in close quarters. I'd rather just have you and her work out your problems, you ain't so bad to have around, but either way, even if it ain't me personally, one of us would get you at some point."

Jargoth just grinned at the mans audacity. "And if I happen to survive? Or get to her before you or one of your friends can get to me?"

BS thought for a moment. He was reasonably sure he could catch his chance, but Jargoth did have a point. It was a risk either way, one that he was coming to the unsettling conclusion he wasn't willing to take. Toying absently with the artifact in his pocket, he decided to try one more route.

"Five thousand in gold." He stated dejectedly.

Jargoth nearly choked on his drink. "You have that much?"

"No, but I'll get it. Give me two months,and you'll get it"

Jargoth considered a moment before speaking again."And what if you don't?"

"Then you get Helms Gaze." He stated levelly.

Thinking he'd won, but still wanting to be sure of his prize, Jargoth decided a bit more bartering was in order. Possesing one of the most sacred relics of another faith opened the door to so many options, all with wonderfully damaging effects to a variety of people. It made his head swim at the thought of so much confusion and trouble he could stir up among the temples.

"One month, Ten thousand. If you ain't got it, same deal."

BS sighed and nodded his agreement, taking one last drink before truning to leave.

"Let's go find the others. You can hash out your situation with AC. But no physical harm, no damn slavery idea, none of that. You just make peace, and find some wahy to do it without mentioning any of this. She knows nothing about this deal, got it?"

It was Jargoths turn to nod, but couldn't help voicing his question. "Why don't you want her to know?"

BS shrugged. "She doesn't need to know. And I don't need to come off looking like some sentimentalist pansy." He answered, before muttering under his breath. "Besides, she probably has some damn psychotic issue that renders her unable to take aid from people"

Leaving the tavern, they made their way to find Rylak and AC. BS wasn't sure exactly where they were, but he was familiar enough with his friends habits to make him confident it wouldn't take long to catch up to them. What troubled his mind more was coming up with such a large sum so quickly. He'd worry about that later though.

[dragon wench]

Darkness fell and Pagan urged the horse into a gallop. Despite her weariness she was quick to notice the animal's keen response. Within the moment, Pagan thrilled as she leaned into the wind, and felt her hair whip back from her face. For an instant, a sense of freedom flooded through Pagan; in the exhilaration that came from riding hard without thought or care she very nearly tasted release.

But just as suddenly, the feeling evaporated. It may have had something to do with the way their gait had pushed Dashiel close behind her, or perhaps it was the recognition that she had stolen a horse, and landed herself with the burden of a companion; not to mention.. she was fleeing an assignment that might provide a decent sum of gold...

Pagan drew her mount to a more even canter, and considered her situation. If she wanted to keep the horse, she would need to speed away, for such a fine steed would surely be recognised. Equally, there was the problem of Dashiel; in so small a place he would also be known.

Yet, a faint plan began to form in her mind.. the landscape was familiar to Pagan.. but it had been some years since she had visited the area... Due west, perhaps an hour's ride... she knew of a place where she might find shelter for both horse and stable hand.. Her cousin, Shenara, had settled in a small glade close to the town of Echo Grotto, named for an extensive network of caverns situated near the settlement.

A grimace crossed Pagan's expression as she considered her cousin... though only a few months apart by birth, no two women could have been more different... Shenara was a mage, but it was not just that.. The woman viewed life as a romp through a garden of self-created pleasure. She usually had at least one male companion on the go, sometimes several at once. Shenara revelled in the long, slitty, décolleté robes she always wore..

In contrast, Pagan rarely wore anything beyond her thieves’ garb, and she viewed men as a cumbersome nuisance at best.

However, as Pagan reflected upon her predicament, a trip to Shenara's seemed the best option available.. and if she played it well.. perhaps she could even persuade her cousin to take an interest in Dashiel. Pagan, somewhat grimly, smiled into the night...

[dragon wench]

Her mind made up, Pagan turned westwards, and once more encouraged the horse to a gallop. She winced inwardly as Dashiel pulled his arms about her waist in an effort to steady himself, but wanting to make extra time, Pagan ignored the feelings of revulsion.

After a few minutes of hard riding, Dashiel seemed to notice that they were actually moving in a definite direction.

"Where are we going?"

"Echo Grotto, I have a cousin there."

"So we're going to lay low there for a while?"

"You are, and so will the horse, I have some business I still need to attend to in Ogre Ford."

"So... why did you come around my master's stealing a horse then?"

"You think I plan? I was bored; it seemed a good idea at the time."

"And I suppose I was part of the plan to help out your boredom."

"Don't flatter yourself, I could have killed you instead, that might have been far more enjoyable."

"Why do you suddenly seem to hate me so much?"

"I don't need a companion; I had not planned on acquiring one."

"So why didn't you just kill me instead?"

"I wasn't really in the mood; it was too nice a day."

"You just seem to be blaming me for something that is not my fault."

Pagan glowered into the darkness. "I have a question for you. Why didn't you raise the alarm when first you saw me?"

"I didn't know your intentions.. Well... not at first... exactly..."

Pagan snorted in derision. "You were weak, a slave to your desires, once you saw my apparent interest, you did not even think to call for help. You are pathetic, just like most men I have known."

Dashiel bristled. "And I suppose you are trying to tell me that you didn't enjoy it. I'm no fool, and you are no bard, that was not an act on your part!"

"What if I did? It was convenient."

With that Pagan and Dashiel fell into silence. Pagan began to realise that the silence was deeper than anything she had ever experienced alone, once more she cursed herself for her own stupidity.

An eternity seemed to pass. Finally, Pagan noticed the welcome glow of lights flickering in the distance.. Echo Grotto. Nudging the horse towards a small side path, Pagan slowed to a walk, and then to a halt as she stopped in front of her cousin’s cottage. The number of lanterns illuminating its interior indicated that Shenara was still awake. Pagan hoped she was not “entertaining” someone…