Athkatla... City of dreams, mostly of riches and quick ways to fame and fortune. From boisterous and chaotic, to orderly and law-abiding. Plenty of inhabitants would find a use for knowledge of the future... To earn themselves a bundle, take care of political enemies, to get ahead of their competitors...

I use it so save lives...

It's what I do.

"Hey, buddy! Get a move on!" A faceless threat came from an angry mob forming behind Hobson. It was a scene he had grown familiar too.

"Just wait here for just a minute more!" Hobson said while clutching his newspaper. Creating a hold-up in the Bridge-section of Athkatla was never a good thing for one's health and well-being, yet he knew he had to keep them off the sidewalk just a few more moments. He looked up, to the store-building where three dockworkers were lowering a heavy crate filled with raw metal ore from the top floor to the street... And exactly when it was supposed to happen, it happened. The rope snapped... and the crate dropped three stories down, only to crash into the side-walk, smashing even the very bricks.

Hobson turned around and regarded the formally angry crowd, now staring dumbfounded to the crashed crate, figuring what it could have done to their bodies if it had crashed on top of them instead.

"Now, you can move along," Hobson briefly glancing to the headline in his paper, noticing it had changed. He took satisfaction into the fact that the headline now said 'Crate crashes in Bridge-section', rather than 'Crate crashes in Bridge-section, five dead.'.

But there was no rest for the wary. Already, Hobson had to be on his way. He ran past the crowd and sped from the Bridge-area, headed for the slums. Even though the distance was great, he managed to make it ahead of time. He glanced around and found the object he was looking for : An elderly halfling riding an empty two-horse cart. Quickly, Hobson strode towards the halfling and started to walk beside her.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Hobson asked friendly. "Could you tell me the way to the Government District?"

"Ey?" the elderly halfling smiled friendly and stopped her cart. "How can I help you, sir?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you where I can find...." but from the corner of his eyes as he talked, he could see two giggling children, a boy and a girl, riding a self-made go-cart off the sloping street, passing just where the horse-cart would have been if Hobson had not stopped it.

"... one right, take the first left and then straight ahead. You can't miss it," the friendly halfling smiled.

"Thank you very much, ma'am," Hobson said, glancing over to the kids to see them being collected by their angry mother as they dragged their go-cart back home. Hopefully, they'll think twice before using the streets to test their cart, now... Hobson smiled to himself as he thanked the halfling and prepared to return home.

Hobson tossed off his coat as he entered the Ginty's, the Cormyrian pub which he owned and slowly dragged himself upstairs to the living quarters upstairs. He closed the door to the small upper floor which served as his home and fell back in his chair. Already, his old friend Marisa was waiting for him. The blind Rashemani woman nodded at him as she heard him enter.

"Busy day?" she said, adding a quirky smile.

"Blame the paper," Hobson sighed. "Everything worked out for the best, though I'm hoping for a quieter day tomorrow..."

"Nyao!" sounded from the door as Hobson stirred himself awake in the morning. Dragging himself out of bed, he stepped over to the door and opened it. He found the usual spectacle he had been seeing for four years now : A red tomcat was sitting on top of a newspaper which was lying in front of his door. As soon as the door was open, the cat sped inside, heading towards the free bowl of food already waiting for him. In the meantime, Hobson bent down and grabbed the paper.

"Only one thing in the paper today," Hobson said to Marisa as they dicussed the paper like they always did. "But it's very strange. Listen to this. 'Last evening, the mansion of a group of eccentric adventurers mysteriously exploded last night, leaving fifteen dead. Among the dead was the well-known knight Sir Keldorn Firecam and his family. The adventurers, led by the enigmatic elven warrior Laska Leafwalker, were best known for dealing with the threat of the Beholder Cult that had been attacking our temples from the depths below the Temple District..."

"Wow..." Marisa replied.

"What would make a mansion explode?" Hobson muttered.

"They were adventurers," Marisa suggested. "Maybe they rubbed someone the wrong way and this is a retaliation?"

"Nothing magical, though. There's no mention of the Cowled Wizards and they would have been all over it if it was a magical attack. And this isn't the Shadow Thieves' style, so I'm betting on an accident," Hobson concluded.

"Laska Leafwalker," Marisa muttered. "I've heard of her. She stopped that war between Baldur's Gate and Amn that was brewing last year, wasn't it? I'll check with my friends to find out more about the members of her party."

"Alright," Hobson agreed. "In the meantime, I'll be checking out her mansion..."

The trip to the Temple district was uneventful and Hobson set out to his task. The mansion of the eccentric adventurers was quickly found. The largest house, next to the temples and the Order that is, had to belong to the adventurers. Not only was the entire front of the building painting in a eye-straining azure blue, but a small sign next to the ornate oaken door and small decorative stained-glass windows that read 'please wipe feet or be IMPALED!' was a definite clue as well.

The mansion was a lovely two to three story-home with a luxuriously huge balcony dominating the second floor. Hobson did not hear anyone walking around on the balcony, however, and nor could he make out anything or anyone while glancing through the stained-glass windows. He decided to go around the back to check for any signs of the cause of this explosion later this evening. Carefully, he strode into the alley going around the house and, passing the obviously never used servants-entrance leading into the kitchen, he arrived at a high stone wall.

Beyond the wall, however, he could hear sounds of wood on wood, and the heavy grunts of a woman. Worried that Marisa had been right and the adventurers were indeed under siege, Hobson jumped and grasped the upper ledge of the wall. Groaning to keep his balance, he glanced over the wall. The first thing he noticed was a lovely (but increasingly unkept) garden, which contained wooden seats and tables, a small sauna, a lawn and... currently two women practising combat-moves. The first woman was a strawberry blonde half-elf, struggling to keep up with the moves of the other woman, who was obviously the superior fighter. The second woman was an elf, and to Hobson she looked like a very strong and feral woman. Though elven women very rarely show their musculature, Hobson could clearly see small, but obvious muscles in her abdomen and upper arms, and considered that this elven female must had been very strong indeed. Also, her training outfit, which let little to the imagination, revealed that her body was covered in exotic tattoos.

At that point, Hobson could no longer hold on to the wall and skidded back to the ground. Vowing to get in better shape, Hobson jumped to the wall again, hoping to spot anything that might be related to the impending explosion.

But instead of getting a clear view of the garden, he was suddenly eye-to-eye with the scowling elven women, who was also leaning on the top of the wall. Her facial tattoos only adding to her angry disposition. "So," she spoke to a startled Hobson, "it seems I've caught a peeping tom! Get lost creep!" she shouted as Hobson dropped to the ground of a second time. "Get outta here! Next time I catch you around here harrassing me and my friends, I'll hurt you bad!" That said, she let herself drop and soon more sounds of battle practice followed, leaving Hobson to lie on the floor and stare at the top of the wall.

Slightly intimidated, Hobson made his way back through the alley to the front of the mansion... but there his luck changed. A huge and armored mountain of a man came out of the front door. The very size of him made Hobson feel like a mouse in comparison. The huge man was bald, and had a huge purple tattoo covering most of his head and neck. As much as Hobson felt intimidated by this man, he felt he had to talk to him.

"Excuse me, I..." Hobson said, soon to be interrupted.

"Ooohh, look, Boo!" the man suddenly spoke. "Could it be?! Have we made a new friend today?"

"We?" Hobson muttered.

"Oh, yes," Minsc smiled. "Me and my hamster..."

"Your... hamster?" Hobson replied incredulously.

"Yes... I get that reaction a lot," Minsc smiled. "I'm sorry I cannot chat with my new friend, but I must get some foods and stuff for the party tonight! It's going to be great fun!"

'Party? Interesting,' Hobson thought. "So, big party then, ey? Well, I, errr," Hobson sighed, then decided to spill the beans. "You're in grave danger... something's going to happen tonight..."

"Ey?" the man replied. "Something EVILLL?! RAAAAHHH MINSC AND BOO WILL DEAL WITH ALL EVIL WHO WANT DO CRASH OUR LOVELY PARTY!!!"

"Okay," Hobson said, backing down a little. "Take it easy... It's, uuhh... difficult to explain."

"Here!" Minsc said and held out a beefy hand, on which a small and happy hamster was patiently waiting. "You can tell Boo what's wrong... Just whisper it in his eager ear..."

Hobson was merely staring at the hamster, and realized he'd probably get nowhere with this man. "Err, never mind..."

"Okay, then. Wave bye bye to the nice hamster," the man said and headed to the market a few blocks away, leaving Hobson to stare after him.

"If you were expecting something from him," a sultry female voice sounded from behind, "well, he's a fine enough warrior, but his social skills leave a lot to be desired."

Turning around, Hobson was suddenly confronted with nothing less that a Drow with a spider on a leash. Hobson knew of the reputation of her people, but this woman was stunningly beautiful, her dusky skin, her dark eyes and long white hair her most prominent features. He did take a few steps back for the spider, though.

"Oh," the Drow said, noticing Hobson hesitation, "don't worry about Khittix. He won't hurt you... not unless I want him to, at least," she grinned wickedly. "Anyway, what was that about 'something which was going to happen tonight'?"

Hoping that this woman might be more reasonable, he told her about the impending explosion, but it did not get the desired result.

"And how did you come by this information?" the Drow asked, her eyes narrowing.

And again Hobson was met with the eternal frustration that his gift could give him. He could not explain to her that he got tomorrow's paper every morning. Many people would kill for that kind of information... and she probably would not believe him anyway. So, Hobson remained silent, which did not go over well with the Drow.

"So, you're not telling are you?" the Drow snarled. "Well, then, let me draw my own conclusions. You know, because you are INVOLVED, aren't you?!" the Drow was shouting now. "I do not like to be threatened by males in front of my own home, iblith!" the Drow said, and even the spider was hissing now, making Hobson jump backward.

But before the Drow could shoot off another round of verbal abuse, she was joined by the elven warrior, now also stepping out of the front door.

"Hi, I..." Hobson tried to say.

"I TOLD you to leave me and my friends alone!" the elf spoke, and the last thing Hobson saw, was the female's fist just before it connected with his face.

"Their leader is a psychopath!" Hobson said as Marisa pressed a raw steak against his hurting black eye. "I was out for six hours! If I had been carrying a sword, I would have been skewered!"

"Well," Marisa half-smiled. "You WERE peeping, technically..."

"Sure, rub it in!" Hobson sighed. "At least I still had the paper when I woke up... Which is more than I can say for my shoes..."

Marisa giggled briefly before pressing the steak to the eye again.

"Anyway, they're on their own now," Hobson sighed. "There are a lot of other people to save in this paper. Look here, twenty people will get food poisoning in the Copper Coronet. I might as well save them from an upset stomach."

"Hobson, I know you... and I'm not even fooled for a minute. You never give up on anybody," Marisa comforted.

"That's true," Hobson sighed. "So, what did you find out?"

"Well," Marisa smiled. "One of my friends told me about this article in the Amnian Gutter which said that this Laska and the new owner of the Mithrest inn are having a blossoming relationship..."

"Blossoming relationship? With Rose?" Hobson asked.

"Actually, the title of the article contained a lot of words beginning with S, but that's just Gutter-speak," Marisa smiled.

"Hmmm, maybe if I can convince her to ask Laska to call of that party. I'm pretty sure something is going to happen during that party..." Hobson muttered.

"I've also found out the name of one of Laska's partymembers," Marisa smiled.

"Great, more misfits," Hobson sighed.

"You are not going to like it," Marisa smiled.

"Who is it then?" Hobson said, his curiosity piqued.

"Jan Jansen..." Marisa half-smiled.

"JA...." Hobson exclaimed, then sighed heavily.

"Hobson!" Jan smiled as Hobson caught up with him at his parental home in the slums. "My old buddy, I haven't seen you for a while! More epiphanies, my dear small-nosed human?"

"Yes," Hobson sighed. "Just like the one about that helium-filled balloon held together with turnip-shells, which would have burned and crashed into Waukeen's promenade... filled with people."

"A minor setback," Jan said, waving his hand.

"Or about the time you presented your newest elephant-cage to the people... an elephant cage held together by crazy glue!" Hobson stressed.

"Hey, I thought it would have held... They were only small elephants, after all," Jan grinned.

"And let's not forget about the time you entered the inventor's fair with an automated turno-chopper which almost ended up turnochopping the audience!"

"Now, now... How was I supposed to know that bolt wasn't fastened properly," Jan said, reliving the history he and Hobson had together.

"You aren't planning to unveil another one of your masterpieces tonight, are you?" Hobson asked with a sense of trepidation.

"Well..." Jan blushed slightly.

"I KNEW it!" Hobson exclaimed as he and the gnome moved to the sitting area of the second floor of the Jansen Home. "Look, you can't present it tonight. Something's going to happen that will kill you and your friends, and I think it's your newest 'masterpiece'..."

"Are you... quite sure about that?" Jan sighed. "Pity too, I had invented this lovely little thing," he said, taking out a small cylindrical object. "Take a look at it, I call it the Automated Jansen Ink Dispenser. No more quills and messy inkwells. Just a little wooden pencil-like creation which contains ink for hours of writing!" Jan raved. "Here, take a look," Jan said and held up the invention... which promptly sprayed all its ink into Hobson's face.

After muttering a curse and wiping off the ink, Hobson directed his attention at the gnome once more.

"Yeah, yeah," Jan said. "I know, it needs some work. But, if it's as dangerous as you say... and you've never been wrong before, mind you, I might as well leave it here. Too bad... I was really looking forward to showing it. But thanks for the warning, kid, and I don't want to risk Lissa's life anyhow. You'll go far..."

Hobson considered that this little ink-pencil might not be a very dangerous invention, but with Jansen craftwork, one could never know. So, he checked the paper... Nothing had changed. Fifteen people were still to die.

It was almost evening now, and the sun was gliding down behind the ocean as Hobson make his way to Waukeens promenade, where Rose was working behind the bar of the Mithrest inn. And sure enough, he found her waiting tables and tending bar. They had met before. Hobson and Rose were both in the innkeeper-business, and he remembered giving her some pointers when she first started out, so the striking up of a conversation was easy. But Hobson came to the point quickly, pointing out to Rose that something terrible was about to happen at the party.

"I... I couldn't find someone to take my shift tonight, so I couldn't go," the lovely half-elven girl said as she digested the bad news. "How... How do you know? Will Laska be hurt?"

"Just trust me on this one, Rose," Hobson stressed. "Keep her and her friends from that party and keep her out of the mansion, just to be on the safe side."

"I... I will," Rose said. "Brianna!" she shouted to her friend. "Please cover for me! I need to... run an errand!"

That said, Rose was out the door, while Hobson smiled. Sometimes, there was an easy solution to every problem. Confidently, he opened the paper... and read that there were now sixteen dead instead of fifteen.

Sighing, Hobson ran into the night.

Hobson, almost running his legs off, headed with due speed back to Laska's mansion. The moon was high in the sky, and he just hoped he had not arrived too late. He finally arrived at the mansion, and, while panting, noticed the play of the light pouring through the stain-glass windows as a boisterous party was taking place inside.

Immediately, Hobson sprung into action. After finding a small open window leading to a store-room, he wriggled inside, once again cursing the fact that he was out of shape and let himself slide inside the mansion. There, he snuck to door and peeked through the keyhole. Inside the main hall, gathered around a large dining-table, sat a group of people, all attacking a huge banquet. There were kids playing around, and he noticed Rose sitting next to Laska at the table. He noticed this group knew little in the way of tablemanners, especially the scarred dwarf at the end of the table, who seemed to be shoveling whole chickens in his mouth.

Frustration gripped Hobson by the throat. Then, he kicked the door open and strolled inside, to be met with the startled looks of the mansion's inhabitants. "You are the most stubborn and irresponsible lot of misfits I have ever had the misfortune of meeting! I told several of you this mansion was going to explode, but you just refuse to listen!"

"You again!" the elf known as Laska snarled. "Oh, you're going to get it now, buddy!"

"Hey," Rose said, tugging on Laska's arms, "maybe he's not so nutty as you told me, Laska..."

"Ah, no!" Jan smiled. "That's Hobson, he's harmless..."

"Besides," an elderly, strong man spoke softly. "He's telling the truth..."

"Hah!" Laska retorted.

"Need I remind you that I am an Inquisitor, Laska?" the man smiled.

"You can't be serious," Laska sighed and slammed her fist on the table, sending a brightly burning candelabra, put there for effect, flying through the air. Viconia, who was sitting next to Rose, calculated the path the candelabra would follow. Her eyes grew wide and, without hesitation, she rose from her seat and threw herself into the air. As she was about to land on the floor, she twisted her body around and grasped for the candelabra, deftly catching it.

"Oy," the dwarf spoke, his mouth full. "Ye be jumpin' fer coins, Drowsy? HAR HAR!" he said, while the kids were very much enjoying the spectacle.

"No!" Viconia said, pointing at a trail of spilled ale, which led all the way back to a gigantic keg of ale in the back of the room. "If that candelabra would have landed..."

"Good gods," the elderly knight gasped.

"We would have been blown to," Laska muttered, then whipped her head towards Hobson. "Errr, oh..."

"Yes!" Hobson smiled. "THANK YOU!"

Everybody just stared at Hobson, dumbstruck. An experience not wholly unfamiliar to him. "Now, if you excuse me," Hobson smiled as he checked the newspaper... and only found an announcement for a fair in the stead of the article, "I'm rather tired." That said, he headed towards the front door, while all the eyes in the room followed him.

"Err, sorry about your eye," Laska called after Hobson as he opened the door. He looked back one more time and offered a smile.

"Just be more careful with your ale next time," he smiled and headed out into the cool night.

I save lives...

It's what I do.

But sometimes it can be very hard...