Just Out For a Walk: Part One (I think it's on)

Okay' let's see if this is spaced well enough...










Deshairmon stared down at the corpse in growing despair. Xzar’s sightless, aqua eyes stared back up, already staring to cloud over.
Why?

Why did this sort of thing happen? Friends to enemies to cold bodies at his feet. Eldoth. Kagain. Shar-Teel. Skie. Safana. Dynahier. Khalid. A never ending cycle.
And now, Xzar.

A comforting hand on his arm. Jaheira.
“Come along. No doubt the guard will clean this up.”

“But I liked him.” Deshairmon mumbled. Jaheira shook her head.

“He has caused much trouble here. No doubt he would have caused much more still, had he been allowed to go on. That is why…”

“Why your fellows saw fit to assassinate him?” Deshairmon growled. “ The ‘dangerous beasts’ he supposedly bred were nothing more than a few goblins and a pair of terrified apprentices! Where was the greater good in slaying them? Where was the Balance? Doesn’t Balance decree that there must be a few men like him in the world?”

Jaheira shook her head, as if trying to deny it. Deshairmon wasn’t done.

“Or could it be, that he needed to die because he was Zhentarim, and we are Harpers? Is that all there is to it?”
Jaheira frowned.

“I doubt it. We don’t know what he may have been up to, so far south. And no, no one needs to die simply because ‘we’ are Harpers.” She tugged on his arm. “Come along. You could use a rest. We all could”

Silently, he followed her, just as the rain began to fall.



The Sea’s Bounty was crowded, loud, and smelly. And the companions were far too tired to take notice. Everyone soon drifted off to bed, save Haer’Dalis, who earned a few coins for his bawdy sea ballads, Jaheira, who was mixing the herbal balms and poultices that they would no doubt need in the next few days, And Deshairmon, who could not sleep. Jaheira handed him a sprig of anise root.

“Here. For your stomach.” He took the proffered twig and chewed it absently.

“And for my headache?” He asked then stood and stretched. “I’m going out. Walk off the stress.”

“You sure? It’s raining pretty hard.”

“I like rain. Don’t worry so much. It’s just a little walk. I’ll be back in no time.”



No time indeed! A deadweight mage corpse, complete with waterlogged robes was a lot heavier than one would first think! But since this particular district was chock full of cut purses and cut throats, no one looked askance at him.

Okay, underneath the temple stairs…

Now, back to the Harper hold. After all, Montaron had to be in there somewhere.

The place was deserted. Even the spectral Harpists on the second floor were gone, if they had indeed been there in the first place. Shamelessly manipulated by the very people he would call allies!

Where hadn’t he looked? He had followed all of the carefully placed clues left for him on his first visit. Where had they steered him away from?

The quarters! After all, why keep a prisoner where you slept? Silent as a ghost he slipped into the low-lit room. No Harpers slumbered in their beds; the place was well and truly empty. Well, there was a locked chest at the foot of each bed. Perhaps one of them held a real clue…

After a few nondescript gems and magical scrolls, Deshairmon found his clue. A glaringly obvious gesture of how the Harpers of this hold felt about Zhentarim spies.
Montaron’s battered little body was stuffed unceremoniously into the farthest chest. He must have been dead before Xzar had even approached them on the street. Not a pleasant, quick, or even merciful death from the looks of it. Sadness took hold.

I don’t care what Jaheira says. I will not let this be.

Deshairmon gathered the little corpse into his arms, and exited the building in all haste.



“I just need you to bring him back to this world. I will, of course, compensate you for this trouble.” He explained. The priest of Ohgma, nodded.

“I understand.” He said, his voice strong for such an old man. “I would not ask for coin at all, but the church must be upkept.”

A good sort of priest. More worried about his charges than the coin he must extract from them. Deshairmon approved.

“Careful,” He warned. “That one might be a touch…Irritated when he wakes.” the priest nodded again.

Montaron was more than irritated. He was wrathful. The stream of curses that issued forth nearly made Deshairmon blush, and he had heard most every curse ever spoken on the Sword Coast!

The priest, after having been swung at once already by the irate halfling, quickly exited the room. Deshairmon called his thanks out after the retreating form. Well, that had been amusing.

“Wot’r ye laughing at, Land Corsair?” Montaron growled. Deshairmon grinned even wider. He liked the nickname, given to him by Montaron himself upon their first meeting. It referred to the fact that Deshairmon was more of a land-walking pirate, than a heroic adventurer.

“Saved your tail, you walking Hin dirtball. I can laugh if I want.”

The halfling snorted. “Fine. So where is He Who Babbles?” Deshairmon sobered up.

“Yes, well. About that…”



Montaron nudged the body with his boot. “Ah, ye durned fool.” He said with exasperation. “Just look at ye!”

“I don’t know if the temple will revive him.” Deshairmon shared his worry. “He’s a mage and he has no other disguises, not even in his home.”

“Aye.” Montaron agreed. “He was supposed to be conspicuous. More eyes on him, less on me.” He gave a rueful grin. “Much good it did. Come on then.” The stout halfling scooped up the mage’s shoulders, while Deshairmon obligingly hoisted his feet.

Up the steps of the temple they went, back into the dry warmth.

“Ye know,” Montaron grunted. “For not weighing a thing, this fool’s damned heavy!”

An acolyte stared at them in shock.

“Just what are you playing at?” He demanded.

“Look,” Deshairmon said as evenly as he could. “It’s been a rough night okay? Just go get the high priest again!”

The young man scurried off, returning but a scant few moments later with the old priest Deshairmon had spoken with earlier.

“Luck just follows you wherever you go, hm?” He asked Deshairmon. He looked at Xzar and frowned. “Do you know what this man is, son?”

“Oh, I know.” Deshairmon replied. “And I was under the impression that Ohgma was not bound by the prejudices of man. And if he is…” He gestured to Montaron, who curled his fingers around the sword Deshairmon had recovered for him. “Well, I am sure my friend here can convince him otherwise.”

“I hear books make the best fires.” Montaron said wickedly.

“Now, there is absolutely no call for that, young man!” The old priest shook his finger at Montaron, much as if he were scolding a boy. Montaron regarded him with quizzical surprise.

“You are absolutely right though.” The priest continued. “It is not for mortals to limit the gods. I will attempt to help your friend.”

“I offer books in compensation.” Deshairmon interjected. “A full set on the northlands.”

The old priest blinked. “Most thoughtful, child. That will do nicely.” He raised his hands to pray, then dropped them. “This one isn’t going to try to punch me as well, is he?”

Montaron chuckled. “More’n likely not.”


“Ow” Xzar wheezed from his prone position on the table.

“Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.”

“We get the picture.” Montaron drawled. Xzar sat up, a hurt expression on his face.

“Monty.” He said with all seriousness. “I don’t like this. I didn’t take step one against those Harpers, yet they came after me! They shouldn’t even have known who I was!” His expression darkened. “Monty, did you blab?”

“Nary a word.” Montaron growled. “Those Harpers are different from the ones up north. Vicious. Cruel. Ambitious. I’d say they were my sort o’ people, only they aren’t.”

Xzar stared at Deshairmon. “It was that Jaheira, then!” He reasoned. “She’s always had it out for us!”

Deshairmon shook his head. “No. She had no idea. She was awfully indignant when she found out how we’d been tricked.”

“Her husband?” Montaron hazarded.

“Impossible.” Deshairmon ran a hand through mahogany colored hair. “Khalid is dead.”

The Zhentarim duo went quiet for a moment as that sank in.

“Well…Well, good!” Montaron said. “One less Harper to worry about.”

“No.” Xzar put in quietly. “No, Monty, this is bad. Without him, she might go rouge and end up like one of those renegade Harpers. You remember.”

Suddenly, Montaron was looking subdued also.

“What?” Deshairmon demanded.

“Not all Harpers follow Elminster around like trained dogs.” Xzar explained. “Those that do not are the worst of all. We..were going to a mage fair…”

“Kenkuro was with us.” Montaron picked up where Xzar left off. “ The Tuigans had chased his family out o’ Kara-Tur, and he had never seen such a thing, so we decided to show him just how odd they could be.”

“He wasn’t even Zhentarim…”

“But, on account o’ him bein’ friends with the wizard, when they ambushed us, they went after him as well.”

“We all scattered, you see, that is how Monty and I survived…But we found Ken-kun at dawn the next day…”

“In exactly one hun’erd an’ twenny-five pieces.” Montaron finished. Deshairmon winced.

Xzar dropped his head into his hands and began to wail. Montaron nudged him.

“Quiet you! Don’t be such a bloody baby!”

Xzar lifted his head again. “But I am a baby, Monty.”

“Don’t mean ya gotta act like one.” Montaron huffed.

“How old are you?” Deshairmon asked.

“Nineteen, come midwinter.” Was the reply.

“Deshairmon was shocked. That young? He glanced at Montaron, who glared back up at him.

“Aye, and more terrors than ye could imagine packed into those short years.”

Deshairmon didn’t pry any further.




“Are you sure you guys don’t want to come with me?” Deshairmon asked. Montaron shook his head.

“Ye’re a good enough sort.” He explained, hands up in a conciliatory gesture. “But yon elf-blooded woman might see fit to take things out on us. “ The halfling winked. “An’ I can on’y stand ta be dead once a month.”

Xzar nodded his agreement. “If there is anything we can do, we would be perfectly willing to help. As long as we do not need to be in contact with your druid friend, for I doubt we will be balm to her wounds. Not that I care ore anything mind you.” He sniffed.

Deshairmon smiled warmly at both of them. So, they really did have consciences after all!
He gave his thanks to them, promised to come tell them if he needed anyone dead, and headed back into the tavern.

“What have you done’ Ployer? Speak!”

Two minutes later, Xzar turned around as Deshairmon came dashing back down the street.

“You know,” The godson said as soon as he caught his breath. “There might be something you can do for me after all…”

That was a very intriguing read - and I am going to await the next part eagerly.

I felt real sympathy for both Xzar and Montaron - which must have meant they were written very well.

Were I not going out in half an hour, I would leave a longer comment, but as it is, I'll wait for the next part.

More soon!

Why did this sort of thing happen? Friends to enemies to cold bodies at his feet. Eldoth. Kagain. Shar-Teel. Skie. Safana. Dynahier. Khalid. A never ending cycle.

sounds like BG1 was a bit bloody for poor Deshairmon.

“Why your fellows saw fit to assassinate him?” Deshairmon growled. “ The ‘dangerous beasts’ he supposedly bred were nothing more than a few goblins and a pair of terrified apprentices! Where was the greater good in slaying them? Where was the Balance? Doesn’t Balance decree that there must be a few men like him in the world?”

Ah yes, that harper assassin. I've skipped the quest just to keep Xzar alive, sometimes.

“Or could it be, that he needed to die because he was Zhentarim, and we are Harpers? Is that all there is to it?”

Deshairmon is a Harper? That will make the Galverey betrayal a bit more interesting, I believe.

Montaron was more than irritated. He was wrathful. The stream of curses that issued forth nearly made Deshairmon blush, and he had heard most every curse ever spoken on the Sword Coast!

I like this, very much in character for Montaron.

Two minutes later, Xzar turned around as Deshairmon came dashing back down the street.

“You know,” The godson said as soon as he caught his breath. “There might be something you can do for me after all…”

Xzar, Montaron, and Jaheira's curse. The next chapter should be an interesting one.

(Oh, and the spacing is good, the story is much easier to read than your earlier ones.)

Oh, that was very cute! Xzar and Monty do tend towards the fluffy and cute side of Evil, don't they? Very nice!

Though, I would not mind to see some stories where they do act like real Zhents.

But - if they help to save Jaheira from the curse, they will have my eternal love, of course.

You got quite an intriguing story here. Montaron and Xzar were revived and got mixed up with Jaheira's curse quest. And hey, the Bhaalspawn is a Harper! Makes me want to look forward to the next part.

Heh...Well Deshairmon isn't accually a Harper, but he kinda wants to be. He thinks that they do Good things in the Realms. He wasn't counting on Gavelry. (Who in my opinion is a fallen Harper and got nothing more than he deserved.) Deshairmon is chaotic neutral, but believes in the Balance rather like Jaheira does.

Heh, I enjoyed this. I liked Deshairmon and it's good to see Monty and Xzar play a serious role in a story. I've always liked reading about those two characters. Hope to see another part soon.

Oh, and the spacing was just fine here.

Interesting. Well written.