Oh… Watch for the Viconia ex machina!
(I know, I know) Beloved Child 39
Cold night breezes rolled in from the sea but Groder still felt angry. The party walked along darkened streets down towards the place where they were supposed to guard the thieves’ goods. The street opened up and became the wharf. They quickly located the boxed goods by the half-elf sitting on one of the smaller crates. The redhead looked up and a depressed look ran over her face.
“Oh… It’s you guys.” Mook said and jumped off the crate.
“Yes, the fox-faced bastard wanted us to guard these.” Groder waved at the crates.
“Right…” Mook responded and smiled a bit. “I guess this isn’t the usual heroic stuff you do but…”
“Heroic?” Groder raised an eyebrow.
“Odd, I was told you were a bunch of swine.” Hiranmayi said. “Although that one was incorrect.”
“Who the hell said that?” Groder half yelled and turned to Hiranmayi. The girl shrugged.
“None of that matters!” Jaheira said and banged her staff on the cobblestone. “What are we supposed to do here?”
Mook flinched and then quickly started to explain.
“Well, there has been this strange bald man that has been walking past here the past few nights. I have never seen him before so we need to keep an eye out for him.” The half-elf pointed down the wharf. “He usually comes from there, tonight we confront him.”
Jaheira nodded.
“So we wait.” The druid said and sat down on a crate.
A few hours passed by without any incident and boredom had set in. Groder watched Hiranmayi do acrobatics on the crates. The girl was very agile and the boy’s thoughts wandered. Viconia was coolly inspecting her flail, casting occasional glances at the pair.
“Perhaps you should go on the offensive as well, hmm…?” Haer`Dalis asked lazily. The bard lay sprawled on two crates, hands tucked under his head. “Maybe we should seek solace in each other now that our raven’s heart seems to flutter away.”
“With you?” She asked and laughed. He gave her a wolfish grin.
The Drow pushed down the bards head with a hand.
“Know your place male.”
Mook suddenly shot up and pointed.
“There he is.” She hissed. “I’ll go up and talk to him.”
A man was walking towards them, still difficult to see in the darkness. The party got up and grouped together. The man stopped a good bit from them. Mook was about to start walking towards him when Groder quickly grabbed after the half-elven thief. Being rather short he managed grab a hold of the lining on Mook`s pants. He pulled back.
“Hey!” Mook cried and went red in the face. “What are you doing with my pants?”
“Are you an idiot?” Groder asked. “He could be a vampire for all you know and you are just going to stroll up to him? Let us handle this.”
He let go of the pants and they snapped back causing Mook to yelp. She watched the party moved towards the man while rubbing her behind.
**
The man was tall, pale and bald. He was dressed like a noble and held his head high. As the group got closer it became hard for them to miss the two burning red eyes. It was not hard to guess as to what the man was. His features where waxy and smooth. When they had gotten close enough he spoke.
“And here I had hoped to find only Mook.” The voice was smooth, like a polished blade. “It does not matter of course.” He bowed. “I am Lassal and now my business is with you instead.”
“Even if you are a vampire, you are alone.” Groder said and brought forth his axe.
Lassal raised a nonexistent eyebrow.
“Who said I was alone?” He loudly snapped his fingers
They came bounding over the rooftops, five on hands and bent legs like beasts, all pretence of aristocracy gone. The vampires landed around Lassal, slavering jaws wide. Three men and two women all half-naked sat on their hunches and waited for Lassal to command them.
“Eh… Viconia… I hope you have some spells to counter them?” Groder said nervously.
The Drow cleric did not answer him. She had already begun chanting, so had Jaheira. When Nalia and Yoshimo let their arrows fly, the vampires scattered and attacked. One of the female vampires bounded on Haer`Dalis, the actors movements blurred with speed as he narrowly dodged the oncoming vampire. The vampires had speed and strength to their advantage and one of the males, a scarred thing jumped clear over most of the party heading for Nalia and Yoshimo. Nalia dropped her bow and fumbled for her short sword when the scarred vampire landed in front of her swung a fist. His arm was stopped by Yoshimo`s blade as the bounty hunter managed to position himself between the vampire and the young noble.
The blade caught the vampires arm and nearly tore it off but the thing jumped back. Then it ran forward again and delivered a forceful kick to Yoshimo`s face. The Kara-Turan was flung into Nalia and both fell in a heap on the ground.
Jaheira had been forced to stop chanting and defend herself and Viconia. The druid concentrated on the vampire in front of her. It was one of the females who wore an odd collection of sashes; it had pulled forth a wicked looking dagger and was continuously jabbing for the half-elf. Jaheira deflected the blows expertly but noticed that the vampire was not putting much effort in the fighting. The vampire dodged one of her swings, stepped back and threw the dagger hard, aiming for the half-elf’s legs. She managed to dodge the dagger at last second but it gave the vampire ample time to sink its fist into the druid’s stomach.
Groder noted with some satisfaction between trying to dodge a vampires blows that Hiranmayi had not been all talk. Several savage cuts had appeared on the vampire she fought but it was a fight on the retreat. The girl kept backing in a circle as to not get to far away from Groder. This had earned her several claw marks on her arms. Groder had his own problems; the vampire he fought was tall with long limbs, its reach great. It landed kicks on his arms and shoulders, not hard enough to break bone but to keep him of balance. The vampire was merely toying with him. Kicking hard it dislocated his left shoulder.
Haer`Dalis had been felled to the ground by the other female vampire and they lay embracing. His blades were shoved to the hilt into the vampire’s body and also cutting into his own. The vampires head lolled above his, ragged breaths blowing in its face. Viconia finished her spell and a wave of energy ripped outwards from her. They could not see it but feel it and when it reached the vampires they were thrown like rag dolls. The vampire on top of Haer`Dalis was being forced backwards but being stuck it could not move and its body folded back on itself.
The scarred vampire with the almost cut off arm was thrown forward, its arm flying away ahead of it. The female with the sashes squatted on Jaheira, playing with its dagger and was dragged across the cobblestone ripping up its back when the energy hit it. The two fighting Groder and Hiranmayi were tossed back hitting the ground with hard bone breaking falls.
Lassal was the only one unaffected as he had not entered the battle and stood just at the edge where the wave of repellent energy dissipated. He clapped his hands.
“This is the problem with all fledglings’ not only feral ones like these.” He said. “They never think about attacking the priestess first. I think we can all get ready again soon, well expect Mari, she seems to be bent out of shape.” Lassal snickered at his own joke.
The vampires got back up expect for the one folded on Haer`Dalis. They were ragged and bloody but ready for more fighting.
“Groder! Are you alright!” Hiranmayi cried and ran over to the boy.
“Huh?” Lassal looked surprised. Then his eyes widened. “Back! Back you fool’s! Leave them or the mistress will have our hides!”
“But Lassal… they are ripe for the picking.” The vampire that had been fighting Hiranmayi said.
Lassal grabbed the vampire’s head with one hand and squeezed until it popped like a ripe tomato.
“Obey!” He growled. The remaining vampires did and took off. Lassal swore and then turned into a swarm of bats that flew into the night sky.
Mook came running with an armful of healing potions and the party’s two healers made preparations. Haer`Dalises wounds were the worst and he coughing all the while explained how he liked having women on top of him just not ones that tried to kill him. Otherwise the injuries consisted of bruises, cuts and dislocated bones.
“Well, we got soundly defeated.” Groder said as he leaned against a house wall. “The next time we meet a vampire it will laugh itself to death.”
“Or maybe they will run away again when they realize you are with us.” Viconia pushed his left shoulder and nodded.
“Yes, why was that?” Hiranmayi asked leaning against Groder on his right side.
“I think we can assume that Bodhi`s interest in me has to do with the Bhaal thing, as usual.” Groder sighed.
“You had hoped that it was your winning personality and sexy body that sealed the deal… eh My Raven?” Haer`Dalis coughed.
“Do you want me to kick you in the chest?” Groder`s eyes narrowed dangerously.
**
Aran Linvail did not smile during the second meeting. This time the narrow face was tense. The room seemed smaller to Groder this time because there were more people present. Frost, the large man which had let them in during the day was there, Sime and Mook as well as the woman with the scar that had taunted them. Renal Bloodscalp leaned against the Shadow Masters desk.
“That the vampire knew Mook by name is no surprise, we have had defections after all.” For the first time Aran sneered then he went on. “The fact that you were almost killed is problematic.”
“You don`t say.” Groder quipped.
“To be honest.” Aran said smoothly. “I thought that you all were more powerful then this. You are after all the heroes of Baldur’s Gate”
“Three of us are. Me, Viconia and Jaheira.” Groder responded. “Tonight was dumb luck.”
Viconia cleared her throat. When she received no answer, she smacked Groder lightly on the back of the head.
“Right…” He said. “Dumb luck and Viconia.”
Aran sighed.
“We know where the vampires’ lair is. Valen was very cooperative.” He leaned back in the chair. “What happened tonight made me re-evaluate some things. I was planning on relying heavily on you but now I see that we must move against the vampires fast and hard, soon. Tomorrow even, during the day when they sleep.”
“Are you sure about that course of action?” Jaheira asked.
Aran slammed a fist into his desk.
“Yes, there will be less trouble for you during the day and they will not expect an attack so soon. Their defences will be lax.” Aran motioned towards the assembled thieves. “You will have backup of course. I wish I could spare more but trouble has a way of amassing it self.” He went on. “I hope that you as experienced adventurers will tip the scales in our favour. Now, you know Sime and you have met both Frost and Renal.” He pointed at the scarred woman. “That is Rose.”
The scarred woman bowed slightly.
“Now I am not thrilled at the prospect of wandering into a bunch of vampires even if they are asleep.” Renal began when Aran had introduced Rose. “And your performance tonight has not emboldened me.” He added.
Groder rested his chin in his hand.
“And what so you propose we do?”
“Fire.” Renal said. “We take out the sentry’s as quietly as possible and then burn as much as possible. Ending their leadership would be very good but we have to assume that those are very powerful vampires.”
Groder nodded.
“Yes, the one we met Lassal is most likely one. Their leader is a woman named Bodhi.” He said.
“We know.” Aran cut in. “Ending her life would do a great deal to break them.”
“What do you think?” Groder asked and turned in his seat, looking at his companions.
“It is not the best plan I have ever heard but it is workable.” Jaheira sighed.
“Bah!” Viconia snorted. “It is a foolish plan which will most likely kill us all.”
“All the more reason to try it then!” Haer`Dalis said.
**
Groder pulled the blanket around himself. In the end there had been no debate. For Aran to let them go to Spellhold, the vampires had to be defeated. So they would rest here, in a room on the second floor of the guild house and tomorrow one hour before noon they would wake and prepare. Then they would go to the graveyards and the catacombs and there would be much death. He hoped it would not be his own. The boy wanted to shrug it off, the feeling that he was mortal and as such could feel terror. Not wanting to admit it but he felt as afraid as he had when Ganishuka had stood before him and he felt just as alone. Hiranmayi crept in under his blanket and he was surprised for a moment.
“You look worried.” She whispered.
He gave a dry chuckle. “Because I am. I really am.”
“Do not fear death.” She kissed his neck. “Having faced it you should not fear it. Life is too short to fear such things.”
Hiranmayi embraced him. He held her as well.
“Sleep.” She whispered. “You shall see that we will live after tomorrow as well.”
