The story goes on, my dear readers. In this chapter, our adventurers officially become Heroes! Enjoy and please, read&review *smile*
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CHAPTER 17
After a nice bath and with their best clothes on, the party members went back to the High Merchant’s house and found a veritable crowd waiting for them in the living room. As soon as he spotted them, lord Coprith relaxed and waved at them.
"Ah, here they are! Come, come and join me!". They obediently made their way through the crowd and lined up at his side at the farthest end of the room. "Citizens of Trademeet! We are here today to thank and honour the brave heroes who saved our town!
Not only did they stop the attacks of the wild animals, but they also freed us from the Djinns’ economic tyranny!", lord Logan announced, "You are once again free to walk around the city without fear!
Let me introduce our heroes to you: this powerful warrior is Minsc, with his faithful animal companion Boo", he said, gesturing towards the ranger (and his hamster), "The lovely lady in leathers is Jaheira, a skilled fighter and healer. And this is the lady Aerie, accomplished mage and priestess.
The man at her right is Yoshimo, a true master of hunting". The Kara-Turan suppressed a smirk at that definition: being in a merchant town, the party had wisely chosen not to inform the High Merchant of the real nature of his “trade”, merely saying that he was a skilled hunter, without further specification.
"This man is Anomen, warrior, priest of the Watcher and member of the Order. To his right, there is master Edwin, wizard of unrivalled power. And of course, their brave leader, Margaret Dawn of Candlekeep. I hereby declare that, from this day on, these people will be known as The Heroes of Trademeet!
Statues of them will be made and exposed on the fountain in the main square forever!". The Painbearer nervously toyed with her Ring, embarrassed by all of that attention and praise, but she snapped out of it when Edwin elbowed her in the ribs.
"Travelling with you is destroying my reputation, you know it, right? Now they even call me a hero!", he grumbled, "Do you have any idea of the poor figure I would cut, should this reach the ears of someone in my homeland? (I can only hope Mother never hears of it...)".
She snickered, rubbing her hands, "Yes, your public image is getting worse and worse with each passing day. My diabolic plan worked!". "WHAT?", he started, horrified, his eyes going as wide as dinner plates, "You, you...". "Oh, don’t worry, I was just joking.
But the statues aren’t a joke, you know", she said, still grinning, "And once they’re done, everyone will know that you were one of the Heroes of Trademeet, for all eternity!". The Thayan shuddered, "Don’t remind me of it", he pleaded...And just a moment later the High Merchant added, "Of course, all of you deserve the shining reputation of heroes".
"Perfect. Just perfect (What did I do to deserve this?)", the Red Wizard rolled his eyes, but his mood improved quickly when the merchants, not knowing how to show their gratitude in any other way, started to fill the party members’ hands with gold coins, that were put in the common purse for later sharing.
A woman dressed in exaggeratedly expensive clothes approached the adventurers and gave their leader a smile that should have looked warm and friendly, but actually looked cold and cruel, "Welcome to our city, Margaret Dawn. I am lady Lilith Lurraxol, head of the family which founded Trademeet.
It’s good to see that there are still people with courage and ability in this land. I have a proposal for your...Party", the noblewoman said and couldn’t help shooting a disdainful look to the bounty hunter, "Come to my house if you want to know more. I will wait for you", she concluded, then left in a hurry, as if she couldn’t stand to be in their presence any longer.
As soon as lady Lurraxol was out of the room, a man wearing similarly rich clothes took her place, "Ah, I see that Lilith has already tried to put her claws on you. Ignore everything she said, she’s a conniving hag and a liar. I am lord Skarmaen Alibakkar and it was my family which founded Trademeet, not hers, so I greet you in the name of the most important family of the city".
The Ilmatari forced herself to smile back at him, "Greetings, lord Alibakkar. I guess you are here to make the same proposal lady Lurraxol has in store for us, then?". "Yes, I need the same kind of service, but of course I am the only one who has the right to ask for it.
Come to my palace if you decide to accept my proposal. But if you are so fool as to work for the Lurraxols, you won’t be welcome in my house. Think well about this. I hope to see you soon", he concluded, taking his leave. Meg bit her lower lip, troubled and walked up to the High Merchant to know a bit more about the two nobles.
Logan sighed, "I’m sorry to know they have already tried to drag you into their feud. You see, the Lurraxols and the Alibakkars are the two oldest families in our town and both of them claim to have founded it.
This feud has been going on for generations and it has often caused blood to be spilled by both parts. The only advice I can give you is to be careful when dealing with them". "You know, I think we won’t deal with them at all. We already have enough to worry about as it is", she said.
"A wise decision. I hope you will stay for a while longer, will you? I‘ve already sent messages to the trading caravans and they will reach the city in a week, so our trade will be fully active again in a matter of days!
Oh and remember to go to the sculptors’ studio for the statues. It will take them some days to complete the work". "Yes, we will stay until the trade is restored. Now, with your permission, we will take our leave. Good evening, High Merchant", she concluded and the entire party left to go back to the inn.
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During dinner, Jaheira asked her ward, "Do you really intend to wait for the caravans to arrive?". "It’s the best course of action, I think", the Human priestess answered, "We still have to sell the armour we got from minister Lloyd, the scimitar and the gems we’ve collected so far.
Besides, we need to buy better equipment and the merchants could have something useful for us to buy". "It will take some days, though. What are we going to do until then?". "You’re free to do as you please: I think you’ve more than earned some free time".
"I’ll go back to the Druid Grove, then. I want to spend some time in the wild". "Okay. And you guys?". "I will look for and study new spells (And I will become even more powerful of course)", Edwin said.
Aerie smiled, "Me too. I want to improve as a mage to be more effective in battle". Yoshimo leaned back in his seat, "I will ask around for more information about the feud between two noble families that accosted you at the gathering: it could turn out to be profitable, despite their unpleasant ways".
"I will use this time to practice with my Flail", Anomen said. "Minsc will spare with you!", the Rashemi announced with enthusiasm and the squire was suddenly tempted to take back his words: he could practically see how badly he would be reduced after a sparring session with the enormous ranger.
But then he saw Meg looking at him with that smile of hers and he couldn’t do anything but nod reluctantly. "It will be...A pleasure to spar with you, Minsc. And what about you, my lady? What will you do?".
"Oh, I...I found a very interesting book, so I will probably sit in my room and just read all day", the Ilmatari answered. The Thayan put one of his sleeves under her nose, "Before burying your head in it, will you mend this hole? (It’s my favourite robe, Kossuth!)".
She nodded with a smile, "Oh, you know I am always at your service. Since we’ve finished our dinner, why don’t we count the money we received from the merchants? I’m quite curious to see how much we got". The gold was put on the table for Jaheira to count and after a while, the druidess smiled. "We received ten thousand and five hundred gold coins".
"So it’s another five thousand, two hundred and fifty gold pieces for the fund. Great! Now we have nearly all the money we need to free Immy and the gems will surely be worth enough to reach the right sum!", the Painbearer beamed, "I can’t wait to be back to Athkatla!".
Edwin cleared his throat, "Yes, yes, can we take our shares now? (It’s not like I’ve not earned it!)". "Of course", Meg put half the gold coins in the blue-dyed leather pouch and then split the other half in seven equal shares, "Here’s your gold".
"Music to my ears", he said, storing his money with a satisfied smile, "You know, Meg, despite the heavy damage to my reputation, I don’t regret rejoining your party". "And I’m glad you’re part of it, my friend", she assured him, then she turned to look at where Alenina, the local bard, was singing, "Oh, I know this song! It was Sam’s favourite".
"My lady, will you sing it for us?", Anomen asked and she lowered her eyes, looking strangely uncomfortable. "Uhm, I can’t. Sorry, but I really, really can’t". "Why not?". "Because I...", she mumbled something incomprehensible. "Forgive me, but I didn’t catch the last words".
"I sing horribly out of tune", the young woman admitted, "I tried to improve, but to no avail: I have no musical ability whatsoever. Immy says that my singing is worse than the cry of a cat with an aching belly". Jaheira chortled, "Truth be told, child, it sounds more like the howl of a wounded coyote".
"Hey! That’s quite a cruel comment, you know? The coyote might get offended", her ward replied, laughing, "Well, it’s getting late, so I’ll go to bed. Good night, ladies and gentlemen, I’ll see you in the morning".
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It didn’t take a week, but only five days for the caravans to reach Trademeet and when they did, the city and its trade were finally back to normality. The market square was very crowded and it was hard for Margaret Dawn to make her way through all of those people without bumping into someone every two steps, or being bumped into while looking at the stalls.
In one of them, she saw something that made her stop abruptly, open-mouthed: a beautiful short bow, adorned with exquisite carvings and softly glowing with magic. "Wow", she breathed, amazed. The merchant noticed her interest and smiled, "Good morning, lady! You’re one of our heroes, right? Do you like this bow?", he readily took it down for her to inspect. "It’s beautiful".
"And it’s also very rare, because it’s enchanted: it creates its own arrows", he pulled the string and when he released it, an arrow made of white energy shot forward, harmlessly ending into a nearby stream. "How much?". "A thousand and five hundred gold coins, lady", the man said and winked, "It’s a special price, for you only".
The Ilmatari arched an eyebrow, "So, only for me, you set the price higher than it should be? Wow, I’m flattered", she said dryly. "W-what?", the merchant started, surprised by her exposing him so quickly, "I-I didn’t do anything of the sort, I assure you!
But...Maybe I can accept a thousand and four hundred". "Six hundred". "You can’t be serious! This is an enchanted bow, like no other you can find!". She shrugged, "Okay, keep it then", she made to leave, knowing full well what would come next.
"Wait! All right, a thousand?". Meg shook her head, smiling inwardly and silently thanking Sarevok for his teachings in the noble art of trading, "I won’t give you more than eight hundred gold coins". He frowned, shaking his head, "I can’t accept! This bow is worth more than that!".
Stubborn, uh? I’ll teach you not to try and cheat me, she thought, "Say, do you sell your goods in Athkatla too?". "Yes, why?". She smiled innocently, "No reason, I was simply wondering what would the Cowled Wizards say, if they knew that you sell illegal goods in their territory. You know, rumours have wings".
He blanched and hastily wrapped the bow in a piece of cloth, "Eight hundred it is. There you are". She took the bow and gave him the money, "It was a pleasure to do business with you, sir. Have a nice day", she put her prize in her pack with a satisfied smirk and left.
The Slayer laughed inside her mind, Ah, little Goddess, now we understand each other! Threatening someone is a very good tactic to get what you want, it commented, its voice carrying a mixture of amusement and appreciation.
Yeah, did you see his face? He thought me a fool, but I taught him a lesson!, the young woman agreed, chuckling, Anyway, he asked for it. But now I have some more shopping to do, so why don’t you take a walk or something?
More merchants to threaten? I can help you, maybe I can suggest you some very good threats your sire used quite often, back in his old days as a mortal. Meg huffed, Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. And I have a suggestion for you too: stop trying to corrupt me. It won’t work anyway and besides, it’s annoying, she replied, then tuned its voice off while entering a shop of exotic foods, "Good morning".
The woman behind the counter smiled brightly, "Oh, good morning, m’lady! I’m so glad to have one of our heroes in my humble shop! What can I do for you?". "I’m looking for some yatsuhashi, from Kozakura". "Oh, yes, I have some. Not many ask for them, Kozakura being so far from here and all. Here you are. Do you need anything else?".
"Do you have some stroganoff, by chance? And some Thayan delicacy too". "Stroganoff...From Rashemen, right? Yes, I think there is some in the store room. And I have a small barrel of Thayan wine". "That’s perfect! I take both".
The merchant lady went to the store room and came back with a small barrel and a big sealed pot jar, "Here they are, m’lady". "Wonderful!", Margaret Dawn paid for the goods and put them in her pack, beaming: she couldn’t wait to be back to the inn!
On her way there, she stopped into the main square to take a proper look at the statues adorning the fountain: all of them were extraordinarily lifelike and Minsc’s even had a replica of Boo perched on his right shoulder, since the Rashemi had (very strongly) recommended to the sculptors not to forget his heroic Miniature Giant Space Hamster.
"They’re really well made, aren’t they, my lady?", Anomen asked, coming to stand beside her, "Though this effigy doesn’t do justice to your beauty". She smiled shyly, "Oh, shush, no need to exaggerate now. Say, how is your shoulder?".
"It’s completely healed, but I don’t think it could take another sparring session with Minsc", the squire answered, reflexively massagging his left shoulder. "Yeah, he tends to be a bit too much enthusiastic when he’s sparring, but you’ll soon get used to it". "I sincerely hope so, my lady. Did you find anything useful at the market?".
The Painbearer’s face lightened up, "Oh, yes! I found a new bow for Immy!", she took it out of her pack and showed it to him, "Amazing, isn’t it? And it’s enchanted! Look", she mimicked the merchant’s move and shot an “arrow” into the fountain. "Remarkable, truly. I’m sure your friend will be happy to receive it".
"Yes...And she will need it too, I fear. Come to think of it, she’ll need some new clothes too: I highly doubt Jo...Irenicus would be so kind as to gift her a new wardrobe", her voice broke and the young man put a hand on her shoulder. "Don’t despair, Meg: now that we have the money we need, the day of her rescue is closer than ever", he said and she smiled.
"Yes, you’re right. And now comes the hardest part of the day". "What is it?". "Finding pink clothes: Immy would kill me, if I presented her with something in any other colour!". He laughed, "Well, in this case, it is my duty to assist you in this most dangerous quest", he joked and was glad to see her smile grow wider. "I will be eternally grateful for your assistance, my lord", Meg said formally, her emerald eyes sparkling with laughter, but she started when a woman suddenly reached them and grabbed her arm.
"You! You are two of the heroes who saved our town, aren’t you?", the stranger asked, wide-eyed and clearly desperate, "Please, I need your help!". The Ilmatari nodded, "Sure, what can we do for you, madam?", she said and the older woman relaxed a bit.
"Oh, thank you, kind lady! My name is Jenia and I’m here on behalf of my son, Tiris: he’s too scared to even stick his nose out of home! Please, come to my home and talk to him, maybe you can help him!". Anomen gently pried Jenia’s fingers open to free his leader’s arm, "Guide us, good woman, we will do all we can to help your son", he promised.
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Stroganoff: typical Rashemi dish, it is made with breaded and browned slices of beef, sour cream, dried onions and pasta. Many variations include mushrooms and some use diced potatoes instead of pasta.
Then again, I'm sure Imoen will be fine. I don't expect you to do what I did to her in the story I'm posting on FFN. 
