Oh my, so many stories! Anyway, here's the latest Blades that I managed to finish in between lots of Uni stuff!
*closes eyes and presses post*
Andaire strained her eyes to catch one more glimpse of the druid. She was half hoping that Jaheira would come back soon, that the meeting with the strange woman would only last a few minutes. Andaire wondered would Jaheira send her a message saying that she was not going to travel with her anymore? She didn't know the answer, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out what she had done wrong, other than threatening that irritating rhyming assassin with a knife.
The half elf let out a breath and turned regretfully away from her search for her friend. Blackie couldn't see the one he called Tree Lady anymore, so his interest quickly waned and he returned to watching the crowd. Andaire barely notice the crow for she was too busy imagining all sorts of trouble that Jaheira could be in. She did admit to herself that she knew next to nothing about what was going on with her old friend, and that there was little she could do about it.
Andaire continued her morbid line of thinking even as she dragged Viconia away from the old man's cart. While the clever man had taken advantage of the unexpected appearance of an actual Drow in his midst, the multitude of people in the area had a different response. Many openly stared, not quite believing what they saw. Both Andaire and Viconia could easily hear the remarks regarding what people said about the pair. Most were benign comments, although a couple were outright hostile and insulting.
A noblewoman traveling with her retainers sniffed loudly as she strode past Viconia. "Ugh, something in this city sure stinks. Imagine that the city has to suffer the presence of one of… them. The guards, no the council, should take immediate and appropriate action against foul creatures like that!"
Viconia paused and slowly turned to face the aristocrat, her face impassive. Andaire winced, sure that a fight was imminent, so she scanned the area for the quickest means of escape. The last thing she needed was to be involved in a battle in the streets.
"Did you say something elg'caress?" Viconia said. "I thought it was a female talking, but now I see it's just a pig. Did you roll about in slop for hours to acquire that stench that surrounds you?"
The aristocrat was left fuming by what Andaire's companion said to her. Blackie was enjoying the exchange, even if his mistress wasn't having too much fun. The half elf did have to admit it was kind of gratifying to see Viconia confront the rude noble with nothing more than words. Somehow, Andaire managed to convince Viconia to leave, although the Drow did manage to make the rude noble turn tail and walk away from her rather quickly. Viconia said nothing more about the encounter, and Andaire was of the opinion that she had fun making the noble nervous.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the last bit of ignorance that the pair faced on their quest for weapons. The first shop, which Andaire had heard sold good quality merchandise, refused to serve the women since one of them was a Drow. Andaire left the store in a bad mood, especially since the merchant called her a stupid elf for hanging around with a creature of evil. Not only did the man fail to even give Viconia a name, but also he got Andaire's race wrong. The way he said elf made it sound like an insult, like she was something less than worthy.
It took a trip half way across the city before Andaire could find another store to suit her needs. Unlike the other storeowner who refused to have anything to do with Andaire and Viconia, this one had no problem taking their gold. When the half elf remarked on this fact, the merchant replied that gold spent all the same, and he would sell his merchandise to Demigorgon himself, as long as he had the coin to spend.
The owner of the shop was a short man with almost no hair and a face with a permanent squint. He communicated mainly in grunts when Andaire told him what kind of axe she was looking for. When she told him why she needed that particular weapon, he walked up to Viconia and studied her for a minute. After he was done, he turned to Andaire and gave her his opinion on the matter.
"You're completely daft, girl!" He told her in a harshly accented voice. "You can't give the Drow an axe to use!"
"Excuse me?" Andaire growled as Blackie chortled and Viconia smirked. "I, that is she, needs something with a blade, and I think an axe will do."
"Waukeen, save me from know-it-all adventurers!" the man exclaimed to the air. "Listen here, missy."
"My name is Andaire," the half elf informed him.
"Alright, miss Andaire, here's the reason why your friend can't have an axe," the shopkeeper said. "Axes, no matter how small they are, take a lot of strength to wield properly. You got to have strength behind each swing to overpower your opponent, and sorry, but the dark elf doesn't look strong enough to use one. Hmm, come to think of it, neither do you. You sure are a tiny one. Is there any halfling blood in your family by any chance?"
"Spare me the jokes. Just get on with it already," the half elf replied. "What do you suggest Viconia should use? I thought an axe would be the closest think to a mace, and that's what she's been using for a long time."
"I can speak for myself," Viconia coolly informed Andaire. "Well little man, say something. Don't stare so openly, with nothing coming out of your mouth but air."
The shopkeeper rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, "You need something that would take advantage of your build and speed, since you don't look too strong to me. For you, I'd say that you need a fighting style that emphasizes quick slashes and cuts; otherwise you're going to get squished. You know, just get in there, chop at your enemy and get the hell out. And amazingly, I have the perfect weapon for you. Tell me, did you ever get any training with a scimitar while you lived in that pest ridden hole in the ground you call home?"
"You ignorant male, such talk would quickly get you flayed in the city I was born in," Viconia sneered. "Why would you be so foolish as to speak to me in the manner that you do?"
"Because you aren't in the Underdark, you're in my shop, that's why. I rule here, and what I say goes," the merchant bravely answered. "Besides, everyone on the street saw you enter my shop, and if I turned up dead then the guards would know who to look for. Trust me, there's nothing more the city guard would love to claim than to say they killed a Drow. Now, are you going to answer my question or not?"
"What question is that, rivvel?"
"About your weapon training. I think you could use a scimitar, if you were properly taught. Besides, Drizzt uses two scimitars, so I'll assume that you can use one too, though not with his skill."
Andaire and Viconia both groaned at the mention of that ranger's name. Viconia told the merchant, "You had better not mention that male's name again in my presence, if you want to continue breathing that is."
"My shop, my rules," the storeowner said. Then he spoke with Viconia for a few minutes and eventually he got her to admit to some training with a scimitar, though not with any blade heavier than that. When Andaire exclaimed her surprise at this news and asked why she wasn't told of this, Viconia informed her that she should have asked her if she wanted to know anything. In time, the Drow settled on a slender blade with a touch of blue enamel painted on the hilt. It wasn't an enchanted weapon, but it was a good quality blade with a fine balance. Andaire paid for the scimitar, wincing slightly as she practically emptied her purse to complete the purchase. The merchant even gave the pair a somewhat worn, but still serviceable weapons belt and scabbard for Viconia to use.
Andaire could only hope as she watched Viconia adjusting the straps on her weapon belt, that she really did know how to use that blade. She would have to test her later to see the extent of her skill.
While they were on their way back to the inn, Andaire and Viconia were stopped by a couple of city guards almost as soon as they arrived in the Bridge District. Blackie took one look at the approaching men, and promptly flew up to perch on a nearby roof, where he could watch the confrontation from a safe distance.
"Lucky bird," Andaire muttered under her breath as the guards reached her and Viconia at last.
"By the authority of the Council, you two are to go no further!" A stout man in standard issued leathers called out. "Stay where you are, and state your name and business."
The half elf suppressed an urge to tell the man what he could do with his order. However, that didn't mean she was going to be totally polite, as she had other things on her mind. Keeping a city worker happy certainly wasn't one of her concerns.
"You know what is said about those who talk too much," Viconia said. "A big mouth masks other… inadequacies."
"Keep your mouth shut, Drow," the lead man told her. "I'll do the speaking around here until I tell you that you can start talking."
Idiot. Andaire thought. She stared past the solider to stare at the red tiled rooftop of the Five Flagons. The inn was so close, but it might as well have been on the moon at this point. However, the mere sight of her goal gave the half elf an idea. She gave her familiar a mental request to fly to the inn and fetch one of her friends for her, someone like Minsc perhaps. Blackie balked at first, but then the crow changed his mind and left the area to do his mistress's bidding.
After she watched her bird disappear in the distance, Andaire became aware of the fact that she faced an irritable guard and his partner. She looked the man in the eye and asked him, "Can you repeat what you just said? I'm afraid I wasn't listening."
The stranger ground his teeth in frustration and replied, "State you name and business miss, and if you don't answer right away, you'll spend the night in the city jail."
"Whatever for?" Andaire wondered. "I don't feel like telling you our names, so unless you have a good reason to detain us, my friend and I are leaving."
"You call a Drow a friend?" the man said incredulously. "Ah, it's fortunate that you've told me that, since that means you're an accomplice."
"Accomplice to what?" Andaire growled, while behind her she could hear Viconia whispering something in her native tongue.
The man assumed an arrogant expression and said, "Why, any number of crimes of course. We've had some gruesome murders around here, and I can arrest you for harboring a murderer. Yes, I think I've found my suspect, so if you just hand her over, there should be no problems."
Fortunately, help arrived at this point in the conversation. Andaire spied the glint of sunlight hitting metal and sure enough, Anomen came striding through the crowd, with a crow trying his best to balance on his shoulder. Eventually the bird gave up and went to rejoin his mistress. The half elf was pleased to see Anomen, even if he found it necessary to take his helm and his shield with him. The squire increased his pace and soon joined the confrontation.
"Excuse me corporal, but might I have a word with you?" Anomen asked the man politely but firmly.
The guard took one look at him and shook his head. "Ah, a Radiant member, is it? There's no need for you to get involved, for I was in the middle of apprehending these women."
Anomen drew himself up to his full height and stared down his nose at the rude stranger. He cleared his throat and replied. "I am Anomen Delryn, and the lady here is my friend. The Drow is her companion, and I demand that you let them go."
While this was going on, Viconia leaned close to Andaire and said in her own language, "Oh my, you've been training your male well. Tell me, is he just as obedient in the bedchamber as he is now?"
Two spots of color rose on the half elf's cheeks while her dark skinned companion chuckled at her discomfort. Before Andaire could issue a denial, another guard joined the fray. Unlike the other two, the new arrival was dressed in chain mail and a plain red cape as an indication of his rank. He had short-cropped brown hair and an expression on his face that spoke loudly of his disapproval.
The other guard, who had been arguing with Anomen, stared dumbly at the man in the chain mail when he finally noticed him. His arrogance forgotten at the moment, the city guard said to the latest person to enter the conflict. "Lieutenant Aegisfield, I wasn't expecting to see you here!"
"What seems to be the problem here, corporal?" he said crisply.
The corporal gulped at the irritation in his commander's voice and told him what he had been doing.
"So," the lieutenant finished, dabbing the back of his neck with a dampened cloth. "Will you take the job?"
The companions were gathered together in the garrison commander's tiny and overly warm office. The pair of guards who had attempted to arrest Andaire and her friends had found themselves assigned to watching over fishing vessels during the night as a reward for their behavior. Andaire was glad that Aegisfield recognized her as one of the people responsible for apprehending the child killer Neb, or she might have had to spend some time in a jail cell. In return for getting rid of the guards for her, the lieutenant had insisted that the small group discuss the incident in his office. After they arrived there, the head guard in the district told them a more detailed version of the rumors of some local murders that Valygar had already spoke of the previous night.
As it turned out, the mystery killer had been murdering the poor and the homeless in a most gruesome fashion by skinning them alive. Naturally the bodies would be found the next day, and there was always an awful lot of blood spilled. There were some witnesses to the latest killings, but those people didn't really like talking to the guards. When Aegisfield mentioned that he needed help because he was so short handed, Viconia said that he should find the murderer himself if he was so concerned. After all, it wasn't her problem. That's when Aegisfield pointed out that it might be in her best interest if she didn't show her face until after the killer was caught, since people would blame her for the murders since she was a Drow.
Andaire considered all the information she had been told. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and told the lieutenant, "We will look into these murders for you."
For the first time since they met him, Aegisfield smiled a little. "Excellent. I've been after my superior to give me more men to look into these crimes, but who in the Council wants to spend money on the poor? Bring me back proof of who's killing the people in the area, and I'll reward you as best as I can. Oh, and can you do one more thing before you leave?"
"I knew it!" Viconia exclaimed.
"What is it?" Andaire wondered, ignoring her companion's outburst.
Lieutenant Aegisfield laid his left hand flat on the table and said, "You may note that I'm missing a ring from this hand. Will you please tell your pet to give it back?"
The half elf narrowed her eyes, and turned her head to look at the crow perched on top of an overstuffed filing cabinet. Sure enough, Blackie held something small and shiny in his beak.
"Why does that lawless creature take such a delight in thievery?" Anomen wondered in an exasperated tone. "That bird is completely lacking in discipline."
Andaire said nothing as she took a couple of steps towards her familiar. She held out her hand and coughed loudly. Blackie hesitated, torn between keeping his prize and giving it up to make his mistress happy. Eventually, the crow dropped the lieutenant's ring into the mage's outstretched palm and hopped onto her shoulder.
After she returned the ring to its rightful owner, Andaire left the garrison with her friends. She briefly considered getting the rest of her party, but she figured that three people should be able to handle whatever the city had to throw at them. They found the first witness, a small boy, easily enough. He hadn't really seen much of anything, except for the shadow of a person running away from the latest murder. Andaire gave him a coin for his efforts, which brought a snort of derision from both Viconia and Anomen. After that the group left him alone, for his information didn't give them any clues as to the killer's identity.
Andaire looked at the angle of the sun and was amazed that it had traveled so quickly across the sky. It was later than she had figured, so she made a choice to split up the tiny group even smaller, so as to cover more ground more rapidly. She had Anomen go find a courtesan named Rose while she and Viconia went to find an old man who might have seen the killer.
It had taken several frustrating attempts before Andaire and Viconia could find the older man that the lieutenant informed them about. Finally, after convincing some of the locals that they were trying to solve the murders, they were directed to a small square full of crumbling stonewalls that had, at one time, been a park. Now, with its glory days long in the past, it served as a place for the down and out to relax and even sleep in.
A stooped figure, his hair in a tangled mess, eyed the women as they approached him. He had an old rag in his hands, which he constantly played with.
"What do you want?" he asked, shifting his gaze from his visitors to the ground. "Old Ramuth has done nothing wrong."
"Easy there, we just want to ask you about the local murders, that's all." Andaire assured him.
"No, Ramuth sees nothing! Ramuth knows nothing; nothing except the inspector didn't see everything. Tee-hee!"
"You saw something?" the half elf exclaimed. "Good, then tell me what you saw!"
"This is a complete waste of time!" Viconia grumbled. "This fool is too addled to even know where he is!"
Andaire sighed and said, "Can you tell us what you did see? I need to know what happened."
"Fool, yes the guards are fools!" Ramuth muttered in a singsong voice. "Many people come to see the dead one, oh, how much blood was spilled where he died. The guards come, but they search and search and don't find the killer. But shhh, Ramuth knows a secret."
"What is this secret that you have?" Andaire asked him, beginning to get irritated with the stranger.
After he rambled about nonsense for a few minutes, the old man said that he found something that the guards didn't. Then he repeated the fact that he knew a secret, which nearly caused Andaire to walk away in disgust. Then Ramuth said that he had something that the killer dropped, which he told her was a piece of leather, but he couldn't give it to Andaire just yet. However, before the half elf could negotiate with the old man for the object, Viconia took matters into her own hands.
The Drow placed herself in front of the elder gentleman and put one of her most threatening expressions on her face. She grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and told him in no uncertain terms that he had better give her the leather, if he knew what was good for him. Then she took her left hand away and let it drift towards her belt where she had a small dagger tucked. Ramuth proved to be a quick learner, for he had pleaded with Viconia, until she let go of him. After that he dove to the ground and reached for a ratty sack, and then he pulled out the strangest piece of leather that the women had ever seen.
Viconia had a look of triumph to her face as she walked away with her prize. She told Andaire as she walked past her, "You took too long."
"Viconia, you weren't supposed to threaten him!" the half elf protested.
"What's your point?"
Andaire sighed and said, "Never mind, we had better go get Anomen, but only after I give that poor man some money. Then we have to get someone to tell us what kind of leather that is."
Viconia rolled her eyes and shook her head at her companion's foolishness
Meanwhile, the knight to be was having some problems of his own. He had found the woman Rose easily enough, but someone forgot to mention that she was a courtesan. Anomen figured that he could deal with that, until he saw how the woman was dressed, or more importantly how she wasn't dressed.
Rose proved to be a pretty woman with dark blonde hair and a ready smile. She wore small scraps of brightly colored silk over her less exposed parts, and her 'dress' amounted to nothing more than light red gauze. She was a well-formed woman with a slender waist, and other assets that only nature could provide in such generous amounts. Too much of her skin was exposed and Anomen had trouble keeping his gaze steady.
He was polite as he should be when he greeted the woman. She gave him a long, slow look up and down, which made him feel uncomfortable for some reason. Anomen told her that he need information that only she could provided, and after Rose commented on how nice he looked, she said that he would have to pay her if he wanted to talk to her some more. He reluctantly gave her money, after he failed to convince her to say something for the greater good.
After that, Rose told him that the lieutenant was right, she did catch a glimpse of the killer, though she never saw his face. Fearing for her life, she had hid herself in a doorway until she was sure that the murderer wasn't coming back. As the stranger passed her hiding place, she caught a whiff of something that smelled kind of funny, yet strangely familiar. She was the one who suggested that the squire get some samples of things that smelled like trees or berries for her to smell. So, Anomen went to a nearby merchant to ask if he had anything that smelled like, say, guril berries for instance. As the shopkeeper was already a friend to Rose, he provided the items free of charge,
While Anomen was walking the short distance back to where Rose waited for him, he saw a flash of black pass over his head. He stopped momentarily and continued on his way, wondering why that spoiled crow of Andaire's took such a great interest in him.
Rose smiled warmly at him when he returned, and she laughed when she asked him if he had anything for her to smell. Anomen held out the first object, and he forced himself to remain steady as the pretty woman in front of him bent close to his hand and breathed deep. He idly noted that the courtesan was surrounded by the scent of roses, and he remembered that Andaire also had a flowery scent about her. He preferred the wilder fragrance of the half elf, and he found himself wondering how she obtained such a lovely…
"Mm, mumbleberry pie," Rose mused, interrupting Anomen's thoughts. "Nope, this isn't it, thank the gods. I'd hate to be put off of eating pies for life. Now let me try the next one. Nope, this isn't it either, although it's no wonder the guards were laughing at me when I mentioned guril berries. Those are used for intimate problems, if you know what I mean. Hmm, you look like a healthy knight, and I'm sure you've never had a use for that slave."
Anomen gave and embarrassed cough and said, "I have another sample for you to smell, ma'am. And I daresay that I'm not a knight yet, though I feel I'm close to obtaining the rank."
"You are such a gentleman and a dear man," Rose gushed as she closed her eyes and sniffed the final object, which was a piece of oak bark. The effect was immediate, for the woman's eyes flung open in surprise and recognition.
"This is it!" she exclaimed. "This is what I smelled on the stranger. I'm positive this is it!"
"This is most troubling," Anomen remarked. "This is oak bark, and the good merchant said that it was used for making tannin, for making leather."
Cocking her head prettily, Rose replied, "So, he might have worked with leather. How strange."
Anomen was prepared to say his farewells, when Rose came forward and stalled his departure by putting her hand on his arm. The courtesan smiled warmly at the squire, who swallowed rather heavily at her approach. He also completely failed to notice the arrival of Andaire and Viconia, who both stood nearby and watched the drama unfold.
Rose looked up at him, her thick eyelashes framing her eyes. She moved a touch closer to him and said, "I don't normally give men this kind of offer, especially if they haven't paid me. But you are so handsome and so sweet, that if you want to take a walk in the city with me, you can. Then afterwards, if you're in the mood, we can do something else."
"Uh ma'am, I don't think that I should take advantage of you in that way," Anomen said, looking for a means of escape, although he wasn't sure that he wanted to escape.
"Having fun over there, Anomen?" an all too familiar voice called out. "You look kind of busy."
Anomen was glad to see Andaire, even if the half elf seemed to be irritated by something. He excused himself and Rose laughed, saying that she could see why he had to go. That remark left him confused. Afterwards, the small group discussed their findings, and they discovered that both had a piece of evidence that pointed to the killer having worked with leather. Anomen pointed out that there was a tanner's shop in the area, and Andaire thought it would be worth their while to question the store owner. After all, the merchant could be harboring a murderer in his shop and never know it.
With that decision made, the party left to go see the Tanner. Hopefully he would have an idea as to who the killer might be.
Andaire and Viconia run into some ignorant people who don't like Drow. Andaire sends Blackie to fetch Anomen, and all three go to investigate the Bridge District killings at the lieutenant's request. Hope you liked it. 
Blades and Magic
