by Lucy Rivers - Author of the Chloe Romance Mod for BGII
Dust was being kicked up in the distance in a small castle keep, home of the Lord and Lady Ubros, nobles that made their homes somewhat near the city of Esmetteran, a city east of Athkatla. Remarez, one of the oldest guards still on active duty in the Ubros Keep, looked up to give his commanding officer, Dorthe, a grim stare. "They're coming." He said simply.
Dorthe squinted into the distance and shook his head slowly. "You sure?" He asked, nervous that his subordinate was beginning to see things.
Remarez had long been known for his extraordinary sight that allowed him to see over great distances clearly. It was one of the traits that made him an exceptional archer. Still, he was growing old. With a nod he indicated the direction of the disturbance in the dust that he was seeing, as well as confirming his commander's fears. "I can see the dust being
kicked up by their horses. There's a good number of them, just as we feared. I suggest we ready the guards."
Dorthe swore softly. Up until this point he had been hoping that the rumors of the attack on the keep being led by Aaron Ubros, the estranged second son of the Ubros family, had been a hoax. Now, it was confirmed. He led a band of soldiers to take over the keep. Ixtir Ubros, the current lord of the manor, was sickly and was not expected to last more than a few ten-days. Winter was approaching fast, after all. The oldest son, Olen, was readying to take over the Keep with a heavy heart. Though he felt ready to take on the responsibilities of the keep, he loved his father dearly and would mourn his passing. But now, he might not have the chance to mourn his father's passing, if his brother had his way.
Dorthe signaled the sentries down below them from the watch tower, making the sign for readiness for combat. He watched with more than a small sense of pride as his men busied themselves readying as quickly as possible, the recent drills had shortened their ready time by a great degree. He frowned for a moment as he saw a short red-haired woman stroll out at a leisurely pace, hands resting lightly on the pommels of her scimitar and short sword.
Dorthe didn't like the girl, but the lord of the castle had insisted she be hired to aid in the defense of the castle for this anticipated attack. From what he knew about her, she was from some barbarian tribe in the far north. Rumors were that her tribe had founded the kensai warriors, known for their skills with their swords and their unique armorless fighting.
Dorthe felt the girl must be crazy to run wild into combat without armor and felt she would die relatively quickly. The worst part was she had already been paid half of her mercenary fee and had it sent to her village. The rest she would keep for herself when the job was done. She had a strange name as well... Cory or something like that.
As if sensing his observations, the girl looked up at him and flashed a predatory grin. Dorthe found himself swallowing a lump of momentary fear and coughed, agitated that he had been intimidated by a mere slip of a girl. He stood up and nodded to Remarez as he adjusted his armor, then climbed down the ladder leading to the castle grounds. He walked slowly down the line of his guards, giving them all a measuring but reassuring look until he was in front of the girl. He frowned because she was not standing at attention. In fact, she appeared to be bored. She looked no older than his 16 year old daughter, and that worried him quite a bit.
"Stand at attention, Cory." Dorthe grumbled.
"Chloe." The girl corrected simply.
"What?" Dorthe asked, frowning at the lithe young lady.
"My name is Chloe." She repeated.
Dorthe gave her his best withering scowl, which apparently had no outward effect on her. 'Whatever else I can say about her, she's got nerves of steel.' Dorthe thought, angry that he had a complimentary thought about the girl. "We're about to be attacked by a force of soldiers of unknown number. A good many of the guards here may die, and the keep may possibly fall into the hands of the enemy. Despite that, every one of my guards here is showing the proper respect that I am due as captain of the guard. Except you." He spit out the last part, his disgust evident in his manner.
Chloe shrugged. "I'm not one of your guards." She replied simply, seeming almost as if she were about to yawn.
Dorthe, despite being middle-aged, was one of the fastest moving guards in the keep, even with all the plate armor he was wearing. Yet despite this and the lack of warning of the action, as his hand swung up in a backhand motion, intent on clipping the insolent girl across the cheek, he instead met only air in the maneuver. Just as he stopped his motion with a hard wrench that shot a warning jolt of pain up his spine and was felt in every scar he had gained in battle, he felt the unmistakable feeling of cold steel against his throat and under his chin. The girl had dodged, drawn, and cut in the same amount of time as it took his hand to swing and stop in surprise. Dorthe froze immediately, years of combat instinct screaming throughout his body at the danger. His guards started to move towards him and he stilled them with a gesture. The scimitar was right against an artery in his neck. He knew the slightest movement would result in death within moments for him. He looked sideways using only his eyes, frozen in place.
Chloe frowned at him and then sheathed her sword with a heavy sigh. "I hate it when captains try to assert their authority over me. I'm here as a mercenary to help in the aid of this keep. I am not one of your guards and I owe you no respect that you have not yet earned. Now, we have an attack to plan for, yes?"
Dorthe cleared his throat and nodded, relief flooding his system in a reverse adrenaline rush making him feel light-headed. He signaled the advance guards to move outside and the rest stayed inside the keep. Dorthe turned to give Chloe orders and saw her already moving outside to join the advance guard. "Chloe! Remain inside with the second wave of defense!" Dorthe bit out, frustrated that she was acting on her own. He was not use to this behavior and he cared little for it.
Chloe waved him off and continued outside nonchalantly. Dorthe swore loudly and gave the signal for the drawbridge to be raised, angry that the barbarian girl was ignoring his orders. He had wanted her to remain with the reserve force, but most likely she'd be dead within a matter of minutes. There was no way she would survive for long without armor to protect herself from the strikes of the enemy, after all.
Chloe gave the second in command, Yeros, a reassuring grin. "Up for a bit of carnage this morning, Yeros?"
Yeros couldn't help but smile in return. Though she had ignored his subtle advances, she had spent the last several nights playing games of chance and skill with the other guards, seeming right at home with the common warrior. She had even given them some combat advice and had left an open invitation for anyone who felt up to it to practice with her. Yeros and two other men had been the only ones to bother to take her up on the practice, and Yeros knew how incredibly skilled she was. Still, it's one thing to practice against three men, it's quite another to be on a battlefield amidst dozens of the enemy, especially without any form of protection. Yeros was worried about the girl, but didn't let it show. He hoped. "Always, m'lady." Yeros replied brightly, though he did not feel as confident as he hoped he sounded.
Chloe turned her attention to the soldiers that were now approaching. One of the men was wearing expensive looking full plate armor and riding a war horse, most likely the young Ubros himself. They remained outside of arrow range, keeping a tight formation. These were well trained soldiers, not a ragtag group of mercenaries. Their chances of survival had dropped significantly.
The young Ubros took out a small cylinder shaped object, a recent magical object that had begun to be quite popular. It allowed one's voice to be heard over a fairly good distance so announcements or proclamations could be made. It now amplified the annoyingly conceited tone of the young Aaron's voice. "THERE IS NO REASON FOR ANY OF YOU TO DIE HERE TODAY! THROW DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AND SURRENDER AND YOU WILL ALL BE WELCOMED INTO MY GUARD AS I TAKE CONTROL OF THE KEEP, WHICH IS RIGHTFULLY MINE BY BIRTH! EVERYONE KNOWS MY OLDER BROTHER WAS ADOPTED AS A CHILD! THEREFORE I AM THE RIGHTFUL HEIR OF THE KEEP BY BLOOD! I HAVE ASKED FOR THE HEIRSHIP NICELY, NOW I ASK WITH FORCE! SURRENDER AND BE SPARED! FIGHT AND YE ALL SHALL DIE THIS DAY! CHOOSE NOW!"
The guards shifted about nervously for a few moments, some even glancing around to see if anyone else was surrendering. None did, though it was not unexpected. Though it was true that Olen had been taken in and adopted from a peasant family that was slaughtered in a goblin raid force years before and Aaron was the oldest biological child, no one wanted to see Aaron become the lord of the manor, as he was arrogant, petty, and hated commoners with a burning passion. Olen, on the other hand, was always kind, generous, and wise beyond his years. He was the kind of man that inspired loyalty not by fear or flowery words, but by deed and example. The guards would not turn on him as long as they drew breath.
Chloe turned to look at Yeros and gave him a wicked smile. "Signal the attack." She told him.
Yeros shook his head violently, appalled by the notion. "It's bad form to attack while we're still in parlay! Also, the guards above will first attack with a hail of arrows and the two noble daughters of the keep will attack with magic. We aren't to attack until after that!"
Chloe shook her head and smiled. "They're too smart to fall for that. Aaron knows the strategies of this keep. We attack, then we pull back so they give chase THEN blast them. Then the reinforcements come out and we finish them. Signal the attack."
Yeros shook his head and frowned. What the girl was suggesting was madness. They were to wait until after the missile barrage and the magical attacks to commence and they would attack the soldiers while they were disorganized. The tactic had served them well for over a decade now, and there was no cause to change it.
Chloe shrugged at Yeros and suddenly took off running. She was halfway to the attacking soldiers before Yeros's mind registered that she was attacking. "By the gods!" Yeros cried. Not only was she running wildly at the enemy, she had not even drawn her weapons yet. Yeros couldn't decide whether to reinforce Chloe by signaling the attack or to await the magic and missile barrage. He liked Chloe, but he didn't want everyone to die because of her impulsiveness.
Chloe was amongst the soldiers before most of them even saw that one of the guards was running at them. It wasn't expected by any stretch of the imagination, after all. And it was their fatal mistake, as Chloe drew and cut in one smooth motion and the helm-covered head of one of the soldiers flew into the air and smacked one of the unfortunate soldiers that wasn't wearing a helmet in the skull. Three more soldiers fell, Chloe's sword seeming to find the vulnerable spots in their armor on their own. The attack registered on the soldiers then and they broke formation to attack the girl who was slaughtering them. Unfortunately, she was moving so fast that they couldn't even tell she was near until they were attacked and killed.
Yeros made his decision then as he saw the ninth or tenth soldier fall. They were not coming into missile range so they would have to be drawn in. Yeros raised his sword over his head and brought it down swiftly with a cry of "ATTACK!"
The keep guards rushed to join the battle, thinking that Chloe was more than likely already dead. That thought was dispelled as another head flew a good ten feet in the air in a bloody arc, landing with a thud and rolling towards the rushing guards. They cheered at the sight, their morale soaring at the awesome display of skill that they were witnessing
as they ran up, watching the girl zip around at seemingly superhuman speeds and cutting the soldiers down. Nearly half of the plate-wearing soldiers were dead and Chloe turned her attacks on the leather and hide wearing ones in the rear flanks. They were much easier to kill as there wasn't any need to deftly slice between the armor, so they fell faster than the metal-clad men had.
Aaron's horse reared up and dumped the noble onto the ground unceremoniously and then took off at a gallop away from the combat, despite its war training. Aaron scowled as he backed away from the combat, getting nervous as the red-haired girl cut a bloody path through his soldiers and seemed to be approaching him. He still felt the shock radiate in his body from the fall as he cast a fearful and commanding glance at one of his personal guards, who moved to join the fight against Chloe. Aaron barely had time to cry out like a child as his bodyguard's sword was cut from his hand in a disarming motion, causing the sword to fly at him almost like an arrow. He was barely able to sidestep and felt the burning sensation as the sword sliced along the leather and chain that made up the elbow joint of his armor. He took a moment to glance down, dismayed that he had been injured, even though it was merely a flesh wound.
Aaron's anger sparked into a fury and he ordered his soldiers to charge forward and slay the girl as she started running back towards the front end of the battle. The soldiers streamed forward and Aaron smiled smugly. The battle would be over quicker than he thought.
Chloe ran by Yeros and slapped him on the shoulder to get his attention and made a motion for retreat as she streaked by. Yeros shouted the retreat order and the guards broke away from the combat and ran as fast as they could away from the attacking soldiers, tossing their swords and shields behind them at the invaders as they retreated. The attackers were stunned by this tactic but quickly gave chase as that had been their last set of orders.
Aaron's eyes widened in shock as he saw his mistake. He had ordered his men to chase the guards and the guards now were racing towards the castle where the arrows and spells were awaiting them, and the guards had a good head start. Aaron shouted the order for his men to pull back, but it was too late as he saw a hail of arrows fly down into his soldiers.
The attack was immediately followed by two explosions as fireballs had been hurtled down by Aaron's sisters, mages of no small talent. Aaron felt his heart sinking as his men retreated, getting out of the range of the arrows and spells again. He didn't notice the drawbridge had been lowered.
He was ordering his remaining soldiers to regroup as he looked up and saw the second wave of guards rushing at them. The first wave had already run back into the castle and some were making their way back onto the battlefield, newly rearmed. Aaron took a moment to realize just what was happening as he swore loudly, using several deities names in manners they most likely did not appreciate. He would not give up though. He would win this battle or die trying. He just hoped his soldiers shared his fortitude. He ordered another charge and smiled as his well-trained soldiers cut through the castle guards. Though they had taken a fair amount of losses from the earlier blunder, they still outnumbered the castle's forces. Aaron took a moment to wonder if he should have kept a group of soldiers back for reserves, or perhaps to try a flanking maneuver, but he shook his head. He had learned a bit of strategy since he was the second son, the one who normally served in a military fashion, but it was never his strong suit. He knew the tactics of the castle well enough to plan ahead, but his greatest talents were of the sword and of using fear to persuade people. He struggled to see past the fight at where the first wave had been since they had lagged behind but he could not see them, so he assumed they had made it back to where the fight was taking place and rejoined their comrades.
He was, however, wrong. He heard sounds to his left and turned to see the first wave of guards had ran around to the flank of the soldier and were attacking there, forcing his soldiers to abandon their well-trained formations as a good number of them died from the sudden combatants behind them. They were now surrounded on all but one side, a tactic that allowed them escape if they chose. Some took the chance to escape, but others were either too loyal, or more than likely too stupid to realize that they were now losing. Aaron started inching away, his earlier brave resolve to fight to the death had seemingly began to dissolve.
It was then that he saw the red-haired girl again, this time she had sliced a path through the middle of the battle and was rushing towards him. Blood from the men she had slain as well as a number of her own injuries stained her from head to toe, but she ran at him at the same insane speed she had used to initiate the attack at the beginning of the battle. "Kill that girl!" Aaron shouted at his bodyguards, the best and brightest of his soldier.
They grunted and rushed at the girl, intent on slaying her before she could get close to their commander and soon to be lord. She sidestepped suddenly as they neared her and sliced out, cutting into the chain mail neck mesh of the closest bodyguard's armor and not slowing as she rushed ahead. Her outline seemed to shimmer and blur for a moment as the bodyguards attempted to attack her, missing as she streaked towards Aaron.
Aaron felt his bladder begin to strain, attempting to empty itself as he brought up his sword to block the attack he did not see, but felt come. The sharp shock of force as his sword parried hers shot through his arms before he heard the clang of the metal and he was moving on instinct to block her next attack, using every bit of his skills to stay on the defensive and give his bodyguards time to attack her again. As they approached in a run, Chloe turned suddenly using the momentum created by his parry to spin around and disarm one of the bodyguards and cut across the top of the arm of another, making him drop his weapon as well. She spun again, dodging under and to the side as the remaining armed bodyguard swung at her head, barely having time to blink in surprise as he felt pressure in the small of his back. He reached back as the pain assaulted his brain and his hand came away stained dark with blood. He weakly swung at Chloe again but she had already moved away to stab one of the other bodyguards through the stomach and was now trading blows with the last bodyguard who had pulled out his reserve short sword. The soldier who had been stabbed in the back limped weakly forward but suddenly lost sensation in his legs and fell face first into the blood-wetted grass. He looked up just in time to have a spray of blood cover his face as his half-brother and fellow bodyguard of the young Ubros fall beside him, eyes widened in shock and pain as his lifeblood poured out. "Brother..." he gasped weakly and stared ahead with lifeless eyes.
The last remaining living bodyguard looked up as Chloe loomed over him and he reached down to his belt to where his knife was tucked, intent on slicing into the girl's leg at the very least. "You may yet survive if you lie still now and await the clerics." She said in a surprisingly soft and gentle voice. Thuliar, as he was named, looked over his shoulder and saw his kidney had been punctured. He reached back and put his hand over the wound as best he could and dropped the dagger. It was pointless anyway, so he figured he might as well take her up on her mercy. The best he could have hoped for was to injure her as he died so the young noble would have a better chance against her, but he wanted to survive. He was now the only son of his late father, and he wanted to carry on the family line.
Chloe had already moved away from him and approached the young noble, who had kept his distance in fear for his life. Chloe moved in a relaxed manner, knowing she could bring her swords up and defend against any attack the noble made, already she had gauged his prowess in the few maneuvers he had made, and though he was fairly skilled, he was no match for a Yr'kai warrior, especially one of the most skilled of them. "Come at me when you're ready, Aaron." She stated calmly.
Aaron frowned and looked over to where the battle was taking place. It was at a stalemate at the moment and he wasn't sure which side would eventually win, but there would be heavy casualties on both sides regardless. He wanted to run. "Young lady..."
"Chloe out of Akadia of the Yr'kai tribe." Chloe stated automatically.
Aaron coughed and continued. "Chloe out of... um Chloe. I am going to sound the retreat now and run. There is no need for any more senseless bloodshed. I've lost this day and I accept that. I will give up and leave. So just let me go, alright?"
"Sorry." Chloe replied with a shrug. "I was given specific orders by your father. You are to die here and now, for he knows you will never give up on this keep so long as you draw breath and he knows his son doesn't have it in him to order you to be killed. Therefore, you must die."
Aaron felt his hope sinking now. "Please... I will drop my sword and run. I will take up the life of a fisherman! I will never come back! Tell them you killed me! Have mercy! I won't ever come back! I swear by every living god! By the hells, I swear by every god that has died as well! I pledge on my life and my name that I will never return! The word of a Ubros is honorable! Please!"
"Again, I am sorry. My orders were clear. You are to die. I gave my word and I stand by my word. My honor demands it. Now attack and at least give yourself a noble death, or I'll cut you down as you whimper and plead. Regardless, you will die." Chloe replied grimly.
Aaron dropped his swords, sure that she would not attack an unarmed man. He even dropped to his knees and begged. "Please! By the gods, have mercy on me! Please!"
Chloe scowled at him. "Last chance to pick up your sword and die honorably."
Aaron began to sob and plead. He was praying with every fiber in his being to appeal to her mercy and be allowed to escape. He even thought he was serious when he said he would run and never return. It was possible, after all. Aaron removed his helmet and stared into Chloe's eyes, the fear and pleading for mercy shining in his eyes. He hoped she wouldn't be able to kill him when he was begging, on his knees, and looking her in the eye. It was worth an effort.
"You had your chance." Chloe spat out, disgusted. With one swift swipe, the young noble was beheaded. Chloe bent down and retrieved the shouting device that the noble had used earlier that day when the battle began. "AARON UBROS IS DEAD! YOU NOW HAVE NO REASON TO CONTINUE THIS BATTLE! LAY DOWN YOUR SWORDS AND LEAVE IN PEACE!"
The battle slowed then stopped completely. Battle weary soldiers and guards looked around then at each other. They nodded to one another, then turned and began administering to the fallen. Those that were healable were visited by clerics from the castle, guard and invader alike. Those that were not were given honorable burials. Even Aaron Ubros, who was buried in the family plot and mourned over by his parents and siblings. The lord Ubros died the next day and Olen took the sad duty of lordship. Chloe left the next morning, carrying her gold. It had been a good week.
* * * * *
Chloe sat at one of the tables in the Den of Seven Vales, one of her favorite taverns in the city of Athkatla, the city of coin, and relaxed. She had a tankard of elven wine in one hand, and a hunk of cheese in the other. Some meat and vegetables awaited her on a plate before her, still steaming hot. Chloe looked up as a cute serving wench strolled by with a glance into her tankard to see if she needed a refill, and the girl flashed Chloe a flirtatious grin and walked to another table. Chloe smiled back and stretched lazily. The wench's name was Amala, and she had been flirting with Chloe for months now. Though she was pretty, she had the wits of a retarded kobold. Chloe preferred her women a bit more... intelligent. Looks weren't everything, after all.
Chloe finished up her cheese and had her sword out, slicing into the shadows next to her table. A frightened squeak was heard as a Shadow Thief was pinned to the wall through his tunic. The blade had missed his skin by about a centimeter. "My coin purse is not available for your pick pocketing. Sorry. Hope you can make your quota without it." Her short sword was re-sheathed and she was spooning up the sliced carrots and beans without awaiting a reply, as her point had been made.
"Begging your pardon, lady, but I'm here as a messenger, not as a pickpocket. I am to let you know that Renal Bloodscalp of the Shadow Thieves wishes to employ you." The young thief whimpered out in a soft childlike voice.
Chloe squinted at the thief through the shadows and felt revolted as she saw a child of no more than twelve winters. Quite young to already be on the streets plying the rogue's trade. "I just got back from a job. Tell your master that I always take time off between jobs. No exceptions."
"But..." The thief started to protest.
"No exceptions." Chloe repeated firmly. "If the job is still available in a week, seek me out then."
The thief scowled and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Chloe in peace. Chloe finished her meal and tossed a coin to the waitress for a tip and strolled out of the tavern. That was most likely another reason why that waitress was always doting on her. She always tipped a platinum coin. A few coppers was the standard tip, some people even tipped a silver or two when they felt generous. But Chloe knew that if she tipped well, she was treated well. And she was treated like royalty at the Den.
Chloe felt the presence of the occasional thief or late-traveling adventurer moving around her, and she even saw a merchant or two as they finished packing away their goods for the night. Chloe felt the desire to have a little fun, so was going to visit one of the blacksmiths that she had gotten to know through a friend. His youngest daughter was very attractive, had the mind of a scholar, and blushed furiously when Chloe smiled at her. The daughter of the goddess Akadia smiled in remembrance of the girl, wondering if the blacksmith would mind if her daughter was taken to a late play, or perhaps one of the music houses where one could go and dance a bit. Visions of the girl trying to dance and herself helping to guide her movements were swimming through Chloe's mind as she felt the sudden shift in air that instinct told her was an attack. Chloe was ducking and drawing her blade but felt a slap against her arm. She followed through with the cut anyway, slicing into the attacker's side.
Chloe backed away a few steps, grunting in sudden exertion. She had felt like her very life essence had been drained out, which meant only one thing, an undead attacker. A vampire? In a city like Athkatla? It seemed ludicrous, but the attack had definitely drained her life energy. A wizard using a draining touch spell... it had to be. Vampires didn't hang out in big cities, it was too dangerous. The paladins and priests would be coming the city with holy symbols at the ready if word got out. *If* word got out...
Chloe looked about in the gloom, she was a good distance away from the nearest lamp but she dared not move. Her attacker was still close by and watching her. "Show yourself." Chloe commanded, swords at the ready as she squinted into the darkness.
"You will know the price of working for the Shadow Thieves, little girl." A raspy voice said to Chloe's left.
She struck in that direction but met only air as she felt a strike against her back, draining more of her precious life force. She was slower and weaker now. Just the two attacks she had made had her nearly exhausted. Another strike or two like that one and she would be dead for sure. Chloe concentrated, feeling the subtle movements of the air around her.
Suddenly she felt a shift behind her. She ducked and stabbed behind herself, feeling strong hands latch onto her shoulder and drain more of her life-force, but her attacker was impaled on her short sword. It stared at her in awe and horror, but mostly in surprise. Chloe scowled and brought her scimitar around and beheaded the creature, which turned to mist and floated away.
"I *hate* vampires!" Chloe barked, spitting blood onto the cobblestones below her. She felt a wave of dizziness pass over her and she knew she was near death from all the life that had been drained out of her. She looked around and started limping towards the closest temple, needing the healing services there. It would take a fair chunk of her recent earnings to be healed, and that angered Chloe. The vampire thought she had accepted the Shadow Thieves' offer, which meant they had some powerful enemies. Enemies that were now Chloe's as well.
"Greetings, how can I be of service?" A young priest asked as she shambled in, dragging her left leg which was nearly numb.
"Restoration. Ran into a vampire." Chloe hissed out, collapsing to her knees and struggling to slow her breathing which was coming in gasps now.
"There is a matter of a fee... for the church. The fee is..." The priest started, regarding her indifferently.
"Heal me, priest. I have the coin. Hurry, damn you!" Chloe spat out, disgusted by the priest's attitude. If only he weren't a priest...
"The policy of this temple is payment *before* services are rendered, m'lady. No exceptions." The priest remarked, crossing his arms and giving her a haughty stare.
Chloe's temper snapped and she had the priest slammed into the temple wall before even she knew she was moving, pinning him here and reaching down to her scimitar. "You are going to heal me. And when you are done, I am going to pay you your fee. Am I understood, cleric?"
The cleric coughed and reached up to take hold of his holy symbol with one hand and placed the other just under her breasts and began praying. "Oh great Ilmater, hear your faithful servant. Fill this young lady with your healing power..."
Chloe sighed as she felt the healing energy course through her, channeled by the priest. She felt refreshed to her normal energy level and nodded to the priest thankfully. The priest leaned wearily against the wall he had been pinned to moments before, feeling he exhaustion of the restoration spell wash over him. "Thank you. Here is your fee." The priest took the gold thankfully, walking towards the back of the temple to rest. Chloe frowned as she left, deep in thought.
She was no longer in the mood to see the blacksmith's daughter. Her feet took her into the docks district, nearly of their own volition. She knew where the Shadow Thieves guild house was, she had worked for them nearly a year before when the guild master Aran Linvail's daughter had been abducted by a rival in his guild in his attempt to take the guild over. The thieves he had sent to recover his daughter had proved useless despite their extensive training in assassination. So he hired Chloe to go and act as if she wanted to aid him in the takeover for her own purposes. They hadn't trusted her, but they had made the mistake of allowing her inside. She had slaughtered them all and brought Aran's daughter safely home. She imagined Aran had probably been the one to suggest Chloe's services to Renal, who was the guild leader of the larger of the two Shadow Thief guild houses in Athkatla.
Chloe approached the main entrance to the guild and gave the door guard a measuring glance. He looked competent enough, but a little slow. It did not matter though, she was not here to fight. "I have business with Renal."
The door guard scowled at her, not buying her story. "Renal? I have no clue who yer talkin about, lady. Sounds like you got the wrong estate."
"One of your thieves came to me as a messenger earlier tonight, offering me a commission for some job. I turned him down, but I have reconsidered since I was attacked by someone who believed I had accepted the offer. That will not do, so I plan to slaughter whoever this enemy of yours is, as they have attacked me and are my enemy now. Just let me in damn it, don't you know who I am? I aided your master Aran last year in retrieving his damned daughter from Queriaen!" Chloe hated having to make long drawn out explanations. Her patience was wearing thin.
The thief's eyes widened, realizing who she was now. He allowed her in without further argument and she was escorted up to see Renal Bloodscalp, leader of this particular guildhouse. "Well, you must be that Chloe lady that Aran told me about. You don't look like much, but you come with the highest recommendation."
Chloe scowled at the little Halfling, wondering what gall a barely 3 foot tall little runt had saying she didn't look like much. However, she was too pissed off about her earlier attack to reproach him about it. "Cut the chatter. I was attacked on the belief that I had agreed to aid you idiots, so now I have no choice but to, since I can't have nameless enemies skulking about after me. What's the job and how much are you paying?"
Renal made an annoying snickering laugh, a purely Halfling sound, and shook his head. "You're as eager for their blood as we. Why don't you just join us, since our interests coincide here..."
Chloe put her hand on her sword, a purely unnecessary movement since she could draw and cut faster than most people could do either, but it was done for intimidation purposes, not practical. "Surely Aran told you enough for you to know that I don't work for free unless I feel like it. And I don't feel like it. He also probably told you enough that I can kill everyone in this room and have you hanging out the window if I feel like it. Now, you were going to make me an offer?"
Renal bristled at her threats, but from the story Aran had told him, she could likely kill everyone here, whether she went down as well would matter little if he were a corpse. But since she was a useful tool, he decided not to take the risk. She was pleasant enough once the coin was in her hand, from what he had been told by his spies. "1000 up front,
1500 after the job is complete."
Chloe snorted. "You must be joking. 2000 up front, 3000 after the job is done. Not a copper less."
Renal scowled, but agreed. Aran had authorized him to go up to 10000 after all, so he was getting away with half that at the very least. Renal filled her in on the plan. There was a rival guild that was causing them a lot of problems. They had traced the guild to a specific place in Waukeen's Promenade, where Chloe had been attacked. It made sense. They were attacking the following night.
* * * * *
Chloe and a Shadow Thief force moved swiftly and silently to where the entrance to this rival guild was. Chloe hadn't mentioned the vampire that attacked her, figuring it was an isolated incident. Vampires were normally rare and hardly ever worked together, after all. It would take an ancient and extremely powerful vampire to control more than one other vampire, after all. There weren't many, if any at all, of those left. And surely it wouldn't be in such a city as Athkatla.
They moved in, attacking with spells and fighting, working their way in. Chloe heard various explosions and some fighting in the distance. The two thieves she was with followed her as they came to a portal which obviously led to the lower level. They nodded to each other and stepped through it, as it had been recently activated and was still allowing passage through. They had been lucky.
Chloe felt a sudden tugging on the center of her being, feeling a pull to a certain part of the dungeon. Chloe scowled, wondering what it could be. "Follow me, I feel something familiar." The thieves nodded and followed her, watching for traps and ambushes. They moved silently past some dwarves who seemed as if they were ignoring the combat in the other parts of the dungeon. They looked to be smiths, so probably only did their job and felt no obligations to do otherwise.
They came to a doorway that had an indentation for some sort of key, and Chloe felt the tugging stronger now. Whatever was drawing her here, was coming from this particular door. But it needed a key. Chloe scowled and they glanced around and decided to go find the key. The thieves' eyes were sparkling, already counting the coins and treasures that were probably hidden behind the door.
They passed some a door that another thief had just figured out how to open and hurried past a rumbling in the grate in the center of the room. Something was coming up and they didn't feel like waiting around for it to appear. They passed a room and disarmed a trap right after entering the door and moved down, away from where they had come in through the portal before. They passed a strange wooded area and Chloe thought she saw some women trying to hide but she wasn't sure and paid them no mind, as they didn't attack. They searched the room they found there, which was remarkably beautiful, and found a small statuette that looked about the same shape as the keyhole to the door they had found earlier. They stepped back over the traps in the room, over the tripwire to the alarm, and back towards the door carefully. They snuck past the dwarves again who were arguing whether ale or mead was better, and opened the door they found there.
Chloe and the thieves stepped inside and found themselves in a pocket air dimension. The air plane hummed in Chloe's very being, her connection to it through her divine blood singing out. It was then that a creature appeared before them and bellowed forth a challenge. It was going to be a very long night.
