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"I am traveling to visit... Well something of an old associate, I suppose. A very old one. He has something of mine that I’m hoping to get back." |
The thumb tracing the gemstone began pushing the ring in circles on his finger. A hint of sorrow broke through the guarded elf’s words and drew the girl’s attention and curiosity, but she averted her gaze from him politely. It was apparent that his journey was an unhappy one. |
He cleared his throat and straightened in his seat. |
"Anyway, I was hoping to slip through without much attention - I am in something of a rush. Have some former drinking companions that live in Waukeen’s that will hold me up if I cross paths with them. Better to hole up somewhere off the beaten path, as it were." |
His false affectation was back, and his tone was a tad too chipper to be believable. |
The girl nodded, and having finished her bowl, began feeling that she had been idling for far too long. The slip in the elf’s casual demeanor had also made her feel like she was interrupting something, it felt wise to leave him alone with his thoughts. The last thing he would probably want was a tattered girl overstaying her welcome at his table, when he was so obviously trying to drink away his feelings. |
She pushed back her stool and stood, clasping her hands in front of herself and bowing her head slightly. |
"I hope your journey is a safe one, saer. I thank you for the meal, and for letting me break bread with you. I will not forget your kindness." |
With a small nod and thin smile, the man said hesitantly, |
"It was nothing, darling. I hope life is kinder to you going forward. I know what it is to be hungry. And I have stood by helplessly and watched as a loved one fell ill. But never both at the same time - you are stronger than I ever could be for enduring it." |
His pale hand reached out toward her once again, and with a surprising deftness folded something into her clasped hand. She only noticed the quickest flash of gold before cold and heavy coins weighed on her entwined fingers. |
She knew better than to open her hands to gawk at the money. To do such a thing in this bar was just asking to be robbed on her way home late in the night. Instead she barely cracked her palms apart and peered down. With a gasp, she saw that the handsome elf had stealthily given her ten gold pieces - almost a years’ wages for her. It took a moment for her to process exactly what was happening, and a moment more to conclude that she couldn’t keep such a sum. |
The subtle shake of her head prompted the elf to speak up. |
"I’m afraid that I must insist. My only regret that I am unable to part with more, but the rest is needed as payment to my dear associate. Please, hire someone to drive your brother to the druid healer. Get him help." |
He shifted in his seat, seeming discomforted by the sudden earnestness in his voice. He shifted his tone to a subdued scolding as he continued. |
"And by the gods, buy as many bowls of stew as you can with the rest; you look as though a stiff wind would blow you away." |
The girl had never seen this much money all together, much less held it in her hand. She quelled the feeling of exhilaration that began to rise inside of her, refused to think of what this money could do for her. |
Generosity was never given this freely, in her experience. There was a catch. There was likely a deal being struck that she would want no part of. Though her entire being screamed at her not to, after a moment of thought she stuck her closed fist back out toward him. Her fingers faced down, ready to drop the coins back into his hand. |
Again, she shook her head. |
"I cannot accept this generous of a gift, saer, and I must get back to work. You have been too good to me as it is, and I will never be able to thank you enough. Now that it is spring things should get bet-" |
Her outstretched fist was wrapped in his hands with a surprising tenderness and gently pushed back toward her. |
The beautiful pale face of the man, still seated across from her, was gazing up with so much warmth in his gentle smile. |
He said softly, |
"It is a boon, my dear. And not a selfless act on my part. I hope that you can do what I was unable to, and get your brother help before it is too late. Like I said, you humans are so very fragile." |
With a light squeeze of his hands, he dropped her own by her side and stood, gathering his cloak around him. |
"You are a better to your brother than I ever was to my own siblings. Helping you may begin to right some of my wrongs, or at the very least will help atone me of some of my guilt. As it were, darling, your kindness has put me to shame." |
Frozen in place, she watched as he dropped an additional few coins on the table for their meal, and withdrew a fine embroidered handkerchief from his breast pocket. Wordlessly, he wrapped the remainder of the bread loaf in it carefully and leaned toward her, slipping it into her apron pocket. |
She would not have noticed the feeling of his hand brushing against her pocket if she hadn’t been watching him, and hadn’t felt the added weight of the bread as it dropped in. |
She met his gaze as he straightened and whispered a small "thank you" to him, unable to stop the tears that were swimming in her eyes. His ruby pair smiled back at her. |
He responded with nothing more than a mischievous grin and a wink, before whisking away from the table and out into the night. |
The dishes and empty wine bottle on the table before her gave her a moment’s reprieve to contain her emotions. Wiping away her tears, she prepared herself to rejoin the chaos of the tavern behind her and leave behind the moment that she had shared with this kind and strange traveler. |
The weight of the gold and the bread in her pocket was the only thing grounding her as she floated through the rest of the night. She couldn't wait to get home and tell her mother everything. |
It took a few days to find someone with a cart willing to take them to the grove after the bodies were found. |
It wasn’t so unheard of for bodies of travelers to be found on the wayside of the risen road, given how people tended to come and go, bringing their problems with them. But the townspeople were very disturbed by the murder of two of their own, especially two strong men in the prime of their life. |
They were troublemakers, some said, and it’s unfortunate but no small surprise that they ended up the way they did. |
The man and his friend never knew when to keep their mouth shut. They must have mouthed off to the wrong person passing through town, and met an unfortunate end. |
Some townsfolk who had been in the tavern that night whispered about the strange hooded elf that spoke in an even stranger aristocratic accent, insisting that the serving girl dine with him. But he was long gone before the sun rose. No one had even seen his face, other than that girl. |
Even more still wondered how that girl, barely scraping by through the winter, was able to hire a man (and some of his brothers, for protection) from the next town over to bring her brother to a healer. The unkinder ones whispered conspiratorially that she provided certain services to a certain rich elf to gain their payment, |
But no matter what they thought of the events of that night, they all held the girl in a higher regard for what she provided her kin. |
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After a long and bumpy journey in the back of a wooden wagon, being dragged by a pair of mules along the cobbled road, the small family arrived at the gates of the druids’ grove as the sun began to set. |
The girl tucked the blankets tighter around her brother’s legs as the boy looked up at the high gates defending the grove, marveling at the high stone walls and the heavy door as it was hoisted up upon their arrival. Though the weather had begun to warm, nightfall still brought an icy chill along with it, and the girl was eager to find a warm fire and to stretch her legs. |
They made their way into the grove, the two children barely containing their wonder as they descended to foot from the wagon, stealing glances into the massive cavern containing a network of walkways and tents, teeming with people and roaring fires. |
Even grander still was the open-air amphitheater surrounding the druid’s sacred pool, overgrown with greenery and ringed with stone pillars, everything imparted with a glowing green magic that became more visible as the sun set. The girl tried not to openly stare at the druids in their fine leather armor and antlered helms as they ambled about, talking solemnly in pairs or pondering studiously over books. Her younger brother did not bother to extend the same courtesy as he was carried down the stone steps by a dark skinned male druid. |
The man chatted kindly with her mother, assuring her that healing the boy would be quite easy and that they would all be welcome to stay for the night. They would leave after sunrise, and after they broke their fast with him and his fellow priests, if her brother was in a better state to travel. |
Eventually they found themselves in the druid’s chamber’s, after being led through circular rooms with intricate pillars and runes carved into the surrounding stone walls. Moss and ivy grew up into the cracks of the ancient structures, and the warm rooms had the pleasant smell of petrichor and dried herbs. |
After the male druid carefully placed her brother onto one of the examination tables, a halfling healer appeared from an alcove to examine the small boy. After asking a few questions, the woman hovered her hands above his body and began conjuring a green magic from within herself. |
The girl was distracted by the loud scraping of an opening stone door. It was quickly followed by a booming laugh, accompanied by the laughter of two others. |
She turned from the healer’s treatment in time to spot a hulking figure guiding two others from a smaller chamber behind her. The leading druid was intimidatingly tall, and when she caught a glance of the slashing scars marring his face as he turned, she realized with a start that it must be the Archdruid. |
It appeared that she was witnessing a segment of deep conversation between close friends, the way they were laughing comfortably with one another. It also seemed like the Archdruid was escorting his two companions out to begin a journey, judging by their hooded traveling cloaks and the packs slung across their backs. |
The girl watched with curiosity as the large elf put his hand on the shoulder of the smallest figure, pulling down their hood as he turned them to face him. |
The cloak fell back to reveal a rather pretty human woman, eyes crinkled with laughter and a joyful smile spread across her face. The woman took the massive hand from her shoulder and placed it across her cheek, then leaning into the touch. |
The booming voice of the Archdruid rumbled out as he held this woman’s face with affection, his thumb catching a stray strand of her hair and tucking it away from her face. |
"I am overjoyed to have you back with us, my heart. You are radiant, as always. Thank you for stopping by on your journey back home." |
"It’s always a pleasure, my love. I have been away from you for far too long. And thank you for hosting us - you know you are always welcome to come visit us city. We would love to have you stay with us so we can return your hospitality." |
The woman’s voice was rich and ladened with a surprising amount of affection, given that there were others in the room. The loving eyes that gazed up to the Archdruid were ever so slightly asymmetrical in shape, and different in color - one of them must be artificial. |
The girl also noticed that one of her left fingers was adorned with a familiar aquamarine ring. |
The girl’s heart dropped with the sudden realization that she had watched that same ring dance across the pale knuckles of a peculiar elf a few days prior. An elf that had kindly fed her and slipped gold into her hand without asking anything in return. |
An elf who had possibly left two exsanguinated bodies in his wake. |
Observing her brother’s healing was by now forgotten, and the girl turned on her heel to face the small group behind her. Her eyes darted around to find the last of the trio, and noticed that they had leaned back casually against a stone wall, slightly tucked away in the shadows. |
The man had been quietly observing the Archdruid and woman in front of him, but his head tilted toward the girl as she spun around, taking in her gaze. |
The elf pushed back his hood slightly to meet her stare. She couldn’t help the quiet gasp that puffed through her lips as she saw those familiar scarlet eyes smiling at her. An errant white curl poked out from underneath the elf’s hood, and yet again he flashed a mischievous grin at her. |
A pale finger raised to his lips, pressing against them, signaling her to not say anything. He gave her a devilish wink and small wiggle of his fingers by way of greeting, before bringing his attention back to his two companions. |
The human and the tall elf seemed to finish their conversation, and the woman reached her arm back to grab the hand of the hooded man leaning against the wall behind her. |
That pale elf gave her a beaming smile, taking her hand and tucking it behind his back before slinging an arm over her shoulder. The pair seemed to melt into place next to one another, moving together as one as they following the Archdruid out of the chambers. |
Side by side, the girl watched the two of them as they walked off into the night. Whatever had been troubling her mysterious benefactor seemed to have disappeared in the week since she met him. He walked like a burdensome weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and it was apparent like this small human woman had much to do with it. |
When the girl turned back to face her brother, she found the young boy with a smile on his face and a flush in his cheeks, beaming at their mother as they pulled one another into a hug. He squeezed his mother with a strength that he had not possessed in months as she shook with silent sobs of relief. |
Joining her family’s embrace, the girl was sure that she had never felt so much love contained in one place in all of her life. |
She hoped that she could return the help that he extended to her someday, without expecting anything in return. Hoped that she could repay the pale elf’s kindness someday. |
And if not to him, perhaps to someone else in need of an outstretched hand. |
Yuta approached the mercenary and tiefling while the others followed. He didn’t much like leading, but he wanted to meet the tiefling, and of course the Blade that came to their aid. |
He stiffened, tail flat against his leg as he heard the pair yelling at each other. |
Before he could react, the mercenary clocked the tiefling in the jaw. Yuta gasped, jogging to him. |
"Tch, more foulbloods. Get out of our way, devilkin, or you’ll end up like Zevlor." |
The human scowled at Yuta, who shrunk somewhat to avoid his stare, ignoring him best he could to instead kneel by who he assumed was Zevlor. |
"Since you helped save us, I’ll let you in on a secret: Gobbos are coming. And they’ll destroy this grove. Save your own skin and leave the likes of them to their own." |
The mercenaries left, brushing past everyone. |
"Doesn’t seem the type for civil conversation," said Gale with a somewhat impudent smile. |
"His fists get results," Lae’zel countered. "As must we. This Zevlor is not our concern. We must find the one called Zorru." |
"At least let me help him," Yuta insisted. |
"If we help every poor bastard we meet, we’ll never get rid of these tadpoles," Astarion said. |
"Fate will guide my hands." |
The pale elf clicked his tongue. "Fate? What good has fate ever been? We make our own fate. And right now, we need to make these tadpoles disappear." |
Yuta partly ignored him, but he was right. Still, Yuta wanted to at least help this tiefling and hopefully meet the Blade of Frontiers. They both led well, took charge equally and readily. They would be good allies to have. |
Zevlor’s eyes opened as Yuta’s hand hovered by his mildly sore jaw. He sat up, rubbing his chin. |
"I thank you. For both saving our lives and fixing my sore jaw," he smiled, small as it was. Though his expression fell dour as he stood, groaning. Though certainly fit, he stamped his heel into the ground feeling a mild lock in his knees. His eyes flickered to the group. An Elf, a... What were they called? Gith? A human, and a half-elf. And the tiefling. Pale indigo with obsidian black corkscrew horns darting straight up, but... they were flaking. His eyes darted away from them. Rude to stare. "I’m Zevlor, by the way." |
"I’m Yuta," the blue tiefling replied, standing straight. He gestured to his party, introducing them. "Astarion," the pale elf cast a civil yet daggerlike smile. "Gale," the Wizard bowed shallowly, saying well met. "Shadowheart," she crossed her arms but echoed a polite well met. "And Lae’Zel." The Githyanki said nothing, pursing her lips. |
Zevlor nodded to them. |
"I’m afraid you won’t be able to stay here for much longer. The druids are casting a ritual to cut themselves off from the world. Monsters have attacked them time and time again. This recent attack is the final straw. And we’ll be forced out. Killed by goblins, or worse." |
Yuta pursed his lips, fingers threaded together. "Hm... If... If we’re going the same way, we could provide protections for your people," he offered. |
Zevlor smiled – it was a sweet thought, but the roads were dangerous. |
"I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid we would all be overwhelmed, even with your protection. Sigh. I will... have to tell everyone we’re leaving." |
"What brought you here?" Yuta asked. |
"We’re refugees. From Elturel. After the Descent, we were no longer welcome." |
The title didn’t sound familiar to Yuta. In the tower he lived he had little knowledge of the Outside World. He supposed much like these druids will soon experience. |
"I’m afraid I’m not familiar..." He trailed off sheepishly. |
"I’m surprised you haven’t heard of it, kin," Zevlor said with a genuine look of surprise. "The High Overseer, our... Grand protector," he growled, "signed a pact with devils. Dragged Elturel straight into the Hells. Adventurers were able to bring the city back. The people there see nothing but devilkin of our kind, now. No different from Aradin or the Druids." |
"Oh..." Yuta shifted his weight. Tieflings weren’t very well liked. He knew that much from the stories his mother told him. The constant beratement. And now that I’ve had you, it’s made everything worse. He shook his head. "I’m sorry. That must be awful." |
Zevlor nodded, but glanced to the group overall. "I know it’s none of your business but... You did save this grove. If you could speak to them, speak to... eugh, Kagha. Perhaps you could convince them otherwise. At the very least until we’re better prepared to leave." |
Yuta nodded, looking into his flaming yellow eyes. |
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