“What about the hole?” Nyx asks. She takes a step toward the pit and feels a wave of crippling nausea wash over her. Sari quickly catches her and the gypsy immediately feels like the air is trying to crush her lungs.
“Something horrible happened here,” Sari whispers, dragging Nyx back before the half-elf collapses to her knees.
Timoran nervously rubs his forearm bracers together while he watches the young women catch their breath. “The group that scapegoated Nyx had a rally here. One of them smuggled in a dangerous creature to make a statement about our situation. This creature summoned some of its kin to help it escape its cage. They stayed on this street because of the gathered prey. There must have been about one-hundred men, women, and children gathered here. It was a slaughter that required our casters use all of their combat spells to eliminate the creatures. Unfortunately, we were unable to rescue any of the people who had gathered for the rally. So, the anti-Nyx organization will not be a problem and I would recommend not talking about them.”
“At least you destroyed the creatures too,” Luke claims with a hopeful smile.
“Yes, but only after the spells were cast, the ground was seared, and the guards could safely enter the area,” the barbarian says. He begins walking away and waves back at the adventurers. “You will learn about these monsters from the temporary commander. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to our next meeting, my new friends.”
“Good to see we have some friends here,” Sari mentions as she follows Luke and Nyx up the walkway. She catches Nyx’s arm when the caster nearly topples over the side. “Can’t you use your magic to improve your balance?”
“I don’t want to use any magic in this city,” Nyx mutters, clutching Sari’s arm. She halts when Luke reaches back to pull her forward, tucking his arm around her waist and practically carrying her to the rooftop. “This isn’t necessary.”
“You seemed like you needed a hug, Nyx,” he whispers after he puts her down and examines a set of crude signs. He can barely read a crooked arrow that has the word ‘tavern’ scrawled across it.
“That wasn’t a hug,” Sari growls from behind him.
“Fine. It was a difficult path and carrying her would save us some time instead of letting her stumble along,” Luke argues, turning to the annoyed gypsy. “I can carry you the rest of the way if you want, Sari.”
Sari glares at him and marches ahead, gracefully hopping onto the rattling walkway and continuing on her way. She moves with the speed and balance of someone walking on flat, stable ground. Luke sighs and offers his hand to Nyx, who quietly takes it and lets him lead her onto the shaky rooftop paths.
“Do you think it was a mistake for me to come back here?” Nyx nervously asks. She looks down at a few people passing through the alley below. “They obviously hate me and don’t want me here.”
“True, but it’d be worse if you stayed away,” Luke replies with a friendly smile. “If they fixed everything without you then you’d never have the chance to earn their forgiveness. At least this way, you can make amends and fix your mistakes. Just stay strong and come to me whenever things get too tense.”
“Thanks, Luke,” Nyx whispers, briefly squeezing his hand. She looks at the colorful form of Sari walking and hopping several rooftops ahead of them. “Hopefully the citizens of Hero’s Gate stick with angry stares, which I’ve dealt with before. Maybe this won’t be as bad as I feared.”
“That’s the spirit,” Luke says, helping Nyx onto the next rooftop. “If you’re feeling annoyed just follow Sari’s lead and stay happy. She wouldn’t let the stares phase her.”
*****
“I’m getting really tired of these angry stares,” Sari mutters as she gulps down a large mug of ale.
The talking is still at a low volume, which is better than the eerie silence that came over the tavern as soon as the patrons saw Nyx. Sitting in their corner table, the three adventurers politely raise their mugs to the smiling bartender. The chubby, clean-shaven man snaps his fingers at a waitress, who promptly brings fresh stew to the table. Luke is about to pull out some coins to pay for the meal when he feels a shiver run down his spine. He glances at the bartender, who shakes his head in disapproval and flashes another friendly smile. Luke cautiously hands the waitress a coin as a tip and goes back to watching the other customers continue glaring at Nyx whenever she turns away. With a whispered laugh, one man tries to flick a cockroach into her stew. The insect panics in mid-air and disgustingly flutters to the bar where the bartender squashes it under his boot. The friendly man glares at the patron, threateningly flashing his fangs before going to the kitchen for fresh dishes.
“This is going to become a problem,” Luke says, casually stirring his stew before eating a spoonful. “We aren’t going to get anywhere if we have to gather information. Now people know Sari and I are associated with you, Nyx, so nobody is going to talk to us. That anti-Nyx group really ran your reputation into the mud. I’m surprised they got so far in such a short amount of time.”
“I’m sure the citizens weren’t too thrilled with me in the first place,” Nyx mentions. She leans back in her chair and slowly scans the sea of unfriendly faces around her. “I’ve been trying to understand their mentality and I think I get it. I set off a forbidden spell that left the city covered in dead goblins. Since we left immediately, there was no way to prove that I was harmed by the spell or that I was sorry for my actions. If they saw that I lost my magic and nearly lost my mind then this hate wouldn’t be so widespread.”
Sari covers her mouth as she burps and daintily wipes her mouth with a napkin. “I don’t care why they hate you, Nyxie. We keep going in circles discussing the problem, but we haven’t done anything to fix it. Their hate needs to be addressed in order for us to help the city. I have no idea what we can do because I’m not used to being hated. If it was suspicion, I’d be able to fix it before dinner.”
“How much money do you two have?” Nyx asks with a wry smile.
“I have thirty gold coins and three diamond spheres,” Sari replies, cautiously eyeing the caster. She reflexively clutches the pouch hidden in her skirts. “I might have a sapphire from Goldheart Manor. Why?”
“I have fifteen gold coins,” Luke answers.
“A diamond sphere should be enough for what I’m planning. Have one ready for when I give the signal, Sari,” Nyx whispers, taking a deep breath and looking around. “I just need a catalyst, to avoid coming off as insane before I do this. I’m sure I won’t have a long wait.”
“We’ll back you up as long as you don’t burn the place down,” Sari softly says with a friendly grin. “I’m pretty sure that would be a step in the wrong direction, Nyxie.”
With a smirk, Nyx goes back to eating her stew and keeping an eye on the tense crowd. Minutes of awkward silence pass before a nearby customer gets to her feet, her chair scraping on the stone floor. The young woman’s friends giggle and whisper amongst themselves. One of the boys at the woman’s table watches Nyx, his cruel grin warning her that his friend is about to do something. After a few more bouts of whispered giggling, the young woman approaches the table and stands between Luke and Sari. Her short blonde hair reveals her pointed ears and there is a challenging glint in her hazel eyes.
“Spit it out,” growls Nyx, meeting the woman with a bored stare.
The young woman places her hands on the table and swiftly opens her mouth to spit at Nyx. Before the disgusting projectile can cross the table, Nyx emits an aura of heat that evaporates the spit. She smiles at her would-be attacker, rising to her feet and moving to stand within reach of the startled, elven woman. The tavern is filled with the sound of chairs being pushed back as customers stand and prepare for a fight. Nyx ignores them, her violet eyes locked on the woman glaring at her.
“Are you happy now?” Nyx asks. She magically amplifies her voice so that she can be heard throughout the tavern.
“We don’t want you here. You nearly destroyed us last time and nobody wants to
let you finish the job,” the young woman states. She tries to hide her fear, but her clenched fists give her away. “It doesn’t matter that Duke Solomon asked you to help us. He hasn’t come to see the damage for himself because his advisors claim our city is too dangerous. So, you can return to your keeper and tell him that you were rejected by his loyal subjects.”
Nyx turns to look at the silent crowd, “I assume all of you agree with her and you’re willing to handle these problems yourselves.”
“We have the mercenaries and the knights!” shouts a man from the back.
“They won’t be able to help you like I can,” Nyx declares, trying to smooth the angry edges of her voice. “If they could fix the dangers that plague your city then they would’ve done so already. The situation wouldn’t have escalated to the point where your leaders require my help, especially since they know how I feel about my time here. Trust me when I say that I’m the last person in Windemere who wants to be in Hero’s Gate. I still have nightmares about the goblin swarm and those nightmares are more vivid and terrifying than anything you could imagine. In the face of this fear, I’ve returned to fix my mistakes. If you wish to attack me while I’m here then know I’ll defend myself because I no longer care if you like me or not. I won’t leave until your city is healed, so all of you are going to have to deal with my presence.”
“You wouldn’t dare attack us,” the young woman hisses. She takes a wild swing at Nyx, who blocks it with a magic barrier. The scared elf yelps in surprise and pain, her hand already starting to bruise from the impact.
“I don’t need to cast combat magic or use weapons to defend myself. I know enough defensive magic to counter all attempts to hurt me,” Nyx says with a proud sneer. “Though, I’d much rather be allowed to move around your city without harassment. The fewer distractions that I have to deal with, the quicker I’ll be out of your lives. Unless you people want to continue acting like children and waste my time.”
The crowd begins to grow restless and more people rise from their chairs. Nyx can hear Luke and Sari get up, prepared to defend her from the angry mob. She can see the bartender nervously hiding behind the oaken bar, his hands continuously wringing a wet rag. Nyx hides her surprise as he slowly disappears by blending into his surroundings like a chameleon. Without looking, Nyx reaches behind her to pinch Sari on the wrist. The gypsy is confused for a second until she sees Nyx’s open hand with wiggling fingers. Reaching into her money pouch, Sari pulls out a diamond sphere and begrudgingly hands it over to her friend.
“We can fight all day, but it won’t do us any good,” Nyx announces, rolling the diamond sphere in her palm. “Personally, I’d rather spend my time being productive and relaxed. It sounds like I’ll have my work cut out for me and I don’t want to worry about being attacked every time I sit down to eat. The citizens of Hero’s Gate and I need to put our issues aside and tolerate each other. To that end, I offer everyone here a peace-offering. Is this enough for a few rounds for everyone?”
The camouflaged vampire reappears and grins while announcing, “That should be enough to keep them in drink for a few hours, milady. I thank you for your generosity in the face of aggression. I also thank you for not burning down my precious tavern.”
Luke and Sari sit down as the crowd mutters in hushed tones, everyone confused on what to do next. The elven woman is the first to begrudgingly nod to Nyx and return to her table where mugs of ale are already being served. One by one, the other customers give slight nods and whispered thanks to Nyx before indulging in their free drinks. Nyx breathes a sigh of relief and enjoys the first time all day that she isn’t being glared at by a horde of angry eyes. A yawn escapes her lips as a feeling of mild contentment seeps into her bones.
“Feeling better, Nyxie?” Sari asks, swiftly grabbing a drink from a passing waitress.
“A little,” Nyx admits with a small shrug. “This is only one tavern and I have an entire city hating me. We can’t afford to buy drinks for every citizen, so I’m really in the same spot I was in before.”
“Then it might be best for you to stay with us,” suggests a silky, male voice from behind Luke.
The three adventurers lazily turn to the speaker as if they are already bored with his presence. A smiling calico, dressed in leather armor, stands before them with four heavily armored warriors behind him. Each warrior has a red armband with the pierced salamander emblem of the mercenaries, but the brown-eyed calico has a golden ringlet stitched into his armband. He pulls out an ivory comb to fix his white hair, paying careful attention to his long ear tufts. As the trio stares at him, he gently pats the black and gold hilt of the rapier hanging from his glossy belt.
“I hope you’re not the temporary commander,” Sari says, unimpressed by the calico’s charming appearance. She spots several items that her nimble fingers could easily steal from him without being noticed.
“I’m Conrad Deviltongue, second-in-command of the Salamander Army,” he states with a gentlemanly bow to Sari and Nyx. “I heard that you arrived and wished to invite you to our camp where you will be greeted with more warmth. You’re a precious commodity, Lady Nyx, so we can’t risk your life by allowing you to roam the city alone.”
“You realize that she isn’t alone, right?” Luke asks, rubbing his palms against the basket hilts of his sabers. “Also, Nyx is not a precious commodity. She’s our friend.”
“The Callindor and the gypsy we were told about,” Conrad whispers, sizing up the half-elf and sneering in contempt. “I don’t believe either of you are capable of defending this resource, so I ask that you let me take care of her.”
“Keep talking and I’ll turn your twitching tail into my new belt,” Sari threatens the calico. She grins when she sees him curl his tail behind his back and steps away. “Are you going to let him treat you like this, Nyx?”
Nyx takes a sip from her drink and rubs her chin. “Let him talk. I’m not in the mood for punishing idiots today.”
“Watch your tongue, weapon,” Conrad snaps.
“Watch your words, kitten,” Nyx retorts, watching the rapid flush of anger on Conrad’s face. “I’m an independent adventurer, so you have no authority over me. If I’m to report to anyone, it’s your boss and Lord Highrider. Now, please let me finish my ale and beef stew in peace.”
“The one who controls a weapon is the one who claims it. That’s the rule of our army, so you’re now mine,” Conrad declares, struggling to regain his composure. “With you under my command, I’ll be the new general of the Salamander Army.”
“It's interesting that the temporary commander has a scheming, traitorous second-in-command,” Nyx says, running her hands through her black hair. “I assume your boss knows of your fickle loyalty, but you’re kept in a position of power. I’m curious to meet this person now. Please take me to your commander once my friends and I finish our meal.”
“You’re mine, so you can’t command me!” Conrad shouts, earning the attention of the entire tavern.
“If your army decides ownership by first come, first serve then I guess I’m the one to claim Nyx,” Luke interjects with a charming smile. “After all, I’m the one who met her in Gaia when she began adventuring. With everything that we’ve gone through, I think I have a better claim on Nyx than you, Conrad.”
Sari clears her throat for attention and raises her hand. “I have to correct both of you. As her childhood friend, I claim primary ownership of Nyx by rule of seniority.”
“Neither of you are members of the Salamander Army, so the rules don’t apply to you,” Conrad emphatically insists. Out of frustration, his tail twitches in the air and his hair stands on end. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t mock us since we’re supposed to be working together.”
“Pick a mood, Conrad,” Luke says with a yawn. “Either you’re a jerk or a friend.”
Conrad leans forward until his nose is a couple inches away from Luke’s face. The calico sniffs at the half-elf with a look of disdain on his narrow face. Luke
yawns again, sticking his tongue out at the arrogant mercenary. Both warriors feel their sensitive ears twitch when Sari and Nyx drag their chairs across the floor. With delicate smiles, they bring their empty dishes to the bar and stay there to watch the brewing fight. Luke wants to follow, but he is unable to get up without pushing Conrad aside.
“Can you please get out of my way, Conrad?” Luke politely asks.
“You’re a Callindor and a swordsman, right?
“No.”
“It’s rude to lie.”
“I’m not lying.”
With a feral hiss, Conrad’s tail twitches again. “I know you’re Luke Callindor and you’re wearing sabers. How can you tell me that I’m wrong?”
“Sorry about the confusion,” Luke apologizes, slipping out of his chair and around Conrad. “I meant that I have no intention to fight you. I can tell that you want to test your skills against mine. Your eyes keep drifting to my hands as if you’re preparing for me to unsheathe my sabers and attack. The way you’re standing tells me that your leg muscles are tensed and ready to propel you out of my reach. You may be a rude and arrogant mercenary, but I can tell you’re someone that shouldn’t be underestimated.”
“You can’t blame me for wanting to test my skills against a Callindor,” Conrad cordially says, spreading his arms and bowing. His air of arrogance evaporates as he smiles with genuine sincerity. “Maybe we can have a sparring match when you’ve settled into your lodging.”
Luke gracefully bows to Conrad and moves to catch up to Nyx and Sari. The faint sound of metal against hardened leather causes him to spin around, drawing his sabers to deflect Conrad’s quick stab. The customers yell and scream as they rush to escape the tavern, many of the shorter patrons getting knocked to the ground. Luke backs toward the kitchen, leading Conrad away from the retreating crowd. He glares at the aggressive calico, but refuses to go on the offensive. With a quick peripheral glance, Luke sees Nyx and Sari moving behind the bar where the bartender is disappearing again.
Legends of Windemere: 03 - Family of the Tri-Rune Page 7