"Why are you coming inside?" A guard immediately demanded as they stepped into the clean marble foyer. The first thing that Phoenix took note of was the few wooden crates that were scattered around the hall. Other than the crates the hall was empty, which she regarded as odd. She must have been staring at them because she felt Damian subtly drive his elbow into her side.
"Two of our men went to help some whore with her things and never came back." Damian said in a gruff voice that was far from his usual dulcet tone. The guard, a grey-skinned tiefling with some of the sharpest cheekbones she had ever seen, gave no indication if Damian gave himself away by speaking. The three of them stood in an uneasy silence for a few seconds before the guard gave a roll of his eyes, surprising both Phoenix and Damian.
"Those idiots chase after anything with breasts." He muttered in exasperation as though they were discussing juvenile boys instead of trained assassins. If possible, Phoenix tried to sink further into the cloak that obscured her features as Damian gave a forced chuckle. Humanizing the guards that they just killed created an awkward atmosphere that only the two of them could feel, but the teifling seemed to be oblivious to their discomfort. "I'll send some backup to go help them."
"We're going to go rest in the barracks if you don't need help…" Damian trailed off, seemingly unsure how to finish the sentence. This made the teifling pause for a second, peering at the pair of them with suspicion in his eyes.
"Protocall is that you accompany me to investigate the disturbance." He put a hand on his hips, unsettlingly close to his sword, and gave them a once-over. Phoenix's heart hammered in her chest as she held back the urge to simply attack the man to stop this painful line of questioning, but she simply lowered her head and waited for Damian to speak. Damian paused as his mind reeled for a reply, but the teifling seemed to brush off the mistake. "It is late my, friends. Go get some rest."
The two adventurers felt the tension leave their shoulders as he spoke. As long as they got deep enough inside before anyone raised an alarm, the others should have enough time to climb the towers and make sure that they wouldn't be shot down by archers during their infiltration. Confident once more, Damian smirked and led the way as they breezed past the teifling. Phoenix almost mimicked his self-assured stride, but found herself stumbling as she felt the cloak around her shoulders tighten before tearing away from her form.
"Fu-" Her curse was cut off as she barely dodged a slim sword that was aimed for her throat, her knees bashing the marble floor as she dropped to the ground and rolled to the side. Damian lunged forward and slashed the teifling's face with one of his arrows as Phoenix popped up behind the man and wrapped one of her whips around his neck. The teifling swiftly kicked Damian away while simultaneously driving an elbow into Phoenix's side. She let out a grunt, but didn't let loose the grip she had on the whips.
"I knew I sensed a bitch." The teifling managed to choke out, once again slamming an elbow into her side. This time her grip slipped, allowing him to shove her off and dodge the attack by Damian. The teifling grinned at her, standing as though she had barely scratched him. "There's a reason that we don't let women into our guild."
"Woah, I thought that you guys were an assassins guild not a magic guild!" Damian exclaimed, straightening up with a faux surprised expression. "But look at you! Conjuring misogyny out of thin air!"
For the first time, Phoenix felt herself actually laughing at one of Damian's jokes. Hearing her reaction, Damian shot her a grin which she reluctantly returned with a shake of her head.
"It isn't that difficult of a spell, Damian." She replied, a chuckle lingering in the back of her throat. "I'm sure an idiot like him could learn it."
The two of them both dissolved into laughter, frustrating the tiefling as they completely ignored his threatening step forward. Phoenix straightened up, one hand holding her gut as it hurt from both laughing and the two brutal blows that it took a few minutes ago, and shook her head once more at Damian. It had been a while since she had laughed that hard, and it almost seemed fitting that it had happened in the most inappropriate of times.
"Alright, the others should have taken care of the towers by now." She tried to force her smile from her face, but found it difficult as she saw the look of pure bewilderment that the teifling had. "So are you going to surrender or not?"
"Go to hell." He spat before darting forward and slashing downward. Phoenix sidestepped and allowed Damian to brush past her and drive his arrow into the man's throat. Gargling filled the air as he began to choke, one hand clutching the area around the wound while the other grasped at the air in front of him. Phoenix's smile finally slipped away as she looked away from the grotesque scene, not looking back until she heard a thump and then nothing more.
"Ah, that was fun!" Damian was far too cheerful for just impaling someone, but for the first time in a while, Phoenix didn't find that she minded. She walked over to the door that lead out of the foyer and peeked into the hallway, blinking in surprise when she didn't see more assassins coming. All she saw was a few more crates scattered throughout the stone hallway.
"It looks empty?" Her tone was unsure, as there were a number of enchantments that could make it look like an empty hallway. She stepped forward and quickly held out a hand, her fingers encased in a soft violet glow as she tried to detect the presence of magic. When nothing came up, she stepped further in. "I think that it's safe."
"Good, we need to meet the others in the courtyard." Damian said from the foyer, joining her after a few seconds as he tried to rub the blood on his hands off on his cloak. He shot her a smirk and joined her at the large oak doors, leading into the courtyard that ringed the main building of the stronghold. The cool midnight air blew the stray curls that had fallen from her braids, making her wrinkle her nose. About six men who were speaking in front of the main stronghold whipped around as the two of them stepped onto the cobblestone path.
There was a moment of silence before Damian nervously laughed.
"This isn't our inn!" He threw a tense arm around Phoenix, which she immediately pushed off of her shoulders. "We must have taken a wrong turn! Excuse us gentlemen but-"
He didn't get to finish whatever witty reply he had because an axe flew at his head in the next moment. Phoenix acted fast and shoved him to the side, watching as the axe barely brushed against her arm in the process. It was only the smallest of scratches, but it was enough to make her glare at whoever threw it.
She snapped her whips out, finding something satisfying about the resounding crack they made as they hit empty air. Before she could rush forward, she heard a whistling in the air and watched as a javelin drilled the shoulder of the man who had thrown the axe.
Phoenix let out a growl of frustration at the fact that Bamf wouldn't let her just have one badass moment and instead rushed at the next closest man. After ducking under the sword that he swung at her, she drew back her arm and delivered a strong blow to his throat. Choking, he stepped backwards with one hand clutching his throat. Taking this opportunity, she hooked her foot behind his and knocked him backwards. As he fell, her arm darted forward. Her whip snaked around his neck, causing it to snap to an unsettling angle as he fell to the ground.
At her side, Damian ran to the man with a javelin in his shoulder and shoved it further in while also driving and arrow into his uninjured shoulder. A tortured scream rang out through the courtyard, silence in the next moment.
Apparently unable to contain himself any longer, Dovahkiin descended from one of the ladders on the outer wall and dove into the group of assassins with a bellowing war cry. Phoenix made a face, but had to admit it sounded better than the folk songs that he had been singing on the way there. The fight dissolved into a blur of flashing metal accompanied by the singing of blades, ending as Thanatos summoned a bolt of lightning to strike down the remaining enemies.
"We should...have started with that." Damian panted, leaning over to catch his breath. Dovahkiin let out a bassy chuckle, slapping him on the back roughly.
"You need to get into better shape, my friend! You'll never keep up with my numbers in your current state!" Dovahkiin's face split into a wide smile, delighted in tonight's events. Phoenix rolled her eyes, getting used to her acquaintances constant lust for battle.
"Why weren't there more men? This is a stronghold." Bamf, as usual, completely ignored the banter.
"Judging by the crates, I'd say that they were moving." Phoenix replied, walking over to one of the wooden boxes and pushing the top open. Inside was rows of vials, carefully nestled in tufts of hay. If she were to guess, she'd say that they were poisons of some kind.
"I wouldn't touch thos', lass."
Phoenix whipped around, holding her weapons aloft in either hand as a gruff, yet feminine voice, came from the doorway behind them. Out of the shadows stepped a short figure, a mess of burgundy curls falling around a round face. It was a dwarvish woman with a knobby nose, holding a battle axe in her hands in a non-threatening manner.
"Who are you?" Dovahkiin demanded, drawing his large sword in preparation. Phoenix shot him a look, as it was clear she wasn't about to attack. The dwarf woman had come alone and had a relaxed stance, making it clear that she was not currently a threat. This did little to assure Phoenix to a point of trusting this woman, but she felt a bit more at ease.
"Kiligana." She gave a slight bow of her head, placing a calloused hand over her leather chestplate. Her mossy green eyes looked at both the hammers in Dovahkiin's hands and the whips that Phoenix held, and her lips twisted into a larger grin. "I came ta' help ya out, but you lot seem ta' have it under control. Not surprised since it looks like ya folks are friends wit' Darius n' Tibul."
"What is that accent?" Damian whispered to Bamf in a not very subtle way. Phoenix resisted the urge to smack him for such an insensitive comment, settling on sending a glare his way instead. In truth, she did find the woman's accent a bit difficult to understand. It was an odd dialect that she hadn't heard much of, despite the fact that she had traveled to many different places.
"I'm Phoenix and these are my companions." She mimicked the woman's slight bow, grimacing as she felt that the leathery material of the assassin's uniform was soaked with blood. Once introductions were out of the way, Kiligana eyed the middle stronghold with a curious eye.
"I d'nno about ya, but I'm a bit curious 'bout what's in there." She walked forward and knocked her axe against the cold metal door.
"We took out the men, so we get the treasure." Dovahkiin rumbled, crossing his arms as he watched her size up the door.
"We aren't here for treasure, Dova." The nickname slipped through her lips before she realized what she had said, but Phoenix brushed it off as a habit from long ago. "We're here for answers about the men who are trying to kill us."
"I mean there's still a chance of treasure." Dovahkiin argued, pressing a large hand against the metal and shoving it open. With a screech of metal scraping against stone, it opened to reveal a large room with two figures standing next to a shining chest. One of them, a blue teifling, turned to them with an easygoing grin.
"Nearly ten minutes." He sighed, his long fingers tapping against the wooden chest in a consistent rhythm. "I expected more of the protigees of Darius and Tibul."
The following day was no more exciting than the first. They trudged through the thick forest that lead to the coordinates, speaking only when they took small breaks to discuss what they were going to do when they arrived. Phoenix scowled as she felt a knot forming in one of her shoulders, which had become sore in the last few hours of their journey. Night had once again begun to fall, shrouding them from any prying eyes as they finally began to near their destination.
"I see torchlight ahead. We must be getting close." Bamf announced in a hushed tone, taking a moment to extinguish his torch. The rest followed his lead, leaving them in the darkness until Phoenix reached out and cast fairy lights. The darkness was illuminated by the soft and subtle fairy lights, giving them just enough light to find their way to the edge of the forest line. Beyond it was a clearing with a small stone fortress lay, its four towers illuminated by torches. The towers seemed to each have one guard while a group of four men patrolled near the front gate. There didn't appear to be any other wards against their entrance besides the men in the towers, although they still remained on guard for any enchantments that might await them.
"So how are we getting in?" Dovahkiin questioned in a low tone, his navy skin casting a eerie glow against the fairy lights. Bamf and Thanatos immediately began to discuss strategies and possible openings while Dovahkiin interjected with the option to simply rush in. Damian remained silent alongside Phoenix, his eyes roaming over the seemingly impenetrable structure before them.
"If we get rid of the guards in front, we can probably scale the towers and take out the sentries up there." He said, nudging his brother and pointing up. Bamf's eyes followed the direction he was pointing, nodding slightly to himself. "The question is how do we get the guys at the front into a place where we can take them down quietly? We don't need the sentries in the tower to be alerted."
"We could cause a distraction. Maybe make some sounds over at the path that leads out of the forest and into the fortress?" Thanatos suggested, nodding over to the rough dirt path to their left. Bamf immediately shook his head.
"They'll alert the men in the tower and then everyone will be on guard." Phoenix could almost see the gears turning in Bamf's mind as his gaze darted from the tower to the forest's edge. An idea prodded at the back of her own mind, but it wasn't the most pleasant idea. For her, at least. But as they spent another ten minutes debating a handful of different ideas, she knew that her plan was likely the most viable.
"I...have an idea." Phoenix finally interjected, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose as she could already feel a headache forming. And half an hour later, a dull ache had firmly settled behind her eyes. She stood on the dirt path that lead to the stronghold, hands resting on her hips as she mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do. As a cool breeze whispered through the trees, goosebumps rose on her skin. It was becoming more and more apparent that autumn was approaching quicker than usual. But she couldn't think of that now as she took a deep breath and stepped into the pale moonlight. As soon as she was revealed to the guards, they became rigid and stoic.
"What business do you have here?" One of them demanded. His features hidden beneath of a dark hood, she tried not to imagine what would happen if they saw through her facade. She wrapped her arms around her bare midriff, allowing her lips to part slightly as she idled a few feet away from where the guards stood. She couldn't tell their reaction to her attire, but tried to assure herself that she would be irresistible to them. The shimmering material casted an almost ethereal affect on her skin with each movement she made, the opaque material flowing down from her shoulders to wrap around under the curve of her breasts. The loose sparkling material of her shorts scratched against her thighs as she shifted in place.
"I…" Phoenix began in a soft voice, looking up into their hoods through her thick eyelashes. She almost faltered as she was met with blank expressions. "I think that I am lost. Are we near Conloar? I'm supposed to meet my troupe there."
"Conloar is a day's ride east of here." The one with unsettling blue eyes replied. He pushed back his cloak and glanced suspiciously over her shoulder. As he focused on her once more, she almost shivered in disgust as his eyes roamed unchecked over her figure. "You traveling alone?"
She nodded silently, quickly downcasting her eyes to stare at his feet. Hunching her shoulders, she bit her lip and waiting a few seconds before she looked up again with a pink blush dusting her cheeks.
"Perhaps if you could give me exact directions, I could return the favor." The words came out of her mouth innocently enough, much to her relief. She could see it in their eyes now, the assumption that she was simply a woman lost in the woods who was willing to do anything for directions. The only giveaway that the lead guard gave was the ghost of a smirk resting on his lips.
"Alright then, girl. You say you're a performer? A private performance would likely suffice in place of payment." His fellow guards murmured in agreement, creating a buzz in the air as they stepped closer to her. Heart pounding in her chest as the four men created a sinister half-circle around her, she forced out a girlish laugh before she nodded.
"That sounds more than fair. Perhaps we could go to those trees, as that will provide us with a bit more...privacy." Her voice dropped into a lower tone as she slowly spun around and began to walk to the tree line where she knew that her allies waited. A cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck as she tried not to imagine one of the guards seeing through her lie and driving a sword through her back. But as she only heard the soft brush of light footed men following her and not so subtle whispers about her physique, she felt her shoulders relax. And as they were obscured by the line of trees, she could finally breathe freely once more. Her hair, pulled back by intricate braids, spilled over her shoulder as she turned back to them with a small smile. She withdrew her violin from her pack and offered it out to them, tilting her head innocently. "Can any of you play?"
One of them eagerly raised his hand and grabbed the instrument from her, almost making her wince at his harsh treatment with one of her most prized possessions. As he began to play, a fast paced, almost primal, tune, she quickly took her first stance let her instincts take over. Dancing, even in a situation as high-stakes as this, was natural and effortless to her. Her feet simply knew where to move, her arms moving in sync with the tune of the violin. The only thing that kept her from losing herself completely in the music was the hungry eyes of the guards that followed her every move, some beginning to inch closer. So instead of recoiling away from them, she shut her eyes and tried to imagine that she was on stage once more instead of in a cold empty forest at the mercy of four armed guards.
But she was ripped from her fantasy as she felt hands brush against her waist, and before she could even panic, they were wrenched from her body. Muffled grunts filled the air as her eyes flew open to see her companions each taking down one of the guards.
"Don't hurt my damn violin!" Phoenix hissed at Thanatos, who was lowering a guard with blood pouring from his neck onto the ground. The dark liquid was splashing against his umber-toned skin, but he didn't seem to mind as he looked over at her. The violin had clattered to the forest floor by the bleeding corpse, in dangerous proximity to her companion's feet. She swiftly walked over and snatched it up, securing it once more to her traveling pack.
"Women and their materialistic needs." He muttered before he began rifling through the dead guard's body. Phoenix could never tell if he was serious or not when he made those comments. All she knew was that he didn't seem like the joking type.
Dovahkiin, after stomping on the neck on one of the guards, looked over at her with slight concern in his eyes. "Are you alright? We didn't mean for it to get that far, we just didn't have an opening yet."
"I've suffered far worse, don't worry about me." Phoenix gave him a reassuring smile as she dug out her regular clothing and armor from her bag. As she made a move to leave the clearing to change, Bamf held out a hand to stop her.
"Wait. We have these uniforms, I think that we should act upon this opportunity." He said as he leaned down to begin to strip one of the corpse's. The tight material made it difficult to get it off, as well as the fact that everyone else refused to help him, but finally he held the two most usable uniforms in his hands. "Phoenix and Damian will go in disguised as guards, as they are the most charismatic of the group, while the rest of us will begin to take out the guards in the towers."
"Aw, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said about me brother!" Damian grinned and snatched one of the uniforms out of his brother's arms. Phoenix followed suit, looking a bit skeptical about the uniform fitting her, but still followed orders and disappeared behind a rather large tree to change. Once they came out, all eyes immediately went to her chest.
"Perhaps we should have thought about this more." Dovahkiin interjected after a long and frankly awkward pause. Bamf simply gazed at her with that look of deep thought that she had become familiar with, before he scooped up one of the bloodstained cloaks and stepped forward to wrap it around her shoulders. She almost cringed away from his touch, but forced herself to stand still. This made her suddenly realize how little she experienced human contact for the past few years. She almost felt...ashamed about that fact.
"Alright, the cloak should hide your...feminine physique." He stated, giving her a pat on the shoulder. There was a tense beat of silence before he spoke again. "Are we going forward with the plan or not?"
"Ah, yeah. Let's get started." Damian said, rubbing his hands together to warm them. A handful of sparks escaped his hands and fell to the ground, without him even meaning to. Phoenix gave a long sigh, staring at the sky for a moment, before she finally nodded and walked with Damian into the den of lions.
“Where’s your sense of adventure, Rowlrick? I bet Dima and Caesar would accompany me..”
Phoenix started awake, breathing heavily as the familiar memory turned dream began to slip from her mind. Her features twisted in a disgruntled expression aimed at the dark ceiling above her, as though it was its fault that she was dreaming of the past. It took her a few minutes to realize that she was not going to be able to fall asleep again which almost prompted her to scream into her pillow out of pure frustration. A late night and early morning would do her no good on a mission as delicate as this.
Carefully chosen profanities escaped her lips as she stumbled from her warm sheets, the comforter still firmly wrapped around her shoulders. As though sleepwalking, she began to pack her adventuring pack. A variety of weapons and medical supplies were wrapped between two extra sets of clothing and a small amount of cosmetics. Violin firmly strapped to the top of the bag, she did one last check to ensure that she had enough rations to get her there and back. She would fill her cantiene just before they left, finishing her mental checklist. After changing from her nightgown into a thick brown tunic and leather pants she shoved her feet into a pair of sturdy boots before she slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way downstairs to the bar.
It was silent in the bar, as not even Darius and Tibul were awake. It was somehow both eerie and peaceful at the same time, the only sound being her light footsteps as she walked over to the bar. The cool morning air crept through the wooden walls and doorway, causing a chill to settle in the air as the fireplace was no longer roaring with warmth. Phoenix set her bag down on the low stage at the front of the bar, moving to sit on it as she began to wait for her companions to wake up. Whether she would be waiting for minutes or hours, she wasn’t sure.
To fight off the boredom that threatened to tug at her mind, she unstrapped the old and beaten violin from her bag. She tucked it snugly beneath of her chin and drew the bow across the strings gently. The result was a sour note echoing through the bar, causing her to cringe. After a few minutes making adjustments to the tightness of the strings, she tried once more. This time, a sweet note rang out through the bar. Her fingers hesitated for a moment on the neck of the instrument as she mentally shuffled through the few songs that she knew. Finally settling on an old folk tune, she once again dragged the bow across the strings. A mournful and longing melody spilled from the violin as her fingers moved deftly creating a vibrato.
She was able to put every stress and worry into the song, her eyes fluttering closed as she lost herself in the music. Although it was certainly not her primary talent, she certainly wasn’t terrible at it. It was easy to lose all track of time as she played, her fingers improvising different tunes that echoed through the empty space. By the time that footsteps made their way into the room, her fingers were sore and a large red mark had formed on the left side of her neck from holding the violin tightly under her chin.
“You’re awake far too early.” Darius commented as he entered with Tibul. With a simple wave of his hand, some sort of magic force began to pull the chairs off of the table and onto the floor. Phoenix didn’t reply, but simply removed the instrument from her shoulder and began to secure it to her bag once more. “Taking an instrument on a quest?”
“I am a bard. I don’t understand why you’re surprised.” She simply replied, not unkindly. To be honest, she had grown fond of the older duo. They offered her kindness that she had not experienced in a long time. Although she still held a bit of unease at their seemingly honest intentions, they had given her no reason to question their motives. “Thank you again for not turning us away when our situation became more...difficult.”
“I understand that troubles come at inconvenient times.” Darius replied with a dismissing wave, ducking behind the counter for a moment and reemerging with a bottle. Although it was barely before dawn, he poured himself a drink.
“It seems that all of my companions are alcoholics.” Phoenix commented with a raised eyebrow. Darius shrugged at the comment while Tibul gave a hearty laugh as he lit a fire in the hearth. Soon enough, warmth was seeping through the air due to the growing fire. The sizzling of sausages soon filled the room, attracting Damian and Bamf after a few minutes. The rest followed in a staggered pattern, hands grabbing for plates of food while they tried to blink the sleepy fog from their eyes. Their group ate in a comfortable silence while the sun slowly began to seep through the windows.
“We should inquire into purchasing mounts once we return.” Dovahkiin said, his deep voice filled with dread at the prospect of walking all the way to the assassin’s keep. Phoenix couldn’t help but nod in agreement. It would be a few days journey without horses, which was both inconvenient and tiring. Her calloused hands tightened into fists around her fork, her face wrinkling to form familiar stress lines. This would be a long journey.
She was right.
A half day into the journey, and she was already tempted to hurl herself off of the nearest cliff as an alternative to hearing Dovahkiin screech warbling songs from his tribe and Damian shamelessly attempting to seduce her with his awkward pick-up lines. The more disciplined of their group simply ignored them and continued walking in silence. Thanatos and Bamf talked in low voices as they lead the group, talking about strategy and other things that Phoenix did not understand.
“Dovahkiin, will you please just shut up!” Phoenix finally shouted, glaring up at the blue dragonborn. His dark brown eyes bore down on her as a frown tugged at his lips.
“You refused to sing for us to pass the time.” He replied as his massive hands clenched into fists, trying his best not to snap in response to her irate comment. It wasn’t a surprise that they were already very tired of one another’s company, and the fact that no assassins had popped out for them to let out their tension on.
“Unless you wish to pay me, I won’t be entertaining you.” She retorted whilst wrinkling her delicately curved nose. Damian, hearing the opportunity to say some sort of innuendo, hurried to match pace on Phoenix’s other side.
“What’s your rate?” He asked in a smooth voice, silently implying that the type of entertainment that she would be providing wouldn’t be so innocent. Her blue eyes darkened as they snapped over to glare at the handsome man. The thought of beating the man to death with her whips and various spells became a very tempting idea. She instead chose to simply grit her teeth and keep moving forward, only offering him a few biting words.
“Damian. Words cannot begin to describe my hatred of you.” She seethed, cheeks flushing with red blotches as she tried to keep herself from harming the man as Bamf cast a look behind him at her with a silent threat in his eyes. “I would sooner cut my own throat than sleep with you.”
With that, she hurried her pace so lessen the temptation of murdering him. As Damian opened his mouth to retort with yet another innuendo, Dovahkiin slapped him upside the head knowing that a physical fight would only hinder their progress.
They continued walking in silence, stopping only for short breaks or to make sure that they were going in the right direction. By the time night fell, all of them were sore and more than ready to sleep. They had a simply meal of rations, consisting of dried meat and rice boiled over a campfire, after they had set up camp. As they planned on leaving fairly early, they didn’t bother with tents and instead simply used bedrolls gathered around the smoldering fire. Phoenix volunteered for first watch, as she figured she would get a more consistent block of sleep if she got watch duty over with early.
Sitting on a rotting tree stump, she kept fairly lights casted around the circle of trees that they resided in to make sure that if someone chose to attack their camp. As the multi-colored lights bobbed up and down gently, Phoenix tried not to let their steady rhythm lull her to sleep.. She couldn’t help but yawn every few seconds, her eyelids growing heavier with each passing second. After what seemed like an eternity, Thanatos tapped her shoulder, startling her. They shared a few brief words before she slunk over to her bedroll and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
“The silver pool hidden away / cannot be found by light of day / what it is you seek to find / may only be revealed in time / look in me and you will see / what was, what is, and what comes to be.”
She squinted at the passage as though trying to decode a hidden meaning, her needlework long forgotten as she continued her research. Few would approve of what she was doing, but the call of adventure was far too great for her to resist.
A hand shaking her shoulder yanked her from the dream, bringing her back to present day as she shot up in her bedroll. Her joints were stiff and sore from both walking the prior day and sleeping on a thin bedroll that offered no little cushioning against the hard ground. Bamf stood over her with an odd look on his face.
“What is the reflecting pool?” He asked curiously, thick eyebrows furrowed. Phoenix realized with brief panic that she must have spoke in her sleep. She shook her head quickly and began to fix her frizzy braid. As her hands nimbly retaming her thick chestnut curls into a tight braid she gave a forced shrug.
“I don’t know. It was simply a dream.” She said after securing her braid. His gaze felt almost burning as he tried to detect signs of untruth. When he found none, he simply nodded and moved on to wake the others. Phoenix didn’t feel bad lying to him. It wasn’t as though they had none one another that long. She doubted she would ever trust any of them enough to tell them the truth of her past. An ache formed in her stomach at the thought, as she was reminded of the empty feeling that often resided in her chest.
“You look serious.” Thanatos commented as he rolled up his bedroom. She quickly turned her face away from him to hide the expression on her face and began to pack up her things as well.
“Only thinking about how I no longer have access to a hot bath.” She said delicately. It was another quick meal as the sun began to bleed through the trees before they continued on their way with heavy feet and weary minds.
“Dovahkiin, move!” Phoenix shouted as another figure dressed in black moved to attack the drunken dragonborn. His response was to flail in confusion, luckily cuffing one of the assassin’s face with one of his massive hands. The assassin in question stumbled backwards, clutching his now-broken nose with one hand while the other hand lashed out with a green-tinged dagger. Darius moved with a speed that one wouldn’t think possible in a middle-aged man and grabbed the back of the man’s tunic and slammed him against the ground. The other patrons in the bar began to shout in panic, hurrying for the front door. Whether more assassins blended into the fleeing crowd, nobody could be sure.
“Don’t touch that.” Darius barked as Damian and Phoenix approached the dagger that had fallen from one of the assassins’ hands. The two exchanged a look but back away from the weapon nonetheless. The tavern was silent and empty, save their small group, as they crowded around the fallen assassin. The man struggled in Darius’ strong grip, attempting to scramble away from them. In response, Darius slammed his foot down against the assassin’s leg. A resounding crack filled the empty bar, followed by a blood curdling scream. Phoenix found herself flinching and looking away from the scene, the excessive abuse of even someone such as this not being something that she enjoyed.
“Now then,” Darius said, his large dark eyes serious as he kneeled down by the man who was trying to stifle his screams through his teeth. “Who sent you to kill these people.” He gestured to their small group. Before an answer could be given, however, the assassin stretched his mouth open wide and slammed his teeth together. A small pop could be heard and a second later the assassin began to foam at the mouth, choking and spluttering before falling back against the wooden floor. His tan skin, tinged blue, twitched slightly as the final effects of whatever poison he had ingested took place.
“Damn it.” Bamf growled, slamming a hand down on the bar in frustration. Phoenix shared the feeling, as she suddenly felt a cold chill creep down her spine at the thought of someone having it out for her. Her mind was eased at the fact that she was not the only person being targeted, lessening a portion of her paranoia.
“Does he have any insignias or guild signs on him?” Damian questioned, squatting down by the body. He regarded it carefully, trying to figure out if it was safe to touch the body or not. His spell to detect magic came up empty, so it was unlikely that there would be any magical consequences of touching it. He gingerly lifted the dead man’s hand and peered at the insignia stamped into the dark glove. “Check it out. It looks like they were from an assassin’s guild.”
“What gave you that idea?” Phoenix replied dryly, causing Damian’s cheeks to flush an angry red. Before he could tell her off, however, Darius spoke up.
“This is a familiar symbol. It’s a local guild, I believe.” He observed before he walked over to the bar and withdrew a piece of parchment. After hastily scribbling something down, he snapped his fingers which caused it to disappear in a wisp of smoke. “I’ve sent a message out to one of my contacts, so hopefully we’ll have more information soon.”
“In the meantime,” Tibul’s gruff voice piped up from behind the bar, “relax and have a drink on the house.”
Dovahkiin and Bamf, though weary about the night’s proceedings, were never ones to turn down a free drink. Both of them hurried to the bar to the waiting pints of alcohol. Phoenix, Damian, and Thanatos however remained huddled around the body as the prospect of simply sitting around after an assassination attempt was torturous.
“Is he carrying anything?” Thanatos questioned as Damian began to rifle through the man’s cloak pockets. Damian frowned and didn’t reply as his hand had brushed against something. Pulling out a crumpled piece of parchment, the other two adventurers leaned closer to observe what he held.
“Coordinates.” Damian said, gazing down at the small bit of parchment in his hand. Neither Phoenix nor Thanatos understood what was written, but apparently Damian had some sort of background that involved navigating.
“That oughta come in handy.” A lazy voice observed from the bar. Phoenix had almost forgotten that Decs was there, which was odd since the bar was empty besides their group of comrades. Straightening up, she rested her hands on her hips as she stared levelly at Decs.
“Thank you for your assistance.” She said shortly, unwilling to be friendly with someone who was apparently much more than they seemed. She hadn’t expected him to confide in them all of his secrets and talents, but his unexpected skills in combat were unnerving to say the least. Decs only grinned at her hostility, his easygoing attitude unwavering.
“I like to drink here. I don’t like assassins killing my fellow drunkards.” He replied whilst running a hand through his fiery curls. Phoenix scoffed at the explanation but Thanatos nodded as though nothing made more sense. She could only huff and move to sit at the bar with Dovahkiin and Bamf as Damian asked Darius if he had a map that he could borrow.
“You’re in a particularly foul mood.” Dovahkiin wisely observed after taking a long swig from his foaming pint. Bamf chortled deeply into his drink at the look that Phoenix shot the dragonborn. It was true that this entire ordeal had ruined her good mood streak, as the last two weeks had been quite pleasant. She didn’t have to keep relocating from town to town, she had a warm room to sleep in, and had, dare she say it, friends. Although her grumpy and sarcastic demeanor towards them may suggest otherwise, she did find it refreshing to be in the company of those who tolerated her.
“I apologize that assassins put a damper on my mood.” Phoenix reported shortly, resting her elbow on the bar and firmly placing her chin into her hand as she glared at the racks of alcohol in front of them. A drink sounded heavenly right now, but she knew that if she began to drink she likely wouldn’t stop. “I’ll feel a lot better when we know who these people are and what they want with us.”
“We haven’t done anything very ‘assassination worthy’ in my opinion.” Dovahkiin said, pondering the jobs that they had recently took on. They had all been fairly mundane jobs, performing tasks for locals of the small city. The furthest they had ventured was the series of caves on the far edge of the southern woods. “Perhaps it is a personal vendetta?”
“Seems doubtful,” Bamf replied, his dark brown eyes staring deeply into his drink, “since those in our company are a bard, a ranger, a cleric, and then my brother and myself. And he and I have left our demons far behind us.”
“So you admit that you do have demons?” Dovahkiin pressed, his scaled forehead wrinkling deeply as he raised his eyebrows at Bamf.
“We all have our demons, Dovahkiin.” Phoenix finally said, wondering if she should have simply remained with Damian and Decs since this conversation was causing a knot to grow in her stomach. “I doubt that even you are without some sort of trouble that haunts you.”
“I only desire to find the killer of my clan.” Was his short reply.
“Perhaps someone doesn’t want you to find the killer.’ She then took a long drink of the water in front of her, slender fingers holding the cool glass tightly. None of them spoke for a few minutes after that, lost in thoughts of past lives and inner demons. For not a single one of them was without blame, guilt, or blood on their hands.
“I found it!” Damian’s voice cut through their silence, beckoning them over to where he sat with the parchment and a map of the city and surrounding area stretched out across the table. They all gathered around him, looking down at where he was pointing. “Right here on the edge of the northern wood is where the coordinates lead to. It must be some sort of meet up location or camp-”
“Or stronghold.” Bamf offered with a nod. Darius and Tibul exchanged a long look behind the bar as they watched the young adults begin to make plans of attack and infiltration, reminiscing to a time when that sort of thing was a daily routine.
“We will supply you with what you’ll need, but will remain here to continue researching who attacked you.” Darius informed them, his voice loud above their chatter. “You leave at dawn.”
Phoenix played idly with one of the shining twin daggers that she had received from the chest. Dovahkiin was delivering the golden orb to their contractor, leaving her with Bamf and Damian. The thief Alair had soon disappeared after snatching a pouch filled with coins from the chest. Darius and Tabul had once more offered them rooms free of charge if they felt as though they wanted to remain in town for a while longer. Phoenix’s heart swelled at the offer as she had not experienced this level in kindness for quite some time.
“It’s good luck to name your weapons.” Tabul said, nodding at the dagger she held while the other lay on the bar in front of her. She blinked at the comment, still slightly dazed from the blow to the head she took earlier that day although the wound had been healed, and looked down at the gleaming daggers in deep contemplation. Names had a certain power, so she was not going to be quick to give them just any names. Something that was a symbol to her.
“Regnaturi and Cadere.” She finally decided, twisting the silver blade in her hand and smiling slightly as the light glinted off of it. Bamf and Damian made their way over to join her at the bar, ordering a drink each. Phoenix’s features instantly turned cold at the sight of the twins, as one of them seemed to have an affinity for saying all of the wrong things, but Damian gave a laugh and held up his hands.
“Stand down, Phoenix. I’m not here to seduce you with my good looks.” He said, a wide grin plastered on his face. He brushed a stray black hair off of his forehead as he took a drink of his micro-brew before speaking again. “I’m here with a proposition.” Taking her silence as an invitation to continue, he leaned forward with an excited expression. “Let’s form a team.”
“A team?” Phoenix repeated wearily, raising an eyebrow at the offer.
“Yeah! We’ll be adventurers just like Darius and Tabul here were! There are plenty of small jobs people need done so that we can start off at the bottom and then-”
“You saw how our first job went.” Phoenix interjected dryly, but Damian waved her comment off.
“That was a fluke, there weren’t supposed to be orcs there. Darius told me it was just supposed to be giant spiders and a few goblins.” Damian replied energetically. “Look, I know we don’t know one another very well, but I think that use, Dovahkiin and the thief could-”
“The thief is gone.” She said, but he ignored her.
“-really make a name for ourselves! Just think about it!” He said, his aqua eyes sparkling at the very thought of it. Phoenix looked down at the dagger she had acquired and pursed her lips. Performing, although it was her passion, often didn’t pay for all of the things she needed. She couldn’t even count the days that she simply went without eating due to some cheap client who wouldn’t pay up. And Darius and Tabul surely didn’t seem like the type of people who would suddenly take advantage of their trusting nature. This seemed like a safe place, a some sort of haven. Her fingers brushed against her thin hips and hollow stomach. Perhaps...she could stay for just a few weeks before she moved on again.
“Alright. I’ll stay. For only a few weeks, at most.” Phoenix finally agreed, looking back up at the excited man. Damian grinned and motioned for Tabul to bring them drinks, which Phoenix waved off. She found that alcohol only made the mind muddled and confused, a state that she could never afford to be in. She found her delicately curved nose wrinkling at the pungent scent of alcohol as Dovahkiin stomped over, his last drink dripping from his thick lips.
“My friends! Has Lord Damian convinced you to stay and adventure with us?” Dovahkiin questioned, his alcohol-stained breath filling the air. Half-drunk, the dragonborn seemed far friendlier and more sociable. Phoenix felt her lips twitch upward involuntarily at his excited nature and nodded. He gave a loud ‘whoop’ before throwing an arm around her shoulders. She began to earnestly grin as she grabbed onto the bar with his full weight beginning to press on her shoulders. “I knew that you would-” He gave a quick hiccup, “say yes! We made a great team! Perhaps the monk and cleric will join us when they return!”
“Perhaps they will.” Phoenix laughed, pushing his arm off of her. Behind Damian, Bamf gave a low chuckle as he nursed his fourth drink that night. Spirits beginning to rise, she looked around at her new companions. Adventuring...she had never seen herself doing it, as she felt she was only a simple performer who dabbled with magic on occasion, but perhaps she could create some sort of living out of it. No worries or thoughts of dangers entered her mind as the four of them began to speak of the adventures they would surely embark on, treasures they would find, and the heroes that they wanted to become.
-----
“This was a terrible idea.” Phoenix lamented, laying in the grass outside of the hole that they had crawled out of only seconds before. Dovahkiin, who sat on the grass beside her, also breathing heavily, nodded in agreement. The cleric, Thanatos, was tending to a bite mark that had ripped through his robes, a deep frown set on his lips. His dark skin glistened with sweat under the warm autumn sun. Damian, still standing alongside his brother, looked down at the two of them with an exasperated expression.
“It was only a few dozen spiders!” He argued, looking slightly ridiculous as he waved his arms seeing as cobwebs from the cavern under them were stuck to his steely-grey tunic. Phoenix shuttered as she sat up and began to pull cobwebs from her own hair, their tendrils sticking to her hands.
It had only been around three weeks since they agreed to adventure together, and the only jobs that they could find for adventurers of their level were jobs that nobody else wanted. These jobs included, but were not limited to, cleaning out caverns of spiders, retrieving someone’s lost pet, escorting a paranoid noble to the market, and defending a farm against goblins that were more pesky than dangerous. While they had been getting paid for these jobs, it certainly wasn’t what any of them was expecting adventuring to be.
“Let’s just go back to the bar.” Phoenix said with a sigh, giving up on detangling her long curls from the cobwebs. As none of them had yet to learn portal magic, despite having access to Darius’s extensive library, they were stuck walking back to their temporary home. Darius and Tabul had been kind enough to not charge them for their rooms, having them only pay for their meals and the barrels of alcohol that Dovahkiin and Bamf seemed to consume every night.
Phoenix had yet to get used to their continued kindness, although she very much appreciated it. When she questioned why the two of them were being so accommodating, Darius only told her that he wished that someone had been there to help them when the two of them began adventuring with their group of allies. She was content with the answer, but still found herself being surprised as they continued to offer them advice, training, and even new weapons. Her now lightly-tanned hands brushed against the whips that were looped around the belt she had slung around her waist. At the moment they were slicked with gooey spider blood, but she had to admit that she felt much more in her element fighting with them as opposed to her daggers.
Damian noticed her fiddling with the end of her new weapons, a scowl coming over his lips. Darius had enchanted his arrows so that he could direct the majority of his spells through them when he fired them, but the blacksmith had spent painstaking hours over Phoenix’s silver whips and Dovahkiin’s new twin war hammers that matched Darius’s. He couldn’t help the simmering words that rested on his tongue every time he saw the gleaming weapons. His face twisted into an uncharming expression for a brief moment before smoothing out once more. Phoenix noticed his change of demeanor and found herself instinctively shifting away from him as they continued on their way back.
Her fingers fell away from her whips and instead rested on the tight leather pants she had bought a week ago with her new earnings. Although she knew she should simply be saving as much as possible before she moved on to a new town, she couldn’t help but splurge on a few new outfits. She justified this fact due to her body was beginning to return to a normal size, and that her self-mended outfits were no longer suitable for wearing. As she once more was able to fill out her tops and dresses, she found herself tearing out more and more stitches that she had been forced sew into her clothing so that they would be wearable on her once starved body.
Not only was her body returning to normal, due to having at least three meals per day, she found that her mood was far better than it had been for a long time. She found her stomach hurting from laughing at some crude, yet funny joke Dovahkiin had made on almost a nightly basis. She listened with sympathy as Thanatos described the relic left to him by his dead father, the pain still fresh in his heart. Even Bamf became more talkative, drinking heavily alongside Dovahkiin. It was surprising how much the man could drink, as he was keeping up with a dragonborn. The past few weeks, despite the unpleasant tasks they continued to complete, had been refreshing. It had been far too long since Phoenix had created any sort of emotional connection with other living beings.
“Welcome back.” Tabul greeted from behind the bar as their group entered the bar. Bamf and Dovahkiin made their way straight over to the bar, eager to quench their thirsts with one of Tabul’s microbrews. Damian on the other hand, a deep frown still set on his lips, chose to sit by himself at a table near the stage where a bard was in the midst of telling a tale. Phoenix found herself rolling her eyes at his behavior and debated whether it was worth going over to talk with him. Before she could decide, another man around their age strolled over to where Damian sat. The two seemed to share a few brief words, whatever being said causing Damian to grin. A bemused expression came across Phoenix’s face as she observed their interaction. What could this stranger possibly be saying to cheer up the moody sorceror. She walked over, attempting to be casual as she began to hear pieces of their conversation.
“-than a long game of cards.” The stranger was finishing saying, a grin on his lips. As he shifted his arms so that they rested on the table, Phoenix found herself staring at his arms. Tattooes of playing cards winded up and down his arms, boldly standing out against his creamy skin. Stormy grey eyes looked up at her from under shaggy red hair, regarding her with a friendly grin on his face, “Would you care to join us, darling?”
Phoenix blinked blankly at the statement as Damian turned to look at her with narrowed eyes. She supposed she shouldn’t have really come to pry into what he was doing, as it wasn’t her business, but she honestly didn’t care. “Er, I guess I could join. I haven’t played cards in some time,” she took a seat across from Damian with a shrug, “but perhaps I won’t be as bad as I expect to be.”
“That’s the spirit!” The man replied cheerfully, reaching into his bag and withdrawing a thick stack of playing cards. Leaning back in his chair, he began to shuffle the cards, “My name is Decs, in case you were wondering.” He began to deal out cards, two to each person. One card was face up, while the other faced down. Phoenix instantly recognized the game as Blackjack.
“Damian.”
“I’m Phoenix.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Damian and Phoenix.” Decs said, looking at his bottom card for a moment with a smile. Phoenix didn’t reply, choosing instead to give the man a long look before she looked down at her own cards. A four and an ace. Whatever cards Damian had caused him to grin “Before we continue, there is something I need to do.”
Alarmed, Phoenix and Damian both looked up at Decs. Phoenix’s hands began to inch to her whips, eyes not leaving Decs’ as he continued to look down at the cards in front of him. Her eyes moved to look at Damian’s, a moment of understanding passing between them, before they looked at Decs once more. “What exactly do you need to do?”
Finally looking up from his cards with a sly expression, his almond-shaped eyes looking at something behind the two of them. Tilting his head slightly, he looking back at the two of them as the tattooes on his arms began to glow.
He moved so quickly that his movements were a blur. One moment he was sitting, the next he was standing and throwing glowing blue cards toward the two adventurers. The cards of energy flew past the two of them, not so much as clipping their ears, and embedded themselves in someone behind them. The two of them stood and whipped around to watch the two men dressed in black fall to the floor.
“It’s dark.” Altair was quick to point out as they entered the cave. Phoenix rolled her eyes at his brilliant statement before throwing out her hand to cast the spell ‘fairy lights’. Slowly, delicate lights began to bloom down the tunnel, leading them deeper and deeper underground. The five adventurers delved into the cave wearily, weapons clutched tightly in their hands. Damian kept his bow notched and ready in his hand, prepared to shoot at whatever dared move. Lord Bamf drew a spear and kept his bright blue eyes trained on the space in front of them. Phoenix took the lead next to Dovahkiin, a dagger in hand as she moved forward.
“It’s been too peaceful for my tastes.” Dovahkiin grumbled, blue scales turning a ghastly grey under the light of the fairy lights. Phoenix gave him an exasperated look at his bloodlust, as she was grateful for the lack of fighting. It might be good practice, but it was more appealing to simply accomplish the mission without any hitches. All she wanted was to get the item, get out, and have enough gold to have a roof to sleep under for at least a week. Dovahkiin’s glowing yellow eyes met hers in the darkness as a scowl formed on his lips. “All I am saying is that I-”
He was cut off by something dark and furry dropping down from the ceiling in front of them. Phoenix gave an earsplitting shriek as the creature stepped into the glow of her fairy lights. A giant spider, its fangs dripping with venom, hissed before lunging at her petrified form. She wasn’t normally afraid of arachnids, but amplify any sort of creature with more than four furry legs, and it was likely to frighten anyone. Dovahkiin gave a roar of happiness before swinging down his banana-shaped sword and slicing the creature in half.
“Get in the spirit, Phoenix!” He shouted merrily swinging his sword at another spider. She made a noise of discomfort before she sliced at a nearby spider. It raised one furry leg in defense, causing her to cringe in repulsion and miss her target. The spider made a growling noise before springing at her. She grimaced and held out her dagger to block it, but found an arrow impaling it before it reached her.
“Did someone call for a knight in shining armor?” Damian called, moving to her side with an arrow pulled taunt. He shot her a charming smile, striking to what she supposed was a heroic pose. Unamused and unimpressed, she turned away from him.
“Don’t talk to me.” She replied before lunging for another spider, as fighting them seemed more appealing than continuing speaking with the man. Damian’s face fell at the blatant rejection, as it was not the reaction he typically got, as he let an arrow fly, it completely missing its target and bouncing harmlessly off of the cave walls. His brother moved in front of him to spear an attacking spider as it seemed that the emotional damage that Damian took rattled him.
“I know see why you were drinking alone last night.” Altair muttered as he held his own against a group of two spiders. Phoenix sneered at the red-eyed teifling in response, as she knew and accepted the fact that she was not someone who made friends as easily as she once did. It took only a few minutes for the group to dispatch the attacking spiders before they were left in an empty cavern with only their enemies’ corpses. Dovahkiin looked around for a moment at the empty cavern for a moment, deciding that it was safe to move on. Phoenix carefully stepped over the oozing corpses on the floor with a look of disgust on her face, following Dovahkiin as he continued through the underground path. She once against cast fairy lights, guiding them further into the cave.
The deeper they went, the more inky the darkness around them became. The temperature seemed to drop with every step they took, causing a few of them to begin to wrap their cloaks closer around them. As Damian and Bamf took out torches to use, as the fairy lights were becoming dim, Phoenix took the opportunity to take a long drink from her water canteen. A musty scent had filled her nose, consequently giving her an odd taste on her tongue. This cavern had clearly been deserted for some time, judging by the dry and dusty state along with the giant cobwebs that they continued to run into. She was curious as to what exactly they would find at the end of this seemingly unending tunnel. As a kind of reassurance, she reached up to fiddle with the necklace she wore. The constant comforted her, as it had been something that she had always kept with her. They walked in complete silence, for how long Phoenix couldn’t say. It seemed like hours upon hours. Perhaps it would be the next day already when they exited the cave.
“Perhaps I could hold your hand, Phoenix.”
“Only if you want to lose it, Damian.”
“I see light!” Lord Bamf suddenly shouted, pointing ahead to a speck of light. The adventurous began to hurry forward at the prospect of getting out of this cave. Phoenix pursed her lips as they made their way toward the light, trying to remember if the tunnel had sloped up at all during their journey. Although she found herself not minding, as long as they got to breath in some fresh air soon.
As they got closer, the group realized that no fresh air was blowing from the light-source. Cautiously, the slowed their pace and paused at the entrance, allowing their eyes to adjust to the light. Once they were all able to see once more, due to the numerous torches that lined the circular chamber in front of them, they all came to a sudden halt.
“Are those…” Phoenix began to whisper, trailing off as she gripped her dagger tightly.
“Orcs.” Altair finished her sentence as seven blood-red eyes locked on the five of them. A chorus of excited rumbles arose from the orcs as they all drew wicked-looking swords off of their backs. Phoenix looked behind them in bewilderment, wondering how the tunnels had looked as though this place was abandoned whilst there were orcs waiting for them here. It was as if the orcs had been expecting them…before she could think about this theory any further, one of the orcs lunged forward at Dovahkiin, apparently taking him to be the greatest threat out of their group.
Dovahkiin gave a booming laugh before responding by parrying with one of his mighty battle axes. Shoving the orc back into his companions, Dovahkiin reeled his head back, inhaling deeply before throwing his head forward and releasing a stream of lightning into the group of orcs. The creatures began to shriek as the lightning coursed through their body, knocking a few of them off of their feet. The blue dragonborn’s companions stood with expressions of both awe and surprise for a moment, taking away their attack of opportunity on the disoriented orcs. Bamf lunged forward after shaking his head to clear it, jabbing his spear into the shoulder of one orc. The creature yelled in outrage before responding by slashing at Bamf’s face. The tan man threw himself backwards, the blade only nicking the end of his long nose.
Phoenix was the next to join the battle, leaving Damian and Altair to provide them with support with their respective ranged weapons. She rushed forward with her dagger aiming for the nearest orc’s abdomen. As it was still dazed from the lightning strike, she managed to hit her mark. Its blackish blood sprayed over her face, blinding her for a few seconds as she yanked her dagger out and stepped backwards to wipe the vile smelling substance off of her face..
Altair turned to aim his arrow at the orc she had been fighting, shooting a bolt into its shoulder. One of its companions came to its aid, aiming to stab Phoenix just as she reopened her eyes. With a huff, she managed to redirect the shot to her heart to graze off of her shoulder. Nothing a simple healing spell wouldn’t fix. Damain began to fire arrow after arrow at the orcs, missing his target more often than hitting it. Frowning, he drew back another arrow, taking note of his dwindling supply. His took a deep breath, closing his eyes and concentrating all magical energy on the tip of his arrow. As he reopened his eyes, he sharply exhaled and released the arrow.
As if in slow motion the arrow gave a flash of deep purple, transforming itself into three magic missiles, two of which drilled into the orc that Phoenix and Altair had injured while the other smashed into one of the cave walls. The orc was blasted backwards, landing against the opposite wall with a thud, and did not get up again. There was a moment of deep pride in Damian, as he smirked at the fallen orc…and then chunks of the ceiling began to rain from above them.
Phoenix began to say every vile curse that she had learned during her travels as she rolled out of the way of one of the falling rocks, knocking into Dovahkiin as he began to lose his balance. The large dragonborn fell to the ground with a resounding crash, bashing his head against the unyielding stone floor. Bamf used his shield to keep from being injured, grunting as large rocks dented the metal and pressed down upon him. Once the cave had stopped falling apart, both groups were left disoriented and confused as they looked around the partially destroyed cavern. The orcs, to the adventurer’s misfortune, recovered before they did. One took the opportunity to drive its blade into Dovahkiin’s leg while another orc bashed the blunt side of his sword into Phoenix’s skull. Vision blurred and head pounding, she rolled out of the way of another attack. Damian aimed another arrow at one of the remaining six orcs, his panicked aim managing to catch one in the arm.
Bamf, apparently used to his brother’s misfortune, sprung to action and began to stab at the orcs with his spear once more. Although he was large in stature, unlike his lean brother, he moved with a sort of grace through the ranks of the orcs. Phoenix, forcing herself out of her daze put a hand to her head and winced as it came back stained with red. She didn’t have many takes on her healing spell left, so she had to use it sparingly. Scooping up her fallen dagger, she managed to sloppily dance her way around the orcs to get to the fallen Dovahkiin.
“I’m going to heal your leg, but it may sting a bit.” She warned, eyeing the giant gash that marred his leg. Her ears still rang from the blow she took minutes ago, but she figured that shouldn’t alter her from healing him. He looked over at her with an expression that suggested that he had endured far worse as she leaned over his leg. Damian moved to cover them while Altair remained by the exit. Leaning over the wound, Phoenix observed the gouge for a moment. Bone could be seen, although it didn’t look like the bone itself had been marred. This made her job all the more easier. Holding a hand over the wound, she cast the last healing spell she would be able to muster that day, effectively sealing the wound. “You’ll want to get further assist-”
She was cut off by Dovahkiin raising his ax and blocking an attack aimed for the back of her head. Gratefully Phoenix sent him a grin before driving her dagger between the chinks in the creature’s armor and into its chest. It crumpled in front of them as she yanked her weapon back. The duo stood up and began to engage in the fight once more with the remaining five orcs.
One, dressed in finer armor than the others, stepped forward towards her and Dovahkiin, swiftly attacking with his fine sword. Phoenix ducked to the side as Dovahiin swung with his large ax, missing and hitting only the empty air over the orc’s head. The orc smirked and drove his blade forward, aiming for Dovahkiin’s exposed stomach. On pure instinct, Phoenix moved to counter the attack with her dagger, not realizing how much force was behind the attack until she watched as her dagger shattered into fragments.
“Damn.” She muttered as she jumped back from another attack from the finely dressed orc. Tossing aside her broken dagger and instead grabbing her crossbow, she moved back near Damian to begin assisting from the back. Bamf and Dovahkiin took positions in front of the three providing ranged support, but they all found the fear that at least one of them would not be walking out of here.
“I knew it was a good idea to follow them.”
The five adventurers jumped as two shadows rushed past them, one large and hulking while the other was small and stocky. Darius and Tabul, looking exhilarated to be back in the heat of battle, jumped into the group of five orcs. Darius kneeled down and put up his great silver shield, which Tabul promptly planted a foot on and launched himself into the air. While most of the orcs became concerned with the flying dwarf, Darius took the opportunity to begin hacking at the nearest orc. Tabul came down on the finely dressed orc, swinging his ax down to embed it in its head. Within a matter of seconds, Darius and Tabul managed to do what the new adventurers had spent nearly three quarters of an hour trying to do. Once the cavern was clear of any more enemies, Darius and Tabul turned around with broad grins on their faces.
“We could have handled that on our own.” Dovahkiin mumbled with a suddenly downtrodden look on his face. The two old adventurous began laughing at that comment, causing his blue-scaled cheeks to flush a dark navy. Phoenix simply sighed in relief that they no longer had to face what was beginning to look like certain death. She probed the throbbing wound on the side of her head, finding only a small cut being the source of all of the blood on her hand.
“We just came to make sure that you all didn’t die on your first quest.” Tabul chuckled throatily, reaching into his bag and extracting a crystalline orb. “We’ve brought a portal with us as well so you won’t have to walk all of the way back. We figured that you lot would have used enough energy fighting whatever waited in here.”
“Thank you.” Phoenix said, a grateful smile now adorning her lips. First saving them and then giving them an alternative to enduring a long walk back to the bar…Darius and Tabul were proving to be more valuable allies than she could have imagined. Her eyes drifted over to the chest against the far wall. “Let’s grab the chest and go. We’ll sort out the things inside once we get back.”
Nobody could argue with the prospect of being back at the bar sooner rather than later, and quickly snapped into action. Tabul smashed the orb against the floor, creating a swirling blue portal that gave a watery image of the bar. Dovahkiin carrying the chest, they all stepped through the portal and breathed better as the smell of oak and alcohol filled their noses.
The next morning Phoenix woke up before anyone else did. She reluctantly dragged herself out of the comfortable bed that seemed to wrap around her and hold her down among the warm blankets and pillows. She dressed in her usual clothing, a tunic and trousers, before she made her way downstairs to the bar. As tempting as it was to linger in the room and browse through the books left in her room, she knew she had to get ready to leave for the quest. A few early risers and a few drunken stragglers wandered around the now quiet tavern. Taking a seat at a vacant table and yawning, she ordered a bit of breakfast and waited for her companions to join her. A few minutes later, Darius wandered over at the sight of her looking as though he had bad news.
“I have a message for you.” He said, looking a tad bit grim. She looked at him wearily, her eyes still muddled with sleep as she tried to wake up. “Your monk friend, Asur, was called back to the temple. It is just going to be you three.”
“Well, of all the luck.” Phoenix muttered to herself with an unhappy expression. If she had any doubts about their ability to complete this quest the night prior, they were just doubled. “Thank you for informing me, Darius.”
He nodded and walked away, most likely to engage Tabul in a conversation. Phoenix sat back in her chair and thought about what they were going to do on this quest. They were down by one number, and the chances of three inexperienced adventurers getting in and out of this mysterious cave unharmed was very low. She picked at the meal in front of her and let her eyes wander about the sturdy wooden establishment. Mixed with the smell of alcohol and un-bathed men was the smell of oak, a safe a familiar smell. She sighed at a memory that assaulted her and responded to the said memory by attacking her meal more viciously.
“Good morning, Phoenix.”
It was Dovahkiin, woken and refreshed. He sat next to her and proceeded to order breakfast with her. She informed him of the current situation with a frown on her lips. A crease had formed on the dragonborn’s forehead, showing that he was troubled by this as well. What were they going to do? He suggested finding another person to adventure with them, and Phoenix agreed with him. Eventually the thief dragged himself from his room and sleepily made his way down to them with an obvious hangover. They filled him in on what was going on as he sat, drinking a small glass of gin. Phoenix had glared at him when he ordered. Drinking before a quest wasn’t the best course of action, especially if their numbers were limited.
“How are we to find a companion on such short notice?” Altair questioned lazily, leisurely leaning back in his chair. Dovahkiin watch him with the hope that he would tip the chair too far and fall backwards.
Darius seemed to conjure up a solution within a matter of seconds as they began to discuss the matter, returning to the bar with a man who was only a few inches shorter than him. A hood shrouded his face from their view as he sat down at the table with them without a word. His broad shoulders almost matched the amount of space that the dragonborn took up.
“This is Thanatos, and he can help you. He is a cleric who has been treating an outbreak of illness near here.” He introduced the man who remained silent. Thanatos was slightly intimidating, kind of brooding and quiet, but in a lesser sense than Dovahkiin was. He had more of an aura of tranquility about him. The man obviously had a bit of elf in him due to the pointed ears he revealed as he let his hood fall back. Emerald eyes took in each one of them as he stared at each of them individually before he began to speak.
“Have you heard about our savior, Taurn?” He finally questioned in a smooth voice. Phoenix couldn’t help but giggle, but had to duck her beneath the table under the pretense that she dropped her fork to regain her composure after she received a very scary look from the cleric. That was certainly not what she expected him to say. Dovahkiin seemed slightly interested while Altair couldn’t care less. Darius patted him on the back with a grin before walking away. Phoenix re-emerged from under the table with red cheeks and a grin of her own.
“So Thanatos. Are you prepared to leave soon?” Dovahkiin asked, resting his arms on the table. Thanatos replied with a nod, letting his eyes slip over to Phoenix. An expression of slight disgust and humor slipped onto his face.
“Woman. What are you still doing here?” He asked. Phoenix looked at him with shock evident in her features. Her grin quickly faded into a look of disgust at his comment, her hand clenching her fork as though she would like very much to drive it into his eye.
“Why would I not be here?” She replied slowly, daring him to say anything further about her gender. Thanatos’ expression remained neutral as he stared at her for a moment, his strong jaw becoming tense for a moment.
“You are a woman. Women do not belong on quests. Go get me another drink, wench.” His expression melted into one of boredom as he said this, eyes lazily wandering from the furious girl’s form back to Dovahkiin. Phoenix immediately stood up and slammed her hands down on the table, one snatching the knife off of the table and pointing it at him.
“I’d recommend you silence yourself before I cut out your tongue.” She snarled with wild fury radiating off of her. Her temper was short and wild, able to be set off by just the right words. His shock at her venom-saturated words was only displayed by a raised eyebrow.
“I refuse to go on a quest with a woman present.”
“You will just have to deal with it.”
“No.”
“We can find someone else just fine.” Phoenix threatened, turning her gaze to Darius who replied with a shrug. “I can’t quest with the likes of him.”
“I’d recommend you show her a bit of respect. She can be quite biting.” Dovahkiin murmured to Thanatos, the memory of the previous night coming to his mind. “I assure you that she can defend herself just fine.”
“Very well, then. I’m not happy about this, but I will not raise the subject again.” The half-elf responded with a blank look, as though he simply did not feel like arguing any further rather than he actually believed she could defend herself. Phoenix turned her fiery glare back to him before sitting down quietly, keeping her gaze firmly on the cleric in front of her. She didn’t feel comfortable putting her trust in any of them, least of all this cleric.
“Shall we leave soon then?” Altair questioned as though the whole ordeal bored him. Dovahkiin nodded. The cleric then had a most peculiar feeling, the feeling of being watched intently. He ignored Phoenix’s continued glare and looked around. His brown orbs landed on a hooded figure that stood a ways away watching them. Casually, he turned back around and mumbled to the group that he would return shortly. He stood up and made his way over to the figure, Phoenix’s eyes following him as he went.
“Have you been watching us, good sir?” He asked the figure, his voice echoing back over to the table.
“You have no idea if I’m a ‘good’ sir or not.” The man chuckled darkly. Thanatos took another look at the man and deduced that he was dressed in the apparel of a thief. Without any further conversation, Thanatos bowed his head and returned to the table.
“Who was he?” Phoenix asked, curiosity burning through her pact of simmering silence. Her curiosity burned far greater than her anger in that moment. The Dovahkiin and Altair were arguing amongst themselves while the two of them looked over at the man. Phoenix’s lips pursed as Thanatos was silent. With a glance of disdain at Phoenix, Thanatos gave her a reply with his eyes wandering back to the man.
“As long as he does not interfere with our quest, it does not matter to me.” Thanatos rumbled, standing up and grabbing the bag off of the back of his chair with a swipe of his large hand. The three others exchanged a glance before standing up as well. “Get your supplies and we will begin our quest.”
---
Six Hours Later
“Large pus-filled sores all along their backs.” Thanatos was explaining as they trudged through the forest. Dovahkiin was listening intently to the half-elven cleric, his confusion evident on his face. The tiefling was moping a good five feet away from the group of three adventurers, his dark pink skin hidden behind his thick cloak. Phoenix was half-listening to Thanatos while her eyes lazily roamed the forest which they walked through. It had been a fairly uneventful day, and her legs were protesting with every step as they made their way deeper into the forest. She was not used to this kind of exercise, as she tended to only stay in shape enough so that she could perform. The most exciting thing was Dovahkiin threatening to shove Altair into a tree stump if he didn’t stop muttering under his breath.
“Do you hear that?” Thanatos suddenly questioned, coming to a sudden stop and gazing around the foliage around them. Phoenix swore under her breath as Dovahkiin also came to a halt, causing her to run into his back. She scowled at him, but found herself looking around with the other three. The adventurers prepared themselves for a fight as their eyes darted around the trees.
There was a beat of silence.
And then an arrow whizzed out of the trees and hit it’s mark in Phoenix’s shoulder, causing the others to jump. Dovahkiin was the first to react, withdrawing his mighty banana sword and stomping towards the source of the arrow. Five goblins emerged from the trees, crossbows in their withered hands. Thanatos held out one of his hands and blasted a goblin away with a simple spell while Altair chose to instead run for the nearest shrubbery and hide behind it. Phoenix ripped the arrow out of her shoulder with a muffled grunt and pulled her crossbow off of her back. A steady stream of blood began to stain her shirt much to her annoyance as she loaded an arrow. After taking careful aim, she took a shot that unfortunately missed.
Another volley of arrows flew towards the group, none of them reaching their targets. Dovahkiin drew back his sword and cut down one goblin while Altair shot one from his spot in the bushes. Another shot from Phoenix hit one of the two remaining goblins, leaving one standing. It attempted to shoot an arrow at Thanatos, but made a horrified noise as his bowstring snapped. Dovahkiin lumbered over with a laugh and swung his sword at the creature, embarrassingly enough, missing. Thanatos withdrew his own sword and moved forward to attack, but jumped backwards as an arrow flew out of Altair's hiding place and caught it in its chest. There were a few beats of silence as the group processed what had just happened. It was Altair beginning to loot the bodies that drew them out of their reverie and prompted them to begin to congratulate one another. As they joined the thief in looting, each of them gaining a few gold and leaving the cheap weapons with the bodies. Phoenix performed a simple healing spell that she had picked up from her time as a bard as they looked around the clearing for any more goblins that might appear.
“That was a brave battle.” Dovahkiin rumbled, his razor sharp teeth showing as he grinned broadly. Thanatos chuckled at him and patted him on the shoulder whilst assuring him that Taurn had blessed them during this fight. Phoenix stood from the body that she had just finished looting, a few gold and bronze coins in her hand, and squinted at the setting sun.
“We need to make camp before dark.” She stated after a few seconds, turning to the men as they began to reenact the fight with their weapons stained with the dark blood of their fallen enemies. The three men paused and looked over at her unamused expression before sheathing their weapons once more and making various signs of agreement.
“We can make camp a good hundred yards in that direction.” Dovahkiin pointed north, his eyes focused on the ground on something that none of the others could see. “There should be a water source over there.”
The three other adventurers shared a look behind the dragonborn’s back before cautiously agreeing with his plan, despite not knowing how he came across this knowledge. They figured that him being a ranger had something to do with his knowledge of the land. So they followed him without complaint until they came across the promised stream. There they began to set up camp, each setting up their respective tent before sharing brief conversation over dinner and retreating to their makeshift rooms to sleep. Throughout the night, nothing disturbed their sleep outside of a rabbit scurrying across their camp late into the night. In the morning, however, the adventurers were in for a surprise.
Phoenix awoke first, as was becoming tradition, and rubbed her eyes drowsily. She rolled up her sleeping roll before she figured that she should start a fire before the others woke up so it would be ready for them to make breakfast. Yawning, she pushed her way out of the tent, shivering as the morning air caressed her bare legs. Perhaps wearing her silk nightgown while adventuring was impractical, but she would be damned if she didn’t have a little bit of luxury with her.
“You’re a bit far from heaven for an angel.” A strange man purred as Phoenix walked outside of her tent. She blinked for a few seconds, sleepily observing the two men sitting on logs across a crackling campfire, before diving back into her tent with an outraged shriek that woke up Dovahkiin and Altair. Both male adventurers emerged with weapons drawn and aimed at the two newcomers. The two men sitting at the campfire stood up and drew their own weapons. There was a moment of confused shouting before Darius walked into the clearing with an amused look on his face and a bucket of water in his hand.
“Dovahkiin, Altair, calm yourselves. This are Lords Bamf and Damian Vortex. Thanatos was called to another town for his healing capabilities,” The large man explained, stepping between the two groups that now had weapons drawn, “so they will be finishing this quest with you, since it appears you have trouble keeping an adventuring group together. Where is Phoenix?”
“Here.” The bard called, reemerging in her armor instead of her silk nightgown. Her sharp chocolate eyes locked on the one who had referred to her as ‘angel’ with an unsaid promise to cut his most prized parts off if he dared speak to her like that again. The man in question ignored her glare and chose to wink at her, startling blue eyes twinkling with amusement. The situation was once again explained which did little to calm the rage-filled Phoenix, but by the time Darius left they were all on the same page.
“Shall we continue to the cave? Darius informed us that it was just over that ridge.” Lord Bamf said whilst pointing through a seemingly random grove of trees and shrubbery. Everyone nodded in agreement before beginning to pack up their things and following Bamf. It had only been a quarter of an hour when they finally reached the cave.
She called herself Phoenix. Of course, that was not her given name.
But nobody needed to know the chestnut-haired woman's true name as she stepped inside a pub, creatively named Darius & Tabul's. A rueful smirk rested on her lips as she pushed her way through the milling crowd that was beginning to form. It was unlikely that she would have much time to drink with them after she performed. After all, that was her profession. As a bard, she was to ensure that the patrons of the taverns she performed in were happy in their drunken state. Pushing through a door next to the wide wooden stage, she entered into a world full of colorful clothing, out of key instruments, and thick powder being applied to the faces of both males and females.
Setting her pack down in a relatively secluded corner, Phoenix began to unabashedly strip out of her simple dress and into a more extravagant outfit. Being a performer entailed losing the privilege of privacy, something she had learned quickly after her first few days of being a bard. Nobody cared to stare as she tugged the rough, yet shining, golden fabric over her creamy skin, her fingers pausing at her hips and noting that they had once again shrunk since the last time she wore the dress. A sigh made up of one part disappointment and two parts frustration left her lips as she let go of the fabric, letting it hang loosely off of her figure. It hadn't helped that her last employer had failed to pay her for her services after she refused to sleep with one of his patrons.
"You're on, girlie." Someone called from the corner of the stage. She quickly patted powder that was mainly made up of flour over her already pallard complexion and brushed rouge over her cheekbones before she hurried over to the side of the stage where a man was finishing a ballad about a man whose love fled from him in the night.
And though he gave her silver and gold,
His tall walls sheltering her from the cold,
The maiden fled from his side as his slept
The midnight wind, away with her swept.
Phoenix scowled at the well-known ballad, leaning against the wall whilst keeping herself hidden in the shadows as the young man stood, bowed, and finally retreated backstage. Grasping her wispy ribbons tightly in her hands, the willowy girl stepped onto the stage and nodded to the trio of musicians sitting slightly off-stage to her left. The slow and intense piece began with the violin, prompting Phoenix to delicately place her foot in front of her and raise her arms slowly above her head. The light ribbons clutched tightly in each hand brushed against her ankles as she began to move to the increasing tempo. Her limbs moved fluidly as her limber body told the story that the music invited her to tell. Dancing had always come naturally to her, as naturally as breathing. She could feel the music in her bones, the melodies entwining with her very being and allowing her to let go of every woe and trouble that dared cross her mind. Her parents had her dabble in playing the violin, singing, or even painting, but she had been nothing more than average at all of those. Dancing was the only thing she found herself excelling at, the only thing she knew that she couldn't possibly live without.
She paused in her movements as shouting reached her ears, pulling her from the trance that she was under. Her lips twitched down in annoyance before she fell back into step with the music, her eyes watching as there was an altercation between a dragonborn, a human monk, and a tiefling dressed in black. She rolled her eyes briefly as she became immersed in the music once more. Phoenix brushed her left foot across the floor as the tempo began to slow, bringing it to a stop behind her ankle as the final notes of the fiddle faded out into silence. There was a light round of clapping from those who were not piss-drunk, prompting her to step lightly backstage once more.
She was finished performing until tomorrow, prompting her to shove her things unceremoniously into her bag and head out to one of the tables that were scattered around the bar. The bar was admittedly far nicer than any of the taverns she had played in prior to this, despite it not being a place where aristocrats would come to drink. The walls were made of a thick dark oak, the tables and bar complimenting the darker walls as they were only a few shades lighter than the walls. She managed to find an empty table, clutching her gin close to her body as she maneuvered the crowd, close to where the fighting trio now sat by the command of the owner, and couldn't help eavesdropping on their conversation.
"I believe you owe my friend a new drink."
"I believe I owe him nothing but a knife to the throat for getting me into trouble."
A snort escaped Phoenix's lips at that comment, gaining the attention of the three men. The monk's lips curled back into a mocking grin as he began to leer at her.
"I suppose you have an opinion?" He asked sarcastically, propping his chin up on a tan hand. His dark eyes watched from under his hood as she shifted in her chair to look back at them fully, meeting her own deep blue ones evenly. They looked one another up and down, silently sizing the other up.
"Oh, I do." Phoenix replied loftily, raising her drink to her lips. "But of course, who am I to comment on the relationship between you three? Feel free to go about your business."
"Huh, I'm surprised that a woman of your..." He looked at her up and down with a slight smirk resting on his thin lips, "stature would be able to keep her mouth shut. I find that beggars are the ones with the loudest opinions."
The brunette stiffened suddenly, her eyes flashing with irritation, and made her way to the empty stage, climbing up to stand in front of the tavern. Phoenix waved off the string quartet that was playing and coughed to gain the attention of the patrons of the bar.
"Attention. There is something I'd like to say." She announced, her voice easily carrying over the chatter that resounded around the vast space. Something began to lace into her voice, making the next words that she spoke even more biting than they already were. Vicious mockery, one of the first spells she had learned, would prove to be useful in this situation. "Monk, I watched you when you came in. Are you so alone in your monastery that you have to reside with the company of men instead of women? You made no advances on anyone but the dragonborn. I have no issue with that, of course, but perhaps this announcement will ward away any women who may have mistaken your kindness as desire."
Her speech earned a round of laughter from around the tavern, which she responded to with a slight bow at her waist before she hopped down and returned to her table. She sat once more and raised her glass in a silent toast to the trio, a smirk playing on her lips once more. The thief was grumpily staring off into space with his arms crossed across his chest, Dovahkiin wore an expression mixed between humor, anger, and embarrassment, but Asur's face was unexpected. Eyes crinkled in humor, he was chuckling slightly as she approached.
"That was a very nice performance." He complimented with a faint smile replacing the nasty look that was once on his face. Phoenix scowled at the fact that he found her words amusing instead of offensive. "Why don't you come and join us."
She deliberated for a moment, trying to sense any alternative motives other than simply sharing a drink with the trio, but stood up and joined them nevertheless. She discarded her empty drink and moved a chair to their table. Sitting on the backwards chair, she glanced around at them with an appraising look while resting her arms on the back of her chair.
"My name is Asur. This is Dovahkiin and Altair the Theif." He introduced everyone with a wave of his hand before giving her a charming look, all hostility seemingly melted away. "Might we have your name, milady?"
"Phoenix." She replied shortly after a second, feeling uneasy at the sudden shift of mood in the monk. Of course it wasn't unusual for her to feel uneasy around new people in general, as she had something referred to as 'trust issues'.
"It is nice to meet you Phoenix." Dovahkiin rumbled, inclining his head to her. She jumped slightly at the deep voice of the dragonborn, as he had yet to speak, but gave him a polite smile in return. He wore a slight scowl on his face, a sign that her comment about his banana tattoo was not forgotten, but other than that he wasn't as hostile as she expected him to be. In his hands, he played with a giant ax. His blue scales reflected off of the metal and began to cast muted shades of blue across the table.
"Nothing to say, thief?" Phoenix turned to the small, dark pink teifling who had yet to speak. He responded with a sharp glare before turning back to his drink. She chuckled and rested her head in her hand lazily, beginning to relax. It had been far too long since she had been amongst the company of other civil beings. They began to speak of the reasons that they ended up in this establishment, reasons ranging from searching revenge for a fallen tribe to simply finding a new job in this town. As they spoke, a giant man made his way over at the sight of the three troublemakers finding a new friend to join them.
"Ah I see you three finally managed to attract a female. I didn't think it would be possible." The man chuckled deeply, grinning down at the group of people. Phoenix tensed and gazed at him uneasily until she realized that it was Darius, the man who hired her to perform tonight. Phoenix chuckled at the comment, shaking her head slightly.
"Can we have some of your strongest brew?" Dovahkiin asked as he noticed that his pint was empty, along with the other three's. Darius' booming laugh echoed across the bar, making the all of them jump in their seats. The intimidating man doubled over, his hands pressing against his knees to hold himself up. This continued for a good half a minute before he finally got control of himself once more. Dark eyes brimming with mirthful tears, he took a deep breath before replying.
"None of you could handle our strongest brew. I'll ask Tabul to get you some of his micro-brew." He waved at the dwarf behind the counter and called for him to bring over four micro-brews. The small man behind the counter nodded in reply, his serious expression ducking behind the bar to find the said alcohol.
"I'd like some dwarven fire wine." Altair suddenly said, looking at Darius suddenly once Tabul had brought over the micro-brews. Phoenix raised her eyebrow at the small thief, along with Dovahkiin and Asur. The bar owners looked at one another for a moment, and then at the teifling, before breaking down into laughter that was twice as loud as Darius' first fit of laughter. It took a full minute for the grown man and dwarf to stop laughing and look at Altair once more.
"You'd be dead before the last drop hit your tongue." Tabul chortled, his thick red hair bouncing with each shake of his head. Darius whispered something to him, and the dwarf laughed before disappearing behind the bar once again and returning a single shot glass. He slammed it on the table in front of the thief, the liquid inside spilling over onto the table as Tabul grinned challengingly at Altair. "Drink then."
Altair glared at the dwarf before he threw back the liquid inside. Phoenix, Asur, and Dovahkiin watched for something to happen, the three of them sitting on the edge of their seats. There was a moment of disappointment as the liquid seemed to have no effect on Altiar. He seemed satisfied with himself for a few seconds before he began to sway in his seat.
"Feeling alright, thief?" Phoenix laughed, taking a sip of her own drink. He opened his mouth to reply, but didn't get the chance to. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell out of his seat, unconscious. Roaring laughter echoed around the table as they watched Altair laying prone on the floor. "What was in that?"
"A single drop of dwarven fire wine, watered down." Tabul chuckled. The group enjoyed a laugh at the expense of the drunken thief before falling back into conversation. Darius and Tabul seemed very interested to hear about their stories and how they ended up in their bar. Dovahkiin spoke of his tribe, long destroyed by a sorcerer who sought claim of the land they lived on. With revenge in his heart, he was seeking out that same sorcerer.
Phoenix nodded as the dragonborn spoke, understanding the pull of revenge as she herself had been long resisting the urge to fall victim to its sweet offer. Her hand clutched the drink in her hand as she looked down at the alcohol. The taste was bitter in her mouth as she was usually abstinent. It was comforting to hold onto something though.
Asur began to paint a picture of his monastery hidden high in the mountains north of the town that they currently resided in, an open space with columns lining the entire structure. Pale marble statues of their deity seemed to stare at you from every angle as you studied, prayed, and meditated. A high ivory tower served as their library, giving them a beautiful view of the valley below. They all seemed to listen attentively to this, the descriptions he gave creating a clear image of what the monitory looked like.
Too soon, they looked at Phoenix expectantly. Putting on a smile and allowing her storytelling skills to use, she painted a tail of a girl named Phoenix who was raised in small country town and began to travel the land on her own as a bard, seeking both jobs and adventures to go on. None of them found any sort of discrepancy with her tale, much to her relief.
Darius and Tabul recounted a few of their own adventures, filling the late night with tales of dragons, treasure, and heroes. As Altair began to come to, the two old adventurers said farewell to the group and made their way back to the bar, as they still had a business to run. As they left, a man approached the group and sat in the last empty chair at the table. The four figures paused in their conversation and stared at the hooded man. Dovahkiin tensed up as if he was preparing for a fight, Altair looked ready to run, but Asur and Phoenix remained composed on the outside.
"I've been watching you four during the last hour, and I have come with a proposition for you." The man spoke, an aura of mystery surrounding him. Phoenix resisted the urge to snort at the 'mysterious' vibe that this man gave. She tried to peer under the hood, but he turned away from her. "You all seem to have a diverse set of skills that will make you useful in this quest."
"Quest?" Dovahkiin questioned, leaning forward on the table with all weariness gone, excitement replacing it.
"What kind of quest?" Asur's expression remained calm and collected as he observed the mysterious man. One hand began to slowly creep behind him to the staff that rested against the back of his chair while the other remained relaxed on the table.
"There's a dungeon right outside of town, west and into the forest a bit of ways." He said, "There is something inside that I require, but I cannot get myself. A golden ball. If you go in and retrieve it, you can have the rest of the treasure."
"All you require is one thing?" Altair finally spoke, now interested at the prospect of getting money. The hooded man nodded silently in response. Altair grinned before sending a sneer at his companions. "I cannot speak for you three, but I am accepting this quest."
"I will not leave a thief to retrieve this item. I accept this quest as well." Dovahkiin announced with a stony look at Altair. Of course, the dragonborn was excited for the prospect of adventure and potentially slaying some beasts.
"I will also accompany you." Asur stated quietly from his seat, his eyes still on the hooded man. His face betrayed no suspicion or distrust, but something in his eyes showed that he wasn't completely buying what the hooded man claimed.
"I have yet to go on an adventure. I will be on this quest as well." Phoenix agreed with a shrug. She had a dagger and a crossbow in her pack, which with she was not entirely proficient with, but it would certainly be enough to defend herself with if she got in a tight spot. Phoenix preferred to fight with her words or magic. She bit her lip as she looked around at the other three, beginning to doubt if they would be able to get to the cave and back alive. None of them seemed to be the most experienced…
"Very well. I will expect you back in three days' time." He said before standing and walking back to his table. The three of them stared after him, various emotions running through the group. Darius returned to the corner table with a raised eyebrow, glancing back to where the hooded man was walking to.
"I hear that you four are going on a quest." Darius commented, taking the hooded man's seat. They all nodded and waited for him to continue. "Well, I've taken a liking to you," he glanced at the thief who looked as though he would love the opportunity to run Darius through with a knife, "well most of you. So I am going to help you on this quest."
"You will accompany us?" Phoenix asked with a tint of hope in her voice. She was fairly sure that none of her companions had ever been on an quest before, so an experienced adventurer would be a great asset.
"No. I will give you supplies to help you on your journey. Tabul and I have been on many a quests in our time. I know what you need." He explained further. Phoenix nodded and searched for the hooded man once more, noticing that he was now talking with a finely dressed man who had two guards by him. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the scene, but quickly returned her attention to Darius as the hooded man and his companion stood and disappeared upstairs.
"Can you tell us anything about this dungeon?" Asur asked while entwining his fingers together and leaning forward. Phoenix tried to remain concentrated on the conversation but found her eyes drifting to where the two men disappeared. The finely dressed man seemed out of place, especially since there were far more elite bars to drink at for aristocrats in this city.
"Eh, it was nothing that most high-level adventurers bother themselves with. It's a minor dungeon, but I couldn't tell you what is inside." Darius said with a shrug. Phoenix stood up suddenly as though she was kicked, an idea coming to her mind like lightning.
"I will be right back." She said before walking over to the bar where Tabul resided. The dwarf looked up from the surface he was cleaning, looking at her quizzically. Before he could ask what she needed, words began to spill from her mouth. "Tabul, do you know anything about that rich looking man with the guards that was just in here?"
"I can't say that I do. He's just another noble. They come through here every now and again." He replied, his gravelly voice sounding absolutely unconcerned. Phoenix nodded in reply, an uneasy feeling remaining in her stomach. She tried to tell herself that she was overreacting, but that kind of thinking had landed her in far worse trouble in the past.
"Thank you, Tabul." She said graciously before returning to the table. Not much of the conversation was missed other than Darius offering them rooms and supplies. Phoenix sighed in relief at the offer. She didn't often like taking handouts, but her coin pouch was far too light for her to be paying for both a room and supplies.
"I expect you all need some rest before tomorrow, so you four should head up to your rooms. And thief, don't even think of leaving in the middle of the night." Darius seemed to read Altair's thoughts, which caused the drunken tiefling to glare at the muscular man. Three of the four figures wished Darius a good night and thanked him for his kindness before heading upstairs to their separate rooms. Phoenix pushed through the crowd of drunk piss-pots to the stairs, tinkering with the key that Darius had given her as she walked up the sturdy steps. As she reached the top, soft carpet replaced the hard wood of downstairs. She paused at the top, looking around at the elegantly decorated hallway. She hadn't stayed in a place this nice in years. Walking down the hallway, she found her room at the end of the second hallway that connected to the first. Pushing open the door and dumping her bag on the ground, she found herself stopping dead in her tracks. This couldn't be right. A large bed rested against the far wall opposite of her, framed by two nightstands on either side. The wall to her left contained a small couch and a tall bookcase, filled only halfway with various books and scrolls. To her right another door lead to a moderately sized bathroom that contained the usual amenities. To the right of the bathroom door was a large wardrobe, completely empty. She almost wished she carried more on her so that she could fill it. Slipping out of her performance dress, she walked over and hung it up in the wardrobe, the single item looking quite lonely. Shrugging, she tugged a nightgown from her bag, adorned it, and then fell into the bed. A groan escaped her lips as she sunk into the soft mattress. It took only seconds for her to fall into a deep sleep.
