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Al-Qarin: Into the Desert (3-1-24)
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<blockquote data-quote="EternalNewbie" data-source="post: 1239110" data-attributes="member: 6489"><p>Okay, here's the second update. This pretty much ends the first actual game session, which as you can tell was pretty heavy on the RP side. But don't worry, the action picks up shortly and uh, well never really slows down again. Oh, and don't expect all the updates to come quite this quickly, I'm mainly using this as a way to procrastinate from doing any of the massive piles of schoolwork which are quickly accumulating beside me. Never fear however, I'll continue to update regularly. That's enough from me for now. Enjoy.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">***********</p><p></p><p></p><p>With the back of his hand, Khalid shielded his eyes from the oppressive morning sun as he surveyed the marketplace. It was still early by Khalid's standards, but he knew that Gorak was a habitually early riser. The marketplace was slowly filling up as merchants began to set up their wares and shoppers began to filter in. The sounds of haggling assailed Khalid as business began to pick up in earnest.</p><p></p><p>"Two sultanas for that? I wouldn't use that cheap rag to clean my floor."</p><p></p><p>"Cheap rag? I assure you, this is the finest silk, imported from the Eastern Kingdom before the mountain pass was closed…"</p><p></p><p>"You son of a motherless goat, this blade isn't sharp enough to cut a rotten melon, much less cleave a man in two. How do you expect me to survive in the arena wielding pig iron like this?</p><p></p><p>"Smoked fish. Fresh smoked fish. Caught just this morning."</p><p></p><p>"Bah, are you trying to rob me? Here, why don't you just club me on the head and cut my purse strings?"</p><p></p><p> "Please effendi, I can go no lower. My children will most assuredly go hungry this evening as it is."</p><p></p><p>Khalid wandered over to the vendor selling smoked fish, still scanning the crowd for Gorak. Khalid doubted the veracity of the man's claim that the fish were freshly caught, but purchased some anyhow. He had just finished licking his fingers clean, when he saw Gorak shouldering his way through the crowd.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes, Gorak, do you still have, ah, my possession close at hand?"</p><p></p><p>"Good morning to you too," Gorak rumbled. "Ya. It's right here." Gorak began to shrug off the large wicker basket that contained both Sousee and Khalid's spellbook.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, perhaps here is not the best place. Yes, they may have, ah followed me. I'm not sure." Khalid whispered, despite the fact that the rising din in the marketplace was making normal speech difficult to hear.</p><p></p><p>"Suit yerself. Let's get outta here. All these people crowding around are starting to irritate me." Gorak grumbled. The mismatched pair pushed their way through the now crowded marketplace onto a smaller side avenue. Gorak took a deep breath and muttered, "So what was all that business about yesterday anyhow?"</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes. It seems an old professor of mine has become quite, yes, quite interested in my research and wants to, ah, purchase it from me. He's not, I'm afraid, giving me much of a choice." Khalid sighed.</p><p></p><p>"Hrmm. Don't sound like you're too pleased with the idea. So whadda ya gonna do?"</p><p></p><p>"I'm not quite sure. The White Tower has, ah, lost significant, yes, significant power but there's no way I could possibly fend off Halaal. Eventually he'll just take what he wants if I ah, don't comply with his wishes. Unless perhaps, yes, if I could, ah, find another interested party, a sponsor if you will, who would be interested in having me, ah act as a tutor. If they were powerful enough, yes, they might be able to protect me, yes. I don’t suppose you know anybody, ah, rich and ah, powerful and interested in the finer art of ah, arcanomancery?" Khalid looked expectantly at Gorak.</p><p></p><p>"Heh. Look at me. Do I look like I know a lot of rich and powerful people." Gorak guffawed.</p><p></p><p>Khalid took in Gorak's tattered fur vest, and the various fetishes and beads woven into his matted dreadlocks and sighed again. "Yes, I suppose not."</p><p></p><p>The two men walked in silence for a while, until Gorak muttered something under his breath.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, I didn't quite catch that, yes, quite."</p><p></p><p>"Shayla." Gorak growled.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes, lovely girl. What about her?" Khalid asked.</p><p></p><p>"Her family's rich. Maybe she knows somebody."</p><p></p><p>"Really?" Khalid's expression brightened, then faded into a worried frown, "Do you think she'd, ah, help, ah, someone like me?" </p><p></p><p>"Ya. She's funny like that. C'mon, I'll take you over to her place."</p><p></p><p>As the two men walked through shabby areas of Gem-Sharad, heading towards the merchant's quarter, Khalid couldn't help thinking about Shayla. Beauty like that, and rich as well. Suddenly Khalid wished that he didn't smell quite so much like smoked fish.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * * * * * * * * * * </p><p></p><p>Shayla frowned. "I might know somebody that has the connections that you need. I'm not sure she'll help us though."</p><p></p><p>"Ah, well, if it's ah, too much trouble, don't bother. Yes, ah, I'll make other arrangements. Yes, quite," stammered Khalid.</p><p></p><p>"No, it's not that, I'm just not sure she'll be able to. Besides, I need to visit her shop again anyhow, I'm almost out of perfume," Shayla said brightly.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, perfume?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes. She mixes the best perfumes in the whole city, among other things. Oh, and remind me to pick up a few pillows on the way back through the bazaar. Now excuse me while I go get ready."</p><p></p><p>Khalid glanced around Shayla's home. It was richly appointed, with thick tapestries draped on the walls and valuable figurines and curios adorning various shelves around the room. Her need for pillows seemed unfounded however, as the room was already knee deep in them. In fact, as near as Khalid could tell, there wasn't any furniture in this room at all. Khalid turned to Gorak, "Perfume? Ah, I'm not sure this was a good idea after all."</p><p></p><p>"Relax, she knows what she's doing," rumbled Gorak from the mound of pillows he was lounging on. "You might as well sit down. 'Getting ready' can take a while."</p><p></p><p>Khalid started to gingerly pick out a spot, then realized the foolishness of his action, and just flopped down on the largest pile of cushions. An angry hiss made him leap to his feet again, as Sousee came slithering out of the mound and over his foot. Gorak chuckled, then gave a short hiss, and Sousee slid over and curled up beside him, eyeing Khalid warily. Khalid sighed heavily, and sat down to wait.</p><p></p><p>Getting ready didn't take nearly as long as Gorak hinted, and the three were out the door in less than half an hour. Shayla was, as near as Khalid could tell, wearing even less clothing than what she had on before. Her halter and pantaloons bordered on scandalous and the thin, gauzy veil she wore seemed to mock the very pretense of modesty. Still, Khalid thought to himself, the view isn't bad, as he followed her through the crowded streets of Gem-Sharad. The trio soon arrived at a small nondescript shop in the merchant's quarter. Shayla opened the door and walked inside as Gorak stopped and leaned up against the wall. "I'll wait out here," he grumbled, "that place makes my nose itch."</p><p></p><p>Khalid entered the dimly lit shop and was assailed by a hundred different odors. Airy, fruity, perfumes mixed with the scent of sandalwood incense and some deeper, heavier smoke. As Khalid glanced at the innumerable bottles and vials lining the walls, he caught notice of a few liquids and powders that had no place in any decent smelling perfume. "Ah, yes. Perhaps this was a good idea after all. Yes, quite," he muttered under his breath.</p><p></p><p>Shayla had already moved to the counter, and was speaking to a bejeweled elderly woman swaddled in silks. Shayla was haggling fiercely, her voice rising with each invective, until she was practically screeching. The old woman countered each accusation with one of her own, until finally Shayla delivered such a scathing denunciation of the old woman's perfumes, shop and lineage in general that the hair on the back of Khalid's neck rose up. The old woman, whose lips had been twitching at each insult, finally burst out laughing. Through her fit of laughter, she croaked out, "Fine then girl, take it."</p><p></p><p>Shayla handed over a sum of sultanas that made Khalid's eyes widen, and picked up a small vial off the counter. She turned, noticing Khalid seemingly for the first time since she entered the shop, snapped her fingers and said, "Miranda, this is a friend of mine, Khalid."</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes, the pleasure, I assure, is all mine. Yes, quite." Khalid inclined his head slightly.</p><p></p><p>"He's interested in your old business, you know…" Shayla made a stirring motion with one finger.</p><p></p><p>"Hmmm, not much call for that these days. I hope for your sake dear that you're buying not selling, because I don't have much use for most of those items these days." Miranda eyed him up and down as if measuring his intent.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes, neither, I'm afraid, but I still think that we can reach a profitable, yes, profitable arrangement. Yes, quite. I understand that, certain individuals of a particular profession used to frequent your shop."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, yes, don't dance about with me boy, I'm too old and too tired." Miranda said.</p><p></p><p>"Yes, quite. Ah well then, I'm looking for a patron, somebody who wishes to resume the path, yes, the path as it were."</p><p></p><p>Miranda's eye's widened. "You can do that? You have the knowledge?"</p><p></p><p>"Ah yes, I can."</p><p></p><p>"Well now, that would be valuable."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, quite. Unfortunately, I must act quickly, yes, quickly to secure a patron."</p><p></p><p>"How quickly?"</p><p></p><p>Khalid thought for a moment, "Ah, I can probably hold off the current interested party for another day or two."</p><p></p><p>"A day or two," Miranda frowned, "that may be quite difficult. I have lost contact with many of my old customers, and I suspect that your asking price may be beyond the means of many of them, at least now."</p><p></p><p>"Hmm, yes, I cannot accept less than a five hundred sultana retainer with living expenses to be arranged at a later date." </p><p></p><p>"And what is my end?" Miranda asked.</p><p></p><p>"Hmm, shall we say ah, five sultana's for simply making contact, and ah, yes, five percent of any immediate retainer fee paid to me?"</p><p></p><p>"A generous offer. I accept and will start trying to make contact immediately. I can't make any promises however, perhaps if I had more time…" she looked at Khalid hopefully.</p><p></p><p>Khalid shook his head, "Ah, yes, no, I'm afraid that it must be done with the utmost haste. Yes, quite."</p><p></p><p>With business concluded, Khalid and Shayla said their good-byes to Miranda and left the shop. As they headed down the street, Gorak fell into step beside them. "So?" he grumbled.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, she's willing to make some inquiries, but I'm not certain she'll have enough time. Yes, quite."</p><p></p><p>The three of them spent the rest of the day idly wandering around the market place, stopping only to take siesta at a wine shop. As the sun began to set, Khalid set off alone back to his tiny hovel. He gathered his shabby robes around him, and did his best to look as poor and destitute as possible to avoid attracting the attention of the less reputable denizens that made up the majority of his neighbors. As he approached his hut, Khalid spotted Hazal standing outside his front door, waiting impatiently. When Hazal took notice of Khalid, he cleared his throat loudly, and Belil emerged from around the side of the building. Khalid exhaled slowly; once again he had left his spellbook in Gorak's hands. Both men idly fingered the wands at their belts, as if daring Khalid to do something untoward. Khalid had no intentions of doing anything to provoke their ire however, and accompanied them in silence back to the White Tower, where he was ushered into the same room in which he had met Halaal the day before. This time however, he was forced to wait for several minutes until Halaal arrived.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, Khalid, a pleasure to see you again. Have you decided to accept my offer?"</p><p></p><p>"Ah, I think perhaps, that you can do a bit better than two hundred and fifty sultanas, yes, quite." Khalid countered.</p><p></p><p>A flicker of displeasure crossed Halaal's face, but his calm demeanor quickly slipped back into place, "I see. And what then, do you consider a reasonable offer for your research?"</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes, well there are forms of compensation which would be far more valuable to me than sultanas," Khalid's gaze drifted to the scrolls neatly filed on the wall.</p><p></p><p>"Hah. I think you grossly over estimate your worth Khalid. Access to a few minor cantrips hardly compares to the value of even the lowliest scroll upon that wall, so you can forget about that. I am however, in a generous mood and could see perhaps increasing my offer a hundred sultanas," Halaal countered.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, well then, my price is five hundred sultanas. Yes, five hundred."</p><p></p><p>"Five hundred? Again I think you have an inflated sense of self worth Khalid. Three hundred and fifty sultanas is more than generous for what you are offering."</p><p></p><p>"Ah, well, perhaps, but then again, perhaps not. Access to my research would certainly give you an advantage over the other wizards here at the tower, yes?"</p><p></p><p>At the mention of other wizards, Halaal's eyes narrowed. "You tread on very dangerous ground Khalid. Five hundred sultanas then, we are agreed. Now where is your spellbook."</p><p></p><p>"Ah, in a safe place, yes quite. I was not entirely sure that we would reach a satisfactory arrangement this evening. Yes."</p><p></p><p>"Fine, fine, I will send Hazal and Belil to collect it."</p><p></p><p>"In the morning, yes? I need some time to, ah get my notes in order and retrieve my book."</p><p></p><p>"Bah, very well then Khalid. They will be waiting by your house at first light."</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes, excellent, quite excellent. It has been a pleasure doing business with you Halaal," Khalid tried to smile, but all he managed was a sickly grin.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * * * * * * * * *</p><p></p><p>Khalid started to head back to his shack, but then abruptly decided against it, and began the long walk to Shayla's house. Nervously looking over his shoulder, he hurried along the darkening city streets. The crowds were still heavy however, this early in the evening, and Khalid was sure he could lose himself in the tangled throng of people. After darting down a few cramped alleys, and doubling back on his path a few times, he felt sufficiently confident that he had shaken any potential followers and made haste directly to Shayla's house. Gorak was still there he knew; Shayla had been kind enough to put him up for a few days until Khalid settled this matter with Halaal.</p><p></p><p>Having almost run the last part of the journey to Shayla's house, Khalid arrived flushed and breathless. He knocked furtively on the door, then slipped inside as Shayla opened the door. Gorak was standing there, the wicker basket close at hand. "So? What happened?" he grumbled.</p><p></p><p>"I, ah, yes, struck a deal, yes, a deal of sorts with Halaal. He's going to purchase my research for five hundred sultanas."</p><p></p><p>Gorak grunted, "And your gonna sell it to him?"</p><p></p><p>"Ah, well I'm not entirely sure. I don't suppose you have, ah, heard anything from Miranda have you?"</p><p></p><p>Shayla nodded, "Actually I did, but she didn't have much luck. She found somebody willing to go as high as three hundred, but they weren't interested in hiring you on as an instructor I'm afraid."</p><p></p><p>Khalid sighed heavily, "It seems I have little choice then, yes, quite. I can't sell my book to Halaal. It's worth far more than, ah, five hundred sultanas and doing so would increase his power and render me quite impotent, yes, quite. I fear that I may, ah, have to flee the city. Yes, flee the city. Gorak, could I possibly, ah, employ you as a guide, yes, guide through the desert. I hear, ah, Shalazar is lovely this time of year."</p><p></p><p>Gorak looked thoughtful, "Huh. Shalazar eh? I've never been there, but I know the route well enough. Sure, I'll go with you, and since we're old friends, I won't even charge you nothing. Unless of course Da's got some work lined up for me, then we might have to figure something out. We'll take a quick run out to the camp, might help to shake off anybody following us."</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes of course, my funds should be sufficient to cover the, ah, cost of trip, yes, quite sufficient. Once in Shalazar, I can perhaps find a sponsor. Yes." Khalid looked excited at the prospect. "Yes, a nice wealthy merchant perhaps, or learned sage…"</p><p></p><p>Shayla interrupted Khalid's musings, "Maybe I'll go with you, I've never been to Shalazar."</p><p></p><p>Khalid looked shocked, "Ah, Shayla, I could never, ah, yes never ask you to accompany us. It will be quite dangerous, yes quite."</p><p></p><p>"Relax Khalid," Gorak rumbled, "I've known Shayla a long time, she can take care of herself."</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes, quite, I never meant to imply otherwise, yes. But simply travelling with me may put you under the scrutiny of Halaal, and I, ah, yes would feel dreadful if, ah, yes anything happened to you."</p><p></p><p>Shayla sighed. "I suppose you're right. It's beastly hot out there anyhow. I'm not sure I'd enjoy the trip."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, ah, well, I hate to impose, but ah, I was hoping that, ah yes, I could stay here this evening and ah, Gorak and I can set out in the early morning. The gates, ah, will be locked at this time of night. I'm quite sure, yes quite, that Halaal will be watching my house." Khalid looked expectantly at Shayla.</p><p></p><p>Shayla giggled, "Of course, it's no bother. It's kind of exciting actually."</p><p></p><p>Khalid swallowed nervously. His life certainly had become very exciting as of late.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * * * * * * * * *</p><p></p><p>Gorak and Khalid gathered up their meager possessions and left Shayla's apartment before first light, without waking her. They made a brief stop in the marketplace, where Khalid exchanged a few sultanas with some early rising merchants and headed towards the eastern gate the proud new owner of a serviceable crossbow and several days worth of food. As they walked towards the eastern gate, Gorak muttered to Khalid, "We've picked up some friends of yours."</p><p></p><p>Khalid stumbled slightly but managed not to break into a flat out run. "Do you think, ah, that we could possibly, ah, lose them?" he asked Gorak.</p><p></p><p>"Ya, maybe. If we can find a bigger crowd."</p><p></p><p>The two walked in silence through Gem-Sharad, slowing their pace slightly to give the streets time to fill. After a while of aimless wandering, Gorak grumbled, "You ready?"</p><p></p><p>"Ah, ready, yes, I suppose I am. Yes, quite."</p><p></p><p>"Then get ready to turn down that alley."</p><p></p><p>Khalid and Gorak turned sharply down a nearby alley and then emerged into a large crowd on an adjoining street. Turning again, they ducked down another alley, emerging into a large square adorned with a huge stone fountain carved in the likeness of a huge djinn, spewing water from his outstretched hands. The square was jammed with people gathering water for the day. "Down that way, it's the quickest way to the Eastern gate," Gorak growled. </p><p></p><p>"Do you, ah think we've lost them?"</p><p></p><p>"We'll find out soon enough. There's the eastern gate."</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * * * * * * * * *</p><p></p><p>Shayla awoke from her mid afternoon siesta suddenly, to a loud pounding on her front door. She quickly shrugged into her clothing as a voice outside demanded, "Open up in there. We know you know where Khalid is. Open up or we'll kick your door down!"</p><p></p><p>Shayla had no difficulty recognizing Hazal's voice although she'd only met him once before. "Just a second," Shayla replied, "and don't you dare break my door."</p><p></p><p>When she opened the door, she found Belil and Hazal standing there, looking furious. "Where's Khalid," Hazal demanded.</p><p></p><p>"I don't know, I haven't seen him since yesterday."</p><p></p><p>"Do you know where he's gone?" Hazal pressed.</p><p></p><p>"Back to his house I'd imagine." Shayla said innocently.</p><p></p><p>"No, he did not go back to his house," Hazal snarled, "and I think you know more than you're letting on. You're going to have to come with us to the White Tower."</p><p></p><p>Shayla knew enough about the White Tower to know that arguing with them wouldn't have any effect, save to make them angrier, so she acquiesced, "Of course, I'll go with you and answer any questions I can about Khalid, but you'll have to let me get dressed first, I can't go looking like this." Shayla gestured at her generous figure.</p><p></p><p>Hazal leered at her, "Fine, go and get dressed, but be quick about it." Shayla calmly walked into her room, and started to close the door but Hazal grabbed it from the other side. "Leave it open a bit darling, just so we're sure you're not going to do anything silly."</p><p></p><p>"What could I possibly do to a couple of strong young men like you," she said as she flashed them her most charming smile.</p><p></p><p>"Just hurry up about it."</p><p></p><p>Shayla moved away from the door, and once she was sure she was out of sight, reached under her large bed and drew out an ornate crossbow. It had been a gift to her father, and Shayla had nicked it when her family had cast her out. She'd found out later that she was actually a fair shot with it, and had kept it handy, just in case. Her heart began to pound deep in her chest as she considered her planned course of action. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly to calm her nerves, Shayla began to chant.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="EternalNewbie, post: 1239110, member: 6489"] Okay, here's the second update. This pretty much ends the first actual game session, which as you can tell was pretty heavy on the RP side. But don't worry, the action picks up shortly and uh, well never really slows down again. Oh, and don't expect all the updates to come quite this quickly, I'm mainly using this as a way to procrastinate from doing any of the massive piles of schoolwork which are quickly accumulating beside me. Never fear however, I'll continue to update regularly. That's enough from me for now. Enjoy. [CENTER]***********[/CENTER] With the back of his hand, Khalid shielded his eyes from the oppressive morning sun as he surveyed the marketplace. It was still early by Khalid's standards, but he knew that Gorak was a habitually early riser. The marketplace was slowly filling up as merchants began to set up their wares and shoppers began to filter in. The sounds of haggling assailed Khalid as business began to pick up in earnest. "Two sultanas for that? I wouldn't use that cheap rag to clean my floor." "Cheap rag? I assure you, this is the finest silk, imported from the Eastern Kingdom before the mountain pass was closed…" "You son of a motherless goat, this blade isn't sharp enough to cut a rotten melon, much less cleave a man in two. How do you expect me to survive in the arena wielding pig iron like this? "Smoked fish. Fresh smoked fish. Caught just this morning." "Bah, are you trying to rob me? Here, why don't you just club me on the head and cut my purse strings?" "Please effendi, I can go no lower. My children will most assuredly go hungry this evening as it is." Khalid wandered over to the vendor selling smoked fish, still scanning the crowd for Gorak. Khalid doubted the veracity of the man's claim that the fish were freshly caught, but purchased some anyhow. He had just finished licking his fingers clean, when he saw Gorak shouldering his way through the crowd. "Ah, yes, Gorak, do you still have, ah, my possession close at hand?" "Good morning to you too," Gorak rumbled. "Ya. It's right here." Gorak began to shrug off the large wicker basket that contained both Sousee and Khalid's spellbook. "Ah, perhaps here is not the best place. Yes, they may have, ah followed me. I'm not sure." Khalid whispered, despite the fact that the rising din in the marketplace was making normal speech difficult to hear. "Suit yerself. Let's get outta here. All these people crowding around are starting to irritate me." Gorak grumbled. The mismatched pair pushed their way through the now crowded marketplace onto a smaller side avenue. Gorak took a deep breath and muttered, "So what was all that business about yesterday anyhow?" "Ah, yes. It seems an old professor of mine has become quite, yes, quite interested in my research and wants to, ah, purchase it from me. He's not, I'm afraid, giving me much of a choice." Khalid sighed. "Hrmm. Don't sound like you're too pleased with the idea. So whadda ya gonna do?" "I'm not quite sure. The White Tower has, ah, lost significant, yes, significant power but there's no way I could possibly fend off Halaal. Eventually he'll just take what he wants if I ah, don't comply with his wishes. Unless perhaps, yes, if I could, ah, find another interested party, a sponsor if you will, who would be interested in having me, ah act as a tutor. If they were powerful enough, yes, they might be able to protect me, yes. I don’t suppose you know anybody, ah, rich and ah, powerful and interested in the finer art of ah, arcanomancery?" Khalid looked expectantly at Gorak. "Heh. Look at me. Do I look like I know a lot of rich and powerful people." Gorak guffawed. Khalid took in Gorak's tattered fur vest, and the various fetishes and beads woven into his matted dreadlocks and sighed again. "Yes, I suppose not." The two men walked in silence for a while, until Gorak muttered something under his breath. "Ah, I didn't quite catch that, yes, quite." "Shayla." Gorak growled. "Ah, yes, lovely girl. What about her?" Khalid asked. "Her family's rich. Maybe she knows somebody." "Really?" Khalid's expression brightened, then faded into a worried frown, "Do you think she'd, ah, help, ah, someone like me?" "Ya. She's funny like that. C'mon, I'll take you over to her place." As the two men walked through shabby areas of Gem-Sharad, heading towards the merchant's quarter, Khalid couldn't help thinking about Shayla. Beauty like that, and rich as well. Suddenly Khalid wished that he didn't smell quite so much like smoked fish. [CENTER]* * * * * * * * * * * [/CENTER] Shayla frowned. "I might know somebody that has the connections that you need. I'm not sure she'll help us though." "Ah, well, if it's ah, too much trouble, don't bother. Yes, ah, I'll make other arrangements. Yes, quite," stammered Khalid. "No, it's not that, I'm just not sure she'll be able to. Besides, I need to visit her shop again anyhow, I'm almost out of perfume," Shayla said brightly. "Ah, perfume?" "Yes. She mixes the best perfumes in the whole city, among other things. Oh, and remind me to pick up a few pillows on the way back through the bazaar. Now excuse me while I go get ready." Khalid glanced around Shayla's home. It was richly appointed, with thick tapestries draped on the walls and valuable figurines and curios adorning various shelves around the room. Her need for pillows seemed unfounded however, as the room was already knee deep in them. In fact, as near as Khalid could tell, there wasn't any furniture in this room at all. Khalid turned to Gorak, "Perfume? Ah, I'm not sure this was a good idea after all." "Relax, she knows what she's doing," rumbled Gorak from the mound of pillows he was lounging on. "You might as well sit down. 'Getting ready' can take a while." Khalid started to gingerly pick out a spot, then realized the foolishness of his action, and just flopped down on the largest pile of cushions. An angry hiss made him leap to his feet again, as Sousee came slithering out of the mound and over his foot. Gorak chuckled, then gave a short hiss, and Sousee slid over and curled up beside him, eyeing Khalid warily. Khalid sighed heavily, and sat down to wait. Getting ready didn't take nearly as long as Gorak hinted, and the three were out the door in less than half an hour. Shayla was, as near as Khalid could tell, wearing even less clothing than what she had on before. Her halter and pantaloons bordered on scandalous and the thin, gauzy veil she wore seemed to mock the very pretense of modesty. Still, Khalid thought to himself, the view isn't bad, as he followed her through the crowded streets of Gem-Sharad. The trio soon arrived at a small nondescript shop in the merchant's quarter. Shayla opened the door and walked inside as Gorak stopped and leaned up against the wall. "I'll wait out here," he grumbled, "that place makes my nose itch." Khalid entered the dimly lit shop and was assailed by a hundred different odors. Airy, fruity, perfumes mixed with the scent of sandalwood incense and some deeper, heavier smoke. As Khalid glanced at the innumerable bottles and vials lining the walls, he caught notice of a few liquids and powders that had no place in any decent smelling perfume. "Ah, yes. Perhaps this was a good idea after all. Yes, quite," he muttered under his breath. Shayla had already moved to the counter, and was speaking to a bejeweled elderly woman swaddled in silks. Shayla was haggling fiercely, her voice rising with each invective, until she was practically screeching. The old woman countered each accusation with one of her own, until finally Shayla delivered such a scathing denunciation of the old woman's perfumes, shop and lineage in general that the hair on the back of Khalid's neck rose up. The old woman, whose lips had been twitching at each insult, finally burst out laughing. Through her fit of laughter, she croaked out, "Fine then girl, take it." Shayla handed over a sum of sultanas that made Khalid's eyes widen, and picked up a small vial off the counter. She turned, noticing Khalid seemingly for the first time since she entered the shop, snapped her fingers and said, "Miranda, this is a friend of mine, Khalid." "Ah, yes, the pleasure, I assure, is all mine. Yes, quite." Khalid inclined his head slightly. "He's interested in your old business, you know…" Shayla made a stirring motion with one finger. "Hmmm, not much call for that these days. I hope for your sake dear that you're buying not selling, because I don't have much use for most of those items these days." Miranda eyed him up and down as if measuring his intent. "Ah, yes, neither, I'm afraid, but I still think that we can reach a profitable, yes, profitable arrangement. Yes, quite. I understand that, certain individuals of a particular profession used to frequent your shop." "Yes, yes, don't dance about with me boy, I'm too old and too tired." Miranda said. "Yes, quite. Ah well then, I'm looking for a patron, somebody who wishes to resume the path, yes, the path as it were." Miranda's eye's widened. "You can do that? You have the knowledge?" "Ah yes, I can." "Well now, that would be valuable." "Yes, quite. Unfortunately, I must act quickly, yes, quickly to secure a patron." "How quickly?" Khalid thought for a moment, "Ah, I can probably hold off the current interested party for another day or two." "A day or two," Miranda frowned, "that may be quite difficult. I have lost contact with many of my old customers, and I suspect that your asking price may be beyond the means of many of them, at least now." "Hmm, yes, I cannot accept less than a five hundred sultana retainer with living expenses to be arranged at a later date." "And what is my end?" Miranda asked. "Hmm, shall we say ah, five sultana's for simply making contact, and ah, yes, five percent of any immediate retainer fee paid to me?" "A generous offer. I accept and will start trying to make contact immediately. I can't make any promises however, perhaps if I had more time…" she looked at Khalid hopefully. Khalid shook his head, "Ah, yes, no, I'm afraid that it must be done with the utmost haste. Yes, quite." With business concluded, Khalid and Shayla said their good-byes to Miranda and left the shop. As they headed down the street, Gorak fell into step beside them. "So?" he grumbled. "Ah, she's willing to make some inquiries, but I'm not certain she'll have enough time. Yes, quite." The three of them spent the rest of the day idly wandering around the market place, stopping only to take siesta at a wine shop. As the sun began to set, Khalid set off alone back to his tiny hovel. He gathered his shabby robes around him, and did his best to look as poor and destitute as possible to avoid attracting the attention of the less reputable denizens that made up the majority of his neighbors. As he approached his hut, Khalid spotted Hazal standing outside his front door, waiting impatiently. When Hazal took notice of Khalid, he cleared his throat loudly, and Belil emerged from around the side of the building. Khalid exhaled slowly; once again he had left his spellbook in Gorak's hands. Both men idly fingered the wands at their belts, as if daring Khalid to do something untoward. Khalid had no intentions of doing anything to provoke their ire however, and accompanied them in silence back to the White Tower, where he was ushered into the same room in which he had met Halaal the day before. This time however, he was forced to wait for several minutes until Halaal arrived. "Ah, Khalid, a pleasure to see you again. Have you decided to accept my offer?" "Ah, I think perhaps, that you can do a bit better than two hundred and fifty sultanas, yes, quite." Khalid countered. A flicker of displeasure crossed Halaal's face, but his calm demeanor quickly slipped back into place, "I see. And what then, do you consider a reasonable offer for your research?" "Ah, yes, well there are forms of compensation which would be far more valuable to me than sultanas," Khalid's gaze drifted to the scrolls neatly filed on the wall. "Hah. I think you grossly over estimate your worth Khalid. Access to a few minor cantrips hardly compares to the value of even the lowliest scroll upon that wall, so you can forget about that. I am however, in a generous mood and could see perhaps increasing my offer a hundred sultanas," Halaal countered. "Ah, well then, my price is five hundred sultanas. Yes, five hundred." "Five hundred? Again I think you have an inflated sense of self worth Khalid. Three hundred and fifty sultanas is more than generous for what you are offering." "Ah, well, perhaps, but then again, perhaps not. Access to my research would certainly give you an advantage over the other wizards here at the tower, yes?" At the mention of other wizards, Halaal's eyes narrowed. "You tread on very dangerous ground Khalid. Five hundred sultanas then, we are agreed. Now where is your spellbook." "Ah, in a safe place, yes quite. I was not entirely sure that we would reach a satisfactory arrangement this evening. Yes." "Fine, fine, I will send Hazal and Belil to collect it." "In the morning, yes? I need some time to, ah get my notes in order and retrieve my book." "Bah, very well then Khalid. They will be waiting by your house at first light." "Ah, yes, excellent, quite excellent. It has been a pleasure doing business with you Halaal," Khalid tried to smile, but all he managed was a sickly grin. [CENTER]* * * * * * * * * *[/CENTER] Khalid started to head back to his shack, but then abruptly decided against it, and began the long walk to Shayla's house. Nervously looking over his shoulder, he hurried along the darkening city streets. The crowds were still heavy however, this early in the evening, and Khalid was sure he could lose himself in the tangled throng of people. After darting down a few cramped alleys, and doubling back on his path a few times, he felt sufficiently confident that he had shaken any potential followers and made haste directly to Shayla's house. Gorak was still there he knew; Shayla had been kind enough to put him up for a few days until Khalid settled this matter with Halaal. Having almost run the last part of the journey to Shayla's house, Khalid arrived flushed and breathless. He knocked furtively on the door, then slipped inside as Shayla opened the door. Gorak was standing there, the wicker basket close at hand. "So? What happened?" he grumbled. "I, ah, yes, struck a deal, yes, a deal of sorts with Halaal. He's going to purchase my research for five hundred sultanas." Gorak grunted, "And your gonna sell it to him?" "Ah, well I'm not entirely sure. I don't suppose you have, ah, heard anything from Miranda have you?" Shayla nodded, "Actually I did, but she didn't have much luck. She found somebody willing to go as high as three hundred, but they weren't interested in hiring you on as an instructor I'm afraid." Khalid sighed heavily, "It seems I have little choice then, yes, quite. I can't sell my book to Halaal. It's worth far more than, ah, five hundred sultanas and doing so would increase his power and render me quite impotent, yes, quite. I fear that I may, ah, have to flee the city. Yes, flee the city. Gorak, could I possibly, ah, employ you as a guide, yes, guide through the desert. I hear, ah, Shalazar is lovely this time of year." Gorak looked thoughtful, "Huh. Shalazar eh? I've never been there, but I know the route well enough. Sure, I'll go with you, and since we're old friends, I won't even charge you nothing. Unless of course Da's got some work lined up for me, then we might have to figure something out. We'll take a quick run out to the camp, might help to shake off anybody following us." "Ah, yes of course, my funds should be sufficient to cover the, ah, cost of trip, yes, quite sufficient. Once in Shalazar, I can perhaps find a sponsor. Yes." Khalid looked excited at the prospect. "Yes, a nice wealthy merchant perhaps, or learned sage…" Shayla interrupted Khalid's musings, "Maybe I'll go with you, I've never been to Shalazar." Khalid looked shocked, "Ah, Shayla, I could never, ah, yes never ask you to accompany us. It will be quite dangerous, yes quite." "Relax Khalid," Gorak rumbled, "I've known Shayla a long time, she can take care of herself." "Ah, yes, quite, I never meant to imply otherwise, yes. But simply travelling with me may put you under the scrutiny of Halaal, and I, ah, yes would feel dreadful if, ah, yes anything happened to you." Shayla sighed. "I suppose you're right. It's beastly hot out there anyhow. I'm not sure I'd enjoy the trip." "Yes, ah, well, I hate to impose, but ah, I was hoping that, ah yes, I could stay here this evening and ah, Gorak and I can set out in the early morning. The gates, ah, will be locked at this time of night. I'm quite sure, yes quite, that Halaal will be watching my house." Khalid looked expectantly at Shayla. Shayla giggled, "Of course, it's no bother. It's kind of exciting actually." Khalid swallowed nervously. His life certainly had become very exciting as of late. [CENTER]* * * * * * * * * *[/CENTER] Gorak and Khalid gathered up their meager possessions and left Shayla's apartment before first light, without waking her. They made a brief stop in the marketplace, where Khalid exchanged a few sultanas with some early rising merchants and headed towards the eastern gate the proud new owner of a serviceable crossbow and several days worth of food. As they walked towards the eastern gate, Gorak muttered to Khalid, "We've picked up some friends of yours." Khalid stumbled slightly but managed not to break into a flat out run. "Do you think, ah, that we could possibly, ah, lose them?" he asked Gorak. "Ya, maybe. If we can find a bigger crowd." The two walked in silence through Gem-Sharad, slowing their pace slightly to give the streets time to fill. After a while of aimless wandering, Gorak grumbled, "You ready?" "Ah, ready, yes, I suppose I am. Yes, quite." "Then get ready to turn down that alley." Khalid and Gorak turned sharply down a nearby alley and then emerged into a large crowd on an adjoining street. Turning again, they ducked down another alley, emerging into a large square adorned with a huge stone fountain carved in the likeness of a huge djinn, spewing water from his outstretched hands. The square was jammed with people gathering water for the day. "Down that way, it's the quickest way to the Eastern gate," Gorak growled. "Do you, ah think we've lost them?" "We'll find out soon enough. There's the eastern gate." [CENTER]* * * * * * * * * *[/CENTER] Shayla awoke from her mid afternoon siesta suddenly, to a loud pounding on her front door. She quickly shrugged into her clothing as a voice outside demanded, "Open up in there. We know you know where Khalid is. Open up or we'll kick your door down!" Shayla had no difficulty recognizing Hazal's voice although she'd only met him once before. "Just a second," Shayla replied, "and don't you dare break my door." When she opened the door, she found Belil and Hazal standing there, looking furious. "Where's Khalid," Hazal demanded. "I don't know, I haven't seen him since yesterday." "Do you know where he's gone?" Hazal pressed. "Back to his house I'd imagine." Shayla said innocently. "No, he did not go back to his house," Hazal snarled, "and I think you know more than you're letting on. You're going to have to come with us to the White Tower." Shayla knew enough about the White Tower to know that arguing with them wouldn't have any effect, save to make them angrier, so she acquiesced, "Of course, I'll go with you and answer any questions I can about Khalid, but you'll have to let me get dressed first, I can't go looking like this." Shayla gestured at her generous figure. Hazal leered at her, "Fine, go and get dressed, but be quick about it." Shayla calmly walked into her room, and started to close the door but Hazal grabbed it from the other side. "Leave it open a bit darling, just so we're sure you're not going to do anything silly." "What could I possibly do to a couple of strong young men like you," she said as she flashed them her most charming smile. "Just hurry up about it." Shayla moved away from the door, and once she was sure she was out of sight, reached under her large bed and drew out an ornate crossbow. It had been a gift to her father, and Shayla had nicked it when her family had cast her out. She'd found out later that she was actually a fair shot with it, and had kept it handy, just in case. Her heart began to pound deep in her chest as she considered her planned course of action. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly to calm her nerves, Shayla began to chant. [/QUOTE]
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Al-Qarin: Into the Desert (3-1-24)
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