"Healing Moments" with Alyra Kyne

[Brimshack]

So, we tried a little fast talking, but it just didn’t work. All of us (Patty, Bob, and I) were forced to stay the night at the Inn with a guard outside our door. I guess they were ging to decide what to do with us the next day. The Inn itself was locked for the night and a guard was stationed on that door too. I had no idea what had become of Carla, or for that matter, what was happening with the rest of my friends. I could only hope that those sweet nice elves, Michael and Tom were okay.

And when the door closed, we just kind of sat there for awhile trying to figure out what to do with ourselves. Patty decided to try and charm the guard outside our door, and frankly that worked like a... well, you know. We tied him up and got ready to go downstairs. Then suddenly Kristen was at the top of the stairs and said we should hurry. So, we quick ran down the stairs with her to find the other guard trying desperately to climb out a window in fear.

I thought we should just run away at this point, but someone suggested we needed to kill the guards or at least knock them out. Kristen hadn’t made her spell last very long, so the one guard would begin shouting any moment. Then, we were going to just knock the one out before he escaped through the window, and then suddenly it didn’t matter. He came to his senses and turned to face us. He was still a little scared, but not like when he was under her spell. So, now I was worried someone would get all blood-happy on this poor guy when Kristen did something really impressive.

She talked to him.

She just told him that we were going to tie him up, and that we weren’t going to harm him at all. She also said that if he told the other guards we were headed out of the city, that there would be some coins in it for him. I don’t think she expected him to believe her, much less to tell the story she wanted, but I guess she had to try. The most interesting thing was the fact that it worked though. I guess, it was either that or die, so he co-operated. We tied him up and simply walked out of the inn.

Can you believe that!

So, the next morning we all woke wondering what kind of trouble we would be in with the city guard. And we started the usual talk about what to do. At this point, there was talking of kidnapping the harbour master.

Instead we decided to ask around for Louie the Mog. We found out, he lived on the Southeast side of town, so we headed over there, at least some of us did.

When Louie answered his door, we could see a great symbol of Goodness on the wall just inside. But there he was, a middle aged man with dark hair and great beard. He was a little dingy for someone who had his own home in a nice part of town, but I guess that’s what you get when you are good with the magic. Louis asked us what we wanted, and we asked to speak with him. I don’t think he was going to let us in until we told him that we worked for Lord Methgar. Tom did most of the talking. He let Louis know what we wanted to know and why. Louis actually cast a few spells to verify the truth of Tom’s words. Then after a long pause...

“I can tell you three things, but I want something in return.”

“Do we get to know what it is?” Tom was ever so cool about this. I just have such high hopes for him!

“No.”

After a pause, Louie continued, “I know who you work for, and I know roughly what you’re interests are. I am taking it into account as I ask you for this favour. But you may not know what it is until you are committed.”

“Very well.”

(Did I mention that all of us were watching Carla very closely this time?)

Louie just nodded and went straight to business.

“First, only one crate was unloaded from the Slolem. About a half a dozen humans came on land with it that night, and its contents were taken out of the crate a few blocks inside the city.” (He nodded to the shards of an empty crate sitting in his study.) They certainly did not unload any cotton.”

“Second, I can tell you that three people left aboard the Slolem, three people from this city. They were in fact, the individuals responsible for dropping Lord Keradin’s little girl off the tower. ...Yes, that did actually happen. I do not know the source of that conflict, but when the Slolem left, Lord Keradin’s enemies were aboard her. The Slolem also left one person behind. Who that person is, and what he or she looks like I do not know.

“Third, and most importantly. The Slolem came from a real world.”

He paused a moment to let that piece of information sink in.

“What?”

“I mean that she sailed out of a normal world, the kind we all came from. Manned by a normal crew, she sailed right out of a normal harbour located in a normal kingdom and came directly here, ...apparently on purpose.

“...I can also tell you she sailed right back to where she came from.”

 

[Brimshack]

Okay, so you may or may not get the point of my last entry at this stage of the story. But this is really important, so I will spell it out for you dear reader. That sort of thing, what Louie just described, is not supposed to happen, or rather it just doesn’t. I mean if people could just sail home on a ship, this land would be empty, believe me. We would all be fighting tooth and nail to be aboard that first ship, let me tell you, and I might even swing a dirty hit myself if that’s what it took to get home. So, the prospect that someone could actually enter this land and leave at will, well I don’t know how to describe the feelings I had on learning about that one.

A part of me was infused with hope. I mean, if the Slolem could do it, then maybe we all could. Maybe I could!... Maybe I could go home and find Robin and tell him ‘yes’ before he even asks for my hand, and just settle down to a nice life on a small farm, and forget about all this stuff.

...Maybe?

Another part of me was scared out of my wits. Lord Methgar had asked us to help thwart a great evil, not just a kinda-bad. And if this ship was that evil, then it was that much worse that it could do what we could not, which was to go back and forth between this Twilight world and a real home. That had to be really really REALLY bad, not just for us here, but maybe for people from home. Could this awful place take over a real world? Could the ship somehow tie the evil of this place to the real world? To say nothing of what evil they could do hear if they had such power. Oh my gosh! My heart sank and my feet tingled. I almost collapsed right there in the room.

So, that was a long term stress that chilled my very soul. But of course we had just earned ourselves a new short term problem as well. What did Louie want from us?

“There is an establishment on the North side, a whorehouse if you will. Most of the women there are not working by choice. They were harvested from a jubilee, just as the monsters do. They were simply taken while still disoriented from coming through the veil betwixt this world and theirs and put to work in that terrible place. They are slaves to the owner. I want this establishment destroyed.”

At last, someone with real values! I could have hugged Louie right then and there, even if he was a little on the ugly side.

“What do you mean by destroyed? Do you want it burned down, or do...” Such important questions! Tom was sharp as ever.

“I want it to cease operations. Were you to slay the upper management that would be sufficient to make this happen.”

“Does this house have backers in the powers that be? How is it allowed to operate?”

“Yes” Louie continued, “There are some people who want it destroyed and some who will defend it, after the fact if need be. No-one can move against it without disrupting the balance of political power and bringing grief upon themselves. You are below the eyes of scrutiny thus far. A rash action from you will take awhile for the powers that be to digest, and it may be possible to sweep it all under the rug before serious retaliation occurs.”

“But will we get new enemies if we do this?”

“Yes.” Louis was dead serious. “If you are not attacked immediately, then some will at least begin looking for the opportunity to do so.”

And you know what, we actually agreed to do it! Well, I mean we had already agreed beforehand, but I mean we decided to go through with it after all. I was so happy to be on a mission with a little value for a change, I mean one where I could really see some direct results.

...assuming of course that Louie was telling the truth.

Our next task was to look into the matter on our own. The group pooled its money and sent Michael to visit the house. I’m a little disappointed, he didn’t find any other way, but apparently Michael actually purchase the services of one of the poor girls and then asked her to tell him all about the place. Apparently, she was very forthcoming.

...no, I did NOT mean that as a double entendre!

I will tell you what we learned, ...well, what Michael learned when I describe the assault on the brothel a little later. For now, let us just say that we felt Louie had been straight with us and we had a chance of taking this place. So, we resolved to go through with the attack.

Unfortunately, the next morning the Innkeeper told us that we absolutely had to leave. We tried to ask him what happened, and he refused to explain himself. It was really strange, because we all thought it was worked out. We even had a deal to pay for Carla’s issues, and we thought he understood, but he just suddenly said that we had to be out of there.

It was all very suspicious.

And sure enough, we were ambushed on our way through town to find another place to stay. There were about 20 thugs including several spell casters who thankfully turned out to be novice level. It looked like the final frown of a lifetime for a moment there, but we actually handled it really well. I will not go into detail about the fight. I will want to do that when I tell you about the brothel, but honestly I just can’t keep dwelling on those things. It’s awful to see people die.

I will tell you a few things though. Let’s see:

1) August is not a bad archer.

2) Michael and Tom are an amazing team. Each helps the other to aim and load, and they have such a strong affinity for one another, it just makes them so much more deadly. Together, they are an extremely effective combination. ...oh, and so polite; “Mighty fine shot, Michael.” “Why thank you, Tom.” It is just a pleasure to be nearby as they are working together with such courtesy. To see them fight together is like watching an island of tranquility in the middle of a sea of chaos.

3) Patty is getting even better with the tricky magic.

4) I am very pleased with my own contributions. I was able to heal several of my companions a couple times. I held my own in melee, and even put a little knot on someone’s head myself. I know that sounds a little mean, but I can assure you he intended much greater harm to me and mine.

5) It hurts to heal Seamus O-Seue. I mean it actually hurt me when I healed him, just a little, but it was enough. He looked at me strangely, and shivers went up and down my spine. There is something very odd about that man.

Seamus was, by the way, a very effective front line. Almost by himself he held off a host of enemy, just as Sir Hockinslots had tried to do. Only with Seamus, the enemy were unable to hurt him. Those that tried did little but open themselves up to attack. He was very impressive this time.

I just don’t understand why it hurts to cast healing spells on that man.

6) The fur-ball - oh, I have learned, it’s called a ‘Waggamaeph’ - anyway, it seems to be suffering from some sort of illness. The poor thing was feeling so badly, it mostly avoided the fight, except to make hit and run attacks on a certain spell caster. It didn’t do much harm to the enemy, but the cute little rug-bunny was so fast, it could come and go as it pleased. The enemy couldn’t do a thing to it.

7) Carla is really wicked with that short sword of hers. I saw her, ...oh, this is awful, but I will tell you this much. ...I have to.

Well, she killed somebody with it. I know, that is sort of the point of fighting with a sword, but the way she did it. She looked around her and just ripped though the man’s heart. One of the thugs that was engaged with her was so intimidated by this, he broke and ran. But she was watching him. The poor fellow, just an ordinary thug you know, he dropped his guard when he turned, and Carla just opened his throat from ear to ear. You could see her watching him as he turned. She just knew. The man was dead even before she struck; he just didn’t know it.

She is really wicked with that sword.

8) “Bob” does tricky healing spells. What sort of spells Kristen casts, I do not know.

Well anyway, so much for the ugliness. The city guards let us question some of the prisoners, and of course Patty used her special magic to make sure they were truly helpful. This gave us one last little bit of information we thought was interesting. It turns out they all worked for Gable One-Eye, the very gang leader that had tangled with monsters a day or two before my story began. For some reason he was trying to have us killed, and (here is the kicker!) the Harbour Master had apparently allowed it to happen. At least the thugs we talked to were under the impression that he had cleared the way, so to speak.

We all felt pretty sure the old innkeeper had been told to get rid of us, maybe even threatened. So, now we had a real enemy, even before we took on the brothel. And we were just barely beginning to get a handle on the real issues. Oh my, it was a strange plot we found ourselves unravelling.

But so be it!

Until next time.

Warmth in your Soul and Happiness in your Heart.
Love
Alyra.

 

[Brimshack]

The little fur-ball was getting dumber, I was sure of it. Granted, I hadn’t known him very long, and he didn’t seem too bright to begin with. But his illness was very noticeable in the last battle; it had made him weak and ineffective. It wasn’t just that he was a lethargic little bundle of ratted yarn. He was having real trouble concentrating on just about anything. Whenever he seemed to have to make a decision, the little fellow would just sit and stare all glassy-eyed, and then he would do the dumbest thing poss, …let’s just say that he would make a less than optimal decision.

So, there we are lining up against a wall outside the brothel, and Blizzard (that’s his name as it turns out) is just staring at the ground, like he is trying to hide in his own shadow. To make matters worse, both Carla and Kristen are starting to get that same glassy look in their eyes. They had been watching the Waggamaeph and asking a lot of questions about his behavior. Now they were starting to act just like him. Here we were about to storm the brothel, and we had 3 sick people with us. I knew they were sick; I just didn’t know how to heal them. All I could do now is hope that they would do what needed to be done.

I gently took the Waggie by the shoulder and pulled him back up against the wall. He responded first by sniffing and then licking my fingers. It was so cute.

The building was 2 stories high, and it had a basement. There were no windows anywhere, and there was just one door, which was always guarded. There were always a couple archers watching through a window in the building directly across the street from the doorway. It was a simple layout, but an effective one, limiting the exits for their women and forcing people such as the lot of us to come through a single avenue of attack.

Appropriately enough, we had a simple plan to penetrate this simple layout. Seamus and Michael would walk up together and ask to be let in. Once the door was open, they would attack the door guards and keep the doorway open while the rest of us charged around the corner. We felt pretty confident that we could handle the archers across the street with our own missile specialists, or bring them down with spells if nothing else. Our biggest worry was that the front door might be closed and then the whole attack would be over (not to mention that anyone stuck on the inside of the door would be as good as dead). So, the key to the plan was moving fast around the corner. That, and Seamus and Michael had to survive for a little while on their own.

But would the sick members of our party even act in time? I have to admit my dear reader; I was very very VERY worried.

I could hear Michael’s voice at the doorway around the corner. He was explaining that he liked the girl from the night before and wanted to “…have another go.” (OH! I am SO disappointed in him. Did I mention this? A man of his stature! …and with normally impeccable etiquette, standing there slobbering over the pleasures of a woman of ill repute. Never mind that! …a slave who had no choice but to serve his desires. It’s just not right. I expected better of Michael. I really did. I mean, I know that was the whole plan, and it gave us a chance to learn the layout of the building, but Cheese&crackers! Couldn’t he have just said he really only wanted to talk or something? ...Men!) I could also hear Seamus’ footsteps actually. And I could hear someone else’s voice…

Then I looked down and saw the little waggamaeph. He had a bug cupped in his paws and he was listening to it buzz. I had to pull him back into the shadow a bit. He just looked up at me and grinned. I don't think he remembered at all why we were there at that moment. All of my goshes! I thought, we are doomed. Just doomed! I looked back to see how Carla was doing and she had her sword out, which was good, but she was just staring off into space. And for the first time since the door closed behind us in that warehouse, I really thought I was going to die. I wanted so badly to call the whole thing off. I thought, what do I say? How do I get Seamus and Michael away without warning the bad guys that something was up.

And then I heard someone draw a sword. I don’t even remember hearing the code words to begin the attack. I just heard the sword. So, I gripped my staff hard and looked down as I began moving foreword. There was a small bug flittering about where the waggamaeph had been a moment ago. A little dust wafted up off the ground at the corner of the building, and someone was screaming around the corner; I didn’t recognize the voice behind the screams. It wasn’t one of my friends though, that much at least I was happy to know.

I ran around the corner as fast as I could. Stepping over a dead guard, I found the waggamaeph, Michael, and Seamus beating up on a second who was struggling to get out of its chair and fend off all the blades and claws whirling about the area. A small table with a ledger had been pushed over just in front of the door, and a couple slips of paper lay strewn about the entrance. Down past the frakus was a hall way. A row of doors stretched along it’s right hand side. At the very end the hall, it took a sharp left hand turn. A large double doorway could be found at the end of the hall. I knew in advance that the double doors at the end of the hallway led to an open barroom and general entertainment area. The hall would make a full horseshoe turn in front of that doorway running back along the other side of the wall to our left. There would be more doors along the far side of that hallway, and a spiral staircase leading up to the second floor would be at its end (putting it just on the other side of the wall left of the entrance). I wasn’t exactly sure where the entrance lay to the basement, but I was eventually to learn that a narrow hall proceeded out of the open barroom straight down aways and into a dingy unfinished basement.

I saw no-one in need of healing, so I simply strode foreword and added my quarterstaff to the hazards facing the remaining door guard. I can’t say that I had much hope of harming him, but the distraction would leave him open to attack from people more effective in combat than I. It was kind of mean to gang up on him like that, but I just thought about those poor helpless women. If it took this man's death to free them, then I would shoulder my share of the burden to make that happen.

Counting myself, there were now four people inside the front door. Well, three people and one angry bundle of lint, one that had thankfully remembered to attack the enemy when it was supposed to. I could see arrows begin to pepper the window on the far side of the street behind me as others turned their fire on the archers behind it. None hit their mark, but I felt certain it was just a matter of time. Most of the hallway lay open before us, and the rest of my friends were not at all far behind.

We were in.

 

[Brimshack]

Suddenly a door opened in the building across the street and three men charged out. One carried a shield and a sword, a second waved a great scimitar about, and the third wielded an axe. A Crossbowman began firing at us through the window and an archer from the doorway.

I did not see him, but it was about the same time that August rounded the corner and fired two arrows in rapid order straight into one of the charging men. I did see the effect of August’s arrows. The poor fellow tried to duck the first arrow, and he almost succeeded. Unfortunately ‘almost’ means very little when one’s head is the last thing out of harm's way. The shaft struck him in the forehead, glanced off the bone and ricocheted up over the building behind him. The man stumbled foreword a moment, reeling from the pain. It was then the second arrow struck him. This one went straight through his eye and out the back of his head, almost without causing any immediate effect upon the man’s body. He staggered foreword another step and collapsed in the middle of the street.

I could see the arrow that slew the man lodged in the open door behind him.

Carla charged into a second warrior and the two quickly paired off into a little one-on-one duel. This left the archer and the crossbowman free to continue firing at us while a third melee fighter was free to cross the street and engage anyone of his choice. He chose instead to converge on Carla, turning her one-on-one duel into a dangerous play against two separate enemies in the firing arc of a third.

Honestly, I think that is the first time I have ever feared for Carla’s safety. She can be so strong, but I must admit, this time I thought she had bit off more gristle than her teeth could manage.

The remaining door-guard began retreating down the hallway with blizzard harassing him the whole way. Tom loosed an arrow into the fellow, but it proved insufficient to take him down. Seamus charged on down the hall to the very end where he was met by several guards coming out of the open bar area. A few women appeared in various parts of the hallway. One, accompanied by her client, simply shut herself back in the room while two others ran screaming around the bend in the hallway.

So, I stood there in the middle of the hallway, watching the women run past me. Seamus and the Waggie were to the front of me fighting an ever growing number of enemies. Tom and Michael were right behind me, firing as they could in support of Blizzard and Seamus. August, Kristen, Patty, and Bob all stood somewhere near the mouth of the hallway, and Carla could be found across the street, taking on a whole flank almost by herself.

It was around this time that I attempted a healing upon Seamus and the Waggie, both of whom had taken some damage. It was close, but I did not succeed. Had I taken but another moment or two to concentrate on my actions, I think I might have succeeded. I just didn’t think I had the time as there were doors on either side of me, any one of which could have birthed an enemy at a moment’s notice. To say nothing of the possibility that one of the women might turn out to be loyal to the brothel, and perhaps confident with a dagger. So, I attempted a quick healing, and I failed.

Argh! It was like the battle in the warehouse all over again, I was so angry with myself. Still, there was no time to fret. I simply prepared myself to try again.

Carla soon paid for her courage. She took not one, but two arrows in her torso. I could not see the extent of her injuries, but I heard her squeal in pain both times, and I could see it hampered her movements. If her prospects against two opponents were poor, they were that much more dubious in view of her new injuries. I could send healing her way, but in the short time it would take her enemies to finish her, just how much could power could I generate?

It is not easy to heal at such a distance. I did what I could, and I could see that she felt better. Still, I found myself thinking we would finish the day without her.

By now several arrows had lodged themselves in the wall near the window occupied by the crossbowman across the street. Everyone from August to Kristen had attempted to harm the fellow, but none had come close. He leaned out the window and fired towards our party. It was a strange thing to me, because I could not see all my companions. For all I knew, someone I loved had just been killed. And yet the bolt might as easily have missed its target.

I tried to study his reaction as our enemy pulled himself back from the window. Was he satisfied with the results? I just couldn’t tell. Things were happening too fast.

Suddenly the Waggamaeph left the front lines and ran back to Carla. Adding himself to the general melee, little Blizzard struck out at a couple opponents and then I lost sight of him in the blur of battle.

I turned back to see Seamus facing at least three formidable enemies. The remaining door guard lay dead a ways down the hall, though I knew not how he had been finished. One of Seamus’ opponents, a dwarf reared back with a great axe, hoping to deliver a decisive attack on our great knight. The dwarf paid for his overconfidence by receiving the point of a sword straight into his face. Honestly, I cringed, just to see this terrible blow. The fellow dropped his axe and fell to the ground with both hands to his face.

In death, sometimes great warriors are indistinguishable from small girls.

For all I know, the dwarf was a good fellow, albeit one who had clearly made some terrible decisions in his life. And there he lay kicking and crying for a few seconds. Then he was just kicking silently. His screams had taken the final breath of his life into the halls about us, leaving a body still trying to move about, as if to effect the behavior of the living.

To see such things is terrible.

I saw Michael shoot one of Seamus’ enemies. Tom complimented him on his fine marksmanship. When Tom added an arrow to the same foe’s injuries, Michael too expressed his moral support. And I took courage from their manners. If they could retain a sense of propriety amongst all this carnage, then surely I could muster the strength to play my part.

Preparing to cast another spell, I leaned back to see if I would need to send the power back towards Carla. Strangely, I could see that both of her opponents were now dead and she was in the face of the bowman. Her injuries still hampering her as she bent over slightly with every move. And yet she proved more than a match for the unfortunate fellow. He seemed to be completely on the defensive and unable to draw his own sword. I thought for a moment to find Blizzard somewhere in melee across the street, but he ran right past me and back down the hallway to rejoin Seamus. I knew not whether he was healthy or harmed.

I still do not know who killed Carla’s enemies. The Waggie? Carla? Perhaps Kristen or August. Spells from Bob or Patty might have played a role. I do not know.

Tom now fired at one of Seamus’ foes, striking him full in the face and pinning him to the doorway. It was an amazingly precise shot made under difficult circumstances, not the least of which being the need to shoot around Seamus and myself. The poor fellow did not even fall. He just slumped against the doorway and his hands slowly released their strength. Anyone looking that way might easily have counted him as a running concern, for Seamus, especially. And yet, the life had left him well enough, most likely before he knew himself to be hurt.

“Stop showing off, Tom.” Michael fired at another enemy, striking him in the gut. That fellow ran past the waggamaeph and down the second hallway towards the stairs. The waggamaeph ran again back through the hallway and across the street to rejoin Carla.

I tried once again to see if my furry friend needed healing, but he moved past me with such speed that I had no sense of the matter.

And then suddenly a half naked man burst through a door beside me and swung at me with an axe.

Honestly what is it about me and axe wielding men? I seem to connect with them far more often than I would real prefer. More to the point, the converse is also quite true.

My new opponent swung wildly, opening a small gash in my arm. I swung back at him and then moved down the hall. Seeing an opening, I tried to pass by the battle between Seamus and his remaining foes to place myself at the bend in the hallway. One of those enemy in question was a powerful warrior, clad in chain male. ...again wielding an axe.

I should have known!

But I can tell you this fellow scored a very good hit straight into my ribcage. I could feel bones breaking and the air left the right side of my body. The sound that left my lips was in part a scream, in part a squeal, and in part a strange noise which I am not normally capable of making. I stood at the bend in the hallway nursing my wound and keening a moment. I was in trouble and I knew it.

I took the healing power I had meant to use on my friends and cast it directly upon myself. It was not enough to fully heal my wounds, but I could feel breath fill my lungs again. I would use my next spell as originally intended for others.

In a few moments, Carla and the Waggie had finished the remaining archer and the crossbowman. The waggie would of course charge across the street and down the hallway again, entering the common barroom in the same time it took Carla to simply cross the street. Honestly, I could not tell if he needed healing or not. When Carla entered the hallway, she had been healed (Bob, perhaps?), but I could tell that she was still in need of help. Lucky to be alive, she was, but not so lucky as to be smiling about it.

Seamus finished his remaining foe, leaving the first hallway in our possession. With no enemies remaining to the rear and none in the first hallway, our opposition could now be found in the open bar and dining area.

...and around the bend to the other hallway.

 

[Brimshack]

By now I must confess that I and the others had used many of our spells up. Patty alone seemed confident in her ability to continue at pace, and I for one one contemplated the prospect of just leaving. We had done some serious damage by now. If we could exit without losing anyone, then perhaps we could secure any remaining goals by negotiation. We could even secure the freedom of many of the women as they were then under our control.

Alternatively, if we could just capture the second hallway and the open area, then we could evacuate the bulk of the women, leaving the villains to hide at the top of the stairs. I thought surely an attempt to actually take the upper floor of the building would see us run aground, our good loock spent along with the last of our abilities. We had to make an early exit, I grew quite sure of this.

But like my second thoughts on approaching the brothel, the course of events stampeded past anything I might have said or done to effect the idea.

With the first hallway clear, Tom entered the common area, passing behind my sight in pursuit of Blizzard.

Then August charged past me behind Tom and fired an arrow at a target hidden from my sight. I turned to look down the second hallway, and a moment later, August screamed out. Leaning back, I could see that August had gained a new foe, another axe wielding dwarf as it happens, one with an arrow lodged harmlessly amidst the chain links of its armor. Most importantly, August had gained a terrible wound. A great vertical gash could be found in his chest. His chain mail hanging to either side of the opening. I could see that a great many of August's ribs must have been smashed in its making. Blood flowed freely from the wound, then splatterd wildly as August’s own bow smashed into his chest, it being knocked backward by another swing of the dwarven axe.

So, there August stood, bow in hand, facing an opponent with far more appropriate weaponry and far superior melee skills; all of this while struggling simply to breath. He clearly would not withstand another attack.

Michael took careful aim and fired at the dwarf. He missed. I could see that Michael was concentrating on getting another shot in, but the look on his face betrayed a decided lack of confidence. Twisting his face in frustration, or perhaps in resignation, Michale pronounced his verdict on the situation, “You’re ****ed Fred!”

“My name was August!”

Then, a blur of fur, teeth, and claws pounce upon the dwarf, splashing some quantity of blood from it’s armor (I know not from what part of the dwarf’s body). I breathed a sigh of relief. Blizzard would keep August alive long enough for me to complete a healing spell. And then Blizzard was gone again having disappeared somewhere into the open room. I sighed, knowing the poor little fellow did not have the mind to understand its error. In its haste to explore new parts of the battlefield, the waggamaeph had left August vulnerable to another attack.

Bilzzard had simply forgotten to save our friend.

Tom fired at the dwarf and missed.

Then Seamus entered the room. Charging directly into the dwarf, Seamus pushed him backwards all the way to the bar and well away from August. Unfortunately, this took the foe within striking range of Tom, but of course Tom was at least healthy enough to fend for himself. And he wound have the benefit of a flanking ally. I breathed a sigh of relief.

August might live.

As Carla entered the open barroom, the dwarf gave up entirely. Seamus knocked him out with the hilt of his sword, and Carla emerged from the room tucking a wine bottle into her possessions. Seamus passed by the doorway to the opposite side of the open barroom.

I healed August, and we all began to turn our attention to the second hallway.

“He’s Twitching!” Tom’s voice echoed from the open barrom. It was followed shortly after by the sound of an arrow loosed, followed immediately with the sound of an arrow finding a home in loose flesh.

I cringed.

But the battle would not wait for moral quandaries. The bulk of the women and customers from the second hallway had either retreated to their own rooms by now or fled up the spiral stairs at the end of the second hall. At the bottom of the stairs, two defenders stood their ground. One of them fired arrows down the hall at us, and the second carried a sword and shield. He too wore armor, a sure sign that he was one of the more powerful guards in the establishment.

Around this time (I learned this later), Seamus and the waggamaeph chased a crowd down a second staircase in the open barroom and into the basement. Blizzard attacked a single opponent without killing him and ran back up the stairs. For his own part, Seamus would eventually slay two enemies in the basement, then teke the time to escort the remaining crowd (consisting of customers and prostitutes) up through the front hallway and out the front door. This was his contribution to the remaining battle, an honorable one to be sure.

But for the present...

A flurry of arrows flew about the hallway, one of them striking me, several striking the chest of the archer down the hallway. He collapsed at the foot of the stairs, spilling the contents of his quiver in front of the first step. The swordsmen quickly retreated up the staircase, leaving the rest of us entirely in control of the bottom floor.

For a moment, the only sound in the hallway was that of the dying archer struggling to draw one last breath without the benefit of working lungs.

All the wounded in our party gathered in a circle about me as I took extra time with a healing spell. As my own wounds hampered my efforts, I needed the extra time to compensate, but I took still more time than that giving us all a great healing boost.

...all but the waggamaeph, I should say. While I was still in the midst of my spell, he ran straight up the staircase, I thought surely to his own death. From the looks passed about the party as I continued the spell, I gather that others must have had similar expectations.

Blizzard returned a moment later, blinked at us from the bottom of the stair case, and went right back up. This time we could hear fighting break out somewhere upstairs.

And then my spell was complete. It was a powerful moment of healing. Open wounds closed about me, bones reset, and bruises faded. Many of us breathed a sigh of relief, and gathered ourselves to finish the day's work.

As I cast a second healing spell, Patty quickened us and with my aid gave us all magical armor. Casting spells so quickly is is very taxing, even with the aid of a friend. Clearly Patty has a tremendous magical reserve.

Before either Patty or myself could finish our last spells, August ran up the stairs (we all assumed to his own death). The Waggamaeph was fast enough to pull that sort of thing off, but our clumsy archer friend would surely be at a disadvantage. ...even if he had taken the spells we were preparing, which he did not.

Our final spells completed, Carla was next up the stairs. A moment later, the swordsman’s body came rolling down, his eyes still registering the last traces of conscious thought. He died at my feet, looking up at me as if to pleading for help.

Lord forgive me, I stepped over the man.

I stepped over him as I rushed up the stairs myself along with the rest of my friends. It was well past time for the final assault.

As I emerged at the top of the stairs, I found Blizzard fighting a lone enemy in the room opposite the staircase. August stood at the top of the staircase and back against a wall. He was wounded again, though not quite so badly as before. The rest of my friends swarmed about the place, each seeking out an enemy of his own.

A hall travelled the length of the upstairs floor, ending in a room guarded by two archers and one or two more melee fighters. Behind them I could see a spell caster and a couple of the women who had fled the hallways earlier. Two doorways stood opposite each other at the mid section of the hallway, and I could hear the sounds of combat in the one to my left.

Realising that I had but one spell left for the day, I thought to save it for a great healing spell at the end of the battle. In the meantime, the best I could do was to aid someone by flanking an enemy. So, I charged into the room on the left side of the hallway.

I wish that I had not that.

 

[Brimshack]

Inside the room to the left side of the hallway stood a powerful knight in full armor. He carried a great sword. Opposite him, stood Tom, a dagger in one hand and a bow in the other. Between them and a little to the side stood a halfling.

It was the halfling that provided the source of my concern. You see, he was dressed in the uniform of a school boy, or rather in a manner disturbingly similar to that of a school boy. In truth the outfit was a little too tight and a little too skimpy to find on any real school boy, at least one whose parents were not destined for the stockade.

The head cloth of a learned teacher had been tucked half way into a pouch carried by the knight. A small book lay face up on the floor of the doorway. It’s pages fluttered about, as if trying to find their point of balance just after coming to rest on the floor.

You don’t have to tell me that it's creepy. I was there.

I tell you this, so that you will appreciate my reasons for distress. It should not take much thought to know what must have occurred between the knight and the halfling. But you see, and this is the thing which has haunted me ever since, the halfling was staring at Tom. With all of those reasons to dread the knight, it was Tom who had the halfling scared out of his wits.

I do not know what happened in that room before I got there, and I have not dared to ask.

For the present, I had only to add myself to the fray. Neither Tom nor I had much chance against such a foe, especially in direct hand to hand fighting. But we were shortly joined by others, not the least of them being Carla.

The knight attacked Tom, and I assisted him as I could. I have always shared some sense of affinity with elves, even those that are starting to frighten me a bit. Using this, I was able to aniticpate Tom's moment of greatest weakness. With my aid and his own wits, Tom escaped serious injury.

Patty then caused the knight great fear with a spell, and as his guard lowered, Carla did what she does best; which is to finish an already ailing opponent. Ducking low she somehow squeezed her dagger into the weak spot between his leg armor and his torso and ripped back towards herself in one violent motion. The sound of metal scraping hard upon metal mixed with that of flesh and cloth tearing.

The knight swung wildly in response, missing a whole room full of vulnerable bodies and stumbling to the side. Catching himself on a table, the man looked down towards his wound. For just a moment, his eyes focused on the book which lay at his feet.

I could hear the sounds of battle subsiding all about the second floor.

Following the knight’s eyes, I saw that the pages had settled. Facing up lay a page containing a single illustration; it depicted an obscene act. And then it depicted nothing but the color red.

And the knight simply collapsed.

Instinctively, I placed myself between the halfling and Tom. I said something to the effect that we should take care of all of the prisoners.

Thankfully, Tom seemed to accept this.

The fighting was over.

 

[Brimshack]

My dear reader, the last few pages have been very hard on me. It has been some days since I began telling of the raid on the brothel, and I have had nightmares every night since. I keep seeing the dying men, over and over in my dreams. And I see myself acting as I never thought I would, walking past the suffering, even doing my best to add to it. I wake in tears.

It isn’t that I regret our decision to attack the brothel, or my own actions in the battle. I just can’t help wondering what kind of person I am becoming. If this is what it takes to survive...

Well, let me take that burden upon myself. For now I will tell you about the events following our raid.

There were two women at the top of the stairs, and a male spell caster. We had initially tied the spell caster up as we gathered the women remaining in the building (several had already run out). Saying that he too had been a prisoner, the spell caster offered to heal us. Carla looked at me and asked if he was lying. I spelled him on the matter and determined that he was indeed telling the truth. So, we released the man and asked him to heal us.

This Healer too flinched upon healing Seamus. What happened before was not a fluke!

Seeing the waggamaeph now troubling itself with the best way to walk through an open doorway, we asked him if he could do anything about the little creature. He took his time with the spell and when he was done, Blizzard appeared a little healthier. Carla and Kristen were not around when the spell was cast upon Blizzard. We could only hope that increasing his health would end their own morbid fascination with his symptoms. With my fingers crossed, I considered that chapter closed.

Oh where has my joy gone!?! I have just told you of a wonderful thing, and I wrote it down with all the passion of a child doing hated chores. Dwelling on all this death! I am becoming numb to everything.

Let me try it again...

Blizzard was well again. He was really really REALLY well! Aren’t you happy for him? I am. We should all be happy for him. It’s so wonderful. I mean it really...

...okay, I need to go now. I should know better than to do anything this late at night. I just get so sad. The morning will bring warmth and strength to my pen.

Until then, warmth in your Soul and Happiness in your Heart.

Love
Alyra.

 

[Brimshack]

Okay, I do feel better now. I have a cup of tea in front of me and I can hear a little bird outside. It’s really chirping, which is really wonderful.

Now. I’m not going to dwell on the bad stuff anymore for now, because we’ve been through all that. So, let’s focus on the one, really, really good thing. We saved a whole bunch of women from a terrible fate! Isn’t that wonderful?

Well, you know it is.

Now!

Now, we had a couple things to tie up here. For one thing, there was the basement. There was a puddle of water at the far end of the one room basement, and Seamus felt pretty sure that something had been moving around inside it. Blizzard just said; “s-,s-,s-,s- ssssparkly!” I think that means that he agreed with Seamus.

So, anyway, were had a little discussion about maybe going down there and maybe not. I was pretty well on empty myself, but apparently Kristen had a spell left and Patty was good as gold, just as always. ...She is such a little trooper there. Sometimes, I just wan to grab those little pointy ears and give her such a hug!

Well anyway, we decided to go down there and see what we could find. A whole bunch of us grouped up and went downstairs. I’m going to skip some of the details here and just tell you that the source of the movement was a very powerful beast. I think someone called it a Naga. Thinking that we were part of the brothel, he/she/it demanded pure water. When we failed to produce any water, the Naga asked if we were prepared to pay the consequences, and that is when we told it that we were not part of the regular management. I really thought we were going to have to fight that thing. And I am quite certain that would have been fatal for quite a number of us.

Really, that is not just my fear talking. That thing could have taken us when we walked fresh through the door, I am betting. Sitting there tired and battered? If we were lucky the party members still upstairs might have survived.

But, the Naga allowed us to leave, and we did exactly that.

Now you may be thinking that surely we missed out on something. ...some treasure perhaps? ...or maybe a secret worth knowing? And I agree with you. In fact, I am sure that there was something worth pursuing down there in that basement, but we just didn’t have it in us at the time. We learned that the Naga had made some sort of agreement with the brothel owners where they had to bring it pure water. What it did for them we had no idea. And well, that’s where we left it.

Hey, one brothel down and a bunch of slaves freed! I was ready to call it a day and so were the others.

By now the city guards had begun to assemble down the street. They were apparently waiting for some re-enforcements before approaching us to see what was up. It was around that time that we sent the remaining women and the healer out to meet them. Then we headed out around the corner and went off down a back ally.

I know, that too was a little less than responsible, but once again, were were tired people! You know, tired! After a big battle like that, I can’t help thinking we were entitled to let our inner selfish out to play a bit.

We didn’t go back to the inn directly. No. We decided to go see Lord Methgar and tell him what we’d done. Everyone figured that might be important, being as he was our sponsor and the brothel was known to have powerful backers f some kind. He might want to know what people were after him if that turned out to be the case. So, we were definitely headed to see Lord Methgar.

But first we wanted to see Louie the Mog again.

 

[Brimshack]

So, Louie opens the door and stands to the side. Once again, there is that great big symbol of goodness on the wall directly behind the door. I smiled, knowing that I was going into the best place I knew in this whole city. So, I stepped into the door and turned left to go into Loui’s study. Carla came too, and I started to watch her. The Waggie came in and promptly crawled under a couch. I was checking to make sure he didn’t eat anything valuable, when I heard Seamus tell the others he would stand outside.

After everyone came into the study, everyone but Seamus that is, Louie entered the room with a slight frown on his face. He was clearly thinking hard about something.

We told Louie that we had done what he asked.

“So, I am told. Congratulations.”

...mind you, this was less than an hour after the conclusion of the battle.

Louie continued, “I think you should be sure and tell Lord Methgar about this. he will need to know as soon as possible.”

“Oh yes, we were planning on going to see him next.” Tom was back to his old self. I studied him carefully, trying to discern what the halfling had seen in this seemingly wonderful man. Could this have been the man who shot a helpless dwarf in the last battle? I just don’t know.

“I have something for you.” Louie reached out to me with something small in his hand. I took it, and found myself looking at a small ceramic figure symbolizing the power of healing. When I looked up at him, he smiled and nodded. “You may one day need it for a special healing spell.”

Oh! This was wonderful. I knew exactly what he was talking about. You see, the item would serve in place of an assistant for the only spell that could save a fallen friend. It always takes two healers to bring someone back from the brink of death, you know. Well, with this, just once I could do it myself. This would one day save one of us. I could have kissed Louie right then and there.

He gave someone else something, I don’t remember what, because I was so busy studying my fetish familiar.

Turning to Carla, he said; “Excuse me, that goes over here.” Seeing her produce a book with as slightly sheepish grin, we all got nervous for a moment there. Louie forwned a bit and placed the book carefully its proper place. He then began rifling through the books on his wall and selected a volume. “You may have this one as a gift.

It’s title read, “The Pleasures of a Virtuous Life.”

Carla tucked the book into her belongings, and Louie headed into another room for a moment.

And then he brought out a Great Sword, saying “Give this to someone good and honourable.”

My eyes lit up, knowing that Seamus would make good use of a magical sword. Surely, he had proven himself more than honourable in all of his dealings. The way he protected those women! The waggie looked up from the couch and blinked at it. I think August too nodded his head, knowing exactly where that sword was headed.

Michael and Tom looked uncomfortable, as did Carla. Kristen’s eyes darted back to the doorway, her lips pursed.

I looked out the window to see Seamus standing in the street. It dawned on me now that Seamus hadn’t been with us the first time we visited Louie. So, he had never walked through Louie’s door.

My heart sank.

“No-one else in our party uses a great sword.” Carla was practical as usual. For myself, I brushed away a tear. Had Seamus not been the perfect gentlemen? Had he not looked after the helpless when he needed to? How could he be unworthy of the values attached to the sword? It made no sense.

...except perhaps for the problems in healing him.

“And if someone is not good or honourable...” Michael did not get a chance to finish the question.

“Then they get less value from the weapon.”

“I realize that, but what...”

“What if they are opposed to its values?” Louie appeared to be catching on.

Michael nodded, his eyebrows raised, almost as if to apologize. “Then they can’t use it , right?” He almost cringed as he said it.

“No, they can use it. ...I mean, he can use it.” Louie too cast his eyes toward the door. “If he shares some moral value with the weapon, he will even get full benefits from the magic, but if he is in some way opposed to the sword...”

“...then, he will have trouble in all other things.” Kristen sat down on the couch, her shoulders slouched in resignation. A faint squeek could be heard beneath her. “He would be powerful on the attack, but his defense could be weakened severely.”

“...and every task would become a chore.” Louie appeared quite displeased. “Is he really your only candidate for the sword? It is an extremely powerful weapon. Had I known...”

“I am afraid so.” My voice was weak as I wiped away another tear. I was NOT concerned about the loss of an opportunity here. “Seamus is the only one who could wield it effectively.”

“Have I misread your...” Louie was clearly beginnig to have second thoughts.

“This is the first we have heard of it...” Patty did her best to appear reassuring.

“But I can heal evil people. That’s not how it...” Oh Cheese! Did I say that out loud?

Everyone stared at me for a moment.

Carla strapped the sword to her back for the interim as the room grew a bit more quiet.

“I really don’t know what to tell you. You may come into trouble because of this raid, and I had thought to aid you with these gifts.” There was a long pause as Louie searched for something else to say. And finally, with a trace of resignation and a strong hint that it was time to say goodbye, “I wish you the best of luck.”

Seamus must have noticed that no-one looked him in the eye as we came out of the building.

 

[Brimshack]

“So, I am told.”

Lord Methgar looked a little bit like a disappointed father. I guess, he wasn’t exactly pleased to learn that we had just brought unwanted conflict on ourselves as well as him. Still, he wasn’t entirely angry, at least I didn’t think so.

But I don’t think that Methie is moving after all. It seems like we just get brought into the bare room these days. His place of residence isn't changing at all.

I looked at Carla. ...Of course.

Well anyway, the conversation continued a bit. We told him our reasons for attacking the brothel, and he asked a few questions about Louie. We answered Methie as honestly as we could, which for most of us anyway was pretty darned honest.

After thinking on it a moment, Methie just nodded his head. “I thank you for telling me of this.” He pursed his lips a moment and continued, “There are some other things you should know. A great battle is about to take place on the plains out to the Northeast. Several peoples have arrayed themselves to stop the army coming south from the mountains. The ones who dwell on the plains will be trying to stop them, as will a faction of orcs, groups of kobalds and lizardmen, some strange creatures from the meadows south of the forest. And also those that now rule the elven forest, whoever that is.”

I took great strength from these words. Across the room, August caught my eye. We both smiled. Perhaps...

And then Methie caught my eye. Shaking his head and looking right at me, “There is little hope these factions will be able to stop them.” Seeing disbelief, he continued; “It is a very powerful army.”

And hope left the room. “Most of the city does not know of this coming war. But when the other factions fail, the mountain army is expected to come here next.”

It was early evening by this time, and I grew very tired. It had been a log day, one which had begun with a great victory. But Methie was not on the happy wagon today, not with this little speech, and it was beginning to take away our good spirits.

An awkward silence filled the room. For a time, no-one knew what to say about much of anything. We just stood in silence.

“What will you do now?” Methie began searching through a small bag hanging from his belt.

“We thought we might look into the Harbour Master’s business.” Bob rarely spoke. Why this time, I wondered?

“Or maybe, try to handle this business with Gable One-Eye.” Michael spoke up with Tom nodding beside him.

“Do you know why he is trying to kill you?” Methie appeared happy to change the subject for a moment.

“That’s what we were looking to find out.” Tom continued almost as if he were finishing Michael’s sentence. It was Michael's turn to nod in agreement.

“I think either of those plans would be worth pursuing. Do not forget though, we must learn what it is that the Slolem left behind.”

And with that, Lord Methgar handed us a key to a private home and instructions for getting there. He said that we could stay in there for a month without charge, and then we would begin paying a small rent in subsequent months. ...assuming of course, everyone was still alive long enough for this to become a concern.

We left Methgar’s place and returned to the Inn where we gathered our stuff and then moved to the new residence.

Our new home was a nicely furnished little two story house. A nice kitchen lay on the bottom floor and a common dining area as well as a sort of study. The top floor consisted of sleeping quarters. There was a generous fireplace, cutlery, something akin to china, and even a book or two on the mostly empty shelves. I found myself thinking I could live here.

And I wondered what Robin from back home would have thought? Is this the sort of place we could have built for ourselves? Thoughts of children playing by the fire lasted but a moment. And then they were chased away by visions of foul beasts coming through the door...

Still it was a warm place, and one that might prove safe, if only for a short while.

We slept hard that night, at least I know I did.