Kalendraf
Explorer
Dovena's Tale, Part 2
After a lengthy discussion, they'd agreed upon a plan. It was likely that this group of bountyhunters working for Edward would have a hard time tracking any leads back to the tavern, but if they did, they'd be ready. The only problem could be one of timing. If the party showed up at the busiest time of the evening, it might be difficult to keep an eye on their activities, and there would surely be too many witnesses if a fight ensued. Of course, if they did show up during regular hours, that may just be coincidence as well.
Since she'd been up since the early hours, she decided to catch a nap. She was just about to take off her armor and climb into her cot when someone started calling her name. "Dovena, the messenger is back!" She briefly considered not answering the summons, but it was too important to find out any new information. She changed her appearance to the Matron outfit and headed for the common room.
Padris was there waiting for her. She sat down and read the note. The information was mixed. She again thanked Padris for his fine effort, and then got up. As she'd been talking to Padris, a pair of men, one a thin human, and the other a large half-orc had taken a booth near the door. She was too caught up in the details of the note to think clearly, and she began heading for the back rooms. As she was half-way there, she realized that those could be the two escaped bountyhunters. Could they have followed Padris? The mayor suspected something. It was too late to change her course and she continued on thru the staff door, passing the bouncer, Groth.
She found Jador and revealed the note's contents. "Your kin appears to have been successful in killing the four held in the prison, but he was captured before he could escape. I'm sorry."
Jador looked stunned, but then smiled. "At least he took them down for Uncle. Uncle Z would approve." She also told the waitress Elrina, then assumed her own waitress disguise and went back to the common room to inform Tavic who was currently manning the bar.
The pair in the booth was not there, or at least not the same pair. Now it was the half-orc and a plain-looking man. He looked very familiar, but couldn't be sure who it was. He was wearing a hood that he kept pulling over his face as if he was trying to stay hidden. She quietly discussed her suspicions with Tavic at the bar.
"I think that's one from the trial." "But he's dead!" "We can't be sure. The Mayor suspects, so that could have been a false message." Just then, Elrina, the waitress came to the bar. "The guys in the booth want another round in the king mugs."
"Here ya go." Elrina walked off with the two oversized mugs. Tavic winked at Dovena. "Give 'em a few minutes, then check 'em out."
Sure enough, after a few gulps, both the half-orc and human had passed out from the drug that Tavic had secretly slipped into their mugs. Dovena approached, watching carefully to make sure both fellows were truly unconscious. Then she pulled back the hood and looked carefully at the human. She nodded slightly for Tavic to see, confirming her hunch, then smoothly put the hood back. She looked around and made sure no one had seen her. With her present disguise, she just looked like a waitress, so it wouldn't seem to out of place to be checking on a drunken customer. Her hand moved to the hilt of her dagger. She could kill them quickly without anyone seeing her. As she slowly began to draw the blade, a firm hand pulled her shoulder. It was Tavic. He was shaking his head and forcing her dagger back into its sheath.
"If they die here, it will merely confirm the mayor's suspicion and likely bring the wrath of their comrades. For all these two know, they got drunk and passed out. On the other hand, we've learned much. The mayor has been tipped off. The messenger is no longer useful to us. And we know that these fellows are actually still alive." Tavic picked up both of the drugged mugs and then switched them with two more from a nearby table that Elrina was about to take back to the bar.
Tavic headed back to the bar, leaving Dovena waiting by the table still contemplating a double homicide. Once again, Tavic was right. Sometimes that man was infuriating in his logic. She kept watch as a waitress until the two men left, then she headed back to her room to take a nap. She didn't fall asleep immediately; for quite a while she twisted the dagger back'n'forth in various grips imagining several ways she could have killed the men at the booth, but finally, she was out.
She had no idea how long she'd slept, but it was Jador who woke her up. "Them bastards are back! The balls they have to come walking in here with my cousin's and uncle's blood fresh on their hands. I'm gonna fry 'em Dovena, but I want you to join the fun!"
"Have you cleared this with Tavic?" she asked, but the gnome was already gone. She sat up from her bed, quickly pulled on her armor, and then she grabbed her knife by the pillow. She moved cautiously toward the common room, realizing that the tavern could already be under attack. As she neared the common room, she could make out the voices of many customers meaning that it must be a busy night. As she reached the hallway, she thought she saw a rat scurrying back into the common room past Groth the bouncer.
Elrina, the waitress, nearly ran over her with an armload of dirty plates and mugs. "Did Jador talk to you?" "Yes. He's the one who woke me up. Does Tavic know?" Elrina nodded. "We're going with Jador's in-bar plan that we discussed earlier today. Are you ready?" Dovena nodded, realizing this would likely be a major fight. "The place is full of Prime guards and a few bounty hunters. You know what to do." Dovena just kept nodding.
She made her way out the back thru the kitchen. By now the cooks were used to seeing her come and go this way so they barely gave her any notice. She rounded the building and got a look in thru the front door. Prime guards were indeed everywhere. She could just barely make out the bountyhunters in the corner. She backed up a few feet and shouted, "It's Ianthe! She's making a run for it!"
A couple of guards near the door rushed into the street, and Dovena pointed down the street toward a slender, cloaked figure walking at a brisk pace. The intoxicated guards needed little incentive to begin rushing off shouting, "Ianthe! Ianthe! 50 thousand gold!" Within a matter of moments, nearly the entire bar had emptied into the street like lemmings rushing after the cloaked figure. In reality, it was just one of the other waitresses who they'd paid to wear a cloak and then hurry off into the woods. She was new, expendable, and knew nothing else of their plans. If she got caught, it was anyone's guess what would happen, but that would be her problem, and by then, the guards would be long gone.
As the last few drunken guards staggered out, she took this opportunity to make herself invisible. It wouldn't last long, but it should last long enough to slip in and make at least one key strike.
Already, she could hear Tavik beginning to sing. She slipped into the bar, walking softly so as not to alert anyone. A couple more drunks staggered out past her, almost colliding with her. The bountyhunters presented badges, but that didn't matter. Surrender was not an option for them. Jador unleashed his fire upon them, but it didn't seem to hurt them very much.
Things didn't seem to be going according to plan. Despite Groth's previous orders to attack, the half-orc bouncer was just standing there acting stupid. The human who'd been drugged earlier had rushed up the stairs at an amazing speed and was within reach of Jador. Meanwhile, the half-orc was pressing on to engage Tavik or Groth. The other two bounty-hunters were holding back apparently casting spells. The nearest of these was a dwarf, apparently a cleric of suldane while the other one in the corner appeared to be another bard. Between them, there was a fuzzy creature on the floor, but it was hard to see below the tables. Was it the rat she'd seen in the hall? Perhaps a familiar? Where was their 6th man?
She needed to choose one of them to attack. The two most obvious targets were the dwarf cleric or the human bard. She remembered Zyten mentioned that he had tried to kill the bard, and he'd managed to live, so it was possible he had some kind of ability to avoid this. It was no secret that she hated clerics from her dark past, so she quickly set upon studying him.
The rest of the battle was like a blur around her. Elrina was shooting arrows past her invisible form while other arrows from the bard nearly struck her at one point. The dwarf barely moved and she had reached a spot right behind him. She already had the dagger in her hand and moved into position. She had a myriad of choices, but she'd settled on one. A quick throat slash would end it quickly. In a flash, she struck, landing a near-perfect strike. She'd hit a critical artery and blood poured out in a deep red gush. The target crumpled instantly.
She was instantly the new target of the bountyhunter's attacks, and she suffered several blows before she could react. A quick leap placed her closer to the bar, next to Tavic. As she landed, she quickly surveyed the situation. Groth was laughing. Tavic was badly wounded. Elrina was still shooting arrows, and had landed a few good shots on the enemy half-orc. She didn't see Jador, but it looked like he'd been knocked down. Meanwhile, besides her work on the dwarf, and the arrows protruding from the half-orc, it didn't look like they'd been very successful yet.
She needed to hide again, so she tried to make a distraction. She debated diving behind the bar, but instead opted to stay closer to the action. She ducked down behind a table, hoping that no one had followed her quick decoy movement. Suddenly, a spark of lightning came down from the ceiling, and she realized she'd been detected. Even more suddently, a figure vaulted down from the 2nd level and struck her from behind. She crashed to the ground under the weight of the blow, her neck broken, but her eyes stayed open for a few more seconds.
Her life flashed before her starting with her days in the streets fighting against the rats up to the battle tonight. From her vantage point on the ground she could finally make out that fuzzy shape on the ground across the floor. It wasn't a rat...
Thus ends the tale of Dovena Pane.
After a lengthy discussion, they'd agreed upon a plan. It was likely that this group of bountyhunters working for Edward would have a hard time tracking any leads back to the tavern, but if they did, they'd be ready. The only problem could be one of timing. If the party showed up at the busiest time of the evening, it might be difficult to keep an eye on their activities, and there would surely be too many witnesses if a fight ensued. Of course, if they did show up during regular hours, that may just be coincidence as well.
Since she'd been up since the early hours, she decided to catch a nap. She was just about to take off her armor and climb into her cot when someone started calling her name. "Dovena, the messenger is back!" She briefly considered not answering the summons, but it was too important to find out any new information. She changed her appearance to the Matron outfit and headed for the common room.
Padris was there waiting for her. She sat down and read the note. The information was mixed. She again thanked Padris for his fine effort, and then got up. As she'd been talking to Padris, a pair of men, one a thin human, and the other a large half-orc had taken a booth near the door. She was too caught up in the details of the note to think clearly, and she began heading for the back rooms. As she was half-way there, she realized that those could be the two escaped bountyhunters. Could they have followed Padris? The mayor suspected something. It was too late to change her course and she continued on thru the staff door, passing the bouncer, Groth.
She found Jador and revealed the note's contents. "Your kin appears to have been successful in killing the four held in the prison, but he was captured before he could escape. I'm sorry."
Jador looked stunned, but then smiled. "At least he took them down for Uncle. Uncle Z would approve." She also told the waitress Elrina, then assumed her own waitress disguise and went back to the common room to inform Tavic who was currently manning the bar.
The pair in the booth was not there, or at least not the same pair. Now it was the half-orc and a plain-looking man. He looked very familiar, but couldn't be sure who it was. He was wearing a hood that he kept pulling over his face as if he was trying to stay hidden. She quietly discussed her suspicions with Tavic at the bar.
"I think that's one from the trial." "But he's dead!" "We can't be sure. The Mayor suspects, so that could have been a false message." Just then, Elrina, the waitress came to the bar. "The guys in the booth want another round in the king mugs."
"Here ya go." Elrina walked off with the two oversized mugs. Tavic winked at Dovena. "Give 'em a few minutes, then check 'em out."
Sure enough, after a few gulps, both the half-orc and human had passed out from the drug that Tavic had secretly slipped into their mugs. Dovena approached, watching carefully to make sure both fellows were truly unconscious. Then she pulled back the hood and looked carefully at the human. She nodded slightly for Tavic to see, confirming her hunch, then smoothly put the hood back. She looked around and made sure no one had seen her. With her present disguise, she just looked like a waitress, so it wouldn't seem to out of place to be checking on a drunken customer. Her hand moved to the hilt of her dagger. She could kill them quickly without anyone seeing her. As she slowly began to draw the blade, a firm hand pulled her shoulder. It was Tavic. He was shaking his head and forcing her dagger back into its sheath.
"If they die here, it will merely confirm the mayor's suspicion and likely bring the wrath of their comrades. For all these two know, they got drunk and passed out. On the other hand, we've learned much. The mayor has been tipped off. The messenger is no longer useful to us. And we know that these fellows are actually still alive." Tavic picked up both of the drugged mugs and then switched them with two more from a nearby table that Elrina was about to take back to the bar.
Tavic headed back to the bar, leaving Dovena waiting by the table still contemplating a double homicide. Once again, Tavic was right. Sometimes that man was infuriating in his logic. She kept watch as a waitress until the two men left, then she headed back to her room to take a nap. She didn't fall asleep immediately; for quite a while she twisted the dagger back'n'forth in various grips imagining several ways she could have killed the men at the booth, but finally, she was out.
She had no idea how long she'd slept, but it was Jador who woke her up. "Them bastards are back! The balls they have to come walking in here with my cousin's and uncle's blood fresh on their hands. I'm gonna fry 'em Dovena, but I want you to join the fun!"
"Have you cleared this with Tavic?" she asked, but the gnome was already gone. She sat up from her bed, quickly pulled on her armor, and then she grabbed her knife by the pillow. She moved cautiously toward the common room, realizing that the tavern could already be under attack. As she neared the common room, she could make out the voices of many customers meaning that it must be a busy night. As she reached the hallway, she thought she saw a rat scurrying back into the common room past Groth the bouncer.
Elrina, the waitress, nearly ran over her with an armload of dirty plates and mugs. "Did Jador talk to you?" "Yes. He's the one who woke me up. Does Tavic know?" Elrina nodded. "We're going with Jador's in-bar plan that we discussed earlier today. Are you ready?" Dovena nodded, realizing this would likely be a major fight. "The place is full of Prime guards and a few bounty hunters. You know what to do." Dovena just kept nodding.
She made her way out the back thru the kitchen. By now the cooks were used to seeing her come and go this way so they barely gave her any notice. She rounded the building and got a look in thru the front door. Prime guards were indeed everywhere. She could just barely make out the bountyhunters in the corner. She backed up a few feet and shouted, "It's Ianthe! She's making a run for it!"
A couple of guards near the door rushed into the street, and Dovena pointed down the street toward a slender, cloaked figure walking at a brisk pace. The intoxicated guards needed little incentive to begin rushing off shouting, "Ianthe! Ianthe! 50 thousand gold!" Within a matter of moments, nearly the entire bar had emptied into the street like lemmings rushing after the cloaked figure. In reality, it was just one of the other waitresses who they'd paid to wear a cloak and then hurry off into the woods. She was new, expendable, and knew nothing else of their plans. If she got caught, it was anyone's guess what would happen, but that would be her problem, and by then, the guards would be long gone.
As the last few drunken guards staggered out, she took this opportunity to make herself invisible. It wouldn't last long, but it should last long enough to slip in and make at least one key strike.
Already, she could hear Tavik beginning to sing. She slipped into the bar, walking softly so as not to alert anyone. A couple more drunks staggered out past her, almost colliding with her. The bountyhunters presented badges, but that didn't matter. Surrender was not an option for them. Jador unleashed his fire upon them, but it didn't seem to hurt them very much.
Things didn't seem to be going according to plan. Despite Groth's previous orders to attack, the half-orc bouncer was just standing there acting stupid. The human who'd been drugged earlier had rushed up the stairs at an amazing speed and was within reach of Jador. Meanwhile, the half-orc was pressing on to engage Tavik or Groth. The other two bounty-hunters were holding back apparently casting spells. The nearest of these was a dwarf, apparently a cleric of suldane while the other one in the corner appeared to be another bard. Between them, there was a fuzzy creature on the floor, but it was hard to see below the tables. Was it the rat she'd seen in the hall? Perhaps a familiar? Where was their 6th man?
She needed to choose one of them to attack. The two most obvious targets were the dwarf cleric or the human bard. She remembered Zyten mentioned that he had tried to kill the bard, and he'd managed to live, so it was possible he had some kind of ability to avoid this. It was no secret that she hated clerics from her dark past, so she quickly set upon studying him.
The rest of the battle was like a blur around her. Elrina was shooting arrows past her invisible form while other arrows from the bard nearly struck her at one point. The dwarf barely moved and she had reached a spot right behind him. She already had the dagger in her hand and moved into position. She had a myriad of choices, but she'd settled on one. A quick throat slash would end it quickly. In a flash, she struck, landing a near-perfect strike. She'd hit a critical artery and blood poured out in a deep red gush. The target crumpled instantly.
She was instantly the new target of the bountyhunter's attacks, and she suffered several blows before she could react. A quick leap placed her closer to the bar, next to Tavic. As she landed, she quickly surveyed the situation. Groth was laughing. Tavic was badly wounded. Elrina was still shooting arrows, and had landed a few good shots on the enemy half-orc. She didn't see Jador, but it looked like he'd been knocked down. Meanwhile, besides her work on the dwarf, and the arrows protruding from the half-orc, it didn't look like they'd been very successful yet.
She needed to hide again, so she tried to make a distraction. She debated diving behind the bar, but instead opted to stay closer to the action. She ducked down behind a table, hoping that no one had followed her quick decoy movement. Suddenly, a spark of lightning came down from the ceiling, and she realized she'd been detected. Even more suddently, a figure vaulted down from the 2nd level and struck her from behind. She crashed to the ground under the weight of the blow, her neck broken, but her eyes stayed open for a few more seconds.
Her life flashed before her starting with her days in the streets fighting against the rats up to the battle tonight. From her vantage point on the ground she could finally make out that fuzzy shape on the ground across the floor. It wasn't a rat...
Thus ends the tale of Dovena Pane.
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