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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 9795727" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 21Ivlis was in communion in her chambers when she heard the faint scrape at the door. The sound was repeated a few moments later, just barely audible. It would have been easy enough to ignore it, but she knew that it would continue until she acknowledged it. There were times when Narthus’s servility was useful, but at times like this it could be a great annoyance.“Enter,” she said.The door slid open. It was indeed Narthus, his head bowed low as he cringed through the entry, accompanied by his usual scents of stale sweat and fresher death. As always he glanced up at the severed demonic head attached to the wall of Ivlis’s chamber, a useful reminder of the power she commanded.She waited a beat for her underling’s report, but he just hovered there in the doorway, not quite entering but not leaving either. “Speak,” she finally said.“Word has arrived from our contact in the Keep,” Narthus said, spittle flying from his lips as he spoke. “The ones who raided the goblin cave and attacked our congregants in the forest are a group of adventurers that have only recently arrived at the citadel. They are working for the Castellan. You were right, my lady.”Ivlis just made an impatient gesture at that. “Is there any information about their plans?”“The missive did not say, dark mistress,” Narthus said. “But I would expect them to return.”“Yes,” Ivlis said. She rose from the prayer mat, and stepped over to where the demon’s head hung suspended, its long-vacant eyes staring at nothing. “Reach out to our friend on the road,” she said to her underling. She reached up and touched the demon’s chin, letting her fingers linger there a moment before she took hold of it with both hands and twisted. The head pivoted to reveal a hidden space beyond. The space held a bulging sack, a smaller bag, a leather tube, and a compact bow and quiver of arrows. Her fingers lingered over the sack for a moment, before she instead took the bow and quiver. “Offer him this,” she said, extending the weapon toward Narthus.“The elf-bow?” he asked. “Forgive me, blessed queen, but… is that bandit scum worthy of such a gift?”“Oh, I fully intend to get it back later,” Ivlis said. “For now, it… and he… can be useful to us.”“Your cunning and wisdom are unmatched, chosen of Chaos,” Narthus said, simpering as he accepted the bow and quiver. “What of our own forces?”Ivlis pretended to consider a moment. “I believe you and your… creations… are more useful here,” she said. “But bring the survivor; he can bolster the bandit’s forces and serve as our eyes in this matter.”“It shall be done, great one.” He started to turn toward the doorway, but Ivlis interrupted him. “And Narthus?”He instantly turned back and dipped his head low. “Yes, shadow champion?”“Make sure that Devin knows that if he fails us again, he will wish he had stood his ground, back at the statue. He will wish that with every fiber of his soul.”Narthus nodded easily; this was the kind of message he was very good at delivering. “It shall be as you say, mighty overseer of cunning plots.”He scuttled out, closing the door behind him. Ivlis remained a moment, staring at the door. Gods below, that man was annoying. She turned and walked back over to the demon’s head. She lowered her own brow so that their heads were touching. “Soon,” she said. “Soon.”* * *“The plan is simple,” Pral said. “We’ll be hidden up here, in concealed firing positions overlooking the trail.” He made marks on the ground with a stick as he spoke. “We’ll wait until they’ve reached this spot, in the open and within easy range of our bows. Once the survivors of our initial barrage take cover, you three will hit them from behind. Are there any questions?”Jacko gave the other two people that were a part of his group an evaluative look. Vinx earned a nod of acknowledgement from the halfling, but his eyes lingered on the last, a young, pimply-faced human with pale skin and a slight nervous twitch. He was dressed in clothes that looked to be a size or two too large for him. “I have not seen you before,” Jacko said.“He’s Devin,” Pral said. “He’s new, replacing Gretta.”“Gretta, who was killed by these same individuals you’re paying us to ambush,” Jacko said.“That’s right. You have a problem with that?”“No, no. Looks like you got a new bow, as well,” the halfling observed.“Yes, and I intend to put it to good use. Now if that’s…”“I always take my payment in advance,” Jacko said.“That’s not…”Pral trailed off as Jacko reached for his bag and started moving toward the edge of their temporary camp. The bandit let out an exasperated sigh. “Wait! Fine. Here,” he said, offering a purse that jangled slightly. He sighed again when Jacko opened the purse and coined the money inside. “This is five short,” the halfling said.“There will be more than that on these targets...” Pral began, but even before he was halfway through the sentence the halfling was offering the purse back to him. “That’s all I have on me, but I have this,” the bandit said. He took out a short piece of wood about the size of his forearm. He spoke a word of command, and it expanded to form a pole roughly ten feet in length.“Magic, cool,” Vinx said, giving the pole a close look as the bandit reduced it to its former size.“Interesting, but not really all that useful, is it?” Jacko said.“Consider it a security,” Pral said through clenched teeth. “I’ll give you a double share of loot from the marks. If they don’t have enough to make up the five gold, you can keep it, sell it, do whatever you want! If that’s not good enough, you can walk your cowardly ass back into those fens of yours.”If Jacko was angered by the harsh talk, it didn’t show on his face. He took the magical pole and gave it a quick examination, then nodded. “Very well.”“Wonderful,” Pral nodded as the halfling crossed to the other side of the camp. He looked at Vinx, who hadn’t moved. “Don’t you start,” he said. “I’ve promised you that sword of yours, and you need my help to get it.”“That is my main goal, yes,” the dwarf said. “But I’ll take a double share of the loot as well.”“Fine,” Pral hissed.“What about him?” Vinx asked, nodding toward Devin.“He’s already been paid,” Pral said. “You three had better get going,” he said. “We don’t know exactly they’ll be coming, but my source says it’ll be sometime today.”“What source is that?” Vinx asked.“I like you, dwarf, but we’re not close enough for those kinds of details. Just keep out of sight, and remember, signal when you catch sight of them. If anybody else comes up the road, we just hang back and let them be.”“That’s not very bandit-y of you,” Vinx said. “Could it be that this one is personal for you, Pral?”“Oh, it’s personal,” the bandit said, the look that came over his face at the question removing any doubt.</blockquote>

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