NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1197896" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 66Arun’s chair creaked dangerously as the dwarf stood, his heavy warhammer seeming to leap into his hands.  Dannel spun smoothly, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and even Mole had produced a knife from out of nowhere.  “Stormblades looking for more trouble?” Zenna asked no one in particular.  Mole crept silently to the door and listened at it, finally shaking her head.  Arun moved toward the door; his armor clanked noisily in the quiet of the room, and the floorboards creaked under his weight.  Zenna shook her head; there was nothing to be done for it now, although the noise would likely have alerted whoever was beyond the door that someone was within. Dannel moved into position on the far side of the portal, having to bend his head against the slope of the low roof.  He didn't draw his sword, but he was clearly ready for whatever might happen.  Mole glanced at each of them to verify that they were prepared, and then opened the door. The narrow hall was unoccupied by Stormblades, or other obvious dangers.  Standing before the door was a shadowy figure, whose face was revealed as the light from the room spilled over her familiar features.  "Shensen!" Mole exclaimed.  "What a surprise!" The half-drow woman entered the room, giving them a wary look as she observed their state of readiness.  She looked rather more at ease than the last time they had seen her, and she now wore a clean robe of soft brown wool that flowed over her lithe body as she moved.  A leather satchel that bulged slightly with its contents hung from one shoulder.  Dannel closed the door and moved back toward the center of the room, where he could stand straight, and Arun returned to his chair, grumbling something under his breath.  "What brings you to us, Shensen?” Zenna asked.  “Do you have any news about what... what happened?”Shensen shook her head, her long white hair falling about her shoulders like the surge from a waterfall.  “My fellow followers of the Wandering God have been able to find out little more than what we already knew.  We did uncover one interesting fact: the identity of the red-haired woman.”“The Banite?” Mole asked.  “Who is she?”“A former guardswoman named Triel Eldurast,” Shensen explained.  “From what we’ve heard, she was a bit of a taut bowstring, aggressive and ill-suited to discipline.  Apparently there was an incident where she murdered a few of her fellow guards while on duty, then dropped out of sight.  This happened almost a decade ago, so she’s been all but forgotten by most people.”  “Where did you get this information?” Dannel asked.“I’m sorry,” she replied.  “We have some confidential sources that I cannot divulge, even to trusted allies such as yourselves.”“Bah, so much for trust, then,” Arun said.  “What you got is rumors and innuendo, then.”“Well, it’s more information than we had,” Zenna cautioned him.  “Thank you for sharing it with us, Shensen.”“Hey, have you seen Fellian?” Mole asked.  Like Shensen, Fellian was a follower of Shaundakul, and had fought with them against dire enemies in the recent past. “I have not,” Shensen.  “Though I have heard that he is well.  He and Fario have been tasked to a different mission.”Arun’s frown mirrored Dannel’s, but neither bothered to ask, already knowing that the followers of the Wandering God were closed-mouthed about the details of their activities in Cauldron.  Likewise, Shensen did not ask them about their own leads, and none of the four felt inclined to volunteer any details of the note and their earlier discussion. There was a brief and slightly awkward silence, then Mole asked, “So, Shensen, are you heading back to the Lucky Monkey?”“Indeed.  There is much work to be done, I fear, to repair the damage wrought by Tongueater and his cronies.  I did wish, however, to express my gratitude to you one more time.”“Those rogues had it coming to them,” Arun disclaimed.“I have brought you a small token, a more substantial expression of the thanks of my association,” she said.  Opening the satchel, she produced a pair of leather boots.“Footwear?” Dannel asked.“These are magical boots,” Shensen explained.  “They add length to the wearer's stride, and enhance one's jumping ability as well.”Mole was quick to leap forward for a closer look.  “Really?”  Then she realized something, and her expression sank.  “Oh, they’re sized for big folk,” she said.  “Too bad.”Shensen shook her head.  “As I said, they are magical.  Try them on, perhaps you’ll be surprised.”“Okay!” Mole took the boots and sat down right there on the floor, shedding her own footwear in a flash before shoving her feet into the boots.  True to Shensen’s words, the magical boots shrank down to fit her diminutive feet, forming a tight yet comfortable fit about her ankles.  Mole shot up, testing her footing and twisting her body to examine them from a variety of angles. “Oh,” she said, looking up at her companions.  “I guess they are for all of us...”“You should take them,” Zenna said.  “You are the slowest of all of us, with your short legs; it makes sense.”“Aye, maybe now you can finally keep up!” Arun added.  With a small cry of glee Mole darted forward.  There wasn’t really anywhere to go in the small room, but as she reached the wall she leapt straight up, kicking off from the wall right where the slanting ceiling met it, five feet above the ground.  Her body twisted smoothly in the air, and she tucked herself into a roll as she shot off the wall back toward the center of the room.  She was headed right for the desk when Dannel quickly stepped in and caught her. “Careful, there!  Maybe you’d better wait to test them when we have a little more room.”“Most excellent!” Mole reported. “A bouncing gnome, just what we need,” Arun observed dryly. “Thank you, Shensen,” Zenna said.  “And I thank you.  Perhaps we will meet again in the future.”  With a last bow to all of them, the half-drow woman turned and departed, closing the door behind her. “A strange woman,” Dannel observed, as he set Mole back down on her feet. “Hiding something,” Arun noted. “Aren’t we all?” Zenna asked. “True enough,” Dannel replied.  He crossed to the wall where he’d left his bow.  “It’s getting dark... we still have a lot to do.”</blockquote>

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