Chereads / Breaking The Seal / Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Meeting Strangers

Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Meeting Strangers

Many forgotten months pass as I suddenly wake, its morning, on a bench in a desert Village. I try to remember the night before, all I can seem to remember is a man elf telling me to assist and aid a group of 5 people in the uprising as he placed a badge on my bag. I stare at the badge for a while before getting up and looking around this town. I approach a well seeing a bounty for 700 pp (platinum pieces) per head I bring in of people against the legion. I nod and look up noticing a group of 5 people walking with purpose out of town looking as if they don't belong and I trail behind them into a sewage pipe trying to be as quiet as possible I lose my footing and kick a rock across the floor 3 out of the 5 people stop in their tracks and turn around: a halfling, a human, and a dwarf.

"Show your self or die." The halfling announces and the other two members stop and turn around.

I step forward showing myself but then the human draws his dwarf axe and the halfling waving her hand casting a light spell forcing me to take a half step back drawing my dagger just in case.

"Im not here to fight I just noticed your well out of place and I need some answers" I state not taking my eyes off the human.

"Your testing my patience!" The halfling readies her magic missiles, knowing I'm at a disadvantage I slowly put my dagger away and reach into my pack pulling out the badge showing them the badge.

"I just want to know if you can tell me what this is?" I notice them all stare at it the halfling showing annoyance flips her hair walking away the human following as the dwarf looks at me.

"Trying to sneak up on us. Obviously not a smart one." He joins his party and I shove the badge back in my pack getting out of the sewage pipes quickly as I go search for man of steel. I find him tied up at a shop with a note hidden under his saddle I open the note quickly to read almost annoyed that someone dared to touch Man of Steel.

"Is this your horse I see your quite fond of him, as he is of you! so I brought him to you! ~Ivvilon" with my hood and mask still on I mount man of steel and ride out of town following the sewers in the direction the party went and come across an elf, with rather pale skin, stern expression and a muscular build with a katana strapped to his side, talking to a shorter hunched over fat looking human in a fake bird like witch doctors mask.

Without dismounting, knowing these men are evil as I could practically sense it seeping off them, I approach the men while removing my hood.

"Do you know this half-point?" The human states and I look down at them knowing the answer he'd say.

"I'm hoping you can tell me if you saw a group of 5 people that don't particularly belong in this city?" The elf then looks up at me and nods.

"I see... your with them one of our new recruits I assume" he asks as I dismount holding onto man of steels straps.

"In all good honesty I don't know sir an elf said to find them." He shrugs off the statement.

"Follow me inside you can leave your horse out here. I thought it was odd that they sent an odd number of people to do this job but now it makes since."

I tie man of steel up to the rail as I follow the elf not letting my guard down.

"This is headquarters." The elf states as he says something to his witch doctor friend and this little human approaches me.

"Hello! My name is Timothy. Is there anything you need any bags you would like me to carry for you miss?" He says in a happy almost scratchy kind of voice. I don't trust many people with my stuff so, I say as kindly as I can possibly muster,

"No thank you I can handle my things." Timothy's expression of happiness instantly fades into a sad and confused look like he doesn't know what to do with himself anymore.

"I shall go guard the window then if you need me ill gladly help miss." He walks away and I watch him confused trying to figure out why he would guard a window, but that thought gets side tracked as the elf returns to my side.

"I shall give you the tour. My name is Siege by the way." He looks back at his friend and says

"Cornelius go find your idiot brother and guard headquarters while I give another tour." Cornelius nods and walks off to find his "idiot brother" and Siege motions for me to follow him so I do.

He takes me up some stairs.

"Your friends arent exactly the neatest group of people I've met. I don't understand how so many mixed raced can tolerate each other but whatever works I guess." He shrugs pointing to a door.

"This is the armory nothing is to come out of this room without permission especially the most powerful sword we own that horrid thing can never leave this room." He walks up to the door opening it looking back at me. I look inside only to find a completely empty room and slowly start to put things together in my head not saying anything I smile a little behind my mask.I point to the empty room and he turns his head looking inside.

"What in Gods hell?!" By now he is panicking.

"Alright look I need to find who did this it cant be to hard. That sword has a glow that could wake Satan himself. Ill go ahead an take you to your inn and pay for everything." He begins quickly leading me down stairs out of headquarters, as I grab man of steel I put my hood back on and follow him as he leads me through town.

"You don't understand the importance of this, the person that has this sword that could potentially be the end of this whole town maybe even the city!" He waves his arms around in a frantic mood and I just chose to stay quiet. He now starts pointing in the direction we walk.

"And a right here... now a left." We start walking toward a building with a inn sign with a picture of a billy goat drinking ale.

"This is the drunken goat one of the finest inns in town ill go ahead and pay for everything so you can settle in." He states while tying up man of steel for me making me walk inside with him as he pays.

"Here you are your key and room." He begins walking outside and I follow to feed man of steel. He suddenly turns around facing me.

"You know your really quiet... I like that about you..." I just simply ignore him as he continues walking away.

About an hour passes and both man of steel and I just finished eating and I'm now just petting him as I look around trying to learn my surroundings. Suddenly close by near the center of town a bright beam of light shines through the sky sounding off a loud "bang!", man of steel starts thrashing around scared I step back quickly trying to calm him down. For a combat trained heavy horse he sure does scare easy. Once he's calmed down I sigh looking back at where I saw the light appear from and I draw my bow readying an arrow, I walk towards where I saw the light. I soon neared an alleyway, I stayed close to the wall blending in as much as I can pulling back my arrow I aim it at the entrance to the alley ready to hit anyone that comes out. Just a few moments later two humans and a halfling step out into sight the point of my arrow was staring at the ground until the halfling came so now my arrow stares her right between her eyes as she looks up at me. I notice this is the 3 of the group of 5 people I met from earlier.

"You again! What the hell are you doing here?!" The halfling complains and I sigh putting the arrow away.

"I'm here on a job, where is the rest of you?" She shakes her head and motions for the humans to follow her

"she's a waste of time lets go drink!" I look back at them and fix my mask making sure it wont fall off as well as my hood. I ignore those 3 knowing I'm not going to get anywhere with the halfling around. As I'm heading down the alley from where they came I brush past the taller human and notice he has the same katana Siege has, I try not to think of it as I walk, hoping to find the dwarf and the elf praying to the gods ill get somewhere with them.

As I proceed down the alley I soon come across a large pile of sand and the other half of the alley destroyed any normal person would think this is normal for this area but something tells me its not and it has to do with the light from before. I examine the pile noticing its rather weird looking I brush some of the sand aside and soon find the face of Siege. I proceed to fix the poorly made grave knowing he probably deserved better, even if he was evil, making the ground flat I sigh knowing the group of 5 did this. I spot 2 paths of tracks a set of 3 people going towards the drunken goat most likely being those I past by, the other tracks is a set of 2 people walking into town I hope this is the dwarf and the human so I follow the tracks to what seems to be a pawn shop. I walk inside looking around at the items a gust of wind suddenly sending me back as I hold onto my mask and hood. The wind blows so hard I cant hear let alone see anything. About five minutes pass and the wind stops finally. I fix my mask and hood looking at the entrance to the back room.

"What in the name of Thor was that?" I mumble. Suddenly three men walk out of the back room an elf wearing a witch doctors mask, a dwarf paladin, and a elf fighter.

"Are you looking for something particular miss? perhaps a dagger or a painting for your home?"

I look up at the man and remove my hood shaking my head. "I don't have a home...and I already have a dagger." I glare at the man then shift my gaze over at the dwarf.

"I'm here for them. I have questions that need to be answered and I wont lea-" I get cut off.

"Go outside! Now!" The dwarf yells.

I glare at the dwarf and look at the elf that huffs and walks me outside. Waiting outside I look over at the elf and notice a very large sword strapped to his back, it was no ordinary sword in fact it looked dangerous. Soon the dwarf came out and glared at me I noticed him moving to pin me against the wall but I slipped away easily curling around him, my right hand holding a dagger at his throat and my left arm holding him tight.

"The little sorcerer isn't here to mock me therefore I am going to talk first without having to worry about one of you killing me!"

The elf laughs as the dwarf glares at him. "Lets take her back its not safe here."

I loosen my grip on the dwarf and he pushes me off him and starts walking toward the Drunken inn, the elf follows him and I follow them putting my dagger away.

Once we arrive at the Drunken Goat I pet Man of Steel letting him know its safe to sleep for the night. We get inside and I look around noticing the Halfling is so drunk that she's practically falling out of her chair one of the humans holding her up as the other human looks as if he's going to start a fight.

"Hey! No more fighting! this is the only place we have to stay tonight!" the dwarf yells at his friends while walking up the stairs. The Halfling watches me as I follow her friends upstairs the elf behind me. As soon as we reach the top of the stairs the dwarf opens a door to the left when I notice my room is the one straight across from theirs. We all walk inside I'm the last to go in and suddenly something hard and metal wraps around my body tying me up I'm pulled into the room and forced to sit down. I look up at the man responsible and its the elf.

"What are yo-?" I notice the object I'm wrapped up in is the sword that was on the elf's back. It can break up into a grappling chain?

"Well isn't this a nice surprise this one is so squishy and cute do I have to kill her?" I blush deeply looking around trying to find out who said that only to notice the sword is glowing bright now.

"Yes, its the sword your not crazy he's telepathically speaking to you only because he's touching you...and yes he's very annoying." The elf says rolling his eyes. I squirm embarrassed but the sword only tightens and I gasp feeling it starting to rip my clothes so I stop moving.

"Oh come on now girly I don't get to rip clothes off pretty women very often." I blush deeply looking at the elf for help but he's looking away blushing himself. I look to the dwarf who's standing in the corner.

"I am Dradik the Great my elf friend here is Elric the annoying sword is called Excalibur. We don't know anymore than you do kid. Ivvilon told us to come here and now he's sent you here too. He only contacts us through the badges but there's no way to contact him. Rouges are tricky and untrustworthy so why should we let you join us?"

I glare at them "Your not the one that almost got killed by the people she was told to trust not to mention tied up by a perverted talking sword!" Dradik waves his hand and Elric pulls Excalibur off me.

I brush myself off. "I've never failed to do a job given to me, and to my knowledge this Ivvilon guy gave me a job to assist you and your friends so either you allow me to help you all or ill just continue following you all and possibly ruin the real mission here. I know you all stole from the armory and killed that Siege guy. I don't know your reasons nor do I care. I'm not stupid, I grew up on my own living off the lands."

Dradik grunts. "That doesn't make me want to trust you. It tells me we should probably kill you for knowing such things."

I clear my throat and stand. "If you wish to know something against me so be it... My name is Nylin...Nylin Trina...I don't tell people my last name because of where im fro-"

Elric stands staring at me. "Trina? As in James Trina the rouge everyone is out to kill?"

I nod.

"But that's impossible he's from the village of peace the one that got attacked by that dragon there was no survivors!?"

I roll my eyes. "Well your looking at the only survivor. The dragon knew my father told me to hide in the woods yet it spared my life. Why? I don't know. Nor do I care...everyone that's after my father is now after me if the wrong people found out my last name I would surely die. If possibly getting myself killed just by telling you my name isn't trust enough then I hate to disappoint you but I have nothing else on me."

The dwarf grunts once more and nods "Fine...you can join us. Get some rest we have a lot to do tomorrow you don't need to know anything you are only to listen and do as your told got it thief."

I pull my mask off glaring at Dradik. "Like I haven't heard that one before." I roll my eyes and leave the room walking into my own room laying on the futon, annoyed I fall asleep exhausted.