Morning shines through the inns windows like a fire spreading through the forest. I quickly rise hearing the sound of feet rustling outside my door. As I gather up my things I glance out my window seeing the halfling waiting outside. Upon opening my door I come face to face with Elric who was just about to knock on my door.
"O-oh good your awake we are heading out now." He states while dropping his hand down to his side.
"Where too?" I step out of my room closing the door and heading for the stairs.
He shrugs walking down the steps beside me. We make it down the steps running into Dradik who motions for us to follow him outside. Once outside I walk over to Man of Steel petting his mane and feeding him a few carrots out of my bag.
"Alright I have a few things to get done ill be back in a few hours. We all need to be back here by mid kear to go meet up with Kack." Dradik states looking at the others.
"Whos Kack?" I ask facing everyone.
"That's none of you business." The halfling snaps at me.
"Enough Jade. She's traveling with us weather you like it or not." Dradik sighs.
"Whatever, Mute and I are going to check some stuff out. Don't wait up." Jade rolls here eyes and walks off with the human fighter following right behind her.
"She sure is fun company." I say sarcastically.
"Eventually she'll come around. I suppose full introductions are in order. You already know Elric and I. Jade the aggressive halfling is quite a powerful wizard and her friend Mute is a mute fighter, that's why we call him mute, he's pretty talented himself with a bow. Beside me here is-" Dradik pats the other human fighter on his shoulder.
"Mason." He nods and moves away. "I think ill join you Dradik if you don't mind."
Dradik nods and starts walking away with Mason behind him. "Do as you too please we'll meet back here at noon."
Elric nods and walks inside and I remain outside alone with Man of Steel.
"Well, I guess its just you and me buddy. Wanna go for a walk around town? I know you hate being tied up." Man of steel huffs spitting on me a little bit.
"Thanks...Appreciate it..." I wipe his spit off me then begin untying Man of steel.
I mount Man of steel and I allow him to freely walk around Trusting he wont get me killed. I survey my surroundings and overall it's a normal town pretty boring besides all the thieves running around. At about an hour to mid kear I have to force Man of steel to walk back to the drunken goat.
Once we are back I tie Man of steel up and walk inside only to find Elric, Mute, and Jade sitting at the bar eating lunch. I take a seat beside Elric knowing Jade might actually bite me. Looking up at the innkeeper I decide I should order something to eat as well.
"I'd like whatever your special is today with a mug of ale."
"Goat and bean soup it is." He nods walking away to the kitchen.
"Are you even old enough? To do anything that is?" Jade scuffs elbowing Mute.
I roll my eyes letting out a soft chuckle as I hear Elric smack Jade in the back of the head.
"She's one of us now leave her be. I for one am glad she's a rouge. It'll make this mission slightly easier."
I glance sideways at Elric.
"I would love to make it easier if I knew what we were doing?"
"Whatever Ivvilon wants. Which means today its whatever Kack wants." Elric sighs taking a drink of his ale.
My soup and ale arrive and I pick up the spoon I'm given about to take a bite.
"What's your story Elric? That is if you don't mind telling me."
He shrugs "Nothing special about my story really... I was picked on as a kid so I trained hard and became the best fighter my village has ever seen. One day my family got real ill and we only had enough money for one vial of medicine they all made me take it...So I vowed I would never let another person that I love die in front of me like that again. I ran into Ivvilon one day and he promised me that if i do everything he asks all the money I could ask for would be mine. He even mentioned a peaceful world after all this was over...whatever 'this' is."
"The Ivvilon part is the same for Mute and I. I dont care about anything else." Jade interferes scarfing down some bread while Mute nods drinking his ale.
Looking down at my bowl of soup I stir it with my spoon gently. "He told me he would get me all that I wish for...Money, a home, a peaceful life, and revenge. However in order for me to get any of that he told me to go find you guys and help you all with your needs. In the end I'm supposed to convince you guys into joining me to bring the head, heart, and tail of the dragon that turned my village to ash."
Jade slams her bowl on the bar and looks over at me now standing in her chair. "Mute, that's it! Dragon scales! I need those to complete my research! It also might just be the answer to your situation! With the scales from a dragon I think I can whip up a potion to cure you of your curse!"
I stare at Jade baffled as I've never seen her excited over anything in the few days I've known her.
"What do you mean curse? What happened to Mute?"
Mute looks over at Jade and nods giving her the go ahead to tell his story for him.
"You see kid... When Mute was young he grew up in a small village of humans and they all had this terrible habit of mouthing off to the dragon that paid them a visit one day. Mute here was the only one smart enough to keep his mouth shut so the dragon spared his life. With a price however because he never spoke up the dragon cursed him to be a mute for as long as he shall live. But then Mute ran into me one day and told me his story, on paper of course, and being the amazing person I am" she flips her hair behind her shoulder. "I've dedicated my research to dragon studies and figuring out how to cure my new best friend. Right mute? We've been traveling together for about 20 years now."
Mute smiles and nods patting Jade on the head. Elric leans over whispering in my ear.
"There's more to that story. They've been super inseparable for the year that I've known them."
We both chuckle finishing up our food. Soon Dradik and Mason walk in the door calling us outside.
"Kack is waiting for us outside town we need to start moving." Dradik starts untying his horse climbing onto its back.
We all nod and mount our horses and head north out of town. Man of Steel starts getting antsy hating being in the back of the group so i have to calm him several times before Elric pulls his horse back to walk along side me.
"We are almost there. Your horse is very imperious. He knows he's an alpha male of horse's. Where did you get him?"
"My fathers best friend breeds and trains combat horses. Man of Steel chose me and we've been inseparable ever since. Maybe when this is all over I'll take you guys to get new horses."
"I would enjoy that. Here give him some sugar cubes the other horses haven't had any yet so that should make him feel better."
Elric holds out a handful of sugar cubes to me and i take them and hold them out to Man of Steel. He huffs shaking his head at first before giving in to the smell of the sugar, he uses his tongue to scoop all the cubes out of my hand dropping a few and calming down. Elric and I chuckle at his behavior while I pat Man of Steel's head.
"So who is this Kack?" I ask Elric as we approach a drain that leads underground.
He sighs looking annoyed. "Well he's a character...he's a stubby little goblin Rogue but he gets stuff done however....He's not the brightest of bright at times."
"Oh sounds fun..."
We both chuckle as the party comes to a stop at the drain pipe.
"Nylin I hope you have a way to call your steed because we must go on foot from here." Dradik calls over his shoulder.
We dismount our horses and let them run off as we climb into the pipe. We walk for about a mile before coming to a stop at an intersection in the sewer. We take a right and I start to notice wires all over the ground.
"Who goes there! Don't make me light this place up!" A scratchy gravely voice echo's through the pipes.
"Kack it's us relax!" Dradik calls out.
"Dradik my man you guys made it come come I have a surprise for ya!"
We near the voice and a stubby Football head shaped goblin stands in front of a lever attached to the thousands of wires holding two remotes with giant red buttons.
"Welcome to today's plan! My my I see we have a new member!" He hobbles over to me with a big grin on his face. "Why hello beautiful. The names Kack your friendly goblin rogue and local bomb expert well for the most part. I like my women tall and beautiful I think we'll get along well." He winks and a shiver shoots through my spine I hear the others chuckling under their breath as Kack walks back to his lever.
"Alrighty folks the legion has gone pretty far and Ivvilon is tired of it so thats what we are doing today. Your local bomb enthusiast spent weeks laying down these wires here and im gonna tell you why...Pause for suspense... We're gonna blow them up!" He holds out his arms doing a jazz hands type of deal. He's only met with silence. "Wow tough crowd alright so legion guys right they are having a huge party in the near by bad guy town about two miles away. Your boy Kack here planted explosives all over the place, like no kidding anthing within a 100 feet of the outside C-4 will be alliterated, gonezo, peace to the world you get me? so here's how it works. I cant see the party from here I'm underground so you guys are going to the party and i need one of you to get in the party to tell me when the big bad evil guy is up on the stage ill press the button on this remote thingy here and it'll arm the C-4 Then I'll push down this lever here and it'll blow the place pretty easy right?"
"What about our man on the inside and that other remote in your hand." Dradik asks seeing the concern on all our faces.
"No worries, no worries once the lever is pushed you'll have ten minutes to get the hell out of dodge 101 feet to be exact or your dead. and This little guy here is in case all goes wrong its an instant switch in case you get discovered in there ill kill you with everone else."
"Why not just set the instant switch off after we tell you we are in the clear then?" I ask annoyed at this point.
"Because what fun would that be silly! Now I'm gonna need one of you to stay with me maybe the pretty lady will stay so we can use her badge to communicate with you guys?"
"Hell no. This is a infiltrating mission we need the rogue." Elric cuts in.
"I'll stay with him I don't feel like we need three fighters out there." Mason volunteers.
"It's settled then we'll start heading there." Dradik sighs ready to leave.
"Oh I forgot to mention! I would set up shop somewhere when you get there because the party isn't till morning." Kack pouts clearly upset that I'm not staying with him.
We all nod heading out clearly uncomfortable with the mood Kack has made. Once we get out of the sewer pipes we all call our horses and mount up for the fastest ride into the nearest town.