The Fall of The City

Kyria watched them walk away. Once they were far enough away she sheathed her rapiers. "A cunning lot they are."

Suddenly Kyria fell up against a building and grabbed her throat and gasped for air. Images of a man...the one she saw in The Quarters, accompanied by a darkling swung his weapon slicing her throat. He yelled at her but she couldn't understand.

"SONOFABITCH!" Aldion yelled as Carroll was placing the last touches on his new arm. The high pitched buzzing sound from the steam powered drill echoed loudly in the small room, causing Punky to give an irritated squeak as he covered his ears.

Carroll made a couple of tweaks here and there, adjusting hoses and air tanks so they would stay sealed. "Its not fancy like his," he said with a nod to edaw, "but you can use it. Pay and leave elf, you give me the heebie jeebies."

Aldion nodded, remembering being partially involved with the dwarf's first death. He dropped the coins on the desk and walked out, unknowingly passing Turk...

Edaw silently followed after Aldion. Knowing someone else with metal limbs gave him a sense of security.

"So, now you're whole again... for the most part. Now, what do you plan to do? Quest? Hunt?"

Edaw didn't know why, but he suddenly started to think of a darkling and a human...

"Maybe we could hunt down and capture that Erron fellow, huh?" laughed Edaw.

Rizzen (using Ability: Stealth) made his way, away from the area and headed towards his new destination. What he planned was dangerous. But the most valuable type of currency in Nerin Toth was information and he knew just how to get it.......


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Later............

"And so that's your offer?" the man asked.

"Yes. I provide you with the information you seek, and in return I am given permanent amnesty," the other man replied.

"Hmmmm? We will meet you later tonight to give you our answer," the man said.

"As you wish," came the reply......

Leif posted the message and headed down towards the city gate. Leif, at first, was excited to be "home" again. However, the closer he got to the gate, the more he wondered if he was making the right decision.

He finally approached the gate. The guards looked at him curiously. Was he gonna leave or what?

Leif stared at the gate no knowing what to do. D'ynra still needed someone to teach her common. There was Rizzen, but he didn't know if he'd help D'ynra or not.

Leif had no idea why Rizzen came to him with her anyway.

"I hate this place," he said, as he turned and started back towards the park.

Erron was leaving The Quarters when he saw Leif pass.

He hurried and caught up to him and walked next to him.

"Been a while," he said.

Kyria drew in a deep breath, composing herself. She looked after the mages to ensure they were still moving away from her.

She looked down at the ground and thought about what she saw, but was it an emerging memory or was it something yet to come? She didn't know, but she would be sure to keep an eye out for him.

She looked around, wondering where to could off the artifacts. She gave a sigh and started walking, figuring she would run into something sooner or later, besides it would give her time to think.

"Ah, Erron. Just the guy I was trying to escape from. I'm going to go ahead and assume you're aware of what happened with the minotaurs yesterday? Or are you here for a friendly get-together?"

Leif stopped and looked at Erron.

"How long until my services are no longer needed? I miss the wilds where I feared being eaten by wolves and predators, not men and monsters."

Leif wrote:

"Ah, Erron. Just the guy I was trying to escape from. I'm going to go ahead and assume you're aware of what happened with the minotaurs yesterday? Or are you here for a friendly get-together?"

Leif stopped and looked at Erron.

"How long until my services are no longer needed? I miss the wilds where I feared being eaten by wolves and predators, not men and monsters."

"Don't be stupid," Erron replied, "if you missed the wild, you'd have been back in it long ago. No one made you come to this city. You chose to. And no one made you change your mind about staying after you put up your note. You chose to."

Erron stepped in front of Leif and stopped which forced Leif to stop as well.

"The people of this city need you. I couldn't care less about you and you know it. But the people of this city will need your help. The can't fight the minotaurs alone and with Acaetus Nimius in Greyshore hording their own food supplies and not helping Peregren, these people won't last in a siege either.

You want to repent for what you did wrong in the past......then start by doing right by people who are depending on you instead of a bunch of god damn trees and animals."

Erron turned and walked away.

Leif was grew angry. How dare Erron. Leif would be in solace had it not been for the human.

"It's the animals and trees that deserve protection! Not these... damn people. You don't see any animals missing organs and limbs, hunting for their macabre hunger! What do I care about helping these people? What do I care about repenting? Most of these fools have no idea what I've done.

"The only one I have to appease is myself! So why the hell should I give a damn about this city?"

Leif was yelling for any and all to hear. He wasn't yelling at Erron though... he was yelling at himself and Nerin Toth. What infuriated Leif most, was Erron was right.

Leif could have left a long time ago. Of course, it wasn't the city that kept Leif here. He was a fool to think his allies were anything more...

Leif wrote:

Leif was grew angry. How dare Erron. Leif would be in solace had it not been for the human.

"It's the animals and trees that deserve protection! Not these... damn people. You don't see any animals missing organs and limbs, hunting for their macabre hunger! What do I care about helping these people? What do I care about repenting? Most of these fools have no idea what I've done.

"The only one I have to appease is myself! So why the hell should I give a damn about this city?"

Leif was yelling for any and all to hear. He wasn't yelling at Erron though... he was yelling at himself and Nerin Toth. What infuriated Leif most, was Erron was right.

Leif could have left a long time ago. Of course, it wasn't the city that kept Leif here. He was a fool to think his allies were anything more...

"You son of a bitch," Erron said softly.

"COME HERE!" he yelled startling the crowd around them and grabbed Leif by the hair. He stuck his foot out in front of Leif tripping him and then started draging him across the street. People all around stopped and stared in silence.

"YOU THINK YOU'RE SO GOD DAMN HIGH AND MIGHTY!? HERE! TELL THEM!!!" Erron screamed.

He dropped Leif which caused his head to bounce on the stone street and backhanded pile of rotted boards.

Two starving small children no older than three and four years old were huddled together and were crying. Their makeshift home was gone and they stared in fear.

"TELL TH--NO! COME BACK HERE!" Erron screamed grabbing Leif by the hair. he whipped Leif's head around and grabbed his chin and forced Leif to look at the children. Leif's face was inches from the children and they stared at Leif in fear as if he would kill them.

"YOU TELL THEM! YOU TELL THESE TWO CHILDREN WHO HAVE NOTHING IN THIS ENTIRE WORLD WHAT THEY DID WRONG!! YOU TELL THEM HOW MUCH BETTER YOU ARE!!! YOU TELL THESE CHILDREN THAT YOU DON'T CARE IF THEY DIE! THAT YOU DON'T CARE IF A MINOTAUR COMES IN AND SPLITS THEIR SKULLS WIDE APART AND WATCHES THEIR FUCKING BRAINS DRIP DRIP DRIP DRIP FUCKING DRIP INTO THE SEWERS. YOU TELL THEM YOU WON'T SAVE THEM BECAUSE A BUNCH OF FUCKING TREES ARE BETTER THAN THEY ARE!"

Erron shoved Leif away and began to storm off but stopped and turned around.

"And when you're done telling them you bastard......you tell them how the worst scum and most vile person you know of......you tell them.......that he will save them."

Erron then left Leif with the children.

(Ability: Stealth.)

Leif looked at the children. He didn't care about them. In the world of currency and material possession, these children have nothing. They were surviving on nothing, as nothing.

"You children would make fine naturalists. It is unfortunate your fates did not start in the wild."

Leif then smiled.

"Children, do you know where the park is?" They nodded. "Good. There are going to be a bunch of minotaurs, those walking cows, and they're going to be very scary for this city. When they come, I want you to take as many adults and children to the park as you can. Alright? If any of them are in trouble, I'll try to keep them safe, there.

"If after the minotaurs leave, I'd like to take you somewhere where you can live happily. So, to answer that scary man's questions: yes, trees are more important than every man in this world. The trees keep us tied to the beauty of nature. And, the scum and worst person you'll ever meet, that's going to save your lives...

"Well, that's me... My name is Leif. And you're going to help me repent."

Rizzen had made it back to The Quarters and went to the bar and asked that his food be brought to his room.

"Sir, we can't serve you. By orders of Prime Minister Zoei Fantasy we must stock pile all foods until the minotaurs agree to a cease-fire and all rooms must be made available as free. you don't have to pay for your room but we can't serve you food."

"Fine just ale then," Rizzen whispered.

"The ale has to be stockpiled as well sir," the barmaid replied.

"Well how--" Rizzen started and stopped, "Nevermind."

He then left and went to his room, locking the door behind him and preparing his instruments.

Leif gave the children the food he had. He had money to buy more.

Whether the children did as he asked, or just went about their lives, Leif didn't know or really want to know. He headed back to the Quarters.

"Barmaid, have you see the darkling woman anywhere? I'd like to speak with her."

Kyria came across Leif and he was with the guy from The Quarters that she had seen the day before. She hid within the shadows and watched as he demeaned Leif. She wanted to jump out and beat him (Erron) to nothing but a bloody puddle on the ground, but something inside her told her to just stay put.

Once he (Erron) was done with his tirade he left, but Kyria remained in the shadows and watched Leif. When he left for the The Quarters Kyria followed at a distance. she watched as he entered and contemplated just going elsewhere, but where would she go, so she entered in after Leif.

"The darkling woman you seek wouldn't be me would it?" She smiled at Leif as she approached him.

"Oh, good. Well, yes, I was looking for you. I think it's about time for you to learn common. There's going to be some political battles happening soon. It wouldn't hurt to learn the language."

Leif wrote:

"Oh, good. Well, yes, I was looking for you. I think it's about time for you to learn common. There's going to be some political battles happening soon. It wouldn't hurt to learn the language."

Kyria looked at Leif and nodded her head. "Ok. It would be nice to know what everyone is saying. One can develop a complex seeing you think they maybe talking about you/ So when do we start?"

"Whenever you're ready. I have nothing to do, but prep people for what's to come."

Leif looked around.

"Where would you like to go?"

Leif wrote:

"Whenever you're ready. I have nothing to do, but prep people for what's to come."

Leif looked around.

"Where would you like to go?"

"I certainly have nothing better to do. We can go where ever you feel most comfortable."

Kyria glanced around the common room. It didn't matter much to her where they went.

"What would you think about the park? Somewhere with open air. I'm a naturalist, you see."

Leif wrote:

"What would you think about the park? Somewhere with open air. I'm a naturalist, you see."

Kyria nodded her head "The park would be fine."

Erron found Turk'en near an old dwarf's shop.

"Leif is in. He pulled his usual pissing and moaning routine, but he'll help. Did you find Aldion yet?"

Rizzen decided the instruments were what would be needed to accomplish his task. He slid each one into a pouch hanging from his belt and then settled down for the night.

His target wasn't stupid. Of that much he was certain. But they also had no idea what was coming.

Rizzen then went to sleep in his room.

Aldion was mere feet from the two when they started inquiring about him. He turned and spoke, "And who exactly is looking for m- Oh no..." he said as he recognized Erron. He looked down at his new arm, then back to Erron. "Everytime I go with you, I lose my arm, and this shit aint free."

He sighed and looked at Erron, "I'll do it, but you're paying for my next arm!"

Kyria and Leif went to the park. She could see why he enjoyed nature so much it was a beautiful place, quiet and serene.

They spent a few hours together him teaching her words in common. Although she was a fast learner, it would take more than one day to teach her the language, but she didn't mind. She found Leif an interesting person and actually enjoyed his company.