This original fiction entitled Rogues is by Nikholas "Hollie"
F. Toledo. This is his! Honest! Here's something before the
story.
*****
OK this is my blurb:
"Now you see a gnome waving his hands and writing runes in
the air." So what is going to do create an illusion. Before you
try to stand still and ignore his spell try avoiding his fireballs
for a while until you do realize that they are real. Yes, this one
is a real gnome invoker. His not the only one strange; there's
also a noisy stinking thief (I mean stink as in odor), a crossbow
specialist with an unknown gender and a Hill giant druid. (The druid
does not show up until maybe next time.)
All of this is inspired by all those hours of role-playing.
*****
The Pitcher
The foggy and misty air illuminated by a dim amber lighting is
musty and a bit foul but safe enough to breathe for society's most wanted
(or unwanted). Some occasional wind drafts from the holes on the walls,
a leaky roof and a squeaky floor to match, just about describe the
atmosphere at Thieves' End. Located in a forest near an unused road,
many regular customers find this establishment very enticing. A place
for relaxing (drinking ale and eating pig gristle dipped in strong gin)
and entertainment (exotic dancers include: drow elves, leeches, mimics
and bog hags). Here people can engage themselves in various games
(gambling, cheating and pick-pocketing) or intellectual discussions
(plotting and conspiring against someone or maybe planning the next
scavenge or heist). This is a real hot spot for very interesting people
(opportunists, killers, looters, and some highly, nearly impossible, very
unlikely heroes).
"Amethyst, land of two faced diplomats and headless soldiers, this
is where the impossible can happen. A familiar place for warriors and
magic-users. And most importantly home to the great and beautiful
Thieves' End.
"Bar keep! More ale on this table and have that drow bring us some
more food, my plate is nearly empty!"
--Duket
Duket is a very old man and made older by his adventures but it
seems to be the only thing that is keeping him alive. A very skinny
person, much like a scarecrow, one would wonder where all the food he's
eating is going. Even more remarkable is how with only his few remaining
teeth he can eat with an appetite of ten hungry oxaurs (a breed of half
human and half ox).
"'Duket Dumb Dolt' what are you doing you stinking old man, we
don't have anything to pay for all these."
--JR
JR is not normally this irritated it is just that it has been a
long time since they had a contract that paid well. Having a medium
built body, average height (a little taller than a human female) and a
shoulder length hair made it hard to tell JR's gender. This was not much
of a bother after all in Amethyst looks don't tell everything. One
should not assume anything like gender, age or race of an Amethystian
just by looking, because like Duket said anything can happen in this
strange world. It is just too bad that not too many Amethystians believe
this.
"In fact we don't have anything but our clothes and equipment. To
think maybe someone would have hired us by now after that number we did
on those minotaurs in Hooves Valley."
--Kaphoofp
Even Kaphoofp is not the normal inquisitive (annoying), insightful
(talkative) and friendly (irritatingly curious) gnome. OK so maybe he
is, but even he has affected by their financial standing.
"What a blast! What a blast! Those dumb minotaurs did not know
what hit them when the coliseum supports blew-up. A real crowd-killer if
you ask me. They were all going wild, it was the second biggest stampede
I've seen in all my adventures."
--Duket
"Well we wouldn't have been in that arena in the first place if you
hadn't pissed at all the horned heads in the saloon."
--JR
"Well how was I to know that, that RedBull's brew was that strong.
You know, normally one barrel of brew would keep me going for the day.
But those two pitchers of RB, ahhhh, it made me feel like I was floating
in the skies."
--Duket
"Great thing that brew did to you, that High Priest would have had
your head flying in mid-air, without your body, if the Royal troops
hadn't came in to arrest us."
--JR
In the middle of their conversation Baloat the bartender approached
the table with a pitcher of ale and a dissatisfied face. Looks like
Duket's head will go flying after all. Baloat had the pitcher in his
left fist and a large axe in the other. The axe did not look so big when
this man who had a huge muscled body held it. Baloat looked even bigger
because of his belly that was inflated by his drinking habits.
"So Lord Duket finally decided to show his face at my place. Well
you better have some money this time or you and your friends are going to
take another trip through the windows. That is after you have cleaned
the tables, chairs and floor with your faces. By the way I have
installed steel grills on the window frames which makes the, getting
thrown out of the window part, a little more fun."
--Baloat
"Don't worry Baloat you know I'm better than most handlers
(thieves) in this place. I'm good for my word."
--Duket
"You mean a better liar," Baloat placed the pitcher down the table.
"Oh! Yeah speaking of your words, remember this, the contract you signed
three years ago. It says I can take your head if you don't pay up. Well
the contract ends tonight at midnight."
--Baloat
"What!? You must be mistaken. What are you talking about? I do
not see this contract that you speak of. Kaphoofp do you see a contract?
Well, I guess not! I don't see any contract! I don't see any paper,
you're just fooling me Baloat there is no such contract!"
--Duket
"Well I'm not kidding I never joke about things like this. I may
be smiling but that's because your going to die now. And if you still
cannot remember the contract it's the one, you wrote on the pitcher the
night, you signed this, dumb contract!"
--Baloat
"You wrote and signed a contract on a pitcher three years ago?!"
--Kaphoofp
"Shut up Kaphoofp! It's none of your concern and I was not talking
to you."
--Duket
"Well you were a while ago."
"Well I'm not talking to you now am I!?"
"Sure you are."
"Why you insolent, diabolical, little brown bug biting slug
worm!!!"
"Shut! Up! both of you!"
--Baloat
"Oh Duket its six turns before midnight. Do you want me to time
this wonderful moment?" Kaphoofp brings out a large gnome sized
hourglass from his bag. It may seem impossible for something that big to
fit in there, but hey his a gnome.
As the last few grains of sand trickles away the big clock from the
nearest town starts to toll its bell. Although far the sounds of the
bell could still be heard at Thieves' End.
Baloat held the axe over Duket's head as he waited for Kaphoofp to
say the last number.
"...nine, ten, eleven, twel..."
Then just as the last toll of the bell the door sprang open and
there standing by the doorway is a shadowy figure of a hooded individual.
The room stood still as if time had stop. People looked at the person by
the door and tried to figure out who or where he had come from.
The person had a large built body that suggested he was some sort
of warrior. This hunch was further confirmed by the specially decorated
leather gloves he wore which would place this character as a high ranking
official in some rich ruler's army.
This still mysterious person took the hood off his head to reveal a
face of an individual foreign to this region. "I am looking for Shawn
Russ the Bounty Hunter!" the man exclaimed in a deep voice, as the room
stood silently still.
Being satisfied of their inspection the people in the bar paid no
more attention to him and returned to their previous activities of
grunting, drinking and eating.
Nobody in the room seemed to know where this man came from which
would make him an unlikely candidate for the Rouges of Thieves' End to
pick on. It was a habit of the inn's regular customers to keep the place
away from violence. One big reason would be Baloat, who runs, the place
and another are that this seems to be the only place in Amethyst that
they feel safe and welcomed, even if they were not exactly the worlds
most favored individuals.
Just as everybody resumed with his or her own business Baloat
returned to his head chopping position.
"I know him! I know him!" Duket shouted in desperation since this
is maybe a good chance to escape the wrath of Baloat.
The man, seeing Baloat about to chop Duket's head off threw a
dagger at the axe. The dagger missed its target but so did the axe as
Baloat was distracted. The axe was buried into the table an inch away
from Duket's inky (his hands were on the table at the time).
"Wow! Close call. Nice reflexes but lousy shot, but still! Nice
reflexes."
--Duket
The stranger approached the old man and placed a large bag of coins
on the table. "This is for information on Sir Shawn Russ. And this..."
he took out a long sword and aimed its sharp pointed end at Duket's neck,
"...is for lying money grabbing thieves who are not so hard to find this
days."
"My dear sir I hardly think I am the kind of man that would take
advantage of such a generous person such as yourself." Duket took the
money and gave it to Baloat who then was still trying to pull the axe
from the table. "How's that for payment," he whispered to the bartender.
Baloat took the bag of coins and weighed it in his big palm then
said, "This will do, for now."
"Now talk old man!" demanded the stranger as he pushed the blade
even closer.
"You know it would be easier if I could use the full capabilities
of my throat. So I would consider it greatly kind of you if you could
remove your sword from my neck."
--Duket
"Sorry I did not mean to cause any discomfort. It's just that I
have been looking for this man for such a long time and I have had no
luck finding him. I am `Sir Kalen the Strong (heavy muscled
individual)', honorable (well groomed and shaven person) and loyal (non-
union member) servant of King Darsayth. I have come from the far away
and humble (small and not so strong) Kingdom of Silas. I have trekked
the rocky mountains of Thai-Ben and swam against the raging river of
Karmona. I have searched all the great Keeps and Fortresses of the seven
Kingdoms of Amethyst that is known to us. I have fought and killed every
single person or beast that has stand in my way. And yet still I have
found nothing! Nothing! Even those who have heard of the name Shawn
Russ have nothing. And in my great desperation I seek this great fighter
even in hellholes such as this in hopes that maybe someone could have
herd of him. I believe that the gods of Good have herd my prayers and
seen my suffering and now alas there is some-one, someone who can point
me to him. All my troubles will not go to waste! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
--Kalen
"My, my this guy has lost it. He's a regular nut case, a fruitcake
if you ask me. Must be too many rocks fell on his head in Thia-ben or
the water from the river of Karmona flooded his brain through his ears.
Or some-one must have given him a good knock on that red head of his"
--Kaphoofp
"That's all right I will pretend I did not hear that after all what
matters most is finding Shawn Russ."
--Kalen
"Shawn Russ you say?"
"Yes..."
"The bounty hunter?"
"Yes, yes..."
"The great fighter?"
"Yes, yes, yes...."
"The great fighter and bounty hunter Shawn Russ!?"
"Yes! That's him! You know this guy?"
"Nope never knew him."
"But you said you knew him!!!"
"Well yeah, but you see the Shawn Russ I know was a bounty hunter
for only a few weeks. You see the job of hunting other people and
exchanging them for bounties never actually agreed with him. He said
that it took too much of his time and effort and that it did not show his
true good qualities. So one day he decided give-up adventuring and put
up an armorer's shop. He did not become the best armorer in their town,
in fact most of his armors would brake in times when the wearer needs it
most. But still he thought that making armors brought out the best in
him. Quite interesting, don't you think so?"
--Duket
And with that Duket placed Kalen under a mind spell. The "Small
Talk spell", as the team calls it, is a spell he acquired accidentally
during one of his adventures.
"Yes interesting indeed. So what was his place called?"
--Kalen
"Armors N' Russ the perfect match."
--Duket
As Kalen ponders upon the story of Duket, the Rouges prepare to
leave the premises.
"Well, so long now. I hope you never buy from that armorer. He
has the worst possible armors."
--Duket
Duket and his companions exit through the door gracefully leaving
Kalen with his thoughts.
Come to think of it I have come upon such a place named Armors N'
Russ. It is quite fortunate that I did not purchase an armor, I only had
my old one fixed.
--Kalen
Suddenly Kalen felt a bit uneasy. He quickly rushed to open the
door and see where Duket and the others are.
"Hey you! Wait!"
--Kalen
Duket and his friends who almost had a clean escape turned around
slowly to face the warrior.
"Can you tell me where I can find a good armorer around here?"
--Kalen
"Hew! I thought you wanted to beat us up for taking your money and
still giving you no clues as to where this Shawn Russ fella is."
--Kaphoofp
Another remarkable move by Kaphoofp, revealing the obvious to
someone who happens to be under a mind spell. Just as they were about to
escape from this same person.
"Well we almost got away using the Small Talk spell on him. But I
guess we have to fight him and his body guards here."
--Duket
Suddenly they all felt as if they were surrounded by prying eyes.
Duket was the first to sense this. Being blind allows some people to
open up and heighten their other senses. Duket has developed more than
just his sense of hearing, taste, smell and touch. He has also improved
his sense of intuition, which is not so hard for someone who likes
gambling as much as him. Of course he did not need this ability to know
that the ones who are surrounding them should try taking a bath more
often if they don't want to blow their cover.
Duket positioned in a stance ready for any attack as the other
Rouges ready themselves for a battle.
JR, an experienced fighter and quickdraw, from inside a jacket drew
a hand crossbow. This crossbow looked different from any other crossbows
as it had some sort of a magazine or a cartridge for the beneath the
stock and barrel. The bows of this weapon where not obvious until they
snapped into place from the sides of the barrel when JR gripped the
handle.
Kaphoofp's hair begins to stand up and his body begins to glow and
emanate light. Fist closed, the gnome raised his hand and as he opened
them a ball of light begins to form on each hand.
Kalen, who was still a bit drowsy from the spell, stands puzzled by
what Duket said about his unknown company.
"What are you talking about!?! I did not bring any bodyguards with
me. Do you really think you can trick me again that easily!?! Just for
that you will pay, now I will let you feel the sting of my sword!!!"
--Kalen
*****
To be continued, people!
Switch (for Hollie)
Nikholas F. Toledo Zu @ http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/mezza9.html
Vector, Switch, Yebah, Don Juan, goo, Pervert, Scruples, Hollie, NomaD,
Blitz, Gee, Datzo
Fanfiction @ http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/fanfics.html