This story is split between episodes being posted on the second Monday of every month. You can find the first episode here and the previous episode here.
Of Dice and Glen Episode 14: Bargains
Looking from her dragonborn friend to this new and fascinating figure, Luna frowned slightly.
“Go back and talk to the short one,” she said quietly to Shaddar. “Lemme try.”
“It’s no use,” Shaddar grumbled. “Drow would probably just lie anyway.”
He headed back to the table to speak with the halfling.
The tiefling waited for the dragonborn to leave, then she shuffled sideways along the bars, looking up at the elf.
“Hey, psst...”
The drow hesitated a long moment, but Luna had lured and earned the trust of squirrels and similarly skittish creatures. A calm, innocent smile remained on her face.
After a time, the drow turned, slowly, and cast a suspicious and narrow gaze back at the halfling and dragonborn. Then, she looked down at the little creature outside her cell. Impatient movements of her hands wiped away the moisture that had gathered on her cheeks.
“What do you want?” she demanded, her tone once again harsh and strident.
“Do you really want to know?” Luna asked, tilting her head. “‘Cause it doesn’t sound like it.”
Narrowing her eyes, the drow took a few imperious paces across her cell. Turning, it seemed as though her eyes were trying to look anywhere but at the tiefling.
“I... Do...” She said, forcing the words out.
A sudden, wide smile belied Luna’s next words.
“I want to find out why somebody wants to invade and burn down my home,” she said. “And then I want to lash them with my tail! And spear them on my horns! And scratch out their eyes!!”
Prancing around like a toddler, she made a great show of whipping her strong tail side to side, then running forward, horns foremost, like a charging bull. Finally, she raked the air with grubby fingernails, teeth bared and a sparkle of fire in her eyes.
Watching this display in open dismay, the dark elf didn't respond until the tiefling came to the mentions of violence. Her face moved into a hungry smile, and she nodded.
“Yes!” She hissed, excitement infusing her voice. “And revel in the feeling of their warm blood running down your arms, the sweet sound of suffering caressing your ears...”
“I’ll make them pay,” Luna agreed, softly, that same small smile remaining on her face. “Will you help me?”
“I-” began the drow, then she stopped speaking and looked toward the dragonborn. “Don’t you believe what that male said?”
“What?” the tiefling asked. “That you’re evil?” Shrugging she turned a circle, as if dancing. “Do you want to be?”
“I don’t know,” she said, the drow’s face moving with conflicting emotions as she stared down at the little devil child.
“Seems to me you can do whatever you want,” Luna said. “Please, will you help? Maybe you’ll find out if you help.”
The dark elf’s face grew pensive, a cheek or brow occasionally twitching. Then, slowly, she nodded.
“Very well,” she said. “I will assist you. And if I discover I truly am evil, I will kill you both.”
“You can try!” giggled Luna, lashing her tail again. “You’re fun! Shaddar is a good man… Dragon… Lizard… Thing… But he doesn’t really play with me. Shaddar!” she called, suddenly, to her companion. “You should be more like- Wait, what’s your name?”
“My name is…”began the dark elf, then she swallowed and turned her face away. “Urravyll Noqumtor.”
Shaddar looked up from his conversation with the halfling, tongue flicking irritably. “What are you on about now, imp?”
“She says she’ll help!” The tiefling exclaimed, skipping a little on the spot and beaming toward the dragonborn.
“She does know.” Shaddar was back by Luna’s side in a flash. “Who’s behind this? Where do we find them?”
“Shaddar!” Luna said, poking her friend in the scaly ribs reproachfully.
The dark elf cast the dragonborn a sidelong glance and remained silent, looking toward the tiefling.
“I thought you said she would help?” Shaddar said.
“Be nice to her!” Luna said, pointing to the elf. “Like this: excuse me, pretty elf lady... Would you please tell us all about what you know? Then you can try and kill me! Does that sound like fun?”
Urravyll looked from Luna to the dragonborn, and nodded imperiously.
“The devil child knows the way of things much better than you, male,” she said. “Respect. And I've seen the symbol on a tower, half sunken into the ground.”
Shaddar’s tongue flicked as he looked disbelievingly at Luna. He liked the odd tiefling, but it seemed strange that an evil drow had taken to her. Also a little concerning.
“Thank you,” he said to Urravyll. “Might you be able to tell us where it is?”
“I'm afraid not,” she said. “However, I am perfectly capable of leading you to the very spot.”
“Let's go!” Luna squeaked, with excitement, tail twitching. “We’re gonna... What was it? Splash around in the oozing blood?”
“No!” The halfling came back from the table. “Nuh, uh, not a chance! She’s an evil, house-burning, kidnapping drow. If we let her out, we’ll never get her back in there.”
Shaddar looked between the three, tongue flickering.
“I’m afraid she’s right, Luna,” he said. “She’s dangerous.”
“Well I'm dangerous too!” She said, baring her teeth in a way that entirely failed to look intimidating but did manage to look slightly pathetic and cute. “Are you gonna lock me up, too?”
“If yer burn down houses, yeah,” the halfling said. “We can’t let criminals walk free. Especially not this one - I’d sooner have a dragon roaming our village. Erm… no offence.”
Shaddar chuckled and shook his head.
Luna giggled along with her friend. Then her face grew somber as she remembered her dear forest.
“All right,” she said, squaring off with the halfling. “What's your name?”
“Bree Thorngage,” the halfing said, facing the tiefling with arms akimbo. “What’s it to yer?”
“Bree Thorngage,” Luna began again. “We told you what we want, and you said no. But I have to ask you again. Please let us take the criminal. I don't think she could escape; Shaddar and I are really strong.”
“Yer may be strong, but yer only two and she’s devious,” Bree said, sticking a thumb in the drow’s direction. “Yer should see that weapon she carries. Besides, yer friend lacks yer confidence.”
“It’s not safe,” Shaddar agreed. “What do we do when we need to sleep? Or when we get to the tower and her allies ambush us?”
“The path is dark,” the dark elf spoke to the tiefling, then moved away, to the furthest corner of her cell.
“No!” Shouted Luna, stamping her foot petulantly. “She's coming with us. Do you hear me?”
The halfling took a step back.
“Not unless we can trust her,” Shaddar insisted, tongue flicking at the impetuous tiefling. “We’re likely to have enough enemies without one in our midst.”
“You’re so mean!” Luna whined. “Everybody thinks you’re bloodthirsty because you’ve got scales and everybody thinks I’m evil because I’ve got horns! But you’re gonna just keep all that nastiness going because of what she looks like?”
“No,” Shaddar said. “I’m choosing to believe the evidence of my own eyes. Beyond that she is in jail for kidnapping children, her attitude is clearly that of an evil one.”
“The house was on fire...”
“What?” Luna’s head whipped around to stare at the elf, who had not moved, but whose quiet words had reached the tiefling’s ears.
“I do not claim to be many things,” Urravyl said. “But I will have the truth spoken about me. I laid the children carefully beside the house as it burned.”
“Yes.” Bree snarled. “So you could slit their throats and bathe in their blood.”
“No!” stated the elf, forcefully, her foot coming down hard in sudden anger. “It was an act of mercy. However it is clear to me that no words of mine will sway you from your stubbornness.”
As the elf turned to the tiefling’s mind went into frantic motion, the end of her tail twitching with the effort.
“Wait!” she wailed, then turned to Shaddar. “What if she sweared, to her god-thingy?”
Shaddar considered for a moment. He gave a firm nod and snap of his jaws.
“She seems wholly devoted. Only a fool would break a vow to a god, even if it is an evil god.”
“Well?” Luna enquired, turning shining eyes to the elf, who began to shake her head.
The elf’s eyes grew wide and she continued to shake her head as she backed away from the friends. Turning, both fists came down to clench by her sides.
“Swear to Lollth,” she whispered, her voice shaking to match her hands.
She stood for a long moment, her barely trembling outside masking a soul in utter turmoil.
“Yes, swear to my lady, the Queen of Spiders, Lollth,” she stated at last, in a sudden burst of volume, turning back to the people outside her cell. “And in so doing, she may very well abandon me for all time.”
“Is someone going to open the cell now?” asked the tiefling, growing bored of the drama.
Aghast, Bree looked from the Dragonborn to the Tiefling.
“Crazy. Yer both crazy,” she said. “Very well. I’ll release her to yer charge, but know yer responsible for her! If she causes our village any more trouble, it’s on yer heads. And she’s not to have her gear while yer still in sight of the village!”
Grumbling to herself, the halfling stalked over to the cell and unlocked the door.
Discover what happens next in Episode 15: On the Road Again
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