Returning Favors (Kalinda)

[Kalinda]

„I would love to be a noble lady!“ Mori whispered as Faust talked about finding a home for her, even in House Kitrye’veresi. She smiled shyly, and her older sister rolled her eyes as if the girl had just the most stupid thing in the world. Mori finally came into the room again, and she even stood next to Vyrian as she looked at the bag full of crowns. “You’ll get your money later”, Vyarin said to her, and Mori nodded. “I don’t need it right now”, she said.

“She especially likes blonde ones”, Vyarin told Faust as they talked about Mori’s future elven husband, not caring that the girl was standing next to her and her head had turned as red as a tomato. “She wants blonde, blue eyed babies that will live to be three hundred ordinations old.”

Mori ran away again. She couldn’t bear that her older sister had just told her most intimate secret to a stranger!

Vyarin looked at her and shrugged. “Now then, shall I take you to the dagger? I don’t want to make my sister wait any longer than she absolutely has to!”

[Faust D'Rinishad]

“A blonde elfin man. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” the dark elf promised, though he wondered if Mori was aware of the magnitude of her desire. Elves, by nature, were conceited people, and most of them typically married within their own race. Granted there were some who were not bound by such behavior, the Vysstichi Prince believed that they were few and far between.

Smiling politely as Vyarin denied Mori her portion of the payment, the dark elf refrained from voicing his skepticism. He doubted that the druidess intended on splitting the money as agreed upon, but that was a moot point. If Mori was to become a member of House Kitrye’veresi, she would know riches far greater than those contained within that small bag.

Faust was about to comment on Mori’s preferred choice of men when the woman scrambled away out of embarrassment. Scratching his head awkwardly, the dark elf merely shrugged and chuckled. “I’m sure she’ll have a better reaction when she meets her future husband…” He proposed, though more so to lighten the atmosphere than because he believed his own assessment.

Nodding finally as Vyarin offered to take him to the dagger, the Prince of Har’oloth bowed appreciatively and bade the druidess to lead on. “Of course. I’ve taken too much of your time already. Lets be done with it,” He said, smiling faintly. Waiting for Vyarin to continue, the dark elf would then follow into line behind her.

[Kalinda]

„Let’s go then“, Vyarin decided. „I suppose Mori won’t becoming with us seeing as she’s just run away again.“ She grabbed a coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, explaining that there were a lot of bloodsucking insects where they were going. „In a cave, in the middle of the swamp“, she said. „I’m not hiding all my treasures in the same place. There are people in Vortex who know who I am, who would be able to find me even here. They could just kill me and take the dagger. If I hide it elsewhere, I extend my own life, by a candlemark at least. You agree that this is reasonable, don’t you?“

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

They did indeed spend a candlemark walking through the swamp, just as Vyarin had said, while Mori stayed behind, without a doubt still embarrassed because her sister had talked about her marriage plans. The swamp was an unpleasant place at the best of times. The ground beneath Faust’s was moist, and every time he made a step there was a sound, as if the spirit of the swamp was sucking at his feet, as it wanted to pull him underground.

Somewhere the vysstichi prince could hear a fog, and once he could see a gigantic spider net between two old trees. The spider that sat there was as big as those that lived near the vysstichi cities. Insects were trying to attack every part of his body that was not covered by clothes. Even though she was a druidess, Vyarin did nothing to help him, explaining that this was a waste of time and energy, that those insects wouldn’t kill them.

Finally they stopped in front of a small hill. „That was once a grave“, Vyarin explained. „I decided that this would be a good hiding place.“ There was an opening that led into the hill. From inside Faust could hear a low growl.

„My guard“, the druidess said. „I didn’t want to leave the dagger unprotected. Wait here and stand perfectly still until it has come out. I will tell it who you are and that we have come to take the dagger. It will understand that.“

Who „it“ was remained to be seen.

[Faust D'Rinishad]

“Both reasonable and practical,” the dark elf agreed, sharing a smug grin with Vyarin as she explained her purpose for distributing her treasures among different hiding places. Had the Vysstichi Prince been in the druidess’s position then he certainly would have acted similarly; however, he was not currently sympathizing with her; he was more so wondering who Vyarin was exactly. She’d said it herself that the powers in Har’oloth were eagerly seeking her out, and why would they unless she was someone important or dangerous?

Perturbed by his inadequate information, the Prince kept the thought to himself as he continued to follow Vyarin. The mage’s words, if anything, reminded him even more that he needed to be cautious. If the druidess perceived him as a threat then it was highly possible that she would try to eliminate him and keep the money as well as her coveted dagger for herself. Faust wondered if she would be that bold.

No complaints escaped from the dark elf’s lips as the soil on which he walked sunk and shifted beneath his feet. The swampland was not a terrain that Faust normally traveled upon, but he could well imagine why Vyarin might dispense her precious dagger this far away from society. The smell was wretched and the ground was unstable. Surely no adventurer, not one with a right mind at least, would travel through it for any good reason.

Frowning disgustedly as several insects moved to waylay his skin, the dark elf swatted at them to cast them away. He did pause when he saw the enormous spider; however, as the multi-legged creature made no motion to advance against him, Faust stealthily slipped past it and kept close to Vyarin. His nerves were beginning to tingle the deeper he traversed into the swamp, but when he reminded himself that he was here to fulfill a promise to an old friend, it made it easier to bear.

“A grave hm? I wonder whose?” He asked, mainly to himself though. Nodding as Vyarin mentioned that her guard was protecting the dagger, the dark elf naturally glanced into the darkness of the opening where the growl was originating from. He certainly didn’t like the sound of it. “I’ll be waiting here then…” He decided to say finally, watching as Vyarin’s silhouette disappeared into the shadows.

Mindful that keeping still would probably save him from an unnecessary dispute, the dark elf tried his best to remain as immobile as possible. Of course he was conscious of his surroundings at all times, and he even decided to focus and enter Clara out of precaution, but for the most part he kept his attention fixated upon the hole where Vyarin had embarked to and her mysterious companion that awaited inside. By Carmelya, he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

[Kalinda]

It was some kind of dog that appeared in the entrance of the grave. A very big dog, as big as a cow, with long black hair, eyes like fire and sharp teeth. The beast just stood there for a moment and looked at the vysstichi and the druidess. Then it approached. It didn’t seem to be particularly happy to see them. It’s ears were folded against its head, and it wasn’t wagging it’s tail either as a dog in a good mood would.

“Shhh ...” Vyarin comforted the beast. Faust noticed that she was casting some kind of spell, and then the dog lay down in front of her and rested its head on its paws. “My dog. I created him”, the druidess said not without pride. “Mori thinks I should have put a zombie or a ghost here, but zombies lack intelligence. I am a druidess. I can make living, breathing monsters. If you don’t do exactly what you promised this dog and a few more of his kind will come after you. I swear that. But enough of that. Let’s go inside.”

She gestured for him to follow her. Had they not been vysstichi – or part vysstichi, in the druidess’ case – it would have been dark inside. The walls of the grave were made of earth, and Faust could see roots hanging from the ceiling. It was empty apart form a large coffin made of stone that stood in the middle of the round chamber that was the grave. A small wooden box rested on top of the coffin. Vyarin took it and handed it to Faust.

“Your dagger is inside”, she simply said.

[Faust D'Rinishad]

The dark elf’s calm dissipated as the enormous dog appeared at the tunnel entrance. His fingers twitched to reach out and clasp the sword at his side, but the Vysstichi Prince managed to control himself. “A fine beast,” Faust commented, and even he wondered if his insincerity was evident to the druidess. Hoping that she would take no offense to his astonishment, the dark elf wisely waited for Vyarin to calm the animal before approaching behind her. “I imagine that the greater powers of society would pay lucratively for such an excellent guard dog,” He added later on, feigning a smile as he carefully stepped over the tranquil canine.

Faust did not miss Vyarin’s subtle threat, but he decided not to comment or to protect his pride. Being an adept mage and a decent swordsman himself, the dark elf feared few things, but he’d learned not to pick fights whenever possible. There were times to battle and there were times to practice humility. This was an opportunity for the latter. Vyarin would do him no good dead –even if he did retrieve the dagger. There was much that he could learn from her about House Chaos Dawn, and perhaps there was a use for her creativity sometime in the future –maybe after he took Mori off her hands. Ultimately, it would be counterproductive to slay her and the dark elf would stray away from such a course if at all possible.

Conscious of his surroundings as they treaded through the shadows of the cave, the Vysstichi Prince’s gaze sharpened as he focused upon the box offered to him. “This is it?” He asked, glancing at Vyarin curiously before slowly removing the lid to inspect the inside contents. It wasn’t that he distrusted her. No, he was more interested in seeing why the weapon meant so much to Vlara. Sure, it was made of ardentium, but ardentium was neither impossible to purchase nor impossible to find. It was the characteristics of the dagger itself, Faust knew, that made it special.

After inspecting the weapon, the dark elf directed his attention to the peculiar coffin that sat in front of him. His visage contorted quizzically, and again he found himself looking to Vyarin for answers. “If you don’t mind me asking, whose coffin is that?”

[Kalinda]

„He’s not for sale“, Vyarin said as Faust told her that the greater powers of society would be lucratively for such a beast. “My animals are not there to be a human’s slaves. They will never leave this swamp.” She seemed to be almost mad that he had suggested such a thing, rather than happy because there might be an opportunity to earn some money. A strange woman. On one hand she was greedy and willing to give her dagger away, but on the other hand she didn’t want to sell any of her creations.

The dog growled a bit as Faust stepped over it, but it didn’t raise its head and it didn’t try to bite him either. It was really quite a nice and peaceful dog at the moment.

“This is it”, Vyarin confirmed once they were inside and Faust opened the box. The dagger was made of ardentium, a perfect weapon that would have fetched a high price without any magical properties. It was decorated with three rubies at the hilt. A beautiful weapon that would feel light in the vysstichi’s hands. A weapon fit for the Matron Rilvin herself.

“Some kind of barbarian chieftain”, Vyarin said indifferently as she noticed Faust’s interest in the coffin. “He isn’t entirely dead yet, but rather some kind of zombie. At first I wanted to keep him – zombies can be rather intimidating – but he didn’t like me for some reason, so I sold him to Barra at the Servant Market. I needed this grave to hide my treasure, and he was in my way.”

[Faust D'Rinishad]

“Of course, milady. I was only commending you on their upbringings,” the dark elf quickly explained. Vyarin, it seemed, was a sensitive woman, more so than her frosty demeanor let on. In any case, the Vysstichi Prince made a mental note to exercise caution in his jests. Vyarin had cooperated, and now there was the simple matter of getting out of the swamp without infuriating her further.

The dark elf’s crimson orbs gleamed as they settled upon the ardentium dagger. Possessing a taste for the precious metal himself, Faust admitted that a part of him felt like claiming the weapon on his own. Of course, honor dictated that he return it to its rightful owner, but one could not deny the temptations that the dagger elicited. “It’s beautiful. I can see why your sister desires it so much,” He said, gripping the dagger’s handle carefully with his gloved hand.

“A barbarian chieftain?” He asked, his silver brows knitting interestedly. “That’s too bad. I can already think of someone who would have rewarded handsomely for such corpse. Oh well, though.” Shrugging indifferently, the dark elf did not press the matter further. The name Barra sounded vaguely familiar, but truth be told Barra’s purpose for claiming the corpse was inconsequential to the Weapons Master.

“Again, I thank you for your help, milady,” the dark elf piped in, adding a smile in the process while he stowed the dagger away along his weapon’s belt. “Shall I escort you back to your home then? I am sure that your sister is nearly ready to leave by now.”