2022-08-31 Journey Below - Wik

I finish my drink, winking to the bartender as I tip a silver before slipping into the crowd at the Gilded Mirror. The gamblers and revellers make for easy cover, and my Mark doesn't see me coming until my hand is on his arm, and my words are in his ear.

"Buy a girl a drink?"

•••

"Lucky, my boy, you didn't tell me there would be a crowd!"

The fairy, Beets the Beetle, keeps her eyes planted squarely on me as I walk along with Lucky. Hijinks, they said. An 'adventure', most likely. I hear it pays well. The three of us arrive with the rest of the party: a human-looking woman and a periwinkle tiefling.

Lucky and Beets greet the two of them as friends. Nessa, the human, and Orianna, the tiefling. Introductions are made, and I make a small curtsy in greeting. Apparently, they left the job unfinished last time. Something about undead in the Temple of Bahamut over in Kundar. I can't say I was paying attention.

Nessa, the more intense of the two, seems to want us to know what we are walking into. Hearts torn from chests, black flames of dark magic. "Nessa, darling, don't fear! It's fortuitous that I have come along, as I have been stealing hearts for years." I wink at Lucky. Maybe going along with these adventurers will work.

I get some looks at that. Can't a girl have fun?

•••

The Temple of Bahamut has all but a memory of better days. Even the statue out front is barely worth my eyes' appraisal - all of that platinum seems to be no more than facade.

But, following with the others has worked well. I haven't been to Kundar before, but I can already tell: all of these dragonborn and kobolds have a lot of gems and gold. Maybe I will have to return...

"We could offer some funds, this time. If you are able to find out what is happening."

"Cornelius, darling. What was that about funds?" The others look forlorn at the state of the temple and refuse the offer of gold. "I would be happy to take their share, if it would help. I'd be sure to give it to them later, once they have had an opportunity to think things through."

Cornelius isn't so sure that's a good idea. Can't a girl try?

•••

The cave is dark. Very dark. Hmm. Ylana is supposed to be able to see in the dark, and I ran out of potions. I arrange myself at the back of the group, just in case. Maybe they won't see me stumble, there.

Beets has found a body, she says. A kobold. I suppose I can't be surprised: caves this dark, and this old, are bound to have some skeletons. This one, though.. it's like Nessa said. Chest torn open, heart removed. No dark magic, though.

Lucky and I have kept back a little. He seems worried about some sort of ambush. Darling, it's a bit too late for...

The screech that echoes through the halls cuts me off.

•••

"Lucky, darling, this isn't quite what I thought hijinks would be."

My moon-touched rapier, glowing brightly in the dark tunnels of this cavern, twirls in the air as I bring it from its sheath, stabbing it roughly into the figure at my feet. The undead kobold screams once more, before turning to dust.

"See, darling? This is how it is done. I am beginning to fear this won't work out if you can't show me what you're made of."

The others appear to have found their own undead, too. How wonderful. At least these seem to be quite trivial.

Lucky bounds ahead in front of me, bring his sword up and back down on the next undead figure before knocking it to the ground with his tail. Quickly, it returns to its feet, driving its claws into his fur. "Ylana, darling, do you mind finishing this one off?"

"I will let you know that I am no housewife. I will not be cleaning your messes." I take a step forward, twirling my rapier in time with my footfalls as I spin, cutting effortlessly through the screeching kobold before leaning into it, as though it were a perfect dance partner.

Like a perfect dance partner, the dance completes and it crumbles to dust. "But maybe if you get the next one, I'll let you be my dance partner." I send a wink his way. This is going exceptionally...

The roar, draconic and pained, echoes through the tunnels and cuts me off once more.

•••

The dragon is young, thankfully. The twisting tunnels of this cavern are easily navigated by its roars. It sounds... animalistic. Almost like... wait. Ylana doesn't speak Draconic. Keep a blank expression...

The others peer into another larger cavern from our place in the tunnels. There is someone with the dragon - another undead, with a staff. It speaks to it in Draconic and some other languages that I can't quite understand. Something about... death coming.

Nessa, it would appear, is not a human after all. Or, at least, I need to re-evaluate what humans can do, as it appears she can sprout wings. Adventurers.

She and Orianna cast some spells, sending a torrent of fire and water into the room. Not entirely subtle... As one could expect, the two undead see us. The figure, though, with staff in hand, shrieks at us before disappearing in a blaze of black fire. The fire rises to the top of the cavern before a resounding crack is heard, and it disappears.

The dragon roars, and begins to step forward.

•••

The dragon collapses to the ground, and begins to crumble. It's a white dragon, a young one, that could not survive our onslaught. The others rush over to it. Orianna looks remorseful - out of the corner of my eye, I see her hand lightly stroke the dragon's face.

The staff that the undead figure was carrying lies where it was dropped at the back of the cavern. Don't mind if I do... With a toe, I flick it up into the air and catch it.

Bad idea. Black flames immediately begin to creep up my fingers, burning the flesh of my hand with dark magic. I drop it as soon as I can, my fingers smoking in the aftermath, before withdrawing a cloth from my pocket and picking it up once more. Twirling it in the air, I get a good look at it once more. Five dragon heads, black, blue, green, red, and white. Their necks twist and curl until, suspended in all of their mouths, a small crystal is suspended. Nice.

"What are you doing? Are you stupid?" comes the cry from Orianna.

"First you steal Lucky's heart, and then you steal our loot!" chimes in Beets.

I close my eyes, squeezing tight at the outbursts. "I may just be a woman about town, but I believe to steal something one must leave the area, Miss. The Beetle."

Stupid? Me? Why... "And as for you. Orianna, was it? Forgive me if I do not take criticism from one who fights from a corner instead of meeting her foe in the field. I'm sorry that my actions are not that of a coward."

Her brow furrows, but the words do not land as I had hoped. "Don't confuse brains for cowardice," she replies.

•••

"Cornelius, darling. Thank you." I curtsy once more, the bag of gold weighing heavy in my hand as I bounce it in my palm. "And the staff... well, I suppose you may cleanse it. But it has such a wonderful aura Cornelius, please do not ruin it."

He lays a hand upon it, and though the flames leap to meet him too, they are quickly dissipated in a flash of platinum.

•••

The portal back to Daring Heights was as uneventful as the one to Kundar. A step through, and we are back. Ah, portals. Just like...

"Lucky, darling, shall we?" I offer my arm for him to take, gesturing back towards the Gilded Mirror.

"Drinks are on me!" he exclaims, the rest of the party walking with us towards the Mirror, and I struggle to keep my face from falling. Oh well. Next time, my feline friend...

"Excuse me? Ylana?" Orianna comes up behind me, her hand outstretched in apology. "I am sorry. I did not mean to offend you. You had just... I was worried for your safety. These things are dangerous."

A small smile creeps around my lips, and I place an arm around Orianna's shoulder. "Darling, pay it no mind at all. Us girls have to stay together, yes? Especially in those dark tunnels. It's difficult when one of us is hiding in a corner, hmm?" I give her a sly wink.

With a raised eyebrow, she shrugs my arm off of her shoulder and takes a step back towards the others. "We each have our strengths and our weaknesses. I just hope you know where your strengths end and your weaknesses begin."

"Oh, darling, I know plenty. More than you might expect."