Post by moralhazard on Mar 20, 2019 18:17:20 GMT
Kormul
“Miri?” Evy hopped to her feet, shutting the lid of her chest.
“Mmmmph,” Miri rolled over on the thin mattress of her bed, burying her face in a pillow that was slightly softer than a rock – a phenomenal change of pace after skirting every town since Yallasch, weeks earlier. After a vigorous night out on the town to celebrate their arrival in Kormul, all Miri really wanted was to sleep away the effects of mixing dwarven ale and red wyvern powder, the remnants of which seemed to be hopping up and down inside her skull. A city without a curfew and without laws against drugs was a beautiful thing.
“Miri, come on,” Evy plopped down next to the bed, putting one hand on Miri’s bare shoulder and giving her a little shake.
Miri groaned, turning her head sideways and opening one eye, peering up at Evy. “What is it?”
“Have you seen my gold coin purse? The spare one?” Evy asked, raising an eyebrow.
Miri blinked, yawning, and slowly rolled over onto her back, revealing a bare expanse of stomach and hips. “No.”
“Come on, think – really! I can’t find it, and it has all our spare coins.” Evy frowned.
“When did you last see it?” Miri yawned again, sitting up, arms back behind her to prop her up against the bed.
“… Mintar, maybe?” Evy wrinkled her nose.
Miri raised an eyebrow. “That was – weeks ago.”
“I know, but… we haven’t needed it since then. I’m sure it was well hidden…” Evy bit her lip.
Miri thought back to the piles of gold coins she’d given the old man in Mintar – and carefully kept any expression other than sleepiness off her face. “Do we need it now?”
“Yes,” Evy said, firmly. “Except – I can’t find it. It must be here!” She hopped off the bed, attacking the trunk anew, flinging clothing and the occasional document across the room.
Miri swung her legs off the bed, padding across the room to join the search, unrolling shirts and socks and checking every crevice of the chest.
“I don’t think it is here, Evy,” Miri said, finally, sitting back on her haunches.
“Well.” Evy paused, rubbing her hair with one hand, long ears twitching slightly. “… In that case, we’re broke.”
“Not one bounty? In the whole city?” Evy was giggling. “Come on, Ydriss – there must be one?”
The yuan-ti shook her head, grinning. “Evy, would I lie to you? You know I hold your old friend Star in too high regard for that.”
Evy grinned. “Of course you wouldn’t lie – but you didn’t say there weren’t any, just that there weren’t any for me.”
“And so there mustn’t be,” Ydriss smiled.
“Ydriss.” Evy shook her head. “That’s not the same thing at all.”
Miri was leaning back against the balcony wall, soaking up the sunlight nearly as enthusiastically as the yuan-ti and surveying the street below as Evy and Ydriss chatted. She was wearing a pair of white pants nearly – but only nearly – as tight as her leather ones. They had been a terrible mistake; they looked fabulous, particularly with her purple halter top, but it was almost impossible to keep them clean. All the same, she had to wear them somewhere.
Ydriss sighed. “I can see you won’t be swayed, darling. All right.” She glanced at Miri. “You’re working as a team on this one?”
“Of course,” Evy said cheerfully.
“Well.” Ydriss shifted. “As you know, Irontusk keeps a pretty tight hold on things in Kormul. There isn’t much here that the Ward Swords can’t handle themselves. But…” she let her voice trail off.
“Yes…?” Evy asked, leaning in enthusiastically.
“Well – there is some… a rumor, we’ll say. An extortionist, wanted rather badly by the Ward Swords,” Ydriss raised an eyebrow. “He’s gone to ground, they say. Inside the city, it must be, as his punishment’s to be exile. I don’t know the exact figure out the bounty, but it’s rumored to be substantial.”
“Excellent!” Evy beamed. “Sounds like a perfect fit. Do you have a name? We’ll get the details from the Ward Swords and – ”
“Darling,” The yuan-ti reached out, setting her hand on Evy’s and giving it a squeeze. “He’s rumored to be quite a dangerous man, this extortionist. He’s eluded the Ward Swords for two tenday now, and believe me when I say that’s a tricky feat. Not only that, but there are rumored to be a few good bounty hunters already on the case. I’d give this one a miss, were I you.”
“Oh, well – don’t fuss, Ydriss, please,” Evy grinned at her. “We’ll just check it out, and if it’s too hot, we’ll leave it be. The name?”
Ydriss sat back, slowly. “… Bur’rae,” She said, finally. “Or so he’s known.”
Miri sat up a little, shading her eyes. “Bur’rae? He?” She asked.
Ydriss gave a gentle shrug. “Far be it from me to comment on the ways of the drow,” she said, just a little snottily.
“Bur’rae,” Evy repeated, enthusiastically. “Thanks Ydriss – we owe you one!”
“I would rather you didn’t,” Ydriss said, drily. “In fact, I would rather you left Kormul without looking into further with Bur’rae. If you wish to repay me, you may do so.”
Evy giggled. “Oh, sure, sure,” She promised, cheerfully.
They left nearly an hour later, as the heat of the afternoon sun started to fade, and Ydriss announced that she needed to go prepare for the evening’s work.
“So?” Miri asked, glancing both ways before they stepped out of the sunwell tower.
“To the Ward Swords!” Evy proclaimed, enthusiastically.
“So – information gathering tonight? Tavern-style?” Evy asked. It had been easy enough to get the dossier from the city guards, although both Miri and Evy had left with the impression that, yes, Ydriss was right: they were not the only ones on the hunt. At the moment, she was searching through the mess they’d made of her trunk that morning for something a little darker to wear, her bright blue tunic not necessarily the right choice for stealth.
“Weeeeeeell…” Miri grinned.
Evy giggled. “Oh no.”
“You remember that guy I was talking to last night?” Miri grinned. “The one with that silver medallion necklace.”
“… Sure,” Evy said, skeptically.
“Not surprising, he’s a dragon worshipper. Ahzalundelarr, specifically; he told me there’s quite a lot of them here in Kormul.” Miri was examining her chest too, although she wasn’t exactly thinking stealth.
“Oh, Miri,” Evy groaned.
“And,” Miri continued, as implacable as if she hadn’t heard Evy, “it seems they’re having something of a – ah – party tonight.”
“You mean an – ” Evy sheered off from the word. “I know exactly what you mean!”
Miri’s even white teeth flashed in the light of their room as she turned, holding up a dark red corset for inspection. “Of course,” she said, nonchalantly. “What better place to get information?”
Evy began to giggle. “You won’t learn a thing! I know you! You’ll be too distracted.”
Miri grinned back, stripping off her halter top. The corset really did wonders for her figure; traveling had left her a little light up top, but one couldn’t tell in the corset. Her butt, thankfully, still filled out the white pants well. “I’m going to learn so much, Evy. I promise you that.”
“At least you won’t be in any danger of sacrifice,” Evy was still giggling. “I think it’s only virgins.”
“Definitely not,” Miri agreed, cheerfully. Then – “Help me lace it up?”
Evy was practically vibrating with stored up energy by the time Miri reached their room the next morning.
“Where have you been!” Evy bounced up off the bed, practically arching through the air as she landed on her feet.
Miri groaned audibly, pressing a hand to her face. “Shhhh…”
“Miri, it’s nearly noon!” Evy stared at her friend, starting to giggle. “Miri! Where did your white pants go?”
“Mmph,” Miri tumbled facedown into the bed. She wasn’t pantsless, per se, but she was wearing a pair of linen pants that looked rather at odds with the corset.
“Did you sleep at all?” Evy asked, still giggling.
“I will now,” Miri groaned, pulling the pillow over her head. She didn’t bother taking off her clothes; by the time her eyes closed, she was already well asleep.
It was properly dark by the time Miri woke. There was a tray sitting on a stool next to the bed, with a covered clay cup and a bit of what looked like bread and cheese, with a tiny pot next to it.
Miri groaned faintly.
“Welcome back!” Evy was giggling; the sound of her giggling was the last thing Miri remembered before falling asleep. As far as she could tell, the half-elf had never stopped giggling. “Try the tea.”
Miri groaned louder, burying her face in her pillow. “Noooo…” she wriggled a little when Evy took her hand, slowly looking over as Evy guided it to the cup. It felt warm. Evy left her hand there and whisked off the cover, using it to fan a bit of pleasant-smelling steam towards Miri. Just the smell seemed to ease her headache a little.
By the time she’d drank the entire pot and devoured all four slices of bread with cheese and what had turned out to be a bit of honey, Miri felt nearly human again.
Evy was giggling again. Still? Miri wasn’t sure.
“All right,” Miri grinned, pushing the tray away and sitting on the edge of the bed. She glanced down for a moment at her pants, slightly surprised, then back at Evy. “What’ve you learned? You’ve been dying to tell me for – ” she checked the window. “Seven hours?”
“Longer!” Evy said, enthusiastically. “I have a lead on Bur’rae! Seems he’s hiding out in the Underdark, near a spot accessible from –“
“Poisoner’s Paradise?” Miri asked, raising an eyebrow.
Evy deflated, slowly, eyes widening.
“I heard the same,” Miri frowned a little. “Trap?”
“Trap!” Evy agreed, cheerful again. “But whose?”
The Poisoner’s Paradise was, aptly named, a spot for buying Drow poisons in Kormul. As Miri quickly learned, perhaps the spot for buying Drow poisons in Kormul. The building was Drow-owned, and access to the cellar containing a path down to the Underdark was even more tightly guarded than the rest of the building.
“There’s a gap between shifts,” Miri said, seriously. Two days of scouting hadn’t gotten them much more than notes on the guard shifts, a nice map of the building, and eyes on a few others both thought were also watching the cellar.
“Deliberate?” Evy asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” Miri glanced up from their map. “If so, that would mean the Drow are in on hiding Bur’rae. Seems unlikely – they might risk reprisals against the shop.”
Evy wrinkled her nose. “Then…?”
Miri shifted. “Unless someone’s bribed a guard to create the gap,” she said, slowly. “Then – ”
“In that case…” Evy leaned forward over the map, talking quickly.
Miri glanced around the little room. The trap was more clever than they’d expected; the time left open by the guard made pretty much only one route, and it had led straight to this little cellar of a room. Definitely, Miri was sure, not the actual entrance to the Underdark.
“What now?” Evy asked, peering in from the hallway.
“Now, we wait,” Miri grinned, white teeth flashing. “Mind the alarm spell at the door, I’m pretty sure it’ll lock us in.”
“Yup,” Evy took a step back, then flipped neatly over the threshold.
Miri glanced around. “Now we wait?”
“Now we wait!” Evy beamed.
The room was clearly used as storage; there were a number of barrels here and there. Hopefully, Miri felt, empty. After a quick deliberation, she and Evy moved two of them into position. Miri crouched down behind them, and Evy stood on the other side of the door, pressed flat against the wall.
The little passage where the room was seemed to be fairly rarely used; this was more or less the only room they’d been able to reach anyway. As such, it was a long few hours as they waited; even Evy had more sense than to give their position away by chatting.
Finally – finally – the two of them would hear footsteps in the hallway, and a faint whistling. There were the murmured words of a counter spell, and a man would step into the room.
“Surprise!” Evy beamed.
Miri jerked upwards and struck at the same moment, dagger resting comfortably right against one of her target’s kidneys.
“What – ” The man started to jerk, then, as Miri’s blade dug in slightly, froze completely.
“Definitely not Bur’rea,” Evy said, cheerfully, smiling at him. “We were wondering who set the trap.”
“All right,” His hands lifted, slowly. “No need for anything hasty! Just a harmless way of checking out the competition, we didn’t – ” He glanced back over his shoulder and froze, eyes wide. “You!”
Miri grinned, keeping the dagger firmly in his kidneys. “Hey.”
“Miri?” Evy peered over his shoulder. “You know him?”
“We met a few nights ago,” Miri said, grin slowly broadening.
The man grinned back. “We sure did. I never got your name.”
“Miri,” Evy supplied, helpfully. “I just – I mean, I just said it.”
Miri grinned even wider.
“Miri,” The man gave her a little wink. He was very handsome, strong-jawed, with thick dark hair and eyes that could be described as smoldering. “It is very, very nice to see you again. I really do mean that.”
“And you,” Miri gave him a long, very slow look, eyes meandering from his boot tips to hair and covering everything in between.
“How about you put that dagger down?” The man grinned. “I’m Konrad, by the way.”
Evy was giggling now. Miri pulled back, sheathing the dagger.
“Much obliged,” Konrad turned back to Evy. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Miss…?”
“Evy,” Evy said cheerfully, still giggling.
Konrad turned back to Miri. “Miri. You’re – ” he glanced back at Evy, then back to Miri. “You’re looking for Bur’rea, I take it?”
Evy was giggling too hard to reply.
“Yes,” Miri grinned. “As are you, I assume.”
“Yes, my partner and I… look, why not all work together?” Konrad smiled. “Could be fun.”
“No.” The drow crossed his arms over his chest. “Absolutely not.”
“Come on, Vuzlyn,” Konrad was grinning again, perched next to his partner at their table. “Four heads are better than two.”
“No,” Vuzlyn repeated.
“All right!” Evy bounced back into sight, carefully juggling four tankards of ale. She smiled cheerfully, setting them down on the table, pushing one to Vuzlyn, one to Konrad, and one to Miri, and taking the last for herself. “Cheers!”
Miri, Konrad and Evy all lifted their tankards, draining them smoothly. Vuzlyn sat, arms crossed, tankard sitting in front of him. “Konrad,” he hissed. “And what if they poisoned it?”
Miri rolled her eyes, grabbed Vuzlyn’s tankard, and took a long drink, before setting it down in front of him again.
“… Well now I’m definitely not drinking it,” Vuzlyn gave the mug the side-eye.
Konrad laughed. “All right. Look – there are a few too many second-raters out there looking for Bur’rea. We came up with the trap to try and weed some of them out, maybe try to lure him into a false sense of security. How did you know it was a trap, by the way?”
Miri grinned. “Too easy.” She said, simply. “Nice try with the bribed guard though.”
“Plus, we heard about it in two different places,” Evy said, cheerfully. “Hard to believe such a widespread rumor could be true.”
“You’d never have been able to get out,” Vuzlyn grumbled.
“Actually, we’re almost positive Bur’rea isn’t hiding out in the Underdark,” Konrad grinned. “There are a lot of nooks and crannies down there, but the Drow control everything close to Kormul pretty tightly. Vuzlyn thinks it’s unlikely he’s gotten past anyone.”
“Which I shared with you for our ears only,” Vuzlyn hissed.
“I agree,” Miri said. “He’s still active in the city – it’d be too risky to get in and out of the Underdark.”
“We think he’s hiding in the bazaar,” Evy said, cheerfully. “Best place to blend in – he’d stick out anywhere Yuan-ti controlled, and the Drow would sooner turn him in than spit on him.”
Vuzlyn glared at her.
“We’ve had some success getting names of his victims,” Evy grinned. “What do you think are the odds anyone’s still paying him?”
Konrad leaned back on his stool, thoughtfully. “If they’re known to be a victim, why bother continuing to pay?”
“Depends on what he has on them,” Miri rocked her stool, gently. “And how much of a coward they are.”
“There are two more promising than the rest,” Evy said cheerfully. “Why don’t we split up tomorrow and tail them both?”
“Excellent. Deal,” Konrad grinned. “Miri and I will go together. Evy, you take Vuzlyn.”
Vuzlyn spluttered. “Konrad – absolutely not – I will NOT go with this little – half-elf,” he made it sound like the worst of insults.
Evy giggled. “Aw, Vuzzy, I’m sure it will be fun.”
“Vuzlyn.” Vuzlyn glared at her through narrowed lilac eyes. “It’s Vuzlyn.”
“Anyway, Miri and I had better go compare notes before tomorrow,” Konrad stood, turning to Miri with a grin. “What do you say?”
Miri slipped off her stool. “An excellent idea. See you tomorrow.”
Evy winked at her, watching them go. She turned back to Vuzlyn and beamed. “… Are you going to drink that?”
Slowly, sourly, Vuzlyn pushed the ale across the table to her.
‘WATCH OUT FOR THE POISON!’ Evy’s mental voice was more of a scream in Miri’s head.
Miri changed course abruptly, dodging the red-marked barrel that was tipping over in front of her. It seemed to hit the ground in slow motion, cracking slowly along one ribbed side, a vicious red liquid seeping out and bursting into smoke as it hit the pavement. One of the little group chasing her ran straight through it and began to scream, red streaks bubbling up on his skin. He dropped to the ground, writhing, foam seeping from his mouth. The two others behind him skidded to a stop, and Konrad, behind them, changed course and darted into the market stalls.
That just left Miri.
She ran harder; running through a market wasn’t so much about speed as one’s ability to dodge. Bur’rea, Miri thought cheerfully, didn’t quite seem to have figured that out. It was more or less amateur hour up there; he kept blundering through people rather than around them, chugging along straight forward rather than trying to take advantage of the dark night to get out of the torchlight. And he was right there in front of her –
At least until he wasn’t.
Miri stopped instantly, glancing around. They were in a little patch of darkness between two lanterns, and here Bur’rea had the advantage on her, at least in terms of vision. He hadn’t kept running – he’d have re-emerged into the light – and so that meant…
Miri’s eyes caught a sliver of something standing out against the wall. She reached out, feeling for a seam in what looked like solid stone, closing her eyes and trailing her fingers along the wall. No sense in letting your mind trick you… there. Miri opened her eyes, tracing her fingers up and down a long crack in the wall. She rested her weight against it – nothing.
“What happened?” Konrad skidded to a stop behind her.
“I think he went in here,” Miri thrust her shoulder against the seam, a little more aggressively. Still nothing.
“Stand back,” Konrad lifted one booted foot, slamming a high kick into the wall. Also nothing.
“How did he open it…” Miri frowned. “Magic?”
“Probably. He can certainly afford it,” Konrad shrugged.
“Seems a bit much though, don’t you think?” Miri glanced at the door again. “Running around spelling random doors in case you get chased into one of them.”
“It’s not like Bur’rea got this bounty for being an idiot,” Konrad said, sensibly. “I think we’re going to have to call this chase off, Miri.”
Evy was the next to arrive, Vuzlyn right on her heels. “He’s gone?” She wrinkled her nose, disappointedly.
“I told you we would spook him,” Vuzlyn glared at all three of them.
“Split up,” Miri commanded. “Let’s cover the outside of the building – see if we can figure out whether he’s still inside or might have gone somewhere else.”
“Kormul is full of tunnels,” Vuzlyn said, disdainfully. “Everyone knows that. Well – all the darkfolk know that.” His tone dripped with derision.
“Then you should look for those,” Miri said, raising an eyebrow. “Unless you don’t know which ones connect here.”
Vuzlyn scowled and walked off.
“I’ll go up,” Miri glanced at a balcony across the alley, and grinned at Konrad. “Give me a boost?”
“Any time,” Konrad set his hands on Miri’s waist. Evy was giggling as he half-tossed her up onto the balcony. Miri scrambled onto the railing, and from there it was a quick climb up the wall to the rooftop. She laid a board between the two roofs, walking across the narrow beam as easily as if it was solid ground.
The rooftop was square, gravel-topped, with a sad plant in one corner that looked like it had had too much sun. Nothing interesting… except for the wooden hatch in the middle of it, a little ring sticking up temptingly. Miri tilted her head to one side, contemplating it. Well, she decided, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Miri opened the hatch and looked down – nothing visible down below in the dark. No sounds either. She eased herself into the opening, and dropped, landing in a crouch on the floor below – solidly in the middle of two guards.
“You know,” Bur’rea said, pacing back and forth. “I really don’t want to leave Kormul. You can understand that, can’t you?” He turned to look at Miri.
Miri shrugged. It was hard to be particularly eloquent while tied to a chair and gagged.
“I thought not,” Bur’rea huffed. “Bounty hunting mongrel. Why should I have to give up my home? It’s not like I’ve done anything wrong.”
Miri did her best to say ‘extortion’ through the gag; it was not a success.
“If those idiots didn’t want people to know their secrets, they should have kept them better,” Bur’rea whined. “Oh well.” He turned back to Miri. “I just need your friends and all the rest off my tail for a little bit. You know one of the lessons I learned here in Kormul? If you’re not being taken seriously enough, a little demonstration will usually do the trick.” He stroked her cheek with two fingers. “I think your head on a stick will be an excellent demonstration for the rest of those bounty hunters.”
Miri rolled her eyes.
Bur’rea froze, staring at her. “Did you just – did you – didn’t you hear me? I am going to cut off your head,” he gripped her chin, “shove a stick into it, and mount it in the square.”
Miri shrugged.
Bur’rea let her go, squinting at her. After a moment, he tugged the gag out of her mouth. “You should be terrified,” he commanded.
Miri spat on the floor. “That gag tasted terrible. A little time in the sun will really help with that musty smell.”
Bur’rea just stared at her.
Miri shrugged. “You’re going to kill me or you’re not. What’s the point in pleading?”
“I might spare you if you plead,” Bur’rea’s eyes narrowed.
“I doubt it,” Miri said, practically. “You’re a businessman. What benefit do you get from my pleading?”
“Deep, personal satisfaction,” Bur’rea growled.
Miri grinned. “Oh, sure, that. Gold’s better though – don’t you think?”
Bur’rea frowned. “What are you suggesting, exactly?”
“Easy,” Miri said, cheerfully. “Kill me, and you’ll add a murder charge to your bounty. I hear Lady Irontusk’s going particularly hard on murderers just now. I can’t even imagine how many bounty hunters will be after you if it gets any larger. Ransom me, and everyone walks away happy.”
“I HAVE THE RANSOM!” Evy was holding up a big bag, extending it out in front of her with both hands. She shook it, making a very pleasant jingly sound.
“Why are you yelling?” Vuzlyn asked. “Why is she yelling?” He turned to Konrad.
Konrad stood behind Evy, arms crossed over her chest. “Give us the girl, and we’ll give you the ransom.” He said, seriously, eyes on Bur’rea.
“Not so fast!” Bur’rea kept one hand on Miri’s arm. Her hands were cuffed together now, held at about hair height with his arm lifted. “Give me the ransom, and I’ll give you her.”
“Give me the girl, and we’ll give you the ransom,” Konrad repeated.
“Oh gods we’ll be here all day,” Vuzlyn groaned.
Bur’rea scowled. “Absolutely not. The ransom first, or she gets it!” He was brandishing a dagger in his other hand, waving it at Miri.
They stood facing one another on two high platforms, a narrow balance beam between them. Evy, Konrad and Vuzlyn stood on one side, Miri and Bur’rea on the other, with three guards against the wall behind him.
‘Are you ready noooooooow?’ Evy’s mental voice had a faintly plaintive tone.
‘Just one more second…’ Miri’s fingers closed on the lockpick in her hair, and she grinned. Slowly, she eased it off her scalp, shifting her fingers to tease it into the cuffs.
Evy jingled the coins again, loudly. “Give us Miri, now! Or I’ll – I’ll – throw these coins down there!”
Reflexively, Evy, Konrad, Vuzlyn, Bur’rea, Miri and the three guards all looked down; what was below them had once been a warehouse, at least until the floor collapsed in a pynch-making accident that had opened up what looked very much like a pit straight to one of the hells. It seemed to go down endlessly, lit with a vaguely sinister glow.
“Do that, and she dies!” Bur’rea threatened.
“You still won’t get the gold!” Evy took a few steps forward onto the beam, thrusting one hand out over the pit. ‘Noooooooooooooooow?’
‘Now!’ The handcuffs clicked open. Miri’s suddenly free hand flicked out, quick, skillful fingers lifting the dagger from Bur’rea’s hand as he watched Evy dangle the coins out, the bag slipping a few inches down in her hand.
Abruptly the tables were turned; Miri wrapped one arm around Bur’rea’s neck, holding the edge of the dagger against it with the other hand. “No closer!” She warned the guards behind her, turning back to look at them. The edge of the board creaked beneath her foot, and she took one slow step back, then the next, dragging Bur’rea along with her, a human shield between her and the guards.
“Oh no,” Bur’rea whimpered. “No, no – you can’t mean to – no!”
Miri took another slow, even step back, boot sliding smoothly along the wood. Then another.
“No!” Bur’rea thrashed.
Miri stopped, holding him tight. “Would you rather be banished or dead?” She asked, cheerfully. “Thrash like that again, and I will throw you off the side rather than go down with you.”
Bur’rea froze, tense and stiff in Miri’s arms. It was a bit harder to drag him that way, but at least the board had stopped rocking.
Another step, another step – another. An arrow whistled from behind her, and Vuzlyn laughed as it sprouted from the shoulder of a guard who’d been making his way forward.
Another step – and then Miri felt Evy’s hand close over her shirt, firmly. She grinned, hurrying the last few steps, and dumping Bur’rea onto the ground.
Konrad promptly straddled him, knee in the center of his back, securing the cuffs. Miri stood at the edge of the bridge, dagger in hand, and grinned at the guards. “Come at me, if you dare!”
One, particularly brave, stepped onto the bridge, slowly advancing, longsword in hand. Miri let him approach – one step – two – three – then cheerfully stomped on the side of the plank, rocking it and sending him off the side. He screamed as he fell, bouncing off one of the oddly-lit patches with a very unfortunate hissing sound.
“Anyone else?” Miri grinned.
The other two guards, one clutching his shoulder, slowly shook their heads.
“To a job well done!” Konrad raised his glass.
Miri raised hers as well, and Evy and even Vuzlyn joined them. She took the shot of dragonblood easily, the spicy, faintly sweet liquor burning as it went down.
Vuzlyn coughed. “Not as good as azure wine,” he said, grumpily.
Evy giggled. “To teamwork!” She grabbed the next round of shots off the tray Konrad had gotten, distributing them.
All four drank again. This shot went down even more smoothly than the last; Miri couldn’t help grinning. The world like this was glowing and bright, the last of the adrenaline of a successful bounty coursing through her veins, along with plenty of alcohol. And she still had the rest of the evening to look forward to.
“To basic competence!” Vuzlyn made his toast, raising the third glass.
Miri drank again, tilting her head back and luxuriating in every second of the alcohol sinking into her brain. She laughed, handing out the fourth shot, and lifting hers high. “To nights like these - and the hangover tomorrow!”
((4,895 words))
