Chasing Shadows - Part I [Solo]

Waterdeep - Spring, 1490 DR

“It’s yer own fockin funeral, kid.”

The dwarven bouncer stared hard up at Echo. His beady eyes were almost lost behind a pair of bush-sized steel gray brows, and his arms were crossed over an equally scruffy beard that hung near to his boots. The tabaxi just stared right back. The dwarf sighed, rubbed a hand over his bald head, and then moved aside to nudge open the blade-scarred door behind him. He shook his head and motioned toward it.

“But aye, she’s in there. Her an that mongrel pup a ‘ers. Just be mindful, ya ‘ear? She ain’t the most patient a folk.”

Echo grinned and gave the bouncer a light pat on the head. Ignoring his murderous scowl, she then pulled her hood up and slipped in through the now open door.

The Bowels of the Earth sure was…a place. The kind of place where it was hard to tell what smelled worse: the ratty building itself or the kinds of people it attracted. The sharp stench of cheap ale, sweat, grimy steel, and the metallic hint of blood hit Echo’s nose as she entered the tavern, and she gagged behind a clamped hand as she picked her way toward the far wall and what looked like the bar. Unfortunately, even Echo could tell that it was also the kind of place where she stood out. Her colorful (and clean) clothing, small size, and mere existence as a tabaxi were in stark contrast to the rest of the Bowels’ usual patrons. A real set of characters they were too. Grizzled sellswords donned head to toe in dented, crimson-stained armor. Bulky and shirtless thugs with biceps bigger than Echo’s head. A roaring company of dwarven caravan guards seated within a foul puddle of their own spilled liquor. The tabaxi swore she could even see a couple of full-blooded orcs wrapped in patchwork furs looming in the farthest corner, though it could also have been just a trick of the flickering shadows cast by the tavern’s only lit fireplace. All in all, not the kind of place Echo usually went to. Or would ever choose to go to, really. The tabaxi paused mid-step. Then why in the Nine Hells was she even there?

Because someone important was. Or really, something.

Echo shook her head and pushed forward. Honestly, she was in a bit of a rut. Over the last few months Echo had made a decent living for herself. She was the main performer at the Notch, had a few side gigs at other taverns, and had even gone on a few little adventurers in between. The one thing missing, though? Treasure. Real, honest to goodness, sparkly treasure. Ever since she had left her old life as a thief behind, ever since she had fled from Baldur’s Gate, the tabaxi had been a self-proclaimed treasure hunter. She even had some experience under her belt after working for a few smalltime clients here and there up the Sword Coast. But now? Ever since reaching Waterdeep? That part of her life had dried up. Completely. Here, she was a nobody among a whooooole crowd of other thieves, grave robbers, and adventurers. What few jobs did open would always end the same. A bemused client either laughing in her face, tossing her out of their office, or both. It sucked! Like, super sucked. It was hard and frustrating and dumb and made even worse when Wisp had called her out on it during their last dream get together. But she was right. Echo was a treasure hunter, for Cat Lord’s sake! What kind of treasure hunter, like, never hunted treasure? What the tabaxi needed more than anything was an opportunity to prove herself and what she could do. Something that would stick her name into the right kinds of circles and say: “Hey! Lookie here! This cat thing sure knows what the heck she’s doing, and you should hire her right this very second!” Wishful thinking, maybe.

But then she found one.

Or…at least Echo was pretty sure she had. Reaching the bar and picking the (relatively) cleanest free seat, the tabaxi leaned on the counter, hissed at how her fur stuck to the graffitied wood when she lifted her arms again, and then spun in her seat so that she now faced the whole of the common space. The former thief still had a knack for keeping her ear to the ground and catching some of the alleyway rumors and backroom stories that tended to flit through the seedier parts of the city. Really? Most if it was trash: a new gang moving in on old territory, a burglary at the local watch captain’s home gone wrong, and a supposed three-armed goblin thief who stole the Unmasked Lord’s very own soup spoon. Far from new, a story about amateurs, and…okay, that last one would actually be, like, pretty awesome if it was true. But! Echo had also caught wind of an interesting name.

The treasure hunter nodded up at the half-orc warrior seated beside her and then swept her eyes over the crowd when he grunted and left. Word was spreading of a certain Lady Anastrianna (which sure was one heck of a name), though finding any more details about her had been tough. She was an elf. Young. Kinda small. Ran a secret criminal enterprise whose enemies tended to wind up gutted in a back alley somewhere. Like, the usual stuff! But past that? Nothing. No one seemed to know where she came from, where she was set up now, or where she planned to go. That made her unpredictable and, in the criminal underground, unpredictable always meant dangerous. What had caught Echo’s interest though was that she also had a map. A map that supposedly led to some great big treasure trove out in the wilds beyond the city, and good ol’ Lady A was looking to hire on a few mercenaries to go get it. So, Echo had done some snooping of her own, chummed up with a few beggars and street urchins, and found that she frequented the Bowels.

And like…woah, was it obvious.

Echo’s ears perked up when her gaze reached the center of the common space. Among the haze of smoke and mist and the throng of mercenaries, criminals, and drunken nobodies was…a circle. A big, open gap in the crowd that not even the burliest, ugliest, or dirtiest fighter among them was willing to cross into. Why? The tabaxi’s eyes widened. Maybe because of the giant, freakin gnoll at its center! The hyena-like creature towered head and shoulder above near everyone else in the Bowels. Its mangy spotted fur was marred by past wounds and wrapped in tattered rags and a set of equally scarred splint mail, and a massive sword hung from its back that looked more like an oversized kitchen cleaver. Echo swallowed. The rumors had mentioned a bodyguard that was always with Lady A but, like, damn. How was that thing even allowed in the city? As she stared the gnoll turned in her direction with a yellowed, toothy grin and Echo inhaled sharply and ducked her head to the side, avoiding the creature’s one black eye. The other? Milky white, with a jagged gash down that side of its face. The treasure hunted exhaled, looked down at the floor, and toyed with the end of her scarf. She could not see any sign of Lady A herself, but it was pretty dang safe to assume where she would be. Unfortunately. The tabaxi ran a finger over the mask hanging off her hip and then looked back up.

She could do this!

This was the best opportunity since reaching Waterdeep for Echo to actually make a name for herself in the city, and some big, nasty looking, armed to the teeth, probably bloodthirsty hyena thing was not going to stop her! She closed her eyes. At least…not yet.

Echo exhaled again, opened her eyes, and slipped off her seat, shaking a finger at the barkeep who had moved in to take her order. There was no time for a drink now, as much as one might have helped. Time would let her doubts talk. Instead, Echo tightened her hood around her face and then slid into the closest group of mercenaries.

“Excuse me!”

        “Pardon me!”

                “Maybe watch where you’re pointing that dang sword, huh?”

                        “Coming through!”

With one final elbow thrust and a push, Echo burst through the mass of armored bodies and half-jumped, half-stumbled into the cleared gap. Every conversation stopped. In an instant the entire tavern went quiet and every head turned, and the tabaxi could feel a few dozen eyes on her as she picked herself up. Her heart thumped loud in her ears. Taking a deep breath, Echo grinned, gave the gnoll a mock salute, who by now had fixated its one good eye on the treasure hunter with no more grin of its own, and plopped into the one empty seat at the red satin draped table across from the creature. Across from Lady A. The first thing that Echo noticed was that the rumors were…right. She was young and small looking. The elven woman had pale blemish-free skin that almost shone on its own in the dimness of the tavern, long black hair that fell loosely across her shoulders, and lips that were painted a deep purple, and she sat about as tall as Echo herself. So…not very. Her slender figure, though, was partially hidden by an ornate breastplate accented with silver and sapphires and a decorative mantle of white and gold feathers that hung off her left side. The most striking, though? A pair of icy blue eyes which, within a thick layer of black liner, seemed to glow like pale fire. Eyes which now regarded the tabaxi over the rim of a partially raised crystal wine glass.

The gnoll took a step forward and placed a clawed hand on the hilt of its sword. Echo stayed in her seat, her own two-toned eyes focused on the elven lady, though her breath caught in her throat. This was the moment. The moment her gamble could go badly wrong. The gnoll took another step forward and began to draw the blade…and then the elf set her wine glass down and raised her other hand. A silver ring embedded with a single, egg-shaped sapphire glinted in the flicker of the fireplace. The gnoll then took a step back, sheathed its sword, and in another instant all conversations, roughhousing, and general ruckus returned to the room as all eyes turned away from the three of them and back to their own business. The elf then leaned on the same ringed hand and raised a brow.

“My, my…what do we have here, Khon? Brave little kitty, isn’t she? Or perhaps just a fool? I find the two so hard to tell apart.”

She began to study the nails of her free hand. They were purple like her lips, and to Echo they almost looked sharper than her own claws. Was that, like, even possible? The thought of finding out firsthand was not a great one.

“But tell me, little cat. I don’t take kindly to unexpected visitors. Why should I stop my own furry friend here from turning your pelt into a new rug for my study?”

The tabaxi cleared her throat and then pulled back her hood. She cupped her hands on the table, putting her index fingers together to point at Lady A. It was time to do her thing.

“Because you need me.”

The smallest of smiles played at the corners of the elf’s lips. Her interest remained on her manicure.

“Brave and cocky. Such a troublesome pair. You’re not the first one to say this, nor unfortunately the last I’m sure. The truth you’ll find is quite different. I have no interest in another- “

“I know about the map.”

Lady A paused. She gave her nails a final once over, folded her fingers together on the table across from Echo’s own hands, and locked eyes with the tabaxi. She now had the smallest of frowns.

“I expected word to move fast, but the little urchins have outdone themselves this time. I had not planned to hire anyone for a few days more. Congratulations, cat. That makes you the first. I find that this changes nothing.”

The elf tipped her head at the crowd around them. A few of the closest had been watching, but they were quick to dart their eyes away. The gnoll cackled. Echo must not have been the only one to notice.

“This is the Bowels of the Earth, as I’m sure you’re aware. A charming establishment that smells like a pigsty and caters to some of the foulest this city has to offer. They’re brash, ignorant, and good at killing what they’re told to. If one of them dies, no one cares. I find them to be perfect. What could you possibly offer instead, my little cat?”

Echo’s grin widened and her tail began to flick back and forth behind her seat. She figured the elf might say something like that. It was probably no coincidence that Lady A picked this tavern out of all the ones in Waterdeep to make her haunt, but Echo also probably had something no one else in the Bowels did.

“Experience! Like, the right kind.”

The tabaxi stood, leaned an arm on the table, and swept her other across the crowded room. The gnoll growled. Lady A did not move.

“Do you really think any of them have, like, even been in a real tomb? Doubt it! Odds aren’t great either for any of these meatheads being able to disarm a trap or figure out some stupid puzzle door.”

Echo heard a muffled “watch it, girl” off to the side. Her grin got even bigger.

“You don’t need a bunch of sharp things or muscly arms or smelly people. You need an expert! Someone who actually knows what the heck they’re doing.”

“Is that so? And no doubt I’ve found one.”

Echo jabbed a thumb into her chest.

“That’s right! You’re looking at one Echo in the Valley, treasure hunter extraordinaire! This little cat knows her stuff. You ever hear of the Secomber dig? Faldwin’s Rusty Monocle? The Valenstein job? The- “

The elf held up a hand and clicked her tongue. “Didn’t the ‘Valenstein job’ end with half their manor burned to the ground?”

Echo rubbed the back of her neck. “Oh, y’know how rumors are, getting all those tiny details wrong!” It had been more like three-quarters of the manor. Aaaaand a few of the outlying buildings. The tabaxi’s tail had stopped waving. But, wow. Lady A, uh, really knew her stuff! A lot more than Echo had expected from some crime boss in Waterdeep.

Lady A looked up at Echo and continued.

“…quite. In either case, the other two were successful, I grant you, but they were smalltime. Uninteresting. Certainly not what I would call ‘extraordinary’. What I seek isn’t the likes of an old bauble or some miser’s petty wealth, cat.”

Crap. The tabxaxi cleared her throat. Nearly being flayed alive by goblins, getting stuck in a mineshaft, and having her tail fur burnt off for a week had hardly felt smalltime, but this whole meeting was already beginning to feel awfully familiar. Echo’s ear twitched as someone laughed in a far-off corner.

“Of course! I, uh, I’m sure it would be the biggest, shiniest, bestest treasure ever! But I’m good at more than just treasure hunting. Back in the day, when I was in Ba- “

She bit her tongue. That far back was not something Echo ever enjoyed talking about, but she really needed any kind of ace right now. She fingered the mask and cleared her throat again. Maybe she would stop short of spilling everything, though.

“-beyond the city, I was a dang good thief too! I stole, like, all the things. Coins, jewelry, paintings, shiny rocks…you name it, I can take it!”

Lady A let out a single chuckle and the tabaxi winced.

“Is that so? An amateur with curious fingers as well. Some would call that a risky investment, cat, and I have little interest in those. What makes you assume I intend to share whatever I find?”

Echo’s ears drooped. Double crap. She rubbed the back of her neck some more, looked to the side as the gnoll giggled, and then leaned on the table with both her hands.

“There was sorta an implied ‘for you’ in there. But okay! I can do lots more! I know some magic.”

                                                            “Don’t care.”

“I’m sneaky and fast!”

                                                            “That’s hardly unique.”

“I can fit into small spaces!”

                                                            “I can tell.”

“I, uh, don’t get cold easily.”

                                                            “Qualities of a fine rug.”

“I can dance and play the flute?”

                                                            “Charming, I’m sure.”

The tabaxi slammed both of her hands. The wine glass teetered and the gnoll barked and tensed, but Lady A held up her hand. Her face was expressionless.

“Oh, come on! Is there, like, anything I can say that’s good enough?”

What the heck did she want from her? The treasure hunter leaned forward so that only the tips of her toes touched the floor. Her ears were nearly flat against her head now and her tail hung limply against the table, and Echo blinked as a few tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

“I really need this job. I don’t even care about the money! Just, please, give me a chance! I promise I’ll get you whatever is down there.”

“No.”

The elf had tilted away from Echo and was now trying to catch the light of the fireplace on her nails. Again. The tabaxi huffed, pushed back off the table so that she was standing, and turned around. A droopy eyed dwarf hung off the shoulder of a halfling nearby. He snickered.

This was going nowhere!

It was just like every other damn time she tried to take on a treasure hunting job. Lady A had yet to outright laugh at her but, like, it was coming. Echo could be sure of that. She glanced down and the eyes of the dragon mask stared back up at her. Cat Lord, what would she tell Wisp when she got thrown out again? At least, assuming the gnoll did not actually skin her into a fur rug. Which maaaaaybe was more of a possibility than Echo was really considering right now? Right. Well, either way, what would Wisp say next time they met? Probably something like:

“Guess you don’t have it in ya anymore, huh, Spots? Least not without a kobold at your back!”

By the dwarf’s confused expression Echo realized that she was talking out loud. Damnit. The tabaxi placed her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out, snickering herself when the dwarf’s face turned red and his brows furrowed. Still, she could already hear her old partner’s voice, and even just the thought hurt. There was no way she could leave the Bowels emptyhanded! She had to get this job. Echo inhaled, held her breath for a moment, and then sighed and loosened the straps on her left gauntlet. Wisp…had also told her to “live a little” that same night. Guess it was time to do just that. She really had to do this, if not for her own sake, then for her partner’s. To maybe live some of those memories again.

“Okay.”

Echo spun around. Lady A, hand still mid-inspect, turned back toward her with a raised brow. She must have thought they were done. Ha! Far from it. The treasure hunter cocked her head, frowned, and pointed a finger at the elf as she kept the other on her hip.

“Okay! I get it, you won’t admit that I’m waaaaay better at hunting treasure than anyone else here. That’s fine! Well…it’s not, it actually sucks real hard, but it’s fine in the ‘I get it’ kind of way. But, like, how do I even know the map is real?”

Lady A looked at Echo, then to her gnoll, and then back to Echo. Her mouth hung open.

“…what?”

The tabaxi swept her arm and pointed out a few of the closest mercenaries in the crowd, most of whom were beyond a doubt listening in on them. A couple even scowled as she poked toward them.

“For all we know the map is a fake! Like I said, I was a thief once – a good thief. That means I know all the tricks. You think I’ve never seen someone drum up interest for some awesome secret map, pretend to go after it, and then sell a counterfeit copy to some sucker for crazy amounts of gold? That’s, like, thieving at its most basic!”

The mercenaries she had pointed out were now openly staring at her, the gnoll, and a still wide-eyed Lady A, and a few around them had even squeezed their way toward the edge of the gap. She had their attention. Echo danced a few steps this way, a few steps that way, and then let out a pair of high-pitched whistles. That would get the rest of them, no doubt.

“What did she used to say? Oh, yeah! I’m sure we’d all like to see you put your money where your mouth is, little lady.”

Every conversation had stopped. Somewhere a wooden mug clunked to the ground and Echo felt a few dozen eyes on her, but this time they were also on the elf and her furry friend. Her frown broke into a wide grin. By now Lady A had regained her composure. The gnoll beside her, head titled to one side, was looking down at the elf with an arm half-raised toward its back. Lady A, though, sat unmoved, her lips pursed, her fingers neatly folded on the table, and her eyes narrowed. The gleam of the blue in them made Echo shiver, but she matched the gaze. One of two things was probably about to happen. Either Echo was about to get what she wanted or…she was dead. Straight up dead. The gnoll grunted and leaned down.

And Lady A sighed.

“…very well. Khon, the map if you will.”

She snapped her fingers. The gnoll grunted a second time and reached a hand into a stained leather pouch at its right side, pulling out what looked to be a folded piece of weathered parchment clutched between two claws. Something glinted. The parchment was tied with a thin strip of white silk and, pinned to the side facing the tabaxi, was a small gold seal. Or more of a pendant really, with how thick and metallic it looked. Echo squinted. It was hard to make out in the dimness of the tavern, even for her. She could see wings…a little beak…a lion’s tail…it was a gryphon! That was cool. The gryphon was clutching onto some kind of narrow vase and had a shoulder cape draped down its visible side.

The elf took the parchment from her guard and lay it down on the table, emblem side up, and then looked straight at Echo.

“I trust an expert such as yourself recognizes the mark?”

Echo nodded. She had nooooo idea. Not even the slightest. This was the first time the treasure hunter had ever seen anything like it. Lady A tapped a finger on the pendent.

“But for the rest of you – I had the map appraised by the Avesian Archaeological Society, and this is their symbol. No higher mark of authenticity exists and it’s more than sufficient to disprove the ridiculous notion that this is only a ploy. I would hardly waste my time otherwise, I assure you.”

Some of the mercenaries around them were nodding. Lady A then slid the map off the table and passed it back to her gnoll, who wasted no time in dropping it back into its pouch. The elf never took her eyes off Echo as she did so. Echo, though, had been staring at her bodyguard the whole time, and only now turned toward Lady A with a flick of her tail. Hand still on her hip and toothy grin still on her face.

“You truly are a fool though, cat, if you think I’m prepared to show you what’s inside. You or anyone in this audience your performance has gathered.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

The treasure hunter’s heart thumped in her ears. The disappearance of the map had gotten a few mutters and moans from the crowd but, with it out of the way, interest in the whole affair had also started to disappear. Conversations picked up again, a fight was started off behind her, and the few straggling eyes were chased away with a bark from the gnoll. It was basically just the three of them again. She ran her tongue over one of her fangs. Lady A was still staring at Echo and, with how white the knuckles of her now clenched fingers were, probably not far from cutting the whole thing off. That was all okay. Echo had still gained her chance.

“Sooooo, now that we get each other…”

The tabaxi swallowed and then stepped to the side of the table, a finger tracing along the edge of the satin cover and then pulling up to ring around the rim of the wine glass. The dull hum was lost behind the gnoll’s deep growl as its one good eye tracked her movements. She kept her focus on Lady A.

“Let’s get back to this whole job thing. Especially the part where you- “

Echo closed her eyes and took her hand off the glass, placing it on the elf’s shoulder. She felt it stiffen at her touch.

“were about- “

The tabaxi felt her feet leave the floor as her whole body was thrown upward, a shrill gasp cutting her short as she felt a clawed hand squeeze around her neck. Echo’s eyes snapped open. The gnoll was holding her over the table. Its black eye was a hairs length away from her own, its snarling teeth even closer, and the stench of meat and old blood was thick as she felt its hot breath wash over her fur. Her eyes widened. How did something that big move that fast!

“to…hire…m-hhhhh- “

Echo could only wheeze as the gnoll tightened its grip. She panted and squirmed and twisted her head and batted at the creature’s side with her left hand, but nothing got any air. Fast and…strong. The gnoll squeezed even harder. Adrenaline kicked in and the tabaxi grabbed onto the creature’s armored forearm, digging her claws into any nook in the metal plates that she could find, and kicked with one foot at its stomach. Thin red trails began to drip down her hands. She kicked - her neck burned and throbbed – she kicked again – her tongue hung loose from her mouth – and then she let out a deflated hiss and gave her all into one final third kick, but the gnoll’s grip hardly slackened. She kicked a fourth time and missed. One moment, another…Echo’s head swam and tears clouded her vision and, as her tail went limp, so did her own grip as her hands fell to her sides. Her body jerked one more time as everything went black. Maybe…this was…not…a go…good id…id…i…i…i……

Amid the beating of her own heart the tabaxi thought she heard a snap nearby.

And then the gnoll threw her body up in the air. The awful stink of the tavern, the dull glow of the fireplace, and her own frenzied panting came rushing back as the claws at her throat disappeared and Echo inhaled as much as she could. Her lungs ached like they were on fire themselves and she coughed, but her thoughts came back into a hazy focus. She was alive. She was alive! Then the gnoll caught her again. The iron-like claws once more squeezed at her throat and Echo, tears now streaming down her furred cheeks, cried out and scratched with an almost primal instinct at anything she could get a hold of. The creature pulled her closer and roared into her face. Spittle spattered across her fur, her ears rang from the shriek-like bellow, and she choked as much from the noxious smell as the gnoll’s hold on her neck, but she still added a few drops of blood to it all when Echo managed to rake a set of claws across the creature’s ear. The satisfaction was short lived, though. Echo felt her body thrown toward the ground as pain surged down her spine when the gnoll slammed her onto the top of the table. She gasped and narrowed her eyes. The treasure hunter’s neck was pinned to the stain-covered wood and her head started to get fuzzy again, but she still let out a more forceful hiss. Just do it, damnit! She kicked both feet now at the bodyguard’s stomach. If Echo had gone too far and her life was now forfeit then, like, why in the Nine Hells was the big brute toying with her like this?

“I should fucking kill you, cat.”

Echo’s ear twitched. She heard a shrill voice next to her head, hushed through clenched teeth, though there was no way she was turning her head to see who it was. Not that it was hard to guess.

“I should have Khon flay that fur of yours off and leave the maggots to do the rest, but…I don’t need word spreading that I had you killed simply to keep the map and its origin secret. So congratulations, cat. You’re smarter than I had thought. You’d be even smarter to never cross my path again.”

Lady A snapped her fingers a second time. The hand at her throat tensed and Echo felt herself lifted back off the table as the gnoll moved away, its hot breath at the back of her neck as she was jostled around to face the opposite end of the tavern. A crowd of pale faces and sweat-drenched brows met her. The sea of mercenaries, thugs, and drunks parted before Lady A’s bodyguard as it moved forward with heavy, plodding steps, a few of the braver ones close by leering at the tabaxi or exchanging small pouches of coins, though a couple also gave her a look and shook their heads as if to say: “you’re damn lucky to be alive!”. Maybe she was. It only took several great strides from the hyena-like monster to cross the width of the common space and it kicked open the Bowels’ blade-scarred door with a grunt. The tabaxi’s head was light and she closed her eyes. She heard a lone voice from the side.

“See ya, cat!”

She then felt herself fall as she was hurled forward by the throat. Echo gasped, opened her eyes, and winced when she saw the oncoming wash of brown from the mud and dirt of the tavern’s courtyard. She then hit the ground with a yelp and tumbled a few good feet, only to end up sprawled with her head facing the entrance. She titled to the side. The gnoll glared down at her but, beyond it, Echo caught one last glimpse of Lady A. She had picked up her wine glass again and was staring at the ruffled satin of the table, the barkeep Echo had seen earlier patting a stained cloth against his forehead and hurriedly saying something nearby. Her manicure seemed a long-gone afterthought. Her bodyguard then barked, turned, and slammed the door.

She really was still alive.

Echo propped herself up on one elbow as she violently coughed and then retched into the mud, her hand reaching up to caress her throbbing neck. The gnoll’s claws had torn deep gouges in her fur and her fingers had a red sheen on them when she pulled her hand back. The tabaxi’s nose crinkled at the smell of her upturned breakfast.

“Yer lucky to be alive, kid.”

She spit and looked up. The dwarven bouncer was kneeling close by and was offering out a hand but, with another rack of coughs, Echo waved it away. She moved to lean on both elbows as her chest heaved.

“Heard the pup bellow an thought fer sure there’d be a few heads rollin. Never seen ‘im so mad! What in the Nine Hells did ya say to ‘em?”

The treasure hunter took a deep breath, groaned, and then climbed first to one knee and then the other, her fangs biting into her lower lip to prevent herself from screaming as the life flowed back into her limbs. Her tail flicked weakly and she looked down at the mask.

“Whoa, kid. Now just take ‘er ea- “

Echo snarled. Her ears were flattened against her head as she jumped to her feet, teetered, and then slammed her back into a nearby alley wall. She rubbed her neck and coughed again as she punched the other into the stone.

“Take ‘er easy, kid!”

The tabaxi’s breath came deep and quick and she only gave the bouncer a side-eye as she continued to look at her feet.

Damnit!

It had all gone wrong. She ran her tongue across her teeth, glad that feeling was starting to come back to it, and spit a few more times. A silver lining. She had failed to impress Lady A, almost got herself killed, like, not once but twice really, and ended up thrown out of the Bowels’ by some smelly, ugly, jerk of a brute. But more than that? Echo traced a finger across the mask and let it trail down to her left forearm. The worst part?

She had promised herself she would never go back to stealing.

A promise Lady A and her dumb mutt had forced her to break. The tabaxi reached down her gauntlet and pulled out the folded map, the glint of the gold pendant forcing a still uneasy Echo to squint. Picking the parchment from the gnoll had been child’s play. Really, her entire little improvisation had worked out. She had made it in close, distracted her target, and then faked a few movements to slip her hand into a carelessly abandoned pouch. Just like Wisp had taught her when they were still kids. Not that she was happy about it. Echo lifted the parchment up against the sun and shielded her eyes with her other hand. The gryphon emblazoned on the pendant shone brilliantly. She purred.

Okay, maybe she was a little happy.

Echo coughed one final time, cleared her throat, and then turned, only to come face to face with the bouncer. Well…face to chest. His beady eyes were now wide enough to show some white and both of his hands were placed tight against his bald head.

“Ya didn’t…ya didn’t steal that from ‘er, did ya?”

“Nah.”

The dwarf sighed and rubbed his head. Echo grinned, flicked her tail against one of the bouncer’s shoulders, and tucked the map into her belt.

“I got it from her dog.”

The bouncer sputtered and pulled at his beard, the color draining from his face even as he stared slack jawed at the tabaxi.

“Moradin save me. Yer either the bravest or stupidest person I’ve ever met, kid.”

Which one was it, really? Echo tapped a clawed finger at her chin. Her body still ached all over and she had probably just made a super dangerous enemy in the city but…she also got the job. In a sense. More than that, she now had the means to make a real name for herself in Waterdeep, to carve out her place as an actually respected treasure hunter, and, best of all? She had a damn good story to tell Wisp when they next met up. She shrugged.

“Maybe both.”

Echo then gave the dwarf a little pat on the head, saluted toward the tavern door, and slipped into the nearest alleyway, disappearing back into the wider city. Her pained stumble became a walk and then a run and then a full-on sprint as the fresh spring air surged into her lungs and put a pep into each of her steps. Echo grinned. Things were about to get real. She had no doubt Lady A would come looking for the map and, as word spread throughout the city that it had been stolen, she might not be the only one. Gangs. Mercenaries. Other treasure hunters. Maybe even the city watch. That was a lot to deal with! Especially for just one little cat.

It was all so…exciting!

Way more exciting than anything that had had happened since she had left her old life behind. And maybe part of her missed that excitement. Or maybe she just missed having something exciting to talk about with Wisp. Or maybe she was just bored today. Who knew! The murmurs of a giggle and then the squeal of laughter echoed throughout the alleyway as the tabaxi grabbed onto a wooden beam and flipped herself up onto a shadowed balcony, her claws already digging into the wall of the second floor to pull herself to the roof. The one thing Echo knew above anything else, though?

Life was about to get interesting.