Light wrapped in Darkness 1

Magicman: This is the standard 'travel through the game' type story, with a few modifications. Trust me, you'll like it. Or not. That's for you to decide.



"I'm not going with him", cried Imoen as the Cowled wizard caught her by the arm and began chanting. "I'm not! Help me! Please!" And then she was gone. The Cowled wizards had taken her, along with a cruelly smirking Irenicus.

Minsc was appalled. "No! The murderer of Dynaheir flees our righteous butt-kicking justice and takes Imoen with him! We must pursue him Taurus! All that is good cries out for this! Even Boo, though he can not cry so loudly..."

Jaheira, the voice of reason in the group, attempted to head off any senseless action on the part of the large human. "I find it difficult to believe that this Irenicus went into captivity of his own will. Why would he take Imoen when it is Taurus that he is so clearly interested in? Perhaps he expects us to follow?" She shook her head, sending her blonde dreadlocks waving from side to side. "We should be cautious; perhaps see if we can find allies or information on our enemy."

"No! We must go and save Imoen now! The wizard may be leering evilly over her already!"

"Do not be foolish Minsc!" the druid retorted. "We don't even know where we are!"

Yoshimo put a restraining hand on Minsc's shoulder. "The druid is right my large friend. "We must rest, find out something about this enemy before we make any rash decisions. Don't worry. We'll find him."

Oblivious to the bickering and discussion of his companions, Taurus Half-breed stood rooted to the ground, calmly watching the rubble that had once been a prosperous part of this unknown city. He had mixed feelings about what they should do. The drow half of him seethed with hatred for the wizard who had captured them and taken his oldest friend, but his human rationality said that it would be wise to find out more about their current predicament first. On the other hand, human emotions cried out for Imoen and demanded retribution on Irenicus while his drow cunning realised how powerful the archmage was and urged caution in dealing with him. And in the middle of it all were his Bhaal instincts influencing his decisions, not to mention the he had to act for the good of the party. He was the leader after all.

What a dilemma.

Running a black-skinned hand through his white hair, Taurus turned his pale blue eyes to the undamaged portion of the city. As he scanned their surroundings, he reflected inwardly on his unique position in life for the umpteenth time. He had the drow skin, hair, and eyes but he was more muscular and strong-boned than any drow. His pointed ears were duller than the norm and his facial features were stronger and more defined. Showing an aptitude for both magic and combat, he was half a mortal, and half a god; half a dark elf and half a human; half a fighter and half a mage.

It seemed that he didn't really belong anywhere in this world. So for his entire life Taurus had just followed his instincts and gone on his own path. He had been joined by Imoen, Minsc, and Jaheira and for a while he thought he just might be able to live peacefully in this world. Then the crazed magician had appeared and thrown that plan out the window. Speaking of which.

"Jaheira", he said in a smooth sonorous voice, "You know how you said that you'd rip out Irenicus' heart?"

Jaheira turned to her leader and studied him for a moment. "Yes. What of it?"

Taurus looked over at her. "Would you mind terribly if I ripped out another of his important internal organs?"

Jaheira stared for a second but relaxed when she saw the hint of humour in his eyes and smiled. "Be my guest. May I suggest his stomach?"

The half-drow laughed. "A good choice my friend. Now", he glanced over at Minsc and Yoshimo, "Shall we be on our way?" Without waiting to see if they followed him, Taurus moved off, picking his way through the rubble to find someone who could tell him where he was. Twirling her quarterstaff, Jaheira followed leaving the ranger and the bounty hunter behind.

Yoshimo glanced over at his large friend. "Do you think this Irenicus knows what he's gotten himself into?"

"Minsc knows what he's into! He's into the fierce pain and suffering that evil deserves and only Minsc, Boo and friends are capable of administering!" Thus enthused, Minsc raced off after his leader, Boo in tow. Yoshimo sighed and followed more slowly.

'Enough about Irenicus' he thought, 'What have I gotten myself into?'

***

After getting their bearings, they questioned a few of the locals who were eager to help, being terrified as they were by Taurus' appearance. (Except for one who kept yelling about the 'vile race of elves'.) The Bhaalspawn was used to that however, and the happy little group quickly found themselves at a large building with a guy out front yelling things like "Come to the Adventurer Mart". Jaheira's face lit up in recognition.

"I know this place, these buildings" she exclaimed, "Yes, that man we talked to earlier was assuredly correct; this is Athkatla. We are in the state of Amn."

"Really? Looks like a nice place, if you could take away the loony wizards, clear up the destruction and throw all the racist bastards in jail" Taurus commented as he looked around. "Mind you, I have no idea what it's like, but I'm sure it's worthy of a few words of praise."

"It depends" Yoshimo spoke up, dragging Minsc away from a large circus tent. "There's a massive thieves' guild based in the city, along with a headquarters for the order of the Radiant Heart."

Taurus shuddered. He couldn't stand paladins. "Anything else?"

"Despite a good dozen temples, loads of guards, and all the Cowled Wizards the city seems incapable of dealing with the crime and slavers that live and profit here."

Taurus ground his teeth. He couldn't stand paladins, but he HATED slavers. "I retract my kind words. Anywhere with slavers needs some serious work."

Minsc was listening too. "Cities always teem with evil and decay. Lets give it a good shake and see what falls out!"

Jaheira rolled her eyes. "Perhaps we could go into the shop first and unload all this excess treasure and weaponry?"

The other three paused for a moment.

"Well" admitted Taurus, "We did get a lot of junk from that dungeon."

That said, they opened the door to the Adventurer Mart and stepped inside, to be confronted with the sight of dozens of shoppers scattered about, discussing, browsing, and scrabbling for various items of worth. Yoshimo smiled.

"Ah yes. I missed this place. There's more valuables here than a thief could collect in a lifetime!"

"And I happen to know the owner personally." Jaheira pointed over to a middle aged human behind a desk, chatting amiably with a dwarf. "You might ask him some information."

"Really?" Taurus immediately set a beeline for the owner, cutting through the various people to reach his target.

The owner saw him and smiled. "Ribald Barterman, at your-"

"Good day sir. It was been a while, hasn't it?"

Startled, Taurus looked back to see that Jaheira had followed him and was now eyeing Ribald keenly. Ribald seemed a bit shaken.

"It has at that Miss Jaheira." His voice turned stern. "May I remind you that my days of dealing with you and yours are over?"

"Do not worry sir" the druid reassured. "I am not here in official capacity. However, my friend has some questions that he might like answered."

The storekeeper sighed. "I'll see what I can do." Muttering something about Harpers, he turned his attention to Taurus and didn't seem in the slightest perturbed about his drow features. "Well what is it?"

The Crintri (A/N: Crintri is the technical term for half-drow/half- human) asked the question that he wanted answered most. "The Cowled wizards have taken a friend of mine prisoner. Would you know where she is being kept?"

Ribald frowned and tapped his cheek a couple of times in thought. "Now that's a good question lad. A friend of mine once ran afoul of them damn cowls before. He had made some minor enchantment, made some disk float so he could carry his luggage, and they came after him. I suppose he figured it was harmless but they're strict those cowls. I tried to find him but no luck. If you really want to find your friend you might try the city hall in the government district. That's where you can get your license too."

"License? How do you get that? I use magic myself and it could get pretty inconvenient if I got arrested for casting a cantrip."

"That it would laddie. That's why they have the license. There's only one requirement. Coin. You've got enough of it and they'll ignore you." Ribald shook his head at the foolishness of those in charge. "Now, will you be needing anything else while you're up here?"

Taurus looked about the store. Minsc seemed to be introducing Boo to Ribald's pet wyvern, Yoshimo was chatting up some guard, and Jaheira had disappeared to the back of the store. Then he glanced down at himself and his clothes, ragged from goblin swords, and his katana, pitted from Otyugh blood. Following his glance, Ribald smiled.

"I'll bet you're needing some new equipment, eh?"

"Well yeah. We didn't exactly have the best choices."

"Now don't you fret youngin. I'll take care of ye well and good." Ribald threw a companionable arm around Taurus' shoulders and led him off to where he kept the premium items.

***

"Raised of spells and casting well but always wanting better!" the man in the robes sang to the crowd. "To sing of knights and days of yore, to leave the robes that-that fetter!" He saved himself nicely. "A wizard prone to song and prose, though oft-accused of failing. I shall sing despite the odds-"

"WILL YOU SHUT YOUR BLOODY WAILING?!"

Taurus jumped out of his seat at the bar as Miss Patricia yelled at Aleteto de Bonito again. He sighed as the two started another argument and once more admired his new equipment.

He couldn't believe it when Ribald pulled out a suit of Elven chain mail from the back room. He had protested that he couldn't possibly afford it, despite having sold all the trinkets he'd swiped from the dungeon, but the storekeeper had insisted. Not only that, but he'd also thrown in a lightly enchanted katana that matched the longsword Taurus had gotten from the dungeon. And to top it all off, some previous owner of the chain mail had dyed it black. That alone had hooked Taurus from the beginning.

And the whole set had only cost 750 gold!

Taurus suspected that Ribald's generosity was based on not wanting to get on Jaheira's bad side, or at least on the Harpers' bad side.

Whatever the reason, Taurus and company were now resting in the Den of the Seven Vales in Waukeen's Promenade. Minsc and Boo were causing Miss Patricia much trouble by joining in with the singing mage. Yoshimo chattered cheerfully with patrons while Jaheira.

Taurus chuckled at Jaheira's predicament. The druid was fending off the advances of an amorous drunken guard. She did not seem too pleased.

"You...you're going wish me to m-my room" the man stuttered, "Or you're under arresht."

"I suggest you stick your head in a bucket of water before addressing me again!" she growled back.

Taurus snickered to himself as Jaheira stormed past and shut up instantly when she shot him a death glare. Then he returned to admiring his new armour when Miss Patricia screamed at the mage again.

A few hours later, most of the inn's patrons had gone to bed and Taurus was ready to join them. Bidding goodnight to his companions, he strolled up the stairs to his room, whistling tunelessly and looking forward to rest.

He was not destined for sleep for a while yet, however.

Passing the room next to his, Taurus frowned. Boisterous laughing and the sounds of all around revelry emanated from the door. He would never get to sleep if he had to listen to this all night! Acting naturally, he opened the door and stepped inside to ask them to keep it down.

"Well!" sneered a dwarf. "It looks like a prissy little pansy elf- boy has stumbled into our room!"

Looking around, the 'elf-boy' noted that 'our' was four men, one of which was a mage, and an imp.

One of the men, a large drunken man with a really big sword, laughed uproariously. "Oh that's a good one Mencar! Haw haw haw!"

The little imp fluttered over to the guy. "What Smelly think is so funny?"

"Damned imp, the name be Smaeluv!" he yelled, red faced. "Smaeluv Orcslicer! The next time you call me Smelly, I'll slice you in half!"

The imp squeaked in fear and flew over to the mage. "Papa, papa! Smelly is threatening me!" The mage patted its head while it cowered in his robes."

"Don't worry Pooky." He soothed. Then he glared at Smaeluv. "Threaten my familiar again and you'll regret it!"

The big man turned red in the face but Mencar interrupted them both. "Ah shut yer traps, both of yah! Now ye blasted elf, what ye be doing butting in where ye don't belong?"

Summoning human patience, Taurus pit it against drow temper as was his wont to do at times like this. While the battle raged, he explained his grievance with the group's noise and asked if they could keep it down. The response was decidedly negative. He raised his hands in placation.

"Now now, there's no need for such language. How about we come downstairs and I buy you a round, huh? There's no reason we shouldn't part on friendly terms."

Smaeluv looked enthusiastic about the prospect of a drunk but the dwarf must have sat on a nail or something.

"You can take your drink and shove it where the sun don't shine!"

A human dressed as a thief who stood by the door sighed in exasperation. "Really Mencar, must you antagonise everyone we come across?"

"What are you paid for?" Mencar sneered, "To talk or to steal?" He turned back to Taurus. "Now get lost before I teach ye a lesson!"

At this point, Patience was losing and Temper was gaining momentum. Still Taurus remained calm. He was just about to back out gracefully when fate intervened.

"Taurus? Are you in here?"

Jaheira stepped into the room, followed by Minsc, and looked suspiciously at the four ruffians. "Who are they?" she asked, distaste evident in her voice.

"Boo thinks that these men deserve a butt kicking" Minsc glowered. Boo squeaked what was probably an affirmative.

The dwarf then committed the error of insulting the two newcomers. "Aw, who's this? Some elven whore and her dim-brained stud come to join the fun? You clear out of here too before I get mad!"

In that exact instant, Temper killed Patience and Taurus snapped. In a flash he drew his new katana and his longsword and glared furiously at the dwarf. "Listen pal", he hissed, "I've had a bad day. In fact, bad doesn't even begin to describe it! I'm not going to take these insults forever, and I'm sure as Hell not letting you insult my friends. Now either you apologise or I'M the one who gets mad!"

Mencar apparently didn't have much common sense, for he grabbed his axe and jumped to the floor. "No one talks to me like that! At 'em lads!"

It was instant pandemonium.

"Go for the eyes Boo!" howled Minsc, who bowled into the room at top speed, running clear into Smaeluv Orcslicer. The mage started chanting when an arrow struck his arm. Yoshimo was standing at the door, another arrow loaded and ready to fire. Jaheira swung her staff at the thief who ducked and thrust. Taurus and Mencar went straight for each other.

The fight was swift and bloody. Minsc and Smaeluv traded blows for a minute or two before Minsc locked their blades together at this hilt and punched Smaeluv in the face. While his opponent was reeling, the big man pulled back with a speed that belied his size and lopped off his head. In the next moment a barrage of Magic Missiles from the mage struck him and he was momentarily stunned from pain.

Jaheira's staff whirled and twirled. Twice she struck her foe in the ribs despite her enemy's defences and crack from a broken rib sounded. Wincing in pain and seeing that he was clearly outmatched, the thief broke away from the half-elf and jumped past Yoshimo, who was distracted by Pooky latching its teeth in his arm. "That's it!" he yelled. "I won't die for your foolish pride Mencar!" And he rushed down the stair.

The mage, meanwhile, had cast Stoneskin on himself before launching another wave of Magic Missiles. As Minsc wailed and hammered on his newly toughened skin, he laughed slightly and prepared his killing spell to finish him off. He suddenly heard the death cry of his imp. Looking sharply at the doorway, he saw Pooky dead with Yoshimo's katana in his chest. "POOKY!" he cried in grief. "NO!" He didn't even notice his protective spell failing as Minsc's sword cut off his head.

Finally Taurus had completely bowled over Mencar. His twin blades were viciously slashing and thrusting, seeking the gaps in their foe's armour. The dwarf fought back solidly enough, but he was just plain outclassed. Suddenly Taurus seemed to slip in the blood and the dwarf gave a yell of victory. His axe came down. But then he saw the gleam in the Crintri's eye. It was a trap! He desperately tried to recover but the axe was already on its way down. Taurus evaded the blow and with a quick scissors motion slashed off the dwarf's head.

Straightening from his killing pose, Taurus grinned irrepressibly. "Well that was fun" he quipped. "What better way to get ready for bed than by fighting a rival gang of adventurers?"

Jaheira rolled her eyes. "How about a hot bath and a mug of tea?" Shaking her head, she set about healing Yoshimo's arm, which had been gashed deeply by the imp's teeth.

Minsc had been blasted by a lot of magic, but he cheerfully shrugged it off. "Such good fights we are having in this city! We must find more evil to kick!"

Jaheira shook her head firmly. "We have had enough excitement for one day! We are all going to sleep until late in the morning when we will decide what we should do next to find Imoen! We will NOT engage in any fights until we are rested and recovered! Do you all understand me?"

Meek nods from all.

"Good!" She turned and stalked to the exit. Taurus leaned over to Yoshimo and whispered, "Sometimes I wonder who's in charge of this group, me or her."

Before Jaheira could leave, an incredibly irate Miss Patricia appeared at the door and stared grimly at all the corpses. "Who's in charge of this band of hellions?!" she yelled.

Taurus and Yoshimo glanced at each other. Then they pointed at Jaheira in unison. "She is!"

It was going to be a long night.



Magicman: And that's it for chapter one. This is an experiment my good friends. I want to know if you people like it before I put up more. If I decide to update, it'll probably be in a while, but I will. That I promise you. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Bye bye!