So, without further ado, we bring you: The Battle of The Black Gypsy!

 

by Brannon Hollingsworth

 

Halfday, 2nd of Layfanil, dusk;
The Black Gypsy, Sailor's Ward

It had taken me all day to find out where El'laa was hiding. I'd cashed in more favors than I'd cared to, but I figured that it was unavoidable: I had to unearth a solid lead if I was ever going to determine who or what was the root of this pervading sense of evil that had befallen Crown. The tiefling rogue could not have been holed up in a worse section of the city: not only was the Sailor's Ward one of Crown's most ramshackle areas, but the tumble-down dive called The Black Gypsy was one of its most depraved and immoral.

Located a mere arrow's flight from the massive crater known as the Ditch, the Black Gypsy was a miserable little inn that stank of fetid water, bad booze and rank bodies. In truth, it was more of a community hovel and storehouse than an actual inn, as it had no true proprietor or innkeeper, but rather was governed by which ever cult, gang, or bully that held sway that day. It was a rough place that had the potential to become lethal in a heartbeat. Needless to say, I was not welcome there; likely knowing that I would come looking for her, El'laa had picked her hiding place well.

I'd never been much for sneaking around and disguises don't really work for me; after all I can't even lie about my name, so I elected for the direct approach. The shocked looks on the faces of the gathered rogues as I blasted their front door to splinters with a magically enhanced shout of "EL’LAA!" let me know that I'd chosen the right tactic.

Through the haze of frigid mist and rain, I could see about twenty toughs scattered throughout the bottled-strewn drinker's den; twelve of them screamed and grabbed their blood-spurting ears while three passed away in dead faints. The five unharmed roughs glanced to El'laa, who hissed, "Kill him! Bring me the bastard's bald head and you’ll want for nothing!"

I drew Sicol and rushed into the room, my eyes strangely drawn to the walls, which were totally covered in stained and defamed wanted posters. Three spinning daggers clattered off my invisible mage armor, causing silver ripples to quickly pass over my entire frame. I turned my eyes towards the three wide-eyed, human dagger-throwers and shook my head slowly, lips pursed.

"Sorry, lads; but the idea was a good one..." I flicked the fingers on my left hand and five bolts of mercurial force darted across the room, slamming into their bodies. The other two rogues, both goggle-bearing half-elves, had vanished and El'laa had slipped down a darkened back hallway. It would have been simple to just to slip the Shroud and follow El'laa, but I knew what the goggles those two half-elves bore could do; they could follow me anywhere, even if I was ethereal. I had to eliminate them, and had to do it quickly; I suspected imminent spell fire from them, so I spun to my right and ducked behind a busted, moldy armchair that reeked of vomit as I scanned the room.

The space where I'd be standing moments before was split by a crackling gout of blazing fire. The hungry tongues began licking up the years of layered paper on the walls, crisping faces both infamous and unknown. The half-elf who'd cast the scorching ray was visible and unfortunately for him, was near at hand. Sicol leading the way, I dove for him and slashed him across his right side, nearly severing his hand at the wrist. "Firestarter" howled in pain, clutching his right hand with his left; he shot me a look of feral hatred.

The "Dagger Brothers" waded in at that moment, brandishing wicked-looking punch daggers; each bore the Grey God's symbol just below the guard. I deflected the first brother’s attacks with a wide, clanging sweep of Sicol, and my mage armor turned yet another three attacks, but the final brother's attack was vicious and stabbed through my left shoulder, exploding into my lung. The pain was exquisite and alternating spots of light and shadow swam before my eyes.

A voice in the back of my mind reminded me that I was now surrounded and I still had no idea where my fifth enemy – the other half-elf – was hiding. Things could have been better, so I decided to even the odds a little bit. I spat a single arcane syllable and motioned downwards with two fingers; immediately, a huge cloud of thick fog billowed up and outward, enveloping both myself and my opponents. As soon as I was no longer visible, I slipped the Shroud and maneuvered into the shadowed hallway that El'laa had used.

Through the Shroud, I kept an ear trained for the still-hidden elf. I knew that soon, the smoke that was quickly filling the low-ceilinged room would aid me in locating him. I could hear the sounds of cries and combat issuing from my fog and smiled; El'laa had apparently surrounded herself with brawn instead of brains: typical. Only one of the Dagger Brothers had the sense to exit the foggy area, but the room was quickly filling with smoke, so it mattered little overall.

I slipped back into the shadows of the hallway in the Material Plane and began casting silently, opening a rift in the planes and beckoning to my "little" surprise. I was now facing my opponents from the back of the room, almost directly opposite where I had been moments ago and now heard subdued coughing to my right, on the stairwell. A strong gust of wind whipped through the room before me, dispersing much of the smoke as well as my fog cloud while also ripping hundreds of the wanted posters from the walls.

"Hacker" coughed again and I tried to discern his exact location – his spell was not a direct assault and as such, his invisibility still cloaked him. I thought I got a good fix on his position through the chaotic scene of swirling smoke, fog and fluttering sheets.

Firestarter bled from a new slice across his right shoulder and he had accidentally held one of the Dagger Brothers, who stood frozen in mid-attack. The other two Brothers had wisely attempted to back out of the area of my fog cloud and now stood, facing one another with wide eyes.

I completed my summons and a massive black bear with eyes of silver and claws of gold, appeared before me. The celestial beast sniffed the air and then regarded me with eyes that bespoke intelligence beyond that of his mortal ken. "Destroy these minions of wickedness and unlawfulness and aid a servant of Truth and Goodness." I commanded; the celestial bear issued a roar that shook The Black Gypsy's timbers and charged.

I followed the creature's barreling rush but swerved to my left, striking the spot which I was sure Hacker stood. Sicol bit flesh, and the half-elf screamed, but it was not the killing blow I'd expected. Blood streamed from an invisible wound and I felt the wind from a wide, wild blow whip past my cheek. With a roar, flames totally consumed a liquor-laden table next to me, crisping the skin on my right side; I could hear Firestarter's wicked laugh from across the room.

The celestial bear reared up, doubling its height and ferocity; the divine ursine swiped the head from the immobile Dagger Brother without a moment's pause and then raked the other gold-tipped claw across the face of another. A silver-tooth-filled maw followed that second strike, ripping out the throat beneath the newly mauled face. The last Dagger Brother screamed and fled, leaping through the growing flames at the 'Gypsy's door to escape the vicious attacks of the celestial bear.

I fished a pinch of ground micah from a belt pouch and gritted my teeth through the searing pain of my burns. I managed to properly pronounce the supernatural sounds and blew the finely ground dust from my palm. I felt a sharp pain in my back and coughed up a mouthful of frothy blood as the entire room was coated in a fine layer of glittering, gold dust.

The fact that I could now see Hacker's form, cleared outlined in golden powder, did little to prevent me from dodging his rapier strike, which sliced across the top of my skull. Jolts of electric agony surged through my entire body; through the white-hot miasma, I knew that had it not been for my cough, I would have been beheaded in that instant.

Across the room, Firestarter screamed as he leapt from the broken-down bar to a pile of crates, trying desperately to escape the swiping paws of the celestial bear. He landed poorly in his haste and slipped, hitting the ground with a sickening crunch. The empyreal mammal bounded after the half-elf with a vigorous bellow; a part of me thought it sounded like the bear was actually having fun.

I slashed upward wildly with my curved blade, blinking the stinging blood from my eyes. "Yield, elf! Lay down your blade and avoid the gallows!" The glitterdust-covered elf leapt back nimbly.

"Never, you pasty-faced fool!" Hacker spat; it seemed that El'laa’s hatred of me had rubbed off on this fellow in a miraculously short time. Now that I could see that in his right hand he held a small, thin reed bound in silver: a wind wand and he bore a pale gold ring upon his left: a ring of invisibility. He pointed the wand at himself, blasting all of my conjured glitterdust away. "You think you are so smart, Tenet! You think that your precious magic and beloved spells can solve all of your problems." The half-elf winked out of sight. Only his voice, dripping with malice and hatred, remained.

"Think again."

I knew what was coming – I could almost feel the tip of his rapier aimed for my heart. I had to act fast, my mind whirled and raced – I had to think-think-think!

I shuffled back several steps, trying to gain as much cover from the still-growing smoke and still-fluttering papers. I dabbed my finger into my freely flowing blood and upon Sicol's blade quickly drew two concentric circles around a central dot: an archer’s target and mumbled the words of magic. Then, I knelt and closed my eyes, concentrating on the effects of my spell. I raised my left hand, keeping my right on Sicol's hilt. I stilled my breathing and listened...intently...

Then, I swung my blade as hard as I could. I did not know where to swing – I just swung. The moment the blade passed over my heart the magic infused the blade and drug it up sharply, violently and back over my own head. My sword scraped metal and then thunked solidly into flesh and bone. A gurgle and a wheeze sounded behind and above me.

I opened my eyes and saw Hacker, literally skewered on my blade. It had blasted into his chest just beneath the sternum and had not stopped until it'd erupted from his mouth. The elf's eyes rolled back into his skull and his rapier clattered to the wooden floor. Hacker wheezed as I withdrew Sicol's curved edge and then was forevermore silent.

I staggered across the room to where the massive mammal had Firestarter pinned to the floor. The half-elf rogue's right hand was now gone and he'd already lost an amazing amount of blood; the ragged stump still jetted ruby fluid, though feebly. The left hand was buried beneath the bear's black paw and Firestarter writhed and screamed like a madman. "You win, Queen's man! I relent! Call off your mindless, blasted beast!"

I replied calmly, like I had all the time in the world. "He is not mindless, and I will only call him off if you tell me where El'laa has gone."

The maimed rogue laughed hysterically, "I'll tell you nothing! You and your brainless brute will get nothing from me!"

The celestial bear inclined its head to me and growled something in Celestial.

I turned from the ursine and looked down upon the dying half-elf, arching a brow. "He says his name is 'Smokey', and that only he can vent fire starters."

The look of horrified surprise that passed over Firestarter's face was priceless...

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