It wasn't obvious at first, where the sound of wings was coming from. Opal illuminated the room, casting light on her shield. The runes covering the piece alit with a beautiful sea foam green light. As the room brightened, four raven-like kenku soldiers rushed the group.
"Take care of them." One squawked in dwarvish.
"Intruders." Another squawked.
Human guards rush in from behind them as they begin to fight. Opal was at T'hih-me's side, trying not to let the boy out of her sight. She had to protect him. Whatever the cost.
Opal swung her warhammer, striking true causing the kenku to fall back. She lifted her shield to cover T'hih-me just as the human guard went to strike. She pushed the blade away from him, swinging her warhammer toward the guard by T'hih-me this time. She watched as Edge climbed up to the catwalk above, taking down the long-range kenku guard. Gudrun was running up the stairs away from the fight, T'hih-me close behind.
The kenku guard smiled wickedly toward Opal as she realized she was alone with three guards still standing. Opal adjusted her stance readying for the next attack. The others were out of range for these three guards. As long as there weren't any others she could manage. She dodged the first attack, and struck the human guard behind her. The man fell.
"Two left..." she muttered in primordial.
The kenku rushed her, without hesitation she struck. Her warhammer hitting true and erupting with sea foam green vines and radiant light. The Kenku squawked as it fell. Opal glanced at the final guard. He was heavily injured. The man dropped his weapon and held up his hands in surrender.
"Please don't kill me..." he begged. "I've got a family. I won't tell anyone that you were here. Just let me go, please."
Opal nodded towards the door, not changing her stance. "Go."
The man scrambled out of the building. Leaving Opal alone on the ground floor of the warehouse. She followed T'hih-me, Gudrun, and Edge upstairs. She could hear them talking, but could not see who they were talking to. She approached and saw a merchant with elegant, but bloodied robes. He had a smirk on his face that made Opal uneasy.
"Like I said," he sighed. "I do not know any merchants by the name of Osgood. Now please, release me. I am only a middle man. Nothing good will come of you getting rid of me."
Gudrun untied the merchant, "Frey, I hope you understand that you now owe us. We saved your life."
The man bowed slightly in thanks as he slipped out the window in the room. "We're just going to let Frey Bell walk?" Edge hissed. "Why is that a good plan?"
"He's not going to tell anyone that we were here," Gudrun replied. "And if he does, that will just get us closer to who is in charge of this whole thing."
Opal heard a sputtering cough and turned to see a beaten and bruised guard starting to wake in the corner. T'hih-me slid closer to the man and drop to his knees to examine him. Opal stood behind, making sure nothing happened to the boy. Edge and Gudrun were already making their way out of the small room to search the rest of the warehouse.
"Whoa..." the man groaned as he blinked.
"It's ok," T'hih-me smiled and his hands glowed in a soft rainbow light as he healed the injured man. "We are here to help."
The man's brow furrowed but he did not recoil from the healing. "Weren't your friends just about to kill me?"
"They didn't know who you were," T'hih-me smiled.
"Do you?" He asked.
T'hih-me shook his head, "No. But your armor doesn't match the armor of the guys downstairs. So I'm hoping you are one of the good guys!"
The man chuckled softly, holding his ribs. "I guess you would say that Tyr's Uproar is better than The Sword's Brand."
"Where would we go if we were trying to find Tyr's Uproar?" Opal asked. "They may be good allies."
The man eyed the two before him. His hand traced a symbol in the dust on the ground. "Follow this symbol through the sewers, and you shall find Tyr's Uproar."
"Thank you," T'hih-me smiled warmly. "Now, please don't tell anyone that we were here. It could get us into a lot of trouble."
The man chuckled, "You are a weird kid..." T'hih-me eyed him expectantly. "I promise I won't tell anyone that you were here. Not that I have anyone to tell."
T'hih-me held out his hand and helped the man to his feet. "It was nice to meet you," T'hih-me stated as the man headed toward the window that Frey had gone through just a moment before. The man waved and left the two in a dark room. "He was nice."
Opal furrowed her brow, "How did you do that?"
"Do what?" He asked. "I was just being nice to him. I don't really like fighting. People just get hurt."
She nodded in understanding as she continued to search the room. The desk in the center of the room was littered with random trinkets and scraps of unused paper. Opal picked up a small jeweled bird figurine. She turned the item over in her hands examining it closely. She pocketed it. Something of that quality had to be important.
She went to open the desk drawer but it was locked shut. She lifted her warhammer and was about to bring it down on the desk when T'hih-me slipped in front of her. She stopped mid swing.
"Whoa," he sighed, "it's probably best that we leave things intact. And it's not very nice to open locked drawers. What if there is something private in there?"
"That's the whole point," Opal argued. "We need to get into that desk." She lifted her warhammer once again. This time before her hammer could hit the desk Edge walked in.
The tabaxi furrowed her brow and chuckled, "Need help getting into the desk?"
Opal sighed and let the warhammer drop to her side. "I mean I'd rather not destroy the desk if there is another way."
"Step aside, poofs..." Opal frowned as she reached up to fix her hair. Within seconds the tabaxi had stepped away from the desk, the drawer now propped open. "I can't read any of that...I think it might be dwarvish?"
Opal stepped forward and glanced at the paperwork exploding out of the desk drawer. She nodded as she scooped the notes and letters from the drawer. She began to leaf through it as they made their way back downstairs to find Gudrun going through box after box.
"There's nothing here..." she sighed in frustration. "These boxes are incredibly heavy for what is inside of them. But I cannot figure out what else is in them." She glanced at the shipping ledger once more. "And why would everything be in dwarvish?" She shoved a box to the side.
Edge glanced at the shipping ledger and sighed.
Gudrun sighed, "Well, I think we have found about all we can here. Unless you all have any other insights?" Opal and T'hih-me shook their heads. "In that case, we best go after those attackers that got away."
T'hih-me frowned, "Would they still be attackers if we were the ones doing the attacking?"
"I meant the people that attacked Frey," she sighed.
"Oh," T'hih-me said, "I guess they would be considered attackers then."
Opal led the way out of warehouse. She quickly caught a trail of blood droplets leading down a back alley. She followed them. Sure enough they led to a symbol, the one the man had drawn for her and T'hih-me. It was engraved on the cobblestone near a sewer grate. She took a deep breath and lifted the sewer grate aside allowing Gudrun, Edge, and T-hih-me to slip through. She followed placing the sewer grate back over the opening.
"How did you know where to go?" Edge asked.
"Look for the symbol that has a flaming sword," she stated.
They continued down the path, following the markings at each fork in the sewer. Soon enough they started to hear hushed chatter from men up ahead. Gudrun turned to the group and gestured for them to keep quiet. They tried. Edge and Gudrun seemed quiet enough, but T'hih-me and Opal's chainmail armor and shields clinked as they walked. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't be quiet.
"Do you here that?" A man whispered from up ahead. "Think we were followed?"
Before they could notice, Edge and Gudrun struck. Both men were down in an instant. Opal and T'hih-me's jaws drop. Opal quickly moved to stabilize both men as she and T'hih-me tied the two up and pulled them down the hall. When they made it back to Edge and Gudrun they were both sitting against the wall, resting.
"Let's just take a quick breather," Gudrun suggested. "We may need to be prepared for anything else that may be down here."
Opal frowned as she glanced at Gudrun, a glowing rune sat against the wall right above the woman's head. "I'm not so sure this is a great place to rest..." Opal stammered. "Maybe we can rest a little further down the hall?"
Edge glanced down the hall and frowned, "Yeah...Poofs is right, we should get out of here."
Gudrun glanced up and followed Edge's gaze. "Is that a torch?"
Opal glanced down the hall to see what appeared to be a ball of redish orange light moving right toward them. "There's no one holding it though..." She stepped further into the hall. "We mean no harm. We are just trying to..."
A sudden eruption of flame burst right around Opal. She dodged, but not fast enough. The flames were gone just as quickly as they had appeared. When Opal looked up she was face to "face" with a flaming skull.
"Get away from her!" T'hih-me shouted raising his rainbow orb high. The creature shook as if it did not want to obey, but as T'hih-me stepped closer the creature turned and sped off.
"Thank you T'hih-me," Opal smiled warmly. "I appreciate that."
"You're welcome," he smiled. "Let's go though...I don't think that will last very long."
Opal nodded, "Good thing we need to go in a different direction." She pointed toward the next symbol.
They continued on the path for another few minutes before they found a symbol with an arrow pointing up to yet another grate. Opal struggled a bit with this grate, but with a little extra effort she was able to push it aside just like before. She peaked her head in revealing an empty room above them. She quickly climbed the small ladder into the room, helping the others up out of the sewer.
Glancing around the small dimly lit area they all saw a hallway with two doors, one on each side. Opal could hear faint whispering beyond the doors, but could not tell which door it was coming from. As the group approached the hall, the whispering stopped. Opal glanced at Gudrun and she nodded toward the door on the right. Opal knocked, and opened the door revealing an empty room. Opal turned to the only remaining door and opened.
Arrows and a fire bolt flew through the door barely missing Opal and Gudrun. Gudrun pushed the door the rest of the way open revealing five human guards, one halfling woman wearing casting robes, and one orcish woman in chainmail. Sitting tied to a chair and bloodied in the center was Stein, the elven friend of Eira Ellingboe.
"Oh, Stein darling, is this where you have been hiding?" Gudrun crooned.
A momentary look of confusion crossed his face, "Oh honey, you really shouldn't see me like this..."
Opal tried not to show her confusion at the exchange. Gudrun obviously had a plan, and surprisingly it seemed to be working. The guards' arms were beginning to slacken, as if they would put their weapons down. The orcish woman seemed "intrigued" by this exchange. However, the halfling had not moved her gaze from Opal.
Opal tried not to make eye contact with the halfling. She couldn't figure out why the woman would be watching her so intently. She did not seem to be phased by any part of the conversation between Gudrun, Stein, and the orcish woman. Opal glanced back to Gudrun and Stein to see Gudrun leading Stein out of the room.
"Well come now Stein," Gudrun smiled warmly. "Let's get you home and rested."
Edge stepped forward slightly and the guards raised their weapons yet again, "My name is Edge. I want to help in your fight against the Swords Brand." The guards lowered their weapons slightly.
The orcish woman smiled softly and waved her hand, dismissing the group from the room.
...
"You both are welcome to stay with me if you don't have a place for the night," Gudrun stated as the four walked back towards Kjemper's Tooth. Stein had split from their group as soon as they were sure they no longer had a tail.
"Thank you for the offer," Opal smiled, "but we already have rooms for the night at the inn."
"Together?" Edge asked curiously.
"No!" Opal exclaimed. "We have separate rooms."
Edge chuckled, "Gudrun I will walk you back to your shop."
"We should all meet back up in the morning," Gudrun stated. "We need a plan." The other three nodded in agreement. "I will have breakfast ready bright and early."
"Don't forget the cream this time," Edge smirked.
...
Spring 39 YR 331
Opal woke before dawn to do complete her morning routine. She did a quick yoga session, then reapplied her makeup to blend the rainbow fissures of her skin which made them appear more like tattoos rather than fissures. She combed and braided her hair, ending in two poofs above her ears. She smiled as she looked in the mirror.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
She glanced out the window, the sun was just barely peaking over the mountains in the distance. She still had time before she had to meet T'hih-me in the inn tavern. She sat on the bed and pulled out her journal. She scribbled into the journal in primordial.
"I found him. Finally. Now I just have to protect him. And not tell him that I am protecting him. That may be difficult. His name is T'hih-me! And I don't think he is a child like I initially thought. But he does seem to need protecting and that...that I can do. I met two others here in Port Lysren. They seem nice enough."
She closed her journal, tucking it back into her pack, and made her way downstairs to meet T'hih-me. The young man was sitting in the tavern, near the door. He waved at her as she came into the room.
They quickly made their way to Gudrun's shop. When Opal opened the door to Idun's Garden the smell of fresh baked bread greeted them. She smiled as T'hih-me seemed hobbled over to the table in the corner where Gudrun sat. Opal took the seat next to T'hih-me.
"Well good morning," Gudrun smiled. "You both look wonderful today." Opal caught the slightest look as Gudrun glanced her way. She couldn't put her finger on what was happening, but she felt the Gudrun was nervous about something.
"This bread looks delicious," T'hih-me smiled. "It smells as good as the bread Ma Suzie makes."
"Who's Ma Suzie," Edge asked.
"She raised me," T'thih-me stated. "She is an amazing baker."
"Is Ma Suzie your mom?" Opal asked.
T'hih-me shook his head, "That's a silly question. You know I am looking for my mom and know where Ma Suzie is. She is in Sistajanse." He glanced at Opal. "Where are you from?"
She shrugged, "A small village about a day travel from Kauhea. You've probably never heard of it. Most people haven't." She glanced at Edge who appeared very bored with the conversation. "We should probably finish eating and head to Eira's. We have all those documents to show her from last night."
"That is a grand idea!" Gudrun exclaimed.
...
Eira's home was just as elegant in the daylight as it had been last night. When they approached, Dean quickly ushered them in and led them to the dining room. Eira was pouring over other documents. She didn't even glance up as the group entered.
"Stein reported that I have you four to thank for his rescue," she smiled. "Were you able to find anything else in your adventures?"
"We did," Gudrun stated as she dug through her bag for the shipping ledgers. "We think they are in dwarvish."
"Do any of you read dwarvish?" Eira asked and Opal rose her hand slightly. "Would you be willing to help translate? I can provide some clarifying information if you have questions on places, names, or anything related to the city."
"Of course I can help," Opal stated as she took a seat near Eira and begun sifting through the papers.
It took a few hours to get through all the documents they had found in the warehouse, but between Eira's city knowledge and Opal's translating they were able to get it done.
"So the looms are going to one part of town," Eira started, "and the 'invisible fabric' is going to a completely different part of town? Also the looms are being made, and then shipped back to the exact place they were made...but it makes no mention of the place where they are coming from?" She sighed. "I feel like this has just brought up more questions than answers."
Gudrun shrugged, "We did learn that the looms and fabric seem to be the way that money is being laundered for the Sword's Brand."
"Guess we need to go find more information," Edge stated.
Eira shook her head, "We have no solid leads. Which makes this already dangerous investigation a bit trickier. I would advise against further investigation for the time being." She glanced toward Dean. "Please get them their earnings, and show them out. I am getting tired." Dean nodded and took his leave. "Be waiting for my next missive. I will let you know when we have a new lead."
...
"A whole hundred hold pieces!" Edge exclaimed as they entered Idun's Garden. "We just made 100 gold pieces. Each!" She had a smug smile, "I told you guys that this contact would help us out."
Gudrun rolled her eyes. "Well, I have a few errands to run before I open my shop for the remainder of the day. You three are welcome to stay if you need to, but there are a ton of lovely shops that would be happy to see some new business around here."
"Any that sell potions?" T'hih-me asked, "Or books?" Opal's widened at the mention of books and she nodded excidely.
"Books would be at 'The Book Wyrm' and potions would be across the street at 'The Olde Krone," she smiled.
T'hih-me glanced up at Opal, "Where to?"
"Uh," Opal stammered, "let's go to The Olde Krone first I guess."
They walked across the street to a beautiful shop that appeared to have been carved into a large tree. Inside many different aromas hit. Opal tried to hide the cough as tears built up in her eyes. T'hih-me's face scrunched up as the aroma hit him too. Gudrun, had no reaction as she stepped past the two. She walked up to the desk and rang the bell. After a moment she hit the bell again. Another moment passed without response.
"Fala!" Gudrun called up the stairs. "Fala, you have customers."
"Coming," an ethereal voice sighed.
A door opened at the top of the stairs, smoke billowing from the room, as a tall gangly eladrin made their way out of the room and down the stairs. The eladrin had a greenish tint to their skin with long hair and large circular glasses.
"Fala,"Gudrun tapped her foot, "I have a shop that needs to be open. Please will you hurry."
"All in good time," they smiled as they slowly stepped up to the counter. "How may I help my lovely friend this morning?"
"It's afternoon, Fala." Gudrun stated. "I need a potent healing potion, Fala. I know you have at least one."
Fala inhaled deeply, "I do."
Gudrun sighed, "Can we barter for it?"
"We can," Fala smiled as they lifted a potted plant from below the counter. "I will give you the potion, if you allow me to grow this lovely plant in your shop."
Gudrun eyed the plant and then Fala, "Is this what I think it is?"
Fala sighed, "It depends on what you think it is...so maybe."
Gudrun rubbed her hand over her eyes, "Alright Fala...But if the Town Guard come looking, I'm telling them it is yours."
"Fair enough," Fala smiled as they handed Gudrun the plant and the potion. As Gudrun left they turned their attention to Opal and T'hih-me. "Ooo, new customers. How can I assist?"
"Do you have another one of those potions?" T'hih-me asked.
Fala nodded, "150 gold pieces."
T'hih-me turned to Opal, "We could buy it together? Then we have one if one of us gets hurt." Opal nodded in agreement. "We'll get it!" T'hih-me handed over his portion while Opal hand over hers.
Fala handed the potion to Opal, "Use it well." He blew a puff of smoke toward the two causing them both to cough.
They quickly made their way toward The Book Wyrm. Once them made it inside the store Opal lost sight of T'hih-me. She glanced around looking at the books on heroes of regions. She found a book on local folk heroes and legends. She picked it up and skimmed through it. Nothing jumped out at her but she knew she would actually have to read it to see if her mother was mentioned. She grabbed that book as well as the book next to it, Heroes of the Age, and made her way to the counter.
T'hih-me waved at her from his place next to Gudrun showing her the book he had found. She was too far away to see what it was about. Opal paid for her books and met Gudrun and T'hih-me outside the store.
"Ah, I think now is a good time to head to the Job Board," Gudrun sighed as she glanced at the sun.
"Weren't you going to open your shop?" Opal asked.
"Can't work on an empty stomach," Gudrun smiled as she began walking.
Opal and T'hih-me followed. "Can you get food at the Job Board?" T'hih-me asked.
Gudrun nodded, "The Job Board is the largest tavern in town. As well as the spot of the local job board. That is probably where Edge ran off to."
Gudrun led them down the street and out of Kjemper's Tooth. They quickly made there way toward the center of town to a large outdoor food market. The northern most side of the market sat The Job Board. Sure enough Edge was scouting out the posts on the actual job board near the guard station.
"You guys find something to eat," Gudrun stated. "I will meet you both at the table over there."
Opal nodded and began to scout the food stalls. She hadn't noticed that T'hih-me was following right behind her.
"Do you think they have bread bowls?" He asked causing her to jump.
She thought back to the day before as she had watched T'hih-me attempt to devour a stale bread bowl. "They might, but I bet you can find something better than a bread bowl." She glanced around and then pointed to another stall. "They have meat pies and stew...they might have bread bowls."
She made her way over to the stall and ordered a bowl of vegetable stew. T'hih-me ordered a bread bowl and then followed her to the table Gudrun had told them to meet at. Within a few moments Gudrun and Edge were at the table. Opal noticed that Gudrun had sat next to her, but left room for an entire person between them.
"So many job postings," Edge said with a smile. "We can do this one..." She placed a flyer on the table.
"Dead or Alive!" Read the notice. "Assassin in Blad Ward."
The next notice read, "Silent Attacker terrorizing children in Tolvhund."
"What about this one?" Edge placed another. "A flying creature taking children by the docks. Ooo wait, this one looks promising. House Lind requesting body guards for an event. They are a big name! Probably would pay lots of money."
"The house Lind contract requires references..." Gudrun sighed. "May not be able to get into that one as easily as you thought."
"I think we should do one of these," T'hih-me pulled the one for Tolvhund and the docks. "Can't let anything terrorize children, that wouldn't be right."
"We could bring a little hope back to the town too," Opal stated. "I think the Tolvhund one is our best option."
Gudrun examined the posts, "Tolvhund is on the way to the Blad Ward. We could stop through Tolvhund, see what is going on, then head over to the Blad Ward."
"The Tolvhund task doesn't even have a listed reward..." Edge grumbled. "I am not doing a job for free."
Opal frowned, "Bring hope to those that have lost it isn't a good enough reason?"
Gudrun put her hand up before Edge could argue, "I can guarantee that Tolvhund will be able to find a reward if we are able to save their children. Plus, that will give us a reference to get into the House Lind contract." Edge thought for a moment and then sighed, "Fine. We can look into those tasks first."
The group continued to eat quietly. Gudrun and Edge talked quietly amongst themselves about the safest way to get from Tolvhund to the Blad Ward while Opal and T'hih-me finished their lunch.
When T'hih-me began to gnaw on the bread bowl, Gudrun and Edge's conversation stopped. "What is he doing?" Edge asked Opal.
"I'm eating," T'hih-me stated. "These bread bowls are delicious."
Opal shrugged, "This is how I found him yesterday. He really seems to like those bread bowls."
"Ma Suzie makes better ones," he smiled.
"T'hih-me, why did you leave Ma Suzie's?" Gudrun asked cautiously.
He shrugged, "I'm too old to live there. Ma Suzie said it was time to go out on my own now that I am an adult. Eventually my siblings will have to do the same thing."
"How many siblings do you have?" Gudrun asked.
"Three," he smiled.
Opal thought about her sisters and Fell briefly. She wasn't quite ready to divulge that information to her new companions, but listening to T'hih-me talk about his siblings made her heart ache. It had been almost a year since she last saw them.
"I have a few siblings too," Gudrun stated. "I'm the eldest of the bunch." Her eyes seemed to glaze over briefly, then she turned her attention back to the conversation with Edge.
"Do you have any siblings?" T'hih-me asked glancing at Opal.
She hesitated slightly before nodding, "Yes."
Thankfully, Gudurn and Edge started to stand from the table. "We should probably head out!" Gudrun smiled.
"Great idea," Opal agreed.
They made their way back through town heading to Tolvhund. T'hih-me was chatting with Gudrun about his travels from Sistejanse to Port Lysren. Opal caught a few mentions of traveling alone just like she had.
The closer they got to Tolvhund the less and less townsfolk they saw on the streets. Specifically less and less children. The small portion of town had barred their windows and some even barred their doors. The park in the center of Tolvhund was deserted. The swings swayed ever so slightly in the soft breeze. Whatever was terrorizing this part of town, it was leaving a mark.
"You shouldn't be out here at this time of day, little one..." An older elven woman said toward T'hih-me. "It's not safe to be out this close to dusk."
T'hih-me frowned, "I'm not a child." The woman blinked.
"But you could pass for one," Edge smiled then turned toward the woman. "What is going on around dusk that makes it not safe?"
The woman eyed them all hesitantly, "Go speak with the family on the corner. They should be able to assist you."
"Thank you," Gudrun stated as the woman walked away in a hurry.
The house on the corner was one with boarded windows. The front door had five branding slash marks across the center, almost deep enough to go through the door. Gudrun frowned as she examined the marks before knocking lightly.
"Who goes there!" A male voice called from inside the house.
"Good afternoon, sir..." Gudrun started. "My companions and I were hoping to help with the situation here in town. We heard there was a creature terrorizing children."
There were a few knocks and clanks then a final thud before the door opened. The man standing on the other side of the door looked weary. He gestured for the group to enter, closing the door behind them quickly. It was a standard home, but the amount of locks the man had on the door were concerning.
"Are you really here to help us?" The man asked. "We don't have much for a reward, but I am sure the neighborhood could scrounge something together for those that protect the children."
"Do you know what is happening?" Gudrun asked.
The man shrugged a slight nod, "My son was attacked a few nights ago. He barely made it home in one piece." The man's eyes glazed. "So much blood." He seemed to shake himself out of whatever memory he was lost in. "My son said it was a dog. A black dog with fiery red eyes and it could breathe fire. "
Opal's eyes widened. She had only ever heard of those from Siri in Kauhea. Hell hounds. She gulped. There was no reason for a single hell hound to be here in Port Lysren. She glanced around noting that at least Gudrun had come to the same conclusion.
"Are there any commonalities between attacks?" Opal asked. "The job description implied that multiple attacks had taken place."
The man nodded, "The creatures typically come out at dusk, and only seem to attack children." He glanced down into the hall. "My son is only 8 and the child that was attacked before him was 7."
Gudrun nodded in understanding, "I appreciate the information that you have provided. Is there anything else that you might know that would be helpful?" The man shook his head. "We will see what we can do about the attacks."
"Please," the man sighed. "Please stop these creatures. We want our children to be safe." The man opened the door and the group shuffled outside. Opal heard the door close and lock behind her.
Gudrun and Edge began walking toward their next stop. "Aren't we going to help them?" Opal asked.
"Of course we are," Gudrun replied.
"We are?" Edge asked. "That creature sounds like a hell hound...those are nasty creatures."
"And usually need to be summoned," Gudrun added. "We need to get rid of the one that is currently here and maybe we can figure out who is doing the summoning. But first, we need to find out more information on that Assassin in the Blad Ward."
Opal went to argue, but T'hih-me stepped up. "I guess we do have about an hour before dusk. That should be enough time get information on the assassin, right?"
Gudrun nodded, "Then we will come right back to Tolvhund and take care of the hell hound." She glanced at Opal, "Sound good?"
Opal nodded, "I guess we can do that."
"Good," Gudrun smiled. "The Blad Ward is just up the street. We should start at the nearest guard post. Might be able to get the information we need there."
Edge glanced at T'hih-me a few times as they walked, "You know...he does look like he could be about 8 or 9 years old..." Opal's eyes widened. "We could use the kid as bait in Tolvhund. That park was a good set up spot."
"No!" Opal and T'hih-me exclaimed in unison.
"I don't want to be bait," he stated.
Opal shook her head, "You don't have to be bait." She turned to Edge. "Also that would be way too risky. We would have to be too far away to help if something goes wrong."
Edge huffed, "It was a good idea."
"No it wasn't," Gudrun chuckled as Edge shot daggers.
They turned a corner and the scene seemed to shift. The quiet streets of Tolvhund quickly turned to the hustle and bustle of the Blad Ward. They didn't go to far into the area as there was a guard post right at the edge of the ward, separating Tolvhund from the Blad Ward.
Gudrun fixed her hair slightly and readjusted her shawl. "Excuse me, sir?"
A young man turned glancing out the archway at Gudrun. He cleared his throat, "Why yes, how can I help you?"
"We heard that the Blad Ward is no longer very safe," she blinked a few times twirling her hair. "Something about an assassin on the loose?"
The man puffed his chest and chuckled slightly, "Ah, miss, you have nothing to worry about. Port Lysren Town Guard is on the case." He smiled, blushing slightly. "We know all about this assassin, just getting ready to capture him. They say he goes by Andre the Hunter and he might be associated with Tyr's Uproar, that damned rebel group."
Gudrun gasped, "Oh no, that is horrible." Opal caught sight of Edge rolling her eyes a soft smirk on her lips as Gudrun spoke with the guard. "I've heard that no that has encounter this assassin has lived to tell the tale. Is that true?"
The guard waved his hand, "We have multiple eye witness reports that say he is either a Tiefling or Genasi, deep purple red skin. But no one has seen his face. He is a long-ranged attacker, favoring poison arrows. No real connection between his attacks though."
"Oh, how did you track him down then?" Gudrun asked.
He smiled smugly, "Like I said, the Town Guard is getting ready to strike. We have him backed into a corner a few streets down. He's not going anywhere."
"Well that's boring," Edge stated getting the guards attention.
Gudrun nodded toward the guard, "Thank you for the wealth of information." The man frowned as Gudrun sauntered away.
"We should head back to Tolvhund," she stated. "We can take care of Andre the Hunter tomorrow. Looks like the Town Guard has it all under control."
They made it back to the park of Tolvhund just as the sun began to set. Opal and T'hih-me sat on the swings while Edge and Gudrun paced the grounds. Opal hummed while they sat waiting for the hell hound to strike.
Suddenly, the air grew cold, mist and fog fell upon the park grounds. Opal felt the tension rising as not one or two hell hounds approached, but five hell hounds surrounded them.