Chapter 2: Time to Talk

"Where did your parents go wrong with you?" Clavidicus asked Nadia as the two walked towards Windy Tree.

"Where did they go right I think is the better question" Nadia responded. "They felt all of their children should grow up with a strong education. Education is not the sort of thing nobles really need to survive but it makes us more cultured. Believe me, some of the families in Talisman could use a little more culture. Culture is more then just how expensive your clothing is, it's also how you act."

Clavidicus laughed. "Yes I've seen my fair share of people, some more cultured then others."

"Exactly. But anyways my childhood was filled with lesson after lesson on how to be elegant and proper. Mixed in was self defense and weapon training. I really took to magic the most. My teachers could not keep up with my thirst for knowledge in both divine and arcane magics. I think my parents were amused at first with my special interests in magic. They figured I'd grow out of it eventually and take a more active part in the interest of the house, but it was not to be so. I told them just a couple days ago that what I really need right now is to get out and do my own thing. I think they realized I wouldn't take no for an answer."

Clavidicus added "From what I've seen, you're pretty capable of taking care of yourself."

Nadia grinned. "Thanks! I don't have a very commanding physical presence. I'm not all big and scary like you or anything."

Clavidicus dropped his hands to his sides. "That has come from my less then pleasant life so far. I've seen my fair share of death and hard times."

Nadia clapped excitedly. "Oh do tell...."

"I don't even know how to react to your fascination with suffering and death. If you're interested in my story, I'll tell you the details..." Clavidicus cleared his voice before continuing. "I was born into a life as a human slave and put to work at the earliest age possible. We were sent to work in a mine collecting ore."

"Did you kill anyone?" Nadia interrupted.

"I'll get to that part, be patient." Clavidicus continued. "There were many other slaves of various backgrounds and races put to work with me, and over time I was able to learn their various languages just by being around them and talking day in and day out as we worked. It was all any of us could do to keep ourselves together. Eventually a couple of us managed to hatch a plan to break free from our captors. And yes it involved killing."

Nadia clapped excitedly again. "Yay! The best part! Go on, go on...."

"Well to properly guard a set of slaves, you need at least as many guards, which is more then the mines we worked in had. Their whole operations were apparently held together precariously based on the hope that the slaves would not rally together. I'll just say once we finally did act, the balance was tipped so far in our favor, we managed to kill every single one of the guards. Not one was able to report back to their leaders what had transpired. By the time they even realized anything was wrong at the mines, the whole slave army was long gone, dispersed in every direction to start life anew."

"What did you do with the bodies?" Nadia asked.

"There was fear that the owners of the mines would return sooner then they did, so none of us stuck around long enough to do anything with the bodies." Nadia frowned as she heard this.

Clavidicus continued, "After that, I wandered around on my own for a couple weeks in the area till I caught word that the slavers were out with hunting teams trying to track down all of us that had escaped the mines. Now that I was better nourished and better prepared, I thought I would have a little fun with these hunters, namely hunting down and ambushing them as fast as I could find them. Each one I found, I grew more and more creative in how I would kill them. I'd leave the bodies strung up in trees or dismantled on the ground, each attempt even more bloody. Eventually I think the rumors surrounding these attacks got exaggerated out of proportions."

Clavidicus paused for a moment to think. "Some of my favorite rumors included armies of were-creatures that were punishing the slavers for their wrong doing. This rumor worked to my benefit for a time but eventually they realized it wasn't worth the loss of their men to recover some slaves, since they could just as easily get more elsewhere. After my prey stopped coming, I wander around for some time till I happened upon Talisman. Of course there I had the pleasure to meet you and here we are."

"Thanks for sharing your tale, Clavidicus, though next time make sure to include more detail on how you killed them." Nadia laughed. "Night is approaching fast, but luckily Windy Tree should be just over these hills. Lets speed up a little so we can make it there before the sun disappears. From what I've heard, in this town, nightfall is when the real fun starts."

Chapter 1: Misleading Introduction

"If we're going to do this, we're going to do it by my rules, plain and simple."

Clavidicus the Bold looked back at the deceptively thin looking woman as she spoke. She was lacing her black leather boots up to her knees with a fluid movement that Clavidicus found rather impressive. He couldn't help but remember his first impressions when he was first introduced to her by a mutual acquaintance, Lord Lester Brightbill. His initial thought was how frail and timid she looked and acted at the time. He was unsure then if being hired help traveling with her was a good idea. Quickly his opinions were changing about her. She at least acted like she knew what she was doing and any hint of a previous timid demeanor had completely vanished by now.

He took the opportunity to speak up. "I have to admit this job seemed like it was going to be a lot more difficult Lady.."

She interrupted him before he could finish. "Hold, as long as we travel together, please address me as Nadia. When you first met me, I was behaving as someone of my standing should but this is a different situation and should be treated as such. It should be more apparent now in comparison, I'm out of my element in those sorts of events."

Clavidicus smiled. "Forgive me, I shall not be so quick to misjudge you Nadia. When we first met, and it was suggested that I come along on your trip to Windy Tree. I wasn't sure I wanted the job when first offered. I could detect something different about you though and something seemed familiar to me somehow."

Smirking, Nadia stood up and punched Clavidicus in the shoulder playfully. "Don't worry about it big guy, everyone makes mistakes from time to time, except for me of course. I grow on people the longer they stay around me, it can be hard to get rid of me then."

"If I might be so bold as to say, the whole lifestyle you come from is quite wasteful and decedant. They throw parties for any reason they can think of, events with rare foods and entertainment that costs piles and piles of gold coins. Such money would be much better spent on weapons and mercenaries. Things are not all happy and bright outside the walls of Talisman, people need help."

She chuckled. "It's all those nobles have ever known, and they can't look past their own pointless lives. If it doesn't affect them, it's not happening. I've always had a desire to see further then just what Talisman has to offer. We were first introduced at the party last night. I still clung to you closely to hear every story I could about your journeys and adventures. Every time someone with interesting stories to tell comes into Talisman, I make it a habit to have them over to my family's estate. Adventurers are easily coaxed into elaborating on their experiences over a lavish meal and drinks."

"I have to admit, I was a little surprised by your interest in my tales, especially since you're a member of the noble community. I thought maybe the details of how I disposed of the bodies of my enemies would disgust you. You seemed instead fascinated with every bloody detail. That makes you come off as a bit creepy actually."

Nadia laughed in response to his comment which only helped to disturb Clavidicus even more. "I may live in that community but I don't belong there." She finished straightening her outfit out and walked over to pick up her dagger. She slid it into a semi-concealed thigh sheath. Noticing Clavidicus staring at her as she did this, she spoke. "What outfit is complete without concealed weapons?"

Clavidicus grinned. "The longer I hang around you, the more I like your unique style. You're certainly something else Nadia, I'm sure this job will most likely be filled with even more surprises. Although uncertainty isn't really my thing, I'd like to see how things unfold."

"Now you're talking, lets head out. The walk isn't going to start itself and we have a good amount of distance to cover to get to Windy Tree." Nadia motioned towards the door and walked out. Clavidicus quickly grabbed up all his things and followed her out. With Nadia along, he was pretty sure this wasn't going to be a dull trip. Was he ready for what may lay ahead? He certainly hoped so.

Introduction

This is an attempt at a little more story driven writing and I do hope it goes well. I'm not entirely sure how it will work out and you, my dear reader(s) hopefully enjoy the story as much as possible. Since this will be incremental, you'll need to go back to the older entries and read forward to read it in the right order.

-M