Chapter 6: Rough Night, Rough Day

As Allium tried to sleep, she was plagued with nightmares and visions involving the man that had attacked her. She woke up many times in a cold sweat and could not stay asleep for more then a few minutes at a time.

As the sun finally rose, Allium looked incredibly sickly and pale. Nadia and Clavidicus got up to start the day but Allium didn't get up from her bed, but continued to experience confusion and nightmares.

"Oh man, she looks pretty bad" Clavidicus commented as he and Nadia stood over Allium. "Perhaps we should just leave her in bed to recover this morning."

Nadia felt Allium's forehead. "She looks like she has a fever but she's just about deathly cold to the touch. Allium dear, if you can hear me, we're going to go look into selling some of this stuff, stay here and try to get better."

Clavidicus grabbed all the loot from last night and followed Nadia out the door. Just outside the room, Nadia whispered to him "She's probably not going to make it, we should be prepared for the very real possibility we'll be returning to a corpse. Oh and I call dibs on her body."

"I'm very much hoping you mean her possessions."

Nadia smirked. "Sure, lets go with that."

Clavidicus frowned. "I really shouldn't be surprised anymore, but yet I still am. Well anyways, time's a wasting, and my stomach and pockets are empty, a problem I'm sure you never experience."

Nadia punched him hard in the shoulder. "I get by alright, what's the big deal?"

The two moved downstairs and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading out to the local shops to try and unload what 'valuables' they had happened upon the night before in the graveyard. Among the loot were various trinkets and jewelry that were probably family heirlooms buried with the deceased residents of town. These poor souls were most unfortunately used as undead and now their relics were about to be pawned off for a few measly silver pieces.

"Hello fair folk, welcome to my humble little shop" said the old shopkeeper as Nadia and Clavidicus entered. "You do not seem familiar faces, so visitors to our town you must be. I bid you a hearty welcome and hope you'll find something to your liking."

Clavidicus dumped the bag of treasure onto the front counter. "Today we're interested in maybe leaving this stuff off here in exchange for some of your coin."

"Sure, lets have a look at what you have here. Perhaps a few of your items will I purchase today." The man took out a piece of shaped glass and started to investigate what was laid before him. "I would ask where these items came from, or why they are covered in dirt and mud, but I suspect I wouldn't like the answer."

Nadia punched Clavidicus in the arm. "See I told you we should have taken them out to the river to rinse off some of the mud, and the decayed fle..uh flower petals." She looked back at the shopkeeper. "We'd like you to make us an offer on the whole pile and don't hold back any. My boy here needs all the money he can get to buy me nice things, I deserve nice things don't I good sir?"

The shopkeeper smiled. "Yes M'Lady, I think I can offer you a more then fair price for what I see before me." He then scanned the pile one more time before counting out a pile of gold and sliding it in a bag over to them.

After returning to the inn, Nadia and Clavidicus stopped to talk to the injured old dwarf who had returned again. Nadia asked Clavidicus to just stay back a little and keep his comments to himself as she conversed with the dwarf. "Good day honored dwarf, what manner of beast has inflicted these wounds upon you."

"Aye I be minding my own business the other day as I traveled from the north and I find myself surrounded by little reptile-faced creatures with spears and slings. Where as I have no doubt I could have taken a couple or five, they just kept coming and I was overwhelmed fast. I was only able to escape with my life after I abandoned all my possessions and ran as fast as my legs could take me. I think they were more interested in my stuff then in me luckily. I had sustained a good amount of injuries and am stuck here till I recover. Then I'll be on my way. I would suggest if you travel that way, you be prepared for trouble from those little buggers."

Nadia said "I appreciate your warning, we shall keep it in mind were we to head that way, good day." She then motioned Clavidicus to follow her up to the room. When they opened the doors, they found that the room was unusually dark on account that someone had placed blankets over the windows. "Allium, you still there?"

Allium answered "Yes, I'm fine, I guess. Come in and close the door. There's been a slight development." Nadia and Clavidicus looked at each other and then moved in and closed the door behind them. "I think I figured out what happen to me in the alleyway."

Allium met the two in the middle of the room where there was just enough light to see each other. Nadia said "Well what happened, you look and sound a whole lot better though still incredibly pale." Allium grinned at Nadia. Nadia then responded "Oh, uh, those are some nice fangs you have. Are you contagious?"

"Not unless you want me to be" she said laughing. "I'm thinking I'm going to sunburn easy from now on."

Clavidicus just stared on in disbelief before talking. "I used to think I had an interesting life. These last couple days, I've been proven so very wrong. You can borrow my thick cloak if you need it."

Allium grinned. "I think I'll take you up on that offer."

Nadia cut in. "That reminds me, I managed to find us some more entertainment. There appears to be some manner of reptilian bandits just north of town that might be fun to visit today err...this afternoon. I'm sure they've amassed more then what we made last night. Speaking of which, here's your cut of the goods from last night." Nadia counted out a share of gold and dumped them into Allium's hands.

The three spent the rest of the daylight in the room doing their own things. Allium spent most of the day experimenting with all the new feelings she was experiencing. Nadia sat in the corner doing a mixture of meditation and reading from some dusty tome. Clavidicus sharpened his blades the whole time which seemed to irritate Nadia enough that she eventually kicked him outside the room to do it.

When evening fell, they stopped in at the inn on their way out to grab some dinner. Allium ordered three rare steaks this time, as bloody as they could come. Clavidicus broke down and got the steak as well, though his was at least partcially cooked.

Afterwards, the three set out of town along the north road hoping to find some trouble. As they walked, Nadia spoke. "This can't be all that bad a development, I've always felt I do my best work at night and I've never been so fond of light. I always felt that the more interesting people come out at night anyways."