Rum inhaled deeply from his long-stemmed pipe and took in the familiar scenery of Grindl's Cradle. Although he had been gone for some years, little had changed in the place. The finest scum of the Foreigner's Ghetto was always on full display, and from his vantage point he could keep an eye on all its comings and goings.
After leaving the meeting in the gnome's study, he had looked for his preferred spot in the darkest corner of the tavern. Unfortunately, the small table had been occupied by a lone bugbear, but a menacing glare and a tightened grip on his falchion had been enough to deter the creature from making a contest of it. The mangy goblinoid vacated the space and shuffled off into the crowd.
Rum had taken the empty seat and began to carefully mull over the result of the meeting and his future options.
The Matron Mother of House Eilserv had sent two of her least untrustworthy offspring to deliver an involuntary proposition that would take him back to the surface after only a single sleeping. He wouldn't even have time to sell any of the goods he had accumulated in the sunlit realms. He hadn't decided whether this turn of fortune was good or bad. Only time would tell.
As he sat in thought, the mangy bugbear suddenly reappeared from the crowd. It also appeared to have multiplied, as three more like it had also materialized.
It seemed there would be a contest after all...
"I recommend finding another table, boys," a silky, female voice chimed in from somewhere behind the thugs. The tallest of the four turned as if to threaten the newcomer, looked down, then froze in place.
"Better pitter-patter, before I skin you alive and drape your mangy hides over my bedposts," she suggested. "NOW."
The bugbears skulked off without a sound.
"Buy a girl a drink, sailor?" the woman asked demurely, taking a chair without being asked.
The slayer warily considered her proposal.
"Hello, Allistyn."
"Rum," she said, nodding at him and reaching for the bottle of hazy violet spirits a passing barmaid had just dropped off only moments before. "I see you still breathe the smoke of that wretched surface weed."
She feigned a petite cough, as if his small contribution to the foul air of the place had offended her delicate sensibilities.
"You didn't say goodbye the last time you left."
And there it was. His attention narrowed sharply to every move the half-drow female made. He watched as she poured herself a glass of the mauve vintage. Was she looking to make good on a slight? That didn't make sense. She would have just knifed him in the back and been done with it. What was she really after? She was always after something, some hustle, some bit of coin to be had. For Rum, the half drow sorceror-rogue Allistyn Alaunira would always be the bleeding, dark heart of his home city. Lusty. Cold. Unpredictable.
Dangerous.
"I'm afraid I won't be staying long this time, either," he answered.
"So I've gathered. I saw the poorly disguised nobles slinking out of Grindl's study right before you and the other blackguards followed them out. Must be something really hush-hush for all the secrecy."
She smiled at him sweetly and tossed back the entire glass of the strong, purplish liqueur.
"I've accepted a commission to guide a crew back to the realms of Men and Dwarves," he supplied. It was going to have to be half-truths and omissions from here on out, and he knew he'd rather have been dancing with a Hepmonoland cobra then sitting next to her at that very moment.
"The everburning light?" she said, pretending to be disappointed. "Well, if it doesn't have anything to do with our beloved home, then it is of little use to me."
"So, all else being equal, I'll give you the chance to make it up to me and say goodbye properly this time," she said, this time pouring them both a drink. She tossed hers back a second time and then poured herself yet another, never once taking her eyes off him.
The night was about to take yet another turn. Promising. Unpredictable.
Dangerous.
Allystin Alaunira
* * * * * * * * * * * *
In the darkness of the woode a soft voice whispered, and the child heeded its call.
The youngling wandered ever deeper into the dim forest, following the beckoning tones to it knew not where.
Upon an instant, the closeness of the path opened and the child stood before a withered oak of immense size, bent and nearly broken. The great bough leaked dark ichor from many gashes that had been rent into its trunk, and its branches hung low under the burden of a great, unknowable sorrow.
As the child approached the horrible sight, the soft voice suddenly twisted into a scream, and the youngling realized that he, too, was screaming.
Rum bolted upright, instantly awakened from his dream.
"Lolth's tits!" a familiar voice growled next to him. "You come back to my bed, and this is what I get in return?"
The slayer looked over at his companion, taking a moment to clear the thick cobwebs in his head. Allistyn... Grindl's Cradle... Dark Lullaby...
"I should have known better than to drink the gnome's poison," the slayer mumbled, reaching for his clothes. "Every time I do I end up regretting it."
"Yeah, I had a good time, too," the half drow woman smirked, putting away the the thin blade she had reflexively drawn when Rum had awakened her. "Asshole."
"I didn't mean you."
"I know what you meant," she said dismissively. Her own pounding headache attested to the potency of the Stoneheart's brew. She noticed Rum's face, then, and her tone changed uncharacteristically. "Your eyes are bleeding again, paleskin."
She reached out and wiped away the half-dried streams of crimson from the slayer's face. She knew what it signified.
Allistyn Alaunira had always had the magic in her blood. She knew that Rum had it too, even if he didn't believe her. Sometimes his eyes wept sanguine tears when he slept, and sometimes his subconscious mind would move small objects around while he dreamt. She could feel the kinship in their blood, the magic. She could also feel that his came from somewhere far away under the accursed sun, while hers came from somewhere... darker. Nevertheless, it was there.
"You know, you might consider doing something with that talent of yours some day," she said, rising from the bed and pulling on her own clothes as they prepared to part ways yet again. "I'd be happy to teach you a few new tricks when you get back."
"Just like always."
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