章 23: Recruitment, Elvish and the 7 Women?
"Now! I know what you may be thinking...!" There was a small pause as she hunkered down and changed her facial expressions somewhat, as if mimicking a certain persons expression or mannerisms.
"How, does she know that...!?!?"
"Hahaha, it's all very easy, see I'm an opportunistic girl and when I see a woman who is a 'bard' not being the life of the party or playing, it means two things... They are either piss drunk! Or... They are in trouble and need to get out of dodge lickety split!"
She paused and looked me up and down for a moment, looking as if she were about to continue her tirade of examination and observation. I interrupted it, naturally, I didn't wish to be examined by a woman I barely knew and seemed much to cunning in understanding people.
"Thus you came over here to confirm that I was not drunk and thus deduction became certainty, in your mind, that I need help to get out of here or something of the like...?"
"SPOT ON! Damn, you are pretty good yourself... Put it here! I am Qual'thiana, you can just call me Qal." She extended her hand for a shake, my own extending out in cautious manner as I attentively scanned the room for any assassins or danger.
"Wow, you must be in some real trouble to be like that. Let me guess... Assassins?"
"I do not know how you deduced that idea."
"Simple! You are looking around as if you are harrowed by something, your posture is poorly hidden with nervousness and your reluctance to shake my hand straight away, even if I was a stranger, gave it away."
"Then, Qal, what is it that you could provide that may save me from any of these 'assassins'?"
She smiled widely, her somewhat dull grey-ish teeth showing in happiness as she herself gazed off to a certain corner of the room where several women were sat around a table. They looked like mercenaries or dangerous fighters of some kind, swords, maces and various other combat-related items resting beside or in front of their chairs. One person at said table notices Qal looking and gave a thumbs up once giving me a single look over. I had no clue what this signified, but it no doubt meant that whatever Qal was offering to me was accepted by the rest.
"Me and my sisters are heading towards Elturel, perhaps even Baldurs Gate. We are sorta like mercenaries or adventurers. Don't tell them, but I'm that smartest of the lot!"
"Is this an invitation?"
"Sure! You have got trouble, you look capable enough given how you are able to fool the Tavern Owners that you are actually a Bard... And I mean, we are kind of desperate for anyone to join us and make the journey more secure."
"Any reason why there are no men?"
She scratched the back of her head as her vibrant green eyes narrowed in a wincing motion. It seemed the topic was slightly uncomfortable for her, which gave me a mind to just smooth it over and ask later; Yes I was going to accept since I had no alternatives at this time and adventurers seemed safer than a city-full of assassins.
"Trust me, it's not because we don't like men. Some are downright gentlemanly to us and help us beyond measure... It's just that some of our members have had experiences with Orks and some other fowler creatures that had drugged them... You get the picture right?"
"Ah! Okay... I apologise, that is rough." I had no clue if that was rough or not, considering that the only experience I'd had with Orks was in Baldurs Gate III where you could play as one... I couldn't judge really.
"Well, I hope you don't hold it against them. All of them were taken and raped, so it isn't their fault."
"I am assuming that the lack of men in the group is because once they learn they think you are sullied or whatever?"
"Not exactly, it is more to the point that the women affected have been known to be violent towards any physical contact, even by women."
This interested me a little as there wasn't a social stigma, like I thought there would be, it was more just the PTSD of the abused women that fended off men and other adventurers. Either way, this little mix; otherwise known as Qal, was fucking intelligent to pick me to join them. I was desperate, needed to go in the direction they were headed and wasn't phased by cultural or risky forms of contact with people. Caution was there for me despite her seeming forthrightness, but I had to act, thus...
"Let me join you all... You were correct, I am not a bard."
"That was obvious, hehehe! Glad to have yah!" This time we shook hands once again. She stood afterwards and gestured for me to follow, my hands tucking the components to the spell I had just cast back into my components pouch under my bard clothing. Standing up and following after her I received some rather intense scrutiny from her allies and friends, their piercing gazes unscrupulously sizing me up. Feeling a little uncomfortable under these pressing scans I began to do the same to them.
There were six women in total other than Qal. One was an elvish woman who had paler skin than those that I had experience with. Scars covered her face in a crisscross pattern, as if an axe had sliced into her face multiple times. Blue eyes stared placidly towards me before I turned to the next woman.
The one on the right of that elvish woman was a human woman of older age, around the early fifties. She had greyish-black hair that was tied up in a bun, held by a singular iron pin that had a silver end to the tops and bottoms of it. One of this woman's eyes was muddy white, blinded by some sort of sustained wound, whilst her other blinked with brown pupil and dark green iris. A curved sword sat directly before her and was not very far away from her right hand.
On the left of the elvish woman was another elf, except, this time, it was one of beautiful golden skin and shimmering sand-like visual texture. Freckles spotted an otherwise perfect elvish facial structure as pure golden eyes examined the bowl in front of her, her attention sapped away by her food and no doubt the hunger that she held.
The other side had a Dwarf Woman with a small but well maintained beard, deep yellow-brown eyes and intricately braided hair that drifted down to her mid-riff... The only reason I did not mistake her for a man was the fact that the back of her armour had a small sign that said as much.
~I'm not a fucking man! I am a Dwarf, now fuck off!~
Those were the words plastered on the back of her armour... Quite apt and to the point might I say, very reminiscent of how Australian's on Earth gave zero fucks about decorum as such and just swore a lot. Despite nostalgia washing over me as I got even closer I didn't fail to notice a rather young looking woman of around 20-ish that stared at me with obvious flushed cheeks. She continued to glance at me with about as much tact as a cat wanting food from a food bowl. Her obvious interest in me was obvious from miles away, so much so that her friend beside her elbowed her and chuckled a little, watching her friend almost explode in shyness. I couldn't see all of her features yet because of her attempts to hide herself from me, but I would no doubt come to see her looks.
Speaking of the elbowing friend, she was rather young as well. Her expressions were obviously teasing and joyful, a tomboyish grin creeping over her face as her other hand slid a gold coin across from finger to finger. It seemed that she was the most deftly fingered of all here and probably the one that had the highest likelihood of being a thief or robber. Despite that little facet of information, the short blonde hair and pure blue eyes that she had would set most at ease, her face easy to look at amongst many of the other eyesores within the Tavern itself.
Qal slapped her right hand on my right shoulder an act that I observed intensely as I sensed for any magic bullshitery. There was none that I could see but he act made me feel on edge, as if anything could turn horrible in moments. What if the lord had set a bounty on me and not just sent assassins? That's possible, a very possible threat... One that I hadn't considered up to this point. Luckily my worries were dissuaded a moment later as Qal winced and apologised profusely to me, her hand being shown to me. I cast a quick detect magic and also found no problems, thus I let it pass.
'It was just a friendly gesture... Fuck you are becoming unfriendly Lumin'ara'el...!'
"Hah, ha, sorry about that. I get a little bit too friendly too quickly when it comes to people who I find fun to be around."
"That's fine. Although, i have no idea why I'd be fun to be around..."
"Aww... That is just sad. Ehum... W- sorry, what's your name?"
"... Lumina..."
She chuckled in awkwardness as we finished crossing the room. Her expression changed quickly to one of extreme excitement from that previous awkwardness however, as she rushed up to her friends.
"Hey, Girls! I found another member...!"
Some of the older women scoffingly laughed, especially the elvish women as they simply shook their head in quiet hilarity. The older human woman rolled her singular good eye before looking over at me, who stood beside Qal.
"What i be tellin ye lass?"
"Not to be 'annoyin' strangers..."
"A lesson ye have yet to learn. Obviously."
The older woman sighed and stood up, her posture rather tough and unforgiving. No doubt she was going to try and suss me out, to see if I was a flight risk, could be useful in a combat situation... Hazing in other words. The two elvish women spoke elven as they watched on, my ears perking up at their words.
"So? Which one do you think will win in will?" The pale elf asked towards the bronze-skinned elf.
"Hmmm, my money's on Ethillar, she's a strong woman and very mature for a Human."
"Good point. I feel something different about this human though. Something, strange about them."
Ethillar... That was the old woman's name, a good thing to know to bridge communication gaps and to show off a little. I'd let them converse a little more though, see if I could get there names from their conversation also.
"Don't be strange yourself. Most humans act this way at first, from my experience, they act all mysterious but turn out to be either mediocre or very immature..."
"I would be careful about saying that around one such as Elminster Aumar."
"Oh, stop being so oppositional, we've never met the man and he is much greater than just an ordinary human. You know this..."
"Adaneth, you are the same as ever, bronze and rather a know it all."
"Don't speak to me of knowing it all, Eldalótë. One who was raised with an adamantium spoon."
There was almost no change to their expressions but I could sort of tell their mood by how their ears slightly twitched or how their noses moved when breathing. Much like the wood elves, these elves seemed to have a lot of intricacy in their body language, mannerisms and speech. It was time to show of now.
"Lass, Qal is a good judge of character, I'll give er that... But she usually does be bringing danger and threat to us in unforeseen ways. Ere, tell me about ye issues and what ye need from us."
She offered me no seat, instead she stood there, her axe between her legs with the head plonked into the ground and the sharpened edges twirling as she spun the weapon in her hands; whilst it was on the ground.
"Ethillar, it is nice to meet you. My name is Lumina." I extended my hand out and watched as the two elves turned instantly silent, glancing at me and then staring at one another, communicating through small body language changes and flicks of the eyes. The Human woman was not surprised in the least and smiled widely, seemingly impressed that I was able to glean that information from the two elvish women.
"Nice ta meet yah Lumina! Hah, hah, hah... Seems like ye been goading them on for some of their information!"
"Exactly. Nice to meet you Adaneth, Eldalótë..." I looked at the bronze-skinned elf first and then turned to the pale elf with the last name spoken, their faces looking shocked a little disgruntled at the prospect that a normal person had just understood their language.
"Istol i Lam edhellen? Mas gin ú-dhil?"
("You understood Elvish? Where did you learn?")
"Ae, istannen. Leithon o edhel-vaer i eneth dîn Lyria... Gennen i ven en-Edhil, aphadim ammen anirad..."
("Yes I did, I learnt from a wonderful wood-elf called Lyria... I learnt some of the Elvish ways before we had to, part ways...")
The two frowned in sadness as I had just shared my experience with Elven death with them. From what I had gathered from the wood-elves, sharing experiences was a major part of their culture, from storytelling to carving intricate details into chairs and other forms of art, it was all to share and pass down tales, stories, lives and reality itself. My words, which may have been simple by other's standards, was in fact meaningful for them as I shared a painful memory, one that they someday could share.
"Cennin i naid dîngol a chenedil e-ruith nî, pedin i edhilathron o Lyria... pa danna i naur na nî."
("I appreciate your dedication of this story for our own memory, I will tell the elders of this Lyria... when I get back to my city.")
"Anar, pedin i edhil o i eledhrim o i Sîdh hîr a na gelaid i-dûr naid e-gond e-madrennieth, e na dîr lothron a idhrenna na Verimithraxxis... Mae gannen a naur e-hain a naur na i guin e i gwen."
(" Instead, tell them of the Wood Elves of the Snake Forest and how they died to a Fire Drake by the name of Vermithraxxis... How they fought bravely until the very last man and woman...")
Seriousness flashed over their expressions at the mention of a Drake, but they quickly readjusted themselves and nodded to me. Ethillar frowned towards the two women and myself, not understanding what we were speaking about. Adaneth, Eldalótë didn't care however as they entered hushed conversation.
"Whate'er you told them, it do be seemin to be important... Look, what trouble are ye in, if ye can answer we'll be happy to have ye, even just for the company."
"I am going to be hunted down today by assassins."
Silence reigned over the entire group of women, the shy one turning her head and frowning as Qal smacked her right fist in her open left palm, as if in a 'I knew it' pose. The Thief-y woman tsked pretty heavily as she dropped the coin onto the table, her mug being grabbed soon after and chugged by her. The two elves widened their eyes and then became utterly serious. I did not know why, but the tone shift was disconcerting. Ethillar sighed before grasping her own mug, downing it and slamming it back down onto the table.
"For fuck's sakes... Qal, you always get us into the thick of it, don't ye?"
"He-he, well, what would life be without some fun?"
"Fuck'n boring, which would be good for a change..."
I scratched the back of my head before shrugging and cracking my neck. This didn't worry any of them as they all slowly started to finish their drinks and stand. It seemed my introduction had gone well and I'd been accepted, at least provisionally.
"Well, don't fuck'n stand there like a tub of lard, get move'n woman, we got assassins to dodge."
"Hmm, well if it helps I can go invisible for an hour?"
"Ye can do what? Look, whatever, stop ye day dreamin, we need to go now."
Shrugging in slight bewilderment I cast the invisibility spell once again, sweat marring my face and my fingers straining to complete the components of the invisibility spell. It was complete however as my form vanished, much to the shock of the patrons who could see it; not that many were interested or looking. The Seven women in the party widened their eyes and grabbed their equipment, whilst suppressing their amazement. Magic was rare, here from what I could find in the books of the Ubiquitous Binder, not as common as Baldurs Gate III made it out to be. Many people were just persisting like average medieval aged peoples, magic only being used on the most wealthy, affluent or skilled of peoples or nations.
"Stop yah gawkin! No matter what she be doin, we need to be away." The younger women nodded and stayed on the inside of Adaneth, Eldalótë, The Dwarven woman and Ethillar. Meanwhile, I kept close but just a little outside of their circle to allow for me to escape if needed. I wasn't a hero and these women were still strangers to me, even if I quite liked how shocked the Elven women were or how shy my little admirer was.
And thus, in a tidal wave of rugged feminine whiles and caution I was lead towards the nearest gate that headed off towards Baldurs Gate, back over the bridge and to the western most gate of the noble district...
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