The Four Treasures

~Thaden Ma'lar~

"There, drive into there."
"But there are people in the way."
"Just do it!" The wagon lurched forward as we approached at tremendous speed.

Ripping the arrow from my cloak I swore "the racist bastard; but i'll be a good little drow and just sit here. Always hatred were ever I go, stupid elves." I said sitting in my chair, watching the overly eager elf get surrounded by drow. "hmm... wonder what they're doing here" as I peer out at the fighting drow. "I wonder why valin never had any problems with croak, he is as much of a creature of chaos as I am... "

I had never in my life seen so many drow in one place; it may as well have been a raiding party! Many of them were dressed in full battle garb, the jetblack links of their chainmail armor clinking softly as they ran toward Valin. I hurredly ran to Driznarden and pulled the arrow out of the wall. Grabbing his collar, I lifted him till his nose was level with mine, then said,

"If you want a chance to prove yourself to the elf, and to ME, this is it."

Dropping him back to his feet, I rushed out after Valin.

Snatching up my shield and drawing my sword, I belted the shield to my back and pulled my dager once more.

"Croak, Alex! AMBUSH!" I called upstairs, praying to Helm that they would hear me.

Throwing myself into the dawn's light, I hurled my dagger with all my strength, the small blade taking a closing drow in the neck, dropping him instantly. I saw a flash of movement to my left, and brought my sword up to deflect the oncoming blade. Batting the curved sword aside, I turned completely around t look the drow in his crimson eyes.

Taking a step back to adjust himself to my block, he grinned at me, full of confidence. Spinning his scimitar in a tight circle at his side, he reached to his belt and a second blade seemed to materialize into his hand.

I readied myself, not daring to reach for my shield strapped to my back. Growing impatient, the drow jumped a me, both blades flashing. Ducking under the first, I reached up and blocked the second with my armored forearm. Slashing forward with my longsword, the drow proved his elfin heritage by jumping out of the way with unbelievable agility. My blade still brushed his armor, but the tough adamantine turned the blade aside. Landing with catlike grace in a perfectly balanced crouch, the drow leaped forward again, one blade poised to take out my throat, the other going in low at my gut. I threw my hips backwards, narrowly avoiding the low attack, then defelcted the second blade off to the side. Both his attacks foiled, the drow had no defense against my left hook that caught him square in the jaw. His momentary lapse of concentration left me wide open to drive my blade into his chest. He shuddered and gasped for breath, my blade having pierced a lung. Planting my foot on his chest, I kicked him off of my blade, then turned to see how well Valin and the others fared.

OOC: (Out Of Character) Remember the Drow Seraph knocked out? I have plans for him...so don't do anything with him, oki doke?

After being dropped on the floor i started to walk towards the door"*sigh* every one hates the drow I guess" then quickly I dissapeared, along with firerunner. "fire runner, go help valin out, hes has quite a few drow drow surrounding him"
"why master, he hates us so"
"just do it i'll explain later"
"fine" he grumbled leaping at the nearest drow's throaght, taking him down; blood gurgling forth out of the dying drows mouth. I myslef sneaking up behind one sunk my kukri through his spine.
"Stupid young and arrogent drow, all fresh from the acadamy; what are they thinking sending these first, and at daylight." As soon as i was finished with that drow, i moved onto the next drow, fireing a couple magic missle into his head killing him instantly.
Then one of them turned and saw me "There he is get him!' the drow yelled.
"oh dear" casting a thick fog and a globe of darkness just too keep concealed, i levitated into the air above them.
The one drow who ran in after me began to take out his handcrossbow, aiming; but firerunner pounced on him, and begame a black blur of teeth, claws, and fire.

Watching as Driznarden joined the battle, I smiled grimly, making a mental note to check out the drow's gauntlets after the fight. Running toward the drow encricling Valin, I pulled my dagger from the throat of my first kill.

Slamming into a trio of drow, I barged past them to stand next to Valin.

"Smooth move, Valin. How do you expect us to get out of this?" I asked him.

One of the drow stepped forward. Dressed in an amazing suit of black platemail armor, his white hair was tied back and braided over his shoulder. He wore a small crown, as was customary of a drow noble. In his hands were two beautifully matched blades, one short and one long, both covered in runes that blogwed a cool violet in the dim dawn light. He opened his mouth and said, in rough common,

"We don't care about you, Human. Leave the elf, and hand over the triator, and you may walk free."

"I've dealt with your kind before, Drow. You are about as faithful to your word as a goblin is faithful to his companions."

"Then you die alongside him."

I leveled the tip of my sword at the speaker and said "Before I fall, you will die."

"Oh its him..." I said while watching the drow stepping out of the mist,"this is much more serious than I thought" casually frying a drow leaping at me from the roof tops. "amateurs, this is a party full of amateurs, but were is the wizard; they wouldn't have come up here without a wizard."
"right here driznardren" a drow said as a magic missile slammed into my back , thankfully my magic armor absorbed the attack.
"hello Fralegard, what brings your all the way to the surface?"
"you , you know exactly what you have done" he yelled at me anger in his eyes
"sorry to disappoint you, but i have no clue what you are talking about." i said slowly casting behind my back.
"you almost destroyed the magic academy along with ever one in it" farelegard's words dripping with hatred, "you killed my wife"
"i am sorry for your loss, but you see i had no choice, she was sent to kill me, and i wasn't about to let that happen" i said my casting almost complete.
"were she failed to kill you i will not!" he yelled flying through the air, rapier drawn.
"And that my old Friend is were you are wrong" casting a tall wall of ice, freezing him inside. "oh and fralegard, welcome to the surface world". I didn't destroy the academy, i merely set it on fire, and put down an extremely large fog so i could escape. i wonder why they wanted to kill me, maybe we can have a word with fralegard after he thaws.

Learil-

I watched a gory battle unfold below me. I was puzzled by all the drow around; me and my quary i had asumed wuold be the only ones here. Suddenly Diznarden, the dark elf i so dearly wanted to kill came into my sight. But to my horror another drow came from behind hi m and was about to dispose of him, that wuold have deprived me from my OWN revenge. So moving quikly i shot the offending drow just as he was about to kill my enmy. Then winking at Morganna we leaped lightly out of the tree. With lightning speed I shot a paralizeing bolt at Diz, but alas it dropped, he must have been wearing invisable armor. I knew this wuold have to be a hand to hand battle to the death so i activated my own armor and pulled out my mace. Morrgana gave me a toothy german shepard grin then used her power to grow, and stopped at the size of an large rhino although she cuold get bigger ha she wanted to. Now many of the drow were noticeing us, me because i am female and Morgana because of her size, but they kept fighting. I could see they were weak. By now Fireater had noticed us so Morrgana attacked him while i slinked over to that basterd, Diz.

i spun around at the light impact of a dart, fired at my back "sneaky little buggers now arent we" i said turning around kukri drawn, my mouth gaped open"learil..." what was she doing here, and she was holding the crossbow. Instantly firerunner engaged her giant german shepherd, and what a huge dog she was. without a glance at learil i dropped to the ground inside the globe of darkness , instantly switching my vison from normal to infrared (another ability all drow have).

Diz saw me and gaped, but without a seconds delay he dropped to the ground and out of my sight. Now I was truly angery. I had completly lost the element of suprise, and with so many drow and elfs around, he might have gained it. In short I fumed.

i could see her form outside the globe, but then another elf ran into me, without thinking i attacked it, slashing his arms open. he dropped his weapon the muscles in his arms severed, he ran out of the globe trailing blood; after he exited i saw him take an arrow to the head, that must have been valin. learil began to stalk towards the globe, and i cast a spell of invisibility upon myslef.

Dan: Please don't make our characters follow you anymore. This is the second time that you've had Croak do something that I would not have had him do, so please stop it.

Croak, contrary to popular belief, had stayed in the tavern. In fact, he was sleeping quite well all through the first drow attack. He had found one of his hidden crevices in the tavern, the kind of hole that you have to look for to find and that only a creature as small as he could fit through. He heard a scuffle outside, but decided it was a bad dream and stayed asleep. Transforming into the bog creature had been a terribly draining experience, and a few hours of sleep wasn't nearly enough to bring him back to full fitness. So, when the sounds of a scuffle outside woke him up, he merely blinked and was asleep once more.

Because of the globe of darkness I switched to my ifored vision. I relized at that piont Diz must be useing invisability so I cast my dispell invisabilty. Finally I had him in my sights. I got ready to cats my spider spell to trap him in a web.

as i saw her casting all that whent through my head was "oh crap"; but luckily firerunner and morganna rolled inbetween learil and i right as she finished casting her spell, trapping the two pets in a large web. Quickly fireing a lightning bolt but just close enough to stun her, i quickly ran up and knocked her out. picking her up and levitating her to the top of the ice wall witch incased fralegard. "sorry love, had to do that" after tightly tying her hands and fingers so she couldnt spellcast and also her ankles so she couldn't jump down and run away. i quickly dropped down to join the fray once more.

Whenever you guys want to jump in the Old Man's wagon, Thaden is ready.

ooc: we are supposed to run?? i thought we were going to beat the crap out of the attackers, we are doing great.