Fable - Ask Cruising for Ghosts in Glass

[Jazat Mar]

Orcs should could build when the mood struck them.

Still, Jazat was glad he'd decided to make the trip while the sky looked overcast. The last time he had ventured close to this city it had been to achieve some measure of revenge for his father and he had been forced to wait for nightfall as the sun at the time had been rather intense. With cloud cover his eyes were just as good as any one else's though so he was glad of that at least. Marching into the city with a laden pack of adventuring gear along with his arms and armour, he submitted himself for inspect...

And promptly found that the guards were so laid back they let him in after a brief threat about squashing him flat if he so much as stepped a toe out of line. They might have been laid back but there was no mistaking the truth in their words or just how hungry they seemed for the excuse. Needlessly to say Jazat was NOT interested in being squashed.

He was short enough as it was, he didn't need an Orc deciding to help with that.

Now that he was in it was slightly staggering to him just how busy the damned place was. He looked around and couldn't help but grip his dagger tightly even in it's sheath because, honestly, this was the kind of place where cute little people like him got robbed blind he could just tell. Still... he needed to get some information so he headed for the bar.

A secondary reason was that he was also kind of curious about the local booze but he had a feeling some of it could probably kill him. Still, he marched into one of the busiest bars around the marketplace and saddled on up to the bar itself, waiting patiently for the bartender, a large Orc woman, to acknowledge him.

"What can I get for ya short-round?"

Ugh that was going to get old quick.

"You got any local whiskey drinks?" At her nod he continued, "One of them and some information on how to reach the Undercity please."

There was a pause as the two people closest to him at the bar slid slightly further away and the bartender just stared at him. She didn't look angry so much as she just looked confused.

"You looking to die in the underground?"

Aww she was worried, that was quite endearing actually.

"Ah no, I'm looking for something down there that's been lost for a long time. A ghostglass."

Ah... he probably said that a bit too loud because now people were paying attention to him. That could work out well, right? Oh who the hells was he trying to kid, this was probably why he didn't spend much time in bars, he had no mind for the etiquette.

 

[Vyx'aria]

Vyx wasn’t one to socialize or partake in bar activities, but it had been a place to potentially meet an Orc chief to discuss trading options. She and a small group of Drow had come up to the surface to explore the Orc trading city to formalize trading options between the Undercity and the surface. Gems and valuables from up here were worth a fortune down below, and most of it was due to the hazards and risks Drow faced to acquire them.

It took a tremendous amount of convincing to get others to join her, but she could always count on her most loyal soldiers. She kept mostly to herself, ignoring the glares and looks of fear cast her way by the surface dwellers. There was a mixture of anxiety and curiosity about her presence as many had never even seen a dark elf in the flesh.

She hadn’t adjusted to that infuriating great ball of fire up above just yet, and she always had to move in the cover of darkness. Vyx was here by herself, others in her group guarding their wares elsewhere. She may have been a hardened soldier, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t curious.

Currently she found herself at the corner of the tavern staring at a tankard of some brown surface ale. The froth had started to melt away, and still she hadn’t taken a sip, eyeing it suspiciously. What she heard made her perk up, and she paused for a moment - ghost glass?

She gazed at the elf for a long moment, noting how comfortable he looked in this setting. Was he another traitor? The disgust was all but visible on her face. She took her drink and moved to a table closer just for the purpose of eavesdropping. It had been decades since she had heard someone mention ghost glass.

“That don’t exist,” A large orc gruffly spoke up, cutting into the conversation between the barkeep and the dark elf, “Chasin’ fairytales are ya?” He gurgled a laugh, gazing down at the diminutive elf, “Why don’t ya know how to get to the Undercity? Kinda embarrassing for someone of yer kind.”

 

[Jazat Mar]

The big lug of an Orc raised a good point- why didn't he know how to get where he was going when he was a dark elf? He was supposed to know these things after all but... he didn't really feel like talking about it but he had been gone for a long time. The ordered whiskey came so he drank it down quick.

Tastes kind of fruity honestly.

"I've been gone a long time and never really used these entrances."

His father was killed above ground and he had spent... so long up here that it had begun to feel like all he knew. Maybe it was? He'd spent so long up here he knew more methods for lessening the impact of the sun on his eyes than he knew about the ways of the underground.

"Besides I'm not chasing a fairy tale I'm on a mission."

Someone from Elbion had a line on a deserted, beyond deep, level of the undercity of the Orc city and he wanted the money that came from retrieving the ghost glass from said deep dark pit. He drank another glass before stepping away from the bar.

"Guess I'll find it myself. Thanks for the whiskey, here's what I owe..."

Wait... was that grey skin he saw? Was there another elf here? His view was blocked by an Orc going to the bar and he shook his head and headed to the door instead. No, his eyes must have been playing tricks on him.

 

[Vyx'aria]

She thought she caught the elf glancing at her, but the massive orc stood in the way. She remained silent for now, taking a sip from the mug and wincing at once. It tasted like swamp water, and she had to fight back the urge to spit it out. Grimace still lingering on her face, she quietly observed the elf rise from his seat and make his way towards the exit.

“That’s right, get outta here,” The orc called after him, “We don’ want your kind here anyway,” He grinned a toothy grin and chugged down his mug of ale. Vyx ignored this and rose to her feet, walking towards the other elf. She could feel the eyes of a few other patrons on her - drow were a rare sight even in a melting pot city like this.

“What business do you have with ghostglass? Speak,” Her voice was dripping with authority. Vyx was only used to barking out orders to men, and that didn’t change just because she was on the surface. She was unaccustomed to the strange habits of surface dwellers where women appeared either equal or submissive to men. The practice boggled her mind, and she felt disgust for most surface women for not knowing how to have better control of the men.

“You have been on the surface for a very long time,” She said as she gazed into his eyes. They were pale and faded from what they would look like underground. It was clear they had grown accustomed to the great ball of fire above, and the elf had been a surface traitor for decades. Even so, his face suggested he was but a child.

 

[Jazat Mar]

Oh racism from an Orc? There was probably some kind of irony there considering how much racism Orcs usually suffered from humans and others but he didn't much care. He'd learned awhile ago that it was best if he adopted the policy of live and let live - better to fly under the radar than to make a scene.

Especially when said scene would end with a body and if it was his or not it would be trouble for all involved so he just shot the Orc a dirty look and moved on. He was lingering under the awning of the door, wrapping his scarf around his head so as to minimize the glare from the sun should it re-emerge when someone spoke to him.

A thrill ran down his spine and he felt the urge to stand up straighter because that was a tone of voice he'd heard often in some of the stricter mercenary bands. That was a commanding voice if ever he had heard one and from one so short...

Ah.

He had seen grey.

"Business of employment." he responded, pulling his scarf down again as he turned to look at her, eyeing her warily for a few moments, "I've been paid to investigate rumours of it existing in an off-shoot cavern referenced in some old texts by a mage-user from Elbion."

... why had he told her that?

Eh it was probably the voice but it didn't matter; even with that level of information she didn't know where to look or who had hired him. When she commented on him being on the surface a long time he tensed up, eyes narrowing slightly as he matched her gaze. Her eyes were much... sharper than his. She hadn't spent anywhere near as long up here as he had.

"I find people up here are more honest. They're also arseholes but that's what honesty looks like a lot of the time - what business is it of yours?"

 

[Vyx'aria]

Vyx’s mouth twitched just a little as he asked what business it was of hers. Her normal response would have been to backhand the male across the face, but she knew such weren’t the customs on the surface.

“Watch your tone,” She hissed quietly in Drow, “And don’t forget your place,” Vyx’s eyes pierced into him, but she didn’t linger on the threat too long. The prospect of ghost glass was enough to pique her curiosity. She had heard of it only in rumors, but if anyone were willing to pay for a job, that meant it existed.

“I know the way to the Underdark,” Vyx said after a moment, crossing her arms over her chest, “But you will share in the profits if I show you,” This was normally not her style, but she didn’t have the preliminary context of the location like he did. She half considered nabbing it from him once they were underground and leaving him to die.

Vyx walked past him and towards the exit of the tavern, “Follow if you want.”

 

[Jazat Mar]

She looked like she wanted to slap the taste out of his mouth and Jazat had a moment where he considered pushing her to try it. He wasn't sure who this woman even was but he knew by her tone that she expected to be respected and obeyed. Trouble was, as far as he was concerned, she'd done nothing to earn either from him except act like he had to give it to her.

Don't forget his place huh?

Sounded familiar coming from a dark elf woman and it got his hackles raised almost immediately. Scowling, he knew one thing above his annoyance, however, and that was that he needed to get below ground. The Underdark of Bhathairk was different to the underground cities of their people but she knew enough to assist him.

"You can look forward to 40%." he agreed bluntly as he made to follow after her, wrapping his scarf around his head properly as they left the tavern, "You've got no idea where to look once we get there after all."

But he would be the first to admit that keeping her around when they were there would serve well. His employer had stressed that the journey would be fraught with dangers and he doubted it was an exaggeration.

"So what are you doing above ground then?"

Seemed like a valid question since she seemed so resistant to him living there for so long.

 

[Vyx'aria]

Vyx didn’t answer him for a long moment as they exited the tavern and out into the streets. She hadn’t even bothered to pay for her swamp water of a drink, and she hoped to make a smooth exit before anyone noticed. She glanced back over her shoulder a few times before she was convinced that she was in the clear.

After walking for a few moments, one of her direct reports came up to her, stopping short as a look of surprise dawned on her face. The warrior looked at the male that was accompanying Vyx, and it was clear she was bursting at the seams with questions. Out of pure respect, she calmly looked back over to Vyx instead.

“All clear on our end.”

“Good,” Vyx said quietly, rubbing her chin in thought, “We have a slight change of plans. Keep on guard here and send Taishara and Sylvania to the Eastfront path to the Underdark.”

The warrior nodded and turned to leave without a word. There was no doubt that the questions would be buzzing amidst the women, but Vyx had no patience for it. She instead motioned for the Drow male to follow as she began walking towards the aforementioned path.

“Trade,” Vyx said quietly. It would appear out of context, but was in reference to the question the male posed a while back, “Surface goods are very valuable underground.”

After a moment, she came to an abrupt pause. Vyx turned to face the male, curiosity in her eyes, “Tell me….what is the purpose of the burning ball of fire that rises above? Is it conjured by a powerful mage to burn Underdark dwellers?”

 

[Jazat Mar]

Seemed she was the strong and silent type and he could respect that - meant she wasn't having a go at him again. Plus she looked like she could pull off the 'strong' part as well as the silent part. Had the kind of walk about her that spoke not only of command but personal combat as well.

Guess she wasn't likely to just be all talk.

When they met someone else he blinked once seeing the warrior look so... confused? Excited? What was it with people acting like that around him today? Why was it so damned confusing to see another elf in this city? Ugh he was going to need to get answers at some point or he was going to have to seriously consider turning back on this job as a bad move.

More names... how many people did she have with her? His hands strayed closer to his sheathed weapons on instinct and he glanced around them, eyes darting from side to side to try and make sure he wasn't walking into an ambush. It would be just his luck for following a commanding voice and some grey skin he supposed.

Trade huh?

Yeah he could see that. Some of the food up here was so different to the stuff he remembered from his childhood and that was just the tip of the iceberg he supposed.

"Makes sense - better ingredients for alchemy and food." he agreed, raising an eyebrow before glancing up at the sky for a moment, frowning, "You know... I'm not sure. The surface people take it for granted - like it's always been there and always will."

He remembered something the magi back in Elbion had mentioned.

"Some of their scholars think it's older than the ground or something but I don't know about that." he shrugged, "Seems like bad luck it affects us and nothing more... or else all surface dwellers are ignorant of an ancient weapon."

One seemed slightly more likely in his opinion - most surface dwellers were kind of dumb in his experience. As for the elf he was following? She seemed... odd. She seemed so certain and so commanding one moment and so curious another. She was confusing but it was interesting, trying to see what she was like beyond the voice and attitude.