Completed Vintage Dwarven Wine

[Seredic]

Another dream about Sally.....

Ever since her death, Seredic has been doing everything he could to forget about Sally whenever he thought about his Lost Lenore, Seredic will end up weeping bitterly for her and his unborn son. Yet the Gods refused to allow Seredic to forget. Allowing him to be chained to her ghost and her memory, in the dream the were back home at Fairbairn looking on a hill with sitting under the Ironbark tree. Seredic remembered stroking Sally's long brown, curly hair. He always wondered how she kept it so soft, Sally claimed that she had homemade hair products which she sold to her friends for cheap.

What a smart and beautiful girl Sally was and she was capable of compassion something Seredic often struggled to do without using his coins to bribe people. "There's something delightful about this meadow," Sally would whisper in Seredic's ear while they gazed at the sunset. "The gentle breeze, the tall green grass and Sunflowers. It reminds of you Seredic."

"Me?!" Seredic laughed though he kept his voice at a whisper. "My mother always I was a bad seed for struggling to have empathy. I'll probably sprout into an evil plant and infect the meadow with my cynicism."

Sally giggled and kissed Seredic's cheek. "You have a big heart Seredic," she said. "You just need to open up and not just to me....."

The Halfling woke up drenched with cold sweat, his brown nightclothes that was bought to him by Abdel's servant's was drenched. The dream was supposed to be pleasant, but as always with Sally it just filled Seredic with dread. He looked up at the sky and saw that dawn was on the horizon. Yawning, Seredic quickly began to change to his traveling clothes which were washed thoroughly by the washerwomen. Seredic exited his room and saw Samuel and Samantha waiting for him.

"Well aren't you two eager to travel," he said smirking. "It's the thirst of knowledge that has you addicted now is it? Or maybe the possibility of grabbing the Wine made from the Dwarves?"

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

"Neither," said Nyght.
"That shit ain't for us," said Scythe.
"We're just here for the free stay at Abdal's party house."
"And the drinks."
"Ooo, and the whores. Throw in some whores when we get back."

Thirst for knowledge? Nope. And some ancient dwarven wine? Nah, any old wine from down the street in Maraan would be good enough for them, if drinkin' wine even struck their fancy, which it rarely did.

This whole thing was Seredic's dig. They were along for the ride, sure, but it was Seredic's without a doubt. They had a few days before the Philanthropist's next shipments of crap came in and were ready to be bundled together and sent off. Might as well spend one in some abandoned ruin.

Wait.

"Hey. Seredic," said Scythe.
"This ruin is abandoned. Right?" said Nyght.

 

[Seredic]

Samuel and Samantha..... two insolent and blackhearted rogues. The moment Seredic met them, he had a feeling that they were those types of people. At least they were honest about their motivations unlike the mercenaries who would fill your ear with honeyed words and then backstab you when it's convenient for them to do so. Still Insolent and blackhearted rogues were one of the few things Seredic liked about them.

"Oh yes," Seredic said beginning to exit the resort "In fact Amol-Kalit has some of the best whores in all of Arethril. You ever heard of the Sand Elf Bellydancers? They are graceful and beautiful and of course they go both ways."

In his visits to the Palaces of Amol-Kalit, Seredic did not partake in the Sultan's lust for whores and dancers. Mainly because he was happily married to Sally even after her death, Seredic never even looked at a girl with nothing more than just companionship or just another person he wants to manipulate. Samuel and Samantha were skeptical that the ruin was abandoned, Seredic did expect that they'll see old Dwarven Machinery trying to attack them. It should be nothing that Samuel and Samantha couldn't handle right?

"It should be," Seredic said. "King Axel wasn't as interesting compared to the other Kings that came before and after him. He was only for creating Dwarven Wine which admittedly not even the Dwarven Nobles drink that much of. If anything, the Dwarven Wine brands often sell to other races, besides his Kingdom could was lost for unknown reasons. The map just coordinates the most likely location."

Seredic expected to be something there, before he went to bed the Halfling had a conversation with Abdel. According to the Sand Elf, there were some items unearthed in the area pinpointed by Seredic that belonged to the King. However recently the area was besieged by a massive Sandstorm which was raging for about a year. The people suspected the Sandstorm to be conjured up by magic, no way Sandstorms last that long. It convinced Seredic to go through with the plan, something or someone was hiding the location.

"Now then," Seredic said. "Shall begin our journey?"

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

Bellydancers. Scythe and Nyght didn't know exactly what those were, but they sure as hell liked the sound of 'em. And, well, you know, they'd seen some of these Sand Elves around here in Maraan. Despite the awful heat, and because of the boring work for the Philanthropist, they browsed. As you do. Plenty of lookers from what they'd seen. Plenty. Some were a little too elvish. Bit too angular, sharp, or lithe or lanky or whatever the more appropriate words were. They were just too different. But some. Ah yeah, some really did it for 'em.

It was always nice to have something to look forward to after a job. Extra motivation. And nothing motivated more than the promise of a sweat-drenched, legs-shaking, nethers-tingling night.

It should be, the halfling said, in relation to the ruin being abandoned.

"Well thank fuck for King Axel's astounding mediocrity," said Scythe.
"Maybe his kingdom died out from boredom," said Nyght.
"All the better for us, right?"
"Hopefully that wine knocks you flat on your ass."
"Wouldn't want things to be too mediocre."

Both Scythe and Nyght gestured with their hands: Lead the way.

"Right behind you, bossman," said Nyght.
"Make sure you don't got the map upside-down," said Scythe.

And they both grinned. Both, then, ready to follow after Seredic and retrieve his wine from this ruin. They still didn't know why some wine from the market in Maraan wouldn't do for him, but what the hell did they know. They weren't wine critics. Was a critic some kind of wizard or something? Because this sounded like something a wizard would do, go off in search of some far-flung reagents or arcane whatevers in ruins like these.

Heh. Seredic the Wine Wizard. Had a ring to it.

 

[Seredic]

Well at least the walk won't be completely boring, Samuel and Samantha despite them being massive fuck ups at their jobs, they had a witty tongue in which Sedric will happily exchange with during the long trek through the desert. For the Halfling, the only thing that would be a killer is not the intense heat nor the risk of death that comes with dungeon crawling it it's fact that he'll be bored during the journey. Seredic spent two weeks of doing nothing through the desert all by himself. No one to talk except for the mirage of Halflings that appeared in the desert.

Poppy Popplecock: The Halfling farmer who borrowed coin from Seredic but did not return it was there dancing in the sands. Oh Seredic can't wait until returns from his journey, he'll triple the interest on that lowlife degenerate. Oswald Proudfoot also faded in and out during his trudge through the sand. Proudfeet he likes to call himself a Halfling who is pushing 149 years of age. An accomplishment considering Halflings live up to 130 years. Seredic was grateful that the ghost of Sally didn't appear to haunt him, if anything if he saw her in the sands he would go crazy trying to look for her.

"Oh don't worry," Seredic said nervously. "I've made that same mistake before I landed near a pit of scorpions something that I rather forget."

The door began to open before three as Abdel wished them luck on their journey. "Samuel and Samantha," Seredic said pride swelling within him. "Let's go meet destiny."

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

* * * * *​

Walking.

Lots of walking.

Normally that wasn't a bad thing. It was just a thing. Fact of life without a horse, or when taking care of a horse was a pain in the ass. And yeah, in the Reach walking wasn't all that bad. But here? Out in this desert? Even "a few miles to the east" was a fucking slog. When Scythe and Nyght had first come to Maraan from the Portal Stone, they'd ridden in on camels. Yeah. The Philanthropist, say what you will about him, but what a lad. Making sure they had a ride when they arrived.

But Scythe and Nyght trudged through the sand after Seredic. Their coats had come off again, tied up around their waists. No seriously, fuck deserts. Hot as hell during the day, and--fucking somehow--cold as shit during the night. Couldn't make up its damn mind.

They passed the time by going on and on with their stories; some of their favorites. Sash Girl and how she got that name by using her (skirt? sarong? whatever it was called) as a weapon; damn she had a nice ass. A few Captain Aey stories. The one-legged juggler who beat up a whole tavern by himself when someone (it was Scythe's body) knocked one of the balls he was juggling away. That vampire story, with them and Plate Man (Ser Waldenworth, what a hilarious name) and the bard Dez and the Monster Hunter Willis. Oh, and that time they played games on that ship with The Kid, a fresh-faced sailor that Nyght's body kept flashing; just him, and only him, none of the other sailors. They never saw a funnier shade of red in their life than The Kid's face, and it was every damn time too.

Lots of stories. But, finally, they looked to be getting close.

Out of the sands, a rocky outcropping of ruddy red, seen clearly as they crested the latest dune. And not a little outcropping either, a big-ass one. Pillars of fashioned stone were carved into this outcropping, and though the years had really worn on them (one was even broken in half), still they stood. And these pillars flanked a large and dark portal leading into the rocks and, inevitably because dwarves, down. Seriously though, what was with dwarves and making enormous gateways into their holds? What the hell did they need all that extra clearance for?

Wind picked up a small bit of sand and blew it aimlessly in the gap between them and the ruins before them.

"Well," said Nyght.
"At least it looks like nobody's home," said Scythe.
"You got any idea where this wine is supposed to be inside?"
"Ah shit, what if somebody else got to it first?"
"Like, only just last week or something?"

Scythe and Nyght grinned. Again. Damn, wouldn't that be awful? Stuff was apparently around for years, but to be beaten to the punch by a matter of days? That seemed way worse than if the wine was long gone.

Here's to finding out, though.

 

[Seredic]

Normally with a walk this long, Seredic would've stopped for a break to rest his aching legs. A Halfling's body was not built to travel long distances which was probably the reason why many of them remained stationary. However this time Seredic could hardly feel the pain, he was busy exchanging stories with Samuel and Samantha of his life. He was also filled with glee and excitement about the possibility of fulfilling his destiny. To do what the angelic creature said in his dream make the Wine of Destiny. Seredic spent months preparing for the long journey it was finally about to pay off.

Seredic talked to Samuel and Samantha about his life how he became ambassador at 22. "It's a big deal," The Halfling told the twins. "It's way before the age of maturity for Halflings which is around 33. Me being Ambassador at 22 is like becoming a King at age 15. There was a lot of eyes that befell upon me the moment I was chosen for the job."

He continued to talk about the traveling he did to negotiate deals with other races, he talked about his election to Mayor and how he started his Vineyard business. Samuel and Samantha most likely found it boring but Seredic didn't care, he had someone to talk to. What Seredic left out though was any mention of Sally. The mere thought of her would break him, Seredic often asked for a drink from the two of them whenever Sally came up in his thoughts.

After what felt like hours, the trio arrived at the spot on that Seredic pin pointed on the map. "Well of course," Seredic said walking ahead of them planting his walking stick on to the sand. "Abdel told me there hasn't been anyone who explored the ruins in years. Assuming that it hasn't sank in the-"

The Halfling's jaw dropped as his dark blue eyes gazed on the horizon. Far ahead was a large camp full of tents and humans working. "Get down!" Seredic hissed at the twins falling on his stomach.

A large flag of a Golden Sun flew high in the desert sun. Where has he seen that before? "Shit!" Seredic said to the twins. "I recognize that flag! It's the Kingdom Cintria! But what are they doing here?"

Peering again, Seredic saw the many of the black plated soldiers barking out orders in what appeared to be slaves. There were pits formed and the slaves were picking away at rocks:

Boxes were transported to Horse carriages as a large man wearing the Cintrian armor observed the slaves transporting the goods. "Looks like I was a inaccurate," Seredic mumbled.

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

Get down!

Thank the Gods of Good Times for twitchiness. Scythe and Nyght normally weren't as twitchy as, say, some kid who inhaled a dozen sweetrolls, no. But they still had it: decently good reflexes. Dodged the hell out of those Black Falcon hand crossbow shots yesterday, and today they flattened themselves down on the dune right about as soon as Seredic said that.

Only, they didn't dodge any crossbow bolts. Not those or arrows or some magic projectile. What the hell was the big deal?

Flag? What flag? Where?

Oh.

"Cintria," said Scythe.
"Never heard of it," said Nyght.

In their defense, their usual haunts were Alliria and Elbion and the immediate areas thereabouts. Not exactly world travelers. Just looking for juicy targets as raiders back then, and just looking for juicy contracts as mercenaries now.

"This, uh, something we should be concerned about?" said Scythe.
"Why the hell would those saps over there care about some wine?" said Nyght.

Fuck, for all Scythe and Nyght knew there was stiff competition in the wine critic world. 'Course, why would they need slaves and shit for going on a little expedition into the ruins? Well. Hey. Matter of fact, they weren't going into the ruins. Just digging for some shit outside of it in the rocks. The goddamn gate was right there, so why not go in?

Heh. Maybe they didn't give a damn about the wine after all.

 

[Seredic]

Sereidic's stomach felt as though it was about to disconnect from his body. He's heard stories about the Kingdom of Cintria and their brutal practices with slavery. Halflings valued freedom and fiercely opposed slavery in fact many abolitionists throughout Arethril's history were Halflings. Dibbit Hoppingmouth a Halfling during the Age Of Wonders fought for people enslaved by the Dark Elves. He would sneak into their homes and ushered them out using underground tunnels that still remain hidden to this day.

There was even a slave uprising during the Age of Expansion where Annie Flatfoot lead a rebellion against King Gretchen and his crusades. Annie and the slaves won many skirmishes and even killed some of Gretchens elite knights. However her rebellion was eventually put down in the battle of the Glistening Grasslands located in the Allir Reach. It was considered to be a slaughter with 3/4 of the slaves including Annie killed in the battle. The area of the battle was also known as the Bloody Grasslands, while the rebellion was over many slaves were inspired by Annie's example and rose up against King Gretchen.

The Halflings erected a statue to Annie Flatfoot at the Bloody Grasslands which still stands to this day. "Seeing slaves makes me want to come up there and beat them up." Seredic said to the twins. "But you're going to have to get very drunk to do something stupid like that."

The Halfling stroked his beard. "Come to think of it," he reminenced. "Even piss drunk I would still have the sense not to take on an armored soldier."

Did Shilard know about this operation? Of course he had to, a man of his stature had to be aware. As far as Seredic knew slavery was outlawed in these parts of the Savanah. "Seeing Cintria blatantly violating the anti-slavery law would have the Kingdom blacklisted from Maaran." Seredic told the twins. "The old man: Shilard would be aware of this. Why would they risk breaking an alliance with Maaraan just to explore an Kingdom of an ancient Dwarven King?"

The Halfling got up and stared at Samuel and Samantha. "This place they set up screams: Kill on sight," he said. "But we can play the ignorant explorers. In the meantime let's if we can't find another way in."

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

Piss drunk, hadn't Scythe and Nyght taken on Plate Man? Good ol' Ser Waldenworth, of the Philanthropist's employ? Hmmmmm...yeah, they did. They punched at his breastplate to no real effect while Plate Man just stood there with that holier-than-thou, crossed-arms, condescending stance and chided them for their foolery and their licentious and probably a few other things.

Okay. Bit of a rough comparison there, them playfully taking shots at a "friendly" armored soldier and Seredic musing about actually fighting one in real combat while piss-ass drunk. But. You know. Technically...they did take on an armored soldier while piss-ass drunk. Felt good. Not their knuckles, of course, but otherwise.

All the political stuff? Right over Scythe and Nyght's heads. Cintria, one of the many smaller kingdoms around that they hadn't visited, doin' something or another around Maraan. Was this about the wine? And the fuck did Cintria need slaves for if that's all they wanted? It was all they wanted, right? Wait. Did anybody in Maraan give a shit about the wine? Or was it just Seredic?

Kill on sight. Yeah. That was something they could work with. Basically, didn't really matter why Cintria was here, all Scythe and Nyght needed to know was: watch your asses.

Seredic stood up. All clear for Scythe and Nyght then, so they stood as well.

"Ignorant explorers," said Scythe with a grin.
"That won't be a problem," said Nyght with a grin.
"Another way in, huh."
"You figure there's another one of these big entrances around somewhere?"
"See? We don't even need to act."

They made light of the situation, sure. But if push came to shove around here, well, they'd have to earn those whores back in Maraan, wouldn't they?

Always good to have clear short-term goals to aspire to.

 

[Seredic]

Well Ignorant is pretty much how Seredic would describe Samuel and Samantha. Because of their antics yesterday, Seredic was still pretty sore of nearly getting killed because of them. Well sore was more of an understatement. Seredic wanted to beat them on the head so badly that their brains will leak and that was something the Halfling would do sober or drunk. Sighing, Seredic scanned the map, his finger gliding through the drawing of the mountains that they were in.

"The Dwarves love to dig," Seredic said his eyes still gazing at the map. "In Kal Pathras there were many secret tunnels that the army could use to ambush a marching unit. Of course King Axel with his sprawling would love nothing more than to build tunnels."

Seredic took out his pen and circled a possible location on the map. "Especially in the mountains!" he said. "Where minerals and precious gems reside, while information on King Axel's Dwarven Kingdom is scarce. One can assume that he would mine the places he conquered."

There's got to be a place that they can enter, Seredic has come too close not to be denied. Whatever the Cintrians got cooked up, held no interest to Seredic. Well unless they were coming after the Wine of Destiny as well? The Halfing felt lightheaded nearly losing his balance in the process. "Well need to hurry," Seredic said walking past the twins. "If we are to reach the Wine, we must traverse through the mountains. I've dined with Dwarves during my time as Ambassador. They may be innovative but at the same time they stick to the same methods."

Seredic's walking stick crushed a Rock Beetle that was crawling on the ground if there was one thing that Seredic was grateful for was that at least they'll get shade from the scorching sun. "That Includes where they dig," he added. "I surmised that there is a digging site at least 10 miles from where we are. If we move our arses we can get there before nightfall."

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

The Dwarves love to dig.

Classic dwarves.

In the mountains.

Also classic dwarves.

But, shit, that meant going into the damn mountains. This was turning out to be quite the game of "would you rather," and they weren't even drunk. Would they rather: try fighting fuck knows how many armored soldiers, or go for a hike in the mountains? Seemed like an easy decision. But the first choice grated against their combat discretion, and the second choice grated against their general laziness.

Eh, but the mountain was the lesser of two shitty situations, wasn't it?

Scythe and Nyght followed after Seredic. That halfling could read a map like a son-of-a-bitch, alright.

"Nothin' wrong with us being a little late," said Nyght.
"The wine can't grow legs and walk away. Wait. It can't do that, right?" said Scythe.

Despite their mild complaints, they kept up, trekking across the desert for Seredic's alternate entrance into the ruins.

 

[Seredic]

"Once I saw a wine sprouted wings and began to fly away," Seredic said as he began to traverse up the Mountain. "It was during a severe hallucinations though, a word of advice for you two. Always check the type of Mushroom you're consuming. While a fresh Mushroom is delicious, there are types that can get you high as a kite or will automatically you."

Halflings have a fondness for simple foods such as cornbread, pumpkins and especially mushrooms. Seredic doesn't know a Halfling who doesn't love mushrooms. While other races say that mushrooms are essentially tasteless, to Halflings there was just a certain flavor about it that only Halflings can taste. It tasted salty yet sweet like a fish tasting like sea salt ice cream. Halflings couldn't get enough of it, even the hill tribes who reside in the spine.

For Seredic, place a little seasoning and the salt from the Mushroom will be eliminated. It'll taste like raw meat but for Seredic and the other richer Halflings, seasoned Mushroom was their equivalent to fine dining in Fairbairn. "We Halflings can't get enough of Mushrooms," Seredic said struggling to walk against the small hill on the mountain. "But sometimes in our fervor to seek out Mushrooms, we forget that some of them can kill us."

For Halflings another common cause of death was by their reckless consumption of Mushrooms. Many poisonous Mushrooms grow around Fairbairn and Halflings ignorant of that fact eat them daily. There was one case where a Halfling who died from eating poisonous Mushrooms had his stomach eroded when the coroner opened him up. "So we must be- ooohhhh Mushrooms!"

Seredic craned his head and saw Mushrooms growing on the darker part of the Mountain. Ignoring the pain around his hips, the Halfling eagerly went to the Shrooms and gathered them up. He liked to think that he was a rational Halfling, but the sight of mushrooms made him a bit..... crazed. Seredic didn't bother to look whether they were poisonous or not but placed them in his back pack.

"I can't help myself," he said to the twins sheepishly. "It's in my nature."

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

Mushrooms. Yeah, that was a halfling thing. Scythe and Nyght didn't really care for them, even while they were out in the woods on some trek here or there and foraging for food. They ate 'em, sure, every now and then. The actual good ones, anyway. Gotta watch those bad ones. Old raider buddy of theirs ate the wrong and had the shits for a week. Or did he get poisoned and die, and that was somebody else who got the shits? Ah, they couldn't remember.

Well, this little conversation and others passed the time. Passed the time and the distance, as the desert gave way to foothills and those mountains leaned in ever closer. They weren't nothin' like the Spine, sure, Liadain's mountains didn't have shit on Epressa's, but a pain in the ass was a pain in the ass. Hey, at least it was a little bit cooler, now that they gained some altitude and the sun was working its way toward evening.

So we must be- ooohhhh Mushrooms!

Scythe and Nyght stopped. Watched the halfling gather up those shrooms and stuff 'em in his backpack and saunter back onto the path.

"You sure those aren't the poisonous ones, boss?" said Scythe.
"We mean, ironic if you were just sayin' somethin' about deadly mushrooms and..." said Nyght.
"Oh, what if those give you the shits?"
"That'd be hilarious. Go ahead, try one."
"We'll pass. We're, uh, like orcs. Carnivorous. Yeah."

How much longer did they have to go? This mountain pass seemed to stretch on for a while here. Not quite the arduous uphill battle they were expecting, but it was no stroll through a garden either. Loose rocks and dirt weren't that much better than the soft sand of the desert, even if their ankles preferred the sand.

Well. Keep a look out for anything real dwarf-y lookin'.

 

[Seredic]

Seredic snorted gripping his bag as he stepped back a bit. "I'm pretty sure those Mushrooms are perfectly fine," he snapped not even bothering to check them. "I have the nose for it! We Halflings are great when it comes to sensing danger. The last time I repeatedly shit myself it was when I was piss drunk and walked into a crate."

The Halfling shuddered remembering the whole ordeal. "I was on a business trip," Seredic said struggling to climb up the rocky hill. The sharp edges that protruded from the ground poked at his palm, Seredic would've asked Samuel and Samantha to carry him on his back but based on how they bitched about..... well everything combined with the fact that Halflings HATE being carried around it was for the best.

"Let's just say," Seredic mumbled to the twins. "That shoving your shit through a small hole is quite the adventure."

Just then the sounds metal stomping against the stone rang against Seredic's ears. The Halfling immediately dropped down and urged twins to do so. Looking down, Seredic saw two soldiers dressed in black plated armor patrolling the mountain. "How high is this mountain?!" One of them said.

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

Just would have been funny. You know, the shroom thing. Hey, watch out guys, some mushrooms are deadly, don't eat 'em...hey look mushrooms...blrghergalbfer. But if Seredic said they good, then they were good; like he said, halflings knew their shrooms, and that was way more than Scythe and Nyght.

Although...wouldn't it also be funny if that dwarven wine got Seredic drunk off his ass and he somehow wandered into another crate and had to shove his shit through another small hole. Ah man, right after he got done telling them about it too. Heh, Scythe and Nyght were on an "ironic time to tell certain stories" kick today. Ah, what could they so, stories containing bad/excellent timing were tavern favorites.

And then it was all Get down! again. They followed Seredic's lead and urging, and got flat on the rocky terrain. Fuck that was uncomfortable. Talk about literally sleeping on a bed of rocks, lying down in one for two seconds was bad enough.

Scythe and Nyght didn't need to peer over the edge of nothin' to hear the sound of soldiers shootin' the shit.

"Guess, uh..." whispered Scythe.
"We'll wait for 'em to pass?" whispered Nyght.

That'd be great. They didn't feel like gettin' into another scuffle just yet. Fuck, maybe if worse came to worst Seredic could just bribe the saps and everybody'd walk away happy. Except Seredic. But a little vintage wine oughta smooth over a lighter coin pouch.

 

[Seredic]

"That's the plan," Seredic whispered back to the twins. "Unless of course you want to take them on then be my guest. It'll actually pretty funny seeing you get slaughtered by the soldiers." The Halfling glared at Samuel and Samantha again remembering their epic fail of a fight against the Black Falcon agents. "Why do I even pay you two if you're going to fuck up again?" Seredic thought.

The phrase: Sunk Cost Fallacy has once again popped inside the Halflings head. Part of Seredic wondered if Sam and Samantha would push him off the cliff so he can either break his neck or get stabbed to death by the Black plated soldiers. Mercenaries were known to do that if they feel like they're not being paid hence their unreliable reputation.

"Why are we here again?" The guard moaned. "I don't want to be in this fucking desert any more! I want to be back in Cintria feasting on Roast Beef!"

"Common soldiers eating Roast Beef?" Seredic mused. "If the lower class eat like kings one can only imagine what the nobility eats."

Looks like the old man wasn't kidding when he said that Cintria was on the rise. However what are they doing here? This was obviously more than just some business negotiations. "We're to help the mage further interrogate some the captives," he said. "From the fires of Elbion, Ambassador Eperstein has a special interest in the two. Especially the woman with the big breasts."

"Ahh," the guard replied continuing to walk to what appears to be a wall. Seredic got up and walked carefully near the cliff motioning the twins to follow. There was a path at last! While the woman with the big breasts sounded familiar, Seredic had no interest in what the Cintrains were going to do. Let them interrogate, what matters is retrieving the Wine of Destiny.

"She's part of an organization called: Lumanari," the other guard said wiping the dust off his breastplate. "We don't know anything else other than it's an anti-non human faction. They could be of some use to the Ambassador if they're from Vel Anir."

"We don't know how valuable of a hostage she might be," his friend said. "Though promising probes from the Dante suggests that she may know a lot. The Ambassador wants to make sure that this woman is secure for his next move."

"The whore is another brick on the board for Shilard," the guard said approaching the wall rubbing his gauntlet covered hands on the wall before knocking it twice. "We may have swords but the Shilard is armed with his mind and his pen. He can start conflicts with simple manipulation. If we can gleam knowledge from this whore. Then the Gods know what Shilard would do."

The wall opened revealing a passage way for the guards to walk in. Seredic stood at the edge of the cliff bewildered at the conversation. What in blazes are they talking about? What does Vel Anir have to do with Cintria? Damn! That typical Halfling curiosity! Seredic attempted to forget about what he listened but part of him persisted. It was a Halfing's nature to be curious but sometimes they were too curious for their own good. There's a reason the phrase: Curiosity killed the Halfling exists after all. It was because major cause of deaths in Halfing was because they stick their noses in places where it doesn't belong!

But they do make good spies on the other hand.

"That's our way in," Seredic said taking out his map. "The map doesn't mention any secret pasages. But I am confident that the gentlemen has lit the way for us."

As he was about to slide down he turned to the twins. "Do you know what a Lumanari is?" He asked mentally cursing himself for letting his curiosity take over.

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

It'll actually pretty funny seeing you get slaughtered by the soldiers.

Seredic. What a fuckin' asshole. Scythe and Nyght loved him.

Well, here they were, the merry bunch of three (technically two, but who was counting?) laying flat on a defilade and listening to a couple of soldiers audibly drool over the fine dining available at this Cintria place. Hmm, maybe Scythe and Nyght could have enough money to indulge in some prime cuts of roast beef, but all of that coin was allocated to booze. So. No can do.

They were talking shop in a way that might have been important to Seredic. Sure as shit wasn't important to Scythe and Nyght. All they really gave a damn about was getting in to these ruins without too much a hassle, getting Seredic his special wine, and getting back to Maraan for a little more unwinding. Seredic got up, motioned for them to follow, and they both crouch-walked after him to the cliff's edge and got eyes on the pair of soldiers. Hell, this was the important part: the whole gettin' inside this place part, and these Cintria boys had a backdoor looked like.

And...then those soldiers mentioned the Luminari. The "whore" they were talking about didn't sound like Khadija Han (her bosom wasn't particularly noteworthy, from their fleeting glimpses of her), but hell, fuck that bitch anyway. Hopefully these Cintria lads were torturing her. Wouldn't that be a funny little something.

Scythe and Nyght stood up when Seredic took out his map. The halfling asked them his question. Both Scythe's body and Nyght's body smirked derisively.

"Yeah, we got some fuckin' notion," said Nyght.
"Buncha pricks who tried to blow us up in Elbion," said Scythe.

But Scythe and Nyght got the last laugh; managed to secure the Supersledge for the Philanthropist anyway, despite ol' Khadija's best efforts.

Damn if it wouldn't be great to run in to that Luminari whore in the ruins here. Pop that bitch square in the dome if they got the chance; it wasn't Khadija herself they didn't think, but shit, close enough was good enough for them. Nothing like a little late-in-coming payback. Maybe the Philanthropist would pay them a bonus if they could prove to him that this woman in Cintria's captivity was indeed Luminari. Fuckin' hell if they knew how to do that, but it was a thought.

"You got any idea where the wine would be inside the ruin?" said Nyght.
"Or are we gonna wing it in there?" said Scythe.

 

[Seredic]

That was unexpected, Samuel and Samantha knew something about this Luminari group. "Judging from your bitter responses," Seredic muttered watching the two soldiers walk further into the ruin. "Your run in with this Luminari did not end well. Who are they specifically? A mercenary company? Do they run racketeering business?"

Even though Seredic's focus was getting inside the lost kingdom, a part of him did wonder about Cintria's interest of the Luminari. It sounds like they crossed the Kingdom and Seredic has heard many stories about Cintria's interrogators being very persuasive in their prime years. Can't say that Seredic was eager to witness their methods to getting people to talk.

"I must say this "whore sounds awfully familiar," there was a hill ahead and Seredic began to slide downhill leaving small cloud of dust behind him. A brief memory flashed before him of Sally's giggles while they both rolled down the many grassy slopes of Fairbain. She always loved rolling down hill..... Seredic shook his head trying to erase any traces of Sally's memory. "Got to focus," He thought. "She's dead and reliving her memory will just bring pain and regret. Stop thinking about her.:

"We're just going to see where this goes!" Seredic shouted at Samuel and Samantha. "The plan is to stick close to the guards and see where they lead us!"

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

Who are they specifically?

"Pretty much what those hungry soldiers described," said Scythe.
"'For the advancement of humanity over the encroaching tyranny of other races,'" said Nyght.
"That's what our boss said about 'em."
"And that was straight from one of their own mouths."
"So. You know. Not good for you either."

Scythe and Nyght followed after Seredic. Deigned not to slid down the hill but rather to let the downward slope help them jog to the bottom with ease.

And they couldn't help but to stifle a laugh in both of their bodies when Seredic said that the whore sounded "familiar." Heh. They weren't the only ones who shopped around a lot in the right districts of the appropriate cities in question, hmm? Slippery Seredic, slippin' right into the kind of good times Scythe and Nyght often enjoyed. Boozing, check. Whoring, check. Maybe he recreationally punched a few people in taverns and "danced" for a copper or twenty too.

Scythe and Nyght unshouldered their crossbows. Held them at a low ready. Just in case the whole "stick close to 'em" plan escalated out of hand now that they were going into the confines of the dwarven ruins.

"Alright, bossman," said Nyght.
"Let's get that wine and get the fuck out," said Scythe.

 

[Seredic]

"Sounds like a bunch of bigots," Seredic mumbled wiping the dust off his hands. Some of it went inside his mouth causing the Halfling to cough. "Advancement of humanity while conquering all the non-humans," he mused beginning to walk towards the entrance. "Sounds very Vel Anrian to me."

While Vel Anir was infamous for their racist attitudes towards non-humans, the people maintained a good relationship with the Halflings considering them kin. Seredic on more than multiple occasions was an honored guest back when he was mayor for Fairbairn. The Vel Anirians consider Halflings an off shoot of humanity with their religious leaders saying that the Halflings were "the original humans."

The moment Seredic stepped foot into the entrance of the Dwarven halls, he felt a cold chill bristling through his sand covered skin. Was it from out side? Unlikely on the contrary, the winds were starting to pick up. "A sandstorm is starting to brew best to get inside now." Seredic said to the twins though his words were drowned out the gathering winds.

A few seconds later, the winds started to pick up even more. A gust of wind began to blow in the area where Seredic and the twins were. The Halfling was nearly knocked on his feet and landed face first onto the ground. "Shit!" grains of sand and minerals was forced into Seredic's mouth causing him to cover his face with his cape.

"Get inside the walls now!" Seredic yelled as the sandstorm was rolling in like a sand infested maelstrom. The Halfling ran as fast as his stubby legs were carrying him. The adrenaline kicked making it easier to ignore any pains he might have in is legs and hips. As soon as he was inside the Dwarven halls, the door behind them began to magically close.

"Well it looks like we getting out through that exit," Seredic said breathlessly standing on one knee. Looking around, the ruins were mostly dark save for a blue light near the where door sealed shut. Frowning, Seredic lumbered towards what appeared to be a small blue crystal sitting on a metal basket.

Seredic reached to the crystal his small hands rubbing against the smooth light. It was surprisingly cool and Seredic squinted at the light pulsing through the mineral. Perhaps the Dwarves used this as a light of some sorts? "Looks like we have an item to light the way." Seredic said wiping some of the sand off his clothing. "Let's see where this road leads us."

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

Well hell, not a moment too soon on the whole finding a secret backdoor thing. Here came another reason they hated the desert rolling in. Honestly, where else in Arethil did the wind tried to force-feed sand down your throat? Not to mention gettin' it in every crack you knew of and all the ones you didn't.

Despite the sudden onset of the sandstorm, watching Seredic run was absolutely worth it. Scythe and Nyght had to swallow their giggles as the halfling was hauling ass--and they mean hauling ass--and they were keeping up with him at a pretty relaxed trot. Maybe it was just a trick of perception, seeing the speed at which his shorter, stubbier legs were pumping and thinking he ought to be practically flying. But. Funny. Nevertheless.

In they went, spitting sand out of their mouths, when the damn door closed behind them. Yay for the shelter from the sandstorm, boo for the inconvenience. Who the hell knew where the next proper exit would be.

Scythe and Nyght were patting their bodies down one-handed each, their other hands holding their crossbows. And, well, sweat and sand didn't mix. Shit stuck like tar just about, and it was a bitch to try and brush it all off.

Seredic noticed something. Something Scythe and Nyght didn't really register until he pointed it out. Guess what: wasn't pitch black in here. There was a light source. Did those soldiers activate it or was it...doing this for, uh...for a while now?

Hm. Either the strange glowing crystal, or stumbling around in the dark beyond it.

"Just be ready to bag that thing if those Cintria boys are near," said Scythe.
"Wouldn't wanna make it too easy for them to spot us, would we?" said Nyght.

Eh. Their clothes were as purged of sand as they were gonna get. They hefted up their crossbows into a low ready again and made to follow the halfling.

 

[Seredic]

"You know what?" Seredic muttered to the twins as he began to walk down the immense hallway holding up the glowing crystal. "That sandstorm formed pretty fast usually it'll take a few hours before the winds truly pick up. At least that's what I've read."

It happened so fast and random as well, Seredic and the twins have been traveling the desert for hours and it was clear skies and no signs of wind picking up. The fact that sandstorm formed very quickly felt artificial. "Then again," Seredic said trying to rationalize the whole ordeal. "There are stories of sandstorms just forming out of nowhere."

Best not to think too much about it, maybe the sandstorm formed from the east as was travelling at a breakneck pace. After all the average speed of a sandstorm was at least 25 miles, it was more likely that Seredic didn't pick up the early signs. "Why should I do that?" Sereidic smirked at Samuel and Samantha when suggested to hide the crystal in case they ran into trouble. You're professionals you can take care of them. I'm attracted to this magnificent crystal. I've never seen such a rare mineral! I just to show it off to our friends!"

Seredic gave a brief look at the Crystal his eyes gazing at the blue swirl within the item, It was one of a kind, the Dwarves had a knack for finding ultra-rare minerals. Unfortunately they often hoard any gems they collect and categorize them in their language. A language that the Dwarves conveniently forgotten over the years. "So much Dwarven architecture," Seredic said looking at the many Dwarven statues each lined up on both sides.

They each held an Pickaxe in their hands standing tall and proud with Dwarven symbols written below them. Seredic assumed that it was their names, he'd learned some of the Dwarven language during his travels as a Wine critic. It took some negotiations with the Dwarves and by negotiations it meant getting their leaders as piss drunk possible. "Thankfully, I know some of the Dwarven language," he said still holding up the glowing crystal. "We can at least where we are."

The trio arrived at a bridge that lead to an open door, Seredic peered below. Nothing but an inky darkness, but the Halfling heard sounds from the bottom. A continuous whizzing and whirring noise combined with some faint chatter. Seredic's heart skipped up beat with some grains of sand falling from his hair. "When you gaze at the abyss," he said his tone shaking a bit. "The abyss stares back." Who are what was beneath the bridge was something Seredic did not want to know.

Stepping back to calm his nerves, Seredic turned to what appeared to be a sign embedded with rubies and sapphires. Dwarven symbols were carved into it as Seredic held the crystal near the sign. "It says," the Halfling squinted at the symbols remembering how the Dwarven language was constructed. "Welcome to the Mines of Gomthiad, the mountain of riches collected by the glorious King Axel: The Warrior King, The Conqueror of the Sand Elven Empire and The Wizard of Wine."

The Halfling winced. "Wizard of Wine?!" he spat. "That's my nickname! The bloody fool stole it from me!"

Seredic sighed chuckling at the lack of self-awareness. "Nowhere to go but cross the bridge, our friends likely did so......."

The Halfling placed his foot on the concrete step grumbling that at the fact that he's taking a form of stairs again.

 

[Scythe and Nyght]

Sandstorms forming out of nowhere. Maybe the local Maraanians (Maraanites? Maraanees? Scythe and Nyght had no damn clue what to call them) knew if that was a common occurrence or not. Didn't much matter to Scythe and Nyght; just another reason to get done with this side-job for Seredic and the main job for the Philanthropist and get the hell out of this wasteland.

Then Seredic was a smartass about the light. Fuck, now they wanted to see him drunk off his ass--this little shit would be the life of any rowdy tavern and Scythe and Nyght would love it. Well damn, and to think they were all comfortable with leaving him basically for dead back in Maraan during that little incident with the lawmen. Heh, they still woulda done it, push comes to shove and all, but if they had come to know him like they do now they would've at least been a bit broken up about it. That was something, right. It's the thought that counts, so said some saps somewhere.

"Do what you think you can get away with, bossman," said Nyght, grinning.
"Just know that if us numbnuts bite it, you're next," said Scythe, grinning.

They continued along down the corridor. Scythe and Nyght hadn't been to Belgrath, but they figured it probably looked more or less the same. You know, dwarfy. Dwarves loved a few things guaranteed, and carving into rocks and sculpting statues of themselves were two of 'em.

Then came the bridge, and--

Holy shit look at that sign. Fuckin' rubies and sapphires just...left there. Seredic could get a nosebleed all day lookin' over the edge of that big ass pit the bridge spanned across, so long as Scythe and Nyght got a crack at those gems.

Scythe patted his body. Nyght patted hers. Shit, which body did they have that knife on? Ah. Scythe's body. That's right. He shouldered his crossbow and took out the knife and went to the sign and, with his tongue poking out of his mouth, started to attempt dislodging one of the rubies with the blade. Nyght's body, even though it wasn't really required, stood around as the lookout, as if they'd done this sort of thing before in a more populated locale.

Seredic had read the sign, translated it.

"Wizard of Wine? No shit?" said Nyght.
"We had a similar name for you in our heads," said Scythe (still trying at that juicy ruby).

Nowhere to go but cross the bridge...

"Yup, yup, right there with ya," said Nyght.
"Just...you know...give us a minute," said Scythe (trying a slightly different angle at the ruby).

They'd follow him in a second. Didn't hurt to try and see if they could score a little bonus for their efforts here. But if they couldn't get it, they couldn't get it, and they'd just move on and keep on rolling toward the real prize:

Those whores back in Maraan. Yeah. The Wine of Destiny was Seredic's gig.

 

[Seredic]

What in blue blazes were Samuel and Samantha doing? Turning around Seredic found the twins attempting to dislodge the rubies from the sign. A smirk formed on Seredic's lips "why am I not surprised?" he said rolling his eyes. "But then again, I'm trying to retrieve the Wine of Destiny from a dead king." The Halfling waddled towards the twins struggling to dislodge the ruby from the sign. Standing on his toes, Seredic placed his dagger in between the ruby and the stone, successfully ejecting the stone and tossing it to Samantha grinning.

"There!" Seredic said happily. "This Dagger is forged from Elven Steel," he said. "It's light as air yet it's as sharp and thick as an Elder Dragon's Claw. I received this dagger as a gift for my 25th birthday. It's a pretty thing though admittedly I used it to cut steak."

Seredic shrugged as he began crossing the bridge. "We Halflings are lovers not fighters," he said. "But piss on us and you'll find that we are capable warriors. Ask the Godfrey the Goblin King, he controlled an underground Goblin Kingdom and was considered to be the greatest Goblin of all time for his ability to unite a normally fractured Goblin tribes. He made Riverhornthe foolish decision to attack Fairbairn, the Goblin King wasn't using his head so Haldon Riverhorn took it off during the battle of Fairbarin where the Allrian Rangers and the Haflings band together to take down the threat."

As they neared closer to the other side, Seredic smiled. "Haldon was knighted for his act of courage," he said. "The first ever Halfing Knight during the Age of Wonders."