The Bottom of the Barrel

[The Alison Beast]

"Give me one of those steaks you're cooking." Fiara said as she slumped down at the bar of the Hungry Dragon Tavern. "Rare and I want some of those spiced potatoes that are your specialty." Sighing as she finished her order the raven haired sorceress sat back in her seat, closed her eyes and waited for her food to be delivered by the barkeep. It had been a long day and right now all Fiara wanted to do was kick back, relax and enjoy a warm meal before heading off to bed.

As if to add to the image of frustration she was portraying the young Adelian propped her right arm on the bar counter and slowly lowered her forehead into her waiting hand. With her thumb and forefinger she gently massaged her temples as if to rub away a very painful ache which, as it just so happened, was precisely what she was trying to do. The headache that was currently working on her had been an all-day annoyance and now it felt as if two giants we're jumping on her skull. Hopefully something in her belly would fix the problem but Fiara doubted it. Her problems were many at the moment and eating was not one of the most important ones.

Her situation was bad. Business had been somewhat lacking of late and without a ready supply of bad guy bashing opportunities her cash flow was left slightly...encumbered. If that had been the worst of it Fiara probably would have been alright but after a particularly nasty tavern brawl the evening prior Fiara had not only racked up a sizable bill in damages but had also been lucky to get away without being arrested. Now she was on bad terms with the town watch and unless she found some baddies or monsters to teach a lesson she would be learning a new trade as a dishwasher. It was beginning to look more and more like she was going to have to perform one of her trademark disappearing acts some night soon or things were going to get ugly.

"Here ya go lass. That'll be twelve gold." A heavily accented voice said as a plate of steaming hot food was placed down in front of her. Fiara could smell the tasty aroma before she even opened her eyes and her stomach growled out angrily in anticipation. At least she still had enough money to buy a decent meal for herself.

Opening her eyes to look at the barkeep Fiara reached down to fish in her coin purse for the required sum. When her hands met with only eight gold coins, not twelve, her heart fell. "umm..." The girl said cautiously as she reached for a pocket in her leather trousers, no luck there either. "Well let's see now..." The barkeep's expectant expression slowly gave way to one of unamused impatience as the sorceress continued to fish for coin. It seemed to say 'You can't be serious' and as Fiara came up empty handed again the man frowned. "Will you take an IOU?" She asked innocently and gave the man her winningest smile.

"Pay first, eat later." It didn't work and as the barkeep grabbed for the plate of food Fiara reached out to stop him.

Seeing the likelihood that she would not be eating the delicious meal before her Fiara panicked and pulled on the plate towards herself to try and wrestle it away from the barkeep. "I'll pay you back I promise. Just let me have one bite." She said as they fought over the plate. Fiara would not be denied her meal so easily and with that the tug of war began.

[DrHuggies]

Valandil walked slowly down the street. His hands in the pockets of his greyish green pants as his boots plodded along the cobblestone path. He had a hard day of work. Hunting was hard after a storm as all the game had retreated to unreachable places. The few animals he was able to find didn't sell for as much as he wanted and was left very little money. He knew of an excellent place where he could get a meal he wanted. The Hungry Dragon Tavern was an excellent place to get a meal. Valandil reached out a hand and pushed open the worn wood door.

Valandil was greeted by a lady with dark black hair battling over a plate with the burly barkeep. Valandil hadn't seen the girl before so his first instinct was to side with the barkeep. "Oi, Lady what do you think your doing," Valandil questioned. He then turned to the barkeep and said "is this lady causing you trouble my friend because i can deal with her quickly" Valandil said in his usual arrogant way. "This lady is trying to steal my meal" the barkeep grunted as he yanked the plate from the lady's grip. Valandil hung his coat up on the old wooden cloak hook and then turned to the lady. "If you'd please leave the tavern, i don't want to have to solve this with a fight" Valandil said winking slyly at the lady as he stepped aside from the door. "The exits open".

__________________
Valandil Telrúnya

[Wicked Basket]

From a dark corner of the Inn, a mysterious man stood and approached the small altercation. But instead of some large intimidating warrior, it was Carlyle Hackner. He was not very well known anywhere besides his home in Uthlyn, but he was nowhere near Connlaoth at the moment which gave him a nice breath of fresh air.
"I couldn't help but notice that you are having some financial troubles," he said casually. "Exactly how much does such a meal cost? I shall pay for it."
Carlyle reached into to one of the pockets of his leather lab coat, pulled out a tennis ball-sized sack of gold pieces, and patiently waited for an answer.

[DrHuggies]

Valandil was slightly taken aback by the sudden appearance of the man, and that man did have a considerable amount of money. "I'm sorry, this is none of your business so if you'd please step aside" Valandil said stepping towards the mysterious man. "Wait up" the barkeep said setting the plate of steak down on the counter, " if your willing to pay an extra 5 gold I'll be more than happy to let her have this steak" the barkeep said twirling his thick mustache. Valandil just stood there his mouth open. He then regained his posture and sat down at the counter. "I'd like to have a venison steak please with some stew if that will be fine" Valandil said as he placed 15 gold on the counter. "So traveller," Valandil said to the mysterious man "whats your business in these parts?"

Characters
Valandil Telrúnya
Drovar Stormguard

[Wicked Basket]

Carlyle decided not to give the woman time to protest and gave the barkeep the amount of money he had asked for. Carlyle returned the small sack to his pocket.
"If you must know," he said to the elf, "I am here on business. I am a chemist by trade, a damn good one too if I do say so myself, and I am here to procure an ingredient for one of my more popular and expensive concoctions."

[DrHuggies]

Valandil straightened up and offered the man a seat. "I am an expert hunter and know these lands like the back of my hand, I can fetch you this ingredient of yours but for a price." Valandil propped his elbows up on the table and took a sip of water from his deer skin gourd. "Are you willing to accept?"

[Wicked Basket]

"Funny you should ask," Carlyle began as he took a seat. "I was just about to give this fine young lady that offer. She seems as though she could use the funds. In fact, there are two ingredients that I am after."
Carlyle leaned in close and spoke in a low, soft voice so only the elf and the woman could hear.
"These ingredients are not easy to obtain and aren't without their risks. You might also be taken aback by the.......strange company that accompanies me. My companion is very unique and I don't usually show him off to others, but an exception might have to be made in this case."

[DrHuggies]

Valandil uncomfortable shifted his sitting position. "I'm willing to accept your offer but of course that does depend on the price" Valandil said. "Also i would like to know what it is you seek" At that moment the barkeep walked over while wiping his greasy hands on his stained apron, he came to the counter and asked the man what he would like to drink.

[Wicked Basket]

"Give me the same thing that you gave me 20 minutes ago," he said impatiently shooing away the barkeep. Carlyle continued speaking quietly.
"Well, it is a fair possibility that you could die a possible gruesome death, BUT in exchange I can promise you one of the most powerful bows ever constructed by mortal hands and a free sample of my special mixture. One dose will heal any wound or cure any ailment you possess. Our first stop will be to get some troll's blood."
Carlyle leaned in even closer and spoke so softly that the pair could barely here him.
"After that we're going for a dragon."

[DrHuggies]

Valandil exclaimed in surprise. He quickly regained his posture, "y..you s..serious??" Valandil stuttered. "Wow!!" "It's a deal but i gotta go get my equipment, meet you just outside the east gate at dawn." Valandil stood up and got his coat off the old coat hanger. The hanger swayed slightly and Valandil caught it with his left hand. He slung his coat onto his right shoulder and walked out the door. He stopped and turned around as if just remembering something. " The names Valandil Telrúnya by the way," and without waiting for a reply he strode out the door and onto the street.

The cobblestone road was only lit by dim lamps, seemingly placed at random intervals. The pale orange light from the lamp lights reflected by the puddles on the street. Valandil got the toe of his boot caught on an uneven slab of stone and splashed into a puddle of rainwater. Valandil swore as he stood up. His clothes drenched. When suddenly something shiny caught his eye. He bent down on one knee and retrieved the object from the puddle. It was a silver ring with something inscribed on it in a strange language. He put it in his pocket and then said to himself, "that chemist guy might know something about it," and with that he set off down the gloomy street to his house.

He pulled his key out from his coat pocket, and shoved it into the lock of his door. His door opened with a creak. Valandil picked up a match and lit the candle that he placed by the door before he left to the tavern. He shut the door behind him and the house was only lit by the dim glow of the candle. Valandil got his bow out of the cupboard by the door and put his 2 daggers beside it. He then placed his quiver of arrows on top of the pile. He only had about 13 arrows left. Valandil decided he'll do it in the morning outside the east gate while he waited for the chemist to arrive, and with that he climbed into his bed and dozed off.

He was awake and by the position of the moon he knew dawn would come in a few hours so he grabbed his things and set off to the east gate. He then sat down and began to make some more crude arrows out of the resources he could find.

Characters
Valandil Telrúnya
Drovar Stormguard