Rise of the Blade - Charles Moffat [33]
"I take it you saw the flames, as I did, and investigated?" Chev asked quickly.
"Aye! This ol' place has been wanting to burn down for years ye know! It's a shame I didn't notice it when I was slaughtering chickens for the winter or else I would've been here sooner to watch the sucker burn!" He cackled and took a huge bite out of the duck meat.
"What about the d'Or family? What do you know about them?"
"Now that's a bit redundant!" cackled the farmer and explained. "That 'D' in front of Or stands for 'the'. When was the last time ye heard anyone say 'the the'? With the exception of someone who stutters constantly, these dorks are the only time I hear it!"
Chev laughed, genuinely, for the first time in what seemed like a long time. "You certainly are knowledgeble for a peasant! Were you a sage in your last life?"
The farmer seemed flustered suddenly. "No, I jist like me history thats all! Don't go putting no scholarly cap on me, ye hear? I've got no plans on becoming one of those city slicker wussy boys!"
Again Chev laughed and reached into his pack for a wineskin which he tossed to the farmer. "I have no intention of ruining your reputation. Have a drink and maybe share some of your knowledge with me. I'd like to know more about my namesake!"
The farmer grinned and downed some of the wine greedily. He smiled even wider when he set it down.
On a myriad avatars, all spawned by the god of corruption, a wide smile formed. My, how easy it is to manipulate mortals sometimes, they laughed inwardly with one unified thought. Sometimes too easy.
The meal was exquisitely delicious, but if asked what it had been, neither Nicole or Pierce could remember what it was. The Doctor couldn't have cared if the chef had slaughtered Bartholomew, stirred him up in a frying pan and fed them the horse. He was far too absorbed with talking with the woman across from him to notice.
It wasn't until Pierce sighed and started to bite down on his empty fork that he realized the food had long since disappeared. He stared at the fork for a moment as a sudden thought came to him. "What time is it?"
Nicole glanced at the Shou clock in the corner. "Eleven twenty," she whispered, also realizing that the servants had long since went to their chambers for sleep.
Pierce frowned sternly. "The night is still young and I am still hungry, what say you?"
"Would you like me to wake the chef?"
"No. Not necessary. I was thinking more along the lines of going out to a place I know."
Walking the streets of Waterdeep at night could be hazardous, yet Nicole didn't doubt Pierce's ability to protect her. Indeed, she couldn't think of anyone else she'd rather have as a bodyguard, not counting gods of course. And even then, they'd be running a close second.
At first she thought they were going to the Yawning Portal, but when Pierce strode past that without even a glance at its rowdy crowd Nicole began to wonder just where he was intending. Off to the side of the street, he led her down a series of cobbled steps to a large oaken door. The inscription carved into door read "The Spitfire Saloon".
Opening the door, Pierce escorted Nicole into what looked like a foyer. The walls and floor were panelled with black walnut and the ceiling was lit with a mobile with pieces of quartz suspended from it. Each piece of quartz was enchanted with a light spell and the resulting lights reflecting off the dark walls and floor.
The moment Pierce stepped within the building his foresight and mind delving abilities went silent, for which he was thankful, knowing that the multitude of thoughts he would come across in the room beyond would give him a headache.
A single guard stood in the room with a drawn sword. His armour and race was hidden by a long cloak and a cowled hood. "Good evening Doctor Pierce," the guard said flatly. "Who is your guest?"
"This is