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After hearing about his handiwork of the last couple days, she preferred to keep her distance from this incredible warrior. The question that raced through her mind now however, was whether she could stay alive that long. She was incredible with a crossbow, but up close against a fighter such as Chev? Mince meat, she mentally concluded.

Chev laid a dagger on the open table in front of him and glanced around the Yawning Portal. "You'd think we'd both know better than to wander around the dragon's den. I know my reasons, but what are yours?"

Valeska shrugged. "What better place to learn more about the dragon? I must state however that my skills at disguise are far superior compared to yours."

Chev conceded that point with a nod. "That's why I'm here. I need your expertise."

"You want me to disguise you?"

The warrior snorted and shook his head. "No, but I do need someone to help me get into the Academy."

The drow bard raised an eyebrow, thinking that she had overestimated Chev's intelligence. "Well, you could simply walk in, ye know-"

"I was referring to the vault."

She sat up straight at the mention of latter word. "The magic vault? Did I hear you correctly? You want to get into the Academy's vault?" She kept her voice low and even despite her mounting hysteria.

Chev nodded slowly. He knew it would be a challenging task but not impossible. Still, he was concerned by the amount of respect Valeska apparently held for this vault. "What do you know about the vault?"

She shook her head as if breaking a spell. "Well, lets see. Number one: its perhaps the largest vault in all of Waterdeep. Number two: its also the most well defended. Number three: its magical traps are designed by Marque Draque."

"Which means?" Chev prompted.

"Draque is the most paranoid mage in Waterdeep and he's also considered a master thief. He knows the methods thieves use to get into a vault and has a reputation for having an arsenal of spells that are the most complicated, dangerous and altogether unique. No doubt he has a trap set for everything a thief could possibly do."

"But you're not a full-fledged thief and magical traps can be dispelled, correct?"

Valeska tried to look for an alternative but knew Chev was too smart for that. "Yes, they can be dispelled, but my-"

"Your skills should be more than adequate. You and I are going to go in there and we're going to ransack that vault. You are going to need plenty of time to do so however, and I realize that." He smiled and took a sip from his mug of mulled brandy. "Which is why I'll be providing a long distraction."

The bard narrowed her elven eyes at him. "And what's in it for me asides from nearly getting killed and a lot of gold in my pocket? I've been around too long to throw my life away simply to get rich when I have much better things to fight."

Chev took another quick sip and cleared his throat before singing:

"The drow on the bow seeks no hardship

She lives her life with power and whip

Carrying chaos she imposes on slaves

Leaving behind nothing but shallow graves

Life is but a game for our dread goddess

Can you guess the goal within her bodice?"

Under the table, the drow bard clenched her fists and ignored the drawn attention to their booth from the tavern's other patrons. "You've done your homework," she hissed. "Do you mean to blackmail me into helping you?"

"Did you mean to give me the names of Harpers that deal with the drow only?" Chev rebuked. "Nay, I won't blackmail you. Indeed, I believe this will aid you immensely."

"In what way?"

"Your infamous reputation. You want the drow back home to revere you and follow you in a rebellion against the matron mothers. To do so, you must win their admiration and that is very hard to do when you're so far away, is it not? The only time they hear your name is when pieces of your poetry, or news of one of your assassinations trickles through the ground and back home." He took a quick sip and stared deep into her eyes, penetrating her will.