1Ever since the unexpected attack on the Neverwinter Academy, Anakin stayed at a nearby inn called the Shining Serpent Inn along with Pavel. After witnessing the horrors of his brother, fellow recruits and Academy guards being slain one by one, Pavel lost heart in trying to become a hero and decided to stay at the safest place possible in Neverwinter. A tenday has passed now. It is now five hours away from midnight on the 5th day of Mirtul, 1372 DR. The night is young and its time for the young recruit to answer the summons. Anakin entered the Hall of Justice, a temple of Tyr located on a cliff overlooking Neverwinter Harbor and the Sea of Swords ocean on the southern bank of the Neverwinter River, across Sleeping Dragon Bridge away from Castle Never. He opened the door then looked around to make sure he isn't being followed. So far, he spotted no one. He stepped inside and closed the door.
He found himself in a very large room used as a sanatorium for Wailing Death infected men, women and children lying on bedrolls being treated as best as possibly could by nurses, priests and clerics alike. Some were moaning in pain, coughing up blood and some experienced brief but very excruciating pain that they scream out periodically. Anakin saw Fenthick speaking to Desther not far ahead by one of the room's support pillars.
"I understand how you feel, Desther, really, I do, but we need all the help we can get," Fenthick meekly reasoned with him.
Desther waved a hand dismissively causing Fenthick to lower his head in depression.
"What we need is trustworthy people, Fenthick, and I believe that Aribeth's faith is waning, especially since she trusts that rogue of a young man-" Before Desther could say any more, Anakin cleared his throat to get their attention, and finally Fenthick and Desther noticed Anakin approaching them casually.
"Oh! Anakin! You were quick to answer the summons. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Halls of Justice," Fenthick greeted Anakin, then reached out and shook his hand.
The screams of one of the infected men echoed in the room, coupled with the wails of sick women, even a few kids.
"This is a mistake, Fenthick. We know nothing about this whelp! How could you and Aribeth so blindly trust him?" Desther asked Fenthick in such a gruff, harsh tone.
Fenthick turned around to face Desther with a dejected look on his baggy eyes.
"Desther, please, Anakin showed great promise throughout his training of the Academy, and has done even more in the tenday since the attack. Rarely has a recruit shown much potential after such a short training period. If we are to have any hope of finding a cure for the Wailing Death, we need people like Anakin in the service of Neverwinter," he reasoned.
"I'll only serve if I get well paid, Fenthick," Anakin reminded him.
Desther scowled at Anakin's emotionless, pragmatic nature, especially while hearing the moans and wails of the sick all over the room.
"Such callous disregard for the suffering of others! Is this the kind of mercenary we want working for us, Fenthick?"
"There is nothing wrong with wanting to earn one's fortune in the world, Desther," Fenthick replied almost firmly.
Desther curled his hands into fists and huffed in anger and frustration, then he turned his back on Fenthick and walked away a few feet then turned back. Fenthick turned his attention to Anakin while Desther was fuming.
"Rest assured, Anakin, you will be well rewarded for your efforts," he promised.
Anakin nodded, then turned his scowling green eyes towards angry Desther.
"All right... but be sure to put a muzzle on your hagspawn friend before he gets himself hurt," Anakin said to Fenthick while keeping his eyes focused on Desther.
Desther bristled in outrage, his eyes wide in surprise for a brief moment, then he glared in outrage at the upstart.
"What did you say you little whelp?!"
Fenthick stepped between Desther and Anakin before things escalated into a fight.
"Stop, Desther, please! Please!"
Desther reluctantly calmed down.
"Anakin, you must forgive Desther. The plague takes a heavy toll on us all, a toll made even greater in the past weeks by the attack on the Academy and the loss of the cure," Fenthick said in an apologetic tone to Anakin.
"You tell that old man to watch what he says about me or I'll break his teeth next time!" Anakin warned Fenthick.
Desther muttered something under his breath, trying to hold his anger in check and walked away from Anakin and Fenthick, heading for a door nearby guarded by two knights of Helm, the holy symobl of Helm painted on the breastplates of their armor.
"You do not understand, Anakin. The true horror of the Wailing Death had yet to be felt within the Academy's walls," Fenthick paused to turn his back on Anakin and gaze upon the hundred moaning and coughing sick men, women and children laying on their bedrolls being treated as best as possible by the priests, nurses and clerics.
"The quarantine of Neverwinter has done little to halt the spread of the Wailing Death. Bonfires burn bright at night and day as the city watch dispose of the dead, yet the corpses are piled ever higher. It is all we can do to contain the chaos and maintain order within the various city districts. Rumors run rampant and the citizens are on the verge of panic, which may lead to another more riots," Fenthick added.
His curiosity piqued, Anakin walked up to Fenthick, standing next to him to his left.
"Rumors? What rumors?" He asked curiously.
Fenthick turned his head to look at Anakin.
"Because the plague cannot be cured by the priests or clerics of the city, some claim it is an unnatural thing sent by an unknown enemy bent on destroying Neverwinter."
"Like Luskan?" Anakin guessed.
Fenthick rubbed his chin thoughtfully before replying.
"I cannot rule out that possibility, Anakin..." Fenthick slowly shook his head because he had doubts that Luskan is behind this.
He briefly assumed that the High Captains of Luskan had probably allied with the wizards and sorceresses of the Arcane Brotherhood, who study at the Host Tower of the Arcane there, but again, he doubted that they are involved.
At that moment, Desther returned to join Fenthick and Anakin now that he has completely calmed down.
"The attack on the Academy in these past tendays will only make things worse, Fenthick- once the citizens learn how Aribeth lost the cure through her lack of faith!" Fenthick's anger nearly boiled over, but he managed to tame some, if not most of it.
Fenthick's eyes flashed when he heard Desther speak ill of Aribeth.
"Desther! I will not have you question the faith of my true love! Aribeth believed the Academy to be a safe haven. Anyway, it is not our place to even discuss such things." He then turned his attention to Anakin. "I have kept you for too long, Anakin. My Lady Aribeth is waiting for you in the next room beyond the north doors. Speak to her as soon as possible. Go with the blessing of Tyr upon you."
Anakin nodded at Fenthick before heading towards the north door that leads deeper into the Halls of Justice. As he walked away, he heard Desther tell Fenthick that if Aribeth had sent the Waterdhavian creatures to his Helmites instead, none of this would ever happened, and Fenthick rebuked him by saying there is no clear way to know what would have happened. First, Anakin had to walk by row after row of sick people to his left and right, suffering from mild or intense pain that comes and goes at random.
Their suffering pales in comparison to mine... Anakin reminded himself as he ignored the cries and wails of the sick, heading for the door to the next few rooms until he found himself in Tyr's temple.
He eventually found that Aribath is not where Fenthick said he would find her, and Anakin eventually got lost and had to ask a few priests of Tyr where Lady Aribeth is located. They directed him to the room where she is waiting for him, then left to continue their own business. Anakin is still mildly infatuated with Aribeth, but he had to remind himself that she isn't single, Fenthick Moss is her lover.
I shouldn't be surprised. A half-elven woman with beauty as radiant as the rising sun... Someone was bound to win her heart before I could... Anakin thought glumly to himself as he stepped into the small office.
"Welcome, Anakin Lunar. I regret I did not get the chance to introduce myself properly to you while you were training at the Academy," she said while making a formal bow at Anakin.
"I don't think you did either..." Anakin agreed.
"Then allow me to re-introduce myself. I am Lady Aribeth de Tylmarande, paladin in the service of Tyr and the right hand of Nasher Alagondar, Lord of Neverwinter. I have been waiting patiently for you."
"I came as quick as I could, but I was delayed for a while by Fenthick," Anakin explained.
A warm smile spread across Aribeth's lips as she placed her hands on her chest, a few inches above her cleavage.
"Ah, dear Fenthick, the love of my life. He has been my rock during these troubled times..." She paused to change her dreamy expression to a more serious one. "... But even he cannot help me with this, Anakin."
"And I suppose this is where I come in..." Anakin knew what Aribeth is going to talk about next: Him.
Aribeth gestured to Anakin to sit down on the wooden chair in front of him, and he did as she requested.
"I have been following your progress since your early training at the Academy. Neverwinter has need of a man like you if we are to survive the Wailing Death," Aribeth paused there for a second then started slowly pacing back and forth as Anakin gazed at her long, beautiful bright brown hair. "The attack on the Academy doused the one faint spark of hope this city had. I need you to help recover that which we have lost, Anakin," she instructed.
"Do not worry, Lady Aribeth, I'll help you... For a price," Anakin said.
"I promise your reward for this task will be well worth your efforts. There are many rumors about this plague, but if you are to aid me in this, it is important you know the truth about the Wailing Death. Our divine healers can do nothing to help those afflicted by the Wailing Death, and even our most powerful magic cannot raise those who succumb to the illness. But a short time ago, we had word that Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun, the famous archmage of Waterdeep, had discovered a potential cure, one that might be concocted from the essence of four rare and magical creatures." She explained.
"What became of these creatures?" Anakin wanted to know as he raised his right eyebrow in curiosity.
Aribeth sat down behind the desk before replying.
"Under great secrecy the four creatures were gathered in Waterdeep then sent here to Neverwinter, as strange a menagerie as any has ever set eyes on, a cockatrice, an intellect devourer, a yuan-ti and a dryad. I ordered them sent to the Academy, Neverwinter's renowned training institution for adventurers of every ilk. I once studied there myself, and I thought the instructors and students were loyal to Lord Nasher."
"So you assume someone within the Academy is the betrayer. I feel inclined to agree with you, if that's what you think. I remember one of the mages expected to encounter you instead of me," Anakin rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Aribeth's eyes flashed.
I knew it... They expected me to lead them to the Waterdhavian creatures... She thought to herself.
"Yes, that is exactly what I believe. The Academy may have been betrayed from within. Or perhaps I simply put too much faith in the instructors, students and staff to keep the news secret, as Desther claims," Aribeth said aloud, lowering her eyes to the floor a little, wondering if she was wrong to send the creatures to the Academy, endangering everyone that had been slain.
"It's clearly obvious the attack was too accurate to be planned by someone on the outside," Anakin said.
Aribeth nodded in agreement, resting her forearms on the desk's surface.
"You were there. You saw the slaughter. The attack caught us unprepared. You are one of only a handful of survivors from the carnage of the Academy."
"What were Desther and Fenthick doing during the attack?" Anakin asked, wanting to hear Aribeth's side of the story.
"Fenthick and Desther arrived with reinforcements. They found me in the south wing of the Academy, and I directed them to a mage who teleported them to where the creatures are kept so they can assist you, but during the confusion of the battle the Waterdhavian creatures disappeared into the streets of Neverwinter - and our hopes of a cure vanished with them."
Anakin could see where this is going and he relaxed further into his chair.
"First, find the Waterdhavian creatures and bring them back to me at any cost. We need to harvest components from these creatures if we are to concoct a cure for the Wailing Death. This is you most important duty. Second, we must discover who was behind the attack on the Academy. Any evidence you encounter in this matter should be brought to Fenthick. He is the one assigned this task of unmasking our hidden enemy," Aribeth said.
Anakin scratched the left side of his face briefly.
"It's been a week since the Waterdhavian creatures escaped. How do we know if they are still alive?" He asked.
"By all accounts the creatures escaped the battle of the Academy unharmed, and there are many reports of strange beasts pouring in from every district of the city," she replied.
"Won't the city watch assist in the search? Neverwinter is a large city. It will be like finding four needles in a haystack," Anakin said.
"The city watch can do little to help in this search, their numbers are barely enough to keep order in the streets of Neverwinter. Others, like Fenthick or myself, have duties that require us to be here," was Aribeth's solemn reply.
"Why do you trust me even though you hardly know me?" Anakin wanted to know.
"Because I could see that among the other recruits at the Academy, you are unique. You proved yourself during the attack on the Academy, Anakin. Your bravery and skill are obvious, and I know you are not in league with those who seek to destroy Neverwinter," Aribeth replied.
Anakin felt the need to commend her judgment. Even under stressful times like this, she seems to know who to rely on. Even though he doesn't feel obligated to assist the people of Neverwinter, he didn't want to turn down the opportunity for great wealth, or disappointing a beautiful half-elf woman like Aribeth.
"I'll do this, but the rewards better be worthwhile," Anakin insisted.
Aribeth nodded in agreement without hesitation.
"Whatever rewards you seek- fame, fortune, glory, you shall have in abundance. Provided you are successful in this task. I ask for your discretion in this matter. News of the attack and strange creatures roaming the city will only add to the panic and chaos already in the streets. To aid you in your task, I have hired someone to be your ally. You'll find him waiting for you near the exit," Aribeth explained.
Anakin stood up out of his chair, shaking his head in denial.
"Ah, no disrespect, Lady Aribeth, but I don't like having sidekicks tagging along with me. They'll only slow me down," Anakin refused.
"Even so, it is useful to have a travelling companion or two with you, a companion that can do things that you alone can't," Aribeth said.
"Thank you, Lady Aribeth," Anakin bowed respectfully at Aribeth, then turned to walk towards the door, but he suddenly changed his mind and turned to face Aribeth again. "Before I go, I want to know what do you think about Desther. I don't like him."
"I think the Helmite is arrogant, sanctimonious, self-righteous and holier-than-thou!" Aribeth exclaimed quickly with a little venom in her voice which told Anakin she doesn't like him either. "... Forgive me for being so blunt, but Desther and I do not see eye to eye," Aribeth added after a brief pause.
"I can understand why..." Anakin said with a small smile.
"Desther challenges my ever decision on general principle, or so it would seem. He is constantly accusing my of abandoning my faith and not trusting enough in the power of the divine."
"Why do you put up with him if he's such a pain in the ass?" Anakin asked her.
"I get the feeling that Desther and his Helmites do more to harm my efforts than help them, but Fenthick assures me they bring hope to this city, and hope is something the people desperately need," Aribeth said.
Anakin shook his head then approached the desk and rested his hands on top of its surface, leaning towards Aribeth with a very serious frown in his face.
"This city doesn't need an arrogant, sexually repressed Helmite like Desther to bring hope. What the city needs is a renegade like me who will get the job done. I'll bring back the Waterdhavian creatures, alive or dead, if necessary... Got any leads I can follow?" Anakin said.
She crossed her arms, thinking of a recent lead for Anakin to follow. Then she snapped her fingers as if she got an idea of some kind.
"There have been some promising reports from the River District. Several eyewitness accounts indicate a strange creature is wandering the area- or was a couple days ago. But there's no guarantee the reports are accurate," Aribeth said.
"That's all I needed. Thanks," Anakin nodded and opened the door.
"Farewell, Anakin. May Tyr guide your steps," Aribeth smiled and bowed respectfully at Anakin before he walked out the door.
He headed for the temple's exit and saw a halfling man with his back against the wall as if he's waiting on someone. He has short orange hair, wore leather armor, black boots and a green cloak behind his back. Anakin recalled that Aribeth paid someone to be his partner. This halfling man might be the one, so he approached him.
"Well met, stranger," Anakin greeted him.
"Why hello there! You have the smell of a prospective employer about you! Not that it's easy to smell anything with all the burning corpses in this city, mind you. Never seen this many flies outside of a Calishite alehouse," the halfling man said cheerily.
"The plague doesn't scare you at all?" Anakin asked.
The halfling scoffed.
"To be honest, m'lord, I be far more frightened to take a swig of Calishite ale. You'd be lucky to wake up three days later hugging the back end of a camel, I'd wager," he said with a smirk.
"Ughh... I'd rather be lucky hugging the back end of a human, elven or half-elven woman... Or a half-orc woman at least. Who are you?" Anakin asked.
"Me? Why I'm none other than the renowned rogue, Tomi Undergallows! My friends call me "Grin", the lasses call me "Tomi Grin", and "that damned thing" to anyone in a position of respectable authority," Tomi declared proudly jabbing the thumb of his right hand to his chest proudly.
"Tomi Undergallows... Never heard of you," Anakin said flatly after trying to recall the name.
Tomi smirked.
"I can forgive you for not hearing about me. I hail from Calimport, and that's a long way for me to travel, even my reputation."
"Trying to escape your reputation, are you?" Anakin grinned, sensing that Tomi must have done something to get himself in trouble.
Tomi studied Anakin for a second. "Well, you strike me as a bit of a rogue yourself. Sometimes, a reputation deserves to be run away from, aye? Rob some fat human caliph with piggy lips, kiss his daughter as a lark before leavin' with the loot and then bam! You're the most wanted man in Calimshan!"
"You kissed his daughter?" Anakin snickered.
Tomi shrugged. "How was I supposed to know that piggy human would be so sensitive about it?! Still, it was worth the risk, I say. That took flair, and I have flair!" He exclaimed adamantly.
"You did more than kiss her, did you? Come on, spill it," Anakin gave Tomi a sly look.
Tomi scratched his head sheepishly, breaking eye contact with Anakin's eyes every two seconds.
"Well, eh... To be honest, m'lord, I used the word "kissing" loosely. The lass was meant to marry the Pasha's son, as long as she's a virgin... Let's just say the lass's father may as well forget about it."
"What happened then?" Anakin grew curious about Tomi's past.
"I came to Neverwinter. This city seemed like a promising place for a young halfling like me. On the surface, anyway. You'd be surprised at what the authorities can get away with here."
"Trust me, I wouldn't be surprised at all..." Anakin scowled, thinking back at old memories that fueled his hatred towards self-righteous people of a respectable authority like Desther.
"The law in Neverwinter is very strict, no-nonsense, and to some degree, corrupt. They can take a perfectly innocent man, accuse him of simple pick-pocketing, and throw him in prison without a trial. Or not a very fair trial. That judge was mean. Fortunately my stay in Neverwinter's prison was a short one. I didn't arrange my escape, but I was glad it happened nonetheless," Tomi said.
"How did you get out?" Anakin asked.
"The exact goings-on inside the prison I'm not entirely sure, m'lord. To tell you the truth I had only been in prison for a few days, and was beginning to think how depressing life is until..."
"Until what?" Anakin pressed.
"Until the warden began babbling all kinds of nonsense and released all the prisoners from their cells, even the most despicable ones, murderers, politicians, lawyers, you name it. I got out of there as quick as I could, and came here. I met a beautiful half-elven lass who paid me to be someone's partner."
Anakin sighed in disgust.
"... Politics..." He muttered the word as a curse.
He is now sure that Tomi is the guy Aribeth hired to be his partner, but what interested him more is the actions of the prison warden.
"Why would the warden release the prisoners?" Anakin asked.
"I have no clue. Some of the other fellows were talking about a prisoner who has the power to control the warden's mind and make him do this. Sounds too strange to me. I assume he has become brain-sick by the plague or something more rational like that. Either way, the Tower District is at an uproar," Tomi shook the uneasiness off.
"What a coincidence! That half-elf woman who paid you... She paid you to be my partner on a mission. I need someone who knows his way around the River and Tower District," Anakin said.
Maybe Tomi won't be so useless after all. "Oh? That's what this is all about? I'm quivering with curiosity! So who might you be, m'lord, and who are we working for?" Tomi grinned, showing his shiny white teeth.
"I'm Anakin Lunar, a rogue mercenary hired by the half-elven paladin, Lady Aribeth de Tylmarande. My mission is confidential," Anakin replied.
"Ahhh, I'm assumin' you must be a secret agent of some kind, working for the lovely half-elven lass? Must be exciting! I'd be glad to help out... for the right price. Say... 200 gold?"
Anakin blinked.
"200 gold? Nah, that's a bit too much. How about 150 gold?" He tried to lower the price a bit.
Tomi rubbed his chin in thought of a slightly higher price.
"Hmm... how about 175 gold? I won't accept gold no lower than that." Tomi said.
"All right, 175 it is," Anakin gave Tomi the gold pieces.
"All right then! Now that we are formally partners, Annie, let's get going, aye?"
"Yes, time stands still for no one, and one more thing, Tomi."
"What's that?"
"Don't ever call me "Annie" again." Anakin said darkly, pointing his finger down at Tomi's forehead.
"You're the boss," Tomi said with an indifferent shrug and followed Anakin out the temple.
As soon as they stepped out of the front entrance of the Hall of Justice, they headed east. They couldn't cross the Sleeping Dragon Bridge, much to Anakin's surprise, the Graycloaks of Neverwinter, the city's militia, have blocked off the bridge from both sides to make sure no one had plans to escape Neverwinter by diving into the river from the bridge and swimming out from Neverwinter Harbor, so Anakin and Tomi had no choice but to try to cross the other two bridges and hope that at least one of them isn't barricaded off. As they neared the Winged Wyvern Bridge, Anakin and Tomi's noses caught the whiff of smoke. Somewhere nearby, the guards of Neverwinter are burning more deceased victims of the Wailing Death in the streets. Not far away, Tomi and Anakin heard random voices cry out:
"Why us?! What did we do to deserve this?!"
"Will it ever end?! I just want to get out!"
"We're doomed! I've seen it! I've seen our deaths in a vision!"
"The end times is nigh! Like Netheril before us, we are destined to fall!"
Anakin wished that he had a map of the city so that he wouldn't have such a hard time navigating around the city, but he recalled that Nasher Alagondar prohibits the production of maps of the city to confuse Luskan spies that are trying to formulate an effective plan to infiltrate Neverwinter and learn the city's structure and locations to plan a calculated assault. Without a map or someone on Neverwinter's side defecting over to them, the Luskan spies will be constantly second guessing where the best places to strike would be. Neverwinter is a very large city, but not as large as Waterdeep, with a large, warm river dividing the city into two halves like Athkatla. The only difference is Neverwinter has three bridges instead of one, all leading to the Castle Never in the City Core, the western quadrant of the upper half of the city, close by Blacklake District. The reason why Neverwinter's river is warm is because it is heated by fire elementals in Mt. Hotenow in the Neverwinter Woods northeast from the city, and the river's heat prevents cold winters.
"Where is the River District?" Anakin asked Tomi as they continued searching for a bridge they can cross.
"It's this way, m'lord," Tomi said.
Anakin followed Tomi down the streets of Neverwinter, passing by many distraught citizens who are either crying over deceased loved one, or shouting apocalyptic nonsense. The Winged Wyvern Bridge is also blocked off, which means the Dolphin Bridge must be the only bridge available to cross. Soon Tomi and Anakin spotted three guards carrying two dried up corpses followed by two young children, a boy and a girl. Their parents must have passed away from the Wailing Death.
"Give Mama and Daddy back! Please!" The boy wailed at the guard.
"Please!" The girl wailed as well.
"I'm sorry kids, the priests did everything they could, but your parents are gone." One of the guards said with as much sympathy as possible.
They threw the dried corpses of the children's parents on a pile of many other deceased victims of the Wailing Death close by, on the sidewalk.
Then a few more guards threw a large dark brown blanket over the pile of dry corpses.
"Please! Please no!" The girl and boy wailed, pulling at one of the guard's arms as he tried to light his torch.
His partner walked over to him, grabbed the torch from his hans before the kids could get it and lit it. The guard who was assaulted by the kids held them in his arms as his partner walked over to the pile of corpses and lit them on fire, illuminating the area in a bright orange light.
"NOOOO! MAMA! DADDY!" The boy and girl wailed loudly as the guard held them back.
Anakin watched as the kids cried over their deceased parents, the brightness of the bonfire reflecting in his eyes. He felt no pity or sympathy, but somehow he could relate to their predicament. He just couldn't stop looking at the fire. It reminded him of...
"Ey, what's wrong, Anakin? You all right?" Tomi asked him, tapping his left leg.
Anakin blinked and shook his head.
"...Yeah. Let's get going," he mumbled and continued following Tomi. He looked back at the fire one last time as he walked away and saw the guards carrying away the crying children who did not want to leave their dead parents behind even though the fire is burning their corpses along with many others. The horrible memories are still burned into his mind... in more ways than one.
When they reached and crossed the Dolphin Bridge, they found that while the bridge is not barricaded off, but several guards stood along the sides of the bridge, likely to make sure no one has the guts to jump into the river below and swim out the city.
Meanwhile, in the prison at the Tower District, a few blocks north from the Moonstone Mask Inn, and a few blocks south from The Fallen Tower tavern, the most popular tavern in Neverwinter, and a few blocks southwest from the Sacred Park of Sune, the prison warden, or Head Gaoler, Alaefin is in his office with a male half-orc who just recently has become his right hand, Kurdan Fenkt. Kurdan is a tall, muscular half-orc who wore shabby clothes that barely covered his muscular torso. He had a bad feeling about the Head Gaoler. He couldn't deny that he's happy to be free from his prison cell, but he has this feeling that he is not truly free, that he crawled out of one foxhole just to fall into another. Alaefin is a middle aged human. His dark blonde beard is sharp and triangular, pointing down towards the floor, and his hair is neatly groomed, shining with hair grease, and he wore his prison warden body armor, which is a +1 chainmail armor, gauntlets and boots.
"Have all the guards in the prison been taken care of, Kurdan?" Alaefin asked, relaxing on his chair, sitting behind his desk and smoking a pipe casually.
"Yes, master. As we speak, all the former prisoners are executing the surviving guards," Kurdan gave his master a nod.
Alaefin leaned forward towards the desk, resting his elbows on it and cupping his hands together.
"Excellent," he said with a sinister grin. "It's only a matter of time before Neverwinter is under my control, and I will eventually have the power to usurp that weak willed ruler Nasher Alagondar," he gloated.
Kurdan had a bad feeling about this. He has seen who he is really serving, he knows Alaefin's horrific secret, but he can't rebel against his master without endangering his life, or worse, his mind. But there's one thing he can't understand. Why did he take the time to "brainwash" nearly a dozen of the guards into becoming his loyal servants.
"Master... May I ask you something?" Kurdan asked.
Alaefin scowled at him before saying: "Speak."
"I don't understand why you would need to brainwash the guards. Is having every prisoner serve under you enough, master?" Kurdan asked.
Alaefin stood up out of his chair and shook his head, slowly pacing around in front of his desk with his hands gripping each other behind his back.
"Kurdan, Kurdan, you short-sighted brute, you just don't get it. You have seen what I'm capable of, have you? To rule a city, to overthrow the individuals in power, you need to display dominance. You need servants, puppets and followers to act as an extension of your will. By allowing the freed prisoners run loose in the Tower and River District, I am showing that Alagondar fool just how serious I am. I am showing him that he is not fit to rule Neverwinter. For the past few days I've seen how he controls Neverwinter, and he brings shame to the name "ruler". Bah! Some ruler he is!" Alaefin waved a hand dismissively. "The citizens and low ranked authorities control the ruler! When a ruler lets the people control his decisions, it creates chaos! What the city of Neverwinter needs is a man of... superior intellect to restore order to the city.. Nasher lacks the intelligence to be a ruler. Only I have the brains for that job. If brainless vermin like you want to survive this plague, you must submit to me. Don't you agree, Kurdan?"
Kurdan broke eye contact from Alaefin for a second then looked into his eyes again.
"Yes, master. Whatever you desire..."
Back to Anakin and Tomi a couple hours later, they have just reached the River District, east from Blacklake District above the Neverwinter River that divides the city, and already Anakin could hear the rowdy, enthusiastic shouts of the rampaging prisoners, the shouts and screams of the terrified residents of the district, and the sound of fragile objects breaking.
"Hail, citizens. I must speak to you," The Graycloak captain called to Anakin and Tomi. He appears to be 31 years old, he has a fresh shaven face, almond colored eyes, and chestnut colored hair. He wore a gray cloak like all soldiers of the Graycloaks do.
"Who are you?" Anakin asked.
"I am Captain Kipp of the Graycloaks of Neverwinter. I was sent here with a group of guards to try and quell the situation here in the Tower District, but things are getting worse by the minute. The prisoners on the loose here have us outnumbered!" Kipp exclaimed in frustration.
"What? Wow, things weren't this bad last time I was here," Tomi said in shock.
Anakin looked around. Other than Kipp, he saw 15 more guards, clad in gray cloaks.
"This is your squad?! How pathetic," Anakin said disdainfully.
Kipp nodded without shame. "I know, shameful, isn't it? But this is all I've got. The other half are a little deeper into the district, led by Sedos Sebile," he said.
Anakin, Tomi and Kip saw an inmate running across the street 27 feet away from them, but the inmate never came their way.
"How did the prisoners escape? Do you know?" Anakin asked, though he already knew from Tomi, he just wanted to hear what Kipp heard.
"Rumor is that the senior captain Alaefin, the Head Gaoler, set them free. Makes no sense to me- he was a good man and ran a tight ship," Kipp replied.
"What about Sedos and the rest of your squad? Could we regroup with them?" Anakin asked Kipp for a possible strategy.
Kipp chuckled wryly.
"That's the main plan, of course, but its suicidal to go into the district. Those rampaging prisoners may not be wearing body armor, but they are armed to the teeth and mean as a hellhound," he said.
Neverwinter's militia sucks... Anakin shook his head slowly.
"Hey Anakin, you know what this calls for?" Tomi asked.
"What?" Anakin looked at him.
"We need to give these guys a helping hand, aye?"
"Two armed citizens escorting 16 members of the Graycloaks to the other half of their squad... It sounds suicide to me. Who exactly are you?" Kipp asked Anakin.
"I'm Anakin Lunar, the only surviving recruit of the Neverwinter Academy."
Kipp's eyes lit up in surprise.
"Ah! You're that recruit Lady Aribeth keeps talking about. If you're here to help us, I'd say my luck is taking a good turn," Kipp smiled for the first time.
A minute later, Anakin, Tomi, Kipp and fifteen Graycloak soldiers were marching down the streets to the building where Sedos and her half of the Neverwinter militia team are taking shelter. The escaped prisoners were all over the place, harassing and attacking defenseless citizens and breaking anything breakable. Some tried to attack Kipp, Anakin, Tomi and the other guards, but since the prisoners aren't wearing body armor, only old, shabby shirts and underwear, they were easy to take down, but their numbers are nearly enough to overwhelm a small squad of The Graycloaks of Neverwinter. But fortunately the majority of the prisoners were enjoying themselves rampaging through half of the Tower District terrorizing and attacking any citizen they come across. The races of the prisoners vary, but predominately they are humans, dwarves and half-orcs. Anakin and the others were forced to fight a small group of rampaging prisoners every 20 steps they take. At one point Anakin saw an inmate in an alleyway violently strangling a bearded man using a garrote wire.
"Here comes more!" Kipp exclaimed, drawing his sword when he spotted another group of prisoners coming at them a block ahead of them.
"I love this part!" Tomi exclaimed enthusiastically, yanking his +1 kukri out of its little scabbard and charging forward.
Anakin pulled out his light crossbow and fired at the nearest inmate, who is a dwarf. The quarrel hit the dwarf between his eyes, causing him to somersault backwards off his feet and land on the road face-up. The others kept coming.
"Skull cleaver! Raaagh!" The only half-orc inmate in the group wearing a dirty white shirt exclaimed, wielding a war ax.
Anakin withdrew his light crossbow and pulled his longsword and dagger out. The first inmate came at Tomi, but he was too quick. Tomi dodged the sword strike side stepping to the left, stabbing the inmate with his kukri +1. When the inmate fell to his knees, Tomi jumped on his back and drove his kukri down the escaped prisoner's neck. A dwarven inmate charged at Tomi from behind, and almost at the last minute, Tomi turned around to parry the sword strike in time. Their swords locked for a few seconds, then the dwarf kicked Tomi, causing him to fall on his back. Then Tomi threw his kukri at the dwarven inmate, and the blade punctured his heart.
"How did ya like that?!" Tomi grinned triumphantly.
Kipp, Anakin and the fifteen Graycloak soldiers fought off the rest of the attacking inmates, who despite wearing old shirts and underwear, fought vigorously. Anakin parried with his sword, then tried attacking the inmate with a diagonal slash, but the inmate parried with his own sword. Before the inmate knew it, Anakin threw his dagger down at the inmate's foot then their longswords locked together. The inmate felt intense pain shooting up from his right foot to his brain. Anakin then took the opportunity to cut down the inmate while he's off guard by the unexpected attack. The half-orc armed with a war ax and three human men armed with short swords managed to bring down two soldiers in Kipp's squad, leaving only thirteen of them left.
"RAAAH! No more! No more work! I'll die before going back to that hellhole!" The raging half-orc inmate exclaimed after severing the head of the Graycloak he just killed.
"Damn it, we are not losing here!" Kipp exclaimed, charging at the half-orc.
The half-orc turned around and parried Kipp's longsword then kicked him in the chest, knocking him down to the ground. Before the half-orc could deliver the finishing blow, Anakin shot the half-orc in the head with a crossbow bolt.
"Thanks!" Kipp looked up at Anakin before getting back up on his feet.
The rest of the prisoners were not as tough as the half-orc. Taking them down was easy. Just when Kipp and the others thought that the battle is all over, Kipp saw a prison inmate wearing a Cloak of Protection +1 coming at Anakin from an alleyway behind him!
"Anakin, watch out!" He exclaimed, pointing at the inmate's general direction.
In an impressive display of quick reflexes, Anakin quickly turned around to face the ambushing inmate as he pulled his dagger out of his belt. Then in one swift motion, he grabbed the inmate in a headlock briefly, let go of his neck but held on to his semi long blond hair, then brought his dagger up towards the inmate's neck and cut across the neck, causing a lot of blood to spill on the street! Anakin released the man's body, allowing it to land in the pool of blood it created. Seeing this made Tomi, Kipp and Kipp's surviving guards cringe. Anakin wiped his dagger clean and put it back into his belt. Kipp was speechless.
"Huh... Crude but effective," Tomi said, mildly amused.
Anakin decided to take the Cloak of Protection +1 for himself. He removed it off the inmate's body and put it on, but not before shaking off the drops of blood on it.
"Let's move before more of these lowlifes show up," Anakin said as he swiftly turned around and walked forward, his new cloak waving in the breeze.
It didn't take them long to reach the area where Sedos and the rest of the Neverwinter guards are hiding.
"Captain Kipp! we thought you were dead!" One of the guards, a dark skinned man with blue eyes said.
"Thanks to these courageous gentleman here," Kipp replied.
"Aye, all in a day's work, right m'lord?" Tomi said proudly with his hands on his waist like a superhero.
"All in all, it was fun," Anakin admitted.
"Where's Sedos?" Kipp asked the guard.
"She's in that building over there," the guard pointed at the building whose entrance is being closely guarded by two Neverwinter guards armed with heavy crossbows.
Kipp, Anakin and Tomi entered the building while Kipp's soldiers stayed outside with Sedos's soldiers. Inside the building, Anakin saw Sedos herself looking over some papers. She appears to be half Kozakuran and half Tethyrian and 11 years older than he is. She's predominantly Kozakuran, but her jaw line shows some Tethyrian ancestry. Her black hair is tied into a bun, she wore black pants, a black corset with small silver spikes on the bust of the corset, a gray cloak, and she wore black bracers which also have small silver spikes. The spikes don't look sharp enough to do any damage to anyone who touches them, and for weapons, she has a longsword sheathed on the left side of her waist, and she seems to use her dagger possibly as an offhand weapon.
"Sedos, it's me, Captain Kipp."
She looked up at him and gasped in surprise.
"I'm surprised you made it here! I thought you were dead," she said in surprise, approaching him and suppressing the urge to hug him, instead giving him a salute, and Kipp saluted back.
"Before we left, I talked to Commander Tab about this, and he sent as much reinforcements as he could to guard the gate. To be honest, neither me or my squad would have made it here if it weren't for these two," Kipp replied, gesturing to Anakin and Tomi.
Sedos eyed Anakin and Tomi with curiosity.
"What brings you two here? Captain Kipp wasn't supposed to let any citizens in the district... Say, you aren't new recruits, are you?"
"He isn't, he's just a sidekick," Anakin said, gesturing at Tomi, then continued: "Lady Aribeth temporarily assigned me to militia service."
Sedos believed Anakin, and is amused by this, because her eyebrows arched up in amusement, she smirked and she crossed her arms as well.
"Has she now? Well, that's the best news I've heard all night."
"So you're Sedos, correct?" Anakin asked.
"Correct. I am Sedos Sebile, of the Neverwinter militia. I'm in charge of the operation here. And you?"
"I'm Anakin."
"Very well, Anakin it is," Sedos reached out to shake Anakin's hand, but withdrew her hand when she saw that Anakin has no interest in handshaking.
"What's the situation here, Sedos? What can we do?" Kipp asked.
"Truth be told, Captain Kipp, we can't do much. Even with the help of a Neverwinter Academy recruit and his halfling friend, we are still shorthanded in this situation." She said.
Tomi's proud smirk turned into a dissatisfied frown.
"...Well, I've been called worse," he shrugged, then prepared to light up a cigar.
"Is there anything we can do?" Anakin asked.
"I'm afraid the only thing we can do is try to get inside the prison, but the remaining prisoners who aren't on a rampage are guarding the prison like a fortress. It won't be easy for us to get inside, especially since the front door is locked," Sedos replied.
"Ah, don't worry, my fair lass, there's not a lock that ol' Tomi can pick," Tomi said proudly while smoking.
"The lock of the prison's front door is state-of-the-art. Not even the most talented rogue can pick his way in or out of the prison," Sedos said to Tomi.
His determined grin turned into a dismayed frown.
"Besides, with most of the prisoners in the streets, we're stretched to the limit just trying to keep the citizens safe. As if the Wailing Death isn't enough..." Sedos grumbled.
"We still need to get in that prison. That's our prime goal." Kipp said.
"It's a fool's errand, Kipp. The door is locked, and who would be foolish enough to enter the prison alone?" Sedos asked.
"Hey!" Anakin called before Kipp and Sedos could argue.
"Tomi and I will search for the loose inmate with the key and we can sneak into the prison without being detected. Since we're both rogues, we're good at hiding in the shadows."
Kipp looked at Anakin incredulously.
"Are you nuts? You'll be searching for that key all night! There are nearly a dozen raiding parties out there! Plus, raiding the prison alone is suicide! There could be more prisoners in there than you can fight! And they are a vicious lot!" Kipp exclaimed.
"But if you can pull it off, I'll pay you 300 gold," Sedos said.
Anakin smiled then he and Tomi headed out the door.
Kipp sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hand while standing next to Sedos.
"That man is in way over his head... But on second thought, we need men like him," he admitted, and Sedos offered Kipp a bottle of mint wine.
A few minutes later, Anakin and Tomi stuck to the shadows of the streets and alleyways, hunting down whoever has the key. Anakin and Tomi witnessed the escaped prisoners breaking and destroying everything they possibly could, hollering and shouting as if they've finally achieved freedom, and randomly assaulting every defenseless man and woman that tried to escape their rampage. Right now, Anakin and Tomi have set their sights on the first raiding party they plan on attacking, a raiding party of 8 escaped inmates led by a 30 year old man from Leilon named Bowen Lockwood, who is nicknamed "Worg-blood" by his fellow inmates for his reputation as a ruthless killer. Sentenced to life in prison for murder on 9 counts, Bowen "Worg-blood" Lockwood is one of the most ruthless men from the prison, which is why he is nicknamed "Worg-blood", because he can be intimidating and vicious like a worg.
From the shadows of the alleyway, Anakin and Tomi saw Bowen and his party go wild. One of Bowen's party members walked too close by the dark alleyway where Anakin and Tomi are hiding as he followed his leader and fellow party members. Anakin crept closer to the unsuspecting inmate. And before the human inmate knew it, he felt warm hands cover his mouth and an arm grab him by the neck!
"Mmmph!" The surprised inmate grunted as he felt himself being pulled into the dark alleyway, then Anakin slit his throat in the darkness.
Bowen and his party never noticed the disappearance of their party member, because they were too busy terrorizing a middle aged man, woman and their 11 year old girl outside their home for their gold.
"Give us all your gold or we'll carve you up like cheese, old man! We ain't got all day!" Bowen sneered, holding his bloodstained dagger up at the man's face.
"No! Please!" The man cried.
Bowen slowly withdrew his dagger and looked back at his party.
"You hear that, boys? He doesn't want to give up his gold!" Bowen told them.
His raiding party jeered in anger, then Bowen turned his attention to the old man and his family.
"Ah well, let's try the alternative. If you don't give us your gold, I'll just slit your daughter's throat instead!" Bowen exclaimed, grabbing the man's daughter and holding the cold dagger up to her neck. The little girl squealed in horror, squirming to get loose.
"Stop squirming you little wench!" Bowen snarled.
"No! Not my daughter! Please!" The man's wife cried, dropping to her knees.
"Please! No! Stop! I'll do anything! Please let my daughter go!" The man pleaded.
Bowen looked at the pleading man in amusement.
"You know what? It would be too boring to just take your money and go. Why don't we slit all of throats and take everything you have?! I'll start with your daughter first!" Bowen exclaimed. His raiding party cheered loudly. The man and woman cried out loudly, believing all hope is lost for them and their daughter, and just before Bowen could cut the little girl's neck, he heard someone shout out:
"Hey!"
It was loud enough to carry over the cheers of his raiding party. Everyone quieted down, except the shouts of other raiding parties and screams of other civilians in the distance. Bowen and the others saw the silhouette of a man standing in the street. He seems to wear studded leather armor and wore a black cloak. He couldn't see his face clearly. It is shrouded in darkness.
"Hey, get lost, buddy!" Bowen exclaimed to Anakin.
He didn't reply, he just stood still as a statue.
"Don't make us kill you, you daft idiot!" Bowen warned him again after a 4 second pause of silence.
"... Try me. See what happens," Anakin taunted.
Bowen chuckled. "You got guts, stranger. And I wanna see 'em. You! Go get him!" He ordered a fellow human inmate to attack him.
The inmate, armed with a short sword in his left hand charged at Anakin, shouting. Anakin didn't move a muscle until the inmate got close enough to try to strike him down. Anakin crouched a little, grabbing the inmate's left wrist with his right hand, and as he did that, he used his left hand to pull the dagger that used to belong to the previous inmate he killed out of his belt and drove it up into the inmate's left armpit. The inmate howled loudly in pain then Anakin grabbed his own dagger and stabbed the side of the inmate's right lung, and he collapsed dead.
Bowen could not believe his eyes.
"What the-?! Damn! Both of you, go get him!" He commanded two inmates to attack Anakin at the same time.
Two inmates, a human and a dwarf charged at Anakin, and in an impressive display of reflexes, Anakin swiftly dodged their attacks with grace that amazed even Bowen and finished them off with only his dagger, his longsword remained in its scabbard.
"Arrgh! All of you, get him!" He exclaimed.
He then noticed that all of his party members are shivering in fear. One by one they started to run away.
"Ahhh, forget this! I'm outta here!" A half-orc man exclaimed fearfully before running away.
"Hey! Where are you going?! HEY! Get your asses back here! Damn it!" Bowen decided to kidnap the man's daughter and run away too. He picked her up and ran off.
"Mama! Daddy!" The girl cried.
"No! Please, save my daughter!" The woman pleaded to Anakin.
"Tomi, let's go!" Anakin called and began to chase Bowen.
Bowen entered an alleyway, running down the semi dark corridor as he struggled to keep his balance holding the struggling and screaming girl. Anakin and Tomi entered the alleyway and continued giving chase. Bowen emerged from the other end of the alleyway and frantically looked around, panting heavily. He noticed that he's getting close to the harbor market. He decided to go there anyway.
"Let me go! HELP!" The girl shouted.
"Shut up!" Bowen growled as he continued running.
Anakin and Tomi emerged from the alleyway and saw Bowen ahead running for the harbor market.
"He's headed for the river market!" Tomi pointed out.
Anakin nodded and they continued chasing him. As he kept going into the abandoned river market, he saw a few fellow escaped inmates eating fruits and other produce from the market stands. If only he could use them to slow Anakin and Tomi down...
"Hey!" He called out to them. "Kill them! Kill them! Cut their throats out!" He pointed at Anakin ant Tomi then continued running.
"No quarter!" Anakin exclaimed drawing his longsword and dagger.
"Here comes halfling death!" Tomi exclaimed as he wielded his kukri +1.
Anakin and Tomi almost effortlessly cut their way through the small group of escaped inmates Bowen commanded to slow them down, then they continued chasing Bowen. Bowen looked over his left shoulder and saw Anakin and Tomi are still coming at him several yards behind him. He decided to stop in front of a shack near the harbor that sells cooked meat. He dropped the girl off his shoulders, picked her up with one hand and held the dagger at her throat. Anakin and Tomi stopped in their tracks and Anakin pulled out his light crossbow from behind his back, hidden under his cloak and aimed it at Bowen.
"Stay back! I'm warnin' ya!" Bowen grew mad with rage and the girl cried.
Anakin knew that if he tried to shoot at Bowen's head, he would just move the girl in front of the bolt's path. He needed a way to catch Bowen off guard. Anakin then noticed that there are two small frying pans hanging on small hooks under the edge of the fish meat shop's roof to Bowen's left. The owner of the shack must have left them there to dry off or something. He figured if he fired a crossbow bolt at the left frying pan at the proper angle, the frying pan will make the crossbow bolt ricochet towards Bowen's head! While Bowen was shouting threats, Anakin shifted his aim at one of the frying pans as he gently sidled to the right a few feet. Then when he was sure that he's in the right position, he fired the bolt! The bolt flew at the frying pan! Bowen watched as the bolt fly at the frying pan. *DING!* the bolt hit the frying pan at the correct angle, causing it to rebound towards the left side of Bowen's head!
"Auugh!" Bowen groaned as the crossbow bolt struck the side of his skull, causing him to drop the girl and picking him up off his feet. He landed on the ground dead as dead can be.
The girl was shocked and traumatized, but she was a little glad that Anakin and Tomi killed her kidnapper. Anakin checked Bowen's body and found what he's looking for- the key to the prison! What luck the first leader of a raiding party they attacked has the key! But first things first, Anakin and Tomi need to return the girl to her parents.
"Mama! Daddy!" The girl ran up to her parents and hugged them.
"Maya! You're safe! Did he hurt you?!" Maya's mother exclaimed.
"No, I'm all right, Mama," Maya said, wiping her tears. Her mother hugged her daughter again, her cheeks moist with tears.
"You saved our daughter. Thank you." Maya's father thanked Anakin and Tomi.
"I suggest you stay indoors and hide in a closet or something," Tomi said.
"This is all well and good, but I'm ready for my reward now," Anakin said.
Maya's father frowned.
"What reward?" He asked.
Anakin looked at him incredulously.
"What do I look like, a charity case? Pay up," Anakin extended his right hand out to be offered gold.
"But... But... we only have 20 pieces of gold! We need that money to buy food until I get a new job!" The man pleaded.
"Look, you and your family are still alive, right? Thank your lucky stars neither of you are not dead in the gutter! Now pay up, I don't rescue helpless people like you for my health," Anakin said.
Maya's parents couldn't believe their ears. Her father gave Anakin 20 gold, and then glared angrily at him before going back in their house and shutting the door, locking it and barricading it.
"Wow, that was cold, m'lord," Tomi commented.
"Faerun is a cold place, and I'm used to it. Let's get going to the prison. The sooner we end this madness and get paid, the better." Anakin said darkly, putting the 20 gold in his money bag, then turned around, causing his cloak to swoosh gracefully as he turned, and walked into the shadows of the streets.
Since Anakin and Tomi are rogues, they had no trouble sneaking by the inmates guarding the prison. When the patrols were gone, Anakin and Tomi knocked out the inmates guarding the front door, then Anakin unlocked the door with the key he retrieved from Bowen's corpse and entered the prison. Prison guard bodies were littered about all over the place, and they started to stink up the air, too.
"Oy, they went to town on the poor guards!" Tomi said in shock, covering his nose.
"What did expect from a massive jailbreak like this?" Anakin asked Tomi while covering his own nose.
"Ah... This," Tomi pointed at the prison guard corpses all over the room with his free hand while pinching his nose shut with the other.
"Exactly," Anakin nodded and moved towards the door directly in front of him.
They opened the door and walked down the hallway to another door at the end and they found themselves in the torture chamber...! From the looks of it, as soon as the prisoners were released, they took some of the guards in here and used their own torture and execution devices against them! Fortunately no prisoners were in the torture chamber, only a dozen corpses of prison guards either laying on the floor or left to decay on devices like an electric chair, and the device that stretches your arms and legs in painful ways. Some guards were beheaded as well. Even though it seems like the main floor of the prison is empty, Tomi and Anakin could hear the shouts of escaped prisoners in the opper floors of the prison yelling:
"Kill the guards!"
"Yeaaah! Let's rip 'em apart!"
They could hear the prisoners in the upper floors going on a rampage, indistinctly shouting, breaking things and they also heard the screams of the guards they are attacking.
"Okay... I don't want to be here anymore..." Tomi said nervously, not wanting to take another look at the torture devices around him.
Anakin ignored the devices, he just focused on finding a new way out of this room.
"Hey, look. There are some stairs going down to the lower levels," Anakin pointed out.
They headed down the stairs to the lower levels of the floor. Down at the next level of the prison Anakin and Tomi saw up ahead what seems like a corridor leading to a door not far ahead, and hallways to the left and right. Anakin and Tomi decided to head for the door up ahead. They looked down the hallway both ways to make sure the coast is clear, then they began their approach for the door until they heard someone nearby go:
"Psst!"
Tomi and Anakin looked around with their weapons drawn until they saw a guard, an elf man hiding his body behind a door. Only his face is exposed between the small crack. He is gesturing with his left arm for Anakin and Tomi to come to him.
"Into the lock-down, quick, before the patrols see you!" He whispered loud enough for Anakin and Tomi to hear.
They didn't want to be spotted by patrols just yet, so they listened to the elven guard and entered the first room to the left down the hall instead of going into the door ahead of them. After Tomi and Anakin entered the room, the elf shut the metal door closed.
"You're not with the prisoners, are you?" The elf asked Anakin and Tomi.
Tomi felt the impulse to lie, but he had second thoughts, fortunately.
"I was locked up here this afternoon, but I ain't with these maniacs," Tomi told the elf.
"If we were with them, you'd be dead by now," Anakin put it bluntly for the elf. The elf sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness you've come, then. They've been running all over the prison, killing us guards. I think I'm the last one left," he said, placing a hand on his chest as if to make sure his heart is still beating.
"Who are you anyways?" Anakin asked him.
"I'm just a guard. The name's Emernik," The elf replied.
"I'm Anakin."
"The name's Tomi."
"The prisoners locked up some of the guards in prison cells for a few hours before slaughtering them. They locked me up too," Emernik said.
"How did you get out?" Tomi asked.
"I squeezed my body through the bars and snapped the neck of the prisoner they'd sent to butcher me. Too little too late- the others are all dead. I don't know why Captain Alafein is doing this. He has been acting strange ever since he visited his cousin, Lady Tanglebrook a week ago."
Anakin glanced at the door. "You're lucky to be alive, elf. Get out with your life while you still can. Tomi and I will take it from here," he said whispered.
"No," Emernik said firmly.
Anakin looked at him in confusion.
"I'm going with you. I want payback," Emernik told Anakin.
"Don't be stupid, elf, you'll only slow me down and get yourself killed," Anakin said as he headed for the door.
Before he could open it, Emernik grabbed Anakin by the shoulders, forced him to turn around and pressed him against the wall, looking into his green eyes in defiance.
"Look, the guards here who died were my friends. Abandon their memory if you want, stranger, but damn it, I'm here for some vengeance. I want these bastards to pay for what they've done," Emenrik said firmly.
It took 8 seconds for Anakin to make his decision.
"... All right, if it's vengeance you want, then its vengeance that you'll get. Just one thing."
Emernik raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Take. Your hands. Off. My cloak," Anakin warned the elf in a low, threatening tone.
Emernik slowly removed his arms off Anakin's shoulders and slowly backed away, grabbing his light crossbow. Anakin grabbed his own crossbow. Emernik opened the door and peeked out into the hallway to be sure the coast is clear. He signaled to Anakin and Tomi that they are all clear for now, then they left the room. Anakin and Emernik held their crossbows ready, and Tomi held his kukri +1 ready. They headed up the hallway and headed east. They shot their way through several patrolling inmates they came across.
A few of them knew how to cast magic because he tried to cast a fireball spell before Emernik shot him between the eyes. After traveling through room after room, descending deeper and deeper to the underground levels, they made their way to the Pits, the lowest floor in the prison that resembles a dark dungeon where the most insane, sadistic and dangerous inmates used to be kept before Alaefin set them free. Now, they are out for blood. Fortunately Anakin, Tomi and Emernik didn't have to fight past too many inmates down in the Pits. Most of them already escaped and are raiding the Tower and River District streets. Anakin, Tomi and Emernik soon reached Alaefin's room.
"This is it, the Head Gaoler's office," Emernik told Anakin.
"Wait, let me see if this thingy is booby-trapped," Tomi said.
He checked the doorknob for a trigger that activates the trap. He found it and attempted to disable it and succeeded. "Aye, it's done!" He declared.
Almost immediately, Anakin kicked open the door, startling Alaefin and Kurdan.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Alaefin exclaimed.
"Head Gaoler Alaefin! You got some explaining to do," Anakin said as Tomi and Emernik entered the room.
"Deal with these nuisances, Kurdan, or your body will be the next I possess!" Alaefin ordered Kurdan before retreating into the next room.
"Yes, master," Kurdan nodded at Alaefin before he left.
After Alaefin left, Kurdan grabbed his double edged war axe for battle. However, instead of charging at Anakin, Tomi and Emernic, who were bracing themselves for battlewith the brute, he dropped his weapons, much to their surprise.
"Wait. I surrender to you. So you three want the Head Gaoler, huh? You know what you face?" Kurdan got down on his knees to show that there's no trick involved.
Emernik and Anakin kept their crossbows aimed at his head.
"What do you mean?" Emernik asked Kurdan, trying to suppress the urge to pull the trigger.
"On the outside he looks like a normal man, but on the inside, something ate his brain, and now it sees through his eyes, and controls his body. He is not the same man," Kurdan said.
"What is inside him? Have you seen it?" Anakin asked Kurdan.
"Yeah, I seen it. It's small like a dog and smells like dead carrion crawler. No head, just a big brain all open. That must be why it likes eating brains so much," Kurdan replied.
Anakin looked at Tomi, Tomi looked at Anakin, then Anakin and Tomi looked at Emernik, and Emernik looked at them, then Emernik turned to look at Kurdan.
"Are you saying that a monster that looks like a brain with dog legs has possessed him?! I don't believe you! Why should we believe you?!" Emernik questioned Kurdan in boiling rage.
"Why did he set prisoners free? Why did he make guards into zombies? Why did he trust me to watch that back of his? Why? Because he ain't Alafein anymore," Kurdan said sincerely.
At that moment, Emernik pulled the trigger and Kurdan slumped down.
Tomi jumped in shock, then turned around to see Emernik aiming his crossbow at where Kurdan stood.
"Wha...?! What did you do that for?! He could have told us something useful!" He exclaimed.
"One less barbarian in Neverwinter," Emernik said coldly as he lowered his crossbow.
"Let's go get Alaefin," Anakin said and he, Tomi and Emernik followed the passageway Alaefin escaped into.
They found themselves in a large room partially divided by many disconnected walls, and they aren't alone. They saw Alaefin armed with a longsword and accompanied by 2 guards, but there's something off about the guards. They are standing, but they stand upright with their heads lowered, as if they are brain dead.
"So you defeated Kurdan, I see. No matter. I will finish off the three of you here!" Alaefin sneered.
Anakin charged at Alafein with his right hand gripping his longsword. When they got close enough, Anakin kicked Alaefin so hard, he staggered back against the wall and grunted. After a 3 second pause, Alaefin's body collapsed dead. Only Anakin remained standing.
"Well, that was easy," Tomi said, but he spoke too soon.
Alafin's head exploded and a creature with a body that looks like a human brain with four muscular, blood vein covered bestial legs attached to it jumped out, exposing itself to the intruders for the first time.
"What the hell?!" Emernik jumped back in shock.
Anakin and Tomi gasped in shock at what they just saw.
"That's one of the creatures I'm looking for!" Anakin exclaimed in surprise.
What they are seeing is an intellect devourer. They are unnatural, magical creatures bred by mind flayers. They are living brains with legs allowing them to walk on all fours like dogs that can possess the body of a living creature after eating its brain. The intellect devourer ran towards one of the zombified guards and jumped into its body. The guard it jumped into convulsed for a few seconds then sneered at Anakin, Emernik and Tomi.
"Hey, halfwits! I'm over here!" The guard cackled, or more specifically, the intellect devourer controlling the guard's body.
"Shoot him!" Tomi shouted.
Anakin and Emernik took aim at the guard and fired. Seconds after the guard collapsed dead, the intellect devourer exploded out of the guard's head and rushed over to posses the last zombified guard.
"After I subdue you three idiots, I will devour your pathetic excuses for brains!" The possessed guard sneered.
"Ready?!" Emernik asked Anakin while loading another bolt into his crossbow.
"Ready!" Anakin nodded after loading his.
Then they fired at the last guard in the legs. The guard cried out and collapsed on his knees.
"I'm never going back! You won't use me to create that cure! The plague will suck your skin dry for all I care!" The guard hissed.
Emernik and Anakin fired their crossbows again. The bolts pierced his armor and lungs, and the guard collapsed dead, and the intellect devourer exploded out of the guard's head. Now that it has no more zombified guards to possess, it has no choice but to fight Anakin, Emernik and Tomi in its own body. It fired a spell at Emernik that caused his entire body to feel numb.
"Gnngh...! I can't move...!" Emernik exclaimed through gritted teeth, feeling his muscles stiffen to the point where he can't move his arms or legs.
Tomi charged at the intellect devourer with his sword while Anakin loaded another bolt into his crossbow. The intellect devourer dodged Tomi's attack then tried to strike him with its claws. Tomi rolled backckwards away from the sharp claws, and before the intellect devourer could try to pounce on Tomi, Anakin fired his crossbow, the bolt hit the intellect devourer's back. It yelped in pain almost like a wounded puppy. Tomi recovered and jumped at the intellect devourer and landed on its back, driving his kukri +1 into it's back.
"Wahoo!" Tomi cheered, riding on the intellect devourer as it ran all over the place with Anakin trying to keep up.
It went wild trying to throw him off, Tomi held on for a while but he got flung off and hit his head against the wall. Anakin fired another bolt at the intellect devourer, trying to aim at it.
At that moment, Emernik was freed from the spell that immobilized him and caught up with Anakin and Tomi on the other side of the near-maze-like room, and when he caught sight of the brain monster, he took aim at it and fired a crossbow bolt. The bolt sailed past Anakin and the bolt lodged itself close to the creature's hind left leg. The intellect devourer is now seriously wounded, but it has no intention of surrendering. It charged at Anakin. He dropped his crossbow and drew his dagger. He fell on his back as the intellect devourer landed on top of him, pinning him to the floor! Anakin grunted strained and held his breath as long as he could with his left arm to keep the intellect devourer's claws from rending his face.
"Help! I need help! Tomi!" Anakin yelled.
He had never called anyone for help before, he doesn't expect it, but this is a desperate situation.
Tomi recovered slowly and when he saw Anakin in trouble, he grabbed his +1 kukri blade and rushed to the rescue. The creature snarled viciously like a dog as it tried to claw at Anakins' face while Tomi slashed at it with his +1 kukri, and Emernik continuing to fire crossbow bolts at it, but the intellect devourer was tenacious, it refused to succumb to the pain and continued trying to claw at Anakin's face. Fortunately for Anakin, he managed to use his right hand to grab his dagger, then he stabbed at its belly, causing some of its blood to leak out and stain Anakin's body armor, weakening it enough to toss it off of him before it could scratch him up with its claws.
"Guh! That half-orc was right, this thing does reek something awful!" Anakin groaned in disgust at Tomi as he stood up and held his nose.
Emernik fired another bolt, this time at the intellect devourer's hind right leg, crippling it. Then Anakin grabbed his crossbow, loaded a bolt and fired at its front right leg, seriously crippling it. Then he dropped his crossbow, drew his longsword then stood over it and drove the blade deep into its body. The intellect devourer struggled for a few seconds then became lifeless.
Tomi and Emernik stood next to Anakin looking down at the dead creature.
"What now?" Tomi asked Anakin.
"We take back an important component of this creature to bring back to Lady Aribeth," Anakin replied.
He knelt down, grabbed his dagger and began cutting the front half of the intellect devourer's brain off.
"Ugh..." Tomi and Emernik groaned in disgust at the sound of wet flesh ripping apart as Anakin was cutting the brain.
Anakin sheathed his weapons and picked the brain piece up off the floor.
"Let's go."
Anakin, Tomi and Emernik left the prison to report back to Kipp and Sedos.
"Anakin! Tomi! You're alive! I'm not sure what you've done in the prison, but whatever it was, it's had a big effect on everyone out here," Sedos said.
"The rampaging prisoners have calmed down a bit, and reinforcements are on the way to clean them up," Kipp said.
"Some creature was controlling Alaefin's body. I've got its brain here," Anakin said, showing it to Sedos.
"Let me see... That's an intellect devourer brain! So this explains why Captain Alafein was acting so strangely! Of course! This is one of the creatures Lady Aribeth has been searching for to help cure the plague! You better bring this to her quickly!" Sedos exclaimed.
"I'll be damned..." Kipp said, wide-eyed.
"Of course. And my reward?" Anakin reminded her.
"Here, 300 gold," she handed Anakin the gold. Emernik sat down and sighed.
"Whew. What a night..."
"We're in for a long night until we find the rest of the creatures. Come on, Tomi, let's get back to the Halls of Justice," Anakin said.
"Aye, m'lord," Tomi nodded and followed Anakin out the building.
A couple hours later, Anakin and Tomi returned to Lady Aribeth.
"Lady Aribeth, we have recovered one of the reagents for the cure. An intellect devourer's brain." He handed the brain to her.
"Excellent! I knew you wouldn't let me down!" She smiled.
Then Tomi and Anakin proceeded to tell her what happened in the Tower District.
"That was the reason we lost contact with those in the prison? As if the plague was not enough. Anakin, where others have found failure, you have discovered shining success. Neverwinter is in your debt. Battling the plague has drained the coffers of Neverwinter, so I can offer you only 500 gold as a reward," Aribeth gave Anakin the gold pieces.
He was unsatisfied. "500 gold pieces?! That's all?"
"Were it up to me, you would have a king's ransom for all you've done. However, the coffers are all but bare," Aribeth said with sincerity.
Anakin sighed in depression, lowering his eyes. To him, 500 gold pieces isn't worth almost getting mauled by an intellect devourer.
"All right," he gave in, pocketing his newly earned cash, then he waved godbye to Aribeth as he turned to depart the room.
Aribeth nodded respectfully at Anakin and Tomi as they departed, opening the door and walking out. Unlike Anakin, however, he felt proud to have earned a decent amount of cash for bagging their first Waterdhavian creature.
"Hey, Anakin, why don't we rest a bit before we move on with the next hunt, eh?" Tomi suggested.
Anakin's bright green eyes lit up because he hadn't realized how tired and hungry he is until now.
"Good idea. I am feeling a little hungry, after all," Anakin agreed.
