Chapter 001: Fired and Forgotten! Scene 001

I toss my talisman into the air and catch it again.
"Tsk… in the end, the elf still beat me!"

I smile — not that I really care, honestly.
At least now I’ve got a feather fall talisman I can use if the need arises, I think to myself. Then I walk over to the others to offer my congratulations in good spirit (and to throw a sarcastic jab at my former comrade-in-arms, TalZerai).

"What happened to you, friend? A sudden attack of vertigo? Haha!"
I give him a pat on the shoulder, then light up a cigar.

Caelyth beams back at the crowd, affecting a bow to each quarter to acknowledge the crowd.

She opens her arms to indicate her fellows and the Death's Gate competitors, as one would do to acknowledge the cast of a stage performance.

Her voice, clear as a bell, rings out to the audience, "Witness the courage of all our fellow competitors. We hope that this diversion entertained you."

Another bow.

While the applause lasts Caelyth's attention is only for the crowd.

When the crowd subsides a little Caelyth turns to the others. Her face is flush with the excitement of the fall, but also the response from the crowd.

"Well met Ortoto, Mort. Interesting sport eh? In truth, I only had eyes for these cobbles." She stomps her feet to attest to the solid ground and laughs.

"Let's have some wine together when this is done. Good company and stories are always a welcome end to the day."

"Tuono, TalZerai, Lusambar. Well done! It seems all of us arrived in one piece."

TalZerai landed softly and adjusted his weapons to make sure everything was in place. He joined the others as the contestants gathered to congratulate the winner.

TalZerai laughed warmly at Tuono's jab, "Nothing so grand, humbled by a simple gust of wind. I would have been better off staying at the top I think. Still smoking those disgusting things I see."

He nodded his congratulations to Caelyth, "Congratulations. A daring move. One piece indeed... I'm amazed you got through the glass without a scratch. I'm sure those above are still cursing the elf which smashed through their hard work."

Lusambar fades into the background while Caelyth takes her accolades. As the crowd starts to thin he makes his way back to the group of competitors. "An experience most will miss, lacking the spark that makes one jump into the void. Though, in truth, most don't have the faith in such a trifling seeming trinket."

"The truth of it is that I had neither the skills or the talent to avoid the collision. It was as much as I could do to get my weapon in the way," Caelyth shrugs admits to TalZerai.

"And, I'm sure that the owners will understand, given the circumstances," She laughs, "But, if not - all the more reason to spend my remaining coin on wine to put it beyond their reach."

"That sounds like a great idea," I reply to Caelyth. "Though maybe not here in a Lower Dura tavern… at best you might find some passable hippocras."

With that, I nod to the driver of the skycoach I grabbed onto earlier (and who might still be cursing me).
"Hey friend, can you take us back up to the upper city?"

Lusambar, usually hesitant to speak first, hears the call for urgency in questioning.

"If we encounter any trouble, what are our guidelines?"

Caelyth takes Lhara hand.

"We are pleased you were impressed and we are happy to perform this duty for you."

"My companion asks a sensible question. Can we expect anyone in paricular to intercept the order, or are you merely urging us to caution?"

The swordsman accepted the guild leader's offered hand. Obviously she had planned to give this assignment, being placed at the bottom of the competition. He glanced at their rivals who had been congratulating them, wondering that guild business was so openly discussed. Just a pick up of an item, so no secret mission.

The sensible questions were already being asked. Having nothing else he needed to know, he just waited for the leader to respond.

I blow out two puffs of smoke.
"I suppose we’ll have to postpone the victory celebrations, huh? In the taverns down in the Cogs, we might get served oil instead of wine."

Lusambar hands the cloak he used in the descent to Lhara. "Please see this returned to it's owner."

He takes the credit letter and makes it vanish into a hidden fold in his vest. "We'll take additional precautions once we're out of sight and hearing of others."

While my companions speak with Lhara, I keep an eye on the Deathsgate Guild members to make sure they don’t look too "interested" in our "mission."

Burning Idol... Burning Idol...

As Lhara outlines the details of their mission, and the group discuss precautions, Caelyth is lost in thought. it seems like the name might mean something. Perhaps she'd read something about it in some dusty tome or other.