The Adventure Begins

She called herself Phoenix. Of course, that was not her given name.

But nobody needed to know the chestnut-haired woman’s true name as she stepped inside a pub, creatively named Darius & Tabul’s. A rueful smirk rested on her lips as she pushed her way through the milling crowd that was beginning to form. It was unlikely that she would have much time to drink with them after she performed. After all, that was her profession. As a bard, she was to ensure that the patrons of the taverns she performed in were happy in their drunken state. Pushing through a door next to the wide wooden stage, she entered into a world full of colorful clothing, out of key instruments, and thick powder being applied to the faces of both males and females.

Setting her pack down in a relatively secluded corner, Phoenix began to unabashedly strip out of her simple dress and into a more extravagant outfit. Being a performer entailed losing the privilege of privacy, something she had learned quickly after her first few days of being a bard. Nobody cared to stare as she tugged the rough, yet shining, golden fabric over her creamy skin, her fingers pausing at her hips and noting that they had once again shrunk since the last time she wore the dress. A sigh made up of one part disappointment and two parts frustration left her lips as she let go of the fabric, letting it hang loosely off of her figure. It hadn’t helped that her last employer had failed to pay her for her services after she refused to sleep with one of his patrons.

“You’re on, girlie.” Someone called from the corner of the stage. She quickly patted powder that was mainly made up of flour over her already pallard complexion and brushed rouge over her cheekbones before she hurried over to the side of the stage where a man was finishing a ballad about a man whose love fled from him in the night.

And though he gave her silver and gold,

His tall walls sheltering her from the cold,

The maiden fled from his side as his slept

The midnight wind, away with her swept.

        Phoenix scowled at the well-known ballad, leaning against the wall whilst keeping herself hidden in the shadows as the young man stood, bowed, and finally retreated backstage. Grasping her wispy ribbons tightly in her hands, the willowy girl stepped onto the stage and nodded to the trio of musicians sitting slightly off-stage to her left. The slow and intense piece began with the violin, prompting Phoenix to delicately place her foot in front of her and raise her arms slowly above her head. The light ribbons clutched tightly in each hand brushed against her ankles as she began to move to the increasing tempo. Her limbs moved fluidly as her limber body told the story that the music invited her to tell. Dancing had always come naturally to her, as naturally as breathing. She could feel the music in her bones, the melodies entwining with her very being and allowing her to let go of every woe and trouble that dared cross her mind. Her parents had her dabble in playing the violin, singing, or even painting, but she had been nothing more than average at all of those. Dancing was the only thing she found herself excelling at, the only thing she knew that she couldn’t possibly live without.

She paused in her movements as shouting reached her ears, pulling her from the trance that she was under. Her lips twitched down in annoyance before she fell back into step with the music, her eyes watching as there was an altercation between a dragonborn, a human monk, and a tiefling dressed in black. She rolled her eyes briefly as she became immersed in the music once more. Phoenix brushed her left foot across the floor as the tempo began to slow, bringing it to a stop behind her ankle as the final notes of the fiddle faded out into silence. There was a light round of clapping from those who were not piss-drunk, prompting her to step lightly backstage once more.

        She was finished performing until tomorrow, prompting her to shove her things unceremoniously into her bag and head out to one of the tables that were scattered around the bar. The bar was admittedly far nicer than any of the taverns she had played in prior to this, despite it not being a place where aristocrats would come to drink. The walls were made of a thick dark oak, the tables and bar complimenting the darker walls as they were only a few shades lighter than the walls. She managed to find an empty table, clutching her gin close to her body as she maneuvered the crowd, close to where the fighting trio now sat by the command of the owner, and couldn’t help eavesdropping on their conversation.

        “I believe you owe my friend a new drink.”

        “I believe I owe him nothing but a knife to the throat for getting me into trouble.”

        A snort escaped Phoenix’s lips at that comment, gaining the attention of the three men. The monk’s lips curled back into a mocking grin as he began to leer at her.

        “I suppose you have an opinion?” He asked sarcastically, propping his chin up on a tan hand. His dark eyes watched from under his hood as she shifted in her chair to look back at them fully, meeting her own deep blue ones evenly. They looked one another up and down, silently sizing the other up.

        “Oh, I do.” Phoenix replied loftily, raising her drink to her lips. “But of course, who am I to comment on the relationship between you three? Feel free to go about your business.”

“Huh, I’m surprised that a woman of your...” He looked at her up and down with a slight smirk resting on his thin lips, “stature would be able to keep her mouth shut. I find that beggars are the ones with the loudest opinions.”

The brunette stiffened suddenly, her eyes flashing with irritation, and made her way to the empty stage, climbing up to stand in front of the tavern. Phoenix waved off the string quartet that was playing and coughed to gain the attention of the patrons of the bar.

“Attention. There is something I’d like to say.” She announced, her voice easily carrying over the chatter that resounded around the vast space. Something began to lace into her voice, making the next words that she spoke even more biting than they already were. Vicious mockery, one of the first spells she had learned, would prove to be useful in this situation. “Monk, I watched you when you came in. Are you so alone in your monastery that you have to reside with the company of men instead of women? You made no advances on anyone but the dragonborn. I have no issue with that, of course, but perhaps this announcement will ward away any women who may have mistaken your kindness as desire.”

Her speech earned a round of laughter from around the tavern, which she responded to with a slight bow at her waist before she hopped down and returned to her table. She sat once more and raised her glass in a silent toast to the trio, a smirk playing on her lips once more. The thief was grumpily staring off into space with his arms crossed across his chest, Dovahkiin wore an expression mixed between humor, anger, and embarrassment, but Asur’s face was unexpected. Eyes crinkled in humor, he was chuckling slightly as she approached.

“That was a very nice performance.” He complimented with a faint smile replacing the nasty look that was once on his face. Phoenix scowled at the fact that he found her words amusing instead of offensive. “Why don’t you come and join us.”

She deliberated for a moment, trying to sense any alternative motives other than simply sharing a drink with the  trio, but stood up and joined them nevertheless. She discarded her empty drink and moved a chair to their table. Sitting on the backwards chair, she glanced around at them with an appraising look while resting her arms on the back of her chair.

“My name is Asur. This is Dovahkiin and Altair the Theif.” He introduced everyone with a wave of his hand before giving her a charming look, all hostility seemingly melted away. “Might we have your name, milady?”

“Phoenix.” She replied shortly after a second, feeling uneasy at the sudden shift of mood in the monk. Of course it wasn’t unusual for her to feel uneasy around new people in general, as she had something referred to as ‘trust issues’.

“It is nice to meet you Phoenix.” Dovahkiin rumbled, inclining his head to her. She jumped slightly at the deep voice of the dragonborn, as he had yet to speak, but gave him a polite smile in return. He wore a slight scowl on his face, a sign that her comment about his banana tattoo was not forgotten, but other than that he wasn’t as hostile as she expected him to be. In his hands, he played with a giant ax. His blue scales reflected off of the metal and began to cast muted shades of blue across the table.

“Nothing to say, thief?” Phoenix turned to the small, dark pink teifling who had yet to speak. He responded with a sharp glare before turning back to his drink. She chuckled and rested her head in her hand lazily, beginning to relax. It had been far too long since she had been amongst the company of other civil beings. They began to speak of the reasons that they ended up in this establishment, reasons ranging from searching revenge for a fallen tribe to simply finding a new job in this town. As they spoke, a giant man made his way over at the sight of the three troublemakers finding a new friend to join them.

“Ah I see you three finally managed to attract a female. I didn’t think it would be possible.” The man chuckled deeply, grinning down at the group of people. Phoenix tensed and gazed at him uneasily until she realized that it was Darius, the man who hired her to perform tonight. Phoenix chuckled at the comment, shaking her head slightly.

“Can we have some of your strongest brew?” Dovahkiin asked as he noticed that his pint was empty, along with the other three’s. Darius’ booming laugh echoed across the bar, making the all of them jump in their seats. The intimidating man doubled over, his hands pressing against his knees to hold himself up. This continued for a good half a minute before he finally got control of himself once more. Dark eyes brimming with mirthful tears, he took a deep breath before replying.

“None of you could handle our strongest brew. I’ll ask Tabul to get you some of his micro-brew.” He waved at the dwarf behind the counter and called for him to bring over four micro-brews. The small man behind the counter nodded in reply, his serious expression ducking behind the bar to find the said alcohol.

“I’d like some dwarven fire wine.” Altair suddenly said, looking at Darius suddenly once Tabul had brought over the micro-brews. Phoenix raised her eyebrow at the small thief, along with Dovahkiin and Asur. The bar owners looked at one another for a moment, and then at the teifling, before breaking down into laughter that was twice as loud as Darius’ first fit of laughter. It took a full minute for the grown man and dwarf to stop laughing and look at Altair once more.

“You’d be dead before the last drop hit your tongue.” Tabul chortled, his thick red hair bouncing with each shake of his head. Darius whispered something to him, and the dwarf laughed before disappearing behind the bar once again and returning a single shot glass. He slammed it on the table in front of the thief, the liquid inside spilling over onto the table as Tabul grinned challengingly at Altair. “Drink then.”

Altair glared at the dwarf before he threw back the liquid inside. Phoenix, Asur, and Dovahkiin watched for something to happen, the three of them sitting on the edge of their seats. There was a moment of disappointment as the liquid seemed to have no effect on Altiar. He seemed satisfied with himself for a few seconds before he began to sway in his seat.

“Feeling alright, thief?” Phoenix laughed, taking a sip of her own drink. He opened his mouth to reply, but didn’t get the chance to. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell out of his seat, unconscious. Roaring laughter echoed around the table as they watched Altair laying prone on the floor. “What was in that?”

“A single drop of dwarven fire wine, watered down.” Tabul chuckled. The group enjoyed a laugh at the expense of the drunken thief before falling back into conversation. Darius and Tabul seemed very interested to hear about their stories and how they ended up in their bar. Dovahkiin spoke of his tribe, long destroyed by a sorcerer who sought claim of the land they lived on. With revenge in his heart, he was seeking out that same sorcerer.

Phoenix nodded as the dragonborn spoke, understanding the pull of revenge as she herself had been long resisting the urge to fall victim to its sweet offer. Her hand clutched the drink in her hand as she looked down at the alcohol. The taste was bitter in her mouth as she was usually abstinent. It was comforting to hold onto something though.

Asur began to paint a picture of his monastery hidden high in the mountains north of the town that they currently resided in, an open space with columns lining the entire structure. Pale marble statues of their deity seemed to stare at you from every angle as you studied, prayed, and meditated. A high ivory tower served as their library, giving them a beautiful view of the valley below. They all seemed to listen attentively to this, the descriptions he gave creating a clear image of what the monitory looked like.

Too soon, they looked at Phoenix expectantly. Putting on a smile and allowing her storytelling skills to use, she painted a tail of a girl named Phoenix who was raised in small country town and began to travel the land on her own as a bard, seeking both jobs and adventures to go on. None of them found any sort of discrepancy with her tale, much to her relief.

Darius and Tabul recounted a few of their own adventures, filling the late night with tales of dragons, treasure, and heroes. As Altair began to come to, the two old adventurers said farewell to the group and made their way back to the bar, as they still had a business to run. As they left, a man approached the group and sat in the last empty chair at the table. The four figures paused in their conversation and stared at the hooded man. Dovahkiin tensed up as if he was preparing for a fight, Altair looked ready to run, but Asur and Phoenix remained composed on the outside.

“I’ve been watching you four during the last hour, and I have come with a proposition for you.” The man spoke, an aura of mystery surrounding him. Phoenix resisted the urge to snort at the ‘mysterious’ vibe that this man gave. She tried to peer under the hood, but he turned away from her. “You all seem to have a diverse set of skills that will make you useful in this quest.”

“Quest?” Dovahkiin questioned, leaning forward on the table with all weariness gone, excitement replacing it.

“What kind of quest?” Asur’s expression remained calm and collected as he observed the mysterious man. One hand began to slowly creep behind him to the staff that rested against the back of his chair while the other remained relaxed on the table.

“There’s a dungeon right outside of town, west and into the forest a bit of ways.” He said, “There is something inside that I require, but I cannot get myself. A golden ball. If you go in and retrieve it, you can have the rest of the treasure.”

“All you require is one thing?” Altair finally spoke, now interested at the prospect of getting money. The hooded man nodded silently in response. Altair grinned before sending a sneer at his companions. “I cannot speak for you three, but I am accepting this quest.”

“I will not leave a thief to retrieve this item. I accept this quest as well.” Dovahkiin announced with a stony look at Altair. Of course, the dragonborn was excited for the prospect of adventure and potentially slaying some beasts.

“I will also accompany you.” Asur stated quietly from his seat, his eyes still on the hooded man. His face betrayed no suspicion or distrust, but something in his eyes showed that he wasn’t completely buying what the hooded man claimed.

“I have yet to go on an adventure. I will be on this quest as well.” Phoenix agreed with a shrug. She had a dagger and a crossbow in her pack, which with she was not entirely proficient with, but it would certainly be enough to defend herself with if she got in a tight spot. Phoenix preferred to fight with her words or magic. She bit her lip as she looked around at the other three, beginning to doubt if they would be able to get to the cave and back alive. None of them seemed to be the most experienced…

“Very well. I will expect you back in three days’ time.” He said before standing and walking back to his table. The three of them stared after him, various emotions running through the group. Darius returned to the corner table with a raised eyebrow, glancing back to where the hooded man was walking to.

“I hear that you four are going on a quest.” Darius commented, taking the hooded man’s seat. They all nodded and waited for him to continue. “Well, I’ve taken a liking to you,” he glanced at the thief who looked as though he would love the opportunity to run Darius through with a knife, “well most of you. So I am going to help you on this quest.”

“You will accompany us?” Phoenix asked with a tint of hope in her voice. She was fairly sure that none of her companions had ever been on an quest before, so an experienced adventurer would be a great asset.

“No. I will give you supplies to help you on your journey. Tabul and I have been on many a quests in our time. I know what you need.” He explained further. Phoenix nodded and searched for the hooded man once more, noticing that he was now talking with a finely dressed man who had two guards by him. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the scene, but quickly returned her attention to Darius as the hooded man and his companion stood and disappeared upstairs.

“Can you tell us anything about this dungeon?” Asur asked while entwining his fingers together and leaning forward. Phoenix tried to remain concentrated on the conversation but found her eyes drifting to where the two men disappeared. The finely dressed man seemed out of place, especially since there were far more elite bars to drink at for aristocrats in this city.

“Eh, it was nothing that most high-level adventurers bother themselves with. It’s a minor dungeon, but I couldn’t tell you what is inside.” Darius said with a shrug. Phoenix stood up suddenly as though she was kicked, an idea coming to her mind like lightning.

“I will be right back.” She said before walking over to the bar where Tabul resided. The dwarf looked up from the surface he was cleaning, looking at her quizzically. Before he could ask what she needed, words began to spill from her mouth. “Tabul, do you know anything about that rich looking man with the guards that was just in here?”

“I can’t say that I do. He’s just another noble. They come through here every now and again.” He replied, his gravelly voice sounding absolutely unconcerned. Phoenix nodded in reply, an uneasy feeling remaining in her stomach. She tried to tell herself that she was overreacting, but that kind of thinking had landed her in far worse trouble in the past.

“Thank you, Tabul.” She said graciously before returning to the table. Not much of the conversation was missed other than Darius offering them rooms and supplies. Phoenix sighed in relief at the offer. She didn’t often like taking handouts, but her coin pouch was far too light for her to be paying for both a room and supplies.

“I expect you all need some rest before tomorrow, so you four should head up to your rooms. And thief, don’t even think of leaving in the middle of the night.” Darius seemed to read Altair’s thoughts, which caused the drunken tiefling to glare at the muscular man. Three of the four figures wished Darius a good night and thanked him for his kindness before heading upstairs to their separate rooms. Phoenix pushed through the crowd of drunk piss-pots to the stairs, tinkering with the key that Darius had given her as she walked up the sturdy steps. As she reached the top, soft carpet replaced the hard wood of downstairs. She paused at the top, looking around at the elegantly decorated hallway. She hadn’t stayed in a place this nice in years. Walking down the hallway, she found her room at the end of the second hallway that connected to the first. Pushing open the door and dumping her bag on the ground, she found herself stopping dead in her tracks. This couldn’t be right. A large bed rested against the far wall opposite of her, framed by two nightstands on either side. The wall to her left contained a small couch and a tall bookcase, filled only halfway with various books and scrolls. To her right another door lead to a moderately sized bathroom that contained the usual amenities. To the right of the bathroom door was a large wardrobe, completely empty. She almost wished she carried more on her so that she could fill it. Slipping out of her performance dress, she walked over and hung it up in the wardrobe, the single item looking quite lonely. Shrugging, she tugged a nightgown from her bag, adorned it, and then fell into the bed. A groan escaped her lips as she sunk into the soft mattress. It took only seconds for her to fall into a deep sleep.