by j_aymamma.

A good old fashioned drinking contest. I had no doubt dare would squash this chump. We did this often in my “favorite little hamlet” and Phandalin slowly became more comfortable. Dare of course won, too bad I hadn’t had time to throw some gold on him. I had quite a few myself, as I was trying to let my guard down and unwind just a little, that would have been nice.

    It’s because of this that events spiraled into a crapstorm(Note: this was an actual spell conjured by an idiot wizard. Shamefully, I had seen it. I so wish I could have killed that arse twice).I saw some guy brush against Mystic’s bum, but I thought hey maybe she will finally get some action, it’d do the prude good. He was just stealing her flute.

    If there’s something that I truly hate to do it’s run. For any reason, I was brought up in a noble house, ladies don’t run. Yes, I am no lady not anymore but still that notion held. I could put up with literal crap falling from the sky(SEEN IT!), but running that pissed me off. He did steal dear Mystic’s flute though which I knew she cherished above all else, so I ran. Would have caught him much sooner too, if not for that net that literally fell from the sky to hinder me.

    Alas, after what seemed an eternity, drunk running dare managed to put two bolts in him. I lost myself in the kill and pulped his head with an eldritch blast. It was not one of my finer moments I stomped him repeatedly trying to kill him again. I can’t tell for what reason more though. Making me run? No, I think it was more that he tried to take advantage of a friend. To top it off he didn’t have it. We could have taken him alive, but now because of me he was doubly dead and we had lost any idea of where the flute had gone. We had concluded that he had to have handed it off in passing to someone in the village.

   So we dragged the body back to town and demanded that we know what anyone else knew. They knew nothing or maybe were too scared to say. I wonder if they just stood around in horror when the red brands were terrorizing them. Not that I wanted too, but we could slaughter half the village right now and the rest would probably stand there and watch us do it. It reminded me of my hometown, and I felt shamed. Where those with the power trampled everyone and no one did anything. Until , I did. Dare stuffed the body in a barrel. Not the most elegant solution, but we were too tired to dispose of it at this point. We returned to the tavern. Dare continued to drink, the others tried to comfort Mystic over her loss. It was only midday of what seemed to be the longest day. 

    I took my leave of them. I returned to the manor, and retrieved droop to accompany me. People stared and chattered as I passed with the goblin. I told him to smile as widely as he could and wave at people he passed. I think that made it worse. I had even taught him to bow as he passed by Ladies. Some did seem amused by it. “I have been teaching him manners” I told them “Manners, Yes” droop would reply with his big toothy grin always eager to please. The children loved him. The goblin amused me greatly. Annette was especially fond of him. 

    When we had first settled into the manner, I lusted to play my lyre which I hadn’t done in so long. The gardens at the manner, though ruined would have been perfect. I didn’t however want the others to know I played. So I had wondered a little off into the woods around the estate. I must have played for hours lost in the rhythm of the music, So much so I hadn’t noticed  I had attracted an audience. The small girl watched and listened from behind a tree. Her eyes wide with interest. I reacted poorly at first, and snapped at her. She tripped and fell backwards in an effort to run away from me. 

“wait” I said

“I’m sorry”

“I held up the lyre which she then gazed upon with infatuation.

“Do you play?” I asked

” N-no We are too poor to afford such a thing” She replied sadly

“would you like to play mine?”

Her eyes lit up like twin stars and she couldn’t control her volume

“YES, Oh YES”

I giggled 

“Come then girl, let us see if you can play”

    She was a natural and I when I would come here to play when I had a moment, she would come to meet me and learn and play as well. Droop liked to scavenge for food while I played and she has also despite initially being a little frightened of him became fond of him as well. He would show her what to and how to scavenge various plants and seeds.

Who’d have thought we would be such good teachers.

    I had arrived at the store finally. There were whispers through the town. Everyone had heard what we had done to the thief. Had we brought him back alive he would have likely been hanged, so I didn’t see the issue. Maybe we needed to be more subtle. We were no strangers to violence and war so it held no shock for us.

    The chatter I found interesting though was not that. Apparently, us “threatening” Halia was the talk of the town. Odd, though no mention of how she had threatened us. Threatened us with “men” men that may have been useful with the redbrands. So the rumor was abound, yet there had been none in the store with her to spread it. So the possibilities was that there was someone we had not seen, she spread the rumor herself, or had someone do it for her. If there had been someone in the store, he had to be her man or why would he leave out her threatening us? Bottom line she had orchestrated the rumor, I should have killed her and stuffed her in a barrel.

I heard those whsipers again as I waited my turn at the counter to purchase the item I came for. 

“They threatened to kill Halia and beat that man to death. Now here that one is galivanting around our town with a goblin “

I Spun around

“Did you have something to say to me?”

The man and his friend froze.

“No, Well I have something to say to you and you can go tell that to everyone too, are you ready?”

He just stared at me fearfully.

The goblin is far more polite and has better manners than you gossips talking about me behind my back after I risked my life to try and make things better for you people.

I heard Droop mumble “Manners, Yes” and I imagined it was accompanied by his big tooth grin.

I continued.

What did Halia do to solve the redbrand problem? SHE DID NOTHING. she threatened us this morning with her “Secret men” and we responded in kind. She has “secret men” to threaten us with, but had none to solve the redbrands. She sat back and let them do as they pleased. So she either was in league with them, or she didn’t care enough about the tow to do anything about it. WE DID. Not to mention she approached us and wanted us to steal evidence from town hall. What do you think of that?

He just stared at me. 

Droop chime in.

“Lady speaking to you. Respond. Manners, yes.”

“You heard him”

“Uh y y-yes he stammered.

“Yes what?”

He just stared at me uncertain what to say, what he could say.

“Just go I’m done with you”

in a flash both him ad his friend were gone.

“thanks droop I had it but thanks.

” Welcome? he asked

“yes droop that is the correct response”

he jumped up and down in excitement

I smiled down at him and he grinned back.

After a few more minutes of waiting I bought what I came for. 

    A lyre for my student, as well as an oak flute. It would not replace Mystic’s sentimental attachment to her flute but at least she would be able to play and I had something special I could do to make it more suitable a replacement. I could bond with my weapons one at a time and summon them, twas a gift from my patron. If it was ever to far from me, it would just disappear and I could resummon it. So as such no one could ever steal my weapon. I found however I could use it for far more when I used it along with my innate demon born talents.

   Demons you see are very in tune with music. They can be banished by hymns and use it sometimes to seduce humans into doing things, and thus have an unusual aptitude for music. They play quite beautifully or hideously which ever they chose. With these two gifts in unison I can channel my hex power into an instrument, it shows as a faint silverish white glow on the instrument. It does two things one it makes it always play at it’s peak no matter what it is. Strings will never need be adjusted or replaced. Wind instruments would never become tarnished or blocked.

    They produced the purest cleanest sound they possibly could. Lastly, and in this case maybe most importantly, the first person to play the instrument after I empowered it would be bonded with it. Much like my bond to my weapons. If destroyed they could simply will it back to their hand perfect and intact. If stolen they simply had again will it back to their hand. My patron was not very fond of me using my gifts in his way not at all. I was not fond of her seeming hatred towards music, so I guess we were square on the matter.

Come droop let’s return home so I can do my work. he skipped back alongside me. Couldn’t help no one was whispering anything anymore as we passed.

#

Every breath you take……

Every step you take……

I’ll be watching you…….

THE WATCHER