Interlude

A Date with a Tinkerer

They make a very odd couple, walking hand-in-hand through the night-time streets.  The man is a human dressed in a loose fitting tunic and pants which are tucked into finely made riding boots.  He has dark hair and bronze skin and though not large compared to most of his race, he towers over his gnomish female companion.   Standing only a few inches over three feet, she is lean and muscled, wearing tight-fitting black leather breeches and a matching corset over a burgundy linen shirt with billowing sleeves.  She glances up him often, merriment and affection glittering in her pale blue eyes and in return, he looks down at her fondly.  In those moments when their eyes meet, she seems to get lost in his gaze, the color of storm-darkened skies lit by flashes of lightning.

Their destination doesn’t seem to matter as they wander almost aimlessly.  A mischievous smile plays over her mouth as she guides them toward the door to a shop.  He looks at her in confusion as the windows are dark and tightly shuttered.  She steps up onto a crate next to the closed door and with surprising strength; she grabs his gray tunic and pulls him into a soft playful kiss which quickly escalates into something more passionate as his hands slide around her tiny waist.  They finally part from each other’s lips, panting softly until they share a soft laugh.  Something catches her attention and she turns to look down the street, eyes narrowed.

The city of Stormguard is second in size only to the Rengar, the capital city of Revelous and though it possess one of the largest and most trained guard forces, the streets can still be dangerous.  She reaches down to loosen her sabre in the sheath at her hip and seeing the gesture, he slowly draws a scimitar from the scabbard on his belt.  From an alley only 30 yards away, two men step out of the shadows.  Dressed in black, they stalk toward the couple with naked steel glittering in their hands.

She reaches into a pouch at her waist and pulls out something metallic.  She flashes a wink up at her companion before leaping away from him, swinging the object over her head in a circle and hurling it at one of the men.  A metal bola spins through the air and wraps around the man’s sword arm.  He lets out an alarmed shout and looks down at the weapon.  Strands of copper are woven into the chain and wrapped around the spheres as well.  He flexes his arm before glaring at the woman darkly as if to say, “What was the point of that?”

The gnome looks back at her date and grins as bluish-white sparks are already dancing over his body.  The electricity snakes down his left arm to coalesce around his hand.  With a softly-muttered phrase, he hurls the lightning at the man, the current striking the bola before jolting through his whole body.  The electricity then jumps to the man’s partner and both of them jerk and writhe from the energy coursing through them.

Before they can recover, the gnome rushes forward; clicking and whirring of metal springs and gears accompany each of her steps which are much larger than one would expect from such a small person.  With sabre drawn, she spins past him and delivers a vicious slash to the back of one leg, hamstringing him.  He cries out and drops to one knee before lashing out with his short sword, but the swing is wild and she easily dodges out of the way.

The other dark-clad attacker recovers and moves into a position flank the girl, but another ray of electricity arcs into him and he turns to see the other half of the couple charging at him.  The rogue’s blade flashes out but likewise, hits nothing.  Music fills the air as the lightning wielder begins sing a lively tune.  He and his gnomish friend both seem invigorated by the song and move with quicker, more assured steps.  They almost seem to move in time with the music, dancing around their opponents in fluid motions.

In less than a minute, street is quiet once again as the couple stands over the lifeless bodies of their assailants.  Kneeling, the bard examines their wounds before singing another soft tune.  A soft glow spread over their bodies and some of their wounds heal over but they do not wake up.  The woman pulls a length of wire from her pouch and secures their hands while he pulls out an intricately-decorated scroll tube, a piece of parchment and pen.  He quickly writes on the paper, rolls it up, and places it inside the tube before muttering softly and pressing a button on the cap.

Tal grins up at Jazhir and says playfully, “You certainly know how to show a girl a good time.”

“Just wait my jewel.”  He replies with a wink.  “The night is young.”

Hand in hand, they continue down the street, leaving their assailants to be found by the city guard.

  - JWG