Machinations of a Most Peculiar Sort

"There has to be a faster way to get there!" Brenden exclaimed as the four of them sat down in a quaint café near the center of The Span.

After ordering a round of iced drinks and a set of something Mike's Communication Magic had translated as 'Spanwiches,' the group relaxed and recovered their strength.

Mike, however, felt fine, a combination of Vampiric Regeneration and the protection provided by his Salamander's Cloak prevented him from suffering from the trip. While he still accumulated a fair amount of mental fatigue, he was starting to wonder if he was really even human any more.

They had been walking for nearly two hours, and had only made it a part of the way to the University. When it seemed like Sera couldn't keep up any more, they stopped to rest.

A friendly waitress brought out four glass of a transparent, orange-tinged liquid that carried a slightly fruity scent, and tasted a bit like peach tea. The 'Spanwiches' turned out to be regular sandwiches with crouton-like support beams that lifted the center of them off the plate.

"I vaguely recall that there was some kind of public coach service, where you can pay to be shuttled to different parts of the city." Sera commented while laying her head against the table.

Brenden shot her a disgusted look. "You couldn't have thought of that before we walked halfway across this monster of a bridge?"

"I've never been here before! I only just remembered it." She responded defensively.

"Sandwich tasty." Tal told Mike, having already eaten half of hers.

Trying it himself, he was surprised to find that it was delicious. A combination of fresh vegetables, thinly sliced meat, a slightly spicy sauce that reminded him a bit of horseradish, and soft bread made his mouth sing with delight.

"Your right. This is great!"

He fed a portion of the sandwich to Audra who also seemed pleased with it. After a few days of experimentation, he'd discovered that she could eat just about anything. Mike had even seen her experimentally chewing on a piece of decking once, when he'd been a little slow to feed her.

He suspected that the dragon's digestive system was either magical or simply highly developed, enabling her to get nutrients from nearly any kind of organic matter. Unfortunately, there had no opportunity to really investigate.

Of course Audra did have a preference for meat, especially fish, and given the opportunity would devour at least twice her body weight with ease. So far she hasn't grown noticeably, which was starting to concern him a little, but he figured that a magical creature would probably have a slightly unusual life cycle.

Tempers improved after eating, and the discussion moved to possible solutions.

"We could just find an inn nearby, and start again tomorrow." Brenden suggested lazily. He looked about ready to fall asleep in his chair.

"Let's go with that." Sera agreed.

Frowning a little at his companions' laziness, Mike countered, "That's one option, but we still have several hours of daylight left. I'd like to make some more headway if we can."

""Ugh!"" Brenden and Sera replied simultaneously. Tal was quietly sipping her tea, evidently waiting for the group to come to a consensus.

"Why don't we-" Mike was cut off when a small child collided with his chair.

The girl had run into the café looking over her shoulder, seemingly more concerned about what was behind her than obstacles in her path. She slammed into Mike, bounced off, and collapsed dazedly to the floor.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked in concern.

The girl looked to be about 8 years old and was dressed in a well-made and expensive looking dress that was currently torn and covered in dirt. Auburn hair fell in ringlets around her shoulders as she looked fearfully at Mike. Before she had a chance to respond, a trio of masked men burst in through the door, scattering customers in their wake.

They immediately started moving towards the group's table, as the girl frantically scrambled underneath it. Although it wasn't exactly clear what was going on, Mike felt he had all the information he needed to act.

He nodded to the others before standing and placing himself in the path of the three men, making sure to grab his spear, which had been leaning against a nearby wall. Brenden placed himself to Mike's right, while Tal and Sera moved protectively around the girl on the other side of the table.

Sensing the tension in the room, the rest of the customers made their escape, while the serving staff hid in the back room.

The lead member of the trio stopped, and looked him over carefully. He was treating them as legitimate threats, which was a nice change of pace in his opinion. A quick Appraise revealed some interesting information.

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Yoren

Age: 32

Race: Human

Class: Grey Knight

Title: Blooded

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Speaking in a low, gruff voice, the man named Yoren addressed the adventurers. "This is none of your business. You don't understand what's going on."

"Why don't you explain it to me, then? Because, it looks a lot like a kidnapping." Mike responded lightly.

The man growled in frustration, "You'll regret this, boy. You are meddling in things that are beyond you." With that he led the other two back out into the street.

Sighing, Mike turned to look at the girl who was clinging to Sera's skirt while the Oracle consoled her.

[I'm not sure what's going on, but it smacks of some underhanded political maneuvering.]

"Do we need to move?" Brenden asked quietly.

"Not at the moment. They don't seem to want to cause a scene in broad daylight, but they haven't given up yet. Let's see what information we can gather."

After a while the staff came back out, seemingly thrilled that a battle hadn't taken place in their café. Mike used this opportunity to order a piece of strawberry cake for girl, hoping to help bring her out of her shell with it.

She attacked the cake enthusiastically, almost immediately improving her mood. When she had finished, and was glancing around at the group curiously, Mike asked, "Can you tell me your name?"

She stared at him for a moment, as if unsure how to respond and a little uncertain, "I'm…."

[Hmm]

"I'm Mike, and this is Tal, Brenden, and Sera." He said while pointing to them in turn. "Now that you know who we are, can you tell us who you are?"

"I'm Elaine. What's that?" She asked with interest, while pointing at Mike's pocket. A small reptilian head was poking out curiously.

Taking a quick look around to make sure that no one was paying close attention, he pulled the dragon out. "This is Audra, my…..friend." He had a hard time coming up with a good label that wasn't a dead giveaway.

Elaine's eye sparkled. "Ooh, can I hold her? Please?"

Mike hesitantly handed his familiar over, wondering if Audra would act in the same manner she did with Sera, but apparently he worried for nothing. The little dragon settled into the girl's hands while looking up at her curiously.

Sera watched with obvious envy as Audra started chewing on one of the girl's stray locks of hair, eliciting a series of giggles from the child.

"Can you tell me what happened to you? Why were those men chasing you?" Mike asked, when it became clear that Elaine had let her guard down sufficiently to talk to them.

After giving him a slightly inscrutable look, she started telling her story. "I was visiting the market with my brother. The Span has the best pet shops! I was playing with the cutest little kitten, when there was a loud noise. It got really smoky in the shop, and I was coughing a lot, when one of those scary men grabbed me and stuffed me into a bag. It smelled like dirt."

She paused to take a breath, "Then he dropped me, and I got out of the bag. He was having an argument with someone, and he sounded really mad about something, but I was really scared, so I ran away as fast as I could. Then I ran into you."

"I...see."

The girl almost immediately started asking questions about Audra, seeming to quickly forget how she was almost kidnapped. Mike found himself being virtually interrogated by the child.

Brenden chuckled, obviously enjoying Mike's discomfort.

Mike gave him a dirty glare. "Look, Elaine. I think we should work on getting you back to your family. I'm sure they must be-"

"Elaine!" A young male voice called from the door. A man in his late teens burst in and rushed up to the table. "Are you alright? I've been looking for you everywhere."

He had the same auburn hair as the girl, and was dressed in a high quality, tailored suit. Mike quickly used Appraise.

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Broderick Vamith

Age: 17

Race: Human

Class: Noble

Title: Scion

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[Vamith?]

"Broderick, look at Audra. Isn't she cute?" She replied with a wide grin while holding up the little dragon.

The man gave a relieved smile, after seeing that the girl was fine. "She is very cute. Who are your friends?" He asked while evaluating the scruffy looking bunch of adventurers.

Elaine scrunched her face up, evidently trying to remember their names. Finally giving up she said, "They're good guys! They protected me from the bad men in the masks."

Broderick looked around the table before giving a deep bow. "Please forgive me for being impolite, but I didn't see who was responsible for abducting my sister, and I couldn't help but be suspicious."

"That's quite alright," Sera broke in, affecting an unusually mature and sophisticated tone. "I would be quite distraught if I were in your place, so there is no need for apologies."

Mike stared at her, until she kicked him under the table.

"My lady, thank you for your consideration. Indeed, I thank all of you for your assistance in this matter. I am truly in your debt." Broderick replied with a grateful smile.

"Please, it was simply the right thing to do, sir…. I'm afraid we haven't been introduced yet."

"Of course, where are my manners? I am Broderick of House Vamith."

"As in Duke Vamith? I see we are in illustrious company."

"Hardly, my lady. I cannot claim a strong relation to the Duke himself, as we're from a mere branch family."

Glancing around the table once more, he asked, "By what names should I call my sister's rescuers?"

Sera nodded to Mike, who took over and introduced the group and explained that they were on their way to the University when the event in question took place.

"It seems that we are both fortunate then. My sister and I were planning to return home soon, and our townhouse is located just south of the University. Would you, perhaps, care to join us in our carriage?"

"That would be most welcome." Sera replied.

After separating Audra from Elaine, which was a task in and of itself, Broderick led her outside, saying that he would have the driver bring the carriage around.

Once they were alone, Brenden asked, "Since when can you act like a lady, Sera?"

"Hey! I happen to be a noble, albeit one of a fallen house. This much is easy. Anyway, we should use this opportunity to befriend the pair of them."

"Why?" The beastman asked.

"They are from the same house as Duke Vamith! Literally the brother of the king! That means the pair of them are practically royalty. Broderick is already in our debt, so we can use this build an advantageous relationship with them."

"Sounds a little underhanded…" Mike commented quietly.

"Of course it is, but that's what it takes to move in the circles of power. The University will be filled the scions of noble houses, and having a few good allies will go a long way towards making your life easier."

"Alright, fair enough. Still we really didn't do that much."

"They don't need to know that." She replied with a sly grin.

A man dressed in tabard emblazoned with a white tower on a field of red stuck his head in the door. "The carriage is ready."

Mike stood and led the others out of the café, making sure to leave a sizable tip for trouble.