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Open for Business, Chapters II & III

 Zesik moved like a shadow up the gangplank of the ship, silently and without being noticed. Varlikh was right behind him, a phantom in black leather, while Dragskarr brought up the rear, a monolithic figure of black scales and simmering power. Talianimi remained on the dock, her mind a razor-sharp blade, slicing through the fog and into the minds of the men on board. She was a ghost in the machine, a silent observer, her presence a secret known only to her and Varlikh. The ship was a hive of activity, but the fog had turned it into a world of muffled sounds and indistinct shapes. The men were tense, their hands on their weapons, their eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of trouble. Zesik and Varlikh moved with a deadly grace, their steps silent, their movements fluid. They were two sides of the same coin, one a master of stealth and subterfuge, the other a master of death and destruction. Dragskarr was a force of nature, a storm given flesh. He moved with a deliberate, unhurri...
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Open for Business, Chapter I

 The bitter cold cut like a blade across the Halas docks, the gray-green ocean whipping foam off the tops of waves, and ice chunks floating in the hostile sea. The sun never rises this time of year, but the days were growing longer, and the eternal twilight of summer would begin soon. The men fanned across the docks, taking places at markets, fishmongers, docked longboats, bait shops, net repair stalls, and other dockside shoppes crammed onto the pier, shuttered lanterns providing just enough light to do business by, legal or otherwise. The black-scaled Iskar walked beside a hooded man as they made their way towards the arranged meeting point. "I don't get it, Dragskarr," the man said from under his hood. "I treated those girls like family, raised them all in a, well, not loving, but a good home where they were spared the rod, and this is what they do to repay me?" "Varlikh," the Iskar growled, "they wish nothing to do with you now, save Kali. She...
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Lanyth: Rain after Midnight

 The night comes down in steady, soundless sheets,   A rain that neither hurries nor relents,   And I, alone beneath the street-lamp's glow,   Have walked these hours till the pavement gleams   Like some forgotten river running black.   No voice replies; no window shows a face.   The houses stand with shutters closed and blind,   Their chimneys cold, their hearths long turned to ash.   I pass the watchman's lantern, small and low,   And drop my eyes—he has no word for me,   Nor I for him. We share the dark, that's all.   The rain has walked with me these many years,   Out in the wet and back into the wet,   Past the last light where pavements end in mud,   Where fields lie open under starless sky   And trees stand sentinel in dripping rows.   They do not speak; they only stand and wait,   As I have waited, listenin...
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The Return, Part One

 Cold, wet, and slush-covered lanes best described the city of Qeynos in January. The cold, salt-smelling air, mixed with the constant mist and grey skies, lent a dreariness that belied the city’s radiant optimism, the one time of the year when a cold darkness took hold of the streets and avenues. Lady Alustrae D’Arbene stood on the naval docks of Qeynos Harbor, her daughter Opalynna by her side, along with her Royal Guard Asuka. She sighed as she watched her luggage being unloaded and put onto the back of a cart. “Will we be in the city for a while?” Asuka asked, the drops of mist already adorning her gold armor. “No,” Alustrae said, “just in town for the annual Royal Court meetings for the new year, the parliamentary boards, position appointments, treasury meetings, and Ambassadorial Service yearly planning sessions. After this, we are back in the jungle to finish the matter with the hellfire weapon and put an end to that once and for all.” “Understood, Milady,” Asuka said with a...
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A Long Hot Summer, Chapter 6

 "Move the damn dire wolves," the man snapped at the two handlers, "and bloody keep them quiet!" The wagons arrived in Thundermist Village in the middle of the night, rented a large barn, and proceeded to unload their deadly cargo into the barn. They just had to wait here a day for the wagons that would take the wolves inside Qeynos to come, and their part of the deal would be done. "They're hungry," the female wolf trainer said, her face pale and drawn. "I don't care if they're starved," the man snapped. "We're not feeding them anything, and if you have to, feed them something from the wild. No villagers." "Yes, sir," the trainers said, their voices barely above a whisper. "How's our guest?" the man asked, staring at a cage. "He's not going anywhere," the second trainer said, wiping his brow. "Good," the man said, his eyes glinting in the dark. "I want him awake when ...
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A Long Hot Summer, Chapter 5

"What is this about?" Royal Guard Asuka said as she adjusted her gold armor, having hastily gotten dressed in the middle of the night. She walked towards Qeynos Castle with the rest of Alustrae's group, dedicated servants of the Qeynos Ministry of Justice. The elven sisters Angelaya and Kaliaya walked ahead of her, meeting Lady Alustrae and her daughter Opalynna at the end of the bridge over the castle's moat. "Security breach at the castle," Alustrae said. "The Queen is calling us all in." In moments, the group stood in the Royal Reception Room as Queen Antonia Bayle entered, her anger apparent. "There has been a security breach," Antonia said, her voice filled with authority. "Someone entered the Queen's Chambers. Information was shared with me by a trusted source, which gave me reason to doubt the effectiveness of this entire investigation." Alustrae and her team were quiet, as was the rest of the group, who stood nearby....
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A Long Hot Summer, Chapter 4

Ophyila stood on the deck of the ship, staring out at the open sea. She could hear the waves crashing against the hull, and the smell of saltwater filled her nostrils. She looked back at the crew, a group of burly sailors who were working to keep the ship afloat. "So, what's the plan?" she asked. The captain, a grizzled human, grinned. "We drop you fools off at Dead Mines Island, and then we wait, but not too long. Got another shipment of goods to pick up from Freeport." "Sounds good," Ophyila said, turning back to face the ocean. The ship sailed towards the shore, and she could see the island's outline ahead. It was a small, barren place, with little vegetation. As the ship drew closer, she could see the remnants of a ruined city, long since abandoned. "Rich in iron ore," Captain Ashvale said, "Very little else here. It is rumored that the ancient dwarven city of Karanath was here before the Sundering. There is an old dwarven fortre...
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