Jeff ambled through the great refugee camp of the
displaced wood elves. It was located in a poor district of Argen and consisted
of numerous tents and dilapidated buildings. As he neared his destination, the
halfling looked around, observing numerous elves walking about and talking to
each other. Jeff smiled at the sight, knowing that soon he and they would rule
this land. And more importantly, he would get his revenge on that cursed tabaxi
who poisoned him.
Jeff casually strode into the largest tent in the camp.
In front of him was a makeshift wooden throne upon which sat Merith, the de
facto “King” of New Elfwood as this refugee camp was called. He wore a finely
crafted green outfit with gold trim and leaflike designs, as well as a crown of
woven branches with an obviously fake diamond made of glass set into a knot in
its front. His green eyes seemed to bore straight into Jeff as he sized up his
unannounced, and uninvited, visitor. Beside him stood another elf wearing
similar, but slightly less fancy, attire and no crown. She was wielding a
double-bladed scimitar.
“What
is your business entering the grand tent, unannounced halfling?” Althaea,
Merith’s personal guard, questioned, twirling her weapon menacingly.
“I
have come to make a proposition. You see, I believe that we have a common enemy,
and if we work together, we can both be rid of them,” Jeff explained in a
surprisingly casual tone given the circumstances.
“I’m
listening,” Merith stated, a disinterested look on his face.
“If
I have been informed correctly, the thieves guild known as ‘Imperium Cleptarum’
had a large hand in evicting you from your rightful home in Elfwood a few years
ago. One of their members poisoned me and then caused the death of my
adventuring companions a few months ago, and recently I have learned of their
plan to invade Argopolis,” the halfling illuminated.
Upon
hearing this, Merith’s bored expression was replaced by a look of anger and
determination. “You are right. We do have a common enemy… but what is your
proposition exactly?” the leader of the elves queried, looking the halfling
assassin dead in the eye.
“I
propose that we wait for the thieves to commence their attack, and then once
the battle is underway, we invade the city and defeat both forces! This way,
both of us can get our revenge and then we can rule the kingdom as co-monarchs!”
the halfling enthusiastically explained.
“That
could be quite the good idea… however I will not send my people into battle at
the behest of an untested stranger. If you want our help, you will have to
prove yourself!” the so-called king affirmed, his mouth forming into a slight
smirk as he pointed a tarnished scepter at Jeff.
“Alright.
I’m more than happy to take on any challenge you may present me with!” the
short-statured rogue boasted, pulling out a metal ring connected to a dagger by
a long, metal chain.
“Very
well, then. To prove yourself, you must face my royal guard, Althaea, in single
combat. The battle ends when one of you concedes the match or is unable to
continue the fight,” Merith detailed.
“I
accept your challenge… and raise you me winning!” Jeff the halfling merrily
quipped, beginning to twirl the chain of his weapon.
“All
I’ve ever seen halflings do is sleep and eat too much. We’ll see if you are any
different,” Althaea mocked, grasping her scimitar firmly with both hands and
smiling confidently.
“Begin!”
King Merith commanded.
Jeff swung the chain of his weapon in a large arc,
sweeping the dagger at its end toward his adversary’s head. Althaea ducked
gracefully under the attack as she began sprinting toward the halfling and
twirling her double-bladed weapon. As the elf sprinted toward him, the assassin
swung his weapon again, only for it to be deflected by the royal guard’s
whirling blades. As his foe neared, Jeff dashed forward and fell into a slide,
passing between the elf’s legs. As Althaea spun around to face him, the
halfling swept the chain of his weapon across the ground, knocking her from her
feet.
Jeff
swung his blade down at his prone foe, but she rolled to the side, mostly
dodging the attack, and was left with a long, shallow cut on her side. The elf
leapt to her feet, rapidly spinning her double scimitar in a flurry of cuts.
The small assassin barely managed to block the first few attacks with the metal
ring he was holding before wrapping his exotic weapon’s chain around the hilt
of Althaea’s twin blades, yanking the weapon from her grasp and sending it
spiraling through the air, where it slashed a hole through the side of the
grand tent.
Wincing
in pain from her injury, the elf angrily kicked at the halfling in an attempt
to punt him across the room. Jeff nimbly flipped over the attack and slammed
his steel ring into his opponent’s wounded side, doubling her over in pain.
Before Althaea could recover from the blow, the halfling wrapped his blade’s
chain around her neck and pulled her to the ground. As Jeff pulled on the chain,
depriving his foe of air, the royal guard barely managed to gasp, “I… concede!”
“You
fought admirably, but I hope this teaches you not to underestimate halflings,”
Jeff laughed, removing the chain from Althaea’s neck and helping her to her
feet.
“You
fight well, halfling,” King Merith admitted. “This is proof enough of your
skill for me to go along with your plan.”
“Also, no hard feelings,” Jeff chuckled as tossed his defeated foe a healing potion.
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