unconscious form without having to come within range of his fierce fists.
“Uh… what about that missing grate?” Imoen asked. “And the sewer pipe?”
Garrol finally turned his attention to the four strangers. “What are you talking about?”
“The sewer drain on the west wall,” Imoen explained. “That’s how we got in. It’s large enough for a man in full field plate to crawl through. If you want to keep your enemies on the outside of your gates, I’d suggest putting some guards down there.”
“The enemies are already inside,” the captain mumbled, but Garrol pretended not to hear him.
“Captain, I suggest you take this young lady’s words to heart and see to this breach in the defenses immediately. I will appraise General Gromnir of the situation when I bring these Bhaalspawn before him for judgment.”
“Judgment?” Jaheira exclaimed indignantly. “For what are we being judged, exactly?”
Nobody answered her. The captain and his Saradush troops were already on the move, and the Tethyrian company of Garrol had taken up positions surrounding the four companions.
“For your own safety, and that of the town, I urge you to accompany me without further incident.” Garrol’s voice was gruff, but polite. He spoke as a man simply doing his job.
Before Jaheira or Imoen could object, Abdel voiced his consent. “We want no trouble. Take us where you will.”
The memory of how close he had just come to loosing his father’s ruthless violence on the Saradush troops was still fresh in his mind. His mind recoiled as he imagined the unholy carnage the Ravager would wreak if unleashed within the walls of a besieged town. The big sellsword was willing to do just about anything to avoid another confrontation and risk a repeat episode of the all-consuming bloodlust he had succumbed to in the forest clearing when he had killed the Huntress with his bare hands. Abdel could only hope his companions, especially Sarevok, would defer to his lead.
Nobody said anything to challenge his will.
Garrol nodded curtly. “Very good. General Gromnir will be most eager to speak to you.”
As the strangely-out-of-place Calimshan soldiers escorted Abdel, Imoen, Sarevok, and Jaheira through the town of Saradush, the half-elf was reminded why she disliked cities.
It wasn’t just the paved stones beneath her feet, severing her contact with the living land. It wasn’t the lack of growing grass or trees. It wasn’t even the cold, hard buildings on every corner that blocked off the sky at every turn, confining and closing in on them.
The city had a scent to it, the inevitable smells that clung to people whenever they gathered in large numbers. The stale, acrid reek of sweat, the sickly odor of foodcarted in from the outlying farms, just slightly past fresh, horses, chamber pots, the faint whiffs of the now all-too-familiar sewers as they passed each grate. Over top of it all, the cloying perfumes and soaps the “civilized” masses used to try and mask their own foul stench. The smell of civilization.
Jaheira wrinkled her nose in disgust. The smell was the worst, but at least she had come to expect it whenever she ventured into a village, town, or city. There were other things she disliked about Saradushthings that set it apart from most of the urban centers she had seen. The streets were deserted, barren of the typical teeming life of the city. People were few and far between, and those few the druid noticed glared back at her with unmistakable resentment and even hate in their eyes. Even more remarkable, there were no animals running through the streets. No dogs or cats, not even any rats.
“Where are the animals?” Jaheira asked, eager to break the oppressive silence of their journey. “Do they not keep pets here in Saradush?”
Garrol, from his position at the front of the escort, didn’t even turn his head when he answered. “They used to. But after a month-long siege supplies are scarce, and good food is
“Uh… what about that missing grate?” Imoen asked. “And the sewer pipe?”
Garrol finally turned his attention to the four strangers. “What are you talking about?”
“The sewer drain on the west wall,” Imoen explained. “That’s how we got in. It’s large enough for a man in full field plate to crawl through. If you want to keep your enemies on the outside of your gates, I’d suggest putting some guards down there.”
“The enemies are already inside,” the captain mumbled, but Garrol pretended not to hear him.
“Captain, I suggest you take this young lady’s words to heart and see to this breach in the defenses immediately. I will appraise General Gromnir of the situation when I bring these Bhaalspawn before him for judgment.”
“Judgment?” Jaheira exclaimed indignantly. “For what are we being judged, exactly?”
Nobody answered her. The captain and his Saradush troops were already on the move, and the Tethyrian company of Garrol had taken up positions surrounding the four companions.
“For your own safety, and that of the town, I urge you to accompany me without further incident.” Garrol’s voice was gruff, but polite. He spoke as a man simply doing his job.
Before Jaheira or Imoen could object, Abdel voiced his consent. “We want no trouble. Take us where you will.”
The memory of how close he had just come to loosing his father’s ruthless violence on the Saradush troops was still fresh in his mind. His mind recoiled as he imagined the unholy carnage the Ravager would wreak if unleashed within the walls of a besieged town. The big sellsword was willing to do just about anything to avoid another confrontation and risk a repeat episode of the all-consuming bloodlust he had succumbed to in the forest clearing when he had killed the Huntress with his bare hands. Abdel could only hope his companions, especially Sarevok, would defer to his lead.
Nobody said anything to challenge his will.
Garrol nodded curtly. “Very good. General Gromnir will be most eager to speak to you.”
As the strangely-out-of-place Calimshan soldiers escorted Abdel, Imoen, Sarevok, and Jaheira through the town of Saradush, the half-elf was reminded why she disliked cities.
It wasn’t just the paved stones beneath her feet, severing her contact with the living land. It wasn’t the lack of growing grass or trees. It wasn’t even the cold, hard buildings on every corner that blocked off the sky at every turn, confining and closing in on them.
The city had a scent to it, the inevitable smells that clung to people whenever they gathered in large numbers. The stale, acrid reek of sweat, the sickly odor of foodcarted in from the outlying farms, just slightly past fresh, horses, chamber pots, the faint whiffs of the now all-too-familiar sewers as they passed each grate. Over top of it all, the cloying perfumes and soaps the “civilized” masses used to try and mask their own foul stench. The smell of civilization.
Jaheira wrinkled her nose in disgust. The smell was the worst, but at least she had come to expect it whenever she ventured into a village, town, or city. There were other things she disliked about Saradushthings that set it apart from most of the urban centers she had seen. The streets were deserted, barren of the typical teeming life of the city. People were few and far between, and those few the druid noticed glared back at her with unmistakable resentment and even hate in their eyes. Even more remarkable, there were no animals running through the streets. No dogs or cats, not even any rats.
“Where are the animals?” Jaheira asked, eager to break the oppressive silence of their journey. “Do they not keep pets here in Saradush?”
Garrol, from his position at the front of the escort, didn’t even turn his head when he answered. “They used to. But after a month-long siege supplies are scarce, and good food is
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