A Fine Mess....

An entire platoon of guards was required to drag them in. They were tied up and being led through the streets on route to the palace.

Strolling in the center of the group, a young man and his Gobber best friend seemed rather bemused by the whole ordeal, though worried.

"Okay, so who did you rip off that landed us in this ordeal?" he asked, rubbing his neck painfully.

Akechetka had managed to calm down a bit during their long stroll to the castle, but the whole situation was still enough to piss him off.

"I did nothin. Fucking pinkskins just don't trust goblins is what it is."

"I would be more compelled by your argument if I didn't know you were a compulsive thief, and we con'ed our way into paying for the last week of whores and Booze." he countered, taking the apple out of his pocket and taking a bite.

"Compulsive thief? If that isn't the pot calling the kettle a drow. Where'd you get the apple my noble pinkskin traveling companion? I'm sure you didn't steal it. Only goblins are thieves."

Ah sarcasm.

"Fucking racists."

Finally, they arrived at the gates of the palace. "We've got two of the ones from the summons posters to bring to the queen." The guard leading the group told the dwarf at the gate. "indeed you do." the dwarf raised his hand to the gate and the crystal on the back of his gauntlet let loose a bright flash and the gate opened. The group was lead inside, "why are they bound?" the dwarf asked.

"they fled as soon as we spotted them. Were assuming they have broken the law." the guard said rather gruffly.

"Now Now Gentlemen, I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding. My companion and I are simple traveling merchants. We're in merely in town looking for fresh opportunities in the business sector." The young man said, swallowing his pride.

"Though if I knew exactly what we're being brought in for, I'm sure we could rectify the misunderstanding."

Akechetka stayed silent. He was well aware that the human was better at negotiating. Well... with the usual strategies at least.

"If you have no reason to be imprisoned then why did you flee?" They were being brought through the court yard full of lush gardens and many people. All staring as the group passed.

"Reflex from trading in Drow lands, I assure you. It wasn't meant to insinuate that we've done something wrong, but rather that we'd like to escape that sweet sweet..."

His mind went back to their time in the Drow city, and his eyes glazed over as he thought. It took him a minute to bring his mind back to the present.

"Ahem... where was I? Oh yes, that sweet sweet nubile dark elf flesh."

Akechetka's recollection of recent 'forays into dark elven lands' was a bit different. Namely they'd been in the city. And the dark elves had been whores. They still had whips though. Somethings never change.

"be that as it may your still being taken in for reasonable-" the guards sentence was cut short by an old women screaming at them.

"What do you morons think you're doing!?! You find the ones from my vision and treat them like common criminals!?" A rather old looking dwarf was approaching them waiving her staff in the air in a threatening manner. "If you don't release them by the time I get over there I'll clobber the whole lot of you!"

Rather stunned by the sudden change, Roderick simply stared. Taking a bite from his apple, he chewed thoughtfully, then shook his head.

"Visions? What visions? I wouldn't recommend scrying on us, we tend to get into rather sordid places in our private lives." He told the Guard captain, swallowing the apple. It was a delicious apple, the kind of apple most men would pay several copper, or even a silver piece for. The kind of apple that he was sure was originally destined for a fine apple pie, or maybe a cider. The kind of apple that he was sure some baker or brewer would cry himself to sleep at night over losing.

It was a damn good apple.

Akechetka leaned over to his fellow conman, and spoke so only Roderick would hear him.

"What do you call the short pinkskins with all the facial hair?"

Roderick had been teaching the not-so-worldly goblin about the many races of Anthropolis since their initial arrival. Surprisingly enough, they'd never encountered a dwarven hooker.

"Well Spook..." he whispered, leaning over to speak to the little gobber quietly. "It's sorta like a halfling, except heavier... and wider... and hairier... and meaner... and uglier... and did I mention Hairier? Anyways, they're called Dwarves. No, you shouldn't sleep with one. it'll be one of those few regrets."

He straitened up again, taking a bite of his apple again, and chewed it slowly. It must have been from a well kept orchard, where bees are kept and bred just to pollinate the buds, and the thought of a delicious apple pie wafted through his head, causing a soft rumble from his belly.

They untied the two gentlemen, "you there!" the dwarven woman pointed to the tall man whispering to the goblin. "What's your name?" She motioned for the two of them to follow as she hobbled to the steps toward the palace.

Once again Akechetka knew it was best if he just kept his nose out of it. Roderick could handle the talking. Meanwhile he spent his time observing the palace grounds, noting feasible exits, and figuring which ones would let them grab the most loot on the way.

"we've been searching for you two. This world is about to be assaulted by an evil older then the planet itself. A party is being assembled to stop it, a party seen in one of my visions you two were part of that vision." They were climbing stairs that seemed to go on for miles into the sky. "In the mean time I must bring you before the queen and introduce you to the monk who has already arrived."

"Now, I'm no scientist, or priest, or great heroic Knight, but I'm pretty sure elder evils involves all sorts a' writhing tentacles that'll either tear me and mine to little chunks, or venture into places I'd rather they not go."

He shifted a little uncomfortably in his coat as they walked. His head shook slightly, and his head shifted slightly. He and Spook were Con-men, not heroes.

Rushing off to fight ancient evils really sounded like it would put a cramp on Akechetka's newly found comfy life style. On the other hand he had a certain natural warrior spirit, that didn't appreciate being cooped up in the city, or not being allowed to kill things for that matter. He checked out palace as they followed the little furball towards whatever meeting room they were headed too. Again he leaned close to Roderick.

"This might not be all bad. Fighting ancient evils has got to be an emerging market..."

In the throne room, things were pretty much proceeding as normal, though there was one strange exception.

There appeared to be a beggar in the corner, watching everything. At least at first glance he appeared to be a beggar. James looked a lot better now that he'd found a shower to use and some basic shaving tools. He felt very awkward in this luxury, but at the very least he could look presentable for people who were being so nice to him. His clothes were a different matter entirely, however. They were travel-stained, ragged, and rough. In areas they were threadbare and were held together mainly by a small piece of rope that seemed to double as a repair mechanism for his sandals. He'd been offered plenty of clothes, sometimes quite insistently by nervous servants, but no force in the world would part him from these robes, except possibly death. He sat on the cold floor, cross-legged, watching what was happening in the court, trying to figure out some of the intricacies. Perhaps there was something to be said for courtly patterns...they made interesting meditation material at least. Though they were very different...they'd even offered him a cushion to sit on! Imagine, a monk sitting on a cushion and meditating?

What was the world coming to?

Apparently a bad end. Who were these two being brought in? Criminals? He'd learned not to judge books by their covers, but these two looked like trouble. He'd hung out with their sort enough to know that much. He continued to watch quietly, crossing his arms and pondering this development.

The queen had been discussing with her mate recent events, when suddenly the door burst open. The old dwarf seer mourgra entered the room yelling about ancient evils and was being followed by a man and a what appeared to be a goblin.

"more from the prophecy have arrived. In the arms of the guards no less." mourgra pointed to the two behind her.

The queen was apprehensive at first they seemed rather shifty to her, but they were from Mourgra's vision. "Greetings gentlemen. I am queen Ambrosia, this is my mate Vladimir." She pointed to the large black wolf in full plate armor carrying a pole arm, "and you've already mt my adviser Mourgra."

Reaching across his body, the young man retrieved a rather long bayonet. Spinning it between his wrists, he cut the rope and placed the knife back in it's holster. "You can stop pretending you haven't already undone your bonds, Spook." he said with a grin.

"Greetings your majesty, I am Roderick Bannon, and this is my companion Spook. Your adviser tells me you've got some sort of elder evil, or greater evil, or ancient evil, or something of the like that requires attention. Now, we're business men by trade, so really, as I don't see any way to get out of this, I must ask...... What's in it for us?"

Akechetka shrugged off his bonds with a grin on his face.

"As you can see we have certain... valuable talents."