In the more central parts of the city, the alterations that could be seen in the surrounding areas could not be found. The stone buildings still stood strong, and the towers were in poorer condition than the ones that a traveler could see when they first entered the city. This particular part of the city had not seen the change that had came to the outer rims.
Well... all except one, smaller building that resembled a library, only two stories high. To a person's eyes, it would seem that the owner of said building had repaired it many times, and not bothered disguising the fact: metal plates were hammered into the stone walls, shutters for windows were wildly varying in quality and appearance, and there was even an odd metal tube sticking out from the roof, which would sometimes belch out smoke and ash.
Lariel sweatdropped when she saw the repaired door, which was originally dark brown, but had somehow acquired light brown circles in it. Shaking her head, the tiefling pounded on the heavy door once, twice, thrice, then waited.
And she waited, arms crossed over her green jerkin, which was partially covered by the dark brown cloak that she had over her head.
Finally, the archer pressed her head against the door, and listened carefully. After a few moments, she straightened, but the line of her mouth pulled back into a snarl. "Stupid tinkerer..." she muttered, getting a large key from her pocket. She inserted the key into the lock, and twisted it.
The problem was, the key wouldn't turn. Lariel growled, and began twisting the key as hard as she could, and even attempted shoulder ramming the door, but fortune did not assist her; in fact, fortune nearly dislocated her limb. The archer yanked out the key in frustration, then knelt down to examine the lock.
"Great, she changed the lock," she muttered, rubbing her bruised shoulder. She stepped back from the door and glanced around for an open window.
She found that entrance about fifteen feet up, and away from any convenient handholds or ledges. Her eyebrow twitched in aggravation as she looked up.
- - -
Several minutes later, Lariel dragged her body through. "Stupid tinkerer..." she growled as she panted on the ground. After a few moments of catching her breath, she climbed to her feet and looked around the room, and sighed as she saw that it was filled with crates, many which had various warnings on them. She closed the shutters, then proceeded to find the owner of the building.
She found her a minute or two later, making a racket in the basement. Lariel blinked at the large contraption that the person she was looking for was currently digging through. "Should I even ask?" Lariel shouted, trying to be heard over the ruckus.
The figure stopped moving, then began digging itself out of the jumble of oddly shaped metal. "Lariel? What are you doing here?"
The demonic-like half-elf studied the now unearthed werecat. She had fur the color of night, with hair gathered into a tight ponytail; if her fur was any lighter, then it would probably display the same sort of black streaks that was being exhibited on her brown coveralls and white tunic. She did not have the height or build of a fighter (though she did stand over Lariel by several inches), but her yellow eyes revealed the vast intellect that compensated for the lack of strength. Last of all, the scrowl on her face, and the narrowed brows, revealed that she was rather upset at the tiefling's visit.
"Hey, can't a friend climb through the second story window whenever she feels like it?" the archer asked, opening her arms so that she could receive the snort that the werepanther replied with.
"Come on, when was the last time that you made an unselfish stop?" the werepanther remarked, crossing her arms over her generous chest.
Lariel merely grinned. "Nice to see that you're still perceptive, Dru." The cat stared at her for a few moments, then chuckled as she crossed the room over to her, in order to embrace her. They hugged for a few moments, as old friends do, then separated.
"So, how are you, Lariel?" Dru asked the tiefling.
"Horrible. You know, the same things," she offered as an excuse. "Was actually able to get a bounty, but the last one I took went bad." Lariel wandered near a collection of tables, looking at large drawings of a strange, sleek object with four wings and a wedge shaped "body". Lariel rolled her eyes at the thought of Dru claiming that the machine was a flying vehicle, before something on the table caught her eye.
Dru raised an eyebrow as she walked back to the metallic monstrosity she was previously crawling in. "What, did you not get the reward again?" she asked, looking back at her friend.
Lariel picked up a strange contraption and studied it. "Well, not exactly..." she trailed off, peering down the dark cylinder of the device. Out of curiosity, she poked a protruding lever on the underside of the device... And it was pushed out of her hands by Dru just as it made a cracking noise. A blur raced through the tube, followed by smoke and a foul stench.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" the werepanther snared, picking up the object where it lay on the ground. Lariel blinked, trying to get the smell of charcoal and sulfur out of her senses, and looked behind her. When she spotted the cracks in the wall, all originating from one point, she understood.
"Dru! You're still messing with that technology?" she asked incredulously. The mechanic shrugged as she examined the weapon.
"I finally got the mix right," she said, replacing the device on the table next to a series of glass beakers and tubes, which were filled with an orange conglomerate of some sort. "Now, I'm trying to figure out an easier way to actually fire the damn thing."
"It fired well enough when I touched it," Lariel countered. "But in any case," she continued, cutting off any further discussion, "I need you to do me a favor."
"Why? It'll probably only get one or both of us arrested..." Dru asked jokingly, until she saw the expression that flitted across her face. "... No, you can't be serious."
"Dru..."
"No, damn it!" Dru snarled. "I've been in jail enough times for you!"
"Dru!" Lariel shouted, stopping Dru's imminent rant. She paused for a few moments, then proceeded. "Dru, what I'm asking you is kind of illegal..."
"'Kind of'?" Dru repeated in a sarcastic tone, which Lariel ignored.
"... But I guarantee it will be worth your time... and worth risking being thrown into prison," Lariel implored, clasping her hands in front of her. Dru's glare continued as she locked eyes with the half-elf, then softened after several moments.
"... Are you going to beg?"
"I'm not that desperate."
- - -
"This had better be good," Dru growled as she followed her friend through the forest outside of Temeul. "I was trying to get the..."
"Whatever it was that you were doing," Lariel informed her, "it would probably blow up your workshop, like the last however many 'projects' you've done."
Dru adopted a hurt expression, though it couldn't exactly be seen in the darkness of sunset. "Hey, I was on a breakthrough!"
"We're here," Lariel said, stopping in front of a large tree. Dru blinked her eyes, and looked at the massive oak. After a few moments of looking around, she saw a small opening under the roots.
"Down there?" she asked. At the half-elf's nod, the werepanther walked to the natural cave. She sniffed around, and was surprised to note a feline smell. "Werecat? But no werecat smells like this..." she trailed off, thinking.
Or, at least was thinking, until Lariel's boot nudged her down the hole. Dru yelped and tumbled until she landed hard on stamped earth. The mechanic groaned a bit while her friend slid through the hole in a much more graceful manner.
Before Dru could right herself and demand an explanation, a voice reverberated in the cave. "This your cat friend you were talkin' 'bout?"
Dru blinked at the gruff voice, and stood up. She looked around the dark, circular cave, just seven feet in height, and about ten feet in radius, with a dirt floor and a root ceiling. Thankful for her ability to see in the dark, she looked around for the person that Lariel must have wanted her to meet.
When she found the possessor of the earlier voice, she gasped, and would have turned white if her fur allowed her to. Scrunched down in the cramped space was a monstrous, black furred creature, with canines the length of a dagger, and glowing eyes... the Smilodon!
Dru did the only thing she could do...
"... Hey, she all right?"
A sigh emanated from Lariel as she knelt down to her fainted friend. "She will be, maybe."
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(Posted Mon, 07 Feb 2005 01:25)
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