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There was a different feeling to the air the moment Jarlaxle and Entreri walked out of the Vaasan side of the wall fortress Thedecay filled the nostrils of the two, carried on a stiff breeze that held a chilly bite, though su off the Great Glacier today," Entreri had heard one of the guards reathered the moisture from the sun-softened ice and lifted it across the muddy Vaasan plain

"A re the sea of eeous hat "I would send armies forth to do battle to claim this paradise"

The drow&039;s sarcasree more with the dreary assessment "Then why are we here?"

"I have already explained that in full"

"You hold to a strange understanding of the term, &039;in full "

Jarlaxle didn&039;t look at hirin

"By that, I presume that you mean you have explained it as well as you believe I need to know," Entreri went on

"Sometimes the sweetest juices can be found buried within the lanced back at the wall and let it go at that They had come out on a "day jaunt," as such excursions were known at the Vaasan Gate, a quick scout and strike iven such assignet a feel for the tundra When first the call had gone out for adventurers, there had been no guidance offered for their excursions into the wild Many had struck right out froain But the Arit in a way estive

Entreri wasn&039;t fond of such rules, but neither did he hold ate He did not wish to find his end seeking the botto

Jarlaxle turned slowly in a circle, see to sniff the air as he did When he caeneral direction of the far-distant Great Glacier, he nodded and tipped his hat

"This way, I think," the drow said

Jarlaxle started off, and with a shrug, having no better option, Entreri started after hi the rocky foothills of the Galena Mountains, not wanting to try the oblin a battle against such creatures

"I thought there were monsters aplenty to be found and vanquished here," Entreri reray stones and across patches of cold standing water "That is what the posted notices in Heliogabalus claiold pieces a day," Jarlaxle added "And all for the pleasure of killing ten goblins Yes, that was the sum of it, and perhaps the lucrative bounty proved quite effective Could it be that all the lands about the gate have been cleared?"

"If we have to trek for miles across this wilderness, then my road is back to the south," said Entreri

"Ever the optihed and adjusted his great hat "Not for n of adversaries?"

Entreri offered a skeptical stare

"A print beside the last puddle," Jarlaxle explained

"That could be days old"

"It ishere on the surface," the drow replied "In the Underdark, a boot print in soft ground ed

"I thought you were famous for your ability to hunt down ene the ways of folk, not the signs on the ground I find lean froathered at the tip of your dagger, no doubt"

"Whatever works But I do not normally hunt the wilderness in pursuit of ns of such wild places," said the drow "You know a print"

"I know that so made an iht have been today, or it o - anytime since the last rain And I know not what oblin lands," Jarlaxle interrupted "The posted notices told oblins," Entreri reminded

"Ever the obvious," the drow said

Entreri scowled at hiathered in the north, they turned back to the Vaasan Gate Theywith the new sentries,the dark elf, had left that saate earlier in the day and should be re-adh the tight, well-constructed, dark brick corridors, past the eyes of uards, Entreri turned for the ue and their tent

"Not just yet," Jarlaxle bade him "There are pleasures a&039;oblins a&039;many to kill out there, so you&039;ve been told"

"It never ends, I see"

Entreri just stood at the end of the corridor, the reflection of distant ca in Jarlaxle&039;s eyes as he looked past his scowling friend

"Have you no sense of adventure?" the drow asked

"We&039;ve been over this too many tiruacross s," Jarlaxle said "I promise"

"Perhaps when you tell me of them, my mood will improve," Entreri replied, and the dark elf ss, as well," the droered "And I think I need not tell you of those"

Entreri glanced back over his shoulder out at the cah the distant, opened doors He chuckled quietly as he turned back to Jarlaxle, for he knew that resistance was hopeless against that one&039;s unending strea that Jarlaxle should lead on, thenbehind him

There were many establishments - craftsmen, suppliers, but mostly taverns - in the Vaasan Gate Merchants and entrepreneurs had been quick to the call of Gareth Dragonsbane, knowing that the hearty adventurers ent out froiven the substantial bounty on the ears of goblins, orcs, ogres and otherco around the s from foolish and prideful adventurers

All the taverns were much the san on the wall beside the doorway read: "Muddy Boots and Bloody Blades," but soed a line across it and whittled in: "Muddy Blades and Bloody Boots" underneath, to reflect the frustrations of late in even finding h the crowded roo more than a few uncomfortable stares as he went They split up as they came upon a table set with four chairs where only twoand Entreriback in to the crowd

"May I join you?" the drow asked

Looks both horrified and threatening ca on two more," one man answered

Jarlaxle pulled up a chair "Very well, then," he said "A place to rest my weary feet for just a moment then When your friends arrive, I will take one now!" one snarled, co forward in his chair, teeth bared as if he meant to bite the dark elf

Next to hilower, and crossed his large araze His eyes widened quickly, though, and his ar - when he felt the tip of a dagger against the small of his back

The hard expression on the man who&039;d leaned toward Jarlaxle similarly er, and though he couldn&039;t reach across with that particular weapon, with no ate Thus, while Jarlaxle hadn&039;t even leaned forward in his chair, and while his arue felt the blade tip quite clearly, prodding against his belly

"I have changed my mind," Jarlaxle said, his voice cold "When your friends arrive, they will need to find another place to repose"

"You s drow," theGareth"

"Does the penalty equate to that for gutting a fool?"

"Stinking drow," the lanced over at his friend then put on a quizzical expression

"One atye"

The first hed aloud at the spectacle, for behind the other man stood the crowd of people that filled every aisle in Muddy Boots and Bloody Blades, but none appeared to be taking any note of hiray cloak of the nearest man and knew it to be Entreri

"Are we done with this foolery?" Jarlaxle asked the first lared at hi his chair back

"A weapon!" he cried, leaping to his feet and pointing at the drow "He dreeapon!"

A tu into defensive stances,to their weapons, and so the moment to melt away into the crowd Like all the taverns at the Vaasan Gate, however, Muddy Boots and Bloody Blades anticipated such trouble Within the span of a couple of heartbeats - the time it took Jarlaxle to slide his own chair back and hold up his eness at his bidding - a group of Bloodstone soldiers moved in to restore order

"He poked er Jarlaxle&039;s way

The drow pasted on a puzzled look and held up his empty hands Then he adjusted his cloak to show that he had no sword, no weapon at all, sheathed at his belt

That didn&039;t stop the nearest soldier froh The man bent low and did a quick search under the table

"So clever of you to useman "A pity you didn&039;t know I carry no weapon at all"

All eyes went to the accuser

"He stickedhis arive h I do hope the ladies are paying you close heed"

A titter of laughter caeneral outburst of uards seeuards said to hihter only increased

"And his friend put a dagger to me back!" theall eyes to him He leaped up and spun around

"Who did?" the soldier asked

The h of course Entreri was already all the way to the other side of the roo to one nearby knave "Had to be him"

A soldier moved immediately to inspect the accused, and indeed the , slender dirk on his belt

"What foolishness is this?" the accused protested "You would believe that babbling idiot?"

"My word against yours!" the other uess had been accurate

"Against ours, you mean," said another man

More than a dozen, all companions of the newly accusedthat ye should take ers at," said another

The accuser was sta He looked to his friend, who seeainst the sudden turn of events

"And I&039;," said the accused knave

"And quick," added another of his rough-looking friends

"Sir?" Jarlaxle asked the guard "I wasto take some repose from my travels in Vaasa"

The soldier eyed the drow suspiciously for a long, long while, then turned away and started off "You cause any more disturbances and I&039;ll put you in chains," he warned the asp as the soldier behind hi another chorus of howls fro!" the man&039;s co that one over a bit more," warned one of the friends of thehis bluster

It all quieted quickly, and Jarlaxle took a seat at the vacant table, waving a serving wench over to hilass of your finest wine and one of your finest ale," he said

The wo hi me," Jarlaxle confided with a wink

The woet the drinks

"By this time, another table would have opened to us," said Entreri, taking a seat across from the droithout the dramatics"

"Without the enjoy us now"

"Precisely the point," explained the drow "We want all at the Vaasan Gate to know of us Reputation is exactly the point"

"Reputation earned in battle with coht"

"In ti woman, who had already returned with the drinks "In tiave the woman a piece of platinum - many times the price of the wine and ale

"For tales of adventure and those we&039;ve yet to ain, her dark eyes sparkling as she considered the coin Her smile was shy but not hard to see as she scalass up to Entreri then repeated his last sentence as a toast

Defeated yet again by the drow&039;s undying opti and welcomed drink