Asherons Call: January Rollout is Up!

Ardry watched the steam waft off the bowl of hot, fragrant tea before him. He closed his eyes briefly and opened them back up, half-expecting to wake up in front of his lifestone with the taste of blood and dirt in his mouth. No such awakening occurred. He was still in the modest but immaculate home of Ben Ten, sharing a bowl of tea with the legendary protector of Dereth's early human settlements. He'd already spent half an hour discussing his adventures in acquiring and decoding the clues Asheron had left behind, but there was still something so surreal about being in the home of a living legend that it all did seem like a dream to him.

The old woman watched him with a knowing smile. "Please, Ardry, enjoy your tea before it cools. It is perfectly drinkable this soon after serving. I do not scald my tea leaves with boiling water like your Aluvian innkeeps always seem to do." Her eyes twinkled with humor, but he was too distracted to catch it.

He bobbed his head nervously, took the bowl in his hands, and slowly, reverently, sipped the tea. The tea was good, with a more subtle flavor than he was used to. It did not fill him with any kind of mystical calm, but it did warm him up after he'd spent several hours trekking through the wilderness to find Ben Ten's small hut.

"As I was saying, my lady, I am glad my notes and observations have been helpful in your efforts to locate Asheron."

Ben Ten sipped her own tea and nodded. "Most helpful indeed. Your notes were critical to our efforts. But please, do not call me 'lady'. I am just an old soldier." She laughed merrily at this description. "Please just call me Ben Ten."

Ardry nodded. "As you wish, my, uh, Ben Ten." He flushed in embarrassment. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

He meant the question in a perfunctory, polite way. But he saw her eyes brighten in response to his question, and he suddenly became aware that she was not here just to drink tea with him and review his notes on Asheron's ciphers. Even as she began speaking, Ardry imagined he could hear a trap springing shut on him.

"As a matter of fact, Ardry, I would ask your assistance again, though it pains me to further impose on you." She did look honestly regretful, and that helped. A little bit.

Ardry shook his head. "Please, Ben Ten, it would be an honor to further serve. I am sure you wouldn't ask unless it was urgent."

She nodded enthusiastically. "You are quite right. Your selflessness is a credit to your uncle, who always speaks so highly of you."

Ardry's eyes widened. "You speak with my Uncle?"

"Oh yes. A fascinating conversationalist, is he not? He is a man of great learning, filled with knowledge.

"He's filled with something, all right. But I didn't mean to change the subject. How can I help?"

"I would ask you to venture into hostile territory once more, Ardry. There are few who have the skill and the prior experience to do what I would ask..."

Ardry nodded knowingly. "You want me to go to Bur and find Asheron, right?"

Ben Ten laughed. "Ardry, do not get ahead of yourself. Half the realm will head to Bur. There will be many stout warriors, powerful mages, and clever adventurers hot on Asheron's trail. I would ask you to do something else, here on Dereth, which will not be as glamorous as journeying to another world to find our lost benefactor."

Ardry flushed again, embarrassed by his presumption that somehow he'd be asked to be the hero who found Asheron. "I understand, and I apologize for interrupting. Please, go on."

Ben Ten reached forward and patted his hand gently. "Don't feel bad, Ardry. I'm the one who ought to feel bad for asking you to go into the mountains and seek out more Tanada."

Ardry almost dropped his tea bowl. "More Tanada?"

"The Tanada have not ceased their activities just because the rest of Dereth is preoccupied with Bur and Asheron's disappearance," Ben Ten said.

Ardry grimaced. "I suppose it would have been too much to hope for." He felt a familiar sense of resignation as he contemplated the idea of another encounter with the vicious Nanjou Shou-Jen of the Tanada clan.

Ben Ten watched him and laughed softly. "I am sorry, Ardry, I am not laughing at your expense... Not truly. It's just that I saw this sense of calm and acceptance come over you. It normally takes a great deal of meditation for a person to become that comfortable with pending danger."

Ardry smiled grimly and took a long drink from his tea bowl. "That's my gift, I guess. I've got a preternatural ability to be at peace with the thought of a violent and messy death."

Ben Ten suddenly turned very serious and grabbed his hand. "Do not underestimate the value of such a gift, Ardry the Dubious. It is a gift, believe that."

Suddenly scared, Ardry sat back. He and Ben Ten drank the rest of their tea in silence.