MAN: RARE DIALOGUE #6
Fire leapt from the man's fingertips.
Feeling sure the man meant to attack them, Locklear reached for his weapon and surveyed the exits, his gut knotting as he dreaded the possibility they would have to fight in the confined space. But rather than unleashing some hellish spell on them, the bemused looking fellow merely withdrew a pipe from his belt and lit the embers with his magical flame.
"I really hadn't intended on frightening you," the man said, drawling heavily. "For some reason, this happens with unnerving regularity."
"You could do everyone the common courtesy of warning them," Locklear snapped, shoving his sword back into its sheath. "It's not quite so commonplace it won't go without notice."
The magician puffed, then said, "Rather like your breath."
MAN: RARE DIALOGUE #7
Their company was welcomed reluctantly.
In a generally foul mood, the man had a list of complaints about things in the Kingdom, though he seemed most interested in venting his complaints about a shopkeeper he had recently visited.
"He tried to saddle me with one of those moredhel blades," the man said, taking a sip from his ale cup. "You know, a lamprey."
"What's wrong with using a lamprey?" Locklear asked.
"Too long," the man said, "You take a moredhel or an elf like your friend here, it's the perfect length and balance for their reach, but for a human or Tsurani -- damn hard to control the thing. Same thing's true of a Griefmaker or any other elven blade."
"Such as?" Locklear pressed. Immediately he sensed that his drinking companion was growing suspicious, and so he quickly amended his question. "Forgive me, but I've only recently purchased a shop of my own and I don't know much about weapons. I want to make certain that I buy weapons my customers can use, not just pretty trinkets."
"Understandable." Putting down his cup, the man ticked off names on his fingers as he recalled the other makes. "First off, I know a greatsword is of elven manufacture and I think a few goblin stickers are also made by the fair folk, though I couldn't be certain of it. Humans also seem to have a little difficulty using elven crossbows and armor for similar reasons, so that's another thing you might want to keep in mind before you stock."
MAN: RARE DIALOGUE #8
He seemed glad to have the company.
Looking around nervously, the man appeared concerned his actions would be observed. After hesitating for a few minutes, he bent closer to whisper in James' ear. "What would you fellows know about the Guild of Assassins?"
Chilled as if the blood in his veins had suddenly turned to ice, James regarded the man with a stern look. "Why? Are you looking to have someone killed?"
"No, no," the man said, shaking his head emphatically. "I want to save someone, myself."
"I see. And why would the Nighthawks be after you?"
"I halted one of their assassinations not long ago," the man said. "When I saw three of them were about to pounce on a friend of mine, I called out and forced them into an straight fight. Right away we ran through one assassin while his two friends fled, but...the fellow we ran through got up again."
James' eyes widened, knowing immediately what the man had faced. "They're called Black Slayers," he explained. "They're a Nighthawk that's nearly impossible to kill. If this assassin wanted you dead, why didn't he kill you then?"
"I don't know, but he seemed to be concerned that one of us was a magician," the man replied. "I don't know what gave him that idea, but he shouted something about not going to his final rest and for us to keep the sorcerer away from him."