Adventures of Dathen: chapter 1

Meetings in the Dark
Gadgetzan was not the most mysterious of places to have a secret meeting. Between the screeching chatter of the goblins and the insane buzzing of their beloved creations, low whispers and spooky, dark corners were quite out of the question.

The small group gathered didn't quite fit the picture, either. A rusted mechanical table, whose automatic self-serve built-in drink dispensers had long since ceased dispensing, served as the centerpiece. At one side lounged a handful of grubby and generally unsavory humans; at the other, a wiry figure mostly hidden within the folds of a large cloak. The sight of anyone bundled up so in the middle of a sweltering, sticky desert was enough to make quite a few passers-by grin and chuckle, but such things escaped the attention of the man. “I'm sure you all know why I'm here, by now,” mumbled the mass of cloak. The voice was thin and rasping, but obviously young. One of the humans began to snicker, but was silenced with a wave of a hand by one seemed to be the leader by his somewhat-shaven visage. This one quickly leaned forward.

“The sword, eh? Like everyone else that comes down here.”

“I already told you that I would pay.”

The man leaned back, scratching his stubble and grinning. “I hope you're a rich little deader, then, Matthews.”

The cloaked man fairly radiated irritation. “Payable if I find it, of course.”

It was probably a good thing that he couldn't see their expressions at that point, but a moment later the leader grinned casually. “Of course! For all you know, we could be lying, eh?” He pushed a piece of parchment across the table. Finally, it was something befitting a secret meeting. The parchment was ancient-looking and thick, with burnt edges and faded ink. A thin, gloved hand emerged from the folds of the cloak and took it, fingering it appraisingly. “Jan'thraze of Wishes,” Dathen mumbled, deep in thought. “We'll be watching you, kid. If you try and leave without paying for our services, we'll know. We wouldn't want to have to deal with that messy confrontation, now, would we?” Dathen carefully folded the map and stood. “Of course not,” he replied evenly before turning. “Good day, gentlemen.” It would have been the perfect exit if he hadn't tripped on the impossible mass of cloak on the way out.