Bleys: a Few Paragraphs

There is a lot of background information that is not given in this story. All of the characters mentioned were played in a Dungeon's and Dragons campaign that I was involved in, during my senior year of high school. It was a great campaign, and if anyone who was involved in it reads this I would like to hear from you...

"Hey! Corwyn!" Bleys yelled at the top of his well-trained lungs, while beckoning with his hand.

The bard watched with amazement as the large warrior pushed his way through the crowd of revelers. How anyone could stand up, let alone walk a straight line, after putting away so many spirits was beyond him. And Bleys still hadn't gotten that sobriety cantrip right.

"Something wrong, Singer?"

"I'm not sure. Neither Tanis nor Terry have been seen for three days. Tanis even left his weapons lying on a table."

"Was he drunk?" Corwyn asked.

Bleys just looked at him and then responded with a question of his own, "Do you have any idea where he might have gone?" Bleys' words weren't slurred, a bard must never lose control of his voice, but he was drunk nonetheless.

Corwyn thought for a moment. "He's probably at the Bottomless Tankard, and Terry will be with him."

"Yes, I remember him saying something about his lover being there."

"Bleys, he was talking about a keg of wine."

"Hmm. We better find him before the spirits have him snoring under a table."

The Cleaver grunted affirmative and started pushing his way toward the nearest exit. Bleys, trying to emulate the larger, not to mention sober man promptly tripped over a halfling. With the lights spinning the way they were Bleys decide to just rest on the ground for a moment.

When, with the help of one of the other party-goers, Bleys stood up, he decided to try that cantrip again. Bleys concentrated as well as he could and went through the necessary motions. The resulting look of horror on his face caused the more sober of the people around him to draw back.

"Oh! Gods!" he cursed. Instant sobriety was nearly as bad as the morning after a strong bout with the wine-spirits.

By the time Bleys had recovered his equilibrium and looked around, Corwyn was long gone.