Bruce Cordell - Darkvision

The avenue they strolled along was filled on both sides with outdoor restaurants and cafes, all crowded with people. Most of the patrons seemed as interested in consuming the exotic delights before them as watching the continuous parade of passersby. Courtesans, in scores, more than Ususi had ever seen at once, walked the city streets, clad in diamonds, body paint, and garments spun of the finest silks.

Beggars in rags clutched at the robes of passersby, asking for handouts. Unshod children scampered underfoot, absorbed in their youthful games. Sitar players and bards singing strangely nasal ballads were featured along the many rooftop cafes. Half-dressed barbarians with oversized weaponry strapped to their belts pushed arrogantly through the throng. A group of elves in high court dress clustered around a street vendor selling roasted vegetables on sticks.

A brave woman wearing red body paint goaded an unshackled ogre to juggle various pieces of crockery. Several halflings perched on an elevated byway, watching the traffic, pointing out oddities, and laughing among themselves. Ususi even spotted a few eastern-looking men in warrior's dress she recognized as common in Two Stars-merchants and their bodyguards from much farther north and east of Vaelan. And all of this she saw on a single street! The people were fascinating, but Ususi's eye was also drawn to the myriad stalls and stands of every stripe, some of which surely straddled the border that separated legal wares from black market merchandise. One hawker claimed his golden eels were the most succulent to be had in west Vaelan, while another described the fragrances available on his cart as exotic samples from "distant Tu'narath, brought only at great risk and expense to delight the senses of the common Vaelanite." Closing her eyes couldn't shut out the clamor or the smells-the air churned with dueling odors. Fresh bread, eggs, spicy tea, oil, wood smoke from an oven filled with roasting sausages, devil weed, wet wool, exotic perfumes, sweat, and the faint odor of the docks-the countless smells concentrated in Vaelan were overwhelming. A crush of people pressed upon them at an intersection. A black-haired courtesan pressed against Iahn and ran her fingers down his bare arm. "Such sinewy strength-such exotic pale skin," she purred. "Where ever are you from? I'd love to hear your story. In private." Ususi shooed the woman away, shaking her head. Iahn looked after the woman as she moved away and was lost again in the crowd. Somewhat foggily, he said, "I've never smelled that particular fragrance before-I wonder from what flower it was distilled." Ususi had a few notions, but before she could formulate a response, a woman caught her eyes. The woman stood upon a slender white bridge above their path. The skin on her face and bare arms was partially replaced with a thin veneer of Celestial Nadir crystal!

"Iahn, look!" She pointed up at the woman, but Iahn already had her in his sights. With a fluid motion, he caught Ususi's pointing hand and guided it down to her side. He clasped her other hand in his grip and drew her close as if sharing a friendly embrace. He whispered, "Best not to draw the attention of any who wear the crystal. Something dark looked out from behind the eyes of those who hunted you. The woman on the bridge… and there to the left, that man in the rich robes-see his eyes? If their flesh is infected with the Celestial Nadir crystal, could not the darkness behind the world see out through their eyes, too?" Ususi gave a slow nod. "Perhaps." She studied the woman, on the bridge as they drew closer. The woman was speaking to an exotic fabric merchant. Nothing could be more natural. Except for her encrustations of crystal. "No question about it," Ususi whispered. "Someone in Vaelan has found an entry into the Celestial Nadir!" "You were right," said Iahn, not grudgingly. "We must locate that access. We cannot afford to approach one of these compromised citizens directly. But..

" Iahn paused near a confection vendor and motioned Ususi over. The smell of sugary cakes made her mouth water. "Hungry?" Iahn grunted. He motioned for the vendor's attention. Ususi shrugged. If Iahn wanted to sample the local cuisine, she would be right behind him. Those little cakes smelled good. Iahn caught the notice of a thin, middle-aged man with curly brown hair streaked with gray. The man's smock was streaked with flour, and he was flanked on all sides by racks of his delicious-looking bakery. The vengeance taker scanned the merchandise, then pointed. "Two of those," he said in the common trade tongue. The man nodded curtly. "That'll be one pari, or equivalent in silver, if you please." Iahn made a show of getting out his pouch and counting out his foreign currency. As he did so, he asked the vendor, "I'm new to Vaelan. A fabulous city. And so strange. Why, my wife and I"-Ususi frowned at Iahn-"my wife and I just saw the oddest thing. A woman on the bridge back there was covered with purple crystal!" The man's face stretched into what was probably supposed to be a smile as he watched Iahn painstakingly fumble through his coins. The vengeance taker was putting on a show with a faked lack of dexterity. The vendor said,

"Yes, yes-a plangent." "A what?" demanded Ususi, moving forward.

"Plangent. Anyone who gets an implant at the Body Shop is called a plangent. If you had the coin to spare"-the man looked critically at the paltry heap of coins in Iahn's hand- "then you could do the same."

The vengeance taker handed the vendor three pieces of silver. As the man weighed them in his hand, Iahn asked, "Why would one want to replace his flesh with inanimate crystal?" The baker shrugged. "They say plangents are smarter, faster, and stronger than regular folk.

I've heard that plangents live longer. Not a bad deal. But it's too expensive for people like you and me." The vendor turned his head and fixed his eyes on new customers standing behind Ususi and Iahn. The vendor was finished with them. Wizard and faker moved back from the stand, munching on their cakes. They were at least as good as they looked and smelled, Ususi decided. "All right, then. Let's go find the Body Shop," said Ususi. "First, allow me to fashion a disguise," replied Iahn.

No placard proclaimed the shop's name. Such advertising was not needed. The structure revealed its nature with a startlingly tall and slender sculpture that thrust up from the building's center, reaching some seventy or eighty feet. The sculpture depicted a smoothly flowing human form with one hand reaching skyward in supplication. Portions of the gray stone sculpture had been seamlessly replaced with violet-tinged crystal-one arm, one leg, one eye. The architecture of the building was modern and flowing and seemed part of the sculpture itself. The combination was graceful and moving, like a piece of art representing the struggles of mortals who always strive for personal redemption. Iahn pointed to the crystal and looked at Ususi. The wizard glanced up and shook her head. She whispered, "That's rose quartz, not Celestial Nadir crystal." She strolled casually into the lobby of the Body Shop, with the vengeance taker only a stride behind.

Ususi's invisible uskura followed, silent and unknown to all but the two Deep Imaskari. Iahn had warned the wizard against calling upon it-doing so would only draw attention. He and Ususi wore disguises created with Iahn's expertise, which included small elements of magical glamour. Ususi was unused to wearing illusions, but Iahn had assured her that darkened skin, short hair, and flamboyant dress would fool the eye of any casual observer. Certainly his own long, ragged cloak, wide-brimmed hat, and scraggly, unkempt beard was good enough to baffle even Ususi's eyes had she not seen him assume the guise.

Iahn was her servant, and she the lady of some great merchant house in nearby Assur. The lobby was a study in smooth, flowing lines, longer than wide, like a great hall in a noble's mansion. Six displays graced the two long walls, three on each side, guaranteed to draw the eye by the simple fact that nothing else was for sale, or even visible to distract attention. A woman waited, a smile on her face, on the far side of the room, beside a single white door. She was dressed elegantly, the lines of her gown plunging down her back. The color of the gown, a pale lavender, almost white, complemented the crystal encrustations of one arm, one leg, and one eye. The woman was a plangent. "Welcome to the Body Shop, Madam," she said, and flashed a winning smile. Ususi nodded, but paused to gaze at each of the displays in turn. Iahn shuffled along behind, obedient, his head down, but not so much that he couldn't eye the shop's wares. Each display was a human-size sculpture of an idealized human, gender unclear. Each sported a different Celestial Nadir crystal prosthesis. The two nearest the entrance had but one implant each-an eye and a hand. The two stone models in the middle of the rows each sported three artificial parts. The final two sculptures, closest to the plangent attendant, seemed more crystal than sculpture. The attendant continued smiling, seeming perfectly at ease. Ususi coughed and said, "My friends have been telling me for months about the new look coming out of Vaelan. Before I arrived here, I thought they spoke of a new body paint, or piercing, or some combination of the two. But this is a little more extreme!" She waved her hands at the displays. "Oh, it is more extreme, I can assure you, Madam…?" "Please call me Urale," said Ususi. "This is my manservant, Alon." The plangent glanced at Iahn, dismissed him, and fixed her gaze upon Ususi, her smile growing broader and more friendly, if that were possible. Iahn continued to stare at the plangent, his eyes missing nothing. He wondered if she would be vulnerable to a death stroke, with her new physiology. He shrugged and watched the woman breathe, noting the way her muscles gathered in her shoulders, legs, and back as she moved toward Ususi.