White Lies | The Legend of Vox Machina

Chapter 1

The kingdom of Tal'Dorei was a beautiful place; the sun was almost always shining, the birds spent their days singing happily in the trees, and the land was filled with magic, wonder, and mystery. That was, until a great evil appeared, looming over the citizens and bringing with it darkness and despair.

Many a brave soul had attempted to wipe out the unknown evil and bring peace back to Tal'Dorei once again, but as the body count rose, the volunteers began to dwindle. Very few who had mustered the courage to face whatever lurked in the shadows had returned, and those who had would never be the same again.

Fei was one of the lucky few who had escaped with her head still firmly attached to her shoulders, and although the experience had been gruesome and terrifying, she had experienced far worse in her lifetime. Maybe that was the reason she found herself back in Sovereign Uriel's palace again . . . well, that and the promised reward for saving the kingdom.

"The knowledge you possess will be useful," General Krieg said, his accent as thick as his eyebrows.

"I don't have any knowledge." Fei pulled her hood down further over her face, hiding her dark skin, pointed ears, and blackened eyes. She was well aware that the present company knew she was a drow, but the habit persisted nonetheless. "I've told you hundreds of times already. There was a surge of darkness, a terrible roar, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in a puddle of blood and dismembered limbs. I didn't see anything that can be of any use to whatever band of idiots decides to march into their death next."

Lady Allura scoffed, her harsh tone contrasting her otherwise prim and proper appearance. "They will probably perish anyway." She turned to address the Sovereign. "We need to start hiring professionals if we ever wish to rid the kingdom of this beast."

"No offence, but no professional would touch this job with a ten-foot pole after this many people have turned up missing or dead afterward," Fei explained, nervously shifting her weight as the room of high-ranking individuals looked at her. "At this point, sticking with desperate mercenaries is probably your best bet."

Sovereign Uriel smiled wide, his gray beard twitching as he did so. "So you'll do it then?" He clapped his hands together. "You said it yourself, we need mercenaries, and I can think of no one better than a mercenary who has already faced the music once before."

"I said desperate mercenaries," Fei corrected the Sovereign. "What makes you think I want to return to certain death after just barely escaping it?"

"Along with the previously mentioned reward, I'll absolve you of all your debts in Tal'Dorei," Sovereign Uriel replied, the smug grin on his face a telltale sign that he knew his offer was too good to pass up. "And continue to look past the fact that you are currently wanted for theft of approximately 800 gold in Emon."

Fei chuckled nervously. "I didn't know you knew about that."

"I know about everything."

Folding her arms over her chest, Fei shrugged. "Yeah, you got me there. I'm in."

Later that day, Fei found herself perched upon the railing of a ship that was supposed to take her and this foolish group of mercenaries to Shale Steps, the village closest to the most recent attacks. Everything about that day had been a whirlwind of confusion, so the fact that the ship was currently sitting on land instead of in the water was the least of her worries.

"They should be arriving soon." Lady Allura approached Fei, her tone as calm as ever but her body language and the clear distance she put between herself and the drow woman proving that she was less than comfortable. "They go by Vox Machina, apparently."

"Vox Machina," Fei repeated the pretentious name. "I've always found that groups who put a lot of effort into things like appearance and titles often don't possess the skills to match."