Part 2
When the door opened to the Inn, Vaust looked up to see who came in and his face dropped. Why was it always the troublemakers who were immortal? No matter, they always come to him for a reason, and the quicker he solves that reason the quicker they leave.
Xellma decided to be the centre of attention and pulled down her hood when she entered, and it worked. People started whispering and pointing at her. Perfection. Whatever her demonic aura was, it wasn't as immediately obvious as Xolarand's or Xalgaman's. Approaching the counter, she saw Vaust and smiled.
"What can I do for you?" Vaust asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I'll start with a keg of ale." Xellma replied, placing an entire bag of coins on the counter. The tavern was nearly silent at this point.
"A keg?" Vaust asked.
"A keg."
"Fine. Help yourself." Vaust said, gesturing at one of the barrels next to the counter.
Selecting one, Xellma picked it up with a single hand, and took it over to the fireplace, where a seat was still available. Seeing an elven ranger next to the open seat, she spotted the chance for some amusement, as Xolarand had already briefed her on the arrangement with Princess Valmaris.
"Hello Ranger. What's your name?" Xellma asked as she sat, putting her feet up on the barrel. Of course, she knew his name. She somehow knew everyone's names just by looking at them. "No wait, let me guess. Haemir!"
Ranger Haemir went white as a sheet. Who was this terrifying woman who spoke so casually? "H-how did you know?"
"Ah, that's a secret." Xellma said with a smile, slowly boring a hole in the keg by pressing down with her finger, a fact that didn't got unnoticed by Haemir.
Xellma then leaned in quite close and whispered "Why aren't you up North with the rest?" in Haemir's ear.
"I'm on leave." Haemir said quietly. "Can't fight all the time."
"Of course, of course." Xellma answered, finishing her hole in the keg, then pulling a straw out of her hair. "Neither can demons."
What little talking that had started up again in the Inn completely died away. This woman was a demon?
"Oh was I not supposed to say that out loud?" Xellma said, pretending to be confused. "Hey Innkeeper!" Xellma shouted.
"Yes?" Vaust responded.
"Demons can stay here right?"
So that's what this is about, thought Vaust. That's what that horrific energy pouring out of Hell yesterday was. "All races are welcome here as long as they behave themselves."
"That's what I thought." Xellma said, pretending to be satisifed, and starting on her keg of ale.
"I wouldn't try that." Vaust called out, seeing two mages get up and start to approach her. "Not just because I'll throw you out."
The mages ignored his warnings, and came up to Xellma, who had already drank the first half of the keg. She regarded with them with mild interest, and had an idea of what was going to happen.
"Begone, foul fiend! Be banished!" One yelled.
Two divine casting circles briefly appeared around the chair she was half laying in, but fizzled out immediately. Xellma smiled.
"Oh, did you just try to banish me?" Xellma said, laughing as she continued to drink. "Try again."
"M-maybe the spell just fizzled. Try it again!" The second one said.
The two mages tried for nearly ten minutes to banish Xellma to no avail.
"Stop trying to banish me and banish me." Xellma taunted, working on her second keg of ale.
"What sort of foul creature are you?" The first one said, panting.
"The foulest. Now that we're done flirting, join me for a drink?" Xellma offered, gesturing at the keg.
"So you can poison us?" He said accusingly.
"Randal von Stroheim, if I wanted to kill you, you would already be in Hell." Xellma said disapprovingly. "Now sit, those banish spells didn't even tickle me."
The second mage ran away when she mentioned his name, but Randal seemed transfixed, and slowly sat down, leaving Xellma to think on something for a few seconds, before realizing something.
"You felt like you couldn't disobey me when I used your name, didn't you?" Xellma asked.
"I felt compelled to obey, yes." Randal said. "You're not going to hurt me, are you?"
"No, you have revealed something to me. A problem, thank you." Xellma answered.
This was quite the dilemma. It seemed if she used a mortal's name when speaking to them, her words become commands, and they could not disobey. But she had to be certain.
"I'm sorry in advance." Xellma said, looking at Randal.
"Why?"
"Hold on, this keg is empty too. A moment." Xellma got up and purchased 6 more kegs, and carried them back to her seat, returning the empty ones to Vaust. Sitting down again, she returned her attention to Randal. "Now then, Randal, break your left hand."
Some gasps could be heard from the patrons nearby as several people watched in horror, and Xellma watched in amusement, as Randal calmly shattered his left hand with a stone mug over the course of 30 seconds, leaving it twisted and bleeding.
"Intriguing. My words become a geis. Here, let me heal that." Xellma placed both of her hands on his broken left hand, and the wounds undid themselves in mere seconds, the bones snapping back into place.
"Surely you could have done something else!" Randal exclaimed, horrified. Two other patrons nearby nodded in agreement.
"Words can be lies. Non-harmful actions can be done voluntarily. This was the easiest non-permanent action which resulted in bodily harm." Xellma explained, defending herself.