One of Lanoi's various adventures happens in a lesser known area of the city...

  The rain had lessened to the point where it would take the greater part of a minute to fill a mug.  The innkeep had mentioned to Lanoi that in the poor section of town, near the green bridge, lived an old begger type of human rumored to have lived with the pixies for a number of years.  Unfortunately, rumor also has it that the man was driven completely mad from the ordeal and any attempts to procure information from him were usually complete failures.
As Lanoi trudged through the downpour, his cloak and hood pulled high and tight, he had the erie feeling that something followed close behind.  Nothing he could really put his finger on, but a presence that one of Zeiller's darts probably couldn't even touch.  Looking over his shoulder, Lanoi carefully watched for any movement in the misty downpour, but could discern nothing save the dark shapes of buildings.  
  A few streets later, the feeling of being followed by a presence of evil grew in strength to such porportions that Lanoi could stand it no longer.  He whipped open his cloak and with the speed of a cat unsheathed his longsword as he turned to face whatever it was that neared him.
Holding his sword, now faintly shimmering a blue color, Lanoi stood still and intently concentrated on the air before him.  Soon, mixed with the sound of heavy rain splattering against mud filled streets and walks, a different sound emerged.  A heavy rasping or breathing sound.  Nothing marked the nearing of this presence, and a person could see only the rain.  But one knew that something was near.
  A patch of mud near Lanoi suddenly grew still.  In that patch, the rain stopped it's incessant mixing of mud, and a strange heat began emenating from the area.
  The sword, now glowing a bright blue, began dripping blue drops of liquid into the mud, and they ran in the direction of the patch of mud that was now steaming from a heat so evil that Lanoi could barely breath because of the stench.  Soon the shimmering blue liquid had made it's way completely around the patch of evil, and the rustling noise became much louder.  
  Lanoi carefully began to back away from the area, holding his sword in front of him, and had moved about fifteen steps away when something finally happened.
  Materializing in the air before him stood a beast with skin like the embers of a dying fire and eyes like smoking sulfurous pots.  Muscles gave the skin a bulging, contoured appearance, and armored shells covering it's back, head, and groin area seemed to be actually connected to it's body.  As it moved, using two legs looking as strong as steel, it waved two clawed arms in front of it.  No fingers at the end of it's arms, just large, sword-like claws.
  The beast stepped into the shimmering blue liquid without a glance, and out of the circle of evil.  Steam quickly filled the air around Lanoi and the beast as rain quickly evaporated as it hit the beast's glowing skin.
  The beast suddenly lunged at Lanoi with a razor claw, forcing the elf to move evasively, which proved to be difficult in mud over six inches deep.  Blocking the thrust aside with a clash and explosion of sparks, Lanoi quickly regained his balance and made a quick and certainly deadly cut to the beasts neck.  The sword, however, struck one of the armored plates and bit deeply, the only effect being a wasted blow and a sword that wouldn't come loose.  
  Right before a claw would have cut him in two, however, Lanoi jerked the sword loose from the armor, and narrowly missed being pierced as he parried the slash.  The beast seemed not to be having such a difficult time as Lanoi in the mud because at each step the beast took, the mud dried around him.  
  Blow after blow Lanoi blocked and parried as the beast continued to advance, each slash coming closer to ending the elf's life, as Lanoi became more tired and his strength began to give way.  The beast, however, seemed only to grow stronger.
  Finally, after charging past the beast as it aimed both its claws at him, Lanoi finally found a way to use his sword to the beast's disadvantage.  A quick slash to the back of the knee area showed Lanoi that the beast also needed certain muscles to in order to stand, and without them, it would fall.  And it did fall.  
  Seemingly oblivious to the pain, though, and evidently thinking that the damaged leg simply posed a nuisance, the beast cut it off with a quick claw swipe, and pushed himself towards the elf with his good leg.  
  Quickly making his way to a nearby building, Lanoi paused to consider the situation and catch his breath.  It was clear that the beast had the endurance of a greater demon and had the fighting ability of a seasoned gladiator, but did it have the brains of an elf in dire need of an idea...
  The beast soon reached Lanoi, and the elf barely ducked as a claw swipe took out a chunk of mortar in the building at about waist level.  Moving quickly back, Lanoi stumbled against a pouring drainpipe, and suddenly smiled.  In a great arc, Lanoi cut the drain pipe about a foot above his eye level, and redirected the gushing rainwater with his sword towards the crawling beast.  At first the water hissed angrily as it struck the beast, evaporating into steam as fast as it hit, but soon the water began hitting the beast faster than it evaporated, and soon the beast, screaming angrily itself, began sinking in the mud, completely wet and seemingly cooled off, until it was gone.
  Lanoi carefully made his way to the spot and dug with his sword, but found nothing, even the severed leg left somewhere up the street had disappeared.  However, feeling a little depressed about the whole thing, he searched once more to find
  
                  10,000 gold pieces

  Knowing that in the near future he would probably come to recognize events such as those (monsters attacking him, not getting extra money) as being normal, he carefully cleaned his blade and slowly sheathed it. He slowly shook his head.  "Should've stayed in bed..." he muttered while carelessly stomping through the mud towards his original goal of the green bridge...