"Get up lordling."

Pyp's eyes shot open as a high-pitched voice stabbed at him. Pyp rolled out of bed clutching his flute to his chest. He was glad for the interruption his dreams had soured into nightmares as of late, towering demons cackled as hordes of monsters rushed toward each other and Pyp was stuck in the middle and could only watch as the horrors descended onto him. Pyp looked over at the person who woke him, it wasn't the leader of the tavern nor the giant who escorted him to his room. It was a young boy around the same age as Pyp, he had short close-cropped blond hair and wore a simple padded gambeson with a leather bag around his back. He stared at Pyp, his square face had a mocking look about it.

"Come on lord we've breakfast down stairs." He threw himself over into an exaggerated bow.

"I'm no lord," said Pyp as he pulled the rest of his clothes on visibly annoyed.

"That's what you've got all them thinking down there but I know better," said the youth as he blocked the door, "And unless you want me to convince the boss that you are a lordling, then you'd better do as I say."

Pyp's heart sank, he thought he'd managed to convince the boss, Erit, and he couldn't have some vicious youth ruining his guise. He tried for a while to think of a way out of youths proposal but he could not think of anything.

"Alright fine I'll help you but you can't tell Erit anything," said Pyp stammering out the words, he hadn't realised how scared he was.

"I won't, when we leave this place come find me, I'll be near the back of the column," he turned to leave but before he could get out of the door Pyp asked, "What is your name".

The youth turned around and replied "Garth" and swiftly made his way down the corridor.

Pyp's stomach was grumbling as he went downstairs, the central hall was quiet as breakfast was served by a number of weary looking women and young boys. They served lumpy stew in small wooden bowls, very few men seemed to care for the stew as Pyp saw half-full bowls left on most tables. Erit was standing by the door looking out of a window into the city his large henchman was nowhere to be seen. Pyp walked over to the table where the stew was served and asked for a bowl of stew, the servants did not make any eye contact with Pyp as they handed him a small roll of black bread and stew. Pyp took a seat far away from where Erit stood, the man gave him the chills, it was his eyes they looked vague and dead but his voice and body both gave off a murderous concentration. Pyp understood why so many people had abandoned the stew, the vegetables were hard and the soup was chalky but Pyp forced it down as he knew he may not get another chance to eat. He managed to eat another bowl of the poorly made stew before Erit noticed he had come downstairs.

"g'morning lad, get a good night's sleep?"

He seems to be in a good mood this morning, that can't be a good thing, thought Pyp.

"Good enough" said Pyp cautiously trying not to betray any of the fear he felt in his voice.

"That's good lad, good. Enjoying the food, most of the lads can't stand the stuff. Maybe I need to make an example of one of the chefs," said Erit glancing over at the servants who stood by the pots of stew. They all shied away from his gaze as if he could hurt them with a look. Pyp wondered what horrible things had already been done to those poor women and children. The way Erit was looking at them he seemed likely to punish them on the spot but his large henchman, Griv Pyp remembered, burst through a side door.

"Boss you'd better come quick some of the lads are brawling and it could get ugly."

Erit sprang out of his chair and rushed over to Griv. Erit stopped before he left the room and turned to look at Pyp.

"You're coming too lad, now that your one of us it'll be good for you to see how we operate." He said the last word with a malicious relish that made Pyp's skin crawl. Pyp got up and slowly walked over to the intimidating pair.

They quickly headed through a number of doors and corridors in the direction of crashing and shouting. The room was in a state of chaos, men jeered and laughed throwing empty bottles and full flagons of ale across the room. At the centre of the room two men were in the middle of a terrible fight, it was clear they had been at it for a while they were both covered in wounds, their faces were swollen and puffy, blood dripped from gashes across the forehead.

"ENOUGH" roared Erit his voice booming through the small room.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

All of the men quickly stopped and turned to face Erit who strode into the centre of the room.

"You two seem like you're having fun!" said Erit as he circled the bloody pair like a hawk waiting to dive. "But in this band, we don't behave like animals, we are civilised and we came here to prove to the uppers that they are no better than us, yet here you are ACTING LIKE BEASTS!" Erit shouted causing everyone to flinch.

His voice held iron command over the room and none dared to speak. "So let us clear up this little misunderstanding, who started the fight," asked Erit his voice returning to its usual light friendly tone. The two men spoke at the same time throwing accusations at each other, for a moment Pyp thought it would boil over into violence before Erit shouted "QUIET!" Silence fell once again in the room.

"Form a circle, and get me two weapons," said Erit as he moved away from the two guilty men. Pyp stomach turned to ice, he was about to witness two men kill each other.

"As neither of you will admit fault we will settle this the old way, trial by combat" Erit handed each man a short sword "The winner will be declared innocent and the loser, well the loser will die and be judged by the great Dove" Erit finished his speech with a sign of the dove. Pyp wanted to look away as the two men began to hack at each other, but he felt Erit's gaze pass over him multiple times. Pyp knew if he looked away it would make Erit suspicious and he had no idea what they would do to him if they didn't believe his story. From the look of the two men in the ring it would not be pleasant.

Erit came to find Pyp after the bodies had been moved out of the room.

"First time you've seen a man die?", Pyp noticed what could be sympathy in his bored eyes.

"First man yes," replied Pyp meeting his gaze.

He felt numb. Watching those two men murder each other had horrified him to his core. They were comrades, fighting together in this terrifying place but they turned on each other so easily. Pyp thought of the epics he read as a child, the heroes of those epics, Gladmin the Steel Talon never went through things like this. His trials were all glorious self-sacrifices and physical challenges. Pyp's journey had not been anything like that he'd only been driven around by one disaster or another seeing horror and despair at every turn.

"So you've killed some possessed then, and I didn't have you pegged as a fighter."

"I'm not" said Pyp without thinking " Arthur did the killing".

"Arthur?" said Erit as Pyp realised his mistake. "Your companion?"

"Yes a fellow looter, it's not safe to travel alone but we were separated some time ago" replied Pyp praying that Erit would not ask any more questions about Arthur, he didn't want to drag him into this.

"Anyway come with me" said Erit putting his arm around Pyp's shoulders and steering him through the the tavern. When they were outside Erit seemed to loomed over him and said.

"I hope you've had time to think about what I've said, I want you to join us the lads loved the songs you played and want to keep you round to play more. The rules of our company are simple, you keep what you find, you follow mine or my men's orders and no making trouble or I hand out the punishment. If you do join you'll be a runner, moving ahead of the column and scouting the streets."

Pyp looked up at Erit and knew that he couldn't say no to his offer. "I'll do it as long as I can get some loot" said Pyp surprising himself with the confidence in his voice, he would follow this crowd of cut-throats and figure out a way to escape this city.

"Good choice Pyp, "I'm sure you won't regret it" said Erit holding out his hand for Pyp to shake. Pyp took the hand and it wrapped around his in an iron grip.

"We've got to get moving go ask Griv for your chores for the day."

Pyp spent most of the morning dragging sacks of food out of the tavern and placing them onto carts, he kept his eye open for the cart that brought him into Finepoint but he could not find it and was silently thankful. Pyp would still have a chance to recover it from the surgeons house when he made his escape from Finepoint. With aching arms he headed to the back of the trail of marching men, Pyp recalled the sneaky youth who threatened him in the morning. He needed to find out what Garth wanted and how he could get out of it. Garth was perched on a stone fence as he waited for Pyp to approach.

"Took you're sweet time didn't you," he said sharply getting to his feet. Pyp stood slightly taller than Garth but that didn't stop him from squaring up to Pyp who tried not to let any of the nervousness he felt show on his face.

"Are you trembling?" A large grin split his face.

"No" said Pyp glancing down at his hands which were in fact shaking slightly.

Garth found the slight motion hilarious and was bent double laughing, Pyp's cheeks went a slight shade of red.

"That was great, you quailed at the slightest move. This partnership will be easier than I thought" Garth said after straightening up.

"I already have a job, Erit said I'm to be a scout" replied Pyp, hoping that the commands of the leader would make Garth back down.

Garth's mouth was pulled into a sneer. "Erit says lots of things and does very little, trying to weasel your way out of this are you."

Pyp stared at the ground refusing to meet Garths intense gaze.

"Just tell me what you want," asked Pyp mildly hunching over in defeat.

It was a pathetic attempt, but he couldn't think of anything else and now he was stuck in an even more precarious position. "Well lordling it's time you find out more about our partnership" said Garth clearly enjoying himself.

Pyp only nodded resigned to his fate