Marlin left Milly behind with Bron and Kotak. He walked into the streets again. His minions didn’t respond to his telepathic prodding, but he knew they could hear him. For some reason, they were ignoring him. Incredibly uncharacteristic, especially for Billy. Marlin, more than capable of using their telepathic bonds to find them, sighed and started walking towards the residential area.

Marlin sighed. The gnolls had breached the doors of a house. A ‘for sale’ sign was tossed to the side. As Marlin walked in, he was greeted by an anxious Billy.

"What's going on here, Billy?" Marlin asked, his voice low but edged with irritation. He glanced around the dimly lit hall of the house, noting the signs of a struggle—overturned furniture, scattered belongings.

Billy the goat switched uneasily. "Sorry, my lord. We ran into trouble. This royal abode was supposed to be empty, but..."

Marlin raised an eyebrow. The building had not been maintained well, and there was hardly anything royal about it. He waited for Billy to continue.

"Someone was still inside. A young family, I think. We didn't expect it. It got out of hand."

Marlin's eyes narrowed. "Got out of hand?” Marlin felt sweat creep up. This could be bad. He eyed the bloodstains.

Billy nodded vigorously. "Jerry got spooked, and things escalated fast. By the time I could rein it all in, it was too late."

Marlin clenched his jaw, struggling to keep his temper in check. "And where are they now?"

Billy's ears flattened against his skull. "In the basement. Tied up. No one's hurt bad, just scared."

Marlin took a deep breath of relief, releasing it slowly. "Alright. Let's go see them."

He followed Billy through the house, the goat leading him to a staircase that led into the basement. The air grew damp and moldy as they went down, the dim light from a single candle casting long shadows on the clay walls.

At the bottom, Marlin saw the “family”: a man, a woman, and two “children” huddled together, their eyes wide with fear. Their hands were bound, and a gag muffled the woman's attempts to speak.

Marlin could barely hold his laughter, recognizing what had happened. This was no family. It was a group of Honorless pretending to be a family.

Marlin stepped forward, his expression softening slightly, barely containing a smirk as he spoke. "I apologize for this," he said, his voice calm and soothing. His smile said otherwise. “We'll just have a small conversation with the constables."

The man, his face pale but defiant, glared up at Marlin. "Who are you? What do you want, money?" Barry growled and raised the tip of his spear, inching closer to the man’s throat. Marlin put a hand on Barry’s shoulder to make him back off but, with his telepathy, let his minions know of his amusement, much to the confusion of all, especially Billy.

Marlin met the man’s gaze with glee. "I want nothing. Stay quiet and cooperate. These gnolls, as you've seen firsthand, are,” he let his teeth show in a dangerous smile, “jumpy."

He turned to Billy and told the goat in no uncertain terms through telepathy what they were dealing with.

"The fiends!” All of Billy’s guilt was replaced with indignation.

Marlin continued out loud. "Make sure they're secure and Jerry. I don't want any more surprises."

Billy nodded, visibly relieved from it all. "Got it, my lord."

Marlin went up the stairs, his mind working. The situation was hilarious and frustrating at the same time; he didn’t want to deal with any government officials or the inquisitorial constables if he could prevent it.

As he walked outside the house, he was greeted by a law enforcement party with weapons raised. “What are you doing here!?” the leader of the group demanded.

“Well, that was quick. Not used to such quick response times by the authorities at such a late hour,” Marlin whistled. He discreetly pulled out his freebooter necklace and pendant to let them know what he was. The weapons raised were lowered a bit but still at the ready.

“Answer the question, brigand!” The leader was not receptive to small talk and ignored the pendant, almost seeming to scoff at it.

“I apprehended a group of Honorless squatting in this fine house, pretending to be the owners. They are tied up in the basement.”

“Truth,” the oracle from the group spoke up, to which the weapons were lowered.

“Takes one to know one, huh? Alright, lead the way,” the leader motioned to Marlin.

Marlin sighed. He let the slight against his character slide. He wasn’t even wearing his armor and still people were tense. His glowing eyes continually gave him away.

Marlin led the law enforcement party back into the house. He was wary of the group as they were wary of him.

The leader of the group, a wiry man with a weathered face, told two of his subordinates to check their records. Both pulled out a big pile of papers from their bags and started sifting through them. After a while, four papers were laid out. A crude drawing of each “family” member on them. Some of them had multiple papers attached.

Marlin watched as the leader’s expression softened slightly, though his eyes remained wary. “Alright,” he said. “We’ll take them from here. But you,” he pointed at Marlin, “you’re coming with us for questioning.”

Marlin really didn’t like where this was going. “Of course,” he said. “I have nothing to hide.”

The law enforcement party escorted Marlin out of the house. Marlin saw Kotak discreetly observing one block away, so he wasn’t too worried. They led him to a nearby patrol station, many of which were littered throughout the city.

Marlin was led into an interrogation room. The leader of the group left him there for a bit.

Marlin leaned back, calm and collected on the outside but worried. His minions were led into a room that blocked his telepathic connection, and he didn’t like that one bit.

The door to the interrogation room opened, and Marlin's mouth fell open.

The leader led Torren into the room. Marlin's heart sank. Of all people, why did it have to be Torren?

"Well, well, Marlin," Torren said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Fancy meeting you here again." It was obvious to Marlin that Torren was loving every second of this.

Marlin forced a smile. "Likewise, Constable. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Torren sat down across from Marlin, his eyes glinting with a mix of curiosity and amusement. "I hear you've been busy. Honorless squatting in an abandoned house? And you just happened to be there? Knowing you and your history, I find that difficult to believe. Don’t you agree, Constable Roderick?”

The leader of the law enforcement party, now identified as Roderick, crossed his arms, trying to look intimidating.

Marlin shrugged. "It was a coincidence. I was looking for my minions, and I stumbled upon them. I had no idea they were there."

“Ah, so you admit you weren’t supposed to be there!”

Marlin took a deep breath. "No, I'm simply saying I was looking for my minions, and when I found them, they had already put the Honorless in custody. Simply over-eager and ready to prove themselves. Everyone knows gnolls have excellent smell; they probably sniffed them out."

Roderick exchanged a doubtful glance with Torren, then nodded. "Right, and the only ones who can verify that are your beasts. Rather convenient."

“Excuse me, but I don’t believe I’m actually guilty of anything.” Marlin took on a challenging pose. “Since when is it a crime to want to look at a house that's for sale? Now, I apologize for my minions getting too excited, but that’s hardly a crime.”

Both Torren and Roderick hesitated and had confused looks.

“You wanted to buy that house? How?” Roderick’s tone was doubtful.

“I do now,” Marlin smirked. The hesitation was all he needed. “Do you have any idea how cheap houses are right now? I want to get my hands on something before we get overrun with asylum seekers from the neighboring towns. You saw that basement. Do you know how many people I could fit there? How much money I could rake in?”

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

Roderick looked at Marlin with disgust, but more importantly, he seemed to buy Marlin’s bluff.

Torren didn’t seem convinced. “You never struck me as the opportunistic type.”

“You've spoken to me twice, both in an interrogation. How can you claim you know me? I’m buying a house and betting that North Haven will survive this war. Everyone is betting against it with this calamity war. These houses are dirt cheap!” Marlin started to believe his own story.

Torren didn’t respond for a while. “Next time, don’t just walk into a house that isn’t yours. Law and order is our turf, not that of freebooters. How about this: the reward for these Honorless won’t be given, and we will look the other way this time and not bother charging you with the crime of invading a house that is soon to be yours anyway. Right, Constable Roderick?”

Torren smirked. Marlin could see he didn’t believe for one second that Marlin had enough money to buy that house, any house. Too far down the rabbit hole, Marlin decided to go all in. “I can live with that.”

As Marlin left the station, he had to wait almost an hour for his minions to be returned. Torren followed him outside. "Walk with me," Torren said, a hint of command in his voice.

Marlin sighed but complied, falling into step beside Torren. The two walked in silence for a few moments, the tension between them palpable.

"You're as slippery as I remember. Hell, I almost believed that lie," Torren finally said, glancing at Marlin.

Marlin chuckled, though there was little humor in it. "Not trying to be slippery, just trying to get by. Why didn’t you call me out back there?”

Torren stopped and turned to face Marlin, his expression unreadable.

Marlin met Torren's gaze, his eyes hard.

Torren's eyes narrowed. “Here we are again, son of Bradford the Champion."

Marlin raised an eyebrow. “Yes?"

Torren smirked. "Work for me."

This felt like a hammer blow to Marlin, but he kept himself in check.

"I'll think about it," Marlin said finally. Torren nodded. "Good, good."

As Torren walked away, Marlin felt unease.

“Would you really work with that man?” Milly came out of an alleyway together with Bron and Kotak.

Marlin had already been aware of their presence. “I think I’d rather travel back in time and live through the Red Age than work with that snake,” Marlin said, his voice low.

She walked over to hug him. "Mind telling me how you got arrested?”

Bron walked over. "What happened?"

Marlin looked Bron over. “How did you recover from being hammered so fast?”

“Potion. Now talk.” Bron didn’t seem in a mood for pleasantries.

Marlin quickly filled them in on the events at the abandoned house and his encounter with Torren.

“Seems like I volunteered to buy that house. I'm going to ask the city council tomorrow how much that would cost. Guess I’m spending all my savings.” Marlin sighed.

“We could buy it together,” Milly said softly.

“Yeah, we could all—” Bron was interrupted by Kotak, who silenced him.

Marlin looked Milly in the eyes, and they shared a tender moment. “Yes, let’s buy it together.”

Daini POV

“Now that is interesting, those two are definitely not friends.” Daini was already a few blocks away. She had observed the entire ordeal from start to finish. She was smiling to herself; trailing that Bradford boy had paid off. She finally had the beginnings of a plan in her mind. “The gods are smiling on me.”

Torren POV

“Why did you make that deal with him, Sir? We caught him red-handed. A subtle omission in the documents, and we could put that foul spawn behind bars!” Roderick, as stiff and inflexible as ever, was fuming.

“Are you going to explain to Bradford why his son is behind bars? Have you ever had the displeasure of meeting that man?” Torren was equally fuming at Roderick’s stupidity. Yes, entering a house was a crime, but not if it was abandoned.

“Can’t say I ever met the man. I doubt he was as pivotal as the report said he was. Nothing from common stock could be.” Torren could hardly believe the absolute arrogance and delusion he heard coming from this man.

“You question the words of Master Verath himself? It was his penmanship, no doubt about it.” Torren smirked, enjoying the pale face, the shock and horrified realization. Roderick, as oblivious as always, hadn’t picked up on that detail. This was another barb Torren had in the man’s flesh, and Roderick was at least smart enough to realize that.

“Sorry, Sir. It won’t happen again.” He bowed, and Torren enjoyed hearing the man gnashing his own teeth.

“See that it doesn’t.” Torren wondered what had possessed him to ask Marlin, of all people, to work for him. Roderick left Torren to his inner musings. Torren looked at the ethereal papers that tracked his fate and fortune and pondered. Both had risen dramatically. As a cultist, he enjoyed the benefit of tapping into the flow of fate. His fate and fortune rising meant a god or goddess had interfered with his actions, and his lord, his god Sadanis, had raked in the profit and shared it with him. Torren smiled. He was never supposed to ask Marlin that. “What could you possibly have gained from that?” he idly wondered quietly to whichever deity had done so.

Marlin POV

A couple of days later, Marlin and crew were en route together with the expeditionary force meant to cull the growing goblin numbers. More than half the adventurers, a large group of young nobles ready to earn prestige, a large number from the local T’jut tribes, and to finish it off, the local city guard had lent a large number of men and women. Although everyone knew their real job was to make sure all the young nobles returned healthy and alive. Even those from the minor houses had not only personal guards but also at least three well-trained city guardsmen trailing their every step. The nobles on horseback, with loaded wagons full of essential luxuries, treated this more like a picnic than an expedition.

All in all, a political cesspool that Marlin wished he could have avoided like the plague. He and his crew were at the end of the long line of men and women.

A day ago, Marlin and Milly had bought a house. A big house too. All bought and paid for. Marlin had bluffed his way out of an interrogation but had no idea how much the real estate market in North Haven had plummeted. Never having experienced a calamity war himself, he had no point of reference. His jaded soul, with memories of serving in war, further numbed him to it all.

The owners of the house had practically thrown the keys at them, thanked them for buying it, and had packed their things and headed east that same day. Marlin asked them if they wouldn’t regret losing their house like this. The man, old enough to remember a calamity war of 80 years ago, gave him a sad smile. “It’s just a house. I can’t put my dearest through another war. I can’t put my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren through that either.”

He sighed. “If this house is still standing after it all ends, I will be glad to know it’s in the hands of an upstanding young man and woman such as you two.” Marlin felt like he had been struck by lightning. The genuine raw emotion had been unexpected. It hit him in the soft parts.

“Seven bedrooms? How many children are you planning on having?” Bron listened to Milly bragging about the house.

“Bron! It’s for when you, Dad, and Kotak visit!”

“Oh, we will be in that free bed whenever we’re in town.” Kotak smirked. Milly gave him a look.

“I’ll bring a nice barrel each time, for the cellar. You will build a proper cellar for good wines, right? Otherwise, what’s the point of a house?” Kotak asked. Milly sighed and gave in.

“How did your dad respond?” Marlin asked Milly.

“He was… happy. Smiled for the first time in a long time. Honestly, I’m still freaked out about that.” Milly shuddered.

“Yeah, Dad was real weird about it, he was sad too.” Bron chimed in.

Marlin, who had been a dad in his previous life, understood it somewhat. This brought back some of those old memories. The pain from all the wasted time of that life still stung from time to time.

The expeditionary force was making good progress, even if they were on foot. Although it felt weird to the group of friends to be so loud, a group of mages was literally creating a road for the horses and wagons to ride on.

Kotak spoke. “I wonder what those nobles brought.”

To which Marlin answered, “Good food, wine, silk blankets, tents that are basically houses, board games. You name it. To them, this is an extended picnic where they get to hunt for sport and brag about it.”

“Hey! You shut it!” A nearby city guard yelled at Marlin, “and watch that tone of yours, cur!” Marlin gave him a once over, wondering why the man looked honorable but his behavior put him straight into the bootlicker camp. Marlin and Kotak had to grab Bron and Milly.

“Hey guys, remember when Bron broke my arm and what I said about having a thick skin? This here is such a case.”

“And sir, all in good fun. I meant nothing by it,” he addressed the pompous guard. Marlin idly wondered why this guard was so uptight; he had overheard plenty of grumbling from the guards about their babysitter assignments.

“You pissants have no idea of the greatness of our noble houses, how could you mingling with these primitives?” He gave the T’jut a scathing look.

“Oh fuck me,” Marlin thought. Marlin struggled, Kotak was suddenly not too concerned with the wellbeing of that guard. Marlin had to infuse his words with his dark powers to siphon the will of the Canta’s. Milly, as a sorcerer, was all but immune to his half-assed attempt, with his attention split all over, yelling telepathically at his minions that he wasn’t insulted in the least.

Billy, for all his upright character, was an absolute sucker for insults like this, and now both his lord and mistress suffered insult. “No worries, my lord, I will teach this knave a thing or two about manners.” Billy bleated dangerously. The gnolls, to Marlin’s worry, had all but disappeared from sight.

“Aww Marlin, you are sweet to worry, but don’t worry, I won’t hurt him much.” Milly smiled at him, even dared to bat her eyelashes at him.

“Keep your pets in check, you foul usurper.” The moronic guard scoffed.

“Begone!” Marlin snapped in tyrant speech and blasted the poor guard with a fully powered coercion. The guard’s eyes glazed over, and he stammered, “Y-yes, master,” to which he rode away on his horse.

“Oh fuck!” Marlin cursed. He was getting side glances from adventurers and other city guards alike. Hands idly went to weapons.

The other T’jut that had observed and heard all of it began to walk closer to Marlin’s group.

“Hey everyone, just calm down. I just told him to piss off like any caster with command would.” Marlin tried to diffuse the situation. A guard captain walked over with an oracle.

“What did you tell the man in that foul speech of yours?” the captain asked.

Marlin answered truthfully. “Don’t let that happen again, or I will be forced to take action,” the captain said.

“Perhaps you ought to keep your own men in line, captain.” Kotak spoke with poorly hidden venom. Marlin backed off a little, wanting to observe. Kotak, the voice of reason, was incredibly pissed, which was unlike him.

“This man is the son of Bradford, Hero of Lost Haven. Long before that, Marlin earned, with his own two hands, the right to be called brother of the T’jut.” Kotak continued. The other T’jut who heard this nodded. An older one spoke up, “We broke meat together and will continue to do so till we join our ancestors.”

“When did that happen?” Marlin quietly asked Milly.

“When we asked you to join us for dinner, Marlin.” Milly answered. After which, she shushed him.

The guard captain sternly looked at Marlin. “We know all of that, but we, the Kin, know him as Fell Tongue, a name well-earned, wouldn’t you say?” He threw Marlin a questioning look.

“Why do you make it sound like that name insults me? It suits me well, I think.” Marlin asked curiously.

“Truth.” The oracle spoke. All the T’jut snickered. The captain gave the oracle an angry look, but the oracle just shrugged.

“I suggest you stay away from the nobles, son of Bradford.” The captain turned away and trotted off on his horse.

“Man, these people really gotta stop thinking they will ever get a rise out of me calling me Fell Tongue. As far as insults and taunts go, it’s rather piss-poor.” Marlin shook his head. This was going to become complicated.