Passage into the Western section was growing restricted, mostly by the Eastern guards. Despite this, a steady stream of travellers were still permitted to pass over the bridges. Plafluf and Saul were one of them, though it did take him flashing his credentials again. By the time they got through the dense crowds, they had to search several inns for any sign of Xen. They asked the barkeeps for his description, and luckily his mask made him stand out from the crowds.
“I remember someone like that.” Said a female innkeeper. “He was here looking for information or some such. Someone pointed him to the Shiny Coin bar, to the north of here. Apparently there were some nobles there that could help him.”
“You didn’t give that information yourself?” Saul asked her.
“I make a note to not remember much about nobles. They take money for tax, they make sure the guards are nearby. Given that they are runts too stupid for power, I believe this is a fair exchange. If they start asking for more, I will start to care.”
“Guess a hatred for taxes is something any resident can get behind. Thank you for your time, ma’am.” He replied, nodding his head before he left the building and headed north.
“You think he’s still there?” Plafluf asked.
“If he’s not, we’ve got to just keep looking. My guess is the information he’s looking for is going to be the whereabouts of that Erudine he fought. Trouble is that he’s in no condition to be fighting right now.”
“But he took off her arm. I would not be in fighting shape after that.” Plafluf said with a shake of his head.
“Yes, well... this one happened to be easily fighting Xen all by herself. If he tracks them down and they’re in a group, he’s going to end up with a lot worse than just a few bruises like last time. Who knows how many they actually have in their group anyway? If they’re a part of this network there could be dozens of people, an unknown amount of them being enhanced.” Saul rattled off in quick succession.
“Stop thinking about it so much! If he wants to get himself killed, it does not seem like such a bad thing to do.”
“He’s a good asset to have here. Besides, I work for the law, so I’d rather not just let someone kill themselves if I can stop it.”
“Your law must be very different to Urchski law.” Plafluf said with a knowing nod.
As they got to the bar the innkeeper had mentioned, they found a large crowd busy from the inside. Much like the one Saul had stayed the night in, the building was carved out a massive tree and had multiple floors for patrons to use. When they entered, it didn’t take them long to spot Xen. Most of the patrons were Urchski, so the black clad Erudine stuck out of the building prominently. Saul, recognizing he’d cause the same problem, took a seat at a nearby table to keep watch and tried to hide himself by hunching down.
Xen did little to avoid attracting attention as he stood waiting. Only a minute or two passed by and Saul found what the Erudine was waiting for. Some guards cleared a way to a table hosting some urchski all carrying weapons and wearing metal ornaments from their tails. Even without the guards he could spot the signs of noble stature on them.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
They exchanged words briefly, with Xen clearly the one pressing them. Eventually the nobles began laughing at something, but the room was too loud for Saul to figure out what it was. Xen then lashed out, knocking away one of the guards and starting a small fight before the table of Urchski all drew their weapons. Saul could see Xen preparing to use his ability on them, but obviously thought better of it and left in a huff. Before he was out of the door, Saul grabbed Plafluf and they cut him off.
“What the... were you following me?!” He demanded of them.
“You’re covered in injuries, even if they’re superficial ones. I’m not going to let you go out hunting for those criminals all on your own.”
Xen cursed under his breath and glanced around. “Don’t say that in front of a crowd! At least come outside, away from prying eyes and ears.”
They left the bar with Xen going first, maintaining his determined march. Once outside, he clutched at his ribs and winced painfully, clearly having been holding in the sign of pain while he was indoors.
“See what I mean? You’re in no condition to go out looking for trouble. What you need to do is get some rest and wait until your injuries heal.” Saul told him.
“What, and just let her go back into hiding again? No, I need to go back after her as soon as possible. She’s worse than the report let on, she’s an absolute monster of a person. I cannot abide by her existing in this world, free to live in peace like she has.”
“Are you really doing it for justice, or are you doing it out of personal vengeance?”
“What difference does it make?!” Xen shouted back at him, throwing his arms out to the side before wincing in pain again. “Goddess preserve me, I should have stayed there and taught those Urchins a lesson in humility. Maybe they would have given me more information.”
“Things right now are very stressful for the nobles, especially in the Western side. Lots of people think there is going to be a civil war soon. No one wants to get caught unguarded. If you started a fight, they might have put a bounty on you.” Plafluf warned him.
Xen let out a sigh before he moved to the right of the bar’s entrance and sat down on one of its thick roots. His breathing slowed down ashe meditated to focus his mind off of the pain. After it was calmed down again, he placed on hand on his mask and stroked the side that had been repaired with sap.
“I... never got a chance to thank you for fixing my mask, Saul. Sorry about that. You may not realize it, but the mask means a lot more to my people than just hiding our faces.”
“From what I know it’s for religious reasons.” Saul replied, taking a seat on a nearby root.
“You could put it that way. In a more physical sense it is part of our identity. Not just of our race, but of each of us as a person. The mask is a way of marking ourselves, making it known that we are somebody unique and individual.” He swallowed heavily and brought his hand down. “Breaking or stealing someone’s mask is a violation of that idea. It’s theft of someone’s personhood, reducing them to something less than they were before. It’s a disgusting act that leaves a permanent stain on the victim. An equivalent act among humans might be sexual assault.”
Saul put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. “I didn’t realize it was that serious.”
“So you see now why I need to kill her? The fact that someone would turn traitor on us, not only our laws, but even of our culture and people...” Xen trailed off, shaking his head.
“But that woman didn’t have a mask. Eh... if it was a woman. I did not see womanly thing there.”
“True, and I can only imagine that she discarded it willingly. Such a monster would probably think a soul was something holding them back. If I don’t stop her now, someone else might fall victim to the same thing! That’s not even counting the many bodies left in her wake already.” Xen says before standing up again. “Listen, those nobles weren’t of much help, but they mentioned that she was spotted poking around the old city structures. That might be where their hideout is, since the locals don’t like going into those places.”
“Actually, that would explain what they were doing in that old structure. You remember how there were tunnels pouring out over the area in the back? Well maybe they connect to the others in some way. It would also give them a method of smuggling in the weapons that they stole.”
“I highly doubt it will be as simple as just going into the buildings and finding a back door somewhere. Just like in the sewers, the old structures always have incredibly well hidden exits and entryways when they’re not meant to be used.”
“That’s where Plafluf comes in.” Saul says, gesturing to the Urchski. “Remember in the sewer, how you used your ability to teleport in? We could just do that trick again while we’re walking through each building. Should eventually find a tunnel leading back to the pool.”
Xen gets down on one knee and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Is this true? You can help me find her?”
“Eh... yes, I can. I will charge money though, because this is getting dangerous.”
“That’s no issue!” Xen replied, shooting upright again and checking his pockets before walking to the main road. “The pain in my sides is fading, we’d best hurry before it starts settling in again. Twenty-Two, your time is numbered.”
Plafluf and Saul exchanged worried glances before catching up behind him, heading south for the nearest Alzholme building in the area.