After a long few days of following the river, a tired Arc, Jack, and Julie walked up the road towards the settlement on the edge of the cliff; Cliff Town. It was surrounded by large walls of iron that made those approaching the town with nefarious think twice. Breaching the walls alone would be one thing, but the armed guards standing atop walkway above it, none of whom looked especially friendly, was the final deterrent needed.

“The client wants us to kill the king of this place?” asked Jack incredulously upon seeing how fortified the town was.

“Yep,” said Arc.

“It makes the gnoll stronghold look like a cloth tent in comparison.”

“Need I remind you that I never said we were going to kill King Obsidian? We need to make sure the client isn’t some chump with a vendetta before anything else. No matter how well he’s paying, and he’s paying well, I won’t kill shoot a man who doesn’t deserve it.”

“How much was he paying?” asked Julie. “You never told us that.”

“I’d rather not say,” said Arc, but Julie feigned looking upset and he relented. “Alright, alright. Ninety-five ounces of gold.”

Jack and Julie looked at each other stunned before looking back at Arc. They both mouthed silent words before they found their voices.

“That’s almost five thousand ounces of silver!” cried Julie as Jack tried to count the numbers on his fingers. “We’d have enough to live on for years.”

“It wouldn’t go as far as you’d think,” said Arc under his breath. He then raised his voice. “Anyway, the point isn’t the money. It’s just a bonus. The point is eliminating an evil-doer. I didn’t tell you the value of the bounty because I don’t want your judgement clouded.”

Julie put a finger to her chin and bit her lip. “Come to think of it,” she said. “The man you were speaking to did look a bit like a rat. I wouldn’t put it past him to have a grudge against someone.”

“Don’t judge a book by his cover,” said Arc before grinning. “Unless the cover is hideously ugly.”

Jack’s shock at the money had faded and his face was back to its natural grumpy state again. “And what if this King Obsidian isn’t denying his citizens food and water? It’ll be a wasted journey if you can’t sell him on your backup plan.”

“There are no wasted journeys, boy. You two got to practice your gunmanship in a real-life situation and we’ve still got the spoils to sell, don’t we? Not to mention, the world is down a few orcs.”

“I wonder how receptive the king will be, knowing that he has a bounty on his head.”

“Have you ever had a bounty on your head, Arc?” asked Julie.

“I bet he has,” muttered Jack.

Arc slapped the young man on the back harder than he meant to, almost toppling him. “Sorry,” he said before explaining. “First of all, watch your mouth. Secondly, I’ve had a few in my time and I don’t doubt that at least a couple of them are still active. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s someone roaming Nuvaria for the sole purpose of finding and killing me.”

“And you still agreed to bring us with you?” asked a horrified Jack.

“If you didn’t understand what this life entailed, you shouldn’t have begged to join me. You know I get shot at all the time. Feel free to walk back to Pembroke and leave me to deal with the king by myself.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” said Julie, turning to Jack and giving him a cold stare. “Isn’t that right, dear brother?”

Jack frowned before answering. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, that’s right.”

“I’m glad that’s settled,” said Arc, striding ahead and walking up to one of the few gaps in the wall.

As he approached, he held up his hands to assure the guards he wasn’t holding a weapon and that he wasn’t going to try anything sneaky. Seeing this, the twins did the same. Nonetheless, the guards all pointed their rifles at the trio they’d been watching slowly draw closer to their precious town. Arc was used to this sort of treatment, but Jack and Julie were taken aback at seeing the barrels of guns pointed in their direction.

“Who are you?” spat one of the guards, giving them an unpleasant sneer.

“Name’s Arc the Hawk and these two are Jack and Julie…come to think of it, I’m not sure what their last names are. Doesn’t matter, I suppose. Jack and Julie are their names.”

“And your reason for being here?” asked the guard, not lowering his weapon.

“I might as well come straight out with it,” said Arc with a shrug while keeping his hands held high. “Are the citizens here being denied food and water?”

“What business is that of yours?”

“You king has a bounty on his head and that’s the reason given in the notice. I thought it was only right to ask before—”

“Before what?” shouted the guard.

“Before offering to take out the man who issued the bounty,” said Arc, raising an eyebrow. “I’m being forthright with you here. I would appreciate you letting me explain before you lose your temper.”

“You got weapons on you?” asked the guard, nodding to Arc’s holsters.

“Yes.”

“What are they?”

“A simple revolver, a knife and my spellcaster. The twins have knives and handguns.”

The guard narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “You met any orcs on the road?”

“Orcs?” asked Arc, caught off-guard.

“Ugly green fellas with a nasty temper.”

“I know what orcs are, but I was surprised you mentioned them. We met six of them, but they’ve been shrunk and multiplied. If that wasn’t clear, I blew them to pieces for threatening us.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The guard unwittingly let out a laugh, drawing ire from his comrades. “I’ll be straight with you, Arc the Hawk,” he said. “We’re being strict with our rationing here in town because we’re under threat from those green brutes. Sometimes when people ask for food and water, they’re denied it. Our supply lines are being hit by an orc tribe who wants to take our town for themselves, and venturing down to the river is dangerous these days. We only send people when absolutely necessary and if we have the manpower to keep everyone safe.”

“I assure you that we are not working for orcs,” said Arcs as the twins nodded along. “I’ve seen what those brutes are capable of and I sympathise.”

The guard sighed. “And I believe you,” he said, looking to his comrades briefly. “You’re welcome to come into town, but you won’t be allowed to purchase any food or drink while you’re here. I’m sure you understand, given the situation.”

“I do,” said Arc. “Thank you…what as your name?”

“Briggs.”

“Thank you, Briggs. I appreciate the welcome.”

Arc lowered his arms and the twins followed suit. With a beckoning forward from Briggs, the three headed on through the gap between the two walls and stepped into Cliff Town. It was reminiscent of Pembroke in that the buildings were made of bricks and concrete with some wood to reinforce them or to serve as an awning or balcony.

Immediately, it was clear that the atmosphere was tense as the handful of civilians in sight looked in their direction with fear in their eyes. They all turned away and quick-stepped out of sight, as though they shot the trio would open-fire in the middle of the town and leave no survivors.

“I don’t like this much,” said Jack quietly. “I feel like they’re waiting for us to walk into the wrong part of town and they’ll beat us to death with sticks.”

“I don’t like it either,” whispered Julie.

“Just follow the rules stated and we’ll be fine,” said Arc. “We don’t buy food and we don’t buy water. Thanks to the Providence, we have enough to last another week.”

“Did you believe what Briggs said?” asked Jack.

“I did, but it’s still worth verifying it for ourselves because there’s no small sum on the line, but we’ll play things cleverly. We won’t buy food and water, like I said, but we know there’s something else they won’t want to part with; weapons and ammo.”

The trio walked through the town, ignoring the empty and unmanned stalls that may once have served food. Every person they came across gave them a funny look, no matter how old or young; how able-bodied or frail. The people of Cliff Town were united in their mistrust of outsiders. How long had it been this way? Arc couldn’t help but wonder.

It wasn’t long before they found a rundown little shop called Chance’s Armoury. It had metal bars fixed to the wall that ran across the windows, along with a heavy metal door that would have been more difficult to break through than the walls. This seemed like the best place to attempt a purchase.

“We’ll test the waters here,” said Arc, opening the door and walking inside.

“What can I—” began the bald man behind the counter before stopping dead.

The small shop was quaint and sparsely stocked, especially compared to Jamison’s shop in Pembroke. Most of the shelves were empty and the items remaining were in poor condition with some of the guns missing grip guards and many loose rounds of ammo sitting on the table, as though they’d accidentally been left behind. It didn’t inspire confidence, which worked all the better for Arc. A desperate man may indeed make a deal with him—not that he was going to take it.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t serve strangers,” said the man. “I’m afraid if you’re here for anything other than advice or weapon maintenance, I can’t help you. If you are here for maintenance, I hope you brought the parts you need.”

“Chance, is that right?” asked Arc, calmly walking up to the counter.

“Yes, why?” replied the man slowly.

“Well, Chance,” said Arc with a soft smile, bringing out his revolver and setting it on the counter before the uncomfortable merchant, “I’m in need of a few revolver rounds. Six ought to do it, and I can see the right kind sitting on the table by the window.”

“It’s like I said, stranger. I can’t sell to you.”

“Why not?” asked Arc, jingling his coin pouch.

Chance closed his eyes and sighed. “Because the town needs all of the weapons and ammo to stay within the town. I’m sure you’ve heard about the orcs that’ve been giving us trouble.”

“I have.”

“Then you understand my position, no?”

“I understand that I need some ammo,” said Arc, pulling out a few silver pieces more than the bullets were worth and setting it on the table. “Quadruple what I should be paying you,” he said pointedly.

“Arc,” said Jack, stepping forward. He was worried that the bounty hunter was pushing things too far. “Are you sure this is a—”

Chance whipped out his own gun and pointed it at Arc with a look of disdain. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave now,” said the merchant coldly.

“That seems excessive,” said Arc, slowly putting his gun back in its holster before holding up his hands. “Alright, your point has been clearly made. We’ll be on our way. Come on, you two.”

Jack and Julie hurried through the door and Arc followed, taking his own sweet time. Upon stepping outside, the citizens passing by jumped a mile. They had clearly not heard about the strangers in their midst, but Arc paid them no need.

“Our friend Chance just confirmed the orcs aren’t just an excuse to deprive the citizens of their needs and freedoms,” he said to the twins. “That was a good amount of money for those rounds too. He’d have been nuts to turn down a deal like that without good reason.”

“That was dangerous!” snapped Jack.

“Someone’s a grumpy guts today, isn’t he?” asked Arc. “We’ll get you some food and that’ll cheer you up, Jacky Boy.”

“Where?” asked Julie.

“We’ll find somewhere quiet to sit and eat our own food. I doubt anyone will take any issue with us finding a quiet corner of town to ourselves. While we fill our stomachs, we’ll come up with a plan of action that’ll get us an audience with the king. I’m a fan of knocking on the door and hoping for an answer, but it mightn’t be as straightforward as that.”

“Is it ever?”

“Sometimes,” shrugged Arc.

He walked on through the town, looking for somewhere to sit and eat. He tried his luck at an empty diner, but was shooed away even after repeatedly stating he wasn’t looking to buy food. The trio eventually settled on a low wall. It was crooked and uncomfortable, but it was the best they could do if they didn’t want to sit on the dusty streets like vagabonds.

“The people of Cliff Town don’t like us much, do they?” remarked Arc after finishing his roll of bread. “I didn’t think it would be as bad as this. Maybe the ladies think I’m taken because I’ve got you two sprogs following me around. Maybe I should lead with the fact you’re not my children.”

Julie giggled while Jack rolled his eyes.

“Alright, boy, what’s eating you so badly?”

“You’re being reckless and if you cause too much trouble, none of us are going to survive.”

“Obviously,” said Arc.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Obviously none of us would survive, especially if we storm the king’s chambers demanding he pay us money to remove his bounty. You don’t need to be concerned about that though, we’re going to be all nice and polite. We’ll explain ourselves and talk about how we’ll take care of that fella back in Pembroke…what was his name again?”

“Reeves,” said Julie.

“That’s the one. Just you wait and see, everything will go smoothly from here on out. We’re done gleaning information.”

As Arc finished his sentence, his eye twitched towards four guards, including Briggs, who were making a beeline for the trio with their weapons drawn. He then spied Chance walking along behind them and pointing at them with a scornful look.

“Ah,” sighed Arc.

“Oh no,” whispered Julie while Jack put his face in his hands.

“Good day, gentlemen,” called Arc, waving to the guards. “I get the feeling that there’s been a big misunderstanding and, if you allow me to explain—”

“You were warned to follow the rules, Arc the Hawk,” said Briggs, reaching for his belt and pulling out a pair of handcuffs. “Trying to bribe your way into buying Cliff Town ammunition isn’t following the rules. I thought that wouldn’t have needed stated considering you know our current situation.”

“Waters tested and they’re filled with snakes,” muttered Jack as he hopped off the wall.

“It’ll be alright, you two,” said Arc, turning around and putting his hands behind his back. “I’ll sort this whole mess out and everything will be just fine. Just wait here and twiddle your thumbs until I get back. I’ll see you in an hour or two.”

“Cuff them as well,” said Briggs, nodding to the children.

Jack and Julie’s faces fell further upon hearing this and they slowly turned around. As he was being handcuffed, Jack shot a look of fury at Arc who gave him an apologetic eyebrow raise and a smile, which was not welcome in the least.