‘Just why the fuck does Cato care about the oversized dogs so much? Sure he saved them but that didn’t justify such a reaction.’

I scratched the back of my head trying to figure out a plan.

“We have to act within the next two days, the difficulty will depend where they are currently located. Outside the city in the bandit’s camp anything goes but inside the city… well I’m not sure how far we can bend the rules before even those two can’t help us.”

Starting to think out loud, I hoped that Cato would pitch in.

“Our first step would be to find the merchant who has set up a deal with the bandits. Find him, find the bandits, save the cubs.”

“Thanks captain obvious, now take a look at the map and the points I labeled.”

I unrolled the parchment I bought from the owner after Cato made his exit.

“When did you get the chance to buy that?” Cato asked as he was examining the map.

“Knowing you and your reaction I had a feeling we might need to know the city better. Any more questions?”

I asked while getting up and  collecting our gear.

“There are a lot of markers originating from the marketplace, I suppose we’ll be spending some time there?”

Cato inquired and tossed the rolled up map back to me.

“We’re looking for anyone connected to the underground, if anyone got intel then it will be them. No point in going around asking people - rumours of kids snooping around will spread too fast.”

“Comms to contact each other?” Cato asked.

“No choice, it’s the quickest and quietest method of communicating.”

I placed one of our ration cans onto the handle of the door, should someone nudge it even slightly then the noise will alert us; the window sealed shut and nothing short of shattering it will allow anyone to get in.

With simplistic measures in place, Cato and I got some sleep. Naturally rising at the crack of dawn.

It took us a minute to grab our things and exit the empty building. most of the occupants still asleep. We took a right turn and headed for the marketplace.

‘One dark alleyway passed, two dark alleyways passed, three dark alley-’.

I looked around but Cato had left me for his initial pass around the area.

‘What kind of friend leaves a friend alone?’ I searched for an out-of-sight alley into which I can step in and disappear.

Passing a couple more and found one hidden by large boxes and several barrels, a nauseating smell came from within.

‘As good a place as any.’

Looking both ways, I caught a moment where the crowd thinned and hopped over the makeshift barricade. There were several window sills and clothes lines offering great holds to scale the buildings.

‘I’m seriously gonna need a bath after this…’

I had no trouble reaching the second floor by running up the wall. I grabbed a window sill, hoisted myself up and kicked off with enough force to reach a clothes line. It shook slightly but held. Pulling myself onto it got me just under forty centimeters from the roof. I walked on top of the line to where it was held by a strange latch the size of my fist.

Just as I was about to jump upwards, a muffled sound came from the opposite side of the alley. Several men came inside, all carrying a knife or weapon of sort, all dressed in rags.

‘Huh, didn’t think I was this popular. Let’s see…’

With a light hop I climbed onto the roof and surveyed the surroundings.

“Cato, I found our first group south-west of Bravo. Scan the surroundings on your way here - three ragtags.”

I notified Cato over the comms and kept an eye on the thugs.

“Got it, I’ll look around before heading towards you from Delta.”

A brief confirmation came through the earpiece. The three elves went deeper into the alley and stood close to the walls, making them almost impossible to be spotted by any passerby from the street.

Thankfully the architecture in this city was rather simple with the roofs in uniform, shallow slopes, giving clear line of sight in any direction while providing decent cover from the ground. Nothing entertaining happened. The group just remained still the entire time, so I occupied myself by lying down and pulling up my sleeves and pant legs. The sun here didn’t feel as powerful as the one back on Earth but still felt better than nothing.

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‘A light tan never hurt anyone’.

I knew that any commotion would be easily heard from up here and until they found whoever they were looking for, nothing would happen. And so I bathed under the gentle sunlight, listening to the occasional remark, insult or comment from below.

“Get off your lazy ass and pay attention. There’s someone being tailed towards your location.”

Cato interrupted my rest after only a few minutes. I shifted closer to the edge of the roof and looked below. Nothing. The guys haven’t budged. Taking a quick look around after fixing my clothes I spotted Cato walking along a roof several buildings from me.

I silently hopped off, cushioning and trapping the sound of my landing by messing with the air around me using essence. The three thugs didn’t turn around,

‘Touch down! Six points in my favour, none in Cato’s!’.

“Why - you, let go!”

Some kid was thrown into the alley by a fourth thug.

“I gave you everything you wanted, let me go!”

The kid shouted once more.

“Why, I don’t think you have. We saw you sneaking around the merchant everyone’s been talking about.”

Seeing a potential informant I readied two icicles and whispered through the comms,

“Now!”

Immediately the two thugs closest to me turned around but were put down as each had an elbow and knee cap pierced by the frozen projectiles. The fourth elf gave a stifled grunt as Cato appeared from the other side of the alley and flattened his face with a right hook, sending the guy spiraling to the ground.

There was only a single thug and kid left in the middle of the alley. Cato and I blocked off either options of escape.

“Eagle, who had the intel?”

“The kid, the others were just about to question him about it.”

“Either tell or make the other guy shut up, have the kid start talking.”

I walked closer to the man who was frantically turning his head back and forth from Cato to me, a single dagger in his hand.

“Now are you going to sit quietly or cry painfully, which one do you choose?”

The man roared out and charged at me. A quick sidestep followed by a pierced elbow, frozen mouth and a dropped dagger left the elf writhing on the ground in pain.

“Wh-who are you?”

The kid stammered out. His hands were brought close to his chest and his entire body shaking.

“Don’t worry, we won’t do anything as long as you answer our questions. Sounds good?”

The kid nodded hesitantly and looked behind himself at Cato. The body of the guy stalking him flew several meters before rolling to a stop just before his feet. The sight of a grown man being sent flying by just a kick eliminated all thoughts of escape from the brat.

“Now why don’t you start with the merchant you mentioned earlier?”

I held up a hand to indicate for Cato to chill; no need to terrorize a compliant little helper.

“Ri-right, he was walking around the market with several armed people, buying anything he set his sights on. Seeing him as a walking coin purse I followed him to an inn a short walk from here. I didn’t get the name but I remember the path.”

The kid started talking and seemed too scared to stop. Cato finished slitting the throats of two of the people outside of the kid’s sight.

“That’s enough, now turn and face the wall, do not turn around unless I tell you. Got it?”

The kid started nodding his head even more vigorously and practically smashed his face against the side of the building.

‘I suppose seeing the amount of violence earlier would do that to a kid.’

Cato grabbed the writhing elf by his hair and dragged him to the opposite wall of the kid and let him lean his back on it. I watched as he did the same to an unconscious but breathing elf and brought the two face to face. The conscious elf still had his mouth frozen shut but his eyes widened in fear.

“Eagle, you tell him that if he doesn’t start talking about who he is affiliated with, working for and everything else he knows, he will regret being born.”

I translated for Cato and thawed the ice. As a precaution I made a small bubble around that will break the air preventing any noise from leaking through. It was a good call as the first thing the elf did was scream at the top of his lungs.

Cato shoved his knife straight into the man’s mouth and no further sound came out.

“Can anyone hear us?”

Cato asked without taking his eyes of the dazed man.

“Not unless they get within a few meters.” I couldn’t see his face but could almost see Cato cracking a devil’s grin.

“Good, good.”

With the dagger in his mouth the man ceased making any noise and now stared wildly at us. Cato retracted the knife and motioned for the man to speak.

“You brats can go kiss my ass, you dare do anything then you will be hunted by boss.”

Had the man not finished his threat by spitting into Cato’s face then he could have had a bit more peace. Not taking it lightly, Cato took his time slicing open the unconscious elf’s neck.

“Ask him if he knows what blood of his friends tastes like.”

Cato posed a disturbing question that I relayed to the man. Immediately the man started shaking his head wildly and clamped his mouth shut. Cato grabbed the man’s mouth and started squeezing, his right hand imbued with essence.

As the force increased, blood started to trickle from the corner of the man’s lips before a crack resounded from inside his mouth and a toe curling scream filled our ears. Tears streamed down the elf’s face a quiet whimper.

Cato flicked the blood off his hand,

“Ask him to speak again.”

Once more I ordered the whimpering elf to speak but he shakily refused. Cato sliced the unconscious neck with one motion, pried open the other’s mouth and blocked his nose. The elf was to drown, choke struggle to breathe as the blood continued to stream into his mouth.

Cato kept it up for a short while before letting the elf regain his breath.

“T-th-the Rejected Grave will never-”

The light behind the man’s eyes dimmed and he died.

“Did you catch how he died?”

Cato asked me.

“I was examining his body to make sure you don’t kill him but some kind of foreign essence activated once he mentioned Rejected Grave. Must be some kind of secrecy oath that prevented him from talking. Would explain why a lackey like him kept silent for so long.”

Cato gazed at the bloodied corpses and then at the kid.

“Tell him to stretch his hand out and give him a coin. If he listens to us then more will come. If he doesn’t then he will join the people here.”

I followed Cato’s orders and the kid widened his eyes when given money, but it was quickly hidden when I warned him what will happen otherwise. Even in the dim lighting of the alleyway the pools of blood and mangled corpses were far too much for a child. Cato dealt with these men like hardened criminals when really they were petty thugs.

‘I’ve heard rumours of his ruthlessness, the brutal savage carving his way to the top of the organisation with the bodies of his enemies, but to see it first hand. Wow....’.

Even I was left speechless.