It took me only a few hours to arrive at Lrash, Tina was right, this was a damn fast horse. I slid off the saddle, pushing my way into the guild as people stopped, stared and whispered. Talk stopped dead for just a moment as I entered, and for a moment fear and anxiety gripped at my chest. Then it broke into explosive gossiping and I relaxed. Nothing out of the usual. I walked up to the reception, and a young man with grey eyes looked at me with wide eyes. “Can I help you?” He asked, his eyes slipping on and off my faceplate.
“Yes, I need to see Frejr, it’s urgent. Can you tell me where she is?” I asked, taking a quick look around. She normally wouldn’t be sitting out here drinking, but it wasn’t unheard of. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case now, and the seats were only populated by a number of other adventurers drinking and talking. The man nodded, wringing his hands a little as he reached for a ledger, then stopped, before reaching for another.
“Frejr isn’t in at the moment.” Another voice called out from the side. This one calmer, composed. “She’ll be at the administrative building.” He sized me up, folding his arms across his chest and frowning slightly. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to see your badge.” He requested, walking up beside the other man. I cocked my head, slipping my hand into a pocket to bring it out. He nodded. “Your unique style has become quite the fashion statement.” He said simply. “It’s only a matter of time before someone tries to impersonate you, since no one has ever seen your face.”
I nod. “I can understand that.” I said. “Thank you.” A fashion statement? I thought to myself internally. I had to wonder how similar it looked in comparison to mine, and which style they even copied. Would it fool the others? Would it even function as armour given the liberties I’d taken with my own due the it’s unique properties? At the door, the guards eyed me, giving me an imperceptible nod as I passed. Well… I can see why he might be worried.
Frejr had apparently just finished whatever negotiations she was in. Stepping out into the hallway just as I stepped in. She looked at me quizzically. “What are you doing here Kael?” She asked, swiftly walking up to me. “I had thought that you would spend the day training some of our volunteers with Azarint.” I shook my head, and took a breath.
“Azarint’s been killed.” I whispered solemnly, stepping in close enough that my mouth is next to her ear. “I think they’re coming for you next.” I continue, before stepping back and gesturing to the door. “We can talk more outside.” I said, in my normal tone.
She stares at me, for a moment taken aback, before quickly falling in step. “How did it happen?” She asks me, her gaze flicking across the street and alleyways as though our assassin would simply jump out of them.
“It was… grisly.” I said, ducking my head a little. “They caught him unawares, used his blood to paint me a note.” I continued. “A beggar apparently saw him during the early morning, saying that he’d be headed here, since you’d be otherwise alone.” I explained. “But I don’t know who he is, or even how he’d manage to get so close to Azarint.” I said with a grimace. “If he thought he could get to you here however, he has to be pretty skilled, or very foolhardy.”
“But that’s not a chance we can afford to take with our lives on the line.” Frejr said, completing my thoughts. I nodded. “What are you going to do? They might not strike while we are together, but we also won’t be able to catch them.” Frejr said. “They could try again.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far. I was mostly hoping I’d get to you before they did.” I said with a sigh. “The description I got from the beggar wasn’t exactly detailed, hard to ask the guards if they’ve seen ‘some guy in a cloak that mutters a lot to himself’.” I made air quotes.
Frejr frowned, in silent thought as we walked back to the guild. “I can ask them even so.” She said. “It is not a difficult request, and with relations between us as they are I believe they would help us even if we didn’t tell them of the full situation.”
“Wouldn’t telling them that we’ve got an assassin on our heels help more though?” I asked. “Azarint’s death will spread to the other cities within the week, and depending on how loose lipped Tina, or the sheriff of Torven is, the rumours of the note they wrote to us will spread just as quickly. We may as well tell them now.”
“The assassin probably knows that as well, but if we do tell them, it will spread a panic.” Frejr said. “Much as it has been the norm since the wake of the gnoll wars, it is nowhere near normal, we have not had anything of a murder in decades, and if even you will not tell me the details, it must have been very, very, bad.” She said, punctuating her words for emphasis.
“When you say it like that I almost believe you.” I whispered back, sighing slightly. “Alright, let me change and I’ll come with you, maybe try to trail behind a little.” I continued. “Almost no one’s seen my real face after all, and this assassin would hardly know either.” Frejr nodded, and I quickly changed out of my armour into casual clothes, slipping out the back of the building.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Shadowing Frejr was easy enough, in her faintly glowing armour she towered above civilians, drawing their attention to her and making things a lot easier for me as I calmly stayed several feet behind. In the process I managed to scruff myself a little so I didn’t stand out as the only clean person on the street. As she entered the guard building I circled the area, trying my best to stay inconspicuous. With only a few people milling about I at least hoped that I blended in just a little.
I almost missed her as she left the building, had some other folk not jerked their heads toward the entrance she probably would’ve slipped right by. I let out a small breath, forcing myself into a leisurely stroll as I got on her tail again. This time when I slipped through the back the receptionist saw me, and I smiled disarmingly before flashing a second, normal badge, this time in bronze. I’d gotten it as Kael, since flashing my founder’s badge while with Maria and Qen would’ve ruined the disguise.
“I lost track of you almost immediately after we separated.” Frejr confessed. “It was hard to resist looking around for you, you’re quite skilled.” She complimented, I gave a wan smile. “They’ve promised to get the word out, if they come across anyone suspicious we’ll be told.”
“That’s good.” I said. “I’m hoping that Rince and Numen will be making their way here, with the whole crew we should be pretty safe, and if we pick up the trail Numen will be great for tracking the bastard down.”
“How are they?” Frejr asked. “It has been a long time since our paths have crossed. We have only met once briefly since the marriage ceremony.”
“I haven’t seen them much more than you to be honest.” I shrugged. “It was far more effective for us to pursue our own missions apart.” I said, putting my armour back on. “But, I think they’re doing well, Numen spoke of maybe finding a place to call her permanent home. She said something about a tavern or an inn. Seems like as good a retirement plan as any.”
Frejr smiled at that. “If she does, we will have to stop by for a drink. We really should try to spend more time together, before we either grow too old, or lose another.” She grimaced. “Azarint was a good man, the last of his generation of irregulars. I should pay my respects when we are done.”
“If you want we can just do it now. I still don’t know how we’re going to find this person. He could be anywhere.” I wrung my hands. “All we know is that he’s a man.”
“And that tells us plenty, it tells us that he requires sustenance, it tells us that he requires sleep.” Frejr said, taking a seat. “We can also make the assumption that he’s new to the area, with how brazen he is and how violent the feud. The gate guards will likely be able to tell us soon if someone new has come through the gates, someone other than the traders, or the regular adventurers of the area.” Frejr said. “Then we can ask around the inns.”
I stared at her for a moment, taken aback. “Have you done this before?” I asked. I hadn’t even thought of half of what she’d mentioned. With all the crime procedurals I’ve seen you’d think I’d know more. I thought wryly. “I didn’t even think of that.”
[No substitute for experience, and you were in shock.] Page noted. [You’ll be more equipped if this happens again.] It better not. I thought back.
“Yes.” Frejr said, letting out a breath. “It was a long time ago. Azarint would have been the best fit to investigate this, when I was with him I found that I was better at swinging a sword and negotiating than hard thinking. Evidently however I have kept some of the lessons I learned.”
I nodded. “Well… it’s coming in handy now.” I said. “Who could it be though? Who the hell could we have pissed off enough to want us dead like this?” I asked, leaning back in my seat.
“Our assassin may well be disgruntled by a tragedy he felt we could have stopped. Or perhaps something we did ruined his life in ways we could not have imagined.” She shrugged. “But know this, it is still an irrational hatred, there is no reason to question his motives, to second guess yourself. All that must wait until they are caught. Then we can go and have a toast to Azarint, and honour him.”
I nodded, reluctant, looking out at the darkening sky. “What should we do now?” I asked.
“Sleep.” Frejr said simply. “The guards have agreed to tell us tomorrow after they have spread the word and heard back from all the other guards.” She continued. “We can pursue our leads after then.” She said. I made my way down the stairs, talking to the reception told me that they hadn’t been expecting me to stay the night. He apologized profusely, bowing again and again, enough to make me feel bad about it. “We can share the room for the night.” Frejr said, as the man gave us a few blankets.
I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll take the floor.” I said, for us to get enough sleep, this was a good time to start. I wasn’t all too comfortable sleeping in the same room with her, but I had already done so with Numen, it wasn’t going to be an issue.
Frejr snorted, shaking her head. “You rode here for several hours to find me, all I have done is sit and talk politics with the administrators of this town.” She gestured to the bed. “I will take the floor, at least for half of the night. Rest yourself.” She said. “There will be much to do on the morrow.”
I bit my lip, then sighed. “You have a point.” I reluctantly admitted, beginning to doff the armour I’d just put on, while I’d normally sleep fully armoured, I didn’t want to dirty Frejr’s bed. My mind flicked back to Azarint’s body as my consciousness wavered. Torn, bloody, my mind remade the crime again and again, each cut, carve, and strike, all to a shrill cackle that permeated my dreams.