The sky had grown dark by the time we reconvened at our favorite restaurant. It was a town favorite for its cheap prices and homemade beer, and the fact that the only competition was a high-end tourist trap, a single seedy pub located by the docks, and the adventurer guild-run eatery, known for selling expired military rations as traveling food. Paul and I came here all the time after work to drink some good booze and vent our frustrations to the wind.

I got there first and claimed our usual spot. A nicely lit table for two placed quietly to the side, with a nice window overlooking the neighbor’s garden. It had been awkward the first few times we came, the owner mistaking us for a couple and leaving several unsubtle hints in the form of candles and lilies. We cleared that misunderstanding up very quickly, otherwise Paul’s wife would have my head.

My musings ended when the scrape of a chair alerted me to Paul’s arrival. The waiter brought us our drinks and left, and I quickly checked to make sure no one was eavesdropping before I leaned in.

“Find anything?”

Paul grunted and took a swig of beer.

“Some. There are seven Boss siblings in total. Four of them we don’t need to worry about, either too far away or too poor, but there are three that we need to be very careful around.”

Paul paused and placed a ring on the table, causing a translucent shield to spring into existence around the table before slowly fading into invisibility.

“Sound barrier.” I noted. “Probably a good idea.”

Paul sighed and shook his head.

“You don’t know the half of it. Listen carefully. One of the three is Richard Pendragon.”

He leaned back, swirling his cup. My jaw could not possibly be more agape.

“Seriously?! That’s who we need to worry about?!”

“Don’t worry about it. Of the remaining siblings I’m pretty sure it’s not him.”

“I hope not! There’s not so much we can do to a LITERAL demigod.” I hissed vehemently.

“That’s why I don’t think it’s him. If he wanted the inheritance, he could just take it. Who would stop him?”

I crossed my arms, trying and failing to control my shivering. I had seen a demigod once, and the experience was like staring down a natural disaster. There was no hope of fighting back. Of even running. Your entire life rested on the whims of some dumbass who could have just gotten lucky and stumbled into a powerful relic. Paul’s point did make sense however, and I made a concerted effort to move on.

“Okay. Who’s next?”

“Adriana Boss, Chief Auctioneer for the Golden Temple Association. Not as bad as Richard.”

“No, just a billion very strong people instead of one insanely strong person. I don’t think it’ll make much difference to the two of us.”

“Yes, just like Richard, Adriana possesses enough power and influence to make whatever money Black Diamond left look trivial. Though, she may be angling for one of the relics he left behind instead. As the Chief Auctioneer, she definitely has a discerning eye for treasure.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“So, we can’t discount her being the attacker. Shit. Who’s the last one?”

Paul grinned and reached into a pocket, pulling out a photo and handing it over. Turning it over, I saw a face that closely resembled Carmine’s but with dark red hair instead of Carmine’s lighter shades. The nose remained the same sharp line, and the same eyes that promised painful death to anyone who got on their bad side.

“Micky J.”

Paul started; surprise written on his face.

“You know this guy?”

“Yeah.” I replied, sliding the photo back.

“That was the name my contact gave me earlier. Said that he was involved in some nasty business down in the Dark Den. Slaves, drugs, assassins. Micky J was buying it all.”

“Well, his real name is Michael Jackal. One of Black Diamond’s bastards. The Jackal head of house recently died and left our pal Micky here his estate and holdings. I see he’s putting it to good use.”

I tapped the table thoughtfully.

“This could be our guy. Scumbag extraordinaire, illegal dealings, and limited and very quickly falling resources. Fits the bill.”

Paul nodded.

“I agree. One of my old adventuring pals was recently out in that neck of the woods and mentioned that he saw the makings of a private army. He didn’t have any evidence, but it probably wouldn’t be too hard to get it ourselves.”

My grin was predatory.

“Blackmail, then? I like your style. If we can word of this to the king, he wouldn’t mind doing the dirty work for us.”

“And there’d be a hefty reward to boot. I could get that easy beach life in Elvesdale. Just getting tan, drinking Dragonsbreath mixers, and flirting with elf babes. Could finally kick all this desk work in the head.”

“Whoa whoa whoa. Let’s not count our snakes just yet, my friend. We need to actually get in and out somehow without being caught and consequently executed by Sir Micky and his hired death squads.”

Paul’s enthusiasm waned and he slumped back, nursing his beer.

“I suppose I could try a few friends. None of them would agree to this mad venture without a hefty payment….”

“And I can’t afford to pay, just so we’re clear.”

“…Right. Then the best I can do is get there and maybe inside the first wall.”

“The first wall?”

Paul shrugged.

“Our mutual friend may have built a few extra fortifications to keep unwanted variables out of his little revolution.”

“So how many walls do we need to pass then?”

Paul held up three fingers and I groaned, laying my head on the table despondently.

“The first one will be easy.” He continued. “Just a simple checkpoint. The second one is hard but still doable, and the third is impossible.”

“Impossible?” My voice muffled by the table.

“According to my sources. Nobody knows what it is or how many people are staffing it. Any spies that get close just vanish into the void. Rico.”

I looked up, locking eyes with Paul.

“I won’t be able to pull this off by myself. If we are going to save the branch, I need to know if you have any skills I can rely on.”

I struggled, my desire to share fighting against the oath I had taken. The oath won, as always and I set my head back on the table in despair.

“I can get us through, trust me.”

Paul eyed me critically, and I could feel his emotions wavering before sighing and giving up.

“Fine. I’ll trust you on this one. But someday, I expect the full story.”

“I promise. Eventually, when this is all over.”

“Well, let’s leave as soon as possible then. Tomorrow?”

I hesitated.

“Actually, I have something important tomorrow. Day after?”

“What could you be doing that is more important than this?!”

I laughed nervously.

“Just need to pay back some debts so my creditors aren’t thinking I’m fleeing.”

Paul gave me the eye again.

‘If you’re tangled in some bad crowd, don’t hesitate to ask for help, alright? The vice-guildmaster is an old friend of mine, we can work something out.”

I hurriedly waved away his concerns.

“No, no, it’s not like that. There’s nothing you need to do about it, I’ll take care of it myself.”

The concern and care radiating from my friend set my heart at ease.

“If you say so.”

Dropping the topic, the rest of our evening was spent lightly, chatting about topics of little importance, and enjoying the good food before we parted ways with an agreement to meet in the town square. Paul had agreed to tell Carmine why we would be absent the next few days, and I couldn’t thank him enough. Finally reaching the hut I called home, I stumbled through the piles of newspapers and discarded casks before collapsing into bed. I mentally made a note to stop by the garbage hole before I left. As I lay there, mind wandering, I felt only despair. Tomorrow, I would have to go ask a dragon for a favor.