18 Tagsibol, 891 ED
Oraw, 22:10
Milagre, Empire of Tyrman
Reiner led us to the Trader’s Guild Bank right away, as promised. Despite the lateness of the hour, they were still open. I was even surprised to see that there were a few people in the building. Most would be merchants, of course, depositing their earnings for the day. The Trader’s Guild had a good reputation for protecting the assets of their customers.
“I have heard,” Reiner said, glancing up at the top of the ornate stone building as we approached, “That they have over a hundred guards to protect the gold held inside.”
I wasn’t particularly impressed. I had little interest in the money. Even before coming to this world, I’d had a dislike of it, seeing it only as a tool to get what I needed in life. And since I needed very little, I never sought a lot. But that would be different in Ahya, I realized. I’d need a lot of gold to get new equipment, attend the College, and even find a place to stay. Because I knew for sure that I didn’t want to stay within the campus. Too many prying ears would make keeping my secret nearly impossible.
“I’m sure they have all kinds of security in place,” I replied noncommittally. I knew, of course, that the bank’s security relied more on magic than man. But I said nothing, as that wasn’t a well-known fact. “So. You mentioned you have a line of credit?”
“That I do,” the Welsik trader said, suddenly business-like. “Follow me, then.”
He stepped into the building with a purposeful stride, and Gogo and I tailed after, leaving enough space so as to not concern the brother warriors. Like us, they seemed wholly uninterested in the bank and its contents. Likely they’d never been paid since they’d been taken over by the Warlord that had sold them. Yet again, I felt a flash of rage at the thought. I wished I could do something to set them free.
“Welcome to the Trader’s Guild,” a pleasant female voice sounded from the right. “How may we help you this evening?”
Reiner turned slightly to regard the woman. His superior air didn’t change a bit. “I need to withdraw gold from my account to pay these two.”
The woman, a tall and lean elf with fiery red hair, glanced sideways at us, and smiled warmly. “Of course! Please, accompany me, and we can take care of your business.”
We made a sharp right turn then, following the woman to the right, going deeper into the building. As soon as she left her post, another figure in an identical uniform stepped into sight, ready to greet the next customer that came through the doors.
“I hope you will forgive us for the rushed state,” the woman said over her shoulder. “We close for a very small stretch of time toward the end of the day. Customers who visit in this time often feel that we… expedite things too often.”
“It is no matter,” Reiner replied comfortably, quite at his ease. “It suits me to finish this business quickly as well.”
The woman offered another smile, but I could tell it was nothing more than a professional courtesy. It was clear that Reiner’s supercilious attitude wore on her. But she was experienced in such things and made no other comment. “Of course, sir. Right into my office here, if you please.”
I’m not going to bore you with the details of what goes on inside a bank. Odds are that you already know the kind of boredom it offers. If you’ve gone into a bank in real life, then you have an idea of what it was like in there. Boring. Nobody found banks exciting, right? In any event, Reiner retrieved a large amount of money from his personal account and deposited the coin he’d been carrying during our journey. The transaction was quick, and we were walked out of the building just before they closed the doors.
“Friendly place,” Gogo commented quietly, smirking.
“Yes,” I agreed, laughing.
“Here you are,” Reiner replied, turning to us as soon as we’d left the building. He was holding out a hand to me, in which there was a sizeable pile of coins. Just at a quick glance, it looked to be more than fifty.
I frowned. “That’s quite a lot of gold.”
“It is worth the price,” he said, nudging the coins toward me again. “Take it, friend. You did a good job.”
As much as I didn’t want a favor from the man, I held out my hands as requested, and he deposited the gold into them. I let out a faintly surprised grunt at the weight of them but hurriedly put them into my coin pouch nonetheless. Reiner gave Gogo another pile, then nodded in satisfaction.
“With that, my friends, our business is complete. If I run across you once more, I’d be more than happy to inquire about your services again.”
I said nothing in reply, so Gogo gave him a curt nod of acknowledgment. Without another word, Reiner strolled away down the road. Anko and Liber hesitated, just a moment, and looked toward Gogo and I. It almost seemed as though they wanted to say something. After a moment of silence, however, they turned, as one, and followed their master.
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As soon as they were out of sight down a turn in the road, I let out a loud curse. Startled, Gogo turned to face me. “What is it?”
“What do you think it is?” I asked, my temper getting the better of me. “I want a way to release them from that cretin.”
A slight shadow fell over Gogo’s face at my words. He understood, I could tell. “I’m sorry we couldn’t find a way. But we’re simply not strong enough to beat them in a fight. That’s the only way we could have pulled them free.”
“I know,” I growled, flexing my fists. “But if I see them again, I’m taking them away from that bastard.”
Gogo let me simmer in silence for a few minutes, then cleared his throat. “We should find a place to rest for the night. Do you know any places in Milagre?”
“I do,” I said shortly. “Just down the road from us, in fact. The Heron Tavern.”
“Isn’t that the place that Stormsong mentioned? The one that has the best food in the world or something like that?”
“His praise didn’t do it justice,” I said, leading the way. “Mandra’s cooking is almost divine in quality. Let’s cut through this side street here. It’ll get us there faster. I just hope it’s not too late to book a room.”
We were at the mouth of the alley when a new voice reached us from behind. “Not so fast, lads.”
Surprised, and more than a little confused, I turned back to see who had spoken. There were three figures grouped in the middle of the street. They wore black leather on most of their bodies, leaving only their heads bare, which were covered by thick hoods. I tried to search for some kind of identifying mark on their outfits because they had to be in the same organization. Yet, despite the matching clothes, there was nothing to signify their allegiance, one way or another.
Jerno Moran, Level 3 Rogue
Shanti Ciayol, Level 2 Fighter
Michael Gorteau, Level 4 Fighter
“Thieves Guild,” I muttered, keeping my voice low so that only Gogo could hear it. “They saw Reiner pay us.”
“We’ll just be taking a tax from ye, then you can go on your way,” the lead figure, Michael said. A cold smile curled across his face, which didn’t couldn’t entirely mask his violent intent. “Hand over your coin now. I’d hate to get rough.”
I spared a quick glance toward Gogo. I couldn’t see his face, but the lines of his body had gone stiff, and I could tell that he was preparing for a fight. Well, I thought, I was just annoyed enough to want one as well. But I figured I’d at least give these idiots the chance to walk back their words. I out-leveled the strongest among them. With Gogo at my side, it wasn’t a fair fight.
“So kind of you to warn us,” I said, stepping forward and unsheathing the sword at my waist. “I’ll give you the same kindness. Turn around and leave us in peace before you regret it.”
Intimidation Check: 15 (+0) = 15 [Partial Success]
It could have been the anger still simmering just beneath the surface, or perhaps my general desire to end the fight as quickly as possible, but the two behind Michael immediately took a step back, looking less certain about their chances against us. Their leader noticed the reaction as well. He wasn’t fazed by my words and drew his own sword as well. It was a well-tended weapon, I noticed. Definitely better than one could expect from a common bandit or brigand.
Initiative Check: 19 (+3) = 22
You have the initiative!
I supposed that was as good an answer as any. I didn’t bother wasting time trying to negotiate further, anyway. At once, I raised my left hand, conjuring an empowered Strike. The white bolt flashed toward the bandits, lighting up the alleyway as it traveled.
Attack: 14 (+5) = 19 [Success]
11 Damage
The bolt connected with the thief’s shoulder at once, and he let out a grunt of pain. Before he could recover, however, I’d already closed the distance, my sword swinging around for another attack.
Attack: 13 (+5) = 18 [Success]
4 Damage
Attack: 18 (+2) = 20 [Success]
6 Damage
Attack: 18 (+1) = 19 [Success]
3 Damage
In spite of the fact that they were cowed by my attitude, Michael’s companions still stepped forward to defend them as I attacked. Two blades, a sword and dagger, flashed down from either side, cutting at me. It was by no means major damage, but it hurt like hell, and I let out an angry yell, ready to strike back. Before I could, however, there was a flash of red past my left eye as Gogo appeared, her spear whirling. Even in the limited space to use her weapon, she was effective, stabbing the left-hand bandit, the one with the dagger, twice.
Attack: 10 (+3) = 13 [Failure]
Michael tried to strike at me while I was occupied, but I saw the attack coming and parried it to the side with one lazy swipe. Now I could see the concern on the thieve’s face and found myself grinning. It was nice to be in a fight where I wasn’t the one outclassed for once. I reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him forward.
Grapple Check: 18 (+5) = 23 [Success]
Attack: 16 (+5) = 21 [Success]
6 Damage
17 (+5) = 22 [Success]
6 Damage (Nonlethal)
I yanked the thief forward and slammed him to the ground, then slammed the hilt of my sword into the side of his head. He was still conscious even then, so I slammed my hilt down again. With the second strike, his eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp. The other two thieves moved forward to try and attack me, but Gogo caught one of them before he made it far.
Alone and suddenly outnumbered, the third thief Jerno lost his enthusiasm for the fight. Quick as a flash, he dropped the sword he held, raising his hands above his head. “I surrender!”
I was a second away from attacking him but held back. Making sure he had no malice left in his eyes, I jerked my head in the direction opposite the alleyway. “Get going, then.”
He didn’t wait around, perhaps afraid that I’d change my mind. In seconds, the sound of his pounding feet faded away, replaced by the sounds of the city. Predictably, it wasn’t until he was gone that I heard a deep voice shouting in our direction. The guards had noticed at last, I thought, sheathing my sword with a sight.