Alice woke up to a new day, she was booked in for her final armour fitting for the new equipment she had ordered. The gear would give her a nice boost to her passive protection. She couldn't keep a barrier of spells up every minute of every day, even she didn't have that much mana.
She didn't completely trust that she was safe even in the middle of a city. The hidden hand or another assassin that wanted to collect the vampire’s gold placed on her head could strike at any minute. Some extra protection to stop a bolt or blade would be welcome, also she was going to fill in one of the weakness to her defensive abilities.
A quick meal and they split the party, it was not the best idea in the world. Martin going with her, he was an extra pair of eyes. Plus, he could look through the merchant’s guild while he waited for her final tailoring to be completed.
Alice half expect the hidden hand to pop out from somewhere and try to take them on again. It was too quiet there had been no sign of them for a while. It was starting to look like the hidden hand had given up on the city. Or decided to lay very low while there lower ranking members were taken apart.
David and Vivian ran through some training drills with their assigned squads. The squads assigned to Martin and Alice and some other city guards. Both Vivian and David possessed the comprehensive training skill. With it and a bit of time and suitable equipment they could mould any peasant militia into guards capable of holding back the legions of hell. Well that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it would make them very competent soldiers, the addition of high-end armour weapons and enchantments, then they would hold back the legions of hell.
In one of the merchant’s guild armoury workshops. Alice had to wait half an hour to have the upgrades added to her bracers and greaves. There was a little alteration some fitting and adjustments but soon they had added all the pieces together.
Alice checked and confirmed the enchantments, while Martin checked the physical construction, piece by piece. The set of splint bracers made from mithril were enchanted with 10 points of impact reduction granting a bonus rated at 40 armour from the durability of the mithril. The set of greaves had a combined enchantment of 15 points of impact reduction with a defensive rating assessed at 60 points of armour.
She had a custom made mithril cap rated at 30 points of armour. With the enchantment adding 10 natural armour. She hid it under a hat so that it would not be apparent, until someone underestimated her.
The real gem was her mithril ring-mail vest enchanted with ruinous defence. She didn't like the magic it was designed to counter one bit. The enchantment could resist 50 points of necromantic and infernal magic which helped her greatly. The protection of the 60-point armour rating would work well on top of her robes. When she was certain of every piece, she handed the old equipment she had been using to them. Her former gear was a small part payment towards her new and it was convenient as she now had no real need for it.
Alice picked up Martin who was trying to figure out how to fit a clockwork timer inside a very small bomb. He gave up his designs for the moment and headed back to the duchess residence. They join up seamlessly with the final exercise. The guards were in a bit better shape, a bit keener a bit more awake. They were also quite battered and bruised. Martin fixes up a few bits straightened out arms and fingers, Alice healed a few wounds but overall, they were getting better.
The party and their squads headed off to the guard house to pick up there days assignments. Hopefully their efforts the previous day had brought in some new intelligence. The deputy sheriff was back, but he looked like he was ready to drop asleep from exhaustion. His pillow would be a pile of ledgers. It looked like the sheriff had him going through paperwork, chasing some lead or another on the hidden hand.
They left him to it and moved to the back room. The sheriff looked tired and unpleasantly sober, she was in her full equipment and had an air of authority. It was a reflection of what she had been in her peak days as an adventurer, she would have been truly fearsome back then. She welcomed them, “we should have done this before the trade talks, declared war on the criminal gangs, it would have made life easier, but then we were focused on other problems”.
Vivian could see her conundrum she had not helped her position, delegating most of her duty to the deputy sheriff. “You only have so many men …the defence of the town comes first”. The sheriff nodded, “the duchess is getting her way. We have flooded the docks with guards and militia, soon anyone who was associated with the hidden hand will be finished. In jail fined into poverty or doing hard labour on some public works”.
She pulled up a stack of papers, “I have more new leads, the head of the black thumbs gang started talking, after ten minutes in the thumb screws. He pointed me towards a few names already appearing on other lists. The group was mentioned by the grey gentleman, it’s time to have a word with them”.
“Who are these traitors”? Martin looked ready for a fight. “They are the brains rather than the brawn, there is a little group called the book club. They produce forged paperwork, I need the following five rounded up Barth Obelyn and Lomewn Obelyn, fences they supposedly have two little shops dealing with stolen goods, it would be best to hit them at the same time”.
“There is one person with contacts, Thomasine Andrew the merchant guild might make a fuss as they are a member in good standing. But we have reason to suspect them. I need you to find anything incriminating. Or the trade commissioner might simply release them, before we can have a little talk. Sybilla Strange is a con-woman she acquires information and papers to be duplicated. She is hard to pin down moving all over the city, her pool of acquaintances is rapidly dwindling she might go to ground. Lastly Esmour Rudhale is a very good scribe, with some very questionable friends bring them all in for questioning”.
Barth Obelyn worked out of a back room in a cobblers. People who had something fall into their hands would pass it onto Barth. Then he would pay them a pittance remove any identifying marks and sell it to a trader from two settlements away. Sometimes it was a document that fell into his hand papers. He didn't expect for one moment anyone to consider himself worth noticing in the current crack down.
The door had a viewing hatch held in place by a bar. There was an almighty crash as an armoured fist punched right through, it got a firm hold of the door and pulled. The door creaked groaned and gave way. Iron backed by enchantments was not even slowing them down. Barth put his crossbow down as an arrow was pointed at him. A few people arrived he was seized and shacked. A few floorboards were taken up and a box containing forged travel documents was removed. His second line of business was revealed he fervently hopefully his brother could help him.
Lomewn Obelyn had a comfortable life, he never fenced anything that he couldn't hide in his jacket. Jewellery trinkets watches it would all come to him and he could turn it around quickly. There was a banging on his front door he had not anticipated. He rolled his bag up slung it over his shoulder and went to leave. When he opened the back door there was a mage standing there. Behind him was another adventure, and his front door was not in such a marvellous position. He fervently hopefully his brother could help him. Especially as the second adventurer dragged a bookcase back to reveal his little stash of fake papers and names, enough false documents to significantly screw up the official censor.
They had a polite brief conversation with the brothers. The party found that Sybilla Strange had been keeping a low profile for a few days. She had obviously not wanted to be present, as she anticipated the full force of the law to land on them at any moment.
Officially Thomasine Andrew worked for the merchant’s guild, running one of their larger docks. Unofficially she was reported to be able to have any goods labelled as other goods. To change the permits and papers of one shipment with another. Or to simply wave her hands and the right seals would appear out of thin air.
Vivian Martin and Alice strode into her office, they had to hand it to her she kept her cool despite their presence. “We are hear investigating reports of fraud of forgery of someone working with the hidden hand”. “It Is bad for business it needs to be dealt with, I have heard such rumours myself. To think that one of my staff would be working against us all. Right under my nose they must be fearfully intelligent. Now you mention it one of my subordinates, Adam clay has been acting a little strange, you could look through his desk”.
Vivian's mechanical eye hovered over the room, Martins monocle scanned the merchant he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Alice could feel something with a residual enchantment. Vivian pointed to a plaque on one wall. “Why do you think that one item on the wall has been dusted and the rest left alone”? Alice held out a hand, “I can sense something behind this a faint magic”. Martin pried at the plaque and it moved aside to reveal a safe.
Vivian looked quizzically at the safe “do you have a key to this”? “No, I don't remember, that must have been left there by one of my predecessors”. Martin felt his holy symbol react to something in the safe. “Let’s Open it” there was a groan as Vivian gripped the safe and pulled. With a creek and a cracking crunch, it was pulled from the wall and the render. Vivian held it up, there were physical and magical components to the lock Alice subverted the enchantments and Martin burnt the lock away with thermite, a grin on his face as he did it”.
The paperwork in the safe was quite interesting, “you claim that this safe was left locked and you didn't know it was hear, these papers are dated for this week? Alice this feels like necromancy what is it?” He held an item constructed of feathers bone and a steel nib. “It’s made from the finger … bone of a dead man, and a few other things. It’s called a dead man's quill. With it you can flawlessly replicate their signature”. The merchant was uncomfortable but still kept to her story, “Adam, he is even more devious than I thought, he has planted that in my office”.
Vivian was unconvinced, “behind the wall, forget it”. Alice kept looking over the paperwork, “this is quite interesting you need an enchanter to forge this type of paperwork. An …alchemist to create the special ink, you see how the ink bleeds into different colours, it’s very hard to replicate”. They checked with Adam clay. They found ink seals and paperwork hidden under his desk, with samples of his superiors’ signatures. The man was nervous, but it was obviously a conveniently package of planted documents.
Martin looked at Thomasine considering her position, “now you’re going to be fed a truth drug or made to swear on a holy symbol, or the sheriff will just extract the information herself with unsubtle means. Your position as a member of the merchant’s guild will go against you. They will demand a harsher sentence to make an example of you, it is best you talk now denying this will not help you”.
She looked over at Vivian and Alice, “I can provide a generous coin purse if you take that evidence and put Adam clay in my place, I will also reveal every contact I have there is no need for me to suffer when I can help you more as a free woman”. Martin appeared beside her moving rapidly no weapon in his hand, but he was still there. “no no no, I have seen one-person escape justice because they had connections, you will not purchase us”.
Vivian looked her deep in the eyes, “the attempted bribing of agents of the triune is a considerable crime. You can help to dig yourself out of this mess if you can tell us where Sybilla Strange is? “That particular acquaintance had more foresight. She has probably skipped town with new papers or talked her way onto a ship heading for the southern lands for all I know”.
A quick detour to the guard house and they went looking for Esmour Rudhale. The scribe had left her office it was half abandoned several shelves and draws were empty. She was not a criminal mastermind by any stretch of the imagination, talent with a pen yes but nothing more. They went to her residence. A quick conversation with a neighbour identified her sister’s house as a good lead. They fanned out and found her a few minutes later, hidden under a large hooded cloak with a large pack filled with papers.
Spotted by Vivian's sharp perception she was caught, she sighed. “I suppose the rest of them sold me out”? Vivian didn't want to give anything solid away, “several people mentioned your little group, what can you tell us about Sybilla strange”. “That bitch talked me into this, it’s not worth the coin, I don't want to go to the tower keep jail”. “Help us catch her, would you rather take a fourth of the blame or a fifth of the blame”?
“I would rather take none of the blame, that's not going to happen. Sybilla has papers to indicate she is a cobbler going on a pilgrimage. She is in a hostel with several other legitimate pilgrims, it’s not the first time she has pretended to be an inquisitor a nun before now”. They could hear the grinding of Martins teeth and almost see the anger rising from him like acrid smoke. He considered this to be the mocking of his faith and he took that very seriously.
Sybilla Strange was a con-woman a confidence trickster. She had worked for the hidden hand for many years. They had been the best, most profitable years of her life. Now a storm was on the horizon. It had four heads and it had already chewed its way through the local underworld like a flood tide of dread rats. What she could carry was in a bag over her shoulder, she could start again far away with a far lower profile organization.
She had heard rumours one of the four had hit the first blade hard enough to turn them into a smear. One of them had cut their way through the entire circle of sands menagerie. It was time to look for a new place to be. There were the heavy footfalls of an angry man, the marching boots of others following them. And more clinks and clanks of armour from even more, the guards were everywhere following the duchess orders. She huddled over pretending to read the scripture in front of her.
The door opened and someone walked in looking around the group of prospective pilgrims. “thy will be done”. An accusing hand pointed at her “you”. Sybilla turned to see a man in a long coat seemingly armed like a battle alchemist or a hunter. He was moving towards her, she swallowed. A moment later she was hanging out of the window by her ankles, the man's unflinching grip easily supporting her weight.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Sybilla hung there waiting. A moment later there was a cough below. She looked down an archer was patiently standing there a mechanical eye watching her. “You are Sybilla Strange the conman founding member of the group known as the book club correct”? “yes, your evil eye”? “Eagle eye”, “yes eagle eye right I got it, please don't let him kill me, that's the zealot right”? “Oh, the zealot won't kill you. that would be far too quick. He has healing blessings, even if you do succumb to interrogation, he can resuscitate you and start again”.
Sybilla Strange talked very quickly very precisely. The sheriff looked over the reports, “I was certain a few would get away. If we scare the crooks into running, we achieve the same effect they desert the hidden hand, the zealots a good actor”. Vivian put a grave tone in her voice, “that was no act”. The sheriff paused evaluating what she had let loose on the streets, “you would have stopped him right”? “Best it never gets to that point”.
The sheriff dug out another assignment from her desk, “they are already calling this the duchess great purge. There is a small-time group of pick pockets the light feet gang, they pick up information as well. A letter a ledger they act as couriers. They bring in a little coin and information to the hidden hand, we know the workshop they operate from. They are lying low, take them out. The majority of the gang are kids, be careful about injures I don't want a complaint from a priest at the orphanage”.
The light feet gang used a weaving shop as a front. Several dozen very bored kids sat in the back rooms. There four leaders and guardians sat about waiting for orders, or information. hoping that they were too small to be of notice.
It was not there lucky day as the guard’s militia and others lead by the party surrounded the place. Martin felt his holy symbol twitch everything was not as it appeared. The kids kept their eyes down clearing a path between the four leaders and the authorities.
Martin held out his holy symbol “purify” the man reached in pain; the men drew similar blades. Martin had seen the weapons somewhere before. “you belong to the grave rats, we killed one lot of you already skulking about in back rooms. Your blood thralls you must be a link from the queen of rats to the hidden hand, you will never talk so we can teach you a lesson”. Vivian looked at the squads “get the kids out of here”.
The grave rats watched the last child leave. Martin struck the nearest man twice then plunged his sword in the man's guts twisted and pulled upwards. The man screamed dying slowly, Martin saw it as freeing the man from the vampire’s control. Alice saw the thrall approaching her with a knife. a kinetic strike spell hit the opponent sending them flying backwards. There chest crushed they hit the far wall with almost equal force, not that they noticed as they were quite dead already.
A thrall reached for a throwing knife only to get arrow through his neck, he collapsed back spraying a fountain of blood and bile forth as he tried to throw up as he died. The last thrall tried to stab David through his visor, David's shield struck them with enough force to shatter the thrall’s ribcage they started to crawl for the dropped knife. David applied the edge of his shield to the thrall’s skull.
The children were gently questioned then passed to the local church orphanage. The dead thralls were searched their bodies delivered to the cathedral and any papers they had passed onto the sheriff. She was sceptical as Martin explained, “that was an interesting one, the main members of the light feet gang were blood thralls. Specifically, the grave rats’ servants of the queen of rats. I wonder what information she took from them or they took from her”.
The sheriff kept her voice low, “If they were thralls, couldn't you have removed the taint and interrogated them”? He corrected her, “blood thralls they were born with the taint. You can’t remove it I have tried”. There was a zealous wall formed by Martin, blank implacable. The sheriff was not quite sure how to deal with it.
The sheriff was mere moments away from grabbing the bottle in her desk. She composed herself and imagined the duchess chastising her. She handed out an artist’s impression and an address. “We move onto bigger gangs. The last thing left on the menu, the daughters of sandy rose. They recruit pick pockets, then trains them up as full thieves”.
“They steal from the guild the church the nobility alike. They have a dozen veteran enforcers, but the bulk of their ranks are sneak thieves not fighters not killers. The only one that is of any importance is Sandy Rose. We need the information in her head. I thought that she was an independent, but now we are sure that she is one of the main supporters of the hidden hand, bring her in”.
The daughters of sandy rose worked out of what could initially be mistake for a minor noble’s estate. For the exact origins of the house, A rich merchant or a minor noble toss a coin for an answer. The place was defensible against the regular gangs and guards. High walls solid construction no places someone could easily climb up. This was not the regular problem that the gang usually saw, there fortress was closer to a prison now. One of the guard captains had surrounded it with sixty men. The sewers had solid grates there would be no escape that way.
The four masters and their squads marched up to the main door. It was constructed of heavy wood reinforced with iron, probably a few enchantments. Locked braced and bared from the inside. There were a few calls for surrender, none were answered. A few volleys of acid strike spells weakened the door around the hinges then David and Vivian knocked it down. They advanced into the courtyard. David taking point the militia around him with Martins crusaders fanning out to the left and right. Alice Vivian and the scouts made up the back ranks with the guards protecting the flanks.
The full ranks of the daughters of sandy rose were waiting for them. There was a courtyard that had seen better days. In the centre was Sandy Rose. She would be in her sixties, there were several rings and enchantments that compensated for her age. She wore a red shirt with a green over coat and dress. She carried a long sharp sword that was probably Damascus steel. Beside her stood a wizard leaning on a master’s staff, they tried to maintain a similar colour pallet. The uniform of the gang to show their affiliation their loyalty. They might have been an adventurer at some point, now they counted their number with the criminals.
The majority of sandy rose's members were female. The rank and file were all chosen for their ability to sneak and go unnoticed. There were a dozen enforces, a mix of jobs and faces all had a mixture of the gangs red and green colours. They were clustered around sandy rose and the wizard.
The rest of the gang stood around them two dozen pick pockets in similar dress, light small they were already eyeing up the exits or lack of them. Trying to add their weight of numbers behind their employer as a show of loyalty. There were three dozen sneak thieves they had daggers and probably a little skill, but they were not sure of their position. Only the 12 enforcers didn't waver the wizard and sandy rose they looked and calculated.
There was a statue behind them it was eight feet of grey marble. Crafted in the shape of a stout bearded man. It had lost the left arm which had been rebuilt form bronze and iron. There were other things about the statue the eyes were obsidian there were other repairs.
Sandy looked at the group and nodded, the unlicensed wizard with them made a few gestures. There was a static hiss a pop in the air and the statue took one lurching step forwards then another. Sandy rose and the wizard moved to the side. What they originally thought was a statue. Was in fact a Large poorly repaired golem. The enforcers let it past the rest of the gang parted like a tide, the golem stopped just past the group. The wizard was able to manually control it, whatever spark this golem had possessed was gone.
Vivian stepped forwards, “how about you turn that thing off before we turn it into gravel, and you surrender”. Sandy rose levelled her sword, “why don't you reconsider, let us go we won’t aid the hidden hand. We are out of your hair; we just disappear into the night”.
The wizard reacted and cast a defensive spell over Sandy Rose. Four hidden hand rogues had crossbows aimed from the roof top. Alice cast her own shield spell, and Martin conferred a defensive blessing the crossbow bolts were stopped, and the hidden hand were gone. They had tried to take their pot shot and they were gone. They obviously tired when everyone was distracted, but they had no intention of staying around.
Vivian shouted back to her, “surrender now we can keep you safe from the hidden hand”. “Safe in the tower keep jail, with the dam warden fucking forget it”. The pickpockets scattered at that word and the golem started marching forwards. The enforcers ran forwards the thieves backed off. Sandy Rose advanced with her sword while the wizard started to throw spells.
The golem was a resent sale not quite fixed up, it didn't last long. David ran right up to the golem stopping it in its tracks he struck at its joints with his blade. Alice hit it with an icy tomb spell and several acid strikes. Vivian hit it with adamantine arrows. Martin unleashed a series of attacks unloading his four barrelled pistol all in one go. His blessings struck it “final judgement, word of judgement, pillar of fire, hand of judgement”. The golem crumbled under the assault it might have lasted five or six seconds, considering its age and lack of repairs it was strong.
The enforcers bore the brunt of the party fury, they were made of far weaker stuff than the golem. Vivian shot a few of the enforcers with her arrows shoulder foot knee, they went down and stayed down. Alice hit a group with a low powered electric strike spell. They dropped down and didn't try to get back up. David knocked a group aside with his shield and advanced.
Martin battered down a few with his sword and buckler crushing one enforcers nose and giving a second a good scar on their shoulder. The wizard held their hands up in surrender as Martin held a blade to their throat. David shattered sandy rose's blade with a power strike, with an impressive show of skill he stopped the blow short from cutting her down.
Sandy Rose surrendered quick, after her enforcers went down. Green smoke started to escape the golems carcass Alice looked down, “just the …enchantments coming apart”. Martin had considered hitting it with his supreme skill but that might have caused a bit of collateral damage to the area. If the golem exploded as violently as the first blade. Perhaps it was what the ringmaster at the circle of sand was talking about. There were a few wounds amongst the party's squads, but many more with the thieves nothing fatal but the fight was gone from them.
Vivian held her up, “why try to fight”? “I have a name a reputation I will go out in my own way, they will say I gave it one last roll of the dice”. First the squads were healed up then the low-level pickpockets and thieves. They were rounded up and lead away by the guards. The enforcers got a few extra precautions and were led away. The Wizard confessed to being the enchanter that forged certain magical seals, he almost seemed to boast about it.
The golem was simple but tough, enough for them to level up. Their eyes glowed as they were hit by the change Alice reached level 99 her mana lance spell was upgraded to the improved version very soon, she would cross over the threshold and gain her ultimate skill. It would enable her to be ranked as one of the high council of mages. She couldn't count her chickens just yet. Even when she reached that rank, she had to go through certain formalities.
David reached level 97 reaching level 2 of the immovable skill, it had helped him against the golem. An idle thought went through his head if he could get enough money together with Vivian, they might be able to take over the glass bay mercenary company, though it made a lot of money it was also a lot of management, he abandoned the idea.
Vivian achieved level 98 her stun skill reached level 7. Martin reached level 9 of the crusader job he was just on the cusp of his class abilities at level ten. His sword parry skill reached level 9. paperwork stolen goods were rounded up, then teams started to pull the place apart for hidden stashes of drugs documents and valuables. Sandy Rose was marched back to the guard barracks where a secure cell awaited her. They kept an eye out for the Hidden Hand none showed.
Sandy Rose was locked up and the deputy sheriff took sworn statements, they found their way to the sheriff’s office. She looked relived more paperwork to go out than had come in. Reaching for the last few assignment notices on her desk, she turned to Vivian. “I have a few things to go through, there are a couple of other bits and pieces that were making the hidden hand money”.
“I will let sandy rose sit and stew. I have the address of a handful of stills that they were running. Its coin in the enemy's pocket, shut them down confiscate their equipment. the merchant’s guild could probably do something with it. Also, a couple of herbalists are making drugs at this address, its coin and influence to the hidden hand. Pull it apart burn the lot, bring the culprits to me we have a cell for them”.
There main objective complete they finished off the rest of the day running the last few errands. Pulling up the last few pegs that held the hidden hands operation together. They found and shut down two illegal stills. A quick taste from Martin showed something around 60% proof but still quite weak by Martins standards. Vivian's nose told her it was the same stuff sold in the little fight club and several of the houses of ill repute.
The still had been abandoned with whatever stock and ingredients their owners could not carry. Many petty criminals had realised that they were working indirectly for the hidden hand in one capacity or another, now they panicked and ran. The equipment was useful for a chemist at the merchant’s guild a quick win. They were brewing up a batch of healing potions, probably form the troll that had been killed the other day.
The second address was little more than a shack a former smoking house for dried fish. It was a strong smell that hid some of the chemical sent and the yellow spine mushrooms and other things that went into yellow paste. There was one idiot left still watching over the place. The rest had fled, his stock went up in smoke and he was dropped off to the captain of the dock guards.
The sheriff was busy persuading Sandy rose to talk. The deputy sheriff revealed one magical item had been confiscated. A Necklace of Greater Warding which offered 10 points of natural armour and 10 points of impact reduction. It was on a bronze chain an oblong bronze surface engraved with waves with sapphire mounted in the centre like a compass needle. “You deserve this if you had not been quick the hidden hand would have killed her, and we would have no information to go on to trace the last link”.
Alice passed her necklace of warding to the deputy sheriff as a token of her thanks. The Sheriff had Sandy Rose bound at wrist and elbow a large barrel of saltwater in a corner of the room she forced her head into the barrel. There was no reaction from Martin, Alice looked a little queasy, but she preferred to do things at a spell’s length. Vivian considered it unprofessional, you stopped torturing when they started talking, but she was not the local sheriff. She bit her tong but here was still a look in her eye. David remembered a few lessons from the instructors, even for a mercenary company this was considered crude.
The sheriff noticed the judgement in Vivian's eyes. “Some people say they should have the right to a scribe advocate to defend them. What a joke they are all guilty of something”. Sandy rose emerged gasping for air, “I will talk”. There was a scream and a gurgle and down she went again, the criminal might be willing to talk but the sheriff was not quite willing to listen. No wonder people kept a wide path around the sheriff.
Finally, with her entertainment over they found out that the hidden hand were based on a small ship a sloop. It stayed in the harbour moving about at random times, it was hard to pin down. It gave the hidden hand an exit strategy if the place went against them. Considering the way things had gone in the last week it was amazing that it had not already sailed. The Scylla was the name of the ship, a big name for a small vessel when it showed up again if it showed up, they would be ready.
Vivian had one question for the sheriff, this purge from the duchess the sheriff could have been leading it gaining the recognition. “Why have you let us lead this investigation, your men could have picked up half this lot without a lot of trouble”?
The sheriff looked older more tired; her voice sounded low like an echo through a grave. “The hidden hand is big and old; I don't know how big or how old. There might be a vampire or a lich behind them. Someone with the clout to take us on seriously if they get riled up. I would rather have them riled up at you not me”. Alice looked at her, “you were …always aware of their trick”. “Oh yes no matter how many you kill their numbers always stay the same. Perhaps you can send a big enough message to them, perhaps they will count their losses and go”. She didn't sound convincing.
When the Scylla turned up, they would investigate. Perhaps finding the answer to the hidden hand’s mystery. They retired to a tavern for a meal and a lot to drink, there squads the deputy sheriff and the captain of the docks joined them.