“I almost forgot to tell you, but the twerp left this behind as he got away,” I said and pulled out a marble from my pocket. It pulsed and glowed with a faint blue light, clearly magical. “So, what do you think it is?” I asked as I set it down on the rough tavern table in front of my two companions.
To my left, Arina shrugged and didn’t bother to pick it up. Instead, she continued to rub oil into the various tools laid out before her on a towel. Her tools mostly consisted of knives of various sizes and other sharp implements. Wood-elves were naturally distrustful of the new and unfamiliar, be it people or magical items, and this marble was no different.
My companion to the right was another story. Jason was still a lad; circumstances had forced him into our line of business way too early. Not that I could say anything about it since I was the one who scouted him. Technically he had trained as a wizard since he was young, but he dressed more like a craftsman. He pulled his brass and leather goggles down over his eyes and activated a mechanism. His right goggle slowly telescoped out. Instead of moving the marble, he pressed his body down against the table to get a closer look.
“Well, it’s either naturally magical or enchanted, besides the glowing light, I’ve never seen this material before.” He said, after performing a few small experiments, including but not limited to: tapping it with a small rock hammer, zapping it with a small amount of magic, and finally activating the various enchantments on his goggles as they switched between telescoping sizes and various lens colors. “I’m pretty sure it’s biotic since it’s got a cellular structure.”
“I have no idea what that means, but it’s definitely stolen,” I replied. No small-time burglar would just happen to own something like this. It was certainly a beautiful gem, the fact that it glowed and showed no scratches even after Jason had messed with it meant it was probably worth at least a few gold. The slimy bastard who dropped it was dressed in tattered clothes, meaning he was probably just holding it till he had a chance to sell.
The three of us were technically adventurers, though for the past year we had almost exclusively taken bounties. Earlier that day we had almost caught a low-life thief, Malcolm. The guy spent most of his time running with the bottom-tier thugs of the Trinity, one of the major gangs in the city. He never would have popped up on our radar, but he was implicated in a burglary at some noble’s house. This raised his bounty enough to be worth the effort.
Luck would have it, I managed to corner him in a walled-off alley. The oily bastard started climbing it in desperation. In my hurry to stop him, I grabbed his backpack with all my might. But instead of pulling that idiot off the wall the straps instantly ripped sending me to the ground, while he scrambled away into a crowd on the other side. The bag was mostly household items, probably from his last score, the gem, and a small coin purse.
“You loves ready to order?” Asked the tavern maid, knocking me out of my thoughts. I quickly grabbed the gem, pulling it out of sight before I answered.
“Dinner plates for the three of us, but no beer for the lad,” I said and pulled out the thief’s purse from my pocket. We lost the bounty, but I didn’t mind paying for food with his money. “Keep the change,” I said after handing it to her. She gave us her thanks and scurried away.
I sighed; we had just done a lot of work for what amounted to a free meal. “So what’s our next move?” I asked.
Arina leaned forward and said, “We should give up on Malcolm, he’s probably spooked and won’t come back to his usual haunts.” Then she unrolled a wanted poster and handed it to me. On it was the picture of a handsome, well-dressed young man with a smarmy grin on his face. “Got this earlier today while running some errands, the guy, Daryl Greywater, ran out on some large debts with the Steel Vault. It doesn’t seem too dangerous for the price since he’s just a small-time merchant; no criminal record,” she continued.
“Any good leads?” I replied. This had certainly piqued my interest. Though it seemed a little fishy what with the price being so high, but honestly what bounty didn’t hide a story.
“Why do you think I picked this tavern? Supposedly he drinks with some old halfling here most nights, names Port.” I scanned the crowded tavern. The Brown Jug was a tavern and inn that catered mostly to dockworkers and sailors. For a dockside establishment, it was large and bustling. It was just after the sun went down and most day shifts ended, thus the crowds had swelled. A few musicians were playing on one end where the hardwood had been cleared for dancing, while the majority of tables were filled with laborers drinking their night away. I stopped my eyes at the bar. There an impossibly short man was sitting on a few books as a sort of high rise for his stool. The empty glasses around him were evidence enough that he was a heavy drinker.
I flicked my eyes in his direction and then back to Arina. A smile slowly crept across her face as she nodded. He’s our guy. Between the three of us, we kept our eyes on him until about halfway through our own meal, he started to pack his things. Jason went to get up, but I put a hand on his shoulder. “You guys finish the meal, I’ll handle this myself,” I said.
I gave the drunkard a few wobbly steps towards the door before I got up to follow him. Outside the tavern, it wasn’t hard to spot him. The night was cold and dark, but the streets were empty. The fool was even drunkenly whistling a tune as if he had no thoughts of self-preservation. I left him to get far enough from the bright lights of the tavern before I bounded up to him. One arm went around his arms and waist immobilizing him, another brought a thick cloth to his mouth and we both melted into the darkness of the alley.
He let out a few muffled yelps as he struggled against my arms, but his entire body was no match for my strength.
“Be quiet; I’m not here to hurt you or rob you. I’m Henry Stoneshawl with the Guild and I’d really like your help,” I said in the calmest most professional tone I had. Then I slowly backed us all the way to the far end of the alley, away from the main street before continuing. “Your friend Daryl just had a sizeable bounty placed on his head; I’ll show you the wanted poster if you promise not to scream when I let go of your mouth.”
The halfling just nodded and true to his word, he didn’t make a peep. I pulled out the bounty and brought it to his face. “You know this guy, when was the last time you saw him?”
“Oh horse-shit, Daryl ran out on his debts? But I saw him last night at the tavern we were just in. We even- Hey can you put me down, you’re starting to crush my rib cage.” I rolled my eyes and placed him on an alley barrel, so we were eye level. The halfling looked me up and down before squinting his eyes and saying, “How do I know you’re official, got some identification?”
I reached into my shirt and exposed my necklace, attached to which was an ornate silver adventurers ring. “The wanted poster is legit and the ring is legit; now I’m not gonna be the only one looking for your friend, but I am gonna be one of the only ones who won’t beat him senseless just to nab him.”
“Yeah, you’ve got a real heart of gold, I’m sure.”
“I don’t but I’m no sadist and debt avoidance ain’t heinous enough for me to get my hands bloody; you’d be doing your friend a favor if I’m the one to bring him in.”
He loosened up a bit with that and seemed willing enough to answer my questions. Daryl was in heavy debt, but it was not that alarming even though he extended the deadline far past its original date. Apparently he had made some prudent shipping investments that paid off just this past week; more than enough to pay. That’s why they were drinking last night, to celebrate his proverbial ships coming in. Daryl even had the appointment slip with him last night. From the tavern, Port went straight home, but Daryl had wanted some action, so he left for Madame Borneo’s on Dolphin Street.
Port’s story had the gears turning in my head. “Listen, you should lay low, the bounty on this is attractive enough that more than a few hunters will take a shot, and most will be rougher than me,” I said after he finished answering my questions. Then I pulled out our team’s business card and handed him one. “If you remember anything else, or if someone’s giving you a hard time feel free to stop by.”
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“Did you let Ellie know you’ll be late tonight?” Arina asked as we walked along the cobblestone streets. She was absentmindedly sharpening some knife that I had not seen before. Unlike the tools at dinner, this one showed its age with a chipped edge and even some rust spots. Arina was obsessed with blades, to say the least. I liked them too don’t get me wrong and I kept my sword and other equipment up to spec, but she had an odd habit of bringing along far more weapons than one could use. And some, like the one in her hand, were there purely to divide her attention.
“Should I, I let her know when we left that I wouldn’t be back before her bedtime?” I said, scratching my head.
“Maybe send a raven from Madame’s, I’d be bored cooped up in that apartment all alone,” interjected Jason. His hands were lazily interlocked behind his head as he walked.
“Great idea, I’m sure she’ll be at ease seeing postage marked from a pleasure house,” I replied sarcastically. “Anyways, our first goal is figuring out if he mentioned his plans to any of Borneo’s workers last night.”
As we got closer to the sea, the buildings loomed closer together. Much like trees on a forest road, they began choking out he sky from either side, pressing against the road for extra space. The main road was still stone but was often left uncleaned. Horse manure wasn’t totally uncommon, while other trash could be seen piling up around the houses.
Pallor was one of the largest and richest city-states on the east coast. The place was destined to be massive; it was built where the Caprun River met the sea at. It had both fertile farmland and an advantageous trading position. Yet even rich cities and poor cities had one thing in common: Slums. One such area in Pallor, the Dock Slums were only a few streets removed from the bustling warehouses and fisheries of the Harbor. Close enough to the stink of the docks that no one really wanted to live there. But also close enough that sailors were willing to spend their landlocked time there if it meant cheaper prices. That’s why Madame Borneo’s was such a popular pleasure house.
The exterior structure of Madame’s was nonchalant enough, it looked like any of the other slim and packed-in-buildings of the neighborhood. It would be easy to miss were it not for the two pretty women dressed in tight-fitting winter gear handing out roses and chatting up strangers. Madame always had her new girls out for advertising.
The interior of Borneo’s was something else entirely. The first room was surprisingly large. Immediately inside was a hulking half-orc smoking aromatics on a stool by the door. The aromatics mixed in with scent of incense and small whiffs of spice, an aphrodisiac. Red and pink silks and lace hung from the ceilings and walls, often low enough to brush against your face. Seats and cushions were laid out on the floor along with low tables for drinks. Various beautiful people lounged with drinks advertising themselves with seductive poses. A few patrons were scattered throughout the rooms, sipping on drinks multiple workers around them, hoping to coax a sale.
I stopped about half-way through the door and turned my head back. “Maybe Jason could stay outside?” I said, only then realizing that he still hadn’t come of age. Arina just rolled her eyes and prodded me in the back with her dull knife.
“We…we’ve literally faced death before, I think I can handle some tits and cocks,” said Jason, his face reddening.
I resumed my entrance. “But we can’t wait around for you to buy a service, so don’t even think about it. You guys mingle in the lobby, I’ll ask the secretary.” Arina took note, and thankfully for once in her life had concealed all her weapons. She was an instant hit. Wood elves were rare enough in Pallor, but even the plainest among them were beautiful and Arina was no different. Sharp green eyes, long shiny blonde hair, almost perfect skin the whole nine yards. More than a few gals and guys began tending to her as quickly as she sat down.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Jason, for all his bravado, looked incredibly nervous. We had only been together for a few months, but you can tell when a guy is experienced or at least confident around partners. He was not. He sat down on a cushion in the corner with his hands clasped around his legs. He was immediately too flustered to talk when two beautiful and scantily clad women began giving him attention.
Madame Borneo’s secretary, unlike the rest of the workers in the lobby, was dressed in full scribes’ gear: a button up black jacket, a tight neck scarf. The ink marks on his hands and even a few on his face were more than enough evidence of his work. He was a skinny, freckled kid probably still in his teens with large glasses hanging onto his face. He didn’t look up from his work as I approached. So, I cleared my throat and slid the wanted poster onto the desk.
“This guy came by here last night; I was wondering if any of the workers would have tended to him or at least seen him leave,” I said. The secretary glanced at the paper then up at me.
“We all work nightshift here Mr. uhhh-“ he replied in a bored and tired voice.
“Stoneshawl and just to be clear; we’re with the guild,” I said, flashing my silver ring.
“As I was saying Mr. Stoneshawl, the whole building works the night shift, that’s kind of our thing.” He replied in the same monotone.
“His name had to have been logged in the books last night, can’t you just check for me?”
“Sir, we have a strict privacy policy; besides can’t you see how busy I am.” His desk was covered in papers, account books, and other logs.
I sighed then fished out a gold piece and placed it on top of the poster. “I’m sure this is worth the few minutes it would take to check.”
The secretary finally fully looked up at me and gave me a classic service industry smile, even his tone of voice changed when he said, “Anything for an honored customer.” The disappointing thing is that this work didn’t take minutes. It took seconds. All he did was flip back a few pages in the logbook before he found the name. “Greywater…spent an hour with…Rosa last night around midnight.”
“Can I see Rosa then?”
“Well…she’s on the clock so…”
“I get it, what’s the minimum?”
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“Those lipstick marks on your face look unprofessional,” Arina said to me as we stepped back into the night. I furiously wiped my cheeks with my sleeves. Jason was waiting for us on the street when we left.
“You’re one to talk, trading kisses with half the lobby,” I replied. “This trail is getting a little weird though.”
“Why’s that?” interjected Jason.
“According to Rosa, Greywater was celebrating. He wouldn’t stop going on and on about finally paying off his debts tomorrow,” I replied.
“Then why did he skip out on the deadline today?” Asked Jason.
“Obviously I don’t know, but Daryl left last night in high spirits. Apparently he made some friend in the lobby and the two left together.”
“This guy really wanted a night out on the town I suppose,” said Arina. She had already gone back to sharpening some random blade.
“Well, I thought he was just bluffing with Port, but I’m starting to really think he had the money to pay off his loans.”
“Maybe to pay off those loans, but he could have other less savory debts chasing him down,” Replied Arina.
“True, though you’d think he’d be more cautious if he had those types after him,” I said. “Regardless, he left with some richly dressed pretty boy named Gareth Landsworth, ring any bells?”
“Landsworth? Like the disgraced Secretary of the Treasury?” Replied Jason.
“I hope not, or this midnight romp will start to get more and more complicated,” I said. “Does this Secretary have a son?”
“Yeah, he was even given command of the Landsworth house after his dad fled the city,” said Jason.
“Fine.” I took a few deep breaths through my nose to calm down. “Rosa didn’t know where they went after the left, maybe the flower girls saw something.”
“Actually, I might have the clue you’re looking for,” said Jason. “While you two were having fun in there, I already had a conversation with the girls outside.”
“You had a conversation with the girls?!” said Arina and I in unison. It wouldn’t be unheard of for Jason to talk to people, but he gets unusually flustered when good-looking girls cross his path.
“Yeah well, I had to cool my head before I spent any money in there, so I came outside and figured I might make myself useful.” He replied as he shrugged his shoulders. “Anyways, two guys were mugged or something down the street early yesterday morning, one girl was sure the muggers belonged to the Trinity.”
"What happened to being able to handle a few tits and cocks," Arina said with a few chuckles.
I didn't bother to join her, this information did not make me happy. “Nope, let’s go home, this has already gotten too heavy for us,” I said.
Arina smiled, “What are you scared of, we can finally have some action. Where’d they get mugged?”
“She said they were probably about a block that way,” replied Jason as he pointed down the street.
Without another word, Arina started skipping off in that direction. Arina really only got excited over a few things in life anymore. She loved her weapons, she loved using her weapons, and she loved tracking down things to use her weapons on.
By the time we caught up with her, she had already diagnosed the scene for us. With as much foot traffic as the area got, you wouldn’t expect too many clues. Yet, Arina had already found signs of a struggle. A broken tooth and some bloodspots and thanks to the grimy streets, two sets of drag marks. “Messy job, they didn’t cover their tracks at all,” She noted as we walked up behind her.
“Is it enough to track?” I asked.
“These fools are a hundred years too late to lose me,” She replied. It was the truth. Arina was just over a hundred years old, and this was probably child’s play for an experienced tracker like her. Soon we were following her grey and black cloak along the deserted back streets. She stopped just a few hundred feet from a ramshackle warehouse and ducked behind a building into an alley. She blended so easily into the shadows that I lost her for a second. But I could just make out a hand motioning for us to follow.
“That’s our target,” she said, motioning towards the warehouse. “Give it a peek but stay hidden. They have someone on watch, and I could hear movement inside.” From our crouched positions in the alley, I peaked my head out. Sure enough, a large mean looking thug was leaning against the warehouse smoking a rolled cigarette. Shouts and other noises could be faintly heard coming from the warehouse as well.
“What do you think? We could do a smash and grab?” Jason said as turned back to the group.
“No, we don’t know their numbers. Besides, its been almost twenty-four hours we don’t even know if Daryl is in there,” I replied. “Arina, you’re up again can you take a closer look?”
“Not a problem, I’m thinking of finding some elevation anyways, I’ll signal you when I’m ready” She replied. With that, she stood up and started examining the alley walls. It wouldn’t be a problem for her. The ragged brick building had more handholds than most rock climbs. It took less than a minute for her to be on the roof.
“Wait, we didn’t decide on a signal!” I hissed, but the realization hadn’t come to me before she disappeared over the rooftop.
“I’m sure she’ll think of something,” replied Jason.
I nodded before slumping on my butt and leaning against the wall. Jason followed suit. Best get ready. I thought as I pulled out my weapon. I had trained with the sword from a young age, but this kind of situation wouldn’t suit a weapon of war. Bounties were usually wanted alive unless they were a danger. Thus, ever since getting into the business, I traded my longsword for a long metal club. Perfect for breaking kneecaps and knocking people out. Then I unstrung my shield off my back and began strapped it to my left arm. It was a light circular piece of wood, reinforced with a layer of steel overtop. Big enough to crouch behind when needed, but not big enough to impede my movements.
Jason followed suit as he too prepared his weapons of choice. He was something of a tinkerer. Sure, he could shoot a bit of fire and lightning using that focus ring on his left hand, but Jason chose all manner of odd weapons of his own design. His latest piece of work was a compression-powered projectile launcher. It was about as big as a hand crossbow, but instead of tension, it used canisters of compressed air to launch all manner of things. Also on hand were several larger hand-canisters, meant to be thrown and explode. He had shown me a few designs filled with shrapnel, but the nature of our business and my own hang-ups had forced me to disallow their use. Instead, the current model was simply filled with flash-powder, a substance that did little more than make bright lights and loud noises. Perfect for causing confusion.
Just as the two of us were getting anxious, an arrow descended from the sky and landed in the center of the alley with a clatter. Tied to it was a note with horrible handwriting that read, "Four inside; Daryl Spotted, Engage at convenience."
“That settles our communication issue,” said Jason.
“Yeah well, I’ll rush the guard outside, you get ready to toss a canister through the window,” I replied.
“Got it, boss.”
We crept as close as we could without being seen, but the last thirty feet would be a mad dash since there was no cover. I was in a full sprint by the time the thug noticed me, but just as he spit his cigarette out, an arrow whizzed by me and struck him in the shoulder. That gave me just enough of an opening to knock the guy out with a single whack of my club.
Jason was right behind me, and by this point had primed his canister. He tossed it mid-stride towards the window, only it missed the glass and bounced off the wall. “Shit!” Our three voices could be heard hissing at once. I instinctively dove towards the bomb as it rolled away on the ground and had just enough time to toss it again, this time sending it through the window. Just as it passed the threshold, it exploded with a massive bang and bright light, blinding and defining anyone within range.
As it blasted, Arina had descended from her rooftop vantage and caught up with us. She knocked another arrow and sent it flying through the broken window. Someone inside screamed.
I crawled back to my feet and ran over to the warehouse door. I didn’t bother checking for a lock, one swift kick with my heavy left foot was more than enough to break it open. The inside was hazy with smoke, but the chaos was clear. To my left, Daryl sat tied and gagged to a chair. To my right one man sat on the ground clutching his thigh, while the other three were still standing but clearly dazed.
I put my shield up and dashed forward. Before I got there, one of the men was hit in the face a series of thick projectile from Jason’s shooter, sending him to the floor. I put all my weight behind the shield and bashed another with it, sending him crashing into some wooden crates. I advanced, getting ready to end his night with my steel club when I felt a force hit my left leg. The thug with an arrow in his thigh had pulled out a sword and swung wildly at me. But, he chose the wrong leg. The sword had cut through my pants, exposing my metal limb.
In response, I lifted up my leg and stomped on his sword arm. An audible crack letting me know his forearm broke underneath. While I was dealing with him, the only standing thug had recovered and swung open his own telescoping metal club. He charged me and took an overhand swing with the club that I was able to block with my shield. While I was distracted, the crate-thug had recovered and also dashed forward with dagger in hand. I had no way to block it, soon the small blade passed through my thick gambeson. The cold steel pierced my back, but did little more than piss me off.
Before anything else happened, Arina tactical rolled through the doorway and sent a knife flying into the dagger-wielding thug's thigh. From the window, Jason provided further back up with another projectile, this time smacking into jaw of the club-wielding thug, possibly breaking it. I didn't wait to find out before I leveled him with a swing of my own club. I left the man behind me for Arina to finish off and pushed forwards to the final foe. He had just gotten back to his feet after getting shot by Jason. Needless to say, he wasn't skilled enough to land a blow on me before I shattered his right arm with a swift blow from my club.
After that, it was all cleanup, as Arina and I went around binding them.
“Check this out,” she said and showing me one of the men's arms after she rolled up the sleeve. It was a black spider on a thin chain. The calling card of another gang in Pallor, the Shadow Spiders.
“I thought they were taken by Trinity members,” I replied after seeing the mark.
Jason, snooping around the room opened one of the side doors. “Hey guys, I think I found our lost Trinity members,” he said. Inside were four bodies as cold as the night. Each had the classic three-eyes tattoos of the Trinity gang.
“Arina, Jason do a once over, I don’t want any more surprises.” They nodded. Arina crept towards the staircase to the right on silent feet, while Jason made his way to the back door with a less trained gait.
I pulled a chair up and sat in front of our newly acquired captive, before removing his gag.
“My saviors! Thank you, Thank you! I thought I was going to die back there,” Daryl began saying as soon as his gag was off. It didn’t appear to be lip service, as the guy practically melted into tears afterward.
“Don’t thank us yet,” I replied, feeling a little guilty.
“You’re Daryl Greywater correct?” I said.
“Yes, again thank you so much,” he replied.
“Well, your ordeal isn’t over yet, but it could be a lot worse,” I said as I unfolded his wanted poster.
“A hundred gold!? I missed one appointment!” He replied upon seeing the paper.
“You didn't miss one appointment, you delayed repayment for months. This morning was supposed to be your final chance," I said. "Though it doesn't look like you missed it willingly," I noted and gestured towards his bonds.
“Obviously!”
“But why were you taken her-“ I began to say before I was interrupted by a commotion upstairs. “Sit tight, I’ll be back.”
I bounded up the steps shield and club in hand, ready for more thugs. Instead, I found Arina straddling a grimy but well-dressed young man. He was lying on his stomach. She had a knife at his throat with her right hand, while the left pulled his head up with a fist full of hair. A equally grimy dagger laid on the floor just a few feet away.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t slit your throat?” Arina hissed in his ear.
“I’m sorry, I thought you were with Trinity,” cried her hostage.
I crouched down and investigated his face. “We’re bounty hunters, with the guild. Now, who are you?”
“My-my name is Gareth Landsworth!”