Building a Criminal Empire

by Logan Jacobs

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “I just got a gut feeling to check on him first, that’s all.”

  “Alright,” Dar said as he sat up and stretched his arms over his head. “Gimmie a sec.”

  “No rush,” I added. “I need to wash up too.”

  We both meandered to the water kegs, rehydrated as best as we could, washed our faces, and then got dressed.

  “When do you want to start the next batch of whiskey?” Dar put on his cloak and then took a rag and cleaned his feet.

  “Soon,” I replied. “If Penny gets the tubs cleaned today, then very soon. But, for now, we have more than enough made for the theatre.”

  “What about the twins’ orders? Are we sure they even want more?” Dar questioned.

  “That’s why we need to check in on them and ask,” I said. “They told me as soon as the elves left, they’d want to buy more.”

  “And the elves just left.” Dar smirked as he tossed his foot rag aside.

  “Exactly, pal.” I nodded. “If they want to continue buying whiskey, then we can move forward with finding a place to distill on that side of town, too.”

  “I don’t know why they wouldn’t,” Dar added.

  “Only one way to find out,” I responded. “You about ready?”

  “You let the girls know?” Dar asked.

  “Let ‘em sleep,” I said. “They worked their assess off prepping the theatre, plus as soon as Cimarra gets up, I’m sure Rindell will have a situation for her to handle.”

  “Fuck, I know,” Dar rolled his eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, having those girls around lightens the mood, but we gotta get those doves a hall just so Rindell can get out of our hair.”

  “Soon enough,” I said. “C’mon, let’s head out.”

  “Right behind ya,” Dar answered.

  We said our goodbyes to our dragon, left the stables, locked the door, made our way through the side alley, and onto the main road.

  The streets looked to be back to normal just like before the executions, but the stench of the bodies on the corner wouldn’t let anyone forget what happened. Along with the gallows, I noticed a few humans hanging up banners along the lampposts.

  “Fuck that,” I gestured toward a banner that advertised the upcoming Eclipse Festival.

  “I’m still curious what that’ll even be like,” Dar spat toward the banner.

  “Nothing but stupid elven bullshit,” I replied as we continued down the street, passed the gallows, and then turned left toward the Halfling District.

  “Do you think the keys want us to have that necklace?” Dar asked after we walked down the road for a few minutes.

  “What necklace?” I asked. “Grodmick’s?”

  “Yeah,” Dar whispered and looked around as if it were a forbidden topic. “The keys seem to lead you to some crazy shit, and I have a feeling that necklace is our next chest, so to speak.”

  “Maybe,” I began. “But Grodmick had it last, and he’s been dead for a long fucking time.”

  “So?” Dar chuckled. “Everyone has a grave.”

  “Are you saying we should find the dwarf’s grave, dig him up, and check to see if the necklace is inside his casket?” I grimaced.

  “Hey,” Dar padded the air. “You said it, not me.”

  “Fuck off,” I chuckled as we turned down another alley. “I don’t know what to think about all that shit yet.”

  “Me neither, man.” Dar scratched at his neck. “I still think about the night at the temple, too.”

  “What about it?” I asked.

  “I don’t know how you can just act so nonchalantly,” Dar shook his head and then lowered his voice. “You’re a fucking magical human, and the only one I know of.”

  “Then you should be honored to know me,” I snickered. “I don’t know what it all means, but the keys and their magic are on our side.”

  “I’m fucking glad about that,” Dar glanced over his shoulder. “This is so much more than whiskey, man.”

  “Dar,” I clapped my friend on the shoulder. “I know, but we can only do one thing at a time, and that’s checking in on the kid.”

  “Got it,” Dar smirked. “I just get excited.”

  “I know you do,” I replied.

  Then we came to the end of the long alley that connected to Guilder Street, and we turned right. As we did, I could see the Assassin’s Guild to my left, and it made me think about Ava.

  I wondered if she could track down that dwarf. I hoped she did because we didn’t have a lot of time until her Guild turned their full attention toward us.

  “Looks like the elves are really gone, minus the towers,” Dar said as we approached our old Thief’s Guild home.

  “It’s a sight for sore eyes,” I replied.

  “You can say that again,” Dar said as he pointed to the front door. “Should we try the front or head to the back?”

  “Let’s go to the back,” I suggested. “We know that’ll be open.”

  “Sure.” Dar nodded.

  So, we both walked around the Guild, through the alley, hopped the small fence, and landed in the courtyard covered in cobwebs.

  “I swear this place is frozen in time,” I said as I observed how everything was still how we left it.

  “It won’t be for long,” Dar muttered. “It’s only a matter of time until someone else is in charge of this place.”

  “I know,” I agreed. “We’ll need to handle that when that day comes.”

  “Maybe they’ll just put Selius in charge,” Dar chuckled as he opened the screeching back door and stepped inside. “Hey, kid!”

  “Never say never,” I said with a shrug. “I’ve seen crazier things happen.”

  “Dar?” Selius’ voice called out from upstairs.

  “It’s just us!” I yelled out.

  “Oh, shit,” the kid muttered as his footsteps pounded down the wooden stairs.

  “Fuck,” Dar sighed as he looked over the cluttered living space. “With a little love, this place could make a great home.”

  “Maybe you should be the district leader then,” I nudged Dar in the ribs.

  “You keep saying that,” Dar said as he shook his head.

  “Hey, guys!” Selius’ thin-drawn out face appeared in front of us. “I haven’t heard anythin’ yet, Wade, or else I would’ve come and found ya.”

  “That’s what I figured, kid,” I replied. “We just wanted to make sure of that and check on you.”

  “Oh,” Selius looked around, unsure of what to do. Then he widened his eyes and bobbed up and down on his feet. “Oh, you’ll like this news, though.”

  “What do you got for me?” I asked as I moved over to the card table in the side room.

  “I talked with the twins yesterday,” Selius said as he rubbed his hands.

  “Alright,” I gestured for him to continue. “Dar and I were just talking about maybe paying them a visit today.”

  “Well, ya should, ya really should,” Selius panted. “I talked to em both yesterday.”

  “Good news?” Dar asked as he took a seat at the card table.

  “Very good news, guys,” Selius chuckled. “They asked about ya both, actually, and wanted me to let ya know they want to talk about the original arrangement.”

  “Would you look at that?” I said as I looked to the kid and then to Dar, “sometimes the stars align in our favor, and we don’t even have to work for it.”

  “What do ya mean?” Selius furrowed his brow.

  “Don’t worry about it, kid,” I said with a smirk. “I’m just glad we don’t have to go chase them down and convince them that the elves are really gone.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Selius nodded. “Things sure have been better around here because of that, too.”

  “I bet,” Dar chuckled. “But no news from Wilimar or his crew?”

  “Naw,” Selius dropped his eyes to his feet. “I’m sorry, guys, but I’m hoping we’ll hear from them soon enough.”

  “Me too,” I said. “In the mea
ntime, you wanna come with us to go visit the twins at their hall?”

  “I sure do!” Selius nodded as he checked his pockets and then tightened the cloak around his shoulders. “I need to get out of here for a bit anyway.”

  “Good,” I said. “I want to jump on the twins while the thought of whiskey is fresh in their minds.”

  “Oh, but …” Selius started. “What if Wilimar shows up when I’m not here?”

  “I don’t think he will,” I said. “Either way, he’ll wait, and we won’t be too long.”

  “Alright …” Selius shrugged. “If you’re good with it, then I’m good with it.”

  “I’m good with it,” I gestured for the kid to follow. “Ready, Dar?”

  “We don’t have a sample if they want another one,” Dar said.

  “They already know what we offer, if they push back on us, we’ll tell them to fuck off,” I said as I gestured for the two halflings to follow me out the back door.

  “Got it,” Dar said as he stood and tugged Selius along with him.

  Then we exited the Guild, hopped back over the courtyard fence, moved down the alley, and walked down Guilder Street.

  The morning rush was pretty much over, and now the stragglers hurried to get to their jobs. The funny thing was a guild member really didn’t give a shit if an elf noticed them or not, unless they were up to no good, so it was easy to tell a guild member apart from a normal citizen of the realm around this time of the day.

  “You got enough coin, kid?” Dar asked as we rounded the corner near Rindell’s old place of business.

  “Yeah, yeah.” Selius nodded. “I’ve been eating good enough.”

  “Just let us know if you need anything else,” Dar said.

  “I sure will,” Selius replied and then squinted up at me. “So, what’s the plan with Sully and Wyatt?”

  “What do you think, kid?” I retorted.

  “You’re gonna have me run their whiskey to ‘em if they want it?” Selius guessed.

  “That’s right,” I said as the halfling community hall came into view.

  “Are ya still interested in Eloy’s bakery, too?” Selius questioned.

  “I am,” I replied. “We’ll probably go talk to him soon, depending on how this conversation goes with the twins.”

  “Got it.” Selius nodded.

  “Is that the building you were talking about last night?” Dar asked.

  “Yep,” I answered as I moved up the front steps of the hall, opened the door, and stepped inside. “Now, let’s have ourselves a chat.”

  I looked around the hall and saw one twin near the stage. He had his back turned and was reading over a document.

  “Hi-ya Sully!” Selius shouted as soon as he stepped inside the hall.

  “How do you know that’s Sully? Dar whispered.

  “I don’t.” The kid shrugged. “It’s Sully’s hall, so I assume it has to be him.

  “Who-ya callin’ Sully?” Wyatt turned around with a pipe sticking out of his mouth.

  “Restaurant not busy?” Selius questioned.

  “Today’s been slow, but I got the chef looking over the place.” Wyatt’s eyes remained glued on the document in his hand. “I see you’ve brought our two friends back.”

  “Yeah, I sure did, just like we talked about,” Selius puffed out his chest and nudged my arm.

  “Nice to see you again, Wyatt,” I said as I walked through the small aisle between the rows of tables. “Is your brother in his office?”

  “Who the fuck knows?” Wyatt wheezed. “What am I? His keeper?”

  “I’m right here,” Sully appeared from his office in the back of the hall. “You still reading that shit? We’ve got visitors?”

  “Hey, Sully.” I waved to the other brother who had tiny spectacles on the tip of his nose.

  “You boys want to talk in here?” Sully opened his hand toward his office.

  “No,” Wyatt replied and finally glanced up from the document. “Your office is cramped enough as it is.”

  “Fine, fine,” Sully scoffed and then limped toward the stage.

  “Have a seat here,” Wyatt said as he moved to the closest table, sat in a chair, scratched the wart on his nose, and then placed the document down in front of him.

  “This shouldn’t take too long,” I added as I moved over to the same table and sat across from Wyatt.

  Dar and Selius did the same.

  “I’ve got nothing but time these days,” Wyatt sniffed. “Looks like our elven situation has cooled a bit, eh?”

  “It sure does,” I said as I eyed the document the old halfling was reading.

  It looked like a letter.

  “Stop reading that shit,” Sully muttered as he limped over and sat next to his brother. “Ah, fuck, I forgot my pipe in my office.”

  “I’ll get it for ya,” Selius offered.

  “You’re a fucking dream, kid,” Sully said as he pointed toward his office. “It should be on my desk.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Selius jogged over to the office and disappeared inside.

  “So,” Sully took a deep breath. “As my brother s--”

  “I just can’t believe these pointy ear shit stains,” Wyatt wheezed as he pushed the letter away from him. “It’s their fucking holiday, why do we have to prepare shit for it?”

  “Are you talking about the Eclipse Festival?” I questioned.

  “Aye.” Wyatt nodded and then pointed to the document. “Must provide tables, a tent, and biscuit display? They must think I’m made of coin or something to provide enough biscuits to feed a district.”

  “Did you get one too, Sully?” I asked the brother.

  “I--”

  “I don’t see your pipe!” Selius cut off the old halfling.

  “Huh?” Sully furrowed his brow. “I was just smoking it in there.”

  “The nerve these fucking elves have, ya know?” Wyatt continued his anti-elven rant.

  “Where else did you go besides your office?” Selius asked as he leaned against the office door.

  “In the mighty name of the Ancients …” Sully tapped his chin and then searched his pocket. “Ah, for crying out loud, I’m sorry Selius, I’ve got it here.”

  “How could they expect us lowly folk to provide them with our luxuries as if it didn’t cost us a dime,” Wyatt sneered. “I’d rather poke out my eyes with a dull knife than serve those fools.”

  “Did you get a letter too?” I asked Sully again.

  “I did,” Sully muttered as he stuck his unlit pipe in his mouth. “But, I’m used to getting ordered around for elven events, ya know?”

  “That’s right,” Dar said. “They use your hall for the poetry readings.”

  “Yeah, those bores,” Wyatt added.

  “What’re they asking you to do for the festival?” I asked.

  “Make sure my hall is open for people to enjoy the extended ‘elven readings,’” Sully chuckled. “Nothing out of the ordinary for me.”

  “They don’t do any surprise inspections, right?” I asked.

  “Of course not, lad.” Sully nodded. “I wouldn’t let them in on a regular day.”

  “They’d still force their way in,” Wyatt wheezed.

  “They’d force their way in any of our places of business,” I added.

  “That they would,” Wyatt agreed. “Assholes …”

  “So,” Sully grabbed the letter, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it over his shoulder. “Let’s talk about something that really matters to us, shall we, lads?”

  “That’s why we’re here,” I said as I folded my hands onto the table.

  “I let Wade know that you wanted to re-start the deal we made last time,” Selius chimed in as he sat back down at the table.

  “Very good.” Sully nodded. “That's true, but we want to go over some details with you, again, if that’s okay?”

  “Of course it is,” I replied. “Especially with the Eclipse Festival coming up, we need to make sure we are sma
rt.”

  “I agree,” Sully breathed and then narrowed his eyes. “And I also don’t want my business to end up like the dancehall across the way.”

  “No one wants that,” I agreed.

  “What I’m saying, lad, is my brother and I may be forgetful old fuckers, but we’re smarter now than we were twenty years ago,” Sully said with a slight smirk. “We assumed the whole explosion over there was your doin’, am I right?”

  “What makes you think that?” I asked.

  “To put it bluntly,” Sully tilted his head. “You’ve proved to us you’re willing to do anything to make your plans work, and to me, the whole rogue elf story seems like a crock of shit.”

  “Rogue elf?” Wyatt wheezed. “What would an elf be rebelling from? Paradise?”

  “That proves my point,” Sully continued. “You don’t have to answer me if you don’t want to, but I’m going to assume it was you.”

  “Who am I to tell you what you can or can’t assume, friend,” I added.

  “Either way,” Sully cleared his throat. “My brother and I want to make sure of a few things before we put our throats on the line and form some long-term deal with you.”

  “Okay …” I gestured for Sully to continue.

  “We do not want our businesses in the line of fire, like the whore’s was,” Sully sniffed. “Again, that’s me assuming you were part of the chaos that went down.”

  “Understandable,” I said as I unfolded my hands. “Though, I hope you realize that your business will be in the line of fire whether you like it or not, Mr. Sully.”

  “How so, lad?” Sully questioned.

  “As soon as my whiskey crosses your front doors, you are enemies of the empire.” I narrowed my eyes. “Now, I will abide by my own rules and will be as cautious as I can be, but once we leave your property, that whiskey is yours and yours alone.”

  “What do you mean?” Wyatt wheezed.

  “What I’m saying is,” I whispered as I leaned in across the table. “You don’t know my name and you’ve never seen me before in your life unless I’m right in front of you.”

  Both of the brothers looked at each other.

  “Do you understand?” I asked. “We only know each other’s names when we complete the whiskey deal, and then we forget once again.”