Building a Criminal Empire

by Logan Jacobs

  “Why?” Dar questioned. “Who does he owe?”

  “He doesn’t owe the grandma halfling down the street, he owes the Dwarven Miners,” I replied. “And I’m sure they know where Eloy is just to make sure they collect their payment every month.”

  “Shit,” Dar hissed. “Well, maybe they don’t care as much? Did Eloy tell them his situation with his son?”

  “He did,” I grunted. “They know he’s desperate, and they’ve pressured him to pay off the debt.”

  “Ah, fuck,” Dar said as he pulled out his pipe from his pocket.

  “But you still rented out the apartment from him?” Cimarra asked. “I have to ask, what are we paying for this place?”

  “I gave him enough for ten months,” I answered. “Although we should own the entire building by the end of the week if my plan works.”

  “So, what’re you thinking, boss?” Dar asked as he lit the pipe between his lips.

  “I think we can use the baker’s situation to our advantage,” I answered as I turned to face Cimarra. “We need to set up a meeting with the miners. Can you make that happen in the next day?”

  “Before we have to meet with Hebal, right?” Penny asked.

  “Definitely before we have to meet with that asshole,” I added.

  “I can get in touch with the Retired Miner’s and see if they can connect us, but for that to happen, I need to tell them why they need to meet with us,” Cimarra said. “So, what do I say?”

  “You tell them we can give them their biggest enemy,” I said with a smirk. “We can give them Hebal.”

  “I know they don’t like Hebal and his crew, but still, they may need more than that,” Cimarra cleared her throat.

  “Alright,” I said as I tapped my chin in thought. “If they need more, tell them he’s been selling illegal whiskey in miner territory.”

  “That’s technically true,” Dar chuckled. “He distributes our stuff all over the Dwarf District, and I’m almost positive some of those drop-offs were deep in miner territory.”

  “I have a feeling they wouldn’t appreciate him making coin on their land,” I added.

  “But,” Cimarra folded her hands on the table. “Wouldn’t that make the miners want to get in on the whiskey business just like Hebal?”

  “That’s why I want to talk with them,” I replied. “We need to come to an agreement that works for both of us.”

  “So,” Penny leaned forward onto the table, and her face glowed brighter within the lantern light. “The gist of your idea is that we set up Hebal by informing his rival of what he’s doing, and then we somehow lead Hebal and his crew into an ambush?”

  “Exactly,” I answered the pixie. “We’ll inform Hebal of where our ‘drop off’ will be, all the while the miners will be there waiting for him and his crew.”

  “But what if he doesn’t even go and just sends his crew?” Dar asked.

  “If he doesn’t go, then we will know,” I said. “Wilimar will keep tailing him, and I might just hang back and stay with the halfling after we inform Hebal of the drop off location.”

  “Got it,” Dar said with a nod.

  “So, we’d have the miners waiting at the drop off location, and if Hebal goes rogue, then we will still have eyes on him, and we can take care of him ourselves while his crew and the miners battle it out,” I chuckled. “Once the dust settles, Hebal should be dead, we will have Grodmick’s necklace in our possession, the miners should destroy the Dwarf’s gang, and we will have an agreement in place with the miners to officially take over this bakery.”

  “The bakery will be part of the deal?” Cimarra asked.

  “It has to be,” I replied. “Unless we want to pay a pile of gold to some dwarves, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want any part of that.”

  “Of course,” Cimarra added. “But this leads to the concern I shared already--”

  “What’s stopping the miners in forcing their way into the whiskey business just like Hebal?” I guessed.

  “Exactly.” Cimarra nodded. “I think the plan will work, but it’s what may happen after the plan that we may not like. The miners are much more established and more powerful than Hebal.”

  “I know,” I said as I rubbed my face. “And, to be honest, I’m not sure yet how they’ll respond to this idea. The plus side is when we cut our deal with Hebal, we needed him. We don’t need him, or the miners, anymore. So we aren’t under any pressure to take a bad deal. If the miners try to pressure us, we can just go our separate ways.”

  “We won’t know unless we try,” Penny said with a smirk. “And we gotta try something because the more time that passes, that gives Hebal a chance to undermine us and try to knock us out.”

  “She’s right,” I said. “I think for now we just have to end Hebal, hope we can reach a deal with the miners that benefits us, then deal with the assassins, and start fresh.”

  “I keep forgetting the assassins are up our asses,” Dar sighed as he blew a smoke ring.

  “I was kind of hoping Ava had killed off the assassins and updated you all about it at the theatre,” Penny said.

  “You and me both,” Cimarra replied.

  “I have a feeling that we’ll hear from her soon enough,” I said. “Until then, we have another issue to discuss.”

  “The elves?” Cimarra guessed.

  “You said it,” I answered. “They were here because--”

  I paused when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I assumed it was Skam, but I couldn’t be too careful. So, I unsheathed my dagger and looked at Penny and Dar as they did the same.

  The steps stopped just outside the door, and then a slight knock rang out.

  “Comin’ in,” Skam’s voice came from the other side, and then he opened the door. “Just me, lad’s.”

  All of us breathed easy once again at the sight of the dwarf.

  “Any issues getting the baker home?” I asked as I sheathed my knife.

  “None,” Skam said as he shook his head. “What did I miss here?”

  I ended up explaining to him our plan on how to kill Hebal and meet up with the miners and everything regarding the assassins. The more I talked about it, the more it all seemed like it was too big for our small crew, but nothing had stopped us yet, and that gave me confidence.

  “Alright,” Skam said as he stroked his beard and joined us at the table. “We have our hands full, don’ we?”

  “Don’t we always,” Dar added as he puffed on his pipe.

  “Before you came in, Skam, we were about to discuss why elves were even here in the first place,” I said.

  “I was wonderin’ the same thing, lad,” Skam sniffed. “Got me nervous.”

  “Understandably so,” I agreed. “And this is something that might be a bigger issue for us the more we expand.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Dar remarked.

  “But it’s true,” Penny added.

  “So,” I sighed. “Turns out the elves had arrested someone in the nearby area that had too much to drink.”

  “From our show?” Cimarra asked.

  “It’s hard to tell,” I replied. “Unless he left the theatre early since it’s not that short of a walk from here to the Entertainment District.”

  “Well, where else would he have gotten it?” Dar asked and then realized on his own. “Ah, shit, the twins?”

  “How did they get whiskey?” Cimarra wondered. “I thought we made the deal, but we weren’t giving them anything until we moved into the bakery.”

  “They told us earlier that they still had some leftover from the previous delivery,” I said. “I didn’t think they’d sell it, but the more I think about it, it makes sense that they would try to make as much coin from the previous batch since the elven presence is way more lenient.”

  “For now,” Dar added. “It won’t be as lenient after they fucking arrested some drunk idiot over on this side of town.”

  “Well,” I began. “Because of that, I tried
to lead the elven pricks into searching the Dwarf District a bit.”

  “How?” Skam asked.

  “I told them there were rumblings of a dwarf providing ‘something special,’” I chuckled. “It’s not much, but they have little evidence to begin with, so it’s something they will have to check out.”

  “What if the fucker talks?” Dar asked.

  “Who?” I questioned. “The drunk halfling?”

  “Yeah,” Dar replied. “You know the elves will torture that bastard for any drop of info he has inside of him.”

  “Fuck,” Penny sneered.

  “He doesn’t know the source,” I said. “He may give up the twins, but both of them know not to rat.”

  “That’s easy to say, lad,” Skam cleared his throat. “But when an elven blade is slicing off your fingernails, sometimes the temptation for relief is much greater than honor.”

  I sighed. “As of right now,” I began, “there isn’t anything we can do to make sure that halfling doesn’t spill any information, and I think the twins would kill themselves before the elves arrested them.”

  “Wade’s right,” Cimarra added. “No use stressing about something out of our control. We can only fix the problems that we can reach. If we worried about everyone we sold whiskey to ratting on us, then we wouldn’t make any coin at all. We just have to be as smart as we can be and not be afraid to take risks at the same time. I think that’s exactly what we’ve done so far.”

  “But, is there any way it can be traced back to us?” Penny asked. “Forget about fuckin’ rats. Is there anything else that can link us to making the whiskey?”

  “Of course,” I said with a nod. “The grain.”

  “What about the grain?” Penny questioned. “The amount we purchase?”

  “Yep,” Dar added. “That’s why we are careful with how much we order with the catering business.”

  “And that’s why we are trying to buy a bakery,” I explained. “It’ll help hide big grain purchases more than any other business that rarely orders or uses grain.”

  “Is there any way we can even protect ourselves more?” Penny asked. “Why even take the risk in ordering that much grain?”

  “Because it lowers our risk of being caught if we are not stealing everything we use,” I said. “But …”

  “Another idea is brewing,” Dar chuckled.

  “We can probably steal all the grain Hebal already stole from the docks,” I began. “After we fucking kill his crew and have the asshole squirming in my hands, we’ll make him tell us where he’s keeping--”

  “I already know where he’s keeping it,” Ava interrupted as she stepped through the front door.

  How she was able to open the door with no one knowing was impressive, to say the least. She would have made a great thief.

  “Oh, fuck!” Dar squeaked and nearly fell off his chair.

  “How long were you standing there?” Penny signed.

  “Can I join you?” Ava ignored Penny and Dar, looked outside as if she heard something, and then shut the door behind her. “I don’t think they followed me, but it’s hard to tell.”

  “Come in,” I said as I unclenched my hand around my blade and gestured for her to come closer. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m okay,” Ava replied as she lowered her hood. Her face had a few cuts across her chin, but she seemed to be in one piece.

  “How did you know we were here?” Dar asked as he picked up his pipe that dropped to the floor when Ava scared him.

  “I spoke with Selius at the stables, and he told me you would be here,” Ava said as she leaned against the small kitchen counter.

  “Good,” I said as I scratched at my chin. “You said you knew where Hebal is keeping the grain he stole?”

  “I’m not one-hundred percent positive, but I’m confident enough.” Ava nodded.

  “Where?” Penny asked.

  “Near the spice market in the Dwarf District,” Ava said as she crossed her arms. “There are two warehouses in the far corner and I--”

  “I know exactly what you’re talking about,” Dar cut the beautiful blonde assassin off as he tapped the table with his knuckles. “Fuck, of course, he’d keep the grain there because that’s where they loaded our barrels from, too.”

  “You both know where this place is?” I questioned.

  “Apparently so,” Ave replied. “I saw a group of dwarves hanging around one particular warehouse o--”

  “On the left?” Dar asked. “If you’re looking at it how Wade is facing the front door?”

  “That’s right,” Ava said.

  “Yeah,” Dar said as he turned toward me. “That’s where they loaded the whiskey, and I jumped into their wagon.”

  “Makes sense,” I said with a nod.

  “I know it too,” Skam added. “Although I thought those were abandoned warehouses, it would make sense a mobster like Hebal would find some use for em.”

  “Either way, thank you for the information, Ava,” I said. “But, I think we also just discovered where we should set up our last meet up with Hebal.”

  “The warehouses?” Penny asked.

  “I think it would be perfect,” I began. “Hebal would be so paranoid that we know where he operates, he’d have to show up himself, too.”

  “It’s a tight alley, though,” Dar said as he bit down on his pipe.

  “Are we taking the dwarf down?” Ava asked.

  “We are,” I said. “Don’t worry about that, though. You’ve been on the run of your life.”

  “I’ll say,” Ava chuckled. “I’ve killed around ten assassins from the guild already, but their numbers have only increased with each attack.”

  “Shit,” Dar muttered. “I’m glad you’re on our side.”

  “Me too, halfling.” Ava smirked. “But there is another reason I traveled here to find you.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I fear that my old guild leader has informed the other Assassin Guilds throughout the realm of our current situation,” Ava sighed. “If that’s the case, then we will need more fighters.”

  “What makes you so sure?” Penny questioned.

  “Because I thought I saw a dwarf during one of their surprise raids as I hid near the Falrion Forest,” Ava said as she rubbed her forehead. “I wasn’t able to confirm, but I am almost positive.”

  “If she’s right,” Cimarra placed her hand and along my shoulder. “We cannot fight them on our own.”

  “We are at war, Wade,” Ava said with a grimace.

  “We might have to put other business ventures on hold until it’s dealt with, pal,” Dar suggested. “We can take care of Hebal how we’ve been talking about, but then we need to focus on the assassins.”

  “I agree,” I said as I ran a hand through my hair. “Thank you for the surprise update, Ava, it’s needed. Do you need anything else from us?”

  “It would be great if I could have someone come with me,” Ava said with a shrug. “Just another blade to have on my side.”

  “Of course,” I said as I looked to Penny, “How a--”

  “You will need Penny,” Ava cut me off. “I’ll take the halfling with me.”

  “You will?” Dar asked with wide eyes. “Where?”

  “Back near the forest, maybe to the catering house to lie low while they deal with Hebal,” Ava said as she locked eyes with me. “Would that be okay?”

  “Then I’ll go with ya, too,” Skam added. “We can take the wagon back.”

  “Even better.” Ava grinned.

  “I think that’ll work,” I replied. “Once we have dealt with the dwarf and his crew over here, I will come to you and discuss the assassins.”

  “I mean,” Dar cleared his throat. “Am I the best choice here to fight alongside Ava?”

  “I’ve seen you in battle,” Ava said. “You are more than capable, especially against other halflings.”

  “Alright,” Dar said as he tapped out the tobacco from his pipe onto the floor and sm
ashed it with his heel. “Time to gut some fuckers.”

  “I just need another blade,” Ava said. “I need you both to keep others off of me.”

  “Got it,” Dar said with a slight nod. “You can have my blade.”

  “And mine as well,” Skam said.

  “Good,” Ava replied. “Then, we should go now.”

  “Now?” Dar asked. “Aren’t we gonna sleep first?”

  “Do you want to be an easy target for an assassin?” Ava questioned. “We’ll sleep once we get to the cottage.”

  “Marver will be pissed to see us there,” Dar sighed as he stood to his feet.

  “Tell him you’re both doing inventory for a few days,” Cimarra suggested. “He’ll leave you alone.”

  “Alright,” Dar said with a nod.

  “Before you three go,” I said. “I just want to summarize. First, we set up a meeting with the miners for tomorrow. Then, while I’m in that meeting, Cimarra will conduct the theatre walkthrough with the elven pricks.”

  “Is that why you moved the chests and painting here?” Ava observed.

  “It is,” I replied to the assassin and then addressed the others again. “After my meeting with the miners, hopefully, we will have come to an agreement to erase the debt on this building, and it will officially be ours. Then we end Hebal and his crew during the Eclipse Festival, take his grain, and then meet up with Dar and Ava at the cottage where we can even store the excess grain.”

  “And then we plan to kill Fallor?” Ava asked.

  “Your guild leader?” Dar guessed.

  Ava nodded.

  “Then we kill Fallor and any other assassin idiot that wants to get in our way,” I said with a smirk.

  “Will the hit on us end once Fallor is dead?” Skam asked as he looked at Ava.

  “No,” Ava answered. “They may lose the urge to continue tracking us, but we will surely be responsible for a lot of bodies before that happens.”

  “Does everyone understand?” I asked as I gestured throughout the room.

  “So be it,” Ava replied.

  “Until death claims us, lad,” Skam said with a nod.

  “I’m with you,” Cimarra said as she rested her hand on mine.

  “I’m ready,” Penny said.

  “Fuck,” Dar sighed as he looked to Skam and then Ava. “You ready to get outta here?”