He needed money. More money. Much, much more money.
Finishing his resource list and inventory check, Rene went back to the clothes. He selected the set of clothes that seemed least likely to draw attention and swapped it out for the rags on his inventory avatar.
The rags vanished and the swapped-out clothes instantly appeared on him.
As surprising as that was, it was more surprising that the clothes fit as if they had been tailored for him personally.
Shrugging his shoulders, he dumped the shiv into the window. Dragging over two of the daggers, he placed one in each weapon slot.
Two daggers materialized on him, one on each hip.
Below the avatar was a series of boxes. Drudging up an old memory of his gaming days, he could reasonably assume these might be his quick-use slots. If this was following a traditional twenty-first century video game, that was.
Selecting the wire garrote, he dropped it into the first square. Followed by the poison in the second.
Attached to his belt were now two small pouches. Peeking in both, he found them to hold exactly what he’d expected.
One held the garrote and the other, the poison vial.
“Handy,” Rene said.
It’s well received, by and large. We best not dwell on the eventual charge. For I can honestly say, we’re… fucked.
“You don’t sound as evil as you used to.” Rene dismissed his inventory window and closed his eyes.
The god of nothing is to blame: he took from us the boiling pain.
Soft, shuffling footsteps came into range and then paused. Rene was pretty sure it was somewhere off to his right.
Opening his eyes slowly, Rene turned his head a fraction. Standing at the end of the aisle was a man, a cart full of books in front of him. His eyes were locked on Rene and he seemed shocked to find him there.
Rene activated his Analyze ability as he stood up. There was no point in hiding any further.
Your skill in Analyze has increased (4)
Alana Cleary
Age: 17
Sex: Female
Race: Elven
As she was dressed from head to toe in men’s clothing and wearing a mask over her mouth, Rene never would have guessed she was a woman. Even her ears were tucked up under her hair to further hide her heritage.
There was something to be said for taking the initiative, rather than letting someone else have it.
Rene bowed his head to the woman and sighed.
“My apologies, lady. I mean to cause you no distress. I was escaping those who would see me harmed. I’ll leave immediately.”
The woman’s shoulders straightened, and it seemed her back firmed up at his words.
“Th—” started the woman in a low-pitched voice. A young man’s voice.
Coughing, she touched the mask that was over her mouth.
“Those who would harm you? Why harm you?” she asked him. Her voice was incredibly light this time, and melodic. To anyone who’d ever heard an Elf before, she’d be immediately identified as one.
Rene couldn’t quite make out the details of her face though. The lighting was all wrong and most of it was covered by that mask. He could detect that her curiosity in him was bereft of malice. She was genuinely interested.
Beyond tired, and feeling like his mind was falling apart, Rene just wanted to get away. Get away from her and escape. He needed sleep.
Desperately. His brain was simply failing him, and he knew it.
“That’s not important. I’ll leave you be, Alana.” Rene turned and unlatched the window. He was going to leave right now.
“Stop,” she commanded him.
Rene paused, his fingers on the latch. His mind was beyond heavy. Beyond tired. He’d pass out if he closed his eyes.
Kill her?
Clip her pretty wings before she sings? I’ll carry the blame if you bury the dame.
Closing his eyes, Rene easily dismissed the question from his Monster. For it was indeed only a question. It no longer had the compulsion it once had. It wasn’t a command.
“You’ll help me. Take the cart,” she said, gesturing at the book-laden trolley. “Come, we have little time.”
Blinking, Rene looked at the cart. Tired, and more than a little confused, Rene moved over to stand behind it. It was easier than trying to overpower her or escape.
“Good. Now, we need to go down this aisle and one over to the right,” she said with a raised right hand. With her left, she slotted a book back into the shelf.
Rene looked at the indicated shelves. Pushing the cart forward, he began trundling that way.
Stopping there, he looked to the woman for instructions.
“Down this aisle, then two shelves left,” she murmured, pulling a book free from the cart.
Rene looked at the cart and then got it moving forward once more along the directed routed.
A little over an hour later and the cart was empty of books. Alana had directed Rene around the entirety of the complex before they’d both returned to the entrance.
“Ah, that was a lot quicker with someone else. Much appreciated. What was your name again?” Alana asked him.
“Rene,” he responded. Looking at the doors, he felt a little light-headed. He needed to train after this. A lot.
Train until he could do mile-long runs without breaking a sweat or losing his wind. Rene was out of shape. Depressingly out of shape.
You’ve gained a point of Endurance (13)
“Well, Rene, you look pretty tired. I’d suggest sleeping in the high shelves in the back of the third floor. Sleep well.” Alana turned and walked off, leaving him there alone.
Following her instructions, Rene made his way to the suggested spot.
He laid his head down on his own hands, and promptly fell asleep.
Light pressure against the side of his boot after only a few minutes stirred him from his sleep. Eyes snapping open, Rene surveyed his surroundings.
Standing above him was the young Elven woman, dressed the same today as she’d been before.
Her eyes were a touch overly large. He could see them now above the mask in the morning light streaming through a window.
Slept longer than I thought.
Her large irises were solid black. Like ink on a page, they made her eyes look like pools of darkness. He could see little of the white around them on top of that. Finishing off the signs of her Elven heritage, was a very clear and prominent tilt to her eyes. Everything added up to a decidedly alien, if attractive in a way, feel to her. Like she wasn’t meant to be here amongst the dirt of humanity.
“Doors open in ten minutes to card-carrying members. People generally start leaving thirty minutes after that,” Alana murmured.
“Thank you. I appreciate the information.” Rene sat up, taking stock of himself. He felt prepared for the day. More so than he had a right to, given what he’d undergone.
Maybe the changes from the previous day had done more than he’d accounted for. His constant skill and stat upgrades. There were quite a few things he’d need to check into today as he escaped.
Better to know the tools available to you.
The librarian stared at him for a few more seconds before turning and leaving him there.
A real pity, a true shame. I would ask the pretty bird to say our name.
Watching her leave, Rene muttered to himself.
“Never figured you for the romantic.”
I wanted to eat her. Do you think her blood tastes the same as a human’s? Perhaps it would rot our teeth with its delicious sweetness.
Ever wonder if blood can cause cavities? I bet hers would.
“Never mind,” Rene said, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
With any luck, he could be on the road back home before the day was out. Then he’d have to see about getting this entire emergency thing turned off again. He’d enjoyed being alone in his own head.
Sharing it with his Monster again seemed like the last thing he wanted
right now.
Chapter 5
Rene had done exactly what the librarian had instructed him to do. He wandered the shelves and fingered book spines, picking up a few as if he were interested in them.
In doing so, he had even found a few books that really did interest him. A basic manual on swordplay, a primer on archery, a map of the city, and a slim manual on what looked like martial arts. All four had disappeared into his inventory screen without an issue.
It wasn’t as if they could search him to find out if he had anything on his person.
When he finally hit the street, people were starting to go about their day. Rene tried to blend in as best as he could with whatever groups he could make his way into the rear of.
As he traveled down the boulevard, he let his eyes pick over everything around him. He used Analyze on anyone or anything that caught his interest. There was no reason not to use the ability, after all.
Especially since it seemed he could level up almost anything he did.
Which was one of the few reasons he managed to spot people who could very well be looking for him.
Or so his wariness of the situation told him.
They were titled to his eyes and stood out like a beacon. “Enforcer” and “Lookout” were so obviously not normal that Rene couldn’t help but be aware of them. Being able to read titles was an incredible thing.
Right now, they were off to one side of the gates exiting the city. He couldn’t prove that they were posted there to look for him, but he couldn’t really see why such a thing would happen otherwise.
That’s not true at all, my boy; could be but looking for marks to enjoy.
Suppose. Could be.
Not likely though.
Rene would personally bet that they’d even been given a likeness of him to work from.
He couldn’t prove it though and it sounded like baseless paranoia.
Even to him.
Frowning, Rene pressed a hand to his mouth. Moving to one side, he posted up in a small awning of a shop just to watch. He needed more information, and there wasn’t really a way to get it.
With nothing else to do for the moment, and not knowing what those at the gate wanted, Rene went over his available options.
He could leave the city outright. Walk right by those people and head out. But once he was on the road, all bets would be off. He’d probably be pursued immediately if they were waiting for him.
The likelihood of capture was significant at that point. Especially since he had no information of where he was, or what was going on.
The more appealing answer seemed almost insane by comparison. Rene could blend into the city. Become part of it and bide his time. Wait for things to die down, and take control of the situation.
The latter was the stranger option, but it was also simpler. It would allow him greater leeway to build himself into a secure position of safety. The wilderness and areas around the city would be much harder for him to deal with at this time.
Unfortunately, staying in the city would also be rather difficult for his family.
They would have no idea what the situation was for him, or even where he was.
Luckily, his father had a strong sense of “what-if”-ness about him. He’d constantly wondered and worried about what might happen, and then planned for those situations.
A sentiment that Rene, an ex-hitman, greatly appreciated in his father.
Let’s stay and make them pay.
Let all know to not bother our loved ones.
Deciding, and agreeing with his Monster, Rene turned and began strolling back up the street he’d come down.
Right now, his safest course of action was to remain in the city. Build up his resources while lying low. Get information on the surrounding areas, then put together a strategy and plan how to execute it.
Rushing foolishly ahead with an idiot plan was something you’d only see in books and movies. The type where people screamed at the hero or heroine that they were a fool.
Indeed! I… I don’t feel like rhyming right now.
I’m tired.
“Yep. We’re completely sane,” Rene said. Moving into another group of people, Rene kept his head down and tried to look like he belonged.
Rene felt a very slow and careful hand brush against his coin-pouch. In fact, he could even feel the fingers of that hand as it slid over and up to touch his empty coin pouch again.
All his coin was safely stored in the magical inventory window. Nothing was in the coin pouch but lint, dirt, and air.
The takings for pickpockets this morning must be pretty horrible if someone was targeting his sad-looking pouch.
Grabbing the hand before it could slip away, Rene held it tightly. Without even looking, he knew it was a child. Probably little more than a pre-teen at best.
With a tug, he pulled the would-be criminal into the mouth of an alley.
He could probably get half a minute alone before people started to notice. That’d be more than enough time.
“What city is this?” Rene asked quietly, pulling the thief in front of himself.
“F-F-F-Felicie. Don’ kill me,” stammered the dirty urchin. Rene was pretty sure it was a boy under all the dirt and grime. His hair was brown, as were his eyes.
“Top guild in the city?” Rene asked. This would be a good time to get some information.
“Snakes.”
Dumb name.
Stupid, vulgar, crude. We should stay, slay the brood.
A deadly tax or we’ll drop the axe.
Those who pay the bill, we’ll not kill. Stand astride them, and let the gates to hell open wide then.
“Second and third guilds?” Rene prompted.
“Ravens. Jackals.”
Snorting, Rene suddenly couldn’t help but agree with the Monster. With names like that, he couldn’t imagine they were the cream of the crop, as it were. If anything, he might gain something by going for them.
“And you?” Rene asked.
“Err, Bert’s,” said the urchin.
“Right. A couple people turned up dead last night. What guild?” Rene asked
“Huh?” asked the boy, looking very confused now.
“Corpses were made, who did they belong to?”
“I don’t… there weren’t any.”
That confirms it. Those Ravens, Jackals, and Snakes are nobodies. There’s a real power or two here, and it isn’t known to anyone else.
“Go.” Rene shoved the boy back into the street. Taking two steps deeper into the alley, he slid up to a wall and crouched low.
Stalking away from the urchin, he moved deeper into the shadows.
Your skill in Sneaking has increased (10)
Your Sneaking skill has been upgraded to include Hide
The boy stumbled several steps and then looked into the alley, his eyes wide. They scanned back and forth as they sought Rene.
Lips peeled back in a feral grin, Rene turned and began moving through the alleys. Information was its own coin, and he’d just managed to make a tidy sum.
Felicie was in a neighboring nation’s borders. A paid courier would still travel back and forth though.
Popping back out of the alley but onto a different street, Rene began looking for a city patrol or guard.
A quick question to the first one he found, and he was off and running. Straight to the biggest money lender in town.
The back-up plan his father and he had set into place was a simple one. Contact the local money lender, offer to pay them triple the going rate for courier services under the guise of being an agent for his father.
To support this plan, his father regularly employed traveling agents to simply go to other towns and make contact with the local money lenders. Grooming, building, and establishing relationships for no other reason than to be known and warmly welcomed.
It cost his father money out of his profits with no hope to earn anything from it, but it did spread his name further and further afield, as well
as providing the excellent contingency plan that Rene was about to invoke.
***
In the end, it cost Rene two silver of the six he had, despite haggling well.
The letter he’d sent to his father was simple. Explaining that he, Haversham, an agreed-upon name that was code for him reporting he was safe, was in Felicie and was now operating legally in the city. Beyond that, the letter stated that he would be attempting to track down and find a made-up debtor who owed the company money.
Inside all of that, though, were basic coded instructions for his father on where his personal finance book was. He knew for a fact that once his father found it, he’d realize Rene wanted him to manage his finances so they didn’t turn sour.
He hoped his father wouldn’t hold what he found against him. Rene had been using his father’s contacts and lending preferences to determine who and what to invest in.
Rene was nowhere near as wealthy as his father, but he figured he was perhaps halfway there.
As he stepped out of the office, he felt a weight lifting from his shoulders. One he hadn’t expected or realized was there.
Two silvers is agreeable, and we’ll call it cheap. Such a meager thing to pay for Father’s peaceful sleep.
Rene nodded his head and angled himself towards the merchant square. He’d picked up a few bits of information while chatting up the money lender. Merchant squares were the best place for simple gambling and to learn what was going on in the city.
All one had to do was listen and watch.
Letting his feet carry him along, he casually used Analyze on every person he encountered.
Most of it was worthless to him, but he found himself looking forward to one message in particular. It was swiftly becoming an addiction.
Your skill in Analyze has increased (5)
You’ve gained a point of Perception (20)
And there it was. A small smile popped up on Rene’s normally blank face. The continual increases appealed to his nature. The build-up of small gains and increases, developing into something much larger. Always growing in power.
Monster's Mercy Page 5