by Jamie Davis
The knife connected and Hal heard a grunt of pain from the assassin.
Tension released from the cord around his neck and Hal sprang forward, away from his attacker and spun around. The man was dressed in the servant’s livery from the palace but he could have gotten that from the laundry or killed a servant to take it. The man’s weapon of choice, the garrote, announced him as an assassin and member of the black brotherhood.
Hal had faced them once before when the local Wardens in Tandon had tried to have him killed. Hal had assumed the price was off his head.
He was mistaken.
Hal drew his two daggers and crouched into a defensive stance.
“Who sent you?” Hal asked.
The other man sneered but said nothing. He drew a wicked looking curved blade from under his tunic. Hal noticed the blade looked sticky with a tarry substance coating the edge.
Great. Poison.
The familiar slot machine began rolling in his head, as it always did when he was in need of some luck. It told Hal he had a choice to make that might determine if he won or lost this fight.
The assassin snarled and charged forward, leading with the poisoned blade. The attacker didn’t need to do more than scratch Hal with his dagger to kill him.
Hal had to be careful.
He parried the blade to the side with one dagger while he slashed with the other.
Dancing backward, the assassin avoided the attack with ease.
Hal darted forward, using his acrobatic dodge skill to duck under the blade in a somersault and coming up inside the assassin’s guard with a double stabbing attack. One of the daggers was parried but the other opened a nasty gash on the man’s leg.
Diving to one side to avoid the return slash with the poisoned dagger, Hal managed to once again avoid injury.
The attacker was twice injured now. Once from Hal’s initial strike with one of his throwing knife and the other the slash from his dagger. The man still seemed to be unfazed and started to come at Hal again.
Hal wanted to question the man but realized he was playing with death here. One lucky strike and Hal was a dead man. He needed to end this quickly.
Hal engaged his Instant Kill skill and lunged for the assassin. Hal feinted with one of his daggers while driving the other home below the curve of his jaw where the man’s head met his neck.
Blood flooded from the man’s mouth and he fell to the floor, dead.
Black Brotherhood assassin killed - 3,500 experience points awarded.
Hal stepped forward and kicked the poisoned dagger away, then leaned down and started searching the man’s clothing for anything that might explain the attack.
A folded piece of paper was the only evidence he could find. It showed a rather good, hand-sketched likeness of himself and listed a bounty of fifteen hundred gold pieces for Hal the Hood’s death.
Hal didn’t know if he should be flattered or frightened. Clearly, word had gotten out he was back in town and the local assassins had decided to come after him.
The door opened and Hal snatched a fresh throwing knife from its sheath and readied to throw if it was another attacker.
The serving girl who entered took one look at the body on the floor and Hal’s fighting stance and screamed, dropping the tray of wine and goblets to the floor.
Hal tried to stop her but she turned and ran back out the door, her screaming cries echoing down the halls of the palace. The sound of armored men running up the passage soon followed and several armed guards burst into the room.
The sergeant of the guard took in the situation at a glance.
“Are you alright, Master Hal?”
“I’m well. I cannot say the same about this man. He attacked me from behind while I was working. I tried to take him alive but he forced me to kill him. Oh, and be careful. That blade over there appears to be poisoned.”
The sergeant glanced at the curved blade on the floor and nodded.
“Hutchins, tell His Grace what happened. I expect he’ll want to see this for himself,” the sergeant ordered.
The guard saluted and left to find the Duke.
Hal handed the sergeant the paper he found on the assassin.
“He had this on him. Nothing else,” Hal said.
The sergeant glanced at the paper and up at Hal. “It’s a good likeness.”
“Perhaps a bit too good,” Hal agreed. “It seems the Emperor’s agents know I’m back in Fantasma.”
“We can provide you an armed guard. This should never have happened inside the palace. I’m sure the captain of the guard will offer his apologies.”
“Apologies won’t stop the next guy from trying his luck against mine,” Hal replied. “I think I need to talk to His Grace again. My plans might have to be expedited a bit.”
The sergeant had no comment. He pointed to the body on the floor.
“Take him down to the guard house,” the sergeant ordered. “I want all the on-duty guards to come in and see his face. Someone must have seen him pass into the palace. I want to know where he entered and who might have entered with him.”
The two other guards stepped forward and lifted the dead man from the puddle of blood on the floor, carrying him from the room.
Hal took the opportunity to place the communications from Kay back into the wooden box. He closed the lid and waited in silence with the sergeant until the Duke arrived.
“Hal, what happened? I heard you were attacked.”
“It was the Black Brotherhood, Korran. They’ve discovered I’m back in Tandon. There’s still an Imperial price on my head it seems.”
“I must apologize for this, Hal. You should have been safe in the palace.”
“Perhaps it is for the best. I think I should move up my timeline to leave for the east. I wonder if you could arrange for me to be hired on as a caravan guard on the next caravan headed for Hyroth?”
The Duke nodded. “That is easy enough. What did you have in mind?”
“You make it known that I’m still here, under protective custody in the palace,” Hal said. “I’ll sneak out and take on work as a caravan guard in the meantime. That will keep the assassins off my trail while I head to the east to investigate Kay’s disappearance.”
Quest accepted - Locate Kay.
Quest accepted - Get hired as a caravan guard.
“You will need gear if you’re to appear as a common mercenary soldier and guard,” Duke Korran said. “I’ll arrange for Colin at the Caravansary Outfitters to supply you with everything you need. When will you set out?”
“I think I should leave immediately. The caravan merchants should be hiring now if they’re leaving in a few days as you said over lunch. I’ll stop at Colin’s to equip myself and then take your recommendation to the merchant to get hired.”
“Begging your pardon, Master Hal,” the sergeant interrupted. “It might make more sense if I write that recommendation. It would seem strange for His Grace to recommend a common soldier for caravan guard duty. If I were to do it, I could say you’re a cousin of mine or something.”
“That is an excellent idea, sergeant,” the Duke said. “It will seem less suspicious if the letter comes from you. Will that work, Hal?”
“I think it will work just fine. Now, I need some commoner’s clothing so I can slip out of the palace unnoticed this evening. Then I can be on my way.”
Duke Korran stepped forward and clasped wrists with Hal. “Blessings on you for a safe trip. Try to send word back on your progress. If I can send you aid from here in Tandon, I will.”
“Thank you, Korran,” Hal said.
He and the Duke made plans for how Hal would send back his communiques while the sergeant arranged for the letter and got Hal some simpler clothing to change into. It was time to go into service as a caravan guard.
5
Two hours later, Hal left the palace through the main gate. He walked alongside the day’s petitioners for relief and justice who passed through the gate every day. He wore rough
spun wool trousers and a simple cotton tunic. A broad-brimmed hat, pulled down low over his eyes, helped hide his face from any who might have recognized him.
He had a single dagger tucked in to his common brown leather boots because it would stand out if he was armed to the teeth like he usually was. It was approaching winter in this part of Fantasma and the days were getting shorter. He only had an hour or so of daylight left and he wanted to get across town to the Caravan District and visit Colin at the Caravansary Outfitters shop.
Hal knew he’d feel much less naked once he was outfitted with the necessary gear of a mercenary guard for hire. Duke Korran had assured him Colin would have all the expected equipment ready for him when he arrived. Hal only had to get there without getting attacked again by a random assassin or getting recognized by anyone.
Most people were engrossed in their own lives, however, and had little time for another common farmer or shopkeeper on his way home from the palace district. Hal made his way without any trouble to the street where the outfitters shop was located. That was when he ran into his first bit of difficulty.
Hal was about to stroll up to the Outfitters main door when he noticed two men standing across the street watching the building. They stood about twenty yards apart but they were clearly paying more attention to Colin’s establishment than they were to whatever business they were pretending to be on. He didn’t know who they were or even if they were looking for him, but it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to take a chance. They could be more assassins and were covering the outfitters building just in case he showed up.
It wasn’t worth it to take a chance. It was imperative he enter and leave Colin’s establishment undetected. He couldn’t allow his mission to be compromised so early.
Hal either had to find another way into Colin’s shop or he needed to distract the two men in a way that allowed him to slip inside unseen. Once there, he was sure Colin could figure out how to get him out undetected.
Hal checked his belt pouch. It contained a small supply of gold, gemstones and silver pieces for his trip. It was the only thing he brought with him from his previous gear. Hal tapped the pouch with his fingers for a few minutes while he pondered the problem. Then he spotted exactly what he needed to pull it off. There were two women who had to be prostitutes standing on the opposite corner from where he stood.
The two women chatted up all the men who passed them by and gave appraising stares to every woman who walked by. Hal pulled two gold crowns from his purse. That should be plenty to hire them to provide his diversion. He pulled his hat’s brim lower to avoid recognition and crossed over to the two women.
“Hello, tall, dark, and mysterious,” the first woman said. “You look like you could use a little personal attention.”
“Yeah, perhaps you’d like to offer enough to hire both of us for a few hours,” the second offered.
“I don’t have the time for that right this instant, ladies, but I would like to hire your services for a little prank on my friend over there.” Hal hooked a thumb over his shoulder and pointed to the closest of the two men.
“What did you have in mind?” The first woman asked. “And how much is it worth to you?”
Hal held up the two gold coins for an instant so they could see his money then palmed them so he didn’t draw the attention of passersby.
“I have a gold crown for each of you for your trouble,” Hal said. “I’d like you to approach that gentleman and pretend to have a fight over him. It needs to be loud and public so everyone on the street hears you. Can you do that?”
“Honey, for that kind of money, I’ll fight with the Emperor himself over that man.” The first prostitute reached out and snatched the coins from his hand before he knew what happened, handing one to her friend. She winked at him and then the two of them sauntered across the street, taking their time navigating the crowd, until they were right next to the man.
Hal strained to hear the argument that started and smiled. The two ladies were very talented actresses.
“Is this the one you’ve been cheating on my brother with?” The first woman asked.
“So what if it is? I can do what I want with my life.” The second said.
The first woman grabbed the watcher by his coat’s lapels and kneed him in the groin.
“That’s for sleeping with a married woman and making her cheat on my brother. You should be ashamed of yourself, you scoundrel.”
“You can’t beat up a random man just because you think I’ve cheated on your pissy little brother with him. I have a right to do whatever I want,” the second woman said. She slapped her companion and the two women began a quite convincing cat fight right there in the street.
Hal watched the second man, farther down the street. He noticed the disturbance and after his friend was kicked in the balls a second time, he decided he should come to his rescue. As soon as he took his eyes off the front of the Caravansary Outfitters building, Hal took the few brisk steps needed to take him to the doors and inside.
A final glance as he went in showed all four arguing in the street now. The two women had ceased their argument and were now poking the two men in the chest and accusing them of meddling in personal matters that didn’t affect them. Hal had made it free and clear.
Slipping through the doors, Hal waited while his eyes adjusted to the dim lamp light inside.
“Just a moment,” a voice called from the rear of the expansive shop. There were stacks of all types of gear from saddles to shields and everything in between.
Hal stepped away from the vicinity of the entrance and stood against the far wall next to a stack of coarse woolen blankets folded atop a table next to a small portable tent set up on the floor of the shop. He waited a few minutes before Colin finally appeared from between the stacks of caravan goods and supplies.
“Oh, it’s you. I didn’t expect you to show up so quickly. The Duke’s note only just arrived.”
“I thought it best to get out of the palace and begin my tenure as a mercenary guard a little sooner than expected,” Hal said.
“The Duke mentioned a little trouble with the Black Brotherhood,” Colin said. “You know, once they take a commission they don’t give up unless the commission is revoked by the original purchaser.”
“I didn’t know that, but it is just another reason for me to gear up and get out of town. The person who purchased the contract is probably dead. I need to be out with the next caravan east.”
“Have you considered how it will affect your current abilities as a master thief?” Colin asked.
“No, what do you mean?”
Somehow, Colin always seemed to know a bit more about Hal’s true identity and origins than he should. This was another example of that.
“You cannot act as a rogue or use any of your roguish talents while you learn your new profession as a mercenary warrior. The armor will be too bulky at first to facilitate a thief’s dexterous activities. It will be as if you started over with your training,” Colin explained. “Of course, as a warrior, you have other benefits and abilities you’ll accrue over time and experience. Once you become a blade master in your own right, you’ll be able to use your rogue abilities again.”
Hal thought about it from a gaming perspective. There were some games that required players who switched classes to essentially start over with their new class until they matched their other class’ level. This must be something similar.
“What do I need to do to switch my class to warrior?” Hal asked.
“You need to state your intentions aloud. The rest will happen automatically,” Colin said.
“Fine, I wish to become a warrior,” Hal said aloud. As soon as he said it, golden letters appeared before his eyes.
Class changed to Warrior. All experience as a rogue erased until level 11 blade master status is reached. Experience points earned for combat and quest completion will only apply to Warrior class until levels are equal.
Say “yes” to confirm this
selection.
“Yes,” Hal said. A chime sounded in his head and Hal pulled up his stats to peruse the new information. He wasn’t sure what he’d gain or lose from the transition.
Name: Hal Dix
Class: Warrior
Level: 1
Attributes:
Brawn: 16 — +4
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 24 — +8
Speed: 14 — +3
Looks: 8
Health: 88/88
Skills: none
Weapon proficiencies: 0/3
Warrior Experience: 0/300
Rogue Experience: 146,100/250,000
Hal was pleased to see he retained his health points and his hard-won attribute points. At least that part remained the same. He realized he wouldn’t gain any new Rogue abilities until he caught up with his Warrior class. That shouldn’t be too bad, at least for the short term. The points needed to advance as a warrior initially were low enough to make advancement pretty rapid.
“Alright, that’s done. I’m ready to outfit as a caravan mercenary, Colin. What do you think I’ll need?” Hal asked once he’d finished checking his stats. “I suppose I need to learn to use a sword?”
“That and other things,” Colin said. “Come with me and we see what you’re suited to. Do you have a preference for long blades?” The short little man asked over his shoulder while he threaded his way back through the winding aisles of gear.
“Well, I hadn’t really thought about it. What do you have?” Hal asked.
“I have a little bit of everything. Do you prefer a curved blade like a scimitar or saber?”
“I don’t think so. I was thinking of just a standard broad or long sword. Something I can learn to use quickly.” Hal had noted his three weapon proficiency slots now available as a warrior. Being a weapons specialist could help him in a fight, he knew.
Colin led Hal up to to a back room that was covered in blades suspended from hooks set into the walls. Colin looked Hal up and down for a moment before he turned and selected a sword that looked just like the one he’d admired in the booth at the flea market a day before.