by Jamie Davis
"Oh, what I have in mind will help them immensely. Ladies do you mind coming over here. I have something to show you."
The two women stepped over to the doorway and stared at the naked Warden, trussed up and gagged on the bed.
Hal drew two of his throwing knives and handed one to each of them.
"I think you have some things you'd like to say to the Warden about how he's treated you. Feel free to do what you want, but don't take too long. We have to be leaving in a few minutes."
The Warden went wide-eyed and started pulling at his bonds, muffled screaming filtering through his gag. Hal waved at the Warden and pulled the door shut behind him.
Hal sat down next to Kay and started loading the gold and gemstones into their packs. He was able to fit it all into their bags and pouches, just as Kay announced, "Found it!"
She held up a ledger and pointed to an entry. "This is the address where the Duke's wife and daughters are being held."
A notification scrolled across Hal’s field of view telling him the women were done their grisly work.
QUEST COMPLETED - Assassinate the Merchant Warden.
2,500 experience points awarded.
Quest completed - Locate the Duke's family.
2,500 experience points awarded.
"PERFECT," Hal said. "Bring that book with you; we've got to go. I think the women are finished with the Warden, too."
"How do you know?" Kay asked.
"Just a hunch. Come on; we have to get them out of here, now. They'll be killed for his murder if we don't."
The door to the bedroom opened, and the two women came out. They'd changed out of the robes into their plain gray slave dresses. Their hands still had blood stains on them, though. The older of the two women came over and handed him the two knives. They'd been wiped clean of any blood.
"Thank you," the woman said.
"Always happy to be of service," Hal replied. "Now we all have to leave. We came in through that window. We'll lower you both to the ground and get you to freedom, alright?"
Both women nodded.
"Great, then come on."
It took a little work and coaxing, but they managed to get both women down from the balcony with only a few scrapes and bruises to show for it. Hal was the last one down. Before he left the balcony, he went back inside and threw the oil lamp against the wall, causing it to burst and spread flaming oil across the wall and floor.
He ran back out to the balcony and climbed over the edge, lowering himself to hang by his hands and dropping the rest of the way to the ground. He stood up and froze as an alarm bell started to sound from the back of the house.
"Head for the front gates, ladies. Kay and I'll be right behind you. I think they've discovered we're here. If we don't come right out, head for the harbor and ask for Griff at the Chum Bucket tavern. He'll look after you until we return."
The two women turned and ran for the front gates.
At the same instant, the front doors of the home opened behind them, and two monstrous orc guards ducked their heads under the lintel and came outside. They took one look at the two dead orcs on the ground and another at the two black-clad humans in front of them. For a second, everyone froze in place.
Then the orcs charged straight at Hal and Kay.
Hal fired off four rapid fire throwing knives at the lead orc.
Two of the knives glanced off the orc's armored shirt of chainmail. The other two struck home, one in the base of his neck and the other lodged in the orc's right arm.
Blood fountained out of the wound in the orc's neck, and he slowed his charge, trying to stem the bleeding.
Hal drew his daggers and ran straight at the orc he'd wounded leaving Kay to take on the other one at first. It was better to finish this one off while he was distracted.
The orc saw Hal coming and tried to raise his heavy sword blade with the wounded arm.
Using his acrobatic dodge ability, Hal dropped to his knees, sliding across the grass and ducking under the awkwardly swung blade. Reaching out, Hal drew one of his blades across the back of the orc's closest knee, slicing the hamstrings and causing the leg to buckle under the creature's weight.
The orc crashed to the ground and Hal was on him instantly, dealing a double thrust with his dual blades into the mailed chest. The links popped open under the weight of the thrust, and the blades drove home.
1,000 EXPERIENCE POINTS
Level Up!
HAL JUMPED up and turned to help Kay. He needn't have worried. She had dropped her opponent, too and smiled at him when he gave her a thumbs up.
"Let's go," Hal said. "There've got to be more of these goons around here. I'd rather not face a whole army of them."
Kay pointed past him at the second floor of the house. "Is that smoke?"
"Yeah, I left a little gift for the Wardens," Hal chuckled. "They won't be using this property again any time soon. Come on, let's catch up with the women and get them somewhere safe."
Kay took off running, and Hal ran right behind her. He checked in on his new level status. He dropped two points into his luck attribute and added to his acrobatic dodge skill. Satisfied with his stats, Hal turned all his attention to making sure no one followed them as they escaped from the burning home of the Merchant's Warden.
NAME: Hal Dix
Class: Rogue
Level: 8
ATTRIBUTES:
Brawn: 14 -- +3
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 22 -- +7
Speed: 12 -- +2
Looks: 8
Health: 64/64
SKILLS: Taunt - 2, Dark Vision, Acrobatic Dodge - 5, Hide in Shadows - 2, Sneak Attack - 2, Open Locks - 2, Find/Remove Traps.
Experience: 19,600/38,000
22
ONCE AGAIN, Hal and Kay had to detour several times on their way across Tandon, returning to the Harbor District. The Wardens had guard patrols and checkpoints all across the city, and as the late-night crowds thinned out, it became harder and harder for the four of them to blend in.
The women were dressed in plain gray dresses, marking them as slaves for most who saw them. That would cause guards to question why they were out late. Hal and Kay drew attention because they were heavily armed and the guards were looking for a pair of scoundrels who'd been attacking them all over the city.
The third time they had to skirt around a checkpoint or hide from a patrol, the four fugitives found themselves sitting in a small shed behind a dry goods store. A patrol was taking their time passing by and checking every individual out that evening.
Hal used the opportunity to rest and to get to know the women they'd rescued.
"My name is Hal Dix, and this is my companion Kay," he began. "What are your names?"
"My name is Helena," the older of the two said. So far, she had been the only one to speak. "This is Julia."
"We're going back to a safe place, but we'd like to return you both to your homes and families," Kay said.
"There is nothing for us to return to," Helena said. "Our families are all dead, and our cities have been razed to the ground."
"Julia, do you feel the same way?" Kay asked.
Julia nodded and looked down at her hands clasped in her lap.
Kay looked up at Helena.
"She has not spoken since the Warden bashed her baby's head against a wall. He wanted to remove all connection to her former life," Helena said.
"Wow," Hal said. "I'm starting to think I did the right thing letting you two have some alone time with the Warden before we left."
"Our only wish would have been to have been able to take longer with him to exact true suffering on him," Helena said.
Julia nodded and returned her gaze to her hands.
"If you don't wish to return home, is there somewhere else we can send you?" Kay asked.
"Neither of us have anything left to live for. We would like to show our thanks for you freeing us from that monster of a man. Perhaps we can serve you in some way?"
&n
bsp; Both women leaned against Hal and Kay at that moment.
"Hold on there, ladies." Hal held up his hands between himself and Helena. "I think you misunderstand us. My companion and I have no desire for anything like you propose, though we are honored by the offer. Perhaps we can find you accommodations in town and a place where you may have honest work."
"What did you do before you were sold into slavery?" Kay asked.
"Julia was a shop owner’s daughter. He was known for his meat pies and pastries. It is possible she could work in such an establishment here in Tandon."
"What about you, Helena?" Kay asked.
"I was a lesser noble's wife. We were only married for six months when the Emperor took our city. My husband was put to death in front of me, just after he watched them brand me with the slave's mark. Julia and I were sold together to the man who became the Merchant Warden when the armies arrived here in Tandon. He was an officer in the Emperor's army and rewarded for his service with the posting here."
Hal thought about what resources he and Kay had. An idea occurred to him.
"Helena, what if Kay and I invested in setting you both up with a shop in the harbor district. You could sell pastries and meat pies to the residents, as well as to sailors in town off the ships by the docks."
"We would have no way to repay you for such a boon, Hal Dix," Helena said.
"You could hold back some of the profits for us to collect from time to time as payment for our investment," Kay suggested.
"I suppose that would be acceptable," Helena said. She looked to Julia, who nodded and actually had a bit of a smile on her face. "Yes, thank you; that would be fine."
"Good, then it's settled," Hal said. "We'll get you set up through our friend Griff. He'll know a likely storefront to rent in the area. We have enough to get you started for several months until you get on your feet. You did help us with our little raid after all. You deserve a share of the spoils, too."
Kay slipped away to check on the patrol. She returned a few minutes later.
"I think the patrol has passed. We can move on to the Chum Bucket and get some rest from this long night," Kay said.
Hal agreed. They needed rest, and then in the morning, they needed to plan their next strike. Thus far, two of the five Wardens were dead. The city would start to realize they could fight back against their oppressors soon. Then they would take the city back, and the Emperor's people would be cast out.
------
GRIFF TOOK the two ladies in when they got back to the Chum Bucket that night. He set them up with rooms where his barmaids boarded nearby and left them in the care of the ladies who worked in the tavern. Griff assured Hal they would be safe and well cared for. With that off his mind, Hal had little to keep him up, and he let exhaustion take him into slumber.
The next morning came late for Hal and Kay. They were tired, and both of them slept soundly until late in the day. Hal woke up first and left to fetch fresh water for the wash basin and to get some fresh air. Living underground could be tedious after a while.
Kay was awake when he returned from up above.
"Good morning," Hal said. "I brought back water for the basin."
"Thank you," Kay said. "Have you thought about what we should do next? I think we owe the Duke a visit to let him know we found his family, but part of me doesn't want to leave them in slavery any longer either."
"We could rescue them and have them stay with Helena and Julia until it's safe for them to return to the palace," Hal suggested.
"That could be a while."
"I don't know if there's a better option," Hal said. "What else can we do? If we don’t rescue them, we leave them where they are in slavery. It could be a long time until we knock off enough of the Wardens and their guards that the city starts to rise up."
"That could take weeks or months," Kay said.
"I agree. It's too long. We should rescue them as soon as possible, maybe tonight," Hal said.
"I'm game," Kay said. "Also, there was something I saw in the Warden's ledgers last night that was curious. I think there are other cities, formerly conquered by the emperor that are rising up in rebellion."
"What makes you say that?"
"There were several notations about locations that used to be reliable places to procure slaves. They were no longer responding to requests for more inventory," Kay said. "It's strange. The shipments of slaves were steady until about a year ago from those locations. I think it's a sign of a more widespread rebellion against the Emperor."
"It's happening here," Hal said. "There's no reason it couldn't be happening elsewhere."
"It is happening here, isn't it?" Kay said. "I never thought about a rebellion. I only wanted revenge. After talking with Helena and hearing about Julia's story, I think I'm not the only one who wants justice."
"You're not, and that clinches it for me. Let's get ready to go and find the Duke's family," Hal said.
"Any ideas of how we accomplish that?"
"Don't worry; I have a clever plan."
Kay groaned.
23
LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Kay stood in an alley, her hands on her hips, staring at the wagon Hal drove up with seconds earlier. He watched for her reaction, but it wasn’t what he expected.
“It’s a laundry wagon. Why did you steal a laundry wagon?”
“It’s the perfect plan, and I didn’t steal it, I bought it,” Hal said.
“You what?”
“Look, bear with me for a minute,” Hal said. “We keep running into patrols on our way back from our missions. What if we had a good reason to be out at all hours? We could go almost anywhere we wanted to go.”
“So you bought a laundry business?”
“No, just the wagon. The laundry had already gone out of business apparently. Now, though, we dress up as laundry delivery guys, and we can come and go as we please. Plus, look in the back.”
Hal opened the rear doors to the boxlike cabin mounted on the back of the wagon. Inside were a collection of large wicker hampers full of linens.
“See, we can hide people in these and cover them with the linens,” Hal said.
“I see that you’ve lost your mind,” Kay told him.
“Humor me. We’ll use it on the trip to get the Duke’s wife and daughters. You’ll see. Here, put this on.”
Hal handed Kay a white smock and coat to wear over her armor. He took out a similar work outfit and slipped into it while she pulled on hers.
"Now we look the part. We're hard working citizens out delivering laundry," Hal said. "Come on, climb up and we'll get on the road."
QUEST ACCEPTED - Case the merchant's house.
Quest accepted - Find the Duke's family.
KAY PULLED herself up onto the wagon's bench seat and sat in front of the covered portion that was the main part of the wagon. Hal climbed up next to her and took up the reins.
"No, hand them to me, Hal. I'll take the reins," Kay said. "Remember what happened the last time you drove a wagon? Five men died."
"That's not fair. I was trying to kill them."
"Nevertheless, if I'm going to go along with this plan, I'll drive. We don't need to draw unneeded attention to ourselves."
Hal waved a hand to her and handed her the reins with the other. Kay clucked and shook the reins and the horse pulling the wagon started forward at a walk. Hal sat back and smiled. This plan was going to be epic, and the best part was, they could use it again and again.
As Hal had expected, the journey to the Merchant's District was uneventful. They encountered two checkpoints. On both occasions, it went exactly like Hal planned. Each time, the guards took one quick look in the wagon and waved the two of them through.
Soon, they were rumbling down the street where the merchant lived. The houses all sat back from the street behind tall walls or fences. The few people who walked along the street here spared little more than a glance in their direction.
"See, no one is paying us any mind at all," Hal not
ed to Kay as the wagon moved slowly down the street. "If we'd come here without these clever disguises, people would have remembered every part of our description."
"Fine, you were right," Kay said, rolling her eyes. "Why is it men have to be told they're right all the time. Are you all so completely lacking in self-confidence that you have to have constant positive approval from others?"
"As a man, I have to say I'm offended by your premise about male vulnerability," Hal replied. He leaned close and whispered, "but your women's intuition is probably right on target."
Kay chuckled at that. Her laugh made Hal happy. She was so deadly serious all the time, not that he could blame her. She'd been through so many horrible things in her life. It was amazing she was able to function at all.
Hal felt protective over her, and not just because he'd discovered she was a woman. He'd felt that was soon after their adventures together began, probably beginning when she'd been poisoned by that trap in the merchant's warehouse back at the beginning of all this. Kay was a good companion to have by your side when trouble came along, and he valued her for that as much as anything else.
Hal turned the wagon down a side street and then into an alley that ran behind the main homes.
Kay looked around at the rear of the homes as they passed. "What's the plan?"
"I figure service people like ourselves wouldn't go in the front door. We'd deliver the laundry to the servants in the rear of the home. That's another thing that makes this disguise perfect. No one sees us come and go from the home or business we hit. Plus, we get to go inside first and see what the layout is before we come back at night and make the raid."
"So, which one is the one we're looking for?" Kay said.
"That one, according to the address we got." Hal pointed to a tall structure behind a wooden fence and gate just ahead. "Follow my lead. I'm making this up as I go along."
"Why am I not surprised," Kay said.
"Trust me." Hal had a huge grin on his face.
"The cheesy grin doesn't help."
The wagon pulled up to a gate marked with the symbol that must match up with the merchant they searched for. The gate was open, so Hal turned the wagon into it and up to a hitching post at the back of the home. The stable yard was broad, and there was a coach house as well as stable.