Survivors

by Dave Willmarth

  Mace turned to address the other two. When they didn’t move, he asked, “Who are you?”

  The shorter of the two shuffled a bit. Mace lost his patience and cast a light globe onto the ceiling. They all blinked as the room lit up. Mace saw a woman in black leather from head to toe and a male dwarf in plate mail. Mace grinned at the dwarf. “I’m impressed. You managed to stay silent wearing all that metal.”

  Despite the situation, the dwarf grinned at him. “Aye. Silence enchantment. Top o’ the line.” As if to prove his claim, he jumped slightly. Mace watched his armor shuffle and grind against itself, but heard nothing.

  “Who are you?” Mace asked a second time.

  “I be Dorbin Stonehand. Me cousin owned this warehouse.” He nodded his head toward the woman. “She be Red. Me hired guard. I had two more, but these arsefaces killed ‘em when we walked in here. I came to visit me cousin and got ambushed as we stepped in the door.”

  Mace looked at the woman, who scowled, but nodded slightly. He looked back at the dwarf.

  “Can you prove this? Prove that you’re not one of the slavers? Give me a reason not to kill you both.”

  The dwarf leaned forward and turned slightly away from Mace. The sound of chains rattling directed Mace’s attention to the dwarf’s hands. They were cuffed together with thick iron bands, and the bands were chained to the wall. Mace looked at Red, and she obligingly turned to show him her own bonds.

  He sent a quick message to Shari.

  “Hey, bring the kid back here ASAP. Ask him if he’s ever met his old boss’s cousin. His name is Dorbin.”

  “Will do. One sec.”

  There was a short pause, then she continued. “Kid says yes. Dorbin Stonehand.”

  “Okay, I’ve got him here. Need the kid to confirm his identity. Second office on the left from the back door.”

  Mace took a moment to loot the body on the floor. He pointed to the corpse.

  “How long was he in here?”

  Red spoke first. “He came in maybe five minutes ago. Several others rushed past the door as he entered. It sounded like they didn’t get far.” Her smirk suggested that made her happy.

  “They didn’t. We had people waiting. How long have you two been in here?”

  “Hard to tell,” Stonehand said. “They ain’t been feedin’ us, and we can’t see the sun. But I’m sober, and it takes me a full two days o’ not drinkin’ to sober up, so I’d guess three miserable days.” Red nodded in agreement.

  “Don’t move, I’m going to try and find the keys to your shackles.” Mace warned them. He began to rifle through the desk that was in the room. In the middle top drawer he found a key ring with likely looking keys. Moving to the dwarf, he tried a few before finding the correct one. He unlocked the bands, then stepped back two paces as the dwarf freed himself. Then he tossed the keys to the dwarf and let him free his bodyguard.

  When she was free, Red said, “Our weapons are in a box behind you. I’d like them back.”

  Mace nodded. “Not just yet.”

  He pulled his canteen and a couple pieces of jerky from his bag and set them on the desk.

  “Have a seat. Help yourselves. Best I have at the moment. I’ve got someone on the way who knows Dorbin Stonehand. If you are who you say you are, we can be a little more friendly.”

  The dwarf took a seat, while Red remained standing, though she did accept the jerky and a drink from the canteen.

  “And who are ye? Breakin’ in here ‘n killin’ everyone?”

  “My name is Mace. I’m an outworlder. On a mission to kill every Black Flame I find. Your… hosts.”

  “Hah!” Stonehand bellowed. “Aye, there be a worthy cause if ever I hear’d one. Don’t suppose ye’d like some help with that? I owe these dungsnufflers fer killin’ me cousin. And fer their hospitality.” Red nodded with more enthusiasm than Mace had seen from her so far.

  “Let’s just see how things go. For all I know, you’re Black Flame too, and the dead man there worked for you. You could have had him chain you as a ruse.”

  “Aye, I could have at that,” the dwarf nodded in thought. “That would have been damned clever of me.”

  He took a bite of the jerky and chewed slowly. “Not bad. Thank ye for the food and drink.”

  They passed a couple more minutes in silence as the two ate their meager meal. Mace watched them. He believed their story. They were way too at ease to be lying to him. Still, he didn’t let down his guard.

  Shari called out as they neared the office, and Mace answered. She walked in with the boy behind her.

  The dwarf saw him and stood. “Ah, lad! Good to see ye livin’.”

  The boy smiled at the dwarf, then looked at Mace.

  “That’s him. He’s visited several times before. And that’s Red.” He pointed to the bodyguard. “She hardly ever talks, but she’s not as mean as she looks. She taught me how to play cards.”

  Red smiled fondly at the boy, and Stonehand looked to Mace. “Good ‘nuff fer ye?”

  Mace nodded. “My apologies. Can’t be too careful these days. If you’d like to join us in the hunt, you’re welcome to do so. Or you can go to the Purple Mushroom and wait for us to return. They’ll have food and drink and you can rest there.”

  Red moved to the box that contained their gear, then looked to Mace for permission. When he nodded, she opened it and started handing weapons and a shield to her employer. Then she began strapping a surprising number of blades and other weapons to her own armor.

  Mace was impressed. He carried several hidden blades and other tools useful in his specialty. But Red was quickly coming to resemble a black leather porcupine.

  When they were ready, Shari led them all to the nearby bar, where they found Callahan and the others standing in the same spot they’d killed the first six at the mouth of the alley. He’d already given out assignments, and told Mace as much.

  “Everybody knows what to do. I assume we’re going in the front?”

  As he finished speaking, he noticed the dwarf. “Stonehand. Good to see you. I’m sorry about Telgrin.”

  Stonehand nodded, not saying anything. He looked anxiously at the tavern. “They’ll likely be expectin’ us in there, ya know.”

  Mace nodded. “I’ll go in first. If they kill me, I’ll respawn…”

  He suddenly realized that he and the others hadn’t bothered to find a local bind point. Since he had logged off on the Sea Sprite, he hoped he would respawn there. Or at the Purple Mushroom.

  “Bah!” The dwarf began to stomp toward the front door. The others, taking that as a signal, moved down the alley to cover the back exit. Two archers remained on the road to watch the windows of the rooms above. The mage and the other archer were covering the windows on the other side. Anybody trying to climb down would be skewered. “They don’t have the advantage o’ surprise this time!” he continued as he got closer the door. “Me n Red can handle this if’n ye need a rest.” He grinned before kicking the heavy wood door. It shattered into a dozen pieces as he just walked right on through. There were shouts of alarm from inside as Red drew twin katanas and followed him inside.

  Callahan snorted. “He’s not kidding. We could just sit out here and watch. He’s a weaponsmaster and a paladin. I’ve seen him take on an entire orc raider camp with two dozen warriors. He was drunk then, and less grumpy.”

  The orc laughed as the shouts inside turned into screams.

  “But I can’t let him have all the fun!” Callahan roared a battle cry and dove through the door. The volume and frequency of screams increased.

  Mace and the others followed a moment later. The scene inside was confusing at first. There were several dead bodies strewn in a path leading toward the stairs. In the far right corner a cluster of sailors huddled with eyes wide. They held weapons, but looked as if they weren’t sure who to attack. Mace left them there, in case any were slavers in disguise.

  The dwarf and his bodyguard were moving up the stairs, Stonehand blocking blo
ws with his shield then returning killing blows with a hand axe. Red threw knives at targets farther up the staircase in between jabs with her swords at closer enemies. Callahan was just stepping into a corridor that led back to the kitchen.

  Shari looked at Mace, who shrugged. “I’m guessing the paladin can heal himself, so keep an eye on the orc and heal him if he needs it. Lila, you too. He’ll make a good distraction while you get some backstabs in.”

  Shari and the others moved to follow Callahan. Mace fired several blasts of icy air into the corners of the main room, looking to expose any Stealth users. Two rogues were caught and knocked out of Stealth near the bar. They’d been just a few feet from making it out the door. Mace shouted “Infier!” and blasted them with a fireball that lit their armor on fire and prevented them from stealthing again. Then he advanced with a dagger in each hand. The fight was brutal, but short. He claimed each of their souls with his dagger and left the bodies for Lila to loot.

  The sailors, who had been thinking of jumping in, witnessed Mace’s furious fight with the two slavers and quickly changed their minds. Mace waved at them and gave them his most stern look.

  “Don’t move. If you’re not Black Flame, you have nothing to fear from us. On the other hand, if you’re one of them…” He pointed toward the corpses littering the floor. The sailors got the point and settled down on chairs in their corner.

  Mace quickly inspected each of them. Most of them were level ten or lower. It had been his experience that the slavers were usually higher level. Probably from killing slaves or innocent villagers. Or cutting the throats of sailors in dark alleys. He asked. “Any of you work for these bastards?”

  As one the sailors all emphatically shook their heads no. A few muttered negative responses. None met Mace’s gaze.

  “Any of you have any information about them? Where they live? Where they might hide? I’m going to kill every single one of them tonight, so don’t fear speaking out. There will be no repercussions.”

  The highest level sailor of the group stepped forward. A grizzled veteran, his skin was deeply tanned and weatherworn, and he sported a scar on his neck where someone had tried to end his life at some point. He was a level 15.

  “They killed the old salt what owned this place. Good lad, he was. Then they left us stranded here when they took our boat while we was sleep’n it off upstairs. Ya want to kill ‘em all, I say good luck to ya. I seen a bunch of ‘em run off when another one came in yellin’ bout an attack. Dunno where they went.”

  Mace studied the group for a moment, then made a decision. “Get out of here. Head down to the docks. See the captain of the Platypus. He lost some men when we cleared the slavers from his ship. It also wouldn’t hurt to check with Jorin on the Sea Sprite. While you’re there, tell them both what we’re up to. We’re going to want to sail at dawn.”

  The old sailor bobbed his head and led his men out the door. A few of the others muttered thanks as they passed, still afraid of the drow.

  Mace turned to take in the state of the conflict. Stonehand and Red had disappeared up the stairs, but he could hear they were still fighting. There wasn’t much noise coming from the corridor his group had taken. A quick look at his UI told him nobody had taken much damage, though Callahan wasn’t in his group. He decided to check on them.

  Closing and barring the door, he quickly piled a few bodies against it to make it harder for anyone to open it and escape. Then he trotted down the corridor to the kitchen. Callahan was there, growling at a couple of cooks who were huddled in a corner. Three dead men with Black Flame logos on their tunics lay in puddles of blood on the floor. One looked like he’d had his face bitten off. When Callahan turned his blood-covered face to greet Mace, he understood why the cooks looked so frightened. The orc was a vision from nightmares. Some of the slaver’s face was still hanging from one tusk.

  Mace turned his attention to the cooks. Pointing at the elder of the two. “You. How long have you worked here?”

  The man gulped, his eyes darting from Mace to Callahan and back again. “F-four y-years,” he stammered.

  When Mace shifted his gaze to the other cook, she mumbled quietly, “Two years, sir drow. Please don’t kill us.”

  Mace nodded once at Callahan. “They worked for the old sailor who owned this place. They can go.” Then he looked at the two again. “Can you tell us anything about the slavers? Where they live, where they might hide?”

  The younger cook spoke up.

  “They were talking about you, sir,” she said to Callahan. “One of them came in, said you were leading an attack on their base. Six of them were sent to your smithy after your family. They said…” She stopped and lowered her gaze.

  Callahan growled and leaned toward her. “Speak!”

  “They said they were going to make you watch them die. That anyone who defies the Black Flame is already dead.”

  Callahan let out a roar and dashed out the door leading to the alley. He was nearly attacked by the group waiting outside, but they recognized him in time. Mace said “Shari, Lila, with me. Layne, go upstairs and tell Stonehand where we went!”

  He took off after the orc with Shari and Lila behind him. Callahan’s long legs and orcish strength propelled him up the street at a surprisingly fast pace. But Mace and Shari were elves, naturally gifted with speed. And somehow, Lila’s stubby legs propelled her along next to them with seeming ease, though she was breathing hard.

  It only took them a few minutes to reach the smithy. The front door of the shop was destroyed, and Mace could hear the sounds of fighting within. Callahan didn’t even slow, crashing past the remains of the door and roaring a challenge as he searched the shop. An answering roar echoed from the second floor, and the orc chuckled.

  Shari looked at him, head tilted. “What’s funny?”

  Callahan grinned at her, his face still bloody with slaver meat. He pointed to two bodies on the stairs above him. “They woke up my wife. She’s pregnant. Nothing more grumpy than a pregnant orc.”

  He dashed up the stairs to assist his mate while Mace moved through the back of the shop. Predictably, there was a slaver there stuffing anything of value into his bag. Mace didn’t even warn him. He just stepped up behind the man and slammed his dagger into his heart from behind. The dagger sent a thrill up his arm and he once again felt the invigoration of the soul energy.

  The man’s corpse had barely hit the floor before Lila was looting it. Mace said, “Leave any of the smith’s things you find in there.” She nodded and gave him a look that clearly said she wasn’t a thief before getting back to work. Iron ingots and began to clank onto the floor as she emptied the man’s bag.

  Mace moved back into the shop in time to see the smith coming back down the stairs, his wife and son walked behind him. The boy, whom they’d first met when they stopped by earlier, was cradling his arm with a deep gash at the wrist that dripped blood. Shari immediately healed him, for which Callahan thanked her.

  “Only three more up there,” he said, heading for the back. “The cook said six.”

  Mace held up a hand. “Took care of the last one. He was looting your smithy.”

  The female orc stepped forward, hand outstretched. “I am Lucinda. My husband has told me of what you’ve done this night. We are in your debt.”

  Mace shook his head. “From the looks of things, you’ve done more than your share. I’m sorry they woke up you.”

  She grinned and kicked one of the bodies. “So are they.”

  Mace and his group waited while Callahan spoke to his wife privately. She was moving about the shop, tidying up as if it were business as usual. Mace decided that he liked her.

  After a few minutes, the smith rejoined him. “Lucy and the boy are going to stay here and guard the place. Can’t have those slavers getting their hands on these weapons.”

  The boy, who had been tickling Mion’s tummy and making baby noises at her, suddenly straightened his back and tried to look fierce.

  Leaving t
he smith’s shop, they headed back toward the tavern. The battle was over when they arrived. , and Shari and Mion immediately set about healing the few injuries.

  Stonehand, who had wiped out a significant portion of their enemies, barely had a scratch on him. Mace opened his mouth to ask, but Red shook her head. “No survivors.”

  There had been forty-plus Black Flame members inside the tavern. Combined with the ones they’d caught in the warehouse, the alley, and smithy, that was a force of over a hundred. A big number for a small river port. Mace began to wonder why. Were they gearing up to attack someone? Or defend against someone? There couldn’t be enough money in this small port to justify so many.

  With nothing left for them at the tavern, Mace and the rest spread out through the city. Word of the evening’s events was spreading quickly, and citizens were turning out to help. Black Flame members were rousted from businesses and homes. Two here, three there. The newly emboldened people of Port Bjurstrom were getting payback for the fear and insults they’d suffered.

  Sweeping upward from the docks through the town, they eventually reached the merchant guild’s house. There was a stone wall around the building with iron gates. The gates were closed and chained. Mace was going to simply go over the walls, when Stonehand stopped him. The dwarf took a mining pick from his bag. The thing gleamed in the moonlight. Mace realized it was made of mithril! Stonehand took one swing with the pic and the chain links shattered. Callahan kicked the gate open and a group of nearly one hundred pushed through toward the house.

  Immediately two citizens who’d pushed ahead in their zeal for revenge went down with crossbow bolts protruding from them. Shari quickly healed them both as others stopped to help them. A fireball erupted from an upper window, streaking down to land amidst the crowd of locals. Several went down, and one young woman wearing a nightgown and carrying what looked like an heirloom sword was engulfed in flame. Mion hovered above her, healing as quickly as she could to try and keep the woman alive.

  Mace charged the building, the others who’d fought with him through the night right behind him. He slowed as he reached the front door, but Stonehand and Callahan powered past him. The two of them each hit one of the double doors, causing them to burst inward. Inside were a dozen or so fighters with shields and weapons raised. Callahan shouted, “Kill the invaders!” and took an arm off a slaver who go too close.