by Sam Ferguson
“Yeah, the bloodier the better, so he learns he can’t short us when we pay good money for the stuff,” the other slurred, probably already under the influence.
Torgath quietly unsheathed a dagger from his belt. He inched up behind the nearest man and in a lightning-fast motion brought his left hand up to cover the man’s mouth while his right hand slid the dagger’s blade through the man’s neck, ending his life. Torgath tightened his grip with his left hand, holding the dead man upright so as to not cause a sound by letting him fall.
“New plan,” Torgath whispered.
The remaining criminal turned around. “What are you...”
Torgath jabbed out with his dagger, driving it into the man’s heart so quickly that no sound escaped the man’s mouth. The orc then pulled the bodies back into the alleyway and gently laid them in the dirt behind a broken crate. A few seconds after he finished, the woman walked in front of the alleyway. She glanced down the alley, but her eyes never saw him or the corpses. The woman quickened her steps a bit as she drew her hood tighter about her face. With her new line of work, her life would surely be hard, but at least it would go on for at least one more night.
The orc left the bodies in the alley and continued his search. He found several drunks out and about in the gray quarter, and even a few youngsters gambling in an alleyway and passing around what looked to be a bottle of wine that Torgath was certain they had stolen, given their covetous, rushed chugs and reluctant groans when someone else asked for a drink.
Then, after perhaps an hour of searching, Torgath found what he was looking for. A pair of drunks were lying in the road, badly beaten. Their pockets were ripped out, and their feet were covered only with socks, suggesting that the thieves had taken not only the drunks’ money, but their shoes as well. Torgath stood and watched for only a moment before the drunks struggled to their feet and started off up the street to the north, continuously looking back at an alleyway to the south. The orc smiled, now knowing which way to look for his thieves.
He found the four men laughing and counting out coins. Two of them were comparing shoes to their feet. As Torgath stalked closer, he noticed the crooked nose on the dark-haired man, and the large tattoo on another thief’s left forearm. These were the men the young man had described.
Torgath started clapping.
The four men jumped up and went for small clubs, ready for a fight.
“You have bested a child and two drunks tonight, but your fun ends here,” Torgath said. “Give me back the gold coin you stole, and I will show mercy.”
“Mercy?” One of the thieves balked. “Four of us an’ one of you.”
Torgath grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
The orc felt his body fill with energy as he took a breath and stepped toward his first foe. The thief with the tattoo swung a club, but Torgath seized the man by the wrist with his left hand, and then slammed his right palm into the man’s forearm halfway between the wrist and elbow. Cracking bone echoed off the alleyway and the thief went down screaming in pain. Torgath silenced him with a quick, powerful kick that shattered the thief’s lower jaw and sent him sprawling backward to lie in an unconscious heap.
The second thief rushed in with a dagger, but Torgath side-stepped and pushed the blade away before snaking around to grab the man’s windpipe between his fingers. He paused just long enough for the thief to realize his error, the poor man’s eyes shooting open wide. Torgath squeezed his fingers together, crushing the man’s windpipe and dropping him like a sack of refuse.
The third man landed a blow with his small club, but he only managed to hit Torgath’s right shoulder, a move that did little more than enrage the orc. A savage fist shot out and splatted the thief’s nose, snapping the man’s neck back and staggering him, leaving his torso open for further attacks. Torgath stepped in and pummeled the man with four quick and heavy shots. The ribs held firm against his first two strikes. The third popped a few ribs loose with a faint crack, and the fourth punch broke through them and put the thief down for good.
The fourth man looked at his comrades and then quickly dropped his weapon.
“Take anything you want,” he pleaded, backing up and holding his hands up.
Normally there would be no honor in pummeling such weak foes, and certainly no glory to be gained from chasing a retreating coward, but this was not about Torgath’s honor. This was about the insult they had made, and their dishonor. The four of them had dishonorably attacked a young man they knew would be weaker. Their cowardly act of preying upon those weaker could not go unanswered.
Torgath rushed for the man just as the last remaining thief turned to run. The chase lasted only four yards before the orc seized the man by the back of the neck and threw him to the ground with such force that the man’s head bounced off the ground and a tooth flew out of his mouth.
“Please!” the thief shouted.
Torgath kicked the man in the side, cracking a few ribs. The orc then knelt upon the man’s back, careful to center his weight just to the side of the newly broken bones. The thief gasped and wheezed, but had no strength left to fight back. Torgath came down with a heavy blow to the back of the man’s head, again bouncing it off the ground. The orc then reach down with both hands. His left gripped the back of the man’s head, while his right hand slipped to hold the man’s chin. He could feel the terror oozing from the weak human in the moments before he roughly twisted the head around to break the thief’s neck. Afterward, everything was still and quiet. The thief went limp and Torgath released his hold.
Justice served, the orc picked up a single gold piece and made his way back to the inn.
When he finally climbed up the inn’s wall and slipped in through the window, he found the two Kuscans playing their game with dice at the table, wagering the money they had earned from him so far.
“Did you not speak with the inn keeper?” Torgath asked.
Tui looked up and smiled, slapping the table. “We followed your directions,” he said.
Torgath glanced around once more, wondering if he had somehow missed the third man in the room.
“He’s in the next room,” Kiuwa said, holding a finger up to his mouth and shooting Tui a sharp look. “The guards have come. They said something about a rash of robberies in the gray quarter.”
Torgath cursed his luck. “They were fast,” he said. “Have they questioned you yet?”
Tui and Kiuwa shook their heads. “They took the inn keeper just a few minutes ago and set him in the next room. We could hear them asking for the man to remove your mask, and when he refused they said they’d get the captain.”
“How many?” the orc asked.
“One guard in the hall, we think he is in front of the inn keeper’s room. Probably two or three downstairs, and one left to get the captain.”
Torgath nodded and went to his saddle bag, retrieving a short but thick rope before going back to the window. He removed his sword and dagger, setting them off to the side and then he carefully climbed out and grabbed ahold of the eaves above, then shimmied himself to the side until he could peek into the room where the inn keeper was held. The poor man was sitting with his face buried in his hands. Fortunately, he was wearing all of Torgath’s normal clothes, so his human skin didn’t show. Though how the Kuscans had managed to keep Torgath’s boot on the inn keeper’s peg leg he had no idea.
The orc opened the window and slipped in so quietly that the inn keeper didn’t even notice him. He quickly moved to the man and ripped the mask free while clapping a hand to the inn keeper’s mouth to keep him from shouting. Torgath stared into the inn keeper’s terrified eyes.
“Shh, I’m here to help. Listen. Give back my clothes, and I will lower you to the ground outside. You will then enter the inn from the front and say you had gone for a walk. Understand?”
“Mmm-hmmf” the inn keeper grunted while trying to nod.
“When I change into my clothes, you’ll see my true face and body. Be sure to k
eep quiet.” Torgath set the short rope on the chair and the inn keeper quickly undressed as soon as Torgath let him go. Fortunately, the man had kept his own clothes on underneath Torgath’s. The orc removed his black clothes to the waist, uncovering everything above his legs. The inn keeper reached up to hand him the mask and then froze, his blue eyes glued to Torgath’s lower tusks.
“Move quickly,” Torgath said.
As soon as Torgath had dressed and put on the mask, he grabbed the rope and tied it under the inn keeper’s armpits and around his chest. The orc’s ears twitched when he heard heavy footsteps coming from the hall.
“You sure he’s here?” a familiar voice called out. Torgath knew it was the captain who had met them at the gate.
The orc grabbed the inn keeper and hoisted the big-bellied man up as he rushed to the window. “We have to move fast, this might hurt a bit.” Torgath helped the man through the window and then hurried to let him down, moving the rope so quickly that the inn keeper landed with a slight tha-bump, and fell to his knees.
“He’s in here, sir,” another voice said. A hand reached for the door.
Torgath gathered the rest of the rope and tossed it down to the alley below, dumping it all over the inn keeper.
No sooner had the orc closed the window than the door swung open.
Torgath kept his hands on the glass as if he had been staring out the window.
“Trying to escape?” a guard called out.
Torgath took a step back from the window and slowly brought his hands to his sides. “Why should I flee?” He turned around and glowered at the captain. “Is this how you treat all of the king’s guests?”
The captain scoffed. “My men say you won’t remove your mask, is this true?”
“I find most men can’t tolerate my appearance,” Torgath answered, walking back to the chair and sitting down to show he had neither any ill intentions, nor any concern for his own safety. “If it pleases you, send them out and I will remove it, though I would remind you that you didn’t bother checking my face when I entered the city.”
“Only one orc in the city,” the captain said. “Take off your mask, but my men stay.”
Torgath snorted. He folded his arms defiantly and stared back. He normally wouldn’t antagonize the guards so openly, but since the inn keeper had made a fuss of keeping the mask on, he thought it best to keep up the pretense.
“I’ll remove it myself,” the captain said. The fellow glanced back to his men. “You should have done this instead of calling for my aid.”
“But sir, there are only five of us, and I was alone with him in the room.”
The captain waved the guard off and stomped up to Torgath, making quite a show of aggression. Torgath couldn’t decide whether the display was for him, or the captain’s men watching the ordeal. The captain yanked on the mask, only to find it clasped closed around the back of Torgath’s head. The man’s clumsy fingers felt around and then pulled at the clasps. The mask came off and Torgath sat motionless, staring back indignantly at the guards and their captain.
“Have your look,” Torgath said. “Behold the monster of your nightmares.”
The captain took a step back, but his stoic facade had broken, replaced by a gaping mouth and arched brows. Each of his guards wore similar expressions.
Torgath sighed and held out his hand. “As a guest of the king, with official papers, I must ask that you now return my property. You have seen me, verified my identity, and now we must be done with this foolishness.”
The captain looked down at the mask then back to the guards. “How long did you have him in this room?”
One of the men shrugged. “It only took us a few minutes to get here after we were dispatched. Then we called for you after putting him into this room. He never left.”
The captain then glanced to the window, but Torgath kept his face emotionless so as not to betray what had happened. The captain moved to the window and opened it, but Torgath sat still with his hand out for his mask.
“Captain, I do hope you don’t plan on throwing my mask outside. It is the only thing that keeps the citizens from screaming when I go through the streets.”
“Leave us, and close the door,” the captain said. The guards complied and the captain walked back around to face Torgath. “I’ve been in the town guard for many years,” he began. “And when people tell me what they saw when describing an attacker, sometimes they get it right, and often times they don’t.” The captain placed the mask back in Torgath’s hand. “You know what doesn’t lie?”
Torgath replaced the mask and shook his head. “Do tell, captain.”
“The reports of the robberies pointed us back here, to the young man you hired to send a letter. His injuries tell me he went through the gray quarter. The pair of dead corpses in an alleyway, and the four men found beaten, nearly all of them dead, their injuries tell me you were involved. You, or maybe your Kuscan friends went out for revenge against those you thought hurt the young man.”
“It’s a lovely story,” Torgath said mockingly. “The orc who champions humans, it has a certain romantic aspect to it, does it not?” Torgath paused. “But we all know orcs care nothing for others, so why bother with fantasies?”
The captain snorted and gave a nod. “Well, I can’t prove it was any of you, though I imagine the truth will come out eventually.”
“Oh, not to worry, we’ll be gone in the morning, as promised,” Torgath said.
The captain started to walk away and then stopped. “The orc who avenges an injured and robbed youth...” he nodded once more. “It has a certain ring to it, I’ll admit.” He then turned back to Torgath. “The two men slain at a different location, they were known criminals. They were accused of drug trafficking, murder, and larceny, but we never had enough to secure a proper conviction.”
“Oh?”
The captain pumped an eyebrow and shrugged. “No reliable eye-witnesses either. Too afraid of retribution I assume.”
“I’m sure they won’t be missed then, and perhaps the streets are a bit safer tonight,” Torgath replied.
“Perhaps so. In any case, be sure to leave at first light. I don’t want to repeat this discussion.”
Torgath put his mask back on and walked to his room to find Tui and Kiuwa sitting with their arms folded. Their eyes locked on him, and their scowls might have been menacing for anyone who didn’t hunt demons for a living.
“It’s over,” Torgath announced. “The captain is off to find the real culprits, and we are no longer under investigation.”
Tui snorted and moved to his bed without a word.
Kiuwa let his stare linger a bit longer on Torgath. “Our contract doesn’t include causing trouble--”
Torgath raised a hand and cut him off. “Your contract demands that you do as I say, when I say, and how I say. If you dislike the arrangement, you are free to leave at any time, you have only to reckon with Teolang’s mark should you default.”
Kiuwa pointed a thick, brown finger at Torgath. “That isn’t the point.”
Torgath stepped forward and placed his right palm on the table as he leaned forward, his mask coming within inches of Kiuwa’s face. “That is precisely the point. I am your employer. You are my hired sword. You do as I say, or you answer to some other power than mine. I don’t really care for the terms any more than you do, but we all have a mark to answer for.” Torgath let his words hang a moment before rolling up his sleeve to show the mark the seed had left, adding, “Or have you forgotten how I found you and your brother?”
Kiuwa was the first to blink, his gaze breaking off and darting to the side as his cheeks flushed with shame. “No, I haven’t forgotten.”
Torgath stood up and thumped the table once for good measure. “We leave at first light, and we head east for Brinsmouth.”
Kiuwa nodded, and the night ended quietly, with no further disturbances.
As Torgath moved to his bed, he wondered whether he had been too harsh with Kiuwa. A
fter all, they had never objected to anything he had asked them to do up until now. Had he asked too much of them? Torgath shifted his eyes to Tui, who was already snoring like a Craig Bear. They would both be dead had they not had the fortune of meeting Torgath those several weeks ago, but did that give him the right to put them into danger of this nature? Fighting demons and rogues was one thing, but giving them a bounty from a municipality of this magnitude was quite another.
Torgath grunted. No, he had been right.
The boy’s honor had needed defending. It might not have been something he had been asked to do, but there was honor in standing for those so downtrodden they didn’t even think to ask for help anymore.
The orc reached into his pack and pulled a small flask of homemade ale, the last of his supply. He took a sip, savoring it in his mouth before swallowing it. It was one of the last vestiges of his homeland, and though his thirst yearned for it, he hated the idea of finishing the last of it. Two sips later, he placed the flask back into his pack.
He took hold of the map from Master Hawking and his mind drifted back to when he had found the old knight. If he had known at that moment that a retreat into the direction of the forest would have landed him with two companions bound to him by a mortal contract, he would certainly have taken his chances with divine wrath and held his ground. Now, he considered whether he was any closer to removing his red mark from the old woman that he had been the day he had received it. Kiuwa and Tui were, without doubt, capable warriors and true assets to his demon hunting quest. But had they been changed in any way by his code of honor? Surely they didn’t have the same sense of honor as Sir Hawking. He doubted whether they would have kept their word after so many years, with no promise of reward or threat of punishment to motivate them.
The acid-spewing demon was the third that Torgath had hunted and slain in his lifetime. Adding the third tooth to the necklace felt as though his quest was nearing completion. The orc had had no idea then how many more he would slay before he next met Sir Hawking.
Nor could he have ever imagined actually following Sir Hawking to Mill Creek and calling in his favor.