Monster's Mercy

by William D. Arand

  Leaving a naked dying man on the ground.

  Standing up, Rene looked at the platter the man had been carrying. Food and water, much like what he’d been given earlier.

  He picked up both items and pushed them into his inventory. Then the platter afterward, as he peered into the hallway beyond the doorway.

  They’d have heard that, when the door fell flat.

  “Yes. Yes. What would a young nobleman do? Ah.” Rene slid to the wall and pressed up against it again. Cupping a hand around his mouth, he called into the hallway.

  “Help! The door broke and he’s been injured! Help!” Sinking low in his crouch, Rene felt the tension in his lower body.

  “What happened?” called a voice back to him.

  “Help!” Rene responded unhelpfully.

  “I swear I don’t know what you’re yelling about but I’ll—what the fuck?” Hurried footsteps filled Rene’s cell as the man came closer.

  Reaching the naked corpse, the newcomer bent down to check him.

  In that moment, Rene launched himself at the man, his knee catching him in the jaw. Blown to the side with the force of the attack, the man’s head bounced off the door frame with a clunk before he collapsed, as if boneless.

  Your skill in Hand-to-Hand has increased (2)

  As he landed atop the man, Rene considered letting him live.

  An enemy left behind is destiny pressed and signed. Kill him.

  Rene grunted; he couldn’t disagree. Anyone left alive would only be a problem for him down the road.

  Pressing the shiv to the man’s throat, he made a quick slit from one side to the other. To make sure there was no waking to this situation, which he felt would be a small mercy for the man, Rene lifted the man’s head and bashed it into the stones.

  Your skill in Daggers has increased (2)

  Your skill in Hand-to-Hand has increased (3)

  Another loot window flashed before him, and Rene emptied it exactly the same as he had the previous one.

  “Hope that god isn’t watching.” Rene crouched low and entered the hallway.

  Covering his eyes partially with one hand to shield his vision, he approached the only light he could see ahead of him.

  He pulled the oddly long torch off the wall as he passed and pushed it into his inventory, dropping this area into darkness as well.

  He moved ahead until he reached the end of the corridor. It split into a T-intersection to the left and the right. Peering around one way and then the other, he found nothing except more doors and torches.

  I wonder if the torches are long so they burn for longer?

  Like candles.

  Your skill in Sneaking has increased (6)

  Rene couldn’t feel any of his senses screaming out to him at the moment.

  His instincts. The only thing that’d kept him alive, through more encounters than he wanted to remember. The primal beast that lived in his mind was needed for times like this.

  Entering the intersection, he ghosted to the left and moved towards the doors. The one on the left ran parallel to his cell, which meant it was probably another cell. The door on the right was on a separate wall.

  Probably the exit.

  Checking the handle with a light touch, he found it unlocked. Further down this hallway was a door on the right.

  Pursing his lips in thought, Rene eventually decided to clear the building. There was no telling where he was and at this point, he could use any and every resource. Things taken from rapidly cooling bodies would be ideal as they were likely to help him gather intelligence at the same time.

  A two-for-one sale only for today; so come on down to the jail without delay.

  Swinging the door open with ease, he kept it smooth and flowing. He couldn’t feel anyone in there, even before the door fully opened.

  It felt empty.

  Your skill in Awareness has increased (1)

  Although he could feel something behind the door at the end of this hall. Or someone.

  A tickling sensation at the back of his neck told him so.

  He took the torch as he moved down this new hall quickly. There was no reason to leave light for anyone.

  Your skill in Sneaking has increased (7)

  Your skill in Awareness has increased (2)

  When he reached the next room, he could feel someone inside. In fact, he didn’t need his senses to know they were there.

  The inhabitant was rather obvious. Rene heard soft sobs and quiet sniffles.

  Rene felt his heart lurch at the thought that it could be his sister. As a breath caught in his lungs, he fumbled with his inventory and pulled out a key ring which he’d looted from one of the kidnappers.

  Sticking each key in and giving it a twist, he tried to open the door. One of the keys eventually worked and the lock popped open. Then the door creaked inward.

  Light from the cell spilled into the darkened hallway, blinding Rene.

  “Stay back! I’ll k-kill myself. You’ll not sully me,” came the brave and shaking voice.

  Unable to see clearly with the torch light blinding him, Rene squinted into the cell.

  Sitting in the corner was a young woman. Rene knew immediately it wasn’t his sister.

  Wrong build and body type, not the same hair, voice isn’t hers. It’s not her.

  Turning away from the cell, Rene glided back down the other way. He entered the intersecting hallway again, moved to the other side, and then performed the same function for the third cell.

  This one was empty, however, and it looked like it hadn’t been used recently.

  Last was a door which could only lead out. There were no other exits that he could determine, and no other doors.

  Thankfully, the woman in the other cell hadn’t left it. He didn’t really want to deal with her. He didn’t want to have to reckon with whoever she was, why she was here, or any responsibility for her.

  Pressing his ear to the only door left, he listened.

  He heard not a sound.

  He set his eye to the keyhole and peeked through.

  Darkness, with nothing visible to the naked eye.

  Opening the door and entering the room, he shut it behind himself as quietly as he could manage. Looking around, he found that this place seemed more like a common room. It had the look of a break room, or a waiting room, in fact.

  Simple table, with battered chairs clustered around it. A low countertop was on one side, with food in various stages of being devoured.

  Passing the countertop, Rene analyzed each item and selected things which had been untouched. Everything he selected got tossed into the inventory window.

  It was as easy as if he were throwing things into a shopping cart.

  He’d moved the inventory window with a thought and casually flicked items in, leaving nothing of value behind.

  Food, utensils, bowls, and anything that could be used later or sold, went into his magical inventory window.

  If I were a thief, this’d be as easy as could be.

  Your Analyze skill has been upgraded to include Appraisal.

  Your skill in Analyze has increased (2)

  Your skill in Analyze has increased (3)

  Exiting without making a sound, Rene ghosted into an adjoining room where a man slept fitfully on a cot. Otherwise, there was little of note.

  Your skill in Sneaking has increased (8)

  As he crept up to the sleeping man, Rene felt torn. He didn’t actually want to kill this man, but he felt he had no choice.

  This karma problem is rough, noxious and…ugh.

  We have to kill him. We can’t leave him.

  His Monster almost sounded tired. Drawn out.

  Rene chewed at the inside of his cheek and then did what he had to do.

  Reaching forward, he grabbed the man’s head. With a quick jerk, Rene slammed his knee into the man’s temple twice.

  His knee was starting to feel rather bruised.

  Your skill in Hand-to-Hand has increased (4)


  Rene then drove the shiv into the unconscious man’s neck. Twisting the hilt, he made sure to sever everything and then pulled the blanket up over the man’s head.

  He accepted the loot and then began to empty the room of anything useful or worth a coin.

  With only one door left to him, Rene listened for a moment, his ear pressed to the door. Then he opened it and stepped in.

  Or out, as it were. He found himself standing in the middle of a stone street.

  Glancing around, he did what he could to memorize this building, the landmarks nearby, and the feeling of the area.

  Knowledge was power and knowing that this building belonged to the wrong people could be useful.

  There was little he could use to determine where he was in the broad sense of the idea but, even now, Rene knew he wasn’t in Laetus.

  True night would be coming soon, he guessed from the sky above. It looked like it was late evening right now.

  And getting darker by the second.

  Deciding to find a place to hunker down for a bit, he turned left and moved down the street, keeping to himself. He’d have to get out of the city at first light tomorrow.

  First, he had to get far from this place. Break contact completely. Then settle in somewhere and regroup, count his resources, and plan.

  As he turned a corner, he nearly missed a step with what he saw.

  Text floated above people’s heads. He had no idea how he hadn’t noticed it previously, but he hadn’t.

  The text seemed to be names. Names and titles.

  Promising to look into it later, he felt ill at ease. His world had suddenly become very different. It made him ask a lot of big questions that he didn’t want to.

  For now, Rene avoided everyone, as at this point, everyone was an enemy.

  Off to the side, he spotted a large building in a different sector of the city. To his eyes, it had similar architecture as the library back home.

  A library would be a pretty good place to spend the night.

  Providing he could get in unnoticed and remain hidden.

  Sliding into a crouch, Rene moved into the alleyways and made for the big gothic building.

  Chapter 4

  Moving through the shadows as best as he could, Rene kept to himself. As if he were little more than a breath of air, a wisp of smoke, or a leaf tumbling down the street.

  He was worth no notice, and he willed with his entire mind and soul to not be worthy of attention.

  Because truthfully, a young man wandering around the streets at night, in rags, was more than likely to be a problem. Nothing good happened at night for those without anywhere to be and no coin to their name.

  Nothing at all.

  When he entered the area he’d been working his way toward, Rene paused and sank down low near a planter box. He couldn’t see anyone in any direction. Everything was empty and devoid of movement.

  No guards. No people. No thieves.

  Nothing.

  Which is almost as bad as if there were some. Why aren’t there any? What do they know that I don’t?

  More of everything; less of anything.

  “Thanks, really helpful,” Rene muttered under his breath.

  We live to serve while full of verve.

  Moving forward quickly now, Rene went straight for the side of the building. He needed to get there, rather than stand out here waiting for something terrible to happen to him.

  Your skill in Sneaking has increased (9)

  I wonder. I mean, that’s a numeric value. Which means it’s measured and has some type of marked increase. That’d mean there’s an appreciable difference between eight and nine.

  Right?

  How much is eight points out of the total possible? Just how much of a difference does it make? Could I get to a point where I wouldn’t be seen at all? Even if I were naked or walking in front of someone?

  A splendid device, indeed. I fear the price, not knowing the god’s creed.

  “Yeah, we might be fucked,” Rene muttered, looking up. Looming before him was the building he’d been trying to get to this whole time.

  Windows marked out the multiple levels as it went up and up and up. It was a rather tall structure.

  Now, on closer inspection, Rene felt it could only be a library. The grounds around it were immaculate and clutter free. There were a number of benches all throughout the area along with manicured trees, planters, and actual green areas with grass.

  Looking at the surrounding buildings that lined the outer perimeter, he’d could tell he’d moved into a middle-class neighborhood. If the library was here and the houses were still well-maintained, that meant this location had probably been the wealthy quarter at one point. Though it hadn’t remained that way.

  That probably explains why no one’s here. Enough wealth to warrant patrols and active guards.

  Well. I suppose that’s that. All it leaves is…

  Rene sighed, looking up to the top of the building again.

  Up, up, and away.

  “Shut up,” Rene grumbled.

  Grasping hold of the first-floor windowsill, Rene began to climb upwards, wedging fingers and toes into the cracks and small ledges as he found them.

  Your skill in Climbing has increased (1)

  The building was definitely older, and the stones had settled. He was able to get just enough of a grip here and there to keep going. Climbing ever upward.

  Your skill in Climbing has increased (2)

  Your skill in Climbing has increased (3)

  Strangely enough, the weight that pulled on him seemed to ease with every skill increase. It was a small thing, something he hadn’t noticed at first.

  What he had expected was to grow wearier the higher he went. Instead, it seemed like he kept getting stronger.

  Like he was gaining strength with every foot he ascended.

  Your skill in Climbing has increased (4)

  Your skill in Climbing has increased (5)

  You’ve gained a point of Strength (13)

  Rene nearly missed his next hold when he pulled himself up faster than he expected.

  “Shit,” he gasped, resting his forehead on the stonework.

  A gracious gift indeed that was given.

  I fear we’re owned entirely.

  Being reminded by his Monster of the god who had set him on this path, Rene finally looked at his alignment gauge. It was noticeably changed. Where he had been near the top before this series of events, it had dropped a notch or two.

  “Killing is killing, after all. Mitigated due to their evil, but we still killed them,” Rene said.

  Yes. Yes. We killed them, we spilled them. A pool of red, we left them dead. We’ll be cursed by he, the one who made we.

  With a grunt, Rene managed to reach the third-floor window and slid his shiv between the two wooden frames. He lifted the blade from the bottom to the top, hoping for a simple catch mechanism to be present. If it was, it wouldn’t be very difficult to open this with just his shiv.

  Your skill in Lock Picking has increased (1)

  This high up, there wouldn’t normally be a risk of thieves. Especially for a library. Or so Rene hoped.

  I mean, wouldn’t they cheap out and put just a latch in? Many people would.

  They wouldn’t worry. It’s why so many people never put sensors on second-floor windows.

  The misshapen metal found resistance, then continued upwards. Both window panes opened as if on overly greased hinges and hung open.

  Inviting him inside and into the sweet safety of a building.

  Your skill in Lock Picking has increased (2)

  Crawling over the lip, Rene slid inside. He made sure no one was right there, then he stood up.

  Moving as quickly as he could, he closed the window behind himself and searched the area around him.

  He felt for anyone.

  Listened.

  There was nothing as far as he could tell.

  He couldn’t detect anyon
e, but that didn’t mean he was alone. Just that they if someone was here, they were further away than he could sense.

  All around him were shelves. Rows of shelves, stacked and loaded with books that never seemed to end. This was a library to rival all libraries he’d seen so far.

  Where he stood now was actually near the far end of the floor, furthest from the staircase.

  Looking at the spines of the books around him, he found that he was drowning in math textbooks. Math and advanced math, as far as he could see.

  There was the possibility that someone could come into this area, but it was remote. Especially at this hour. Beyond even that, Rene was fairly certain the library was closed, or in the process of closing, for the night.

  Unfortunately though, the window was integral enough to a swift escape that he felt he couldn’t leave this section. He needed to be able to get out at the drop of a hat.

  Safe and sound, you sound the clown.

  You’re so sure we’re now secure, dare we believe we dropped the lure?

  “For the moment. I’m really not in the right shape for this, mentally or physically. I need rest. To sleep,” Rene puffed, the adrenalin draining out of him. His senses were winding down, his body losing its fight-or-flight response.

  Which meant he was going to fall apart and be worthless real soon.

  Resting the back of his head against a shelf, Rene opened his inventory.

  “Three sets of clothing. Three daggers. One sword. One lock-picking set—that’ll be handy. Poison? Pretty sure it’s poison.” Rene focused on the vial and selected it.

  Weak Poison: Causes sickness and fatigue for twenty-four hours. Likely to induce unconsciousness.

  “Mm. Probably what they gave me. A garrote, though the wire doesn’t look so great. And finally, twenty-nine copper and six silver.”

  Money was probably the thing he needed the most. Money would provide him with the means to solve everything else.