Monster's Mercy

by William D. Arand

  And another one.

  After confirming him as a target, Rene gave the room a quick once-over, loading his pockets with coins, and leaving everything else.

  Jewelry tended to have owners, coins didn’t.

  Exiting the room, Rene peered up the ladder. It could only lead to the warehouse.

  Figuring he might as well keep going and “clear the dungeon” as it were, Rene climbed up the ladder.

  It led to an empty warehouse, filled with barrels and barrels of moonshine. Performing a simple recon, Rene found nothing and no one.

  Returning to his sleeping friends, Rene felt a small sense of annoyance.

  This took no effort. We are concerned. Are we that good? Are they that bad? Did we plan that well?

  With a small tickle of worry in his chest, Rene began the ugly process of carrying each body up to the wagon. Might as well use the resources on hand.

  ***

  The court magistrate was roused from their bed, escorted to the courthouse, and asked to take custody of thirty-seven members of the Wolves guild and one Paul Vick.

  Along with this, was the direct confirmation that they’d all been removed from a certain inn that had been long established as a guild hide-out.

  They’d all been loaded into a wagon, as if they were nothing more than firewood being taken to market to be sold for a few coppers a stick.

  The black-hooded man took his pay and left. In one night, the Wolves guild had effectively been exterminated.

  Overnight, the politics of the city changed. Powerful men and women took notice. The guilds began to actively guard themselves from both internal and external threats they hadn’t considered. The population began spreading rumors about the black-hooded bounty hunter who had begun cleaning up the city.

  Chapter 12

  Rene had only caught a few hours of sleep. He hadn’t wanted to trek back to the library that night. For whatever reason, he had the feeling he was being watched. Even beyond that feeling, it hadn’t felt normal.

  He’d finally found a spot that he felt safe in when he’d chanced upon a section of a roof where an adjacent building’s roof created an enclosure.

  He’d thanked the shoddy workmanship of whoever had done it, and wedged himself up against the wall, tucked away from the world.

  Staring out at the late morning light, Rene tilted his head one way and then the other.

  The feeling of being watched from last night seemed gone, but he wasn’t completely certain.

  We must be away; it’s a new day. Lori will be waiting; hiding here is aggravating. GET THE FUCK OUT.

  Rene clicked his teeth together and then began shimmying his way out from the small nook.

  Wiggling free, he dropped to the alley below and landed softly.

  Your skill in Safe Fall has increased (2)

  Rene gave himself a light shake, knocking loose some dirt and debris that clung to him. Then, he’d set off immediately.

  His eyes checked each person he crossed and each item that caught his interest, throwing a quick Analyze on it and moving on.

  Information was its own currency and he’d rather waste a second or two as he walked than miss out on an opportunity.

  Unfortunately, there was no new information that was relevant to him at this point. Nor was there anything that stood out for him.

  Slowly, with each Analyze, Rene began to feel better. There were no hidden agents, no watching spies—nothing.

  By the time he reached the Moon family’s workshop, he felt significantly better. Walking into the meeting area, he found his eyes drawn to something new.

  Where Lori’s small play table had been, now sat a large children’s table with chairs for eight people.

  It looked to have been put together by a master craftsman, and was decorated simply, but with a smooth dark-stained finish.

  Sitting in the middle of the table was a finely carved tea set, made of wood and on a tray. Eight cups and saucers, a sugar bowl, a waste bowl, a creamer, a strainer, a sieve, and a tea caddy.

  Next to the tea set was a wooden storage box.

  With a frown, Rene looked around the area and found no one here yet.

  He moved over to the table and sat in one of the chairs. It was actually rather comfortable.

  Reaching over, he picked up one of the cups and Analyzed it.

  Item Name: Teacup (Part of Lori’s Tea Set)

  Description: Crafted by Alana Cleary. This delicately carved and detailed cup was made by the hand of an Elven maiden. As beautiful as the creator, and about as stiff as her personality.

  It should be noted that the creation of this object had an ulterior motive.

  Damage: N/A

  Effective Range: less than one yard

  Functions-

  Delightful: Enjoy tea in this lovely handmade cup. Be sure to think of the person who made the cup when using it.

  Attributes-

  None.

  Rene set the cup down and picked up the matching tea caddy. Twisting the slotted lid, he lifted it to smell the tea inside.

  Immediately, he knew Odelia had provided the tea. It was the very same he’d had at her father’s manse.

  Leaning over it, he took a deep breath and inhaled the scent. Closing his eyes, he felt a smile curl his lips. He desperately hoped Lori would be hosting a tea service today.

  “Ah! Rene!” came Lori’s voice from the door. A small child-sized torpedo exploded into his side, hugging him tightly.

  Managing to not spill the tea, Rene carefully stoppered the container and set it back down. Then he gently patted Lori on the head.

  “Now, Miss Lori, I don’t think hugging guests in such a way is normal practice. What’s wrong? Something happen?” Rene asked her, peering at the small girl.

  “No! I was just worried. Everyone keeps talking about whatever happened last night but they won’t explain it to me. What happened?” Lori asked, releasing Rene and sitting in a chair that was slightly different than every other. He assumed it was meant to be the host’s seat.

  She set down her teapot, steam wafting off the spout.

  “Nothing. I caught the bad guy and turned him over to the court,” Rene replied.

  “You left out the part,” Odelia whispered into his right ear, her left hand resting on his left shoulder, “where you single-handedly wiped out an entire guild, down to the inn they used as headquarters.”

  Turning his head slightly, he watched as Odelia pulled away and sat herself down to his right.

  Almost immediately, Alana sat herself to his left, her hands folded on the table in front of her.

  Her large eyes caught him and threatened to drown him in their depths.

  “I have to congratulate you. It isn’t every day an entire guild is removed. The hooded bounty hunter is the talk of the entire city,” Alana said in her pseudo-male voice.

  Caleb sat next to Odelia, as Bill sat next to his sister.

  “How’d you even manage that? I heard you rolled them up to the damn courthouse in a wagon,” Caleb asked.

  “Language,” Odelia murmured, her eyes looking to Lori.

  “Sorry,” Caleb apologized.

  Nodding at the little girl, Odelia discreetly pointed at the tea caddy.

  Lori smiled brightly at the noblewoman and began scooping in tea. After a tiny nod from Odelia, the little girl stopped and closed the lid on the teapot.

  “I used a poison that caused a deep slumber. That’s all. They had left a wagon out back, so I loaded them all up into it and took it through the back streets,” Rene explained. It’d been a simple affair.

  Rene finished his statement by pulling four slightly bulging sacks out of an inner fold in his clothing.

  He then handed out a bag to each of his people. The two he tossed across the table to Bill and Caleb landed with a heavy thud and the clank of coins.

  Between the bounties, the coins he’d found on the guild members’ persons, and gold he found hidden, it’d been a good haul.

>   “I know you said you wanted no reward Odelia; however, I felt it wasn’t fair. Everyone gets an equal share. Consider yourselves on retainer for the duration of this operation,” Rene explained.

  He didn’t explain that he expected a large windfall from Odelia’s father, which meant the money from these jobs was now secondary to him. The forty-four gold coins that were his own share felt right to him.

  His people were all staring into their bags.

  Lori merely watched everyone around her with a smile, seemingly excited to host a formal tea service.

  Bill closed his bag and put his hands in his lap. Shaking his head, he leaned forward a bit and said nothing.

  Odelia pushed her bag back to Rene and gave him a smile.

  “Hold on to that for me until you meet my father later today? I’m afraid I have nowhere to put it right now,” Odelia requested, her eyes watching him.

  Rene nodded and slipped her bag back into his clothing, dropping it into an inventory slot.

  Caleb leaned back from his own share and started laughing. Folding his hands behind his head, he let out an explosive breath.

  “Holy sh—errr, shoot. I could make this last for years. I’ll need to put this somewhere safe. Hey, Bill, can I buy a safe from you?” Caleb asked, looking over at the unmoving Bill Moon.

  “After I make one for myself and bury it,” Bill muttered. “This’ll make us all targets. I’m not really sure about this.”

  Rene thought about that. It was true, they’d become targets pretty quickly if word ever got out.

  “I can hold it in trust for you if you like. My father operates a similar function for trusted clients. A bank of sorts. Admittedly, the Anatolis vault would take an army to breach and claim, but I’m confident I can protect your gold personally even without it.”

  Alana watched him, though she said nothing. She knew where the gold coins would go. That they’d simply disappear into nothing.

  After a moment, she pushed her bag of coins over to sit in front of Rene. Bill and Caleb quickly followed suit, their bags joining Alana’s.

  “Alright. We’ll need to get a piece of parchment later and begin notating all accounts accordingly, so there’s no confusion.” Rene picked up the bags and slipped them into his clothes, dropping them into individual inventory slots.

  Each slot read as “so and so’s money” and seemed like it could hold more. This would actually make it much easier on him in the future without having to worry about cross-contamination of accounts.

  Lori picked up her teapot after Odelia gave her a gesture that Rene nearly missed. After pouring the steaming tea into the strainer over each cup, Lori began handing them out with a saucer for each.

  “Thank you, Miss Lori,” Rene said seriously, taking a sip of the aromatic tea. Letting out a soft sigh at the flavor, he smiled into his cup.

  “Of course, Mr. Rene. Miss Odelia got me the table and the tea, and Alan made the tea set. He’s very good with his hands,” Lori said, adjusting her teapot a little on its tray.

  “My thanks to both Mr. Alan and Miss Odelia then,” Rene said, looking at one and then the other.

  With that, everyone fell silent and simply enjoyed the tea party. Each alone with their thoughts and planning for their newfound wealth.

  Alana was the most subdued. Rene wasn’t quite sure about her, but he imagined coin for her was a desperate thing. She had no family in the city to rely on, as far as he knew.

  Caleb had alternate means to generate coin, Bill had a family to fall back on, and Odelia was already wealthy as a noble.

  Finishing his tea, Rene set the cup down with a forlorn look at the bottom of it.

  “Well, that was lovely, Miss Lori. I’m afraid I must conduct business now. Caleb, what’s an easy target I can take without a problem?” he said, turning to the showman.

  “Heh, we’ve got a bounty on a guy who runs a small pickpocket focused guild. He’s worth ten gold. Albert, I think? Uhm,” Caleb set his teacup down and got up. He crossed over to the workshop’s wall and began rummaging in a pack.

  “Aha! Yeah, Albert’s. All pickpockets. It’s a newer guild and not that big. Honestly, I’m not even sure why they put a bounty on him. It’s all pretty vague. Feels like something is missing.” Caleb was staring at a poster he’d dug out of his pack. “Then again, who knows? Maybe a rival guild put the bounty up on him. Not the first time someone’s paid to have a rival arrested.”

  “As long as someone’s paying,” Rene muttered. “Any thoughts on how to find him?”

  “What kind of pickpockets does he use?” Bill asked after a second of silence had passed.

  “Kids,” Caleb elaborated expansively.

  “Follow kids who are pickpockets. They’d have to return to Albert, wouldn’t they?” Bill asked.

  “Assuming they’re the right kids,” Caleb muttered.

  Rene nodded his head. Bill had a good idea. It’d do for a starting point.

  “No backers for this one, either. I doubt the merchant and noble sectors have run into this one. Especially since it’d all be street-urchin pickpockets. Those tend to stand out in the better city quarters,” Odelia offered.

  Alana shook her head and pursed her lips.

  “Pickpockets tend to favor crowded areas. That’d be the market tomorrow. Would going to the trade district and watching for children make sense?” she asked.

  Good a plan as any; we’ve done worse aplenty.

  Rene shrugged his shoulders and got to his feet.

  Bowing his head to Lori in thanks, he then left their planning area.

  Without offering a word of farewell or goodbye, he set off. There was business he’d have to take care of before tomorrow.

  First, he needed to get back to the money lender where he’d sent the original letter to his father.

  He’d need to make his father aware of what he’d done to Master Junk. Even if nothing ever came of it, it was always better to make sure he’d taken the time to notify his father.

  After that, he’d need to stop by House Delacroix and finalize the contract. If Geoffrey did try to pay him a large amount, what would Rene do with it? He’d have to think on that one. If it happened that way, he’d ask Geoffrey to hang on to it until he could make arrangements.

  Beyond that, he wanted to play his guitar, practice The Elemental Way, and maybe crack open that sword-fighting manual. He’d need to find a quiet place to do so.

  Maybe it was time to start thinking of a better long-term solution than the library. A place to keep possessions, train, hide, and plan.

  “Where’re we off to?” Odelia asked, stepping up beside him.

  Rene blinked and tilted his head to one side, regarding the noblewoman.

  “You can tell me, or I can follow you and find out anyway,” Odelia said, hitting him with a radiant smile.

  Looking ahead, Rene shook his head and sighed. Maybe she could help him with real estate later.

  “I admit I am curious as well,” Alana said from his right.

  Gritting his teeth, Rene trooped onward. Having company wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it wasn’t something he’d been expecting.

  Least of all, these two.

  Let’s have them say our name, then eat one, and drink the other.

  Be quiet, you.

  You’re not really helping much here.

  Chapter 13

  In the end, he’d sent another letter off to his father detailing out everything he knew so far in coded language. The amazing part of this visit, though, was that he’d already received a letter from his father.

  Which could only mean that his father had spent a large amount of money to get it here so quickly. Rene had left it in his inventory for now. Too many things to do to open the emotional bomb he was sure it would be.

  In addition, he’d signed the contract with Geoffrey, had a quick meal with both women, and then escaped from everyone.

  Socializing wasn’t for him and his experience with it was limit
ed to say the least.

  Rather than wait for the next day to find his mark, he decided to start today. Maybe with a little bit of luck, he’d manage to spy one of the pickpockets and follow them back. At that point, he’d be half way there.

  He was sitting in a crevice in the main boulevard of the trading district. A hood was draped low over his face and his body was covered in the folds of the cloak he’d put on to disguise himself.

  People had watched him at first, but they quickly lost interest when he did nothing. He didn’t meet anyone’s eyes and he gave off the impression of a man recovering from some type of hangover.

  Rather than trying to find one of the pickpockets, he was hoping to lure one to him.

  Rene remained aware of everything around him while he sank into his mind. It was one of the few things he’d found he could accomplish easily at a young age. Tuning in to himself without tuning out the world.

  Your skill in Meditation has increased (13)

  There’d been a number of those increases as he’d sat here, going through the interior of his mind.

  There.

  Rene felt it as soon as the Monster did. A pair of eyes had settled on him.

  Most looked over him as soon as they judged him, but this person had stayed. Their intent wasn’t friendly either. It didn’t feel hostile, but it was not in his best interest.

  It’s how the tasty ones keep sneaking up on us. They mean us no harm.

  Your skill in Awareness has increased (6)

  A small hand slipped into his belt pouch and then began to slide out again with his copper-filled purse.

  Rene’s hand leapt out from his side and encircled the wrist of his pickpocket tightly. Snapping his eyes open, Rene glared into the face of a young child.

  The boy couldn’t have been older than eight. Taught to pick pockets and forced to run the streets—Rene could only imagine the life this child had lived up to this point. Even the place where he rested his head was likely no safe haven.