For Gold and Revenge

by Noah Layton

  WARNING – CONSIDERED ARMED AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. APPROACH AT OWN RISK. POSSESSES AFFILIATIONS WITH THE DARK ELVES.

  ‘Immolation?’ Cassandra exclaimed, snatching it from my hand and reading it again. ‘What the hell does that mean?’

  ‘Probably used a firebomb to set him alight… Or something worse. I know that name,’ I said, fishing out my journal from my jacket pocket and flicking to my pages on the dark elves. ‘Here he is. Loose cannon who likes to think he’s a bit of a lady’s man.’

  ‘Looks like he has one thing in common with you,’ Cassandra smirked, raising her eyebrows at me.

  ‘Hey, he has nothing in common with me. I don’t think I’m anything. I know.’

  ‘Does it say he’s arrogant in there too?’ She mocked.

  ‘No, but it says he’s a little cocky. His uncle used to be a member of the gang before he died. Spoiled asshole who wanders around the city getting into fights and expecting the threat of his gang to keep him safe.’

  ‘They even know his location. How arrogant can you get? All right, I take back what I said about you.’

  ‘It’s not even arrogance, it’s… Awareness. He thinks he’s untouchable, but the truth is he’s just an idiot member of this gang who they probably don’t even like. Still, a few people were brave enough to speak out and identify him. God help them… His location is known but he’ll be surrounded by a squad of guards from the gang.’

  ‘So, what, he will just…Stay in there forever, wallowing in fear?’

  ‘No. He’ll wait for a few weeks when the board has been overtaken by new crimes, and then he’ll come out of hiding and go back to his usual ways.’

  ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘Oh, yeah. Most bounties don’t even go claimed. That’s why crime is so rife in this city. The more serious ones just get shoved to the top, and the petty stuff; the thievery, the one-time murders, the forgery, they eventually just disappear into the ether.’

  ‘The top-shelf bounties always remain,’ I continued, pointing to the wanted posters for the gang leaders on the top row, ‘but taking down one of them would require a lot of know-how, a lot of luck and a lot of balls. This is what happens when the High Council do nothing.’

  ‘Looks like it’s time to do something about.’

  ‘You’re damn right,’ I said, pressing my finger harshly to the smug face of Odasa Merliah and crumpling the paper a little. ‘And this is where we begin.’

  ‘But surely we can’t just go running in there? That is a guaranteed way to get ourselves killed.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree with you more,’ I nodded, folding up the paper and pocketing it. ‘Which is why we’re not going to do that.’

  ‘So how are we going to do it?’

  ‘Come on. I know a guy.’

  ***

  I retrieved Blister from the stables I had left him at, and together Cassandra and I rode my horse at a steady pace through the city. A few districts over, we arrived in the central plaza of the Dwarven District.

  The first thing that every traveller into the city saw during their approach, before they even saw the central spire raising up into the sky, was the plumes of smoke that billowed endlessly into the heavens.

  The Dwarven District was where all of that started. This is where the coals were burned and the ores were refined, the place where the fuel was prepared and sent out to light the fires that kept the city alight.

  This was the place that allowed this city to breathe.

  The only downside was that the folks who lived here often had a little trouble breathing thanks to all of the smoke and soot in the air.

  Cassandra and I moved past ironmongers and huge booming furnaces, pulling our masks up over our mouths and noses. It was half to hide out faces, and half to offer some protection against the polluted air.

  Cassandra coughed, clasping her hand over her mask and pressing it to her mouth as we walked the streets.

  ‘Why did you bring us here again?’

  ‘There’s a guy whose help we need. He’s a genius, although he’s a little bit nuts.’

  ‘Aren’t we all,’ Cassandra sighed, brushing off her shoulder.

  ‘And I’m supposed to be the arrogant one.’

  ‘Hey, I took that back.’

  ‘I know you did, I’m just messing with you.’

  ‘So who is this guy?’

  ‘He’s a dwarven blacksmith, but he has a side-gig that he experiments with.’

  ‘Which is?’

  ‘It’s… Explosives.’

  ‘Explosives…? Are you kidding me?’

  ‘They’re highly effective.’

  ‘And highly illegal!’

  ‘Yeah, well, sometimes you’ve got to fight fire with fire.’

  ‘I’d argue with you, but you’re right. At least tell me that he’s careful.’

  ‘I’m going to say yes, but you might think I’m lying when we meet him. We’re here.’

  The Dwarven District was filled with blacksmiths buildings equipped with furnaces, and Grimdrom’s was no different.

  Old barrels and crates stacked outside, fire glowing from within, smoke billowing from the chimney up top.

  It was exactly the image that Grimdrom was looking for. Inconspicuous and it blended in with every other building in the area.

  We dismounted my horse and I hitched him up outside. I headed up the steps to the building and peered inside, knocking on the open door. It was common practice; the furnaces generated so much heat that any source of cool air was desirable.

  ‘Grimdrom?’ I called out, looking into the messy workshop. ‘Grimdrom, you here?’

  The dwarf suddenly emerged from the backroom, clad in his goggles and wielding his welding gear.

  ‘Grimdrom?’

  He completely ignored me, rounding to his anvil and readying his hammer.

  CLINK.

  ‘Grimdrom!’

  CLINK.

  ‘GRIMDROM!’

  CLINK.

  ‘I don’t think he’s…’ Cassandra paused as another CLINK sounded. ‘Listening to you!’

  ‘Because he’s deaf as a-’ CLINK. ‘God-damned shad.’

  I approached Grimdrom, brought my lips up to his ear, and-

  ‘GRIMDROM!!!’

  His hammer went flying up into the air as he jumped in shock, leaping to the side and spinning around.

  He pulled off his goggles and threw them to the side exposing his messy hair and bush brown beard, as well as his crooked nose and focused eyes.

  ‘What the hell are you doing, human!’ He yelled. ‘You scared the shit out of me!’

  ‘Well, I’m sorry, Grimdrom, but you weren’t responding.’

  ‘You know I can’t hear worth shit, Drake.’

  ‘Of course I do.’

  ‘So what are you doing yelling in my fucking ear?!’

  ‘Getting your attention.’

  He frowned, which slowly transformed into a nod, which ever so slowly shifted into a rotten-toothed grin before he rushed up to me and gave me a surprisingly strong bear hug.

  ‘What brings you to these parts, Drake? And with such a beautiful lady at your side…?’

  ‘Oh, I like him,’ Cassandra said, offering her hand. ‘Cassandra Tomasin.’

  ‘Grimdrom Barrelhood,’ he replied, shaking her hand and bowing to her. ‘How did a beautiful woman like you end up with his washed-up ass?’

  ‘I don’t think he washes up too badly,’ Cassandra said slyly, winking over at me.

  ‘I’m just fooling around with you.’ Grimdrom batted a hand at me. ‘He’s a beautiful bastard, isn’t he? Even with all of those scars.’

  ‘You gave me one of them,’ I retorted, sitting down on an old anvil nearby.

  ‘That I did, although in fairness you were trying to kill me.’

  ‘Sorry,’ Cassandra cut in, ‘How is it that you two know each other?’

  ‘Well-’ I started.

  ‘I’m telling the story,’ Grimdrom interrupted gru
ffly. ‘You do a terrible job of telling it. Let me set the scene; I’m carrying out some safe, private experiments in the hills outside of the city-’

  ‘You were blowing up barrels of explosives and technically you were inside the jurisdiction limits of the city-’

  ‘You always ruin this story. So I’m carrying out my very safe experiments, and here comes this dashing, sword-wielding asshole. He says there’s a bounty on my head for 80 gold coins because there have been reports I’ve been setting off explosives. Didn’t have any clue it was illegal, never mind there being gold on my head.’

  ‘You did know that it was illegal, you just didn’t think anybody would hear you,’ I laughed, shaking my head. ‘How did you not know that explosives are illegal. Everybody knows that!’

  ‘Okay, maybe I did know, but I had no idea there would be any so many damned busybodies keeping their eyes on me. Who cares about someone blowing stuff up as long as it’s away from civilisation?’

  ‘Because blowing things up for fun often leads people to believe that one day you might not just blow up trees and make holes in the ground. In fact, it’s pretty likely that said person will end up blowing up things like buildings, and people.’

  ‘I am not some sad little man torturing animals in a gutter,’ he said, pointing his welding hammer at me. ‘I am a scientist!’

  ‘So how come Grimdrom didn’t end up headless?’ Cassandra asked. ‘I like him, but I know you’re a stickler for the rules, Drake.’

  ‘First of all, I’m not biting to your taunt,’ I said, pointing at Cassandra and trying not to smile, ‘and secondly, because he turned into a cowering mess on the floor. Whimpering on his knees, begging not to be turned into a bounty office. That was how I knew he didn’t mean any harm to anyone.’

  ‘So you did know that I was innocent,’ Grimdrom shouted.

  ‘Of course, but I also knew how lucky you were. I knew that if any other bounty hunter were to find you out there then you wouldn’t be here. Fortunately the one who did stumble onto you was willing to show you some mercy.’

  ‘Oh, how kind of you,’ Grimdrom said sarcastically, waving his arms in the air before flipping me off. ‘You are such a damned saint…’

  ‘So you let him go?’ Cassandra said. ‘Looks like the bounty hunter does have a heart.’

  ‘A black one. He still made me pay up.’

  ‘I asked him for a favour,’ I said. ‘When the time came.’

  ‘And I’m guessing you’ve come to fetch that favour now? God forbid what you’re going to ask me to do…’

  ‘It actually might be of some interest to you,’ I replied. ‘It’s in your field of expertise.’

  ‘Blacksmithing? I’ll craft it for you. Anything you want. Name it.’

  ‘Your other profession.’

  ‘My other profession…? Oh, you mean blowing things up? Forget that, I’m out of the game.’

  ‘Twenty gold coins says if I head into the cellar I’ll find enough refined explosive to bring this whole district down.’

  Grimdrom’s mouth squirmed into a scornful expression.

  ‘Fuck you,’ he muttered, before exploding into an eccentric laugh. ‘All right, fine. But I stuck to what you told me to do. Never did blow anything up again. I just tinker with it now. Maker, what I wouldn’t give to test some of it out…’

  ‘Well, here’s your chance. I’m going to need you to test it.’

  ‘On what? You got a building that needs bringing down?’

  ‘More like an individual.’

  Grimdrom raised his eyebrow, glared back at me, then burst into an explosive laughter – no pun intended.

  ‘A person? You want me to fucking kill somebody? You just said that was a crime. Did he not just say that?’

  ‘Yeah, in fairness you did say that,’ Cassandra agreed.

  ‘This is different,’ I said. ‘There’s a bounty on his head, and the only way I can get to him is by being subtle about it.’

  ‘How the hell is an explosive subtle? It’s the very opposite of subtle. You gonna sneak it up his ass?’

  ‘How…?’ Cassandra cut in quietly. ‘I’m sorry, but how would that be subtle?’

  ‘Who even is this character you want rid of?’ Grimdrom asked.

  ‘A bad guy,’ I replied.

  ‘What kind of bad guy? I want to know who we’re killing first before I go setting any charges up this guy’s butthole.’

  ‘He’s… A dark elf.’

  Grimdrom took off his apron and slapped it down on the anvil.

  ‘I hope you don’t mean the gang.’

  ‘The very same.’

  ‘You can’t kill a gang member, Drake! Forget that guy’s ass, it’ll be yours that’s up for sale once they’re finished with you. If there’s anything left, that is…’

  ‘This target is different. He’s exiled, low in the ranks, but still protected. Nobody’s put any pressure on the gangs for years. Everybody’s too afraid. But I’m planning on stirring the pot and tearing out some feathers, and I can’t do it on my own. I’m starting small, and there’s some serious coin on this guy’s head.’

  ‘I don’t know, Drake. What’s in it for me? And don’t say just because I owe you a favour.’

  ‘There’s a 20% cut of the bounty and a chance to experiment with whatever explosives you’ve been working on all this time, as long as they’re powerful. Guaranteed security, too. You’re just there to set the stuff up and activate it when the time comes.’

  Grimdrom eyed me, glancing between myself and Cassandra.

  ‘50%’ he argued.

  ‘30%.

  ‘40.’

  ‘35.’

  ‘Deal.’

  We both spat into our palms and shook hands.

  ‘So when do we start?’

  ‘Right now. You got any spare goggles you can lend us?’

  ‘A few. Why?’

  ‘Because I have a feeling this is going to get messy.’

  ‘Oh, my boy,’ Grimdrom chuckled, patting me on the arm. ‘You have no idea what I’ve got in store.’

  12 – Boom

  Grimdrom saddled up his horse and mine to a cart that contained several large barrels and a trolley around midday, which Cassandra and I helped tied it all up with lengths of rope in secure knots. Once they were comfortably in place, we wrapped it up with a considerable amount of tarpaulin, and the contents was securely hidden.

  ‘There aren’t enough seats for all of us up front,’ Grimdrom said. ‘One of us is going to have to ride in the back.’

  ‘You can,’ I said. ‘You’re the smallest, and you can’t possibly expect a lady to ride up front, can you?’

  ‘I’ve got a better idea,’ Grimdrom said confidently, ‘How about you ride bitch in the back because this is my horse, my cart and my explosive, and the lady can ride up front with me? I only owe you one favour, remember?’

  ‘My horse is there too, remember?’

  I tried to think of another retort to throw at him, but Cassandra just shrugged and smiled cheekily, stooping a little and linking her arm into Grimdrom’s.

  ‘That sounds like a fine deal to me, Mr Barrelhood,’ she said.

  ‘Splendid, my dear,’ Grimdrom said. ‘Drake, sit your ass in the back. And don’t go looking like a bulldog licking piss off a nettle all the way there. There’s enough explosive in the back of this cart to blow us all to the Maker, and if we get caught with this it’ll be all of our asses. I’m trusting you to keep an eye on my precious babies.’

  ‘Your precious babies?’ Cassandra repeated, settling into the seat of the cart by Grimdrom’s side. ‘Why do you call them that?’

  ‘They are the products of my labor, therefore they are my babies,’ he said seriously, whipping the horses reigns and steering her around. ‘Every grain of powder is the product of my work, perfected and nurtured to a point of maximum explosiveness. Here.’

  Grimdrom fished into his pocket and retrieved a small pouch that he handed to Cassandra. She poured
a little out into her palm and examined the black powder.

  ‘It feels like dust.’

  ‘Don’t be misled. What you’re holding is incredibly dangerous. It’s a combination that I’ve been working on for years.’

  ‘It sounds terribly dangerous.’

  ‘Oh, it is. Can’t count the number of fires I’ve accidentally set off in my workshop! It became so bad at one point that I ended up spending a few weeks working on a whole new project – a concoction to put fires out quickly. Don’t fret, I’ve got a few bags of that concoction in the back… Not that it would protect us from the initial blast, that is…’

  Cassandra looked over her shoulder at me with an impressed expression, then tipped the explosive powder back into the pouch and threw it across to me.

  I inspected it myself then pocketed it, thinking it might come in handy later.

  ‘So you never wished to have any actual children of your own?’ Cassandra continued.

  ‘Perhaps I would have once, but my love was taken from me many a year ago.’

  ‘That’s terrible! What happened?’

  ‘Oh, god, she was never even your love and she’s not dead,’ I called up from the back of the wagon. ‘You never even talked to her and she want off with another man.’

  ‘That is practically the same as losing her,’ Grimdrom shouted back at me. ‘It was a woeful time…’

  Cassandra turned over her shoulder and winked at me, then returned to intently listening to our new dwarf companion.

  I might have had the best sex of my entire life with her, but that didn’t make us… Well, I didn’t know what it made us yet.

  Truth be told, I was falling for her hard. I wanted a woman in my life who was committed to me, who was a killer in the streets and a submissive vixen behind closed doors.

  She fit that perfectly, and my attraction to her was only growing.

  Then there was Veronica, an unbelievably sexy catgirl who was now living with us in the hideout, cooking me dinner, washing my clothes and bathing me with complete shamelessness.

  Either way I wasn’t complaining. Having one beautiful woman keeping me company and fighting by my side was one thing, but having another to come home to who also seemed to have an obsession with bathing me and cleaning up after me?