“What’s with you?” I finally said. “You’ve been moping all day, ever since we got rid of that troll.”
He ignored me for a moment, and then lifted his eyes to mine. What I saw in them took me aback. Usually, Adrian was full of life and laughter, and had a real devil-may-care attitude, but now, he looked different. He looked dejected, almost defeated.
“I can’t do it anymore, Duke.” His voice was rough, as if he were barely holding it together.
“Can’t do what?”
“This. The Nuisance Man job. I can’t do it.”
“What? Come on, of course you can. Maybe you’re coming down with a cold.”
I was only half serious, but I wanted some reasonable explanation for his sudden change in behavior.
“He wasn’t guilty,” he whispered.
“What are you talking about? Who wasn’t guilty of what?”
“That troll. He wasn’t guilty. I felt it.”
“Come on, Adrian,” I laughed. “He was standing over the guy. Besides, who cares? It was a troll!”
“I care. And I know what we saw, but it wasn’t the whole story. Look, there’s something I haven’t told you about.”
Now I was starting to get a little more concerned. We had been through some sticky situations and I didn’t like to think that Adrian was keeping secrets.
“This sword,” he said. “When I use it on someone, it tells me if they deserve to be killed. Sometimes they do, but sometimes, they don’t. Not totally, anyway. Most of the time, it’s not that strong, like they’ve done something at some point. But today…that troll. Duke, he really didn’t deserve it. Not even a little bit.”
His eyes were haunted as he spoke. He picked up his mug, and drained it in one go, which is never a great idea with blood ale.
“Adrian,” I said, “Calm down. Your sword does something weird. So, what? If that troll didn’t have it coming yet, he would have at some point.”
He looked at me and laughed this weird kind of laugh.
“You don’t get it. But I don’t think I would either.”
He lurched to his feet and took out the leather bag that he used to hold his money. He tossed it on the table in front of me where it landed with a clink.
“Here. It’s my share from today. I don’t want it. I don’t want any of it.”
With that, he turned and reeled toward the door. I called after him, but he never so much as looked back once. In a moment, he was gone, and that was the last I ever saw of Adrian Gunn.
On a day like any other, I rolled out of bed, bright and early in the still not quite yet noon time. Taking inventory, I noticed that I was running short of several things, including money, and resigned myself to actually having to work. I puttered around, easing into the day, and then headed to the watchhouse.
I walked in with my usual, “Hey, Sarge,” expecting a snappy comeback or to be totally ignored, either one of those being Sarge’s usual method of greeting me. Instead, he seemed unusually somber today.
“Duke,” he said, “I’m glad you came in. Come over here.”
I frowned at this, since my routine was to immediately go stand in front of the Nuisance Board and see who was up there. Then, I’d ask Sarge questions about them, mostly to annoy him. It used to be that if someone was on the Board, they were fair game. I’d had a change of heart about that in the recent past, once it was brought to my attention that going after actual criminals, rather than just anyone not human, might be better for my health. If I was being honest, those same thoughts were creeping in around the edges anyway.
The Watch, who was supposed to investigate the nuisances to make sure that they really deserved to be on the Board, hardly ever did. They didn’t show much signs of interest in changing that practice either. So I picked and chose which ones I would take, and asked the questions anyway.
I crossed the room slowly, sure that this was a new opportunity for Sarge to get in a dig at me.
“Ooookay,” I said. “What’s up?”
“Look,” he said, keeping his voice low. “There’s something going on that you need to know about.”
Now I was definitely getting concerned.
“What?” I said, lowering my voice as well.
“There’s something happening that’s got the bigwigs all riled up. We’re talking pretty high up on the hill here.”
“You’re scaring me Sarge. What’s going on?”
“People are being killed, Duke. Important people.”
“What’s that go to do with me? I’m only a Nuisance Man.”
“Yeah, well, that’s what’s so weird. The people that are being killed all have something in common. They’ve all put someone on the Nuisance Board.”
I grunted. That was weird. It could be that non-human rights group I ran into a while back. But they had indicated that they weren’t interested in starting a war, just in gaining a little real equality.
Sarge looked at me.
“No one’s asked me what I thought yet,” he said. “But I’ve seen some of the victims. Cut to shreds.”
I swallowed, afraid I knew what was coming, even as I hoped to all the gods that I didn’t.
“Duke,” Sarge said, “I’m pretty sure it’s Adrian.”
I stayed at the watchhouse with Sarge to find out exactly what was going on. The Watch started finding bodies a few months ago, which in and of itself was nothing unusual. Capital City was a magnificent place, but it could also be bad on your life expectancy if you weren’t careful. Like most other cities, the bodies tended to turn up in the more run-down areas, hardly ever in the posh places. Those folk knew when their time was up and took care to have relatives handle the funeral arrangements. No rat-man cart and an unattended cremation for them. Hell, there was a whole park set aside specifically for their graves and mausoleums.
Working class areas were much the same, although without the park to spend their eternal slumbers in. Families took care of the bodies themselves, laying them out in their best finery to receive well-wishers and mourners, and a moderate priced service that would take them away in dignity. A few days later and they’d deliver your loved ones ashes to you, to do with as you would.
There were a few murders here and there in both of these types of places, but for the most part, they’d be cleared up quickly and the reasons uncovered. It was usually passion, robbery, or revenge for some wrong doing. The point is that random deaths, especially of a bloody, violent nature, are few and far between in those areas.
I choose to believe that’s why they garnered so much attention in the daily newssheets when they did happen. I hated to think it’s because those areas were almost exclusively human.
But it was a big deal that bodies started turning up in these areas now. Bodies which were sliced right open, sometimes from top to bottom, and left to lie where they fell. It was always done when no one else was around, so there were no witnesses. After the first three, they called in the big guns, the Watch Commanders and the like. They started looking into possible links, and the only thing that they came up with so far was that all of them, at some time, placed someone on the Nuisance Board. To their minds, that meant it was probably some orc or gnoll out for revenge, since everyone knew that the savage races were like that.
But there was more going on between Sarge’s ears than people gave him credit for. He had gotten to one of those crime scenes and seen the body first hand. The first thing that came to his mind, was Adrian’s giant sword and the types of cuts it could delivery. Sarge always liked Adrian. Hell, everyone liked Adrian. That was why he was coming to me, rather than telling his superiors as he probably should have.
“I’m pretty sure, Duke,” he said. “You’ve got to do something.”
“Me? I haven’t seen or talked to Adrian in years. What makes you think I can do anything?”
Sarge looked down at the floor, then back to me.
“You can put him down quick.”
I looked at Sarge in disbelief. Because I h
adn’t seen the guy in years didn’t mean that I didn’t think we were still friends. If Adrian showed up here tomorrow saying that he wanted to go get blasted on blood ale at the Edge, I would have opened the door for him and bought the first round.
“You’re out of your mind,” I started to say, but Sarge interrupted me.
“What do you think is going to happen to him if they catch him? I’ll tell you. They’ll make an example out of him, to warn everyone of what happens if you kill the wrong type. And they’ll make a spectacle out of him, to prove that they’re on top of things. It won’t be pretty, Duke. It’ll be downright ugly.”
I knew that Sarge was right. They’d parade him up and down the city, and kill him in the most horrible, showy, painful way they could devise. I knew Adrian, and if this was him, he must have a reason. If he didn’t, then his mind was gone, or he was being controlled somehow. It must be something, anything, that made it not his fault, and not deserving of what they would do to him.
Then, I had a sudden thought.
“Wait a minute,” I said, a feeling of relief washing over me. “This doesn’t have to be Adrian. Maybe he lost that sword and someone else has it.”
Sarge considered this.
“Yep. That’s possible, I guess. Question is, do you want to take the chance?”
He was right again. If I cared about Adrian, I really couldn’t take the chance. I needed to be the one who found this killer. If it was him, I could find out what was going on, and help him. If it wasn’t, well then at least I could end the murderer’s streak.
“No,” I said. “You’re right. I’ll do what I can.”
The first thing I could think of to do was to find out who might be the next target. I asked Sarge to show me the records that they used to keep track of the nuisances that were officially removed, specifically the ones who were put there by the victims. If there was one thing that the Watch did well, it was keep records. I suppose it kept a pencil pusher somewhere happy.
I took down the names of all the nuisances that were put on the Board by the victims, as well as what the problems they created were, and made notes of everyone that was currently on the Board. Once I had that, I knew who I needed to talk to. The only problem was I wasn’t quite sure how to find him.
There was a new faction in Capital City, led by a dwarf who didn’t named himself when last we met. He was very well spoken, and polite in a firm, yet threatening manner. It was he who brought to my attention the fact that simply removing a nuisance because it wasn’t human was no longer going to be tolerated. I believed him, and changed my methods accordingly. He told me that I was being watched, and would continue to be, but I had no idea how to get in touch with him myself.
The last, and only, time that I ran into him was at the docks when I finished running from an ogre that I accidently shot in the face. Maybe I could find him down there, or perhaps find that ogre and get a line on the dwarf from him.
I headed down to the docks, strolled around, and sure enough, there was my friend Hock. Hock was the ogre that I shot when I was trying to eliminate his brother, Ham. It was a misunderstanding that we cleared up, and then I met Ham in the company of the dwarf I was looking for.
“Hock!” I called out, and he turned to me, a vaguely confused look on his face. Ogres aren’t the smartest beings in Capital City, and Hock was a little on the dim side even for them.
“Hey,” I said, coming up to him. “I’m looking for your brother. Do you know where I can find him?”
Hock and his brother had a falling out a while back, a thing which was rare among ogres. I was hoping that they would have patched things up by now.
“Him with new friends,” Hock said. “What for you want?”
“I actually don’t need him. Really, I want to talk to his friends. Do you know where I can find them?”
Hock pointed over at a building that stood on the edge of the dock area. It was a good-sized building, clad in grey boards.
“Them there.”
My luck held, again. I thanked Hock and went to the building that he showed me.
There was a sign hanging over the door reading “NHLF”, with a picture of a goblin, an ogre, and a dwarf all standing with their arms interlinked, presenting a united front to the world. While I had no idea what “NHLF” meant, I did have the feeling that the dwarf’s group had gained a new level of standing in the community.
I entered into a type of reception area, with a counter dividing the room, a bench to the side, and a door behind the counter leading deeper into the building. It actually looked like it was modeled on a watchhouse.
Behind the counter was a dwarf, but not the one I was looking for. He was giving me the fish eye, so I introduced myself to him.
“Uh, yeah, hi,” I said. “I’m looking for someone. My name is…”
“We know who you are,” he interrupted. “What do you want?”
I didn’t know if I should be flattered, or worried that I was recognized that easily.
“I need to speak to the head dwarf.” I wasn’t sure if that was the correct term, but at this point, I simply needed to get to him.
“Ivar is busy,” the dwarf said, obviously meaning to dismiss me.
I’ve been dismissed before, usually when trying to locate a nuisance, but this guy was a champion at it. His tone of voice, the way his gaze slid away from me as if I no longer even existed, and his whole demeanor screamed that I was no longer worthy of his time and attention. He was perfect for the role.
Lucky for me, experience is an excellent teacher, and this minor functionary wasn’t going to deter me.
“Look here, friend,” I said, leaning over the counter. I could see that there was a raised platform built back there for him to stand on, so that he was eye to eye with an average sized human.
“I’ve come to see Ivar about an important matter. It doesn’t matter if he’s busy. He’ll see me. Or, I can pull you over this counter and make you squawk enough that he’ll come see what the problem is himself.”
The dwarf chuckled at this, and cocked a thumb back over his shoulder.
“How fast do you think Ham will be through that door if you do?
My threat hadn’t worked in the least. He was still cool as could be.
I was gearing up to start making a scene when that very same door opened, and Ivar himself walked through it, looking through a stack of papers. He looked up as he approached the counter and saw me standing there.
“Why Mr. Grandfather. What an unexpected surprise. What brings you to our headquarters?”
“I need to speak to you, urgently. It’s a matter that affects us both.”
He raised an eyebrow at this.
“I see. In that case, come with me.”
A few minutes later we were sitting in his office. He parked himself behind a desk that was littered with papers, many of which I saw were copies of nuisances. I wondered how he got his hands on those, but decided that now was not the time to ask. He motioned for me to sit in the other chair, across the desk from him.
“Mr. Grandfather,” he said. “What can I do for you? Or, more precisely, what can we do for each other?”
I told him the story, and I mean all of it. I told him of my past partnership with Adrian, about his sword, and about the day that Adrian quit the business. I filled him in on what the Watch was finding, and on my suspicion that it was Adrian, but my hope that it was someone else using his sword. Ivar sat and listened, asking a question here and there, but otherwise making no comment.
“I’m not quite sure what you want from me, Mr. Grandfather,” he said when I finished. “It sounds to me that this Adrian did the right thing, long before it became fashionable.”
“Maybe. But I have to find out if it is him, or someone else, and put a stop to it.”
He considered.
“I have to confess that I’m not sure that I’m of the same mind about that. Why should I, or the NHLF by extension, care about someone killing humans? Humans w
ho have availed themselves of the Nuisance Board at that. It almost feels as if we should be applauding him.”
“I can see your point,” I said. “But here’s the thing. Adrian was, hell, still is, a friend of mine. I don’t want to see him tortured and killed to make a point.”
“As much as I may sympathize, Mr. Grandfather, I still fail to see why I should help.”
I stared across the table at Ivar. I could see why he would question why he should worry about this. To his mind, the victims only got what was coming to them, and any more would deserve the same. When last we met, I got the impression of someone who believed in their cause, but was also reasonable, so I decided to appeal to his sense of fairness.
I sighed.
“To be honest, there’s no reason that you should. When you first contacted me, that day in the alley, you gave me a choice. Play by your rules, or else. I went along with that, but what we didn’t discuss was how I actually felt about it. You gave me a lot to think about that day, you know. It was already starting to prey on me a little. What we were doing, and that we didn’t seem to care if the target was really guilty or not. You just confirmed it for me, and gave words to what I was already starting to come around to on my own.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Ivar said. “I still don’t see why I should help you now.”
“Because, I fully realized then that because someone isn’t human doesn’t mean that their friends and families aren’t important to them. Well, Adrian is my friend. Does that mean less because we are human?”
Ivar pursed his lips and regarded me.
“Very good, Mr. Grandfather,” he said quietly. “You’ve used my very own words against me, and you’re right. What can I do for you?”
I showed him the information I received from Sarge.
“The victims of the killer all put someone on the Nuisance Board, which you already know. These are the names of those nuisances, as well as what they were put on the Board for. I’m hoping you might recognize some of them and be able to tell me about them. Specifically, if they were really guilty of what they were being accused of.”
Duke Grandfather- The Whole Story Page 7
