by Jamie Davis
"Don't worry, your Grace," Hal said. "I'll be asking you for a big favor once we're finished with all this nonsense. You're going to help me return to my family."
"I will do anything within my power," the Duke added with a smile.
Hal nodded, and he and Kay turned and left the bedchamber pulling the door closed behind them.
It was time to return to the Hood's hideout.
26
IT TOOK Hal and Kay the whole two days they had to figure out the plan to take down the Caravans Warden. The challenge they faced was finding where the children were being held so they could include freeing them in the plan. In the end, both ends of the plan came together in a way Hal couldn't have hoped for.
The two started their journey to Tandon’s broad caravan district in their laundry wagon. They'd made sure they were often seen over the next two days and searched by guards at checkpoints around the city until they became innocuous in the eyes of the guardsmen. It had worked and allowed them to check on leads in several parts of the city without arousing suspicion. They made one stop to see Colin at the Caravansary Outfitters to pick up a few items Hal came up with for the job then headed to where they planned to hide the wagon during the raid.
The day before, Kay discovered information about a man and woman who picked up street children and turned them over to the Caravans Warden for a finder's fee. Tracking their whereabouts and travels led to the city's stockyards where all the livestock coming in and out of the city were processed and sold. They discovered there was an underground facility beneath the stockyards used to do the same with the missing children.
Pulling the laundry wagon into an empty stable near the stockyard, Kay jumped down and pulled the doors shut to hide the wagon from prying eyes who might wonder what it was doing there.
"This plan still leaves a lot of questions unanswered, Hal," Kay said as Hal climbed down from the wagon and took off his white smock. "Don't get me wrong, so far we've been able to pull off these little raids. That said, I'm more than a little nervous going into the stockyards."
Hal tapped his head. "Trust in the luck, Kay."
Kay laughed, removing her laundry smock. "You are so weird. You think your luck is stronger than a sword blade?"
"I think my luck makes it so I can avoid that sword blade while I deal with its wielder." Hal sopped Kay with a hand on her arm. "Is there something bothering you?"
Kay sighed. "I want to believe in what we're doing. Sometimes, though, I feel like it's all some sort of game to you. Like you don't believe anything can go wrong."
That made Hal pause. This all seemed so real to him now, and it was reality to Kay. She wasn't the typical NPC companion he'd grown fond of in other games. She had been beside him since the beginning of his journey here in Fantasma. They'd spent weeks together without a break while Hal tried to find a way to get home. He knew he would value Kay's friendship for the rest of his life.
How did he explain to her what was really going on and how he came here? She'd likely think he was crazy and abandon him altogether. Kay had accepted his explanation that some strange magic had sent him to this place and that he had to find a way to return home. He wasn’t sure he could explain a video game to her or how it might be used to warp his mind into believing he was really here. Kay’s response that he treated it all like a game made him realize it felt less like a game every day.
Hal brought up his various menus from his stats to his inventory to reassure himself. It sure looked like a game to him despite the very real pain from his wounds and the need to sleep and eat. He saw how he’d become stronger and more proficient in the game over time, and every time the slot machine inside his head started rolling, he knew a saving throw roll was going to turn out his way.
Hal decided that while this was a game of sorts, in some strange way it was real, too, as real as his own world was. His completion of the various quests had made an impact on this small portion of a broader world. For the people of Tandon, like Kay and the Duke, and all the others he'd helped, Hal made a difference in a way he'd never been able to at home.
"Kay," Hal said. "I'm sorry if my attitude seems flippant or disrespectful of the dangers we are facing. Chalk it up to something of the philosophy of where I come from. In situations like this, treating things like a very serious sort of game is how people approach what you and I are doing. It doesn't mean I don't care about the outcome or the risks we're facing. I do care. A lot."
Hal smiled at his friend to reassure her.
Kay stared at him for a long time in the darkness of the abandoned stable. Her face finally broke into a smile of her own.
"Maybe you're right, Hal. Maybe I'm taking things too seriously and not enjoying the journey. I've seen so much death and destruction; I'm not aware of the happiness of those around me as much as I should be. Sorry for doubting you, Hal. It wasn't fair of me to do that given all you and I've been through together."
Kay held out her hand, and Hal reached out and clasped wrists with her, reaching over and clapping her on the shoulder.
"I think there are some kids who need us to take their plight seriously. Shall we go teach a certain Warden the error of his ways?" Hal asked gesturing with a flourish to the door.
"I think that would be a splendid idea, Hal," Kay said as she started towards the door and the beginning of their next adventure.
Hal and Kay began this part of their quest by working their way through the streets to the stockyards. They were careful to avoid detection by even the casual glance of a local resident. The two companions stuck to the shadows and moved as quietly as possible until they were at the edge of the huge caravan stock yards. Hal saw beasts of burden of almost every conceivable kind in the various pens. There were camels, horses, oxen, some sort of slope-backed buffalo, and what looked like a pen full of llamas.
"I don't think I've ever seen so many different types of animals together in one place outside of a zoo," Hal remarked to Kay as they crouched at the edge of the stockyard.
"Tandon is a central hub for several major caravan routes," Kay said. "There is a need for different modes of transport and freight carrying capabilities depending on where the caravans are heading. The stockyards provide a way for the various caravan groups to trade in their beasts for those more appropriate for the next phase of the journey."
"Someday, I need to take a look at a larger map of this land," Hal said. "There's a lot more to this place than just Tandon."
Kay gave him a glance that was another one of those "you're weird" looks. It made him chuckle. If she only knew what his normal life was like in a world full of technology and modern transportation. She'd have her own strange remarks, too.
Hal pointed to the large structure at the center of the stockyards. "Based on what we've heard; the children are being kept in an underground complex beneath the main auction barn. That has to be that building there."
Hal pointed to a large, broad structure in the center of the stockyards.
"I agree. There are a lot of guards and stock handlers between here and there," Kay said. "It's unlikely we'll be able to sneak all the way to the center of this complex. What's the plan?"
Hal took a moment to bring up his quest menu while he pretended to scan the scene before him.
OPEN QUESTS:
RESCUE THE CHILDREN from the stockyards
Kill the Caravans Warden
Kill the Temple Warden
Discover the identity of the Palace Warden
Kill the Palace Warden
Reinstate the Duke to power in Tandon
THERE WAS nothing new there he didn't already know about. It looked like all they had to do was get to that barn, kill the Warden, rescue the kids and get out. It was easy, right?
"My plan is we pose as buyers and see how far we get," Hal said. He pointed to a pair of merchants walking from the stockyards nearby. They got in and out. Why shouldn't we?"
"Maybe because they're actual merchants," Kay said.
"Ka
y, sometimes you have to be James Bond and walk right into the bad guy's lair. It's so unexpected; it might work."
"Who's James Bond?"
"Never mind, just trust me."
“I’m tired of you saying that.”
Hal chuckled and stepped from the shadows, dropped his cloak's hood and ran his fingers through his hair. The minute he stepped into the light, the lever on the slot machine in his head was pulled, and the dials began rolling. He smiled. It was time to press his luck once again.
"Hal Dix you are a fool," Kay said stepping out beside him.
"That is precisely why this will work. Act like you belong, and you WILL belong. Watch."
Hal and Kay strolled down one of the main thoroughfares through the animal pens. They'd stop now and then to peruse the livestock and ask the handlers questions about their sturdiness or capabilities. After they got his questions answered, he'd move on towards the center of the yards.
Each time he stopped the guards, and the stock attendants all saw him as an interested buyer and nothing more. All the while the slots kept tumbling in his brain, telling him to keep going.
When they made it to the main auction barn, there were four heavily armed guards at the main gate. Hal beckoned to Kay and walked right up to them.
"I hope you fine gentlemen can help me," Hal said producing four gold coins and placing them in each of the guards’ hands. "I am recently arrived in town with a new caravan group, and I understand the Warden is holding a special auction tonight. My associate and I were hoping to be able to gain entrance. Might you be able to arrange an appointment for us?"
The head guard looked down at the coin in his hand and back up at Hal. Taking the hint, Hal dropped two more gold crowns in the outstretched hand. The fingers closed on the coins, and the guard made it disappear faster than a Vegas magician.
"Wait here."
The guard went inside the building, leaving Hal and Kay behind in awkward silence. Hal figured he must be checking with his superiors. A few moments later, the door opened again, and the lead guard motioned for them to enter.
Hal nodded to the other guards and gestured to let Kay enter first. Inside the large barn, an enormous man wearing green robes trimmed in gold threaded embroidery stood waiting for them next to a pair of large covered wagons. Workmen were emptying the contents from the wagons as Hal and Kay were led up to the man in charge.
"I am Sadir, the chief auctioneer for the stockyards," the man said, identifying himself. "May I ask how you heard about tonight's special auction?"
"Greetings, Sadir. I'm Bruce Wayne, and this is my ward Dick Grayson. As I told the guard captain outside, we are newly arrived in Tandon on a very long caravan journey from far away. I had hoped to procure some special, youthful companionship for the two of us as is the custom where we come from. We were told that such things are frowned upon here. A few discreet inquiries, though, pointed me in this direction, for which I'm eternally grateful."
Hal held out his hand. In it was a stack of ten gold coins. "I hope this is satisfactory to purchase my auction card so I might participate in the event this evening, if I'm not too late."
Once again, the coins disappeared from his hand faster than his eyes could follow as the auctioneer snatched them from his outstretched palm. The second the ten coins left Hal's hand, the rolling slot machine chimed and he knew they were in.
"Of course, sir, this will be more than satisfactory. Come this way, please," Sadir said.
The big man turned and started walking across the barn's open floor to an enclosed space up ahead. Hal and Kay followed. There were windows looking out over the auction floor. Hal suspected they were offices of some sort.
They reached the smaller enclosed building within the auction barn, and Sadir rapped in a complex rhythm on the door. Hal heard a metal bolt slide back, and a panel in the top of the door slid back revealing a pair of dark eyes.
"Two late additions to the night's auction, Gerald. Please admit Mr. Wayne and Mr. Grayson and show them to their seats."
The slot slid closed, and the sounds of locks turning and bolts sliding aside came from the far side of the door.
Sadir bowed. "Gerald will show you to your seats, Mr. Wayne. I must attend to other matters before the auction begins. There is food and wine to be had, just flag down one of the young attendants. I hope your bidding is successful."
"Thank you, Sadir. You've been more than helpful," Hal said.
The door opened and a burly man in a green robe similar to Sadir's stood inside.
"If you gentlemen would follow me; I'll show you to your seats."
"Thank you, Gerald," Hal said as he and Kay followed the attendant inside.
They crossed the office where Gerald activated and opened a small panel in the wall and pulled on a hidden lever. A portion of the wall slid aside revealing a hidden stairway down beneath the auction barn. Gerald led the way to a small landing where he pulled another lever in the wall, and the door slid shut behind them.
The stone steps descended several flights until it opened into a broad cavern. There was a chill in the air and not just from being underground. Hal looked out on a broad catwalk that stretched over top a multitude of cells arranged on the cavern floor. There must be more than fifty cells here, and they all looked like they were occupied.
Gerald led Hal and Kay along the catwalk giving Hal ample opportunity to peruse the merchandise on display in the small cells below them. They were all children, one to a cell and they all stared up at him as he passed, though their eyes all seemed vacant of anything resembling hope. They knew their likely fate, he suspected.
"I say, Gerald. Are all these children on the block this evening?" Hal asked.
"Just a select few, Mr. Wayne. We only sell those who've demonstrated the proper deference to their potential masters. We stand behind our products here, and the Warden wants all who purchase here to be satisfied with their property when they leave."
"I've heard so much about the Warden in my brief time here in Tandon," Hal said. "I hope we get to meet him."
"He greets all the guests from the auction floor just before the sales begin. He also mingles in the gallery afterwards to ensure everyone is happy with their purchases. I'm sure you'll be able to meet him then."
"I'm looking forward to it," Hal said, adding the words 'with a sharp blade,’ in his head.
Kay leaned close and whispered in Hal's ear. "Hal, if we free these children, we'll never get them all in the laundry wagon. There's too many of them."
"Never fear," Hal said. "I'll come up with a plan. Let's free them first, escape second."
"Don't the two sort of go together?"
"Have some faith, Kay. I've got this. Trust me."
Kay rolled her eyes and closed her mouth as they neared the end of the walkway. Gerald had walked on ahead and was waiting for them. He stood at a platform overlooking a small amphitheater of about a hundred seats. It appeared to Hal that about forty of them were filled with prospective buyers like he and Kay.
Hal nodded to Gerald and motioned for Kay to follow him down into the seats. There were barefoot children in short white robes circulating with trays of food and drinks. Hal took two drinks from a tray when it was offered to them and handed one of the stemmed wine glasses to Kay.
"I think we want to sit over there," Hal said, pointing to a raised area next to the other seats. "That's where our host will be located during the auction, I suspect. We need to be close to him for this to work."
"For what to work? You still haven't told me your plan."
"It's simple. We're going to assassinate the Warden in front of everyone then let pandemonium reign while we finish off the guards in the ensuing panic. Then we rescue the kids, taking them out of here in the back of those two big wagons upstairs."
"Oh, that's all," Kay said. "I thought you had something crazy planned."
Hal opened his mouth to say something, but she shushed him.
"Don't you dare say 'trust me'
or, so help me, I'll stick a dagger in you right here and now."
"Suit yourself," Hal said. "Come on, let's sit at the back so we can get the jump on the Warden when the time comes."
Passing several other potential customers, Hal greeted them with grins and handshakes. He asked one man in passing about the empty seats.
"Attendance is down. I've heard that many won't attend because they fear the Warden is a marked man," the gentleman said. "You've not heard about the rebel by the name of the Hood?"
"No, I'm afraid I'm new in town. Is he troublesome?"
"He's managed to assassinate two Wardens already and shut down the slaver's guild in town. I also heard he's responsible for a string of arsons in the city aimed at merchants allied with the Wardens. It's given many of us a great deal to think about regarding our alignment with them."
"Well, I suppose nothing lasts forever," Hal said.
"What a strange thing to say. You aren't on the side of this Hood are you?"
"Oh, of course not. Pay me no mind. It's merely a turn of phrase from where I come from. Best of luck with the auction this evening," Hal finished as he moved on.
"I think we should kill off a few of these monsters while we're at it, Hal," Kay whispered.
"Once the action starts, feel free. I won't stop you." Hal pointed to the floor of the arena. "It looks like the festivities are about to begin."
In the center of the semicircular amphitheater, a tall, thin man wearing similar green robes stepped forward.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm the Warden for the Caravans District here in Tandon, and I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to our monthly special auction. We have a large inventory to move tonight, so I'll dispense with a lot of the normal banter. Please remember that all sales are final and full payment in gold is due at the end of the auction before you leave. If you'd prefer not to take your property with you this evening, delivery can be arranged to the location of your choice for a small fee."
The Warden stepped backward as a small platform was carried forward and placed in the center of the semicircular arena.
