Chapter 22: The City Watched

Three cooked sausages and a couple of hours later, Alcar made his way back through the city, fully dressed in still-damp clothing. Brutus, also well fed, was now on a leash that he had fashioned from a spare strip of leather found lying in his father’s workshop, meaning that Alcar’s belt was restored to his hips, dagger in place. He had also found a piece of sacking to use as a hood; he didn’t want to attract any more attention from Sprigg or any of the other local students, or from more city guards.

Soon he reached the internal city gate and joined the end of the line of those wanting to enter the merchants’ quarter. There was Olynka in the line ahead of him, her re-strung bow slung over her shoulder. Alcar pulled back his hood and waved, but failed to attract her attention, for she was staring at a muscular woman with short brown hair, full chainmail and an iron sword, who was directing proceedings. Despite her position of command, the woman didn’t appear to be a city guard, and several unusually-attired soldiers flanked the nearest area of the wall. Each had a chain shirt, a leather helmet, and a brown tabard decorated with a white lightning bolt.

As he watched on, Alcar began to appreciate that the officer was trying to stop Olynka and several others from passing through the portal to the merchants’ quarter. She had held her sword out in front of the line, and was shouting and pointing, while the civilians were remonstrating, throwing their hands in the air.

It felt like an argument was on the verge of breaking out... But as there was a fair amount of everyday noise from citizens and wagons passing by on the street behind him, it was difficult for Alcar to make out what anyone was saying.

“Excuse me – I dropped something!” he yelled, and tossed his lone copper piece onto the ground, where it landed near Olynka’s feet, hopped in the air, and then began to spin on its end as it landed again. Pointing at the coin, he elbowed in between the pair of people immediately in front of him, and then pushed past several more. But as he picked the coin up and rose, he found a sword point close to his throat.

“Step back, young man,” said the swordswoman in a sonorous, commanding voice. “We have reports of insurgents traveling between the different quarters of the city. None may pass unless they have a merchant’s licence.”

Alcar stood very slowly, raising his hands, and frowning. Why did everyone he met recently have to address him in such a patronising tone, he wondered?

“Hey, what’s with all the ‘young man’ stuff,” he snapped back. “I’m a man! A fully-grown one. I’m almost eighteen, and an apprentice...”

Then he tailed off – aware that he was just about to give away far too much information. Would this woman even realize that he was supposed to be in lessons at his age?

But this didn’t seem to concern the swordswoman, who lowered her weapon and stepped closer, staring hard at Alcar, calm but entirely confident. She had very broad cheekbones, dark skin, and deep brown eyes, and Alcar couldn’t help but notice that she was incredibly attractive.

Or at least, attractive for someone who must be of an age with his father.

“A fully-grown man, are you,” she said, now almost whispering as she glared at him. “Good! We always need new recruits for the Imperial army.”

“Oh, I um...” he spluttered. “Come to think of it, I am not very good with violence... or discipline. I’m more of a scholar. I love books.”

She stared silently at him for a moment, and then slowly rolled her eyes. “Books? Fuck those things. When did a book ever win a war?”

“Well, I’ve heard there are some pretty powerful...”

“My name is General Tung,” she said, speaking over his protests, “and I am here from Varia City to tackle the woeful security and recruitment situation here in Sefindarg Province. To me, you look like you’re of the ideal age for a recruit.”

The general appeared to be just about to call over some soldiers to escort him away, and Alcar knew that he needed to think fast. ‘I’m a patriot!” he cried. “I love our Emperor, so I’ll be the first to sign up, given the chance.”

The general hesitated, and then nodded. “Well, then, you can...”

“Just one thing, though, General – I need to deliver this here dog to my master, a sorc... uhm, I mean a scribe, who lives in the merchants’ quarter. I can’t take the poor mutt on a military campaign, can I? So if I could just pop over there, and then come right back, okay...? And then, I mean, I will be your most hardworking and loyal soldier. You’ll see!”

The woman sniffed, peering at Alcar, and looking him up and down.

Just then, Alcar realized that Olynka had moved over to his side. “I know what you are thinking, brave general!” the young apprentice said with a broad smile and a vigorous salute towards the assembled soldiers. “Perhaps this unreliable-looking and very young man might not ever return from his errand with the dog. And so, I offer to accompany him, to ensure that he sticks to his word. I will do it as a concerned citizen, and for the Empire!” She grabbed hold of Alcar’s tunic as she spoke.

The General gazed at Olynka for only a moment, and then nodded, glancing around at the others in the line, and pointing at the pair of apprentices. “Citizens of Katresburg, this is what I like to see! Civic mindedness at its best. A desire to fight for the Empire, and a respect for law and order. Soldiers – let them both past.”

***

“Can you go anywhere without getting in to trouble?”

Alcar and Olynka were now approaching Maluhk’s tower, passing through the increasingly busy streets of the merchant’s quarter.

“It wasn’t my fault,” replied Alcar. “That general was way out of line, trying to recruit me like that.”

“I still saved your ass, though.”

“It helped,” he admitted grudgingly. “Though it would all have been way worse without Brutus. Good boy!”

“Hmm,” murmured Olynka. “Yes, I noticed you still have that daft-looking dog.”

“Daft looking?” cried Alcar loudly, causing several locals to look around. “Wow, that’s really harsh. I thought we were friends!”

Olynka snickered. “Well, he is a bit silly looking. You know, with that droopy face.”

“Ha. He’s a super dog, that’s what he is. Not only did he get us through the gate, he fetched me breakfast this morning. Free sausages. He’s really intelligent.”

At this, Brutus looked up at his new master, and barked.

“See?” Alcar added.

“I dunno, pal. Dog’s are fairly smart animals, but I wouldn’t go as far to say ‘intelligent’, I don’t think.”

“He’s smarter than you.”

She snickered again, and shoved Alcar, causing him to almost stagger into a stall which sold apples and peaches. “Hey!”

“You asked for it. Look, I agreed that they are smart animals, alright? Maybe even on a level with a creeb or something.”

“A few levels above a Varian soldier, then.”

They both chuckled at this as they turned another corner. Alcar could now see the tower ahead.

“Talking of Varians,” said Olynka, “from what that general said at the gate, it sounds like the Empire have finally noticed what a bad job Duke Frage is doing, and have decided to intervene.”

Alcar nodded. “Yep, and that’s a problem for us, if we need to move around the city. Perhaps we can speak to Master Maluhk and see what he could find for us around here. Or clear space in his tower.”

The pair of companions were now approaching the outer steps of the tower. They could already see Etienne already outside the front door, smoking his pipe, on that small landing.

“He’s not home,” said the halfling as the pair made their way up the exterior steps of the tower.

“What the fuck do you mean by that?” asked Alcar, pausing and spreading his arms wide. “We’re here to start our apprenticeship proper and begin our first mission. He should be here! We’re already slightly late.”

“Maybe that’s the problem,” murmured Olynka.

Etienne nodded his head a few times, and then blew out a smoke ring. “Relax, guys. He went with Warlik to hand our assassin friend over to the authorities.”

“I thought we weren’t involving the authorities.”

Etienne shrugged. “Maybe when they said that, it was a euphemism for killing Golgrasanna and dumping her body.”

Alcar stopped at the top of the steps and leaned on the door, frowning. “They wouldn’t do that, surely?”

Etienne now leaned back against the thin metal rail that lined the steps, tipping out the ash from his pipe; it spiralled around, glowing, as it dropped to the ground below. “I’m just busting your balls, Alcar. But they took her somewhere, anyhow. I guess Maluhk wanted his cellar back.”

Alcar nodded at this. From the top of the steps, he took a look out over the small open area nearby. They were close to the main city wall here, and indeed, it looked like Maluhk’s tower had once been attached to an offshoot of that wall. The view beyond was dominated by two enormous defensive towers built into the wall itself, each rising at least four levels above the main structure.

Closer by, to his left, there was an open paved area in the lee of the wall’s interior. Looking that way, Alcar spotted Lox’aar. The lizardwoman, now leaning on a crutch, had set up a pair of archery targets near the offshoot of the wall, and as he watched on, she now turned and began to approach the tower. Then, from the northern side of the same area, Warlik and Maluhk emerged from a side street and began to hurry back, too, together with a young half-elven woman dressed all in black.

“Look – they are all here,” said Olynka.

The three apprentices hurried down the steps, and waited as the more experienced adventurers approached.

“Good morning,” said Master Maluhk. “If it still is morning.” He chuckled darkly.

“I see you brought your bow, Olynka,” said Lox’aar. “Good. It’s time for your first archery lesson. If you are going to help with the search for the codex, you need to be ready to defend yourself.”

Olynka’s smile couldn’t have been broader. “I can’t wait!”

Maluhk nodded, and then looked at the other pair. “It was obvious that despite a certain potential, Olynka’s heart wasn’t in sorcery. But what about the two of you? You have bravely agreed to help our cause, seek the Viperstar Codex for the Ironrock Dwarves, and help restore Princess Thacla von Dathmir to the throne. The choice is yours – do you want to study sorcery, or would you rather learn the art of the blade with Warlik here?”

“I guess I could improve my dagger skills...” murmured Etienne.

But Alcar didn’t hesitate.

“I want to learn magic,” he said. “In fact, I need to.”