Chapter 22: Just Business

After the boys and Eloncio worked their way through another round of truly atrocious beer, we finally got down to brass tacks.

“What can you tell me about the city?” I asked.

Eloncio shrugged. “‘Bout the same as always, just worse.”

I nodded. One didn’t co-opt a bunch of disgraced former adventurers if things were going great at home. “Can you elaborate on that?”

“Lots more patrols.” He cracked a lazy smile. “Captain Maria wasn’t too happy you gave her the slip.”

“Pity,” I replied.

“She cracked down on a lot’a the gangs dockside. Closed the old miner’s gate too. Put a big squeeze on the little people.” He took another swig of beer. “Course, Arlo kept his nose right clean, nabbed up all he could when we cracked down on the other gangs.”

“Bastard.” I rolled my eyes. “He left me holding the bag for the Adventurer’s Guild as well. It shouldn’t surprise me that he did the same to everyone else.”

“Told ya he was bad news, Boss,” Dum said.

“There, there.” I patted him on a massive shoulder. “You most certainly did. Fortunately, we used him as well.” I had a town of my own now, with working electricity and cell phones, so I thought the real winner was pretty clear.

He grinned happily, and I motioned for Eloncio to keep going.

“Not much else to say, after that,” he told me. “The one day riots hurt a lot of the guilds as well, ‘course, but plenty got back on their feet.” He finished off his beer with one long pull. “Lots outta work in the meantime, though.”

“More recruits for the Tarnished.” I drummed my fingers on the table. “I imagine he’s the only game in town, at this point.”

“More or less,” Eloncio said.

Electra nudged me. “That’s what happens when you work with criminals, Em! You can never trust them to hold up their side of the bargain.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m a criminal, El.”

“Yup.” She giggled. “Though in your case, you always end up going above and beyond.”

I sighed. “I don’t know if I should be pleased you have such a high opinion of me, or simply appalled.” Electra just shrugged as I returned to the matter at hand. “What about the inner city? Do you get up there much, as a guard?”

“A time or two,” Eloncio said. “Made second, after all, so sometimes I get to patrol around the fancy houses.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t suppose you can just crack open a door for us?”

He shook his head. “Always a captain or higher running the important shit up there. Senny keeps ‘em good and bought, too.”

“Senny?” I tilted my head. “The Seneschal?”

Eloncio nodded. “Guard works for the Duchess, but we answer to Senny.”

I hummed. “Well, I suppose it was too much to hope that we could simply buy our way in.” I turned my gaze back to the guard. “Though, that does beg the question: why are you helping us?”

“Aww, don’t be like that, Boss.” Dum leaned forward. “Loncio’s good people.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Still, my gaze did not wander from Eloncio’s face.

“Practically grew up together, me and your boys,” he said. “Mama kept us all alive, that’s a debt worth more than gold.”

I chuckled at that. “She’s picked up a new crop of orphans that fled the city with us.” And more that suffered from bandit raids and monster attacks. “You should come visit, I’m sure she’d love to see you.”

He gave a wan smile. “Might be hard.”

“Yes,” I said. “And that brings me to my last question. Why were we able to get into the city so easily?”

“Lady’s Port don’t exist, far as Senny is concerned.” Eloncio shrugged. “We search anyone coming up from the south, ‘course.”

“But it’s hard to be at war if you can’t even admit your Casus Belli…” I stroked my chin.

“Casa’s Belly?” Electra asked. “I don’t remember that from high school Spanish.”

I flicked her on the nose. “Stop being obtuse,” I said. “Anyway, it’s just another reason that the Seneschal is trying to take care of this in the shadows, which means we will be better served by doing the opposite.”

Eloncio raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

I smirked. “We’re going to blow this little shadow war wide open.” I turned my gaze towards the window, where a second wall with silver crenelations was visible in the distance. “If we’re lucky, maybe we can catch a few more… physical objects in the explosion.”

Dee chuckled. “Been a while since we lit something good and on fire.”

“Okay, but seriously,” Electra said, “What’s this Kansas Berry stuff?”

I fixed her with a withering glare.

“What?”

Thankfully, I was saved from answering when the door to the inn flew open. It hit the wall hard enough that one of the boards splintered off, hitting the dirt floor with a muted thud.

The five of us glanced over in unison as a small group of men and women walked into the room. I counted ten in all, each one with a metal band wrapped around their upper arms.

“Speaking of Arlo’s Tarnished,” I murmured. I turned towards my two hulking brutes and their guardsman friend. “None of you are particularly inconspicuous.” Over by the bar, I saw the innkeeper peek out of the back room before wisely making himself scarce.

“Ah.” Eloncio nodded. “Probably caught wind of me when I started heading down.”

With a sigh, I pushed myself to my feet, throwing my cloak over my shoulder so that the smooth panels of my power armor were on full display.

I wasn’t the only one with some obviously ‘enchanted’ equipment, though. The leader of this little squad had a craggy mace in his grip, made of black stone that glistened like a soap bubble. I didn’t know what it did, but safe bet was that you didn’t want to get hit by it.

“Gentlemen.” I glanced over the group. “Ladies. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

The head thug blinked. “What?”

I snorted, looking over my shoulder. “Hey, Electra! Found someone you can talk about casus belli with.”

She pouted. “That’s not very nice. I thought we were friends!”

“I never said I was a very good friend,” I said. “In fact—”

“Oi!” The man took a heavy step forward. “The fuck are you on about?”

“Oh, sorry.” I turned back in his direction. “I thought you were going to be staring off into space for another minute.” I smirked. “You seem like the type.”

Electra giggled behind me. “Empress! You’re embarrassing him.”

I waved her off. “NPCs don’t feel emotions.”

The man took another step within arm’s reach, raising his club to his shoulder. “Listen here you—”

I placed a hand on his chest, fingers wreathed in the shadowy magic of my Demon-itize spell. “It’s been a while since I’ve used this skill.” I smiled up at him. “Want to help me remember how it works?”

He paused, swallowing heavily.

“Now then,” I continued. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re here? Use small words, I’m sure that’s your strong suit.”

“Um.”

One of the women behind him snorted. “Sunken Hells, Creeg.”

The now-named Creeg worked his jaw silently. I couldn’t exactly see behind him—clearly the only muscle he didn’t exercise was the one between his ears—but I heard when another man stepped forward. “We got a message from the Boss,” he said. “How’s about you let Creeg go, and we can give it over?”

I raised an eyebrow up at Creeg. “How many men does it take to send a message?”

“I don’t… know?”

I sighed. “At a certain point it’s not even fun anymore,” I said. “I’m saying that I can kill you and still get a message just as well, moron. Get with the program here?”

“If you kill him we’ll rip you to pieces,” the woman said. It was really annoying not being able to see these people. Creeg’s broad shoulders and barrel chest took up essentially my entire field of view. I don’t know why he only chose to wear pants, but ostensibly it had something to do with the tropical heat.

“How about this then: you give me whatever this ‘message’ is, and then I’ll let your friend go.”

There was a moment’s pause, during which Electra and the boys pushed themselves to their feet.

Creeg started to look increasingly uncomfortable, which really did show how long it took thoughts to penetrate his skull.

“Or,” I said. “I can blow him up and we can skip to the part where we fight to the death?” I grinned up at Creeg. “If you’re all so eager.”

“Arlo wants a meetin’ with ya!” he blurted out.

“There, was that so hard?” I raised a finger as he opened his mouth. “No, don’t answer that. Better question is, why are you all here, then?”

I heard an awkward shuffle. “We’re… supposed to make sure you come quietly?” the woman said.

I smirked. “And how’s that working out for you?”

“We can still kill you all,” the man said. “If you think you’re hard enough.”

I shook my head. “No, see, I’ve done this song and dance with your boss before. I have better things to do than pander to his ego.”

“You don’t—”

I hauled back my arm, servos whirring. Then I slammed my fist into Creeg’s sternum so hard I felt a rib crack. He flew backwards, almost taking out the woman as he hit the ground in a tangle of limbs.

I caught his fancy hammer out of the air before it could hit the ground.

“So here’s a message for my old friend Arlo.” I rested the hammer on my shoulder in a copy of Creeg’s stance. My other hand still held my Demon-itize skill like a shadowy glove. “If he wants to talk so bad, he can come here, tomorrow, without the whole goon squad. Then we’ll talk.”

The man and woman, both with weapons that looked a great deal less important than my shiny new mace, shared a long look at each other.

“Or,” I said. “You can try to take us out, now that we’re ready for you, after you’ve already lost your trump card.” I spun the mace once in my grip. “If you think you’re hard enough.”

On the ground, Creeg wheezed.

The woman ran a hand through her short cut brown hair. “Uh, yeah, we’ll just…” She pointed down at the gasping man. “Take him and go.”

I smiled at them. “Oh, by all means! I wouldn’t want to be unreasonable.”

I watched silently as two of them hauled Creeg’s hulking form up by his armpits and dragged him from the inside of the Winking Rodent. The battered old door creaked shut behind them with a note of quiet finality.

With a nod, I tapped the mace against my shoulder once again. The handle felt cold even through the material of my glove. I released my skill before checking my spy mirror. The space whale was a little higher up than before, but I’d told it to stay above me most of the time. I watched idly as the group of Tarnished thugs retreated down the twisting roadways of the south side of town. It looked like they were heading back to the old docks, which would make sense if Arlo still had his base in the area.

I flicked the mirror shut, slipping it back into my utility belt. Then I turned back to the table. Eloncio, I noticed, was still sitting, even though Electra and my boys were on their feet. I made no mention of it as I returned to my seat, a dozen schemes bubbling away at the back of my head.

“Now then.” I smiled. “It looks like I have more business to take care of in Silverwall than I thought.”

And I did so hate unfinished business.