Delmechia
Despite your weariness, there's comfort in the idea that you might be able to at least start getting some answers tonight. You come back to the intersection and examine the brick of the old buildings around you. For a few minutes you don't see anything, and then lightning flashes and you catch a glimpse of something shining on the brick down the path to your left. You hurry over, forgetting that in a dark corner, next to the bodies, rests the golden hilt of your dagger.
On the wall is blood, of course. The shooter had to of been leaning against it. That could be a good thing, as long as he's still alive. You make your way down the narrow strip of pavement; silent structures towering above on all sides. Already it seems unreal that you fought off a giant spider-shaped machine. You can't even fathom what it was or where it came from. All you know is that tomorrow's paper will be very interesting if anyone else caught sight of the bastard.
Before you even see the murderer, you spot his shadow. The path twists to the right up ahead, and you can the black shape where his body blocks the blue light. Reflected on the brick of a building and moving slowly up and down. Up and down.
You stealthily put your back to a nearby wall and quietly slip to the spot as if you yourself are a shadow. Or a spider crawling along the brick.
When you get to him, he's sitting against the wall with his legs hung out, just like Stellwetter's guy. On his face is a mask that looks like it might've been used for welding at one time. It has strange symbols covering the cheeks and forehead and it's wrapped tightly to the assassin's head, so that his ears poke through holes in the side of it. Instead of a black rectangle for his eyes, there are two tiny glass holes. Something the dwarf from the bar was saying almost floats to the surface of your mind.
He takes another labored breath and lets a gun drop his hand and then pulls out a cell phone. You take this as your cue and step out of the shadow. Before he can do anything, you slide away his pistol and knock the cell phone from his
hand with two quick kicks. He goes for something in his pants pocket, but you take his arm and twist it around his back until his whole body is face-down. He squeals while you remove a knife from the slot and then briefly pat him down. You toss aside the knife and then stomp your boot down twice onto the side of his back.
"Fuck, fuck," he says. "You gonna kill me!"
"Shut up. Stop talking."
He continues his string of fear-laden obscenities for about three more seconds, before you dive your heel twice more onto the muscles of his back.
"Done?" you ask, as he groans. "Good. That's good."
You let a moment of silence pass before continuing.
"I've got a couple questions that I'm going to need you to answer. Right away, too. It's the only way you're gonna survive this."
"They'll kill me if I say anything!" he squeals. There's almost a mute echo as the sound escapes from the metallic mask.
"I figured as much. Luckily for you, I'm not a law enforcer. You answer my questions, and I'll take you back to my clan. You'll be in put our prison of course, but you'll live."
You slowly dig your boot heel deep into what has become your favorite kicking spot and lean in real close.
"But if you don't answer all of my questions right away, then your road ends right here. What do you say?"
"Anything," says the voice. "I'll tell you anything."
"Good, because I need to know everything. Who was that man from the bar and why did you kill him?"
"I had to stop him from talkin' to you. I don't know why; look, he must of had some information or somethin' but I don't know what it was."
"Why would somebody be trying to talk to me?" you growl. "Does this have to do with the woman?"
"I don't know nothing about a woman," he says. "I'm just a hitman; look, they just paid me to do this."
He sputters out the words, which makes him sound like a complete imbecile, but that's good. You believe that he's probably only capable of telling the truth at this point, which makes your questioning a lot easier.
"So who are they?"
"Clobbs," he says. And then: "Fuck, oh God. Fuck."
He slams his masked face on pavement, although not all that hard. You note with some cold amusement that he's actually trying to appear weak and pathetic.
"What? The guy who runs the whore house here?"
"Yeah, him. Fuck."
"Why the hell would he want to kill me?"
"He didn't -- just the other guy. Look, I don't know."
You think for a moment. Why would some rich dwarf who's up to his ears in pussy want anything to do with you? And what could the man from the bar have wanted to say that could be so important?
The answers can wait. Right now you know that it's probably best to get out of the city and back to the clan. On top of the shooting, Clobbs could have some guys after you. Especially if he finds out that you intercepted his hitman. Though you doubt any officers will try to peg the shooting on you, some of Stellwetter's guys might be after you, too. Two of her skilled men are torn to hell back in the street, after all. It might seem odd that an elemental chose this particular night to have a few drinks in Expuridius.
"Where were you going to meet up with them?" you ask.
"There's this abandoned shack on Main 25 by The Cathedral. Look, I didn't mean anything."
You drive your boot on his back again, receiving the satisfying sound of a painful groan in return.
"Don't fucking tell me you didn't mean anything when you just killed a man you never met. If you were any less useful, I'd unravel your filthy guts onto the ground around you and grind your face in them."
You take your foot off his back.
"Now that we understand each other, you're going to get up and come with me after I bind your wrists. I know you've been shot, but you're going to move quickly, too. But not too quickly. You try to run and I really will tear into your guts."
"Alright," he mumbles while you fetch a ropey, yet strong metallic coil from your pocket. The material has no name. Formed by elemental magic and exclusive to your tribes. You bind his wrists with it, shaping the coil into an effortless knot that cuts into the shooter's skin.
You then lean over and quickly pick up the cellphone and pistol before ordering him to stand up.
"I'm not even going to ask about that fucking spider," you say.
His eyes widen a little, in surprise.
"Oh yeah, I saw the bastard. Almost put up a good fight, too."
"I don't what it was," he says.
You shake your head.
"You can answer everything else when we get back."
Your elemental camp lies in the Lantern Forest on the edge of Veyremendor Square. There's really only two ways to get back without being noticed. You can either cut through the obscure alleys of Expuridius ea Tarador and cross on the Sandcross Bridge, or you can take the longer route through Meyvewen and swim by in the Sandwater River.
Crossing the bridge will be difficult to do without being seen (even if people don't ask many questions in Expuridius). On the other hand, it is your shortest route.
On the wall is blood, of course. The shooter had to of been leaning against it. That could be a good thing, as long as he's still alive. You make your way down the narrow strip of pavement; silent structures towering above on all sides. Already it seems unreal that you fought off a giant spider-shaped machine. You can't even fathom what it was or where it came from. All you know is that tomorrow's paper will be very interesting if anyone else caught sight of the bastard.
Before you even see the murderer, you spot his shadow. The path twists to the right up ahead, and you can the black shape where his body blocks the blue light. Reflected on the brick of a building and moving slowly up and down. Up and down.
You stealthily put your back to a nearby wall and quietly slip to the spot as if you yourself are a shadow. Or a spider crawling along the brick.
When you get to him, he's sitting against the wall with his legs hung out, just like Stellwetter's guy. On his face is a mask that looks like it might've been used for welding at one time. It has strange symbols covering the cheeks and forehead and it's wrapped tightly to the assassin's head, so that his ears poke through holes in the side of it. Instead of a black rectangle for his eyes, there are two tiny glass holes. Something the dwarf from the bar was saying almost floats to the surface of your mind.
He takes another labored breath and lets a gun drop his hand and then pulls out a cell phone. You take this as your cue and step out of the shadow. Before he can do anything, you slide away his pistol and knock the cell phone from his
hand with two quick kicks. He goes for something in his pants pocket, but you take his arm and twist it around his back until his whole body is face-down. He squeals while you remove a knife from the slot and then briefly pat him down. You toss aside the knife and then stomp your boot down twice onto the side of his back.
"Fuck, fuck," he says. "You gonna kill me!"
"Shut up. Stop talking."
He continues his string of fear-laden obscenities for about three more seconds, before you dive your heel twice more onto the muscles of his back.
"Done?" you ask, as he groans. "Good. That's good."
You let a moment of silence pass before continuing.
"I've got a couple questions that I'm going to need you to answer. Right away, too. It's the only way you're gonna survive this."
"They'll kill me if I say anything!" he squeals. There's almost a mute echo as the sound escapes from the metallic mask.
"I figured as much. Luckily for you, I'm not a law enforcer. You answer my questions, and I'll take you back to my clan. You'll be in put our prison of course, but you'll live."
You slowly dig your boot heel deep into what has become your favorite kicking spot and lean in real close.
"But if you don't answer all of my questions right away, then your road ends right here. What do you say?"
"Anything," says the voice. "I'll tell you anything."
"Good, because I need to know everything. Who was that man from the bar and why did you kill him?"
"I had to stop him from talkin' to you. I don't know why; look, he must of had some information or somethin' but I don't know what it was."
"Why would somebody be trying to talk to me?" you growl. "Does this have to do with the woman?"
"I don't know nothing about a woman," he says. "I'm just a hitman; look, they just paid me to do this."
He sputters out the words, which makes him sound like a complete imbecile, but that's good. You believe that he's probably only capable of telling the truth at this point, which makes your questioning a lot easier.
"So who are they?"
"Clobbs," he says. And then: "Fuck, oh God. Fuck."
He slams his masked face on pavement, although not all that hard. You note with some cold amusement that he's actually trying to appear weak and pathetic.
"What? The guy who runs the whore house here?"
"Yeah, him. Fuck."
"Why the hell would he want to kill me?"
"He didn't -- just the other guy. Look, I don't know."
You think for a moment. Why would some rich dwarf who's up to his ears in pussy want anything to do with you? And what could the man from the bar have wanted to say that could be so important?
The answers can wait. Right now you know that it's probably best to get out of the city and back to the clan. On top of the shooting, Clobbs could have some guys after you. Especially if he finds out that you intercepted his hitman. Though you doubt any officers will try to peg the shooting on you, some of Stellwetter's guys might be after you, too. Two of her skilled men are torn to hell back in the street, after all. It might seem odd that an elemental chose this particular night to have a few drinks in Expuridius.
"Where were you going to meet up with them?" you ask.
"There's this abandoned shack on Main 25 by The Cathedral. Look, I didn't mean anything."
You drive your boot on his back again, receiving the satisfying sound of a painful groan in return.
"Don't fucking tell me you didn't mean anything when you just killed a man you never met. If you were any less useful, I'd unravel your filthy guts onto the ground around you and grind your face in them."
You take your foot off his back.
"Now that we understand each other, you're going to get up and come with me after I bind your wrists. I know you've been shot, but you're going to move quickly, too. But not too quickly. You try to run and I really will tear into your guts."
"Alright," he mumbles while you fetch a ropey, yet strong metallic coil from your pocket. The material has no name. Formed by elemental magic and exclusive to your tribes. You bind his wrists with it, shaping the coil into an effortless knot that cuts into the shooter's skin.
You then lean over and quickly pick up the cellphone and pistol before ordering him to stand up.
"I'm not even going to ask about that fucking spider," you say.
His eyes widen a little, in surprise.
"Oh yeah, I saw the bastard. Almost put up a good fight, too."
"I don't what it was," he says.
You shake your head.
"You can answer everything else when we get back."
Your elemental camp lies in the Lantern Forest on the edge of Veyremendor Square. There's really only two ways to get back without being noticed. You can either cut through the obscure alleys of Expuridius ea Tarador and cross on the Sandcross Bridge, or you can take the longer route through Meyvewen and swim by in the Sandwater River.
Crossing the bridge will be difficult to do without being seen (even if people don't ask many questions in Expuridius). On the other hand, it is your shortest route.