Now that Shaddar has learned a few last pieces of information from Jorin and Bort that he felt he was lacking, he is ready to give his minions their orders.
Jorin and Bort are informed that they will be in charge of the new guild’s gossip operation since they have all the contacts needed. This seems to please them greatly.
“Visit all of your free-spirited friends and your gossip patrons to spread the word about the violent turn the Guild of Villains has taken. The Guild of Swashbuckling Rogues is against such uncouth actions! We will pull down these usurpers of the natural order and replace them. This is a time for cultured, charismatic villains – not brutal, iron-fisted ones!”
“Oh, we can do that, Boss!” Jorin says eagerly.
“Yeah, that’s some good dirt!” Bort adds.
“Good. For your information, Toothsnatcher will now be in charge of the Guild’s mugging operation. Cutt will handle the business of delivering insults to other people’s enemies. And Loolipo will take charge of the practice of spreading slanders as a form of revenge.” The men look a bit startled and are thinking of questioning this sudden change in their usual routine, but Shaddar waves them away.
“You must be about the work I have assigned, gentleman! I expect to see you back here by nightfall, at which time I will dispense your first payment as founding members. Remember, we agreed upon 4%, wasn’t it?”
Jorin stands quickly while talking fast, “Yeah, that’s right! Let’s go, Bort! We can just make it Murriel’s before she closes up shop for tea-time!”
Once the humans are gone, Shaddar instructs his thralls as to how they will ‘improve’ on the business models of Jorin and Bort, “Begin all of your transactions as you have heard Jorin and Bort explain – this is what the people of this city have come to expect. In all cases, stay inside the border zone alleyways – do not enter the streets or the slums. In addition, you will insure that your victims and clients know that you are members of the Guild of Swashbuckling Rogues.“
“This statement, combined with the matching outfits, will be clues, hopefully sufficient to lead the curious and powerful right into my clutches,” Shaddar thinks with morbid glee.
He turns his eyes to Toothsnatcher and mentally gives him his orders, “You will perform actual muggings. No deaths if you can help it, but collect every last possession from your victims, down to their small-clothes. Do not stay in one place, but circulate freely to bring in the largest number of marks.” The minotaur is pleased with the assignment and cracks his knuckles in anticipation while chuckling nastily.
Shaddar next mentally addresses Cutt, “You will insult people as viciously as you are able, as loudly and as painfully as you can. The sensibilities of the populace seem quite fragile here; therefore your standard insults should be sufficient to render most of your victims and those around them who hear you into a state of apoplexy. This is your goal.” The gnome is delighted – he is sure that such activities will please the evil, mole-headed god that he reveres.
Loolipo is the last the hear his mental commands, “You will only spread salacious slanders that will make people want to hunt you down and challenge you to a duel to restore their good names. Should it come to that, disarm or disable the humans and flee. I leave it to you to come up with suitably horrible slanders.” Shaddar is amused that the kuo-toa is not happy about the assignment at all. She dislikes the idea of running from a fight that she could win and isn’t hopeful that she can figure out what kinds of things the humans will find disturbingly rude.
Shaddar is about to give her some further ideas when the door opens and in walks a tough-looking constable. He is obviously of a higher rank than any in the group that Shaddar killed earlier, but it is very likely that he is here in response to that very event.
The man swaggers over to the barkeep and Hawke asks, “Who’s that? I don’t recognize the sound of your boots.”
“Constable Snook, sir. Chief Sergeant Liam Snook. I’m looking for two of your wormy boarders. I know they still live here and I need to question them. Again.”
“And who might they be?”
“Jorin and Bort.”
“Haven’t seen them for years.”
The constable has clearly heard this line before and has no patience for it! He reaches across the bar, grabs the man by his shirt, and shakes him roughly.
“Don’t give me that, you rodent!”
“Ah! They left a few minutes ago! Why don’t you go ask their friends over there where they went?”
“Friends, eh?” He drops the barkeep and turns to see Shaddar and his thralls.
Shaddar’s tentacles twitch as he listens to Constable Snook’s thoughts, “Ugh. How far those lads have fallen… If these are their new friends…”
The Chief Sergeant strides over to their table and points a finger at Shaddar. “Well? Jorin and Bort? Where are they?”
Shaddar attempts to use his most friendly voice as he replies, “The barkeep is correct. You just missed them, I’m afraid. They said they had to leave in a hurry. Something about they had been at the wrong place at the wrong time. They said that they barely escaped alive when the Guild of Villains murdered some constables.”
“What?!”
“You don’t know? Oh, my.” Shaddar leans forward and places his fingertips together.
“Yes, yes. I have heard about the Murder-Most-Foul. But what’s this foolish prattle about the Guild?”
“Jorin and Bort were in hiding from the Guild. Some sort of friction, I gather. They were in the process of fleeing when a group of thugs surrounded them. Jorin and Bort assured me that they thought their days were at last ended! But then, a group of constables rounded the corner! When the brave constables tried to step in to save them, the Guild reacted quite violently… It sounded horrible! I dare not repeat what Jorin and Bort described to me!”
“Yes. I wasn’t there myself, nor have I seen the bodies, but the stories going around are quite fanciful. Haven’t heard a credible report yet that I can believe. One supposed eyewitness to the crime, a young constable only four months on the force, reportedly said the most outlandish stuff! But by the time I got to him he had stopped talking. Now he just stares into space without blinking – refuses to look at you, talk, eat, or drink. Odd behavior – I think he knows something, but either can’t or won’t talk anymore. The bottom line is I’ve got five dead constables and the only thing that’s for certain is that they weren’t killed by undead.”
“It’s tragic!”
The barkeep has a strange expression on his face. Shaddar takes a moment to listen in on Hawke’s thinking: “This new pal of Jorin and Bort’s is a smooth one. Can’t figure him out at all. I wonder what his angle really is? His story doesn’t hold water with everything I have heard here today. I’d think he’s capable of being a Guildmaster if he wasn’t so obviously unaccustomed to our city life and so taken by the skills of Jorin and Bort! But still… Murder-Most-Foul, is it? I wonder…” Shaddar renews his goal to speak to this interesting and thoughtful man.
“Hmm. So you say the Guild of Villains did it?” the Chief Sergeant probes.
“I didn’t see it myself, but if Jorin and Bort say so – it must be true! I’ve known them for long enough to know that you can take them at their very stout word!”
“Hmm. Yes.” Shaddar returns his mental eavesdropping to the man just in time to hear, “These sods are even dumber than Jorin and Bort! And that’s saying something!”
Snook puts both hands behind his back and rocks back and forth on his heels. “If Jorin and Bort witnessed this crime, it is imperative that I speak with them. Where are they?”
“I don’t know. They told me that they would have to go into hiding. The Guild knows that they witnessed their heinous deed. I think they’ve gone to ground and won’t return until they think it’s safe.”
“Just like those two cowards… Fine. I assume that you are some of their carnival-freak friends?”
Shaddar looks aghast and horrified as he responds, “Please! That’s very rude! Carnival-specialist friends, if you please!”
The Constable continues speaking as if has not heard, “If you see them, let them know that the constabulary can offer them protection from the Guild – if what you’re saying is true. By the way, why are you lads still in costume? You’re not working right now are you?”
“Oh, we’re always working. You never know what kind of swine is going to come through the door and request a performance!” The man gives Shaddar a rough look with a raised eyebrow.
“Just be sure to tell ‘em,“ Constable Snook says gruffly as he turns away.
As he stomps towards the door Shaddar hears him thinking, “Has the world gone mad? There is no way the Guild did this thing. But there’s no way that a freak that’s sucking scum off the bottom rung of society would dare to insult me either and that just happened… Why are these types even tolerated by the Lords of the city?” The door slams as he exits the building.
“Lords of the city?” Shaddar thinks, his tentacles curling over one another absently, “That sounds… promising.”
Chapter 1 < Chapter 7 Chapter 9 >
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