Clover Kingdom / Diamond Border (Lower Market Safehouse Exit): May 6th, 1011. Night.
It was a filthy night for the world. The lower market half drowned in gutter water, cheap lantern light and enough lies to build a religion out of them, yet if you were to look closely near one rusted cellar door hidden behind rotten crates and a dead pig somebody had stopped respecting two days ago. You could see a small criminal procession stepping out into the dark with murder, money and poor decision making on their minds.
The atmosphere predatory.
(David's POV)
I adjusted the black cloak over my shoulders and thought with a irritated look on my face "If one more person asks me why an eleven year old is leading this group I'm going to start removing knees."
Jarred stood beside me in light armor with his grimorie floating near his shoulder and said loudly "Boss man, if we bring Crane back alive do I get a bonus."
"You get to keep breathing." I said calmly.
Jarred had the nerve to look moved by that.
Benjamin stepped up from the shadow of the alley with a folded map in one hand and said "The quarry caves are here. Three known entrances. One collapsed. One trapped. One still in use by smugglers. Helmut Crane is believed to be in the central chamber surrounded by roughly twenty five men."
Nyx rolled her shoulders beside me and said "Only twenty five. That sounds disappointing."
I looked at her and said with a dead expression "Do you ever stop speaking like a future problem."
"Not once in my life." Said nyx with a grin.
Benjamin ignored us both while saying "Crane's magic is Iron Sand. Medium range, defensive, useful in enclosed spaces. He is accompanied by two brothers known as the Hewer twins. Earth magic. Heavy hitters. Low intelligence."
Jarred snorted and said "My favorite type."
The eight syndicate fighters behind us shifted. One cleaned her blade. Another checked his mana talkie. They weren't elites.
But they had survived ariella. That meant something.
I looked over them and said calmly "Listen carefully because I do not like repeating myself. No loud charge. No showing off. No random heroics. We cut the outer guards, enter the tunnels, find Crane, take the ledger, and get paid. If anybody's brain suddenly falls out and you decide to die in a impressive way, I will be irritated."
One of the men in the back raised a hand and asked "Boss. If crane runs."
I smiled and said with my eyes closed "Then I break his legs."
Jarred laughed.
Nyx flicked her tail and asked "And if I want to break his legs."
I opened one eye and looked at her while saying "Then you can break the other two."
Nyx's grin widened.
Benjamin folded the map away and asked calmly "Shall I open the route."
"Yes." I said.
Benjamin's silver grimorie floated open and a narrow door of dull metal appeared against the alley wall.
*BOOOM*
Cold cave air drifted through it immediately.
Good.
I stepped forward first.
Nyx at my side.
Jarred behind us.
Then the rest.
The door swallowed us whole.
⸻
Clover Kingdom / Diamond Border (Eastern Quarry Tunnels): May 6th, 1011. Night.
It was a dead night for the world. The old quarry tunnels full of damp stone, rusted supports and the kind of silence that usually means something ugly is waiting around the corner, yet if you were to look closely down one narrow shaft leading toward the old extraction chambers. You could see a line of criminals moving without lantern light while a child at the front tried very hard not to look like he was enjoying himself too much.
The atmosphere hunting.
(David's POV)
I crouched at the mouth of a narrow tunnel and held up two fingers.
Voices ahead.
Three men.
One coughing. One complaining. One stupid.
The perfect combination.
Nyx leaned in close enough to whisper and said with with a nudge of her elbow "Left one smells like feet."
I chuckled and said with a closed eyed smile "Why are your senses so selectively hateful. It's like you don't realize like your breath stinks."
Nyx clicked her teeth and leaned in and blew her breath more.
I let one dice roll silently out over my fingers and mentally whispered critical roll.
The glowing cube slid down the tunnel soundlessly.
It hit one support beam.
Bounced off a rusted helmet hanging on the wall.
Then smacked the coughing guard directly in the throat.
*THK*
He fell without a sound.
Before the other two could speak, Nyx was already there.
*SHSK* *SHSK*
Two black arcs.
Two bodies.
A wet silence.
Jarred leaned around the corner and whispered with a impressed grin "That cat is definitely a problem."
Nyx licked blood from one claw and said "I heard that."
Jarred's grin widened and said "Good."
I stepped over the bodies and knelt beside the first one.
Cheap armor.
Powder stains on the sleeves.
Mana suppression runners.
Good.
Very good.
I reached into the dead man's coat and pulled out a little stamped token shaped like a broken shovel.
Benjamin leaned in from behind me and said calmly "Entrance marker. Crane's people use them for tunnel clearance."
I pocketed it and stood back up while saying "Then let's keep moving before I start developing hope."
The tunnels got tighter the deeper we went.
Three more guards died quietly.
One trap nearly took off jarred's foot and he spent the next four minutes loudly whispering about how disrespectful the earth itself had become.
Then we heard it.
Voices.
Not three this time.
More.
A chamber ahead.
I crouched at the mouth of a split in the rock and signaled everyone down.
The central cave opened beyond it.
Lanterns hanging from hooks.
Iron crates stacked near the wall.
Men gambling around a broken cart.
A huge ledger chained to a table.
And at the center of it all, a broad shouldered man with a scarred jaw and iron sand slowly orbiting his arms like metallic smoke.
Helmut crane.
He had an ugly face that looked like life had already tried to kill him twice and got annoyed both times.
I rubbed my smooth chin and thought "Good. He looks expensive."
Nyx's scarlet eyes brightened.
Jarred leaned in and whispered "Do we do this loud or smart."
I stared at him.
Then slowly looked out at the chamber.
Then smiled.
Ugly.
Hungry.
"We do it profitable." I whispered with a wide grin.
And below us in that damp quarry chamber where bad men sold poison and worse futures by the pound, bounty number one finally came into view.
THE END…