By now pretty much everyone inside was aware of what had
happened outside. Tables had half left glasses, pipes were still lit. A game of
cards littered the floor. The barkeep by now had pretty much regretted his
decision but knew that once the Televaraen had moved on his regulars would be
back. The seven remaining were either deaf, blind, or thumbed over a silver
coin in the shadows. Chloe, before
returning back into the tavern had searched the corpse and presented to the
barkeep two purses of shins. The cloth was made from dark red velvet and tied
with a simple string thread. He didn't know whether to take it from the girl as
payment, as a gift or purchase for liquor. She smiled at him, her hair catching
on the dim light giving off a faint purple glow. Her smile was disarming. He instinctively
reached out for the bag in hopes to ask questions later but it squelched in his
hands. The bag was warm, and damp. Blood was oozing out as he clenched. He
jerked backwards, dropping the bag on the counter. It's smell turned Eryn's stomach
and his back, and disappeared by the fire. Chloe continued to smile.
The Televaraen had been previously occupied with the fork
until the bags had it the bar. He walked over and gingerly poked it with his
claw. He sniffed at it, his hood flowing over the wood around him. He narrowed his eyes a few times at Chloe and
nudged the sacks towards the barkeep. No
matter what was inside, the barkeep realised it wasn't worth risking his life
over. He distanced the bags as far as he could from himself before opening, the
blood started to seep out. Inside were thankfully shins but also tissue and
bone cobbled together with some piece of metal or synth. Chloe told the man
that if she had remembered rightly there
was a black market in Auspar for augmentation and this should certainly provide
ample for provisions. The barkeep now was pretty much close to tears. Denying
any part of this girls claim would result in death and the promise of something
far worse. He looked over at both the Televaraen and Lord Shroud and shuddered;
his gaze catching the last of his regulars leaving. Business hours were over.
He poured the usual concoctions for the Televaraen and a distilled spirit like
a liquid mirror for Lord Shroud, Eryn asked for his courage. Chloe enquired as
to what was the most expensive thing he had. The man sighed to himself and
looked down at his feet and breathed slowly. He brought out a small silver ring
with a gelatinous disk inside. He turned around to the brickwork behind him,
counted a few out and held up the ring. With little effort his hand slid right
through, past the rock and into something dark. He fumbled around for a few
seconds before finally dragging a bottle out. Its weight nearly putting him off
balance as it swung to the ground in his hand. Her eyes lit up, her glass filled and quickly
emptied.
The fourth glass was promptly interrupted by two more well defined
gentlemen, their eyelids closing both ways, their tongues tasting the air. This
time however patches of scales ranging from skin colour to vibrant greens and
coppers appeared in patches over the face and hands of both of them. The last
three fingers on the right hand one
gentleman ended in webbed scales, while the other had his left eye encased from
brow downwards. They wheeled in with them a clearly marked barrel. To Eryn this
was just a branding symbol, to Lord Shroud he saw the symbol of the Silver Palm
and to the Televaraen and Chloe, they both saw the mark of the House of Ethis. A
silver coin was passed to the bar keep both Shroud and the Televaraen recognised
what was going on and slowly drank with an attentive eye. Eryn meanwhile, had also noticed the coin pass but this time
became fascinated. Now he had already
tried to put this whole situation into some logical order in his head before
but now his mind was racing again. Was this some sort of crime? Was the barrel
moving oddly? To both he answered yes and ventured back outside.
He searched around by the wall to the back of the bar,
looking for something that could perhaps serve as some sort of criminal secret.
He found it, a metalic platform and a set of controls made from stone, along with the two brutes wheeling the barrel outside. Somehow he
never factored in them actually using what he was looking for. One of them immediately set
upon him brandishing a pristine broadsword. Eryn stumbled backwards against the
wall. He to drew his sword and in an attempt at defence he lunged forward, only
for his sword to tangle in the overhead rigging. Eryn looked slightly confused,
his opponent laughing. Now this stirred
his blood. A man from Draolis takes an insult of his own prestige as a severe
offence. He pressed his fingers together. A small whisper of smoke rose. His
veins in his hands glowed red, fire tried to burst into life above Eryn's head.
He reached out to the startled thug and grabbed his shoulder. He screamed at
the searing pain of Eryn's touch which it now possessed. The grip was held was past the smell
of tinged hairs and seared flesh till the man fell to his knees. Eryn, now satisfied,
placed his fingers together again, the fire subsiding and laid against a crate to catch his breath.
The Televaraen soon followed out after hearing crashing and shouting.
The burnt man had recovered, the remains of a slime that had been crawling
its way over his shoulder had just faded into his clothing. Eryn was unprepared
for a drawn sword. The Televaraen got down on all four paws, and lunged himself
at the thug. His claws ripping his shirt and back to shreds. The thugs blood now mingling
with the drunkard in this back alley. The Televaraen walked calmly
back to the doorway and proceeded to clean himself. The other brute called for help
in desperate pleas. Chloe ran out and stumbled around, steadying herself on the
wall. A another similar snaked man had followed Shroud and the girl through to
the alley behind them and was about to strike when he was startled by the
sudden flaying. That moment was seized by Shroud and a swift kick to the head
knocked nearly everything out of his head and onto the floor and next to his
associate.
Chloe, meanwhile had pulled a large piece of metal from
behind one of the crates, its rust bright pink with a lime green tinge. She pried
open the barrel to reveal an intricate contraption. Inside was
a series of shelves, tiny orbs with a small neck and stopper were being rolled
around continuously on a set of tracks being kept in place by metal plates that
separated them. The core was a plant, a leaf that gave off a distinct minty
smell with a sharp tang of oil. Its roots had spread all over the device. Apart
from the tracks, the bottle and the plant this was the entire content. Chloe
looked at the symbol a little more. She steadied herself on the wall and hurled
accusations and insults at the broken man and his associate, as well as vomit over the side of the platform. The abuse was specific,
targeted, she used insults that only members from certain families would know. They tried
to explain themselves, their lack of information and their low pay. The fact that the drug
they were transporting was genuine, locally
produced Khat-Nipp. They were using the Silver Hand connections to smuggle the thirty-six vials out of the city without being traced but now they had been caught.
Shroud, dismissed this as mere nonsense and took a single drop for his own
confirmation.
A tune that he only half remembered, something that made a
true smile crack his facade played in his ears. His eyes dilated and he became
lost. Chloe immediately noticed the effects, and the apparent potency. She, and
she alone bargained not only for the barrel but for their silence. She pulled a
few bloodied shins from her attire and plated them, telling them this would probably
be worth more than this job. They in turn, turned to the Televaraen and
presented him with some of the money. He quickly pulled out a cloth with the
Ethis design embroidered on, and cleaned up these gifts. Shroud prepared
himself to move the barrel but the Televaraen placed a firm paw on it and
glared. For Shroud the song had finished, his eyes adjusted back to the light. He ushered the girl and Eryn
back in as more cries were heard from outside. The barkeep tossed the sacks
of shins he was given over, in return for a promise never to return.
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