Episode 5: City of Tears
After a restless night of sleep, our Heroes now continue on their way after their encounters in Tuli – shame still dampening their moods as they remain mostly in silence with one another. Soon, after venturing through some scattered forests and fields, they come to a large hilly clearing. As they walk forth, making their way over one of the steep hills, they immediately stop in their tracks – a large city, at least ten minutes of walking distance away, lies before them. Even from their position, they can still see many people buzzing about the city proper like hundreds of ants. The noise of the busy city floats towards them, beckoning them with intrigue as the smell of the nearby ocean fills their nostrils.
"Well, would you look at that?" Locke announces, a shimmer of excitement in his eyes as he looks at the large city. "That place has to be bigger than Illias! Let's check it out, Lil."
Lilanei smiles slightly, "Okay."
Excitedly, our Heroes make a dash for the city – imaginations soaring high in anticipation. Soon, they make it to the city gate, which is wide open for travelers. They are immediately met with different sights and smells – both good and bad. Large crowds of people pass by, chatting loudly. In fact, most of the people are talking quite loudly! Merchants yell in order to advertise their wares as young city criers spout the day's news. As Locke and Lilanei observe these things with great interest, they notice in front of them a road, splitting in two directions. Down the left road, there appear to be many shops. On the other hand, down the right road, there appear to be homes, inns, as well as some taverns.
Lil speaks, her voice sounding slightly brighter than it has recently been, "Wow! Look at all those shops!"
"Hm," Locke murmurs as his head points down the street towards all the taverns. "And check out all the buildings down that street with ale jugs on them." His voice turns slightly deep and smooth as he once again speaks. "I bet there are some lovely ladies down that street who would be interested in hearing of the adventures of a young Hero."
Lilanei purses her lips and smacks him in the face as she cries, "You're disgusting! After all we've been through, all you can think about is flirting with the local ladies of the night!"
"Ow!" Locke grunts as he rubs his head. "Sorry, I just want to blow off some steam. The last few days have been pretty sombre. I need to unwind a little!"
Lilanei sighs in exasperation, "Fine! After we go shopping."
Locke looks down the street once more, longing in his eyes before he sighs and asks, "Promise?"
Lilanei grins, "I promise. Maybe I'll even have a drink with you."
"And. . . and, if we see a pretty young wench and she likes me, can we keep her?"
"Gah! You're impossible!" Lil screams.
"Ah, so you didn't say no," Locke announces with a grin, but he soon realizes that Lilanei has already started to stomp down the road of shops, beginning to disappear into the crowd.
"Damn," Locke murmurs. "A street full of excited housewives in a merchant's area is no place for a Warrior to be on his own. Lil, wait for me!"
After Locke catches up to the very angry young wizard, Locke and Lilanei continue to walk down the left road and find that every step they make brings them deeper and deeper into ever-growing crowds. Despite the rushing crowds of people, however, they manage to stick together long enough to come to a sort of eye in the storm – a large fountain standing in the center of the commotion. It is around this fountain that the road circles, the surrounding buildings consisting of general stores and some armour smiths. Unfortunately, there are clear weapon smiths in sight.
"This place kind of reminds me of the Merchant's Circle back home," Locke notes. "Only, it's at least one hundred times busier! I can't believe it!"
"I know!" Lil exclaims. "I've never been in a city before."
"Nor have I," Locke replies. "Now I feel like I'm a country bumpkin, not some Hero from the capital town of Murrad."
"Oh well. . . No matter. Where do you want to go first?"
Locke looks around the stores in front of him; he sniffs slightly before then announcing, "Well, a man like myself who is as mighty as Hercules needs not for armour! My patched up attire suits me fine. Besides, I think the General Store will be cheaper, and I don't have much money!"
Lil mutters, "Well, maybe if you didn't spend it all on alcohol. . ."
"Lil, one day you're going to find a vice, and you're going to spend lots of money on it. And when you do, I'll gladly sit on your shoulder and tell you how you shouldn't do that. But for now, I'll let that one go."
Lilanei's eyes narrow at him as she considers to pursue his sarcastic remark. Instead, she turns and heads into the nearby general store, which displays a wooden bottle on the sign outside its doors. Our Heroes venture into the General Store together to see that it is only a simple little room. Ahead of them lies a counter, where a human female smiles welcomingly at them, and to their right sits a large shelf where the items for sale are displayed. Lilanei immediately rushes to the shelf, quickly observing the items she can purchase, while Locke continues to observe the friendly lady behind the counter. He smiles to her and tips her a wink before he feels a heavy blow in his stomach as Lil tosses a folded tent into his abdomen.
"Hold this!" Lil snaps, trying to hide her jealously.
"Ooof!" Locke grunts as he holds the tent in his hands; he inspects it with a quizzical look before he asks Lil, "What's this?"
Lil responds, "It's a tent. I'm tired of sleeping out in the rain."
"Oh," Locke replies. "How much is it?"
"Mm. . . Ten gold pieces. I'm also getting myself a potion."
Locke then notices the many quivers of arrows that hang from a large bolt beside the store's shelf.
"Hey, some arrows," Locke notes. "I could with some of those, since my arrows are pretty depleted. How much are those?"
"1 gold piece," she instantly replies.
"And the potion's fifty?" Locke asks, reading a notice on the wall beside the shelf. "Hm, well, the potions are always handy and I need some arrows. But then, I won't have enough for a tent."
Lilanei, now holding two potions and a large quiver of arrows, looks towards him with a quizzical look, "What do you mean? You can share my tent—"
Locke's face turns to a grin before he says, "Ah. . . Sounds quite cozy."
Clutching the items closer to her face to hide her blushing cheeks, Lil replies, "Don't take it the wrong way! I'm just not cold hearted enough to let you sleep in the cold rain while I have a warm place to sleep. But, if that's what you want. . ."
"I'd prefer the tent," Locke answers. "I'd rather be warm and snuggly with my friend than sleeping on a soggy, stained bedroll out in the open!"
"Then it's settled!" Lil exclaims before she turns to the counter and strolls to it with a particular pep in her step; she then says to the lady behind the counter, "We'll take these, thank you!"
The woman smiles, amused by our Heroes' banter, as she says, "Certainly. That'll be one hundred and eleven gold pieces, please."
Putting the items down on the counter, Lil looks into her coin pouch to see she only has eighty eight gold pieces; with a grin, she calls in a sing song fashion, "Loooocke. . ."
"I can never resist a woman who calls me like that," Locke announces as he steps up to the counter before giving a slight wave to the lady behind it. "What's wrong, Lil?"
"I've only got eighty eight gold. You'll have to give me the rest of the twenty three pieces we need."
"Hm," Locke looks down at his coin pouch and then looks back to Lil. "Well, get this fine lass here to share a drink with me, and I'll gladly chip in!"
The saleswoman then interrupts, saying as she smiles in amusement, "I'm sorry, young man, I'm much too old for you! Besides, I'm married!"
Locke blinks before his face turns sullen and he grumbles before digging into his pouch and slamming the gold pieces onto the counter, as he turns and looks out of the store window as to ignore his rejected offer.
Chuckling, the woman takes both of their gold pieces, and with a smile says, "Come again real soon!"
"Well," Locke replies, "I can come back after hours, and if your old man ain't—"
Lil suddenly slaps Locke on the back of the head as she fills his bag with his potion and the heavy tent before thrusting the quiver of arrows into his arms and saying, "Let's go, Romeo!"
"The name's Locke, in case you ever change your mind! I won't be here forever!" Locke calls to the lady behind the counter as he and Lil exit the store with their purchases.
Having satisfied Lilanei, Locke makes a quick detour back to the entrance of town and onto the road on the right, while Lil struggles to keep up behind him. As our adventurers stroll down the road, they notice the amount of crowds begins to slowly drop. A few stragglers now stroll past as they look around. The road is long and lined with many homes where the laughter of children as well as loud arguments can be heard. Finally, they come to a bend in the road, where the crowds have begun to gather once more – as they now stand in front of a pub. Laughter and the clinking of glasses echo into the street as a few groups of men stand outside and talk amongst themselves. Our Heroes look up to see that the pub is called "The Black Crest Tavern.”
"Sounds like a nice spot to kick back and relax," Locke announces, rubbing his hands together as he licks his lips. "Let's mingle!"
Without asking Lil, Locke walks away from her and slips by the groups of men who stand outside the door, before Locke is out of sight, fully inside the pub. Slightly dejected, Lilanei immediately dashes behind him, whistles sounding behind her as she enters the pub. Once inside, both notice that the tavern is crowded with both men and women who chat away. The bar stands at the back with a red-scaled Dragonborn serving as the bartender. Still without Lil and paying no mind to it, Locke wanders over to the bar which he casually props his right elbow on as he rests his body against the bar, trying to look casual and confident. The bartender, noticing a customer has arrived, looks over at our young Hero as Lilanei runs up beside him.
With a snort, he says,"Ey, what do you think this is? A playground? Ain't you two kind of young for a place like this?"
"What do you mean?" Locke asks, taken aback by the bartender's attitude as Locke was always easily been able to get into bars back in Illias since he was younger.
The bartender snorts again as he shakes his head and finally says, "Whatever, kid. A customer's a customer. I ain't your dad, so whatcha want?"
"And thank heavens for that!" Locke replies with a laugh. "Okay, enough of the conversational pleasantries. What's the house special?"
The Dragonborn's yellow eyes narrow at the boy before he picks up a glass from under the counter and starts to wipe it with a towel.
"Special?" He snorts. "Well, we ain't got no specials. But we got booze, if that's what you want. Rum and ale – take your pick."
"Is the rum 'bite of the lizardfolk'?" Locke asks. "That's quite a good one. And how about the ale? Got any Wraithmaker?"
The bartender stops wiping his glass as he looks to Locke with a irritated expression; he draws closer to our Hero, his snout coming just short of the boy's nose as he grumbles, "Look, kid. Old Hektor ain't got no time for games. Rum or ale. Take. Your. Pick."
"Both!" Locke finally exclaims. "And a berry juice for the lady."
"Berry juice!" Lil cries. "I can order my own drinks, thank you. I'll have a rum, too, please."
"Rum?" Locke echoes in surprise. "You can't have rum! I'm surprised you even want it! You know what they say in Illias: ale for the fellow; water or fruit based drink for the lady! Rules are rules!"
Lilanei now softly pinches Locke's upper arm before suddenly squeezing it tightly and twisting her hand violently to amplify the pain, "I'll have. . . a rum. . . thank. . . you!"
"Jeez, alright!" Locke says before he turns to the Dragonborn and requests, "Two rums and an ale, please."
However, as he turns to speak, he realizes Hektor has already sat two rums and an ale in front of the duo.
The Dragon now looks at them with a curious expression, "You two are a weird lot. You ain't older than twelve and you bicker like an old married couple."
"What's your name again?" Locke asks.
"Hektor. What of it?"
"Ah, you obviously don't hang around people in their prime, do you, Hektor? I'm nineteen, she's sixteen, and believe me – I wouldn't hang around her long enough to be married to her as an old man!"
Lil, swiftly snatching her drink from the counter and turning to face the rest of the tavern, grumbles under her breath as she takes a sip from her glass.
"Whatever, kid," Hektor grumbles. "But me and my old woman – we've been together long enough to know what the sound of an old bickering couple is like."
"I'll take your word for it, Hektor," Locke replies as he downs his rum in one gulp and then picks up his glass of ale. "Cheers, my man."
As Locke begins to drink his ale, he notices from the corner of his eye a man who walks to the bar to his right, just beside Lil. The man, quite intoxicated already, slams his fist down on the counter and shouts.
"Hektor! Gimme an ale," He slurs.
Hektor grunts as he looks to the man, "Look, Ike, I told you a dozen times – you're barred!"
The man simply grumbles under his breathe as his gaze turns to our two young Heroes and, in particular, to Lilanei.
"Hello there, little lady. Ain't you a pretty sight to behold? You're one of them pointy ears types, ain'tcha?" He slurs, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Ain't that a crying shame? But if ya like, I can get ya back in touch with your human side, if you know what I'm saying. . ."
Looking towards Ike, a flash of annoyance in his eyes, Locke slams his glass of ale on the bar before he looks to Hektor and states, "Watch that." He then walks past Lil so he now stands in front of Ike, where he simply shoves his hand into Ike's chest.
"Wanna get your hands off my lady?" Locke asks. "She's spoken for."
Blushing, Lil mutters, "I can take care of myself, you know."
"Yeah, man," he says, wrapping his arm even tighter around Lil's waist. "Let the little lady defend herself. Ike ain't gonna hurt her!"
"No, but Ike might get hurt," Locke replies in a mocking tone as he speaks his name. "So, I'm telling you now, Ike. Leave her be."
Lil, annoyed at both of them, tries to walk away; however, she stumbles back against the bar, as the drunken man refuses to release his death-grip on her waist. By this time, most of the tavern has grown silent and even old Hektor himself stands back, knowing what is coming.
"I don't. . . like your tone, kid. Who says this wench is yours, anyway? Maybe Ike aims to keep her."
"I guess Ike is looking to get his fingers bit," Locke hisses as he withdraws his sickle. "You let go of her, or you lose your damn fingers. . ."
Ike's drunken face now grows angry as he raises his free hand into the air, motioning for many of the tavern patrons to stand.
Lil, now clearly worried, whispers, "Locke. . ."
"Ike's gang ain't gonna stand for that! Get 'em boys!"
All five of the people who now stand begin to slowly approach Locke, their own weapons beginning to gleam in the light of the tavern as tey grin and emit low chuckles. Locke looks towards Ike and lets out a sigh of amusement.
"Too much of a woman to fight your own battles, huh?" Locke says as he then turns to face the group in front of him. "You don't want to do this, but since you're here at the party, you may as well dance. Come on!"
Locke, now concentrating on the men standing around, is too late when he suddenly notices a couple of men have snuck past him and restrained Lil – covering her mouth as they begin to drag her away towards the front door.
"LOCKE! HELP M—MMMPH!"
"Lilanei!" Locke cries as he then growls towards the three remaining in front of him. "Get out of my way! Let her go!"
However, his demands are in vain as Ike and two of his men have already escaped the tavern, leaving the remaining three to take care of business. An armoured bandit begins to step forward slightly, chuckling evilly under his breath as he stares down at his Hero. His tanned counterpart, however, is not so compassionate as he dashes forward at Locke's side and with a swing of his club, aims to take Locke down by the feet.
Gracefully, Locke leaps over the attempted sweep of his legs, before landing and shouting, "Is that all you've got? C'mon!"
Hektor, standing and clutching the bar in front of him, shouts, "Go get 'em, kid!"
"Hektor, get your mop ready – these clowns are going to spray claret all over your bar!"
Locke turns to the tanned bandit who tried to take a hit at his feet as he grips his sickle and lunges forward, trying to swipe the bandit's chest; however, the bandit grins and simply dips back, the swipe passing over him. As Locke is distracted by the tanned goon, the robed bandit rushes forth, his club elevated in the air as he gives a mighty battle cry. He slams the club down and onto Locke's right shoulder with a loud “crunch!” The armoured bandit now slowly makes his way forwards, sneaking up behind Locke as he attempts to butt the end of his club into Locke's lower back. Suddenly, Locke hears a crash behind him as Hektor launches one of the ale bottles from the bar at the goon's feet, causing him to stumble and miss.
"Thanks, Hektor!" Locke hisses through the pain from the club which hit him.
The tanned rabble remains in his position in front of Locke, where he takes a rightwards swing at Locke's abdominal area with his club. By chance, as the club comes to connect with Locke's abdominal region. Locke throws the curved blade of his sickle down towards the club, throwing the club off course as it misses his body. He then quickly grabs the tanned bandit with his free hand clutching his throat as he pulls the bandit closer. From there he slashes the sickle up the bandit's chest before letting go of his throat, allowing the sickle to slash all the way up his throat as blood spurts onto Locke's chest and face – the bandit dropping dead to the floor. The armoured goon now growls loudly at seeing his fellow comrade fall. He raises his club high in the air and attempts to slam it in the back of Locke's head; however Locke notices the shadow of the club over his head and quickly, he rolls forwards across the floor before standing on top of the goon he just killed causing the club to smash into the floor. Spinning gracefully on his foot, Locke turns around to face the armoured goon before he charges at his adversary, growling fiercely in anger. Locke reaches out and takes the armoured bandit by the arm and draws him close to him before Locke then brings the sickle up and violently jabs the sickle into the bandit's forehead. He then releases the bandit's wrist and kicks him in the stomach, causing him to slide off the blade and fall to the floor dead.
"Two down!" Locke roars to the final bandit. "You got the guts to take me on?" He then lifts the blood stained sickle, and with a tooth revealing grin follows by saying, "Let's find out what kinda guts you got. . ."
The goon looks to Locke with a very fearful expression as he realizes he is on his own. He begins to whimper, at first quietly; however, the whimpers grow louder as he begins to stumble backwards and then quickly turns and dashes from the tavern, retreating. When the dust clears, Locke realizes the Tavern is now completely empty, except for Hektor who remains behind the bar – the red scales atop his head ruffled slightly.
Grumbling, the bartender says, "Those damned bandits! Always scaring my customers. Anyway. . . You alright, kid?"
Locke sighs as he puts his sickle away in its sheathe on his boot; he then reaches for his brow and wipes away some sweat – to his surprise seeing that a lot of blood adorns his head. With a shrug, he flicks his hand down towards the fallen bandit to his right before he then quickly lets out a spit onto the bandit on his left.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Locke sighs. "I'm sorry about your bar. Do those cowards come here often?"
Hektor now sighs, wiping some spilled booze from his counter, "Yeah. . . Yeah, those crooks come around every so often. I ain't right about a lot of things, kid, but I know they ain't just any run of the mill lot either. They're from the Clan."
"The Clan?" Locke asks. "What's that?"
Hektor looks to Locke with tired eyes as he explains, "You're not from around here, ain'tcha kid? The Vega Clan! They're the biggest pack of petty thieves you'll ever hope to meet. Rumour has it, their leaders ain't so happy at the moment. Something's ruffled their feathers and they're looking to stomp whoever gets in their way. If I know them like I do, that's where they've taken your girlfriend. And if I were you, kid, I'd forget her and get my backside out of town before I got recognized."
"I can't do that," Locke replies, uncharacteristically calmly. "Lil's not my girlfriend, but she means more to me than I can explain, Hektor. She's my partner on our quest and she's pretty much the only person in the world I have, aside from my mentor. I've gotta get her back. Tell me, where is Vega Clan's stomping grounds?"
The Bartender emits another sigh as he begins to fiddle with glasses under the counter, "If you really gotta know, kid, the clan works out of a shady factory in the centre of town."
"Then that's where I'm going," Locke replies. "Those morons think they can take my girl like that? They've got another thing coming – and that thing is loaded on ale, has a sickle and a crossbow, and is very very annoyed! Those fools don't stand a chance, just like these idiots!" Locke cries, enraging himself into a frenzy as he spits on the other bandit he didn't spit on earlier.
Hektor now looks up from the counter as he grins down his snout at Locke and says, "I like your spunk, kid. It's something I ain't seen in this city for a good long while. I'll tell you what. It's getting late. You've been beat pretty bad. Head down to the Sleepy Sheep Inn a few doors down, and tell the sweet thing at reception that old Hektor sent ya. She'll fix you up with a half decent place to sleep for the night."
"But what about Lilanei?" Locke asks. "I can't waste a night; who knows what they'll do to her!"
"Look. . . Locke, ain't it? If those creeps are gonna do anything to that girl, it's already been done. Waiting a night ain't gonna change that, so what have you got to lose?"
"Her!" Locke shouts as his fist collides with the bar in rage.
Hektor's eyes widen as he looks down at the counter before he says, "Besides. . . If you gotta chance of sneaking in that place, it ain't during the day, I'll tell you that. Evening at the latest – that's when you wanna strike. The night is when all them bandits go about their business outside Blackcrest."
Locke takes his fist from the bar and nods, taking in the information Hektor has given him.
"Thank you, Hektor," Locke announces. "I'll heed your words and do as you say. Forgive me – Lil just means the world to me. I'm sure if your wife was taken, you'd feel the same, wouldn't you?"
A grin spreads across Hektor's face, "Kid, if they took my woman, I'd be knocking on their door to congratulate them! Anyway, I really like ya, kid. Ya got charisma. If you need anymore help, y'know where to find me. I know all the ins and outs of this city and all the hot tips on the scum who live in it. If you need some advice, Hektor's your man."
"Will do, Hektor," Locke replies with a smile. "But before I go, let me help you clean up a bit. I've made quite the mess of your pub."
The Dragonborn simply shakes his head before saying, "Don't worry about it. Get to the Sleepy Sheep Inn and get your head down. Old Hektor ain't a decrepit old man yet!"
With a nod, Locke marches out from the tavern and into the road once again. He looks back up the road from where he came and follows it a few doors down before he notices a large sign of a cute little sheep that is snoring away. He walks into the Inn, to find that he is in a large reception wall – the walls painted with more cute little sheep. At the counter which lays in front of him sits a darkly tanned Halfling with black hair and big brown eyes. She immediately notices him and steps from behind the counter, beckoning him towards her.
"Hello there, sweet thang! How can lil' ol' me help you tonight, handsome? Need a place to stay?"
"Yes," Locke answers wearily. "I need a room. I'm not sure for how long yet as I'm in town on. . . business. But the Dragonborn at the pub back up there told me to mention his name and you'll sort me out."
The Halfling's eyes instantly brighten, and with a grin, she says, "Oh, that old crab boat down the Black Crest Tavern! He's a sweet old lizard, really, mon. Sure, I'll fix ya up wit' a room, good and proper."
"Thank you, kindly," Locke answers. "If you don't mind, I could do with getting in there now and getting some sleep. I have a rather urgent. . . meeting to attend late tonight. Tell me, do your doors stay open all hours of the day, or do you have a curfew?"
The Halfling glances at the blood on Locke's forehead which she has just noticed before she looks to him with a more serious expression, "No curfew – you can come an' go as ya' like. An' it's no problem! I can set ya' up wit' a room right now, sweet thang."
Locke simply smiles at the Halfling and nods graciously, "Thank you, madame. Let me introduce myself. I am Locke Kallidin. Your name is?"
"Charlie, mon," the Halfling answers. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Quickly, the Halfling woman shows Locke to his room on the next floor which is quite airy and bright, the single bed in the middle of the room seemingly very fluffy and inviting. After paying her the nightly fee, Charlie tells Locke to make himself comfortable before leaving him to his own devices. As the door closes behind him, Locke immediately slips the large and heavy bag off his shoulders before he wipes the rest of the blood off his head, using the bottom of his shirt to do so. Immediately, he takes his shirt off and places it on top of the bag he has thrown down on to the floor, being sure to have removed his crossbow and quiver beforehand. He withdraws his sickle and places it on the bed side table to his right before he lies down on his back in the comfortable bed and closes his eyes, weariness taking over his anger and worry over Lilanei as he drifts off into a peaceful sleep.
A few hours pass by as the sun begins to set on the large city of Blackcrest. Soon, the moon rises and Locke's once peaceful sleep becomes more unsettled as he tosses and turns in his bed. Finally, he lays on his back, wide awake as he takes in the sounds of the city – which are still quite numerous even at this time of night. However, he suddenly hears a peculiar conversation from outside his second floor window.
"Ey. . . Have you heard about that girl?"
"That elf wench? What about her?"
"It turns out the boss has been looking for this kid. Something about a fight they had. He's over the moon!"
"You think she's why the Vegas have been all annoyed lately?"
"Maybe. . . All I know is, I'm kicking myself for not being in on it! Ike's little gang are making a pretty penny from this one!"
"I wonder how Maddie's taking this all, heh."
The pair speaking in the ally outside his window are gone before Locke can hop out of bed and get a good look.
"Maddie," Locke whispers to himself before he gasps suddenly. "Maybe. . ."
Wasting no time, Locke slips on his shirt and places his boots back on his feet. He then grabs his crossbow and quiver, hoisting them onto his back along with his bag before then grabbing the sickle off the bedside cabinet, keeping it unsheathed as he leaves the room and rushes through the Inn to make his exit outside. Locke ventures into the empty city which is actually still pretty busy for nighttime as tavern goers as well as travelers and merchants stroll through town to go home for the night. Following Hektor's vague directions, Locke fortunately soon stumbles on the city centre. Towering in its middle sits a single building – a factory – many floors in height.
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