Episode 5: City of Tears (Part 2 of 4)

As Locke approaches the factory, he at first notices a few possible means of entry. The front entrance is the most obvious – its two massive steel doors standing tall and appearing sturdy. Several windows are also scattered along its brick walls. Finally there appears to be two peculiar looking metal doors on the ground at the building's side – seemingly leading underground – perhaps to a basement level. Locke's eyes scan over the possible means of entry, his mind running through the possible scenarios that could play out depending on which entrance he took. The front door is the most obvious, hence why it could be heavily guarded and also could be quite impenetrable. The metal doors Locke thinks lead underground, but he casts his mind back to the time at the Merchant's Grotto where he and Lil went underground into the Grotto; therefore that could be just as guarded. Locke decides that one of the windows may be a better option to gain access to the factory – and besides, he could always see the inside of the building through the glass – so he opts to try infiltrating the building via access through a window. Locke strolls to the window and, cupping his hands around his eyes, he tries to peek through the glass. Despite the window being incredibly dirty, he manages to see into the first floor. He sees nothing but an empty reception room within.

"Huh," Locke mutters before announcing to himself, "Well, that isn't much of a reception area. But, at least there's nobody around to see me."

Locke attempts to then open the window; however it is locked.

"Locked," he mutters before he then quickly pulls from his bag a cloth that is wrapped around a set of tools which jingles as he handles them. "Luckily, I never leave home without this."

Taking a piece of equipment from the cloth and attaching a sharp end piece to it, Locke takes the thieves' tool and begins to poke it through the window frame to try and release the locking mechanism inside the window. Many minutes pass as Locke attempts the lock; however it does not budge and he is unable to open the window.

"Slime!" Locke curses to himself before he considers what else he could do.

He opts not to smash the glass to gain access through the window in case the sound drew attention to his presence at the factory. Instead, he decides to step back from the window and examine the two other means of entry that are possible. He decides that the front door might finally be the best way to get into the building, due to the fact it might be so obvious that nobody would dare trying to enter through the front door. Nobody, that is, except for a rogue like Locke. He walks over to the large steel doors in front of him before he crouches down and presses his left ear against the cold metal; he shivers, undecided whether it was the cold of the steel or whether it was the excitement of the situation. As he concentrates, he realizes that the steel doors are too thick and he cannot hear a thing.

"Well, if nobody's in, I guess I'll just not bother knocking," Locke muses as he takes his thieves' kit once again.

He slips the tool in between the very narrow gap between the two doors to try and pick the lock open. He attempts to unlock the door, again and again, but he finds that this lock, too, is too difficult to pick.

"Argh!" Locke cries before he punches the door, quickly retrieving his hand and shaking it due to the impact of bone on steel which causes his hand to throb.

He withdraws his thieves' Kit and quickly makes his way around to the side entrance, which was his last option – but Locke feels, now, may be his only option of gaining entry. As Locke peers down, he notices that they are very flimsy looking doors. With a single metal chain tying their handles together – a padlock locking them in place. Locke grins and opts not to use his thieves' tool; instead he withdraws his sickle and jabs the pointed end of the blade into the lock. After a jab or two, the sickle causes the locking mechanism to break and the curved steel rod of the padlock pops open as the lock drops to the paved ground. Locke takes this chain, unravels it from around the doors, and places the chain into his bag – feeling it might come in handy later on. After breaking the lock on the doors, Locke finds himself looking down a narrow staircase leading into the basement with a dim light flickering down below. Locke then begins to descend the stairs slowly as the light grows brighter and brighter.

Finally, he finds himself in what appears to be a basement. Many boxes litter the room in no particular order, as a single lantern hangs from the center of the ceiling. A staircase on the side of the room leads up to the upper floor as a single door stands beside it. As he observes the room in silence, he can hear what appears to be hurried breathing just beyond a nearby mountain of boxes. Locke quickly looks over to the epicenter of the noise before he narrows his eyes and begins to tip toe towards the boxes; his sickle still withdrawn and held in his right hand, he is ready to strike if needs be. As he approaches the boxes, Locke hears what could be a quiet gasp, and he also sees a shadow moving from behind the mountainous pile. Saying nothing, Locke simply shifts his weight into his right leg and hip before he lifts his left leg and kicks out, allowing his foot to collide with the boxes which fall backwards down on top of whatever is behind them.

"Come on out of there, coward!" Locke cries. "Face me like a man!"

A voice suddenly cries as a figure leaps from behind the boxes and sprawls onto the ground, "Please! Please don't hurt me!"

As Locke looks on he sees a very young and small female Dwarf crawl from behind the boxes, meekly bringing herself to her feet. She looks to Locke wearing a very frightened expression, as she holds her hands to her chest.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Locke asks. "Tell me, what were you doing hiding behind those boxes? Perhaps you wished to ambush me, but failed miserably. Or perhaps you were just eating something and didn't want to share. Whatever it is, I'm interested. Speak up!"

"Please. . . I mean you no harm. . . I'm merely a servant," she whispers before continuing, "Don't you realize how much danger you're in? You should flee – and quickly!"

"Hahaha," Locke chuckles. "Servant, while you serve food, I dine on danger. This sickle has seen me through more scraps than you've served hot dinners!" He exclaims, clearly embellishing his exploits. "I care not for the threat of getting hurt; I live for it. Now tell me, who do you work for?"

Her eyes grow wider in fear as he speaks and she clutches her hands even tighter to her bosom as she whispers, "Me? I don't work for anyone. . . I'm enslaved—"

"Work? Enslaved? What's the difference? You're doing something, aren't you? So, who are you working for?"

"Their names are Maroco and Madoco, and they are the leaders of the gang of thieves known as The Vega Clan. They run many parts of this city which merely act as puppets to aid in their criminal ways. They show no mercy to their victims. My father. . . Even my father could not escape their wrath and that is why I'm here."

"Marocco and Adobo!" Locke hisses, slashing his sickle through the air. "I should have known! Dwarf, tell me," Locke asks, his voice beginning to boom with irritation, "do you know if they've taken in a Half-Elf prisoner lately?"

She shakes her head, responding, "Many innocent people are taken to this factory daily. So I'm afraid I would not remember seeing any particular Half-Elf."

"Slime!" Locke cries. "There's no use me wondering around this place if Lil isn't here. But still, I suppose there's a good chance she will be. Where are the captives held?"

"I'm afraid I don't know that either. . . But I know where you can find the twins."

"Even better," Locke exclaims, his eyes brightening as he grins to the blade of his sickle. "I can off those two cowards and then get Lil back. Very well, Dwarf, tell me where they are and I shall smite them down with furious vengeance!"

"Their chamber lies on the fifth floor – where they make their home. It is late now and it is during this time that the Clan usually go about their business in town; therefore the building is not as guarded as usual. So with a bit of luck, you might actually reach them," she says, before meekly asking, "Tell me. . . What is your name?"

"My name?" Locke asks, looking back to the Dwarf, before saying as his eyes narrow, "Hm, I don't think you need to know. I was suckered in by one Dwarf before, a female one in fact, and that's not going to happen again. For all I know, you could waddle off and tell some flea-ridden guard that I'm here. Oh no, that's not going to happen," he finishes with an evil grin. "In fact, I've got plans for you."

The Dwarf frowns suddenly and says, "Well, even if you won't tell me yours, I'll tell you my name. I'm Hilda and I will probably be killed just for speaking to you. But, if you're going to fight Maroco and his sister, then I am willing to risk that."

"Hilda," Locke begins, "if you follow my plans, then you might risk death but I assure you that won't happen. If you come with me, I'll tell you my name. That way, I can keep an eye on you to make sure you don't ruin things for me."

Hilda's eyes now lower to the floor as she takes a slight step back in fright, quietly saying, "I. . . I can't do that. If I don't continue doing as I was ordered, they will surely kill me. . . or worse."

"They won't kill you because I'll protect you," Locke says, his chest puffing out slightly as he feels mightier. "You can help me find their quarters, and if they're not here, I'll give them a welcoming that they'll never forget. I'm sure you know your way around this place, and I could do with that. If you help me, I'll help you. When I off those two cowards and find my companion, she and I will make sure you get back home safe and sound. How's that for a deal?"

Hilda now cries, "No! You don't understand! I've heard promises like those before. My own father said he would protect my mother and I when it came time to face those twins. . . And now he's gone! And so is my dear mother! No, I'm not leaving. . . I will only end up as dead as they are."

"What do you have to lose?" Locke snaps back. "I'm offering a chance of freedom. You would turn that down and instead waste away miserably here? That's cowardice and I'm sure your parents wouldn't want that for you. No disrespect to your old man, but he probably wasn't half the fighter I am. I've given you my word you'd make it out alive and that's what would happen. But if you want to stay here, serve food, or whatever it is you do, then fine. But if you refuse, I'll have no choice but to ensure your silence."

"Then so be it. . . Kill me if you must. It would be better than the pain I would face if the Vegas knew I had betrayed them."

"Very well," Locke says, stepping forward. "Close your eyes, now!"

The young Dwarf does as she's told, a slight whimper emitting from her as he raises his voice. With her eyes closed, Locke swipes his arm towards Hilda, but instead of a killing slash that she expects, she hears a clinking sound and something wrap around her wrist. She opens her eyes to find a chain wrapped around her wrist and joined to Locke's.

Her eyes widen as she looks to the chain, screaming, "No! Please! They'll kill me! You don't understand!"

"Have some backbone!" Locke cries. "I promise, I'll get you out! You don't have to live like this – I don't want that for you!"

The young Hilda now looks to Locke with tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she whimpers and says, "Please. . . Call me a coward if you must – but I can't go. . ."

Locke sighs, and lowers his arm.

"Very well," He announces before unraveling the chain and keeping his side of it on his wrist. "Hilda, I won't make you come with me; instead when I slaughter those two crooks, I will come back for you and I will take you home. But be warned, if this a ploy and you're setting me up for a fall, rest assured I will kill whoever you tell who tries to stop me – and I'll come and find you, and then you'll wish that it was just the Vegas you had to deal with for betraying them. And because I'm just that sorta guy, you can even tell whoever you might that my name is Locke. Locke Kallidin! It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Locke," she whispers as she reaches into her apron and retrieves an item before gently grabbing Locke's free hand and placing the small object in it. "Locke, you may not trust me, but I will put all my trust in you. On the third level is a door that leads into the servants' quarters. Find a green box and use this key to open it. Inside, you will find what little things I have managed to save for myself over the years. I will gladly let you have these if it will help you defeat those terrible twins."

"Thank you," Locke replies with a nod. "Now tell me, when they do go down and find out who their Lord is, will you be willing to go home then?"

Smiling for the first time, she says, "I have no home left. But yes, I suppose. I will be willing to leave."

"Where you will be then?" Locke asks. "I'll make sure to come back for you."

Quizzically, she responds, "Well, until I'm sure they're gone, I shall remain in this building, doing as I am told."

"That. . . wasn't exactly the answer I had in mind, but I'll take that. I'll come and find you when I kill them, okay?" He casually says before he begins to walk to the door. "See you soon, Hilda."

With a smile she calls behind him, "Don't bother with the door – it's locked! And good luck. . ."

Looking back with a smile and a nod, Locke instead makes his way to the staircase and slowly begins to step up it, step by step, in order to climb to the next floor. After climbing the stairs to the next level, Locke finally finds himself in a large room – very dimly lit as the only light comes from moonlight filtered through the scattered windows. A desk sits silently at its center, caked with dust. The air itself seems to be musky and unclean, causing him to feel ill and as he looks around the room. He notices a large staircase in the back leading up to the next floor. In the back of the room, to the right of the stairs, sits a small metal door with a sign hanging from it at eye level. Locke walks towards the sign to take a closer look. Locke instantly recognizes it as Common language, as it simply states, "Employees only."

“Well, I've never heeded signs before," Locke says to himself as he takes the door handle in his hand and attempts to turn it to open the door, which easily swings open.

Inside the door is simply a custodial closet, and as far as he can see at first, there are merely brooms and mops as well as other cleaning supplies which fill the closet. Locke decides to take a closer look inside the closet. He steps forth and begins to rifle through the mops, brooms and other items. With closer inspection, he sees with help from the moonlight as it filters through the nearest window. On the floor, nestled in the corner of the closet, are two bottles of potion. Locke swiftly pockets the potions and leaves the room, being sure to close the door behind him so that nobody would notice that he was there. From there, Locke turns and makes his way to the next staircase, leading up to the next floor, which once again he climbs as silently as possible.

After arriving on the upper floor, Locke finds he is in a very, very wide open room. It is filled with tables – crafting materials and other such things littering the table tops – as well as a cabinet which stands just beside himself. There is but two small windows on the walls in the center of the room, one to his left and another to his right. Although meager, they allow a small amount of moonlight to filter into the room, dimly lighting the tables. Twenty feet ahead of himself lies complete darkness as he cannot see very far in the dim light, due to his average vision.

"Hmph," Locke mutters to himself. "Too bad Lil isn't here with her super sensitive sight."

Locke begins to wander around the part of the room in which he can clearly see, with the first thing to grab his attention being the large cabinet which is to his left. He walks in front of it and tries to open one of the doors. As he opens the door, he notices a pair of loose brown pants accompanied by a long-sleeved brown shirt, seemingly for a human. Much like the clothing Hilda wore, it is in tatters but wearable. Locke reaches for the clothes and decides that a disguise might serve him well. Quickly, in the darkness, he slips the clothing on over his own before looking at himself in the reflection the window gives him.

"Not bad," Locke says, brushing his braid out of his eye. "At least I can pass this off. It looked horrible on that Dwarf!"

With more confidence now that he looks like one of the servants, Locke walks to the table adjacent to the closet and has a closer look at the contents of the table. As he squints through the dim light, he notices many scattered gold pieces; however, he immediately realizes that they are fakes as they do not contain the regular markings of authenticity.

"Huh," Locke sighs. "I guess I know what this factory's for now, and what business those two crooks are involved in."

Dropping a coin that he had picked up back onto the table, Locke walks to the table to the right of the room and likewise inspects what lies on it – finding much of the same. Deciding that this room is obviously just for making forged gold, Locke decides to press on through the room. After walking about twenty feet, he begins to hear a quiet snore, which steadily grows louder as he continues on. After another five or so feet, he notices a staircase leading up to the next level. However, he also notices two chairs in front of him on either side of the staircase. The right chair is unoccupied, but the left chair contains the hunched body of what appears to be an overweight human man. With a bottle just dangling from his left hand, he hunches to the left, his head tilted back with his mouth wide open. He is deeply asleep. Locke swiftly tip toes past the guard and slowly makes his way up the stairs, stopping on the second step to wave his fist in a mocking manner at the guard.

Soon, he realizes he is in a large room – a lantern hanging from the ceiling and providing bright light for a change. As he steps into the room, he sees what appears a Halfling servant girl step out from one of the doors to his left. She turns and gasps slightly before rushing past him and down the stairs as she avoids eye contact with him. Locke considers following the girl but remembers he now wears the same uniform she does; therefore he decides he may just attract attention by stopping her, and so he lets her go. Undeterred, Locke then observes the room to find it is empty, with the exception of five doors. Two, including the one the girl had just rushed from, stand to his left. On the wall across from him are another two. Finally, one door stands at his right – as well as another staircase which leads to the upper floor. Locke takes the time to remember that the thieves' rooms are on the fifth floor and considers making his way there; however he remembers that Hilda told him that the third floor contains the servant chambers and the box that the key will open!

Locke decides he will look behind each door to try and find the green box. Since there is only one door to his right, Locke decides to start with that one first. As he strolls to the door, he notices it is unlocked and slightly ajar, to which Locke slowly pushes the door open and peers from behind it, looking into the room. The room is dimly lit; however he sees that it is a kitchen with a single large table at its center. Nothing of particular important can be seen. Locke steps away from the door, deciding to leave it alone, and walks directly across the room to the door directly opposite him, which he once again tries to open. Not being locked, the door easily swings open, and as it does, he immediately sees a small room with a table at its center. Two Tiefling men surround the table and immediately turn their heads to see him.

With a snort, one of them says, "What are you doing here? Get back to work!"

"Room service?" Locke announces with a bare-toothed smile.

The same man looks to him and with a grin says, "No, but if you see that little Halfling girl, tell her we wanna see her, heh heh heh. . ."

"Heh heh heh," Locke chuckles. "After I'm done with her, I'll send her right up."

Locke replies with a wink before he backs out and closes the door. As he closes the door, he hears one of the men boom with laughter as they continue their conversation.

"Psh, dipsticks," Locke mutters about the pair before he listens in.

"And then the bird says, 'You'll never get away with this! My friend will be here soon to destroy all of you!' Normally, Maddie would've shown her the blunt side of her club, but Marco, he was loving every minute of it!"

"Heh, that sick son of a Goblin. He loves making the ladies beg, eh?"

"No joke. . . But this was one stubborn little bird. If I know the Vegas, they ain't gonna stand for that long."

Growling slightly, Locke replaces his gritted expression with a smile as he opens the door once again and with a big grin says, "Room service!"

The men look to Locke again with large scowls as one yells, "I told you we don't want room service! You insolent little—"

"No guys, hold on!" Locke says, holding up his hands with a smile. "I just had to come in and hear what was so funny. In fact, I heard you talk about a bird. Man, she sounds pretty good, if you know what I mean. Any chance I can go and look?"

The man grumbles, "Look, you insolent wretch, we ain't got time to be talking to the toilet cleaners. I told you to get out – now out!"

"But this toilet cleaner wants a piece of the pie," Locke replies. "Come on, what do you say? I'm a servant already, but I wanna be like you guys."

The man slams his fists on the table as he leaps up from his chair and says, "Look! I – hold on a minute," he pauses as he observes Locke more closely. "I don't remember ever seeing you around here. What is this?"

"A recruitment drive?" Locke asks before exclaiming, "I'm a new servant! But I'm here, really, because I heard these Vegas are great for a rogue like me to work for. I just wanted to get in on the ground and work with sheer brilliance such as yourselves!"

The Tiefling's eyes narrow at Locke as he speaks, before he shoots a glance to his companion, who immediately stands.

"Servant, eh? My backside! You ain't no servant!"

At this point, he has drawn his dagger as he and his companion begin to advance towards Locke. The taller Tiefling immediately dives for Locke with a rightwards swing of his dagger, to which Locke tumbles forward. Gracefully rolling back on to his feet, he withdraws his sickle from its sheathe as he looks back to the tall Tiefling.

"Ever see a servant do this?" He cries as he targets the more heavy set Tiefling of the two.

Immediately, he thrusts his arm forwards and sends the blade of his sickle slicing through the front of the man's throat until it pops out the back of his neck. He withdraws the sickle and allows the heavy set Tiefling to drop to the floor as he turns to the tall Tiefling, baring his teeth in an evil smirk as he motions with his hand.

"Come on, then! You want some too? You should have just taken me to see that bird. But I guess I'll have to work off my extra energy on you!"

"I don't know who you are," the Tiefling growls before grinning widely, "but there ain't no birds in this cage left for you."

"Ah, pity," Locke replies, snapping the fingers of his left hand. "I guess I'll just have to take Madoco and show her what a real man is made of."

During this time, the Tiefling has once again dove forwards, slashing his dagger wildly; Locke laughs loudly as he parries every move the Tiefling makes. Once he sees an opening, Locke grabs the Tiefling by the collar of his shirt and pulls him forwards as he immediately jabs the tip of his sickle into the hip of the Tiefling, withdrawing immediately after he has made his strike. Crying in pain, the Tiefling scowls down at our Hero as his eyes begin to steadily glow. Locke notices from the corners of his eyes that transparent snakes have now begun to manifest around him, hissing and biting before they all dive towards him and attempt to attack him. They succeed as they spring forwards to Locke's legs and lower back, biting at him and causing Locke to cry out in pain as the snakes rip at his attire and flesh before disappearing into nothingness.

Immediately, Locke still having the Tiefling by the collar, he once again thrusts his sickle forwards – the blade piercing the Tiefling's lower abdominal region before Locke swiftly pulls the blade out of his stomach. However, he continues to hold on to the Tiefling until he decides to shove him away.

"It'll take more than a few slow worms to stop me, you ugly son of a wench!"

Immediately, Locke charges forwards at the Tiefling, not allowing him a chance to recover his wits. Once within striking range, Locke raises the sickle he holds in his right hand and slashes down towards the right side of the Tiefling's body, slashing open his attire and his skin with it, before rising the sickle up and then slashing it down to the left hand side – making an 'x' motion and scar on the Tiefling's chest and immediately drawing blood from the wound. As the Tiefling stumbles back in pain, a grin suddenly appears on his face as he chuckles deviously. Soon Locke feels a pressure around his neck as one of the snakes reappear and squeezes more of the life from him before disappearing. Locke's eyes widen as the pressure ceases and he clutches his throat for a moment. The Tiefling then attempts to once again dive forward as he thrusts his dagger straight towards Locke's abdomen, but Locke leans his body to the side, forcing the dagger to simply slash at air.

Locke laughs and announces, "You've got terrible aim there, pal!"

Quickly, Locke keeps his sickle in his hand while he withdraws his crossbow and loads it with an arrow. He looks to the Tiefling and aims the crossbow at his already wounded chest. He then pulls the trigger and the arrow flies from the steel string of the crossbow and flies at the Tiefling's chest, immediately plunging into the open wound and sticking into his body as Locke then quickly places the crossbow once again on his back.

"Now that's sharpshootin'!" Locke exclaims. "Take a lesson from me!"

As Locke begins pull his hand back forwards as he spouts his snide remark, he feels a pain in his wrist as a snake reappears and bites into his flesh before disappearing. During this time, the Tiefling slashes across Locke's chest with his dagger; however Locke raises the curved blade of his sickle and the two weapons violently clash with sparks raining from the two blades.

"You'd better just stick to your snake witchcraft, mate," Locke notes with a chuckle.

Once again, Locke raises his sickle and looking towards the arrow embedded in the Tiefling's chest. Locke snaps his arm forwards allowing the blade of the sickle to strike the arrow, splitting the wooden shaft in half as the blade continues its journey down towards the Tiefling's wound. It finally enters the wound and pushing the blade forwards, he sinks it deep into the Tiefling's chest before hitting the Tiefling's dark heart and quite literally breaking it. He hears the Tiefling grunt violently and watches the life drain from his eyes before Locke withdraws the sickle and allows the Tiefling to fall to his death on the floor.

"Hmph, use slow worms on me, eh?" Locke grunts as he spits on the back of the Tiefling's head before turning to the heavy set Tiefling and kicking him in the head. "As for you, you were useless!" Locke hisses and then spits on him also.

With the battle over, Locke returns his sickle to its sheathe and then sits on the stomach on the heavy set Tiefling. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a bottle of potion before then pulling the cork out of it and gulping down the magical blue liquid, which immediately restores his vitality and begins to heal the puncture wounds that the Tiefling's snakes inflicted on him. Locke stands from the Tiefling's belly and looks on the table to see if anything worth while was on it; however he finds only empty ale jugs.

"Slime!" Locke curses, shaking them upside down as he notes they're empty. He throws the glass down on the tall Tiefling and then leaves the room.

Locke scans the rooms and decides that maybe the direct approach, or pushing his luck, might not be the best way of negotiating the factory – and so thinks to himself that just blending in might be the best course of action. He walks across the room to the next door on his left. He presses his ear against the door and hears nothing; therefore he attempts to open the door, which opens easily. As Locke looks on, he sees a very dimly lit room with some dirty beds which line the left side of it. While there are no windows, a small candle flickers as its flame dances in the slight breeze which comes in from the hallway. It sits on a single desk, which is alone on the right side of the room. This desk has one drawer, which Locke decides to walk over to and try to open. It slides out with a creak, and inside he sees a few scattered pieces of junk – but he also sees a green box which is nestled into the back.

"The green box!" Locke gasps as he withdraws the key and reaches into the drawer to pull out the box.

He then slots the key into the lock and turns it, opening the box. Inside, he finds a vial of potion as well as one hundred gold pieces. Lining the box beneath these items sits a picture of a little Dwarf child sitting on a middle aged Dwarf's lap, their smiles twinkling within the sunlight in the photo. Locke places all the items, including the photo, into his bag before moving on out of the room. He looks to the door nearest him on the other wall and walks over to it – once again placing his ear against the door to see if anyone is inside. As he presses his ear against the wooden frame, he is slightly taken aback when he realizes it is already open and that it now softly swings inwards so that the inside of the room can be viewed with a peek. Inside a single Elf bandit stands inside the room which is lit by a single lantern on the ceiling. From what Locke can see, the bandit is organizing items on shelves; however, just beside him sits a very familiar item: Lilanei's bag! He also notices her red stone-studded dagger which sits in its sheathe as it is now clipped on the side of the bandits' waist.

Seeing Lil's items, especially her sentimental dagger, on the bandit's person, all the thoughts of remaining discreet wash away from Locke's mind as he boils over in anger. He stands up straight from his crouched position and walks into the room, withdrawing his sickle. He silently rushes forwards, taking his sickle as he thrusts it forwards and strikes the Elf in the back of the left shoulder.

"Here's another one to add to your collection!" Locke roars in anger. "A bloody sickle – take it!"

The Elf's head thrusts backward as he screams in pain, turning his head to note that Locke is standing behind him.

Turning to face Locke, the Elf scowls before screaming, "Insolent fool! I'll show you your place!"

The Elf then withdraws his short sword and thrusts it forwards towards Locke's abdomen, to which Locke swiftly swings his sickle in a downwards motion, allowing the sickle to catch the blade of the Elf's sword and pushing it harmlessly away.

"My place?" Locke announces. "My place will be me standing over your slain hide! You show me my place, and I'll show you who your Lord is!"

Locke, holding his sickle in his right hand, jabs the crescent blade into the Elf's right hip. Without hesitating, Locke pulls the sickle upwards, allowing the blade to shred through the Elf's shirt and up his skin, violently grazing it. Immediately following Locke's attack, in a flash, the Elf shifts a few feet to his right before withdrawing his large longbow. He takes aim and fires; however the arrow flies past Locke's head, just catching a strand of hair that has blown wildly in the gust from the action. Undeterred, the Elf immediately fires off another shot, to which Locke swiftly crouches down to his knees, allowing the arrow to fly over his head. Locke springs back up to his feet and charges at the Elf, once again making an attempt to strike the Elf at his injured side, but the Elf leans his injured hip to the left, forcing Locke's attempted strike to come up short. Like the Elf, Locke remains strong and keeps his nerve before he thrusts out towards the Elf's shoulder with his sickle in a scooping motion. The sickle digs in to the Elf's shoulder and Locke rips the blade out violently as blood spills from the fresh wound.

Immediately tossing his longbow to the side, the Elf retrieves his short sword once more and thrusts it forward in an upwards motion at Locke's side which hits – slashing Locke's attire open as the blade burns Locke's skin with irritation, causing it to bruise as well as go red. Locke steps back and to the side, before withdrawing his crossbow which he loads swiftly. He then aims the crossbow at the Elf's chest and fires off the arrow, letting it fly towards the Elf.

The arrow flies across the short distance between Locke and the Elf and catches him square in the right pectoral as Locke triumphantly cries, "Let me show you how to shoot off an arrow!"

Deeply insulted, the Elf thrusts his sword forwards once more in an attempt to strike a fatal blow. The blade connects, diving into Locke's left side – however not deeply enough to penetrate any vital organs. Nevertheless as he withdraws the blade, blood begins to seep from the wound and stain Locke's attire. Clutching his side for a moment, Locke winces and then wastes no time in attacking the Elf with his sickle once again. The sickle plunges into the Elf's stomach. Locke twists the blade and drags the blade up his stomach, the Elf's shirt ripping open with Locke stopping the blade as it reaches just under the Elf's chest cavity. Locke lifts his leg and kicks the Elf in the wounded stomach, shoving him into the shelf behind him. His back slams into the shelf, forcing him to then be pushed forwards face first to the floor as he lies dead in a pool of his own blood. With a trademark spit, Locke places his foot on the Elf's back and holds his sickle up in the air.

"I told you my place was standing over you, peasant!" Locke chuckles. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking my friend's stuff back."

Locke reaches down and takes Lilanei's dagger, sheathe and all, and places it on his belt on his right hip. He walks away from the Elf and gathers up Lil's rucksack, the contents of which are still inside. He slips his own bag off his shoulders and opens it up before stuffing Lil's bag not so neatly into his own. He hoists the bag up with some effort and places it back on his shoulder. Before leaving the room, Locke takes another potion and drinks from it, throwing the bottle away before he decides to closer inspect the room. As Locke peers at the many items placed on the shelves, he finds a peculiar pair of gloves hanging on the wall. Interested, Locke takes the gloves and slips them on, the material going up the way up to the tips of his fingers. He flexes his fingers and hears the material stretch with his movements.

"That's a pretty good fit," Locke remarks as he looks down at the Elf's corpse before stating, "I'll take these while I'm at it."

Locke then walks on top of the Elf, making his way towards the door. As he leaves, he notices a familiar colour twinkling in the corner of the room as he discovers another potion.

"I'll have this, too!" He mutters before he promptly takes and places the bottle in his bag, leaving the room with a grin on his face as he talks to himself. "Morocco and Adobo really need to get themselves some better goons. These idiots couldn't fight for Goblin's spit – let alone try somebody with the fighting spirit that I possess." Looking up the ceiling Locke raises his hand up in the air, his palms open as he vows, "Lilanei, keep safe, m'dear. I'm coming!"