I get myself a nice slice of hot bread with cheese and an egg on top, as I make my way across town again after leaving the Paws & Pawn. It's designed to be eaten while you are on the move, at least all the other people getting some and eating it as they move about suggest as much. I have to struggle a little though not to make a mess of myself.

My exceptional agility saves me from any embarrassing mishaps, but it's a close call more than once. It's tasty too, especially the cheese, so I really can't complain. The only downside is that I have to part with another penny to get it. Food like this really isn't the kind of thing you can get with a five finger discount after all. I can't help but chuckle as I think about it. That would be a disaster just waiting to happen.

I'm in a good mood after sleeping in today, getting some decent training done and having a delicious meal. Of course this can't last. The first sign of trouble brewing as I draw closer to the city gate is that I spot Matylda, as I navigate the evening rush.

The young dwarven woman is leaning against a wall, doing her best to act inconspicuous, as she keeps an eye on someone else. She is not doing bad, but to my eye she still stands out. With everyone else in a hurry to get something to eat or just home from work, the few people not moving really draw my attention. Considering the way she seems to be on high alert, she isn't here for fun either. No, this screams business. Serious business.

I sigh. So much for a quiet evening and a chance to maybe cut a purse or two. It's time to get serious myself. My senses sharpen and my movements attune to the rest of the crowd even better, as I try to get a good look at who or what exactly Matylda is keeping an eye on. Both my [Stealth] and [Perception] improve a little as a result. The latter mostly due to the fact that the target of Matylda's attention is trying to avoid detection too.

My brows furrow, as I realize who it is. It's Núira. Her approach to stealth is very different to mine or even Matylda's. As long as you don't spot her she is pretty much invisible, lurking hidden in the shadows. Once you know the ranger is there though, she stands out like a sore thumb here in the city. It's like she is stalking prey. And, come to think of it, maybe that is exactly what she is doing.

I slide up next to Matylda and make the dwarven woman jump a little in the process. She was entirely too focused on the ranger. I nudge her in the side lightly.

"Relax a little. And don't focus too hard on her, or she might notice. Don't forget to watch your own back either. So, what's up here anyway? Why are you stalking her? And who is she stalking?"

Matylda looks up at me, a troubled look on her face. She lets out a long sigh that reinforces the impression.

"Right, you haven't been in town that long. Well, today is the day the guards take care of the people who can't pay their fines. They ship them off once every month. And your elf friend there has been keeping an eye on the gate all afternoon already. Barandon, that numbskull of all people, came to the conclusion that she might cause trouble. Thus Sylwia saddled me with the job of keeping tabs on her since I just happened to be around when the news came in."

I nod in understanding. She really doesn't strike me as the kind of woman suited for this particular task. Compared to her performance at the card game she really looks like she is out of her depth here.

"Want me to lend a hand?"

The look on her face turns hopeful.

"Would you? This isn't the kind of job that comes with a compensation though, you know?"

I just shrug. It's not like I expected to be paid to begin with.

"Can't exactly promise that there won't be trouble either after all. If Núira is here, I suspect it might be something personal after all. But if something happens, I'll do my best to make sure it won't be going down in town."

She winces but nods anyway.

"Try to keep things quiet at least and if it comes to the worst, try to not leave any traces pointing our way. I'll report back to Sylwia in the meantime. Of all the days for the bosses to be off on their own business …"

Her words trail off, as she leaves, heading in the general direction of the tavern at the downstream waterfront.

Once I'm alone again, well as alone as anyone can be on a still rather busy street, I stretch and head over to the elven ranger.

"Well, well, look who's up to no good tonight. Really wouldn't have taken you of all people for a troublemaker."

She does jump in surprise. It seems she was too focused on the gate to pay the rest of her environs any mind. Just as I expected, as she apparently didn't take note of Matylda either. I certainly won't complain though, especially as my [Stealth] skill improves some more thanks to me getting the drop on her.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Wha … Viviona? What are you doing here?"

I point at myself, feigning innocence.

"Who? Me? I'm just a harmless little scoundrel minding my own business. You on the other hand …"

I pause to check her over. She is indeed completely geared up. Bow, quiver full of arrows, light armor and her curved blades. She brought it all. Just like she did for our confrontation with the fungal plague.

"… you look like you are looking to start some kind of trouble."

Her brows furrow for a moment. Still she doesn't take her eyes off the gate any longer than absolutely necessary, almost as if she is afraid to miss something crucial. Her voice drips with sarcasm as she finally replies.

"You're minding your own business? Is that why you just come straight up to me? And no, I'm not looking to start trouble, I want to put an end to it."

Oh my. This sounds worse than I feared. She very much sounds like she is set on committing murder already. I bite my lips lightly and keep pushing to get an actual explanation out of her.

"Alright, don't make me fish for every single word. Spit it out already. This isn't an official quest, or is it? You make it sound like it's something personal instead, you know."

Her gaze doesn't lighten in the slightest.

"I just learned that Lofn, a cousin of mine came to town while we were out dealing with that fungal infestation. And, well, she is young and brash and this was her first trips beyond our ancestral homelands …"

As she trails off I finish that line of thought for her.

"And thus she got into trouble with the guards?"

Núira nods and expands on the explanation.

"They fined her because her blade wasn't long enough. And when she started arguing they fined her for that too. That's when she punched the guard in question in the face, which, of course, added another hefty fine on top of the rest. By that point it was well beyond what she could pay. It's well beyond what I can pay too. And now they'll ship her off together with the others who couldn't pay their fines to sell them to some slavers."

I take a deep breath. This sounds about as bad as it can get. And by now I'm not surprised by the guards and their schemes anymore either. It certainly explains why I feel like a piece of merchandise whenever one of those scumbags uses an identification skill on me. Damn it all. They are probably covered by the local laws, otherwise Núira wouldn't be skulking here, ready to earn a bounty to her name. I let that breath back out in a long, suffering sigh.

"That very much sounds like something that should be guild business."

Now she looks over at me, only to shake her head though.

"No, the guild won't take requests that would get it in conflict with the local authorities."

I roll my eyes. Oh, Núira, you sweet summer child.

"Not the guild I meant."

Now this gives her pause. This time she looks over at me in earnest. Her mouth stands open slightly, as if there are questions on her mind she is still reluctant to ask.

I shake my head before she can actually put any into words.

"Don't ask questions if you are uncertain if you want to know the answer. To be honest, you probably should leave now and let me handle the rest."

She gapes at me for a moment. Then she nods and straightens out a little.

"Lofn …"

I shake my head before she can say anything else.

"I don't need to know. For one I doubt that there will be many elves among the captives. And I can't just break out her alone. That would only invite all kinds of trouble for her and you."

I pause briefly, as something else occurs to me.

"Maybe you should get Aila and Rami. It might be for the best if you move your base of operations to one of the other frontier towns for a while. I hope they'll understand. Just until things blow over. Take the chance to teach your cousin the basics about life in the towns here on the frontier in the meantime. You know the mill just upstream of Riverrun? That's where we'll meet. Later tonight or maybe tomorrow. I'm not entirely sure how long this will take."

She still looks at me wide eyes. Thus I motion for her to get going.

"Shoo. Get moving. The less you know, the better."

It's true too. She has come ready to commit murder and I have serious doubts that I'll be able to resolve this mess without spilling some blood. I will try, but I will not make any promises. And besides, it's not like I have any love for these guard scumbags. If they rule by the principle of might makes right, they deserve to be on the receiving end for a change.

Thankfully Núira doesn't question me. With one last nod she saunters off as if nothing ever happened. Just as well. It might just mean that she is taking a page from my book for a change. It'll serve her well in urban areas where her usual ways will draw too much attention.

I in turn leave the main street behind. I'm not worried to miss anything. The way it sounded I'm waiting for a major commotion anyway. I slip into one of the alleys branching off from the main street and there I take to the roofs. Up there I make myself comfortable against one of the chimneys to make sure my silhouette doesn't stand out against the rapidly darkening night sky, which earns me another partial increase for my [Stealth] skill.

I keep observing the gate from my new perch. That one guard, the first one who used his nasty variant of an identification skill, probably [Appraisal] on me, is on duty tonight. Apparently even a closed gate needs to be guarded.

He isn't what I'm looking for though. No, what I'm waiting for does indeed turn out to be much more obvious. Some time later, quite a while after the gate was officially closed, it is opened again, even if just briefly, to let a wagon pass from the inside. A wagon with two guards on the driver's bench up front and a large iron cage taking up all of the wagon's bed.

In the flickering light of the torches it's hard to make out how many people exactly are in there, but it has to be at least half a dozen and they all look miserable. Some more so than others. Even in the bad light I have no trouble spotting the single elf among them though. She too is miserable for sure, but there is something else evident on her face too. Anger. And not just a little either.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.