Chapter 2A: Red Storm Rising



Year 17

"Another good haul!" Jake laughs.
"Yeah, that old man didn't know what hit him." Vaughn remarks.
"Old bastard is lucky we didn't kill him." Zalmora says.

Meanwhile you just shake your head at the lot you've hooked up with. While you knew this organization had some problems, you thought there was going to be an attempt at restructuring it by Tom. He seems content however on just taking a hands off approach, or at least an approach that doesn't involve a lot of rules.

Which you guess is good in some ways, but it's not exactly doing this organization any favors, especially with this lot who barely plan anything out. If it wasn't for you being so cautious, you think the militia would have apprehended most of this crew already.

Most of them don't seem to realize that this city is too damn secure to just go on the way they've been going on. A lot more subtlety and a lot less smash and grab is in order.

Still, you feel like you've already invested a bit in this organization by sticking around this long so you're not willing to bail out just yet, but something is going to have to change soon and you're going to bring it up to Tom.

"Hey lockboy, why're you so quiet over there?" Vaughn remarks.
"Just thinking about something." You respond.
"You do a lot of that don't you?" Zalmora says.
"He does a whole lot of nothing. Don't know why Tom even sent you with us on this job, you were pretty useless." Jake says.
"Well, I agree my skills do go to waste when the plan isn't followed. I was supposed to pick the lock to the door and then one of you was supposed to quietly subdue the old man if he woke up and the others cleaned out the place. Instead what YOU did, was break the window on the door and unlock it that way. When that inevitably woke up the old man, you lot spent a bunch of unnecessary time taunting and beating him unconscious." You say.

Jake stops walking back to the Talon hideout and walks over to you.

"Yeah? And what of it? Listen you little shit; you're just some small town snot nosed punk. You know exactly fuck all about what it means to be a Crimson Talon. If you don't like the way we do things, you can just leave. Not like you'd be missed."
"Hold on, hold on. We had a good night. No need for all this, let's just get back to Tom, okay?" Vaughn says getting a little bit in between the pair of you.

Jake's been on your case since day one. You just know you're going to have to deal with him someday. Maybe today is that day.

You let it go

As much as you might feel the urge to do so, you resist starting a fistfight. With a guy like Jake, it's likely to turn into something a little more fatal and this isn't like the situation with Klint. Jake isn't just some loudmouth bully with a chip on his shoulder. He's a real violent criminal and has loads more skill than you in a street fight.

"Yeah…" you say still looking at Jake before walking past.

When you get back, you're about to go straight to Tom who is in his office, but before you can Zalmora stops you.

"Hey where are you going deep thinker? Aren't you going to celebrate our successful job?"
"You guys seem to have a handle on that, besides don't really feel like celebrating with Jake." You respond.
"Well how about just a private celebration between us then?" Zalmora says and moves in closer to you.

You weren't aware Zalmora had any kind of attraction to you before, but it's definitely apparent now.

"What? Seriously? Weren't aware you were interested in me." You say.
"Hah, don't flatter yourself. I just want a quick tumble and I don't feel like finding myself some rent boy or dealing with Jake's usual asshole behavior right now. Plus, you're young and a lot less repulsive…hey are you a virgin?" Zalmora says.
"Not that it's any of your business, but no."
"Pity, might have been fun to deflower you."
"I'm sure, but I'm not interested…"
"What? You seriously can't be saying there's something wrong with the way I look! Oh shit, you're not like Vaughn are you?"
"No…wait, how is Vaughn like?"
"He's into guys. Thought that was obvious."
"Never noticed, but no, I just got something important business to talk to Tom about."
"Like what? More ideas about how to improve things around here? I know how you're not satisfied with how things are around here, but then I suppose you aren't the only one."
"Well if everyone here isn't satisfied with how things are, why aren't changes being made? I mean Tom even said he was going to start reorganizing the Crimson Talons."
"Hah. Tom's no leader. He's just leader because nobody else wants the hassle. Well except maybe Jake, but nobody really wants to follow him either."
"So why stick around?"
"Why not? What else are we going to do, get real jobs? Besides, things are actually going a little bit better than they were with Edmond. Tom's not likely to start executing folks over small mistakes at least. Plus in this line of work it's a lot better to have a few people watching your back. Now how about we stop all this talking and go to your room where you can watch my back up close?"

Zalmora now puts her hand directly on your cock, which is definitely interested even if you claimed that you weren't.

Well, you can think with one head or the other, but you can't do both.

And like most guys your age (Or guys in general) you make your most important decision with your dick.

You figure you can always talk to Tom later, but Zalmora might not be in the mood later if you turn her down now. She's actually attractive in a trashy sort of way (Sort of reminds you of Annah in that way), it's just she seemed sort of inaccessible since she was several years older and never paid much attention to you before.

You and Zalmora go back to your room and get into it pretty quickly. You also learn a few things, which is a fun process even if she's a bit bossy about it. Eventually you're entirely spent and satisfied.

"That it? Figured we'd go around a third time." Zalmora says.
"Maybe in a few minutes. Um, you uh…good?" You ask.
"More or less. You guys always fall a bit short, but at least I wasn't dealing with Jake's whiskey dick this time around. Thanks for asking though at least."

You don't reply to that and instead just keep quiet, not wishing to dwell on any potential bedroom failings on your part, let alone Jake's dick.

Zal soon breaks up the silence though.

"So, Mr. ideas, what exactly were you going to bring up to Tom as far as changes and such?" Zal asks.
"Why do you want to know?" you ask.
"Because I'm a Crimson Talon and if you're going to be whispering ideas into Tom's head and I'm going to be affected by those changes, in the unlikely event he even listens of course. Besides, I might have a few ideas of my own."
"If you have ideas, why not bring them to Tom's attention?"
"I have. I don't think he likes me though. In fact I think he's got a deep-seated dislike of women in general. I'm sure it has something to do with his mother being a lesbian or something."
"Wait, Tom's mother was a lesbian?"
"Yeah. You didn't know that? His buddy David used to tell stories about her and make jokes all the time back when he was still alive. She used to work as a miner and had a girlfriend who Tom always insisted was just her roommate even though they slept in the same bed. Still in denial about it, though he might actually be that clueless. Y'know, I don't think he ever knew who his father was. Now that I think about it, I'm sort of wondering how Tom was even conceived in the first place considering from what I heard his mother was firmly into pussy."

Well there's another bit of information you can add to your mental notes.

"But getting back to my point Tom doesn't really want to be bothered to change things too much because as I said, he lacks the ambition to be a true leader. Still, he seems to like you since you rescued him from that cage and you generally don't give him grief, so maybe there's a chance. Come on, I let you into this temple I call a body, you can at least let me into that head of yours a bit."
"You got a way with words Zal. Well okay, I suppose this stuff isn't really top secret or anything."

You begin to tell Zalmora about your concerns with how things are done regarding robberies. There is little finesse, nobody sticks to a plan and it's more outright thuggery. You go on to mention that it might not be as much of a problem if you weren't in a city fanatical about curbing crime, but since you are, this is kind of a big problem in the long term.

"Yeah…I hear you there. I admit we've all sort of gotten lazy about that over the years. I remember when I first joined I was one of the best cat burglars here. As things slowly deteriorated, guess I just said fuck it. So what else you think needs changing around here?" Zalmora asks.
"Well for a criminal organization we aren't exactly diverse. Granted I don't know much about running something like this, but I have heard the old Crimson Talon glory day stories. The Talons used to have fighting pits, used to sell Green Lotus and Yellow Devil, we had whores, I mean a whole bunch of shit that brought in a steady revenue of coinage."

Zalmora nods her head.

"Yeah, you're right about that as well. I wasn't a member when they still had the fighting pits, but I do remember seeing a few when my dad bet on them. Even as a little girl I knew I liked seeing two big guys get all sweaty and bloody, beating the shit out of each other. I know there are the Klyton gladiators, but they wear so much damn armor that they barely get hurt and it's very rare to see a fatality. Pretty sure it's all fixed anyway. The Klyton Council probably makes a shitload of money off that racket. Too bad we aren't politicians." Zalmora says.
"Well what about the other stuff?"
"The drugs? Well Green Lotus or a milder form of it is legal here now, so that's out. Yellow Devil as far as I know was never a big money maker due to it having a major chance of causing the user's innards to melt and bleed from every orifice. Of course Blue Dream is the big one nowadays, but the Ebony Claw Syndicate mostly has a monopoly on its production and distribution. None of us knows how to make it or has connections. But then drugs have never been an interest of mine. The Talons actually did control a few whorehouses at one time, until government shut them all down and then built some nicer, fancier and Klyton run ones. Being a whore has never been more respectable. Okay, maybe not. But the point is, the Klyton Council effectively destroyed the Talons by legalizing shit and taking it over more than they ever did with just the militia."

Before you can go into some of your other ideas, Zalmora stops you with some of her own.

"While I'm impressed that you're thinking a lot more about this shit than most people here, I'm of the mind that for now, we should play more on our current strengths. We can diversify again later." Zalmora says.
"Our current strengths are basically smashing people in their face and taking their shit. I thought we established that isn't exactly good in the long term." You remark.
"It isn't in Klyton, but we could always start doing it outside of Klyton. Robbing caravans and such on the roads. It isn't like Jake is going to care where he does it and those two half elf whores will probably be ecstatic about working outside the city. Also, the militia isn't going to be as fanatical about tracking down shit that goes on outside the city."
"Hmm, well that style would favor road robberies a lot more. It's still not really what I'm about though."
"Well, you could always gather the intelligence for us. Find out what caravans and wagons are leaving, which way they're going, how well protected, all that stuff. Plus maybe you can start actively look for recruits."
"Me?"
"Why not? You spend most of your time walking around the city anyway when you're pilfering pocket in your free time. Not saying that you have to be the one to speak with them, but you could bring it to Tom's attention and I'm sure he'll be receptive. I'm sure when we build up our numbers AND wealth we can start branching out a bit more again. Like property and fronts."
"So…is this all what I should propose to Tom?" you ask.
"The plans to move our activities to mainly outside Klyton, yes. The rest of it, I'd keep a lid on until later. It will be better to not overwhelm him with suggestions. So, you ready for another round stud, or do we have to waste more time talking?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, sure!" you say and immediately move on to more important matters.

After spending more fun time with Zalmora, you do eventually get around to speaking with Tom and just like Zal predicted, he's actually receptive to your ideas. He says that it probably would be better to start reigning in the loot and pillage tactics in the city.

"Really should have thought about doing it before. I was just so concerned about keeping everyone together and happy, I neglected to remember that I'm supposed to be improving our position as leader, not just being content on survival. Anyway, I'm sure this will be something everyone can get on board with, well the majority of them anyway. And yes, since you came up with all this, you can still keep your activities to Klyton while you seek out potential new members. I know you won't make a damn mess of things and generally keep your head down." Tom remarks.
"Thanks. I'm really going to do my best to make this work."
"I know you will kid, you've always been a good earner. Looks like Yag really blessed me when you I met you in that cage that night. Good thing the rest of that lot out there were late after all."
"I guess so." You answer.
"Okay, well let me go address this new change to everyone."

Tom announces the changes and like with any change, everyone has an opinion. Mostly for the better thankfully. Jake complains the loudest, but when it's pointed out that it doesn't matter if he kills people as much, he grumbles slightly less.

Zalmora is certainly pleased about all this and says she knew you' d be able to convince Tom better than anyone else.

Only time will tell if any of these changes mean shit though.

You time passes...

Year 21

"The Bloody Smiles are lead by a vicious bandit calling himself the Grinning Man. Nobody has gotten a really good look at him as most don't survive his attacks, but based on this crude sketch, I implore anyone seeing him to run and contact Klyton militia immediately! This man and his band of cutthroats have been plaguing the roads and the surrounding area for years and hopefully now that his identity is known…"

You suddenly receive one of the many sketches a concerned citizen is handing out. You take one look at the sketch as you walk away from the crowd and shake your head.

"Doesn't even look like that asshole." You say and toss it in a nearby bin.

Jake's job has really been doing the trick as far as distracting the Klyton militia, though maybe it's been going a little too well. You suggested that Tom to pull him back from this two years ago, but predictably he never did.

Zalmora and Vaughn returned pretty quickly after this plan went into action, though in Zal's case it seemed to be more because she wanted to get back into regular burglary again. Vaughn said he couldn't deal with Jake anymore and was getting too crazy.

Now, he's given himself a nickname, gone on to call his group the Bloody Smiles and doesn't report back to Tom for months. When he does, he just sends one of the newer Talons with some goods and loot. While Tom as usual is taking a laid back approach to this figuring as long as he's still sending shit back then everything is good, you question whether Jake is even thinking about the Talons anymore.

Meanwhile, you've been more or less successful in building up the Talon's numbers. Not as much as you'd like, but since you're the only one doing it, it is what it is. Despite all this extra help however, it's not being utilized properly. Most of it is being sent to help Jake as his numbers get whittled down every now and then and that's really a waste you believe.

The ones you insist on keeping around to train are fewer in number and you're also the only one bothering to train them properly. You never thought you'd be in that sort of position. Occasionally Zal and Vaughn help out, but it's mostly fallen on you.

Basically, it's a case where the opportunity to expand is there, but once again Tom is failing to pull the trigger on it. You should be setting up another underground fighting pit, setting up gambling dens or even running a protection racket. Something needs to be done about Jake because the Crimson Talons can't proceed if half of the members aren't even Talons anymore and have declared allegiance to another leader.

"Something has to be done about Jake." You remark.
"Like what?" Vaughn asks.
"I dunno, but Tom can't just sit on his ass anymore about it. Jake hasn't done it yet, but it's only a matter of time before he splits off from the Crimson Talons altogether and takes half of our members that were assigned out there with him. Ideally we could just tell him to come home and his purpose out there is no longer necessary, but I doubt if he'll listen."
"So…what? You just going to go in there and tell Tom what he needs to do?" Zalmora asks.
"Someone needs to tell him something! As I remember it was me who told him to start changing shit up last time too."
"That's true, but doesn't that sort of mean you're sort of responsible of what's going on with Jake? Pretty sure that's what Tom will point out as well." Vaughn says.

You're about to tell Vaughn to shut the hell up when Zalmora interrupts.

"While you have some good ideas as usual, honestly, I'm not sure why anything needs to be done about him. I say if Jake has split from the Crimson Talons, well that's more for us." Zalmora remarks.
"Actually that's LESS for us since he won't even be sending his cut anymore." You say.
"Maybe in the short term, but you're not thinking long term. The militia hasn't been as much of a problem in the city for us because they've been focused mainly on catching Jake and the rest. That gives us a little more freedom to expand like you said. Hell, now that Jake has foolishly started to give his group their own name, they aren't even directly connected to the Talons anymore."
"So? If he gets caught he could still blab his mouth about our secret hideout."
"Jake's a lot of things, but he ain't no rat. Chances are they won't even take him in alive anyway."
"Okay, so maybe Jake's no rat, but what about some of others with him? I mean sure, we've all stressed how important loyalty is to the new recruits, but if Jake's gained their trust somehow, then they're loyal to him not to the Talons and they aren't going to think twice about ratting us out to save their own skin."
"Hmm, you might have a point there." Vaughn says.
"Look, all I'm saying is Jake not causing shit for us in the city and running around out there like a mad man is better for us. If he's gone, then the militia is just going to refocus more of their attention on the city again. I mean maybe it might be best to make it an official break up. Let Jake know he can go his way and we go ours. Might diffuse any potential problems with Jake. Dunno if Tom will be into that though." Zalmora says.
"That's true too." Vaughn remarks.

You rub your hands through your hair.

"I dunno. Maybe. Something still needs to be brought up to Tom though." You say.
"Oh I agree with you on that. It is time to give him a little push again." Zalmora remarks.
"Well? Aren't either of you coming in with me?" you ask.
"Um…I hadn't planned to. I mean it sounds like you've got this under control on what to discuss. I think me being there is just going to look like we're ganging up on him." Vaughn says.
"Yeah. And as you know, Tom has never been fond of me. So I would be more of a detriment. Just go in and talk to him, you did fine last time remember?" Zalmora says nudging into you a bit.
"(Sigh) Why do I feel like I'm the only one who cares about this organization?"
"Hey! That's not even true! I just gave you my fucking thoughts on the situation didn't I? You bring up whatever you want to Tom. I'm sure everything will work out fine, he likes you after all."

And with that, Zal and Vaughn leave to let you go speak with Tom. You swear you never thought the day would come where you would be known as the "diplomat." You guess your sister's charm rubbed off on you just a little bit. You sometimes wonder how she's doing. Probably better than you are at any rate.

Mentally preparing yourself, you head to Tom's office, though when you think more about it, you don't know why you're mentally preparing yourself. It isn't like Tom's going to even threaten to kill you if he doesn't agree with what you have to say.

At this point you're practically his second in command anyway and you're still baffled by this since you haven't been here nearly as long, though you suppose with all these new folks coming in, you are starting to become a "vet" as it were.

"Hey Tom." You say entering his office.
"Hey kid, any new blood you need me to check out and make a final decision on?"
"Uh, no not today. I wanted to speak with you about another matter…it's about Jake."

Tom's head drops down briefly with a deep sigh and then he looks up.

"Yeah…I figured it might be getting close to dealing with that situation. Trust me, I HAVE been giving some thought to it, even though I'd rather not." Tom says.
"Well I'm afraid something is going to have to be done about him. You can't just have a divided organization with half of it's members calling themselves something else and primarily pledging allegiance to another leader." You say.
"Maybe it isn't that bad! I mean he's still providing a share of the loot to us right?" Tom says hopefully.
"Perhaps, but think how much longer the intervals are starting to get, not to mention how much is he actually holding back? How long before he just stops sending altogether? No, we have to do something."
"Are you suggesting an attack? Because while I know around where he's currently located, I'm not entirely sure of the exact area. He may have even moved since he has to do that a lot anyway. Fairly certain not only would he have the advantage, but even if we win, we're going to suffer heavy losses which sort of defeats the purpose."
"I was thinking more of a stealthy assassination."
"And you're going to do that?"
"I could try. Maybe I could take a few others with me to help."
"No offense kid, but even if he didn't have half our numbers with him and you had help I don't think you could take Jake. Jake is the best fighter we have and he's probably only gotten better since being out there. I'm not risking anyone in a foolish assassination attempt, let alone an internal conflict. Although…no…that's not an option…" Tom says trailing off.
"What? What is it?"
"Well…if we DID go this route, and I'm not saying we are. I know a few outside folks that might be able to do it without problems. Damn, I just wish there was a less messy way of handling this."
"(Sigh) Well I hate to bring this up, but I have thought of a diplomatic solution which might be possible." You say.
"Oh?"

You explain to Tom about a potential split with Jake altogether and just letting him go his own way since he seems happier anyway. Tom isn't too fond of the idea since it no longer means gaining a cut of Jake's looting profits, but he's not outright dismissing it. In fact out of all the options, Tom still seems to think the best plan is to do nothing.

At this point, you're wondering why you're bothering.

You assassination

Something has to be done and the best way to do it is to kill Jake. Not like you were ever friends with him.

"Look, we can't do nothing and if you aren't fond of diplomacy, then we need to kill Jake. So who are these independent assassins you know?" you ask.
"Really only know two and out of those two, only one is a proper assassin and I don't know if it's even possible with him." Tom says.

Frustration increases…

"Okay, so tell me about the guy who isn't a proper assassin." you ask.
"He goes by the name Olaf. He's actually an ex-Talon associate but after the fight pits closed down he went back to working as a leg breaker for Mr. Reynolds full time. You familiar with that man?" Tom asks.
"Vaguely. Some sort of moneylender with connections in high places so the militia doesn't fuck with him. Actually, I think I remember my mother telling me my father's family was in debt to him at one point."
"They did with the inn. Actually I even worked for the man briefly before I joined the Talons, but that's ancient history. Olaf is a big ass ogre who pretty much retired undefeated during his fighting pit days. He's older of course now, but I don't doubt that he couldn't take care of Jake and scare everyone else into submission. Hell, he probably could scare Jake into submission too. He'd probably even do it for free or at the least very cheap. He really likes hurting people."
"Sounds good, so what's the catch?"
"Well obviously Mr. Reynolds isn't going to just let him go wandering off so we'd probably have to pay him and that's what isn't going to be cheap. Plus, knowing Mr. Reynolds he'll have some other weird stipulation. You'll probably find out when you talk with him. Could be anything."

This is sounding complicated already. You almost hesitate to ask about the other one.

"Okay, so what about this other guy. The real assassin?" you ask.
"You familiar with Sotakians?" Tom asks.
"Just stories of them being lizard people that live in the swamps and fight with elves all the time."
"Well, the old boss, Edmond actually acquired an egg and raised a Sotakian from a hatchling. Trained him to be a very literal cold-blooded assassin bodyguard. We all just called him Scales, but he never really had a proper name. He was very loyal too until he had some unknown disagreement with Edmond and just took off. Ed never told anyone to go get him either. Just said to let it go."
"That doesn't sound very useful if he disappeared to parts unknown."
"Oh he didn't go far. He actually lives in the Klyton sewers. Abandoned part granted, but he's actually part of the reason why the militia doesn't patrol down there that much and only in certain areas. Ol' Scales isn't very welcoming to intruders to his home."
"Well how's this lizard going to be of any help then?"
"Most of the time when Scales got a little obstinate Edmond showed him the broken egg that he hatched from. Not sure why it worked. Maybe it was a reminder that Edmond was the one who helped hatch him or something. Still have the broken egg just in case, you know? Maybe if someone approached him with the broken egg, Scales might be willing to listen to that person. Dunno, who would have the balls to go risk it though."
"That vicious huh?"
"Let's just say, Olaf USED to have an equally bad ass barbarian buddy by the name of Silence. Silence didn't like it when he lost a staring contest to Scales and things got violent. Olaf and Silence were best friends and Olaf didn't even ATTEMPT to attack Scales when he ripped out Silence's throat in five seconds. He just left the room and I can't be certain, but I think he might have even cried. Of course nobody was going to ask. Olaf certainly brutalized folks more than average in the fighting pits over the next few days after that though."

So those are your choices and they both sound shitty. Honestly, you wish you could just take care of Jake yourself, but Tom is probably right about the fact that something like that isn't really your specialty, but talking to others and trying to convince them to do what you want is apparently a newer one you've acquired or at least one you've been thrust into.

You hire Olaf

If Scales is killing people just for trespassing, you don't fancy your chances. At least with this ogre you're not going to get killed just for showing up. (You hope)

Along with giving you the location of where Jake is supposed to be currently camped out, Tom gives you the directions to Mr. Reynolds place, though you've passed it a few times before during your stretch here in Klyton so you know where it is. From what you've heard, Mr. Reynolds hasn't changed his location in decades and he wasn't young when your grandfather (And later father) owed him money. While you've also heard he looks human, there are rumors that he isn't or he's at least cheating the aging process somehow.

You aren't really interested in all that though; you just hope you won't have to pay some outrageous price for Olaf's services.

You bid Tom goodbye and head on out to Mr. Reynolds' place which is a simple walk to one of the more rundown areas of Klyton.

When you enter his simple place of business, you see a well dressed man with a goatee standing just inside the entrance flipping a knife into the air and catching it by the handle every time. He begins staring at you, but never stops flipping and catching his knife.

You look to your right and see a large humanoid in an oversized chair, arms folded and snoring heavily. You wonder if this must be Olaf. He's certainly big and ugly enough to be an ogre, though in this state he almost looks peaceful rather than the menacing brute you heard about.

"Ah, a customer! Well don't just stand there looking at my employees, come forward and let me see what I can do for you." A voice calls out from across the room.

You see who could only be Mr. Reynolds. He's even better dressed than the employee flipping the knife. As you approach he doesn't look any older than his mid forties. Who know though and that's not why you're here.

He smiles when you get to his desk.

"Somehow. Somehow I KNEW you were going to come in here one day. You look like your father around the same time we did business. How is he anyway?" he asks.

You don't even ask how he knows who you are.

"He's uh…good I guess. Doctor now." You respond.
"Good for him. Glad to hear things ultimately worked out after our business was concluded. And they say loans are a bad thing. So what can I do for you today? I assume it can't be for money as I know you're quite the skilled thief around town. I must say the Crimson Talons must be doing better nowadays. Pity you have that fool Tom in charge, but then these things are never permanent are they?" Mr. Reynolds says.
"I guess not. Look I was told that you might be willing to let Olaf do some work for the Talons."
"Hmm, must be pretty serious if you're looking for an ogre to take care of this work and not doing it yourself. What's this all about exactly?"

You didn't really expect him to pry, but you feel like he's probably not even going to entertain the idea unless you tell him everything about the plan. So you tell him and he listens intently. Meanwhile Olaf is still snoozing and the other man is continuing to watch you.

"Well that's certainly an interesting plan you got there and I can only assume the initial set up of it was equally as interesting. I just don't think I can loan you Olaf though. Sorry." Mr. Reynolds says.
"What? We can pay your price. I mean as you said we're doing a lot better now." You say.
"And I believe you, but I don't feel comfortable putting one of my employees at risk like that. He could very well die."
"I was told Olaf was a champion pit fighter and this would be easy for him."
"Of course he was a champion. Decades ago. Look at him, that beautiful white mane and beard he has isn't just for show, it denotes age! He's old and not the young killing machine he used to be. Oh sure he's good for intimidating a few deadbeats and even knocking them around a bit, but if I let him go do what you want him to do, he's going to die even if he somehow manages to succeed. And while Olaf wouldn't mind such a proud warrior's death, I happen to be good friends with his wife and she'd be very upset and I can't have that on my conscience."
"Didn't know female ogres were so sensitive."
"He's married to a Halfling, but my point is, Olaf isn't going anywhere."

Well you certainly weren't expecting this.

"(Sigh) So there's no way you can help me?" you ask.
"Ah, now I didn't say that. While I can't loan you Olaf, I can allow you the services of my other employee Henry over there. Henry! Stop playing with your knife and get over here. Got work for you."

Henry slowly walks over to the desk still never taking his eyes off you the whole time. He then takes his knife and stabs it into the desk as hard as he can. This action causes you to step back a bit and you prepare to draw your own weapon until Mr. Reynolds calms everyone down.

"Relax. Relax, nobody is stabbing anyone here. My son is a little excitable at times." Mr. Reynolds says.
"Your son? This man is your son?" you reply.
"Sure. Can't you see the resemblance? Meh, I guess he does look a lot more like his mother Wendy. Anyway, not important. What is important is that Henry here has what they call a natural talent. He's been honing it since he was a child, I was so proud when he finally sought me out to join the family business. Now, he might not be as big and strong as ol' Olaf over there, but I guarantee he'll get the job done."
"I dunno…"
"Trust me. You came here because I could help you solve your problem. Maybe not the way you thought, but the job WILL get done. I promise."
"Well since I know your name and reputation mean a lot to you, I'm going to go ahead and believe you, so how much is all this going to cost?"
"Five hundred gold coins, but since I can tell you're a bit apprehensive about all this, you can pay me after the job is done. If the results aren't to satisfaction, well I'm sure Tom can pay what he feels is an appropriate amount. Now, why don't you tell Henry about the job and what you want done exactly?"

You give Henry the instructions and he listens without saying a word still giving you that icy stare the entire time. While a little unnerving, you can't actually say you're getting pants shitting intimidated. Henry could very well be the badass killer his dad claims, but right now he seems like he's trying too damn hard.

Mr. Reynolds tells you that the job will be done by the end of the week, and you and Tom can return to his office at that time. You leave the office a little concerned about all this, but it's done now.

When you get back you inform Tom, who doesn't seem at all concerned, just a little surprised that it isn't Olaf, but he has confidence in Mr. Reynold's choice of assassin and is sure it will be worth it.

Vaughn and Zalmora are the only other people that know about this plan and while Vaughn is a go with the flow type guy as well, Zalmora still thinks getting rid of Jake in this manner was a bad idea.

Unfortunately, it turns out that she's right.

Instead of being discreet or even just killing Jake and scaring the others into returning to the fold, Henry turned the Bloody Smiles camp into a graveyard. He got the job done, but killing every fucking body wasn't what was wanted.

You complain quite loudly, which doesn't frazzle Mr. Reynolds in the least. Tom attempts to calm you down. When that fails, he tells you to go wait outside and he'll speak to Reynolds in private. Henry glares at you as you leave. As much as you'd like to punch the guy, you know that wouldn't be a smart move considering what he just did.

You wait outside for a long time and eventually Tom exits the building. He says to you that you'll speak when you get back to headquarters. You walk back in silence.

As soon as you enter though he starts scolding you for losing your temper in front of Mr. Reynolds and disrespecting him as head of the organization. You defend why you're getting mad about the situation and don't understand why he isn't since it's fucked up the plans that were supposed to be set in motion. When you find out he paid the five hundred coins anyway you get even angrier.

Various Crimson Talon members stop what they're doing to watch this spectacle.

"You still PAID him?! You paid him for doing a half assed job?! What the fuck?!" you exclaim.
"You don't know shit kid. Staying on Reynolds' good side is…" Tom starts to say before you're interrupted.
"No, stop fucking talking! You're a terrible fucking leader and EVERYONE here knows it!"
"Is that right? I don't see anyone else stepping up to do this fucking job!"
"Yeah, well maybe that needs to change."
"So what? You gonna be the one to do that? Pfft. Fuck you kid. You tried to pull that I'm a killer shit when you first met me in that hanging cage. Didn't buy it then and I'm certainly not buying it now."
"Oh yes, the cage that I rescued your ass from, because nobody here gave a shit! And your leadership is a good example of why nobody does, because you're ultimately a weak leader who is content on coasting and leeching off others."

Tom doesn't say any more he just throws a punch at you. You dodge and follow up with a punch of your own.

The fight isn't stopped, because it's obvious people either want to see a change in leadership or Tom prove that he's still got what it takes to lead the Talons.

Despite the ongoing past criticism of Tom of how he's a weak leader, he's not really a weak man because he dominates the fight for the most part. He's certainly a better fighter than you.

His problem is he still doesn't want it as bad as you.

Though Tom was pissed at you and knew he had to kick your ass, he never had any intention on killing you. All of his blows against you were normal kicks and punches. Never once does he say, pull out a dagger and stab you in the face with it.

Because that's exactly what you do to him.

He screams, wails and flails around the room for a moment before you tackle him back down to the floor.

As he begs for you to stop killing him all you can think of is Klint doing the same thing and you drive your short sword through his chest telling him to shut the fuck up and die the entire time.

When Tom finally stops breathing, you get up and declare yourself the new leader of the Crimson Talons.

"And we're gonna start doing things differently around here."

You time passes...

Year 25

"Well, what the hell do these folks expect? If they want outlandish theatrics they can pay out the ass to watch a Klyton Gladiator match where the minimum bets are much higher. At least here we have fights where we'll accept a five copper bet." You say.
"Yes, but at the arena, people don't have the deal with the bums they've bet on to puke in the middle of the ring and pass out causing the other to win by default." Zalmora says.
"That happened ONE time." You remark.
"Well there's also the ongoing smell of the sewers that puts people off."
"Yeah, well the Klyton council just increased the city's militia numbers recently and stepped up patrols. So keeping business in the sewers is about the safest place to do all this if we want to avoid sudden raids."
"It might not have been necessary to wallow in the sewers if they had another distraction."
"So you've said many times in the past, but I think things still worked out with me in charge."
"We're doing okay I suppose, but I'm still not sure if bum fight gambling and going back to selling Yellow Devil was the way to go about it."
"Hey we've got whores too."
"Ah yes, those mostly tie into the Yellow Devil trade. I shudder to think about the hopeless cases that actually pay to fuck YD junkies."
"Hey not everyone can afford the high priced Klyton brothels. Look, I saw that the only way we were going to survive is to have steady businesses. The Klyton Council are the biggest criminal overlords and nobody says shit because they effectively legalized everything and control the biggest gang to protect their interests. I mean there wasn't really any way to feasibly compete except offer similar things at lower the prices and cater to the lower class."

Zalmora looks at nearby group betting and getting excited over a giant roach race.

"Pretty sure some of these folks are under the lower class." Zalmora replies.
"Yeah, well a coin's a coin, don't you have a house to break into or something?" you say.
"Always, but I don't understand why you don't come on these things like you used to."
"Because I gotta look after shit around here. I just can't drop everything to go rip off a store. I'm not Tom, I don't just sit on my ass doing nothing."
"I didn't say you were, but you used to be a little more fun at least. Like those first few years when you got here. Remember?" Zalmora says with a bit of a smile.
"Yeah, well I'm not a damn stupid teenager anymore that gets distracted by a pretty girl that wiggles her ass at me."

Zalmora steps back from you a bit giving a slightly perturbed look.

"Okay Mr. bossman, if you hadn't initially taken my advice in the first place you wouldn't even be in this position." Zal says.
"OR if I hadn't taken your advice, I might have been in this position a lot sooner. In fact despite you always bringing it up, I'd say not listening to you turned out to be a lot better " you remark.
"Right, because this is such a great position to be in."
"I'm in charge ain't I? Y'know what your problem is? You thought you were going to manipulate me into doing whatever you wanted just because you threw a little pussy my way. And now you're bitter that didn't happen. If you really want control of the Talons, you could always challenge me Zal."
"Oh no, not me! Never would I challenge your insurmountable wisdom boss. Obviously you've got things under control more than little ol' me could ever handle." Zal says with obvious sarcasm in her voice.
"If you don't want to take over and you don't like how I'm running things, why don't you just leave then? Not like I'm going to try to kill you for leaving."
"Don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind. You know why I'm even still in the Talons? Because deep down I'm actually hoping you know what you're doing. So far you're ahead, but I'm just wondering for how long. Edmond was pretty much running things like you are now. Granted you are less of a violent asshole than he was, but I'm seeing the same pattern."
"I'm not sure what to tell you Zal, I mean we're fucking criminals doing illegal shit. This is sort of way things are done."
"(Sigh) Yeah, I know…guess I'm just starting to wonder why I ever thought this was fun. I'll leave you to your drugs and whores."

Zalmora walks away.

You sometimes forget that Zal is at least around fifteen years older than you now. She's probably starting to worry about age catching up. Probably didn't see herself mucking about through sewers at this age taking orders from someone a lot younger. Weird, because Vaughn doesn't seem to have a problem with it, but then Vaughn's never been one to make waves.

As you walk back to the Crimson hideout thinking about the future, you have to admit, it isn't as bright as you once thought.

All things considered you are doing well right now, but there just doesn't seem to be any let up on the laws being passed to turn this city into a huge prison camp. Part of that you imagine is due to the rebellion in Holgard. You're certainly glad you didn't decide to go there given what you heard.

At one time, you did toy with the possibility of going "legit" somehow. Like maybe buying an inn and running it. Maybe even the one your family once owned. It would sure be a complete circle if you did that.

Of course it wasn't so much going "legit" as it was the idea of having a place to run your activities without it being in an abandoned building or recently the fucking sewers.

Though that's a riskier endeavor nowadays and would result in needing to re-organize things again. Might be better to stick with your current set up. It isn't perfect, but it's working.

You change up the business again

Zal's got a bit of a point. This isn't exactly the most glamorous of a position and you could certainly do better than hiding out in these filthy sewers.

You've got more than enough saved and have enough connections that you could easily open up a real business front. You'd just need to keep everything low key and change a few things.

The more you think about it, the more you feel this is the right decision. The next day you gather Zal and Vaughn to discuss this new direction.

"An inn certainly sounds better than the sewers." Vaughn says.
"Well, we're still probably going to have some of our operations down there, but I figure we can at least start making an attempt to climb out of them. I'm thinking that we probably should stop dealing in Yellow Devil too." You say.

Zamora nods her head.

"I agree. The profits aren't worth the risks on that racket. A lot less sudden body meltdowns and diseased junkie whores lingering around as well." Zal remarks.
"So what about the location? Are we buying out an existing inn or starting from scratch? We could probably buy back the old place, the Troll's Breath Tavern. Edmond used to run the Talons from there before the militia raided the place and shut it down." Vaughn remarks.
"Wouldn't it be a little obvious, if the Talons set up there again?" You ask.
"Nah, they'd never expect the same place twice! Besides, it's called the Clean Mug Tavern now. It's run by two siblings, one of them even comes here to bet on the races and fights sometimes. The place is barely scraping by, so I think they would be receptive to selling it to us for cheap."
"Instead of buying it outright, I'd suggest just getting the owners to work with us. That way nothing really changes up front, but we don't spend money and we're the ones really running things." Zalmora says.

"Definitely sounds like a better idea, but I know what place you're talking about, and it seems a little on the small side, I was thinking some place bigger like my old family's inn which is still abandoned. We wouldn't have to deal with anyone." You say.
"Seems like more hassle. You'd still have to buy it from the city which could present some problems. Assuming they didn't ask many questions, you'd still have to fix the place up before we could start using it proper. Wouldn't we need to get an alcohol supplier and hire people as well?" Vaughn remarks.
"Not really, we know more than enough folks that we could have cheap employees. Some of them are hopeless gamblers with debts in fact, so that's no problem. As for alcohol, we could easily make it ourselves and bypass a supplier. Most folks coming wouldn't be there for the booze anyway, so it isn't like we're going to need hundreds of barrels of the stuff every month. Of course your family's old inn is in a slightly better part of Klyton, so my concern would be the greater likelihood of militia just stumbling in for a drink now and then." Zal remarks.

You buy the old family inn

It's a risk either way, but you figure owning the business outright at least makes you less concerned about somebody else fucking things up, plus you can fix things up the way you want a lot quicker.

"Guess I got an appointment with city hall or something...is that where I go?" You ask.
"Yes, I believe there is some sort of department that takes care of all that stuff. We should probably get married first though." Zal remarks.

You and Vaughn both look at Zalmora.

"What?" You ask.
"If you're married, it might not be as suspicious if you're just handing over bags of money for this property." Zalmora says.
"I don't understand why they would care. Wouldn't they just be glad to get their money?" you ask.
"You been in Klyton long bossman?" Zalmora asks sarcastically. "Even before the council had militia crawling all over the city, this place was always a bit wary of non-citizens buying up property. Especially out of the blue. Surely you've already formed a story for all this."
"Well somewhat, but this seems like extra complexity."
"Marriage will be good idea, trust me. I've been a citizen of this city since birth. I even own a small place of residence."
"You do?"
"Yes, I have for quite sometime. While I know you've been busy playing crime lord, not everyone spends all their life here at the headquarters. What I'm saying though is, with me as your wife, you won't look quite like the suspicious outsider, since despite you living here for years, you still aren't even officially a citizen of this city."

This is all taking you a bit by surprise.

"Wait, so when would we get married?" You ask.
"Oh we can do that right now, we can just go to a church dedicated to Joachim the Pure. They usually always have someone on duty to do a quick marriage. Though I suppose if you have another preferred faith, we could go there instead, but I've never known you to be particularly religious." Zal says.
"No, I suppose that would be fine...but I dunno about this..."
"Well if you got another girl in mind then marry her instead. I only suggested myself, because I can't say I've actually seen you with a steady one and certainly not one with the intelligence to go along with this plan or back up a reasonable story. If you're worried about this meaning something else, I can assure you that this is purely a business arrangement. We can always get divorced later."

You're really at a loss of words. You look over at Vaughn who just shrugs and just says whoever you decide to marry, he'll attend the wedding in support.

Trusting Zal's judgement on this and lacking any other ideas, you end up agreeing to this set up, at which point Zalmora says great and starts dragging you to a church while busily explaining what story you should come up with when you buy the property.

The wedding itself is a whirlwind. You can honestly say you NEVER saw yourself ever getting married, let alone under these circumstances. Despite it being a "fake" wedding, Vaughn still gets a bit emotional saying he always saw you two ending up together.

The next step is heading to the city property clerk, which you do the next day after rehearsing your story with Zalmora who also goes over the potential questions that might be asked.

As the clerk asks you the first basic questions, you notice that he's studying you. At first you chalk this up to him being suspicious, but when you mention you wish to buy the inn because your family once owned it and you'd like to rebuild it again, he suddenly speaks out with a bit of a smile.

"I knew it! I knew I knew you from somewhere...well not you per say, but I knew your father, we had a few classes together at the university! You look almost like him! How's he doing?" The clerk asks.
"Oh he's doing well. He's a doctor with his own practice in a smaller town, but he's happy." You say.
"That's good. I remember how he was always struggling to go to class and run that inn. Couldn't have been easy. Hell, I didn't even have all that responsibility and I still flunked out of medical school. Lucky I managed to land a city job. Still though, he did help me a few times during class, so he was always okay in my book."

The rest of the conversation goes fairly well with the clerk (Or Quincy as you learn his name) and he doesn't ask too many more questions. He just suggests that you get yourself registered as a proper Klyton citizen as soon as you can so you can participate in elections and similar functions. You hand over a large sum of coins to him and he hands over the deed and keys to you.

"Well it seems like you're a motivated young man with a plan ahead of you. Hope everything goes okay for you and your wife. We definitely need more upstanding citizens such as yourselves trying to build up this city rather than contributing to its decline. We don't want to end up like Hessla or Holgard!" Quincy remarks.
"Definitely not." You say as you both exchange pleasant goodbyes.

As you leave city hall, Zalmora speaks up.

"Now I'm wondering if I should make a donation to Yag's temple, because his luck was definitely with us today. That went way better than I thought it would." Zal says.
"Yeah, too bad I'm not on good terms with my dad. I'd actually send a letter home to thank him for being such a good guy. Have no idea how the hell we're related sometimes." You say.
"Hmm, well luckily for you you've got his looks apparently."
"So, I guess we need to get started on setting up the new business."
"You're the boss, but I thought you'd want to go get divorced as quick as possible, given how reluctant you were to get married."
"Oh yeah. Eh, I think maybe we should stay married for now, just in case something pops up. We can always do it later, right now there's other stuff that takes priority."
"Okay fearless leader. I'm sure Vaughn will be happy to hear we're staying together for his sake." Zal chuckles.
"Hah! Yeah, what the hell was that all about?"
"Vaughn's actually always been a bit of a romantic. He's never been very lucky in that regard so he gets a bit weepy when he thinks he sees it in others at times."

You and Zal walk to your newly acquired inn. You've seen it from the outside several times which is in fairly good shape despite it being abandoned for years. When you get inside, you find that it isn't in too bad of condition inside either though very dusty obviously.

"Yeah, I think this place will do just fine." You say to yourself.
"Shouldn't take long to get it up and running." Zal remarks.

You and Zal wander around a bit looking at the inn. Eventually you go upstairs and find Zal looking through one of the rooms you believe is where your father and grandparents lived. There's even still a bed and some furniture still here.

You look over at Zal who is currently bent over looking through a chest.

You then look over at the bed.

"So um...Zal..." You start to say.
"Yes?" Zalmora responds turning around.
"You want to celebrate our honeymoon?"

Zal smirks at your offer.

"Really? Aren't you concerned that I'll be manipulating you with my magical vagina?" Zal asks.
"I'm willing to take that risk." You say.

Zal looks at you for a moment in silence.

"Meh, why not? Not like I got anything better to do." She says and starts taking her clothes off.

You time passes...

Chapter 3A1: Red Storm Subsiding



Year 30

"Are you sure?" You ask.
"I'm positive. My boyfriend said the militia are going to do an intensive sweep of this district in a week. The Klyton Council wants to prove they're tough on crime again. Apparently there have been complaints that things have been getting too lax." Vaughn remarks.
"See? This was useful info. And YOU got angry when you found out Vaughn was going out with a militia man." Zal says.
"Never mind all that, we gotta start cleaning shit up around here. Vaughn, I want you to start dismantling the stills and moving the tubs from the basement and into the sewers. Just glad we have a lot of already filled barrels down there. We should be good on that front. Zal, you dismantle the gambling tables and wheels and move them into the sewers as well."
"I'm not mucking about in the sewers. Those days are over." Zal huffs.
"(Sigh) Fine then get someone else to do it! Why do you have to fight me on this right now? I'm going to go see the girls and tell them they got the week off or at least they got the week off here. Don't really care if they whore somewhere else."

You immediately come out of your office and start running around telling your employees (Both legal and criminal) what to do. There predictably is a lot of yelling, grumbling and rushing back and forth.

About ten minutes in, you've worked yourself up into a frenzy.

"WATCH IT WITH THOSE! You break one of those wheels and I'm going to break your fucking arms! By the gods, I'm surrounded by fucking incompetents! And what the hell are you doing? Are you fucking retarded or something? Don't just stand around with a thumb up your ass, go fucking help Vaughn!" You shout in between hitting one poor employee desperately trying to get out of your way.

"Oh dear husband! Can I speak with you for a moment?" You hear Zal shout in a sing song voice from upstairs. You hate it when she does that, because it usually means she's going to scold you or give you some unwanted advice and you really don't have time for that right now.

Still, if you don't go see her now, you'll have to hear even more shit later. So you better see her now. Good thing she's still your wife, because you'd hate to take this sort of aggravation from someone you weren't fucking on a regular basis.

You stomp upstairs and meet Zal in your bedroom. You then close the door.

"WHAT?!" You exclaim.
"While I'm sure you're having a good time running around abusing your underlings, I'm wondering if it's even necessary." Zal remarks.
"Of course it is! You know how this lot is, I gotta kick a little ass sometimes!"
"Yes, I'm aware, but have you really thought about WHY that is? Why you have to go on these rampages every few months or so?"
"Yeah, so we all don't get fucking pinched by the law!"
"Exactly. I'm saying maybe it's time for us to stop worrying about that."
"So what're you getting at exactly?"
"I'm saying maybe it's time to get out."
"Get out? Now? You're joking."
"Why is that so crazy?"
"Because you don't walk away from this life."
"Says who? You can walk away from ANYTHING as long as you aren't in prison or the grave and either of those places are exactly where you'll be heading if this keeps up."
"If that's true, then you're going to be there right along side with me."
"Not bloody likely. I've been thinking about this for a long time and ever since we got this inn together, I've been thinking about it even more. The time has come and I'm out."

And there it is. You have to admit, you're only half surprised, but this is terrible timing.

"Zal, do we really have to do this now?" You say.
"Yes. Oh don't worry, I'm not going to interrupt anything, we're still moving all incriminating evidence out of here, but we're just doing it permanently." Zalmora responds.
"What the...Zal I think you've forgotten who is not only head of this organization, but who is also owner of this fucking inn!"
"And I think you've forgotten that as your wife, it's also partially mine."
"My name is on the deed!"
"Yeah, and you're still not a citizen of Klyton. And after the divorce, I guess we'll see who ends up with what, and if you think I won't drag you through the mud and make this hell for you, then you haven't learned very much during our time together."

You can't believe this. You knew you should have gotten a divorce a long time ago. You just kept putting it off for other things you thought were more important at the time. You didn't think about the potential consequences.

"You would really fucking do this to me wouldn't you? You probably planned this! Fucking bitch..." You mutter trying hard not to do something violent towards Zal.
"Hey, I wasn't the one who initiated consummating the marriage multiple times. I really don't WANT to do this to you at all, but this is the ONLY way you're going to listen!" Zalmora exclaims.
"Fine, so convince me. That is what you've always been good at isn't it?" You remark and sit down.

Zalmora sits down next to you and exhales.

"This inn that we run makes us a pretty good living and that's even before all the illegal shit like providing whores for the traveling merchants or running gambling games in the back. I mean aren't you getting tired of all this? Getting tired of looking over your shoulder thinking the Klyton militia is going to raid the place at any moment?" Zalmora asks.
"It's the life we've chosen."
"Yes, and I'm saying we don't have to live that way anymore. We could go completely legit and live comfortably rather than living in paranoia of going to jail or hanging in a cage."
"I can't believe you're the same woman I met over a decade ago."
"Yeah, I already know what you think. That I'm getting old and fearful and I've lost my will for this lifestyle. Well maybe all of that is true to some extent, but I don't see why that's such a bad thing. I mean I had the thrill of being a criminal and all that, well I'm done with that part of my life now. I don't find any joy in it anymore. I grew out of it. Happens to the best of us and I don't see why you don't see the logic in going legit either. You don't seem particularly all that happy and you're constantly going into these frenzies. Can you honestly say this life is as much fun as it was say ten years ago? I mean you'd at least have less worry if you weren't living this life."
"So...what then? We just settle into life of married mediocrity and live the rest of our lives like average assholes?"
"Yeah, I guess we do. Or we don't. Look, I've never been quite sure how deep your feelings have ever been towards me. To be honest I suppose I'm not quite sure of my own feelings are towards you. I like to think we do have a fondness for each other on some level. I mean we stayed married longer than some people I've know that we're head over heels in love with each other. Not exactly sure if what we have is love, but I guess in some way I think it's close, all things considered."

Zalmora continues

"That being said, if you don't want to stay together that's fine. I always thought this was going to be temporary anyway. I mean I think I could even work it out if you still wanted to manage this place. My point is though, this inn is going to be a legitimate business from now on and if you're not willing to at least go that route, well we need to say goodbye now."
"You know on my end, this could be settled really easily." You say.
"Mm, true. Could have also been settled easily on my end too, but as I already said, I like to think we have enough fondness for each other that murder isn't a serious option."

Once again Zal is right on that part. You don't even know why you said such an empty threat. Perhaps a last minute act of a desperate man still not sure of what he wants in the future.

Going "legit" isn't really going to be as easy as Zal is making out though. You would take a much severe loss in profit than perhaps she thinks. Maybe you could make it, but it wouldn't come easy. You'd have to work hard, but then you work just as hard now and have the constant paranoia added to it.

Of course maybe that's the entire problem. You're working too hard period. It might not be the lifestyle, but more the location and job. You remember the more carefree years when you or you and a few others broke into a store and nicked a few items and coins, or picked the pockets of some rich merchant. You took just enough to live well for awhile and then you went out and did it all over again.

None of the stress of dealing with day to day shit of running an entire criminal organization.

Maybe you just need to get back to basics and walk away from it all.

You walk away

Fuck this inn, fuck the Crimson Talons, fuck this city and fuck your fake marriage. You've had enough of all of it.

You walk up to Zal and look into her eyes then you put your arms around her before kissing her deeply. She holds you tightly until you finish and slowly pull away.

"It was fun, but I think it's time for a change of scenery. Goodbye Zal, and good luck." You say and walk away.

Zalmora doesn't try to stop you, she probably knew this was a possibility.

You gather a few belonging, some money and leave the inn. You figure Zal can fill everyone in on the changes she intends to make. You can't imagine how much she's going to have to deal with, but you know Zal's got a strong will and mind, so you're sure that she'll succeed or at least come out ahead.

You make your way out of Klyton wondering where to travel. Holgard comes to mind, but there's always some sort of rebellion or power struggle going on there. You'd rather not have to deal with being in the middle of that mess. The Delantium Kingdom is at war with some other nation, so you'd rather avoid the possibility of suddenly getting press ganged or conscripted into military service.

The only other place that comes to mind is Hessla which for one thing is a whole lot closer, but it also still has a reputation of being a haven for thieves, pirates, and other criminal types.

Seems like you'd fit in real well.

You first think about taking a carriage there to save yourself a walk, but then you figure you'd rather save the money. It'll be good to for you to get some regular exercise for a change as well. For several years you feel like you've just been slowly letting yourself go to pot while you were running the Crimson Talons from the inn.

With a new goal in mind, a check on your rations, your flintlock pistol and a couple daggers along with your sword, you set off.

The trip to Hessla is surprisingly uneventful. You half figured you'd at least run into a few idiots trying to rob you on the road, but other than travellers, and a few merchants, you don't encounter anyone else on it.

When you finally get to Hessla, its actually a little nicer looking than you thought it was going to look. You expected it to be filled with run down homes with unsavory types located on every corner. If anything, the town has locations that are fancier looking than some of the better parts of Klyton.

After spending a few days in Hessla you also learn that this place really isn't as disorderly as it's reputation would imply. Granted it's far from being as repressive as Klyton, but there actually is a "force" that makes sure it isn't a free for all. The Hessla Headsmen report directly to the governor who apparently is an ex-pirate that controls everything in town.

If anything the crime is less than one might think mainly because most are pirates and pillaging other places rather than here. You are surprisingly finding the place a bit easy on the pick pocket and theft front, of course a lot of folks are either half drunk or plain drunk most of the time. Also most folks don't seem to own that many personal belongings. You guess with most making their living at sea, they keep essentials on their ships, spend it all on booze and whores or otherwise live a very basic life, so despite you finding the town a bit easy pickings, you aren't getting rich doing it. Shops however are very well protected by the Headsmen since you guess Governor Tolen has a slice of all the businesses here.

Fights are pretty common, though they aren't necessarily always to the death like you'd expect. Just a lot of disagreement and drinking make for a rowdy town. So far you've avoided pissing anyone off and kept a low profile. You aren't sure if you're actually going to stay here long or not, but so far it's better than Klyton.

Well at least you THINK you were maintaining a low profile...

"Hey you with the hood." A voice says.

You turn around a see a scruffy man wearing a rag on his head, shabby clothing and a few tattoos on his arms. A cutlass hangs by his side. He looks appropriately piratey.

"What?" You ask.
"Just wondering if you really think you're going to be getting away with pilfering things forever in this town." He says.
"If I was doing such a thing, I'm not sure why it would matter to you."
"It doesn't, but if someone like me noticed you were doing it, I'm sure others have too. Now I know this place has a certain reputation, but punishment for thievery in this town is pretty damn severe. We might mostly be cutthroats and vagabonds here, but we don't shit where we eat. We all have to live here with a certain measure of trust. If we don't, well the whole place goes to shit now doesn't it?"

Interesting culture here. Almost reminds you of the set up you unofficially had back in your home town where they barely tolerated your thievery as long as you kept it to outsiders.

"Hmm, you seem very helpful towards a stranger. Makes me wonder if you don't have an angle." You say.
"Well, not much of one I suppose. I'm currently trying to find new recruits for my captain. Not much luck so far though. You wouldn't be interested would you?"
"I'm afraid I've never been at sea, so I don't think I'd make much of a sailor."
"Everyone's gotta start somewhere, besides we're not really being picky right now. Had a big loss recently and we need all the help we can get."
"What would I be doing exactly?"
"Helping around the ship obviously and the usual pillaging of coastal villages or ships. You do have some fighting skills and would have no problem with something like that I assume."
"Well, I'm not a stranger to combat and I'm not going to say that I haven't done some pretty immoral things, but I'm not raping anyone."
"Hey, that's your right. It's not a qualification for the job. More for someone else as they say."
"Hmm, I dunno. I still think my background isn't going to mesh well. I'm not really a slash and burn type. I'm more of a pick a lock and sneak out in the middle of the night kind of guy."
"Well, we could have use for that too. I remember once we raided a town that actually had a very tough safe that none of us knew how to crack. We couldn't even blow it open until we hauled one of the cannons off the ship and dragged it to the location. By the time we did get it open, the valuable contents inside were destroyed and the town had called for help from a more militaristic city that sent a strong force that chased us back to the ship. Could have all been avoided with someone like you aboard."
"Maybe. Not sure if I like the idea of taking orders though. I was already part of an organization like that once. Eventually I even ran it, but ultimately I left it because I found I preferred working on my own without a bunch of people around."
"Well, I suppose I can't convince you if your mind is already made up. Still, if for some reason you do change your mind, just head to a ship called the Steadfast. It's not the biggest ship in the harbor, but like it's name, it always gets to where it has to go and back."

With those last words, the man takes his leave and you're pondering this new possibility.

You have to admit part of you is curious what it would be like since you've never ever considered being a pirate. Might be an interesting change of pace.

Still, along with all the other concerns you have. The guy trying to recruit you didn't exactly spin this in the best of light and most of the crew are apparently dead so what the hell is the captain like if he's getting everyone killed?

You stick to land

You have enough problems on land, no need to add being surrounded by water as one of them.

Hessla in general seems to be a bit of a bust. You figure you'll stick around for a few more days and then make your way elsewhere.

You make a mental note that you'll need to be more careful if you pick anymore pockets though, apparently you're rusty enough in that endeavor that you're getting caught even if it isn't by the folks you're actually doing it to.

Unfortunately for you your actions have already attracted attention and the day before you're about to leave, you are suddenly seized by the Hessla Headsmen who burst in the room you're staying at. Six of them in fact, though it only takes two of them to hold you down as they shackle you.

"Well, well, well, you have been busy haven't you?" One of them says going through your pack.
"Another idiot outsider thinking they can just rip us off. Honestly don't know what goes through their heads. I mean we're a pirate town! Would YOU steal from anyone in a town full of fucking pirates?" Another says.
"I sure wouldn't be stupid enough to stick around as long as this one did."
"So what's the damage with this one?" A Headsman with a couple extra decorations asks.
"It's mostly coins, but there are a few personal items some reported stolen. Not to mention we've got more than a few people that said they saw this asshole stealing from folks when he thought nobody was watching."
"Okay. Guess we can do this here then."

The Headsman officer tells the others to place you into a kneeling position and put your head down. Of course you try to resist, but you just get some punches for your trouble.

"If you keep resisting, I'm not going to make a clean cut and it's going to take more than one blow to take your head off." The officer says as he prepares his axe.

You attempt to bargain, but it's no use. The Headsmen have heard shit like this all before and the officer eventually smashes you head with the bottom of his two handed axe. Dazed and brought low by this hit, the officer manages to nearly make a clean cut.

"Shit." The officer says as the axe only goes half way through your neck, which kills you though in order to take your head completely off the officer just stomps hard on the back of your head while sawing through your neck with the axe.