"Ah, here we are, just up these stairs and through that door." Tom says.
"And here I was just getting used to walking through shitty water." You say.
"Hey, the sewers are the best way to get around the city. The guards don't patrol as much down here and even when they do, they don't patrol certain areas."
"Can't say as I blame them, I've been on the verge of puking since we entered your secret tunnel which you neglected to mention was actually a foul forgotten sewer drain entrance."
"Hey, this is the business we're in kid. It ain't always convenient and comfortable. Besides you get used to the smell. Come on."

Tom and you walk up some stone stairs and Tom bangs on a sturdy looking wooden door.

"Hey! It's me! Open up!" Tom shouts, a few moments pass and a scruffy looking man rubbing his head opens the door.
"What the fuck you banging on the door like the city watch for? Wait…Tom? What the fuck are you doing here? Weren't you taken to cages?"
"Yeah Vaughn, and where the hell were you guys? I thought you were supposed to come get me yesterday!"
"The heat was still pretty bad, so we decided to lay low."

Tom barges past Vaughn who follows and then you follow both as they continue to talk.

You must be above the sewers now though this looks like it might be an abandoned building of some sort so far. It barely looks better than the sewers you just left.

You see a few people who you assume are Crimson Talons, but they're either completely passed out or look like in various stages of being drunk or hung over. Bottles of spirits are all over the place and now you're starting to wonder just how "powerful" the Crimson Talons are really supposed to be.

"Decided to lay low huh? Looks more like you lot stayed down here, had a party, got liquored up and forgot about me!" Tom remarks.
"Now that's just not true! We didn't even spend your cut of the loot! You can even check your room! Nothing's been touched!"
"I swear I'm not here for a few days and this place goes to shit. Where's David?"
"David? Um…he's dead."
"What?! He wasn't even on the job at the time. He was here!"
"Yeah, well when the rest of us were coming back from the job, he apparently got into an argument with the boss. A really bad one about how he didn't like the way Edmond was running things. It didn't go well for either of them. Edmond might have been old, but he managed to overpower David and killed him. Unfortunately I guess it was all a bit too much exertion, because the boss died of a heart attack like almost immediately afterwards."
"Wait…you're saying the boss is ALSO dead?!"
"Yeah. We took both of their bodies to the usual spot if you wanted to say a few things to David…"
"I'm sure the rats have stripped both corpses by now…(sigh) so who's the new boss?"
"Um, nobody. We haven't really gotten around to figuring it out yet…but hey your name came up as a potential candidate! I don't think anyone else wants the job."

At this point you start laughing.

"I'm sorry I doubted you Tom. I obviously was way off about not believing that you weren't one of the most important people in this organization."
"Who's this asshole?" one of the nearby members asks stirring from his hang over.
"Someone who actually helped me out, Jake." Tom says shaking his head at all this new information and just tells you to come with him while he checks his room.

Tom's room in this dump isn't quite as bad as the rest of the place. It even looks like he's taken great pains to make it look "neat." After looking through his drawers and small chest, he breathes a sigh of relief.

"Well, as shocking as it is. All my stuff is actually still here, even my cut. Glad to see I'm somewhat respected around here."
"Yeah, they just forgot to spring you from a cage."
"Yeah well, I'm here now."
"And so am I. So now what? You brought me here to potentially join your little organization, but so far I'm not really impressed with the organization part. I thought you guys were supposed to be infamous or something."

Tom sits down and exhales deeply, rubbing his face.

"Yeah, we once were. The truth is, even by the time I got involved with his organization, it was on the decline. Still had the vicious rep at least though, maybe a bit too vicious since it probably encouraged Klyton's crackdowns and tightening up of security. Things just got worse over the years as more skilled members got arrested, killed or just quit for better pastures." Tom explains.
"People could just quit? I sort of though joining something like this was a for life type of thing."
"It typically is, which is why you can see how much trouble we're in if people can just up and quit! It didn't really help when the Ebony Claw Syndicate showed up here briefly."
"Who the hell are they?"
"Another criminal outfit. Much larger than us by far. They're based in the Delantium Kingdom, but I believe they have a strong presence in Holgard too. Edmond was an idiot when dealing with them, though I guess that was mainly pride."
"What did he do?"
"Well the Ebony Claw had heard of the Talons and their problems with Klyton's improved security. However, they also knew of our reputation even if it was a bit tattered at that point. Out of respect, they offered to help the Talons. The deal was we'd still have reign over Klyton, keep our identity and have to access to Ebony Claw resources, but we'd have to give a cut of all the profits we made to them. Not sure what the percentage was, but Edmond wasn't pleased with it. Though like I said, it could have been free and he probably would have turned them down."
"So did they cause you a lot damage as well?"
"If they did, it wasn't directly. Their representative just left and we haven't heard anything from them since. Despite never seeing any signs of the Claw again, Edmond got even more paranoid than he already was. Started organizing riskier jobs and accepting anyone who was desperate enough to join. He was convinced we were going to have to deal with the Claw again so we needed to be prepared. All that ultimately happened was with all the new unskilled people we got sloppier and caused even more heat to bear down on us and well, this is what we're reduced to today."

Sheesh, this is pretty damn depressing. It's almost enough to make you rethink your own career choice. Almost.

At this point Tom stands up.

"Shit, I have no idea what comes next. If I was smart I suppose I'd get out. Of course if I was smart, I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place." Tom says.
"Can't you just start over elsewhere?" you ask.
"I thought about heading to Hessla, but that place is overrun by pirates nowadays. Spending days at sea isn't exactly my thing. Nah, Klyton's my home and for better or worse I'm staying here."
"So are you taking over the Talons as boss?"
"I dunno, I never really thought of myself as a leader since it seems like a lot of headache, but I suppose out of all of us that are left, I do have the most experience and years on my side. I suppose given that my face is more well known now due to being thrown in a cage by the city watch, being the boss has appeal since I won't have to risk going out in public as much. I guarantee if I get nicked again, it'll probably be the death penalty. Well anyway what're your plans? You still interested in joining or is that a silly question?"

Not too silly though since despite the deplorable state the Crimson Talons are in, you sort of wonder about the potential. Before you though maybe if you joined such an organization, you'd probably be considered just another low ranking flunky. However through barely any effort on your part, you may have just secured a high ranking position in the organization by helping out the new leader of it. You think if you joined and made a go of it, you'd at least have a lot of input. Who knows, maybe the organization will get back on its feet. If it did, you'd be even better off.

Of course this is going to be a lot of work and you are still new. While Tom might like you, the other members may see you as an upstart. Getting a knife in the back from a bunch of folks who are supposed to be watching it is a real possibility. You might be better off going off on your own.

You stay independent

Staying with the Crimson Talons, just seems like a bunch of trouble waiting to happen. They're disorganized, their new leader is some guy that YOU had to rescue, they're obviously on the hit list of the authorities here and you aren't getting the impression that they're going to be your style.

"So… Tom I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm going to stay on my own." You say.
"I figured. Can't really blame you, though I am disappointed since I think not only would you be an asset, but I think you might have learned a few things yourself. It might not seem like it, but some of the folks here are pretty good at their craft."
"Yeah, well maybe another time…so we're good I trust?"
"Yeah we're good…actually here's something for your rescue effort. It would be more, but well as you can see, a bit down on fortune at the moment." Tom says handing you a few gold coins from a pouch.

Tom at this point walks with you to entrance back to the sewer where he gives you directions to the next closest exit to the city streets from there. He then mentions a few cheap inns in the area you should end up in.

"Now I don't think I need to tell you, that I'd like to keep our hideout a secret." Tom says.
"Sure, secret's safe with me. Not like I got anyone to tell anyway."
"Good, because I'm sure you realize that it would be bad for you if you did rat on us to anyone." Tom says in a tone that's slightly more hostile than he's been towards you.
"Hey, I ain't no rat." You proclaim.
"Of course not. Well good luck kid, wherever your endeavors take you." Tom says and with that you exit the hideout and the door slams behind you leaving you back in the sewers.

"(Sigh) Back in the shit. Well at least I'm a little richer this time. Okay, I think he said this way…"

And so begins your life in Klyton...

You time passes...

Chapter 2B: The More Things Change



Year 17

"Yeah, yeah, here's the rent." You say handing over a few silvers to Trobart.

The innkeeper takes the silver and gives you a scornful look.

"Bout fucking time! You're always late! And don't think I don't know how you get this!" Trobart says.
"Of course you know how I get this, but it doesn't stop you from taking the money anyway, you mean old bastard." You answer.
"Watch yer, fuckin' tongue! One word from me, and the militia would take your ass in quick!"
"Pfft, yeah right. You call the militia and they'd probably shut this whole place down. You're selling booze without a license in the basement and one of your rooms is being used by an unlicensed whore."
"Fuck you cunt face!" Trobart shouts and stomps off. You just shake your head at the old man's misplaced anger.

You head to your room with no more distractions, and then wearily sit on your shitty straw mattress and count what's left of your ill-gotten loot. Enough to eat for a few days.

Granted this hasn't been the best month, but you swear you thought you'd be doing a lot better than this by now. This city unfortunately though is proving a lot more vigilant than you'd like. You certainly aren't in Teckleville anymore.

What's really not helping is the Crimson Talons running around carelessly committing clumsy burglaries and heists and bringing the militia down even harder on everything.

You're sort of glad you didn't join up with them now, because at this rate, the militia is probably going to track them down and execute the lot of them.

Still, that doesn't solve your current problem.

Part of you wonders if maybe you should just move on from this city, but you really loathe the idea of travelling again and you aren't sure where you'd go. Hessla maybe?

While you're pondering your possible future here, you get a knock on the door.

"Heeeeey youngster! (hic!) You got any spare….coppers fer the faith?"

Great, it's that drunken priest that has a room across from you. You thought the men of Joachim were supposed to be into purity and restraint. If you didn't know any better, you'd think Joachim was the god of alcohol and hopeless drunks based on this guy's behavior and actions.

"No and I told you to stop bothering me Virgil! Don't you have a collection box you can pilfer booze money from?" you shout.
"Yeah…but no…but I got some (hic) news…" Virgil answers.
"Yeah, I already know about Joachim's blessed light. You tried to tell me about it the first time I came here and you nearly threw up on me in the process."
"I did? Geez, sorry son…but this is different! (hic) Some…somebody…"
"Somebody what?"
"Somebody was lookin' fer ya."

Well that peaked your interest.

"Oh?" you answer.
"Yeah…(hic)."
"Hold on." You say and go answer the door.

No sooner have you opened the door when the odor of Virgil hits you full force. You immediately cover your nose and mouth.

"Shit, Virgil. When the hell was the last time you washed? You fucking smell worse than a troll's ass. Granted I've never smelled a troll's ass, but I think it's a safe bet you smell worse than one." You say.
"Guess again. Hahahahahahaha! (hic) So can ya spare a copper?"
"Maybe, so what's all this about someone looking for me?"
"Oh, that. Yeah, this big guy. I mean not like ogre big, but just human big ya know? Old guy too. (hic) I mean not as old as that asshole who own this place, but probably around my age."
"Well that's still fucking old then, aren't you like seventy?"
"Fuck you. I'll have you know I'm in my forties…I think…yeah…"
"Okay, so big guy in his forties was looking for me. What did he want?"

Of course NOW Virgil decides to be uncooperative.

"No! No! Fuck you, I'm not tellin' you shit now. (hic) Who…who…what do you think I am some kinda asshole fer you to abuse? Callin' me seventy fuckin' years old. I oughta kick yer ass in the name of Joachim! Yer lucky I'm a man of faith…(hic)"

At this point Virgil mumbles and stumbles away, bumps into the door to his room and then after a few tries he finally gets it open and slams it behind him.

You suppose you could always ask him again later when he's feeling less feisty. He will have likely forgotten all about your so-called insult later, of course he probably will have forgotten about the guy looking for you too.

You close the door and think on who he could have been talking about. Your dad? Dad's not a big guy though and you honestly doubt if he would bother to come look for you.

Maybe it was Tom from the Crimson Talons? You can't imagine what he'd want to see you directly for though. You'd imagine if he were trying to recruit you again he'd send an underling to invite you to see him. Tom wasn't a huge guy either; of course given that Virgil is on the short and scrawny side, he probably thinks you're a big guy too.

Other than those two, you're drawing a blank. It's a little concerning that some big guy is looking for you though.

You hear another knock on the door.

"Virgil?" you ask.
"No, it's Randi. I got some information that you might want to know." A woman's voice says

Randi is the red headed whore that lives down the hall. Unusual that she'd seek you out, since she's snotty with you at the best of times. You guess it's because you turned down her overly aggressive offer the first time you stepped into this inn.

You answer the door and she's as scuzzy as ever. You feel like you're catching something just by standing this close to her.

"Okay, so what's this information? Because if it's some big guy that was looking for me, I already know because Virgil told me." You say.
"Oh? Well did he tell you what this big guy wanted too?" Randi asks.
"No."
"You'll want to know then."
"…Well?"
"Well what?"
"(Sigh) I know you're not used to hearing this, but spit it out! Tell me what this guy wanted."
"I'm not your fucking secretary. You want to know, you need to pay, ten silvers."
"Ten fucking silvers? You don't charge that much for a blowjob!"
"Yeah well if you want a blowjob, then you can pay half that price, but if you want to know what that guy wanted, it's ten silvers."

While you're wondering who this guy is and why he's looking for you, you're not exactly keen on giving away most of your hard earned money to some whore who you're not even fucking.

"Yeah well go find two dicks to suck then, because you're not getting ten silver from me." You say and shut the door on Randi who shouts some obscenities at you from the hallway.

You'll just remain alert and keep an eye out this guy looking for you. Remain on your guard too, since you still don't know if this man means you harm or not. Hopefully Virgil can tell you something later. You might have to offer a couple coppers, but it's far cry from ten silvers.

For now though you decide to get some sleep after your long night of thievery. As your lids get heavier, you think on where you could ply your trade with a little more ease and a lot more loot. The rich areas are well patrolled, the government district is well patrolled, the merchant district is well patrolled, and the poor areas are…still patrolled and the folks don't have shit.

It suddenly occurs to you that you've never really tried the university district of the city. Might be worth a look, after all it should be filled with stupid rich kids not aware of their surroundings and the Talons don't seem to go running around there, so there might be less heat.

Later…

You wake up midday. After getting yourself ready for today's endeavors, you knock on Virgil's door, but there is no answer. He's either still asleep or he's out collecting donations for Joachim. Probably the latter considering you didn't contribute to his booze fund.

You leave the Welcome Mat Inn, though a little more cautiously than usual. Nobody seems to be approaching or giving you suspicious looks though. Still, wishing to keep a low profile, you stick to the back streets as much as possible and eventually when you get to the better part of town, you catch a coach for your remaining trip to the university. By the time you arrive, the day is beginning to end, but you soon find that the university is still fairly active.

After a few hours of just scouting and walking around, it's much like you figured. A lot of scholarly types with their noses in books and rich kids that do a lot of partying. The dorms have security, but oddly not as much as one might think.

You find that despite being dressed in your lower class clothing, nobody is really giving you a second glance. It might be due to your youth though; you probably just look like a struggling student. Wasn't like your dad was exactly rich when he attended this place either.

It occurs to you how strange it is to be at the university at all. You never thought you'd ever "attend" your dad's old place of higher learning. You're sure at one time he had hopes you would, but it probably wasn't under these circumstances.

Out of curiosity you pay a visit to the section to where the medical school is located. Seems weird that your father spent so much money and time putting himself through the place while you're here basically casing it.

You're not that well versed in the value of medical supplies and drugs, but you figure the Crimson Talons could be willing to fence whatever you bring. Hell, you probably could just sell the stuff yourself. You know more than enough folks in your area that bitch about not being able to afford shit from the local apothecary, let alone proper medicine.

Of course since this is your first time here, you're still getting used to all the twisting corridors that this university seems to favor. You end up stepping into a class in session a couple times, before stumbling upon an unattended supply room where you pilfer various bottles of pills and liquids.

When you attempt to leave the facility, you go in the direction where you think you came from, but soon find that you made a wrong turn somewhere.

Somehow you manage to find yourself in what you think must be an office area since you see various doors with names on them. (All of them with "Dr." in front) As you're passing one, the door opens and you find yourself face to face with an older woman with gray hair.

"Hey. You here about the job?" the woman asks.
"Huh? What?" you answer.
"I put out several announcements around campus for an escort job. Hmmm….you don't look like a warrior and you're a little young. You one of those students over from the magic college?"
"Um, no actually, I just got lost. I'm trying to find my way out of this place."
"Lost? What were you doing here in the first place?"
"Well my father used to go here and I…"
"Wait a minute…you do you look a little familiar. What's your father's name?"

You tell this woman your father's name and she instantly lights up.

"Hah! I knew it. You look a lot like your father. He was in my microbiology class when I used to teach it. Did very well too. How he doing?" the woman asks.
"Oh he's doing fine uh Miss…umm…" you reply
"Oh I go by Dr. Gossey and nowadays I focus purely on zoology and the biology of the creatures and animals that live in our fascinating world! So are you a student here too and trying to follow in your dad's footsteps?"
"Something like that I suppose. I'm actually just checking out my options right now. You know, to see what I might be interested in."
"Good. Good. Glad to see a young person thinking about their future. Hey, would you consider yourself to be an adventurous spirit?"
"I suppose in some ways I am."
"Well I've got a job that needs doing and I don't have time to do it myself and I'd rather not send my assistant there by herself. You familiar with qweepas?"
"Aren't they some really ugly oversized rats?"
"In simple terms basically, but they're much more than that. They're actually much more intelligent than the average rat. They aren't even native to the continent, but a lot of them over the years have undoubtedly snuck aboard Hessla pirate ships and now they're slowly starting to gain a foothold as a pest on the coast. One can only imagine how far they will have spread in another ten years."
"So what is it that you need exactly?"
"I need someone to go into Hessla or around that area with my assistant and get me some live specimens. About ten should do. Like I said, I'd send my assistant alone, but I know how dangerous Hessla is especially for a single female, so it would be better if someone went with her."
"So, am I just to be there as hired muscle?"
"Yes, though as I noticed before, you don't seem to be a physical type…not to say you aren't well proportioned for a young man your age, it's just I was hoping to get a taker from the gladiator team or someone of similar intimidating size. I only mentioned this at all to you because for one, I haven't had anyone else come in as strange as that may be. And two I knew your father. I figured it wouldn't be polite to not offer his son a chance to earn some money towards his education goals, whatever they may be. You could even get a jump start on potential class credits."

This is getting a little strange, but you might as well ask.

"So what's this job pay then?" you ask.
"Thirty gold pieces upon completion." Dr. Gossey replies.
"And all I have to do is escort your assistant?"
"Yes, and make sure the qweepa specimens get here alive. Those are very important to my research. My assistant will have everything else required for this job and the trip will essentially be completely paid for."
"Do you need a decision now?"
"Well it would be nice, but I understand if you need to think on it. Hessla isn't a safe place and knowing your father, I'm sure he wanted better for you and you grew up in a protected environment and are probably less familiar with handling folks with a more criminal mentality."

Dr. Gossey's assessment of you nearly makes you laugh.

While this is technically a "real" job, you can't say you aren't totally unopposed to performing it. Thirty gold is certainly better than what you've done in most weeks since your time here and it would give you a chance to go to Hessla for free. Maybe see if things are potentially more lucrative over there.

You take the job

What the hell, it might make for an interesting change of pace.

"I'll take the job." You say.
"You will? Are you sure?" Dr. Gossey asks.
"Yes, and you don't need to worry about me. I'm not unfamiliar with the seedier elements of life."
"Hmm, yes I suppose there is no way of completely distancing yourself from such things. I'm glad you're worldlier than you appear since I fear my assistant is a bit sheltered. Well, I suppose sheltered isn't quite the right word, more like disconnected from reality on these matters. Elana's a good student, but as I said, I fear if she went to Hessla by herself, she'd say something to the wrong person and soon find herself sold into sex slavery or something similar. Anyway, just make sure you get those Qweepas safe and sound here."
"Is there some sort of place that sells them or something in Hessla?"
"I don't know, I just know that they are common enough there to be a problem. Whether that means you buy them or catch them, makes no difference. As I said, that's going to be Elana's primary concern, but obviously if you can help in that matter too, it would be greatly appreciated."
"Okay, so when does this job begin?"
"Well since you agreed to it already, say in three days? You'll meet Elana at the carriage station in the morning. You'll recognize her by her tan skin, long curly brown hair, a large pack for the trip no doubt and she'll probably be a bit too well dressed for the occasion."
"Okay, hope I don't miss her."
"I'll be sure to give her your description as well and insist that she not leave until she finds you."
"Sounds good to me. I'll meet your assistant then."

Dr. Gossey goes on to thank you and exclaim that she's glad you came along when you did and hopes you have a safe and productive trip. She also gives you directions of how to get out of the medical school, since you were lost in the first place.

When you exit the medical school, you decide to call it a night and head home since you figure if you need to get up in the morning in three days, then you're going to have "fix" your internal clock again so you don't over sleep.

When you finally get back to the neighborhood, you revert back your cautious ways until you finally enter the Welcome Mat and your room. You manage to make it without being accosted by any of its denizens this time.

You spend tomorrow mostly "taking the day off." You go get something to eat a few times, but that's about it. You still don't see Virgil, but you do have a vague feeling that someone is watching you every time you leave the damn inn.

On the second day of one these food trips, one of the local food merchants who doesn't normally make much small talk, breaks that habit when you're looking over the fruit cart.

"Hey, some big guy was looking for you yesterday." The merchant remarks.
"So I've heard. Got a better description than that?" you ask.
"Uh, sort of a bushy beard, but the rest of his face was obviously pretty weathered. Shaved head. Probably in his forties or fifties, but still pretty fit. Carried a pack with him, but no weapons. Well at least none out in the open. Said to tell you that he'd carrying an important message for you from your family and that it's very urgent that you meet him at the Raggedy Man Inn."
"Hmmm, and that's it?"
"As far as I know."
"Thanks. I'll just be taking these today." You say and pay the merchant for your food before leaving.

Well that was way more productive than asking Virgil. It's all a little sinister now that you have a little more information though. Why the hell wouldn't a simple courier just meet you at the inn you're staying at? You suppose it's possible he doesn't know, but if he's already spoken to Randi or Virgil, one of them has no doubt blabbed already. At least Randi probably did.

You don't know much about the Raggedy Man inn except it's in an even worse part of Klyton than you already stay at. Klyton might have militia patrols marching all over the place, but they're still lax in certain areas. Makes you a bit wary that a large man wants to meet you there. You can't imagine your father or mother would send someone like that, let alone want him to meet you under HIS conditions. Your sister maybe? Possible you suppose, but you're skeptical.

In any case, you're not meeting this guy unless he comes directly to you and when that happens. You're going to be…

"Heeeeeeey! Youngster! You got some coppers fer the (hic!) faith?" Virgil suddenly says as you step into the Welcome Mat.

He's obviously forgotten his outrage at you. Fortunately he may have even remembered to take your advice about washing last time since he smells half way decent this time.

"Actually I do Virgil, but I need a favor from you." You say.
"Sure…sure! I've always liked ya son! (hic!) You need Joachim's blessin?"
"No, no, nothing like that. I just need you to relay a message. Remember that big guy looking for me?"
"….Oh YEAH! Yeah! I remember him! Hey he was lookin' fer you…yesterday…said he wants you to…" Virgil starts to say before you interrupt.
"Good, good, I want you to tell him, the next time he sees you that I left for Holgard."
"Huh? You're movin?"
"Something like that, but I want you to tell him okay? Don't forget." you say and hand Virgil a few coppers.
"K…well Jochim's blessin' on ya if yer leaving then. You always were one of da (hic!) good ones."

Virgil pats you on the back and then stumbles off.

You return to your room and as an added pre-caution, you put a chair against the door. You have no idea how you're going to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow, but you're going to try…

And you fail.

You get a couple hours in before you wake up and can't go back to sleep. Seeing as you aren't going to get any more sleep, you pack your stuff and decide to leave your room in the middle of night and just head to the carriage station early. You don't really know when Elana is going to show up there anyway, so you might not even have to wait that long.

On your way there, you half think you're being followed the entire time, so you do a lot of back tracking and take side streets until you reach your destination.

You've never been to the carriage station before, but it's mostly empty right now. Still, it's well lit and there are a few militiamen stomping around. You never thought you'd be happy about that!

You find a bench and wait. Soon, you start to get a little sleepy again despite your attempts at still trying to stay awake. You also start to wonder if it wouldn't be better to just stay in Hessla when you get there.

"I oughta just go meet this guy and stab him in the face like I did with Klint…" you mutter to yourself.

Later…

"Hey! Wake up! We have to get a move on! (Sigh) I told Dr. Gossey I didn't need an escort." You hear a voice exclaim while some hands shove your shoulders a few times.

You groggily open your eyes and realize you're in a much more horizontal position from when you first closed your eyes. After getting the blurriness out, you see a finely dressed woman with tan skin and long curly hair before you.

"Elana?" you ask.
"Yes! And you're the escort Dr. Gossey hired I presume. You ARE aren't you? I'd hate to think I just woke up some random sleeping bum." Elana answers.
"Yes, the doctor hired me. How long have I been asleep?"
"How should I know? All I do know is I had to load this carriage up myself. I thought YOU would be helping! Anyway, we have to get going, hurry up!"
"Okay, okay, I'm ready, let's get in the carriage."
"Wait. YOU are not going in the carriage."
"What? Then where the hell am I supposed to be?"
"You ride up top with the driver. I have some studying to do on the way and I don't want you disturbing me. Besides, if you're supposed to keeping an eye out for danger, you'll do it better from there anyway."

It's too damn early in the morning to deal with this, so you decide not to and just go over to the carriage and climb up to where the driver is. He nods and greets you.

"So are we ready to go?" the driver asks you.
"Come on let's go!" Elana shouts from inside the carriage.
"Well you heard the lady." You say.

And with that, you're on your way out of Klyton and on the road to Hessla. Right now though you're just trying to adjust your eyes to all the damn sunlight. It's been awhile since you've been up this early.

You watch the countryside pass by as the horses travel at a good pace. So far no trouble yet. You look behind you and see the supplies on the roof of the carriage and something you didn't notice right behind you and the driver. A blunderbuss.

"Guess that's for when bandits attack?" you ask the driver.
"Huh? Oh that? I suppose so. Honestly though, haven't had any problems in all the years I've driven this route. Still, I keep it loaded just in case." The driver replies.
"Never?"
"Nope. Never even had any problems in Hessla, despite its reputation. A lot of people think its some anarchic pirate paradise, but the place is probably just as orderly as Klyton. The Governor of Hessla has his own personal security force called the Headsmen to patrol the place. They're a lot more draconian than the militia too. Usually they just execute offenders on the spot without trial."
"Really?"
"Sure. I mean yeah without them then the place might be a little more lawless like it was in the past, but nowadays? You're just as safe from getting mugged there as you would in Klyton. Hell, maybe even more so given that Klyton has the Crimson Talons running around."
"Hmm, yeah."

Well this sucks. Already you're finding out that Hessla isn't the place you imagined it was. It's kind of why you took most of your important belongings with you just in case you decided to ditch the job and just stay in Hessla.

"Driver! Slow down! The ride is too bumpy and I can't focus on my reading!" Elana shouts while banging inside the carriage.

A few moments later…

"Driver! Speed up! I'd like to get Hessla sometime this month! And YOU up there, I hope you're doing your job and keeping a look out!"

Then again, Hessla might not be that bad, if you already had a bit of coin to throw around while you assessed the opportunities there. You think that there is probably a good amount of supplies here on the carriage you could sell. Let alone the horses and carriage themselves. The driver doesn't exactly look like a fighter and might even have a few coins to his name.

And most importantly, Elana probably is carrying a purse full of coin for this trip.

Wouldn't take much to just grab the blunderbuss and hijack this whole carriage.

You hijack the carriage

Yeah, you're done with Klyton, and this whole job attempt…

You reach for the blunderbuss and upon grasping it, the carriage hits a bump in the road, which temporarily causes you to teeter and sway. Unfortunately this is enough time to allow the driver to realize what you're attempting to do.

He doesn't even say anything he just lets go of the horse reins and elbows you in the face though it isn't enough to drop the firearm. He then attempts to take his blunderbuss back.

You struggle with the driver until he realizes he isn't strong enough to take it from you. Just as you're about to yank it completely away, the driver lets go and you pull so hard you lose balance. The driver then takes advantage of this by pushing you off the carriage.

You fall off the carriage with the blunderbuss still in hand, and land hard on your back, but luckily still out of the way of the carriage wheels. However, upon you impact with the ground, your hand was around the trigger of the blunderbuss, which you accidently pulled.

The shrapnel hits back wheel of the carriage and shatters a portion of it. The carriage manages to continue for a second before the back wheel's structure is completely destroyed and soon the carriage tips over on its side. The horses drag the carriage a bit longer, before the harness breaks and they're free of the wreck.

Meanwhile you're partially watching from the distance and still wincing in pain from falling. You didn't break anything, but your back hurts like hell. As quick as you can walk, you make your way over to the tipped over carriage.

You're fairly certain the driver had to have fallen off. If he didn't die, you're going to finish the job. You aren't sure about Elana, chances are she's alive and still in the carriage, but if she insists on getting mouthy like she's been with you before, you'll teach her a lesson too.

When you finally get within the area of the carriage you see some of the supplies scattered all over the road and the body of the driver. He's face down and not moving. You go over to check by prodding him with the blunderbuss and he's still not moving. Looks like he probably broke his neck.

While you're inspecting the driver, you hear rustling in the carriage, along with some groans. Looks like Elana lived. If she wants to continue living, she better comply.

You go over to the sideways carriage, climb on top it and open the door. Looking downward, you see that Elana is still in a semi-prone position opposite of you.

Elana may have a bossy upper class way about her, but she wasn't completely unwise in the ways of being in potential danger.

Already dazed and scared from the crash, upon seeing you standing menacingly over her with a blunderbuss in hand she reacts without even thinking that you MIGHT potentially be helping her rather than robbing her. (Though that was a correct assumption on her part because you totally were going to rob her)

"Okay, you…shit!" you say before you're interrupted by Elana pulling a small ornate pistol and firing.

The bullet isn't even very big, but they don't need to be when they hit something vital.

You clutch at your throat and fall backwards off the carriage. You don't even die right away, you gag, cough blood and convulse a bit. You even manage an attempt to get back up, but by the time Elana drags herself out of the carriage, you're a corpse.