It was the first time Carlito had been to SJ's home. He was sitting in a now-elven form in her living room. Yawnee had been fussing about making them coffee and sandwiches, for which they both thanked her. Lurtew had been busy in the garage area, rearranging their tools and workbenches to start their new roles for the alchemy guild.
Carlito had been the perfect guest, Kibble making his lap his home while he sat there. Yawnee was busy laughing at a rather amusing story about a gnoll and a dwarf when Lurtew called up the stairs. "Someone here for you, SJ."
SJ went down to meet the being at the door. A young girl was dressed in tower colours, and on seeing SJ, she removed a small tube and handed it to her. SJ took it, breaking the seal on its lid, and removed the small piece of parchment. Two words were written on its surface.
'It's done.'
She thanked the runner and gave her three coppers. The girl grinned and turned, running back towards the inner city. As she returned upstairs, SJ wondered if they received tips regularly or not.
"It's time to go," SJ said, entering the lounge.
Carlito just nodded before standing and thanking Yawnee for her hospitality.
"I'm not sure what time I will be back yet. Don't worry about dinner," SJ said as they left.
SJ and Carlito had previously discussed the plan they would undertake if things had been successful with entrapping Otherlisar. The next stage was to get at Mascol. This would only be possible if Carlito returned to his Broadway performance persona of Harmyster. He would infiltrate the district offices posing as Harmyster and ask for an urgent meeting to be arranged by his secretary, whoever that may be, to meet with Mascol. They had both assumed that the secretary had to be the link and go-between, mainly since the details had been recorded on the calendar in the office. It, of course, wasn't guaranteed that it would be the case, but it was the best chance they had without spending much more time with Carlito having to pose as Harmyster. Carlito may be able to make his appearance the same as that of Harmyster and even change his voice to match perfectly. It didn't mean, though, that those who worked closely with him usually wouldn't notice a difference in his behaviours or actions, so they needed to make Carlito's time in the offices as short as possible.
It may have worked against Otherlisar, but that was driven by the situation and uncertainty being challenged in front of the chancellor. Otherlisar had been flustered, supporting Carlito in his task to deceive. In his everyday role, they weren't sure what Harmyster's behaviour would be like. SJ cursed, wishing they had spent more time observing him before he had been removed, but Carlito shrugged it off, telling her not to worry. He believed that after witnessing so many lieutenants over the years, they were all similar in their dealings with subordinates. He didn't know one who didn't think themselves a member of the nobility and the upper classes of the city, and their behaviour usually supported this. Carlito had said that many districts ran on fear. Beings working for districts do not want to chance losing their positions. It had become apparent that district roles were highly sought after and paid much better than many other roles.
"I will remain here," SJ said. They were currently in the same alley from the previous evening, looking towards the district offices. It was now late afternoon, and SJ assumed that the offices would soon be closing for the day. With her need to travel back to Killic looming, she wished to resolve this matter.
"I won't be long," Carlito said as he walked across the street, still appearing as an elf.
SJ had to trust in his ability to do what was needed. She knew deep down that he was more than capable, having proven how effectively he had previously infiltrated the tower.
The alley was cast in deep shadow, and SJ waited in her miniature form, huddled near a crate, peering across at the offices. She wished she were there and could see what was happening. There had been no trigger of anything untoward since Carlito had disappeared inside. Seconds again felt like minutes as the time passed slowly. SJ even found herself having to remove her fingers from her lips, having started to bite at her nails. She hadn't done such an act since being a child, and the realisation that she had been biting her nails shocked her. The nervous tension was flooding every cell of her body.
She heard movement behind her, and in her vision, she saw a large, very fat-looking rat appear from a hole in the wooden structure of the building that created one side of the alley. The rat eyed her suspiciously, sniffing in her direction, its whiskers twitching. It stood for several moments looking at her before a noise from the street startled it, and it turned and bolted down the alley away from her.
The clatter of hooves on the cobbles was from a wagon that stopped outside the district offices. The wagon was painted in Harmyster's colours, and SJ watched as she saw Harmyster walk from the office entrance and climb up into the waiting wagon. Carlito only gave a fleeting glance towards the alley, but it was enough for SJ to know to follow.
"Looks like it may have worked," Dave said excitedly.
'I hope so,' SJ thought as she took off and headed to the roof. The driver of the wagon flicked the reins, and the horses protested as they started down the street. SJ followed at a distance.
The wagon moved too slowly for SJ, appearing to be in almost slow motion. The nerves she had been feeling were getting worse every second she had been waiting. Her stomach was knotted, and she felt sick with the excitement of the unknown and the fear of being caught out. The wagon eventually turned down a side street before coming to a stop outside a nondescript building. It looked like any other in the district, timber framed and bland. Not one thing, giving it a reason to stand out from the surrounding buildings. SJ watched from the rooftop as Carlito climbed from the wagon and walked to the door. She watched him knock before the door opened, and he disappeared inside.
SJ had landed on the roof of an opposite building, and as she watched, time seemed to go by even slower. Seconds no longer felt like minutes but more like hours.
'I'm going over there. I can't bear to wait any longer,' SJ thought.
"Good. We can't let Carlito have the fun alone," Dave said.
SJ took off and flew across the street, heading towards the roof of the building. It was a two-storey building, and the windows on the first floor were all open. At that time of day, there was still no need for lantern lights inside; the natural light was still strong enough to allow for ease of visibility. SJ moved and hovered by an open window, putting caution to the wind. She could easily be spotted from the street if someone looked at her long enough. She peered inside. The rooms on the first floor seemed similar to those at the Sanction's safe house. The two she peered into housed bunk beds. It was as if she were glancing in the second window when she heard and saw the movement down the street. A cart had come around the corner and was heading towards the building. The frame of the being in the cart was Mascol, from what SJ could remember from seeing him at the Broken Toe. SJ flew up to the roof again and landed, looking down. It was as the cart neared that SJ noticed the similarity in appearance between Mascol and Samwell. They may have had different builds, but there was no mistaking their family ties now that SJ could clearly see him.
The cart stopped, and Mascol climbed down before walking to the door and entering the building.
SJ dropped back to the window and glanced inside. She flew in and landed by the closed door that exited the room. The room smelled of stale sweat, and it was apparent why the windows were open. She could imagine it could get rather ripe with the three bunk beds crammed inside. The mattresses and blankets looked dirty. Screwing her nose, she listened before growing and opening the door. The door opened into a hallway, and facing her was another door that must have led into the other front room. The hallway was only short before a set of steps led down.
Mascol couldn't have been inside very long when she heard the sound of a blade being drawn. Hastily, she moved, equipping her claws, and reached the top of the stairs. There was a grunt and a gurgling sound, and then there was a cry of anger as she heard two more blades being drawn in response. She Shadow Stepped down to the ground floor, seeing nothing in the hallway and being able to tell the sound had come from the rear of the property. She ran towards the open doorway leading into the room, angry voices covering her movement. The clash of blades came next as she turned to look into the room. Four beings were in the room. Mascol's body lay on the floor at the feet of Harmyster, his throat open. The three other beings reacted to the attack on their leader.
The nearest being to SJ was an orc, and without hesitating for more than an instant, as she took in the scene, she reacted, remembering Carlito's teachings. Her claws penetrated deeply into its back, aiming for the rough positioning of its second brain. The orc let out a scream of pain and confusion as she struck, taken by surprise by the attack from behind. SJ was too encased in her move to see Carlito as he swiftly threw a blade that was embedded in another would-be attacker's chest. The being let out a grunt as it struck him, stopping his forward momentum as he moved at Carlito. The orc's legs gave way from SJ's blow, its knees buckling and its large form falling in front of her. It wasn't dead as it fell forward onto the floor, incapacitated, its limbs not responding as it cursed in orcish.
The strike triggered SJ's display, but she ignored it as she took in the scene.
The remaining being noticed SJ's appearance as it had started to move at Carlito from the corner of the room. A short sword in its hand. After witnessing its boss and two others fall so quickly, its eyes flew around the room. Rather than move towards now, it turned to the window that looked out onto the rear of the building and threw itself through it. It obviously didn't fancy its chances against the two of them. The breaking of glass hid the sound of the being as it landed, jumped to its feet and sprinted across the rear garden towards a timber fence. Carlito looked at SJ and smirked, nodding his head in the being's direction. SJ didn't need to be told twice and chased after the fleeing thug.
She leapt through the window with ease, her dexterity and sure steps from her boots allowing her to clear the ledge and land safely. The being was reaching the fence when SJ shrunk and took off, hurtling across the open space as it pulled itself over. It wasn't fast enough, though, as SJ, in her miniature form, ploughed directly into it, her claws penetrating deeply as she again grew. She felt her claws pierce through it and strike into the timber fence, easily burying themselves into the soft wooden surface. Her feet only just reached the ground as she withdrew her claws. The scream of pain from the being carried through the streets. It struggled to try and get over the fence, blood flowing from where it had taken full damage from SJ's strike. SJ reached up, grabbed the rear of the being's cloak, and pulled it backward. In its weakened state from her attack, its strength was significantly reduced, and she succeeded in making it fall onto the ground.
She stepped forward, about to deliver the killing blow, when it spoke.
"Please, no," it begged. The being was what SJ believed to be a half-elf. Its face carried a vicious scar on its cheek. Obviously, it had not been able to afford to heal when it had occurred. If it wasn't for the scar, it may once have been good-looking.
SJ paused for a moment before stepping forward and thrusting her claws down. "Sorry, but I can't leave any witnesses," she said as her claws ended its life. Her cowl had fallen as she had jumped through the window, and her hair had been clearly on display. It was a very recognisable sight, and any being seeing it could identify her if they wished.
Her notifications triggered, and the latest one detailed her victim.
Congratulations on killing Ryanus Bruniscar. You earned 360 xp.
SJ looted the corpse before turning and hurrying back to the window, climbing back inside. Carlito was bent over the orc that SJ had initially struck.
"Tell me, or else," Carlito hissed.
"I am already dead. It doesn't matter what you do to me," the orc hissed through gritted teeth, its limbs useless, unable to defend itself.
Carlito grunted in annoyance as his hand flashed, and his blade struck up into the orc's brain.
SJ's display was triggered again, and she was awarded experience for the shared kill.
Congratulations on killing Derbet Warfind; 600 shared xp was gained.
"We better go," SJ said.
"Yeah. I was hoping that the orc could have given us information about Mascol's home. I still wish to find his stash. He has to have his coin hidden somewhere." It still surprised SJ that Carlito was focused on the chance of coin and wondered if it related to his dragon heritage and the stories of hoards of gold and jewels.
"Have you looted everything?" SJ asked.
"Yes. Let's head back to the Griffin," Carlito said as he changed his appearance, taking on that of a female elf.
SJ could hear a commotion outside. The scream of the being she had ended in the garden could have easily drawn the attention of others in the surrounding buildings.
"I will meet you there," SJ said as she left the room again and headed back upstairs. Shrinking as she did, she flew back through to the room with bunk beds before heading back out of the window and up into the sky, heading across the city's rooftops.
"Well, that was indeed fun to watch," Dave said happily. "You are getting much better at this now."
'It doesn't fill me with pleasure,' SJ thought. She had just murdered another being and a half without hardly considering her actions.
"It shouldn't. If it did, I would think you were becoming a psychopath like Carlito."
'Psychopath?'
"He takes pleasure in what he does. He enjoys killing beings and has even said he does it for fun."
'He doesn't kill indiscriminately.'
"No. That is true. He has just killed what you asked him to kill."
SJ paused in flight, hovering above the city. The streets below were starting to take on their evening feel, the noise and hustle and bustle of beings still going about their lives. None was wiser to the assassin who hovered over them or the one she could see on her display as Carlito Shadow Stepped around the streets and headed towards the Griffin. It was true that Carlito had happily killed the beings associated with the gangs to help SJ. He had said prior that he never got involved with the gangs, and if it hadn't been for his support, she never would have succeeded in completing what she had within the timeframes or potentially even survived her encounter with Samwell. She had a lot to thank him for but also much more to question as she started to fully appreciate the implications of her chosen career path. She knew that only time would answer the internal conflict she felt and whether she could ever truly get past her feelings of guilt.
Dave let her fly in silence as she continued to the Griffin. On entering, she saw Carlito sitting at the bar in the female elven persona he had transformed into. He turned on SJ, entering, and smiled as SJ walked over.
"What would you like to drink?" Carlito asked.
"A honey wine, please," SJ replied as she sat waiting for the being to pour her a glass and hand it to her.
"Thanks," she said, taking it and drinking deeply. The silky smooth liquid warmed her as she swallowed, and in two gulps, she placed the empty glass on the counter. Carlito signalled for another one for her before offering that they sit at a table.
The bar wasn’t that busy yet. Beings were entering at the end of their day's work, but compared to fight nights, it was quiet still. They sat in the corner where SJ had sat several times, looking out towards the front of the bar.
"You did very well today," SJ said.
Carlito smiled. "It has been an interesting couple of days."
"I doubt I could have got everything done without your help. Never mind the issue with Samwell."
Carlito scoffed. "That's no problem. I watched your strike earlier. It was perfect for incapacitating an orc."
The strike on the orc had been successful, hitting its second brain and removing all its bodily control functions outside of speech and breathing. "I think it was more beginner's luck."
"No. It was precise, and your claws helped to be able to get through the protection of its ribcage."
SJ just nodded. They sat quietly, drinking, until SJ spoke again.
"How do you cope with it?" SJ asked.
"With what?" Carlito frowned.
"All the... You know what."
"Ah. You mean murder," Carlito said in a rather sinister voice before breaking into laughter.
SJ panicked, glancing around at him and saying the word aloud. No beings nearby had reacted.
"Yes. Murder," SJ whispered.
"I am over 900, remember? I have seen much in my life. You may say I am numb to it, but I have, at times, wished for different outcomes. The problem is that most of the time, the actions of others outweigh the benefits that life brings them."
The comment was a stark reality of the new world SJ lived in.
"I'm not sure I will ever get used to it," SJ said, sighing.
"In time, you may," Carlito added as he finished his drink. "Right then, let's go sort out what we collected. Then I need to do some investigation work while you are away."
SJ would portal back to Killic soon, and she wondered what Carlito was referring to.
"Into what?" she asked.
"We still need to find their safe houses and empty them. We can't leave things undiscovered. I also need to get to the bottom of the issues in District 4 and Edward Garshaw's competition," he said, standing.
SJ had forgotten about the outstanding quest that Carlito would complete with everything that had been going on. She stood and followed Carlito as they headed to his quarters.
