Author's Notes:
Thanks once more to bikoukumori, for fearlessly slaughtering my spelling and grammar gremlins. Also a big thanks to fellow authors redskyes and Handley_Page for helpful additions and insight.
As usual, there's only adults having fun here.
Winter was approaching fast in Storm Harbour. The first frost had hit early in the eleventh month and even now, at noon, the air was crisp, with bitingly cold blasts of wind coming in from the rough seas. The Guardsmen patrolling the crowded market had their hoods up and made their way slowly along the aisles, stopping longer and longer at each food stall, trying to soak up some of the warmth the grills, ovens and boiling kettles of soup promised. Suddenly commotion erupted, with people jostling even more than usual.
A young woman, wrapped in expensive furs, pointed and shrieked, "He stole my purse! Catch that man!"
Sergeant Kreel, pudgy, tired and hungry, forced his body into pursuit of the whip-thin man dashing through the crowds. After a few short steps, he already wheezed like a pair of bellows and the passer-bys blocking his path didn't make things any easier.
"We need a better strategy," he huffed, slapping his second-in-command on the shoulder. "You follow him, I will try to keep a lookout. And you, rookie, go get reinforcements. We need to block off the market before he escapes! Move it, people!"
Three men ran off after the thief, who nimbly dodged into side passages, easily keeping his pursuers at bay. Thaion, the youngest member of the patrol, grumbled in indignation. He was the fastest and fittest of their number. Granted, he just had come to the big city from his homestead of River Crossing but he was proud to serve the City Guard and secretly wondered how his peers could let their stamina and pride deteriorate like this. They were happy to make their rounds, chat with long-time acquaintances and behave more like criminals running a protection racket than officers of the law. And all he ever got to do were annoying fetch tasks or signal duty. Snorting in disgust, he sprinted off towards the nearest Guard station.
Rounding a corner, still mumbling to himself about his comrades' lack of discipline, he solidly slammed into a pillar of metal. Sputtering apologies, his eyes widened in surprise as he beheld the obstacle he had just ran into. In front of him was a veritable giant of a man. Nearly six foot eight in his massive polished plate armour, the chest piece moulded to resemble a roaring lion's head, he towered over Thaion's slender form. On his back, in a simple leather sling, he carried a massive hammer and had a thick, fur-lined cloak wrapped around his shoulders, to ward off the cold.
"Can I help you, private?" the man in armour inquired.
"Huh? Who are you?" Thaion shot back.
In answer, the man in armour opened his cloak, proudly displaying a Guard emblem painted onto his right shoulder plate.
"I am Leo, Fist of Justice and Officer of the City Guard. So, what's the problem?"
"Oh, thank the heavens, sir," Thaion breathed. "There's a thief at the market and I fear he will get away if no one will help the rest of the squad."
"If it isn't too late already," Leo mused. "Were you headed for the Guard Station on Trident Road?"
Thaion nodded emphatically.
"Well, proceed and get the men. I'll see what I can do in the meantime," Leo said, wrapping his cloak around himself.
***
The shouting grew louder as Leo pushed his way through the crowds.
"Thief! Stop the thief!"
"He made off with my purse!"
"Catch him! Curses, where did he go?"
Leo let his gaze drift over the pushing and pulling throng of people milling about like a pandemonic maelstrom in the central Market Square of Storm Harbour. Nearly a head taller than everyone around him, he easily was able to spot the source of the commotion. A slender man, his hair slicked to his scalp, was ducking and weaving between the stalls, slipping from narrow aisle to narrow aisle in a mad dash to escape the pursuing Guardsmen. The thief twirled and dove nearly effortlessly through the stalls and aisles, his cloak billowing out behind him. He even had the cheek to snatch another purse from a customer who was about to pay a dwarven smith for his wares. Tapping the small holy symbol inlaid in his left shoulder guard, Leo muttered a swift prayer. Suddenly, the mass of people parted, opening a clear path between himself and the thief, who threw a quick glance over his shoulder. He saw the Guards converging on his position and bolted, directly towards Leo, obviously not believing his luck. The armoured man slowly reached under his cloak, pulling a bola from his belt. The thief was nearly upon him when Leo threw wide his cloak, revealing the symbol of the Guard on his so far cloak-covered right pauldron. The thief froze for a heartbeat, then he threw himself sideways, trying to dive into the sea of people. Again, Leo tapped his shoulder. Instead of muttering though, his voice rolled over the crowd, easily drowning out the sea of sounds of market day.
"In the name of Lord Justice, I command you. STAY!"
With a disbelieving look on his face, the thief froze in mid-jump. A moment later, the bolas tangled up his legs. The commanding magic evaporated and the thief finished his movement, toppling to the ground in an undignified jumble of limbs. The Fist of Justice pounced on him, keeping the thief's struggling form pinned to the ground by the sheer weight of his armoured knee.
"On my authority as Fist of Justice and Officer of the Guard, you are hereby placed under arrest on account of multiple cases of theft," he snarled. His helmet, visor in the shape of a furious, snarling man, was only inches from the thief's terrified face. Close up, the armoured man could clearly see three coins tattooed onto the cheek of the thief, a sure sign he was with the Guild. Moments later, the Guards patrol arrived, saluting sloppily.
"Thanks for taking care of that weasel, sir," Sergeant Kreel huffed.
"Lucky for you I was in the vicinity," Leo said, rising. Without any apparent effort, he hoisted the thief to his feet. "Otherwise, the Thieves' Guild would have made merry on your account tonight."
"Yes sir, I know, sir," Kreel panted. Too much standing around ogling the passing girls, not enough exercise at the barracks, Leo mused. He waited until a Guardsman had safely shackled the thief, then he saluted them and strode off.
***
After walking through the late-autumnal streets, the tavern was overly warm. Leo unhooked the chin strap of his helmet and pulled the thing off his head, shaking out long blond curls in the process. Every eye in the room was on him. Almost every eye. An auburn-haired woman was leaning over her glass at the bar, seemingly oblivious to everything around her.
"Go on, nothing to see here, really," the armoured man chuckled, self-consciously, making his way towards the bar. Setting the heavy helmet down onto the polished wood, he took a seat next to the woman.
"I have missed you today. You haven't been on your rounds," he said, softly brushing her shoulder with his gauntlet.
"Oh, for Mercy's sake, would you please fuck off and let me drink in peace, Leo?" the woman snapped, slanted green eyes blazing up at him, her words slurred by too much strong drink. She wore a simple white robe and the smell of ozone was heavy around her. She leaned back, the fabric of her robe rustling as if buffeted by a strong wind, and fixed Leo with a mean stare.
"Who do I have to bribe in this town to drown my sorrow in peace and quiet, huh?"
"Going by the amount of glass arrayed in front of you, I guess you already did a pretty good job of drowning whatever is bugging you, Shilana," Leo said, motioning the barkeep over.
"What the fuck do you know, hatchling?" Shilana snapped, gulping down the rest of her drink. Shivering as the strong alcohol poured down her throat, she brushed an errant strand of hair behind a long, pointed ear. "You haven't known me long enough to even begin to understand the troubles I'm carrying with me," she said, almost tenderly.
"Not long enough? Shilana, we've been partners for almost four years now," Leo protested. The barkeep, a bald dwarf with a mighty full beard, looked expectantly up at him.
"Tea, please. With a shot of rum, if you have it," Leo said, before turning his attention back to Shilana, who was intently studying the row of bottles lining the back of the bar.
"What, 'fraid to drink with the lady?" the dwarf snickered.
"Believe me, you don't want a drunk mage
and
a drunk paladin in your tavern, good sir," Leo chuckled.
"What's this?" Shilana asked, unsteady finger pointing at a stout black flask. A menacing aura seemed to surround it.
"Oh, keen eye, good lady. 'Tis stone water, the finest me kin can brew. But I'm 'fraid a tender dear like you..." the barkeep began. Shilana cut him off with a swipe of her hand, tiny bolts of electricity sparking off her fingertips.
"Shut up and pour. That's what you're here for, fuzzy face," she snapped. The dwarf wrinkled his forehead, beard bristling in indignation, obviously thinking about drawing whatever weapon he had stashed under the bar. A small shake of the head from Leo convinced him otherwise. Grumbling to himself in his harsh language, he grabbed the stone water bottle and uncorked it, holding the stopper in Shilana's face. Her eyes promptly began to water.
"Ah, the good stuff. I'll take a double-strength one," she hissed.
"That might very well kill ya, pointy-ears," the dwarf said sweetly but poured obligingly.
"Thank you," Shilana smiled, saluted Leo and tipped the drink down her throat. Her delicate elven features flushed, but she didn't cough. Smiling bitterly, she sighed and leaned against Leo, not minding the ridges of his chest piece pushing into her.
"Leo, I'm almost two hundred and seventy years old. Four years to me is a passing acquaintance," she almost whispered.
"Yeah, sometimes I'm forgetting that you're an elf," he chuckled softly, fiddling with the straps holding his gauntlets in place. Pulling them off, he brushed Shilana's hair out of her face so that he could see her sparkling green eyes. He added quietly, "But for a human, four years is much, much longer, and it can carry far more meaning."
For a moment, just a moment, Shilana's hard exterior almost broke.
"Must be the charming company I'm surrounding myself with," she smirked before sitting up straight again. "Like my father always said: 'Cities corrupt people'. Look what I'm doing here," she said, smiling wryly.
"You're helping the Guard tremendously with your battle magics," Leo said, thankfully accepting the steaming cup the dwarven barkeep handed him.
"I only wish I could have helped my own people when they needed it," Shilana sighed, motioning the barkeep to refill her glass.
