Sword and Scale

Since the events on the Sword Coast, I've found that I've lacked purpose. That adventure was my first foray into real combat, and leadership. Both fields that I found myself alarmingly well suited to.

My fellows weren't interested in sticking together after the fact, and I don't blame them. We all had lives long before we met each other.

Mercenary work was what remained, as far as my purse was concerned. My patron has no qualms with dirty work as long as I don't fall short of my oath. Kelemvor only asks that I slay the denizens of undeath wherever I find them... as inconvenient as that sometimes is. Of course, that brings me to now. I never thought this type of work would earn the term 'monotonous' as a fair descriptor. Life or death struggles were heavier on the stakes before my hands could seal wounds; before my blade could summon divine wrath.

I found a bounty today, an exceptional one. Torqui, a coastal settlement, is having issues with extortion. Someone with connections to local nobility has been demanding unlawful tariffs from sales made by local fishermen. Appeals to the lord of this region seem to fall on deaf ears, likely because of those connections. The people here need someone disconnected from their government to deal with the issue. It's understandable, direct intervention from the local militia may trigger some sort of retaliation.

The task itself isn't the exceptional part, it's the pay. Torqui is actually sitting on a fisherman's goldmine, and does very well for itself. The rate is exorbitant. So exorbitant in fact, that I'll have company on this errand. A kobold no less;A rare sight on the Sword Coast. When we met, he seemed positively giddy. Even shook my hand.

The thugs we are meant to dispatch of, are holed up in a dilapidated estate. The building itself is in a state of disrepair, but is plenty livable. As we arrive at the treeline that runs parallel to the estate's east fence, I stop to gather myself. Even still, I need to prepare myself to take a life if it comes to that.

A voice pipes up from behind me, more high pitched than I'd expected. "What's the move?" The kobold looks at me wide eyed, seemingly immune to the inherent tension before a conflict.

"I want to speak with the men they've stationed at the gate." I say softly, but with authority. "If we're dealing with some noble's errant son, it's likely that he will leave if threatened. He probably never expected anything resembling consequences to find him."

The kobold nods in agreement, adding "If I were by myself I would just hack them to bits. But we can do it the way you want."

I begin to move from the treeline, but a small hand stops me. "I'm Alex, by the way. In case you need to get my attention later on."

I'm embarrassed, I hadn't introduced myself... hadn't thought to. "I'm Asra, a knight in service to Kelemvor."

The kobold... Alex, seems pleased. He trots out of the treeline as I trail behind. We arrive at the mostly collapsed eastern gate. Two men laze about the entrance, noticing us only a few meters away. They scramble for their weapons and shout a command to halt.

The shorter of the two men address us "What are you two doing out here, you lost?" His hands are steady on the shaft of his polearm, at the very least he has used it before.

I open my mouth to speak, but Alex speaks first "You gotta leave, this place ain't your property. Yeah?" He speaks with firmness uncharacteristic of his kind, and his eyes don't waver from theirs.

The silent guard flinches at that, and looks to his companion. A tension fills the space between us, a consideration of violence. The shorter one plants his weapon in the dirt, "We weren't on duty anyway." He squeezes the elbow of the other guard, and they stride into the woods together.

My battle sense is sharp. It's something I think any warrior develops if they live long enough. Without talking to Alex, I could tell that he was immensely dangerous. His stance, his gait, the sureness of his movements all betray his chipper attitude. I'm not even entirely certain that I could defeat him in a straight fight.

My thoughts are interrupted by a sigh "I guess your way worked out this time. It's too bad, they seemed like assholes."

The open malice catches me off guard. "Perhaps they aren't the best human specimens you've come across, but killing shouldn't ever be your first option."

Alex blinks, his expression set in stone. "Maybe it's easy for someone who looks like you, to hold that opinion."

He makes a point I hadn't considered. 244 years is a long time to be alive, and I stopped noticing race some time ago. Kobolds are largely regarded as hostile, and fervently subservient to dragons. He probably faces hostility in most civilized places. But not in Torqui... Curious.

"That's a fair point, but so is mine." I fix my gaze on him. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

Alex scoffs and continues on without another word. We make our way through ruined gardens and crumbling ornamentation. A servant's entrance to the manor should be somewhere along the gardens.

It is. The door has fallen from its hinges and begun rotting into the fertile soil. This entrance is covered in vines and various insects, marking its apparent disuse. Perfect for us, if a little unclean. I begin pulling a dagger from my belt, but once again, Alex acts first. He rips at the vines with his bare hands. He has no regard for the insects or foliage that falls all around him. The debris is cleared in a matter of seconds as the leaf covered kobold announces "A few bugs never hurt nobody."

I resheath my dagger and step carefully through the opening. It's dark, or it would be, if both I and Alex did not possess darkvision. This is a subfloor where they must have kept landscaping equipment. Rusted shears and shovels lie against the wall, and the ground is covered in loose burlap. In the northwest corner of the room is a collapsed staircase, though it isn't tall enough to pose a problem for me.

I walk to the landing and leap high enough to grab onto the first floor's only intact step. I move to continue on as a hushed voice pulls my attention back to the subfloor. A stammering Alexander stares up at me "I- uh-" he trips over his words for a moment. "I'm not tall enough to do that..."

I can't help a half smile as I kneel and offer a hand down to the kobold. "I get it, there are things I can't do too."

Alex clasps my hand and allows himself to be pulled up. He's heavier than he seems, but not a challenge for me. Once he's reached the landing, he dusts himself off "Just like that huh? Not so much as a grunt."

I stand and survey the room we've ended up in. "I imagine you don't often find yourself in the company of someone who can match your strength." I look back to Alex. "There is a reason that you were not sent here alone."

It's a kitchen, which makes sense. That subfloor and this kitchen would be occupied by servants, and it can be assumed that servant's quarters connect to this room also. The kitchen and pantry are largely barren, and devoid of anyone other than ourselves. Our mark most likely holds up in whatever portion of the manor is in the best condition.

Without warning, my ears are assaulted with the banging and clattering of rusty cookery. I whirl to see what's happened. Alex has just made a mess of pots and pans while trying to get at something on a high shelf.

I can already hear approaching footfalls, and hiding will only give our foes time to properly search and reinforce the manor. I pull my greatsword from its sheath and hold it at my side. Alex unhooks his shield and longsword, a guilty expression faintly visible on his face.

Four men emerge from the open dining room doorway, scimitars and shortswords drawn. A scarred one with dark skin pipes up first. "This is different, I thought another badger or coyote found its way into the kitchen." He flourishes his blade. "Gon' need you to leave, by yourselves, or in pieces."

I manage to speak before Alex this time. "It doesn't have to go that way, we're here in a more diplomatic capacity." I straighten my stance in an attempt to lower the tension. "The man I assume to be leading you, we just need you all to move on to somewhere else along with him."

The scarred man draws a second shortsword and points it at Alex. "That one's just a kobold, kill it first."

In another moment he steps toward me making three lightning stabs in succession. One finds limited purchase, making a shallow hole in my plate. There's only one option now. My greatsword comes up from the ground with immense force, which the scarred man barely manages to stave off, losing his grip on one sword in the process. As he reels I step in putting my weight on my forward foot. The ground splinters slightly, both from the force and its own decay. My blade comes around horizontally benefiting both from the residual motion of my first strike and the momentum gained by my forward movement. The scarred man doesn't have time to take another step back before the right side of his torso is split all the way to his spine. He slides off my blade, falling limp.

By the time I'm finished with my quarry, two corpses lie at Alexander's feet. The last fighter is sweating profusely, his scimitar quaking in his hand. There's something resembling pity in Alex's face, just before he leaps upon the man. There's a crunch and a yelp as the man's face is struck by the shield. He falls to the ground and writhes for a moment before Alex plunges the blade into his chest.

I wipe my blade with a dirty kitchen cloth. "I see it now."

Alex pulls his longsword from the corpse he just made and retorts. "Oh yeh? What do you see?"

I sheath my greatsword and place a hand on my hip. "The way you fight, and the reason I couldn't gauge you before. You're a savage. Not a formal step in anything I just saw. No restraint either."

Alexander's nose twitches at that. "I can't tell if you're criticizing me. Not very fair if you are, since I didn't get to see how you took care of that one." A small gesture is made toward the scarred corpse.

"I am criticizing you." I clarify. "Not to mention that initial blunder. We are in a hostile place, full of people who don't want us here. Your lack of grace just cost these men their lives."

Alex's nostrils flare, I might have expected him to turn red, if his scales weren't that color by default. "I didn't cost those men their lives. I responded to their hostility." His voice raises "Since when is it my fault that someone else bites off more than they can chew!?"

I take a guarded step away, considering my words. No one questions my criticism, or my leadership. None of my old companions did, and I suppose I took that to mean that I was always right. However, perhaps they just didn't want to question me...

I decide on a half-measure. "Yes, well... think what you want." I walk to the high shelf and pluck a tarnished gold spoon from it. "This, really?"

Alex holds out a hand, seemingly abandoning any sense of humility he may possess. "I'll be having that, please." It's more of a statement than a request.

We're getting paid a very generous rate for this assignment, and wealth means little to me. I place the spoon in his outstretched hand. He snatches it back and admires the cutlery.

I roll my shoulders. "Let's press on."

The ground floor is largely uneventful: empty with the exception of the men we dispatched. Even from below, however, the second floor seems to brim with activity. Footsteps, shouting, loud snippets of conversation. They make no secret of their presence. Lends more and more weight to the theory that they are just a group of thugs. No organization to speak of. It does sound like quite a few, however.

Alex wants to charge right in and cut them down to the last man. This is an option, and a valid one. If the men we've already slain are any indication, they pose very little threat to us. The problem arises with the nobility. Even something like this leaves a trail. No matter my status on the Sword Coast, being hounded by a noble family is untenable.

Finally, we make our way to a staircase. The railing was once ornate, though the elements have stripped the finish, and collapsed a few steps. Luckily, it's still serviceable. Each step feels like setting off an alarm as they creak underfoot. With how loud and raucous the men are up there however, I'm not as worried about it as I normally would be.

I can tell that I'm trampling Alex's instincts. He's not used to being so passive and it shows. He fidgets every few seconds, and I have no idea whether or not he will end up boiling over. He seems to be capable of forcing himself to follow my lead. I would feel worse I think, if his preferred method wasn't just wanton murder.

We arrive at the top of the stairs faster than I expect. The footpaths up here are obvious as scrape lines and shoeprints mark them. Probably a result of the movement of provisions and other supplies. Though, my deliberations get cut short as a sweaty dwarf rounds the corner.

He manages a gasp as Alex rushes past me, careening into the man's throat, shield first. Rasping and choking fills the corner of the room we're in. It might be noticeable if the men a few rooms away weren't so consumed in debauchery. Alex is still hitting him as I stare in relative discomfort. The dwarf's face gets bloodier by the second, more resembling a crushed gourd by the end of Alex's assault. A thick sucking noise accompanies the removal of the shield from his skull.

Alex breathes heavily for a moment. I feel that I too might be tired after killing a man with just my wooden shield. A breathy whisper comes from Alex's mouth. "Was that a bit much for you?" The question is obviously rhetorical, meant to belittle my stomach for violence. "That's my day to day sometimes, not that I like it. We live in different worlds."

He's obviously still holding on to what I said earlier. As if my distaste for his methods is terribly offensive. I lean against the wall. "We are different, yes. And perhaps it wasn't my place to question you." A dent forms in my forehead. "I will not hold my tongue, however. You don't get a silent partner and I'm not sorry."

Alex looks me up and down, blowing a tuft of steam from his nose. "You're really talking that way to me?" He rolls his shoulders backward in an aggressive display. "Like I couldn't fold you in half, elf boy."

I hit a nerve. It happens sometimes, since I lack tact. Unfortunately, I'm not immune to provocation either. "What do you think you could do to me?" I let Kelemvor's cleansing radiance roll through my eyes for a moment. A flash of power. It's a juvenile use of my divine gifts, I know that, but my nature is getting the better of me.

I step away from the wall and lean down toward the kobold. "We can figure this out later, after our real enemy is dealt with."

Alex blinks away his anger, swallowing hard. "I'm glad we can agree to that."

The rooms up here consist mostly of shattered decorations and broken furnishings. Some of the rooms still retain characteristics of their past occupants. A moldy doll here, or a splintered loom there. The setting sun illuminates those various items in a way that I'm sure those previous tenants found pleasant.

We stride over to the closed door, behind which must be a fire, the way the light dances from beneath. Laughter and small talk is very clearly deciphered from here. If we didn't already know what these men were capable of, you might believe it was a band of travelers, enjoying each other's company. All that separates them from myself and my companion is this thin wooden door. An insignificant thing. Certainly not the barrier I would choose to hold death at bay.

I decide intimidation is the best course of action in this situation. As such, I launch my foot into the space just below the door handle. It splinters and gives way flying open, and silencing the room. The fire wavers and roars in response to the added airflow. Its denizens stare in stunned silence.

One dressed in fine garb speaks up first. "Greetings gentlemen, have you come to partake in our fire?" His attempt at cordiality is betrayed by the perspiration accumulating on his pointed chin.

Alex clutches his sword in a steel grip, still fighting back his instincts. I can't help but appreciate the effort. I address the well dressed ruffian. "I'm afraid we can build our own fires. You however need to go back home. This estate is not yours to occupy." A deception, since we can't allow their eviction to be traced back to Torqui. Best to keep our true purpose hidden.

Alex chimes in, through gritted teeth. "Yeah, get out. You ain't welcome around here, and ya never were." He begins to fidget once more.

As if to drop any facade, the man relaxes his shoulders. "Ya know, a few of my guys never came back." He scratches at his stubble. "You really go around killing folk over some sorry piece of land like this one?" That weight does hit me. Lives taken over what? Some kind of extortion?

I decide to be honest, easier that way. "Yes, they lie dead. We killed them because they got belligerent. Because they were disrespectful and violent. Because they broke the rules." I pull my sword off my back as if to punctuate the thought. "I wanted to bury them all before the sun finished setting, and it's already half way below the horizon."

Alex stares up into my eyes with some emotion I can't identify.

All six men rocket to their feet at my obvious provocation, and draw weapons. It ends up like this most of the time anyway. As a knight, I can perform summary executions against criminals that I deem to be guilty. Never once have I taken pleasure in the act. But the result? The result is a safer realm, a happier village, food on a child's plate. I can kill for these reasons.

Alexander leaps into the room as if propelled by an invisible spring. He fells an underling first, driving his blade into the man's ribs. The rest charge, three for me, two for him.

No coordination, weapons raised, and not a single one guarding against my swing. I'm killing peasants turned cut throats. I let holy energy flow from my hands into my blade. It glows with a comforting radiance that I imagine my enemies must find terrifying. I swing diagonally, bisecting the first two entirely. My sword cauterizes the cuts as it makes them, meaning a clean slice with almost no gore.

The third one loses her nerve and drops her weapon. There is a moment's consideration. I am incapable of turning my conscience off. But her crime outweighs her life. In truth, it's not up to me anymore, I simply can't let her live on principle. Her head comes cleanly off her shoulders with an automatic swing.

Alexander has finished his fight as well. The nobleman's... son? Brother? In any case, he's a new corpse. Alex took the man's hand off at some point during their scuffle. He had a sizable purse. We split it down the middle.

It takes until the sun disappears to bury all the bodies, the fertile garden soil making as good a resting place as any for them. I consecrate the grounds as is my duty.

The night will be stayed here, as we are both tired, and one of us needs sleep. Their fire and provisions will do nicely in terms of comfort. As will their cots.

The fire light illuminates what I assume to be the master bedroom nicely. It's warm, and there's plenty of space for both of us.

Alex decides to break the silence. "Asra, you owe me a fight." His expression radiates excitement.

I stand and look into the fire. "Are you still angry about what I said?"

Alexander sets his weapons down against nearby crates. "A bit angry." He cracks his knuckles almost playfully.

I let a long breath out through my nose and set my own sword on the ground. "Hand to hand, yes?"

Alex narrows his eyes and assumes a fighting stance I've never seen. I'm unable to tell whether it is a true form, or some sort of barbaric improvisation. "Yeah, don't wanna kill ya. Ya know?"