Ilus Rises: Chapter 15 Part 1 of 2

Chapter 15:

The increased number of shops selling armor, weapons various consumables and uptick in taverns was a clear a giveaway that they were closing in on the adventurer’s guild.

Petor glanced over to Desari, she still watched the street, but there was a detachment.

She’d been on the war path to the gate and then again to Jorvik. His information leaving her thoughtful.

The doors to the guild were wide open. One of the merfolk jumped out of a cut out section of dock and landed easily, three others following him, including a regular human.

So that’s what those are for. Wonder what’s down there.

Inside the doors of the hall, things were simple. Postings covered the right wall, on the left different beasts were being delivered, the attendants wearing coveralls to protect against the water and blood.

The counters right ahead dealt with requests coming in.

It was busy but quiet.

Petor stepped into line, the whole process moving quickly before he reached the front.

“What can we do for you?” The woman asked behind the counter.

“We came across several maps, logbooks and pieces of information that might be valuable for people looking to clear out or raid such locations.” Petor took out a map of a reef of islands that hid broken ships, marked up with a position of a cache.

The woman looked over the information.

“This is rather interesting.” She bit her lower lip. “Let me check if our cartographer is in. He can verify these and give us a more accurate understanding of their value.”

“Sounds good.”

She hurried off into the back offices, returning a few minutes later around the counter.

“I just caught him, this way.” She waved them over and through a door.

They passed rooms where beasts were being processed, others were items were checked.

She knocked on a door. “Mister Eldon?”

“Come on in Lyssandra.”

She opened the door and waved them inside.

There was a tilted desk facing the window. A mer-man who was more grey than blue turned to them, his skin pinched and wrinkled with age.

The back wall was covered in a map that was equal parts informative and beautiful. Colors had been used to add details to islands and areas. Misty Cove was represented with an artistic recreation.

The area around the map table were covered in different curved angled and straight tools as well as various writing utensils. The walls were covered in shelves holding all kinds of maps, rolled, in books and any other form possible.

“I’m told you have some maps and information that might be useful,” he stood up and scooped maps and materials off of two chairs looking around for a place for them. “Where to put you. Ah, please take a seat.”

He moved to the left wall’s shelves as Lyssandra closed the door behind them.

Petor sat on the foldable chair as Eldon wedged the random maps and items into a shelf. He checked to make sure nothing would fall out, before patting his hands and turning with a wide smile. “Very good.” He moved back to his chair next to the table. “Okay so usually I take a look at the items, see how valuable they may be and then we can come to a price.” He dropped into his seat with a sigh. “Does that sound good to you?”

Well there wasn’t many other options, well there was going to map shops… If he could get it all done in one shot. “Yeah that sounds good.”

“Alright lets have it then,” Eldon smiled. “Also, is there anyone else that has this information?”

“We copied it down to our maps but no one in Misty Cove,” Desari said.

Petor pulled out the bundle that Mya had cleaned up.

“Ah, perfect, that’ll increase the price nicely.” Eldon took the bundle with a wink. He pressed something under the table, pulling it out and more level. He hummed to himself as he flicked through the various papers, books and scrolls.

“Oh, siren’s lair. Interesting. Very detailed. With proper protection then one could get through easily. We have a mission out for the area. We could decrease the risk a lot with this.” He put it to the side.

“Oh a pirate hideout. That’ll take a larger group and possibly a fleet. Lord Osori might take interest in that one.”

He riffled through the log books. “Not the best descriptions, didn’t know their landmarks too well, but we’ve got some good understanding of the razor shoals not far from here. Looks like several beast lairs, pirate boltholes too. These pirates how many crew, ships?” He turned from the table.

“Three ships, one with about two hundred cannons, the other two with about a hundred and forty. Not sure the number of crew,” Petor looked at Desari.

His eyebrows climbed. “Oh that’s going to drive up the price a good amount… Actually. Are you two guild members?”

Petor took out his rough tag from Sorelli.

“Well looks like you haven’t updated that in a while,” Eldon chuckled. “The Captain of the ships, did he have a blade that would steal one’s strength?”

“Yes?” Petor frowned.

“Ah, good!” Eldon pulled down a piece of paper and jotted down some notes on it. “He was known as Captain claw. There was a bounty on his head and that of his ships. These log books are enough to confirm it. He noted down several ships that disappeared.” He stamped the paper, eyed it and picked it up, holding it out to Petor. “This will confirm that you killed him to the front counter and you can collect the bounty. I think it got rather high.”

Petor took the offered sheet and tucked it away.

“It also means that information on where they were storing things, who they were selling too is more valuable.” Eldon turned back to the log books. “We figured that there was someone telling them who was leaving, in which direction and with valuable loads. This should go a long way in figuring out who.”

He reached the bottom of the pile and started stacking it back together.

“I’d offer you,” He hummed to himself. “Lets call it Twenty nine thousand? There’s a lot of information that will be helpful to locals that we can resell. It also opens up several new missions with high returns that should be easy to carry out with this.” He tapped the papers.

“Could I buy a map of the area too?” Petor asked.

“I can give you a local water map for fifty, underwater for two hundred. Or I can give you a detailed over and under map of most the area for a thousand.” He gestured to the map on the wall. “It’s well detailed. Got four of the nearest convergence points on it as well as the roving trading lanes.”

“The detailed larger one,” Petor said. Mya will like it and its good to have.

“Twenty eight thousand then?”

“That works with me,” Petor said.

“Alright,” Eldon smiled, he grabbed another piece of paper, writing on it, stamped it and passed it over.

“Thank you.” Petor checked it. It had all the correct information. He folded it and added it to the other in his pocket.

Eldon stood and ran a finger down  maps on a shelf under the large map, he pulled out a sheet and unfolded it several times before expertly collapsing it back.

“Note looks all good to me,” Petor said, accepting the map,glancing at it. It wasn’t as ornate instead of the artistic flair various locations had been blown up and given their own maps showing the streets.”

“Not a problem. I’m rather excited to get into all of this,” Eldon smiled. Petor and Desari rose, heading for the door. “it’ll be a good long night checking through these.”

Desari opened the door, Eldon following.

“Night!” Petor said.

“You as well.” Eldon closed the door behind them.

A short walk took them back to the counter and Lyssandra.

“I hope everything went well?” She perked up.

“Very, Eldon gave us these,” Petor held out the two piece of paper.

She took them, reading them both.

“Good riddance, Claw was a scourge on travel. Scared people with his attacks. Should let us breathe a little easier.” Lyssandra flipped through pages under the counter top. Her eyebrows climbing a bit at what she found.

“Would you like it added to your account, as a writ or gold?”

“Gold please,” Petor said. The fake adventurer status wasn’t going to make things much easier.

“One second.” She headed back into the offices, coming out with two others, they gave pressed but tired smiles. Wrapping up their days work as well.

“All looks to be good, if you are ready?” The man held out his hand.

“Could you do it in cores?” Desari asked.

“We don’t hold that many cores, instead selling them to traders,” The man grimaced. “Sorry.”

“No worries,” Desari nodded to Petor and scanned the room.

Petor took off his amulet and held it under the man’s hand.

Gold bars fell and entered his amulet.

I’m going to need a bigger damn storage device!

The flow stopped as Petor’s concern grew.

“There we are.” The man smiled and stepped backwards, he and the other man heading into the offices.

Lyssandra held out a piece of paper.

“An accounting of the transaction for bounty and maps.”

“Thank you,” Petor glanced at it. That can’t be right.

“Have a good night,” She smiled.

“You too,” Petor put his amulet back on and headed for the door.

He pulled up the piece of paper and glanced at it again.

A hundred and sixteen thousand gold?

“Lets head back to meet up with the others,” Desari said.

“Umm, yeah sure.” He pocketed the receipt. “I wonder how they did with selling off the rest of the gear.”

“Mya will have squeezed out every copper she can,” Desari shook her head.

“Fair,” Petor grinned.

***

Petor stood up, from the crate he’d been sitting on outside the Rolling Ruckus.

Mya raised her hand in greeting as Desari picked herself up from the crate she’d been sitting on. Valter tilted his head back in greeting.

“How’d it go?” Petor asked.

“Well, we got some good prices on the loot,” Mya looed her thumbs into her belt proudly. “Yourselves?”

“Three days before the convergence point opens, fifteen thousand per,” Desari said.

“Not cheap but cheaper than cores,” Valter said.

“Problems,” Desari said.

“Huh?” Petor asked.

“Foot traffic is down, there are people moving around the alleyways on either side. Few dock workers that were on the lookout are coming up behind us. See that group of inspectors at the edge of where the dock starts? They’re moving to intercept us and they’re readying for a fight.”

Petor glanced back. I wondered what they were looking for.

“Thoughts?” Mya asked.

“There’s a lot of them and its going to get messy quick. Their gear marks them as inspectors,” Desari said.

“I’ll take the rear,” Petor said.

“Left,” Valter said.

“I have the front, got just the thing,” Mya said.

“Right,” Desari said.

“That’s far enough there,” A large man wearing armor several times better than that of the inspectors around him.

“Going to have to ask you why,” Mya asked with a smile. “We’re just headed back to our ship.”

“You’re going to have to come with me,” The larger man leading them said, ten guards in that black leather of the inspectors spreading out to either side of him.

“Oh, and what for?”

“Well you see there has been a very serious accusation levelled at yourself and your companions.”

“You stole my ships,” A Lizardian stepped out of an alleyway on the right with a half dozen sailors at his back. The one that had been on the second merchant ship, next to the captain.

The rowboat tough that Petor had got into a shouting match with, backed by another dozen sailors and some dock workers spread out on the left.

Inspectors joined the dock workers filling up the road behind them.

Anyone else was scarpering away, even the band in the Rolling Ruckus had quietened.

“I haven’t stolen any ships,” Mya slipped her fingers into her belt. She shook her head with a confused frown.

Petor shifted his stance, to cover the rear, readying his armor and his spear. The inspectors carried spears, the dock workers and sailors held various lengths of wood, bone or stone, a few cutting blades. He started building out the structure for the arcane blast spell.

Compression of mana until it spontaneously detonates. Take a single point, a sphere and overload the volume.

The harbormaster shook his head, with a faux pained looked on his face as he widened out his hands.

“Well you see the thing is that Mister Zilthor here is a trader of repute in this here cove. I don’t know you. Them ships they weren’t yours to take.” He waved his finger back and forth.

“Didn’t think I’d come for my ships did you?” The lizardman-Zilthor hissed.

“Desari?” Mya asked, her voice low and apologetic.

“Don’t worry dockmaster Krev will look after yah,” Krev laughed. “A little oath little work for myself for a few years and you’ll be free to go.” His grin turned leering.

“Mother fuckers,” Desari spat.

“No need for that now,” Krev laughed, the others chuckling around them and converging.

“You know who we are?” Valter asked.

“Four idiots that thought you could make off with three ships,” Krev sneered and waved to them “Put some sense into them. Don’t bruise up the girls too much. Worth more if they’re still pretty.”

Petor felt the mana gather around Desari.

“You know our employer of a sort, he called us the four horsemen. Supposed to ride into a place and then leave it in a shambles of what it was. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to do that,” Mya chuckled, making the others pause. “Way I see it, we saved their miserable lives.” She tilted her head in the direction of Zilthor.

Petor wiggled his fingers.

“So their souls are mine!”

Faces started to changed as Petor called his armor and spear, and allowed mana to flow into his arcane blast.

***