Dark alleys and darker deeds
(Collaberation with drmigit2)
"What is it that you want from me?"
The dwarf leaned back and pressed his baggage against a stone wallto lessen the pressure on his shoulders. He looked tired and worn-out, he seemed like he took a bad dose of Skooma - all sweaty and jittery, paranoid and quite terrified. That could have been the case had he not fled his laboratory a few minutes ago with his life's work. The Beggar's banquet meant that there were less patrols around the city and even less guards available to reah for emergencies. The dwarf was lost, banished from his home by marauding bandits that thought reclaiming a debt was all about destroying decades worth of work for laughs.
'I saw you looking for an entrance. You want a contract, work, right? I have it for you... Helpme reclaim my home from intruders, and I can give you potions, even recipes. Please, while there's still time. They can't burn down all of my work...Will you help me?!?'
Claiborne gave the dwarf a suspicious glance, but shrugged. He seemed strange, and it's possible that this was a trap. Claiborne didn't have much gold, but there was always the risk that someone just wanted the clothes off of his back. Still, Claiborne did notice that there weren't very many patrols out. Perhaps the dwarf was telling the truth.
"I can help you. But I need some information first. Who broke into your home, how many? What are they armed with? Also, where even is your home?"
There was some hope for the dwarf after all. The demonic creature was interested in a fight, but cautious to a fault.
'Follow me to the walls - I live inside'. The dwarf staggered sideways and smacked in the other stone wall besides him before walking off towards his home.
'They're thugs hired by a man with no patience... I saw three of them with clubs and knives'. The dwarf turned a corner and hoped his savior was behind him. 'Mr. Savage isn't someone to mess with, but when the Guild hears about this...'
He turned back and saw nothing behind him. His heart sank, and it all felt meaningless. He gave it ome last try. 'Are you there? Please hurry!'
Claiborne walked into sight again. He was touching the walls gently. ?I was looking for traps?, he said. ?I still don?t trust you entirely, but it doesn?t seem that there are any actual traps around here, so I?ll go ahead and do what you need.? Claiborne reached for his sword. He unsheathed it and it glistened a little bit, it looked expensive to the dwarf. ?You said they are in here, yes??
The dwarf nodded, he pointed to a door on the wall. It was odd looking, and it seemed almost improved. He backed away a few steps, he then hid behind a corner. ?You go ahead and show them what for! I will stand back here in case you need some help??
Claiborne shook his head and knocked on the door. He could hear the ruckus inside, the bandits were having a fun time in there. He hoped they had their fill, would make them easier to evict. They didn?t seem to respond, so he knocked again. Eventually the noise died down and one of them slowly opened the door. He cracked it halfway and put a knife up to Claiborne?s belly. ?Eh? What the fuck do you want? Can?t you see that this house is busy? We gots some work to do for Mr. Savage.?
The other two were being silent. Claiborne quickly turned the area near the knife to stone and flung the door open. He could feel the thug push the knife, but it just bent a little bit. Claiborne looked at him and with a hint of disgust said, ?If you want to live, I suggest you stop that immediately.? He could see the other two, who both began to crumple back when they saw exactly who was at the door. The man at the front looked at his knife and took a few steps back, drawing his club.
Claiborne could see the inside of the house now, it was cramped to say the least. There was an overturned table, a tiny mattress that had been cut into and flung across the room. The alchemy equipment was stuffed haphazardly into bags and some of the glassware was broken. What Claiborne could see that wasn?t disturbed was the cabinets, which were all open, but not broken. He sighed and said ?You are going to need to leave all of that here."
?What do you think you?re doing? This here is Mr. Savage?s property now! We own this fair and square, and can do what we like!? Claiborne rolled his eyes and pointed his sword at the talkative one. ?Mr. Savage says he needs this place in one piece. You three better move out of here now, or Mr. Savage will be very disappointed.? Claiborne then stepped forward a bit and grimaced ?And we don?t want to disappoint Mr. Savage now, do we??
The three looked at each other, looked at the hulk of a man in front of them, then looked back at each other. The leader nodded and said ?Y-y yes sir Mr?.ummm?what?s your name?? Claiborne stared at him unwavering and said ?Khybern. My name is Khyburn and don?t you forget it.? The three nodded very quickly and shuffled out of the house. ?You?ll tell Mr. Savage that we got out right? We don?t want no trouble, this is just what he usually does to those who don?t pay. We didn?t do nothin wrong, yeah??
Claiborne nodded and the three ran about as fast as they could in the direction opposite of the hovel. Claiborne walked over to where the dwarf was hiding. He had moved to a nearby barrel when the commotion started. He knocked on the barrel. ?You can come out now, they won?t be bothering you anymore.?
The dwarf meekly left his hiding spot and dragged the wooden cabinet on his back all the way to the entrance of his home. He dropped it to the ground in a fit of rage. They had ransacked his laboratory, stole from his cache, drank his potions and sniffed his powders... It was a catasprophe, but at least it wasn't all lost. They didn't find the basement door.
'Thank you', the dwarf dragged his heavy cabinet inside and rested on top of his ruined bed. 'My name is Gimli. As you can see, I am - or was, if the damage will prove to be too extensive, an Alchemist. I work with the Guild in supplying them with potions, healing salves, powders, explosives, arcana shells and whatnot. I have little to give you right now, but I can promise you this - you won't be without work. Fuck the Guild!'. Gimli looked around him nervously when he realized what he had just shouted, his eyes widening with horror.
'They couldn't be arsed to help me, and here you came, mister... eh... what is your name?'. Gimli didn't wait for an answer, instead he walked around his home and began assessing the damage. He bent down to ruffle through a pile of papers and retrieved a thick notebook underneath. 'Ha! Here it is. This book will teach you, oh yes, how to get what I need. Goblin spleens and darkroot flowers, cave-gnome bladders and Gargoyle cocks'.
He showed the dusty old notebook to his savior and handed it to him.'Come to me tomorrow evening, and I will have some order here. Work will start to pile up, and I will need materials. Work for me, and forget about giving the guild a cut. That is, of course, if we keep this between us, yes?'.
Claiborne picked up the book. He smirked and nodded. "Yeah, I think I can do this for you. If these guys come back, just tell me and I can deal with them. Next time I won't be quite so nice. Name's Claiborne by the way."
