It turned out that killing a high-ranking noble was easy when you knew the right people.
It was not a momentous occasion for me beyond the promise of the money that lied at the other end. Even Adelbern had settled into a contemplative silence as we sat in the living room and thought about what we'd done. I had knocked down a domino, and the consequences would be far reaching and unpredictable. His house would scramble to appoint a successor; people would sharpen their knives and start scheming to take their share of his property. Sull had lost a talented commander and their assault was now firmly on ice. The war hawk Inquisitors had lost a key ally within the Monarchy.
Ruining a lot of people's day was just fine by me. There'd be many questions asked of the ashen faced witnesses to the crime. The guards were everywhere, combing every street and knocking on every door except Adel's. They didn't want to tangle with an Inquisitor. The next concern on my mind was making my way back out of Blackwake and to safer harbour. The Warsister would know of Forester's death thanks to her embedded spies, but I needed to see her in person to claim the reward she promised.
"I feel rather unsettled about all of this," Adelbern declared, "You may not believe me – but this was the very first time I have assassinated someone."
I snorted, "Life has a way of doing that, turning you into someone who'll kill to get your way."
He didn't seem to like my answer. His face twisted inwards like he was sucking on a lemon.
"Listen. It's something that you never get used to. As long as you still have a compassionate bone in your body, you'll always remember that you killed them."
"I've seen people who would disagree."
I shook my head, "They're either lying or they've lost it. If you don't feel like a prick after cutting some guy's neck while he sleeps, you need to take a step back and reconsider your attitude. Feeling bitter about it is a good thing."
Part of me didn't believe a damn word he was saying. How could he have worked for the Absolver for so long and never once killed someone in an underhanded way? Had he only just now realised the full extent of his own authority and the ways he could abuse it? There was an emptiness to his stare that spoke of some type of emotional distress. He crossed his arms and leant back in his seat, "What are you going to do now?"
"Get ourselves gone and claim the bounty in full. But I know it isn't going to be that easy to get out of here with everyone going crazy over Forester being put under. I presume you have no complaints about us getting out of your hair?"
"No. Though I should warn you that the Absolver will continue to dispense cursed objects for you to recover."
"What a prick. Does he think this is some sort of game?"
Adel shrugged, "Extracting them from the armoury is difficult, and he's making every precaution to ensure that he isn't implicated in the scheme. That means they have to change hands between several different people who all don't know what's going on. The dagger you retrieved was meant to be sold to a weapon's collector who lived in that area."
"He turned up dead."
"I am aware. The Absolver wasn't particularly upset to learn of the way you retrieved it. As long as they come into your possession somehow…"
I held up my finger, "Just because I have them doesn't mean I'm going to use them."
Adel cracked a small smile, "Really? Because you've just become enemy number one for a lot of important people. Are you going to turn down the chance to become more powerful, to unlock Stigma's true potential?"
"Stop trying to con me into this," I warned, "It could just as easily kill me. It hurts like a bitch to take one of those things." I unrolled my sleeve and revealed the extremely pale skin that had slithered up my arm. The veins that had worried me so much had faded a little since the first time I noticed them. Some parts of my arm had started to suffer from irritation – the skin cracking and drying out randomly in large patches.
It was a contradictory state of being. From the outside it looked like I'd developed some kind of horrible condition or disease, but inside I was stronger than ever. Was the price to pay that I was turning into some kind of monster? Would I be squalid and pale, with sunken eyes and rotting flesh? There was simply no way in my mind that the benefits Stigma provided were only countered by her need to consume living souls.
"You know whatever this is, it's going to keep progressing no matter what you decide to do. Stigma's power is reduced, not sealed completely. Whether you decide to get it over with, or to delay it is ultimately not my place to say."
"You don't know that for sure."
"That's what the Absolver told me. And everything he has said about that sword thus far has been truthful."
"You already said he has an interest in seeing me consume all of the cursed objects in your possession. I'm not going to trust your word just like that." I stood from my seat and wandered over to where my things had been stored while I was pretending to be a fresh-faced squire. The journey back to the house had been quick and painless. Public word about Forester's death hadn't leaked just yet, but it would soon. I wanted to be out of Blackwake before it happened.
The front door opened and my companions entered. Tahar and Cali had been looking around to see what kind of reaction was occurring after the preceding night's events. The sun was going to come up soon and the working people would start filling the streets. It'd be easier for us to make a getaway with some social foliage to cover our tracks. Cali retrieved a piece of parchment from her pocket and laid it out on the table.
"You gotta' be kidding me," I groaned. Someone had been thrown some cash – and they'd squealed. My full name and a sketch of my face had been included on the poster. They worked fast. Too fast. They must have put dozens of these things up all over town. There was no investigative process needed. I was the one caught with my hand in the proverbial cookie jar, it begged to reason that they'd blame me even if I wasn't spotted at the scene of the crime.
"How did they get your name?" Adelbern asked.
"I worked with some people around here a few years ago. If someone was shopping for information, one of them might have broken ranks and told them."
"So much for that rogue loyalty," he muttered.
"Loyalty has limits," I responded. "They think I'm a dead man walking, so why not get some extra change out of the bailiffs while they have the chance? Give them a description and they'll have a good idea of who it was, all they have to do is give them my name."
I reached down and grabbed the top half of my helmet. I'd need to keep my face hidden from any onlookers. Sure – someone might try to grab me and take it off, but they'd lose a few teeth in the process.
"Isn't this problematic for you?"
"I'll manage. The Warsister is paying me enough to never have to come back here again."
Cali tipped her hat upwards; "We'd best be away as soon as possible, Ren."
Adelbern stewed in the corner. He must have been a man split into two pieces. He stood and approached me, "I suppose I should offer my thanks and my condolences. This will not be the last time we meet, of that I am certain."
"I'm dreading it already." I swung my bag back around my back and used it to cover as much of Stigma's blade as possible. We'd have to play this pretty smart to get out without being seen. I gave one last look to Adelbern and nodded to him, "Thanks for the assist, anyway."
With that, we were away through the back door of his home and into the tight streets of the city once more. Seeing through the small slit in the front of the helmet was constricting and not ideal should I have needed to run away. But with Tahar and Cali in tow, I needed to make sure that we could all keep up with each other. Cali didn't have any experience with adverse urban terrain like I did. Tahar couldn't navigate properly.
"Maybe it's best if you two met me outside the city," I said as we ducked down a dark alleyway, "You can probably get out of here without anyone stopping you. They're searching for me specifically now."
Cali was indecisive, "Are you sure? We can support you in a battle."
"The three of us can't take out this many guys. If I get spotted – it'll be easier for me to run for it instead of standing and fighting. Do you remember where we came from?"
"Yes," Tahar said, "I remember."
"Meet me there. I'll give them the slip and meet up with you."
This was a classic rogue tactic. Splitting up when you were being chased meant that there was a higher probability of some or everyone getting away. Cali and Tahar had it easier – they didn't know that they were associated with me. All they needed to do was avoid suspicion and get out of camps unseen. I had the harder task.
I left first, heading to the west and towards the side of the city where we originally entered. The streets were crawling with guards, it was like a wasp's nest had been dropped onto my lap. I had to use all of my guile and skill to stay out of sight and out of mind. The streets were starting to become populated by people other than myself – the dire warnings handed out by the guardsmen about the criminal on the loose wasn't enough to deter them from earning their day's pay.
All the better for me. I slipped between the gaps in the crowds and kept my head down. My armour would attract some attention, but most would merely dismiss me as a mercenary rather than a rogue. Guys in my line of business didn't get gear like this. I'd only earned it through a stroke of luck. Now it served as effective camouflage for my true self. This was my element, blending into a group and slipping around patrol patterns like they were nothing.
I quickly recognized that there was little rhyme or reason to the way they were searching. Guards and Inquisitors would post up on their favourite patch and stay there. That lack of movement made it easy for me to sneak by without even having to use any of my numerous talents. I was almost disappointed that I didn't get another chance to strut my stuff. At the end of the day, righteous fury wasn't enough to catch a criminal. There were a lot of them, but some of them were all looking the same way.
It took me less time than I expected to reach the gate out of the city, though to my frustration there were more guardsmen on the gate today than the day we entered. I counted four on each side of the entrance, and several more on top of the walls on either side. They were armed with crossbows. Unlike the others, they seemed somewhat vigilant about unwanted guests coming through.
I weighed the different options in my mind. I could conceivably break through their lines with the element of surprise and make a break for it. The crossbowmen wouldn't be able to train their sights on me until I was out the other side, and they were rather inaccurate at the best of times. The guards wouldn't pose a challenge in a test of stamina either. But I didn't know what was waiting for me through the tunnel. They could have reinforced the flanks to try and prevent my escape.
Forty men I could handle, a hundred plus was pushing my luck. I needed to make a choice, and soon.