From the Office of Army Intelligence
Imperial Guard Headquaters, Gregminster
To: Lieutenant-General Ain Gide, Fortress of Kwaba
Cc: Adm. Sonya Shulen, Fortress of Shasarazade
My Lord,
As you are aware, the OAI has been tasked with identifying areas of rebellion and sedition throughout the Empire. While we appreciate your continued service as the last-line defense of our great heartland, we believe that you have been lax in your duties to control certain criminal elements within your domain. By His Majesty's decree, we must all do our part to stymie the corruption that threatens the society we have fought so hard to create.
To this end, you are hereby requested and required to send a detachment of soldiers to both Mt. Tigerwolf and Mt. Seifu. After careful consideration and consultation with assets in the field, we believe these to be the most likely routes of egress for rebels escaping the destruction of their stronghold in Lenankamp. Current intelligence believes that it is highly unlikely that whatever remains of this pitiful rebellion will try to cross Kwaba on foot.
In addition to hunting for rebels and malcontents, you are also required to get this mountain bandit situation under control; it has come to our attention that a grain convoy from Rockland has once again gone missing and Sarady has been identified as an entry point for weapons and other contraband making its way to the north via pirates on Lake Toran. Your attention to this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Long live His Majesty, The Golden Emperor Barbarossa Rugner!
With regards,
Commander Kraze Miles, dictated but not read.
"Gotcha!"
The words were barely out of his mouth before Ledon found himself once again evaded by the same troublesome pest that had been hounding him for the past week. Rats were an unfortunate nemesis for many an innkeeper, but Ledon found the task of disposing of them a particular challenge. And this individual was grating the fool's already tattered nerves.
Ledon recalled reading once that some innkeepers use cheese to coax the vermin from hiding, but the notion of feeding this pest who had already grown fat on his grain stores did not sit well with him, even if he did have the cheese to spare. As if the Cut Rabbits and Giant Snails that roamed Mt. Tigerwolf weren't enough of a nuisance to his business. Now maybe if he caught one and set it loose on the rat...
No, bad idea; the Cut Rabbit and rat would surely conspire to damage his business further. Ledon didn't know what it was, but he often found that forces often arrayed themselves against him. Oh, woe is the solitary mountain innkeeper, with nary even a marginally affluent traveller to mug.
If he were being honest, things had only gone downhill for poor Ledon ever since that Silverberg woman and her rough-looking cohorts had visited his inn. Ledon recalled with distaste as Boss Kessler casually offered up his head as penance to the rebel leader. Oh, how juicy their purses looked!
Ledon's train of thought was distracted as the object of his impotent rage peeked its whiskered head through a hole in the wall. It sat there, mockingly, with a chunk of Ledon's prized aged cheddar clamped in its stupid little maw. Ledon instinctively reached for the nearest object which happened to be one of his favorite teacups and hurled it at the intruder.
He missed, of course. This was a game of wits now, and Ledon was clearly outmatched.
The sad little innkeeper sauntered over to the remains of his shattered teacup, another casualty of his string of seemingly never ending bad fortune. As he stepped behind the front counter to fetch a dustpan, the little bell above the front door rang as a solitary traveller entered.
"Welcome, traveller..." he murmured disinterestedly as he was too forlorn over his latest defeat to be uplifted by the prospect of an actual customer.
The traveller stepped into the dining hall where Ledon was sweeping up the last pieces of his dearly departed teacup and glanced around at the disarray. Makeshift traps littered the floor, chairs were upturned and a thick layer of dust was covering the solitary dining table. He paused before regarding the innkeeper. "Are you open?"
"You think I can afford to be closed?" Ledon replied brusquely, his gaze never leaving the shards of porcelain in his dustpan.
The traveller made his way to one of the dining chairs, dusted it off and plunked it down on the hardwood floor with an audible thump, clearly unamused at the other's indifference. "I require a meal, and maybe a place to spend the evening."
Ledon shot up and deposited the contents of the dustpan over his shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry sir," he pleaded. "Yes, of course. Please pardon the mess, just some problems with another guest..."
The traveller waved his hand dismissively as he sat down at the table. "No need to explain; there are no shortages of vermin in my line of work, either."
Ledon turned and regarded the traveller for the first time since he had entered; he was tall, broad-shouldered, cloaked in heavy furs and had a head of tightly cropped black hair. After it was clear that he wasn't going to elaborate, Ledon decided to press the issue. "And what line of work is that?"
The traveller held his gaze for a moment before replying: "Textiles. I'm a merchant from Gregminster. Bastards are in all my storehouses, there just never seems to be an end to them."
Nodding apprehensively, Ledon proceeded to dust off the dining table. "Of course, sir, allow me to welcome you to the Mt. Tigerwolf Inn. My name is Ledon."
The traveller nodded and reached for his coin purse, dug around inside, and handed the innkeeper five one-hundred bit coins. "Rosh," he offered. "Rosh Herrington."
Ledon eagerly pocketed the coins before replying and rushed hurriedly to the kitchen behind the front counter. "Would Master Rosh like some of our own Mt. Tigerwolf Rabbit Stew?"
"That sounds fine," Rosh replied, glancing around at the rest of the inn whilst trying to hide his strong disapproval. "Get many visitors up here?"
"Apart from the odd huntsman or traveller to Sarady, I can't say that I do, sir." Ledon said, ladling a large portion of lukewarm stew into a bowl and returning to the dining area. As he lay the bowl down in front of Rosh, he caught what appeared to be the faint reflection of a dagger beneath Rosh's cloak. "Is there much money to be made trading textiles in Sarady?"
"You'd be surprised..." Rosh trailed off as he skimmed a thick layer of scum off the top of his stew. As he stirred, a solitary tooth floated to the surface and Rosh fought to hold down the bile that had formed in his gullet. "Of course, the real money is in Lenankamp."
Rosh pushed the bowl away towards the centre of the table and regarded Ledon, who appeared more unnerved than before. "Have you had many visitors from Lenankamp?" He continued, digging into his purse and laying five more coins down on the table.
Ledon sat down opposite of Rosh, his glance alternating between the coins on the table and that dagger from before. For some reason, his thoughts drifted to that article he had read earlier about cheese... "Well yeah, now that you mention it, there were some folk heading over the mountain from Lenankamp."
"Uh-huh" Rosh continued. "Did they have a large bear-looking man with them?"
"You see all sorts in this business" Ledon replied, reaching tentatively for the coins at the centre of the table and suddenly feeling very uncomfortable under Rosh's gaze. "Why, he owe you money or something?"
Rosh beat him to it, and pulled the coins back to his side of the table, his eyes never leaving Ledon's. "Let's just say that I too have been having issues with rats slipping through my fingers."
Ledon sat back in his seat, now left to think exclusively of that dagger under Rosh's cloak. Suddenly, a moment of inspiration hit him. "If the stew is not to your liking, perhaps you'd prefer some tea?"
"Yes," Rosh acquiesced, the revulsion of Ledon's "stew" still churning his insides. "Some tea would be lovely."
Ledon hurried back behind the counter, pushing aside the various jars until he saw the one labeled "'Special' Tea." He made a promise to Odessa never to serve this again, insistent that he had learned his lesson. But this Rosh is just too suspicious.
After preparing the tea, Ledon returned to Rosh and sat the cup down in front of him. "Here you go, sir. I'm told some find it rather bitter, but it finishes clean. I think you'll like it."
Rosh took the cup and regarded it briefly then returned his gaze to Ledon. "If you say so," he replied, and proceeded to down it, a look of disgust sweeping across his face as he did.
Yes! Victory! Ledon exclaimed silently before rushing to fill Rosh's cup again, but the other stopped him with an open hand. "Oh, you've had enough? You really ought to have more, it'll help you sleep."
"No, that's quite all right," replied Rosh. "I want to talk about the bear-looking man; specifically, the boy and the redhead that were accompanying him."
"Oh, I can't discuss past customers," he stammered, returning the iron pot to the kitchen. "And besides, I'm pretty sure I'd remember if Lady...Redhead was at my inn." C'mon, you stupid tea! Work faster!
Rosh returned to his feet, approached Ledon, and smiled. "I never said she was a lady."
Eek! Ledon hurried back behind the desk, cursing himself for his blunder. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
"Well, no, you didn't," he gulped "but what sort of men travel without at least one lady? Besides, they only spent one night. I haven't done anything wrong!"
"You're awfully defensive, "Rosh replied, lording over him now. The way he stood with his hands at his waist only made the dagger on his belt seem more threatening. For a moment, Ledon thought he could make out the faint outline of an Imperial insignia on the hilt.
"Do you have something you want to tell me?"
"No, no, no" Ledon repeated, his heart pounding in his chest as Rosh got closer. "I'm just a foolish innkeeper who's been alone in the mountains for too long. Please don't hurt me!"
Rosh stopped just inches short of Ledon who was now backed squarely in the corner of the inn. "The thing of it is, Ledon, you have done something wrong. You're a thief, a snivelling coward, and a liar. And if that wasn't enough, you just admitted to harbouring fugitives of the state."
"I'll do anything!" the innkeeper sobbed. "Boss Kessler is the one you want! He's a member of the Liberation Army!"
Rosh backed off just slightly and regarded Ledon who was now welling up uncontrollably from behind pressed eyelids. "It's too late for that," he said softly, the menace gone from his voice. "I'm taking you back to Lord Ain Gide. You'll be charged with banditry, aiding and abetting fugitives..." he trailed off, suddenly aware of his clumsy gait. "...and attempting to poison an Imperial off..." his final word broke off as Rosh's eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped forward into Ledon.
Ledon gasped for air, but only caught whiffs of Rosh's sour breath as the Imperial officer's unconscious body pinned him to the wall. Slowly, Rosh's body slipped down onto the floor with an unceremonious thud.
A minute or two passed, and Ledon finally managed to stand at full height. Glancing down at the floor, he was struck by an uncharacteristic jolt of pride as his lungs found their breath. "Oh, what now?" he chided. "You Imperials act all tough, but you're just another victim of my special tea!"
"I'd say that he was about thirty seconds away from putting you in irons for the rest of your life."
Eek! Ledon shot up and turned his attention to the familiar voice. "B-b-boss K-Kessler," he stuttered. "How long have you been there?"
Kessler approached Ledon casually from the shadows of the kitchen. "Long enough to hear the news that I'm now a full-fledged member of the Liberation Army."
"But Boss Kessler! He was going to give me to up to the Imperial Guard. I would have lost my head for sure this time!"
The bandit leader nodded his approval. "I know. We'll have to save your decapitation for another time, Ledon. For now, we gotta leave before Mr. Imperial Spy here wakes up and the mountain is crawling with Ain Gide's men."