Kitahria kept one watchful eye on the militia descending the stairs, and her other nervous eye on the tentacle feline chained to the wall. Though the twenty or so guardsmen were armed to the teeth, Kit was more concerned about the lewd monster staring at her with its hungry feline gaze. Even if the guards were somehow armed with silver weapons, or in the more likely event they simply overpower her and restrain her with their sheer numbers, she was more concerned about the thing on the wall that Sir Jose had called a displacer beast. Thoughts of its lustful tentacles raking and capturing her young nubile body sent her into a terrifying state of hysteria.
Despite her fear, Pig Iron brandished his golden bastard sword menacingly towards the militia while Maid had produced and aimed a formerly unseen crude goblin goblin bow at them. The basement seemed ready to explode into more violence but Sir Jose strode ahead to meet them. Kit expected her master to begin the battle in earnest, but instead he raised his hand.
"Stop now, or suffer the consequences," the knight demanded.
Mayor Gregor glared down the stairs, unimpressed by Jose and his band. " You do not scare us, my men are seasoned veterans. Do not forget we kept the dragon Magda at bay for two weeks. "
Jose raised an eyebrow." I might add that my squire and I are the ones that actually drove the dragon away. So if you and your men have a quarrel with us …in your well stocked warehouse I might add….we will be more than happy to oblige."
Mayor Gregor considered his words briefly than held out his hand at well. "Halt," he declared while glancing at his stored goods. "Perhaps this a misunderstanding after all. I believe he is a reasonable person. We can discuss the situation we find ourselves in like civilized men I believe."
Jose nodded and waved Pig Iron and Maid to stand down. The pair was wary but lowered their weapons reluctantly as ordered. Even though the knight was not their leader, his commanding presence was hard to ignore. Kit did not need to heed his order since she was already cowering from the midnight cat creature, and was all too happy when they were escorted past it.
When they left the displacer beast's sight, a sense of normalcy returned to the young squire and she breathed a sigh of relief. She was now ready for a battle, but thankful that it wasn't near that particular monster. She trotted next to her master's side and nodded to him with her virtue and maidenhood intact.
"I'm impressed. I would have expected you to pound the aristocracy out of that fat bug bear loving mayor by now," , teased Kit as a bit of her normal overconfidence returned.
Sir Jose did not seem to acknowledge her but simply stared at Mayor Gregor in front of him. "There's still plenty of time for that, but I have a few questions to ask first, "he suggested quietly with a wolfish grin.
Kit did not particularly like anyone in positions of authority. Perhaps it was some racial fear passed by her were fox ancestry or more likely it was due to the fact she was a servant to a demonic anarchist for most of her life. Regardless of the reason of her distaste for them, Kit thought them all as arrogant and self-important fakes, which took advantage of those they lorded over. Besides Sir Jose , she treated them all with a disrespectful degree of contempt, and Mayor Gregor was no exception.
As they were lead to what could best be described as a large sitting room, Kit gazed at the treasures Gregor had acquired. Statues made from excotic plants and stones, gold and silver decorations smithed by master craftsmen, furniture made from rare woods, and odd trinkets that glowed and levitated with a faint magical power. Kit was not impressed by this collection of wealth that the mayor had amassed; she had seen better hordes of ill-gotten booty in her travels, but she did note with slight curiosity that many of the items were inscribed with blood , had hidden demonic script, or worse had subtly hidden obscene acts portrayed on them. The young squire motioned to Sir Jose towards these items, and he nodded with a stern knowing look.
"I apologize for this meeting Sir Jose. I must admit it looks bad that you find us consorting with the very monsters that plague the countryside, but I assure you there is a perfectly rational reason for this. You will find the politics of the Western Freeholds is much more complex than the hack and slash policies of Grom or even the Northern Kingdoms, " began the Mayor as the group settled in.
"That is the reason I stayed my blade. I prefer to hear your explanation of why you have dealings with the bug bears rather than the monsters engaging you in mindless combat, " said Jose. Kit rolled her eyes at the obvious lie. From her brief service under the knight she noted that her master's hand was far from his sheathed blade but she could see it tense and ready to spring towards it in a second.
"Is your party thirsty? I have wines and ales from around the continent. You are from North Darokin are you not? Can I offer you some of your famous fermented Agave worm juice? "Offered the mayor as he momentarily evaded the question. A young servant entered the room with a silver platter, bearing several bottles of wine and glasses , as well as a crystal decanter of the fore mentioned golden liquid with several glass tumblers.
Kit eyed the platter cautiously but her keen nose did not detect any poison . She simply shook her head as she did not enjoy the taste of alcohol. Pig Iron however, grabbed one of the wine bottles, uncorked it crudely with his teeth, and took a deep swig. Maid was more polite and indicated to the servant which cordial she wanted, which the man promptly poured. The young squire expected her master to go straight for the agave worm juice, but he settled only for a glass of wine instead. Kit was always unnerved by the strange disgusting sounding concoction and knew it was Jose's favorite drink, so she was surprised when the knight refused to sample the beverage. Kit approved his restraint though,especially after watching it ruin the relationship between Sir Jose and the Lady Stille . She wanted him to have nothing to do with it anymore.
Mayor Gregor relaxed a bit as his guests enjoyed his hospitality, Kit smiled in amusement as she assumed he didn't realize how suddenly the calm atmosphere around them could change. "I knew you weren't like the others the first time I saw you. The other knights….they judged so quickly and harshly, bad for ..business ...you know."
Kit considered the fat mayor's hinted words, and a thought came to her head. Did Gregor have something to do with the other knight's disappearance?
Before she could voice her thoughts, Pig Iron's sparse hair around his ears began to stand atop his head, and his beard seemed to straighten out . The dwarf began to growl audibly like an angry beast at Gregor.
The militia men posted discreetly at the entrances of the sitting room went for their weapons, but Maid stood up and diffused the situation simply with a smile. "Diplomacy is not our ally's strong point, he wishes to know if the business you mention is the umm…", began the innkeeper but paused as she attempted to translate for the dwarf. " err….invisible hand….the guild of the raven …or perhaps the …umm inked dragons. Sorry for the translation, I'm not sure what he's saying exactly. "
Kit knew though. The dwarf had described various criminal cartels or thief guilds. She knew little of them save their exotic names, but she suspected the Inked Dragons was the title of the dreaded Yakuza from her homeland. She was a bit surprised to hear that their reach extended all the way to these foreign lands.
Gregor seemed taken aback, but quickly recovered his composure and stared at the dwarf. After a few seconds he nodded at the strange warrior. "I see you keep interesting company Sir Jose. To answer your friend's question, we are loosely affiliated with the Hand. Invisible or not, it is the source of much of the prosperity in these lands. Who do you think provided the funds to erect these walled towns in the middle of nowhere? Who do you think provides us with the money to afford these luxuries in this god forsaken land?"He asked while gesturing to the treasures around them.
"Umm…the miners and their hard work? " Quipped Kit, no longer able to contain herself. The speech by the mayor did nothing but confirm her thoughts on those in power, she thought disdainfully.
The mayor wrinkled his nose at the young squire. "It is true, the miners provide the hard work, and the materials we sell to our backers, but your simplistic view of the economy does nothing but reveal your embarrassing lack of knowledge," scoffed the mayor much to Kit's chagrin. " Someone needs to organize and protect the caravans, someone need to regulate the merchants and their sales, someone has to ensure the flow of commodities are regulated at a fair price to all, lastly someone needs to protect the town from the monsters that infests these mountains. "
Kit fumed at the fat man. She had heard this speech before. The rich and corrupt always made excuses to steal from the poor. One of the few things she enjoyed from her life under the evil spirit Mogombo, was that she often was given the task to extort money and concessions from such mercantile parasites. Though her former master was thoroughly evil, there was some sort of poetic justice from preying on these particular economic parasites.
Sir Jose sensed his squire growing rage, and gave her a warning glance. Kit controlled her anger as ordered and awaited her master's command.
"I assume that's why the goblins do not raid Essuria directly then? Even with your walls, they can always strike the outlying mines . You have an agreement with them, that's why they only attack caravans, or at least the ones that have not paid for your protection. In fact , if your associates actively target those that do not deal with you, it might drive up your little insurance side buisness, " commented Jose calmly.
Kit saw that the knight's explanation did not settle well with Maid, and it was her turn to restrain companion. She suspected the innkeeper had lost a few friends when her caravan was attacked by the raiders. She touched the innkeeper's hand slightly and the young innkeeper calmed slightly.
"An astute observation and I applaud your perception. It does encourage our reluctant clients, especially if they drive past a few razed wagons here and there, "laughed the Mayor, still oblivious to the danger around him. Despite his armed guards surrounding the room, Kit guessed the man would last only a few seconds if combat broke out. " It is true but our exact situation will pleasantly surprise you. Even though I am only a minor associate of the so called 'Invisible' Hand we do enjoy their protection and their clout when dealing with the monstrous hordes. Our mines and merchants are guarded against the dangers of the mountains; in return we supply them with supplies and some odd esoteric shipments from foreign lands. Believe it or not , we even receive additional payments from the monsters for this service ! Imagine , they pay us and in return our town is safe from harm. "
"Except of course the dragon, "noted Jose.
The mayor frowned and agreed reluctantly. "Yes, that damned dragon Magda was most certainly bad for business. You can't account for acts of gods and dragons I suppose."
Pig Iron clawed the air and wrinkled his nose at the comment. Maid seemed slightly confused but a hiss and a purr from the dwarf was enough to make her understand. "My business partner here understands your part of the agreement, but he's confused by the other side of this contract. Bug bears, goblins, and ogres aren't exactly known for their ability to make let alone keep their bargains. "
Gregor nodded. "Yes , from my brief exchanges with them I agree. The whole lot of them are a barbaric and conniving people, but someone else controls them. I do not know who, but it was clear to me from the start that the creatures I have been dealing with are merely pawns or catspaws of some greater power. Who they are , I do not know , nor do I wish to know. They helped me get rid of the last group of knights, and seize control of the town though and for that I am content. It was an easy task to lead those fools into an ambush and for that I was rewarded greatly with rare treasures that are beyond measure, " smiled the mayor at Sir Jose. "Treasures that I will gladly share for your complacency of my business affairs, of course."
Pig Iron , Maid , and Kit were shocked at the Mayor's admittance of his role in the disappearance of the former Knight Garrison. Even more shocking of course was Sir Jose's lack of response. Kit was sure, he would be beating the man's face into a pulp by now with his heavy plate gauntlets.
Jose simply nodded and considered the man's statement. "So this tunnel is merely a convenience for you to do business with your …partners …in the mountains. It isn't an invasion a tunnel at all I take it ? Is there anything else you can tell me about them, in case I need to gloss over my report to my Lord Rollo. I need an acceptable explanation of course to relay to him to clarify the disappearance of the previous Knights you know", noted the knight.
Kit found it hard to believe that her master was taking this so calmly. She doubted he actually was going to stand for this, since Sir Jose had always been blunt and combative in nature. Patience and tact were not words used to describe her lord. Did he change recently? Perhaps something good came from his break up with the Baroness after all she thought.
Mayor Gregor considered his words and shrugged. " That is all I know. Whoever pulls their strings are unknown to me. Although I did find that some of the currency they paid me in were odd to say the least. Beyond that I do not know who they are. "
"Why are you telling us all this? ", asked Maid. Kit nodded as she wondered the same thing herself.
Gregor did not seem to be amused at the innkeeper's question. Kit understood the reason though, minor satraps like himself often wanted to be addressed by those that are in power. It gave them a sense of worth in their unremarkable lives. Regardless of his scorn for Maid he sighed and answered. "I believe that we did not get off to the best start. After this conversation you have confirmed my beliefs and I believe we have an opportunity here to milk this situation to everyone's mutual benefit. You Sir Pig Iron are a member of the Dwarven Teamsters are you not? I am certain your less than honest, organization can provide certain goods that are unavailable to my own ..buisness associates, to the mysterious partners in the mountains. And you , Miss Maid , I recognized your talents immediately . I need someone like you to keep an eye on the population and to report any…dissenters… or troublemakers in Essuria. You have a way with people that makes them trust you, and since you already have dealings with one criminal organization I have no doubt you won't have objections dealing with another. As for our esteemed Sir Jose , I initially had reservations about him . After his long trek across the mountains and the battle with the dragon , I did not realize he was a paladin from his less than pristine appearance. At first I thought he was a simple vagabond adventurer not one of the famous Knight's of the Husky. I had to avoid direct contact with the previous knights you know for fear they would use their weird eyes on me and then smite me or drive me away from this town, and I was certain he would do the same to me after I presented the keys to the city to him. To my surprise he didn't , then I suspected there was more to our knight than meets the eye. Upon further investigation, I discovered his squire was evil of all things and I assumed the man was a holy knight in name only. After all, no self-respecting paladin would deal with criminals and keep an ethically challenged squire. I was delighted to discover that finally a man whom I can deal with had come to town. With Sir Jose here representing the distant Northern Order's interest, I can operate without the scrutiny of Sherriff Trent or the other city States of the Western Freeholds. Who would question the legitimacy of the knight that drove off a dragon? I was prepared to approach you and work out a suitable arrangement but unfortunately you somehow discovered the tunnel beneath the town first. Luckily for me , my intuition of the situation paid off, and here we are, peaceably discussing terms of how to divide not only the labors of the hard working miners in town, but the sums paid by the mysterious overlord in the mountains, " waxed the mayor confidently.
Kit was in shock. She was evil? She didn't feel evil, in fact she thought she had turned a new leaf when Sir Jose took her under his wing. Kit thought of Pig Iron as some criminal's hired muscle, not some mastermind felon that the mayor described him to be. As for Maid, she fully believed she was forced into her contract due to desperation, not a willingness to engage in less than savory business dealings. Finally she found it hard to believe that Sir Jose had fallen from grace. Thought it did explain why the Baroness left her, and why he was so willing to begin this solo crusade in this distant foreign land. Did he do this in an attempt to redeem himself, or was he hoping to carve himself a little empire here outside of his order's eyes? The mayor's long winded speech put a heavy doubt on her mind.
Kit, Pig Iron and Maid all stared at Sir Jose nervously. Had they all been duped by his holy charade? The mayor sat smugly in his seat and waved his servant for another round of drinks but was interrupted by a loud laugh. Sir Jose got up from his chair and slapped his knee in amusement. " You know, paladins are fairly varied you know. If we don't carry a coat of arms or some type of visible marking it is hard to spot us . Some concentrate on strength like warriors, others are more like priests and use their spells and wisdom to battle evil. In fact I've even heard of scholarly paladins and believe or not I've been told of one red headed paladin that specializes in the use of elven scimitars and the bow , and literally skips around the battlefield in a mithral breastplate. Regardless of how they battle evil, there is one trait that separates us from the common adventurer. And that is we're all so damn charismatic. Although I don't normally show it and my slow wits often defeat any subterfuge I plan, I can be pretty charming and convincing if I want to be. For example , I once had my friend Martinez work for half his standard rate cuz I had him believe he was going to get knighted by my order, and once I convinced the most beautiful woman in the world to think she could be in love with a drunken warrior from North Darokin," sighed Sir Jose regretfully. The knight then walked to the servant and grabbed the entire decanter of the Agave worm juice. He shook it once before taking a swig and then turned to the mayor with a swaggering smile. "Oh…and one time. I was in this backward town. I convinced the corrupt mayor there that I was going to work with him, instead of beating him to a bloody pulp. I did this after he blabbed to me everything I wanted to know of course. "
Kit flashed a smile at her lord's dramatic speech , and she swiftly drew her kukris. Fallen or not, Sir Jose had a flare for the dramatic when it came to starting fights she thought to herself in amusement.
