VI: Starved Dogs

Before

"All I meant was that we should have considered bringing in some additional manpower for this one," Loynis said as he leaned experimentally against the wooden railing, holding a metal drink tankard close to his chest. "If we did, we might have found a more... precise way that involved less collateral damage."

Dace reached into the paper bag he was holding and then popped a roasted nut into his mouth. He spoke as he chewed. "And all I'm saying is that relying on others when you don't need to signals weakness. It lessens yourself and informs others of your inability to do what needs to be done. If you can't even trust yourself, what makes you think you can trust some other blighter?"

A roar from below interrupted their conversation. Peering over the side of the wooden bridge, Loynis and Dace saw a massive owlbear below, circling beneath them in a menacing way.

"Besides," Dace continued, "isn't this fun? If we followed a different plan, we might not have this nice evening stroll at the zoo." He pulled out another nut and threw it over the edge, hitting the owlbear squarely on the beak. This only seemed to further enrage the animal, which began pounding the ground in fury. "Boy, he's a foul-tempered one, isn't he? But I suppose I would be too if someone clipped my wings and made me live out my days in a pit."

Loynis glanced at Dace with unease, before looking back down at the owlbear. The city's menagerie was owned by a local crime boss, one who apparently took great pleasure in seeing ferocious wild beasts brought low and forced into captivity. They currently stood at the midpoint of a wooden bridge, suspended by ropes over the owlbear's enclosure. As Dace said, it was really just a wide pit, dug deep into the ground. The building itself was an indoor habitat, likely a former warehouse. Evidently the owner wanted to ensure that the animal had a roof, so as to block its view of the skies above its new home and stifle any thoughts of freedom.

The massive beast was the central attraction of the menagerie, the owner's pride and joy. It had been fed enough to keep its strength up, though not enough to ease its temper. The abundance of claw marks in the solid dirt walls of the pit made that clear enough.

The door at one end of the walkway clattered open, and half a dozen burly thugs marched in, escorting the crime boss behind them. The one in front squinted at Loynis and Dace, and immediately pointed an accusing finger across the room at the pair. "What in the hells are you doing here?"

Dace made a show of looking surprised as he slowly straightened up. He gestured at the tan-coloured uniforms he and Loynis were wearing, stolen from the zookeeper's shed outside. "We work here."

The guard sneered at them and pointed furtively at the opposite door on the other end of the walkway. "Get out. The boss is here for his private viewing."

"Yes sir, of course, sir! Forgiveness, sir!" Dace bowed repeatedly, tapping Loynis as he began backing away from the new arrivals.

Loynis did the same, feeling incredibly silly as they both continued bowing obsequiously on their way to the other end of the bridge. As they moved, Loynis pressed the lever on the back of the metal tankard in his hand, which caused the lid to flip open. Bending low for another bow, he let the container tip, causing the liquid within to splash out across the bridge as they kept stepping backward.

The guards didn't seem to pay them much mind as they and their boss strode up the length of the bridge, stopping at the middle, near to where Loynis and Dace had been standing. The boss leaned against the railing and smirked at the creature below as it reared up on its hindlegs and roared at its tormentor. Some of the thugs laughed along with their boss at the captive beast, a few even spitting down at it.

As Loynis and Dace reached the end of the bridge, they stepped off and onto the solid part of the building's floor. They quickly straightened up and held onto the wooden railing. Looking at the spot where the liquid had splashed out, Loynis waited expectantly.

He could just barely make out a few wisps of smoke wafting up through the gaps in the bridge's wooden slats. Sure enough, the acid did its job, and there was a series of snapping sounds as the ropes suspending the walkway in the air began to break. Loud cursing filled the air as the bridge lurched, then collapsed inward, sending the bounty target as well as his entire entourage tumbling far down into the pit below.

The crime boss hit the ground first, rolling as he struck the rough, lumpy dirt floor. Groaning in pain from the fall, he forced himself onto his hands and knees before raising his head. A pair of beastly yellow eyes, filled with rage, glared back at him. Letting out another roar, the owlbear raised one of its front paws before slamming it down onto the criminal, easily crushing his skull under its massive weight.

The six guards who had fallen into the pit along with their boss were in scattered positions around the pit. They watched in horror as the owlbear repeatedly pounded on the corpse of their employer, too stunned to say anything. Some managed to scramble to their feet, backing away from the creature and looking around the walls of the pit for a way out. The longer end of the broken bridge dangled several metres in the air, clearly out of reach.

Still howling with rage, the owlbear kept beating its captor's body, with enough force to cause the blood to splash across the creature's beak and feathers. At this point, Loynis was glad that they weren't required to return proof of death to collect this bounty. There likely wouldn't even be enough of the poor sod left to identify.

As he watched the scene play out below, Dace reached into his bag and pulled out a handful of nuts, which he then threw at the men below. A few pieces struck some of the thugs, who looked up at the pair and raised their arms, shouting at Dace and Loynis for help. All the yelling seemed to draw the owlbear's attention away from the corpse at its feet, and it began stalking toward the men.

Loynis glanced over to his friend, who just kept on eating his snack. Dace smirked and yelled to the thugs, "Oi, lads! Just remember: you don't have to outrun the beast, you just have to outrun the guy standing next to you!" The men in the pit immediately glanced at each other, as Dace's words created a dawning moment of realization on all of them.

The owlbear began charging, prompting an instance of utter chaos as the guards began trying to shove each other into the massive creature's path, while at the same time attempting to jump at the dangling end of the bridge. It didn't take long for the owlbear to start cleaving men down, one by one.

Not long ago, Loynis would have cringed and turned away from the violent display. But all he felt now was... nothing. Why should he feel any sympathy for these vile men, who would so easily turn against each other in a moment of panic? If they all worked together, one or two might have been able to reach the hanging bridge. But judging by the display below, not a single man was willing to sacrifice himself for the rest.

"See what I mean?" asked Dace. "Can't even trust the blighter standing next to you. That's the thing about these organized crime groups. They act like they have principles, like they have ideals of loyalty and brotherhood that matter, but it's all just lip service. To be thrown away as soon as there is no personal benefit for them. That's a truth for you. Every man for himself." He glanced into his paper bag, then held it out to Loynis, giving it a little shake. "Last one."

Ignoring the screams that echoed from the pit, Loynis peered inside the sack and reached in to grab the roasted nut. He began crunching on it as they both watched the last of the thugs face off against the owlbear, its feathers and claws now drenched with blood.

"Yes," Loynis mused. "Every man for himself."