Sarek was glad that Saul's next task for him and his friends was a simple and clear cut job. No one would think that their work for the night would be as shady as dealing with Lymas over a week ago. All they had to do was travel down to Riddleport's wharves, collect a shipment of exotic liquor, and make sure that it makes it back safely to the Gold Goblin. Only Ryland questioned the purpose of the liquor and Saul's explanation of ordering it for the tournament only for the shipment to be delayed by storms was enough to satisfy him.

Saul was worried that one of his enemies or even the Overlord himself would try their hand at stealing the shipment. He had offered his partners to have some bouncers accompany them as guards. Sarek denied the offer, feeling that he was confident in his group to protect the shipment on their own along with wanting more protection placed at the Gold Goblin. However, he also thought it was time to bring in some additional help all the same.

Most of the group walked down the lantern-lit streets of Riddleport on their way to the wharves except for Madia. The halfing rode atop a burly dog fitted with a special saddle to lead the group's way. Sarek couldn't help but find it funny that Marlowe was bigger than Madia and that even when she was on top of him that she was only taller than Belar and wasn't chest height with anyone else. Still, he had to admit there was a certain charm to Madia as he couldn't help but see her more as a knight than a warrior. She might be out of place in Riddleport but no one would dare challenge her and Marlowe on that.

Since the group brought Marlowe along, it was only fair that Cassiel joined them as well. The panther was nowhere near his home and still blended in well with the dark stone of Riddleport, especially during the night. A few drunk men walking the streets of Riddleport had completely missed Cassiel until they were right next to him, and afterwards, ran away screaming. Although the panther was an intimidating beast, Sarek knew that he was calm as his elven companion. Tess and Cassiel walked side by side toward the wharves with the druid looking over her shoulder toward the fleeing drunks.

"I wonder why they're so afraid," Tess thought out loud. "I would have thought that an animal in Riddleport that wasn't violent would be tame."

"A lot of people are more afraid of what an animal can do," Madia told Tess. "Marlowe has a big heart and is really caring but let me tell you that his growl has sent armed men running before."

"If you're talking about the men I think you are, they weren't exactly armed," Keya said with a shrug. "They had daggers, which wouldn't do much to a dog biting down on one of their legs. If they had a longer blade, they may have stayed and fought."

"They still ran," Madia said with a smile. "I'll take that as a victory."

Sarek knew it was a good idea to bring Marlowe and Cassiel. With their animal companions, anyone would think twice about robbing the delivery. Still, the sorcerer kept his guard up all the same. Like Keya noted, there may be gangs out there better equipped, and if Clegg Zincher was involved, he'd send a team that knew of what Sarek and his companions were capable of. He thought that maybe taking Saul up on his offer might have been necessary before shaking his head. His friends had taken down one gang by themselves. They were capable enough of protecting the shipment without any help.

The group finally arrived at the wharves and Sarek set about looking for the ship. Saul had told them that the shipment came on the Foamrunner, a trading cog. After a few minutes, Ryland was the first to discover the ship in question which he told the group without words when he pulled out his sword. Sarek sighed, realizing that Ryland likely spotted trouble. The sorcerer had to give credit to the thieves going after the liquor for trying to beat them to it but it wouldn't be enough.

The trouble Ryland spotted was a group of nine men, most of whom were busy hauling four casks onto a cart. The leader of the men, noted to be in heavy armor, handed a pouch to the dwarven captain of the Foamrunner. The captain accepted the bribe and returned to his ship without complaint. The thug's leader turned to face Sarek and his companions as they stepped onto the wooden dock the cog was positioned by. The sorcerer noted that the man's armor was better than what was typically available in a shop. He didn't think it was magical but it was certainly something not found in Riddleport. The thugs pulled out their clubs and their leader took out a vicious sword and a shield.

Madia gasped. "That shield bears the mark of the Korvsoan Guard!"

"But isn't Korvosa on the other side of Varisia?" Tess asked.

"He's no guard," Belar said while cracking his knuckles for a fight. "That's Old Korvosa. Is it true that you keep your old guard gear because you can't afford anything better?"

The armored man scowled. "The name's Braddikar and I'm going to feed you to the fishes unless you back off."

"Unfortunately, that is our shipment," Sarek clasped his hands together and heard his remaining companions pull out their weapons. "Ryland, what they're doing counts as theft, doesn't it?"

"It does," Ryland said with a nod.

"We paid for it fair and square," Braddikar told them. "More importantly, there's more of us than there is of you."

"I still like our odds," Keya grinned. "I guess we have a fight on our hands."

"Kill 'em!" Braddikar ordered his men.

Keya and Ryland led the charge with Sarek casting a spell behind them. The sorcerer wished he had cast his defensive wards before the fight started but settled for his typical arcane missile. The dart slammed against Braddikar's chest but wasn't enough to knock the wind out of him. Keya and Ryland struck down the two men unfortunate enough to be in front of their boss when Old Korvosa made his move. He broke through Ryland's defenses and cut him across the chest. Keya tried to step out to help him but another thug joined in and swung his club down against the back of her shoulder.

The rest of Braddikar's men ran forward at the other adventurers and Sarek found that he was now in the middle of the fight. Before he could retreat, one thug swung his wooden club across his face. The blow wasn't enough to break anything but the sorcerer could taste blood in his mouth. Sarek didn't mind getting in a fight as long as he was away from the action to focus on the magic. For once, he wouldn't have that luxury as the others were too busy with their own foes.

Sarek fought defensively to the best of his ability, trying to keep his opponent from messing with his spellcasting. He hoped that one magic missile would have been enough, but after striking the thug with the spell, he was disappointed to see that the thug still lived after coughing out some blood. The brute swung his weapon again but Sarek was able to duck under the swing. He didn't have enough time to cast a spell when Belar tackled the thug onto the ground. The dwarf was the first to get back on his feet, and without a second thought, stomped down on the man's skull with his boot. Sarek turned away but could hear the crunching of the man's crushed skull.

"You alright?" Belar asked.

"I'm managing," Sarek said, his face pale. "The fight's not over yet."

Sarek was surprised to see how fast combat was at times. It was nothing like how the lengthy battles were told in famous stories. During the few seconds the sorcerer fought against his foe, most of the thugs were unmoving and on the ground. Belar had to kill one of the brutes before being able to save Sarek but he wasn't alone in his success. Tess and Cassiel had worked together to bring down their two attackers while Marlowe released the man he bit onto by the neck.

Keya had struck down the thug that struck her and focused on fighting Braddikar yet he blocked her blade with his shield. It took Sarek a few moments before he found Ryland on the ground, having been bested in combat by Old Korvosa. The sorcerer was worried for his friend but wouldn't be able to save him while Braddikar lived. It became apparent as to how he lasted as long compared to the men formerly under his command when Cassiel ran at him, trying to bite him, only for his armor to hold out against the panther's strike.

Even if Braddikar was no longer with the Korvosan Guard, he still had his training and equipment. That made him a formidable foe, but now, he was outnumbered. Sarek tried to conjure acid to splash against him after the warrior missed Keya with his sword but he was quick enough to block the spell with his shield. Madia kept her distance and threw a rock at Braddikar with his sling but it wasn't enough to dent his armor. Belar and Tess ran into melee to surround him, and while the elf's staff was blocked by his shield, Belar kicked him behind his knee. Braddiar gritted his teeth in anger and held out when Keya attacked him wildly with her sword and dagger.

"You should have ran when you had the chance too!" Keya laughed even when he blocked her rapid attacks with his shield. "You're going to pay now!"

"You call that an attack?" Braddikar growled.

Without warning, Braddikar swung his shield against the side of Keya's head. The half-elf fell backwards and groaned with her eyes closed.

"Keya!" Madia called out.

"Keep fighting!" Sarek called out. "He can't defend against all of us!"

Braddikar was a tough foe to overcome with how sturdy he proved to be. He continued to block attack after attack, whether it was against magic, rock, or a close attack. However, even the greatest warrior could only do so much when outnumbered, and Old Korvosa was far from a good warrior. Eventually, Cassiel leaped atop of Braddikar, biting and clawing through his armor. He screamed out from the violent attack as he fell from the ground before growing quiet.

Sarek sighed in relief to see that combat was over. It was a bloody affair but nothing that they couldn't have handled. There were some close calls but Tess knelt down by Ryland while Madia hopped off Marlowe to check on Keya. Sarek stood behind Belar, looking at the cart the thugs loaded. At least they didn't have to worry about packing up their delivery.

"Keya's okay," Madia sighed in relief. "She's out cold but isn't bleeding too badly."

"Ryland still draws breath as well but I can bring him back with a spell," Tess added.

Sarek shook his head. "Stop the bleeding but don't wake him up."

"Are you sure?" Tess questioned with a frown.

"If Ryland wakes up, he's going to want to deal with the Foamrunner when that isn't our problem," Ryland told Tess. "Any ship captain would take a bribe if it was good enough."

"I don't like being stabbed in the back like that but I agree," Belar said, crossing his arms. "Next time they'll know who they're messing with."

"Belar, check the fallen for anything valuable," Sarek told the dwarf. "Tess, Madia, make sure Keya and Ryland will live and load them onto the cart. It's time we finish this delivery."

Samaritha was working as greeter when the adventurers arrived back at the Gold Goblin. Sarek saw her look shocked when she saw him and he imagined that he must have been bruised from the attack he took. He gave her a reassuring smile and told her that there wasn't a problem even with Tess and Madia requesting help to bring the injured upstairs for healing. The sorcerer left Belar in charge of delivering the casks to the Goblin's Tankard and helped carry Ryland upstairs. He left him and Keya for Tess to heal with her magic and went to Saul's office.

Sarek knocked on the door and Saul told him to come in. He took a seat across from him and grinned.

"We made the delivery," Sarek told Saul. "It's all been taken care of."

"That's good to hear," Saul said before he frowned with worry. "Did you run into any trouble?"

Sarek touched the bruised and grimaced in pain. "Nothing we couldn't handle. Old Korvosa tried to rob us but he's been taken care of."

"That's even better to hear," Saul said and slowly grinned. "Old Korvosa works for Zincher. He's one of his top enforcers. Not only did we deal a blow to Zincher's gang, but with this rare liquor, business is going to pick up even more. Keep up the good work, Sarek!"

The sorcerer stood up and left the office, unable to stop smiling. He was making a difference under Saul's mentorship that he hadn't done before. It turned out that staying at the Gold Goblin and attending the tournament was the best thing that he could have done with where his future led him now.

A/N: And with that, another task for the Gold Goblin has been completed. Over the next couple of days I'll be focusing on following up on some of the other plot threads but I imagine that there'll be an even bigger fight that comes out sometime over the weekend.

Until next time.