Fool's Errand: The Assassin and the Princess

[The_gladiator]

The grocer grunted. “No one you’d like to know missy. Last I heard elves don’t care much for orcs.” His gaze was suspicious. His eyes slid to Taurean, “Not that you keep much better company than them,” he said. It was quite obvious that he was prejudiced against the half-elf. “Not natural,” he grunted.

Taurean was used to such judgments, but they seemed to surprise the princess. Ignoring the grocer the half-elf pointed at rice and beans, indicating he’d like some of them. “See if he has a pack to carry this all,” he said, chosing to speak in the elven trade language again. His command of it was still stilted and accented. It raised the question of would he be as accented speaking high elven, which it seemed he was descended from.

 

[haremfaery]

Ravana made a little shudder, "Last I heard humans don't care much for orcs either." She looked at Tarean then back to the grocer. "Nor can anyone choose their parents." But she didn't want to antagonize the man.

She smiled at the grocer again. "We'd like rice and beans, as well. And do you have a pack we can put this all in? That would be greatly appreciated."

"Do you know which way the orcs were headed? I'd prefer not to run into them. I'm sure you understand." She didn't want to seem too interested in the orcs, it might seem suspicious. If the orcs were asking about a female elf, probably traveling with someone, and offered money for information ...

She turned away and took a breath trying to calm herself. She would not let the orcs take her alive.

 

[The_gladiator]

The grocer glared. “Down stream I’m guessing. They didn’t bother to tell me. Though seems to me they had a little weaselly fella with them asking too many questions. Funny enough he was asking after an elf and a half-elf. He wouldn’t have been looking for you was he. Offering a lot of money, he was.”

Taurean made no reaction other than to pull out his dagger, keeping it out of the grocer’s sight. He would be ready for the double cross. This man was out to get money from them for their goods and then from turning them in. Taurean wasn’t about to be taken by the likes of him though. What had bothered him though was the mention of the little weaselly fellow. That would most likely be just that, The Weasel, Malic, and much more trouble than just Chron alone.

Even as he eyed Rhavana suspiciously the grocer put all the ingredients into a pack. “That’ll be 6 gold marks.” He told her. His grin almost a leer as he clearly intended to gouge the elf for all she was worth.

“Fair market price for what we purchased would be at most 23 silvers,” so just over a third of the price he was charging. There being 10 silvers to a gold mark in this day and age. Brandon again spoke in elven, low leaning in near Rhavana’s ear.

“What did the half-elf scum say. He should be lucky I am not charging you double that.”

 

[haremfaery]

Rhavana should have wrapped her head again and covered her ears. Then they might have been taken for two half-elves.

She didn't remember a "weaselly fellow" in Chron's group, but then she hadn't seen his entire band. She'd kill herself before she would let them take her.

She listened to Taurean then responded quietly in elven, "Do you want me to haggle with him, or just give him the coin so we can get out of here?"

“What did the half-elf scum say. He should be lucky I am not charging you double that.”

"He asked if I wanted something sweet. Do you have anything sweet?"

 

[The_gladiator]

Don’t pay him that. Pay him what the goods are worth,” Taurean muttered. His eyes glaring holes into the merchant.

“Sweet. Like some sort of pie?” the grocer asked thrown off by her request. “Why would he want such a thing.”

As the grocer spoke Taurean drifted a bit aways from the princess, his eyes scanning for a trap. He suspected the seller was stalling them, and he was just waiting for the ambush. He could feel his danger sense lighting up.

 

[haremfaery]

((Ugh. I'm getting used to the new format.))

"It's fine. I don't need to satisfy my sweet tooth just now." She pulled out some coins and placed them on the counter. "This should cover our purchases." She smiled sweetly. The amount was a little more than what the items were worth, but less than the grocer had initially asked for. She sensed Tarean's impatience and knew it was time for them to move on.

 

[The_gladiator]

“Are you sure?” The grocer asked even as he made her money disappear. He seemed inclined to ask for more, but Taurean was already moving off with a word of admonishment to the princess to not forget their things.

Taurean watched everything. He didn’t know what it was setting him off, but something. He grabbed a pack from Rhavana as she drew close, slinging it over one shoulder. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he murmured in elven, probably unnecessarily.

 

[haremfaery]

Rhavana could tell that Taurean was on edge. She was too once the grocer mentioned orcs.

She moved to Taurean's left side and slightly behind him to give him room should they be attacked. She wished she had spent more time learning martial arts. But even if she had, she was no match for an orc. Not unless she could use a bow from a safe distance. Once again she lamented that she didn't have one.

She sent a prayer to the Exalted Ones to protect them.

"I follow your lead, Tarean. Just tell me what I can do to help." Not that she could do much.

 

[The_gladiator]

Taurean knew the trap was closing in. Unconsciously he was slipping back into Brandon, the persona fitting him like a glove. His steps shortened from the easy traveler to an almost militaristic march. His eyes flitted towards a semicircle of men he hadn’t noticed at first. They had closed in while they were doing business. Taurean had no good excuse as to why he missed them. “Getting old.” He muttered. He then braced himself for what would come next.

She seemed willing to follow him, which was good, he didn’t exactly have time to teach her his plan. Not that that plan was overly complicated. Finesse was reserved for those who had time. Brandon, for the assassin mindset was fully in control now, had no time.

“Y’all won’t mind comin with us, now will ya?” One of the men asked brandishing a quarterstaff. Clearly they would prefer to see them taken alive. Brandon would prefer a sword, and he may as yet get one, but for now, the man’s staff would do. Brandon switched his angle slightly to put him squared up with the man who spoke, knife still in his hand, held reversed with the blade up along his wrist, hiding it from plain view. “You know I think we would mind. What business do you have with us?” He only spoke to buy time, time, that prescious comodity he did not have enough of.

“We have some friends we’d like you to meet.”

“I’m not real social, no thanks.” Was the half-elf’s reply.

“Don’t make me force the issue. Come peaceably and we won’t have to hurt the elven whore.”

Taurean would have looked at Rhavana to be sure his words hadn’t hurt her, Brandon didn’t care, he couldn’t afford to care. “Whore am I, well lets just say you couldn’t afford my services.” Which probably was true for his genuine profession, but it was clear he was deliborately mistaking the insult’s target.

“You half-breeds really are that dumb. I meant the slut there.”

Brandon glanced around at the other men and saw one behind her. “That’s not very nice to call him that. He’s a fine looking fellow.” This joke was meant to let the elf know there was someone behind her.

“Orcs and their human leader didn’t say you were some kinda funny man.”

“Oh really, what did they tell you?”

“You’re worth a lot of money.”

“Did they meantion I’m a fearless killer, and you’re dead?”

“Nope, I don’t believe it.”

“Believe this,” and Brandon, who had come closer lunged. He actually dove past the man and slammed the knife, in reverse grip into the man’s kidney. He fell like a ton of bricks. Taurean’s momentum wripped the knife clear of his body and he had sheathed the blade just in time to catch the staff as it fell from the man’s nerveless fingers. Brandon cracked him one over the head just to be sure before he went into a flury of movement.

The circle of men collapsed in on him and he used both ends of the staff to fend them off. “Get me a sword,” he yelled to Rhavana hoping she could assist. He was doing alright with this method but sooner or later his luck would run out.