LSS: Total Party Kill

Vanessa’s eyes widened. “Seabeck? That corpse want us to go to Seabeck?”

Lorelei glanced at Vanessa. “For some reason, that wasn’t the complaint that I was expecting from you. I thought you would whine about me raising that dude from the dead.”

Vanessa shrugged. “I mean, yeah, that’s not so great either. Try not to do that. I don’t like listening to dead people. They complain too much. But Seabeck? Really?”

Florian’s eyebrows suddenly furrowed. “What’s wrong with Seabeck?”

Lee suddenly snorted. “I hope you have a coat.”

Florian glared. “Why? Are you planning to burn that too?”

Lorelei stifled a giggle while Honkers wiggled his tail feathers and hissed at Florian’s coat.

The jackalope wiggled his nose. “If you want, I know where some matches are! It might be fun to burn the coat.”

Florian glared at the jackalope.

“Lee’s right,” Vanessa said quickly. “It’s a beautiful place, Seabeck, don’t get me wrong! There’s this beach there that’s really beautiful that my mother used to take us to back when I was just a kid. It’s this really scenic beach that’s known as Scenic Beach—“

Florian suddenly snorted. “Scenic Beach? That’s the worst name ever.”

“Let me finish,” Vanessa snapped. “It’s beautiful there. Across the water, there are mountains that tower over and it’s just gorgeous. But it’s cold! Sometimes, there are even random icebergs that float over there. Why would anyone want to go there?”

“Your mother took you there,” Lorelei said in a deadpan.

Vanessa hesitated. “Well, yes, but also it was cold!”

Lee narrowed his eyes. “Hiding from someone you once knew?” he asked.

Vanessa bristled. “Not at all!” she said, feeling guilty. After all, why would she need to hide from the people that his brother killed? As long as Lorelei avoided the cemetery over there, there was no one around that would bother her.

“Well, it looks like our next place to go to is in Seabeck,” Lorelei said, shrugging. “That's where we need to meet the gunslinger assassins that are involved with trying to frame this jackalope for some reason." Lorelei suddenly frowned. "Why would they target you, by the way?"

"No idea," the jackalope said. "The whole thing smells like moldy carrots to me." Then he nodded to Lorelei. "Can I come? I want to kick some butt along with you." As if to demonstrate his earnestness, he jumped up with his impressive rear legs and kicked out in a move that suspiciously looked like kung fu.

"Nice move," Lorelei said, nodding approvingly. "With you and Honkers, we'll be unstoppable!"

“But the cold—“ Vanessa began.

Lorelei laughed. “If there are any icebergs, it might be fun to visit those too. After all, what if there are penguins on them? Maybe Honkers might even find a new friend!”

Florian’s eyes widened. “A friend? For that psychotic goose?”

Vanessa only groaned.

The party's first stop was the local post office, but it had been reduced to a pile of ashes. Everyone stared in shock at the destruction wrecked upon this singular building. Everything else the flames had touched still existed in the form of scorched and blackened remnants, but the only thing to show that this collection of cinders had ever been a post office was half a sign laying on the other side of the road.

"Woah, what happened?" asked Florian.

"This looks almost targeted," mused Lee. "I say we get out of here. Someone clearly doesn't want news to get out about what happened."

"Which way is Seabeck?" Florian asked Vanessa.

"Ugh, it's three days' walk to the southwest."

The group started in that direction, and by evening arrived in the larger town of Arrowwick. A tall stone wall surrounded it, and passing through the gate, the party was greeted by the sight of a dense circle of wooden buildings. There was an inn, a hatmaker, a bakery, and two post offices. The local branches of the Winged Male Postal Network and the Hippogriff United Couriers stood head to head, with large posters advertising their rates.

"Might as well get this over with," said Lorelei, making a beeline towards the Winged Male Postal Network.

Vanessa and Florian followed, but when it became clear which establishment they were about to enter, Florian stopped.

"You can't use Winged Male Postal Network! There's a Hippogriff United right there, and they're clearly the better service!"

Both girls knocked him on the head.

"Do you know how expensive they are?"

"Don't be ridiculous! We can't afford luxury mail."

Lee then burst out laughing.

"Winged Male Postal Network? Not luxury? There's bound to be a Freedom Postal Service somewhere in town."

Back in the land of Gor Nathel, Joana at on her bed in deep concentration. She let her mind wander over the countryside, above the mountains, through the valleys, and past the dark forest. She found herself closing in on the only other seer in the nation. Joana noted a change in Florian's mood. While he was usually cheerful and outgoing, Florian was shrinking into the depths of his mind, seeking something within himself.

"What are you looking for?"

Florian's mind blipped and sputtered out of sight. It then reappeared with some difficulty.

"I'm having a wonderful time trying to read this goose," he replied in a sarcastic manor, "and Honkers is having a wonderful time attacking me."

"Have you tried to hold him? Maybe pet his neck?"

"There wasn't much time to hold him before he attacked me. And currently, he is snarling quite ferociously at me so I think I will try and avoid being attacked again."

"Well while you focus on that, let's talk about what our next steps will be. I think I should lead his troops to a small town called Toileandra. The large bogs and swamps will slow them enough to let the aristocratic troops retreat to Seabeck, where they can escape o their ships."

"Don't lead them to Seabeck. My current group is going there and I don't think the people we are meeting will enjoy military company. I suggest we lead the troops towards Aquimor to ask for military aid. Aquimor has one of the best navies in the known world. They would be a major help in the war."

After a bit of back and forth, Florian and Joana agreed to no send the army to Aquimor. Florian would talk to talk to Aquimor's king, King Terriotia, about extra military aid when the aristocrat army arrived. Joana would "warn" King Reginald about the threat at Toileandra that needs to be dealt with. Florian said his goodbyes and returned to trying to read the goose. Joana pulled her mind back to her room and searched for the guards that always patrolled around her room. They were asleep. Perfect. Joana moved quickly towards the door and opened it. She swiftly walked through the corridors and walked to the balcony. Looking over the land, Joana again asked herself the two questions she had been asking the whole time she was here: was being captured worth the military advantage over her enemies? And when could she go home?

"Tell yall what," Lee said "I've got a friend 'ere in town with a nice inn, I'll go set us up with some rooms. Gettin late and theres still two hard days to Seabeck."

Florian cursed "I am not sleeping in some shabby hovel!" The others murmured in agreement.

"I'd like a real bed. And a bath." Vanessa gave a tired smile at the thought.

"Awh, go lick a unicorn you lot" Lee retorted. "Look 'ere, I tellin you we'll be set up som'in nice, right?"

Florian muttered, Vanessa shrugged, and that was enough assent Lee needed. He strode off down the street to find the Major's Inn.
As luck would have it, the old stone inn was still standing, still in business and the old Lady Marian was still there. She smiled at him which was always a good sign, and he kissed her hand - she had been the closest thing he'd had to love in these past years. A few minutes of catching up and he got around to booking some rooms.

In fact it was getting right on sunset as he headed back toward the post offices, and the shadows started casting about. This was a dangerous place to be out after dark - what with the local vampire infestation. As he got close he saw Florian milling about outside the post offices, always keeping a watchful eye on Honkers as if he was about to be bitten. Lee was only a block away when a pair walked up to Florian, and the taller elf shoved him hard.

Florian, taken by surprise, crashed hard onto the dirty cobblestone.

"Hey now!" the elf spat "What do you think you're doing blocking the road?"

The man next to him pulled out his sword and shook his head. "Such inconsiderate folks around these parts."

Florian found his toung as he tried to find his footing, "The street's empty you twats."

The sword found his collar and Florian was pressed back down. "Rude folks too," said the man. "Tell the nice elf how sorry you are."

Lee considered, drew a pair of long daggers and charged. Whatever it was that the elf and his companion expected, it wasn't a sudden attack from the nearby street bum. The first dagger missed the man's throat but lodged into the shoulder of his sword arm. The second dagger missed the elf's heart - but did manage to slice clear across the elf's chest. Lee would have felt better if not for the sound of metal on mithril that told him the elf was unscathed.

The elf jumped back, pulling a pair of swords from his back. Lee dived and pulled the sword out of the hand of the man who was collapsed in a heap, twisted in agony from the dagger stuck fast in him.

Lee smiled as he rose up sword in hand. It felt right, and he swung it in a set of loops in front of him, feeling out its balance. The elf came at him in a flurry of blows. Lee gave way, parrying away the whirling death aimed at his heart. The dance of the swords stirred up in his heart. The elf wasn't very good - but while a normal man might not be able to keep track of two swords well enough to use them both well, such multitasking comes naturally to an elf - so it was a harrying task to keep both blades at bay. Steel on steel sang, and the elf mistakenly let an opening slip as he prepared to hammer at his foe with his right arm Lee struck, letting his blade ram into the elf's exposed chest.

Mithril stopped the blade from penetrating, but it does little to stop the impact of the sword. The elf staggered. Lee advanced but suddenly saw another blade - this one coming right out through the elf's throat. Somehow both of them had managed to forget about Florian, but the sight of his rapier, Lee thought, was a welcome reminder. Honkers was busy pecking the bleeding body of the man. Lee wiped the sword clean on the dead elf's tunic and cleaned out the elf's pockets into his.

Standing up he looked at the sword in his hand again. Not as easy to hide a sword as the daggers, but then again, why not? He pulled the scabbard off the dying man and put it on.

Florian, was now looking at Honkers with a newfound affection. He seemed content to keep his sword out, still dripping blood, and watch the man get pecked to death.

"Got ya a bit off guard, ay?" Lee said, bumping the shoulder that the elf had shoved into.

Florian glanced over to the dead elf and smiled, "And I turned that back around on him", then he held out a hand to Lee. Lee took it.

A moment later the two witches slid out of the post office chattering. Vanessa caught sight of Honkers pecking the man and gave a small shriek. "NO Honkers!"

"Come, Get goin its almost dark. Not safe around here at night." Lee said, waving for them to follow him.

Lorelei wasn't listening. "What happened. Wait, is he alive? Did you question him?"

"Oh, sure" Said Lee, striding over to the man and lifting him up by his hair "Any last words?"

Lorelei grabbed the man, and with a poof of magic he regained his wits. "Who are you? Why are you here?" she demanded

"Just passing through" the man babbled "Just was going to get a few coins off the rich lord here to pay our fare! Not going to hurt him, honest!"

"He only tells lies, feed him to the goose" Florian hissed. Honkers hissed in agreement.

"Okay, fine, we been following you. Supposed to make sure you killed that jackalope. But we sent word - oh they know now! Yep they know."

"More lies" Florian hissed, "They know nothing."

The man's eyes flashed with anger and despair. "Please, I just needed the money. I just needed the money to feed my family. 250 Coins, I couldn't pass that up!"

"Who sent you?"

"Sally"

Lorelei dropped him, and Lee decided it was time to start heading to the inn. The vampires would have the street clean by morning.

Lorelei and the others gathered at the inn the next morning. They ordered breakfast and sat around a table, eating. Boba Bojangles was with them.

"We have to get to Seabeck in a hurry. If Sally sent one goon to track us, she'll send an entire squad to kill us once she figures out that we're working with you," Lorelei said matter-of-factly to Mr. Bojangles.

"I still don't understand why they would want to kill me!" Mr. Bojangles said with a squeak.

"Shh! Not so loud," Vanessa said, looking around nervously. No one seemed to notice, but with a Jackalope in attendance, they weren't exactly non-descript.

"Do you have any enemies Mr. Bojangles?" Lorelei asked, taking a bite out of some hashbrowns.

"None that I know of," he responded. The prospect of people wanting to murder him had taken his appetite.

"Have you committed any heinous crimes that would make people mark you for death?" Lee asked. The Jackalope merely shook his head.

"What kind of work do you do?" Florian asked.

"I'm a labor organizer. I go around organizing workers and negotiate better pay and working conditions. Here's my card," the Jackalope said, handing him a card.

"Boba Bojangles, Head Organizer for the Workers Trade Federation," Florian read out loud, before turning to Mr. Bojangles. "WTF?"

"Exactly," Mr. Bojangles agreed, wiggling his nose.

"Have you had much success?" Lee asked in between large bites of sausage and bacon.

"Yes! In fact just a month ago, I started a chapter at a mine in Gor Chasten," Mr. Bonjangles said excitedly. "It was a terrible story. We found slave labor, hazardous working conditions, and absolute brutality from management. So I went in and persuaded the workers that they wouldn't have to put up with it if I was to represent them. They decided to join my concern and then I went to the Foreman and demanded better pay and working conditions for the workers, otherwise there would be a strike!"

"And then what happened?" Lee said.

"Well! He was most upset! He made threats and swore at me that if they went on strike, then he would execute them all. So I said to him, 'If you kill all the workers then who's going to dig up all the stuff? It will cost you a lot more to replace these people than it will to just treat them nicely.' That's what I said," Boba said proudly.

"Did he agree?" Florian asked before taking a bite out of some peanut butter toast.

"Did he agree! What choice did he have with me having the signatures of a thousand laborers behind me. I may not be very tall, but that doesn't stop me from having a big shadow if you catch my drift..." his voice trailed off as he saw Lorelei bury her head into her hand and let out an exasperated laugh.

"Are you telling me that you went into the mine of the Tyrant King Reginald and organized a labor movement, then blackmailed his foreman until he caved to your demands and you STILL don't know who wants you dead?" she asked incredulously.

"You don't mean the foreman could have done this?" Boba said shocked.

"She means King Reginald you blithering idiot," Florian said with a groan.

"Oh," Boba said looking down. The plates were mostly empty at this point.

"Okay, let me think." Lorelei said, massaging her forehead. "Vanessa and Lee, can you get us a wagon and a horse? We can't do this on foot anymore, we need to get to Seabeck in a hurry. If we're quick, we can put Mr. Bojangles on a ship and send him somewhere safe. Florian and I will guard Bojangles and pick up some supplies." Surprisingly, no one seemed to argue that point, but perhaps the coffee hadn't quite taken effect.

"HONK!"

"Just stay with me for the time being," Lorelei said to Honkers. "And no killing!"

"HISS!"

"Don't take that tone with me!" Lorelei scolded the goose before turning back to the party. "Meet in the town square in twenty minutes." The party rose to their feet and settled their bills.

As Lorelei, Florian, and Honkers walked towards the crowded village, they both split the list of necessary items between themselves. "Alright Florian, we'll split up and meet back here near this stand. Ooo, that's a nice necklace!"

Lorelei said, pointing at a jade necklace on a table. The table was actually a cart which had lost its wheels many years ago. It was covered in a table cloth which was stained in spaghetti sauce to cover the moldy piece of wood which held everything together.
"I would be inclined to agree," commented Florian, "however I don't tru-

"My ex-boyfriend gave it to me, that's why I am selling it," said the lady behind the stall quickly.

"How much?"

"Well, it's sentimental value is high. He gave it to me when we first met. It was a sunny day in Spring...

"I'm going to leave..." Florian scooped up Honkers, who was slowly reaching for a chunk of bread sitting precariously on the edge of the table-cart. After flapping his wings furiously, Honkers looked at the lady, who was looking dreamily at the necklace, and calmed down enough to let out a honk as if in agreement with Florian. The man and goose walked through the market, looking at bugs and books. The market was organized like a maze to trick all potential buyers into spending their entire fortune within a few hours. Honkers was waddling happily by Florian, picking at peoples shoes and biting at bugs. Within a few hours, Florian had found everything on his list and returned to Lorelei and the necklace lady.

"When we went on our third date, he brought me to a fancy dinner and bought me flowers. I wore the necklace again to that date and to all the other ones he took me on."

"Oh that's nice..."

"On the day he took me to a horse race, I spent over two entire hours picking a dress! We were super late but we still had fun watching the horses get fed and brought back to their pens. The next day, he took me to the beach and guess what?"

'Wha?" Lorelei shook herself awake.

"I didn't know how to swim! So he took time to teach me how to swim in the shallow water and we had a lot of fun splashing each other. On our next date, he took me to see the play called "The Tardis" and I just loved it! So he took me to another play the next week and we watched "The Pig Star System" and I loved that one so much he took me to watch "The Lord of the Supreme Commander" which is yet another classic. Finally, he took me to "The Theft of the Second Couch Cushion". Turns out the cat was to blame and he was sentenced to Shame from Family Members Without His Knowing land where he is still referenced to this very day. Did I forget to mention all of these are based off real-life events? No, I think I mentioned it sometime or another. Anyways, all that to say the necklace will cost you about twenty-five gold pieces."

"Huh? What was that?"

"I said that my ex-boyfriend took me to see a play called "The Tardis" and when I liked that one he took me to see "The Pig Star System", "The Lord of the Supreme Commander", and "The Theft of the Second Couch Cushion"... And that the necklace will cost you around twenty-five gold pieces."

"I'll take it!" Lorelei said quickly. She set down the payment and snatched the necklace from her hands before running off to look for Honkers.

"Wait! I forgot to mention. That necklace is not for sale!"

Vanessa was glad to have an excuse to leave with Lee and avoid the stupid necklace drama. After all, why would anyone want a necklace that was from a failed relationship? While there was nothing said explicitly that the necklace was cursed, Vanessa wouldn't be surprised if it were. Perhaps that was the reason why Lorelei was so interested in it, despite its high price. She sometimes had a strange interest in that.

Either that, or Lorelei was interested in getting Florian in trouble somehow and giving him a cursed necklace, just for kicks. The thought amused her just as much as it mortified her. Still, Vanessa didn’t think Lorelei would be stupid enough to do that. Spend over two weeks wages on a stupid necklace? Florian wasn’t worth that much, even if Vanessa didn’t really like him.

In either case, it wasn’t Vanessa’s problem. She only had to follow Lee and find a horse and a cart. Which, judging by how practical Lee was, would hopefully be a quick mission with no problems whatsoever.

Except…

“Do you have any money?” she asked suddenly.

Lee turned to glare at her. “Why d’you ask?”

Vanessa suddenly groaned. It would just be like her cheap friends dump this task on her without giving her anything to succeed. If Honkers were around, she might be able to coax the deranged waterfowl to persuade someone to give them some money. But as it was, she didn’t have nearly enough to buy both a horse and a wagon. And, while Lorelei seemed to be happy to fling money around on a stupid necklace, she hadn’t offered anything for the horse and wagon.

For a mad moment, Vanessa thought about going to Florian and asking for money. After all, Florian seemed to be loaded with cash and, better yet, naive enough to give it away. Yet somehow, the thought left a sour taste in her mouth. And, while Lorelei might be willing to help her, she seemed more enthusiastic about a cursed jade necklace at the moment. Nor did the jackalope seem very interested either. In fact, given his role as an altruistic union leader, Vanessa wondered if he would have any cash at all.

Given the way that Lee scowled at her, he wasn’t willing to shell out the money either.

Which meant only one thing…

Vanessa glanced at Lee. He looked old enough to be her father. And so, in a low voice, she leaned over close to Lee and said, “Pretend that you’re having a heart attack.”

Lee scowled at her. “What?”

“Pretend that you’re having a heart attack,” Vanessa repeated calmly. “Or do you know what a heart attack is?”

“I know plenty what a heart attack is, missy,” Lee scoffed. “In my land, we had ‘ese places called hospitals with things like EKGs and defibrillators that could rival any of your magical trickeries and save people from heart attacks without any magic at all.”

“Well, pretend to have one anyway,” Vanessa said. “We’re going to use that wagon.”

Lee glanced. “What?”

Vanessa glanced at the wagon coolly. The wagon was being used by a cabbage merchant who sold his cabbages at such an exorbitant rate that Vanessa had no pity for the man whatsoever. Anyone who would sell a cabbage at those prices deserved whatever was coming to him.

“In about thirty seconds, I want you to drop down and pretend to thrash around and pretend to have a heart attack,” Vanessa said quietly to Lee. “I’ll say that your my father and take the horse and wagon as an excuse to get you to a healer.”

“No,” Lee said. “I am not doing this.” He gestured around him. “I just defeated assassins! Ain’t nobody gonna believe that I am about to drop from a heart attack.”

“Then we’ll switch places,” Vanessa said, thinking quickly. “Are you ready?”

“Nobody’s going to believe that you’re having a heart attack either,” Lee said skeptically.

Vanessa ignored him and dropped to the floor, pretending to have a seizure. She was actually embarrassingly good at it… it was one of the few things that her father taught her to do well in order to beg for money so he could fund his gambling habit.

As soon as she fell, Lee swore. “All right,” he muttered. Then he yelled, “Hey! I need some help!”

A crowd was gathering around them. Inwardly, Vanessa hoped there wasn’t a healer in their midst. After a moment, she stopped and closed her eyes.

“Can I use yer wagon?” Lee asked. “I need to bring her around!”

“But, my cabbages!” the merchant cried.

“Hang yer cabbages!” Lee snapped. “This is an emergency!”

Vanessa heard a satisfying sound of hundreds of cabbages rolling out of a cart. Then she felt Lee grab her and plop her on a bed of what she guessed could only be leftover cabbage leaves that somehow stayed.

“Thanks!” Lee snapped and grabbed the reins.

“MY CABBAGES!”

“Giddiup!” Lee yelled and a moment later Vanessa felt the cart lurch ahead. “Stupid idea,” he muttered under his breath. “What do them kids these days know about anyway?”

Vanessa only smiled and tried to look unconscious as the wagon raced ahead.

A couple of minutes later, Lee whistled. “Come on and get in! No time to waste!”

“Wait, what is this?” Florian suddenly said. “You got your wagon already? Isn’t that a little quick? We haven’t even purchased this necklace.”

“Oh, hang tha’ necklace and jump on in!” Lee yelled. “Stop your delaying! We’re heading out now! It’s an emergency!”

Florian, Lorelei, Honkers, and the jackalope jumped in.

Honkers eyed the wagon, spotted a leftover cabbage and head, and attacked it immediately, shredding the cabbage and eating the leaves as if he were murdering it.

Florian eyed the inside of the wagon with distaste. “It smells like cabbages in here,” he said, sniffing disdainfully.

The jackalope wiggled his nose and sighed happily. “It does, doesn’t it? Cabbage! My favorite!” He rolled a cabbage with his paw closer to him and took a big bite.

Lorelei looked inside the cabbage wagon and grinned. “Your idea?” she said to Vanessa, raising her eyebrow. Then, when Vanessa hesitated, she added, “We’re outside the city. You can get up now.”

Vanessa got up and shrugged. “I really wanted to get to Seabeck,” she admitted. “We’ve dallied here long enough. It’s time to actually do something!”

Lorelei laughed. “Well, you’re in luck! At this speed, we’ll get to Seabeck by nightfall!”

Lee doubted the old horse could get them to Seabeck, and the farmer’s cart was clearly built for cabbages, not speed – still, the specter of being out at nightfall loomed in the back of his mind and Lee kept up hard on the reigns. Each bump was felt quite keenly; Florian kept trying to tell him to avoid the larger ruts, “Come on, mate! Pull hard left! Now right! Right! Awrg! No, no, get in that line there its smoother – I’m sure!” and the witches whined endlessly every time the cart jolted. Well, maybe not Lorelei, she just kept talking about her necklace. “It was such a good deal, I just can’t believe she sold it to me. Doesn’t it have the best sparkle? Oh, I need a new dress to go with it now! I can’t wait! Is there a good seamstress in Seabeck? Oh there must be there just must. I can’t wait!” The jackalope happily sat in Vanessa’s lap, which gave him the only padded seat in the house. He muttered too, but seemed to enjoy her stroking his fur.

Not that Lee was immune to it, he figured that his back would have felt about as bad with the horse trotting over it as it did from the painful bumping and bouncing of the cart. So it was with an unusual amount of joy that they broke free of the forest to find themselves staring over the iceberg studded water just in time to see a spectacular sunset. And there, right along the beach glowing warm orange and red in the fading sunlight was the sleepy town of Seabeck. Lee was pretty well traveled around these parts, but it had been an age since he’d been out this far – the usually miserable weather chased away all but the heartiest souls. Still, surprisingly, it seemed that Seabeck had grown and it was positively bustling compared to years ago.

A new palisade surrounded the small city – you could hardly call it a town anymore – probably built to keep Lord Reginold’s army from ‘accidentally’ destroying it. They bounced and jolted their way up to the gate, the road finally becoming blessedly smoother. The guards waved them through, and they rolled in without question.
The Drunken Sailor, it turned out, had not changed and was just where it had been the last time he’d been kicked to the curb from it. Still looked like the long front porch was about to collapse, and if it had been cleaned in the last decade it was lightly and long ago. He dropped off of the cart and tied up the horse to a nearby hitching post.

“Next time,” Florian sighed, stumbling about as he regained his legs “Get a nice hay wagon. I think I’ll stink of cabbage into next week.”

The jackalope hopped around, and Vanessa regained her determination. Lorelei just lay in the wagon, staring at the necklace until Vanessa prodded her.

Lorelei gazed lovingly into the emerald necklace. There was something about it that made her think about the past. A memory started to come to the surface.

"I know that we are young and I know that you may love me, but I just can't be with you like this anymore..."

"Alejandro," Lorelei murmured. She hadn't thought about him for years, but his name slipped out as if he was in the room with her.

"Who?" Lee said.

"It's nothing," Lorelei said, putting the necklace down sheepishly. The tavern was nice, but their funds were perilously low.

"We need to earn some money," Lorelei said.

"Maybe we should sell the necklace," Florian said gently.

"No!" Lorelei snapped sharply. "It is mine. My own. My...precious."

"Um... are you okay?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm fine! Everything is fine. Everything is just... green." Lorelei whispered.

At that moment, there was a clamor as a sailor burst into the bar.

"There's a girl trapped in an iceberg! We need help to rescue her!" The bar patrons turned to look at the sailor.

"Is she hot?" one of the patrons asked.

"I mean, she's encased in an iceberg. How hot can she be?" the sailor said.

"But is she attractive?" the patron persisted. The sailor fiddled with his hands.

"I mean, she probably has a nice personality..." There was muttering and the other patrons seemed to lose interest and went back to their drinks.

"SERIOUSLY?!" Vanessa yelled at the patrons "YOU SHOULD ALL BE COMPLETELY ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES." Vanessa stormed up to the sailor.

"Where is she? Take me to her at once!" Vanessa ordered. Lorelei and the others got up to follow Vanessa and the sailor out. The sailor took them to the shore and pointed to an iceberg a couple hundred feet offshore.

The iceberg was massive, was 500 feet at its widest and 200 feet tall. It's existence seemed to defy all known laws of physics and tested even the usual suspension of disbelief needed for most fiction. But there it stood, towering above the harbor. At the top of the iceberg was the frozen figure of a young woman encased in the ice.

"Well, there she is," Lorelei said. "How are we going to get to her?"

"Well, I suppose we could get a boat," Florian said.

"The walls of the iceberg are pretty steep, it might not be easy to get onto the iceberg," Lee said gruffly.

"It's okay, we can use some... climbing equipment..." Lorelei stammered as she began to frantically checking her pockets.

"MY NECKLACE! IT'S GONE! WHERE IS IT? WHO STOLE IT!?" Lorelei roared.

"HONK!" Honkers said in answer, waving his wings and showing off the emerald necklace that had slid around his neck.

"You traitor!" Lorelei screamed before lunging desperately for the necklace. Honkers easily dodged her and she fell ungracefully into the dirt. Honkers slipped away and promptly took flight towards the iceberg.

"Honkers! Save the woman!" Florian yelled from the shore and for once, Honkers seemed to oblige him. Honkers flew high into the sky before diving down onto the iceberg. With a mighty wing attack, Honkers hit the iceberg.

With a sharp CRACK The iceberg shuddered and impacted against the bottom of the harbor, before shattering into thousands of tiny shards. The shard containing the frozen woman flew into the air and then landing vertically in the ground a few feet away from the party. The shard broke, depositing the woman on the ground next to them. She had flowing brown hair, and clothing that was at least three centuries out of fashion. The sailor took one look at the goose and immediately ran away terrified.

"Is she alive?" Lorelei asked, glaring at Honkers. Godlike power or no, she wouldn't let that stop her from getting the necklace.

"Her?" Vanessa asked with a nervous laugh. "No, she died of hypothermia at least 300 years ago. I was just interested in looting her corpse." Vanessa said. "Check out that ring."

Florian went to remove it, but Lorelei stopped him. "Don't remove it, that's a Soul-tether ring."

"Explain," Lee barked.

"If a person dies while wearing the ring, their soul doesn't pass on. It means you could resurrect them, even now. They may have a raise dead scroll on them. We bring them back to life and they might shower us with gold!" Lorelei said.

At that moment there was a flapping noise as Honkers returned to the party. Lorelei reached for the necklace instinctively, but Honkers hissed at her, before wiggling his tail feathers and approaching the dead woman.

"HOOOOOONNNNNNNKKKK!!!" Honkers roared, opening his beak wide. His eyes and mouth glowed an ethereal green light as necromantic energy surged out of his body. The emerald necklace exploded as it was consumed in a raise dead spell.

And for the first time in over three hundred years, the now alive woman took a breath.

"May the stuffing of your pillow always be lumpy, and your children's outfits far too frumpy," she began chanting. Phantom voices sang an eerie, lilting harmony which was implied rather than truly being heard.

"Quick! Everyone out of the way!" shouted Lorelei. "She's casting a spell!"

Lee had already taken off, and the rest of the party followed.

"Is there a way to stop her?" asked Florian.

"Just run!"

"May you have a permanent cowlick, and your carts always slip from stopping bricks," the woman continued, her voice rising. Lorelei could feel the magic humming in the air, fighting to be set free. She swore.

"To the ground! We can't outrun it; it's three hundred years old!"

Florian stopped. "What's that have to do with it?"

"May you always forget your intention when you enter a room. May your future hold certain doom!"

A wave of energy exploded, notes hung almost visible in the air, and the image of a tall woman in a magnificent blue gown appeared for an instant before Florian was thrown backwards. The woman swayed back and forth before falling to the dock, weak from exertion and her long time frozen in ice.

The party gathered around Florian, who was laying wide-eyed against a post.

"Are you okay?" Vanessa asked, checking for any injury. Against all odds, Florian seemed to be in perfectly sound condition.

"I don't feel a thing," he laughed. "What was that about having to run, Lorelei?"

Lorelei shook her head. "You may not feel its effects now, but that was a strong curse. Our ice girl began casting it centuries ago. No matter its strength or intention at the time, it has become far more powerful than anything I've ever seen." She looked back at the woman. "In fact, we should probably check on her. That kind of thing is bound to have an effect on the caster as well."

"She cursed Florian!" Vanessa protested. Honkers flapped his wings aggressively.

"She wasn't trying to," Lorelei said, walking towards the woman. She was still breathing, but she was shivering and her already pale skin was tinged blue. "Let's get her back to the inn. Lee?"

"I'm not carrying her." Lorelei ignored him and started walking back. He growled and slung the woman over his shoulder, muttering, "If she curses me, you're the one who has to fix it."

Back at The Drunken Sailor, Lorelei had had Florian and the woman put up in beds, the former protesting all the while. She was now sitting at a table with a bowl of mysterious spicy red soup, and her spoon was halfway to her mouth when Honkers stormed down the stairs in a whirlwind of feathers, Lee right behind him.

"Girl's awake, and Vanessa's about ready to murder her," he reported.

Lorelei followed them to their room upstairs, where the woman was sitting up on her bed, with Mr. Bojangles on her lap and Vanessa glaring at her from one of two chairs in the room. Lorelei took the second chair, and Mr. Bojangles perked up.

"Ah, you're here! This nice young lady just introduced herself, but you haven't missed much."

"Good day. I am Isolde Agema, daughter of Gebhard Agema, Lord of Vögelsterben."

Lorelei stared at her in shock. The Agemas were a powerful family who ruled huge swathes of land and worked closely with King Reginald.

"See, she has to be lying" said Vanessa. "If one of their daughters was trapped in ice, no matter how long ago, we would know about it!"

"Isolde, who was the last king you can remember?" Lorelei asked, slowly.

"Her Majesty Queen Sahsa. It is - was? - the tenth year of her reign."

Lorelei inhaled. "We found you encased in ice. It's been 327 years."

Isolde shook her head. "I had been hoping I had merely floated away to a foreign land, but I suppose... I don't know what I suppose."

Vanessa rolled her eyes, but Lorelei took no notice. "What is the last thing you can remember?"

"Vögelsterben borders the territory of the sorceress Ollivier. We have always tried to maintain good relations with her, and we were attending a ball at her castle. I'm good friends with her nephew Renaud, so we spent most of the night together. Ollivier herself never liked me, however, and took me aside to warn me away from her nephew. We had an argument which escalated to a duel of sorts. My spell was intended only to irritate and I was going to lift it eventually, but she clearly was more serious." Isolde paused for a moment before adding, "That probably wasn't very good for our diplomatic relations."

Florian's mind was filled with cacophony of sights and noise. Geese honked and squawked, spells and curses filled the air, ladies and lords spoke of war and peace. Florian searched endlessly for any clue to this girl's past.

The castle she resided at was larger than any of its time and contained thousands of rooms. One in particular stood out to Florian. The room was filled with hundreds of knights preparing for war. At the head of the group stood a knight with a red flag displaying a yellow dragon. The same dragon which was embedded into the back of the girl's cloak and the same dragon which stood proudly in the castle of King Reginald.

Florian leapt up from the bed he was laying in and ran towards the door. Where was he? How had he gotten there? Where was everyone else? Florian sank back into the seer's perspective and looked for his companions, who all sat listening to the traitor girl. Florian burst from his room and rushed to the girl's room. He burst into the room, pointed at the girl, and proclaimed: "This girl works for Reginald!"

Back in Gor Nathal, King Reginald sat at his war table with Joana moving miniatures on the table. He watched as his main army was moved away from Seabeck and towards Toileandra. When he asked for the reasoning behind this major change of plans, Joana's reply was quick and straight to the point.

"Because I saw the aristocratic troops change directions from fleeing to Seabeck to charging into Toileandra and fortifying the town," she replied.

"Have you spoken to our inside man? This Floriana guy or whatever his name is?" He waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Yes, he gave me the same information and we agreed that we should chase them down to ambush the town. Also, his name is not Floriana," she said coldly.

"Whatever. As long as we win this dreadful war. What are your plans for the evening?" Reginald inquired.

"I'm busy."

"Surely you can make time," he insisted.

"No, I can't make time, and don't call me Surely," she joked.

"Fine. I'm going downtown to speak to the people and pick up more soldiers to send out. While I'm away I require you to detail the attack plan for this Toiletia or whatever it's called," Reginald said, not receiving the joke.

"Whatever you say Lord Wit-less," Joana said, rolling her eyes. She turned away and walked out of the room. Joana silently giggled and rushed to her room. She locked the door and walked to her dresser. On the bottom shelf, she had stashed away her most prized possession: her photobook. The leather cover was engraved with flowers and vines. Inside, photos of her home and family members were carefully glued onto the pages. She hugged the book to her chest and collapsed onto her bed, drifting off to sleep.

Back in the town of Seabeck, a group of pirates had docked earlier in the day. The pirates, being awful humans, decided to go get drunk and then rob a shop. So, they got drunk, refused to pay for their drinks, ran away from cops, returned to the bar to steal more drinks, robed a candy store, and then, the pirates chose to drink at the same tavern as the party. Here they caused a scene and broke multiple mugs before deciding to invade a few rooms to stay the night. The pirates chose two rooms, both of which were already occupied, and collapsed onto the beds and floor to sleep.

Vanessa snorted at Florian. “Her? Work for Reginald? The curse has made you stupider than that blasted cowlick you have! Didn’t we already figure out that she was last around 327 years ago? She never even knew Reginald!”

“But she just said she was connected to the royal family—“ Florian began.

Vanessa sighed in exasperation. “Yes, 327 years ago. Reginald wasn’t even born! Why, his grandparents weren’t even born! Or even his great grandparents! Do we need to repeat ourselves again?”

Frankly, Vanessa was tired about all the talk about Pretty Miss Iceberg, as she privately thought of her. After all, Isolde was too much of an interesting, exotic name. Pretty Miss Iceberg seemed to encapsulate her — pun fully intended — much better. And, while she she didn’t completely regret reviving the woman, she almost regretted it, which was bad enough.

Though, honestly, why wouldn’t Vanessa not like her? Vanessa was a pretty patient person, especially to her patients. At her previous hospital, she always got excellent reviews for her bedside manner. She had only left the hospital because she wanted to seek her fortune away from her comfortable life. But Isolde was too much. She was too… perfect. Her clothes were too nice. Her hair was too perfect. And she seemed awfully petty as well. Honestly, when she heard Isolde reflect on her last memories, she sympathized with Ollivier entrapping Isolde in the iceberg.

“So what d’we do now?” Lee asked. “We can’t stay here for long.”

“Are you sure?” Boba Bojangles asked, wiggling his nose and shifting in Isolde’s lap. “We’re pretty far away. What if King Reginald decides he doesn’t want to bother us anymore?”

Lee suddenly snorted. “As if!”

“It’s a legitimate question,” Florian said.

“Oh, comb out that cowlick,” Lee muttered, glaring at Florian. “There are assassins after us, not to mention King Reginald. And, since we just smashed up that iceberg, everybody knows we’re here. We can’t stay here for much longer. We need to go.”

Vanessa grimaced. “Lee’s right. We should probably leave,” she admitted. She glanced at Lorelei. “What do you say, Lorelei?”

Lorelei was gazing at the necklace, lost in her own world.

“Lorelei?”

“What, Alejandro?”

Vanessa gritted her teeth. “My name is Vanessa.”

Lorelei stared at her. “That’s what I said.”

Vanessa sighed. The last thing she needed now was Lorelei having a psychotic meltdown, just because of a stupid necklace. Already, she spent a huge fortune on the necklace. And now?

“All right, we should leave,” Vanessa said firmly.

“But what about me?” Isolde said.

Vanessa shrugged and tried to smile. “You seem well enough, considering that you were buried in ice for three hundred some odd years. I think you’ll manage just fine somehow.”

Just then, a frantic knock came at the door. Lee lifted up his head, his face stern. “Don’t open it—“ he began, just as Florian opened it.

But was the innkeeper, looking nervous and pale.

“You’re going to have to leave,” she said, twisting her hands together nervously. “I normally wouldn’t bother you, but some pirates have come in. They’ve already taken two of the rooms. Once they start vomiting from their hangover, they’ll likely take more. Since you have an injured person with you, I figured I should let you know so you can make arrangements and leave.”

With that, she scampered away.

“See, it wasn’t bad at all,” Florian said.

“This time, perhaps,” Lee said, glowering at Florian. He slung his bag across his back. “I guess that means that we should leave now.”

Isolde smiled more broadly. “And I guess this means that I’m coming with you!”

Across town, Lorelei opened the door to her room at the new inn and Honkers waddled through. Lorelei followed and closed the door behind her. She then heaved a sigh of relief and fell into the bed.

It had been a heck of a week and she hadn't had any time to reflect on everything that was going on. Vanessa, Lee, Florian, Honkers, Boba, and now Isolde. She felt that things were spiraling out of control and she had no way of stabilizing it. Worse still, she wasn't sure who she could trust.

Alejandro would have known what to do. He always had a plan or an idea in his back pocket, always thinking, always plotting. They had parted ways five years ago and now he was back in her thoughts, like an buzzing fly.

Lorelei rolled out of the bed and went to the washing basin. She poured water from a jug into the basin and looked down to see her reflection. Her hair was black, wild, and dirty. Her face felt dirty and looked tired. She bent over the basin and splashed herself with water, and muddied water fell back into the basin. Lorelei picked up the wash basin and went to open the window. It opened out over the roof. Lorelei dumped the water onto the roof, closed the window, and then cast a create water spell. Water flowed from her hands, refilling the basin, and she continued the washing process.

Four basins later, Lorelei was beginning to feel like a real person again. She now began the process of brushing her long black hair in sections. It took a bit of time, but at last she was able to put it up into a headband braid.

"How do I look?" she asked Honkers. Honkers looked over and honked approvingly. Lorelei turned to the door. Her memories of a past love, the pressures and dangers of adventuring coming down and resting on her shoulders, it all pointed to one solution.

"Honkers, I'm going to grab a drink. Want to come?" Honkers got up and waddled out the door and Lorelei followed after locking the room behind her.

A few minutes later, Lorelei arrived at the Drunken Sailor Tavern and sat at the counter.

"What can I get you," the Bartender asked.

"I'm thirsty, but I'm low on coin. But I do have something that you might find interesting..." she said, opening a pill case and putting it on the counter. Inside were a several hangover cures that Lorelei had crafted on the way to Seabeck.

"Ten hangover cures," the bartender counted. "I can do two gold pieces."

"You have a deal," Lorelei said. There was a loud laughter and roaring from one of the tables. Lorelei looked over her shoulder and spotted a bunch of pirates laughing, singing, and drinking.

"Is it always so lively?" Lorelei asked. The bartender grimaced.

"They're not pleasant company, Edwina says they're grabbers. But they pay in gold and drink a lot. Besides, I don't want swordplay in my tavern, it's bad for business."

"Thanks for the tip," Lorelei said. "I'll take an ale."

"Put it on my tab," a man said. Lorelei turned around to see the face of a smiling man. He was tall, had brown hair and brown eyes, and a muscular build. He wore armor and carried a sword that was presently sheathed.

"As I live and breathe, if it isn't Marlon Grey. I didn't expect to see you here. What business brings you to Seabeck?" Lorelei asked.

"The same business as always," the mercenary replied. "King Reginald has been offering some pretty lucrative contracts recently, and my team is here to collect one of them." The bartender brought an ale over and Lorelei took it carefully.

"What kind of contract?" Lorelei asked as casually as she could. "Group or individual?"

"A town. Apparently a group of locals decided to rebel against the King and he is looking for some outside muscle to go in and break it up. Doesn't want to risk some soldier being put up against his father," Marlon said.

"What's the town's name?" Lorelei asked.

"That's going to cost you one of your famous hangover cures," Marlon said. Lorelei fished the pillbox out again, and rolled one over to Marlon. He took it and examined it.

"Ever hear of a place called Gor Chasten?"

"I have, a mining town. Apparently there were a lot of issues there with working conditions," Lorelei said, remembering Boba's description.

"That's the place. Word is that the situation escalated from the mines to the town in general. Word is a rebellion is brewing and Gor Chasten is the source."

"Seems like it's more than just a one man job," Lorelei said.

"Good thing I've got help," Marlon said, gesturing towards a table. Two elves, a dwarf, a halfling, and two other humans were around a table. All look heavily armed.

"Quite the band," Lorelei remarked.

"There's room for one more," Marlon said. "Money is very good, at least 1000 gold pieces worth."

"It's a tempting offer," Lorelei began to say, but was interrupted by one of the pirates coming to the counter.

"BARTENDER! ANOTHER ROUND!" he said, roaring with laughter, before turning to see Lorelei. "Hello there beautiful," he began. The smell of the drunk pirate assaulted her nose as he drew closer. "What are you doing tonight?"

"None of your business," Lorelei said evenly.

"Maybe I can make it my business," he said, dropping a few gold coins on the counter.

"Beat it pal," Marlon said, standing up. The pirate turned drunkenly towards Marlon.

"What are you going to do about it-" the pirate said, but before he could finish, Marlon had struck the pirate with a sharp blow, following it up with a hard punch that took the pirate off his feet. Immediately, the pirate's table rose for battle, only to be intercepted by Marlon's crew. The match was brutal and short and in less than a minute, the pirates were rolling on the ground, screaming in pain.

"Aerin, grab their weapons," Marlon said to the female elf. "The rest of you tie them up."

"Any injuries?" the dwarf asked. Apparently the halfling had taken a nasty cut, but the dwarf promptly healed it.

"Thanks Barim," the halfling said. Marlon turned back to Lorelei.

"I could have handled him you know," Lorelei said.

"What about his friends?" Marlon asked.

"HONK." Honkers said across the room.

"Is that a goose?" Marlon said.

"He's with me," Lorelei said. "But I appreciate the gesture."

"You didn't give me an answer," Marlon said. Lorelei hesitated. It was a lot of money.

"Have you ever taken a job with King Reginald before?" Lorelei asked.

"No, this is the first one," Marlon said.

"About a day or two ago I came across a village that had been razed by some of King Reginald's goons. It wasn't pretty. Lots of dead villagers," Lorelei said, taking a long swig of ale. "His gold might be good, but the guy is definitely not a good guy. I don't think I'd like having him for a boss, regardless of price."

"That isn't how my crew works," Marlon said. "But I know what you mean. Thanks for hearing me out."

"Thanks for the drink," Lorelei said, pocketing the pirate's gold. She was going to have a lot to tell the group when she got back to them.

Past the harbor, the Andoic Ocean raged and thrashed. A merchant ship called the Lady Min plowed through the waves, her sailors rushed from port to starboard and back again trimming the jib and lowing the main sail. The ship rocked and turned, rushing towards the safety of the harbor. The sailors of the Lady Min prepared to dock at Seabeck and restock for their journey to Voridian City. As the ship came into port, the sailors watched the water with careful eyes, watching for any larger chunks of ice which could be dangerous.

At the dock, many sailors went to work to repair or replace ropes, sails, and supplies. Others took their time and walked into the town. There they stopped at bars, bought souvenirs, and got drunk.

In Gor Nathal, King Reginald sat on his porcelain throne, watching a dust particle flitter through the air. He had just gained another group of adventurers to do his dirty-work and planned to kill them off once they knew to much about his plans, or if they figured out they would never be payed. Reginald suddenly lost sight of the dust particle and sighed. After he left his throne room, he strolled confidently towards his room, searching for something, anything to take away his boredom for any amount of time before his ride to the city. His talk had to be perfect to gain the people's trust. The next hour of his life was then spent watching a cow graze in its field. On the ride to the town, Reginald sat calmly watching the forest around his castle turn to fields then eventually to small wooden buildings. At the town courthouse, Reginald exited his carriage and entered the building to join the banquet. Life continued as normal for the lords and knights who were already there, who were utterly indifferent to king standing before them. Reginald called out to them and when they turned their heads he started his speech.

"My people!"

"WhAt dO YoU WaNT, YoU oLD MAn?!" Shouted a drunk.

Reginald mimed slicing a blade across his throat to one of his guards, who immediately pored towards the man.

"I, your king, have come here to give you news," Reginald continued as the drunk was dragged away.

He had everyone's attention now, but for the wrong reason. "It is time to come to arms! We are to go to war. Bring your men to my castle by Monday morning or be beheaded for treason," Reginald proclaimed, then he turned heel and walked calmly and coldly from the building to return home.

Joana watched from her room as the carriage of Reginald returned from the town. She knew he had formally declared war on multiple nations and she knew she would be required to work out a war plan soon. Joana sank into her mind and searched for signs of another seer. When none appeared, she sank into her bed and stared at the ceiling. She hated being a spy.

From the far end of the Drunken Sailor, Lee had been doing his best work from behind a pint, well, a few pints now of local ale. He sat with a wiry fellow who kept taking his hat off an putting it back on – and who wanted to talk. Lee was only half listening – the usual half truths and rumors circulated.

“Tell yah- yep I tell yah- aint’ nothing too it. The little lass is supposed to be fallen in love with the high faloutin’ Lordy Reginold, but no- nooo I say. She’s no more in love than a dead man, yah? Who could love the old Reggy anyway? Nothing to love, no, she may be stuck with ‘im but she just biding her time! Yep I said it, I tell ya, looky – a girl like that stuck into the role she’s got has to be lookin for a way out. Foo’ man that Lordy. Foo’ man. Get a knife in a back is all from that one!”

Lee couldn’t fathom it either, but then again he had no patience for the drama of kings and princes and their princesses. He was really here to find the pair of gunslinger assassins that were supposed to be around ready to reward their bounty. No one around seemed to match up. Sure there were pirates, thieves, adventurers – Lee had watched Lorelei and Marlon meet up, and the ensuing pirate bar fight – but if there was a single gunslinger in town they seemed to have gone unnoticed.

Lee had tried his best to be discreet, he’d pulled out a set of cartridge paper and asked if anyone was looking to buy – Gunslingers always were in the market for good cartridge paper to wrap their bullets and powder in – but everyone shrugged and told him they hadn’t seen any gunslingers around.

“Tellin yah, I haven’t seen a gunslinger in a coon’s age about ‘ere” his current companion had said.

Still, this Marlon fellow was also in Reginold’s employ – so who was hiring him then? Marlon’s crew was certainly a cut above your normal adventuring bunch. Laying out a dozen pirates was no simple feat but they hardly broke a sweat.

“That fella, ‘choo see them? He said he was workin’ with Lord Reginold, eh? What’s his deal?” Lee asked his companion.

“Hah!, Yea, a patriot of the golden coin them lot! Tell yah-“ He removed his hat again and leaned in, “Yah, yah, they been a few weeks here tryin to get some more bodies – think they need some foos’ to get chewed up in the fightin, yep. Say looky, he’s got his crew now, but a fellah like that always thinkin he’s gonna be king somma time. Yep, jus a few more bags of gold, then he thinkin he can buy loyalty! More a foo than Lordy Reginold thinkin that!”

Lee laughed. His own party had started in their quest for gold. Then they had seemed to forget all about making money. Not that it mattered much to him, he could sleep rough and eat forage… But money was getting short now.

Marlon’s party stayed for much of the evening, and Lee kept tabs on the table. They drank a bit, but not to excess – a stark contrast to the groups of pirates in the bar which grew progressively drunker and louder as the night lengthened. Finally they broke off, leaving only the Halfling with his drink. Lee decided to try a bit of subterfuge. He wandered toward the bar, and then bumped and slumped into a chair next to the Halfling.

“Oy, you not too bad with that!” Lee started pointing to the long whip coiled at the halfling’s side. In the fight he had taken several pirates out with it. “Makin lots of friends these parts, I see.”

The Halfling snorted and cast a withering glance at the nearby pirates. “Friends with that lot? I’d rather not, old man.”

“No, eh, I see, I see, well why you with this Marlon fella’ anyway?”

“I’ve been with a few groups. Marlon actually knows how to run a team. Doesn’t sign up for the stupid tasks that get us killed.” He paused, then smiled, “And, he actually gets paid. Has a reputation for hunting down some folks who didn’t.”

Lee saw an opening, and threw caution to the wind, “I ‘ere yah there! Heard jus’ this week of a couple gunslinger assassins hiring folks and jumpin’ ship. Just poof!”

The Halfling looked concerned at this, then shrugged. “Hard to say. I think I may know who you are talkin of – Lord Reginolds secret police has some fellas – and who knows who they might stiff. I’d like to think they have enough respect for Marlon to pay up. Saw them a couple days ago in Toileandra.”

“Hope yah right then. One thing to die for gold, another to die for nuttin” Lee finished the last swig of his ale and left the Drunken Sailor. It was late, and although Seabeck had a good palisade, you couldn’t be too careful. Lee made a brisk pace to their new lodging.