By Philip-Gianni Gaspari

Bane’s fingers rhythmically thrumming the wooden table top was one of the few ambient noises in the tavern. Sitting in his banquette, his katana was seated upright next to him, while his wakizashi remained fastened to his side. As always, he chose his seating position to face the unique entrance of The Moose in order to see all who entered. But, not many came through, probably because nobody knew what a “Moose” was. Perhaps it rhymed too much with “noose,” Bane thought. The crackling of the hearth, the half-orc barkeep cleaning, and setting glassware were just some of the few other sounds in this practically desolate place. However, that’s exactly why he chose The Moose: for discretion.

He was to meet one of his contacts, a younger elf named Lustrio Relevane. A subtle and crafty individual, the elf is often able to enter places he should not be – a talent Bane often put to use. Years ago, Bane found Lustrio locked in the dungeons of House Bane by complete chance. Surprised that they had any sort of prisoner, Lord Bane decided to show hospitality to the fellow elf rather than have him undergo torture and interrogation. He fed, bathed, and learned who the young elf was, or rather, had been. In doing so, Bane discovered the young elf’s unique skills for gathering information, breaking and entering, as well as his memory. Lord Bane decided to give Lustrio the opportunity to work for him, which eventually led him to becoming a prized contact for House Bane. For many years he served the House well, and tonight he was to give Lustrio the chance to obtain a more notable position amidst his House. 

Some time passed as Bane sat at his booth reflecting and sipping his wine. Eventually the swinging door flaps opened and a trio of humanoids casually strolled in. The high elf’s sharp glance sized them up; humans, two men and a woman, clearly professional looking – especially for mercenaries. Armed to the teeth, the first man had a huge sword on his back, but he was not particularly large as far as humans could go. There was a scabbard that either held a smaller sword or a massive dagger; Bane couldn’t decide which. The second man was infact large – he tucked his head when he moved through the entrance; there were several short axes displayed on his belt, and from where he was sitting, Bane could tell there was something on his back but not what. The woman was about the same size as the first man, and equally well built. She had two swords by her waist, not unlike Bane’s katana. He also spotted several small knives on her thigh. Together, they all displayed some kind of regimental outfit, indicating that they functioned as a unit. 

They moved somewhat slowly, without grace. Oddly enough they chose not to look towards Bane, the only other patron at The Moose. As the men moved for a table, the woman moved to the bar, but not before noticing that Bane was looking at them. She tilted her head and winked subtly at the high elf before turning towards the barkeep. Lord Bane could not avert his gaze in time, and so he blushed inwardly. Composing himself with a sip of wine, he was embarrassed at the fact that he was caught staring at the trio more than anything else. They took one of the tables far enough to be between Bane’s banquette and the bar counter. Their seats were in Bane’s line of sight to the entrace but he could still partially see it; he would have to be wary of his gaze in order to be polite and maintain discretion. 

When the woman came to sit at their table, she did not look at Bane again, she sat with her back towards him. Not long after, the barkeep stomped towards their table with a tray filled with many mugs. Contrary to the usual etiquette of mercenaries, these folk were quite polite. So polite, in fact the barkeep was at a loss for words. As the woman tipped the half-orc, he stammered his thanks. 

“W-w-what a g’nerous tanks moi’ lady,”

In harmony, all three of the seated patrons howled their laughter. The large man banged his fist on the table several times as the other two explained,

“This ain’t no lady, barkeep!”

They all laughed, even the barkeep joined in despite his visible uncertainty; Lord Bane’s composure cracked at the scene, breaking into a shy grin as he tried to cover it up by sipping wine once more. The woman spoke after the moment passed, as the barkeep moved back behind the counter.

“What is your name? I would certainly hate to keep calling you barkeep all night.”

“Lozef, my – uhh”

The other two men laughed louder as the woman replied,

“Oh hush up you two. Well Lozef, when you see these -” she gestures to their mugs,

“- go dry, please do us a favor and make them wet.”

Lozef cracked into a semi-toothless grin as he nodded several times, just as Lustrio Relevane walked through the door flaps. Bane immediately noticed that something in the air seemed to change. The mercenaries all looked suddenly at the younger elf, and their laughter seemed to cease almost instantly. One of them cleared their throat, and thanked Lozef again. Lustrio’s stride slowed before their gaze, but it was barely noticeable, and it all happened in the briefest of moments. He seemed to take in the scene with a knowing stare, which Bane found strange. Setting aside but not casting away these thoughts, Lord Bane shimmied out from the banquette as he moved for a handshake with his contact. He greeted him in customary elvish, then continued in elvish with a smile on his face,

“How are you my young friend?”

The strangeness seemed to continue, because Lustrio decided to reply in common. Bane listened to the young elf speak, maintaining his composure, and his smile. They had rules, only a few rules; one of them being they must always speak in Elvish. 

“Lord Bane, always a pleasure,” he tilted his head slightly forward to resemble a bow.

Bane continued in elvish, just to see what Lustrio would do.

“So my boy, clearly you have some news for me?”

Lustrio sighed as he sat, and continued in common.

 “Well, my Lord, I know you’ve been on the search for specific artifacts from the Pirate Isles out west…”

Lord Bane listened offhandedly to his contact. His face remained stoic, but his suspicions grew. Something was off about all of this, those mercenaries, Lustrio’s carelessness. He decided to let the young elf continue on. As he fixed focus on Lustrio, he noticed that the elf was excited – anxious quite possibly. He kept making gestures with his hands, could not maintain eye contact, and Bane was sure his leg was jittering all along.

 The high elf chanced a glance around the tavern while Lustrio continued to speak. The barkeep noticed Bane’s gaze, and hurried over with an empty goblet; his gaze then moved to the three others, seated at their table, suddenly quiet. They hunched over their drinks, deep in conversation, but the large man’s eyes caught Bane’s. Lord Bane nodded slowly, while the mercenary gave a nod back, coupled with a sadistic smile. Strange, Bane thought. Continuing his scan, it was Lustrio that cut himself off.

“Is something the matter, my Lord. You seem… distracted…” the young elf licked his dry lips as he finished his sentence.

Lozef stomped over from the bar with the goblet, as Bane began to reply in elvish, not before thanking the barkeep with a smile and a courteous head-bow. Lozef poured wine into their goblets.

“These are strange times, my dear Lustrio. Indeed, strange times call for strange circumstances. Strange circumstances, always call for hard decisions.”

Lozef stomped off once again, this time with an empty bottle of wine. Bane sniffed the freshly poured wine before taking a nice long sip. Lustrio’s perplexed expression was worth a thousand words, but all he replied with was,

“My lord, I-I don’t follow.” the young elf sipped his wine timidly.

Lord Bane’s eyes became like a falcon’s as they fixed Lustrio. He noticed that the young elf’s hand was shaking as he put his goblet down. The high elf’s eyes remained fixed as his hand fished for something in his kimono’s pocket. A short moment passed as Lustrio quickly moved to drink more wine. Bane produced the hand from his pocket, his hand hovering over the table before setting it palm down on the wood with a knock. It was Lustrio’s eyes who were now fixed, fixed on whatever may potentially be under his Lord’s hand. 

Rapidly, Bane’s hand was off the table, and all that it left was a golden ring on its wooden top. The high elf watched as Lustrio’s expression became one of relief, the sigh coming in like a gasp of air. It was a House Bane signet ring lying on the banquette’s table.

“Lord Bane… you honor me…” the young elf’s head bowed.

A sly grin crept up on the high elf’s face as he watched Lustrio eventually move for the ring. Bane’s hand shot back out like a viper, grabbing Lustrio’s arm firmly, startling him. He stared in his Lord’s piercing eyes and Bane could have sworn the traitor would have confessed right then and there. But suddenly, a large crash came through the flap-like doors causing both elves to glance in the direction. A stumbling man came in immediately after, homeless from the looks of him.

Bane held the traitor’s hand, his heart beginning to beat faster as the situation became stranger; through his strong grip he could feel Lustrio’s pulse galloping like a war horse. The homeless man stumbled to the counter, tipping over the glassware and mugs that the barkeep had been cleaning, shattering them with a loud clattering. The bizarre hobo wore a shawl, and was raving like a maniac. Lozef added to the bizarre speech by howling agressively in orcish, stomping over quickly in an attempt to catch the crazed man. But he was deceptively swift. The man fumbled more glassware, then tipped over to move past the mercenaries’ table, closing in across Bane’s banquette. As the homeless man drew near, the high elf realized he gave off no smell of uncleanliness. Rather, there was a wiff of herbs and spices in the air, an all too familiar scent. That’s when Lord Bane noticed two of the mernecaries were staring him down. 

When Lord Bane realized that was not a homeless man.

Casting off the shawl with one hand, charging lightning in the other – the man wore light travellers gear with many pouches slung across his waistline, no doubt holding various spell components. Lord Bane guessed he must have been a sorcerer of sorts, given that unique medallion around his neck. There was no time to grab his katana before he used his secret art. The elven lord let go of Lustrio while facing towards the sorcerer, who had just unleashed the bolt of lightning straight for him. In the same instance, Lord Bane shadow stepped, transporting himself behind the sorcerer. He watched as a crackle deafened the room, and a brilliant flash erupted from the spot where he was sitting not even a second ago. Wasting no time as wood splinters flew across the tavern, Bane drew his wakizashi out in a fast diagonal arc as the sorcerer turned to him. The man took the slash across the right of his chest, up to his jugular. The exchange happened in no time at all.  

As blood gurgled through the sorcerer’s throat and he collapsed to the floor, awaiting death, the three mercenaries were already beginning to surround Lord Bane. Each with their weapons drawn, they rushed and formed a constricting position around the high elf. Lord Bane took a defensive stance with his short but trusty blade, sizing all of them up with his fierce eyes.

“Fook, we really needed ‘im,” said the large man, axes in hand.

“Shottup Lucas, we can take ‘em,” said the woman through clenched teeth, her petrifying gaze matching Bane’s.

The tension grew as the shorter man slowly moved further to Bane’s left. Lustrio had dove for the floor once Bane let go of him, and was recovering now. He spoke with a shaky voice,

“You must kill him quickly! Don’t give him a chance to think!” he coughed raggedly as he began staggering upright.

“Shottup!” the mercenary woman yelled.

“Dont you know who you’re dealing with?!” the young elf cried.

Before Lustrio could finish his sentence, Lord Bane exploded into action.

The master fighter shrieked a warcry as he feinted a reckless swipe at the man with the axes, prompting a lunge from the mercenary woman. With the momentary deception, Bane spun like a hurricane to the unsuspecting mercenary wielding the large sword on his left. A look of shock crossed his face as he parried a quick combination of slashes from the high elf. But Bane was too close, leading the man’s parries up high, he capitalized. A strong knee from the elven lord went directly into the man’s stomach. He doubled over before Lord Bane, who twirled his wakizashi downward and thrust it through the mercenary’s back. He released another savage cry as he yanked his blade out, eviscerating the man completely.   

The body tipped and landed with an audible thud on The Moose’s hardwood floor. Blood from the two corpses pooled together, casting a grim scene. Bane was breathing heavily, his nostrils flaring as he turned to the others. Flourishing his wakizashi, he then returned to his defensive stance. 

“Fookin’ ‘ell! Tommy’s dead!” exclaimed the bigger man.

“Shottup Lucas, I said we can take ‘em!” the woman said again as she inched her way closer, stepping in the blood of her allies.

Lustrio whispered something to himself as he began moving, Bane assumed for the exit. He broke his stance, reaching for the large dagger on the dead mercenary’s belt. In a fluid motion, he whipped the massive dagger out from its scabbard across the room. Lucas and the woman cleared from the dagger’s path as it flew like an arrow in the air, into the escaping Lustrios’ arm. Lozef peered over the bar just in time to see the young elf wail as he was hit. The large blade’s impact was harder than expected, because the elf crashed into the countertop, then flipped over it, out of Bane’s sight.

Just after they evaded the flying dagger, the mercenaries wasted no time. The two of them rushed the now crouched elven lord. The woman was first to strike at Lord Bane, as he brought up his short blade in time to block a dual vertical slash from her swords. He used all his strength to shove the blades off his own, standing up while doing so. With enough strength of her own, she quickly recovered her equilibrium, and gave a dual underhand slash. Bane managed to parry the blades, deflecting them to his right just as a hand axe flew across his shoulder. He winced audibly. He was lucky, it grazed him more than anything, but drew blood nonetheless. 

The mercenary woman took the momentary advantage. She went for a series of combinations, testing the elven lord’s defenses. Her quick slashes came in a rhythmic pattern before she switched them up. She had Bane backing up near the hearth just as she came for a low strike. The swipe cut through Lord Bane’s kimono, slicing his leg horizontally. He cried out as he received the cut, while extending his right arm to grab hers, brandishing his wakizashi offhandedly. She could not maneuver her other sword arm in time as Bane drew her close, her eyes widening in terror, the realization setting in. She cried out in pain as the wakizashi entered her gut. Bane continued to ram the blade deeper, doing the best to try and reach her heart.

“F-f-fook youw,” she uttered through the tears that formed in her eyes and the blood that filled her mouth. 

The mercenary woman dropped her blades and grabbed the elven lord in a tight grip. It was now Bane’s eyes widened as he realized what she was doing. She attempted to steer them into the hearth itself! As she squeezed him, Bane attempted to pull his blade free from her with what little strength he had in his left arm. She tightened her grip the more he tried to resist. When the blade finally came free and the mercenary woman’s shallow breathing finally ceased, Bane shoved her off just as he could feel the heat of the hearth. Her body fell atop the hearth, causing flames and embers to spew out, catching onto his kimono. 

There was nothing he could do as his kimono caught fire. The large mercenary pulled out a larger axe from his back, and roared as he charged the weakened elven lord. Out of breath, Bane had no time to parry. He lazily moved out of the way of a vicious overhead chop meant to split him in two. Fire nipped at the tip of his robes while blood dripped down his shoulder and leg. Nonetheless, he had time to get into a defensive stance before the large mercenary’s next assault. 

The big man came with a series of wide chops which Bane narrowly avoided. The man heaved and grew more aggressive after each attack. With each moment that passed, the fire on his robes spread, the more he bled. Switching his own tactics against the brute,  Bane grabbed and slid one of the unoccupied tables in his way. Given precious seconds as the mercenary eventually destroyed it, the elven lord deftly unfastened his burning kimono, quickly bundling it up in one hand. It hung in his hand as he held it outstretched from his body. He was not naked, he wore a light gray sparring shirt and breeches to match. 

The big man rushed him once more as Bane just finished bundling up his kimono. The big man unexpectedly threw another hand axe at Bane, which he caught in the air with his wakizashi. Unfortunately, the throw had enough velocity to knock the short blade from his hand. Savoring the moment, the mercenary howled as he came with a wild and vicious horizontal sweep. Bane tossed his smoldering bundle of robes directly in the mercenary’s face as he was coming into the sweep. He ducked in time to avoid the fatal blow. 

Luckily the smoldering robes had the intended effect. After finishing the sweeping strike, the mercenary dropped his large axe to the floor with a clatter that followed suit. The flames and embers that were left caused the big man to clutch at his face rapidly. He wasn’t burning, not yet atleast, but it was getting uncomfortable quickly. With great strength, he singed his hands ripping apart the kimono from his face. The bloodied elven lord was the first thing he saw when his vision was cleared. However, in the same instance, a pail full of smoldering hot coals and embers from the hearth were tossed directly in his face.

As the big man cried out in excruciating pain, he stumbled backwards while clutching his face. Bane kicked at his unbalanced footing, and the mercenary tripped, falling sideways and crashing to the floor. The elven lord scooped up one of the fallen hand axes with his left hand. The man had no time to plead as Bane lifted the axe high, letting out a cry as it came down on the mercenary’s skull. The legs still twitched as Lord Bane got up and made his way towards the bar counter, slowly.

 He limped as he passed the hearth with the body in it; the stench of burning flesh beginning to settle in The Moose. He almost slipped as he crossed the growing pool of blood on the floor, grabbing his katana where his banquette had once been. After a few moments, holding his sheathed katana, he came around the counter to find Lozef, and a downed Lustrio Relevane – the dagger’s hilt sticking out all too visibly from his arm. 

Lozef was deathly frightened at the sight of the elven lord, but not nearly as much as Lustrio. Setting down the katana on the countertop, he crouched infront of the traitor, grabbing the young elf by the collar of his shirt.

“What the fuck was that, traitor,” Bane said venomously, before giving a jab in the elf’s face with his left hand.

Taking it one step further, he grabbed the dagger lodged in Lustrio’s arm and pulled it free. The young elf jolted in pain as he tried to get up, grabbing Bane. He reached for a dagger of his own, but Lord Bane for the second time tonight grabbed the younger elf’s arm in a deathgrip. He glared into the frightened traitor’s pathetic eyes as he rammed the large dagger into his thigh, resounding in a loud cry.

“You… will never know,” Lustrio whispered ominously after recovering.

“Won’t I?” Bane replied furiously, as he noticed the young elf fumbled with something in his mouth.

Urgency set into the elven lord as he grabbed Lustrio’s cheeks with both hands; his eyes seemed to smile as he looked into Bane’s eyes once more. Trying to force the clenched jaw of a man with your bare hands was always an impossible task. When Lustrio’s mouth finally opened, white foam frothed from it. His gaze was blank. The faint smell of poison snuck into Bane’s nose.

Staring at the traitor’s corpse for many moments, Lord Bane finally decided to stand up. He sighed, disappointed in himself. He realized that Lozef was still fixated on him. 

“Check his pockets, Lozef,” Bane said suddenly as he moved from the counter back towards the hearth.

Confusion crossed the half-orc’s face as he timidly stood up.

“M-my lor’?” 

Bane snatched the House Bane signet ring that had fallen to the floor. He moved to frisk the bodies of the sorcerer and mercenary in the pool of blood as he spoke.

“My dear Lozef, it is no longer safe for you here. Whoever sent them here to kill me, will no doubt kill you.”

Lozef stood up, and began to stammer but Bane cut him off.

“Ah ah ah, check his pockets, my dear Lozef.”

With a sad look on his face, Lozef went to proceed with his own looting, Bane continued on.

“You may feel as if you’ve done nothing wrong. But I assure you, your mere presence here tonight is enough to have you in danger. This is your tavern after all is it not?” 

Hand on his ear, waiting, Bane finally heard a sob, then a measly agreeing reply.

“There there, my dear Lozef. You’ll be fine, because you are now part of my plan,” the elven lord spoke soothingly.

He moved back to the counter top where Lozef had been crying mostly. The half-orc looked up hopefully as Bane tossed him the golden signet ring.

“Do you have a family my dear Lozef?”

He shook his head. “Alls me has is dis bar.”

Bane nodded solemnly while looking at the medallion from the sorcerer, and some documents from the mercenaries.

“Well, you work for me now, you are part of House Bane. Grab whatever you deem valuable, pack some food, because we leave tonight.” 

Shock seemed to cross the half-orc’s sad face, but Bane moved to clasp his shoulder. He looked him in the eye.

“I promise you a new, and far better life than you could have ever imagined having.”

He took the ring from Lozef, and slipped it onto one of the half-orc’s pinkies – the only finger it would fit on. 

“You will garner respect, dignity, and so much more with me. You have nothing to lose.” He tapped the half-orc’s face with his open palm before turning away and moving for the entrance.

Lozef’s face grew brighter, and he seemed to rejoice after hearing these words.

“I’ll give you some moments, but be quick about it. I’ll keep watch by the door.”

“Yes, m’lord.” replied Losef standing straight as he said so. 

He moved with a spring in his step now, quickly gathering some supplies and his sentimental belongings. It was not long before he brough Lord Bane a large coat for the cold night, along with some clues from the young elf’s pockets. Together they would burn and leave the tavern, taking what little evidence of the disturbing events that took place with them. 

The attempt on Bane’s life was all he could think about as they left the city in the middle of the night. Lustrio Relevane’s betrayal was for a reason that would take some time to uncover. It pained the elven lord to have eliminated such a valuable asset, but someone he considered a friend. The younger elf owed everything to Bane, but for some reason that was currently unknown, he risked ridding himself of the elven lord. 

There was very little to go on, besides some contracts, fake names, and some coins. For now, the priority was to recover. The search and the eradication of this hidden enemy will come later. Patience, and planning will draw them out, just as it always has.

End.

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