Chapter 47 Consequences for Treason (Patreon)

Nathan was holding a letter from Taeol in his hand. Something was pushing him to do the polite thing and read the letter. But fuck that. This letter was from somebody who didn’t deserve to be treated as a person, much less given social credit.

Nathan spun on his heel and took off towards the Adventurer’s guild, leaving the man who’d given him the letter open-mouthed in his wake. He heard somebody else behind him swear.

“Harpy’s Tits! Net him Tessa!”

Nathan glanced over his shoulder and saw a woman raise a large crossbow-shaped device and fire it. A net unfurled and flew at him.

Too late, idiots.

Nathan cornered sharply, putting the corner of a building between him and the net. He needed to make it another block down, turn another corner and he’d be at the Adventurer’s Guild. He’d describe what happened to him, show Sudraiel the letter and describe their faces. These assholes were screwed.

Then the net curved around the corner and caught him. Nathan stumbled and refused to fall for a few steps until the net well and truly tangled his legs. Then he hopped for a moment until a sharp jerk yanked his legs out from under him. He fell forward into a roll, throwing the entire momentum of his body against the force pulling him backwards. He felt the pull vanish and heard more cursing from behind as he vaulted back to his feet making it half a dozen feet farther down the street.

He could only hop or roll, and rolling covered more distance.

I will roll to the Guild if I have to.

{Low-tier Tumbling 5 achieved!}

Nathan made another roll down the street. On the next roll the rope jerked backwards much more violently than before. Nathan slammed against the cobblestones as his feet were yanked backwards.  So, Nathan yelled as loud as he could.

“HEY! HELP! I’M BEING ABDUCTED BY GIANTSREST! HELP ME!”

“None of that now.”

Nathan twisted as he took another breath, looking through the net. The same man who had spied on him with Stella and her parents was there, darkened chainmail complementing his dark hair and stubbled face. He threw a blanket over Nathan, and all sound cut out.

Nathan could vaguely feel the magic in the blanket - it must be enchanted to block sound. He focused on sucking the magic out of it, but he was separated from it by the rope of the net.

Well this is fucking dumb.

Nathan felt his Rage start to flow, and started doing three things. He squirmed, trying to free himself from the net. It resisted, twisting with his motions to bind him tighter. The net wasn’t magical - a skill or Talent maybe? He wormed his fingers through the net and started tearing at the blanket. And he got a strand of the net in his teeth and bit down. It was tough rope, coated with some sort of nasty pitch. Nathan didn’t give a shit and started worrying on the rope with his teeth, tearing with his hands and thrashing his feet.

Somebody kicked him hard in the chest, but Nathan barely felt it. He was not going to be easily captured on the street like this. His rage burned and he tore harder at the blanket. He felt the magic in the thing faltering, and caught snippets of sound.

“... out of sight… random adventurer…”

He was sliding over the cobbles as the rope attached to the net was used to drag him away. Nathan kept tearing at the blanket, the sounds becoming clearer. A new voice sounded from some distance away. It was… familiar.

“Hail to the Pack… do you have there Naghmen?”

The sounds of heavy metallic boots rang on the street, and Nathan focused his efforts on the blanket. He had touched enough of it to feel for the weave of the enchantment, which was a simple net that damped vibrations. He tore viciously at one particular point, trying to tear a hole in the blanket. More sounds were starting to leak in.

“... your concern Eldred. I’ll buy you…”

Nathan spat out the netting he’d been chewing on. It was frayed, but far from parting. He leaned into his rage, tearing with his fingertips into the blanket in front of his face. It tore. He shouted as loud as he could, pushing stamina into his lungs. “ELDRED! It’s NATHAN! They’re kidnapping me for GIANTSREST!”

There was a beat of silence. Nathan could see through the tear, and he saw the big man in platemail standing in front of the man who’d thrown the blanket over Nathan - likely Naghmen.

Eldred looked down at Nathan, and Nathan could see a moment of calculation pass through his eyes. His face lit with a grin and the big plate-armored man looked back up at Naghmen and stepped back.

Naghmen held out his hand placatingly. “Hold on, we can work something out.”

Eldred unlimbered his enormous mace. “I don’t think you can. VANGUARD! ASSEMBLE! Take down the Pack Leaders!”

Naghmen swore and tore his shortswords from their scabbards. Somebody Nathan couldn’t see shot a crossbow bolt at Eldred, but it broke upon his armor. He swung his huge mace at Naghmen, who jumped back and then darted back in to attack while the enormous weapon was out of position. But Eldred had been expecting that, and the butt of Eldred’s weapon followed the blow through to catch Naghmen in the jaw.

The would-be-kidnapper was tossed aside by the blow, blood and teeth spraying in an arc. Eldred’s face was one of glee as he ran past Nathan towards the other members of Naghmen’s team. Nathan heard swearing and the sound of feet on stone as they booked it.

More members of Eldred’s team boiled around the corner up ahead, following their leader into the fight. It didn’t take long. Eldred’s team was big, and whatever Naghmen’s team had been, they weren’t specialized in fighting a larger group of Adventurers. Nathan didn’t see most of the fight, but after less than a minute a few of the Vanguard were struggling to untangle Nathan from the net.

Eldred walked up to Nathan, grinning. He leaned on his mace, both ends of which were bloody. He put out a hand and hauled Nathan to his feet, laughing. He clapped Nathan on the shoulder.

“Well then! I call this second meeting worthy of the memory, Nathan Lark. Let’s get down to the guild and get this all sorted out. Come on boys, bring ‘em back to the guild. I think this might just be the easiest job we’ve ever pulled. Drinks on Nathan!”

There was a cheer at that, and the Vanguard grabbed the various prone bodies and started hauling them back to the guild.

They made quite a stir as the Vanguard loudly busted into the guild, hauling Naghmen and the rest of the Pack Leaders in various states of injury. They dropped them in the center of the room as a clerk hurredly ran out from behind the desk, approaching Eldred angrily. It was Hisla, the same clerk who’d brought Nathan and the Heirs up to the Guildmistress after the Blooding Patrol.

She snapped. “Eldred! What in the Muckgrabber’s blighted asshole is going on here?”

He pointed at Nathan, shrugging and handing off responsibility. “They had Nathan wrapped up, and he said they were trying to abduct him for Giantsrest.”

A hush spread around the hall, and Hisla’s face twisted into a grimace. She hurried back to the desk and started speaking into the device that blurred her mouth.

Meanwhile, Nathan was nearly dragged over to the bar, where he arranged to pay the Vanguard’s tab for the rest of the night. The person behind the bar quoted him a price that made Nathan wince, but he shrugged and handed over the coins.

I’d pay a lot more than that to not get captured by Giantsrest.

A door at the back of the room slammed open, and Sudraiel stormed in. If Nathan had seen her mad before, now she was furious. Her expression was truly thunderous and her spear was held in a clenched hand. She surveyed the room, noting the pile of bodies and celebrating Vanguard.

Nathan approached her, with Eldred not far behind. He already had a tankard of beer and slurped it as they approached the Guildmistress.

“Nathan. You claim they were working for Giantsrest? Do you have any proof?”

Nathan handed her the letter with Taeol’s signature. It had been trapped under his body as he’d been dragged, but he’d picked it up after being untangled. It was a bit torn but still legible.

Sudraiel scanned it, then snorted and looked back at the prone forms. “Naghmen you absolute fool.” She handed the letter back to Nathan. “Keep that.” She then walked towards Naghmen, who was starting to stir.

The Guildmistress snapped her fingers at the silent crowd of adventurers. “Kuzro, get out here. We need to heal Naghmen to hear what he would say.”

A mousy figure detached herself from the crowd, scampering up to Naghmen. She leaned over him, then looked back up at the Guildmistress in consternation. “I can’t… not quickly. Or cheaply.”

Sudraiel waved her hand. “I’ll have the guild pay you. Just get him talking, no need to make it permanent. I’ll pay for the rebreak and heal if necessary.”

Kuzro hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Sudraiel’s iron-firm face. The mage bent over the moaning Naghmen, casting magic for nearly thirty seconds. After that she handed him a flask and helped him sit up. Then the short and hunched mage moved to the other slumped forms, and seemed to be ensuring nobody would die here.

Naghmen washed his mouth with the flask, wincing in pain before spitting out blood and another tooth. He looked around and then up at the Guildmistress, standing above him like a god ready to pronounce judgment. His voice was slurred and uneven. “Well, fuck.”

Sudraiel spoke aloud. “You, an Adventurer of Gemore, were hired by an Archmage of Giantsrest. And you took the job. Tell me everything, and it will inform your punishment. I will be able to tell if you lie or withhold information.”

Good to know she’s got a skill or Talent or magic item that can determine truth or lies.

Naghmen took another drink of water to stall, then breathed out raggedly. “Somebody got in contact with Tessa, and told her that an Archmage of Giantsrest had a job for us. An easy one, with a bucket of jangle and contacts for reward. Said we could come and go freely from Giantsrest cities, get help huntin’ around there if we did it.” He sighed, unable to meet Sudraiel’s eyes.

“Job was to deliver the letter to Nathan, there, and escort him to Giantsrest. The contact said there was a good chance he’d come on his own after he read the letter, and that we should grab him if he didn’t. Said he’d be low-level, under 27. We thought it was worth the risk to be able to hunt around Giantsrest.”

Now I want to know what the hell the letter says, if Taeol thought I’d willingly come to Giantsrest.

Sudraiel was still pissed, but it was conflated with… sadness. And pity. “And the contact?”

Naghmen shook his head. “Never showed themselves. You know the Giantsrest agent routine. Black cloak, masked face. Got the seal of an Archmage to show they’re legit, and free with coin.” He shrugged, looking up at the wrathful Guildmistress. “So, what’ll it be?”

All of the whispers in the room went silent as Sudraiel considered. A few of the other members of the Pack Leaders were watching with haggard expressions. After a moment of silence, Sudraiel raised her hand with all the gravity of a bishop leading a sermon. Her spear rose, to point directly at Naghmen’s face.

He was heaving deep breaths, his eyes fixed on Sudraiel’s spearpoint an inch from his eyes.

“The penalty for this crime would be Death, executed by me. Now. But you have told all that you know without lie or guile. And before this shameful day you served Gemore long and well. You will be stripped of all belongings, struck from the records of Gemore and exiled from the city as you are, with one item each. I would recommend a weapon.”

Sudraiel lowered the spear, and Naghmen’s frame shook with tears of relief. But she wasn’t done. “Go to Litcliff or Agmon. Now that you’ve failed Giantsrest they won’t treat you kindly. They’re not keen on independent adventurers and you can expect a [Dominate] as your only reward. Beware, if you strike at Gemore or the villages I will send the Seven Fools after you, with instructions to be merciless.” She turned away from the terrified Adventurers, quickly delegating.

“Hisla, go tell the Guard of the exile, provide instructions that the Pack Leaders are to be exiled and killed on sight if they should return. Eldred, the Vanguard may keep the gear they have on them, the rest will go to their families or beneficiaries. Allow them their choice of an item from their equipped gear.”

Then, the elderly woman turned and walked over to the bar for a drink.

Overall Status:

{Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Magic Absorption 3

Permanent Talent 2: High-tier Regeneration 4

Talent 3: None

Class: Spellbreaker Juggernaut level 43

Class skills:

Stamina: 530/530

Juggernaut's Wrath

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Juggernaut's Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Utility skills:

High-tier Focused Mind 1

Mid-tier Earnestness 3

Mid-tier Sprinting 2

Mid-tier Spellsense 2

Mid-tier Notice 2

Low-tier Identify 8

Low-tier Dodging Footwork 9

Mid-tier Enhanced Memory 7

Low-tier Lecturing 5

Low-tier Tumbling 5}