Homeward (Ch. 29)
[Serial] Mule puts out fires, bad news arrives, and Grimtooth swears a vow.
Table of Contents
Part 1: The Grove’s Bounty: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11
Part 2: A Mayor’s Ransom: Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 21, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24
Part 3: Armageddon: Chapter 25, Chapter 26, Chapter 27, Chapter 28
After breaking free from bandit captivity, our heroes were saved by none other than the mayor himself. Jonas’s death had caused him to reconsider his deal with the bandits. The boys hatched a plan to lure the bandits’ leader into the maze-like Dwarven tunnels, while the mayor and Imperial Watch would leave town to go get help to free the rest of the villagers.
It wasn’t exactly clear how the mayor planned to get past the bandits in town, but as the boys marched toward the Dwarven tunnels’ entrance, they saw the mayor’s mansion was on fire. Now, word of these developments reach the bandit commanders.
Everything was burning. Mule waved away the acrid smoke as he rushed toward the grove with a bucket of water. It was a lost cause. They’d already lost the mansion and three quarters of the lychee trees. Whatever remaining hopes of maintaining the mayor’s cooperation were crumbling to ash before their eyes.
Strictly speaking, The Armageddon didn’t need the mayor’s blessing to capture the town. Grimtooth’s status as an Archlord would ensure the Empire stayed out of their business.
But there were plenty of other ways the mayor could prove a thorn in their side—rallying the local militias of nearby towns or seeking mercenaries. Mule had been in this business long enough to know better than to make enemies out of rich men.
Back in town, Tobias Grimtooth was stacking stones atop the dragon’s corpse. They’d dredged the lizard out of the icy river to build a cairn. Firefighting and funerary rites; not exactly fitting work for bandits. Morale wouldn’t hold much longer if this kept up.
“The mayor’s in the wind,” Mule said.
“Unfortunate.” Grimtooth knelt beside the dragon, gently placing a stone on its head. “We should have kept closer watch over his mansion.”
Mule bit his tongue. The one who was supposed to watch the mansion was that dragon who’d gotten itself killed trying to swallow a ballista. But he knew better than to offer such candor at a time like this.
“It’s my fault, Sir. We’re stretched thin rounding up villagers, keeping a perimeter around the town, and…erm, paying respects to the dead.”
“Yet it will all be for naught if this mayor has already spirited the crystal away.”
“That dandy knew nothing about the crystal,” Mule said. “t Questioned him myself, and we searched the entire mansion.”
“Then we must ensure no further leads slip through our fingers.”
“Of course, Sir. I swear, no one else will esc—”
Mule paused as a bandit came running toward them. It was that boy, Rodrick who had almost gotten himself eaten by gnolls when he fled the mansion. Seemed he was going for a repeat. Unfortunately for him, Mule wasn’t feeling as merciful as before.
“Sirs! Sirs! It’s an emergency.”
“We know about the bloody fire,” Mule barked.
“No, it’s—” The bandit grasped his knees, struggling for breath. “It’s the prisoners in the barn. They’ve escaped.”
“Escaped!?” Mule’s nostrils flared. “I put a band of hobgoblins and kobolds with them. You’re saying three children and a Dwarf bested a force that size?”
“Those two Orcs were with them, and the mayor, too.”
“The mayor?” Mule grumbled. “Swift vengeance.”
“Too swift,” Grimtooth said. “That fire started mere hours ago. I am disappointed It is unlike you to misjudge a person’s character.”
“No. I would have known if the mayor was putting on an act. Besides, we verified that he sent the Mercenaries Guild away. Why wouldn’t he fight back when the numbers favored him?”
“Perhaps his heart has changed. A likely suspect for who set the grove aflame, at least. It proved a capable distraction for those boys to escape.”
Mule scoffed. “A noble destroying his own land to save his people? Impossible.”
“All things are possible, given enough time.”
Mule turned back to the messenger, hoping to change the subject and salvage something useful from this disastrous series of events. “Did you at least hear anything about where they might be heading?”
“Yes, Sir. They were talking about going down into the Dwarven tunnels.”
“The Dwarven tunnels?” Grimtooth turned, for once looking up from that dragon’s corpse. “So, my hunch has proven correct.”
“I’m not so sure,” Mule replied. “If there were anything to that map Bartleby stole, he’d have reported it.”
“Perhaps he pursues his own interests. His loyalty was always…questionable. Yet it remains our best lead.”
Mule held out a hand to stop his boss turning toward the road. “You can’t mean to go down there alone.”
“As you said, our forces are stretched thin.”
“Those kids are leading you on a dire-goose chase. They don’t know where the crystal is. That cleric practically blurted it out this morning.”
“All the more reason not to send more men. Besides, if Bartleby’s schemes are involved, I should handle this personally. Even his most lethal traps cannot thwart my pursuit.”
“Don’t forget, there’s another player here,” Mule said. “Remember who I saw at the inn.”
“No.” Grimtooth’s voice went cold. “If she wanted the crystal, she would already possess it.”
Maybe she already does. Mule’s lip split beneath the vise of his clenched teeth. This entire mission was turning as rotten as that dragon’s carcass.
“You have more to say,” Grimtooth said. “Offer your counsel err I depart.”
Mule swallowed. In The Armageddon, permission to speak freely was no guarantee of keeping your head attached.
“Candidly, Sir, we took the wrong approach with those boys. Sparing that Dark Elf and his brothers made us look weak and emboldened the villagers to resist. I know you cling to a certain…code, but your hero days are behind you. You came to me because they weren’t getting the results you needed. Well, this business demands ruthlessness. Keep playing catch and release with those kids, and they’ll lead you all the way from Bastion to Deep City.”
Mule waited corpse stiff for Grimtooth’s response. The boss said nothing. Just bent down and picked a stone off the dirt.
“Sir, what I meant was—”
“You are right. We both misjudged our enemies.”
Mule sighed with relief. “Good. Let’s forget about those boys and work on shoring up our…”
The boss wasn’t listening. He knelt beside the dragon.
“No more room for mercy remains.” Grimtooth rested the stone atop the beast’s eye, its head now completely entombed. “Forgive me, Saturnex. This time, I shall honor your memory with your killers’ blood.”