Four Horsemen: Chapter 8 Part 1 of 1

Chapter 8: Return to adventurer guild, increase in tensions

Petor finished his breakfast, draining his tea, watching the door and the stairs.

Mya staggered in through the door, eyeing the now cold plates at the table with a ravenous light.

She crossed the room in a blur and took her seat, Helena arriving with tea.

“Can I take that?”

“Please Helena and if you have some more of that fine tea?” Petor smiled.

“Ah, just trying to sweet talk me.” Her smile was tighter and more tired than it had been before.

“Is it working?” Petor asked shamlessly, holding out his cup, she chuckled and filled it.

“Another late night my dear?” Helena asked Mya, filling her cup.

“Ah, just a dealer in the dark. Wish there was more fun involved,” Mya had a pained expression on her face.

Helena’s laugh filled the place. “A dealer in breaking hearts and leaving men and women in a tizzy.”

“How did you know my proclivities!” Mya waved a piece of meat at her.

“Call it a bartender’s intuition.” Helena winked and walked away.

“Where’s the brain and brawn?” Mya asked.

“No idea,” Petor said.

“You check the bedroom?”

“Valter wasn’t there and I knocked on your door but nothing.”

The door opened as a soot stained Valters stepped inside.

“Helena my dear.”

“Breakfast is getting cold and I’ll be right over with tea.” She moved through tables to her other patrons.

“Much appreciated,” Valter reached the table. “Sorry about being late and thank you Petor.”

“Could’ve been me.”

“I saw you staggering ahead of me and he finished his food already. Desari is sleeping in?”

“I knocked,” Petor shrugged.

There was the sound of quick footsteps on the stairs as Desari stood at the bottom, checking the room.

Her eyes dulled as she moved to the table.

“Morning.”

“Hey sleepy head,” Mya said.

“We don’t have long until we’re supposed to head to the guild hall.”

“Got ten minutes till sixth bell,” Petor said. Everyone focused on eating as Helena filled cups.

“Learn anything?” Petor asked.

“I’ve advanced my smithing skill considerably, I can do the actions, the knowledge has to be re-learned but it is going quickly,” Valter said.

“Same with my alchemy, spells are going to take a bit more getting used to,” Desari paused. “Even though I had less sleep I feel more alert. With our power pools recovering I think it affects us beyond just our power.”

“I have become stronger,” Valter agreed.

Petor felt the power in his chest, it felt more solid and tangible. The demons resting within becoming restless as they grew larger.

“What about your late night liasons?” Desari looked at Mya.

“Inquisition have been real active. They’re arresting people all over the place, traders, adventurers, mostly those that come from beyond Sorelli. Been putting them up in the barracks next to the Cathedral.  Berrox is running the show, and the travelling traders are getting nervous.”

“We’re effectively under a siege, if they start losing the people’s confidence... Morale is one of the pillars of siege warfare,” Valter shook his head.

“Then its best we get out of her sooner rather than later,” Desari said, bringing the discussion to a close.

“You finish up here, I’m going to check on the horses,” Petor downed the rest of his tea and stood.

He left them to breakfast, going around the back to the stables. The door to the kitchen was open, one woman peeling potatoes as she talked to the other inside.

“All I’m saying is that you should be careful Cathy, them Inquisition types take out their celibacy on anyone they can.” The woman peeling said. Petor passed them, Percy and another boy clearing out old hay.

“Hey mister! You going to ride out and take out those heretics?” He said the last word with trouble. Petor smiled, hoping that he would forget it as soon as he learned it.

“Not today, just came to check on our mounts.”

“They well mannered, happy with their feed and I been givin’ them some of the old apples.” Percy winked.

“Thank you lad,” Petor handed him ten coppers.

“Thanks mister adventurer.”

“Hey I get half that!” The other boy said, dropping off another fouled pick-ful of hay.

The smells didn’t offend Petor, they seemed to comfort him as he walked inside the two boys arguing with one another.

Their mounts looked over to him, acknowledging his presence becoming alert.

“No riding today ladies and gents, but tomorrow.” That seemed to mollify them as they lowered their heads except for his own mount putting her head out over the stall bar.

“Glutton.” He smiled and gave her a treat. She sucked the sugary treat apart and down. He rubbed her head, looking at her feet and checking her coat. Freshly cleaned and her shoes were in good condition. He patted her neck. “Gonna go see what jobs the Adventurer’s have for us today.”

The boys were in the far side of the stable talking at one another and cleaning out the remaining stalls.

Petor looked out of the stable doors, seeing people walking past the gate going about their own days.

“These people don’t deserve getting caught up in the middle of all this fighting. Targets just because of the things that they believe in. It’s unfair.” She nuzzled his hand.

“I know, I don’t know them and we have enough problems as it is.” He held out his hand, pulling power from his core and letting is spread down through his chest, through his arm, faint green lines tracing along his exposed wrist and into his hand. “What’s the point of being strong if I can’t use it for something good?”

He  sighed, petting his mount.

“Mya has her recipies, Mya too and Valter has his smithy. I can fashion wood into different statues and shape it easily and I have information on how to raise a farm, what wild plants will heal, which will harm and the like.  and how to heal people but none of that’s really applicable to people on the road.” He let out a sigh fueled with his frustration. “I feel useless.”

She lipped his shoulder.

“I need to get stronger to help the others, no matter how times you fail its about how you keep going, that’s what counts.” He smiled an pulled out an apple, she grabbed it as he moved down the stalls, giving the others apples. Valter’s horse simply took the apple and threw it back, swallowing it whole.

“Gonna get indigestion that way.”

Petor left the stables, looking at the tops of the city, the remaining spire of the cathedral in the distance.

“All ready?” Mya called as he left the gate, the others waiting on the street.

“Yeah.” He jogged over and started their climb towards the guild hall.

***

Desari led the group into the guild courtyard the next morning.

Mounted guild members flowed into the stables, she passed them, moving for the entrance as a group of adventurers were hauled out, some going peacefully, one of them fighting, basically carried by four guards.

“What the hell are you doing, do you know who I am?” A man yelled as he was hauled towards a barred carriage, fighting with four guards at the same time as a priest wearing a mask followed them.

“You are found to be a heretic by the church of Jorai, you shall stand trial for your cimes!” The man hissed.

“We’re not heretics!” A woman yelled out, turning on the masked priest, a guard next to her clocked her hard, she sagged, the two guards grabbing and shoving her into the barred carriage.

“I’m a damn guild member, get your fucking hands off of me! You can’t do this!”

“The guild has agreed!”

“Fucking hick ass fucking guild halls! You agreed to the charters!” The man coughed from the punch in the gut and slammed against the bars face first and thrown inside, blood streaking down his face he was tossed into the carriage.

“What are you looking at?” The priest snarled at the surrounding adventurers.

“Get those spies out of here!” Someone wearing a guild hall administer outfit waved them off. “Get out the way of the inquisition.” They glared at the adventurers in the stables who backed away from the cart and the surrounding guards as they marched out of the courtyard.

“I’m not a fucking spy! I’m a guild member! Someone help me!” A man yelled in the cage, rewarded with a spear butt to the gut.

Something is wrong here. The priest had called them heretics, the guild member was saying they were spies and the guild members and the inquisitor priest seemed to be supporting one another.

Desari averted her eyes and headed into the hall, people started moving as the cart disappeared, the cries of the adventurers silenced with spear hits, turning into low whimpering.

Lanterns were being lit, illuminating the tavern area.

Desari and Valter pulled out their requests from the smithy and apothecary.

“Another lovely day filled with labor,” Mya grumbled as they reached the back of the line.

“Build’s character,” Petor said, looking around. “The hell are they using a bell for?”

Desari glanced at the door, hearing metal on metal.

The noise increased as people became quiet, the line slowing.

“We’re under attack!” A guild member yelled running in through the front door.

“Head to your rally positions!” A guild administrator yelled.

Seats were pushed back and feet thundered on stairs and people rushed out of their rooms.

People shovelled down food and drink as they rose.

“Where the hell are we supposed to go?” Petor asked.

“Head to the wall, they’ll figure it out,” Desari said.

Valter shovelled the rest of his food down, and drank from his mug.

“Your meals will be added to your guild tabs!” A woman yelled, shooing them out of the hall.

Desari joined the press with the others, flooding out of the hall, rushing to their mounts, groups were riding for the wall already. Bells from watchtowers and the smaller churches across the city rang out.

Boulders and flaming pots crashed against the wall and landed beyond it, long-armed catapults mounted on the walls returned fire in the rising dawn sun, burning through the early fog.

“If you don’t have an assigned rally point, head to the South eastern gate!” A guild administrator yelled.

Desari ran for the stables and their mounts.