Commando Part 3

Kherndaruhl towered over the cities Khern Darum and Narerum. It appeared more like a colossal citadel carved delicately to stand out amongst the mountains. Scores of statues and carvings of various faces dotted certain parts of the citadel like mountain. Amongst these statues were an array of towers and bastions jutting out. There were a number of battlements and turrets encircling the mountain like ornaments on a tree. To the tired commando Lieutenant Maurice Viyamor Kherndaruhl and it cities were only another stop. As they went out of the hills the city of Narerum was closest to them. Slowly Maurice, Brittany and the Unseen Bears Hilastes McKaw, Amonif Topaz made their way up to the gates of Narerum. There a group of sixteen guards halted their caravan twenty feet from the large baguette shaped gate to the city. Narerum was defended by a wall fifty foot high and eight feet thick of dwarf carved stone with guard towers. Each guard tower was placed about thirty feet away from the other as two larger towers flanked the gate. These Dwarf towers had a hexagonal shaped platform with four guards armed with crossbows and rifles.

            The sixteen Dwarf guards were clad in banded plate armor that appeared very comfortable to wear in battle. There were armed with crossbows, axes at their sides, glaives, halberds and spears. Some had the modern Hillflayer J-47 rifle manufactured in Grussia around 1841 along with the Lorick Dancing Repeaters. These weapons made their way into Dwarf hands through the Eothian trade routes. His companions had the Vestrisian and Gantronese rifles of the day. As they stood with the Dwarf guards dusk turned to night. In the dark the guards had to light their lanterns to inspect the four smuggling fighters. Here in the Sarcagos using flashlights at night would only bring unwanted guests or worse to the settlements or to you.

            When they got to Maurice and his Yakox the Night watchman was strolling out if his shack looking post in the walls. He could only see the light of the lanterns and what the lights illuminated. For a brief few seconds the guards checked Maurice and the Yakox’s cargo. These guards apparently did not take their time since the night had come and no one wanted to mess with the large cats. One of them shouted up to the top of the wall for the gate to be opened for them.

            All sixteen of the guards left them alone as the gate to Narerum opened to the caravan granting them entrance inside Narerum. The entered the city leaving the guards to the dark night of the Sarcagos Mountains. Inside the walls of Narerum stood a Dwarf city full of different cultures, peoples, laborers, miners, lumberjacks, smiths, warriors, ranchers and Yakox herders. Despite being a Dwarf city Narerum was basically a melting pot. Through the dark streets the four of them passed blocks full of  various styled homes from Dwarf homes, lodges, stonework, craftsman style homes, sheds, and plenty of timbered homes.

            Although it was dark Maurice could still make out the number of stories these structures were. There were single story homes, two story houses, and even three story homes amongst stores, vendors, workshops-studios, carpenters, smithies, masons, miner equipment sheds, tailors, tanners, tanners for furs, and some local churches. Towards the center of the city was the city hall, market/exchange, barracks, armory, arsenal, and Governor’s Magistrate. Along the way were the taverns, inns, brothels, various guilds, pubs, and the local theatre. That was the part of Narerum they were looking for.

            Through the streets of Narerum the four companions came across miners, guards, drunkards, night watchmen, and thugs. These thugs of Narerum only came out at night except when the rains or storms came through. Approximately four different groups of thugs prowled the streets. Each group of thugs belonged to a different gang, faction or army such as the Gantronese. Maurice looked around them spotting two of these groups in lights of the street lights. One group belonged to the Behemoth Brigade and the other happened to be associated with the Omnir Raiders under the leash of a few dangerous warlords.  

            Both of these groups were still threats to them, especially the Behemoth Brigade Thugs whom worked for the Gantronese. The Omnir Raiders acted more like mercenaries, hired thugs doing dirty work or enforcing certain taxes owed to the dangerous circle of warlords called the Gargoyles of Sarcagos. They came across an inn-tavern called the Sudden Inn a large inn with a tavern/brothel across from the Typical Bone and Iron Pub. Just next to the Sudden Inn was a volley stand for steeds and any beasts of burdens. An elf, a strong looking dwarf and a tall Uwaux wearing a Tuxir fur cap lined with turquoise beads stood at the stand. Without a word Brittany reached into a satchel as they dismounted. She pulled out a bag full of Obsidian Triangles the currency of Kherndaruhl. The Dwarf stretched out his hand as she paid him forty Obsidian Triangles, ebony colored coins with a triangle in its center. These coins were worth hundred Mountain Coppers each, the originally main currency of the Sarcagos.

            Once the dwarf was paid the Uwaux grabbed the reins of the Jumbo Cat steeds while the Dwarf took the large goats and Yakox. Maurice handed the Dwarf a piece of gold moon ornament from a necklace he stumbled upon in the ruins. It was to ensure the Dwarf would not be nosy

            In the air was a mixed aroma of weeds, tobacco smoke along with smells of bread baking, stew cooking, and various meats roasting above the fires in the kitchens behind the fire places. It felt very warm from the furnaces and fires in the center of the inn. To their right stood the Innkeeper’s counter desk where the Innkeeper would be was a very fine looking half-elf clerk with nice breasts underneath the sweater she wore. Her auburn hair made appear more human save for the ears. She was known as “Nissa Redwood-Hart” since she did not favor anyone touching her or seducing her. Nissa’s real name was Saida Treestrider from Naatidra. It is still unknown why or how she came to be here, but patrons left her alone about her personal past. Nissa looked up from her book to check them in their rooms. This time each of them paid twenty five Obsidian Triangles for their room and meals. As soon as the clerk signed their names in and placed the money in the register a wench escorted them to a table.

            The four of them sat down at a table next to a working furnace that emitted heat to warm up the common area. Maurice sat down with the bar area to his right where the drunks, and some smokers sat. In front of him sat Hilastes as Brittany and Amonif sat on either side of him. All four ordered Mountain’s Dark Ale, rye bread, and a platter of cut up roast boar meat.

            Maurice observed the common area and the surrounding patrons. Behind Hilastes was the brothel section labelled as the “Oval Chamber” situated in the back of the inn. He spied miners, shopkeepers, lumberjacks that smelled like saw dust, and some travelers amongst the local patrons. One fluffy looking tapestry from a bear’s hide hind on the wall showing how large the beast was. It was clear the Innkeeper was a big game hunter. Near the kitchens sat a huge wolf like dog that just watched everyone. His gaze then turned to a support beam with a shelf with a dark brown yellowish cat perched upon it. This feline watched him with its blue eyes until another fuzzy tailed grey cat caught its attention.

            Their meals and drinks came carried by a curvy, short, but strong looking woman with brown locks of hair tied in four braids. She set them down revealing her wench’s collar-necklace and melon sized breasts. Other women had the normal features, but this woman aroused the three men. Hilastes smiled at her causing her to point him towards the brothel area in case he desired pleasurable company. When she left all four of them gorged down upon the boar hungrily and gulped down their ales as five or more figures entered the Sudden Inn. Sounds of patrons standing up to leave could be heard behind them. Others started to leave when more entered. The brothel doors opened and out came six prostitutes with the patrons leaving. Hilastes finished his portion of the meal and got up to join the prostitutes. Amonif left as well for more beer at the half empty bar, leaving Brittany and Maurice alone. The two of them stared into each other’s eyes feeling something was up as more patrons shuffled in.

            Out of the corner of his eye the commando spotted two figures at a table two tables away from the bar eyeing them. Another figure appeared that appeared thuggish went for a prostitute and forced his body on her humping away while looking over his shoulder at him. He noticed Brittany was transfixed upon something or someone behind him. She had one hand on a hidden weapon and reached over to nudge him a little. Maurice heard four sets of footsteps come up to them from behind. At the bar area three thugs in rough leathery military parkas cornered Amonif unawares that he was a Forsythan.

            The atmosphere grew tense inside the common room even though the rest of the patrons were merry and oblivious. Slowly Maurice put his hand on the two pronged fork left on the table when one of them put a hand on his shoulder. He gripped the fork getting ready to stab him as he and Brittany waited for an opportunity to strike. Just seconds passed before anything happened. It felt like an eternity was passing by as they just sat still. Loud screaming came from the brothel followed by sounds of a struggle. The other prostitutes went to flirt with patrons in the far corner when gunshots were heard from the brothel. About four prostitutes came screaming out of the brothel half naked. It scared the entire common room drawing everyone’s attention to the Oval Chamber. A shirtless man with four tattoos came flying out and crashed onto the floor. In the doorway stood Hilastes holding another tattooed figure in a half-nelson under his armpit. He was wielding a brand new modern day eight chambered revolver in the other hand. The big Unseen Bear squeezed the life out of his captive then shot the other one five times.

            Maurice stabbed the arm of the hand on his shoulder then pulled the owner tossing him to the floor. Brittany pulled out a knife then used a fork to stab the nearest thug in the gut. She used her knife to stab the second thug in the throat’s base. At the bar Amonif kicked the middle one like a mule would forcing the thug into a table of miners. He grabbed another thug by the head then slammed his skull into the bar six times. Amonif elbowed the third one in the stomach instantly dropping him. Maurice saw this and shot up kicking his chair into the last one behind him. He just heard the sounds of the thug being thrown back by the force of the chair kicked into him. This thug foolishly grabbed the hottest part of the furnace burning his own hand upon impact. A hissing sound came from the contact with the furnace alongside a shriek of pain from the thug before someone knocked him out.

            The two figures sitting down sprung up to attack Maurice and Brittany, but Hilastes fired two shots hitting both of them. Amonif went to the thug he kicked into the miners grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. Maurice witnessed the sheriff and three guards arrest the one he tossed to the floor after stabbing him with a fork.

            Without warning the thug Amonif elbowed earlier regained himself and attacked a guard. He instantly killed the dwarf guard. The other two guards shot him with their rifles. Patrons fled the inn as others cowered in corners, behind the bar, and against the wall on the other side of the common  room. When the violence seemed to end and everything quieted down Amonif’s captive tried fumbling in his pockets for something else. That only infuriated the Forsythan who squeezed harder strangling him to death. He dropped the dead thug to the floor as the sheriff and guards rounded up the survivors. After the lethal brawl was done patrons returned to their seats and carried on like nothing happened. The sheriff showed them a Behemoth Brigade’s emblem of a red horned troll skull flanked by Gantronese tentacles on a thug’s coat. It showed them who was behind the attack. All four of them paid five more Obsidian Triangles to the Innkeeper for the fighting, damages, and the deaths. While the sheriff and the guards took the two thugs away the four victors retired to their rented quarter. They only wished to rest before another day of trekking through the Sarcagos.