'The Six of Opals, gentlemen. I believe that means I win?' Etiac Belladom said, grinning broadly and leaning back in his chair. Angry grunts and curses erupted around the table, grimy hands pulling over his cards as if they thought it was some kind of illusion. Belladom scooped up whatever valuables the others had placed on this game.
He'd been playing cards and dice all morning in different tables, with varying success. But overall, it seemed he'd won more than he'd lost, especially at this table. His three opponents were caravan guards, coming to enjoy themselves after a hard day's work, and very easy to read. Etiac knew he had to quit soon. They wouldn't tolerate his winning streak forever, even if he hadn't been cheating that much. The innkeeper would break up any fights quickly enough, but after such a scene he'd have a hard time finding another batch of players willing to play with him.
He hadn't needed to look for a cheap place to stay for long. The city was full of them. He'd avoided the dirtier ones, finally deciding on this one. The place was brightly-lit and the barmaids were pretty enough, and there was always a game to be found in some corner. Tobacco smoke hung heavily in the air, making Etiac's eyes water. The owner, an Udanese with sharp, aquilline features and a muscular body, was always there to break up a fight when one occurred. He had an accent so thick even his workers had trouble hearing him sometimes. Etiac was sure he'd been a mercenary once. It was also frequented by a wide variety of interesting people - for example, the strange lizard man and its entourage from earlier. He hoped they'd come back. He wanted to learn more about the creatures.
'Hah!' one of his fellow players suddenly exclaimed. 'Can yeh beat that, boy?'
Etiac frowned, regarding the cards the mercenary had laid on the table. He'd played the High Court, one of the highest possible combinations in the game. A King, the worn card painted a deep blue and intricately detailed - the figure defaced rather creatively to resemble Ligoria's beloved Queen, he noted - and his advisors and royal family. His two comrades let out sounds of disbelief. Belladom made a little shrug, revealing his more modest counter.
'I don't think so. I'm out. A good game, gentlemen.' he said, gathering his valuables into his bag. This was how he liked to end a game anyhow, with his opponents relatively satisfied and he a few pieces of silver richer. Still, he noticed a greedy look on the face of one of his opponents when he opened the bag. It was best to leave quickly, before he got a chance to dwell on that any longer. With a polite nod of his head, he got up and headed out of the inn.
The streets were full of people at this hour, merchants and citizens heading for the markets up the road. Patrols of disciplined soldiers moved through the crowds, members of the newly-founded Talama Guard. He steered well away from them in case the Captain had made a report of him. Down the street was a collapsed inn, and he'd heard the lizard-men were somehow involved. Tavern rumours, no doubt, but perhaps he could talk to the owner sometime. Otherwise, the district had few interesting features, though the whorehouse coming up on the street had seemed surprisingly high-class, if there could be such a thing.
His eyes scanned the crowd idly, passed over a group of heavily-built sailors, went back, and froze. Etiac stopped in his tracks, nearly falling over in surprise. He recognized each of the men - sailors of the Majestic, the right-hand men of the Captain. One of them was the sailor he'd thrown at Dugun during his escape, and the way he held his side told Etiac he hadn't quite forgotten that yet. He took a quick look around, checking the area for a good, shadowy side alley or similar hiding place. The whorehouse was to his right, the girls displaying themselves to passerbyes in front of the unassuming building.
He hoped the sailors hadn't noticed him as well, but that hope was soon squashed when he saw the lead one point and shout at his direction. The entire group broke into a run, and so did Etiac. He took the nearest door, swooping in past the surprised girls of the whorehouse. He didn't have time to appreciate the interior, picking a stairway at random. Etiac picked up a shout and saw a lean guard detach himself from the wall, but had no intention of stopping. Behind him, he could hear the angry shouts and curses of the pursuing sailors. He turned for a quick glance at the top of the stairs, just in time to see one of the sailors deliver a stunning haymaker into a guard's jaw. The lean one had forgotten about him, turning back to deal with the Majestic's men. Belladom kept running, just in case. He sped down the corridor, deciding on a room at random. He banged desperately on the door.
'Let me in! Let me in, or I'm dead!' he shouted, listening to the combat downstairs. He had no idea what was going on down there.
Etiac Belladom flees from a group of vengeful sailors inside a whorehouse
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Topic: You Are King II: Tales of the Storm Coast (Winter 416a) (Read 238222 times)