{"id":3632,"date":"2016-05-31T00:01:27","date_gmt":"2016-05-31T04:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tellest.com\/?p=3632"},"modified":"2016-06-03T07:16:40","modified_gmt":"2016-06-03T11:16:40","slug":"unusual-applicant-part-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/unusual-applicant-part-four\/","title":{"rendered":"A Most Unusual Applicant, Part Four"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Most Unusual Applicant<\/strong>
\nA Story by Aaron Canton<\/strong>
\n-Part Four-<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Jadie spent the next two days visiting the bars, inns, and taverns that Viscosa\u2019s officials preferred to pretend didn\u2019t exist. She sat at dusty counters that had never seen a washcloth, hugging a ragged outfit to herself as if they were the only clothes she owned and pretending to drink the strong, bitter beer that was the only beverage such places sold. A watcher with a keen eye would have seen that every drink she bought was discretely spilled into the sewer, floor basin, or convenient potted plant, and might even have noticed her cocking an ear just slightly whenever someone new came into the bars, but few such watchers patronized those establishments. That was why individuals who wanted their affairs to remain discrete often met in such venues. And that was why, after just two days of eavesdropping, Jadie had what she needed.<\/p>\n

Specifically, she had the name of the person who would help her destroy Edwin Nemeroth.<\/p>\n

When she reached the Adventurers Guild headquarters at the Renzeya estate\u2014where a shifty-eyed man in the Bloated Nymph had mentioned that the mercenary named Barrows would wait\u2014she looked completely different than when she\u2019d sat next to that shifty-eyed man and listened to him ramble about the criminal underground to a thoroughly uninterested barmaid. Her hair was now in a short ponytail, as was popular with adventurers in the area, and she had stopped in her room to put on a clean, comfortable blouse with several concealed pockets and spaces for hidden weapons. Four knives were on her person: one in a sheath on her hip, two hidden within her blouse in such a way that a trained warrior would see their outlines and assume she was a warrior or adventurer, and one tiny knife hidden under her sock just in case things got violent. Two small, exotic flowers in her hair completed the ensemble.<\/p>\n

Barrows wasn\u2019t hard to find; the thug in the Bloated Nymph had mentioned that he had blue eyes and a greying beard. Only one such man in the guild headquarters fit that description. She approached the stocky, muscular figure sitting at the back table and slid into the seat across from him. \u201cMr. Barrows,\u201d she said. \u201cI have a proposition for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man\u2019s eyes flicked to meet hers with a bright intensity that looked out of place on his otherwise slack, tired face. \u201cHave we met?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Jadie said. \u201cMy apologies. I\u2019m Truda Varset, and I work for a man who…will remain nameless for now. But he\u2019s heard of your plight, and he wants to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrows tilted his head back for a moment, then waved to the bartender. Once a fresh beer was placed in front of him, he asked, \u201cAnd what plight is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a mercenary hired by a village in Warus. The village paid you to help them in their war against the next town over, but that town made an alliance with the gnomes, and now they have better arms and armor than anything your band has. You need better weapons, shields, helmets, everything.\u201d She smiled. \u201cMy employer and I might be able to assist you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmph.\u201d Barrows quaffed half his beer in one gulp. \u201cLet me guess. One of my idiot subordinates got drunk and told some bar my life story.\u201d Before Jadie could answer, he shook his head. \u201cBut why do I need you? I can go to the local blacksmiths just as well as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the local blacksmiths can\u2019t help you.\u201d Jadie lowered her voice. \u201cNone of them make anything better than the gnomes. Only the private armorers for the Viscosa elite guards have the weapons and armor you need. And they don\u2019t take private contracts…which is why you\u2019ve spent the past two weeks trying to find someone to steal the guards\u2019 gear from their depots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrows\u2019 eyes narrowed. \u201cI know nothing about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh.\u201d Jadie rolled her eyes. \u201cI\u2019m not with the guards, Barrows. If I was, you\u2019d already be arrested. I\u2019m with another individual who can get you the armor and weapons you need\u2014if you\u2019re able to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence stretched between them for several seconds. Finally, Barrows said, \u201cAnd I\u2019m supposed to believe you could rob depots guarded by Viscosa\u2019s elite guards…why, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to test me?\u201d Jadie grinned to herself. She already had a few trinkets she\u2019d stolen from the pockets of wealthy merchants in Viscosa; she could present any of them as proof of her skill. Or, if he wanted to see her in action, she\u2019d scouted out one mansion on the north end of town that looked a lot harder to break into than it actually was. \u201cI\u2019ll\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

But before she could finish, Barrows reached into his pack and took out a handful of coins, which he slipped into his pants cuffs, sleeve cuffs, and various pockets on his outfit. \u201cTake one of the coins,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jadie paused. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got thieves in my band, and the mark of a real<\/em> thief is that they can steal something right out from under a target\u2019s nose,\u201d said Barrows. \u201cIf you\u2019re good enough to get into the guard depots, you\u2019re good enough to grab a coin even while I watch you.\u201d He smirked. \u201cLet\u2019s see what you\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jadie took a moment to think before shrugging and getting to work. She placed her hands on the table, inching them towards Barrows, who raised an eyebrow as if he couldn\u2019t believe she would try just snatching the coins. But at the same time, Jadie worked the vines wrapped around her arms, coaxing them to unwind. They slowly slipped out slits on the underside of her sleeves, reaching beneath the table\u2014<\/p>\n

Barrows suddenly thrust both of his hands down and seized Jadie\u2019s vines. \u201cNice try,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd nice magic; you\u2019re part elf, I\u2019m guessing. But no\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Jadie lunged forward, and before Barrows could move to block her, she yanked a coin out from the breast pocket of his shirt.<\/p>\n

The mercenary blinked as Jadie struggled not to cheer or laugh. \u201cAll right,\u201d he sighed, his mouth twisting upwards with amusement. \u201cYou\u2019re clever, I get it. Maybe you\u2019ve got a chance.\u201d He interlaced his fingers. \u201cWhat price are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jadie named a fair value\u2014at least, taking into account the risk she\u2019d be running if she\u2019d actually had any intention of breaking into the guard depots. Before Barrows finished nodding, however, she said, \u201cBut there\u2019s one condition. We need that in writing. Just to make sure there\u2019s no disputes after we deliver the merchandise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrows stared at her. \u201cWait. You\u2019re seriously asking me to write a confession, so that if you get caught you have something to trade for leniency?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. The letter will say that we approached you\u2014which is what happened\u2014and it will be countersigned by my master as well. Even if we wanted to betray you, we\u2019d be hanging ourselves if we gave that letter to the authorities. Besides, we both know Barrows isn\u2019t your real name. The guards wouldn\u2019t know who to arrest even if we turned you in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen…\u201d Barrows frowned. \u201cWhat\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause, while the guards<\/em> wouldn\u2019t know who to arrest, I\u2019m guessing other criminals know who you are. If you try to change the price later, we\u2019ll show the letter to every thief, fence, and assassin in town. Everyone will know Barrows doesn\u2019t pay what he owes. You\u2019ll have to make a whole new alias…wasting all the time you spent building up this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrows was silent for a few more seconds. \u201cThen I just have one more question: How do I know you\u2019ll<\/em> use your real name to sign it? Like you said, we\u2019ve never met.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jadie took Nemeroth\u2019s signet ring from her pocket and laid it on the counter. \u201cMy master\u2019s signet ring,\u201d she said. \u201cAbsolute proof of his identity\u2014and as he\u2019s my employer, proof of mine as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrows held the ring up to his eye and examined it closely. \u201cIt\u2019s legitimate,\u201d he said at last. \u201cAnd if it\u2019s stolen, then if you turned that letter in to betray me, you\u2019d be arrested for robbing a noble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly.\u201d Jadie smiled. \u201cYou\u2019re perfectly safe. Let\u2019s write out this contract, and in a week, you\u2019ll have as many swords and suits of armor as you could want.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a little bit longer for Barrows to decide and another hour for the two to hammer out the exact nature of the contract. But in the end, two papers stating Edwin Nemeroth would \u2018obtain\u2019 gear from the Viscosa guard depots and sell them to a Warus mercenary at the agreed upon price were signed by Barrows, sealed by Jadie, and slipped into their respective pockets. All she needed to do now, Jadie thought, was get the letter in her pocket into Nemeroth\u2019s possession and have the guards find it. Then it would be over for him.<\/p>\n

When she rose to leave, she tripped and stumbled into Barrows, and after pushing off of him and apologizing, she felt someone watching her. When she turned, though, she only saw an average-looking man slipping out a side entrance. She shook her head and made herself leave the adventurers guild as planned.<\/p>\n

It was time to uphold the honor and glory of the Westwick Thieves Guild!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Most Unusual Applicant A Story by Aaron Canton -Part Four- Jadie spent the next two days visiting the bars, inns, and taverns that Viscosa\u2019s officials preferred to pretend didn\u2019t exist. She sat at dusty counters that had never seen a washcloth, hugging a ragged outfit to herself as if they were the only clothes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[145,146],"tags":[1303,273,837,149],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Short-Story-Panel.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-WA","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3632"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3632"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3633,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3632\/revisions\/3633"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}