1 A thief named Zalthu

It was a quiet day on the western shore of Yarm. You could barely hear the waves crashing off the rocks. The birds were chirping, the skies were clear, and sun was shining. Everything was just perfect for this time of year. In the small village of Stoneguard, everyone was busy hard at work. After a long winter, spring was putting people into motion. The market square was bustling with people buying and selling their goods. The Blacksmith was pounding away on his anvil making some new equipment. The barkeep and his daughter worked on cleaning up the tavern for the next day of thirsty customers.

Everyone was busy. Children were playing in the streets while their mothers were hanging out the daily laundry. The local stable master was shoveling manure out of one of the stalls when he eyed a rider on the horizon. Whoever it was, they were headed toward Stoneguard at a fast pace. Faster than most.

The stable master stopped shoveling and walked over to the fence. Soon enough the rider stopped his horse right next to the stable master's fence. The dust from the approaching horse temporary blinded him, but when the dust cleared the stable master looked up at the muscular half-orc wearing a full leather tunic. The stable master was no stranger to this half-orc. He had seen him around town several times before. He said, "Welcome back, Zalthu. Out for a morning ride?"

With a sheepish grin Zalthu replied, "Something like that. You know me, I love to take a horse and run up and down the roads looking for pretty flowers and… and… no, I am sorry. Seriously, I can't pretend like I give a shit about nature. Thormas, I was wondering if you would be interested in buying this horse. It's a fine breed."

Thormas circled around to the gate and inspected at the horse. He walked all the way around it and said, "It is a fine horse. Exactly where did you get it?"

Zalthu shot Thormas a puzzled look then with a quick hop, he dismounted the horse. Zalthu responded, "What do you mean WHERE did I get it? That's not important. What is important is that I have a nice horse and I am willing to sell it to you!"

"I know you didn't have a horse yesterday. And you certainly didn't buy one from me today. I was just wondering where you got it?"

"A friend gave it to me."

"A friend?"

"Yes."

"A really good friend?"

"Yes."

"A friend that gives away horses?"

"YES!"

Thormas scratched his chin in disbelief. He glanced at Zalthu then to the horse, then back to Zalthu and added, "So, if I am understanding this correctly, you got a free horse from a really good friend that happens to have a military saddle on it? That is quite interesting. What is more interesting is there were three 2nd Division troops that rode through this town a few nights ago. This horse looks a lot like one of theirs. Don't you think, Zalthu?"

Zalthu faked an angry face and said, "Thormas… Are you calling me a horse thief?"

"No, not at all. I was just pointing on the uncanny…"

"Because you and I have been friends for a very long time."

"Umm, no not really, Zalthu. You have only been in Stoneguard for three or four days. Long enough to get in some minor trouble, hit on a few women, and drink all the Northshore ale stockpiled in the tavern."

"You're still mad about the ale? You really know how to hold a grudge don't you, Thormas? You know, I thought our friendship meant something. But here you are calling me a thief and a liar?! I can't believe this is happening right now."

Thormas once again fixated his eyes on the horse then back to Zalthu. Then he said, "Look Zalthu, I can give you 20 gold for the horse."

"A measly 20 gold?! What kind of deal is this?"

"Just listen. I will give you 20 gold now. After a few days we will wait to see if anyone comes looking for their missing horse… if no one comes looking, then I will give you full price. How about that?"

Zalthu stared at the old man for a few seconds then he said plainly, "Just give me the 20 gold."

Thormas forked over the 20 gold and took the horse by the reigns. Zalthu was not happy with the transaction, but he wasn't going to argue with him. As he walked into the main intersection of town, Zalthu eyed a bigger prize. As Zalthu walked down the road, he spotted a wealthy merchant riding into town on horseback. Zalthu casually changed direction as he strolled toward the merchant. He pretended not to notice the man then as he passed, Zalthu smiled at him and said, "Welcome to Stoneguard, safest town in the Yarm."

The merchant smiled at him and returned to watching the path ahead. Zalthu quickly pulled one of his daggers and cut a small pouch off of the merchant's saddle. With his other hand, Zalthu caught the bag and quietly pulled it into to his chest out of sight. The merchant heard the sound and turned to see Zalthu walking away, but he saw nothing out of place. Both men continued forward away from each other. Zalthu waited for the merchant to be out of sight then he opened to bag to see what was in it. It was a bag of herbs and other various spices. It would catch a fine price to the right person. Not bad for a dishonest day's work.

Nearby the tavern door flung open. Zalthu watched as the barkeep drug a teenage dark elf boy out by his hair. Once he was several feet away from the door the barkeep threw him to the ground in a cloud of dust. Several people watched as the barkeep said, "Scumbag, you should know better than to come into my establishment!"

The boy cough from the dust and the hard fall. He rolled over to face the barkeep as he replied, "The sign says you are hiring. I thought you needed…"

The dark elf didn't get to finish his sentence. The barkeep shout, "What?! You thought I would hire you?! That is rich." The barkeep laughed for a moment as he was clearly amused by the thought. Then he continued, "No one would come in here if I had a filthy dark elf serving the drinks. I would have to shut down after only a few days. You see, this is our town… here, no one likes dark elves. Even the dark elves don't like themselves. So, how about you do us all a favor and go back to the forest and stay away from Stoneguard."

Zalthu put the bag of herbs in his pack and headed toward the entrance of the tavern. Seeing Zalthu approach the barkeep shot him a troublesome look. Zalthu smiled at him and said, "He is right. Dark elves don't belong in this town."

The barkeep smiled back at Zalthu, happy to see someone agreed with him. That smile was short lived as Zalthu threw a wicked right hook into his face, knocking him to the ground. The barkeep was out cold lying on the ground. That wasn't acceptable to Zalthu. He lined himself up and kicked the barkeep in the balls as hard as he could. He woke up to a feeling pain that no one would want to feel. The barkeep screamed and grabbed his crushed testicles.

Seeing that the barkeep was awake again, Zalthu bent down to his face and said, "As I was saying, dark elves don't belong in this town. It full of racist morons like you." With that said Zalthu turned around and helped the dark elf boy to his feet. He dusted off his cloths and said, "Come on, let's get out of here before someone gets more offended."

The short fight had gathered a small crowd of on lookers. Zalthu put his arm around the boy pushed passed them. As they walked toward the edge of town, Zalthu said, "This town used to be such a nice place. Pity that some people just can't get along, you know?"

The boy did not get a chance to respond. An elven man in a clean set of iron armor rode up in his horse and stopped in front of them. He said, "Hold it right there, Zalthu. What did I tell you about causing trouble in my town?"

"Constable," Zalthu bowed his head with a smile, "I can't remember the conversation exactly. I was probably drunk as always. But don't worry, if it had something to do with me being thrown out of town, then you have nothing to worry about. I am leaving." Zalthu and the boy walked around the constable's horse and continued to head out of town. The Constable did not say a word. He just watched. After they were a solid 20 feet away, Zalthu turned back and added, "So long, and piss off Constable. Take care of yourself."

He certainly had a way with words.

The road out of town was long and mostly uneventful. The nearest town was Blackoak. It was at least two to three hours by foot. Zalthu glanced down at the dark elf boy. He still had not said anything since they left town. He was still shaken by the whole event. Zalthu decided to lighten the mood and asked, "Where do you call home?"

For the first time, the boy snapped out of his trance and said, "Umm, down the road and to the north. It's my parent's house."

"Of course, it is. What is your name?"

"Marsel."

Well, Marsel, if I might ask, what possessed you to go to Stoneguard for a job?"

"My father said I should be more independent. I thought maybe getting some gold and buying a horse would impress him."

Zalthu laughed and said, "How would he feel if you had come home dead?" Zalthu asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a 7-inch knife. He pulled the knife out if it's sheath and inspected the blade, then he handed it to the boy and said, "Next time someone give you trouble, pull this out and tell them to get lost. Make sure they can see you have a weapon in your hand. They should motivate them to leave you alone. If they don't… it's their funeral."

Marsel took the blade with wide eyes. Zalthu had just give him a weapon to kill someone with. He turned and stared at Zalthu and said, "Are you serious? I don't think I could take a man's life."

"Oh, it's easy. Let me explain," Zalthu pulled out one of his own knives and pointed it in the air. Then he continued, "If they are not wearing armor, aim for the rib cage just below the pectoral muscles. If they ARE wearing armor, aim for the neck, most armor sets have a pretty wide gap in that area. Either way after you are done stand way back. The blood really sprays out."

Once again, the boy's eye widened. He just looked at the knife Zalthu had given him in total silence. Zalthu preformed some shanking maneuvers as they walked. The boy watched and eventually put the knife out of the sheath and copied his moves.

Zalthu grinned manically knowing that he had passed on important knowledge to the next generation. He put his knife away and said, "Good stuff. Maybe a little more practice and you are ready to face the world."

Marsel put the knife on his belt and continued walking. They were almost to his parent's house when he finally found the courage to ask, "I heard the Constable call you Zalthu. Are you possibly Zalthu of 3rd Division?"

"Ah nice, my reputation precedes me. Yes, I am Zalthu. However, I am not a part of 3rd Division anymore. How have you heard of me?"

Marsel smiled and said, "My uncle is in 3rd Division. He would always tell us wild stories about the strange people and places he had seen. That is how I heard your name."

"Neat, who is your uncle?"

"Corporal Hargus."

"Ohhhhh, Hargus is YOUR uncle?!" Zalthu exclaimed with excitement. "I remember that guy. He was always so serious all the time."

Marsel continued, "Yes, my uncle said he watched you drag a man across hot coals and stomping on his testicles. He said you didn't stop until the poor man was unconscious and smoking from the burn marks." Zalthu grinned like a fool remembering that event. Marsel continued by saying, "My uncle said it was the most evil thing he had ever seen."

Zalthu nodded and said, "Well, it is nice to see your uncle is spreading the good word about me. How is your uncle doing now and days?"

"Not so good," Marsel threw his hands up and exclaimed, "Uncle Hargus says war is coming. The revolution in Edosa is going to spill across the lines into the border of Yarm. He says if that happens every man available will be reactivated and send to protect the border. He says it will be war all over again like old times."

"Well, it is a good thing I am not a part of 3rd Division anymore. Sucks to hear about your uncle though. I am sure he will be fine."

Marsel pointed to the house on the left and said, "That one is mine!" He started to run off but stopped, turned around, and said, "Oh, Mister Zalthu, thank you for the help… and the knife. I will never forget this day. Regardless of what my uncle says you are a hero to me." With that said Marsel took off running again. He ran up the road to his parent's house. Zalthu just waved. Somehow, he had just made a friend.

Zalthu thought about the idea of being a hero. To be standing in front of thousands of people who are staring at you. Celebrated yes, but every move you make would be recorded and overanalyzed. It would be almost impossible to steal anything. The thought sent shivers down his spine.

Another hour of travel later and Zalthu found himself in the town of Blackoak. He had been here before in his travels. However, this time the town had a new addition that Zalthu had not seen before. There was a new wooden fence completely surrounding the town. There seemed to be four gates on each side of the town. A pair of local town guards stood watch at the entrance, one on each side of the gate. However, the doors were wide open. Anyone could just walk in. As Zalthu got closer one of the guards shouted, "Welcome to Blackoak. What be your business here?"

Zalthu nodded at the gate guards and said, ""Usually drinking. That is a nice fence you got there."

The second guards replied, "It's a palisade. The Baroness had it installed a few weeks ago."

Zalthu never stopped walking. He just nodded at the guard and entered the town. Inside the wall the town had not changed at all. A handful of good businesses and a few dozen house surrounding one large black oak tree. Thus, the name of the town. Zalthu made his way to the alchemist shop and sold the bag of herbs that he stole from the merchant. It fetched him a nice bit of gold. Gold he would need for alcohol later.

Zalthu casually walked by the blacksmith shop. Not because he was looking to buy, but because he was looking for loose things to steal. The smithy seemed to have everything protected pretty well. Clearly, he had dealt with petty theft before. Zalthu checked the position of the sun to roughly estimate the time of day. It was later than he thought it was. Nightfall would come in a few hours. Zalthu shrugged at the idea of getting drunk. Why not? He made his way over to the Rowdy Traveler Inn.

On his way over to the tavern he spotted a woman in a long white and green dress. Zalthu vaguely remembered her as one of the Baroness's handmaids. She spotted him and shouted with glee, "Zalthu! You're back!" She glanced into the tailoring shop and then turned back to Zalthu and said, "Wait here!" With that said she darted into the tailoring shop. Zalthu waited even though he knew it was probably trouble. He just wanted to get drunk and break stuff like he did every night. Now he was expected to tolerate this. What did she want?

A moment later, Zalthu understood. Emerging from the tailoring shop was the Baroness herself. She was a voluptuous woman wearing a beautiful noble's dress. Zalthu had seen her before with and without the dress. Her face lit up as she saw Zalthu. She said, "Oh darling, you have returned! And just in time. I was just telling a gentleman the other day that you would be perfect or his little project. Where have you been for the last few weeks?"

Zalthu smiled and nodded at her, then he said, "You know how time flies. How have you been Minta?"

"Oh, please darling, we can skip the pleasantries until later. Go to the Rowdy Traveler Inn and find a man named Kristos. Nice suit, definitely of noble blood. He is searching for the same thing all nobles wish they had. Talent. A man of special talent is more so what he requires. He said that he is paying top coin. When at first I heard about his plight naturally my mind race to you, of course."

"Of course, what is the job?"

"He did not divulge that information with me. You go break the ice and tell him I sent you. Afterwards you can stop by my mansion and… we can catch up on old times."

Zalthu nodded at her and turned toward the tavern. This was his destination before he was stopped anyways. Perhaps the Baroness didn't need to intervene. Still, it gave Zalthu an edge on the upcoming situation. And of course, worst case scenario she mentioned he had plenty of gold to steal.

Entering the bar, Zalthu could see there was a pretty large crowd here today. The bard was playing songs on his lute while strangers were singing and laughing. This was Blackoak, the crossroads of Yarm. Traders from the coast, the northern capital city, eastern Edosa, and St. Lysette to the south all cross this one little town. So, you never know who will show up here. Zalthu walked over to the bar and asked the barmaid, "I'll take a beer and a smile if I can get one."

The barmaid who was a stout older halfling woman shot him a little smile and said, "Welcome back, Zalthu. Did you come for drinks or are you just here to break furniture again?"

Zalthu shook his head and replied, "My memory is not very good when I am drunk, but as I recall, that was an accident."

The barmaid poured him a drink in a large wooden mug and handed it to him. Then she said, "Yeah, sure it was. I accidentally break things across people's faces all the time. Let's try and keep the accidents to a minimum this time, okay?"

Zalthu took a drink and nodded. He wasn't trying to be disrespectful, Zalthu needed his drink. The alcohol was like fuel to his inner fire. After downing the entire mug, he put it down and wiped his mouth. "Thanks for the drink. I was starting to dry out. Now, can you point me in the direction of a man named Kristos? Noble, nice outfit, has a boat load of coin."

The barmaid pointed to the man in the back sitting at the table. Zalthu turned and eyeballed the man. He was a tall skinny elf or maybe even a half-elf with his long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. He was wearing a long coat and stereotypical reading glasses. Unlike everyone else who was drinking and laughing, he was reading a book and minding his own business. If there was one man in this bar that clearly didn't belong, then it was him. As Zalthu looked at him, the halfling barmaid said, "He has been here for a few days now. Always pays his bill. Quiet, reserved man. Unlike the noisy group next to him. Zalthu if you are going over there could you do us a favor and scare those three off?"

Zalthu turned his gaze to the three men sitting next to Kristos. From a distance he could not tell if they were armed or not. Not that it mattered to him. Without looking at the barmaid, Zalthu said, "Sure, thing, and I will take one to go." Before he could push his mug towards her, she handed him a second one. Zalthu took a sip of his new drink and stepped off the barstool. He casually circled the room walking past the three noisy men. He stopped to place his drink on Kristos's table and said, "Hold on to this for me, for a sec." Kristos did not have the chance to say anything. All at once, Zalthu turned to the noisy men and kicked one of them in the chest knocking him over backwards. Then with one hand he flipped their table and shout, "What does it take to get some peace and quiet around here?!"

Everything in the bar came to a complete halt. Even the local bard stopped playing his lute as the exchange happened. The three noisy men recovered as they were half covered in their own drinks. One of them pulled a hatchet from his belt. They stood together to fight. Zalthu watched and waited for them to get it together. Finally, the man with the hatchet said, "What's your problem here, orc? You pickin a fight with us?"

Zalthu pulled two knives off his back holster and flipped them in his hands. He pointed the blades at the men and shouted, "Let's settle this outside. I have two knives for your friends, and the last on of you alive I will EAT! Arms, legs, everything. I will shit out your remains tomorrow!"

His words echoed the halls. For a few seconds, it was quiet as a tomb. Then the man with the hatchet replied, "You know what, we were actually just leaving. You can have our table." He put his hatchet away and slowly backed away from Zalthu. As the three men left the bar, Zalthu put his knives away and picked up the tossed table. He sat up one of the chairs and grabbed his drink from Kristos's table. Then he took a seat and smiled. Everyone in the bar slowly returned to normal.

As the bard started playing his lute again, Kristos said, "Very impressive."

Zalthu glanced at him and lied, "Thanks, but I didn't do it to impress you."

Kristos closed his book and stood up. He walked over and picked on one of the chairs that had been knocked over. He looked at Zalthu and asked, "Mind if I join you?" Zalthu nodded as Kristos sat down across from him. Kristos pushed his glasses up onto his nose and said, "You look like a man that can get things done." He held out his hand and said, "I'm Kristos, an aristocrat of Cantiberry."

Zalthu shook his hand and said, "I'm Zalthu. I'm very thirsty."

"I bet you are Mr. Thu. You look like the kind of man that thirsts for the finer things in life."

"Finer things… like mead?"

"Gold. A lot of it."

Zalthu took a drink from his mug and replied, "You can read me pretty well. How much gold are we talking about?"

Kristos smiled and replied, "400 gold on job completion." Zalthu did not have anything to say to this. It was a staggering about of gold. More gold than he had ever seen in one place. Kristos continued by saying, "The Duke of Cantiberry hired me to hunt down a little trinket. A family heirloom. It is a miniature clock laced with silver on the face and hands. His sister stole it from their mother, it was supposedly lost in a fire, then it magically ended up in the hands of a merchant. It was a long and time-consuming task but ultimately, using some skill and locator spells, I found the clock in the hands of a bandit camp nearby. Naturally, they are uninterested in making the trade. Diplomacy is not their strong suit. That is where you come in."

Zalthu thought about the situation for a second, then asked, "So the clock is in the camp. How many bandits are we talking about?"

"Less than ten, filthy, simple outlaws. Not the nicest group I have ever met, and nobody that would be missed if they ended up dead. If you know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean." Zalthu finished his drink and slammed the mug down on the table. "I'll take the job under one condition. I am going to need to hire some back up. So, you pay half up front and the other half on completion. Deal?"

"Oh no." Kristos shook his head and gave Zalthu a frowning face, "No upfront cost. I am not giving you 200 gold just to disappear without a trace. This isn't my first time being scammed. You take the whole prize at the end of the job."

Damn, Zalthu thought to himself. This guy isn't as dumb as he looks. Zalthu thought about it for a second then said, "Fine, I will hire the extra help out of my own pocket. However, you up the payout to 500 gold."

Kristos smiled and said, "Very well, Mr. Thu. An extra 100 it is. So long as you and your men can get the job done."

Zalthu smiled as the two men shook hands. Kristos pulled out a map and pointed out the bandit camp in the forest to the south. Zalthu nodded and pretended like he was listening. Deep down inside, Zalthu was laughing. This was going to be the easiest gold he has ever made.

Zalthu paid his tab and left the Rowdy Traveler Inn. The sun was setting on the horizon. That was fine. Zalthu headed south out of town toward the bandit camp that Kristos marked on his map. Traveling off road was slower and considerably more dangerous. However, Zalthu did it fearlessly. Years of late-night activity had gifted him with night vision even in the darkness of the forest.

After a solid 45 minutes of travel, the sunset was gone. The forest was blanketed in darkness. Up ahead, Zalthu saw a bright light in the distance. He slowly crept around the forest until he found a good vantage point. Ahead of him was a few people gathered around a campfire. Each of them was wearing old wore out clothes and carried weapons on their backs. One had an eye patch and carried a bow and arrow. The other carried a pair of axes. This was definitely the bandit camp. The bandits were deep in conversation while Zalthu slowly snuck in closer to their position.

The first bandit complained, "How long are we going to put up with this? Seriously guys, I am ready to jump ship here."

The second bandit replied, "Relax Marius. Nobody is jumping ship. Not yet at least."

Marius continued, "I am serious this time. I am not doing another job without pay. This is worse than slavery. We robbed that cart today and kidnapped that girl. Normally, we all get a piece of the pie, you do the work, you reap the reward… you know? How long are you spineless fools going to tolerate this crap?"

Zalthu darted from tree to tree hiding in the shadows. Once he was close enough, Zalthu snuck up behind the talking bandit. He was too distracted with his own complaining to hear Zalthu's movements. The campfire was the only light source in the area, so Zalthu crept in his own shadow to get close. Finally, when the talking bandit stopped to take a breath, Zalthu threw his free arm around his chest to prevent him from escaping and put his dagger to his throat.

The other two bandits that were still in the conversation were shocked. To them, it seemed like Zalthu appeared out of nowhere. They stood up and stumped back away from the campfire. The one with the eyepatch drew his bow and readied an arrow. The second bandit pulled one of the two axes of his back and got into a fighting stance. Marius's face turned pale. With the knife to his throat Marius turned his head to see his attacker's face shrouded in darkness. Zalthu's words chilled him to the bone as he said, "You're dead." Zalthu leaned to the right so Marius could see his face. Then he added, "I just killed you."

Marius's pale fearful face quickly vanished as he said, "Zalthu? What in the hells are you doing here?"

Zalthu removed the knife from Marius's neck and said, "I am just trying to keep you on your toes." Zalthu put his dagger away as he sat down next to Marius with a chuckle. He calmly put one arm around Marius and said, "Sorry, man. When it comes to being a sneaky bitch, I can't help myself."

Marius smiled a bit, happy to be out of harm's way. He shook his head and replied, "Why me? You could have stopped my heart. Seriously, I nearly had a heart attack."

Seeing that Marius clearly knew this guy, the other two bandits lowered their weapons. Zalthu reached over to the campfire and grabbed a skewer of meat. It was smoking hot. "What is on the menu this evening, boys?"

The bandit with the bow answered, "Deer. As always."

Zalthu ripped off a piece of meat and asked Marius, "Yeah, we have a lot of new faces around here."

Marius shook his head and said, "Yes, quite a few." Marius put one hand on Zalthu's shoulder and said, "Boys, this is Zalthu. A thieving, alcoholic, asshole." Marius peered at Zalthu and pointed to the bandits across the fire from him and said, "That's Vivor and next to him is Deadeye. They are both new, along with out leader, Grak."

Zalthu chewed on the meat and handed the skewer to Marius so he could eat some. Then he asked, "Wait? There is a new leader? What happened to the old leader, Keiper? Or whatever his name was?"

Vivor replied, "He got arrested in Nargrid Harbor. Apparently, he had a disagreement with port authority. He was only in for a few days, but when he got out Grak had already taken over as the new leader. Keiper disagreed and Grak… killed him."

Deadeye finished the story for Vivor, "After that, it has been all downhill from there. Grak changed our name from the Southsea Bandits to the Bloodthirsty Bandits. Sure, Grak enjoys killin and robbin people… who doesn't? But Grak is as greedy as they come. He doesn't share hardly any of the booty. We do all the work and get none of the reward."

"So, he is a shitty leader. You know what happens to shitty leader." Zalthu took another skewer of meat off the campfire and pretended it was a sword. He made a stabbing action and grinned. Then he added, "Or are the Bloodthirsty Bandits too civilized for that?"

Marius shook his head and replied, "It's not that easy. You haven't seen Grak. He is an orc like you, but he is… massive. Probably close to 300 pounds. According to him, he was a follower of the Blood Tyrant. He claims to have killed over a hundred innocent people to gain his freedom. Long story short, he is huge. More than any one person could handle."

Zalthu continued to eat the bandit's food then he said, "You mean, more than any one person could handle in one-on-one combat. If you throw honorable combat out the window, how many bodies would it take to bring him down? Ten? Twenty?"

Each of the bandits looked at each other guessing the amount of work it would take to defeat Grak. Then Deadeye said, "Twelve would do the trick."

Zalthu wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said, "How many of them feel the same way you guys do? How many of them want to bring back the good old days?" The three bandits did not respond. "It seems the Bloodthirsty Bandits don't live up to the name. That is too bad. Keiper would never have let the Southsea Bandit to bow down to anyone." Zalthu stood up and pulled out his dagger again. "How about we change that?"

Marius thought about it for a second then gave a long stare to Vivor and Deadeye. They smiled and nodded. Marius said, "For Keiper."

Marius, Deadeye, and Vivor quietly walked around the camp and woke all the sleeping bandits. Zalthu waited by the cave entrance with his arms crossed. Once a dozen bandits were awake and ready, they gathered near him. Zalthu looked over the half-asleep group of men and said, "Revolutionaries. Silence your weapons until I say the word." Zalthu turned and opened the door to the cave. Zalthu's eye quickly adjusted to the dark as he saw four or five treasure chests lining the walls. These were the fruits of their labor that Deadeye had spoken of.

Zalthu could hear snoring coming for deeper inside. Zalthu fearlessly continued forward with a single file line of bandits followed him. Far in the back, Zalthu could see a huge mound of blankets in the corner. The blankets raised up and down as the snoring continued. That was Grak. He was extremely large as Marius had said. Near Grak's bed Zalthu could see several empty bottles of alcohol. Good. Not only was he asleep, but he was also likely drunk too. Zalthu pointed with both hands to signal the bandits to surround Grak.

The bandits did as they were instructed. Then once he was complete surrounded Zalthu whispered, "Draw swords." The sound of steel being pulled from sheaths was noisy but not loud enough to wake the sleeping orc. After a few seconds Zalthu shouted, "NOW!"

All of the bandits struck down on their sleeping target at the same time. Grak awoke screaming as a dozen weapons piercing his blankets and body. He rolled away from the wall knocking several bandit's over. It was a disaster in the dark. Swords were swinging. Grak was screaming. Bloodied and scrambling for his life, Grak got to his knees and grabbed Vivor pulling him in. Several of the bandits were swinging their weapons wildly trying to kill Grak. Instead, they were only hitting their fellow bandits creating more destruction in their wake. Zalthu just smiled and stood back watching the chao unfolded before his eyes.

Wild flailing weapons and screaming bandits continued for several minutes. Zalthu took the opportunity to search the chests nearby. Surprisingly none of them were locked. Zalthu filled his pockets with gold and jewelry. On his third chest, he found the beloved heirloom. The miniature clock laced with silver. It was a very fancy timepiece. Zalthu glanced back to the fight going on nearby. He could join in, but it is best to leave the bandits to their much-needed revenge. Zalthu put the clock in his coat pocket and quickly walked to the mouth of the cave. His work was done here.

As he was walking to the exit his night vision saw something shaking over in the corner. It looked like a large cone shaped cage covered with a blanket. At first Zalthu thought it was some kind of bird or animal. He removed the blanket to see a young human girl inside. She looked frightened and crying. Now that the blanket was gone, she could see what was happening. She screamed and said, "Please, get me out of here! Please mister! I need to get out of here!"

Nearby the bandit were still killing Grak as he struggled on the floor. She was clearly not used to seeing this level of violence. She covered her eyes and looked away in horror. Zalthu didn't have to think long on the girl's fate. If left here in the hands of the bandits, she would be more than likely be raped and murdered.

Without hesitation Zalthu grabbed the cage with one hand. He threw the cage on his back. The girl grunted as she fell to the side of the cage. Zalthu carried her to the exit and stepped out of the cave and into night air again, Zalthu's eyes adjusted to the light as he saw several bandits were holding torches and waiting to see who would emerge from the cave victorious. Seeing a half-orc exit the cave, one of them asked, "Grak? Is that you?"

"No, I am Zalthu. Your buddies in there are doing all the work for you. You should go help them." The bandits glanced between themselves as Zalthu stepped out of the way. He pointed into the cave and said again, "Your assistance is needed. Stop being useless and get this revolution rolling."

Without question they entered the cave leaving Zalthu alone with only one bandit remaining. This bandit was not falling for any tricks. He carried an angry look on his face as he watched his fellow bandits entered the cave. Once they were gone, he eyed Zalthu slowly edging away from the cave. The gears in his brain started working overtime. He turned toward Zalthu and almost immediately pulled his mace off his belt. He shouted, "Hang on friend, where do you think you are going with that girl? Why are you leaving when everyone else is going in?"

"I am not a part of this revolution."

This did not sit well with the bandit, "Is that so, friend? If you are not a part of us… Then you are not a friend, are you?"

"You see this girl?" Zalthu said as he pointed at the bird cage.

"Yes."

Zalthu pointed over the bandit's shoulder, "You see that horse?"

The bandit turned to see this horse Zalthu was talking about, but there was none. When he turned back to Zalthu he had just enough time to see Zalthu's fist plow into his face. The bandit dropped his mace and fell to his hands and knees. The bandit held his now bloody face and muttered something Zalthu couldn't understand. Zalthu picked up the mace and tossed it into the nearby forest. Then he bent down to the bandit and said, "Take care, friend." Then with one swift kick he knocked the bandit to the ground.

Zalthu hoisted the cage up to his back and walked away from the bandit camp feeling like he really accomplished something. He might have started a revolution, but the lives of the bandits would be better in the long run. After about five minutes of walking his arm was getting tired. He put the birdcage down and said, "Okay, your wish is granted."

The girl struggled in the cage and replied, "Umm, can you get me out of this cage?"

"You're asking a lot here." Zalthu said as he reached into his personal bag and pulled out his lockpicking kit. With a bit of effort, the pins dropped and unlocked the cage. The poor girl climbed out of the cage. Now Zalthu could really see the sorry state of her. She was only 15 or 16 years old. Her face was marred with cuts and dirt. Her bright and colorful dress was torn and covered in dry blood. She didn't even have shoes on.

The girl stepped over and leaned against a tree as she said, "Sorry, I have been in that cage for hours. My legs are all tingly." She held out her hand and cheerfully said, "I'm Ava."

Zalthu fired back, "I don't care what you name is." With that said, Zalthu pointed to the northeast and said, "Blackoak is an hour that way. Probably longer without shoes on." Then Zalthu pointed to the northwest and said, "Stoneguard is about 3 to 4 hours that way. Take your pick."

With that Zalthu walked away. He was not interested in babysitting this girl. The last thing he needed was another mouth to feed. As he walked away, she said, "Thank you." Zalthu did not look back or acknowledge her at all. He had done more than enough good deeds for today. Now it was time to get paid.