Chapter 190: Myth in the Making (1/2)
”Leader! They've swung around through the side street. Fang's group is in danger!” The skinny whip of a man yelled over the din of the street fight. Brenden had already forgotten his name, but he thought he belong to the Herefords, a new addition to their growing coalition.
Growling, he threw his current opponent into a knot of enemies, knocking them flat. ”I'll take care of it. Ward, you're in charge here. Hold them until I get back!” He yelled at the second in command of the remnant Night Kings, before breaking into a sprint. He nimbly dodged through the swirling combatants, occasionally taking a moment to deal a devastating blow to one of the enemies before moving on.
In short order, he'd arrived at the site of the flank attack. Fang was facing off against twenty opponents while guarding his fallen comrades. Noticing Brenden's arrival, the old bear beastman flashed a confident grin. ”Good of you to make it, Boss. You're just in time to watch me mop the floor with these whelps.”
”Heh. You should let me take over,” He replied with his own grin, ”I wouldn't want you to strain your back or something.”
”HA! I may be old, but there is still more than enough fight left in me.” Fang yelled back, a palpable aura of power surrounding him, and making the members of the opposing gang step back in unease.
”Well then, let's make a contest of it. Whoever takes the least of them down, buys the victory drinks.” Brenden said while taking up a combat stance next to the old bear of a man.
”I'll be drinking my fill tonight then!” Fang cried, leaping forward at the enemy. Brenden was close behind.
The pair blazed through the loose collection of gang members, quickly reducing them to boneless heaps throughout the side street. In less than a minute, they were the only ones still standing.
Brenden paused to take a deep breath, laughing as he heard the sound of disgust from Fang.
”Bah, I would have had those last two if my knee hadn't given out.” The old bear complained as he rubbed the offending appendage. Apparently, the injury had ended his career as an adventurer nearly three decades ago, and left the man with a permanent limp.
[I bet Mike could take care of that.] Brenden thought, before dismissing the idea. He'd been avoiding thinking about his friend these past few days, unsure of how to face him after their last fight.
”That sounds like an excuse, old man.” The young beastman said with a chuckle before turning his gaze back in the direction of the main conflict. Judging from sounds of the celebration, it seemed that his subordinates had won without him.
[They're getting better.]
He walked over to the leader of the flanking force, who happened to be the second in command of the Wave Runners, and nudged the man with his foot. ”Oy, looks like your side lost.”
Glaring up at him from the ground, Roger sighed, before finally nodded. ”Aye, lad. You won. I believe I speak for me boss and me whole crew when I say it was fairly fought. I'll let the boss say the official words, but the Wave Runners will fall under the Hunter's Paw from here on.”
Brenden used a hand to pull the man to his feet. ”We're glad to have you. Once the injuries have been treated, we'll be having a victory party at the Cat's Paw.” He said with a grin. ”Bring your guys along, since it's going to be Fang's treat.”
”Oi!” the bear beastman exclaimed, starting to look a little pale. ”I didn't agree to that!”
”We never specified who the drinks would be for.” Brenden laughed while helping the other gang members up. There was a lot of groaning and complaining, but no permanent injuries.
After giving his team a round of congratulations, he took a moment to catch his breath. A chant of ”King of Thieves” was starting up in the square, and it sounded like they were waiting on his arrival to commence the festivities. Sighing, he rubbed his forehead, trying to figure out how he'd gotten to this point.
[What in the hells am I doing? Why did I let myself get dragged into all this?]
Contemplating the situation, he could only come to one conclusion. [This has to be Mike's fault somehow. I bet his luck rubbed off on me or something.]
Strangely enough, accepting it as part of his friend's aura of misfortune made the whole thing seem more palatable.
[Now, if I could just find a good chance to sneak away…]
---------------------------------------------------
”So, what's the story behind this whole King of Thieves thing?” Mike asked while watching his friend get mobbed by a swarm of excited children, who seemed to have been watching the match like some kind of sporting event. There were even a few food stands set up in the crowd, giving the gathering a festive air. He'd been given a quick rundown on the idea of Arbitration, but it was still strange to see it in person.
Selene shrugged, ”I'm surprised you haven't heard of him, it's a popular story in this country. Near the beginning of the Third Age, when competing warlords ruled much of the central continent, there was a tyrant by the name of Hargulf the Bald who controlled much of what is now southwestern Almir.”
”Really? The Bald?”
”Well, he was. Besides, I think they started calling him that after his death, and he wasn't exactly popular. Anyway, there was this young bandit who made his living in the fringes of Hargulf's territory. One day, while wandering in the woods, he came across a white rabbit caught in a snare. Normally, any self-respecting young bandit would take the free meal and count himself lucky, but he had just eaten heartily from a patch of berries he'd stumbled upon, and therefore wasn't hungry. On impulse he decided to set the poor creature free. Much to his surprise, the rabbit thanked for his mercy, and pledged to repay him for sparing its life.”
”This isn't sounding all that believable. Did he not have a name?” Mike commented dryly while debating internally about getting some of the freshly baked pastries a nearby vendor was selling. He still had some time before he had to meet with the current leaders of the haphazard force defending the city, and the smell was making his mouth water. Audra also seemed interested in the treat, since he had to keep pushing her back into the confines of his pocket every so often.
”It happened so long ago, that it's more of a myth than anything. As far as a name goes, I'll talk about it later. Now, back to the story. The rabbit was, unsurprisingly, magical in nature, and in fact was the herald of Fortune itself.” Selene continued, slightly annoyed at her boss's constant interruptions.