Sparrow on a Plank Chapter 10: The Sparrow Flees the Scene

There was, of course, a reason that there were no one guarding Hajime. That reason was running toward his old room as quickly as it could. The pair of Sal and Rick were going through guards as quickly as they saw them. The cultists were quickly learning the difference between ritualized duel and the realities of combat. The two of them were not afraid to use any tactic to succeed, whereas the cultists kept relying on their dueling skills.

Their basic strategy was for Rick to engage them while Sal did something clever. She had debated just throwing daggers at them, but realized that wouldn't be very effective if they were attacked by another group while she was recovering her weapons. Besides, they had plenty of weapons lying around if you just knew where to look. Besides the weapons of the dispatched cultists, their candelabras were placed well; Rick just had to bring them under one and she would cut the chain loose, stopping a group of them at the same time. The tapestries also helped, entangling them so Rick could cut them down. Candlesticks, chairs, and other furniture made excellent weapons for stunning them in small groups.

However, this method did not exactly make for the best in stealthy operations, and so their opponent could hear them coming. They were beginning to organize, and the resistance was becoming harder to deal with. The number of cultists they had to deal with each time were increasing each time, from one or two at a time to three or four.

They took a moment to breathe, waiting for the next wave of enemy targets. Sal smiled at Rick, and Rick smiled at Sal.

Sal was leaning against the wall, ready for the first person through the door. “This is a horrible first date, you know.”

Rick was crouching just to the side, back to the wall. “It could be worse, I supposed. There was this lab in Auf Tien, where some necromancer raised some dead in order to kill a tavern-keeper he owed a bill to. He decided that if the guy was dead he wouldn't owe him anything. Shame the tavern was torn down by the zombies; I was trying to convince my date that the place had the best spaghetti in the hemisphere.”

“Bet there wasn't a second date.”

He smiled. “The necromancer had killed some of them rather violently. Some of the zombies' guts were sticking out. I don't think that she's eaten any pasta to do this day.”

Sal allowed herself a smile. “I would definitely have a hard time topping that. Even my date in Pirates' Cove couldn't top that, and that was pretty heinous. I ended up having to fight my way out of that, too, but it was just drunken ex-research assistants.”

“I don't know. There were no pirates in that area.”

“Even the worst pirate would be more fun than a zombie. And at least they tell you what they want.”

They chuckled a bit. Then their bodies tensed as they heard footsteps running towards them. They looked at each other, puzzled by the sound of one set of footfalls being chased by three others. They both shrugged, deciding to let it play out before they did anything.

“HELP!”

A form in black clothing flew past them, followed quickly by a trio of cultists. The form got a few steps up a staircase before turning around, at which point they recognized who it was. Hajime stopped and shifted gears immediately. He concentrating and then he uttered a single word. A pattern of swirling lights appeared in front of him. The cultists slowed, then stopped, entranced by the lights.

“Hi, guys. Thanks for coming, but could you do something about these guys? They may be able to break through this spell any time now.”

Sal tossed her daggers and one of them fell. Rick leaped, cutting another down. Hajime let his concentration drop, and the cultist looked surprised for just a moment before charging Hajime. Hajime crouched into a ball. The cultist stopped to grab his abdomen and heart, which were coincidentally where Rick's saber and Sal's dagger, respectively, had pierced his body.

Sal grappled Hajime, and Rick slapped him on the back. Hajime enjoyed it for just a moment, and then let go of Sal. “Time to get out of here.”

Sal let go of him. “Hadn't we best grab that necklace first?”

Hajime looked at her, with one of those “what are you talking about?” looks. He smiled and opened his vest a bit. “Why would we do that?”

Sal smiled as she the ruby necklace. “Guess we don't have to. Good going, kid.”

They quickly departed the inn. Apparently they had been running out of cultists, as they only encountered a handful on the way out, and those that they did run into ran the other way. As such, they were outside and on the way to the ship in moments. They just had to wait until morning, and they would be on the way back to Prince Ta without any issues. Sal and Rick decided to spend their remaining hours in Coldport warming each other up, while Hajime did some cold reading in his room before going to sleep.

* * * * *

In the morning the Hell's Wrath got off without a hitch. Foodstuffs and water had been bought and stored, the remaining room was filled with cargo from various merchants (with the various illegal goods hidden in very secure, very hidden places), and replacement crew had been hired. There were of course the usual last minute replacements as some crew decided that staying in Coldport would be a great idea, usually convinced by someone that could make the nights a little less cold and the days a little more interesting.

The magesguild was decidedly unhappy due to the events at the inn-cum-listening-post. They had been selling amulets to get into the inn for decades; now they needed to make new amulets to deal with the new guardspells. On the other hand, the thieves were very happy, as they had been trying to figure a way into the cult for years and nothing helps get someone past stringent requirements like an emergency membership drive. Some of the local operatives also managed to make the cut, so the cult would be dealing with problems for years after.

Nonetheless, the lack of cultists ensured that no one would interfere with the ship's launch and it left without further incident.

[The last chapter is here. The next chapter is here.]