Zayn started down the cobblestone and limped his way towards Bert’s general store. If he planned to survive in The Wilds, he desperately needed to treat his injuries before venturing out and he’d need more than the five arrows in his quiver. If Zayn had more coin, a healer would have him ready to go in minutes, but the best he was getting with his limited funds was a poultice to speed up his natural healing.
As he made his way to the store, Zayn reflected on what leaving Cleeve’s Landing meant. While he was raised in The Wilds, Zayn had gotten accustomed to the luxuries of the Landing over the last seven years. The strong mead served up by Mac at the Mermaid’s Folly. The weekly entertainment from traveling troops. The warmth of the buildings during the frigid winters of the north beat the treehouse he previously lived in with his father. Being able to walk to whatever shop he wanted and it not turning into a life-threatening multi-day trek. There were steady opportunities for coin here, and Zayn much preferred human targets versus the horrors that crept in the wilds outside of the city walls. From the stories of men working caravans from Helos, things were only worsening out there.
As much as Zayn hated to admit it, he would also miss the people. Growing up in The Wilds, he only had his father and their hound, Rufus. While Zayn loved the man and the dog, it was a lonely existence, especially when he was waiting on them to come back from one of his father’s hunting contracts before Zayn was old enough to accompany him. While Zayn had made more enemies than allies in Cleeve’s Landing, he had a handful of folks that he could rely on when he really needed it. The thought of starting over in a new city was daunting, and Zayn thought it may be time to take up the family trade, and do his ranger’s duty of cleaning up The Wild’s, but he’d need to find a town willing to employ him first.
In his daze, Zayn almost passed Bert’s. This was hard to do, with Bert constantly finding new ways to attract customers. His latest addition outside to his shop was a massive red sign that read “No More Cramps, Buy this Magic Lamp” with a crudely drawn illustration of a gold lamp with a wizard rising from it. Zayn stepped inside and was greeted with the warmth of the shop’s hearth, and the harsh smell of sulfur. Cuthbert was busy making one of his signature concoctions behind his counter.
“Ah, Ranger,” he said while looking over his spectacles. “I expected to see you before you departed.” Zayn thought that if Bert already knew of my his situation, then there was no hope of keeping it quiet. The man loved to gossip.
“I don’t like the double meaning there, Bert. I assume someone’s filled you in then?”
“Oh yeah, Sil was just in. I’d pay her a visit if I were you. If you don’t, that double meaning will become singular,” he laughed.
Zayn sighed, “She’s on my list.” The last thing He needed was Sil’s men following him out of the city for the coin he owed her. She funded his current job with six coin. Zayn and her also had quite the past, and she would never forgive me him if he left without saying a proper goodbye. “I need some herbs for a poultice and as many arrows as you’ll give me. I only have four coins, but if you recall, I saved your ass when the Smith tried to remove the head from your neck for shotty tools.”
“Oh I do recall. The only reason you stepped in was because he dragged me away from our dice game when you were up,” Bert said with a grin.
“Fair point,” Zayn said. “I could use a discount though, Bert. I won’t make it an hour in The Wilds in the condition I’m in.”
Bert finally gave Zayn his full attention and surveyed the state he was in. “Looks like the Duke’s men got some good licks in. I actually have just the thing for that. Civan the alchemist parted with this lamp that’s said to make any liquid you fill it with have healing properties. It should get you right as rain.”
“I’ll stick to the herbs. I’m looking to get healed, not to get poisoned by Civan’s latest experiment he’s swindled you into buying,” Zayn replied.
Bert let the disappointment show on his face. Zayn doubted he was the first to turn down the lamp. “Fine, Fine. Lucky for you I just got a shipment of prepped poultices. I can throw in a few of those and 20 arrows for four gold pieces and you saving my neck. Now let me weigh those pieces.”
Zayn took out four coins from his coin purse and threw them on the scale. Bert handed over two bottles of the poultice and a bundle of arrows. Zayn stashed one of the poultices in his bag and refilled his quiver, while Bert confirmed the weight of his coin.
“Be safe out there, Ranger,” Bert said. “Seems to be a lot of folks going missing lately. I’ve also heard rumors of trade embargoes from the other two kingdoms. Last time that happened, war soon followed and they stole our boys away to go get chopped up. If any of the king's men find you alone in The Wilds, they will likely throw you in their ranks for the ‘good of the realm’,” he said with clear disdain.
“I appreciate it, Bert. Let’s see if I even make it that far,” Zayn replied while untucking his shirt. He rubbed the poultice on his ribs and felt the warmth immediately, the medicinal herbs penetrating deep into his skin. It would be days before his ribs were truly 100%, but it was better than the weeks of healing he would have faced if he didn’t have access to these herbs. A risk he may have to fae in the weeks to come. It would be tough out in The Wilds without the niceties of the city. Zayn stowed the rest of the poultice in his bag, and gave Bert his farewell. Each farewell he gave felt more final than the last.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
His next destination should have been the smith to tell him that he had failed him and wouldn’t be the one bringing his daughter home, but Zayn decided to put that off a bit longer, and headed to Sil’s first, more willing to face the most dangerous woman in Cleeve’s Landing than the face of the father.
The closer he got to the slums of the Landing, the more he felt eyes watching him. The longer he stayed in Cleeve’s Landing, the more word got around. While the Duke gave him the whole day to make his departure, that wouldn’t stop some thug from tying him up until the grace Zayn was given ran out. He didn’t have the coins to bribe them out of it, and in his weakened state, he likely wasn’t going to have much luck fighting anyone worth a damn. Thankfully, the poultice was still doing its work, and he grew a little more confident in his chances with each step.
Zayn finally reached the inner slums and the entryway to Sil’s Hideout. The name was a bit of a misnomer, as it was not hidden in the slightest. It was the nicest establishment in the slum, and it was second only to the Duke’s manor in the entirety of Cleeves Landing. At four stories, it towered above the surrounding buildings. Those lowest in the ranks in Sil’s crew were tasked with keeping the exterior spotless, so the bright blue painted siding always showed through. Needless to say, it stuck out like a sore thumb.
Sil owned the building and ran her operations from it, but she rented the floors out to entrepreneurs that were willing to pay for her protection. The Hideout’s services featured any vice that the Duke was willing to turn a blind eye on in exchange for a hefty discount when he wanted to come partake. The vices included a brothel, gambling, a bar filled with any liquor you could think of, dens for the harder stuff, and barefist fighting tournaments. The latter was one of the ways Zayn was able to keep the coin flowing when contracts dried up. It also allowed him to test out some the more creative fighting techniques before busting them out in a real scrap.
Teli, one of Sil’s underlings, was manning the door. He was a regular participant in the fights as well, and knew how to hold a grudge. This visit was not off to a great start for Zayn.
“Ahhh, the ranger,” he said grufly. “About time. She’s been expecting you.”
“Hey Teli, I see you finally got that nose fixed. Not sure what the point is when it’s bound to be facing the wrong way again before long.” Teli and Zayn fought a number of times, with a near equal record, with Teli being one of the top fighters in the city.
“You know the only thing protecting you right now is the coin you owe Sil. After that, you are fair game,” Teli replied with a sinister grin missing several teeth.
“You can shut that mouth before your tongue falls out of it,” Zayn said, getting in his face. Well, more like his chest. He was about a half foot taller than me. “Let me in.”
Teli stepped to the side and dramatically bowed while gesturing to the door. “After you ranger. I’ll be seeing you when you are done with Sil.” It would be a lot harder to get out of the city than Zayn initially thought, and he didn’t have much confidence to begin with.
“Teli, if you want a piece of me again, just say the word. But let’s settle it in the ring. One last time. You’d earn more coin that way than what the Duke would give you anyway. The bounty on my head after today is low on purpose. He wants me gone, and you know it.” The last part was a guess on Zayn’s part. He had no idea if a bounty was posted for his head yet, and hoped Teli didn’t either. “Besides, you’ve only fought me in the ring. If you want to take a chance with me with my weapons, you better get your affairs in order.”
Zayn regretted making the challenge before the words even came out of his mouth, but he knew he needed to take Teli out one on one. If Teli went after him on the streets after he left Sil’s, it was almost certain that Teli would bring along his crew, and Zayn’s chances of leaving the city would go down to zero. Leaving for The Wilds with no coin to his name was also something that would be best to avoid, and a fight was likely the only way he was getting any at this short notice.
“Always full of tricks, ranger,” The gears turning in his head as he tried to put on a front and consided Zayn’s words were nearly audible, but Zayn could see that his confidence was at least somewhat shaken. “I’ll take one last go at you in the ring. That doesn’t mean I’m still not going after that bounty come tomorrow.”
“Wouldn’t expect any less Teli,” Zayn replied, entering Sil’s. Teli followed behind, Zayn assumed to go get the fight set up. On the other side of the door was a hallway that eventually opened up into the barroom. Thankfully, Zayn’s destination didn’t lead there. He wasn’t ready for the entirety of the slums to know he was in the building just yet. He needed to talk to Sil to get an extension on the protection his debt to her had given him. A double-barred door a few short steps down the hallway led to Sil’s underground office. She was a practical woman, and didn’t want to be far from her escape tunnel that she was kind enough to show me during one of our drunken nights together. She was above any threat in Cleeve’s Landing, but the word was she had grown increasingly paranoid that the conflict between the three kingdoms would bring trouble to her operation.
“Here to see Sil. Settling up.” Zayn said this into a cone next to the barred door. He wasn’t sure if it was magic or science, but either way it was some type of amplification system that allowed a guard to cover multiple areas simultaneously. Sil liked to be on the cutting edge and was always upgrading her defenses, apparent with the gadgets that filled the Hideout.
“FUCK OFF!” said a voice out of the cone. Charming, Zayn thought. They felt the need to shout through the thing, even though they clearly heard Zayn talking at a normal volume. “PAYMENTS ARE MADE IN THE BARROOM.”
“It’s the ranger.”
No response came from the cone, but the two bars covering the door lifted as if by an invisible hand, along with a clicking sound that signalled to Zayn the door was now unlocked. No guard stood on the other side of the door to greet him. Whoever was on the other side of the cone was safely tucked away within the Hideout.
The steps led him down to another door with the bars already lifted. Zayn stopped there for a moment to get my bearings. Sil was one of the few people he was nervous to talk to, as the conversation never went the direction he had planned. The door opened just as he reached up to wrap on the door, with a grinning Sil on the other side.
