678. Noble Problems I

678. Noble Problems I

“I remember the last guy who tried to take a weapon from our Jaygak,” Adam said, leaning back into his chair, glancing up towards the ceiling. “What a monster...” Adam slowly smiled. “Beat us like dogs. I fell instantly. Me. Adam. In this armour of mine. Didn’t even last more than a moment against him.”

Adam shook his head, sipping the wine slowly. “My second loss to date. My last loss... no, I’ve lost three times? Right? Right.” Adam slowly nodded his head, recalling that he had been beaten by the trio around him.

“That guy, he let us wail on him.” Adam motioned as though he was striking someone repeatedly with a blade. “Not just us four, but other pretty scary companions too. Just let us beat on him, but he didn’t twitch. We were like ants against a boar. Then, he almost killed us all.” Adam inhaled deeply, before staring into the noble’s eyes. “You know what he did?”

“What did he do?”

“That weapon. It was a weapon much better than this one. A weapon worth more than all of our weapons, and even this castle, combined.” Adam remained staring into the noble’s eyes, and though his lips were playfully smiling, his eyes were starkly serious. “He left it. He was too scared to take the weapon. Why? Why did a monster like that leave it?”

Adam leaned in, chewing on his thoughts for a moment. “Even the greatest of monsters across the entire land value their lives, and if you want to take Great Moon from us, you’d better be prepared to pay the price.”

“Are you threatening me?” Baron John’s lips continued to form a smile, though his eyes remained focused on Adam.

“Threatening a noble?” Adam asked, watching as the knight tensed up. “We’ve sent all manner of creatures to meet the God of Death. You know, the thing with the God of Death...” Adam leaned back, still smiling towards the noble, this time his eyes beaming with a playfulness. “Death doesn’t discriminate, and nor do our blades. If you want to covet something like Great Moon, then you need to send a letter to call for other knights, because you certainly don’t have enough to deal with us.”

“There are many who believe themselves to be more powerful than our great warriors,” the baron said, his eyes also growing playful. “Do you believe yourself to be so powerful?”

Adam glanced between the heavily armoured knights, noting the sounds of other guards surrounding the room, though not yet entering. “I count what, a dozen guards? Two knights. A retired nobleman whose only half armoured. I reckon that Jurot and Jaygak can handle the three of you, and Kitool and I can handle the rest.”

“You’re outnumbered four to one.”

“A fair fight.”

Intimidation Check

D20 + 6 = 22 (16)

The Baron held out the blade to Jaygak, letting it go, but his eyes never left Adam’s. A cold bead of sweat ran down the back of his neck. He had faced many a creature. Those who crept in the night. Those who did not. John had managed to live until his forties, with blade in hand, because his neck would tell him when he should and should not step forward, with blade in hand.

“I’m just letting you know, Baron John Firstfield, that if your knight draws his blade, you’re going to have to find a new knight.”

“Threatening a noble is punishable by death.”

“Funny that,” Adam replied, smiling wider, his eyes still playful. “Threatening my friends has the same punishment.”

Jurot reached up to rub his ear lobe gently, feeling the tension within the air. Jaygak spotted the sign, and Kitool did so a half moment later.

“Yes...”

Adam slowly nod his head. He inhaled deeply. He hadn’t killed anyone in this life. Beasts, sure. Undead, of course. People? No. Even when he fought against Balrog and the other bandits who trafficked children, he had held back to not kill any of them.

“Okay.”

The baron let out a sigh as he heard the word, and as he stepped forward to meet Adam in battle, Wraith cut through the noble’s arm, disarming him of both bone and silver. The nobleman howled in pain and dropped to his knees, trembling before the Half Elf. The guards to clutch their spears tighter, but they could not step forward. No, not when such an intense aura of death clung around the four.

“We-we surrender,” Baron John whimpered, clutching his arm, trying to pull his sleeve up and around his wound to stop the blood.

“No,” Adam replied.

“No?” The baron stared up at Adam, his eyes wide with shock.

Adam threw a look to Jurot, nodded, and turned. He heard the Iyrman’s axe hack apart the three, while he watched the guards jolt and shake from the shock of the sight. Blood began to pool under Adam’s boots, the young man’s lips quivering.

“We’re...” Adam began, trying to gather himself. “We’re going to take our loot, and we’re going to leave. Anyone else who wants to die to protect someone else’s wealth, you can be my guest.” Adam motioned a hand towards his brother. “Otherwise, you should step aside, so we can take our silver and gold.”

The guards swallowed, staring at the Half Elf. The four seemed relatively unphased after being targeted by two knights and a dozen knights, and with their strongest dying so easily before the group, the guards decided against stepping forward.

“Who is going to be a good little helper?” Adam asked. “Who knows where the lord’s room is, and where he keeps the good stuff?”

“You can’t expect us to help you,” a guard said, doing his best to stand tall. If they couldn’t stop these crazy savages, they at least wouldn’t help them.

“If no one steps forward with the information then you’re going to be the first to get cut down,” Adam said, pointing towards the guard who spoke. “One by one, we’ll start killing you. If you run, you’ll be hunted, like deer.”

“Okay,” one said, inhaling deeply. “I, uh, I c-can take you.”

“Good.”

“You’ll let us live?”

“Not only will I let you live, I’ll hand over some coin to you, young man,” Adam said. “You’re the only reason why any of you are going to be returning to your families tonight.”

Nobles, am I right?