Chapter 36: Doing a bit of flexing

Chapter 36: Doing a bit of flexing

Dantes walked toward the Consortiums Undermarket bar. He felt good. Hed put on even more weight thanks to his climbing routine, easy access to food, and the whey tip hed gotten from Merle. On top of that coin jangled in his pockets from the last two deliveries of what Mez had begun calling his, Bloody Brew, due to its dull red hue. Only Dantes and Jacopo knew how appropriate the name truly was. Life was horrible overall, but also as good as it had ever been for him since hed been thrown into the Pit.

Dantes shifted his focus to Jacopo, who was already tucked in a wall of the bar, watching it. The Shadow Cats were already there as well, pretending to be unrelated patrons in the corner, but Ryker and his retinue hadnt arrived. That suited him fine, meant that there wasnt an ambush of any kind waiting.

He went inside, and walked over to where a gnome was standing on top of a stool behind the bar. He held up a finger, and the gnome nodded, pulled out a cup, poured strong red brew into it, and slid it over to him. Dantes took a long, slow sip, enjoying the sweet flavor and burning aftertaste. When he was done, he took a copper from his pocket, and slid it across the bar. The gnome took the coin with practiced grace, and poured Dantes another round.

Jayson attempted a subtle wave, but Dantes ignored it. Jacopo had moved into an alley nearby, and he could see through his eyes that three orcs were about to enter.

Dantes kept his eyes forward, and enjoyed another long slow sip as they entered. Hierarchy was rarely a difficult thing to determine with orcs. If one was bigger than the others, and walking ahead of them, he was in charge. There were a few exceptions here and there, but in this case things adhered closely to stereotypes. Ryker was a head and shoulder taller than the other orcs, which put Dantes at about chest height to him. His tusks were capped in iron points, his skin was the deep green of vines, and his eyes were a rich orange color. He had shaved bald, as had the other orcs, and all of them were bricks of muscle.

Dantes turned around on his stool and raised his glass to Ryker, who gestured with his neck for his men to take a seat at a nearby table without them, then went to the bar to sit next to Dantes, his large frame seeming almost comical on the small barstool. He gestured for a drink, which the gnome poured without comment and took a long sip before turning his orange eyes to Dantes.

He sized him up for a moment, his eyes running up and down him, before he nodded. Before I hear what you have to say, I need to ask you a question.

Dantes nodded.

Ryker smiled widely, his entire demeanor shifting from intimidating to warm in an instant. How good did it feel to blow those fucking elves up?

Dantes looked left and right and leaned in conspiratorially. Better than the last time I had a woman.

Ryker let out a loud laugh and slapped Dantes on the back, nearly knocking him from the chair. Oh, I had a feeling Id like you. He took another sip of his drink. This stuff, I heard that it was partially your doing as well?

Dantes shook his head. I just connected the right people to each other thats all.

Hey, nothing more valuable than that. No crew, no job, no gang can exist without a guy who puts the pieces of things together.

Dantes nodded. He hadnt expected Ryker to be so personable. Wane hadnt given him much of a heads up about what to expect, and so Dantes had been assuming it would be a large Orc full of balls, bluster, and rage. So far, Ryker only met two of those predicted criteria.

There went the other half of his opinion of Ryker. Still, he kept up his smile.

Yeah, whores are whores, but I lost a bet and owed one of them a favor. You understand, Im sure.

Ryker nodded slowly. Honourable too, even to whores! You really just sell yourself more and more as we talk.

Dantes rubbed his chin as if deep in thought. You know, there might be a way I can make things go easier for you with the changelings. Maybe even get some profit out of it for the both of us.

Oh? Ryker gave a conspiratorial look.

Well, they trust me, and as far as they know Im on their side. I could talk to them, convince them not to resist maybe even get them to agree to the deal verbally. Have them bound to listen to you and the other Orcs by fey law.

And what would you get out of that?

A cut of course, and maybe Blud makes me one of his lieutenants when its all over.

Ryker nodded, pointing a thick finger at him. You, youre bold. If I didnt know any better Id think you were full blooded, straight from suckling off an orcish tit.

Well, what I do in private is my own business, isnt it?

Ryker let out a big full laugh. Alright. A guy with jokes like you needs more than just a brief meet. You, me, and my boys are going to be getting some serious drinking done. He gestured to his men at the table who moved up to the bar. Then he gestured to the Shadow Cats. Your bodyguards too, theyre welcome to join us too.

That obvious, eh? asked Dantes.

Lets just say, those boys are greener than I am. I had them nailed the moment I walked in.

Dantes laughed, and waved them up. You heard the man, lets all drink!

They all got a fresh cup, and raised them high once before they chugged the first one down. As expected of a bar full of criminals, not one of them even winced as it burned down their throats. Dantes kept making jokes, and sharing drinks until the day was done. He needed them to trust him as much as possible before he slipped a knife between their ribs.