Twaag moved down the dark alleyway, they were so close. He jumped over some discarded crates and sprinted to the corner ahead. He could hear the laughing echoing off the wooden walls that towered over him and the cold wet brick under his feet. He slipped on the wet street as he rounded the corner at a full run, sliding into a garbage pile of wood and refuge which collapsed all around him, burying him. He was trapped but could still see out his right eye to the ill fated corner, where he had just come from. The fog rolled in from the River district, pouring into the alley as if it had a life of its own. The fog settled on the pile and moved toward the corner. The first of the demon like shadows appeared and darted from darkness to shadow at and around the corner. These were scouts for the gang that were chasing him. The two scouts stopped, looking for tracks. They had lost track of him when he rounded the corner. "i cant see a fecking thing!" said the rat faced one. The fog had completely obscured their view. "i think he is going to the River district, go to the alley intersection with Nun street and wait. if he comes out give a call. I will wait for the boss" Said the more dangerous looking one of the two pointing down the alley. He word black clothes with black leather shoulder harness each side had three throwing knifes neatly spaced apart."right, Damgar!" said Rat face as he scurred down the alley and disappeared in the fog silently.
Damgar squinted his eyes to examine the brick in the street below him, kneeling down he pulls his black leather glove from his hand and runs his naked hand over the brick. His eyes followed the direction of the marks on the brick and fall on the rubbish pile. He stands and moves in that direction. Twaag could not pull his sword, so he had pulled his dagger. The Damgar moved cautiously to Twaags hiding spot, he had a short sword drawn. Twaag could no longer see Damgar's face only his knees. Twaag knew that if he struck with the dagger, he would have to do so soon. Damgar prodded the pile of rubbish with his sword. Suddenly there was the sound of boot stomps and a group of four city watchman silawetted by the candle light behind them in the hall came out of a alley door that faced the corner. The watchmen were talking loudly and laughing..."And that's when i took his family jewels!" said a rather portly watchman. The other tree burst into laughter amplified the echos of the the alley. Damgar turned his shoulder away from them and pulled his cloak over his head, he kept the short sword below his waist and hidden behind his leg. The smallest of the watchmen noticed Damgar at that moment and put his arm up to stop the group from moving forward. "ello,ello, ello, whats we have 'ere?" ask the short watchman. Torq the fat story teller swung around to see what peanut was talking about. The other to watchman also stopped and looked leaving the door slightly open. "Eis, a lotter." said Peanut to Torq. Peanut turning back to the stranger shouted "Hey 'ou...stop in the name of the overlord!" and he pulled his club and begin to walk toward the stranger in the alley. Torq laughed at Peanuts improper use of power, "overlord?". They had been shaking people down all day for protection coin and had just spent a large portion of it on whores. Looked like it truly was their lucky day. Damgar didn't move. he thought he seen crossbows on at least two of them. he would let them get close before he would act. Peanut stopped two steps away from Damgar. The other watchman moved into flanking position and pulled their crossbows and cocked them. "Peanut...let me handle this..." Torq said spitting on the ground and moved up to within one step of the strangers back. "What is your name and what is your business at this part of the night, all good citizens are home in their beds...speakup!" There was a pause, than Damgar spoke up. "My name is Damgar, Citizen of Lankhmar, and i am working for my guild."
"ouooo...'es workin for is guild!" Peanut mocked, he had moved up next to Torq. "oh yea? what guild?"
Torq hit Peanut with the back of his hand, and frowned at him. Peanut got the meaning and shut up. Damgar noticed that the big one called Torq had a mace in his hand and the small one called Peanut had a club. he noticed the watch tunic that Peanut wore had rank marking him as a club. that meant that Torq must be a Sword or a Senior, the second and third rank of the watch. Club was the bottom, which meant you had no rank or first rank, which was still low man on the pole. "ok let's hear it what guild citizen Damn...Gar? That doesn't sound Lankhmarian..." Torq said turning his attention back to Damgar, raising his mace in a defensive stance across his body. Damgar now had his hands in the air, shoulder height. he had dropped the blade into his boot. This gave him the appearance of being disarmed. "i have my guild papers in my pouch may i get them?" asked Damgar. Torq looked at Peanut and shrugged. This guy didn't look that dangerous, besides they outnumbered him four to one and had crossbow bolts aimed right at him. "sure, but keep that other hand where we can see it and move slow."
Damgar reached for his guild paperwork with his right hand, which was a bad forgery, placement as a salesman for the fishers guild. Peanut looked to Torq who gave him a nod. Peanut moved forward around Damgar, to face him. Damgar smiled as he handed the paperwork to Peanut, who snatched it from his hand. Peanut unfolded the paperwork, but could not read so the marking meant nothing to him. He proceeded to walk back to Torq with paper in his hand. The fog had really rolled in now and the two watchman with crossbows were having a hard time making out what is going on. They couldn't see each other and barely see Torq, Peanut had disappeared and reappeared with paper in his hand. "Hey Torq?' one of the crossbow men said. Torq was busy reading the guild paperwork. "er..aaa..rrrr!" Peanut groaned. Torq looked up from the paperwork to see a sword blade pull back from Peanuts neck. The blade had been pushed in from behind, Torq stood in shock and horror as a fountain of blood sprayed out of Peanuts neck as his body fell to the ground. Torq dropped paperwork and raise his mace searching for the murder. The fog completely obscured Damgar and the knife that he threw at Torq.
Out of the darkness a knife hit Torg in the collar bone, hitting armor and flesh. He cried out in pain. "Torq?" both crossbowmen said simultaneously and moved toward where they thought their leader was. Damgar had moved up to behind one of the guards quietly and poured the caltrops and balls to the brick behind as he went. The bag that carried the caltrops and iron balls had a valve attachment. Damgar blew the bag up with one breath, than pressing the bag to press the air through the valve which caused a low growling noise, loud enough for all to hear. The other crossbowman, hear the growling turned and shot into the fog, where crossbow number one was standing. The bolt hit him square in the chest less than twenty feet away. Normally this bolt has a flat leaded end with a leather cover. So to only knockout an opponent. These guys had been terrorizing the general populace with armor piercing bolts. The bolt in question passed through his partner and bounced off the wall behind nearly hitting Damgar in the face. The shot watchman groans and falls to the ground in a heap. The other crossbow man drops his crossbow and runs down the alley jumping over the body of his leader and Peanut. he jumped Torq easily by miscalculated on Peanut and tangled up and fell face first into caltrops and iron balls which covered the ground in front of the watch leaders. He let out a scream from the many puncture wounds in his face, neck and chest. Damgar climbed to the rooftop leaving the carnegie behind. The bleeding crossbowman picked himself up and staggered down the alley to Nun street. Twaag pulled himself out of the garbage and quietly moved to the brothel door the watchman came out of earlier. It was open and he moved in to the building closing the door behind him. He checked his pouch and found the the message for the Temple of Aarth was still secure.
Torq picked himself up off the ground, a knife was stuck in his black leather armor just below his collar bone making his right arm almost useless. He pulled the horn from his belt and put it to his lips and sounded the alarm.