S1 E8 - Sinister Kid [Featuring Inn Between Trailer]

Episode 8: Sinister Kid 

Intro

Calling All Adventurers, I repeat, calling all adventurers.

The Tower Array has discovered something that may pique your interest; there is another broadcast on the airwaves. They identify themselves as Inn Between. Listen closely, for this is but a taste of what they have to offer.

Inn Between Trailer Start

Tessa: "Oh, hello. Welcome to The Goblin's Head. What can I get you?

Coming right up.

There you are. What's that?

Oh, you want to know about adventurers. Are you looking to hire one or become one?

Ah, just the information. Yes, we do get plenty of adventurers through here. Lots of folks off on quests or selling their services but I admit those five, over there in the corner, they are a bit special.

Why? Well, there comes a point where an adventurer turns into a hero, doesn't there?

Oh, them in particular. They've got quite the story. They didn't like each other very much at the beginning but since then they've grown quite close. At least I think that's the case, they do still argue often. When they're not bringing wild animals in here or summoning magical creatures into the dining room or casting spells, that is.

Honestly, the building can only take so much—

Oh, what's that?

I wouldn't like to tell tales. Everything I know is second-hand. I'm always here, see. I only hear what they say up there at the Inn.

Where can you learn more?

I suppose you'll have to ask them. Is there anything else I can get you?"

Inn Between. That's "Inn" with two N's. A story of the adventure between adventures. Find us on a podcatcher near you or at thegoblinshead.com.

Trailer End

I've been listening along, and I am truly enjoying the authenticity and depth of the adventuring party. I strongly advise following their instructions and seeking them out at your earliest convenience. The Goblins Head welcomes all travelers.

News & Jobs

Now, Hearthmere Cartographers need an escort. They are about to create a map covering Ranmire Swamp, which is famously and wildly haunted. They need someone willing to protect them from nefarious spectres and prevent them from becoming lost in its endless mist. It will require you to explore every part of it, so only the prepared should sign up.

In the news, a coffee shop possessing a unique twist has opened up in Sistia. Vampire Lucien Filbrim has opened the first night-only café. Originally designed as a safe haven for creatures of the night, it has quickly become a cultural hub for brooding rogues and dramatic poets.

In the town of Brindlewick, the Mayor will be facing a local goat in a trial by combat today after the goat headbutted him into a pond. In the ensuing fit of rage, the town's leader challenged the farm animal to choose how it wished to perish. When the goat provoked him again, it was accepted that, by ancient town statutes, an official challenge had been made. If the mayor wins, he claims he will eat the goat. If the goat wins, it will become mayor. I guess we'll find out how that goes.

Right, I know what you all want. You wanna know how I got out of my first stint behind bars. Well, get a warm drink, settle in, and I'll tell you.

Story Start

I rested my forehead against the cold iron bars. Tranter was running this murder circus. It was difficult to reconcile.

Host: "He was behind it the whole time."

Val: "Yes, he was. Although it does seem like there's someone above even him. Bob said there was someone whose name the mercs in the sewers wouldn't speak aloud. I don't buy that it’s Tranter. He seems a little...underwhelming."

Val was her usual calm and collected self. She wasn't stuck in that stupor like I was. Which could only have meant one thing.

Host: "When did you know the guards were behind it all?"

Val: "Hours ago."

Host: "Why didn't you tell me? We might not have wound up behind bars."

Val: "Well, I knew they were involved. Not necessarily that they were completely behind it. Notice anything strange when we picked up the job?

Host: “You said he gave in too quickly.”

Val: “Yes. It's common for government contracts to pay a deposit to keep you legally responsible, but he didn't. He also didn't ask any kind of follow up questions, just agreed to our higher than average rate.”

Host: “I get it. Why negotiate if you don't plan to pay? Wait does that mean the Shallowlands expedition paid a deposit.”

Val: “Let me worry about the deposit. Anyway, all that stuff happens in the sewers a few meters below their feet and the guards know nothing? No one mentioned growling or people moving in and out of outflow pipes on the town border? And then there was Aloysius. Tell me, what did you notice about the foyer?”

Host: “Um. The key was still in the door and the rug was slightly askew. The door wasn't broken in anyway, which means Aloysius unlocked it himself....when he saw a guard through the peephole. I seeeeeee.”

Val: “And the askew rug?”

Host: “Likely from when the big guard killed him?  A hit that left that kind of mark would have thrown his body several feet, it's a surprise that the rug is the only thing that shifted in the heat of the moment. So, the guard knocks, trusting Aloysius answers, and then the guard kills him in one fell swoop.”

Val: “And then uses his impressive strength to break open the enchanted strongbox.”

I rubbed my aching jaw.

Host: “Most impressive. Though, if you suspected that early, why did we even take the job?"

Val: "People were in need. There were monsters. Would you have been able to walk away?"

Host: "...No. Did they get the book?"

Val: “No. I put it back in the clock safe before I came out. We were bound to clash with the guards the second we took the job.”

Host: “Well, that's a small relief but now we're stuck in jail.”

Val: “Are you joking? I've seen what you're capable of. This isn't a jail cell, more like a jail suggestion. We can leave any time we want.”

Val was right. I could likely smash the wall down whenever, but a full jailbreak wouldn't help us. We needed a plan.

Host: “Alright, we bust out. Then what?”

Val: “First we wait. Tranter's a cliché, so he will wait until cover of darkness before going to meet whoever is actually behind this, plus he's got to finish his shift as to not arouse suspicion. We've got a few hours before nightfall. I'd suggest you rest. After that, we'll leave quietly and go find him. We'll likely catch him red handed.”

All I could do was sigh and pace. I did that for an hour before I finally sat down to rest. I wanted to sleep but I couldn't, I was too wired. I'd never been in lock up before and I wasn't enjoying it.

Val: “That's the second punch up you've been in today. Your father taught you to fight like that?”

Host: “He taught me some foundational stuff. But it was Brecken who gave me the opportunity to really lean into it.”

Val: “You've not mentioned Brecken before, who was he?”

Host: “Some guy who showed up around the villages about 7 years back. He never said as much, but we figured he was a veteran of the last war. Too strange for a skilled warrior to show up in a village untouched by a war a few months after it ends.”

Val: “So, he taught you?

Host: “He showed me and some other teens a thing or two, but I mostly taught myself.”

Val: “Makes sense, I guess. You're skilled but - and I mean this kindly - you fight ugly.”

Host: “So I've been told. Its just...mm I don't wanna talk about it.”

Val: “Hm. Okay, if you're sure.”

I really didn't want to talk about it, I didn't like how it made me sound when I tried to explain it. I didn't want to go into how like a bird knows how to fly or a fish how to swim, I had my own innate skill.

We returned to silence.

Slowly, the time passed as I kept checking if the sun had set yet through the small barred window at the top of the far wall.

Eventually, it did set. And I heard a commotion from the other room as the guards began to turn in for the night.

Val, who had also been sat quietly stood up and stretched. We didn't want to break out too loudly and alert anyone, so we'd have to find a quieter way; no smashing the wall down. Val was right about one thing though, getting out would be easy.

Bending the bars wasn't too hard, the tough part was getting good leverage. I moved to the far end of the cell, where the bars connected to the stone wall. I gripped a bar, and planted my feet flat against the wall, suspending myself above the ground. I straightened my back and performed an action much like a sideways deadlift.

In that position, the metal put up little resistance before it bent completely out of shape. The subsequent gap in the cell was more than enough for us to walk through.

Host: “Okay we're through the bars, now what? We still gotta get through this door.”

Val: “Wait and see.” 

“Oh, guard! Come in here I have information you may want to hear.”

Host: “What the fuck are you doing?”

[SFX muffled footsteps then door unlock]

Guard: “Alright, what do you-”

[SFX punch and body fall]

The guard we'd seen as we came out of the sewers was on watch tonight. He went out like a candle the second my knuckles landed on his chin. A brief panic ran through me and I checked his pulse. He was still alive but he'd need to ice that jaw for a few days.

Val picked up the keys from the guards belt and unshackled us.

It was a strange time for it, but something occurred to me in that moment. This guard was the first normal person I'd swung at for...well...years. I hadn't noticed until I just used him as a reference but I had changed. I realised I needed to be very careful from then on, one badly placed punch or being a little too rough in a takedown could suddenly have disastrous results.

I pushed that thought away and followed Valuin out of the room into the building proper. I checked the big guard's cell and, to no ones surprise, he was already gone. I suspected the second that they locked our cell door, they unlocked his and let him go.

We continued on. Seemed the rest of the guard house was empty, so we located the office and Valuin started going through files from a cabinet.

Host: “What are you doing?”

Val: “Gotta find Tranter's house somehow.”

[SFX papers rustling]

Val: “Here we go! He lives a street down, just a few buildings away; the house is called Hillcrest Manor. A stupid name if its not on a hill. Oh, that's interesting.”

Host: “Do we have time for this? What's interesting?”

Val: “Says here that Tranter took over as head of the towns guard a few years ago after the former captain perished in an unfortunate accident.”

Host: “Oh my days, this is getting silly now. How nice it must be to just kill someone whenever you want something?”

Val: “And there's no file for the big guard that attacked you. Pretty sure he's an external hire, if you get my meaning.”

Val put the papers back in the cabinet and we snuck out the unlocked front door. I took barely three steps into the street when I saw him; the big guard was standing there in the middle of the road, looking right at me. He must have known we'd try something.

[Big guard growls]

The full moon was above us in the clear night sky, illuminating his huge form. I could see the moonlight glint from the teeth in his broad smile.

Val stepped forward and raised her right hand to begin casting. I stepped forward and waved her down.

Host: “Don't exert yourself. I'll handle him.”

Val: “I don't know how much time we have.”

Host: “This won't take long. I promise.”

I kept moving forward until the guard and I were about 30 feet from each other. He raised his hand and the tattoo on his forearm flashed blue. Lines of blue energy moved out from it and solidified into the form of a large metal warhammer. His broken hand seemed to have healed already, they must have given him medical attention quickly after the fight, while my jaw throbbed painfully with every word I spoke.

He was wielding the perfect tool to kill an old man in one hit, or bust open an enchanted strongbox.

Host: “Fair warning, killer. I'm gonna put up more of a fight than that old man.”

Still he gave no response, though it didn't matter. I began to walk toward him, leaving my sword on my back. It was time to put my strength to the test and I felt that if anyone could take it, he could.

He kept his hammer low and behind him while leaning forward with his free hand. He would distract with his fist, and then swing with the hammer when he created an opening. I wouldn't give him the chance.

[SFX heartbeat]

I leapt forward with frightening speed. If he had a plan for this fight, I would have to finish before it started. I reared back while barrelling toward him, soaring off the ground for at least 20 feet. His free hand swung at me, but I landed in front of him in a near crouch and it sailed over my head. With every ounce of strength I had, I pushed upward. Using the uncoiling momentum, I pivoted my legs, waist and shoulders and sprung forth, delivering an earth shattering hook to his right side ribs.

[SFX fleshy crunch]

I was expecting to deal some damage, but what I'd just done shocked even me. I'd delivered a blow that had thrown the larger man at least 15 feet to his left and reduced him to a heap on the floor. He wasn't moving, I didn't know if he was unconscious or dead.

Brecken had taught me that specific punch, I'd practiced it hundreds, no thousands of times. I always wondered what it would look like used in a real combat situation.

Val walked over to the man and checked his pulse while I stood in shock. She then looked up at me with an odd expression I couldn't place.

Val: “Unconscious. He's not dead...but maybe he should be.”

A brutal suggestion that I wasn't expecting.

Host: “I get why you say that, but that's not a call we have time to make. We have to go.”

I was lying. We had time to put him out of our misery right then and there but I wasn't prepared to kill him. If he had died in the fight, then I could have lived with that, but it became cold blood the second he was down for the count. I couldn't do it, but that familiar expression formed on Valuin's face; she didn't agree with the decision. She was willing to end the mans life while he was defenceless, yet yielded to my request nonetheless and stood back up.

Break

A quick break to give an update. The goat won, he's the mayor now.

Story Continue

About 20 seconds later, we were outside Tranter's manor; an alarmingly fancy house for such a small town. New, three stories with a garden and a large balcony that jutted out the top floor. I wondered how he managed to afford it.

Tranter's house was quiet, but I could see the top floor had candlelight pouring from the edges of the curtains in a window.

Host: “What do we do?”

Val: “His file had no next of kin, so we won't encounter any family if we go in the front.”

As good a plan as any. I tried the door, but it was locked. I was beginning to get frustrated by locked doors and crooked guards getting in the way. A locked front door was common sense when I think back on it now, but another obstacle was the last thing I wanted in that moment.

I gently but firmly pressed against the centre of the double doors until the lock snapped and they popped open.

[SFX lock breaking]

I waited a few seconds...nothing. Good. He hadn't heard me from the top floor.

We moved inside. The house was very nice, I could tell even in the dark. High ceilings with modest chandeliers, polished wood flooring and opulent paintings of battles past and beautiful landscapes. I found it somewhat gaudy for a public servant to have these displays of wealth throughout his home.

We moved up the stairs, through a hallway and then up another flight. A small landing awaited us at the top with another double door at its end. I could hear two men talking, but it was difficult to pick out what they were saying.

[unintelligible muffled conversation]

We moved closer, careful not to make a sound, and I pressed my ear against the gap between the doors to hear. There were two voices arguing. I recognised Tranter, but not the other.

Faust: “You've proven yourself frustratingly ineffective once again. I wonder what he'll have to say about these events.”

Tranter: “Please, I know what's at stake. You needn't talk down to me. Those two have been locked up for me to deal with later. Mercenaries or not, they'll need to sleep eventually. I will not fail him.”

Faust: “Let's hope you can manage it, Tranter. Either it's them or it's you.”

Tranter was grovelling? Whoever he was talking to made him very nervous. I felt Valuin nearly climb on top of me as she attempted to listen.

Val: “What are they saying?”

Host: “Fuck. Gimme some space and I'll move.”

I attempted to move aside, but lost my footing. We tumbled through the door into what appeared to be Tranter's home office. I rolled onto my feet to see who he was talking to.

It was another human, but he was...different. He had dark slicked back hair, a stubble beard and was dressed in a full black outfit comprised of a smart, tailored tunic covered by a knee length coat. There was something instantly unsettling about him. Something sinister in his smile and in his eyes. He didn't make any unnecessary movement, didn't sway, didn't shift his weight, or even breathe from what I could see. He was a dead spot in the room, a void that seemed to absorb the space around him. Yet he was hard to focus on, simultaneously striking and forgettable. An odd juxtaposition that made my head hurt.

He eyed Val and I up and down, and finally spoke but the wry grin never left his face, not for a second.

Faust: “You again!”

It couldn't be.

Host: “Puppy?”

Tranter: “Oh, for god's sake!, I swear, I had them locked up. I don't know how they-”

Faust: “It's fine, Tranter. I've always known you to be more loyal than competent. So, these two have been giving you trouble, eh?”

Host: “What's going on here? Who are you?”

Faust: “Sorry, I'm not taking questions at this time.”

He took a step forward. I instinctively drew my sword in a flash. His hands hadn't left his coat pockets, and I couldn't see a weapon on him, but I knew right then that he would kill us both. There was something in his demeanour that told me he was leagues above what I'd faced yet.

He took another step, then another, and then...he stopped. I focused on his face and saw he wasn't even looking at us. His eyes were drawn to something far away. He turned, opened the doors leading to the balcony and stepped through. He was abandoning this situation as though it had simply failed to keep his interest.

Tranter: “Wait! Where are you going?”

He turned his gaze to Tranter and held eye contact for a moment, unafraid of Tranter's condemnation.

Faust: “I told you, Tranter. It's them, or it's you. Good luck.”

With that he disappeared over the railing. I quickly followed and looked down at the cobblestone pavement below, but he was gone.

Host: “Well, that was fucking scary.”

Val: “Raises a lot more questions than I wanted but oh well. Still, we've got Tranter.”

We turned to see him standing in the doorway. He looked at the railing, then at us...then took a step back.

Val: “Hey now. Don't run.”

He took another step.

Val: “I'm serious. We'll catch you and then you'll really be in trouble.”

He bolted for the entrance, but I was on him quickly. I tackled him to the floor and a second later Val jumped on top of me in a needless bid to secure him further. I held him down as Val placed bindings from her pouch around his wrists

Tranter: “Get off of me!”

Host: “Oh, pack it in, Tranter. It's over. You're gonna tell us everything. Starting with who that guy was and what the point of all this was?”

Tranter stopped fighting when Val took out her concealed dagger and moved it to his face. He looked at the blade then up at the ceiling. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

Tranter: “You don't understand who you are dealing with. You can't fathom their power, or their commitment. If I said anything to help you, they'd kill me, bring me back, and kill me again.”

Host: “Don't be dramatic. You're going to explain to everyone how you're behind everything that happened here.”

Val: “No sense in feeling bad about it all now. We're going to get this out of you, one way or another.”

His tears stopped as he looked back at the blade. We'd seen a lot by that point and thought we were ready to handle Tranter in his defeat. What we didn't expect was how genuinely terrified he was.

Tranter: “I'd rather they think me a fool than a traitor.”

He brought his head back then threw it forward as hard as possible. The knife went clean through his eye and he went limp in an instant. In shock, we both let go and stood up as blood began to pour from the wound. Even though the blade was still embedded in his face, it did little to stem the flow.

Host: “What the fuck? He just…”

I went a bit queasy. Seeing the result is one thing, but watching it happen from that close was...something else entirely.

Val: “Shit. This is not good.”

Host: “Oh, ya think?”

Val: “Save it. We have to find something.”

Val began going through drawers and shelves.

Host: “What do you mean? What are you doing?”

Val: “We have to find something incriminating on him or by the gods we need to fabricate it. How do you think this looks? Two recently imprisoned mercs break out of jail, assault several guards and then murder the captain? No, if we don't come up with something quick, we are absolutely fu-”

She stopped mid sentence. I had begun to hate it when she did that.

Host: “Fuck, Val, what?”

Val: “This idiot left a journal. He documented everything, all his dealings! He deals, sorry, dealt, with someone called...Helar?”

[muffled footsteps]

Host: “Oh shit, the guards are coming. What do we do?”

Val: “Give me a second.”

Host: “Are you being serious right now?....Val?”

I turned just as the guards burst through the door with weapons drawn.

Guard: “Get down!”

Val: “Wait! I know how this looks, but I can explain and you're going to want to hear it!”

There was a noticeable pause as the guards didn't approach, but nothing else was said.

Guard: “Alright, what is it?”

Val: “This here's a journal kept by Tranter that confirms the illicit deals he'd had with outside entities. These are his personal accounts of every crime not just he but everyone in the guards has committed under his tenure. This is some real incriminating stuff. But it can all just go away. I'll hand this over to you, we leave and no one else needs to die.”

The guards looked at the book and then formed a huddle to discuss.

Guard: “You leave early in the morning, no fuss, no drawing attention. Understand?”

Val: “We'll be gone like the snow in spring.”

The guards slowly sheathed their weapons and parted, allowing us space to move through them to the exit. Val passed a guard who held out his hand for the book. She held it up.

Val: “You'll keep your word?”

Guard: “As far as we're concerned, Captain Tranter had a terrible accident.”

Val placed the book in his hand, and I expected swords to be drawn again...but they weren't. We were allowed to leave.

We took a careful walk down the stairs, as though if we missed a step, they'd kill us for it. Eventually, we found ourselves back on the street, quickly walking away from the scene.

Host: “That was the evidence. Why'd you give it to them?”

Val: “No evidence is worth dying over. We live to fight another day. Besides, I cant be positive but I think each and every guard's name was in that book. I think they were made to commit a crime so Tranter could use it as blackmail to keep them all in line. Tough part for them is that I got to it first. They kill us and its more questions. They let us go with a stern warning but no evidence, and they got nothing to worry about.”

We turned the corner heading back to find the big guard from before. He was gone. Of course, he was gone. We'd gone through all this and gotten...absolutely nothing out of it. The money promised from Tranter? Nah. The evidence of his crimes? Nope. Any remaining info or lead from the big guard? Negative.

All we'd done was rush around from one fight to the next and then leave.

But we had our lives, we had a name, and after we'd broken back into Aloysius' house, we would have the book.

We slipped down the alleyway that led to the back entrance.

Val: “Right, let's get in and get that book.”

Host: “Yeah.”

Val: “Are you alright?”

She asked as she began sliding a metal pick into the backdoor lock. I didn't bother questioning why she knew how to do that.

Host: “Mhm. Yeah, I'm good.”

Val: “Oh, hm, that was convincing. What's wrong?”

Host: “Nothing. Shouldn't we be quieter breaking into this dead man's house?”

Val: “Well, I doubt we're going to wake him up. Now that you've demonstrated you're dodging the question, I know your problem is regarding me. So, spill it. What's wrong?”

Host: “You were going to execute the big guard. He was down for the count and you were gonna-”

Val: “If I was going to, I would have. Something you need to get is that in this line of work, it's not about if you kill someone but rather when. Besides, he got away, so maybe I should have.”

[SFX lock click]

Val: “Ah there. Let's go.”

We crept inside. Aloysius' body had already been taken away, likely to be disposed of and cover any remaining tracks.

I waited in the living room as Val walked into the study to retrieve the book. She returned a few moments later wrapping its metal form in her cloak to hide its gleam.

Val: “You said that you'd be fine with taking a life if they started it. He started it, so what's your problem?”

Host: “My problem is that I'd finished it but you wanted to go further.”

Val: “And he got away, so my reason for it stands. He is another loose end out there now, that we just have to hope doesn't come up again.”

Host: “So, you've killed before then? Killed a person before?”

Val: “Uh, yah, I've been in this game for a decade, it comes up sometimes. Look, you need to think on this. Give yourself a few days to review everything that's happened. You don't have to agree with me, but at least try to see where I'm coming from and then we can revisit the topic.”

That was a fair request. I was tired and muddled and it was probably clear that I was just in a funny mood. I was kicking up a fuss, but I didn't know how I felt about it. Whinging at Val for living a different life than me would get us nowhere.

Val: “Let's get back to the inn and get some rest. We should finish the job accompanying the expedition the rest of the way and get paid. We can figure out what's next after that.”

Host: “Okay, that sounds like a plan. Hopefully the hard part of this journey is behind us.”

We slipped out of the house and returned to the Inn. I didn't sleep that night. I was convinced the guards would bust in again at any second. I sat with my back to the wall until dawn. As my eyes grew heavy and a headache developed, I stared at the flickering light flooding in at the bottom of the door frame for any sign of unwelcome movement. I barely felt time pass, and didn't notice the sun was up until the morning bells rang in the town clocktower.

We ensured the caravan was ready to leave with haste, and departed. The young smithy's apprentice handed me back the sleeves of my coat which I'd forgotten about by then. I waited until the town was out of sight before I dared to relax.

I did as Val suggested and thought on everything that had transpired. As much as I wanted to be morally outraged by Val's suggestion, I just wasn't. Despite her reluctance to see things from my point of view, the difference in our age and experience convinced me that I was just being sensitive.

I didn't reach a conclusive position on the concept that day, and I wouldn't for many more.

Outro

Alright, that's enough for now. Time to pack it in.

Y'know, I've told other people that jailbreak story, and they always seem surprised. Like it should have been a more unique or inspired solution. But realistically, after a certain point, putting adventurers in jail is a pretty useless gesture. Now, I recognise I reached that point quicker than some, but it's a milestone we all reach eventually.

Anyway, let's pick this up again next time.

Rest well, adventurers, and good hunting.