NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY: The Adventures of the Creeping Bam (BOOK 1: The Job)

CHAPTER ONE: KESLA

This is a bad bloody idea, this. Be Yeshau's Law come true if we get arrested by local townsguard for doing something we've been hired to. Really would. No time to think about it now, mind – bell's rung, fight's starting. Start swinging or get pummelled, as Da woulda said. Just one of his many pearls of wisdom managed to stick.

Hefdred's already in my hand, didn't even realise I drew it. That's the commitment right there – all this shit kicking off in the middle of the city this early anybody with a weapon out right now is involved. Knowing Yeslee she's drawing too – she'll have nocked arrow the moment she saw me move, but she's gonna be choosing a target now, ready to cover any of us as needs it. I'd feel the hairs on the back of my neck prickling knowing that with a less skilled bowman, but she's one in a million – Yeslee Toll could put one of her long black arrows through a kobold's eye at a thousand paces with that bow.

Initial count looks like a dozen of them already committed, got us outnumbered more than two-to-one. Fair fight'd be tricky, don't know how good they are – although given how quick they're dispatching the hired help they're at least competent at their jobs. Mixed bag too by the look of them, six humans, four orcs, a half-orc and a red-scaled dragonhalf – that one's decked out in rich, patterned leather armour and a scarlet cloak to match their skin and tall, curling horns, looks to be the one in charge. They're the real threat, I reckon – hanging back mostly as they bark the odd order, carrying a staff in lieu of a blade. Mage then. Like I said, threat.

The plan was pretty open. Shadow the convoy across the city from the river docks and make sure the delivery went smooth, only jump in if it went otherwise. Dunno if it was smart of them to wait until the wagon and its eight escorting horsemen turned into the narrow side street turning into their destination, an empty warehouse in Hocknar's meat district. This early in the morning, sun's still well below the broken peaks and the townsguard's nightshift are worn out and looking forward to their beds ... might be this was the smart move. Not many folk out would notice something going down, least not right away.

Sticking to the shadows as much as I can, I sneak up behind the closest, a human boy, doesn't even look to be in his twenties yet, trusting my own stealth with each footfall as I go while my heart's set to pounding and teeth clenched with the tension. Not much of a lookout, this kid, but then I guess there's much more interesting going on with his comrades than in the rest of the city. Better for me, I guess – I'm right up on him and he's still none the wiser. I'm tempted to tap him on the shoulder first, make it fair, pretty confident I could take him down before he could alert anyone, never mind even think about fighting back, but mainly that's just my own squeamishness – da taught me to fight real good, but not fight fair, that kinda shit gets you killed real fast. So I just tense at the final step, and instead of tapping him on the shoulder I give it a hard yank and drag him onto Hefdred's point.

They're not the most impressively equipped bunch – mostly just various loosely collected plate scraps and mail coats or leather armour – but it's good enough for the job, and now they're making such short work of their intended prey it's clear they're accomplished so it makes up for the light protection. This one's layered up a bit, most likely a mail hauberk under his leather breastplate, enough to feel a certain amount of confidence, but it's no match to two-and-a-half feet of sharpened steel, especially when I can put around two-hundred pounds behind the thrust. My father's bastard sword rips through his heart and the only noise he can make is a wet, breathy gasp that I feel more than hear before his weight sags onto the blade rammed right through him. Letting the now lifeless body fall forward, I lower it to the ground gently and quietly, feeling a little regret as I plant my boot in the small of his back to help Hefdred slide free but burying it deep. Time enough to feel bad about such an unceremonious murder later – right now there's a fight ahead of me.