The Hero of Brookshire

Chapter Four

"Listen up, you lot. I've received word from some informants in Andross that we have bandits from the Corgate Mountains selling Red Dust," said Greigut
"Red Dust?" asked a member of Greigut's gang before unrest began in the room.
"Quiet, you fools," said Greigut, staring at his crowd of men. "As many of you know, we've been having trouble controlling the trade of Red Dust from Brookshire to other villages. So, in order to weed out the bandits selling the Dust, I wanted to send two of my top operatives to Andross and send a message. Utorg and Amere, I want you both to go and investigate Andross."
"Amere and I are more than happy to take the job, Greigut," said Utorg.
"You can count on us, Greigut," said Amere.
"I hope so. After that stunt you pulled with my missing gold from Maurilin, I expect a good job. Now I want you to be as discreet as possible in the human-led city. No mess ups. Understood?"
"Can you give us a little more information on the guys selling the Red Dust?" asked Utorg.
"Believe it or not, they've somehow coerced an elf into doing the job."
"An elf?" Amere and Utorg asked in unison.
"That's right, an elf. You heard me correctly. I'm thinking they're attempting to play it safe and avoid my detection," said Greigut.
"They're fools if they honestly thought you wouldn't catch on to them and their little game," said Utorg.
"Umitgruik is the fool if he thinks he's clever enough to get away without paying his dues, but he has another thing coming."
"So, you want us to follow the elf around, Greigut?"
"I want you both to follow him, see who he's dealing with, and report it back to me. Understood?"
"We understand Greigut," said Utorg.
"How will we know which elf we're looking for?" asked Amere.
"The elf in question shouldn't be too hard for you two to find. His name is Filarion. He has long blonde hair. He also has ears twice as long as usual elves like him. He's one of the only non-human residences of Andross," said Greigut.
"Got it, we understand," said Utorg.
"Again, don't mess this one up. I don't want Umitgruik on to us. At least yet."
"We got it, Greigut," said Amere.
Amere and Utorg left quietly out of Greigut's base. They made their way through their village before coming to the human-led city of Andross. In Amere's mind, he knew how serious his boss was and how Utorg and he couldn't afford to fail him.
Stepping inside the city, Amere could see the densely populated city was filled with many different buildings rising high into the air from the cobblestone street. There were also caravans set up in different parts of the city that were manned by traders selling a variety of different wares up for purchase.
There were many townspeople roaming through the street in droves. They were from different classes. Some were nobles with renown given away by their bright clothes being stitched with ornate designs and high quality material. Others were middle-class and poor citizens who wore woolen clothing, with undergarments made of linen. In the very back of the city, Amere could see a gigantic castle reaching far into the sky. It was taller and more elegant in design by its stone walls than any other building, shack, or cottage. Amere instantly knew it was King Theron's castle. As Amere and Utorg traveled through the wide-open city, they were careful to mind their step as they walked through the many different districts in the city. They also minded not collapsing into the canals of the city.
"Andross never seems to disappoint," said Amere.
"Of course not," said Utorg. "This is Braisen we're talking about. Reconstruction on this city has been a long one ever since your sister and you were little."
"You told us growing up that a dragon attacked the city and destroyed much of it."
"You're right about that, Little One. It was the most shameful day in Andross' history. Buildings were destroyed, lives were lost, and it marked the death of King Arturion and the rise of his brother, King Theron."
"I would rather we still had King Arturion. He was a good king from what I understand," said Amere.
"He was. A far better majesty than King Theron. But we could talk politics all day, or go in and get this mission Greigut sent us on before he realizes we're sight-seeing and kills us."
"Let's go on ahead then."
"Agreed, Little One."
Inside the city, Amere and Utorg were greeted to a massive gate that remained open all day long. They walked through and passed over a long, stone bridge that crossed a narrow moat in order to get into the city. On both sides of the bridge were lined statues. Statues lined both sides of the bridge, tributes to past kings of Braisen. Most were of ancestors to King Arturion, however, a few were of orcs and dwarves who had a hand in building Andross. At the very center of all the statues lied the statue of King Arturion, hailed as Braisen's best king.
They walked until they came to the Trade District. This was where the city's heart of business operated. It had an auction house, a bank, a tavern for drinks and food, as well as a griffin master. They passed by many people selling and buying items from merchants out on the streets of the city.
Further south of the Trade District was the Druvvalin Square, the religious center for all followers of the Druvvalin religion. Amere and Utorg passed by the white tower with many priests inside.
Within the temple were the most faithful and true paladins and priests. They were mostly human with a few being orcs. Amere and Utorg saw a couple of them standing outside the tower urging townsfolk to come inside and repent their sins to Druvvalikar. The bishops and paladins at the temple believed they were on a lifelong quest to bring light to the darkest places in Aesorin.
Though Andross Keep was the biggest structure in Andross next to King Theron's castle, many citizens of the city believed that the most awe-inspiring sight of the town was the Temple of Light. All who passed by it were filled with wonder when they looked upon its tall imposing architecture.
To the north of the Trade District was the rich to middle-class homes of citizens of Andross. The richest houses were made of timber and had glass windows. The middle class possessed stone houses with chimneys that smoked into the air. Humans were the predominant race who lived in the northern section of the city. There were a few orc families and one dwarven family.
To the east of the Trade District lied the old wooden houses of Old Andross. It was a small village that was clustered together. It was created as one of the earliest settlements in the past when humans built the city of Andross.
It was a scummier location compared to how it was in the beginning. Usually, gang activity would be prevalent in this area of the city. Drugs could easily get in as well. A lot of the non-human races that lived in Andross were forced to live here as it was all they could afford compared to the humans.
To the west of the Trade District was its city hall. This was where researchers would keep a census on the citizens of the kingdom, as well as finding ways to improve the quality of life for those within the city.
The crown of Andross remained as Andross Keep. Rising high into the air of the city, the keep was a marvel for all to look at. Surrounded by a deep moat, an impressive statue of Andross' king, King Theron, greeted visitors as they made their way into the large courtyard.
"We've made it into the city, Little One. Now we need to find the elf. If I were a sniveling, knife-eared elf, where would I likely be?" asked Utorg.
"I would check Old Andross. That sounds like a likely place the elf would be," said Amere.
"That or the tavern here."
"Of course you'd think of the city's tavern, Utorg."
"What? Do you not think that the elf would have a drink at the alehouse, Little One?"
"No, it isn't that. I just know how much you like to drink if the opportunity presents itself."
"With our type of job, there's nothing wrong with a drink or two."
"I say we should check the tavern in the town first just in case we're wrong."
"That's a perfect idea, Little One. Come on."
The two men traveled through the city of Andross, making their way to the town's tavern, the Drunken Ale. Inside, the sour smell of alcohol brushed past both Amere and Utorg's noses.
The tavern was booming with business, being littered with many human males and some females. Some sat as a group in oval wooden chairs as they played cards. Some of them stared at Amere and Utorg as they entered the tavern.
As they walked through the tavern, they spotted a long blonde haired elf sitting at an empty oval wooden table.
Amere and Utorg quickly found themselves a table close by as they watched the elf.
"I think we've found our elf," whispered Utorg.
"Yes, and it appears that he's waiting for someone," said Amere.
"Let's just keep watch of him. Hopefully, we can make out the discussion they're having."
After a few moments passed by, an orc came into the tavern and traveled over to the elf sitting alone at the table before seating himself down across from him.
Suddenly, a human bartender came over toward Amere and Utorg.
"Can I offer you gentlemen any drinks while you're here?" he asked.
"Just a shot of anything you have that's clear. The boy here is underaged so he won't be needing a drink," said Utorg.
"Very good, sir. I'll get on your drink right away," said the bartender before walking off.
Amere quickly nudged Utorg's shoulder.
"Hey! I would've loved to have a drink!" he said.
"Keep it down, Little One, before our cover is blown. You're still too young for a drink. Now listen over toward the elf and the orc."
"Alright," said Amere bitterly before eavesdropping across the table Utorg and him were in.
"Interesting place you got us to meet at Filarion," said the orc. "So, you got the Dust, don't you?"
"Yeah, I got the Dust. I'm working with the bandits in Corgate Mountain, and their boss hired me on to sell it," replied Filarion.
"It's pretty ballsy for an elf to be doing the dirty work, your kind isn't known for its bravery."
"When you get paid and promised protection as I do, you'd be smart to do as the boss says. So how much do you want? I've got enough to cover just about all your fixes and needs."
"I want an ounce of the Dust," said the orc.
"Just an ounce? I'd expect an orc to want more."
The orc began looking around the tavern.
"I'm not trying to get caught. The king would have both our heads if the guards caught us," he said.
"Relax, you're not going to get caught. We can finish our little transaction back in Old Andross," said Filarion.
"You'd better be telling the truth, elf."
Filarion and the orc began getting up from their chairs before making their way out of the tavern.
"It looks like they're going to Old Andross," said Amere.
"Yes, let's follow them, but stay hidden from their sight," said Utorg
"What about your drink? Are you going to leave it?"
"I have no choice but to, Little One. We can't afford to fail Greigut. Let's go."
Amere and Utorg followed Filarion and the orc as they traveled through Andross where they came across the old wooden buildings standing next to each other in Old Andross.
The two of them hid behind a nearby wooden house and listened in on the elf and orc's conversation.
"Alright, we're here," said the orc.
"You don't have to worry too much over here, nobody really comes into Old Andross. It's the one district in the city there isn't much law enforcement," said Filarion reassuringly.
"So, where is the Red Dust, elf?" asked the orc.
"It's inside my home. Give me a minute," said Filarion before going into one of the wooden houses.
After a few moments of waiting, Filarion came back outside of his house carrying a small brown pouch containing a red sand substance inside of it.
"Here's the Red Dust as promised," said Filarion. "That'll be fifty gold."
"Fifty gold for an ounce of Red Dust? Elf, are you mad? You're trying to swindle me!"
"The price is fifty gold, are you willing to pay the price or not? I won't get butchered by my boss over the petty opinions on pricing."
The orc made a swift head turn before looking around both ways before returning his attention back on the elf. "Okay, fine. I'll take the Red Dust. Here's fifty gold," he said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handful of gold. "Do you even get to keep most of the gold, knife-ears, or does your boss collect most of it?"
Filarion reached his hand over to the orc's gold before giving him in his free hand the brown pouch with the Red Dust in it. "Don't worry about that. I believe our business here is done unless you're looking to buy more Red Dust."
"No, I have no more business in dealing with you, elf. Goodbye," said the orc, turning his back and quickly walking away.
"Amere, it seems like Filarion himself has all the Red Dust stored in his house," said Utorg.
"Yes, but we're not supposed to blow our cover. We should report it to Greigut."
"Look, Filarion is leaving his house, let's follow after him," said Utorg.
Amere and Utorg followed Filarion north of the Trading District. Coming into the district, the two saw the timber and stone houses sitting side-by-side of each other. They were now in the rich and middle-class area of the city.
Still following closely behind the elf, the two stopped. They hid out of sight by going behind one of the stone houses before the elf knocked on one of the timber house doors. Out came a human with brown hair, greeting Filarion.
"So, the bandit group is selling even in the rich district of Andross?" asked Amere in disbelief.
"It appears that way. The little elf is either crazy, stupid, ballsy, or all three to be selling in this part of Andross," said Utorg. "Now hush, I want to hear what they're saying."
"So, did you bring the Dust? I'm risking my life dealing with you right now," said the man.
"Yes, I got it right here in my pouch sitting on my waist. How much of it do you want?" asked Filarion.
"Give me a lot. I'm going to need a lot of it. I've got the gold."
"That'll be three hundred gold."
"Three hundred gold? Dirty elf! The last time it was only one fifty gold."
"Yeah, well, times change and so do the prices. If you want your normal amount of Dust, I'd suggest you pay up now."
"Fine," said the man before digging into his pockets and pulling out handfuls of gold. "Here, now let me have the Dust."
Filarion passed the brown pouch of Red Dust over to the man before taking the gold in his free hand.
"I guess this concludes our business then if there's not anything else I can serve you with," said the elf.
"Get out of my sight, elf. You've taken enough gold from me and you've got your end of the bargain," said the man angrily before going back into his house.
Filarion walked away from the man's house, pouring the gold in his hand into another pouch he had on the opposite side of his waist.
Following the elf, Amere and Utorg traveled back to Old Andross where Filarion was heading to his house. The two raced behind a nearby house.
"You know we could easily take the gold from him, right?" asked Utorg.
"That's exactly what an orc would say, Utorg. Handling things the brutish way," said Amere.
"You know that I'm right. We could take the gold from him and give it to Greigut. It'd also send a message to the bandits in the Corgate Mountains not to cross The Red Skull Marauders."
"I don't think that's a good idea, that's not what Greigut told us to do!"
"Quiet, Amere. I'm going for it."
Utorg came from behind the house Amere and him were hiding behind and walked up to Filarion before he could go back inside of his home.
"Hey, you there. I've been watching you sell that Red Dust to people around Andross," said Utorg.
"What? Who are you?" asked Filarion.
"I'm Utorg, from the Red Skull Marauders. I think you've heard of us before."
"No, I have no idea who you are. Now please leave!" said Filarion before running back to his house.
Utorg quickly grabbed Filarion by the collar of his shirt before throwing him forcefully to the ground with his immense strength.
"I don't think so. I saw you selling to other people in Andross and your boss hasn't paid his due to my boss! Did you really think he wouldn't figure out what was going on?"
"No, please! Don't hurt me, I'm sorry! I'll talk!"
Utorg softly chuckled under his breath. "That'd be smart of you to talk, elf," he said.
After witnessing what was going on, Amere came out from hiding and stood beside Utorg looking down at the elf on the ground.
"It seems I got our little elf to want to talk, Little One. You missed it," said Utorg.
"Who is this other person with you?" asked Filarion in a panic.
"Don't worry about who I am. Hand over the gold you made for the Red Dust you sold," said Amere.
"No, please! Umitgruik will kill me if I don't come back with the gold I owe him!" cried out Filarion.
"Not our problem, elf. You chose this life, and now you'll deal with the consequences," said Utorg.
Filarion began to snivel and sob as he looked at Utorg and Amere. He reached over to the brown pouch hanging from his waist before passing it over toward Utorg.
"That's a good elf, there's a lot of gold in this pouch," said Utorg before passing the pouch over to Amere.
"Please, can I go now? I've given you what you want and I didn't fight back! Umitgruik is going to kill me," said Filarion.
"Not yet. One more thing, elf," said Utorg.
"What? What could you possibly still want from me?" asked Filarion.
"Give me a pouch of Red Dust from inside of your house. I know you have some," said Utorg.
Amere looked at Utorg. "That's enough, we have what we need. We can leave now."
"Not yet, Little One," replied Utorg.
"You want Red Dust from me?" asked Filarion.
"Do it! Get us some Dust!" said Utorg.
Filarion's body jerked to Utorg's voice. Both of his ears perked up.
"Fine," he said before running into his house.
"Make it quick, elf! I have little patience, and I have no problem with tearing down your door if you try and hide!" shouted Utorg.
Filarion opened his door. He raised out his trembling left arm that was carrying a large pouch full of Res Dust. "Here. Take it," he said.
Utorg swiped the pouch out of Filarion's hand before pulling at his collar and meeting Filarion's face with his own up close. "Listen, you little pixie elf shit stain. This Red Dust that you're keeping in your house goes to me now, and I don't want to come back to your house without any. Do you understand? If I do, I'll be very upset. I don't think I need to remind you what an upset orc is like, do I?"
Filarion nodded his head.
"Good. Then we have an understanding then," said Utorg before throwing Filarion to the ground.
"You can leave. Get out of our sight," said Amere.
Filarion quickly got to his feet before looking over at Utorg and Amere. He bolted inside of his house before slamming the door behind him shut.
"Now can you kindly explain to me what the hell that was about getting Red Dust from Filarion, Utorg?" asked Amere.
"Don't worry about it. I have my reasons. The fact is we have what we need," replied Utorg.
"You're pretty ballsy today. What's gotten into you? Are you trying to get us killed?"
"We risk that every day that we work for Greigut."
Amere rolled his eyes.
Utorg looked at the pouch in his hand before putting it underneath his shirt. "Once we get back to Brookshire, we'll turn over the gold to Greigut."
"I just hope this doesn't come back to bite us in the ass."
"It won't. You worry too much. Greigut will be pleased."
I wouldn't worry so much if it wasn't for the type of boss Greigut is about his gold and control."
"Well, we've done our job. We saw who the elf was selling to, we know who one of the bandit's operatives is, and we've retrieved the gold from Filarion as a nice bonus to Greigut," said Utorg.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"I am right. You'll see, Little One. Just wait til' we get back to Brookshire and see Greigut."
"I just hope this makes him happy enough to forgive us with us missing gold from Maurilin."
"It will. Now let's get a move on before somebody comes along here."
Amere and Utorg traveled back to their village of Brookshire before making their way to their boss's hideout.
"Ah, Amere, Utorg, I see you both have returned back to me," said Greigut.
"We have, Greigut. We've completed the assignment you gave us," said Utorg.
"How was your mission? Did you learn anything? Have you returned with anything of value to me?"
"Yes," answered Amere. "We did track down the elf you wanted us to follow."
"And what was it that you learned from him?" asked Greigut.
"Just as you suspected, Greigut, the elf was selling Red Dust to people in Old Andross as well as in the rich and the middle-class districts," said Utorg.
"This is excellent news to hear," said Greigut.
Utorg reached for his waist before pulling from it a brown pouch filled with shimmering gold. "Amere and I got this for you as a reward," he said. "The sniveling elf tried to play stupid but I got him to talk."
"Gold? You actually managed to retrieve the gold off him? Fantastic, I'm glad you thought smart, Utorg and Amere. I was prepared to kill you both had you returned without it," said Greigut.
Greigut's men in the room marveled at the sight of the gold resting in Utorg's hand. Whispers could be heard between them.
Greigut reached his hand out. "You may give me my gold now," he said.
Utorg shot his eyes at Amere before passing the gold over to Greigut.
"You both did very well. I'm pleased with your progress. This is why I keep you around. You show me and the rest of these men that you can be counted on and trusted," said Greigut.
"Do we get a reward or our ranks up for doing this mission?" asked Amere.
"Reward?" asked Greigut, scoffing. "Your reward is that I haven't used my blade against your throat between the two of you."
"Don't mind him, Greigut. Sometimes the boy can ask stupid questions," said Utorg as he looked over at Amere.
"He's forgiven, Utorg, just teach him to mind his tongue before he speaks," said Greigut.
"Is there anything else you had for us in mind to do, Greigut?" asked Utorg.
"No, you both have done good work today. I have nothing further for you. You are dismissed."
"Thank you, Greigut," said both Amere and Utorg in unison.
The pair turned to leave the hideout. Outside, the two walked through the streets of Brookshire.
"Little One, our luck may be changing," said Utorg.
"What do you mean?" asked Amere.
Utorg reached underneath his shirt and pulled out a large brown pouch. "It has to be luck that Greigut didn't notice this pouch of Red Dust from Filarion hidden underneath my shirt."
Amere's eyes widened before he gasped. "Utorg, have you gone mad? Do you realize the trouble we may be in if Greigut finds out about this? He'll have our heads. Why didn't you lose the pouch or give it to Greigut?"
"This pouch of Red Dust is worth serious gold to the right buyer. We'll be able to afford getting out of Greigut's clutches at this point."
"You're gambling our lives on this, Utorg? This could come back to bite us in the ass. Don't you see? The Guild has a way of tracking down those who are selling the Dust to others in the kingdom. You know that."
"I know. Believe me, I know. The risk this is is great. But what would you rather? We can live our lives every day in fear and in servitude to Greigut, or, we can take a stand and get out of this while we can. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of doing that green skin, pig nose orc's dirty work."
"Doing work for Greigut is all that I've ever known since I was born. I don't know of any other life outside of it."
"You can learn, Little One. You just have to trust me. Think about it. A life away from the Guild, the Red Skull Marauders, from Greigut. Imagine what you could do. The possibilities."
"Well, come to think of it, I do have a laundry list of things I wish I could be doing instead of grunt work for a crime boss orc. Maybe I could look for my father or work for the king as a knight in the army."
"All of those alternatives sound a hell of a lot better than the position we're in now. So, are you with me then?"
Amere glanced at the pouch of Red Dust in Utorg's hand. His eyes then turned to Utorg who stood silently awaiting Amere's response. "Fine, Utorg," he said. "I'll trust you. Let's just be careful, alright?"
"Safety is our number one priority right now. We can't afford to let Greigut catch wind of this."
"One more question. How do you suppose to get enough Red Dust from Filarion in Andross without word getting back to our boss?"
"I'm an orc, Amere. Elves like Filarion wouldn't dare cross me. They're fragile and scared knife-eared beings that understand what will happen if they squeal. If we go down, then so will they."
"I just hope you're right."
"For once in my life I believe I am. You'll see.