Shifter
"You have done well, Shifter. Consider me impressed by your talents."
Those were the words of my new patron, a red-haired elf by the name of Talio. He and his allies, a wolf beastkin named Cedarro, and our mutual associate Ripper, had arrived at our rendezvous spot ten minutes ago. Our spot was a warehouse in the Bronze District, which a friend of the wolfkin owned. It housed two of our new prisoners alongside several wolf-beastkin and beastman mercenaries.
While this form of interrogation wasn't my preference, I wasn't averse to the rough treatment of the old man, as I had anticipated. Two large, black fur beastmen held the old man in the air by his shoulders. He was bound, but that didn't prevent him from being defiant at one point. His defiance earned him a bruised and bloodied body. A third beastman with grey fur clenched his fist and pounded the old man in his stomach. With his resistance briefly pacified, the beastmen hauled the old man into another room.
"It is only natural. I am coveted for my skills for a reason. Capturing two nobodies was hardly worth the trouble," I declared, but those words were not entirely accurate.
The truth was, while the elf was easy to subdue, I had watched his human ally decimate several beastmen and beastkin with brute strength alone. That man was a monster capable of exchanging blows with a Ursa Major, and overpowering multiple of them. No matter how many came after him, he was nearly unstoppable. I say 'nearly,' because I am no ordinary man. What I lack in brutish strength, my cunning far exceeds that of any fist-clenching simpleten.
I deceived him and was able to escape with my prize, the elf. While it would've been ideal to capture both to lure in the supposed kitsune, I am sure he'd bite for the elf and the old man. They were able to see past my shifting, but I felt that things were more than I could grasp. These three had created a mathematical question as their code, so when I hesitated to answer, I was exposed as suspicious.
I had expected the kitsune to have more sway in their decision-making, but I wasn't able to successfully lure them to our first ambush spot. That troubled me at the time, but I naturally found a workaround. This leads us to the situation we found ourselves.
The old man, whom I suspected to be Horace Hildebrant, was coincidentally working for the noblewoman who had the absurdly high bounty on her head. This was a perfect opportunity to line my pockets and accomplish the goal I sought after entering his backwater town.
"I expect him to be resistant, but that old man is tougher than I imagined," Cedarro said, upon returning from his brief meeting with the other beastfolk.
The bandaged wolfkin crossed his arms and shook his head in disappointment. His tail swayed with agitation as Talio considered the news. We had watched the beastfolk bash Horace until the man coughed up blood, but it appears that is enough. Talio's face remained confident despite our lack of progress.
"I assumed as much. He is loyal, so I doubt a little pain would cause him to become forthcoming. However, instruct Crow and his men to maintain the assault. I'd rather not kill him, so inform them to avoid critical damage," Talio ordered.
"I'll tell them, but they are starting to lose their patience. Claws may come out if something isn't gained soon," Cedarro said before turning to leave.
"Bring me Crow," Talio said sharply. The eyes of the elf narrowed as his confident expression carried a threatening aura.
There was something about Talio that unnerved me. I had been around my share of dangerous situations, but there was something eerie about his confidence. He may not appear threatening, but Talio is a man whose true strength may not be his magical aptitude. His skill with a sword was unknown, but he was quick to unsheath it, ensuring that everyone understood his perceived place at the top. Cedarro seemed to be onboard for his leadership, and even a loner such as Ripper has aligned herself with him. He is a man who deserves an extra pair of eyes on him.
Cedarro nodded quickly at his new order and moved to the group of beastfolk to retrieve the one named Crow. I imagined that Crow was an odd name for a beastman, especially a wolf beastman, but upon laying eyes on sleek black fur, I found the name adequate.
Crow was an average-sized wolf beastman with a lean build. He wore a dark blue cloak with its hood down, and dark grey trousers. His feet were exposed, like those of his men, showcasing his wolf-like feet. Crow's foot claws were like serrated knives, with each significantly sharper and larger from the pinky to the large toe. There was a feral look to the man, and a deranged, yet calculated glint in his beady eyes.
The arms of the beastman were long, with thin claws pointed from his fingertips. Crow was an odd beastman, but I could see the hardships of mercenary work layered over healed wounds on his chest. He wore those marks as a badge of honor, but to me, it was unsightly. Crow followed behind Cedarro and had a much larger beastman with him.
This beastman had pitch-black fur, similar to Crow's, but other than the scars, the similarities ended there. One large golden eye peered down at us as his fangs peeked from his lips. He was calm, but his canines were so large that they still revealed themselves. This beastman's tail swayed with purpose while he lingered behind his superior.
"I only see two men, so what is your explanation for this?" Talio asked upon Crow's appearance. He spoke with a calm air of authority, but Crow responded in kind.
"Ye'r intel was off, and it's caused a couple of my guys to get injured in the process. Some may be out of action for an extended period."
"I warned you about the hidden dangers of this task," Talio remarked, and Crow lifted one of his clawed fingers to scratch a patch of his chin fur.
"Ya did, and I took it seriously. Ya underrepresented the strength of the human, and now several of my men, including Ursa Major, are in desperate need of extended treatment," Crow growled before gesturing his subordinate forward.
"We ambushed them in the restaurant as planned with a pack of our capable men, but we found ourselves quickly overpowered. The human shattered that enchanted hammer with his bare hands, and knocked Vanjas across the room with a single hit! My men aren't slouches, but he ran through us as if we were nothing," the beastman hissed. He spoke as if the humiliation of that encounter was fresh in his mind.
He clenched his fists before slamming them onto his chest with a heavy thud. He looked at Crow and then Talio before speaking, "I'll be more prepared for him next time, so I request another opportunity to go at him again!"
"That won't be necessary," I interjected.
The others shift their attention in my direction. With their eyes on me, I flashed a confident grin.
"While it's not ideal, the city guards have apprehended our target and will be keeping him. With a little...encouragement by yours truly, his actions today will be seen as him rampaging through the beastfolk encampments," I said.
While I was pleased to reveal that, it appears the large beastman and Crow didn't share those same sentiments. While Crow turned his beady eyes to Talio, his beastman companion growled with annoyance.
"He may be strong, but I am certain they will keep him contained for now," Talio said while nodding his head. Following a moment of silence, he turned his attention to Cedarro. "Reach out to our contact and figure out what you can about the human. Go now."
"I'll take care of it," Cedarro replied, nodding.
Without much being said, Cedarro excused himself from the group. Talio, on the other hand, took charge and gestured for Crow to lead him somewhere. The grizzled, beady-eyed beastman turned around and tapped his subordinate aside. Once the larger beastman was out of the way, Crow led us to where our prisoners were held.
"I'll take this time to remind ya that our methods are rough, but rest assured that yer guy won't be smashed into too many pieces. His lips are sealed, but we're figuring out which tool is the best to unlock them," Crow growled.
"I have informed you that your methods are antiquated, so I'm not too surprised. However, you always manage to pull through in the end, so it doesn't matter to me. Just get the location out of him. I need the location of their safehouse soon," Talio declared.
Crow and his subordinate led us down an extended hallway as he spoke to their leader. This warehouse was more of a prison than a storage facility. Its heavy stone walls were faded, and a cool breeze carried with each step. The heavy stench of rancid blood carried with it, and the lights dimmed from the occasional unlit candle perched on the wall. It was an uncouth place of unknown horrors, and one that I had to bear with for the moment.
"We'll get the information out of the man one way or another. If he won't talk, then the elf will once he is awake," Crow said as we reached our destination.
Outside the doorway were two wolf beastkins. Each was littered with various scars across their bodies, with white and brown fur on their respective ears and tails. They looked at each other, giving off an air of uncertainty. They shared a glance before the one with white fur gulped and then spoke, "Your timing is good, boss. We have a complication."
Crow stopped in his tracks, and Talio did so as well. That was a sign for our entourage to follow suit. I lingered behind the other four, with attention moving from Crow and Talio to Ripper. The masked woman's expression was impossible to read, but her body language was up for interpretation. Her fingers traced the sheathed dagger on her side longingly as if she were dying for an opportunity to wield it.
Her gaze seemed focused on the one-eyed beastman. I couldn't grasp why she would be so focused on the man, but it was of no concern to me. I was more interested in getting my chance to question Horace for myself. If the beastfolk couldn't get him to talk, then it wouldn't be long before I had my opportunity to question him for myself.
Talio had given me his word that opportunity would present itself, so I played along with these mangy mutts for the time being. Ripper's mask shifted in my direction, and I sensed the dangerous aura emanating from the woman. She was a peculiar one, but I had no idea what the reason was for her sudden surge of malice.
"I never expected you to be this invested in anything other than a job. One of these days, you'll have to let me in the loop regarding your reason for aligning with Talio," I said. While she didn't respond to me, I flashed a knowing grin anyway.
Ripper shifted her gaze away from me, and I refocused on Talio and Crow. The beady-eyed beastman was gripping his long snout in annoyance. Whatever his two subordinates had told him had caused a rise of frustration in the two men. Talio was the first to grip the doorknob and push the door open. He stormed in, and Crow followed in fury.
The one-eyed beastman entered next, followed by Ripper and me. My curiosity was piqued at that moment, but it didn't take long before I understood the situation. The room we entered was a storage room that was transformed into a liar. Crow's crew had decided to construct walls to create sections within the room. Trash and grime littered the area, and the heavy scent of smoke attacked my lungs. The further we entered, the more desolate the sight became.
'How filthy. You would think Talio would have higher standards for the men he associates with, but it appears my evaluation of him was too high.'
Talio gave off the air of an aristocrat, but he weaved through the tasteful soot with the confidence of a madman. I would imagine his mind was focused as he didn't hesitate to kick aside any empty bottles in his path while he followed Crow's lead. Perhaps I was the outlier in this situation, but if that is the case, then I'll accept that with gratitude. I would not debase myself to reside in such a trash heap.
We maneuvered past several of Crow's beastfolk as they performed various tasks within the hideout. Many participants took part in maintaining their armor and weapons, while others fought for the amusement of onlookers in a makeshift wooden ring. I recognized a few of them as members of the crowd I used to capture the elf and fend off the powerful human.
They were amongst the ones drinking their pain away while covered in bandages. Sharp howling ripped through the air and matched only the sounds of heavy blows from the combatants. They were savage, but it was to be expected from an organization led by the deranged-looking Crow. Violence and vice filled his hideout, which made me wonder just why Talio would decide to work with them in the first place.
After a few minutes, Crow led us to a room where two beastkin guards stood. One of them stepped forward with a sharp expression on her face. Much like any other combatant from Crow's band, she had multiple scars across her body, but she had a defining scar across her right eye. There was a fierce snarl on the woman's face as she addressed her boss, "That old bastard killed two of our men in his escape attempt! We managed to recapture him, but a few others were injured in the process!"
Crow bared his teeth before snapping his attention in Talio's direction. Talio wasn't intimidated and spoke calmly out of the side of his mouth, "I remind you of our deal. This was not the job for quick coin. Our opponents have proven to be dangerous, so I didn't expect the old man to be any different. Snarl at your own inconsideration."
Talio turned to face Crow in his entirety, and Crow's subordinate snarled at his dismissive attitude. Ripper stepped next to Talio and reached for her dagger, which further inflamed the beastfolk. The two factions glared at each other, which left me standing alone. Neither paid me any mind, and I couldn't allow that to stand.
"Is the old man still usable?" I asked, raising my voice above the snarling. "If so, I can do what our partners have failed to do. I can make him talk."