Wayward Found

[mcian]

Damian paced slowly along the crystal-spiked parapet atop his palace, pausing occasionally to view the panorama of the surrounding landscape. Despite his unnatural age, the beauty of it never ceased to impress him, bringing to mind the agelessness of Malas, an aspect which had endeared it to him. Hearing the voices of his guards behind him, he turned to observe three individuals approach his dais, even though they saw where he was standing. He went to meet them, sitting down before speaking.

"Ah, greetings Zhenika, Malikai. I see you have found my missing ward. Well done. I shall speak with you later. Go now and enjoy a bit of respite however you desire," he commented. Bowing, both departed wordlessly. He looked at the near-naked man whose gaze refused to meet his as he kept his head bowed. "Well, friend... what name do I call you today?" he asked. "Will Mugsy still do?"

The man merely shook his head and shrugged.

"Come now, don't be afraid! I am not angry with you. You have served me well, except that you did not return here to report to me after your meeting and collaboration with our new friends. I had to send my trackers to find you and they spent much time doing it; time that could have been spent in better ways."

"I... I was being hunted. They almost caught me. I had to hide."

Damian nodded. "I can imagine! You fled to Skara Brae. Don't you think that was a bit too close to the scene? And the Ranger camp at that." He shook his head. "I perceive you are not terribly bright."

Mugsy shrugged again. "What are you going to do?"

"It is what YOU are going to do. Tell me everything our friends told you. Please do not force me to extricate everything from your memory - you would not like that, and I need you to remain human if you have any value left for me."

Mugsy nodded, and began telling him everything that happened at the well in Yew...

*                                 *                                 *

Damian stroked his chin slowly. "Fascinating! Why they told you that is beyond me. It could be a lie or truth conveyed through pure arrogance. Time will tell." He looked up at him. "Go and get something to eat and by all means bathe. If it is possible to track someone by odor alone, you would have been found by others long before now."

"You aren't going to kill me?" Mugsy inquired in a hopeful tone.

Damian shook his head. "No, no! You did well and I will reward you suitably. Of course you cannot return to the Abbey, but, fear not! We have ample supplies of wine here so you won't miss it at all."

Mugsy gave a toothy grin. "Thank you sir!"

Damian nodded. "Go now. First get that bath."

Mugsy bowed and departed. Damian sent for Malikai.

Shortly, the artful spy stood before him. "Yes, m'lord?"

"Send for my son. Tell him I will speak with him. I think I shall now be able to barter for my relic without further hostilities. Tell him nothing - only that we must speak together."

Malikai acknowledged the command and set out to fulfill it.

[mcian]

"What do you mean sir? If they get me they will kill me just like they plan to do with the Inquisoner... Inquestor..."

"I believe the word you are so ineptly seeking to render is 'Inquisitioner,'" Damian corrected Mugsy, alias Brother Goode.

"Yeah, him. I thought you would let me stay here?"

"Why?"

"I have no place to go; no family, no friends!"

"You are worth five hundred thousand gold coins."

Mugsy's eyes widened. "Me?!" he pointed to himself.

Damian nodded. "Here is the plan. I trade you, get the bounty, and then free you later, before anything happens to you."

"You... you would do that for me?"

Damian nodded. "Plus... and this is the best part... I give you all that gold! You can take it and start over with a new life anywhere you like... maybe even here, in Malas."

"With you, here?"

Damian shook his head. "No, not here. You would be spotted. It must be far away... say maybe Buc's Den or... yes... Papua or Delucia! No one ever goes there."

Mugsy nodded but only half-convinced. "All right. I will do it."

"Good man!" Damian smiled. "You will go in style; clean, shaven, and well dressed. I will deliver you to the Captain Warden when and if they agree to my terms."

Mugsy bowed. "Thank you sir. You are too kind to me."

Damian shook his head, smiling. "I am never too kind. Go now and eat the best meal you can have. This may be quick or slow."

Mugsy gave a toothy smile and shuffled away to the teleport tile.

"Even bathing doesn't work," Damian remarked.

[mcian]

Surrender

The knock at the door was light but persistent. Itannar rose from the seat at his desk in Glengarry to answer it. The man standing at the door was casually dressed, sandaled, sporting a tricorne hat. He wore a patch over one eye. He smiled, bowed and tipped his hat courteously. “I am… was… brother Goode. I have come to turn myself in… well… be turned in… by Damian Racsen in exchange for his scepter.”

Surprised but elated, Itannar invited him in and bade him take a seat across from his at the desk. He looked out briefly then closed the door and locked it. “I know you. I have seen you at the Winery. I remember they called you Mugsy, the Mule.” He went to sit back down. Scrutinizing the man quickly, he nodded. “You’re the one at the well, correct?”

Folding his hands in his lap, Mugsy replied, merely nodding.

Itannar scooted a sheet of paper from a pile to his right, placing it in front of him. He took a pen, dipped it into an inkwell and began writing. “I am preparing an affidavit for your confession to the crimes stated here and on the bounty posters. Read and sign it. Then we shall talk further.” Finishing it, he slid the document across the table and laid the pen down beside it.

Mugsy, unhesitatingly and unquestioningly, picked up the pen and signed it without reading it.

“You’re not even going to read it?” Itannar, puzzled, queried.

“No sir. I trust you. I was told to trust you – you’re an honest man.” He smiled.

Itannar furrowed his brow. “Kind of you,” he replied. He sat back in his seat.

“I was told you would give the mace thing to a man named Scar in return for my surrender.”

Itannar nodded. “I have been so advised by the governor. We agreed to do this. I guarantee Scar will receive the relic. We are all people of our word even when dealing with criminals.”

Mugsy nodded. “I like that. He was right then.”

“Tell me briefly what happened at the well with the cultists. It will help your chances at your trial.”

Mugsy swallowed hard. “I was contacted to go there and clean up after them is all. They were not very friendly and they looked scary. I did not speak much, nor did they to me. I thought they might kill me.”

“Who brought the crates of wine? It was a type found here before made by a drow. It was mixed with some kind of drug. Did you know that and were you responsible for bringing it to Yew?”

“I don’t know about that. It was there when I arrived.”

“You said you were there to “clean up.” What exactly does that mean? Hide evidence?”

Mugsy shook his head. “No, just make sure nothing was left at the place after they left.”

“Hide evidence. What did the Cultists say or tell you. What were their names?”

“I remember one speaking to another when they thought I wasn’t listening and he called him, “Yero.” He may have been the leader. Just a guess. I was told by my master not to divulge more than that so that I might get a lighter sentence, but they did tell me a few things about their plans.”

“Plea bargain. We will stop here. I will take you to a safe house where you will be held for trial. The governor will speak with you and if she agrees, you can make your case to her for that “lighter sentence.”

“A jail cell?”

“Try not to look at it that way. It is a comfortable room with all amenities provided. We are not orcs or even drow – the degenerate reprobates you are used to dealing with.”

Concluding the interview, Itannar escorted him to the Yew Town Hall where he was incarcerated. He then located the relic and visited Scar at his home, delivering it to him as promised.