NaNoWriMo, part 17
Nov. 23rd, 2006 06:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bookish_dragonChapter 11
"They got away? You let yourselves be gagged and your swords taken away from you by a half-elf?" The chief constable stared at the two quaking agents in front of him. His blue eyes were icy. "You have brought disgrace to this corps. Hereby you are demoted to caravan-guards. There is one due to leave in an hour, going to the capitol. Get ready for that." The two agents were shaking in their boots. It had taken a long time forKjelba to wake up, and she was not too happy when she saw them lying gagged on the floor of her office. Their uniforms were dirty, streaked with mildew and dust. And now the chief constable himself was reprimanding them. Caravan-duty was the lowest you could sink in the corps, apart from getting fired. It was long and boring work, and you were away from home for months. Most wanted to get out of it as soon as they could. "Why are you still standing here? I thought I heard myself giving you an order. Now move, before I think up a position even lower than caravan-guard."Akoenin and Amis saluted, and left, dejected. He had not even wanted to listen to their side of the story,
The chief constable lit his pipe after they had left. They had been a pair of agents blundering like it was their first day on the job. He shook his head. Getting them out of the way was the best for all. He looked out the window. It looked like it was time to meet up with that Vender. He did not like the man much, but they had the same goal: getting rid ofLarghain's town-council. The chief constable had agreed on the condition that he could become mayor. Vender had promised him that he could be. The chief constable got up out of his chair, and left his office. He had to go to church.
The church-building did not move him. He never paid attention to buildings. They were convenient to keep out wind and rain, but he did not see the point in making them pretty to look at. As long as they did what they were built to do. He entered, and stopped an acolyte by putting an arm in the girl's way. "You, go tell Vender I am here to see him. He has a visitor." He blew pipe-smoke in her face.
She tried not to cough and bowed. He tried to look down her shirt. ""Yes, sir chief constable. I will go tell him right away."
"Do not take too long," he said, lurking on his pipe. He thought it made him look distinguished. "I do not want to be deprived of such a view for long."
She hurried off. The man was a pig. A good-looking pig, with his brown hair and blue eyes and broad shoulders, but a pig nonetheless. It was common knowledge he slept with half of his staff, as long as they looked good in a skirt. She was glad to be away from him. Luckily the high priest was in his office. She knocked. "High priest Vender, chief constableSchaffer is here to see you."
"Do not stand there, let him in."
"Pardon, high priest, but he is waiting in the church proper. He did not come with me. He told me that I had to tell you."
Vender sighed. "Very well. You are excused." He got up as she left and went into the church. "Chief constable Schaffer. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"We had an appointment, high priest Vender."
"You could have had yourself escorted to my room. Why wait here?"
"You are a good man, high priest, but you have no eye for the beauties that surround you. Always with your head in the skies, it is not healthy. You will get a sunburn."Schaffer winked at a passing priestess. She did not react.
"If only I had your eyes and your stamina," Vender said. "Alas, it is a shame I do not. Such a loss to the world. My office is over here." They walked to the office. Vender closed the door asSchaffer sat down. "Now then, what do you want to talk about? I doubt it is about the relative beauty of the women working here. And put out that pipe. The smell gets into the carpet."
"Sit down. I am not going to talk to someone I can not see." Schaffer craned his neck. He put his pipe. "We had an appointment, remember? To talk about the progress we had made towards reaching our goal." He looked down. "You do not have any carpet."
"I might do some day, and I do not want that smell in them," Vender said, pacing behind Schaffer's chair. "Yes, yes, yes. So talk. How far have you gotten, chief constable Schaffer?"
"The corps has been weeded out to get rid of those too incompetent to be of any use, or who are too stupid otherwise."
"Yet you are still with us. Go on."
"I had two today who let some half-breeds get away from them. Like the rest, I sent them on caravan-duty. They will not be back for several months, a year at the most. Those caravans move very slowly." He guffawed at his own cleverness.
"Brilliant," Vender remarked dryly. "And the rest?"
"They seem favourable towards our goal. There is unrest about their work and what they get paid for it. It is not hard to fan those flames. They will be available. When are we going through with this?"
"In two days. The mayor is giving his yearly speech then. That is the best time to catch the whole council at one. Have your men ready. And double the guards on the gates. Those half-breeds should not get a chance to get out."
"They will be ready. I was going to do that, They will not sully the corps' reputation by getting away." Schaffer got up and re-lit his pipe. "I will see you at the speech then, Vender," he said and left the room.
"Just be ready, Schaffer," Vender said to the chief constable's retreating back. He did not trust the man to be able to tie his own shoes, but he did hold a position of power. Power that could be used to make his Lord, Hextor, the greatest of all, and rulerof all that was. Not that you could tell a man like Schaffer that. He would never understand giving yourself over to an entity greater than yourself. It did not fit in his worldview, which was mainly made up of women and his appearance. The chief constable was also known for his social mountaineering.
Olgyu was bored. She was also horny. She needed a good fight, or a good shag. Neither was readily available at the moment. There were no enemies for thefirst and too many people for the latter, and she was no exhibitionist. She paced the storage-room they were in, looking at Emmar. The monk was mending one of Olgyu's shirts, her fancy one. It was red instead of brown, which made it the fanciest she owned. "Marnak, Emmar and I are going for a stroll around the church. We will becareful. But I need to get out of this room before I go crazy." Emmar looked up from her sewing.
Marnak sighed. "Do you really have to? This is a dangerous city, we can not afford to get found out."
"Yes, I do," Olgyu said. "I need to get out and stretch my legs. Please, Marnak. We will be careful and not go far."
"What will you say when you get stopped?" Marnak protested. He felt that he was losing this.
"Nothing about you. We do not look suspicious, we will fit right in."
Marnak cast a glance at the tall, blonde, muscular woman dressed in brown with an axe strapped to her back and raised an eyebrow. "Emmar maybe," he said, indicating the small redhead dressed in black with no weapons who was getting up.
"She can keep us out of trouble then," Olgyu concluded. She looked around the door.
"Fine. Do not be too long, and do not go too far," Marnak said. He had lost. It was a familiar and warming feeling.
"You worry too much," Olgyu said as she and Emmar left the room.
"I need to, with this group," Marnak grumbled.
"They got away? You let yourselves be gagged and your swords taken away from you by a half-elf?" The chief constable stared at the two quaking agents in front of him. His blue eyes were icy. "You have brought disgrace to this corps. Hereby you are demoted to caravan-guards. There is one due to leave in an hour, going to the capitol. Get ready for that." The two agents were shaking in their boots. It had taken a long time forKjelba to wake up, and she was not too happy when she saw them lying gagged on the floor of her office. Their uniforms were dirty, streaked with mildew and dust. And now the chief constable himself was reprimanding them. Caravan-duty was the lowest you could sink in the corps, apart from getting fired. It was long and boring work, and you were away from home for months. Most wanted to get out of it as soon as they could. "Why are you still standing here? I thought I heard myself giving you an order. Now move, before I think up a position even lower than caravan-guard."Akoenin and Amis saluted, and left, dejected. He had not even wanted to listen to their side of the story,
The chief constable lit his pipe after they had left. They had been a pair of agents blundering like it was their first day on the job. He shook his head. Getting them out of the way was the best for all. He looked out the window. It looked like it was time to meet up with that Vender. He did not like the man much, but they had the same goal: getting rid ofLarghain's town-council. The chief constable had agreed on the condition that he could become mayor. Vender had promised him that he could be. The chief constable got up out of his chair, and left his office. He had to go to church.
The church-building did not move him. He never paid attention to buildings. They were convenient to keep out wind and rain, but he did not see the point in making them pretty to look at. As long as they did what they were built to do. He entered, and stopped an acolyte by putting an arm in the girl's way. "You, go tell Vender I am here to see him. He has a visitor." He blew pipe-smoke in her face.
She tried not to cough and bowed. He tried to look down her shirt. ""Yes, sir chief constable. I will go tell him right away."
"Do not take too long," he said, lurking on his pipe. He thought it made him look distinguished. "I do not want to be deprived of such a view for long."
She hurried off. The man was a pig. A good-looking pig, with his brown hair and blue eyes and broad shoulders, but a pig nonetheless. It was common knowledge he slept with half of his staff, as long as they looked good in a skirt. She was glad to be away from him. Luckily the high priest was in his office. She knocked. "High priest Vender, chief constableSchaffer is here to see you."
"Do not stand there, let him in."
"Pardon, high priest, but he is waiting in the church proper. He did not come with me. He told me that I had to tell you."
Vender sighed. "Very well. You are excused." He got up as she left and went into the church. "Chief constable Schaffer. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"We had an appointment, high priest Vender."
"You could have had yourself escorted to my room. Why wait here?"
"You are a good man, high priest, but you have no eye for the beauties that surround you. Always with your head in the skies, it is not healthy. You will get a sunburn."Schaffer winked at a passing priestess. She did not react.
"If only I had your eyes and your stamina," Vender said. "Alas, it is a shame I do not. Such a loss to the world. My office is over here." They walked to the office. Vender closed the door asSchaffer sat down. "Now then, what do you want to talk about? I doubt it is about the relative beauty of the women working here. And put out that pipe. The smell gets into the carpet."
"Sit down. I am not going to talk to someone I can not see." Schaffer craned his neck. He put his pipe. "We had an appointment, remember? To talk about the progress we had made towards reaching our goal." He looked down. "You do not have any carpet."
"I might do some day, and I do not want that smell in them," Vender said, pacing behind Schaffer's chair. "Yes, yes, yes. So talk. How far have you gotten, chief constable Schaffer?"
"The corps has been weeded out to get rid of those too incompetent to be of any use, or who are too stupid otherwise."
"Yet you are still with us. Go on."
"I had two today who let some half-breeds get away from them. Like the rest, I sent them on caravan-duty. They will not be back for several months, a year at the most. Those caravans move very slowly." He guffawed at his own cleverness.
"Brilliant," Vender remarked dryly. "And the rest?"
"They seem favourable towards our goal. There is unrest about their work and what they get paid for it. It is not hard to fan those flames. They will be available. When are we going through with this?"
"In two days. The mayor is giving his yearly speech then. That is the best time to catch the whole council at one. Have your men ready. And double the guards on the gates. Those half-breeds should not get a chance to get out."
"They will be ready. I was going to do that, They will not sully the corps' reputation by getting away." Schaffer got up and re-lit his pipe. "I will see you at the speech then, Vender," he said and left the room.
"Just be ready, Schaffer," Vender said to the chief constable's retreating back. He did not trust the man to be able to tie his own shoes, but he did hold a position of power. Power that could be used to make his Lord, Hextor, the greatest of all, and rulerof all that was. Not that you could tell a man like Schaffer that. He would never understand giving yourself over to an entity greater than yourself. It did not fit in his worldview, which was mainly made up of women and his appearance. The chief constable was also known for his social mountaineering.
Olgyu was bored. She was also horny. She needed a good fight, or a good shag. Neither was readily available at the moment. There were no enemies for thefirst and too many people for the latter, and she was no exhibitionist. She paced the storage-room they were in, looking at Emmar. The monk was mending one of Olgyu's shirts, her fancy one. It was red instead of brown, which made it the fanciest she owned. "Marnak, Emmar and I are going for a stroll around the church. We will becareful. But I need to get out of this room before I go crazy." Emmar looked up from her sewing.
Marnak sighed. "Do you really have to? This is a dangerous city, we can not afford to get found out."
"Yes, I do," Olgyu said. "I need to get out and stretch my legs. Please, Marnak. We will be careful and not go far."
"What will you say when you get stopped?" Marnak protested. He felt that he was losing this.
"Nothing about you. We do not look suspicious, we will fit right in."
Marnak cast a glance at the tall, blonde, muscular woman dressed in brown with an axe strapped to her back and raised an eyebrow. "Emmar maybe," he said, indicating the small redhead dressed in black with no weapons who was getting up.
"She can keep us out of trouble then," Olgyu concluded. She looked around the door.
"Fine. Do not be too long, and do not go too far," Marnak said. He had lost. It was a familiar and warming feeling.
"You worry too much," Olgyu said as she and Emmar left the room.
"I need to, with this group," Marnak grumbled.
