The Rusty Anchor Tavern

We spent the next week snooping around Jeuno, San D’Oria, and ports large and small tracking down the whereabouts of this pirate. I now had all my possessions and pearls back but I felt I had better stick around and keep and eye on these two. I didn’t buy the story these men gave me about serving the greater good by being judge, jury, and executioner.

Bruto had gone to The Rusty Anchor Tavern to see if he could gather any information on the pirate Beldin. Apparently he was rather fond of that particular watering hole when he was in town. I found out this man was in fact a pirate but one recently without a ship by way of mutiny. It definitely made me question his skill if he couldn’t even handle his crew.

I decided I should check up on Bruto when I felt the ground tremble from a block away and a man screaming for mercy. Bruto had a tendency to get carried away when he was interrogating. His lack of intelligence left him with only his brute strength to work with. I pulled a dark cloak over my head and slipped in the back door finding a seat in the corner.

No sooner had I sat down than a man shouted to Bruto from a high window above the door.

“I doth find, mine friend, that one doth not like thine tone nor how thou threatens those weaken than thou art." The pirate called.

I don’t know what that dialect was but I assumed it must be something unique to pirates.

He jumped down onto the nearest table and drew his sword. "So, you son of a dhalmel, if you've been looking for Beldin, you've found him and he ain't pleased."

"Well Beldin," Bruto said with a wide smile, "I've never meet a man so willing to die."

With that he swung his scythe over his head and lashed down at Beldin.

“This should be interesting.” I thought to myself.

I was not about to interrupt. I had grown to hate Bruto and this pirate I didn’t know well enough to judge but he looked like he could handle himself. I sat with statue like stillness in my dark corner of the room.

Beldin danced nimbly aside and ducked just as Bruto swung his scythe where his head had just been half a moment before. "I doth find thine accuracy lacking my friend. Why don't you quit and leave with your life now before I have to do something drastic?" Beldin taunted.

Bruto roared with rage and swung his scythe at Beldin’s head. The pirate rolled toward Bruto ducking the swing and thrust his sword into the Galka’s throat.

I had to look away as he fell to his knees clutching his gushing throat. There was no saving Bruto without a mage to cure him before the blood ran out and I didn’t strain myself to find one. I didn’t care much for him and I certainly didn’t care to have my throat damaged by associating myself with the brute.

Beldin cleaned his blade off on Bruto’s tunic and snatched up a paper that had fallen out of the Galka’s pocket. "Bartender! How 'bout a drink? A Hume Pale Ale if you have any!" he said as he sat himself down at a table and using the Galka's corpse as a foot rest.

The bartender hurriedly brought over a tankard of Ale and said it was on the house. He nodded his appreciation and opened the slip of paper that had fallen.

I had to know what it said. I cast Utsusemi: Tonko on myself and slipped behind the Elvaan. It read: “Kill Beldin,” and was singed only by an “X.” I still didn’t know who this so called generous servant of the people was who ordered this job.

Curious. I had to say in this situation Beldin came off more the hero than the heartless murder of the masses that I had been told about. He did have the good sense to get rid of Bruto. I had to say in my book that was a mark in his favor. I was beginning to like this pirate.

Finding a seat a table away from the pirate I watched and listened careful not to draw attention to myself. Bruto was out of the picture and I had no intention of finishing this job as prescribed. Murder was not one of my services no matter what the payment. The short Hume who insisted on being called “Boss” was the next to deal with.