Dantes stayed off the main paths, but from what he could see through the rats he had watching behind him the Orcs had ceased their assault in the Maw itself and started consolidating all of the goods, beating the new prisoners, and generally asserting their newfound dominance. Still, he stayed cautious, weaving through those lesser known passages until he made it back to Collared territory.
There were more than a dozen Collared standing guard, most of them broad and muscular adherents of rles fitness philosophy. Dantes was waved through with serious nods. In the center of the space the goods the Collared had managed to gather were being sorted. They seed to have had a good haul, which was good considering it may need to last a long ti. He heard a voice call from one of the upper chambers as he entered the space proper.
Dantes, co up! said rle, gesturing for him to approach.
Dantes complied, seeing that rle was standing with Orebus.
Orebus here says you warned him about the Orcs.
Dantes nodded.
Thank you. With your warning and his quick thinking we actually managed to salvage sothing out of this. He sighed and ran a muscular hand from the top of his forehead all the way down his long white beard. The Orcs have always been aggressive, but I never realized how much the Elves and Dwarves held them in line. Now theyve got the numbers, the supplies, and very few checks on their power.
Dantes nodded along as rle spoke. There were so obvious answers to the problem in his mind. The Collared working with the remnants of the dwarves, the consortium, and the gangs to restore things to the previous status quo being the most obvious, but rle and his Collared had always taken a more separate approach, their attitudes from the academy bleeding into their ti in the Pit. If Dantes made the suggestion, it wouldnt necessarily amount to much, rle would likely have to co to the conclusion himself, or the Consortium might approach him if they couldnt work things out from their own angle.
Did you have any indication of what the Orcs were planning that before you went to the supply drop? asked rle.
Dantes shook his head. No. Id heard theyd been ramping things up, looking to expand in different ways, and raiding the dwarves. I figured sothing bigger might go down, didnt know this would be it.
rle shook his head. Well, thanks to the warning and the deal we made with the Consortium, we should be able to weather this. Thank you Dantes.
Dantes nodded, and walked away from him. In his mind the Collared were actually in a better position than ever before. Even if the Orcs controlled every single supply drop from this point forward, the Collared as they were had beco the second largest gang by default. Though technically the Kobolds or Consortium may be larger, their numbers were just much harder to track. All by virtue of proximity and usefulness to Dantes, though they likely didnt realize that was the reason.
He considered the moves he could make against the orcs, but hesitated to make any real choices or set firm paths in his mind. He had only just started his new venture with the Consortium, and wanted to pocket a healthy amount of profit before things got more disruptive. The Orcs power play may even be beneficial to him. With the average person more desperate for supplies, his own access to them gave him a greater control of the market. Aside from that, Orcs liked to drink, and if the Consortium was still doing good business with them, that sounded like business security for Dantes. The only possible problem was the favor he owed Syn, and how to handle it.
He moved over to where Wane was leaning against his cell, watching the supplies get sorted, seeming to watch certain items closely, minding who was picking up what.
Seeing who to prioritize inviting to your next dice ga?
Wane winked. Sothing like that. If youre looking for Tel, hes passed out. Wore himself to the bone apparently. Spares having to hear him talk about it though.
Not looking for him today. Looking for you. Im guessing the Orcs didnt set up a et yet?
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Wanes eyebrows furrowed. The strange thing, they did.
Dantes leaned against the wall next to him. When?
In two weeks at the undermarket, the Consortium bar there. The ets with Ryker, hes up there, third or fourth to the boss.
I wouldnt have expected them to set a eting at all with what they just did.
The impression I got was that they like you. They thought a eting with you was worth it. Makes sense, they and the Elves had always been at each others throats before.
Dantes nodded, and reached into one of the pockets of his jacket to pull out a leather flask, handing it to Wane. For your trouble.
Wane nodded, slipping the flask into a pocket, and Dantes started to walk out of their territory, when he heard so exclamations from the other side of it. He turned around and saw a large crowd gathering. Curious, he wandered over and stood at its edge, eventually he was able to see that they were gathered around a thoroughly beaten and bloodied Pillion. He suppressed a smile.
What happened? Was it the Orcs? asked one of rles lieutenants.
Pillion shook his head. No clue. Three guys with cloth wrapped around their faces. I was just in the market, having a drink since that new stuff is such swill. I walked through an alley and next thing I know Im getting the shit beaten out of . They took my weed, so coin I had, my fucking shoes! Its not like theyd be able to wear them.
Dantes smirked, he couldnt help himself. Maybe they needed to shoe a skitterling and your boots were the perfect fit Guess theyd need to rob you two more tis to have enough though.
Pillion attempted a rude gesture at Dantes, but winced and grasped his hand.
Dantes got a few glares for his comnt, so he held up his hands and backed away from the group, which had shed by more than half when everyone realized that the attack hadnt involved the Orcs. Those few that stayed, Dantes was sure, did so out of obligation, more than anything. He supposed it was possible for Pillion to have friends, but only in the sa way that it was possible for him to fly a dragon out of the Pit.
He moved back out into the tunnels and started on his way back to his own piece of the outskirts. Hed have to make sure to give the Shadow Cats so actual work. The beating seed to have been expertly delivered, and stealing the shoes was a delightful touch. Most importantly, they hadnt been identified, and didnt do anything to tie it back to him. Hed had a few options in mind for if they had failed in that instance, most of them ending very unfortunately for them, but their success saved him the trouble, and brightened an otherwise complicated day.
He made it back to his cave, letting Jacopo out of his jacket where instead of moving to his bed, or the food storage, he began making his way out of the cave.
Got a date? asked Dantes sitting down.
Mating, yes. Also, murder. Cousin once stole food from . Feel compelled to harm him.
Makes sense to . Need a hand? I certainly owe you for Iron.
He shook his head. You cant fit where I would need. Thank you though.
Dantes nodded, and Jacopo began weaving through the Pit to his cousin. They were rubbing off on one another, in a good way as far as Dantes figured. He considered having Jacopo go to spy on the Orcs ahead of the et, but he didnt feel as much of a need for skullduggery with them. The Orcs werent stupid, but they were direct. He was fairly certain he could figure out their intentions without relying on his abilities. Besides which, he wanted to see what happened when the ratmark favor filled completely. It slowed down the further it filled up, and he was at three and half full fangs. He wasnt certain, but he felt instinctively that sothing would happen once it was completely filled, and he wanted to know what that was.
Two weeks until his eting with Ryker. Two weeks to focus on collecting fruit, figuring out what to do with the Shadow Cats, after making them change their na which was an obvious priority. Two weeks to climb, to spy with rats and roaches, to plot with Syn, and to collect his pay from the booze run hed made nearly self-sufficient. He flexed his fingers, tightening and loosening his grip. It wasnt enough. He needed to get out. He needed to be back in Rendhold. Playing power politics in a pit that didnt matter, it was a waste of ti. For just a mont the frustration of it boiled over in him. He flexed his hands more, and clenched his jaw, feeling his teeth rip into flesh, and his hands clawing into his cousin's soft underbelly. Once the deed was done, he kept eating. No sense letting the at go to waste.
Dantes shook his head, clearing his connection to Jacopo, still tasting copper in his mouth. He loosened his grip and let out a slow breath. Patience. Hed already made it five years, he could handle waiting a bit longer.
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