The Voting is closed!
Lucas won't reveal Dairon's position to Maron Mullendore
The new part... well I was supposed to be done with it … morealready, but university decided to screw me a little bit. While it could be worse, I won't have that much time to write as I'd like to have until the end of next week. Work on the new part still continues, albeit slower than usual. I'll try my best to finish it today, but I really don't know if I manage to do that, so don't count on it.
Normally I had planned a shout-out right here, this shout-out will instead happen next time I close the voting, so be prepared. However, InGen wished for an updated list of characters that will appear in Book 1 and later and I intend to deliver. I have also dared to write characters that are already planned as PoV's in bold. Some of the characters that are in this list have already been mentioned, though I doubt anyone catches every character in this list that has alr… [view original content]
In all seriousness, autocorrect is something marvelous. It becomes even worse when your phone changes almost every word to a german one if you don't pay attention. Writing stuff here in the forum with my phone is always horrible XD
In all seriousness, autocorrect is something marvelous. It becomes even worse when your phone changes almost every word to a german one if you don't pay attention. Writing stuff here in the forum with my phone is always horrible XD
The Voting is closed!
Lucas won't reveal Dairon's position to Maron Mullendore
The new part... well I was supposed to be done with it … morealready, but university decided to screw me a little bit. While it could be worse, I won't have that much time to write as I'd like to have until the end of next week. Work on the new part still continues, albeit slower than usual. I'll try my best to finish it today, but I really don't know if I manage to do that, so don't count on it.
Normally I had planned a shout-out right here, this shout-out will instead happen next time I close the voting, so be prepared. However, InGen wished for an updated list of characters that will appear in Book 1 and later and I intend to deliver. I have also dared to write characters that are already planned as PoV's in bold. Some of the characters that are in this list have already been mentioned, though I doubt anyone catches every character in this list that has alr… [view original content]
The Voting is closed!
Lucas won't reveal Dairon's position to Maron Mullendore
The new part... well I was supposed to be done with it … morealready, but university decided to screw me a little bit. While it could be worse, I won't have that much time to write as I'd like to have until the end of next week. Work on the new part still continues, albeit slower than usual. I'll try my best to finish it today, but I really don't know if I manage to do that, so don't count on it.
Normally I had planned a shout-out right here, this shout-out will instead happen next time I close the voting, so be prepared. However, InGen wished for an updated list of characters that will appear in Book 1 and later and I intend to deliver. I have also dared to write characters that are already planned as PoV's in bold. Some of the characters that are in this list have already been mentioned, though I doubt anyone catches every character in this list that has alr… [view original content]
The Voting is closed!
Lucas won't reveal Dairon's position to Maron Mullendore
The new part... well I was supposed to be done with it … morealready, but university decided to screw me a little bit. While it could be worse, I won't have that much time to write as I'd like to have until the end of next week. Work on the new part still continues, albeit slower than usual. I'll try my best to finish it today, but I really don't know if I manage to do that, so don't count on it.
Normally I had planned a shout-out right here, this shout-out will instead happen next time I close the voting, so be prepared. However, InGen wished for an updated list of characters that will appear in Book 1 and later and I intend to deliver. I have also dared to write characters that are already planned as PoV's in bold. Some of the characters that are in this list have already been mentioned, though I doubt anyone catches every character in this list that has alr… [view original content]
The Voting is closed!
Lucas won't reveal Dairon's position to Maron Mullendore
The new part... well I was supposed to be done with it … morealready, but university decided to screw me a little bit. While it could be worse, I won't have that much time to write as I'd like to have until the end of next week. Work on the new part still continues, albeit slower than usual. I'll try my best to finish it today, but I really don't know if I manage to do that, so don't count on it.
Normally I had planned a shout-out right here, this shout-out will instead happen next time I close the voting, so be prepared. However, InGen wished for an updated list of characters that will appear in Book 1 and later and I intend to deliver. I have also dared to write characters that are already planned as PoV's in bold. Some of the characters that are in this list have already been mentioned, though I doubt anyone catches every character in this list that has alr… [view original content]
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happy nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, she asked and Martin gave her a bold smile. “Oh please, I killed my first man in Tanner's Alley”, he stated with pride in his voice. Harpy rolled her eyes. “I'm sure the Alley will be glad to see you again”, she said. “Because Robb will be there. You'll enter the alley from the north, look for the third house on the left. Three stories. Robb lives right under the roof”
She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again she looked stern, determined and worried. “In any way, don't underestimate him. Robb is an experienced fighter and if he is in league with Butterfly, he might be even more dangerous”, she warned them. Martin rolled with his eyes and slightly pulled out a small dagger from his belt. “Well, he's in for a surprise, because if he's one of Butterflies little bitches, I'm certainly more dangerous than him”, he proclaimed. Harpy shook her head. “You underestimate him”, she stated and as she looked at Jaron she had a worried look in her eyes. “Martin is a cocky fool. Make sure he won't kill himself, yes?”
Jaron's smile was meant to be reassuring, but the constant stinging pain in his ribs turned it more into a grimace. At least Harpy didn't look too reassured. “New orders”, she stated. “Martin, you make sure Jaron won't kill himself” She caught Jaron's look and gave him a light smile. “Or maybe watch each other's backs, okay? We have lost enough good men”
“We'll be careful”, Martin promised and took a bow in front of her, before looking at Himani. “And you stay safe too, yes?”, he said. Himani looked from one man to the other and let out a short chuckle. “Please, Martin. I'm a poor beggar's boy inside of the Starry Sept, one of several hundred. Nobody will even notice me” He took a bow in front of Harpy before walking towards the door. “If anyone should be careful, it'll be you. There are cats in Tanner's Alley”, he said with a slight smile. Harpy didn't seem to notice it, but Jaron saw her purse in the urchins hand. Himani gave him a conspiratorial wink before quickly moving down the stairs.
“Why are you smiling like the fool you aren't?”, Harpy remarked, carefully eyeing Jaron, before moving her hand towards her belt. Watching the slow shift in her expression, as she started to realize, caused Jaron to burst into slight laughter. “Oh no, he hasn't!”, Harpy exclaimed. “He hasn't! I'm going to kill that little brat!” And even though Jaron saw how she visibly tried to resist, she had to laugh herself.
The only one who wasn't smiling was Martin, who instead shook his head. “There are cats in Tanner's Alley...”, he mumbled, which causes Harpy and Jaron to stop laughing. “Cats in Tanner's Alley...” Harpy gave him a worried look. “Someone just stole from me and you're not displaying your below average wit by mocking me? What's wrong with you?”, she asked. Martin shook his head. “Nothing...”, he mumbled, clearly not even convincing himself. “It's likely nothing”
His worried gaze met Jaron's. “But we need to be careful”, he explained and Harpy gave him a slight pat on the back, resting her hand on his shoulder. “You're drunken, right?”, she asked. “That's literally what I've said a few minutes ago” But as she looked past him, Jaron noticed that she was worried too. Martin shrugged, pushing her hand off him before moving to the door. “That blasted boy can't speak straight... maybe it was nothing, but I hate the sound of it”, he explained. “I'll be waiting downstairs...” And with these words, Martin stepped out of the room, leaving a confused Jaron and Harpy behind.
“Now what's his problem?”, Jaron asked. He had noted the sudden shift in the mercenaries facial expression. Harpy shrugged, but took a step closer towards him. “Martin has seen a lot of things in this world. Perhaps he remembered something bad. Perhaps it was nothing. But... I have never seen him that serious” She leaned in and gave him a light hug, much to Jaron's surprise. And even though she barely touched him, likely out of consideration for his broken ribs and arm, he felt uncomfortably warm. “Stay safe, please”, she whispered as she stepped back again. “I've lost enough friends in this war. Martin is a good friend and you are a good...” She stopped and her gaze hardened. “Could you please try to be less nervous?”, she hissed.
Jaron opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off by letting out a bright laugh. “Seven Hells, Jaron, it surely must be warm in here”, she chuckled and Jaron gave her a reliefed nod. “Yes. It's warm”, he answered. Warm... Seven Hells! The effects of the cheap wine already wore off and he got painfully aware of how clumsy he must look like in her eyes. Her smile got a bit brighter, almost breathtaking, but Jaron noticed the look of pure mockery in her eyes. And he couldn't deny that it seemed to be a bit warmer in this room. “Well, since it really is quite warm here, I propose we go outside before Martin starts to miss you”, Harpy said with a soft smile. “You know, you make for a cute couple. A literal bastard and a figurative bastard, fighting against Butterflies” She stopped, noticed his stare and burst into laughter. “Come on! Try to imagine that. Perfect picture”, she urged him. No, no, no, he did not want to imagine.... oh Seven Hells! Harpy grabbed his healthy arm, slowly pulling him towards the door. “Perfect moment...”, she whispered.
Walking down the stairs painfully reminded Jaron of his ribs and he was thankful that he wasn't wearing armour. But with every step he felt better. Sure, it would take a while until he would be able to use a shield again, but at least his ribs felt almost healed. As long as he fought only with one arm, his wounds shouldn't affect him too much. Harpy watched him out of the corner of her eyes and still smirked, which caused Jaron to clench his teeth. Yeah... perfect moment...
They found Martin outside of the building walking in a small circle, his arms akimbo, his face dark. He was barely looking at them. “Maybe you shouldn't go back alone, Harpy”, he said as he noticed them. Harpy shook her head. “Martin, what is wrong with you? Himani dropped a small remark and you go all broody over it...”
Martin shook his head. “It's nothing... I just remembered something. Probably nothing...”, he said but his face proved that he was lying. Harpy let out a frustrated sigh. “Sure thing, Martin. Be secretive as much as you want. It doesn't really suit you” She turned around, looking at Jaron. “Perhaps this evening will cool you down a little bit”, she said with a big grin. “I will move back to one of our houses. Himani will contact you soon! And... stay safe, please” With these words she flashed an honest smile towards Jaron and Martin and walked down the alleyway, putting on her hood as she was slowly getting out of sight.
Jaron looked back at Martin who barely even looked at him. The knight let out a sigh and regretted it immediately as he felt his ribs again. “What is it, Martin?”, he asked. The mercenary looked up and shrugged, before he started to walk down the alleyway, in the opposite direction of Harpy. “Follow me, I'll tell you”, he sighed.
“You have heard what Himani said, right? There are cats in Tanner's Alley...”, Martin started. Jaron gave him a curious look. “Yeah... it sounded cryptic. Like some kind of riddle” Martin gave him a nod. “Indeed. That's Himani, you know. Life is a game for him. He doesn't care for the consequences of not telling us what awaits us there. Tanner's Alley lies in a part of Oldtown that is heavily controlled by Butterfly. Only occasionally do we get to know what happens there. That means, Tanner's Alley is a blind spot for us. Anything could be there. Including the Cats...”, he explained.
“Cats? Come on, don't start to speak like Himani. What's wrong with the cats?”, Jaron asked, feeling slightly impatient. Martin closed his eyes. “The Alley Cats. Fucking Alley Cats. If Himani hinted at that, Butterfly just managed to buy some people who are even worse news than the Fang of Shadows. The Fang is simply an extremely skilled professional. If he sees you, he will kill you. The Cats however are what happens when people with the same mindset as Butterfly come together. Some of them are pretty good fighters, but all in all they are rather ordinary when it comes to experience. But... well...”, Martin explained but paused for a moment. “The stuff they do... They are responsible for atrocities in the North and the Riverlands, got hired by slavers from Essos, by unscrupulous bandits, by Harren Hoare. They are wanted in Volantis, Braavos, Pentos and Lys. And trust me, as long as you have money, it takes a lot to make you a wanted man in Lys” His voice sounded bleak and he shivered for a moment. “And they have money. All of them wear masks, not the cheap stuff, but expensive craftsmanship, maybe from Braavos. The masks conceal their faces and look like, well, like cats”
This caused Jaron to pause for a moment. “Cat masks? What are they, mummers?”, he asked in slight disbelief. Martin shook his head. “Bloody mummers, if anything. They don't bring pleasure and joy, only pain and fear and if you're lucky they bring death. Insanity is a running trait with them as well as a lust for all the things Butterfly likes to do... Thinking about it, it's a miracle he hasn't bought them earlier. They are basically meant to be together. Rapist, Murderers, child-killers, all united under a common goal. Trust me, you don't want to mess with the Alley Cats”
Jaron frowned as he heard that. Butterfly alone sounded like bad news. His underlings were already bad. But a whole mercenary group as bad as him, under his command? Perhaps it was a good thing that he came to Oldtown, that he worked with the Burned Man. Somebody had to stop Butterfly and his men before they would tear this city apart.
“I had a past run-in with them, during a job in Gulltown. Managed to kill one of them, but got stabbed in the process. Nearly bled to death. But the worst part was what some of them were doing while we found them... what they were doing to some local girls”, Martin said and paused for a moment taking a deep breath. “Trust me, it prepared me for some of the things I've seen here” He avoided eye contact, but Jaron knew the expression on Martin's face. He had seen it, mainly on the faces of old warriors, men who had seen terrible things. “How have you ended up here anyway?”, Jaron asked.
“You know, at first this had been an ordinary job. I was hired as part of a group of mercenaries, working for the Burned Man. Nothing special. Beating a few people up. Killing a few others. Just business”, Martin said and the hint of a smirk formed on his face. “In time I was trusted enough to play bodyguard for Harpy. And I admit, after that I also stayed for the... view... on top of the Burned Man paying wonderful money for something I would have done for free”
He caught Jaron's stare and his smile returned again. “Tell me you wouldn't enjoy it! And don't you even dare lying to me” He let out a bright laugh and Jaron had to join in. “However, I gave up any hopes in that matter months ago. That's why I advice you to keep your distance with her. The Burned Man won't take kindly to that”
For a moment, Jaron thought about denying it. Yes, sure he enjoyed her company but that was not Martin's business! But the way the mercenary looked at him... “Yes...”, Jaron admitted. “I think I like her” Martin shook his head. “You like what you see and I can't blame you. But there's more to her. Harpy lived two different lives and both of them scarred her equally. She was born as a slave and raised as a criminal. Give her something to hate and all of a sudden she's not so sweet anymore. You killed half a dozen men? That's probably cute for her standards” His smirk vanished and he gave Jaron a stern look. “That girl is all you'll ever dream about if you can handle her. But I don't think you can”
This caused Jaron to narrow his eyes. What was wrong with Martin? That was none of his business. “And what makes you think I can't?”, he asked, noticing that his voice sounded sharper than he intended. Martin shook his head. “You are a stranger in an even stranger city and a good man on top. She knows this city and trust me when I say that she is not a good girl. She might have been a diamond once, but ten years in Oldtown flawed her” Jaron gave him an irritated look. “Why are you telling me that?”, he asked, his voice gaining sharpness.
Martin gave him a friendly smile. “Because you are a good man and she's a friend. I see the way you look at her. And I see the way she looks at you. She might be playing with you, but I doubt it. If you like her, I hope you're prepared for problems. From her, from the Burned Man, from Butterfly. I'd hate seeing either of you hurt”
Jaron started to relax again. The mercenary seemed to be concerned. “Why are you telling me that?”, he asked. Martin shrugged. “Perhaps because I simply hate to see her hurt. Or...”, he said and started to smirk. “Or perhaps I'm just an asshole who tries to keep you away from her, so that my zero percent chance with her might increase” He stopped, caught Jaron's look and both of them started to laugh. “Just saying. Go after her if you want, but never forget what she is”
Jaron shook his head, still smiling. Martin gave him a sly grin. “I'm sorry, I'm just saying how it is. This is not one of your stories. The Burned Man is not a wise king, Butterfly is not an evil sorcerer. I am certainly not your loyal underling and, sorry for that, I would make a far better princess than Harpy” He paused for a moment as Jaron raised his eyebrows. “What do you want to say, Martin?”, he asked, slightly annoyed.
“This is not a story. If you want her, you have to be a bit more realistic. Don't be a hero, Ser Jaron, because I don't think she wants a hero” He stopped and looked around for a moment. “Ah... almost there. Tanner's Alley, just down this street for two more minutes”, he said.
Jaron looked around. This part of Oldtown reeked of poverty. In his past stays in this city, he had never been here and the condition of almost everything here shocked him. The buildings looked run-down, the people were thin and pale, with sad eyes full of regrets and broken dreams. Two almost feral looking dogs were fighting each other over... over...
“So, what can you tell me about Robb”, Jaron quickly asked, trying to get that image out of his head. Martin still looked at the dogs and at the... thing they were fighting over. “Fucking city...”, he mumbled. “Robb comes from the Riverlands. He is not a bad man, like I said. I don't know him particularly well, but we have fought side by side several times. He had a rough childhood and uses that as an excuse to be an ass. His father used to beat him senseless as a hobby, but I'm asking you, who wasn't hit by his father?”
He paused for a moment as Jaron gave him a sly grin while raising his hand. “Fucking bastard...”, Martin mumbled. “Who was your father either way? Must be someone big if you proudly name yourself 'Bastard'”
“Don't know him”, Jaron answered. “My mother always told me he was a nobleman and I believe her...” He paused as Martin burst into laughter. “A nobleman? You're telling me you're a noble bastard? Maybe I should start calling you Lord Bastard?” Jaron joined in his laughter, but tried his best to keep a stern face. “Martin, one more joke and I put my sword in your eye”, he warned him. This didn't stop Martin's laughter. “Lady Harpy once told me the same. But she used the word 'dagger' instead of 'sword' and instead of 'eye' she said 'crotch'” This time, Jaron couldn't refrain from grinning a grin similar to Martin's as he answered. “Yeah, that would explain a lot”, he chuckled.
He stopped as Martin stopped, pointing at a small, dark alleyway. “Tanner's Alley. Of course, not a single tanner lives here anymore. They all moved south, closer to the harbour. But the name remained. Today only the very poor or very desperate live here”, he explained as he looked down the gloomy street. “And maybe a few cats, if we're unlucky. Come on, I don't want to remain in the open around here” With these words he started to walk down the alley at a considerable speed and Jaron had to hurry to keep up with him. “Only the poor or desperate, huh?”, he asked. “Which one is Robb?”
“Both”, Martin answered. “He's an alcoholic, only able to fight when he is sober and he's always depressed. Never laughed at one of my jokes” Jaron gave him another sly grin. He started to enjoy this! “That's not very hard, Martin”, he answered and Martin gave him a surprised look. “Forget what I said earlier. You and Harpy belong together! The way you mock me makes me think you might be her in disguise. Pretty good disguise by the way. Anyways, Robb is poor and desperate, but he is not the kind of man who would betray his friends. He's poor for a good reason, you know” He pointed at a small door. “There it is. One of the rooms in there is his. Around this time he is usually pissed drunken, but we should be careful”
He opened the door, as carefully as possible and Jaron put a hand on the hilt of his sword. With a muffled sound, Martin drew his short sword and entered the building, giving Jaron a small nod to follow him. Before entering the building, the knight looked up towards the roof. A single, open window was located there, a small candle burning on the windowsill.
The two men entered the building as silent as possible and Jaron was once again glad that he wasn't wearing any armour. Sneaking around would have been impossible in chainmail. Martin was wearing light leather, but seemed to be used to it and moved in near silence. The building itself looked even worse from the inside than it did from the outside. The walls were moldy and dark, stained with dirt. Jaron saw a large splatter of blood on one of the doors in the small hallway the just entered. Crooked stairs lead up to the first floor, which wasn't a real improvement. If anything, it wasn't as dark as in the ground-floor. A small staircase lead up to the second and last floor and Martin went first. Jaron noticed that the sword in the mercenaries hand was slightly shaking.
They arrived at the third floor, albeit it hardly deserved this name. It was a single room with a small door leading to Robb's chamber. And Jaron heard muffled sounds from out of this room. Someone was talking... two men. He looked at Martin and knew that the mercenary was thinking the same. Robb might be innocent, maybe just having a harmless talk with someone. Or he was meeting one of Butterflies men in there...
[Storm into the room][Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first] Amazing chapter! And as I expected, Martin and Jaron make a nice duo And #Jarpy confirmed! Or should it be #Haron :'D
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happ… morey nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, s… [view original content]
The next part is unfortunately barely written so far, since I had a few problems with how to start the part. I've decided to take the easy route and simply started to write a completely different PoV, which proved to be a good decision. I hope to finish this part today.
On another note, you can now read a short summary of Act 1 if you need to catch up in any way. Some of you already know the summary, since it's the same thing I've been sending out at various times in the past month. You can find a link to the summary in the main post, right under the link to the whole story. Or, if you want to read the summary right now without scrolling back on top of the page, you can also follow this link
And now, prepare for the first shoutout of Act 2! As some of you know, there are some pretty great Borderlands fanfictions here in this forum as well. Right now, there are three and all of them will get a shout-out sooner or later. The first shout-out will go to @Crips, with his awesome story Quest for Loot and Glory
The story is set on the planet of Pandora, a planet were every joke about Australia comes to life. Everything can kill you and everything wants to kill you. Luckily there is an above average amount of guns to kill all this dangerous stuff. The story follows four new Vault Hunters and their adventures some time after the story of Borderlands 2 got finished. And it is gloriously written, with lots of humour and great moments. If you are in any way interested in Borderlands, or simply want to read all the humour my writing sadly lacks, you should check the story out here!
Damn it, you just spoiled the big plot twist of the next Jaron part, involving the ghosts of Lady Halla and Ser Ilhan! Please use a spoiler tag when revealing such things!
Comments
Haha Mike Rotch, now that's classic!
seriously tho, I'm really impressed by how far ahead you're seeing.
Oh...Also Kyra
really looking forward to the Greyjoys storyline, should be awesome!
In all seriousness, autocorrect is something marvelous. It becomes even worse when your phone changes almost every word to a german one if you don't pay attention. Writing stuff here in the forum with my phone is always horrible XD
Man I literally laughed out loud when I read your comment, I just knew it was 'cause of autocorrect haha
My tablet has a tendency of being very slow... It changes a lot of my words after I'm done typing.
I feel like a jerk now...
Still waiting for my main man The Hawk
Nice, Alisa seems to be making it to this book
Though I must admit I'm waiting Dagar the most from my own characters.
Dammit, missed the voting. Great part though.
I love how prepared ahead you are. It's great
On another note, I'm looking forward to the Storm King very much... that should be something extremely interesting to read!
I don't even know why is it so funny.
Damn auto correct!
Yum, it's nice to see an updated list of ''The Players Of Game Of Thrones''
Seems like my Vessels boys will make it into this book as well as Dan, looking forward to their introduction
Also, why do I keep reading ''Tollet'' as ''Toilet?'' xD
Jaron
“Well, this Robb seems to be a bit more dubious for me”, Jaron said, looking at Martin. “I will support you” Martin gave him a happy nod, while Harpy shook her head. “You'll regret that, Jaron”, she said with a light smile. “He won't shut up the whole journey to Robb's hideout. And if you're especially unlucky he won't even shut up while you're trying to interrogate Robb” Martin let out a bright laugh. “Ouch, mylady, what have I done to give you such a low opinion on me?”, he chuckled. Harpy shrugged and seemed to think for a moment. “Well... it would be easier to say what you haven't done”, she answered. “But I guess you two make a lovely pair”
Martin opened his mouth in protest, but Harpy cut him off by raising a finger. “Here's what you're going to do. Himani followed Robb to the poorer parts of the city. I mean the really poor parts. He owns a room in one of the houses there” She looked at Martin. “You know Tanner's Alley?”, she asked and Martin gave her a bold smile. “Oh please, I killed my first man in Tanner's Alley”, he stated with pride in his voice. Harpy rolled her eyes. “I'm sure the Alley will be glad to see you again”, she said. “Because Robb will be there. You'll enter the alley from the north, look for the third house on the left. Three stories. Robb lives right under the roof”
She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again she looked stern, determined and worried. “In any way, don't underestimate him. Robb is an experienced fighter and if he is in league with Butterfly, he might be even more dangerous”, she warned them. Martin rolled with his eyes and slightly pulled out a small dagger from his belt. “Well, he's in for a surprise, because if he's one of Butterflies little bitches, I'm certainly more dangerous than him”, he proclaimed. Harpy shook her head. “You underestimate him”, she stated and as she looked at Jaron she had a worried look in her eyes. “Martin is a cocky fool. Make sure he won't kill himself, yes?”
Jaron's smile was meant to be reassuring, but the constant stinging pain in his ribs turned it more into a grimace. At least Harpy didn't look too reassured. “New orders”, she stated. “Martin, you make sure Jaron won't kill himself” She caught Jaron's look and gave him a light smile. “Or maybe watch each other's backs, okay? We have lost enough good men”
“We'll be careful”, Martin promised and took a bow in front of her, before looking at Himani. “And you stay safe too, yes?”, he said. Himani looked from one man to the other and let out a short chuckle. “Please, Martin. I'm a poor beggar's boy inside of the Starry Sept, one of several hundred. Nobody will even notice me” He took a bow in front of Harpy before walking towards the door. “If anyone should be careful, it'll be you. There are cats in Tanner's Alley”, he said with a slight smile. Harpy didn't seem to notice it, but Jaron saw her purse in the urchins hand. Himani gave him a conspiratorial wink before quickly moving down the stairs.
“Why are you smiling like the fool you aren't?”, Harpy remarked, carefully eyeing Jaron, before moving her hand towards her belt. Watching the slow shift in her expression, as she started to realize, caused Jaron to burst into slight laughter. “Oh no, he hasn't!”, Harpy exclaimed. “He hasn't! I'm going to kill that little brat!” And even though Jaron saw how she visibly tried to resist, she had to laugh herself.
The only one who wasn't smiling was Martin, who instead shook his head. “There are cats in Tanner's Alley...”, he mumbled, which causes Harpy and Jaron to stop laughing. “Cats in Tanner's Alley...” Harpy gave him a worried look. “Someone just stole from me and you're not displaying your below average wit by mocking me? What's wrong with you?”, she asked. Martin shook his head. “Nothing...”, he mumbled, clearly not even convincing himself. “It's likely nothing”
His worried gaze met Jaron's. “But we need to be careful”, he explained and Harpy gave him a slight pat on the back, resting her hand on his shoulder. “You're drunken, right?”, she asked. “That's literally what I've said a few minutes ago” But as she looked past him, Jaron noticed that she was worried too. Martin shrugged, pushing her hand off him before moving to the door. “That blasted boy can't speak straight... maybe it was nothing, but I hate the sound of it”, he explained. “I'll be waiting downstairs...” And with these words, Martin stepped out of the room, leaving a confused Jaron and Harpy behind.
“Now what's his problem?”, Jaron asked. He had noted the sudden shift in the mercenaries facial expression. Harpy shrugged, but took a step closer towards him. “Martin has seen a lot of things in this world. Perhaps he remembered something bad. Perhaps it was nothing. But... I have never seen him that serious” She leaned in and gave him a light hug, much to Jaron's surprise. And even though she barely touched him, likely out of consideration for his broken ribs and arm, he felt uncomfortably warm. “Stay safe, please”, she whispered as she stepped back again. “I've lost enough friends in this war. Martin is a good friend and you are a good...” She stopped and her gaze hardened. “Could you please try to be less nervous?”, she hissed.
Jaron opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off by letting out a bright laugh. “Seven Hells, Jaron, it surely must be warm in here”, she chuckled and Jaron gave her a reliefed nod. “Yes. It's warm”, he answered. Warm... Seven Hells! The effects of the cheap wine already wore off and he got painfully aware of how clumsy he must look like in her eyes. Her smile got a bit brighter, almost breathtaking, but Jaron noticed the look of pure mockery in her eyes. And he couldn't deny that it seemed to be a bit warmer in this room. “Well, since it really is quite warm here, I propose we go outside before Martin starts to miss you”, Harpy said with a soft smile. “You know, you make for a cute couple. A literal bastard and a figurative bastard, fighting against Butterflies” She stopped, noticed his stare and burst into laughter. “Come on! Try to imagine that. Perfect picture”, she urged him. No, no, no, he did not want to imagine.... oh Seven Hells! Harpy grabbed his healthy arm, slowly pulling him towards the door. “Perfect moment...”, she whispered.
Walking down the stairs painfully reminded Jaron of his ribs and he was thankful that he wasn't wearing armour. But with every step he felt better. Sure, it would take a while until he would be able to use a shield again, but at least his ribs felt almost healed. As long as he fought only with one arm, his wounds shouldn't affect him too much. Harpy watched him out of the corner of her eyes and still smirked, which caused Jaron to clench his teeth. Yeah... perfect moment...
They found Martin outside of the building walking in a small circle, his arms akimbo, his face dark. He was barely looking at them. “Maybe you shouldn't go back alone, Harpy”, he said as he noticed them. Harpy shook her head. “Martin, what is wrong with you? Himani dropped a small remark and you go all broody over it...”
Martin shook his head. “It's nothing... I just remembered something. Probably nothing...”, he said but his face proved that he was lying. Harpy let out a frustrated sigh. “Sure thing, Martin. Be secretive as much as you want. It doesn't really suit you” She turned around, looking at Jaron. “Perhaps this evening will cool you down a little bit”, she said with a big grin. “I will move back to one of our houses. Himani will contact you soon! And... stay safe, please” With these words she flashed an honest smile towards Jaron and Martin and walked down the alleyway, putting on her hood as she was slowly getting out of sight.
Jaron looked back at Martin who barely even looked at him. The knight let out a sigh and regretted it immediately as he felt his ribs again. “What is it, Martin?”, he asked. The mercenary looked up and shrugged, before he started to walk down the alleyway, in the opposite direction of Harpy. “Follow me, I'll tell you”, he sighed.
“You have heard what Himani said, right? There are cats in Tanner's Alley...”, Martin started. Jaron gave him a curious look. “Yeah... it sounded cryptic. Like some kind of riddle” Martin gave him a nod. “Indeed. That's Himani, you know. Life is a game for him. He doesn't care for the consequences of not telling us what awaits us there. Tanner's Alley lies in a part of Oldtown that is heavily controlled by Butterfly. Only occasionally do we get to know what happens there. That means, Tanner's Alley is a blind spot for us. Anything could be there. Including the Cats...”, he explained.
“Cats? Come on, don't start to speak like Himani. What's wrong with the cats?”, Jaron asked, feeling slightly impatient. Martin closed his eyes. “The Alley Cats. Fucking Alley Cats. If Himani hinted at that, Butterfly just managed to buy some people who are even worse news than the Fang of Shadows. The Fang is simply an extremely skilled professional. If he sees you, he will kill you. The Cats however are what happens when people with the same mindset as Butterfly come together. Some of them are pretty good fighters, but all in all they are rather ordinary when it comes to experience. But... well...”, Martin explained but paused for a moment. “The stuff they do... They are responsible for atrocities in the North and the Riverlands, got hired by slavers from Essos, by unscrupulous bandits, by Harren Hoare. They are wanted in Volantis, Braavos, Pentos and Lys. And trust me, as long as you have money, it takes a lot to make you a wanted man in Lys” His voice sounded bleak and he shivered for a moment. “And they have money. All of them wear masks, not the cheap stuff, but expensive craftsmanship, maybe from Braavos. The masks conceal their faces and look like, well, like cats”
This caused Jaron to pause for a moment. “Cat masks? What are they, mummers?”, he asked in slight disbelief. Martin shook his head. “Bloody mummers, if anything. They don't bring pleasure and joy, only pain and fear and if you're lucky they bring death. Insanity is a running trait with them as well as a lust for all the things Butterfly likes to do... Thinking about it, it's a miracle he hasn't bought them earlier. They are basically meant to be together. Rapist, Murderers, child-killers, all united under a common goal. Trust me, you don't want to mess with the Alley Cats”
Jaron frowned as he heard that. Butterfly alone sounded like bad news. His underlings were already bad. But a whole mercenary group as bad as him, under his command? Perhaps it was a good thing that he came to Oldtown, that he worked with the Burned Man. Somebody had to stop Butterfly and his men before they would tear this city apart.
“I had a past run-in with them, during a job in Gulltown. Managed to kill one of them, but got stabbed in the process. Nearly bled to death. But the worst part was what some of them were doing while we found them... what they were doing to some local girls”, Martin said and paused for a moment taking a deep breath. “Trust me, it prepared me for some of the things I've seen here” He avoided eye contact, but Jaron knew the expression on Martin's face. He had seen it, mainly on the faces of old warriors, men who had seen terrible things. “How have you ended up here anyway?”, Jaron asked.
“You know, at first this had been an ordinary job. I was hired as part of a group of mercenaries, working for the Burned Man. Nothing special. Beating a few people up. Killing a few others. Just business”, Martin said and the hint of a smirk formed on his face. “In time I was trusted enough to play bodyguard for Harpy. And I admit, after that I also stayed for the... view... on top of the Burned Man paying wonderful money for something I would have done for free”
He caught Jaron's stare and his smile returned again. “Tell me you wouldn't enjoy it! And don't you even dare lying to me” He let out a bright laugh and Jaron had to join in. “However, I gave up any hopes in that matter months ago. That's why I advice you to keep your distance with her. The Burned Man won't take kindly to that”
For a moment, Jaron thought about denying it. Yes, sure he enjoyed her company but that was not Martin's business! But the way the mercenary looked at him... “Yes...”, Jaron admitted. “I think I like her” Martin shook his head. “You like what you see and I can't blame you. But there's more to her. Harpy lived two different lives and both of them scarred her equally. She was born as a slave and raised as a criminal. Give her something to hate and all of a sudden she's not so sweet anymore. You killed half a dozen men? That's probably cute for her standards” His smirk vanished and he gave Jaron a stern look. “That girl is all you'll ever dream about if you can handle her. But I don't think you can”
This caused Jaron to narrow his eyes. What was wrong with Martin? That was none of his business. “And what makes you think I can't?”, he asked, noticing that his voice sounded sharper than he intended. Martin shook his head. “You are a stranger in an even stranger city and a good man on top. She knows this city and trust me when I say that she is not a good girl. She might have been a diamond once, but ten years in Oldtown flawed her” Jaron gave him an irritated look. “Why are you telling me that?”, he asked, his voice gaining sharpness.
Martin gave him a friendly smile. “Because you are a good man and she's a friend. I see the way you look at her. And I see the way she looks at you. She might be playing with you, but I doubt it. If you like her, I hope you're prepared for problems. From her, from the Burned Man, from Butterfly. I'd hate seeing either of you hurt”
Jaron started to relax again. The mercenary seemed to be concerned. “Why are you telling me that?”, he asked. Martin shrugged. “Perhaps because I simply hate to see her hurt. Or...”, he said and started to smirk. “Or perhaps I'm just an asshole who tries to keep you away from her, so that my zero percent chance with her might increase” He stopped, caught Jaron's look and both of them started to laugh. “Just saying. Go after her if you want, but never forget what she is”
Jaron shook his head, still smiling. Martin gave him a sly grin. “I'm sorry, I'm just saying how it is. This is not one of your stories. The Burned Man is not a wise king, Butterfly is not an evil sorcerer. I am certainly not your loyal underling and, sorry for that, I would make a far better princess than Harpy” He paused for a moment as Jaron raised his eyebrows. “What do you want to say, Martin?”, he asked, slightly annoyed.
“This is not a story. If you want her, you have to be a bit more realistic. Don't be a hero, Ser Jaron, because I don't think she wants a hero” He stopped and looked around for a moment. “Ah... almost there. Tanner's Alley, just down this street for two more minutes”, he said.
Jaron looked around. This part of Oldtown reeked of poverty. In his past stays in this city, he had never been here and the condition of almost everything here shocked him. The buildings looked run-down, the people were thin and pale, with sad eyes full of regrets and broken dreams. Two almost feral looking dogs were fighting each other over... over...
“So, what can you tell me about Robb”, Jaron quickly asked, trying to get that image out of his head. Martin still looked at the dogs and at the... thing they were fighting over. “Fucking city...”, he mumbled. “Robb comes from the Riverlands. He is not a bad man, like I said. I don't know him particularly well, but we have fought side by side several times. He had a rough childhood and uses that as an excuse to be an ass. His father used to beat him senseless as a hobby, but I'm asking you, who wasn't hit by his father?”
He paused for a moment as Jaron gave him a sly grin while raising his hand. “Fucking bastard...”, Martin mumbled. “Who was your father either way? Must be someone big if you proudly name yourself 'Bastard'”
“Don't know him”, Jaron answered. “My mother always told me he was a nobleman and I believe her...” He paused as Martin burst into laughter. “A nobleman? You're telling me you're a noble bastard? Maybe I should start calling you Lord Bastard?” Jaron joined in his laughter, but tried his best to keep a stern face. “Martin, one more joke and I put my sword in your eye”, he warned him. This didn't stop Martin's laughter. “Lady Harpy once told me the same. But she used the word 'dagger' instead of 'sword' and instead of 'eye' she said 'crotch'” This time, Jaron couldn't refrain from grinning a grin similar to Martin's as he answered. “Yeah, that would explain a lot”, he chuckled.
He stopped as Martin stopped, pointing at a small, dark alleyway. “Tanner's Alley. Of course, not a single tanner lives here anymore. They all moved south, closer to the harbour. But the name remained. Today only the very poor or very desperate live here”, he explained as he looked down the gloomy street. “And maybe a few cats, if we're unlucky. Come on, I don't want to remain in the open around here” With these words he started to walk down the alley at a considerable speed and Jaron had to hurry to keep up with him. “Only the poor or desperate, huh?”, he asked. “Which one is Robb?”
“Both”, Martin answered. “He's an alcoholic, only able to fight when he is sober and he's always depressed. Never laughed at one of my jokes” Jaron gave him another sly grin. He started to enjoy this! “That's not very hard, Martin”, he answered and Martin gave him a surprised look. “Forget what I said earlier. You and Harpy belong together! The way you mock me makes me think you might be her in disguise. Pretty good disguise by the way. Anyways, Robb is poor and desperate, but he is not the kind of man who would betray his friends. He's poor for a good reason, you know” He pointed at a small door. “There it is. One of the rooms in there is his. Around this time he is usually pissed drunken, but we should be careful”
He opened the door, as carefully as possible and Jaron put a hand on the hilt of his sword. With a muffled sound, Martin drew his short sword and entered the building, giving Jaron a small nod to follow him. Before entering the building, the knight looked up towards the roof. A single, open window was located there, a small candle burning on the windowsill.
The two men entered the building as silent as possible and Jaron was once again glad that he wasn't wearing any armour. Sneaking around would have been impossible in chainmail. Martin was wearing light leather, but seemed to be used to it and moved in near silence. The building itself looked even worse from the inside than it did from the outside. The walls were moldy and dark, stained with dirt. Jaron saw a large splatter of blood on one of the doors in the small hallway the just entered. Crooked stairs lead up to the first floor, which wasn't a real improvement. If anything, it wasn't as dark as in the ground-floor. A small staircase lead up to the second and last floor and Martin went first. Jaron noticed that the sword in the mercenaries hand was slightly shaking.
They arrived at the third floor, albeit it hardly deserved this name. It was a single room with a small door leading to Robb's chamber. And Jaron heard muffled sounds from out of this room. Someone was talking... two men. He looked at Martin and knew that the mercenary was thinking the same. Robb might be innocent, maybe just having a harmless talk with someone. Or he was meeting one of Butterflies men in there...
[Storm into the room] [Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
[Storm into the room]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CfNarCjSHM
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
Let's not start breaking doors just yet...
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
I'm sorry for going a random week without checking on the forums, things are busy. Good work though!
[Storm into the room] Hell yeah!
Great chapter!
(Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first)
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first] Lets start listening before knocking some heads first
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
you do mean sellsword, yes?
[Storm into the room]
[Storm into the room]
[Storm into the room]
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation]
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
[Storm into the room]
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
bae im back
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation]
[Try to eavesdrop the conversation]
There's no Halla around this time.
**[Storm into the room] **
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first] Amazing chapter! And as I expected, Martin and Jaron make a nice duo
And #Jarpy confirmed! Or should it be #Haron :'D
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
[Try to eavesdrop on the conversation first]
But what about her Ghost?!
The Voting is closed!
Jaron will try to eavesdrop on the conversation
The next part is unfortunately barely written so far, since I had a few problems with how to start the part. I've decided to take the easy route and simply started to write a completely different PoV, which proved to be a good decision. I hope to finish this part today.
On another note, you can now read a short summary of Act 1 if you need to catch up in any way. Some of you already know the summary, since it's the same thing I've been sending out at various times in the past month. You can find a link to the summary in the main post, right under the link to the whole story. Or, if you want to read the summary right now without scrolling back on top of the page, you can also follow this link
And now, prepare for the first shoutout of Act 2! As some of you know, there are some pretty great Borderlands fanfictions here in this forum as well. Right now, there are three and all of them will get a shout-out sooner or later. The first shout-out will go to @Crips, with his awesome story Quest for Loot and Glory
The story is set on the planet of Pandora, a planet were every joke about Australia comes to life. Everything can kill you and everything wants to kill you. Luckily there is an above average amount of guns to kill all this dangerous stuff. The story follows four new Vault Hunters and their adventures some time after the story of Borderlands 2 got finished. And it is gloriously written, with lots of humour and great moments. If you are in any way interested in Borderlands, or simply want to read all the humour my writing sadly lacks, you should check the story out here!
Damn it, you just spoiled the big plot twist of the next Jaron part, involving the ghosts of Lady Halla and Ser Ilhan! Please use a spoiler tag when revealing such things!