Chain the Wild Pawn 6

“I must thank you again Chain.”

“Honestly, it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“What are you talking about Link?~♪ He scared me silly yet you totally stepped up and made both him and Elliot here stop fighting~♪”

“When did you get so buddy-buddy with Elliot?”

“Aha, ha, ha, ha, ha~♪”

“Your partner’s familiarity with me aside; it is still true Chain that you had stepped in at a most opportune time. Had I continued as I had I might have destroyed what good will there is between Lumirest and the Soarmont Adventurer Company.”

As Chain, Melody, and Elliot made their way across the courtyard of the keep that served as the Company House for members of the Soarmont Adventurer Company in Highroot Chain clutched at her left temple and sighed irritably. Elliot and Melody exchanged curious looks but Chain was already ahead of the Hero and the harpy and began to answer their question as they neared the outer wall.

“It’s the Company Secretary assigned to this Company House that you should be thanking more than me. They’re the ones who finished up all of your receipts of service while all I did was speak up. Had you not put on that display in the courtyard earlier I wouldn’t have even been able to do that much.”

“What do you mean Link?”

“That idiot picking here of all places to have a duel with me assured that I would earn the backing of the adventurers here. With their backing I’d be able to speak out against Highperch without fear of turning the whole Company House against me.”

“So you deduced that much then have you Chain?”

“It wasn’t really hard after you had the nerve to call me a coward.”

Shame filled Elliot’s eyes in response to Chain’s words but the young man did not dispute the maid’s words. Rather he stopped and looked back at the top floors of the keep in a moment of thought. With a smile he explained himself to Chain though he kept his eyes on the keep.

“It felt appropriate Chain after you and Master Highperch got off on the wrong foot and what you told me of your responsibilities after the Bandit King retreated. As I am bound for Aperture in Brightrift by manner of a Junk Bird Airship at first light tomorrow I thought it best to establish you some allies while your responsibilities keep you here. I hope you’ll forgive me my arrogance but I did not feel right leaving you on your own with Master Highperch.”

“Well believe it or not but you probably made things worse for me in the long run.”

“What?”

Peeling his eyes away from the Company House Elliot nearly gave himself whiplash as he turned to face Chain. Despite her words being troublesome to the young Hero the maid offered him a bright smile as she rested her hands on her hips.

“Highperch didn’t go through the trouble of researching me all night after hearing about how I survived an attack from the Bandit King just to get rid of me as fast as he could. An adventurer showing up who has that ginning idiot’s attention is bound to be useful. The question really is how. Whatever the answer though you’ve now thrown the balance that Highperch has maintained here out the window with that duel and now he’s going to have to restore it. That means that my life is in danger the longer that I stay here.”

“I hadn’t even considered that possibility… No even now I need to do something about this. Perhaps I could use the excuse that you are assuring I reach my final destination and have you join me on the airship tomorrow.”

“Good luck with that~♪ Link doesn’t like the Junk Birds so she doesn’t travel on their airships as a matter of principle~♪”

“Is this true Chain?”

“Well…”

Chain threw Melody a sidelong dirty look as she begun and the Harpy just offered her a disavowing smile. A look of irritability returning to Chain’s face she blew off her partner and offered a different explanation for not accepting Elliot’s invitation.

“Regardless of my relationship with the Junk Birds, I just wouldn’t have the time anyway. Unless Highperch already has something cooked up for me it should take a few days for him and the monarchy to get everything sorted out and for me to get my fair share of the bounty from the Brass Line.”

“Couldn’t you just have the funds wired to a different Company House?”

“I could but that goes against my principles.”

“Your principles?”

It was Chain’s turn to turn away from the scene and she promptly turned her back on Elliot and Melody. Placing her hands on the back of her head Chain looked off somewhere in the distance as she answered Elliot’s latest question.

“Remember how I told you that should something happen to a merchant on the Brass Line that it falls to the adventurers present to make sure their wares reach their destination?”

“It is why I suggested bringing you with me out of Highroot.”

“Well, I take it a little further than that…”

Chain paused for a moment as she seemed to contemplate how best to continue. Seemingly having made up her mind she asked another question of Elliot.

“So I’m the Bandit Eater, right?”

“A title you seem none too pleased to have.”

“Maybe… but it’s not entirely inaccurate. There is no doubt that I’m going to indulge myself in every luxury I can afford from my share of the bounty off of the Brass Line.”

“Chain…”

“Don’t bother trying… It’s what I do; fatten myself on the death of others. The Bandit Eater in every sense… But, even I have my principles. That train was meant for Highroot and all of the villagers and merchants who come to the primary trading hub between the Northern and Central Kingdoms and anyone else who comes here to the heart of this frontier kingdom. So that means my share of the bounty should also belong to them…”

Chain trailed off obviously uncomfortable with what she was implying but her meaning was not lost on Elliot. Awe and admiration lit up the Hero’s face as he recognized what it was that had earned Chain her reputation. Before he could speak his mind however Chain again cut him off pulling a hand free of the back of her head to shake a finger at him.

“I won’t accept any praise for how I spend my keep Elliot. No matter how I spend it I still earn it on the backs of the dead whenever bandits are involved. That isn’t commendable in the least. Commendable would be donating it all but I spend ever bit I earn on luxuries for myself and Melody. No matter how you spin it I’m still indulging at the cost of people’s lives. But…”

Returning her free hand back to the back of her head Chain spun around and offered Elliot a mischievous smile.

“Since you’ve gone and put my life in more immediate danger than it was already in I’m going to have to spend my keep before I even know how much it is. Don’t worry though; you and your soldiers can help me spend it all in a day I would think. You still had more than a dozen and a half of them with you if I counted right and I bet they wouldn’t mind celebrating having survived fighting more Heroes than they planned.”

“Ah~ Link you can’t do that~♪ I was hoping to really pig out on the best meat they have here~♪”

“Too bad Melody. Besides, if we have a bunch of people with us who aren’t bothered by you being a harpy and all the locals shouldn’t freak out as much as they normally do. Though I do have to wonder why Elliot’s soldiers aren’t bothered by you…”

Chain looked curiously in Elliot’s direction as she hinted at an unspoken question. Elliot did not seem likely to answer it as the smile he wore spoke of a different tale.

“My soldiers and I would be honored to join you in your revelry.”

“Great. Now while you go get them I’ll set things up with the Company Secretary and we can meet outside the Company House.”

Copyright © 2018 Joshua D Tarwater