A Familiar Fate 8


    Grunting in annoyance, cknail wandered away from the center of the hobgoblins forest camp and sat down on a stone that was right beside his tent. He needed to take a quick break. Being around Khita was tiring, and hed justpleted a difficult mission that had involved a lot of hard fighting and great leadership. He also hadnt gotten a lot of sleepst night  for reasons - and it was still early in the morning. cknail closed his eyes, but he found it difficult to clear his mind. Up in the trees, the birds were singing their morning tunes and incessantly chirping away. He was also not left alone. Khita murmured something to Herah and than wandered over to cknails side.


    He looked up at her and scowled. What do you want?


    To talk to you about some things, Khita replied with a shrug.


    Too bad. Go away.


    She didnt listen. I was just having a chat with Herah.


    My eyes and ears work fine. I knew that, cknail observed derisively.


    Wow, youre grumpy right now.


    Im trying to rest my eyes and think, but youre bugging me, like a bug. Stop buzzing around and go away, cknail replied with a wave of his hand as if to shoo her away.


    Well, youre not busy right now, and this is important.


    Fine, what is it? cknail sighed. It was probably best to deal with Khita quickly so that she would leave him alone.


    Khita smiled gleefully. Right, so I was talking to Herah and she mentioned that youd been avoiding her, even though anyone can see that she wants to jump your bones.


    Thats none of your business. Why do you care? cknail hissed.


    Herah is my friend.


    cknail doubted that, but he humored the redhead. Shes a hobgoblin.


    And you dont find them attractive? What, do you like human women, or men, or something?


    Huh? cknail sputtered in surprise. What was she getting at? Did she know about Luphera?


    Thats nonsense. Stop being so stupid, you ugly human! he quickly shot back. Of course hobgoblins are much better looking than humans. Youre all fat, and pink!


    Then whats the problem? Khita asked.


    cknail rolled his eyes and sneered at her. Hobgoblins cant be trusted. They are devious and violent. Letting them near you is stupid. I cant let her get too close or she might kill me and take my ce as leader.


    Khita gave cknail a perplexed look as she titled her head to the side. Youre a hobgoblin too


    Thats why I know they cant be trusted. cknail exined. No one knew hobgoblins better than he did.


    So the others and I shouldnt trust you?


    Thats different.


    Why?


    cknail hesitated before replying. because Im loyal and amazing, and Im already the leader anyway.


    Khita shook her head. Right, I think youre being stupid and paranoid. Herah is attractive for a hobgoblin, right?


    Yes, cknail answered uncertainly. That was one of the reasons she was dangerous.


    Then you should definitely hook up with her! Just have fun!


    What? Several rather odd and confusing images popped into cknails head. He gave Khita a startled look.


    You should have sex with her, she exined dryly.


    I dont want your advice about this. Go away, stupid girl. Seriously this might be the most annoying conversation cknail had ever had with Khita, and that was saying something.


    Ugh, youre being stupid. Just rx and have fun. Were all going to die eventually, Khita told him as she turned and began walking back to Herah.


    But I have things to do before then, cknail growled at her back.


    Khita didnt know anything. She was human, and not a very smart one. Sure, cknail would have enjoyed ying around with Herah. She had nice pointy ears, and a properly thin body, unlike Luphera, but she was dangerous. cknail could feel it in his bones. More than once, hed caught her looking at him like he was a big juicy steak. That was unnerving. Yet, Luphera couldnt be trusted either and hed messed around with her. cknail could take care of himself, and it was possible that Herah wasnt actually trying to kill him. Perhaps he was just so handsome that she couldnt help but want to be with him and keep him around? He did have the nicest looking nose in the North. Before cknail could think about the situation any more, a hobgoblin appeared at the edge of camp and ran over to him.


    Boss, I found something while I was in the city, the neer announced excitedly.


    Oh? What is it? cknail asked as he looked up. He wasnt going to ask why the hobgoblin had been wandering the city alone, because he already knew the answer. A lot of the hobgoblins were sneaking away to explore. He was also grateful for the interruption.


    A familiar scent, a human. I found someone in the city that was back at our main camp!


    cknail could think of only one person that could be. He stood up and smiled. Oh, really? Take me to them.


    Soon, cknail and some his minions were sneaking back into Daggerpoint. Khita and Herah invited themselves along this time, but cknail ignored them. It was amazing how ineffectual the city wall was at keeping hobgoblins out. They could easily scale it, dig under it, or slip through the gaps in the wood. It didnt seem like anyone ever patrolled or repaired the barrier.


    Im stuck! Khita hissed from where she was bncing atop the wall. She was having a more difficult time slipping into the city and had required a lot of help.


    Just jump down, cknail told her impatiently.


    Its like a three story drop from here! Are you going to catch me?


    No, youre a big fat human. Youd crush me. cknail told her.


    Im not fat! You hobgoblins are just skinny, Khita huffed as she began to slowly climb down. cknail had provided her with a rope but it was still taking her forever.


    When she reached the bottom, the party quickly made their way along several back streets and towards a rundown residential district. They avoided as many people as possible and people avoided them right back. The dirty looking workers and tired women that walked by gave them plenty of space.


    The trail led here, the hobgoblin they were all following said as he came to a stop across the street from an inn. They were standing beside an empty stall that somewhat concealed them from casual observation.


    The inn was a rather shabby structure that looked like it had seen better days. The faded sign over the door bore the image of a cup, or maybe it was a tower? It was hard to tell. cknail took a few moments to think about the best way to approach this situation. Having their entire group walk into the inn would probably be a bad idea. There was no way a whole group of hooded individuals wouldnt draw attention once they were inside. He would probably be fine if he went in with just Khita, but then what would he do once he found his target?


    As cknail was mulling his options, the door swung open and a man stepped out. After exiting the building, he briefly scanned the surroundings, but his gaze swept right over cknails group without concern, and he began walking away from them and down the street.


    Thats him. Follow me, cknail hissed as he set off after the man.


    The hobgoblins and Khita hung back while their target remained in in sight of the public. They watched and waited for several minutes as he wandered the city streets, until finally he stepped off of a main road and into an alley. Instantly, cknail put on a burst of speed and sprinted after him, with his minions in pursuit.


    In the alley ahead, the man began muttering to himself and kicked a bit of trash. Damn, innkeeper. He should be paying me to stay in such dirty rooms. If only those raider bastards hadnt taken almost all my gold.


    Suddenly, he froze as if hed heard something. With a startled look on his face, he turned to look back over his shoulder. He swiftly spotted the cloaked hobgoblins and jumped in surprise.


    Is this about the money? he squealed. Were you sent by Jasper to collect? I dont have it on me, but I swear I can get it. My luck at cards is usually very good. That was just a ime fluke.


    Instead of answering, cknail motioned his minions forward. They jumped on the startled man and began tying him up with rope theyd prepared beforehand.


    Dont kill me! Oh, gods. Ivee too far to die now.


    Once the man waspletely secure and gagged, cknail removed his hood and leaned over. Hey there, Elyias! Its great to see you again. You dont have to worry anymore. It seems like you got lost and couldnt find your way back to Shelter, but your great leader is here to help now!


    Elyias eyes widened and he opened his mouth wide as if to scream - probably in joy  but then a hobgoblin shoved a sock in his mouth. The only sound he could make was a muffled moan, as he chewed the dirty wool and struggled against the two hobgoblins holding him,


    cknail smiled and continued talking. Good thing we found you before this Jasper fellow! It sounds like you were in trouble. Dont worry, though. He wont find you at Shelter.


    As Elyias tired to scream something iprehensible, cknail stood up and ordered three of his minions to take the man back to their forest camp and keep him there. As they left, cknail wondered where the sock hade from


    Why do you even want that loser? Khita asked as she watched Elyias be carried off.


    Hes a friend! We cant just leave him all alone in this dangerous city, cknail exined as he nodded sagely. It was good to help your friends.


    Whatever, now that youve had your fun can we move on to something important?


    Sure, lets go meet up with Gerald and Beardy. When Im not around for too long they get into trouble.


    The inn that cknail hadst seen his humanpanions at was in a much better neighborhood on the other side of town from where they were, so it took a while to walk there. With the others gone, only three hobgoblins were left with them, so they didnt draw too much attention as they walked along the main roads.


    When they reached their destination, cknail left the other hobgoblins outside and entered through the front door with Khita. The ce was mostly empty although there were still a few people around. Most of them seemed to be drinking and keeping to themselves, which suited cknail just fine.


    Ill go up to their rooms. The innkeeper and his employees know me. You should stay down here, Khita suggested.


    Fine, be quick. cknail told her as he looked around for a good ce to sit down.


    He chose a table over in an isted corner. There was no one else near it. As he sat down to wait, Khita walked up the stairs to the second story and out of sight. cknail sighed impatiently, but his boredom was quickly interrupted. A big man who had been drinking at a table across the room got up and wandered his way. He was more fat than muscle but his fists were almost the size of cknails head. It was amazinghow big some humans got.


    Do you think youre so tough just because youre wearing a fancy hood? Its rude indoors, you know, The huge man said as he glowered at the cloaked hobgoblin. His breath reeked of alcohol. What, are you hiding your ugly mug? I think you must be a hideous bastard under that.


    cknail sighed again and shook his head. No, I think Im tough because Ive killed a hundred men like you.


    A knife appeared in the hobgoblins hand as he stood up. His motions were smooth and so frighteningly quick the man barely had time to react. cknail really wanted to work out some frustration by killing this dumb drunk, but that would draw too much attention. Instead, his deshed out at the mans waist. Too quickly to follow, it sliced through cloth and leather while barely grazing the skin beneath.


    Huh? the drunk remarked as his pants suddenly fell down.


    Leave or die, cknail replied as he sat back down without concern.


    The drunk stared at him for moment and then looked down. It took him moment to process what had happened, but when he figured it out he took a quick step back, almost tripped over his pants, and then hurriedly stumbled back to his table as he pulled his trousers back up. There were a few softughs from around the room.


    cknail grunted in amusement as he leaned back in his chair. The incident had gotten the attention of a few people, but they didnt do anything more than look his way and whisper among themselves. However, some of those whispers reached his ears and drew his attention. There were two men seated at a table across the room, and they were talking to each other while deliberately not looking in cknails direction. Both of them looked like any other thug off the street.


    Is that the hobgoblin? one of them asked the other.


    Hispanions whispered back, but cknails ears caught the reply. Probably. Its incredible that it can just walk around like this. Even knowing what to look for I cant tell if its human or not from here.


    If thats it then we should go get the others. Im not going to be getting close enough to peak under that hood, so there is no point in staying around.


    The second thug nodded in agreement, and then they both carefully got up and headed for the door. cknail studied them out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to watch the stairs. They knew, but how? Who were they and where had they learned about him? There was only way to find out. cknail rose to his feet and followed after the humans.


    Once he was outside, he spotted a pair of his hobgoblin minions across the street where he had left them. They also noticed him right away, and he shed them a quick series of hand signals. Upon receiving his orders, the hobgoblins studied the humans that had just left the inn and nodded back to cknail. They then slipped away into an alley and out of sight.


    cknail waited a few moments, and then he began to trail his targets. He kept his head down and made sure there was always a group of people between him and the two men he was following, as he walked through the crowds that hade out to shop or work. People were walking and talking everywhere, and cknail did his best not to stand out as he kept an eye on his quarry.


    Then a few momentster, the two men stepped away from the crowd. They walked over to the shadows near a closed shop and began talking amongst themselves, while asionally scanning the crowd. cknail casually sauntered behind a colorful stall and out of sight. It seemed his targets were worried about being followed, but they were also apparently terrible at searching for pursuers. As cknail watched, three hobgoblins stepped out of the alley behind the men and dragged them into the shadows.


    cknail grinned as he sprinted across the street after them. He slipped into the alley and was confronted by the sight of his minions holding the two men at knifepoint. The humans were holding very still and had their hands up above their heads. Both had hobgoblins behind them with des pressed against their throats.


    Who are you and why were you looking for me? cknail asked them as he stalked over to study them.


    Were just pickpockets, one of the men stammered.


    Thats a lie. Cut off one of his fingers. He has lots of them and if he is stubborn we can remove his toes as well, cknail ordered the third hobgoblin that wasnt holding anyone.


    Wait, no! Ill tell you everything, the thug quickly offered. cknail motioned for the man to continue talking and for his minion to put his knife away.


    Ahh, I wanted a human finger, the hobgoblin whined.


    The first thug wasted no time in spilling his secrets. It was actually impressive how fast he could talk. We were sent here to look for the crew that attacked Cedric. Our boss thought that if we handled you then Werrick would reward us, or at least know we werent involved. He wanted to make sure you werent too much for his gang to swallow first though, so he sent us in to look around beforemitting the rest of the crew.


    And how did you know who attacked Cedric or where I was? cknail asked as he leaned forward to stare into the mans eyes. He was shivering. They were only a few inches apart now, and cknails inhuman appearance obviously terrified him.


    Our boss paid an informant. They told him about you and they said that you were tied to a group of thieves that used to serve the ck Snake, before she got herself wasted. They also told us where to find them, at the inn.


    cknail growled and bared his teeth. Do you have any proof of what you say?


    This development was very unwee. He had been nning on staying in the city for a while and gathering up a lot more supplies and information. If everyone knew who he was and where to find him that would be impossible.


    Um I have this note from the dealer. It has your pals descriptions on it, the first thug answered as he hurriedly pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. The second man red at him but kept quiet.


    cknail took the note and unfolded it while everyone watched him. He took his time to study it carefully, but since he couldnt read all the scribbles meant nothing to him. However, he recognized a very faint scent that clung to the paper. It smelled of exotic flowers. The scent tingled his nose and excited him.


    Kill the one that didnt talk. Let the other go, cknail told his minions.


    The hobgoblins immediately obeyed. The second thug only had time to blink once before his throat was cut. The other stared at his dyingpanion in horror as the hobgoblin behind him backed off.


    Wha why? he asked in confusion.


    So that people know what happens when they go against me and what happens when they cooperate, cknail answered dismissively as he turned to leave.


    The thug stared after him for a second, and then sprinted away down the alley. cknail growled to himself as stomped off out into the street. He had some unwanted yet important things to deal with now. His human friends needed warned, and he needed to deal with a tattletale. This was going to beplicated.