Titan's Folly: The Raider and the Rapier 2 by Joseph Daniel & Bryan Arneson

Author:Joseph Daniel & Bryan Arneson [Daniel, Joseph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-07-31T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Edmond pulled the hood further over his face, obscuring his features for the first time in a long while with cloth rather than alchemy. For this, he would have to be quiet and careful. Already, standing on the Genevese side of town, he'd learned a thing or two about the family in the northern wreck of Titan's Folly. The Genevese section was more rundown and dilapidated than the Alverdo's. The buildings were grimy, stained, splattered by the exhaust and fumes from the riphouses, where silver minerals and gold were separated from the rocks the miners carted in. Brown sludge that stank like a sewer poured down in rivulets along the sides of the road, and everywhere Edmond looked, he glimpsed shadowy forms standing in alleys, or, through windows, carousing the various pleasure establishments. Despite the late hour, it felt like this section of the city was awake with a lively energy. He could hear the clink of glasses, the raucous laughter, and the sound of at least two fistfights, and that was just this corner.

Still, pulling his hood closer over his face, Edmond sidled up the alley that led to the fighter's barracks. He had discovered the location of the baron's tournament sponsors from the baroness. More than anything, especially following his defeat for the last four years, the baron wanted a victory. Rumors had it that he had even gone into debt to secure the sponsorship for some of these knights. Even a bladesman as powerful, swift and trained as Augustin wouldn't be able to match six of the baron's picked men.

The barracks was in a short squat building against the hull of the Stern of the tatterdemalion Titan. The enormous shadow of the gigantic ship swallowed the small building, encapsulating it in a dark embrace. Flickering lights from torches and candles glowed from inside the barracks, illuminating the street and the walls of the soot stained buildings outside.

“Hey!” shouted a voice.

Edmond stiffened, glancing sharply over his shoulder towards the mouth of the alley.

A silhouette cut dark against the night, but his back was to Edmond, and it seemed as if he'd been simply traveling across the alley towards one of the buildings on the other side. He was waving at a man standing by a glass window and two spinning doors. “Wait for me!” the silhouette cried, emitting a burbling laugh. “First round’s on me!”

The second man called back something indeterminable and slurred, slumping against a wall and banging his head accidentally. Edmond supposed he had probably already had his first, second and fifth rounds.

But the more chaos in the streets, the louder the town was, the better for his endeavor.

Pulling a key from his pocket, Edmond eyed the barrack door.

Alright, Rodergo. Don’t let me down. The key clicked in the lock after couple of tries, the sound bringing with it a sense of relief washing over Edmond. As he pushed his way through the door into a dark, descending corridor, he made a mental note to thank the hellcatcher the next time he went to visit the baroness.

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