About Blood 48: Interrogating

48: Interrogating

Feldepost forehead was marred with wrinkles of worry. He had been washing the same mug for a long time, letting the serving girls do most of the work. Now and then he walked to Tranzig’s room, scratched his balding head and went downstairs again. Eventually, he seemed to come to a decision.

“Anika, I’ll be out for a while. You take care of the inn.” He told the senior of his serving girls. Then he took his cloak and left the inn, walking deep in thought to a house at the edge of town. He walked up to the door when he heard the sound of something wooden rhythmically striking something soft, immediately followed by a yipe or a whimper and a growl. He knocked on the door.

“Tevan! TEVAN!” What’s going on?” The sound of the beating stopped and the dog barked a few times before being silenced. Then the door swung open.

“AAAAAAH! WAUKEEN PROTECT ME! A GNOLL IN BEREGOST!” Feldepost yelled.

In front of him stood, dressed in thick clothes with a long cane in his hand, a figure with the hyena-like visage of a gnoll. He was a good deal shorter though. Then, without the maw moving a voice came out.

“Ah, keep your shorts clean, Feldepost. It’s just me! You’ve interrupted my training!” The man brought his hands to his head and took off what appeared to be a mask, revealing a middle-aged, hard-lined face with even harder eyes. The irritated scowl changed into a mocking smile. “Now what is it you want, Feldepost? I’ve got a business to run here.”

Feldepost held his chest. “I… That’s why I came here. I want to… rent one of your dogs for an afternoon.”

“You? Never figured you the hunting type. But come on in if you’re gonna talk business.” Tevan replied.

Feldepost followed the other man inn, clearly ill at ease. “W… what was that I heard? And why are you dressed like that.” He sniffed. “And what is that SMELL?”

Tevan took off the heavy clothes, revealing a normal tunic and pantaloons beneath. “Three questions. One answer. Training.”

Feldepost blinked. “Training? How does that work? It sounded like you were just beating the dog.” There was an accusatory note in his voice.

“I was. That’s the training. The dog’s gotta learn to hate gnolls. Dress up like gnoll, smell like a gnoll, tie him up, give it a good beating, and if the gnolls ever come here, I’ll release my boys and they’ll have a lot of fun tearing those gnolls up.” He opened a cabinet that was filled with bottles He took a large one and sprinkled it on him, filling the air with a very distinct smell of slightly spoiled meat mixed with another sharp smell. “Same for other races. Orcs, goblins, ogres, drow to keep your land safe, but if you’ve got criminals on the loose I’ve got elves, dwarves, halfling, gnome and of course humans. Gotta be careful with those. Course, when I feed them, I take this perfume, so they’ll see me as their source of all things good.” Tevan smiled smugly.

Feldepost grew pale. “That… is inhuman.”

Tevan shrugged. “Yeah, but they’re not humans, they’re dogs. And that’s hunting dogs and war dogs, not your friendly companion, man’s best friend, plays nice with kids lapdogs. I don’t tell you how to run your inn Feldepost, and I’ve got people from Calimshan to Neverwinter asking for my boys, so just tell me what you want.” He scowled.

“I… I need a dog to follow a trail… not to kill… just… following someone I’m worried about. You see, Tranzig left, but I’m not sure about…”

“I don’t care much about that stuff, Feldepost, so don’t waste your breath explaining. Dogs are my trade, not humans. So, I guess you want a tracker and not a hunter eh? Pity, my boys could use some exercise. But I guess Lily could help you out.” He turned and walked to the kennel, Feldepost following in his wake. The kennel itself was full of unmarked, muscled but hungry looking dogs, that all barked happily when their master came in, even the one who had marks on his fur that showed that he had just been beaten. Tevan opened one cage and took out a relatively small and lean dog.

“You got something for her to follow the trail I assume.” Feldepost gave him some cloth. Tevan rubbed it in front of the dog’s nose. “Okay girl, you’re gonna track that. You smell it? Good girl. Now FIND and stay with THIS man!” He turned its head at Feldepost. “FIND, and make daddy proud!” He turned to Feldepost. “She’ll follow the trail and wait for you. She’ll find her own way home. Pay me ten gold pieces now. Something happens to her, you owe me two-hundred gold pieces. Happy hunting.”

Feldepost sniffed and handed over the money, then left to follow the dog.

…

“You mean that overrated, Mystra-serving carcass was here? Pah, no doubt he fled from my brilliance. (Still, a confrontation now would not be ideal. A god’s servants would still be difficult to overcome… for now)” Edwin smirked.

Viconia grinned “Yes, you missed quite the show. These two were quivering like a fresh slave in the spider-pits.”

Montaron rolled his eyes. “Ignorance ain’t the same as courage, drow. I’ve heard the talk, and if half is true I’d have better odds taking on a gold dragon.”

“He knows! I know he knows but does he know I know he knows? He wants to keep Talek from taking it! I KNEW he was with the bunnies. I knew it! They’re ALL plotting against us!” The necromancer hissed.

Montaron looked pensively at Talek, who was staring at their prisoner with angry eyes. “If the Harpers get their own personal demi-god on yer case, I’m starting to think the cleric and the mad wizard may be right after all about ye, though ye never know. Could be another blasted mind game.” Montaron made a dirty face and also aimed his gaze again at Tranzig. “But enough about that. Let’s deal with the issue at hand. Hey, Red Wizard, did ye find anything in his room.”

“Burned parchment. Apparently the tension overcame the inadequate spine of this jellyfish specimen and he was preparing an evacuation. If you hadn’t saddled me with dealing with the crazy monkey-boy, maybe I could have retrieved those. (I said services as a wizard, not as wet-nurse, didn’t I? The drow is a cleric, let her deal with the sick of mind)” Edwin complained.

“Right, right…” Montaron ignored the complaint and crouched, looking Tranzig in the scared eyes. “So, that means ye’ll just have to tell US what was in the letters. And who gave ye orders and, heck, everything ye think we wanna know.”

“Look, I knows nothing okay? I just… just did stuff for someone else… I met him in a bar… never saw his face. Don’t know nothing” Tranzig said.

Xzar giggled. “Oooh… that means he knows everything.”

Viconia grinned. “If I read you correctly, I assume you will now start ‘interrogating’ him, halfling?”

Montaron gave her a dry stare. “Interrogating?” He pronounced each syllable separately in a mockery of a noble accent. “Nah, I’ll leave that to Harpers, Flaming Fists and Paladins that like to live on the edge.” He brought his head closer to Tranzig, so the wizard could feel the halfling's breath on him. “Nah, We’re just going for good ol’ torture.”

“B… but it’s true… I swears it is!” Tranzig said.

“I don’t think ye’re really honest, pal. And what ye gotta do now is CONVINCE me that you’ve told me everything ye know. And the necromancer is gonna help me. Got yer spells ready?”

Xzar made a salute. “Abso-positively-you-better-believe it, Monty. If he lies, I’ll know!”

“Don’t cast them yet. I know he’s lying now. Now, Tranzig it was eh? To ‘encourage’ you Nudge, nudge, wink, wink,” Montaron said sarcastically. “to start telling us what we wanna know, I’m gonna ask some help. Could do it myself, but last time the guy trashed and fell into my knife and… messy business.”

He turned to Viconia and Edwin. “I ain’t gonna ask the drow or the Thayvian. I’m sure they’ve got a reputation and al, but in my experience, all the exotic stuff tends to be pretty much overrated.” Viconia and Edwin, although neither had looked particularly eager to be doing the torturing, still looked a bit insulted. Montaron ignored them. “Nah, I think we’ll go for a plain old, Sword Coast, homebrewn dose of pain. Talek, do your stuff!”

“Right!” Talek said and drew his sword.

Tranzig’s eyes grew wide. Montaron made halting gestures. “Whow, whow, Talek. What do ye think ye’re doing?”

Talek looked blankly at Montaron. “My stuff?”

The halfling slapped his forehead. “I mean HURT him, not KILL him. Try to keep up, boy. Just put the sword away, take off the gauntlets and start beating the crap out of him.”

With a reluctant expression Talek put his sword away. “Do I have to? I mean… if no one else can do it, fine but…”

“Oh for crying out loud. I thought you’d WANT to beat the stuffing out of him!” Montaron cried out.

“I want to KILL him! Torturing… I mean… I don’t mind if YOU do it, but…” He shuddered as he took off his gauntlets. “Is there another way to get the information?”

Montaron rubbed his temples. “Okay… okay… I can deal with this. The bloodlusted killer goes green in the face from some light torture but I can handle that.”

A nervous chuckle escaped from Tranzig’s lips. Montaron turned to him and the wizard’s face went white.

“Oh, ye think it’s funny. Ye think we’re all gonna have a good, long laugh here, do ye? Well, we’ll see about that.” He turned to Talek. “Boy, grab him by the front and look into his eyes.”

Talek hesitantly did what he was told and grabbed Talek, raising him on his feet with his left hand. Tranzig looked terrified.

Montaron began to speak. “Now, ye remember that Nimbul type ye killed in Nashkel? From his letter, this is the guy that sent him. And his handwriting is the same as all the other letters I’ve seen bounty hunters carry. The guy in Friendly Arm inn that almost killed ye. Sent by him. The guy in Beregost that almost killed ME? That was him. The woman in Nashkel, who could have killed Imoen? Him!” Tranzig went even more pale than he already was. “Now he knows stuff we need to avenge yer old man, and ye’re the one that’s gonna make him cough up the truth! Now make that bastard hurt!”

Talek’s face had a scowl that deepened as Montaron talked, his right hand curling into a fist.

Viconia added on. “For all we know, that warrior that killed your father was sent by him as well. In that case I’m sure he can contact him for us. All he needs is for you to overcome your weakness, and inflict some of the pain you felt upon him. Do it!”

“I… I’m just small fry… a g… guy in a cloak in a bar…” Tranzig stuttered to Talek’s angered face.

“LIES!” The swordsman’s fist connected heavily with the captured mage’s jaw, sending him sprawled to the ground. Tranzig reflexively started to get up, spitting out a few broken teeth.

“Careful, Talek. Don’t hit his mouth too much. He’s gotta be able to talk.” Montaron said calmly. “Ye wanna tell us something, Tranzig?”

“Don’t know anything.” The mage brought out. Before he could say anything else Talek grabbed him by the hair and roughly yanked him up, bring his face close to his. “Where is he? WHERE?”

“W…w…who?” Tranzig squealed.

A punch to the stomach. “The slime in the armour! The guy with the golden eyes! The man that killed my father! WHERE?” Another punch.

“Don’t know him… never met him…” Tranzig whispered through his pain.

“You’re LYING!” Talek tossed him against a tree and kicked Tranzig in the kneecap, then followed up by a kick to the shin. The wizard crumpled to the ground.

“Know nothing…” He sobbed.

“TELL ME!” The enraged young man stamped hard on the wizard’s hand, and got the sound of breaking bones and an agonized scream as an answer. “Tell me or I’ll BREAK every last BLOODY bone in your miserable body!”

The wizard didn’t say anything, just rolling on his back, cradling his ruined hand and looking at it.

Talek stamped his foot down again, in the man’s solar plexus. Tranzig curled up.

“WHY WON’T YOU BLOODY TALK?” Talek screamed and started kicking the man’s ribs. Once.

“BASTARD!”

Twice…

“TALK!”

Thrice…

The kicks followed each one harder and each one driving Talek further into a rage. Montaron told Talek to be careful but wasn’t heard.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” Tranzig brought out.

Talek kicked him again.

“STOP! PLEASE! I’ll tell you everything yous wants to know!”

Another kick.

“Talek, you can stop, now.” Montaron’s voice.

A kick near the wizard’s spine.

“For the love of Mask, get him away!” Montaron yelled. Edwin and Viconia hesitantly grabbed Talek’s arms. They flinched when he turned his enraged stare their way, but then he relaxed, took a few steps backwards and breathed deeply, calming himself down.

Montaron and Xzar rushed to the battered wizard. Xzar cast a quick spell “So, what were ye trying to say?” Montaron asked softly.

“I… I’s a messenger from an ogre called Tazok. He gives me gold and other stuff to bring around, and told me to send assassins for some mugs here and there. And now and then go south to meet up with Mulahey! I only deal personally with a few assassins and I just lets word of mouth do the rest! Just spreading messages, that’s all I does! I ain’t nobody important!” The mage spoke quickly through his sobs.

Montaron looked at Xzar who nodded. “This Tazok, where can we find him?”

“I don’t know exactly… Somewhere in Peldvale or Larswood. They move their camp a lot. They just finds me and take me there. That’s’ all I knows I swears!”

Another nod from Xzar. Montaron walked away and turned to Talek, who was leaning against a tree and panting. The halfling gave him a dry stare. “If what ye were trying to accomplish was not having to do that again, congratulations, ye’re officially off the torturing roster.”

Talek nodded. “Yeah… that’s good… Sorry about that, Montaron.”

Edwin snorted. “Pah, if I had proper access to spell scrolls this entire display of low-brow violence would have been superfluous, a few gestures and words from my skilled hands and mouth and all of the hedge-mage’s secrets would have been ours. (Luckily our bumbling foe had some scrolls not copied to his own spellbook. They are mine. Spoils of war, and I will use them as no one else can.)”

Montaron ignored Edwin and shrugged. “We got what we need, so don’t worry. Was a pretty bad idea of mine to ask ye to do it anyway. Now, go do ‘your stuff.’” He pointed at the sword. Talek smiled and calmly went to follow Montaron’s advice.

“We got what we need, so we’re not hanging around here any longer than we have to.” Montaron told Viconia, Xzar and Edwin. “We’re heading for the bandit camp now. Gather the gear. I’d like to be out of here as soon as possible.”

As he spoke there was the sound of a frightened plea from Tranzig followed by the wet sound of steel meeting flesh and a light contented sigh of Talek. It was followed by another sound.

“Something there!” Montaron took his crossbow and Talek raised his sword.

A few seconds of tension later a dog ran towards hem, stopped at Tranzig corpse and then looked up at Talek.

The human grinned and got down to his knees. “Hey boy, gave us a bit of a fright?” He scratched the dog between his ears and it wagged its tail happily, licking his face.

Montaron peered into the trees some more, but finally put his crossbow away. “Gonna get paranoid like this. Let’s pack up and move people. Beregost ain’t nice for us, the farther away from it, the better.”

A few minutes later nothing but Tranzig’s corpse was left in the clearing. And in the bushes Feldepost was still frozen behind a bush, clutching a small dagger. He had no skill in the woodlands and had been protected by sheer luck. Still, he didn’t move for ten minutes after the last sound had died, then checked on Tranzig’s body, emptied his stomach and slowly and shakily made his way back to Beregost.