They maintained that silence as they walked through the still sweltering city, the cooler air tumbling down from the plateau wouldn’t reach the city for another peal at least.

Soon the clean wide avenues with artfully designed and placed planters were replaced with utilitarian and hard wearing stone roadways with deep gutters to carry the traffic of the trade zone. The buildings alongside those roads changed from small boutiques, spas, small exclusive eateries and such like to general goods stores, smithies, butchers and grocers. As they kept walking the feel changed even further the stink of the Tanneries blew across a roadway that was little more than a string of muck filled potholes along a raised path and the buildings alongside started looming overhead their upper stories closing in claustrophobically. These tenements stank not only of the Tanneries and the trash and other nastier substances in the shallow gutters along the path but they also stank of fear, apathy, anger, and hopelessness. They’d reached the Slumps, the hovels at the far edge of the city where slaves who had just earned their freedom, the destitute and broken, and those who didn’t particularly want any scrutiny of their lives or their business lived. The buildings here always had a temporary feel to them for all that many showed signs of having been here for years and whole ecosystems thrived on their crumbling facades.

The inn they were heading toward had a stuffed deer on a platform under the overhanging thatch above the door, originally dyed a brilliant blue now it was mostly a dull grey with patches of moss where it hadn’t been protected from the weather. The shutters over the glassless gaping holes used for windows hung awry with faded and peeling scabrous blue paint. The door was a veteran and like so many badly broken, it hung slightly askew and scraped gratingly as the servant opened it so the rest of the group could enter.

The room beyond that door looked… and smelled, about exactly as he’d expected it would.

The people in the room were a mix of races, Beastmen, Oruc and even a very few Fae. As a rule they wore rough cheap clothes and had work roughened hands with expressions almost universally of resignation, hopelessness, or sullen anger. A few were exceptions, their expressions more calculating as they watched Obbst’s group walked through the room and they wore much finer clothing or armour of various sorts. These were the ones who lived here not because they had to but rather because here they would be left alone.

A well dressed Fae approached and said in Fae, “Greetings Noble and Minotaur, how may I aid you?”

Obbst looked at him with a dull look in his eye as though he hadn’t understood a word, the Noble glanced at him before saying something in his sibilant hissing tongue with it’s very hard stops and multi-toned clicks. The servant said in Harkag, “Noble Trftdrwx does understand your words but since you can’t speak his words, I will translate them for you. Also, speak in Harkag so the Minotaur can understand, he gets annoyed if someone hides behind words he can't understand.”

The Fae looking slightly pale, in Harkag and looking at the Noble said, “Certainly. I would not want to offer dishonour to the Noble or annoy the Minotaur. How can I help?”

The Noble spoke and the servant translated, “One of your function rooms is needed, your rates are known and will be paid. Show us to it.”

They were shown to a room and once inside with the door closed and the wards active Obbst’s shoulders started shaking, soon he couldn’t suppress the laughter and deep guffaws shook his frame.

Getting himself under control he choked out, “Did you see that guys face? I thought he was going to shit himself.” Then he broke down laughing again.

Noble Trad said, “I wondered why you were playing stupid but thought I might as well play along.”

“I like people not knowing me but it’s even better when it’s funny. Also a small test to see what you would do, no dishonour intended but I need to know how people I’m working with will act when an unexpected situation comes up.”

“Testing is fine but if it continues past what I consider acceptable we will have a problem.”

Obbst shook his head, “I know enough of you now, there will be no more.”

“Good we understand each other better. Business, Hd the information.”

Hd (the servant) reached into a hole that appeared in mid air and removed several stands and boards with diagrams and information recorded on them and set them up.

Obbst said, “Hrrrm, how did you get so much information so quickly… no wait that is a stupid question. I forgot who I was talking to.”

“Perfectly fine, I’ll overlook it this time. I’m sure there will be many other chances to take offence to your stupidity.”

Obbst snapped a look at the Noble but his expressionless metal face was still expressionless.

“Did you... just... hrrmph. Great, a smart arse Iaernide hiding behind a metal face.” then he chuckled and said, “Ok, let’s plan this.”

******

Three days later Obbst, Noble Trad and his protected lurked in a well treed park that the target and her guards were at once a tenday for a picnic lunch.

The plan was utterly simplistic. Obbst would disable one guard, Gx (the soldier protected specialised in melee\grappling) would take the other, while Noble Trad grabbed the target. The other two soldier protected, Hn and Je, would be watching at either end of the small tree lined section to make sure they were left alone while they carried out the abduction.

Just before the lead guard would pass him, Obbst stepped out of the thick foliage beside the path and directly into his path. Before he could even react Obbst’s huge golden fist swung out and seemingly gently tapped him.

He was thrown across the path as the light of reason left his eyes and he shifted to his native bull form, already unconscious from the force of the blow. The rearmost guard was engulfed in a bone cracking bearhug as Gx surged out to tackle him, throwing the both of them to the ground.

They tussled briefly but Gx had surprise and superior skill on his side, soon he was wrapped around a large bull rather than a Minotaur, as that guard was also rendered unconscious.

Noble Trad, hand glowing with the purple light, touched the young target on the shoulder. Her legs folded up and she fell sideways, sound asleep.

The slaves dropped to the ground and froze with the hands covering their heads and their eyes, hoping they were far enough beneath notice so as to not be deliberately killed and hoping they would not be accidentally killed either. They knew much better than to run for that would mean certain death.

Obbst scooped up the unconscious filly and cradling her in his arms triggered a teleport beacon, leaving Noble Trad and his protected behind. The metal their frames were made of strongly resisted magic of all forms and of them only the Noble had his own magic. He could overcome the resistance of his frame and allow himself to be teleported but his protected would be left behind and that was not something he would allow.

Obbst reappeared in an unobtrusive corner of a very busy warehouse in Farhan, a small port city far from the capital. The Herdkeeper had arranged for the filly to be kept here by a mercenary group with no association to him or his herd. Some commonly used magics were able to find associated people with ease but the only connection between the Herdkeeper and these mercenaries was money and since Obbst would be leading some of them in a raid against another herd that the Herdkeeper wanted embarrassed for unconnected reasons it would serve as an effective cover.

He handed her off to a waiting Fae woman and left the warehouse quickly to reduce the chance of him being associated with this specific warehouse. Hurrying through the bright midday streets he headed to the Inn the mercenaries were based out of. He was shivering slightly because even though it was noon, Farhan was much closer to the coldlands and the air was much cooler than the sweltering jungle he’d just left.

*******

A peal later Obbst stood outside the Inn he’d been directed too. The Bloated Goat was a very well kept inn, fresh colour brightened it’s exterior, the woodwork was all in excellent condition and there was even glass in many of it’s upper windows.

Mercenaries in general tended to be poor and constantly scrambling for any deal that would gain them the coin to survive another tenday. He knew that from his own time as one but even the moderately successful group he'd been in would never have been able to afford lodgings such as this. It would pay to be extremely careful and to keep in mind that highly successful mercenaries were more often than not, not particularly moral mercenaries.

Ducking his head slightly (but only slightly, this inn must be used to heroically built customers) he walked through the doorway into a clean, sweet smelling, and bustling common room. Scanning the roomwhile looking for his contact he saw the customers were all well armed, well armoured, and carried themselves with an assurance that said they knew they were not targets. Or if targeted knew they could deal with it.

Obbst immediately felt at home and that was dangerous, this was not his old crew no matter that they gave him the same feeling of competence.

Tarrave the Black, his contact, had been described as a white coated Centaur Stallion with heavy scarring across his withers and back from the lash.

Spotting a stallion who matched the description at a table near the rear of the room he approached, as he got closer he could see the mercenaries at the table and in the surrounding area making subtle preparations for a fight if needed. His estimation of the group increased again, even here where they should be safe they didn’t blindly assume they were.

He stopped next to the table and said in Wisentaur (the centaur language and the common language of the confederacy), “Tarrave the Black?”

The centuar nodded.

“I am Herdsprotector Obbst of the H-Halas herd, my Herdkeeper s-sends me to you.”

Tarrave said, “Herdsprotector Obbst of Halas Herd, you are known to me. As is your task. This servant will take you to meet the forces assigned to to your command for the duration.”

“I thank y-y-you.”

An Iaernide servant scuttled past Obbst and waited, clearly wanting him to follow. He bowed his head to the Tarrave and turning followed the servant as it led him up the stairs.