What the hell?

'Wham' The red faced watch captain smashed his big fist down on the desk in front of him making you jump in your seat. "What is going on with you?" The burly human demanded as he glared across the table at you darkly, shaking his head so vigorously his long mustache flapped against his cheeks.

"I... I don't know." You stammer back weakly, looking up at the big human as he glares down at you.

"Every headache I've had for the past week... has been because of you!" The guard captain confessed bleakly, as he ran the fingers of one hand through his hair. Even as you opened your mouth trying to apologize, only to be cut off before you could even get a word out. "Burned down tavern... Orc attack... Arrow ****... knife throwing Pub attack... one of MY guardsmen with a dagger in his guts." The captain ticked them all off on his fingers, as you noticed the veins in his forehead bugling and throbbing. "All this because of you! Who the hell have you pissed off?" The watch captain demanded, starring at your confused and honestly baffled face hard for a few moments. Before snorting and turning away from you to look over at Arlen, the faun sitting there wincing at the aching in his wounded thigh.

"Give the kid a break..." The faun snorted looking up at the human with a smirk, as the captain's face turned a darker shade of red.

"When is the license on that pub of yours up for renewal Arlen?" The big human demanded, the dislike plain on his face as the shaggy legged faun sat up straight.

"Not for three more years..." Arlen answered with a smirk, stroking his short goat beard as the watch captain glared at him.

"You had better hope that I have forgotten about this by then... otherwise your going to be out of business." The captain pointed out coolly, as Arlen winced at the pain in his wounded leg again. "And where did that cook of yours run off to? He is a witness and I will be expecting him to answer all my questions... before the sun goes down tomorrow. Am I clear? As for you..." The big red face human snarled, glaring over at you as you sat there looking confused. "Get out of my city!"

"Well I have been planning to... leave on a journey to find my father." You confess as the big human gives you a relieved look, even as Arlen pats you on the shoulder gently. "I'm looking to voyage to the Free City of Tior-Faen..."

"I'll find you a ship!" The watch captain volunteered eagerly, plainly wanting to get you out of his hair as quickly as possible. "And feel free to take this one... or that Orc friend of ours with you. The more of you lot I get out of my hair the better."

Then the red faced watch captain turned back towards faun Arlen. The man's expression was extremely annoyed. He took a pipe from his pocket and smoked.

He said in a sarcastic tone: “Arlen, you probably really want to attract the close attention of the Inquisitorial Sectorium of the Church of the Equal Brothers of the Deities to your pub? Are you bored with your life and want to get a bright and exciting sensation for your ass? How about the pious priests of the Inquisitorial Sectorium roasted your stupid ass on a fire? Would you like that, Arlen?"

Faun Arlen's face quickly acquired an expression of fear. Not a trace remained of his former gaiety.

Faun Arlen timidly answered the red faced watch captain: "I don't want anything like that... No... Of course not. I am a law-abiding subject of the Sacred Kingdom of Orlania! I didn't do anything wrong..."

The red faced watch captain rudely interrupts Faun Arlen and says in an angry voice: "It seems that you have forgotten that you are lucky to live in this city. The city of Skelweerd and the lands of the county of the same name, thanks to the grace of our pious Countess Adelheida Devarten, are comfortable a place for representatives of relict non-human communities to live. All these fauns, minotaurs, fairies and other similar endangered shits - they all have more opportunities and rights in this city and in this county than in the rest of the lands of the Sacred Kingdom of Orlania. You are a living example to this fact, faun Arlen! So far a living example... You should be grateful for this to our pious Countess Adelheida! She has significant connections in the Church of the Equal Brothers of the Deities. She has dedicated her life to spreading the True Faith in the Deities of Orlan and Alaratos! She wants to spread True Faith, even among such scum as you! And she convinced the Conventium of Ecclesiarchs to allow fauns like you to gain more rights in the territory of her hereditary county, subject to accepting the True Faith and paying a higher rate of Church Tax. As a result, you own a pub and do not work as a loader in dirty slums, as would be the case in many other cities of the Kingdom of Orlania! And what do you do in response, faun Arlen? You're allowing some kind of ugly, bloody brawl to take place in your pub!"

Faun Arlen tries to hesitantly object: “Allowed... We were closed... it just wandered in off YOUR streets! But I pay you “special” fees every month, captain! After all, you promised that you would help protect my pub from unnecessary attention from other organizations...” Arlen reminded the big human, after all that was a lot of coin the captain was no doubt putting in his own pocket.

The red faced watch captain grinned and says: “I’m not abandoning my obligations, Arlen. It’s just that now you will pay double the “special” fees every month. I hope you understand the need for this. And one more thing, Arlen. Tell your cook to be extremely careful. If he excessively demonstrates his... “peculiarities,” then even I will not be able to help him avoid unpleasant meetings with representatives of very influential organizations.”

Faun Arlen just nodded in response, those added fees would make turning a profit even harder. But there was nothing Arlen could do about it, the captain had all the power here and had made it plain. If he wanted to fuck the faun over all Arlen could do was roll over and take it... begging for lube and say Thank you Sir afterwards.

**

The huge dark figure stalked along slowly, pausing to sniff the sulfurs scent on the cold, wet night air slowly. Franz growled as he followed along behind their mysterious attacker, the werewolf had been expecting to follow him into the warrens. But this fellow didn't retreat to the haunts of the thieves guild, he had ran away up town to a walled and gated manner house. Leaping the wall Franz stalked closer to house, when suddenly the magical barrier sent him stumbling backwards. Leaping into a nearby tree the big werewolf, scrambled up into it so that he could peer into the windows. Eyes watching as their attacker entered a very well appointed study, a tall noble high born Elf lord standing up as the cloaked figure stepped inside. The figure making its report, much to the displeasure of the noble who made a gesture with his hand. At once the cloaked figure burst into flame, the weapons given to it clattering onto the floor as it vanished back to the nether world from which it had been summoned. Climbing down Franz leaped back across the wall... racing off down the fog shrouded streets. Changing back into a tall naked human, as he neared his own modest home near the pub.