Taking the job (Orc Brothers)

While Van had been chatty when she first entered the room, this was the point in the conversation when Dav took over. He pulled a map out of his briefcase, displaying the route they would be taking. “This is the main road to Garethia, our destination,” he explained. “It’s a three day trip by cart each way. We’ll need to be especially careful at this leg of the journey.” He pointed to a mountain that lay near the road. “This seems to be where they’re hiding out. It’s a steep mountain with many caves, so efforts to smoke them out haven’t accomplished anything so far. They know the mountain too well for any outsider to catch them. Fortunately for us, their familiarity with the land won’t mean much if we stick to the roads.”

Helena nodded along. “Is there anything else you know about them? Habits? Weapons?”

Dav considered. “They use axes, and will sometimes cut down trees and place them on the road to impede traffic. If we see anything like that, it’s safe to say they’re coming. The other thing is, uh…”

“They abduct women,” Van said, speaking the words Dav was too uncomfortable to. “At least three so far, given the reports to the guild. No idea where they’re hidden, or if they’re even alive. The men they kill on the spot, save a couple who ran away. It’d be nice if we could catch one alive to **** the location of the other girls out of him, but our priority is to take care of ourselves.”

Helena raised a hand. “I actually have a spell that can communicate with the dead, albeit with some limitations.”

Van whistled in appreciation.

Dav spoke up again. “Well, that will only matter if they attack us. We’re preparing for the worst, but we can hope for the best. … Honestly, the job is technically to protect us, so you get paid as long as we make it there and back safely. Wouldn’t it be better for you if we weren’t attacked?”

Helena shook her head. “If that happens, would you be able to put me in touch with other merchants? It seems luring them to attack is a more reliable way to deal with them than trying to hunt them down. And I’d prefer to settle this before anyone else gets hurt.”

Dav seemed shocked, but also relieved. “If it comes to that, yeah, I’d be happy to. Thank you in advance.”

“Now, unless you have any other questions,” Van said, “We’ll be leaving tomorrow at the crack of dawn.”