Chapter 20

The inside of the Dry Siaka was a low-ceilinged place, the wooden floorboards dotted here and there with low-lying divans and silk cushions surrounding similarly low-lying tables upon which had been placed a variety of Hookahs and Opium Pipes. Nearby, a low bar served opium, hashish, ale, and wine from containers that were kept under guard by a pair of scarred, thugs in leather armor equipped with slashing swords and daggers that hung low on their hips. The darkened interior was lit by the warm orange glow of several lamps hanging down from the ceiling.

The client base looked similarly rough, a combination of shifty-looking Rogues and scarred bruisers, with a few of the more adventurous types of scholars thrown into the mix as well. All were partaking in the various refreshments offered by the proprietor, though, which was good for the Dry Siaka's business.

In the corner, a trio of black-garbed men sat playing dice, each time a new shooter came up to throw the bones, they would attempt sleight of hand to swap the dice out with dice of their own. Shi Hou very much doubted that any of the dice were the same set the game had begun with. All three had cups of ale or wine, and a communal Hookah sat out of the way of their dice game.

Nearby, a Mortal Thaumaturge bearing the talismans of an Exorcist trained by the Sohei Order of Lookshy sat paging through a tome, sipping a glass of wine one-handed while a rough-looking Bruiser wearing a pair of fighting gauntlets in a chain shirt smoked a pipe at the same table and was busily eyeing up Evening Rabbit and Shi Hou.

In another part of the room, near a raised platform upon which a Varsiyag Woman performed a traditional Belly Dance, a trio of Rough-looking, Younger, Men in mismatched, but finely crafted, armor with weapons as diverse as throwing blades and two-handed mauls, also finely crafted, sat entranced by the scene of the Dancer. All had drinks and at least one smoked opium from a pipe.

A dozen and a half other patrons aside from those all drank, smoked, and occasionally ate, seated around tables, and generally were on the rougher-looking side of things, however, they had none of the intrigue, surety, or finely crafted equipment of the others.

This was the sort of establishment that Grellthorpe's Client, Arslan Beg, ran. Of course, that was to be expected given the Old Man's contacts. Arslan Beg had been a well-respected Mercenary back when Shi Hou had just been starting out. He'd had a career as a mercenary that stretched back close to twenty years before Shi Hou had even been born. Arslan Beg had retired shortly after the peace the Confederation of Rivers had signed with Thorns and their Realm Allies after the battle of Mishaka. He'd taken his considerable wealth and purchased the Dry Siaka, using his Mercenary Connections and stockpiled wealth to arrange lucrative deals with the Guild to supply him with Opium, Hashish, Wine, Ale, and half a dozen other things.

It was working out for him. Twenty-six patrons during an off-period were nothing to sneeze at for an Opium Den of this size and from the looks of the staircase leading up that was currently being mounted by a dusky-skinned serving girl with a carafe of wine, this was only one floor. Of course, the high taxes placed on such establishments tended to be costly, but it clearly wasn't bothering Arslan Beg.

The Old Man was now in his sixties, and while he still bore his curved, fighting dagger, the white in his beard and the gold in his clothing belied the fact that he wasn't going to be fighting anyone these days. He was now enjoying his well-earned and profitable retirement. The two leather-garbed Thugs with the slashing swords guarding his supply of product on the other hand looked like they just begging for a fight.

"You never told me Arslan Beg catered to this kind of crowd." Grumbled Evening Rabbit.

"It's Tashkek, Rabbit. This whole city is 'this sort of crowd'." Pointed out Shi Hou.

"Still. Every single one of those men playing dice is cheating, and the rest of this crowd looks like they'd just as easily kill a traveler for their boots as say hello. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to, Monkey." Frowned Evening Rabbit.

"We're just here to drop off the package and then head out." Reminded Shi Hou.

"Fine, let's get this over with." Sighed Evening Rabbit.

The pair headed over to the bar, behind which, Old Arslan Beg sat smoking away with his pipe packed with far less intoxicating tobacco compared to the Opium and Hashish he sold his customers. As they did, Evening Rabbit reached into their pack and pulled out the wrapped package. Arslan Beg's gaze sharpened on them as she did that.

"Grellthorpe's sent us to deliver his scheduled package." Informed Shi Hou.

"He sent the Stone Monkey on a milk run? I find that hard to believe." Intoned Arslan Beg.

"I owed him a favor. This was what he chose to cash it in on." Shrugged Shi Hou.

"And in doing so, he avoids paying for a courier. That, I do believe." Smirked Arslan Beg.

"Especially with the War between Peshmi and Tulgadan." Nodded Evening Rabbit.

"True, dangerous jobs mean prices go up, though a courier could have taken a riverboat instead of coming the long way." Mused Arslan Beg.

"And pay for passage on a Riverboat for a courier? How well do you know Grellthorpe, because that doesn't sound like him to me." Chuckled Shi Hou.

"Fair. Still, I'm sure you understand that I cannot afford to take the word of anyone, even from my business partners, at face value. You won't begrudge me the weighing and measuring of the package, just to be on the safe side?" Questioned Arslan Beg.

"How long will that take?" Queried Evening Rabbit.

"Not long. Perhaps ten minutes to ensure everything is as it is supposed to be." Answered Arslan Beg.

"Where?" Asked Shi Hou.

"My office." Responded Arslan Beg.

"All right. Lead on." Agreed Shi Hou.

"Monkey, why are we agreeing to this?" Demanded Evening Rabbit.

"This should be the quickest way to get this over with. Just go with it, Rabbit." Insisted Shi Hou.

As Arslan Beg and two of his guards led Shi Hou and Evening Rabbit past a doorway guarded by a large bruiser in Lamellar Armor with a Tetsubo, package in tow, they didn't notice that one of the rough-looking patrons, a Thief clad in gray made his way back outside.

That lack of attention to detail would wind up hurting them in the end. . .

XXXX

Cathak Sen had run into difficulties with finding a street urchin that would watch the Dry Siaka for him. It turned out, that Tashkek was on the eve of a Gang War and all the normal street trash was either signing up with one of the two sides or was otherwise keeping their heads down. Typical of the Mortals of the Lower Classes, they sought to join a faction run by someone of actual power or simply hoped to remain unnoticed. Either way, the result had been the same for Cathak Sen.

Indeed, he was being forced to keep an eye on the Dry Siaka himself. Of course, he wasn't doing so by actually approaching the place. Instead, he was keeping watch over the alley from an outdoor table at a little cafe across the street. The Cafe was run by a woman who was comely enough and provided a clear view all the way down the alley to the Canal beyond. Mind you, it was mostly a coffeehouse, the Varsiyags were very particular about their coffee. Horrid stuff, not a patch on Tea, but they had other drinks as well like this chilled, sugary, lemon drink he was currently sipping that was helping soothe the flames of frustration that he felt from how his mission was dragging out so much.

As Cathak Sen took a sip from his lemon drink, he spotted a Man in a gray tunic and leathers with a chopping sword at his belt running out of the Alley that led to the Dry Siaka. As he witnessed that, Cathak Sen frowned. What on Earth could have prompted that sort of reaction? Had the Anathema actually decided to discard all subtlety and begin butchering the inhabitants of the Dry Siaka? If the stories the Immaculates tell are true, and Cathak Sen fully believed they were, it wouldn't even be the first time such had happened.

That put him in something of a bind. As loathe as he was to admit it, Cathak Sen had barely driven the Anathema off with his Circle Present. On his own? He doubted he would be capable of doing something similar. Of course, it could also have nothing to do with the Anathema. Tashkek was on the verge of a Gang War, after all. Perhaps the Thief had spotted some tempting target for his faction enter the Dry Siaka and was now arranging a hit squad to strike the first blow?

If that was the case, should Cathak Sen even try to intervene? He wasn't here to be dragged into the petty squabbles of a local Criminal Faction in a provincial city outside Realm jurisdiction, after all. He was here to deal with the Anathema, and failing that, to keep tabs on them for when the Immaculates arrived so that he could point them in the right direction to do their duty.

Ultimately, however, Cathak Sen was saved from having to make a decision by the arrival of a group of armed and armored men and women not ten minutes later. They looked professional, dressed in Chain Shirts and equipped with slashing swords and daggers, walking in formation, these men looked more like Mercenaries than criminal thugs. They were being led by a Yushoto, judging by the Green Jade Lamellar and Green Jade Alloy Slashing Sword, whose eyes were the green of Bamboo.

"That has to be The Black Yushoto, which would make the aggressor faction the Sons of Sextes Jylis." Mused Cathak Sen.

As he did so, the squad of eight sons of Sextes Jylis followed the Black Yushoto into the alley. They then disappeared into the entrance for the Dry Siaka. Not two moments later, a pair of furred, clawed, hands hoisted the red-clad, furry, form of a Rat Beastman over the lip of the alley that fronted onto the canal. Looking at the Rat Beastman, Cathak Sen was surprised at just how ill-equipped the thing looked at first glance, at least until you looked deeper.

The soft leather clothing the rat wore wasn't boiled, making them too flimsy to be used as armor if not for the enchantments woven into them that made them as durable as an artifact chain shirt. The only thing he seemed to have on him for a weapon was a length of leather-wrapped ironwood slung over his back, too short to be a staff and too improvisational to be a well-balanced club. In fact, it would hardly be appropriate as a weapon at all if not for the thaumaturgical enchantment on it that allowed it to hit like a Goremaul and the fact that there were martial arts styles that allowed sticks and other such improvised weapons to be used with great capability.

The Red-Clad Rat Beastman was followed by eight additional Rat Beastmen, these were equipped in a mix of boiled leather reinforced with iron rings. They each had more purposefully made weapons, whether they be chopping swords, daggers, or cudgels. They followed the Red-Clad Rat Beastman into the Dry Siaka moments later.

As he took a sip of his sweet lemon drink, Cathak Sen counted down in his head from ten. There was no denying what was about to happen, after all. When he reached the number one, the screaming started from inside and Cathak Sen nodded to himself. Who knew? Maybe he'd get lucky and the Anathema would be killed in the opening battle of the Tashkek Gang War? Even as the thought occurred to him, Cathak Sen banished it.

He wasn't that lucky, after all. . .

XXXX

Shi Hou and Evening Rabbit had been led through the door, down a flight of stairs, and into a basement. Down here, a hidden boat jetty sat in a pool that led out via a sluice door into the main canal. Off to one side, a doorway led to a room where casks of ale and wine and steel boxes like the ones that Hashish and Opium had been served out of upstairs were stacked high. Hanging from the rafters was a number of plucked chickens, while sacks of rice and wheat lay on wooden platforms, piled above the floor level to avoid moisture. Nearby, another open doorway showed a kitchen being worked at by a number of women who were baking bread or making stew. At each doorway, more guards were posted. A pair of men in leather armor with slashing swords and daggers stood guard at each doorway.

They weren't led to the storeroom or kitchen, however. No, instead they were led through a different doorway, guarded by a pair of Guards in chain shirts with slashing swords. As they were led this way, Shi Hou spotted a branching hallway, similarly guarded that led to a room with several chests of Guild Silver, Realm Jade Scrip, and even a few more out-there currencies like Wavecrest Cowries and Delzahn Gold Dirhims. This corridor had its own chain shirt-equipped Guards, and they passed by it before being ushered past one more set of chain shirt-equipped Guards and into an office.

In here, a large desk of teak sat with a few chairs around it. A pair of bronze scales sat on the desk while a ledger book, brush, and ink sat near them. A whole wall was taken up by a bookshelf filled with scrolls and ledgers, while the Thaumaturgically Enchanted Lamellar Armor and Slashing Sword that Arslan Beg had used in his heyday as a mercenary sat on an armor rack in one corner.

"You didn't really retire, did you? I've seen three Talons of Guards including yourself so far, and that's only what you've let us see." Accused Shi Hou.

"Sharp eye, I'd expect no less from the Stone Monkey. I currently have roughly a scale's worth of Guards working for me, to say nothing of the non-combatants." Admitted Arslan Beg.

"So your retirement was what? A ruse of some kind?" Questioned Evening Rabbit.

"No. I did intend to retire, but it didn't last. The thing about Tashkek is that there's always someone looking to make a few dinars at your expense. I ran things more or less how I intended for a few years, but after a while, I got tired of having to deal with various con artists trying to score free opium or gangs trying to force protection money out of me. That's when Grellthorpe contacted me." Explained Arslan Beg, holding out his arms for the package.

"And he cut you a deal as a Guild Subsidiary. Did I hit the mark?" Queried Shi Hou, handing over the package.

"Just so. Of course, with the Guild as your business partner, it's always better to double-check things. They're the most powerful concern going in the mercantile sphere, which means that if they think they can fuck you, they will. After all, who is going to stop them?" Nodded Arslan Beg, taking the package and opening it.

"How does that work? You'd think it would drive away business partners and customers." Asked Evening Rabbit.

"The Guild likes to capture markets. When they do, they don't let go. A lot of places just don't have another option." Pointed out Shi Hou.

"It's simply the way the world works." Chimed in Arslan Beg, beginning to weigh the sachets of brown powder using the scales.

"Why don't people band together and boycott the Guild?" Questioned Evening Rabbit.

"You know, you're so book smart most of the time it's easy to forget how young you are and how sheltered you've been till recently." Mused Shi Hou.

"What good is a boycott if the traders you're boycotting are the only ones who can get you things you might need to survive? Not everywhere can grow enough food to feed their population, after all. Look at Gem, they need to trade the wealth from their mines for food to survive." Informed Arslan Beg.

"Besides, even in places where that isn't the case and the locals are self-sufficient, a boycott only works if everyone is on board. You get enough people who don't care and simply want their luxury goods, and the boycott fails. The Guild is very good at exploiting that and has deep enough pockets to hire mercenaries to forcibly break up any effective boycotts." Pressed Shi Hou.

Evening Rabbit frowned at that but seemingly wasn't quite sure how to go about dealing with something that entrenched. Instead, she lapsed into silence as Arslan Beg continued to weigh Opium Sachets. Ten minutes after they'd been led down here by Arslan Beg, the former Mercenary nodded at the scales, made a note in his ledger, and then turned back to Shi Hou and Evening Rabbit.

"Everything appears to be in order. Grellthorpe is as good as his word once more." Remarked Arslan Beg

"Grellthorpe isn't the type to screw over his business partners for a bit of extra profit." Huffed Shi Hou.

"Even if he is still a bit skeevy." Added Evening Rabbit.

"Likely why he is still languishing in the middle ranks of the organization." Concurred Arslan Beg.

As he said that, however, a clamor erupted from upstairs. The sound of steel striking steel, cries of rage, pain, and fear, and the thumping of boots on hardwood resounded through the floorboards. It sounded as if a battle was being fought on the ground floor of the Dry Siaka.

"What is going on up there?" Queried Arslan Beg.

"A fight, it sounds like. Maybe the Gang War just went hot?" Offered Shi Hou.

"If that's the case, I must rally my Guards. I'm sure you remember the way out." Dismissed Arslan Beg.

Shi Hou nodded, Perfection leaping into his hands in the form of a Reaper Daiklave even as Evening Rabbit pulled her throwing dagger. The pair of them headed back up the stairs, hoping things wouldn't be too chaotic and they could just cut their way out of the Opium Den. Unfortunately, that wasn't to be, and as they exited out into the common room of the Dry Siaka, they found a scene of pandemonium. Destroyed furniture and slashed-apart cushions littered the common room, along with the corpses of several of the Patrons.

The Thaumaturgical Scholar had managed to inscribe a ward that blocked a corner off from hostile approach as her bodyguard had left a Rat Beastman with a broken neck nearby. The three Cheating Gamblers had felled a Lamellar Armored Swordsmen and a Lamellar Armored Swordswoman with cuts from poisoned daggers and were busily escaping through a window, while the three Finely-Equipped Roughians had left a Rat Beastman and a Swordswoman on the ground before escaping to the stairway leading up where they would be able to fight one enemy at a time.

Elsewhere, five Lamellar Armored Swordsmen fought six Rat Beastmen in a furious melee, the extra Beastman doing much to equalize the equipment disparity between the two sides. All the while, a Wood Aspect Dragonblooded Swordsman was fighting a Red-Clad Rat Beastman, the Black Yushoto, and Solkan the Red, it had to be.

This was exactly the situation that Shi Hou had been hoping to avoid being dragged into. He had no idea how or why the Dry Siaka had wound up being picked as the place for the spark that would ignite the Tashkek Gang War, perhaps there was simply some Meddling and Long-Forgotten God of Interesting Times keeping an eye on him. Either way, it meant the same thing. Shi Hou and Evening Rabbit were being sucked into the Tashkek Gang War regardless of their wishes.

And Shi Hou was once again resigned to it as he plunged into the fray. . .

XXXX

AN: So here we see a bit about the complex situation with the Guild. All tied back to the currently starting Gang War in Tashkek via Arslan Beg's little operation. The Guild is not a benevolent organization. They have two goals, make money, and keep out the Exalted. So far, they've accomplished both, largely through a series of arcane administrative structures and ruthless efficiency.

As to the Gang War, the reason it started in the Dry Siaka is actually pretty funny. Both the Sons of Sextes Jylis and the Sewer Rats had planned to hijack Arslan Beg's next shipment of Legal Opium. Neither knows just how deep his connection to the Guild Runs, mind you, but they knew he at least had some level of Guild backing, alongside being a retired mercenary with Thaumaturgically Enchanted Equipment. Accordingly, they sent Essence users to lead the stickup. In the Sons' case, the Black Yushoto went himself.

This effectively resulted in a situation where both stickup teams ran into each other, and then a fight ensued. Now that fight is the spark that lights the powder keg that is the Tashkek gang War, and Shi Hou and Evening Rabbit are stuck in the middle of it all.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the fight in the Dry Siaka.

Stay tuned. . .