[Poor Grallus, the Rogue – 14]

Pushing his way past some laughing hooded fool with a cat, Dreg and Bexter plow their way ahead at a continually increasing pace. Feeling relief at finally making it to the main city gate, Dreg pushes Bexter to the side. “Gimme some room will ya?”

Ignoring the crowd of people in line to leave the city, he forces his way to the gate. Dreg waves his hands around in self-importance speaking very loudly, “I need to see the guard captain, out of my way, move it!”

Figuring he should follow suit Bexter barks abruptly pushing people out of their way, “You heard ‘im he needs to speak to whoever about the somethin’ people, move along!”

Looking up at Bexter as they breach the final group at the gate, “Gee thanks…” Seeing his target, Dreg puts on a huge smile with his arms outstretched. “Aaaaah my good friend, Sallmon! Did I ever tell you that is the name of a tasty fish up in the clear water to the North, no…? Well it is…”

“I’m a constable, not the guard captain Dreg… you know that..,” Sallmon says looking up from his tie-board. “What do you want?”

Grabbing the constable by the arm Dreg moves him slightly to the side away from the group of city folk. “Look I need a favor.” Sallmon’s eyes turn to instant suspicion. “I know, I know, I already owe you for last week’s shipment of wholesale unmentionables but this is really important.”

As if he hadn’t heard a word, Sallmon steps forward looking at his tie-board and yells, “NEXT!”

Pulling him back hard enough to get both the other guard and Bexter’s attention, “Look Sallmon this is life or death, namely mine!”

After a second of looking him dead in the eye Sallmon concedes by stepping back away from line of outgoing people, “Okay Dreg what…?”

Deeply relieved Dreg pleads yet whispers, “Does your sister still run with the local chapter of ‘Demise’ here in the city?”

Looking around cautiously, “Yeah why Dreg?”

Moving close enough so that the constable pulls his head back at an awkward angle, “I need to find… Grallus…”

Stepping back and letting out a laugh, Sallmon blurts out, “Oh well that’s an easy one, and you don’t need my sister for that. He just came in.”

Hearing this Dreg and Bexter look around at random, “HERE! He’s in the city?!  You saw him?!”

“Yeah not more than a bit ago. You ask me, he’s either playin’ at some weird game or completely lost his noodle.”

“Not more than a… seriously? Where did he go?!”

“Well… He did say something about being hungry, so maybe him and that cat headed down to the ‘Empty Pocket’ or the ‘Burning Beard,’ I dunno…”

Feeling light headed from the rush of information Dreg looks to Bexter who dumbly stares back at him, his mouth slightly agape. Suddenly something Sallmon said sinks in, looking over his shoulder back toward the city he asks, “Wait, did you say a cat?”

“Yeah I’m tellin’ you I think he’s playin’ some angle or somethin’.”

Completely confused Dreg shakes his head, “Grallus, the ‘Scourge of Athari…’ has… a cat…?”

“Yeah… a little black cat with oddly orange ears and eyes.”

Bexter seeing Dreg hopelessly standing still shaking his head obviously befuddled, figures he should say something. He questions, “Uh you mean… like a little kitty-cat?”

Before the constable can answer Dreg jumps suddenly forward, “So wait, where is your sister?”

“Look I gotta get back to…”

“Sallmon I promise you this is worth it… but I need your sister’s help.”

“Well last I heard tell she was on a guild run to that damn crazed cleric in the western tower.”

Dreg’s shoulders droop, “Could this get any worse, really, she’s gone to see Darvil…? Well maybe we can catch her on the way out…”

Thanking Sallmon under his breath he throws him a silver piece as he grabs Bexter by the shoulder and walks back into the city, “There’s a full gold in it if you let me know if or when he leaves the city limits.”

Behind him the constable yells a ‘will do’ but Dreg barely hears anything but his own brain screaming at him with the thousands of possibilities of why Grallus would have just walked back into town.

“What are we gonna do Dreg?”

“What we have to… but why does he have a cat?!”

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More on the way
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