Dreamer's Throne

Getting Garrett’s wheelchair down into the basement only required a few of the gang members to carry it down, but when it came to taking it down into the tunnels, he had to get out to allow someone to carry it down. Once the chair was set up down below, Garrett hooked his arms around Obe’s neck and held on while the gang lieutenant climbed back down into the tunnel system. Settling back into his wheelchair, Garrett looked around the tunnels and sighed. Leaving the safety of the Dreamer’s Throne wasn’t his first choice, but if he wanted to draw Henrick out, it was a must.

Even with the threat of the Swamp Sharks, Henrick was a decidedly more dangerous threat, and if he wasn’t dealt with, there was a good chance he could destroy everything Garrett was working for. Mentally reviewing the plan while he waited for everyone to come down, Garrett tried to keep himself calm. Putting himself in danger was never his preference, but until he knew where Henrick was, there wasn’t much choice.

Garrett was wearing a dark cloak that was large enough to drape over his wheelchair, in the vain hope that it would allow him to get lost in the darkness once the fighting actually began, but he knew that even by being present he would be a liability to his side. It was one thing to fight against a superior-sized force, and entirely another thing to do it while trying to protect someone who couldn’t fight for themself.

“Everyone down here? Good, let’s get going.”

Following Obe, the gang filed out of the gate, their expressions solemn. While all of them had confidence in Garrett and his plans, the reality was that they were about to go up against a force three times their size. After the gang had left the gate, Obe returned to shut it and saw Ryn struggling to push Garrett’s wheelchair. Frustrated, she threw her hands up.

“Look, I don’t even know why I had to come. I’m not a fighter, I’m really just a glorified chair pusher. But now I can’t even push this stupid wheelchair because of the rocks!”

“I can push it,” Obe said, looking at her apologetically.

“Fine. But I still think I should have been able to stay back.”

Continuing to mutter complaints under her breath, she relinquished the wheelchair to Obe and shut the gate behind them. Walking next to Obe, she looked around at the dark tunnel.

“Do you come down here often? Ugh, what a depressing sight. Don’t you get creeped out? I feel like I would need more sun if I spent any amount of time down here. Why is it so wet? Ugh. I’ve only been down here for a minute and I already feel like I need a bath.”

At first Obe wanted to tell Ryn to be quiet, but then he noticed that her chattering had somehow lifted the mood of the whole group. Here they were, marching through a dismal tunnel toward what very well might be certain death, but hearing Ryn’s inconsequential complaints somehow transformed the situation into a normal walk. Occasionally one of the other gang members would make a quip during the rare moments that Ryn’s voice fell silent, which normally set Ryn off again.

In this way the team made the journey to the location of the previous trade where they’d first clashed with the Swamp Shark ambush in relative peace. It was still early in the afternoon, so monsters weren’t nearly as active, allowing them to pass through a couple trouble spots without getting attacked. The large room was empty this time, but otherwise it was exactly how Obe had remembered it. When they arrived, Ryn waved Obe away and pushed Garrett into the corner to wait. Seeing that Garret’s head was slumped, she held up her finger to her lips.

“He’s been up all night for the last two days, so let him rest.”

“That’s fine,” Obe said, “we have a bunch of things to prepare.”

While Obe still had his doubts about the outcome of the gang brawl they were about to engage in, Garrett had set up meticulous plans for how they were to handle it. To that end, the Ghoul’s Tooth gang had brought a lot of supplies with them, and as Ryn watched over Garrett, they began to set them up. Wooden barriers were erected around the room and sharpened sets of spikes were attached to them. The barriers were designed to look like basic thigh-high barricades, but with a simple push they could be flipped over, exposing the sharpened spikes hidden behind them.

Ropes soaked with oil were hidden above the entrance the Swamp Sharks would use, while the other entrance was blocked off with boards and stones the gang members gathered from nearby. Though some questioned the wisdom of closing off their only escape, Garrett had explained more than once that this fight was kill or be killed. Vic and Hollice were both renowned for their viciousness, and it was unlikely they would let any of them off if the Swamp Sharks were victorious.

Thanks in part to the subtle influence of the Dream Flowers, the gang threw themselves into the preparation for the fight, and soon their half of the room looked more like a defensive position on a battlefield than a gang preparing for a brawl. Time passed quickly and soon they had finished preparing everything they could. One of the gang members who had been watching for the Swamp Sharks ran back into the room, calling for everyone to gather.

“They’re here! They’re here!”

Gathering together, the nervousness in the room was palpable, so Obe stepped up to speak. Glancing at Garrett, who still looked like he was sleeping, he cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.

“You’re all here because this gang is your home, so I won’t say anything much. Honestly, this situation couldn’t get much worse,” Obe said, earning a chuckle from the gang members. “But we’ve done what we can. If we want to keep our spot in this city, we’ll have to fight for it. But even if we can’t, we’ll cripple the Swamp Sharks in the process. Leave Vic and Hollice to me and focus on killing as many sharks as you can, alright?”

Nodding seriously, the gang turned their attention to the room’s entrance, and a moment later the Swamp Sharks swaggered through. Dressed in all manner of clothing, they looked more like pirates than a normal gang, but that didn’t make them look any less dangerous. If anything, they gave off a powerful, savage air. Filing into the room, it was obvious that the attitude among the Swamp Sharks was one of confidence, though that confidence faltered a bit when they saw the heavy defenses the Ghoul’s Tooth gang had set up.

“What’s this?” Hollice snapped, gesturing to the barricades.

“Defenses,” Obe replied, his voice mocking. “What did you think it was?”

“You’re using defensive barriers in a brawl?” she asked, unable to wrap her head around it.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t we?” Ryn answered. “You have three times as many people as we do. We’d be complete idiots to try to fight a straight battle with you.”

Flushing, Hollice’s rage grew and she started to step forward, but Vic held her back.

“Defenses or not, you’re going to lose this fight. We’re going to crush you.”

“Sure,” Obe interrupted, not willing to let Vic build any momentum. “You might win, but we’ll make you bleed to do it.”

The entire time they were talking, Vic’s eyes were sweeping the Ghoul’s Tooth lines, his eyes searching for a particular figure. During their previous encounter Garrett had left a significant impression on him, and it was only when he spotted the wheelchair-bound figure in the back that he finally relaxed. A wicked smile spread across his lips as he did a quick count of the Ghoul’s Tooth members, and when he saw that the number matched up, he took a step forward.

“Honestly, I expected that at least some of you would run. Your loyalty is commendable. Foolish, but commendable. I hope you show that loyalty to the end, as it would be a shame if you broke too soon.”

Pleased that he had everyone’s attention, Vic reached up to stroke his mustache, but before he could continue he was interrupted.

“You don’t want to tell us to join you?” Ryn asked, her face pale but determined. “Aren’t you going to monologue about how stupid we are not to join you?”

“That’s right. You’re supposed to give us one last chance to join you. You should be enticing us with different benefits,” Obe said seriously. “Like, for the regular members, you could say that you’ll ensure they get paid at least twice what they are currently making. Which, incidentally, is only a silver a month, so that wouldn’t be that much.”

“Oh, and you could offer Obe control of the inn if he comes under you. That would be a good way to undercut his loyalty, right?” Ryn said, turning to glance at Obe.

Nodding, the Awakened gang member pointed at Hollice.

“But you wouldn’t want to make your lieutenant jealous, so you would secretly promise her that she’ll be in charge of an even better territory, helping her maintain her seniority.”

“What…?”

Before Hollice could finish her sentence, one of the Ghoul’s Tooth gang members held up his hand and interrupted her.

“My grandmother is sick, so two silver won’t cut it. For five silver a month, however, I’d consider betraying the gang.”

“Ooh, five silver is a good bet,” another said.

“Five silver? Pssh, you two are so cheap. I’d do it for ten, but not a copper less.”

“Not a copper huh? You’re telling me nine silver, forty-nine copper wouldn’t do it for you?”

Listening to the banter between the enemy gang members, Vic felt like he was about to go crazy. He had no idea what had given them such confidence, but he felt as if it must have something to do with the cloaked figure sitting in the back of the group. Trying to interrupt a few times, the Ghoul’s Tooth gang just overrode him, speaking over him. This continued until he was just about to erupt with rage when Ryn, who was standing next to the wheelchair, suddenly coughed into her fist.

Instantly, the chatter died away and Obe gave Vic a grim smile.

“Sorry about that. I’m afraid my men don’t have the tight discipline your men do. Regardless, I think it’s about time we start. Shall we get this brawl underway?”

As he finished speaking, the Ghoul’s Tooth gang members all threw their cloaks away and lifted the crossbows they’d been hiding, causing the Swamp Sharks to yell out in fear.

“Fire!”

At such a close range there was no way to avoid the destructive force of the crossbow bolts, and pandemonium erupted as they smashed into the tightly packed gang members. It wasn’t that no gangs used crossbows, but it was rare to see so many of them all together. His brain going blank, Vic froze for a second, unable to believe what he was seeing. Neither he nor Hollice had been targeted by the bolts, as they could have dodged or blocked them, but the unawakened around him weren’t so lucky.

“Charge! Don’t let them reload!” Vic yelled, his voice nearly drowned out amidst the screams of pain.

A few of his men heard him and charged forward, brandishing their weapons. The momentum dragged the rest of the gang forward, and soon the whole group had started to surge forward. On the other end of the room the Ghoul’s Tooth gang was feverishly reloading, hoping to get a second shot before they were overrun. Seeing the panic on their faces, the Swamp Sharks picked up speed, surging over like a tide.

They were only a dozen feet away when four of the defenders suddenly abandoned their attempts to reload their crossbows and reached down, picking up long poles. With a shout, they lifted them up and jammed their ends against rocks that sat at their feet. As the other ends of the poles rose, the barricades suddenly flipped over, double rows of frighteningly sharp metal stakes pointing out toward the charging men.

It was impossible for them to stop, and even if they could, the mass of people behind them couldn’t. In that instant, despair colored the faces of the front row as they realized their doom. Trying to stop would simply force them onto the spikes or get them trampled under their companions’ feet, while jumping over the spikes would leave them exposed to the sixteen crossbows lifting toward them.

Horrific screams sounded as the charging crowd hit the spikes with enough force to splinter the barricades. Sharp pieces of wood stabbed deep into the front line of enemies and crossbow bolts followed soon after, completely stealing the momentum of the charge. In complete disarray and with dozens of wounded and dying, the Swamp Sharks had no protection from the next volley of bolts.

Obe, lifting his axe and a small metal shield he’d equipped, let out a loud shout, causing fifteen of his men to pick up their own shields and axes. Rushing forward to the edge of the broken barricade, they began hacking with abandon, showing a ferocity that bordered on madness. They were outnumbered four to one in this fight, and every single one of them was determined to at least take out his share before he fell.

The five remaining gang members began reloading their crossbows again, working as quickly as they could. In the center of the battlefield, Obe heard a loud roar of rage and screamed for his men to get away, barely getting his shield up in time to block a powerful blow from Hollice’s war pick. The sharp point of her weapon deflected off his shield, gouging a deep hole into its edge and nearly twisting it off his arm. Gritting his teeth, Obe returned a slash with his axe, forcing her to back off. His arm throbbed but he shook it off, his eyes darting around the battlefield as he tried to find Vic while also keeping his eye on Hollice.

The fighting was thick and brutal, but so far the Ghoul’s Tooth gang was holding. The defenses they’d set up had done their job, allowing them to create a cordon of sorts. Using the shattered wood and the bodies of their enemies, they were able to maintain their defensive line, but as the weight of the enemy force pressed forward, it quickly became obvious to everyone that it wouldn’t last.