I looked down at the parchment in my hand before stuffing it back into my pocket. The scrawl meant nothing to me, in these confounded language of man, but I knew what it said. Comstock had sanction a murderer to come after me and my work, and it had resulted in the death of one of my men. The once blacksmith, Eddrick gave me the intercepted note I now carried before succumbing to the poison that had laced his drink. Jerick, the man who had murdered my first lieutenant and second closest had been given orders by the bloody watch! I didn't know this Comstock or Jerick, and asking at the jail produced nothing of use. All I knew was that according to the letter, Roystan had turned down Comstock's offer of work.
I now stood outside his house, ready to question my once friend about where to find this bastard watcher. I slammed through the door to confront him, and I must say he looked worse for wear, like he hadn't seen the sun for weeks. Obviously he told me to leave, but changed his tune fast enough after I slammed the door in his face, literally. He told me to find Comstock in the Pony. I was frankly amazed I'd never seen him there before, but sure enough, a watcher matching his description was stood by the fire.
As he left he bumped me, but made no sign h knew who I was, perfect for what I planned.I followed him out of the Pony and watched the suspicious man head east, presumably carrying on his patrol after a drink. I walked south, expecting him to finish his patrol through the alley.
It was dark when I reached the alley, and I shared a fire with some of the other beggars. Sure enough, along he came, the murdering watcher. Somehow he didn't recognize me, and walked straight past. It was then that I took my chance. I came up behind him, hammer drawn and dealt him a heavy blow to his sword arm, straight to the elbow. There was a most satisfying crack of bone and the clatter of metal as he dropped his sword. Another blow to the chest knocked him to the floor. Even then he was still smug, confident he would walk out of the alley. How wrong he was. I told him he would die, and that it would only be his cooperation that would speed his passage from this life to the next, as painlessly as possible. He told me this Jerick was in Archet, and used an alley kid as the go between between him and the watcher.
Nothing else he said was useful, and so I ended his life. A hammer to the skull, quick and fairly painless, like promised for his cooperation. I looked down at the body of the man, and felt very little for him. He had brought this on himself. Still, a watcher under my thumb may have served me well. I knelt down and drew my knife, and removed his head. This was sent to the watch in a bag as warning to those that might follow in the steps of Comstock. But first thin's first. Jorich. I now intend to go to Archet, use his contact to find him, and rain hell down on him for what he has done. That I promise, in the name of Edrick I will see him dead.
