Iron Wheat Tavern

With Kadera leading the way, Renato and his companion arrived at an unassuming tavern. Its sign bore a simple, straightforward name-Iron Wheat.

After exchanging a few hushed words with the doorman, Kadera beckoned them inside.

They passed through a corridor, and under the watchful eyes of three gang enforcers, Renato pushed open a small door in the corner.

The room's walls were decorated with gold trim, and marble statues stood on the floor, but Renato had to admit that the decor was truly tacky.

A powerfully built man sat on the sofa, wearing a brightly colored wool coat over finely woven chainmail. A longsword leaned against the wall within easy reach.

"Kadera, brought someone else over?" the man asked in a steady voice. "How is this one?"

"He knows his stuff, unlike the last ones who were all show. His name's Renato. The witch behind him is his sidekick."

The dwarf turned to Renato and made the introductions.

"This is Malik, the boss of the Iron Fist Gang. You can also call him by his nickname, Old Chisel."

Malik smiled helplessly and shook Renato's hand.

"Boss? Gang? Don't listen to Kadera's nonsense. I'm just a businessman who happens to do a little trading with his brothers."

"Although I trust Kadera's judgment," Malik said, changing tack, "forgive my ignorance, but I don't believe I've heard your name around the city."

"Stop talking in riddles." Kadera puffed out his beard. "By Moradin's beard, why do humans always have to dance around everything? Can't you just speak plainly? Boy, Old Chisel wants to test your skills and see if you measure up."

Malik shot Kadera a glare, then stood and spoke in a low voice.

"Since it's come to this, I'll be blunt. Renato, I see you're carrying a sword. Have a bout with my men and prove your ability."

When it came to swordsmanship, Renato was confident he could hold his own against anyone.

"Exactly what I had in mind."

A wooden fence encircled an open patch of ground in Iron Wheat's backyard. A small beer barrel stood beside it, with several clay cups on a wooden rack.

Renato and Malik stood in opposite corners of the enclosure, loosening up their limbs in padded cotton training armor.

Both wielded standard wooden knightly longswords.

These were two-handed swords, roughly 1.3 meters long. Though made of wood, they were hardly light, weighing a little more than Renato's old sword.

Renato knew neither Malik's level of skill nor his style of swordsmanship, so he decided to probe first and adopted a more conservative opening guard.

He set his right foot forward, bent his knees slightly, and held the hilt at his waist with the point aimed at his opponent's face.

Malik raised his sword overhead, holding the hilt beside his right ear and leaning his weight forward.

As the distance between them narrowed, Renato made an exploratory thrust. Malik stepped back half a pace and swept his blade aside.

But Renato kept firm control of the distance, swiftly drawing back his sword and retreating before his opponent could follow up with a counterattack.

After several probing exchanges, Malik changed his guard and pointed his sword at Renato. Their blades touched intermittently as each gauged the other's strength and rhythm.

As the pressure increased and the distance closed, Renato grew alert. Years of sword training had made this all too familiar. He knew it was the prelude to Malik seizing the attack!

Instinct honed through countless brushes with death told Renato to strike first. He knocked Malik's longsword off line and stepped forward, intending to finish the bout with a plain, direct thrust.

Yet Malik advanced rather than retreated, thrusting upward while twisting his crossguard in an attempt to deflect Renato's point.

Thud!

Renato's sword point struck Malik's helmet with a dull sound.

They were too close for Malik to fully execute his counterattack, and his point instead drove straight into Renato's chest.

"Beautiful thrust! Renato, that's the fourth one you've beaten!"

Perly scrambled over the fence-the railing was a little high for her, and she nearly fell. She helped Renato remove his helmet and handed him a clay cup filled with weak beer.

Renato tipped his head back and drained it. The beer was slightly salty, but as it slid down his throat into his stomach, it finally eased his thirst a little.

Over the course of an hour, Renato had taken down three of the Iron Fist Gang's "experts" in succession, each of whom had to be carried out. In his eyes, only their boss, Malik, qualified as a genuinely skilled swordsman.

Renato rubbed the spot on his chest where the thrust had landed. It felt as though he had been struck by a warhammer; he hadn't felt the padded armor help at all.

Malik hadn't fared any better. Renato turned to see him sprawled in the center of the yard, apparently knocked unconscious by that heavy blow. A crowd of his men surrounded him, fumbling as they tried to help him up.

It took a while before Malik finally came around.

"Another round?" Renato put his helmet back on. Crossing swords with a real opponent was so exhilarating that even if he earned nothing this time, he would still consider it worthwhile.

"No need. You've proved your strength."

Unlike his men, Malik was not a sore loser. He accepted his defeat readily.

"Let's go back inside, Renato. It's time we talked business."

In Iron Wheat's private room, Malik shook a wine bottle and gestured to Renato.

"Care for a glass? Wine from Ostair Manor. Plenty of bubbles, and it tastes good."

"No, thank you. We don't drink." Renato shook his head. Beside him, Perly, who had been reaching out to try a glass, looked embarrassed and quietly withdrew her hand.

"Mr. Malik, we're adventurers. We're used to discussing jobs and payment, so please get straight to the point."

"I like how direct you are, Renato, so I'll be frank." Malik poured himself a glass and sipped it slowly. "I need you to reroute some 'goods.' Instead of going to the Wolf Gang, they'll go to the Adventurers' Guild."

"Benjamin has been overstepping lately, and that's against the rules. So I intend to give him a reminder, make him understand it's time to stop."

Benjamin, the boss of the Wolf Gang. This involved a gang conflict, and a major city gang at that. Renato wasn't eager to get caught up in that mess.

"Your job is to intercept a freight wagon north of the city. It'll be carrying Benjamin's 'goods.'"

"The wagon carries weapons smuggled by the Wolf Gang. It comes once every fortnight, and the next shipment is in seven days."

So Red Iron was actually a rumor Malik deliberately spread. The real weapons smugglers are the Wolf Gang... He wants to use the Blacksmiths' Guild to cause trouble for them. Renato's thoughts raced as he asked:

"How do I locate the wagon? What if it changes its route at the last minute?"

"You don't need to worry about that." Malik smiled and swirled his wineglass. "The wagon follows a fixed route. Rest assured."

"It's covered with a blue tarp, and there are two large wooden crates branded with a 'Wolf Claw' mark aboard. Those are your targets."

"I don't care about the others, but the driver must live. He's one of mine."

Once they had settled the details, the conversation turned to the crucial point.

"Let's discuss payment." Renato tapped the tabletop lightly, weighing the pros and cons. "Killing, robbery, and making an enemy of the Wolf Gang. I'd like to know what you're offering."

"How can you call it robbery? You're simply a 'righteous' adventurer arresting gang smugglers on the city's behalf, who happens to kill a few thugs by accident."

Malik remained composed, seemingly certain of himself.

"Besides, I'll offer a price you can't refuse."

[Quest]

Intercept a smuggling wagon north of the city and remove two designated wooden crates. Payment: 20 gold coins and one magic item.

[Quest description]

The slums are rife with gangs and have become a breeding ground for smugglers. A freight wagon covered with a blue tarp will pass along a narrow road north of the city on the afternoon of the day after tomorrow, smuggling a shipment of illicit goods. Your task is to intercept it, take the two Cedar Crates branded with the "Wolf Claw" mark, and deliver them to the Adventurers' Guild.

Quest reward: 2,000 experience points.

Renato truly couldn't refuse.

After they left Iron Wheat and turned into an alley, Perly finally couldn't hold back everything she had been itching to say. She moved close to Renato and lowered her voice.

"Renato, isn't this job a little too dangerous?"

"We can complete two quests at once on this trip, and it's much safer than the Phantom Forest. At least we'll be the ones hidden from view, and there won't be thick fog or countless monsters."

"That's not what I mean." Perly shook her head like a rattle. She drew a breath and stammered, "I mean... we're robbing a caravan. We'll have to kill people..."

Given her age, Renato had expected this reaction from Perly and had prepared what to say. He reasoned with her patiently.

"They're vicious gang members. Cracking down on smuggling is perfectly legal, so how can you call it robbery? Besides, we're not setting out to kill anyone. If they surrender and hand over the weapon crates, why would we need to attack?"

"I..." Perly seemed to realize Renato was deliberately trying to reassure her, and she grew embarrassed and annoyed. "Don't treat me like a child! That's not what I meant!"

"I mean, why would Malik spend money to hire the two of us? He's a gang boss. He must have plenty of capable people under him, so why doesn't he just send them?"

"Perly, a gang boss might sound impressive, but he's really just a commoner in charge of a few dozen thugs, with an income he can't admit to in public. He has territory to maintain and businesses to run. He's not as all-powerful as you think."

Recalling their earlier conversation, Renato continued:

"Besides, Malik doesn't seem willing to confront the Wolf Gang directly. He wants to use the Blacksmiths' Guild and stay behind the scenes himself, which is why he came to outsiders like us. That's clever, and it makes sense."

"Think about the payment, Perly. Twenty gold coins. That's two hundred silver coins, twenty thousand copper coins. How much money is that?"

With her spells prepared in advance, Perly would be an enormous help in ambushing the caravan. He couldn't do this job without her. With that in mind, Renato continued encouraging her.

"The magic item goes to me, and we split the money evenly. How does that sound?"

The lure of money restored the wavering Perly's resolve. After a moment's silence, she said something Renato hadn't expected.

"Renato... could you lend me ten silver coins?"