Jeff Inlo - Chain of Bargains

The display of contrition and compliance, however, was lost on the inferns. They meant to confront the goblins, and so they would-whether they were arguing or sitting peacefully in their chairs engaged in calm discussion. The half-demons disregarded the humans, even ignored Ryson-who was standing between them and the goblins. They simply pressed through, taking a single direct route toward the back table.

Ryson had to jump to the side to avoid the inferns. The heat around him doubled in intensity. The delver wondered how the creatures could survive such temperatures. He imagined they would burst into flames at any moment, and he would not be the least bit surprised if their tracks left smoldering footprints. He looked to the ground, and though he could see no scorch marks, he could actually sense the heat from the floorboards where they had stepped.

The goblins at the table tried to refocus on their game, tried to pretend that nothing had happened. Their argument ceased, they placed all their focus on the center of the table as if hoping that by ignoring the inferns, the half-demons might leave. One goblin even picked up the shag eyes and attempted to make a roll.

With a flash of speed that surprised even the delver, the lead infern swung its javelin, and the hot metal crashed against the goblin's wrist. The metal spear remained firmly in the infern's hands as the half-demon twisted the weapon with great skill. A wide hook protruded out slightly below the point of the spear, and the infern manipulated the javelin to grab the goblin's wrist with the hook. Turning the weapon downward, the infern jabbed the point into the tabletop, thereby trapping the goblin's arm and keeping it from completing the intended toss.

The goblin screamed as the hot metal burned into its forearm. It tried to pull its arm away, but it could not free its wrist from the javelin's hook. The dark creature squirmed in pain as it squealed, but even the sounds of it shrieks could not completely cover the sound of burning goblin flesh hissing from contact with red hot metal.

Ryson found both the sound and the smell beyond unpleasant. The sickening scene turned his stomach. He couldn't bare the sight of watching the goblin tortured. He knew it would be beyond foolish to reveal his delver identity to the inferns, but he could not allow the attack to continue. Just as he began to pull the war blades from their sheaths, he held his position.

The lead infern pulled its weapon away from the table and allowed the goblin to slip its hand free. As its back was to Ryson, the half-demon never knew the peril it faced from the delver. Instead, its focus returned to the point of its mission, the reason it entered the tavern, and to that end, it needed quiet. With the wounded goblin whimpering but no longer screaming, it looked over the entire group of diminutive monsters that sat in relative silence.

Ryson slid the half revealed war blades silently back into their sheaths and carefully stepped away. It was not his intention to escape the tavern, and so he found a strategic position away from attention. He needed to gain more information on goblins and inferns in Ashlan, and the encounter in the tavern offered such an opportunity. No longer feeling the need to intervene, he could watch and listen from a distance while safeguarding his own identity.

The humans in the establishment held no such desire to hear what the infern had to say. They pulled their chairs in close to their tables as if to gain security from the heavy wooden surfaces. They turned further away from the encounter-fear overwhelming any curiosity. If they could have covered their ears without drawing attention to themselves, they probably all would have clasped their hands at the sides of their heads.

The half-demon in charge ignored everything but the goblins. Despite the pulsating heat that surrounded its form, the infern's voice echoed cold throughout the room, like the constant push of a winter night's breeze against a frosty window pane.

"Fighting is forbidden."

At first, the goblins did not reply. They all stared at the table, some couldn't help but squirm in their seats. They clearly wanted the infern to just go away, but they lacked the fortitude to make any kind of stand against the half-demon.

"Fighting is forbidden," the lead infern repeated, making it clear it expected an explanation.

A goblin smart enough to realize that if no one spoke they would all be taken decided to attempt an excuse.

"Not fighting. Gambling." The goblin then pointed to the table. "Gambling allowed."

"Yes, gambling is allowed, but not when it leads to conflict. Swords were drawn when I entered. Instigators?"

The goblin that had refused to pay four coins decided to make a swift accusation. It pointed to the dark creature that had swiped two of his coins.

"Thief! Stole from my stack."

The indicted goblin first narrowed its stare upon its accuser. Its hand dropped to the handle of its sword, but one lightning fast swing of the infern's javelin toward its face made it rethink and regret its decision. The goblin's eyes went wide with fear, knowing the accusation would hold. It would be taken, but it would not be taken alone. It pointed right back at the accusing goblin.

"Cheat! Did not pay his loss. Cheat!"

The other goblins all nodded, as if emphasizing both accusations.

"Thief and cheat!" one said.

That was all the infern needed to hear. The half-demon understood the cause of the disturbance and quickly rendered a decision.

"Take them both," it issued the order to the other two inferns.

The two condemned goblins never had a chance to escape. The inferns moved toward them with speed and agility, like that of super heated air rising out over a frozen tundra. Black armored gauntlets knifed toward goblin throats. Thick fingers collapsed all the way around to the back of their necks causing their eyes to bulge in both fear and the inability to catch their breath.

The infern guards yanked the goblins from their seats with one arm, as if the creatures weighed less than a sack of dried leaves. As the inferns themselves were only slightly taller than the goblins, they could not pull the monsters completely clear of the tabletop. It didn't discourage them in any fashion. They simply dragged the dark creatures across the table, upending mugs and scattering coins across the floor.

The other goblins fought back the urge to leap on the ground scrounging for the dispersed money. For that, they would wait until the inferns left, but for the moment, they remained rigid in their seats, thankful they were being left alone.

The inferns did, in fact, leave the tavern with the two squirming goblins in tow. They moved to the door just as they had entered, with complete disregard for everyone else in the room.

One of the inferns holding a goblin, however, paused at the door. It never turned about, but Ryson felt almost as if the half-demon was staring right at him.

The delver prepared to leap down a narrow hall that led to a side entrance-he noticed it when he first entered the building-but the need never arose. He felt a great wave of relief when the infern returned to its indifference and disappeared through the front door.

Ryson allowed several moments to pass. He was not done in the tavern, as he wished to gain a different perspective of the event. He watched the crowd and chose his target carefully. He picked what looked to be a female merchant sitting alone at a small table for two. She appeared tired and not in the mood for small talk, but to others in the room, it would appear that Ryson simply decided to introduce himself anyway.

"Mind if I sit down?"

The woman looked up at him, didn't smile, but didn't tell him to move on, either. She simply shrugged and looked down at her stew.