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Chapter 46: Snooping Around
🕑 Added 2025-03-23 02:41:39 +0000 UTCChapter 46: Snooping Around
Marcus hurriedly led Myra through the town, refining his plan as they dodged through alleys to avoid the patrolling bands of guards. The strange threads that bound him to the Legionnaires made it relatively simple to identify which direction he should head—generally, at least. Focusing on them, he could feel approximately thirty Legionnaire presences inside the dome. He could feel most of them moving quickly, likely rushing to address the sudden threat, but considering that they didn't seem to be gathering in one spot… he'd been right about them lacking this same ability to locate each other.
Of course, the Legionnaires inside of the dome weren't the only ones he sensed. There were more thick clusters of threads that extended out of the sphere. However, those proved markedly less useful. They felt… fuzzy somehow, as though his perception of them was muddled. Direction was much more difficult to make out, much less whether or not those strands had been severed through death. Not that it really mattered at the moment. He had plenty to deal with as things were.
"Marcus!"
He startled, instinctively ducking back at the sound before relaxing as it processed. A particular meat pie vendor scowled his way, burly arms crossed in front of his aproned chest. "What in the blazes is going on here?"
He wasn't the only one curious. All around, a number of the townsfolk had left their houses, gaping at the sudden appearance of the dome above their heads. Mutters of confusion and a bit of panic rippled through the growing crowd, and Marcus saw as the vendor's words caused some of those heads to swing in his direction. So much for stealth.
Marcus adjusted his path, making a beeline for the man and trying to ignore the unwanted attention. "Cletus. Just the man I wanted to see! I have a favor to ask of you, my good man."
"Hrmph." Cletus scowled. "Does it have to do with this mess? Did those damn Legionnaires get into trouble?"
Marcus nodded, shrugging helplessly. "Unfortunately, it seems so at the moment. Though I assure you, this is not their doing."
Despite the man's brusque manner, he knew for a fact that he got along quite well with the soldiers. His hot meat pies were quite popular, making him a local favorite—and, more importantly, a trusted figure among the Legionnaires.
"Figured," Cletus growled. "Who?"
"It seems as though some of the local guards and priests have gotten it in their minds to stage a coup—well, of a sort, it seems. But never mind that," Marcus said. "If you see any Legionnaires passing by, will you tell them to meet at the old sawmill?"
Cletus gave a grunt of what Marcus took to be assent as the bard smiled gratefully. "Wonderful. Always a pleasure, Cletus. Oh, and do me a favor and pretend I was never here? I suspect the guards won't take very kindly to me, given my good standing with the Legion…."
One more grunt was the only response he received as Marcus whirled and continued on his way. Myra spoke up from where he was at his side. "Do you really think that they'll listen? And what if Cletus rats us out to the guards?"
"Unlikely," Marcus responded as they darted out of view once more. "It's in the man's best interest to see this over and done with, so he can sell more pies. And even if he did decide to turn traitor, that location isn't the actual meeting place."
"Really?"
Marcus nodded, motioning for her to stop as a group of guards jogged by their hiding place. Once they'd disappeared around a corner, they kept moving. "Indeed. It's nearby, though, so we can set a lookout to keep an eye out. Assuming we find more allies, of course…"
He continued leading them toward the largest concentration of Legionnaires he could sense. Not for the first time, he wondered if those threads he felt could somehow work in reverse—perhaps the Legion could track him in much the same way. He'd seen no indications of such a thing, but that didn't mean it was impossible. They could be hiding that capability just as he was. Or perhaps it was something that they could learn to do, given time.
Then again, maybe the ability was unique to him. He couldn't discount the idea that his [Harbinger of Rome] title had something to do with all of this. That, or it was a side effect of the summoning spell itself.
They continued their circuitous path through the town, stopping by a few other popular Legionnaire hangouts to spread the word of where to congregate. Of course, he didn't expect the Legionnaires to exercise much in the way of leisure at the moment. Not when the patrolling bands of guards made the threat obvious. However, it was worth a shot. Maybe it would save him some time tracking down the individuals and clusters of men scattered throughout the city.
As the largest patrol of Legionnaires drew near, Marcus sensed one such individual along their path and took a detour to recruit him. To his surprise, though, the man wasn't alone. He stood at the end of an alleyway, his sword drawn and shield nowhere to be seen. Before him were three of the town guards, each armed with truncheons and slowly advancing.
"See, boys?" One of the guards jeered. "It's just like they said. These fancy bastards ain't so tough. Get 'em on their own without a thousand buddies to back 'em up and they're no better than any other level one."
The guards slowly advanced, forcing the lone Legionnaire backward. Marcus noted that, despite their blustering words, the guards were still treating the soldier with caution. It wasn't hard to see why. The man still held himself like the trained fighter that he was, eyes warily darting from side to side as he assessed the incoming threats.
Myra clutched Marcus's sleeve, staying slightly behind him as they took in the scene. He resisted the impulse to shake her off or retreat. The guards hadn't seen them yet, so they still had the element of surprise on their side. The question was, how could he make the best use of it?
Marcus's hand fell to the small dagger at his hip. Joining the fight directly was the most obvious option—however, it was also arguably the worst. He didn't have many levels in his [Dagger Proficiency] skill, nor did he possess any particularly useful fighting abilities. But what he did have was a charisma of 56 and a few skills that might prove useful in this situation.
He didn't hold back as he activated his [Charm] skill and focused on the three guardsmen. He held no illusions that they'd suddenly become his allies. However, the skill would undoubtedly help lubricate the coming interaction to his benefit.
"Brutus! Are you all right?"
The three guards cornering the Legionnaire whipped around and saw Marcus standing there with Myra—except, to their eyes, they didn't see Myra. Instead they saw a generic Legion soldier. The [Glamour] he'd cloaked her in disguised her appearance, as well as made it seem like Marcus had come with real backup.
He saw the brow of the Legionnaire at the end of the alley furrow in confusion as he attempted to place his fellow "Legionnaire's" face. However, Marcus was far more interested in the guards. They suddenly looked much more nervous now that reinforcements had arrived. A quick [Appraisal] revealed that their levels were all under ten.
The highest leveled one of the trio sneered, stepping forward. "You want a piece of this too? Just wait your turn while we deal with your friend here."
Marcus's eyes lit up as he recognized the man. Instantly, he switched tactics, bringing the full brunt of all his persuasive skills to bear. "Keith? What are you doing here? I was certain you'd be rushing to confront your wife!"
His eyes narrowed. "What did you just say?"
The bard studiously maintained a look of genuine concern. "Your wife! Why, she was sneaking off with the baker amidst all this chaos—"
Keith swore, setting off at a run in their direction. Marcus braced himself, his hand twitching toward the dagger at his belt as he stepped to the side, but there was no need. The guard ignored both him and the disguised Myra entirely, brushing past them as he raced down the street.
Of course, Marcus didn't know for certain what the man's wife was up to at this very moment. However, he was well aware of the rumors surrounding her—as well as Keith's insecurities about his marriage. Evidently it was enough for [Silver Tongue] to latch onto and set the seeds of doubt sprouting into full bloom.
The other two guards shouted after him, but it wasn't enough. The man's mind was already set. Marcus took a threatening step forward, drawing the attention of the two remaining guards his way—only for one to give a strangled cry of pain. He slumped heavily to the floor, a sword flashing in and out of his chest.
The last remaining guard stared wide-eyed at the Legionnaire and his freshly bloodied sword. It only took a fraction of a second for him to reevaluate his situation. The guard sprinted away, pushing past Marcus as he fled down the street without looking back.
The Legionnaire cleaned his blade on the dead guard's shirt before straightening. He shot Marcus a look.
"My name isn't Brutus."
Marcus barked out a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. All of that, and those were the first words out of the man's mouth?
"I'm well aware, Augustus," Marcus chuckled. He saw the man smile slightly. "I simply didn't want to give away your actual name to the enemy. Not that it truly matters, I suppose. I doubt they'd pay it much mind anyway."
With a wave of a hand, Marcus removed the glamor protecting Myra. Surprisingly, Agustus took it in stride with no comment.
Augustus nodded in understanding. "Understandable. Regardless, I appreciate the assistance." His eyes took in the pair before him. "I don't suppose that you have any more details on this situation? You or your companion?"
"This is Myra, my… friend," Marcus hedged before quickly moving on. "She helped to give me some advance warning about this whole rebellion. Unfortunately, it seems we're both stuck in here for the time being, same as you."
Augustus nodded. "I feared as much. It seems that those cowards aim to pick us off one by one, the fools. As though this rebellion won't incite the ire of the entire Legion…"
Marcus shrugged. "Well, I suppose they feel confident in their ability to handle whatever may come. But never mind that. I'm working to gather the Legionnaires inside the town so that we can coordinate and plan a counterattack. Judging by the situation we found you in, I'd say that sticking together is more important than ever."
"True enough, bard." Augustus kicked the body at his feet. "Those three aren't the only ones who've displayed hostility, though they were the only ones to act on it so far. I expect that this move will embolden some of the other natives as well, as shortsighted as such efforts would be." Augustus glanced at Myra. "No offense, ma'am. I don't mean to imply that they're all hostile by any means."
Marcus blinked. The address was more respectful than he'd come to expect from the Legionnaires, especially regarding a woman in a casual setting. They hadn't been downright rude, for the most part, but still. It was yet another reminder of the small variations within the seemingly monolithic entity.
…Or perhaps a sign that Augustus was just on his best behavior in front of the brown-haired beauty.
Myra smiled graciously. "None taken. It's only to be expected, though. The guards obviously have reason to hold a grudge, and I expect that those who were near and dear to them might share the sentiment."
"Regardless, we need to get moving," Marcus broke into the conversation. "Will you accompany us?"
"I'll come. It beats scurrying about alone like a rat, at least. And perhaps I'll be able to repay your help sooner than expected."
Marcus nodded. With a brief effort of will, he activated [Glamour] and covered the man's uniform. The pleated armor and bright red cloth were replaced with the dull browns of a simple spun tunic and pants.
"Don't draw your sword unless you need to—otherwise, you'll break the disguise," Marcus informed Augustus as he looked down at himself in amazement, poking at the illusion. "You'll also need to stay close to me if we want it to last. In fact, it's probably best if we find you some proper civilian clothes rather than rely on my skills too heavily…"
Augustus let his hand fall to his side. "Understood. I don't suppose you have an idea of where we might procure such clothing?"
"Of course," Marcus confirmed. "In fact, I already planned to make a quick stop there on our way. But let's hurry. I thought I saw a large patrol of Legionnaires not too far from us, and it would be best if we reached them before they traveled too far."
With that, the trio started forward at a jog once more, darting between the buildings as they continued to avoid the groups of patrolling guards. There were an alarming number of them making their way through the streets at this point. Marcus even noted an occasional priest in their midst, lending some weight to Myra's theory about them being used to support the fighters. Those groups in particular they took extra effort to steer clear of.
As they moved, Marcus also noted the dispositions of the townsfolk around them. Now that they'd had a bit of time to process the situation, their initial surprise was starting to give way to action. For many, that action was simply to hole up in their homes as they waited for everything to blow over. For others, though… as an understanding of what the guards were up to spread, Marcus could sense a number of the locals sympathize with their mission. Not enough to actively join the hunt for Legionnaires, usually. But more than enough to report their movements to any passing rebels.
Fortunately, [Critical Reception] enabled him to sense people's dispositions before they risked exposing themselves to any wayward eyes. And luckily, the resentful element of the populace truly was a minority. Still, it was one more thing to watch out for.
Marcus and his companions continued to press forward, trying not to be too obvious about following his connections toward the group of Legionnaires and making a few brief stops along the way. So far, they seemed to be moving toward the perimeter of the town. He just hoped that the group would be more able to handle resistance than Augustus.
Comments
Zaifyr
https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-45-hell-124826928?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link I assume you mean the bolding thing. That should be fixed now for 44 and 45
Moses Lambert
BTW, what happened to Chapter 45?
Tryptic
Found a typo: "I had to past" instead of "I had to paste" in the Author's Note [trollface]
Etez
Thx for the not bolding chapter
CAPTAINCAEL
very bold statement
Béla Stewart
Patreon has been so 'bold' lately with all of these issues. 😜
ReadingObsessed
Not bold 👍
