The Heresy Within

The Black Thorn's Reckoning

Leaning against the stone wall, the Black Thorn bedroom looked out over the Tavern, which was little more than two stories with a bar and kitchen on one floor and a few beds, brooms, and decaying wood all enclosed in shuttered windows for ventilation. However, it seemed worse when viewed up close and personal because he had been intoxicated and worse, had been hired in worse, and had been stabbed in worse—all aspects of the job that he leaned and he waited occasionally, growing stiff and shifting his

weight then leaning some more. The other two boys didn't seem to enjoy him leaning green. He walked around the alley in a nervous manner, looking up and down the street in case they were the first to spot the target. This is why they called him green because he was new to the game and the new players didn't usually stick around for very long. He sat on the floor with his legs crossed, cleaning his bones with a brown rag and yellow spit. It was an impressive collection of bones, though not quite as impressive as

worth murdering him over, though not yet at least, boy bedroom histic green turn away from the [ __ ] Street green glared around and swaggered toward Bertram. He had a really nasty expression on his face, giving the impression that he truly enjoyed hurting people and killing people, but he would also put money on the fact that Green had never killed anyone. Since Spectrum didn't have any money, Green would assume that he shouldn't be telling people where to go because you aren't in charge.

Green shook his head, saying, "No one is in charge, but that doesn't make him any less right brain you ain't back here with us Swift will be here when it's time to move." Green stopped moving but continued staring at Bertram. He snorted, then hocked up a mouthful of phlegm and spat it on the ground. The bedroom said nothing. His hand crept towards the dagger hidden in one of the many pockets of his coat boys like green never lasted long in this game.

landed three inches from the bedroom's boots, making the boy wince. He was lucky not to hit Bertram, who had just taken off those boots. The soldier, a drunken sailor, had also taken off his boots, and the soldier hadn't even tried to fight; the bedroom had only hit the sod once. Green sneered over his shoulder at Bertram, saying, "You're new to this game and no to this crew so I'm gonna impart a bit of my experience to you."

He isn't green, said bones, he is bones said to Green [__] yep, bones sat back down and looked around for his discarded spit covered rag so while see I in charge that's true doubt pissed him off some men might have grinned showing Green in almost full set of not quite friendly knowledge hey experience you might call it what bones side don't piss off the Black Thorn green glanced over his shoulder again his sneer was gone now replaced with what looked like worry or fear bedroom could never be arsed figuring out the difference between the two

pearly whites while some men might have threatened to make sure the little [__] was put in his proper place, Betram Thorne was not one of those men; instead, he was more than happy to return to watching The Tavern and leaning on his strip of wall. The Salt Air bedroom was thought to have put him in a somewhat thoughtful mood and reminded him of home; however, this was not because Salt Air was pleasant; rather, it stung his eyes, turned his throat raw, and made his skin all salted. Neither was home a welcome memory, but ghosts bedroom decided then that he did not like Port Towns and not that Coral could

actually be called a town; rather, it was merely a vast assemblage of dilapidated wooden shacks and a few better-off Stone Shacks, all gathered around a large harbor like flies gather around a fresh [ __ ]. Coral had the stones to call itself one of the free cities, but that simply meant that it didn't belong to any one Kingdom or another, which meant somewhere in the range of little and [ __ ] given that Coral was situated on the southern edge of the Untamed wilds and no Kingdom.

Green leaned against the wall, not even a foot away from Betram, and eyed him, nodding to himself as he did you really him the Black Thorn? Betram responded, one hand still hovering over his hidden pocket, the other over the shaft of his ax. He didn't think Green would try anything, but he wouldn't be the first prick to try to make a name for himself by killing the Black Thorn if Bertram had been a little more persistent.

Green's sneer had been replaced by something else now that looked a lot like ah Bertram reckoned he preferred the sneer is that is that how you got the burn bedroom ran a three-fingered hand over the left side of his face smooth skin. Scared that the last time he might still have all nine of his fingers, a couple more of his teeth, and a less bent nose. Did you really do it? Green asked do what bedroom growled back

I told you not to irritate him; I didn't say you had to lick his ass bones laughed from the floor Swift rounded the corner at breakneck speed and slowed to a halt bastard wasn't even breathing hard he grinned from ear to ear showing a scar where it should have been puckered where it should have been stubble pitted where it should have been smooth and tugging where it should have been Slack not an overly large burn but large enough considering it wasn't an overly large face

full set of white teeth, Bastard had some nice-looking teeth, you guys ready about [ __ ] time Swift bones said, rolling onto his feet, I'm freezing my Stones off out here, yeah I got no Stones, maybe Swift shot back at the giant, who was still smiling, oh bloody show you have got stungs bones, so bedroom shoved himself off the wall, looked out of the alleyway, and asked Swift, "I guards are paid off, they won't be coming round here tonight, boss, and Henry

Swift muttered, "Good point," and nudged the bedroom in the ribs. "They here yet no should be here real soon I weren't too far ahead of him." Swift said from behind, having taken to leaning on the bedroom's spot of the wall. "Something about that pissed the Black Thorn off but you kept silent." "How do you want to do this bones asked?" Bertram suggested flipping a coin. "Are inside waiting for us, oh very [ __ ] nice for them," and "we [ __ ] out here in the cold well they get to have a nice drink like in a fuller drink."

Bertram turned to Green and said, "You got a coin?" Green scowled and shoved his hand into a pocket, removing a bronze bit. He stared at it for a moment before slapping it into the waiting five-fingered hand of the bedroom. Mast bones squinted at the Blackthorn tiles, and the coin flicked into the air, spinning and glinting in the dim lantern light before slapping back down into the waiting hand of the bedroom. "Oh [__ ] always bed heads," Bertram said, turning to Green.

Eight men were walking down the street; six of them were large men who seemed to know how to handle themselves and others if necessary. The other man was smaller, well-dressed, and led the procession. The final man was cloaked and hooded, all in black, and shuffled along in the middle of the group, protected. Betram sneered and pocketed the coin. Hey, wait a sec, shut the [ __ ] up green bones snarled dog is here.

Tavern, that's all it was, save for the fact that the boss was willing to take a big chance to obtain the price on the hooded man's head. They entered the tavern at leisure and vanished from view. Then, after rubbing his hands together for about five minutes, Betram agreed, saying, "Good grain, you stand outside and watch the door and kill anyone who tries to leave who ain't us Swift yeah yeah I'll take the window." Swift then strolled toward the tavern, removing his bow from his shoulder and fingering his quiver of arrows.

were a favorite woman, so something about the location disgusted Bertram. Why must I stand outside? Green complained, but I didn't argue further because both Blackthorne and I knew what we were doing—this was our first time here, you get this [__] job. All they could do was wait, you son of a [__] you call that a punch. While bones always did have a flare for the dramatic veterans performances, they lacked a certain passion, which he believed was due to the fact that they didn't like being hit.

Backwards through the tavern's door, he stumbled a few steps, caught his feet on each other, and tripped, flipping a table over as he fell. The two people at the table sprang up from their chairs, looking at the massive, sprawling mess that was now groaning on the floor. A moment later, he stalked towards the bedroom, growling low in his throat. All eyes in the tavern turned to him, providing as good a diversion as he'd ever made by pausing's Golden t**s It's The

Ax in hand, Blackthorn charged at one of the eight, the little well-dressed one, saying, "He's here for us kill him." It wasn't the best of results, but it was a good diversion, and two of the eight were dead before they had even managed to stand up. One had the boss's ax split open his skull from crown to jaw, and the other had Henry's daggers in his neck. The crazy [__] grinned as she drew them out, slicing the man's neck open from the inside and splattering bright red gore all over the bedroom.

A punch to the face sent Bertram reeling, with bright lights in his eyes and the taste of blood in his mouth, as he found himself being pushed backwards by a bigger man than him. He caught the man's other wrist just as he hit the wall hard, and the man looked confused, reaching up to find an arrow in his neck and stumbled a step bedrooms ax bit deep into his face dropping the corpse and spattering himself with blood.

Betram saw Henry standing there, cruelly smiling on her scarred lips with dark red blood dripping from her twin daggers crazy [__] from said as he started forwards giving Henry a shove with his shoulder as he did so. The big man then sent a thick metal plated knee into his crotch and butted his scarred forehead into the man's face once, twice, and three times. The big man stumbled backwards clutching at the bloody ruined mess of his nose and then froze

She staggered and smiled at him, her teeth showing some yellowing, but overall, there were only two of the eight remaining. One of them was a massive man who towered over everyone, but it was evident that he was not a small boy. The other was a smaller, well-dressed man who had identified the Blackthorn. The man didn't just stand there, screaming at the Giant that he could kill them. The giant looked around, didn't like the odds, and threw his sword onto the ground.

Hands and moving toward the door, the bones moved aside to let the man pass, watching him the entire time. Henry appeared as though she wanted to stab him, but she held back. The boss was coming toward the well-dressed man [__]; he hissed as he threw down his sword. The boss injured him against the wall, his mouth full of metal, a smile emanating from his Blackest Night face. The boss was all sorts of tough, holding up Bertram from behind and moving forwards

The boss glared sideways at Bertram, who shrugged and said, "Shoot yourself." Thorne Bertram stared at the small, well-dressed man who was leaning back against the wall. He was understandably nervous, sweating dark, wet stains into his fancy clothes, his light, greasy hair plastered to his skull, and his bloodshot eyes darted from one crew member to the next. How is it that you knew me so quickly? You must be a bloody prick not to have known me. The small man sneered up at bedroom Inquisition is after you some Fierce

The boss turned away, shrugged, and swung a heavy five-fingered fist into the little man's face. He felt a satisfying crunch and an even more satisfying squeal of pain as his ax chopped into the man's neck. There was a quiet hissing noise, bulging eyes, and a spurt of blood as the body dropped to the floor. Black Thorn, if I had known you were here, I would have told that arbiter this one here in Coral. The little well-dressed man grinned [__]. You need this one boss nope.

One asked the boss, "Yeah, Betram rubbed the back of his neck, um, bones stared at the ground Henry just shrugged, wiping her daggers on the tavern owner's tunic as she stared at her in horror roared, "Come on, boss, if we don't kill him, we don't get paid," storming for the door, leaving that bones scattered, spit on the floor, and hurried, unwilling to allow two new additions to his collection to leave, two bodies sprawled on the floor, terrified patrons of the two bones.

The two died in the exact same way—the big one made it halfway down that path, Swift took him by the back, dumb bastard green had the hooded Target by the neck, but look what I found—the hooded figure was a [ __ ] [ __ ] green gave the hooded figure a shove towards the boss as she collapsed at his feet, terrified, but to her credit, she didn't cry Bertram hated the sound of women crying, so there was an awkward silence as everyone stared down at the Target, broken only by Henry sucking at her teeth.

Vetrum, with a cruel gleam in her eye, stepped forward and knelt beside the girl. Her dainty little face looked more like a doll than a human, and she glared at him through terrified eyes. Damn shame, but this is where it's at—you don't know what you've done maybe nothing ain't really important now chances are you're a good person or were anyway—certainly Beth in me, but the nature of the game means we do bad things for people and the good ones are typically the ones who get hurt all stabbed

The woman's pretty green eyes widened as Bertram raised his ax. A moment later, it was finished. He picked up the severed head and held it out to the boss. "Boy, what the hell was that about green?" the boss asked. "Bones put one of his giant paws on the boy's shoulder again." Don't worry about it, Kate Black Thorn always gets all wordy when it comes to killing like that. The Hideout, if you could call it that, was on the outskirts of Coral.

Not much more than a dilapidated wooden hut that Bones had discovered on their first day in town. Of course, what Bones meant when he said that he had discovered was that he had kicked the previous occupants, two elderly Beggars, out on their asses with a loud kicking sound. The end result was the same; they had acquired a rat- and lice-infested hiding place with four walls and a tattered roof to block out part of the rain. It always struck him as amusing how rain didn't bother a man until he had a roof to keep it off him.

Swift was perched near the window as Green paced about, making stabbing motions with his dull cheap sword. He hadn't even bothered to clean the blood off the blade boys like that didn't last long in the game. Right nuisance bones sat himself down, managing to fill one of the few dry spots and starting cleaning the flesh off the newest bits of his collection. Rats darted forward to collect the scraps of discarded meat coming ever closer as they decided bones was a meal ticket instead of a threat.

The boss ignored him as he sauntered into the room and sat down on the one and only bed. Henry followed the boss in closing the door and then eyed the crew with savage scrutiny. The job went well, the boss said. The boss was practicing some sleight of hand trick he'd learned from a thief who'd tried to pick his pocket. It seemed to involve making a gold coin disappear up his sleeve bedroom could think of much better uses for a gold bit

smirking metallically, Henry threw one small purse at Bertram, another smaller one at Green, and then handed a fourth one to Swift. Swift grabbed the purse and held Henry's hand with it. How about a bonus? Henry peered into her face, grinning as sweetly as possible despite having a nasty scar running from cheek to lip. She stepped forward, her lips swinging, and she pressed herself close to Swift, bringing her knee up into his groin.

Hard and fast, just the way I like it, she spat on him, and then, with more grace than the typical cat, she dropped herself onto the bed beside the boss. Betram believed that you either laugh or cry, and that tears would not get you anywhere. In this crowd, the boss said, "I have a problem," leaning against a nice, dry section of wall. Henry Swift, ever the cruelest, grew from the floor as he rolled around, laughing through the pain.

With tears in his dark eyes, I betchrom growled back. If that prick from the job recognized me, chances are others will too. It might be time for us all to move on for a while. The boss nodded, shattering the last Target's illusions. Her family might come looking for those who did their best, so we should leave town while we can. Betram nodded well.