Shadow War: A Day At The Races

Job Details:

Sign-Up Page 18, Post Number 438

-On the border of Desierto, afternoon-

Wearing her guild armor transformed into tan clothing with a tan balaclava that hid her hair and facial features and with a tan hydration pack on her back, Stiletto braved the arid desert wind and strode on a poorly marked desert trail in an effort to find the slaver camp the young women from Bellum had been sent to by Mr. L'Argesse. It was likely far too late to save the captives, but she could avenge them and further harm the Shadow Collective by taking out foreign backers who believed themselves to be beyond the reach of the law. As the foreign backers would find out, they were not as untouchable as they fancied themselves to be.

Stiletto's approach was like a piece of advice in the book her father George read so devoutly asserted. If an enemy was too strong to attack directly, it was advised to attack their supports instead. Even the strongest enemy needed a support network to supply them with food, ammunition, clothing, information, and other materials needed to conduct successful operations. The Shadow Collective was no exception. She had hurt them by taking out their support operative in Hargeon Town and a financial backer in Bellum, but the Shadow Collective was far from finished.

She would need to keep applying pressure on the organization until they had no choice to but to send out operatives to counter her, upon which she would eliminate them and hurt the collective in a more direct fashion. The group could not offer murder-for-hire services if they did not have a roster of operatives, after all. Stiletto heard the dull rumble of hooves on sand and looked up to see three riders garbed in black clothing with red sashes riding towards her.

Stiletto stopped in place and looked at the riders with ring-altered brown eyes. They stopped and drew their scimitars, then spurred their horses towards her. She knew that this was not going to end well... for them. Stiletto's Suppressed Handgun materialized in her hand and she dumped two of the three aggressors from their saddles before they got halfway to her. The third wheeled his mount around and began to gallop for safety when Stiletto took careful aim and dumped him from the saddle with a shot to the back of the head.

With weapon still in hand Stiletto walked over to them and examined the bleeding bodies to make sure they were dead. She flipped them over with the toe of her boot and saw that they had no identification papers identifying them as Desierto police and only had weapons and supplies, indicating that the three men she had shot were most likely one of many flavors of local outlaw looking for a victim to terrorize. Unfortunately for them, they went looking for a victim and had found Stiletto instead. Satisfied that the three men were dead, Stiletto dispelled her handgun and continued on her search for the slaver camp. She had left no evidence to trace her by and her bootprints were rapidly erased by sand kicked up by the shifting wind.

Besides, it was not like anyone would care about her knocking off three outlaws. She was doing a public service for Desierto by removing them from existence. Still, at the moment she did not want trouble from their friends, so Stiletto made sure to leave no evidence behind her before moving on further down the trail. She walked until she came across a wooden sign with the writing faded from exposure to the beating sun and the sand carried on the hot wind. Stiletto walked in front of the sign, paused, and tried to make out what the sign read.

[Word Count: 628]
[Total Word Count: 628/3,500]

Stiletto tried to read the sign but had difficulty because of the sign's poor condition. Another factor working against her was that a sandstorm had just kicked up and was blowing sand that threatened to get into her eyes. Since she forgot to include sand goggles in her supplies, the best she could do was raise a hand to protect against the blowing sand and turn her back to the wind as soon as she could. The mage protected herself against the blowing sand the best she could and struggled to read the wooden sign.

After a few minutes of intense focus the sandstorm let up long enough for her to get a good look at the writing on the sign. According to it, the Tri-Council City was 250 kilometers to the west. That would be a lengthy hike, but if she wanted to get to the Tri-Council City and search for the slaver rumored to be living there, there was no choice but to make the lengthy hike. Turning her back to the wind, Stiletto began to put one foot in front of the other and started the trip towards one of the only bastions of civilization in the entire region.

-75 kilometers into the trip-

Stiletto walked along the barely visible trail marked by stones set on both sides of the trail and the occasional sign telling how much further the traveler had to go before the Tri-Council City was reached. She walked until she heard the creaking of a cart and the clomping of hooves on the sand approaching her. She strained to see the oncoming traffic, but when she did everything about the setup screamed "slaver wagon."

Stiletto stood in place as the wagon screeched to a halt in front of her and a portly, black- bearded man holding the reins brandished a scimitar. All of them were dressed in tan robes and white turbans, a stark contrast to their poorly dressed "passengers." Their cargo was dressed in ragged attire and had their hands shackled together. Their cargo was also in the back of the open wagon with thirty-six people crammed into a wagon that could comfortably accommodate eight people.

"Get out of the way!" The man urged her. Stiletto remained in place as two armed horsemen rode up to her menacingly in an effort to force her to move. While Stiletto killed for money, she was not going to let a wagon full of slaves ride by without making an effort to free them. Besides, if she killed the slavers, she might be able to find out where their cargo was going and get a ledger from them.

Stiletto remained silent and placed her right hand behind her back. She summoned her Suppressed Handgun and waited for the right time to spring the trap on the slavers. They thought that she would be another addition to their cargo, but they would get an unpleasant surprise for their trouble.

"Get out of the way unless you want to go in the wagon!" The driver threatened her. Stiletto felt one of the riders put a hand on her. That was Stiletto's time to act. She grabbed the offender with her left hand and yanked him off the horse, throwing him to the sand. She jammed the pistol against his forehead and fired twice, then turned to the second horseman and dumped him from the saddle with three shots to the chest.

The portly driver who had threatened her now reconsidered the wisdom of his threat, but it was too late. Before he could wheel the cart around she shot him in the head twice. He lurched right and fell from the cart, kicking up a cloud of dust when he hit the sand. Stiletto strode past the wagon and switched from her handgun to her Suppressed Assault Rifle to gun down the remaining horsemen before they could close with her or harm the slaves. Four of them charged at her with scimitars held high and curses on their lips.

Stiletto aimed carefully and dumped one from his horse with a Three-Round Burst to the head. She knocked a second rider down with a Three-Round Burst to the head, then shot one man out of the saddle with a single shot to the chest. The surviving rider had almost closed with Stiletto when the tan-clad mage aimed carefully and dropped him with a shot to the head. His horse whinnied and rode past her with the dead rider being dragged into the distance by a foot stuck in the stirrup.

Stiletto let the dust settle before she walked over to the dead portly slaver and took a ring of keys off of his corpse. She located a man with black stubble and a bruise on his forehead and handed him the keys.

"Thank you, thank you! You saved us all!" The man exclaimed as he fumbled for the key to unlock his shackles. After a tense minute he found it and unlocked them, then threw them to the sand and passed the keys to a dark-haired young woman wearing a ragged tan dress. Stiletto dispelled her weapon and watched the horizon for the arrival of more slavers looking to reclaim their cargo.

-Thirty-five minutes later-

Stiletto took sips from her hydration pack while the newly freed slaves armed themselves with the weapons their former captors carried and drank from the water supplies the slavers had brought with them. Those who knew how to ride horses mounted the five horses that were left from the battle with the slaver's armed escorts. All of them were grateful to her for saving them from a lifetime of backbreaking forced labor in the mines of Desierto. She watched as the first man she had freed approached her.

"Thank you, whoever you are! You saved us all from a terrible fate!" The man gratefully thanked her.

"It is no problem." Stiletto said to him in an altered male voice. She had struck a small blow against slavery and had hurt some human trafficker's pocketbook. Now she needed to find the bigger fish in the Tri-Council City.

"Where will you go from here?" Stiletto asked the man.

"We will go to the village of Berreb, from where we were taken. There we will be safe." The man answered. An old woman walked up to him while holding out a worn brown ledger.

"I found this book in a bag the slaver was carrying." The old woman said to them.

"May I look at it?" Stiletto asked.

"Certainly." The old woman answered, handing Stiletto the book. The disguised mage took the ledger and read it carefully. It was the ledger of a slaver detailing from where he had gotten his cargo and the amount that each person had cost to purchase.

[Word Count: 1,150]
[Total Word Count: 1,778/3,500]

Stiletto read over the ledger and learned that the captives' claim of being from the desert village of Berreb was true. They had been captured only two days ago and had been taken from their village to the Tri-Council City, where they had been sold by someone known as "Abdul." Whether that was an alias or not was up in the air, but it was a common name in this region, so she would need to make certain that she had the right man before taking the shot. Stiletto closed the book and handed it back to the man. The mage had left no prints on the ledger, so she was certain that her prints would not show if the authorities cared to investigate.

"Where will you go from here?" The dark-haired man asked Stiletto.

"I have business in the Tri-Council City." Stiletto answered calmly. The old woman who had found the ledger turned to the tan-clad mage and spoke to her.

"If you're after Abdul, look for an obese dark-haired man who's fond of gold jewelry." The old woman provided a hint to help locate the human trafficker.

"I don't think our rescuer's a gun for hire, but no one would be terribly upset if Abdul were to turn up dead. He's broken apart many families in exchange for Jewels. Such a vile man doesn't belong in this world." The unofficial leader of the Berreb people said to the old woman. Stiletto did not have the heart to tell the man that the old woman was right and that their rescuer was a gun for hire who was after Abdul, albeit for different reasons than delivering justice on behalf of his victims. The mage had a personal stake in getting rid of the human trafficker and it was just a coincidence that killing Abdul would help other people too.

The former captives began to assemble around the wagon and prepare to return to their village. Those who could ride horses mounted them and formed an escort for the wagon. The old woman turned around and returned to the wagon, taking one of the seats in the back. The man faced her one last time and spoke.

"We're about to return to our home. Thank you for saving us. May fortune smile on your travels!" He wished Stiletto before walking for the wagon and climbing into the front seat, taking the reins and getting the trip underway. Stiletto waved goodbye and watched the wagon and riders fade into the distance before turning back towards the trail and resuming her journey. She had a long distance to cover before reaching the Tri-Council City.

-Tri-Council City, three hours later-

Having altered her disguise on the road, Stiletto retained the same clothing but had altered her form to match the male voice she had used in the conversation with the freed captives. She had also altered her hair style and hair color to more closely match the typical male appearance by adopting a brown buzzcut hairstyle. She walked through the thick wooden gates to the city and was greeted with the sight of a bustling city full of citizens going about their business and travelers gawking at the beautiful arabesque architecture of the buildings. They were also in awe of the numerous wares that were for sale in the open-air market. The mage saw beautiful pottery, well-made jewelry that was both plain and embedded with precious and semi-precious gems, dinner plates, clothing, silk, and more.

Her business was with "Abdul", but other than a hint to look for an obese dark-haired man who was fond of jewelry, she had little to go on. Maybe she should talk to the locals and mingle with them. However, that would be too conspicuous. A better idea would be to go somewhere where Abdul was likely to be, somewhere a little upscale. Somewhere where a lot of money could be made in a hurry.

[Word Count: 675]
[Total Word Count: 2,453/3,500]

-The Desert Runner, one hour later-

Stiletto asked around the city and eventually found a racetrack called The Desert Runner that was said to be home of the city's biggest gamblers. It was home to those gamblers who found playing cards to be too predictable and lacking in excitement. Now fortunes were won and lost on the performance of horses and their jockeys. Stiletto was cynical of the claims made by the bookies that each horse was closely guarded before the race to prevent unfortunate "accidents" from happening to them. With untold sums to be made off of the outcome of each race, there was always the temptation for horse owners and gamblers to try and get a leg up on competitors by any means necessary.

Stiletto stood outside the arabesque structure and found its architecture to be pleasing. In stark contrast to the heavy modern architecture in Bellum, all the Tri-Council City buildings looked to be supported by the air itself. She had a feeling that "Abdul" would be here to try and increase his earnings by gambling at the track and look classy while doing it. To get close to him, she might have to place a bet on a horse to maintain her cover as a traveler looking for excitement. Stiletto mentally counted her Jewels and had enough to cover a few small bets... or a big one.

The mage considered gambling to be a foolish game. There was no magical point where one would automatically win back all they had lost after betting enough money. Countless people went bankrupt chasing that goal and the lucky few who did break even almost immediately plunged back into bankruptcy after plowing their winnings into "just one more bet" because they felt that Lady Luck owed them a big win. The smart gambler knew when to quit while one was ahead... or at least cut their losses. Stiletto would have to keep that in mind when wagering on the horses.

-Inside The Desert Runner-

Stiletto worked her way into the crowded betting area and looked at the odds placed on each horse. The reigning champion Recordkeeper was heavily favored to win. The former champion Caesar had finished second in the past seven races, thus becoming the field's safe bet. The long shot was a horse named Magellan, who was a young racehorse just breaking into the racing circuit.

Stiletto had no idea how the numbers worked or what they meant, so she would have to wing it this time and study for next time in case she ever found herself in another situation where gambling was required. In the meantime, she shuffled over to the betting window and waited in line to place a bet along with eleven other people. Once it was her turn she put down 20,000 Jewels on Magellan and received her betting slip along with a stare from the slim and bespectacled bookie with brown eyes, who thought that the stranger had lost their mind for betting so much on the long shot.

Undaunted by the man's glare, Stiletto shuffled away clutching her slip and wound her way to the racetrack, where she muscled her way into the noisy stands and looked for "Abdul". It did not take long to locate someone who looked like the man because he was surrounded by an entourage of servants and friends that was over thirty people strong. The man sat in a private box at the opposite end of the stands and was seen chatting it up with a slender clean-shaven man who wore simpler white robes but boasted a lot of golden jewelry of his own.

The man believed to be "Abdul" was a corpulent man who had black hair underneath a burgundy turban and a black handlebar mustache. He wore opulent burgundy robes with gold trim and completed the look of a wealthy man by wearing a lot of gold jewelry. He wore a golden ring on each finger and four golden necklaces around his neck; two of them were pendants inlaid with rubies and emeralds.

Stiletto watched the target make exaggerated hand motions and talk excitedly to his friend, who may or may not have been a business partner in the former's illicit trade. She then looked away to avoid attracting suspicion and turned towards a teenage trumpeter dressed in simple tan robes, who blew the trumpet to signal that the races were about to begin. All talking stopped and everyone's attention turned to the master of ceremonies, a short and stout man dressed in white robes and endowed with a deep voice. The master of ceremonies walked to the center of the dirt track, then stopped and launched into a speech praising the sultan for his benevolence and generosity in permitting the races to be held and led the crowd in reciting a prayer for the continued well-being of the sultan.

[Word Count: 825]
[Total Word Count: 3,278/3,500]

-The Desert Runner, five minutes later-

After a seemingly interminable speech by the master of ceremonies, the man finally stopped talking and the horses lined up in their stalls. Recordkeeper was a tan Arabian Thoroughbred while Caesar was a white Arabian Thoroughbred. Magellan was another Arabian Thoroughbred, but he was solid black. Stiletto paid attention to the black horse because that was where her money had been invested.

While it was no major loss if Magellan did not win because of her financial reserves, the mage would like to see some return on her investment. Stiletto felt the atmosphere become tense as a young man in white robes walked onto the center of the track with a starting gun. People all throughout the stands desperately clutched their slips and muttered prayers that their horse would be the one to win and deliver them a financial windfall. The mage could feel the desperation in the air as the countdown began.

Moments later the starting gun went off and the horses burst out of their stalls when the gates opened. The crowd cheered as Recordkeeper seized the lead and held it early through the first turn, easily keeping Caesar at bay through sheer speed and agility. Caesar closed the distance around the second turn while Magellan pushed hard and managed to trail Caesar by seconds. Stiletto watched the proceedings with interest. The crowd was deeply involved in the race and was oblivious to what was going on around them.

Spectators danced and cheered when their favorite took the lead and audibly groaned when their horse fell behind the competition. The crowd gasped when Magellan took the lead and held it going into the third turn. The jaws of the jockeys riding Recordkeeper and Caesar visibly dropped and their determination to snatch the lead from the upstart was every bit as visible. Both champions attempted to regain the lead from Magellan and came dangerously close to doing so... going into the fourth and final turn Recordkeeper was so close to Magellan that the former could have bitten Magellan's tail if it were legal to do so.

"Abdul" stood up in his private box and let out a despairing shout as Magellan gained the lead in the fourth turn and did not let it go. He crossed first by almost five seconds and the stands went wild. Stiletto was not sure how many people bet on the long shot, but those who did would collect a large sum of money. "Abdul", on the other hand, looked dejected as he handed over a bag of money to his slender companion and then another bag of money to someone who was presumed to be a representative of the racetrack. He got up and stormed out of his private box with his attendants in tow.

Stiletto waited until the stands began to clear, then went to collect her winnings. The bet had been worth it just to determine that the man in the box really was Abdul. It was a bonus that her horse had actually won the race against long odds. He fit the description and had a lot of money to throw around, so supporting the Shadow Collective would be well within his means. Once she had collected the substantial sum of 50,000 Jewels, Stiletto left the track and started looking for the home of Abdul in order to make the hit.

[Word Count: 569]
[Total Word Count: 3,847/3,500]

-Overlooking Abdul's home, nightfall-

By sharing half her winnings with the local street people, Stiletto learned that her quarry lived in an opulent two-story house with a balcony that he spent a lot of time on. She had not left any prints on the money, so it could not be traced to her if the authorities got a hold of it. She was also sure that the street people would not easily turn on their generous benefactor.

Clad in guild armor that was reverted to its normal appearance and shrouded in shadow, Stiletto had gotten into position on the roof of a house overlooking the target's home without anyone noticing that she was there, which was perfect. She got into a prone position, brought out Silent Hunter, and waited for Abdul to set foot on the balcony.

Abdul's house was an opulent one that was painted white and boasted two stories. It featured elaborate lattice grills covering the windows and an equally elaborate wrought-iron fence patrolled by armed guards at all time. Sneaking in would have been impossible, so sniping him from the roof was the best and quickest option. Stiletto took a deep breath and waited.

-Two hours later-

The moon was high in the sky when Abdul finally stepped out onto the balcony with a glass of wine in his hand. He sat on a wooden chair and plucked a pair of grapes out of a silver bowl of green grapes that had been set out by a servant five minutes ago. He was oblivious as to what was about to happen and that was the way Stiletto liked it.

Stiletto patiently lined up the crosshairs on Abdul's forehead and waited for him to finish a few grapes he had plucked from the bunch before firing. She squeezed the trigger and fired a Full Metal Jacket round that punched straight through his forehead and damaged a small chunk of wall behind him. Abdul slumped forward in his chair and blood began to pool beneath him on the balcony floor. Stiletto waited a minute to make sure he was dead before she made her escape... it was important to make sure he was dead because if he survived she might not get another chance to kill him.

Abdul remained motionless on the ground and was not moving, which meant that he was almost certainly dead. Stiletto dispelled her rifle and began to climb down from the roof when she heard a piercing female scream come from the balcony. It was time to go. The mage quickly climbed down the roof and paused in a back alley to let the town guard pass. She then made her way towards the front gate and waited for another group of town guard hurrying to the scene to pass by.

Once they were gone Stiletto slipped through the front gate without encountering the town guard or anyone else. Hiding in the shadows, Stiletto looked around before resuming her disguise as an ordinary man dressed for desert travel. Once she was safely changed without anyone seeing her, she hastily set out for the desert and left the gates behind without anyone being the wiser. By the time the authorities thought to check the gates she would be long gone and trudging through the lawless wastes, where they would not go unless absolutely certain that Abdul's killer would be found.

Stiletto had completed another dangerous job and had dealt another blow to the Shadow Collective. She had also made a little money on the side through a very lucky bet that went the right way at the right time. While she did not bank on winning every bet she made and did not believe that fortune would always favor her, having a little luck at the right time never hurt. Now all she had to do was make good her escape and everything would be all right. With no sign of the authorities pursuing her and no sign of outlaws in the area, Stiletto would make another clean escape and live to see another day.

[Word Count: 692]
[Total Word Count: 4,539/3,500]