The Distraction

We made sure to order a few drinks before getting started. Having taken into account the situation in the common room, I leaned into Lariss and started whispering the details of the plan. She whispered a few suggestions in my ear that I agreed with. I smiled and she giggled as if we were young lovers.

When we were all set on our roles. I lit a pipe and made sure I was visible from the front window. This was our signal to Thelora. We gave her about five minutes before making our move. In that time we drank as much as possible, relying on pills that Lariss had to reduce the effects of the alcohol. After that I headed towards the bar to speak with the innkeeper about our room, while Lariss waited a moment and walked towards the stairs passing by the merchant, making sure that her walk looked unstable.

In front of his table she fell forward and made sure to have her ass in the air. Even if he wasn't a lecherous bastard, his eyes would still have looked. The fact that he licked his lips made my part a little easier. I stormed over, grabbed him by his collar, and planted my fist into his face. I also took this opportunity to use a ring that Thelora lent me. It had a retractable pin that contained a non lethal poison. There was now a small nick on his neck from where I got him with it.

"What do you think you're doing?" One of his guards stood and pulled out his sword. The other one looked a little more experienced and only placed his hand on his hilt.

I ignored them.

"What do you think you're looking at? Huh!" I started shaking him.

The two guards started to move towards me. Before they could get me, a hand landed on my shoulder.

"I think you should calm down." Renata was giving me a stern stare.

"I would think you of all people should understand what I'm doing." I replied.

"Sir, there's no need for violence, I'm sure this gentleman's people can help him to bed. Perhaps you should escort your companion there as well." She said.

"Maybe the two of us should just go for a walk instead." I lightly shook the merchant to indicate what type of walk I implied.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that." She said.

I gave a guttural growl as I returned her stare. Our standoff was broken as Lariss fell into the table with the bandits. She stood up, gasped in offense, then slapped the nearest one. As I tried to break free from her, the man she slapped went to slap her back.

"Sveinn." Renata yelled. The priest that had been sitting next to her moved towards the bandits with a few other Followers.

"Let me go, I'm going to kill the bastard!" I had let the merchant go and was trying to pull the Holy Knight with me towards the bandits.

"Calm down before I have to knock you out." Renata said.

"Damn Followers of the Holy Light, think you can control every situation. Your whole religion should burn." I said.

"Take back your words and apologize!" The Holy Knight Turnus stepped towards us and pulled out his sword from a Storage Ring.

"Back down knight." Renata warned him.

"How dare you?! You had no right!" Lariss was screaming at the bandits as the priest Sveinn held her back. The rest of the Followers were holding back the bandits.

"Do you want to go, little man!" That wasn't a common saying on this world but I remembered it from a movie from Earth. And it seemed to hit a nerve with him and he moved towards me.

Renata had to adjust her grip on me to hold him back which allowed me to slip out of her hold and move on him also. I slipped past his sword and grabbed his neck. My psychic spell was ready and I gave him the sensation of anger to make him more unreasonable. Luckily the spell only took a brief moment of contact to work as Renata's arm crashed into my elbow with such force that it almost broke. There was no way I could have held on as her speed and strength marked her as a Master of basic aura that was currently holding back.

I played into the pain and fell to my knees as I grabbed my arm. Renata used the opportunity to push Turnus back thinking he'd back down to a superior but his amplified anger caused him to try and get to me. She had to pull a sword out of her own Storage Device to counter his strike towards me.

"Knight Turnus, stand down." She said.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to kill him?" Lariss yelled.

The room was beginning to boil over when a man burst through the back door. The previous commotions had ceased at his entrance. His clothes were torn and bloody. He clutched his throat as he stumbled towards the other bandits.

"Edda, what the hell happened?" The one I could guess was their leaders stepped forward.

Edda whispered into the man's ear. He looked distressed and started towards the back door that led to the stables. Renata gave a look to the now calmer Turnus and started to follow him. I saw the innkeeper head out of a door behind the bar as well.

"We don't need any help." Another bandit said as more Followers started towards the back door.

"Wait, was there an attack?" Lariss said.

"An attack? Did they steal anything?" The merchant had been heading towards the stairs with his guards but stopped upon hearing that.

"It's our people we'll handle it." The bandit leader said. He stopped in front of the door not allowing anyone else to go through.

"If there was a crime we need to investigate it." Turnus said.

"This isn't your business." He repeated.

"Who wouldn't want help?" Lariss asked.

"Either join me or get out of my way." Renata said to the bandit leader. He grunt before heading through the door.

Most of the room started towards the stables after that. Lariss came to me and started to help me up. She just happened to touch my elbow and it sent pain through my arm as I groaned.

"Oh my sorry." Lariss said.

"She's a lot stronger than I thought." I replied.

We were some of the last ones to make it into the stables courtyard. The bandits and the followers had spread out and were looking over the scene. There were three dead near where the bandits' wagon should have been. On the merchant's wagon a barrel had been smashed and the beer was spilled all over the ground.

"My wares!" The merchant and his guards

"Everyone, mount up, they couldn't have gone far." The bandit leader said.

"Get to your horses." Renata said.

"You really don't need to go out of your way. This is what we were hired for." The bandit leader said.

"The more you argue the further they get away." Renata said. Once again he backed down.

After she mounted her horse, Renata came over towards us. "I expect you to not cause any more trouble and be here when I return."

"Tsk." I tried to give an intimidating impression while also leaning on Lariss for support.

As they rode off, three followers had stayed behind and helped the innkeeper to take care of the bodies. I noticed one of them was the priest that had been sitting next to Renata and that she had asked to help Lariss with the bandits, Sveinn. The merchant's guards were next to him by his wagon as he inspected his goods but were keeping an eye on us. I gave them a sneer before Lariss and I headed back inside.

We sat down back at our table as we hadn't been told where our room was. The musicians had started playing as one of the bandits had stayed behind to help tend to the wounded bandit. Most of the locals had left by this point. In a short time one of the priests and the innkeeper came back in. The priest went to the wounded bandits, while the innkeeper came to us.

"If the Holy Knight didn't want to talk to you, I'd have thrown you out for the trouble you've caused." He said.

"I'm terribly sorry for that." I handed over three gold. "I know I can get a bit jealous."

"Come on. I'll show you to your room." He nodded at the gold then took us up two flights of stairs. Our room was small with a slanted roof and a bed that would just fit the two of us. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the worst room they had. After bidding us goodnight he left.

"Why don't you lay down for the evening?" I intended to cultivate my basic aura again.

"You need it more than I do." Lariss said.

"I'll be fiaaawww." She had grabbed my elbow.

"Unless you plan on taking a Healing Potion, you're going to need to rest." She said.

Since the Holy Knight had planned to speak with us I was going to let it heal naturally, I was hoping it would lend sympathy to me. I also raised my finger to my lips to indicate that someone might be eavesdropping on us. I didn't feel a chill in my heart but my own suspicion said Renata left that priest to keep an eye on us.

Lariss leaned in really close and whispered. "If they're going to listen in, we might as well continue the act of being lovers."