The two days from the second Daen
10
JAN/21
Two Days in the clubhouse:
Niki sat on a stack of empty boxes. He was drinking a little wine. It was not good wine, but it was the only wine stashed in the clubhouse. He heard something he had never heard down here before. He heard drip, drip, drip. It was bugging his lizard mine. He was thinking of investigating it when he decided to drink more wine instead. The last of the bottle dripped from his lips. He thought this was the kind of drip that mattered. He looked up. What was going on up there.
Wink stepped out from nowhere. Niki used to jump when she did that but had learned to suppress all on his inner fear. He now managed to just sit there as if he knew she was there the entire time. He slowly brought the empty bottle up to his lips. No wine came out. He raised it up to the light to try to see into the bottle. He stared at it.
Niki: “we need more wine.”
Wink: “you need more wine.”
Niki: “have you seen all the trouble up there?”
Wink: “yep”
Niki: “I think we should do something about it. And get some more wine while we do.”
Wink: “I can get you some wine. But doing something is a dangerous idea…. Things will settle.”
Niki: “things have changed.”
Wink: “and some things are the same.”
Niki: “Pakku would want us to do something.”
Wink: “what can we do?”
Niki looked around the clubhouse. He jumped up and walked the edges of the chamber. He moved a couple of items around. He walked up to the chamber entrance. Niki looked out into the sewer beyond. He walked back in the room. Wink mostly stayed still and watched him. She looked like she wanted to disappear but hearing Pakku’s name kept her in place. She liked Pakku. It was starting to sink in, that Pakku had seen something in them, that they had not seen themselves.
Niki smiled: “well, let’s help people.”
Wink: “what do you want to do?”
Niki: “I think we can stash about thirty people in this chamber. From here, we can make them safe.”
Wink shock her head: “I am not going to talk to folks about coming down here.”
Niki’s smile broadened: “No my dear. You do what you do best. You gather supplies for them.”
Wink: “what do you mean?”
Niki: “we will separate and do what we do best. We need supplies, you can gather supplies. I suspect the market is closed. Use your natural talents. We will need to feed these people for many days. If you come across any weapons, we need those too. I will go find folks to join our little safe home. Does that make sense.”
Wink: “Yep I can do that.”
Niki: “oh can you go find that dragonborn and tell him our plan. I would not want him to freak out.”
With a plan in hand, they both left the clubhouse. Wink disappeared right in front of Niki. He was amazed at her ability to just disappear. He checked his pouches. Wink loved to take his stuff, and he almost never caught her. His pouch of coins was gone. He thought, “fuck”. Up ahead he saw his pouch sitting on a piece of debris. She was really good at her skills. Niki moved off to the north. He wanted to find a couple of specific people but was willing to help anyone.
Niki came out of the Sewer. He looked out into the chaos. He saw some guards fighting each other. He looked over and saw someone he knew from the market fending off what looked like a slave. The slave was shaking his head. He looked up to make sure no one was watching him. For the briefed of seconds he thought he saw something or someone leaping across from one building to another.
Niki pulled his daggers. He did not fully arm up. His wanted to move quickly and quietly so he just grabbed his bone daggers. He dashed across the street, making sure none of the guards saw him. He moved up behind the attacking slave. He was swinging a table leg like a long sword. He was crazed with rage. Niki could never know if this was the righteous action or not. He knew he would need to worry about that later. He moved up and stabbed the dagger into the slaves back. He dropped limp in his arms. Niki whispered to himself, “I give you the only peace I can.”
Niki looked up to Murray. He knew him as a cart peddler in the market. He was next to his cart.
Niki gave him a slight smile: “how are you Murray?”
Murray: “terr..terrible. ..wh..what is going on?”
Niki: “no idea my friend, but I am here to help.”
Murray looks down at the dead slave: “wh..why did he attack me?”
Niki: “I think the re-dawn affected them. not sure how.”
Murray looks down the street: “can you help my family.”
Niki: “I will do what I can. Can you help me move your cart a little.”
Murray looks at his cart in complete confusion: “yes.”
Niki seeing that Murray was confused, “I want to block the view of this road a little.” Murray helped him move the cart. Niki saw some wears in the cart that seemed useful. He grabbed a little salted meat, and a large waterskin. He handed Murray some candles, “I think we will need these.” The two men started to move down the street. Niki had to take directions from Murray, but he guided them through the streets. He made sure they could move without being noticed. Too Niki surprise as they moved Murray became more confident.
They went into a small one room apartment for the folks in the city. Niki felt a little ashamed. He had been living in a one room in house Gardiward. He had complained a little about it. It was larger than this room where four people were living. Niki stayed at the door. He could hear chaos in other parts of the building. This safe room would not be safe long. Murray ran over to hug his family. Niki looked back, “Murray, gather as much supplies as your family can carry. We will need them for you and anyone else we try to save.” Murray started to point, and his family grabbed anything they could. Niki watched his liitle girl grab a little doll. He wanted to tell her to leave it. The words choked him and he never said them.
Niki moved Murray’s family back into the streets. He was sneaking them around back to the sewer entrance. He was moving them across an open street when a crazed guard saw Murray’s youngest son. The guard charged across the street heading to the little boy. Niki ran back to defend the boy. He wondered if he should just let the guard kill the boy to protect the rest of the family but knew the family would collapse if he did. The guard in his crazed focus never saw the dagger blow that killed him on the street. Niki did not think the guard needed the same prayer as the slave. He gave it anyway, “I give you the only peace I can.” Niki grabbed his shortsword, and coin purse. He guided the frightened child back to him mother. They dashed into the sewer and found safety in the clubhouse.
Wink had been in the clubhouse but was not there now. There was now a stack of bags in one corner. Niki took out one candle and lit it. It was not very much light, but they needed to conserve where they could. He looked through the bags, and it was mostly food. Niki handed the shortsword to the Murray, “you stay here and guard your family.” He pulled some dried fruit from one of the bags, “here make sure your family eats a little.” I am going to gather some more people and bring them here. You might see a little girl, or a gold dragonborn. They are friends. You can trust them.” Murray stared at the blade in his hand. He had not ever held one before.
Niki: “swing it around a little bit and stab at this box.”
Murray: “okay, but I have never used one before.”
Niki: “I hope that stays true, but you are now on guard duty. Try to keep the noise low, but I think this is a safe place.”
Murray with fear in his voice: “where are you going?”
Niki: “to help others. I think we can help maybe thirty people down here.”
Murray: “you need to stay.”
Niki: “we all have roles here, and mine is out there. Yours is here.”
Niki checked his daggers and headed out of the room. He ran up to the surface again. He hoped to find and help people he knew first. The market cart he and Murray had moved, was still in place. It had been raided but it was still in place. He moved out towards house Gardiward. He knew the most people there and wanted to help them first. If he could.
He was moving near the Whitehal complex when Niki came across a house guard. The guard smacked a Mul on the head. Niki heard the guard say, “move it slave, you are now Whitehal property. The Mul held his head, “but I am not a slave.” The guard raised his hand again, “move, you are now.” The Mul moved down the street. Niki followed them around a couple of corners. Rage surged through him. He felt different than he used to feel. Something changed in him, but this guard filled him with rage. He drew his daggers. The Mul slipped and fell to the ground. The guard moved up to hit him again. Niki took this distraction to kill the guard.
The Mul had been hit and was wounded. Blood covered his face. The dead guards body collapsed down upon him. His breathing started to become labeled. Niki flung the guard off him with a little too much vigor. He slammed into the wall. Niki reached down and prayed to Selune, “please heal my new friend.” The blood stopped flowing and sight returned to his eyes.
Niki: “can you stand my friend?”
The Mul: “hu hu yes.”
Niki: “you are free. If you want to help me, I could use it, but you are free.”
The Mul stood. He was panting and looking in both directions. Niki went over to the guard. He pressed his dagger into his throat. Under his breath, “fuck you, you slaver.” He removed his weapon belt and started to take off his armer. The Mul just continued to watch him. Niki looked around and back to the Mul, “watch my back.” This seemed to be enough to bring the Mul back to life. The mul reached his hand down to pull Niki back up, “I can help you. These fucks are grabbing folks and making them slaves.”
Niki: “not sure it will fit but put the armor on.”
The Mul: “I will try.”
Niki placed the weapon belt at his feet: “Here you might need this too.”
The Mul squeezed into the Armor as best could. Niki moved to the edge of the building to look around the corner. He saw four guards attaching folks to chains. They were just using the chaos to grab new slaves. Niki had to control his rage, or he would charge out into the pack of guards. He slid back a little. He came up to the Mul, “will you help me rescue some other folks like yourself. As the Mul strapped on the weapon belt he nodded his head.
Niki: “okay….. There are four guard around the corner. You step out. I will try to kill one with my dagger.”
The Mul: “then what, the three other guards will kill us.”
Niki: “you run. I will hide here as they run by. You take off running and circle back around to this location. I will free as many as I can as you run. We will then fight the guards when you return.”
The Mul: “They will kill me. They are trained.”
Niki: “Maybe, but should we not try?”
The Mul stood stoic: “I will do it.”
Niki and the Mul moved up to the edge. Niki looked back to the Mul, “I will step out and throw my dagger, once I step back you step out and yell at them.” The Mul nodded. Niki stepped out almost silently. He through his dagger and one of the guards dropped. The Mul stepped out and screamed at the guards. He had the shortsword in one hand and another bone dagger in his other hand. Niki hid in the shadows.
The Mul took off running, and three guards started to follow him. Niki smiled to himself. He bolded stood and stepped around the corner. The fourth guard was not dead. He was moving forward slowly and trying to pull a dagger from his side. Niki charged in and stabbed him with the second dagger. The humans and Muls in chains watched as the action took place. The guard had one last blow in him and stuck true in Niki’s leg. It was a bad wound, but Niki was going to survive it. The guard overextended in his attack and Niki was able to finish him off.
Niki ran over to the Muls first. He thought they would help their Mul brother when he arrived. He released the first one from his chains, “grab a weapon the guards will be back in a minute.” This new Mul grabbed the shortsword and moved to watch the road. Niki started to set more of them free. He was able to open the chains on three of them before his new Mul friend came running around the corner. Niki looked at the just freed Mul, “check the guard for keys.” Niki moved to help the two Mul defenders.
A fight started. Niki was wounded and moving slowly. Once the guards saw what was happening, one started to pull out a whistle. Niki engaged him. He wanted to stop the whistler. He was able to attack him, but the whistle sounded. A new Mul without weapons charged in to help in the fight. He was older and had a lot of wounds. He must have been an old gladiator. He grabbed one guard and started to squeeze him. The whistle sounded again.
The old Mul crushed the guard and dropped him. Niki finally stopped the whistler, but it was too late. Niki was now wounded badly and had to sit down. The key searching Mul had found the key and all the Mul were released. He was starting to release the humans. Niki’s breath was starting to fade. He watched as a new set of guards charged into the area. Another four arrived. Niki had armed enough Mul to fight them and they were defending the area. Niki reached out to Selune, “I might die, but I saved these people.”
Meanwhile a couple of streets over.
Arnia moved around the market. She knew she could not go back to the House Gardiward. She had tried and the main entrance was locked. She knew other ways into the house but thought that would be too dangerous to enter anyway. She headed to the market. She had started to help people from the crazed but had no plan. She heard a whistle. Something inside her told her to find the whistle. She moved fast, but carefully towards the sound.
She looked around a corner. She saw some of the white guard of Whitehal attacking some Mul. They were slaves like her. There were a bunch of dead guards and couple of wounded slaves. She saw one man bleeding out leaned up against a door. One of the guards was pulling out a new whistle. She picked up a shortsword and lunged at him. Oni had taught her a little about fighting and she moved in and killed him in with one stab. That same inner voice came to her, “heal the wounded.” Arnia moved up to the man of the ground and layed her hands on his chest, “may the new day bring you relief.” And his wounds were healed. It was at that moment she released she knew him. It was Niki from house Gardiward.
The Mul that was freeing the humans cried out and dropped. One of the freed Humans looked crazed and stabbed him with a dagger. Niki wiggled free of Arnia, “thanks.” He ran over to the new crazed Human and sparred with him. Arnia moved over to the wounded and healed them where she could. The Mul with the keys in his hands, was beyond her reach. One of the still chained humans tripped the Human. Niki used this to finish him off. He quickly started to unlock the remaining future slaves. The Mul’s finished off the guards. “I give you the only peace I can,” Niki whispered.
A new whistle was never sent.
The Mul being the first freed grabbed the weapons and started to put on the armor. Most of the others huddled in fear. The group split into two groups. The armed Mul and the unarmed humans. They started to look at each other. Was this new victory about to turn into chaos again. Niki looked over Arnia that healed him and the others. He could feel that something different in her. She smiled at him, feeling the same thing about him.
Arnia came up to Niki: “How are you Lord Nikini.”
Niki: “my friends call my Niki. You will not need to call me Lord ever again.”
Arnia: “Niki do you have a plan here? This is about to turn ugly.”
Niki walks to stand between the groups: “we are not enemies here.”
The Old Gladiator Mul: “Humans were enslaving us.”
Niki: “not these humans. …They are innocent just like you.”
Arnia: “I think we are all friends here.”
Niki: “this is the new dawn.”
The Old Gladiator Mul: “So.”
Niki: “will you help us get these people to safety. After that we go our own way.”
Arnia: “we need your help.”
The old gladiator Mul who was now their de facto leader looked over to the other Mul. They all gave each other looks. They were scared but wanted to help. The calm inner power that Arnia and Niki brought to the group helped them feel better. A soft breath came from the whole group. The old Mul came back to where Niki and Arnia stood, “we will help you.” He looked at Niki, “you and I will lead this group to some safe location.” Niki smiled, “I know a place.”
Niki and the old Mul started to lead the group through the streets. Arnia helped folks in the middle of the group keep up and stay quiet. She was not sure if she needs to watch the Mul in the rear but placed her safety in the Second Dawns Glory. The Mul group followed them. The group managed to move without a problem to the market cart Niki had left earlier. He looked over to the old Mul, “we are safe from here. Thanks.”
The Old Mul: “are you helping Mul?”
Niki: “of course. I know one of your group is wounded pretty bad. Maybe he should come with me.”
The Old Mul: “good idea. And if others want to join you.”
Niki: “If your group wants to join us, you can. I am guessing most of your group wants a little revenge, but you are welcome to come with us.”
The Old Mul: “we have some Whitehal guards to talk to.”
Niki: “Come back here, and if we see any Mul hanging out here, we will presume they want to join us and pull them in.”
The Old Mul: “Okay, we will bring folks here.”
Niki placed his hand out to the old Mul. The old Mul looked at it for a long time. This was how gladiator usually told we other that no matter what happened in the future, they were companions today. He swung his arm all the way around and clasped Niki’s at nearly the elbow. The two men made eye contact. Niki still holding the Mul’s arm, “I do not know what is happening here, but we are all going to need good men like you and me.”
Niki started to move the survivors into the sewer. The old Mul and his group moved off towards house Whitehal once again. Niki looked to Arnia, “can you take the last position and protect our back as I take them into the sewer.” She drew her sword as she moved to guard the tail end of the group. Niki guided them in the sewer and finally down into the clubhouse. He shuffled everyone to the back to make more room for all these now former slaves. The place was barely lit. Two candles were just not enough for this space and would be worse as we filled it with people.
The merchant family was not alone when he came in. There was another family. The two groups were huddled around a candle and talking quietly. Niki liked seeing them talk to each other. Niki watched the new people come in as he shifted over to them.
Niki: “Marray, who are they?”
Murray: “that little girl brought them down here.”
A little girl ran up to them.
Seaton in her little excited voice: “Wink is my friend.”
Niki partially laughing: “and what is your name?”
Seaton: “I am Seaton. She found us and helped us find this place. Wink in my friend.”
Niki, looking around: “how are we doing supplies wise?”
Murray: “not great, especially as the group gets larger.”
Niki: “we have a wounded Mul with us, can you find a place where he can be comfortable?”
Murray: “yes, is it safe to have a Mul with us?”
Niki: “this place will not be that place. He is as safe as anyone else.
Murray: “I will find him food as well.”
Niki: “I do not mean to throw this all on you, but you are the one I know. We need people to be on watch. I think two people at a time. One right outside the clubhouse, and one on the surface.”
Murray: “why take the risk of having someone of the surface?”
Niki: “well, I made an agreement with the Mul that helps these people to freedom. If they show up at your old market cart, we will guide them in. I hope they are now friends.”
Murray, looking at all the new folks: “Let me find them all a little food and get those watches going.”
Niki: “I will leave it to you my friend.”
Seaton still standing there and listening: “I can take a watch.”
Niki and Murray both laugh. Murray starts to gather food and group the people into little groups. One lights a new candle adding a tiny bit of light. Arnia walks up to Niki, “what now Lord.” Niki walks off to a crate and pulls out a bottle of wine, “I told you to not call me that.” Arnia followed him over to the box, “you did, my Lord.” Niki pops the bottle open and after a long sigh, “first, I drink a little wine, then we rest, then tomorrow we go back out into the street and help where we can.” Arnia nodded, “rest would be good. .. My Lord.”
Niki drank the wine and slept the night away. He woke in the morning to the smell of food. He had no idea how they were cooking, but he smelled food. He looked over to see a Seaton’s mom cooking over a small oil pot cooker. It did not really add any light, but it did break the smell of the place. Arnia and Wink were talking and eating what looked like soup. Wink pointed to a bowl of soup next to Niki, “don’t ask what’s in it.” Wink smiled to Arnia. Niki grabbed the bowl and started to eat.
Arnia: “what now my lord.”
Wink: “my lord?”
Niki: “let’s not start that this morning. I think mostly the same as yesterday. Wink, you go out for more supplies. I will go and try and find more folks to help. I might talk to some of the new people to see if they have families for me to try and find. Arnia, can you keep watch on the market cart?”
Wink: “sounds like a plan… my lord.”
Niki: “not you too.”
Arnia: “I agree with the plan but look how you just gave us our marching orders. You are acting like a…”
Niki: “sorry I will try to fix that. I value you both.”
Niki eating the soup: “so what’s in this?”
Wink: “no one could tell what it was, but Inex left us something for the pot. Better to not ask.”
Niki: “well it is great. I am hoping we find salt today.”
The three of them finished breakfast and headed out for the day. This second day was a little smoother than the day before. Less people were out in the streets, so the chaos still present was reduced. Niki managed to find the two of the families, but two others had been completely slaughtered in the street. He would debate telling them later. Market carts and shops were mostly empty, so Wink was able to make several supply runs and get food for the group for a couple of days. The Muls were dropping off one wounded among them. Arnia moved out and healed him. He rejoined his group immediately. They now had a group twelve strong moving through the city reeking their own brand of havoc. Arnia thought they would be found and killed soon. They left her several weapons for the hidden sewer group. Overall, it was a good day for the little freedom group.
While Niki was out running about that day. He came into a little four-way intersection in the street. He looked down towards House Whitehal. Something was on the wall. He moved out and along a wall to get a better look. On a wall someone painted a giant symbol. It looked like two dawns. Towards the end of the day, Niki found a second painting of this new two dawn symbol.