31 Cold Season 716
It was not hard for Nauta to find out about the incident because even if Jameson's cause was unpopular to some, he was still a member of the wealthy Rathbone family. Him being found naked in the dirt was scandalous enough that it became the talk of Ne'haer overnight, even for those unfamiliar with the man or his family. Any bounty hunter would be pleased with the ease of information, but Nauta was unhappy with the twists added to the story by the excited people which wanted to forget the Shadows which attacked their home.The reason Nauta was not led astray was because as a former guard, he knew the information to look out for in his investigations. The most important of these were of the Ironridge loyalists which supposedly killed Jameson. With their public disagreement the trial before the death, it was easy for Nauta to separate the accounts of actual witnesses from the tales of those who wanted the attention. In the end he found out Jameson was at the City Square, as usual, to have Ironridge investigated and offended the loyalists which confronted him.
The former guard heard of murders over small issues while in Sirothelle and believed the confrontation to be sufficient motive. Of course, the bottled up emotions of the Aukari played a significant part but they were good examples of a person's capabilities when angered. The loyalists displayed a lot of anger as he heard they foolishly made it physical after they could not scare Jameson off. Instead, it ended with the spectators swayed in favour of having Ironridge investigated through the hostility they demonstrated.
Still, it was only enough as a start as Nauta was unwilling to put the blame on the loyalists for that incident alone. The event which convinced him was the loyalists' celebration at the tavern after Jameson's body was discovered. They were described as overly jovial, with songs of Ironridge's greatness and the fall of its enemies. It seemed a little too convenient to the Aukari that the men only started after one of their 'enemies' had fallen.
Afraid he might tip off the loyalists, he ended his surveys at the Square and headed to his next lead, the tavern the loyalists frequented. He waited two trials until the loyalists finally paid another visit. Though there was no difference between the men of Ironridge and the men of Ne'haer, the distasteful songs and stories were a dead giveaway especially when they were all about 'Great Ironridge'.
The two trials before the loyalists' visit were not wasted however. The first trial Nauta went in armed as he had when he entered the portal to Oscillus. While the enthusiasm may be appreciated against malicious Immortals, it was not acceptable to the tavern's patrons. Nauta was quickly rebuked because he violated an understanding between the tavern's patrons although it seemed to him, it was nothing more than an excuse for the drunks to start trouble.
The former guard had been called to deal with such disturbances before and knew it was better to let the rants run its course. It annoyed him, but not as annoying as a lost chance at the bounty because he was forced to leave would be. Nauta treated the rants as the complaints he put up with in Sirothelle in an attempt to ignore them and, looked for any distraction he could find in the tavern to focus on and drown out the drunks.
The tavern's lively atmosphere helped with the attempt as he only needed to get into the rhythm of the music. A count of 1... 2... 3... 4... with a nod now and then to appease the drunks was enough until they faded from his mind. While he concentrated, he considered the other groups present. The gamblers might have promise but Nauta knew they would be too focused on their games to recollect any details, just like the dancers at the front. One by one, he removed those he deemed useless from his assessments this way until he found what he needed.
And he needed a constant in the tavern. Nauta headed to the bartender and produced some coins to avoid the discontent previously expressed by the drunks. Other than being all geared up, he conducted himself reasonably and had the coin for his night out. Nauta had some snacks and drinks while on the lookout for the loyalists, until his chance for conversation with the bartender came when she commented on the inappropriateness of being armed at the tavern.
He quickly explained the purpose of his visit, or part of, which was to find the loyalists. He was not fool enough to volunteer his true reason and instead of the bounty, Nauta said he needed work and heard the hostilities made Ironridge worthwhile. With some truth, the Aukari expected the bartender to not pry further and to supply him the information he wanted. Equipped with names and descriptions, even the expected time of their next visit, Nauta felt his efforts were not wasted.
To avoid any more trouble, his next visit was without his equipment. This second time round, Nauta approached the women of the tavern and found out more through questions of the recent celebrations. The big incident, the Shadows, was a great start and led him to the more recent celebration of the loyalists. From there he found out the women's method to dally the loyalists which were praises for Ironridge and their enjoyment of drink, despite their inability to hold the latter. The information was worth its coin and was enough for Nauta to hatch a scheme for the next trial.
No doubt those loyalists would be persuaded by the bounty hunter for the heirloom, just not through the methods the Rathbones expected...
He found them towards the end of the third trial, with songs of praises for Ironridge. After a break, Nauta approached them and asked about their home. He introduced himself as a curious visitor and that the Ironridge sounded like an ideal spot to visit while in Ne'haer. The loyalists had a laugh at his mistake and happily corrected him to explain more about their home. As they went on the Aukari acted interested, with questions of the things they boasted including; its food, might, and women.
"Wow, I don't think anyone would hate a place like that!"
It went as planned. Once he said it the loyalists complained about those which expressed hatred for Ironridge. They swore in anger with a suggestion which could easily be connected to Jameson's death, at least by those like Nauta who looked into it. The Aukari quickly apologised and offered drinks over a talk of Ironridge. The loyalists were happy to share details to a potential supporter especially with the drinks, just as Nauta was happy to keep them in drinks for as long as possible.
Nauta was not even affected by the alcohol, as his own mug was refilled after every other sip to appear like he participated in the merriment. Once he saw they were almost out, he suggested they stop out of concern for his new friends' ability to get home. Through slurred words, the trio agreed and Nauta offered to escort them. Unfortunately two, which included the one who flashed the heirloom after Nauta inquired about their previous enemies, was able to return on their own. Nevertheless his plans were nothing if not flexible.
The two led the way as Nauta carried the third over his shoulder. He regretted that he never explored Ne'haer, or at least tried to know it better to incorporate it into his plans. It was an oversight he did not know where he was being led to, as he thought the knowledge of the loyalists' visits to the tavern was enough when he should have also tried to locate their home. Unfortunately it was already too late to fix that problem and the drunk loyalists were only ever said "home" when he asked of their destination.
However with Ne'haer still in the process of recovery from the Shadows' attacks, Nauta was not disadvantaged by his ill preparation. While the group kept to the main routes, there were times they passed through the dark and ruined spots which would not have anyone around especially in the night. Continued inquiries of "are we there yet?" helped the Aukari estimate when to make his move which after he was assured they were almost there, was to be the next spot they passed.
"Arrgh!" he yelled for the attention of the duo in the front. Nauta took full advantage of the drunk over his shoulder who never once resisted him and tipped himself forward into a fall, with the drunk led along with him. Being the one in control, he violently jerked and stood straight up with hard pull at the drunk's arm. Where the man's weight had once been a nuisance, it became an asset when combined with the force of the fall which twisted his arm before Nauta let go for gravity to take its course.
As the duo rushed him, Nauta's cries that "it was an accident! He suddenly fell and..." were ignored as their concern was with their partner who writhed in pain. The Aukari was relieved as he was not ready to get into a fight with the two yet. To keep them distracted he asked without pause, "how is he? Is he alright? Can you do something to help? Immortals! What if he...," followed by details of how bad the arm could be based on what he had seen as a guard.
While the loyalists worked to relieve the pain, Nauta stepped right behind the one with the heirloom while he droned on with stories of injuries which could screw up a man's life. With the pair so focused on the injury he figured it was as good a moment as any to strike. His attack was not practical for an actual fight but for unaware targets like the loyalists, it was enough. The Aukari wound up his arm in circles and sent a punch straight at the loyalist's neck once his fist was at its fastest. The man was sent straight to Emea even before he landed on his friend and muffled the cries of pain.
It was for the best that Nauta waited until there was only one left because although inebriated, the man quickly stood posed for a fight. The Aukari knew he could take no chances as the men should be capable, even if three were needed to attack Jameson. He may have been ready from the start but the loyalist who swaggered from the alcohol proved a tough opponent. While it was difficult for Nauta to lay a hand on him, the drunk loyalist had no trouble sending the odd punch through the Aukari's defence. It was not even a bit when Nauta felt the effects of the blows which piled on him and, the loyalist showed no signs he was about to stop
Nauta even tried to change his tactics and grabbed at the loyalist's as the punches flew by but he still could not get a hold of him! Finally out of desperation, the Aukari charged with his body spread out in hopes he would finally catch him. That too failed when Nauta grabbed at the air and landed on the ground. He was left with a few scratches but he knew he already lost as his unfavorable position left him open. Well, he should have lost if the alcohol had not reacted to the violent fight and had the loyalist retch all over. It was not what he planned for when he bought the loyalists all those drinks at the tavern, but it was the plan he would repeat if anyone asked him about it.
The chance was not wasted as Nauta got back on his feet and rushed the loyalist again. As the man could only defend himself with projectile bile, the Aukari was not deterred from throwing the entire weight of his body at the last loyalist. Their positions were reversed with the loyalist on the ground and open to Nauta instead, who rained blow after blow without a chance for the loyalist to get back on his feet before he too joined his compatriots in Emea.
All he had left to do with the knocked out men was to retrieve the heirloom. As a former guard Nauta knew how investigations were conducted and was sure if he only took the heirloom, all suspicions would be on the Rathbones. It was for this reason he decided to make it look like the loyalists were mugged and dragged the three away from the scene to strip them bare. The pile of clothes tainted by vomit hid their belongings while he took them with him through the streets in his escape.
Even though he got lost in the end, Nauta was sure he was as far from the scene of the fight as he could be. It was safe enough for a rummage through the belongings of the loyalists, after the heirloom he was tasked to retrieve was secured of course. On a closer examination, it was obvious to him why the heirloom had been more important than revenge. While it was obviously expensive which would be desirable to any thief, its design reminded Nauta a lot of those stamps which marked the official documents he had to use as a guard.
He had no use for it now though and set his attention to his other acquisitions. They were nothing more than curiosities and common objects which could be found anywhere except for one more thing. A note with detailed instructions for the loyalists to steal the heirloom. He considered briefly if he should hand it to the Rathbones with the heirloom, or leave it as it might change the family's view on not escalating their conflict with Ironridge. Someone of the settlement had after all attempted to steal the proof of the family's power and authority.
He came to the conclusion that any resulting would not involve him as he would be back in Etzos. With his job complete he tossed the clothes into a fire he passed, with everything else of use or value being claimed for himself. The next day Nauta handed the Rathbones their heirloom and the instructions he found, along with advice they should hire more capable and trustworthy people given the importance of the heirloom. It was a hint of what could have happened if he were a less professional man.
Although it was questionable when "just bought them drinks, that all..." was the answer he had when asked about his job, which as far as he was concerned was the end of the affair. That very same trial Nauta decided to make his way back to Etzos. Remaining in Ne'haer would only open him up to retribution by the loyalists, or the hassle of being interrogated by the authorities which would be looking into the mugging.
