"Die in a hole"
-Heard by a passerby in the city of Orlar on the revised number 79.
Coras struggled to not break the frame as he walked through David's Tavern door, modestly sized but always crowded. The moment he did, a silence fell upon everyone in the room. He eyed a chair, then dismissed the idea—it wouldn't hold his weight.
At eight feet two and wrapped in osmium armor from head to toe, he looked less like a man and more like a weapon of war. His helm bore no slits or visor. How he saw without one was a mystery—even to him.
The bartender spoke. "Hey, big guy. Want anything? Take a seat."
Coras looked at him. The boy wasn't gawking. He spoke as if armored giants were regulars.
"Better not," Coras replied. "No drinks either."
The boy frowned, but quickly covered it. "What brings you in then?"
"I'm looking for information. I was told you have some?"
The bartender poured a drink for someone else. "Depends on what kind."
"A woman. Tall. Curvy. Passed through a few days ago."
The boy paused, then put on a casual smile. "So you want a sharry, right? Think we have some in the back. Wait here."
Coras said nothing. If buying a drink meant information, it was a fair deal. Sharry was highly intoxicating, but that didn't matter to him.
The boy returned with a large green-yellow bottle. "Fifteen full raches."
"I only want a pint."
"Of course. But a pint's a fraction of what you really want, right?"
Coras placed the money down and the boy counted.
"No tip?" He asked
"I don't waste money." Coras responded. "I buy information."
The bartender calmly leaned in, "Just to make sure, this lady you're looking for. Did she have a square face with a missing ring finger on the left hand?" Coras nodded, "hmm," the boy looked at the bottle, then back at Coras.
Coras took the bottle, trying not to crush it, and used his other gauntleted hand to cover his face while he lifted his helm. He downed half the bottle and let out a sigh to give the impression of getting drunk.
The boy nodded, "yeah I've seen her, stayed a night here a couple days ago, was the life of the party. But I'm afraid you just missed her, she left town just yesterday."
"Hey Tim! Give me another fill will ya!" The man shouting was the one on the other end of the counter.
The bartender, Tim, waved him off, "you've had twelve drinks tonight Boras. Pack up and leave, or am I going to have to tell Sher you've been to the pub again?"
The man grumbled, then slowly walked to the door, then turned back, "just one more shot?" Tim sighed, grabbed a small glass vile from behind the counter, filled it, then tossed it to the man. The man caught it despite his drunken state, and grinned, "Thanks, you're a real pal you know that."
"Trying to flatter me ain't going to make me forget your bill tomorrow." Tim responded, the man laughed, waved goodbye, and stumbled out the door. Tim looked back at him.
"Friend?" Coras asked while faking a drunk tone.
"You need more friends than enemies if you want to live well. Half the men in this place maxed out their tab weeks ago. If I didn't keep that fact from the owner, it wouldn't be nearly as populated as it is."
"So you give them credit in exchange for larger tips." Coras added, trying to get the boy to speak about his private life. From what he knew, that was the fastest way to get good information.
"Pf, you think I'm the mayor? No, I just give them friendly reminders every once in a while that they owe more than their tab. Keeps their families from knowing their debt too."
"You go behind the family's backs?"
"No, they do, I just keep my nose out of their personal lives, like a supportive friend. Besides, you're a man, you get it, best for the man to deal with problems like this. I know the wives and children of these men and they couldn't be happier."
Coras paused, the idea was messed up, not that he cared. That should be enough however, so Coras moved on. "The woman left town yesterday, where did she go?"
"Don't know," the boy began cleaning a glass.
"Don't know?"
"You can't expect me to watch the moves of everyone who comes around. I need a wide spectrum, so details aren't my specialty." Coras turned to walk away. "Don't forget your drink."
Coras paused, then looked back. The bartender stared into the glass he was cleaning. The reflection in his eyes looked... wrong.
"Right," Coras responded, walking over, talking the bottle, holding the wrong way. Then he smashed the upside down bottle against the boy's head. The crowd went silent again when Tim's body hit the floor.
A man stood up, "What the flames do you think you're doing!?" The man shouted, Coras ignored him, reaching over the counter and lifting the boy by the shirt with a giant gauntleted hand and rested him on his shoulder.
More than a few men stood, blocking his way out. They all held their mugs as if they were getting ready to fight. However, Coras's size and threatening armor made them hesitate.
After a moment a man at the back of the crowd spoke up, "just put him down, and things won't get ugly,"
"I just need to have a private talk with our friend here," Coras responded. He pulled a large pouch of coins from his belt, and tossed it to the man at the front. "For your trouble, he'll be back serving you tomorrow."
The crowd looked at the pouch hungrily. So he walked to the door, shoving his way through the crowd, and ducked out. The sound of men arguing echoed behind him. Coras kept walking however.
He set the boy down against a tree a few blocks away from the tavern. They were in a park, but due to the late hour, there wasn't anyone else around.
Coras held the boy's chin up with his fingers. "Cut the act," Coras said.
The boy's eyes shot open, he grabbed the tree, and hit Coras with a powerful kick, forcing him to stumble back. Got you, Coras thought to himself, confirming what the boy was.
Coras got up, and sprinted to his opponent. It leapt aside, letting Coras smash through the tree. He hit like a siege engine—well over eighteen tons of moving metal. He turned to see the creature running at an inhuman speed. He chased after it, its vessel's legs and possibly back had to be broken after its attack.
With the hindrance, Coras managed to catch it after only a small chase. When he did he grabbed the thing's shoulder, causing it to immediately punch his helm, it grunted in pain. The strike had force, but not enough. Coras grabbed the thing by the neck, making sure it wouldn't be able to escape.
"Where is she?" Coras said, his voice impossibly passive. The thing squirmed for a moment, then fell still.
"ReH eEs Ot fLesRuOy lLik," the thing responded before its eyes went dead, and its body limp.
"I already have," Coras responded.
With the Sasscare gone from his body, the injuries would kill the lad. It didn't mean anything to Coras, but he brought the boy to the hospital anyway.