Cutlery didn't want to overthink her plan. She would stab them, shift the blame, and move on. Details be damned. Cutlery needed a child not quite tween. A small cloaked creature stood at the edge of the large crowd. Cutlery recognized the tween. They had been an older pickpocket that had taught Cutlery much of her skills.
Their nickname was Paddle. Cause boy did they spank. Pickpocket mistakes not only got you hit, but Spank also gave you a second walloping. Spank had been cruel, so Cutlery would pay it all back in full.
Cutlery came up behind Spank. She slipped a silver piece into their hand. Spanks' pinkish face turned around. They had a round face with blank features. Cutlery leaned in.
"Follow me for more." She said quietly. Spank nodded enthusiastically. Odd jobs were a street rat's life. A silver could buy them two whole meals. Spank would be willing to sock a town guard for her. Spank would be doing much more.
Cutlery led Spank around the crowd towards the cloaked slivers in a wide arc. She slipped Spank an empty needle. It was used to move poisons she couldn't touch. It had previously moved her deadly acid onto her blade before striking the haggen this morning.
Cutlery got behind the slivers and removed her dagger from under her cloak. Spank stood behind her waiting. Cutlery slowly coated the dagger in a painful drug. Pain was all it did though. Their slivers would likely overcome the pain quickly. Step two of the plan. Cutlery glanced around and saw a huge woman was next to her. She jostled her and stepped on her foot.
The no-nonsense woman shoved her hard in return.
"Fucking girl, we wall want to watch!" The woman said. Cutlery stumbled and plunged her blade into the cloaked sliver's popliteal fossa.
-
"The popliteal fossa, or back of the knee, is rarely guarded. Armor over it would prevent the leg from bending. While a metal skirt or chainmail net can block the butt and shoulders, the popliteal fossais is far too low to be protected unnoticed. If a person is lightly armored there is very little chance this is blocked." Jake had said all those days ago in her training.
-
Cutlery continued jerking down towards the ground and kicked Spank's knee. The sliver whirled around. They had sharp ice-blue eyes that took in the scene. The icy gaze snapped to Cutlery, her own wound, and Spank all at once. The woman who had shoved Cutlery stopped moving. Cutlery lay on the ground. Spank held an empty needle.
Cultery threw on a last-second surprised face and looked at Spank. It took all her willpower not to watch for an attack.
The sliver let out an involuntary groan and felt their leg. Spank looked about and the woman glanced at the sliver.
"What do you want? Oh, aren't you Captain Kiphel!" She said. Captain Kiphels face screwed up tight and then made a decision. Their hand lurched forward, glowing.
-
Kiphels grabbed Spank by the throat. Spank jerked and then froze. Cutlery and the large woman started at Spank. Spank stared at Kipels. Spank didn't blink. The street rat didn't move a single muscle. A great Sigh left Kiphels. Their muscles relaxed and Cutlery assumed they had overcome her pain poison. Cutlery still didn't dare move a muscle. The dagger was barely concealed behind her back.
Kiphels stood up straight. Spank still hung motionless at arm's length. The captain elbowed their cloaked partner who glanced back.
"What you got?" The gauzy voice said. Kiphels spoke back saying,
"Copper coin assassin. Likely paid by someone a mile away. They used a weak poison." The other figure nodded and they disappeared into the crowd, Spank went with them. Poor Spank, Cultery thought. The woman watched them go for a second then leaned down. The woman extended an arm and helped Cutlery up.
"Well, sorry for shoving. I bet that little assassin pushed you. Sorry bout that." The woman said. Cutlery mumbled no problem and moved away. She was sure she had obliterated Kiphels knee but the woman had walked away like it was nothing.
Cutlery moved on, looking for other trouble to make. Little things like what she had just done would get the slivers on edge. If she was lucky they would investigate and she would draw their attention away from the rebels. Nervousness still shook her muscles, that could have been it. Putting some distance between her and the high slivers would help.
The moving flow of the crowd consumed her once more. Despite being short compared to other slivers, she was of average height outside the tower. Average didn't help much in a crowd. Only the tallest stalls and shows made themselves visible to her. When someone tried to grab her wrist she yanked her hand out and decided to simply keep moving.
The hand came again and she sped up. A drunkard thinking she was pretty was very low on her priorities at the moment. The third time they grabbed at her and moved that priority up.
"Would you-!" Cutlery turned with a hand on her dagger. Tall the Goliath stood behind her, arm outstretched.
"Cutie!" Their large voice rasped. Cutlery was lifted and smashed into Tall's rippling chest.
"Twall!" Cutlery gasped out. Tall extended Cutlery out to full arm's length and gave her a full look over. Approving what she saw, Tall swung Cutlery in a wide circle. Several bystanders ducked under her shoes. Cutlery blinked and saw Savannah and Holly now in front of her.
"Savvy! Holey!" Cutlery exclaimed.
"Do not call me Holey," Holly said. Savannah smiled and hugged Cutleries hanging feet. Tall set her down and her shoulders. Some sticky bits came off that had been on Talls hands. Glancing at Tall Cutlery saw some kind of caramel around Talls mouth.
The group of girls moved through the crowd together. A popup outdoor barbeque became their meeting space. Tall ordered several plates of meat on the bone.
"They're spending all their money on real food," Savannah explained. Cutlery felt a small tear in the back of her throat at seeing her friends. Even as a traitor, life was good to her.
-
The group dished all that had happened. Most slivers above two knew what had happened with Cutlery. The three of Cutlery's friends were here as security.
"Not even supposed to apprehend pickpockets," Savannah said.
"Just the big guns." Tall elaborated.
"Prevent big problems." Holly went on. Cutlery nodded. A crowded place like this may become a target.
"The golds say the Temple will arrive before dawn!" Savannah said. "So the rebels are moving up the plans. We're supposed to be getting orders soon." Savannah whispered. Cutlery was curious as to the practical parts.
Replacing most of the little statues with fakes was nice but Cutlery wasn't exactly sure what that had accomplished.
"I think they're having us group up against golds," Holly commented.
"Golems, guards, loyalists, the spiral room, wherever they get the monsters we fight, the people trusting them more than us, their expanded knowledge of the Temple...." Savannah said. Cutlery blinked at her.
"Whatever, it's an adventure," Savannah said. She seemed worried still though. "I'm sure we can be revived or something if we die," Savannah said.
"Red flag," Holly said. They all looked at her. She looked back confused. Then she smiled and said, "People who say things like that usually die."
"My people do not revive our dead ever!" Tall said. They had finally cleared their heaping plate and tall flagons.
"Red flag two," Holly said. She snickered and went back to staring into the distance. Cutlery was starting to see the big picture.
They could take a lot of punishment. Their enemy had a small deck of high-value cards. Plus if they put all their resources into killing off a gold who simply got resurrected what good would it do? Surely the mid-slivers in the rebellion like Jake had already thought of that. Hope was the name of the game.
They dined for some time as the lights of the square grew brighter. Tall cleared a second plate. Cutlery looked about the square. It had a tinge to it. Like the lights had fed off everyone's mood and joy mixed with nervous tension for the gods coming into the Temple.
The light seemed yellower than it should be. Cutlery looked up at the lights and saw the now familiar beam of the Temple coming from behind the mountain. This time though, Cutlery could see the top of the Temple as well. The structure slowly rose like dawn over the Temple's peak.
