Editing Easy Money 839 (section)

==Manny==
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The dwarf Kagnar Ulisson lives in a decrepit warehouse on an island in the Reik. Manny reaches it that evening by crossing a series of wet, half-rotten plank bridges. Although he is said to be one of the wealthiest individuals in Altdorf, he chooses to live in virtual poverty and squalor. 

His ragged court of beggars, mandrake men and knife-men lounge around the ruined walls, warming their hands by fires of driftwood and trash. They eye Manny lazily, not bothering to stir. The three guards at the entrance to the only covered area of the warehouse watch him more vigilantly. They are tall, blond-haired and muscular Norsemen, wearing tattoos similar to those adorning Eckhart's face and arms, and they carry swords. It is said that these three men are the only people in the world whom Ulisson trusts. Their leader nods, allowing Manny to approach.

As Manny watches, an oddly familiar figure emerges from the doorway -a slender young man with long dark hair and a wistful, hangdog expression. His right eye has been swollen and discoloured and he walks with a slight limp.
Manny realises what is familiar about the young man -he is wearing Gottfried's dark coat and hat. This must be Josef Vadassy -the Border Princes apprentice who lost so much money at the card game and whom Gottfried suspects of being Johannes de Silentio in disguise.

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Manny tries not to gape as the realization dawns on him. He eyes the young man up and down, feigning amused disinterest.

"Rough night, friend?"

Manny grins sympathetically, and looks to the door. "My name's Kaltenbach," he tells the leader of the Norsemen. "I'm here to see your boss-- He's expecting me."

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"I lost all my master's money, I got beaten up and now I have to put my tools down as security for a loan", the young man says miserably, trailing out of the warehouse.

The guards nod and allow Manny to pass. Inside, it takes a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the darkness inside. The only light is a shaft of dim daylight from a crack high overhead. A voice, raspy and with a heavy touch of the Khazalid accent, greets him.

"You must be Herr Kaltenbach. I am sorry about this gloom. Please come no closer"

The source of the voice becomes visible -a very old dwarf, seated on a pile of rubble at the far end of the room.

"Are you a man of ambition, Herr Kaltenbach? Do you desire to advance yourself? I wish to know these things of you"

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Manny removes his hat, coughing a bit at the dust and squinting as his eyes adjust.

"A man of ambition? Yeah, I think that's me, Herr Ulisson. Way I figure it, some men are content to keep to their place, not make a stir, and die in no better condition than what they was born squallin' into. Not for me, Herr Ulisson -- not anymore. I've seen how a man with skill, strength, and ambition may go far in this world, whether he's born princeling or kitchen-boy, and I aim to be one of 'em."

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"Mm. As I remember, your father was of the first kind you describe. I should tell you this now: I was the one who had him killed. If this will provide a bar to our working together, Herr Kaltenbach, please leave now. He owed me money and he could not pay"

Ulisson does not move throughout the conversation. Manny has only ever known dwarfs be capable of sitting so still for so long.

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Manny meets the dwarf's gaze as he speaks, and spits on the ground at the mention of his father.

"Can't say it bothers me at all, Herr Ullison. I hardly knew the bastard. He stuck around just long enough to get me mum with brats, and the times he was around, he was too pissed to see to our upbringin' anyway. If you hadn't done for him, someone else would have soon enough. Anyone that knew him better'n I did said that's the sort he was. I don't owe that shitbag nothing 'cept the seed he planted in mum, and that could've just as well come from a proper man."

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"They say dwarfs are greedy because we seem to care so much about money. They do not understand the concept of a grudge -they do not live long enough. Did you know there's no word for 'forgiveness' in Khazalid? And those with ambitions such as yourself in the dwarf keeps must follow a very winding path to power. We live too long. Sometimes those with ambition cannot wait for their superiors to die, and take matters into their own hands"

He pauses.

"Forgive me. Sometimes I ramble"

Ullison looks straight at Manny.

"There is a man currently in my employment -taxing the southern half of the Street, who has displeased me, but it is important to me that the work he does will continue. Is the relevance of everything I have said clear?"

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"As crystal, sir. Please continue."

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"His name is Pieter Kromme. He has the right to tax the von Neuwald Arms, Frau Ritterbach's brothel, the Wolf and Sheep and Astrid's eating house. He makes five gold crowns a month from this, two of which he sends to me. Lately, he has displeased me by trying to squeeze more from his holdings and keeping back the profits"

The dwarf continues to look straight at Manny.

"I believe he is in the habit of drinking with his friends in the von Neuwald Arms almost every evening. An execution there would simultaneously emphasise my displeasure and secure the reputation of his replacement. That will be all, Herr Kaltenbach"

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"Understood, Mein Herr."

Manny nods to Ullison (the closest he can come to a bow), and turns on his heel, making his way out of Ullison's squalid lodgings.

"Well, Manny old son," he thinks to himself. "You're finally coming up in the world. It won't be long now till you're a man of substance and respect. True, you're still in another's service, but this is just the beginning. Soon, the collar will come off, and you'll truly come into your own. And when I do, I'll be fucked if I'm living in a rat-hole like this. Now to see about Herr Kromme..."

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Manny makes his way out of the docks and picks his way through the Niederhafen in a shower of rain. This is familiar territory to the protagonist and he receives many cautious nods from friends and acquaintances loitering about the quays. News of his trip to the dwarf moneylender seems to have spread rapidly, along with speculation as to the visit's significance. One trio -a group of longshore men known to frequent the Wolf and Sheep and to have a longstanding grudge against Kromme, seem to have guessed the truth. They are grinning broadly, and give Manny a loose-armed salute as he passes by.

The Street of a Hundred Taverns is lively as well and once again, the speed of Altdorf gossip reveals itself. Pedro the Estalian peddler is by his stand as usual, and he calls out to Manny as he passes by:
"Ho! Kaltenbach! Sharpen your knife? Clean your sword?"

Wulf, the mad Ulricite who earns a precarious living as a street-thief, also stops in midstride in the middle of the Street, sniffing the air and grins at Manny, exposing the teeth he has filed into points.

"Good hunting tonight. Hahaha!"

At last, Manny arrives at the von Neuwald Arms. There is the familiar clatter of dice from the interior. As he steps inside, he can see the owner -a heavyset, broad shouldered man berating a halfling who is clearly hung-over.

"Why!? Why do I pay you, Hubert? My only doorman, and you're drunk half the week!"

"Sorry... boss..."

Manny's eye is, however, instantly drawn to Kromme himself. He is playing cards with a group of cronies in the sunken centre of the gaming house's floor. He is a pudgy, though muscular man with a short, neat dark beard and an elaborately plumed hat to match Manny's own. Everyone around him, including the waitress who he has seated on his lap with an arm clasped about her waist, is clearly terrified of him. He is wearing a short Tilean sword and a wicked looking knife on either side of his belt.

Manny can't quite shake the feeling that he has seen something significant on his walk, something that is even now nagging at his memory, but he is not certain what it might be.

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Manny makes his way over to the owner, patiently waiting until he's finished berating the halfling.

"Excuse me, mein Herr, he says in a tone low enough not to be overheard by Kromme and his entourage. "Perhaps I might have a word with you. It concerns the gent over at the card table, and his ex-employer. My current employer. I understand that, at the beginning of your relationship, Herr Kromme and yourself had a certain *arrangement.* Taxes, and so forth. And my employer has come to understand that Herr Kromme has in fact been...er... what's the word? Overzealous in his collection of payment lately. This is why I am here tonight, and why I have about me implements for the carrying out of violent and brutal acts. Am I right in thinking you would favour a change in your current arrangement? Say, a lowering of taxation to the level you previously enjoyed? And am I also right in thinking that, as much as one might have cause to fear Herr Kromme, one might have cause to fear Herr Ullison even more? Just nod if you agree, and I'll take care of the rest. All I ask is your cooperation, and that of your staff."

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Terrified, the man's eyes go to the oblivious Kromme, then back to Manny. He nods once, sharply and says, in a whisper:

"Aye. What do you need, sir?"

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"I need you to close this place down for tonight. The reason's not important-- just find one. There's nasty work ahead, and I want the punters to feel like this is a safe, comfortable place where they can drink, talk, and lose their money in peace."

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The manager immediately moves out, waving his arms, with his halfling doorman following him.

"All right, people. We've just had word! The Watch are staging a raid..."

At this, several of the tavern's rougher-looking patrons immediately slip quietly out. Others protest half-heartedly but eventually leave. The Von Neuwald Arms is one of Altdorf's licensed gambling establishments, but the license is prone to be revoked whenever Captain Pannenberg feels a demonstration of public morality is in order.

The owner reaches Kromme's table, which he has carefully left until near the end. A couple of Kromme's cronies stand up to go, but he waves them back down again, keeping his arm tight around the barmaid in his lap.

"I don't feel like moving", he says. His voice is oddly soft and almost melodious. He squints uncertainly at Manny, leaning against the door in the background. "What's going on?"

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Straightening up from his position against the bar, Manny carefully removes his hat, resting it gently on the nearest barstool. Once the other patrons are out, he signals to the nearest employee to bar the door. He begins walking, slowly and purposefully, toward the table.

"What's going on, Mein Herr, is a bit of house-cleaning. Herr Ullison is displeased with the way you've been going about his business. My name is Manfred Kaltenbach, and I am here as Ullison's proxy. You fucked up, Kromme. You got too greedy and too stupid to hide that greed properly, and now you're in the shit."
Manny looks to Kromme's entourage.

"Lads, it's too late to save your boss. His fate has been sealed and his death's been paid for. Should you manage to kill me, you will have to deal with Herr Ullison's next agent, and the one after that, should it come to that. There will be nowhere in Altdorf for you to hide, and it will be only a matter of time before someone tracks you down and lets your throats out for you. I'd advise you to take this opportunity to make your loyalties clear. If you make the wrong decision, you will not get a second chance."

Still advancing toward the table, Manny shrugs off his cloak and whips out his sword and dagger with a satisfying *SHING!* noise.

"Choose now, boys."

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"Don't listen to him, lads", Kromme says, "He's lying. I'm still in good with Ullison. I'm still..."

His cronies are not listening to him. Their eyes go from Manny to Kromme and back and then, almost unconsciously, go to the hilts of their knives. Kromme, seeing which way things are going, wastes no more time but pushes the tavern-maid off his lap and kicks the table over in a single fluid movement. The lantern shatters on the floor, silver and copper slide mingled to the floor, and most of his former friends are temporarily caught underneath the upturned table.

Kromme reverses his hands to draw his sword and knife in a movement identical to Manny's own. He steps away from the table, staring straight at the taller man.

"So you think you can take my place, boy? Come on. I'll show you how we do it on the Street"

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With steady stride, Manny makes his way toward the depression in the gaming floor, stopping at the edge. His arms held out in a fighting stance, he paces around the edge of the "pit."

Manny chuckles as he gazes down on Kromme and his entourage.

"I've got all the time in the world, old man. You just climb out of your hole any time you like, and give me that demonstration."

With that, Manny kicks the nearest object (a pewter mug, etc.) in Kromme's general direction.

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The pewter mug flies past Kromme, shattering against the wall and leaving a trail of ale dripping down it. Kromme bares his teeth and suddenly breaks into a run. Despite his pudgy build, he moves with startling speed, reaching the edge of the pit in seconds, then climbing on to a table and lunging at Manny.

Kromme's thrust at Manny's head is viper-swift but at the last second, the protagonist manages to pull his dagger up and catch Kromme's blade on the hilt. Sparks flies from the metal. Manny now cuts back with two rapid blows.
Kromme manages to avoid the first of Manny's cuts by throwing himself backwards off the table, simultaneously kicking it over in Manny's direction. Manny easily sidesteps the falling table and performs a follow-up blow, which Kromme only just manages to hold on his own knife-hilt. He pushes Manny's blade away from his shoulder with a grimace of effort. The two warily circle each other again.

"You know", Kromme says, regaining his breath. "I went to see that dwarf bastard just the other day. Smiled at me, told me everything was fine, that I was doing good work. Bastard"

He suddenly launches another attack, trying to draw Manny's dagger away.

Manny's dagger moves reflexively to cover Kromme's movement, but the protagonist has been in far too many brawls throughout the Niederhafen not to recognise a feint. Disappointed, Kromme simply drops his blade down and thrusts it straight at Manny.

Manny is easily able to avoid Kromme's blow. They have now moved full circle around the overturned table and their feet crunch in the shattered pottery and spilled oil from the broken lantern.

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Manny shakes his head. "Fucking typical, if you ask me. In a month or so, some bastard will be coming for me, I shouldn't wonder. Makes you question the very nature of the job, really."

For a moment, Manny seems to consider this.

"Oh well- There's the coin in my purse and the cunny in my bed, and no point in speculatin' on what next week'll bring. I might end up in silks and velvets, and I might end up under the crust of some halfling cocksucker's meat pie. Either way, mein Herr, you've got an appointment with Morr tonight."

With that, Manny begins a lunge with his dagger, trying to throw off his opponent's defences in time to slash at him with his sword.

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Similarly acquainted with the tricks of the street-fight, Kromme's blade barely flicks up in response to Manny's feint, and is quickly back in place to guard him when Manny launches his real attack.

Kromme tries to raise his sword in time to intercept Manny's thrust but he is not quick enough and the protagonist drives a deep red furrow through Kromme's right arm, tearing the finely ruffled black and yellow sleeve as well as the leather underneath. Kromme's eyes widen with pain and he lunges desperately at Manny, stabbing twice in quick succession.

Manny manages to sidestep Kromme's first blow and the second he takes on the blade of his poignard. Kromme is now slipping in a puddle of spilled ale. Over his shoulder, Manny can see that one of his henchmen has freed himself from the overturned table down in the pit, and is now creeping forward, a knife in his hands and his eyes intent on his former boss' turned back.

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With a snarl, Manny shifts his stance as he moves to press his advantage, thrusting viciously with his sword as he edges forward...

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In a series of vicious strokes and thrusts, Manny drives Kromme backwards several paces, down the couple of stone steps into the gaming house's pit. Kromme, desperate to defend himself, has no time to look behind and almost stumbles on the steps. Once at the bottom, however, a frown crosses his face and he studies Manny's face intently for some clue to his intentions.

The slightest shift In Manny's eyes reveals the danger behind him to Kromme and he turns on his heel, keeping both of his enemies in sight -holding his sword at Manny and his knife at the newcomer.

"Fritz, you dog!", he calls out. "I didn't think you'd have the nerve"

Fritz -a lanky, sandy-haired man wearing a cap several sizes too big, hesitates. He clearly doesn't dare enter the fray now that Kromme is aware of him. Instead, he picks up a lantern from a nearby table and hurls it at the racketeer.

Kromme easily ducks the missile and it crashes against the bar in the far corner, spraying shattered glass and sizzling lantern oil across it. The ancient, damp wood fails to catch however, and the blaze quickly dies out. Kromme, meanwhile, takes advantage of the momentary distraction to aim a terrific blow at Manny, standing above him on the steps.

Manny recovers in time to easily twist aside from Kromme's wild stroke.

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Gritting his teeth, Manny answers Kromme's attack with one of his own, bringing his arm back around and unleashing a flurry of blows at the racketeer.

"Sigmar's balls, Fritz! Are you going to do something with that knife, or hang back tossing things about like a little girl?!"

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Kromme throws back his head, laughing and baring his teeth.

"Yeah, come on, Fritz. Show us what you've got"

Fritz, equally goaded by both Manny and Kromme, now rushes forward, flailing with his knife. Meanwhile, Kromme is meeting Manny's hammering blows.

Gasping for breath, Kromme manages to deflect all but one of Manny's strokes, but he raises his dagger just a little too slowly for the last and Manny's blade rips open the leather bracer on his wrist and gouges a light wound on his arm.

Fritz has little technique as a fighter, but a combination of panicked enthusiasm and Kromme's distraction allow him to score a glancing hit on Kromme's right arm, just above the much deeper wound Manny managed to land earlier. Kromme is moving more slowly now, and sweat trickles down his brow.

"See the scum you'll have to work with?", he asks Manny, looking for the next opening in the protagonist's defence. 

"They've no stomach, they can't fight and they have no sense of... style"

The last word is punctuated by a vicious thrust at Manny, followed by a sweeping blow.

Manny manages to knock Kromme's blade aside but that leaves him open for a tremendous cut at the inside of his right arm with the racketeer's dagger. The blade scores a thin hot line of pain to just above Manny's elbow, and he can tell it's just missed rupturing a muscle. It stings agonisingly. It's an effort to simply remaining holding on to his sword. Kromme grins in satisfaction.

Fritz's face goes ashen -he's clearly worried that the fight is going against Manny.

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Manny grits his teeth in pain as Kromme's blow strikes home. Hot tears stream down his face as he struggles to keep a grip on his sword.

Keeping his dagger up to ward off Kromme's attacks, Manny tightens his grip on the sword's handle and tries another lunge.

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Kromme manages to knock Manny's cautious lunge aside. Fritz, who is now desperately anxious, simply launches into a 
wild series of blows, forcing Kromme to spend his energy ducking and weaving away.

Kromme manages to sidestep Fritz's energetic but ineffective assault, and he is now standing next to one of the pit's tables, on which a jug of ale sits. He seizes the jug by the handle and flings its contents in Manny's face before launching his own furious onslaught of thrusts and cuts. He is clearly gambling on the chance of taking Manny down, since he is leaving himself entirely open to a riposte.

Manny manages to turn away just before the ale hits his face, and instead it simply spatters across his face and shirt. He immediately looks back just in time to catch Kromme's first blow on his sword and take advantage of Kromme's openness to lock his dagger with Manny's own at the hilt. A vicious twist of his left hand forces Kromme's knife arm down and knocks the pudgy racketeer backwards on to the table, sending a handful of cups crashing to the floor. His knife-arm still pinned down, he will not be able to raise it in time to block Manny's next attack.

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Cursing horrifically and spitting the contents of the beer mug back in Kromme's face, Manny raises his aching sword arm, takes careful aim, and thrusts down at the pudgy racketeer, hoping to skewer him to the table.

"Die, gods damn you, DIE!!!!!"