A Bardly Sellsword's Price
Serving as a small introduction, Ludwig confronts a client with a complaint about his payment, perhaps one should be more careful when deciding how much a bardly sellsword's services are worth?
Cautiously, a pompously dressed elderly man- almost ancient, in Ludwig's words- walked down a grimy alley and into a small open area that was hidden behind the large buildings. One could easily say that he didn't want to be back here, and that he didn't know why he was here either, but once he saw the man of the hour, he stood up straight and cleared his throat
"Hello Ludwig," The old man mumbled, he looked around, examining the small opening they were both standing in. Pleasantly surprised at the lack of potential thugs hiding in the shadows, he continued "You are back here alone? I thought you gnoll-folk travel in packs."
"Yeah? Well I thought you nobles were supposed to be rich, up to your necks in wealth!" The other figure spat out, Ludwig. He wasn't happy, as the tone of his voice easily gave away "So I suppose that makes us both wrong, doesn't it?"
The sudden shout struck the man's nerves greatly, a bead of sweat starting to make it's way down the noble's cheek "What.. do you mean, Ludwig? I don't understand-" Cut off by the jingling of coins, the man noticed that the gnoll was tossing a small coin purse from hand to hand, Ludwig saw this and immediately answered his question
"I'm referring to what you've payed me for the little job you sent me on, do you take me for a fool?" Ludwig snarled, gripping the coin purse tightly now
"No, of course not! I've paid you a good amount, did I not?"
"A good amount?" Ludwig chuckled, flashing his signature smile for a brief second before using a claw to rip open the coin purse and then tossing it to the ground in front of the man, the contents spilled out, 15 gold pieces and a silver. "This, this is nothing. I can't even afford to repair the gear that got damaged on the damned job!"
"I mean- I mean, how much did you expect me to pay you?" His client addressed him, trying to seem more confident than he actually was "It was a simple... get in and kill the man my wife was having an affair with!"
"Simple, eh? Say, how simple can murdering the captain of a guard patrol during the middle of a party be?" Ludwig began slowly approaching the man, holding a lute in his hand "Being a bard, getting in was no problem, but actually KILLING him? That's a whole other story!"
"What- well you- it's your fault for taking my job so late, and making such a big scene out of it too!" With a scoff, the man crossed his arms and looked away "I should've paid you even less, especially since you're just a stupid beast!"
No more words were spoken between the two, only actions were made. Ludwig, at a break-neck speed, whacked the elderly man across the forehead with his lute, grinning madly. The noble groaned and shouted in pain, pleading for mercy, though Ludwig couldn't care less when he struck him again, right in the face, flattening the man's nose. Face shattered in more place than one, the old man kept whimpering, louder and louder. In return, Ludwig hit him again and again square in the face until his cries, like him, died out.
The gnoll was breathing heavily, he looked down at the man's bloodied head, then at his blood-soaked lute and slowly began cackling at the sight
Before he left, he picked up the gold and silver the man had paid him back up, and he rummaged through the body's pockets and took whatever else he had on him, leaving through the alley, he shouted
"Oh Amelia, you're as deadly as you are pretty sounding!"