employees honest, but the place was degenerating in his absence. The only way it
could sink any lower would be if a Hell Hound took to drinking here.
Despite his guise of slumber, Hakiem found himself smiling at that thought. A
Hell Hound in the Vulgar Unicorn! Unlikely at best. Sanctuary still chafed at
the occupying force from the Rankan Empire, and the five Hell Hounds were hated
second only to the military governor. Prince Kadakithis, whom they guarded.
Though it was a close choice between Prince Kitty-Cat with his naive lawmaking
and the elite soldiers who enforced his words, the citizens of Sanctuary
generally felt the military governor’s quest to clean up the worse hellhole in
the Empire was stupid, while the Hell Hounds were simply devilishly efficient.
In a town where one was forced to live by wit as often as skill, efficiency
could be grudgingly admired, while stupidity, particularly stupidity with power,
could only be despised.
No, the Hell Hounds weren’t stupid. Tough, excellent swordsmen and seasoned
veterans, they seldom set foot in the Maze, and never entered the Vulgar
Unicorn. On the west side of town, it was said that one only came here if he was
seeking death … or selling it. While the statement was somewhat exaggerated,
it was true that most of the people who frequented the Maze either had nothing
to lose or were willing to risk everything for what they might gain there. As
rational men, the Hell Hounds were unlikely to put in an appearance at the
Maze’s most notorious tavern.