A well-known guard asks to inspect your premises. Knowing thatyour"less than legal" activities take place in a well-hidden areathat unless one knows exactly what to look for there's nochance they'll find the entrance, you allow the guard to search thinkingthat it will only take an hour or so. After four hours of disruptingthe activities of the brothel, the guard leaves and gives youthe impression all is well. An hour later, the guard rushes intoyour brothel accompanied by four other armed guards. They hold you atsword-point, charging you with possession of an illegal mind-controlsubstance, Zubadai.
You've never used Zubadai because you knowthat long-term use of Zubadai leads to random outbursts of violence. Youchuckle to yourself as one of your father's anecdotes about one of hisgirls (she'd been bought from a Zubadai dealer) tearing off a customer'spenis and beating him to death with a table leg. You immediatelyrecognize this as a hit. These guys are easier to read than achildren's book and you can tell by the look in their eyes that if yougo with them you won't make it half-way to the prison before they killyou. "'Justifiable homicide in the line of duty' my ass," you think toyourself.
Thankfully, your old man was good enough to teach youhow to get out of such situations without putting yourself in harm'sway. When the guards go to bind your arms, you crack open a small ballfull of a potent knock-out gas. Because you hold your breathand the gasis odorless, the guards quickly pass out. You practically cackle at thecrooked guards' attempt to frame you. Your goons haul the guards to thedungeon for interrogation...
Upon interrogation of the guards,you discover that they were hired by one of your rivals to plantZubadai on your premises, then pretend to arrest you and kill you onthe way, saying you tried to escape. You know exactly who isresponsible and how to combat them. That just leaves the matter of yourwould-be assassins...
What do you do?
[Kill them quickly]You order your goons to leave and glare at the sniveling dogs as theybeg for their lives. You put on a calm expression and pretend to walkaway, then turn to them where they are tied down to chairs, lined upshoulder-to shoulder. You grab a wakizashi from the nearby wall andapproach them, smiling and acting as if you are about to cut them free.You flick your wrist and swing sideways, beheading them all in oneswipe. You wipe off the blade and order your goons to dispose of thebodies.
(You become more evil.)
[Kill them slowly] You have yourcaptives doused in lamp oil, then grin evilly as you slice theirkneecaps off, making sure to go slowly each time. Rods are driventhrough their calves and they are hung upside-down. You leave just asyour goons touch the three with lit torches, their screams echoing frombelow. (You become waaaaay more evil.)
[Sell them as slaves] Youhave them knocked out, branded, and carted off to the slave market. Yourecieve 500 gold for the guards. Not as much as you wanted, but atleast it's over.
[Turn them and frame your rival] You use the Zubadai they planted on your premises. Once they are under your control, you send them to your rival's brothel where they would stage their own murder. They go into your rival's basement and brutally kill each other, one of them clutching your rival's bloody garment, implicating them. Knowing that that alone is enough for a conviction, you inform the city guard of 'suspicious activities'. The guards investigate to find their comrades slaughtered in the basement. Your rival is arrested, imprisoned, and executed. (You won't be hearing from this rival again.)
[Toss them out on their asses] You have them stripped of armor and weapons, beaten halfway senseless byyour goons, and then dump them in the nastiest slum in town with theirhands tied behind their back, and "copper" tattooed on their foreheads.They might make it back alive, they might not, but it's more of achance than they would have given you. If they survive the ordeal, they'll think twice before trying to play you for a sucker again.
Credit for the last one goes to the good Doc Clox.
