Rise of the Grandmaster
Page 50
Nothing felt as good as being at home surrounded by the people he cared about.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
“You worthless piece of shit!” Cassie raged.
Tim chuckled as the mug she threw at him was incinerated by JaKobi’s flameshield. “If you needed healing, you should have come by the shop.”
“I’ve been hungover and in pain all day.” Cassie waved her hand. “Couldn’t you have just splashed me with water before you left?”
Tim was pretty sure if he’d splashed her with water while she was passed out, it would have been a lot worse than a thrown mug.
“If I’d known you were hurt, I would have. You two must have crashed right before I left.” ShadowLily hadn’t come to bed, but Tim had found the two of them draped over the couches downstairs when he had walked out. He looked at ShadowLily, hoping she would help extricate him from the situation.
“Don’t look at me.” ShadowLily gave Tim a sly smile. “I can’t deal with her when she’s being dramatic.”
Cassie stood up and started pacing back and forth. “Dramatic. Dramatic! I’ve been stuck by the toilet all day, but lover boy could have fixed it in an instant.” She turned and scowled at the healer.
Tim laughed as his healing orb hit Cassie in the face and forced her to stop her tirade. He tried not to gloat because being hungover was the worst. “You were saying?” Tim quickly cast root on her before she could charge him and then followed it up with Cleanse.”
“What in the hell was that?” Cassie raged as she wiped off her face.
“Feeling better?” Tim asked hesitantly as he moved toward ShadowLily for protection.
Cassie’s glare could have melted the paint off a car. “Maybe, but that was uncalled for.”
“Splash me with water. Don’t splash me with water. I’m confused now.” Tim looked at JaKobi, and the fire mage just shrugged.
ShadowLily gave him a quick kiss. “Go take a bath. You stink.”
“Is that what the smell is?” Cassie grinned. “I thought Ernie was making a new concoction.”
Tim walked past Cassie on the way to the bathroom and whispered. “You might want to consider taking a bath yourself.”
The swift kick to his ass almost sent Tim sprawling. The extra points he’d put into dexterity really saved him from looking like a total fool. He spun around and looked at Cassie’s defiant expression before deciding that he was better off accepting the payback for his comment.
He laughed, thinking about Cassie waking up with an inked-on mustache next time he found her passed out on the couch. She reminded him of his little sister, and he’d never let his sister get away with kicking him in the ass. That was the thing with payback; it was always a merciless bitch.
Tim was tempted to run back to Cassie so he could mess up her hair, but he wasn’t quite willing to risk it. Instead, he continued to the bathroom. Ah, the hell with it. He couldn’t resist taking a parting shot. “If that smell doesn’t go away, everyone will know it wasn’t just me!”
Dodging the second mug she’d thrown at him in under five minutes, Tim ducked around the corner. A moment later, he popped his head back out, hoping Cassie didn’t have another mug in hand. “JaKobi, let the people waiting for healing know I’ll be with them soon.”
“You got it, boss.” The fire mage stood and walked out the entrance.
Tim closed the bathroom door behind him, happy to be alone for a minute. He turned on the water to fill the bath and smiled. Scratch that. His bath would be a million times better if his sexy half-elf seductress was in here with him. There were some activities that were more fun with a partner. Taking a bath was one of them.
Tim walked out of the inn with ShadowLily by his side. She came to help out with security when she didn’t have anything better to do. He was lucky to have her since security wasn’t a fun job. It normally meant standing around for hours doing absolutely nothing. It was nice to have her and even better for JaKobi, who’d get to spend the afternoon grinding experience to catch up.
Their fire mage was a little behind the curve but moving up quickly. Dude became highly motivated once he found his place after doing bounties with them. If Tim were honest with himself, JaKobi might pass him if he didn’t get back to business soon. Between his two jobs and trying to get the slums going, he’d fallen behind his companions. At least he didn’t have to worry about his class change quest. Not having to spend a week grinding missions was going to be nice.
JaKobi was leaning against the door of the healing shack. Tim gave him a quick nod and pointed behind him at his girlfriend. “Thanks for keeping an eye on Judy and the shack, but ShadowLily decided to give you the afternoon off.”
JaKobi stepped in front of Tim before he could enter. “You might want me to stay for a few minutes when you see who’s inside.”
Doubt started to burrow through his mind. “Another of Jepsom’s men?”
Before the fire mage could answer, ShadowLily cut him off. “You didn’t tell me the cardinal sent someone here. How are we going to keep you safe if you don’t give us all the details?”
Tim looked at JaKobi and quickly realized he wasn’t going to get any help from him. He turned back toward ShadowLily and smiled sheepishly. “It slipped my mind.”
“Weak.” ShadowLily pulled Tim close. “I don’t want you dying on me, so you have to tell me what kind of trouble you’re getting into.”
JaKobi smiled at the two of them. They were on the border of being so cute he wanted to gag, but secretly he hoped to have the same kind of relationship one day. “The trouble seems to be of the half-orc variety.”
Tim’s face went pale. “Malvonis is here?”
“Didn’t give me a name.” JaKobi shrugged. “Just showed me a big knife and said he’d be waiting inside.”
“Where’s Judy?” Tim looked around, hoping to see her outside.
JaKobi worked his mouth like he was sucking on something sour. “She said not to worry about her, that she had work to do.” He made air quotes. “I’m not leaving because some asshole with a knife wants to harass the boss.”
Turning away from the mage, Tim looked at ShadowLily. “Go get Cassie and Gaston, but stay outside until I call for you.” He turned to face the door and nodded to JaKobi. “You’re with me.”
“You got it, boss.” The fire mage stepped forward and pushed open the door.
Tim walked into the shack first and was pleasantly surprised not to see Judy cut to ribbons. Malvonis was sitting in a chair by the wall, eating something that looked suspiciously like grapes. He had a smile on his face that made his tusks stick out a bit farther than normal.
Judy had finished getting the towels and the water ready and was about to step outside. “Tell your friend he’d better be picking up his own damn seeds.”
Tim looked at her stern face and the pits on the ground. “JaKobi, do you mind?”
The fire mage lifted one eyebrow in question, and when Tim gave him a subtle nod, he started casting a spell. With one wave of his hand, the scattered seeds on the floor burst into flame. All that was left of them were tiny wisps of smoke.
Tim watched Malvonis but didn’t see any hint of surprise, although he was pretty sure JaKobi’s spell got the message across. The half-orc now knew Tim had a fire mage on his side who was good enough to incinerate several targets at once. The message also said, don’t fuck with my place, or you might be next.
“Judy, I’m going to have a word with our guest. When you see him leave, send in the first client.”
“Of course, sir.” Judy flashed Tim a brief smile, scowled at Malvonis, and closed the door.
Malvonis stood up from the chair and tucked the remaining grapes inside his cloak. “You’ve got a nice little racket going on here, but the cardinal wants it to stop.”
“So Jepsom sent you after his man failed to get the answer he wanted?” Tim moved to stand in front of the sitting thief. “I thought we had an understanding about you not coming back here?”
A ball of flame appeared in JaKobi’s hand. “Is that a threat?”
“Call it a friendly suggestion.” Malvonis shrugged his massive shoulders. “If this situation was going to come to violence, I wouldn’t have announced myself. I find that killing goes much easier when the person you are trying to murder doesn’t expect it.”
Tim held up his hand to silence JaKobi’s reply. “Consider your message delivered. Kindly tell the cardinal I’m not interested in his offer.”
The half-orc’s smile disappeared. “He won’t be pleased with your answer.”
“Then he can take it up with the high priest, whose blessing I have.” Tim was starting to get worked up, but he’d be damned if he was going to be the first one to lose his temper. “I actually needed to see him, so I’ll just fill him in on Jepsom’s messengers in the morning.”
Malvonis held up his hands in front of him in a slow the fuck down gesture. “Seems as though I’ve found myself in the middle of a political squabble I’d rather not be a part of. Being on the bad side of either of those men isn’t good for your health. Despite what you might think about my profession as a whole, it’s much safer than playing politics.”
“Tell me about it,” Tim groused as he thought of everything he’d done in the game so far. All of it, every little thing he’d been through, was because of Cardinal Jepsom’s ambition. “I’d much rather the two of them worked this out themselves, so I could stop looking over my shoulder for who was going to try to kill me next.”
“Not going to happen any time soon,” Malvonis grumbled. “I don’t know what you did to piss that guy off, but he’s got a real hard-on for you now.”
Tim shook his head in disgust. His life would be so much easier if Jepsom simply disappeared. “I get the feeling the cardinal’s support inside the temple is waning. Might be a good time to pick the other side.”
If Tim could get Malvonis out of the picture, his life would sure as hell be a lot simpler. Shit, if he could get him to fight for the high priest instead, he might not even have to fight with Jepsom himself. In a perfect world, he’d be able to orchestrate the whole thing, but inside The Etheric Coast, he didn’t have that kind of pull.
“I don’t pick sides. The only thing I do is take a job and see it through to the end. If coming down here and roughing you up gets me square with that evil bastard, I’ll do it.” Malvonis eyed Tim, making sure his hand didn’t stray toward his dagger. “But I’m just as inclined to call it a day as long as you help me out.”
JaKobi extinguished the fireball he’d been holding. “Why would you do that?”
Malvonis shook his head, clearly asking himself the same question. “Normally, I wouldn’t, but the cardinal just wanted the message delivered. He doesn’t want you dead.” He scratched absentmindedly at a scar on his arm. “At least not yet.”
Looking around the shack, the half-orc started to smile. “People working for the cardinal have a way of disappearing. I’m not keen on joining their ranks.”
“I might have disappeared a few of them.” Tim wondered if he’d said too much. “But I’m sure the cardinal is much more efficient at it than I am.”
The half-orc started walking toward the door. “As long as you’re okay putting on a show, I’ll just leave. After I tell the cardinal I’ve roughed you up, I think I’ll take a vacation until the rest of the temple’s drama is sorted out.”
Tim looked at JaKobi. “Tell the others to stand down.”
Grinning, Malvonis stepped out of the way so the fire mage could leave the room. “You had people ready in case I attacked. Smart, very smart.” His tusks jutted out when the half-orc’s mouth opened in a grin. “I think I’m starting to like you, kid.”
“I don’t like taking chances.” Tim looked at the half-orc, and despite Malvonis’ change in tactics, there was no way he could trust this man not to come back and kill him if the cardinal asked him too.
Anything Tim said to the thief right now might as well be said straight to the cardinal. “So, what’s your plan?”
Malvonis grabbed one of the pots full of water. Turning away from Tim, he kicked open the door and stormed out. Before walking down the steps, he threw the pot back inside, where it shattered, splashing water everywhere. “And don’t you forget what I fucking told you!”
The half-orc pulled up his hood and stalked toward the exit of the slums. Tim watched him go, wondering just how much trouble he was in. If the cardinal sent Malvonis to kill him in the future, there was a good chance he’d end up dead. Getting to level ten and becoming an adventurer was looking more appealing by the second.
Tim pondered his options, realizing there was really just one question he needed to ask. How long would it be before the cardinal took the next step? He had to see Paul and find out what it was going to take to end this. Tim had finally reached the end of his rope with that bastard. Jepsom’s threats had to stop; he had more important things to worry about. It was time to turn the tables and let the cardinal find out what it felt like to be powerless.
Judy looked into the healing shack to make sure nothing else had been destroyed and started cleaning up the mess. He made a mental note to give his assistant a hearty bonus at the end of the night.
Turning away from the mess, he looked at the members of his guild. “We’ll talk as soon as I finish healing these folks.”
“That’s fine, but none of us are going anywhere.” ShadowLily frowned at Malvonis’ back as he slowly continued on his way to the arch.
“I knew there was a reason I kept you around.” Tim kissed ShadowLily on the lips.
“I was thinking it was because of the great sex and my sparkling personality, but now we’ve gotten to the truth of the matter. You just like my knives.” The half-elven thief pulled out her blades and spun them on her palms.
“As long as you aren’t throwing them at me.” Tim immediately thought about the time he’d had a teacup on his head. He’d never be dumb enough to make that bet again.
“You two make me wanna barf.” Cassie chuckled. “Now that the drama alert is over, I’m going to finish my bath. Scream really loud if you need me before then.”
Tim smiled at the thought of a naked Cassie jumping out of one of the windows with her staff in hand, ready to save them all. If that ever happened, he’d have to get her picture put on a coffee mug.
Gaston ignored their byplay, focusing his attention on JaKobi. “Do you know how to play Kill the King?” He wrapped an arm around the man’s shoulders and started leading him to a little table set up outside of the door. “Why don’t I show you?”
If JaKobi was smart, he’d keep his coins in his pouch. Rule one was to never play cards with Gaston if you wanted to leave with any of your gold.
Tim looked at the gathered faces and said to the first person in line. “I’m sorry for the delay, ma’am. Please come inside, and I’ll get you fixed right up.”
Judy helped the older woman up the three stairs and into the shack. This was what it was all about. He was a healer, and these people needed him. There was no way he would stop when they deserved a fighting chance to thrive. Like a flower growing in the cracks of a sidewalk, life would find a way.
His job was to make that life a little more bearable.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
“I need a beer,” Tim called as he entered the inn.
Ernie smiled at the young healer. “And some food, if I’m not mistaken.”
Liz came out of the kitchen carrying a tray covered in bowls with little silver lids and loaves of hard, crusty bread. Another night of stew. Tim grimaced. But hey, at least the food had gotten better since Liz started. Not that she did the cooking, but she was helping Ernie vet new cooks to take over the kitchen.
To be fair, the reaso
n the chefs were making so much stew was because she wanted to create a baseline to judge them by. If they all cooked different meals, how people voted might depend on the person or the day. Now they’d had one meal from each of the cooks, and the guild could put in their votes for who they liked best.
Each dish seemed better than the last to Tim, but he was getting sick of stew. He might love a bowl of the stuff, especially on a cold and rainy night, but not for every dinner for two weeks in a row.
It was a little much.
The bowl in front of him smelled divine. It was the first time someone had made more of a cream base than a traditional stew. He felt like he was eating a steak version of chicken and dumplings with potatoes instead of dumplings.
That was the thing with food, Tim might not be able to cook it or to describe it very well, but he sure as hell knew how to eat it. He ripped off the heel of the bread and dipped it into his bowl. When it had soaked up enough of the sauce, he ate it ravenously.
Tim looked up after finishing his bread and noticed that everyone else in the room was watching him. “What?” he mumbled as he ripped off another chunk from the loaf.
“We’ve all been waiting to find out what in the fuck Malvonis wanted, and you haven’t even looked at us.” ShadowLily sat next to him. “So, what’s up?”
Tim set down his bread and covered the bowl of stew with the lid, knowing full well by the time they were done talking, his dinner wouldn’t be hot anymore. “Jepsom sent him to tell me to stop healing people outside the temple.”
Taking a sip of beer to clear his throat, Tim continued, “Malvonis was annoyed when he found out the high priest and Jepsom weren’t on the same page when it came to my healing. I’d say he left because he wanted to avoid pissing off Paul, but I don’t think the bastard does anything unless he wants to. That means we probably haven’t seen the last of him.”
Tim polished off his beer and motioned for Liz to bring him another one. “On the plus side, if we end up in a confrontation with the cardinal and have to take him out, our potential Malvonis issue disappears.” Tim looked around the table at the shocked faces. “Just saying.”