“Are you Death?”
Vexx grinned, smoothing out his shimmering black robe. “No, but I like the compliment. We’re here because the barkeep said you had a rat problem.”
“We?” the old man asked, and Vexx shifted aside. The old man’s eyes boggled as he took in Kaylin, who waved shyly at him.
“Hi there, sir! What can I do for you?”
“Easy, Kaylin,” Vexx said in a low voice, taking in the old man’s lecherous gaze. “We don’t want to give him a heart attack.”
“Ooh, I like you,” the old man said after a moment, sucking on his few remaining teeth. “You’ll do just nicely! Come on in,” he said, stepping back. “I meant her,” he muttered as Vexx stepped in first, ducking through the door and entering the main room.
It was a drab interior, cobwebs coating the edges, and the walls had a faintly yellowish sheen to them. Motes of dust drifted down from a nearby bookshelf, a couple wooden chairs, a table, and a rickety ladder were the only other objects of note in the interior. Vexx cleared the way as the old man gestured for Kaylin to enter.
“Pardon the mess. My wife passed away, you see, and certain things have gone…untended to,” the old man said.
“Just show me what needs doing,” Kaylin replied with a smile.
“Ooh…”
“And Vexx and I will get right on it!”
“Oh…” The old man sounded decidedly less excited and blinked over at Vexx. “You know what, young man? I have something else for you to do. Some rats have gotten into my cellar and I’d like them cleared out. It’s very cramped, so it’s best if you handle it alone.”
Vexx raised his eyebrows.
“Oh, don’t be like that, sonny,” the old man replied after a long moment. “There’s a great treasure in my cellar. You’re welcome to it once you clear them out. Your friend here can help me with something else.”
“Fine. I’ll get your rats.”
The things I do for a few coppers. Still, a job’s a job.
He gave a brief nod, then went down the staircase. There was a solid wooden door leading to the cellar with a wrought iron handle on it. Vexx paused, crouching down and listening beside it. He heard Kaylin titter at something the old man must have said, but he put them out of his mind.
She’s a grown woman, she can handle herself.
Vexx thought he could faintly hear skittering down below along with what sounded like broken glass. He clasped a hand around the handle and hauled it up. In a flash, a ball of circling flame emerged around his fist, casting a dim light on the cellar below. Something rustled as it darted back, pausing a moment to look up at Vexx, dim red eyes shining in reflection. Then it scurried away.
“Come back, little rat,” Vexx called out, already stepping down the staircase into the cellar, waving away cobwebs that threatened to get entangled in his hair. “I just want to say hi.”
The light reflected off a dusty mirror, and Vexx could make out a few ancient pieces of furniture, along with a shelf that held quite a lot of glassware. Below it was a puddle that sparked even as he squinted; a multicolored hue that almost seemed to move as he looked. That could only mean one thing.
Potions. Damn, the rats must have gotten into them.
Vexx stepped forward cautiously, expelling more energy into the circling ball of fire, further illuminating the dusty cellar. He saw another reflection of red eyes and grinned even as he readied his fireball. Then, he realized the eyes were much higher than before. And others emerged…four, six, a dozen…
Vexx let loose with a fireball, hitting what appeared to be a giant rat full in the face, and in a flash, he saw the other snarling creatures massed together.
What in all the hells is this!? Those aren’t normal rats!
Before he could stop and think, the giant rats charged forward in a snarling stampede, and Vexx let loose with frantic fireballs from both hands. The wounded rats shrieked as they reeled to the sides, their flesh burned and blackened. The other ones simply ran over their smoldering corpses, their beady eyes trained on Vexx. Vexx braced both hands together, releasing his fan of flames, a wave of burning fire that swept outward in a V shape. The giant rats squealed even as they staggered forward, one of them somehow evading the flames as it leaped over another dying rat.
Vexx stumbled back, exhausted as his flames fell away. A few seconds was all it took for the last rat to hit him full in the chest and sink its teeth into his shoulder. His robes emitted a dull green glow and he cried out just as the rat recoiled and staggered back in shock. The giant rat shook its head as if in disbelief, coughing and sputtering, and Vexx poured the last of his energy into a swirling fireball.
So the poison effect really does work.
He hurled the fireball forward, watching as the explosion flung the last giant rat back into the wooden shelf, knocking potions and vials in all directions. The rat slumped to the ground in the pile of broken glass and flickering magical liquid. Vexx breathed out slowly and felt for his shoulder. A few fires still burned on the fur of the fallen giant rats.
Vexx stepped forward, kicking the last giant rat square in the stomach. It made no move. “You rat bastard. I can’t believe you bit me.” Vexx pulled his robe back, squinting at the bite mark and grimaced as he saw a faint trickle of blood.
He scanned the shelf for the few remaining potions, noticing a half-full jug of moonshine. Vexx popped the cork and gave it a few tentative sniffs before pouring it liberally on his wounded shoulder. He gritted his teeth at the burning sensation and took a long drink for good measure.
Vexx set it back with a long sigh. A couple other red and blue-hued vials remained and Vexx quickly pocketed them.
The old man hadn’t mentioned they were giant rats, after all. I’m entitled to a bit of a bonus. And speaking of bonuses…
Vexx scanned the cellar for whatever the old man might consider to be great treasure. There was little of value besides the dusty mirror, a slumped-over bookshelf that was partly charred from a stray fireball, and a half-collapsed desk. He approached the desk and slid open the drawers. At the bottom, he caught the gleam of a lockbox and smiled as he hefted it atop the desk. Vexx sparked a new light as the smoldering giant rat carcasses faded into blackness.
He rattled the lockbox, noting that it was still locked. There was a place for a key and Vexx knew a skilled lockpicker might make the attempt. It might be worth learning how to do that in the future, Vexx thought, grabbing the lockbox and making his way back up the stairs. But for now, I’ll just have the old man open it.
Vexx staggered up the stairs and rounded the corner into the main room. He stopped and took in the scene. Kaylin was perched on a ladder, humming happily to herself as she dusted a bookcase, and behind her, the old man grinned as he stared up at her skirt.
“Hey, dirty old man!” Vexx snapped, and the old man looked over guiltily. “I took care of your rats, you creep. Or should I say, your giant rats. You didn’t mention they got into your potions.”
“Eh? Well that’s why I offered the job. If they were little rats, I’d just squish ‘em with my staff.”
“I’ll take my reward now,” Vexx snapped, glancing up at Kaylin dusting away. “Kaylin, get down from there. We’re dungeoneers, not maids.”
“But I’m just about done!” she called out.
The old man was looking back up at her. “Yeah, sonny, she’s just about done.”
Vexx sighed, brushing cobwebs and dirt out of his hair, and slumped into a nearby wooden chair. He felt exhausted again after all that magic use. A moment later, Kaylin hopped down.
“I just fin—”
She was interrupted by the clattering sound of the books falling to the ground. Silence fell in the room for a moment.
“Oops.”
17
Great Treasure
The old man sighed. “Set those back up, missy, would you? I’ll get that treasure,” he said, walking over and muttering something about missing the view. The old man paused by Vexx
and sniffed. “You smell like soot and liquor.”
“You smell even worse,” Vexx muttered, though the old man apparently didn’t hear, instead shuffling away towards the cellar. Vexx sighed as Kaylin began stacking the books on the shelf. “I’ve seen corpses with more life than this guy,” he said. “We’ve had better conversations, too.”
“He seems nice enough,” Kaylin replied. “He said I could come back whenever I wanted to do a job.”
“I bet he wants you to polish his staff,” Vexx remarked in a low voice.
“Well, I’m very good with my hands,” Kaylin said nonchalantly as she set the last book in place. “There!” she said, stepping down from the ladder and dusting her hands. “Easy!”
“Easy? You didn’t have to do anything,” Vexx scoffed. “I had to fight a bunch of giant rats!” Vexx tapped his finger on the lockbox beside him. He’d heard some rattles from within, and he knew there was definitely something inside. Still, the old man said his treasure was something else.
“What’s that?” Kaylin asked as Vexx surreptitiously slid the lockbox into his pack.
“This? Oh, nothing. You don’t happen to know how to pick locks, do you?”
Kaylin shrugged and shook her head.
I’ll have to see if someone at the tavern is interested. I didn’t fight all those giant rats just for a few lousy coins and a couple old potions. For a moment, Vexx briefly considered taking a swig of one of them. A healing elixir would help with his wound, though it really wasn’t so bad, and the blue vial would help him recover his stamina after all that magic use.
No, best to just get over it. I’m feeling a bit better already, Vexx thought to himself, hauling himself out of the chair as the old man emerged from his basement. He fixed a cranky stare at Vexx.
“You ruined everything down there!”
Vexx snorted. “Did you see all those rats I killed?”
“Killed with fire magic,” the old man snarled. “If I knew you’d burn half the cellar down I wouldn’t have bothered. Back in my day, a young man would go down there with a hammer and a smile, and come back whistling a jaunty tune! You, well, look at you! You look like some sort of witch. This generation, I tell you…”
“You mentioned treasure?” Vexx prompted after a moment. The sooner we get out of here the better.
The old man’s eyes snapped up and he held out a book, the cover partly burnt on one end. “Great treasure, I said, and more than the likes of you deserve. The rest of the payment is with the barkeep.”
Vexx just stared out. “How about some gold? We’ll take gold.”
The old man snorted. “This is worth more than gold, if you have the wits to read it. Now get out of my house!”
“Oh, don’t be like that!” Kaylin said as she approached. “We did our best!”
The old man’s tone immediately softened, his eyes crinkling as he formed a half-smile. “Well. You were a delight. And any time you’d like an adventure, feel free to visit me! Heheh!”
Vexx hid his disgust as he took the offered book. “This isn’t treasure,” he muttered, briefly flipping through it, but the old man ignored him. At least I kept his lockbox. There’s bound to be a few things in there. Perhaps even some gold if we’re lucky.
“Come on, Kaylin,” Vexx said as he grabbed Kaylin’s arm, interrupting the old man in the middle of another lecherous remark. “Let’s turn this one in.”
18
Expert Lockpicker
Business in Cloudbury’s tavern had died down. Vexx impatiently brushed bits of soot off his face as the barkeep returned with their meager payment. It seems that killing rats isn’t a profitable venture. Who knew?
“So you got anything else—”
“Nope! That’s all I’ve got for you,” Pollander said with a shrug. “Look, Cloudbury is a small town and we’ve got small problems. Besides, if you want higher level tasks, you’re going to have a lot more competition. You see those dwarves over there?” he asked, pointing at a party of drunken dwarves. “They just wiped out a handful of trolls down at Oerchenbrach. Now that will get you some real money, but let me tell you, there’s quite a lot of risk involved. Not all the dwarves who started the adventure made it to the end, if you catch my meaning.”
Vexx nodded.
“Where did they go?” Kaylin asked.
“Oh, sweetheart...” the barkeep said with a sigh, but moved down the counter to serve another customer.
“Well…what now, Vexx?”
Vexx drummed his fingers on the counter, lost in thought, but finally turned to Kaylin. “Do you want to stick with me, Kaylin? I mean, we could go our separate ways here if you want to. Doesn’t seem like there’s much demand for a couple of rookie dungeoneers.”
“Do you want me to go?” Kaylin pouted, biting at her bottom lip, and Vexx shifted uncomfortably.
“Well, no…I’m just saying you could. If you wanted.”
“No, we’ll find something together, Vexx!”
“Good,” Vexx replied, nodding his head and hefting his pack. “We still have a lockbox, a book, and a scroll to go over. I think it’s time we did some proper dungeoneering. No odd jobs, but a quest of our own, to find some ancient loot and bring it back.”
“Sounds great! Where should we start?”
“Ask around the tavern for someone who can pick locks,” Vexx said, taking a seat on a bar stool and rummaging in his pack. “I’ll go over the scroll and book. Barkeep!” He raised a finger as the older man glanced over. “I’ll have a round. Reading is thirsty work.”
A half-full mug of ale stood neglected beside Vexx as he skimmed through the charred book, lost in thought. The scroll had proved useless, though it had certainly piqued his interest about the Ruby of the Pure. That adventurer must have been nearby. It was clear his party had been looking for it. Did he get separated?
As Vexx flipped a page, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end—but it wasn’t due to anything he read. All of his hair was rising in the air, which attracted a few bemused looks and comments from nearby patrons, and Vexx felt a strange frisson of magic thrum through him. What the hell? Is this book ensorcelled?
He flipped through page after page and noted several unfamiliar designs and symbols, but the ancient lettering was all but unrecognizable. Kaylin returned to find him still staring at the book.
“What’s up with your hair?”
“Huh?”
Vexx blinked and set the book aside, the magical charge fading away as he put it down. “Oh. I was just…” he paused and shook his head. “I got a strange feeling from that book. Anyway, did you find our lockpicking expert?”
“Yeah, come on over!” Kaylin said, excitedly waving for him to join her, and Vexx hurriedly packed up his gear. Together, they made their way to the other side of the bar, where a dwarf with a trimmed black beard was grinning over at them. He hopped down from his chair as they approached.
“Put it over ‘ere,” he said, gesturing at the chair he’d just been sitting in. Vexx set the lockbox on the chair and glanced over.
“So, do you use little metal pins or—”
The dwarf’s axe arced over and slammed into the lockbox, smashing the thin metal along with the chair below it, scattering splintered wood and metal all around them as nearby patrons cheered in amusement. Vexx grimaced, but it soon turned into a grin as he saw a few coins scattered in the debris, along with a few old necklaces and an amulet left inside the battered remains of the lockbox.
“I’ll take a wee bit ‘o your coin here, lad and lassie,” the dwarf said, scooping up a heaping handful of coins and pausing to take a bite of a gleaming silver coin. He grinned up at them, even as Vexx and Kaylin began frantically gathering the rest up. “Now, I think it’s time to be scamperin’.”
“Hey, you there!” Vexx tossed the last of the coins in his pack as the barkeeper bellowed from across the tavern. “Don’t you go breaking my chairs!”
“Let’s go,” Vexx snapped, and he grabbed K
aylin by the arm and led them out, scowling as the dwarf sprinted through the door to disappear in the crowd outside. “I thought you said he could pick locks! Dammit Kaylin, we might have to give this tavern a wide berth for a while.”
“He said he could get it open for a share of the prize,” Kaylin said with a shrug. “That’s what you wanted, right?”
“I guess,” Vexx conceded before he scanned the main street, then pulled her to the right. “It’s just down here a ways. It should be around still,” he said to himself, as they joined the boisterous midday traffic.
“What should?”
“A bookstore! I remember walking past it as a child. A magic book like this is bound to be worth something,” he said, keeping a brisk pace even as he cast a worried look back at the tavern they’d just left.
“Let’s go!”
19
The Holy Reliquary
The stern, hawk-nosed features of a tall priest looked down upon them with faint disapproval. “And what is it that has prompted you to ring our doorbell?”
“You’re a bookstore, aren’t you?” Vexx asked, pointing at his charred book. “We’ve got a book I think you might be interested in.”
“We’re more than just a mere bookstore,” the priest said, unmoving, still blocking the entrance. “We are a holy reliquary. Though we do, indeed, host quite a collection of religious texts and magical tomes. Is this book of a holy or magical nature?”
“Right, right, that’s what I meant. And this is as magical as it gets,” Vexx said, opening the book. “See how my hair starts to rise? Pretty cool, right?”
The priest sighed and begrudgingly stepped back a few paces before frowning at Kaylin. “An elf. You two are not…involved, are you?”
A New Beginning: A Fantasy Adventure (The White Chronicles Book 1) Page 5