The click of heels on wood drew their attention up. Shyola leaned on the curving staircase and raised an eyebrow as she stared down at them. “Up so soon, Master! Am I to understand we’re shoveling stables now? I didn’t endure centuries trapped in a book to engage in manual labor. Not unless it’s…pleasurable labor.”
“It isn’t shoveling!” Vexx protested. “At least…it mostly isn’t. Look, there are spirits of the damned stuck in there. You might meet some old friends.”
“Oh, why didn’t you say so? If there are spirits of the damned, then I’m in,” she said, joining them at the stable but remaining standing. “No time like the present, Master.” She glanced over at Kaylin. “Still with us, I see, elf.”
Kaylin frowned and opened her mouth to retort.
“Let’s not start this again,” Vexx cut in quickly. He slid the chair closer to the table and ushered them both out of the lobby. “Come on, it’s just out back.”
He stepped through the muddy ground behind the shoddy inn, past the stables where a farmer was leading a sow away and a traveller was brushing her horse, and approached the old storage shed. Vexx examined it for a moment.
“Well, it doesn’t look haunted.”
“Appearances can be deceiving, darling. I can smell their torment from here.” Shyola licked her lips hungrily.
Vexx hesitated for a moment before he placed one hand on the shed door, then threw it open. The joints squealed as the door opened. Vexx squinted into the darkness before summoning a flame that lit the interior of the dusty shed, casting light in all corners. He saw movement, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that those shapes were gigantic spiders scurrying around in the shadows. Kaylin shrieked in his ear and clutched at his arm in terror. Vexx grimaced as he lurched away from her screeching.
“You didn’t say anything about spiders!” Kaylin cried.
Vexx glanced back to see the elf running away. He sighed.
“Never fear, Master, the creatures of the night bother me not,” Shyola said, stepping into the shed. She slammed the sharp heel of her shoe down as a spider ran by, splattering its guts onto the floor. “Begone, spiders!” She slashed down, her whip cracking as it snapped beside another spider, bursting it apart. The succubus laughed as she snapped her whip at others, a few spiders scurrying past.
“Well, at least they aren’t giant ones,” Vexx said, stepping inside and casting his light in all directions. After his scrap with the rats, he figured he’d be careful about this, but aside from a few old, half-rotting saddles and spare wagon wheels, there seemed to be hardly anything inside the shed.
Vexx jumped when Shyola slammed her foot down and viciously ground the remains of an unlucky spider into the floor. “That seems to be the last one. The others got the message.”
Vexx opened his mouth to speak, then felt a cool shiver, as if ice had been pressed into his body. It passed a moment later, but he continued to feel a strange, unearthly sensation. Shyola nodded as if in understanding.
“Now to those poor souls,” she said, with a peculiar hint of sadness. “You were able to dominate me, Master, so I imagine your necromantic skills will allow you to release them. Just cast your energy out and commune with their souls. I will help you if you need it.”
Vexx nodded, closing his eyes to better concentrate, and felt out the room with his magic. “I can sense you, lost ones. Speak to me, spirits,” Vexx said, and then heard a tumult of a dozen voices.
“Doom, doom!”
“Curses of a thousand years upon—”
“There is no end! There is—”
“Flee this place, mortal, flee!”
“Your flesh will—”
Vexx held a hand up. “Whoa, slow down. One at a time. Sort it out yourselves, I can’t see you in the spectral plane. Let me know when you’re ready.”
He stood there in silence, then felt an unearthly tug on his robes. Vexx kept his expression carefully blank. “Oh damned soul, what keeps you tied here?”
“My name is Armineus. I was a caravan guard and I was cursed by a witch to be tied to that copper pitcher. And it was a rotten business! She couldn’t take a joke and went ahead—
“You had it coming!” Another spirit, presumably the witch, shouted angrily.
“Hold it,” Vexx said, hand held up in the air. “I’ll get to you, ma’am. Let me just sort out Armineus here.” He paused, then opened one eye and looked over at Shyola. “Shy, grab that copper pitcher over there and sell it to a blacksmith. Make sure he smelts it—give him a good price, but make sure it gets done.”
“Got it,” she said, grabbing the pitcher, and Vexx closed both his eyes. He felt Armineus sigh in relief.
“Won’t be long now, sir. Now, who’s next?”
“It’s me, Helga. The witch.”
Vexx heard the grumbles of a half dozen other souls.
“She cursed us!”
“Alright, steady,” Vexx replied. “How can we expel your soul?”
“The exotic goods dealer who disrespected me was bound to this realm—”
“You absolute—”
“You deserved it!” the witch screeched back, as the spirit of the exotic goods seller grumbled to himself. “Anyway, he has a son selling lacquerware and pottery just off Gourd Street. I want you to kill him.”
“I’m not going to do that.”
“He must suffer!”
Vexx sighed. “I could probably…break a few pots.”
He winced at his lame compromise and fought the urge to fidget in the icy silence.
“That would be sufficient,” the witch said. “See to it that you do. I can finally depart this realm.”
“Great. Next?”
A few conversations later, Vexx opened his eyes to see Kaylin standing in the shed, shyly shuffling her feet beside the spare wagon wheels. “Sorry, Vexx. Those spiders just freaked me out.”
“It’s alright. Hey, can you do a favor for me? There’s a stone mason on Tower Road. Tell him to make a grave marker that says Paulina Cooper. I’ll put it beside Henry Cooper and these souls can have peace.”
“Got it,” Kaylin said, already heading out. Vexx closed his eyes once again, feeling himself growing impatient. How many souls do I have left here? If I keep going at this pace, this could take all day.
“Spirit of the damned, speak your piece and be quick,” Vexx said.
“Nothing’s tying me here,” an elderly man’s voice replied. “It’s just that witch who—”
“Great,” Vexx said, snapping his fingers as he released the spirit with his necromantic energies. He felt the absence of one of the spirits. “Next?”
“There is one thing that keeps me bound to this mortal plane,” came a rasping voice, tickling the edge of Vexx’s consciousness. “My husband awaits me, far across the land, a journey of seventy and three days, hidden somewhere on distant Nyte Island. He must have the Goblet of Redemption, which is guarded by trolls on the Island of Sorrow, a journey of sixty and—”
“That seems like a whole thing,” Vexx butted in. “I’m just going to go ahead and release you,” he said, summoning his necromantic magic.
“Oh,” the spirit said. “Well, I suppose you could just do—”
Vexx snapped his fingers, and the spirit departed the mortal realm. “Next!”
40
Favors for the Dead
The dungeoneers strolled through the streets of Western Cloudbury, their stomachs grumbling.
“Can we eat yet, Vexx?” Kaylin asked.
“Let’s sell this first,” he replied, patting his packet of erotic dryad art. “Plus, the potter is just over there. Ah, there he is,” Vexx said, spotting a few huge earthenware pots set out for display. A thin, balding man was humming to himself as he polished a ceramic urn.
“Shy, can you distract him for a few moments?”
She snorted. “I don’t think I need to answer that, Master,” she said, sidling down the street, and attracting glances with every step. �
��Oh, yoohoo! Pottery man!”
Vexx snuck past, his cloak up and his eyes downcast, drifting through the market day crowd until he reached the giant pots out for display. He reached for a cudgel they’d picked up from the last batch of goblin corpses, glancing one way and the other. He almost dropped it as he was started by a voice behind him.
“What are you doing?” Kaylin asked loudly.
Vexx raised a finger to his mouth and looked over, eyes bulging. “Shh! It’s to release the last soul. Job’s not over yet.”
“Ohh…” she said slowly, much louder than he would have liked. Over the commotion of traffic, he heard the shop owner stammering something about mud mixing with water. Shyola’s titter echoed around them. Well, at least he’ll be distracted. A half-naked succubus is perfect for that.
Vexx gritted his teeth, feeling a moment of sympathy, but pushed it aside. Gotta do what you gotta do, he thought to himself, smashing the first pot. He stepped over to the next one, slamming the cudgel in, whirling around and slamming the head into the last giant pot on display. That should do it. Rest in peace, you malicious old ghoul.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“Never mind that, you cutie,” Shyola’s voice echoed over the shopkeeper’s squeals. “How about you and me—”
“My pots!”
“Let’s get out of here,” Vexx snapped, already hurrying down the street, Kaylin running beside him. They darted through an alley, then backtracked a block before sauntering down the street without a care in the world. He nodded at the inn just down the street, as they passed a cart loaded down with lumber. “We’ll finish the deal and then get lunch. Sound good?”
Kaylin sniffed. “I didn’t get into dungeoneering to smash people’s pots.”
“Well, you didn’t do a thing,” Vexx pointed out, pushing the rickety inn door open and stepping inside. He blinked in surprise, taking in Shyola, who was leisurely reclining on a chair, her long legs draped over one of the arm rests. The clerk did not look happy about that, frowning silently from behind the desk. “How did you get here first?”
Shy shrugged. “I don’t know what took you so long. Did the elf slow you down?”
“Well, never mind that,” Vexx said, approaching the clerk. “Is the mistress of the house around? We’ve finished expelling the spirits from your shed.”
“And the spiders?”
Vexx turned at the voice and was greeted with the sight of the innkeeper approaching. She smiled as she slid on one long leather glove and then another.
“And the spiders. Are you going to check on it?”
“Of course,” she said, gesturing for Vexx to follow as she stepped outside. “Let’s hope you’re right. Business is going to be booming soon, and I’ll need as much space as I can get.”
“Speaking of business,” Vexx added, hurrying over to follow and pulling out his collection of erotic dryad art. “Would you or your guests be in the market for this?”
41
The Pickpocket
“There’s just no appreciation for art anymore,” Vexx complained as they walked through the dusty streets of Cloudbury. “I can’t believe the innkeeper scrunched her nose up like that. It’s like she thought I was trying to sell her a half-filled chamber pot!” He cursed as a boy bumped into him. “Watch where you go, kid!”
“They're quaint, simple people here,” Shyola observed. “Why, in the flesh warrens of a lower hell, such pictures would seem positively wholesome. How much money do we have, Master?”
“Well, we have a bit,” Vexx said, feeling for his coin purse. “But not nearly…hey!” He blinked, patted his robes in bewilderment, then spun around to see the boy darting into an alley. “Hey! After that kid!”
“Why?” Kaylin asked, as Vexx stormed past. Shyola was faster on the uptake, sprinting forward and matching pace with Vexx as they rounded the corner, running through the alleyway. Vexx hesitated a moment and skidded to a stop.
He cursed as mud splattered on the hem of his robe. “Which way?”
“There!” Shyola said, hooking a sharp left and leaping over a pile of ruined furniture. “I see the little scoundrel!”
“Right behind you!” Vexx called out as he skirted around the furniture and sprinted to catch up. He saw the boy now and tried to make sense of his movements. The boy darted from alley to alley, then he turned a corner and they were faced with two options.
Shyola took a passageway to the left, and Vexx took one to the right, looking to trap the pickpocket in the warrens. He slowed, coming to an intersection, and then heard the snap of a whip. Vexx groaned. Don’t kill the kid, you crazy demon. I just want my stuff back!
He perked back up as he heard the panicked stamping of feet and turned to see the boy running straight at him. Behind him, Shyola’s echoing laughter chased him onward.
“I will steal your soul, child!” She cracked her whip and laughed again. “An eternity of torment!”
“Hold up,” Vexx said, raising his hand as the boy glanced up in fright, slowing and coming to a stop. “Don’t get any ideas. I’ll be wanting my pouch back.”
“Ah, come on,” the boy said, glancing back fearfully at Shyola. She had reached them now and came to a halt, her whip still glowing brightly in the dim light of the alley. “I don’t want any trouble,” he said, trembling as he tossed Vexx’s coin purse to him. “I’m just trying to get by.”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine,” Vexx muttered. “Take it easy, Shy.”
The succubus made a sound of disapproval, but said nothing more as Vexx rummaged through his coin purse. Everything’s there. He looked back at the nervous pickpocket, who seemed to be trying to inconspicuously inch away.
“Hey, think I can go, fella?”
“Not just yet.” Vexx crouched down to eye level with the boy. “Who do you sell your merchandise to?”
“Ah, you’re kidding me,” the boy grumbled, fidgeting in his pockets. “I can’t tell you that.”
“How much is your soul worth?” Vexx asked, then glanced up at Shyola. The boy grimaced.
“Alright, fine. I’ll take you to a guy I sell most of my goods to. Just don’t make a big scene or anything, alright?”
“Me? Of course not!” Vexx said, moving out of the pickpocket’s way. “We’re just new in town, looking for work and a place to sell anything we might come across. We end up with a lot of second-hand merchandise,” Vexx added, patting the goblin cudgel that still hung on his belt.
“Oh, you’re dungeoneers!” the boy blinked. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Don Kordo loves dungeoneers. Says they’ll do the work that no one else is stupid enough to do.”
Vexx grimaced. There might be some truth to that. He waved his hand. “Lead on, kid.”
42
The Slums of Cloudbury
“I’ve been looking all over for you, Vexx!”
Vexx turned to look through the crowds of Cloudbury’s street and waved a hand over. “Hey, Kaylin!”
The elf skipped through the crowds to join them, raising an eyebrow as she noticed they were following the boy through Cloudbury’s streets. “Was this your pickpocket? You’re not chasing him very quickly. Did you get tired?”
“No, Kaylin,” Vexx said with a sigh. “He says he knows some people that might have a few jobs for us. As you can see, everything else is turning out dry.”
“Working with thieves now?”
The boy slowed, raising a finger to his lips. “Keep it down, elf! Don Kordo doesn’t like that kind of talk. We work in procurement, and he works in delivery. Just keep that straight and we won’t have any problems. Otherwise…” he shrugged, then resumed making his way through the slums of Western Cloudbury.
“It’ll be fine,” Vexx said, and the party of dungeoneers followed the boy through the stinking shanty town that bordered the town wall. I hope, anyway. I’ve never really been to this part of town. Never even had any reason to even pass through here.
He nodded down at a beggar who appeared to only ha
ve one arm. Kaylin looked on curiously as he rattled a bowl with a couple coppers and one tooth inside it. We’re not too far off from you, friend. Vexx straightened, noting a dilapidated but somehow dignified-looking house amidst the chaos of the slums. But perhaps our luck is looking up.
An orc strolled out the front floor, looking aimless at first, then stood stock still and frowned at their approach as they neared the house.
“Hey, Brundisio,” the pickpocket said in a familiar tone. “Just some procurers looking for work.”
The orc grunted, his hand tapping the haft of an axe resting on his belt. He had two axes on either side and he had another double-headed one strapped to his back. A berserker, then. Not someone I’d care to tangle with. Vexx nodded at the orc.
“Just mind your manners,” Brundisio grunted from between his fangs. “Make Don Kordo unhappy, and I’ll gut you myself. You keep an eye on them, Gary.”
“Sure thing,” the boy said, waving them over as he put a hand on the ornate wooden door. It gleamed with a flickering orange light. “It has a magical enchantment on it,” Gary explained. “It tingles a bit, but as long as it’s opened slowly, you’ll be fine. Don’t rush in, though. It’ll zap you to dust,” he said, slowly creaking the door open.
“Ah, my boy,” came a booming voice from inside. “Is your day of pickpocketing over already? Why, the sun is still high up in the sky.”
“I found something even better, Don Kordo,” the boy said, making room for the dungeoneers. “Some procurers. Dungeoneers, actually! And they’re looking for work!”
Vexx stepped into the house, the half-rotted floor creaking beneath him, a smile plastered on his face. Seated at a desk was a fat half-orc, his stringy black hair brushed to the side, a contemplative expression on his face. He drummed thick fingers on the desk, a massive oak table littered with jewelled skulls, trinkets, magically enchanted daggers, silver and gold pendants, and a few glowing potions. It looked like the hoard of a dragon.
A New Beginning: A Fantasy Adventure (The White Chronicles Book 1) Page 12