Here we go again.
“No, you haven’t.”
“Kekeke. Well, three old crones were sitting on a park bench feeding the birds, when a man comes by and flashes them all. The first two little old ladies had a stroke, but the third couldn’t quite reach.”
A moment of silence passed in the room. Jacob waited, expecting to hear the “badum tish!” of a drum. When nothing happened, he shook his head.
“Those are the lamest dirty jokes I’ve ever heard in my life.”
“Hey! Those jokes were my master’s favorite! Don’t diss them!”
“That old codger isn’t your master anymore! I am! And I don’t really like those jokes!”
“That’s because you’re still a virgin whose chastity hasn’t allowed him to acquire the taste of a good dirty joke!”
Jacob was about to fire back with more sarcasm—when the atmosphere in the room suddenly shifted. The wind somehow felt tenser, not ominous, just tremulous. He could feel it. A new presence had entered the room.
Calmly walking over to Durandal, Jacob picked the blade up and glanced at the sheath, which now seemed to glow with a strange light.
“Durandal?”
“I feel them too, Partner.”
Jacob nodded and gripped Durandal’s hilt. The familiar feeling of leather on his fingers was comforting.
“I do not know who you are, but you have until the count of three to show yourself before I kill you. One—”
“There is no need for that,” someone said, their voice soft, feminine. It was a woman’s voice.
The pitch and timbre of the voice was young, probably around his age, Jacob guessed. Though they spoke with admirable calmness, the underlying strain that the tone carried denoted worry, or perhaps stress. He followed the voice to its source. Whoever this person was, they were above and slightly behind him.
Jacob turned around just as a light thumping alerted him to the person who’d spoken dropping from the ceiling. It was a figure clad in darkness, a cloak that hid almost everything. However, the way the cloak contoured to their body suggested this person was female. Pink strands stuck out of her hood at odd angles, and pale hands were pressed against the floor.
They knelt before him, their neck bared. Baring one’s neck was often shown as either a sign of trust or a sign of non-aggression, the idea being that anyone who would offer such an opportune chance to slice their head off couldn’t possibly mean harm.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Jacob asked. “Be aware that I’m not a patient man these days. You have five seconds to start talking.”
“My name is Enyo. I have traveled many leagues to meet you, Jacob the Destroyer.”
Jacob couldn’t quite stop himself from sucking in a breath. Jacob the Destroyer was one of his nicknames, but it was not one known to the people of Terrasole. Only the dark clan, those who followed Alucard, knew of that nickname.
“Show me your face,” Jacob demanded. “I refuse to speak with someone who hides beneath a hood.”
“Of course. I meant no offense.” Delicate hands left the ground and grabbed the hood. “I have been forced to hide my features, lest my pursuers find me. I guess it has simply become a habit to leave my hood up.”
The hood soon pulled back, and Jacob stared into a face that was too beautiful to be human. Her unblemished skin was the color of porcelain. The hints of a blush covered cheeks more fair than even Alice Lannister D'arche herself. Ruby red lips, pink eyes, pointy ears, all of which was haloed by long pink hair that, no longer confined to her hood, descended like an evanescent waterfall.
A dark clansman.
The so-called Dark Clan of the Elūne. Dark clan members had an appearance that was almost human, save for the fact that all of them were inhumanly beautiful—an aesthetic meant to lure humans into a false sense of security. They were known for having pale skin and unusual eye colors. However, this was the first time he’d met a dark clan member with pink hair.
Durandal whistled. “Holy shit on a fucking stick! I’ve seen many hot women in my time, but this one takes the cake!”
The woman stared at the sword, her gawking face revealing her shock. She blinked. Then again. Then she looked at Jacob.
“Did that sword just talk?”
“No,” Jacob said with a straight face.
“Of course I talked!” Durandal rebutted. “I’m Durandal! The greatest sword ever—doof!”
Durandal’s words were cut off when Jacob slammed him into the desk.
“That sword just spoke,” the woman said.
“Ignore the talking sword for now,” Jacob rebutted, gripping Durandal’s hilt more fiercely than before—both in preparation to unsheathe it, and to shut it up. “What does a dark clanswoman want with me?”
“I have come to ask for your help,” she said.
“Sorry, but I don’t offer help to random people anymore, especially not to thieves.”
“I seek a way into Avant Heim.”
“Good luck with that.”
“I believe that you, the hero who slayed the Dark Lord, can get me inside.”
“Are you even listening to me?”
“I can make it worth your while.”
“That is what they all say.”
Jacob’s hand twitched as he resisted the impulse to run a hand through his hair.
Avant Heim was the castle belonging to Alice Lannister D’arche, the reigning queen of Terrasole. Not only was it located leagues away, but it was currently the most secure location in the entire world. Guarded by legions of paladins, protected by ancient magic, no one was stupid enough to try breaking into there unless they had a death wish or a lot of firepower.
“Please, you must help me,” the woman said. “I… I don’t have anyone else to turn to.”
Jacob hesitated as she looked at him. He closed his eyes and reaffirmed his resolve.
I’ll not allow myself to be fooled by a pretty face again.
“I’m not interested in helping you or anyone else.”
“I’m not asking you to do this for free,” the woman said. “I can give you something that you’ve always wanted, something you’ve been longing for.”
Jacob’s lips twitched. The hesitance vanished.
“Listen, lady, there is nothing that you or anyone else can give me that I would want. Riches? I turned those down two years ago along with my knighthood. Love? I stopped believing in that when I was betrayed by the woman I thought I loved. Happiness? That’s a true fairy tale. Happiness doesn’t exist in this world. You can’t give me anything that hasn’t already been offered and rejected. You’re wasting your—”
“What about a way to return to your home?”
With ice filling his veins, Jacob froze. It couldn’t be. He must have heard wrong. Yes, that was it. He must have gotten something crazy stuck in his ear.
“What did you say?”
“I know how you can return home. I can take you back to your world, the one you originally came from.”
Jacob closed his eyes as emotions that he’d forgotten poured into him, longing, desire, a want so fervent that it physically hurt. To return home. For so long, he had wanted to return home. For two years after breaking his ties with Terrasole, he had tried to do just that before giving up. Now he spent his time idly his life away in this tavern.
“Do not lie to me,” he whispered as rage coursed through his blood.
The woman’s eyes widened. “I am not lying. I’m telling you the—”
“You’re lying!” Jacob shouted her down. “You have to be lying! Do you think I’ve not searched for a way home?! Do you think I haven’t already tried every half-crocked trick, followed every false lead, foolishly believed in every dumb legend, all so that I could return home? I spent two years trying to find a way back home! But it was all for nothing! There is no way back! If there was, I would have already found it!”
Breathing heavily from his emotional outburst, Jacob glared at the woman, whose eyes had go
ne wide and whose mouth had parted to form a pretty o shape. He clamped down on his guilt when pain flashed in her eyes. This woman was trying to play him for a fool. If he let himself get swept up in her appearance, he’d find himself lying dead in a ditch somewhere.
“I’m sorry,” the woman said. “I did not mean to make you angry. However, please believe me when I say that I am neither lying nor trying to trick you. I can help you return home.”
“That is what every liar and con artist says when they want you to believe them,” Jacob said, calming down. He couldn’t let his emotions slip like that again. He had to remain calm. “And I have been conned by many of those people. You’re not the first one who’s come to me with promises like that, though you are the first who I’m rejecting. Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of. I’ve no interest in being your bitch.”
The woman flinched as if he’d struck a physical blow. Jacob tried not to let her hurt expression get to him. This woman was clearly a master at feigning emotions. If he let his guard down around her, then he’d surely suffer a knife to the back.
“I… maybe you would believe me if I told you who I am,” the woman said.
Not likely.
Standing up, her lips twitching in a tremulous smile that belied her anxiety, she announced herself in a clear voice that rang throughout the bedroom. “My full name is Enyo Valania Blackmore. I am the daughter of Alucard Blackmore, the Dark Lord whom was slain by your hand.”
Jacob felt like someone had shoved a hot poker into his chest. At the same time, his blood froze over.
No way… there’s just… no way…
“I have come to you in order to request your aid.” Enyo placed a hand against her chest. Her imploring expression made Jacob’s heartstrings quiver. “Please, help me and I promise to return you to your original world.”
***
In the end, Jacob had turned Enyo down. Even though he wanted to return home, he had no reason to believe that this woman, who claimed to be the daughter of the Dark Lord, could do as she said. For one thing, he’d never heard of the Dark Lord even having a daughter.
The early morning sun slowly rose beyond the mountains, casting rays of light upon the land, illuminating the free city of Albany. Several shops were already open. The scent of freshly baked bread hung in the air, butchers were cleaning their shops to get them ready for the day, and vendors were outside by their booths, getting ready to set up shop. Men and women were returning to their stands. People were putting out their wares. It was going to be another busy day.
“Are you sure it was a good idea to let that girl leave?” Durandal asked as Jacob walked through the streets.
“I don’t see why not. What she does now is of no concern of mine,” Jacob replied.
“If you say so,” Durandal replied like it wasn’t convinced.
Jacob always rose with the morning sun. Since he spent much of his time in the afternoon preparing meals for the people coming to his bar, he needed to get his shopping out of the way early.
“More importantly, we might need to leave this town soon,” Jacob said after he finished paying for a bushel of apples.
“Because of the knights?” Durandal asked.
“Yes.”
Walking down the street, Jacob visited many of the venders, buying all of the essentials he’d need. Since he was running low on eggs, he bought several dozen of those. They’d be used as appetizers. He’d also make his breakfast with those. Jacob also bought fresh bread and marmalade, honey, various types and cuts of meat, and flour to create pasta. Fortunately, he was still well-stocked on other ingredients, ones that lasted a long time and didn’t need to be bought each day, so he didn’t need to buy much.
As he made his way back home, Jacob continued his conversation with Durandal. “I have no doubt that the knight captain will tell Alice that I’ve been found. No doubt, once Alice learns of my location, she’ll send more knights to bring me back.”
“You really don’t like Alice anymore, do ya?” Durandal’s metal mouth clacked. “That’s disappointing. I always liked her. She was hot.”
“You like anything that’s attractive and has two legs,” Jacob rebutted.
“Not true. I only like certain gals.”
“And what kind of women are those?”
“The ones that I’ve seen naked, of course!”
“Of course,” Jacob sighed. Then he paused. “Wait. When did you see Alice naked?”
“…”
Jacob wished Durandal wasn’t strapped to his back. His glare couldn’t reach the blast sword.
“Durandal… were you spying on Alice and me?”
“I didn’t mean to,” Durandal said at last. “You two had just left me sitting against a wall while you got busy practicing procreation. What was I supposed to do?”
“How about not spy on us?” Jacob suggested.
“Out of the question. Asking me not to look at a free peep show when it’s being blatantly displayed before my eyes is blasphemy of the highest order.”
Carrying several bags of groceries in his left hand, Jacob used his free hand to rub his face. “Speaking with you like this is such a tiring affair.”
“You know you love talking to me. We’re partners, after all.”
“If you say so.”
On the way home, Jacob came across several people that he knew. The little old lady who owned a bookstore that he read books at was having problems getting the store clean, so he lent her a quick hand, sweeping the floor and making sure the books were lined up. She thanked him with a smile. A couple of old men were playing chess as he passed a bakery. One of them was losing badly, so Jacob gave him a tip. A few people that he knew from shopping greeted him with bellowing voices and great enthusiasm. He waved in return.
As he was passing by one of the buildings, a clothier called Madame Price’s Tailored Clothing, he spotted a poster tacked to the wall. It was a wanted poster. The person depicted in the image was wearing a dark cloak with a hood that covered their head. Not much could be seen of their face, but Jacob didn’t need to see their face to know who it was. This poster was obviously in regards to the girl who had come to him last night, Enyo.
“I guess the knights are still looking for her.”
“I did see a few as we were walking the streets this morning,” Durandal added. There was a slight delay in his next words. “Are you worried about her?”
“Of course not,” Jacob said as he continued on his way.
There was a lot that he needed to do before noon rolled around. He had to prepare his own breakfast first. After which, he would clean the bar, then get started on preparing the ale for consumption, followed by getting the grill ready so that he could begin cooking once customers started coming in. It was a lot of work, more than Jacob had initially expected.
Whoever said that owning bar was easy deserved to be smacked in the face.
As the day wore on, Jacob finished his tasks with ease of practice. Morning became noon, and noon became evening. Patrons started trickling in. Some came alone, others came in groups. Most of them were either mercenaries, miners, or farmers.
Albany was an independent city. That meant it wasn’t a member of the Kingdom of Terrasole, which ruled over most of the continent. They passed their own laws, and they didn’t pay taxes to Terrasole. While this normally would have been a problem, since Albany was far from the capital, Terrasole didn’t bother trying to bring them to heel.
As a free city, there were any number of different peoples coming and going. Albany was mostly a mining town. About six klicks out were the Tuscany mines, a place that was abundant in rare minerals and gems. Most of the men living in Albany were miners because of this, though several people also owned farmlands. Mercenaries were another thing that was in abundance in Albany.
Although the war may have ended when Jacob had killed the Dark Lord, that didn’t mean there was no need for people skilled in combat. The mines were a dangerous place, filled with kobalts
and other monsters, and the surrounding plains were home to kath hounds and various beasts.
Monsters were abundant in this world. During his travels across the continent, Jacob had faced more monsters than he had men. That was why mercenaries were still necessary, why they still had a job and hadn’t stooped to become bandits, robbers, and highwaymen.
“Barkeep! Another ale over here!” a patron shouted over the din of multiple conversations.
“Coming right up!” Jacob shouted back as he filled a mug with ale and brought it over to the customer’s table.
“Barkeep, I could use a pot roast if you have any!”
“It’ll be ready in a few more minutes!”
As Jacob was traveling back to the counter, a conversation between two patrons a few yards away captured his attention. They were speaking in hushed tones, but Jacob, who knew the secrets to enhancing his body’s physical limitations, picked it up easily enough.
“Did you hear? Those knights finally captured that girl.”
“Aye. I saw that. Was there when it happened. It’s a right shame they caught her. That lass was quite fetching.”
“What do you reckon is going to happen?”
“They said she stole an important item that belonged to the Queen while it was being transported. I imagine they’ll off her head.”
“Now that’s a real shame. She had quite the pretty head.”
“Aye.”
As the two men laughed, Jacob moved gracefully behind the counter. He did his best to keep up with his orders, to pretend that he hadn’t heard the conversation between those two. However, no matter how hard he tried or how much he worked, the image of Enyo being placed on the chopping block wouldn’t leave his mind.
Later that night, after Jacob had closed his bar, he lay on his bed, hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.
He hadn’t been able to fall asleep. His mind kept replaying the conversation he’d eavesdropped on. Enyo had been captured. This shouldn’t have bothered him, as he had already told the girl that he wanted nothing to do with her, but for some reason, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. The image his mind presented him, a false vision of her downtrodden face as she was taken to the capital, seared his mind like a branding iron.
Journey of a Betrayed Hero- Volume 1 Page 2