Into the Dragon's Den (Axe Druid Book 2)

by Christopher Johns

  “We have a stipulation,” I warned as we sat together. “We cannot stay long—we have something important to do that requires we travel north. Could you train him on the go?”

  The Orc began to think and mull over the question as he eyed Muu. “You’ll be an attentive student? Train daily and listen to lessons as we travel?”

  “You got it.” Muu grinned.

  “Who knows, you may be able to train all of us a little,” I supplied with a smile.

  “That’ll cost extra.” He grunted and hefted the mug before him. “How long will we be traveling?”

  “We aren’t sure.” I shrugged. “Do you have a rate?”

  Zhavron shook his head. “I will come along. I will allot my price once our time together is finished. The more I train, the higher the price. Though,” he looked at Muu again, “I’d be willing to give a discount seeing as though my student seems apt. You supply food, shelter, and alcohol.”

  “You buy your own booze,” I haggled, “and we will provide the other things. And the other things, within reason. If we think we’re being cheated, we will give you what we think you were worth. Sound good?”

  He frowned, then grinned a toothy grin that made his chipped and scarred tusks flashed down to the base of his gums. “Can’t blame a guy for trying, can you?”

  “Certainly can’t.” I grinned and held my mug up before me. “To a good relationship.”

  “Aye. A good relationship.” He toasted with Muu and I. “When do we leave?”

  “As soon as we can,” I stated. “We need to find a Bard to train my friend over there.” I pointed to Bokaj who happened to see and waved to us. “You wouldn’t happen to know a Bard, would you?”

  He laughed for a moment. “What mercenary group brings a Bard who would cheat them out of their coin and all the prettiest ladies?”

  “That’s fair,” Muu observed.

  I wasn’t going to be the guy who told the trainer about Bokaj seducing a lizardmen chieftain—the lady had been so much bigger than him. The weird part? He wasn’t even a Bard in training then.

  “Let’s get some sleep then,” I advised. “We can look tomorrow and go shopping for cold weather gear.” I looked at Zhavron. “You have cold weather gear? Hat, gloves, and whatnot.”

  The grizzled warrior shook his head. I nodded. “You will tomorrow. We will be up early enough. Meet us here in the morning. You staying here?” He pointed at a room directly above him. “Good. See you in the morning for breakfast then, Zhavron.”

  Chapter Six

  We woke up, had breakfast with Zhavron, and then moved out for the day. Zhavron was pretty knowledgeable about the city, and the place we were going to was close, according to him.

  He led us through the streets filled with mercenaries of all shapes and sizes. Which reminded me, “Hey, Zhavron, is there a place for magic users here? I know Giledt said they don’t like magic used in public but–”

  “No,” he answered swiftly before looking around. “This city takes to martial prowess and that only. They frown on magic users and any caught doing any kind of magic in public are dealt with as criminals.”

  “Oh fuck, why?” Jaken asked in a hushed tone.

  “Magic users assassinated the late governor here.” He stopped, not looking around as much. “He was a well-loved man. The populous didn’t take well to that and neither did his widow, the lady Governor. After that, the Mages were tracked down and beaten to death. It is a taboo thing to talk about. I take it you are a magic user?”

  I nodded with Jaken, but I spoke quietly, “But I can pass as a warrior with my weapon choice.”

  “I suggest you refrain from using magic here then.” He pointed to a building. “There is the place. High society folks get Bards, but the best ones do not look like they do magic. You would do well to look here in the richer section of the city.”

  “A sound plan,” James observed as we walked into Filk’s Finery.

  The outside of the building itself was posh, bordering on pompous with bright colors, fabric, and designs. Inside, the interior was as fiercely decorated as the outside. The proprietor, a small halfling woman with mousy features and thick glasses, her hair in a messy bun, and some kind of small pipe in her hand, waved at us.

  “Come in!” she purred at us. “Come inside, darlings.”

  She hopped up on to the stool she was sitting on to look at us. “Oh, mercenaries! How I do love those broad shoulders and interesting stories. I will let you know now the cheapest thing I have here cost a gold, but you will be the sexiest one in formation—I promise you. Now, what can Kitty get for you?”

  Bokaj was about to speak when she noticed him and leaped on to her counter to look down at him, “You.”

  She began to lift his arms and look over him as he tried to speak. She grabbed his face in her small hands and squished his cheeks so he was quiet.

  “Don’t speak, darling. Let Kitty work.” She began to look over him again at speed. She cupped, massaged, and grasped to the point that I was fairly certain I needed an adult—and he needed an intervention.

  “Ma’am, we just need gear for the c–” I began, but she threw her pipe hand in my direction.

  “Do not interrupt Kitty when the Muses sing!” She looked back at Bokaj, his face still clasped in her hand. “You are beautiful, darling.” She slapped his cheek with her other hand. “I do you for a discount. I do not do this. You will be fierce. You will be cold. You. Will. Be.”

  She turned away from him, clutched her hand to her chest, and her right wrist flew to her forehead before she spoke again, “Beautiful.”

  I snorted aloud and had to cough mightily to cover the sound after her head whipped my way.

  “Thank you, but I don’t really need anything made for myself,” Bokaj tried gently to let her down.

  “You do not understand. I design for you, you take the clothing offered—you adore me for the masterful job I do—or they buy nothing. Because I sell them nothing.”

  Seems like we’re stuck, dude, Yohsuke said into our minds.

  She probably has the best gear in the city. See if you can get us a discount and ask about good cold gear, I told him.

  “You raise a very valid point,” Bokaj said. “Tell you what, I’ll do that for you. I’ll even spread your name when I wear it, but I’ll do that only if you extend the discount to my friends too.”

  “You are very charismatic, darling,” The halfling purred as she puffed thoughtfully on her pipe. “I will do this. I will allow you to choose from last year’s winter selection at a reduced price, but I will design the full outfit. I design all night. Three days.”

  Bokaj shook his head. “We leave sooner than that. Can you do tomorrow morning?”

  “You expect a masterpiece by tomorrow morning?!” she cried, aghast. “No. I can do two days.”

  Bokaj turned the charm on eleven or some high-ass number because what he said next had even me all kinds of attracted.

  “Aren’t you the best designer in the city?” he asked, to which she nodded. “Don’t you think you could put together the best outfit anyone has ever seen almost overnight? I bet you could,” he took her hand and pulled her a little closer, “I bet you could do a lot of things in one night.”

  There. A warm, familiar sensation at the base of my skull in the back. That familiar feeling from the Incubus? How? Was that Bokaj?

  Kitty blushed deep crimson, then smiled. “Oh, you know nothing, Snow Elf. Nothing. This is a challenge. Yes, I see that now. My best creation in so little time. I will call in my apprentices. Tonight—we create Life!”

  “I’m certain you won’t let me down.” Bokaj kissed her hand sweetly. “Goodbye and good luck.”

  We walked out of the place as Kitty was scrambling to find parchment and a quill, calling, “Frieda! Bentel! Go and fetch the others. We have work to do!”

  As soon as we were outside, we all stopped and took Bokaj to the side of the building.

  “What the fuck was that, man
?” I whispered harshly.

  “I was just trying to be charming,” he said defensively. “She would have taken too long otherwise.”

  “Look, man, that’s all well and good—the discount is boss, but if you’re gonna do that shit,” Yohsuke looked around before continuing, “warn us. I’m pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say that made all of us a little uncomfortable.”

  “What are you talking about?” He looked to the rest of us for some kind of clue.

  “Dude, it wasn’t just her that you were hitting with all that schmooze,” Jaken explained. “It was all of us. We all felt that shit. It was… weird.”

  He looked to the rest of us who were nodding, and even Zhavron spoke up, “See what I said about them taking the best women? And he’s had no training? I would hate to travel with him trained.”

  “Okay, I’ll give a heads up next time.” He shrugged. “Sorry, y’all. I was just trying to help.”

  “It’s cool. Just be more careful. Okay?” I said with a sigh. He nodded, and we turned away to try and find somewhere to start looking for a Bard to give him the training he needed.

  After looking for an hour, we were near giving up when we happened across a poster written about a performance that night. Someone called Pharazulla was singing at a high-class inn called the Blooming Ruby that Zhavron said was near the governor’s mansion.

  “Really tough place to get into from what I hear.” Zhavron closed his eyes while thinking. “What I recall overhearing was that you have to be dressed up nice.”

  “We can do that. Svartlan gave us all some finer clothes to wear,” James said. “Though we don’t all need to go, do we?”

  “Yeah, some of us could sit this one out,” I agreed. “I’ll go. I enjoy a good show. Who wants to sit out.”

  Everyone else but Muu raised their hands. The rest of us looked at him, and he shrugged, “What? I’m not afraid to party.”

  We all laughed, and Muu and I went right back into Fulk’s to talk to Kitty.

  As we walked back in, there were at least eight young women of various states and sizes and two young men scrambling around the room, grabbing cloth and designs from the racks of raw materials. Kitty’s formerly artful messy bun was now truly messy, and she looked a little frazzled as she manned the helm of the ship she ran.

  She saw us and shouted, “Ah, Kitty’s tormentors return. Thank them for the rush on this project babies, for Kitty will allow no rest this evening.” The people in the place truly looked murderous at that moment. “We just came in to see if you had anything nice and already made for my friend here to wear tonight?”

  “Where do you take Kitty’s art?” the little woman asked as her eyes narrowed.

  “The Blooming Ruby?” Muu said.

  Kitty seemed to like the idea as she began moving toward the back room, then looked back at her apprentices and shouted, “Why are Kitty’s babies still?! Get to work!”

  There was a flurry of motion and a cacophonous cry of, “Yes, mother.”

  They worked in silence otherwise unless communication was needed—then it was terse and whispered.

  A moment later, Kitty careened into the room with an outfit in a bag and said, “Two gold and you leave me alone to my work right now.”

  I paid her, and we left the place so fast I was sure the workers inside hadn’t noticed our departure.

  We walked back out to the others and motioned for all of us to get the fuck out right quick. It would be hairy for us if they caught us in the area after we said we would leave them alone.

  We went back to the Marching Mercenaries and grabbed some more food. We had no need of weapons or other armor, though Bokaj was interested in going to the lumberyard to pick up some supplies that he could use to make some odds and ends he had been thinking about.

  Zhavron agreed to take him in the time we had before the show. It started in a couple hours, so we had plenty of time to bullshit and work on some things before we needed to get ready.

  I took out the rings that I had bought from the jeweler in Sunrise. They were cheaper made trinkets, nothing like what we had found or the level of quality made by the Light Hand Clan in Djurn Forge, but they were adequate. There were no precious gems to use in them either, so that was a moot point. I could probably find a jeweler here to work with, but that was simply more time wasted when I had some right here with me.

  Besides, they were mainly for me to use to grow my trade and for Muu as he would benefit the most. I could get better things for him from Shellica and her folks if absolutely needed. Especially if we were going into Gods knew what in the Hells. We might all need to upgrade if that’s the case.

  I pulled out a ring and engraved several connected shields into it with minimal drain on my MP. I sat it down, then began the next ring, engraved that with little hearts and plus signs next to it. The almost-universal symbol for healing. After that was finished, I went back to the first ring and began to fill it with my intent and mana.

  I focused on protection, shielding the wearer from damage, assisting in defense. It took 200 MP, but it was worth it. I did the same with the second ring, focusing my intent on recovery, wounds healing like my Regrowth spell.

  Defense Ring

  + 4 to defense

  Ring created by Journeyman Jeweler Similian and enchanted by Journeyman Enchanter Zekiel Erebos.

  Ring of Regrowth

  Wearer heals up to 20 HP on the initial use and 1 HP per second for 30 seconds after.

  Mana cost: 10 MP

  Ring created by Journeyman Jeweler Similian and enchanted by Journeyman Enchanter Zekiel Erebos.

  The second ring was pretty awesome. With the mana cost, Muu could use it at least fifteen times or more before his mana bottomed out. Though with his low mana regeneration from a low wisdom score, it would be hard on him. The total cost for the second ring was 300 MP, ten times what it cost for me to cast the spell myself.

  I allowed my mana to recover over the next couple minutes as I thought more about the kinds of items I wanted to create. I set the other rings back in my inventory—I would take requests or odd ideas from the group for those.

  I brought out the bracelet and stared at it for a moment. I could try and make something that would give more defense. I could also go with a similar design as James’ and my elemental items and reduce any kind of elemental damage that Muu took, but I wasn’t confident I was good enough yet to do anything more than protect him from a campfire or a puddle—let alone the sheer destruction a wizard, Mage, or sorcerer could dish out.

  No. This needed a specific function. Something that would help give him even the slightest advantage until it could be upgraded or replaced. What about blur? Could I make Muu move faster? Not like a generalized haste that would envelop his whole body, similar to what James could do. But maybe just isolated to the arm?

  No. There’s the chance that it could cause him to overextend and leave an opening for an opponent. We couldn’t risk that at this stage. Not with him still learning.

  I looked through my spells and abilities. Could I…? Maybe… Shit. I mean, I really needed to see about upping my imagination here. There was nothing to confine me! Why was I having trouble with something so seemingly simple? It was his job to assist in melee damage, right? So, what did that leave? Doing. Damage. The kind of damage was almost irrelevant. So, that left me with fewer options, but then again—there were so many!

  I could enchant the bracelet to allow him to imbue his weapon with fire damage, ice damage, lightning—whatever! All I had to do was decide. But I wasn’t sure how his weapon would react to the stress of it, and that left too much to chance.

  There was a chance it would ruin even a well-made weapon.

  Maybe I could help him to actually just throw it harder? Yeah, that could work!

  I took the bracelet in my hands and focused on the image I wanted to engrave into the item. As I looked at it, the bands were held together by a clasp and a hinge that made it into an almost-solid pi
ece when clasped together. It would fit him fine. On both sides, the inner portion that touched his skin—not the outer—I engraved a javelin in flight with a ring around the front and the same motion symbols I used for his jumping boots.

  Once that was complete, I focused on what I wanted the bracelet to actually do—which was to make Muu be able to throw his weapon harder and faster than what he already could on his own. I had seen him throw it a few times lazily, and it had gone pretty far without the help. I saw the weapon leaving his grip to fly straight and true, but I envisioned it moving faster. So much faster and harder—hitting the target hard enough to shatter stone.

  I poured my mana into the engraving. I poured and kept pouring. I filled the engraving almost to the brim before I got the feeling that if I didn’t stop, it would be too much. I had full MP before I started feeding the enchantment mana. Now I was down to my last 25 MP—meaning it had required a whooping 475 MP to hit full. What the fuck had I created?! The spear had taken all of my mana and that had been able to damned near teleport the item to his hand.

  It must have been awesome, because I was rewarded with another level in enchanting, bumping me up to level 29.

  Thrower’s Wrist

  + 4 to strength of thrown weapons, + 5 speed to thrown weapons

  When a weapon is thrown by the wearer, it will move at greater speeds, distances, and with more power than is capable by normal means. Be careful if you decide to throw something at a friend without thinking.

  Charges – 3 per day. Each charge returns the following morning.

  Bracelet created by Journeyman Jeweler Similian and enchanted by Journeyman Enchanter Zekiel Erebos.

  Hot damn! I whistled to myself. Not the first charge-type item we have seen, Bokaj’s Silence Wand being the first. Still cool as fuck!

  I decided to leave everything else as they were—back into my inventory they went. I then went to see about giving these to Muu. Then I thought better of it and decided to get myself a bath after catching an errant waft of my own stank hit me. I stashed the items then stepped out into the hallway to go downstairs and speak with the barkeep about bathing.