A message from Markos interrupted my thoughts.
D.
Come down to the grotto. There’s something you need to see.
I sighed. Odd, he usually gets uppity when I intrude on his work. Let’s see what the hell is going on. I made my way through the castle and to the main gate exited through the main gate, the only entrance or exit for Castle Gloom-Harbor. A strategic advantage to be sure, but a significant pain in the ass when I needed to get down to the cove. I nodded at the current NPC guard operating the gate.
I should probably get to know the new guards at some point. We’d lost a few during the last siege, and I hadn’t gotten around to learning the names of the new NPCs. I was always a little weirded out by NPCs. Technically they’re not alive, but even after thirty years, I still find it hard to tell the difference between players and NPCs off the bat.
The steps leading to the grotto were always damp and mossy from the spray of water that crashed and broke against the rocks. I climbed down carefully and rounded the bend to the cave itself.
Markos was waiting for me and not paying any attention. I nearly collided with him. I put my hand on his shoulders to steady him and ensure he didn’t topple over into the cold water.
“Whoa there, bud,” I said, taking my hands off him once I knew he wouldn’t fall over.
Markos looked up from the ground, wiping the small bit of dirt and water from his white robes. He stared at me, but how he could see me through his thick, shaggy mop of brown hair covering half of his face was magic beyond anything I’d ever witnessed here.
Markos was a younger-looking man of rather average height and a paper-thin frame. A stiff breeze could cut him in half. It had been so long since I’d seen them, I couldn’t quite remember the color of his eyes. I wanted to say blue, but I wasn’t sure about it. He had a thin, angular face without a wisp of facial hair to complement his slight stature.
“Sorry, D, I didn’t see you there,” he said frantically, “I was just coming out to wait on you, though the fates ordained this fortuitous encounter.”
I stifled the sigh I felt coming. “What’s up? Your message was vague.”
He motioned me to follow him instead of answering my question. “Come with me, quickly.” He turned to walk deeper into the damp cavern. “This is something truly spectacular,” he said, rushing ahead in the dark.
Unlike Markos, I took my time navigating the slick cave. One wrong slip and I’d end up in the drink, a prospect I didn’t relish repeating ever again. There were torches sporadically placed to make sure we could see a vague outline of the cave and not much else.
As I walked further and further into the cave, the distance between the torches grew. As the pale orange light from the torches faded, I expected to be plunged into darkness. I wasn’t, which surprised me. A faint blue glow came from the large cavern ahead of me. As I got closer, the lights grew brighter to where every detail of the rocky cave was outlined by the glow.
I knew what I was looking at, but what I was seeing made no sense. The medium-sized cave that had previously held our growing supply of mushrooms was still comprised of the small fungus. With a tiny difference, half of them were glowing. A soft blue light emitted from each of the mushroom caps, along with a rather pleasant aroma that made me lightheaded.
“I would cover your mouth and nose and try not to breathe in too deeply, if it pleases you,” Markos spoke from somewhere in the cave.
Footsteps shuffled over the rocks just above me, and I found Markos with a large black cloth wrapped tightly around the lower half of his face.
He tossed me one, and I misjudged the feather-light material and wasn’t able to grab the fabric on my first attempt but managed to snag it before it floated to the ground and got soaked in the water. I hastily tied the cloth around my head and cinched it tight. Almost immediately, the dizzying haze faded, and I could breathe better even with the damn cloth around my mouth and nose.
“What the hell is going on, Mark?” I asked him in a muffled breath, the cloth making speech infinitely more difficult.
He looked at me, and even with his entire face covered, I could imagine the way his face lit up as he spoke. “The fates have been kind enough to grant us a revelation.” His voice held the slight tinge of a fanatic.
“Would the fates be kind enough to let me in on this revelation?” I asked him with barely suppressed exasperation.
Markos looked at me and sobered slightly from the internal reverie that went on in his head. A slight relaxation of his shoulders and the way he carried himself told me he had regained some of his facilities.
“Ah, right…of course, Duran,” he said softly. He gestured to the surrounding mushrooms. “I was tinkering with the chemistry of our already-potent Gloom mushrooms. Most of the additions failed or created a somewhat toxic substance, but I played with some glow vine since, as it produces a mild hallucinogen as a defense system, I thought it would be neat to meld the two. After fiddling around with my Botany and Alchemy skills, I was able to combine them both.
“Behold!” He spoke with a flourish of his arms. “The Gloam, the same effects as Gloom mushrooms with an added, addictive hallucinatory effect.”
I stopped and just stared at our newest creation. This would be an excellent source of additional income for us, and I just knew Miguel would be dying to get his grubby hands all over these.
“We will need to run a few tests on them,” I told Markos. “To be on the safe side. I don’t want to start selling these only to find out they kill people or make them go insane.”
The last thing we needed was even more heat brought down on our heads. The Alliance already had it out for us; we wouldn’t survive if the Merchants Guild joined the fray.
He nodded his head at me, probably understanding the need for safety better than I did. Markos being a healer first, burgeoning drug kingpin second.
“I agree with you. As you have experienced, this new strain of Gloom mushroom emits a rather dangerous spore that affects the mind. A nice side effect for a drug user, however, not so great for a drug maker. We will need to be careful not to breathe it in while cultivating them,” Markos warned me.
His demonstration complete, Markos and I walked out of the narcotic-filled portion of the cave and back into the walkway that led outside. As soon as we got far enough away that we could no longer be affected by the mushrooms, Markos took off the makeshift gas mask, which told me I could as well. I was relieved at the cool air filling my lungs, and I shifted my gaze to where I looked at both Markos and the illuminated path so I wouldn’t fall and bust my face.
“This new project is solid. After you give the green light, I’ll get a message to Miguel to send a few men over to help package up the first shipment,” I told him.
My mind currently worked on the best way to profit from our new resource. I saw stacks of gold in the guild's future. This new venture on top of the other deal I’d worked out with the suave crime lord would ensure a rather lucrative stream of income for us. It would mean we could take fewer contracts and maybe start working to pay off our bounties. A pleasant daydream. I made my way out of the cave and back towards the castle. The damp, spore-filled cave had left me in pressing need of a nice long bath.
But it would have to wait because as soon as I stepped out of the cave, Wilson’s contact card lit up in my interface.
I clicked accept, and Wilson’s light breathing filled my ear.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Guild meeting. Thirty minutes,” he said abruptly and hung up.
Great, just what I needed. Fuck it, let’s get this over with.
I went back up through the castle, only stopping to get a mug of ale, and I made it to the meeting in record time, which I shouldn’t have bothered with because nobody else could be bothered to be punctual. I could have had a bath and a change of clothes by now. Damn it all.
In usual fashion, it took the entire thirty minutes for everyone to show up and five minutes after that
to get down to business. Wilson called the meeting, so I deferred to him and let him go over what he needed to.
“All right, everyone. Settle down,” he said as he stood from his chair to gaze around the room. “We have a few matters to discuss since it has been some time since our last official meeting.”
“Let’s hear it,” I said.
“Right,” he said, pulling a stack of papers from his inventory. “A few things to go over. Several contracts came in over the past few weeks, a couple escort jobs for Yllsaria, along with a bounty on one of the bandit kings, but I obviously turned that one down. And finally, a retrieval job. Some nobleman’s estate was robbed by a thief not associated with the Thieves Guild, so naturally, both parties want the matter resolved and are willing to pay handsomely for it.”
“All right, good call on turning down the bounty. Let’s leave the bandit kings to their own devices,” I said, taking a long pull of my ale. “What was taken?”
“Gold and other small items, but the noble only cared about some heirloom of his, a ruby-inlaid golden amulet that held sentimental value or some such nonsense.”
I chuckled. “Nobles and their jewelry. Though, it’s odd that someone is operating outside of the guild. Risky business, and suicidal. Reach out to your old Thieves Guild contacts and see what details you can learn about the robbery.”
“Already on it,” Wilson said with a wry smile.
“Of course, you are. Anything else?”
“Just a few more minor things. A representative from both Aldrust and Yllsaria stopped by about a week ago, both wishing to renew our trade agreements. I told them I would need your approval on those.”
“Done. That’s just more easy money in our pockets. Besides, we have to clear out any monster nest that pops up in our territory regardless—might as well earn some coin while we’re at it. Is that it?”
“All I needed to discuss, at any rate.”
I stood up, a headache already creeping up on me. “Well, that makes this the shortest meeting, ever.”
Everyone laughed and began to rise from their seats and filed out of the room. I was about to head out myself when Wilson grabbed my arm.
“What is it?” I asked, turning to face him.
“When my contacts reach back out, I’d like to take the job personally.”
“Don’t see why not,” I said with a shrug. “But why all of a sudden? I thought you got tired of fieldwork?”
He smiled, wrinkling his forehead and lighting up his storm-cast eyes. “What can I say, retirement has worn thin these past few years.”
I clapped him on the shoulder, returning his smile. “Have at it. I can run the guild for a little while by myself.”
“No, you can’t,” he said smugly.
“No, I can’t,” I said, laughing.
“Just don’t burn the place down while I’m gone,” he said as he walked past me and into the hall.
Chuckling, I followed him. “No promises. I do love a good fire.”
Before I forgot, I pulled open my interface and opened the Guild Quests tab.
Quest: Thief Taker
Recover Stolen Heirloom From Central Kingdom Nobleman
Type: Contracted
Difficulty: B
Reward: 4500 Exp
Cycling through the guild roster, I selected Wilson’s name.
Assign Wilson
Yes/No
Yes.
Wilson stopped, staring at his interface, and accepted the quest.
Quest Accepted.
Exp Share: 75/25
Since I’d hit max level, the experience didn’t matter, but we’d get paid well for the quest, and that was good enough for me.
“Thanks,” he said and vanished into the shadows, leaving me alone in the corridor.
All right, time for that bath.
Once I climbed to the third floor, I went to my room and straight to my bathroom. The same stone that comprised my room and the entirety of the castle met me as I shut the door. In the center of the room was a long basin filled with water. It resembled a small pool more than a bath, but I loved it. A mirror and sink sat in the corner, and held my toothbrush and shaving kit, while a shelf carved deep into the stone wall on the opposite end of the bath housed my soaps, shampoos, and washrags.
The only other items in the room were a towel rack and wicker laundry basket by the door. I stripped, tossed my dirty clothes into the basket, and climbed down into the bath. It was hot, but not quite as hot as the day before. Fire stones are wearing thin. Need to get with Adam in a couple days to replace them.
The reflection of the water shimmering along the stone-gray walls and ceiling gave the room a charming atmosphere, like an underwater cave deep beneath the earth. Rather than feeling claustrophobic, I was at peace. This was my favorite place inside the castle hands down, a place that was entirely mine.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror of the water. My appearance had changed slightly in the thirty years since coming to this world. I still looked exactly like I did when I was twenty, though, with a few exceptions. My time as a refugee had emaciated me, but years as a warrior had left me with lean muscle, and I’d grown my hair out in the past few years. My copper locks were tied back in a knot.
I undid the leather cord that held up my hair and ran my hands through the strands as they fell about my shoulders, trying to work out any tangles that had accrued since last night. I reached over to the stone shelf and picked up my hairbrush to gently brush my hair, a process that took time if done correctly.
Once my hair was brushed, I caught a glimpse of wiry hair and ran my fingers over my prominent jawline, as the heavy prickles of stubble threatened to blossom into a beard. I’d yet again neglected to shave. Glancing at the sink, I thought about grabbing my razor and just getting it over with, but I didn’t feel like getting out of the bath. The heat from the water took away my will do anything else.
I sat under the water for almost an hour, my amber eyes staring back at me as I daydreamed. When my skin started to resemble that of a raisin and the heat from the water began to make me drowsy, I reluctantly climbed out of the bath and headed for the sublime comfort of my bed to catch up on my sleep.
Chapter 5 - Under Siege
I awoke to someone banging on my door. An occurrence I wish I could say was a rarity for me. Our guild's idea of politeness was knocking half a second before entering, not exactly the easiest people to live with at times. From the rhythm of the knocks, I could tell at once who was outside, rapping at my chamber door.
Without waiting for an answer, the door swung open, and Wilson stepped through, looking somewhat disheveled. His dark leather armor was oiled and silent, but his face was a mess. A sight that immediately put me on alert. His gray hair was tousled by sleep, and his usually perfect beard hadn't been combed. Wilson was such a fanatic about his appearance that anything that made him disregard his morning routine was cause for concern.
“D,” he called, as he caught sight of me, forgoing his usual polite greeting to get straight to the point, “Trouble on the home front.”
"Oh, by the nine kings of Hell, not again." I rubbed at my temples, wincing as the lingering headache pulsed through my skull. His words could only mean one thing. We're being invaded...again. I nodded at him. “All right, understood.”
We both knew the next move, and I hopped out of bed so I could change into more appropriate attire. Going into battle in my pajamas was a nightmare I’d stopped having after my first few months here.
“You don’t need me to give you orders. You know the drill. Get everyone ready.”
“Already done, before I came and woke you. I figured that would be your response.”
Wilson's cheeky grin teased my back as he spoke. As much of the boring, stuck up, and general pain in my ass that he was, he was damn good at his job. I had to admit, I couldn’t lead the guild half as well if he weren’t here to back me up.
“Thank you, Wilson. Did the representative from A
ldrust happen to drop off a package when they were here? Please say yes.”
“Indeed, they did. You’re going to have to tell me one of these days how you managed to convince the dwarves to forge you a set of shadowsteel armor?”
“It’s a very long and painfully humiliating story that I’d rather not get into…besides, King Balthazar still refuses to let me live down the incident with the chicken.”
I walked over to my wardrobe. Sitting on the lower shelf was a thick wooden box wrapped in canvas. I unwrapped it to find my armor whole and completely repaired.
Wilson snorted and tried to cover it with a cough. “In any case, the bill was fifteen thousand gold. I deducted the amount from your savings and sent the payment back with the representative. That’s quite a hefty sum for simple repairs, Duran.”
“Yeah, well. Thrayl promised he’d make me pay the next time I damaged his precious armor. It’s just his way of getting me back. All right, get out there and see what you see. I want a report by the time I arrive.”
“Will do,” he said and departed, silent as a wraith. The emptiness in the room from his absence alerted me that he’d left.
Fifteen thousand, Thrayl? Really? Oh, well. Should still have close to a hundred thousand left, more than plenty. Not having the necessary information on who was attacking, I opted for overkill and donned the gear. I quickly changed into my shadowsteel armor by hitting the equip-all button on my interface.
The light metal settled comfortably around me as I equipped it. Shadowsteel had the look of lightweight plate, but rather than the blocky hunks of metal most adventurers strapped to themselves, my armor was a smooth, glossy black, which seemed to suck in light from any nearby sources. Anyone can buy hunks of shadowsteel ore, but it takes a master dwarven craftsman to forge something this spectacular.
Sliding it on, I knew it was worth whatever price Thrayl asked for. It’s almost as beautiful as Lachrymal’s Heart, if not nearly so terrifying. I shied away from thoughts about The Weeping God and its strange artifact. My one and only visit to witness it had left me running from the Iron Cathedral.
Hive Knight: A Dark Fantasy LitRPG (Trinity of the Hive Book 1) Page 6