Steele Alchemist: A LitRPG Series

by Deck Davis

  Best to bury it for now. Maybe he’d never get used to killing, but he sure as hell wouldn’t dwell on it. There was too much to do.

  Just before he dropped it, there was one more thing he needed to know.

  “Faei,” said Jake. “Was there a rebellion around here? Years ago, maybe?”

  “Nothing I know about, but there was no school on Steel Pike, so we didn’t learn much about history. Not that I would have listened even if there was. Books are not my friends. Why?”

  “Just wondering.”

  That settled it. Eric had tried to catch Jake out by asking him if he remembered the rebellion, and Jake had fallen for it. That meant that any dregs of guilt he felt were gone. If Eric was trying to catch him out, then he meant him harm.

  Faei stood up. “This is all too bloody worrying. I was hoping that maybe something had happened…that I, I don’t know, Cason had somehow survived. But if his runes failed…”

  “I was worried about the same thing.”

  “We need a plan.”

  “Only two things we can do, as far as I’m concerned,” said Jake. “We give him up for dead and go home, or we look for him.”

  Faei nodded. “Better get moving, then.”

  “I’m glad you agree,” said Jake. “Farewell, Cason. It was nice knowing you. Rest in peace.”

  Faei gave him a stern glance.

  Jake held up his hand. “Kidding. Let’s find him.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  At first, they headed back to the shack. Jake forced Faei to get some sleep, since she looked ready to drop. With the runes gone it meant one of them had to keep watch while the other rested, since it was clear that they had enemies. First there were the men who’d tried to capture him in the fog crater, then Eric Cratter. For all Jake knew, they could have been connected to whoever had taken Cason.

  Taken was a word he and Faei used a lot over the next few days. It was an unspoken agreement between them that they wouldn’t consider the possibility he was dead until they’d scoured every part of Reaching Crest. As much as Cason annoyed the hell out of him, he knew that both he and Faei needed the old goat, and for different ways. Faei relied on him for her potion, and without Cason, Jake had as much alchemy knowledge as a homeopathist.

  They went out to look for him over the next few days. They always travelled together, and they used the map on the wall in Cason’s shack to plot their search routes. They scoured parts of Reaching Crest that even Faei had never seen before. They always got back to the shack before nightfall.

  From the areas they marked off on the map it was clear that soon, their search was going to take them deeper into the island. They were going to have to go so far that they’d need to camp out for two or three nights at a time, which made their search more dangerous. Before it came to that, there was a tavern that Faei wanted to try.

  It was on their fourth day that he and Faei walked down a rough-cut scattering of stones that served for a road. They’d only seen one fellow traveler that morning. He was a quarry foreman walking with a sack full of explosive powder vials. They stopped and talked to him for a while, and when it was clear he didn’t know anything about Cason, they said bye. The man looked around him suspiciously, then walked down the path.

  It had been over an hour since they’d seen him, and if he hadn’t been robbed by now, Jake would be surprised. It seemed crazy for a small, non-fighting man to walking around with a large sack on his back. He listened every so often, expecting to hear the boom of an explosion in the distance.

  It was just after midday now. The sun shone weakly in the sky. Jake’s belly rumbled, and he realized it must have been six hours since he’d last eaten. Luckily, the tavern they sought was just ahead of them.

  “I don’t see what’s so special about this place,” said Jake.

  It looked like a bog-standard tavern. It was a stone building with wooden beams crisscrossing the walls. Lanterns hung outside and gave a weak glow. Tall oak trees spread their branches all around the outskirts of it, casting a shade effect that made it seem like night. Through the windows on the front he saw vague silhouettes of people, though it looked dark inside.

  Faei shifted her bag on her shoulder, and she winced when it brushed her injured hand. She had a cloth bandage wrapped around the burn.

  “They call it the Inn of Smoke and Rumors. That’s not it’s real name, of course. It’s really called the Thatcher’s Den. Don’t tell anyone in there your real name or where you’re from. Names are banned in here.”

  She walked up to the door, pushed it open and stepped inside. Jake followed her.

  As soon as he got inside, he understood why the tavern had gotten its nickname. The tavern was filled with smoke, so much so that it was impossible to see anything. It reminded him of being back in the crater with the fog beast, except this place was warm. A hearth must have been burning inside, though he couldn’t see a damn thing. He could smell beer and other spirits in the air, but he didn’t have a clue where the bar was.

  There were plenty of people inside, though Jake only knew this because he could hear them talk. They spoke at a low volume, so that the place was filled with the faint hiss of whispers. He tried to follow Faei, but he soon lost her in the mist.

  He wondered where the smoke came from. It was almost like tobacco smoke, and it had a faint spicy smell to it. It didn’t seem practical at all to have the place so full of fog that it was impossible to see where he was going.

  Suddenly, lips brushed against his ear.

  “Just be careful, and keep your ears open.”

  It was Faei’s voice. Her hot breath stroked his earlobes.

  “Why do people say that?” he answered. “Who can even close their ears?”

  “Some wood elves can. Anyway, stop flapping your lips.”

  “What is this place?” he whispered back.

  “People come here to exchange rumors. It’s total anonymity. You can’t believe everything you hear, but it’s a start. Just listen to what people say.”

  And with that, he felt Faei leave him, though he couldn’t see where she had gone. He stood amidst the thick smoke and wondered what the hell he was supposed to do. He knew they were here to try and find out something, anything, about Cason, but he didn’t know where to start.

  He listened to the dim chatter around him. To his left, he heard voices. It was two men. One had a croaky voice, while the other’s was higher-pitched.

  “At night?” said the croaky voice.

  “Yep. Up in Farnworth, some folks have seen orbs outside their children’s windows. Watching them sleep. Makes me shiver.”

  “It’s bloody strange, is what it is.”

  “Aye. One fella chased an orb away. He was the lucky one. Had his wits about him. Others…not so lucky. They say a few kids have gone missin’.”

  “Why? Where are the orbs from?”

  “Mage college, is my guess. Only certain children have gone, y’see. Ones with magic inclinations.”

  “They’re being kidnapped?”

  “Aye.”

  That would have sounded stupid to Jake, if only he hadn’t seen one of the orbs himself. He remembered the orb that had followed him when he’d first gotten to Sarametis. The oval bundle of energy with the man’s face pressed up inside it, watching him. He pictured the orb hovering outside children’s bedroom windows, and a cold tingle tapped down his spine.

  He moved away from the two men. He took two steps to his right, but as carefully as he was, he still bumped into a table. The design of this place was ridiculous. Who put furniture in a tavern filled with fog?

  As he moved on, he heard more voices. A woman and a man.

  “…and there’s talk of an ungodly union twixt man and insect. Aye, aye, you won’t believe me, but it’s true,” said the woman.

  “Come on, doll, that’s just tall tales from simple minds.”

  “Believe what you want. I don’t come to Smoke and Rumors to spout horse dung. They say it’s a man and
an insect, and that he’s sired insect humanoid children. Little freaks that go into towns and carry children back to their lair.”

  Jake shuddered. What was it with this place and kidnapping children? He was about to move away, when the man spoke.

  “So who is it? Do they know his name?” said the man.

  “They say it’s the Watcher.”

  That stopped him. He’d heard of the Watcher before; he was the man pressed up in the orb. So, not only was this guy a voyeur, but he also had a thing for insects. He hoped he never had to meet him.

  He stood still now. He wasn’t too inclined to hear more horror stories, so he decided he better listen out for Faei. Maybe she’d picked up something more useful. He tried to listen out for her voice, when a finger prodded his back.

  He spun round. He instinctively reached for his dagger, but then caught himself. No use starting a fight when he didn’t know who he was fighting or where the hell they were.

  He couldn’t see his prodder, but he could sense his presence in front of him, through the fog.

  “Rumor,” said a voice in front of him. It was a man with a voice that boomed, even though he was obviously trying to whisper.

  “Sorry?” said Jake.

  “Give us a rumor, or you have to leave.”

  “Who are you?”

  “No names in Smoke and Rumors, hissed the man. “Now give me a rumor, or get out.”

  How the hell was Jake supposed to give him a rumor? He didn’t know anything about Reaching Crest. Damn…he’d have to make something up.

  “They say…there’s….” Come, on, use your imagination, “they say there’s a demon up north who likes to dance.”

  Silence. The man didn’t respond, and Jake wondered if he was waiting for Jake to say more.

  “C’mon,” said the man. “Don’t give me that cow twaddle. That’s made up.”

  “Isn’t everything in here made up?”

  “Give me a better one, or get out.”

  Jake bit his lip. What should he say? He tried to think of anything in Reaching Crest that would count as a good rumor.

  Got it!

  “Okay,” he said, surer of himself now. “There’s a barbarian near the dead plains. They say he liked having depraved orgies with goblins,” he said.

  The man laughed. “Hoo hoo, now you’re talking. What else?”

  “Well, I heard that this barbarian, when he wasn’t banging goblins, killed innocent families and stuck them poles. One heroic guy, think his name was Jack, or something like that, did the decent thing and strung him up.”

  “I like it,” said the man. “Thank you, stranger. May the smoke hide your steps from prying ears.”

  Jake sensed that the man had moved away. He stood in the fog and listened. He couldn’t hear Faei, but that didn’t matter. He was beginning to understand how this place worked. It was a gossip mill, essentially. Because nobody liked a gossip, they’d filled the place full of smoke to guarantee anonymity. He guessed that by doing this, it gave people freedom to talk about taboo subjects, like criticizing the emperor and things like that. The anonymity and rumors without evidence made it seem a little like the dark forums of the internet.

  Feeling a little bolder, he cleared his throat, and then spoke.

  “Had anyone heard any rumors about portals?”

  The din of whispers went quiet. He sensed that almost everyone in the tavern had stopped talking. Suddenly, he felt exposed, despite the screen of smoke.

  Something cold pressed against the back of his neck. He flinched.

  It was a blade. Someone pressed the tip of a blade against his skin. A strong smell cut through the spice of the smoke. It was almost earthy, like mud or soil.

  He slowly reached for his own dagger.

  A voice whispered in his ear.

  “I know where you’re from,” it hissed. “I know about Eric Cratter. The master wants you.”

  The words sent a shudder through him. He pulled his dagger free from his belt and gripped it.

  Two hands seized his arms and wrenched him from the spot. He couldn’t see his attackers but he could feel their strong grips. They were bulkier than him, that was for sure.

  He tried to struggle free, but the hands held firm. They pulled at him, and he lost his footing. The hands dragged him across the tavern floor. He kicked out, and heard a chair topple over.

  He held his dagger and then sliced at the hand on his left arm. Someone yelped in pain, and the grip slackened. He got to his feet and quickly backed away. A sharp pain hit his lower back, and he realized he’d walked into a table edge.

  “Whoever is pissing around, stop it immediately!” boomed a voice. It was the man who’d demanded a rumor from him. He must have been the tavern owner.

  Jake edged away a little more, but he sensed that his attacker had gone now. Sure enough, he heard the tavern door open across the room, and then bang shut again.

  Someone leaned close to him. Close enough that their cold breath chilled his ear.

  “He is experimenting with portals,” whispered a girl. “Learning how to open them.”

  He knew that voice from somewhere, but where? Not someone from Earth, that was for sure. The only girl he knew in Sarametis was Faei. So, who else had he met? Only the girl he’d seen at the very beginning. The one who was running from the Watcher, and who asked Jake to pass a message to her brother. Esmelda. Was that her name?

  “Who are you?” he said.

  There was no answer, because she was gone. He didn’t know for sure who it was or how she knew about portals, but she disappeared before he could ask.

  Hands seized hold of him again. This time, he felt himself losing all semblance of control. He was ready to stab whoever it was. Plunge his knife into their belly and twist it until their guts churned.

  “It’s me,” whispered Faei. “And we’ve outstayed our welcome.”

  She grabbed his hand and led him through the fog and to the tavern door. She opened it, and they both stepped outside.

  This time, he saw that they were at the back of the building. They must have left by the back door. He looked around at the trees and then at the sky, glad that he could actually see something. Then, when he looked at Faei, he yearned for the fog again. She looked annoyed.

  “You had to ask, didn’t you? You had to flap you gums about portals.”

  “I thought people could talk about anything in there?” said Jake.

  “They can. To a point. But now we better go.”

  “Did you hear anything?” asked Jake.

  Faei nodded. “Cason’s alive. I think he’s somewhere north, beyond the Widow Leaf forest.”

  “How do you know that’s right, though? I mean, people seem to talk a lot of crap in there.”

  “Two separate people told me the same rumor. They could have been repeating what they’d heard from someone else, and it could be horse dung, but I don’t know. Anyway, it’s all we’ve got to go on. Let’s head back to the shack.”

  They left the Tavern of Smoke and Rumors and headed back home. This time, they made sure to stay away from the road, in case whoever had grabbed Jake was waiting. It added an extra couple of hours to their return journey, but it was worth it.

  When they final crossed the dead plains and reached the sloping hill, night had come and darkness had thickened around them. Jake was tired, but Faei seemed full of energy. He followed her up the hill. As he did, he began to get an uneasy feeling; almost as if he expected something bad to happen.

  As they reached the hilltop and got to Cason’s shack, he realized that his feeling was right, but it wasn’t about something about to happen; it had already happened.

  He pushed open the shack door and found that the house had been completely ransacked. The floor was littered with smashed glass and liquids from various potions. All the furniture was destroyed and left in wooden splinters on the floor. Books were strewn around with pages torn out. Someone had done a number on Cason’s shack while they’d been
gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  After they’d cleared away all the debris and broken furniture and swept away the broken glass, a task which Jake had handed to Faei, since the scratching of the shards sent a shiver up his spine, they sat on the only two remaining chairs.

  “What is it with you and glass, anyway?”

  “You don’t wanna know. Trust me,” he said. And I don’t want to think about it.