by Jamie Davis
"The sword, if you don't have a preference," Kay said.
"I think I’d prefer the dagger, so that's perfect. You take the sword belt and scabbard, and I'll take the boots. They look to be about my size, and I can stash the dagger there since I don't have a belt for it."
Kay started counting out the coins and whistled when he found a small gemstone mixed in with the belt pouch's contents.
"What's that?" Hal asked. His knowledge of gemstones was limited to what little he'd learned when he bought Mona's engagement ring years ago.
"I think it's a tourmaline," Kay said. "It's hard to tell from here. It's not worth as much as a sapphire or emerald, but it will be worth something if we can find the right buyer."
Hal had an idea based on the running inventory announcements he'd been ignoring since he started rummaging through the pile.
"Hand it to me. I have an idea."
Kay shrugged and handed Hal the small cut gemstone. Hal held the gem in his hand and concentrated on it. He started to smile when the announcement popped into his view then frowned.
SMALL TOURMALINE - unknown value
HE HANDED the tourmaline back to Kay. "It didn't work."
"What didn't work?"
"Just something I can sometimes do," Hal lied. "Sometimes I can tell what an item is by just holding it in my hands."
"That's useful," Kay said. "Is it some kind of magic? I didn't know you could do magic."
"It's not really magic. It's more like an innate ability, I guess. Like I said. It doesn't work all the time."
Kay pointed to the stacked pile of coins on the ledge. "There's twelve gold crowns, forty-seven silver pieces and twenty-two coppers there plus the tourmaline. We can live comfortably for a month or more on that alone even without the gemstone."
Hal was glad Kay explained the worth of the coins to him. He had no idea what things cost here in Fantasma.
Hal pointed to the other pile. "We've got a couple of shirts and a pair of pants that might fit me. They're all too big for you. There's also a flint and steel and a sharpening stone. I also found this leather folded pouch with a strange collection of metal rods in different shapes and sizes."
"Let me see," Kay said leaning forward and looking at what Hal was holding. "That's a set of lock picks. Our deceased friend back there must have been a thief. No one else would be carrying a set of those. They look like they've been maintained pretty well."
"You know a lot about thieves' tools for a nobleman's son," Hal noted.
"I used to hang around with the guardsmen in the castle a lot when my parents weren't looking. They all had a variety of backgrounds and thought it was amusing to teach me things they didn't think my father would approve of."
Kay started laughing, and Hal joined in. It felt good to laugh, and this was the first sign he could start to make a go of it here in Fantasma, at least until he figured out how to get home. He pulled up his stats and looked at his inventory after they divided the spoils. He kept the backpack while Kay held onto the coins in the belt pouch that went with the sword belt.
NAME: Hal Dix
Class: Rogue
Level: 2
ATTRIBUTES:
Brawn: 8
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 18 -- +5
Speed: 10 -- +1
Looks: 8
Health: 16/16
SKILLS: Taunt, Dark vision
Experience: 300/600
INVENTORY:
Leather Pants
Cotton Shirt (3)
Leather Boots
Steel Dagger
Leather Backpack
Flint and Steel
Lock Picks
HAL AND KAY started to walk down the tunnel again, oblivious to the danger stalking them from behind.
9
KAY, bringing up the rear while they walked along, was the first to sense the pending attack.
"Hal, watch out!" Kay called.
Hal spun around, whipping the dagger from his boot. Kay was dancing backward, fending off the single biggest spider Hal had ever seen. It was the size of a German shepherd, and it hissed and clicked its mandibles together while it lunged at Kay.
Kay swung the sword down at one of the hairy legs trying to press him back against the wall. The sword's blade bit into the exoskeleton, and the end of the leg crumpled a bit.
Hal wasn't sure what he could do with only a dagger, but he ran up and lunged in, leading with the dagger's point. He felt it skitter across the armored body. He left a long gouge in the armored exoskeleton but didn't think he did any lasting damage.
It did succeed in distracting the beast from Kay because now the spider was advancing on Hal.
He looked into the six black eyes above the snapping maw that sported two dripping venomous fangs as it charged at him. Hal decided to try something, and the slot machine started rattling in his mind again. He ignored the rolling slot machine and watched the spider's advance. Hal waited until the last second then leapt into the air. The rolling slot machine in his head stopped, and the familiar chime sounded as he dove up and over the spider while it ran under him. A single leg swiped at him in mid-air, but it missed by a mile. He surprised himself when he landed on two feet on the opposite side of the spider.
SKILL LEARNED - Acrobatic dodge
KAY SWUNG the sword at the spider's armored back as it tried to turn around to chase Hal. The short sword's blade glanced off the back armor just like Hal's dagger tip did.
"We've got to try to stab through its armor. We'll never penetrate with the edges of our blades. They aren't heavy enough."
"Agreed," Kay said. "Let's try to stay on opposite sides. We can take turns distracting it until one of us breaks through."
"Sounds like a plan. Be careful."
At that instant, a taloned spider leg swiped at Hal, catching him by surprise. The spiked talon at the end of the leg stabbed downward, catching him in the middle of his right thigh.
Pain exploded through his leg banishing any euphoria at pulling off the spectacular dodge a few seconds before.
HEALTH DAMAGE: Health -6
Movement penalty incurred.
THEN THE SPIDER tried to pin him between the leg stabbing his thigh and another leg, sweeping in from the left. It was all Hal could do to break away from the dual attacks and execute a limping shuffle backwards.
The pain in his thigh was severe, and his movement penalty from the injury precluded him from any more super dodging moves.
On the opposite side of the spider, Kay drove in with a flurry of blows and stabbing thrusts at the body of the spider.
"Yes!"
Kay finally scored a penetrating hit, sinking his short sword into the spider's abdomen to the hilt.
He must have hit something vital because all the spider's legs on one side collapsed, leaving the huge creature floundering to move just like Hal was.
Hal took advantage of the sudden shift in the tides of battle and limped up between two paralyzed legs stabbing downward with a two-handed blow, his dagger striking the creature again and again.
The first few dagger attacks lacked the strength to break through but the third time the dagger came down, he felt the chitin of the armored carapace crack open, and the blade slid home into the spider's body, just behind the head.
It spasmed but continued to turn, sort of paddling with the four working legs opposite Hal.
Hal leaned into his blade, pressing downward and pivoting the blade against the hilt trying to hit something vital inside the thing.
He must have been successful.
The working legs shot out straight to the side, catching Kay by surprise, knocking him from his feet. Luckily the spider seemed to be finished and unable to coordinate an attack.
Kay climbed back to his feet, rubbing his head where he struck it on the stone ledge.
Hal pulled his dagger free from the giant quivering bug carcass.
300 EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED.
Level Up!
"ARE YOU ALRIGHT, Kay? You look like you took a good knock to the head."
"I'm better than you," Kay replied. He pointed to Hal. "Your leg is bleeding. We need to bandage that."
Hal knew from the continued throbbing pain in his thigh; Kay was probably right. Limping over to a stone outcropping nearby, Hal sat down. Taking the weight off his injured leg improved his pain level immediately.
Kay came over and rummaged through Hal's backpack, pulling out one of the spare shirts. A torn strip of cotton coupled with a wadded patch of the same fabric formed a passable bandage and dressing for Hal's leg.
While Kay worked on his leg, Hal looked over his stats panel. He had two new attribute points and an additional skill point. Allocating two more skill points to speed and the skill point to his new acrobatic dodge skill.
NAME: Hal Dix
Class: Rogue
Level: 3
ATTRIBUTES:
Brawn: 8
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 18 -- +5 to all saving throws.
Speed: 12 -- +2 defense
Looks: 8
Health: 18/24
SKILLS: Taunt, Dark vision, Acrobatic dodge-2
Experience: 600/1,200
SATISFIED with his progress so far leveling his rogue up, Hal tried to stand with the bandaged leg. Taking a few hesitant steps, testing it out, he nodded.
"Well done, Kay. Where did you learn to bandage a wound so well?"
"Mother made sure all her daughters learned some of the healing arts," Kay said.
"Oh, and I guess you snuck in and learned on the sly when she wasn't watching?"
"Yes, uh, I thought it was interesting enough work, even for a man to learn. Seems like I made the right choice judging by you."
"Yeah, well, thank you. I'm still hurt, though. We need to find some place to shelter while I rest up. I think I'll feel better pretty quickly if I'm safe from attack. Any thoughts?"
Kay smiled and snapped his fingers.
"There is a place. Let's find another one of those grates. If you can lift me up, I think I can squeeze through far enough to unlatch it and swing it up so you can climb through, too."
"What sort of place is this you’ve got in mind?"
“It belongs to a friend who owes me a debt. She'll let me stay there, and I can convince her to let you stay, too. Just remember to keep your hands to yourself, and you'll be fine."
"Hey, I'm a married man. Your lady friend's got nothing to worry about from me."
Kay folded the remains of the shirt they’d used to make the bandage and replaced it in the backpack which Hal donned as they started around the carcass of the giant spider and walked along until they found a grate in a suitable position above them to allow Hal to boost Kay up to it.
The first one had a rusted mechanism, and Kay couldn’t open it, forcing them to search for another. The second grate had a cart parked on top of it. They waited for a while, watching the shadows lengthen in the tunnel. It was getting dark out.
Finally, the cart moved on, and Hal hooked his hands together, forming a stirrup for Kay's foot. This time the mechanism moved aside and with Hal supporting Kay from below, the younger rogue was able to lever aside the metal grate far enough to squeeze through.
Kay laid down on his stomach and reached down to pull Hal up. It took a few tries to grab a hold of Kay’s hand, but Hal finally managed to get up and through to the street above.
It felt good to breathe in the relatively clean air of the city above. Hal started laughing as he thought about his reaction to the city air, remembering his response that morning when he awoke in the alley next to the open gutter sewer. How far he'd come in this world of Fantasma.
"Lead on MacDuff," Hal said as he climbed back to his feet.
"Who's MacDuff?" Kay asked, looking around.
"Never mind, just a saying where I come from. Let's be off to this lady friend of yours. I need some rest."
10
THE STREETS of Tandon still bustled with activity after the sun went down. Townsfolk and market vendors hustled about their business, either returning home or heading to nearby taverns and inns to celebrate the day’s work. Despite that number of people on the street, few of the passersby had paid any attention when two filthy, smelly men crawled from an open sewer grate. Hal and Kay were able to stand up and join in the crowd passing by.
Hal's draining fatigue made every step feel heavier than the last. The puncture wound in his thigh only made it worse. By the time they arrived at Kay's friend's home, Hal could only focus on taking the next step and almost kept walking past when Kay stopped.
"Hey, where ya going?" Kay said, hooking Hal by the elbow and stopping him.
"Sorry," Hal said. "I was running in robot mode."
"Robot?" Kay asked. "You use a lot of funny sayings and words, Hal Dix. You are definitely not from around here. Speaking of here, here we are, The Gilded Cage. We should be able to rest here."
The building they had stopped beside had a gold painted wooden birdcage suspended over the door. A steady flow of men moved in and out of the red-painted doorway. A pair of burly men holding wooden cudgels guarded the doorway.
Kay approached one of them, and the guard pushed him backwards with a shove of the cudgel's tip.
"Don't allow beggar scum in the Gilded Cage," the gruff guard said. "You couldn't afford the entertainments inside anyway."
Kay's expression displayed a moment of annoyance. He shifted it to a smile and walked back up to the guard.
"Could you please tell Selena that Kay is here?"
"Why should I do that? She's not going to let you inside either. Just because you know the name of the owner of this establishment doesn't mean it gains you entry. Why don't you move along because if I fetch her and she doesn't know you, I'm not going to be very happy."
Kay fished in his belt pouch and pulled out one of the silver coins they’d liberated from the dead man in the sewers, holding it out to the guard. The guard snatched the coin from Kay so fast, Hal barely saw the movement of his hand.
"We're not what we appear to be, and Selena will be happy you passed along my message," Kay said.
"Stay here," the guard said, the scowl never leaving his face. He turned to his companion before going inside. "Watch them. I don't like their look."
The second guard nodded while the first disappeared inside. Hal craned his neck to see inside but couldn't pick out anything other than a few chairs with red velvet cushions near the entrance. The place seemed busy, whatever it was.
"Don't worry, Hal," Kay said. "Selena will come. She knows me from a previous venture I was involved with. She was the one who took me in when I escaped."
"I don't wanna say I doubt you, Kay," Hal said glancing up at the three-story building. "This place seems a little upscale compared to what we can afford, even with what we found on the body inside the sewers."
"I don't think she'll charge us, at least not for the rooms and some food. Anything else, though, Hal… Well, let’s just say you'll be responsible for any services of which you partake."
"Why are you being so cryptic?" Hal asked. "What sort of place is this?"
They were interrupted by the appearance of a busty, red-haired woman in a tight-fitting dress. Her breasts looked like they were going to burst free from their confinement at any moment.
"Kay, I'm so happy to see you.” The woman moved to hug Kay, then stopped. “Even in your current state," the woman said. "I'd heard you were picked up by the city guard and I assumed the worst. I'm glad you're well, and the reports were wrong."
"It's a long story, Selena," Kay said. “I was hoping I could get a place to stay for myself and my friend, Hal. Sooner rather than later would be better. We are both still a bit of a hot commodity to some who might be looking for us."
"So, the reports were true, then," Selena looked up and down the street for a moment. Hal glanced around, too, though he didn't know what she was looking for. "Well, you can't come inside in your present conditio
n. That alone would draw unwanted attention to your presence. Go around back and wash up in the courtyard. You know where the pump is, right?"
Kay nodded. "Thank you, Selena. I owe you one, again."
"You owe me more than you know but we'll talk about that later. Go get cleaned up. I'll have Cookie send out some food and Marta will rustle up some spare clothes for you. Someone always leaves something behind so we have plenty."
"You're a goddess among women, Selena."
"Yeah, yeah," she replied giving them a shooing motion with her hands. "Clean yourselves up. You’re filthy. Burt here will let you in the back gate, and I'll come to check on you later. As you can see, we're very busy right now." She gestured to the guard who'd gone to fetch her then disappeared back inside.
Kay gave a Burt a big satisfied grin, at which the guard snarled.
"Go down that alley and find the fence at the rear of the property. I'll open the gate in a few minutes. If you're late, I'll assume you've moved on to whatever hole you crawled from and locked up again."
"We'll be there. Don't worry." Hal said, grabbing his smug companion by the arm. He'd heard Selena mention washing up, and food and he could think of nothing else.
The two of them walked a bit further down the street until they came to a passageway between the Gilded Cage and the next establishment. Passing down between the buildings, they soon reached the alley that ran behind the buildings. After they entered the alley, Kay pulled his arm free.
"You can let go, Hal. I can't stand bullies, that’s all. You have to stand up to them and make sure they know when they've lost."
"I don't think this was the right time to antagonize the man who was going to let us inside. Selena arranged for us to enter. You got what you wanted. Let's not do anything to mess that up."
"Oh, that guy won't do anything to anger Selena. He’s just hired muscle. He might bluster a bit because his pride's hurt, but he'll do what she says."
Kay kept walking, and another question occurred to Hal.
"What kind of establishment is the Gilded Cage anyway? It seemed like more than just an inn or a tavern."
"Oh, it's a brothel," Kay said as if it were nothing at all. "The best one in Tandon, in fact. Selena entertains all the upper crust types in the city except for the highest in the Duke's court. They have their own courtesans to tend to their needs."