by Logan Jacobs
I quickly got up and walked over to him, and I tried to be as nonchalant as possible.
“Pardon me,” I called out.
The man, who looked to be in his mid-thirties, turned around and raised his eyebrows in my direction.
“Yeah?” he automatically asked.
“Hiya, mate,” I said as I stood in front of him. “Sorry to bother you, but I was just hoping you could help me.”
“What is it?” he asked.
He wasn’t dismissive, but he wasn’t that welcoming, either. He was heading south, so I guessed he was seeing what came of all the commotion in the town centre, like everyone else in the kingdom was.
“The carpenters’ area is in the south, right?” I asked him as if I didn’t already know the answer.
“You’re right,” he returned. “It’s quite a ways from here, but just keep on going south, and you’ll find the carpenters at the furthest point in the south. I don’t know if anyone will be there, considering what’s happening in the city.”
“Ah, that’s no problem,” I assured him. “I can wait.”
I held out my hand, and it was met quickly with a firm handshake. He squeezed tightly and gave me a thin-lipped smile.
“Thanks for help,” I said and let go of my grip.
“No trouble at all,” he replied before he turned and walked away.
I waited a moment for his footsteps to grow a bit more distance, and then I hurried to the side of the building and squatted down in the same position I did before.
Within seconds, I had completely changed yet again, but this time, the transformation was seamless. The man and I resembled each other already, so in the seconds it took to change, I didn’t feel much happening to my body. Sure, I was a bit shorter, but when I stood up, I noticed that my clothes fit me just the same, and my body weight was the same, too.
I stretched the back of my new figure out and then headed off down some more of the back paths.
I didn’t want to just walk out on the street in case someone had seen me enter the side alley as one person and emerge as another. So, I started to travel down the darker footpaths closer to the shops. After I knew the coast was clear, I jumped back out into the sunset light.
The air was cooler again, but not cold like it was in winter. Ignis’ heat had worn off in the land, and now a soft, subtle breeze dashed through the air and gently grazed my face. My newly regenerated long hair blew in the breeze as I walked, and it tickled the tops of my shoulders in a way I wasn’t used to. I swished it out of the way with my hand, and I continued down the main path with a smile on my face.
The northwest quarter was still much the same, and the place looked run down and unoccupied for the day. The Alchemists’ Estate was still shrouded in a greenish barrier of smog, and the sun dipping low in the sky cast it all in a ghoulish hue.
I passed up the grounds and headed onward to take a longer path around, and this way, I’d be approaching from the north instead of the south, as I’d done before.
As I walked, I reached toward my quiver and felt through my collection of bolts that were hidden underneath my cloak. I still had four of the tungsten bolts, as well as a handful of the steel bolts with the serrated edges. My pockets still contained two sealed canisters of Xerzor’s deadly brew, too, and my crossbow sling was secured over my shoulder.
As I entered the sparse forest near the dragonkin’s lair, I steadied my hand on the raven pommel of my longsword, and I kept scanning my surroundings.
I stuck to the footpaths, and while the trail was bumpier and more overgrown on this side, the trees also folded over my head and blocked out the sunset sky. I treaded carefully as I searched for the rundown home of the dragonkin, and it didn’t take long to see the signs of his presence.
But something felt peculiar about the place.
The air was not like it had been on my journey north. Instead of the refreshing breeze that drifted through the rest of the city, the air was heavy and stale here. Granted this area wasn’t an inviting place to be in anyway, but it was even less so now. The energy in the atmosphere felt eerie and uninviting, even drawing a breath seemed to be a struggle for my lungs.
Like they were rejecting the air itself.
Debris and torn trees were strewn across the forest floor, but as soon as the dilapidated structure with the crooked iron gate came into view, I noticed something suspicious about the area.
A thin smoke rose through the rotted shingles of the home and seeped from the cracks of the restructured walls. It was dark purple and oxidized to a lighter color the further it went up into the sky, and it seemed to be getting thicker in only the minute I stood studying the view.
I thought I’d finished dealing with mysterious collections of smoke today, but here I was, scared to breathe in case the purple smoke would knock me out like so many peculiar substances in Ocadia could.
I checked out my surroundings to see if there was anyone near, but I couldn’t see anyone or anything in the dimming forest. Then I shifted myself to hide behind a thick tree, and I noticed how strange the land here had become.
Last time I came, only the grass within the crumbling walls of the dragonkin’s grounds was destroyed, and outside, it was flourishing.
Now, every shrub and blade of grass around me was dead, and when I stooped and brushed my hand on top of the blades, they felt crisp under my skin. They had gone from green to a dull gray, and with one sharp tug, the tuft of grass disintegrated to dust in my hand. It was hard to see much further without coming out into the open, and I couldn’t tell if it was my eyes playing tricks on me or not, but even the trees further back from the dragonkin’s home seemed to sag downward, and the leaves drooped.
Something had infected this land, and I had a sinking feeling something evil was taking place here.
I silently crept from tree to tree as I stayed low to the ground.
Last time, I’d intentionally appeared feeble so I could walk out in the open like a wandering old man, but there was no logical excuse for a spry and healthy human to come poking around this place. I needed to keep the upper hand in any way I could, and I took my time sneaking closer to the crumbled wall to be sure not a single twig snapped under my boots.
Then I peered over the broken bricks of the wall and saw the dragonkin’s house placed in the middle of a singed and barren yard. Purple smoke was coming from the chimney and seeping out of the shingles, but in the nearest window was a blackened shadow. The light was dim in there, and the windowpane was cracked and mottled, so I couldn’t get a clear visual.
I could tell the same purple smoke filled up the room inside, and I decided I would have to take my chances and break into the grounds.
I followed the ruined wall around to the back entrance until I found myself nearing the same place where my foxglove-laced arrow had pierced the dragonkin’s heart.
The closer I got to the wooden gate, the more I could smell the stench of rotten flesh. I tried not to gag at the disgusting, lingering scent of the corpse, and I pinched my nose with my fingers to avoid getting woozy. Then I glanced around the area and expected to see the scaly beast decomposing in the same place I’d left him, but he was nowhere to be seen.
The tarrish liquid that spewed out of its mouth and body was congealed on the forest floor, so I knew I was definitely in the right place. The smell of decay was so overpowering that I could have sworn his body must have been rotting in front of me, and it only got worse and worse as the seconds passed.
Then I turned and peered over the wall at the purple smoke, and when I realized the stench was stronger in the direction of the house, my blood turned to ice.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
This was exactly why we never worked with necromancers.
I could only hope my greatest fear wasn’t about to be confirmed, and I looked for a way to get into the grounds to inspect the situation.
The wooden gate was locked, and I didn’t want to be seen by jumping over the wall, so instead,
I created a small plan to not seem so obvious. I carefully looked over the wall and then shook the top brick off with my hand. It broke away easily, but it was heavy, and I used all of my strength to gently place the small boulder beside me without making a sound.
I did this twice more until a small opening had formed in the crumbling wall, and then I slowly leaned into it, twisted my body over the unstable foundation, and stealthily rolled over the stones.
Then I landed in the charred grounds in the house, but there was nothing to hide myself behind, so I kept myself low and quickly ran along the back wall where no windows faced the yard. Then I slipped over to the dragonkin’s lair, pulled my crossbow sling from my shoulder, and then reached for a serrated bolt. I loaded the missile quickly before continuing onward toward the glowing purple window, and the closer I got, the more unbearable the stench became.
Then I squatted beneath the cracked windowpane, and I listened for any sounds coming through the mud-patched walls. I could hear some metal clanging, footsteps, and the faint sound of chanting, but nothing more. I slowly and carefully started to straighten up so I could see what was going on inside, but just as I did, I heard a crunch behind me.
My heart leapt into my throat, and I braced the butt of my crossbow against my shoulder as I whipped around.
My finger was taut on the trigger, but the moment I saw two beautiful women behind me, I abruptly lowered the weapon.
“What the hell are you--” I started to hiss.
“I know you said you work alone,” Ephy softly spoke.
“But we just couldn’t allow that,” Cinis finished her sentence.
My mouth was agape as I stared at the pair.
Ephy and Cinis stood next to each other like a perfect yin and yang, and seeing both of them together was extraordinary because they were polar opposites.
Ephy stood at least a foot shorter than Cinis, and I was surprised to see the siren did in fact have legs. Lithe and beautiful ones. Her light green skin carried through the bottom half of her body, and she wore a small skirt that was stitched from the thinnest and most delicate lily pads I’d ever seen. Only her pastel, periwinkle hair covered her bust area, and the dried and wavy strands framed her sweet, pixie-like face. She sent me a hopeful smile as her blue eyes glittered, and she seemed to radiate playfully innocent energy.
Beside the siren, Cinis looked more like a descendant than ever, and the winged woman stood fearlessly with features as sharp as the knife on her belt. Her black leather outfit clung to her pale hourglass-shaped body and made my mouth water on the spot, and while I’d been imagining her waiting naked in my bed, seeing her stand before me was just as enjoyable.
Cinis flicked her hip-length braided ponytails behind her wings, and she sauntered closer with that same sexy walk she did so well. Ephy strolled beside her, but more shyly, and I didn’t know if this was because the siren was a much more timid creature, or if she just wasn’t used to walking.
I caught both women and turned them around before they could speak, though. Then I steered Ephy by the arm while I nudged Cinis along with the butt of my crossbow, and I didn’t stop until we were all back behind the windowless side of the house.
Because as beautiful as they were, they were the last people I could allow to be here right now.
“What are you doing here?” I quietly demanded of the pair.
“Ephy came to get me when you left her to travel here,” Cinis whispered in a low voice.
“Why?” I questioned the siren.
“I had to,” she admitted in a bashful voice. “We couldn’t let you just try and defeat a necromancer all by yourself.”
“Yeah,” Cinis agreed. “And we both told you we wanted to fight alongside you, and you can’t turn us away now. Because we’re already here.”
The Ember Priestess smirked in a mischievous way.
“How did you even know this was where you could find me?” I asked them. “I don’t even look like myself.”
“Dex, I’ve seen you shift forms before,” Cinis reminded me. “Your eyes are the same two colors, and you’re the only guy in the area carrying an expensive crossbow and looking like he wants to murder someone.”
“Oh,” I muttered, and I eyed the loaded weapon in my grip. “Well… I could have been someone else, you know, and if I was, sneaking up on an armed man is--”
“We saw you arrive,” Cinis sighed. “We’ve been waiting for you to get here.”
My eyes widened in utter confusion. “But how did you know where ‘here’ was? Ephy, I never mentioned a dragonkin home to you, and Cinis, I never told you this place was right here in this particular forest.”
“You can thank the conjurer boy.” Cinis shrugged.
“Elis?” I double-checked.
“That’s the one,” Ephy confirmed. “He’s so sweet.”
“He was pretty free with the details, too,” Cinis snickered. “I think he was mostly just afraid of me, so he answered all my questions--”
“But we told him how worried we were for you,” Ephy added with a frown. “We told him how very dangerous this was, and he said Mage Aby-- I mean Master Abbot told him all about the dragonkin’s home.”
“Yeah, the kid actually wanted to come,” the Ember Priestess continued, “but I told your receptionist, Mazne I think her name is, to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t try and run down here to help. She seemed afraid of me, too, but she did my bidding.”
I nodded along with the women’s words. “You really shouldn’t terrify people into helping you. Especially Elis, he’s only a child.”
“I didn’t try to terrify him,” Cinis said with an affronted look. “I wasn’t even glowing! My wings were tucked!”
Although I believed her words, I still made a mental note to check on the boy later, just in case.
“So, what’s the plan?” Ephy asked.
“The plan is you two are getting far away from here and letting me conduct my work alone,” I answered. “As always.”
“No,” Cinis flat-out refused. “We’re here, and we’re helping.”
“You’re not properly armed for the situation, and--”
“I have this, of course,” Cinis said and reached into her belt and pulled out her knife. Then she removed the throwing star I’d given her in the Ardere and handed it to Ephy. “Here, these are fun.”
The siren carefully took the weapon with a pinch of her green fingers, and she smiled in a way that made it obvious she was uncomfortable with the pronged throwing star.
I firmly shook my head at both of them, but then Ephy frowned.
“Dex Morgan…” the siren softly spoke. “Please?”
“I know you said you want to help, but I can handle this,” I insisted. The phrase was becoming too familiar to me now, and although I believed it whole-heartedly, I wondered how many times I would have to convince the two very beautiful, but very stubborn, women that I was more than capable of enacting my own vengeance.
“That’s not the point,” Cinis returned with a stern voice. “We know you can handle it. I heard about the way you defeated my uncle, and I have a pretty good idea of how much you’ve accomplished to get to this moment. We aren’t debating your strength or abilities here. What we’re telling you is that regardless, we don’t want you working alone with a necromancer around, and we want to help you gain the vengeance you seek.”
“And you can’t tell us to leave when it’s our choice,” Ephy said, and she tried for a defiant nod that only made her seem cuter.
I had never heard the siren speak so confidently before, and I looked at her with a shocked expression before I turned my gaze to Cinis. The Ember Priestess raised an eyebrow at me and waited for me to respond, and I found myself fighting against a smirk.
“What about your waters?” I asked Ephy. “I thought you said you were tied to the pond, and that your energy would get low.”
“I recharged a little before I went to find Cinis,” the siren replied.
“And she kept nipping off to her pond while I made my way here,” Cinis assured me.
“I promise I can be away for a little while longer,” the siren murmured. “When I have to go, then I will.”
I sighed in defeat, and the purple smoke billowing from the home was thickening around us.
“Alright, fine,” I replied through a clenched jaw. “If you’re really going to be so stubborn about this, then we should get on with it. But stay behind me, understood?”
“Yes, Dex Morgan,” Ephy diligently replied.
“And if there’s any sign of trouble, both of you are--”
“Prepared to fight beside you,” Cinis cut in with a smirk.
I turned on my heels and crouched as I snuck back toward the glowing purple window, but just as we were getting into position, a huge bang sounded from inside. All of us jumped and ducked lower as Ephy covered her mouth, but then I peered up over the edge of the windowpane so I could get a better view of the situation.
I felt the warm breath of both Ephy and Cinis on each side of my neck as they clutched my shoulders, and I realized it was very distracting having beautiful women around on a job.
Still, I remained focused, but I couldn’t see much through the cracked window because a thick, blackish smog had started to permeate the room.
The putrid smell of decay worsened, and Ephy bent down and tried not to retch, but failed. I pinched my nose with my fingers and looked at Cinis, who was completely undisturbed by what she was smelling while she watched the black smoke wash through the air.
“Dex, look near the center of the room,” Cinis hissed as the smoke started to dissipate a little.
I squinted a little, and at first, all I could see was an indistinct silhouette, but as soon as the smoke cleared some more, I was able to tell what I was looking at.