by Eric Vall
I arrived at the carriages a little early after I parted ways with my friends. I had to convince them not to follow me. Okay, I had to convince Layla not to follow me. Nia and Braden seemed to understand that this errand was supposed to serve as some kind of detention for missing class thanks to having overslept after my threesome with the girls.
“Ah, Gryff, you’ve arrived.” Sleet stood with his fingers lightly entwined and relaxed in front of him. His long, storm-blue robes hung from his shoulders, and his glasses were fixed properly onto the bridge of his wide nose. A smirk formed on his thin lips as I approached. Beside him was Varleth, his face pulled in a familiar scowl.
“I have,” I replied and looked between the two of them. The backdrop of Varle at night made the situation all the more ominous.
“Pardon me if this seems rude, Headmaster,” Varleth drawled, “but what does the summoner have to do with this rendezvous?”
“I am very glad you asked, Mr. Prost.” Sleet chuckled and nearly knocked Varelth in the face as he gestured wildly. “I have a task that requires a particular set of skills to accomplish, and it is my belief that the two of you possess such skills.”
I stopped before them. My eyes locked with Varleth’s who seemed just about as thrilled with the idea as I was, which was to say not at all.
“And what is this task?” I asked and cocked my head to the side. I didn’t know what skills either of us possessed that would require the two of us to work together, but I guessed Sleet saw something I didn’t.
“I need you to retrieve something for me. An item.” Sleet turned his back to us and faced the cityscape beyond. He stroked his beard thoughtfully.
“An item, sir?” Varleth sneered. “An item of what nature?”
“Well,” Sleet started, then outright laughed, “I don’t know.”
“What?” I asked incredulously. “How are we supposed to find something when we don’t even know what we’re looking for?”
“There is a way.” Sleet hummed and turned to face us again with a thoughtful knit in his brows. “It is from the Shadowscape. My sources say that it was brought into the city by a group of mercenaries, and then lost in a card game, and then gambled at… well it doesn’t matter. I’ve heard the men in possession of the item have been tavern hopping in the city.”
I looked to Varleth, who stared back at me as we both came to the same realization.
“So you need Varleth to feel it out because it is from the Shadowscape.” I grinned cockily.
“Headmaster, is this not something that I could do on my own?” Varleth protested. “Something like this would require my full attention. I don’t need to worry about babysitting the summoner on top of it.”
“Hey, I can hold my own,” I defended myself with a narrowed gaze that went right through the broody banisher.
“If you say so.” Varleth rolled his eyes, which made me bristle.
“Enough.” Sleet held up a hand for silence.. “I have chosen you, Mr. Gryff, because I believe that the item’s location is somewhere you will know your way around rather well.”
“Excuse me?” I blinked and crossed my arms. Somewhere I knew well? I hadn’t been in the Enclave for long, and though it was true that I had a few nights on the town, it wasn’t as though I knew the place like the back of my hand, or frequented anything but bars.
I stopped. “Sir, would the item happen to be in a tavern?” I smirked, and somehow I knew I was right.
“Not to stereotype you or anything, Gryff, but your knowledge of the clientele will be key to the success of this mission.” Sleet’s eyes sparkled with mischief.
Varelth opened his mouth, I assumed to further his point that he should go it alone, but seemed to think better of it.
“Do we know which tavern precisely?” he asked, his voiced strained.
“Of course not,” Sleet replied flippantly. “So I suggest the two of you get to it. You have a lot of ground to cover.”
I couldn’t help the obnoxious grin that spread over my face. No, I wasn’t overly excited to work with Varleth, but I was interested in how this would play out. I bowed respectfully, as did Varleth, and we made our way to the carriages.
Then we were out into the city and looking for a magical needle in a haystack.
“Anything yet?” I asked fifteen minutes after we’d decided to walk the streets.
“No,” Varleth replied shortly.
We continued our stroll down the sidewalks of Varle, and my eyes wandered to pretty girl after pretty girl who all looked me up and down with suggestive smiles. I careened around a guy outside of one of the bars to wink at one girl in particular with long black hair and violet eyes that hid behind long, thick lashes, only to be pulled along by Varleth’s annoyed grip.
“Find something?” I asked as I looked back over my shoulder at the girl.
“No, but that doesn’t mean you can slack off and flirt with girls, summoner,” he spat and dragged me along as I laughed.
“Oh, come on,” I teased. “Don’t tell me you don’t want to look at pretty girls, too?”
Varleth groaned. “I really don’t. I want to find whatever it is the Headmaster wants us to find and get back to the Academy.”
“Party pooper,” I mock-pouted and took my arm back from his hold.
“I’m sure your girlfriends would want the same of you,” he shot back.
“Probably,” I laughed with a shrug, “but they will find this story quite entertaining.”
Varleth had nothing to say to that, but I swear I saw the tiniest of smiles curl the corners of his lips as we continued our quest for the mysterious magical object.
It was hours later, or at the very least it felt like it, when Varleth stopped outside of a seedy place in the third district that reeked of smoking herbs and cheap booze, and we weren’t even inside yet.
“This the place?” I asked.
“Feels that way,” he answered with a nod and motioned from me to follow him.
“Hang on,” I reached out and caught his shoulder, “shouldn’t we have a plan of attack first?”
Varleth paused and tossed a glance at me over his shoulder, and I removed my hand. I didn’t want him to bite it off.
“I think it’s rather simple,” he stated. “We go in, find the item with the magical power, take it, and leave.”
“Oh, is it that easy?” I almost laughed. “Okay, and what if whoever has this item isn’t so willing to part with it?”
“If that’s the case, I hope you’re prepared for a fight, summoner.” He smirked and turned away from me again as he headed through the cracked, wooden door.
I shook my head in disbelief. I knew Varleth could fight. I’d seen him do so, and he did it well, but bar fights were a whole other breed of combat. I hoped he knew what he had gotten us into as I followed after him.
As soon as I slipped through the door, I was greeted by a very busty woman with ashen hair that reminded me of Nia’s, only it was braided and pulled back in a green, jewel-covered wrap. Her big brown eyes looked me over and winked.
“Hey there,” she greeted.
“Hey,” I said back as I smiled and leaned in close. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Varleth move through a crowd of what looked to be fairly bulky men with beards and a few ladies towards the back of the bar. “Do you come here often?”
Okay, it wasn’t the smoothest line I had, but it was the first one that came out.
“Often enough to pay the bills.” She giggled and put a hand on my chest. “Now, what’ll you be havin’ tonight, sugar?”
I felt the hairs on my arm rise and goosebumps race up my spine, but I resisted to say the first thing on my mind, even though the temptation was there and in full force. I kindly put my hands over hers and stepped back.
“Actually, I’m looking for someone,” I lied, though I supposed it wasn’t one, not completely. “A male, dark hair, kind of short, likes to frown and be a complete sourpuss…”
The girl stifled a laugh t
hat bubbled from her full, purple-painted lips and pointed behind me. When I turned, I saw that Varleth was surrounded by a group of the same men that he had pushed through when we first entered.
“Ah shit,” I swore, then turned back to the girl. I searched her chest for a nametag of any kind but found none. “It was lovely to meet you…?”
“Ruby,” she supplied.
“We’ll chat another time, Ruby.” I smiled and left her with a wink before jogging over to the mess Varleth had made. We’d only been here for two minutes and things were going horribly not to plan.
As I tried to push my way through the gridlock of oddly dressed men, I overheard their banter.
“... He’s got a lot of nerve showing up here...”
“... I didn’t think he had it in him...”
“... I heard he’s killed even more people since that incident a few years ago...”
I froze. I didn’t know what it was in reference to, but I couldn’t imagine Varleth being intentionally violent to anyone that didn’t rightfully deserve it. He didn’t even like to be touched, much less interact with anyone unless it was absolutely necessary, so I considered that they maybe had the wrong guy.
Varleth caught my eyes, and I knew immediately that he was, in fact, the same guy they had claimed he was. I swallowed, then squared up.
“There you are!” I shouted over them, and all of them turned. “My friend, I took my eyes off of you for two seconds and you’re off collecting all of these men.”
The sea of said men parted as I made my way towards Varleth. Then I slung my arm around him and leaned close to his ear. He flinched but didn’t shove me away.
“Where is it?” I whispered, and Varleth turned his head to face up to my ear.
“The leader’s belt,” he whispered, and as he pulled back, he discreetly eyed the big guy in the dead center of the group. A flush turned the tops of Varleth’s ears, and I imagined it was from embarrassment about the situation, so I smirked and moved my arm from around him.
The leader was about the size of Braden with yellowed teeth and a sickly green tint to his skin. His hair was short, auburn in color, and he had one giant mole on his chin that made his mouth look small. Gold hoops and several colored gems lined his ears in no particular pattern.
“What does a big bruiser like you want with a cranky guy like him?” I stalked up to him and put my hands on my hips. “He doesn’t really strike me as your type.”
The big guy growled and stood over me, arms flailing like a madman. “I got a problem with gypsies,” he roared drunkenly and accentuated his point by jabbing me in the chest.
I looked back at Varleth. A gypsy? I almost laughed, but I stood my ground even after the guy breathed his alcoholic stench on me.
“Do you?” I asked, and I faked interest as I moved around him to address the rest of the group. “And you? Do you have a problem with gypsies?”
The lot of them hooted and jeered in unison, and I crossed my arms. As I moved about them, my eyes scanned the big guy for the item. He had several interesting things to take note of: compasses, vials, and pouches likely filled with gold. My eyes eventually landed on a stone slab that was tucked under his belt and nearly hidden by his overflowing gut.
“What did this one do to you?” I pointed at the scrawny man as I continued to circle around them. He looked to be in his midlife with tawny blond hair and beady eyes. I made sure to keep a close eye on Varleth, as I had a feeling that everyone else in the circle was too.
“Cursed my family with his magic, he did!” he answered, and I looked at Varleth as he blanched, mortified. Did that mean what he said was true?
“And you?” I turned to another man, shorter and fatter than the last with curls of brown and grey.
“Bewitched our village and stole our treasures, that one!” he claimed, and again, Varleth looked uneasy.
“Well damn, you’ve made your way around,” I teased.
“Are you serious right now?” Varleth groaned, and I couldn’t tell if he had made a joke or if he really had taken me seriously.
And then he stepped forward with the quickest wink I’d ever seen, and I was suddenly unsure of myself or what was going on around me. Still, I had to keep up the charade, so I went along with it.
“You mean to tell me these are only fairy tales made up by these lovely gentlemen?” I gestured and walked around the big guy, who had started to follow me in the same motion.
“Of course,” Varleth insisted. “These men are nothing but slanderous pigs.” As he leaned in one of their faces, I almost didn’t believe it when I saw him smirk and flick their noses.
The man in question spluttered and reached out to grab Varleth, who easily stepped out of his reach and moved along.
I kept watch as I circled the big guy, who had refocused his attention on Varleth. I couldn’t say I blamed him. There were several times I would have sworn I saw two of the banisher, and I wondered what sort of magic that was or if I had only been seeing things.
I made a mental note to ask him later, but as for the here and now, I was curious why the group of ugly thugs hadn’t attacked us yet. I circled the big guy again and inched closer to him as he too continued to turn and kept his eyes on Varleth. I thought it was strange, but it soon occurred to me that if the tales about my comrade were true, then there was a good chance that they were actually afraid of him.
“Yes, it was I that killed and cursed your families and villages, and it was I alone, a mere gypsy from the west!” Varleth proclaimed, and his broody demeanor seemed to have completely vanished. Now, he was engaged and fully enveloped in the scene we had created.
“Does that frighten you?” He slid up to a relatively handsome fellow and smiled with something wicked in his eyes as the man cowered back. “It should.”
We danced around the band of men a while longer as Varleth fed them tightly woven tales of his questionable past before I was finally close enough to slip my hand under the folds of big guy’s gut, snatch the tablet, and slide it into my own belt. With everyone’s attention focused on Varleth, none of the other men had seen me.
I caught the banisher’s gaze and nodded. It was time to go. While Varleth had their attention, I snuck off and dipped behind the crowd. One of the other patrons of the establishment noticed me and started to blurt out my escape when Ruby clamped a hand shut over his trap.
“Thank you,” I mouthed and continued to slip closer to the door.
Whatever happened from then to the time I put my hand on the rickety old handle, I didn’t know. What I did know was that there was a sudden scream from a man that sat nearby as a glass shattered on the wall next to his head. By the time I turned around, the big guy had started to charge for me.
“What the hell did you do?” I yelled to Varleth who gave the tawny-haired man an uppercut to the jaw before he twirled away.
“I looked at you,” he called back, and I barely had the time to roll my eyes before the big guy swung. I ducked, but by the time I had recovered, Varleth had already taken out three of the men that had come at him.
“Where did you learn to move like that?” I asked as I tried to hide how impressed I was.
“Growing up with gypsies comes in handy,” he replied with a slight smirk.
“Wait… so those stories are true?” I laughed as I ducked another one of the big guy’s punches. Now that he was wide open, I slammed my boot into his chest and sent him flying into an empty table.
I thought for a moment that maybe I had a reason to fear Varleth, too, but we had to get out of here first.
Varleth didn’t answer my question but instead bobbed, wove, and punched his way through the group of men’s feeble attempts of reciprocation. I had a hunch that they were more than likely only doing more damage to themselves than to their target.
Behind me, I heard the scuffle of wood chairs on a stone floor and smirked as the big guy got up again. He grumbled something unintelligible in his rage, then clasped his hands together a
nd brought them down like a gorilla. I managed to dodge my head to one side to keep my head from being smashed, but the ugly brute nailed my shoulder and sent me to my knees. That one was going to hurt like hell for a bit and would probably ensure a trip to see Meriden in the infirmary later.
I leapt out of the way of another of the brute’s hammer blows and kicked a few chairs over to block him from immediately being able to chase me. The big guy roared and smashed his hands down on the table in front of me. It splintered, and I shielded my eyes. The last thing I needed was to be impaled by what was essentially a giant toothpick.
When I looked up again, Varleth had taken out the last of his opponents by himself, and here I was, knelt on the floor and protecting my eyes. I glanced to my left where Ruby had hopped behind the bar and taken cover behind a metal serving tray and ran to join her.
“May I?” I jumped onto the bar and held out my hand. Slowly, she placed the tray in my hand, and I winked. “Thanks.”
I stood upright and whistled.
“Hey, ugly!” The big guy turned around and grunted, but before he could charge me again, I flung the tray like a disc right at his head. My aim was true, and it landed right between his eyes with a hollow thud sound. He howled, and as he gripped his now bloody face, I cleared the small distance between us and landed a kick to the most sensitive of spots for a man.
The big guy fell to the floor with a whimper and curled in on himself.
As I looked around the bar, I saw that most of the other patrons had either found a place to hide or had left the establishment altogether. The group of men that Varleth had single-handedly obliterated all laid about, crumpled and meek. Some of them had very obviously broken bones. Others cried into their hands and apologized.
Varleth ignored them all.
“Quit gawking, summoner.” He sighed and stepped over them without care. “All of this mess for a stone tablet.”
I glanced away from the carnage the banisher had inflicted and pulled the stone from my pocket and hopped down from the bar.
“Seems pretty insignificant if you ask me,” I grimaced, and Varleth came up beside me. As he looked it over, a dull glow illuminated a handful of what looked to be relatively unimportant letters and runes.