by K V Deal
“You have no idea. It’s like a hook in my brain. It keeps dragging my thoughts back to figuring out where everything is.” I shook my head. “It only clears up when I know.” Swinging my legs off the table, I stood up.
“So…now that you’re up, I kinda need you to come with me.”
“What? I just got up. What’s going on now?”
“Well, when I said that the girls are doing alright, considering? Actually, they ain’t making much sense. That makes ya the only real source if we want to know what all happened.”
I sighed. “Guess that makes sense. How do you know about Vinny though?”
“The body dressed in clothing with the Inquisitor emblem was kind of a giveaway. Ya ready to move? I was told to bring ya to the mayor as soon as ya woke up.”
I nodded. “Fine.” I gestured at my stuff. “Can I put on my stuff first?”
A few minutes later, I was fully dressed and loaded up. I chose to store the lapis ring away for now. Honestly, I still wasn’t sure how it worked, and I didn’t want it to knock me out again. I did peek at it in the inventory, though. Seemed it was called the ‘Ring of Second Chances.’ Catchy name. Guess it must be some kind of last-chance item.
Soon we were walking through the city towards what Charlie was calling the ‘Gray House.’
“Seriously?”
“Well, the prez, if he’s still around, has the white one. And the mayor has a gray place so…” She rubbed the back of her head. Seemed a bit embarrassed.
“Right…”
As we continued to walk, Charlie pointed out a building up ahead.
It was kind of gray, I allowed. The three-story thing was made from gray stone, with flecks of shiny black stone embedded in random spots. It was ugly.
It didn't get much better inside. The decor was…strange. A random smattering of just about every different kind of knickknack that you could think of. The placement was tasteful, so it wasn't overwhelming, but there wasn't any form of cohesion to any of the rooms we passed through.
Charlie led me up to the second story where a man sat at a desk. He was made completely of stone. He sat writing in an elegant hand. Across his forehead, looking like a discoloration of the stone, was the word ‘emet.’
“You’re a Golem?”
“Correct. You’ve found another fan of mythology, Charlie.” The man’s voice was slow, almost as if he was taking the time to think through every word. “I am Cyrus.” He finished what he was writing and looked up. His eyes swept over me. He looked at Charlie. “This is the dragon?”
“Yup. Just woke up. Right about when the docs predicted, too.”
“Predicted?” They knew when I was gonna wake up?
Cyrus shuffled through a stack of parchment until he found the one he was looking for. “Yes. Charlie was able to remember the ring you had on. By the end of the first day, the ring had regained color only about 14% of its surface. On the second day, it was at 29%. That, plus Doctor Screw using his racial ability to deduce that you were under a magical effect connected to the ring, led the medical staff to think that you would awaken when the ring reached 100% of its natural color.”
“Wait, does that mean I’ve been out for a week?” I was shocked to say the least.
“Correct.” He put the paper down. “You are here to see the mayor about the new dungeon incident?” It wasn't actually a question.
Charlie nodded.
Cyrus nodded. “She is free. This way.” He picked up a stack of blank papers and some writing implements. He led us down a short hallway to a door on which he knocked loudly three times.
“Come in!”
We entered a room just as…eclectic as the last. I saw dolls, masks, mirrors, jars and weapons dotting almost every available surface, and that was naming only a small fraction of the clutter in the room. One of the most interesting pieces was an ornate set of armor standing to the right of the desk. Going by the shape, it must have been made for a female knight. The curves could be seen even under the blue tabard that it wore. Whoever was supposed to wear it must have been very short, though as it wouldn’t have even fit Charlie, the smallest of our group at five-something.
Now that I looked around the room, the only clear area was a five-foot space around the desk at the back of the room.
Cyrus walked into the mess, treading a careful path, making sure not to step on anything. As we walked, I looked around for the mayor but no luck.
As we approached the desk, Cyrus stopped, looking a bit annoyed. He gestured to two seats in front of the desk.
I glanced at Charlie. She took the chair on the left. Her face was strangely blank.
I was starting to get nervous and, as usual, that set off my rattle. It didn't help that, in the light of my lamp, each knickknack threw an eerie, dancing shadow, filling the room with false movement.
We sat for a moment in silence before I turned to look at Charlie with a raised eyebrow. She didn't meet my eyes. Instead, she stared straight ahead, a strained expression on her face.
What the hell was going on! Was this some kind of attack? or a magic item?
As I opened my mouth to make sure she was okay, I heard a creek behind me. Spinning in the chair, I found myself face to face with the suit of armor.
“Hi!” it cheerfully shouted, about six inches from my face.
With a cry, I threw myself backward, falling out of the chair.
The armor started to laugh.
“Charlie!” I called out as I scrambled to my feet.
That was when I realized she was laughing too.
“Sorry, sorry.” The armor lifted its hands in apology. “I can never resist!” She, the voice was female, stepped around to stand on the opposite side of the desk before holding out a hand to me. “I'm Gloria Sable. Please call me Gloria.”
I hesitated.
“Jake, she’s the mayor,” Charlie grinned. “And don't worry. She does that to everybody.”
“Hey, you get halfway turned into a set of living armor, and you gotta do something to get your kicks.” I could feel her turn her attention back to me, her hand still outstretched. “Forgive me?”
After just a second to get myself under control, I reached out and grabbed her hand. She had a firm grip as she shook my arm up and down enthusiastically.
“Good! Hate to think I had pissed off the only known Day Seven. I'm a Day Three, myself.” She slapped a hand against her chest with a clank. “This isn't armor, boyo. My change had me grow this stuff, so don't go thinking I don't understand what it's like to go through a major shift. Just don't talk to me about my weight!” She finished with a laugh.
I...really wasn't sure how to handle this fast-talking woman.
She sat down. Her chair creaked as she settled into it. “So. I asked to talk to you, because you know what happened. You know, at the new dungeon!” Her eyes sparkled at the word. “While you've been out, I've had exploration teams going into the other one you found, and, oh boy, is it a treasure trove! Why just the...wargs…” She leaned over to look at Cyrus. “It is ‘wargs,’ right?”
He nodded.
“Thanks. The wargs alone are worth a ton! The meat is a lifesaver, and they keep showing up again every day! And the white ones…”
Cyrus loudly cleared his throat. At least, I think that's what it was, it sounded like stones grinding together.
“Oops, rambling again. Anyway, I need to know what happened to the three of you. The girls are in no shape to talk, so I'm hoping you can fill me in.” She folded her hands and leaned in.
I took a deep breath. “Alright.”
I finished spinning out the story about twenty minutes later.
The mayor drummed her fingers on the table. “Alright... Well, egg on our faces. We were actually hoping that they would do something just like that, but after we had some people shadowing you.” She sighed. “And the inquisitor was another Day One, too.”
“This will increase the tension,” Cyrus commented. He had been taking notes
while I talked.
Charlie nodded. “Those poor girls. First losing their mother and then having to kill their own uncle.” She shook her head. “No wonder.”
“A few points,” Cyrus noted. “This dungeon was in a place we thought was completely explored. Resources may need to be reallocated to check other such places.”
Gloria shook her head. “We don't have people to spare for another house-by-house search. And the only one who can reliably hunt them down is Jake here.”
Cyrus nodded and made a note. He checked his list. “You stated that you were fighting while he was still invisible. A report on your first encounter said your lamp was able to show their shadows. I assume it refers to the one on your waist?”
After a moment, I nodded, my body tensing.
Cyrus eyed me. “Do not worry. We won't be confiscating it if that is what you are worried about. Charlie has mentioned your hoarding instincts.”
I shot her a look, but she didn't meet my eyes.
“My final observation is that, while we finally have a body, we still have far too little information on the Inquisitors.”
“Agreed,” said Gloria, “but we have made progress. We’ve cut into their supplies and may have even cut them off. The fact that they only attacked when the new dungeon was found could mean that they were hoping to secure it before we knew about it.” Gloria leaned her chin on her hand with a clank.
The word ‘they’ sparked a memory that I forgot to mention in my initial debriefing. “Vinny wasn’t alone.”
“What?” Gloria sat up straight.
“During their first attack, I burned one pretty bad, from the sound of his voice, and some of the splash from the fames hit two more. Vinny wasn't burned.”
“Well…that could be very useful!” Gloria said, sounding happy.
“If they worked together, it may be possible to use Vinny to find the others,” Cyrus added.
“And that leads us to a new task for you two.” Gloria gestured at Charlie and me. “Jake, you’re partnered with Charlie for now. You two are to check out Vinny's shop to see what you can find. The goal of this mission is to see if you can trace him back to Inquisitors who are still at large.”
“Wait! Why are ya putting us on this?” Charlie asked, looking a bit panicked.
“Because you’ve both had dealings with them in the past and survived. You’re a must, Charlie. You've done more to track them down than anyone else we have. And Jake is there due to the fact that he has the best chance of spotting any ambushes with that lamp of his. Plus, he’s already survived two sneak attacks.”
“That was just dumb luck on my part.” I said that, but deep down in my heart, I was kinda proud.
“Dumb luck still means you survived. Most people who’re ambushed by those bastards ain’t so lucky.” The mayor leveled a finger at me. “Now off you go. I have other things I have to work on.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Chapter 14
I was still wearing all of my traveling gear, but Charlie needed to grab a few things. We agreed to meet at Vinny's old shop in an hour. That worked out fine for me. I wanted to go check in on the twins anyway, though from what I remembered, I wasn't sure if Brittany, at least, would want to see me. Turned out they were back where I woke up. Charlie informed me that the place was acting like a hospital, since the old one was eaten by the swamp as far as everyone could tell.
With thanks and a wave, we split up.
It wasn't hard to retrace my steps. In about twenty minutes, I was in the lobby. It took a quick question to find out room numbers. Thankfully they were both on the second floor, so I didn't have to climb too many stairs. Then I was outside Brittany's door.
Since she was the one I was more worried about talking to, I figured might as well get it out of the way.
I knocked on the door and waited.
No response.
I tried again.
...
She must be asleep. If so, I should probably let her rest.
Moving on to Carah's room, I lightly rapped on her door.
“Who's there?” Man, she sounded tired!
“Jake. “
“Oh! Hey, come in.” Her voice had a bit more energy this time.
I opened the door and stepped inside. The room was small. A bed, a small table and a chair were the only furnishings in the room. Hell, not even a painting on the gray stone walls. If the door hadn't been unlocked and the large shuttered window open, it would have felt like a prison cell.
Carah was sitting at the window looking out at an old mid-city park. Her knees were pulled up to her chest. She was wearing what looked like a massive pillow slip with head and arm holes cut out of it. I figured that must be what these guys were calling a hospital gown.
She turned to look at me. “Hey.”
I opened my mouth to ask how she was doing, but the tear tracks on her face already told the story.
My brain froze. What the hell do you do when a girl has been crying? I'm a geek! But I can’t just say nothing!
Dammit.
“H-hey. Looks like you got a good view…” That wasn't what I really wanted to say, but it was a start.
“Yeah. It’s…it’s a nice view.” She looked out the window. “Jake? Do…do you think unc--Vinny--was under someone else's control? Could he have been affected by magic or something?”
I couldn't tell which answer she was hoping for.
In the end, all I felt comfortable with was the truth.
“I… Okay, here’s the thing. I think I figured out how I found the first dungeon. There was something in the air. I could feel it. That same feeling, it’s in magic items, too.” And here came the hard part. “I…that feeling was in some things he had on him. But he… I didn't feel that off of, well, him.”
I started talking faster and faster as my resolve began to waver. “But I don't know what something like that would feel like! Would that feeling of magic stick around, or would it be something else entirely? From what I felt, he wasn't, but…”
“So.” She cut me off. “You don't think he was.” She went silent.
Just when I was starting to think of a way to fill the silence, she spoke up again. “Uncle Vinny was always religious. When everyone started waking up, mom--she was also a Day One--said he had a bit of a, well, a meltdown--end of the world, mark of the beast kind of thing. When we woke up on day four, he almost had a stroke. His nieces, touched by Satan. Then…” Silence returned.
This time, I figured she would keep going if I just gave her a moment. Though I still didn't know why, she was opening up to me in particular.
I walked over to her and leaned on the wall, looking out the window with her. Sure enough, she kept going.
“Mom was murdered on day five. Inquisitor. They were coming for us, not her. She hid us. Mom was a Day One. They would have let her go if she had just given us up.” Carah stopped for a moment. “They left the body where she was killed with their mark burned into her chest, just like they do with everyone they get their hands on.
Only reason we lived is that an Exploration team heard the noise and came by.” There was a hitch in her voice. “All we could do was power through. Uncle Vinny calmed down when that happed. Gotta think now it’s cause he…” She wiped her eyes. “Axle was part of the team that saved us. He pushed for B and I to join the explorers when they gave him a team. The explorers were big on finding Inquisitors, and Axle thought it would be something to motivate us. Then… You know the rest. You were there.”
I nodded.
“They…!” She jabbed a finger at the door in a gesture that I figured meant the doctors and such. “…weren't there! They want me to tell them. I can’t. How can I even say it?”
I still wasn't sure what to do, but this seemed like the right point to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder.
“I… Thanks.”
We had another moment of silence.
“This,” she gestured inside at the makeshift hospital, “isn't
helping. It just gives me too much time to think. I need to be doing something.” She turned to look at me. “Something productive. Is…” taking a deep breath she continued on. “Is someone checking his shop?”
I thought for a moment. What the hell. It felt right. “Me and Charlie.” I looked her right in the eyes. “You want in?”
I let the offer hang in the air.
“I… They won’t let me leave.”
“That’s not what I asked.” I didn't know if it was right to push. Probably not. “You don't have to. It just sounded like you might want to.”
“Brittany wouldn't forgive me,” she whispered.
“We could go ask her. If she says no, then no.”
“She’s not my boss!” Carah snapped.
“Okay.” I was doing my best to keep my voice as calm as I could.
She glared at me for a moment before looking down. “Sorry… We’re…”
“She’s still mad?”
“Yes. She… won’t talk to me.” I caught the glimmer of tears on her face.
“I…was planning on visiting her too. I guess I could try and…”
“You don't need to do that! Just…go see her and then come back? I’ll think about it.”
“Alright,” I nodded. “If you need anything, let me know. Okay?”
She stood up, hesitated and then kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks.”
I stood frozen.
She blushed. “Look, you got your dragon instincts. I have succubus ones! It’s hard to resist!”
I left the room heading back over to Brittany’s. If she was still sleeping, I might just have to wake her up this time.
As I reached her room, I saw a woman standing in front of her door. The woman stood just over three feet tall, a perfect miniature. Her skin was green, but I couldn't see much else. A heavy hat was pulled down tightly over her ears. Between that and her thick, bushy black hair not much could be seen of her face. If it weren't for the long white coat and clipboard, I would have been worried that she might be up to no good.
As I approached, she reached out and politely knocked on the door. “Ms. Hans? Are you awake?” she squeaked.