Born a Monster

Chapter 59

Searching Like a Hydra

“I don’t believe that I have stuttered.” I said.

“Where would you even have coins to hire the Guild?”

“I have been hired by the Hellene to represent the Black Fist Clan of Uruk in order to secure their signature to a contract allowing Narrow Valley free access to their lands for nine months after the deed requiring adventurers is completed.”

“The Guild doesn’t hire out adventurers. And to hire Gemina would require hiring at least ten guardsmen.”

.....

“At a total of three gold a day for everyone the Guild has, for a minimum of twenty days, and an additional gold per head in the event of their deaths? No, Guildmaster Reynald. I’m afraid they would slow us down and not contribute in a meaningful way.”

He squinted at me. “Why are we talking?”

“The Guild does hire Valets, does it not? I need one for six days to go into Skyhoof Clan territory, and get the names of the victors at the contests of last year’s Clanmoot. I need another for-”

“Wait. You realize you must hire a guardsman to escort each of them?”

“Make it three, they can divide night watch among themselves. I will also pay five day’s rations for each team of four.” I held up a hand. “At two tins per day, the current cost of such fare.”

When he said nothing, I continued. “I want another team for two weeks, to go into the elven Greywood. They are to bear a message to the elves, and another to the Domug peoples. I wish to hire all four of Nythia’s drovers to carry a message to Whitehill. I wish any return messages or packages stored here for a time. I will attempt to contact others by dream, but will likely be travelling to the Khanate, so call it an even month.”

He counted coins, and added fees and charges. As anyone paying attention has figured out, the Guild is not expensive, taken in moderation. I stood up, and paid three tin to have three linkboys help to count out tin, copper, and silver coins into piles of ten. Everything I needed took three quarters of a bag, but most of it was tin and copper (and one gold coin that Reynald saw and snatched up).

Two more bags filled my inventory, each of them taking up two slots. The fourth was in the care of Amendea, a silver worker of good repute, who had her daughters and son counting the coins for exchanging to higher coinage.

I trickled mana to Black Snake, and began the Lucid Dream. I managed to get Gustavian.

#

He was in a dark wood at night, watching as black wood-cats devoured what was left of his wife.

“Poor Leterope.” I said.

“Huh? Oh, hi Kid. Nah, this is just a dream. The Empress and the Princess are fine.”

“Listen, I know you’ve probably made it to Furdia by now.”

“Who told you that, the Princess?”

“Adara figured that out.”

“Adara.” He turned his head and spat. “Okay, yeah. The Empress commands, and like a fool... But I can’t say it’s been bad. Say what I will against the Furdish, they have good food and wimpy monsters. You’d like it here, Kid.”

I shook my head, explained what my situation was.

“Kid, no. I’m not coming back for that.”

“Never thought you would. I want to ask you who in Furdia you would trust to survive against a living siege weapon.”

“In Furdia? Kid, nobody. This nation doesn’t understand what a real monster is like.”

“Meet anyone along the way?”

“Hell, no. There’s a bandit king called the Callous Man, but stay away. He’ll gut you, take your inventory, and then have your dying remains raped. Don’t go with him.”

“Any legends of heroes in the Khanate?”

“A few.” He gave me their names and legends.

“Many thanks, Gustavian. How are the wife and kid?”

“Well enough that there’s another kid on the way.”

“Congratulations.”

“Yeah.” And that led into another conversation that doesn’t belong here.

By the time that was done, Adara was also asleep, in a cavern of blue crustal, dominated by an inverted cylinder made of the same crystals. I took time to behold it.

“Is this the blue crystal cave?”

“Ah, Rhishisikk. It is. It is said that whomever can reverse the turning of this column will have gained a clue on the road to immortality.”

“And it is linked to the tower?” I didn’t see it turning, but now that I knew it was, I KNEW it was.

[You have encountered a Cosmic landmark. Bearer of the Blue Flame, 5XP earned. After divisor, one XP has been awarded.]

And similar messages for Exploration, Mystical Research... blah blah.

Wait, I got XP for dreams? No, focus. Adara was talking.

“Quiescently, now.”

“Is there enough coin to hire you and Philecto to handle a living siege engine?”

She snorted. “Not alone. We’d need to hire people.”

“Could you hire them and be in Narrow Valley within two months?”

“Hah! This is for your Rakkal, is it?”

“It is. The Uruk are walking a line with their honor code to make this happen. Would sixty gold be enough?”

She shook her head. “Maybe for Philecto. Not for me. Maybe for a hundred coins.”

“Hrm, I max out at eighty coins.”

“I’ll ask him in the morning. He might want the legendary victory added to his reputation.”

I relayed the information given to me by Gustavian, and what I had seen of Rakkal.

“Mystical axe? A pity. Baldo would have joined for free. Make it eighty, and we’ll see how many of them are willing to travel that far from civilization.”

“I’ll have the funds waiting with a silversmith named Amendea. He may have to wait a few days for other heroes to be assembled.”

She rolled her eyes. “Two of those names are female. I’m certain as long as there’s money for wine and music, he’ll be happy to wait anywhere.”

“Thank you, Adara.”

“Yes, yes. Begone. I must needs solve this puzzle.”

#

Wow, that night went so much better than anything I had planned. So much experience with difficulty didn’t prepare me for things to be easy. I could just lean back and let the dreams-

I was almost crushed by a plate of brass, lit with flames of yellow, blue, and red.

GO TO WHITEHILL

KNIGHT RAMPANT TAVERN

ORDER A DOZEN PASTRIES

BEWARE THE CASTRATOR

LEAVE TOMORROW

Oh, for the love of – literally – the gods, and their choice of messengers.

I dropped off the remaining ox-hides of coins with Amendea, and picked up the coins she had ready for me. It was easily enough to buy back my contract from the guild. I should have hated my status as Truthspeaker, or thought of this as a burden.

Instead? It felt like I was finally doing something to confront my fears. I had feared the Spider Queen, but hadn’t heroes slain her? Eihtfuhr had seemed an unstoppable force, but hadn’t centaurs slain him? What if I could get a centaur hero to join the team?

It may have been someone else’s quest, but I was committed to it. Making progress toward completing it felt like – like liberation, although I didn’t recognize the feeling at the time.

I met Nythia and her caravan on the road to Whitehill.

“Nythia.”

“Traitor.”

“Ah, then I can’t buy a ride on your cart?”

“Not for less than a silver.”

“I’ll walk, then.”

She spat in the road in front of me, and lashed her oxen faster.

It was a pleasant day for walking. At dusk, I fed Black Snake again. My health...

Something was giving me a bonus point of serenity the day. My System identified the effect as Comforting Fire, a blessing of Hestia. It had two days left on its timer.

.....

Hestia? Goddess of hearth and home? What had I ever done for her? I almost cancelled the effect when I realized its start coincided with the imaginary brass plate. I didn’t know why Hephaestus was borrowing a blessing from Hestia, but I couldn’t complain too loud.

There was a burbling stream to the left of the path where I set up camp for the night. Foregoing my bedroll, I sprawled in the shadows, my wrist tied to a tent stake to keep me from being pushed downstream.

It was just so... zzzsnrgzzz..

It was the best night of sleep I’d had all summer! I must have slept through a rainstorm, because my pack and bedroll were soaked.

“Water on my belongings, heed my call, grant my desire! Wouldn’t you be happier in this river, here? Move Water! Move All Water!”

I donned my linkboy garb and walked north. It was going to be another good day, and I was even more certain than that when I saw the sun. I sang the song of morning greeting as the Hellene, priestess and oracle of Apollo, had done every morning I was recovering in her temple.

It was a summer sun, and did its best to roast me to a crisp.

#

I passed the camp of Nythia and her crew while they were harnessing their oxen. I waved, and she spat. It was so good to have rivals, who knew my value and were jealous of me.

[You have earned 1XP for Vanity; after sin armor, no XP has been awarded.]

There were six of them, and two had bows. “Everything else you got, or your life.” Their leader stood in the road, brandishing a morning star at me.

I don’t know what came over me, but I said. “That’s a nice chainmail shirt. Put it on the ground and walk away.”

My shield still had only 3/20 condition remaining! I’d used a city shield on the wall, and never repaired it!

[You have been struck for twelve points of crushing damage. After armor, you have taken six points of damage. 24/30 health remain.]

One of the archers split my shield, and it fell off my arm. The other hit their leader in the buttocks, as I circled around to put him between me and the others.

“Hehaw! No more shield, smart guy!”

I ducked under his next blow, between his legs, and struck upward.

[You have scored a RED critical hit! Eight times normal damage assessed.]

[You have defeated a superior opponent. One Combat XP earned. After divisor, you have gained 1XP.]

He howled loud enough that it echoed off the trees. Wildlife fled, and one of his supporters. “Told you! I told you!”

In my right hand was... ew. Well, it was meat and it was fresh, and eating it gave an intimidate bonus. Remember, please, that my Charisma was still one at this point. I needed all the bonuses I could get. “Tasty.” I said. “Who’s next?”

“F*ck no!” said one of the archers, who fled. The other fired an arrow at me, but she was shaking too badly to aim properly.

I walked toward them. Walked, licking blood off my claws. Then, descending to all fours, I loped off at Fleet of Foot speed.

An arrow grazed me. The scales took most of the damage, but there was still two points that got through.

And then, their morale broke. “Not me! Not me! She’s tastier! Eat her!”

I chased them for a while, then returned to get my chainmail shirt (which needed cleaning) and new morning star. I dragged the body into the woods out of view of the road, and bathed in the stream until the worst of the blood stains were washed out of my clothes.

It never works, even with soap. I’d need to buy new clothes in Whitehill.

Say what I would about the gods, I was on a roll! I felt that I couldn’t do wrong.

The gate guards felt differently, but took a fee for public brawling rather than arrest me.

I was able to get a new change of clothes and check into the Knight Rampant.

“I’d like a dozen pastries.”

“Pastries are served in the morning, young sir.”

“Okay, in the morning then. Good night.”

“Good night.”

#