Chapter Three.

Delmoth was an “entry point” city, essentially a hub for several Achoran Way-Lines and a starting off point for delves into the Hollows below. There was no charge to use the Way-Lines (unless someone on the surface charged for entry/exit) which made Delmoth a free long-distance travel nexus. The city gave every impression of a thriving economy based around this, making it an unusual (by Earth standards) landlocked port. I’m not sure where I got the impression that it was a small town, but that impression was proved wrong in the first few minutes of walking around. The city was a maze of streets and structures sprawling chaotically in the way only a ‘boom’ town subjected to sudden, intense growth can. Everything had that vibrant, new feel, and if the people were a little tense they seemed generally happy.

Not very fond of random strangers asking questions though.

“Stop pestering us or I’ll call the guard, you vagabond!”

I backed up with my hands raised placatingly from yet another rebuffed attempt to get some information about where I needed to go. The responses so far had ranged from variations of, “up yours!” like this to people hunching their shoulders and pretending I didn’t exist. Friendly bunch.

I just need a few minutes, somebody in this city has to be willing to talk to me.

The main problem was my clothes. They were basically low-end thrift store quality and it showed. On top of that, the more I looked at people, the more I realized I was wearing a very short step above underwear compared to everyone else. So I could understand a certain reluctance to talk with the lost pajama-hobo, even if it was frustrating as hell.

Making my way down the main thoroughfare away from the Way-Line, I’d set my goal for now as trying to figure out if anybody nearby had heard of Veris (because who knew if I was even on the right continent?) or alternately, trying to figure out how I could earn some money short of begging. Or stealing. Call it pride, but I didn’t survive everything up to… now… huh. Well I was going to make a point about how I didn’t make it all this way just to resort to a life of crime at the first sign of difficulty, but the fact that I died makes things a little awkward. Regardless, I’d need to be a lot more desperate before I’d consider theft as an option.

This was—of course—when another unfortunate bodily feature I’d grown accustomed to ignoring made itself known. I was hungry. In my old body (god that’s weird to say), I’d evolved the perk [Manavore] after gorging on Bane bugs to the point where I adopted one of their traits. Seeing as how I was no longer a [Corrupted Blight Pit], there was no chance for me to regain the useful trait, even if I managed to find more of the endless swarm. My only saving grace so far was that I’d been reborn for almost a full day now and I was just starting to get hungry, which I hoped meant [Outer Kindred] had lower dietary needs.

What do I even need to eat?

With my luck, it’d be something horrible like “the flesh of the living” or “the nightmares of the innocent”. Then again, I’d passed some food stalls earlier that smelled amazing so hopefully I’d at least get to have something normal this time around.

Deciding that maybe the problem was my location in the city, I started exploring— looking to find somewhere a little less ‘posh’ where people wouldn’t be immediately put off by my clothes. It was hard not to get sucked in by how cool it was to be wandering around a fantasy/steampunk city despite my unpleasant reception, and I kept stopping to gawk at things as I explored.

Brass-plated trams moved continuously down the center of all the major streets, with the sides reserved for occasional powered carts and heavy foot traffic. My jaw dropped when I saw a man riding casually on a gold-plated mechanical horse that shone dazzlingly in the afternoon sun. Judging by the eye-rolls and squints of annoyance though, I was the only one impressed by the shiny horse.

Despite the relative awesomeness of the city, I couldn’t escape the underlying feeling of tension that permeated the crowds. A steam engine would *pop* or hiss more loudly than normal and people would start edging back, fingers twitching towards their enchanted gear. Loud noises were greeted by harsh stares from all nearby. Everyone I saw was on edge, which seemed at odds with the condition of the city overall. Until abruptly as I went down one of the smaller side-streets, that caution was justified.

A harsh buzz built up in the air and the various trams, carts and devices all came to a sudden halt. The buzz quickly rose to a sharp crackle in the air before I started to see arcs of purple-tinted lighting start hopping spontaneously from the various enchanted equipment. People were frantically patting themselves down and deactivating their gear as raw magic swelled in the air. Again I was treated to a sensation of pure relief, the magic dispelling a pressure I hadn’t realized crept back on me since the last ‘surge’. Should probably keep that on the down-low, based on the reactions of everyone around me. A loud *pop* dispelled the gathering magic and everything instantly settled down like an equalization of pressure. Most people were unaffected by the disruption, with a few disgruntled exceptions cradling burnt-out enchantments. The trams all started back up and everyone carried on as normal after this.

I wonder what’s going on… eh whatever.

I’d already saved the world, figuring out stuff like this could be someone else’s problem for a while. So with a shrug, I continued my search for mediocrity in a city of magic. I’d barely taken a few steps before my path was blocked by several men. When I tried to step around them they stepped with me, and I quickly found myself surrounded by six people who were all glaring angrily at me. Nothing seemed to tie them all together other than they were all wearing rough (but still much better than mine) worker’s clothes. A twinge of alarm sounded in the back of my head and I straightened myself up to look around, but other people nearby were all either pulling away or carefully averting their eyes.

“Something funny to you, boy?” One of the men snapped at me.

“What?” I couldn’t help but blurt out.

“Bad enough you been wandering around the quarter all day troubling honest folk, now gutter-boy here thinks it's funny to watch his betters get hit by the surge? We saw you smiling, you little shit!” He growled out harshly

Ah crap. I guess my relieved expression from whatever the ‘surge’ was hadn’t been as discreet as I’d thought. I tried to put my hands up placatingly and defuse the situation, but right as my hands came up a man to my right threw a punch at my head.

It was… almost comically slow. A quick lean to the side without even moving my feet overbalanced the man and sent him stumbling into me. I shoved back with one arm and knocked him backwards into the two other men on that side. My blood felt like it was burning in my veins and my heart rate picked up once again as I tried to keep myself calm.

“Ok, I’m sorry. This is all just a big misu—” I started to say before the other three rushed in to grab me. Again they slowed down until it was like watching toddlers try to tackle a pro football player, and I slipped between them all easily to come out the side of the group facing all six.

“I’m trying to be polite here guys. I didn’t mean anything by—” All six of them rushed me while a slight crowd had formed a curious ring a few meters around us.

I’m supposed to stay out of trouble. They’re just tense. They don’t know what’s going on, so they’re looking to lash out.

Continuously repeating that mantra in my head, I avoided their bum rush by weaving between them as they came at me. Ducking under punches that were so telegraphed they might as well have their own area code and stepping around lazy-seeming kicks as the men scrambled to reverse their momentum, I couldn’t help the grin that formed on my face.

I guess the new body isn’t totally useless after all!

It was the wrong thing to do.

The crowd had been fairly passive or even avoidant before, reluctant to engage even if they weren’t on my side. That changed when they got a look at the stupid smile on my face, and the crowd got ugly.

My eyes darted around as I saw fists clenching and faces contort into angry snarls. Nobody drew any kind of weapons—yet— but with the number of people here I wasn’t sure they’d need any. Any steps I took saw the people tightening up around me, forming a human blockade to keep me penned in.

The sparks of frustration I’d been feeling all day started fanning up into real anger at these people. I was trying to avoid a confrontation here. I tried to apologize, be reasonable. But I wasn’t about to let a mob have me just for the sake of avoiding trouble. So when the next punch came at me as the original group caught up, I clamped my hand around the offending fist like a vice.

“I said—” Yanking on the man’s arm I spun him around and hurled him bodily back at his group. “—that I’m trying to be polite!” I roared out as he crashed into them and sent the whole group sprawling like bowling pins.

“I don’t give a shit about your damn city or your problems! I’m not here to laugh at you because that would imply that I care!” I snarled out as people shrunk back and the crowd started quickly dispersing. “Is there anybody in this entire town full of assholes that can tell me where I can find Veris Haethram!?” A few wide-eyed stares were my only reply as the last people scattered, the man I’d thrown giving me fearful looks as he sprinted away cradling his twisted arm. Standing in the suddenly empty street, I fumed impotently while struggling to contain my temper.

Damn it.

“That way.” A strong voice came from close behind me.

Startled someone had gotten so close, I whirled around finding an impressively good-looking man standing idly behind me with one hand holding loosely onto a satchel and the other pointing off to the side. I say “impressively good-looking” knowing full well how weird that sounds, but he looked like Aragorn’s significantly more handsome cousin. He was wearing a reddish-brown robe that fell just below the knee and reminded me of a medieval scholar or priest. His calf-high black boots were travel-worn but in good repair, and he had a wide, flat-brimmed hat like a gaucho. I blinked at him in confusion.

“What?”

“Five to six months by foot, two weeks by a fast cart, and three days by airship— though good luck finding one willing to run during the surge. That’s where you’ll find Terland, the traditional seat of house Haethram. I hear the lord himself has only recently returned from the Deep Hollows, which is fortunate for you since the last time he was seen before then was almost ten years ago.” He said cheerily.

“Uh… thanks?”

Where were you ten minutes ago dude!?

Exasperated, I closed my eyes and rubbed at my temples to ward off an impending stress headache. When I opened them I expected the man to be gone, but he was still standing there, just smiling pleasantly. I squinted at him with suspicion.

“I appreciate the directions, do you need something?” I asked impatiently.

He gave me a wide grin and sketched a slight bow. “My apologies sir! I have yet to introduce myself. I am Leigh, of Corman. Traveling priest and g—”

He didn’t get the rest of his speech out before I exploded. The skin on my arms and legs peeled back to expose lashing tentacles and chitinous claws before I hurled myself forward and grabbed him by the neck, hoisting him bodily into the air.

“The deal was for no interference!” My voice rasped out of my throat with a harsh gurgle. Deep in my soul, I reached out for the restriction that sealed away my Anathema, ready to burn everything to cinders the moment I sensed something was off. Distantly, I was aware of what sounded like air-raid sirens starting to blare across the city but I dismissed the distraction. There was no way some random priest just “happened” across me out of all these people, and if the gods thought I was bluffing about burning their little game to ash then—

“Whoa, whoa! Easy, just take it easy.” The man hung limply from my hands, but his voice was surprisingly calm and he made no attempts to struggle. “I promise you I’m not here to ‘interfere’. I just want to help, it’s my calling.”

“Calling?” I growled out after a brief pause to consider.

“Yes. If you’ll kindly put me down? I can explain.”

Hesitating, I stared intently at the man’s too-handsome face for a minute.

“You know, the guard was already on the way thanks to your little altercation earlier. This will be a tad harder to explain than a street brawl.” Leigh stared right back at me expectantly. Snarling, I let him go. He dropped to the ground with cat-like grace, landing without even a hint of a stumble despite my rough handling. Brushing himself off, he gave me a considering look.

“Kindred huh? No wonder you need a guide.” I jerked back as I realized the state of my body, quickly pulling myself back together until everything was hidden beneath my human form’s skin once again. Leigh just smirked annoyingly.

“As I was saying, I am Leigh of Corman, traveling priest and guide in the service of the temples. I have come to this city in heed of my calling which— I was informed upon my arrival today via divine visitation— is you.” He sketched out another bow as he finished his speech.

“Great. How does this convince me that your bosses aren’t already trying to go back on their word?” I ground out through clenched teeth.

“Boss, singular. And it does not!” He said with a dramatic flourish. “That’s the point! I am to provide whatever assistance you deem necessary until you have your feet properly under you. There is no obligation, no enforcement, and no penalty for refusal. I’ve already completed the minimum requirement just by pointing you in the right direction, which you can verify by asking— ah. Well we seem to be lacking bystanders at the moment.” He frowned as he glanced down the now-empty street around us. “Regardless, I was given a specific message that I was told could possibly gain—if not your trust, then at least your understanding, should you be willing to hear it?”

After considering for a moment, I nodded, but braced myself to tear open my sealed power if I sensed anything fishy.

“Very well. *Ahem*” Closing his eyes for a moment, they suddenly snapped open, filled with a golden glow. Leigh’s face went slack and his mouth started working involuntarily.

“Not all of us are as conniving as the Spider, nor as ungrateful. A debt is owed you, and it sits ill with us who remember the old pacts. Leigh of Corman is vain, reckless, arrogant and largely insufferable, but there is no better guide to our world that we can give you. If you wish it, he will take you where you want to go. Good luck to you, Kosimar of the Deep.”

The glow in his eyes winked out, and for a second Leigh swayed on his feet before catching his balance. A grin returned to his face almost instantly afterwards.

“Well? What do you think?”

I wavered uncertainly for a moment. “Who’d you say your boss was?”

“Erranos, patron of travellers and lost souls, guide to all who wander!” He announced proudly.

That’s a little… on the nose… isn’t it?

I was deeply suspicious of both Leigh and ‘Erranos’. If there’s one thing I learned from my death at the hands of the Leviathan, it was that just because they’re willing to talk doesn’t make them my ally. It sounds like such a stupid revelation to have, but deep down I always used to believe that if we could just talk to people then maybe even if we couldn’t be friends, we didn’t have to be enemies. It was a naive world view, and it died when I did.

Sometimes, they really are out to get you. But in this case, I’ve literally been handed a deus ex machina, and I’m taking it.

“Fine. Lead on, oh great guide of Haven.” I grumbled sarcastically.

“Excellent! We should run. Now.” He was already sprinting down the road by the time the last words left his mouth.

What??

Taking off after him I quickly caught up. Laughing over his shoulder he started to explain breathlessly as we ran.

“Whatever you were about to do set off the Calamity ward, whole city’s in lockdown by now. That’s terrifying, by the way.” Still grinning, he pulled us both into a side street. “It won’t be long until they narrow down the source, especially from inside the city. Whole area will be crawling with guards in minutes, so we need to put as much distance between us a— hello there officers!”

In our rush, we nearly ran headlong into a full squad of black-and-gold uniformed guards. All of them had batons out that arced with electricity coupled with burnished bronze shields covered in a dense layer of enchanted runes. The lead guard snapped at us harshly.

“Halt! This area has been restricted by the Writ, all persons are subject to inspection. Present yourselves!”

Leigh smiled disarmingly. “Of course officiers, terrible business, this.” He pointed gently at his satchel hanging near his waist. “My name is Leigh of Corman, I have a dispensation from the Temple in my bag, may I retrieve it?” The guard nodded grudgingly and Leigh carefully reached into his satchel before pulling out an ornate scroll. The edges were marked out by runes, and while the writing on it was too small to see I could make out a wax seal on the bottom with some kind of heraldry in the middle.

Looking it over quickly with a grunt, the guard eventually handed the paper back to Leigh looking slightly contrite.

“Apologies, priest. These times are getting to us all. First the surge and now a Calamity that comes and vanishes in moments? Dark days we’re in.” He shuddered before turning his eyes over to me. “This one with you?”

“But of course!” Leigh reached over and pulled me into an awkward sideways hug that I had to physically resist fighting my way out of. “This is my dear friend—” He pinched me on the shoulder and I smothered a yelp before answering, “Ray!”

“—Ray, a ward of the temple. Quite new to your fine city, I was sent out to retrieve him just this morning and he doesn’t quite know his way around yet.” Leigh gave the guard a blinding smile to which the guard raised an eyebrow incredulously before shrugging.

“Alright. You’re cleared to pass, though I must recommend you take shelter until the all-clear is issued. Do you have one available or will you require directions to a public shelter?”

“We’ll be quite fine, officer. The gods provide well for their chosen, after all!” Leigh replied, dragging me along as we marched our way past the impromptu blockade. We rounded the next corner and he sagged in relief before reaching up to massage his face.

“Oh gods, that was close.”

“It didn’t actually seem that bad…” I mumbled back quizzically.

“But it was, you see, had it been any other than a mere corporal, he likely wouldn’t have been intimidated by the fancy verbiage of what is essentially a declaration of my incredible good looks and excellent breeding. The signet is from a truly exquisite brewery in Draethmar.” Leigh smiled fondly at a memory while I found myself gaping at him.

“What kind of priest are you??”

He winked at me while we resumed walking.

“The best kind! But enough about me. For now, we have plans to make, and a journey to begin!”

I was so going to regret this.