Chapter 26: Change of Plans

Selene

Stretching comfortably after a near perfect night’s sleep, Selene felt the warmth of an empty space. Opening her eyes lazily expecting to see Tobi lay there, she sighed; Tobi wasn’t even in the room. It was the same thing he did last time: Falling asleep after she did and then disappearing before she woke up.

Figures…

Rolling over and pulling the blanket over her head, she buried her face into the pillow and waited for her emotions to settle. Was it really so much to ask to wake up to his sleeping face first thing in the morning? She’d even tried to stay awake long enough to see him sleep the night before—but she failed. They were both exhausted but he’d still managed to stay awake until she fell asleep.

Throwing the blankets off in a mock tantrum, she lay there for a moment and looked down at herself. She was quite proud of the nightgown she was wearing. Both daring and reserved at the same time; covering everything while also managing to subtly reveal what she had to offer. It had taken all of her courage to put it on—but it was worth it. Even if Tobi had seen everything already, it was still heart pounding to wear something that really amounted to nothing. Hell, it barely reached halfway down her thigh.

Smiling at the soft tan appearing on the lower half of her calf, she hoped to get some sun on the rest of her legs and get rid of as much pale skin as she could. Not that she would be able to show off too much skin in Darien’s garden with all the men that moved around the place. Still, she was sure a suitable sunbathing spot existed somewhere in the city.

Pushing vanity aside and rolling out of bed before pulling her bag from underneath it, Selene rooted around for a different set of clothes. The robe had already been cleaned but she enjoyed the way Tobi had looked at her the day before. Such a difference made by a single layer of clothing. Plus the added bonus of not sweating so much that rivers flowed down her back.

Traditional clothes; or travelers clothes… Selene asked herself as she pulled out sets of each.

Lifting a white dress she’d bought from the travelers store on her last day in Brackley, Selene lay it on the bed and sighed. She’d fallen in love with the dress at first sight and bought it instantly. As soon as she saw it, her love for tailoring had been unwavering and she started sewing till her blood literally went into her craft.

The dress itself was a strapless, knee-length dress with a fringed hem, ruffled bodice, and a delicately embroidered floral lace pattern. A light sandy brown colored silk sash tied around the midriff to form a small bow with two tails dropping down almost the full length of the skirt.

She’d never dared to wear it herself. Travelers were happy to wear such clothes but people from Anderon were much more reserved and didn’t show off quite so much skin. The lack of straps and sleeves though would be excellent for tanning parts of her body that were usually covered.

Besides, she wanted to see Tobi’s reaction when he saw her wearing it.

Putting on the appropriate undergarments in case the dress slipped down or the wind blew her skirt up, Selene slipped the dress on and and tied the sash. She didn’t like how the tanning on her lower leg was visible thanks to the skirt, but a day in the sun would solve that, all that was left to do was build her confidence enough to actually leave the bedroom while wearing it.

Well, here goes nothing…

Boasting a confidence she never felt, Selene opened the door and went down the stairs. By the time she reached the bottom and turned for the living room, her heart was racing.

---

Tobi

Smiling to himself as the warm sun filtered through the kitchen window, Tobi finished the last of his preparations. He’d woken up before Selene so he was planning to surprise her with breakfast in bed. The choices of ingredients were just more of the same things they’d been eating all week but there were always new ways to prepare them, so he went with a tomato and mushroom omelette with toast, a glass of pure orange and an orange on the side. It wasn’t much, but he needed something that was quick to make so she didn’t wake up before he was finished.

Laying the plates out on a tray and turning to carry it all upstairs, Tobi faltered.

“Selene?”

“Good morning.” She answered with a shy smile and flushed cheeks.

Placing the tray on the table and looking at her from top to bottom, Tobi’s mind flew in seven different directions at once. He felt as though he could sit and look at her all day, but that wasn’t the problem. People from Aevitas didn’t wear clothes like that, she was going to attract a lot of attention and not all of it would be good. Not to mention the fact she’d just ruined his idea for giving her breakfast in bed.

“You look…”

“...Yes?” Selene replied with her arms out and giving a half twirl.

Tobi shook his head, “You look amazing.”

He wanted to say more, like how he’d have to beat men away with a stick, or how she might be overdressed for working in a tailor shop...or maybe under-dressed depending on your point of view. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was while telling her the dress might be a bad idea. He wanted to tell her she’d just ruined his romantic gesture of giving her breakfast in bed.

“Well, don’t sound too convincing will you, I might end up believing you.”

Whoah. Where did that come from?

Trying to keep his face calm and saying nothing, Tobi moved the breakfasts from the tray to the table and and put the tray back on the side. He obviously wouldn’t be needing it anymore. He saw Selene look at the food but she made no move to get it.

Damn it. Mood swing…

Deciding it would be better if he just got out of her sight for a minute. Calling Adonis with his hand out as he reached the back door, his staff flew to his hand and he shut the door behind himself.

“You are done with breakfast quick.” The Talin called as soon as the door shut.

Tobi nodded but didn’t say anything. The Talin looked toward the kitchen window and worked out enough not to say anything more.

Sitting on a chair with the back to the door, Tobi rotated the staff in circles and wondered how the mood had gone bad so quickly. He could have sounded a little more genuine when he said she looked good, but it was no reason for her to snap the way she did.

“Women are mental.” Tobi finally told himself. There was no other way to explain their mood swings and weird behaviour. Looking to the Talin who was busy polishing the daggers he made the day before, Tobi waited for him to notice the stare boring into his skull.

“What is it?”

“Has she started eating her breakfast yet?”

The Talin sat upright and looked back through the window, “She not in kitchen no more so don’t know.”

Noting how even the Talin was speaking in a distracted tone and not bothering to construct his sentences properly, Tobi sighed and got back up. He felt like going for a walk and clearing his head—or a run like he used to do in another life. Unable to let Selene work at Bernie’s after what happened with Scrim and Kleetz though, he felt trapped instead.

Sighing and using the staff like a cane to help him get up, he went back inside to see if she’d eaten anything. She hadn’t, both breakfasts sat there going cold. The orange was gone though so she’d at least taken that.

I guess I better go see what is wrong with her…

Heading upstairs with the intent to apologize, Tobi opened the bedroom door.

“Selene?”

The room was perfectly empty but it didn’t stop him from calling out her name. Moving from room to room and looking for her, Tobi went back downstairs and looked around for her. When he finally concluded she’d left, he ran into the back garden to get the Talin.

“Come on. Selene has gone to work and left us here.”

As the Talin looked up in surprise, he slipped both daggers into little sheaths on his belt and nodded.

---

Selene

Rolling an orange around in her hand, Selene frowned and asked herself what she was doing. She wasn’t acting like herself at all. She’d been disappointed at waking up to find Tobi missing but it hadn’t really been that big of a deal. When he said she looked amazing, she knew he was being honest, but there was just something about the way he said it—like he didn’t approve or something.

Walking out of the house had probably been a mistake, she’d definitely get an earful for that later, she just felt like she needed to get out of the house and away from Tobi. She did at least ask the guy that watched them all day to be her escort though; so at least he couldn’t shout at her for walking alone. She felt the protection wasn’t really needed but Tobi did so she was willing to play along. It had the added bonus of letting her keep an eye on him so it was fine. Right now though she wanted a minute to herself.

“Are you OK?” Her escort asked.

Nodding, Selene wondered if she really was OK. She’d always been confident in her looks, men had made attempts on her plenty of times. Tobi on the other hand, he never tried at all. He treated her no differently to anyone else. She could be an ogre and he’d probably be just the same. The more she liked him though, the more she wanted him to treat her special—and the more difficult it got when he didn’t.

“I’m sorry, I am not usually like this.” Selene finally said looking at the orange and breaking a bit of the skin off.

“It’s OK, I understand perfectly.” he replied kindly.

Selene nodded and ignored the shifty way he walked; Slightly hunched at the shoulders with eyes that darted everywhere.

“He has a spell on you. Makes you act all kinds of crazy.”

Selene chuckled a little, “I guess he does. I should apologize to him later.”

“You don’t have to do that. Just leave it to me, I will sort it out for you.”

“That’s kind, but I can’t ask you to do that. I don’t even know your name.”

“My name is Romun.” He replied, standing straight and actually looking normal for a moment, “I have been watching you all for days; I have come to notice a few things. I can definitely handle this much for you.”

Frowning a little at the way he emphasized the fact he was doing it for her, Selene instantly recognized a man seeking a different kind of attention. The priests in Brackley were full of charm and the way they had sweetly made promises specifically for ’her’ was a learning experience she would never forget. Recognizing a man with such little charm attempting the same thing was not just simple, it was a little scary.

“No, I insist. I will handle it myself. It is my problem, I should be the one to resolve it.”

“And what about going to Bernie’s Spindles without him? Don’t you think he will be especially angry with you for this? If I handle him for you, it will solve all of your problems.”

The way Romun repeatedly used the word ‘handle’ made Selene hesitate. There was something about the way he said it that implied something different to what she was thinking.

“You should leave Tobi to me. I don’t think he would appreciate someone messing in his personal affairs.” Selene advised, trying to get a measure of the man as she looked at him through the corner of her eye.

Romun didn’t reply but his eyes were alive with excitement and he was walking close enough beside her for their arms to brush against each other. Selene stepped slightly further away and picked up her speed a bit. The man was starting to creep her out.

“I think I am good from here, Bernie’s is only up ahead.”

“That’s OK,” Romun replied and placed a hand on the small of her back, “I will walk you to the door like a gentleman should.”

As her back straightened under his touch, Selene beared with it and increased her walking speed a little more. Romun made no attempt to move his hand though and matched her pace easily.

“Well, thank you for walking me.” Selene said as she opened the door and stepped away from Romun, “You were … too kind.”

“My pleasure.” Romun replied with a small bow, “Anything for a lady such as yourself. Anything at all.”

Selene gave a quick nod and an uneasy smile before shutting the door. Turning her back and breathing a sigh of relief, she made a mental note to let Tobi walk her every single time in the future.

Looking over her shoulder and seeing Romun still standing there and watching her, a shiver went up her spine.

“Selene? Is that you?”

Hearing Bernie call from the back room, Selene nodded, “Yes it is me. Sorry I am late, I overslept.”

---

Darien

Standing outside his old friend’s house and subconsciously rubbing his ribs that had long since stopped hurting, Darien tried to figure on the chances that the man would give him the copies willingly. There was no harm in making copies of the books and passing them on, but doing it for free was a different story. Tomin was a very secretive person and he’d paid a small fortune to get his hands on those books.

Darien had no intention of paying for copies though; he’d been spending far too much money lately without earning any. So many distractions had been keeping him from his normal run of businesses. Even the tavern he owned was not providing it’s usual level of income.

Deciding the best thing to do was just ask and see what he says, Darien knocked on the door.

Hearing noises inside and a man call out, he looked up and down the street and fidgeted. He was as unaccustomed to being alone as he was with knocking on a door. He felt exposed.

“Darien?”

“Good day Tomin, may I have a minute?”

“Certainly. Come in. I must say, you’re looking much better.”

Nodding as he passed the older man and moved into his hallway, he waited for the door to be shut before he continued, “I had a Priestess heal me. It wasn’t pleasant.”

“I am sure.” Tomin chuckled and moved toward the living room that he used as a study. The man was not normal in any sense of the word. The only part of his house used for its purpose was the kitchen. And maybe the bedroom, if you ignored the fact he had an alchemist lab covering two third of the room.

“I have come to ask if I can borrow your books on the Origin of Magic. Actually, if you have spare copies, I could really do with a set to keep.”

Tomin’s smile died on his face instantly. As his eyes shifted to one of the bookcases and away again, Tomin sighed, “I don’t have them anymore.”

Narrowing his eyes and keeping them fixed on Tomin, Darien calmed himself before replying, “I see. That is a shame. What happened to them? I would have never thought you would sell something that was so hard to get.”

“I thought I already told you about it. Somebody reported my collection to the guard. I had to burn them before I was discovered with them. I considered hiding them, but it was too risky. You know the punishment for having those books.”

Darien nodded and forced himself to keep his eyes away from the bookcases. He knew the man was lying, his eyes had given him away. He also knew that Tomin had guessed the truth; he had to get the books today—before they were moved.

“Oh well, I guess it can’t be helped. Perhaps you could help me instead. That healing you did on me has allowed me to gain affinity with blood. Is that normal?”

As Tomin’s eyes lit up with excitement and he rubbed his hands together, his attention shifted to the kitchen, “I am not surprised it happened. Come on, let me show you something.”

Without another word, Tomin moved straight for the kitchen and unlocked the door to his basement. It was the same room he’d found Darien inside just two days earlier.

Following him down the stairs and looking into the gloom, Darien took each step one at a time. When Tomin was excited over his experiments like this, he became unpredictable and dangerous.

“It’s over here.”

Moving around Tomin at a safe distance and looking toward the section he gestured at, the basement suddenly lit up. Torches on the wall burst into flames without any sign of magic being cast and a table in the middle of the room reflected a pristine steel surface. Two arms stretched out from under a blanket in the middle and were tied off at the corners. At the bottom of the blanket, ankles were tied off the same way.

“What is this?” Darien asked staying a good distance away from Tomin and the table.

Tomin smiled and pulled the blanket off the body that lay underneath. A boy with wild and crazy red eyes started struggling instantly. He had nothing on but a pair of brown shorts and his ribs looked ready to burst from his almost transparent skin.

Alarms went off in Darien’s head as the boys crazy eyes settled on him. Caught between a sense of dread and curiosity, Darien looked at Tomin, “What have you done to him?”

“The same thing I did to you. Kind of.”

“...Kind of?” Darien echoed.

“You came to me and died. This boy I killed and brought back.”

Looking at the boy and guessing at what Tomin was saying, Darien looked back at Tomin and felt a shiver run down his spine, “And just how many times have you killed him exactly?”

Tomin chuckled, “Once or twice, but he has died eight times in total. Funny thing though, he hasn’t died in almost a week now.”

“Hasn’t died in almost a week? You mean...you’re waiting for him to die again?”

Tomin moved to a table of potions and picked one up. Pouring it into a small bowl and adding a herb while mixing it together with a club shaped pestle, Tomin looked at the boys body, “Just as you imagine, I haven’t fed him or given him a single drop of water in a week. Yet he lives. In a fashion.”

“You’re trying to replicate necromancy?”

“Good lord, no.” Tomin laughed, “I am trying to create an elixir of life. An immortality drink. To do that, I must understand the resurrection process. I have revived this child several times and applied my findings to his body. There is just one problem.”

Looking from Tomin to the child as the alarms in his head started ringing like crazy, Darien took the risk and asked the question, “What’s the problem.”

“This boy doesn’t have a blood affinity.”

And I do… Darien finished mentally and reached behind his back for his dagger.

“You see, Darien, for my experiments to work I need a test subject with blood affinity. I concluded that it has to be someone with a lot of experience with blood and death. I thought a butcher’s boy would be good enough but I couldn’t get the affinity to unlock. When you appeared in my basement, I knew you were a sign from Chadú. I knew you would unlock blood affinity and return to me.”

“You’re mistaken.” Darien growled and took a step toward the stairs.

“You can’t leave.” Tomin chuckled and poured the potion he was making into a vial.

“Try and stop me.”

Tomin turned to face Darien and folded his arms, “I already have stopped you.”

Frowning, Darien turned and fled for the stairs. As he crashed into a barrier at the bottom step, Tomin laughed. Spotting the glyphs lining the walls and roof, Darien took a step back.

Cursing himself for ignoring the warnings in his head, Darien calmed himself and looked at Tomin.

“I can’t believe you actually came down here.” Tomin noted with a slight amusement, “I set this up after I healed you the other day. I didn’t think it would work though; I always believed you had a knack for sensing a trap.”

“I let my guard down because I thought you were a friend.” Darien growled.

“We are friends, that is why I will make you immortal.”

Looking around the room and calling on everything he knew about Tomin, Darien closed his eyes and relaxed, “Immortality, huh? That doesn’t sound so bad. How does it work?”

“I knew you would see it my way.” Tomin smiled and turned back to his potions.

As soon as Tomin’s back was turned, Darien threw two knives at his back.

“That was foolish.” Tomin sighed as glyphs lit up across the room and blocked both the knives, “The glyphs are mastery level. They will block anything that tries to pass except the person who wrote the glyphs.”

“I’ve never heard of enchantments like that.” Darien replied in disbelief as he searched the room for more glyphs.

“That’s because they are my invention.” Tomin answered calmly and continued fixing his potions, “You’d be amazed what can be done with the right ingredients. They are still limited though. I wanted to put them on my clothes to protect me at all times, but it didn’t work. Not to worry, I will figure it out eventually.”

Confident that he had located every glyph, Darien moved across the basement to a box that was crossing the line of glyphs. Reaching a hand out, the glyphs activated and prevented his hand from passing through.

Grabbing the box instead, Darien pushed it forward a little and watched it move within the confines of the barrier. Pulling it back again, the box moved back again.

Wondering how the box was able to pass back and forth through the barrier, he figured it was because the box was already on both sides of the barrier when it was activated.

“Looks like you worked out one of the flaws.” Tomin noted without looking back at Darien, “Not that it matters, it is too late for you now. If only you had cooperated with me.”

Darien didn’t bother replying, he was still working everything out. Lifting the lid off the box and finding it empty, Darien stuck his foot inside and pushed it across the barrier. Just as he expected it to, his leg stayed with the box and moved across the barrier.

The flaw of the glyphs was that it didn’t activate for things that were already on both sides of their lines.

With one leg on the other side of the barrier, Darien walked right through.

“Now you are trapped even deeper in the basement and one step closer to me. Congratulations.”

Darien smiled, “You’re good, but we both know that’s not true.”

Tomin narrowed his eyes before rushing for his staff across the room. Darien wasted no time at all and pulled the lever on the wall. As Tomin rushed at him, the wall opened and Darien slipped into the sewers before turning around.

“Bring it on Tomin you crazy bastard. You might be a match for me inside your little lair, but out here I will eat you for breakfast.”

Standing at the edge of his basement and not daring to step out into the sewers where he lost his advantage, Tomin pointed his staff at Darien.

“Do it.” Darien taunted with two drawn blades in his hands.

Tomin glared back but lowered his staff. He reached out to the lever instead and lifted it up.

Darien watched angrily as the wall closed and darkness filled the sewers.

---

Selene

Watching Romun leave the front of the store, Selene relaxed a little. She’d already explained her morning to Bernie who seemed both impressed and reproachful regarding her actions. She’d said it was good to keep the man in check and on his toes, but leaving the house with another man was a bad idea.

She hadn’t bothered to talk about Romun though and the creepy way he spoke. Nor had she mentioned the hand that sent chills over her body and made her feel genuine fear for the first time since she was a kid.

As Tobi’s body walked into view of the window and stared in the direction Romun had gone, gravity locked her into the chair she was working at. She wanted to go outside and apologize but at the same time she felt guilty and wanted to avoid him. She wanted to go give him a hug and explain about Romun; and yet she wanted to pretend Romun never happened and forget about it.

“Just leave him be.” Bernie advised while trying to unpick the stitching on a piece of leather armor, “He will come in around lunch time and take you out for something to eat. He will talk to you about it then.”

“How do you know?” Selene answered and tried to steady her hand. She wasn’t sure why it started shaking but she could still feel where Romun placed his hand on her back. The perfect hand print felt cold in comparison to the rest of her body. A reminder of the chill that swept through her.

“Because I saw how he looks at you. Men are dull, but they at least know how to make things right again.”

Selene wasn’t convinced. The more she wanted to get closer to Tobi, the further she pushed him away. The more she tried to make sense of her feelings, the more confused she became. The more she tried to act one way, the more she acted another.

“Just relax. Love has a way of working itself out. You’ll see.”

Selene hoped Bernie was right, but as Tobi walked into the store she had a feeling that Bernie had been completely wrong. Everything was about to turn bad. Tobi would shout at her and leave her; probably send her back to Cohol and get a new White Priestess.

“Hello Bernie.” Tobi said as he nodded to her and walked toward Selene.

“Good morning, master Tobi.”

“I need to borrow Selene for a minute, is that OK?”

Bernie nodded and moved through to the back.

“Are you OK?”

Unable to find her voice as her heart quickened and a lump caught in her throat, Selene nodded.

“You left your staff back at the house.” he said with a warm tone and placed the staff on the counter.

Taking the staff and putting it down beside her chair, she looked up at him and tried to take a steadying breath.

“Are you still angry with me?”

Selene shook her head and looked down at her lap. Forcing her hands to stay still as she clasped them together, she waited for him get on with it and just put her out of her misery.

“If you don’t talk to me I won’t understand. I am not even fully sure what I did wrong.”

I don’t know what you did wrong either. Nothing probably... Selene answered to herself and shrugged.

Sighing and leaning on the counter, Tobi turned to look out the window across the shop. He looked like he had more to say but he wasn’t saying anything. The way the light reflected off his profile made him appear sad and lonely. The urge to hug him was beyond anything she’d ever felt but the huge divide between them didn’t allow it at all.

As he turned to look back at her, she dropped her eyes back to her lap and stayed quiet.

“Why won’t you look at me?”

“I’m scared.” she whispered back as tears built up behind her eyes.

“What are you scared of me for?”

She shrugged again, she didn’t even know why she was scared. She didn’t even know if she was scared, it just seemed like the truth and so she said it.

“If you don’t talk to me, how can we work it out and fix it?”

“How can I tell you what I don’t know the answer to?!” She snapped back as she stood up and turned away. Wiping a tear from her eye before it broke free and ran down her cheek, she silently cursed herself for lashing out again.

“I woke up and you were gone. I put on my favourite dress that I have never even dared to wear and you shrug it off like nothing—and then you just walk away from me and leave me stood in the kitchen. I was angry. I asked Romun to walk me to Bernie’s so you can’t get mad at me for going without you and…”

“...And?” Tobi prompted while automatically putting the name Romun to the face of the man that refused to tell Tobi his name.

Images of Romun leering at her and saying things to her in a way that suggested his interest came to mind. When the images concluded with the hand on her back, her shoulders slumped.

Hearing Tobi climb over the counter and feeling his warmth from behind, she let his arms wrap around her waist before turning and hugging him, “I am sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Nothing is wrong with you,” Tobi soothed, “it’s my fault for being insensitive.”

“I shouldn’t have left like that,” She whispered back and buried her face into his shoulder, trying to rein in her emotions and stop herself from actually breaking down in tears.

“No, maybe not. But I should have thought about your feelings more. Kicked out of Brackley because you were going to tell me about them spying on me. Leaving the church to teach me about the gods and travel with me. Sailing across the sea with me. Everything you do for me and I couldn’t even tell you how beautiful you look in that dress.”

Smiling at the last sentence and feeling her mood lighten, she hugged him a little tighter, “So you think I look beautiful?”

“Selene, I am a very shallow man.” Tobi answered in mock seriousness, “Your beauty is why I fell for you in the first place.”

“And if I were an ogre?” She asked remembering her earlier thoughts about how Tobi treats everyone the same.

“I’d like to say I would have fallen in love with you anyway, but I am partial to dark haired humans so...no promises.”

Squeezing Tobi tightly and pouring all her emotions into the hug, Selene breathed him in and got her emotions under control, “Sorry I acted weird. I guess I am a little insecure.”

“So am I, but it’s too late to do anything about that now. I am already yours.”

Smiling as a little peace settled inside her, she pulled away from the hug and looked him in the eyes, “What about the Gods?”

“Screw em.” Tobi answered with a smile.

Feeling a wave of emotion rush over her, she leaned in and kissed him. No matter what happened—she would treasure him for as long as he would let her.

---

Calamity

Breathing out a long sigh of satisfaction as she finished her meal, Calamity sat back in her chair and rubbed her stomach. She’d reached Gilleous an hour earlier and it took all of 10 minutes to find the best restaurant in town. The amount of players in the area was crazy too; considering she hadn’t bumped into a single person on her way there. Not a single person had been travelling the coast and the city came into view sooner than she expected. She didn’t expect to reach the city for at least another day or two. She even received a few stat bonuses for travelling so far in such a short time.

Not that it felt very short. Rushing across the country to meet her brother; every second dragged on like an hour, every hour a day and every day a week.

“Lady Calamity?”

Looking up at five city guards stood beside her, Calamity raised an eyebrow in surprise. She didn’t expect anyone to recognize her here, “Yes?”

“We have heard of your exploits in the north. When we heard you had entered the city, our Captain asked us to find you.”

“Sorry boys, but I am not available right now. I am already on a job.”

The men looked at each other with worry before one stepped forward, “The bounty on this one is quite high. One-Hundred-and-Seventy Gold.”

“Impressive, but even a million wouldn’t stop me from my current task.” Calamity replied, feeling a little tempted to find out what the bounty was for.

“Then may we ask what your current job is? Perhaps they are both the same thing if it is something so important.”

Calamity shrugged and considered it. She doubted they wanted her to kill Tobi but it was possible. Who knew what he’d been up to; “I am looking for someone called Tobi. From the information I have, he has the title; Tobi of Brackley.”

“The Prophet? I see. May I ask what business you have with him?”

“You can ask. You can also mind your own business.”

Noting how the men took the comment a little too personally, she placed her sword on the table and smiled kindly. Taking the hint, all five of them backed away and said nothing.

No sooner had the guards left did another man approach. He was a little weedy looking and his clothes were barely better than rags but he was obviously making his way over to her. Frowning and watching as his shifty eyes darted around the room and constantly shifted back to her, she drew her sword from the sheath and lay it across the table.

“I am sorry, my lady, but did I hear those men correctly? Are you Lady Calamity the bounty hunter?”

“I am. But like I said to them, I am busy.”

“I understand, miss, but I have a letter for you. I overheard the soldiers get told you were in here while I was outside. Quite lucky really, I was told you were in Ardene just a little while ago by a man outside the city.”

Taking the letter cautiously and looking at the man, Calamity looked at the envelope. She didn’t recognize the seal—and she knew most of them—but the writing on the envelope was easy to recognize. It was definitely her brothers ugly scrawl. His attempts at calligraphy were even worse in this world; if that was even possible.

Breaking the seal and opening it, she instantly spotted a code they had used as kids.

Really? Vigenere cipher?

“My lady, I was wondering, do you perhaps know of Chronos and Ananke? The man I spoke with earlier said you were all in Ardene.”

Breaking her concentration from the cipher, Calamity looked up, “I know them. Do you have letters for them too?”

“I do. Could you tell me how to reach them?”

“I will take them for you, I will see them later on.”

“I must deliver the letters directly.” The man replied regretfully.

“Giving them to me is the same thing. They are my parents, I can give them the letters back in our home world.”

“Really? That would be wonderful.”

Accepting the letters, Calamity decided she would read them later. She couldn’t really take the letters out of the game, obviously, but she could at least relay the message over dinner later.

“By the way, miss; you might want to turn the letter over.”

Surprised, Calamity watched him begin to leave and turned the letter over. Thankfully, the opposite side was written in regular human.

Scanning the words and skimming right to the end, Calamity flipped the page back over and instantly started deciphering the code on the back.

Getting annoyed with herself for making mistakes as she rushed to find out what was happening, she tried to calm herself a little. All the letter had stated was that he was in Chadú, in danger, working for a man called Darien, traveling with a Priestess that he had to protect and finally a statement that said he might be dead before she gets there. He even added an apology in the event that he got himself killed.

Don’t tell anyone I am a traveller.

Staring at the deciphered code and thinking Tobi had turned into an idiot, she screwed the paper up and stood up, “You came from Chadú?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“What’s the fastest way to get there?”

“You can sail to Cohol and across to Chadú, or you can sail to a town across the water and ride south.”

“Which is faster?”

The man shrugged, “I have only been to Anderon once. I don’t know which is quicker.”

Sheathing her sword and rushing for the door, Calamity skidded to a stop and moved across to the bar area. Dropping 50 silver on the side to pay for her meal, she rushed out and crashed into a warrior stood outside. Mentally apologizing, she didn’t even break stride as she ran for the harbor.

If you’re dead, I’m gonna kill you!

---

Reaching the docks and looking at the various ships around the harbour, Calamity tried to guess which one looked ready to depart. She didn’t really know anything about ships though so she just went to the nearest one.

“Hey! Excuse me? Can you tell me which ships are sailing to either Cohol or Lybernia?”

The sailor pointed further down the pier and went back to work. Shouting a thanks and rushing to the ship he pointed at, she called up to the sailor rolling a barrel across the deck.

“Excuse me, are you guys sailing to either Cohol or Lybernia?”

“We’re sailing to Cohol, but Captain Farris is heading to Lybernia. He is the next ship over.”

Nodding in thanks, Calamity ran to the next ship and crossed the plank, “Hey, who is Captain Farris?”

The sailor looked over his shoulder to a man by the steering wheel.

“Captain Farris?” She shouted.

“Well hello, miss. I don’t think we have met. What can I do for a pretty thing like you?”

“I heard you are sailing to Lybernia, is that true?”

“We are, but we don’t take women.” The man laughed, “A ship full of men is no place for a woman.”

“When do you sail?”

“We’re sailing any minute, but you won’t be coming. Didn’t you hear me? We don’t—”

“—You can take me or you can lose your head, you decide.”

The captain frowned and gestured to some burly men on the lower deck. Several of them made their way toward Calamity and pulled daggers from their belts. Noting how the daggers were meant for ropes and the like rather than battle, Calamity threw her sword to the side and beckoned them over with her fingers.

Side-stepping the first thrust, Calamity was impressed that the man had actually gone straight in for the kill. Not that impressed though as she dropped a left hook and planted it straight into the side of his jaw.

Ducking under the blow of a second sailor, she stepped in and threw a monstrous body blow under his ribs before throwing another left and cutting his eye open with a swift elbow shot.

As a loop of rope fell over her head and tied up her body, two men pulled on the rope—hard. Planting her foot and resisting the force, she curled her arm around the rope and dragged it toward her. Lifting a leg and planting a foot in the face of the man that flew at her from the pull of the rope. Calamity lifted the rope off her body and walked to the other sailor who let go of the rope in time to resist her strength.

Smiling as he picked up her sword and pulled it from the sheath, she folded her arms and waited for him to attack. The man in response used all of his strength just to lift the blade from the deck of the ship.

“What are your levels? 40? 50? I could kill everyone on this ship without breaking a sweat.”

The sailor looked to Farris in hope the man would cancel the order.

“I won’t take you.” Farris answered stubbornly.

“That’s fine,” Calamity answered, “I will just kill you and force your men to take me. Oi, idiot trying to lift my sword, give it to me.”

The man complied instantly and circled around so the blade pivoted and allowed him to get closer to her. As soon as he was in reach, he passed her the handle and took a step back.

By now more than half the crew had started watching as Calamity walked up the stairs to the upper deck.

“Wait! I will take you.”

“Good. Sail now. Take me to Chadú.”

“But…”

As Calamity glared at him, Farris froze and nodded.

“Chadú it is. You heard her men! Raise the anchor and drop the sails!”

---

Lorry

Smothering the small fire he’d made to cook on as a group of armed men made their way over, Lorry shoved his whetstone back in his back and moved behind a tree. The guards back in Brackley had really done a number on his gear and he needed it repaired as soon as possible.

His gear had been why everyone recognized him in the first place; the reason he never wore it in the cities was due to his incredibly high infamy as an unholy assassin. Wearing the gold clothes of a GM was a good disguise but his armor was as famous as he was. Or infamous, depending on your perspective.

His reassignment back to Tobi had been welcomed despite his anger at the team that lost him, but the people in Aevitas were really making his job difficult. Had he known half the guards sent to arrest him were around level 90, he’d have never tried to fight his way out—he’d have just ran.

As it were, he managed to escape with his life but they didn’t give up. Half the city soldiers seemed to be chasing him and they seemed to know he was heading to Cohol too. They cut him off at every turn and even hired a mage able to use light magic to track him at night. As an assassin with darkness affinity, he had plenty of stealth skills—especially at night—but that light mage was able to cast a wide area of effect spell that revealed him every time. She was a real pain in the ass.

Before he knew it, they had managed to chase him all the way to Gilleous. He was no closer to Cohol as the day he set off!

Slipping around the tree as the men entered his little campsite, Lorry crept toward the bushes ahead and gently eased his way through. His best chance of reaching Cohol anytime soon was probably sailing there, but he would never make it through the city. They already knew he was in the area and put a huge bounty on his head. According to the forums, he had a new bounty record. 170 Gold for a kill, 200 Gold for a capture. To top it off, the people had marked him as a traveler and the 170 Gold kill would work for 3 consecutive deaths.

He was in bad trouble.

“I thought you said I could find Lorry here? If I don’t deliver this letter to him, my boss will kill me.”

Surprised to hear they weren’t after his bounty, Lorry stepped from behind the tree, “Someone has a letter for me?”

“It’s him!”

The five lads dressed in armor surrounded him quickly but the one dressed in rags just looked at Lorry calmly, “Are you Lorry the Merciless?”

“Oh? You even know my title; how sweet. Who is the letter from? Not many people know me by that name.”

“They do now with your current bounty situation. Here you are.”

Accepting the letter and ignoring the five people surrounding him, Lorry put it into his bag. Opening it and reading it while people were ready to attack him wasn’t the best moment to read it.

“OK, we brought you to him. Now give the gold coin like you promised.”

The man nodded and passed the warrior a gold coin, “Mister Lorry, before these gentlemen attempt their foolish act of killing you, could you perhaps tell me if you know Calamity, Chronos, Ananke, Deedee or Galven?”

Lorry considered it a moment before nodding, “I have met two of them and know of the others. Chronos and Ananke are part of a guild called Thunder Dynasty. I think they are currently based in Ardene to the North but their real headquarters is in Camlann with all the major guilds. They are easy enough to find though, they are Second and Third in command of the entire guild. If you are looking for them, I can guess who this letter is off. Calamity is leader of a guild in the north too. Last I heard, they were also based in Ardene. They are called Mercs’R’Us, I think. Galven and Deedee are both mages in Brackley. They were there a few days ago when I was there.”

The man gave a small bow, “Thank you. Would it be quicker for me to head to Ardene and then Brackley or—”

“—Enough chatting, Lorry we are here to kill you and claim your bounty.”

Turning to look at the warrior, Lorry raised both his hands, “I surrender. You get more if you capture me, right?”

As the five frowned at each other in confusion, Lorry stayed perfectly still and waited for their decision.

“OK, but any funny stuff and we kill you.”

“That’s fine. And you, with the letters. I suggest Brackley first. The mages are easier to find. If the letters are important though, you might want to get someone else to deliver those two and head straight to Ardene.”

The man bowed again before turning and leaving for the city.

“OK, gentlemen, before you hand me over to the guards though, may I read my letter?”

The warrior looked to the mage who nodded, “Quickly.”

Taking his sweet time, Lorry retrieved his letter and read it slowly. He took extra time on purpose but there really wasn’t all that much there. In summary, he could break it down into about 5 statements: In danger; Might be killed; In Chadú; Working for Darien; Need help.

Chadú? In Lybernia? No wonder those idiots lost him. Who’d have expected him to cross the border to Lybernia; all the monsters over their are still running wild. Bloody idiot lucky he isn’t dead already. Well, I suppose he might be by now.

Looking at the warrior and nodding a thanks, Lorry put the letter back in his bag, “OK, I am ready.”

By the looks of the five people and their gears, their levels were probably in the mid-fifties, early sixties. Even with his damaged armor and weapon he’d have no trouble defeating them. That wasn’t much of a solution to his problem though; he needed a way to escape and his best chance of that was probably a ship. To reach the ships, he had to get into Gilleous and through to their harbor.

As they walked through the city gate, the guards recognized Lorry and raised their weapons. They called a halt to the procession and offered to take Lorry off their hands.

“They are trying to claim your bounty.” Lorry advised, taking special note of the gilded armor the soldier was wearing. He’d come to realize the gilded soldiers were of a higher level and he wanted to avoid them at all costs.

“They can do that?” The warrior asked doubtfully.

“Of course they can,” Lorry laughed, “they claim bounties too you know.”

The warrior eyed the man suspiciously, “We captured him and brought him this far, I think we can take him the rest of the way...”

“Then we will just follow to ensure the safety of the people.” The soldier replied and nodded to the other guards.

“They will claim a piece of the reward.” Lorry whispered to the warrior.

“We will do it alone. This is our reward, our bounty. I won’t have you stealing our glory.”

The soldier looked deeply offended but Lorry managed to keep a straight face and pretended to be completely defeated. It wasn’t hard to do considering the state of his gear.

As they neared the bounty hall, Lorry sighed, “It’s a shame you caught me here really. The Cohol mage guild has a much higher bounty on me.”

Nobody replied and continued their slow procession through the crowd.

“Pretty sure Vallen is paying 250 Gold for my death and 300 for my capture. And here you are, handing me over for a mere 200.”

“Vallen Chaucey?” The mage answered, causing the entire group to stop in their tracks.

“That’s right, you know him?”

“He taught me my fire magic. Why is he paying so much for you?”

“I killed his apprentice.” Lorry shrugged. It was a lie but it was also part truth. Lorry really did have a bad relation with Vallen and it really was because he killed a mage. The mage was a traveller though so it hadn’t been that big of a deal. Not to Lorry anyway.

“If Vallen is willing to pay the bounty on him, we should take him to Cohol. If my intimacy with him grows I can earn mage quests to get new gear and spells.” The mage urged.

“How do we get him to Cohol? That would take days. —Oof! Hey, watch it!”

Nodding after the girl in armor that just barged past him, Lorry gestured toward the docks, “You could take me by ship. If I am going to get captured anyway, I want it to be for the biggest sum in Aevitas history. I will be famous. Not as famous as you guys for capturing me, but more famous than a measly 200 gold.”

The five looked excited but the one with the bow didn’t seem too keen. Thinking he needed a little extra nudge, Lorry turned to him and looked him over, “Isn’t that the bow of Santos? Part of the christmas event, right?”

Gripping his bow proudly, the archer nodded and kept his silence.

“Vallen has the bow of Moo. I bet he would give it to you if you handed me over.”

“Bow of moo?”

“Oh yeah...” Lorry nodded with seriousness, the fact he made it up did nothing to change his act, “It’s a bow that grows with the wielder. One of the 12 legendary bows of Anderon. Haven’t you heard of it? The mage I killed was to try and get that very bow. He didn’t have it though and Vallen almost killed me afterward. Was worth it though. My bounty went through the roof. Look it up on the forums if you don’t believe me. Well I guess it is up to you guys anyway. 200 Gold right now or 300 gold tomorrow in Cohol. It only takes a day to sail to Cohol. That’s not even six hours in our world.”

“Why are you helping us?” The archer asked narrowing his eyes.

“I told you, I want to be handed over for the biggest bounty in Aevitas history. My name will be all over the Kingdom. And that Calamity...you heard that guy mention her before, right? She is the most famous bounty hunter in all of Anderon and she has failed to catch me seven times already. You will be more famous than her.”

“I say we take him to Cohol.” The mage finally answered and ignored the archer completely. He didn’t care about any bow at all, he wanted to hand Lorry over to Vallen for purely selfish reasons.

As the rest of the group agreed, the archer relented and agreed too. 60 Gold each was better than 40 each no matter which way you thought about it.

Clenching his jaw to resist the smile, Lorry waited for their discussion to end before meekly following them to the harbor. Promising not to try any funny business and to behave himself at all times, Lorry kept both hands behind his back.

Poor idiots...probably just kids too. Oh well, lucky me.

Reaching the pier and looking at all the ships, the warrior asked which one they should ask for a ride. Taking his queue, Lorry advised them to ask the ships where they were heading and when. It would be better if they got one heading straight to Cohol after all. And getting one that didn’t sail until tomorrow would be bad.

The warrior agreed with his deduction and guided him toward the ships. Lorry took extra care to keep his hands behind his back. If they realized they hadn’t tied up his hands it could cause some trouble. Especially when considering how many guards were patrolling the harbor.

When they find out they need the swimming skill to sail, this is all going to go tits up anyway. Nobody sees the value in swimming these days—such a shame. I just hope I can find a ship sailing to Lybernia before they find out they can’t sail to Cohol.

The first ship they came to wasn’t sailing for a few days. The second ship was sailing to Cohol but not until the next day. As they approached the third ship, Lorry looked up and recognized the girl that crashed into the warrior earlier.

“Chadú it is. You heard her men! Raise the anchor and drop the sails!”

Chadú?—“Sorry boys, but I have to leave you here.”

“Eh?”

Quickly gripping the mage and spinning around, Lorry launched him off the pier before kicked the archer over the side too. Darting forward and elbowing the healer in the face, he span the boy around and used him as a shield against the warrior. Pushing him forward with quick steps into the warrior, Lorry quickly threw him over the side too.

“Warriors should wear helmets.” Lorry advised before quickly headbutting him in the face and throwing him into the water too.

Well, even if he can swim, that warrior is going to suffer with that armor on.

Turning for the ship and planting a foot on the gangplank just as a sailor was about to pull it up, Lorry walked up to the deck.

“I heard you were sailing to Chadú, mind if I tag along?”

The captain at the wheel looked from Lorry to the girl and back again.

“I will only take one of you, whoever kills the other can come.”

Lorry looked at the girl and tried to guess her level based on her gear. He didn’t need to though, as soon as he saw the sword, he knew exactly who she was, “Calamity?”

“Have we met?”

“No, but we’re both going to the same place for the same reason.” Lorry answered and pulled a letter out of his bag, “I am guessing you received one too if you are heading to Chadú.”

The girl lifted a letter too and gave Lorry a nod, “Welcome aboard, give me a minute though.”

Watching as she walked across to the captain, Lorry narrowed his eyes. To his amazement she looked as though she was about to kill him. No, correction, she really was about to kill him, “Wait!”

“What is it?”

“You’re pretty famous. Killing him is unnecessary infamy.”

“So? As soon as this ship sails I will get infamy for hijacking the ship anyway.”

Realizing she was right, he nodded, “Then let me be the one who hijacks the ship. My infamy is already pretty high, it makes no difference if I do it.”

Walking up the stairs as he spoke, Lorry stopped beside her and looked out at the crew, “From now on; this is my ship!”

As soon as he called it, he slit the captain’s throat and kicked him overboard, “On to Chadú!”

The crew wasted no time and got the ship moving.

“Nicely done.” Calamity noted, “So what do I call you anyway?”

---

Tobi

“Sorry friend, check mate.”

The contestant smiled back and moved out of his chair. Tobi shook his hand and called for the next opponent. Their time outside the shop had been boring so he borrowed a table and some chairs from Bernie and set up his chessboard across the street. Having placed a gold coin on the table, he called out to everyone that passed offering 1 gold to anyone who could beat him, the price to play was 10 silver. After winning his first three games, he placed the extra thirty silver on the coin and offered the total sum to anyone who could beat him.

The stack of coins by now was 3 Gold coins and 90 Silvers with a small line of people waiting to play.

“Hello sir, my name is Tanta. I will be your next opponent.”

“Welcome, have a seat.”

The man nodded and place 10 silver on the stack of coins as he took his seat. At the same time a wagon pulled up to the curb and Darien jumped down.

“Tobi, you’re an enchanter, right?”

“Yes, but how did you know?”

“I may not be around but I know what you get up to. I need to know how to get rid of a glyph someone writes on a wall or floor.”

Scratching his head, Tobi wasn’t sure himself. He wasn’t that familiar with enchanter yet, “I don’t know. If it’s not been activated, just rub a bit of it out. A glyph has to be drawn flawlessly or it won’t work.”

“Hm. Well, I will need you to come with me then. The Talin too. The man with the Origin of … the man with the books we want is … this isn’t the place to talk about it.”

Looking at the crowd that took an interest in Darien, Tobi nodded and looked across the street, “There is somewhere we can talk, but I can’t leave here.”

“I will put some extra men to guard your wife, don’t worry about that.”

Hearing a bunch of people whisper and mutter as they repeated the word wife, Tobi thought about correcting him. The word sounded kind of nice though so he let it slip.

“OK, we’ll talk about it first. I am sorry Mister Tanta, we will have to play some other time.”

“I am sure we will.” Tanta replied with a smile and got up.

“Your silver.” Tobi reminded him and passed it back.

“Keep it. Looks like 4 Gold in total. You can give it to me when I beat you at the tournament.”

Realizing what tournament Tanta was talking about, Tobi wondered whose champion he was and watched him leave. Deciding he liked the man for no specific reason at all, he smiled and pocketed the money.

“Talin, could you help me carry the stuff back inside?”

Darien, who was also staring after Tanta, came back to his senses and picked up the chair instantly. As Tobi put the chess set back in his bag, the Talin grabbed the other chair and the table.

“Where to?” Darien asked looking at Bernie’s spindles.

Tobi answered by crossing the road and going inside the store, “Bernie, can we use your back room a moment?”

“Be quick about it. And tell that thief friend of yours to keep his hands to himself.”

As Tobi looked back, Darien smiled and shrugged, “Not my first time in here. Selene, you should come listen to this too.”

Looking at Tobi in surprise, she got up from her workstation and followed them into the back room.

---

“...And that’s how I escaped.” Darien finished. The story of Tomin and the boy in his basement had Selene looking horrified but Tobi was just confused.

Admittedly, he was a little excited too. Enchanter was proving to be even more exciting than he thought but he was still forcing himself to keep it low on his to-do list. Arcane magic was still at the very top and the Diary of Ellenestri was up there too.

“So?” Darien prompted looking from Tobi to Selene and back again.

“So what?” Tobi replied, “What do you want us to do about it? Storm in there, steal the books, rescue a zombie-boy, ruin his glyphs and what...kill Tomin?”

“Storm the place I can do myself with my men. Kill Tomin will be difficult inside his house but we can do that too. What I need to know is if I can do anything about those glyphs and what is wrong with that boy.”

After a long silence as Tobi and Selene considered everything they’d been told, Selene finally picked up her staff, “I am going too.”

“What?” Tobi, Darien and the Talin replied in unison.

“It is exactly what I thought Darien had been healed with when I healed his ribs and leg. The church calls it death magic, but it isn’t really—it’s worse. A healer will heal the living body, a Necromancy will animate a dead body. What happened to that body is halfway between both. He is neither dead nor alive. There is only one way to know if he can be rescued; he has to be healed by divine magic.”

“You have divinity?” Darien replied with surprise.

Selene nodded but Tobi was just confused, “Is that rare or something?”

Darien nodded, “To the best of my knowledge, there isn’t a single divine healer in all of Chadú. Well, I guess there is now, but either way it is really rare. Priests who unlock divinity usually rise to the top of their order very quickly. You have 12 leaders in the Anderon church, right? One for each of the Gods?”

“Yes. One person with Divine affinity for each of the 12 Gods. But they aren’t the only ones to unlock Divinity; the 36 Cardinals have divinity too. To rise as high as Cardinal, Divinity is a must.”

“So you would have rose to Cardinal?” Tobi asked, concluding that Cardinal was one below a pope-like figure. Or 12 pope-like figures as it seemed to be.

“Probably. The Anderon faith is much larger than all of Lybernia combined though. Where the faiths here have a few thousand each, the church of the 12 has tens of thousands. The chances of finding a divine healer is much higher.”

Darien shook his head in disagreement, “In an entire country you will be lucky to find a hundred people with Divinity, depending on the size of the country. I guess that explains how you healed me so well the other day. OK, you’re in. Sorry Tobi but if that kid is an undead or whatever, a healer priest is the best way to kill it. If he’s alive, she is his only chance of surviving.”

Raising his hand over his staff on the floor, Tobi hesitated. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of Selene going into battle against a crazy, wanna-be necromancer—but he couldn’t keep her from battle forever. If he ever ended up in battle himself, she would be the healer that stops him for getting his head blown off. There was a difference between protecting and holding someone back.

Adonis— he called mentally to his staff. It hadn’t worked yet but he kept trying anyway, “Adonis.”

As the staff flew into his hand, the Talin stood up, “Finally a fight! I have been so BORED!”

***

Back to Main Page

***

Authors Notes:

Spoiler :

f you spot any mistakes, blame TUSF.

Just kidding ^_^ ... Huge shoutout and mega big THANK YOU to TUSF for his continuous help and support. Can't thank him enough.

Shouts to Iwasawa and Mythu too as well as each of you following, supporting and commenting on the fic.

I do read all comments but I am not able to meet all demands and preferences so I will just try to keep it as interesting as possible for all of you. I do have to stick with my primary plot points though. I have digressed a little in this chapter (away from tournament) but the Origin of magic books are part of Tobi's learning curve so they do need to be acquired. ^_^

I chose to use Selene's point of view in this chapter more than Tobi's but I thought you guys might appreciate it which is why I did that. She was far too confusing and acting far too weird when I imagined it from Tobi's perspective. Her actions seemed bitchy and making little sense to her character. From her POV though it sort of made sense. Let me know what you think

As always, please let me know if you find mistakes :)

~Aspirer