Chapter 47

  It took the rest of the day to sort things out in Farrowgate. By the time Sir Falk had finished meeting with the mayor to hash things out and report on the results of the day, the sun had already set.

  Marcus had helped me get Meztili back to base and handed me what he called a ‘Receiving sash’.

  “If you need to get in contact with me again, show this to a messenger bird, they’ll be able to find me even if I'm out and about.”

  He had said. They were standard issue in Soleo, apparently. They were made by bottling the owner's sweat, allowing it to soak into a flower known for its sponge-like qualities, and then pressing said flower between two strips of fabric.

  Thankfully, the scent wasn’t strong enough for me to pick up on myself. Smelling another man's sweat was not something I wanted to deal with on a regular basis.

  This was the kind of thing I had to think about while waiting for Sir Falk. The alternative was trying to lighten up the brooding atmosphere that poisoned the room.

  Lily had left before I arrived, apparently wanting to “take her mind off things with a seaside stroll.” Frederick was still unconscious, leaving only Leon and me to talk,

  But Leon had withdrawn himself, sitting silently by Frederick with a complicated expression.

  I could surmise what was likely going through his head. ‘It’s all my fault. Why didn’t I do better? How do I report this? Why can’t we retrieve Arnold’s body?’

  It was written all over his face. But while I considered myself good at reading people, I lacked the tact needed to offer words of encouragement in this situation.

  I imagined that anything I said would only have angered him anyway, given my own lack of emotional response to the situation.

  It wasn’t like I didn’t care. I had just mentally prepared for this possibility and was thus able to remain calm. This was the sensible way to approach life. Consider all likely scenarios, and you’ll never be shaken up.

  But was I dense enough to say all that to Leon? Absolutely not. And I wasn’t blind to the impression this mentality left on others.

  “You’re like a machine.”

  “How can you be so calm?”

  “Do you not have feelings?”

  These were all phrases I had heard many times across both lives. I have accepted that I’m just not good at helping people cope with loss or grief.

  And so we sat in silence. All the way up until Sir Falk returned, the house was filled with nothing but the sounds of Frederick and Meztili breathing in their sleep. It was only the sound of my pencil scratching against paper that broke up the monotony. I was in the process of filling out two reports.

  One would be handed in as my official statement. A clean, objective report that stuck to the facts and detailed the actions taken by our team, and the results that followed.

  The second, however, carried a more personal tone. It held my own opinions and criticisms, levied both towards myself and the other members of the team.

  All in all, despite everything, this mission was a success. In fact, it yielded greater results than expected. But it could have all been achieved much more cleanly under proper management.

  As I finalised my work, I was left once again with nothing to do but sit in the heavy atmosphere. I avoided looking at Leon, wary that any acknowledgement might lead to a self-pitying moping session.

  My eyes eventually settled on a long box left on the armrest of the couch we laid Meztili out on.

  That was the cause of the problems facing Farrowgate…

  We couldn’t do anything with it before, out of fear of Esmee. But now that she was dead, I should destroy it at the earliest possibility.

  But without understanding what it was, I risked making things even worse. What if I burned the contents and that resulted in a violent reaction, killing all of us? What if it permanently turned everything around us into a radiation zone?

  It may be best to wait for Meztili to regain consciousness before trying to disarm the thing.

  Still, what if we couldn’t find a way? What is likely to happen with a silent weapon that destroys everything around it over time once it's handed in to the empire?

  Maybe they would seal it away deep underground in some kind of vault for a rainy day. Or perhaps an opportunist gets their hand on it and tries to run sabotage on a rival…

  …hm?

  Now there’s an interesting thought…

  I put the idea into the back of my mind. I had no way of investigating that line of reasoning at the moment anyway.

  It would be convenient if I could dispose of this thing before it ever reached Borderton. That way, I could at least remove the possibility of it being used again.

  As I considered my options, the solution to my worries presented itself.

  “Ahoy hoy! I’m baaack!”

  Lily waltzed in with a bright smile, entirely at odds with Leon’s mood.

  “Oh, Rex, you’re back? I thought for sure you’d be worm food by now.”

  Leon twitched at her words, and a shadow of anger began to bubble to the surface.

  Lily’s eyes flashed with amusement, but I grabbed her arm before she could agitate him any further.

  “What? I’m just trying to get our minds off the trage—”

  She stopped talking when our eyes met. With my mask removed, she could see my sly smirk.

  “I have a request.”

  I led her outside and pulled her in as if we were close friends sharing a laugh. Perhaps I was being too cautious, but what I was about to command bordered on treason. I whispered into her ear.

  “I’ve got a job for you…”

  ***

  The next day, we loaded back into the carriage, our mission complete and ready to report in. I offered to man the reins again, allowing Sir Falk to sit in the back and give Leon a much-needed pep talk.

  Our two sleeping beauties were still out for the count, and Lily sat up front with me.

  The others couldn’t hear our conversation over the sound of the clopping horse hooves and carriage wheels turning.

  “You continue to surprise me, Rex. You know it’s too late for me to call them off now, right?”

  She giggled mischievously.

  “I wouldn’t have asked you to do it if I weren’t ready to commit.”

  “So why not do it yourself? Y’know, having accomplices just means there are more people to rat you out, right?”

  “Because you can’t disobey me. Thanks to this thing, right?”

  I pulled down my collar and gestured to my chest.

  “I’ve never been a fan of tattoos myself. Luckily, this one only shows up when it's activated. So long as you can’t rat me out, I might as well use you to avoid incriminating myself.”

  “Use me? What am I, a toy for your pleasure?”

  She snickered in response to my blank stare.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. This kind of relationship is what my people are all about. It’s actually refreshing when everything is so simple. Just make sure to treat me well in return, yeah?”

  She knocked her shoulder against mine and laughed.

  She put on a good show, but her initial reaction when she found out about the command seal gave away her true feelings on the matter. If I were in her shoes, I would be trying to find a loophole, some kind of opening to screw over the one who held my leash.

  “So, Tilly. What was all that about, right?”

  She changed the subject. I had filled her in on everything already, and she had seen the state of Meztili’s body herself to confirm I spoke the truth.

  “No idea. Did you know she had that kind of firepower hidden away?”

  “I suspected. Those bandages are designed to suppress mana, but they’re hard to get your hands on. For her to wrap her entire body means she must have some pretty impressive connections. Hope she has more back home.”

  “Now that’s interesting.”

  I smirked at her.

  “What is?”

  “Well, first of all, you’re hoping Tilly stays safe. Shouldn’t someone of your heritage want to avoid holy people like her?”

  “I could say the same to you. Why not leave her to die, seeing that she serves the very beings you want to get rid of?”

  “Religion has its place, even if I don’t personally believe in it. If priests think it's their divine purpose to help people, why would I discourage that? Tilli doesn’t know anything about what the gods do, she only follows a belief system created by people.”

  “Awfully boring of you.”

  She moved back away from me and pouted.

  “So?”

  “So what?”

  “Why does a devil care about Tilly’s health? Did you think I wouldn't notice you avoiding the question by turning it on me?”

  “Yeah, yeah, you’re oh so perceptive... Fine, there’s nothing special behind it. I just admire her skill. There’s a lot to learn from her, and it’s fun having someone like her around to chat with.”

  Lily didn’t realise it, but this conversation served more purpose than friendly banter. I knew very little of her kind, but the rumours claimed devils were purely selfish beings that only operated on personal gain.

  If I wanted to continue making use of her, I had to sort fact from conjecture.

  “Anyway, the other thing you said was what really caught my attention. ‘I hope she has more back home. ’ You consider the dorm to be your home?”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Oh, come on, it’s a figure of speech.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe you have nowhere else that feels more comfortable.”

  A flicker of emotion, immediately suppressed, but too slow for my eyes. I hit the nail on the head.

  “Ah, looks like it’s time.”

  I nodded to a poorly made sign with a picture of…

  “What the hell is that meant to be?”

  I asked Lily.

  “I think it’s a turd… with gold coming out? And that’s a screaming gnome head.”

  “I think it's meant to be a happy goblin... It’s him, right?”

  “I mean, who else would make a sign like that?”

  I pulled the carriage over to the side. Sir Falk came out immediately.

  “What’s wrong? Why have we stopped?”

  “Sorry, sir. An acquaintance seems to have set up shop here. Were you briefed on the goblin tribe around here? Technically, I’m an official member, and if I don’t check in, they might start acting up again.”

  “Ok… so who’s this acquaintance?”

  “A goblin merchant of sorts. He scavenges all kinds of goods, but more importantly, he may have information.”

  “What information could a goblin have that would interest you?”

  “Suspicious individuals intercepting correspondences between nations, perhaps? His tribe lives close to this road.”

  Lily gave me a broad smile and looked to Sir Falk, eager to see if my bait worked on him.

  “...alright, let's be quick. Lily, Leon, you two guard the others.”

  Lily mimed laughter and gave me a wink.

  “Let me do the talking, ok? Goblins can be fickle.”

  He gave me an odd look, but nodded and followed along. There was no real path to follow, but I still recalled the layout around here.

  And as my memory had led me to believe, there was a small clearing tucked away at the bottom of a slope. From there, the road and carriage were no longer visible.

  “Kihihi! Blood brother! You come to buy Clink's good stuff?”

  Sitting cross-legged was a familiar little green friend. He had a large carpet laid out before him with an assortment of random items.

  “Hey, Clink. How's the tribe?”

  “Tribe strong. We make boom boom jar!”

  Without warning, Clink flung a glass jar into a tree, blowing the branches apart, yet leaving no flames.

  “Whoa!”

  Sir Falk hit the ground and covered his head.

  Frantic footsteps came soon after, and Leon broke through the bushes with his blade drawn.

  “What's going on?”

  He took a combat stance and aimed his blade at Clink, who likewise had his crossbow ready to fire.

  If not for me getting between them, it would have escalated further.

  “It's fine, Leon. My good friend here was just demonstrating his wares.”

  Leon eyed Clink cautiously, then slowly sheathed his weapon.

  “Kihihi! Humies fear the boom boom jar. You want buy?”

  “Yeah, I'll take one.”

  “50 silver!”

  I had no silver, so I ended up buying two for one gold piece.

  “Just throw at target reeeaaaal hard. Then it go boom!”

  Sir Falk was back on his feet and looking at the other items with interest.

  Most of it consisted of basic weapons and armour, probably supplied to the tribe by the Empire, but with extra bones and spikes slapped on.

  There were also some legitimately useful alchemical ingredients, though, and boxes of ore likely mined by the kobolds.

  “How'd this little monster even get all this here?”

  “Look up.”

  I commented nonchalantly while chatting with Clink.

  “Oh…”

  Gulp.

  His reaction was amusing for a knight, especially one who spent so much time with me and Vek.

  Above us were an endless number of beady eyes and eagerly twitching legs. The spider hordes of Arach had become something akin to a workforce for this enterprising goblin. They likely doubled as security, too.

  “So, Clink. Have you heard anything about messenger birds being hunted? Maybe some strangers hanging around near the road?”

  “Lemme think… mmm… ah! Blue-swords!”

  “What's that?”

  “Weird guy in crappy helmet was sleeping in hidey hole. Chief said to leave alone, had buddies with blue swords that cut through rock and bone. Lost some kobold brothers to them.”

  I translated for Sir Falk and Leon, and we listened with great interest.

  “Ask where they are now.”

  I did as Leon suggested.

  “Dunno. We lit fire outside so smoke choked them, they got angry and moved to new hole. We kept doing it until they left, kihihi!”

  “...he doesn't know where they went.”

  It sounded like they didn't follow Gotrut's order for very long.

  “Ask how long they were here for, and when they were last seen. Get a description too.”

  The back and forth continued, and I was happy to serve as the go-between. The longer I kept these two here, the better.

  Ultimately, we didn't learn much. There were four people, a mix of males and females, and they dressed in all black. The only standout features were the “blue swords” and a strange marking Clink tried to replicate.

  He definitely got it wrong, because what I was looking at was a blob with squiggles all around it. It could be a squid, it could be a hairy egg. We may never know.

  Sir Falk did wind up buying some ingredients suitable for healing potions, and Leon begrudgingly handed over three gold pieces in exchange for a (definitely not stolen) necklace for his mother back home. It was an impressive piece going for much cheaper than it should have, so I couldn't blame the guy.

  We waved him off and returned to the caravan, where two more goblins were chatting to Lily.

  “—so you just stick them between the toes and heat up the metal end, they’ll tell you anyth— oh, hey guys.”

  The goblins looked at her with wicked grins that were at total odds with her innocent, gleeful smile.

  “I gotta go, see ya later!”

  The goblins looked disappointed, but then noticed me and nodded before disappearing into the trees.

  “What were they doing here?”

  Sir Falk immediately began checking the carriage for any signs of theft.

  “Oh, they were just trying to sell me some daggers. They spoke pretty good common for gobbos. Nice guys.”

  “Did they touch anything?”

  “Just my heart.”

  I laughed involuntarily, but Leon just rolled his eyes as he helped double-check our inventory.

  “Everything looks to be in order… let's continue, no more stops until nightfall.”

  Lily and I saluted and retook our seats.

  “All according to plan?”

  I asked.

  “Yep. The creepy skin thing has been removed and will be stashed for safekeeping.”

  “Good work. Did you look at it?”

  “Wish I hadn't. That thing is unnatural. I'll see what I can dig up about it, though.”

  Lily had done everything perfectly.

  The night before, I had her sneak out and pass a message to the Blood Thunderers to send someone to stop our carriage. Their job was to remove the leathery, cursed object from Anubis’ spine and keep it for the night. I would then confer with Poggy and go from there.

  I couldn’t leave it to corrupt the land, so this would be a time-sensitive mission. If Poggy can't be reached, I may need to rely on Arach instead.

  Luckily, only Meztili, Lily, and I knew what was in the box. Even if Sir Falk looked inside, he wouldn't have known anything was amiss.

  Satisfied with our work, I urged the horses forward.

  ***

  There were no further events during the day, and we spent the night at the same spot we rested on the way to Farrowgate.

  I whiled away the time practicing more shadow spells with Lily, who was rather pleased to see me mimicking her style of magic. The others became a little more chatty again, though they still weighed down the mood with their heavy atmosphere.

  Nobody seemed to want to discuss the mission anymore, so we stuck to meaningless topics to keep things simple.

  Except for Lily, who wanted to discuss the Crucible and invaded my tent again to do so.

  “Lemme tag along again.”

  “What? No. Go away.”

  I was already comfortably curled up on my side with Tiara nestled into my stomach, ready to go to sleep.

  “C'mon, it'll be fun!”

  “You think me cutting your leg off was fun? Is that a personal kink or a devil thing?”

  “No, screw you for that. But if I can get another eight hours to train while everyone else is asleep, I could get ahead of them, right?”

  “You're so full of shit. You can't even use magic there.”

  “Alright, fine, it was a lie. Why do you care anyway? It's not like me being there hurts you.”

  “It doesn't help me either.”

  “I'll pay you.”

  “Just tell me why and I'll think about it.”

  “I'm in love with you and want to spend more time together.”

  I rolled to the other side and ignored her.

  “Argh! Fine! I want to get rid of this stupid seal you put on me.”

  I rolled back and faced her with a devilish grin.

  “But then how would I trust you? It's not every day I get a pet devil given to me.”

  “You're a bastard. I've already incriminated myself by helping you out, can't you trust me?”

  “Hmm… Well, I could use your help with something.”

  I stopped teasing her and considered the advantages of having an ally in the Crucible. Specifically, a devil who deals in souls.

  “How much do you know about splitting a soul?”