Draconic Sphere Ω

Chapter 20: Esurio... Et... Sitio

"I didn't say anything because it looked like you were having a moment, but it's past closing time," said the barkeep.

"Of course," said Kaergat, fishing some coins out of his money pouch.

Once their debt was settled, Dandelion gave the barkeep a cheery smile. "So which way is the Temple district from here?" she asked.

The barkeep's face went white. "You said you lived 'right around the corner'!"

Dandelion remained unironically cheerful. "Oh, that! It's okay, we were just lying!"

The barkeep didn't look at all put at ease. "Listen, getting into trouble with the City Guard is not the worst that could happen! It's not safe in Aqua Profunda at night!"

"Thank you for the warning," said Kaergat. "We will be careful."

*

It was an eerily quiet, misty night. It wasn't a terribly long walk to Feenschwanz, but it didn't help that they got lost twice.

Lacrie seemed to have taken the barkeep's warning to heart. Her knuckles were white as she clutched her holy symbol before her. "I thought I saw something moving behind us!" she squeaked.

"It's fine. I think we're nearly there," said Kaergat. "It's probably this street."

The street in question came to a dead end. "Nope!" said Dandelion. "Just another shadowy, foreboding alleyway!"

"Okay, the next one then," said Kaergat. "...Ah." There were figures in the mist. Three dark silhouettes, and an odd purple glow, staining the mist.

"By the power of the Light, I banish the mist!" called out Lacrie, holding forth her holy symbol. The mist evaporated. The figures became visible.

They were people – and yet not people. Their eyes glowed violet. Their skin was greyish, and pulled taut against their bones, as if from starvation. They had but wisps of hair, and looked old. Very old.

The one in the front unsheathed a long, black dagger. A hint of that same purple light licked its edges like a coy flame.

"We can talk about this, yes?" said Kaergat. "What do you speak, Normal? Dwarvish? Zwergensprache?"

"Esurio... et... sitio..." spoke the creature in a hollow, rattling voice.

"Ah. Draconic. Umm... We – don't – want – to – fight?" said Kaergat.

Another figure, robed in black, emerged from the mist behind the three creatures. It was hard to see this one's face, obscured as it was inside a hood. It bore a black-bladed scythe, violet light twinkling along its edge.

"You have something we want," said the figure.

"Well, you can't have it!" yelled Dandelion. She shot the nearest creature in the eye with her crossbow.

It was a good shot. The bolt buried itself so deep in that purple glow that you could barely see its butt end sticking out.

The creature barely seemed to register it. It recoiled just a little from the force of the blow, then turned its head back to the group and stared at them as before.

There was a terrifying moment of absolute stillness.

Then the creatures charged.

Brunhild drew her sword. "For Mine and Cl—"

"THE LIGHT COMPELS YOU!" yelled Lacrie. The entire alleyway filled with a light as bright as day – or even brighter. Everything looked unnaturally white.

The creatures fell back almost as if they had hit a wall. Two of them fell to the ground. One dropped its dagger. They scrambled away, those on the ground flailing their limbs any which way until they found their feet, then fled.

The black robed figure at the back had disappeared as well.

"We have to be quick," said Lacrie. "I can only do that once a day. If there are any more – or if these come back –"

"Got it," said Kaergat. "I think it's this way."

"You think, Tiefenschürfer?" hissed Brunhild as they ran. "Just like you thought we should walk into a dead end?"

"If you have any better ideas, you can take the lead!" growled Kaergat. "I never wanted to always be saying what to do!"

"Okay, then – THIS WAY!" yelled Brunhild.

"No, that's the way the creatures went!" hissed Kaergat.

"Am I leading or not?"

"No!"

"Hey, it's the red guy!" said Dandelion. Andromalius appeared to be emptying a large bin into a public trash container. "Hey, Big Red! Hey, Andromalius!"

The demon ignored Dandelion until she was literally jumping up and down in front of him, waving her arms. "What," he demanded in his rumbling voice.

"Red, quick, which way is the guild?"

"If you don't know that, perhaps you deserve to get lost," said Andromalius, shouldering his empty bin and walking into a narrow passage between houses.

"You don't understand, we're quite literally running for our lives!" cried Lacrie.

"Wonderful," said Andromalius, without turning his head.

"What?" asked Lacrie in disbelief.

"If I am lucky, perhaps I can watch you being torn limb from limb." He walked, and spoke, in his usual resentful, lumbering manner.

"They had these scary purple eyes!" yelled Dandelion.

"Ah. Then I could watch your life force being drained out of you until you are shrivelled husks. Even better."

"You'll protect us, right?" said Lacrie.

"Let me be clear," said Andromalius, looking briefly over his shoulder. "I never joke. I never speak sarcastically. I never use metaphor or hyperbole. I do not lie. I genuinely hope that I will have the opportunity to watch you die. My contract does not allow me to harm you, but it says nothing about letting someone else do it."

Andromalius finally emerged from the narrow alleyway, allowing the group to walk alongside him.

"Do you know, Red," said Dandelion, "I'm starting to think you might have a bit of a rough exterior over your heart of gold."

Andromalius grunted and turned into a door. It was Feenschwanz.

"Aww, you brought us back to the guild!" said Dandelion, following him in.

"I walked as slowly as my contract would reasonably allow."

"Hey, everyone, Andromalius just saved our lives!" called out Dandelion to anyone in the common hall who might be interested.

"If you have children, and if anyone in Feenschwanz ever speaks of them, I will remember their names," rumbled Andromalius, tossing the empty trash can into a corner behind the bar, close enough to Wintergreen to make her jump. "One day, my contract will end, perhaps before the full thousand years are up, and I... will have a list of names." Andromalius took out a mop and bucket and started using it. "I spend every spare moment imagining my revenge," he muttered, as if to himself. "I even have some fantasies that are specific to halflings."

"And that's why I keep you working, eh?" cried Chekhov, slapping Andromalius on the lower back, as that was all he could reach. "Not good for an idle mind to have time to spin the old wheels, am I right? Ahaha!"

Brunhild hugged Chekhov spontaneously. "Oh Chekhov, we were so scared!"

"Ah!" Chekhov seemed flustered for a moment. Brunhild broke off her hug, blushing. Chekhov grinned. "Well, nothing that drugs and alcohol can't fix, eh?"