by Pirateaba
“What does it tell you?”
Pisces hesitated. He turned his head and stared back at the common room. It was empty of course. But he still lowered his voice.
“They frighten me, Erin. They frighten me terribly. And I do not understand why.”
There was no confusing which ‘they’ he meant. Erin nodded.
“They bother me too.”
Pisces stared at her. He opened his mouth as if to say something, and then turned away. He walked towards the kitchen’s exit and then turned back.
“Be careful.”
Then he was gone. Erin stood in the kitchen, and heard a howl from upstairs. She closed her eyes. And thought.
Erin didn’t know much. She wasn’t smart. She couldn’t figure out why Brunkr had died, or what the motives were, or figure anything else about where he’d been found or his injuries.
His injuries. Erin’s hand tightened on her counter. She relaxed. Slowly.
No, she couldn’t figure any of that out. But she had one certainty, and one alone. Brunkr had been murdered. He’d told her that he wouldn’t enter the dungeon. He’d promised her he wouldn’t risk his life, not carelessly. He’d promised her that.
And she knew Brunkr. She knew people. So she knew he had been murdered. As for who had done it—Erin knew people. It was just a hunch.
She stared at the counter. She had no proof. None at all. She heard Mrsha howl again and Lyonette try to stop her. But the girl broke down and began to sob rhythmically. It went on and on. Erin stared at the ingredients.
Food for Regrika Blackpaw. Which one was it? What would she use? If she were making food for that one person. For Regrika. For her. What would she make.
Erin’s hand moved unconsciously. She stared at what she grabbed, and then put it on the board in front of her. The world was slowing. Everything was crystalizing around Erin, becoming a single moment. A terrible moment. Lyonette was crying, Mrsha was howling and then pausing for breath, and then howling again.
Time slowed. The intervals between Lyonette’s sobs and Mrsha’s howling grew longer. Erin’s hands moved. She grabbed a hammer. She grabbed a knife. She pushed ingredients around, poured, assembled. Baked. It was all one moment, one slowly unwinding scene of horror.
And then it was over. All the pieces fell into place. Erin looked down at what Regrika Blackpaw would eat. She stared at the dish she’d created. And she knew.
—-
The world was ringing. Or humming. It felt like everything was vibrating. Ryoka’s heart was beating too fast to keep still. She walked up towards Erin’s inn, holding something in her hands.
A bit of parchment. An inkpot. And a quill. She’d bought them from the market. She cautiously pushed open the door to the inn.
“Hello? Erin? Anyone?”
There was no one inside. Not Lyonette, or Mrsha. Erin was gone too. Ryoka took a shuddering breath. That was…fine.
It was dark as she ascended the stairs. A bit of blue lit the way. Ivolethe flew slowly next to Ryoka as the girl walked into the room she shared with Lyonette and Mrsha. Ryoka slowly sat on the floor. She put the bit of parchment on the floor and pulled out the quill and inkpot. She opened the inkpot and picked up the quill.
Then she stared at the parchment lying on the ground. Ryoka’s heart beat wildly. She hesitated. She didn’t know what to write.
But she knew she had to write it.
She stared at the blank piece of parchment for a long time. Then she dipped her quill in the ink and wrote. Just a few lines. There were no good words she could think of, but Ryoka had no time to come up with some. She was running out of time. So she wrote and it was done.
Next, Ryoka folded the parchment and tucked it into her belt pouch. Then she took her belt pouches off and put it in her room. She took the bag of holding off her belt and put it next to the pouches. She shifted her Runner’s pack to hide both items and stood up.
“That’s it. That’s all she wrote. I can go now.”
Slowly, she walked out of the room and down the stairs. Ryoka felt like she was in a trance. Everything seemed vast around her, and she felt as though she were looking down at herself. The door to Celum was right in front of her.
Ryoka stopped in front of it. She looked to one side. Ivolethe hovered there, a piece of infinity. Melting away. The Frost Faerie was smiling. Gently. It was the first time Ryoka had seen her look this way. She almost seemed…proud.
“I guess this is it, Ivolethe.”
“Yes.”
The faerie nodded once. Ryoka gulped.
“Do you think I’m a coward for being afraid?”
The tiny immortal shook her head.
“No. I would never scorn you for that.”
“Thank you. And tell them—tell Erin and Mrsha and Lyonette—tell them—”
Words failed her. Ryoka turned away. Ivolethe nodded.
“I will see your end.”
“Thank you.”
Ryoka opened the door. She took a breath. Then she stepped through.
And began to run.
—-
Dusk had ended. Night was upon the world when Az’kerash contacted his two servants.
Report.
Venitra stood in her disguise as Regrika Blackpaw, Ijvani as Ikriss, just outside the city limits. They stood next to the wall and spoke to the air.
“I have discovered that Ryoka Griffin is a known City Runner who has completed deliveries to the High Passes, and to Lady Magnolia Reinhart. Of note, she has recently travelled to Invrisil via magical carriage. It was sent by the Reinhart family.”
Indeed? That is intriguing. Reinhart knows of me, I am sure. But why would she concern herself with a City Runner? Venitra. What have you discovered?
Venitra’s words were quick and eager. She rushed to speak, afraid to disappoint her master any further.
“She is the caretaker for the Gnoll child, and she has links to the adventurers in the inn, master. Not the Gold-rank ones. The group with the half-Elf, the [Necromancer], the Antinium and the woman with damaged arms—they are known as the Horns of Hammerad.”
Ah, yes. I recall. The young [Necromancer]. What of the [Innkeeper]? Erin Solstice?
The two undead shifted and looked at each other. Venitra was the first to speak.
“She has a magical chessboard, master. And she is known as the best player of the game. She appeared months ago out of nowhere and began running the inn. The old one was destroyed. She obtained the magical door thanks to her connections with the Horns of Hammerad as well. She…she is rumored to be the one who defeated a powerful Flesh Worm known as Skinner. The Antinium are said to consider her a friend, and she can create magical dishes which act as temporary enchantments for those who consume them. It is said that she had a skeleton as a servant before, and she is capable of making wondrous music. She can apparently shoot blood from her crotch and—”
What was that?
“She can shoot blood from—it is what we heard, master.”
There was a long silence as both Venitra and Ijvani waited. Az’kerash’s mental voice sounded peculiar when he replied.
Do you mean…no. I see rumor has mixed with fact, Venitra. Try to differentiate the two. How peculiar, though. Erin Solstice and Ryoka Griffin. Both are odd in their own way. Very odd. Where is Ryoka Griffin now, Ijvani?
The skeleton mage immediately responded.
“In Celum, master. The other city. She is sitting in a tavern, drinking.”
Good. I have made my decision. Venitra, your careless actions have endangered the disguise that you have built up over the years. Your reputation as a Named Adventurer is at risk and I do not trust you to remain in Liscor without incident any longer.
Venitra hung her head. Ijvani gave her a grin only a skeleton could give in triumph. Both snapped to attention as Az’kerash continued.
However, Ryoka Griffin is an unstable variable I dislike having. She is not trustworthy I feel, even if restrained by spells. Thus, my order to you
is simple. Bring me back her head.
The two undead looked up. Venitra slowly smiled.
“Just her head, master?”
That is all I require. It must be undamaged, Venitra. Completely. The rest of her body may be disposed of, but I require the head frozen or kept in stasis. Take action tonight, and make sure you are not observed. Do not kill anyone or reveal yourselves to anyone besides Ryoka. Make sure her remains are disposed of outside the city—I will teleport Oom to you and have him reveal himself as the murderer of both Ryoka and the Gnoll. Is all that understood?
“Yes master!”
“Yes master.”
Go, then. If there are any complications, contact me at once.
The connection broke. The two undead looked at each other. Venitra was smiling broadly. Ijvani nodded her head.
“The magical door is in the inn. Let us go to Celum. I will draw Ryoka Griffin out with a spell. Then you will have your chance, Venitra.”
“Good.”
“Leave part of her for me.”
“I will not promise that.”
Ijvani shook her head in annoyance. Venitra strode off through the snow, eagerly heading away from the city. The skeleton followed. They walked towards the Wandering Inn. Both of the undead were smiling.
—-
The door to Erin’s inn swung open and Regrika stepped through. She was surprised to be greeted by a shout.
“Hey, come in! Regrika? It’s great that you’re here!”
The Named Adventurer blinked as Erin bustled over. The [Innkeeper] had a mug in one hand and she smiled at Regrika and Ikriss.
“Greetings, Erin. You were looking for me?”
“Oh yeah! I wanted to show you something. I had Ishkr go into the city to look for you—guess he must have missed you!”
“No doubt.”
Regrika glanced around the inn. It was quiet and empty. There were too many memories of Brunkr here for most people to want to return, but there were some customers.
Halrac glanced up as Ikriss closed the door behind the two adventurers. He grunted. Regrika looked at him and the rest of his team, Griffon Hunt. They were sitting in a corner of the room, clearly deep into their cups. The tables around them were deserted. Some were overturned.
It looked as though there had been a fight.
“Sorry. People are a bit touchy right now.”
Erin lowered her voice as she ushered the two adventurers to a table. Regrika coughed.
“I am sorry Erin, but I am afraid we did not come here for a meal. We have business in Celum, actually.”
She indicated Erin’s magical door. Erin made a disappointed face.
“Come on, sit. Please? I made a new dish, all for you!”
Regrika and Ikriss exchanged a glance. The Drake coughed.
“As delightful as that sounds, Miss Solstice, we are rather busy. We’d like to enter Celum, unless you charge a transportation fee…?”
He got no further because someone called out behind him. The two adventurers turned and saw Jelaqua Ivirith, holding a mug and laughing over her plates with Seborn and Moore.
“Celum, huh? Sounds like fun! Those Humans know how to party. But have a drink with us, first!”
The Selphid drained her cup and grinned at the Named Adventurers. Regrika hesitated. Erin pulled out the chair.
“Just a taste? I promise you, you’ll love what I came up with! Here—sit over right here so you don’t have to deal with the two grumpy Drakes.”
“I heard that, you bumbling Human.”
Wall Lord Ilvriss sat up at his table. He glared at Erin. Zel sighed and put one claw on his shoulder. Regrika sat, clearly reluctant, and Ikriss joined him. Two mugs appeared on their table and Erin rushed into the kitchen. She came back out with two plates of what looked to the Gnoll like steak.
“Hmm. That is a steak, yes? I believe I had one two days ago, Miss Solstice.”
Erin beamed at her.
“Yes! But it’s not just any steak. This one’s seasoned specially. Try it, come on! Please?”
The Gnoll and Drake looked at each other. Ikriss coughed as he prodded his steak with a fork and knife. It looked rather hard. Regrika sighed.
“Miss Erin, I appreciate the hospitality. I truly do. But please, you need not force yourself. We understand the recent death of Brunkr has affected you all. It has hurt us too. He seemed like a fine [Warrior]. That is to say—[Knight]. My apologies. I would not like to intrude.”
Silence fell over the inn as the adventurers drank. Zel closed his eyes and Ilvriss scowled into his mug. Erin looked down at the ground.
“Yeah. That was—sorry.”
She wiped at her eyes. Regrika smiled sympathetically and reached a paw out to touch Erin’s hand. The [Innkeeper] moved back a bit and shook her head briskly.
“I don’t want to be down. And I don’t want to be pushy, but I just thought I’d be hospitable, you know? That’s what I do. I’m an [Innkeeper]. So this steak—”
She edged it close to Regrika. The Gnoll hesitated. Erin looked at her pleadingly.
“Just let me know how it tastes. I worked really hard on it.”
There was no way around it. Regrika sighed and cut into the steak. It took a bit of work to slice a section away, and it crunched as she popped it into her mouth. The Gnoll chewed obligingly. And then her eyes widened. Across the table, Ikriss was making the same expression.
“Good?”
Erin looked intently at their faces. Regrika’s response was to cut off another bit of steak and chew it. She gulped and looked at Erin, deeply surprised.
“It’s…excellent. Very tasty. How did you…?”
Beneath the table, Ikriss kicked her. Regrika coughed.
“You’ve outdone yourself again, Miss Solstice. I am quite happy with this dish. Did you…spice it differently, somehow?”
“Something like that. Go ahead! I’m glad you enjoy it!”
The young woman beamed as both adventures began to scarf down the steaks. When they were done, there were only crumbs. Regrika leaned back and eyed her plate. Then she looked at Ikriss. The Drake was raising both his eyebrows at Regrika.
“A truly fine meal. The best I’ve had in…forever, I believe. Erin, I would love to know how you made it.”
“Really?”
Erin looked over the moon. Regrika nodded.
“I would pay much for the recipe. And I will certainly come back tonight.”
Ikriss curled his tail up in delight.
“Yes. Tonight as for as long as we are staying. What is it made of? I haven’t tasted…taste…”
Both adventurers leaned over the table towards Erin. She hesitated.
“Well, it’s a bit of a secret. But I guess I could tell you.”
“Yes, please do.”
“You really want to hear?”
“I would pay much for it, yes.”
“Okay, then. Listen close.”
Both adventurers leaned in. Erin whispered.
“It’s bone.”
Regrika blinked.
“By bone, do you mean meat off the bone—”
“No, I mean, it’s bone. You ate bones of dead animals. There was no meat in that. Not one bit.”
Both Gnoll and Drake looked at Erin. She took a step back and pointed at their plates. Her smile was still on her face, but it had changed.
“You want to know what that was? It was bones, dried and ground up into dust. And other bones soaked in pig’s blood from Octavia’s shop and mixed with mana potions. I baked it together using marrow as glue. Then I dyed it with more blood. It looks only a little bit like a steak. No one else would ever eat it. No one except you two.”
Regrika stared at Erin. The hairs on her body began to rise. Erin continued. She had a very big smile on her face.
“And I put poison in it. Bad poison. The kind that can kill Shield Spiders. I got it from Octavia. I put in a lot. Funny. It didn’t seem to matter if I did. I knew you’d like it.”
> “I don’t understand. Is this some kind of joke…?”
Ikriss tried to laugh. Erin turned to him. Her smile had become wide. Her eyes were bright.
“No. I didn’t expect you to actually eat my food. But it did. You ate it and didn’t notice a thing. You thought it was steak because it was red and shaped like it. That’s not normal.”
“Well, I—”
“And another thing. You didn’t like any of my other dishes. I could tell. You didn’t like drinking beer, and you didn’t like the cake. Not one bit. And you lied about that. I guess that’s normal. Everyone’s got different tastes and all, but then I got to thinking. Hey Regrika, you’re a really weird Gnoll, you know that?”
“Really? I think I’m quite normal, yes?”
Regrika bared her teeth. Erin did the same.
“No. I mean, you smell like a Gnoll and you act like one. And all the Gnolls love you, but guess what I noticed? It was a little thing. You never really mentioned Mrsha. Not once.”
Ikriss glanced swiftly at his companion. Regrika hesitated and then appeared indifferent.
“Mrsha? Oh. The little Gnoll cub. She was very cute. What about her?”
“You think she’s normal, don’t you?”
The Named Adventurer paused.
“No. But I did not mention her because it would have been rude. A Gnoll cub being raised by a Human is strange. However—”
“You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?”
Erin stared at Regrika. Ikriss’ eyes widened. He hissed at Regrika.
“The white fur!”
“That’s right.”
Erin stepped back from the table. Her eyes were on Regrika. The Gnoll stared back, no longer smiling.
“White fur. That’s bad…luck? I don’t know. But I know that every Gnoll knows what it means, even if they won’t tell me. Every Gnoll. Ishkr was born in Liscor and he still knows about white fur. But you, you didn’t bat an eyelash. You asked whose kid Mrsha was.”
