Wood, Stone and Bone

by Ian Rodgers

  “Anything else interesting about Crotia?”

  “Well, there’s the Idol of Travelers Boon,” Katherine claimed. I tilted my head, and she correctly guessed I had no idea what she was on about.

  “The Idol of Traveler’s Boon is a large statue dedicated to Gaea, Goddess of Nature in her aspect as caretaker of those who find themselves on the road. She’s a deity of transitions, and travel and exploration are forms of that expression.” She pointed over the horizon in the direction we were headed.

  “It is massive, and set so that it can be seen from any approach towards the city. Once we pass that hill we’ll be able to see it.”

  “Sounds like an interesting city, all around,” I commented and Katherine nodded in agreement.

  “Yeah, it’s nice, but you want to watch your pockets at all times if you step inside,” a male voice added.

  I glanced over at Mitch who had wandered over, his spear resting on his shoulders.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean it’s the headquarters for the Dark Guild!” Mitch said spookily, making an ‘oooo!’ sound as he fell into line next to me.

  “Dark Guild?” I asked, intrigued. Katherine frowned.

  “Those are just rumors.”

  “Rumors always have a grain of truth,” Mitch replied breezily. “And for your information, mister mage, the Dark Guild is a group of cut purses and cut-throats who banded together for mutual protection. Think of it like an evil Adventurer’s Guild, where their members are thieves and assassins. They have branches all over the world, but supposedly their founder, Rob, came from Crotia, so everyone assumes he based his theatre of operations there.”

  “I’ve never heard of them before,” I admitted, surprised by that fact. I prided myself on keeping an ear to the ground and abreast of all sorts of information, but this was the first I’d heard mention of such a group.

  “They only really operate in the big cities. No point in stationing people in dinky towns and villages,” the spearman explained. “Plus, they’re really secretive. If one of their members get caught the Dark Guild bribes the local guards to either let them go or look the other way when the prisoner ends up dead in his cell.”

  “Sounds awful!” I exclaimed.

  “It sounds bad, but they at least keep crime organized,” Katherine said reluctantly, chiming in on the subject. “Any thief or murderer or wannabe assassin who operates without the Dark Guild’s permission finds themselves in a world of hurt sooner or later.”

  “One could say organized evil is only slightly better than uncontrolled evil, though,” I mused, thinking of the World Rebellion. I shook my head dismissively.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter. I don’t plan on entering the city anyways.”

  “Really?” Mitch asked, shocked. Katherine showed her own surprised, but hid it as quickly as the emotion crossed her features.

  “Yeah. Why would I want to enter the city? I mean, we’ll only have a single evening to do it,” I pointed out.

  “But the evening is the best time!” the C-ranker claimed. “Drinks and women and all the finer things in life come out at night. And I haven’t had a sip of good alcohol since we left Tywood.”

  I shrugged. “Regardless, I’m not that interested. Maybe a drink or two, but nothing else for this evening. Besides, I have to write up what I saw today about a group of Stone Oozes. It was quite fascinating how their excretions turned into a glue-like substance not unlike Partaevian cement…”

  Mitch shook his head in disbelief at my lack of interest for carousing, while Katherine continued to watch me with a hint of wariness.

  I put my concerns out of mind for the moment however as the caravan passed by the rolling hills we had been in till now, and came upon an amazing sight.

  A massive city lay before us, sprawling and dense. A wall rose up protecting the inner city while outside of it squat buildings spread out and welcomed all manners of travelers.

  The Ring Road itself was an incredible feat of engineering. It was not just a single highway that encircled the city of Crotia, but dozens of smaller paths and roads all branching and merging. The red bricks and slates we were walking on curved to the west, following the edge of the Ring Road while new paths opened up that gently drifted off to the east and south.

  At first the traffic caused by pedestrians and wagons seemed to be a thick river of bodies, but on closer inspection it moved steadily and constantly through a series of tollbooths. People traveling by foot were also separated from those with horses and wagons with streets dedicated solely for them.

  Every half mile or so groups of guards wearing bright yellow and orange tunics directed traffic or checked travelers at the tollbooths, their uniforms easily spotted even from a distance.

  And above it all, on a large hill further south of us and Crotia, was a gargantuan tree which had been carved while still rooted into the ground to resemble the Four Faced Goddess herself.

  Her four different forms, representing the different seasons, stared out over the region, a warm expression welcoming all visitors to the city, and bidding all who left a safe journey.

  “Amazing!” I exclaimed, staring up at the statue of Gaea.

  “Isn’t she?” Katherine agreed, staring at the living sculpture. “It took a team of a dozen Druids a full year to carve it. And the tree itself is supposedly grown from a seed taken from the center of the Dullwilds where her secret shrine resides.”

  Further conversation was curtailed when Yorrik returned with the convoy’s instructions.

  “Uncle Torren says we’ll be stopping at the Eastern Hand Hostel this evening,” the Ranger announced to the adventurers. “We can do what we like after we park the wagons and horses, but we’ll be leaving at half past ten tomorrow morning, so don’t get too hungover!”

  Cheers accompanied his words, and many in the group were animatedly discussing what their plans were for the evening activities. I tuned them out when they began debating which bordellos to visit.

  “I heard you won’t be joining us this evening?” Yorrik asked as he approached the dwarf and me. He gave a sheepish grin to the young woman who took it with good natured ribbing.

  “Well, honestly, I’m not one for partying,” I admitted. “I don’t particularly like large, noisy, boisterous crowds.”

  “Fair enough, it’s not for everyone,” Yorrik agreed sympathetically. “But if you do decide to check out the city you’re welcome to join us.”

  I thanked him for the kind consideration and he wandered off to shout at someone who’d tried juggling their knives to impress another group of travelers nearby.

  .

  By the time we reached our rest stop for the evening dusk was bleeding away over the horizon, and the stars and moon were already out. Everyone was sore from standing and shuffling through the assorted checkpoints but were showing much greater enthusiasm now that it was all over.

  Torren had already left to reminisce with some merchants he knew and the rest of us just scattered into the night.

  I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to sleep tonight. We were forced to share rooms to save on space and money. And I was not willing to hope for all of my roommates to stay out all night at some bar or another.

  The only solution was, sadly, to assume my Ooze form, shrink down so I could hide in a cupboard or drawer somewhere isolated, and pray for the best.

  After waving farewell to the other adventurers I cast off my robes and illusions and let out a grunt of relief as I took my regular shape.

  “You’d think I’d be used to all this form shifting by now,” I grumbled as I felt phantom aches and pains quiver through my squishy body. It was strange to feel pain when I did not possess nerves or such.

  ~You’re a lump of magic whose true form is negotiable. I think you’re doing pretty well for yourself,~ Tara pointed out.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I said. I stuffed my pack and robe into my Dimensional Pocket as well as a large portion of my gelatinous mass. I was
down to the size of a fist now, and slid across the floor towards the door.

  I reached out towards the knob with my tendril and opened the door, and wormed my way through the tiny crack I made. I then carefully closed off the room and kept to the shadows. No one was out in the hallways, and I released a wave of mana and sound in imitation of a bat’s echolocation to check for a space I could hide for the night.

  (Hey, Jelly, can I go into Crotia?) Rosa asked, looking out at the lit up cityscape out the window at the end of the hall.

  ‘No, it’s not safe for you to be out at night without me,’ I replied telepathically, unwilling to make any noise. ‘I don’t want to see you in a cage again.’

  (Then come with me! We can sneak in and have fun! This time I can carry you!) Rosa said, fluttering down to me and picking me up in her arms. She then flew up to the ceiling and then over to the window to demonstrate that she could.

  ‘You stand out a bit too much, Rosa. How many other Ruby Carbuncles do you think there’d be in Crotia?’ I replied. ‘Any one of the adventurers from our group would recognize you. And by association, me, if they spotted me with you in my true form.’

  Rosa pouted and Tara chimed in. ~I think it’d be fine for one night. You can fly around for a bit with Rosa, see the sights, and then come back to hide in the stables. No one will be any wiser.~

  The red Feykin gave me a pleading look, her lip trembling. I tried to resist, knowing that if I gave in I would never escape her whims. But then tears glistened in the corner of her eyes and my willpower crumbled.

  ‘Fine. But just for a few hours,’ I sighed. Rosa gave a cheer and then zoomed out the window, the wind whipping against my spherical form.

  After a wild flight through the night sky with many dives, spins, and loop de loops we finally alighted on the roof of a drinking establishment near the walls. I slipped from Rosa’s hands onto the tiles, trembling silently.

  ‘I have decided I do not particularly care for flying or height,’ I heaved out, trying to calm my nerves down after being so high up in the sky. My Familiar let out a giggle before pointing below us.

  (Look! It’s Yorrik and a few of the others!)

  She was correct. The B-ranker was leading a party of about four other adventurers into the very tavern we’d landed on.

  (Let’s go take a peek!)

  “Hey, wait, Rosa!” I cried, accidentally doing so with my real voice. My darling Familiar ignored me and scooped me up once more before diving over the lip of the roof. She then sneakily buzzed into through a gap in the door just as it was closing.

  She proceeded to zoom up to the ceiling near one of the support beams and deposited me on it before plunking herself down next to me, her feet dangling over the edge.

  (Now they won’t spot us!) Rosa said, and I had to concede the point.

  We were high up surrounded by pipe smoke and in the shadows of a lamp, so if anyone looked up we would be obscured. We had a view of the entire room from up there, and we could even see outside thanks to the angle of the door whenever it opened. And it opened a lot.

  Plus, the spot was right above where Yorrik had decided to sit down with the group.

  ‘Eavesdropping is bad,’ I warned my Familiar.

  (But I thought you wanted information?) she said with a cute tilt of her head.

  ‘While I do like keeping abreast of matters, this is not how I like doing it,’ I shot back.

  ~You ‘keep abreast’ by sitting in a dark corner of a bar, turn up your robe’s collar, and then listen in on the loudest and quietest conversations,~ Tara stated. I sighed as I realized how hypocritical my earlier point was and decided to go with the flow.

  “Hey, Yorrik, what do you think of that Jellik guy?”

  ~Well. That was fast,~ the Spirit of Knowledge mused.

  ‘If I had ears, they’d be burning right now,’ I muttered. Still, I focused my hearing down on the ongoing topic of discussion.

  “Him? I think he’s going to go far. Haven’t met anyone with as much magical power before,” Yorrik said as he accepted a beer from a passing waitress.

  “Yeah, we know that. I mean, the guy puts up a half dozen privacy wards and the like around his tent every night. Alone. Without a single Mana Replenishment Potion to be seen. Of course he’s frikken powerful,” Brent said.

  “And that’s the problem. What kind of guy has that much security on his stuff? Why bother, though? It’s not like he has anything worth stealing as a D-rank,” Mitch pointed out.

  “Something sentimental, perhaps?” Yorrik pondered. “Also, do not forget he’s young and new to this life. He’s likely never been with a party before, let alone a group the size of the caravan.”

  “Is he young? I can’t really tell from under that hat of his,” one of the others mentioned. “Robe’s nice though. Very sleek. Lots of pockets too.”

  A round of nods and muttered agreements followed. “Can never have enough pockets,” one man mentioned.

  “He is young. From what I gathered he’s a third year or so at the Mage’s Academy,” the Ranger revealed after a sip from his drink.

  “Huh, that’s pretty young,” a man with a mace agreed. “A cousin of mine attends that place. Pretty expensive if you’re not a noble, though. He has to moonlight as an adventurer to pay the fees.”

  “Jellik works for a noble, or at least a student well off enough to hire him to do field research,” Yorrik said. “So why not give him some space? I’m sure he’ll open up. We do have another two weeks together, after all.”

  A few grumbles greeted his statement but they all agreed to at least try. I was touched by Yorrik’s kindness.

  But it hurt to think how all that goodwill could evaporate in an instant if I was found out.

  ~Not everyone will react like they did in Norhelm.~

  ‘I know, I know, you keep telling me that,’ I shot back at the person residing in my mind.

  ~And it’s true! Besides, if anyone could appreciate you for who and what you are, it’d be adventurers. They’re already surrounded by weirdness. A talking Ooze just might be another Knightday for them.~

  (Hey, look, it’s Katherine!)

  I broke off my conversation with Tara to look at where Rosa was pointing. As the door to the tavern swung open I caught a glimpse of the dwarf walking past.

  Something immediately drew my attention to her. It was not that she was in Crotia. Katherine supposedly lived here, so she could be doing any number of things. It wasn’t her hooded cloak she wore, either. If you didn’t want to be bothered, wear a hood. That was the first lesson you learned in ‘How to Act Discreet’ 101.

  It was the furtive looks she cast everywhere that caught my attention, and the sneaky way she seemed to slip from shadow to shadow as she moved. When the door closed we lost sight of her, but my curiosity was piqued, and my gut was telling me something was up.

  And I was little more than a mobile, slippery stomach. When my gut spoke, I listened.

  ‘Rosa, follow after Katherine,’ I commanded, hopping into her arms. She was puzzled but did as I asked, flying stealthily through a crack in the ceiling.

  Once outside I expanded my sensory range, trying to pick up on her magical signature.

  ‘There, down on the corner of that tailor shop with the gardenias in the window!’ I said, directing Rosa.

  She flew above the streets and roofs, careful to stick to the shadows whenever possible. It was easy to trail someone when flight was an option, as looking straight up tends not to be someone’s first reaction.

  Katherine seemed to feel someone was following her, though, as she kept stopping and changing streets and directions, leading any normal pursuer on a zigzag path through increasingly maze-like back allies.

  She was leading us into the grimier side of Crotia, where the filth and garbage built up and the people took on a harder, grittier, look.

  At last though the young dwarf came to a stop outside of a rundown apartment building. People were still living in it, though,
as evidenced by the flickers of candlelight and sounds coming from with.

  When it appeared Katherine wasn’t going inside Rosa fluttered down onto the roof right across from her.

  ‘Can you turn down your glow?’ I asked, worried her crimson luminance would attract attention.

  (Not really,) the Carbuncle said apologetically.

  In response I drew out my robe and threw it over her.

  ‘It should be thick enough to block it out,’ I said.

  (Thank you!) Rosa chirped, snuggling deep into the extremely oversized article of clothing.

  As she had her fun I continued my vigil over the suspicious woman. I was right to be worried as in no time at all a man slipped from the shadows and crept up behind her.

  “Geryon,” Katherine said tersely.

  “Kat,” the man said, wearing a concealing brown cloak.

  “Do you have it?” she demanded, not turning to face her contact.

  “You’re asking for a very ‘intense’ piece of equipment. Ward Breakers are not cheap, or easy to come by.”

  “The man has several privacy wards up around his tent at all times, and they’re strong. Bank vault strong. He has an insane amount of magical power,” Katherine replied.

  The man named Geryon sucked in air through his teeth in shock.

  “That changes things, then,” the mysterious person said after a while. He passed her a leather pouch.

  I sensed it was enchanted to hide something. I could not tell what was in the bag, not even with my impressive magic sight.

  “The boss authorizes you to do what is necessary to protect our ‘assets,’” Geryon said shortly, and left as quickly as he’d arrived.

  Katherine did not bother to stick around after that and made her way quickly from the area.

  ‘Rosa, time to go back,’ I said. As she crawled out from my robe I felt Tara’s worry.

  ~She’s a threat. Ward Breakers are artifacts designed to completely negate or destroy magical barriers. And did you hear what she said about privacy wards?~

  ‘She was talking about us,’ I said, finishing her thought.

  ~Be very careful, Jelly. She won’t make a move tonight, but be on your guard.~