by Albion, Rex
“Naturally,” Roxy said. “It hadn’t occurred to me that there’d be a reward like that. That will help us set up our temple.”
“A lot of the contents of the mansion will be sold, the furniture and so on,” Myers said. “It might be an opportunity to buy things you need, if it’s not too tainted by association of course.”
“I’m not sure I want to buy any of these people’s belongings, but we’ll certainly come and see what’s being sold to be sure,” said, Vandal.
“I imagine the council will put most of it up for auction, though there may be some items they do not want or cannot sell, which I expect you could claim as spoils of law,” said, Myers.
“Thank you, captain. We’ve got a lot of work to do with the temple to get it usable and secure, so we will be looking to buy raw materials and all sorts of things,” said, Vandal. “We would have done this anyway, but if there’s items the council is happy for us to claim, we can certainly use the fund.”
“You’ll come by tomorrow then?”
“We can do that,” Vandal said, with a grin.
“See you tomorrow, Captain Myers,” Roxy said, as she waved goodbye. “Probably in the afternoon though.”
“The afternoon? I suppose the watch will be up all night,” Vandal whispered as they walked out of the side door.
“Yes, but so will we be.”
* * *
If Vandal the Barbarian had not needed food, badly, it would have taken until early evening for them to get out of the Spotted Dick. Roxy had been true to her word, and kept him up all night, to the point of utter exhaustion, using their magic to full effect. In the morning, she’d thrown herself at him and they’d engaged in a second round, which left her covered in his seed, until his hunger over-rode his lust for the sexy goblin and he bundled them into the bathroom to wash up.
Fifteen Whittle Wurst sausages turned out to be his limit, much to the dismay of Milly and Rose the tavern wenches, who were rather flirtatious that morning, egged on by Roxy’s incorrigibly libidinous comments which did nothing to calm them. It looked like his inability to handle more of them, with the rich onion gravy and creamy mash they came with, meant Rose had lost a bet. It was half an hour before he felt able to move again.
They arrived at the watch house and were soon shown in to see Captain Myers.
“Ah, I see you finally recovered from your fight against the forces of darkness. I have good news and bad news, I’m afraid,” said, Myers. “Which would you like first?”
Vandal looked at Roxy, and she at him, and they both turned to the watch officer and said, “Bad.”
“Jinx,” said, Vandal.
Roxy shot him finger guns, “I have no idea what that means! It’s just something they say in American TV shows to me.” He chuckled, and decided he could tell her that later, after she tried to explain the many uses of the word bollocks to him again.
“Awoken humour is frequently a mystery to me, but the bad news is that the mayor has said, it will take the council some time to determine what to do with the assets of Tinshire Pale Ale,” said, Myers.
“Meaning we won’t get any payment from the proceeds?” asked Roxy. The captain shook his head glumly. “Don’t worry about it, captain. We did what was right, that young lady thanked me when I healed her, and she’s alive. If it takes a while, or there isn’t any money or anything else coming to us, that's fine.”
“The town has to formally seize the assets, or the nobility will be down on us like a ton of bricks,” said, Myers. “The mayor and his colleagues are also concerned that we could cause a lot of problems if the brewery shuts down. A lot of people rely on those jobs, so they want to keep it going. Meanwhile, we have to look into all the employees, and see if any of them were influenced by the cult.”
“Please, don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine. If I showed you everything we have to do to the temple and its surroundings you’d realise it’s going to take us months anyway. Meanwhile, it’s completely liveable. Like camping in a log cabin rather than a tent,” said, Vandal.
“Well, good then. Feel free to check in when you are in town, but if I hear any decision back from the council, I’ll ask Sergeant Bercol to stop by the temple and let you know anyway. I’ll be extending patrols out there anyway,” said, Myers.
“Thank you, captain.”
“In the meantime, I can complete the bounty paperwork for you, and I’m able to offer you the reward for it now.” Once again, Captain Myers took the flyer he’d given them for the quest, filled in his paperwork, and then unlocked the vault behind his desk. After a brief pause while he worked out which one he needed, he pulled down one of the wooden chests and put it on his side table.
Myers checked the symbols on the treasure chest matched the ones on the bounty sheet and then waved for Vandal to proceed as he marked the reward off in his ledger. “Help yourself.”
Vandal opened the chest which popped open with a soft click that spoke to the high level of craftsmanship, which wasn’t so obviously from the plain woodwork. Function over form was the order of the day. Once more he received a series of notifications to explain the quest rewards which were quite a lot compared to the other quests they’d done.
Quest Completion: Root out the Cult of Libidos. You have found the lair of the Cult of Libidos in Tinshire, at the mansion of a merchant who owned the Tinshire Pale Ale brewery. The merchant claimed the title Bishop of Tinshire, as the leader of the local Cult of Libidos and you prevented him sacrificing their latest victim, as well as finishing off the remaining cult members. However, the Bishop of Tinshire let slip that the cult is widespread, and his local congregation are far from the last worshippers. 2,000 XP!
Quest Reward: 100 gold, 3 x Minor Health Potion, 2 Oilstones, 12 x Tallow Candles, 1 Watch Lantern, Tinshire Watch Manual - Your Shield and You: How to use your best friend! Tinshire Watch Manual - Healing Hands: The exciting life of a watch surgeon!
Mana Reward: You have earned the favour of Amoria and receive 500 points of Mana.
Reputation Reward: You have gained 1,000 reputation points with Tinshire Town Watch
Reputation Increase: You have reached the Friendly reputation level with Tinshire Town Watch and may now access more bounties at the Watch House.
Congratulations! You have acquired 10,173 experience points and you have reached level 3. Each time an Awoken adventurer levels up, they grow more powerful and can gain access to new skills and abilities. Don’t forget to visit your character sheet to purchase your preferred advancements.
New Quest: Investigate the Growing Cult of Libidos. It is your duty as priests of Amoria to root out the followers of Libidos and destroy them, wherever they might be. The final words of the Bishop of Tinshire suggest that the cult is on the rise but don’t tell you where to find them. Seek out clues, rumours, legends and records and use them to find more cults, so you can confront them. This quest comes from Amoria herself. Would you like to accept it?
Vandal accepted the new quest, which looked quite interesting. The Cult of Libidos seemed to be their big bad for the time being, and he wondered if he and Roxy would face off against them regularly or if they’d have other major foes.
The books he’d received were interesting too. The one about shields was clearly more useful for him, and the healing one was a reward for Roxy.
They’d also both levelled up and would need to work out what they wanted to spend their points on when they got the chance. Sitting in the watch house captain’s office wasn’t a great time for that though.
“I’ve got another five gold for you for the bandits you killed,” said, Myers, counting out a handful of silver coins to the same value and dropping them into Roxy’s palm. “I think that is everything for the time being?”
“I see that we’re now able to accept more bounties?” said, Vandal.
“Indeed. Adventurers who have proven themselves reliable are offered more opportunities to assist the watch. You’ll find more bounties are open to you on the b
ulletin board outside. The desk sergeants make sure it’s up to date and we have new posters quite often, so come back frequently to check what’s being offered,” said, Myers, gesturing toward the lobby. “I do recommend checking whether they are suitable for a pair of Awoken, rather than a full party of people this time though!”
Vandal laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t make that mistake again, captain. Even though it worked out very nicely in the end.”
“I think we’ll be too busy to pursue any bounties for a few days,” said, Roxy. “We really need to get the temple up and running and there’s a lot to do.”
“I expect we’ll be back doing bounties as soon as we run out of money,” said, Vandal, shaking his head sadly like a building contractor trying to work out how much they can get away with charging to knock down a non-supporting wall and create an open plan kitchen and diner. “You know what these old temples can be like, absolute money pits. It’s a real fixer-upper, you know!”
“We can always use the help and I do hope your project goes well,” said, Myers.
“Could we see the prisoner? I wouldn’t mind asking him a few questions about attacking Roxy,” said, Vandal, cracking his knuckles.
Myers sighed. “We did interrogate him last night and again this morning, but he’s refused to speak, not even his name. I will make sure that you’re notified if and when he does give us any information, Vandal but we’ll have to handle it. The magistrates will allow nothing less. Standards must be maintained. Habeas corpus and all that.”
Roxy put a hand on Vandal’s arm, to forestall his response, “We quite understand captain. We trust you to take care of the prisoner and ensure justice is served. Vandal is just being protective of me.”
“Oh, I fully expect he’s for the rope,” said, Myers. He gave a wry smile, “it’s the long drop for him, and no mistake.”
“That’s something at least. We’ll see you soon captain.”
When they’d left, Vandal leaned toward Roxy and said, “Shall we go somewhere more private?”
“I like the sound of that.”
“I meant, so we could level up.”
Roxy waved her hand dismissively. “We can do that any time. I have other plans.”
Vandal grinned.
“As you wish.”
Roxy laughed as she practically dragged him back to their rooms at the Spotted Dick.
It was a good end to the day.
Epilogue
“Psst!”
“Huh?”
“Are you awake?”
Norman sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was dark and cold in his cell, and the voice was coming from the other side of the tiny, barred window which had no glass. He stood up on the simple cot and tried to peer out between the thick iron bars but couldn’t see anyone.
“Who is that?”
“A friend, Norman. No names, in case someone is listening,” said, the sibilant voice. “Are you alright?”
“Aside from being locked up and roughed up by that bloody barbarian,” whispered Norman.
“Good. They haven’t tortured you then?”
“No, although one of the guards told me that the savage wanted some alone time with me.”
“That can’t happen. For the good of us all.”
“I’m not going to tell them anything, you can rely on me,” said, Norman, defensively.
“We know, but we’re here to get you out, you’re one of us and you are going to be taken care of.”
“How? I don’t fancy my chances in court, and it would take magic to get me out of here. Powerful magic.”
“Magic is exactly right. I’ve got a potent magical food here, that will give you the strength to break through these bars bare handed and climb out. Eat it, bust out, and we’ll smuggle you out of Tinshire, to a safe place,” said, the unfamiliar voice. Fantastic! He was going to be free. He didn’t even know that any of the cult had survived the attack on the sacred shrine in the mansion. But they had, and just a few days in the cells of the Tinshire Town Watch was a small price to pay.
“There can’t be a safe place though,” said, Norman despondently. “Not here, where everybody knows my name.”
“No, not here, Norman. You’re right. After tonight, you’ll never see anyone from your old life again,” said, the voice, apologetically. “There’ll be no-one who knows your name where we’re sending you, I promise. It’s far away but you’ll still be able to serve The Defiler.” A hand reached between the bars, holding a small cloth parcel bound with string. A slip of parchment on it bore the note, ‘Eat me’.
Norman opened the package, and found a small cookie inside, with a smiling face in it. He popped it in his mouth whole and chewed. The taste wasn’t pleasant, but then you couldn’t complain about magic food. He wondered if he was going to grow to enormous size or just become as strong as an ogre.
“It’s quite nutty, and really sharp. Not the best flavour,” said, Norman, chuckling.
“Does it really taste like nuts? I’m curious,” asked the voice. “I’ve heard it’s like bitter almonds.”
“Yes. Almonds. That could be it. It doesn’t disguise the taste of the magic well,” said, Norman, coughing. “It’s working, I’m feeling dizzy. Strange sensation.”
“Give it a few minutes, and then break out as quietly as you can and meet me by the east gate,” said, the voice.
Norman coughed, wishing he had something to wash the taste away. The aftertaste was even worse if that was possible, and he’d got some crumbs down the wrong hole. He tried to keep his coughing as quiet as possible.
“I’ll see you there. Hail The Defiler.”
“Respect The Violator!” came the response.
“Yes, The Violator,” said, Norman. He heard a slight shuffle as the other man left, and sat down on the cot, so the dizziness didn’t make him fall over. Imagine if he’d come close to rescue then spoiled it by getting dizzy and cracking his head open? He waited patiently for his magical enhancement to kick in, coughing occasionally into his hand, trying to properly clear his throat. He could hardly shout for the guard to bring him water because he’d eaten a magical cookie, after all.
Norman lay back on the cot, hoping that would curb the dizziness and help with his growing headache. He closed his eyes and took long, shallow breaths. His last breaths were anything but controlled though, as he thrashed weakly on the simple bed, clawing at his throat and gasping for air.
When he came back to consciousness, it was because of the wailing and screaming and the strong smell of sweat and sex that assaulted his nostrils. He sat up, imagining that he must have been taken to a secret temple of the cult, and had been asleep for the whole trip, exhausted by the cookie.
But something was wrong. The room didn’t feel like any he’d seen before. Any type of architecture. The stone was carved smooth like glass, and he could see fractured reflections in it. The relief carvings were impossibly detailed, as if they were achieved using magical tools. He stood up, finding that he’d been lying on a firm mattress, covered in the finest sheets he’d ever touched. They were bright scarlet, and he guessed they might be silk. From the posts of the bed, hung manacles and ropes, as he and his fellow cultists would use to restrain… sacrifices.
Was this a high temple? He had no idea where the cult’s most impressive temples were but if this place were carved using magic it surely had to be one of the most impressive testaments the worshippers of Libidos had made to their dark god.
Norman realised he was naked, but that didn’t bother him. He was used to stripping down for the more exciting ceremonies of the cult, when they got to sacrifice unwilling young women to Libidos, and he got his true reward. That was when his darkest thoughts were satisfied. Killing that goblin bitch would have been an immense pleasure, but not nearly so much as devoting her to Libidos during a ritual. It was that opportunity which had really appealed to Norman. The temptation the cult offered was too much for a man with his tastes to resist.
There was a balc
ony across the room, and he was curious to know where he was, and where the delightful sound of screaming came from. When he arrived against the waist high columns that bordered the outdoor area was when his mind came close to breaking. This was no underground temple in the nearest city to Tinshire, or even a far-off ancient mountain retreat, where the Cult of Libidos practiced in seclusion from less lurid cults.
Norman was in the realm of Libidos himself. He was in the flesh pits of Libido’s domain. This was the paradise of the Cult of Libidos and below him, were gardens devoted to every cruel perversity Norman had ever imagined inflicting on his victims. Screams rose up to tantalise him, and his inner voices responded as they always had, with delight at the prospect of witnessing and participating in everything that Libidos offered his worshippers.
He’d died, obviously, if he was here. Which he didn’t understand. The cookie had been supposed to help him escape. Perhaps he had a bad reaction to the magic? He sighed. Although he was devoted to the worship of Libidos, as it was so suitable for his man peccadilloes and allowed him to not only indulge himself, but have others support his eccentricities, he had expected to die an old man. No matter. Clearly this was the place for him.
“Magnificent, isn’t it?”
Norman almost jumped out of his skin, which made him chuckle. Did he really have skin in paradise? He looked up at one of Libidos’ demons. A giant of a figure, at least nine feet tall, who had appeared with graceful silence beside him, to look out from the balcony.
He swallowed and tried to speak without sounding too nervous. “Yes, it is beautiful. Far more than I ever dreamed.”
“Our lord provides us such wonderful delights.”
“I am truly honoured to be admitted into paradise,” said, Norman respectfully.
