Gloom Rising (The Book Wielder Saga 1)

by Sean Davies

  "Wow, you're a good cook," he said cheerily. The greasy food and coffee were definitely making him feel better.

  "Well I was expected to be back in the day. I was supposed to be a nice subservient wife for some fat ugly old man."

  "Can you imagine what things would have been like if we'd done what our parents wanted?"

  "I would have died some poor old woman years ago after a miserable life of slaving over a hot stove and pumping out babies, and you'd be a prim and proper peacekeeper. I bet you'd look good in the uniform though," she joked.

  When Winston had finished, they went and woke the rest of the guard and had them reverse the van up to the back access door of the club.

  The back of the van had weapons, including Kavarne’s massive battle axe and various bits of tactical equipment fastened to the walls, and underneath were two small benches to sit on. Xavier was already belted in and sleeping. Veronica and Winston took the opposite side and slept leaning against one another.

  He dreamt of floating above the purple clouds again, towards a darkish sky with faded stars, but two seemed to burn brightly so he turned away. As he did a floating castle came into view. It was a magnificent structure of towering white stone turrets and ramparts, with red tiled roofs and decorated alcoves and plumed waterfalls that flowed towards the cloud line, before tailing back around and going upwards underneath the castles earthen under structure. A figure was waiting for him, half robed and half armoured, his face indiscernible. He attempted to float towards him but the two bright stars tried to stop him. The figure and the stars were whispering things to him, filling his head with hundreds of thoughts, voices, and images, and he couldn’t grasp a single one. He felt sick and scared, and started to panic. He plummeted through the purple clouds, down into the Gloom that he recognised and towards the ground. The floor was made of puppet Freak faces, all with their mouths open, sharp fangs and big teeth all awaiting him to land in their maws.

  “Wake up guys, we’re here,” Alexander called cheerfully from the front of the van.

  Winston jolted upright as far as his seatbelt would allow, as Veronica and Xavier came to and unclipped themselves from the bench.

  “Are you alright sweetie?” Veronica asked worriedly.

  “Yeah,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “Just a weird nightmare.”

  They got out into the Hotel Noir’s underground car park, and Alexander quickly filled them in on a thankfully uneventful and quick journey. He informed Winston that Lucius had called saying that his room was ready and that reception had the details, and that he also wanted to meet him in the Autocrat’s suite as soon as he was ready.

  He gave Veronica a kiss goodbye, grabbed his things from the back and went to the front reception desk.

  A young human girl with wavy shoulder length brown hair and crystal blue eyes attended him before he could even ask. “Mr Reynolds?” she asked in a happy tone.

  “Yeah, that’s me, Winston Reynolds. Lucius told me that my room was ready?”

  “It sure is. Here is your key, there’s a spare on there too. A top floor luxury suite,” she said in amazement. “I’d love to stay in one of those. I just rent a little apartment above a shop a few blocks away.”

  The girl looked at Winston like he was a celebrity. She was short, sweet, and cute.

  “Well you’re more than welcome to check mine out sometime?” He asked confidently, he could definitely feel that this new walk of life was changing him and he liked it.

  Her cheeks went bright red but her eyes filled with excitement. “Really? Oh yeah, okay, definitely!” She grabbed a hotel business card from the front of the desk and scribbled on it frantically. “That’s my phone number. Oh, and my name’s Mary. It’s nice to meet you! Oh, and you can get me on the room service number – I mean reach me – I mean if you want anything call the room service number,” she blurted out all flustered.

  “It’s cool, I will do,” Winston said with a smile.

  He got the elevator to the top floor. The long sleep back to the Capital hadn’t been that comfortable and the nightmare had been awful, but it definitely done him the world of good. He was looking forward to having a quiet night, although he was pretty sure he was going to sleep with Mary. Winston wondered if Veronica would mind, but he had fucked the dancer girl a lot last night. He didn’t know if her not being there or not made much of a difference.

  The key had ‘TFLR: 7’ engraved on it, which stood for Top Floor Luxury Room seven, so he walked along until he saw a door with the same code on it and entered his new room. It was extravagant and had a similar look to Veronica’s room, but it was definitely a step up. Lucius must have been more than impressed with his efforts so far. The entrance led to a living area with a big leather sofa, recliner chair, glass table, big black television, and a state of the art white computer and printer on a modern wooden desk. The walls were beige and bare (he’d have to get some pictures or posters to put up) and the floor was carpeted in large squares of black and white like a chessboard. In the same room there was a dining area separated by a half-wall that had a top of the range kitchen equipped with a gigantic fridge freezer, shiny cooker, gleaming sink and dishwasher, microwave, and a solid looking wooden dining table with four chairs. The floor here had black, almost reflective, tiles which looked great and would make cleaning easier. He felt cheeky depending solely on the hotel staff. His bathroom was also black tiled with spotless white walls. He had what looked like a cross between a hot tub and a bath, a shower big enough for at least four people, and of course a toilet and sink. There were plenty of mirrored cabinets on the wall and a closet stocked with towels. In the bedroom he had an enormous four poster bed with dark red sheets the same colour as his thick curtains. The carpet was here was black and the walls were slightly darker beige that gave the lighting of the room a cosy feel. There were antique looking wooden cabinets filled with Shadow Circle suits his size, a desk, and a couple chest of drawers. He had a television set into a cabinet opposite the bed that was slightly smaller than the one in the living room, but still massive compared to his old one he’d left behind in Woodsholme. He also had a room set aside for alchemy like the one in Veronica’s place, except his was bare part from the basics. He was looking forward to kitting it out fully.

  Winston unpacked quickly, starting with the Nightmare Nettle Greg had given him and finishing with his clothes. Then he had a very fast but thorough shower, glad to finally feel fresh, and changed into a suit. When he was satisfied he looked the part, he took the case with the remaining Deathroot in and left his room to meet Lucius.

  Two armed Supernaturals in smart suits and sunglasses allowed Winston entrance to Lucius’ suite. He was sitting behind the desk the way he was on Winston’s audition. Sitting beside him was Lewis who was now wearing a Shadow Circle suit, and a dark skinned woman with a razor-smooth bald head. There was also the usual array of armed guards protecting the boss.

  Lucius stood up and smiled. “Winston, good to see you again. Gregory called and told me that you exceeded all expectations once again!”

  “It’s good to be back, and thanks for the room, it’s really amazing! Here, this is from the Woodsholme resupply.” He put the case on the desk and pushed it towards Lucius. “Hey Lewis, glad you could join us.”

  “Hey man, glad to be here. I feel more alive already being out of the Trinity tomb!” Lewis said, full of cheer.

  Lucius opened the case and his eyes went wide. He lowered his glasses as if that would make some difference to what he was seeing. “This is incredible Winston! How did you get so much Deathroot?”

  “I took out the entire Deathscythe tree,” Winston replied, trying not to sound too smug. “Think your cleaning substance theory is right Lewis – a bottle of bleach dissolved it like acid.”

  “Awesome,” Lewis began. “We’ll have to test it out some more on our next adventure.”

  “Lewis,” Lucius said, “tell Winston about your trip to the Gloom.�
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  “Sure. I crossed over to see the Freak Mayor while you were away and I managed to communicate pretty well with him too. Their language isn’t that different to ours once you really start to listen – that, or they’re starting to learn our language. Either way the deal is in place for tomorrow. We’re trading a load of chocolate, sweets and other treats for a shit load of priceless Gloom reagents!”

  Lucius smiled slyly. “I took the liberty of purchasing a candy factory and distribution warehouse in the industrial sector of the city. It just happens to be in Triumvir territory, I hope they’re not too unhappy. It would be a real shame if they got some payback for what they tried to do to you in the tunnel, wouldn’t it?”

  Winston nodded. “So I’ll open a portal in the warehouse and we’ll trade goods?”

  “Yes, and bring them back here where we’ll secure them in the secret underground rooms. Which brings me to my next point; the Governor of Imperia is down there in hiding. The new Autocrat’s ‘Inquisitors’ are still trying to arrest him for treason and corruption charges.”

  “Are they a threat?” Winston was concerned.

  “They seem low in number but they’ve got technology decades ahead of our own. They seem pretty pious too. An MPK tried bribing one and they beat him to an inch of his life for it.” Lucius paused in deep thought for a moment. “They are definitely a problem, but I don’t regard them as a threat. I really don’t think Edgar II knows just how far we’ve sunk our teeth into this world. They’ll make things difficult but we’ll find a way to overcome everything they throw our way. Besides, with you on our side we’re going to have enough of a potion edge to dominate the underworld and overpower these modern aged anti-corruption witch hunters.”

  “We’ll show them who’s really in control of this world,” Lewis said confidently.

  “However,” Lucius continued, “the Trinity of Old certainly do regard them as a threat. They’ll use any excuse they can to get us cowering back underground and under their rule, so they’ve called a meeting at midnight tonight. All the gangs and orders are expected to attend. We’ll go and keep quiet, the less they know about our new found power the better, and then when the time is right we’ll make our move. Especially if it turns out that most of their Sanctium rounds are actually bleach. I expect they’ll have a bit of the substance stashed away somewhere but I doubt it will be enough to stop any serious action against them. Lewis, you’ll stay behind. After stealing you away from them I don’t think it would be a good move to bring you along for this.”

  “No worries boss,” Lewis replied. “I’m not in a hurry to get back to the Catacombs.”

  “Will the other gangs make trouble?” Winston asked. Having a lot of rivals in one place didn’t seem like the greatest of ideas to him.

  “It is forbidden. The Trinity have some old and powerful magic at work down there, and no one’s willing to put it to the test.” Lucius gestured to the black woman at his side. “Last bit of news; you have an addition to your guard.”

  The bald black woman held her hand out to Winston. “Brooke Sienna, ex Imperian Sniper for the Tropican Front, and Werewolf Shaman.”

  Winston shook her hand; she had a strong rough grip. Brooke was wearing a tight grey vest top, restricting her medium sized bust but flaunting a pair of long pierced nipples. She also wore beige shorts so most of her body was on show, and it was muscular and toned. Her skin was shiny and dark, her yellow eyes were narrow, and her features were like that of a feline predator. She had black tribal tattoos almost everywhere including the sides of her shaved head that were hard to see against her skin tone, but once Winston noticed he couldn’t help but stare at the impressive ink work.

  Werewolf Shamans had a strange set of powers, ranging from healing and manipulation of nature to power over the elements which made them the feral mages of the Werewolves. They had a wolf transformation like the Brutebeasts and Swiftpaws, but they could play around with theirs making them more like shape changers. Some examples Winston had heard of were bears and eagles, and some more swarm-orientated like insects and snakes. No doubt there was plenty more than that had been tried.

  “As Lewis has joined us, I thought it only prudent to increase the protection for you two,” Lucius continued. “That way you should have a few guards each if we have to split you up outside of the hotel. I think that’s everything, so we’ll all meet up at in the garage shortly before midnight. Oh, and Winston, your bank account should be looking rather impressive by now.”

  “Thank you Lucius.” Winston was looking forward to seeing how much he had in there.

  Winston, Lewis, and Brooke left the room. As Winston was eager to check his money he asked Lewis if he wanted to look around the shops, so they sent Alexander a message asking for him to join them. They hoped that Xavier wouldn’t chide them if they brought only two guards along. It seemed like overkill to invite Kavarne and Lynette along for a daylight stroll around some shops.

  Alexander was waiting by the reception desk and they introduced him to Brooke. He seemed immediately taken with her and tried not to stare at her intimate piercings. Mary gave Winston a little wave and a smile, and Lewis nudged him playfully.

  They left the hotel and immerged into the pleasant afternoon sun. People were sat outside on tables drinking, smoking, and eating the fine hotel food.

  “So how did you go from the military to Werewolf?” Winston asked Brooke as they walked down the street.

  “I lost my squad in the Tropica undergrowth. We were trying to take down an enemy officer and his unit, but even being a native Tropican didn’t help in that dense jungle; they were like ghosts. I was determined to find my mark, to avenge my lost comrades, but I was getting nowhere and I knew it. Then I stumbled onto the strangest thing; a jet black wolf in the middle of the jungle. It looked at me and transformed into an enormous black man. Oh, he was handsome. He offered to turn me and help me find my mark in exchange for some wild times afterwards. I used to have dreads back then, but try keeping that up with Werewolf hair growth. Way too much maintenance,” Brooke laughed, running her hand over her smooth scalp. She then paused to think for a while and eventually continued. “After the war I helped put down the resistance, and then there was nothing to do. The fight was over. So I travelled for a bit, saw the world and then settled in Rura. It wasn’t long before I’d joined the Shadow Circle and was able to put my old skills to use again. Thanks to you defecting, Lewis, I got a pretty good promotion and an excuse to come to the Capital.”

  “You’re welcome B,” Lewis said with a wink.

  “I was in the war too,” Alexander said excitedly to Brooke. “Started in the Desem front lines and worked my way around.”

  “The Desem front lines – you mean in the trenches?” Brooke was shocked. “So you were one of the first Dogs of War?”

  “I was indeed,” he said proudly. “Showed the Industrians a few of my special moves. My favourite is one I call the trench-buster...”

  Winston and Lewis left the war veterans behind for a bit to get better acquainted with each other, and they both stopped at an ATM machine to check their bank accounts. Lewis went first, and his eyebrows rose visibly showing he was pleased with what he saw before withdrawing a big wad of money.

  Winston was filled with excitement as he put his bank card into the machine and entered his pin number. When his available balanced popped up on the screen it almost knocked him off his feet. He never thought he’d see so many digits in his account. He withdrew one thousand Imperial Credits, and the ATM gave him a two-hundred note, three one-hundred notes, and ten crisp fifties.

  Lewis took the lead and showed Winston the places to go if you weren’t on a budget. He got some new smart and casual clothes for his wardrobe, placed an order for some slightly erotic canvas wall hangings and other decorative items to be delivered to the hotel, and grabbed a few kitchen and bathroom essentials. Lewis then led them on a short trip to a shabby market section where they sold
everything, from fake brand name clothes and cheap food that was almost out of its sell-by date, to pirated CD’s and videos. Some stalls sold strange looking but beautiful crystals and ‘magical’ herbal ingredients, but they were all fakes. They went down some stairs to a small old looking ‘magic’ shop.

  The front section of the shop sold and displayed the same fake crap that was available on the market stalls, and there were old tomes of myths and legends, witchcraft and wizardry. At the back there was a highly out of place secure metal door. The till was at the beginning of the shop and attended by an elderly looking female mage. She nodded to them slowly and pressed a button under the desk, and after a few ‘clunks’ the metal door swung slowly open and they followed Lewis inside.

  A stone spiral staircase took them to the real shop. It was a cosy shade of blue from hanging magefire lamps, stalls of real world base ingredients and magical Gloom reagents were set in the middle of the room, and shelves of alchemy equipment and strange bits of bric-a-brac were set around the outside. At the end of the room there was an alcove containing a crystal ball on a stone pillar, and above it was a curved hand painted sign that read ‘shoplifters will be disintegrated’ in homey artistic lettering.

  “We can get you a few bits here but you’ll want to hit the Shadow Market tonight for the rest,” Lewis said.

  “Okay, what should I get?” Winston had neglected his alchemy far too much.

  “Right.” Lewis swept along the shelves and passed things to Winston. “Mortar and pestle, a couple magefire stones, retort stand, and crucible looks good. Get the rest later.”

  “Okay.” Winston struggled to keep a hold of everything but managed it back up to the till without dropping anything.

  He paid the old mage who precariously packed the items in a sturdy bag with plenty of crumbled newspaper in between everything to keep it all safe.

  They left the shop and decided to get a coffee and some dinner together before heading back. They found a nice restaurant and went in to be seated. They were attended by a young waitress who got flustered and blustered by Brooke’s lack of smart clothing and highly exposed nipple bar piercings through what she did have on. She tried to refuse them a table but a feral growl from Brooke and a few Imperian Credits from Alexander defused the situation and got them a table outside in the rear seating area amongst lots of pretty flowers and well-kept trees. They ordered their drinks, studied the menu, and ordered food.