“I’m gonna start with this one right here. Pretty fing…”
The blade was raised into the air, and the figure’s muscles grew taut. The blade came down—
Something whistled through the darkness, landing with the sound of a cushion being punched. There was a gurgle as the figure crumpled into a pile on the floor.
The other attacker growled again, then spun and swiped at the darkness where the whistle had come from. Another whistle, another two pillow punches, and the second figure crumpled as well, making a heavy thud as it hit the floor.
And then the lights came up. The wisp grew bright, illuminating the room as Chloe jackknifed in her bed. Tag, Ben, and Gideon were as still as statues, having logged off once again.
Chloe’s eyes widened in alarm at the two figures lying haphazardly on the floor, small pools of blood collecting beneath their bodies. She leaned down, raised one of their heads by the hair, and recognized one of them—the big brute—as the orc she had seen at the table earlier. Who the other one was, she had no clue.
“Pssst.” The elven waiter who had served them hissed from the door, a bow in her hands. “You and your friends. Come with me now if you want to live.”
Chloe nodded, summoning the wisp to her. She reached the door, then realized that the others wouldn’t be following her any time soon.
“The others—”
“They are blessed, yes?”
Chloe nodded.
“Then they will find their way back. Besides, it is not them they are after.”
Chloe followed the elf down several flights of stairs at the back of the tavern. She took her through doors that were hidden in walls and down a series of long corridors. Chloe was soon lost.
Eventually, the elf led Chloe down a final set of stairs into a room she sensed was underground. Down here, the walls were plainer than upstairs, a mud-packed floor beneath them. In the center of the room was a broad table, and various instruments, maps, and drawings lined the walls.
“Do you mind telling me what is going on here?” Chloe asked, slightly breathless. “Who were those men?”
The elf turned to face her. She looked stronger and more noble than she had when she’d served them at their table.
“You townies have a lot to learn about the ways of the city,” she said. “You think you can just go around telling everybody your business without worrying about repercussions? The city is not as safe as your little farm towns. There are bad folk here, and they have eyes in many places.”
“Hold on,” Chloe said, raising her hands. “What do you know about our business? You are a waiter. You gave us food and drink and offered us lodgings, and now you’re coming into the room in the middle of the night and saving us from murderers? Who are you?”
“If you must have a name, you may call me LeavenHawk. As for how I know your business, thanks to your line of questioning, the entire tavern knows your business, as does every one of his spies who dwells in the city. Those orcs up there are Tohken’s men, and soon Tohken will hear of the deaths of them both.”
“Oh. Well, thank you? I guess,” Chloe said uncertainly. “So you do know Tohken?”
LeavenHawk nodded. “Tohken is not a provider of guesthouses, as you so boldly put it. He is a bad man in a position of power. He is a collector of rare artifacts. A buyer and investor in things the world left behind to be scavenged. He is a notorious trickster, and often stops at nothing to secure the items that he seeks.”
Chloe’s eyes automatically went to her bracers.
“I see you possess something Tohken may have an interest in possessing.”
In a strange panic, Chloe placed the bracers behind her back. “No. Yes. Maybe?”
“Let me see.” LeavenHawk held out her arms and advanced on Chloe. She eased Chloe’s hands out from behind her and held her wrists tightly, turning the bracers over and examining them with a thorough eye. “These were smithed from promethium, and the craftwork is equal to the greatest the elves have ever offered. How came you by these?”
Chloe shrugged. “Found them in a cave.”
“You found them?” LeavenHawk spluttered.
Chloe retracted her wrists, feeling suddenly protective of the bracers. “I did. And somehow your friend Tohken has now put a target on my back and wants me dead. I’m here to destroy him and end his reign over me once and for all.”
Chloe half-expected the elf to laugh at her, but that wasn’t what happened. Instead, LeavenHawk studied Chloe and nodded curtly. “I sense great strength deep within you, Chloe. You might be the right person for this after all.”
Before Chloe could ask what LeavenHawk was talking about, the elf had crossed to a woven basket filled with scrolls. She rifled through, found what she was looking for, and placed the map in the center of the table, weighing the corners down with a selection of objects.
“Tohken’s reign of terror over those within his circuit is dire. He has dozens of spies flying around Nauriel at all times, but even those within his inner circle don’t like him. He’s made a network out of blackmail, bribery, and deceit, and that’s a shaky foundation on which to build an empire.”
The elf pointed at a location on the map. “This is where we are, see?” She dragged her finger across the paper. “And this is where Tohken spends most of his time—at the Nauriel Auction Hall as an esteemed guest. He has carved deep roots into the society in which he resides, and he now has access to almost everything he needs.”
“So how the hell are we supposed to get to him?” Chloe said, her face falling as LeavenHawk’s eyebrows went up.
“Not ‘we,’” she said. “Tohken may not know what you look like, but he certainly knows your company. His men will be on the lookout for a girl wearing emerald bracers, accompanied by an elf, a dwarf, and a mage. You must go alone. Undercover. You cannot complete this mission with them.”
Chloe weighed this in her mind. She had had a taste of solo adventuring, and she had found herself dead on many occasions. Since banding together with the guys, she had been able to take on dungeons and had enjoyed her longest run in the game without finding herself in the white room.
Now, though, if she accepted LeavenHawk’s instructions, she would be alone once more—just her and KieraFreya taking on the Auction Hall. Would that be enough? Would she manage the mission?
She supposed going undercover on a stealth assassin mission would be a lot different than taking on a black mage and his skeleton army or attacking goblins with barely a weapon and no clothes on.
This would call for a totally different style of play, something Chloe was actually pretty adept at considering her previous life of socializing and drinking cosmos around a bunch of admittedly skanky bitches who barely gave a single fuck about her or her problems.
Chloe’s face grew resolute. “I’m in, but I want to know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Why are you so eager to help me?”
LeavenHawk pondered her question. “There are a great many forces of darkness in this world. In this city, even. Besides the thieves’ and assassins’ guilds, there are those who dabble in the mystic black arts, and folk who are ever-hungry for power and status.
“I and my kin are the opposite. We are on the side of justice, and seek to rid the evil underbelly of this town of the scum that infests it. Tohken is one of the stains we’ve been unsuccessful at removing for years. Since you are a newcomer and mostly unknown, you might stand a better chance than we have ever had of removing him from his pedestal.
“Know, though, that you will not be alone. My kin will be following you and reporting back to me. Should this mission be a success, you may gain access to the outer circle of the Peregrin’s Creed.”
“The Peregrin’s Creed?” Chloe asked.
LeavenHawk smiled. “A story for another time.”
Chloe reluctantly decided to let the question drop and leaned over the map as the elf outlined the plan.
Chapter Forty-Five
&n
bsp; “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be a masquerade-themed event?” Chloe mumbled to herself as she reached the staircase leading to Nauriel’s Auction Hall.
The building was a lot more extravagant than she had expected. There were several tiers of wide stairs, all crowded with a range of citizens dressed in long, flowing gowns and formal suits. Each wore a mask that covered half of their faces as they conversed feverishly, the excitement palpable in the air.
Chloe scanned the crowd, eager to catch her first glimpse of Tohken. LeavenHawk hadn’t been able to give a useful description but had told Chloe that she would certainly know him when the time was right. She wondered if any of the Peregrin’s Creed were nearby, and suddenly felt hugely exposed amid the crowd.
“A beautiful woman shouldn’t be walking all alone,” a mellifluous voice said from behind her.
Chloe turned as a man with a great rotund stomach and a high collar offered an arm for her to take. “Neville Labustrum.”
“Chl— I mean...Kiera. Kiera Decaru,” Chloe said, taking the man’s arm and entering the open front doors.
Seriously? KieraFreya said. You couldn’t think of any other name?
None that had the capacity to annoy you quite as much, Chloe thought back.
The inside was even more lavish than the outside. They entered a great arc-ceiling hall with rows upon rows of chairs. There was a staging area at the end of the room with a podium and a table displaying a selection of expensive-looking relics and artifacts.
LeavenHawk’s words played in Chloe’s head. Now remember, you must blend in. While Tohken is famed for loving objects which are old and possess value, his libido is known to treasure the exciting and the new. If you can find a way to catch his attention, there’s a chance he will invite you back to his place after the auction is over. Get him alone, and you will be well on your way to victory.
Chloe followed Neville around the room, hooked onto his arm as they waited for the auction to start.
She found Neville Labustrum to be a surprisingly interesting individual. He had a rich laugh that echoed around the hall and was clearly held in high regard by those who spoke to him, and she found herself fascinated by his stories of upper-class living in Nauriel.
He asked her questions about her upbringing, and Chloe was quick to weave a web of lies. Chloe explained that Kiera Decaru had grown up out in the rurals and only recently, after coming into her parents’ money following their untimely deaths, did she seek to raise her reputation within the city.
Neville ate up the story with jolly mirth, offering Chloe more wine and grapes from the peasant folk who were dressed in high-society garb but kept their miserable demeanor. When a string orchestra began to play, the crowd took their seats.
Chloe occupied a seat next to Neville five rows from the front. On each seat was a small flag, which Neville explained a potential buyer waved to show their interest in the current item.
Just as before the caller was brought onto the stage, a booming voice called across the room, “Please rise for our beloved sponsor of this prestigious event, Mr. Garibald Tohken!”
The speed of her turn almost twisted Chloe’s head off. A man walked onto the stage with enviable grace and dignity. He was younger than Chloe had expected him to be. Better looking, too, with a two-day stubble and hair neatly combed back in waves. He wore a mask, but that didn’t hide the twinkle in his emerald eyes as they caught the light and shone bright and clear.
He smiled, a broad, practiced smile, bowing low and clapping his hands back at the crowd. “Thank you. Thank you,” he said. “I won’t slow down this wonderful night of incredible opportunity. Suffice it to say that I love you all and hope you enjoy yourselves, as I know you always do!”
He stayed a little longer on stage, letting the applause continue. His eyes scanned the crowd, finding their way to Chloe’s and fixing in place for a few seconds, during which she felt herself flush. A hungry expression darkened Tohken’s face before dissolving as he reestablished his smile and exited stage right, finding a seat at the edge of the crowd on a raised platform where he could see all of the night’s proceedings.
Neville shifted uncomfortably beside her. “Seems someone has the hots for you.”
Chloe said nothing, just fanned herself with her hand.
As the first items were displayed and bid for, Chloe couldn’t shake the feeling that she was constantly being watched. Every time she turned to look at Tohken, he adjusted his gaze slightly, flicking from Chloe to the artifacts.
A few times he bid, easily outdistancing the competition to the point where many people, once Tohken got involved, gave up at a much lower price than they would normally have, knowing that they were not going to win against the infamous collector.
Chloe marveled at the items that were sold. Vases, jewelry, and mythical tomes that looked so old and battered she couldn’t imagine the writing would at all be legible within the pages. A few items of clothing and several enchanted amulets later, the night began to draw to a close.
After the final item was called—a gleaming suit of dragon-glass armor that offered the wearer unimaginable protection and immunities to a range of afflictions—Neville rose with a yawn, offering an arm out to Chloe once more.
“What do you say, pretty lady? How about a nightcap to top off this wonderful night with a wonderful gentleman?”
For the first time, Chloe felt a little guilty when she realized what the man was asking for. He had been an excellent host to her all night and had certainly kept her out of harm’s way, but that wasn’t what she was here for.
“I’m sorry,” she said, placing a hand on his cheek. “You’re lovely, but…”
“But I’m not him.” Neville nodded, a look of disdain on his face. “I get it. It’s not the first time some lovely lady has used me for company and ended up in bed with The Collector, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”
Before Chloe could say another word, he was gone in an impressive display of speed, merging into the crowd and vanishing.
Chloe pulled herself together, taking a deep breath as she checked that her bracers were still covered by her long sleeves. She undid several buttons across her chest and stared once more at her ample bosom, still not quite believing how much she had lucked out by getting an avatar with such an incredible body.
Wait until he sees this. She grinned.
KieraFreya chipped in, Slut.
“Hey!” Chloe said aloud, turning and stopping at once as she almost crashed into someone. She looked up into the devilishly handsome face of Tohken.
“Who were you talking to?” He grinned, flashing brilliantly white teeth, his eyes clearly fighting the desire to stare at her chest.
“Um, no one. Myself…” Chloe said, laughing nervously as Tohken reached forward and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
“They say that those who talk to themselves are quite mad,” he remarked, his voice silky smooth. “I say those who talk to themselves are smart enough to have tired of listening to the sludge that comes out of others’ mouths and find comfort and solace in their own aptitude.”
“That’s quite a mouthful for a proverb.”
Tohken’s eyes found her chest once more. “I like a mouthful.”
Chloe flushed, coyly nudging Tohken away, doing her best to emulate the way she had seen her friends act when they were trying to not come across too eager on the dance floor.
“Tell me,” Tohken said, waving at a person calling his name as he walked by, his voice softer now. “Would you like to come backstage and see my private collection?”
“What makes you think I’d be interested in that?”
Tohken chuckled. “There are many who find their way to my auctions in hopes of seeing rare antiquities. My name is like a current on the wind that washes past people’s ears, and they beg to be among the precious few who have seen it all.”
Chloe couldn’t tell whether Tohken was talking about his artifacts or his genitals. She hoped it was the for
mer, but something made her think it was the latter.
“Come,” he said, taking Chloe’s hand and guiding her out the main hall through a side door.
They found their way through a series of doors and corridors lined with vases upon podiums and oil paintings hanging on the walls. Tohken took Chloe to a gleaming gold door, pulled out a large silver key, and placed it in the lock.
“Are you ready?”
Chloe nodded, smiling excitedly.
The door opened to reveal a room that was nearly the same size as the auction hall. The floor was covered in soft spun-wool rugs, and there were tables topped with ornaments and objects of all shapes and sizes. A strange smell of dust and old attics filled the room, but Chloe didn’t mind at all.
“What is all this?” she asked.
“A lifetime of work,” Tohken replied, guiding her around the room. “Over here is the fabled Cursed Mirror of Klauner—a mirror that has the ability to predict the coming weeks of the viewer, but only at the expense that it all goes wrong. Don’t look at it directly.
“Here is the rock that Fabien threw to take down Krog, the terrible troll. Found deep in the caverns of Leveren. Here’s the bloodstain from where the rock hit Krog’s head.”
Tohken dizzied Chloe with his enthusiasm, dragging her around the room and reciting great tales of wonder and loss. If half of what he told her was true, this collection was indeed impressive. Tohken was giddy as he described everything he had gathered over the years.
“And here, you’ll never believe this one! Erm, I’m so sorry…I don’t know your name.”
“Kiera Decaru,” Chloe said a little too quickly.
A momentary doubt crossed Tohken’s face, then he smiled and kissed her hand. “A beautiful name for a beautiful lady.”
He turned his attention to the wall, where an assortment of dazzling and impressive-looking armor was hung. Some had shoulder plates covered in spikes, and some looked as if they would hardly protect a man at all, but shone with an eclectic selection of jewels and gems.
Collecting The Goddess (Chronicles Of KieraFreya Book 1) Page 32
