“Father!” Sly finally spoke up. “Tell me what’s going on! What are these shadows and marks you keep talking about?! And who is this He?! Tim wants me dead?!”
“We’re talking about the Steel King’s spies,” I decided to answer while Goody came to his senses. “There are a striking number of them out here.”
“And the marks are casts of his aura,” Pinebogey finished. “It’s a way of identifying his subjects.”
Pinebogey and I both ignored the part about his brother. Let them figure it out for themselves. As for what the old man wanted, it could be arranged. Or certainly promised. Ugh… Goody will probably demand that we swear an oath.
Goody glanced at us and started slightly out of turn:
“When I received word that my son had brought two odd explorers with him, I figured you were coming to reinforce the shadows. But when rumors started swirling around town about a Primordial that could reawaken Foreston ― a great deal became clear… I am prepared to help you. And support you in all your endeavors. Despite my illness, I still have many allies. If need be, I could put together an army for you. But on one condition ― Tim must remain alive!”
Pinebogey and I traded glances. My buddy gave a curt nod as if to say it could be arranged.
“Who are you?” Sly asked quietly.
“Hm, that’s a good question,” I stroked the back of my head. “Before we go any further, there’s something you should know. The thing is the shadows think we are on their side. Or rather, me.”
Goody frowned. Seemingly, he was not expecting that twist.
“And in a way, they have every reason to think so,” I finished him off with new details. “I really was sent to the Dark Continent at the Steel King’s behest. And until recently, I sincerely believed that Egbert the Seventh had noble intentions. And namely ― eradicating Darkness. In other words, that jerkwad used me and pulled the wool over my eyes. Beyond that, he is keeping my brother in his prison.”
“But what could the Steel King need from a…”
“A zero?” I chuckled. “My blood, for one. In my veins flows the blood of the Ancients.”
Sly gave a loud gulp, but his father sat back wearily in his chair. Seemingly, he had already realized where I was going with this.
“The Steel King thirsts for the might his predecessors once knew.”
“He is seeking the Tomb of the Founder,” the old man quietly continued for me. “And you are…”
“A Monster Hunter,” I nodded to confirm his guess and gave an awkward chuckle. “But you’ll never guess who first brought me into all this…”
Chapter 23
OUR DISCUSSION with the head of House Redtail lasted until midnight. We had to break for dinner, during which we discussed random meaningless topics. That was because Goody’s wife, unlike her son, had opted to join us for the meal. As an aside, her treatment of Pinebogey and me had changed strikingly. Not even the slightest trace remained of the spiteful fox that met us on the doorstep. Now she was hospitality personified. And I wasn’t the only one surprised by the odd shift in the foxmaiden’s behavior. Old man Goody and Sly were casting perplexed glances at the happily smiling fox.
I guessed the reason for her sudden kindheartedness a bit later, when Mara and I met eyes. Her look and significant, barely perceptible nod said a lot. Now she knew who we were. When she was getting dinner ready, one of Nimble’s helpers must have told her the “true” purpose of our stay in Foreston. And that was why she looked so happy. And of course! She could probably already see her flesh and blood being elevated to head of house in the very near future! The hateful old man and his elder offspring meanwhile would be dead.
I had to nod significantly back. As if to say, “you’re right, madame, we are the ones you’ve been waiting for. And now things are really looking up for you.” I’m sure Mara was authentically happy that evening. She even tried to look at her husband and stepson with slightly less hate in her eyes.
After dinner, when there were just four of us again, we had to loop back around and answer all the Redtails’ questions about their illustrious ancestor. They believed the ghost story with surprising ease. Later on, I found out that lots of what I said matched up with ancient chronicles they kept in their house archives. For example, very few knew why Sly Redtail had stayed behind in Stonetown.
Over the whole evening, Goody only had a few flareups, but he held out valiantly. Alas though, my spell could only partially help the old man. The Darkness that had taken root in his body was not so easy to coax out. Pinebogey told me later that we could try to let the Heart of the Forest extract the infection, but it would be a very risky operation. Goody was too weak. He might die. And so we decided not to risk it just yet. Later, when things quieted down, we could give it a shot. For that, we’ll have to bring together all the healers in Foreston for the task of keeping the old man’s body going while the Heart of the Forest banishes the dark toxin.
After dinner, locked in Goody’s office, the four of us discussed an approximate plan for the future. The main conclusion we reached was that we would have to make the first move on the Steel King’s shadows, but before that the old man wanted to talk to the other house leaders. The day after tomorrow there would be a perfect opportunity ― the yearly gathering of houses. Pinebogey and I were skeptical of that notion. Was there any certainty the other houses were still being controlled by the same old patriarchs? Pinebogey and I definitely were not so sure. But Goody was adamant. He kept saying we needed the whole clan behind us. After all, getting rid of all the shadows in the city was just step one. Next, we would have to make it to the portal, which was beyond Narrow Lake, deep in blackblood territory. Even a fool could see their Mothers would not just stand idly by as I closed their portal.
And speaking of that… When I asked what Nimble meant when he mentioned they were already prepared to raise my reputation with the order, Goody gave a conspiratorial smirk and asked Sly to open the door to a secret room camouflaged behind a bookshelf. Inside I saw shelves loaded down with bags stuffed full of ghostly crystals and my heartbeat sped up. There were enough here to make several magisters! And considering that every house had a similar stockpile, which had been gathered by generations of foxfolk ― there would be enough crystals to fully close several dark portals! All we had left to do was get rid of the Steel King’s shadows. The solution came from somewhere I was not expecting. Nimble himself hinted at it.
After our conversation, Pinebogey and I were given our own separate chambers. But before I could get settled, a soft knock came at the door. I got out the summoning amulet just in case and readied a shield spell, then said:
“Come in.”
The door quietly swung open and I saw a black fox standing in the doorframe. He placed a pointer finger to his lips and gave a short nod toward the stairway. The look on the corrupt bodyguard’s face had also changed. Black Claw, much like Mara, was looking at me differently, as an ally.
When I walked up to the warrior, almost face to face, he whispered:
“You have been requested for a meeting, Master Eric.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice who wanted to meet me like this in the middle of the night. Someone wanted to know the details of my talk with the old man.
My guesses were proven right. In one of the rooms on a lower floor, Nimble was waiting for me. I must note that the rat was being quite inconsiderate given he was in someone else’s home. He was acting practically like he owned the place. This seemed to be far from his first visit to this other house’s seat.
“What were you talking about for so long?” Nimble asked demandingly as soon as I crossed the threshold. On the table the gray fox was sitting at, I saw a pitcher of wine and a few plates. Based on the leftovers, the Steel King’s spy had been plied with the very same delicacies as us.
I really disliked the little weasel’s tone. He had already gotten used to calling the shots. Takeda’s death had brought the corrupt fox a few rungs up the career ladder.
Straining to suppress my annoyance and desire to smack this ugly bastard upside the head, I flipped my simpleton persona back on and responded:
“Sir Goody believes there is a conspiracy fomenting against him.”
Nimble’s face changed. His mouth melted into a satisfied smile, revealing a set of sharp fangs. I guess I play a moron pretty well.
“Is that so?” Nimble chuckled, getting a more comfortable seat in his armchair. “And what made him decide to share those suspicions with you specifically?”
“What do you mean?” I objected, adding notes of indignation to my voice. “We saved his oldest son’s life! Now the old man trusts us implicitly. Now he is our ally in the fight against darkness!”
Paradoxically, I didn’t say a single word that wasn’t true. Nimble probably had some sort of lie detection abilities based on the way his eyes started running. He must have gotten a system message. But he was no match for my will. He would take anything I said for the genuine article. I yet again praised myself for paying attention to that characteristic in particular.
“Did he name any names?”
“No,” I shook my head again like a moron. “He was speaking in general terms… He mentioned something called shadows.”
That made Nimble shudder. His little eyes started darting around while his fingers started feverishly drumming out a rhythm on his armrest. After that, he fitfully jumped up out of the armchair and started quickly pacing out the room. The fox was sullen and pensive.
“Did something happen?” I was naivete in the flesh.
“He say anything else?” Nimble asked, ignoring my question.
“Yes,” I nodded. “He said he wants to discuss it with the elders at the yearly gathering of houses.”
“Abyss!” Nimble shot out. “That’s too soon… We might not make it… Although…”
The Steel King’s chief spy finally stopped fidgeting and, glancing at me, said:
“Master Eric, I thank you for the help! Your contribution to the fight against Darkness is inestimable. The thing is, Goody Redtail has outlived his good sense. It’s all due to his illness. Healers just throw up their hands. It looks like it’s much worse than we thought. Some kind of dark entity must have come to dwell within him after the last time we were attacked. Worst of all, the old man has filled his older son’s head with these ideas. Now all our hopes are with Tim. He is the future of House Redtail. But…!” Nimble raised a pointer finger significantly and looked at me triumphantly. “The worst part of all this is that he has many allies. Even among the house elders!”
“And who might they be?” I asked innocently, mentally rubbing my hands together. After all, Nimble was just about to reveal our potential allies. I didn’t much believe the rat could have figured out my game.
“Courage Yelloweye and Grip Graymane ― those two house leaders are sure to support Goody. And we simply cannot allow such a thing! Thankfully, we can get these traitors replaced with their more worthy sons!”
A-hem… There’s a real civil war brewing here. I didn’t think foxfolk society was so far gone.
“What should we do? How can we stop Darkness?”
“Don’t you worry, Master Eric,” Nimble smiled. “Thanks to you, we now have a chance to fix everything. You said Goody wants to speak at the yearly gathering of houses?”
“Yes.”
“Okay then, we couldn’t ask for a better time and place,” said Nimble. Based on the burning look in his eyes and happy smirk, a plan to kill all who would defy him had just been hatched. “All esteemed members of our clan will be assembled there. We’ll take them down in one fell swoop! Get rid of all defiant clan members at once.”
The foxman’s hands balled up into fists. The fur on the back of his neck stood on end. No. This was no act. It was not just for show. My traps really had worked. Now he’d even started spilling his guts.
“We’re going to need your help,” said Nimble.
“My friend, beast and I are entirely at your disposal!” I declared with a burning gaze.
Nimble nodded slowly and said:
“I knew I could count on you. And now you should go get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow will be a very important day.”
“Uh…”
“Tomorrow, leave it for tomorrow.”
Alright, if you say so. What can you do? I had nothing left but to head for the exit. Just as I reached for the door handle, Nimble asked pensively:
“So, your friend… Hm… Is he really a Primordial?”
“Where’d you hear that?” I asked, turning around.
“Well,” he waved vaguely. “There are rumors…”
“And you believe them?” I asked in surprise.
“Ghm…” Nimble wavered for an instant, but asked a different question: “Do you trust him?”
“Like a brother!” I responded, puffing out my chest. “You’ll never find a more valiant fighter in the struggle against darkness!”
Nimble cringed again without the least bit of suspicion how easily I was reading his expression.
“That’s good,” he muttered. “Very good…”
While leaving the room, I snorted to myself. I’ll have to tell Pinebogey he’s next on Nimble’s hit list.
* * *
“What are you so happy about?” I asked Pinebogey, sitting next to me.
“Order,” he nodded. “We have the kid on our side.”
“The kid?” I asked in surprise.
“Well sure,” he nodded. “This sequoia is just a couple hundred years old.”
After he said that, the woodsman tenderly stroked a growth coming off one of the tree’s inner walls which we had all been using as a bench. There were seven rows of them. They were grown in an amphitheater shape and, in the middle, there was a rostrum topped with five wide armchairs.
“Umm, egh…” I muttered and looked back at the wide hall where the yearly gathering of houses was supposed to be getting started at any minute. The walls, adorned with natural decor, wide semicircular windows, and a high ceiling ― yep… a great place for a bloodbath.
And a bloodbath there would be. I was having trouble holding back ― the bitter flavor in my mouth was making my tongue twitch. The hall was full. More than one hundred foxfolk, thirty percent of whom were shadows of the Steel King. I was especially put on guard by a group of foxes positioned near Goody Redtail’s seat. They truly reeked of darkness.
Nimble was not lying. After our conversation yesterday, he had sent Goody’s bodyguard to see me, and he told me in great detail what was supposed to happen at the yearly gathering of houses. The head of House Redtail would be allowed to speak. To put it briefly ― today was supposed to be many influential foxfolks’ last day. Including Sly’s. Basically, according to Nimble’s plan, I was supposed to kill the elder son of the Redtail ruler. When I told that to my “victim,” at first his face changed. But then Sly got his emotions under control and we even made a couple jokes about it.
That same day, Pinebogey and I walked through the city until we apparently randomly found ourselves near the sequoia where the gathering would be taking place. The huge tree, which grew in the very center of Foreston, was as happy to see Pinebogey as a dog whose master has just come back from a long journey. I also felt all its emotions thanks to the seeds in my backpack. For an instant, I could even sense an invisible connection with the whole city. To tell the truth though, it only lasted a matter of seconds. And left me with a splitting headache. I also discovered that a few thousand mana points had gone missing. I guess talking with trees is pretty serious business!
But I didn’t regret it. That brief instant was very informative. It also reassured me about tomorrow.
Surfacing from my memories, I took another look around the hall and the foxfolk sitting around us. The din was beyond belief. Everyone wanted to know what exactly Goody Redtail was intending to speak out about. There were a few theories, but almost all of them had one thing in common ― Goody would announce that h
e was handing the reigns to his eldest son. That must have been why he was seated so near the rostrum.
Pinebogey and I also garnered special attention. Allies both of Goody and the dark forces considered us friendly. At times, I had to shoot furtive nods back at both groups.
Last night, Nimble had made our job much easier without even knowing it. This morning, I had recounted our conversation to Goody. And by noon, we were meeting with the heads of the Yelloweyes and Graymanes in his office. And a few hours after that, I reported on the results of that meeting to Nimble. Though I portrayed in a strategic light.
I looked over the section where the Whitebellies were sitting. They were almost all marked by the Steel King’s aura. That said, neither the head of house’s son Sage, nor his albino bodyguard bore the mark. Curious. I wonder why. When I turned to look at the foxman sitting next to Sage, I realized. Based on the resemblance and age, he was actually the house leader’s oldest son. And he did in fact have a mark.
Labyrinth of Fright (Underdog Book #5): LitRPG Series Page 25
