M.D.Syl
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Chapter 137 colorless
🕑 Added 2024-03-07 14:48:48 +0000 UTCChapter 137 Collateral.
When a life comes to an end;
it leaves an echo in the souls of all who knew it
When a new life is born;
it generates an echo in all the souls connected to it.
Life is full of such echoes. Echoes left by every life.
These echoes are what make life so precious.
Brigit, the keeper of life.
I have a few quiet minutes to eat in peace, and I wolf down the food without stopping for a breath. I’m starving. I do my very best not to think back about the time in my life when I used to starve for days, but hunger does bring it out of me.
“Healthy appetite, eh lass? I wonder where all that meat goes to.” A burly middle aged man takes the seat on the other side of my table. He wears a dirty apron, and a gray bushy beard hides half of his face.
“I haven’t eaten in a while.” I answer between bites. Why can’t people leave me alone? What is it with people just approaching random strangers to talk to? At least he'll be a good distraction from depressing thoughts...
“How long is a while?” His short sleeves expose his thick hairy wrists, and his large palms clamp around a foaming mug.
“A couple of days.” More like a few weeks, but I didn’t feel hungry before, and now I’m starving! Mmmm! So good!
“That’ll do it to ya, aye. Slow down lass, eat more, but slowly, or you’ll have the mother of all tummy aches tomorrow mornin’ ”
He’s right, I should slow down. Eating too much at once will probably be bad. I stop eating and look into the gleaming brown eyes, hidden under bushy gray eyebrows. “You’re right.”
“Ha! A youngster who listens to the wisdom of the old ones, you’re a rare sight, lass. Where are you from?” He leans forward with interest.
“Not from here, obviously,” I reply with a grin. “You’re a local?”
“Aye! Settled down twenty years ago after Tolste Bay.”
“Tolste Bay?” I sip from the alcohol, ignore the taste, and enjoy the warm feeling down my throat.
“You haven’t heard of it, eh? You're not a released slave then. Are you from the Radiant Kingdom in the south? Sajarev?”
I use a napkin to wipe the foam off my mouth and ignore his question. “Tell me about Tolste Bay.” Salik went there to buy me a slave army, didn’t he?
He grins under his beard, and I can see the spark of curiosity in his brown eyes. “An honest answer for an honest answer, eh lass? It is but a fair trade.”
“Very well, I’m not from the divine kingdom. Your turn.”
He nods with a chuckle. “Aye. I guess that is fair. Tolste’s Bay is up north. Them mages-sorcerers-witches-whatever. Snake suckers. Yeah, snake suckers. They bring ships with slaves, sell 'em ‘round to them kings and queens down here, till one of them snake suckers decides it’s time to release us as citizens for their towns or whatnot. Some released slaves travel south to the Radiant Kingdom. Others like me stick around and make a life. Life’s not always stable, but you gotta do what you can to survive, eh?”
This makes a perfect sense... The towers bring slaves here to keep the population from declining… It's probably meant as food for apprentices in training too…
“My turn, lass, where are you from?”
I take a long gulp before responding. “The soundless islands. The kingdom of Mansel’a” I doubt anyone knows where I grew up, it’s harmless to share this little detail…
“And where is that?”
“I honestly don’t know, one of those—Snake suckers you called them, teleported me away.” After the slavers sold me to them… I also got home by that magic door… I wonder how I could get there naturally and how far it is… Learning some teleportation magic will be beyond useful.
“Teleported, eh? I see…” The wrinkles on his face crease softly. “You lookin' for a way back home?”
“My turn and I get two questions!” I declare. He did ask two questions. Four. But I answered two.
He slams a beefy feast on the wooden table, shaking the mugs and the half empty plates. “Ha! Two questions it is, lass, ask away!”
“What do you do for a living?” I raise an eyebrow.
“I’m a smith. If you need something forged, from weapons and armor to tools and wheels, I’m your man.” He hits his chest with his hairy fist twice. “I even know how to work iron and how to make a little bit of steel. Not many smiths can boast that. The PeaceKeepers Knights order their gear from me. Lord Sir Kolag praised my work personally!”
Lord Sir Kolag?! I take another small bite from the meat. I'm stuffed, I just need to chew something to stop myself from giggling madly. The Lord Sir Kolag... This is dumb... A little dog revering the bigger dog that licks my feet... Worship me! Stop this! I blink to focus and touch the pouch with the bronze arrowheads on my hip. Kolag brings me these arrowheads… I guess this man made them? I wonder if he can work leather too, can he fix my grimoire to the back of my serpentscale armor? It's about time I got that done. Especially now with assassins after me. “What about family?” I ask aloud.
“Most are dead or far away, traveling and adventuring, probably dead too. My wife died a few months ago, during the war with venom sucker Phoebe may Tukado feed her to his forge. I have a son and two daughters. My son is your age, if you’re looking to settle down.”
“I’ll pass, thank you, but my heart already belongs to another.” To your Lord Sir Kolag… “To answer your previous question, I’m looking for my way home, yes.” That’s not a lie. “Do I get another question?”
He nods with an amused grin under his bushy beard.
I need to drink more before I ask this... I finish everything that's in my mug before wording my next question. “What do you think of the current queen in here?”
“A shitty snake sucker like the rest of ‘em. She almost sold us to a bunch of orc savages not too long ago. At least she hasn’t killed anyone innocent directly yet, that’s good, aye? The best thing about her is the Lord Sir Kolag. He’s a good lad, cares about folks like you and me, not something you see every day from people in power. When the snake sucking queen was about to sell us he stood up to that rotten witch like a proper knight and told her no. Aye, some big pair of peas he has..." The blacksmith chugs down his alcohol in a long gulp.
You know... I'm wondering about his peas' size too... A negative opinion with some positive outline. Considering he hates mages, I’ll take it… Looks like progress… He's still my dog and he shall move at my whims, his opinion matters not. At least he’s sane enough to not follow mages blindly like the cult of Jalier… This is refreshing.
“Your turn,” I say when he rests the mug on the table.
"Aye. Where are you headed?"
A passing barmaid refills both our mugs.
"Nowhere. I'm going to stay in this city for a while and try my luck until I get enough resources." Enough pawns-souls under my command... I drink more of the burning alcohol, there's a pleasant buzz in my head, a buzz that makes all of my problems go away. "My turn. The three tenants of Jalier... What happens if a sorcerer commands a Jalier worshiper to kill another sorcerer?"
"HA! I see you're not a fan of them snake suckers either, eh? Good on you, lass. Good on you. May I ask what your name is?”
I miss hearing my own name, I might as well use it.
No. What if the hag’s spell on my name kills him?! No more snaking alcohol, it's clearly affecting my judgment!
“Lezere, my name is Lezere.” I hate lying... Lying is wrong! Lying is bad!
“Lezere, eh?” He narrows his eyes at me with curiosity, he obviously notices something is amiss.
“It’s an alias,” I provide an explanation. “One of the—Snake suckers did something and people can’t hear my name now. She got offended we have a matching name…” I improvise a story on the spot. I hate lying, it feels so awfully wrong! Why do I need to give an excuse… Why does it matter what he thinks? I don’t want to lie! Yes. But why? What's wrong with lying? Why does it bother me so much? Sharla did say that high elves can't lie, but why can't I break this wrongness feeling when lying is justified?
The wrinkles on his face crease again. “I’m sorry, lass…”
I shrug. “That’s ok, I’m alive and well, that’s more than most people have.”
“Aye! Wise words, lass, wise words… To our health!” He raises his mug high and chugs down the content, while I chew on a piece of unchewable meat.
"To our health," I repeat, raising my mug, but I do not drink, not anymore. Enough. I should get a room and prepare for the night...
The red headed woman on the table finishes her song about Kolag and I. She flips her long hair with her hand, leans forward seductively, and traces her fingers on her lips. The next song is fast paced, and it makes me wince and shift uncomfortably in my seat.
Queen I am, I’m yours.
Not just one of your scores.
Unlike the other whores.
I do not wipe those floors.
All I want is your snake.
All I wish for is your stake.
I’m wet for your sake.
And my hand you will take!
Touch me, smack me, I don’t care!
Kiss me, snake me, will you dare?
Tug! Rip off! All I wear!
Won’t you love that, my dear sir?
She finishes with another lewd pose. She pushes her thigh forward through the slit of her dress, and lifts her breasts with her string instrument against her ribs. The loud male crowd whistles and claps for a little while. When the cheers die out, Gar, the bouncer near her stands up. “Who’ll be snaking the Queen tonight? Bidding starts at one silver scale!”
I almost choke on the meat in my throat. Snaking the queen tonight? They’re making a fetish out of me! What the snake?!
“A silver and two coppers!”
They’re seriously bidding on who…
“Two silvers!” the blacksmith near my table shouts, waving his hand wildly in the air.
They are… She’s a prostitute… Of course, they are…
“Two silvers, and two coppers!”
A whore who uses my image, and who knows what she does with men! Disgusting! Unforgivable! She dies now for desecrating my image!
“Bid like a man, you milk jar!” the blacksmith roars, standing up near my table. "Three silvers!"
Ugh! Stop it! Why does it bother me so much?
“Snake you, Morrim!” the other man shouts and bids. “Three silvers, two coppers!”
Probably because of how good she looks… If anything, I should be flattered…
“You’ll be with your harpy wife tonight, Shim! Haahahaha! Four silvers!” Morrim keeps raising the stakes with hearty laughter, and the red headed woman on the table sends a green eyed wink in his direction.
Flattered of what? That a prostitute is using my name and private life to sell herself? To sell sex? That she drags my image through muck and sheets?! It's not like I haven't been dragged through "muck and sheets" myself only a few years ago. No. Flattered by the fact that these people admire me enough to sing songs about me, it’s not something I should take for granted.
“Six silver scales!” A third man joins the bidding war. He’s overweight and dressed in a yellow decorated outfit that looks more like a veil than a robe. I recognize him, Gemhand's son, the one he sent as an ambassador when I first took over the city.
Wait. Gemhand? I'm surprised he's still here. Do I need to get rid of Gemhand's son too? I thought the whole family left my city already. Where was he hiding? He was too dumb when he came to see me, and I doubt he's a serious threat. Regardless, I'll have Sharla keep an eye on him if she wasn't doing so already...
“Six and two coppers. You have a jug for a belly, why would you need a woman’s jugs, you Gemhand bastard!” The smith roars at the new bidder.
I smile despite myself. A jug for a belly?! Ok. Maybe flattered by the songs, but not the prostitution…
“Ten silver scales!” The blacksmith turns quiet when Gemhand’s son walks toward the table with the redheaded woman as if the outcome is decided. He hands the coins to the bouncer who moves aside to count them.
Prostitution and songs, the two come together. Legends leave their mark. So I’m a legend now? Please!
“Ohhhh! My paladin!” the woman moans, she hugs the fat man's neck and wraps herself around him with her head leaned back. The crowd boos and returns to their merrymaking as the two head upstairs.
Really? This is way too awkward!
“Bah! Venomous snake in a jar!” The blacksmith swears and waves for the middle-aged innkeeper to get closer.
“More veal, lassy? Ale?” The woman asks me while refilling the blacksmith’s mug.
“No thanks.” Maybe some more ale, I... No! No more alcohol, I'm tipsy enough as it is! I have to stay alert. There are assassins after me!
“Are you sure? You could use some more meat on those bones!”
She’s joking, right? I raise an eyebrow at her, I ate enough food for two adult men in the past hour.
“Aye, Sheeva is right, lass, you could use some more meat on those bones!” The blacksmith roars in laughter.
The innkeeper chuckles and leaves to check on another table.
“I’m sure you can find another prostitute,” I tell the blacksmith.
“Not like Yazmin, the lass knows her craft.”
“Craft?” I ask sarcastically.
The man nods and looks me in the eye seriously. “Aye, craft.”
“All she has to do is flip her hair, wave her body around, and claim she’s the queen.”
“Bah! You have a lot to learn, lass. Pleasing a partner or performing on a stage requires experience, eh? It's an art. Smithing is an art too. Every occupation has some art in it, some are better than the others with their craft.”
Fine… He’s not wrong… I shrug. Why does it bother me so much? Because she makes me look like a child... I hate how short I am... And her jugs... Snake that! Sharla did say I look really good. So what if she looks good too? She’ll never have the power I wield! Soon, she’ll grow old, her hair will gray out, her chest will sag, and I’ll still be around, looking young and capable of things beyond her wildest imagination…
If I even survive that long… I already have assassins after me and I'm not close to an ounce of power the Hag has...
I fold my hands. “Don’t you think it’s inappropriate to have sex with a prostitute who pretends to be the Queen?”
The look he gives makes me shift uncomfortably. “You haven’t been with a man in yer life, eh lass? Nothing inappropriate about it. Yazmin dyed her hair blond back when that witch Drussilla ruled here as a queen, not that I was seeing her back then… Ahem… But I talked to others who…”
A shrill scream sounds from the stairs, the red headed prostitute runs down with a dagger’s hilt sticking out of her shoulder. She glances back like a doe looking for her predator, then screams again when a black hooded figure jumps over the railing and pins her to the ground. The lithe figure slits her throat, and a torrent of blood washes the wooden floor as she gurgles and thrashes around.
The crowd watches in a stunned stillness.
*~*~*
Interlude 137.1
Zoe.
“...I was either stupid or smart enough to say no, and she attempted to kill me a few more times until she just gave up.” Salik chuckles, shaking his head. “She came up to me and told me I earned her respect and she will hunt me no more. Then tried to kill me again one last time by arranging a small skirmish and a raid on the village I stayed in. I rallied the villagers up and managed to hold off the attack… We never spoke again, and she never tried again. I think she enjoyed it, all that bloodshed... Now that you know, Tulips, you have a choice to make."
Zoe is still unconvinced. "This was what? Fifty years ago? Sixty?"
"Something like that."
"And you haven't heard from the Maiden of War since?"
Salik shakes his head. "Doesn't mean she won't take action if I marry someone."
"I'll take my chances," Zoe decides. "All I hear is excuses, Salik. If you don't wish to marry me, just say so."
"You had to know what you're getting into with me. But if that doesn't keep you away, who am I to say no? How do you want to do it? I have some funds for a rainy day, and I could get us a bit of a party going. Who do you want to oversee our wedding? Inara?"
"No. My master is not the person I'd go to for weddings. She wouldn't even have a proper crowning ceremony. I don't want a big party. How about we have a small ceremony here at the Temple of Koshavi? No guests. No one who knows us. Just you and me in the temple and a romantic evening afterward?"
"Sounds good, Tulips."
*~*~*
Interlude 137.2
Shar-La-Fyn-Wyn-Yeslun <White-Near-River-Dew-Thorn> / <Sharlafyn Nettledew.>
“They will be here soon.” Jerro declares. “They target the inn as well. Hunter, Rogue, come with me. Sharlafyn…”
The Nilh’-Dulaim-Jerro <Odd-Human> looks at her. Sharla has no idea why he has such a lost look in his eyes. She can smell his sweat. Notice the change in his heartbeat when he looks at her.
Inara says the man loves her, but what is love? Dulaim-on <humans> feed on that, she’s no Dulaim <human>, she has no need for love nor that man. He’s useful at keeping her alive at the moment, but Dulaim-On-In <humans’> love is fickle, and his heart will move on in a year or two just like the source of her Irh’a-Lun <emotion-food> moves from a mortal to mortal.
“I cannot attack and kill yet, but I can shift into a weak magical beast. I can scare them off,” Sharla replies.
“No.” The man objects in a cold tone. “I can see you capturing one alive, some liquid form? I do not know what this monster is called. It has the form of a liquid that is not a liquid,” he hesitates. “Hunter, Rogue, let us go. The Queen and the Knight will need our help.”
“I think they can manage.” The Suna-Yak-Nash-Berthold <Little-Earth-Gem> objects. “I wouldn’t want to get in Inara's way. Last time, I got a spear in my stomach… This time it’ll be in my face. I think I'll pass. I'll stay here and help Sharla.” The Suna-Yak-Nash-Berthold <Little-Earth-Gem> plays with his bow, giving Sharla the same odd lost look that Jerro gave her a few moments ago. Dulaim-on <Humans> and their love irh'a <emotion>. Sharla's not a Nymph and she's not in the mood for that right now. She enjoys lust, not love. She tires of the archer, she wishes he'd just left her be. It was below average breeding sessions with an inexperienced young mortal, she did not enjoy the time with him too much, but she did it on the order of her Queen. Now that her Queen has achieved her goals with the young man, there's no more need to pretend she feels any of that love thing. He was fun to feed on, his pity was one of the tastiest thing she ever had, yet his pity toward herself drowned any pity he might've felt toward her. That soured the taste. Sometimes Sharla wishes she could feed on wonder and awe.
“They will need your arrows.” Jerro's voice lacks any irh’a <emotion>. “Sharlafyn does not need your help, Hunter. The Queen does. I saved your life when the house was about to collapse on you a hundred and twenty six days ago. You owe me for that. Now come with me to save the Queen.”
It’s odd. Dulaimon <Humans> normally have Irh’a <emotion> in their voice, they’re easy to read and easy to feed upon. This one isn’t. He’s a cleric or a god’s chosen. He should know that the Sylvan-In-Thuan-On <Forest’s Fae> are at odds with the gods. There’s no way a god other than Mayan would approve of a breeding union between his chosen and a Thuan <Fae>, why does this Dulaim <human> insist on such things?
A puzzle to be solved on another day. Today she has another puzzle.
A liquid that’s not a liquid, what could it possibly be?
“Ya can make your jugs bigger, ye?” The Cacu-Dulru-Ryon <Half-Drow> eyes her with a smirk. Shar-La-Fyn-Wyn-Yeslun <White-Near-River-Dew-Thorn> wears the form of Inara, and this Cacu-Dulru <Half-Drow> wants to see this form with bigger breasts.
Now this is a normal Dul <mortal> desire that she likes. Lust. Sharla can enjoy that. Sharla smirks and obliges the Cacu-Dulru <Half-Drow> Her form shifts and her breasts grow larger. She enjoys the man’s eyes on her chest. Lust is always fun from a Dul-On <mortals>, even if it's not as fulfilling as pity, but it’s fun nonetheless. She removes some of the clothes from her form and takes a pose. Her breasts jiggle, much to the man’s enjoyment.
“Rogue. We need to go.” Jerro takes her Irh’a-Sun <Emotion-Fun> away.
*~*~*
Power level: 3rd stage apprentice.
Mana pools status:
Crown-knot: Affinity 10: connected: 1 gem replenished per minute.
Neck-Bridge: Affinity 6: formed: max amount of gems drained per day: 91
Abdomen-storage: Affinity 5: connected: 41 neutral gems. Conversion ratio: elemental : neutral-3:1, neutral : elemental-1:1
Air: Affinity 4: formed: 34 gems
Fire: Affinity 2: formed: 17 gems
Light: Affinity 3: formed: 22/26 gems
Water: Affinity 6: connected: 75 gems
Earth: Affinity 1: formed: 8 gems
Wood: Affinity 2: formed: 17 gems
Gravity: Affinity 9: connected: 102/113 gems
Cantrip known:
Air: Shavi’s Breeze, Shavi’s Sword. Shavi’s Hair Dryer, Aria’s Enhanced Hearing. Aria’s Sonic Scream. Aria's Increased Voice.
Fire: Nuriss’ Flame. Effrat’s Firefly, Effrat’s Fire Breath. Sorladika's Lesser Heating. Nuriss’ Ignite. Oniga's Soap Creation.
Light: Noxi’s Light. Lako’s Blinding Light. Rika’s energy hand.
Water: Water Evocation, Water to Ice, Ice to Water, Water to Vapor, Vapor to Water, Mayan’s Icy Spike, Ayla’s Water Jet. Ayla’s instant freezem. Ayla's Flowing Shield. Ayla’s Freezing Vapors. Hot Water Conjuration. Boiling Waterjet.
Earth: Alice’s Oil Summoning, Reiko’s Acid Spray. Alf's Copper Bolt
Wood: Arigor’s Lesser Vines. Kolosu’s Vegetable Summoning.
Gravity: Lumina’s Kinetic Burstm. Tukado’s Repulse. Tukado’s Lesser Shield IIm. Imari’s Minor Telekinesism. Imari’s Jump. Leo’s Pullm. Leo’s Grounding. Alino’s Light Body. Alino’s Heavy Body. Alino's Orbiter.
Transmutation: Oniga's Laundry.
Spells known:
Light: Wassho’s invisibilityb2 Rika's Electric Channelb1x2
Gravity: Alino’s Weightless Bodyb1x2. Tukado's Pushb1x3. Tukado’s defense IIIb1x4m. Imari’s Lesser Flightb2m.
Life: Brigit’s Lesser Cure Poison. Brigit’s Skin Restoration.
(Little letters by spell sides: m=mastered. a=advanced. b=bound spell, number near the b is how many gems of the mana pool binding the said spell takes.)
Focus capability: 21 patterns.
Social status: The Queen of Red Cedar City. Inara, Daughter of Mysteries. Apprentice to the Maven of Mysteries. Sorceress.
Carried Wealth: 37 Golden Peas, 27 Silver Scales.
Personal Items:
Magical necklace. Contains 100 gems of general mana, can be drained like a mana pool. It’ll recharge by itself at the rate of five gems an hour.
1 potion of lightning body.
1 potion of mana, medium grade.
3 potions of Lesser Healing.
5 potions of Pain Tolerance.
An enchanted belt with eight pouches, the enchantment keeps the pouches’ content fresh. Each pouch may contain 10g of petals or six potion flasks.
40g Rose petals.
4g Lavender petals.
10g Sowbread petals.
10 empty soul bottles. Glass with a diamond stopper, put in scaled leather wrapping.
The Great White Egret grimoire. Dedicated by the Maven of mysteries to Inara. 31/100. Unlocked.
Present Companions:
Languages:
Toml’a <People’s tongue> Fluent
Sinteo <Speech> Fluent
Myrsha <Gravity> 8/10
Felul <Wind> 1/10
Nim <Water> 1/10
A'arkalu <Wolf Tongue> 4/10
Injuries and scars:
Curses: unknown extracted parasite, possibly bloodline related. Gone due to an unknown bloodline magic.
-
Kingdom’s treasury: 26,123 Golden Peas. 965 Magic Gems.
Kingdom’s citizen:
Red Cedar City: 3,609 adults. 1,654 children.
Apricot City: 1,877 adults. 504 children.
Total: 5,990 souls.
Kingdom's army: 123 Footmen. 16 Peacekeeper Knights. 500 Blood Spears.
Notables at Court:
Tasiya Keyholder.
Jolla SilverQuill.
Talbot Bookkeeper.
Aisha?
