Four Horsemen: Chapter 9 Part 1 of 2

Chapter 9:

Mya perked up first and waved, drawing Petor’s attention as Desari walked into the guild’s front doors.

She pulled back her hood and sat down at the last seat at the table.

Valter and Mya were already well into their stew, the two of them barely having come up for air.

Petor had put away a bowl already but there was a desperate kind of hunger to the duo.

Desari sat down at the chilling stew and started in on it.

“Talked to a guy called Clemens, was the one holding a sword outside that inn without the sign where the guy got cut down with an arrow. The guy, Jacques is okay. Clemens said if we’re looking for a bed they have some rooms. Not many places around the city got a room free, or are charging a decent price for it anymore,” Petor said.

Desari nodded and swallowed. “Good, that solves at least one problem.”

Petor gave a non-committal noise and kept eating his stew.

Thankfully the hard bread turned into something edible after soaking for several minutes.

A server moved over, clearing their meals away, leaving them with just their tankards of ale. Petor drank deep from his.

“Good day when you have a drink in hand and a warm meal in your belly,” Petor rested his elbows on the table.

“Agreed,” Valter said.

Mya was smacking her lips at the taste and looking into the rafters with a smile.

“Learn anything?” Petor looked between Valter and Desari.

“Lots of weapons going to the walls,” Valter said.

“Quite the list of potions. The normal ones, stamina, healing and such. Though others, poison cures for the same poison.”

“Okay? What you hinting at?”

“They’re creating several cures, though if you check all of them they cure one single poison. Its called spreading death in Ilus. A poison that passes through touch and water between those infected and kills quickly.”

“Sounds nasty,” Mya frowned.

“Sounds very specific.”

“Making all these potions to cure one thing. They know that its going to be used?” Valter said.

“High chance of it.”

“That’s good right?”

“Priests keep coming with guards to pick up everything.”

“That’s kind of like the ingredients I smelled them picking up from the warehouse district,” Mya said. “Had to check my books but the ingredients I smelled, they have to do with the soul or one’s core. I know of a few formulations that could create soul-ink, a medium that would make a ritual or formation involving a soul-stronger.”

“Why would they need soul magics?” Valter asked.

“A poison that spreads quickly and soul magic. Death and a way to harvest power after that death,” Desari said.

“Can you make some of those cures for us?” Petor asked.

“I have already,” Desari glanced around. “Lets get going to that inn, someplace with less ears.”

***

The rusted signboard banged in the wind, light barely visible through the shutters of the inn. Rain had washed away the blood, and the bodies were gone too.

Petor led the way, hurrying through the street, casting his eyes through the shadows.

A man moved through the shadows of an alley wearing darkened clothing, a bag over his shoulder, his face covered with a mask. His hand moved to his blade as he watched Valter and Desari pass. Far enough down the alley that no normal person would be able to see him.

He ran across the alley and disappeared, heading for the lower sections of the city burnt out by the fighting.

Looters.

Music played through the door as Valter pushed through first, the player missing a note.

The inside of the inn was barely better than the outside. Saw dust lay thick upon the floor, stained with food and drink.

“What you want?” A woman yelled from behind the bar, her hand resting on a loaded crossbow pointed at the door.

Petor blinked against the light as she focused on them. She wore a roughly repaired dress with her hair pulled up and away into a severe bun. Her face lined and worn from a hard life.

“We’re looking for some rooms, Clemens said that we might find some here.”

“Rooms?” She squinted at the group, her frown opened into shock and then a smile, taking her hand from the crossbow. “You’re the ones that saved Ingrid and little Annie! Cut down the bastards in the street no less! Animals.” She snarled, shaking her head, covering for her fear. “Say ten coppers a night and five for meals. Won’t find no better in the city now we’re under siege.” She crossed her arms.

“We’ll take it,” Mya said, putting down a silver coin on the counter.

The woman took it, bit it and held it up to her lantern, disappearing into her bosom, as she reached under the counter and pulled out two keys. “Number four and five, upstairs.” She pointed at a set of stairs at the side of the room.

“Bert I don’t pay yah in beer to gawk, get to playing yah daft bastard!”

The locals in the tavern chuckled as the player turned crimson and strummed his instrument with new vigor.

“Thank you,” Mya took the keys, handing one to Petor and leading the way up the stairs and to their room.

“Come on,” Desari waved the others to join her and Mya as she entered the room. It was simple, with two beds and lockable chests built into the floor.

Desari moved to the window sill looking out of the slatted window into the street beyond. People looked around, but most kept going on with their day to day.

She pulled out a stool, positioning so she could keep the window in her peripheral and see the entire room and sat on it as Mya launched herself at her bed.

Petor moved to sit on the chest on the bed nearest the window, rubbing his face, he sniffed his shoulder grimacing.

Valter closed the door behind him, moving to face the room and keeping the door in his sight-line. She saw it in their movements, the ways their eyes bounced around the room when they’d entered. Each of them, knowing or not were fighters.

Desari leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, looking like a wrung-out towel.

“So, who are you all?” She watched them all.

“I used to be a knight to the Veldian Kingdom, got fused to my armor, king bound me in oaths so I became his tool. Fought for him till I was killed,” Valter said. True, but there be more to this story.

“I’m a lich, or was one? Not sure since I got a real body back. Oh, and I’m a trader,” Mya said.

“Petor?”

“Farmer, then soldier, then champion wannabe, now I’m a guy with a demonic power to steal one’s mana and a small bit of essence?” He shrugged. Being a living weapon of armor sounded a lot worse.

“And yourself Desari Haker?” Valter asked.

“I’m a fighter, but I learned to be a mage. Was a teacher of Ilus, a city-state around a magical academy.” “What about your skills and abilities? I can create potions and I am versed in magic, the sword and bows.”

“I have mastery in nearly all weapons, and can cast fire related spells or those within my weapons,” Valter said.

“I know how to cook and hunt. I use a slingshot and a spear,” Petor said.

“I am skilled with firearms, the cutlass and rituals,” Mya said. “Not bad at navigation and I know how to run a merchant ship.”

“I know how to use a sword, dagger and spells.” Desari raised her hand. “I’m limited by my core currently. Though with enough fighting and crafting. Well we’re all quickly expanding our core and increasing our power and mana.”

“So when we blowing this popsickle stand?” Mya dropped to the bed with a huff, leaning against the pillow and headboard, crossing her boots over one side and pulled out her special silver coin and rolled it over her knuckles.

“We would have to break out of a gate and then through those camps,” Valter frowned.

“Are we even strong enough to face those people in the camps?” Petor said.

“Well I don’t think we can really sneak over the wall,” Desari said.

“Could try climbing the mountain?” Petor asked.

“Dunno what’s up it, and its sheer as all hells,” Valter said. “the mines, from what I heard the adventurers and smiths talking about. They’re not hospitable.”

“We need to gather information first, if we go off making rash decisions it is only going to burn us in the end,” Desari said.

“The bar!” Mya flipped the coin, jumping to the feet and grinning as she caught it absently.

“Not the worst idea actually,” Desari rubbed the back of her head.

Mya shot to her feet.

“Lets go through the loot first though, then take care of what we need to.”

A deal with a devil, bonded to demons, on another planet.

“We should sort out the loot.” Desari’s voice cut through his swirling thoughts.

Mya folded her silver coin under her right hand with her thumb. “What loot?” She gave her most disarming smile.

Desari raised her eyebrow as Petor shook out several coinpurses, weapons and other items. Valter and Desari upended their gear as well.”

“Ah, that loot.” She let out a dry laugh equal parts mischievousness at being caught and butter couldn’t melt in her mouth.

“Alright so usual rules, coinage and gems split up among the party, any items that are useful for someone here, speak up and claim it. Anything that ain’t claimed becomes trade goods.” Mya turned all business, running through the rules like a card dealer who’d made a life of pulling money from marks, while she finished dumping the gear, having organized it into groups and dumping out the coin purses, sorting through them and creating piles.

“Nothing interests me,” Valter sat back.

Mya nodded, separating out the funds into four piles.

“What about armor?” Petor asked.

“I can make something better. All of this I would have to take back to ingots and work up. Make more selling it and buying raw materials.”

“If you’re up for orders I’m looking for a new spear and shield.” Petor tried to downplay his interest.

“I’ve been thinking on a new spear for you and have some ideas already. For shield, you want something similar to my own?” Valter asked.

“Thanks, and yeah that would work well,” Petor said.

Valter nodded and looked at them all. “One way or another we’re stuck in this together, we’re part of a band. Each of us have our own goals. We’ll have to rely on each other for our very lives and to carry out our own missions.”

His eyes were piercing, he was calm and quiet, but there was a competent ferocity in his gaze and actions.

“Limos threw us together, we’re going to have to work together. A crew is always stronger united,” Mya’s voice rolled over Petor, a seriousness that was rare to see. She was a woman that commanded, one that saw more than she let on.

“I’ll sell the trinkets, weapons and gear for the best prices possible.” She waved to the three piles of coin on the ground, storing her own pile away.

“How do we know you won’t cheat us?” Desari asked.

Mya fixed Desari with a steadfast gaze. “I promise I’m not going to cheat you, once an agreement is made it is a trader’s prerogative to complete it no matter what. If I was to cheat you and you found out then it would only harm me. Only people we know on this planet is in this room. We have to build trust.”

Desari studied her and nodded once. “Very well.”

Mya’s smile returned as she hooked the coin purse onto her belt and stored the other gear in the silver coin, throwing it in as well.

“Smart,” Petor chuckled, storing his old coin purse and adding the new one to his hip.

“Hide in plain sight.” She winked and stood. “See yah tomorrow!”

She nearly skipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

***