novelraw Chapter 218- Heading Out?
Chapter 218- Heading Out?
Chapter 218- Heading Out?[Keeno POV]
As we were helping Pram down from the room, Ama started speaking in a voice full of bitter annoyance.
{Keeno, I know this is abrupt, but Fia is calling me asking for help.}
‘Is it about Garm?’
{Yes. It’s appeared again and I’m being asked to help either seal it temporarily or to help restore the battlefield after it’s been repelled again. I don’t know how long I’ll be though.}
‘Keep your arms and tails away from its mouth and, even if it’s only temporary, seal it with contradictions.’
{What does that even mean?}
‘I’m not being metaphorical, seal it with contradictions. Get Hresvelgr and any other craftsman gods to make a chain or net or cage or whatever out of contradictions to keep it trapped until I can get there. That’s the best I can explain it.’
It was easy to imagine the confused face she was making but eventually she let out a sigh.
{I’ll relay the message, but I still don’t get it.}
With those words, I felt her presence over our connection fade to the utmost minimum it could be, leaving a hollow feeling inside me. I came back to myself from this just as Freya, who was carrying Pram on her back, misstepped and started to fall. I lunged forward and grabbed onto Pram’s shirt and tried to pull back on both of them, but the momentum of two people pulled me forward as well. I braced myself for the fall only to feel a weird weight wrap around me, pulling me and the others back.
“You’re distracted, Keeno.”
“Thanks Mostima, and sorry. Ama won’t be around for a while so I kinda lost myself there. Freya, are you ok?”
“Yeah. What about Pram?”
“Still fast asleep.”
Freya nodded and we continued down the stairs, this time much more carefully. The echo of our steps echoing through the tree louder than one would expect. It felt oddly empty as we made it to the bottom aside from the three people making the reception. I found it weird, but shook of the oddness so I could help Freya wake Pram up.
I drew a small Rune in the air next to Pram’s head. It dissolved into the air and she immediately woke up. She looked around confused for a few seconds before noticing she was being carried by Freya. She then started nuzzling her like a cat even going so far as to nip her ears in such a way even I started to blush.
“Pram, stop…Nn…not here.”
Freya was getting so flustered she almost let go of Pram. Feeling that Pram came to her senses. She stopped nibbling Freya’s ears, though I did see a hint of lingering longing in her eyes, and asked Freya to let her down. She fixed the wrinkles in her clothes and cleared her throat acting like nothing happened and turned to us.
“So, what’s the plan for now? I assume the three of you have some sort of idea right?”
Deciding to follow her lead in the matter of forgetting what just happened, I answered.
“We, assuming you agree, are going to go around and prepare to head to Tamist. There’s a dragon related problem that’s been shoved onto me by mum and Eblana. One of those ‘do it now or it’ll be a pain later’ type of things.”
“I can understand if it’s something Fafnir asked, but isn’t Eblana asking you to do something kinda backwards?” Pram asked with a dumbfounded expression.
“That’s what I said, but she cut the connection before I could complain. For now though, we should start looking for supplies and stop just standing here.”
Leaving the inn we found a lot of people, and I mean A LOT. If I had to guess, this was the largest number of people I’ve seen in one place since Odeen. Even the journey over the bridge had nothing on this. It was a complete transformation compared to yesterday. Voices in all directions, smells of foods wafting through the air, the overwhelming sense of mass that you can only feel from veritable oceans of people.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been on this side of the world that I forgot this was a trade city.” Mostima said as she looked over the crowd. “Seeing as our destination now is Tamist, follow me and I’ll show yall what we need for there.”
“You’ve been to Tamist before Mostima?” Freya asked as we started to wade ourselves into the crowd.
“A little over 100 years ago yeah, but I don’t know if anything has changed since then. I doubt it has much though.”
It had been a while since we were all in a crowd this thick, that I forgot how unwieldy five tails could be with this many people. The unintended pinching and touching was quite the nuisance that I decided to let a bit more heat out to make space. I made some small Runes to mitigate the effect for my friends, but the crowd did open up a bit more around us after I did that. As we were walking the crowd continued to grow thicker. My heat helped us a bit, but the volume of people was slowly overpowering it.
With Mostima’s guidance we managed to practically swim our way to a less congested street, though not without difficulties. Pram and Freya got separated from us for a few minutes, but they found me and Mostima again thanks to my tails not being very discreet. The street we found ourselves on was full of people as well, but you could move around with both arms spread to your side. The shops here were less extravagant than on the previous street, to the point one could call them rustic, some even looked shady in comparison. As we walked, still following Mostima, I received some less than friendly looks, especially from some of the shopkeepers.
“DAMN IT ALL!”
From slightly ahead of us one shop’s door was practically thrown off its hinges as an older man wearing faded long robes and a stereotypical wizard hat stoned out and looked around. Seeing us, his already angry red face grew even more red. He stomped toward us, his eyes trained on me he, until we were about six pacers apart before he stopped, spitting at me.
“You damn flaming she-fox. Get the hel away from my shop! I don’t want your mana screwing over my business any more! You ruined my batch of potions for the whole week!”
From his oversized sleeve he pulled out a small stick that I figured was a wand and pointed it at me.
“You really don’t want to do that, old man.” I said, trying to dissuade him from making a mistake he’d regret.
The crowd around us thinned as people ran into buildings, their gazes mixed with both scorn and curiosity. The old wizard took another step forward before waving his wand in a seemingly random pattern.
“Oh spirits, heed my words!” On the ground below him a sigil formed. Not Rune related, but something oddly familiar tugged in the depths of my mind. Like something I’d long forgotten. “Those who reside in Death! Spirits of torment and misery! Drown this she-fox and her cadre in the inky abyss of Death! Show them years of torment in moments! Banish them from the presence of mine kindred and I!”
The sigil started to shine a toxic green, belching mist from it, illuminating everything a sickly color before flames began to ignite in specific parts of the sigil. This is when things began to change. The green flames began turning blue and the sigil started to slowly be painted black.
“OH SPIRITS! HEED MY CALL!”
The wizard clearly hadn’t realized the changes in his magic as the master around him grew thicker and blue and black light began to completely overpower the little amount of green. In front of the old wizard the smoke from the sigil and flames began coalescence, forming the shape of spirits I was very familiar with.
“Old man, your offering is lack-eh? Heh. Hehehehehe. Ahahahahaha! I see! So you’ve finally grown tired of life!”
The fully formed Death Spirit yelled as she saw me standing on front of her with a look of disinterested confusion. She turned to her summoner and licked her lips.
“You moronic spirit, I want you to torment that she-fox who ruined my potions until she runs with her tail between her legs along with her stupid followers!”
“And I said your offering is lacking. Especially in this case.”
“Then take more of my mana and essence! I don’t care, just get that bitch out of here!”
“Fool. Not ever your soul would suffice. Now give up, give me my due, and frankly just keel over and die. We’re sick of your lacking essence anyway.” The death spirit then turned to me. “Continue onward, Master. Don’t listen to the ramblings of this fool and his ilk.”
With a wave of her hand, the sigil and magic surrounding her vanished leaving a dumbfounded old wizard opening and closing his mouth like a fish.
“Let’s go. Before another scene happens.”
With Mostima still in the lead we left the area though I continued to record ugly looks from some people, most wearing similar clothes to that old man. No one went as far as to attempt to confront us, but I was spit at a few more times. I would have burned them too if Pram didn’t stop me.
Once we were freed from that particular street though, things went back to normal. It was just the normal aversion most people had toward me which I’d long become used to.
“Good job keeping the retaliation light, Keeno. I know it wasn’t easy.” Pram said, agitation seeping into her voice.
“Well, I would have liked to burn the lot of them, but I’ll have to settle with the incontinece Runes I used.”
“…Anyway, those were some rude people. There was no reason to pick a fight or show so much disdain.”
“That’s just how a lot of Tamist residents are. Their constitutions are very sensitive to differences and changes in mana.”
“Tamist is sounding even more fun now.”
The heavy sarcasm in my tone showed just how low my mood was. This was going to be a very long trip.
Chaos Realm:
Luna: Keeno is going to kill a third of a continent.
I know, isn’t it exciting?
Order: No. Bad Payto.
I can’t help my destructive impulses when watching things like this. It’s very stress relieving.
Order: Am I not enough for that?
…
Luna: Get a room.
Order and Payto: You’re in our house!