Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

Chapter 153 - 153 - Misty night

At the center of the city, well above its streets on the roof of the temple I climb back into the hidden shrine of Fox to get started on the other business I have planned for tonight. The place is empty, as I have come to pretty much expect although I'm pretty certain that I'm not the only faithful to visit the shrine. Not every street level thug of the thieves guild can find their way up here though. Come to think of it, it's less than a dozen people in town of which I#m moderately certain that they come here.

Ah well, never mind. The shrine is well maintained anyway. If that were to change I would have reason to worry. Right now I have other things on my mind anyway. Ghosts, especially those of people who for one reason or another found their end on the hangman's hill, for one. The blessed weapon I'll need to take care of them for the other. That's more than enough for me for one night. In fact it might be more than enough for more than one night, since I have no clue if I'll even be able to lure out and defeat all the ghosts anytime soon.

First things first! Before I can go about my ghost busting business I need a weapon that can hurt those spectral buggers and that's why I'm her at the shrine instead of out there already. It's time to bless my sword anew. More than that though, I'm wondering if I should bless my utility knife too, since it's my backup weapon. I could, in theory, bless my throwing knives as well, although that might be a bit much right now. Every blessing costs me Karma after all and Karma essentially equals coin. And while I don't want to be a penny pincher I'll never be able to afford any better gear if these coins fly out of my purse as fast, if not faster, than I can earn them in the first place.

No, that question is moot anyway. I'll bless my sword and I'll bless my buckler. Offense and defense, I need both. Ha! And besides if those two things aren't enough it's a clear sign that I should run. So far the ghosts seem to be bound to the place of their demise. Something that will only change if the spectral mass with all the anger, regret and other negative emotions is left to grow and fester for too long. Thus, for now at least, a clear way of escape and fleet feet are my best option should things not go as planned and hoped for.

I'm tempted to slap my cheeks to calm my thoughts, but as I'm already inside the shrine I refrain. Instead I simply take a deep, calming breath, before I draw my sword and step up to the altar under the watchful eyes of the fox statue to gently and carefully place the weapon there, before I speak in prayer. I stick with the prayer formula I already used once before this time around.

"Fox, divine guardian of many masks! God of making mischief and goddess of having fun! I beg of you, imbue this tool with some of your power, so it may cut not just flesh and bone but spirit and soul as well!"

My [Prayer] skill improves a little as some of my hard earned Karma dissipates and the blessing takes hold, but that is far from all, as some notifications are quick to follow, accompanied by the clatter of dice too, for good measure.

[*Ding!* Your skill Blessing has leveled up to level 2!]

[*Ding!* Your class Hedge Witch leveled up to level 4!]

[*Clatter!* Your Health increased by 2!]

A big smile blossoms on my face. Sure, the dice roll isn't exactly stellar, but that's fine. The potential of my hedge witch class in that regard isn't all that great anyway. Still, I'm grateful for every extra hit point. My Mana replenishes with the level up too, which is almost more important. And the best of all? My spirit attribute improved as well, raising my magic power and the size of my Mana pool overall too.

Oh yes, I'm really grateful for this one. Even better though, the next level up isn't that far off yet either. A little meditation and casting my light spell a few times on top of fighting ghosts in general might just be enough to earn me yet another level. I'm not done yet. I don't check on the new status of my sword with my identification skill this time around either, trusting in the blessing instead. Instead, after sheathing my sword I place my buckler on the altar instead. I have to think on the wording of my prayer a little this time around, but finally I speak up again.

"Fox, divine guardian of many masks! God of making mischief and goddess of having fun! I beg of you, imbue this tool with some of your power, so it may protect me from the chilling, soul draining touch of incorporeal undead!"

A little of my Karma dissipates once again as the blessing takes hold. The effect is similar to the gleam of my sword's edge after I blessed it, except, this time around it seems to cover the entire outside surface of my trusty iron buckler.

Of course that isn't all this time around either. Once more my [Prayer] skill improves a little. And then there is another sweet notification whispered into the back of my mind in the voice of Fox.

[*Ding!* Your skill Blessing has leveled up to level 3!]

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

This one counts towards the progress of my scoundrel class for a change, but I don't mind that either. That one needs the most work for the next level up after all. Even better though is that my spirit attribute, and with it my Mana reserves, indirectly improve too.

The whispered notification distracted me enough to make me actually jump, as Fox, pretending to be a perfectly normal middle aged woman for a change, except for the man fluffy tails, speaks up right next to me.

"A shield? Really?"

I need a moment to calm myself and especially my heart which almost jumped out of my chest then and there. I don't let that moment pass unused though and use it to come up with a witty reply bets I can.

"Well, a buckler, but yes. Just imagine the look on the ghost's face, when they try to get grabby and then, Bam! Buckler to the face!"

Fox, now in the guise of a young lad again, laughs out loud and hugs me.

"Take care when you take on these ghosts. Especially if you insist on doing it alone. They are no laughing matter. And dealing with the ones here around Riverrun won't solve the overall problem."

I nod, but before I can actually say anything in reply my divine sponsor is gone again, almost as if they haven't been here to begin with. It's just how Fox is. There one moment and gone like the wind the next. With a little smirk on my lips I compose myself and get ready to go, since I'm done here for the time being.

I climb back out onto the temple's roof, make sure my sword and my buckler are firmly secured where they belong and take in the evening traffic on the streets below. It's getting late, but not yet to the point where the night watch is out to patrol the streets. The gate is probably closed already though. Well, it's not like that will stop me in any way. It just means that I take a few moments to gauge the patrols on the wall and the progress they make, so I won't run in any of them as I cross over.

Once I'm satisfied I take off at a run. Since I pondered doing this more often, as a form of workout, I take full advantage of the opportunity and don't hold back. I don't take one of the easier routes, picking one with slippy rooftops and wide alleys that I need to jump instead. I don't neglect my stealth either, using dormer windows, chimneys and the slant of the roofs in general to stay hidden to the best of my ability.

My efforts pay off too. Pretty much as expected a number of my skills benefit. My [Stealth], [Jumping] and [Perception] skills all improve a little. The real reward though are the two notifications regarding tow other skills that follow.

[*Ding!* Your skill Running has leveled up to level 8!]

[*Ding!* Your skill Balance has leveled up to level 8!]

These count towards the progress of my masked mediator and my hedge witch class respectively. Since these are common skills at an even level they improve the associated attributes, vitality and agility, too. The improved attributes in turn improve my health and my attack power. It's all only small changes, but considering the task ahead every little bit counts.

Once I'm outside the wall I return to street level eventually and exit the outer district of the town in a more usual manner. I take the chance to traverse the stalls set up by Sezemat's people once more, although I only pay cursory attention this time around. The place sure is even more lively at night. The theater troupe is playing their second show for the night and judging by the sounds the circus is busy too and of course that is true for the market and food stalls in between the two attractions too.

In the end I leave the town and its especially busy outskirts behind to circle around the nearby, aptly named Hangman's Hill. I don't want to go at this coming from the direction of the town. I'm not sure how smart ghosts are, but I might at least make an attempt at misdirection. And besides, I want to get a better look at the place from other view points. In case things go badly I need to know the best way out of there.

Thus I sneak and skulk about a bit. Even now I can already feel the ominous presence of the place or rather the restless dead bound to haunt it. An unnatural mist is rising from the ground to linger in between the trees off the well trodden paths too. If it were a natural mist it should roil down the hill or get blown away by the gentle breeze. Neither is happening though. Oh yes, it's promising to be a busy, spooky night for me for sure. No doubt about it.

Every once in a while I can even spot unnatural movement within the mists! Not too long ago I would have ignored these hard to spot hints of ghostly presence as figments of my imagination. Not anymore though. Now I know better. And I'm pretty sure that my [Perception] skill just improved a little too. That most certainly doesn't happen if I were just imagining things. For the first time in a while I can feel the hair at the back of my neck stand on end too, as my [Danger Sense] rears its head.

That is all the more reason to make sure I move quietly and stay unnoticed by the spectral undead in turn, which has the additional benefit of progressing my [Stealth] skill too. Oh yes, this is about to get real serious!

Finally I come across a promising spot, a hollow in the ground, well beyond the gallows on Hangman's Hill on the far side from town. The unnatural mist doesn't reach this far and it's shielded from view, from the direction of town, by a especially thick thicket and a natural rock formation. This will be my immediate base of operations should I have to retreat from the show down with the ghosts.

After one last look around I drop my pack here, hiding it in between brambles and rocks. I don't need it right now. In fact it might slow my down if I were to bring it to the fight, thus I leave it behind. There is one more preparation I make for my makeshift retreat for this particular operation. I focus on a spot low above the ground and funnel some of my Mana into the light spell I learned. Ghosts don't like bright lights after all. While my skill level might not be terribly high yet, my magic power is nothing to be sneezed at. In short order some of Mana drains away and bright little orb of light springs into existence at the intended spot.

Another notification tickles the back of my mind almost instantly, as the sphere of light forms.

[*Ding!* Your skill Light has leveled up to level 4!]

Curiously enough this one improves my magic attribute and indirectly my magic power and my Mana reserves even further. Anyway, the light should last a while. Now I'm ready to get going for real!