Chapter 6
Blood Feud
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The day's final rays cast shadows ahead of them as Kail and Corvis floated down the river in Old Hob’s cramped boat. After untangling himself from seemingly endless coils of old fishing string, Kail had leaned back against the curved rear of the boat and reviewed his recent notifications. He’d gained a class and various skills, abilities, and spells, their nature was somewhat reminiscent of the old DnD games he’d played in his teens. His new skills were rather simplistic, increasing his health and mana regeneration, while the free flow ability and rupture spell he’d gained were anything but simplistic, in fact, the thought of using them was quite unnerving. At least his blood gaze ability was straightforward and would likely prove invaluable in helping him to understand this strange world.
He allocated his free stat point into dexterity, hoping that it would hasten his escape the next time he was inevitably forced to flee for his life:
NAME: Kail Valien, RACE: Human, CLASS: Blood Preacher, LEVEL 4, EXPERIENCE: 700, HP 110/110, MP 100/100. STATS: Strength 9, Constitution 11, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 10. Skills: Rapid Regeneration - Common, Pure Blooded - Rare. Abilities: Free Flow - Common, Blood Gaze - Uncommon. Spells: Rupture - Uncommon.
“You can let us off on that mud bank up ahead,” Corvis told Old Hob.
Old Hob grinned, revealing incomplete rows of deformed and chipped yellow teeth. “Wouldn’t be safe, pleasure gnolls and Hijabwas about round these shores. I’ll take ye further down to Hiddleton n let ye off there, but first I would like a humble payment for saving ye.”
“I have no coin on me,” said Corvis in a somewhat disdainful tone. “But I give you my word that if you visit The Blood Palace then you shall receive gold in gratitude for your service.”
Old Hob smirked. “I have no care for gold. It is merely a drop of your blood which I would ask, it seems a small price seeing as I delivered you from de Hijabwas.”
Corvis frowned. “I would not dain to-” Kail cut him off. “I will gladly give you a drop of my blood in thanks for saving us. I would only ask why you want it?”
Old Hob lowered his oars and withdrew a miniature glass vial from his dirty brown rags. “Oh, just as a treasure. It would mean so much just to own a memento of my Lord’s.”
Kail unsheathed his sword, delicately pricking the middle finger of his left hand with the tip before extending the dijet over Hob’s proffered vial. An odd sensation coursed through him as a drop of blood formed. He could feel his blood running through his veins down his arm, through his wrist, and into his hand. As he focused in on the sensation he felt his blood flow to his finger increase. The blood drop grew then plopped into the vial which Hob stowed within his dirty rags. Kail’s attention remained focused on the sensation of his ever-flowing blood, he cut back the flow to his finger ever so slightly, stemming the bleeding as Corvis stared at him.
Kail sheathed his sword, glancing up at his brother. “What are we going to do about that expanding fog?”
Corvis shrugged. “There’s not much we can do other than attempt to get you powerful enough to support our family.”
“And the only way to do that is by fighting and killing things?”
Corvis nodded. “You’ve been blessed with a great gift, such an opportunity cannot be squandered.”
“If I could give it to you and leave this world behind I would.”
“Such thoughts are irrelevant and wasteful. Father made his choices and now we must strive to make something worthwhile of them.”
“Here we are,” said Old Hob as he rowed the boat to a stop against a shallow mud bank. “Hiddleton is just yonder,” he said, gesturing vaguely inland.
Corvis climbed to his feet, jumping from the boat and into the dark water with a splash. “Thank you,” said Kail to Old Hob before following Corvis into the knee-high water.
“Hiddleton isn’t part of our empire,” said Corvis as they walked from the chilling water and up a soggy slope. “But it’s as good a place as any for us to learn where we can find weak monsters for you to slay.”
The sun had fully set, though distant flickering lights, presumably from torches, guided them toward a town around the outskirts of which wound a dark wall. Before they could approach the wall, however, Corvis let out a sudden scowl, his hand jutting out as he pointed toward the silhouettes of a figure and four horses moving along a path vaguely illuminated by the numerous shining stars which covered the sky like shells on a sea shore. “Those are our horses!” he whisper yelled.
Kail’s eyebrows furrowed. “You can’t know that, we can barely see them.”
Corvis took off running toward the figure and horses, moving to intercept them before they grew any closer to the distant town’s wall. Kail hurried after his brother, wondering not for the first time whether Corvis wasn’t more of a liability than an ally.
The figure turned toward them, a long dark cloak and hood masking his face from any visibility the bright stars may have made possible. Kail was preparing to step between the argument he was sure was about to ensue. Though his expectations were subverted as Corvis drew his sword and lunged forward at the cloaked figure who staggered back, tripped over his obnoxiously low-hanging cloak, and staggered as a foot of steel transfixed him.
“Hurry up and get a hit in before he dies!” hissed Corvis.
“You just murdered him!” said Kail as he arrived beside Corvis whose sword was the only thing keeping the cloaked figure upright.
“Obviously, now finish the job if you want to get any experience points.”
A pained gasp escaped from the figure’s hood as if he were attempting to speak or cry out but lacked the ability to. Kail drew his sword; acting to end the man’s pain rather than to fulfill his brother’s morbid desires. A swift strike cut through the man’s cloaked neck, and he toppled over as Corvis kicked him from his blade and the brothers sheathed their swords.
EXPERIENCE GAINED = 50/COMBAT CONTRIBUTIONS.
Kail glared at Corvis. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
Corvis’s eyebrows rose as he smirked. “He stole our horses,” he said as he gestured at the four horses whose saddles Kail was astonished to notice looked very familiar.
“I, but that doesn’t even make sense…” stammered Kail. “The chances of us running into him here… what are you doing?”
“Looting his corpse, obviously,” said Corvis as he finished pulling the bloody cloak off the figure, revealing a rather short naked bald man beneath. Corvis frowned as he rummaged his hands around within the cloak before tossing it scornfully on top of the corpse. One of the surpassingly calm horses lay down and the others echoed it’s motions. “If only I had a shovel,” muttered Corvis, seemingly to himself. “There has to be a farmhouse around here somewhere… Kail, you stay here and guard the horses while I go find something to dispose of this body with.” With those parting words, Corvis took off running into the night, leaving Kail standing over the dead body and surrounded by the horses which seemed content to fall asleep beside the corpse.
Kail glanced around, finding his surroundings dark and deserted but for the distant lights atop Hiddleton’s walls. Quite uncertain of what else to do, he opened his status, attempting to find clarity within it as he waited for Corvis’s return.
NAME: Kail Valien, RACE: Human, CLASS: Blood Preacher, LEVEL 4, EXPERIENCE: 700, HP 110/110, MP 100/100. STATS: Strength 9, Constitution 11, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 10. Skills: Rapid Regeneration - Common, Pure Blooded - Rare. Abilities: Free Flow - Common, Blood Gaze - Uncommon. Spells: Rupture - Uncommon.
He wanted to test out his rupture spell but wasn’t quite sure how to, nor was he particularly looking forward to engaging in another act of brutality. Approaching footsteps caused him to turn as Corvis arrived; two shovels in hand.
“You stole those from a farm?” asked Kail.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“No, from an orphanage,” said Corvis sarcastically. “You need to stop asking idiotic questions and start looking for a soft patch of dirt. I want to be rid of this body before the sun rises.”
It took longer than Kail had expected for them to find a soft patch of earth away from the well-trodden path. The process of digging a grave, even for the rather short man, was also unpleasantly arduous and the first rays of the new day were beginning to emerge as they finally shoveled the last scoops of earth on top of the buried corpse. Kail felt exhausted and his arms ached, so the sudden merry sound of whistling caught him quite off guard. Both he and Corvis turned away from the fresh grave as a short man in a button-up dark blue stained shirt emerged from a rather thick and leafy green bush which lay near the tree line in the opposite direction from Hiddleton’s distant walls. A jovial smile appeared on the man’s face as he approached. “Pardon my interruption but I was just watching you fine gentlemen from yonder bushes.” The man raised his hands placatingly as Corvis’s hand strayed toward his sword. “Now, now, there won’t be need for any hostilities, you see I am in a rather unfortunate predicament in which I require the services of men who know their way around the disposal of unwanted bodies. There’s a good bit of coin available should such men as yourselves be willing to assist me in this unfortunate matter.”
“What were you doing in those bushes?” asked Kail directly.
The man’s smile took on a hint of feigned embarrassment. “Well you see it’s been a troublesome week and I found myself in need of spirits. I don’t quite recall how I ended up asleep in that bush, but I sure am glad I did as it presented me with the opportunity to meet you fine gentlemen and procure your aid.”
“We haven't agreed to help you,” said Kail.
“Do you have a safe place we can sleep and get some food?” asked Corvis.
The man smiled. “I do indeed. My name’s Tucker by the way, and yours are?”
“I’m Corvis, and this is my brother Kail.”
“A pleasure,” said Tucker. “Now why don’t you fine gentlemen follow me to my boss’s accommodations and we can get you fed and rested.”
“Lead the way,” said Corvis, kicking the horses awake.
Kail briefly wondered what type of training the steeds had undergone to make them so obedient and complacent. The horses rose, following him and Corvis as Tucker led them toward Hiddleton.
As they approached the wooden wall, they found an open gate awaiting them, two soldiers in leather armor leaned against the walls to either side of the gate, though they appeared to be half asleep and didn’t pay the new arrivals any mind beyond a brief glance as they passed through the gate and into the town.
The street which stretched ahead of them was formed from compact stone and to either side of it lay buildings which appeared at least a generation or two more advanced than the ones which populated his Father’s city. They had sturdy-looking wooden walls, clean thatched roofs, and unblemished glass windows.
Tucker led them to what appeared to be a closed restaurant, though a key that he produced unlocked the door which he held open for them as they entered, leaving their horses tied off on a post outside. Round wooden tables filled the room which lay ahead of them, cushioned chairs surrounding the tables. A pale marble wall separated the empty dining area from where the kitchen presumably lay, and elegant birch steps rose from the far left corner of the room, winding up toward a second floor and down toward a subterranean level.
After relocking the door, Tucker led them toward the steps, though he turned down rather than up. Kail followed him somewhat apprehensively, shovel still in hand. The steps ended in an unfurnished rectangular room with stone walls and a matching floor. The lighting was somewhat dim and came from several odd lamp-like objects protruding seemingly randomly from the walls. Though they were sufficient to illuminate a body lying slumped on the floor in a pool of blood. Three men stood around the room, two were tall while the third was abnormally short. All three wore tailored brown suits and the two taller men carried long dark clubs while the shorter man was unarmed, all three turned to face them as they descended, the remnants of an angry-sounding conversation trailing off.
Tucker frowned. “I see things have escalated in my absence. Good thing I planned accordingly and brought two gravediggers to dispose of the body.”
The short man whose head was mostly bald glared at Tucker. “Where da fuck ave you been? And dat wasn’t your plan, it was me who told you to go hire men from da grave diggers’ guild.”
“Wait just a-” began Kail but Corvis interrupted him. “Whoever’s idea it was, it was a good one. Now, about our payment for disposing of this body?”
“Hold on,” persisted Kail. “We can’t just dispose of some random body without knowing the situation.”
“Dat’s what gravediggers do,” said the short man. “You tellin me you want information? You know what happens to people who go around asking questions?”
One of the taller men kicked the corpse. “They get terminated.”
The short man spun around furiously. “Did I tell you to talk numb skull?!”
The tall man shook his head sheepishly. “No boss.”
“You’ll be paid two gold coins,” Tucker said to Kail and Corvis. “Now you’d best get to work.”
Tapping footsteps from behind caused everyone to turn toward the steps as a woman in a short black dress emerged from them. A scowl marred her young face as she took in the scene. “What da fuck happened?”
The bald man rubbed his hands together as he spoke. “Ms. Douchine. Nial was indeed a rat for the Frazettis as I warned you, so we terminated him but these grave diggers are askin questions instead of taking care of the body.”
Ms. Douchine turned her glare upon Kail and Corvis, a strand of her black hair falling from her ponytail and draping a pale cheek as she spoke. “You two better take care of this body or I’ll have to call Mr. Velington, and you know what’ll happen if he has to come down here himself.”
Corvis nodded hurriedly. “We were just waiting to receive our payment then we’ll be on our way, with the body of course.”
Ms. Douchine’s glare returned to the short man, more of her hair sprawling out and about her face. “Why have they not been paid Verick?”
Verick grumbled inaudible obscenities as he produced a brown hide pouch and shoved a pudgy finger and thumb into it before withdrawing two thick gold coins and tossing them to Corvis who caught them with seemingly effortless ease.”
“We were also promised lodging and food,” said Kail who was both famished and exhausted to the point that this all seemed like a lucid dream.
“Yes yes feel free to return for those after you’ve disposed of the rat,” said Ms. Douchine.
“Don’t suppose you have a sack we can stuff him in?” asked Corvis, nodding toward the corpse.
“You don’t have your own?” asked Verick.
“Afraid I’m all out,” said Corvis.
“Oh enough,” said Ms. Douchine. “Vligit, give the grave diggers your sack.”
One of the tall men produced a large brown sack which he passed to Corvis who made eye contact with Kail as he knelt by the corpse. With a sigh of exasperation, Kail approached his brother, his tired expression turning to one of shock as Corvis began severing the corpse’s limbs. “Hurry up and get em in the sack,” grunted Corvis harshly.
Barely repressing, the urge to vomit, Kail tentatively picked up a severed arm and flung it into the sack.
“God damned novices,” grumbled Verick. “Where do you find these people Tucker?”
“At the graveyard of course,” said Tucker.
“I’m heading back upstairs,” said Ms. Douchine. “Just make sure this mess is cleaned up before the shadelings arrive.”
“Of course, Ms. Douchine,” said Tucker respectfully.
Kail gritted his teeth as Corvis placed the head in the sack before bunching its top together and hoisting it over his shoulder in an impressive feat of strength. The surprisingly thick sack seemed to be keeping blood from dripping out of it, though red stains were forming. Kail followed Corvis up the steps, the sack wobbling in front of him as the all too familiar smell of blood permeated his lungs. “What the fuck are we doing?” asked Kail.
“You're going to go outside ahead of me and cause a scene to distract everyone. Then I’ll sneak out and whisk the body to the graveyard where you’ll meet me later,” said Corvis.
Kail felt sick. “How is this worth it?”
“Disposing of a body is a small service in exchange for gold, food, and a safe place to rest.”
“How am I supposed to cause a large enough distraction to obscure you carrying a bloody body bag out of town?”
“Just act like yourself, not to be rude but you hardly fit in here.”
Kail wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, so as they arrived back within the empty restaurant he simply unbolted the door and strode outside. At least he wouldn’t be implicated in any of this insanity. Then he remembered the fresh blood staining the arm pieces of his studded leather armor. Well that blood should just blend in with the dried blood covering the rest of his armor right?
He glanced around. A boy sat nearby petting a dirty looking dog. A young woman stood behind a stand selling fruit, and an elderly couple were walking by. “Excuse me?” asked Kail, approaching the elderly couple.
“You wouldn't happen to know who Mr. Velington is, would you?”
The couple paused, confused expressions on their faces as they glanced at him. “Sorry?” asked the elderly man.
“Never mind, what do you know about The Valien Empire?”
“You mean the blood cultists in the woods under the haunted mountain?” asked the man.
The pitter patter of feet caused Kail to glanced down as the mangy dog approached and began licking the dried blood from his pants. The boy quickly arrived beside them. “Is it alright if Husky feeds on you Mr?” asked the kid.
“Uh, sure,” said Kail before returning his attention to the old man. “Yes, the blood cultists. My friend went missing in those woods a while back and I’m afraid I know little of what might have become of him.”
He was running out of things to say and the elderly couple were staring at him as if he were some deranged lunatic. “Uh, let’s go dear,” said the old lady, leading her husband away.”
“Gee thanks for letting Husky feed on you Mr,” said the kid as his dog kept licking at Kail’s pants.
A distant yell caused Kail to glance around down the road which led toward the gate they’d entered through. Has that idiot gotten himself caught? How the hell did he think any of this was a good idea? And yet as immoral and insane as Corvis was, he was quite possibly the only person who could see Kail safely back to his Father. With an exhausted sigh, he turned and began running toward the gate.