Dennis was alone, so so alone. Judith left him to deal with the liaison with a struggling marriage, Benny. That prick, Judith, was instead getting plastered chatting up the innkeeper, who’s name was apparently kathzka. He begged for hours, only noticing that the drunkard fell asleep in front of him afterwards.
O stacy, I beg of thee, guide me in these trying times
Fucking damn it, why did he let himself get dragged in the middle of a guy with marital issues and the guy’s spouse who was finding out their gender for the first time. This was so awkward, he could be in the inn going through the plan he made, but no, instead he was here trying to wait for a guy he tried to console. He knew he shouldn’t have been nice. He knew he should’ve dropped the call when he got what he needed.
Large shadows blocked the four suns that hung in the sky. The sky ships were arriving today, carrying goods and equipment form places that were still untouched by industry. Many ships floated, containing travelers and would be heroes from other plains, dimensions, and lands. Colorful ships filled with hopes and dreams of young would-be adventurers looked at the same scene he saw. It was beautiful.
Many individuals walked in the street he waited in. It was next to an adventurer guild after all. Honestly freelancing didn’t feel like a stable profession, and he doubts the youngins moving in and out of it were sleeping on roses. Never the less, he envied that freedom, the freedom with people who had their lives ahead of them.
He sighed deeply as the mundane scene unfolded to him. Maybe he should retire one day and give up the crown. It might be hard, but maybe a union would be a better than the current system of power. After all, he wanted everyone to not worry about soul rations or hungry bellies in his empire. Plus, if it ever falls he could spend more time with Wyatt and make the dungeons they were always planning to make. The thought brings a smile to his face.
Something felt strange. The air felt ripe with change, like everything has a chance to go in any direction. Values changing, but all remaining equal. True freedom, with agony and bliss spinning in a cruel game. As if nothing was written in stone. He felt strange. Something powerful was nearby, something only people like him could sense. No one else was reacting, no one else seemed to care. This could only be sensed by Dennis due to his unique background and specialization. A declaration that everything is equal, under it’s eyes.
--9TH ANIMACRAFT: SPLINTERED SOUL OF TEN-THOUSAND VOICES--
He silently cast it on himself and saw spirals upon spirals of eventualities. He could think ten-thousand individual thought processes now. It might strain his soul, being split more than a thousand parts and all, but he felt that whatever was coming needed to be watched. Spirals endlessly flowed from one thing to another. He could see every molecule in a hundred kilometers and accurately predict each motion, but all his prediction models were a mess. It was as if someone was messing with the logic of cause and effect, fate and probability.
It was terrifying, and he did not know the cause. He’s worried if someone found them out or was using this whole section of korilstadt as a trap. If they were, his options were limited.
He saw a guy flipping a coin a building away inside a closed room. It was supposed to land on heads, but instead it stopped and lodged itself on a crack that was never there. He saw a woman opening a coin purse that contained forty three copper coins, but suddenly had more. He heard voices crack on songs practiced a hundred times. He saw grains of dirt spell out a mathematical formula and was gone in a second. He saw bread pulled from an oven still as dough, despite baking for an hour.
He noticed all these oddities. Tiny little miracles stacking on top of one another. Then it was gone. Everything was predictable again. Everything could be fixed to acceptable levels.
It was as if something screwed all forms of probability and went away just as quick.
He kept his soul sight active paired with the splinter soul. He could not see it. Nothing at all. He doesn’t know what is happening. Maybe a concept beast was born, but everyone should be dying around him if that was the case. Maybe someone just got that enlightenment or dao thing that Judith always speaks about. He has no idea. He can’t even find out what really happened without jeopardizing his mission. This frustrated him.
He put a record of all viewed souls in an information bank in his soul to review later when he’s alone. He cant afford to do anything drastic without Judith present. Judging by the area of the phenomenon Judith would have sensed it too, but so long as no notable events happen(I.e.mass panic and deaths), she should follow protocol and lay low.
Worst come to worst I’d need to release the box here and escape.
Around a building, two elves were running in his direction. One was wearing a poncho that followed a repeating pattern of triangles paired with brown pants, which made him seem like a straggler. He wore a beanie with the same triangle patterns that hid the tired eyes that seemed to have been busy crying. The man, Benny, wore a strained smile that struggled to keep things together.
The other one was a chubby woma- ,man, what he meant to say was man, that wore an oversized dull green chest plate that paired with a helmet that possessed the same green color that seemed like it was covered in verdigris. He had a mace strapped on his leather pants, indicating that they were an adventurer. The man was carrying a basket filled with what appears to be fruit, most of which was unfamiliar to Dennis. A yellow bent thing in a bundle, a furry brown thing that appeared to be a werewolf testicle, a prickly fruit with leaves sprouting off of it that seemed to be angry, a droopy green thing that had crinkled skin, and.. are those..grapes?
Oh my gosh all of this was worth it. If they managed to find grapes, a fruit said to be extinct, then maybe letting Benny defect to Necra Mazoul might be worth the effort.
The chubby man was smiling and pointed in his direction. Benny nodded and gave a cheery wave.
Dennis smiled at them, trying desperately to mask the awkward vibe and the burning greed within him.
“Hey Den! Thanks for waiting for us. It’s not even sundown yet haha”
“Hey Benny! No problem, I’m happy to wait. So could you introduce me to your friend over here.” Dennis smiled, his eyes burning a hole through the shiny grapes. He slowly licked his lips.
“So Dennis, this is Rota.” The chubby man smiled at the mention of his name. “An adventurer and one of the most important people in my life. And Rota, this is Dennis, the guy who works for the Necra Mazoul tourism agency.”
The chubby man gave me the basket and smiled. “I’ve heard so much about you. Here’s some of the fruits from my personal stash, Benny here told me you liked these and it would be a shame to just let them rot. You have no idea how hard it was to get even half of those, so it’s pretty nice someone appreciates these.”
“Wait, are you sure I can accept all of these? I could settle for just the grapes, these must’ve cost a fortune.”
Rota made a gentle tap on his shoulder. “Nah don’t mention it. With my line of work, money isn’t an issue. There’s been an uptick of new dungeons recently and it racked in a ton of new otherworlders with it. I tell ya, the rate of new worlds popping up in the solar cage recently seems to be increasing. More than what we can harvest honestly. I’m so glad we’re stationed in this planet and not the ice wall I tell you that.”
Dennis stored the fruit in a spatial bag. “So Rota, you’re an adventurer huh. What rank are you? I cant remember what system they use here these days. Do they still use metals for rankings or was it the letters?”
“Haha, well we use the level ranking now actually. It has things like stats and skills that those otherworlders use. You can only use it inside a guild, but it really helps a lot.” He scratched the back of his head avoiding the question. “Sorry I forgot you guys in Necra Mazoul have those lich things, phylacteries was it? It must be hard living for a long time even if you are, what I assume to be a druid right?”
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
“You got me there. Still, it’s worth the pain in the ass after the first few years with a phylactery. I tell you, it was devastating to know that you couldn’t sleep at all. Fortunately, meditating helped me a lot in that area.” Naturally, Dennis lied through his teeth.
“Hey guys c’mon, the bar I told you about is gonna open soon.” Benny said with a grin.
“This better not be anything ridiculous.” Both of them looked at Dennis up and down and shared a smile, as if a secret that both of them knew.
“Oh I’m sure you of all people would like it.” Benny said. Somehow Dennis seemed pissed off by that.
“Yeah dude, it’s a cool place that accepts everyone. C’mon it’s gonna be fun dude.” Rota said with a wink then brushed their hair aside.
They piss me off. I don’t know why, but they piss me off. Dennis sighed and followed them anyway.
Through a backdoor of the adventurer guild, a long staircase lit by spellfire and light stones opened up. It went on and on as if the city was a plant that took root in fresh soil and the tunnels were the root systems that searched for water in a desert. When they reached the bottom, an undercity opened up. It reminded him of the various hives in his home. It was a cavern with buildings and establishments that shone brightly colored neon lights that spelled out words and symbols totally alien to him. It was vast and chaotic, and it was one of the most beautiful things he’s seen in a long time.
Tunnels could be seen from every wall around the neon speckled paradise. Each one seemed to point to different directions throughout korilstadt. He’s heard reports of these places, recounting stories of blackmarkets, debauchery, and chaos. Yet despite all that, many still remarked on it’s strange beauty. It was one thing to see the spatial maps, but it was something else to see it in person.
Steam wafted through the air as street food vendors crowded the many many entrances, trying to entice people with the many many skewers and roasted meats displayed.
Benny bought three boiled Sky fish eggs seasoned with chili flakes and a thick sweet oil and onion mixture. He held one to each person. It was as big as Dennis’ fist thrice over. He took a bite, getting a nice warm feeling in his chest. He was in bliss, feeling all the sensations that he used to think he’d never truly experience again.
“Glad you like it. We should arrive in a bit. You're gonna love the shows they do Dennis, it seems weird at first, but you gradually love it.” Benny smiled at him. He couldn’t help but do the same.
Despite the hassle of his constant trauma dumping, he’s a good person. He has a very strange circumstance that’s vastly different from me, but I’m okay with it. Maybe this friendship could last for a bit. Dennis smiled at that, stuffing his face with the egg, reminiscing about the times he did the same with people he already lost.
I hope this lasts.
After navigating a few alleyways and bridges that seemed to have space bent in such a way that it hurt to look at, they reached a simple metal door with posters smacked around it. A glowing pink sign was placed right above it, showing the image of a wand spewing out stars that formed a heart separated by a fissure in the center. The name ‘Heart Eater’ could be seen bathing the area in a mysterious glow.
Benny pushed the doors handle and opened a wild view of people dancing, drinking, and singing. Dennis was pretty shocked by the view as he hasn’t ever been to anything like this before. Other than the chaotic company the bar had, what piqued his interest was another thing entirely. A stage with curtains, mirrors, and lights occupied an entire wall to itself.
“Dennis you’re totally gonna love this one.” Rota said giggling. “A real nice show is starting. I think it hasn’t started yet so we better get some good seats. Hey Benny, see any good ones?” Wiggling his eyebrows and winking, as if he said an inside joke.
“Yeah, I see one. Let’s go before anyone else takes it.” Dennis said, trying to ignore the last part. They followed Benny as he weaved through the noisy cavalcade of chattering patrons. They reached the seats in time before a loud voice amplifier spell vibrated the air.
“Good evening queens and shortkings! How y’all doin’ tonight!” A red kobold spoke into a spellrod. He wore a simple green cloak over a grey tunic that had a rainbow symbol in it’s center, with a coiled whip strapped on his side.
“I’ve got a wonderful show for you tonight. It’s filled with love, heartache, mystery, panache!” The kobold made various poses. Dennis laughed at the scene as did all the others. “Let’s give it up for our mistress of magic, our songstress of the night, the illustrious, the elegant, the luminary, BEFANA!!!”
The curtains parted to show a woman wearing a skin tight red dress that covered everything but her face and shoulders. She had eyes like amethysts and hair that sparkled, like glass spun from magma and made into threads that wove into each other. Her hair a dazzling green color, and her skin tan and radiant. Despite her looks, she had an air about her, like a friend or an aunt who would sing to make you sleep. She had a comforting presence to her.
The mana around her sparked to life. Dennis reeled back his influence and canceled his soul vision, being enamored by the atmosphere. A piano with a candelabra materialized beside her and she sat on it while it played a haunting tune. She twisted the fire that hugged her fingers as she passed it above the flickering flames as they illuminated the stage.
She spoke in a low voice, calm and filled with sardonic charisma. She started singing.
“There comes a time when a woman sees wrinkles
And the mirror shows what has been lost
And the days seem to grow even longer
And the folly of youth bears it’s cost
So soon does winter comes closer
And so soon that you let go of me
And the time that we spent is forgotten
And another one has replaced me
You can waste all my time and you can pass on by
But there’s a few things
That I’ll never give back
And that’s MONEY, THE SHOES, AND THE RINGS!
HIT IT!!”
The woman then does a backflip while wearing heels. Backup dancers appear out of nowhere and she ripped her dress to reveal a reflective starry nightgown. The tone of the song suddenly changed, getting more upbeat by the second.
“You no good lying filth, beneath my feet
I’ll stomp you with my nine-inch heels
I’ll make you pay with blood and gold
You bastard you’ll know how it feels!!”
The song was surprisingly graphic. She went on to sing more songs, each one accompanied by a unique dance and a unique outfit change.
The crowd was cheering like there was no tomorrow, even Dennis was caught up in the fervor. Some people drunk and flicked coins in the stage. Some people even threw underwear which the woman used as a prop for a comedy gag. It was wild to him, a guy who’s never enjoyed social activities much.
Benny and Rota were dancing on the next song, leaving him in a table alone. He had to admit though, this took the stress off of his shoulders. He was about to order another drink, when he heard the sound of clinking glass.
It was the kobold announcer from earlier, this time shirtless and wearing a harness was heading in his direction. He looked around in panic, only now noticing the men and women around the bar were wearing less and less clothes as time went by. Before he could act, the kobold was near him offering two drinks and leaning by the table. Both of them were short, yet at this moment Dennis felt like he was a tiny bit shorter than him.
“Couldn’t help but see you being lonely out here. It’d be a shame to leave an eye candy like you alone.” The kobold winked at him.
Dennis’ head was blank. He never expected this. Despite being a millennia old monster capable of razing worlds and killing unfathomable eldritch beings, talking with someone who was obviously flirting with him was absolutely the most terrifying thing he’s ever experienced.
“D-dennis.. UuAahahaha..ha” Damn it all Dennis don’t screw us over, this might be your chance to get some ass. Pull yourself together! Dennis took the drink and downed it, burning his throat, yet he refused to show he was affected. The kobold’s eyes widened.
“Holy shit man, that drink had pure stinger wine. You doing okay?” The voice heavy with concern.
With years of study in the various paraphernalia otherworlders have, specifically the elusive art form of ‘yaoi’, he’s learned that men should always act cool in front of the hot guy if they wanted to bang. So he forced his face to remain stoic despite his eyes bulging and his nose dripping with snot.
“Why..umm..why wouldn’t I be when I get someone like you here.” Dennis tried to wink, but a drop of alcohol went in his eye, forcing him to close it and form tears. He tried to lean his hand on the table, trying to make himself look taller, but slipped and stumbled.
The kobold caught him. He felt the heat from the man’s hands. He quickly corrected himself and stood up, blushing the whole time.
“I meant to do that haha” God shit I wanna die!
The kobold laughed, his red scales bouncing the lights from the bar as it enhanced his pecs. Dennis felt his chest and tummy burn slightly. He thinks it might be the alcohol, but maybe it’s something else.
“You’re a fucking riot man. So Dennis huh? That’s a cute name, you from around here?” The kobold wiped away his tears from laughing.
“I’m actually from Necra Mazoul hehe. I just came here for work.”
“Ooohh, you came from that far huh. Well seems like we got a rich guy here.” The kobold took Dennis’ hand and gave it a small kiss. “Name’s Ogier”
“Oh ahaha stop it you” Dennis playfully swatted the kobold’s hands.
“So Dennis, what do you do?”
“Well I’m just a simple agent. Make a few spells and get a few deals here and there. Nothing too special.”
“Oh? You got any plans for tonight”
“Well not really. Just gonna stay in the inn after this. It’s actually my first time getting in a bar. Never knew that this was that type of place.” Dennis giggled, glancing at the muscular kobold’s arms.
Ogier did not miss the glances. Ogier had a sense for things like these. He had what was called the ‘virgin radar’, and it was pinging aggressively in the rat kins direction.
“Well, there’s a first time for everything.” He bit his finger, relishing the response of the flustered rat kin. Oh, he’s gonna bag this guy or die trying. He leaned in and felt their warm breaths merging, making the scent of alcohol and desire rise.
Surprisingly, Dennis made the first move and kissed Ogier. The first time he’s ever done anything like this. The haze of want and freedom burst free after years of repressed feelings. Here, even just for tonight, he was free.