DAYTIME
Well, contrary to my belief that 110 bucks did keep me out of trouble for a day. I had a good breakfast, even the dessert. Then plonked 50 bucks in gold in front of Hanna and Sabrina, which gave me their unconditional love and affection for that day and 3 bottles of Whiskey. I proudly admit I remember very little of that night. It might be my imagination but shortly before the full blackout, Hanna says “Hey there is a woman with glowing eyes on the roof across, I think she's watching us.” ln a drunken stupor I used my left leg to reach the window, and open it all the way. “Well she can join us anytime she wants, but no gold for her. Latecomers are punished around here.” Hanna gave me a confused look but I drew her into an embrace “Don't worry, I'll protect you.” She drew closer “Really?” I grinned like a drunk ape “Of course not, I'd push two of you in between, and then jump through the window.” She gave me a mock slap “You can be such a cunt.” I gave her a kiss on the cheek “I'm always such a cunt, now I'm just too drunk to hide it.” Fortunately, she took it as a joke and I opened the last bottle of whiskey. Sabrina finally managed to climb herself to the window “I don't see a thing, enough whiskey for you Hanna.”
Unholy noise woke me up that morning I stumbled for my gun trying to remember how to conjure something in my left hand...Then I fell out of bed, Church bells were declaring noon and, I in my infinite wisdom, left the window open. The commotion woke the girls up too “ Oh shit, it's noon already, Paddy will give us a beating if we don't report soon.” She kicked Hanna. “Come. On.” They got to their senses faster than I did leaving my room fresh like daisies while I was still in my birthday best wishing I was dead. Sabrina blew me a kiss and was gone, Hanna started but stopped at the doorway and looked back “I did see a woman with glowing eyes last night.”
I looked into her bright blue eyes from the floor. Maybe it was light coming from the window, maybe it was something in her gaze, but she looked so innocent at that moment. I nodded. She still didn't move “Will you be O.K.?” I chuckled from the floor “O.K.? No, I most certainly will not be O.K..” “Will you die?” Something in her voice made me look at her again, there was a brief, heavy pause between us before I smiled “No. That far I have no plans to go.” Some tension drained from her shoulders, she smiled and left. Still laying on the floor I rolled my head back and closed my eyes, curing myself from a hangover was something I learned before I learned how to close real wounds even if it was technically more complicated, I first took a few deep breaths allowing Aether to flow through me unobstructed for a few moments then I diverted part of the flow into thumb, forefinger and middle finger on each hand. Then placed them in certain places on my skull and shifted all the flow through these new channels. First, it felt good, like a cube of ice on a hot forehead, but it won't last. Soon I was gritting my teeth to stop myself from moaning or sobbing, tears, sweat, and snot mixing on my chest.
Fortunately, it lasted just about five minutes. When I opened my eyes I felt like new, the only problem was that now I looked like a piece of shit. First I drained half of the jug of stale yesterday's water, then used the shirt I used yesterday and the remains of equally stale water from the bucket used for toiletries to wash myself up. Fortunately, it had a third left, and with my private soap, I managed to look at at least half human after a clothes change. I left a wet shirt in the bucket, no way in hell I'm wearing that again. Unfortunately for shaving, I'll have to look elsewhere, just then I realized that suddenly I started to worry about my appearance, like a future corpse preparing himself for a funeral in advance. I grimaced and shook the thought from my head, slipping the dagger into his custom holster in my left boot then picking up my holster belt and tying it around my waist. Helen is snuggly on the right and shortsword on the left, while not magical like the dagger, or special like Helen even my blade was customized. An odd mixture of Gladius with a handbasket hilt with protruding nails to serve as the spiked knuckleduster in a pinch.
Well, at least no one could accuse me of not being versatile. About a palm away from the sword there was another deerskin pouch fastened to an empty bullet space. I carefully untied it and emptied the contents in my palm, 18 bullets I enchanted a week ago. Plenty, I'd thought, in normal circumstances, 2 elemental loads of Fire and Electricity and one load of pure Aether. Some would consider it overkill even. Now, however, I wasn't so sure. Helen was loaded with six mundane bullets and I had 10 more on the belt. Itch to enchant at least one more load was strong. I resisted it though. As mentioned, I was versatile, not really a powerhouse. I always considered Arts a nice bonus, but if I had to fight I preferred trickery. Actually running away was my favorite battle move. I returned the bullets to the pouch and retied it. I'll drop by Khyon after the shave and spend some more gold on some goodies. Coins don't serve much to a dead man, although I met Houngan or two who would disagree.
I picked up my hat from the rack and exited the room, slowly walking toward the stairs and there it was again...wrongness. Although this time it was not my supernatural gifts that warned me. It was around 1 PM, maybe a quarter less, the place should be bustling with people who came on lunch or an early drink or six, but it was so quiet down there I could hear flies buzzing around poorly cleaned tables. Itch to return and drop down a water drain was strong, but Paddies Hotel was one place I was remotely welcome, and now when I pushed my tendrils down whoever it was down there. He was angry enough to do something to Paddy or the girls, believing they somehow tipped me off. This meant he was also stupid and I have no inclination to repeat my conviction about the power of sheer dumb-dumb I placed the hat on the head and as quietly as possible cocked Helen hoping the sound of my boots on the floorboards to quiet the sound. The angry presence was behind the stairs, slightly to the right. Beside him I felt only Paddy behind the bar, everyone else was buzzing with fear like a beehive in the back of the kitchen. I must admit, despite my apprehension, I felt a bit of curiosity. As far as I knew I did nothing to piss someone off this much since I returned almost a month ago. If anything, I liven up the economy quite a bit. Losing or spending almost 2 thousand dollars, I doubt the last few visitors together managed that.
I started down the stairs trying to seem relaxed with my thumbs behind the belt, hiding with the remainder of my palm that the revolver was already cocked. I first saw shoes with silver spurs, strangely familiar but they didn't bring a face I was down on the first landing now seeing a rotund figure in a black suit with a shoelace bowtie, but still no face. Though I saw a double-barrel shotgun pointed at my back. Large sonovabitch, for bears or buffaloes. That thing didn't kill anything smaller than a Human before. I felt the hair on the back of my head stand up and I almost involuntary stopped. Both barrels were cocked, that thing couldn't shoot magic ammo but it did not need to. It would rip me in half if I allowed it to shoot. Once he realized I saw him he gripped his weapon tighter and I tried to remember to say goodbye to someone before it went off, planning as the last gambit to jump over the handrail and duck behind the counter. Then he spoke and I remember that dumbasses aren't always 100% bad. They like to gloat when they think they have all the cards.
“Hands in the air witch, slowly, or I will first shoot them off.” I frowned picture of a nearly perfectly round, bald face, with a chestnut beard and similar eyes, placed slightly too close together. I slowly raised my hand as asked but also half turned my head because I could not believe my ears. “Manfred?” He had one or two grays in his beard but he did not change much. He gave me a victorious smile mistaking the incredulous look on my face for shock instead of surprise. “Didn't think I'll ever catch up with you. Did you?” I slowly shook my head deepening his smug grin “Mostly because I didn't know you were chasing me though, what the Hell Manfred?” The range of emotions on his face would be hilarious if those two enormous barrels weren't still pointed at my spine.
Shock, anger, shame, disbelief. And with every, his face got redder and redder until his head looked more like a tomato. He rattled something in German that I didn't understand before returning back to English. “Don't tell me your last few minutes will be spent like a coward, there were a dozen witnesses when you killed Hans.” My face must've gotten even more confused since he yelled at Paddy “Look! Look! His murderous face betrays him clear as day!” Paddy calmly cleaning the large beer jug looks at me “He looks more constipated to me.” which earned him some rebuke in German but before he could continue I cut him off, all of this starting to annoy me. “Your entire county knows I shot Hans, I was even on trial for it and it was judged fair duel. By those dozen witnesses, I might add. You weren't there because you were in prison for trying to kill him yourself. You literally knocked his left eye with a shovel.”
That somehow angered him more. “You don't understand shit!!! How could demon-spawn understood how deeply brothers care for each other!!” He got me there, not sure about the demon-spawn part but I was the only child. Still, if I had a brother I doubt we'd show affection with shovels to the head. More to the point I was losing my patience. “So? What? Five years after I was lawfully acquitted you will shoot me in the back with that cannon?” He sneered “Damn right. In these five years, I collected at least three Bounty posters for you. Different names, but I'd recognize that face anywhere.” He was likely right, for at least one of those bounties, but that did not matter, I already got what I wanted. Admission in front of the witness that he plans to shoot me in the back. Two of my fingers barely bent, in the same manner as when I lighted Ronald's pipe a few nights ago. But much less conspicuous because, an impromptu science lesson for the uninitiated, tabaco is much less volatile when exposed to heat than gunpowder.
The explosion was something to behold, the damn shotgun was big as it is, but Manfred used some special slugs with an impressive kick, and even Paddy, who expected something similar, barely ducked behind his bar to avoid flying pieces of metal. I descended the remainder of the stairs and tried to shake off copious amounts of smoke this kicked off. When it finally cleared enough to see Manfred again it was one of the grizzlier wounds I saw in a while. Both of his hands were missing almost to the elbows, and his nose and half of his cheeks were gone, somehow one hammer remained intact firmly lodged in Manfred's eye, and his entire torso was covered with lacerations of various sizes. And he was squealing the entire time. Half in German, half in English When he saw me he yelled, “Doctor!! Call for a doctor!!! I'll forgive you your sins just get me, someone, to take away the pain!!!” I looked down for a second before drawing Helen and placing a bullet between his eyes, finally plunging the place in silence.
“So Paddy, you heard, he planned to shoot me in the back. Self-defense pure as...well not water in this town, but close enough.” Paddy dragged himself from the floor if he didn't decide to keep a horseshoe patch of hair on his head it could be Manferd incarnate, except for that hair and the fact it was fire red. He sniffed looking at shattered bottles, including a beer jug he was cleaning. “Yup, right until you shot him between the eyes. While he was bleeding to death.” I knew this song and dance and I sighed “He asked me to take away the pain, look at him now, peaceful as the baby.” Then we reached the point he wanted “Yup, nice, calm, and dead. I on the other side have to remove all this blood, and metal shards, not to mention replacement of shattered bottles. I'll be a beggar before tomorrow.”
Both of us knew that was a monumental lie. Paddy even after all of this will be among the three richest people in the town. But we played the game. I smiled “Fair enough.” I opened the pouch Santino gave me and placed three golden dollars on the bar one by one so the weight is not lost. No doubt he'll bite them after I leave but for now it was enough. Paddy eyed coins but hasn't reached for them, I did not expect him to either. “You underestimate damage here Hákon, not only physical, what if he returns like a haunting, you know how pain in the butt they can be. I'd have to call Khyon and he is not cheap.”
“I know exactly the price of his services.” The fourth coin dropped down. Paddies eyes light up, but same as me, some people just can't quit. He opened his mouth, but I was very quick to get the first word in. I sniffed the air like I could smell anything except the blood and gunpowder “Jesus Paddy all that booze might've spilled on you since you stink like shit. Go change yourself and stay out of the way of any flame before that.” Our eyes met and a more perfect understanding could not be reached without any words. There will not be a fifth coin, but a burning hotel owner. The pause lasted about two seconds before he casually nodded and picked up four gold. “Yeah, I do smell like shit, don't I? Any plans for the day?” I shrugged “First a shave, then I'll go to Khyon too, I need some trinkets.” He took a large thick leather rag and began to clean glass wiping the blood to the floor for someone else to deal with. One of those buzzing thoughts in the kitchen that stopped now. Likely waiting for some kind of call. Automatically I pushed the spent casing out of Helen and replaced it with a fresh bullet. “See you tonight.” He added without real thought, it was something that happened regularly for a month now.
My reply made him stop wiping “Maybe.” But before he could ask a thing I was already standing on the porch looking around.
Wellington was small, Hell that was the reason most...dubiously reputable people came here. No Sheriff, no jail, as the law goes it depended on Marshals to swing by from time to time while crossing to one of the larger cities and do their job, but most time...issues were solved “Manfred Style”. Sort of a perfect hideaway for us who flirted with the line of the law but never really committed. I stood on the porch for good 5 minutes deciding what to do. I killed a man or 17 during my life, but rarely first thing before breakfast. I never considered myself particularly superstitious. Hard to be superstitious if you already killed or worked with a creature. Now I contemplate working with one of those I kinda did not harbor too much love for. Well in my defense Vampires were just the worst, and Lamia...
As far as I was concerned then, were just different sides of the same coin. One will use you as the blood bag, or turn you. Simple enough. Nothing like that with Lamias, they would drink your life force, without even touching you. Until you are just dead. No wounds or something, just dead. Also no lucky “turning” break. Lamias actually gave birth, VERY rarely, I'm not a pro but smarter than me hypothesized part of the life force they took would store in a special organ of which they had control (so no stupid allowed), and eventually they would get “pregnant”. The process could take centuries, although oddly pregnancy would last a normal Human amount, 9 months.
That's why Anne was so pissed, killing 3 Lamias could easily be 1000 years of wasted time. I did wonder how old was she, and the possibility that one of the three was her daughter. Also, the reason I figured it was best was just to book it to the stables and fucking leave. Yet I did neither. After my lengthy stay outside I sighed and decided maybe while I still have above 40 gold to visit Khyon first. Vageully registering the workforce behind me beginning to clean the muck up. Then I was greeted almost cheerfully. “Hákon you rascal, I was called, but now I see why. How bad is it?”
Vulture was an Elf, but they keep themselves more separated than Humans do, and as acceptance goes his kind was at the lowest rung, I saw cities where they kill them on sight. I admit I had no idea what his name was, like all Elves it was complicated, but Vultures kind of placed some extra effort into it. They arrived at the same time as other Elves and Dwarves, they even came from below as Dwarves, but finding people that hate them more than the two mentioned above would be hard. He was always cool to me, so I did not really care. I shrugged “It was pretty bad, but you can hear Paddie's wage slaves better than me.” He nodded thinking “Not my issue, I just need kinda...you know, measurements.” I involuntarily chuckled “Imagine you're burying Paddy and you won't be far off.” He gave a half grin showing his almost canine fangs, his white hair was tied in a tail, with dark glasses hiding his sensitive eyes, but I knew they were red. “I bet cheap bastard will go for the cheapest and body will plop out as soon as we lift it.”
I returned the half grin “Would it be Paddy otherwise?” Vulture snorted and gave a nod in agreement. To this day I have no idea what compelled me, but I drew two gold dollars and pushed first into Elves' hand. “V.” I never used his full nickname, we shared too many drinks together “Take Paddies money but add this on top. I don't wanna any comedy at the funeral.” I sensed a questioning glance behind the glasses, but he just nodded. Then I pushed the second coin “Advanced payment, I want Oak, plain but for one customization. Carve on top He was the bastard to the end.” That was the first time I saw his white eyebrows frown. “I doubt we have anything around that can kill you Hákon.” I gave a half shrug “Things change. If I'm alive at the end of the month, consider it my gift to you.” For the second time in three days, I was surprised. He placed a hand on my shoulder, it weighed almost nothing. “I'm a greedy bastard that like gifts, don't rob me of that.” He entered Hotel, I stood on the porch for a few more seconds.
I never considered him a friend, we drank a few times together talking nonsense. But I never considered how that looked from his side, by his nick alone it was obvious he was ostracized. For him, I might be the closest thing he had to a friend, it did not feel pleasant to think about it like that. I, for the second time today, shook the line of thought from my mind and moved. Before meeting Vulture I was certain I'll go to Khyon first but my legs somehow automatically took me to “Sidney Grooming Establishment” I honestly did not register it until I entered a pleasantly ventilated place with a small Halfling looking me up and down and exclaiming. “All Gods of the multiverse Hákon I have no idea where to start on that pile of dung you call head.
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