Chapter 30 - Elder

“This sapien called himself Nyx. He seems to have traveled here with my… my son,” Manslaughter reported with a wince. “As you instructed, I brought him here immediately. Also, he destroyed the cafeteria. I’m going to go check on this Death Wagon they brought—"

“Be careful of the demon monkeys,” I added helpfully. “The paralytic might be wearing off and they can get a little angsty…”

She was just glaring at me again.

Ahh, right. I wasn’t supposed to talk.

“Now he’s your problem,” she finished.

With that, she slammed the door and we were alone.

Just the sound of her hissing curses fading behind the rhythmic, dull thump of this mystery factory that definitely shouldn’t – but most certainly did – exist.

Just like the elderly gentleman sitting behind that desk.

You know, Elder Gracen? Who was still breathing somehow? Although, I guess I hadn’t technically seen a body, right? Mostly because there hadn’t been anything left after the lightning blew him up along with a hundred or so ratkin?

Either way, he was here. Staring at me waaay too calmly.

I’d imagined this moment thousands of times while stuck in that lightless hell sewer. We all do it, right? Replay our most traumatic memories on repeat while we lay awake at night staring up at the glowing green moss covering the ceiling of our sewer bedroom? And like I’ve explained many times, I don’t sleep anymore. Which gave me extra time to dwell.

What would I say? What would he say? Who would go first? Would we talk about the gate? The attack? Our past? My parents? Leandra? Or maybe there would be no words – no cute pleasantries. Maybe – just maybe, he’d smile… throw his arms wide and welcome me into a fatherly hug? Especially now that I knew that was a thing.

Instead, I did what I normally do.

I froze – stuck in my own thoughts.

Until the moment had passed.

Until Elder Gracen coughed into his hand.

Until it had gotten super awkward.

“Ahh, so it’s Nyx, right?” he said.

Like he didn’t remember who I was. Maybe that lightning bolt had scrambled his brain? Yeah, that could be it. Probably why there was a big bandage on his head, right? Maybe he’d blasted himself a few miles away, his spirit had instinctively cushioned the impact, but he’d still suffered hopefully-permanent brain damage.

That could also be why he was staring at me in confusion. Why he looked a little nervous even? And was he sweating? I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him—

Maribel pinched me discreetly. Ahh, she was the best.

“I’m just not getting involved in this,” Lili grumbled. “Also, I’m hungry.”

Which would make her the worst.

“Yeah, it’s still Nyx. You’re adopted… son,” I replied slowly.

Elder Gracen nodded, then a smile settled on his face.

“Sorry. Head injury,” he said, pointing at his head. “Terrible memory loss.”

Confirmation. Of course, he didn’t remember me! This was just fucking—

Wait. Wait, no. This wasn’t a horrible nightmare. This was perfect.

“That’s just terrible,” I said, stepping forward and opening my arms wide—

Elder Gracen hesitated, looking uncertain. It might have been the smile. I stopped and he swallowed hard, rising and accepting my embrace reluctantly.

Ahh, this was the sweet, warm feeling of consent.

“This really isn’t what I had in mind,” Lili muttered. “You’re just taking advantage of an old man with a brain injury to roleplay some weird father-son relationship.”

Maybe, but I wasn’t going to let her ruin this for me. I just held on tight and treasured this perfect moment. Even when Elder Gracen started wheezing, tried to pull away, and started glaring at me. He was trying to say something but I couldn’t quite make it out. Probably something about how much he’d missed me. How I was his favorite. I always knew it.

“Is this a bad time to mention he smells weird?” Lili asked.

Wow. That was ageist. Old people reek, but you shouldn’t say that to their—

“No, I mean, he smells delicious,” Lili amended.

Actually, now that she mentioned it, he did smell fantastic.

Also, it was pretty weird that he’d hugged me – even with the brain damage. I mean, he’d never done that before. Ever. Did he even know how? Or maybe the hugging thing was something instinctual? Like maybe showing affection was something hardwired into our vessels? If so, did that mean he’d always known how but deliberately chose to never hug me, specifically? Which, I’ll admit, was a little upsetting. Also, suspicious.

Like was he even really hurt? Or was this all just a ruse?

I mean, he sure as hell hadn’t told me about this huge Fin-Fan factory, right?

“Please… let… go,” Elder Gracen wheezed, pushing at me feebly.

He wasn’t even trying to use his wind spirit to stop me. Which was even weirder. He’d used that breezy asshole to send me literally flying out of our hut back in Anchon. Also, skipping across Cocytus. And he had this neat trick where he would gag me with a band of air. I hated it so much. Yet he didn’t use any of his tricks now.

Almost like he couldn’t.

I peered at him then, our eyes meeting.

And that’s when I saw it – staring back at me.

A weird tingling sensation – a tickle I remembered vividly. A feeling I hadn’t sensed in some time. Weeks maybe. Not since the hell sewers. All those corrupted spirits.

Also, now that I was focusing on it, he felt strange. Not nearly as frail as I imagined. And that bandage didn’t seem to be covering anything. No swelling. No blood. No wound. I checked when I ripped it off. It was also super clean.

“What? What are you doing—” he gasped, hand to his totally intact head.

“Who are you?” I interrupted.

He blinked in surprise. “Uh, what?” he asked. “I’m, uh, Tom Gracen, clearly.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You mean, Elder Gracen?”

He looked flustered. It was weird.

“Yeah, exactly… that’s what I said.”

And when that didn’t work, he pointed at his head. “Brain damage, remember?”

“Fine. Then which one do you love more – me or Leandra?”

His eyes narrowed. “Well, you… obviously.”

I loved that. I loved it a lot. This was better than I could have possibly imagined.

And yet, that could only mean one thing.

Yeah, you guessed it. He must be full of kraell shit.

My [Shadow Aura] flashed out around me in an instant, licking at the floor, walls, and table, drawing on the sweet nimbus nestled there. Rust and decay spread across the metal and the paper on the desk shriveled as I drained that precious energy. I could see now that the same corruption threaded across Elder Gracen’s skin like a spiderweb. Although, I wasn’t responsible for that. That was coming from his vessel – his core.

No problem. I could [Curse Break] that easily. So, I did.

Just reached out with a corrupted hand and tore that energy apart. Lili devoured the nimbus hungrily, cooing in the back of my mind. It had been a while since we’d had a snack.

Which left the so-called “Elder Gracen” leaning back against his desk, breathing hard and clutching at his chest like he was in pain. Also, he looked weird now. Sharp, pointy ears. Whip thin. Smooth skin. Corruption threading his glowing amber eyes.

“Who are you?” I asked.

His eyes shot to mine. “Wait, you can see me? The real me?” he asked, his accent sounding strange, almost stilted.

I cocked my head. “Uh, well, I don’t know. What do you normally look like?”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

He frowned. “Uh, an elf? Pointy ears? Smooth alabaster skin—”

“Oh, right. Cheek bones that could chisel rock? Permanent resting elf face?” I finished for him. Maybe that was racist too, but I’d only met the one elf so far.

“Exactly!” He announced, a broad smile on his face. Then he hesitated, my words finally landing. “Wait… what?”

“Then, yeah – I guess I can see the real you,” I answered with a nod.

“Oh, thank the gods,” he gasped, launching himself at me and wrapping those bony, twig arms around me. I felt conflicted. Had he always been this sharp? “I thought something was wrong with me. Ever since last night, no one can see me – the real me. My spirit isn’t working and he stopped talking to me. I just… I just really appreciate you—"

He pulled back, his eyes inquiring. “Actually, what did you do to me?”

“I ate that corruption thing you were using,” I explained. “But, uh, who are you? Also, what are you doing here? What happened to the real Elder Gracen?”

The elf seemed to take stock of himself, backing away and straightening. “I will have you know that I’m a silver rank guide – a royal vessel,” he said, waving at his ears. “What makes you think I’ll tell you anything?”

As he spoke, an amber energy suffused the air around him and his eyes shone brightly. He suddenly looked stronger, muscle rippling across those scrawny, pale arms. Armor settled into place, sturdy plate and chain. I’ll admit. It was somewhat impressive. A younger and more naïve me might have even fallen for it. But all I saw right now was a question dodger.

Also, more of those weird spiderwebs threading through the air around him. Which made me think maybe none of this was real?

Luckily, I knew how to solve this problem.

He just needed to be properly motivated.

Plus, I was possibly still processing my frustration with my bromate – you know, for ruining the introduction with my mother-in-law and then running away. Again. Also, the fact that Elder Gracen was somehow complicit in this mystery factory – maybe. But he wasn’t here to accept his well-deserved punishment for lying to me.

So, this strange elf would have to do. His energy faded, flickering and stuttering as I stalked toward him. “What are you doing? No, don’t touch me! I’ll-I’ll kill you…”

In my experience, few creatures that could actually kill me bothered to threaten first. So, I wasn’t that worried. I unraveled my arm chain with a jingle of metal. The sound proofing in the office was pretty exceptional – the sounds of the factory only a muted roar. Which is why no one heard his screams. His desperate cries for help.

And, some indeterminate time later, I had answers.

“So, your name is Cole?” I asked, legs kicked up on the desk.

“Yes, yes… please let me down,” he wheezed.

Ahh, what was that? Why was he asking that?

Uh, because I might have, um, hung him from the ceiling… with my arm chain.

What!? Don’t look at me like that! He had it coming? You saw him. He impersonated my adoptive father and he hugged me without my consent didn’t he? Now that I knew that was a thing, of course. Which means I can do whatever I want with him now. Light to moderate torture? Twenty questions? Or maybe just devour his nimbus—

“You know what? I’m actually cool with this,” Lili offered.

See? If she said it was alright, we were good.

“Oh, gods… please let me go. I told you everything I know,” Cole gasped.

I eyed him suspiciously and he swallowed hard.

“Not everything. Where did you get this chair?” I demanded.

Specifically, the one I was sitting on – the one behind the desk. It had little wheels on the bottom. Also, it swiveled. Like you can spin really fast. I needed one badly.

“I, uh, I don’t know,” Cole replied.

Shit. Oh, well. I could probably make one.

What? What’s wrong now? Why are you all glaring at me again?

Ahh, probably because I haven’t explained anything, right?

Lot of nodding. Okay. Here it goes.

“So, let me get this straight,” I began, steepling my fingers on the desk. “Elder Gracen actually has a first name? And it’s Tom?”

Cole nodded.

“He hired you to impersonate him and help operate this factory since you have a persuasion spirit?” I checked my notes. I found them to be extremely helpful when tackling expository reveals. “Which can convince people that you’re actually Tom?”

Another nod.

“Except Tom disappeared a few weeks ago and never came back?”

“No, he didn’t. He just left me here. And I don’t know how to run this place!” Cole replied, pleading with me as he dangled from the ceiling. “Tom did all of the actual work. And now we have supply shortages, and sea serpents, and employee morale is in the gutter, and our distributors have been screaming at me to send more canned silverfin north, our creditors are upset, and a few of the larger merchants are even circling and looking to destabilize our operation. Plus, my spirit has been acting strangely since yesterday—"

Ahh, yeah. We’d been over that too.

I sighed. “It’s because it’s corrupted,” I explained.

Cole just stared back. “What?” he asked.

“Did you, uh, possibly do anything out of ordinary lately?” I asked. “You know, get brutally beaten on Graven Ground by your much younger bully? Like in a horrible, emasculating way? No? Weird. Or did you witness a vicious murder or experience some sort of trauma? Maybe a shadow voice whispered to you?”

He shook his head. “Uh, no. I just went to that party in the food hall last night. I even met someone – which is rare for me. I thought we really connected. We actually went back to my place and we, uh, you know…”

Nope, I didn’t. “No. Please elaborate.”

“We, uh, merged vessels.”

My brow furrowed. What? Was that a thing?

“We had sex,” Cole grunted finally. Was he blushing?

“As Elder Gracen?” I asked, horrified. Ew. Ew, ew, ew.

I hadn’t consented to that mental image. I definitely hadn’t.

“No, as myself, thank you very much,” Cole snapped.

“Really?” Lili muttered. “This guy got laid?”

I didn’t buy it either. I mean, he wasn’t much to look at. Hanging from the ceiling. Super pale. Really thin. Lots of glaring and complaining and whining. Also, there were mostly savran here in Apati. So why wasn’t he dead? It just didn’t add up.

“Maybe because you spiked the friendship juice?” Lili offered.

Possible. But did he have consent then? Like did it count if the other person had been drugged? Obviously, it was wrong if Cole did the drugging. But what if it was an innocent third-party that had just been trying to make friends at his surprise party? Or, wait, did that make me an accomplice?

“What? No, I really did meet someone. She wasn’t savran,” Cole interjected, glaring at us now. Ahh, that must have been out loud again. Woops.

“So, this was a real girl?” I asked, still skeptical.

“Of course she was real! You think I would lie?”

“Maybe? I mean, you were impersonating Elder Gracen.”

“For my job! I told you that. And I wasn’t impersonating him on purpose – I can’t control my spirit now, remember? But this woman was definitely real.”

“Fine, then what did she look like?” I asked.

Cole’s eyes went distant. “She had lustrous green hair that fell to the small of her back and her skin was a pale blue-gray. But it was her eyes that captivated me – like warm milk. She was also a fantastic listener.”

Hmm, I don’t know. Sounded fake. Who had green hair? And white eyes? Lili?

“Yeah, I don’t believe him either.”

“But I have details. She was wearing a pendant,” Cole pleaded, sounding desperate now – almost like he was trying to convince himself. “It was some sort of strange crystal. A core of darkness nestled in glowing white glass. It almost looked like a… well, like a rotten egg actually. She got really upset when I mentioned that. In fact, it was rather strange—” he froze as he saw our reaction.

Oh. Oh, shit.

“You don’t think…?” Lili began.

Yeah, yeah, I did think. I think Cole had just had sex with the egg spirit – or, uh, whatever vessel it had snatched this time. How had I missed that? Shouldn’t I have been able to sense its presence? Or could it hide it now? That was mildly terrifying.

“Or maybe we didn’t notice with the drugs and the party?” Lili offered.

Shit. She might be right. Lili had gotten really into it too. Maybe the friendship juice had affected us more than I thought. Also, I was starting to think it might not have been Cole that took advantage of his date. It might have, uh, been the other way around.

Yeah. That’s right. He’d been spirit raped.

I should know. I’d been a victim too.

You remember back in the gate when that rat spirit shoved its way inside of me—

“Wait, what are you saying right now?” Cole stared back, horror reflected in his eyes.

Wow, okay. That had been out loud too. My filter must be busted.

“Uh, yeah, maybe—or almost certainly. But it’s okay!” I reassured him. “You’re a survivor – just like me. Just know that you’re not alone,” I reassured him.

Maribel even patted his shoulder, Cole staring at the darkness threading my hand with wide eyes. Ahh, and now I felt bad for tying him up like this.

There were also the inevitable follow up questions. Had the egg spirit infected him somehow – corrupting his persuasion spirit? Like some sort of spiritually transmitted disease? Woah, had I just discovered the first STD?

But I guess there wasn’t much point to keeping him tied up now. Cole was just hanging there, dejected, staring off into space and likely contemplating how it was pointless to get upset; that the universe was just a cruel and unforgiving hellscape paved in blood and tears. I’ve been there. So, I let him down. I was even gentle. He only fell the last couple feet and sort of lay there in a lump of sharp angles. Seriously, he needed a meal or three.

“Are you… uh, are you alright?” I asked.

I’ll admit, I almost felt a little guilty. For what, I wasn’t sure, though.

“No! No, I’m not alright! What did that woman do to me?” Cole groaned. Then he pushed himself up, stabbing one of those bony fingers at me. “Will I end up like you? Crazy? Insane? Talking to myself? Naming my hands?”

Woah, I didn’t love that.

But, yeah, possibly? That was still unclear.

Oh, he was still complaining…

“I used to be able to persuade anyone of anything! Just a few whispered words and you’d think you were talking to your grandmother right now! Do you know how amazing that was? To just say something to someone and they’d just believe it – whatever it is? I’ve gotten away with murder, literally.”

I just stared back. This guy? Murder? His pants were a little wet. Lili?

“Yeah, I’m not buying it either,” she added.

“See? You don’t believe me!” Cole cried. “My spirit is broken.”

Also, he was literally crying. He was super weepy and sniffling and his eyes got all red. Wow. I really didn’t like it. Wait… is this why Fang hated it so much?

What could I do to make him stop? Reason with him?

“But, uh, it worked when we walked in,” I offered. “You looked like Elder Gracen.”

“Sure! It seems to work if the person expects to see someone else,” Cole ranted. “But if they already know who I am? Or if they start to doubt… then poof! Gone! That’s why I had to start using this stupid bandage. To pretend I’d had some sort of brain trauma.”

Ahh, which might explain why I didn’t notice until our hug.

His shoulders slumped forward. “Shit. I am so fucked.”

Okay, yeah, I definitely felt bad now. Especially since the egg spirit was stalking me. Cole would probably hate to learn that he’d only been spirit raped to get to me. It happened apparently. One of the many downsides of being the main character.

“Wait, what?” he demanded, whirling.

Ahh, shit. I really needed to start gagging myself or something.

Fang had been proposing that for cycles, but I’d resisted. Maybe he had a point.

“I might know the egg spirit… personally,” I offered tentatively. “It might even hold a small grudge against me because I sent it to a high-end spa for a few days.”

“Yeah, sure, let’s just go with that,” Lili drawled. “Just ignore the part where you buried it underground for weeks, then doused it in kraell egg juice.”

Cole was also glaring suspiciously, his eyes all squinty.

“But, maybe we can help each other,” I offered with a broad smile – one that didn’t make Cole look any more comfortable. “I’m actually something of an expert when it comes to corrupted spirits. Maybe there’s a way we can fix you.”

He didn’t look confident – or happy – at all despite my very generous offer.

“I mean, I did break your illusion super easily,” I added.

Cole nodded grudgingly. “Fine. It’s not like I have a choice.”

Then his expression brightened. “Wait, I forgot. Tom left you a message. Maybe there’s something in there that can help me… or us,” he amended, with a wave.

I just stared back, a lone eyebrow hitting my hairline.

It was hard to even get excited again, you know? After being tricked so many times? Plus, Cole had already admitted his core was literally full of kraell shit.

“Persuasion spirit,” he corrected me, glaring. “And I’m being serious this time. He really left you a message. Check me! See? No corruption.”

Hmm, he was right. The spiderwebs were missing. Lili?

“I buy it this time. There probably is a message,” she confirmed.

Ahh. Cool. Cool, cool, cool.

I was so cool. Like ice. Like a fucking glacier. I mean, we’d already gone through this once with fake Elder Gracen already. We’d practiced for this.

What was that? Ahh, no… I’m not squealing like a small girl.

“Uh, yeah you are,” Cole murmured.

“Get the message Cole,” I snapped at him, aura flaring and devouring one of the guest chairs, the wood crumpling in on itself.

Like I said… super cool.