PART II

Chapter 14

Kopius awoke from what may have been the best rest of his entire life; Earth or Metem. After they had gained entry to Cawbachu the night before, Cici had made a straight line to, what he claimed, was one of the ritzier places in town. Not a place he would normally stay–or afford–but for a variety of reasons he wanted higher end accommodations and had the currency to make it happen. Accommodations like: a hot meal, clean water, laundry service and–as Kopius was appreciating now–a comfortable bed to sleep in.

His back made a series of cracks and pops as he stood and stretched away the previous day's journey. A few twists, a couple of lunges, and a neck crack helped Kopius wake up further. The room they had slept in was large enough for two cots, a chair and a covered balcony that doubled as a bathroom. Cici was still asleep in his own bed, one leg dangling out over the floor. There were no windows except for the back porch and the candle that had been snuffed out the night before remained dormant.

Kopius made his way to the bathroom and slid the door closed. Beyond their room, roughly twenty feet away, was a large wall resembling the same color and shape as the gate walls they had come through. The forest lay on the other side making for a pleasant view from the bathroom. It was not the picturesque scenery he had experienced on Cici’s toilet a while back, but it was a nice way to get the day started. He located a small dry basin on the side and another smaller sliding door above the stone sink.

After opening the door there was, as advertised, a container of hot water. A metal pot the size of a salad bowl quietly sat in the dumbwaiter. Kopius tested the temperature before pulling out his gloves and then moving the pot to rest in the basin.

A piece of highly polished metal sat about head height above the sink, an honest attempt at a mirror. Though he knew it was his reflection that he was seeing the thing had one too many smears on it to be useful. He removed the gloves and then rested both hands in the hot water.

“Oh man,” Kopius cooed, the water soothing his submerged parts and sending chills to the rest. He closed his eyes and savoried it for a moment. He rubbed his hands together and massaged the meaty parts too. Once over the euphoria of it all, he started to splash the water around until he had given himself an impromptu splash bath. By the time he was done, between the cool morning air and the steaming water, Kopius was wide awake and alert.

“Don’t use it all, lad!” Cici groggily yell-mumbled from inside.

“There’s plenty left,” Kopius answered, returning to the room.

Cici stood and did his own version of morning stretches before heading to the bathroom to handle his business. Kopius took the short time to situate his belongings, account for anything left out and attach his sword sheath to his body. Once everything was ready, he sat back on his cot and waited for the big man so they could go eat breakfast.

Food was served in the back of the inn, under a canopy, within a well manicured garden. It looked like the poster child for a Bed and Breakfast nook on Earth. There were several stone tables spaced out privately and a maze of different cobblestone paths leading to each. Flowers and plants of different sizes and spectrums were on healthy display all over as Kopius continued to admire the peaceful ambiance. Cici tasted his food before groping in his bag to add some seasoning. He offered the same to Kopius but that was declined on the merits as it was time to eat food that Cici had not prepared.

Silently, while Cici dove into his own meal, Kopius examined the plate of food in front of him. It looked appetizing; for the most part. It smelled nice, which was motivating. He paused only because he was wondering, if perhaps, Dr. Suess had been to Metem before.

The resemblance of green eggs and ham was uncanny enough that he gave it a thought or two before, tentatively, taking a bite. It’s okay, Kopius shrugged and tried some more. It’s not the most flavorful thing in the world though. He glanced over at Cici who had stopped assaulting his breakfast and was holding the two small vials of spices… and a grin.

“That’s a lot better,” Kopius had to admit, nodding as he chewed. The two ate in relative silence, enjoying the small luxury of a quiet meal. Whatever steaming brew came with the food was akin to having a cup of black coffee. Though the aroma and taste were not exact, it was close enough that Kopius had two cups.

While he was enjoying round two Cici had gotten up and was having an animated conversation with the owner of the small establishment. Nobody seemed angry but the owner guy did have a kind of distraught, concerned look about him. Cici kept up his smile and general jovialness but even a reassuring hand on the owner's shoulder didn’t help the guy's mood. The innkeeper kept gesturing over at the closed entrance like the tax collector was out there, ready to shut him down. Every time he did, Cici would look at the doors and his smile would grow.

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“What’s up with him?” Kopius asked when Cici returned. The big man laughed a bit and shook his head.

“Apparently there’s a crowd outside that’s been trying to get in.” Cici started, making sure he got every last drop of his drink. “They want to hear about the Tessel.”

“I see,” Kopius replied, the smallest bit of a bad day forming in his gut. “How many?”

“Fifty or so, he wagered.”

Kopius was going to have to talk to people whether he liked it or not; whether he had completed the Ripple or not. Socializing, though a terrifying thought, was not terrifying. Kopius could talk, banter, barter, jar, flirt–whatever. When he had to; if he had to.

What Cory had discovered was that it was exhausting. The constant bullshitting, small talking, and P.C. walking had, at some point, been too much of an energy drain. It was a candle-burning-at-both-ends overextension of an introvert masquerading as an extrovert. Now, given his current set of dilemmas, he needed to dip into whatever well of extrovertism he had left in him.

“Okay,” Kopius replied slowly. “So–is there a way out the back or something?” He looked around the nook for a possible exit.

“We left out the back the last time we had company, lad.” Cici griped. “Probably shouldn’t make a habit of it. At least these ones aren’t looking for trouble, eh?”

“Yeah, fine,” Kopius sighed. “Are we done here?”

“That we are. I paid but I have to say we hit a bit of bad luck, nothing outrageous, just bad timing.”

“You’re gonna have to expand that.”

“Our grafeen, that pile worth of gold we pulled from the skinwalkers; it's more a pile of copper at present.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Remember back when you asked if we were rich and I said ‘maybe in Cawbachu’?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that’s not true anymore.”

Kopius stared at him.

“A Sweeper team came this way not too long ago, or so I’ve been told,” Cici continued. “That might explain the shortage of beasties we saw in Escher.” He was paused in thought for a moment. “Sweeper teams, a group of five high level combatants–usually short on coin or a tickle in their assholes–brave Escher in search of grafeen deposits. If they are successful, or survive, they come back here and trade their findings in. Well, if they bring in a lot of grafeen–like they have here–it’s not worth as much for a while.”

“Economics 101,”Kopius said absently. “Supply and demand.”

“Fret not though, we still have plenty for what we need.”

A low rumbling of crowd noise could be heard as the two men approached the front exit. Though the sound was muffled to a large degree, being the doors were latched shut, it was still noticeable. They had left the innkeeper back in the breakfast nook where Cici had assured the man that the crowd would disperse shortly. However much of the noise the doors wooden planks kept out, the roar of the crowd sounded a lot more than just fifty. With a long smile and deep breath, Cici opened the door wide to a shouting and yelling mob.

The two stepped out onto a brick porch that led to a short set of brick stairs. Beyond the stairs, where a street might be, stood a gathered crowd of people in a variety of different moods. The morning sun had yet to cast its rays directly and the chill in the air clung to the heavy jackets and hoods of the people below. They collectively paused when the door had opened but began to yell with more vigor then they had before.

“Look! They sending out the muscles!” One man shouted.

“Wake those turds up! I’ve got a job to get to!” Another yelled.

It wasn’t mayhem or even chaos for that matter, it was a hodgepodge of people all clamoring to get their reward. Most of the folks gave off working class vibes with their spock marked clothes and general unkemptness. They carried tools and sacks instead of swords and shields. Kopius was certain that many of them would clean up nicely given the chance but were all obviously off to their jobs.

There is a power that a crowd can cast over an individual when their collective gazes all look at the same person. It’s an imaginary weight that first presses down on your shoulders and is heavy in your chest. Then, the heart rate picks up as if trying to distribute the weight across your body to stabilize the emotions through breathing. The fight or flight instinct kicks in about right here and for those that can regulate their breath, they can endure; and in many cases, they thrive. For those whose bodily functions become erratic, unreliable–they get off stage, so to speak. As Cici stepped forward to address the crowd, Kopius noped back inside and shut the door.

Kopius only chastised himself for a moment. It had been a long time since he had gotten in front of a crowd and spoke. Cory would practically jump at the chance to stand in front of people and show off how ‘intelligent’ he was. He had even gone as far as to take all the offered Speech classes in college, which made his reaction just now even stranger. He had spoken in front of parties, weddings, graduations, one time in Cancun and another addressing an entire company of more than six hundred people. Why he was encumbered now was a mystery.

The outside noise returned to muffled sounds of a crowd and the booming retorts of Cici. For a minute or two there was a lot of rapid back and forth, an occasional ‘eh!’ or ‘boo’ sneaking its way in. Eventually the sound of Cici was heard for longer instances; the crowd noise became minimal until it sounded like sporadic laughing. A single voice would shout something, Cici would counter and the crowd laughed collectively. A few more minutes of this was followed by what could only be a chant. A steady duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh making its way through the door until the sound became louder and more distinct. Kopius all but shook his head when he figured out they were chanting ‘Ci-ci, Ci-ci, Ci-ci.’

More laughter spread amongst the people and then silence. Cici spoke for a minute or two before Kopius clearly heard him shout, ‘Ready?’. In a sing-song fashion, the crowd chorused the question and Cici answered. An exponentially louder roar came from the crowd as all of them leveled up.