Steve glanced back and gave a stare that would rival Deas’ himself. They were going to have a long, VERY long talk when reaching the village. Ryland held up his hands and shrugged. He made a mental note to see how long it took to recharge, hoping it wasn’t too bad of a cooldown. With the two fully leveled, they rode through the night quickly reaching the next town.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As they passed through the gates, Roadie waved down the guards.

“Bandit attack in the woods. Handled a few and got out. Might wanna warn incoming travelers” He handed the guard a few coins as taxes.

“Thanks Roadie, glad to see you fine. I’ll signal the healer to take a look” The guard smiled and let them through

Steve was happy that it was much easier the second time. The group crossed to the merchant’s guild and signed the final bits of paperwork. Once the last gold was exchanged, the two met outside for goodbyes.

“Well Steve, great doing business with ya. I’d offer to take ya to the main city, but that aint where I’m headed. Hang on, let me give yous some recommendations. Promise they keep secrets as good as me!” He wrote down a few names and handed off the note.

“Thanks Roadie, sorry for being a jerk earlier. Just been on edge” Steve could finally relax now they were in the safety of the town.

“Ahh all good. I got some extra thick skin. Sides we bonded in battle, or well you did. Stay safe”

With that, Roadie took his share of gold and left for the craftsman’s corner. It was going to be a long time before he’d get his cart fixed. With the driver gone, Steve grabbed the box and hoisted it onto his back. His legs wobbled a bit, but he was used to carrying a corpse or two for Faust.

“Hear let me help!” Ryland acted like he was carrying the backend, but it was more in spirit.

Finding the next inn. The bartender helped hoist the crate to their room before handing off the key. Locking up the doors, Faust jumped onto the bed and passed out. Meanwhile Ryland began to scope out the region. The tavern was much more eloquent than the first. Hardly anyone was gambling and a talented bard deftly played his luft. Barmaids swindled extra coins by flirting with patrons and he did catch the innkeeper watering the booze. But overall it was a fairly upscale establishment. Oh how he wished he could have a nice mug of mead. That tasty treat warming his cold body and loosening his lips. Instead, he could only watch as the various customers enjoyed the late night.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Only when the sun began to rise did Ryland return to the room. Phasing through the door, he saw the zombie had pounded through the crate and found the stash of meat. That was good, best to eat that then try and eat the living. A ray of sun burst through the window and smashed into Steve’s face. His friend groaned and shifted, doing his best to ignore the light. Unlike Ryland, Steve really needed his beauty rest.

Finally, Steve began to stir. Ryland just awkwardly watched as the man stretched out and rubbed his eyes. Even sleeping through the day, Steve still looked bad. His eyes sunken, body bruised in various places, and skin pale. His legs wobbled as he tried to stand, every muscle burning from overexertion. But he really needed to get food to help with the recovery.

“Finally! Steve, we need to talk.”

“Ryland, not now. I need to eat, bad” Steve rubbed at his temples before stumbling out of the room.

“FINNNE” Ryland followed the man down to the tavern.

Finding an isolated table, Steve sat down and ordered the largest meal available. He didn’t care what it was, he just wanted a lot. A few minutes later, a cauldron of stewed meat appeared. Ryland was…concerned. Steve was devouring the soup like a raving madman. Droplets of salty liquid splattered along the table and horrific slurping noises left his lips. Each deep gulp was accompanied by moans of pleasure.

“OOOOOO KKKKKKKK STEVE ENOUGH OF THAT” Ryland smacked his face with a cold slap.

The intense chill broke the food trance and Steve glanced up. All around the room people were staring. That wasn’t good, he needed to keep a low profile. Yet, that food was the best thing he ever had. Sure it was due to the night before, but he needed the energy. Taking a moment, he cleaned up his mouth and wiped down the table. He pulled out an extra coin and tipped the bar staff to apologize for his uncouth actions. Gold always greased the wheels and the night continued onwards. With the first bits in his stomach, Steve slowed down and savored the remaining meal.

With the last bites done, he loosened his belt and basked in the warmth. They made it, he still couldn’t believe they survived, but they did. Now the two just needed to get to the enclave, Steve would gain tons of renown in the deathly circle and hopefully Ryland would get the help he needed.

“Done?” Ryland whispered into Steve’s ear.

“OH!...Don’t do that.” Even still, Steve wasn’t used to the ghost. He nearly fell out of the stool from the surprise.

Wiping off his lips for the final time, Steve signaled for the waitstaff to remove the remnants and bring him some beer. Chugging it down in seconds, he returned to the room, ghost in hand. Ryland wanted to talk and it’d be best to do it in private. Already he looked like a lunatic downstairs, didn’t need the constable called because he was talking to nothing.

“Alright, let’s plan” Steve said

“Great skills first!” Ryland replied.