“You dare walk in here and sully my wares with your curse!?” The full-blooded beast said.
“Curse!?” Elix said.
“Get the hell off me!” I shouted. I tried to resist but her claws dug into my wrists. The pain, and blood that streamed, ticked down my [HP]. 29/30. 28/30. 27/30. 26/30.
“Quit it!” Elix exclaimed, pulling a dagger on the beast.
While the drawing of a weapon surprised the she-cat, fate favored my way and I was able to break the beast’s [Grapple] and roll away.
Like a true cat, she knelt on the fours, ready to pounce again. “If you don’t take that ring off, I'll take your finger instead!” she hissed.
“What the hell is wrong with the ring!?” Elix said. “Take it off already, Carmine!”
I pulled the ring from my finger and dropped it to the wooden floorboards. It rattled and rolled upon the splintered wood, stopping beneath Rowan’s paws. She picked it up with tongs and set it in a small metallic box before staring at me. Her emerald oval eyes fixated on the gear I wore.
“Is that all the cursed in your possession, half-breed?”
“I don’t even know what curse you’re talking about!”
The beast circled me, prying open into my rucksack. Although I had nothing of interest inside, it still felt like I was guilty with each sniff she gave. She examined my hands and the scars upon my chestplate. It took longer than anticipated for her to take her attention off me… only for it to turn on Elixir.
A [System] message surprised me when Rowan turned her back and Elix gave me a subtle nod.
“What spell did you cast? I’ll follow your lead when you give the signal.”
I clicked my tongue and peered at him with narrowed eyes. “I didn’t cast a spell.”
“But your [Mana] is at zero!” he exclaimed. “Did the ring drain you when you took it off?”
“The ring is what gave me [Mana],” I sighed. “It awakened my powers somehow.”
Elix gave a confused look while Rowan gave a curious one.
“It grants you energy to cast spells, yes?” she asked.
“Maybe,” I said. “I’ve had it forever.”
The full-beast gave a sly hmph, and examined the ring again. She pulled it from the container and put it up to her eye. I knew not what she saw but I could see her eyes contract and dilate over the ring. The wooden inlay and rounded silver were nothing special. I had owned the ring for all my life and now it was being observed like some ancient artifact.
“And how long have you had the ring?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Couple years? Since I was born?”
The bird-like half-beast mouthed his silent confusion and started to study me like Rowan. I figured all who had bestial bloodline were close, but for them to forgive one another in an instant and gang up on me was downright cruel.
Rowan purred her thoughts aloud before asking another question. “Have you ever lost the ring before?”
It took me a second to collect my thoughts, “A few times I think. Last time I did was when I was going through some loot in bags. It must’ve slipped off my finger… or my guide took it from me!”
Rowan laughed, “No one stole what was never yours. The ring called you to wear it. It tempted you with power to distract you while it consumed your mind.”
“Wait, what are you saying?” Elix asked in a frightened tone. It was as if a doctor just gave him the grave news about a loved one being diagnosed with some terminal illness. I knew not if I should’ve been flattered at his sentiment or more worried about the doctor’s news.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Like a parasite!” she hissed. “The [Curse] set upon this jewel is meant to enslave the wearer over a period of time. Your friend has already felt its effects.”
“I still don’t understand what the hell is wrong with me,” I said.
“What can we do to help him?”
“It will worry his mind and pound his heart in the coming days, but he will recover. The sun and moons will set and rise, and soon, he will be normal.”
“Can I have my ring back already?”
I could tell Elixir listened to my words but also heard Rowan’s. He contemplated a solution that would benefit the both of us.
“Is there a way to remove the [Curse]?” he asked.
“There is and I can. It will cost you,” Rowan said.
Elix groaned and handed over a sizable amount of silver coins I didn’t realize were still in his possession. I assume that’s the potion money gone. Jeez, what a waste for nothing. Don’t they know the ring is fine?
Together the beasts entered the back of the store while I was left to peruse and stand idle. I poked my head around the corner of the shop and saw great magnifying lenses on a desk, scrolls of scribbled notes, and vials of colored liquid. While Rowan did some sorcery to remove the [Curse], she also taught the young mage how to see the arcane properties of my normal ring. To be able to [Identify] any other [Enchanted] items.
After some time, Rowan returned with a depleted allure. She breathed heavily and tossed the ring to me. Her and Elix eagerly watched me slip the silver over my finger. They waited patiently for a reaction while I waited for a reaction patiently. Then… the blue [MP] bar in the corner of my eye had shown a sliver of color.
1 point of [Mana] had appeared and sluggishly counted up. “Aw, what the hell!? You [Cursed] me!”
The beasts sighed in relief and escorted me from the shop.
Out in the glistening sun and below a cloudless sky, we met with Don a little ways down the street. He carried a bag in one hand, a woven basket under an arm, and trudged forward with a stuffed rucksack on his back.
“Where the hell are the potions,” he heaved.
“We’ll talk later,” Elix said. “Let’s just find a ride.”
Every hybrid had their own experience with the caravans and the drivers. We heard stories of the thieves, the kidnappers, the killers. Each day in this world was one more day for a local full-blood to realize they could somehow take advantage of us. My companions and I scoured the gates that exited the city for a decent driver heading to Falvesh. We had little coin to offer and less to leverage. Once drivers realized they would make more money by hauling supplies from Hubloc to nearby towns, they waved us away without a second thought.
Since I had a decent relationship with one beastial driver, I asked around if Gadaan was still around. Some said he died on the road. Some said he left the business to explore the world. Others said he fell off the face of Carrion in a drunken stupor. While asking around, a familiar dwarf rode up to the three of us on a stout steed. I knew not if I should've called it a pony or a foal. Maybe all dwarven horses are this tiny, I thought.
“Lookin’ for a driver?” he asked. The last time I saw the dwarf’s rosy cheeks and pointed beard was when Gadaan and I arrived at Hubloc. I didn’t remember his name but I remembered how he seemed like a driver with enough decency to take us where we needed to go.
“I am. Is Gadaan around?”
“Wait a moment,” the dwarf said with an eerie look. “You’re the half-skin who brought back that old beast! He’s away at the moment, but what’d ya’ need him for?”
“My companions and I are looking for a ride to Falvesh… or as close as we can get.”
“Specifically a village called Vakon,” Elix added.
“Aye, I know it.”
“Will you take us?” I asked.
The dwarf had let out a hearty chuckle. “Take you? I don’t take. Not any one. Not any where. Not at any time. Kraxmon knows I been on the damn road long enough! Now all I do is stay here and pass along the tidings from the east to the west and the west to the east.”
Donovan scoffed, “Do you know anyone who’ll take us or not, man?”
“Aye! Sure do! But do you have the silver for them to carry your half-asses?”
He knew the answer by our immediate gaze to the dirt and our solemn expressions.
“Alright, alright, you saps. Because you, orc boy, brought Gadaan back into the fold, I’ll see what I can do. Don’t be surprised if the driver treats you like a sack of soil destined for the sun farmers up Krasalt,” he snickered. “Stay here a moment and your carriage will arrive.”
Before he nudged his pudgy transport to start moving, I asked him a final question. “What happened to Gadaan? Is he still working?”
“Of course he is! No one could ever stop that old dog from riding the roads. Last I heard, he was trading scrolls and old antiques with some young half-skin mutt.”
He met up with Briar again? I contemplated the thought while the dwarf rode off. That means Briar must have won his duel in the Arena… poor kid.