Chapter Twenty-Three: We can make it a special occasion thing, like a birthday or something

We all had dinner, and I had a nap. We hadn’t planned on setting up accommodations for Heather, so I left her crashed on my bunk as I exited the suite. I yanked Leoleth out of bed, much to her irritation, and dragged her with me. She was excited to get going once she knew we would do some second-story work.

It was a beautiful summer night. It rained for an hour or so after sunset, so the entire city was cool, and the air was clean. We headed toward Verrona Faedan’s apartment, which was way up in the commercial district near the Grand Bazaar.

I filled her in on what had happened with The God of Death. She was surprisingly relaxed about the whole thing. Kissing gods? Why not if you’re cute enough? I let her in on my plan to have the church shield her. She was on board. Truthfully, she was the only one who didn’t seem worried about the whole thing.

Since it was late, I knew it was only safe to walk the Hub Boulevards, so we had to take to the rooftops when I finally got to the area and cross the city Batman style. Which, fuck yeah, I’m Batman, and Leoleth is, I don’t know. Like the Riddler and Robin kind of mixed together.

She had been training with me most nights, so she had the physical skills to keep up as we vaulted and bounced around, but she lacked the stealth skill for legitimate second-story work. I would make sure the place was clear before bringing her in. I may be good at sneaking around, but Leoleth was a damn genius when it came to magic shit.

We traded in our street clothes for stealthy outfits. I wore my black padded armor and cloak, tucking my absurd hair away, and opted for the soft-soled shoes. Leoleth put on a black cowl with a black shirt and pants.

After about an hour and a half, we reached the apartment building and stationed ourselves discreetly on the roof. The former guard lived on the fourth floor of a big six-story building. I tied the Rope of Obedience around one of the dozens of chimneys that poked out of the roof. After ensuring no one was watching me, I slid down two stories to Faedan’s place.

I unlocked the window with a dagger and rolled discretely into the apartment in full stealth mode, officially adding breaking and entering to my resume as a Rogue. She lived in a large studio apartment. And it was, thankfully, immaculate for the most part.

There was a sleeping area with a large double bed, a living area with a couch, a cocktail table, two chairs, and a kitchen slash dining area. Off to the right of the bed was an attached bathroom. I noticed that not all units had these. It was a nice place. One thing I did find interesting was a large, well-worn Imperial banner that adorned the wall over the bed.

I swept the room, keeping out of the sizeable, unoccupied center. I’m not exactly Sherlock Holmes or anything. I just figured I’d look for anything abnormal. Of course, this is a world of magic and shit, so what the hells is abnormal anyway.

Regardless, the signs were clear that she had left quickly. The dresser’s drawers and the closet were left open with clothes hanging out. There was an empty piece of pried-up floorboard under the bed. The cabinet under the sink was left open, and one of the drawers from the kitchen was pulled out, revealing a hidden compartment in the back that was also empty. Lastly, peeking behind the banner, I saw a hole in the plaster where something else was hidden away. She had time to pull out her go gear and take off. Other than the signs of leaving, the place was tidy.

I signaled Leoleth with a tug on the rope, and she climbed down quickly. As she folded her long ass legs through the window, I couldn’t help but think of the giant spider we’d killed back in the keep.

We had already agreed: no talking. She’d go straight into investigative mode as soon as she was inside, so I moved to the wall to the right of the window and kept watch. One eye was on the room, and one was scanning the outside.

She pulled a small control rod from her storage necklace. It looked like a dainty crochet needle, but it had a tiny power crystal on the end instead of a hook. Holding it steady in her right hand at eye level, she murmured an incantation to activate it.

The rod began to glow faintly, casting a soft light as she moved slowly around the room. With deliberate precision, she traced tiny circles in the air with the glowing crystal. A faint sigil appeared before her, shimmering faintly as she peered through it. Her voice stayed low and steady as she repeated the incantation, keeping the spell active while she scanned every corner of the space.

She methodically worked along the perimeter, step by step, the sigil floating like a magnifying glass in front of her. Once she’d covered the outer edges, she moved inward, spiraling closer and closer to the open space in the center.

When she finished, she stopped in the center of the room and deactivated the spell. The glow faded, leaving the space dim and eerily quiet once more.

“Magical residue,” Leoleth murmured, almost to herself.

“Residue?” I asked.

She sighed, the kind of exasperated sound that screamed amateur hour. “Recent spell work,” she clarified, her tone clipped. “Just traces.”

From her storage, she pulled out a small pouch, shook out some white powder, and began drawing a circle around the center of the room. Then she grabbed a piece of chalk and started sketching arcane glyphs inside the powder circle with practiced precision.

“Is that salt?” I asked, curiosity overriding my sense of self-preservation.

She sighed again, more dramatically this time. “You keep asking stupid questions.”

“Sorry,” I muttered. “I just wanted to know.”

“You suck at magic,” she said flatly, not even pausing in her work. “You said you wanted to know it, but every time I try to teach you, you keep whining about how you’re no ‘Hermanie’ person from your world.”

“Yeah, so?” I replied, crossing my arms with a pout. “You don’t have to be mean about it.”

She didn’t even look up, but I swore I saw the tiniest twitch of a smirk.

“Yes, it’s salt,” She said impatiently. “It keeps residual magic from seeping into the circle so I can figure out what she did here.”

“What did she do?”

She stopped and just looked at me.

“Okay,” I said, putting my hands up.

Leoleth continued inscribing symbols inside the circle, her movements precise and deliberate. She worked methodically, filling the space with intricate designs until the entire chalk ring was complete.

Once finished, she stepped outside the salt circle and pulled out another control rod. This one was larger, with a bigger stone at the end that seemed to hum faintly with power.

Her voice dropped as she began a new incantation, the words slower and more complex. Holding the rod steady, she started drawing in the air, the tip leaving a trail of glowing red symbols that floated in place.

She moved around the circle, adding more symbols in layers and creating concentric rings of glowing red light. The rod carved them into the air as if etching them into reality.

As she completed the final ring, the chalk circle on the ground began to glow softly, resonating with the energy in the air. The red symbols pulsed in time with the circle’s light, and then, as if responding to her presence, the rings and symbols began to spin, interlocking and rotating around each other in mesmerizing patterns.

She stepped back, letting her arms fall to her sides, watching the glowing shapes spinning faster, filling the room with eerie, otherworldly energy.

“She can enchant items. But she was sloppy. Didn’t cleanse the ritual space when she was finished.” She snorted, a sour look on her face.

“Maybe she was in a hurry,” I said. “What does it mean for us?”

“Don’t know.” Leoleth tilted her head. “Maybe something, maybe nothing. It needs to cook for a bit, then we’ll see.”

She started pulling at the fabric on her butt. “These pants are too tight.” She said, looking at me. “I’m too skinny for tight pants.”

“I think you look pretty.”

“You’re horny all the time, you don’t know what you like.”

“Gods damn.” I pouted. “Wounding.”

“I love you, so I say the hard things. No, I think the tight dresses and skirts are okay, but I definitely need looser pants.” She glanced down at her waistline, “Definitely with a lower waist, I have a sexy stomach, but my ass is too flat.”

“The pants look good, but you would look so cute with a lower waist.”

“I think you’re just being sweet.” She looked me up and down. “You have a little body." She sounded like she was giving me an appraisal. "But you can wear everything and look pretty.”

“Ah,” I said. “I’d kill for your legs.”

“Yes. But I’d die for half the breasts you have.” She stood, pushing her chest out. “No girls to bring out to play. Really?”

“You are beautiful and sexy; you don’t even have to try.”

“You know, we should have sex at least.”

“But you don’t even like girls.”

“I like you.” She smiled at me, fluttering her eyelashes. “And I know you want to fuck me, so I’m down for it. We can make it a special occasion thing, like a birthday or something.”

“I mean, I don’t know.” I just shrugged my shoulders; I wasn’t sure how to word this without being too cringe. “I have, or had, a sister back on Earth. Her name is Megan.”

My feelings toward Leoleth were complicated, to say the least. She was this beautiful, exotic creature. I was drawn to her, that was for sure. But I knew how to place her emotionally, even if I never said it out loud.

“Megan and Regan?” She looked at me with a quizzical look.

“We’re twins. It’s what they do back there.”

“Weird, but okay.”

“There’s a lot about you that reminds me of her. She had an easy, over-the-top beauty: tall, blonde, and extremely outgoing. I see those things in you and can’t help loving them.”

“Oh,” she said. She had a curious ‘not sure where this is going’ look.

I felt myself getting emotional. I missed Megan so much. It was so easy to get caught up in the world here that I felt guilty whenever I thought of her and realized I wasn’t thinking about her as much as I should be.

“But you are also so different; you say anything that pops into your head, and you have shown immense friendship to me when I know I haven’t always been that nice. You also embrace everything and want to experience as much as you can, and It’s so fun to be around you.”

“I told you I’m your do-or-die girl.” She smiled. I’m pretty sure she was blushing.

“You’re,” I said, my eyes getting teary. “You’re like the sister I didn’t know I had.” I started crying as I fought to finish what I was saying. “And I love you.”

“I love you too!” She cried out and walked over, wrapping her chilly arms around me. We hugged tightly as I cried out the rest of my feelings. “Frost Elves don’t have big families, so I never had a sister. I never really had a family.” She caught her breath. “After living with you, I feel like I do. I worry about losing you.”

“You won’t lose me,” I said, my head still buried in her shoulder. We were still hugging tightly. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

“Thanks,” she whispered. And we were mostly through it. We pulled back, both slightly embarrassed about all the tears in the room we were currently trespassing in.

“You don’t have to do anything to keep me around.” I wiped my eyes and smiled up at her, all red and puffy, and she was blue and puffy. “I’m do-or-die for you too.”

She smiled at me, radiant in the glow of the ritual running next to her. She was an image of lean, statuesque beauty, that was for sure. “I still think we should have sex.”

“Oh, my gods,” I said. All the tension and Breakfast Clubby feelings were now gone. I did like the way she felt up against me, in any case. Her body was so cool to the touch that it was practically electric.

Multiple plink sounds were coming from the ritual spell in the center of the room. We separated, and Leoleth started circling the space. Each red glowing circle disappeared with a puff of smoke until only one was left. Leoleth looked over at it, beaming.

“That is how you do that,” she said proudly. “I knew it would work.”

“What worked?”

“Give me a copper coin.”

“You have your own coins.”

“I only have gold.”

“For the gods,” I muttered, pulling out a purse of copper coins. “Got all the coppers you need in there.”

She pulled a copper coin out and dropped it in the circle’s center. It clanked on the floor and sat there, glowing slightly.

“And the point is?” I asked.

“She enchanted something, a garment or piece of jewelry,” Leoleth said, looking at the floating red circle. “The enchantment has a magical resonance. I’m going to soak the coin in this thing, and when we get close enough to the object, it will make it vibrate. The more close, the more vibration.”

“What’s the range?”

“About half a mile or so?” She stepped back, her hand on her chin. “Maybe more. Maybe less.”

“Can you do more than one?”

“Sure.”

“Put the whole bag in,” I said. “We are going to need a shit load of coins.”

She carefully poured the bag into the circle, and about thirty coins clinked down against the wood. They all started glowing. “This’ll take a while.” She handed the empty bag back to me. “Like, the rest of the night.”

“We’re just gonna need to figure out how to get these out around the city so we can pick up her location.”

“How do we do that?”

“No idea.”

Leoleth walked over to the bed and lay down on it, tapping the space beside her with a smile. I supposed we would be here for the night, but no.

“I’ll sit watch,” I said. I crawled into the large bed and leaned against the banner on the wall behind me. She lay down, her head in my lap. I swear she purred like a cat. I sat there, stroking her hair and keeping an eye on the door and window. I was reasonably sure there wouldn’t be any trouble; we’d been here for an hour or so, and I imagined no one would wait much longer to attack us.

I suck at sitting watch. We just ended up snuggling, and I can’t even remember when I fell asleep. Leoleth actually snuck out and got us breakfast at first light, and I had no idea she had gone. It was the latest I’d slept in this crazy world.

She came into the apartment humming to herself with two cups of coffee and a plate of bacon, bread, and cheese from a vendor on the street. For a brief time, I thought that if someone were watching the place, they would definitely know we were here. But then, who would suspect two chicks would just move into the apartment for the night and sleep?

We sat, crisscross applesauce, on the bed, eating mostly in silence, and then she got up and walked around the ritual circle, muttering. It was interesting to see her work. I wasn’t savvy enough to know if she knew what she was doing, but she sold it well to a know-nothing like me.

When she seemed satisfied, she pulled out a different control rod than she used the night before and started deconstructing the ritual. She pulled each thread of light that made up the red ring, the golden circle and brushed away every trace of the chalk and salt. Everything whisked away into a magical void that closed with a final twist of her wrist and a chant.

“That is how you properly cleanse a ritual.” She said, striking a pose and crossing her arms.

We changed into non-break-in clothes, gathered the coins in a bag, and headed out the front door. There was little point in trying to sneak out. I doubted if anyone was even seriously staking out the place. Since Faedan made it clear she was going underground, the idea of her sneaking back into her apartment seemed unlikely.

The outer reaches of the Grand Bazaar were already bustling. It scared the hells out of me, and I put off exploring it simply because I feared it would just swallow me up.

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I steered us away south, toward the Temple District—still one big piece of business to take care of. We trudged through the Entertainment District and along the western edge of the Capital District before finding my new home away from home.

We walked among the streets and temples and statues with no luck. For a brief moment of hope, we thought we had found it, but the magnificent temple with sharp black and red spires and domineering hooded statutes was the Temple of Granvul, God of Domination. The dude rocked the Heavy Metal Death God look, and I could feel a lurch in my stomach as I gazed up at his menacing appearance.

Eventually, we moved west of the district, where it started transforming into a dingy-looking semi-industrial neighborhood filled with multi-use buildings. Most seemed to be storefronts for tradespeople. On the very edge of the district, we finally found it.

The Temple of the Unnamed God was less than impressive. It seemed that people weren’t donating to the one god that just wanted to end their lives. But then I got it that he was a little misunderstood. But it was just sad. Rather than a grand building with pillars and statues, the temple was wedged into a disused storefront next to a stone cutter specializing in kitchen counters and a closed-down catering company. The door was adorned with a single brass plaque, black-painted windows, and a skull-shaped knocker.

A couple of minutes after knocking, an old human man opened the door and barked, “Not interested!” before slamming it shut with a level of commitment I could almost admire.

Undeterred, I knocked again, this time waiting patiently. When he returned to the door, I was ready. I had my right hand already raised, displaying the Mark of Death.

“By the gods!” he whisper-shouted, looking at me with wide eyes, “Come in, please!”

He was bald with slight grey and brown eyebrows, a crooked nose, grey stubble, and oddly perfect teeth like he’d invested all his energy into his dental hygiene while letting the rest of himself go. He wore a black tunic, pants, and an old leather cowl with the hood down. His brown eyes bugged out of his head, and he was barely taller than me. He shuffled aside, half bowing and scrambling as he gave me room to enter.

I quickly grabbed Leoleth by the hand and pulled her in with me.

We tumbled through a dusty vestibule and passed through a set of double doors into the temple proper. The transformation was startling. Gone was the shabby storefront vibe—this place was the real deal. Past the facade, the area expanded into an immense lobby made from black and white polished marble. In the middle stood a twelve-foot representation of the Unnamed God cast in bronze. A row of unmanned service windows ran along the back wall like the ones in the Purity Temple. Several doors led off to each side, along with twin spiraling staircases that led down below to gods know where below the floor.

“Unexpected,” Leoleth said, her voice echoing in the cavernous space as she took it all in. She gave a slight, approving nod, clearly impressed.

The old man, meanwhile, huffed and shuffled nervously in circles around us, looking like he couldn’t decide whether to grovel or bolt.

“You grace us, Champion,” he finally managed, bowing so deeply I thought he might topple over. “Welcome to Aelindor Innominas, our Temple of the Unnamed God.”

Leoleth gave me a sideways glance. “Subtle,” she muttered, barely hiding her smirk.

“Hey there:” I said it as chipper as I could. I offered my hand. “I’m Regan. This is Leoleth.”

“Greetings.” He was still bowing when he took my hand delicately. “I’m Peter Gallois, Head Cleric of this Temple.”

“Nice to meet you, Peter.” Then I added. “Please stop bowing.”

“Okay,” he said. “Sorry.” He straightened up.

“It’s all good.”

“GRETCHEN!” He bellowed over his shoulder. “Visitors!”

“Who’s Gretchen?”

“She’s my wife and head Priestess.”

Gretchen came bustling out of one of the side rooms, tying a black bonnet onto her head. She was tall, with a soft, grandma-like build about her, and long grey hair tied up under the cap. She wore a simple black cotton dress and black ankle boots. A large Crystal hung on a chain around her neck. She was the cool hippie grandma type.

“The Champion!” Peter hissed, bowing again.

“Oh fuck!” Gretchen yelped. She then slapped her hand around her mouth and bowed.

Leoleth and I just stood there, with the other two starting the bowing thing again. The hard part was that no one was saying anything.

It had been about a thousand years, give or take, since there was a Champion of the Unnamed God, so I’m pretty sure there was no established protocol for anyone who meets said Champion for the first time. So, it seemed like Peter and Gretchen had only one move. And bowing was pretty much it.

“I like them,” Leoleth whispered to me, which was deafening in the silence. “I like the dress the Gretchen lady is wearing.”

“Okay,” I said, clapping my hands together lightly. “I think we are past bowing now.”

The Cleric and Priestess stood straight and looked at me expectantly.

“Maybe we can get some tea or coffee?” I said after a shrug. “Maybe sit so we can talk a bit.”

They looked at each other like they had never heard of hot beverages before.

“And something sweet,” Leoleth said. “Like biscuits? Or some bread or jam. I'm crashing and need some sugar.”

“Um,” Gretchen said. “Sure.” She scurried off toward the door she came out through.

Peter smiled and gestured for us to follow him. We went through a door in the opposite direction and into a lamp lit hallway with a series of doors leading off to the right. He led us into the last one, a comfortable lounge with two facing leather couches, warm wood walls with shelves, and various old-looking trinkets around the room. It was not at all death churchy in the least.

“We don’t do this a lot.” He said after we sat down.

“I hope you don’t mean sitting,” I said jokingly. It made him smile but not laugh. It was a stupid joke, so I was lucky to get that. “I know,” I said. “Been a few centuries.”

“Why he chose a champion after all these years is beyond me. Did he tell you why?”

“Something about boots on the ground.”

“And you can commune with him.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it communing.” I smiled. I knew I wasn’t what he thought a death champion would look like. “We can chat, but he said he’s pretty busy.”

“Remarkable.” Peter just shook his head at this. “To live in such times.”

Gretchen, Thank the gods, came into the room with a tea cart and, to Leoleth’s delight, a big pile of yellow cookies. I was thankful for her arrival and for putting this conversation out of its misery.

“I gotta ask,” I said while Gretchen silently poured. “Are there others here?”

“Not right now,” Gretchen answered.

“We have thirty disciples locally,” Peter said. “But most of them have jobs outside the temple.”

“Oh yeah,” I said. “Makes sense. Not a lot of donation money is flowing into the Temple, I guess.”

“We don’t get the same interest other religions do.” Gretchen passed me a cup and saucer. “Milk and sugar?”

“One each, please.” She plopped a cube in my drink and tipped a couple of splashes of milk before handing me a small spoon.

“It’s better that way,” Peter said. “The Unnamed God is very misunderstood, as you would know.”

After Leoleth took three sugars in her tiny cup and two yellow cookies, Gretchen finished the service. The tea was delicious, and the cookies were lemon and mint, which was very nice. We took a moment to sip and appreciate the tea and snack before business.

“So, what brings you to us?” Peter asked. He was finally relaxed enough that I felt I could talk to him.

“I have a particular problem that I wanted help from the church with.”

“What would that be?”

“My friend.” I pointed at Leoleth; she smiled with a mouth full of lemon cookie.

“Okay,” Peter said warily. “What kind of help.”

“She’s in the Empire illegally, and I need to get her a church sponsorship so she can’t be enslaved and deported.”

“Does she swear to serve The Church of the Unnamed God?” Peter asked, turning to her.

“Mmmph, I ‘oo,” she said, her mouth still full.

“Done,” Peter said with a smile. He set his cup on the table between us and approached her.

Without a single word, he placed his hand on her shoulder and closed his eyes. Leoleth quickly tried to swallow her bite with a gulp and looked at him, eyes wide. A red glow emanated from his hand, slowly enveloping both bodies in a second, and they froze. I felt a rush of panic. I had no idea what was going on. Did they have to kill her or something?

“What the hells?” I said, standing up.

“It’s all right,” Gretchen said reassuringly. “He’s got a lot of pent-up energy in his body; he hasn’t done this in a little while.”

“Done what?”

“Give a person a Class and Job.” She beamed at her husband. “He’s a Head Cleric. He can gift a follower of The Unnamed God the Priest Class and Cleric Job in the name of our lord.”

“I thought you were just going to induct her into the church, not make her a full Cleric.”

“This is how it’s done. He gives all who serve the rank of cleric. Then lets us choose what to do with those gifts.”

“He doesn’t ask much. He pretty much just told me to keep doing what I was doing.”

“He asks very little for all that he gives us,” she said reverently.

“Word.” I nodded and sipped my tea.

The glowing faded after a couple more moments, and Peter stepped back, looking drained. I stood and took his arm, helping him to his seat. Leoleth kind of flopped down, her eyes closed.

“I hope she doesn’t choke on her biscuit,” Gretchen said.

“That’d be ironic.” I mused.

“Thank you,” Peter said after recovering. He gave me a weak smile. “That was interesting. Your friend has the oddest set of skills and spells.”

“She’s a bit of a mixed bag.” I sat down next to him.

“By the gods, This is a very exciting time. And now, a champion.”

“What do you mean exciting?”

“Whispers,” Gretchen said. Sitting next to her husband. “We’ve heard stories of potential upheaval in the Empire.”

“The church has more followers than you think,” Peter said. “We have many eyes and ears around the Empire. There are whispers that many don’t care for our Empress.”

“I mean, it’s an empire, always gonna be haters.”

“But strange things are happening. It’s hard to place it exactly, but there are rumors. The last emperor expanded the lands and pushed hard against our enemies.”

“The Empress,” Gretchen said. “Is more moderate.”

“Yeah,” I said, “I can see how that can be an issue for some people.”

“Many profit from war and conflict,” Peter said. “She has been acting more diplomatically to solve issues with our neighbors and has all but put a stop to expansion.”

“So, with peace being bad for business, I guess someone might want to pressure the Empress, force her to take a more militant approach to things like her predecessor?”

“Or to depose her altogether.”

“Kind of hard to remove a popular figure,” I said, acting like I knew anything about anything.

“But if the population loses confidence, the work is halfway done.”

“The Unnamed God isn’t big on mass conflict and death,” I said, looking grim. “He told me it makes his job harder.”

“I envy you.” Gretchen had a little laugh. “I would give almost anything to have just a minute in the room with him.”

“Her burden is heavy,” Peter said to his wife. “If The Unnamed God decides he needs a champion for the first time in centuries, then we need to see that as a sign of things to come.”

“My friend from the Church of Purity just got gifted offensive spells from her god.”

“Amania’s Church?” Gretchen asked.

“Yeah, I was there when she gave them to her.”

“You met Amania, the Goddess of Purity?”

“Yeah, she showed up yesterday as an avatar at the temple when I was there.”

“So, you’ve personally met two gods then?”

“Yeah, but Amania almost made me pee a little.”

“If there is something on the horizon,” Peter said, sitting up. “We need to think about mobilization.”

“Most of our followers here are in the Mercenary Guild,” Gretchen said. “We won’t be able to pull them in until after The Festival.”

“Amania was interested in this quest I must do for the Magistrate,” I said. “She has my friend helping me with it.” I didn’t want to talk about Heather with them just yet. I wasn’t sure how they felt about me being close to a cleric from another church.

“What is your quest?” Peter asked.

I explained the events from Butcher Block row, meeting The Unnamed God, and the altercation the next day. The blackmail from the Magistrate that was forcing me to help her find Faedan and the ruby necklace. And finally, how I learned about Amania’s interest in my quest.

“Your story is ridiculous,” Peter said flatly to me.

“Which part?”

“The part where she tasks you to get the fugitive and necklace.”

“Does seem weird.”

“She probably has her own agents working on it,” Gretchen said. “But right now, it seems strange that she would employ you to do it.”

“I suppose,” I said. “But I’m limited to my choices. She has my coin.”

“You’re a member of the church,” Peter said.

“Yeah,” I said. “But the Mark of Death is either all or nothing. I can’t reveal my church affiliation without revealing that I’m the Champion of the Unnamed God. I don’t need that kind of heat.”

“The quest,” Peter said. “Let me see it.” I offered the quest screen for him to read. He read it, his lips moving in some internal dialog.

“Ah,” he said. “Okay. Stick to the exact terms of the quest, and the token will appear in your inventory. The Magistrate will have no power over you, and you can leave the city if necessary.”

“Don’t really want to leave.”

“No bitch is gonna tell us where to live.” Leoleth was awake but just looking off into the space before her. She was leaning back on the couch; cookie crumbs were spilled all over the front of her dress. I wasn’t sure how long she was listening in. She rolled her head over and looked at Peter. “That was fucking amazing, by the way.”

“So, if you want to stay,” Peter said, deliberately ignoring her. “You’re going to need to do something more than just finish this quest.”

“It’s not just a gods damn necklace. Is it?” I said

“No, it isn’t.”

“But we don’t know what it is,” Gretchen said. “I seriously doubt the Empress would come here and want to wear a specific ruby necklace.”

“I guess Amania probably knows.”

“So be careful in that Temple.”

“Is Amania as easygoing as The Unnamed God?”

“She’s the Goddess of Purity,” Gretchen said. “Like most gods, she expects obedience. She can deny the soul entry into the next life.”

“But she preaches forgiveness and rehabilitation.”

“She does, but that’s forgiveness for mistakes and following temptation. I wouldn’t expect her to forgive someone who directly disobeys her. I don’t know anything about your friend, but I wouldn’t recommend placing her in a situation where she has to choose.”

“Well, shit.” I sighed. “There was something else she said.”

“What?”

“She said my soul was chipped.”

“Chipped?” Peter looked at Gretchen. “You mean like a piece taken away? Did she elaborate?”

“Just that something was done to it. She said she could probably heal it, but she needed more information. I asked if I should be worried, and she said yes.”

“I’m not familiar with that,” Gretchen said.

“Me neither.” Said Peter.

“You should commune with The Unnamed God,” Gretchen said. “He might be able to provide you with the insight you need.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll do that.”

“We will offer as much help and support as you need,” Peter said. “I’m a very capable cleric; Gretchen is very powerful, too.”

“We will also start pulling the followers in,” Gretchen said. “We have a couple here in the city, but they aren’t capable fighters.”

“Okay,” I said, standing. “Thanks.”

“Wait!” Peter shot up, almost falling over. “The Relics!”

“Oh yeah.” Gretchen smiled, getting to her feet. “You get those, and I’ll get the robes.”

Both of them raced out of the room. Leoleth leaned up, brushing the crumbs off her. She smiled at me, looking tipsy.

“Are we fucked?”

“Not yet.” It was the fakest answer I ever gave in my life.

Gretchen entered the room first. Holding two bundles of black silk fabric. She stood between us since we were on opposite couches.

“These,” she said, handing one bundle to each of us. “Are two of our finest sets of robes.”

“Okay,” I said, taking my bundle.

NEW ITEM:

CLERICAL ROBES OF THE UNNAMED GOD, HOLY RELICS

Spun from the black silk of the dreaded Shadow Arachne, The Robes worn by the Clerics of The Church of the Unnamed God are among the most sought-after magical garments for thieves and assassins. The silk is strong enough to protect the wearer from stabbing and slashing attacks at the same level as scale armor and will self-heal after twenty-four hours. Each garment possesses a different magical ability from the Shadow Arachne.

While all parts of the garment are worn, 5pts Dexterity Boost. 10pts Luck boost.

Shadow Invisibility: Casts spell to render the wearer invisible in low light.

Activation time: Instant. Range: Self. Cost: None. Duration: 10 Minutes. Cool Down: 1 Hour.

35% increase in EP Pool.

“Good Merch.” I smiled at Gretchen.

“The church doesn’t have many of these left,” she said. “Since it takes a sacrificial summoning to get a Shadow Arachne.”

“There’s no way The Unnamed God would allow that.” I placed them in my inventory and equipped them.

“Years ago, they found one that was summoned already and kept it for a time, harvesting the silk.”

“Ah yeah.” I stood from the couch and walked around, getting a feeling for the robes. The inner robes were belted and went down to my ankles; it was very Sith lords. The outer robe would have seemed to inhibit mobility, but it flowed naturally and helped focus my hand and arm movements as I tested out some kicks and jabs. The magic and buffs required both robes to be worn, but I could use the inner robes and enjoy the armor effects.

Leoleth was wearing hers, doing karate-style kicks, and making swoop noises as she moved around the room.

“I can shoot webs.” She said with a grin.

“Not inside, please,” Gretchen said.

“No fun.”

Peter arrived a moment later, two wooden cases under his arm. He was nearly out of breath. He placed them on the tea cart, almost knocking everything off.

“These,” he said after coughing. “Are two of the last relics we have.” He steadied himself on the cart.

“You didn’t have to run all the way down there to get them,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.

“You certainly did not!” Gretchen barked sternly. “I don’t think The Unnamed God is ready to claim you yet. But you need to remember your age.”

“Sorry,” he said, one last gulp of air, and he was recovered. “I was just excited; we’ve been holding on to these for too long.”

He opened the first case. It contained a cruciform dagger almost eighteen inches long. The blade was a white shining metal I didn’t know, and the handle was black with a ruby gem embedded in the hilt. It had a matching scabbard next to it in the box.

“It’s called Silent Passage,” Peter said reverently. “The blade is cythian-enriched steel. It maintains a perfect edge, will self-sharpen and repair, and is moderately effective against magical protection.” He raised his finger, “But, when you wear or wield it, you can activate the enchantment, which will render you completely silent for five minutes once per hour.”

“Wow.” I held off touching it since he was in the middle of his presentation.

“This,” he opened the other case. “Is its sister, Silent Night.” It looked identical to Silent Passage but had an emerald stone in the hilt instead. “Same metal with different enchantment.” He held it up. “A successful attack with this, and the target will be completely silent for two minutes. There are no screams, no sound of blood pouring out, and no sound of the body hitting the floor or any object they drop or touch. There is also no cool down.”

“Oh boy,” I said, letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “The Unnamed God is really leaning into me being an assassin.”

“You’re an assassin?” Peter looked at me sideways for a moment.

“Yeah, that’s the first job I picked up.”

“You don’t seem like an assassin to me.”

“It’s the hair.”