Advent of Eternity - Chapter 111 (Patreon)

“Gods above,” Lillicent said, staring at the seeping wound. “You didn’t even give her last words?”

“Last words are for those who deserve them,” Knell said, grunting as he lowered himself down beside the woman and stared to search for her Boon. “Why would I waste time listening to hers? She was nothing.”

He drew a dagger from his side and dug through her, tearing clothes and flesh apart in his search. Knell treated her body with no more respect than a hunted animal, taking her apart with ruthless precision. It didn’t take him long to find the boon nestled just beneath her heart. He plucked the tiny green sphere from its bloody nest and wiped it off on the former Scion’s clothes before rising back to his feet.

“Have I said how glad I am we’re not enemies?” Lillicent asked. “Or how happy I am I told you where my Boon was?”

Knell tossed the marble to her. Lillicent’s eyes widened, and she snatched it out of the air, nearly tripping in her surprise.

“Make something useful with your appreciation,” Knell said. “I don’t care if you make it with that Boon or another. Deliver it to me in Apton, when you have enough talent to make it worth my while.”

Lillicent got her expression under control and nodded, clearly scarcely believing her luck. Her fingers tightened around the Boon and she slipped it into a pouch. “I will.”

“And make sure you aren’t followed,” Knell added.

“I mean, we don’t know for sure they followed me,” Lillicent hedged.

Knell grunted. “I never said you were followed this time. Just don’t get followed next time. Let’s go. Lillicent, feel free to take anything that’s still here, but I don’t recommend you remain in the area for much longer.”

“Noted. I’ll just take a quick look, maybe. Now that I’ve got a Boon to work with…” she trailed off, then gave them another appreciative nod before hurrying back into the depths of the dungeon.

Knell and his crew departed the dungeon and set back off on the road, skirting Rosewood entirely. They passed by Golden River as well, once again electing to avoid entering the city and just making straight for Melwood.

Several days of travel passed without any major consequence, and they were soon at the walls of Melwood once more. The sun had only just risen a few hours prior, and the city was already awake – or as awake as Melwood got.

Their first stop was at the docks, where Knell was pleased to see that the Withered Rose still floated, untouched from where they had left it.

“I have to admit, I half expected the ship to be missing,” Cyll admitted.

“That would have been quite problematic, especially after all the work we went through to get it,” Knell said. “No point to tempt fate, though. Stix, can you keep watch over the ship? The rest of us need to buy supplies.”

“That’s fine with me.”

“Do you need anything?” Maya asked.

Stix pursed her lips in thought. “Not necessarily for myself, but some basic medical supplies like bandages and alcohol could be worth investing in for everyone other than Cyll. Oh, if you happen to see any unique arrowheads, I’ll take those. Enchanted ones.”

“Noted,” Knell said. “We won’t be long.”

Stix broke away while the rest of the crew headed back to the market. It was a simple endeavor to buy the basic supplies, and they’d gotten what they needed within a few minutes. Knell passed Cyll and Maya each a portion of his money, giving Maya twice the amount that he gave Cyll.

“What’s this for?” Maya asked, studying the bulging pouch of gold.

“Personal needs. Whatever you want,” Knell replied with a shrug. “No point to gold if we don’t use it.”

“Why’d she get more than me?” Cyll asked.

“Because she’s buying something for Stix.”

“I could have bought something for Stix.”

“Would it have been socks?”

Cyll cleared his throat. “Right. I’ll let Maya worry about buying gifts. Waste of time, really. Toodles, Cap. How long we got?”

“Thirty minutes.”

“Fantastic. More than enough time.” Cyll stuffed the pouch into his over-tight pants and strode away, whistling to himself.

“You better spend at least half of that on clothes,” Knell called after him. Cyll flipped him a rude gesture, then ducked into a store and pulled the door shut behind him. Maya wandered off as well, leaving Knell alone in the market.

He wandered through the thin crowds, scanning the stores and merchants hawking their goods. There wasn’t anything in particular he actually needed, but it never hurt to position oneself in case luck were to strike.

Knell spent most of his time scanning through apothecary stores in search of rare materials, as they were far more likely to be worth his time than random weapons or other trinkets.

While he had little luck in that regard, he did replenish his stock of Muting Stones. He’d used his last one back in Fort Fellwater when he’d retrieved Cyll, and there hadn’t been any in the stores he’d checked since.

He also bought several small vials of acid and a Sparkstone, which was a fancy way to start a fire when someone was too incompetent to use a normal flint and steel. They also made great flammable projectiles when shot at high speeds.

Satisfied with his finds, he headed back through the market toward the Withered Rose. He paused on his way out, the thundering calls of a huge merchant catching his attention. The man was somehow wider than he was tall, with grease stains covering his once-colorful shirt and striped pants. The merchant sat in an equally massive chair beside a teetering wall of cages, each stuffed with exotic animals and small monsters.

“Get yer pets here! Exotic creatures from ‘round the seas,” the man thundered, punctuating his words with a mighty belch. He wiped his mouth with the back of a sleeve and gave a wide grin to a woman passerby. She accelerated, quickly glancing away.

Despite his appearance, there were half a dozen people standing around his store, if it could even be called that. An orange cat pawed at its cage, its fur matted and a thin cut running along its forehead. It was scrunched into a ball, barely able to move anything other than its front paws. A twinge of disgust ran through Knell. The cages were far too small for the beasts within them.

Near the edge of the stack, several bird cages were stacked in a pile. A strong breeze probably could have knocked them all down. A huge black raven leaned against the bars of the cage, either dead or soon to be.

“Do you make a habit of selling dead birds?” Knell asked.

The merchant, who had been midway through trying to convince one of the other men to buy the orange cat, turned his attention to Knell and followed the pirate’s gaze down to the bird. The man scowled and opened his mouth, then paused when he spotted Knell. He leaned over to another man and whispered something.

“Happens sometimes,” the merchant said, his body rippling in what might have been construed as a shrug. “Course I don’t sell the dead ones. They get tossed. That one ain’t dead, though. It’s a nasty little shit. Got me with that once before. It plays dead until you go to check on it. Then – boom. No more fingers.”

“You appear to have all your fingers.”

“I got it back,” the man said with a cackle. “You looking to buy, boy? I don’t give discounts to cripples. Full price. They’re worth it.”

“I’m sure,” Knell said dryly. He tapped the bars of the raven’s cage with the butt of his staff. It twitched, but didn’t open its eyes or move. “How much for the bird?”

“For that fine specimen? Fifty gold.”

“Fine specimen?” Knell raised an eyebrow. “For a half dead bird? I’ll give you ten, and not a gold more.”

“Ten?” the fat merchant reared back and thumped his chest. “Boy, this bird comes from across the Sixteen Seas. It is no mere gull. Offering less than thirty is to spit on my men and their hard work.”

Knell carefully counted out fifteen gold and set it on the ground in front of him. “Ten gold. Another five for the back injury you’ll give yourself trying to pick them up.”

The merchants face turned red. He opened his mouth, but the man that he’d been talking to before clapped a hand onto his shoulder.

“Gus. Shut up. I think that’s the crazy bastard from Golden River. Look at the scar on his face. The one with the ship in the harbor that Maria is watching over.”

The words never made it out of the large merchant’s mouth. His eyes roamed over Knell and his face paled. “Fifteen gold.”

“Very good,” Knell said, lifting the cage from the ground with his staff. He transferred it to his other hand and limped away without another word.

It looks like the rumors are finally starting to spread. Fantastic. The real test will be to see if they’ve gone farther than the immediate area.

Knell scanned the alleys as he walked, and it didn’t take long for him to find what he was looking for. He changed direction, heading toward one with a gaunt man sitting on a crate. The man glanced up at Knell as he approached.

“What do you–”

“You’re a pickpocket, yes?” Knell asked.

The man’s eyes narrowed. “No.”

“Fantastic. An honest man would be in want of twenty gold, then.”

The man leaned forward. “So I would be. You need something stolen?”

“There’s a merchant with dozens of cages similar to this one,” Knell said, raising the birdcage slightly. “Take as many as you can and get the monsters to your friends. Many are clever and may be of use. Give the rest to the Adventurer’s Guild or sailors.”

“You… want me to rob a bunch of animals, then give them away? You realize that the merchant can barely walk, right? He’s not stopping anyone.”

“Then I trust this won’t be any issue at all.”

“Consider your animals robbed,” the man said with a gap-toothed grin. Knell counted twenty gold out of his pouch and handed it to the pickpocket. “Don’t need anything else done, do you, boss?”

“Just the cages. I’ll be listening. Don’t fail,” Knell said.

He swept out of the alley and returned to the Withered Rose without any other stops. Stix, who was sitting on the bow, rose to her feet and helped Knell onto the deck. She gave the birdcage a confused glance.

“What’s that?”

“A bird.”

“Right. Couldn’t have figured that one out myself.”

“Then you shouldn’t have asked,” Knell said with a dry grin. “I’ll be in my cabin.”

Stix nodded, already more than used to her captain’s strange personality, and returned to the bow while Knell entered his room. He set the birdcage down on his desk and sat down before it with a grunt.

The cage’s latch had been warped shut to the point where he couldn’t have opened it normally if he wanted to. Knell raised his staff and hooked one of the talons at the bottom through the latch. Bracing it against the table, he gave it a sharp jerk.

With a loud snap, the latch shattered, and the door squealed open. The bird twitched, but it didn’t move. Knell pulled several strips of jerky out and carefully set them just outside the cage. There was no point forcing the creature any more. If it wanted to eat, it would.

He closed his eyes and slipped into meditation. It would probably be a few minutes before Cyll and Maya got back, and there was no point wasting good time.