Butcher of Gadobhra Chapter 256 (Patreon)

Mcteeth screamed as he fell into the Demonic Statue's belly and then further beneath the city. His screams alerted two of the ghouls that were looking for scraps nearby. They'd been looking for over a hundred years, but they were certain that they would find something to eat if they checked each nook and cranny of this small cave. It was an understatement to say they were overjoyed when a sack of meat fell into a pile of rotted wood. Mcteeth gained a few seconds as they fought over who got to eat his liver. That was enough time to draw his weapons and toss a coin over his shoulder. He hated paying for luck, which is why his patron spirit delighted in taking it. He'd have had to pay more if he wasn't about to engage in violence, something Ekwensu also delighted in.

He threw one dagger into the smaller of the two ghouls, circled to put it between him and the larger, and slashed at its instep. The crippled creature collapsed and, as the larger stepped over it, took the opportunity to bite its rival in the thigh. As the two ghouls fought, Mcteeth circled quickly, stabbing again and again. Once both had stopped moving, he leaned back against the wall. There was a click, and he fell through the secret door and tumbled further into the bowls of the city. This time he was in a large room, and nothing was trying to eat him. Yet. A dozen skeletons were on the floor, and five sat around a large table. Overhead a chandelier cast an eerie light on the scene, its candles burning with a reddish glow.

The five dead gentlemen around the table had been there for a long, long time. The finery they had worn was rotted and torn, and their bodies were reduced to dry, brittle bones. Each had a shot glass in their left hand and a bottle on the table next to them. A pile of money and objects was piled in the center of the table. Hundreds of gold, silver, copper, and other strange coins. Two rusty daggers, one glowing rusty dagger. Three green gems. The deed to a small keep in Estallia. And on top of it all, an ornate ring made of tarnished silver.

Mcteeth moved slowly around the room, touching nothing and careful not to touch the bodies lest they animate. He would be terribly surprised if they didn't. This was Gadobhra, after all. Even after all these years, he could smell the poison in the bottles: Nightshade, Hemlock, Snakeroot oil, Castor Bean extract, and Phytolaccaceae Belladonna. The last was a nasty one native to Sedgewick. Each man had picked his own poison, as the saying went. Four of the skeletons had hands of cards on the table in front of them. Numerous aces and kings were also visible in rotted sleeves and tattered finery. He wondered about the contents of the deck they played with but didn't touch it. The cards were in good shape. Vibrant inks were visible under the layer of dust. The skeleton who had preferred Nightshade held three jacks and two tens. A winning hand in most games and better than the one next to him, consisting of two jacks and three sevens. Jacks were as popular as Aces. The next hand was three jacks and two eights. The fourth man had been disgusted with his busted straight flush consisting of 2, 3, 4, 5 of spades and a 7 of diamonds.

The last man's hand was face down. He had one skeletal hand wrapped around the winnings and a long dagger in his back. His poison of choice was the local Belladonna. Unable to resist his curiosity, Mcteeth turned over the cards. They were thick paper and the size of a tarot deck. The images stared at him. Ace of Spades, Ace of Clubs, Eight of Spades, Eight of Clubs, and finally, the Queen of Hearts. The Queen had a drop of blood on the card.

Mcteeth shook his head. "Two pair wins over a full house? What kind of rules were they playing?"

A bony hand grasped his wrist, and he was suddenly so cold that he couldn't move. "The Queen of Hearts is always wild, kid. You must not have much experience with women. I won the game but took a knife in the back. Ignoring an assassin while playing cards is bad, especially when you marry her. Spiteful and jealous, she was a real firecracker."

"But enough chit-chat. What brings you down here? Last I heard, things were closed up. Druid troubles. What have I missed?"

Mcteeth could barely stammer. "Druids are gone, and the baron is back. The statue..it ate me." He managed to pull a dagger from his belt and stab the arm holding him. The silvered knife cut into the rotted arm, but fell to the ground, smoking.

The skull looked at the arm and back at Mcteeth. You got Moxy, kid. Normally I hate recruits with too much of a spine, but I'm low on choices, and you come recommended. So put on the ring, and let's get to work." The skeleton released him and tossed him the tarnished ring.

Mcteeth looked at it, shrugged, and put it on.

The skeleton nodded. "Welcome to the Thieves Guild of Gadobhra, kid. You're the new Guild Master. I'm Leroy, your wise and cryptic advisor. I'll be around to kick your ass in gear until you get the guild set up properly."

"Your mouth is hanging open, kid. Hungry? Trying to catch flies."

Mcteeth knew when to take a deal. He saw a series of notifications flash by, but kept his attention on his advisor. "Ready to get to work, sir. What's first?"