011 Welcome to Rague

  Why did he stuff me in this armor?

  That was the question that had been ringing in my head since Skully jammed me inside it without much of an expnation. We were back on the road, bumping along in his spooky carriage while I sat there, cd in a sleek, bck suit of armor that felt like it weighed a ton. Every movement made the metallic joints creak, and the visor only gave me a narrow view of the world outside. I felt like a walking tin can.

  “I just… lost my handsome mug,” I compined, wiggling my fingers inside the gauntlets as I tried to get used to the weird sensation of metal limbs.

  “You’ll live,” Skully muttered, barely sparing me a gnce from where he was zily holding the reins. The skeletal horses cttered along the dusty path, their hollow eye sockets glowing faintly as they pulled us toward the city.

  “Better this way,” Skully added. “That armor’s got wards and enchantments that make you feel more human. If you tagged along in your ghostly form, you’d trip every single ward the city has, and we’d both be neck-deep in holy fire before we even crossed the gates.”

  “Right, right…” I sighed, tapping my armored chest. It made a hollow cnking sound. “But, uh, why do you sound grumpier than usual? Also, I’d like a taste of holy fire…”

  Skully didn’t answer right away. He just stared ahead, his fming eyes fixed on the horizon. I swear, if he had lips, he’d be scowling.

  I examined myself again. The armor was cool-looking, I had to admit that much. Bck, polished, and etched with arcane symbols that glowed faintly whenever I moved. But still… “Does it have any special powers?” I asked, hoping for something exciting. Maybe enhanced strength? Fire resistance? Laser vision?

  “None,” Skully deadpanned.

  “Seriously? Nothing?” I groaned. “Boring.”

  Skully let out a long, exaggerated sigh. “Why is it that every time I talk to you, it feels like I’m talking to a child?”

  I gasped in mock offense. “I’ve always been a child at heart!”

  “A manchild, then,” Skully muttered.

  “Ugh…” I sank deeper into my seat, crossing my armored arms like a sulking teenager.

  The rest of the ride passed in retive peace. The carriage rocked gently as we rolled through the countryside, passing endless fields of grass, the occasional farmhouse, and a few scattered travelers who gave us a wide berth. Can’t bme them, really. A fming skeleton driving a haunted carriage wasn’t exactly the most inviting sight.

  I gnced at Skully, wondering what was going through his mind. He’d been quieter than usual ever since we left his base. Maybe it was the mission that was bothering him. Or maybe it was something else. Either way, I figured I’d give him some space. Skully wasn’t exactly the type to open up about his feelings, and pushing him would probably just earn me another sarcastic remark.

  So, I leaned back, watching the clouds drift zily across the sky as the carriage carried us closer to the City of Rague.

  Peaceful, I thought. Almost boring.

  But knowing our luck, it wouldn’t st.

  So one might ask, why was it that Skully, the all-powerful lich, was the one driving the carriage while I lounged around like a spoiled kid on a road trip?

  Well, in fact, I did volunteer to drive… once.

  It had not gone well.

  Long story short, we ended up in a ditch. The Normies? The two skeleton horses pulling the carriage? Wrecked beyond repair. One lost its head somewhere in the bushes, and the other crumbled into a pile of mismatched bones that I couldn’t even put back together right. Skully, understandably, was not happy. He cussed me out so hard I felt like I died a second time.

  And that’s how I got myself a personal lich chauffeur.

  Now, we were making steady progress toward Rague. The rhythmic cttering of bones and wheels was almost soothing. I would’ve dozed off if I wasn’t so busy staring at the ominous skyline in the distance. The city of Rague loomed ahead like a fortress of stone and iron, its tall spires casting long shadows over the surrounding pins.

  “Are we there yet?” I asked zily, leaning out the window.

  “Ask me that again, and I’ll drop you in the nearest swamp,” Skully grumbled from the driver’s seat.

  I chuckled but didn’t push my luck. We were getting close, and I had to admit, I was starting to feel a little… uneasy. I mean, this wasn’t just any city. This was a Clergy stronghold. The same Clergy that, as Skully had expined, would probably like nothing more than to reduce him to a pile of ashes if they had the chance. And I was tagging along in enchanted armor that looked like it belonged to some dark warlord. Yeah, this was going to go great.

  As we approached the city gates, things got… complicated.

  Out of nowhere, a group of figures in white and blue uniforms stepped onto the road, blocking our path. They were armed and armored, their polished breastptes gleaming in the afternoon sun. One of them raised a hand, signaling for us to stop.

  Skully pulled the reins, and the carriage creaked to a halt. The skeleton horses snorted, their hollow eye sockets flickering.

  A dark-haired man stepped forward, his expression stern but curious. He looked at me first, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he was trying to figure out what, exactly, he was looking at. Then his gaze shifted to Skully, and his eyes widened in recognition.

  “Master Donatello,” he said, his tone a mix of surprise and caution. “What brings you to the fine city of Rague?”

  I blinked. Master? Okay, that was new.

  Skully, as usual, was completely unfazed. He leaned back slightly, his fming eyes glowing with a faint, zy amusement. “Lieutenant Morrow,” he drawled, “what a pleasure to see you again. I wish to invoke my right to retrieve some of my old treasures.”

  Morrow frowned. “Your… treasures?”

  “Yes,” Skully said smoothly. “You see, I’ve exhausted my current supply of Philosopher’s Stones. They’re quite rare, as you know, and rather time-consuming to create. Instead of wasting precious resources, I’ve decided to retrieve a few from my personal collection. And it just so happens that I’ve chosen Rague as my pick-up point.”

  He said it so casually, like he was talking about collecting a package from the post office.

  Morrow’s frown deepened. He gnced at me again, then back at Skully. “I wasn’t aware you had any Philosopher’s Stones stored in Rague.”

  Skully chuckled, a low, hollow sound. “There are many things you’re not aware of, Lieutenant. Now, are you going to let us through, or do we need to have a… discussion?”

  There was a tense silence. For a moment, I thought Morrow might actually say no. But then he stepped aside, waving his men to do the same.

  “Welcome to Rague, Master Donatello,” he said, though he didn’t sound particurly happy about it.

  “Thank you,” Skully replied, giving a mock bow from the driver’s seat. He flicked the reins, and the carriage started moving again.

  As we rolled past Morrow and his men, I leaned out the window and gave him a friendly wave. “Nice meeting you!”

  He didn’t wave back. Just kept staring at me with that same confused, slightly suspicious look.

  Once we were out of earshot, I turned to Skully. “So… who was that guy?”

  “Lieutenant Morrow,” Skully said. “A mage of the Clergy. Not the brightest, but he knows how to follow orders.”

  “And he called you Master Donatello,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “What’s that about?”

  Skully didn’t answer right away. For a moment, he just stared at the road ahead, his fming eyes flickering thoughtfully.

  “Let’s just say,” he said finally, “I have a complicated history with the Clergy.”

  Complicated, huh? Somehow, I had a feeling that was an understatement.

  Okay, so… I thought we were gonna do a heist.

  You know, sneaking through dark alleys, dodging guards, disabling traps, and all that fun stuff. But nope. We just kind of… waltzed right in. Like we owned the pce.

  And I’d been mentally preparing myself for chaos. I figured people would start screaming the second they saw Skully and his skeleton carriage rolling into town. After all, it’s not every day you see an actual lich—especially one like Donatello with his glowing blue fmes and creepy aura of impending doom.

  But the weirdest thing happened: Nobody screamed.

  Instead, as we rode through the cobblestone streets, people just… avoided us. They sidestepped, lowered their heads, and pretended we weren’t even there. No one made eye contact. No one tried to stop us. It was like we were invisible, except for the whole everyone-is-terrified vibe hanging in the air.

  When Skully pulled the carriage to a stop near the city square, I leaned out and looked around. “Uh… are we supposed to be getting this much VIP treatment?”

  Skully hopped down from the driver’s seat and adjusted his cloak. “People here know better than to get in my way.”

  “Yeah, no kidding,” I muttered, watching as a fruit vendor nervously packed up his stand and scampered off the moment he spotted us. I gnced back at Skully. “So, what now?”

  “We find an inn,” he said. “And you—stay alert. We’ll be picking up my package soon.”

  A package, he says. Right. As if we’re just here to pick up some mail.

  The inn we found wasn’t anything fancy. Just your typical medieval-fantasy tavern with creaky wooden floors, a roaring firepce, and a bartender polishing mugs behind the counter. The pce went dead quiet when we walked in—like someone had hit a pause button on the entire room.

  I half-expected Skully to throw some money down and demand a room in his usual dramatic way, but instead, he just raised one bony finger and gestured to the bartender. No words, no introductions, just a silent, skeletal command.

  The bartender paled and immediately handed over a room key. Didn’t even ask for payment.

  “Man,” I whispered as we headed upstairs. “You’ve really got that whole ominous lich thing down to a science, huh?”

  Skully didn’t respond. He was in Serious Mode now, which meant I had to shut up and listen.

  Once we got to the room, Skully locked the door behind us. With a flick of his wrist, he made a strange swirling motion—and before I knew it, I was ejected from the armor, floating ghost-style in the middle of the room.

  “Whoa—give a guy some warning next time,” I said, brushing off the weird disorienting feeling of suddenly being non-corporeal again.

  “Wait, how about the wards?” I asked.

  “You’ll be fine,” Skully ignored me. He waved his hand, and a glowing map appeared in the air between us. “Listen closely, Non,” he said. “The High Council entrusts a select few with the title of Mage Lord. These individuals are powerful mages with enough prestige, skill, and influence to act as defenders and enforcers of magical w. As part of their station, they are each permitted to wield a Philosopher’s Stone.

  “Uh-huh,” I said, nodding. “That’s the target of our heist.”

  Skully’s fming eyes glowed a little brighter. “Precisely. Specifically, you will be stealing the stone belonging to Mage Lord Kristoff.”

  The image of Kristoff flickered into view on the map. He looked tall, brooding, and very much like someone who could vaporize me with a snap of his fingers.

  Now, your average person in my situation would probably have some kind of existential crisis. They’d be all conflicted, wondering how their life had gone so horribly wrong and whether they’d ever see their loved ones again.

  But I’m different.

  You know what I thought?

  Oh yeah. This dude could probably kill me. Cool.

  “I am looking forward to it.”