66 - Dark Streets

  The walk back to the surface would have been exhaustingly awful without Joe’s magic. Each time his strength began to lag, a shot of [Effereous Endurance] revitalized him. When his legs began to burn after climbing up floor after floor of the awkward stairs, [Healing Touch] removed the pain. The best part of the trip was the utter lack of any more web-crawling menaces.

  He finally stepped back onto the street, and the pair rose from where they had been seated on the front steps of a townhouse across the narrow lane. Night had fully fallen in the hour or so he was below the streets. Many of the houses were dark, but pleasant-looking street lamps lit the cobblestone roadway.

  “Well, well, well. Don’t you look pleased with yourself? You need not utter a word, my good man. It is clear you were successful in your endeavor within the dark reaches of the seer’s lair.” The elf skipped up to Joe and clasped him firmly on both shoulders. His long, pointed nose was inches away from Joe’s. “I am as proud as a new father watching my babe’s first steps.”

  “Easy there. Let’s take it down a notch, Jink,” Joe interjected. “But you’re right. I do know where to go tomorrow. I also know the creature's name.”

  “Oh, joy of joys. How can I not be thrilled? The end of the Night Skinner is at hand, and vengeance for those lost is nigh. I cannot wait to sing to the rafters and make merry before the full moon wanes this very month. Too long …”

  Jink was interrupted by a white hand pulling him away from Joe. “This is all well and good but your villain is not defeated yet. And he will not be unless this one both rests and trains further in the single day we have left to us.”

  “Fine, fine. If you must be about such mundane chores, then this is where we shall part ways. I plan to spend the night in frivolous merriment and celebration.” He deftly slipped free from Hah’roo’s hold and spun to catch her hand. He first pumped the appendage in a vigorous handshake before folding over to brush his lips across the back of her knuckles. “I am most honored to have met you, Madam. I wish you the best of luck in your hunt on the morrow.” Swirling around, he caught Joe’s hand and gave it an equally energetic wag. “And you, my mysterious new mate, I expect to hear great things of you as well. I have no doubt you shall surprise the doubters and downers.”

  “Thanks, Jink. You also get credit for saving the day as much as us. You got us here, which got us the location.” Joe praised before asking, “I take it you are not coming with us to hunt the monster?”

  “And get blood all over this marvel of fabulous finery?” the elf explained, sweeping a hand down his garments. “Of course not. Sorrowfully, here is where we part. Best of luck to you both.” Placing a finger beside his nose, much like a reed-thin Santa Claus, Jink vanished in a puff of sparks and smoke, leaving the pair alone on the quaint little lane.

  “What the …,” Joe gasped. “Why?”

  “I think he is overly fond of making a spectacle,” Hah’roo harrumphed. “We too should get going. We have much of the city to cross before we get back to where the inns are.”

  “Wish we could fly back? That was fun.”

  “And an extravagance we are unlikely to experience again soon,” she stated, walking along the sidewalk back in the direction they had come from. “Those elixirs likely cost close to a thousand gold each.”

  “Really?” Joe instinctively asked, even though [Ring of Truth] had already confirmed her words. “Crap. I was hoping to do that again.”

  “You could buy a basic flying potion for much cheaper, but Jink’s draughts included physical transformation and perfect flight maneuverability. That is something only the truly rich can offer up so effortlessly.”

  They covered the next few blocks together in silence. As they went, Joe noticed the galeling stealing glances at him as they walked. Finally, under a streetlight, she reached out and tugged him to a stop.

  “Do you trust me?” She asked him earnestly.

  “Ah. Yeah. Actually I do. Why?” he sputtered.

  “This needs to be fixed then.”

  With a lightning-fast jab, Hah’roo crunched her fist into Joe’s nose. He heard the bone crack as his head snapped back. She quickly caught the back of his head, then jammed her fingers on either side of his nose and twisted hard.

  “OW!!! Whab da crap, Hah’woo?!”

  “Sorry, but it was driving me nuts,” she explained, clearly trying not to smirk but failing. “It’s straight again. Quickly, heal. You can mend your nose correctly this time and stop looking like a beaten thug.”

  Through tear-filled eyes, Joe mended the cartilage, but before he could bitch about Hah’roo’s blunt fix, the galeling held up a single finger.

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  “Shh,” the white-skinned woman hissed. “We are being hunted.”

  “You sure?” Joe whispered. “How do you know?”

  “The winds are telling me. Our five hunters are on our trail. No, not us. You.” She moved them tight to the side of the closest of the large buildings, sliding along it to reach the corner.

  “How? I thought I was safe from divination abilities. That should include tracking abilities.” Joe huffed quietly, moving as carefully as he could up to her.

  “All traits can be beaten by the right ability, Joe. The hunters must have something that bypasses your misdirection. Not fully, though, or else they would have ambushed us before I caught wind of them. We have a chance, but we must control the fight. Trying to run for the tavern district before they located you would be a dangerous gambit. Better we tackle them while they are spread out and searching rather than combined and hot on our trail.”

  She stopped scanning the intersection of roads ahead and looked Joe in the eyes. She did not say more but it was clear she was waiting on his answer.

  “Ok. What do you want me to do?” he asked.

  “For now, stay here. Quiet and hidden. The closest one to us is arrogant and brash. He can be taken out of this hunt quickly and unnoticed.” She stood and loosened the coils of her weapon around her body. “I shall be right back.”

  She glided across the roadway, which was wide enough for multiple wagons to pass each other. When she reached the warehouse across the way, Joe could still clearly see her pale white arms. Then suddenly, she vanished. It was not like she turned a corner. It was as if shadows just swallowed her up. Her stealth skill must be miles better than his Perception.

  Thinking this thought Joe was aware of his own efforts to stay hidden. He eased back a few inches, finding a bit more shadow to crouch in, while focusing on being as still as possible.

  ‘Nice,’ he thought. Rank 13 would probably not be anywhere close to good enough against a team of trackers, but at least he was improving the skill.

  Movement on the roof of the warehouse across the avenue caught his eye. A figure wearing a skull-like mask under a wide-brimmed hat eased his way up to the edge of the roof.

  The man crouched down and began scanning the area. Joe held his breath, trying not to move an inch. After what felt like an eternity, the man stopped his search and reached to his belt. He drew forth a white piece of cloth, much like a handkerchief, before lifting the material to his face. He held the fabric in front of his nose for a moment and then tucked it away. As the tracker did so, his gaze began to swing to where Joe was hiding. Like a hound on the scent, the hunter oriented himself right at where his quarry was tucked into the shadows.

  Before Joe could even try and move, a pale line swung across the sky and lashed itself around the hunter’s neck. It jerked tight, and Joe saw Hah’roo dive off the roof, yanking the surprised tracker from his perch on the shingles. The pair plummeted off the high roof of the four-story tall warehouse. At the last second, dust and debris swirled under the galeling’s feet, slowing her descent to a gentle gliding stop. The skull-masked man tangled in her line was not so fortunate. He crashed head-first into the stone street with a sickening crunch. Joe used his woundsight and watched the man’s blue aura fade quickly to the dull gray of death.

  A shudder ran through Joe's gut. There was something viscerally different between this death and the monster fights he had been in so far, even the goblins. Feeling a bit queasy, Joe watched Hah’roo free her line with a flick before quickly running her hands over the man’s belt.

  “That was the easy one," she breathed after dashing back to where Joe was lurking. "I doubt the others will give us such a blatant opportunity.”

  “What was he using to track me?” Joe asked, still keeping his voice as quiet as he could.

  “This,” she replied, holding up an embroidered square of linen. On the white fabric was a splotch of blood. In the corner of the square was stitched a coat of arms. The design was of a black and white shrike above two crossed swords.

  Joe looked at Hah’roo, who simply answered with a breathy “The House of Amberwroth.”

  “That effing bastard,” he hissed. “Grover must have kept my blood from his strike in Crowfield and given it to these assholes.”

  “You mean Sir Groven?”

  “Yeah. Same guy. If he’s going to steal my blood, then I get to call him anything I damn well please.”

  “We can address that folly later. I’m more concerned with the remaining pursuers. Bloodhunters and bloodhounds are some of the more common classes taken by bounty hunters. That sample is how they are bypassing your nondetection ability. If it is the only one, then we should be able to lose them, but I fear it is not.”

  “So, what should we do?”

  Hah’roo held up a hand and cocked her head. She held that pose, listening to something Joe could not hear for a minute before bringing her head close to his.

  “There are three together a few blocks away,” she whispered. “And one more that way,” she stated, pointing in the direction they needed to go to get back near the dock and a place to stay for the night. “I am inclined to take the three first.”

  “Why tackle three at once and not the solo guy?”

  “The lone hunter is powerful. The three are only in their teens, new to their second class. With the right tactics, the trio are far more easily beaten than the lone seasoned tracker.”

  “Ok. If you say so. Am I hiding this time, too?”

  “No. One against three, even three with levels below mine, is a terrible idea. A lucky attack, and the outcome could be disastrous. This time you will have to help me. Follow me. Step as I do.”

  Joe followed the sapphire-haired huntress, paying close attention to where she placed her feet and how she positioned her body. To his surprise, the dedication worked. [Whisperstep] leveled once more as they slipped through the shadows around the warehouses.

  For those of you who are impatient to see how this conflict works out, as well as meeting Sougath: the Night Skinner, here is a quick reminder that Patreon is currently six chapters ahead (instead of the typical 5).