Chapter 2 - A Mountain Between Us
-Before-
She had crafted her own maze of cognitive being into an exercitation of arcane instruction.
Her reasons were valid, but it was simply a means to an end.
Within the thoughts of the other laid her goal, a treatise unyielding and eternal. Each and every one of its thousand words was like an entire language, each in entirely foreign scripts and possessing alien and unfamiliar phonemes.
Every other attempt to study the monolith had been like viewing it through frosted glass, and her purposes now demanded a much clearer understanding.
Her task was to learn the entirely of the meaning carved upon that monolith. While attempting to learn this meaning, she would be assaulted with sounds and images of a life that was not her own. And behind it all, music. Hundreds-thousands of songs that would change from moment to moment for the smallest reason or no reason at all, further driving the task from the realm of possibility.
The task was impossible under nearly any conceivable circumstances.
But she must try.
Her chances of success would have been laughable even if she had a decade of dedicated study.
The greatest folly was the knowledge that understanding was no guarantee of answers, and her existence may well depend upon her success in procuring answers.
Her eyes drew across the monolith as she began.
She had but three days to learn what she needed.
-
-Back in the present-
Even after I'd been carried back into the warmth of the place I'd just recently fled, I was still having some trouble seeing. My attempts to rub my eyes were stopped by the large woman carrying me when she wrapped a cloth around my head as a blindfold.
In answer to the question I was about to ask, she spoke. "You may have gone a bit snowblind so leave the blindfold on for the moment. You've got a touch of frostbite as well, but hopefully we can avoid cutting off your hands or feet."
Despite her emotionless voice, I was convinced that she wasn't joking.
Having made the enlightened choice to hike up a freezing mountain without even an ounce of preparation on my own, I wouldn't have even been able to curse fate if I lost my hands or feet. Or maybe now fate was giving me enough rope to hang myself.
Frowning as I spoke through chattering teeth, I said, "I know it was stupid. If I'd just been a prisoner, I doubt they would have left me with my weapons in an unlocked cell. I just wasn't thinking straight, and then when I saw that Eye Tyrant, I just-"
Even as I said the word, I realized that she had to be here somewhere. My instincts asserted authority and I attempted to jump to my feet again, only to find myself completely immobilized by the large arms of my rescuer.
"Eye Tyrant?" she asked, her voice not even giving any indication that she had to struggle to keep me from moving.
Still fidgeting, I answered, "Yes! That thing with one giant eye and all the other little ones."
She was quiet a moment before she spoke again. "Those mamono are called gazers. Most men do find their large single eye unattractive."
"Unattractive? What are you talking about?!" I nearly shouted, growing more frustrated that she wouldn't let me move. "Who gives a shit how many eyes a girl has?! It's what those eyes can do that's the problem! A cyclops helped fix our house in Alnor and she was definitely doable, if maybe a little taller than I'm used to..."
How did this even turn into a discussion about attractive mamono features?
Taking a slightly deeper breath and exhaling as though she might have been sighing, she said, "That cyclops was me, Joseph. Did you not see how angry I was that my own sister didn't recognize me?"
Thinking back, I'm pretty sure her tone and expression probably weren't much different than they likely were now. I definitely remember meeting her the morning before I went to the Alnor market alone for the first time, but I didn't get even the vaguest impression that she was actually upset.
That was also definitely after Risa had regained her sanity. Had she been living surrounded by illusions her entire life? Was she the only one of the sisters that had been left completely oblivious to reality?
Well at least that explained the presence of the half sigh the cyclops released when I made that comment about eyes, while entirely failing to hint at the meaning of that sigh.
Trying to be delicate, I began, "So then you are..."
"Kaeli Panna," she answered simply as she slowly removed the blindfold to reveal herself as large, blue-skinned, and monocular as I expected of a cyclops. "Yuki is also here, as well as a succubus and a witch that both claim to know you personally."
My eyes hurt a bit, but it wasn't unbearable. Looking across the hall into a massive room furnished with only a single threadbare couch, I saw a very short danuki sitting alone with a look that reeked of sadness.
"Oh!" I exclaimed, suddenly more and less concerned that I was being held so close against her. The Panna family had developed quite a reputation where I was concerned, after all.
When I finally got a look at them, I could see that my hands may as well have been sculpted from ice with how frozen they appeared. Once Kaeli had me submerge my hands in a deep clay trough filled with warm water, I breathed a hopeful sigh of relief when the feeling started to come back to my fingers. It didn't mean I was safe from infection, but it was still a bit heartening.
Noticing that I was now looking at her, the short danuki headed straight for me, seeming to force a smile as she said, "It's a good thing we found you as quick as we did." She then hesitated before adding, "and you don't need to worry about that...terrible beast you saw before. I took care of her so you'll never see her again."
Wow. The illusionary versions of Risa's sisters that I'd seen before had all been pretty close to the mark except for the one of Yuki. Far from the potentially evil, bubbly ball of energy I expected, this Yuki seemed positively morose to her core.
Finally setting me down on a chair as my feet were also submerged in warm water, Kaeli finally released me from her grip and sat on the floor next to me.
"It's nice to finally meet both of you," I offered with a small nod to each of them. "Though I honestly don't know that much about either of you. I don't think Risa or Meryl wanted to share me...uh...you know...any more than normal."
Yuki nodded a bit and looked away as she replied, "It doesn't seem like you'd be interested in either of us anyway. We're just here to help get our sisters and nieces back from Miss Violaceous High-and-Mighty."
Something in Yuki's voice was saying something else entirely but I couldn't quite put my finger on exactly what that might have been.
I tried to deflect things with some slightly flattering humor. "Pshh, more like you'd both rather not get involved with the village bicycle. You're both attractive enough to do better than me anyway."
At that, Yuki fixed an almost angry glare on me. "Whatever."
Several moments passed in uncomfortable silence before Kaeli moved closer to sprinkle something into the water in which my hands and feet were soaking.
Kaeli then asked, "Why were you so irrationally terrified of the 'Eye Tyrant' creature you mentioned? Is that some sort of beast from your world?"
Snapping back to the moment, I looked straight into her single large eye before answering, "Yes...well, sort of. It's a fantasy monster from a game I used to play. And before you think that's a silly reason to be so worried, there are a lot of similarities between the creatures in that game and a great many mamono."
Continuing to speak as Yuki busied herself with a stack of scrolls nearby, Kaeli continued, "What is so terrifying about this creature?"
Being instantly giddy that someone had taken an interest, however small, in my old hobby, caused me to respond with a bit more excitement than was likely warranted. "Oh man, Eye Tyrants are just about the worst thing to run into. Their big central eye cancels out magic, but it's the other ones that are the real problem-they could wound you, cause fear, turn you to stone, put you to sleep, disintegrate nearly anything, or even just outright kill you...among other things that made them a death sentence for an unprepared party! When I saw all those eyes earlier...I was sure I was dead."
Kaeli nodded. "I see. That does sound frightening."
Suddenly interested again, Yuki stomped back over to us and pointed an accusing finger at me as she said, "A gazer isn't anything like that! I mean, maybe one could do all those things with magic, and her 'wicked eye' can hypnotize and bewitch people…" she trailed off before continuing a bit more calmly, "Really, a succubus could do the same thing or worse. And I'm sure she wouldn't have attacked you unless you provoked her."
From back out in the hallway, another voice called out in annoyance, "Christ! Enough of this bullshit."
It took me a moment to recognize the newcomer, given how drastically her attire had changed since our last meeting. Looking her up and down as I remained in my chair, I saw the succubus Phina, now dressed in the sort of attire that left no question that she was a sorceress...or at least playing the part of one.
The succubus maid had certainly put some time into this outfit. Starting at her feet, thigh-high buckled boots of soft brown leather gave way to black and white striped leggings, edged with lace and held in place by a similarly lacy black garter belt that peeked out from beneath the short skirt she wore. Above her exposed midriff, a stringy white bra barely kept her breasts covered, assisted by a long black trench coat that was buttoned only across her chest, looking almost like an insurance policy against the likely failure of the bra.
Crowning the almost entirely monochromatic ensemble was a beautifully elaborate wide brimmed hat with a gentle point that fell stylishly to her left, loudly defying anyone to refer to it as anything but a witch's hat.
In fact the only visible points of actual color my eyes could pick up on her were the nearly glowing reddish gold lights of her demonic eyes.
Something about the succubus seemed...different than before, and there was definitely a lot more white in her otherwise black hair. She also didn't look all that pleased to see me.
Phina raised her hands toward us and a moment later I saw a bright flash where Yuki was standing. The light was bright enough to hurt my still sensitive eyes, and when the dark spots in my vision finally cleared, I saw the so called "gazer" standing where Yuki had been only moments before.
Before anyone could fully register the shock of the sudden appearance, Phina quickly said, "We aren't playing this game. Yuki's a gazer, we've already wasted enough time waiting for you to wake up, and you forgot the charm, slow, and telekinesis eyes. We good?"
What a difference a few seconds can make. I'm certain Phina wasn't nearly so attractive the last time I'd seen her. Gamer girls had always made my knees weak before coming to this world, and if I hadn't already been over max capacity on love interests, I'd have asked her out on the spot. Plus that hat...mmm. I knew I'd love seeing one of those hats on a mamono that didn't look young enough to still be working on multiplication tables in school.
Finally turning my eyes back to Yuki as she stood next to me with a look of shock, I had my first real chance to actually get a good look at her. However jarring it was to be confronted so suddenly with the mamono representation of a very real personal fear I'd had since arriving in fantasy land, I simply wasn't seeing the horrible monster I was expecting.
With a literal mane of raven hair falling across her slender, ivory-skinned form, an octet of eyestalks, and a pretty face nearly dominated by a large single eye, she was definitely the least "human" mamono I'd seen up close. Just as was to be expected, her many eyes also carried the familiar green hue I'd become so accustomed to.
Despite what I thought I was supposed to be feeling at seeing her, I certainly wouldn't have been able to call her unattractive, and certainly not with the absolutely adorable look of shock showing plainly on her face and reflected in each of her many eyes.
I couldn't hold back the smirk and associated thought that jumped immediately to mind...well, just behind the need to keep myself hunched over to hide the evidence of a few too many racy thoughts.
The thought was that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder...
Yuki threw a baleful look at Phina but made no other action except to look back towards me.
I didn't say anything at first, only offering a smile before finally saying with a light sigh, "You know it doesn't matter whether I think you're pretty or not, right?"
Her look turned to one much closer to anger as she turned her back to me, conveniently leaving several of her eyes still looking at me. "You almost died out on the mountain just trying to get away, I think it's pretty obvious how you feel."
Taking a moment to sip deeply from a hot cup of tea that Kaeli held up to my lips, I answered, "That was a misunderstanding...and before anyone can turn this into something it isn't, it doesn't matter for a couple reasons."
"Oh?" she asked with a dubious look toward me.
I took another sip of the warm tea as it felt like I started to come back to life before speaking again. "I don't know how much you've heard, but at least two of your sisters died shortly after getting involved with me and another three are currently trapped up in that castle. And look...I'm sure everyone has already seen that goddamn painting-yes, I'm a whore by the way-but I'm already spoken for as far as anything serious is concerned."
Her eyes actually lit up in a disturbing fashion at that as she answered in a far too cheery voice, "Oh, that's all?"
"Uh...yeah," I offered in response.
Her response was clear enough to make it obvious that the only thing she'd processed in what I'd said was that anything "serious" was off the table. This family...I swear.
Phina stepped quickly forward to look into the bowl where my hands were defrosting. "Can I save us all some time? Joseph here will fuck anything; yes it applies to both of you; no we don't have time to piss around like high school virgins about it. We have a meeting to attend with our new patron and the more time we waste, the more likely Karisa and Meryl end up dead or sold as property."
When I didn't correct Phina right away, Kaeli and Yuki both blushed, the resulting looks they shot me likely acting as a harbinger of sexual (mis)fortune in my near future.
Kaeli then spoke, her voice a bit thoughtful. "The frostbite wasn't nearly as bad as it appeared at first. He should probably be fine once he finishes his tea."
She wasn't kidding. I'd had frostbite before, and aside from some very minor darkening at the tips of my fingers and toes, it looked like I was fine.
Phina poured a small glass of the tea for herself as she added, "Or some cold resistance is another side effect of those mushrooms."
About a half hour later with the invigorating tea finished, I was back on my feet with only some minor lingering stiffness in my fingers and toes.
"We'll be here!" Yuki said, her tone now so cheerful as to remain perpetually suspect.
"Make sure you find me before setting out, Joseph," Kaelie added as Phina led me from the room. "I have something important to give you."
-
"So, why are you here?" I asked out of genuine curiosity. "And who are we going to meet?"
Phina seemed to be in no mood to even speak to me, and I couldn't divine what I'd done to piss her off. More than that, she didn't even seem to want to look at me as we wound through increasingly massive tunnels.
I had several minutes to wonder over those questions as I was silently lead through dozens of stone corridors. Even without stopping to admire them, I could see that truly masterful craftsmanship had hewn these passages into the mountain itself.
After what felt like hours, exacerbated by Phina's silence, we passed into a larger open chamber, the entrance of which was flanked by two massive statues of unrecognizable dwarves. I was then lead through a vaulted, well appointed common room of sorts and into what immediately appeared to be an opulent personal office.
"Ah, there you are," a small but raspy voice called out as I entered. "Please, have a seat," the richly dressed elder dwarf before us plainly requested.
Between us and the impressively large stone desk stood two equally magnificent chairs, also carved from the stone but thankfully dressed up with some cushioning to make things more comfortable.
Just as we passed into the small room, Phina finally spoke to me for the first time since we'd started walking. "We can talk about the details later. All you need to know for now is that I'm here about an arrangement I've made with Yessica regarding your freedom and where we go from here," she answered my earlier questions dismissively as though she hadn't been silent the entire way here.
As we sat ourselves in front of the large desk, Yessica offered us a businesslike smile as she leaned forward slightly and began speaking, "Your friend here is correct. I understand that you're trying to recover several family members from the lady Durand, yes?"
If she was leading with something I wanted this badly, I was sure that whatever she wanted was going to likewise be pretty big. I didn't like heading into a negotiation with so little information about where I stood, but it wasn't as though I really had much of a choice.
I nodded and answered, "That is correct. It also doesn't seem like it'll be as easy as just knocking on her castle gates and asking for their return." I paused a moment before piping up again in a small attempt to gain some traction in the discussion. "I don't mean to be rude, but I can't imagine why that would be of interest to you so I'm guessing there's something you want from me, correct?"
"Ah, straight to the point-I like it," she answered without a hint of guile, that fact almost more worrying to me than if she'd gone into salesperson mode. "In case you weren't paying attention as we lead you through the common room here, you find yourself within the main guild headquarters of South Teremir Mercantile...and, despite our past dealings, I believe we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement."
I was having some very serious doubts about why I was even still involved in all this.
My wife, children, sister-in-law, and...uh...official mistress were all trapped up in that castle, yes, but what exactly was I going to be able to do about it? Raise an army? Sneak into the fortress?
That was also ignoring that with Yessica's obvious wealth, she could likely purchase literal miles of cock with which to satisfy any carnal fantasy she could possibly have. On top of all that, I was also pretty well certain that more than one mamono was now probably familiar enough with my human "black magic" to accomplish all I might attempt and more. Why was she even making any sort of offer to me in the first place?
As we sat at the desk, Phina now made no attempt to hide the sidewise glances she kept shooting me the entire time Yessica spoke. These weren't the blatantly covetous glances I'd become so accustomed to or the also familiar gazes of burning hatred that were becoming nearly as common.
If she was so interested in me, why didn't she even make an attempt to speak while we were wandering our way here? What was her stake in this?
"So, what do you think?" Yessica suddenly asked as she say back in her chair to await a response, making me realize that I hadn't been listening for the last several minutes.
Trying to bullshit my way clear of the blatant faux pas, I answered, "It's definitely an interesting idea…"
"He means he'll do it," Phina corrected.
Still convinced I had a graceful way out of this...or at least a way to find out what I'd just been signed up for, I countered, "Now, hold on. I think I'm going to need a few more details. This is more than just a small undertaking," I ventured.
"True enough," Yessica replied, adding with an inexplicable look of near admiration, "I suppose what I've heard about your shrewd business sense isn't far from the mark. I don't think I'd be able to negotiate so calmly knowing that my own family was in such grave danger."
I broke out in an instant sweat. Did I seriously miss Yessica offering a way to recover them? What the hell was I doing?!
Apparently sensing my sudden distress, Phina spoke up, "If you don't mind my saying so, how do we know you aren't just trying to set us up? Durand is part of your guild and this could just be a way to curry favor with her. Not to mention that your guild is the reason we're in the mess in the first place."
Yessica didn't flinch as she calmly tendered her response, "That's a fair question."
Then standing and starting to move about the room, Yessica gestured to the various decorations and guild markings that adorned the room. "Without knowing what to look for, you might not see the distinction, but here, within the common rooms and in the offices of every other guild officer, you'll not see a single mark of Durand's so called Violaceous Regard. This guild has been out of our hands for thousands of years now and we no longer feel that Durand has the best interests of the rest of the council involved in her plans."
I remained silent as I started to piece together what this dwarf was offering me.
"So then it's just business?" Phina asked. "If that's the case, why even consider us? I've heard about you Teremir guild members and any single one of you should be rich enough to finance your own private army to take her down, not to even speak of what you could do if you pooled your resources."
Her posture changing as though she knew we'd ask this question at some point, Yessica turned to the pair of us and sat back in her large chair. "While guild politics can be ruthless, even bloody at times, the fact is that if a sitting guild member were to move against another guild member, even indirectly, they would forfeit their seat as well as their guild assets-which would be divided up amongst the remaining members, not to mention the loss of Teremir legal protections against retribution."
"So because I was planning to go up there anyway, you can pitch this without colluding with the 'enemy', eh? Fine. If I'm taking all of the risk to remove her while I'm getting my family back, I want her seat in payment," I interjected, finally feeling up to speed enough with what this dwarf was proposing to start an actual negotiation.
If she'd had a mouthful of water, Yessica's face suggested she'd have spit it all over us in surprise at my comment. "I have heard many a bad joke, but that is-"
Raising a hand, I interrupted the dwarf before she could finish. "There are really only a few possible reasons why you'd be proposing this to me. I'll assume you're being honest about losing your guild seat if you act against her directly, for the first reason. Or you could just be so greedy that you hoped you could get a freebie out of me because my family is in danger. You also seem to believe I have a chance at success, and what would be to stop me from finding a way to sneak in and only retrieve my family?"
Supporting me like a champ, Phina added, "You were also in a pretty big hurry to have a chat with him the moment he woke up. Perhaps you expected that a guild rival would be interested in speaking to him? Or another guild maybe?"
Her calm veneer cast away like dandelion seeds in a gale, Yessica frantically gestured to us to keep our voices down, "Shh! Look...you have to understand my position here. Even if you asked for many millions of gold in payment, it would be a pittance in the shadow of that seats value. Durand caused quite a stir being the first non-dwarf to hold a seat on our council, to say nothing of the likely riot that would ensue if a human male held that seat. It's also been thousands of years since we've had a chance like this."
While she was definitely trying to argue against my suggestion, her face clearly read that she wasn't entirely opposed to the idea...or at least some variation on it.
Yessica coughed nervously as she snuck a glance toward the door to her office before hopping up on the desk directly in front of us, close enough to whisper. "Some seats are worth more than others, and that seat is a bit too valuable to simply offer. Durand sits at the head of our council-a position many in the guild would kill for. If...an already existing guild member were to take that seat, however, there would suddenly be another open seat. It isn't unheard of for a human to be a standard member of a guild council."
If what Meryl had said was true, any guild seat with an organization as prolific as South Teremir would still be worth more than I could ever hope to make in a lifetime. I couldn't have cared less about the gold itself, but that sort of leverage could end up being exactly what I needed to succeed in my task.
"We'd need to see this in writing-and damn your secrecy. We could probably get a similar offer out of any other council member," Phina countered.
It occurred to me at that point that I had no idea why Phina was attempting to help me in this negotiation. Medea could have demanded any number of things from her, but helping me get a seat on a Teremir guild council as a bonus while saving my family didn't seem to be a likely requirement.
I quickly chimed in, realizing that I'd been made the "good cop" here. "But since you came to me first, I'm willing to make yours the only offer we consider unless we are completely unable to come to an agreement. But just as Phina said, we're going to need this in the form of a notarized contract, verified by a third party."
Now visibly agonizing over the decision, Yessica hesitated only a moment before pulling a sheaf of parchment from a desk drawer, signing it moments later.
Sighing lightly, Yessica slid the signed parchment toward me. "I've already done so. This bears the marks of the Teremir council, two unaffiliated Teremir guilds, and the Alnor minister of trade, personally. I had a half-dozen variations of these made to cover the most likely demands you might make. That your first suggestion was for the most expensive possibility is a credit to your business acumen."
Whoa. Did she say the actual Alnor minster of trade and not some half assed interim minister's second cousin on wednesday?
"Yeah, yeah. Get your tongue out of his ass. So I'm guessing you can't provide any concrete assistance in actually removing Durand from her seat?" Phina asked.
Yessica smiled at that. "There is one thing. Since Durand began spending coin in the pursuit of that ritual and then outright hemorrhaging gold once she began attempting to cast it, she's sealed her castle off to the outside completely. There are no more aerial deliveries either, so the only open roads are up the mountain to the front gate, and through the Teremir guild road that, by regulation, must remain open. I can get you a pass, but you'll need far more than just the two of you. While it's a far cry from the outer defenses, it would still be gated and far more heavily guarded."
"What about an approach from the outside?" I asked, pondering over how to avoid as much armed conflict as possible.
Yessica sounded extremely doubtful in her response. "Even if you could get a team up the mountain with the large battering ram you'd need for the assault, you still probably wouldn't be able to even scratch those ancient gates. Forget about the magical sealing and enhancements for a moment and consider that you're still dealing with reinforced iron slabs that are nearly two meters thick and almost four times as tall. The surrounding mountain also may as well be solid bedrock, making sappers useless."
"Figured I'd ask, just in case," I replied, more impressed than anything at the description of the outer gate and what were effectively natural castle curtain walls. Yessica didn't have to even point out that even if we had a team capable of breaching those defenses, the castle defenders would have plenty of time to mobilize while we struggled in the biting cold.
"The pass to get us up the inner road should be all we need. My master," Phina began with no small amount of irritation curdling her voice, "has given me a few promising options for assistance, and Joseph here has made at least a few other allies in his blundering across the island."
"I see," Yessica said with a nod. After a moment of silent pondering, she then added, "Well, time is a factor here as I understand it, so I imagine you'd best be on your way. Here is a pass that will allow you unrestricted access down the rest of the mountain to Teremir proper. From there you should be able to get where you need to go. Also...I know I've said that you'll need to hurry, but it is far more important to make certain that you can actually succeed. This is also a hunch, but I don't believe you'll want to allow Durand to finish that ritual either. Just let me know when you're ready to move and I'll make sure I have upward passes ready."
Phina grabbed the offered parchment and showed it to me for verification before carefully placing it into a scroll case. She then began pushing me toward the door, speaking over her shoulder, "Do not worry, my master left far too specific instructions with me on which signs to look for if we're reaching the literal deadline, so I'll be certain to recognize if we'll need to push up our timetable."
I was only able to give a small nod over my shoulder as I watched the elder dwarf sit back in her seat and sigh in apparent exhaustion.
Remaining within caves lit by magically blazing torches as we made our way down the mountain, Phina's exceptionally cold demeanor made it nearly impossible to appreciate the breathtaking stonework and dwarven designs that covered every wall. The work was so extensive that, rather than appearing as the brilliantly worked caves they were, these tunnels looked more to have been constructed from already worked stone.
Despite not being able to see the whole city as we wound down an elevated path into the impossibly massive cave that contained the city center of Teremir, what I could see was unlike anything I'd ever laid eyes upon, on the island or elsewhere.
Where Blacksky had looked like a blending of many cultures, the parts of Teremir that I could see were decidedly dwarven. Massive stone statues of ancient dwarves acted like support columns, reaching beyond the reach of my sight to hold up the stone sky above. The buildings near the start of the South Teremir Mercantile guild road sat powerfully upon the timeless stone, looking like they had grown from the very rock to become massive squarish structures.
The ubiquitous carvings and stonework in this area reached a level of beautiful mastery that bordered on the religious. I couldn't even fathom how many thousands of years just this part of the city must have taken to carve into the stone of the mountain.
Shortly after passing into the outer edges of the city, Phina suddenly spied something she was looking for, stopped and turned to me with an unreadable expression.
"Alright, I need a real drink and we need to talk," she said, turning back to lead me further onward without even waiting for a response.
She finally lead me into the low-ceilinged tavern and grabbed an empty seat. Phina didn't speak again until after she'd exchanged a handful of coins for a pair of mugs with the barmaid, adding instructions to "keep them coming."
Taking a long slug from the stone cup, she grimaced a bit at the taste, still sighing in approval as she finally met my stare. "Damn, I needed that. Anyway, like I said, we really need to talk."
"Okay, hold on. What is your deal?" I began, not entirely certain what it was I really wanted to know just yet.
Was I also supposed to forget that this woman was pregnant? Mamono may be quite different than humans, but I was still pretty damn sure that drinking wasn't a good idea for an expectant mother.
"My deal? I already told you most of it," she answered with an exasperated air that began to intensify as she spoke. "I'm Medea's apprentice. That insufferable bitch is also holding something extremely important to me for ransom. Not to mention that I've got a newborn baby girl I can't even see because of you and your whole god damned family! I won't be free of Medea's bargain until I help you get your family safely out of Durand's grasp. I'd do it myself but Durand only taught me three fucking spells and gave me a less than a year to perfect them. So are we clear on my deal, asshole? Or would you prefer to check the teeth on this gift horse a bit more closely?"
Wow. I wasn't sure how any of that was my fault. She didn't need to be so mean about it…
"You had your child already? Just how short are succubus pregnancies?" Even as I was asking the question, I was pretty sure that I was about to hear one of the last things I wanted to hear.
"It's a miracle the ritual backlash didn't kill you outright. How long do you think you were out?" She asked.
At that, I picked up my own drink and made an admirable attempt to down it all at once, a fiery retort from my stomach putting the brakes on that idea with fierce gusto.
Wiping my mouth with the inside of my sleeve, I shook my head. "Just tell me and get it over with."
Phina was still heated as she countered, "No, before that, I want you to tell me why you didn't instantly jump on Yessica's first offer until she offered payment. One of the only things I can't completely hate about you is that I thought you actually cared about your family!"
"I do! I just wasn't listening to her at first," I quickly answered, "I couldn't figure out why you were even here, why you were dressed like that, or where I even was. And it doesn't matter anyway."
Looking angrily dubious, Phina sarcastically offered, "Oh, certainly not. But humor my stupidity for a moment and explain how Yessica's offer to save your family, however self-serving, doesn't matter."
Calmly taking another sip of the powerful alcoholic brew, I set it down before answering, "She makes me an offer or she doesn't. We go up the guild path or we don't. The moment I knew she wasn't throwing me back in jail or off the mountain, whatever else she had to offer didn't matter."
All it took was a moment to think about it before I rediscovered my purpose. It didn't matter whether I was the right person for this job, how lacking my capabilities were, or how slim my chances of success might be. Everything that mattered right now was in that castle.
I paused for another moment before looking back to Phina with the fire of my determination making me tightly clench my jaw before speaking, "My family is still safe, I know where they are, and there's not a god damned thing on this island that'll stop me from getting them back. I already lost Zee, and that was too much. You get me? I don't care if I have to mortgage my own soul to get this done, but I will get them back."
Leaning back in her seat with a look of mild satisfaction at my answer, Phina nodded. "I'm not certain that Zee was the only thing you lost...but that's a quandary for another day. I get it. So then let me also make a few things clear." She cleared her throat before continuing, "I don't like you, and I like my master even less, and even though I'd rather be absolutely anywhere else, holding my daughter...I won't let you fail in this. As much as I hate it, Medea has decided that my fate depends on your success, and if that means I have to beat your ass a few times to keep you moving, I just wanted you to know that I'd consider that a bonus."
"Hey, as long as you don't fall in love with me, we're good. I don't need any more wives," I said with a half smile.
She gave a truly mirthless chuckle. "Oh, you're in no danger of that, playboy. I already got myself knocked up by a filthy whore-I'm sure as shit not going to fall in love with one."
Turning my attention back to the task at hand, I asked, "So you say Medea gave you a few suggestions? What's the best one to go after first? It looks like we've got Kaeli and Yuki and either Miranda or her sister. Aside from Lareina, Selvirin, and maybe Genevieve, I'm not sure who else I know that would be insane enough to help with this. If we've also got to take out Durand, it's practically a suicide mission...not that I don't have at least some experience with those."
Phina looked about nervously for a moment, looking like she wasn't sure she wanted to answer. "I'm pretty sure at least one of Azalea's sisters would be willing to help if you asked nicely, not to mention that team of hers that kidnapped you, assuming we could find them. There are a few others Medea told me about as well, but I think the first one…" She paused a moment before continuing, "Well, it'll either be the best or worst choice, depending on what she's actually like. All I know is that she's strong. I just don't know about the rest."
"Strong, huh? Ogre? Hobgoblin? Salamander…?" I ventured, the last word catching in my throat as I quickly tried to cover the painful thought with yet more of the dwarven brew.
Still looking nervous, Phina shook her head. "If Medea's arrogant ramblings are to be believed-and they sadly often are-we're after a living relic of the actual Dragon Wars. She's also the only recipient in history of the complete version of the ritual that lead to all of your troubles with Durand in the first place."
"What does that ritual even do?" I asked, still chasing the hopeless wish that my struggles were over something truly important.
Phina shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. The last time we spoke, I fell asleep while Medea was epically pontificating about her personal suggestions for assistance on this task. I think she was trying to explain how their relative power and likely locations affected her ranking system. If she explained it after that, I didn't hear it. I seriously doubt she'd have told me anyway. The girl I picked out is the second on her ranking, but it's the only candidate we have an exact location for."
I took a sip of my second drink, suddenly surprised at how quickly the first one had vanished. "If you don't mind my saying so, you seem a lot more motivated about this than someone under duress should be."
"That's all a matter of perspective," she said with a half frown. "You don't know what Medea is holding over me."
"So then what is she holding over you?" I plainly asked.
"That's for me to know and you to...not know. Wow, this is good stuff!" She answered, matching my frown at her attempt to change the subject. "It's not something you can save me from, no matter how heavy you lay on that stupid white knight routine, and it's not going to interfere. That's all you need to know."
The finality in her voice didn't really leave any room for debate. I also wasn't sure how much I cared, as horrible as that thought may have been. Maybe, for now, it was better to have less to worry about anyway.
"That's your call. So then where are we heading and when can we leave?" I asked, eager to get underway.
"Tomorrow. And the directions I have start at some place called the Lake of Glass in Ahmose. Shouldn't be too hard to find, given the description, and being able to fly should make it even easier to spot," Phina replied as she reached back to her smallish demon wings that didn't look like they could carry something half her weight, let alone her entire body.
The names of most places usually went in one ear and out the other, but something she said definitely caught my attention. "Wait...Ahmose? Is that-?"
Phina nodded, "Ah, right. Yeah, the civil war in the desert is over. Lord Charisse is gone and the child pharaoh Ahmose is the new Lord. They say she took power without spilling a single drop of blood. I'm not sure of the new laws, but I don't think they'll be too much to worry about."
I smiled at that. Somehow I felt like that had to be good news.
"Maybe Ahmose would be willing to provide some assistance. There's also somewhere else I need to go in the desert as well," I added with hesitation as I reached into my pouch to feel the small piece of parchment that Zee had left me.
If I was going to deal with Zee's loss, I needed to know for certain that she was truly lost. As far as I was concerned, she wasn't dead until I saw a body.
