Chapter 5:
A Bard and a Rogue Walk Into a Tavern
Wayward Bar and Inn, etched into the wooden sign that hung above the door. Nicholas couldn't help but think it quite an appropriate name for the hole in the wall type of place it was. The wooden porch creaked under foot as the pair stepped out from the rain. Inside was almost as dark and damp as outside. Everything bathed in the amber glow from the fire pit built into the center of the room. The tables were all empty and only two lone patrons sat at the bar. Both were consumed by the drinks in their mugs. A very large female cow, the bartender, offered them a smile when they walked inside.
"Trouble has come my way," Her voice was deep but held a sweet backwater tone. "A pair of foxes."
Finn glanced at her, making his orange eyes as large as he could. "We don't usually work that way, but if you're offering what I hope you're offering..."
"Not likely, shorty." The cow leaned on the counter in such a way she could show off her well-endowed chest.
Nicholas stifled a laugh, while his eyes took a long drink of those beautiful heaving breasts-
"Ahem."
Nicholas paused his hands making a large breast motion over his chest while he described them. His gaze traced the rest of the group, stopping on Brother Benjamin, who had his ears covered. A smug smirk came to the thin fox's lips.
"Move along, please." Gideon chimed in, giving the thinner fox a gentle slap on his side with his newly freed hands.
"Sorry, I thought it was a very important detail for the sake of story development," Nicholas smiled coyly, it was only rewarded by an exasperated grunt from Aza. "Huh, everyone's a critic."
"So, you're all looking for-" The cow began, when Nicholas chimed in.
"A dark and mysterious stranger in the corner booth, yeah, that's us."
The bartender looked less than amused, she offered a quick nod and pointed towards the corner of the bar. "Yeah, yeah...get moving, fox."
Nicholas offered a smug smile as he started towards the booth in the back corner. Finn, on the other hand, stood for a long moment checking out the cow behind the bar. She pushed her long black hair back behind her ear and shook her head. Even though the answer was 'no', the smile on her face made the rejection sting a little bit less. Finn shrugged and offered her and understanding smile before following the taller fox to the back of the room.
Nicholas thrust his thumbs in his belt as he sauntered up to the booth in the corner. The firelight cast an almost black shadow over it. The figure was leaning against the wall in the booth. The stranger's face was covered by a dark hood, so only her green eyes could be seen amidst the shadow.
"Nicholas Wilde?" A feminine voice filtered out of the darkness.
"Oh, milady." Nicholas offered a smirk. "You must be my contact, miss?"
"My name is not important, what is, is that you are here. Please, be seated."
Finn stepped up to the table just a Nicholas was settling into his seat. The small Fennec fox scrambled up into the booth next to the taller fox. The mysterious figure paid him no mind, she just continued her disinterested stare at the Bard.
"Good, you brought your associate. This task should not be attempted alone."
"I'm all for the dark and mysterious thing, but can we skip it this time. My friend and I have been on the road for several days. I'm both wet and tired and not least of all a little cranky." Nicholas dropped the amusing facade, his face stone.
"To the point, admirable. Fine. My contact has issued a sizable purse in exchange for an item." The stranger reached into her robe producing a pouch from beneath, when she dropped it on the table it made a loud clunk. Nicholas rested his elbows on the table leaning closer. Finn scrambled onto the table sitting down pulling the pouch between his spread legs. There was a hesitation when he went to open it, he expected the stranger to snatch it away, but she didn't. He flipped open the flap to see glittering coins piled to the brim within the pouch. Finn doubted he could even lift the pouch on his own.
"Gold, it's my favorite color," Nicholas whispered, rubbing his hand slowly along the underside of his muzzle.
"Half now, half on delivery." It was the figures time of drop the facade, her voice carrying a hiss within the words.
"Let me get this straight, this is half?" Finn coughed.
"Yes," She offered back.
"And this is ours...right now?" Nick asked.
"Certainly. But if you fail to retrieve the item, or if you fail to deliver it to me, my contacts will hunt you down and kill you. They will kill your friend here and they will kill both of your families." The figure leaned into the light but her hood still shadowed her face, her green eyes glowed with a magical light.
"I...I think I get you." Nicholas grabbed the pouch from the table at the same moment, the figure grabbed his hand.
Even through the black leather glove, he could feel the heat radiating. It was something unnatural, a magic that was older than the world itself. It burned and froze his hand at the same time. Fear sunk into his face, his eyebrows tilting down, his ears fell back. There was a power within this being that made his stomach lurch.
"By the look on your face, Nicholas, I can see you have some idea what I can do to you if you fail to deliver on your promise."
"I do."
"Good. The item in question is none other than the Sunburst Stone."
Finn looked from the Bard to the stranger. "The Sunburst Stone? As in, the same Sunburst Stone that belongs to King Lionheart? The royal stone? Are you addled in the head?"
Her other hand snatched out from under her cloak to grip the small fox around the neck, a strange glowing green light engulfed the stranger's hand. Finn was lifted from the table with ease, choking and struggling to free himself from the grip.
"Secrecy is of utmost important, you little worm." The figure hissed once again.
"Easy, we're all friends here." Nicholas chimed in.
The figure grunted and threw the Fennec into the seat next to the taller fox with a crunch, the wood was unyielding to his weight. "We're concluded here, you have a fortnight to complete this task. I don't need to remind you of what will happen if you fail. Now leave."
Finn didn't waste any time climbing out of the seat. He made his way back across the tavern, looking back in the stranger's direction. Nicholas wanted to say something but couldn't think of anything witty enough to rebut the sudden flexing of power. Instead, he took the pouch of money and followed his friend out the door. Once they stepped back into the rain, Finn wheeled around and looked up at the taller fox.
"This is just great, Nicholas. You really sodded us this time, you know that?"
"How was I suppose to know that she was a magic user?" Nicholas tried to defend herself.
"Every time..." Finn grunted descending the stairs into the mud. "I don't even know why I follow you around the countryside."
The small fox pulled his hood up over his large ears, his voice died down into a mumble as he started walking. Nicholas followed behind feeling the chill from his oldest friend. It was far colder than the weather was. For once, Nicholas had to agree with the little fox, he may have bitten off more than he could chew. A wizard was nothing to sneer at, this one least of all. If she demanded to steal something from the King, her and her contacts must be a force of reckoning. It was no comfort, cold or otherwise. Nicholas was going to have to call upon every dirty trick in his arsenal to pull this off.
"...and the daring foxes managed to steal the item with little to no effort and rode off into the sunset." Nicholas finished the story with a flourish, but no one seemed impressed.
"That's all well and good but how did you actually steal the Sunburst Stone?" Aza grunted, rubbing a raw spot on her wrists.
"I...I just told you. Used every dirty trick in my...were you not listening?" Nicholas uttered.
"That doesn't tell us anything, fox." Aza barked.
"Shut up back there." The captain hollered back from her seat at the reigns.
"Well, Happy! I don't want to reveal all my tricks to the likes of you, alright?" Nicholas hissed through clenched teeth.
"We know a guard at the castle, he's addicted to...some stuff. We help him acquire it on a regular basis." Finn explained from his perch on the baker fox's thigh. "The guys got a silver tongue, can charm the keys away from jailer or a bodyguard, no problem."
"Thanks for giving away the trade secrets, bud. I'm-" Nick started.
"Shut up," Aza wrapped her large hand around the fox's narrow muzzle. "It seems I have to keep you alive a little longer, as you may still be of some use to me."
"This is all well and good, y'all, but we're stuck in this cage on our way to Deadsville." Gideon couldn't resist pointing out the obvious.
"Deadsville? I thought we were going to the castle." Aza glared at the other fox.
"W-we...we are. It's just a...you know what, never mind. We gotta focus on getting outta this." Gideon looked out at the countryside crawling past.
"Am I to assume you were successful in your mission?" Benjamin asked, making little circles at his temples with his fingers.
"Of course, does no one around here listen?"
"And that you're still in possession of the item?"
"Well, yeah."
"So, you've not returned it to your contractor?"
"If I still have it, then the answer is..." Nicholas held the 'is' for a long moment.
"No...no. Well, here is my plan on the matter. I say we see it through. If we return the stone, the king may be lenient with his punishment. If not, then we'll explain that we had nothing to do with heist. King Lionheart isn't completely unreasonable. Either way, he'd be very interested to hear that this powerful magic user is roaming the countryside unchecked. It's not much of plan but it's certainly better than living on the run. Sister Aza and I have our own problems to deal with."
"Whoa, now! I've heard it tossed around a few times, what is all this crap about magic users?" Gideon's voice spiked, so his was the only one heard.
"Have you been living under a rock?" A voice came from the seats up front, the deeper tone signifying it was Buja, who spoke.
"Let's just say, I'm not from around here."
"Mages, Sorcerers, Magic Users, we're not all a specific breed of mammal. It's more like a birth defect. Some are born weaker of body but are able to wield great magic from the elements. Others are born with just enough knowledge to control a few spells." Buja was kind enough to explain the situation to the pudgy fox. "Some live normal lives, until adolescence, then for some reason they start sleep casting. This causes whole villages to be destroyed sometimes, which is why magic users are forced to register with the kingdom's administration. We are placed under the watchful eye of the court wizards. I myself have been assigned to Captain Hopps for quite some time."
"So, it's like a permanent prison?" The fox summarized.
"No, nothing like that. I opted for this life because I didn't want to hurt anyone. From it, I've gained a well-paying job and a friend. There are others who think it's cruel to harness free-spirited mages and some may find their way alone, but not without harming others and destroying villages. To each their own, I say, I care not for their opinions." The deep voice rumbled, there was affection in her words.
Gideon looked at Aza and then at Benjamin. "So you're, his handler." He hated to use such a crass word for the situation.
"We are friends and siblings in the eyes of the divine." Benjamin chuckled.
"No, little one." Buja began again. "Clerics are altogether different, they draw their magic from their fate. Healing spells, and dispel magic does not a village burn. The stronger the faith, the stronger the magic."
Gideon leaned against the wall of the cart wincing at the fresh pain in his side. "Uh...this is all so confusing." His anger was more from the pain than the actual situation.
"It takes time, baker fox. Everything can not be laid out before you on a scroll." Aza mumbled. "I myself am still learning the ways of faith and magic. My people despise such trickery."
"That's enough, sister." Benjamin touched her hand.
Gideon rubbed his side slowly. The knot-like flesh shifted uneasily, it sent shock waves of pain through his body. For now, the baker fox would remain quiet, trying to catalog all the new information he'd been given. Quietly, he cursed not paying more attention to Finnick's instructions on how to play Dungeons and Dragons. No doubt that knowledge would come in real handy right now.