Born a Monster

Chapter 23: Born A Monster, Chapter 23 – Welcome to the Guild

Born A Monster

Chapter 23

Welcome to the Guild

Before my torn flesh had healed enough for me to walk, they had a priestess of the Sun come by. She asked me a question, but I didn’t recognize the language.

“Do you speak Achean?”

“A little. ”

“What about goblin?”

.....

She smiled. “Where did you learn to speak goblin?”

“From goblins. Is there another way?”

“Goblin is a poor language for the concepts we must discuss.” She tried four or so other languages before calling for a translator.

His name was Rasmus, and he spoke for her in Achean.

“I am told you are a speaker of truth.”

“Oh, Truthspeaker. Yes, that’s my primary Social class.”

“Do you know what a Truthspeaker is?”

“One sworn not to lie? Not just a promise, something the System enforces. It literally shuts down my ability to speak.”

“Yes. It’s an unbreakable oath. Do you mind if she uses magic on you to read that oath?”

“Can she teach me how to read oaths?”

“That will take more time than she has today. Does she have your permission?”

“Of course.”

She touched the pendant at her neck and said a quick invocation. Her eyes lit up in brown flames the same shade as her irises. It was creepy, the way she saw through those flames into my soul.

“She says you appear very young for the levels of sin you’ve gathered.”

[Sin Rating: 2 Sin Armor: 1

Vanity: 2 – 16/30 XP Resistance: 1

Wrath: 1 – 2/20 XP Resistance: 1

Lust: 0 – 0/10 XP Resistance: 1

Envy: 0 – 3/10 XP Resistance: 1

Greed: 0 – 0/10 XP Resistance: 1

Gluttony: 2 – 0/30 XP Resistance: 1

Sloth: 1 – 1/10 XP Resistance: 0]

Okay, I didn’t get too many messages from my Sin array. Apparently, I had been racking up the sins.

I shrugged. “It’s a harsh and hostile world. I just try to survive.”

“She says you’re not doing the best job of that.”

“Plains-cats eat meat. I happen to be made of meat.”

“What do you know about your species? About Titanspawn?”

“We make for terrible brothers and sisters.”

She laughed. “What do you remember about them?”

I told her of the lagoon, of how we existed in our groups, about the feeding frenzy that I ran from.

“Where did you acquire your parasite?”

“I wasn’t aware I had one.”

“She says it resides in that log -”

I placed a hand protectively on Black Snake’s carrier. “She can probably overpower me, but I’ll fight her.”

“She says it doesn’t take much from you now, but one day your binding ritual will slip, and it will take deep gulps of your soul.”

“Black Snake is nowhere near that powerful.”

“She would like to see the spirit.”

So I cast Shroud; it didn’t invoke full darkness, but muted the light enough for Black Snake to exit her home without pain. She was growing; I really needed to build her a new home.

She regarded the priestess, reacted with FEAR, and retreated back inside. I plugged the tube behind her.

“She says you should give the spirit to her and let her destroy it.”

“We disagree on the care and feeding of shadow spirits.”

“Her offer stands, should you change your mind.”

I dispelled the effects of my invocation. “Not today.”

“What magics do you normally use?”

“In the arcane schools, I use the four element hermetic array, and the five elements mandala. In divine-”

Rasmus looked embarrassed. “She wishes to know why you use both arcane and divine magics.”

“Because both are tools for survival. Does she know of other categories of class?”

“She knows of more than a dozen. She will not help you with Eldritch Lore or Occult classes, and cannot help you with Chi, Psionic, or Spellsong. She admits there may be other categories of magic, but those are the ones she’s heard about.”

“What about mundane classes? I know of Warrior, Stealth, Gathering, Crafting, Labor, Social, and Science.”

“She was unaware that Labor and Crafting were separate class lists. Again, those are all she knows of, but others may exist. She wishes to know if you’ve considered dedicating your soul to a god?”

“I think it’s a trap.”

“How so? Please explain.”

“I’ve noticed that choosing one god locks out others; I’m not ready to close off my options until I understand the consequences.”

“Should you wish to learn more, she is willing to educate you.”

She was eager to destroy my familiar spirit. Forgive me if I was skeptical of her motives. “I am willing to listen to her faith, so long as she understands I’m not likely to convert.”

She asked a question of Rasmus, seemed satisfied with his answer.

“In that case, she will wait until you learn the Furdish or Manoran speech, or can afford to pay for my services for the day. While I am paid for, what question would you like to know from her?”

I opened a system list. “Who are the gods that she knows of?”

#

After the first week, I had healed enough to change my own bandages, which was a goodness. Ever had your scales pulled out, possibly lost a fingernail? The area under the bandages was a place of perpetual itch.

I was supposed to use a flattened wooden scratcher for that, but between bandages I would scratch myself thoroughly.

Plus, it helped with the unending boredom and I made a few tin pieces by making surplus bandages. The cost of my treatments – and food – had been added to my existing debt. It was like trying to empty the sea with Aqua Arrow, but it was better than nothing.

I was considering harvesting my own garlic, and got to encounter more than the stench and noise of Narrow Valley. There were two story buildings in the vicinity of the guild hall, stores upon stores upon stores. But the looks I got that first day encouraged me to learn the local lingua.

So I would sit just outside the doorstep, or inside my window, picking up words of Manoran or Furdish or a smattering of Pashtun, Itini, Maya, Sioux – whatever the wandering traffic brought my way.

Oh my, but there were a lot of languages!

In theory, there were languages waiting for me in my System, but for now I had to go about it the long way.

I didn’t have the courage to go out at night. Not for fear of the wild cats and bats and dogs and lizards, though in my current condition I just didn’t have the ability to fight them.

No, I watched the city guard, drunken, just meandering around and looking for people to abuse. Predators, in other words. I recognized the type.

I would, I decided, do my wandering during the day.

Like any city, Narrow Valley was part dump. People would throw their trash out in an agreed spot, and other people would pick it up when they had time. This policy supported a healthy ecosystem, including a number of diseases.

I also learned that occupied alleys were just not worth the trouble, even during the day.

There were occasional treasures; a jewelry box with a broken lid made a new home for Black Snake. I learned why people didn’t harvest broken things for source materials; the rate of return was terrible, maybe one tenth of that of a normal salvage.

.....

But it wasn’t NOTHING, and while the tin pieces didn’t roll in, I was able to get a new knife, and practice in the yard behind the Guild.

“You know,” said Chalan, “I don’t think you’re going to make a mercenary any time soon.” Chalan was dark of skin, swarthy of complexion, and lean of muscle, but her work as a Roustabout granted her a Might of 4. We spoke a broken pidgin of Goblin, Itini, Furdish, and Manoran.

“If I don’t keep up my physical regimen, I’ll never be big or strong.”

“Oh, you think that’s ever going to happen? Want to help me unload cargo from ships?”

She had taken me to see her work, once. I’d been happy to learn fish-heads were cheaper down by the docks.

“Ask again next year, but it’ll probably take longer than that.”

I stopped, alerted by my System.

“What is it?” she asked.

“It appears to be my birthday. It seems I get a free development point once a year.”

“Ah, how old are you?”

“One.”

“Well, happy birthday.”

“Thanks.” I moved to one side. Darren and Jefe, experienced Linkboys, were rolling a barrel of heated sand to clean someone’s metal armor. Or rather, they let their Systems roll the barrel using their bodies while they chatted.

“That looked close. Don’t die on your birthday, it bodes poorly for your afterlife.”

“I’ll endeavor not to. You have a good day as well.”

“Nicely spoken. We’ll have you speaking sailor’s pastiche soon enough.”

Due to the wound on my abdomen, I had to leave the training yard for my bed. Raising my arms above my head did nasty things to my pain levels.

#

That same night, Black Snake woke me with FEAR and URGENCY. For a moment, I thought she’d encountered another street light, but instead she just hovered back and forth between me and the door.

“Fine, fine. I’m coming.”

It had been three days since I’d torn open my stitches, and it looked like they were actually going to hold if I didn’t push myself too hard.

“Hold up, there.” Said a familiar voice. Duenan was the Guild’s night guard. He seemed to never be in one place for long, but also always seemed to be anywhere there was trouble. “Why are you unbolting the door at night?”

I indicated my spirit. “Black Snake senses something urgent. I need outside, Duenan.”

“Well, now that’s going to be a problem, as indentured folks aren’t allowed outside between dusk and dawn. Besides, what do you think a wounded sot like you is going to do?”

“I don’t want to hurt myself trying to climb out a window. Please understand, I must go.”

“It’s near the hall, is it?”

“How would I know? I don’t think Black Snake can sense that far, but I also don’t know her exact limits.”

“Well, no. You may not open the door. By no means. I, however, need to go outside and take a piss.”

He made sure his sword was loose in its scabbard.

“Black Snake, no!” But I had to run to keep up, and Duenan had to take longer steps than normal.

“Well, urgent it is. She tell you any details?”

“She seems to understand words, she just doesn’t use them.”

“Ah, standoffish like Acerype. Have I introduced the two of you?”

“Not while I was conscious of. Should I be warned that’s coming in the near future?”

“Well not the – great Zeus’ bearded balls!”

“Ah. Nightwatchmen. I was warned you would show up.”

The inhuman thing in the alley stood eight, possibly nine feet tall. It was too thin, and had conical teeth. Its eyes were ... disturbingly normal, if one discounted their purple hue and the fact that they were too far apart.

“Step away from the child.” Duennan said. His sword rested in his right hand, extended forward.

“Oh, I don’t think so. Forces of shadow, hear me and obey my will! It is I, Mardenglazier, who ask this of you. Form a spear and hurtle yourself toward my enemy. Shadow Javelin!”

“Mana tap!” I screamed.

“Shield of Silver!” invoked Duennan, flicking a silver piece toward the spear. It broke apart into a glowing mist, and where it touched the incoming bolt of darkness, it broke apart.

It dissolved harmlessly, never coming near him.

“Well, then – Shadowy Escape!” It stepped into the shadows and was gone.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen one before.”

“Nae, I mean Mana Tap. You need something faster than that to absorb a spell, lad. Oh look, what a great place to take a piss.”

He added, “You should comfort the wee girl before we get back to the Guild.”

She was small and pale and grubby, her fur matted and wild. Some manner of feline anthromorph.

“Hi there. I’m Rhishisikk, what’s your name?”

But she wouldn’t speak, and locked her arms about my neck, and wouldn’t let me go. Inside the guild, I had to invoke Slumber to get her off.

“I’ll see the wee lass to Miss Lorraine’s room, and we’ll sort this out tomorrow.”

#