Heart of Dorkness

Caravans are slow. They usually have a number of carriages in them, and wagons besides. Whatever is pulling those needs to stop every so often. I think donkeys and mules are the most common around Santafaria. Horses are much more expensive to keep, even if some might be faster and stronger.

Basically, that means I have a bit of time.

“Alright,” I say. “We’re going back to the inn first.”

“What are we getting there?” Felix asks.

“Food, for one thing. I don’t know how much time we’ll be spending outside of the city walls, but even if it’s just a day, we’ll want some food. Maybe some blankets and other supplies.”

“And we’re going to run after the books?” Felix asks.

“What? No, even a slow caravan will have made good distance in a day. We’ll never catch up on foot. At least, I doubt we could.”

I’m not going to say anything, but Felix doesn’t look healthy enough to run, let alone the sort of marathon we’d need to catch up. I’m... also not in the best of shapes. I’ve got a tiny bit of a tummy. Probably because I spent too much time reading and not enough time running around, even if I train every day.

“So we need to get a wagon,” Felix says.

“Something like that,” I say. I reach down and grab Felix’s hand. It’s nice and warm as I hold it tight and start off towards the street with our inn.

Soon enough, we’re back at the inn, both of us breathing a little harder, and the concierge at the front is looking at us a little weirdly. “Greetings, miss. I hope your business went well?”

“Not too badly,” I say. “Do you think the inn could arrange something for me? I need a basket with some food. Maybe enough to last a day or two? We’re heading out in a few minutes.”

“You are ending your reservation already?”

I shrug. “We have to be elsewhere. You can keep the difference, it doesn’t matter to me. Or maybe use that to account for the food basket.”

“Would the miss rather the food be packed in a bag then, if she will be travelling?”

I consider it, but only for a second. “That makes a lot more sense, yeah. Thanks. Something tough would be best, we’ll be riding fast.”

“Of course,” the concierge says.

“I’m going to go get my stuff out of my room.”

Felix and I climb upstairs and step into my room. One of my little friends jumps out of the shadows and I giggle as it nestles into my neck.

“Hey there, little guy,” I say.

“Is that a monster?” Felix asks.

“What makes you think that?” I ask, defensively.

“Your mom is the god of monsters?”

I blink. “Oh, right. Yeah, this is a monster.”

“I guess monsters won’t attack you,” she says. “They’re supposed to be very dangerous.” She’s not acting like someone who’s afraid of the monster only a pace away from her, which is great, because her being afraid would ruin some of my plans for later.

“Monsters are, yeah. They’re... wait, do you know how monsters are made?”

“I heard that they’re made from dead people.”

“That’s only technically accurate,” I say. I start moving around the room, coaxing my little friends out with little tut-tuts and kissy noises. They’re pretty clever, and soon I have a bunch of cute little creepy crawlies slithering away under my cloak and into my clothes to join their other friends waiting there. “When someone dies, their soul is freed from their corporeal body. There’s a small release of energy at the time, and you can actually weigh the soul. People have tested it by killing people inside tubs of water. Anyway, that freed soul needs to go somewhere.”

“Where do they go?” Felix asks.

“There are a few places they can go, but most of the time, and by that I mean with a ninety-nine plus percent chance, the souls will be captured in a black pit. Then they’ll slowly be turned into monsters. The form is usually a mirror of the person who died. Basically, the weight of their living sins will be reflected in their monstrous body.”

“So monsters are... people?” Felix asks.

“Yep.”

“And when I die, I’ll become a monster?”

I nod. “Pretty much. Not even a strong one... uh, sorry. The more classes and levels you have, the stronger the monster. It’s the excuse the nobility uses to limit growth in the average person.”

“Because stronger monsters would be bad.”

“Yeah. Not that monsters can’t become stronger all on their own.”

Felix nods, then her smile turns into a sort of contemplative pout. “I can see why people might not like your mom.”

“It’s hardly Mom’s fault. What else is she going to do with all those souls and monster gunk? Besides, she usually has her monsters avoid cities, so people still get to live. She made a deal with a couple of gods, and she hasn’t been forced to break it in over a century!”

I tuck away the last of my little friends, then stretch out my back.

“That’s the last of them. Is there anything here you want?”

Felix shrugs. “Not really.”

“Great! Then let’s head out!”

As it turns out, the concierge had been confused by my demand earlier. He produces two bags full of food when we arrive on the main floor. Mostly leftovers, according to him, but of the finest quality, as all things are at this establishment.

I thank the man for his service as I shrug on the backpack. I need to be careful not to squish my friends, even if they are rather hardy. I didn’t pick any of the more squishable ones to bring with me.

Soon, Felix and I are back on the road, this time heading south to leave the city.

I’m a bit worried about the whole “passing through rough territory” thing. Heck, I’m still wearing the same clothes as last time.

Next time, I’m packing a whole lot more stuff. This quick in-and-out mission is taking a lot longer than I expected it to.

No one harrasses us when we cross into the South Quarter. I see some shady types eye us, but there’s a decent amount of traffic on the roads, and there are a lot of guards patrolling the main stretch we’re on. It’s broad daylight too; I think most bandits would rather wait until night has fallen.

We arrive at the South Gate, and other than a concerned question or two from the guards, we don’t have any problems heading out.

“Ah, it’s nice to be outside again,” I say, arms spreading wide as I take in the countryside. The road is gravel and pitted, and the air still stinks a bit like the city, but it’s better than inside Santafaria.

“I thought you said we couldn’t run to catch up?” Felix asks.

“Oh, we really can’t,” I say. “Give me a bit of time. You’ll see.”

I glance back, and I can make out a couple of suspicious-looking guys leaving the city gates, but there’s a good hundred paces between us and them. I start walking a little faster while they’re milling around.

As far as they know, we can’t go anywhere but on the road. And to kidnap us, we need to be out of sight of the guard, at least.

All to our favour.

Felix and I move down a bend, and the last of the homes, and the city walls, fade over the rise of a hill. “Let’s turn off here,” I say with a gesture off to the side.

Felix and I find a spot where the ditch on the side of the road is barely a dip, and leap over. The woods aren’t too thick around here, but they should be enough to disguise us.

“I hear people following us,” Felix says.

“We should move a bit faster then,” I say.

It doesn’t take long, travelling through the increasingly thick brush, to find a good spot. I’m looking for something specific: an opening, without a clear view of the city, and where there’s enough stony ground to support some weight.

“This will do,” I say. “Let me focus for a moment, I need to cast a spell.”

Felix nods and just stands there, her customary smile on, while I pinch my tongue between my teeth and focus on the spell I need to cast.

It’s nothing too complex. A twist of dark magic, a tiny bit of lingering disgust at the smell in Santafaria. I raise a hand to the sky, and fire.

To anyone watching, it would look like a tiny comet of smoke, tail fading away almost immediately.

To someone with really keen magical senses, it might feel like the growling ping that announces the birth of a monster.

It’s not quite that.

Wing beats come from above, and I smile up at the sky as some familiar forms start to circle overhead.

“What are those?” Felix asks.

“Wyverns,” I say. “A whole lot faster than some donkeys and rickety wagons.”

“Oh,” Felix says.

She’s not nearly as excited as I am.