The next morning breakfast was already waiting so we joined Thanis, Alpha,
Beta and Gamma. The three had become inseparable. Gamma was usually standing
on top of Alpha or Beta. It was a rather funny sight, but they didn’t seem to mind..
‘’Good morning, master’’ Thanis said and bowed.
‘’O quit it already you little turd. Stop calling me master already. Instead, call
me brother. I am marrying your sister after all. Well, one day that is’’ Kane replied.
Janine’s head shot up and her eyes found mine. Kane cringed away in fear. Fire was
burning in her eyes, flames engulfing everything around him. ‘’Scary’’ Kane
murmured to himself.
‘’You're telling me that, big bro. I’ve had to live with that every day. She’s scary
as hell’’.
‘’Who are you calling scary!’’ she yelled at both of them. Thanis and Kane just
looked at each other and burst out laughing. So did the three familiars.
‘’Let’s just enjoy the food and start moving already. We’re behind on my non
existent schedule, but id still like to get there as soon as possible’’Kane said.
Breakfast ended pretty fast, in easy chatter. They packed all of their stuff into
the wagon along with the women and children and Alpha and Beta offered
themselves to pull the wagon. They were as strong as a herd of oxen, so Kane
generously took them up on their offer. Before the group left, Kane walked over to the
corpse of the silvaren. Something looked off, now that he had a better look at it. The
inside looked still fresh and seemed to pulsate slightly. Kane summoned his blades
and started cutting away at the flesh to get deeper towards the pulsing area. It was
as if something kept drawing him in, calling for him to come get it. After some rending
and tearing, bloodstains on his freshly washed clothes, Kane crawled into the
opening he had made and pried towards the pulsing. It became stronger and
stronger and he pried towards the source. Suddenly, something bit his hand and he
tried to pull it away, not succeeding. The pain was becoming worse by the second
and every time Kane tried to pull out his arm, he felt more of his arm and hand
getting cut up. Finally, after a few more tries he succeeded pulling out his hand. It
was covered in a black ooze which pulsated constantly. His hand felt like it was being
crushed from the inside and it forced him to his knees. Kane tried to pry the ooze
away with his right hand.. Alpha was running towards him when he felt that
something was wrong and was there within a few moments, trying to help Kane, but
the ooze wasn’t getting off. As suddenly as it clawed itself onto Kane’s hand, it just
dropped off and fell to the ground, evaporating into thin air within a second. In its
stead, a small stone was embedded into Kane’s hand. It was glowing slightly and
pulsating violently. Kane tried ripping it off but as soon as his hand started bleeding, it
regenerated almost instantly. Both Alpha and Kane were dumbstruck and just gazed
at each other, mouth wide open, trying to speak but clearly not succeeding. Janine
ran up to them and gasped at seeing the stone.
‘’Oh my goodness!’’ she yelped. ‘’That is a gnostrum stone!’’ she yelled out
this time. ‘’Do you have any idea what that is?!’’
‘’Umm, no i do not. What is so special about them? Beside the thing we just
saw happening here’’ Kane said confusedly.
‘’Gnostrum stones are more or less artifacts. That one in particular is a Belial, i
think. It is a defensive slash regenerative stone. There is information only about a few
of them. Each is rumored to give amazing powers to its wielder!’’ she said excitedly.
‘’No wonder this silvaren grew so huge. The stone probably had an impact on
him. Oh well, i’m really sick of this. Lets just get the hell moving. Lets go’’ Kane said
and started moving towards the cart. Janine and Alpha followed, whilst staring at the
stone. Kane pretended not to notice notice and just put his hand his my pocket.
‘’Everything ready, Thanis?’’ Kane asked as they approached the cart, filled
with women and children.
‘’Yes it is, Kane. We are ready to go’’ the kid said and smiled at Kane. ‘’Ever
the cheerfull one’’ Kane thought.
The ride was very non eventful and pretty boring. The same trees, grass, river,
pebbles, sky. Honestly, after all what had been happening lately, they preferred it that
way.
‘’Want to snuggle and ruggle with me?’’ Janine leaned up to Kane, pressing
herself onto him..
‘’Not with all these people around. I’m not that eccentric’’ kane said
sorrowfully.
‘’Hmm, how about you let me cut off your hand, pry loose the stone and study
it. How does that sound?’’ she mused.
‘’How about i spank that big ass of yours so you can’t sit anymore’’ Kane said
and winked back at her.
‘’Big!?’’ she yelled, fire in her eyes. ‘’You, mister, are not getting any tonight!’’
she said loud enough to be heard by anyone present. Alpha shot us a look
backwards, so did Beta and Gamma who were next to him and went back to their
usual talk.
‘’Say’’ i said to change the topic, ‘’what the hell are those three talking about
every day’’ Kane asked, motioning towards Alpha, Beta and Gamma..
‘’Hmm, no idea’’ Janine said cheerfully and planted a kiss on Kane’s cheek.
‘’What i do know, is that the kiss i just gave you is all you’re getting today’’ she said
excitedly, like a twelve year old. Kane was at a loss for words at the moment, but
decided to stay quiet. Maybe he could do something during the day to make her
change her mind. He grinned and stayed like that for a while. She just sent him a
questioning look which he didn’t answer.
‘’Look!’’ Thanis yelled and dropped his head down towards us. He was on the
lookout atop of the carts roof ‘’I see the town from up here!’’ he said excitedly.
‘’We are almost there it seems. I wonder what the future will bring these
women and children’’ Kane said under his breath. Janine gripped his arm and moved
closer to him and whispered.
‘’Does that future include me being somewhere beside you?’’ she said with a
soft voice. Kane looked at her and smiled, then planted a huge kiss on her lips.
‘’Of Course it does. You are going to give birth to a lot of kids for me. You got
the hips for it’’ he said and laughed. She fisted him on his arm and laughed.
‘’Sure i will. You better do me good then loverboy, these hips are very lonely
tonight’’ Kane’s mouth dropped open, as did Thanis’s and the other women’s.
Everyone burst out in laughter and merry talk.
‘’You two get a room. You are disgusting. O and for the information, i want a
separate floor for myself. I do NOT want to see you people walk around naked all
evening, doing whatever you do where you feel like it. I am your damn brother. Grrrr’’
he growled and howled and withdrew up to the roof. Janine and Kane just looked at
each other and laughed out loud.
‘’Don’t worry your highness, you will have a whole floor to yourself. That is, if
we manage to find a fitting place for ourselves’’ Janine said.
‘’How are we going to go about it anyway’’ Janine asked. Kane thought about
it for a moment and couldn’t come up with an answer really.
‘’Hmm, no idea. We will think about it when we arrive. I hate straining the little
brain cells i have left’’ he said and laughed.
Some time later they arrived at the gates and the same guards were stationed
there as last time. The guards were even more frightened than last time, not even
approaching them. The guards captain just motioned for them to pass, his legs
shaking like a leaf in the wind.
‘’So funny’’ Alpha said. Last time he sure looked like he owned the whole
town.
‘’Yea, i guess we left quite the impression on him’’ Kane replied. ‘’Anyway, you
know where our house is, Alpha. Keep going there until we arrive. Alpha nodded and
pulled the cart a little faster, eager to arrive home. Some minutes later, navigating the
narrow alleyways and roads in between buildings and houses, they arrived at Kane’s
house.
‘’Here we are, good people’’ Kane said, standing up. ‘’Get off the cart, get
yourself into the house and get cleaned up. There is a big bathing room on the
ground floor where a few of you can fit in at the same time. I will be going to the guild
master to have a talk. Thanis can cook something for all of you. I will be back later.
Alpha, join me’’ Kane said as he finished talking and jumped off the cart.
‘’What about me?’’ Janine said as she walked up to Kane, obviously frustrated.
He had forgotten what to do with her so he just shrugged.
‘’Come with me, i will introduce you to the guild master’’ he said to get out of
the mess he just created. She leered at him but nodded and took his hand. ‘’That
was close’’ he thought to himself.
The women and children unloaded themselves from the pulling cart and took
their meager belongings with them.
‘’Poor souls’’ Janine whispered. ‘’They have nothing left beside what you gave
them’’ she said and snuggled into kane’s arms.
‘’We will take care of that, don’t worry. Let’s go meet the guild master, together
we will figure out what is the best course of action to take with them’’ Kane said and
pulled Janine after him, waltzing off into the night.
Between buildings there were no lanterns, but the lanterns from further away
made enough light not to stumble anywhere. The buildings all looked alike, brick
upon brick, layer of stone upon layer. The buildings looked like little castles while the
houses looked like cottages in comparison. The night had just set in, but there were
still quite some pedestrians roaming around, probably without any purpose. The
streets were tiled with slabs of stone, probably imported from other kingdoms as the
colours didn’t match many of the queries that were located around Homitage.
Janine was enjoying her as she and Kane were walking down the street,
holding hands. Alpha and Beta were walking a ways behind them, whilst Gamma
was soaring the sky above them, loving the feeling of strong wind against his
feathers. Janine kept giggling as she saw interesting things. Vendors, acrobats and
all sorts of people were doing their own thing on the main street leading up to the
guild house.
‘’So much life, so much joy spread around this town, isn’t there?’’ Janine
asked, looking up at Kane as they were walking up the busy road.
‘’This is nothing. This is just the everyday life. Wait until you see some of the
festivals or guild festivities. That is truly something to look out for. Unfortunately, we
are leaving this place soon. Do not get too close to it’’ kane replied. She gave him a
blank stare.
‘’That doesn’t mean i can’t enjoy the time i DO have there, can’t i?’’ she
replied. He shook his head in disbelief. She HAD to contradict him, always and in
everything.
‘’You are such a pain, you know that?’’ Kane said and chuckled. ‘’We are
there’’ he added as they walked up to the guild house. It was as big and gorgeous as
he remembered seeing it last time, just a few days ago, before his whole world had
changed. They walked into the guild house which was packed full at this time of day,
and just like last time, the room went immediately quiet. Whispers upon seeing him
and then when the three familiars had walked in, it was deathly quiet.
‘’Wait at the guild master’s door’’ Kane said, walking up to them. The three
familiars placed them at the door as Kane and Janine walked in. Gamma was sitting
on Alpha’s broad shoulders and scanning the crowd from his favourite sitting place.
‘’Hello guild master’’ Kane said as they entered the room. The old man looked
up at the two people who just entered his room and his face went into a smile.
‘’Kane, my dear boy. Are you already back?’’ he asked, standing up and
motioning for them to sit down.
‘’Hello, guild master. I am finally back from my trip, which you heard of, i
assume?’’ Kane asked.
‘’Yes, i have heard about it. Please, tell me that it is not true what we heard
from that poor man. Actually, a small stream of those people has been coming in.
Survivors or people who were away and came back to find their homes taken from
them. These wretched times’’ the guild master said and sighed. His face older at
least by twenty years than a moment before. The fight in him, no longer present.
‘’I have taken care of them in a fitting manner. This young lady here was one
of the prisoners. She is now my wife to be and her name is Janine. Also, she is a
witch’’ kane said with an accent to the witch. The guild master looked up in genuine
surprise.
‘’Are… you sure about that?’’ he managed to reply.
‘’If the two familiars standing guard at your door aren’t proof enough, i do not
know what is’’ Kane mused.
‘’Oh, so that is why the room went silent. I should have guessed you are back.
They never go silent unless it is you or one of the other high ranking hunters’’ the
guild master replied.
‘’Now, master, i have a favour to ask of you. It is a big one, but, i do not know
who else to ask’’.
‘’Speak, man, don’t keep me in the dark. What is it?’’ the master replied
angrily.
‘’Right. I have seventeen survivors currently holed up at my home. I would like
for you to take care of them, one way or another. I will leave you a hundred gold
pieces, please use them to expand the house, using our guild members. When they
hear what it is about, they will probably want to help either way, but, i want everyone
to be payed. Another fifty gold pieces for food and another twenty for clothing. I think
that will be enough for a long time, but, as i saved them, i want them to be taken care
off when we are gone’’ Kane finally finished.
‘’Gone? Gone where?’’ the master asked in bewilderment.
‘’That, master, is something i can not tell you. I have a new road to take’’
‘’Does that new road have anything to do with the rumours of an army
gathering at our border?’’
‘’What?!’’ both Kane and Janine said in unison. ‘’Are they true?’’ Kane added.
‘’I do not know, and i honestly hope they are not, but, people talk. People who
flee the south western area’s have been mentioning stuff like that. We will have to
wait and see’’ he said. Kane and Janine looked at each other and understood what
they had to do.
‘’Master, can i count on you to do this for me?’’ Kane asked. The old man
sighed and nodded.
‘’Of course my boy, i am in your debt until i die. Whatever you wish, i will do
so. Go with God, my son. You will need his help’’ the man said. Kane snorted at the
words.
‘’Master, God has long since abandoned me, trust me when i say that. Look at
this here’’ Kane said as he lifted his shirt. The man fell to his chair and started
breathing heavily.
‘’What… happened, my son’’ he asked.
‘’God happened, master. A huge silvaren died at my hands. This is the gift he
left me, Kane said showing his chest and then his hand.
‘’A gnostrum stone?’’ he said, almost accusingly. ‘’Where did you get that?’’
‘’It was inside of the silvaren’’ Kane replied.
‘’Someone must have put it inside of the poor beast, as monsters have a
natural affinity to avoid gnostrum stones. Someone wanted that thing to attack you’’
the master said. Kane’s eyes opened wide. He looked over at Janine, then at the
master again.
‘’How would they have known i would be there at that time?’’ Kane asked.
‘’Silvaren’s travel with tremendous speed, my boy. They can traverse
hundreds of kilometres within an hour. Someone must have set Ithice up for some
reason and to get you there. Why or how, i do not know, but that is my best guess,
and you know that i am almost never wrong’’ the master said. ‘’Kane, please take
care. Take care of this fine woman you have now with you and watch your back, my
boy. If they could add a gnostrum to a monster, they must be fearsome. Also, now
that this has happened, i have something to give you. I had promised to my late
mother, God bless her soul, to never let go of this unless someone deserved it, but i
see no better person to give it to’’ he said as he stood up, walked towards a cabinet
and unlocked it with a small key. He took out a leather bound book and walked back
to Kane and Janine and put it right in front of her. ‘’Take this, my child. It was my
mother’s Grimoire’’ the old man said. She looked up at him, not quite understanding.
‘’What… is a grimoire, master?’ she asked.
‘’A grimoire is a diary and a spell book. My mother has written all her life inside
of the book together with any spell or magic she uncovered. This book will help you
on your way, my child. I beg of you, keep it safe. Now, the two of you, go. I have no
more heart to talk tonight. Leave me with my sorrow’’ the master said as he turned
his chair around. Kane and Janine just stood up and walked towards the door, where
Kane stopped and said
‘’I will send the money tomorrow. There will be more. Please have the guild
prepare a carriage by tomorrow noon. It must have room for the three of us, be spacy
and comfortable. The cost is not an issue. Thank you, master. Fare thee well’’ Kane
said and they walked out of the room. Outside, the room was still quiet and almost no
one was talking. Everyone kept staring at the trio and now at the two people who
came out of the master’s room. Kane looked the room over and walked towards a
lone figure, who was drinking wine in the corner of the room. The crowd parted for
Kane as he walked over to the man.
‘’Guido. Go see the master, he has some work for the guild. You will get paid
in gold coins as well as anyone you choose to help you. Time is of the essence, so
don’t drink all night’’ Kane said and put two gold coins in front of the man. The old
man looked up at him and snorted. He took the gold coins and stood up, called a few
names and walked towards the master’s room. Kane chuckled and shook his head.
The man was ever the same, give him some money and he provides miracles.
Some time later, Kane, Janine and the trio returned home. The women and
the children had eaten, washed themselves and were sleeping in the attic on
mattresses some neighbours had provided. Thanis was asleep in the kitchen, sitting
next to the stove where he had been cooking for the last hour. Only one candle had
been lit, in the corner opposite him. Kane and Janine sat down and ate the food
Thanis had left them. They mostly ate in silence until they were done. Kane walked
over to the large sofa and unfolded it onto the ground, making it into a bed for him
and Janine. Thanis was still asleep so Kane took him and carried him to the fireplace,
laying him near it on a blanket. Alpha and Beta lay down around Thanis, near the fire
to sleep and Gamma took his place on top of the fireplace marble slab. Janine got
over to the makeshift bed and undressed herself until she was naked, laid down on
the bed and waited for Kane to do the same, so he did. They still weren’t talking, for
some reason or the other until they were tucked under the warm blankets.
‘’Is everything al right? Kane?’’ Janine asked when she couldn’t stand the
silence no longer. He just kept staring at the ceiling for a while.
‘’My whole life i had been wanting to kill the king for taking away my parents,
when actually the trust couldn’t be more off than i would have want to believe. They
left me to pursue their own ambitions and did some things to me that no parent
should. Now i do not know what to pursue anymore. There is an army gathering to
attack the kingdom, which is weaker than in any of its previous historic moments. The
only ones who can do something are us, yet we won’t be let by anyone who matters,
so we will see the kingdom burn, the people enslaved. I would love to enjoy these
moments alone with you, but, i have too many things on my mind, Janine, please
bare with me for a while as we take care of them one by one.
‘’Sure thing, loverboy. I got the grimoire to study as well, so, no worries here’’
she said and kissed him on the cheek. ‘’Let us go to sleep, we have a long way in
front of us tomorrow’’ she added and lay down beside Kane and fell asleep
immediately. Kane just smiled, looked at her and kissed her back, then fell asleep as
well.