Chương 50: Stick of... Transformation?

.. Transformation?

We'd managed to find our way back into the guest room. Lord Bracken looked at the broken handle, then used one finger to push against it as it flopped uselessly to the side. Vaelith whistled a faint tune, refusing to meet the lord's eyes. He sighed.

"I suppose it is a small price to pay for the inconvenience, but please… do not break any more of my things." Vaelith gave him a mock salute.

"So," Lord Bracken said, taking a seat, "my daughter, Fenna, is missing. I've spoken to those around town, and nobody has seen Marnie anywhere. You two, and the bard, who is also missing, are known to have had dealings with Marnie in the past. By the gods, you killed a minotaur with her. So… I will ask you one time. Nicely." The lord's voice became low and dark.

"Where. Is. My. Daughter?" His fingers gripped the edge of the red fabric covering the chair. He practically shook with untapped rage, knuckles whitening against the upholstery. Although I didn't know where Fenna was, I'd best ease his worries.

"I did not know much about the situation between Marnie and you before we came to Stoneford. As for the minotaur… that only happened because we owed Marnie a favor—of sorts."

"What sort of favor?"

"I, uh… stole something from her."

"What?"

"A potion."

"Why?"

"It has nothing to do with this." Lord Bracken narrowed his eyes at me.

"My companion is an idiot." Bracken, placated with my explanation, waved for me to continue.

"I had no idea about any deal between you and Marnie until you showed up at the inn. I promise. As for where Marnie is, that was the last time I saw her. Vaelith as well. And as for your daughter…" I squared my shoulders.

"I have no idea where she is." Lord Bracken grumbled to himself. Two guards approached from the other side of the room, one for me and one for Vaelith. Their boots thudded against the polished floor as they closed the distance.

"I wouldn't try that," Vaelith warned.

"Know your place, demon," Bracken spat. I felt Vaelith drain my stats as she rose. Her mood had turned so sour that I could practically see the anger radiating off her blue skin.

"Demon? Demon!" Vaelith snapped.

"I am Princess Vaelith Noctara, Third in Line to the Fifth Seat of the Court of Nine Embers. I am not some lowly demon that a puny lord of a city that barely deserves a name can speak to like this—" One of the guards grabbed her wrist. Her hand shot out, gripped the man's arm, and twisted so fast and violently that his bone snapped. The guard screamed and fell back. The second guard leveled a sword at her.

"Wait!" Bracken said, standing. The guard took a step back while the other held his useless arm against his chest, dragging himself slowly away from Vaelith.

"Noctara?" The color drained from Bracken's face.

"You are… part of that demon clan?" Vaelith glared at him, a coy smile crossing her face.

"Then, uh… I do not believe you would bother to kidnap a lord's daughter." Vaelith's expression smoothed as she sat. I felt my stats return. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"I am telling the truth," I said, noticing Bracken's demeanor darken even further.

"Neither of us knows where Marnie or your daughter is." Suddenly, the door opened, and another guard stepped inside. He looked panicked. His breathing was heavy, and sweat beaded along his forehead beneath his helmet. He opened his mouth to speak, then noticed his fellow guard with the broken arm.

"What happened?"

"Why do you interrupt?" Lord Bracken spat, clearly beyond frustrated.

"And get this man a healing potion or something. Anything to quiet his clamor."

"Sir!" the guard replied as he turned to leave.

"Wait… what did you want to report?"

"I've got it from here," a familiar voice said. From around the corner, Sable appeared. She tipped her hat to the lord, then glanced at Vaelith and me.

"I think I know where the long-lost daughter and our potion-maker have gone. And you aren't going to believe it."

Lord Bracken and Sable had a private meeting. We waited for Sable outside the manor, and she soon appeared as we left the estate together and walked back towards the city square. Stoneford spread below the manor in tiers of gray stone and forge stacks. The steady clang of distant hammers echoed between the buildings, mixing with the murmur of merchants and carts moving through the streets.

"Where were you?" I asked Sable.

"Asking some of the townsfolk questions. As suspected, it appears that some sort of mist has come pouring in from the northwest."

"Ysra again? Didn't she tell you where she was? You got to ask her something… didn't you?" Sable lowered her head as she whispered, "She can give you what you want, but she can never give you what you need." Cryptic… We walked past the Merchants Guild, and I stopped.

"Sorry, I'll meet you back at the inn. I need to grab Darwin." I went inside and headed toward the administrative wing. Workers had crowded together around something, their voices overlapping in excited murmurs. I pushed past them and saw Darwin standing in the center. Odrin had some sort of gnarled stick pointed at him.

"What are you—" Before I could ask, she tapped Darwin with the stick. He disappeared into a cloud of smoke. The workers gasped. When the smoke drifted away, Darwin was gone… and a dire-rabbit remained. Albeit a tiny dire-rabbit. I raised my hand to blast it with magic.

"Wait!" Odrin said.

"Don't. It's Darwin."

"Master, Master, look, look!" the dire-rabbit said in Darwin's voice, hopping all around.

"Darwin… is that really you?" Smoke puffed out again. Where the dire-rabbit had been, Darwin now stood, looking proud as could be. The crowd cheered and clapped. Darwin hopped onto my shoulder. Odrin stepped forward as the workers slowly dispersed, still whispering amongst themselves. She pulled me into her office.

"We've had a fantastic morning, haven't we, my precious specimen?"

"Spec-e-men, spec-e-men," Darwin sang. Odrin clapped excitedly to the beat.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

"Well, you've been neglecting your duties as this magnificent creature's master. You haven't even been trying to level him up and figure out his class."

"Level up?" I asked.

"Class? He has a class?"

"Sure he does. All companions can earn a class if their masters work toward it. The good news is, even in your reckless abandon, you've still been doing the right thing."

"And what is that?"

"Feeding him, of course. Do you think it's a coincidence that you found him and that your recipes are the only things that change him?"

"I didn't… but I had nothing to go on."

"The system works in mysterious ways. A god has taken a shine to you, most likely, and Darwin is a gift."

"And so… let me guess, you want to purchase him still?" Odrin waved the idea away.

"By the gods, no. That would be in direct violation of their will. Afraid you're stuck with him, and he with you. Now… I suspect that you must do something to earn said god's favor so that this little guy can reveal his class and be made whole."

"Like what?"" Pfft, like I know. No god has ever taken a liking to me, that's for sure. You'll just need to figure it out. But—" She handed me the stick.

"—until then. Here. I've been feeding it mana crystals, but normally it takes a few hours to recharge after each use. Darwin here thinks of what he wants to be and, poof—instant transformation. We've learned it has to be one of the recipes that he's eaten before." I turned the gnarled stick over in my hand. Its surface was rough and twisted, with faint lines of magic running beneath the wood.

"What do you want for it?" I asked. The woman got a greedy smirk.

"Oh, nothing much… just promise me that you'll visit on occasion. I do want to see his progress." I reached out and shook her hand.

"Deal," I said. I turned to leave, and she whistled for me to stop.

"Oh, and one more thing… while I won't interfere with the gods' will and try to buy Darwin off of you, if you should perish before your time, promise me that Darwin will come to me and nobody else." I glanced at Darwin, then back to her.

"Well, that would be up to him now, wouldn't it?" We shared a grin as I left.