Curselock

Chapter 29: Red Eyes

“What was that, Leals?” Jude asked, on the walk back to Onryo mansion.

“What do you mean?”

“Have you never talked to a stranger before? Why’d you talk without any subtlety?”

Leland frowned. “Didn’t you see the way they looked at us? The whole tavern was looking to eat us.”

Jude stared incredulously. “You’ve stared down monsters and fought with a murderer, yet some drunkards worried you?”

“Well when you put it that way…” Leland sighed and shifted his sling back to a better spot on his shoulder. The pain was mostly gone at this point, his ring of regeneration doing wonders. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I’m not a good actor, lying doesn’t come all that naturally to me.”

Jude had to agree with that. For as long as they had known each other, only Glenny had been truly known as the liar. And even then, it was within the rogue’s blood to look for any advantage possible. Jude and Leland simply weren’t built the same.

“Changing subjects, do you need anything else for the beer?” Jude asked.

“Honey. And lots of it.”

“I guess any syrup would work, but I have a feeling honey would be the easiest to find… we just have to find a general store,” Leland said.

“Easier said than done. I can’t see much through this fog. We won’t know if a store is nearby until we come across it.”

Silence befell the pair as both craned to peer through the fog. Without Glenny, the only of the three with heightened senses, traveling through the city had slowed significantly. There was no rush, however. Not until Glenny rejoined them, at least.

“I hope he’s doing okay.”

“He is.”

“It's just that… well, I don’t know. Since killing Icewillow he seems more distant.”

Jude nodded to that. “Let him come to terms with it. It’s a difficult situation. He hasn’t even sent his dad a letter.”

“Really? I remember him writing one,” Leland said.

“He wrote one, just never sent it,” Jude yawned. “I think he wants to tell him in person.”

Leland glanced at his friend. “What about you? I’ve noticed you counting a few times.”

“It helps.”

“Any more to it than that?”

Jude sighed. “Not really. It just… it just helps. I don’t know.”

A shadow pulled both of the boys’ attention. A civilian walked by, hood up and moving fast.

“Excuse me!” Jude yelled over. “Can you tell us if there is a general store… around… here…?”

“And she’s gone,” Leland said. “I guess she was in a hurry.”

They both watched the patch of fog where the mystery woman passed through. Giving a shrug, they continued. Until they came across a group a few dozen paces further down the street. They were huddled together and crouched, like a set of scientists inspecting a new species of ant.

“City guard,” Leland whispered, recognizing the uniform.

“And a dead body,” Jude whispered back.

It was then Leland saw it. Sprawled across the cobble stone street and covered in a sheet, was the outline of a human. Crimson leaked out in a wide berth while also pooling into the portion of the sheet that covered the head. One of the guards noticed them watching.

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“Stop you!”

Leland and Jude both held their hands up in surrender. “We were just walking by,”

The guard, an older gentleman, raised a bushy eyebrow. “Not many people are walking around recently.”

“We had to get some supplies from the store. We’ll starve at this rate,” Jude answered smoothly.

“You’ve got enough meat on your bones to skip a meal or two. Leave some food for the rest of us, eh?”

“Actually we are looking for honey, if you know any spots. We’re visiting our uncle for his birthday, you see. Need some for the sweetbread.”

The guard cocked his other eyebrow. “Is ‘honey’ the new street drug of choice?”

Leland frowned. “Uh, no. Like actual honey. Preferably with the comb.”

The man squinted.

Jude moved the conversation along. “What happened here, if you don’t mind us asking?”

“Another murder. Just like the last. This makes nine.”

“Nine?” Leland asked. “Last we heard was seven.”

“Another body was found a few streets over about an hour ago.”

“Missing eyes?”

The guard gave Leland a long hard look. “Yes. How’d you know that? You know something?”

“Nothing more than general knowledge. Did you talk to the woman who just walked by as well? She seemed in a rush.”

The man suddenly straightened his back and raised his chin. “Describe this woman.”

Jude took the lead. “Not much to say. She wore a fully white set of robes with the hood up. The fog blocked us from seeing any real details.”

Grunting, the guard waved over one of his comrades. The newcomer was younger and wore higher rankings on her uniform. A few minutes after again describing the woman in the robes , Leland and Jude were pointed in the direction of the nearest store with honey.

As they were leaving they could make out a bit of the guards’ conversation.

“Same description as the others,” the older guard said.

“Doesn’t mean anything. Could just be a coincidence,” the younger cut down.

“Lass, trust me. I’ve been on this job for more years than you’ve been alive. Coincidences like this don’t just happen…”

Leland and Jude didn’t say anything about the matter and kept walking. They eventually came across a small shop with shelves upon shelves of preserved food. Leland bought his honey while Jude restocked on jerky. Another short walk later, and the boys were standing before the gates to House Onryo.

Waiting for Glenny, Leland reviewed his newest curse and accomplishments.

Circle of Souls:

Type: Curse

Rank: 1 (B)

Call upon the souls of the Damned, casting the power of the Lord of Souls into an area.

Encase the souls of those within 5 yards, siphoning their lifeforce while chaining them to this reality. Fully consume a soul to increase your magical potency by 1% for 1 minute.

Leland frowned at the spell. On one hand, having a spell that affected an area was a great boon. Single target curses would only get him so far, but from the description he wasn’t sure if he wanted to use Circle of Souls. He had questions, many of which were unanswerable until he tested it out.

You have assisted in killing multiple Goblins, Hobgoblins, Dire Wolves, and other beings not worthy of praise.

An appropriate reward has been added to your Legacy.

Fracture has increased to rank 7.

85% chance to break a random bone in a single target.

Crow Massacre has increased to rank 5.

Summon 8 ethereal crows to attack a target for 1 minute.

Harbinger Halo has increased to rank 3.

Contract lasts for 180 seconds.

“Huh,” Leland said.

“What?” Jude asked.

“My grimoire’s explanation for my rewards says, ‘and other beings not worthy of praise.’ Any idea what that means?”

“Just that they were too easy for you, or us I guess, to kill. Thus earning you nothing in the way of reward.”

Leland frowned. “That must be why the ridiculously strong don’t randomly kill normal people. Just not worth the effort.”

“That’s dark,” Jude scoffed. “You don’t think there’s more to human nature than not killing simply because it’s not worth it?”

“I didn’t say that… it's just, well, we both know the stories. The Inquisitors have to hunt powerful murderers all the time, but they always kill other powerful people. Not normal citizens.”

“Well if they did kill more than a few normal citizens, the Lords would get involved.”

Leland nodded to that. “Brand those people as Witches for life, what a scary thought.”

“How do you mean?”

“Just that the Lords know when too much is too much. They are so powerful that they can simply wave a hand and mark someone as a Witch from worlds aways.”

Jude nodded to that. “They can’t interfere more than that, however. Smiting those cowards would be too much. But that’s what the Witchhunters are for.”

Glenny showed up an hour later huffing and puffing. “I think I’ve found something,” he said, rushing straight into the mansion’s study.

Lady Onryo and Alkin were already inside, the younger of which was intensely staring at the blue flame candle while the older gave pointers. When the boys entered, they both stopped, joining the conversation.

“While in the tavern I eavesdropped on a hushed and scared conversation,” Glenny said. “Two men talking, both dock workers. The first was older, maybe the other’s boss or something, I’m not sure, it's not important. The younger was scared, like working for his life scared. He mentioned something called ‘the Eyeless,’ which was what caught my attention.”

Glenny shifted his attention to the map of Shoutwell. He marked the brewery then traced a chalk line through the streets until he came to a sewer entrance.

“The younger of the two men got into an argument, which ultimately caused the younger to leave. I couldn’t hear all the details, but I got enough to follow the man. He led me to the sewers in a very paranoid way.”

“Paranoid how?” Boor asked from the doorway, causing the boys and Alkin to jump. “Oh, sorry to startle. I had no intentions.”

“It's fine,” Glenny said. “The man was trying to silence his footsteps. He wasn’t very good at it. Anyway, I couldn’t enter the sewers. Something blocked my path.”

“Something?” Leland asked.

“My instincts. There was a pressure behind my eyes, it forced me to look away, it forced me to keep walking. I-I’ve never felt something like it before.”

“Sigils,” Leland answered. “You looked at one. It must have been hidden somewhere in plain sight. Something that you didn’t notice as off, but was. Can you think of anything like that?”

Glenny recoiled. “No, I-I don’t think so.”

Leland leaned over to Jude and whispered something. Jude then stood and walked around to the other side of the couch.

“Glenny, I need you to look me in the eyes,” Leland said.

“No, no way.”

“Please, it's important.”

“I-o-okay…”

Both friends leaned forward in an impromptu staring contest. Glenny’s emerald eyes met Leland’s off silver. Except, that wasn’t true anymore. Deep within Glenny’s irises were specs of red. Tiny, almost unnoticeable by regular means. They floated around carelessly, drifting like lily pads on a windy day.

Then suddenly, the world around Leland opened into a black void. Reality shifted and twisted, changing like every heartbeat was a new century, like every breath was a different world. A slit sprouted from below his feet, opening into a grand red eye not a decade later.

It stared at Leland, watching his every movement and twitch, trying to breach his personal securities and invade his mind. Tendrils rose from the whites of the eye, black ethereal strands, each grasping for life in Leland’s bones.

He ripped his sight from Glenny’s own with a roar, returning the world back into the study. Leland wobbled on his feet, but was able to shout to Jude before the nausea took.

“Do it!”

Jude didn’t miss a beat and locked Glenny’s head within the crook of his elbow.