Chapter 22: Chapter 22.

I found myself back at Arina’s library at a point in time before heading out to see commander Brent. I stood there for a minute trying wrap my head around what just happened.

In the middle of the spacious interior, Dandee was down to his breaches working up a sweat. He was going through his sword fighting forms, flowing from one to the next in fluid motion. I had to find some time to learn some of that from him. It looked amazing. I could only imagine how deadly he’d be if I were to cast haste on him.

Summer had woken up late. She was poking at the bits of fish in her soup bowl with a bored look on her face. Arina was nearby, looking out the window to the river with a solemn look on her face. Was she day-dreaming? And about what?

I had sixty pounds of steel, but it was used by the tower shield and my star. I needed to get another thirty to craft a second star, and then some more to create armor for the rest of the party. But for that I needed coin, and to get coin I needed to see commander Brent.

Except now things have changed. Stefan was alive again, and so were the five I had killed. I didn’t know how I’d explain to him that not only did I kill them, but they were back from the dead.

It all happened very recently too. In the last twenty hours or so? Either they had killed everyone at the staging area and nobody escaped, or someone did escape, but hadn’t warned the guards yet. If that was the case, I needed to alert people before more of them went down there.

I felt somewhat responsible for the mess. But who would have known they’d come back from the dead and be that strong? This was a bloody mess. I had a suspicion that the longer this went on, the stronger they’d grow. Would it get out of control? Something like this must have happened before, right? They must have people trained to deal with just this sort of a thing.

One thing for sure, I wasn’t going back down there for at least another 23 hours to let Backtrack come off cooldown first.

“Arina?” I asked. “If something very powerful appears. Say ... in the crypts under Arcby, and it starts killing everyone in sight. Who gets called to kill it these days?”

“Normally the adventurer’s guild would do it. If it’s bad then the Brotherhood would. If it’s really, really bad, then the Silvers will take care of it. Why do you ask?”

“I was just curious. Someone mentioned that the dead keep rising under the city and need to be put down. What if Stefan and his men came back to life? They might want to seek revenge, right?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. It rarely ever happens, and when it does, they’re just mindless zombies, easy to kill.”

“Always?”

“Well.” She chuckled. “There was that time a decade ago when we lost Trery.”

“Trery?”

Arina narrowed her eyes, spoke slower. “Trery.”

“What’s a Trery?”

She sighed. “Did all the smoke at the smithy go to your head?”

I nodded, put on a sad face. “You know, that might just be it.”

“Trery was one of the nine cities. Now we’re down to eight, as I’m sure you’re aware of … right?”

“Eight. Got it. Nine before. How bad was it?”

“Bad enough that you can’t go there any longer. The city is … gone. Only the undead remain. If we lose another city then this place is going to get cramped. It’s bad enough as it is.”

“Lovely. I’m going to see commander Brent about my bounty for the Hillside Butcher. I’ll be back … later. You need me to get anything at the market?”

“Yes! Something delicious other than fish,” Summer said excitedly.

“More pastries … and coffee,” Arina said.

***

“I think we can handle a few zombies,” the commander said.

I had put away the purse with eighty crowns into the satchel. And when it came to the point when he asked about Stefan and his men, I told him to go ask them himself. I told him that the party of six had come back to life.

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“You don’t understand. They’re not zombies, they killed everyone down there. You’ll need more than-” I looked around the office, and gestured about. “More than what you have here.”

“Then how come I haven’t heard anything about it?”

“Because. It just happened.”

The commander gestured to one of the men in the room. “Go see if what-”

“You are sending him to die. They are waiting in ambush in the dark,” I said.

“Or perhaps you don’t wish for us to investigate what happened?” the commander asked.

“You know what, suit yourself.” I turned to the man that commander had spoken. “If you want to live, make sure you talk to someone coming up before heading down yourself. Alright? Though I have a feeling you’ll be waiting a long time.”

The commander gestured to a chair in the office. “How about you and I have some tea while we wait for him to return? It shouldn’t take very long.”

I knew it wasn’t a request. He didn’t want me to leave before he had a chance to verify the truth of it. I sat my gear to the side, removed my gauntlets and took a seat at the small table by the side.

The four men continued to pretend to be busy, while the commander went to the side room and returned with a kettle. He sat it down on table, next to other charred rings the size of the kettle’s bottom. He took out a couple of crude tin mugs, sprinkled dried leaves before pouring the hot water.

“What happened to your back?” I asked him.

“My back?” the commander did well at acting unsure about what I asked. He waved at the men in the room to leave. They seemed more than eager to stop pretending, and get back to whatever they wanted to do outside instead.

I waited for them to be out of hearing range. “You’re good at hiding it.”

He smiled. “It’s been a few years now. Can’t run, can hardly walk too.”

“Is there no way to restore it? To heal it?” I asked.

“There is, but I’m not willing to pay the sort of a price that would be asked.”

“Well, how much is it?”

“You don’t understand. It’s not the coin, but something … much worse.”

I nodded. I didn’t want to press him further on it. I stirred the leaves in the tin mug. They swirled around, unrolled and gave off a delicate, flowery scent. It contrasted to the crude office, and the rough commander sitting across from me.

“You’re a bounty hunter,” I said.

“It’s no secret, but I don’t like talking about it. And is my hunch correct that you also have the same profession?”

I nodded. “Best if the criminals didn’t know about it or how it works. Makes it easier to catch them.”

He laughed. “That’s exactly right. Are you looking for some good, honest work? The brotherhood could use someone like you.”

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted. I’ll take a job here and there until I make up my mind.”

“Take your time.”

We finished the tea and had seconds including dried biscuits. It didn’t take long before the man that was sent to check on the crypt had barged into the office, covered in sweat, gasping for air.

“Commander,” he said with alarm in his voice.

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