Chapter 39: Chapter 38 Out Of Stock

Tuktuk watched Helios work from the benchtop, his chin resting in his hands. Tuktuk was becoming increasingly dejected by Helios’ progress. He no longer needed to be accompanied and Tuktuk was getting bored. The rate of production was constantly increasing as he became familiar with the process. 

 

A pile of discarded Nightmare weapons was scattered on the floor behind him. The Dolore’s teeth and claws had been transformed into an assortment of daggers, short swords, hand axes, and hammers. None of the weapons exceeded a certain size, they appeared to have a hard limit proportionate to the size of the offering. 

 

Helios held up and examined the final item he had just finished crafting. A golden keris dagger with a snake head on the pommel. It glittered in the searing light from outside, without obvious flaw.

 

This is suitable for Tsiyaha. I should have taken her toxic Luminare spike with me to craft into something. But, this will just have to do for now. I don’t know when I’ll see her again next, anyway.

 

Helios and Tukuk had been enclosed in the Nightmare lounge for an unknown amount of time. It had been at least weeks, if not months. Helios only had the stamina to craft two or three small items a day on his own before he needed to recover.

 

“That was the last one. What do you think?” Helios asked, handing the golden keris to Tuktuk. He accepted the dagger and held it up to inspect it, turning it over in the light.

 

“Your best Nightmare tool yet. Tuktuk still believes you need to slow down and immerse yourself in the experience. This rate of crafting is enough to shock even some masters. Tuktuk can’t argue the results though, he sees no flaw. As expected from my apprentice,” Tuktuk praised. 

 

Helios lightly chuckled when Tuktuk couldn’t help but try to claim credit for his progress. Tuktuk offered the golden keris back to him and he added it to the growing pile on the floor.

 

“I need a break, can we go out and explore Fastidium a little bit?” Helios asked, bracing all of his arms against his hips and stretching his back.

 

“We do all that we do because we must win this competition. Let Tuktuk consider if we can risk relaxing for a bit,” Tuktuk replied. He crossed his arms and tapped a thoughtful finger against his chin. He couldn’t resist playfully glancing at the silent Helios. Amused by his attentive expression, Tuktuk dropped his arms and beamed a mischievous grin. “Of course we can, rest is important.”

 

“You know, you could have said something earlier,” Helios sourly complained.

 

“Tuktuk was waiting for you to be ready to go out. He was bored ages ago. All this work is not good without a little play to break up the monotony. We can get more supplies while we’re out. Choose a few of your Nightmare weapons and we will find some prey to test their edge,” Tuktuk instructed, hopping down from his perch. 

 

He stooped down and scooped up an armful of discarded weapons. Using his lowest pair of arms, Tuktuk crawled over to Helios and began passing them up to him. Helios accepted them and began stowing them inside his mantle one by one. Soon he quickly ran out of space.

 

“Enough. I can’t fit anymore. Do you expect us to test them all?” Helios asked.

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“Of course. A Nightmare artificer must always be able to vouch for his products. This is common sense and you can hunt other Dolore with impunity inside Fastidium. Tuktuk will place only one restriction on you. You must only rely on your crafted items to conduct the kill. It’s the purpose of our little excursion, after all. Agreed?” Tuktuk instructed, looking up at Helios expectantly.

 

“Agreed.”

 

“Then let’s go. We don’t want to hunt close to home. Never shit where you eat. So, we will travel to the lower levels and see what we can find,” Tuktuk said, scurrying up Helios’s leg and taking up position on his shoulder. Helios glanced at him and shook his head in bemusement.

 

For the first time, Helios approached the entrance to their Nightmare lounge. The arched doors were decorated with intricate patterns. Each door was made of a brass-metallic material and engraved with an identical pair of stylised guardians. They appeared humanoid in shape with exposed muscles and a skull with overlapped grinning teeth. 

 

As they neared the doors, the guardians became animated, reaching toward the centre. They made a pushing gesture and the pair of doors silently swung outward. They followed Helios’ movement with their gazes as he walked between them. The moment he stepped outside, the doors slammed closed behind him. 

 

Glancing back, an identical pair of guardians was embossed on the exterior. They watched him with staunchly folded arms and menacing expressions. Helios examined their intimidating presence with approval.

 

“Do you like them? That’s what can be accomplished with Nightmare tools. Tuktuk crafted them to awe his guests. See the neighbouring doors? Poor imitations from sub-par Nightmares. They fail to grasp the purpose of what Tuktuk was trying to accomplish. Pathetic. One day, some of them may wake up and walk their own paths instead of trying to mimic Tuktuks,” Tuktuk disdainfully said, gesturing down the deserted walkway.

 

Helios looked to where he gestured. They were high up amid the haphazardly stacked buildings in a rut gauged between two gigantic blocks. Carved doors with imitation carvings of varying skill levels lined one side while the other opened into a vast drop. 

 

Lanterns weren’t laced between the walkways this high up. Instead, grotesquely carved claws emerged like street lamps to hold flickering lanterns. The myriad of door guardians stood motionless like murals and was easily dismissed.

 

I have to agree, Tuktuk’s right. The other doors pale in comparison. The carvings lack any true semblance of life that these have. There’s an itch at the back of my mind from the door guardians watching me. As if I’m anticipating them to ambush me at any moment.

 

Helios walked to the edge and peered over the drop. Flying demons flittered between buildings on various errands. Below them, Imps skittered across strung lanterns up to mischief.

 

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