Chapter 59: Chapter 59 – A Pleasant Holiday

I didn’t catch wind of Ryan as we left the town, presumably as he was still searching for his missing person. Tahar and Cali were easy to convince that we were going on a pleasant family walk together, all the way down the road and towards the city of Dalston. It was now the biggest settlement on the frontline between the Federation and Sull – though you could be forgiven for forgetting that. For the people who lived there the fighting and bloodshed felt a lifetime away.

I found a watchman's post on the road and handed Greene over to them. I explained that we’d found dozens of dead bodies at her home. The guards seemed credulous of the accusation, but took her from me regardless and promised they’d search the place as soon as possible. Unlike Ryan I was glad to see the back of her, and didn’t much care to see the outcome. She’d probably swing for it in the end.

Once we arrived in the city proper, the first thing I did was find a good, secure hotel to put ourselves up in for a while. We had the money to pay for it, which was a change from our usual lives out in the wild.

Dalston was an interesting and colourful place. It was a very green city, with tall, lush trees and public parks wherever there was spare room. It combined the rustic charm of Exarch’s Bend with the big townhouse style of Blackwake. I didn’t hate the place – which was a change from the usual shit-stained slums people flocked into to find stable work and living.

I looked down onto the street from the room’s window and watched the people go by. I had ‘explained’ to Cali and Tahar that we were taking a surprise holiday trip to the city. Cali and Tahar stashed their weapons and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for my next command like a pair of hapless puppies.

“It’s a shame that Miss Greene had to leave so soon,” Cali muttered. I was growing increasingly frustrated with how strange her personality had gotten. She was playing out a deeply rooted housewife fantasy that made me miss her cold, sociopathic shtick; and that was a thought I never anticipated to pass through my head.

Tahar’s changes were less extreme – she had already taken on a homemaker role within the party, cooking food and making sure the camp was in good condition. I doubted her ability to protect herself at that moment though.

“Stigma, get out here.”

The ghostly woman appeared in a burst of black smoke, “Master, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

I reached into my bag and pulled out the small wooden box, the one that contained the cursed dagger that Adelbern had delivered to the man in the tunnels. He’d died before passing it off to the intended recipient. Their loss was my gain, now I didn’t need to go looking for it.

“I have some questions for you.”

Stigma sighed, “I cannot promise all the answers, but you may ask me what you please.”

“I want to ask you about the curse. You want me to consume this dagger, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Because it’ll give you your memories back?”

“Yes.”

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I peeled open the lid and inspected the dagger again. With the benefit of daylight and all the time in the world – I noticed that it was a very high-quality item. The blade was perfect, and so reflective that I could see my own gaunt face in it. The leather handle was in pristine condition, and the gold inlay was a detailed mural of flowers and vines. A great craftsman must have made it, and a very vicious person must have cursed it.

“Do you know what’ll happen to me if we gather all eight of them? Or however many there really are?” My body had already undergone worrying changes. My skin was pale, the veins were black and easily visible through my skin, it had been spreading up through my shoulder and onto my torso.

“I do not. None of my previous wielders have consumed a cursed item, nor have they lived long enough for the ‘infection’ to spread to this extent.”

I held up my diseased-looking arm, “It could easily kill me.”

Stigma tittered, “Or, it could make you stronger. That Adelbern said it himself – you’re turning into a monster with stats that no human could ever hope to achieve.”

I suppose that was an accurate description of events. “Turning into a monster?”

She walked it back, “Perhaps nothing so drastic; you still have your reason. But you’ve certainly become something more than human. I have a vague recollection that this particular effect was present in Stigma before I took up residence within.”

“Oh, you remember that far back, do you?”

Stigma shook her head, the swaying mop of black hair momentarily revealing her bare breasts and nipples. “No. As I said, it’s a vague recollection. It could well be false. The only way to know for sure is to return more of my memories.”

“Oh, so we’re back to this again?”

Stigma crossed her arms, “I cannot force you to consume the dagger.”

“Why not? You froze up my body to force me to pick it up in the first place.”

She paced around me like a stalking tiger, “Consume is like a spell; if I somehow manage to manipulate your vocal chords to emit the word – the intent will not be delivered. My integration with your body is deep and complex, but my skill is not so great to perform a feat like that. The only person who can consume these items is you.”

That was the first honest thing she’d said the entire time. I inspected the dagger.

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