Chapter 23: 23 – Carriage

An uneasy night awaited him. X dreamed of his past life, not of home, but the place he survived, fought and died in. Blood-soaked streets, warm bullet casings, yells of men running through the jungle, inedible roasted meat in the morning, a truckload of adrenalin surging through his veins, looking no longer than tomorrow, rolling with his crew and filling with lead whomever dare stood before them.

“Those were the days...”

[Good on the Gods you’ll never get to do that here.]

“A man can try... or whatever a I’m now.”

Enveloped by darkness, the scant light in his cell came from a nearby torch. He couldn’t pinpoint the time of day, but he guessed early morning. Nearby voices and steps grabbed his attention. A corpulent, small humanoid had brought him a gray sludge on a rusted plate.

“What the hell’s that?”

“Food.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

The creature looked down and spat on it.

“More to your liking?”

“I wasn’t hungry anyway.”

His jailer dropped the plate leaving its contents spread on the mossy floor and disappeared back into the corridor. 

The whole day dragged on longer than it should. No one else came to see him, nor he heard any other noises than those of his jailer intermittent burps or snores. In the afternoon his jailer came with another one of their chef’s succulent creations.

“Yeah... I’m not eating that.”

“Your choice.” 

“Come on, you’d not eat that either. Bring me something recognizable as food. Hey you...!” But his guardian was long gone taking the sludge back with him.

In the darkness X lost all time reference while his hungry self rested on cold soil. Another damp cell, another waiting game until this sewer’s boss decided what to do with him. 

[Some things never change. A prisoner at their mercy while you gave none... Is this your new thing? Getting caught?]

“If I had a functioning body... things would be different. Much different.”

[You came willingly down here. What are you looking for? The same fate as last time? Some brotherhood in criminality? Or are you simply that fucked up in the head the promise of excitement tingles your primal impulses, leaving you acting like a junkie looking for his next hit.]

“If you know me this well, then why are you asking?”

[You could try something different. If you keep doing the same... Where do you think you’re going to end?]

“Different? Like getting a job?”

[For one that dislikes work, what you did before sure looked a lot like a job.]

A glittering smile played across X’s face. A chuckle escaped his lips.

“That you, who always pretends to be so intelligent and thoughtful, can’t understand the difference, is... disappointing. What I chose was a lifestyle.”

[Enjoy it then. Playing in piss and shit, your fate bound to drug-addled creatures. You enjoyed it before, you certainly do it now.]

He thought about his retort for a while longer than usual when footsteps and voices interrupted his discourse. Two figures appeared before him, his guardian and the green, slim assassin he first met.

“Get him out,” Heiran commanded the jailer.

“Finally... What’s the hold up?”

No one answered. The small figure unlocked his prison door.

“Looking at your faces... forces higher up have decided my fate.”

“Come out and keep quiet.”

He slowly complied, increasing in small doses his interlocutors' exasperation.

“Hurry the fuck up! You have been ordered you to come out.”

“Let me tell you this is my fastest.”

The small adult grabbed his handcuffs and forcefully got him out. 

“Follow me.” Herian ordered.

X found himself out of the dungeon and in the sewers once again. A putrid odor assaulted him while his feet submerged in a cold slurry. As they left behind the center of the sewer system, he saw less creatures on those dark corridors. Torches, few and far between, lit their steps. He interrupted their silent, wet stroll, fishing for information, to fight boredom, a nauseating gag-reflex and hunger.

“You all like living in the sewers?”

No answer.

“Don’t get me wrong, when you need to run from authority, it’s all or nothing. But the sewers, really? Criminals in this world... huh. I wasn’t expecting riches, but at least not freaking crap water.” 

X kicked the ankle-high gray water covering his feet but only managed to make a few ripples.

“You’re the silent type. Well, suit yourself, more time for you to smell it all. Whiff it real deep-”

“Do you ever shut up?”

“Hey, I’m only trying to forget where I am, so I don’t puke my guts out.” 

Heiran turned a killer look towards X.

“Don’t look at me like that, I just feel deceived. I expected... whatever, doesn’t matter.”

After a long trek in stale shit, he was back again on foggy streets. Two moons shined bright in the sky covering everything in a dark violet light. Fresh air, dry and cold, hit X’s face blowing away his more noxious thoughts. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and exchanged the fetid fumes driving him insane with the untainted, oxygen-rich outside air. 

To his left two strange beasts growled patiently. Both seemed like a cross between reptiles and deep-sea creatures, ones that should’ve never seen the light of day. A rather depressing purple coated their scaly bodies, sharp and misaligned rows of teeth threatened a nasty bite, breathing heavily, their eight yellow eyes focused on him. He gazed back at the beasts. Their mouths began drooling dense bluish liquid while their tails swung from side to side. Of all the strange creatures he had seen to date, these two won the grand prize for being the ugliest: his derision. Both growled agitated in discomfort.

“You there, don’t provoke my rippers!”A chubby man sat at the helm pulling those beasts back, calming them.

X felt a push. “Get into the carriage.” Heiren ordered.

With no hurry X got in the black carriage. Four sentient beings already awaited inside. Dark clothes covered them from toe to head.

“Luckily your hoods hide your malformed faces.” He had had his fill of strange beasts for the day, but he also tested the waters, probing if anyone would break silence.

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Only one creature at the opposite corner answered him.

“Fuck you too,” said a feminine voice without raising her head.

He sat in a free space between two of those statue-like figures. Heiren came in after him. 

“Get us moving Seijen!”

The ripper’s handler snorted at them, and the carriage with its mysterious occupants disappeared amongst secluded streets. Silifran laid resting and quiet, empty streets and a menacing fog made for a bleak atmosphere. The only creatures spit out by the mist were patrolling soldiers which were promptly absorbed back into its fold. Everyone remained silent, hunched and with arms crossed fighting the encroaching cold. X tried to get a glimpse of the creatures around him but found no opening. He cleared his throat, and a single syllable was out when the statue to his right took a knife to his neck.

“Squeet up. Any word from now oink, and I’ll sleeat your throat.” High pitched interjections colored a feminine voice. 

From under its hood a budding snout loomed forward, jerking up and down. X thanked the heavens he couldn’t see the rest of her face. He surprised himself understating most of her devolved words, and besides, it wasn’t hard to figure out by the sharp object directed at his neck she wanted him to keep his mouth shut.

The carriage slowed down until it came to a stop, the knife had disappeared, and voices came closer.

“Officers of the realm, speaking in our King’s stead, demand to see your papers, load and do state your business.”

Their captain stood at the front speaking with Seijen while two soldiers inspected the carriage and its load. The passengers and four trunks, two on top and two at its rear, comprised their precious cargo.

One soldier peered inside the carriage from each side. X gazed at the closest one, the soldier staring back at him looked familiar, but with their helmets on all the elves looked quite the same to him. He suddenly felt a hard pinch on his right arm and turned around, nothing but silence.

“Isn’t it too late to go out on a vacation trip?” One of the soldiers asked.
    
“Younglins... so impatient.” Heiran answered.

The soldiers went back to their captain and talked some more with Seijan. 

“Alright, let them pass.”

Seijen hissed at his rippers, and the carriage began moving again. They safely passed through Silifran’s gates.

After a couple minutes one of those figures broke silence.

“Hoooly shit! Thiiis always gets on my neeerves.” A male voice bleated and baaed random words sending shivers down X’s spine who could only imagine the hidden horrors waiting for him. 

“Someday those fuckers are going to stop taking our bribes.” This was the feminine voice that answered his introductory words.

“Well, it was not today.” Heiran calmed them down.

“Buuut fucking bait, don’t gaaaze into the soldiers!”

“Uhuh...” X barely raised his eyebrows at the figure before him and yawned. How else did five hooded figures fail to arouse suspicion? He might've been many things, but an amateur he was not. Tired, he turned his gaze outside the carriage. It was difficult to spot the hills under the cover of darkness. The city that readily sucked him in had spat him out, back into the wilds again, heading God-knows-where.

“What’s the deal this time Heiran?”

“We are hitting Dureld.” 

“Iiisn't that dwarven shiiit abandoned?!” 

“Not anymore.”

“Squeeally? Whoink’s there now?”

“A small human outpost.”

“Howink small?”

“One company.”

“Hooow the fuck is thaaat small?”

“Today most of their forces were recalled for the Nistram offensive.”

“Aaah...”

“Soink, what’s the plan?”

“Go in, go fast, get info on whatever their doing inside-”

“Oink!? We’ll have to actueeally enter the caves? Squeeal,” the piggly sounding female snorted.

Heiran nodded. “No reason not to when the entrance gates have been already forced open.”

“You for real? I hate fucking dungeons. Specially dwarven made.”

“Yeeeah yeah, whatever. Can’t you fuuucks ask the important questions. Hooow much will we get paaaid?”

“25 gold coins each.”

“Not bad. Squeals good as long as infoink’s accurate.” More snorts and grunts followed.

“Do weee get to plunder the dwaaarves' throne room?”

“Yoink believe the rumors?”

“The caaaptain brought not only one buuut two baits.”

X looked around. “Who are you talking about? Can’t see them.” In that instant he realized bait was meant literally. 

“If there’s a possibility of this information being accurate... well, fuck it, let’s go for it,” the normal, feminine voice spoke.

“We’ll see.” Heiren stared at her.

“So... what are baits used for... in this... ah... mission you're undertaking?” X asked.

“You’ll see.” Herian’s eyes landed on him.

Silence once more. X mind raced, trying to envision a way to survive whatever they had planned for him, but his hungry and tired body had other plans.

[Nice friends you’ve got yourself...]

X swore he could feel its razor-sharp smile, smug and sardonic.

He thought of his own circumstances as poetic justice, maybe his fate would always end like this; be done in by other criminals. That didn’t surprise him one bit, nor was he going to cry about it, but what irked him was his shadow’s smile. Imagined or otherwise. 

As much as he wanted to stay awake and squeeze more drops of information out of the mysterious creatures, his body began shutting down on its own.

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