Realm of Monsters - Chapter 680: Flirting at the Tavern

Chapter 680: Flirting at the Tavern

  Stryg wondered how much longer it would take until Gale and the others were in position. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on the sound of the river outside, searching for Gale’s voice or any of the others’.

  “So how did such a scarlet beauty as yourself end up working on a Goldelm ship?” asked Ulin.

  The dock master’s question brought Stryg back to the table and he opened his eyes to find Ulin staring at Tauri with a coy grin. Freya cast a subtle yet worried glance at Stryg, waiting for his reaction. But Stryg’s attention was entirely on Tauri; she returned the dock master’s coy grin with her own. “You know how it is. A desire for adventure and a good set of legs to take you there.”

  “Good set of legs, yes.” Ulin’s eyes wandered past her face and down to her wide hips and curvaceous thighs, made only more prominent by her sitting posture.

  A bottle resting on a shelf behind the bar shattered. Everyone turned to look at the apologetic barmaster. Enyo had her sword already half-drawn and only put it away when she made sure there was no evident threat. She was fast, Stryg noted. He would have to keep an eye on the guard captain. 

  “What the blazes was that?” Ulin asked.

  “Apologies, sir. I’m not sure what happened,” the barmaster replied sheepishly.

  “What bottle was it?” Ulin demanded.

  “It was one of the hangover elixirs.”

  “Ugh,” Ulin waved the orc off and turned back to his guests with a smile. “Apologies. I got a few elixir bottles from a shady red mage upriver. They work, but sometimes the elixirs can be— inadequate.”

  “I’ve seen faulty elixirs explode before, but never one ready to be served to customers,” Freya said.

  “Neither have I. Believe me, I will deal with those hedge mages when I get the chance,” Ulin said. “How about another drink, hm? Something non-magical, I assure you.”

  “Yes, I think I’d like that,” Freya raised her empty tankard.

  Tauri glanced at the broken bottle and then at Stryg, a silent question on her lips. Stryg pretended not to notice.

  “Should I get some soldiers to investigate, sir?” Enyo asked Ulin.

  “Have you been on any interesting adventures, dock master?” Tauri leaned forward, elbows on the table, arms pressed around her breasts. They were modest compared to others, but that didn’t stop Ulin from staring.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Ulin waved Enyo off, his gaze never leaving Tauri’s chest. “Most of my days are spent ensuring the docks run smoothly. Merchant ships come by here all the time. Being in charge of all this is more work than most people realize. Still, I had some great adventures back in my youth.”

  Somehow, Stryg doubted that. But Tauri leaned ever so slightly closer, fully engaged with the beady-eyed man’s every word. “Oh, I can only imagine. You must have so many stories to tell.”

  Stryg relaxed his tensed muscles and pretended to be unbothered. If Tauri was going to play her part and keep the man’s attention away from Gale and the others, then he would play his part as well. The ship’s mage, that’s all Stryg was. A man with no interest in the woman sitting beside him, none whatsoever. At least, that’s what he told himself.

  “Oh, well,” Ulin laughed awkwardly. “Some, but, enough about me. How about you? How long has it been since you’ve been back home?”

  “Home?” Tauri put a finger on her lips, eyes tilted upwards in thought. “Not too long, I suppose.”

  “Do you miss it? Murkton, I mean,” Ulin said.

  “Murkton?” Tauri asked.

  “Yes. You are from the city, I can tell. There was a way you women carry yourselves. A certain confidence to you. Head held high. Boots unstained by years of mud. A scent of faint perfume. Deny it if you wish. But I notice things. And you, Captain Lora, are from Murkton.” Ulin tossed an arm behind his chair and leaned back with quiet confidence at his deduction.

  Tauri smirked and mimicked his posture. “You’re right, but you got the wrong city. My family is from Hollow Shade.”

  “Ah, now things are beginning to make sense,” Ulin pointed a finger between Freya and Tauri. “But surely you’ve been to the Silent Marshes before.”

  “I have, but I confess I’ve never traveled through these parts,” Tauri replied.

  “Yes, I have no doubt about that. I’d never forget a face as beautiful as yours,” Ulin said. “You’ve been to Murkton, though, yes? It is the most beautiful city in the realm, if not the world. Even the ruins are magnificent, I’d even argue they are the most beautiful parts of the city.”

  Stryg held back his tongue and quietly ate his food. Those ruins were what remained of Lunis, the Sapphire of the East. Of course, they were the best part of that city, Stryg thought.

  “I’ve visited a few times,” Tauri nodded.

  “Only a few?” Ulin pressed.

  “Work keeps me busy. I don’t have time to linger.”

  “Then you have not seen the wetlands? The river towns?”

  “Except for passing, I cannot say that I have,” Tauri said.

  And this much, Stryg knew, was true. Tauri had told him that she had visited her cousins in Murkton a few times throughout the years, but she had never strayed too far from the Great City.

  “Such a pity,” Ulin said. “Had you grown in the Silent Marshes, you would have been draped in gold and silks. Nobles would have been tripping over themselves trying to win your heart.”

  “You flatter me.” Tauri laughed and batted her eyelashes.

  Enyo turned away from the table and made a face like she wanted to throw up, but Stryg caught it and agreed with the sentiment.

  “Nonsense, even I find myself in danger of being smitten with your visage,” Ulin said.

  And gods, he actually sounded sincere, Stryg realized. It wasn’t simply lust. The man was actually falling for Tauri. He barely knew her. He didn’t even know her real name and here he was, pining over another man’s wife. Stryg imagined what it would be like to dig his claws into the orc’s chest, pry it open, and watch as Ulin’s innards splayed out on the wooden floor. The idea gave him at least some semblance of comfort.

  Tauri laughed at some joke of Ulin that Stryg had missed. Stryg looked at Freya and saw the sympathy in her eyes. The dwarf raised her tankard in solidarity.

  “Perhaps I could offer you a tour of the nearby river towns during your stay? You are staying for a while, yes?” Ulin asked.

  Tauri glanced at Freya for confirmation. “A while enough. But I feel I must ask, you’re not trying to steal my guard captain, are you?” the latter said.

  “Only if she wants,” Ulin winked.

  Tauri bowed her head. “I’m honored, but I’m comfortable with my place among the ship’s crew.”

  Sensing a challenge, Uline grinned. “You sure I can’t convince you otherwise?”

  Tauri sipped her drink. “I’ll consider it.”

  “Excellent!” Ulin clapped his hands. His smile was so wide it might split his face, until he noticed Stryg’s cold countenance, and the smile died on his lips. Not one to back down, however, Ulin grabbed his tankard and dipped it slightly towards Stryg. “And where might you be from, mage?”

  “Hollow Shade,” Stryg answered tersely.

  “Oh, did you two know each other beforehand?” Ulin asked.

  “Yes,” Stryg said. “No,” Tauri replied in unison.

  Ulin furrowed his brow.

  Tauri kicked Stryg under the table. “He means to say that we met before this job. We’ve both been working for different ships under the Goldelm family.”

  “…Right,” Stryg said.

  “Of course, you two must have been working for the Goldelms for a long time.” Ulin glanced at Stryg, “What brought you to Hollow Shade? Was it the merchant business? Or something else?”

  Stryg frowned. “I told you, I’m from Hollow Shade.”

  “Oh come now, you don’t strike me as a man from the City of Shades,” Ulin chuckled.

  “And why is that?” Stryg asked.

  Ulin gestured to his blue complexion. “Your looks are unique to say the least. Where are you really from?”

  Stryg gave him a flat look. “I’m a vampire-drow.” 

  Ulin waited for him to elaborate but when he didn’t, the dock master cleared his throat awkwardly. “Ah, I guess that makes sense… Ahem, first time meeting a hybrid of your kind. You must be quite the athletic specimen, no? The strength and agility of a vampire, the grace of a drow. The sun didn’t even seem to bother you. Lucky you…” Ulin’s voice trailed off as Stryg continued to give him a chilling stare.

  Ulin cleared his throat, “I’m a bit of a mage myself.” A small shadow darkened and twirled around his index finger. He beamed at the party trick and looked around for the usual clapping and cheering, but when he found none, he dismissed the novice spell and took another sip of his ale.

  “Are you a formally trained mage?” Enyo asked with narrowed eyes.

  “Yes, I myself was taught by one of the river hedgemages,” Ulin interjected. “Not the one who sold me this elixir. My teacher was a reputable old man from a few villages up north. I might have learned more from him if I were gifted with Blue like you, but I only possess Black.”

  “You do possess Blue magic, yeah?” Enyo asked Stryg.

  “Of course, he does. He’s a ship’s mage. The Goldelms wouldn’t have employed him otherwise,” Ulin said.

  But Enyo didn’t care and watched Stryg for confirmation. The latter raised his middle finger and conjured a drop of water over its tip.

  “Cute,” Enyo scoffed.

  Freya hid her face behind her blonde hair and held back a laugh. She had taught Stryg that particular gesture. Tauri kicked him in the shin again, not that it hurt him; she had more chance of hurting herself.

  “Did you have any formal training? Or were you taught by vampire hedge mages? Drow?”

  Ulin was fishing for information, Stryg knew that, but he also knew he was a terrible liar, so he opted for the truth instead. “I had formal training.”

  “Really? Where did you study? Frost Rim? Undergrowth? Hollow Shade?” Ulin asked.

  “Does it matter?” Stryg asked.

  “Some academies are better than others,” Ulin said. “Take Hollow Shade, for example. The wealthiest city in the Realm, but they produce the least amount of mages. If it wasn’t for powerful mageborn Houses like the Noirs and Glaz, they wouldn’t even be considered an equal among the other Great Cities when it came to magic.”

  “Didn’t Hollow Shade win this year’s Mage Tourney?” Stryg asked, earning him another kick to the shin.

  “The tournament is used to gauge the youths of a city. And while yes, the youths reflect the skills of their city’s academy, this year was an exception. The Ebon Aspirant,” Ulin whispered the name warily.

  Freya and Tauri tensed, but Stryg just went on. “The Aspirant?”

  “A drow with giant’s blood. Two meters tall with arms like tree trunks. And eyes that burn like dark amethysts. They say he can kill you with a simple whisper,” Enyo recalled with a dark expression.

  “Two meters tall, ey?” Freya mused.

  “That’s what you got from that?” Stryg glared at her.

  “Aye. He is a beast of a man. If he even is a man at all,” Enyo said.

  “A monster more like it. Which is why this year’s win is an oddity, nothing more. So, what academy did you attend?” Ulin asked.

  “…Hollow Shade,” Stryg said.

  “Then did you ever meet the Aspirant?” Ulin pressed.

  “No, he was after my time. I’m much older than I look,” Stryg replied.

  “Yes, of course. Vampire blood,” Ulin nodded.

  “And what colors of magic did Mortem see fit to bestow upon you?” Enyo asked.

  “What?” Stryg practically jumped in his seat.

  “I see your companion does not know our gods.” Ulin glanced at Tauri and noticed the same look of shock on her face, “You don’t know either? What sort of tragedy is this?”

  “Mortem is one of the scarlet gods,” Freya explained.

  “He is the Blood Sovereign. It is Mortem who blesses the blood of the unborn with the gift of magic,” Ulin added.

  “Is that right…?” Stryg replied dryly. The Sylvan said something very similar about Lunae and goblin-kind.