Downtown Druid

Book 2 Chapter 45: Just a Student Trying to Learn

Dantes and Wane began walking through Buried Claw territory toward the back corner of it where, just like every other kobold enclave, there would be tiny shops set up by outsiders. It was possible that Pillion was doing his dealings underground, or through intermediaries, but unlikely. The Consortium’s actions weren’t technically legal, but the city turned a blind eye to them. Because of the extra goods the consortium brought in, the city could skimp on the amount of goods they sent into the Pit, and besides that, the Consortium greased their palms on the regular. That said, Dantes hadn’t been able to locate a Consortium contact since he’d escaped. He’d looked regularly, but hadn’t been able to turn anything up. He wasn’t sure if it was him they were avoiding, or they’d gotten more cautious overall since what had happened down in the Underprison.

Dantes held out a hand in front of Wane and had him follow him into a narrow alley between two smaller buildings. He sent out a number of rats and roaches to search each of the buildings. He found a gnome selling some colorful ceramics, a dwarf selling small kits for everything from whittling to engraving, and even a kobold from another clan making custom tools that Dantes couldn’t even begin to recognize. Toward the far corner, in a building guarded by two Kobolds, Dantes found Pillion. He was dressed differently than down in the Pit. No more robes. He instead wore a crimson doublet and navy trousers. Where he would’ve worn a collar, a small scarf covered, making it impossible to tell if he was wearing one, though Dantes sensed no magic through the rat as it crawled into a small pile of hay in the corner.

Dantes opened his eyes.

“He’s in the building in the far corner with the guards. He’s wearing a scarf, so I can’t tell if he still has his collar or not.”

Wane stroked his chin. “It’s possible they couldn’t find a mage skilled enough to have it removed. We were extraordinarily lucky to have Felix’s help. That’s assuming the Consortium would even see value in it.”

“What was his specialty? I know Felix is enchantments and bindings, and Tel was adept at summoning answers from the Hells. Was he good at anything dangerous?”

“Hmmm, he was adept at illusion. It can be dangerous, but it’s really all in how a person uses it. I never saw him work it myself, we were a few years separated at the Academy and didn’t interact.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Not every mage has something they excel at or only they can do. Most of us are just students trying to learn.”

“Comforting.”

“Well, not everyone is granted enormous power with no study randomly after spending a decade in a dark hole.”

“It was only five years.”

“Really? You look old then.”

“Let’s aim this aggression back to our actual target, shall we?”

Wane nodded.

“So, how should we go in? Through the front? Rush him?”

Wane picked at a tusk. “No… Do you think you can keep him talking for a while?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, stupid question. Keep him busy and I’ll come in through the back to jump him. I’d rather take him back to Merle alive so we can interrogate him, but if it comes down to it, don’t hesitate to put him down.”

Dantes nodded, and cracked his neck left and right before walking up the path toward the Kobold guards. They eyed him warily as they approached.

He waved, a little awkwardly, trying to seem uncomfortable. “Hi, I uh, have a letter and some uh,” he looked both ways cautiously, “weed that I want to send to a friend down in the Underprison. Mex-Tal told me to try here?”

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The guards looked him up and down. Something about their instincts was making them wary, but he was barely larger than they were and clearly no real threat, so they gestured for him to go inside.

Dantes had his hood drawn, and his wooden hand flexed as he pushed his way inside through the thin wooden door.

Pillion had his head buried in a ledger of some kind, one that was nearly half his size. “I’ll be with you in just a moment,” he shook his head and muttered, “fucking overgrown lizards let anyone in.”

Dantes pulled his hood back and sat in the chair across the desk from him.

“That’s no problem, I can wait.”

Pillion stopped his writing and looked up with a kind of immediate hate in his eyes. Up close, and through his own eyes, Dantes could tell that much like himself, surface life much agreed with Pillion. His hollowed cheeks had filled out quite a bit, and there was a kind of light in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“You.”

“Me.”

Pillion leaned back in his chair and looked him over.

Dantes felt the tips of his fingers tingle, but could see or sense nothing changing in front of or around him. He shifted his attention to Jacopo’s senses and detected no changes through him either.

“I had so sincerely hoped you’d’ve gotten yourself killed by now.”

“Same to you.”

“How’d you find me?”

“Wasn’t looking for you. I just wanted to find a Consortium contact and happened to hear your name. I’m actually pretty impressed with you.”

“Unlikely.”

“No really, when I left the Pit you were a dust addict with no power. I’m guessing it was that nasty habit that led you to betray the Collared. Still, managing to leverage that betrayal into an escape with the Consortium and a job on the outside? Not bad.” He looked around the office. “They sold you a little short though, eh? Working with Kobolds… I’d pick a job like that because I like the scaly folk, but I’d bet they consider this shitty work.”

He scowled. “What did you need a Consortium contact for?”

“I’m trying to contact a few people still in the Underprison… and I want my letters.”

“Your letters?”

“I know that Mondego paid to make sure they never made it to me, Rumpert, the executive in the Underprison, told me. I want them.”

“Well I don’t have the ones you would’ve received while you were in the prison, but you are in luck.”

Dantes could feel movement to his right, but neither he nor Jacopo could actually see anything, and Pillion was still sitting at his desk.

“I actually happen to have a letter for you. It’s not from the surface though, it’s from the Underprison. I lied and told my higher ups I’d be able to get it to you.

“Any chance you’re just going to give it to me?”

The sense of someone approaching from the right got even closer. Dantes was almost certain someone was about to attack him from that side.

“No. In fact, after we’re done here I’m going to burn it. Just for shits and giggles.”

Dantes kicked out his foot where he sensed an attacker and felt it connect. The image of Pillion in front of him disappeared as what he kicked revealed itself to be the actual Pillion. He stood up and planted the same foot he’d kicked out on Pillion’s chest.

“Nice try.”

The image of Pillion smiled, and faded.

Above Dantes Pillion dropped from the air with a dagger in hand, but at that moment the back wall of the building turned to dust and silently blew both of them against the far wall.

Dantes Grunted, but no sound came from his mouth. He rubbed the dust from his eyes and looked around to see Wane walking in from the back wall. Pillion was also standing and pushing dust from his eyes, his dagger fallen to the ground. He seemed to be screaming, but Dantes could hear nothing. Wane drove a fist into Pillion’s face and he went limp.

Wane held out a hand to Dantes, who took it and stood.

Wane raised a finger to his lips to make sure Dantes stayed quiet.

Dantes nodded.

Wane raised a hand up then slowly brought it down. As he did so, the ambient sound of the room returned.

Dantes looked at him with his eyebrow raised.

“I turned the wall to dust and made it push outward while also making everything within the structure absolutely silent. It takes a long time to set up and I can’t maintain it for long, but it seemed the best way to take care of things without raising alarms.”

“Just a student trying to learn, eh?”

Wane shrugged, “I had a lot of time in the Pit to theorize.” He smiled. “It’s nice to turn theory into practice though.”

Dantes looked at the unconscious Pillion and frowned. “Damn, I wanted to know if he was telling the truth about that letter or just fucking with me.”

Wane shrugged. “You should have some time to search. This building backs up to nothing, and the guards clearly aren’t suspicious.”

Dantes nodded and started looking through all of the documents. He reached first for the ledger, but when it set his fingers tingling, he decided against it. Who knew what enchantments the Consortium flooded their ledger’s with. He found some weed, dust, and a fair amount of coin, but no letter. He dug deeper into the drawers and shelves and eventually found a letter sealed with wax that said, “Dantes”, across the front. He pocketed it and nodded at Wane who had finished binding up Pillion and was throwing him in his own bag.

Dantes sighed. “I can’t believe he almost got the drop on me.”

“What do you think? If he’d managed to land on you would it have felt more like a raindrop, or an acorn?”

Dantes picked up Pillion’s dagger and tapped it against his chin, thinking. “Maybe a mosquito?”