NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44 - Address the Problem
Three chairs sat around the table this time, like Bearita knew she would have an extra guest. Alcender and I sat in the soft chairs, waiting for two minutes according to the box timer for Bearita to return with the tea. I put the box down by my feet, resting my feet on top of it. There was no way out of this situation but to see it through the end. Alcender had to make the first move, or Bearita did. I didn't fully know her plan and didn't want to cause her to spill the tea on it now. I would need to guide the conversation in a way that didn't get her, or myself, in trouble with Alcender and his government lackeys.
"Boulder," Bearita offered the cup to me again, "drink this. It will help bring you some clarity."
The tea smelled of carrots and spices. I chugged it down, hoping it would help with my vision and making sure I had a solid plan. I never drunk the stuff before, it was time to try a different approach. Alcender didn't drink the tea, he put the cup back down by the orange and red kettle Bearita brought over. Good, that means he's going to end up talking.
He put his maroon balaclava back on before talking. "I must say, Bearita, I was relieved to find someone researching the torches around the city like I had."
Bearita perked up. "Oh, then why do you wear the garb?"
He tapped the A.C.D.C. box on his side and pointed to the one by my feet now. He was buying himself time while talking to his guild chat, or maybe somehow the mayor.
I had to warn Bearita by using all the information I had collected today. "He's actually a helper to the mayor. The guards even adore him. I found him out in the bog collecting mushrooms."
"That's all…" Alcender wanted to defend himself, but Bearita growled at him. "Very true."
"In fact, I bet he knows these mushrooms sap a person's strength. That even he is afraid to be near them. He has to stash them in his box." I thought back to how the guards reacted and their questions. "The fungi also affect memory somehow. The guards know about it, too."
Alcender's eye twitched, but he stayed still in the chair. I refilled my teacup and left it on the table. I was gambling on a secret tea gossip buff.
Bearita approached Alcender and showed her a hand. "Give me that cooler."
"No."
"Yes, if you want to leave in one piece and run back to your master like the obedient dog you are," she mocked, while taking off her rings and putting them on the table one by one.
Alcender didn't move. My marker still had Bearita as white, and I hoped it stayed that way.
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[Level 47 Bearita, shopkeeper (uncommon):
Description: Bearita cares for her gold, her customers, and her city. She is a traditionalist, while an anarchist trying to change the way things are done. Those who are honest will always be her allies.]
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Bearita pulled out a small dagger, sighing. "You won't be leaving with that box or the one Boulder has."
Alcender's confidence didn't waver. "Yes, I will, because you will tell me why you cared about the torches."
"I'm an honest woman, unlike our Mayor. I remember how we lived before, before we had to wear those head pieces. They do nothing to our protection, so why does Mayor A. Tory require them now?"
I snapped my fingers. "Because of the mushrooms clear people's memories. She doesn't want the past recalled for some odd reason."
Bearita's face darkened. "Your people are using Helitical Shrooms my home village banned those when they knew the truth and harm. Erasing the past only dooms us to repeat it. Is this because she wants to sign the pact with a- AAA!"
A bloom of light and electrical magic danced around the room, zapping and destroying the tea cups and hitting Bearita. Her gold tipped teeth sparked and glowed with energy. Alcender cackled before blasting me with magic.
The current traveled through me and arced around into my shield, causing the power to explode on my back. With one hit, I dropped to half my health points.
My hand went to my axe but before I could grab my shield, I heard Alcender go, "Nah, ah, ah. I wouldn't do that. One more hit from my level eight electric glow spell, and you will be dead."
It took everything in my veteran gaming experience to not move and charge him down, held off only by the sparking tip of his wand, ready to hit me again. Bearita stumbled over to the chair, collapsing on it, and knocking it and the table over. I could only see her shoulders go limp.
"Stay still you, orc!" Alcender ordered. "Boulder, the guild master of the Shrimp guild. Why don't you hand over my box? Then I will be out of this dingy shop, leaving it intact. Mayor A. Tory can take care of this mess. I've got my own problem to deal with; I need to clean up up a loose alchemist in Fanamel and get rid of him."
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[Quest update: What's in the box?: The owner has come forward. If you don't return it soon you will receive a …]
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"Step one: Clean up a mess." My voice took on a deep rumble with my exploding anger.
I turned off all notifications to stay focused on the threat and problem in my life. With rage powering my attack, and my experience in throwing weapons, I threw the box with its countdown at Alcender.
There would be no more distractions when it came to my family.
The box knocked the smirk off Alcender's face, and his whole body crumbled with it. In that moment, carried by my momentum, I stood over him, armed with my axe. "Step two, address the problem."
Fury powered my swing as the blade went to break the wand. Inches away from the impact, my swing bounced back, the rebound force threatening to steal the axe from my grip. A magical shield glowed from Alcender's ring.
"If one solution doesn't work," I paused as an electric charge started up from the wand, I dropped the axe. It landed on his leg, interrupting the sniveling man's spell. It didn't do enough damage. "Try a different one."
With my bare fists, I yanked at the wand in his hand, getting hit by his electric glow spell instantly.
It knocked me down to my knees, with jolting pain spreading from my arms and down through my foot, where I was touching Alcender's body. Our screams never harmonized, and he cut the spell short before he hurt himself more. It saved me.
With a haggard breath, I grabbed his balaclava. "Then take preventive measures to protect the family and the guild."
I needed the headpiece to communicate to my family and warn them about the Pantheon guild in Fanamel. Triangle might already be in trouble as he was the alchemist in Fanamel. I had to stop the Pantheon from ruining the joy my son found in this game. It was about time to have my first player kill.
Alcender's fingers were leaner and smaller compared to my calloused warrior fingers. Mine were chains compared to his sticks as I stood up. I lifted him up by the wand while he mumbled another spell, trying to point the wand at me.
I let go of the wand to drop him. He gasped as his head bounced off the floor. Lifting my foot up, I stomped on his stomach like the cockroach he was. The soft cloth armor he wore couldn't stop my unarmed attacks. Alcender's eyes grimaced with each hit. I kicked at his wand arm, but he didn't let go.
Sharp items attacked my helmet and back. The helmet tinged, but my leather and the back of my neck were getting cut up. Orange and read teacup shards repeatedly assaulted me under the control of telekinesis. More of my health plummeted until the flying table knocked me side wise. I didn't care if I survived, but I had to stop Alcender from hurting my family before I died.
As I was about to jump on the wand, Alcender rolled away and pulled out a small pink vial. Similar to the fog ones he used earlier. I kicked it away before he could drink it or drop it around us.
The vial shattered upon impact. A bloom of shimmering pink grew around both of us. With my notifications turned off, I didn't know the full effect of what buff I got, but I felt faster, and a portion of my lost health returned.
"Thanks!" I told him. I reached down to grab him. I couldn't see him because of the light effect, but grabbed the first thing I felt. His body was so light as I brought him up to my face.
In my hands was an embroidered pillow from the chairs.
"Crap!" I tossed the pillow too slowly as an invisible force swung me into the wall behind me.
The tapestries and paintings crashed down on me.. The air knocked out of my lungs. Desperately I inhaled, trying to gain control of the one thing I had control of earlier. Even the dust violated my lungs as I tried to breathe. I watched as the tapestries I lied on lifted and wrapped up tight around me, following the circle that Alcender made with his wand.
He chuckled as he approached. My hands were empty of the axe. The shield remained on my back, acting as a last turtle defense. But I couldn't stand as I got wrapped up tighter than a burrito.
I couldn't give up. I rocked back and forth between each labored breath..
"You couldn't do the finishing blow. You're a weakling who wants power, but can't use it." Alcender's wand lined up at me with another zap. "Stay out of the Pantheon's business."
An arrow zipped across and bounced off before it could hit Alcender's balaclava. The magical ring glowed in the last moment to create a shield.
"Eep!" The mage panicked and shot randomly, without aim toward one side of the room where the arrow came from.
Bearita was crouched behind her knocked over chair, twisting a crank on her crossbow to load up another arrow shot. She must have faked falling earlier, grabbing her hidden crossbow from somewhere. Alcender launched another electric glow spell at the table where she hid. I couldn't see his face, but his eyes lacked any fear.
With his focus on the shopkeeper, the magic around the tapestry disappeared. While I rocked back and forth, Bearita launched pillows at Alcender as he dashed around the room to line a shot up on Bearita.
"I wonder what loot you have," he sneered.
Villans always have to say the last words, especially when they're streaming. Free of the tapestry, I did my M.O. move and threw my shield at him before he could fire another electrical glow spell at Bearita.
The ceramic shield absorbed the shot. As it clattered to the ground, its intricate design on the front glowed from the spell.
"Go away already!" Alcender turned his anger at me.
I pulled out my last axe on my side. "Leave my guild alone."
"Grrr, your guild is ruining my carefully laid out plans!" He pointed his wand at me. A new green light glowed at the end.
I grinned at my success. He had completely forgotten about the more powerful threat in the room. I had to make sure we had a real chance.
I threw my last axe at Alcender while running forward at him. The blue glow of the magical ring bloomed again - and then the ring shattered.
I tackled him, punched him in the face before he could blast me. My original plan was to get close enough to steal the ring. I didn't realize it had a charge counter. Scrambling off him, I got out of the way, achieving my job for the easy shot.
Bearita fired an arrow directly into his gut, only a few feet away. Alcender never got off the ground and curled up around the arrow in his gut. The hit only did a fifth of his health. But he was dripping, a high percentage bleed effect was on him as he moved.
He glanced back at me and pulled out a scroll. "Pfft, I make bleed healing potions and will survive. The Pantheon's coming for your guild!"
I jumped forward down on him, and he kicked up at me. He was a slimy thing dripping from his injury. Too obsessed to hold on to his wand and scroll, I had to take them from him. It would be the best way to disarm him. Especially since I had no clue what the scroll did.
"Move!" Bearita shouted.
Listening to my ally, I gave up the hunt for the wand.
Bearita fired another arrow at Alcender as he ripped the scroll apart. It would've been a head shot, instead it zoomed across his shadow as he vanished. The pieces of the scroll floated to the ground, with the word "DÓNDE" sizzling away in the air.