CLEO – Ankratur

  Cleo descended the stairs when she heard someone bustling about, to find Kalak and Rosalia both up, dressed, and looking like they were about to leave. On the low coffee table were three stacks of copper coins, a smaller silver pile, and one gold coin.

  “Ah, Cleo!” Rosalia said. “You’re awake. We’re heading out to see Scrubby’s family. I think it’s best to do this as soon as possible. We don’t want rumors to reach his family before we can talk to them. I didn’t think you’d want to come. After all, you never met him, or them. We’ll be back soon, and then we can visit the baths. A good, long hot scrub will do wonders to wash away both the grime of the Blighted Lands and the memories.”

  After what Mau had said, Cleo focused on Rosalia’s words and could now hear they were completely different to English, and the smattering of Mandarin she’d learned from her mom. It was weird and unsettling to know that your mind had been changed without your permission, even though the result was a welcome one.

  “I don’t think I’ll join you at the baths,” Cleo said reluctantly, listening to the strange words leave her lips. She was relatively clean after her shower, and although a long, hot soak would feel fantastic and do wonders for her mood, it sounded like a visit to the baths would take some time. “I… need to get going. I need to…” do my best… “get some clothes, and adventuring or traveling gear.” And a hundred other things, but some gear would be a good start.

  Rosalia and Kalak exchanged a look, but didn’t press her.

  “That’s a shame,” the mage said. “It’s one of the few good things about Ankratur, or any city, come to think of it. I was looking forward to our outing. Anyhow, there’s a mug of koko for you in the kitchen, and a slightly stale biscuit. It’s all we have, I’m afraid.”

  “We don’t keep much fresh food in the house,” Kalak added. “We’re not here most of the time. And we’ll be back out in the Blighted Lands again soon. You’re in a hurry, that’s plain, but if you’re interested, we could use a third person in our party.”

  Cleo shook her head, sorry to disappoint both of them after all they’d done for her. Despite the fact that Rosalia had expected to summon a hero, which had turned out to be her. “I can’t. And I can’t explain either. I just… it’s best if I leave as soon as possible.”

  Rosalia and Kalak shared another glance, and then the warrior continued busying himself removing coins from a large leather pouch, and placing them into a smaller one. Rosalia gave him a handful, and he added it to the others.

  “Right,” he said. “That’s your loot, Cleo.” He pointed to the coins on the table. “Twenty-seven copper drabs, eight silver talents, and one gold florin. It’s fair, so don’t argue. This here’s for Scrubby’s family. It won’t go far, but it’s the best we can do for now.”

  Cleo moved to take her coins, at the same time trying to remember what the various denominations were called. “I can give you some—”

  Rosalia’s hands closed over hers and the silver coins she’d picked up. “No. You’ll need all you can where you’re going. They’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. We managed without you before, and we will again. Kalak, let’s get this done. Cleo, we’ll return soon. We’ll grab some gear for you on the way back, and some clothes. Hand me a few of your silvers, please.”

  Cleo did, and Rosalia and Kalak exited the front door, leaving her to her thoughts. She was still shaky from Mau’s visit and grabbed her koko, gulping a few warm mouthfuls to help settle her stomach. She sat on one of the thin cushions and counted her coins, finding twenty-seven coppers—drabs—, five silvers—talents—, and the gold… florin. She didn’t know if it was a lot of money, or whether it would barely last a week or a few months. She sighed, knowing a new currency and the worth of things would take effort and a while to get used to. Plus, since the world wasn’t that advanced, and certainly not industrialized that she’d seen so far, prices would fluctuate greatly from area to area. Something to worry about later, but she’d see what Rosalia was able to buy with three of the silver coins.

  Sipping her koko, Cleo found the biscuit, which was about the size of a side plate and relatively flat like a thickish wafer, and nibbled on it. She found it stale and chewy, but pleasantly spiced with cinnamon and maybe nutmeg, filled with chopped nuts, and honey-sweetened. After a while, she decided that actually, it was not too sweet and quite nice.

  While she waited for them to return, Cleo went over what she needed to do. First came clothes and a pack, though hopefully Rosalia had those covered. Perhaps she should sell her armbands, torc, and the orichalcum beads? But she had a feeling that out here on the frontier the price she’d get for them wouldn’t be anywhere close to their true value, and she’d be far better off keeping them until she made it to the city of Lethanas, where the Misk’Imas Institution was. And a hat—she definitely needed a hat with a brim. Then, she would see if she could afford any healing potions, as without her medications she really needed something to take their place. Then Adventurers’ Guild registration, followed by finding a caravan heading for Lethanas and hope they’d want her services, such as they were.

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  She really wanted to stay for a few days or weeks and learn from Rosalia and Kalak, especially about mana cycling and how to improve, but the warning in her dream and Mau’s brief visit had made it crystal clear that she needed to keep pushing herself and pressing forward.

  No more slacking off for you, Cleo! She rolled her eyes at herself. Nobody could say she’d slacked off, except Mau, but she supposed when there was evil to fight and civilization to save then there was no time to waste. What she needed was a plan. But all she had was ‘get yourself to the Misk’Imas Institution’, as if that would solve everything.

  She must have been lost in her thoughts for far longer than she realized, because before she knew it the front door opened as Rosalia and Kalak returned. Cleo downed the rest of her koko, now cold, and shoved the last of the biscuit into her mouth.

  “This fraking place!” Kalak exclaimed, his face flushed with anger. “It’s a shit-hole!”

  “What happened?” Cleo said, through her mouthful.

  Rosalia murmured soothingly to Kalak, but the warrior stomped around the room, mouth drawn into a grim line.

  “The server at Salt and Wood, Gill, the one Kalak warned off. He’s dead. Someone killed him. They found his body in the alley behind the restaurant. Stabbed. No one knows why, from what we heard.”

  A sick feeling in her stomach forced Cleo to sit down. Dying fighting undead was one thing, but a death here in a supposedly protected city seemed senseless. “That’s terrible, he seemed nice. Did you know him well?”

  Rosalia shook her head. “Not really. But this place… It’s good you’re leaving as soon as possible. Strange things happen on the frontier, few of them good. If I had enough coin, I’d be long gone. Ankratur and the Blighted Lands aren’t the place for an F tier carded. Sorry, Cleo, but it’s the truth. I’ll feel a great deal better once you’re on your way to Lethanas. You’ll be a lot safer there, and at the Institution you should find the help that you need.”

  Kalak dumped what looked to be a half-full leather pack on the floor, along with a pile of clothing. “Yours,” he said gruffly, and then stomped to the kitchen.

  Rosalia watched him go and then shook her head, a sad smile on her face. “Informing Scrubby’s family wasn’t pleasant,” she murmured to Cleo. “But it’s done, and we’ll look out for a card for his daughter. They’ll survive, although they were understandably distressed. Zophia, Scrubby’s daughter, couldn’t stop crying. Losing your father, or a husband, is a terrible thing. I’m glad that unpleasantness is over. There was no point in mentioning you, Cleo, so we didn’t. You didn’t appear until… after.”

  Cleo could only nod.

  Rosalia took a deep breath, then held out a pair of boots and a wide-brimmed hat. “These are for you, from the both of us. Every adventurer and traveler needs a sturdy pair of boots and a practical hat! And I want my clothes and sandals back!”

  Cleo hurriedly stood and thanked Rosalia. “They’re exactly what I need!” The hat was dark brown waxed leather, and would keep the rain off, and also the sun. The boots were calf-length and sturdy, and the stitching fine, so they looked to be of good quality. She wasn’t an expert, but she trusted Rosalia.

  “I took the liberty of buying decent travel clothes for you, and some underclothes. Kalak was too embarrassed to buy them… Although we’re of a size, mine are a little small and don’t quite fit you, I can see. So, I kept that in mind.” Rosalia spread clothes out on the table. “Three pairs of woolen trousers—dark brown to hide the dirt better—and linen shirts, all good quality. Plus the sets of fine linen underclothes, because hemp cloth is too coarse! Life is too short for hemp underclothes, Cleo. Trust me on this. And a few pairs of socks. You’ll need a jacket or coat of some type, but we can look into buying one later.”

  “I can’t thank you enough,” Cleo said. “You’ve both been so kind to me.”

  “It is our fault you’re here, after all.”

  That was true, but Cleo was sure that Saskia had control over where she’d ended up. “Even so, I appreciate it, Rosalia, I really do.”

  “Don’t get all emotional on me, girl. Just promise that if you’re ever in the area in the future, you’ll stop by.”

  “I will! I’ll splurge and buy you both a meal at Salt and Wood.” Then she thought of poor Gill. “Or perhaps another place…” She decided to change the subject. “So, you said you’d sponsor me for Guild membership. I think that’s the next order of business, and then find out what caravans are leaving for Lethanas, and when.”

  “Girl's got a good head on her shoulders,” Kalak said as he emerged from the kitchen, munching on one of the stale biscuits. He looked to be mostly recovered from the emotional strain of their visit to Scrubby’s family, and hearing of Gill’s death. Or perhaps he was just suppressing his emotions. “Apart from wanting to go to one of the Institutions that is. Too many snobby types and a waste of coin if you ask me. Are you sure you can’t rest for another day or two?”

  The fight against the Corrupted Scourge is Kalak’s and Rosalia’s war, though they don’t realize it yet. And they are losing.

  How much could she tell them? And how much should she tell them? At the moment, Cleo decided they were better off not knowing.

  An apocalypse of sorts, a cataclysm of undead and corruption was coming, and so far there was no way to stop the tide—even the gods of this world were clutching at straws. Was the Eternal Empire not strong enough? Was their invasion of other countries in order to become unified and stronger actually weakening the resistance to the Corrupted Scourge? Were forces working from within the Empire to hamstring it? Cleo knew from history, and what was going on in her own world, that there was a type of person that didn’t care how much blood they spilled or how many corpses they created if it helped them to achieve their goals-—but that their goals were usually to claim dominance over others. There was always war, because it was a path to wealth and power. And it brought out the worst in humanity. Clearly, the current order here would fail. Probably because of simmering conflicts and tensions, competing interests, and social and cultural differences and prejudices.

  How could she, with her ignorance of this world and its people and its magic, change the course of civilization? She had to believe that she could make a difference in the long run, somehow, if she persevered and grew in both power and resolve. Otherwise, why would Saskia have given her cards?

  She had a goddess on her side, and… Mau.

  “The Adventurers’ Guild,” Cleo said firmly. “And then a caravan. Oh, and a healing potion if possible.”

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