Advent of Eternity - Ch 37 (Patreon)

“Happy to oblige,” Cyll said. He kept himself between Knell and the man as the group walked past, but he did nothing but turn to watch them pass. As soon as they started toward the exit of the room, the black-clad man followed after them.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Stix asked.

“Following you.”

“Why?” Cyll asked. “You trying to fight?”

“You will bring much death. I can feel it. And thus, I follow.”

“Absolutely not,” Stix said. “We’ve already got one wierdo. We don’t need your creepy smile following us around. You haven’t even said your name!”

“Nor have you said yours.”

“No.”

“Her name is Stix,” Cyll said, more to get a rise out of the elf than any other reason.

“Cyll!” Stix exclaimed. “Really?”

“The river of death,” the man said. “How… quaint. Then, I am the Ferryman.”

“That’s a title, not a name,” Stix said. “Just turn around and walk away. We don’t need to fight you here.”

“Joseph, then. It is a name.”

“Is it your name?” Knell asked, an eyebrow quirking slightly.

“It will suffice.”

“It’s one thing to avoid a pointless fight, but why should we let you travel with us?” Knell asked. “We know nothing about you. You could betray us or try to interfere.”

“Your words are hollow,” Joseph said with a dry, raspy chuckle. “I know your prey, fledgling godkiller. We are cut from the same cloth, you and I. There is no logical reason for me to betray you.”

“Godkiller?” Stix asked, frowning. “Knell, what’s he talking about?”

“Things he shouldn’t be,” Knell said flatly. “The gods might not be omniscient, but there’s no reason to speak of such things before anything has come into fruition. And any man can speak words. I have no reason to trust you, Joseph.”

“No, I suppose not. I was prepared for such an event, though. Perhaps this will prove the benefit of humoring me?”

Joseph reached into his cloak and pulled out a charm. It was little more than a drab, gray slab the size of Knell’s palm on a thick, tattered hemp rope. The metal was tarnished black and brown, as if it had been badly burnt.

“A piece of warped metal?” Knell asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“A very rare one,” Joseph said, extending a hand. Knell considered the other man for a moment, then lifted the charm from his hand with the tip of his staff. He studied the metal, squinting as it warped and squirmed under scrutiny.

The harder he squinted, the more of the metal seemed to wash away, revealing a simple face carved into it. It was composed of three plain circles, two for the eyes and one lengthened one for the mouth. At the center of the mouth was a tiny, glimmering green fragment.

“A Boon,” Knell breathed. “I couldn’t sense it, though. You’ve made an artifact?”

“It blocks the gods’ scrutiny,” Joseph said, pulling his cloak back to reveal a tarnished metal medallion hanging from his own neck. “Their passing scrutiny, at least. If they try too hard, this won’t hold up. But it helps me speak easier.”

“He could be lying,” Sylph said. “That could be a trap.”

“Not a bad thought,” Knell said approvingly. “But it would be a very strange one. I don’t have any ability to identify an artifact, but there are others who do. We’ll have to bring this into a town and have one of them examine it.”

“Do as you will,” Joseph said with a shrug. “I trust an artifact is sufficient to buy me a few meagre hours? I will be gone before you know it.”

“We’ll tolerate your presence for now,” Knell said, tucking the artifact into a pocket. “If only because you seem to share a common goal with me.”

“Splendid,” Jospeh said, shifting his grip on the shepherd’s staff in his hands. Still, the bell did not ring. “Us staff wielders must stick together.”

Stix’s lips pursed. “Was…that a pun? Stick?”

Jospeh pulled his hat lower over his face. “Lead the way, my good man.”

“I’m many things,” Knell said, shaking his head as they started down the hall once more. “But I do not think a good man is one of them.”

The hall was wide enough for Cyll to walk beside Knell, so the large man positioned himself at his captain’s side, alternating from looking ahead to glancing back at Joseph. Stix took up their rear, her daggers in her hands and her eyes locked on Joseph’s back.

If the drab man was bothered by their attention, he certainly didn’t show it. He walked with an easy amble to his steps, almost completely silent. He didn’t even use the shepherd’s staff to walk, instead swinging it over his shoulders and draping his arms over it.

“Your bell doesn’t seem to work very well,” Cyll observed in a low whisper as they turned a corner.

“It only rings when I want it to,” Jospeh said. “She’s such a good girl, isn’t she?”

“Last time I checked, I was still a man,” Cyll said. He pulled his pants back and glanced down, then nodded. “Yup. Still there.”

“I don’t think he was talking about you.” Stix’s nose scrunched in disgust. “And keep your pants on, you withered old man.”

“Bah. I just need more meat on my bones. I’m spry as a chicken,” Cyll said.

“Let’s keep the chatter to a hushed nothing,” Knell hissed. “We might be trying to move quickly, but there’s no reason to announce our arrival to everyone in a ten mile radius.”

His crew stopped talking, mollified. Their trek through the dungeon brought them through several more rooms, each populated by goblins. Cyll and Stix made short work out of most of their opponents and took all the crystals they dropped. Joseph remained beside Knell, not raising his staff once to either fight or defend. It was as if the monsters didn’t see him at all.

“If you’re trying to make a good impression, I’d think you’d help fight a little,” Knell drawled, knocking a goblin’s sword to the side and bringing his staff down on its head with a loud thunk. The creature crumpled to the ground at his feet and Knell looted it.

“I am not a fighter,” Joseph said with a shrug. His face was still covered by the square hat on his head, making it impossible to tell exactly what he was thinking. “My uses lie in other fields. And I do not care of your opinion of me. You have been paid, and our business today will soon be done.”

“Can you do anything useful at all, then?” Knell asked.

“In due time. There are more men in this dungeon, seeking the crystals.”

“And I don’t suppose you know what they do?”

“Energy sources, from what I can tell,” Joseph said. “They can empower certain equipment or magical spells. I have no need for such trivialities.”