Qayshaun Bedgood
"What? Did something go wrong? Why are you gentlemen hiding out in a damp alley like this as if you were some uncouth vagrant?"
Seeing Mark appearing in this alley was odd, but the man's Cheshire-like grin set me at ease. He laughed at his own words as he placed his hand on my shoulder. He would look behind me, spotting Bishop while he approached.
"What are you doing here, Mark?" Bonner asked, his tone showcasing his disbelief. "How did you even find us?"
"I'm a foxkin. I used my nose to track you down. Imagine my surprise when I find you two cowering around a corner," Mark responded. He pressed his glasses on his nose and watched us with curiosity.
That made sense, but I never got to ask Mark if he was capable of that. Apparently, Bonner assumed he was as the elf nodded his head in acceptance. We looked at the man for a moment before I asked the obvious question, "So, how did the trip go? Did you find what you were looking for?"
He nodded with confirmation before gesturing for us to follow him. We did so, and he led us further into the alley.
"We're going to regroup with the old man and explain what happened," he said.
"You can tell us now. That old bastard refuses to share information with us, so we'll keep the contents of your trip to the Grotto as our secret," I said, exhaling with contempt.
Horace has proven to be an unworthy ally, and I'm getting tired of seeing him. Sharing information isn't difficult since we are supposedly on the same side, but it seems I am wrong about that. We have obtained very little from Horace's allies, and he has secretly convened their meetings for the last two. He lured us into the busy building and left us in the crowd.
"I can understand that. I'm starting to have my suspicions about him, too. I spoke to his mistress, Lady Clarice, and I think she's becoming more wary of his actions. She says he sneaks out at night sometimes and arrives incredibly late. When asked about that, Horace dismissed her concerns and deflected. I think he's involved, so we'll need to figure out his loyalties," Mark said matter-of-factly.
"He claims that he wants to protect her, but I believe he wants her isolated," Bonner added.
"If she were isolated, then she would be easier to control. Loyalty is easily faked, and his actions should be placed under careful examination. So, gentlemen, tell me your thoughts on Horace," Mark said, glancing over his shoulder. We took a turn down another alley, which was occupied by an encampment of wooden shelters.
A rancid odor slapped us when we got close to the alley, and I could see why. There were a plethora of beastkin and beastmen lying in the wooden structures. Dirt and grime colored their clothing, and despair radiated from lingering eyes. Many of the residents of this encampment were malnourished and covered in wicked scars.
'Wait...their ears are clipped?'
A wolf beastkin woman hobbled into our path as we walked through the encampment. Perhaps she slipped on the slick road due to the rain but collided with Mark. He caught the woman, but their heads still managed to slam into each other. Mark yelped in pain before he slammed the woman onto the ground in a fit of anger.
"Stupid bitch!" Mark growled as he stepped over the woman with little regard.
"Damn, bud. The hell?" Bonner asked, flabbergasted by the display.
I would imagine that headbutt had to hurt, but bouncing the woman like a basketball wasn't warranted. It was cruel, but he shrugged his shoulders with a mischievous grin. Bonner rushed to the woman and crouched down to look over her condition. She moved weakly, but Bonner lifted her head up. A nasty gash was carved into her greasy forehead.
"Ah, sorry. These are old habits, but I'm trying to do better. Wolfkin and foxkin have a long history, and I'm willing to bet that woman picked me as an easy target for a future mugging. As you know, wolfkin has a tremendous sense of smell, and by colliding with me, she aimed to get her scent on my clothing. Paired with the rain, she could lead her friends to my location in order to rob us," Mark said, turning to face the grounded woman.
I noticed a hint of disdain toward the woman as he spouted his justification.
"Old habits, you say?" I asked him incredulously.
He nodded before approaching Bonner and the woman. The kitsune man crouched down and made eye contact with the wolfkin woman. Genuine fear crept over her face as if she saw death coming for her. She would then begin to freak out and fight her way away from the elf. Her wound pooled blood, and I could tell she was stunned by that wicked blow. However, the woman managed to crawl away. That was a good sign, the bump didn't injure her too badly.
"Enough about her. Let's get back to the task at hand. Remember? Horace. Where did he take the two of you?" Mark asked sharply.
Bonner glanced up at him, skepticism lingering in his gaze. His face was emotionless as he stood up and walked toward the exit of the alley. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, so I took the opportunity to fill him in.
"There were two places he refused to involve us in the meeting. An armament shop named Milward's Armaments and a tavern not far from here. We had a scuffle, but nothing serious. We don't know who exactly Horace spoke with, but we should track them down and interrogate them ourselves. Unless you think you can get him to open up with us."
Mark would stroke his goatee as we entered onto the open street. Just like Bonner, he slipped into thought for a moment before nodding. "I think I can convince him to be forthcoming with us."
"I doubt that would be the case, bud. Horace appears to be resentful toward us. It would be a tall order to convince him to be open with us," Bonner said. "I think we would have better luck having Claire convince the man to part with his wisdom."
I scoffed at the final part. "Wisdom, my ass."
Mark appeared to consider our words. He stopped in his tracks before turning to stop in his tracks. His tail swayed slowly, and his ears turned like satellite dishes. I had come to know this as a sign that he was picking up a sound with his enhanced hearing. As we joined him at his side, Mark turned to face the alley from which we had exited.
"We should get out of here. I managed to track down Horace's location, so let's meet him and confront him about his tight lips."
Without waiting for a response, Mark would walk down the street. Something was off about his behavior and mannerisms. While he could be a sadist when it came to video games, Mark, the man, didn't derive a sick pleasure in the pain of others. I doubt he'd dribble a woman on the ground for accidentally headbutting him, either.
We followed his lead, which was slower than I expected. The rain was beginning to become heavier, which would have soaked his clothes.
"Hey, Mark-"
"Where's Claire?" Bonner asked, cutting me off.
Shifting my attention to Bonner, I realized that he hadn't mentioned anything about the result of their mission.
"She returned home," He said plainly.
Mark's tail swayed as we arrived at an unfamiliar building. I was getting weird vibes from the place, but I assume Mark has a reason to have brought us here. The building was small and relatively put together from the outside. Several of the windows were boarded up, and a rotten stench gripped our attention.
"Is that so?" Bonner asked. He moved closer to the building before raising his eyebrow at the kitsune.
Mark shrugged before speaking, "Don't ask me. I have no idea why he'd choose to meet here. I found him when I was looking for you two at the tavern. He asked me to collect you two and bring you here. I was skeptical and against it, but he convinced me. He said trust is earned, and sometimes you must meet some people where they are."
"I'm not going in there," I said, which oddly surprised the kitsune.
"This is a trap. If Horace wanted to meet, it wouldn't be here. That is, unless he intends to assassinate us," Bonner adds with a serious expression.
"How was he when he last met you, Mark? Did Horace do anything that seemed weird?" I asked.
Mark placed his hand underneath his chin as he contemplated my questions. He would step away from the building and match our gaze.
"He claimed that he would find new manpower to assist us. Now that I think about it, there was a notable edge to him. He seemed bothered by my presence," he answered.
"New manpower?" Bonner asked, and Mark nodded his confirmation. "I believe something is amiss; he went out of his way to lose us in that crowd and coincidentally revealed himself to Mark. He wants manpower in hopes of overwhelming us. No matter what angle I look at it from, Horace seems like a traitor and a dangerous one. His loyalty to Claire is likely superficial. I wouldn't be surprised if he was one of the members who orchestrated these events."
"But you must admit that it would be more of a reason for us to get him out of the way. If we suspect him of being an enemy, then it makes sense why he doesn't trust us. The two of you do appear quite ready to assault him. If I were in his shoes, I'd probably strike first as well," Mark said.
"Then what are the options?" I inquired.
Mark shifted his gaze to Bonner, who seemed stunned by the action. The elf shrugged his shoulders before they both looked in my direction.
"I wouldn't have asked if I had an idea."
"If I may be so presumptuous, then I'd suggest we return to our base. Maybe Horace would come around and decide to meet us there instead. It would go a long way in proving himself an ally rather than an enemy." Mark proposed.
"At this point, I wouldn't believe anything Horace says. He's far too sketchy, and even if he hand-delivered the one responsible, I would believe he's doing so to save face," I added.
Bonner nodded and agreed with my statement, and Mark seemed pleased as well. The kitsune man lifted his glasses off his face before looking into the distance. I turned to trace his gaze and realized he was looking at a sign.
'The Sunade Eatery...'
"Then how about we rest inside of that restaurant while the weather calms down?" Mark asked, which surprised me.
I turned to face the man again and realized he was reading a sign that was far away without the assistance of his glasses. He was wiping the accumulated water droplets away before he placed them on his face. He pushed them onto the bridge of his nose with his thumb before reaching into his pocket. A wide grin appeared on his face as he retrieved a pouch of jiggling coins.
"Compliments of our suspicious friend. You can say a bribe would be sufficient," he said with amusement.
Bonner's expression hardened at the sight, but he held his tongue. I faked my laugh to see how the man would react, and sure enough, Mark did so, too. There was a sense of falseness in his laughter; it was unnatural, as if he were held at gunpoint.
"Sounds like a plan to me," I said while placing my hand on the kitsune's shoulder.
"The Sunade Eatery. I wonder what kind of dishes they serve there," Mark said.
I did everything I could to not alter the friendly expression on my face when he said that. I knew that he didn't take another look at the sign with his glasses on, and he might have seen it before he made the suggestion, but something wasn't right. We watched as he marched toward the building, his tail swaying with joy. He tossed and caught the pouch of coins, but before we could follow, Bonner spoke,
"Some people aren't comfortable in their own skins. They choose to walk in the shoes of others."
His meaning wasn't lost to me, and as we watched the fox-tailed man gesture us over, I understood completely. We had no trouble finding a table in the restaurant and were given a table closer to the other beastmen and beastkin sitting. I had nothing against it, but Mark was adamant he wanted a table near the wall. He would appear oddly subservient for some reason, and I chalked it up to him forcing himself into another role. However, I couldn't grasp why he would need to do so now.
I could understand why he would do so when we first met the nobles of Astana, but this was a random restaurant in the city. There should be no reason for him to do so, and if there was a goal to achieve, he didn't inform us of it. We ordered our meals, which, for the sake of price, were the exact same meal for each of us. Naturally, none of us complained about having to do so.
That would be the issue. After a few minutes of silence, our drinks were delivered. When we ordered the water, Mark hesitated a bit, one that I would not normally expect. His eyes wandered over to the alcohol or elixir section for a moment before he asked for the exact same thing we asked for.
"So, Mark, how did your expedition go? Did you achieve what you were looking for?" Bonner asked.
Mark brought the wooden cup to his lips and drank for a few seconds. His eyes darted in between us as he worked out an answer for Bonner's sudden question. After he found one, Mark placed the cup on the table and let out a huff of satisfaction,
"No luck. Claire and I went there but couldn't find what I was looking for. I am hoping to try again when it is convenient. Maybe we could have a better chance of completing it with the three of us. Too many monsters were present, and my strength wasn't enough."
Bonner raised his eyebrow at his response before the elf's laughter spilled out.
"Well, I guess it can't be helped. We'll help you out since we shouldn't expect much from a foxkin." I added.
Mark let out a dry laugh at my comment and nervously rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah, apologies. I tried my best to meet your expectations, but I promise I will not allow myself to fail again."
Marktavious pushed his glasses up on his face as the waitress presented our food to us. It was a simple meal with salad comprising tomatoes and a small piece of rabbit smothered with some gravy. While I personally wasn't keen on having rabbits, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world right now. At least it wasn't some mystery meat. We watched Mark carefully as the man's tail swayed with eagerness.
"Not bad," Mark said, crunching on the tomato.
That act confined something to me; Mark was acting off.
"I see your tastes have changed. I didn't think you would lower yourself to eat your vegetables like that," I said, gauging his reaction.
The man's eyes widened briefly before he laughed nervously.
"It's been a while since I've had a good tomato, so forgive me for just jumping in first. This one is extra juicy and worth the price, and not to mention the lettuce. This place may be in the Silver District, but some talented cooks are here. Remembering this location for future trips would be a good idea."
"I suppose turning into a kitsune would also alter his tastes in food. They were known for their vegetable-based dishes back in I.U.," Bonner said, partaking in his meal.
I was the last one to begin eating, but I picked up my wooden fork, pierced the crunchy lettuce, and combined it with a slice of the well-cooked rabbit. As I brought it to my tongue, I noticed Mark mirroring my actions. I was increasingly interested in reaction, but he seemed oddly content. The meal was nothing to write home about, and Mark didn't voice a single complaint. Bonner didn't seem to recognize the issue with that. Both he and Mark wolfed down the meal as if they hadn't eaten anything in a while.
"Speaking of which, have you learned anything about your mana space since we departed?" I asked him, and Mark shrugged in response.
"There's not much to a mana space... It's just a space where your mana resides as a sort of reservoir. If you focus on it more, then you estimate how much mana you have at any time. Such as now." Mark closed his eyes briefly before his gaze shot toward me. "I'm almost at capacity right now."
"That so? I suspect you didn't have to use much during your expedition."
He shook his head and brought his cup of water to his lips. After he had his fill, he said, "Clarice and I didn't have as much luck on our end, and it seemed you two are also having trouble. We are at a negative, so what do we do next?"
Mark once again looked toward Bonner, who thought for a moment.
"Our goal of getting powerful should remain at the top of the list, but we are no closer to figuring out who persuaded Claire to keep her family name. My leading suspicion is Horace, her closest confidant. He knows everything from her associates to their hidden bases. We need him to open up, and so we'll have to wager Claire against him."
I nodded in agreement. There was not much either of our groups had done to achieve our goals, but on our part, Horace was holding out. We need him to come clean to become more effective as a team. That stubborn old bastard is holding us back, and the more I think about it, the more it frustrates me.
"Don't worry about Horace. I'm sure he will come to his senses and become more cooperative with us. It is in the best interest of... Claire. He seems like the type to... bend when it comes to the safety of his mistress. If we have him believe that she is in trouble, then perhaps we could squeeze the information out of him. Then again, we could just beat the secrets out of him," Mark declared. He laughed briefly before skewering a chunk of lettuce with his fork.
He brought the lettuce to his lips before realizing Bonner's bewildered stare.
"It is unnecessary to resort to violence as a means to obtain information. It is unchristian-like, and our lord would not approve of the transgression. If you ever have those ungodly thoughts again, bud, then ask yourself what Jesus would do."
"Fair point," Mark said, chomping on the lettuce. He spoke dismissively before pointing his fork in my direction. "What say you, brother? Think I should question myself and compare myself to... Jesus?"
"With how you manhandled that poor woman, I think you should heed his advice. Keep that up, and you'll find yourself less desirable. Not many people can get down with violence against the helpless and violence against close-lipped allies. Reflecting on Jesus every once in a while can help contain any bubbling violent tendencies of kitsunes," I responded. As he absorbed my words, I began shredding my slice of rabbit and combined it with the salad.
"Well, it is only fitting that I embrace my more demonic attributes from time to time if we want results. I need to know whether or not you two have my back if it comes to that," Mark said. There was a bit of an edge in his tone, which I picked up immediately.
The way Mark's gaze shifted between the two of us was odd. It was as if he was attempting to gauge our reactions, too. Bonner's expression became neutral as he downed some of his water.
'Demonic attributes? He's speaking in code... there's something he wants to tell us... this is a test.'
"It wouldn't be-"
I interrupted Bonner before he could finish, "Yeah. We'll have your back. So long as these demonic attributes get shit done, then I guess we could turn a blind eye to it. Results matter in our line of work, and Horace isn't giving enough information to make the money we received worth it. I can see it in your eyes, Mark. I know when you have a plan."
Bonner's neutral expression cracked as the man raised an eyebrow at my pivot. I ignored him and leaned toward the table in Mark's direction. Mark's expression shifted immediately, and the man stabbed his rabbit before bringing it to his mouth. His canines ripped into it, separating the meat with the ease of a wild beast. There was no refinement in how he was eating, and that concerned me.
"I haven't been completely honest, but I have gained some new abilities during my expedition. There could be others listening, but I think you two knowing is worth the risk. We are brothers, after all, and I trust my brothers to have my back," Mark said with a mischievous chuckle.
I narrowed my eyes at the man and nodded with acceptance. There was a bit of merit in what he was saying. Mark would trust us to have his back, and I knew he wouldn't walk away from his job without achieving anything. I grew curious about these new abilities, and I wanted to ask him if Fawkes had helped him discover them, but something told me not to ask at that moment.
"Brothers have each other back, but you clearly knew that, and I appreciate your caution. If we find Horace, then we'll allow you to explore your demonic attributes and new abilities," I said. Bonner was about to object, but I gestured with my hand to silence his objections.
Mark flashed a bright grin at my words, and he adjusted his glasses on his face. The fox ears of the man twitched, and on his right, a waitress appeared. She brought us more water and asked us if we were finished. Considering little more than scraps were present on our plates, we came to the conclusion that we were finished.
"Your nose was capable of finding us, so shouldn't it be capable of finding Horace, Mark?" I asked as we all stood up.
The man's tail swayed gently as he opened his coin pouch and dropped a few silver coins onto the table. He eyed the elven waitress hungrily for a moment before acknowledging my question.
"I could, and I'll keep things brief for now, but follow me, and I'll show you a foolproof method of getting results when I track him down."