Anima di Nerezza
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5 Part 1- A long Walk Home
I sank into one of Vercindelle�s chairs and closed my eyes. I was exhausted. The orc had used up quite a bit of my energy, and I would not have been surprised if I was very sore in the morning. When I opened my eyes, Vercindelle was looking at me inquisitively.
�Love hurts, old man. I can vouch for that,� I softly spoke. He quickly chuckled, then readjusted himself in his personal seat.
�Well, Mabriel, I have run into a few cases of love, and I know its inner workings. However, I am not as knowledgeable about it as you seem to be. Would you care to explain?�
�The orc, Raziel, he is very� flexible. Let us leave it at that. I just want to get on with things. Who is the next man I will be killing?�
�Woman,� he corrected me. �You will be killing a woman. A much respected woman at that.�
�Ah, Vercindelle, when you first mentioned �woman�, I was half convinced that you were talking about Maria. But �respected? Ha! Now I can rest easily,� I spoke in good humor. Vercindelle laughed at this, obviously in a good mood.
�Syn Elsteen is her name. She�s a highly regarded senator, but will not be accompanied by guards,� he continued.
�How�s that? I thought any normal politician would revel in hordes of guards!�
�She worships some higher power, and believes it will protect her from any harm. She has no desire to be watched over by hired mercenaries. Syn lives humbly in a rundown inn next to the outer walls. I know little more than that, Mabriel, but I�m sure you will use whatever you can to aid you.�
�Unguarded target, inn next to the outer wall. I�m uneasy about this one, Vercindelle,� I proclaimed. His gaze lowered, however, and to keep him in good spirits, I quickly added, �But I�ll do it. That is, after I get a good rest. That orc really did me in.� I rose and began to exit the room, but Vercindelle stopped me.
�Mabriel, are you having fun yet? Like you used to?� he asked in a fatherly tone.
�Vercindelle, once you have to be with an orc like� that� you tell me if you have fun with it.� I laughed after this remark and left for good.
It was a long walk back to my room. More accurately, it was a long, tired, sore, achy walk back to my room. I found myself wishing I had simply slept in Vercindelle�s chair. Even THAT would have been better than walking home after a very long evening. Even that would have been better than getting stopped by some ruffian in a dark alley.
�Hey,� he called to me. �Come here. I wanna talk to ya.� I continued walking, wanting anything else than to run into trouble from this low life. Unfortunately for both of us, however, I felt a heavy hand grip my right arm. I decided to play along. Maybe I would have some REAL fun before I went to bed.