Bound Evil

The sounds of a fist pounding against Emily's door woke her from a fitful slumber. Sitting up it took her a moment to realize these weren't her silk sheets, and reality came crashing back around her.

Alex’s muffled voice came from the other side of the door.

“Emily, I’m going up to breakfast. We’re leaving in half an hour, so hurry up.”

Emily groaned in response and snuggled back into her blankets.

Reading about blood magic all night had not been the best idea but with her new title in place, she couldn’t help feeling satisfied.

Of course, the fact that the curse had stolen something from her pissed her off to no end, but luckily she could replicate something similar with her natural abilities.

The real gem of this title was the fact that she could supposedly gather lifeforce naturally.

The concept was not unfamiliar but the fact that it would supposedly do it passively was amazing. More interestingly was that, unlike others, Emily’s gift didn't have a limit to how much she could store, or at least none that she’d been able to find.

As much as she’d tried, no amount of lifeforce had ever made her feel full, maybe sated, but never more.

Finally, gathering courage, Emily crawled out of the warm covers and collected her things, which she strewn about the room. When she was dressed she headed out and up the stairs. Arriving in the dining room, Emily saw Alex halfway through a large plate of sausages and dark rashes of meat with what looked like hearty soup and a side of green leaves.

As Emily got closer, she spotted a second plate of steaming food on the other end of the table. He’d chosen a spot away from everyone else but not too far to remove them from the bulk of the patrons.

Alex slowed his eating as she sat down at the other end. He was holding the map Selia had given them, having made a few dozen of his own charcoal markings.

“Right so this looks like our best route”

Alex began talking but now that she was closer, a fragrant smell of fine roasted beans trailed on the air, coming from a mug by Alex's side.

Emily’s eyes widened and she nodded her head in its direction.

“What’s that drink called?”

Alex had been about to go on but paused to follow her eyes.

“...It’s called Night brew, it’s a warm bitter drink. Ask Hester for a mug when she passes.”

Emily smiled happily. This world had coffee and it instantly went up by two orders of magnitude in her books.

Only after she had flagged down the woman and gotten her own mug of warm rich brew, did she turn back to Alex who was just finishing up his food.

“Okay so I went over our route last night and I think we can make this trip in good time if everything goes according to plan. Speaking of that what title did you end up picking?”

Emily nodded, swallowing the bitter drink. It needed sugar and cream. Moving in closer to Alex she whispered her final choice.

Alex’s eyes widened for a moment and a look of frustration came over his face, but after a sigh, he relaxed.

“...Fine, I guess. Did you at least get any spells or skills that could help us fight?”

Emily thought about it and looked around the dining room. It was semi-full at this stage with Tulie and Hester running about from table to table.

Her title should be working now, right?

Clutching her night brew between her hand Emily squinted around. She began to feel a very subtle energy moving about the room, issuing forth from every person.

It was similar to watching a candle burning in their chests and normally where the heat would dissipate into the room harmlessly, it was instead gradually moving towards her chest.

It was in minuscule amounts, so much so, that she’d had to concentrate just to make it out, but once she did it became obvious.

All around her, the glow of life force rose like heat waves from everyone, only for it to be caught in the air around her as though drawn to her.

It wasn’t like she was stealing what they needed to live, more like bathing in the afterglow.

Focusing on her chest, Emily felt a near-constant stream of life force seamlessly joining with hers. Comparably, she could get far more from a single elf, but give it time and she was certain she could put up a decent fight against any threat.

The fact of the matter was that as long as she was near people she could passively recharge her reserves.

Emily nodded slowly to Alex.

“In the long run, yes, but we may want to ‘hunt’ a bit before we tackle these creatures.”

Alex used the edge of his sleeve to wipe the oils from the corners of his mouth.

“I’ll keep that in mind. But just so you are in the know. It's going to be a lot harder for to you get back into the keep after this. Leaving probably won’t be a problem, they care far less, but any Spyglass worth their salt will be able to see your title now. And it's not just that title we need to be wary of, others can see under certain circumstances too.”

Alex was whispering and they were far from the other tables, but Emily still glanced around.

She was aware of the risks involved in her choice but it just hadn’t been that big a factor for her.

“I’ll deal with that if it becomes a problem, now pass me some of the rations so I can pack them.”

Alex frowned but handed over her share while she continued to eat. The rations were strange-looking rectangles, similar to a protein bar. They were wrapped tightly in what looked like a coat of wax and then bound together with twine.

When she was done eating, Emily packed and moved towards the door. She’d been for another bath last night but knew the moment they got out there again she’d long for that near scalding water all over again.

Emily left their room keys on the bar and waved at Hester, getting a parting smile as she stepped out after Alex.

He was waiting under the sign of the inn, which Emily could now see read ‘The Cozy Mouse’

“Okay, we’re going to have to go straight through to the other end of the keep. Our destination is in almost the opposite direction.”

Emily shrugged and fell in line with Alex, the two of them making their way towards the core of the keep once more.

This time though, instead of taking the ramp leading deeper into the keep, they stayed level as they moved around the railing and stepped off down another main passage on the opposite end.

This area was similar to the one they had entered through, with busy foot traffic. Guards weren't common in this area, that's why when Emily spotted an older gentleman wearing the keep’s colors she focused on him. Others seemed to avoid his path as he moved through with a righteous presence about him. The guard carried himself with an urgent sense of purpose, his fist tightly clenching what looked like a crumpled letter. His demeanor ensured that no one bothered him or even looked in his direction.

It was for this reason that Emily noticed something off about the man. Behind him, a younger man, probably just leaving his teen years, moved behind the guard. His focus narrowed on the man's back.

Emily was surprised because he’d not been there a mere second ago and now he was barely a step or two behind the guard. Blending in almost perfectly and approaching with abandon.

To Emily, there was only one reason he could be moving like that.

Without even pausing her step Emily put her thumb and index finger to her lips and let rip an ear-piercing whistle at the top of her lungs.

Even the hustle and bustle of people couldn’t drown out the sound, causing several people nearby to place their hands on their ears, Alex included.

As she’d hoped, the guard’s eyes turned in her direction and she smiled tilting her head upwards and using her eyes to indicate to the kid behind him.

At first, the guard looked confused, but he still turned to glance behind himself.

Seeing his target turning, the teen committed to the attack. Bringing a stiletto dagger up toward a gap in the guard's armor.

With reactions that could only have come from a title, the man parried the blow with a weapon of his own. The clash of steel rang out and people nearby yelped in fear, scattering in all directions.

Emily had still been quite a ways from the pair, and she was not interested in intervening anymore than she already had, which turned out to be for the best when the guard took off running toward one of the nearby alleyways. The assassin didn’t hesitate to follow and in the chaos of pressing bodies, they both disappeared into the crowds.

Alex grabbed Emily by the wrist and pulled her through oncoming traffic to an area less occupied but shouting bystanders.

“Dammit, we have to go, if the assassin succeeds they will close down the keep, I’m certain that was a Noble.”

Nodding Emily dodged a vendor pulling at the reins of a winter mule aggressively.

They hit the gates less than ten minutes later and passed through the set of double doors. The room they entered was similar to the lobby they had waited in upon first entering the keep, but the process was far more hands-off. They passed another set of guards who were looking warily around with their weapons crossed over the door, but as they approached Alex whispered something into Emily’s ear, and she pulled out the insignia and flashed it to the guards. The left one’s eyes narrowed, but he motioned to the other guard and they pulled their weapons aside, opening the door for Emily.

The narrow passageway was similar to the last but there was no glass booth in its wall.

The temperature had begun to drop as they neared the end of the passage, Emily pulled the lever to unlatch the door and a blast of icy wind entered the space, looking for gaps in her clothing.

Frost and snow clung to the ground save for the red road leading up a winding path into the mountains.

They kept moving briskly until they had cleared the empty fields around the keep. When they were securely masked behind a layer of foliage, Alex came to a stop, looking back the way they’d come.

“The Five help me, what is it now?”

Emily got the feeling he was talking to himself more than anyone else, but she still asked anyway.

“What was that all about, does that happen a lot?”

Alex shook his head.

“Definitely, but not here. Whatever that was about will send the keep into utter chaos. An attempt on the life a keep Noble is a weight not many can bear.”

Emily pursued her lips and turned to look ahead of them, beginning to edge further down the path.

“Well then, it's a good thing we’re not there anymore.”

Alex shot her a dry look before turning to follow her.

“Out of interest do you know anything about our targets? Like where do they keep their pups?” Emily asked changing the subject.

Alex tightened the straps on his pack and shook his head.

“Rime wolves are normally nomadic, it's only when their pack gets abnormally large that they set down roots, creating hunting grounds so that other creatures know to stay away. And we’re going to have to head straight into the heart of this territory. That's where they keep their young”