Proposed Alliance

Sprite tugged on her new clothes as they exited the Magical Research Institute.

When asking around, a kind researcher led Gerard to a dusty room in the dormitory area of the building. The researcher who had been assigned to that room blew herself up in an experiment the month before, and nobody had the time to clean it out. Inside, Gerard found a small pouch of coins and a set of clothes for Sprite.

She wore knee-high leather boots, dark stockings, a white long-sleeved dress that reached her mid-thighs, and a blue sleeveless coat.

"I hope Leonhard doesn't mind that I gave his staff to one of the researchers to return and left without saying goodbye."

"If he discovers how you created these bodies, the world would become a dangerous place filled with mages jumping into younger bodies and essentially becoming immortal."

"He wouldn't be able to without my knowledge."

"Exactly. You'd probably become a prisoner for the rest of your life."

"Yeah, let's steer clear of the head researcher. How does it feel to wear clothes?"

"I feel gross. Everything is hugging my skin."

"You'll get used to it."

"I don't know; I want to take it all off." Sprite lifted her dress and reached for the waistband of her stockings.

"Nope. You're not doing that." Gerard quickly grabbed her arms and walked her away from prying eyes.

They stood in an alley between two buildings while Gerard lectured her about public nudity.

"Okay, okay. I get it. About your old body, though. Was it okay to leave it like that?"

"It's not like it was mine. That goddess just threw my soul into it without my permission. Hiding it in Addis' old lab was the best I could do for now. Without spells, I have no way to dispose of that body without arousing suspicion. One day, I'll use dematerialisation on it to give the original owner any peace of mind."

"If you say so."

"Well, now that we've got a little money, we can eat!"

"Really?" Sprite's eyes glowed.

"Really." Gerard chuckled.

"Yay!"

They wandered the streets until a sweet aroma reached them. Following the scent like starving animals, Sprite and Gerard arrived at a tavern bursting with chatter from within. Gerard breathed deeply through his nose, and his stomach growled. Sprite's stomach growled as well, and she instinctively slapped it.

"Your stomach isn't an animal that needs to be scolded. It's just letting you know that you're hungry."

"Is that all?" Sprite rubbed her stomach.

"There's an incredible number of things I'm yet to teach you, it seems."

Sprite nodded enthusiastically, and Gerard opened the door to the tavern.

Pure chaos ensued within. Adventurer-like people of all three races sat at large tables that numbered at least twenty. Staff rushed between the tables, grabbing dirty plates and delivering new ones covered in food.

Gerard watched as Sprite licked her lips, and he called to a staff member as he approached the bar.

"What do you want? Hurry it up; we're busy." The petite woman emptied flagons into a barrel beside her and polished the empty ones.

"Would you have a table for two people?"

"In the corner. Over there. What will you be having?"

"The best meat you've got and some roast vegetables."

"Two owlbear steaks with seasonal vegetables!" She yelled to the cooks in the room behind her.

With a gap in the wall, Gerard could make out several people in uniform preparing the food.

"Anything to drink?"

"Two mugs of ale, with one watered down."

"It'll cost you the same as a regular mug."

"That's fine."

"Get to your table, then, and your food will be ready shortly."

The waitress brought over two plates and set them on the table. Each had a steak, slices of a baguette with herbs and spices, and an assortment of vegetables covered in a light gravy.

"It smells so nice!"

"It'll taste just as good."

Sprite eyed off her food with gluttony in her eyes.

"You can eat already."

Without responding, Sprite looked to see how others were eating their food. She grabbed a fork and lifted the entire steak before biting into it.

After her first bite, she devoured the rest before choking. Gerard pointed to the mug by her plate, and she sculled the ale in one go. She breathed deeply and scrunched up her face.

"What is that? The food was delicious, but that drink tasted nasty."

"Ale. It's alcohol; you know what alcohol is, right?"

"A drink obtained through the fermentation of grains, fruits, and other sources of sugar. But those are just words."

"Alcohol removes one's inhibitions and allows them to relax. Some taste better than others."

"You had intoxication resistance before this, right?"

"Right." Gerard finished his mug of ale and smiled.

He bit into the steak and his taste buds danced around in his mouth. The tenderness of the meat and the delicate flavour of herbs he'd never tasted before melted in his mouth.

*No wonder Sprite lost herself to this. Having this as her first meal is going to corrupt her sense of what's normal when it comes to eating, though.*

Once Gerard finished his vegetables, he called over the waitress from before and ordered more food and another round of drinks.

Sprite devoured the meaty pasta dish that arrived next, and Gerard did the same. Two more rounds of ale later, Gerard stumbled out of the tavern after paying for their food. Holding Sprite up shakily as he walked, Gerard tried to draw as little attention as he could.

"Alcohol ish fun..." Sprite murmured before hiccupping.

"Yes, yes. It's fun. Let's take it easy next time."

"Aw, I don't wanna."

Gerard walked her over to a spot of greenery between some houses. A tree swayed in the wind beside a fountain that children joyfully pranced around in. He sat Sprite against the tree and then sat next to her.

"Hey, Sprite?"

"Yes'm?"

"Do you think I've done enough good in this life to make up for the bad in the last one?"

"Only you can know that. Do you feel like you have?"

"Not yet. There are still people I owe."

"Then there's your answer..." Sprite's conversation broke down, and she started to snore.

"If only days like this could continue." Gerard opened his coin purse and sighed.

*Lunch cost seventy-five silver coins. We have 30 gold coins left. Even if we ate once a day, that's only a little over a month before we're broke. We need to find work.*

Gerard rested his eyes for a moment.

---

"Hey, Gerard. Hey, Gerard!"

Gerard woke up to something poking him in the stomach.

He opened his eyes to see a guard poking him with his sword's sheath.

"What? What's going on?"

He looked at Sprite, who had her wrists in shackles.

"Let her go, or-"

"Or what?" The guard pulled his sword from his sheath.

"Nothing. What's the problem?"

"We saw two suspicious people sleeping in the middle of the day, out in the open. When we questioned your companion, they blatantly lied about being your spirit guide, sent here by the gods themselves. That, there, is blasphemy."

"Oh, her? She's still a little drunk. We were celebrating, and I think she let the alcohol get to her head. We, uh, we used to play a game where I was a hero, and she guided me on my journey as a spirit. I guess that's what she was talking about."

"Where's your identification?"

*Oh, well, Sprite only just received a body, and I accidentally dematerialised my identification and the seal provided by the head researcher of the Magical Research Institute. Like hell, I can say that out loud!*

"We don't have any."

"Well, then, we have to take you in."

"When you do, just let Thorkin know that Gerard has been arrested. He'll come to see me personally."

"Sure, sure, as if the captain would bother with the two of you." The guard laughed, and his colleague joined him.

*Sprite; don't do anything foolish.*

[Like kill these idiots? They're ruining my first memories of food and drink with this nonsense.]

*Bear with it for now.*

The citizens of Solares watched as the guards marched them through the streets. They came to a large building, were walked down a flight of stairs, and promptly thrown into a cell together.

Without a word, the guards locked the door and walked away.

"At least tell Thorkin I'm here!"

"Sure, we'll get right on that." The guard laughed.

Gerard heard the door to the jail close, and only the occasional noise from other prisoners broke the silence.

"It stinks in here, Gerard."

"We're lucky we just ate. I don't know how much longer we'll be in here." Gerard grabbed the iron bars of the cell and tried to bend them.

The metal groaned, but it did not bend.

*It seems that forty-five strength isn't enough for this. If I had my magic, I could do something...*

"It's pointless, kid. Just behave yourself. If you haven't done anything too bad, they'll let you out of here in a week. My advice? Play nice, don't antagonise them, and eat what they give you without complaint." A man's raspy voice sounded from the cell beside them through a grate in the wall.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Addis. I guess you could say I'm going to have an extended stay here after what they caught me doing."

Gerard froze. The man who tortured him for years sat helplessly without magic in the room beside him. He felt his heart race, and he breathed slowly to calm down.

"Are you okay?" Sprite whispered.

"I'll be fine. Seeing as though we might be here for a while, this might be a good opportunity to learn," Gerard whispered back.

Gerard cleared his throat and walked up to the stone wall before sitting by the grate.

"What were you caught doing, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It makes me sad to think about all that; now that my goals are impossible to achieve."

"They must have been pretty pathetic goals if you're giving up on them so easily."

Gerard knew just how to bait the egotistical maniac.

"Pathetic? Pathetic!? I'll have you know that I was going to become immortal!"

"Oh, that's amazing."

And like that, Addis recounted his tale of experimentation on the undead in search of immortality.

"I wasn't always like this, though. There was a time I believed in more than just the search for never-ending knowledge."

"How so?" Gerard shifted his body.

"My parents were two world-renowned researchers. They travelled the continent searching for ancient magics that they believed existed hundreds of years ago. My mother and father made great advancements in the knowledge of magic. One day, in the countryside, bandits attacked our wagon and killed my parents in front of me before taking everything of value. They left me alive for whatever pitiful reason, and I vowed to get strong enough and gain enough knowledge to find a different fate than my parents. Eventually, I discovered my first pieces of knowledge on immortality through a traveller who practised necromancy, and that brought me to where I am today. A man without magic, without freedom, and a future."

"Th-that's a lot to take in..."

"Why? Do I know you?"

"You were dealt a shitty hand. Say, what would you do with another chance?"

"Probably spend the rest of my life acquiring knowledge more acceptably, and pay back the debt of the one who gave me that chance. Why?"

"One day, I might just be the person to give you that second chance."

"Sure you are. Have you been listening? There's no way I'm getting out of here, and without magic, there's nothing for me outside of this cell, either."

*He really did break. Almost seven months in a cell, and that aggression and bloodlust from the last time I saw him is completely gone.*

Sprite pulled Gerard away from the wall.

"What's this second chance you're offering?" She started to whisper.

"Well, he's pretty knowledgeable, and even without mana, he'd have his magic. If I can make him a body, like the mannequin you had originally, we'd have ourselves another ally." Gerard also lowered his voice.

"And you trust him?"

"It's not like he hurt me in this life. Besides, if he does anything evil, I'll end him."

"Ruthless."

"But don't worry. When you give a man something to live for when they're at rock bottom, they'll put their faith in you more than anyone else ever will."

"That's brainwashing."

"I'm not that cold. He will have every chance to live his own life.*"

"As a highly intelligent golem? I suppose he would, up until he became a lab rat. That's some real irony there."

Gerard walked back over to the wall and brought his face close to the grate.

"Well, Addis. Just don't die over there, okay? I'll be back to save you when I can."

"I won't hold my breath, oh mysterious saviour." Addis laughed and coughed until he stopped making noise entirely.

"Did he die?" Sprite laughed.

"Who knows? Now we've just got to wait until we're released from here."

"I hope the food is good."

"Somehow, I doubt it." Gerard set his gaze on a bowl in the cell opposite them.

The white sludge in the bowl had even the rats ignoring it.