Chapter 40

Nico lifted another pint to his lips as he drank deeply from the cheap mead he had bought. How much had he drank already? His mind was buzzing, he could feel his limbs growing heavier with each gulp. It was all he could think to do after the healers had summarily tossed him out of the city. They had healed him well enough, that was certain, but now he was locked away from his friends... From Talia.

Wiping his mouth he picked at his supper, a shabby meat pie the Inn's owner had thrown together for him. Coin spent easily enough both inside and outside the city walls. He only wished his money could buy him what he was after. Information didn't come nearly as cheaply as mead and meat pies.

"You still down in the dumps there lad?" The Innkeeper smiled softly at Nico. He was an older gentlemen, probably pushing his mid fortieth year. He was thin, though not thin enough to indicate starvation. He had a rosy pallor to him, his dark brown eyes glittered with a kindness Nico hadn't seen in most Arboros folk. What was his name again? Falon? Falk? He was pretty sure it was Falk.

"Agh... Yeah." He swirled the amber liquid in his wooden mug with a sour scowl. How couldn't he be?

"I could give you some more drink but I ave a feeling it won't patch up the wounds yer tempting to drown." He held forward a pitcher which Nico accepted quite willingly. Sure it wouldn't fix his problems but if he muddled his brain enough he wouldn't have to think about them.

"Thanks for your advice anyway old man, don't take it to heart that I'm going to ignore it." The man smiled as he grabbed Nico's obviously discarded plate and turned to go.

"No offence taken young man. Food for thought at least. I'll make sure yer bed's ready for ya when you end up falling into it." How many nights had Falk taken care of him? He wasn't getting much foot-traffic considering the flying rumors of demons and plagues afflicting the city of light. Falk was running low on everything, money, drink, food, customers. It probably made him more than happy to have a job.

Nico took a deep swig of his drink, enjoying the chill of the alcohol as it both froze and burned his throat. It wasn't a cure but it would do. For now. He peered around the gathering area only to note the large absence of folks. There were a few haggard farmers drowning their own sorrows, though they weren't talkers. More than that they never stepped foot into the city, they wouldn't know thing when it came to missing dwarves or half giants.

'I need to get into the city... But they're looking for a necromancer. More than that they know what I look like.' He had already tried several times only to be turned away at the gates. He tried to sneak in once or twice as well, though somehow the city guard managed to ferret him out rather quickly. He wasn't sure what other tactics he could use, especially until he could manage to change back into his raven form.

The only upside to being thrown out of the city was his slow recovery of mana. His bones were mostly healed by now as well, once he was recovered enough to take flight he'd set to searching in earnest. The guards could try to throw out a raven but they'd look awfully foolish. Until then he was content to simply drag his feet through life.

"You look like a sorry sack of shit." He slipped, dropping his mug as he looked up to see the one person he never anticipated seeing. At least, not where he was sitting. Midnight smiled down at him with her usual cold expression. Her dark eyes were almost supernatural in their ability to instill fear and discomfort. Her black hair was pinned up into a high ponytail showcasing her neck and shoulders. How long had it been since they'd seen each other? It felt like years.

"Well... I can't tell if the gods are showing me favor or trying to finish the job." He snapped, eyeing his drink on the floor longingly. He hoped she'd finish the job, at least then he'd be put out of his misery. She pulled a chair out before plopping down with a groan.

"You always were melodramatic. I'm here to help, I received a rather... Interesting letter from Talia a few days ago and she told me to find you first. So, here I am. I must say you weren't hard to find, you've been pouting here for a while. When was the last time you were sober?" He growled at her. Why would Talia ask her of all people for help? It was like asking a snake to rescue a frog, they were better off just offing themselves.

"Does it really matter?" He growled. He waved at Falk but Midnight slapped his hand down. He was about to snap at her when she shook her head and held a finger to her lips.

"You've been the apple of the guards eyes for the past hour. They're just looking for a reason to toss you in the dungeons. So if you want to be of any use to me and to Talia I suggest you leave off on the liquor for a while ay?" He sighed, taking his hands back with quiet acceptance. He didn't care for Midnight but she was a capable assassin. And if she hadn't killed him already she wasn't going to.

"Sure, why not?" He didn't know what exactly to say. In fact he wasn't even certain she was really there. He was really drunk.

"So tell me what's going on, I need to understand what's at stake." She pulled on her hair while leaning down, her sinister turning sweet. He sighed as he looked towards the two guards sitting near the entrance. They were watching them both like hawks.

"I think we need to find somewhere more private. I've got a room." He stood up, laying a few coins down on his table before leading her back into the room. She was as quiet as ever. It unsettled him. Once he got to his door he pulled a key from his trousers, it was one of three locking rooms in the Inn.

"Classy, I thought you had higher taste?" Her jibe was usual for her snarky attitude. He ignored her as he closed the door behind her.

"It wouldn't be so bad, but word has traveled of my... Affiliations. It would seem the King is eager to see me swept away from his kingdom. Whatever his angle he was working hard at it." He sat on his bed as he placed his head in his hands. Now that the headache was setting in all he wanted to do was sleep.

"The King... Right. I think we need to start before that." Midnight took a seat at his small table in the corner. He sighed, this was going to take a while.

"So... The rumors are true. Demons... Vekkar... And you're telling me Talia's an actual freaking dragon rider? And you've been running from demons in an attempt to get dwarven royalty back home? You say the King is working an angle but it sounds to me the gods are too. You're right, this is going to be a tough job." She tapped her fingers on the table with a listless stare.

"You're telling me." He growled. His head was pounding already.

"Nazir's been wondering where you two went off to. I mean, we all know you and Talia like to drag out your missions but damn son, what's it been this time? You're lucky he's not out looking yet. I think after we rescue Talia we should..."

"Don't even start there woman, I'm not crossing her path and neither should you. Talia asked for your help so either help or get out." He growled as he pointed to the sky. Midnight rolled her eyes,

"I'm here to help. If I had ulterior motives I'd have seen them out already. Just because we have a strained relationship doesn't mean I'm out to get you all the time. So, let's brainstorm. They're looking for you, but the King doesn't know my face." She brushed her cheeks with her fingers with a cheeky smile. He shuddered, even when she was trying to look cute she still scared him.

"That's all well and good but if the King finds out who you are and what you're doing you could end up just as missing as everyone else." He drummed his fingers on his thighs as he contemplated their options. She frowned as she considered their dilemma as well.

"So how much longer before you can change into a raven?" She eyed him as he sank into thought. He had never had to think about it before. He had never been so short on mana...

"A few days if I can continue to recover my mana at this rate. But we're still close to the walls, if I were to travel out farther it could be a lot sooner." He wasn't keen on the idea of travelling farther from the city, but perhaps if the guards communicated to the King that they watched him leave they'd be less likely to watch for intruders.

"Even I can feel the drain from here. How are you gaining mana?" She scowled angrily as she fingered a dagger at her hip. He smiled, her frustration was amusing to him as always.

"I suppose the longer you're here, the more you're able to resist it I guess." He shrugged, his mind was so numb he couldn't even come up with a legitimate sounding hypothesis. Did it matter? Couldn't he sleep off his fast approaching hangover in peace? Then they could talk later. He rubbed his temples. Why did he keep drinking when all it ever did was hurt him? He wanted to go back to pre-headache drunk.

"Huh. Well, fine. Let's ride out for a few miles and camp for the night." She stood up and grabbed his cloak from a peg on the wall. He watched with widening eyes. Was she serious? Ride? He could barely walk.

"I think... Tomorrow maybe?" It turned into a question more than a statement. She rolled her eyes before snatching up his wrist and dragging him out the door. She had snatched his key away from him at some point, using it to lock the door behind them.

"You seriously... Ugh... Think I can ride? You're mental." He chuckled at the very idea of it. Was he getting more drunk again? He was certainly feeling light headed. Or maybe it was because he was standing again.

"Here, drink this." She shoved a small vial into his hand as they pushed out the entryway. He eyed the vial with no small amount of concern. Midnight was famed for her skills at crafting all manner of potions and poisons. But it stood to reason that if she wanted him dead she'd have dispatched him a long time ago without ever showing her face. So he drank it.

"I hope you're cool with violently vomiting for the next thirty minutes." She threw her head back and laughed as she continued to lead him at a breakneck pace towards the stables. His heart raced, though more from fear than the exercise.

"You... You're joking right?!" He wrenched his hand free to cover his mouth. He was panicking, was the pain in his stomach the impending doom of vomit or was it his own fear getting the best of him? She rolled her eyes,

"Yes I'm kidding." He sighed with relief,

"Oh thank..." His stomach lurched and before he could even think he began projectile vomiting. He would have cursed every god he knew as well as Midnight if he weren't so preoccupied with trying not to drown himself in his own fluids.

"That's what you get for being an alcoholic idiot. I'm going to grab the horses, you should be finished by then." She turned and walked away, leaving him a miserable mess.

For about ten minutes he went back and forth from gasping for air like a desperate nearly drowned rat and violently spewing his guts all over the ground. He was sure anyone within hearing distance was getting a real earful of his misery, that much at least served as consolation for Midnights treachery.

"Don't look so miserable, you needed to sober up and it was the only thing I had on hand. The puking should keep any more alcohol from absorbing into your stomach as well as serve as a lesson to you, only get drunk when you know you're not going to have to go to work. Anyway the other various ingredients will sharpen your mind enough and numb your body enough for us to ride out a ways and set up a camp. I hope you don't mind I grabbed some supplies from that room you and your band of misfits rented out to store your tack in." She was riding one of the dwarves white mounts, the horse rearing its head in uncertainty at its new rider. She was leading Jax who was also throwing his head in annoyance.

"Why did you bring Talia's horse? You know he's not a particularly friendly animal." Nico grabbed the reins before laying a hand on Jax's thick neck. The stallion calmed slightly as he nuzzled at Nico's legs. Maybe he was looking for any trace of Talia's scent, Nico was almost sorry he didn't have even that to offer.

"Not to anyone else, but you and her share a bond with this beast. He looked restless, I figure if anything you can at least get him to calm down a bit. From what I hear the stable boys don't like feeding him because he's turned to screaming and biting at them." Nico was almost going to ask how she managed to saddle him up but decided against it. Instead he gently patted the stallion before clambering into the saddle. Jax was a big horse even by horse standards, it was a challenge just to throw himself into the saddle. Once there Midnight wasted no time in leading the way out of the city limits and into the distant plains.

'This better not be a waste of time... Or an attempt to do something foul... But if Talia really did ask for her help it wouldn't do any good to turn away her attempt at it.' He thought to himself as he tried to clear away the remaining dizziness in his head. If her plan did work, at least it was a step forward. Better than rotting in the inns and taverns of Arboros's outskirts that was for sure.