Daylight lasted around 12-14 hours in summer whereas now it was a little over 11. By the end of the day, the skin-burning white rays had turned golden, enchanting nature itself and bending the landscape under new colors. And here, at the golden walls of the city, Nyx was arguing with the guards.
"Nahah! No luck. We not letting ya in the city looking like that!"
"Yeah. No telling what diseases you might have. Plus! Are you even human? Only humans and merchants are let into the city during war." Both soldiers standing by the gate were skeptical of the golem. If he hadn't been covered in... filth, torn clothes, and hair as if the golem had been living in a rat hole, maybe his female wiles would have been enough to get him through, and nobody would've even stopped him. But apparently, these guys were just some jokers having a little fun.
"For the last time... I was with the cleaning crew. We got split up and stuck back a little and ran in some trouble. What's so hard to understand?!"
"Nonsense! There are no girls, especially like you, in the army!" One accused with rasp in his voice the statement was a lie. But guards were guards. They had to check and see if whoever wants to get in town is trustworthy or not. Merchants wanting to sell stuff? Why not? People wanting to enlist? They're really welcome as orders say. In this case, a filthy woman in rags who looks like she fell out of the sky straight into a garbage dump? Debatable.
"Listen... it's late—we have to close the gate and we don't want you in. But how about you show us something... you know. Make our time worth it?" His words were just wry. Just having fun. Just a jerk.
Back in Elth, a few guys had tried to flirt. Some were just innocent young men, catching the golem from afar and just go with it, and Nyx had let them off gently, not to be cruel or anything but except he was a guy into girl and not a girl into guys. He himself had been rejected a few times in his former life in attempt to bring some moments of calm to his long, undefined slavery.
But his hands were quick as his anger, catching the soldier by his tunic and picking him up off his feet. He was half heavy, half light. Strange.
"HOW ABOUT A WRING JOB?! AROUND THAT NECK! EH!?" At which point, the other guard was on his toes, aiming his halberd at the golem. He almost poked the only good eye before bettering his judgement and holding it in.
For about four seconds, both got stuck like idiots in a bar fight. "What the hell is happening there??" It was a voice heard after someone opened a window of the building few paces on the street. In the old days, when the city was full of folks and visitors, this was the main hangout spot in the south district, now serving as a small outpost for the gate. In somewhat better armor than the soldiers, a lieutenant shouted back at the commotion outside. "What is all this?"
"Sir!" replied the soldier still hanging in the air while the other still had his weapon pointed at the golem's face. But Nyx had made the first move and let go of the man.
As gravity slammed the man's backside to the ground, the lieutenant caught the golem's face. He was familiar with the walking statue. Of all the people passing through the south gate in and out, there was no one more pleasant to look at. "YOUR MEN SEEM TO BE ASKING FAVORS FROM HELPLESS WOMEN PASSING THROUGH THE CITY." The distance between them was average but it was better to shout because was sending a better message. "DO THEY DO THAT A LOT?"
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?! REALLY? WELL! MAYBE THEY NEED THEIR LESSON!"
A few minutes later, the lieutenant had joined the trio at the gate, looking disgusted with his soldiers' behavior. But at the same time, he took a closer look at Nyx. "How the hell did you get that dirty?" His eyes followed the golem's physical appearance. Truth be told, it was as if he had fallen into a ditch full of garbage. But not much under the shit and stink some marks were visible, most on his neck and head.
The living statue folded his arms over his chest and was boiling with anger. "I searched around the houses outside the wall-- looking for some clothes and some shits attacked me."
The lieutenant didn't bother to give any vocal orders, he just waved his hand for the soldiers to close the gate while he and the golem walked past and next to the bar. "Attacked? Have the enemy troops gotten that close to the city again?" he said, worried about the possibility of another siege. "Quick, tell me!"
"I don't think they were enemy soldiers." The golem raised a hand to the man, trying to allay his concerns. "They looked like... people, but grotesque. They had red eyes... They were naked. Long claws. Tall and strong--"
But the captain added, "And skin as a withered old apple."
Nyx affirmed with a nod. "Yeah, like that. What are they?"
"Ghouls." He stated gruffly. "A bunch of bags of filth and trouble. How many were there?" If anything, this was a better option than lizardfolk or other monstrosity right at the moment. But a problem nonetheless.
"Five."
Not a small group, but not a large one either... Probably just scavenging among the corpses. The lieutenant thought. He had seen it before in his youth, patrolling night and day, one or more would pop up in search of food, scavenging among the dead or killing farmers' livestock.
"I'll have to make a report about this. Sweat kick to end the day... How many did you kill?"
"Five. They're dead."
The lieutenant wasn't surprised-- just moments ago the golem showed his power lifting the soldier like a sack of wheat. But five ghouls alone? What is she? Was she tired at all? Injured even?
"Please check the hospital on your way in. Their claws are infectious."
Nyx just shrugged. He had felt it on his own skin, and their claws were useless except for the eye he had lost during the fight. But at least he got a good sip of blood from their remains and later on the way back got fixed. "I'm fine. I'll be okay. I just want to get through. Can I go now?" Now with both eyes functional, Nyx's moon-white irises stared down at the lieutenant as if he were waiting to receive orders. From the man's perspective, there was something behind them, something that kept pushing the golem to act like someone trustworthy.
"As you wish." But he couldn't help saying. "but please... don't forget to—"
"You don't have to tell me."
There weren't many troops roaming the city anymore, but groups still popped up here and there. One small group stopped near one of the fountains to get some water before the last call of the night. Or getting in a change of shift. Or whoever the fuck knows.
The city was already lit up, and the night was still young. So Nyx was on her seventh bucket of water to wash the worst of the filth off. The brief encounter started with two nodes but anything else was nothing special, apart from Nyx stepping aside and let the boys collect a few buckets, letting him getting back on scrubbing. Weirdly, the guys pushed each bucket of water through a blue-glowing horn.
With one last bucket, he hauled the rope up from the well. When he touched it, one of the lanterns left on the street beat over the distorting waves of water, Nyx staring at his face. "You sure look like a real hero..." His sarcasm mirrored the distorted image in the bucket, his face still slightly smeared with some sticky fluid his body couldn't absorb.
"Hm... If only it were that simple." The golem showed no sign of having flinched except for a brief jerk of its neck at the sorcerer. Cecil was quite tall and still walked straight for his age with his long, well-groomed beard. But right now he wore the hood that came with his Skybinder robe. "You need better ears, girl."
"Well, maybe. Still, it's hard to ignore your noisy cackles when you're walking. So my bad." Nyx just rolled his eyes at the man and snickered.
"Shooting straight back. I like that." His smile was barely visible, but one could tell. "It's a spell, that's how I like getting around, nothing so special. What's with all... this?" he pointed shamelessly at the mess that was all Nyx. "Did you land in a pigsty?"
He held off on his answer, waiting for the last drops of water to slide down his face. "Let's say I had a slaughter. I though I saw some people—and I thought I'd help. But turns out they were just some ghouls." The wizard reached out and grabbed the bucket to scoop up his own water.
"Not a very welcoming bunch. Seems they got the short end of the stick. Good job." While he worked, Nyx just leaned on the fountain and watched the bucket land and rise back to the surface like a 2-year-old.
Well, the silence kind of felt like tedious. "So what have you been up these days?" Cecil pulled on the rope, but it was Nyx grabbed the bucket, nodding at the horn hooked to the pole of the well. Cecil opened a wide flask, sticking its mouth on the narrow end of the magic filter.
"Eh... Parka is kind of pulling us around. Repairs, mostly. Tomorrow we have to make some changes to the gates. There's a problem with the locking mechanism." The horn worked its magic, and now fresh water filled the flask to the brim. "He is also'n ass. Does lugging around dead bodies for a living pays off anymore?"
They both walked down the street, following each other's movements and direction even though neither had said where or what they were going to do. "I understand what you're saying. I once had a boss..." but Nyx just shook his head amusedly. Because he killed his boss—yeah. "But I still manage to get something out of it... a little. It was already like..."
But Cecil interrupted, not out of hatred, but because that was his nature. "One weeks tops. It seems pointless now for you to even try. Any blood would have broken down by now." Cecil had chatted a little about biology. After all, he had medical training and education, so talking to Nyx about his favorite field was just light chat to impress a child. The golem also pointed out about even if the body was dead or not, his skin would suck blood like a drain and cause pain to the living.
Their chat was getting pretty fun for the wizard, so he pulled a small cigarette out of his coat pocket. "This is some good stuff. Give it a try" He didn't light it up yet, just playing with it between his fingers like making a show for children.
Yet Nyx refused. "I've tried it before. I can smoke, but I can't smell or taste anything. So I only do it for fun." But Cecil hadn't withdrawn his offer, his hand still held out to the golem, who accepted and lit the tobacco between his fingers. "Thanks."
He nodded contently. "I don't go on trips without at least eight packs." His impressive stash allowing another tobacco being use for his own pleasure. Yet he did no sign or snap of fingers to light it but just staring at with his eyes.
The golem just looked up at him impressed. "That sounds bad. What does your wife think?" Nyx took a puff of tobacco. Unbeknownst to the golem, it was a mixture of several types and flavors—tending to give it a burnt chocolate aroma.
"Eh... Not one good thing at all. Things got worse when our kids got into it!" And they both burst out laughing together, Cecil imagining the moment when they were all caught skipping work just to have a smoke, and Nyx imagining his wife throwing a frying pan and hitting the wizard in the head.
Before either of them realized it, they were back at the cul-de-sac currently occupied by the magical troupe. "Eh... Sorry, but I didn't get your name yet." The golem broke the ice, not liking the prospect of greeting the man next day with a simple "hi."
The wizard took a drag on his tobacco, the last few millimeters turning to ash and extinguishing under the sole of his boot. "My name is Cecil Klommer." He stroked his beard in a friendly gesture. "You drink?"
"Hehah—I wish. Since I came back to life, I haven't found anything more appealing than alcohol. But I can't drink... It kind of gets stuck in my stomach... I think I have one tho." The once dreamlike sensations were long lost to a dream. Even in his previous life, he had acquired a taste for certain drinks. Even stealing sometimes from the manor's bar whilst he was still walking around in disguise. He craved the idle peace, his mind now forever caught in some form of constant awareness. The thrill of alcohol-induced tranquility. Above all, that kind of sleep you could be woken from either by someone else or just nature's call screaming not to piss you pants.
The old man's skilled hand took a small leather-covered steel flask out of his vest pocket and popped the cap off. Vodka. "Homemade. Apples mixed with pears." The burning sensation of the alcohol vapors rose from his throat and tickled Cecil's nostrils, allowing the man to shake off all the fog in his head. "That's good stuff!" he grinned happily.
His boyhood reaction dug up a pleasant memory. Long before he knew how his days would end, Nyx joined a few maids in town after... what was it... spices, yeah. Despite all the terrible things that happened at the duke's court, most of the staff were sympathetic. Back when we visited a shop and the ladies were busy, the salesman slipped us two glasses, even though the golem didn't know what was in the alcohol. Or its name. All he could think was whether the man got a kick out of watching the mansion burn or not. "It's the worst, you know."
"Hmm? What?" Cecil asked after locking the flask up in his pocket.
His breath caught in his throat. "That." He pointing his finger in the direction at flask of liquor . "I can't even get the taste or smell. Or taste food. It's the worst." But his face betrayed him. Even though his tears were imaginary, his muscles tensed as if he wanted to give in to the man. By all that was holy, he was a man through and through. To hell and back and then some. "I'm stuck as a monster..."
"I... Eh. I'm sorry. I don't know how to help." Cecil kept his hands crossed, not wishing to come across as insulting or. . . cause embarrassment. "Oh! How about something to read?" Cecil suggested to the golem as if trying to comfort a child. Not toys or candy but with books. He must have been a lame parent. "The school library has stuff. How about we check it out? I wanted to look for more, but this is even better! We can hang out together! Eh?"
-----------------------
Dörk's ears picked up the click of the door. "Girl! Where have you been? I haven't seen you in days!" Nyx saw his head around the corner of the kitchen. Even more clearly, he saw the house filled with steam and smoke. He approached the human and saw him cooking meat over the round hole of the stove with a skewers.
But Dörk quickly caught the golem's scent. "You smell awful, you know."
He received a nod. "Yeah, I know. Not that I would notice tho." The statue looked around a little and then stopped back at the wizard cooking over the coals. "Do you have any more of that soap?" The question drew the man's attention away from his food for a second.
"Yeah. Yeah. In my big bag." But after only two steps, the wizard's panic was evident in his words. "NO! NO! I'll get it. I'll get it!" The old man rushed past the golem, climbing the stairs and clearly rummaging through his things. "JUST MAKE SURE MY FOOD DOESN'T BURN!"
This is how the old changeling saw what the wizard had prepared to end the day with. Two skewers with tomatoes, onions... something that looked like chicken, perhaps. The embers crackled from the fat dripping over the fire, and the vegetables were nicely browned. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" The universe was mocking the golem in a childish way but why was it was not known to him. His stare was purely animalistic. Even in this tomb of a body, there was still the craving for REAL food at the back of his mind. He inspected both sides and scooped the food off, laying it on a plate close by.
"So how was your day?"
The wood creaked under his foot when he turn around and grabbed the soap. "It was good. Killed some ghouls, that was fun." His eyes rolled back in his head. But the news had piqued the wizard's curiosity. While he continued to eat, the statue shared some more insights about his brawl.
"I usually just set some traps. It's easy. Although sometimes the forest catches fire..."
"Hm. You've been on the road for a long time. An adventurer, I mean."
With one last bite, he finished the last quarter of the baked onion and threw the plate into the sink. "I think I was... 26 when I started. I usually tell people I'm 44, but I'm really 51."
"Hmm... 15 years. That's a lot."
"Twenty-five."
"What's that?" His eyebrows raised in confusion toward Dörk.
"It's 25. You got your math wrong." It took the golem two seconds to crunch the numbers again, maybe five, but it wasn't relevant to the conversation anymore. "Anyway, it's not my full-time job. I usually have my own thing going on. I do it because I have fun. And of course sometimes things don't so well turn up but the important thing is to keep it cool." Dörk seemed to make the life of a contractor very straightforward. Someone submits a request, either the city or an individual. You show up and fix the problem.
Easy money, and loads of it if so. "You must make a lot of money. That's how you opened your 'Wonder Shop'." Nyx drew quotation marks with his hands. But Dörk didn't respond right away. He thought for a moment about what and how he spent his money and how the other adventurers spent theirs. Hoes. Booze.. Potions and ingredients... An apartment... He had those already but women in his life. Sometimes buying was the problem but in all the adventure life was hard.
But in the end, he just blurted out. "Eh... maybe. It's constant work. Believe it or not... if I didn't have my gig, I don't think I'd be doing so well." He leaned back in his chair. Letting the memories of the past pass in. The young lad he was, wringing rich assholes of coin for a simple refrigerator matrix, wooing the ladies and traveling. "But it.. was a lot of joy, you know?"