B4 Chapter 34 - Fairytale

“Is Loretta Nimwind a familiar name to you?” Cael asked.

The street chef watched as Cael took a bite of whatever dried skewers he’d just bought. Like in most cities of the world, ether was the primary currency for all exchanges. That usually left Cael wealthy enough anywhere he went, being an ether hunter, though the abyss city was somehow a stretch for his reserves. He’d paid fifteen ether for this bitter meat, too small to even call a meal. Norfolm either had a food shortage, or the citizens were considerably richer here. Most likely, a little bit of both.

A narrow canal of lava divided the street into two. The canal was definitely artificial with obsidian bricks guiding the lava straight through the middle. Tenements spanned tall on both sides. Despite the lava, the street was as busy as a lesser highway in Surchester. Carriages seemed to be carrying weapons and supplies, such as arrows. There were no horses, and men instead pulled carriages directly with ether-fueled legs.

Most passing demons, even some women, wore scabbards with swords. A good third of all weapons were runic, further solidifying Cael’s assumption that the average citizen earned a lot of ether right now. That ether seemed to come directly from monsters, from the storm season, and almost everyone seemed to be directly fighting.

Citizens weren’t hostile amongst each other to the point that even Cael received very few side-eyes, despite being essentially a criminal on the run and clearly a tourist. A horde of monsters gave a lot of ether, but they also brought danger. Norfolm couldn’t afford internal conflict right now.

A jolt came from a ballistic tower from a few blocks east, and a missile whooshed past. Cael took another bite of the skewer, while the street chef prepared another batch. Alda stood next to Cael, pretending to be his bored partner.

“Are you asking me about Shilman Fried’s granddaughter?” the chef asked.

Cael recoiled in surprise to the point he nearly coughed out the skewers mid-chew. He held a fist over his mouth, until he asked. “Hold on. Loretta Nimwind is his granddaughter?”

The chef looked strangely amused. “It’s one of the most infamous tales in Norfolm. The falling of house Nimwind, and the death of Shilman’s son. An innkeeper could probably give you a better retelling.”

“Can I ask for your version?” Cael asked. He stood by the side of the stall, so he wouldn’t be in the way of any customers. “Innkeepers always exaggerate.”

The chef grumbled something and watched traffic pass for a bit before deeming that today definitely wasn’t busy for his stall. “Some forty years ago, Shilman’s kid had a one-night affair with a young maiden from a smaller noble house. Lila Nimwind. He picked her up at some ball, from what I know. They had their fun, kept their little secret, and never met again.”

“She got pregnant?” Cael asked.

“Yep, the whore got pregnant, and Mr. Nimwinds had to wonder why their sweet angel suddenly had a belly larger than his,” the chef said with a deep laugh. “The fool maiden admitted, in tears, exactly what had gone down, with whom and when, except she claimed she’d been dragged to the bedroom by Fried. Claimed she’d been forced to sell herself for his pleasure.”

“Uh-huh,” Cael said. “So she accused the son of a fifth elevation archmage that his son was a rapist?”

The chef chuckled again. “Not the smartest claim, eh? Mr. Nimwind was smart enough to disown Lila regardless, and that was that… Until Lila herself ran crying to who was supposed to be her fiance to spread the same story. The damned guy took her in, in secret, intending to help her give birth and then kill the bastard child, to then pretend like Lila had never been pregnant in the first place. Some solid teen logic right there.”

“So Loretta was abandoned and lived in the streets?” Cael asked.

“Oh not at all!” the chef said with a laugh. “This is the part where you tourists make fun of us for making up fairytales.”

“Please continue,” Cael said.

“Lila didn’t disown her baby at all. She refused, which led her to get disowned by her fiance as well. She was sent to the streets, where she raised Loretta alone. She was supposedly a loving mother, and surprisingly proficient at keeping herself afoot in the underworld. All went well, and Loretta grew healthily for six years…”

The chef glanced at Cael with a look that said, “You’re not going to believe this.”

“...Until Lila and Mr. Fried met again. Lila decided that now was a good time to confess to Mr. Fried that she’d always loved him, and that he should come meet their six year old daughter.”

“Ah,” Cael said. “Well, I can see how people don’t believe this tale.”

“I haven’t even gotten to the ridiculous bits,” the chef said. “Because Mr. Fried’s actual engagement overheard Lila’s confession.”

Cael leaned his head forward. Partly to give the chef the reaction he wanted from his tale, and partly because this was actually getting unbelievable.

“From there, Mr. Fried reacted like any sensible hunter, and he blew up not only Lila’s home, but also the Nimwinds’ keep.” He chuckled again. “That part is a fact. The keep is still a fiery husk. Lila died, and so did most of the Nimwinds, but he missed little Loretta, whose loving mother was just brutally burned.”

“Oh, wow,” was all Cael could manage to say.

“Loretta was just old enough to know what had happened,” the chef said. “Or maybe she learned after the fact. Either way, she grew up to be an assassin in Norfolm’s underworld. Until, at nineteen years of age, she got her revenge and killed her own father. That’s also a confirmed fact.”

“How long ago was that?” Cael asked. “Around twenty years?”

“Something along those lines,” the chef said. “It’s one hell of a tale. As far as I know, everything I just told you is true. The big details are all confirmed. Loretta is Lila Nimwind’s and Fried’s daughter. Fried killed Lila and burned the Nimwinds’ keep. Loretta killed her father.”

Cael glanced at Alda to find her just as shocked by the tale. What could he even make of that?

“The funniest part,” the chef continued, “Shilman Fried himself claims he doesn’t have a son, let alone a granddaughter. The damned mage forgot the existence of his own son.” He hit his thigh, laughing. “Not that it matters anymore. He’s now dead as well.”

“Wait,” Cael asked. “Who’s dead?”

The chef sighed. “Do I need to start selling information for ether?”

Cael transferred fifty ether to his core. “Share everything you know, please.”

“No, no, no, I don’t have enough for this much. It’s all known news.”

“Share anyway.”

“Well… Shilman died in a duel against Vivian Runeblessed. The Ethersmith.”

“Ethersmith?” Cael asked.

“I don’t know, man,” the chef said, shaking his head. “That’s just what she’s called. Apparently, she can shape ether itself.” He frowned. “I told you I don’t have good information.”

His stall finally saw action as a woman walked in to check his skewers. Cael turned to Alda. “Well… Should we go find Vivi, then?”

***

Vivi barely felt energized after her nap. The bed was still far too soft and comfy, despite her asking for something rough. Maybe she should have asked for a bunk in a barrack or something.

She forced herself to get up anyway. She had a lot to do. Once she was back in Shivenar, she’d let herself sleep for a full night.

The first thing on her schedule was to meet with Adalene’s runesmiths, and any other professionals the Queen wished Vivi would teach. She requested bitter tea and a slice of bread from house service, which was delivered in less than three minutes. The tea was even more bitter than what she made at home to the point it was vile to drink. The exact kind of punch to the head she needed to wake up.

She was then led to a small workshop outside the palace, where thirteen demons waited with apprehensive expressions. Liaf was one of them.

What’s the chance he has spread rumors about me… Vivi thought. It would probably be best to clear things up.

“Hello,” she said. “My name is Vivian Runeblessed. An inside-carving runesmith from the surface.”

No reaction. Everyone knew that already. “Up until today,” Vivi continued, “Shilman Fried enslaved me for his insane project of shooting a missile to the sun. I spent the time crafting armor to fight him instead.”

She then summoned her slingshot launcher and showed it to the demons. “This device can’t quite shoot missiles to the sun, but it’s powerful enough to harm colossi. I’m going to show you how to create a slingshot launcher.”