Isekai Ch 3 vote 3

I took a deep breath, glancing at Yune and Taght.  I wanted to be an adventurer so I could be safe and maybe find some way back home.  At the very least, try to fix this body I’d been stuffed into.  I didn’t know their reasons beyond money; it was true, adventurers always seemed to have money, but Yune didn’t look like she needed it.  And Taght... well, I didn’t have any difficulty imagining him leaving Sonna behind to save his own neck.

“I’m in.  I think there’s a lot of unknowns, but I’m in,” I said, glancing from one to the other.  Sonna gave a relieved smile.

“Let’s go then.  The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get our souls bound,” Yune said as she hopped off the stone she sat upon, dusting her hands and rested her palm on the hilt of the rapier she wore.  Taght unhooked a piece of iron machinery off his belt, a strip of leather wound around a shaft for a grip.  Sonna had a hand crossbow she used with both hands.  I suddenly realized that I was the odd cat out armament wise and didn’t like it one bit.

We ducked out of the Darkmarket, the trio relying on my ears to make sure we weren’t being followed.  I didn’t hear anyone as we made our way through the tunnels under Gateway.  I almost fell behind, passing wall carvings even down here of felonoid warriors fighting humans of giant, dwarf, and equal size.

Yune pulled out a book as seemed to be considering various statuary as we passed.  Many disgorged water from snarling lion maws into troughs that would eventually be pulled up by pumps elsewhere or scooped up in buckets from wells.  “Where does all this water come from?” I wondered.  “The river?”

“Not nearly enough shit,” Taght said.  “This is all ground water.  Gateway’s shit for mines.  Water flows from the mountain all the way down underground and comes out here into the river.  Can’t sink a shaft here without it turning into a well.”

Good place to build a city, I reflected.  I looked over at where Yune was examining the statue pouring water out.  “What are you looking for?” I asked.

“The house is under a lion statue with three broken toes on the left foot,”  She said as she looked at the statue.  “I’m wondering if this one is it.  There’s two toes broken off, but the third is more like a missing claw.”

“Good enough for me,” Taght said as he pressed his ear to the wall and rapped his mace against it sharply.  Yune furrowed her brows as she looked from the book to the statue’s foot.

“Maybe we should be sure before–” Sonna started to say.

“Got a hollow!” Taght announced.  Yune put the book away and Taght set his shoulders and swung the mace repeatedly against the wall.  There was a crunch, and the whole wall pivoted an inch.  Taght began to alternate blows, hitting opposite corners.  Bit by bit, the stone facing worked out.  Finally he wedged in a prybar and slowed levered it open.  A vertical shaft came into view along with an ammonia reek.  “Whew... smells like a shitter!”

Yune covered her mouth.  “It... didn’t say they used it for that.  Just that they walled it up.  Ugh, it’s disgusting.”

Sonna and Taght shared a look as Taght started widening the hole.  “How’d you three meet?” I asked the duskenelf.

“Yune came to the Darkmarket looking for her mom.  She works in the Red Palace.  You know.  The brothel?”  I hoped my blush was indication enough that I did know.  “Yune was pretty easy pickings.  Some thugs were going to mug her.  I warned her and she started coming around more.”  She must have caught me looking over at her because she added, “Yeah, I know she’s not your darkmarket standard, but she’s never broken the rules of the market nor sold me out.”

“Yeah, but who is she?” I asked, keeping my voice down.

“No idea, and I don’t really care.  She’s not like other nobs who occasionally slum down in Darkmarket.  I think she’s a bastard... or whatever the girl equivalent is.  I mean, her mom’s a Felyn.  It’s not like most people are going to line up do acknowledge her.”

I nodded slowly.  “And Taght?”

She looked a little more pained.  “Taght’s... like something you step in and can’t ever scrape off.  He’s Darkmarket to his bones.  No family.  No home.  No nothing.  He started hanging around us and we haven’t figured out how to get rid of him.  I figure he’s safer as a ring than being left alone and becoming a Red Knife.  But he’s nasty in a fight and doesn’t quit.  I mean never ever.”

I looked over where the dwarf was widening the hole.  “Something you step in?” I asked with a weak smile.

“Like dog shit.  Big smelly dog shit.  Ya know, like yer breath,” Taght called over as he finished opening the hole.  “There’s a shaft up.  You dimblers can clamber up there.  I’ll watch down here.

Sonna nodded and she crept into the hole and started to ascend.  I followed after her, glad she was wearing pants and wishing I was.  The serving dress really didn’t cut it for breaking and entering.  Still, my eyes were able to see her pull out a purple crystal that glowed with arcane light.  When she reached the top, I could see the brickwork was different.  She pointed a finger and started to draw along the stones.  A green line pulverized the mortar between the brick, slicinging neatly through it.  After drawing around a dozen bricks, she pressed her palms against it.  There was a soft grinding noise as the block swung free like a brick door.  “Akira,” she said softly, gesturing to the hole and moving aside.  Carefully I reached up and peeked through.

With my sight, the cellar was as well lit as if by starlight.  I saw table legs; it looked as if the hole opened up under a table.  I saw a wine rack and quite a few boxes and chests.  I squeezed... I squeezed... I sque... I gave up trying to squeeze through in a dress and carefully pulled it off and wadded it up, passing it to Sonna.  Stretching out, I was able to squeeze through in just my bindings.  I thought about getting dressed, but a quick escape would be more valuable than modesty at this point.

Definitely a cellar, or sub basement.  I didn’t see any windows anywhere.  There were heavy wood shelves holding a multitude of goods ranging from bags of spices to rocks to what looked like bars of lead.  Was this some trader’s house?  A merchant?  Blacksmith?  Noble?  I had no clue.

I heard drums, flutes, and something stringed playing above.  Some kind of party?  It wasn’t the rougher nones of Auntie’s tavern, but more polished and professional.  I sniffed some roasted poultry that made my stomach growl.  Crawling back to the hole, I poked my head through.  “Is there supposed to be some kind of party at this place, Yune?”

She frowned.  “I don’t think so but there might be,” she said as she looked up at me.  “Peek around.  Even if there’s no soulite, there should be something valuable.”

I had no idea what constituted valuable thought.  There were wine bottles, but which were valuable and which weren’t?  Most of the chests were filled with bolts of cloth.  Pretty, I supposed, but was it worth stealing?  I rattled some of the chests that were locked, but I didn’t have the slightest clue how to open them and didn’t want Sonna to waste any more of her crystal.  I rubbed my head, wondering if I should get my dress... ugh, did I really just think of it as ‘my dress’?  I should get it and go peek upstairs?  Get Sonna to make a bigger hole and check herself?  Just call it a loss?  Would that just make Yune and Taght want to break into somewhere even more dangerous?

I looked at the chests and decided the smallest and most heavily locked was the one most likely to hold something valuable.  I was forced to push it along the floor till it reached the hole.  It ground through and then got caught on the edge.  A minute later, with Yune out of the way, we pushed it the rest of the way through.  There was a crunch and then far below, a thud.  Taght let out a whoop far below.

Then I realized there was far more light in the room as a small form stood on the stairs leading out of the cellar.  The boy looked about Sonna age, with shoulder length hair blond hair in a bowl cut.  Round wireframe glasses held large, wide lenses that gleamed in the light of the candle he held.  His tunic and trousers were fancier than servant faire and he stared at me, the pair of us frozen in the moment.

What was I going to do now?