Chapter 49 - Witnessed

  Deep beneath the false-skyed streets of New Europa, in chambers carved and sculpted from pristine marble and granite, the business of financial empires grinds along incessantly. Representatives from the territories of every Apex who chooses to participate meet to conduct trade and commerce. Deals for resources, favors, information, coin, and even Animus, flow like water through a canal.

  In an office bearing a placard for ‘Representative of Dalamac The Glut : Baltran’, the canal just became a sewer. A voice from within bellows angrily, “What does this mean?!? And it got witnessed?!?” Baltran’s rage is evident in the seething malice virtually dripping from his presence thanks to his Title, As Within So Without.

  The quaking messenger cowers back, his position within The Glut’s organization is supposed to shield him from the consequences of the missives he delivers, but that protection only extends as far as the self-control of the more powerful recipients. “Sir, I was told nothing but where to deliver the message.” He begins to protest, but quickly falls silent again under a withering glare from the corpulent figure behind the desk.

  Baltran crumples up the parchment note, clutching it in a thick-fingered fist until smoke vents from between his digits and ash sprinkles down onto his desk. “Go back to Last Stop, tell the branch there to replace that fool bouncer. Send him here A-S-A-P. No delay, no arguing. I want him in my office to answer for this.” He jabs a soot-stained finger at the messenger.

  “Yes sir, right away.” The messenger says, fleeing from the room without waiting for a proper dismissal.

  The roiling oily emanations of anger slowly subside as Baltran gets his emotions under control. He runs a hand across his bald scalp, smoothing down hair he no longer has. With an annoyed grunt, Baltran notices the damage caused by his aura. The edges of papers are frayed and singed, the desk smolders in places, all from his momentary lapse of control. The man runs one of his meaty hands over the affected areas, leaving things looking undamaged as if the event hadn’t happened.

  Satisfied with the repairs, Baltran picks up a pen and starts to write. “Better get this situation under control quickly. Over committing won’t hurt near as much as under.” He mutters as the pen scratches over the paper, detailing orders to his underlings. “It isn’t like the organisation can’t afford the overkill.”

  Across several territories, other machinations continue to unfold. Shalmond’s focus drifts outwards from the edges of his realm. The Abyssal Grotto serves as more than just The Waiting Breath’s territory, it’s his body, his essence, his senses. A faint tether of connection links him to something external, faintly tugging and resonating against his very being. The link had been there for days, almost a week, but it had been so faint and frail that he’d feared losing it. But then it had sparked to life anew, rekindled as the host restored themself. Feeling it start to flourish brings Shalmond great pleasure.

  The parasitic fungi of The Abyssal Grotto comes in many varieties. Some infect the soil, some the stone, some the water, and it’s the last category that matters. Shalmond thinks back to when his guest had imbibed from the pool. That simple act had allowed Shamond to sequester a tiny spore into Alex’s spirit. It would be harmless, siphoning off a trivial cost from Alex’s store of vitality. In time, the spore will bloom, becoming a symbiotic part of Alex’s soul. Shalmond just hopes that Alex survives long enough to see the process to fruition. It’s so rare that Shalmond makes a friend, he doesn’t know how long it might be before another comes along.

  Thomas sits on the edge of a stone overhang, legs dangling into open air far above an impossibly vast sphere of turbulent waters. He sighs, breathing in the salt-tinged air. He’d felt it when his master had initiated the grand project. He’d warned Thomas to be far away when it happened. Thomas had taken that warning to heart. And now he finds himself enjoying the view above Leviathan’s personal ocean-realm. As far away as the waters’ surface is, scale is entirely lost. It might seem close enough to just take a dive into it, but that fall would take nearly ten minutes of just freefall. And Thomas’s Title makes him ache to just tip forward and fall. It would be pure joy. It would be utter suicide.

  He’d most assuredly survive the plunge, but he wouldn’t survive entering Leviathan’s Territory uninvited. So Thomas just sits and enjoys the view, counting the seconds between pulses he can feel reverberating through his soul. The Cultivator had turned his creation on, and as tied to his benefactor as Thomas is, he can feel the ripples of power thrumming against his core.

  Looking over the edge, Thomas can see movement in the waters below. Outlines of immense shadows fade in and out of view, and Thomas finds himself wondering if whatever lives down there with Leviathan can feel the pulses too. All too quickly, he gets his answer.

  In another corner of Hell, Pinnacle Tower has turned into a buzzing hive. The patrons of the tower gather to discuss the ongoing events, each bringing tidbits of information from the wider reaches of the human portion of Hell. Even some who’ve traveled from regions beyond offer morsels of information. Those aspiring to become Apex can smell the blood in the water.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Oblivious to all of it, Alex meanders down various side-streets, taking in the sights of the district. He keeps heading in the general direction of Uril’s apartment, but he’s in no rush. Hara plods along at his side, the hound’s nose twitching in the air to explore the scents. Corvus glides along just above, keeping an eye on the pair.

  Even Corvus doesn’t take note of the tail the trio had picked up. The boy that Alex had been approached by before follows at a distance, always staying about a half-block back. He’d reported seeing Alex to Uril’raya, just as he’d been instructed. But those weren’t the only instructions he’d been acting on.

  A few times he almost lost them, but thanks to the bird he always spotted them again. Block after block, turn after turn, the kid recognizes where they’re heading. He smirks to himself, knowing he’ll get a bit extra for having more details to report. So lost in his own thoughts, the boy doesn’t notice when he picks up a tail too.

  “Haven’t you already played your part?” The velvety voice reaches his ears right before an arm drapes across his shoulder. Startled, the boy’s head whips around, coming face to face with Uril’raya. The red ungulate eyes stare back into his human ones, the momentary panic that flashes across the boy’s face doesn’t go unnoticed.

  Stumbling over his words, the boy struggles to get an explanation out. “Uril! I didn’t expect… You scared the hell out of me.” He says, trying to recover. “I just figured, if I could learn more, have more to contribute, maybe Gravitas would toss a little more my way.” He says, feigning a nonchalant shrug.

  Uril isn’t buying it. Unfortunately for the boy, the goat’s expression betrays nothing. So accustomed to putting on the mask for performances, Uril’s face simply adopts a self-satisfied smirk and he winks at the boy. “Oh, I see. Tell ya what, I’ll take it from here tonight. You run along.” He says, letting his arm drop from around the kid’s shoulder. “I’ll put in a good word for you with the boss-lady.”

  The little spy mutters a quick thanks and quickly turns to go. Uril doesn’t let the mask slip until the boy has been out of sight for several moments. The smirk turns sour, morphing into a sneer. “Parasite.” He huffs, before turning and starting off in the direction of Alex and the others, jogging to catch up.

  The clack of hooves against the stone street precede the voice that calls out. “Alex!” Uril calls, a genuine grin splitting his lips as he sees Alex turn back towards him. Uril waves as he jogs up, greeting Hara and Corvus too. “Glad I caught up to you.” He chuckles between deep breaths.

  Without even the slightest provocation, a blush starts to color Alex’s cheeks. “Uril!” Alex smiles back. “I was just… ah…” his voice falters and then he bashfully admits, “looking for you.” Seeing the coy smirk that Uril responds with reassures Alex that he’d made the right choice.

  “Well, you found me. Or maybe I found you.” The slightly shorter goat teases back, stepping closer so that his hip and chest brush against Alex. He’s instantly rewarded as Alex’s blush deepens. “Now that I’m here though, was there something specific you wanted me for?” He asks, sliding an arm around Alex’s hip.

  Alex’s mind whirls, he doesn’t know how to answer immediately. For Uril though, the sweetly goofy grin that grows on Alex’s face is plenty of answer. He doesn’t press though, letting Alex collect himself. “I was just… You see… We had to leave early, so I didn’t really have a chance to thank you. And I didn’t know if you wanted me to come back or not.” Alex finally manages to get out, a tremor in his voice betraying how the casual embrace from Uril is affecting him.

  Uril chuckles and winks, giving Alex’s hip a squeeze. “I’m glad you came. And yeah, I was hoping you’d come back around.” He says, smiling up at Alex. “It isn’t nearly midnight this time either.” He teases. “So we’ve got more time to talk and stuff.”

  The incubus looks over and gives Hara a pat on the head. “And of course, you two are more than welcome as well.” He says, then gives a tug on Alex to lead him towards the apartment. As they walk, Uril keeps up a casual conversation, never letting his arm slide from around Alex’s hip.

  “How’d that job thing go?” He asks, tipping his head over to nudge against Alex’s shoulder.

  Every little touch from Uril sets Alex’s insides to fluttering. But the simple and mundane question at least gives him something to anchor to that won’t have his blush burning any brighter. “It was kind of fun actually. I got to see more of the city, stretch my legs a bit, and I think I even made a new friend.” Alex says, finding a touch of pride coloring his words.

  Uril puts on a mock-pout. “A new friend? Wasn’t I enough.” He quips, laying it on thick. He even manages a lower-lip quiver as Alex glances over. The reaction is pure gold.

  “No no no! That’s not what I… I mean… I didn’t even think…” Alex splutters until Uril can’t hold it anymore and the pouty-face turns into a devious grin. “Oh you ass!” Alex scoffs with a huff as he realizes Uril played him.

  “I’m a goat, not a donkey, I’d have thought you would know the difference.” Uril continues to tease. Then his tone softens and he chuckles. “I’m glad though, so what was the job?”

  The rest of the walk is filled with Alex recounting the day’s events. Uril gets a good chuckle from hearing about Jewel’s misunderstanding. “And what about you?” Alex asks as his story runs its course.

  Uril gives Alex a devious grin, eyes glinting mischievously. “You know I’m a prostitute, right?” He asks, immediately getting Alex’s blush rekindled. “Still wanna ask that?” He teases, and is surprised when Alex nods. “Oh. Well alright then.”

  By the time they reach the door to Uril’s apartment, Alex is nearly glowing. Uril had spared no detail, giving Alex all the sticky details of his day’s ‘work’. “Well, at least it seems like we both enjoy our work.” Alex says, chuckling softly. Through the entire story, Alex had listened attentively. There’d been no judgement or revulsion, allowing Uril to relax a bit from a tension he wasn’t aware he’d been carrying.