Realm of Monsters-Chapter 618: Unexpected Gift

Chapter 618: Unexpected Gift

“So there I was,” Fenwick whispered in a dramatic voice, arms splayed outwards. “Surrounded by Sylvan hunters blocking my way through Vulture Woods. Now, I have nothing against the Sylvan, but that doesn’t mean old Fenwick was going to let himself get stabbed either! So I grabbed my staff,” he picked up a gnarled branch of wood from underneath his stall, “And I readied myself to fight, but then they—”

“Stryg, there you are,” Plum called out and made her way through the crowd to him. “What are you doing here—?” Plum frowned as she caught sight of the stall and the old goblin standing behind it. “The Bauble & Bane…?”

“The greatest shop in all the Trade District, you will never find it’s like, Miss. Whatever trinkets and baubles you want are here,” Fenwick planted his hands on his hips and looked up with a proud, gap-toothed smile.

“Uh-huh…” She gave him a skeptic look, then turned to Stryg. “Don’t waste your time here, there are dozens of charlatans like him all around here. There is another stall with fenced goods literally right over there,” Plum pointed to a stall on the other side of the crowded street.

Fenwick laughed nervously, “That— That’s not the same. And I’ll have you know, I didn’t steal any of these items. Old Fenwick acquires all his goods through honest means!”

“Honest, ey?” Plum cocked her eyebrow.

“Old Fenwick would not lie to you.” He nodded repeatedly.

“Stryg, let’s just go,” Plum urged.

“But I was in the middle of telling him a story,” Fenwick turned to him, “Don’t you want to hear how I got the pendant?”

“I do want to hear the story,” Stryg admitted. “And if the pendant turns out to be stolen there will be consequences.” He didn’t much care what people did with their time, whether that was stealing or something else, but if this Hollow Shade goblin had stolen it from the Sylvan tribes then there would be a problem.

Plum groaned and looked at Stellan Gale for help, but the vampire shook his head in silence, he was here to guard and observe, nothing more.

“Great,” Fenwick clapped his hands. “So where was I?”

“You were surrounded by goblins.”

“Ah, yes, right! I was surrounded by Sylvan hunters ready to kill me, but when I picked up my staff to fight, one of them stepped forward and started speaking! Turns out they didn’t want to kill me, instead they asked me a bunch of questions about the outside world. In the end, Old Fenwick spent a few days with the Verdant Watchers and I traded some of my goods with them, including that pretty pendant. They even showed me the way out of Vulture Woods.” He laughed, “And that’s how I managed to survive getting lost in the most dangerous forest in all the Realm!”

“He’s clearly lying,” Plum said flatly.

“I am not!”

Stryg shook his head. “He’s telling the truth.”

“What? You can’t be serious,” Plum said.

“That pendant is Sylvan craftsmanship. And the Verdant Watchers are a tribe deep in Vulture Woods. They’re quite unique among Sylvan kind; they’re a rather ‘peaceful’ tribe. They believe themselves to be caretakers of the forest and much rather help others than kill them on sight. Still, they would have most likely killed him as an outsider, if it wasn’t for his appearance,” explained Stryg.

Fenwick beamed and ran a hand over his scraggly beard. “I am quite handsome, some even say beautiful.”

“He means that you’re a goblin.” Plum rolled her eyes. “Ugh, fine, so maybe Fenwick is telling the truth about the tribe. Doesn’t mean he didn’t steal all this stuff.”

“I didn’t steal any of my wares, Old Fenwick is the most honest merchant here,” he thumped his chest.

“Did you steal any of this stuff, old man?” Stryg asked.

Fenwick paused for a moment, he looked Stryg in the eyes, then gave a lopsided grin. “None.”

“I believe him,” said Stryg.

“Oh, come on, he’s clearly lying,” Plum groaned.

“Maybe he has some sweets you haven’t tried,” said Stryg.

“Hmm. Alright, show us what you got, old man,” Plum relented, the desire for more sugar too hard to resist.

“That’s Mister Fenwick to you, Miss. Youths these days, so rude.” Fenwick shook his head.

“Wha-? But my friend just called you old man.”

“Mister Fenwick,” he repeated.

“Fine, show us what you got, ‘Mister’ Fenwick,” Plum grumbled.

“I actually don’t sell any sweets.”

“That’s it, I’m leaving.” Plum threw her hands up.

“W-Wait! I have something you might like instead and it’s even tastier.” Fenwick reached under his stall and lifted a crate. He cracked it open and showcased several aged bottles of wine. He brushed off the dust from one of them and showed it to them. “The best wine in all the Ebon Realm, guaranteed.”

Plum grabbed the bottle and adjusted her round glasses before staring at the label. “It’s smudged, I can’t read it.”

“That’s because it’s very old,” said Fenwick.

“What kind of wine is it and where is it from?”

“I made it myself.”

Plum pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “You clearly smudged the bottle’s label on purpose so no one knows it’s stolen.”

“That’s not true.”

“So you’re telling me you have a secret vineyard where you fermented this wine?”

“It’s a small, but very nice garden at the back of my home actually.”

“Stryg, can we go now?”

Stryg took the bottle from Plum and another from the crate. “Gale and Gian will enjoy them. If nothing else, it’ll add variety to the bloodwine I bought them earlier.”

“Ten gold pieces each.” Fenwick held up all his fingers and grinned.

“Ten!? That’s twice as much as what we paid for at the winery!” said Plum.

“And my wine is twice as good.”

“You mean your stolen wine.”

“It’s fine, Plum. We’ll take them both. And how much for the pendant?” Stryg pointed to the emerald necklace in the shape of a fox’s head.

Fenwick put on his best merchant voice and spoke with deep reverence. “This pendant is quite special. The one who sold it to me was the Verdant Watcher’s shaman. She told me it was blessed by the goddess Lunae herself, not my words, hers. But if what she said is true, then I don’t know if I could part ways with such a holy artifact.”

“Oh now you’re suddenly a pious devotee of Lunae?” Plum cocked an eyebrow.

“The goddess of the moon is the patron deity of all goblin kin.” Fenwick placed his hand over his heart. “Pious devotion couldn't possibly encapsulate my adoration for the goddess. I love the Mother Moon from the bottom of my heart,” he finished dramatically.

Plum crossed her arms. “How much?”

“For such a rare and beautiful emerald carved pendant? It’s hard to put a price on such an object, but for you, Mister—?”

“His name is lord—”

“Stryg, just Stryg is fine,” he cut Plum off.

“A wonderful name, if I do say so,” Fenwick gave him a charming grin. “Yes, a wonderful name for a wonderful customer. So, Mister Stryg, I wouldn’t sell this pendant to just anyone, but since I like you so much, I’ll sell it to you for the bargain low cost of fifty gold.”

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“F-Fifty!?” Plum glared at him, “You little thieving—”

Fenwick quickly raised his hands in surrender, “Now before you do something you regret, I’d like to inform you that this pendant is quite special, truly. Whoever buys it will have their heart’s greatest desire granted.”

Stryg picked up the emerald pendant and studied it. There were no arcane sigils etched into the stone, nor was it giving off any trace of magical aura. It was an ordinary pendant. But it was the perfect gift for Kamilo and that was enough. “I’ll take it.”

“Stryg, don’t,” Plum pleaded.

“Like you said, I’m rich now, it doesn’t matter the price.” He glanced at Stellan and waved him over, “Pay the man.”

Stellan gave Plum a sympathetic look, but said nothing. He pulled out a heavy pouch and began laying golden coins on the stall. Fenwick snatched up the coins before Stellan had even finished putting his pouch away.

Stryg held up the pendant to the light. It wasn’t magical, but it was beautiful, and master Sylvan craftsmanship. He smiled, satisfied. Kamilo wouldn’t know its meaning, but someday Stryg wanted the infant to know that he was part of a Sylvan tribe, and that he would never be alone.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Fenwick grinned.

“Yeah, go fuck yourself, you fraud,” Plum snapped.

“Fraud? I’ll have you know all my goods are top quality I’ve collected through my journeys, no refunds though,” Fenwick added almost as an afterthought.

“Top quality, huh? May I?” Plum grabbed the pendant from Stryg’s hand.

“Hey,” Stryg frowned.

“I wish that this scoundrel of a vendor would drop dead.” Plum glanced at Fenwick expectantly. “Huh. Nothing. Turns out your merchandise is bullshit.”

“The pendant only works for the buyer, obviously,” Fenwick said. “And it has to be your heart’s truest desire. Which, I’m quite certain, is not wanting me dead.”

Stryg grabbed the pendant back and held it to his lips, before whispering his wish. “There, happy now?”

“Not even close,” Plum said. “So did your wish come true or not?”

“I don’t think so,” Stryg said with a bitter smile.

Fenwick shrugged uncomfortably, “W-Well, I never said the wish will come true today.”

Plum clicked her tongue. “Tsk, tsk. Merchants lying about their merchandise is against the law, you know.”

“I didn’t lie! For all we know it could come true tomorrow or the day after that. It’ll come true eventually, probably…”

Plum gave him an unbelieving stare.

Fenwick gulped. “Might I remind you that it is also against the law to hurt a merchant with no discernable proof of a crime?”

“Not if they’re swindlers,” she grinned maliciously and began to channel Purple.

“Okay, I think you’ve scared him enough, let’s go find that jeweller,” Stryg pulled Plum along by the edge of her cloak.

“I’m not done with you, old man!” Plum yelled.

“Thank you, come again!” Fenwick called back.

As they walked away, Plum turned to Stryg with a frown. “Why didn’t you kill him?”

“What? Why would I kill him?”

“He just swindled you. You’ve killed people for a lot less. Like a lot less.”

“I knew exactly what he was selling. I wasn’t tricked and I was willing to pay for it. Not much of a swindle if you ask me.”

“But why? I mean it’s nice,” she looked pointedly at the pendant, “But not fifty gold pieces nice.”

“How many goblin vendors have you seen today?”

“Huh? Uh…” Plum furrowed her brow. “I guess he was the first one. But we are on the wealthier side of the Trade District.”

“Exactly. My people rarely ever get the chance to make enough coin in this city to even afford a stall in a place like this. If I can help one of them with just a little gold, then I’ll gladly do it.”

“Man, you’re nice. What did you do with my best friend?”

Stryg chuckled. “Now where is that jeweller?”

“You know, we’ve been buying gifts for everyone all day, but how about you get yourself something too?”

“There is nothing I really want.”

“Not even your heart’s greatest desire?” she teased.

A trace of sadness slipped through his otherwise relaxed expression. “If only it were that simple.”

“Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“No, it’s fine. I guess I could get myself something. I’m not sure what though.”

“Leave it to me, I’ll find something you like, even if we have to scour through the entire district to find it.”

“Lead the way.”

~~~

The rest of the day had been filled with visiting various stores until Stryg had lost track of what they were even shopping for. Stellan had managed to speak to one of the guards on patrol and sent a message back to the manor to have some porters help them carry everything they had bought back home. In the end, they had decided on buying him a new leather belt to carry both Krikolm and Nameless.

By the time they had arrived at the manor it was nightfall and Feli and the others were already asleep, save for Gian and Gale. Vampires were nocturnal by nature, a trait that Stryg shared. Whether it was the Veres blood in his veins or his nature as a demigod of the stars he didn’t know. Either way, he gave them the bottles of wine and bloodwine, before turning in for the night.

The next morning Stryg woke up alone in bed. Tauri and Feli were nowhere to be found. After a few minutes he worked his way out of bed and went to grab Blossom, but the petal cloak was gone. He had forgotten that he had thrown it over his mother yesterday. It wasn’t the first time he had left Blossom with her. Usually one of the servants would bring it back to his room in a day or two if left untouched.

But for now, Stryg glanced at the black cloak hanging in the corner and after a moment of indecision, threw it on. Ananta had given him the black feathered-cloak the night of the siege. At first he wasn’t certain if he should keep it, but Holo had told him it was a powerful artifact. Melantha had looked it over with Clarity magic and assured him there were no traps or dangerous enchantments embedded in the cloak.

Where Blossom felt cool to the touch and light, the black cloak wrapped snugly around him and had a noticeable weight to it. Servants were running to and fro through the halls. They gave him a quick bow before rushing off.

“Stryg, there you are!” said Plum.

“What’s going on? Everyone looks so busy today.”

“I’m not sure, Feli and Tauri have everyone running around.”

“Have you seen Gale? We usually have breakfast together.”

“Oh, I wanted to talk to you about that. Gale and Gian tried the wine you bought from that goblin. Turns out it was really good, best they ever had. The two of them drank both bottles whole. I think Gale was a little hungover when I saw her this morning. The old goblin might have been a thief, but at least his wine was good.”

“Hm, now I wish I had some.” Stryg’s stomach grumbled.

“Lucky for you, I might have a remedy for your situation. Feli told me to take you out today until dinner time, she was really strict about it for some reason. Why don’t we go snag another bottle and have some breakfast at one of the taverns?”

“The cooks here make better food…” But he did want to taste the wine. “Alright, fine, let’s go.”

~~~

The streets of the Trade District were already crowded even now at the early hours of the day. Stryg followed Plum as they meandered through the crowds. Willow, Stellan’s sister, was in charge of watching him today, and she was never more than a few paces away.

“Son of a bitch.” Plum suddenly halted in her steps.

“What is it?” Stryg asked.

She pointed to an empty stall on the side of the street. “That asshole picked up his stuff and ran.”

Stryg walked over to the stall and examined its chipped and rugged wood. It was definitely the same one from yesterday. “He really did leave…”

“Of course, he did, he made a killing off you. Why would he stay a second longer and risk retribution?” Plum kicked the stall. She walked over to a neighboring vendor. “Excuse me, do you know where that bastard might have gone?”

“Who?” asked the merchant.

“The Bauble & Bane.” Plum threw her thumb back to the empty stall behind her. “Old goblin, Fenwick, ran the place.”

The merchant glanced over. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Come on, I’ll pay,” Plum pulled out a coin.

The merchant shook her head, “No, really, that stall has been empty for years.”

“What?” Plum wrinkled her brow.

“Hey, Plum, I found something.” There was a lone envelope lying underneath the stall. Stryg picked it up and opened it. There was only a single line written.

  Happy Birthday.

“Happy Birthday…?”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Plum asked.

Stryg stopped and blinked. “Today is my birthday.”

“Wait, what?”

“I forgot…” Summer had already ended and the first traces of Autumn were already showing. He had been so busy the last few weeks that his birthday had slipped his mind.

“Ooh, so that’s why Feli wanted me to keep you out of the manor until tonight.”

“It also explains why the servants seemed so busy. She and Tauri are probably preparing a party.” Stryg lifted the letter, “But how did Fenwick know?”

“Maybe Feli hired him to keep us busy?”

“She hired a goblin to set up a random stall yesterday in the hopes that I might by chance stop and visit it? And then come back again today?”

“Yeah, forget I said anything.”

“Willow, do you know anything about this?”

“No, my lord, though I confess I am aware of Lady Feli and Tauri’s efforts to throw a party this evening.”

“Right, we’re going home,” said Stryg.

“But what about Feli—?”

“I don’t like strangers leaving me random letters, Plum. Something feels off. Let’s hurry back.”

~~~

When they arrived at the manor, it confirmed Stryg’s fears. The servants were behaving oddly. It wasn’t the same urgency as they had this morning. This was borderline panic.

Stryg grabbed one of the scullery maids by the arm. “What’s going on? What happened?”

The woman stiffened and opened her mouth to speak, “I… uh—”

“Stryg!” Gale rushed into the room, breathless.

“What happened?” A pit of anxiety burned in his chest.

“It’s your mother.”

~~~

The world blurred by as Stryg sprinted through the halls. The door to his mother’s room was slightly ajar. He slapped his hand on the doorway to stop himself from stumbling past and slammed the door open.

A pair of healers were already in the room arguing with one another quietly in the corner. Aurelia was sitting up in bed. Her green complexion was pale and her white hair was in a disarray. She seemed tired, but she was awake. Her yellow eyes glanced at Stryg’s entrance and her face turned into a mild frown, “How many times must I tell you to knock when you—”

Stryg tackled her in a hug and buried his face in her shoulder. He trembled and whimpered softly in her arms. Aurelia sat still for a moment, surprised, then her expression softened. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her face in his hair.