Connor Evans and The Binding Scrolls

Unfortunate

My gaze turned back to the stars, vaguely staring out into outer space while I waited for Stephanie.

My mind wandered to what might happen next. That fight with the Belu left me shaken, but knowing that I could fight and kill one was reassuring.

"I found it, you can stop moping now," she barked sarcastically. I shifted my head upwards to meet her smug grin, "you ready to go now, little baby?" she teased, leaning forward into her words.

"Yeah, whatever..." I huffed in defeat.

A moment later, the floor gave out beneath me. I wriggled a little in fright, but the sight of the purple tunnel comforted me. Only a little though, I was still falling and falling was frightening.

Thud.

Ow.

"Can you please warn me?" I whined, pulling my head up off the cold floor.

"It's funnier when I don't," I heard Stephanie call to me, her voice was muffled and sounded like she was in another room. I looked around, my head cleared and I could hear the light thudding of music and the murmur of people laughing. It was quite dark, but after my eyes adjusted I made out the boxy figures of stalls that loomed over me like ancient, crumbling towers and grimy walls that crawled with all manner of growths, leaking thick, fibrous clods of... something that couldn't be natural in any way.

The boys bathroom.

"Clean yourself up, I'll be out here."

I groaned, managing to lift myself up onto a wall and on my feet. I shuddered, desperately wanting a hot shower, especially after being on the floor of the bathroom.

I manoeuvred over to a sink, after finessing the tap with my elbows I quickly stuck my sleeves underneath the cold water. I shuddered, goose bumps crawling over my skin as I winced. Looking down onto my arms, I noticed that it just... fell off. 

"Hm, not waterproof..." I mumbled, twisting my arms free of my shirt.

I was soaked and cold, but glad I could move my hands again. Wandering back outside of the bathroom, I encountered Stephanie idling on the wall, cautiously gazing out into the crowd of people.

Crowd of people?

Oh God, we're in a pub.

"You looked better when you couldn't move," she joked.

"Yeah thanks," I chuckled, "where are we?"

"Some backwater bar in the middle of nowhere..."  she said vaguely, not making eye contact with me. She had the same look she had when she was searching for the stone, except a little more concerned. Frightened?

"We need a place to sleep, but I can't jump us anywhere..."

I furrowed my brow, "so does your jump have a cool down?"

She laughed a little, "yeah, I suppose. That, and jumping us anywhere doesn't really solve all of our problems. As much as I would love to sleep in a five star hotel, they've got cameras and we have no money. This place was just the closest place I could find, so we don't have to sleep here unless we can't find anything else..."

She turned to me, "and our options aren't looking too good."

I cringed at the thought of sleeping here, but I suppose after giving up your normal life, giving up your standards of hygiene practises is second in line.

"Let's go ask about rooms," I said simply, Stephanie tilted her head a little.

"You don't mind it here?"

I cocked my head, biting my lip a little, "well I do, but like you said, we can't do everything with magic. You can however, do anything with a little bravery."

"That's not-"

"Shh, I'm trying to be a hero."

Stephanie rolled her eyes, but followed me regardless. Clinging to my cold sleeves, we waded through the swarm of burly, sweaty men. Fortunately, they all seemed too drunk to notice us and after what felt like years of 'excuse me's and 'coming through's we made it to a table.

"How can I help you," barked an older woman, she had short spiky hair and an arm coated in tattoos.

"Do you have rooms we can sleep in?" I desperately yelled over the booming country music and drunken cheers.

"Yeah, a couple. You got money?"

I swallowed, not even needing to reach into my pockets I knew I had nothing. Doubting Stephanie had any money either, my first thought was to trade beds for work. Unfortunately, I was interrupted.

"I'll pay."

Well, I guess it wasn't that unfortunate then.

I heard Steph get closer to me and whisper, "oh no..."

Okay yeah, unfortunate.

The man was rather tall and thin, he had a black leather cowboy hat with a dark brown coat that dropped to his ankles. His hair was a shade of dark orange, a little curly and sticking out of his hat.

He turned to me, shooting me a cold, unnerving smile. His eyes were blue, as icy as his pale skin, but they didn't feel... human. There was a voice in the back of my head telling me to draw my sword, and while I didn't do it, I made note of the strange urge...

"You two enjoy your night," he cooed, his thick accent almost masking his hidden motives. Almost.

The woman slid us some passes, I reached for them but Stephanie, in a frenzy, ripped the pieces of plastic of the table and dragged me up the broken wooden stairs. When we reached the top level, where the music had quietened and we could finally talk, Stephanie grabbed my shoulders.

"This is really bad."

"I figured as much," I breathed, "who was he? What was he?"

She looked around a little, before leaning in towards me, "I can't tell you much, he might be listening, but you know how Belus work?"

"Yeah?"

"He's that, but worse. I'll tell you more later." Stephanie and I rushed into our room, thankfully there were two seperate beds. Well, 'beds' they looked more like rotting frames with a single piece of cloth as the mattress.

Steph placed her bag onto her mattress, as the frame moaned under the weight she pulled back and chuckled, "careful, you might fall right through."

"Yeah, wouldn't be the first time I fell without warning. Onto the floor. Through a surface I usually don't fall through."

...

...

"Alright, listen here-"