The Hunt 10

They travelled as fast as they could and with minimal pause. Only once during the entire trip did they stop to sleep and rest, as Apexus himself needed to get some shut eye, at all other times, they were moving. Either with Aclysia and Apexus flying low to the ground, with Reysha running underneath, or with the two of them carrying the tiger girl as she slept as best she could while moving.

Not more than two days, then the Hunter would have come over the sea and be able to chase them with his own ridiculous speed. If they escaped off the leaf, it would be on a hairs-width. Nevertheless, they managed to enter the city unseen through a sewer vent that Reysha showed them.

It was clearly some sort of thief’s hideout, judging by the lock that Reysha first had to pick open and that then magically locked itself behind them again. “We don’t have the luxury of fucking around with our choices, do we?” Reysha mumbled as they moved on the thin walkway that ran parallel to the stream of gunky water. The floors lack of cleanliness made Apexus wish for legs. Thankfully he couldn’t taste with his membrane.

“Once we reveal ourselves to whoever smuggler we pick, we best stick to them,” Aclysia agreed quietly, unsure who could be listening in the dimly lit tunnels. “And we don’t have the time to scout for the best candidate. Didn’t you allude to having someone in mind?”

“Yeah… let’s see if I can still find the way,” Reysha’s cat ears turned a bit as she was listening for something, then they begun their track through the innards of the city. Apexus found it interesting that such a large gathering of people solved their waste problem by digging giant tunnels. With all their individuality, the slime hadn’t thought it quite possible for humanoids to come up with such group-oriented structures. Yet, here it was.

They had to be somewhat careful, other people were stalking around these tunnels, searching for their own associates. Outside the law or not, the group wasn’t about to reveal themselves to anyone unneeded. Every so often, Reysha stopped and listened again. Eventually, Apexus found what she was searching for.

It was a disharmonious scratching. As if somebody tried to emulate Aclysia’s singing voice by dragging something over something else. It wasn’t a painful noise, just amateurish. Following it eventually carried them to a door, meticulously clean, especially compared to the surroundings. The sounds echoed through a small, iron-bared gap at head-height.

Reysha hammered against the door and the noises stopped. A moment later, somebody stepped up to that gap. “Who is th- Reysha? Girl, shouldn’t you be on the fu-“ when the grumbly voice on the other side interrupted itself for the second time, their eyes had evidently fallen on Apexus. Understandably, as well. It was harder to overlook him than it was to spot him, as the slime had stretched into a taller position to muster what was going on with curious eyes.

“Hey, Trebby,” Reysha grinned widely. “Interested in the job of the century?”

An initial answer came by the door swinging open. Apexus wasn’t sure if the man he was looking at was oddly muscular or fat, as he had a pretty opulent mass but moved smoothly. What little fur humanoids tended to have on the head was apparently falling out of this fellow, as it had receded to a couple of long strands that formed a semi-circle around his blank and polished dome. Brown eyes looked amusedly as he invited them in with a swing of that odd tool he was holding. Some small, swung contraption of wood, with sinews stretched across. There was also some sort of small staff with a similar design. Much too elegant for the broad hands holding it.

“A nice violin you have there,” Aclysia commented as all of them entered.

“Thank you, my grotesque rape of music lures my customers,” Trebby answered and hastily closed the door behind them. The room they were now inside was stuffed with luxurious furniture. There was barely enough room for the six massive bodyguards to stand in the corners of the room and at each end side of the seat Trebby fell down into. Their rugged exteriors and dark leather armours clashed quite heavily with the purple surroundings. Even the owner himself didn’t quite seem like he belonged there.

Indeed, Aclysia in her, miraculously still largely clean, maid outfit almost fit the best, as she sat down on the couch opposite of their host and folded her hands in her laps in a diligent fashion. Reysha fell on the cushioned thing with a relieved sigh, while Apexus preferred his place on the ground. The table was low enough that he wasn’t bothered by this and humanoid seating just wasn’t fashioned for elliptic shapes.

“Look at that thing,” Trebby inspected Apexus closer. “I have never seen such a huge slime, much less one with so many… extras…” the smuggler stopped at the blue eyes, narrowing his own as if he was searching for something. “Are you here to sell the parts to me? Wings of that colour and size probably go for a lot.”

“I am not to be sold for that shiny round metal you use to trade stuff,” Apexus answered and everyone in the room, aside from Reysha and Aclysia, jumped. Some of the bodyguards even gripped their weapons, causing the tiger girl to hiss warningly from the couch. “What is happening?” the slime wondered, looking around. “I thought we were talking here? Aclysia, is this some sort of courtesy don’t… I don’t know about?”

“No, if anything, they are being tremendously rude right now, darling,” the metal fairy responded and everyone relaxed a little bit.

“I am sorry…” Trebby cleared his throat. “Just didn’t expect this. You must understand that you look rather alien to us and hearing a human voice from that is…” he struggled for a word.

“Adorable?” Reysha suggested honestly, although she couldn’t suppress her laughter when Trebby shot her a doubtful glance. “Let’s skip the small-talk Trebby, we have an Inquisition on our ass, can’t be in your best interest to keep us occupied until they find us.”

Apexus, feeling like he wasn’t welcome in the conversation anymore, didn’t add that there was also a Hunter who had marked him. Much to Aclysia’s relief, since the metal fairy was aware that that would have made negotiations a tad harder.

“Not anymore,” Trebby grumbled. “Since Hemle isn’t around to pay his end of the bounty and the Divine Quest has been marked complete.” The trio had absolutely no idea why they knew about that, but they took it. “Honestly, without that, killing you two and trying to get her might have been worth the hit to my honourable reputation. As it is, I honour even one of my guards lives more than whatever market value the body of your friend has… or your eyes, Reysha.”

“Sucks to be you then,” Reysha stuck out her tongue, her blue eyes in their grey sclera glinting dangerously as she kept one hand close to her belt of throwing daggers.

“We seek your aid in leaving this leaf,” Aclysia kept the talk on tracks. “All three of us.”

“Smuggle the three highest profile individuals we had in the last few decades off the leaf. I wouldn’t be able to brag about it for a while, but in a few years that would be one hell of a story,” Trebby hummed. “Plus I would stick it to the church, Zimber would surely love seeing that.”

“So you will help us?” Aclysia asked, already hopeful.

“What’s really in it for me though?” Trebby finished his thoughts and leaned back. “Hemle’s money aside, the Guild still wants you for whatever reason….” he trailed off, looking to his visitors as if they could grant him an answer.

None of them had any idea. Aside from that one time Apexus had spared some people, he had never harmed anyone. His mere existence shouldn’t have been enough to warrant any sum worth the hassle. Then again, there was the possibility higher ups thought that they were directly responsible for the death of Hemle, but revealing the details of that to the smuggler would have meant that they also had to reveal Apotho and that whole issue. A story too long and too unusual to just tell and expect Trebby to believe it.

As the silence stayed as his only answer, the smuggler just continued on as if the pause had been purely aesthetical. “What can you give that would be worth it? Aside from the story and my continued reputation as an honest businessman.”

“Alright, let’s see…” Reysha grabbed her adventurer’s bag and began throwing stuff on the table. First, the coin purse, which was also emptied of its contents, then all the items they had gotten in the Clearwater dungeon but couldn’t use. A curved sword of steel, a caster pendant with water affinity, pauldrons for plate armour and a bunch of intact rat teeth as well as other valuable monster parts. “You can have the money now, if you agree,” she said as Trebby hummed approvingly at the selection.

“And the rest?” the smuggler asked. “This is already less than the Guild would give me. I am not trusting you to just leave it somewhere for me to find.”

“And I only trust you as far as I can throw this,” Reysha returned, dangling the now empty bag of velvet between her fingers, before dropping it on the table as well. “The offer is literally on the table, Trebouran” she finished, leaving Apexus confused for a moment before he realized that Trebby had been a nickname the entire time.

The smuggler hummed again, then smirked. “Well, you honestly had me from the start…”

“Yeah, right,” Reysha laughed mockingly. “You totally aren’t smearing honey around my mouth right now or something you absolute cockwaffle.” The redhead chuckled unnervingly. “Just say yes or no already.”

“Yes, yes, I will do it,” Trebby apologetically raised his hands into the air. “Well then, guess I will have to call in some favours to get this done by today.” Even Reysha looked surprised by the announcement, now it was the smuggler’s turn to chuckle. “You think I am this daring with my jobs just because I like going against the church?” he collected the money off the table and neatly closed Reysha’s former pouch when he was done. “I’m the best at what I do and the sooner I get you out of my shop, the sooner I won’t have to worry about the Inquisition.”