Chapter 638: The Same Thing as Telling the Truth

Jason was cooking breakfast in the pub’s kitchen when the chef, Kellance, arrived through the door leading directly into the kitchen from the alley. In Yaresh, alleys were much nicer than the norm, usually having more in common with a garden. In this case, a gravel path meandered through long grass and around a couple of trees with long leaves of lush green.

Jason had learned the day before that the elven chef was the cousin of Bellory, the pub’s owner.

“Morning, bloke,” Jason said as he entered, only briefly glancing from the frypan in front of him.

“John, you’re still here,” Kellance said. “I had a feeling you might be.”

“Oh?”

“Bell likes men she knows for sure won’t stick around longer than it takes fruit to go bad. Her husband running off, leaving her with this place and a pile of debt did some damage. She’s scared of opening up again, you know?”

“I can imagine. She glossed over it last night, but I got the impression that there was a wound there. I hope you don’t mind me plundering the kitchen to make breakfast.”

“That depends. Did you make enough for three?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. If you want to grab some…”

Jason trailed off, frowning as he looked at the wall.

“What is it?” Kellance asked.

“Three men are coming this way, and I don’t think it’s for a breakfast fry up.”

The pub, like most buildings in the area, was made of dark grey stone. The door to the alley was a rectangle of wood that looked to have grown into that shape, with some kind of light ceramic used to fill it in. There was a window in the top half that Kellance looked out through, swearing under his breath.

Almost immediately after, a trio of elves moved in front of the door. They had looks typical for the locals and wore neat casual suits that Jason recognised as fitting the local fashion. They looked something akin to business suits but worn loose, with long, tapered sleeves and coattails. He had seen the pub’s more upscale clientele wearing similar outfits the night before, although most of what he’d seen had been in light colours. These three wore significantly darker shades. The one in front was clearly the leader, flanked by the others as he grinned at Kellance through the window before pushing the door open.

“Hello Kell,” he said, his voice snide. “Something smells good.”

It was clear to Jason that the newly arrived elves were some kind of local thugs that delighted in the petty power they held. If their body language wasn’t enough, their auras reeked of insecurity and glee at holding power over anyone. Jason tapped the crystal that turned off the stove’s heat stone and moved the frypan onto a wooden board.

“And who do we have here?” the lead elf said, looking over at Jason.

“A temporary cook,” Bellory said as she came down the stairs. Jason noticed that the pub owner had quickly tossed on the same clothes she’d been wearing the night before.

“And here we have it,” the lead thug said. “Bell and Kell. Why would you need new kitchen staff, Bell?”

“The rest got caught up in that tri-ball brawl yesterday.”

“Oh, I heard about that. It’s the very reason my father sent me along. Wanted to make sure that you didn’t come up short after having to cancel food service.”

Jason had been wondering how a sports punch-up had led to arrests when Pallimustus was usually so open to violence. He had put it down to local laws or culture, but now he realised that there had been outside intervention. He guessed the thug’s father was some local boss, shaking down Bellory’s pub and other local businesses. For whatever reason, he wanted some extra pressure put on Bellory.

“I’ve got your loan repayment, Emresh,” Bellory told the thug. “Just give me a minute to get it together.”

“Take your time, Bell,” Emresh said as he sauntered up to Jason. “Gives me a chance to get to know your new employee.”

“He’s just a drifter passing thorough, Emresh,” Kellance said as Bellory left for another part of the pub.

Emresh got right up in Jason’s face, sniffing him like an animal. Like the thug and his offsiders, Jason’s aura was silver rank with a heavy mark of monster core use. He’s been practising his aura masking a lot, and Amos Pensinata had especially helped him refine it.

“Silver rank, not bad,” Emresh said. “Is that right, kitchen boy? You just passing through.”

“I’m an adventuring auxiliary,” Jason told him. “I’ll only be around as long as my team.”

“Well look here, boys. We’ve got ourselves a big-time adventurer. You fight any monsters, adventurer?”

“I’m a cook.”

“And how’s your cooking?” Emresh asked. “Good enough that your team will come looking for revenge when we make an example of you?”

“If you want to try my cooking, it’s right there,” Jason said, nodding at the frypan on the bench.

Emresh laughed.

“I like this one.”

He plucked a piece of fried vegetable from the pan with his fingers and popped it into his mouth. His eyebrows went up and he laughed, turning around to look at his flunkeys.

“You know what? He’s pretty good. Shame, really.”

Emresh turned back to Jason, the insincere friendliness dropping from his face.

“You think my father is afraid of some wandering adventurers?”

“I don’t know,” Jason. “I haven’t met him.”

“Oh, you’re funny,” Emresh said.

“I have my moments.”

Emresh drove a fist into Jason’s gut and Jason doubled over. Emresh leaned down to speak into Jason’s ear.

“Is this one of your moments, adventurer?”

“Sorry, what was that?” Jason croaked. “I couldn’t hear over the sound of how small your dick is.”

One of Emresh’s lackeys covered his mouth with his hand, letting out a wincing chortle.

“You should not have done that,” the other said as Emresh stamped his fist down on the back of Jason’s head, dropping him to the floor. Emresh then followed up with a savage boot to the gut. Jason let out a retching sound, but pushed himself and got to his feet.

“You should have stayed down,” Emresh said.

“You were going to kick the crap out of me either way,” Jason said.

“Most people would have run if they figured that out.”

“You’d only beat me harder if you had to chase me down first.”

Emresh let out his snide laugh once more.

“That’s true,” he said. “But do you know what I hate more than someone that makes me chase them before a beating?”

Jason theatrically sniffed the air.

“I’m going to say soap.”

Emresh gave him a malevolent smile.

“Someone too smart for their own good.”

“I can see how you’d resent smart people.”

When Bellory returned with a bag of spirit coins, Emresh and his lackeys were repeatedly kicking Jason, curled up on the floor.

“I’ve got the money,” she yelled. “What are you doing?”

“Call it an object lesson,” Emresh said, not pausing from the assault. “If my father decides your kitchen is closed, then your kitchen is closed.”

Bellory bit back her retort. There was no point asking how she was meant to meet her loan payments when the answer was that she wasn’t. She wanted to intervene, but the attempt would be as pointless as the repercussions would be severe. Finally tiring of their game, the thugs admired their handiwork as Jason was left moaning softly on the ground. His face was red from the pummelling and his skin abraded from their boots; the damage to the covered parts of his body was likely far worse.

“Silver rankers,” Emresh said. “They can take much more of a beating, so you have to put more effort in. Still, they don’t accidentally die on you, so there’s that.”

He pointed a finger in Bellory’s face, snatched the bag of money from her hands and roughly opened the door before swaggering out. Bellory looked to the still-moaning Jason but was surprised to see him looking up at her, waggling his eyebrows. He tapped a finger to his lips so she’d stay silent even as he continued letting out light moans.

Bellory and Kellance watched him, seeing the injuries on his face swiftly healing. He stopped moaning and sprang to his feet.

“Bloody silver-rank hearing,” he said cheerfully. “Had to make sure they were out of earshot.”

“John, are you alright?” Kellance asked.

“I’ve had worse than that, believe me,” Jason assured him. “That was practically a massage.”

Bellory cupped a hand to his face where the most visible damage had been, now completely unblemished.

“Why would you provoke him like that?”

“He was here to make a point, one way or another. Best if it’s on someone who can take his lumps.”

Jason turned his gaze to the door.

“I gather that he’s the son of whoever holds your loan? Someone not above interfering so he can use that loan to snake this whole place out from under you?”

Bellory nodded, bowing her head in shame, resting a gentle hand on Jason’s arm.

“I pulled you into my troubles,” she said, her voice filled with self-recrimination.

“I’ve pulled myself into worse, believe me. It’s kind of my thing. But you should tell me who that bloke’s father is.”

She looked up sharply.

“Don’t get your adventurer friends to go after him,” she said.

“I’m not looking for revenge. I know that will just bring trouble down on you.”

“You could have taken those guys apart, couldn’t you?” Kellance asked as he gave Jason an assessing up-and-down look.

“It doesn’t matter,” Jason said. “I’m only passing through, and anything I did today, you’d pay for tomorrow. But I need to know who I’m dealing with, so I can at least stay out of their way until I’m gone.”

“Thank you,” Kellance said. “That was Emresh Vohl. His father, Urman Vohl, is a major figure in the entertainment district.”

“Crime lord?”

“Not exactly,” Kellance said. “The city administration doesn’t let crime bosses grow too strong without slapping them down. Vohl is legitimate in his actual business interests, even if the way he conducts them is criminal. So long as he doesn’t trample on the interests of anyone who can match or exceed his influence, he can run his legitimate interests in a less-than-legitimate way.”

“That’s pretty much what I guessed,” Jason said, then sighed as he looked at the cooling food in the pan. “So much for breakfast. I should go.”

“I feel bad just letting you leave after that,” Bellory said. “But you’re probably right.”

“Are you sure you’re alright after all that damage?” Kellance asked.

Bellory reached out to Jason’s face again, running a delicate thumb over the scar on his chin. Her thoughts went to his other scars, revealed to her the night before.

“He is,” she said. “He’s not just a cook.”

“Yeah,” Kellance said. “I’m getting that impression.”

He looked at Jason’s blood on the floor.

“I’ll go get a mop.”

Jason smiled after Kellance left.

“Tell him to keep the mop outside for an hour or so,” Jason said. “My blood will dissolve and leave the worst stench you’ve ever smelled behind.”

“We get a lot of scarlet-comb beetles here.”

“Beetles?”

“I kill lesser monsters with my broom a couple of times a month. I know to air it until the rainbow smoke clears. Your body is that magical?”

“You tell me,” he said, prompting a snort of derision she failed to stop from becoming a laugh as she dropped her hand.

“John,” she said, “if I went looking into that tattoo on your back, would I learn who you are?”

“Yeah,” he said softly. “I’m not hiding anything you can’t figure out if you try. I’m hoping you won’t, though. I like the idea of living in your memory as a mysterious stranger who passed through one day.”

“Oh, you think you’re worth remembering?” she teased.

“I don’t imagine you forgetting someone with that many magic hands.”

She gave him a beaming smile, but with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“How many lies did you tell me?” she asked.

“Two. But not telling lies isn’t the same thing as telling the truth. I’ve hidden a lot from you.”

“I don’t need your life’s story. Your name was one of the two lies, wasn’t it?”

He nodded.

“And the other one was about only having four talents.”

“I only have four that I like.”

He leaned in for a lingering kiss that felt like goodbye.

***

Jason wandered down the street, letting his feet guide him as he explored the city.

“Shade,” he said. “Estella will be looking into local power brokers as part of her work, right?”

“She already is, Mr Asano.”

“Do me a favour and have her take a closer look at Urman Vohl, will you? As much detail as she can get without alerting them to her interest.”

“I shall let her know, Mr Asano.”

“How do you think she snores if she doesn’t have her body control techniques completely down? Something to do with half-learned methodology?”

“I never told you that she snored, Mr Asano. That would be an invasion of privacy.”

“Maybe she has a secret familiar and that snores.”

“I do not think she has a secret familiar.”

“Like a gerbil. A gerbil that snores like a lumberjack choking on a peach pit.”

“What relevance would a person’s profession have on the sound they make while choking?”

“I don’t know,” Jason said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “It feels like a lumberjack would snore worse than a ballet dancer, though. Am I subconsciously conforming to gender norms or am I just thinking about the difference in diet? Diet’s a factor in snoring, right?”

“I don’t know, Mr Asano.”

“Could you find out?”

“Yes, Mr Asano.”

Jason stopped and stared accusingly at his shadow.

“Will you find out?”

“No, Mr Asano.”