Curselock

Chapter 49: Gamble

Leland, Jude, and Boor stared at a crude mapping of the sewer system of Shoutwell. Tunnels crossed over each other and ran the length of streets, some stopped abruptly while others drifted out to sea. Various numbers had been written on each of the tunnels, marking their passage in terms of sigils blocking the way.

The group discussed over a late dinner, having spent the entire day slowly wading through filth and sludge. Hour upon hour had devolved into simple minutes of actual work, Leland’s Harbinger Halo was the primary driving force for each of their irritation. But there was hope. The spell in question had ranked up twice through the frequent usage.

Harbinger Halo has increased to rank 6.

Contract lasts for 360 seconds.

The additional time had saved the group literal hours, allowing them to finish mapping the outer tunnels by nightfall.

“Looks like they are in the center of the city,” Jude said, snapping a chunk of jerky off with his teeth. “Is that under the rich people quarter?”

Boor stifled a sigh. “Yes, the ‘rich people quarter,’ as you say.”

“Does that have any significance?”

Boor shrugged but Leland had an idea. “Cleaner sewers. Less,” he lifted a boot up, casting down a rain of vileness. “-of whatever this is.”

Leland blinked a few times. “Yeah, right. Wow, you are incredibly smart. You should write a book.” A beat passed. “No, because the ‘rich people’ can afford better plumbing. Better infrastructure leads to the rich people not having to call in commoner plumbers.”

Jude looked skeptical. “Is that true?”

They both looked to Boor who this time did sigh. “House Onryo has not called for a plumber in a decade, yes. I suspect the theory is correct, but it also gives the cult a strategic point to operate out of. Take out the nobles, no one will be left in the city to fight back.”

Agreeing to the point, Jude added, “Until the commoners rise. Just look at the Bricklayer Uprising a century ago. They nearly killed the Queen.”

Leland and Boor looked at him.

“What?” he asked. “I like to read… sometimes… when it's about mass killings and stuff… like… that…”

Clearing his throat, Leland moved on. “So, now that we have this map, which area is more likely to hold Glenny?”

Boor took a deep breath. “The ‘cult’ is probably only the woman in white and maybe two or three trusted individuals. The rest of the red robes are nothing more than fodder to slow us down. With that said, I suspect the leadership is in a room much smaller than we’d initially expected.”

Leland nodded along. “Since their only requirements for joining is to look into a red light and want power, yeah. I doubt those people are allowed near the Sightless King’s ‘body parts.’”

Looming over the map, Jude waved his finger at the lines and numbers. “So, maybe here, here, annnd… here? as the suspected places the woman in white could be?”

Boor hummed. “Maybe here as well.” He marked the locations.

“So potentially four places,” Leland said. “That’s only four hours of checking. Maybe three if these two close locations are found to be dead ends quickly.”

“Might I remind,” the butler added. “That the tunnels leading through these areas are going to be encased by sigils. The fog is our only cover and your spell is going to be useless for the most part.”

“That’s going to be a problem, yeah,” Leland said, sitting back and falling silent.

Minutes ticked by as different ideas and plans were thought up and promptly pushed back down. Eventually everyone silently decided to table to conversation and finish eating. They had nearly an hour before Harbinger Halo was available for use again, surely they’d think of something by then, right?”

Leland wasn’t so sure. His mind kept falling back to Glenny and what he was going through at the moment. Charging through a tunnel of sigils didn’t seem like such a bad idea when he thought in terms of potentially helping his friend. But that was just it, potentially it could help Glenny – there was no evidence that he was even in the sewers.

Or alive for that matter.

Thinking like that would get him nowhere, Leland knew. So he focused on one of the few things that could tide his mind over, magic. Before he could start messing with raw mana and lifeforce, movement on his hand pulled his attention.

The small crow tattoo moved with fervent passion, moving its head up and down like a fan at a rock concert. Leland could only wonder what the Lord of Curses was trying to tell him. Moving a tattoo slightly wasn’t much to go on.

He didn’t think the crow was trying to help him understand cantrips nor the secrets of magic. But it sure was distracting. How was he supposed to focus on magic with a crow nagging him?

But Leland guessed the crow was right. This was not time for magic. A plan needed to be drawn up, edited, and forged.

Just then Jude said something. “What about blowing up the street and dropping into the sewers?”

Boor instantly replied. “No, the streets are too thick. Shoutwell has a lot of moisture, sinkholes from erosion are rather common and a larger street foundation was the answer the city came up with.”

“Oh. Did that work?”

“Mostly.”

“Nice.”

Something strange about that caught Leland’s attention. “What about the underbelly then? Shouldn’t most of the city fall into the massive cavern below us?”

The former underground city leader answered. “ If you go by the stories, the founding pirates had a genius Legacy of Inscription in their crew. She put glyphs all over the underbelly’s ceiling, reinforcing it from collapse.”

“And if you don’t believe the stories?”

“Between the underbelly’s ceiling and the Shoutwell’s city streets, there is enough of a buffer that the moisture in the air doesn’t erode anything important .”

“How does that make sense?” Jude asked. “There are waves and water at the bottom of the underbelly. That’s moisture right there!”

Boor shrugged. “Then the ceiling is inscribed.”

“Sounds farfetched that a pirate crew had a Lord of Inscription,” Leland said. “Those are quite rare and often sought after.”

Boor shrugged again. “Then there is a large enough buffer so that Shoutwell doesn’t sink in.”

With an exasperated sigh, Leland asked, “Can we blow up the ceiling of the underbelly and climb into the sewers?”

Boor didn’t answer right away and took a moment to look over the sewers map. “Maybe… the issue would then be climbing up. Long ladders aren’t exactly easy to come by.”

“Then we’d just have to blow up the ceiling where we can easily climb in. Say on top of a building or rock pillar or something.”

“Maybe. Locals wouldn’t take too kindly. Smugglers and merchants alike.”

Jude laughed at that. “Then we just have the ones who wish to fight us follow us into the sewers. They’ll be a good distraction for the cultists.”

“Jude may have a point,” Boor said.

“He does?” Leland asked.

“I do?” Jude echoed. “I was mainly saying that as a joke, but if you think the idea has merit then—”

“No, I mean that whoever tries to stop us would have to follow us. And most will refuse to enter the sewers. Too close to the surface, too close to those who might put them in jail.” Boor said.

“Take away their freedom,” Leland concluded. “D-do you think some might help us if we ask? The cultists are going to take over the underbelly if they resurrect the Sightless King.”

“Unlikely. There have been invasions to the underbelly before. Historically, the kingpins have combined their forces and eliminated the threat. Whether the joint army could defeat the Sightless King, I have no idea. But they will try.”

Jude thumped his thumbs together. “What about preemptively getting the kingpins to join forces?”

Snapping his fingers, Leland said, “Yeah! People seem to remember you down there, Boor. Maybe you could get - what were their names again? Big Boss and Simone? -to attack the cultists in the sewers.”

“No,” Boor instantly answered. “They will kill me then you two. No. Simply no.”

Leland considered that for a moment. “Not if you bring them critical information about the cult. Like the four potential locations that the Sightless King could be.”

“No.”

Jude shared a glance with his friends. “Honestly, forging a relationship with the criminal underground may even be good for the future of Shoutwell. House Onryo is in quite a bit of debt if I remember correctly.”

Boor’s eyes blazed. “Watch yourself, adventurer. House Onryo are not criminals.”

Leland held up his hands. “What Jude is trying to say is that House Onryo has debts due to the Icewillows. And now that the Icewillows are dead, there is a vacancy.”

The old butler glared. “You want House Onryo to take over the Lucky Blue production the Icewillows left behind? You want Lady Onryo to make the drug that killed her son? How ignorant—”

“Boor, Boor, Boor,” Leland interrupted. “Remember that the Inquisitors will be here soon. They will sort everything out. All Lady Onryo has to do is agree to make Lucky Blue. Not actually do it.”

Boor scoffed. “No. And if you remember correctly, Lady Onryo has already decided to wait for the Inquisitors to retake the city. She does not need the kingpins’ help. If you continue to push this horrid idea, then I will leave. Simple as that. My Lady’s name will not be tarnished by your delusions of grandeur. We are here for Glenny, not to eradicate the Sightless Cult. Remember that.”

Leland and Jude deflated at that.

“No, you’re right. I apologize. Glenny comes first. We just got excited at the idea of an army.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Jude added.

Taking a deep breath, Boor ended the conversation with, “We will take the map and our knowledge to the kingpins. If they do not kill us on the spot and refuse to help, we will blow up the ceiling closer to one of the four spots.”

Leland and Jude lips curved upward.