Chapter 20

“Any chance you’re going to give this up any time soon?” Russo yelled back tiredly at the pursuing golem, his breathing having become heavy and strained after running for God knows how long.

“Not a chance, fool! My golem will never tire of chasing you. You cannot hope to outlast or outrun me!” Velexus arrogantly called out from his perch atop his golem’s shoulder.

“Freaking lazy ass, he’s not even doing any work.” the human complained to himself under his breath.  “Grrr… fine. Since ignoring the problem isn’t making it go away then hopefully my violence will.” Russo ceased running and quickly turned around to face Velexus and his golem steaming along the path. “I could try and blast apart the golem but who knows how long that’ll take. But if I took out the one controlling the golem… well then, who’s to say a little persuasion would be all it takes to get him to call the thing off?” Russo stood his ground as he began to gather and concentrate magical energy in his right hand.

Noticing that the human had ceased running, Velexus smirked and yelled out to him, “Finally giving up? A wise…” *ZAP* Velexus’ cocky boasting was cut short as a bolt of lightning shot forth from Russo’s outstretched hand, a bluish white aura of magic simmering around his digits. The bolt made direct contact with the hooded figure, knocking him off of the golem. The earthern humanoid had failed to notice the absence of its master and continued plowing towards Russo. Immediately afterwards the human teleported behind the golem and grabbed hold of Velexus’ robe. From there he proceeded to teleport the both of them even further back along the road.

“Oooogg…” Velexus painfully groaned as he tried to push Russo away and break the human’s grip on his cloak.

“Oh no no no no no, there’ll be none of that,” the mage smugly replied as he raised a fist high into the air and cracked Velexus upside the head. As Velexus’ head reeled the human released his grip on the extortionist’s robe and let the bum unceremoniously drop to the ground, Russo looking down on him all the while. Russo smirked to himself as he stared down at the jerk lying on the ground, disoriented and in pain. He proceeded to place a boot upon his chest and slowly increased the force with which he pressed down on the thief’s ribs.

“Plan on giving up anytime soon?” Russo calmly reiterated more or less the same question from before, slowly applying more and more pressure upon the would be thief’s ribs. Velexus wheezed as he grabbed hold of Russo’s boot with trembling arms and utterly failed to budge the human. Velexus’ eyes drifted up further along the road, praying that his earthern servant had noticed his absence. While whether or not the golem had even noticed Velexus’ departure was up in the air, it had noticed that its target no longer stood before it. Unfortunately with the momentum it had built up running in one direction, it took the golem a great deal of time to slow down and about face. Velexus’ eyes darted up and met with Russo’s, fear and worry having completely filled them.

“Not so tough without that lump of rock at your side, are you?” Russo asked with raised eyebrows as Velexus continued to feebly struggle. He glanced back at the golem slowly building up speed as it lumbered down the path and began applying more pressure to Velexus’ ribs. “Feel like calling off your golem?” 

“Urrkk… I-I’d be happy to if *Wheeze* you’d afford me the breath to do so…”

Russo eased up with the force he applied on the hooded one’s chest. Velexus promptly gasped and took in deep breaths of air, savoring the feeling of his lungs fully expanding and contracting.

“G-golem: Stand down.”

In response to the commands of its master, the golem ceased trudging along the path and came to a halt.

“A good start… but now that I think about it there’s nothing stopping you from pulling some sneaky shit once my back is turned. I want that thing reduced to a pile of rubble. Now.” An outstretched hand sparking with bluish white magical energy and aimed directly down at Velexus’ head was provided for extra emphasis. Velexus silently nodded and agreed to the human’s demands.

“Golem: Umm…” Velexus went quiet as he pondered how to properly word his command. “I have never actually purposefully destroyed one of my golems before. I’m… kind of at a loss for how to command it to cease to be.”

“Uh… okay. Can you just tell it to die?”

“I suppose. I mean it’s not technically alive so I don’t know if it can actually…”

“Hurry it up!” Russo stated impatiently.

“Golem: Uh… Cease to be?” Velexus asked hesitantly, unsure of whether or not anything would happen. The golem remained where it stood, fully intact.

“Try something else,” Russo demanded as he kicked Velexus in the side.

“Owww! Dammit fine,” Velexus curtly responded. “Golem: Crumble?”

  Again, the golem remained where it stood completely intact.

“Oh would you just tell the damn thing to kill itself!”

“Alright, alright! Golem: Destroy yourself?”

Without warning the golem’s body began to rumble and huge chunks of earth and wood fell from its body to the ground.

“That’s more like it,” Russo thought out loud, happily watching larger and larger chunks of dirt and wood disengage from the golem and collapsing to the ground.

Then all of a sudden because the author is a bastard the golem violently exploded. The force of the explosion sent pebbles, tree branches, and clouds of dirt raining down upon Russo and Velexus, both of whom looked on completely baffled. Russo smacked his forehead hard with the palm of his hand while Velexus, wide eyed, stared at where his golem once stood.

“Interesting. I had no idea that their magical cores were capable of expending such energy…” Velexus quietly marveled to himself as his eyes settled on the small crater that marked where the golem once stood.

Palm still firmly planted against his forehead Russo gently shook his head and bemoaned his luck. “Why do I still even bother acting surprised when things like this happen?” He let out a sigh as his hands dropped to his sides. Russo’s self-pity was interrupted when he heard a loud cough coming from beneath his feet.

“*Ahem* Not to be rude, but now that I’ve done my part would you please GET OFF OF ME!” Velexus angrily demanded as he grabbed hold of Russo’s leg with both hands and attempted to push him off.

            Russo scoffed and ceased pressing down on Velexus’ chest. He took a few steps back and warily distanced himself from Velexus as the attempted extortionist stood up and dusted off his robe.

            Velexus and Russo eyed one another uneasily, the unsavory figure slowly circling around the human and stepping backwards along the path, towards the direction the human originally came from.

            “Beating a hasty retreat are we?” Russo asked, his tone matching the frigid weather as he took a few steps towards Velexus.

            The hooded figure said nothing as he continued to step away from the human. “You’ve soundly beaten me and I have no means with which to fight back. I am in no mood to continue this confrontation.”

            “A confrontation you started, might I add.” Russo remarked as he continued advancing towards Velexus. A nasty gust of wind whipped up and blew down Russo’s hood as he spoke and his short brown hair rustled to and fro. He narrowed his gaze as he continued approaching Velexus. 

            “A terrible gamble on my part, I must admit. Yet how could I have known I’d come across a person as bothersome as you, always teleporting about, never standing still?” Velexus replied with some contempt.

“Hmmph. Annoying it may be, but you can’t deny the appeal of being difficult to land a hit on. After all, it’s near impossible to beat someone you can’t even lay a finger on,” Russo replied with a smile and raised eyebrows.

“Smartass,” Velexus curtly replied. “What do you even want at this point? I no longer stand in your way, in fact, I’m actively trying to DISTANCE myself from you yet you keep advancing towards me.”

“You chase me around all of creation and then expect me to just let you run off after a few hard knocks? Nuh uh, that’s not how this is gonna play out.”

“C-come now, let’s not be hasty. I-isn’t the satisfaction from a battle hard fought and won all that a gentleman like yourself requires? There’s n-no need to rub salt in the wound I assure you,” Velexus nervously stated as he raised his hands in front of him in surrender and continued backing away at an accelerated pace. Russo flipped back up his hood and matched his pace.

“Hahaha no. I’m going to do what you couldn’t.”

“And what would that be?”

Shooting Velexus a toothy smile the human spoke up. “Successfully extort someone. Empty your pockets. Your gold belongs to me now.” 

---------------------------So then Russo robbed a guy--------------------------

            “Holy hell that guy was loaded!” Russo eagerly thought aloud as his cloak sagged and his pockets jingled with ill-gotten gains. Yet those ill-gotten gains were already ill-gotten before he stole them so… wait. Okay, okay, Russo stole gold from a guy that probably had acquired said gold through less than legal means so… dammit. Stealing is bad but stealing stolen goods is less bad…? Maybe? I was going to have some witty author commentary but argh I’m just confusing myself. WHATEVER. Russo robbed a robber and even though that’s still illegal as hell nobody cared because FUCK ROBBERS. And so, Russo’s terrible life lesson of the day dear readers is that if you choose to burgle the right people, then it isn’t really a crime because no one will notice/care. THE END.

            Russo gently smiled as he patted the lumpy patches of his cloak, the inner pockets stuffed full with coins. Thrilled with the upswing in his fortune, Russo’s thoughts drifted away from the miserable weather and travel conditions. With renewed conviction to make it to Yash by day’s end he continued to put one foot in front of the other, his gaze focused ever forward.

            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sky pitch black and the air bitter cold, Russo made his way into Yash a few hours after the sun had set. While approaching from afar, the torches and lights of the town glowing gently in the darkness comforted Russo as he trepidatiously trudged across the twilit landscape.  

His body tired and his shoulders slumped from the days of travel, and maybe from the additional weight of the gold, Russo couldn’t help but smile as he quietly meandered through the twilit town. After some searching he finally made his way to Yash’s local guild hall, and slowly pulled one of the double doors open, a warm gust of air hitting him in the face as he did so. He quickly made his way inside and basked in the warmth of the buzzing guild hall. Dozens of local members filled the main hall, many of them sitting at tables eating and chatting or playing cards with one another. Others yet were leaning against the walls and shooting the breeze with one another, just content to be indoors and out of the cold. Russo slowly walked the length of the hall, his eyes darting to and fro, looking for any sign of the Yash guild master’s office.  There was no staircase towards the back of main hall like back in Tedrah and Russo was a little thrown off by the different layout. He spied a fox in a kimono sitting alone at a table in a far corner, his nose shoved into a book. Russo made his way towards him and gently tapped him on the shoulder. With a startle the fox fumbled the book in his hands and dropped it on the table, the book slamming shut.

“S-sorry about that. Didn’t mean to surprise you,” Russo quickly apologized.

The fox sighed as he picked back up his book and flipped through the pages, trying to find the latest page he had been reading. “No, no it’s alright. A friend of mine is always telling me I get too absorbed in these as it is.” He continued browsing through the book, his eyes glued to the paper as he talked.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where the guild master’s office would you? I have a letter for her that needs to be delivered.”

The fox’s eyes peeled away from the book and glanced up at the human. “Hmm? The guild master? Oh uh…” The fox placed his book down on the table and stood up and pointed to a door nestled in a corner at the opposite side of the hall. “That door over there leads to the basement. Just head on down there and keep going straight until you hit a door at the end of the hallway. That’s her office.”

“Thanks,” Russo nodded at the fox and made his way towards the designated door.

The fox smiled in return and gave him a quick wave before sitting back down to get lost in his book once more. Russo opened the door and descended down the surprisingly long set of stairs into the bowels of the guild hall. The basement was surprisingly well lit by magical candles that were placed in small indentations in the sides of the walls. As the mage made his way down the hallway he couldn’t help but peek inside some open doors he walked by. He spied some empty guest rooms, some not empty guest rooms, and a huge library that physically should not have been able to fit under the guild hall. Distractions aside, Russo finally made his way to the guild master’s office at the end of the hall and lightly knocked on the door.   

    Shuffling and some muffled grumbling could be heard coming from the other side of the door. Russo quietly remained where he stood as a latch could be heard moving and the door pulled open from the other side. A tall black panther, standing a good head and shoulders above Russo, emerged from the other side of the door. Adorned in a black cloak that seemingly paled in color compared to her fur and a simple loose fitting grey long sleeved shirt, the mage found himself somewhat intimidated by the feline’s height and austerity.

“…Can I help you?” She asked with a tone of suspicion as her eyes ran up and down Russo’s body, attempting to gauge the stranger that stood before her.

“I… have a uh delivery for you. F-from the Tedrah guild master,” Russo uneasily said as he fumbled with one of the pockets on his vest and retrieved the letter and quickly handed it over to the panther.

            Without a word the panther snatched the letter from the human. She examined the envelope for a minute or so, carefully inspecting the handwriting on the cover of it. Her eyebrows rose slightly in approval, as if any qualms she had about its authenticity had been put to rest. She cut open the top of the envelope with a swipe of a clawed finger and quickly glanced over the letter inside. Once or twice her eyes shot up from the letter to linger on Russo, the human growing increasingly nervous and uneasy as they both stood there in silence. After her speed read was complete she folded up the letter and gently slid it up into one of her sleeves. Her full attention shifted back to Russo and her gaze lingered upon him. After a couple of seconds however, a gentle smirk appeared on her face.

            “So, you’re Russo? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

            “I’m not sure whether I should take that as a compliment or a warning.”

            She smiled to herself and softly chuckled. “That old blowhard master of yours has been talking about you for years in our correspondences with one another. It’s always a thrill reading about the latest hair pulling problem you’ve made for that old fart.” A wide smile formed on her muzzle as her expression softened.

            “Oh God, the guild leaders gossip with one another about what their underlings?” Russo asked, dread seeping from his voice.

            “Mmhmm. What, do you think we talk nothing but business in those letters? Hell no! We love talking about our children and comparing favorites.”

            “…Children?” Russo asked completely baffled, confused by the sudden change in topic.

            She smirked as she patted Russo on the top of his head. “You may not realize it but many of us guild masters do get quite attached to our underlings. Serve under us long enough and we’ll start seeing ourselves as doting parents, always trying to keep an eye on our children.” She smiled gently at the human as she looked down at him and ruffled his hair, “Hmmph, and considering how much that old fart talks about you, you’re easily his favorite. He’ll never admit it but that bastard would go crazy without you always making a mess for him to clean up.”

            Russo grumbled as he tried to swat her hand away. She responded by pressing down on his head harder and completely messing up his hair. “Hmm, and as a child of Varun’s, you are welcome here in Yash.”

            “I’ll just keep on referring to him as “master” if you don’t mind,” Russo pouted.

            The huge cat chuckled as she continued antagonizing the human. “Such a loyal yet troublesome child you are.”

            “Auggghhhhh… well what do I call you? And no I’m not calling you master. I don’t care if you are the head of this guild, I reserve that title for the old man.”

            “I can see you’ve inherited his stubbornness.” She sighed as she lifted her furred hand from atop the human’s head and crossed her arms, “Nadie. I will permit you to refer to me by proper name if it pleases you.”

            “That’ll work.”

            “Now that the introductions are out of the way, is there anything I can help you with child? Varun’s letter seemed to indicate that you didn’t just come here to simply deliver his message.”

            “Okay look, I am not a child I’m twenty-“ Russo’s complaint was interrupted as Nadie bopped him on the head with a long furred finger. “It doesn’t matter how old you are Russo. So long as Varun is your master, you will always be his child and I will always refer to you as such.”

            Russo sighed as he rolled his eyes. He was met with another bop to the head as a result. “*Sigh* Alright, alright. I was hoping I could ask you for a favor.”

            “Go on.”

            Russo took a deep breath before continuing. “The thing is, a couple years back I ran into some uhhh demon trouble, but it somehow managed to work itself out and I managed to walk away from it. Quite recently though, I’ve become increasingly worried that my demon trouble might resurface and I… I don’t think things will turn out as well as they did last time. Master said that you were knowledgeable about demons and the dark arts and that you might be able to help me out.”

            Nadie scratched her chin as she gazed down at the mage. “Your manners could certainly use some work but as Varun’s boy I’m willing to overlook that. I may be able to help you Russo, but I’m going to need much more to go on than that. Drop off your belongings in one of the guest rooms and grab yourself a proper dinner and get yourself some sleep. We’ll have much to discuss tomorrow if I’m going to try and help you to any degree.”

            “Thank you Nadie.” Russo said with a sincere smile as he looked up at the panther. She shot him back a gentle smile which quickly disappeared when she heard his pockets loudly jingling as he turned around and walked back down the hall.

            “Surely you didn’t walk all the way here with such loud and heavy pockets?!”

            “Hmm? Oh no no no, of course not. I’m not stupid enough to give thieves an extra incentive to come up and try and rob me. It’s just that I ran across some bum named Velexus who tried to rob me earlier today. Suffice to say I came away from that little confrontation wealthier than I did going into it.” Russo said quite pleased as he patted the pockets of his cloak.

              “Velexus? He’s been known to frequent the roads around here and cause trouble for travelers going in and out of Yash. I’m sure the people he’s wronged will be very pleased to hear that their gold has been recovered.”

            “Uhhhh about that…”

            “Surely you weren’t thinking of claiming ownership of something that clearly isn’t yours?” Nadie asked with a tone of disapproval and a glint of her fangs as she approached Russo and loomed over him.

            “Uhhhhhhhhhhhhoffffffff course not. H-here you go, always happy to lend a hand,” Russo quickly blurted out as he emptied his pockets and gave the huge fucking panther handful after handful of gold coins. The human had no idea where the hell it all disappeared inside her cloak but she facetiously thanked him for his thoughtfulness and shoved him towards the direction of the nearest guest room. When he was sure he had passed out of earshot Russo let out a heavy sigh. “Easy come, easy go,” he thought out loud as he entered one of the empty guest rooms and tossed his rudimentary backpack onto the ground. He flopped onto on a bed, intending to close his eyes and rest for a just a few minutes before heading back upstairs to grab some grub. Those few minutes effortlessly turned into a few hours. Completely oblivious to the world around him, Russo slept deeply as the guild members above slowly wound down their evenings and headed back to their respective homes, a certain fox managed to finish plowing through the book he had become enthralled with only hours before, and a doting guild master contentedly leaned against a far too small for her size doorframe, keeping a close eye on a dear friend’s underling.