Alcingeria Chapter Fourteen: The Scorpions' Path Forward

After saving the lives of Don and Robert, The Scorpions discuss their path forward. They also find something rather interesting in Ignacio's cabin...

Chapter Fourteen The Scorpions’ Path Forward: Macalister sighed.

            “There goes our money.” He said with dismay.

I patted Macalister on the shoulder.

            “It’s alright, my friend. We saved the lives of Robert and Don. In the end, it’s not the money that matters. It’s our unity as friends, our unity as criminals.” I told him.

Macalister nodded.

            “Yes, you’re right. I’m happy that this madness is finally over.” Macalister said with a sigh of relief.

Don shifted nervously on the spot.

            “The madness isn’t over. Far from it.” Don said.

Macalister cocked his head and looked to Don in confusion.

            “Macalister, you can’t possibly think that the madness is over! There are vampires in this world, vampires are real!” Don exclaimed.

            “Don is right, and we must not tell anyone of the existence of the vampire race. It’s as Ignacio said. He told us that vampires kill those who can’t keep their existence a secret.” Robert pitched in.

            “That’s why we must not tell anyone that we know of the vampire race’s existence. It’s a dark, dangerous secret that we can’t let anyone know that we have knowledge of it. Does everyone understand?” Robert asked.

            “Yes.” I said.

            “Aye.” Macalister declared.

            “Yes, I understand.” Don said.

Robert nodded.

            “Good. Now, we must discuss our path forward.” Robert said.

            “Yes, I thought that we had agreed that we’re to go to Yutsa?” I said.

            “Yes, I thought that we were to go to Yutsa as well. Was that not what we discussed?” Asked Don.

Robert cleared his throat.

            “Well yes, but in case none of you have noticed, we don’t know where we’re.” Robert said.

I had realized that we didn’t know where we were when I stepped outside this cabin, just before I was rendered unconscious by Ignacio’s poisoned food. I had completely forgotten that we didn’t know where we were until now.

            “You’re right, Robert. We don’t know where we’re.” I said.

            “What are we to do?” Asked Macalister.

There was a moment of silence. We were all contemplating a plan.

            “I have an idea.” Don said.

We all looked to Don expectantly.

            “Since we don’t know where we’re, we have no way of finding our way to Yutsa specifically, but the chance of us finding a town before sundown is very high. From there, we can find out where we’re.” Don said.

Robert cleared his throat.

            “I just had a thought. Even if we were to find Yutsa, we can’t sneak into the province.” Robert said.

I looked to him with confusion.

            “Why not?” I asked.

            “We can’t sneak in because now that we know there are vampires roaming around, we could be ambushed at any given time. If we’re out of sight from people, out of sight of witnesses, we would be easy targets for vampires.” Robert said.

            “So what you’re saying is that we can’t go to Yutsa because King Desmond is weary of outsiders. If we go through the main gates to Yutsa, we will be questioned and eventually exposed as criminals. If we sneak in out of sight, we could be killed by vampires.” I said to Robert.

            “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” He replied.

            “So what do we do now?” Asked Macalister.

            “I say that we follow Don’s plan. We have a high chance of finding a town if we venture in a single direction. From the nearest town we can find out where we’re.” I told him.

            “I agree. We didn’t need to go to Yutsa specifically, but I just thought that there would be less of a watch for us in Yutsa because it’s the farthest province from Relin.” Don said.

            “Aye that’s clever, Don. Can we venture out now? I’m getting hungry and would like a meal before dark.” Macalister said.

Don shook his head.

            “No, we can’t venture out yet. We must find the flintlocks that we stole from Queen Mycta’s guards back in Relin, in case we run into any trouble in the future.” Don said.

            “We must also find our daggers. When we were captured by Ignacio, we only had a few bullets left for them. Flintlock bullets are expensive.” I added.

            “Speaking of expenses, how much gold do we have now that the fifty thousand dollars is gone?” Asked Robert.

I reached into my pocket. My fingers brushed three cold metallic coins. I pulled them out of my pocket. Ignacio hadn’t taken the three gold coins that I had stolen from Relin’s border guards. I inspected the three gold pieces. I knew what gold looked like, I could draw out the entire coin in fine detail if so I wished. However, I loved holding gold in my hand and looking at it. It made me feel like I wasn’t completely broke. The gold coin was about three centimeters in diameter, it had the number “1” in the center of the coin and around the upper perimeter of the coin was the inscription: One Dollar.

            “I have three gold coins.” I said.

Macalister, Don and Robert all reached into their pockets and found their coins.

            “I have one gold coin.” Macalister said.

            “I have two gold coins.” Don announced.

            “I didn’t find any gold coins on Relin’s border guards.” Said Robert disappointedly.

Macalister put his gold in his pocket and held his hands up and closed them both. He then slowly extended eight fingers, one at a time.

            “That makes… Eight gold pieces!” Macalister said.

Don shot him a confused look.

            “Six.” Don corrected.

Macalister looked down confusedly at his hands and lowered two of his fingers.

            “Oh.” He said in embarrassment.

            “Never mind that! We must find our flintlocks and daggers!” Robert said urgently.

            “Split up and search, we have a better chance of finding them if we split up.” I suggested.

            “Fine idea, Redmond.” Macalister said.

Macalister walked towards one of the doors by the bed, it was the only door we hadn’t been through yet; the door in the middle. He opened it and stepped through, shutting the door behind him. Don went into the door by the bed farthest to the right. It was the room that Ignacio had been hiding in the shadows in. He opened the door, stepped through and shut it behind him. Robert turned around and walked through the door on the far left by the bed. He shut it behind him. I was now alone in the room. I looked around the room, searching for a place to begin searching for our daggers and flintlocks. I found the entrance to the cellar that was once concealed by the tapestry with the orange flame on it. I knew that Ignacio wouldn’t have hid our weapons where we were imprisoned, no one would have. I looked around the room and found a door that was partly concealed in the shadows that the candles threw across the walls. I didn’t like this house, there were too many shadows and they made me nervous. I began walking to the door. I hadn’t noticed it before. I reached out and turned the doorknob. I opened the door, stepped through and shut the door behind me. Candles riddled the walls, casting even more shadows across the room. I really, really hated this house. I watched the shadows carefully, half expecting something to jump out at me. I told myself that I was merely being excessively paranoid. I looked around the room. The walls, floor and ceiling were all made out of the same dark oak boards. The walls were bare with the exception of the candles. At the end of the room, there was a small desk that was only a meter or so long and half a meter wide. Atop this desk were a few pieces of parchment. One of the pieces of parchment looked like a letter. I walked over to the desk and picked up the letter. It read:

 

Recipient: Ignacio (Surname Unknown)

You’re to capture the four members of the marauding criminal group known as The Scorpions. Bring them to me dead or alive. If you bring them to me dead, I’ll pay you the agreed sum of ten thousand dollars. If you bring them to me alive, I shall Pay you the ten thousand dollars as well as allow you to choose three people from my court whom you may do as you will with. Turn them into vampires, kill them, drink their blood, the choice is yours. However, this is only if you bring me The Scorpions alive. After you bring me The Scorpions, this deal is terminated and may not be used as bargaining leverage to gain my favor in the future. I wish you the best of luck in fulfilling this deal and I thank you for assisting King Bunsen, King Desmond, Queen Yuka and I in ridding Alcingeria of the criminals that have become too dangerous for humans to kill.

~ Barnabas Lucias

I put the letter in my pocket. I didn’t know why I wanted to keep it, but I did. That letter was sent by King Lucias to Ignacio to confirm their deal to capture Macalister, Don, Robert and I. Two things on this letter were new to me; the fact that King Lucias would give three people from his court to Ignacio for capturing us alive. This thought sickened me. I had ended the lives of many men, but no women. I only kill people when I need to, such as if they’re a witness who could identify and report Don, Robert, Macalister and I, but the thought of being killed by a vampire was an unpleasant one. You would be drained of blood, you would feel your life slipping away from you along with each drop of blood that the vampire takes out of you, you would get dizzy and you would pass out and never wake up again. It was a scary thought. The second thing that was new to me was King Lucias’s first name. Barnabas. I had never heard his first name before, it sounded odd. Barnabas Lucias. It didn’t flow off of the tongue, it sounded a little awkward coming out of your mouth. I then flicked my gaze to the other pieces of parchment on the desk. There were four others. They were all pictures of Don, Robert, Macalister and I. They were like wanted posters but they didn’t have the reward on them, just the drawings of us, The Scorpions. I looked around on the desk, there were no more pieces of parchment and there were no drawers. I exited the room and went back to the room where I had previously been. It was the room with the orange flame tapestry and the bed. I saw that Don had finished searching, he stood with his back to me. He heard me coming and turned around.

            “Did you find anything?” Asked Don.

I nodded and extracted the letter from my pocket. I handed it to Don. Don took it from my hands and read it. He took a few moments to read it. When he finished reading, he started laughing. He handed the letter back to me, still laughing. I took it and put it back in my pocket.

            “Barnabas? That’s King Lucias’s first name?” Don laughed.

A grin cracked my lips and I nodded.

            “I know, it does not flow off of the tongue, now does it?” I asked him.

Don shook his head, frowning.

            “Quite odd, really. Most peoples’ first and last names go well together and flow well. Barnabas Lucias does not.” Don said.

He had finally stopped laughing.

            “I know. Anyway, that’s not important. I wonder how much luck Robert and Macalister are having?” I said.

Don frowned and shook his head.

            “Only time will tell. I had no luck myself.” He said.

            “I suppose that you’re right.” I said.

Don cleared his throat and spoke to me in a serious tone.

            “Redmond, I need to ask you something.” Don said.

This sparked my interest.

            “What is it, Don?” I asked him.

            “I have been thinking. Something that Ignacio said does not make sense.” Don said.

I thought back on what Ignacio had said previously. Everything he said made sense. Some of it made sense in a twisted way, but it made some sense at least.

            “What does not make sense?” I asked, puzzled.

            “Do you remember when Ignacio said ‘the humans of Alcingeria make up only a small fraction of those who know of the vampire race’?” Don asked me.

I remembered him saying that. I had puzzled over it briefly when he said it. He said that the humans of Alcingeria make up only a small fraction of those who know of the vampire race. What other species could know of vampires? Could there be other supernatural creatures in Alcingeria?

            “Yes, why?” I asked.

            “Do you think that there are other supernatural creatures in Alcingeria besides vampires?” Don asked.

Wonder filled Don’s eyes. His eyes widened as he spoke. I shrugged my shoulders in response to his question.

            “I don’t know. After all, only two days ago we didn’t know about vampires. I suppose that it’s possible that other supernatural creatures exist in Alcingeria.” I told him.

            “What kind of other strange creatures do you think exist without our knowledge?” Asked Don in wonder.

My mind went back to when my father used to tell me stories of supernatural creatures. The stories he used to tell me contained angels, demons, vampires, fairies, sorcerers and all sorts of others. Could it be that those stories are true? Were only the vampire stories true?

            “My father used to tell me stories of all kinds of strange creatures. In his stories there were angels, demons, vampires, fairies, sorcerers and many other things. Do you think that they could all be real?” I asked.

Don nodded.

            “After just seeing a legitimate vampire, I don’t think that the other supernatural creatures are not so unbelievable.” Don said.

I heard footsteps in the room. I turned to look to them and saw Robert and Macalister walking across the room towards us. In Macalister’s hands were four daggers and in Robert’s hands were four flintlocks.

            “What were you two talking about?” Robert asked.

            “We were discussing the stories that our fathers told us about supernatural creatures. We think that other supernatural creatures besides vampires could exist in Alcingeria.” Don said.

            “Well, after seeing a vampire, I don’t think that other paranormal creatures seem very make belief.” Robert remarked.

Robert handed Don and I our flintlocks and Macalister handed us our daggers. Robert passed me the small flask of gunpowder that I had found on one of Relin’s border guard. I poured the gunpowder down the barrel of the flintlock and I put a bullet into the barrel after the gunpowder. I put the remaining ammunition and my dagger in my pocket. I kept my flintlock in my hand. Robert pulled all the remaining flintlock ammunition from his pocket and handed Don and I four bullets each and gave four to Macalister. He kept four for himself. That meant we had sixteen bullets in total. Robert gave Macalister a flintlock. Macalister passed a dagger to Robert. I passed the flask of gunpowder around to everyone else and they reloaded their flintlocks. They passed the flask of gunpowder back to me. I put it in my pocket.

            “Right then, lads. Are we ready?” Asked Robert.

            “Ready. I’m hungry, too.” Macalister said.

            “I’m ready.” Don said.

            “I’m ready. Macalister is right. We need to get some food soon.” I said.

            “I agree with you lot. We need to eat something. We will use the gold that we got from the border guards at Relin.” Robert said.

I started walking for the front door. When I reached it, I turned the knob, pushed it open and stepped through. I held it open for Don, Robert and Macalister. Macalister had to duck beneath the top of the doorway to avoid hitting his head.

Author's Note

Please tell me what you think!

Reviews

[KeithKVH]

Hmm, I get the feeling that parchment or perhaps the information about him trading out court members to vampires might be important later. The oddity of the King's name seems like it might be foreshadowing as well, but not sure. Definitely interesting that it's implied we'll be seeing the other supernatural creatures.

I do like the tidbits of humor here and there. Macalister miscounting the coins, Don cracking up at the king's name. No matter how serious or what kind of story, I think it's best to have a bit of spice where it allows the opportunity. I'd say the dialogue is improving too. Keep writing, I might read more later today after I check in with a few friends on my steam community. :)

[Ryan Henderson]

thank you for the review! I love adding humor to the book, that is pretty much Don's job ;) and you have Steam? I have it as well. That is what I do when I'm not writing. If you don't mind me asking, what is your steam username?

[KeithKVH]

My username is GeminiXII. We have a gaming community called the Zodiac Braves, it was made by our former guild leader in Dragon Nest.

The group is kind of moving away from Dragon Nest for Dungeon Fighter Online when it is released, but the guild is still pretty big. I'm currently a "second in command" of the guild. I've been very active over there, which is one reason I've been more busy than usual.

[Ryan Henderson]

okay, do you mind if I add you?

[KeithKVH]

Sure, sorry I meant to say you could. I'm a bit tired, my sleep is a bit messed up. x.x