Alcingeria Chapter Twenty: The Vipers

The Scorpions are taken to the bunkhouse belonging to the criminal group known as The Vipers and are approached with a deal from them.

Chapter Twenty The Vipers:

“Do The Vipers know of the existence of supernatural creatures?” I asked.

Ceberus nodded.

            “Yes. We have come across numerous fairies in the forest outside of the walls of Riverguard in the past. They’re easy to find if you know what to look for. Only very recently has Queen Yuka started to look for them. I wonder what she wants with them.” Ceberus said.

            “I wonder that as well. I believe that the answer will be revealed to us in due time.” Robert said.

            “What about vampires? Do The Vipers know about vampires?” Macalister asked.

            “Yes. Vampires and quite numerous. They have a human appearance so they can hide in plain sight.” Ceberus said.

            “Yes, we know that about vampires.” Don said with a laugh.

There was no doubt that Don was talking about how Ignacio fooled us into thinking he was human when he first ‘rescued’ us from Queen Mycta’s guards in the forest.

            “Now as promised. Follow me and I’ll take you to the bunkhouse of The Vipers.” Ceberus said as he walked out of the alleyway and onto the empty street.

I followed after him. I heard William, Robert Don and Macalister all follow me.

            “The house isn’t far from here. Just a few minutes.” Ceberus said with his back to me.

We resumed walking through the street. The residential buildings went from two stories to one story as we walked on. The street was made of grey stone here, like in the town square. Ceberus took us down a left turn ahead. I made the turn behind him. I looked ahead and saw that there was only one building. It was about a kilometer away. Surrounding the house was farmland that was dotted with green crops. About three kilometers away I could see the wall of Riverguard. I could see a few men and women tending the fields. Did all this farmland belong to The Vipers? There was a path that led from this road to the house ahead. It went straight through the field of crops but was only about two feet wide. Ceberus lead us down this path and we made our way to the house. As we approached I could see that the people tending the fields all turned to look at us.

            “Good afternoon, Ceberus!” A man called over his shoulder as he resumed to hoe the field.

            “Good morning, Raymond.” Ceberus greeted him.

We were close to the house now. No more people greeted us. All we received were suspicious looks. We finally approached the house and Ceberus opened the door. He stepped in and the rest of us stepped in after him. The house was a long, rectangular log cabin. There was a door on the other end of the room which was about two hundred feet away. The house was about two hundred feet long and twenty feet wide. The walls were made of sturdy dark brown oak wood. The ceiling was made of the same wooden logs. The floor was made of the same wood but it was comprised of planks and not logs. Sunlight streamed into the house through the many windows that lined the walls. The part of the house that we entered had a little kitchen to our right complete with a wash basin, a counter, kitchen knives in a holder on the countertop and the counter had a series of drawers on either side. Cupboards were in perfect alignment on the wall above the counter. To our left was a room with a few sofas as well as a table with about seven chairs around it. A few cards were on the table. A sign of an unfinished game. Ahead of us to the left and right were bunk beds that were built into the walls.

A woman came through the door at the other end of the room. She was about 5’ 5” and she wore a simple brown shirt along with simple brown pants. Her hair was a dark blonde and her eyes were a very light blue.

            “Ceberus, who are these men? Everyone out in the field wants to know.” The woman said in a sweet voice.

            “It’s alright, Martha. These men are The Scorpions. They’re on the run from the law just like us.” Ceberus explained.

            “Will they be staying?” Asked Martha.

Ceberus cast a questioning glance at me. I looked to Robert.

            “We have no money and no place to sleep for tonight. We can’t buy any food, either. I think it would be smart to stay here until we get some money.” I told him.

            “Yes, we will be staying. Is that alright with you?” Robert asked Ceberus.

Ceberus grinned.

            “By all means! Stay as long as you like. We have plenty of food and drink. We have the fields around us and a well out around back. Besides, we would be honored to have a couple professional thieves like yourselves with us for a little while.” Ceberus said.

            “Thank you!” I said sincerely.

            “I have an offer for you all.” Ceberus said.

            “Yes, what is it?” Robert asked curiously.

            “We’re short on good men. Anyone out in the field past nightfall usually dies. The vampires get them. We have lost many men and women like this. A few of us have been apprehended and convicted by Queen Yuka’s law enforcement officers. A few of those were sent to prison but most were executed.  Would you four… Be willing to join The Vipers?” Ceberus asked.

Robert’s expression turned to shock.

            “W-what? You want us to join you?” Robert asked in astonishment.

Ceberus nodded.

            “Yes. I’ll give you all a moment to think it over.” Ceberus said.

            “Thank you. We appreciate it.” Don said.

            “Martha, follow me outside and give these men some privacy, would you?” Ceberus ordered.

            “Of course, Ceberus.” Martha replied.

Ceberus began walking outside and Martha followed him. When the door closed, Robert began speaking.

            “What do you all think?” He asked.

            “Well, if we join The Vipers, we won’t be suspected by Queen Yuka’s law enforcement officers very easily when we’re out in public because they will be looking for the four of us, not a group.” Don began.

            “We may also find out more about the supernatural side of Alcingeria.” Macalister said.

            “They’re also giving us a place to sleep, and they’re giving us meals.” I added.

            “I figure that we can at least help these people. Go on a few heists with them and train them a little at the very least.” Don pointed out.

Robert took a deep breath.

            “Very well. I suppose it can only turn out in our favor if we stay with The Vipers.” Robert said.

            “Ceberus! We have made our decision!” Don called out.

Ceberus came into the room on the other end of the house with Martha and they walked across the house to us.

            “What have you decided on?” Ceberus asked.

            “We have decided that we will stay with you.” Robert said.

Ceberus held out his hand to shake.

            “I’m glad that you all decided on this. I never did catch your names.” Ceberus said.

We hadn’t told him our names, he was right.

            “Well, you seem to be trustworthy. The name is Robert. This is Macalister, Don and Redmond.” Robert said, gesturing to each of us respectively.

Ceberus shook all of our hands.

            “Martha, fetch these folks something to eat, please.” Ceberus asked.

            “Certainly.” Martha said.

She walked off to the kitchen and began preparing us a meal.

            “Martha is my wife. A darling, is she not?” Ceberus asked.

            “Yes, she seems very nice.” Robert said.

            “I love her more than anything.” Ceberus said in a dreamy voice.

He shook his head as if coming out of a daydream.

            “Please, sit down.” Ceberus said with a smile, gesturing to the table with the cards on it.

He walked over before we got there and cleared the table of the cards, setting them on a small wooden table nearby. We all took a seat at the table.

            “So, I’m curious. You all look like an interesting lot. Tell me, what roles do you all play in your criminal activities?” Ceberus asked.

Robert spoke first.

            “Well Ceberus, I’m the leader. I come up with the plans and I always get us out of a tight spot. Don here scouts out places we’re targeting. He acquires information such as the patrol lengths and routes the guards take, where the objective is, our means of arrival and escape, that sort of thing. Macalister is our muscle. He isn’t bright, but he is easily twice as strong as any one of us individually. He does most of our fighting. Last but not least there is Redmond. He’s our master thief. He has a soft touch and he’s stealthy. He goes for the objective and he has never been caught once in all of our heists.” Robert explained.

Ceberus nodded, impressed. I heard Martha walk up behind me and she set a little metal tray on the table in front of us. There was a selection of vegetables such as carrots, spinach, cabbage and peas. We all dug in. I popped a carrot into my mouth and chewed it.

            “My, my gentlemen. I’m impressed. It seems that you have quite an elaborate setup.” Ceberus said.

            “Indeed we do. Tell us, what roles do people play in the Vipers?” Robert asked.

            “You will get to meet everyone at dinner. I’ll introduce them all and tell what their roles are when they’re all here.” Ceberus explained.

            “That sounds good.” Robert said.

I swallowed my carrot and picked up another one. I saw that the others were eating as well.

            “What do you all specialize in?” Ceberus asked.

            “Well, we specialize in heists. We have the most experience in heists but we have worked as mercenaries for hire in the past.” Robert explained.

            “I see.” Ceberus said.

            “What do The Vipers specialize in?” Asked Don.

            “We get most of our money from robbing stores and estates stealthily.” Ceberus explained.

            “Where does the rest of the money come from?” I asked.

            “Well, William and I are double agents as we told you. We work for Queen Yuka and acquire classified information and we give it to The Vipers. However there are also people out there who are willing to pay us for the information. For example Queen Yuka informs us the locations of the vampires that are currently hunting criminals. William and I sell the information to vampire hunters and they pay us handsomely. We only do this every so often, to avoid suspicion.” Ceberus said.

            “That’s very clever. So you and William are espionages?” Don asked.

            “Precisely.” Ceberus said.

I bit a piece off of my carrot and chewed it. I swallowed soon after. I finished my carrot and realised that there was no more food on the tray.

            “That’s interesting. I have never actually met an espionage before.” Don said.

            “Well, the most important rule of being an espionage is to keep your identity a secret, so in case you are caught, your captors can’t tie you to anyone else such as family, friends or criminal organizations.” Ceberus said.

            “That makes sense.” Macalister said.

            “Indeed. Now, dinner won’t be ready for a while. Will you four go outside and help the others tend the fields? It would be a big help.” Ceberus said.

Robert nodded.

            “Certainly.” Robert said.

He got up and motioned for us to follow him. We walked out the nearest door. Ceberus followed us outside. The sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon. I estimated that it was about three hours past noon. Ceberus pointed to a man that was close to us. He was harvesting a crop. It was the same man who had greeted Ceberus on our way in.

            “Raymond, could you show these men how to work the fields? They will be staying with us for the next little while and we’re short on workers.” Ceberus explained.

Raymond was a dark skinned man who was almost as tall as Macalister. He fell short a few inches but he looked just as muscular. He had dark brown eyes and he had black hair.

            “Certainly, Ceberus.” Raymond said.

            “Thanks a lot.” Ceberus said as he walked back into the house.

Raymond turned his attention to us.

            “Alright. I have no clue who you four are, but I have a feeling that I’ll find out at dinner. Ceberus usually introduces our guests in front of everyone.” Raymond said.

The four of us remained silent.

            “So, tending the field is very simple. Go through the field and pick out any weeds-“ Raymond kneeled down and showed us the green, prickly weedy plants.

            “Harvest any crops that look like this-“ Raymond said, showing us a carrot that had deep green leaves and a bright orange crop.

            “We have peas, carrots, potatoes, cabbage and spinach in this field, so just pick whatever looks ripe. You won’t need a hoe for this kind of work.” Raymond finished.

            “Alright. We will get right to it.” I said.

            “That’s what I like to hear!” Raymond said happily.

I began walking across the field with my eyes cast downwards, scanning the ground for any weeds or ripe crops. I found a weed plant that Raymond had shown us and I reached down and pulled it out. It wasn’t prickly. It was actually quite fuzzy. I held onto the weed. I would get rid of it later. I wasn’t given a basket so I would have to make do without one. I continued to walk along, my shoes made wet squelch noises in the moist, fertile soil. The soil sucked at my shoes but they stayed on. I saw a ripe carrot and I reached down and picked it. I removed it from the soil with ease, pulling it up by the green part. The orange crop was dirty from being in the soil. I held onto it and I carried on walking.

            “Pardon me, but are you one of the four men who Ceberus brought in earlier today?” I heard a man’s voice call me.

I turned around and saw a man with deep brown hair and fair hazel eyes. His skin tone was pasty white, but there was no way that he was a vampire. He had normal eyes and he was standing in sunlight. He was about my height as well.

            “Yes, I’m.” I answered him.

            “If you don’t mind my asking, why did Ceberus bring you in? Who are you?” The man asked.

I suppose that there was no harm in telling the man my name. After all, he was a criminal as well.

            “My name is Redmond. I’m a member of The Scorpions. We, Ceberus and William had a run in recently concerning fairies that he and William were capturing for Queen Yuka. We met again a day after the run in and Ceberus took us in. We were low on money and needed food, water and a place to sleep. Ceberus is a life saver.” I explained.

            “My name is Francella. I’m aware of the existence of fairies and I’m aware that William and Ceberus are double agents for Queen Yuka. I’m certain that all members of The Vipers know of this. Anyhow, I wonder what Queen Yuka wants with the fairies?” Francella said.

(Francella is pronounced Fran-chell-ah)

            “I was wondering the same thing. I just found out about the existence of vampires recently and am quite baffled. I just found out that fairies exist, too. The world is a strange place, no?” I asked.

Francella laughed.

            “Tell me about it. Who knows what else could be out there?” Francella asked.

            “The possibilities are restricted only to the imagination.” I answered.

            “Well, it was nice meeting you. I believe that we will meet again at dinner and you and your friends will be introduced to everyone. I should get back to work now.” Francella said.

            “Yes, it was nice meeting you too.” I said, getting back to work.

I wonder what role Francella played in The Vipers. I suppose that I would find out at dinner. I continued to work again, going through the field and gathering the weeds and the ripe crops.

 

***

Author's Note

Please tell me what you think!

Reviews

[KeithKVH]

Not a whole lot going on here, but I wouldn't quite call it a filler. We've got new characters coming in and important decisions being made, so it's definitely an important chapter in itself. I wouldn't say it needs much spice either, since they should be serious and trying to make a good impression.

I found myself coming to realize just how serious the situation is after hearing how the Vipers are losing people to vampires every night. Now that the Scorpions know about vampires, the vampires hunting those who know their secret will be after them too, so that's just another good reason they need allies right now.

I caught a few spelling points, a couple may actually be a word you're using in a unique way though:

Yes. Vampires and quite numerous.
Yes. Vampires are quite numerous.
-I'm just assuming this was what was meant here.

We have the fields around us and a well out around back.
We have the fields around us and as well out around back.
-Missing letter.

Tell me, what rolls do you all play in your criminal activities?”

"Indeed we do. Tell us, what rolls do people play in the Vipers?"

I will introduce them all and tell what their rolls are when they are all here.”
-All three of these use "rolls" incorrectly. For what you're indicating here, the correct term for the part each member plays is their "roles".

“That is very clever. So you and William are Espionages?”
-From the capitalization, I'm assuming "Espionages" is supposed to be a unique term in the story? I'm not certain if it can be used normally otherwise, I've never heard it used as a person based noun, let alone plural. It's used singularly a couple times here, but I thought I'd confirm it's relevance before pointing those out.

[Ryan Henderson]

Thanks for the spelling error reports! Although the

We have the fields around us and a well out around back.

Its not as well around back, they have the fields and a well out back. A well for water. I will fix the other spelling errors though. Thanks so much!

[KeithKVH]

Ah, right you are. I misread that. xD

I would like to ask about the "Espionages" though. Is that a unique term, or did you just mean spies? :o

[Ryan Henderson]

Oh, yeah I just meant spies. I think I accidentally capitalized that. My bad XD