The Pulpist

Grym continued his story despite her pathetic state. “For some reason, the whore did not fear my mask, or maybe she was just starving. However, she came to me at a cheap price, so I obliged her. Even with my desiccated features across my face and my chest, parts of my body remain useful. I’m even more susceptible to desires of the flesh than before. The warmth of skin, the cool breeze, anything like a sensation can almost overwhelm my brain. The urges of lust and killing tempt me far beyond...

Believe it or not, we eventually found someone in the village who understood scrolls and spells. However, it wasn’t a simple exercise. Rolf warned us about the old woman called Toothless. He claimed no one knew her real name since she had arrived at the village many years before. Her eccentricity scared the people of his village. However, he promised the woman’s abilities focused on spiritual matters, not witchcraft. Rolf said Toothless knew a lot about magic items, plants, and poisons. Since...

I wanted to ignore the man as he continued his rambling for a moment. He slurred his sentences as he went on about his sweet daughter. When he turned his attention back to his mug, I looked down at my meal. The wooden bowl contained a type of stew with vegetables I didn’t recognize, along with a small lump of meat. After inspecting the wooden spoon, I found it clean, so I ate. Cleanliness varied within this world. A glance at Ruby told me she wanted to talk to the man. I shook my head. “He’s...

“Where is the next stop?” Valary asked. As she expected, Grym remained quiet. He spoke to her only twice since they left their campsite that morning on his horse. Since she could not ride the horse without her arms, Valary rode in front of Grym. She recognized they must look like a strange pair of travelers if they came upon others on the narrow trail. Despite wearing a long black cape, the woman felt his occasional hot breath next to her ear and neck when she turned her head. Valary...

We stopped in front of the kidnapped woman’s home. Well, it’s actually one of a line of similar shacks which line the rutted road. I knocked, still attached to modern courtesy for some reason, then opened the door. Inside, we found a single room that carried the familiarity of our apartment in some ways. A back door led to a latrine, which was only a few paces away from the trees of the forest. “Nobody would see her if she left this way,” I muttered aloud. Ruby and I walked out looking for...

Inside Hajoon Palace, Erdem stood by the window that looked over the gardens where well-dressed slaves meticulously maintained the plants. However, the son of Emperor Nazalath paid no attention to the activity. Instead, his mind focused on the letter he had just received from Dennel Veil. So, Jupus’s widow is taking the bait? She carries more ambition than her husband did. Erdem’s carnivorous face lit up with a thin smile. Still, she wants to play a game with me. Interesting! His spies warned...

A week later, Ruby and I rode past the gates of the capital in a merchant’s cart. Before we left on this journey, we went to the Donner Guild. A mage confirmed the rings carried no curse, and that they were soul-bound between us. She deciphered most of the runes for us while telling us the additional symbols held no trouble. The woman also told us that high-level runes were beyond the capability of most mages. The Donner Mage even offered to purchase the rings from us at a nice profit....

Chapter 4 Stillness descended on the camp as night crawled over the forest. Valary continued practicing her control of the golem legs. After several clumsy attempts to stand, she finally got the limbs to bend, creating something close to human knees. The woman crawled over to the nearest tree after a while. Then, she painfully inched up to her feet, using her back against the rough tree trunk. Despite the trouble, she found herself surprised at the strength of the new legs and feet. The...

Chapter 3 Flicking a piece of flint across a steel starter inside a shallow pit, Grym took only a few moments to light the campfire. The woman watched him with growing interest. She wondered why the need for such technology when he could create a fire spell. Just as she was about to ask, the pine needles flamed up, and he diligently added sticks to the growing flames. Perhaps he’s saving his aether? Valary worked for years to become a mage. She understood the limits of her craft. One thing...