Chapter 24: Isekai Life & Ape Beatings

“So what do we do about the rest of that stuff, then?” I asked then, “I don’t mind speculating about what girls I’m going to marry, but what’s all that stuff about fire and doom and breaking chains and stuff?”

“I think it’s kind of like a timeline,” Katriana replied, “Before we’ll have the resources to get our kingdom back, we’ll need to do seven quests like that. Or something. I mean, we might have already done the fire one, if the temple arson counts.”

That kind of bothered me. A two-day quest like that was probably way too short to get mentioned in some kind of crazy prophecy.

“Well, I guess that’s all fine, but our goals stay the same,” I said, “How long until-”

There was knocking on the door, and Calliope’s annoyed voice filtered through the wood. “Are you guys done with your secret meeting or whatever? I’ve got to get to work and Voss doesn’t want to escort me on his own.”

I was going to ask about how long Ashryn and Katriana’s platemail would take, but I guess it could wait.

Katriana let Calliope and Voss back into the room. “Where do you work that you’re starting a shift so late at night?” she asked.

Calliope blushed. “N-nowhere important! But I don’t want to go there on my own, and Voss says that if those hobgoblins catch us again, he wants one of you two around,” she said, indicated Ashryn and Katriana.

The two other girls exchanged glances. “Well, I guess after the day you’ve had, it would pay to stay together,” Katriana allowed, “I’ll go, too.”

“I want to go, too!” Ashryn said, clapping her hands together, “If we’re all going to allies and party members, I want to get to know you, Calliope!”

... Which would leave me alone at the inn.

I sighed, “I guess we may as well all go, I don’t want to disappoint Ashryn, and I certainly don’t want to be left behind alone.”

With that, it was decided. Wandering around at night with a band of hobgoblins hunting us, yay.

The common room of the inn was crowded as always, so much so that I felt kind of bad for asking Voss and Calliope to wait out here for so long. Even Ricard, Mariska and their dwarf buddy were shoved along with Ricard’s serving man into a table by the front window, though they seemed cheerful enough, with Mariska seeing us and raising a glass of wine in salute as we passed.

The night was cool, just on the comfortable side of chilly, and in addition to lights from windows and open doorways, the street were lit with some kind of primitive gas-lamp. The streets were largely empty, but most of the people who were still about walked confidently, unafraid of the night. Guards patrolled in groups of four here and there, keeping an eye on things nonetheless.

We were heading towards the Docks district- I had been there enough by now that I recognized the route. It made me somewhat uneasy. To get there, we had to pass through a manufactory district that was bustling during the day, but at this time of night would be deserted.

While we walked, I fetched the crowbill out of my pack, and clutched it in my off hand. It just seemed like a sensible precaution.

We were walking through the manufactory district only a short distance we we heard a chilling scream from a side street. The side street turned a short way down, so we couldn’t see where the scream was coming from.

“It’s a trap,” I said, bluntly.

Katriana gave me a glare. “If it’s a trap, then someone is getting tortured because of us!”

Alright ... fair point. But... “We don’t have any spells left. Or rather, useful ones.”

“That’s not true! I still have the Starlit Eyes of the Ysiphine,” Ashryn chimed in.

Thanks for that input, but I don’t think Detect Magic will save anyone’s life.

“I’m sorry, Theodore, but I can’t let someone suffer because of us.”

I sighed. “Well, yeah, I didn’t say we weren’t going in there, just ... let’s be careful, alright? Voss, you and Katriana are doing the heavy lifting, are you going to be okay?”

The other fighter chuckled. “Yeah, they ought to look out. I didn’t have my spear then.”

I guess he must have grabbed it while Calliope and him were waiting.

We cautiously advanced down the street. Partway down, the screaming started up again, panicky and pained. Katriana drew her sword, but, to their credit, nobody ran forward.

The screaming died off, is a low, trailing wail. We rounded a haycart, and entered into a broad market square.

This late, all the stalls and carts were long packed away. Instead, at the centre of the square, was a large stake and pyre, with a burning human corpse (I hope) flickering away. As we entered, we heard someone behind us shoving the haycart into place, blocking the road before setting the cart on fire- matching flames sprang up on each of the roads leading out of the square.

“Well, this is great,” I said, bitterly.

The new flames illuminated our would-be opponents- two of the hooded hobgoblins ... and two massive apes, clad in iron collars with chain leashes. Upon seeing us, the larger of the two apes pounded his chest and hooted at us. The other, a more slender and deadly-looking ape, simply slinked forward silently.

Carnivorous apes. Five hit dice, a THAC0 of 15, three attacks per round ... They were often kept as war beasts and guardians by hobgoblins, and clearly these hobgoblins thought that they were some kind of trump card against us.

One of the hooded hobgoblins cracked a whip, driving one of the ape forward, laughing. “Come on, then! We’ve got your flesh to snack on and your bones to eat, eh? Five lives for eight is a poor trade, so give us some sport to even things up a little, won’t you?”