The Nekromancer - 55. Chapter 55

A slow and steady thunder filled their ears as Zephyr pulled the wagon toward the large city of Quantium. Marching slowly around the walls of the city was a green golem, nearly twenty feet high, arcane symbols apparent on its body even from this distance. Every step produced thunder, shaking the ground nearby as it moved.

A long line of travellers and wagons sat in front of the city gates, Zephyr stopping behind a wagon that appeared full of…

"Those are demons!" Amnor Sen said sharply, reaching for his glaive.

"Succubi," Jakun guessed, looking at the alarming amount of visible skin. "They're likely trying to learn new illusions or enchantments."

He set a hand on the glaive, pushing it down.

"They are here to master their version of art."

The paladin grunted quietly, before setting his weapon down.

"Oh, look at that one," Jeremy beamed beside him, making eyes at one of the more masculine demons.

"You are a man of the gods. Act like it," Amnor Sen snapped.

"I am a human, fallible and weak willed."

A hand gripped Jeremy's ear, the elf pulling his husband against him.

"You will not be seen near them. Do I make myself clear?"

"Ow! Yes, crystal clear!" Jeremy whimpered, trying to pry the fingers off.

Amnor Sen released the cleric, grunting quietly.

"They are still demons. I will not allow you to associate with them."

He could feel Jakun staring at him, and likely the werewolf through his eyes too. But the elf didn't care. He had to be firm with his husband, especially if succubi were around.

"If there's one thing Amnor Sen hates more than necromancy, it's demons," Jeremy explained with a quiet sigh.

"We are literally travelling to a place crawling with demons, to fight them. And you want to fuck the first demon you see," the paladin growled.

"No I don't. I just want to look," Jeremy protested as the wagon rumbled forward slowly.

"Yeah. Sure. Keep it in your pants."

They moved forward slowly, Jeremy looking sadly at the succubi. One of them blew him a kiss, and he felt Amnor Sen stiffen next to him.

"You wanted to have sex with me," Jakun said suddenly. "If you could have sex with me, why can't Jeremy have sex with a incubus? Or a succubus?"

"Incubus," Jeremy said instantly. "I don't want to fuck a girl."

"No… that's not how they work. Incubi penetrate, succubi receive," the amurrun corrected. "Either can be male or female, but most incubi are masculine because of their penises."

Amnor Sen glanced back at Jakun, surprised.

"Did Anya figure that out?"

"No. Loran had me copy enough books and scrolls from libraries. Some of the stuff stuck."

Jakun flinched, rubbing his lower back, as though to ward off the sting of a cane.

"Oh. But still. If you are that desperate, I'll take care of you," Amnor Sen said, looking over at Jeremy.

"I'll hold you to that once we find a room," Jeremy smirked.

Finally, they got to the gate, a pair of armed guards standing on either side. One of them held up a hand, Amnor Sen coming to a stop.

"Place of origin?" the man demanded.

"Holomog, more recently Geb," Amnor Sen said.

The guard nodded to his companion, who made a note on a scroll.

"Names?"

"Amnor Sen, Jeremy Fairchild, Jakun no last name."

"Proceed. You will be watched through your stay."

Nodding, Amnor Sen clucked to Zephyr, the wagon rumbling forward.

"Well. That was rather rude," Jeremy said.

"Not really. What if we were spies?" Amnor Sen pointed out.

Grunting with a quiet sigh, the man motioned to the side of a road.

"Pull over and let Jakun take the reins. You should go see when the next ship leaves for Absalom," he said.

"The plan is to stay here for the winter," Amnor Sen pointed out.

"Yes, but if we can get in on one last ship to Osirion, wouldn't that be a better place to winter? It would certainly be warmer."

"And drier…"

The elf sighed, pulling over. He slid out of the driver seat, Jakun taking his place. Stepping around, the elf collected his glaive, before returning to Jakun.

"You take good care of them," the elf said. "I'll meet you at the Griffon's Roost. They should have cheap rooms, from what I've heard."

Nodding, Jakun snapped the reins, Zephyr walking off. Amnor Sen was left on his own to wander the city, his feet beating a path toward the docks.

The docks themselves were busy, workers hoisting heavy crates from a large ship, emptying the cargo from the hold.

Pulling an orc aside, the paladin asked about the ship.

"The Wayfarer? She's in for the long term. Keel is bad, sails need refitting. We're heading back out mid spring, provided we can fix the hull," the orc grunted. "If you'll excuse me, I need to see the harbor master about wood-"

"One more thing. Do you take passengers?"

"Five hundred a person, and we don't make extra stops. Quantium to Sothis to Absalom and reverse."

"That's perfect. I'll bring the gold around the first day of spring and we can figure the rest out, right?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll recommend you to Captain Varis."

"You have my thanks," Amnor Sen smiled, already trying to figure out how he was going to make fifteen hundred gold in three months. If he had a shop, he could easily make three hundred gold in a month… and maybe Jeremy could make some gold on the side…

A parchment fluttered past him as the elf walked, Amnor Sen pausing to chase it down. This wasn't his home, but he wasn't about to let litter ruin…

Glancing at the parchment, the elf smiled slightly, reading the words.

"Adventurers wanted…? Well it's dangerous, but that is good gold…"

Rolling the parchment up, the paladin headed toward the taverns, seeking out the one he had sent Jakun and Jeremy to. He had good news to deliver.