Ash. The Legends of the Nameless World. Progression Gamelit Story by Kirill Klevanski (essential reading .txt) 📗

them that she and her group would find and take care of the culprit and urged everyone to get somewhere safe and keep a low profile. The crowd shouted, arguing and discussing what to do, unaware that they had been reliving this for almost a month now and that they’d forget everything by evening and return to their endless feast.

The moment the clock hit midnight and the feast began once again, the castle would take a step back in time, putting these canaries back into their gilded cage.

Chapter 21

T hat evening

“Cursed castle or not... This is good grub,” Blackbeard grumbled through a mouth full of porridge, baked potatoes with bay leaves, and juicy mutton with pickled mushrooms. He chased it all down with a goblet full of semi-sweet, red wine.

“Aye!” Lari nodded, enthusiastically chewing a duck in honey sauce, stuffed with apples.

Tul wasn’t lagging behind the two, stuffing his face with pork and beef at an incredible speed. Not bothering himself with following the etiquette, he held a stake by the bone, spraying fat and juices around. Alice and Mary did their best to behave, cutting their food into manageable pieces, but it was obvious that they would’ve plunged their teeth into the meat had they been given a chance.

Music was playing, guests were laughing and dancing...

“Ash, wanna try a chicken leg in cheese sauce?” Blackbeard asked, shoving a plate of meat and vegetables under the mage’s nose. Feeling that it wasn’t becoming any lighter, he tore his gaze off his plate. Looking at the empty chair next to him, he noticed that something was written on his forearm in charcoal. As soon as he read the note, the tray fell out of his hands and his eyes became the size of plates.

Swallowing hard, he was about to say something when he was interrupted by a loud shout that overpowered the hubbub of the hall.

“A toast!”

Ash, leaping onto one of the tables, was getting ready to hold a speech. The duchess gave him a glare but allowed him to speak nonetheless. She was certain that the guests would protest if she were to shoo him away.

“Tonight,” Ash began, walking with his arms outstretched, casually stepping over dishes and heads laid upon the table. “We’ve gathered here to honor this lovely couple! I’ve no doubt that everyone knows about the courage of the Marquis of Soya!”

The crowd cheered and clapped, some even mentioned stories about hunts and balls, at which the marquis demonstrated his other “skills.” The young man blushed and looked anxiously at his wife, but she pretended not to hear these remarks.

“There’s no one, and I mean no one, as beautiful as the baroness... Pardon, the Marquise D’Lamani! No, wait, wait... The Marchioness of Soya!”

The crowd roared and clapped louder, while Ash observed as the duchess’s face grew gloomier with every word.

“I have visited many countries,” he continued, addressing the crowd. “On the hills of Amarian I found a fairy imprisoned in a tower! Lost in the Crystal Forest, I danced with the elven princess! On the Amadeus Mountains, I shared a bottle of wine with the Lamia of the Air. And let me tell you, none of those fine ladies can compare to any of you! Oh, gentlemen, you don’t know how lucky you are to be sitting next to these wingless angels...”

The men burst out laughing; some even wiped tears from the corners of their eyes as they held onto their bellies, which, full of laughter and fine food, threatened to burst through their vests and shirts.

“To beauty!” Ash exclaimed, raising his bottle, and turned back to the newlyweds. “Ah, but I’ve blabbed too much! Let’s drink!”

The guests rose from their seats and, saluting the happy couple, emptied their goblets and mugs. The music and dance resumed.

Ash looked at one of the dimly lit corners and saw the culprit grimace at the moment the time flew backward again.

 

 

Some time later

The Stumps had gathered in the guest quarters on the fourth floor. This was the same place where they had gathered before, but no one remembered that. The trio, having explained to them what was going on in the castle and given them the scroll, was sitting huddled in the corner.

“How did we get into this mess?” Lari asked.

Everyone turned to Ash, who was sitting in a chair and twirling a leather strap between his fingers. Noticing that they were looking at him, he just grinned as if asking: “How are doing, folks?”

“It’s no use.” Mary sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m beginning to think that it’d be easier if only the five of us went.”

“Now is not the time to get separated,” Blackbeard grunted. “We need to think of a way out of this... situation.”

“It’s simple!” Lari shouted and then lowered his voice, feeling Alice tremble next to him. “We kill the duchess. She’s a shape-shifting bear.”

“You sure about that?” Mary asked, narrowing her eyes. “Are you ready to have her blood on your hands and life on your conscience?”

Lari was about to say something but stopped. Not every mercenary was capable of killing. For scum like Vane, Reika, and Ash there was no difference between a man and a beast — everything and everyone was fair game. But for respectable Ternites, taking a life was something that wasn’t to be taken lightly unless it was in self-defense.

Apparently, all members of the Stumps simultaneously came to the same idea as they all shouted the same thing in unison.

“Duck hunting!”

Ash choked.

“Friends,” he said, “there’s a duck in the kitchen, no need to go hunting.”

“You really are dumb,” Mary said. “We need an alive one. For bait.”

“Ah...” Ash nodded after a moment of thought. “Good idea.”

“So, we’ll pull straws. Whoever gets the shortest one is the duck.”

“All right!”