Chapter 36

  “You and Sasha seemed to get along quite well last night,” Guy said with a laugh. I groaned, holding tightly to the cup of coffee in my hand as I sat at the bar of his little pop-up inn. I wasn’t sure what time it was, all I knew was… I’d drunk way too much last night. After my deal with Sasha, we celebrated, and she bought me another drink… Then more talking, and things started to get a little fuzzy. Then a bit more talking, annnnnd I woke up in my room. I had a small fragment of a memory of her gently helping me up the stairs, and making sure I was safely in my bed, before departing. Had she kissed my forehead when she left? I wasn’t sure. I think I may have tried to kiss her… actually, the heat on my neck at that though reminded me I had definitely tried to kiss her… and she’d stopped me. She’d freaking stopped me… something about not taking advantage of me while I was drunk… which just made her even hotter.

  Down girl. I scolded myself as I groaned in embarrassment and took another sip. My head was pounding. Hangovers were apparently not a purely earth thing… and the liquor here could cause the very same, unfortunate, aftereffects. Good to know.

  “Pretty sure I embarrassed myself completely to her.” I said again, the warm coffee, sweetened this time with a mixture of butterscotch and milk and cinnamon, was doing wonders. Already I could feel the lingering effects of a night of drunken sleep leaving me. Did Guy’s drinks have special healing properties? Considering this world had drinks like Pep Step, and Tamer’s Treat, I wouldn’t be surprised.

  “You certainly made an impression,” Guy chuckled. “Though considering you sold her an Abnormal Mun, well, let’s just say that goes a long way in her book. I’ve known her for years, and as far as Tamer’s go, she’s a good one.”

  “She’s a part of the Disciples of Grand Nox,” I countered, “One of their top Tamer’s apparently.” I looked at him. “How can she be a good one?”

  “Sometimes, good people are part of bad things,” Guy shrugged, “and other times, there are bad people that are associated with good things.” He took a drink from his own mug. “She may have her flaws, but I know for a fact one of the reasons she even originally joined the Disciples wasn’t for the whole ‘world domination’ and invading other worlds bit. But instead just the freedom to collect abnormal muns as she saw fit.” He smiled then, “in some ways, you remind me of a younger version of her.”

  “Doesn’t change the fact she’s a freaking cultist.” I grumbled. I really hoped she wouldn’t destroy Cogni. Being the Mayor’s daughter, surely she had connections to the small town. Emotional ones. It was her home. She wouldn’t burn it all down, would she? Because if she did… well… no amount of good looks or easy conversation would erase that type of sin.

  “Those two that ambushed you are definitely cultists, but Sasha,” another shrug, “I still feel she’s a good one. If I didn’t feel that way about her, I wouldn’t have sent her over to talk to you.”

  “Uh huh,” I looked at him, narrowing my eyes as I took another sip. What was Guy up to? I couldn’t get a read on the strange guy. And how the hell was he still so cheery this morning? Did he never get sad, or tired, or depressed? People as cheery as Guy were not to be trusted.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Doubt me all you want,” another sip, “but I give you my word as a Traveling Guy, that I would not knowingly or purposefully try and lead you astray Taylor. Did she not buy your Abnormal Mun from you for a very good price?”

  “She did,” I answered, begrudgingly.

  “And did she not provide you with friendly conversation, all while not trying to force you to join a cult?” He leaned forward, “you know, with how drunk you got last night, she probably could have convinced you to join without much effort. You seemed,” his eyes danced with mischief, “quite eager to make her laugh and smile as the night went on.”

  Was it hot in here? It had to be hot in here. That was the only reason my face was suddenly burning. He’d been watching, the whole freaking time. Before I could open my mouth to protest, or defend myself, or try and salvage whatever was left of my reputation, he leaned back and let out a hearty laugh.

  “Like I said, Sasha’s not as bad as you are trying to make yourself think she is. Just, you have to remember to keep an open mind here in Mutopia. I’m not sure what it’s like where you’re from, but here, things aren’t black and white, and many people do many different things for many, many different reasons. I like to say people are all grey, with both good and bad traits. It’s which ones you let control you, that define who you are.”

  “Such wise words from a man with such a questionable hair style,” I countered, laughing at his feigned hurt over my insult. I still couldn’t understand why, why the Traveling Guys had opted for twirling handlebar mustaches and mullets. Of all the choices, why those?

  “My hair is brilliant,” he answered, “and my words are indeed wise.” He finished the rest of his drink, and the cup, now empty and unneeded, sunk into the bar, becoming a part of the world’s strange system once more.

  “If you say so,” I finished off my drink, and watched my cup disappear. I could tell Guy was eager to begin traveling again. He’d woken me from my drunken stupor this morning, and all of the guests, including Sasha, had already departed. I was pretty sure it was taking a good bit of self-control to not rush me along. He was eager to get to Silver Springs, to share his information with the other Guys. And I was slowing our travel progress by taking the extra time needed this morning to deal with my overindulgence from the night prior.

  “I do,” he said with a flourish of his hat. Around him the bar was beginning to fade, the whole building glowing with the strange light I’d already grown used to. The light of the world’s magical powers at work, the building quickly fading away until it was once again a small crystal in his hand. It happened so fast I barely had time to stand from the stool I’d been sitting on, else I was pretty sure I would have been dropped flat on my ass when my barstool disappeared.

  “Ass,” I said as I groaned against the sudden blinding light of the sun, which caused my head to pound with renewed anger. Yup. Definitely drank too much.

  “We’ve places to be,” he smirked, “and you and I both know, you’re just as excited to reach our destination as I am.”

  “Uh huh,” I sighed, but perked up a tad when he offered me a Pep Step. I took a sip of the fizzy drink, which lifted my mood a little bit. The weather was nice out, save for how bright the damned sun was. And, the sooner I reached Silver Springs, the sooner I could take on the first Keeper. Given my Mun were all dangerously close to breaking level 20, and therefore nearing the level they’d stop listening to me, I really didn’t have time to waste. Not to mention, after I beat the Keeper, I’d get to begin experimenting with augmenting stones. In short… Guy was right. Though, I wasn’t about to let him know that. Instead, I took another sip, smiled at him, and nodded in the direction of Silver Springs.

  “Let’s get going then,” I said, my excitement bubbling in my stomach as the Pep Step filled me with energy. “To Silver Springs.”

  Guy tapped his Pep Step against mine, chugged it, and tossed the bottle to the ground, a smile on his face, his moustache twitching slightly left and right.

  “To Silver Springs.”