Chapter 37 - Easy Coin

  The strange ‘floating-in-the-void’ sense that had met Alex every time he’d fallen asleep once more overtakes his mind. Not quite a dream, but certainly not wakefulness. Hanging in the emptiness, Alex just floats there, limbs sprawled out. But something keeps teasing at his perception, just the slightest inconsistency in the void. In the dream-like state, Alex can’t focus enough to attempt to find the culprit. The only information his drowsing brain can piece together is that, whatever it is, it feels close.

  Unlike the previous times he’d rested, it isn’t just a nap to recover energy before resuming the trek. Alex has time, he has some measure of assurance that he can keep going. There’s no overt threats lingering nearby, no ticking timer hanging over his head. He doesn’t even twitch when a distant bell toll precedes the shift into full night, nor the one that announces the shift to morning.

  He’d have gone right on sleeping if not for Hara, the hound nosing at his ribs and side as the other occupants of the hostel start to filter out. The man just groans, shifting on the cot. Hara doesn’t give up though, prodding at him more insistently until finally Alex grumbles and opens his eyes.

  “Fine fine, I’m up.” He grumps, sitting up and rubbing his face. It takes a few seconds for his sleep-fogged mind to recognize where he’s at. But as he pieces it together, he notices the light coming in from the high windows, filtered through the curtain around his small cot.

  “We should make our way outside, unless you would prefer to pay for an additional night and rest for longer.” Corvus announces as he observes Alex gathering his wits. “To be clear, additional rest would not be the worst choice.”

  Alex eyes the crow perched on the side of the cot, then shakes his head. “I don’t want to fall into that habit. If I start taking it easy now, I’ll lose my momentum.” He says, not wanting to admit how tempting just taking the day off really is. But all the same, he has a new city to explore, goals he still needs to achieve, and he wasn’t kidding about the momentum. Only when he goes to stand up does Alex realize he hadn’t taken his boots off the prior night.

  His boots. Alex frowns, looking down at the rugged boots he’d had from the first moment he’d come to Hell. Unlike the clothes he’d bought recently, his boots were the same ones. The manifested ones that are part of his spirit. As he’s considering them, it dawns on him that if the boots are part of him, then even with them on, it’s essentially the same as being barefoot. And if he’s barefoot, shouldn’t he be able to…

  Alex shivers as he’s suddenly able to feel the cool stone floor through the bottoms of the boots. The sudden tactile feedback jars him out of his contemplations, breaking his concentration. The sensation bleeds away, once more leaving him feeling the insides of the boots, not the floor. He finds himself wondering then if wear or damage to his boots was like hurting his feet. Or for that matter, if the times his clothes had gotten all-but ruined were damaging his spirit. Corvus had warned him early on that he should replace his clothing as soon as he was able to, and Alex starts to feel the pressure to finish changing out his manifested apparel for more ‘real’ ones.

  But to do that or many of the other things he needs, like getting another Animus, Alex knows earning more of the coins is his first step. And to earn the coins, he’ll need to work. That thought gives Alex a twinge of irony, but he can’t put a finger on why.

  Alex detours into the hostel’s small bathroom on the way out, pleasantly surprised to find it has running water, and even a couple shower stalls. At the moment, he doesn’t have the time, but Alex promises himself a proper shower later. For now, he washes his face at the sink, combs fingers through his hair, and smooths out the creases in his shirt. Feeling refreshed, rested, and alert, Alex heads for the door.

  “Cutting it close, eh?” The old woman behind the counter asks as Alex and Hara step into the lobby with Corvus riding on Alex’s shoulder. “Was figuring I’d get another easy coin out of you.” She says with a lazy smirk.

  Alex shrugs with a chuckle. “You still might. I don’t exactly have anywhere else to go, so I’ll probably be back tonight.” The woman quirks her brow and rubs her chin at his response.

  Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

  After a moment, Alex starts towards the exit, but the woman’s gravely voice calls out once more. “Usually people only use places like this if they’re passing through on the cheap. Not that I’d turn my nose up at repeat business, but it’d be cheaper to get an apartment rather than coming back here night after night.”

  Alex nods his understanding and thanks the host for the advice. Another thing on his ‘to-do list’. Stepping outside, the ‘morning’ light is still soft and coloring the sky in hues of orange and yellow. People walk along the sides of the street, or blur past using intent-movement steps to cross blocks of the city in a heartbeat. Alex takes a moment, just absorbing the sights. As he watches, a couple details start to stand out to him. Of the people walking leisurely on the roadsides, they all seem to be Faded. And the ones utilizing Intent-movement, when their motions pause where Alex can catch a glimpse, none appear Faded.

  “Corvus, is it unusual for someone like me, someone Faded, to use the skills you’ve taught me?” He asks under his breath, trusting that the crow on his shoulder would still hear him.

  “Indeed. Your constant pushing of your spirit during your journey here has hardened your spirit considerably compared to most Faded individuals.” Corvus explains in a gentle tone. “There is nothing stopping them from beginning to train their spirit to do the same as you. However, with how long it has been for most of them, their spirits have grown weak and frail. Atrophied.”

  Alex muses that over for a moment before sighing. “So because I kept using it and burning my spirit while still ‘fresh’, I’m a little bit stronger. I guess that makes sense.” He considers a moment longer before shrugging and picking a direction to start walking.

  Joining in with the flow of foot-traffic, Alex quickly becomes just a face in the crowd. Even as one among hundreds though, he catches a few other pedestrians giving him quizzical looks, their eyes flicking from him to Hara, and then to the crow. Alex was about to brush off the oddity as just curiosity over Hara’s presence and the appearance of the crow, but one curious passerby reaches out and taps his arm.

  “Hey, Are those Familiars?” A boy appearing in his teens asks. The question catches Alex so off-guard he nearly stumbles.

  After looking between Corvus and Hara, Alex turns back to the seemingly younger boy. “What do you mean?” He asks, giving quick apologies to a couple people as he steps out of their way to answer the kid.

  The boy shrugs. “Familiars. Creatures bound to someone by an Animus-bond. It’s a bit weird, you having two that aren’t Faded while you are.” He says, the lack of tact and the bluntness confirming to Alex that he’s just a kid.

  With a shake of his head, Alex chuckles. “No, they’re not Familiars, just my friends.” He says, reaching down to rub Hara’s neck.

  “Weird friends then.” The boy says, with a snicker. Before Alex can reply, the kid runs off going the opposite way Alex had been walking.

  It only takes a heartbeat for Alex to lose sight of him. “You ever get the feeling something bad just happened, but you’re not sure why?” He asks aloud. Hara cocks her head at him, but doesn’t answer.

  Corvus, on the other hand, has something to say. “Be cautious, Alex. I believe that boy may have been specifically looking for us.” The crow doesn’t sound worried, just pensive. As Alex starts moving again, eager to put some distance between himself and that spot, Corvus continues. “If I were to wager, I suspect that Gravitas has people watching for you. As I mentioned before, she is an acquaintance of mine, and I doubt she would be hostile towards you. But if she has some scheme in the works, it would do well to remain vigilant.” Alex couldn’t agree more.

  As Alex continues to walk, the number of other pedestrians starts to grow. At each intersection some peel off, others join the flow. People moving along the streets like blood through arteries. Chuckling to himself at the analogy, Alex is distracted from his thoughts as the bell-chime rings out across the city, and as its resonant sound fades, the sun moves into its midday position, directly overhead.

  “Four positions. Sunrise, midday, sunset, and midnight.” Alex mutters, looking up. “Artificial. It’s wild to think someone made this.” He says, shielding his eyes. The sun may not be as bright as Alex feels like it should be. But it still possesses enough light to hurt his eyes.

  Continuing to just walk and take in the city, Alex hadn’t been specifically going anywhere. All the same, his feet carry him from one city block to the next, passing various shops, businesses, and buildings. Occasionally he’d stop to look in a window at a display, or read one of the signs that he could understand. After a few hours of exploring aimlessly, one such sign catches his attention. “Couriers Wanted, Coins paid per delivery. Inquire at the corner of Euclid and 12th, Sunrise until Sunset.” Alex reads off. Looking around, Alex spots a street-sign hanging from a post on one of the street corners. 7th street.

  “I think we’ve got a lead on some income.” He says with a grin. He’d been moving quickly across Hell since he’d arrived. Maybe now he could take advantage of his somewhat unique ability as a Faded soul. Being a courier wouldn’t be too bad.

  Getting his bearings takes him just a moment, then Alex steps more into the middle of the roadway, kicking off with an intent-movement step. Between whatever ‘enchantment’ the road has and the conjoined-activation, Alex doesn’t feel so much as a tremble from his spirit. Having a destination in mind, he abandons the more leisurely foot-traffic in favor of joining the flow of blurring bodies streaming across the center of the streets of the city.