Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 28 - 27 Barkin
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An icy breeze seemed to creep up out of nowhere, climbing the balcony and chilling Lyle’s spine.
Facing down a vicious dog that delighted in biting off human hands, he wasn’t sure if he and Ralph could make it out alive.
It was imperative to tame it before Ralph made contact with Chaichai.
Glancing at the impassioned Mr. Dragon, there was the breakthrough.
"Mr. Dragon..."
The two of them had practically dominated the tea party, which had morphed into a gathering for dog-lovers. The gentleman sat aside, occasionally chiming in with a few topics, while Alianna sat like a puppet, perhaps counting stars behind her veil.
Chaichai’s dietary preferences, the slick feel of its fur, and the differences in its barking when it was happy or lonely—Lyle sifted through a pile of miscellaneous details to extract the information he needed.
Only appearing after dusk, due to a ghost’s photophobia. Physical attacks were almost ineffective; it could become intangible and lurk, passing through obstacles and latching onto objects. When the nose-touching game began, Chaichai would instinctively abandon its spectral abilities, which also meant that the countdown for Lyle’s arm to detach coincided with its weakest time.
But its massive size was enough to turn adorable into terrifying, and a physical confrontation was hardly worth considering.
"Sir, I was thinking..." Lyle was attempting to pry more from Mr. Dragon.
"Plague Doctor, we need to ensure fairness in the game, and that applies to pets as well. Chaichai is just a little dog, why not be a little more lenient with him?"
Mr. Dragon saw right through Lyle’s intentions, providing him with only as much information as necessary. To him, attempting to cheat in a pet’s game seemed a bit petty.
Lyle chuckled it off and didn’t press further. Mr. Dragon had already clammed up, leaving Lyle feeling a bit aggrieved. Could he blame Mr. Dragon’s mercilessness? No, if you were to play a game with the neighbor’s dog and still expect the neighbor to help you cheat, what would they do?
The atmosphere grew awkward, but fortunately, the gentleman steered the conversation elsewhere, and Andrey’s evening came to an end amid casual talk.
...
The sound of horse boots treading on pebble paths persisted for about ten minutes, and upon leaving the main street, you wouldn’t find any stone-paved roads in Cassandra, which was to Lyle’s relief; his uniform would remain clean for a while longer.
The slum area—a figure draped in tattered linen crouched in a corner of the alley, eyes shining beneath the cover, scanning the pockets of the two men before meeting Ralph’s criminal-catching gaze. Facing a lion’s presence, the figure slipped back into a semi-conscious daze.
Perhaps a recently escaped slave, perhaps a farmhand who had just lost his job, but that was none of Ralph’s concern. He was interested only in maintaining public order; the rest was the government’s business.
The destination was a two-story dilapidated building with a pungent herbal odor detectable from miles away.
Lyle covered his nose in an attempt to minimize the irritation.
Ralph showed no sign of discomfort, barging through the door and shouting into the stairwell.
"Barkin, one hundred Yule!"
"Barkin, one hundred Yule!"
A figure emerged from one of the rooms, sporting neatly groomed blond hair tied back in a small ponytail at the nape, an attractive face with clean eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows, and a smile on his face paired with a tidy silk shirt—quite the handsome youth.
He bowed to Ralph, his smile unchanging. Lyle couldn’t help but admire the fact that maintaining a smile in the face of Ralph was no small feat; even conversing with him demanded a deadpan expression.
This was the professional they were looking for, and he indeed looked the part.
"Where’s Barkin?" Ralph was in no mood for pleasantries.
"Old Master Barkin is momentarily preoccupied. I am William Dolgette, and for the time being, I am in charge of receiving clients." William revealed pearly white teeth, enhancing the affability of his smile.
But Ralph was unimpressed.
He strode past William, heading for the second floor and bellowing, "Come out, you old fart, don’t think to fool me with your boy toy!"
As Lyle cringed for the nonexistent honor of the Butler family, William’s expression deflated to one of bitter dejection. It seemed he was a boy just as much on edge as Lyle, prompting a sympathetic greeting, "Don’t mind him, he’s... not quite right in the head."
"Thank you," William forced a feeble smile, "Sheriff?"
"Yes."
"You are truly accomplished for one so young." He appeared taken aback by Lyle’s youthfulness.
"The same could be said of you."
The two made their way upstairs, where Lyle finally saw the so-called Old Master Barkin. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
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Disheveled, with deep-set eyes glittering darkly in his sallow sockets, he seemed to be wearing a trench coat that hadn’t been washed in years, the filth on his left shoulder piled up almost three-dimensionally. A nauseating sour odor emanated from him as he stood beside a large cauldron. Even while standing, his hunched and deformed back barely brought him up to Ralph’s waist.
Dwarf and zombie.
It was hard for Lyle not to think of this rhetoric. They were a perfect match.
Mister Barkin continuously added unknown herbs to the pot like a little dwarf goblin brewing a potion. At the same time, he turned his head to the side and sprayed spit from his few remaining yellow teeth onto Ralph’s body.
"You’ve intruded into my house again. Is this how the zombie sheriff enforces the law?"
"That broken door of yours would fall over with just a push. Remember the first time you extorted two hundred Yules from me, you old dwarf?"
"What do you want this time!"
"Work, come outside with me!"
"No, let William go with you!"
"You’re dismissing me like that! Sending a kid who’s utterly green to die for you."
Lyle felt offended.
"So you finally admit you’re taking me to die! Ha, you heartless man, using your lousy coins to dismiss me!"
"When haven’t you demanded a raise in your fee before calling it quits? Who’s heartless here? I always go with you!"
The two squabbled about their past conflicts for half an hour.
In the end, Old Master Barkin gave in due to lack of stamina.
"Anyway, I’m not going this time. At least William has some foundation in magic. Take him or leave him."
"The wolves of Lafillin, you know? Do you think this kid can handle them?"
"Don’t underestimate the young. William is the most talented Mystic I’ve ever seen. In time, he will be better than me."
"Hmph, the most talented dead man is still dead. Maybe in a few days, you can attend our funeral."
"That’s impossible. Old man, I’m sure to die before you."
"Your time’s up?"
"Soon," Barkin continued stirring the pot. "If the Sage’s Stone doesn’t come out this time, you can come back for the old man’s funeral. Perhaps the very sight of you will anger me enough to climb out of my coffin."
"Ralph, who is this kid?"
"My colleague."
"Great, one more unlucky fellow." Barkin yanked a stick of wood that hadn’t completely caught fire from under the pot. "I’ll go get you some things so no one needs to collect my body later."
He flicked the soup ladle, creating a swirl in the so-called Sage’s Stone Potion. "William, entertain the guests, don’t let them fiddle around here. If they touch anything, it’s ten Yules."
Clanging sounds echoed from the invisible compartment.
Soon after, Mister Barkin emerged from the compartment, carrying a long iron box and a large stack of paper. His stains seemed to have multiplied.
He handed the iron box to Ralph, "Inside are some medicinals and ’that thing’; you use it as you see fit."
The paper bundle was tossed to William, "These are talismans I’ve collected; only William can use them. You figure it out."
Barkin approached Lyle, eying him formally for a moment, "Young man, you smell of medicine. A colleague?"
Lyle endured the contagion-like strange smell, God knows how Barkin could smell it, "I can manage some medical skills, sort of."
"Ha, a doctor." Barkin’s beady eyes squinted into slits, he cocked his head, squinting at Lyle out of the corner of his eye. Lyle thought he saw scorn, "Mine is bona fide Alchemy. Today, I’ll give you a break. Here, a few books, take them and study. If you ever switch careers, remember to credit Old Master Barkin as your teacher." A few books were forcibly stuffed into his hands.
Lyle maintained a stiff smile, "Thank you."
Don’t let me find out where your corpse is, or one day I’ll make it dance.
Even though he wouldn’t actually do it, Lyle felt better inside for thinking it.
