Chapter 175

◈ Chapter 175:

Jilli sat at the cafe table and tried very very hard to ignore the thing sitting next to her.

Oh how she wished she had never left Florens after the party. Even staying with Bane would have been better, the study session she had got in while watching him hadn't even been that bad even if he was an intimidating presence.

But no, she had ridden out from the city with her master and to a prison in the mountains to find a man with his symbiotic eel… thing.

They had descended with the warden to spring the man from his cell, and then they had turned to leave… and in that moment Worm had done something terrible to the warden, something sickening.

After it was over they had dragged the warden's corpse back into Worm's cell and hidden it under the bed. They still needed to leave the prison with Worm, and they couldn't have the rest of the prison guard attacking them for what Worm did to their commander.

She watched Worm lazing on the cushioned bench on the opposite side of the table, one arm over the back. He looked so incredibly casual and relaxed, it was hard to believe he was a prisoner not long ago.

On the opposite side of the table.

He was sat.

On the opposite side of the table.

The thing sitting next to her wasn't Worm, nor was it the snow white eel thing resting over Worm's arm.

When they had left the warden in the cell, they hadn't left all of him there.

Jilli glanced at the thing.

It wore the warden's clothes, except on its head it wore a knight's helm, a steel thing that hid the warden from view. They had left the prison with this thing that appeared to be the warden, and because of it they hadn't even been questioned, they had simply left, just like that.

The waitress arrived at their table. She gave Rosaline a puzzled look but seemed to assume the eel thing was a monster slave. She then placed Worm's order on the table, a pair of large steaks and an ice filled fruit drink with a straw.

The warden thing looked at the meal with interest, particularly the beverage, its steel helm tilting with curiosity.

Worm seemed to notice this and raised an eyebrow.

"You think they're thirsty?"

"Oh almost certainly, we barely stopped on our way here, not good for newborns you know."

Worm hummed then idly pushed his glass across the table.

The warden thing took the glass with clumsy hands, the skin of their fingers pale and puffy, and after a struggle managed to get the straw to fit through a hole in the helm. The drink started to drain through the straw.

"Careful now, don't drink too fast, the coldness will slow you all down and make you sleepy," murmured Rosaline.

The thing paused and the fluid stopped disappearing.

A chilling voice came echoing the helm, an almost childlike voice with a powerful undertone like that of a snake's hiss, or the sizzling of fat on a frying pan.

"Yes mother!"

It was an incredibly unsettling voice and Jilli felt herself responding to it on an animalistic level, memories of what had happened to the warden in that prison bubbling up, a sick feeling creeping over her as she put her hand to her mouth, she was trapped sitting next to it and she couldn't get away! Her knees started to shake as tears formed at the corners of her eyes, this thing that was the warden but wasn't the warden, the trauma of seeing him die like that and then—

Worm leisurely jabbed a fork through one of the dripping steaks and raised it up to Rosaline who gleefully ripped it from the fork and in a few jerky bites managed to get the entire thing into her mouth, her cheeks bulging with meat.

Worm brought the same fork down and plucked up a cube of steak that he had just cut off. He nodded contentedly as he chewed it.

It didn't help that Jilli hadn't slept at all. Oh, they had stayed at an inn in this satellite town near Florens, getting a few hours of bed before lunch. But Jilli had only lain awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling, just thinking about what was in the room next to her. It hadn't been even slightly restful. Somehow she was even more on edge than after her terrible experience with the anomaly in Lynthia's dungeon, this was so so much worse. she just couldn't get the memory out of her head, it kept cycling over and over and—

Baera appeared back at the table and Jilli shuddered with relief. Being left alone with Worm Balloon wasn't something she would wish on her worst enemy.

"I'm ready to leave. We are departing. Come Worm, and try not to create anymore unnecessary trouble for me."

Worm chewed the last cube of steak as he placed his fork on the plate, politely arranging it to align with the knife.

"Sure, sure, I was just warming up before with the warden see, been a while you know, needed to check I still had my magicalness."

Baera pursed her lips. "You didn't need to do that."

"Oh, it would have been a touch embarrassing to meet your big beast you want me to take out and find nothing happens when I waggle my fingers. What's a little life here and there when what you are hunting can kill thousands, tens of thousands… millions? Whatever I am, you know I'm still a leveler, while this wolf fellow, they are a monster, not like me and you."

"Hmpph Worm. You act like I'm not here," huffed Rosaline, setting her lips in a displeased line.

"It's just a matter of life experience sweeting, but that just makes our togetherness that much more complimentary."

"Enough. We leave." snapped Baera, already running out of patience with the pair.

Worm blew air from his nose but slid out from the bench and stood. From this perspective she could see Rosaline's tail disappeared amongst Worm's clothing. The warden thing sitting beside Jilli struggled up too, its movement clumsy and wobbly.

Jilli remained sitting. She couldn't… she couldn't make herself stand, she couldn't be around these things anymore. It went against every self preservation instinct she possessed.

She continued sitting.

Baera frowned down at her.

"Jilli, what are you doing?"

"I.. can't…" she spoke, voice barely a strained whisper. She was unable to look at her master, head hanging low, ashamed.

"Too much fear, you have too much fear in you! Really Jilli, I do want what's best for you but you singularly lack the spine of an Inquisitor. Always, you're always like this." Baera shook her head, her impatience showing. "Perhaps this is beyond you. Perhaps it's time you left, time you abandoned your apprenticeship. If you wish to leave then say so. Will you? Just say it Jilli."

Jilli managed to raise her gaze, to see her master with her hand on her hip, always so confident, always so powerful, she seemed unstoppable. She was everything Jilli wasn't and she could never become like that, she should leave and—

Her eyes caught on Worm just behind her, he was sitting on the edge of the table across, ignoring the annoyed looking family eating at it. She watched as he eyed Baera's body up and then down, considering her, almost measuring, thinking about doing it.

She watched as his hands twitched. There was an urge there, to do what was done to the warden to her master.

Jilli shuddered.

No. She couldn't leave her master alone with this horror of a man. Even if she could do nothing to stop him she wouldn't let her master die alone. Not like that.

She stood from the table, her hands forming fists, a spark of determination straightening her back.

Baera blinked down at her in surprise.

"Oh?"

"I'm… coming."

She stepped by her master and headed toward the back of the cafe.

She slowed as she reached the back door. The warden thing was there. It tilted its helmet at her as she paused. Then placed a hand on the handle and opened the door for her.

Jilli wanted to run screaming, but she held her visceral reaction back and stepped out into the alley. Behind her came Worm and Baera, with Baera quickly taking the lead.

"When we are entering Florens you will need to avoid attracting attention Worm. My seal as an Inquisitor will allow passage without deeper investigation, but if the guards are disturbed by you then that will cause problems."

"Oh no problem bossy boss. Easy peasy."

It was as they were heading down the third back alley that it happened. A man in a cloak appeared, darting from a doorway, his shoulder hitting Worm's as he passed by, knocking him aside.

The cloaked man spun around, the hood falling away in the same motion a knife appeared in his hand. He had an almost crazed look with bloodshot eyes and cracked lips.

"Fuckers, you aint watching where you're goin! You've gone an injured me! Now are you going to pay for the healer I'm gonna need or what? C'mon c'mon! What are you waiting for!" The agitated thief rocked on the balls of his feet as he eyed them.

Worm tipped his head back and laughed.

Then with a broad white toothed smile he began to raise his hands.

"Stop!" cried Baera.

Too late.

Worm's hands reached a certain height and then something appeared in them, a long cloak like piece of fabric, one with hair coming from the top part, which made sense as it wasn't a cloak, it was a suit of skin, the thief's skin, one moment on his body, the next teleported into Worm's hands.

A blood curdling scream came from the thief, a scream that sounded like an animal, not a human being, his red skinless face a contortion of unimaginable unthinkable agony, the muscles and fat and tendons visibly spasming under raw exposure.

He fell to the ground, his knife dropped to the cobble, every touch and rub of the clothes he was wearing like being held against a blazing fire, the breeze a scalding brand.

The thief thrashed, screaming like a speared pig, every motion just making the pain worse and worse and worse. A skinless hand scrabbled for the knife, found the grip, and then stabbed wildly, uncontrolled, the blade punching through his own neck, his face, nose, then finally through the eye socket.

The skinless thief flopped down dead, dead and still, the knife still protruding from his eye.

He had ended his own life, commiting suicide rather than living a second longer in such a state.

Worm, this thing, this horrifying man, it didn't matter how strong or powerful the leveler or monster this creature was sent after, it didn't matter because Worm Balloon cheated. That was why Baera had gone to him over all others, you couldn't fight this, he teleported his target's skin into his hands! There was no fighting back against Worm. If you were in opposition to him you had already lost.

Jilli turned stiffly back toward Worm, he was still holding the skin, and as she watched he pulled and shifted it until its mouth hole was visible, then he brought it toward his own mouth in a loving kiss.

She looked away, unable to stand the sight, and put her hands over her ears as a pouring sound came from Worm, something liquid slopping into the skin through its mouth hole.

No matter how hard she pressed her hands over her ears she couldn't block out the wet shlucking shifting sound however. It just wouldn't go away, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to stop herself imagining what was happening, tried to purge her own memory.

Eventually the sound came to an end and she heard Baera speak, it felt distant, the imagery of what was done dominating her mind. Worm complained back at her master, saying that Baera would have killed him anyway as a powerful leveler would when attacked by the weak.

Jilli didn't process what was said next as she heard a footstep, the sound of a bare foot plapping against the paving, then another, plap! the slap of a bare sole, somehow softer and more malleable than it should be.

She couldn't move, it was approaching her. Step. By. Step. The footsteps came closer, their gait wobbly and uneven, and then what felt like a hand came down on her shoulder, softer than it should be.

Jilli lurched backwards with a scream, grabbing her short sword from her belt and holding it out as she slammed her back against the wall behind.

The thief was standing in front of her, naked, with his eyes and mouth closed. He almost seemed happy, the corner of his mouth moving up, smiling. The tip of her sword wavered crazily as her hands shook.

Then he opened its mouth. There was no teeth or tongue to be seen behind the lips, only a wall of white wriggling worms packed in tight like maggots.

The worms shivered all at once simultaneously, vibrating their bodies.

A voice came from the 'thief', a young voice, a voice that sizzled and reverberated. Humming.

"Can we have your skin too?"

Jilli went past what she was mentally capable of dealing with and fainted on the spot.