Chilled Chatterboxes

Chairs and Wildfoxes

In another other place, around the time Serlya and Cove arrive in Blimchim

“The Ivy Chair, how long it has been ”

“Are you serious?”

“Do you even need me to answer?”

“I suppose not. Well then, how long do I have?”

“Anywhere between a few hours and a few days ”

“Oh you’ve got to be joking I can’t prepare that in a few hours ”

“What choice do we have?”

“Now this is one you know the answer to ”

“It's not the answer that’s the problem, it’s what that answer requires ”

“But the fire still calls.”

“And it never stops.”

On the boat, around midnight, as it arrives in Blimchim

The port was cold and covered in ice as the passengers rose from their drowsy naps and moseyed into the small town surrounding the Blimchim seaport It was only around an hour's wagon ride to the main city but no one would be willing to give rides at this hour. Most people went to an inn or if you were lucky, remembered that you were allowed to stay in the boat until the next noon. Cove and I were not one of those lucky few, instead, we hadn’t even woken up. ***

The following morning was on par with the typical winter in terms of weather, the ground was no longer frozen solid but now clouds coated the entire sky and the dirt paths were reduced to little more than mud puddles. Luckily, the townsfolk were used to this kind of weather and were still offering rides to the main city gates; they were pretty cheap too It was a monotonous trip, but the driver was very friendly and had several heavy blankets and mugs of hot cider so it was in all honestly pretty relaxing. At the gates, Cove and I took our bags and waved to the driver as they slowly made their way down the steep path back toward the port After that, the city was ours to explore.

There was a large lack of people as we walked along the main street toward where we assumed Royalish Records was located. The only human interaction was a few shopkeepers and passersby that gave us disapproving stares, but they did nothing of harm The stone roads were slick and cold, the sky heavy, and the buildings dark and looming. Royalish Records was just the same, tall and chilling

Cove tapped my shoulder and spoke. “You ready Serlya?”

“Of course, and you?” I said back, softly elbowing Cove

Cove nodded, and we entered The interior felt like the inside of a fireplace, the books radiated heat as if it were a hot sunny afternoon in the middle of summer. There were several oil lamps haphazardly placed around the many stacks and piles of books, scrolls, and overflowing folders reaching all the way to the ceiling They emitted barely enough light to see the titles of the books. At the far end of the one and only room, someone was laying on one of the book piles They were lying on their back and were staring intently at us as we entered, their eyes almost glowing They had long flowing hair that was the color of charcoal that almost reached the floor, and were wearing a baggy jacket that lay around them. They rolled over and let out a crackling laugh, then spoke

“Hey hey hey! What do we have here?! Some humans come looking for help again? Well, scram! They already made a deal with me so I won’t be giving the chair to you!” Their voice boomed around the walls as they spoke.

“Pardon us, we are looking for information We don’t need a chair,” I said, as calmly as I could

“What do you mean you don’t want the chair?! Why am I here then? Damn it that stupid mage! Fine, I’ll get your ‘book’ for you You want Ex right?”

As the person jumped down from the stack of books, the light shone a bit brighter, their appearance became a bit clearer. Underneath the saggy jacket was a thin, oversized t-shirt, and they were wearing shorts down to their knees. It was hard to tell from the dim light but their skin was dark red with hints of forest green; it was easy to see that they were a demon The demon sighed, turned around, and walked into the stack of books. As they passed through the seemingly solid objects, the room rippled and the lamps disappeared Large windows pierced through the dark room and a layer of dust settled around the room

“Head upstairs… Wait by the chair… Make sure it doesn’t eat you…” The demon's voice echoed around the room, “And don’t disappoint Ex, they’ve waited too long for this ”

Cove looked at me, I looked at Cove There was a moment of silence as we both processed what had just happened.

“Where are the stairs?” Cove asked quietly.

“Damn,” I muttered in response, “how is finding the upstairs going to be the hardest thing we’ve encountered? This seems like poor planning to me…”