Gatekeepers Book 2: Galeforce

Draycos sighed as he leaned back against the white brick wall behind him, eyes closed as his face looked up at the sky.

One thing that’s still bothering me is why I saw an illusion of Iris. Draycos’s eyes opened half way, watching the clouds scuttle by above. He was deep in thought. It doesn’t take a genius to see something’s going on with the Dragon Council. I was told that they took a peek inside my memories once, but that it was kept to those in the room at the time. And there are only two ways for someone to create illusions, from what I learned going through Poseidon’s documents. One is for the spell to create an illusion based off of the target’s recent memories, but that’s a significantly advanced alteration spell. The more common method is to create an illusion based off of information the caster already possesses. If it’s the latter of the two....

“There’s a traitor among the Council,” Draycos muttered to himself. The illusion had led him right to a trap, so that also meant that the traitor was in league with whoever set that up, if there was more than one person involved.

Sighing, Draycos stood upright and looked around. He was in a seeder section of the city than he cared to be in. A few homeless humans dressed in rags glared at him from an alley across the street, and all the buildings in the area were worn down, with cracks or broken windows and faded paint. Iron shop signs squeaked as they swung in the wind above the shop doors. There was nobody walking down the street.

There was a sudden loud commotion, and Draycos looked across the street to his right to see a wooden door shatter into pieces as a body was flung out on the road. It was a blue-skinned orc with a big pot belly, and he looked to be unconscious. His cheeks were flushed. A larger, more muscular orc with a gold nose ring, black pants, and a white tank-top that threatened to rip with every move glared at the unconscious orc, dusting his hands off.

“If you don’t have the money, don’t order any drinks!” the second orc yelled, running a hand through his greasy hair as he bent over to pick up the pieces of his door. Within seconds, the orc pieced the door together like a puzzle and threw it back on its hinges as he re-entered the building.

A bar, huh? Draycos made his way over to the building. Sounds like a good place to be right now. I can get some information, as well as drink some of my sorrows away. Draycos stepped over the passed-out drunk orc and pushed the door to the bar open, closing the door behind him as he entered the building. The bar had a medieval vibe to it. The walls, furniture, and everything else was mostly made from a dark brown wood that reeked of alcohol. A fire roared in a makeshift stone fireplace placed in a corner, and round tables surrounded by wooden chairs were scattered throughout the room. There were only about five or six customers aside from Draycos present, and the muscular orc stood behind the bar on the far side of the room with his back to the door, now wearing a brown apron and rubbing a wooden mug with a cloth. The atmosphere almost felt depressing in the quiet room, with the only sounds coming from the crackling fire or when someone drank their booze loudly.

Draycos quietly walked over to the bar, ignoring the confused looks from some of the other customers, and plopped down in a stool at the bar. The barkeeper turned around as the stool creaked, a light smile playing across his lips accompanied by a bright expression. The smile quickly vanished when he saw who was sitting at the bar, and he snorted.

“I don’t serve kids here, brat,” the orc grunted. “Beat it.”

Draycos raised an eyebrow. “I know I look like a teenager, but I’ll have you know that I’m twenty-three,” he informed the barkeeper. He reached into his bag and fingered the pouch of gold coins. He pulled out a single gold coin without removing the pouch from his bag. It was emblazoned with an image of a dragon’s wing wrapped in flames, surrounded by a laurel. He flicked the gold coin at the barkeeper, who caught it in one hand and inspected it before letting out a satisfied grunt.

The currency in this world was somewhat complex, but not too different from the American Dollar system Draycos was used to. The coins were called Craeos. Ten bronze Craeos equals one silver, and ten silvers makes a single gold Craeos. A silver Craeos would’ve been enough to buy a nice meal at a decent restaurant, according to Galán.

“I’ll give you the change after you finish drinking,” the barkeeper told Draycos, putting the coin in an apron pocket. “What will it be?”

“Hmm.... I’m new to the area, and I haven’t really drank much before. I’ll just take what you recommend.”

Draycos had tried drinking alcohol in the past, but none of the drinks he sampled ever appealed to his tastes before. It was all too bitter for him to enjoy it. Right now, though, Draycos didn’t care for the flavor; he just wanted to get a little buzzed to lighten his mood.

A chair scratched across the floor behind Draycos as the barkeeper turned around to face the barrels of alcohol behind the counter. After a few loud steps, someone sat down in the stool next to Draycos. It was a middle-aged, well-muscled man, covered from head to toe in dirt and soot. His fraying black tank top and blue jeans were also covered in filth, and a massive mess of shaggy black hair covered the top of his head. A large brown leather trenchcoat hung from his shoulders like a cape. With a glass of golden alcohol in his right hand, he laughed as he wrapped his left arm around Draycos’s back, resting his hand on Draycos’s right shoulder.

“I can tell ya don’t like to drink much, do ya, kid?” the man boomed in a loud voice. “Did something happen that made you turn to the allure of alcohol?”

Draycos remained silent as the barkeeper placed a mug filled with the same liquid the man had on the counter before him. Draycos gripped the handle.

“Nothing, really,” Draycos finally answered the man, lifting the mug off the counter. “Just thought I saw a ghost of someone who’s long gone.” Draycos tentatively took a sip. It wasn’t bitter like he had expected; it was actually rather sweet. Draycos quickly downed the drink and slammed the empty mug on the counter before standing up. He had no intention of getting drunk anymore; he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop drinking if he didn’t leave now.

“Hey, now! Leaving after only one cup?” the middle-aged man asked. “Didn’t you like it?”

“I did, but I have other things I need to get done now,” Draycos responded. He tried to leave, but the man grabbed his arm and forced him back down on the stool. Draycos glared at him.

“Come on, join me for a few more drinks!” the man said. “One drink alone won’t make you feel any better! Tell ya what, I’ll pick up the tab if you spend some more time with me!”

Draycos sighed, slightly annoyed. If it’s between dealing with this guy chasing me down for company or having a few more drinks, I guess I’ll stick around for a little while longer. Draycos consented and nodded his head. The barkeeper refilled his mug, and Draycos quickly drained it again. The two men continued to drink almost nonstop, and before Draycos knew it, a half hour already flew by. He wasn’t feeling the slightest bit drunk, but his mood was at least improving as he drank.

The man’s cheeks, however, grew rosy after a few minutes of drinking, and his speech slurred as he continued to drink himself silly. “Yyyoooooouuuuuu caannnnnn reeaaaaaaalllllllyyyyyy dddddddrrrrrriiiiinnnnkkkkkkkkk, ccccaaaaaaaaannnnnnnttttt yyyyyyyyyooooouuuuuuuuuuuu?” After a few more gulps of alcohol, the man finally passed out and slouched forwards, face landing on the bar top as he snored loudly. Draycos watched this in mild interest as he sipped on some more booze.

The barkeeper finally stepped in at this point. “I swear,” he groaned, shaking his head. “That man comes in every day and drinks an insane amount of alcohol, but I’ve never seen him drink himself under the table. You’re a monster, kid.”

“I get called that a lot,” Draycos answered simply, finishing off the last drop of alcohol in the mug.

“Between the two of you, you finished off an entire barrel of Draiotic Ale by yourself. ’Fraid there’s not going to be any change for you, kid. That stuff’s not cheap.”

Draycos shrugged. He didn’t care about the loss of one gold Craeos at this point; he was feeling much better now, so it’d been worth it. The barkeeper walked away for a moment before returning with a pail of water. He proceeded to dump the whole load on the unconscious man’s head. The man awoke in a flash, sputtering as he sat up and looked around. He calmed down after realizing where he was.

“Wazzup? How long was I out?” he asked instinctively.

“Only a few moments, sir,” the barkeeper informed him, shaking his head. “You should really be getting back to work now; everyone’s bound to be wondering where you are now.”

“Aww....” The man gave the barkeeper a puppy-dog look. “Can’t I stay a little longer?”

The barkeeper said nothing, instead walking around the bar counter and grabbing the man by the collar before throwing him. The man flew through the air and smashed through one of the windows next to the door Draycos had come through on the far wall. After a second or two, the shattered pieces of the broken window rose up into the air and flew back to their previous positions, repairing the window.

Sighing, the barkeeper turned to face Draycos. “Sorry about that,” he apologized. “I know that guy pretty well, so I know he has other responsibilities to attend to, other than spending all his daily earnings on alcohol here. I often have to get rough with him in order to get him back out there.”

“He spends all his money here?” Draycos asked, surprised. “Is there a reason for that?”

The barkeeper shrugged. “I don’t know anything for certain, but rumors say he lost his whole family a few years back. He’s apparently been coming here every day since that happened.”

“Damn.” Draycos set the empty mug down and stood up. “Well, thanks for the drinks. I really enjoyed that.”

“You sure you’re okay right now?” the barkeeper questioned, a concerned look in his eyes. “You put away about half a barrel of Draiotic ale by yourself, and that stuff’s not weak.”

“Really?” Draycos tilted his head to the side, thinking for a moment. He eventually nodded. “Yeah, I feel fine. I’m not dizzy or anything like that.”

“Unbelievable....” The orc hid his face behind a hand and shook his head in amazement. He stuffed his hand inside a pocket on his apron and pulled out a plain, small white capsule which he gave to Draycos. “When you get outside, put this in that guy’s mouth,” the barkeeper told Draycos.

“What does it do?”

“You’ll see when you give it to him. Now get out!”

With that last statement, the barkeeper picked up Draycos by the collar and walked over to the door, ignoring Draycos protesting. He opened the door and, without warning, dropped Draycos on the ground just outside before closing the door. Complaining under his breath, Draycos got to his feet and noticed the man from earlier laying flat on his back, looking up at the sky with a glazed look in his eyes. Draycos walked over and dropped the capsule in the man’s open mouth. The man swallowed it without hesitation, and the glazed-over expression he wore on his face quickly faded away, replaced by a more serious expression.

“You feeling any better?” Draycos asked. The man sat up and looked over Draycos, as if seeing him for the first time. He sighed and got to his feet, unsuccessfully attempting to dust off his knees. He stood head and shoulders above Draycos.

“Yeah, I’m fine now that I got that pill in my system,” he answered, his words no longer slurred. “In case you didn’t know, that pill is for drunkards who get too drunk to do anything. It lets us get our heads back on straight.”

“Well, good for you,” Draycos commented, sighing. He turned his back to the man. “Thanks for the good time, I guess. That really did cheer me up.” Draycos started to leave. “Maybe I’ll see you around some time.”

A dirty hand fell on Draycos’s shoulder, and he looked over his shoulder at the man, irritated. “What is it this time?” Draycos snapped.

“If you’re going to the Gatekeepers HQ, you’re going the wrong way.”

“Huh?!” Draycos was shocked to hear this. “How’d you know I was trying to go there?”

The man cracked a big smile. “Why wouldn’t I know? We’ve been expecting you for a while now, Draycos.”

What?

Before Draycos could comprehend what the drunkard was saying, the man grabbed Draycos’s forearm in a tight grip. There was a loud flapping noise as a pair of large, silver dragon wings with cobalt-blue wing skin shot out of the man’s back. A glittering, silver-scaled tail slithered out from under the backside of the man’s shirt. With a single flap of his wings, the man and Draycos shot up into the air, high above the roofs of the city below.

“Sorry, I never did tell you my name, did I?” the man asked calmly, ignoring Draycos’s surprised screams. “I’m Forbap, second-in-command with the Gatekeepers.”