Page 83 of Steel & Thunder
“Standard protocol.” He shrugs. “We can stop by Brull’s shop on the way. Your boots should be ready.”
I perk up even more at that. I’d almost forgotten about those.
We leave the station and start walking south. I can see the arena in the distance on our left, but eventually it vanishes behind the bars and other buildings I remember from our last visit. The area is a lot different in the daylight, most establishments not yet open for business. A lot less people too. I almost don’t recognize the building until Khazak is knocking on the closed door of Brull’s shop. It opens a crack and a suspicious looking eye peers out.
“Khazak, David!” Brull opens the door wider. “Come on in!”
We enter the shop with Brull not quite closing the door behind us.
“Here for the boots?” He’s already walking to the backroom.
“That is correct,” Khazak answers as we move to the counter.
“Finished ‘em yesterday. I’ll grab ‘em now.” He heads into the back, returning a minute later with a pair of black leather boots in his hands.
“Here you go, pup.” Brull holds them out for me.
“Thanks.” I try not to mumble as the boots are handed over.
“Excellent work, Brull.” Khazak looks over the shoes with me. I run my fingers over the leather. They’re nice. Sturdy. “Try them on, David.”
I nod, kneeling down and placing the new shoes on the ground while I untie the ratty pair on my feet. I pull on the new pair one at a time, lacing them up as I go. When I’m finished, I stand up and walk around a little. They need to be broken in some, but the fit is perfect.
“Thank you,” I repeat a little louder. “They’re great.”
“Glad you appr—” Brull’s teasing is interrupted by the sounds of shouting coming from outside.
The three of us move over to the front door, which Khazak pushes the rest of the way open to reveal a small crowd gathered outside. In the center are two orcs slowly circling each other, looking like they’re ready to fight.
“Just a moment,” Khazak sighs before stepping outside and calling out to the group. Most of the crowd disperses immediately at his appearance, but the two feuding orcs alternate between glaring at him and each other. They relax a little when Khazak starts speaking with them but still look pretty tense. Should I be out there helping him?
“He’s got it handled,” Brull says from my side, reading my thoughts. “Just a couple of idiots who started drinking much earlier than they should have.”
“Does that happen a lot?” I guess this is where most of the bars in the city are.
“Around this part of town.” Brull walks back around to the front counter, bending over to pick up my old boots. “Want me to get rid of these for ya?”
“Please, thank you.” I’ve got no sentimental attachment to them.
Brull once again disappears into the back while I wait for Khazak to finish outside. I look around the shop at all the toys and implements, some of which I have gotten to know very intimately. Some of them make me think about that one thing we haven’t done since that first day in the arena. The thing I’m not even sure how I would get ready for. But seeing all this, maybe Brull can help me with some of the logistics.
“Can I ask you something kind of weird?” I pose the question when Brull returns from tossing my shoes.
“Sure.” Brull eyes me skeptically.
“Okay, well, when I first...met Khazak,” I start, already feeling my face and chest getting hot. “We, uh, did something that was very new to me.”
“I’m pretty sure everything you’ve done in the past week has been new to you,” he taunts, and he’s not wrong. “But I know what you’re talking about.”
“Right. Well, right before we went out, one of the attendants there did...something to me. Like, to my stomach. Something that made it easier to...” I full-on blush, unable to finish my explanation.
Confusion colors Brull’s face before a wave of realization passes over. “Cleansing spell.”
“What?” I wasn’t expecting a two-word response.
“A cleansing spell,” he repeats. “It’s what they used on you. It empties out and lubes up the lower half of your body.”
“I, uh, that—” Brull’s description has me stammering.
