Chapter 14 - The Ferryman

Nero left the classroom and headed toward a small pier facing the mainland two kilometers away. He finds a small ferry boat crewed by one man. A bald head, wrinkly sun-baked skin, squinted eyes, a long grey beard, and wearing a blue tunic with hemp pants. He is unloading sacks of food destined to be served in the mess hall of the academy. 

"Ahoy there, lad! Did ye drop out already?"

"Not yet... I need a ride to the Viking village. Oh, and I need to get back here before nightfall."

"If ye are in a hurry, pitch in. Grab the rest of the sacks in the boat and dump them here."

"Alright!" Nero quickly assists the Ferryman, and all the cargo is removed from the boat in fifteen minutes.

"Good work, lad! My back is not what it used to be. I usually need half or a full load before I ferry across the channel. Unless ye can spare a gold coin for an old sod like me."

"I thought the ferry service was free for students."

"Aye, but it's odd to row across for one. Now don't be stingy! Ye Mages come from rich families. None of ye even care when a few gold coins drop from yer pockets."

"Sad to say I ain't one of those rich ones. I only have two left, and I need them to buy some essentials. If you aren't willing to ferry me, I will swim." 

"Hmm... If ye are willing to go that far... How about a free ride if ye row the boat yourself? If ye are willing to chat with me, I will row you back to the academy."

"Deal!" Nero said as he shook the Ferryman's old right hand and got on the small boat. He is relieved because he is terrified of swimming in the sea or deep waters. The unknown creatures lurking within with sharp teeth and tentacles haunted his dreams ever since the Dragon Girl tried to show him her underwater world. 

Nero grabbed the oars and rowed the boat away from the pier once the Ferryman untied it from a post. The Sun had reached its zenith in the sky above. Its heat caused Nero's skin to darken and sweat. He stared at the shrinking buildings on the island with disappointment.

"Something about seems different from the lad I met a few days ago. This place wasn't what you expected?"

"I got myself into trouble by gambling..." Nero stopped himself from divulging anything more. 

"I am just an old Ferryman lad. No family or friends are left in this world. All I have are stories that no one wants to hear. Nor do I need any coin beyond what I need to eat to survive. Ye can share yer troubles while we are at sea."

"My problems deal with the Emperor, who will sick his assassins on me if they find out I am still alive. That's why I can't share too much."

"I got no love for the Emperor! I am wasting away as a ferryman because of that bastard. So spill everything ye feel willing to share with me. I swear I will take it all to my watery grave." 

Nero felt relieved that this old Ferryman was willing to lend an ear. But that didn't mean he could trust him yet. So he would share as little as possible until he felt sure the man was being genuine.

"You remember my Wolf, Ben?"

"Aye! A fine white fluffball with an enormous appetite. Why don't ye bring him out for me to pet?"

"He... uhh... died yesterday while trying to save me from a big mistake."

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that... ye two seemed very close. Did ye give Ben a proper cremation?"

"No... Uhh... how do I put this... I somehow brought him back to life as a Zombie. But I have no clue how I did that because I don't own a Necromancer Spell Tome."

"Hmm... Does Ben now have a strange tattoo over his body that glows in the dark? Does he have horns as well?"

"Yes... how did you know that?"

"Interesting... sounds like yer a child of Sin. But a Horned Skull tattoo should be on yer forehead if ye awakened the curse in yer blood."

Nero's eyes widen in shock and surprise. He remembered his father had a Demonic Tattoo on his forehead before he was assassinated. Nero thought it was some magical face paint since it disappeared and reappeared.

"Wait... how do you know about all that?"

"Like ye, I have lots of secrets. I wasn't always a Ferryman for this academy. I traveled the world when I was about yer age. Learnt lots of things that only a few alive should know. One of them is meeting a few who called themselves the Children of Sin. They create Demon thralls from fresh corpses with a blood contract. Did ye make one with yer Wolf to revive him?"

"No... all we had between us was a normal Summoner contract that bound him to me till either of us died."

 

"Don't yer Summoner Contracts involve some blood exchange?"

"Yes... but I made that years ago."

"Yer curse went in him even if it was dormant when ye made that Summoner contract. It must have awakened in him when he died. Tell me... does yer Ben look the same or different now?"

"At first, he looked like a Zombie and refused to eat anything. But he licked the blood from my wounds, and his body started to heal. The more I fed him my blood, the more his body recovered until he transformed into something... demonic. That is the best word I have for it."

"Yer cursed blood speeds up the Demonification. It makes yer thrall more powerful and more intelligent. Don't give him too much, or he might bite the hand that feeds him."

"I did notice that about him, but he behaves like the Ben I raised, so I ignored it."

"Since yer thrall is bound by a Summoner's contract, he probably can't betray ye. Who knows? It's the first I ever heard of one, so I could be wrong."

"Is there no way for me to change him to what he was before?"

"It's irreversible... but ye are now a summoner with a White Demon Wolf, nothing to cry about."

"I can't summon him in the academy as he looks now. Everyone will think I am using forbidden spells, and it might attract the attention of the Emperor if word spreads. That's why I put him in limbo."

"It can't be that bad?"

"Ben! Come out."

Ben's massive figure materializes between Nero and the Ferryman. His weight caused the boat to rock until it regained stability. The Ferryman's mouth hangs limp as his eyes take in the figure. Ben is now the size of a horse, with a small spiral horn of a Narwhal on his forehead, and the fur is covered with Red glowing tattoos. The eyes, spiral horn, teeth, and claws are Blood Red. An aura of Blood lust radiated from Ben's hot breath. He salivates as he opens his jaws wide to take a bite out of the Ferryman. 

"Return to limbo, Ben!"

Ben's body quickly dematerializes out of existence, leaving Nero and the Ferrymany alone in the boat again. 

"How much blood did ye feed him?"

"About half a bucket full, I think. It took me two days to recover in the medical wing of the academy."

"That is too much! Ye turned him into a monster!"

"I know! That is why I can't bring him out in front of anyone in the academy. Anyways the village is in sight now. I will find Amon the Beast Trader and get some new Summons."

"Amon? Why didn't ye say his name before? He left the village to hunt a Bear in the forest that killed a dozen Hunters."

"What? So he isn't in the village?"

"He and I share a bunk house, so I know what he is up to."

"What about the beasts he has with him?" 

"Amon deals in infant beasts and exotic beast eggs. He sells them young so that their masters can bond with them."

"Can I buy a few through you instead?"

"Afraid I don't have the key to the warehouse he keeps the infants, nor the key to the trunk where he stores his Beast Eggs. Ye will have to find Amon with that Demon Wolf. I will take ye to my bunkhouse and let Ben track Amon's scent from his bed. So long as he doesn't try to eat me if ye bring him out again."

"I will try to restrain Ben, but will Amon accept two gold for his Beasts?"

"If ye can help kill the Bear, he might consider it."

End of the Chapter