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“So this is the Netherward, ey?” Spyd asked as the effects of the portal faded.
Lord Justin, Roamin, and Rob had offered him a tour of Home (and what an interesting name that was) which he had graciously accepted. If he was going to be staying here he might as well know the place. It wasn’t very princely to be asking peasants for directions. They had toured just about all the kingdom, starting with Southshire and the Dwarven land (which Rob proudly boasted the entire way), to Brickton and the Vineyard, to all the rest of the districts, till there was only one left.
“Yep,” Lord Willy said, stepping out of the portal so they were side by side, “Now can you see why we saved this for last?”
Spyd looked around, admiring the peasants work. The buildings were, for the most part, intricate. Dark bricks, orange wood, and obsidion with not a single block of grass in sight made the Nether ward give off a weird feeling, but he brushed that off for the dark motif. This was the only district, he reasoned, that had wither skulls, so it would have a slightly chilling atmosphere. But he still couldn’t help himself when he jumped at seeing yet another large skull staring straight at him.
“It certainly is different,” he replied, “Feels almost like we’re actually in the Nether.”
“Oh trust me, this is nothing like the true thing,” a new voice said from behind them.
The four of them spun around quickly, Rob pulling out his sword whilst doing so. They relaxed when they saw a familiar skeletal face.
“Deadbones, you monkey,” Rob groaned, sheathing his sword, “Don’t do that in front of royalty.”
Deadbones waved a hand. “But that’s no fun! Besides, I like big entrances, especially with people I have barely been acquainted with.”
He turned his attention to the prince and again, Spyd had to hide his shock. He had never met Lord Deadbones in the so-called flesh, but he had heard enough about him as well as the others, but that the stories had forgotten to mention his eyes; completely black with small red pupils that seemed to stare straight into his soul. He did his best to brush off the feeling. All the stories had barely mentioned Deadbones’ origins, but they all claimed that he was good intentions, so Spyd had no reason to not trust him.
The skeletal lord gave a sweeping bow, which made the prince smile, reminding him of all the ridiculous lords and ladies that would visit him back in his old castle. He returned it with a nod of his head.
“I have a gift for you,” Deadbones said, rummaging through his cloak, “A ‘Welcome to Home’ gift… if. I. Could. Just. Find it… Aha! Here it is!”
He took one of Spyd’s hands and slipped in something cool to the touch. The other lords tried and failed to inconspicuously look as Deadbones’ bony hand slipped away, gently grazing against the prince’s fingers, sending a shiver up his spine.
Left in his hand was a jewel the color of the sea, a gorgeous mix of blues and greens, almost the size of his palm. He could practically feel the other Lord’s eyes on it, but he didn’t care, he was mesmerized by the gemstone. It was unlike anything he had ever seen or held in his entire life
“Your first treasure of the realm,” Deadbones said, interrupting the other’s staring.
Spyd tore his eyes from the gem and smiled, “That you for this gift, Deadbones. I will treasure it.”
Deadbones nodded his head.
Roamin snorted, butting into the conversation, “Nice going, Deadbones, out doing all of us.”
“Yeah, nice sucking up to royalty you monkey,” Rob added.
“Well it wasn’t that hard to pick a gift that was better than an actual piece of shit, Rob,” Deadbones retorted, making everyone else laugh.
The rest of the tour was easy going, with the addition of Deadbones tagging along. No one mentioned the jewel for the rest if the day, but its presence was not lost to Spyd, who stuck his hand in the pocket he had put it in as often as he could. He made a mental note to find a jeweler, so that he could have the gem with him at all times.
It seemed important and he didn’t want to lose it.