Chapter Text
“Napolitan, for the love of everything right in this world, you can not just bring three children you stole into the bar.”
The lanky barely-adult scoffed at the exhausted looking woman, Tak, sitting on the edge of the wooden porch with a bulky bag of the wares she sold. Behind him stood three forms that shifted on the dirt path behind Napolitan, not speaking and avoiding eye contact with the two adults and glancing nervously at the empty village. The sun had just set and cast an eerie glow on the tiny cluster of houses and lone bar. The path ran directly through the settlement and led into the gaping mouth of the Cave, an inky blackness that seemed impenetrable, despite the torches dotting the walls of the cavern.
“Why not?” Napolitan crossed his arms and defended himself. “I didn’t steal them, I took them out of a bad situation and brought them here.”
“You brought them from one of the abyss worlds and into the place where putting a knife into one’s pillow is considered a great idea for a practical joke.” Tak gestured behind the brunette. “Look at ‘em, the young one is practically wetting himself.”
It wasn’t untrue and Napolitan slumped as he looked back at the trio. “I suppose bringing them back through the Cave wasn’t my best decision, but I do still hold that they were worse off there.”
Napolitan entered the Cave in the early morning, hefting a satchel containing potions he borrowed from Tak (much to the merchant’s chagrin) and a spare torch. His knife sat snugly in its sheath and his footsteps echoed across the walls and ceiling. He cheerfully removed a torch from the wall at the front and hurried on his way, destroying a few large bats that tried to attack him with relative ease.
He traveled straight as far as he felt he needed, just until the entrance had vanished behind him. Then Napolitan dug out the crudely drawn map provided to him by his friend and fellow explorer of sorts, Frieen. His goal for the day was to reach a particular chasm that, if said friend knew what he was talking about, could possibly provide some more adventure and adrenaline for Napolitan.
It wasn’t his first trip into the Cave. Far from it. In fact, this will have been his 218th venture into the cave, a respectable number for a man only an adult for two years, and it wouldn’t have been shameful to have as a legacy should the worst occur. That was the thought running through his mind as he stared down at the large crack in the floor he assumed to be the one on the map. The one he was going to jump into shortly.
Before he did so however, he flipped the map over and skimmed the instructions written sloppily on it. “Abyss world spoken language different. Take mushrooms in chasm and chew and swallow.” Peering over the edge several glowing fungi could be seen, all the same color and shape. Despite not being a mage he could feel the power radiating off of them. He plucked three and ate them hurriedly, not liking mushrooms as it was, especially glowing ones.
Immediately he began hacking and coughed up blood specks onto the stone floor. His throat was tightening and it took him a while to breathe again-
“Why the devil would you eat mushrooms you knew nothing about?” One of the figures behind Napolitan snapped, the one with jet black hair and heavily tanned skin. Apparently the nerves only stuck for a long time with the youngest of the bunch, the other two having sat down on the path, and were intensely listening to the story. Napolitan whipped around to look at the boy.
“Because I trust my friend, Daniel.”
Daniel looked unconvinced and unamused. “And why, pray tell, did you feed three children this mushroom that you nearly died over?”
“Why did you eat a mushroom a stranger offered you?” Napolitan replied, thornily. “And besides, I only got sick because I ate three. It’s not my fault Frieen didn’t specify amount.”
Daniel snorted. “So much for trusting him.”
“Watch it.”
He took a few moments to regain his breath and tentatively spoke a few words. It sounded odd to his ears, like two people were speaking at once. One was in a different language so he assumed whatever was supposed to happen had done its work. He put the map back into his satchel and gazed into the crack. Pitch black, like the Cave entrance.
If he jumped he’d either come out into a different world or die. That was how these things worked.
Napolitan grinned at the idea and jumped in.
“So you’re just a bloody moron, then.” The oldest child, Jason, piped in. Napolitan sighed and turned to face the golden haired boy. The pale, freckled, elegant face was set in a smirk.
“As stated previously, I happen to trust Frieen.”
“Right, right, because he gave you such good advice with the mushrooms. If you trust him so much, then why’d you consider that you would die at all?”
“Because it builds atmosphere. Please shut up, child.”
“I’m fourteen.”
“Two more years, boy. Still a child until then.” Napolitan narrowed his sharp eyes, before turning back to a slightly annoyed Tak.
“You do know I was makin’ my own money jus’ fine before you showed up, right?” Jason muttered darkly.
“And the less said about that the better, please. There’s a young one present.”
“Sod.”
“Very true.”
So Napolitan jumped into the chasm and laughed as the wind whipped by him, his heart thudding painfully in his chest. This was the feeling that was worth living for. He tumbled out into a grove of trees, from a small opening in a hill. The eighteen year old rose and brushed off his well-worn garments, and took out his knife. As he walked he etched an ‘x’ into several trees, so as to not lose his way.
Unfortunately, before long the trees and brush were replaced with cobblestone path and a horrible smell that Napolitan never experienced before, like a mix of burning metal from a blacksmith and monster’s bile. But nevertheless he proceeded, into what he assumed was a city.
“London, to be specific.”
Cities back in his world were notoriously unkind to his profession, so on habit he ducked into an alleyway and covered his right arm with a cape he kept in the satchel in case it got cold. It was also useful for covering the intricate tattoo showing the number of completed trips he’d survived.
It was fortunate that he ducked into that alley in particular, because he nearly ran into an older man in a ridiculous looking hat and overcoat with a cane bullying a child for what money he had earned with whatever job he had.
“I was not bein’ bullied. It was a business negotiation.” Once again Jason broke into the story, cueing Napolitan to roll his eyes.
“He was threatening to beat you.”
“I could’ve handled him!”
“You couldn’t handle a blind rat if it keeled over in front of you.”
Daniel snickered behind his hand at that comment, and Jason’s face flushed red. He muttered something that Napolitan didn’t catch, but was otherwise quiet as Napolitan continued.
What Napolitan did to the man was what any person in his line of work would’ve. They typically don’t take kindly to violence toward children, in part due to many of them being abused or used or otherwise harmed in the past to lead them to one of the lowest rungs of the social ladder. Napolitan won’t describe what the man looked like afterwards, except that he certainly couldn’t work in Jason’s former career path. The dirty asshole deserved it.
That was, of course how he met Jason.
“Jason Sinnett. Pleasure.” The fourteen year old didn’t extend a hand, which normally would’ve been rude, but Napolitan wasn’t one for formalities anyway, and Tak was a rather rude individual herself.
After the brief debacle with the older man, Napolitan had introduced himself, given Jason a healing potion to help with the black eye he’d received, and asked where exactly he had found himself. The city of London, in the country of England, in the era of the Queen Victoria (whom Napolitan had never heard of) in the year 1852. Jason had introduced himself as well, and after some prodding admitted to being something of a street urchin.
“Don’t put words into my mouth, you-”
“Jason,” Napolitan didn’t bother turning around this time, instead icily hissing. “If you interrupt me one more time you will be put back in the damn alley I found you in.” Jason clamped his mouth shut huffily and glared daggers at Napolitan’s back. Napolitan felt Tak’s disapproving gaze and met it with his own soulless stare. After a tense minute, the brunette continued.
“You helped me out there. You’ll be askin’ for something in return then, yeah?”
Napolitan really didn’t mean to bring the boy along with him, but he had no idea where anything was, and he refused to go back to the village with nothing to pay back Tak for the potion he’d used.
“Where is something of value kept? A shrine, or temple, perhaps?” He’d asked.
“There’s a Catholic orphanage nearby.” The freckled boy looked uncomfortable. “Been trying to stay away from there, myself, but there’s some silver in the chapel I s’ppose.”
The orphanage was a short walk away, and nothing of note happened. A cat crossed their path, which Jason remarked upon, saying it was bad luck. Napolitan had replied that the fates could leave them well enough alone if you asked him. He chuckled at the little in joke he and the rest of the village shared, though it left Jason confused. He didn’t remark on it, however, and dutifully led the way through the evening light towards a rather large building on the edge of the city.
It was made of brick, and had a small offshoot that Jason said was the chapel. There was a tall peak on it, and windows of colored glass that Napolitan thought were rather unnecessary and made it hard to see through. There was a wooden door that Jason pointed out on the far side of the structure, which he had used to sneak out. It was never used anymore by the worshipers, and they had covered it with boards on the inside, but it could still be opened if you tried. Jason had used it to run off, and he couldn’t have been the only one to do so. Napolitan didn’t react to this revelation with much more than a grunt of understanding, and entered the building.
There was a muffled “Oomph!” as he walked straight into Daniel and the small boy, Peter, fell backward. Daniel picked him up and smoothed his red hair a bit. Apparently, the two were going to leave like Jason had, after receiving a rather severe punishment. The workers (Nuns, Jason called them) believed strongly in corporal punishment, and the thirteen and seven year old were covered in bruises and had been sent to the chapel to reflect. When Napolitan had asked what they did to get a punishment, Daniel explained that they weren’t allowed to interact with the girls in the orphanage. Peter wanted to know why, and so he had arranged to meet with one of them in secret. Daniel, who’s been watching over Peter since he’d arrived, went along to keep watch.
“You won’t tell Sister Patricia, will you, sir?” Blue eyes looked up through black bangs, and Napolitan got the distinct feeling he was being told, not asked. It intrigued him.
The story was interrupted again, this time by Tak raising her hand to stop her client and friend. “I think I get the picture. Jason’s situation is the only one that really needed you to intervene in, but I can see your reasoning. Fair enough, I won’t take the children from you.” There was a brief pause. “Are you going to make them join you people?”
“Not immediately. They can see what we do and if they want to, fine. I won’t stop them.”
Peter moved to crouch by Daniel, who held his hand. After a few more silent moments, Napolitan spoke.
“Shall we arrange the payment I owe you tomorrow, then?”
“That’d be best, yes. Go take these three to your house. I’ll see what I can provide for spare clothes for them in the morning and tack it onto your debt.” She disgustedly looked at the filthy clothes that Jason wore, and the obviously handed down clothes the other two wore. “And for the love of Misfortune, make them take a bath.”
Jason almost retorted, but Napolitan beat him to it. “Lovely bedside manner as always, Tak. I’ll see you in the morning. Come on boys, let’s go wash up.”
The oldest lead the way across the small village, slowing down when he saw that Daniel, with Peter latched to his side, stayed behind to talk with Tak. He lagged behind to listen after telling the other where to go.
“Will we be safe staying with that man?”
Tak grunted. “Safe enough. As much as you can be here.”
“That isn’t reassuring.”
“This isn’t a reassuring place, boy. Get used to it.”
Daniel left it at that, wishing the dark haired woman a good night and catching up to Napolitan. He looked at the man coldly, untrusting. Napolitan shrugged in response and unlocked the door to his small two-room house. The rest of the night was filled with showing the boys how the magic stones that heated the bath water worked, getting some makeshift beds in order, and preparing something to eat.
Napolitan was already plotting how to introduce the three to the other villagers without angering the leader of the village that the fates had left to rot in the Cave. Daniel and Jason said nothing to him or each other the rest of the night, and Peter was silent as a mouse.