Shadowlands 15: Sacrifice

We spent the night at the spring. I tried foraging, but came up with nothing. Alice took me out and when we returned to the cave my arms and Vix's arms were loaded with fruit. We found some more of the weird soft fruits that looked like pears, and some sort of cow tomato. Everywhere I had already looked, Alice found veritable gardens of eatables. 1

I cooked the cow tomatoes over a fire and served them like steaks.2

After we ate, Alice lit the bulb end of her staff and stuck it into the soft dirt in the cave. She sat in the dim light with Vix holding the demon tome open. Every few minutes she waved her hand at the book, and the page turned.3

I sat against the cave’s mouth, trying to sleep, but it never happened.4

Alice extinguished the light and went to sleep; leaving me alone in the moonlight, listening to the gentle trickle of the stream.5

I sat there dreaming and awake. Visions of death running through my head. The visions were replaced with a giant red eye accusing me, and a hand hanging down from a beautiful wrist. All the skin on this mysterious body was bluish and pale. A mouth moved into my view. There was something wrong with the mouth; something subtle. 6

Sunlight broke the horizon, and the vision was gone.7

Alice stumbled groggily to the mouth of the cave. The streak of black had faded from her hair overnight, but the tinge remained in her dress.8

After washing in the creek flowing from the spring, we continued on our journey. 9

A quick scan of the island before us showed a city on the horizon. We set off through the savanna of odd looking plants. Amongst the common spirit grass were bushes of tightly packed leaves. They looked like giant brussel sprouts but the leaves were elongated and more numerous.10

The sun beat down on the dry plains, cooking the moisture out of the intermittent bare patches.11

Alice looked around at everything with the kind of awe I hadn’t afforded myself the first time I saw the strange world.12

“This place is beautiful,” she finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.13

“It is. You don’t really notice until you get away from whoever is chasing you. I guess I’ve taken it for granted most of the time.”14

“Who’s usually chasing you?” she asked.15

I thought about it for a minute and said, “Women.” After further thought I added, “Dead women.”16

“Odd, most are chased by themselves when they chase their tales.”17

“Are you saying I chase my tail?”18

She sighed and explained, “Wrong kind of tale. You chase glory, without running in circles.”19

“You are a strange and insightful little girl Alice,” I said, shaking my head. She gave a half curtsey as she walked.20

The city was fairly small. It was surrounded with a twelve foot limestone wall. The gate was a single wooden door that opened to the outside. To the left of the door was a wooden guard shack, built into the wall.21

Several stands had been assembled in the trees, but they were unmanned.22

We walked up through the thick grass around the city, and I knocked on the guard shack. The door opened revealing a large gristly man. 23

His shaggy clothes hung loosely off of his body, hiding what I knew to be a muscular frame. Pinned to his brown vest was a four point star made of bronze. In his hand he held a small crossbow.24

“What do you want?” he asked in his gruff tone. He seemed displeased with the wear and appearance of my clothes. I’m not sure if it was because I was still wearing prison shackles, or because I was still not wearing a shirt, but something upset him.25

“We’d like a place to stay tonight,” I replied flatly, and with a little bit of attitude.26

“We don’t like having archons here; you’ll have to pay to get in.”27

***28

Alice followed me as I walked around to a secluded part of the wall. “Should we really be doing this Al? They might arrest us.”29

I got a handhold, and a decent foothold. “Alice, if I hadn’t broken rules in the first place you’d have crystals coming out your nose right now.”30

“The rules don’t favor me today,” she said quietly.31

I pulled myself up to the top of the wall and dug around for a piece of rebar. I pushed it through the last link on my shackles and lowered the end to the ground. Alice stepped on both sides of the bar and I hoisted her up. Vix clawed his way up last with the tome tied to his back.32

Once we were down the wall again, we walked casually through the back streets. The rural part of the city was dingy. A few women stood about, cleaning and talking, and giving an evil eye to a younger, less modestly dressed woman standing on the corner. Everyone watched us -me mostly- as we walked past. I couldn’t tell if they were watching my body, my gratuitous scarring, or just how odd of a group we were.33

I heard one of the women say something to the others; the response involved something about being married. I led the way to an inn. The woman behind the desk greeted me with an uneasy smile.34

“Ma’am, I need a room but I don’t have any money, is there any work here?”35

The woman thought for a minute. “There’s no work here for you, but the girl could help me with cleaning the rooms and the bar.”36

I looked around while she paused. There was a fine layer of dust covering the whole interior of the wooden building.37

“If you want work though you’ll need to speak with the labor masters.”38

After she gave me directions to the labor hall, the woman took Alice through the rooms, cleaning them out and straightening things up.39

I walked to the town hall where I received a vagrant pass. “Now, since you’re new here, I’ll have to give you the brief,” said the assistant mayor, “I know you’re an archon, but there’s some weird stuff out there. Some monsters living in the grass. They attack people in the fields sometimes, so you’ll have to watch out. If they attack, they’ll probably single you out, so I’m going to make sure your foreman gives you something sharp to work with.”40

“You really expect them to attack?” I asked.41

“Definitely. It won’t be a huge attack, just a few ankle biters trying to get some lunch. You’ve got nothing to worry about. But you need a shirt.”42

Properly fitted with a work shirt that did not at all match my cargo pants by the way, I walked out the main gate amongst the other workers of the city.43

The gate deputy eyed me as I walked out. My cargo pants definitely did not blend with the mediaeval clothing of those around me, and that gate guard definitely knew I had snuck into the town.44

I quietly prayed that he wouldn’t report me; until I met my foreman, and then my hopes rose.45

My foreman happened to be the sheriff of the town. He had pulled strings to have me work on his land that day, escorting his kafel through the forest, and he was all about me having a big sharp thing to play with.46

Kafel are big four legged herbivores. In laymen’s terms, they’re ugly goofy looking cows. Their backs arch up high, with the rest of their body hanging down from it. Their heads are gaunt looking, and indistinct. They have no horns, but they have tusks that curve like an elephant’s. 47

They are fairly easy for the indigenous wildlife to kill, and eat plants that only grow in the dark of the forest, where you can always find a happy Kami Creature to attack you. He gave me a machete and a whip from his barn. 48

There were six of us escorting the small group of Kafel. We walked with them as they grazed on the leafy plants of the forest floor.49

A stick snapped. I spun to find the source of the noise, and saw nothing. I thought I heard a steady pit pat closing on us but when I tried to listen, “Easy there, new guy,” one of the other men drowned out the soft noise, “They wouldn’t attack this close to the farms.”50

A reptilian Creature sprung out of the woods and tackled him. It had a large head with massive jaws and long sharp teeth. Its head looked like a dinosaur’s head, and it had a mammalian body, with large froglike hind legs. Its whole body was smooth and glossy like a salamander. Its underside was white, and its topside was a splotchy dark blue purple that streaked away from its spine. The dark and light mixed on its sides with intermittent bits of yellow.51

I tell you all this so that you know exactly what decided to disprove the man’s statement. I whipped the Creature’s back. It hopped away from the man, turning to square off with me. 52

I whipped it again in the face and it reared back, snarling. It bunched up its legs and leapt at me.53

My hand came up. My fingers dug into the Creature’s throat. Its inertia pushed me onto the ground.54

It screeched and clawed at me as I squeezed its neck. I heard more screeches around us.55

The other men were shouting. I rolled the Creature off, and smashed its head with a rock.56

The herd was running back to the ranch. A small skirmish had started. Two men were occupied trying to keep a Creature from dragging a third man away. I dashed to them and whipped the Creature on the neck. “You’re focusing on the wrong problem lads!” I shouted. The Creature let go of the man’s leg.57

We killed one or two more of the lizards when I noticed most of them were running past us.58

“They’re headed to the town!” someone shouted.59

We chased after them, but they bounded out of sight in moments. I scraped my foot back along the ground and dashed through the warped æther. 60

The sherrif's deputies were holding off the lizards as workers rushed in through the gates. As I ran past the farmhouse I heard screaming.61

A lizard had clawed up to the second story window. I tried the door, and resorted to kicking it in. I bolted up the stairs to find a lizard chewing on the sherrif's wife.62

It snarled at me. I stomped it hard in the face, and it lay twitching on the floor. I picked up the bloody body on the floor and continued moving to the town.63

As the last of the men came in through the gate, Alice read from her book, sending what proved to be pollen into the air. It was strange, but it seemed to keep the lizards back.64

I stood in the gate as the pollen cleared. The thick wooden door swung shut and the city was closed.65

The injured had been gathered into the town sqare just inside the gate. Alice and the town's doctor moved through the crowd tending to their wounds. I assisted Alice's efforts, wrapping bandages and setting bones.66

The sherrif ran through the caos shouting, "AMY! AMY!"67

I put my hand on his shoulder, and he turned to me, "Have you seen my wife?" he asked, face wrought with fearful uncertainty.68

I nodded and turned, leading him to the place I had deposited her. She smiled as he dashed to her side. "Amy! Are you alright?"69

"I'm fine. That young man saved me. I thought for sure I was going to die there."70

I turned away, not liking the fact that someone was thinking positively of me. It didn't fit my self image. I searched, but in the din and fray of the crowd I failed to find Alice. She would be alright, but the crowdedness of the square was grating on my nerves.71

A hand bell rang through the confusion. "The mayor demands silence!" shouted the town crier.72

A short man with broad shoulders stepped onto the public address platform. His whole head was shaved clean, save for the eyebrows. He had a regal look to him reserved for those old men who do not accept their age. He looked to be about fifty, but he would have given most men a run for their money in a boxing ring.73

He surveyed the people for a moment with sternness, and then his lips parted as he spoke, "We need anyone, men and women, young and old, to help secure the wall against the attacks. You will have time to find your loved ones once the attack has been repelled, but the depu-"74

"Bullshit! Let them find their loved ones so they can be at ease," The deputy at the gate interrupted the mayor. The mayor didn't seem to care, he simply gave the deputy the same regard one gives to a trout before grilling it with lemon pepper and cooking sherry. That actually sounds kinda tasty.75

"As I was saying this attack will stop soon, and at that time we can afford to-"76

"It'll stop when you throw those agents of shadow out! They're why the Kami are attacking!" The deputy would not be silenced77

"Quiet down, let the mayor speak," the sherrif tried to silence his subordinate.78

"No. You've seen what happened to your wife, it's their fault, you know they snuck in, right?"79

At the mention of his wife, the sherrif's face drained, and when he found out about my unorthodox entry into the city, it filled with quiet anger. "Is this true? Where are you?" The crowd parted and moved away from me.80

"Thanks people," I muttered. Of course no one blamed little Alice, oh no, this was all on me.81

"Did you sneak in over the wall?" he questioned me. I sighed and nodded. "I'm not going to arrest you just yet, not until you've worn out your usefulness against these Creatures, but I can't send you out to die."82

"YOU HAVE TO!" bellowed the deputy. "If you won't then I will!" He shoved the sherrif back. "Get a post and some rope! We'll listen to him scream as they eat him alive!"83

The mob swarmed me. I couldn't fight, I couldn't injure them, it would just add to the insanity. Alice ran through the swarm and tried to plea with them.84

"Alice! Save your breath for later. You won't change their minds."85

She watched as they pulled me away. "Bu-"86

"No Alice, don't get in the way. They might let you off the hook."87

"But you promised to-" I couldn't hear, but I knew what she said. I promised to get her home.88

They tied me up and set me like a mast out over the front gate. "Ready to die?" taunted the deputy.89

The lizards leapt up and nipped at me. One got a piece of my shirt. The crowd's taunts died down. Nip on my arm. A rip on my ropes. Come on beasty, just tear those ropes. I squirmed a little bit, trying to move my bonds into their mouthes as they jumped at me.90

The ropes frayed more and more. A Creature leapt up and broke me free. The ropes burst off of me, and I wrapped the lizard up in a ball.91

I realized just why the crowd had stopped taunting me. Only three of the Lizards had focused on me. The rest were running through the town, adding disarray to the maddness.92

I climbed the wall and hopped down into the street. The people had barricaded themselves into the town hall where by sheer density of numbers they held strong against the Creatures.93

I ran along the rooftops, avoiding the fast reptiles on the street. With my chain as an aid I rappelled into the third story window of the town hall.94

Everyone stepped aside as I walked through the densly packed building. All eyes were on me. One man did not move and I stopped in front of him, staring him down. "Where is the gate guard?"95

After some moving words from the mayor, and a forced apology, and assurance from Alice that they had not harmed her, I took the pulpit and spoke. "People of... whatever you call this place! I really don't like you. You were all wrong, and you are all being weak. You gave into fear and just decided to blame me.
"You know, I was actually planning on saving your asses, but not now. You tried to sacrifice me, so now you must make a sacrifice. I'll take offerings now, when I get something worthwhile, something that proves you're over your fear of the outside world, then I'll help you!"96

I stood there and watched, lauging as money, jewels, watches, everything was offered. "You were all so willing to sacrifice me, and now you bring petty change to me? What is wrong with you. One person, just ONE PERSON, needs to sacrifice themself -not you deputy, I think you're being forced- someone willing."97

A woman in a ripped dress stepped forward, "I will sir."98

I looked at her. She was young and fair, unblemished. "Perfect. I am staying at the inn. Be in my room when this is over."99

With a hatchet in each hand I tore through the streets, slaughtering the lizards while Alice held them out of the hall. It took an hour, but I finally drove the last group of them out.100

The town's opinion of me changed after that. I was offered about twice as many ales as I actually drank, and my room was free until I chose to leave. The deputy was offered as a flogging, but I declined.101

The whole night was merry and cheerful. Talking Joking Shouting Singing Dancing; lots of fun102

With some help, I stumbled into my room. It was at that point that I remembered the offering made to me. When I entered the room she stood up to move to me. She was nervous as hell in her fresh clean dress.103

I pushed past her and sat down on the bed. She stood there, nervously, not sure what to do. I rested my cheek on my knuckles and mocked her pensieve expression.104

"I suppose you..." she trailed off, afraid of saying what she thought. She moved her hands behind her back and untied her corset.105

I raised my hand, "Stop. Just..." I tried to figure out what I wanted to say, "Who saved this town?"106

"You did," she stated. I was confusing the hell out of her.107

"No, what I did took nothing, it was easy. You. You saved this town. Now tie that back up and get out of here."108

She tightened her garments and left. She tried not to cry as she ran back to her home. I knew how she felt. Used