I discovered a serious problem with people who never leave a five mile radius of their birthplace. The problem -aside from inbreeding- is that they are afraid of the outside world. So to most of the people I meet, the next city is another world. When I asked around to find out how to reach the citadel, well, the expressions on people's faces were ridiculous.1
Eventually I found some wise old drunk who informed me that once a very long time ago when he was a young lad, he had visited the citadel of shadow. "Twas's's a huge building, with towers and spikes and guards everywhere."2
I ditched the tacky work shirt and once again showed off my paleness. Alice and I exited the town and got our bearings, in the process we discovered another issue with navigation: the islands move around a lot, and some of them don't really exist, our only hope was that the road pointed out to us actually went the right way. 3
We set off, walking at a slow pace for a few days. on or around the fifth day the road turnd sharply; straight up a cliff. 4
"Well kiddo," I said to her, "I guess we'll never get there."5
Alice pointed up the cliff. "Al, is that a tower?"6
I craned my neck. "Yeah, must be a ways up there though," I shielded my eyes against the sun. The tower looked tiny from where I stood. I muttered a curse and looked at Alice, "Well kiddo, I guess we'll go up then?"7
This part of my journey, though the longest in days was the shortest in my mind, but combined with the other parts it still made the whole of the journey much longer than I really liked. It was only fitting that I now had to climb up a cliff, a huge one at that.8
After about a minute of climbing I was up the 'huge' cliff, standing before the 'huge' 'citadel'.9
"This is it?" Alice asked as Vix set her down on level ground. "You and the old man made this place seem all... big," she demonstrated what big looks like with her hands, just in case I was confused.10
"It is big, this just isn't it. Besides, the citadel is gothic style, whereas this place is quite obviously influenced by the baroque period." A trumpet sounded from within the 'huge' 'citadel'. "Oh crap."11
Hundreds of little shadow soldiers took to the walls, armed to the teeth.12
Alice stepped behind me, "Things just get out of hand really quickly with you don't they Al?"13
"That's the trend," I replied, grimacing as hundreds of little arrows hit my skin. Most of them didn't stick, but it still hurt.14
"STOP STOP STOP STOP DAMN YOU!" I screamed at the soldiers.15
"Oi! Get away from us spirit!" shouted the captain of the guard.16
"I'm not a spirit!" I insisted, "What the hell are you doing, I'm trying to get to the League's citadel."17
"I know a spirit when I see one, and I see one," another volley of arrows, "Hold your bowstrings men. I'll never betray my countrymen to you, you won't make it to the capital alive!"18
Alice tapped my shoulder, "Al, my book says that inside every lesser citadel is a portal to the capital."19
"Works for me!" I shouted. I went godzilla on that place, when I was done, the shadows were running around in chaos. A dark swirling hole formed in the ground.20
***21
"That was really easy, and unnessesarily quick too," I said to Alice as we stepped out of a closet into a domed building.22
"A pleasant change I am sure," rhasped a familiar forked tongue.23
Alice shrunk into my side, and Vix crouched down growling in front of us. "Deathbreath, what's up?"24
"I didn't expect you to survive Al."25
"Sorry to dissappoint. I'm going to have a nap then alright?" I started walking to the double door behind him.26
"You are not yet released Al."27
"What are you talking about crypt keeper? I made it back alive, my punishment is over."28
"However, the day is not over, and I have a tasking for you."29
"Alright slappy, shut the hell up a minute. I don't know why you think we work on a standard duty day, maybe there's a clause somewhere in the book of rules but we don't use it okay. I'm not fond of all this doctrine so just back off cause I'm getting really upset." I tried so hard to turn and leave but he wouldn't have any of that.30
"You should know the day is not done until all taskings are complete, even if they last all days long."31
"Why does everyone need to be so damned cryptic here? Alright. I'll bite. What is it?"32
"Shades nearby. I don't think there are any where reported, but our intelligence department insists that a Shade is definately here."33
"So I go confirm or deny and then I can finally take a proper bath?" I asked, definately showing my impatience, "How about this Quazimoto? Fuck you."34
"You are declining a task? It is forbidden!"35
"You just love setting me up for failure don't you? You just come up to me trying to piss me off. Problem is, I'm not afraid, beat me some more. Go ahead, I just fought off a ten thousand strong army. While they were unskilled, there were ten thousand of them, that's a lot of soldiers," I paused, glaring into the space of his hood, "Go ahead, reply with your calm reserved tone, you know I do stupid shit, just go ahead and give me a chance to kill you."36
"I will forgive your rashness for now, but you will be taking this tasking."37
I glared at him extra hard, just out of spite. I don't think he really understood just how hard I could glare at him. "Alright, I give, but when I get back, I don't want to see you. Alice. Come on."38
I heard him start to say something, but I cut him off as I walked away shouting, "I promised her!"39
I sat through a boring ass briefing involving a strewn out man in a robe describing what he saw in an acid trip. For some reason the military intelligence here is a bunch of normal humans on acid. The shadows can't get inebriated to the level that mortals can, so they sit in rapt awe of the 'revelations' it brings.40
It's BS by the way.41
But as I was saying, I listened to this guy who was permanantly tripping balls. He described the village, and gave me a vague area to look in, and really told me nothing Deathwalker hadn't already said except for the where.42
"Yo! Jackass!" I shouted, "I got it, the penguin flew through the ice cream and it freaked you out, now shut the up!" He wrestled momentarily with speechlessness -a nice change. When it looked like he was going to talk again -which I just couldn't allow- I interrupted him abruptly, "And shave damnit!"43
As I left the castle, with Alice at my heels, I noticed that the sun was almost below the horizon. Oh look, thought I, screwed again. With all my observations of the sun, I did not notice the dark figure watching me from a windmill.44
I asked directions from a farmboy near the main square. As he packed up his stand into a cart, he pointed out the sherriff's office, and the mayor's manor. However, and if he's reading this I do apologize for inconveniencing him in vein, but I inconvenienced him in vein. Oops45
As I approached the mayor's manor I was stopped by a woman in a regal purple dress. "Excuse me sir."46
I stopped and looked at her. I was not often approached by normal people. I typically scared them. Alright Al, don't mess this up by making it awkward, "Good evening madam, if you want me to kill your husband I'll do it free of charge." Damn! That last bit just slipped the hell out there.47
"No, I'm the mayor. I was wondering why you're here."48
"What's that mean?"49
She sighed, "He must think I'm stupid. Alright, listen, you don't get to be one of the only young female mayors by being an old fat stupid man. I know a League member when I see one, and I know that they follow or are chased by trouble. So. From the top. What is going on?"50
"Smart girl," Alice chimed in, right before I was going to say something witty. The mayor bowed a little.51
I returned the sigh, "Supposedly there are shades around here. They want me to investigate. Honestly I just want to go to bed. I've been on the road for over a week and knocked unconcious more times then I've slept in a bed. I've had most of my bones broken, and all I'm looking for right now is a proper bath."52
Alice chimed in again, "You bathed every night you had the chance."53
"But young Alice, it's not a proper bath unless there's company, now be quiet and quit making me look stupid in front of women in or around my age group. Now, if I may finish, I can clearly see that there are no shades around here. Now I would like to go to bed, I will make and prove my case in the morning."54
"There aren't any Shades," said the mayor, "But there have been disappearances."55
"Shhhhhhh. I didn't hear that, you didn't say that please let me go home."56
"I'm the mayor of this town, I can't pass up the opportunity to solve a problem like this. We can even get you a proper bath-"57
"Stop, just stop there love, don't, no. I was kidding. The mere fact that you want to do your job instead of just sitting around with a title; for some reason I want to positively reenforce that attitude. Arrange for a room for two, I'm going to sleep in the street until you come back-'kay?"58
I don't think she really expected me to do it, but I plopped down right in the middle of the road and racked out.59
I didn't fall asleep, but I spent a great deal of time in la la land. Suddenly I noticed that something was hitting me repeatedly in the face, and I couldn't feel my stomach. I opened my eyes and saw that Alice was sitting on my stomach, and hitting me with one of Vix's big floppy ears.60
"Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Alwakeup!" Alice was saying. "Al we've got a room now, you can sleep in a bed."61
"What if I'd just rather go on sleeping Alice? Did you ever think about me? Do you ever think about how I feel?" I screamed with sarcasm.62
"Get up you little baby," Alice scolded me.63
"AAAAH! Fine!" I pushed myself up grogily, "What's for breakfast?"64
"I don't know yet, tomorrow is not here. Tomorrow is today plus one."65
I don't know how she does it, but somehow she distracts me into walking as she says weird stuff to me. Take the current example for instance. Somehow, by the time she said the word one, I was already on the second floor of an inn, unlocking the door, and I hadn't noticed picking up the key.66
She stood in the doorway to her room, "And now kind sir, goodnight," and she closed the door, leaving me in the hallway feeling confused and a little violated.67
I looked at the knocker on my door and asked it, "Really man, what just happened?" but it stared back at me silently.68
I laid awake and distracted the whole night. Oblivious to everything but my thoughts and gentle music. In the morning I opened my eyes. Alice had broken the lock on my door, and was standing on me playing some weird string instrument. An eerie tune filled the room, mingling with Alice's creepily beautiful voice.69
"You really like messing with me don't you Alice?" I grumbled as she hopped onto the floor. 70
"No but we need to get up so you can meet with that pretty mayor."71
"Who said we were meeting with her?"72
"You did, well, I said it, but I was speaking for you, now get up, put on some... blankets?"73
I rolled out of bed and stretched out. After putting on the few articles of clothing I owned, I walked out the door.74
The mayor was pacing nervously in the square. Her face lit up when she saw me, or rather, she looked less nervous. "Before we get to things," she said, "I just want to know if they wear clothes where you are from, or if you're just weird."75
"No, I just haven't found a shirt that goes with these pants, and I really like these pants."76
"Well then, on to business. Another disappearance to report this morning. A man, farmer type, disappeared during the night actually."77
I'm not a detective, but I watched a lot of mysteries when I was alive. I don't really know that, for all I know I'm the tooth fairy in the real world, but something in me just felt it knew what questions I should ask. From a few questions I discovered most of the people disappearing lived on farms outside of town, typically they disappeared after a day of selling crops in the market, and typically it was whomever sold the least amount of food that day.78
I sat down with Alice and we speculated over a serving of milk. "Alright," I began, as we sat down at a table, "the whole thing about farmers makes sense. They're isolated, it makes nabbing them a lot easier, and they'll only be traveling if they're going to town to sell their stuff, but is it deeper than that, I mean, why farmers?"79
"Farmers do hard work all day. Maybe someone needs strong bodies. Why do you think it was always someone who didn't sell anything?"80
"Well that's another convenience issue," I replied, "Whoever sells the fastest, leaves first, so they're walking home in daylight, and likely to have someone behind them. The guy we saw last night left after sunset, and the streets were deserted, mostly. Plus, he still had a lot of grass and fruits left over, he wouldn't have put up much of a fight with such encumberance."81
"Maybe someone wants their land too, trying to control local markets."82
"No, that doesn't make sense, it's harder than just killing a man, you need to make him lose face to take his land, otherwise it just goes to his next of kin." I trailed off and glanced over my shoulder once more. "Alice, descretely. Is the robed man in the back corner still looking at me?"83
Alice nodded.84
"Alright, let's get out of here."85
We left the bar and headed out of town to the north, where all of the missing farmers had come from. A gentle breeze kicked up dust. I turned my head aside sharply to shield my face, and when I opened my eyes back up I found a peculiar sight.86
I tapped Alice's shoulder, and pointed. "It's a well," she said, looking at me blankly.87
"Look closer, and by closer I mean further back."88
"Smashed vegetables. Why would there be smashed vegetables around an abandoned well?"89
"Maybe there was a struggle?" I suggested. I walked off the road into the ten foot gap between the road and the treeline. "It doesn't go anywhere. Whoever nabbed the poor bastard carried him off on the road."90
I didn't know it then but the robed figure was still watching us.91
I did feel uneasy however. "Alice, let's keep going. We'll see if anyone saw anything further out, or if they're being brought back into the city."92
We continued walking. I felt eyes all around me, everywhere, but I had no idea what was giving me the feeling. We tried a few doors, and of those who answered, no one saw anything. Until at one house, I felt a tug on my pant leg.93
I looked down and saw a small boy looking up at me. "Mister, I saw something."94
The boy's father -who had answered the door- looked like he was about to hit the kid, "Get back inside, Tommy!"95
The dude was afraid of me. Smart, but still stupid. "Let the kid talk," I said, ignoring his attempt at intimidating me. I squatted down so that I was level with the boy, "What did you see little guy?"96
"When they took William, er, mister Lyely, last week. He went back toward the town with him. They went into the ground."97
"Thanks. Alice! We're going back to town."98
Alice, who had been hanging in a hammock conjured between two imaginary trees, dropped and landed gently on the ground.99
We walked back to town, passing the well again. As we passed I shuddered a little. Something was off here.100
We searched around, there were cellars, but they were all shallow, and full of food and ale, no bodies, no prisoners.101
"Why don't we ask the mayor, Al?" Alice suggested, "She would know who has any sort of a huge cellar."102
"Lead on dear Alice," I replied.103
It was getting late by the time we knocked on the mayor's door. "Good evening. How can I help you, Al?"104
"Who has a deep cellar in this town? Anyone and everyone."105
"The cellars here don't go very deep because of the catacombs. I'm the only one with access to them and my door is bolted and reenforced."106
"You're kidding me. Right? That was a statement, you are kidding, whether or not you know it. There is no underground labrynth that no one ever goes to that you didn't tell me about off the bat," I was doing my best to not flip the hell out.107
"Why would I have told you about it, no one ever goes there."108
"I don't know, maybe because I thought you were smarter than your peers? It gives our criminal enough space to hide hundreds of people, and dispose of them even. How long have these disappearances gone on for?"109
"Well, they stopped when I was a girl, in those days the town was a lot bigger. Most of the people disappeared, we had a thousand people in this town ten years ago, now we have only hundreds."110
"I QUIT!" I screamed, "I saw something worthwhile in you! But this, after all the shit I've been through in this ridiculously long day, this has pushed me over the edge!"111
Her mouth and Alice's mouth were gaping. I stopped, and lowered my hands to my sides.112
"I'm sorry madam, I didn't mean that, I'm just a little stressed today," I sat down and hung my head, "I haven't slept in days, I haven't eaten a proper meal, the whole time up until yesterday I've been afraid for Alice's life, and I'm about to put her in danger again, and to top it all off, there is a knife sticking out of my shoulder." I looked down at the blade which had just caught my attention. "THERE IS A KNIFE IN MY SHOULDER!" I screamed as the pain hit me.113
I kept my composure as well as I could, trying to scan around for the thrower. Alice was already on him. A triangle flew out of her staff, and hit a robed figure as it fled. The blood red robe tripped as it tried to run. As it fell, it spiraled and twisted into the air, flying like an empty sack of cloth.114
"SHADE!" shouted the mayor.115
I pulled the knife, and took off after my attacker. But the demon was fast. It fled north and lost us before we reached the edge of town.116
Then a realization hit me.117
"Alice," I said, "Let's have a think at this. The demon fled out of town. The little boy said so and so was taken toward the town, not into the town. There was a scuffle at the well which is between these two points and along the path. People are being taken underground."118
"Well well well," Alice mused creepily, "We'll get to the bottom of this then shall we?"119
"I was afraid of this," I whined.120
"What climbing down a well?"121
"No: that I would be able to figure it out."
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