The wind tore through the tower's weak stone walls. The once fortified keep had stood unoccupied for decades and the fortifications had now been worn down close to nothing. Holes and cracks plagued the very walls meant to hold this place up. Had it been made from wood it would surely sway in this wind. With how worn down the blocks of stone were though its hard to say which one of these materials is better at the moment.

High up the wall was an open arched window. No shutter nor curtain was there to offer any kind of protection from neither the sun or the elements that might come. Now the wind ripped through the windows maw and bore down into the chamber below. Metal scraps and scuffs echoed throughout as the prisoner they kept shifted their weight in an attempt to find a more comfortable spot. It didn't matter much though. A couple crates placed side by side with a sheet thrown atop it was all the bed was made of.

A metal chain fastened to a metal anklet clamped around Darcy's ankle. His clothes were frayed, burnt in some places, and his left sleeve was missing. He took a deep, wheezy, breath in and before relief could come his chest shuddered and he let out multiple wet, rough, coughs. Gazing up at the window he could see it was a clear night. While he couldn't see much he was able to see a streak of purple sprinkled with various stars ranging in a variety of their brightness.

His eyes were heavy as he watched on. The corners of his mouth moving into a shallow smile.

"Wherever you are my son I pray you are well."

Teeth chattering as the wind whirled throughout his prison he pulled the blanket closer around him. While it shielded the majority of the gust, small wisps slipped through the thin, poorly woven, covering.

He peered at the night sky once more thinking of nothing but Oliver and his whereabouts.

As dawn broke the horizon it wasn't long before the sun poured through Oliver's open window. The room filled with a soft warm light and it wasn't long before a knock came at the door.

"Master Oliver?" A man's voice called.

"The captain requested I bring you back to the castle for breakfast, sir."

No reply came and so the guard gave another, firmer, knock. When he was met with silence more the kguard knocked repeatedly and then put his head beside the wooden door.

"Master Oliver, it is time to wake up."

This time a large snort and gargle came from behind the frame. He shifted backed from the door not sure what to do. Barge in and wake the sleeping fellow, or wait. Being under order's of the queen the guard decided the best course of action was to enter the room. Light from the open window across the room poured through into the hallway. He was surprisingly quiet as he tip toed across the room in his all metal guard uniform. As he approached the bed he began to lean over before his body froze in place. Just as he was looking down at his feet to see what stopped him a green liquid swept across his vision and a set of eyes floated up to meet his.

"What do you think you're doing in our room?" Slime's voice was muffled to man.

He tried to reply but his voice didn't come his liquefied cage.

"What?" Slime raised a slime imposed eyebrow at the man.

"Speak up man!" He barked at the guard. He then realized he had ran out of oxygen. "Oops." He said apologetically as his body shifted to let his head free. The man gasped for air now panting, color returning to his face. Oliver now sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes with a big yawn.

"Whats going on Slime?" He asked sleepily.

"I don't some weirdo came into our room while we were sleeping. Looks like a real deviant if you ask me.

"How dare you! I am a knight of House Boarshield! I would never commit any kind of nefarious act!"

"Yeah, said every criminal ever."

The two glared at one another while Oliver slowly blinked at the pair.

"Oh Slime, you made a new friend! That's awesome." He gave the pair a warm, dozing, smile.

"Young Master, I have been sent her by Captain Cedric to bring you and this. . .this. . .Slime back to the castle for breakfast."

Oliver's eyes snapped straight over and before the pair could blink he had already flung himself from his sheet, into his shoes, and left the room.

"Breakfast, what are we waiting for!" Echoed back into the room.

"Hey, Oliver! Wait for me!" Slime called after him. His body quickly freeing the man as reformed behind the guard. The slime enveloping his body quickly pooled behind the guards back and then Slime shot himself off the guard to the wall in the hall and then bounced off it giving chase after his friend. The guard on the other hand had lost all sense of balance while being entrapped and before he could regain his balance was shoved forward straight into Oliver's bed.

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Quickly rising back to his feet he soon discovered he was in fact under the bed's blankets. In a gruff he threw the sheet off his head and took a length of fabric and hurled it over his shoulder. He, however, forgot to untangle his feet and he quickly tripped back onto the cold, hard, stone floor.

Back at the castle Cedric walked into the dining hall. Many tables filled the room and plenty of guards, advisors, maids, and other castle folk filled them. His eyes matched Oliver's whose cheeks puffed out as he chewed. The boy quickly gave the Captain a wave, albeit with a pancake speared at the end of a fork. He plopped down on a bench opposite of Oliver and looked back towards the kitchen giving a wave and a grunt. From the far side of the hall a voice called out.

"Heard!" In reply to the Captain. Who then turned his attention back to the boy. Cedric sat quietly as he watched the boy devour his breakfast. He turned to see Slime on his left who glared at him with one eye that had moved to the side of his bulbous body, while the other remained focused on the plate in front of him. His mouth opened revealing several dagger shaped teeth, grey as stone, they pierced and shredded the food that entered.

"Oi, Mohnstuh. Ennet a wee bit strange to eat that way?"

Slime turned to face Cedric as he tore the remaining meat apart. When finished his stone like teeth faded into the same green translucent color as the rest of his body.

"Well 'Captain' seeing as how this entire room uses the bones in their face to chew and gnaw on their food. I figured I'd do the same. But if it makes uncomfortable I can eat food like the rest of my kind does."

Starring the Captain dead in his eyes a portion of his body stretched out towards the plate. Enveloping a cinnamon roll the slime wrapped around it and pulled it back into the center of it's body. Bubbles formed and popped around the roll as small little fragments of it broke off and shuttered around inside the body.

"That's so weird." The guard from earlier replied starring in disgust.

Slime's body wobbled slightly before straightening itself into the shape of a small cannon. His eyes still locked with the Captain, he then launched his partially digested roll at the rude guard. A loud squelch came from his armour as the remaining slime continued to digest the roll. Now on his armour, it too began digesting the metal. Like a live acid it ate and chewed through the armour with ease. The guard hustled to his feet trying to remove his chest plate as panic crossed his eyes. Slime's body then shot forward slurping the roll off his chest and sucked it back into the center of his body.

Cedric simply nodded at him.

"Aye, I see youer point."

His eyes then turned to the guard's chest piece. Where the roll had just been now sat a mark of the encountered. One that did leave a hole in some places, in others it looked like a burn, or like a chunk had been hammered or pulled out of it. Then he noticed a large red scrape on his chin.

"Good goddesses man. Wot 'appened to youer face?"

The guard's cheeks flushed red as Oliver turned to see too.

"Oh wow, what did happen? You didn't have that when I saw you this morning!" He pointed to his injury with his fork, only this time a small sausage was skewered now.

"I ran into a couple trouble makers on my way back to the castle."

He saw the Captain's eyes narrow in seriousness and he quickly needed to hurry up with his lie.

"Nothing to worry about captain! Just a misunderstanding and me being in the wrong place at the wrong time kind of situation. Nothing to report really."

Cedric shook his nose, scratching an itch, his mustache shook back and forth as he did so. The guard quickly looked back at his plate. His grabbed his cup, swallowed whatever was in it and then quickly excused himself before he was asked any other questions.

As the guard left the table the chef came with Cedric's breakfast. He gently placed the plate before him. A splash of cold milk fell onto the table as he set the brimming tankard down before taking his leave. Cedric cut into a large slab of meat. A mound of scrambled eggs topped with cheese and seasoning, three sausages, and a pile of mixed berries were on his plate.

"I didn't know you could order fruit!" Oliver called in awe and jealousy. Cedric handed him a few strawberries and raspberries. Which Oliver smiled, showing all his teeth, as his eyes widened in excitement. The gruff captain let out a small chuckle as he watched.

"Y'know, you remind me of another wee bairn. She's about youer age and just as excitable over food stuffs." He took a large gulp of milk. The tankard thudding against the table as he set it down. The lower portion of his mustache now thick in white milk. He took a hearty chunk off his slab of meat. then skewering a sausage to chase it down.

"So captain, are we doing anything else today beside checking the houses?" Oliver asked, hoping to see more of the city.

"No." He said out of the corner of his mouth before he took another bite. "Investigation is top priority."

Oliver nodded.

"That makes sense."

A while later a waiter came by and cleared their plates and glasses.

"Oh man, I'm stuffed!"

"Good." Cedric replied as he rose from the table. "Then let's not dilly dally, aye?"

The trio swept across the hall and set out to start their investigation of the missing persons case.

Wood clamored against the floor the cold floor as the crashed. An apple, half a load of bread, and nuts spilled out onto the floor. Darcy fell down to his knees as he scramble to pick everything back up. He sat back onto his cot and quickly scarfed down the apple. He put the nuts into a small tin near his bed and decided to hold on to the bread until he had water to go with it. His capture was a strange creature. One moment he'd show some sense of humanity, to then torture him in ways he never thought of. The bread was a common one. Often being too salty to eat dry or at least without something wash it down. He had succumbed to hungry a couple times and suffered before learning it was better to wait.

He gazed out of the tower window again. Fluffy white clouds slowly drifted by on the clear sky. Among them he noticed a small one that reminded him of a bird. Beads of sweat rolled down his cheek. While the wind was not as strong today, this caused the sun to heat his prison. Licking his lips he calmed his mind while waiting the unknown time until he finally was given a small glass of water.

Now on the far end of town they started up a small hill. Half up the slop stood small stone house. Moss and grass has invested various portions of the cobblestone fence that bordered the property. A nearby slumbering cat quickly opened its eyes as a creek crept from the old iron gate. Cedric pushed it open as they stepped into the yard. Various size flat stones had been placed into the ground to mark a trail to the front steps. Oliver sighed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He turned his eyes up to the sky.

"Man its hot today. Come on clouds give me some shade would you" He clapped his hands together as he peered skyward with one eye closed. The clouds continued their trip steadily and slowly without covering the sun once.

"Gee thanks." He scoffed playfully and just before he was about to look back to the house he spotted a small little bird like cloud. He smiled at the sight before he heard Cedric call after him.

"Coming!" He replied jumping from stone to stone as he made his way to the front door.