I’m pretty certain I know which building is the Castle Inn. Jarvis had been doing fairly alright for himself to have gotten castle walls and topiary befitting a royal garden. The gimmick, and quality beds were probably a great draw for travelers. Or maybe even Selunie’s singing. Hm? When did Selunie sing? Why do I have it in my head that she would occasionally play a harp or lyre, and sing soft songs? I don’t remember that in any of Aces’ memory dreams. Are more of Aces’ memories just bleeding over into me somehow?

Entering the Castle Inn is a welcome sight, half a dozen obviously living individuals sit around a single table playing cards, muttering to themselves. There’s a proprietor too, but it’s not Jarvis Tavner, nor Selunie. I’m confused. Maybe this isn’t the Castle Inn after all? Or was I just completely wrong? How did I know to navigate here, if it wasn’t the right place? Teuila is a ways behind, studying something outside. I’m not sure what caught her eye. Dawn is a ways further away yet than even Teuila, still dumbfounded at the vast quantity of people who seem to be soul-stripped.

I ask the person standing as this inn’s proprietor, as politely as I can, “Is this the Castle Inn? Does it belong to Jarvis Tavner? Is he, um, not about? Or have I got the wrong place entirely?”

The man with an oddly somewhat conical build answers, “Reason Jarvis isn’t here is because he’s mine uncle. He was hit with the light a few weeks back that left him a shell like so many others, almost exactly, but not quite a month ago. Odd thing was, it was right after he met with that strange cloaked one that shows up every few months, or, sometimes years. The sketchy one with, huh, that dagger. Well, one like it I suppose. Anyway, cloaked one seemed even more skittish than usual, came tearing into town riding hell for leather, and left just the same as the light was starting to show up. Couldn’t get a clear read, but nuncle said cloaked one told him about souls and the Celestial Emperor, to warn everyone, to leave the Imperium. Fat lot of good a warning did him or anyone.”

The cloaked one riding hell for leather was probably Aces, and Aces probably wanted to see Selunie before they died. I wonder if they got the chance. Aces tried to warn people at least. We’ve been in Rayileklia for almost exactly three weeks, like twenty days at this point, close as I can figure with how much I’ve been passing out anyway. If Aces traveled at full haste, it would take about a week from Victo to get to Noirdivinhoz if stopping by Autumn Brook. The time line tracks. Aces died around twenty to twenty one days ago now, and would have been here around twenty eight to thirty days ago at the quickest time frame. I gasp as my stomach does flops, the question on my face is likely clear. If anyone else who lived in the tavern was also hit, specifically the one who owns the dress hanging on that door.

Seeing my gazing upon Selunie’s dress, the proprietor answers my unspoken question, “Cousin has been one of them for a while now, a couple of weeks at least. I think twenty, twenty one days or so. ‘Twas odd, the light didn’t usually pass over the inn for some reason, but then it did, and she joined them all the same. I just, I can’t handle taking care of them, nuncle nor Selunie. Now I know it might sound cruel, but best I could do is put them with the food, and dig a little extra room in the root cellar. I don’t even know if they need to eat, but just in case. I can go fetch her for you if you like, but she’ll as like as not smell to high heavens. ‘Twer ‘nuncle first, then maybe a week or two later, cousin Selunie. Soon as I saw the light passing through, and the light leaving her eyes, I knew, so I set her in gently with nuncle and all the longer food stores. Couldn’t bear to look in on them since. I’m sure a couple few weeks in a root cellar hasn’t done her a kindness.”

I sigh, trying to prevent myself from shedding tears. I don’t know why, but Selunie’s soul being gone is devastating my heart ferociously. It aches so deeply to my core, along my entire past and future. Gulping back my own mucus so that I don’t so much as sniffle, I look about the place for a moment before looking back to its new proprietor.

I hesitantly ask, “I don’t suppose you knew her friend, Selunie’s friend, Taylynn?”

He brightens up, “Oh, the pretty wild thing? She comes by every few months. I fancied her I did, but she turned me down. I’m not sure why, she didn’t seem beholden to anyone. Certainly not betrothed. She’d glare daggers at any drunken lout what proposed. If not outright draw blade on them. Not to say I’m so cocky as to think I’m the greatest catch, but I was already set fit to inherit the inn she so often frequents, and now I’ve gone and done that. Though, I wish I hadn’t. Not like this.”

That, well. Yeah, that definitely sounds like the Taylynn from my dreams. Ugh, my dreams, that makes it sound creepy like a fantasy. From my weird shared memories of Aces or something. I guess that’s a little better.

I raise an eyebrow, almost afraid to ask, “When was the last time you saw her?”

He strokes his chin and forehead at the same time with just one large hand. I couldn’t tell before if his hands were a bit large, or if his head was a bit small, but it seems to be both. The innkeep brightens up again, “Oh, why, it has been a few months indeed! Would be a sight for sore eyes to lay gaze upon her again, pretty thing that she was. Especially when everyone else what I could talk to all can’t talk back. I’m not, I’m not going to do something like that. Have a sit down or a lie down with someone what can’t say yes or no.”

We both shudder. I’m glad of his moral stance on that at least, though I really didn’t need to know that he had even thought about such a thing. I guess we could afford to stay in Victo for a while, we could observe this light phenomenon if it shows up again. Hopefully Taylynn returns, and I can give her her dagger. Maybe, maybe we can take care of Selunie, in some small way. Or maybe we can find a solution for Selunie, and all the people of Victo to get their souls back. I’m certain that’s the cause of the curse. The Aasimovians were almost certain of it as well from rumor alone.

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If nothing else, dealing with stolen souls might help us with Dawn’s problem. Her curse. I weep tears for Dawn and Selunie. Dawn’s curse is progressing, getting worse by the day. She asked for hugs more today, because she couldn’t even feel them at all anymore. She just likes that Teuila and I share our closeness with her. I’m worried that leaving Dippy at the edge of this town was the wrong move. If I left to check on him and Zippy, and found them as soulless husks, I’d, I’d never forgive myself. We should send them back to their clan. Before that strange light returns.

There’s something of a shriek from around back, it must be coming from the root cellar. Please, please no. Don’t be what I think it is. I rush around the back and down into the root cellar, Teuila has caught up, and isn’t far behind. There’s an almost visible odor in the air, and I’m grateful for once that I don’t have a sense of smell.

The innkeep is pounding on the ground, cursing himself and crying. His wails are indecipherable for a long while.

My brain virtually breaks. I don’t get it. I don’t get it. What happened, and how could it happen?

I notice what he’s saying suddenly, seemingly mid-sentence. He feels much the same as he wails, “But, by the looks of things cousin, you’ve been dead since that very day. I wouldn’t have shoved you down here. ‘Nuncle is okay, how can you be dead? No one else has died of this accursed plague.”

I want the same answer. My face and collar feel wet, and, reaching up to my face, I realize I’m bawling my eyes out. I didn’t know her. She was just a character in a dream. Yet. Yet. I fall to my knees and continue weeping. Teuila rubs my shoulders and strokes the back of my head as she stands behind me.

I sniffle as I ramble, “It, it can’t be just this. I mean, also, why this reaction? What is going on? At most, it should be like seeing a well-liked character die in an anime or manga or comic or novel. But I almost want to rip my heart from my chest from how broken it feels. Teuila, what’s happening to me?”

I can sense Te shaking her head, wearing a frown as she lightly shrugs, “I don’t understand either, my wonderful Dink. Maybe you got used to being in Aces’ head, and fell in love with her? I mean, you hinted that your dreams were way more intimate than the ones we heard.”

I blush, steaming away some of the tears still flowing down my cheeks. That would make me some sort of voyeur. Yuck.

The voice returns, a whisper full of sadness, “Oh Sel,” is all it says.

That nickname! She hated when you called her that, said it sounded like a transaction. If you are who I think you are. Pausing for a while yields no retort. Grr, unresponsive as always. If you can see Selunie, do you see everything? Do you hear everything? Anything?

Something’s coming! Oh, Dawn’s back. I’m just sensing her come into range. She seems about as sad as me at this point. She’s bumbling along as if blinded. Oh no. Not again. Poor Dawn, another sense fading. I don’t know if touch will return at all anymore, if her sight also disappears permanently, my heart would break again. It’s so horrible. I’m not powerful enough to help her. I don’t know anyone who can reach out and touch soul magics to sunder them. Perhaps the Celestial Emperor could, but only so he could steal her soul. Plus, I think that priestly dickweasel got the power to create the curse from the Celestial Emperor in the first place. I doubt he’d undo it.

We’ve heard of two other groups of people with magic. The Hidden Heart, and the Sisters of the Mist. Both should be down along the eastern edge of the mountain range somewhere. We could finally see Lil and Luni, while chasing down any and every lead about magic and souls. For Dawn, but also for ourselves as well. I don’t think we’d succeed at finding out leads here in Victo. I’m not even sure we’d live if we tried.

I don’t know if I could stand to wait in this tavern for Taylynn to possibly return. At least, I couldn’t personally do it. Not with knowing it’s the place where Selunie died. We probably shouldn’t even risk coming into contact with that light either. I’ll just leave the dagger and a message. It’s not like I know Taylynn either. I couldn’t comfort her in her grief for losing both Aces and Selunie. She doesn’t owe me anything either, so it’s not like I could or would force a conversation from her.

I ask aloud, “Is there anything like some kind of school for magic users, spellcrafting academy, anything of the sort in Victo?”

The man weeping before me shakes his head for a moment before reconsidering, “Well, the hermit’s tower, if’n that one hasn’t fallen to the curse. Southeast out of town a few paces. Rumors say they’re a witch or a warlock, but I half believe that’s just because nobody ever sees who built it. You know how townsfolk are, making up stories and sometimes they just take hold.”

I drag a ragged breath, nodding along. I beg one last favor, “This, glp, this dagger. It is the one you thought it was. Belonged to the cloaked stranger, by way of Taylynn. If you see her, I’d like you to give it back to her please. She’ll know what it means. I’m assuming you also understand what it means that it’s no longer in the stranger’s possession. I guess, I guess just tell her Aces’ body is in Aasimovia if she wants to try to see it. We’ll leave you to your grief. I’m sorry for your losses. I hope the light that passes over sees fit to return the afflicted. I truly hope that it does.”

I doubt very much that the light will ever return a single soul. I’m also starting to doubt that Taylynn will ever return to Victo. If she’s as smart as she seemed in my dreams, if Aces was able to warn her ever, she’d stay far away. I make certain that Dawn has the sensory spell active, and try not to sob as I draw shuddering breaths. Teuila and Dawn follow me back out of the root cellar, through the Castle Inn, and back into Victo proper.

I’m helpless to save Dawn. Selunie perished before I could ever even meet her to bring her news of Aces. Taylynn may be fighting and dying to a hydra for all I know. She was an adventurous type. She’d probably take it on herself to get rid of the thing. I’m supposedly probably dying, likely all the more quickly after healing so quickly from my injuries. I’ve still got some wounds from the compound, and fractures in my ankles, and a few other lower extremities, but a few more nights sleep, and I won’t even have those. Lil and Luni are trying to sort out Lil’s feelings after dying. Lucky is with them. The only thing that seems to be going right is that I’m still by Teuila’s side.

Despite it being late, and wanting to rest, I have the overwhelming urge to get the hell out of Victo. We’ll snag a few more supplies on our way back to Dippy, and see if we can stop by what hopefully ends up being a wizard’s tower. Then we should probably keep moving until we hit the mountain range. Somehow, I know that that’s almost a day’s march east of here. I just feel like we won’t be safe until we hit it.