HARRISON SAUNDONT (POV)
Transport by carriage was a thing of the inner city. Of course, the carriages were to be used anywhere within Haulburn, but when you reached the boundary between the inner city and outer city, It would be more... efficient to go about your journey on foot. Whether it be the lack of space due to overpopulation, the crowded streets full of homeless, stalls blocking the roads, or may it be the robbers who target those who they assume to hold a pretty penny. It is always more efficient to travel by foot in the outer city.
Fortunately, I never had the ignorance to learn that the hard way. Even though I haven’t stayed in the outer city of Haulburn the majority of my time here in the capitol, my experience from growing up in the slums of Forcita has taught me well. Of course, people will always use carriages to enter and leave the city whenever they wish, however, the risk is always there. And, especially when you’re making a trip into the outer city and have no intention of leaving Haulburn itself, it would be unwise to leave your carriage unattended.
Today, I had done just that. I left my carriage posted in the public area of the inner city where it could remain safe before making my way through to the outer city. I had planned to meet Raja there after our reunion. If I’m being honest, for a moment I didn’t think he would agree to help me with my request from the council. I can only thank God that he did, as I was sure our past differences would have been the stumbling block.
I strolled for some time within the outer city. Slowly getting further from the inner city boundaries, watching as the city streets around me began to degrade and turn increasingly poverty-driven. It had been far too long since I had last been to an area like this, and from what I could tell, it had only gotten worse over time.
The streets were littered with rubbish and dirt - typical things you would see in a major city. Some of the buildings had been abandoned, left for the looters to scavenge, or left as areas young kids could come and play or graffiti. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn't as if everywhere in the outer city was like this, after all, Haulburn wouldn’t attract the fame and attention it did if only the inner city was a clean and hospitable place. Just like every other city, Haulburn had its ups and down, and the outer city of Haulburn was filled with everything in between that.
I continued to walk further down one of the less popular streets, as I wasn't quite in the main shopping district of the outer city, but it was still fairly crowded. In fact, this particular road held some memories that I had not let go of just yet. It was the very place my old guild members and I of the Yellow Vanguard would come after completing a dungeon or exploring deeper within the main Arcadian ruins. Why? Because it held our favorite pub, in fact, it was the only pub we would go to. On top of that, it was the place where we decided to officially create the guild itself, and become a regulated body under the AAS, (Arcadian Adventurer Society).
Moonlight Tavern, the swinging signboard held the words high in the air as people walked by. Last I remember it wasn't a fancy business - not that many things were in the outer city - but it was enough. Enough for a group of aspiring adventurers anyway. However, now that I walked towards the building, I could see that it had gone through some renovations over the years. Its exterior looked cleaner, and they had gotten rid of the stains and vandalized decor on the outside.
I walked through the main entrance, hearing the ring of the bell above me as I entered. Naturally, no one looked over, except one man. Cloaked in dark clothing, he nodded me over to where he sat and pulled out a chair for me to sit.
“What are you doing?” he whispered harshly at me as I approached. He turned to look me in the face and I could see that it was Raja himself. “Or have you forgotten that you’re doing this mission under the supervision of the council? ”
“Yes, and I took precautions,” I said hinting at the clothes I wore. They were perfect for blending in with the other common folk of the outer city.
“Congratulations, you accomplished the minimum,” Raja said, “but don’t forget that your face is a part of your identity. There could very well be spies for the council watching your every move.”
“Fair point,” I said. Luckily, I had brought a hooded garment with me - not for the reason Raja had just mentioned - but for other matters.
“So, what's your plan?” he asked me as I took a seat next to him and covered my head with the hood.
“Well, I think we should go back to where I left things off with them.”
“And where would that be?”
“An old apartment we bought together. Since the guild was starting to bring us some profit, we could afford a luxurious apartment for us to stay in - as far as luxurious goes in the outer city anyway.”
“Where is this apartment of yours?” Raja asked. He seemed to be on edge, constantly looking around the room and creating an air of hostility over him.
“It's not too far from here actually, we could make it there in an hour or two’s time”
“So why did we come here then?” he asked harshly with his hands stretched out.
“Because I wanted to ask someone something,” I replied.
I raised my hand to the young bartender at the far end of the bar. He nodded his head in my direction while pouring another man a drink.
“I’ll be right with you,” he called out.
‘Did he hire new staff?’ I thought to myself, ’he wasn't one who usually relied on others. His son maybe?’
“What would you like, sir?” The young man asked me. He couldn’t have been older than twenty or twenty-one. His hair was dirt blonde and freckles covered his arms and face.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to old man Cedric?” I asked.
His eyes widened slightly, “Well, my father hasn’t been running the business for some time now.” He said with a faint smile, “A few years back he came down with an illness, ever since then he hasn’t been the same.”
‘So, it is his son’
“Is that so? How unfortunate.” I said with genuine concern
“W… Well, actually, he stays in the rooms just upstairs. If you're an old friend, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind the visit.” the young man offered.
He was undoubtedly old man Cedric’s son. The physical features were one thing, but the way he spoke with a slight Eastern accent was an obvious giveaway.
“That would be great, but I wouldn’t want to disturb-”
“No no no, I insist. That old geezer could do with some company. He usually spends his days brooding about the place, complaining about his regrets of the past.” The bartender said with a faint chuckle.
“Very well,” I replied.
“Just follow me, I’ll lead you to the stairs that head upwards.”
We followed him back towards the bar, where he lead us through a back passageway covered by curtains. We followed him down a short corridor that had not been touched by the renewing of the public section of the building.
“Now, just follow these stairs upwards, and you’ll see him at the furthest door when you reach the top.” He said as he turned to walk away.
“Thanks for this,” I said.
“No problem,” he said with a nod, then made his way back through the curtains to the pub.
“Who is this guy to you anyway?” Raja asked as we began to ascend the stairs. Of course, he wouldn’t know much about old man Cedric. Although Raja had met him before in the past, the group only got close to him after Raja had left.
“He was kind of like a guardian to us. We didn’t just come to his pub for drinks, it was more like a second home to us. We knew him well, but he had his secrets. One of them, I’m guessing, was that kid tending the bar.”
“How so?”
“He spoke of how he hated kids - jokingly, of course, but there was some truth behind his words. He didn’t know how to take care of them, however, he still did his best to watch over us. There were times when the same unknown woman would come stumbling into the bar, shouting at him and causing a commotion. My guess is he was having an affair with her at the time. Probably got her pregnant.”
We reached the top of the stairs and saw the black wooden door at the end of the hallway. The wooden floorboards groaned as we made our way across, just more proof that most of the money spent on renovations were only used for the bar downstairs and not for the living areas.
As we approached the scuffed door, gently, I made three subtle knocks on its surface and waited for a response.
“Is that you boy?” a hoarse voice called out, “What is it now, another fight? I told you, you need to be tough with these people.” He continued.
“Not quite” I replied, opening the door and taking down my hood.
I walked into the room and stood at the foot of a wooden bed that held the old man laying down. His eyes began to widen as he saw me approach. As if the old man were seeing the ghost of a long-lost loved one.
“By Arcinose,” He gasped. “Is that who I think it is?”
“What? Surprised I’m not here begging for money?”
“I’m surprised your not dead.”
A warm smile formed on my face, and I walked round to his bedside as he began to sit up. I pulled the chair out from the desk in the room and took my seat next to him.
He coughed as he attempted to speak, “Honestly Harrison, where have you been all this time? The others said you left so abruptly.” He asked me with genuine concern.
For someone like old man Cedirc, concern wasn't one of his usual emotions, at least not one of the ones he would show openly. Of course, he cared about things, however, you would have to be able to pierce through his shield of bluntness to see it.
“New opportunities came, I had to take them. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life as an adventurer. Making quick cash and then spending the majority of it that same weekend wasn’t for me.” I replied truthfully.
“Hmm, really? So the rumors were true.” Cedric said through a fit of coughs. His grungy voice never seemed to give him peace.
“Rumors?” I asked confused. “What rumors?”
“Couple years after you left, word spread that you had taken over as headmaster of Haulburn Academy. Of course, I didn’t believe any of it,” he scoffed, “No way in hell would a runt like you be able to do something as taxing as that. I figured it was someone else, some other inner-city punk with the same name.” He said, taking a glance at my face. “However, I suppose, now that you’re here with that sorry excuse for a disguise and your shady-looking bodyguard back there, they must have been true.”
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I took a glance back at Raja who stood by the door with his hood concealing his face, “It’s that hard to believe, huh?” I said turning back to him.
He scoffed again, “You should have heard the things they said about you, Harrison.”
“Perhaps another time, unfortunately, I didn’t come here for idle chit-chat, Cedric,” I said more seriously.
He smiled, “Of course, you didn’t. No one from the inner city ever comes out here for idle chit-chat. It’s always business.”
“I’m sorry,”
“Oh, don’t start feeling sorry now. You’re about twenty years too late for that. I’m sure you’re a busy man, so, get on with it boy, ask your questions,” He said with a wave of the hand.
“I just wanted to ask if you had seen or even heard from Darwin, Alice, and Omar?” I said.
“Hmm,” he moaned huskily. “The truth is, Harrison. The three of them haven’t been in this section of the city for many years now. In fact, that apartment you four bought when you were together, they sold it and moved out.”
“What?” I said shocked, “Did they say why?”
“My memory is a bit foggy, forgive me, but all I know is that they said they needed to move somewhere with more space. They mentioned something about a job - not a dungeon in the ruins - a job within the city. They didn’t tell me much, but I’ve lived long enough to guess what kind of business they’ve gotten themselves into, and it ain’t the good type.”
“Well, did they at least tell you where they moved to?”
“Vixens Quarter,” he replied.
“Vixens Quarter? Why in God’s name would they go there?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that it can’t be for any good.”
I sighed and got up from my seat, “Well if that’s all, I think I should start heading. Thank you, Cedric.”
“Leaving already?” he asked with a cough, “ You come to this place after all these years, and ask about the friends that you left behind.” He chuckled to himself slightly, “C’mon, Harrison. You’re better than that.”
“I’m sorry, Cedric,” I said whilst heading towards Raja by the door, “but like you said, I’m a busy man. I have many things to do, and so little time to do them. I hope you can understand.”
He smiled back at me, “I see, clearly it’s not just your body that's matured. Do come back in the future, I wouldn't mind the company.”
“Of course, I’ll stop by sometime, goodbye, Cedric”
Raja took the lead as we left the room. We headed back down the stairs to the main bar where we saw Cedric’s son who was cleaning glasses. He caught us in the side of his eye and made his way over.
“Well, how was he?” he asked.
“Fine, I suppose. He’s changed a little from before, I think he’s become more… sentimental.”
“You too, huh?” He said whilst wiping down the glass in his hands. “I don’t normally talk about him much with customers, but since your old friends, I think you might as well know.”
“Know what?” I asked.
“Around thirteen years ago, my mother told me that he went missing for a time. He hadn’t told anyone about his leave, and the pub was left unattended for almost a year,” he said with a slight whisper in his voice. “Then, suddenly, he returns. Shows up on our front doorstep actually. Claims he wanted to see me, but he spoke with my mother in a separate room for the majority of his visit. Later that day when he left, my mother continued to say that she felt there was something different about him, something had changed. Perhaps he had matured, changed from his old frivolous ways, but nevertheless, he was different she would claim.” he finished.
“Is that so?” I said with genuine interest, “I suppose I’ll find out more when I return.”
“Well, I hope that day comes sooner than later,” he said.
“As do I” I said covering my head with my hood.
We said our farewells and then headed back out onto the streets of the outer city. The light banter and chatter of the pub in the air slowly began to turn to the footsteps of pedestrians and the pleading of beggars.
“So, we're headed to Vixens Quarter?” Raja asked
“Looks like it,” I replied, “I know I’ve already gotten you to come this far with me, but if you want to turn back, now’s your chance.”
He sighed, “Listen, Harrison. I may not have made the right decision to leave you guys at the time. Perhaps I was just angry and wasn't thinking about how my actions would affect others, but this is my chance to redeem myself. I won't leave them again.”
The side of my lips curved slightly, “Very well then, let’s go.”
It was nice hearing that from Raja. I know he wasn’t saying he forgives me for what I did, but it felt like a start. It felt like he was slowly opening the door to have me enter his life again, and now that we were heading toward the others, he would surely let them back in as well. The same would go for me, I suppose.
On the other hand, Vixens Quarter wasn't a place for the innocent. No, it was the exact opposite in fact. A red light district, a place that was underregulated and left for the scum of the city to fulfill their pleasures. It was a place filled with theft, a place filled with immortality, a place where you could kill a man and leave his body on the street, and no one would bat an eye. It was the last place I ever saw myself, and the last place I would expect to see my old guild member too. From my knowledge, they had no reason to be there, but it seems I’ll find out why soon.
ELEX VINSPEAR (POV)
“No way you got that close to one!” I said with enthusiasm.
“I did,” Chrollo replied, “It was surprisingly strong and it stank horribly.”
“Naturally,” Leo added, “mongrels are the lowest of the low when it comes to creatures of the Arcadian ruins. They feed on the flesh of anything that triggers them awake - even other mongrels. Plus, they also have bodily functions, meaning they shit and piss themselves too.”
“Ahh,” Chrollo said with sarcastic amusement, “See, I knew that there was some resemblance between that mongrel and you,” he smirked at Leo.
“Very funny,” Leo replied, “your humor improves by the day.”
“Hey, I’m only giving you an educated account of what I experienced.” he continued.
“Educated?” Leo said, “I’m surprised you gained the bravery to mention your biggest fear - education”
“Chrollo, maybe Leo is right,” I said, “Perhaps it would have been better if Leo met the mongrel himself, maybe that way he could relate to it better.”
Chrollo and I laughed together as Leo walked on ahead of us down the stone walls of the corridor to Rosh’s cell. He wasn’t mad, of course not, but we were beginning to approach Rosh, and so Leo had to sharpen up. Chrollo and I, on the other hand, kept up our guard but never seemed to miss an opportunity to make light of situations.
The key Chrollo had found was questionable, I didn’t doubt its value, but its purpose was a mystery. The obvious thing that most would assume would be that it was used to open Rosh’s cell, but I doubted it. I don’t remember seeing a keyhole on Rosh’s door - let alone another way to open it. When I held the key in my hand, its shape was peculiar. The head of the key took the form of what looked like runic symbols, and for some reason, the key seemed to emanate an air around it that seemed familiar. That had been happening to me a lot lately.
Recently, I’ve been picking up on things that other people don’t, or I’d feel a connection or some form of familiarity with something I’ve never encountered before - Rosh being one of them. However, I refuse to let my feelings take the lead over my logical thinking, If I ever fell that far, I would know I’d need to stop doing whatever it is I was doing.
We entered the antechamber that led to Rosh’s cell. We had not made as much noise as we did the first time we came down here, only our footsteps and the burning flames from torches could be heard. Yet, Rosh called out to us first.
“You’re back,” he said.
“We are,” Leo replied.
We had decided after our first visit that Leo would be the one and only person to converse with Rosh. He may know that there are others with Leo, but he wouldn't be able to tell how many of us there were.
“We found something,” Leo continued, “some information about a man named Morsom.”
“... Ah, yes, Morsom.” He replied.
“So you know of him?”
“Of course, he was my most recently appointed Shandal.” he explained, “Shandal Morson was his full title. As I understand it, they denounce their family titles when chosen for the role, forever to be referred to as a Shandal.” he finished.
“Hmm, well it seems he did an awful lot of writing about this place, and a lot of writing on you,” Leo said, throwing out the bait.
He didn't actually know what the full contents of the book had to say about Rosh. As far as I could tell, all Leo knew was that Morsom was the man who resided here before we arrived. I can only guess he wanted to see how Rosh would react to what he had said.
“... Is that so?” Rosh said, a bit of curiosity in his tone.
“Yes, an awful lot” Leo insisted.
“ . . . ”
“Nothing to say?” Leo asked.
“Well, what did you think?" Rosh finally said. "If I'm being honest, I told him multiple times he was never much of a writer.”
“I’d have to agree with you there,” Leo let out a slight chuckle, attempting to play along.
Leo had probably deducted from Rosh’s response that he and Morsom were close with one another - to an extent. Although it could all be a lie, after all, we haven't actually had a chance to read what the previous Shandal had to say about his supposed friend down here.
“Anyhow, there is one other thing we found,” Leo said as he recuperated himself, “and we think it might help us get you out.”
“Really?” Rosh replied with more enthusiasm in his voice than we had heard at all. “What is it?”
“A key, although, there doesn’t appear to be any keyholes on this door. Perhaps it holds a different purpose,” Leo said.
“No no no, put the key up against the surface of the door and the lock will appear,” Rosh instructed eagerly.
“Are you sure-”
“Trust me!” he insisted.
Leo held the key in his hand up toward the surface of the door and moved it closer as instructed. At first, nothing seemed to happen until one of the runic symbols around the border of the cell door began to change shape and emit a purple hugh, slightly illuminating the room. As if out of nowhere, the very surface of the door itself, began to mold and take the shape of a key lock that jutted out vertically from the door.
Naturally, Leo placed the key within the lock and turned to open it. The symbol on the side of the door lost its glow and the key along with the lock had been reabsorbed by the door.
“Oh, I felt that,” Rosh gasped. “Morsom did mention something about keys - three of them to be exact. If that was one of them, then you need two more to get me out,” he said. You could practically picture the smile on his face with the way he was speaking.
“Well, you’re right, that was quite the spectacle,” Leo said stepping back from the door. “ We’re making progress but it's slow, we’ll go and find the next key,” he said.
He waved his hand at us to signal that we were leaving, when suddenly as we were all about to enter the corridor, he turned back and asked another question.
“Oh, Rosh?” he said. “Out of all the Shandals that have been here, were we the first to find a key, right?”
“Yes.”
“How is it then that you’ve survived all this time?” he asked. “I mean, if the Shandal’s job is to spend the rest of their life attempting to find a way to get you out, and if there have been multiple Shandals in the past, how is it that you’ve been alive all this time?”
“Well, that's the beauty of this cell. It was made a very long time ago, during a time when secret arts were brought into the world by other beings, people like my father, people who taught the inhabitants of this world how to use such abilities,” he said. “The individuals who created this prison along with this tower were from that time that has been forgotten, and they used their knowledge to create a cell that sustains the inhabitant within it for eternity…."
Leo stood there for a moment, pondering on Rosh's words. It was the biggest dump of information we had gotten on this world in a while, and I think he was trying to take it all in. That, or he was deciding whether if he believed Rosh or not.
“Ah, I see.” He said, then turned away to walk back toward the ground floor with the rest of the group.
“What's on your mind,” Chrollo asked Leo as we reached the top of the stairs.
“I don’t know, I-”
The front door of the tower opened with a loud groan that echoed along with the sound of Zack’s voice across the body of the ground floor.
“Hey, guys!” he called out to us with his hand full of bags.
“Back already?” Emily called out.
“Yes,“ he said in between small pants, “We brought back the weapons that we left at camp, and we also got more food back at the Gala - thanks Elex by the way for those ground markers you made.”
“Was there any trouble on the way?”
“Not exactly?” he said dropping the supplies at our feet. The others that were with him dropped the load that they carried as well.
“There was a teacher,” he continued, “I think he was new, but he asked to see the leader of our team before nightfall tomorrow, and that would be nightfall of our world, not this world. So, that would be in the afternoon tomorrow in here, I think.”
“Did he say what he wanted specifically?” I asked.
“Nah, just that he wanted to speak with the leader. To be honest I didn’t really ask any questions. I saw that he was wearing the same clothing our professors had on and I just did as he asked me.” Zack confessed.
Leo sighed, “Very well,” he said, then turned to the rest of the group, “The rest of you should split back up and try and find those two keys. Take your weapons that Zack brought for us - since that mongrel attacked Chrollo, we should be on our guard now. My group - Elex and Sarah - will go and see what the professor wants.”