Richard

The streets bustled with shouting vendors and people looking over luxury wares on display. He pushed past a line of people waiting for some variant of fried hex beast. He wrinkled his nose. Richard never understood how people could eat hex beast meat. He read down the last of the list of ingredients Mary sent him out for. She wanted a home cooked meal for a change.

Even if home was only a small room above a bakery on the edge of town.

But that was the price of going underground. Of buying time.

Of delaying the inevitable.

Potatoes.

Meat. (Rabbit?)

Spices!

Wine. :)

He’d already bought a few other things on her list. But the wine was giving him a hard time. Mary had very specific taste. He’d asked around, and learned his best chance was a shop across from the town’s guild.

She’d gotten used to drinking a brand popular in the capital. She didn’t drink much anymore. But if anyone deserved something special nowadays, it was her.

A man shot out of the guildhall. “Get out of here! I told you not to come here anymore!” The man he was shouting at was extremely well dressed, but he himself looked ragged. His hair was tousled, and scraggly. Facial hair clawed free of his face. He looked like he hadn’t groomed himself in weeks.

The strange man pleaded. “Please! You have to help. I’ve tried everywhere. I’m desperate at this point!”

The guild member shook his head. “I’ve told you already. I can’t help you. That’s too far beyond our jurisdiction. You need to drop this.”

“No one else will help me. Please, something is going on. I know it, I just need someone to investigate for me. I’ve got plenty of coin.”

“I can’t help you. I’m sorry.” The guild member looked around and leaned in. Richard focused, tilting his ear toward them.

“You should go. Seriously, get out of town and head home. You won’t find help here.”

“What? But…”

The guild member turned and left, returning inside. Richard stared as the man fell to his knees. Richard shook his head. He couldn’t afford to get involved. He kept walking.

Nine.

Ten.

Eleven steps later, he sighed and turned back. He stopped beside the kneeling man and offered him a hand. The man turned and looked up at him. He took the hand tentatively and let Richard help him to his feet. “Can I help you?” he asked.

Richard knew he would regret asking. “Are you alright?”

The man looked unsure of himself. “I’m okay, yes, thank you. I’m Manil.”

Richard nodded. He didn’t offer his own name. “What was that about? Why did the guild turn down your job?”

Manil shrugged. “Everywhere I go, people turn me down. I don’t understand. The pay is good, the job is simple. My business partner went into a town with his daughter, a place called Sange. But he never returned. I thought maybe he got caught up with something in town or was on the verge of securing a trade deal. So, I sent one of our assistants to check on him. And then another. Three assistants went into Sange. None of them returned. Not my business partner, not his daughter, and none of our assistants. I got worried and decided I would find a guild to help me investigate.”

“And all of them turned you down? How much are you offering?” Richard asked.

“200 gold coins,” the man said.

Richard raised a brow. “You mean silver?”

“Gold. I kept raising the price when I realized no one was interested. But I don’t understand. 200 gold for something this simple…”

Richard nodded. “There have to be plenty of smaller guilds between here and there. There’s no way they turned down a job like that for that high of a reward.” That was the kind of money towns would offer to clear dangerous dungeons or hunt hex beast. Nobody in their right mind would turn down that kind of pay just to look into a missing person. Not unless something else was going on. “Your business must be going well if you can afford to part with that kind of money.”

“We’re…well off. We’ve been lucky in our trade, and my business partner is exceptionally talented. I don’t know what to do anymore. I can’t go home and tell his wife, his other children that I lost contact with him and gave up on looking.”

Richard clasped him on the shoulder. “Wait here Manil, let me have a word with someone from the guild and I’ll see if I can figure out what’s going on.”

“Thank you! Thank you! I’ll be waiting out here.”

Richard opened the door to the Guild and stepped inside. The main room was fairly large for a town of this size. Smaller towns usually had smaller guilds. A smaller guild, on average, meant fewer resources and weaker members. Though there were exceptions.

To his left was a sitting area. A handful of the guild’s members sat scattered amongst wooden tables and chairs. Most of them drinking. The ones that weren’t were mostly passed out or talking quietly amongst themselves. Behind the sitting area, toward the rear of the room, was a staircase that led to the upper level. That would likely be the guild lodging, where most of the members slept at night.

It was common for guilds to have living arrangements built into the guildhall, though larger guilds often had more members that could afford to buy their own homes. To his right, a series of trophies. Monster skulls, retired weapons, portraits of the guilds’ leadership. Richard didn’t recognize any of the people in the portraits. Not that he should.

He focused his attention on a reception desk past the trophy area. A small door leading deeper into the building was behind it.

The man that had tried to run Manil off was stationed at the desk, cleaning under his fingernails with the tip of a well-sharpened knife. He leaned backward in his chair on two legs. Richard shook his head as he approached.

If this idiot falls, he’ll lose a finger.

“Saw you talking with the guy outside,” the man said without looking up.

Richard said nothing. The man looked up to see if Richard had heard him. There was something in his eyes, a flash of recognition. “You’re familiar…you an adventurer?”

“Why can’t you help him? He’s paying well for a simple job. So, what’s the problem?”

The man sighed. He tossed the dagger in his hand on the desk in front of him. It settled with a clang. “It’s beyond our jurisdiction. We can’t send a group out that far.”

“No one bothers with jurisdiction when the pay is good. Don’t waste my time. What’s the real reason?”

The man swallowed. He stared at Richard, his eyes narrowed. “Wait, I think I know you…” his eyes went wide. “Are you—”

“Hush.” Richard silenced him. He looked over his shoulder to see if any of the drinking guild members had overheard. No one was paying them any attention. Most of them were too drunk, anyway. “Something is clearly going on, so tell me, what is it?”

The adventurer thought for a moment. He looked around to see if anyone was within earshot. “Look, the truth is, I wanted to help him. Went to the boss and told him about the job. He sent a courtesy letter, to let the guild from Sange know we were sending adventurers to help someone locate a missing person.”

“How’d they respond?” Richard asked.

The man looked over his shoulder at the door behind him. He leaned in closer. “They sent a letter back. I was wondering what the holdup was this morning, so I went to talk to the boss. Found it open on his desk.”

Richard squinted. “What did it say?”

“It was a kill order. 500 gold to kill the man who’d requested the job.”

Richard’s heart skipped a beat.

He should’ve stayed out of this.

He really should’ve stayed out of this.

“What? Why would they want him dead?” Richard asked.

“Don’t know. I pretended I didn’t see it. Figured I’d tell the guy to ditch town, but he won’t listen. Boss never even said anything to me about the letter. Just asked if I’d seen him.”

“Does he know he’s here?”

“No—” The door behind the desk opened. A muscular man with low cut hair and a scar on his brow joined them. “Arkady, have you seen that guy today?” he asked.

Arkady, the one Richard had been speaking with, shook his head. “No, sorry, boss. We get approval for the job?”

“No. Just thought I’d have some of the guys speak with him, get some more information.” He paused, looking at Richard. He looked him up and down, inspecting his attire. Richard had donned a simple black cloak, something that wouldn’t draw too much attention. “You here to post a job?”

Richard stared back. “No. Arkady is an old friend. Just stopped by to say hello.” Richard patted the desk and turned to leave. He needed to warn the man to get out of town.

“Isn’t that him?” the guild master asked.

Richard spied him, peering in from just outside the door. When Manil noticed the three of them looking at him, his head shot back behind cover. It was a poor attempt. Richard turned to look at the sound of movement. The guild master signaled a few of the drunken men at tables and they stood, going to follow the man. Richard quenched a fist.

“Uh, boss? What’s going on?” Arkady asked as if he didn’t already know.

The guild master smiled, turning to go back through the rear door. “Like I said, just want to get some more information about the job. You stay here. Those three can handle it.” The door shut behind him a moment later.

Arkady and Richard exchanged a look. Arkady grimaced. “That’s not good.”

Richard turned, walking purposefully toward the door.

“Wait, where are you going?” Arkady asked.

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Richard shot him a look over his shoulder. Arkady cursed under his breath, grabbed his dagger and vaulted over the desk, hustling to catch up to Richard.

“This isn't gonna go well,” Arkady said, sheathing his dagger. "Those guys aren't the type to be reasoned with."

Richard rolled his neck. “Then stay here. I’ll deal with it.”

“No offense, but I’m not letting you walk into a three on one fight.”

Richard laughed. “I don’t need your help. But if you’re coming, be useful. Those men, what are their hexes?”

“Two Elemental, one Defensive.” Arkady said after thinking for a moment.

Richard nodded. “And yours?”

Arkady paused. “Uh, searching.”

Richard’s brow raised. Arkady didn’t meet his eye.

They reached the door and burst out of the guild. Richard looked around. He spotted the men leading Manil down an alleyway not far away, just before they disappeared from sight.

“Damn it!” Richard broke into a run. He shouldn’t have let them get that far ahead of him. He didn’t look back, but he could hear Arkady keeping pace with him, his feet stomping against the dirt road of the city.

They turned into the alleyway.

One man wore a bright green bandana that covered a bald head. He smirked, pressing a knife into Manil’s stomach. He leaned in close to soak in the terror in his victim’s eyes. “You are quite the businessman. Even all of us are making a profit off of you!” He laughed.

And then he plunged the knife into Manil’s torso.

Manil gasped, looking down at the wound. Richard cursed. He turned and grabbed the knife from Arkady’s sheath. In one fluid motion, he flicked it toward the man with the green bandana.

The blade flew straight through the man’s wrist.

Blood splattered against the alleyway’s brick wall.

His severed hand hit the ground.

The man looked down at the wound. “What the hell?” He turned, noticing Richard and Arkady standing there.

“Arkady?” one of the other men asked. But Arkady was too stunned to reply. Richard didn’t hesitate. He drew his sword and rapidly approached. Realizing their lives were on the line, the men turned to fight. They stepped forward, drawing swords as well. The man with the bandana backed away, still in shock.

Richard sidestepped the first man’s swing and cut him down in one fell motion. The other seized the opportunity, trying to attack Richard before he could react. Richard scoffed, swinging his blade to parry the blow.

He pulled it away at the last second to avoid cutting Arkady.

“Scarlet Hex Search!” Arkady cried out, racing toward the other guild member. Arkady’s opponent looked up just as two scarlet hexes formed over his body. One just under his heart, the other behind his back. Arkady drove a palm into the first hex, then ducked past the man and elbowed him in the back, hitting the second hex. The hexes disappeared as Arkady hit the spots they marked. The guild member’s eyes rolled into the back of his head.

He fell unconscious on the ground.

Richard raised a brow. “My hex specializes in weak points. He had some old wounds. I just took advantage of them,” Arkady explained.

Richard nodded, looking toward their last opponent. The bald man had wrapped his bandana around his severed wrist to quell the bleeding. He realized he was outmatched. He turned to run.

Richard shook his head. He sheathed his sword, bent over, and picked up the severed hand. He threw it as hard as he could at the back of the man’s head. The impact knocked him out.

Arkady’s jaw dropped. “What the hell…you just beat him up with his own hand. That’s twisted. Kind of cool. But twisted.”

Richard ignored him, hurrying to tend to Manil. Manil was staring down at the out-pour of blood. He futilely held his hands up to catch it, as if he could put it back.

“Oh no. Am I going to die?” he asked between pained breaths.

Richard inspected the wound. He turned and ripped a piece of fabric from the outfit of the adventurer he cut down. He wrapped it around Manil’s stomach. The merchant grimaced in pain.

Arkady hurried over; a scarlet hex appeared. Richard looked up at him. “What are you doing?” he asked.

Arkady adjusted the fabric and tightened it. “My hexes definition of weak points is fairly broad. I’m looking to make sure there aren’t any in the bandage. It’ll help. Not by much, but it’ll help.”

“Alright. Are there any healers in town?”

Arkady frowned. “Uh, there are a few doctors, but if you want a magic healer… well, all the hex casters work for the guild.”

Richard swore. That meant he didn’t have a choice. He had to take Manil to Mary. He couldn’t go to the guild, and doctors weren’t as reliable as casters were. “I’m taking him to a healer on the edge of town.”

Arkady nodded. Richard lifted Manil into his arms. Manil panicked. “Wait! The rest of my assistants aren’t far from here. The inn is nearby. Please go and get them.”

Richard looked at Arkady, who sighed. “Alright. I’m on it. What room?”

“12. They won’t come with you without…” his voice strained. “We’re careful about bandits and such, so they won’t go anywhere unless you tell them Mane sent you. It’s a code of sorts. Please get them.”

Arkady nodded, exchanging a look with Richard, and then looking back down at his fellow guild members. “Well, my life just changed. Not sure if it was for better or worse, but definitely changed. Where exactly is the healer?”

“A red building on the edge of town. Make sure you aren’t followed.”

“Wait, your healer is in a bakery?”

***

Richard jumped up from the couch when the knock came. He stood, quietly drawing his sword and creeping toward the door. “Who’s there?” he called out, pressing the tip of his blade into the center of the door. He would run it clean through if he suspected enemies.

“It’s Arkady, I’ve brought Manil’s assistants!”

Richard relaxed; he sheathed his sword. But opened the door slowly, to make sure there weren’t any unexpected guest. Arkady walked in, two men and a woman in tow.

The woman pressed forward, grabbing Richard by the shoulders. “Is he okay?” she asked.

Richard took a step back, freeing himself of her grasp. “He’s fine…my wife stabilized him. He just needs to rest now. They both do, so try not to be too loud.”

“Can we see him?” she asked. Richard nodded, and the assistants hurried into the other room. He sighed and shut the door after Arkady followed them inside.

“Any problems?” Richard asked.

“Don’t know. Took the long way. I’d be surprised if they haven’t found the men already. I mean, we fought them basically right outside the guild. It’s a matter of time. We really should leave town.”

Richard nodded. He took a seat back on the couch. “Mary exerted a lot of magic potential. And Manil is in no condition to move.”

“I’m fine.”

He turned to see Mary standing in the room. “You’re supposed to be resting,” Richard said.

"Yeah well, three strangers burst into the room next door so, that was difficult."

“Fair enough. Sorry. This is going to complicate things.”

“You did the right thing, Richard,” Mary said, joining him on the couch. Arkady sat in a chair across from them, putting his legs up on the table. Richard glared at him. Arkady coughed and slowly put his legs back down.

“Well…what’s the plan? Where do we go from here to avoid getting our heads chopped off?” Arkady asked.

Richard steepled his hands. “We’ll have to map a route out of the city. Perhaps at nightfall we can—”

Two of Manil’s assistants entered the room. “How did this happen?” the woman asked.

Richard and the others turned to the assistants as they entered. The man kneeled at the table between them; the woman stood.

Richard and Arkady swapped glances.

Arkady spoke. “Guild received orders to take him out. They tried to. Richard here stopped them.”

Mary’s lips parted. “Wait, are you in the guild too?” she asked.

Arkady nodded. “As of thirty minutes ago? I highly doubt I’m on the roster anymore. Possibly on a wanted list, but that’s about it.”

Richard knew they needed to figure out how they were going to leave the city, but something was bothering him. A pressing question that started the minute he’d learned about all these guilds refusing such a simple job for great pay. “What exactly do you two know about the city of Sange? What’s going on there? Why do you think the others in your party went missing?”

The two assistants exchanged a look. The woman shook her head at the man. He ignored her. “There were rumors as soon as we got close. The bosses usually have us collect information when we visit new towns. Godo, our other boss, especially liked us to keep an ear to the ground for rumors that might affect business. We heard some… unsettling stuff from towns on the way to Sange. Normally we trade along the Capital Road. But the bosses had been talking about the fact that Sange is a large city with very little outside trade. They’ve been on such a good trade streak lately they decided they should try to work something out.”

“They wanted to secure exclusive trade rights or something?” Arkady asked.

The man nodded. “Yeah, things work kind of weird around there, from what we learned. Hey Kass, you have that map from before?”

Kass reluctantly nodded. She pulled out a rolled-up parchment that had been tucked away in her waist. She unrolled it on the table between them. “See this?” she said. “This is Sange. There are four smaller towns around it and they form what’s come to be known to traders as the dead zone.”

“Dead zone?” Mary asked.

Kass breathed out. “Five or six years ago, Sange was a trading city. Your average person would likely never visit it, as its not along the path to the capital, but their trade kept a lot of smaller villages alive and thriving. And then one day, that all stopped. See this?” She pointed at Sange on the map. “Out of nowhere, Sange shut down trade with outsiders. These four towns around it were the only exceptions, and they started strategically producing goods to create this sort of self-sufficient trade zone. But here’s where it gets really weird. Look at the town below Sange.”

Arkady leaned in. “I don’t see anything special about it. It’s just like the other four villages.”

The man spoke this time. “Yeah, exactly the same. Except for the fact that after Sange closed trade, this village moved.”

Richard sat up. “The village moved? What do you mean?”

Kass pointed to a spot below the town in question. “It used to be here. Below the river.” She traced her finger up an inch. “And now it’s here.”

“What the hell? Why would they move the village? Wait, what do you mean by move?” Arkady asked.

Kass drew a building, to represent where the building used to be. “We wondered the same thing, and then Iika noticed something. That’s the guy in there with Manil now.”

“Noticed what?” Mary asked.

A feeling was growing inside Richard that he couldn’t explain. Something was stirring. A sense of dread? Anxiety?

He couldn’t shake it. That bothered him.

Kass pulled a pen from her pocket and ran her hand above the map a few times in a circle. When she was confident enough, she pressed the tip of the pen on the map and drew a perfect circle around Sange. It perfectly encapsulated all four of the villages except for one. The building she had drawn to represent the old town was cut in half.

“They moved the village so that it would be closer to Sange. It doesn’t make sense to do something like that. If there were hex beasts attacking, or a food shortage, or something like that, moving wouldn’t be the worst idea. But this distance is so minimal it’s ridiculous to raze a town just to rebuild slightly closer to a major city. It’s insanity. So why?”

Arkady squinted. “So, you’re saying this town destroyed homes, businesses, whatever, and then rebuilt itself barely any distance away?”

“That’s exactly what she’s saying,” the male assistant said.

“But why?”

“Because, for some reason, this town needed to be closer for Sange. Just like the others. We don’t know for sure. But what we do know is this. None of those towns had guilds, but we went to check them out, to see if we could learn anything about Sange itself. Nobody would tell us anything. They didn’t want to trade with us, they didn’t want us to stay overnight. We were told if we were interested in lodging, or trade, we should travel to Sange. They were funneling people there.”

Richard and Arkady exchanged a look. If none of the towns had guilds, who was it that sent the kill order?

“For what? Why would they do that? Why send people to Sange?” Mary asked.

“We don’t know. But we know when the boss and the others went into town, they didn’t come back. So, something’s going on. Manil thinks we’re being conspiracy theorists. That this is all in our heads and we just need to find someone to help. But that’s not the only weird thing about it all.”

“There was something else?” Richard asked.

“Yeah,” Kass said. “We visited all four towns before giving up and moving on. Sirra was slightly different. We don’t know why. They let us stay there. But the people were…still strange. And you know what? We noticed something else weird, too. Something that was true in every single one.”

Richard stood, staring at her. The unease was becoming too much for him. “What?” he asked, urging her on.

“We didn’t see a single child in any of them. Not one. Only adults. What kind of village doesn’t have children? If it was just one, then maybe it’s just a coincidence. But four towns? No schools. No children running around playing in the street. Nothing. Like they’d all gone missing or something.”

Richard looked at the map. His hand shot to the small village where they’d lived for the last five years. His eyes shot to Arcadeya. There were two routes to Arcadeya from Troa, and Richard had warned Charlie about staying away from Capital Road. The knights were more active there. The other route was more roundabout. It took them out of the forest and into…

Mary stood, watching him. Realizing it at the same time as him. His heart was beating so loud he was sure everyone in the room could hear it.

Richard stared at the circle on the map. “Charlie… Charlie’s heading toward the circle.”

A circle of missing people.

Cities without children.

Charlie was in the middle of it all.

Circled Map [https://i.imgur.com/EA2tc0h.jpeg]