Dwindle had left, leaving Poly alone in his house. Poly was not a fighter nor did her elven magic work on these lands. Bringing her along to a den of snakes would be akin to killing her.
So, Poly remained at home, waiting.
The vegetables she’d planted outside seemed ripe for the picking—the vegetables that were intended for Red. Sadness swirled around her as she thought of her simple-minded companion. No, she told herself. Red will be back. He is too strong a hero to be brought down by such lowly thugs.
Poly forced herself to stand. When Red returned, he would most surely be hungry. As his cook, she would make sure he was well fed. After all, heroes required proper meals in order to be able to slay monsters and defend the weak.
She battled the unyielding weather as she brought a few veggies from her garden inside. Opening the sage symbol icebox Dwindle had bought, she pulled out a slab of red meat. This particular meat came from a beast that had a life core. Its true potential would be unlocked when cooked with mana. This kind of meat was Red’s favorite.
Dwindle’s pot was soon brewing and the smell of rich meat and fresh stew permeated the air.
Red is going to love this, Poly thought as she beamed a smile while flicking spices and herbs into the pot.
She woke up an hour later and found herself at Dwindle’s dining table. The stew she had plated had gone cold. Her small head turned, surveying the room, expecting to see Dwindle sleeping on the couch and Red sleeping on the bed.
There was no one. The small house built from patchwork materials was still empty. The rain outside hadn’t stopped pouring and the wind howled as if banshees were flying overhead.
Poly put the stew back into the pot and stoked the flames of the fireplace with a poker. She stood there, her golden eyes set on the stew bubbling in the iron pot.
“Poly, you’ll be my cook!” Poly reflected on how Red had saved her from starving in the street. She took a glance at her attire. The clothes were new. She had purchased them with the bonus pay she’d received from Dwindle. Years ago, while still living in the Ahweldi forest, she made a checklist of what she wanted to do before she died. One of those things was to buy a set of clothes in every major city, including human cities. Her checklist had only ever been a fanciful notion she knew deep down she could never accomplish.
After all, Ahweldi elves never left their home forests.
Yet when she bought her current clothes from a shop here in the Classy Slums, Poly remembered thinking that her dreams could be made possible through Red and Dwindle. She even considered abandoning her journey to the elf land of Antherai. Though the City of Soalde despised her kind, Red and Dwindle made life in this place feel fulfilled as it would in any elf kingdom.
Her mind felt muddled in that moment. She soon found herself by a window and opened it. The wind battered her heart-shaped elven face. Regardless, she breathed in deeply and used her "Siren’s Call" to sing, unleashing her emotions through song. She sang of her home, and she sang of her travels. When she began to sing about meeting Red and Dwindle, her voice grew and tears began to form under her eyes.
After some time, her voice fell flat, and she quieted. After her impromptu performance, the sounds of the storm took over, creating a melancholic anthem that was accentuated by the dark, empty house.
She could take no more. Grabbing her cloak, Poly bolted out of the door. She wouldn’t only rely on Dwindle to find Red. Elves were known as decent enough trackers. Poly was sure she could make a difference and be of help in the search.
Though she was never an elf that hunted and her people were more so gatherers than anything else, nonetheless, she was determined.
Outside, the weather immediately throttled her and nearly tossed her against the house. Poly huddled lower to the ground and raised an arm up to the storm as if she held a shield, then trudged forward one step at a time. She opened her mouth to begin singing through her "Siren's Call" as the wind whipped her dark green hair around.
She needed Red to hear her if he was somewhere out there. All he needed to do was utter a single word in response. Her elf ears would be able to pick up his voice as clearly as he could hear her “Siren’s Call”.
Some time had passed when Poly found herself near the entrance to The Hole. Her golden eyes narrowed at the darkness that lay beyond. The forces that called this decrepit place home had stolen Red away. Thoughts of entering came to her, then she steeled herself, preparing to sing into every hole and crevice until Red was found.
Two figures were limping through the rain toward her. Her elf ears picked up their sound before she could see them. Quickly, she kneeled beside debris that had fallen off a house during the storm.
“Dammit all,” cursed one of the figures, “I didn’t think we’d be that outmatched.”
“My time has come and gone,” said the other, “I don’t have much strength left in these old bones sadly.”
“We didn’t get far enough.”
“I know.”
“We didn’t even uncover a single clue about the champ!”
“…I know.”
Their words compelled Poly to step out from behind the debris and into their path. Two men hadn’t noticed her short form until they nearly tripped over her.
“By the gods,” one of them sputtered, “There’s a child out here in this storm!”
“No,” the other replied and bent down to have a closer look at Poly, “I know this one. She was with Dwindle.”
"What was that you were saying about ‘the champ’?" Poly asked, staring at a man she recognized from the Hunter’s Guild. She remembered his name was Euness.
He looked different than when she met him in the guild. The spectacles that adorned his face were now cracked. Instead of the black formal wear of a receptionist, he was sporting a rusty set of iron armor. A greatsword with a length taller than Poly was slung on his back. On his face were welts and bruises, and there was a smear of red, as if made by a painter’s brush, that was spread across his cheek. Obviously, he had recently wiped at blood leaking from a broken nose.
“A friend of Dwindle’s?” The other man asked. This man was in no better shape. Swelling from one of his eyes nearly closed it completely.
Euness ignored his companion and said to Poly, “I made a mistake in thinking I could march into the depths of The Hole and demand answers regarding Mister Rombell’s disappearance.” He rolled a shoulder which brought about a pained expression. “I’m not the Hunter I once was.”
“You were never much of a Hunter to being with…” his companion muttered.
“Shut it, Mas,” Euness snapped, “As if you did any better back there.”
The grizzled man with Euness, named Mas, had a stubble beard and as many lines in his face as Euness. He had kind eyes, but he did not wear his years well. Poly warranted that Mas was younger than Euness, but life seemed to have worn him down.
Poly turned back to Euness and asked, “So, nothing could be found about Red?”
Mas chose to answer, “Deadlier forces than the White Scale Vipers lurk in that dark place. We couldn’t even breach the outer boundary where the two bit thugs lingered.”
Euness was about to add more when the rumble of thunder and a flash of lighting across the sky interrupted him. The wind began to pick up once again, causing him to squint as he felt his face being pelted by rain.
“Let’s talk somewhere less chaotic, shall we?” He implored. Poly nodded and after a last look at the pathway that led to The Hole, she allowed herself to be guided away.
Between a cluster of abandoned shacks in the Classy Slums, the odd-looking trio—two injured middle-aged men and a tiny elf—huddled together to speak. As they stood together, they found that they had nothing to say. No one even had a plan.
Mas grunted, unable to deal with the awkward air, “I first saw Red at the gypsy brawls.” He smiled. “I never saw anything like him before. He held power in his hands and had unworldly skill. I was sure he would be on top of the world soon.”
"Red saved my life," Poly said, her golden eyes downcast. "If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve been lost on the street. I started to dream again when I met him, and I believed those dreams could come true one day because of him.” She stopped herself and chose to look at Euness, urging him to say something.
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Mas also turned to Euness expectantly.
Euness cleared his throat and began, “When I first met him, I didn’t think much of him…” He suddenly waved a hand as if pushing away the strange sentimentality of their talk. “What is this?” The other two became confused. “Why are we speaking as if he’s dead? We’re wasting time here. Let’s keep looking for clues, dammit.”
They walked until they arrived at a road that led to the White Rabbit district and the western gate. Euness' vision was hampered by water spattering against his spectacles. He wiped the glass, but there was nothing he could do about the incessant rain.
"What are we doing here?" Mas asked loudly over the wind. His cloak had been all but soaked through.
"I don’t know..." Euness murmured, his dark eyes unfocused. Failures from his past began to emerge within him. He was given the nickname "Useless" in childhood due to his lack of skill in anything. He’d never amounted to much in his life. What could he do against such a force as the White Scale Viper gang? He couldn’t even beat the thugs that prevented him entry into the deeper parts of the Hole.
“Euness,” Mas snapped, “Get it together.”
Euness’ mind broke free of his insecurities. A plan finally formed in his head. He muttered his apologizes before he started walking toward the entrance to the White Rabbit district with Mas and Poly in tow. Being a receptionist for the Hunter’s Guild afforded Euness certain perks, such as allowing him passage into the upper districts five times a year. Poly took a timid step away as the magic encircling the district began to crackle at their approach.
We’ll go to the upper districts and have a look around, Euness planned. There has to be someone there that knows something about the movements of the White Scale Vipers.
A Hunter’s Badge appeared in his hand but before he could gain access to the upper districts, the barrier suddenly fell.
Euness blinked, uncertain what had happened.
“Out of the way!” A voice bellowed.
“Euness,” Mas warned, “A carriage is riding through.”
“Hm?” Euness murmured and found that a sizeable carriage, considerably larger than what usually came down this road, was headed their way from the White Rabbit district, pulled by a mountainous two-headed buffalo. The man on the driver seat could be seen shouting vehemently at Euness.
The guild receptionist skipped lively to the side of the road and stood next to Mas and Poly. The passing vehicle transmitted slight tremors through the street.
"A rather a big one, ain’t it?" Mas commented, seeing as the carriage, which resembled a house, was almost as big as a two-story shop.
“It’s a transport carriage,” Euness remarked, “Used for transporting heavy goods.” He looked in the distance at the guards guarding the White Rabbit district entrance, “Follow me.”
As Mas followed, he mused, “Strange to see no trading company logo on that carriage.” Euness only shrugged.
Before they entered the White Rabbit district, Poly could already recognize its opulence. Every stone in the cobblestone streets had a sage symbol etched into it. From a distance, the buildings appeared white and immaculate. Nothing appeared to be damaged here, unlike in the slums.
Red could be here, Poly thought.
As Euness and Mas began talking to the guards, Poly used her “Siren’s Call”.
“Red!” She sang, “Are you here?” The elf girl was confident in the range of her “Siren’s Call”. She believed that, despite the district's size, her voice could be heard at least throughout half of it.
“That’s quite a loud little girl,” sputtered one of the guards, his eyes wide with shock. Euness and Mas couldn’t hold in their surprise either.
“Was that magic?” the other guard wondered aloud.
“Red!” Poly sang again, her head tilted toward the sky, singing to the heavens.
From some distance away, a tired voice whispered dreamily, “…Poly?”
Poly halted. Her golden eyes enlarged. Time for the elf stood still. Euness and Mas stared at her. She had abruptly turned into a statue.
Poly remained motionless as she kept her elf ears trained on the sounds around her and increased her focus. To her hearing, her own heartbeat sounded like drums. The breathing sounds of the four men next to her amplified to become as clear as the wind. The sound of the falling rain became like a boulders rolling down a mountainside.
“Red!” Poly let out a single note with her “Siren’s Call”.
The drowsy voice uttered "...Poly..." before abruptly fading away. Poly spun on her heels to turn around. She was sure she had heard him. She had heard Red. Her golden eyes peered down the road and focused in on the gargantuan carriage that had passed them earlier.
“Did she sing Red’s name?” Mas asked Euness.
Before anyone had a chance to respond, Poly ran off, splashing through puddles. “Red!” she sang. Euness and Mas hurried after her, leaving the guards there shrugging helplessly.
“Red!”
The sizeable carriage had pulled up to the western gate and had to stop when faced with a shut gate. The driver pulled back his wet hood and cried out, “Open the gate!”
Built next to the gate was a stone guardhouse, and out of it walked a guard in white armor with a wondrously curly beard and a questioning gaze. “Why are you driving this heavy transport carriage through here?” He demanded to know.
“Sorry, friend,” the driver replied, his expression apologetic, “We got turned around due to the storm.”
Another Soalde guard walked out of the guardhouse and shouted, “Hey you, no heavy transport carriages through the west gate!”
"Please, dear sirs," the carriage driver pleaded, putting his hands together as if to beg. “I don't want to have to drag this heavy carriage all the way back to the eastern gate.” The eastern gate was where all heavy goods were typically received and shipped from in Soalde.
Both guards couldn’t help but empathize with the man. Maneuvering a transport carriage through the city was beyond a hassle.
“What say you, Hewy?” one guard said to the other.
The guard, Hewy, replied, “This weather is a bit unsightly to argue in, Pharc. Perhaps this one time we should allow him…?”
Pharc looked to the driver who still had his hands together as if he were praying. “Fine,” Pharc relented then pointed at the driver seriously, “But you best remember next time that carriages carrying heavy goods can only come and go through the east gate!”
The driver bowed gratefully and pulled out a parchment and handed it to the guards. After a quick skim through, Hewy saw that the paperwork was in order. When he realized such a high ranking official had granted the document's seal of approval, he had to whistle impressed.
Handing it back, Hewy nodded, “Alright. You drive safe. This weather isn’t going to let up anytime soon.”
The driver smiled, “May the gods bless you.”
“And you.”
Pharc stood at the ready to open the gate. When he saw Hewy nod to him, he tapped a sage symbol inside the guardhouse. The magic activated another sage symbol covering the entire gate, and it began to open the gate gradually.
“Wait!” A voice as clear as day sang.
Both guards and the driver had to look at where the loud voice emanated and saw a child running toward them through the rain.
“…that’s odd,” Hewy murmured, “Why is a child out here?”
“Stop that carriage!” the child-sized person sang so loud that her voice caused their armor to vibrate slightly.
The carriage driver scoffed and turned his head back to the opening gate. The giant two-headed buffalo at the head of the carriage mooed, knowing it would have to start moving again.
"Please, stop that carriage!" The childlike figure sang. The figure was Poly, and her face was riddled with anxiety. She made an internal commitment to stopping this carriage, with or without assistance.
Hewy glanced over at Pharc in the guardhouse who looked back at him. The driver noticed them exchange looks and muttered, “This cannot be…”
Poly arrived before the gate could open wide, but she didn’t bother with Hewy or the driver. She ran into the guardhouse and tapped the sage symbol there. The gate stuttered to a stop.
“This gods forsaken child,” the driver spat then looked to Hewy, “Throw that little thing behind bars!”
One of Hewy’s well-trimmed eyebrows rose as he retorted, “You want to throw a child into prison?”
“I don’t care. Please good sir, if you will, continue opening the gate. I have to get these goods on the road as soon as I can.”
“Hey there, young one, you shouldn't be playing here,” Pharc warned Poly, who was blocking him from the sage symbols that controlled the gate. “Return to your mother and father.”
“I won’t move,” Poly denied, shaking her head, “My friend, Red, is on that carriage.”
Pharc was about to grab her when he heard her words. "Red?" he asked, immediately remembering the dimwitted youth he’d known for so long.
“He’s from the slums. He has gone missing. I heard his voice from that carriage.”
“Wait right here.”
Pharc walked to Hewy and said, “She’s one of Red’s friends."
“What?” Hewy grunted, “Red doesn’t have friends.”
“She says he’s aboard this carriage?”
“Are they playing hide-and-go-seek?
“…Red is a bit too old to be playing those kinds of games.”
“No matter,” Hewy said, shaking his head. He turned to the driver and apologized, “I’m sorry, that little one thinks her friend is in your carriage.”
The driver became cross as he exasperated, “Please sir, can you just open the gate?”
“Hail, good sirs,” a new voice yelled. Two men came jogging up, both seemingly middle-aged.
“Well if it isn’t Mas and Euness,” Hewy acknowledged them both, “What are two Hunter associates doing out here in this weather?” When they got closer, Hewy sputtered seeing their beaten up faces, “What in the realms happened to you two?”
Euness waved away the question and nodded toward Poly’s three-foot figure standing in the guardhouse then said, "We're with her. She’s a friend of Dwindle."
“She’s not human?” Pharc asked, knowing that Dwindle being a dwarf would mean his friends wouldn’t always be human.
“Ah yes, now I remember,” Hewy said, reflecting, “I’ve seen her before when she first arrived. She’s an Ahweldi elf.”
“A pygmy elf?” Pharc said, surprised, “I thought they never left their forests.”
“Good sirs,” the driver entreated, interrupting their conversation, “I must be off. Whoever or whatever that young girl is doesn’t have anything to do with me or the goods I’m transporting.”
“Red!” Poly sang with her “Siren’s Call”. Her elf ears received no responses. The men standing by the carriage couldn’t stop from being amazed at the sheer volume of her voice.
Seeing how Poly called out to the carriage, Euness’ dark eyes moved to the carriage driver and asked, “Would you mind if we looked inside your carriage?”
The driver’s expression darkened as he grunted, “The Guard Captain personally signed our documents. You have no authority here.”
A badge colored black and gold appeared in Euness’ hand. “Please,” he said, “We just need to make sure of something.”
The driver let out a laugh like a crow’s caw, “Ha! Hunters have no real authority in this city.” He turned to Hewy and smirked, “Do we really need to entertain these glorified goblin slayers?”
“Odd that your carriage is unmarked,” Mas commented.
The driver ignored him and remained focused on Hewy. “Surely your captain, the man who signed my parchment, holds more sway than these fools? Just open the gate, good sir.”
Hewy looked from the driver then to the Hunters, and then looked back at the driver. “This is the western gate. Transporting and receiving of shipments of a certain size can only be processed at the eastern gate only.” He looked to Pharc and said, “Shut the gate.”
“I have the paperwork!” Euness and Mas began to make their way to the carriage doors. “Hey you two,” the driver barked at them, “don’t even think about opening those doors.” He looked back to the guards and they had already returned to the guardhouse. “Fine then. Mullard, Brocs. We’ve got a pair of nosy ninnies!”
The carriage door burst open, and two men dressed in black and covered in muscle stepped out, their heavy steps leaving large ruts in the mud as they landed. Each of them was nearly two heads taller than Mas and Euness. On their hips there hung studded metal clubs. Many veins wormed around underneath their skin as they clenched their thick muscles.
Each of their faces glowed with white enchanted tattoos, which distorted the air around their heads. Mana rose from their bodies like steam, giving the appearance of blue fire that caused the falling raindrops to fizzle on contact.
"Little Hunters, back off or face the consequences," one of the massive men growled in a voice so low it sounded like the beginning of a thunderstorm.