The sun breached the horizon and shined its first few rays onto the City of Soalde. The sage symbols that kept the city alight at night dropped like feathers from the sky and sank into the streets. Light spread across the city’s white walls and structures, chasing the shadows away.
However, The Hole's gloom hadn't yet been pierced by the light, acting as though it were hesitant to renounce its allegiance to the night.
A young elf woman, hood over her head and ears, went into The Hole before the sun did. Her golden eyes were lost in a reverie as she began to sing a melody that stopped people in their tracks. Her voice was clear and mournful, singing a tribute to friendship and a young man named Red.
Poly had invaded The Hole and intended to sing its walls down until she found her friend.
Tatters’ verminous features turned upward as he held his head up with pride. Though the night had ended poorly with the White Scale Viper gang’s celebration being ruined by dwarf inventors and their gadgets, Tatters couldn’t feel bad while wearing silk.
He took deliberate long strides, the bottom of his new leather shoes scraping across the cobblestones. The White Rabbit district was everything the rumors described it as: heaven compared to the hell that was the slums. Vicious stuck close behind him, his own emotions not as exposed, but nonetheless possessing the same confidence.
Guards at the entry point between the White Rabbit district and the western gate made faces of contempt when they saw the white scaled diamond emblem on their chests but said nothing. They simply did their jobs and opened the way past the barrier for the two young men. As Tatters stepped over the boundary of the district, he chuckled while eyeing the two guards, “Cowards.”
Redness took hold of both guards’ faces, but they didn’t dare form their indignation into words. The White Scale Viper infamy was something simple guards couldn’t act brave in front of.
Vicious laughed, “Ha! Tatters, power and status suit you well.”
Tatters shrugged, but still felt adrenaline coursing through his veins. It felt good to push people around.
Both young men, displaying new black silk clothes and looking sharp, strolled into The Hole radiating arrogance. Tatters saw a man crusted in filth with a hunchback walking by and immediately kicked him over.
The hunchbacked man was a resident of The Hole and like others that grew up here, had venom in him since birth. He sprang back up and spat, “Who do you think you are—” Despite being toughened by a hard life, he lost his voice when he saw the diamond-shaped emblem on Tatters' and Vicious' chests.
"Good to see you, Hump, my old friend," Tatters said cheerily, his buck teeth on full display in a smile. The man's hunchback, which resembled a camel's hump, gained him the moniker "Hump." The man’s true name was Toshe, and while he hated the nickname, he dared not show hatred or any aggression in front of these gang members.
"T-tatters? Is that you?" The hunchback, Hump, sputtered, "You moved up in the White Scale Viper gang? I thought you served as only a grunt for them…"
Tatters sneered, "A powerful gang like them knows how to appreciate talent." He looked over at The Hole's crumbling walls and the impenetrable darkness that filled the alleyways. "I had to come back to this wretched place for a meeting. I didn't expect to see you, my old friend Hump."
"Oh, is that so? I actually have somewhere to be…"
"Do you remember when I was a child and you threw me down a flight of stairs because I called you Hump?" Tatters asked quietly.
Hump gulped, "H-have mercy…!" The bottom of a leather shoe landed directly on his face, knocking him down. Tatters then jumped on him and began kicking mercilessly. Viscous leaned against a fractured fence and continued to observe without intervening.
After a barrage of kicks rendered Hump motionless, Tatters stopped and whooped, "It feels good to have real power in this city!" He dusted off his new clothes, the glorious silk fabric still sending electric currents through his body when he touched it.
A somber tune reached the ears of the young gang members.
“Strange…” Vicious murmured. The incredible melody permeating throughout this worn out part of Soalde made him feel as if he were dreaming.
“Who would care to sing in such a wicked place as The Hole?” Tatters asked with incredulity. From afar, a child sized figure with a hooded cloak draped over them could be seen singing into the broken windows and holes of abandoned buildings. “How odd…”
Both young men walked over to the tiny figure. The volume being emitted from such an insignificant thing seemed unbelievable. The song being sung had someone named “Red” included in the lyrics, which sparked a memory in Tatters.
The rat faced gang member suddenly recognized the child sized person. A malicious grin parted his lips, unveiling his buck teeth.
“Looking for someone?” Tatters asked, walking close behind the small figure that turned to face him.
“What’s this about?” Vicious probed Tatters, “You know this one?”
“This little thing is a pygmy elf,” Tatters answered, his beady eyes locked onto the short person, “And a friend of an old friend.”
Poly had been using her “Siren’s Call” to check for Red around The Hole. Her mind compelled her to keep searching. She was determined to find Red. Lack of sleep drew bags under her eyes. Water was what her dry throat craved. A shoe had somehow gone missing from one of her feet. Dwindle would begin to worry if he arrived home and found her gone.
But she needed to find Red. Her only companions were the lanky tall young man and the red-nosed dwarf. She had no one else she cared for either here or back in the Ahlwedi forest.
She approached the last building she’d sing into before journeying deeper. She sent her voice through its damaged shell and when she heard no response with her elf hearing, she made the decision to carry on.
Someone had suddenly spoken to her from behind.
She turned to respond, but the sight of a white diamond emblem caused her to stiffen. It was one of the first symbols she ever saw when coming to Soalde and something she would never forget. Two White Scale Vipers had approached her. One gang member with buck teeth began questioning her about Red. She felt as if she were in the jaws of a tiger and couldn’t respond. The other gang member, whose mouth was permanently upturned in a smirk, looked at her with interest, as if he were looking at a caught rabbit stuck in a snare.
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“I think this one is broken,” the staring gang member commented, noticing Poly’s paralyzed state.
The rat faced gang member laughed, “This one is probably as dumb as Red is. Dead brain folk always befriend one another.”
Poly felt something crack within her as her emotions erupted in response to the gang members' words. Something gripped her and urged her to act. She found herself lunging at the laughing gang member, scrambled up him like a tree and put her mouth against his ear. She screamed with her "Siren's Call", "Tell me where Red is!"
The gang member’s eyes immediately rolled back. The sound of the “Siren’s Call” burst his ear drums and blood shot from his earholes.
“Why must you people make life so hard for others?!” Poly screeched with her “Siren’s Call”, her eyes filled with madness and desperation. Her screeching quieted when two daggers, one after the other, stuck into her body. The elf girl then collapsed.
The gang member with the smirk stuck to his face had hit his mark.
He looked down and shouted at his fallen comrade, "Tatters! Are you still alive?" He rushed to check his breathing. An ominous cold feeling suddenly crept up his back. Poly was back on her feet when he turned around, blood running down her body from the daggers sticking out of her.
"You should’ve stayed down," the gang member hissed as he rose to his feet. Another blade appeared in his hand, and he flicked it directly at the elf girl’s face.
“Where’s Red?!” Poly screeched. Her voice deflected the thrown weapon.
“I have more blades where that came from!” The gang member soon quieted when the appearance of dark flames erupted from Poly’s body. “What is that…?”
“Where…Is…Red?!”
Poly’s voice had changed. Her voice sounded no longer musical. What came out of her mouth was more like a raging beast than an elf singer. Poly roared, "Tell me where my friend is!" The gang member didn’t bother finding out what was happening to Poly and started to run. "Where is he?" Her voice chased after him.
Poly faced the sky and let out another roar. Numerous birds started to flock overhead. The running gang member looked worriedly to the skies, noticing the strange phenomenon. Squeaks brought his attention back down to the ground. Furry rats with red eyes began crawling out of the many dilapidated buildings around him, each one in pursuit of him.
"What in the realms is going on...?"
The birds above dove down and began to peck at him, each peck feeling like a stab of a needle. He covered his face as he screamed. Rats began climbing up on him and began chewing relentlessly at his flesh. The gang member began to yell for help but was silenced by rats climbing into his mouth and down his throat.
The elf girl was watching him from a distance, her eyes without pupils, showing only a ghostly white color. Dark flames had engulfed her, making her appear to be a demon.
The gang member soon died from being eaten to death. Only his bones remained.
In the heart of Soalde, in what was called the Jewel Dragon district, a lavish party was underway. Only the most elite and influential people were in attendance. White gold covered practically everything in an immense ballroom where dancers flitted and twirled to the sounds of the city's top musicians. Everyone made merry as they reveled in their status as some of the most powerful and wealthiest people in the world.
One person among them stood out—a beautiful creature whose skin was as white as milk and had features any woman would be envious of. Cascading over their shoulders were locks of white hair. Everyone present yearned to interact with this individual intensely.
A sound in the distance abruptly halted the music. Heads moved toward the windows. The sound was like the roar of a terrible beast. Above, birds could be seen flying toward the roaring as if they were being summoned. Cats, dogs, rats, and other similar creatures could be seen running along the ground, going in the same direction.
The beautiful person sighed with aching appreciation, "What a wondrous sound." The comment elicited puzzled looks from those around. "Such a song could be the anthem of the future."
The roaring continued, and the beautiful individual sighed again.
"Odd fellow," someone remarked.
Some had heard the comment, turned to see who had made it, and noticed a young woman who, if not for her bored expression, would have been among the most attractive in the ballroom. What was most odd about her was that she wore a basic linen shirt and black pants. Her attire seemed more suited to stable work than attending a ball of this magnitude.
The beautiful person gave the young woman a look and asked, “Is there a problem, Vice Guild Master Lilian?”
“Vice Guild Master?” a person repeated, confused.
Someone else cleared the confusion, explaining, “That is Lilian Crownstone, the Vice Guild Master of the Hunter’s Guild.”
“But she’s so young!”
“Grand Starseeker,” Lilian greeted the beautiful person.
“Is there something the matter, Vice Guild Master?” The Grand Starseeker asked.
“Your underling ruined my day off,” Lilian accused.
“I apologize, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I don’t wish to play games, Grand Starseeker.”
The Grand Starseeker had a serene appearance, but in his eyes, a glint of annoyance sparkled.
“Lilian,” someone called to the Vice Guild Master.
She turned and saw someone she’d known her whole life. “Father,” she said in the same ambiguous tone she was known for.
A man with salt and pepper locks pushed back out of his face and a trimmed goatee walked up to her in formal black tunic and pants.
“Leave the Grand Starseeker in peace, my dear,” her father ordered.
“Sir Oliver Crownstone,” the Grand Starseeker greeted Lilian’s father. Oliver Crownstone gave a curt bow in return.
“But father,” Lilian argued, “A man under the Grand Starseeker ruined my day off.”
“A lot of people work under the Grand Starseeker,” Oliver explained, “He cannot keep track of what they all are doing at all times.”
“I had to be called back to the guild and was forced to work.”
“I told you before not to work for that guild, my dear.”
“…I don’t want to argue about this again.”
“Will you leave the Grand Starseeker in peace then?” Oliver prompted his daughter.
“I’ll be on my way, father,” Lilian conceded as she turned around and left.
“I’m sorry about her,” Oliver apologized, turning to the Grand Starseeker.
The Grand Starseeker smiled, “She is young. Though she is rambunctious, it is better for such youth to be anything other than idle.”
“Why are you here in Soalde?” Oliver asked, joining the Grand Starseeker by the window and looked outside. He didn’t give any time to receive an answer before he sputtered, “What an odd phenomenon! Look at all those creatures running in one direction!”
The Grand Starseeker laughed, “How could I not visit this place when such interesting things happen here!” Looking into the distance, the Grand Starseeker remarked, “I never thought I’d listen to such beautiful music in this place.”
The band had stopped playing a few minutes ago, which made the Grand Starseeker's comment odd to Oliver.
Battle Lord Otai awoke feeling the sun’s rays hit his tattooed face through the cracks in the forest’s canopy.
He got up slowly.
His body felt heavy and weighted as if he were moving in sand. A blue glow ran across his body only to extinguish just as fast. The Badlander found he was unable to imbue mana. The poison had done its job thoroughly.
Looking around, he discovered that all of his men were sound asleep and possibly unable to imbue mana the same as him. Nearby, Caden the smuggler was still grinning as a corpse. When Otai attempted to spit on him, only spittle came out, which dripped down his lips, giving the impression of a baby spitting out its food.
Even his lips lacked the strength to spit well.
He lied back down, discontented. Whatever poison Caden had released was beginning to fade from his body, slowly but surely. He would be back on his feet soon enough. Otai had the strength of a Battle Lord. It was to be expected that such pitiful tricks would not last long. Rousing his men awake would be a chore since they were lacking compared to him.
As long as everyone was alive, Otai would be grateful. Their tribe back home was waiting for them to return. With two of their Battle Lords now dead, he was needed now more than ever.
One day, he promised himself, I will come back and kill that Hunter who took the lives of my brothers!
Steps crunching leaves alerted the Battle Lord. Raising his head, he saw movement in the forest. Forms of men crept around in between the trees.
When they came closer, Otai saw that they weren’t men at all. They were walking skeletons.