After passing through the village, a few scornful gazes but nothing that caused me any discomfort, there was the previously mentioned fountain which seemed to be the centre, this was surrounding by a few up-and-start shops and stools consisting of blacksmiths, bakers, tanners, bathhouse and an assortment of inns. As you ventured to the outskirts the military presence increased exponentially, although there weren’t too many guards, there were a couple of guard houses stationed at each side of the wall, North, south and east with the west side housing the entrance. Before reaching the wall was the more run-down housing zone. Slave homes mostly, the richer residents were closer to the centre. I had seen a few slaves here all discernible due to the visible slave crests and visible austerity. Most costs went to maintaining defences and fuel sources. Wood and other fuels were normally collected from search parties sent out in the mornings, according to Lerz, conditions were deteriorating due to the need to travel deeper into forests to gather more wood. Apparently, he took part in these searches occasionally.
We returned to the inn, Unmy and Nora were busy serving customers present who only looked at me and Lerz for an instant until returning to their activities. Seeing us, Nora left her station and approached.
“How do you like the village?”
“It’s nothing like my old home, this feels less developed by somehow, more advanced in its own way. It’s nothing like what I expected, Rex used to talk about how we would be welcomed as heroes from another land, seems to be the opposite though.”
Speaking honestly, it’s troubling, I don’t know if my sister came to the same place, I don’t even know where to start looking, Erebus spoke up as if reading my thoughts.
“Kurt, your sister is surely with my own, it probably feels like I’m trying to fill my own agenda, I am. However, my sister will be here somewhere, I suggest we travel to various towns and ask for any strange shadow behaviour and investigate.”
“What do you mean by strange, how can you be so certain?”
I could feel Erebus’ hesitation before she spoke.
“My sister is your typical antagonist Rex, from a young age she believed she was destined to rule. We share strong similarities and in some sort of conquest to prove herself better than me, she wanted to obtain as much as possible, not to rule, not to oversee, not to terrorise, simply to own more than anyone.”
“Considering the age of both of you, assuming you were born with the concept of shadow, you seem fairly childish.”
“Certainly, this isn’t a sudden occurrence, she’s travelled through various worlds consuming them all, as far as she’s concerned this is just another item to own.”
“Yet…somehow, I am the first person you inhabited to try and destroy her, after all these years.”
Erebus went quiet, people in the inn had started to grow suspicious of my apparent inactivity so I decided to continue the topic in a more suitable location. Nora, looking at me confused, also filled with apparent sadness, continued.
“Although I don’t know he circumstances behind your arrival, I am sorry of the way you’re treated, I don’t agree with the slavery myself, when I was a girl I always used to dream of abolishing it, I had tried in my own village, although people just ignore you and the lack of support makes it an impossible task.”
She smiled as she put her hands to her chest as she looked at me.
“Even though that’s the case, this might be selfish of me but I’m glad you came here Kurt, I know when we first met I wasn’t the nicest person, but without you I wouldn’t be here. I truly am grateful.”
In the corner of my vision I could see Unmy pulling a suggestive smirk as she looked at the scene and hit Nora on the back to dispel the tense air.
“Good on you girl!”
Nora went red before protesting and to then began teasing each other again while I found Lerz sitting on a nearby chair with a brew, I was on my way upstairs to retrieve my things and map out a route, I had intended to leave Nora here where she seemed happy and continue with my journey. The gem was still held by Erebus; however, she had confirmed that it can be returned, Lerz looked up at me as I approached.
“Avoiding the girls again? Seems like we had the same idea. I can’t keep up with that energy.”
Lerz noticed my serious expression and placed his beer to the side, gesturing to the seat opposite, which I sat in as I spoke.
“Nora was here with me after I had found her as you know, I had received a gem which was an heirloom of sorts, I figured as you know her, perhaps I could give it to you to look after and she can remain with you. I have some material from hunts that I plan to sell at nearby stools for money that I can give to you as a form of support.”
Lerz maintained eye contact while I spoke, as a young-looking man he apparently was around 54 years old, it always felt a little jaunting when a man who looks younger apparently holds much more wisdom, his tone remained light and fast.
“You might see it that way Kurt, I believe she’s following you now for more personal reasons, I don’t think it’s as simple as needing that gem you hold.”
“Which gives me more reason to leave her here regardless of personal feelings, it’s unsafe around me. For some reason Shades are drawn to me.”
“It’s unsafe anywhere right now, I won’t say anymore on the matter as you seem to have made up your mind. I’m sure me and Mum can store the gem somewhere safe, will you be saying goodbye?”
Looking at Nora laughing with Unmy, I replied without turning back to face Lerz.
“No, I plan to leave sometime tomorrow while those two go around town.”
…there was a moment of silence.
“In that case, can I ask you to accompany me on my hunt? – I will be leaving soon, I’m planning on catching a few rabbits for a soup tonight to officially welcome you both.”
I nod in agreement and return to my room to gather my equipment for the hunt.
After notifying Nora and Unmy of our departure and quickly rejecting Nora’s offer to join us we left the village, of course Lerz was carrying my weaponry through the gate to not alert the guards, we walked into the nearby forestry to begin our hunt. During exiting the village and moving towards the forest, I could feel a presence following us, it didn’t seem to want to attack so I left it for now.
The sun was high in the sky around mid-day and therefore Shades shouldn’t be an issue, we brought my sword along with a small bow and hunting knife with an assortment of arrows, a couple were laced with a knockout agent procured from various herbs typically used for oil. They have a potent scent which can overwhelm the senses and cause minor paralysis and extreme drossiness, the dosage wasn’t particularly high due to hunting small game and therefore effects on humanoids would be minor. We approached a semi-prepared camp which had remnants of living, Lerz informed me that this was where he normally set up prior to a hunt although it had minimalist bedding in case a quick departure was needed in the case of Shades.
As we gathered more arrows from the camp and prepared a few small knives for hunting we then moved further west. We soon came across a small rabbit hole, this was the best approach as chasing rabbits wasn’t recommended due to their agility and they seemed to have extraordinarily keen hearing in this world, therefore a trap was best.
We first placed some wooden cages, set up with a string attached to the door, lifting it up, the counter weight was morsels of food rabbits were particularly fond of, upon lifting or consuming the food, the door would drop shot, ready for retrieval. Afterwards we found a tree which was slightly tilted as the roots below had started to rot. This was for larger animals such a boar, Lerz didn’t want to miss the opportunity if there was one. He handed me a large counterweight branch after I climbed into the tree and threw up some rope. I wrapped it around the branch Lerz had thrown and positioned it below the other branch that was part of the tree lightly knotted them together, I held it there as Lerz set up the bait inside another loop. It worked so that as an animal touched the rope upon entering the loop, the small force would dislodge the counter balance and cause the animal to be lifted and hung by the leg. Of course, only animals weighing less than the counter balance would get captured.
Afterwards we returned to a spot reasonably far away to converse quietly, but still hear any captured animals.
“You know Kurt, Nora…she told me that when you first met you weren’t very good with people at all.”
I gave Lerz a small look at I sat on a nearby trunk and began minor maintenance on my blade.
“You’re still quite hard to deal with, I don’t expect you to care about everybody you meet, but you seem to act differently with Nora.”
I stopped maintenance for a bit, then continued.
“Perhaps it’s the gem, it’s true that I don’t trust people easily, no offense meant, in the world I’ve seen, people who can’t fight die. People who make friends die. People who rely on others too much die. I’d rather live.”
Lerz smiled, although this smile seemed like it wasn’t filled with joy but anguish.
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“That’s a rather crude way of looking at it, maybe you’re right. I personally think that regardless of past experiences, a person who keeps to themselves will eventually self-destruct.”
I started to lose my patience a little, what does this kid know?
“What’s your point Lerz?”
He straightened up as he began playing with a pendant placed around his neck, I hadn’t noticed it before, it was probably always covered under his clothing.
“A few years ago, 30 or so ago, the inn wasn’t just me and mum, there was also Lart, my dad. One day he decided to go alone again on a hunt, occasionally he took me with his for practice, although he refused others as he thought they would hold him back. Funny enough, the animals didn’t kill him, one day he came home rather ill but insisted to my mother as she protested that it wasn’t serious. The next day he went out for a hunt and never came back. We had found this pendant in his camp, nothing else except various pieces of viscera, there was a rather long blood trail leading to the side where my dad seemed to have struggled to come home, it looked like the illness was much worse than he let on.”
I remained quiet as Lerz opened the pendant, there was an image of a small boy inside.
“He had always said that I was with him for every hunt even when I wasn’t, I never really understood until I found the pendant, first I felt sad, then I felt angry that he didn’t rely on us more, I blamed myself. Now I’m somewhat happy, it taught me that no one is stronger alone, even if it’s a picture you carry, others bring you strength.”
I had stopped maintaining my blade as I listened, I still wasn’t convinced, but it seemed like Lerz hadn’t had a pampered life after all.
“You probably don’t believe me right now, but I hope when you do realise Nora can be a valuable friend and ally, it won’t be after your death.”
The rest of the waiting consisted of maintenance but otherwise silence except for a few comments and laughs from Erebus about the state of my sword and my scruffy look when compared to Lerz, after a few hours we heard a small crash, it seemed our rabbit trap was successful. I holstered my sword, Lerz his bow, and we returned to the site. There were two rabbits inside one of the traps, followed by a couple more rabbits in other cages. It totalled seven. We instantly began removing the rabbits and killing them in the most humane way we could with our knives, a quick and precise stab and twist motion, we then began to hang them up to bleed them.
During this the presence I felt earlier had remained at a similar distance, I quickly brought it up with Erebus.
“I’ve been feeling somebody tailing us for a while, have you spotted anything?”
“Why, Yes. It would seem there is a small child following you, they seem rather capable, they managed to slip past the guard while he was chatting and was even tailing you before that.”
Before I could reply, as the sun had started to set, Lerz suggesting heading back, until we heard a large crash and a whimper.
“Oh? Perhaps it wont just be rabbit tonight!”
Lerz began running to the location of the other trap, we decided to quickly kill it and return to the village before sundown. It was only a deer of sorts, it had a horn in the centre as opposed to antlers but otherwise looked similar. It looked relatively young as it was small, which is why we decided to take it as it shouldn’t slow us down much. Bringing goods into the village was taxed by the guards at the entrance, but animals this size weren’t too much, perhaps a tin or two. For reference, 8 tins (coins below copper) equalled a copper and 10 coppers equalled a silver, 8 silvers a gold. As Lerz approached the tree there was a small creak, he didn’t seem to notice as the ‘deer’ was writhing and being rather loud.
The sounds coming from the tree slowly got louder until it was all we could hear as it began to fall. As I noticed what was happening I shouted out to Lerz, he had already noticed and had begun retreating. During the fast retreat he had dropped his pendant he was holding and stopped for a split second to retrieve it. Due to that, the small tree collapsed and captured his right leg, causing him to fall and get trapped beneath the tree, fortunately it had only clipped him, and he had become trapped underneath, no bones appeared broken.
“Fuck, that was my stupidest Idea yet. Help me up, would you?”
I knelt to try and lift the tree, as I heard Erebus call out.
“Kurt, in front!”
A shade had started to materialise on the other side of the tree as I was lifting it, noticing this I quickly drew my blade as it struck and met its long, elongated shadowy claw. The shade looked as if surprised, its form started to envelop the blade as I sliced through, quickly changed course and unattached what would be its head, from its body as it screeched. I quickly lifted the tree and released Lerz who equipped his bow.
“You can hurt those things!?”
“Never mind that, forget the rabbits, we have to return now!”
We quickly started running towards the village, after a few minutes I realised Lerz wasn’t behind me, I could see him in the distance standing still, there was a shade slowly approaching that had assumed the form of an older looking Erze, who began to speak.
“My son…I finally found you.”
Erebus reacted before I could.
“Kurt! That isn’t his father, you have to stop that shade, it probably consumed his fathers ‘self’”
“I know that!”
I quickly grabbed my dagger as I ran at them both and threw it at the shade, it didn’t react as the space is occupied moulded around it and flew straight through the shade, as if not noticing, Lerz simply focused on the shade. I quickly approached as Lerz ‘father’ raised his arm as it slowly formed a blade and brought it upon Lerz, before it hit I charged into him, knocking us both to the floor, I rolled and regained my stance, I had my sheathed blade in my hand to not restrict my movement as I drew it. Noticing the aura, the shade drew back somewhat.
As I charged at ‘Lart’ Lerz had started to grab his bow to release an arrow into his dad. Before I brought my blade down I myself began tumbling into some nearby bushes. Suddenly my leg looked tainted as a miasma appeared nearby and a dark affliction began to spread slowly. My own shadow then enveloped my leg.
“He’s mine you abomination, don’t touch him!”
Erebus began consuming the dark curse, healing my wound, I was incapacitated momentarily as I saw Lerz ready some magic, it looked like he had imbued his arrow with some lightning of sorts and released it at the Shade, who stumbled slightly and continued his approach as the arrow flew through with little resistance.
I turned back to see the shade that had grabbed me, it was a much larger shade than most, with a much greater strength, Erebus told me to run as I looked at it. It began to adopt the face of my dead friend Rex.
“Why do you keep running from me Kurt, help…me.”
The last word seemed to be filled with a tone of pure evil as it whispered across the wind, I freed my blade and sliced through the arm attached to me. As it flew off and dissipated, I spun round to meet its neck.
I couldn’t…the face I saw wasn’t Rex anymore, it was my sister.
“Save me brother.”
It’s voice appeared to be filled with immense sorrow and mystery, the emotion piercing my heart, my soul as some shadowy tears fell and dissolved, it reached out a clawed hand accompanied by shadowy tendrils, I hadn’t seen the claw as tears started to flow down my cheeks, I could hear some faint shouting from Erebus but wasn’t focusing on it, I could feel the poison on my leg fade and my own shadow reach out to block the oncoming claw, but it was no use, I couldn’t move. Was she dead? Did they consume her too? No. She’s the other sisters host. She’s alive. As I focused on it I saw Lerz screaming in the background as his father was attached to him, slowly enveloping him.
As the claw was about to enter my chest and pierce my heart, a solid slab of metal flew through the shade and a gust of wind blew it away, it wasn’t harmed, but It would need to reform.
Standing where the shade used to be was a small girl, a slave crest upon her shoulder, her fiery flowing hair could now be seen, it was the girl I saved earlier. She spoke as she hit the shade.
“You could beat it, then couldn’t beat it when it looked like a girl?”
As she quickly landed I could see the shade slowly reforming, I nodded at the girl without wasting time to reort and I quickly ran towards Lerz, his blackened arm crumbled as it fell apart, the previous shade then appeared in front of me, this time looking like an image from a nightmare, perhaps that what they chose, it had black flowing tendrils coming from its back and a blackened hole seemed to form with the same sharp maw. In the distance I could see Lerz slowly adopt the same face as Rex that day, the face of utter despair. The girl faced me and started charging up some magic while pointing to Lerz, I nodded, noticing her intention as she used wind magic to propel me to his position, through the larger shade in front of me, I placed my sword in front to pierce the larger shade and as I landed I brought it up to decapitate the shade who looked like Lart, grabbing Lerz as it writhed in pain before falling silent. Lerz was unconscious, missing an arm and a shadowy infection had spread to his waist and was moving further upwards, both his legs were useless. I looked to the girl who had avoided the heavy hammer-like ‘fist’ of the larger shade as it crashed into the floor. She jumped towards me and then enchanted both of us with wind magic as we lifted Lerz and sped off towards the village. We ran incredibly fast using wind propulsion, the girl was looking exhausted, so we ran naturally as we neared the village.
Upon seeing us the guard we met earlier with the large spear noticed and raised his weapon. Seeing Lerz he had an accusatory expression upon seeing me and the girl, but I ignored it.
“You need to prepare, shadows are coming!”
Hearing that he seemed to ignore us as he looked over my shoulder, I quickly turned and saw a large shadow consuming the surrounding light, the guard’s expression dropped, and he became serious, he ignored us and ran into the village shouting to prepare all fuel sources to fend off the shades.
I entered the village and saw Unmy and Nora standing there, it appeared Nora was attempting to leave the village.
“Kurt is still out there! Release me before I use force!”
She then noticed my approach and smiled, upon seeing the figure in my arms her expression went dark, she simply turned and hugged Unmy.
Unmy had seem the figure slightly earlier as she was calmer before we arrived, she then began bawling with tears, she sprinted to our position alongside Nora and grabbed Lerz from my arms, he began coughing up blood.
Unmy turned to some nearby guards.
“He’s still alive! Save him! Somebody save my son!”
Onlookers had noticed his condition and realised what the rest of us did, what Unmy knew, deep down. She began begging to nearby medics and guards, crying, her voice trembling as she forced out the words.
“Please…I lost my husband, without him I have nothing. Please…you need to save him.”
Nora simply stood next to her with an arm on her shoulder, suddenly Lerz spoke.
“It’s OK mother. I didn’t go alone like dad, I had a friend with me.”
He smiled as his voice grew weaker, looking at his mum crying.
“Don’t cry, be happy, because I had someone with me it wasn’t lonely. After all, because he was there I was able to see you one last time to say goodbye.”
He had gripped her hand tight, his grip slowly loosened until the only reason it remained in the air, was due to Unmy, she opened it slightly to see a shining pendant, Lerz was dead.
I had left to talk to the girl that saved me, I didn’t feel right comforting a woman I only met that day, by all accounts I fully expected her to hate and blame me, I only felt guilt. Mostly because I felt some satisfaction as I pulled away Lerz from the shade and stopped his despaired expression, which I couldn’t do for Rex. I simply approached Nora and handed over Lerz's bow to her to be buried alongside him and conversed with the girl while Unmy was escorted away with the corpse of her son.
“What’s your name? You seem to be good with magic, I’m Kurt by the way, I want to thank you for saving me back there.”
She simply looked a little confused as she replied.
“I’m Dar’Len. My Brother calls me Len. We all know magic silly, you can thank me by fighting me later!”
Haha, that’s right, I promised her a fight if we met again, this girl really is interesting.
“OK, although it’s going to be changed a bit. Once we get out of this situation, I’ll happily go a few rounds.”
The girl smiled and jumped for joy a little, swinging the large hammer around like a toy, she must really be quite strong.
I could hear the guards around screaming for more torches and lamps to fend off the shades and were launching lit arrows into them, sending them back slightly. It seemed like they were drawn by me. During all this Erebus had remained silent, maybe to honour the passed Lerz or simply because she had nothing to say. While I talked to Len she simply said that when we finally slept, she wanted me to enter her domain again as she would try to fill me in on all the holes, probably to explain why I had seen my sister tonight, I agreed. We had a lot to discuss.