Chapter 196 – Floor 22: Part 1
“I’ve never heard of Unyielding Declaration.” Mayor Eleanor Brooks responded after Mathew knocked on her door and introduced himself. He was led into her large home that sat on top of a hill overlooking the village of Dunsworth.
Mathew guessed she was in her late fifties or early sixties by the streaks of grey in her brown hair that was pinned up into a bun. She had green eyes that stared at him suspiciously, only relenting to let him inside her home after he revealed that he had been sent here to investigate the disappearances by the Tower.
“They are newly ascended.” Mathew responded as he sat down at the mayor’s wooden kitchen table. She set down a cup of tea and a plate of snacks before joining him.
“Odd they would send you here; we normally pray to the god of Sanctuary Retort.” The mayor replied, gauging Mathew’s reaction carefully. He nodded and took a sip of his tea.
“I’ve worked for Sanctuary Retort in the past. It’s possible that was why I was chosen to come here. What can you tell me about the disappearances?” Mathew asked.
“Not much, if I can be honest with you. When Anna Greenfield went missing a few months back, we thought she might have taken a liking to one of the travellers that pass through here from time to time.”
“She was always chatting them up, asking them about the outside world and whatnot. I lost count of the number of times she announced she would be leaving when she turned eighteen. No one thought it odd when she got up and left one day until we found out she had left most of her belongings behind.”
“Were there strangers in town when she went missing?” Mathew inquired, and the Mayor shook her head.
“No. There was a tinker passing through a few weeks before, but he would have been three towns over by the time Anna disappeared.” Eleanor answered.
Mathew let out a sigh. Investigations were so much easier when he had his old Blessings. ‘Truthsayer’ to parse fact from fiction, ‘Fear’ to force everyone to compliance and eagerness to please. He was accustomed to having more problem-solving tools in his toolbelt.
Unless he was willing to use ‘Burst’ to pop heads, ‘Burn’ to roast them or ‘Break’ to destroy most of the village, Mathew was stuck muddling his way through this Floor in the old fashion way.
“Anything strange happen in town around the same time? Do you have any concerns about animals or people in the surrounding area?” Mathew asked, unsure of how this world was situated. They lacked modern technology, and he didn’t see them using magic, but they knew about the Tower and the gods.
“No, nothing like that. There may be problems like that up in the north, but we’re protected here. The god of Sanctuary Retort shields us. We don’t even require a town guard, not like those walled towns deeper on the Frontier.” Eleanor answered.
“So, no monsters and no strangers in town when Anna went missing…What about the others?” Mathew inquired as he finished his tea and set the empty cup on the table.
“John Frost didn’t come home from cutting wood in the forest. His wife was in a tizzy until we sent someone to take a look. We thought he may have gotten drunk and hurt himself in the woods. It wouldn’t be the first time that happened, but we found his axe next to the river, and we figured he must have fallen in.”
“Then there was poor Emily Harper. Sweet girl, only fourteen. She was gone from her bed when her parents woke up. But she was tied up with Liam Carter, I caught them making moon eyes at each other multiple times. When she went missing, Liam was gone too.”
“So you chalked that up to coincidence as well? Is that why you didn’t report everything to the authorities?” Mathew questioned, and Eleanor shook her head slightly sadly.
“Mr. Larson, I don’t know what it’s like where you come from, but things are much harder here on the Frontier. People die or get lost or choose to leave for somewhere better. It’s a tough life, and it’s not for everyone. Last year, we lost every baby born in Dunsworth. Stillborn, every single one.” Eleanor said dejectedly.
“I’m sorry. That must have been hard to go through.” Mathew said while his mind began to whirl. What would people be willing to do in that situation to end it?
“It was. So you can see why we were willing to overlook the circumstances of the missing and hope that it was a coincidence. But it has come to the point that we can no longer ignore it, which is why you are here.”
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Mathew had experienced enough during his time in the Tower to understand human nature well. Even he had to do desperate things to survive. His deal with Unyielding Declaration was a perfect example of it. Could the people of Dunsworth be the same?
Were the disappearances part of a larger conspiracy?
“Mayor, do any of the missing people have anything in common? Are they related in any way, have similar interests or visit a particular place at a certain time?” Mathew inquired, desperately trying to make a connection between the victims.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Larson. I’m afraid I can't think of anything.” Eleanor replied, and Mathew could sense the dismissal in her voice. Thanking her for her time, Mathew left.
He spent the rest of the day questioning some of the other residents. Some were more forthcoming than others, but not a single person gave him anything tangible to use in finding out what happened.
When night came, and the villagers retreated into their home, Mathew wandered streets lit by only the bright moon and stars overhead. It was refreshing to be back to a time before artificial lights drowned out the brilliance of the cosmos.
He was on the edge of the village, staring up at the stars and trying to trace the constellations when he felt it. There was a faint smell of blood on the air, something a normal person would never detect but familiar to someone who had spent decades, possibly even a century, emersed in violence and hardship.
Mathew paused and took in his surroundings. He was near the forest on the outskirts of town, not far from where he had first arrived. Turning, he followed a small path through the woods until he arrived at a cave.
He could hear faint voices coming from inside, and a faint light lit the darkness. Sneaking as well as he could with his bad leg, Mathew slowly approached the cave and crept inside. The small opening of the cave led to a large chamber.
The walls were covered in tapestries decorated with various symbols and glyphs. In the center was a large wooden pole with runes carved into its surface. A young woman was bound to it, her arms raised above her head.
She was unconscious but alive; Mathew could see that she was still breathing. Her pale skin was covered in cuts and bruises. Blood had accumulated on the ground around the pole, pooling in troughs that had been cut into the stone.
The young woman wasn’t alone; there were hooded figures surrounding her. A half dozen people in black robes were talking softly to each other. They stopped when Mathew entered and turned towards him.
“I apologize for the interruption, but I’ve been sent to put a stop to what you’re doing.” Mathew said politely as he walked into the chamber. There was no possibility of hiding his footsteps, not with his limp, so it was better to face the danger head-on.
“We’re aware, Mr. Larson.” The lead, robed figure responded as she stepped forward and lowered her hood. Mayor Eleanor looked at him calmly from amongst the crowd as if she were expecting him.
“Ah, what’s all this? A welcoming party?” Mathew asked, gesturing at the young woman, the pole and the group surrounding them.
“I felt it best that you conclude your business here as swiftly as possible, Mr. Larson. As you can see, we are responsible for those who are missing. With that mystery solved, you may leave us in peace.” Eleanor explained, and Mathew shook his head.
“I can’t do that, but you already know that. Why are you doing this? I need to know for my investigation.” Mathew responded.
“The stillbirths were the result of a curse. Sanctuary Retort failed in its protection of our people, and we were forced to look for other methods. Another god provided us with a solution. Regular sacrifices in return for a future for our people.” Eleanor answered.
“Which god?” Mathew inquired, needing the answer. He doubted he could leave this Floor unless all the secrets were revealed and the threat dealt with.
“Malice Affirmation.” Eleanor responded.
“Never heard of them, but thank you. Alright, I can’t let you all get away with sacrificing people. You have two choices: surrender peacefully and let Sanctuary Retort judge you or things get violent.” Mathew offered.
Eleanor’s response was to pull a small vial of black liquid out from beneath her robe and quickly toss it onto the stone. Immediately shattering, a dark mist of negative energy rose, and the robed figures began to chant, enticing their god to eliminate the threat.
“Malice Affirmation, I humbly request your intervention! Sphere of Fragile Mortality!” The black mist formed a perfect sphere in the air in front of them. Black tendrils began to emerge, shooting out from the sphere toward Mathew.
He could feel the mana within it, an overwhelming, tainted magic that came from the life energy of multiple sacrifices and the will of those who controlled it. Behind it all, Mathew sensed the faint presence of a foreign god.
It didn’t directly interfere, but it was watching events unfold.
“Burn.” Mathew commanded, and the Word of Power struck the tendrils, coating them in a thick, white flame that swiftly swept down to the main body of the Sphere. Like water hitting a hot skillet, the black mist began to evaporate as the magical flames consumed it.
Eleanor was shocked by the rapid turn of events, and before she could respond, Mathew pointed his finger at her.
“Burst.” Heads popped like balloons bursting, and the figures fell to the ground one after another. Effortlessly putting an end to the Cult, Mathew freed the young woman from her restraints just as a loud ‘Ding’ rang out.
Floor 22 – Village of the Damned (Completed)
You have discovered that the source of the disappearances was a Cult dedicated to the god of Malice Affirmation. Putting an end to the members, you have freed their last sacrifice.
The god of Sanctuary Retort is very pleased with your swift actions.
The god of Unyielding Declaration is pleased with its Apostle.
Reward: A Word of Power: Haze
After delivering the young woman to the village to be helped, Mathew disappeared in a flash of white light.