Fantasy Chronicles of Cre' Est

[GojiBean]

Chronicles of Cre' Est​

The Date: 14th Day of the Third Laetal Moon
Time: Twilight
Location: Cre' Est, Capital City: Valkyom

A wash of orange, yellow, and purple painted the great canvass of the Goddess. A gentle, skin cooling breeze swept through the streets lifting several sheets of thin parchment into the air and floating along their merry way. All throughout the city the children of the houses were going about evening chores. Sons sweeping dust from the walkway to the front door, daughters helping their mothers tend the gardens, either or sitting quietly in their rooms doing homework for school or practicing their chosen extracurricular activities such as art, music, and more. Together, it all coalesced to create a smooth, familiar atmosphere to all the inhabitants of the city.

Slowly, the sun sank beyond the horizon soaking all remaining light with it. On this moonless night in the Third Laetal Moon, the stars, despite being unhindered as they were by the cloudless skies, failed to shine the light needed to illuminate the path of one vagrant clothed in rags as he sifted through the garbage bins outside of homes in search of scraps of food. His aging eyes could not protect him from slamming his knee into a fence post causing him to exclaim sharply. The front door of the nearest home flew open, revealing the father of the home with an old, well used wooden club gripped tightly in his hand.

"Hey! Get off of my property!" He yelled, waving the club above his head.

The vagrant fled as swiftly as his injured leg would take him. But in his haste he crashed once again, this time into a full trash bin covering him with rotten food, used rags, and other unmentionables one wishes never to smell again once discarded. Slipping twice against the squishy, slick texture of the detritus beneath him, he desperately panted and heaved as he had lost his breath in the fall. Swiftly he ducked into a nearby alleyway, wheezing and coughing as he picked what trash he could off of himself. Though he wore rags, and was used to sifting through the bins, he never wished to wear its contents like this.

"Goddess... Please. Help me." He begged quietly as he pulled his knees in to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"You want help?" Came a strong, male voice from the road.

The vagrant started, trying and failing to jump away but slipping on the still-stuck-to-his-feet moisture once again, landing on his backside.

The man behind the voice stepped forward and ignited the oils on a a rag wrapped around the end of a metal rod. A torch. The light revealed him, and his armor, as one of the City Guard.

"Come with me, vagrant. There are better place for you to rest than this alleyway."

The vagrant blinked, unable to believe his ears.

"Wh-wh... What?" He whimpered.

The guard extended his hand with a smile.

"I was born on the streets myself. So I know your pain. Come. I know a place you can stay for the night."

The aging vagrant's eyes welled with tears as his lip quivered, eyeing the outstretched hand like a blessing come to life.

"Thank you." The vagrant whispered as he gripped the guard's hand.

Being easily lifted to his feet, the guard helped to brush him off before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Follow me and stay close. There are those in my patrol who aren't fond of our kind."

"Blessings be upon you, young one. Many blessings." The vagrant whimpered, sniffling and wiping his nose.

And so the vagrant was led to an old home nearby. The guard knocked on the door, and a tall, gangly, aging woman answered.

"Ah, Tomas. I see you brought a friend?" She asked, her voice scratchy, yet warm and oozing kindness.

"Yes, Gar. He's had a rough night, as you can probably tell from the smell."

Garnetta, or "Gar" to her friends, stepped out into the cold air to get a better look at the man under torchlight.

"Yes. I know that look all too well. Come inside, dear. We'll get you a nice bowl of soup, some new clothes, and a warm bed to sleep in tonight."

The vagrant nodded fervently as he stepped forward, taking her hands in his to wish her many blessings as he'd done with the guard. Gar called for one of the children, an orphan whom she'd since adopted, to guide the gentleman inside to get him cleaned up before turning to Tomas.

"Seems like old times, doesn't it?" She asked with a chuckle.

"Indeed. And I fear this will only continue with the shortage of medical supplies." He replied grimly.

"Yes... The sudden famine of medicinal herbs has been going on for a full year now, hasn't it?" She said, more than asked.

"Unfortunately. But the King's strategy of starting local gardens to grow them by hand while letting nature rejuvenate herself seems to be having a positive impact in most areas."

"Just not ours." Gar replied swiftly.

"... Yes. Unfortunately, that is true." Tomas replied softly.

Gar then smiled, gently tapping his chest armor with a closed fist, mimicking a punch.

"Don't look so down, Tomas. Valkyom and her people are hardy, and have lived through worse. You shouldn't give in to such talk as this so easily. I believe I taught you better than that, did I not?" She asked with a sly smirk.

Tomas chuckled.

"You certainly did, Gar. I should know better."

"Yes you should, young man. Now come here, and give ol' Gar a hug. Then get out of here and go back to your patrol."

Both shared a hearty laugh and embraced fondly, Gar rubbing his back like a mother does her child, before parting ways for the night.

Meanwhile, on the rooftops high above crouched a figure garbed all in black. Fists clenched tight and planted against the edge of the roof to support his weight, the silhouette of a male figure could just barely be seen against the deep violet night sky. With hair spiked in all directions, long broad shoulders tapering down like a V into a trim, lean waist before extending into thick, densely muscled legs, this most imposing figure glared down at the world with a permanent frown etched on his face. But most striking of all were a pair eyes aglow with an otherworldly crimson light, glaring harshly at the world below.

The Red-Eyed Demon observed Tomas' path as he disappeared around the street corner ahead before slowly standing to his full height of 6' 2" and taking a deep breath which, despite the relatively warm night air, escaped in a puff of steam through his nose.

His ears twitched as he heard a commotion in the distance to his left, and his head slowly rotated, as if on a flat, locked swivel, until it faced that direction. Closing his eyes, his ears picked up the sounds of a scream cut short. A mouth being covered? Or a life being ended? His eyes opened, and his head returned to a neutral position before suddenly jerking to the right as he caught wind of another sound. This time, what sounded like footsteps just behind and to the right of him. Turning sharply, dagger already out and his legs bent slightly, his eyes met the sight of a woman's figure slowly emerging from behind the entrance to the internal stairwell of the building he was on, and his posture immediately relaxed as the dagger was sheathed.

Into the faint light of the stars with her knee-length ponytail waving gently behind her stepped the beautiful and curvaceous Linde Xe' Almna, the "Angel of Cre' Est," and the most successful doctor in all the land.

"I can't say I ever expected to see you again." She said in a gentle, yet somber tone.

Silence was her reply, but as she scanned his face she smiled.

"It's good to see you, Shadow." She whispered.

He nodded quietly.

"What brings you here?" She asked.

Shadow's eyes narrowed, and his face turned ever so slightly further in her direction.

"It's not them, is it?"

He shook his head slowly.

"Then, who is it?" She asked, her tone carrying a touch more bite.

"I don't know just yet." He answered in a deep, subtly raspy voice.

Linde frowned "Are you tracking a lead of some kind?" She asked, crossing her arms.

He nodded. "I raided one of Te'i Sai's communication outposts in the forest and discovered a document naming one Utoros Geilam as a Person Of Interest."

"What does that mean?" She asked firmly.

He shook his head, earning an exasperated sigh as she slowly walked forward and stood next to him, looking out at the city skyline.

"Do you know why I came up here tonight?" She asked, giving him a sideways look.

He shook his head.

"It was to relax. Take in some cool evening air. And maybe lay down and do some stargazing." She said softly, putting her hand over her chest as her fingers subtly tightened against the fabric.

She turned towards Shadow, eyes pleading, yet still conveying a sense of finality.

"Whatever you're doing here... Keep it quiet, okay?"

He blinked.

"You know what I mean, Shadow. Right now, Valkyom can't afford any incidents surrounding you. No matter how peaceful the city looks right now," she trailed off as she looked towards the sea of buildings. "At any moment her people could snap, and we could have a very dangerous, potentially bloody situation on our hands." She whispered sadly, glancing down towards the roof of the Almna Apothecary and Clinic.

Her head whipped back to Shadow, her face holding a deep frown as her voice darkened. "Whatever you're doing here, you keep it quiet and maintain a low profile. And if you have to... Do what you do," she said with a bit of a grimace, "Kindly do so in a way that doesn't attract attention or cause a panic. Now swear to me." She demanded, holding up a fist at her shoulder level between the two of them.

Shadow took a deep breath, again letting it out through his nose on a small puff of steam as those red eyes flashed momentarily brighter, before gently gripping her fist in his hand with his fingers wrapping completely around it.

"I swear." He said firmly, yet quietly.

Linde's frown slowly faded into an uneasy smile, and she sighed through her nose as she nodded a few times.

"Thank you." She whispered as she turned away to face the city and sat down, leaning back on both hands.

"I'd like to stick to my plan of relaxing here tonight. Would you mind chasing your lead somewhere else?" She asked without looking back.

Without a word, and barely a sound despite his impressive stature, Shadow disappeared into the night with Linde glancing briefly over her shoulder.

"I swore to protect you. And I will..." She she whispered as her gaze returned to the city skyline.

"Even from him."

Linde then began to hum a melody to herself as the gentle breeze caressed her face and lazily swept her bangs out of her eyes.

 

[Mothman]

Life on the road was troublesome, to say the least. Dangerous, too. For a girl her size, Whimsey Mausinia had learned that cunning and skill would do far more for her in life than sheer strength ever could. If ever faced with a direct threat, she had zero qualms with playing the coward and retreating, or even just fleeing to put herself in a more advantageous position. She wouldn’t last a day as a mercenary or knight; a real battle would be more than enough to take her down, should she not have the option of retreating.

Thankfully, the assassination business was kind to her, in that regard. Rarely did she have to actually worry about self-defense in her travels, unless it was just some foolish bandit seeing her as an easy target. When it came to her own marks, she never had issues being stealthy. Sure, a handful of targets got to see her face before she was able to secure the kill, but what did that really matter? They were dead seconds after. Not a soul would be able to get any information out of them.

She had been doing this for a handful of years, at least three or four after leaving her old village of Cabaten, but didn’t keep track. It was rare for her to even keep track of the date, unless it regarded a deadline for a hit. Plus, inquiring about the date was generally a pretty decent icebreaker for would-be informers. The woman also didn’t keep track of how much blood she had on her hands, either. She worried that info would get to her more than she would appreciate...

Could one man be any more boring to watch? Or more tedious? She had been staking out this Utoros Geilam for days now, or at least trying to. His home was in a fairly residential area of the capital, but was just perfectly situated to make getting any information through his windows difficult, unless she decided to infiltrate one of the homes besides it. While her career was one littered with dirty deeds and blood, she had made it a point to never get more people involved than necessary. Other people, in her situation, would likely have marched into one of said homes and threatened the homeowner into letting them hang around. Perhaps going as far as killing them if they worried they would run their mouth to a guard…

Whimsey wasn’t like that. It was her job, and she could manage without aid. It was how she was raised, after all…

And so, she sat in an alleyway within earshot of this Utoros’ front door, keeping her eyes peeled on the door while making herself look busy by reading through the book she carried with her, pretending to sleep, or sharpening her knife. The busier she looked, the less suspicious others would be. Even the occasional passerby would get a kind greeting from the woman, and a warm smile to come with it.

Normally, one would spend this time finding out their target’s daily routine, confirming that they were after the right man, and things of the sort. Utoros, though, seemed to stay mostly confined in his home through the days, only leaving for trips to the taverns, which of course Whimsey would follow him to. Nearly a week passed of her stalking him out in the daytime, and returning to the room she had at the inn when it became late enough that the guard’s would get suspicious. Even after following him to multiple outings, and hearing some strange conversations with others he associated with, things just weren’t adding up with the reports and information she had received. Though, even if the stories didn’t add up, she was sure that this was the right man. The appearance and name were exactly what she had been told.

The girl eventually grew bored of sitting around and waiting for some sort of information to come to light, and was working with a deadline on Utoros’ head. It was the 15th Day of the Third Laetal Moon when she finally decided to quit sitting around and just get this job over with. Utoros didn’t seem particularly strong, or like he would pose a threat to her in the slightest. Waiting for night, she sat around in the darkness of that same alleyway until there wasn’t a soul on the street, before darting to the doorway and quickly working her magic. After picking locks for so many years, even well crafted, sturdy locks like the one on the door in front of her barely took half a minute.

With a satisfying click, she drew one of her knives, just in case the man was waiting at the door or in a room just beside it, and pushed it open slowly. Nobody. The candles in the downstairs rooms weren’t lit; either this man had already gone to bed, or was upstairs. Taking her chances, she shut and locked the door again behind her before creeping up the stairs. When she was still new at things like this, she got so much anxiety from sneaking around. Perhaps it came from a deeper, more human urge to not disappoint her mother, or she was just worried something would go terribly wrong. Now, though, she didn’t feel a thing, aside from a thankfulness that this job would finally be finished, and she could collect a pretty hefty paycheck for it.

With a candle lit just outside of a barely opened door on his top floor, Whimsey was certain she had found her man. Not caring for the stealthy approach she would take with target’s she saw as a threat, she put a hand on the doorknob and got ready to burst in, throw a knife in this man’s neck, and get going. There was a small garden behind the house, and the fence would be easily jumpable for her to make an easy enough escape.

Before she threw the door open, she put her ear up to it, hearing nothing more than some mumbling about whatever the man must have been reading or writing. Nothing to be gained from sitting here and trying to decipher it. Not wanting the man to have time to scream, as she was quite interested in the kind of valuables the man might have stashed around, she slid the door open quietly before making a dash to the chair the man was in. In the brief second she got to take in the room, she couldn’t help but note it was a very warm, homely sort of study. Bookshelves lined the walls, stacked with volumes Whimsey likely wouldn’t take any interest in.

The man turned towards the sound of her voice, but she had her free hand wrapped around his throat before he could say anything. Wrestling the man out of his chair, he was on the ground with Whimsey’s arm wrapped around his neck. It didn’t take long for her to have the knife in her hand pressed up against his throat. She was never one for speaking with her victims, so she generally kept it brief.

“Sorry.” Was all that escaped her before she slit his throat and continued to muffle his final attempts at crying out for help. Before long, the man went silent and motionless, WIth a small exhale of satisfaction, she wiped the blood clean from her knife and sheathed it, grabbing at the book she kept secured on her waist, and using a pen on Utoros’ desk to scribble the man’s name on a page near the front. A compendium she kept of every name, every life she had taken. She never counted it, as that was truthfully a number she didn’t want to know. Once that was taken care of, she resecured the book to her hip and ran a hand through her hair. “Rest easy.”

With that, she turned and intended to go through the man’s house and find at least a bit of coin to take with her. Perhaps to cover the coin she had been forced to use on so many nights at the Inn… As she turned to walk out of the room, her foot caught on something on the floor, making her pause and turn to look at just what it was. It was difficult to see, but there was a small notch in the floor. “Huh. That was fast.” Shrugging, she reached down and grabbed the board on the floor, pulling it upwards and revealing a small box under the floorboards. Hoping this was the man’s personal safe, she greedily grabbed at the container and pulled it out of the floor, opening it quickly enough. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a coin to be seen in it.

Instead, she pulled a few pieces of parchment out of the container, unfurling them to see just what was so important about them to have them hidden so. It detailed plans that had been previously made with Utoros to collect a bounty on another in exchange for him being used as what was essentially bait. When her eyes drifted a bit more down the page, she was surprised to see the Red-Eyed Demon being discussed as the bounty… Blinking a few times at the paper, she shook her head and tucked it away in her pocket. That was… Bothersome news, to say the very least. Not only was she uncovering information that clearly was not meant for her, as she didn’t have any care about the going-ons of Te’i Sai, or the Red-Eyed Demon.

Last she had checked, though, wasn’t the Red-Eyed Demon a member, or at least an associate of Te’i Sai…? Jeez, and now she had taken a target that was likely meant for the Red-Eyed Demon… Letting out a short sigh, she put the container back in the floor as it was, before moving downstairs to comb for gold once again. She left the house a few minutes later with only a few pieces of silver more than she came with. At least the paycheck would be worthwhile.

With way more to think about after taking a target than she would have preferred, she left out the back door and started on her way towards the exit of the capital. There was no reason for her to stick around at this point, when she could be collecting her bounty only a few towns over.


---

He never tired of Valkyom. Such a large, beautiful city, teeming with people all around. Children here were happy as they could be, and people here were generally quite kind. Helping each other when they were in need, forging bonds and loving all those around them. The music was quite wonderful in the capital, too, and Maretu was grateful he was fond of such performances, as there wasn’t a street one could walk down without being able to hear a performance. It was common that he found himself in Valkyom. Not only were there plenty of people he could pepper with questions to aid with his research, he had a few close friends in the capital that were willing to house him when he stayed in the area, so long as they got to hear the latest on his research.

Though, despite frequenting the city, and having a certain location on his bucket list for so long, he had yet to actually go through with it. To meet a woman by the name of Linde Xe’ Almna. The Almna Apothecary and Clinic was at the height of medical science, with Linde herself behind a lot of the advancement. It could quite a lot to earn the title of the ‘Angel of Cre’ Est’, after all. One of likely the most intriguing minds in the country, and Maretu had yet to meet her. He was more than aware that this Lidne was likely an extremely busy woman, but even so, the researcher side of him begged to meet with her. Perhaps she would at least agree to a conversation over a drink?

It was questions such as those that brought him to the front door of the Almna Apothecary and Clinic. A couple bright, colored flowers in his hands he had noticed on his walk from the place he was staying, through the marketplace. An offering of good intention, he supposed, even if a gesture such as the one he was about to go through generally meant far more than a psychological chat over tea. Maretu was dense to a fault, and while he was absolutely enamored with the mind, love and romance were things he paid no mind in. Perhaps he could say that he loved his research, in a sense, as well as his parents, but a romantic love had never crossed his mind in the past. No childhood crushes, no sweethearts he had met during his travels, even if a few had tried to make their own advances onto Maretu in the past.

And so, he found himself stopping in front of the clinic’s doors, unsure if he should just step inside of the clinic and ask for Linde? No, surely he would be seen as strange, if he were to do that… Would knocking truly be any different, though? No, not likely. With a small sigh at his own social incompetence when it came to introductions, he opted simply to knock on the door and pray that Linde was the one to answer it.
​

 

[GojiBean]

As the taps came to the door, the receptionist in the lobby looked up from her notes and set her pen down.

"Coming!" She called sweetly.

As the door was pulled open, Maretu would behold a bautiful young strawberry blonde girl approximately 5' in height and looking just barely old enough to actually be considered an "employee" by current Cre' Itian labor laws. With clear skin, save for a few freckles sprinkled about her nose and cheeks, accompanied by a thin frame and hair billowing behind her like an under-control waterfall, she gestured for him to enter.

"Please! Come in, sir!" She said as she scampered immediately back to the ornately decorated desk with two potted flowers on the right, a few books of patient notes, names, and work orders on the left, and a quill pen with an ink glass, and a stack of clean parchment next to the girl's right arm.

"You seem in good health. By chance do you require medical treatment?" She asked, taking pen in hand and waiting to take down his particulars.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Oh, goodness, I'm sorry to intrude, Miss..." Maretu chuckled and scratched at his neck for a short moment as he stepped inside, taking in the fairly comfortable lobby as he did. His hand tensed on the flowers in his hand for a moment as he followed the receptionist over to her counter, surprised to hear her ask if he needed any medical aid or anything of the sort. Considering it for a moment, he realized that was the completely normal thing to ask. Why else would he be knocking at the door of a clinic...?

Letting out a small exhale, he put on his normal friendly smile and nodded to the woman. "Oh, I'm completely fine, I assure you. Sorry to be taking up your time. I was, uh, actually hoping to meet with Miss Xe' Almna, if she's around?" He let the request hang on the air for a few moments, before realizing he sounded terribly odd, not giving a reason. "I'm a researcher, and have heard wonderful things about Miss Xe' Almna. If she would be so willing, I would love to sit down and test her out and pick at her brain." Another pause followed his words as he set the flowers in his hands on the counter, glancing over towards the window. Sure, it was still midday, but they were in Valkyom, for godsake. Linde was probably terribly busy, now that he thought about it...

"N-Not right now, of course! I simply wanted to extend the formal offer. My name is Maretu Arjun, by the way. I'm a researcher, but I'm not popular enough in my field for her to possibly know of me." A friendly laugh followed his words once again as he reached for the satchel on his shoulder, pulling out the volume he kept to write his notes and theories in and gesturing to the woman with it, as if that would somehow make him one hundred percent believable.​

 

[GojiBean]

The receptionist's pen dug into the parchment of her notes slightly, causing her to gasp and quickly pull it back.

"Um... Pardon? But you wish to... Test her out?" She asked rather indignantly with a slight blush in her cheeks.

"E-e-either way! To speak to Doctor Almna directly requires-uh... An appointment for consultation. Perhaps I could uh, pen you in for one? We have two openings in about an hour, if you can wait that long." She asked, seemingly hesitant to reveal the information.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"To chat over a cup of tea, perhaps, and inquire about her career, yes." Maretu didn't seem even slightly aware he had spoken in such an odd way, his hands occupied with tucking his journal snug back into his bag as he spoke. As he looked back up and saw the receptionist blushing a bright red color, he blinked a few times as he tried to realize just what was with the sudden change in cheek color. Retracing what he said a moment ago to make sure he hadn't said something rude, nothing seemed amiss to him.

Oh well, he supposed. It didn't really matter. Getting all in a fuss about this receptionist would wear his brain out and make it difficult to get the absolutely stimulating conversation he believed he would have with Linde. One of the most influential members of Cre' Est's medical field in recent history? Oh, what a gold mind of helpful opinions, information, and thoughts she would be! He was like an overjoyed child on Christmas, looking forward to nothing more than a chat with Linde.

"An hour? Not a problem at all. Oh, and forgive me for not referring to her properly. Doctor Almna would surely be displeased to hear that slip of the tongue on my point." He referred only to the fact he had called the woman by Miss as opposed to Doctor, wanting to show the respect to Linde that she most definitely deserved. "Is there any issue with me simply sitting here?" He gestured to a chair in the lobby, presuming he could take the next hour to draft up some lines of thought he would absolutely love to get the woman's take on.​

 

[GojiBean]

The girl tentatively tapped her pen on the parchment.

"U-uh. I don't think Doctor Almna would hold it against you if you called her "Miss." We call her "Doctor" because, well, we work for her. But-ah-I'm sorry. Never mind."

She dipped the pen in the ink glass and prepared to write.

"May I have your name, please, sir? And what time did you want to see Doctor Almna? We have a consultation opening in about an hour, and one for later this evening just before sundown. Which do you prefer?" She asked.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Maretu Arjun. And, well, I'd like to run my request by her as soon as possible, so don't mind me. If I were to go all the way back to where I'm staying, I'd have to turn right around and come back. An hour it is, I really do appreciate it." Nodding to the woman and expressing his gratitude, he set to work scribbling away in his journal yet again. Now that he was in the mindset of getting to potentially speak with Linde, his brain was on overdrive. So much he wanted to ask her, but even he knew that there was no way he would get all of these questions he was jotting down to Linde in one meeting.

"Oh, how could I forget!" Maretu had completely forgotten he had brought flowers, and gestured towards the gift still resting on the receptionist's counter. Shutting his book and hopping up, he grabbed them and brought them back over to where he was sitting, letting them rest on the chair next to him. "Terribly sorry for just leaving those there, Miss."

As the next fair bit of time passed, he seemed wholly focused on his notes, mumbling the occasional phrase of frustration with his brain would hit a wall, and following it with a smirk and small 'aha' when he figured out the words he was looking for.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

The receptionist wrote down his name on her parchment list, noted the time frame, and was about to confirm his appointment for him when he came back from sitting down and grabbed his flowers.

"Uh..."

She gently shook her head and returned to checking her notes from earlier. A few recent purchases had been incorrectly documented, so it was her job to correct them whenever time presented itself.

And as the minutes ticked by, thirty minutes before Maretu's consultation, someone with an appointment arrived.

"Name, please!" The receptionist asked.

"Torald Ne'it. I have an appointment for right now."

Just as the receptionist was about to speak, the door behind and to the left of her desk opened, and Linde emerged. Dressed in a long white doctor's robe, deep indigo blue pants tight to her frame, a light purple-pink shirt beneath, and a pair of dark brown knee high boots to top off the ensemble, she stood proud and straight like one would expect of someone occupying such a dignified position. She stood taller than most women in Cre' Est at 5' 8" (the average height being 5' 3") with a large D-cup bust and a trim, tight waist. Her hair flowed behind her, tied near the end with a pink scrunchie in a long ponytail reaching to her knees. Her bangs perfectly framed her face on one side, and softly outlined it on the other. And if a single smile could illuminate a room like a light house beacon, hers was the closest to doing the job.

"Good afternoon, Torald. Please, come in." She said in a soft, silky, heavenly voice as she gestured for him to enter.

He eagerly followed, walking past with a smile and a nod of his head which she returned before closing the door behind herself.

"Mister Arjun, you're up next." The receptionist stated before returning to her book keeping.

Time continued to pass. Minute by minute. Tick by tick. The sun dial in the window now indicated that it was within five minutes of Maretu's appointment. And the door to the back opened as Torald emerged, the door held for him by Linde as he made his thankful exit, much to her delight. Linde then went back inside and closed the door, and time continued to pass.

And at last, the moment had arrived.

"Mister Arjun, the doctor will-"

The door opened once again, and Linde stood holding the door with a hand on her hip.

"Mister Arjun?" She asked, gesturing for him to enter the space.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

While he had heard accounts of Linde's appearance, seeing her in person was a different story. The 'Angel of Cre' Est' certainly wasn't just a title for show. She seemed like the kind of person that anyone, no matter how untrusting, could confide in her. As she came out the first time, Maretu nearly missed her, mistaking her voice for just another worker, or someone of the sort. Glancing up, he only got a short glimpse of the woman before she was gone. Jeez, and he really thought this woman would make time to listen to his cockamamie theories? She was a legend in Cre' Est, he was just a man with some odd ways of thinking... Even others who had taken interest in his studies and tried to pursue the topic as well seemed to be getting farther than he was. They had connections with some of the finest medical professions in the world, who, even if they knew equally as little about the human mind as Maretu and his colleagues did, and said medical personnel could be invaluable sources of information.

"Of course. Thanks once again." Maretu nodded to the receptionist and looked back to his notes, furrowing his brow and trying to figure out just how he would go about this. It had been a few years, now, and his research had never gotten past odd theories and conjecture... Perhaps he was starting to adopt a bit of a starving artist mentality, and worried that he was just wasting time trying to play scientist. Maybe he was better off back home as a shopkeep...

"No, no, stop that, Maretu..." Muttering to himself, he tried to get himself back in the proper head space. He couldn't turn all mopey and worry about failure when he hadn't even spoken with Linde, yet. Shaking his head as he crossed one leg over the other, he shut his eyes and just took a few breaths to relax. This was a never before explored field of research. Matters of the mind and matters of the heart, things that mankind had yet to look at through a critical lens. Sure, others had absolutely asked similar things than what he had. Why do people respond in certain ways to ____? What prompts these reactions, on a scientific level?

Before he could dig too deep into his own mind, the receptionist was calling his name yet again, and he nearly immediately shot up from his chair. Now, he got a real look at Linde, and couldn't help but smile at the warmth of her voice. In truth, the woman reminded him of his mother, or at least how she was when she was younger. Grabbing the flowers he had resting on the chair next to him, he stood up and quickly followed the woman inside the room, letting out a small chuckle as he stepped inside.

"Goodness, Doctor Almna, your reputation precedes you. I've heard only the best, you know." Fiddling with his own coat, which, while a bit different than the doctor intended coat that Linde wore, gave off a similar vibe. As he took in the room in front of him for a moment, he realized he wasn't even sure how to ask Linde what he was here for. "First of all, uh, I suppose I apologize for taking up your time. I'm in perfect health, but I hopped to crave a boon of you, Doctor Almna." Gesturing to himself, he held the flowers out for the woman. "I realize now that these probably mean very little to you, but I brought these from the marketplace. Just to be, er, formal and everything." Shrugging, he ran a hand up and through his hair. An awkward habit of his, fiddling with his long hair.

"Jeez, I must sound like some sort of maniac..." Clearing his throat, he tucked his hands in the pocket of his coat and exhaled. "From the top... My name is Maretu Arjun. It's really a pleasure to finally meet you, Doctor Almna. I'm a researcher, of sorts, and I study the human mind. Process of thought, matters of heartbreak and trauma, things of that sort. I don't have much to show in terms on concrete findings, unfortunately... Just theories, conjecture, and things of the sort." Humming to himself for a moment, he pulled his book out of his bag once again. "I wanted to extend a, uh, formal request. Scientist to scientist. If you would be inclined, I would love nothing more than to sit down and run some of my theories by you, Doctor Almna. Though, I suppose, now that I'm here and running this by you, I feel like some sort of dumb kid talking to a celebrity." Laughing to himself for a short moment, he allowed his words to sink in and for Linde to respond in kind.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde wasn't sure what to address first. The man? The flowers? The information about what he does? It was all so... Sudden.

"Well, mister Arjun. Thank you very much for these flowers." She said, taking a moment to sniff them before turning around and opening a small floor cabinet.

Removing a vase, she set the flowers inside and set it by the window before taking a cup and filling it with water at the nearby sink and pouring it into the vase.

"There." She whispered.

She washed her hands, and sat down at the desk while gesturing for him to sit in the chair opposite her.

"You are most kind, mister Arjun. I'm afraid my reputation is a bit over exaggerated at times. But I try my best to live up to it whenever possible." She explained with a soft chuckle, partially covering her mouth with her left hand.

Resting her elbows on the table, and keeping her hands near her chin, she cupped her left hand over her right as she looked into the man's eyes.

"So, you research the mind. Correct?" She asked, gently shaking her head. "I'm afraid the mind itself is not really my area of expertise. However, if I am able to answer any questions you have, then I'm happy to do so as a fellow researcher of sorts."

She leaned back in her chair a bit.

"So please, ask away... But maybe limit it to three questions at a time, if you please. I can only keep so many things straight in my head at once, after all." She chuckled.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

As she agreed to answer a few questions for him, his mouth went agape in surprise, and he sat down with a beaming grin on his face. "You've no idea how happy that makes me to hear, Doctor Almna!" Laughing to himself for a moment, he dug out his pen and opened his booklet up to a new page, keeping a finger pressed under his pages from earlier to refresh himself on his inquiries. "I hope you don't mind me sharing something a bit... Personal, to start things off." Tapping his pen on the paper for a short moment, he crossed a leg and propped his book on it.

"I've been doing this research for a few years, now... I used to work as a shopkeep, a family business. I tried to conduct my research while balancing that, and I eventually had a large number of people confiding in me. I never knew the average person was so troubled... Deaths in the family, abuse from loved ones, a sense of overall hopelessness... The problems were many." Shaking his head, he pressed his fist against his cheek with a frown on his face. "I wanted to do something. To help these people who were suffering from irreparable mental damages... Scars that would never heal. Have you ever, so to say, dealt with a patient with injuries of the heart? I know it's not possible to heal a wound like one of the mind like it is a physical ailment, but even so... I'm struggling to find answers." Laughing once again to himself, he leaned back in the chair and glanced over at the wall.

"I suppose you could call it my own problem of the heart, too. On a more positive note, though, what made you pursue a life in the medical field? I would guess you likely began without any intention of one day becoming the Angel of Cre' Est, am I right?" Trying to flip the mood around, he put his friendly grin back on and tried to laugh away his worries. "I suppose I started off a little strong, now didn't I? My sincerest apologies..."

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

At first, things seemed normal. And then he asked about whether or not she would share something personal, which caused her left eyebrow to arch slightly, although she maintained her smile. The more he spoke, she more she saw where he came from and what he had experienced. And it was not terribly dissimilar to her own experience as a doctor. And as he asked if she'd dealt with patients who'd had experiences of the nature which he described, she could only lower her eyes to the table and sigh softly through her nose.

But before she could answer, he continued on asking what made her pursue life in the medical field and whether she'd intended to become who she was today.

She took in a deep breath through her nose and let it out almost soundlessly through her mouth before opening her eyes.

"Well, to begin with your first question... Yes." She said softly.

Again, her eyes trailed down to the table as her hands, still cupped together in front of her mouth, gently touched her lips.

"There have been many a patient who have come to my clinic seeking answers to private woes. I believe it's not at all an exaggeration to say that these personal wounds far more greatly affect people than physical wounds do. But, as you said, I have no cures, treatments, or methods for dealing with such things. All I can do is offer a consultation session, much like this one, where I listen to them and try to encourage them that everything will be all right."

Her eyes trailed along the table until they landed on his robe, taking in the color and the unusual style compared to her own rather plain white robe.

"In a way... I suppose I'm just playing the role of doctor when they come to me about such things."

Her mind suddenly pulled her away from the conversation with Maretu, into a world of twilight with rooftops all around lit by flames. Scanning the area, she realized she had been taken back to the village of Hi'fa, which was only 10 miles away from Valkyom. A small, rural village with nothing special about it save for the fact that it was the home of the famous Vermillion Pie, made by Renald and Georgia Vermillionos. But on this day, just over one year ago, Linde had been stopping at the village on business when it was attacked and subsequently burned to the ground. And as she recalled the purpose of her stop here, she looked down and saw a little girl in her arms. Crying.

"M-... Mommy?" The girls whispered.

She was missing her left arm below the elbow. Hacked off by one of the wretched beasts who attacked this place. Linde had bound her arm to stop the bleeding. But the look in the little girl's eyes was unmistakable. They neither confirmed, nor denied life. They only stared a hole through Linde, whom Linde herself doubted the girl could even see. The poor thing saw only the dark sky, painted red with the glow of the fires all around. And likely only the memories of whatever atrocities had befallen her parents before their inevitable demise.

And just like that, Linde was back in the present time with a soft gasp.

Taking a moment to collect herself, Linde let out another silent sigh through her mouth before continuing.

"Anyway..." She began, sitting up a bit straighter and re-donning her smile.

"I originally knew I would become a doctor when I was young. My mother was a doctor as well before her retirement just a few years ago. She taught me everything she knew, and what I couldn't learn from her I learned from other mentors in the field. I can't say that I intended to become a famous figure, by any stretch of the imagination. But apparently curiosity and a desire for experimenting with new things can lead to some rather interesting twists of fate." She said.

Her final words hit Linde herself harder than she'd intended as a vision of two glowing red eyes flashed through her mind earning the briefest freeze in her breath, which hitched audibly in her throat before she cleared it and ran a hand through her hair.

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask me about?"

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"That's... What I want to accomplish." As he spoke, he was writing as fast as his hand would allow him. This would all be valuable data for him to put into his theories at a later date, knowing all of this from Linde's point of view. "I know it sounds absolutely stupid, and an impossible feat, but it's a dream of mine." His pen stopped for a short moment as he looked up and met eyes with Linde, he clicked his lips a few times to reset his thoughts.

"I've offered my fair share of words to those in such pain, too. I'm not a licensed doctor or anything of the sort, of course, just a man who wants to help... But it's difficult. Words can only do so much to someone in such mental disarray, after all. I can't imagine any combination of herbs doing all that much, either, though..." The topic seemed to trouble him more as he discussed it more, getting a worried look in his eyes. A hand moved up to adjust his glasses as he went silent, moving to focus on his notes for another short moment. A short sigh escaped him as he stopped writing, and he once again moved his attention back to Linde.

"I suppose that was the gist of it... I wanted the Angel of Cre' Est's take on the whole issue, is all. On issues of the mind and heart." Setting his pen down entirely, he decided to focus solely on the conversation for the time being, and leave the matter of writing notes and conforming them into new theories was another matter. "I'm not taking up too much time, am I? Kick me out whenever, I know you're quite a busy woman." Gesturing to the door with his hand, he seemed ready to leave whenever. His first question was the one he really wanted to get off of his chest, but that didn't mean he was discontent with asking more questions.

"But, I suppose while we're here..." Glancing down at the paper in his lap, he flipped back to his page of original notes, and decided to ask another pressing question on his mind. "How do you cope with it? I'm sure you've seen your fair share of deaths in this Clinic, as unfortunate as it is. I'm unaware if you here at the clinic deal with funerals, as well, but I can't image it's a fun process. I've, uh, never actually watched somebody die, but I've heard of a handful of deaths in the family. I suppose it's just the way the world is, but even so, things like that can ruin somebodies entire life..."​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde was grateful he didn't seem to notice or press the issue of her breath hitching, and what it could have implied. These new questions were all too familiar to her, and much more comfortable territory.

"You're not wrong." She said softly, leaning forward on her elbows.

"My clinic has seen a number of patients die on our beds and in our surgery room. Sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you fight. Nor does the will to live on the part of the patient matter. Sometimes, death is simply inevitable. My mother taught me to accept that reality when I was very young. So I can't say that I personally have been hugely affected by what deaths I have seen..."

Her eyes quickly shifted to her right, looking at the table, before before coming back to Maretu's.

"But just because I am used to it and have come to accept it doesn't mean others have. And I've seen many, many patients descend into despair, hopelessness, and some have even ended up committing suicide after losing their loved ones. It's a tragic cycle, and one we doctors aren't really equipped to handle. So in all honesty, mister Arjun, I do hope that your theories end up going somewhere. Maybe you could help enhance the medical field with such studies in the future. Or at least help to put the world on the path to uncovering some of the mystery behind why our minds go to the places they do-" She said, her voice cutting off suddenly as the final syllable escaped her lips.

Again, those red eyes flashed through her mind before she subtly shook it off and smiled again.

"You know, mister Arjun. I may not know how the mind works, or why. But I do know a few things that have a strange effect on it, both medicinal and physical. If you would like me to demonstrate?" She asked.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Yeah..." A small sigh escaped him as Linde spoke about death sometimes being inevitable. Everyone died eventually, that was just how it was, and he knew it was far beyond man's reach to try and change that fact. Even he, of course, would be slated to die eventually. All he could hope for was that he would live a long, fulfilling life. "I can only hope they lived long, happy lives..." He spoke the words sourly, knowing full well that wasn't the case. So many people died with regrets... Confessions they never made, apologies to those they loved, hatchets they never buried with friends. It was a sad, sad cycle, and Maretu hated that it was the way their world worked.

"If I could even just jumpstart the research into that field, I would be beyond thrilled. Again, all I have are theories. I'm not licensed to try anything medicinal, and I'm only able to consult others on a fairly base level. I do, however, appreciate your kindess, Doctor Almna. It brings me great joy to know the Angel of Cre' Est herself sees at least some validity in all of my nonsense." Laughing at his own expense once again, a common and perhaps self-deprecating habit of his, he perked up a bit as Linde discussed a practical method to affect the mind. Something like that could be exactly the step in the right direction he had been searching for! Even if it was small, it could go a long way.

"O-Of course, Doctor Almna! If you have anything at all, I encourage you to show me!" He stood up at her question if she should go as far as demonstrating it, nodding eagerly and setting his book down. "Just let me know whatever you need me doing. Is what you're about to show me something you've practiced on patients, too? Or, am I your guinea pig?"​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde sighed inwardly, relieved that Maretu hadn't mentioned her speech cutting off or the hitch in her throat. Far too many noticed and questioned her on it, making for rather awkward conversation.

"Very well. If you please, just remain seated." She said as she rose from her chair and put her hands on his shoulders while gently pushing down to urge him to sit once again.

"So, like I said before I don't know how or why this works. Only that it does." She said softly.

She placed her soft, smooth hands against his neck, fingers towards the sides of his neck and her thumbs on either side of his spine.

"My studies in medicine and surgery led me to learn more about why our bodies do what they do. I haven't made much progress, but I know that what we call the nervous system functions in ways that go beyond physicality."

Her thumbs gently began to rub up and down on his neck, much like a soft massage.

"The stimulation we receive from a soft touch like this automatically triggers a reaction. What kind of reaction is unique to each individual, and also seemingly to each situation. But most commonly, a touch like this comes from someone you are close to. And it triggers an emotional response of happiness, relaxation, or sometimes even arousal." She cooed.

Her thumbs continued to rub up and down on either side of his spine at the base of his skull. However, her right thumb slowly veered off course to the right side of his neck, about halfway down, and about one inch off the spine.

"However, these stimulations and subsequent responses are caused by something in the mind. And if I apply pressure just... Here..." She said, gently applying pressure to the spot her thumb landed on.

"You should feel all sense of emotional response slowly dissipate the longer my thumb remains here. And eventually, you'll barely feel my left thumb at all." She continued, keeping her left thumb gently rubbing up and down alongside his spine.

"Something about this specific nerve pathway seems to have a link to emotional response to physical stimuli, no matter where in the body it comes from." She concluded, continuing her gentle massage with the left thumb and applying soft, but firm pressure with the right while waiting for him to confirm the intended result.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"O-Oh, of course!" Maretu nodded and sat back down just as quickly as he had rocketed up, not seeming even the slightest bit bothered as Linde stepped forward and put her hands by his neck. The average man would probably be a bit amazed, to have such a beautiful woman known far and wide this close to them, but where that average man would be eager for other reasons, Maretu was eager because whatever Linde was about to do would give him excellent information.

"Nervous system..." He nearly reached over to write that key term down his book then and there, but didn't want to interrupt where Linde was going with it. The sensation was just as she described it; as her fingers started to work up and down his neck, he could practically feel his muscles relax. It was a soothing touch for certain, and one he definitely would admit he was enjoying. "I must admit, I do feel quite relaxed..." He validated what the woman was saying with a smile, letting out a deep breath of relief as she continued.

A small gasp of surprise escaped her as Linde moved to cut that sensation off, and it worked like a charm. It literally made his jaw drop as, as the woman said, he could barely feel the woman's thumb on his neck anymore. Letting out a small whistle, he tilted his head up to look at the woman. "Gods, Doctor Almna, that's incredible! To think the mind could be linked to the physical body in such a way; it's unthinkable! It had never once crossed my mind that such a thing was possible, outside of odd ways that mostly center around tricking people into believing it... This is a huge step, exactly what I've been looking for!" Laughter followed his words as he reached over and grabbed his book, scribbling a few key points of Linde's demonstration to further elaborate on in the future.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde was rather surprised when he suddenly reached for his book to scribble some things down into it, but couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping.

"Well, I'm glad I could help inspire you." She said calmly as she released the pressure on the one spot and returned her thumb to his neck.

"Don't mind me. Go ahead and keep scribbling, as I've got a bit of talking to do before my next demonstration." She urged, continuing to massage his neck.

"The nerve I just put pressure on is called the vagus nerve. And don't ask how I figured this out, but it runs from the brain through the face and down into the thorax. In other words, through your chest. But this is just a macro viewpoint. When you look closer, it has numerous small branches that go to different places. The heart, lungs, helps control larynx, also known as your voice box, and extends all the way down to your gastrointestinal tract. And while it is largely responsible for controlling these muscles and organs, it's the side of the nerve closest to the brain, the part I put pressure on just now, that seems to be the center for emotional stimuli and response. Or at least, the brain's ability to perceive such things in response to what happens to the body. And I have a theory that it relates to the two large tissue nodes, which I guess you could refer to as nervous tissues, if we're using doctor's lingo, that are responsible for this perception. I don't have the means to prove that. However, the spot I just put pressure on is one of those two nerve tissue nodes, which I believe at least lends a little credence to my theory."

Her left hand stopped.

"Another observation I made in my studies is that the vagus nerve runs towards the very center of the brain itself after it leaves the region of the spinal cord. I believe that this central region of the brain is the final component for emotional stimuli, and that the reason the vagus nerve affects it so is because it's the one most directly connected to that region."

Her left hand stayed where it was, while her right hand started moving again.

"Again, these are only my theories, so please don't quote me as having confirmed any of this." She chuckled.

"Is there anything else about the nervous system you'd like to know about? That's really where my area of expertise lies, outside of general medicine and physical therapy."

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

Even with the woman's hands on her neck, he found himself writing at a faster and more concise pace than he normally would. He wasn't stopping to ponder just what the right word was, or where to go next in his train of thought. He first chalked it up to Linde's massage, but realized quickly it was more likely because of just how eager he was to look more and more into this. It was groundbreaking, to say the very least, to his theories. Things that, before, he couldn't find a single thread of tangible reasoning as to why they happened, could now potentially be explained away thanks to Linde's knowledge of the nervous system.

He listened intensely as Linde explained more about her findings, as well as vagus nerve, and was once again face first in his book and recording whatever he could manage. These were all things he would have to test in the near future, and he was truthfully thrilled out of his mind to finally have some sort of tangible idea to go along with his theories. Hell, even if it ended up being completely incorrect, it was a start, and that was the best part. He was getting somewhere. He knew coming to speak with Linde was a wonderful idea, and scolded himself for doubting it for even a minute.

After realizing he had been silent for quite some time, he shook his head a bit to snap himself out of his writing and looked up at the woman once again. "I'm sorry, Doctor Almna, you've left me quite speechless! I'm not even sure what to say, something like this is exactly what I've been looking for. This gives me something tangible, something real, to experiment with, now! Oh, Doctor Almna, you've no idea how grateful I am that you've taking the time to share this with me! These effects, things that you trigger by manipulating the nervous system, are they generally temporary?" He set his pen down once again and focused on Linde, though, if her next words were half as informative as her previous ones, he assumed he'd likely be picking it up in just a moment once again.​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde was smiling at first, though that smile soon turned to one of subtle embarrassment at his continued praise and speaking so highly of the information she'd just relayed. Still, she was honestly happy to have helped him. Even if it wasn't in the clinic or with respect to some kind of remedy, helping people was part of her oath as it never specified whether that help was isolated to her clinic work.

Again, she couldn't stop herself from chuckling as he finished speaking and asked his next question.

"That depends, I suppose." She laughed.

"You see, when a nerve is severed, it's dead... For good. I mentioned that the vagus nerve connects to your heart and lungs. So you can guess what happens if that nerve is severed." She said with a subtly grim tone.

"Anyway, much of the nervous system is still being figured out. And I'm happy to say that I get to be a part of it!" She said with a little victory pose and chuckle.

"Anything else?"

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Goodness, this is a lot of information..." Muttering to himself as Linde carried on, he noted also that tinkering with one's nerves could have inverse effects. Fatal ones, too, if Linde was correct. Finally shutting his book, he tucked it away in his satchel and let out a long exhale of relief. "But, wow, Doctor Almna, this is more than enough to get me a baseline. If only I were a real doctor, I could test on the relation between the mind and the nerve much more efficiently, but I suppose I'll have to make do." Shrugging, he stood up.

"As I said, my goal is mainly to find ways for those burdened by terrible traumas and mental pains to heal. Or, at worst, provide some sort of long term relief. I'm hoping this can set me on the right track." After giving a short nod, he stood up and offered a hand out to Linde. "Thank you once again, Doctor Almna. I'm sure I've taken up plenty of your time by now, and you probably have patients with much more urgent matters than my silly little theories. Perhaps I'll swing by again in the future, if I make any progress with my research?" He offered the idea open-endedly, giving Linde plenty of room to deny more visits from the man. While he had certainly appreciated the conversation, he worried that Linde wasn't as interested in hearing him prattle on. The man had been told many times in the past he had a tendency to talk too much.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde smiled and took his hand in hers, giving it a good shake.

"It was nice meeting you, mister Arjun. I'd be happy to see any progress you've made in the future if you choose to stop by. I am, after all, a researcher like you." She chuckled, letting go of his hand.

"One more thing I should mention. This is just one more theory, but it comes from simple and continued observation of patients and how they've reacted to different things over the years. And I've found that there are various things that trigger the kind of "feel better" result you seem to be looking for. Those things include: music, the sound of a lover or parent's voice, and sometimes a gesture, often as simple as holding their hand, brings a significant amount of comfort, and can do wonders for certain patients under the right circumstances. I had a young boy, maybe eight years old, come into my clinic about three weeks ago suffering from a concussion he sustained in a fall from his second story room when trying to escape a burglar intent on kidnapping him. His mother died about a year ago, and we found it difficult to calm him as he cried and screamed while in our care. And what eventually calmed him down was when my nurse, Othalia, picked him up, held him close, and sang to him. His tears and screaming stopped, and he ended up falling asleep right there in her arms. And from them on, until we were assured he he'd gotten through the worst of his concussion, as long as Othalia was there to hold his hand he would let us do whatever we needed to address the wounds he'd sustained from his fall."

Throughout the whole story, Linde held that calm, almost motherly smile.

"It was... Rather beautiful to see, if I may be so bold as to say it." She whispered.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Oh, wow... Beautiful, indeed. Sometimes, it's the little things. Still, that boy's probably going to be reeling from that incident for the rest of his life... The poor kid." A small sigh escaped him as he grabbed for his satchel and threw it over his shoulder. "If it's any consolation, I've seen a handful of others manage to use their past trauma for the better. As inspiration, and things of that sort, you know? Quite impressive, if you ask me." Nodding to the woman, he gave a small wave to the woman as he made for the door.

"Well, anyways, I've kept you long enough. You'll see me again in the future, I assure you." Smiling and bowing to the woman, he turned and walked out the door, planning to return to his temporary place of residence and take some time to focus on his notes. "Take care!" With that, he was gone, giving a nod to the receptionist and heading back out onto the streets, whistling to himself as he walked. That had gone almost too good. He had so much to work with now, he wasn't even sure where to start with it!

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

A thunderous crash followed by an earthshaking thud destroyed the tranquility of a quiet suburban home near the edge of the Common District of Cre' Est. The occupying family, consisting of a husband, wife, and two young boys, stared in fear and awe as a man in gray robes with a strange black insignia on the back groaned and rolled to one side amidst a heap of broken floorboards and what was now left of part of a ceiling crossbeam. One of the young boys tried to inch closer to get a better look, but was promptly grabbed and pulled back by his mother.

It was then a figure, clad all in black, descended through the hole in the ceiling. Landing with a foot on either side of the other man's waist, this new arrival stood tall and confident as he seemingly glared down at the man with his back to the family.

The one on the ground coughed several times, which soon turned into choked chuckling as he gasped for breath.

"You-cough-you think you know...cough... anything?" He gasped.

The figure in black remained still as the one in robes rolled onto his back, smiling through a blood soaked mouth and spitting some of it onto the boots of his tormentor.

"You know a name." He coughed. "A name, and nothing more. And you'll not learn anything new from me."

The figure in black removed a wicked fourteen inch dagger from behind his back, the blade being a translucent green with a liquid-like black core with strands reaching out towards the edges of the blade along its length.

"You think-cough-that blade frightens me?"

The figure knelt down, nearly sitting on the man's stomach, as he held the blade to his throat.

"If I can't learn anything from you... Then your life is forfeit." He growled, pressing the blade to the man's throat.

"STOP!" Came a scream from behind.

The robed figure slowly looked over, and the figure clad in black subtly turned his head. It was the wife, holding the younger of her two children in her arms and trying to force the child to look over her shoulder and away from what was happening.

"Please! There are children here! Children!!" She cried.

"I beg of you! Don't show them something so awful!" She continued.

"Dad? What's mommy talking about?" The older son asked.

"Nothing, boy. Stand behind me." The father said, gently pushing his son behind him.

The robed figure grinned a bloody, toothy grin.

"You're wasting your time. This one-cough...cough-Doesn't compromise." He gasped.

The figure in black was frozen in place, blade still pressed to the man's throat.

"I beg you. Please. Don't show this to my boys. Please." The wife asked in a softer voice filled with defeat.

The figure in black seemed visibly shaken. His hand holding the blade trembled, causing tiny cuts to appear in the man's skin with small trickles of blood dripping down the side as the robed man hissed in pain. His shoulders trembled, and his jaw clenched tightly.

"What are you waiting for?" The robed one hissed.

"This isn't you." He continued, spitting bloody saliva against the figure's chin and neck area.

The blade pushed against his throat a bit harder, silencing him and causing the wife to gasp and turn away, keeping her smaller son's face hidden while the father turned to hide the sight from the elder son. The blade remained still, but the other fist, held out to the side, continued shaking. A hiss of a breath escaped the figure. His breathing growing heavier and deeper by the second.

And finally... He stood up, wiped the blade on his leg, sheathed it, and stepped off of the robed man as he walked to the nearest window and disappeared.

With his departure, the husband looked to the robed man. He was still there. Still alive. His neck was bleeding, but he was breathing and seemingly relaxed now that his life was no longer on the line. He panted deeply, catching his breath from his fall. But the father couldn't leave it like this. Whoever these men were, they were both trespassers. He immediately instructed his older son to stay with his mother as he exited the house and flagged down a passing guard patrol. Once inside, they apprehended the man and slapped black metal handcuffs around his wrists, now held behind his back, and dragged him away. The head guard assured the husband that this one would face the consequences of trespassing and causing destruction of property in such a manner. The husband went back inside, and together with his wife he put his children to bed early and set about cleaning the mess made by the two intruders.

While sitting by the fireplace that evening, sipping cups of hot tea, his wife seemed to be trembling.

"What's wrong, hun?" He asked.

"I can't-... That one... The one who left." She whispered with a bit of a warble in her voice.

Her husband came over and sat next to her on the couch, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and gently urging her to rest her head against his own shoulder.

"What about him?"

"I can't shake the feeling that... That the robed man wasn't the only one who escaped death today."

"Who else did?"

"... All of us." She replied, her hands trembling so much she nearly spilled her tea.

Her husband gently took her cup and placed it on the coffee table in front of them, along with his own, and pulled her into a hug while she quietly wept into his chest.

"Don't worry, hun. Whatever your worries were, they're over now. We're safe." He assured her.

Elsewhere, away from the home and closer to the entrance to the prison beneath the Royal Palace...

The vagrant helped by Tomas the guard walked the streets gingerly, humming to himself as he rubbed his tired, aging eyes. And suddenly, he slipped in something and fell onto his rump into a warm, sticky liquid. Looking at his now damp hand, he couldn't make out what it was as there was still a relatively new moon, but a mere curved sliver in the sky, to light the world below. He stood up and walked closer to a nearby torch on the wall of a house, and as he got closer his face paled as the liquid covering his hand turned redder and redder. Finally, under full torch light, his worst fears were realized. Taking the torch from its holder, he raced towards where he fell. His aging eyes hadn't been able to discern the visual without the light, but now he beheld a most grisly sight.

Four bodies, three of them Cre' Itian guards and one strange gray robe he'd never seen before, now covered the cobblestone streets. They were horrifically maimed, with limbs having been either sliced off cleanly or ripped out messily by some kind of monster. Was this a Vei Wolf? They were large and strong enough to have done this. But... They were native to Veilbrand. Not Cre' Est. So then what could have done this? The vagrant could barely stomach the sight, and forced himself to turn away. As he covered his mouth and fought to stop heaving, he happened to catch a tiny flash of light in his peripheral vision. Turning towards the source, he saw a pair of glowing red orbs on the rooftop just across the way, surrounded by a black humanoid figure.

The torch fell to the ground at his feet as he stepped back several times, the nausea rapidly being replaced by an adrenaline fueled shriek which filled the night.

"DEMOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!"

The word echoed through the Cloud and Noble districts, and what little of the Common District which was close enough to have heard the cry.

Come the morning, one more body had joined the pool. The vagrant, with his throat slit cleanly and his own bloody footprints leading away from the scene as they faded down the street to nothing. A smaller, though still sizable pool of blood had been discovered not far from where his footprints had disappeared, and drips led back to the site where the bodies lay.

"Poor bastard must have seen the killer and been chased down." One of the guards blocking off the scene to civilians said.

"Yeah. Poor vagrant. Probably didn't even see the blade that killed him." Said another. "Tomas! What about you?" He asked.

Tomas the guard, who'd helped this very vagrant only the day before, stared solemnly at the aging man's body. An expression of fear and pain etched forever in his face. Stepping forward, Tomas knelt down and closed the man's eyes before standing back up.

"We heard reports that a lot of citizens heard the vagrant scream the word "Demon" before this mass of bodies was discovered." Tomas said, turning to his comrades.

"So, what? You think the Red-Eyed Demon did this?" Asked the first guard.

Tomas nodded. "Only he could kill without leaving a single trail." He added.

"Well... Shit." Said the second guard.

"Let's just get this cleaned up. Quickly. The longer these bodies remain here the more frightened the people will become." Tomas ordered.

"Yessir!" The others replied in unison.

With that they all began gathering the bodies and cleaning the blood from the streets while their colleagues blocked off the streets to civilians to prevent as many people as they could from having to witness the gory sight...

Mothman