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Fantasy Chronicles of Cre' Est

"Thanks so much, sir! This'll make my sister quite happy." Whenever she took a target from a particularly wealthy or populated area, she made an effort to purchase a few things from the nearest marketplace and make a good impression. Whether that was spending a bit more than necessary, buttering up a shopkeep, or blowing a kiss or two towards some musicians, it was just to make her seem innocent and kind. None of them being actions she would normally do on her own, but this was to keep her image pure. At the moment, she help a small bronze ring in her hand, a multicolored piece of glass embedded in the top of the ring. Nothing fancy or too expensive, but it was a cute little trinket. All it took was a small story about her little sister who was recovering from a broken leg to get the shopkeeper wishing her well.

"Tell her I wish her the best, Miss. Stay safe, now." The man was a bit on the older side, with a decently sized brown beard and an obviously receding hairline. His stand was one of food, weapons, materials, and everything in-between. Nothing too fancy, but nothing that screamed of mediocrity. If she wasn't so focused on this sob story about her 'sister', she would have likely picked up a new whetstone to sharper her knifes. Hers was old and clearly quite well used, and wouldn't last her all that much longer.

"Of course, sir. Your kindness is much appreciated." Giving a bow to the man, she forced a bright smile onto her face and waved as she turned to walk off. Nearly bumping into a man behind her, she gave a bow to him as well, putting a dopey and almost ditzy tone onto her voice as she spoke. "Oh, goodness! My apologies, sir!" The man didn't seem all too keen on responding to her, simply muttering a "That's alright." and stepping forward to purchase whatever it was he was there for. Giving a small giggle to the man and waving as well, she set to the streets. It was getting close to sunset, but if she hurried up, she could get at least one more town closer to where she would meet with her employer. It was a trip all the way to Veilbrand, but it was at least near the border. A short rest for the night, and she would wake up early to make the rest of the journey.

Perhaps it was because it was such a change in personality for her, but acting like some sort of airheaded, goody-two shoes girl was exhausting for her. Handing compliments out, feigning ignorance, pretending to trip so a handsome man nearby could catch her and sing her praises... It got old, for one, and it took a lot of staying on her toes to do it well. Her Mother had taught her well, she supposed, and with so many years of experience, she would have hoped it would get easier to do. It hadn't.

As she set out of the capital and onto the trail to the next village south, she let her smile curve back down into a base frown. On the road, she didn't need to act. Pretend to be someone that she absolutely was not. Sure, she'd give a small wave to those she passed, and a hello if they offered one first. It gave her time to be alone with her thoughts, something that she normally enjoyed, though at the moment, she couldn't help but be a bit nervous about it. She had plenty of questions to ask the man who had given her that bounty, and if he knew about this Red-Eyed Demon being after the same man. If only she had just left, then she wouldn't have that issue in the back of her mind.

Though, she still tried to tell herself that it wasn't an issue. That the Red-Eyed Demon would potentially be the first to stumble across the corpse, and he might be gladdened to know that his work was already finished. At the very least, even if he was aggravated about it, there was no way in hell that he would have known Whimsey had killed him... Right?

Her walk was short enough that she didn't really have time to drown in her own worried thoughts. Before long, she was in town, and beelining over to the nearest Inn. While she would have loved to have made the time to take a nice bath, but she was on a bit of a time crunch. The last thing she wanted was to waste yet another day to get the money she was promised for her bounty. That didn't stop her from getting a drink before buying a room, though, and she sat down at the bar to wait on her order. Before long, a large, muscular man had approached her, a grin on his face.

"What can I get you, lass?" Whimsey had been so stuck in her thoughts, scratching a fingernail on the wooden counter in front of her. It took her a moment to realize this man was talking to her, as she should have expected. Blinking a few times, she took a breath to get back into her 'character' of sorts, and gave a smile to the man. "Oh! I'm sorry! It's getting quite late, and maybe drinking isn't the best idea right now, but I couldn't resist. The stuff here is delicious! Actually, I think we may have met before... Anyways, just some wine'll do perfectly, sir." She trailed off and tried to make a sense of familiarity between the two of them, even if she didn't recognize the barkeep in the slightest.

"I can't say I recognize you. Get a lot of folks coming through here, anyways." The man shrugged and walked off, coming back with a glass of red wine a moment later and setting it in front of her. Whimsey had already taken the liberty of removing some coin from her pocket and slapping it on the bar for the barkeep. "Thanks much." She responded with a warm expression on her face, before taking a sip.

"Oh my gosh, Elizabeth, that necklace looks beautiful. Is that a real ruby in there...?" The voice came from a woman seated with a friend just behind Whimsey, and for whatever reason, it was striking similar to her mother's. Whimsey glanced back, worried for a moment that she might have just stumbled upon that witch of a woman, only to see a that the woman at the table looked nowhere close to her mother. As she looked, though, the glint of the gem around her neck made her flinch a bit, and she honestly wasn't even sure why. Whatever it was, it made her more than a bit uncomfortable, and she immediately wanted to be alone. Chugging the rest of her drink at a quick pace, she set the glass down and quickly took care of getting a room. Once she was upstairs, she removed her cloak, letting it flutter to the floor, and fell into bed with a long sigh. She removed the paper she had gotten regarding Te'i Sai from her pocket, staring at it for a short moment before chucking it over towards her cloak. Why'd she have to snoop around and find it...? It would have been far better off staying in the floorboards...​
 
As the sun set, and night enveloped the land of Cre' Est...

"Doctor! Critical patient!" Called a frantic nurse from the lobby entrance.

Linde, currently crouching, looked up towards the call, hands freezing in place as she was applying stitches to the knee of a young construction worker who had been helping extend the West wall of the clinic.

"Jessica, please take over for me."

"Yes, doctor!" Jessica, a mid-30's redhead replied as she carefully took hold of the needle and thread.

Linde leaped from her crouch and jogged towards the door to follow the nurse. Before making it through, the patient was wheeled in on a rolling desk, likely from wherever this happened. The patient themselves had their throat slashed along the left side from jaw to collar bone, and was bleeding profusely. The one wheeling the man, likely his wife, had wrapped a bandage around his neck to try and stop the bleeding without choking him out.

"Myra, clear the way!" Linde ordered sternly of a youthful blonde nurse who'd trailed her to the door.

"Of course, doctor!" Myra replied as she disappeared into the clinic area.

Linde immediately rushed to the desk and moved the bindings towards the base of the throat and pulled tightly, causing a minor squirt of blood before it seemed to cease.

"What are you doing?!" The woman wheeling him in screamed.

"Keep her here!" Linde ordered.

Two nurses worked together to restrain the woman and explain to her the reason for the change as Linde carefully, but swiftly, wheeled him into the clinic and rushed him past the other patients into the surgery room. With the binding moved lower on the neck it was easier to cut off blood flow without inhibiting the airways. It was the lesser of two evils at this point, but it was all that could be managed given his injury.

"Doctor! What about gloves?!" Jessica asked, having finished her earlier task and rushed to help.

"No time! Either we risk the infection or he dies here and now!" She replied sternly.

Jessica flinched slightly, but nodded and rushed in to stand beside Linde.

"Keep that binding tight! No blood comes through!" She ordered.

"Yes, doctor!" Jessica replied.

Linde's hands were a flurry of activity as she dashed to grab her instruments from the nearby table as two more nurses joined them and closed the door to minimize the airflow.

"Someone get me a tray!" She ordered.

"Right here, doctor!" Myra said, setting it down beside the man's neck on the desk.

"Put him out!" She ordered to Eileen, the final nurse to join them.

"O-of course!" Eileen responded as she grabbed a glass of liquid from a nearby ice box and gently poured it down the man's throat.

Eilneen carefully helped tilt his head up to allow the fluid proper gravity to flow down into his stomach, and then proceeded to massage his stomach region to help stimulate his bowls and get the fluid moving more swiftly. Within thirty seconds, he was out. And Linde was already deep into her work.

"Myra! Keep the flesh separated for me!" She ordered.

"Yes, doctor!" Myra replied, helping peel back the flesh of his wounded neck so Linde could see the extent of the damage inside.

"Going in! No movement!" She ordered.

The nurses all froze in their positions, keeping the man's now sleeping body as still as they could possibly manage while Linde began to pry his muscles to the side to see if his arteries were still in tact. For the most part, they were. But his carotid was split for almost an entire inch and now a life-ending threat.

"C'e Tua paste!" Linde ordered, holding out her left hand, palm up.

Eileen grabbed a bottle of the ordered paste, swabbed it onto her fingertips, and lathered it onto Linde's fingertips.

Pinching the top of the artery perpendicular to the split, the tissue of the arterial wall flattened out. Linde then applied the paste, gently applying pressure to ensure the arterial wall remained in that position as the paste then began to set and harden.

The atmosphere was tense as everyone remained perfectly silent. Nobody daring to so much as blink as Linde's calm, steady breathing could be heard while the others held their collective breaths. A bead of sweat dripped down Eileen's temple as she waited for the results. Myra subtly adjusted her thumbs and fingertips holding his flesh to get a better grip. And Jessica continued to hold the binding tightly around the base of his neck below the wound, her hands trembling ever so slightly as she fought to keep her nerve given the severity of the wound and the known likelihood of his survival.

And then Jessica noticed...

"Doctor. I'm not feeling a pulse through the fabric." She said softly.

Linde's eyes darted to his jaw, and she placed the fingers she'd used to apply the paste against his throat.

"... We've lost him." She said solemnly.

The nurses all bowed their heads as Linde stood up straight, heaving a sigh as she put her hand over the man's heart.

"May you rest peacefully in our Mother's loving arms." She said.

The nurses slowly let go of him and stood up, noticing the lack of spurting blood that would have taken place had his heart still been beating.

"What should we tell his wife?" Jessica asked.

"The truth. We couldn't save him."

"Understood, doctor." Jessica replied as she spun on her heel and left the room.

"Shall I take his body to be prepped for a funeral pyre?" Myra asked.

"No. Go with Jessica and confirm his wife's wishes for what to do, once she calms down."

"Yes, doctor." Myra replied as she too spun and left the room.

Meanwhile, Eileen swallowed a lump in her throat as she stared at the body on the table.

"Eileen?" Linde asked.

Eileen started. "Y-Yes, doctor!?" She asked, snapping more or less to attention.

Linde had her back to Eileen and washed her hands at the sink. After drying them off with a hand towel a few seconds later, she approached Eileen with a solemn, grim expression.

"This was your first time seeing a patient die, wasn't it?" She asked softly.

"Yes, doctor." Eileen whispered, subtly dipping her head.

"It won't be the last. You know that, right?" She asked.

Eileen nodded, again swallowing a lump in her throat.

Linde then placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, causing their eyes to meet.

"Be strong, Eileen." She whispered.

Eileen's eyes began to dampen as she nodded fervently.

"Sometimes it doesn't matter how hard we fight to save them. We fight until their final breath escapes into the wind." She gave Eileen's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "But for those we can save, we fight until the patient recovers. Do you understand?" She asked softly.

Eileen sniffled. "Yes, doctor." She replied, wiping her eyes.

Linde offered her a smile.

"If you need to take a break to gather yourself, you may."

Eileen shook her head.

"No, doctor. I'm... I'm all right. I promise."

"... Very well. Then please return to the clinic and resume your previous task. I need to see the wife."

"Yes, doctor."

With that, Eileen departed with Linde draping a blanket over the man's body before leaving as well. Crossing the clinic into the lobby, Linde found the wife crying on her knees, face buried in one of the chairs, and arms supporting her head with Myra and Jessica glancing sadly at Linde. The doctor gave them both a soft smile, and gently tilted her head towards the clinic door. Both nurses nodded, and returned to the clinic as Linde stood beside the woman with her hands clasped in front of her stomach.

When the woman's tears ran dry almost ten minutes later, she looked up at Linde and stood up rapidly.

"You! You're supposed to be some kind of "Angel" or something! Why didn't you save my husband!?" She demanded, poking Linde's chest with her right index finger.

Linde only gazed quietly and solemnly at her.

"We couldn't fix the problem in time." She replied calmly.

""Problem?"" The woman demanded.

"That's what you call this?! A "problem?!"" She screamed.

"His carotid artery had been opened by whatever caused the wound. There was no saving him." Linde replied.

"How can you be so calm about this?! My husband is dead because of your incompetence!!" The woman shrieked.

Several patrons waiting on their loved ones in the clinic stood up angrily, preparing to speak out against the woman. However, Linde put a hand up to silence all of them. And they all sat back down, glaring daggers at the woman despite their silence.

"By the time we began the procedure to save his life, it was too late. I'm sorry."

"It's because you choked him to death, isn't it?! You squeezed the binding too tight! I saw you!!" The woman yelled, pushing Linde backwards.

After steadying herself, Linde took a breath.

"The binding was low enough not to cut off air circulation."

"The hell it was, you devil!!" The woman cried.

Linde closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Ma'am. Please."

"Don't you "ma'am, please" me you witch! I just lost my husband because of you!!"

"I need to know what you wish to do with his body."

The woman stormed up into Linde's face.

"Excuse me?!" She growled.

"Do you wish to take his body home and bury it? Or would you like us to prep it for a funeral pyre?" Linde asked calmly.

The woman couldn't even speak anymore, and lashed out, slapping Linde hard across the face causing her to stumble a step in the direction of the slap. And at that, the other patrons refused to remain silent any longer.

"If the doctor says she couldn't save him, you've nobody to blame but the one who caused the wound!" Screamed one middle-aged woman near the entrance.

"Yeah! And maybe you didn't bind his wound well enough on the way here! Remember doctor Almna had to fix the binding when she got to him! Ever think of that?!" Yelled a man near the lobby-clinic door.

"Silence!" Linde barked sharply.

Everyone's eyes landed on her as she took a deep breath and let it out on a soft sigh through her nose.

"Please, everyone. There are patients just beyond that door." She said, pointing towards the lobby-clinic door. "Keep your voices down, I beg you. They don't need to hear this kind of talk. It could cause them unnecessary stress, and complicate their recovery."

Everyone angrily sat down once again, still glaring daggers at the woman who in turn glared daggers at Linde as she took a step towards the woman.

"I need you to make a decision. Will you take him home? Or should we-"

"Give him to me!" She demanded.

Without a word, Linde nodded and retrieved his body, still covered by the blanket, and wheeled him to the lobby. After wheeling him outside, she removed the blanket and folded it under her arm.

"I'm sorry."

"Tell that to my husband, you devil." The woman growled through clenched teeth as she began wheeling him away.

Linde sighed quietly, and went inside. Upon closing the door, the other patrons all were standing and waiting for her.

"She's wrong, doctor. You did everything you could." Said the middle-aged woman nearest her and the entrance.

"That's right. You always do your best for your patients, no matter how bad off they are." Said the man from before.

"I'm sure she will realize the truth eventually, doctor. Please don't let her words bother you." Said another woman who held her child in her arms.

Linde smiled.

"Thank you, everyone. Please, retake your seats. Many of your loved ones are almost ready to go home." She said as she disappeared into the clinic.

Later that evening, after the clinic had closed and Linde retired to her living quarters, she sat in her pure white cotton night gown staring out the window with her hair falling down around her on the floor without the scrunchie to tie it at the end. The gentle breeze entering through the window caressed her face, and helped blow a strand or two away from her eyes as she took in a breath while remembering the woman's words.

"You devil!" The woman's voice echoed over and over again.

Linde closed her eyes.

"Am I?" She whispered.

Visions of two glowing red eyes and the carnage she'd seen accompany them flashed through her mind, causing her to gasp and grip her chest where a large scar, visible through the fabric, rested. Her fingers subtly tensed and gripped the fabric around the scar as she let out another breath, letting her hand drop to her lap. And after opening her eyes, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm not... I'm not a devil." She whispered.

Another vision, this time of herself, flashed through her mind. She saw herself fighting. Using what she knew of the nervous system to cripple and paralyze her enemies-...

""Enemies."" She whispered. "Were they, really?" She asked.

She could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate, and had to take several deep breaths to calm herself down. Thinking about such a time would do her no good now.

Finally, she dipped her head while thinking about the man's wound and seeing the vision of his artery closing and the paste hardening properly in her mind's eye...

"Just a few more seconds. That's all I needed. A few more seconds, and he would have made it!" She sobbed, her face dipping farther as her hands rose to cover it.

Her shoulders shook, bobbing up and down with each choked breath, as tears dripped through her fingers into the fabric of her night gown in her lap.

"O Holy Mother, Peur'Tia. Why couldn't I save him?" She cried.

Linde's sobs continued well into the night, fading only as the sliver of a crescent moon rose to its peak in the night sky. By the time it began its descent, she had passed out with her face buried in her arms which rested on her desk... And the window still wide open.

Within minutes, a shadow appeared beside the window, and the soft click of the window closing echoed once through the street. And outside Linde's window stood the Red-Eyed Demon, having closed the window for her and ascending to the rooftops to keep a protective vigil over her until morning.

Mothman Mothman
 
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Whimsey had eventually managed to sleep the night before, waking up before the sun had even risen above the village she was in. Did her body need far more sleep than she allowed herself to get? Oh, most definitely, but she was more focused on staying on the move, getting her bounty, and moving on. Cre' Est itself was definitely a busy place, with plenty of bounties to be claimed if one knew where to look, but perhaps stay south to in Veilbrand after getting her payment, or maybe even go as far as Gweynura... For whatever reason, she didn't want to stay in Cre' Est, even if she had no real evidence that Cre' Est was where the Red-Eyed Demon generally prowled. Rumors were one thing to take information from, but rumors about the Demon in question were generally extremely vague and difficult to find helpful info from.

Once she set onto the road, she did feel at least a bit better. The crisp morning air, the lack of people around, save merchants up early to begin setting up for the morning, and the ease of travel. The sun would come up and blanket the lands in it's glow within the hour, most likely, and the sky over the horizon was a beautiful orange as it prepared for it's ascent. With a bit of walking to clear her head, she could confidently say that this issue with the Red-Eyed Demon would blow over fine, at least for the moment.

It didn't even take an hour for her to get almost to the border of Veilbrand, and in truth, even she herself had barely noticed, having spaced out and gotten lost in her thoughts as she normally did. Whenever she had a long time to be to herself, memories of her time in her hometown of Cabaten always managed to flood back to the surface. Calling them traumatic would likely be accurate, but Whimsey tried to see them as nothing more than mistakes. Past things that she had nothing to do with anymore. It was an awfully selfish way of looking at it, especially seeing as she was still taking the lives of people who very well were likely innocent as well. But, at the very least, it helped her ignore that side of her life. For years, she had considered returning to her hometown for hope of some sort of repentance, but knew she'd be thrown in shackles and likely beheaded if she reared her head there.

When she snapped out of her thoughts, a trio of three was a mere three feet of them. They seemed to be travelers, carrying plenty of bags and dressed for that sort of occasion. What struck her first, out of everything from the three, was the glint of red flashing from the face of one of them, illuminated by the sun that was rising overhead. Without thinking, Whimsey immediately reached a hand under her cloak to a knife, ready to hurl a knife at what her brain immediately assumed was the red eyed demon.

After a moment of staring and getting a real look at the scene in front of her, though, she saw things straight and realized the real source of the red. The woman in the center of the trio, dressed in a beautiful set of crimson red attire befitting one from the deserts of Shaharan, bore a dazzling circlet over her forehead, a large red gem beset in the center. Immediately feeling like a fool, her grip loosened on the knife, though she kept it held just in case these travelers tried anything funny. One could never be too careful. Besides the woman walked two men who seemed to be traveling as her escorts, carrying most of the bags, and weapons as well. One was a shorter, larger man with a scruffy blonde beard and an even scruffier head of hair. The other was a taller, thinner man, that in truth was quite handsome. Finely groomed black hair framed his chiseled face and sharp cheekbones, and his eyes were a striking blue, and stood out most among him. Like Whimsey, the two men wore cloaks over their clothes, making it difficult to see just what they were actually wearing.

"Ah, come now, Tiarnach, allow me to reach out to this traveler for aide!" The woman in red spoke out as the trio approached Whimsey, seeming to be attempting to reason with the short, older gentleman to her right. "Surely one from this area will know what to do in a situation such as this, isn't that right?" Putting a finger to her chin, she bent forward a bit and gave the man named Tiarnach a set of puppy dog eyes that could break even the most steeled of men.

"Goodness, Lady Khatuna, you're quite the slave driver..." Rolling his eyes and letting out a short huff, the man crossed his arms and went quiet for a moment, seeming to be thinking about the proposal. Whimsey, being able to hear the awfully loud travelers from her location, immediately wanted nothing to do with them. They would slow her down, and likely try and rope her into some stupid conversation she wanted nothing to do with. Before any sort of response from Tiarnach came, this 'Lady Khatuna' was skipping towards Whimsey with glee in her eyes.

"Goodest of days to you, my friend!" Her voice was peppy and energetic, though managed to convey a bit of regalness and dignity behind it as well. "Salutations, felicitations, and all the rest. I come from Shaharan, traveling to the capital of Cre' Est with hopes of sampling only the finest gems that the men and women of the capital can provide me. Although, I regret to say my group has been quite lost... We have traveled from Shaharan, but managed to end up in Triveila, and I am afraid to say we then managed to march all the way south to Veilbrand..." Prattling on, she didn't seem ready to let Whimsey get an ear in edgewise. Though, her two retainers quickly approached after watching the woman prance off to greet the stranger.

"Khatuna, stop." The taller man spoke without much to say, save his sharp command to get the woman to hold her tongue for at least half a second. His hands seemed to drift around under his cloak, but Whimsey's eye eventually caught them rest in what were likely the pockets of his trousers. Was he reaching for a weapon? Making sure he had something? While she was sure enough that these three had no relation to the Red-Eyed Demon, they were still putting her on edge, and she wanted nothing to do with them. Even still, she had to keep her act at least partially up, lest these three started to get suspicious of her.

A hearty guffaw escaped Tiarnach, who put a hand to his head and reeled back as he recovered from his laughter. "Hail, traveler. I apologize about the mouth on Lady Khatuna, here. It is as she says, we're mighty lost, plain and simple. Lady Khatuna, though, is insistent on this journey to Cre' Est, so even we can't talk her out of it." Raising an eyebrow, he gestured to Whimsey to finally give the woman a chance to speak. Glancing at Khatuna again, she was reminded how that was how people in the desert dressed. While she understood it was to combat the heat, she wouldn't be caught dead in such poor conditions, or wearing that little clothing.

"You're still in Veilbrand, Miss." Putting a bit of happiness in her voice, she hoped her lack of enthusiasm would be attributed to her lack of sleep and how early it was, and not the fairly obvious fact she wasn't enjoying the company. "You keep heading down this path, no turns, no anything, you'll hit a village. The Northern gate there will take you on yet another simple, obvious, easy to navigate straight line. You'll reach Cre' Est by evening, if you don't stop in the village."

"I told you, Khatuna. Yet you so adamantly insisted on stringing us along and going in circles for hours on end... Now can we please be going?" The tall one, who didn't seem to use the title that Tiarnach gave the woman of the trio, let out a long sigh and started walking past Whimsey without so much as another word.

"Hold, Theseus! You'll not take another step until I say!" Despite being obviously frustrated with the woman, the handsome man 'Theseus' did as the woman commanded and stopped. Another sigh, this one filled with obvious frustration, escaped him, and he turned back to face Whimsey. The interaction made Whimsey curious as to just who this 'Khatuna' was, and how she commanded so much respect from a man who obviously disliked her... Though, she didn't want to waste any more time.

"I suggest you three get a map." She herself started to walk, Khatuna looking back at her with a look of shock for a short moment before once again skipping over to the woman, stopping in front of her again.

"Your kindness is ever so appreciated, my fair lady! I dare say, one of your fair face and wonderful stature would make a fine addition to my cabaret!" A giggle escaped her as she gave a curtsy to Whimsey, before extending a hand out to her. "This kindness will more assuredly not be forgotten, I assure you! I can sense it, we'll be meeting again in the near future."

While it wasn't a gesture Whimsey enjoyed, she believed shaking this woman's hand would get her to go away. Hesitantly grasping the other woman's hand, Khatuna's second hand immediately also shot to grip Whimsey's and she shook it roughly, giving a small hop of excitement. Retracting her hands, the desert woman then passed Whimsey and returned to between Theseus and Tiarnach. "Come, Theseus! Come, Tiarnach! Cre' Est awaits, and my finest splendor aches for that beautiful city! Let us carry onwards most resplendently!" Pointing forward as if she was some heroine in a children's story, she began to lead the two men once again, humming to herself as the trio slowly drifted out of earshot.

"...Hate loud types like her..." Muttering to herself once they were gone, she tightened the knot on the front of her cloak and kept walking. It'd only be another few hours until she'd get to where she was supposed to meet with the man who gave her the bounty, and then she could maybe get some damned answers on the man she had butchered the day prior.​
 
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In the span of less than 8 hours since the bodies were first found, the city of Valkyom had all but descended into riots.

Hundreds of people amassed in the streets demanding answers to the cause of death. Such violence as limbs reportedly being literally ripped off the bodies by hand with no signs of a weapon being used, and the sheer volume of blood that had been cleaned up by the guards, had the screaming protestors practically breaking down the Royal Palace doors. The only thing stopping them was a double-line of heavily armored and armed guards blocking the way. Body-length shields and spears pointed towards the crowds with the threat of death to any who dared advance kept the mob at bay. But it didn't stop the King and Queen from hearing the shouts all the way from the throne room.

"My love. What do we tell them?" Queen Olivia Xe' Cre' Est asked worriedly, her hand resting on the back of her husband's which sat on the arm of his throne.

"We swore an oath never to lie to our people, my dear." King Harmon Va' Cre Est replied solemnly.

"My love. What is the truth right now?" She retorted.

"The truth is what we know of this incident, my dear." He replied as he stood up straight.

"Very well, my love." She said, standing and walking beside him as they headed for the balcony.

"My lieges, is this wise?" Asked Rikoto, the Royal Advisor. "We don't know the full extent of the people's discontent at this time. If you speak now, you may inadvertently spark what we most fear!" He urged.

"Rikoto. I appreciate your concern. But we have no choice. We must set the people's minds at ease by sharing what we know, however little it may be. To stand by and do nothing will only strengthen their anxiety about whether or not we have an answer to this potential crisis." The King replied.

"Ah... Yes, your majesty. Forgive my lapse of judgement."

"Forgiven."

The King and Queen emerged onto the balcony overlooking the entrance of the castle, observing as the crowds looked up and saw them while pumping their fists, waving their arms, and shouting over one another incoherently. The King raised an arm, and within thirty seconds the entire crowd had at last gone silent.

"Good people of our fair city of Valkyom, hear me!" He announced in a powerful, authoritative tone. "Early this morning, the bodies of three guards and a vagrant were discovered near the prison entrance of the palace. Rumors have swirled of one of them screaming the word "demon." However, this remains unconfirmed at this time as there are no eye-witness accounts of the incident." He continued.

Queen Olivia took a deep breath, already knowing what he was about to say despite not talking it over beforehand.

"Until we learn what the facts are, we cannot continue to blindly point fingers at objects of known fear. Doing so only continues to incite panic and undue stress upon us all. And you have my vow as King that a full investigation is already underway to uncover the identity of the killer and bring them to justice!" He announced.

The crowd murmured and looked between themselves as the tension began to subtly dissipate. And hope began to shine in the people's eyes as they looked to their King once more.

"The Red-Eyed Demon has not been seen in public, nor have we confirmed his involvement in the taking so much as a single life, for almost two years. If this incident is a mark of his resurgence, we will know in due time. And if he dares to show his face, we will be ready! For in his long absence we have carefully studied the reports on the history of his attacks, studied his movement patterns, and have taken measures to ensure that he never roams freely through our fair nation again!" He shouted, pumping a fist high into the air.

The crowd began to nod and murmur once more, looking to their King with agreement and righteous fury. And this, the Queen hadn't been expecting as she looked on in wonder.

"Let today's announcement serve as a warning to the Demon! Cre' Est will not allow such bloodshed to continue! For we have not only redoubled the training and resupplied the armor and weaponry of our Royal Guards, but have enlisted the aid of Triveila and Shaharan in hiring assassins of our own to bring him down! No matter how skilled he is, he is but one man! And one man cannot fell a nation united such as ours! We will not allow it!" He shouted.

The crowd erupted into a cheer of agreement, quickly silencing itself as the King held out his hand.

"With your help! The help of the people of Cre' Est! We will serve notice to the Red-Eyed Demon, and any who would spill our precious life blood in these streets, that such blasphemous actions under our Mother Peur'Tia's eyes shall not go unpunished! Their blood flows just as red as ours! And it is beyond time we remind them of their mortality!"

Another cheer of agreement, and the pumping of fists and waving of arms resumed, this time with hope and courage.

"I ask that you all help spread the word! Spread the word that Cre' Est will not fold! That our people stand united! That the blood which flows through our streets will be avenged! And that whomever is responsible, Demon or otherwise, will pay for what they've done in full!"

A massive cheer, louder than all the others combined, emerged from the crowd as they all turned and began flooding back into the city to spread the word. What had started as a morning of confusion, fear, and desperation, had suddenly been transformed into one of hope, unity, and righteous anger. And as they departed, the guards stood down from their blockade and returned to their original posts around the castle while the King took in a deep breath.

Suddenly, a soft hand touched his own on the balcony ledge. And he turned his head to meet the eyes of his beloved wife.

"That was beautiful, my love. I... Haven't seen you so energized in many years. It brought me back to our first year as the Royal Couple, when you regularly spoke to the people so about unifying our lands and stifling the corruption which had overtaken our predecessors." She cooed, rubbing his back with her other hand while gazing soulfully into his eyes.

A light blush appeared in his cheeks as he nodded and looked down towards the city.

"I suppose it has been some time since I held such a speech." He agreed.

Queen Olivia's hand resting on the back of his own slid up his arm to his face, turning it towards her as she leaned in and softly kissed his lips.

"My love. I couldn't be more proud of you. And..." She leaned in to whisper in his ear. "That display has sparked a rather burning desire within me." She said, leaning back to look into his eyes in as sultry a manner as she could.

He smirked.

"Shall we retire to our quarters to rest, then, my dear?" He asked playfully, twirling one of her coiled bangs around his left index finger.

She smiled and leaned into him, her chest pressing against his upper abdoment while her head rested on his shoulder. "I thought you'd never ask."

Hand in hand, they disappeared into the castle while the city began to finally ease its weary mind as word spread of the King's bold and empowering speech. However, news of the killing and the state the bodies had been left in didn't take long for the news to reach the ears of a certain doctor...

Mothman Mothman
 
"You're telling me he isn't even here...?" A quick scan around the local joint she was familiar with finding targets in told her that the man who was supposed to be dropping a sack of coin in front of her wasn't here. Even after picking the bartender's ear for where he might be, she found no clues on the topic. Without enough familiarity with the town to consider searching him out or asking for where his home was, she ordered a drink and sat at the bar. The bartender attempted to ask how her day was going, but Whimsey was too focused on her thoughts and her drink to prompt him with a response.

"Oh, come on, you're bluffing!" From a table not far from her, a group of five men were gathered around a table and gambling what little coin they had on them away. One more vocal patron was calling out a younger member of the group on what must have been a bad hand. "Don't gimme that!" The man shouted again, pounding a hand on the table and making a few stacks of chips sway on the table. "I can see it in your eyes!" The words made Whimsey's own eyes shoot open and glance back, and upon glaring at the men playing cards, immediately regret the reaction. This wasn't getting to her. It wasn't bugging her, it wasn't making her paranoid... She tried her hardest to get herself to believe the lies she was giving herself, and just as she had in the tavern the other night, felt unsafe in the room. Downing the rest of her drink, she stood up after chucking a few coins on the bar and made for the door. Her bounty could wait until later. She'd come back that evening and hunt the man down, and then worry about finding a new target.

Just as she was making her way out, the door flung open in front of her, a man dressed in very simple garb with a plumper than average figure, stepped in. "Ah! Miss Mausinia!" He called for the woman who was now only a few steps away from the door and trying to act like she wasn't about to leave. When her name was called, she glanced up and over at the man, nodding.

"I thought you weren't gonna show, Ernest." One thing she was thankful for was the fact that she didn't have to put on any sort of act for her employers. They knew what they were getting, and knew that the people they hired likely weren't the most pleasant, and that was fine with them. Whimsey didn't care what an employer thought of her, whether they had heard of her history in Cabaten, or anything of the sort, so long as the job paid and things stayed secret.

"My sincerest apologies, Miss Mausinia. I simply lost track of time." Putting a hand to his mostly bald head, the man gestured to an empty table in the corner of the tavern and began to walk over to it. After rolling her eyes, Whimsey followed. Why Ernest couldn't just hand her the money and be done with it was beyond her, but it was what it was. He likely wanted to hear the whole exciting story of just what happened to him. Maybe then Whimsey could get some answers as to who this Utoros Geilam actually was. So, despite not having much taste for the large, pompous man in front of her, she sat down across from him and nodded a head to him, encouraging him to ask what it was that was on his mind.

"So, down to business... I take it everything was taken care of?" He raised an eyebrow as if worried that Whimsey would have come all the way back to him with disappointing news. Before Whimsey could respond, a waitress approached them, and Ernest was quick to order the both of them a round of drinks, mainly to get the woman to buzz off.

"Took care of it in his house. Left him there. Should be days before anyone looks for him." Whimsey moved a hand beneath her cloak to the pocket she had that damned piece of parchment tucked away. If she had been thinking rationally, she would have certainly pulled it out and demanded some sort of rational from Ernest on why he was sending her after targets related to Te'i Sai. Though, even as her hand gripped the paper so hard she felt it crinkle in her fist, she couldn't bring herself to pull it out and show it to Ernest.

"Wonderful news. Though, is something the matter...? You've an odd look in your eyes, Miss Mausinia." At Ernest's words, Whimsey's hand immediately released the paper and darted out of her pocket and down to her lap. Her body stiffened up and her slouch shot up into a proper upright posture, and an awkward chuckle escaped her.

"Of course not." Blinking twice at the man, she once again felt this same looming sense of unease she had felt before. Even just the shadows of the walls in their corner table were making her awfully restless, and made her want to grab for one of her knives just to feel safe. A man like Ernest would likely notice and say something about it, though, so her hands simply gripped at her pants as she continued. "Just... Thinking about where I'll head next."

At her words, Ernest clapped his hands together and let out a short chuckle. "Well, you're in luck, my girl! It just so happens I heard a friend of mine in need of someone with your talents. He's waiting outside. Before I forget..." A small box was set on the table filled with Whimsey's payment, which the woman quickly slid off of the table and slid it into her cloak. She could count it and make sure it was right later; anywhere that wasn't here. "Now, I'll go fetch h-"

Before Ernest could stand and go and fetch this other man, Whimsey had rocketed to her feet. "No need. I'll go find somewhere else to speak with him. Can't have too many e-" A short hitch in her breath made her glance behind her, before starting to make for the door. "Thanks for the job." She muttered before beelining for the door with slightly rushed breath. Once outside, she was grateful to be in the sunlight again, and her eyes quickly darted to a shorter fellow sitting on a crate besides the door.

"You're Ernest's friend?" She raised an eyebrow at the man, thinking the same question she thought whenever she met a new employer. 'Why hire an assassin?' The question always bugged her. Everyone always said they had their reasons, but would never tell her just what they were. She assumed they were all just petty rivalries and grudges, and things that frankly didn't require stooping to that kind of impropriety.

"Friend might be a bit much." The figure hopped off of the crate and made to move for the door so they could talk.

"We're not going in there. Come." Gesturing for him to follow her, the last thing she wanted to do was go back in there.

"But, I thought we-"

Not letting the man speak his mind, Whimsey turned and raised her voice slightly. "Do you want my help or not?"

"...Fine. Lead on." Without any more fighting between the two, Whimsey led the man near the outskirts of town and down an alleyway. Once she had this job, she could get the hell out of town and head wherever she needed to. Upon their arrival, Whimsey checked behind them and dipped into the alley quickly.

"Spit it out. Who and where." Not wanting to sit around, she mostly just wanted the talk done with so she could get going.

"...A woman in Cre' Est. Faliea Lunan." The man spoke the name with worry in his voice, not meeting eyes with Whimsey as he spoke it out.

"This'll cost you, you know."

The man once again paused, looking down at the stone beneath their feet, as if rethinking his decision. "I know. I can pay."

With that said, Whimsey was already walking out of the alleyway. "Got it. Stay here a week. I'll find you. Your name?" Stopping just near the entrance to the alleyway, she glanced back at the man with a blank expression.

"Leo Rafael."

Hearing the name, Whimsey turned and picked her pace up a bit, already frustrated she had to be going back to Cre' Est... What if the Red-Eyed Demon was around there, finding his target dead already...? Once again, she had to go through the motions with herself to relax, and tell herself that there was no way that even the Red-Eyed Demon could know that it was her. She left no trace, no witnesses, and was out of Cre' Est ASAP. Her act of a traveler would keep anyone from suspecting her, or at least she prayed it would. Any searching for this 'Faliea' would have to wait until tomorrow, but if she hurried, she'd make it to Cre' Est a bit after nightfall.

---

"Ow, ow, OW!"

"Jeez, sorry, sorry..."

"Maretu, y'know I put up with a ton of your random theories, but you've never gotten physical with me before."

"Yes, Tsubaar, and I appreciate that. I promise, this has got to have some kind of..." Pressing a hand down on his friend's neck, Maretu had spent the past hour trying to get even a fraction of the results Linde had shown him. Though, with his friend growing agitated at the constantly pressing and prodding, he could tell he wasn't doing very well. "Goodness... Maybe we'll call it a day." Just as the words left Maretu's lips, Tsubaar, a man pretty similar to Maretu in a lot of ways physically, leapt up from the chair he was in. Tall and more on the lanky side like Maretu, though far more built, short cut blonde hair covered his head. Once he was out of his chair, he glanced at his friend with agitated brown eyes.

"My lord, Maretu, I'm gonna be sleeping on needles tonight... This is really your new thing you're pursuing? Randomly touching people until they feel better?" Tsubaar was normally more than willing to let his childhood friend bounce random theories and giving his outsider view in return. While sometimes the researcher went on for far too long, even Tsubaar would admit he had some interesting things to say on occasion.

"Don't put it like that, man... I swear, Doctor Almna really blew my mind with this stuff. I guess it was stupid for me to think I could recreate it so easily..." A small hum of thought left him as he walked over to his journal sitting amidst a stack of papers, jotting a few more notes of how his tests didn't succeed in the slightest. "I suppose I'll have to ask Doctor Almna more, but I'm sure she has far more on her plate than teaching me about nerves... Perhaps she'll at least tell me who she learned it from?" Pausing for a moment, he quickly shook his head. "No, she mentioned it was just something she'd learned over the years... Shoot." Shaking his head, he stopped pacing around the room he was in with Tsubaar and plopped down into a chair with a sigh.

"Don't let smoke start coming from your ears, Maretu. Got way too much smoke in this house already because of you." Laughing at his own joke, Tsubaar came and sat down across from Maretu with a drink in his hand. "Sounds to me like you're stuck. Again."

"...Who's side are you on, Tsubaar?" Raising an eyebrow at his friend, Maretu sat up a bit and looked towards Tsubaar with defeat in his eyes.

"Your's, stupid. You always work best when you hit rock bottom, anyways. Now, come on, we should go eat something. You came back from that meeting with this Linde lady and immediately shifted into research mode." Tsubaar clicked his lips twice before standing and walking to his door, grabbing his coat. "You better hurry, or my generous offer to eat with you is gonna vanish, Maretu."

A small sigh escaped Maretu before he stood up as well, following his friend to the door and leaving his book on the table. "I suppose I'll have to consult with Doctor Almna again, then... You're right though, a meal sounds wonderful. Sorry again for making you help me with research so often, Tsubaar..." With that said, the two men dropped the topic of Maretu's research and caught up on other things, mostly stories of Tsubaar's desperate search for a wife, as they sat and ate at a tavern nearby.

---​
 
Sitting in her office, quill pen in hand, and a piece of empty parchment sitting in front of her, Linde glared down at it with disdain. No words were written, but the pen was pinched between her thumb, index, and middle fingers tightly with the skin beneath her nails turning white-yellow from the pressure.

Suddenly, a knock came to her door.

"Come in." She said calmly, taking a breath as the door was opened.

"Doctor, we have a customer in the apothecary who is being difficult." Jessica said as she poked her head through the opening.

"How difficult?"

"She's berating every Nurse and Staff member who tries to speak to her about our knowledge of the herbs, concoctions, and remedies we have."

"Jessica. You've been working for me since this Apothecary and Clinic opened. You should know how to deal with customers like her."

Jessica's cheeks turned slightly pink as she dipped her head.

"If she's being that rude, throw her out. We reserve the right to refuse service to people like her."

"It's the woman whose husband died the other day from the wound in the neck."

Linde's head remained down, but her eyes shifted up to look at Jessica. And the sight was most frightening, as it inherently looked like she was angry.

"Shall I... Continue and throw her out?"

Linde set her quill pen down, capped the ink bottle, and approached Jessica calmly. The latter stepped out of the way as Linde walked past her without a word and straight through the lobby to the Apothecary door on the side opposite the clinic. As soon as she walked in, she spied Eileen being berated by the woman.

"You fools seriously don't understand the first thing about-... Oh. It's you." The woman said, giving Linde a vicious glare.

"Get out." Linde said calmly.

"Excuse me?" The woman asked, almost indignantly, as she walked towards Linde.

"Your husband died in our care. We did all we could, and returned his body to you. This berating of my Nurses and Staff is nothing short of harassment, and I will not stand for it. Now get out of my establishment, or we will summon the Guards to deal with you."

"You have some nerve to accuse me of such a thing. Your Nurses and Staff don't know the first thing about many of these herbs and remedies. Trying to say 'the Doctor invented these particular brews.' Such nonsense. And if you're going to pretend to be an Apothecary, you could at least pretend to be honorable about the remedies you sell and the ingredients that go into them."

"I did invent the brews you see on the shelves."

The woman scoffed.

"Please. You expect me to believe that you actually invented brews that already existed since before your time?"

"The brews you see on these shelves are based on existing remedies, but have been modified by me through years of study and experimentation. If you can't accept that, then that's your problem. Now I will tell you once final time to get out of my-"

"You listen to me, wench." The woman said while poking Linde's chest with her index finger. "Try some honesty. You didn't invent anything. You're not a doctor. You're a fraud. A fraud who let my husband die. And that's murder." She growled.

Linde's eyebrow twitched, and in a blink she had grabbed the woman's wrist as she came in for another poke.

"Unhand me you wretch!" The woman yelled, trying to struggle free.

"Touch me again, and I will consider it assault on top of trespassing and harassment."

"On top of what? You think you can accuse me of such things?!"

"You are henceforth forever banned from entering this establishment. If my staff see your face again inside these walls, they have my full permission to remove you by whatever means necessary to protect the peace and safety of our customers and patients. I have ordered you to leave, and you have ignored me. You are trespassing. And there are seven eye witnesses who I'm sure will testify against you should I decide to take this to the courthouse."

The woman looked around, seeing the angry faces of Jessica, Eileen, and five customers who had been prevented from buying any medicine because of the scene she'd made. And when she looked at Linde, despite the calmness in her face, the woman could see a venomous fire burning within her eyes.

"This is the last time I will tell you to remove yourself from my establishment. We did our best to save your husband, and would have if we'd had only a handful of more seconds to ensure his carotid artery had closed and been properly sealed. But we ran out of time, and he ran out of blood. That is the fact of the matter, and you will have to accept that whether you like it or not. He's dead, and we can't bring him back. Berating us won't change that."

The woman's lips pushed up and trembled as tears gathered in her eyes.

"Now get out." Linde ordered, letting go of her wrist.

The woman sniffed a breath, tears falling, before turning, leaving, and slamming the door behind herself.

"Jessica. Eileen." Linde said calmly.

Everyone's eyes fell on her.

"We have a line. Please continue to serve them to the best of your ability." She said, turning and walking towards the door leading to the lobby.

"Yes, doctor." They both said, returning to the desk to serve the line of customers at last.

Linde returned to her quarters and sat down at her desk, placing her face in her hands as she let out a long, exasperated sigh.

Knock, knock.

"Come in."

Jessica walked inside, closing the door behind herself.

"Yes, Jessica?"

"Are you all right, doctor?"

"Yes."

"Really?" She asked, taking a seat in the chair opposite Linde.

"Yes, Jessica. I'm just tired."

"If you say so."

Linde gave Jessica a glare, which she responded to by taking a deep breath and smiling.

"I've known you since the day you decided to become a doctor. Remember? We both trained under your mother together. Do you really think you can hide it from me?"

Linde sighed, looking at her desk.

"Talk to me, Linde. It's just me."

"That's not the issue, Jessica."

"Then what is it?"

"It's a private matter. One I don't feel comfortable talking about, even with you."

Jessica's mouth went slack, closing after a few seconds followed by a swallowing of a lump in her throat.

"I see... Then, I guess all I can do is say I am here for you."

"Thank you, Jessica."

"I hope that whatever you're dealing with passes soon."

"Me too."

Jessica, with slightly slumped shoulders, left the room as Linde turned in her seat and looked out the window at the rooftop line with a hard glare. And she remembered from the other night a brief conversation she'd had with a certain someone.

"Whatever you're doing here, you keep it quiet and maintain a low profile. And if you have to... Do what you do... Kindly do so in a way that doesn't attract attention or cause a panic. Now swear to me."

Her lips tightened as she glared down at her desk while looking at an announcement flyer for the bodies that were found by the prison entrance before looking back towards the roof line.

"You have a lot to answer for the next time I see you." She growled.

Mothman Mothman
 
She hadn't thought she would come back so soon. In truth, the woman had nothing against Cre' Est, nor Valkyom itself, and would confess that it had its charms. Everyone was so neighborly and happy all the time, which while it certainly wasn't her type of crowd, it was something she could outwardly admire. What she disliked about it, though, was how many people were around. Too many prying eyes always made her job more difficult, and whenever she took a hit in Valkyom, it almost always ended up being indoors. Even alleyways were difficult to get away with here, as opposed to the ease of murdering that they offered in other less populated areas.

Being back so soon sent chills up her spine. Not only would word of Utoros' death probably be spread around by now, but what she knew still frustrated her greatly. The Red-Eyed Demon could be here, in Valkyom, and would probably be fully aware that someone had gotten to Utoros by now. That meant he would be looking for whoever that was, which meant that, if she was discovered as being Utoros' killer, she would have far worse to deal with than the city guard. A pair of handcuffs and time in prison would be a blessing as opposed to whatever the Red-Eyed Demon would likely put her through... Even as she walked through the town gates and gave a smile and a wave to the guards, her eyes were constantly darting around to any sort of cover. Even something as small as the space behind a tree was enough to scare the hell out of her.

"Good evening, sirs." She gave a bow to the two guards, keeping an obviously forced smile on her face before returning to a standing position. Her hand was already unsheathing a knife beneath her cloak, keeping it gripped tightly to feel safer. "Sorry to bother you both so late at night, but I've been walking all day, and I'm awfully tired... It's been a while since I've been to Valkyom. Could one of you two do me a huge favor and point me to the nearest Inn...?" A yawn escaped her as she gave a puppy-dog eyed look to the two men. The knights didn't respond for a moment, exchanging glances as if asking each other what they would do in a situation like this.

"Of course, Miss. Not to alarm you, but it would likely be best for me to walk you there. We've had more than our fair share of violent crimes, as of late..." A small sigh escaped one of the men, who nodded to his partner before taking a few steps away from the gate. "Thankfully, there's a wonderful Inn just down the road. Come." Gesturing for Whimsey to follow, the guard turned and began walking.

"Thank you kindly, sir." Whimsey nodded and gave one more smile to the guard they were leaving behind, and took a nervous glance behind her as they started walking. While it wasn't that long of a walk, the dark streets they were walking down sent her into a fight or flight mode. Her gut told her that this Red-Eyed Demon would jump out at any moment and strike her down where she stood, even if there was no logical reason to believe that. Taking a few steps closer to the guard, she got far closer than stranger would to anyone, even a guard, to the point that she was pressing up against his arm.

"M-Miss...?" More concerned than worried by the gesture, the guard glanced down at the shorter woman and tilted his head a tad. "Is everything alright?" As he looked down at the girl, she seemed to be shooting her gaze down whichever alleyways they were passing. Occasionally at the sight of a lit torch outside of a business or just on the street, she would jump a bit before taking a breath. Even the torch that

"N-No!" Her instinct was immediately assuming that the man was accusing her of something, and she quickly distanced herself from the guard as he spoke. "I mean, I mean, yes! A-OK!" Realizing she probably looked like a lunatic by this point, she tried her best to let out a cutesy giggle and play it off well. "I'm just a bit nervous being here in the dark streets... I can't stand the dark." While it was a blatant lie, she hoped the genuine worry in her voice would be convincing enough for the guard.

"I suppose that's fair." He responded as they turned a corner. "Well, rest easy, because we're here." His hand reached out to point at the doors of a torchlit entryway just besides them. "That should be everything, then?"

Whimsey didn't even give the guard a response before beelining for the door, opening it and practically dashing inside without saying a word. Once she was inside, she let out a deep exhale, trying her hardest to stop letting this get to her. The knife she had drawn earlier was still being gripped hard enough for her knuckles to go white, and she kept that same grip on it as she approached the counter.

"Good evening, ma'am. It's rare we have guests checking in so late in the night." The man clearly wasn't bothered by being up at such an obscenely late time, as it was just before midnight already.

"I need a room. I'm... Exhausted." She kept it simple, a hand moving up to her forehead and wiping away some sweat she hadn't realized she had. It then moved into her cloak and grabbed for her coin purse, and she set it on the counter. While she had to finally sheath her knife to open the bag and pull out the coin, she half considered asking the man in front of her to simply take what was needed. "Here." Throwing the amount it was she had paid for the last Inn she had stayed at on the counter, she held a hand out expecting a key. Maybe she was being a bit rude, and her acting certainly wasn't around at the moment, but she just wanted a place she could be to herself. The man counted the coin and shrugged before placing the key in her hand, and Whimsey was quick to give a nod and set for the stairs.

Once inside, she quickly removed her cloak as she normally did and let it fall to the floor, before drawing her knife again and checking each and every place someone could possibly be hiding in the room. The closets, outside the window, under her bed... To an outside view, she would have looked like a child with some sort of superstitious fear. Even after she had triple checked the room and locked the window, she just couldn't get herself to sleep. Footsteps of a passing guard, along with the light of the torches they carried, would immediately put her back into fight or flight mode, and she would rocket out of bed and check everything yet again. With what she had heard about this Red-Eyed Demon, he could have some sort of weird ability to sneak in that she didn't know about.

That same process continued and continued, before eventually, her body succumbed to pure exhaustion and she passed out. Though, her rest only lasted a few hours, and she woke up with a shout of surprise, immediately jumping out of bed and checking her surroundings. Thankfully, she was still in the hotel room, and her mind had originally worried that she had been abducted and taken somewhere else. She looked like a mess, and didn't give a single care to sorting out her appearance, or doing her hair. If she got out and into the streets, she could be around others that would hopefully prevent the Red-Eyed Demon from striking. As she made for the door, though, she was met with a throbbing pain in her head.

Visions of black swirling all around her in the doorway overcame her like a wave, and she immediately stepped back into her room, stumbling backwards and tripping as she did. In front of her stood a figure cloaked completely in shadows, with blood red eyes and a blade in his hand. It raised the blade high above it's head and moved it down at her quickly. A scream escaped the girl as she put her hands up to defend herself, before a voice from in front of her rang out.

"Are you okay, lady?" In the doorway stood an aloof looking man who didn't seem to have a care in the world. Judging from his attire, he seemed to work in the Inn, and the large tray in his hand made it obvious he brought food to rooms. As his voice reached her, she shook her head and seemed to come back to reality. The figure was gone, though her breathing was still labored and through the roof.

"Y-Yes. Sorry." Standing up, she hoped the man didn't see too much of her display. "I simply fell... Don't mind me, I was just on my way out." Shaking her head, she got up to her feet and let out a shaky breath. Shutting the door behind her, she walked past the man and headed out onto the streets. Her breathing slowly started to calm itself, though her eyes still stayed wide and continued to dart around. Why did she see that...? She'd never had hallucinations like that in the past, and it had her more than a bit shaken up.

"Focus, Whimsey..." Shaking her head, she muttered to herself as she took to the streets. Faliea Lunan. That was her target, and that was what she had to focus on. Not this target related to Te'i Sai that she had killed, not the paper resting in her pocket, and not the Red-Eyed Demon. It'd take some legwork and asking around, but she didn't want to stay here longer than she needed to. For her reputation, as well as her sanity, she would at the very least find out who this Faliea Lunan was today.​
 
In the streets of Valkyom, the city was abuzz with the latest from the King.

"I heard too! He basically made an open declaration of war against anyone who spills Cre' Itian blood, like the Demon!" Said one woman whilst bouncing her less than a year old infant in her arms.

"Me too. It was quite the rousing speech. I was certain he would fold, and make promises he couldn't keep. But it sounds like he's already on top of things this time." Said a large, muscular blonde man carrying some lumber.

"Do you really think the Royal Guards can do as the King claims and take on the Demon?" Asked a middle aged brunette with graying hair.

"Maybe. The King said they redoubled their training. And they were plenty skilled to begin with. So maybe they have a chance at hunting him down if he shows up again." Said the first woman with the infant still bouncing against her chest.

Meanwhile, in the castle training courtyard just inside the walled-off sector on the Northeast side...

"Push, gentlemen!" Announced a large, muscular figure clad in elaborate gold and indigo blue armor while tapping the tip of his long sword against the ground.

"You have more to offer than this! For your country, your King, and your people, keep pushing!" He shouted.

"SIR!" Replied the Royal Guards, all donning similar armor to the man save the indigo blue which was swapped for a deep mulberry purple.

Lined in ten rows of ten, the Royal Guards all were in the middle of alternating push ups. First normal push ups. Then wide hand. Then diamond. And finally alternating one-hand push ups.

Performing ten of each set before moving to the next in a cycle for a total of fifty push-ups per round, of which they were already deep into their third round.

"The Red-Eyed Demon is said to be able to lift a full grown man above his head with little effort. If you want to match his strength, you must push your strength to the peak of your body's limits, and beyond! Demand no less from yourselves than to transcend the Demon in every way! His strength pales in comparison to that of the Cre' Itian Royal Guard! This is not a rumor! This is not an opinion! This is a FACT!!" Shouted the Commander.

"SIR!" They all replied again.

At last, the entire one-hundred man team of Cre' Itian Royal Guards completed their final one-handed push up in unison, and immediately forced their exhausted and weary bodies up into attention with hands at their sides.

"SIR! THE ROYAL GUARDS HAVE COMPLETED THEIR SETS, SIR! MAY WE HAVE MORE?!" They shouted as one.

"Form your lines, and begin your ten mile run around the city's perimeter! I expect you all back before lunch time!" The Commander shouted.

"SIR!"

The men formed four lines of twenty-five, and took off in perfect synchronization as the gates from the Royal Palace's training courtyard leading to the exterior of the city were opened for them. Normally this gate was used for emergency situations or escapes in the event the city was attacked by a large force. But today, it served as their path to another leg of training from which to challenge the Red-Eyed Demon's capabilities. And as the men disappeared and the gate was closed, the King emerged from the darkness of a nearby doorway and stood beside the Commander.

"Commander Oshim." He said calmly.

"My liege. May I ask what brings you out here?" Oshim asked.

"How are they doing?"

"They are progressing, my liege. This was their best time yet for completing their two-hundred push up morning routine."

"That's not quite what I asked, Commander. Though I thank you for the update. I would like to know how they're doing." The King repeated.

"I'm afraid I don't understand, my liege."

"These men are my Royal Guards. The final bastion against any threat that would see this city fold to terror, brute force, intimidation, or blood lust. But they are men, all the same. Human beings with emotions and fears of their own. And training like this, while designed to break their limits and make them stronger, can be detrimental to their well-being if not carefully moderated." He said calmly, looking at the 200 near perfectly aligned puddles of sweat left behind.

"Ah. My apologies, my liege. The men are doing well, and are progressing rapidly. It was a bit rough at first, with many throwing up during or after the run I just sent them on. But for the last two weeks we haven't had a single such incident. And the men seem to revel in their progress while congratulating each other on individual performance checks during our end-of-the-month examinations."

"Good. Good." The King nodded slowly, looking up at the gate. "Their run is how far again? Five miles?"

"Ten, my liege."

"Oh ho? So you doubled the distance?"

"In my humble opinion, my liege, we cannot expect their stamina to allow for anything less."

"I see. Did you consult the Royal Physician?"

"Yes, my liege. He was somewhat hesitant to double it so quickly. But after a brief discussion he agreed that so long as the pacing of their run was safe, then the distance was nothing to fear."

"How do you judge the pacing, exactly?"

"By the time it takes them to complete a single mile. When they ran for five, they averaged seven and a half minutes per mile. Now, they are averaging nine minutes per mile."

"I see. And as the time to complete a mile increases, then their running speed decreases which makes it safer to go such a distance?"

"Correct, my liege."

"Very good. You said they have until lunch, correct? Are they expected to run the entire ten miles in one sitting? Or do they get a breather?"

"The men are to take a fifteen minute break at the halfway point. That leaves them, if they stick to their nine minute per mile speed, fifteen minutes to spare to make it back by the time we have lunch."

"Very good, Commander. Thank you."

"Of course, my liege. And if I may inquire, what prompted you to ask about this today?"

"Hm... I guess you could say it's a sense of foreboding in my heart."

"My liege?"

"Lately the Queen and I have both felt it. As you know, history repeats itself. And not only have the Queen and I seen it, but so too have our advisors. A pattern is beginning to emerge that mimics the killings leading up to the Cre' Itian Massacre eight years ago."

"Oh. I see. If I may inquire as to the patterns themselves, my liege?"

The King turned towards the Commander, hands resting behind his back.

"Commander Oshim. Please join the Queen, our advisors, and myself in the Throne Room after you and the men have had lunch. And please bring the Captain of the Royal Guards with you. Everything will be explained then."

"Yes, my liege." Oshim replied with a fist over the heart salute and a bow at the waist.

The King returned indoors, and the Commander made his way to the barracks to discuss matters of security with other members of the castle guard.

Mothman Mothman
 
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The White Tiger Restaurant, owned by local resident Leonardo De'fari, was a common resting place for weary travelers. With its wide variety of cultural cuisine few were left to go hungry no matter their heritage or culinary preference. Leonardo's wife, Ellinta, was the Head Chef. And for most of her life she'd traveled from one nation to another sampling their traditional cuisine, taking notes, learning recipes, inventing recipes, and putting together what was arguably the most eclectic menu on the continent.

What was more impressive was that the White Tiger Restaurant was located in the town of S'li Kae, 10 miles way from the border between Cre' Est and Triveila. The region was essentially no-man's land, with the nearest town being more than one hundred miles away. Despite the remoteness of it, the town managed to remain strong thanks to tourism. People from all corners of the continent came here not only to dine, but to enjoy gambling, trading of goods, listening to traditional music and renting cultural attire, festivals, and much, much more.

Indeed, the town of S'li Kae was a powerhouse in its own right as a self-sustained ecosystem of tourism and production of cultural goods.

Today was to be no different.

Beginning with a sit-in with a group of Triveilan percussionists, one Kieran Jelpas pounded away at a drum held tightly between his knees to the rhythm of the Group Leader, whose instrument of choice was a pair of wooden blocks clapped together for a sharp, yet deep "thunk" to keep the beat. In time with his hands striking the skin of the drum, tiny beads of sweat dripped from Kieran's chin, nose, and elbows. It gathered in his clothing around the armpits, backs of the knees, and between the knees where they pinched the drum to keep it steady. His breathing was rigid, but purposeful. Keeping a steady stream of inhales and exhales with every other bar.

And finally, with a shout from the Group Leader, the performance came to an end to the roaring cheers of the gathered crowd.

"Not too bad, stranger." Said the Group Leader.

"Many thanks, maestro." Kieran replied with a bow.

"I don't suppose you're local? We might have a permanent spot for you if you're interested."

"Oh, no, thank you. I'm just a humble traveler looking to have some fun is all. But thanks for the offer!"

"Ah. What a shame. Well, good luck to you. And if you ever change your mind, we call this town "home." So you know where to find us."

"That I do. Take care!" Kieran called with a wave as the group cheered for him.

As he made his way through the crowd, he was congratulated and complimented on his skills as a drummer. Thanking all who gave him a kind word or two, he quickly made his way out of the crowd and to a nearby alleyway to catch his breath. Here in S'li Kae, there were no homeless. So the alleyways were the safest for hundreds of miles in any direction. Kieran took several deep breaths and brought out a handkerchief from his pocket to dry his face. And as he finished wiping and cleaning his eyes of sweat, he put the handkerchief in his pocket and continued deeper into the alleyways.

For a moderately sized town, S'li Kae had a virtual maze of alleys in the Western District. They were avoided by the townsfolk not for any known dangers, but superstition. Stories of a Ghost Maiden were the stuff of legends in these parts. And by far it was the town's most famous ghost story around the campfire at night.

Deeper and deeper into the alleys Kieran walked, turning every corner with purpose and confidence. Never once did he stray or seem lost in the gauntlet of twists and turns. And at last, he entered a small clearing with an empty well in the center and a empty bucket tied to a rope hanging over the mouth of it. Checking every other alley entrance, he carefully and quietly climbed into the well, holding onto the edges of the bucket as he let himself hang, and kicked the wall in a pattern. Kick, kick, kick... Wait... Kick, kick, kick... Wait... Kick... Wait... Kick...

Suddenly, the rope wiggled slightly as he was lowered into the darkness until no light surrounded him. And the whole time, he was counting in his head.

Four... Five... Six... Seven... Eight... Nine... Ten... Eleven... Twelve!

He swiftly reached out to his right side and grabbed a piece of wood secured to the wall of the well. Letting go of the bucket, and listening to it descend into the depths, he pulled himself up onto the piece of wood which served as the lip of an entrance to an underground passageway. A single torch near the end was his only source of light. And for what seemed like hundreds of feet he walked on and on with the tiny flame never appearing to grow any larger. However, all things come to an end. And so too did the length of this corridor.

Emerging into an open cavern with makeshift rooms carved into the sides of each wall, he spied a lone figure waiting for him in the center of this chamber wearing a black cloak and a hood to hide his face. Standing near a campfire, arms crossed, and a scowl visible on his mouth beneath the hood, Kieran approached cautiously before giving a bow.

"Were you followed?"

"No."

"Are you certain?"

"As always."

"Good... Then you're here because..."

"I bring news. Utoros Geilam has been killed."

"... That is news."

"I can also confirm the Red-Eyed Demon is in Valkyom. Or at least he was at the time of Utoros' death."

"Is he responsible?"

"No. We confirmed that he was engaged in other matters during the time of the killing."

"Then someone else has taken away our pawn... Do we know who?"

"No. And sadly it's damn near impossible to narrow down the suspects with how many enemies Utoros had."

"Fuck."

"Indeed. However, we have a strong suspicion that Te'i Sai was involved."

"Why's that?"

"Because one of them was killed, along with several guards and a vagrant, near the Valkyom prison entrance the next night."

"... That must have been him, then. Nobody else would dare tangle with that bunch."

"That's what we suspect. And rumors seem to back that up. Supposedly the vagrant shouted "demon" before his death."

"So that's another thorn in our side to worry about?"

"It would seem so."

"Do you have any good news?"

"Better than good. Our informant says that the Cre' Itian Royal Guard are being assembled to hunt the Demon down."

"And how is that "better than good" news for us?"

"Because with them on the prowl, he dare not show his face anywhere near the capital. So we're free to continue our operations in Vlakyom all but unimpeded."

"You place too much faith in this idea. I see nothing good in this."

"Why not? The Demon is by far and away our greatest obstacle. With him on the run, or better yet gone from the capital altogether, we have nothing to worry about."

"Use your head, Jelpas. Even without the Demon our operations in Valkyom were put on hold because of one person."

"Ah... The Angel of Cre' Est. Linde Xe' Almna."

"Precisely. Somehow she discovered a counter to our plan and implemented it almost immediately after our first trial run. So long as she's alive, our operation in Valkyom will fail."

"So what are we going to do?"

"You are going to eliminate her, Jelpas."

"... That wasn't part of the deal."

"It is now."

"Not a chance. I've done a lot of terrible things to see this operation succeed. But killing is where I draw the line."

"Does someone have a crush?"

"Honestly? Having met the woman, my answer is "yes." I do have a crush on her. How could I not? The woman saves more lives in a week than you take in a year. And killing her would be a huge mistake because in the end, even if she's an obstacle now, her work won't be down the line once the operation comes to a close! She's more valuable alive than dead."

"... If you can't stomach the task I've set for you, then your usefulness is at an end."

"And what does that mean?"

The word "mean" had barely finished escaping his lips before a blade pierced his chest from behind, lifting him momentarily into the air before his feet touched down again. Blood sprayed from the wound as the weapon was removed, and he felt his legs instantly buckle as almost all feeling left them while he collapsed to a heap. Looking up at his killer, he saw a towering figure, easily 7' in height, looming over him like a mountain of flesh and muscle while holding a wickedly curved and serrated long sword.

"Such a shame."

As his life's blood pooled around him, Kieran Jelpas's vision began fading as the two figures walked away.

"Even Angels must die eventually." The cloaked figure said with a casual wave of his hand.

As the figures disappeared Kieran's vision faded to black, and he lost consciousness from shock and blood loss. Within minutes, he was dead. A permanent fixture in this long abandoned underground ruin of what was once an escape tunnel for slaves and refugees in wars long past.

Mothman Mothman
 
Whimsey's search for her target led her to the marketplace, early in the day. The sun was just rising over the city, casting elongated shadows onto the ground wherever one could go. To most, they would be nothing more than the same old visual stimuli that one would take in as always. To Whimsey, on this warm morning, they were just enough to keep her paranoia at it's max. After her hallucinations back in her room, she was starting to wonder just what was so terribly and utterly on edge with everything going on. Her eyes would only continue to dart back and forth as she walked down the streets and killed a bit of time before the merchants had actually set up for the morning. God, she would have to deal with her least favorite part of the job. Sleuthing around, putting on an act and a nice smile to try and get names and information out of people. She had learned from years of experiences that threatening others for info wasn't useful in the slightest. She would only take such drastic measures if she was one hundred percent certain they had the info she wanted.

Once the marketplace was starting to get lively, she went around and started striking conversation. Whether it be on recommendations for products, the weather, directions for somewhere else, she went about business as usual. Though, even as she did so, a hand stayed on her knife at all time, and occasionally, her eyes would dart from side to side, following a pair of red orbs that soared around. More hallucinations, which she figured out quickly after jumping and stepping back with a small shout. She had to convince the shopkeeper she had only seen a bug fluttering overhead, which she managed to do before quickly excusing herself. Onto the next shopkeeper she could find that seemed to have time to spare, she hoped she would find some worthwhile information.

"Good morning, sir." She gave a small bow as she adjusted the tie on the front of her cloak, casually looking down at the goods in front of her. Hunting supplies, mostly. Arrows, tools to set traps, bait, and various tools for skinning animals. Nothing she would really need, she had little experience hunting animals, only humans. Though, she could feign interest to get on this man's good side. "It's been quite some time since I sampled wares from the capital." Her voice was quiet and far less cheery than she would normally force it to be. "There's quite a lot of wonderful people here, as well."

"Mmhmm. What can I help you with?" The man seemed far more straight to the point, not super interested in having small talk with the woman in front of her. Whimsey furrowed her brow slightly at his lack of interest, though supposed this was all still worth a shot.

"If I can be frank, I was hoping to ask you a question... I'm looking for a Faliea Lunan...?" She gave a small pout and tilted her head just a tad to try and make the question come off as innocent, and the man seemed to mostly buy it.

"What business have you got with her?" He crossed his arms over his chest before glancing behind Whimsey to make sure that there weren't any other, and paying, customers around. Seeing as it was still just Whimsey, he didn't mind passing the time by hearing her out.

"She's a relative. I'm a traveler, see, and haven't seen her in quite a while... We're cousins, to be exact." She wanted to go with something that wasn't too cliche or obvious, but was believable enough. "All I know, really, is that she lives here in Valkyom. This cities so big, I don't remember where she lives..." With that, she passed the conversational baton back to the shopkeep.

Though, just as she did, her eyes drifted over to a torch that was still lit despite the daylight, staring at it for a long moment. As if by magic, the flames began to swirl into the air just behind the man, before turning a pitch black color mixed with a bright red. A shout escaped Whimsey before she felt a stabbing pain in her head, before she fell back onto a knee and grabbed at her head. What had once been the flames of the torch formed into a black mass that moved directly past the shopkeeper, looming over her with an absolutely disgusting, ear-bleeding screeching sound.

"Jeez, lady, are you alright...!?" The man's voice once again broke her out of her hallucination, as the man was walking around the table to make sure she was alright. He offered a hand out to her, and Whimsey shook her head for a moment before accepting it and standing up.

"Sorry... I, uh..." Normally she made some sort of strange excuse for what had caused some sort of odd maneuver or something of the sort, but nothing came to mind. How was she supposed to explain away screaming in a crowded marketplace and falling to a knee? She froze up as the man was staring at her, waiting for some sort of response. "i... I've been having these awful headaches as of late, my apologies, sir..." Shivering for a moment, she gave a polite nod to the man.

"Yeesh, sounds rough... You gotten that checked out?" The man raised an eyebrow at Whimsey, watching her sway a bit on her feet and worried she would fall over yet again.

"I can't say that I have." The girl brought a hand up to her head again, still feeling a dull throbbing in her head. "Like I said, I'm a traveler, and a mercenary... I don't end up with enough coin to do something like that." While that was mostly false, it was true that she really didn't have the money to blow on a visit to a doctor, and she doubted there was anything to gain from it.

"Well, you're in Cre' Est, aren't you? We've got the Angel of Cre' Est here, after all. Not to mention, if anyone would know about this cousin of yours, it'd be her." The man noticed a bit of surprise in Whimsey's voice, and he seemed satisfied to have given her an inkling of an idea. "Now, not to be rude, but I've got a shop to run. Take care, kid." Waving the girl away, he returned behind his counter. With that, Whimsey simply gave the man a nod, before turning and walking off as well. In truth, the man was a hundred percent right. Not only would the Angel of Cre' Est be likely to know about her target, at least more than the average citizen on the street... Not to mention, maybe she could get some temporary relief. Two birds with one stone.

Not having much else to go on, and worried about her hallucinations becoming more and more frequent, she left the marketplace and started to head towards the clinic she had heard so much about over her travels. Once she was there, she ended up stopped at the door, unsure if this was exactly what she wanted to do. After a moment of standing there, she got the same sharp pain in her head, and decided this was her best course of action. Pushing the door open, she immediately noticed the receptionist at the counter and walked over, giving a small wave. "Good morning... I've, uh, come to see Doctor... Almna, is it?" That was the name on the sign outside, so she hoped that was the right name to address her by... It was clear that she was more than a bit shaken up, and her eyes bore the expression of someone awfully suspicious. It was more than difficult for her to keep her act up at this point, and she was honestly growing more and more fond of the idea of this Angel of Cre' Est helping her to stop being so anxious and afraid of this Red-Eyed Demon.​
 
"Thank you, sir. Please have a seat, and the next available nurse will take you into the clinic." The receptionist said.

"Thanks miss Cheyanne." He replied as he went to take his seat.

It was then that Whimsey walked into the room, and Cheyanne looked up from her book keeping with a smile.

"Welcome to the Almna Apothecary and Clinic, ma'am. I don't believe I've seen you here before. Do you require medical treatment? Or perhaps are here to visit the apothecary for prepared medicines?" She asked.

She had been slightly distracted by how good the day was going, and didn't realize Whimsey's exhausted appearanve until she came closer.

"Oh my... Are you well, miss?" She asked.

Mothman Mothman
 
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Cheyenne's question made her pause, and she truthfully wasn't sure what to respond. She had little knowledge of medical procedures and treatments, outside of basic wound treatment she had to perform on herself from time to time. Were there even ways to cure things like hallucinations? After a moment of silence, she ran a hand over her face and sighed. "I... Medical treatment, I suppose." Shrugging, she crossed her arms under her cloak and looked over at one of the windows. She was starting to have second thoughts about being in here already; what if something about the reason behind her hallucinations was asked of her...?

The woman's words of concern made her flinch a bit, before meeting eyes with the woman and shaking her head. "I don't think so..." A small groan of pain escaped her as she moved a hand to her head once again. The pains in her head at the moment reminded her of similar sensations she felt when her mother had left, and she had been alone to face what she had done in front of her village. Though, the hallucinations that were accompanying it now were completely new.

"I'm sorry, maybe this isn't an issue I should be bringing here... Perhaps I should go." More and more she was starting to believe that this was an issue that a doctor couldn't solve. The Red-Eyed Demon, tormenting her like this, even if the two hadn't crossed paths? Even if this Doctor Almna had such prestige and fame throughout all of Cre' Est, what could she do for someone like her? A murderer who's finally being punished for her years of misdeeds?

GojiBean GojiBean​
 
Cheyanne immediately stood up and walked around the desk to stand before Whimsey. Gently, she placed her fingertips under Whimey's chin.

"Please relax. I'm taking your pulse." She said.

She counted in her head, and while doing so observed Whimsey's outer condition. The exhaustion was clear, along with sleep deprivation. And after taking Whimsey's pulse and finding it slightly elevated, Cheyanne looked at the doctor's door to the meeting room.

"Please wait here." She urged.

She knocked on the door, which was followed by a muffled "Come in." She entered the room and closed the door. A muffled conversation could be heard taking place before the door opened and Cheyanne waved down Whimsey.

"Miss, the doctor will see you." She said.

Mothman Mothman
 
The physical touch of Cheyenne's fingers under her chin, even though she could clearly see who they belonged to, made her tense up and immediately shut her eyes. Her words a moment later that she was just taking her pulse made her relax just a tad, but it didn't change the fact she hated physical contact. That, mixed with how on edge and pent up with anxiety she was, didn't make her feel much better at all. Thankfully, she was done quickly enough, and requested she simply wait where she was.

As Cheyenne stepped away, part of her considered just leaving them and there. This could only end badly. Whether that meant this Angel of Cre' Est catching onto just what she did that had her stuck in such a state, or simply not finding any aid here, and no info on her target, she regretted stepping inside the clinic in the first place. Her eyes darted to the doorway as she truly thought about just walking out, and while she did begin to take a step or two in the direction of the exit, it didn't take long for Cheyenne to reemerge and call out to her again.

"O-Of course." Facing away from Cheyenne at the moment, she shut her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to at least relax a tad before going in to see this woman. Finally turning back, she nodded to Cheyenne and walked back across the room to the door, stepping inside and getting her first look of this 'Angel of Cre' Est' she had been hearing about for years and years. She was as beautiful as everyone had said, but that mattered little to her.

"Good morning... Doctor Almna, correct?" Her words came out lacking in tone, and the expression on her face made her look absolutely drained, physically and mentally. It was the same feeling she had found herself stuck with for weeks after fleeing her village, same as her mother, and it only served to remind her of those times just the same. She knew that she didn't have time to be feeling like this, so anxious and afraid to so much as sleep, and that she had more important things to be doing, but she just couldn't in her current state. Something had to change.

GojiBean GojiBean​
 
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Linde was already standing behind her desk, hands folded across her lower stomach, as Whimsey entered the room. Cheyanne closed the door. And before Whimsey had finished asking about Linde's identity, Linde's expression shifted from one of calmness to a subtle "ah ha" expression with subtly elevated brows and a slight parting of her lips.

"Oh..." She whispered, more to herself than Whimsey.

Walking around the desk at a slow and steady pace, Linde gave Whimsey a once over from top to bottom.

"Please take a deep breath through your nose." She asked.

As she finished asking, her hands came up beneath Whimsey's chin in a similar manner to the way Cheyanne's did. However, rather than just two fingertips, all four of Linde's fingertips came to rest softly on the flesh while her thumbs came to rest against the sides of Whimsey's jaw.

"Hold the breath for five seconds, and release through your mouth on a hiss." She urged, gently moving her fingertips in small circles.

Mothman Mothman
 
“A deep breath...?” Whimsey blinked a few times before complying, taking a long inhale with her eyes closed. By the time she had just barely started, Linde’s hands were on her with a bit more contact than the receptionist outside. Another physical touch that made her tense up all the same, but she didn’t really have a reason to object to it.

As Linde gave her another set of commands to do, she complied, holding the breath for a few more seconds before hissing it out. She’d no idea why the doctor would ask something like that if her, but supposed that was why Linde was the doctor.

“...Name’s Whimsey Mausinia, by the way. It doesn’t suit me, I know.” She’d never been fond of her name, with how innocent and cutesy it sounded, but had never bothered being called by anything else. She was far too used to Whimsey to easily switch to a different name. “...You’ve got quite a reputation. But I’m sure you know that.”

GojiBean GojiBean​
 
Linde was silent, continuing to feel the underside of Whimsey's chin. Tiny, tiny circles over and over again, gently applying pressure at key points on her lymph nodes and around the musculature to feel it out for any abnormalities.

Finally, the contact ended as Linde released her chin.

"Is it insomnia?" She asked calmly.

Mothman Mothman
 
“Insomnia...?” Whimsey paused at the question, unsure of how honest she should be with this Doctor Almna. Something told her that coming forward and saying she was having hallucinations of an infamous killer coming after her because she had stolen a target of his wasn’t the right way to go about it.

“It’s a lot of things.” She put it bluntly as she brought a hand up to her hair and brushed a bit of it behind her ear, noting how in need of some proper care it was. With so much time on the road, with little time to spare, she hadn’t found the time as of late. “I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to discuss a fair amount of it...” After a brief pause in her words, she decided that at least being partially honest would suffice. Sure, she couldn’t tell Doctor Almna the ‘why’ of the whole deal, but could at least discuss the hallucinations, right?

“I haven’t been able to sleep, and I’ve been terribly anxious wherever I go... Just this morning I’ve started hallucinating.” A sigh escaped her as the hand busying itself with her hair moved to her eye, rubbing at it for a moment. The more she was getting through her day, the more she was realizing she was absolutely exhausted.

GojiBean GojiBean​
 
Linde's chin raised ever so slightly when Whimsey said she'd been having hallucinations.

"Is that so?" She asked calmly, but assertively.

"Given your physical condition, I'd say they started closer to two or three days ago. Coupled with insomnia leading to sleep deprivation, hence the state of your eyes, it's likely you're experiencing elevated levels of anxiety as well." She continued.

Linde then gestured to the chair.

"Please have a seat, miss Mausinia." She asked, pulling the chair for her.

Mothman Mothman
 
“Yeah, that’s... Perfectly right, actually.” Whimsey blinked a few times as Linde easily knew how long this had been going on. “The hallucinations only started just this morning, though... Or, was it last night?” Part of her wasn’t sure if her seeing red out of the corner of her eye and immediately getting on edge would also count as a ‘hallucination’.

As Linde offered her a seat, she simply nodded and stepped forward, adjusting her cloak slightly and sitting down. If avoidable, she didn’t want Linde to see the belt of knives she wore, but if it came to it, she would just say she wore them for self-defense while traveling.

“Just Whimsey is fine... I’m not fond of my family name, but, well, I’m not married or anything.” Changing her name was something she had always wanted to do, and she generally avoided handing it out to strangers, or people that might recognize the name from the murders in Cabaten. In hindsight, she probably should have used a fake name with Linde, but it was a bit late for that by now.

“This isn’t something you could really help with though, huh...? I probably just sound like I’m crazy.” An awkward laugh followed her words as she picked at a loose thread on her cloak.

GojiBean GojiBean​
 
Linde cupped Whimsey's hair and folded as much of it as possible behind her ears. Everything else, she parted as best she could to expose Whimsey's neck.

"Not at all." She cooed.

Her warm, soft hands gently came to rest around the back of Whimsey's neck, and her thumbs began a slow, yet firm massage of the muscles along the spinal cord.

"Hallucinations are usually a sign of mental disorders, such as schizophrenia. However, given how lucid you seem to be outside of the hallucinations themselves, I would wager that's not the underlying cause." She said as her thumbs continued the massage, moving down to her trapezius muscles.

"Given the obvious signs of sleep deprivation, coupled with hallucinations, I'm going to speculate that you're having nightmares as well?" She asked, moving down to Whimsey's deltoids right at the juncture where they met the trapezius.

Mothman Mothman
 
She was more than glad that Linde was willing to carry most of the conversation on her own. Not only was she poor in terms of social skills and awareness, she knew next to nothing about what could possibly be going on with her. Answering the doctor’s occasional questions wasn’t a problem at all.

As Linde started to push some of her hair around, she tended up yet again, unsure as to just where the doctor was going with the gesture. It wasn’t enough to make her outwardly speak against it or move from the chair, though; she trusted the doctor enough already to bear with some minor discomfort at the touch.

Though, it didn’t take long for Linde’s hands on her to calm her at least a bit. Her muscles were tense and knotted, and the woman couldn’t remember ever having a massage or even attempting to do anything about the problem herself. A deep exhale escaped as Linde continued to slowly move her hands down to her trapezius, before she snapped out of the brief sensation of comfort to answer her question.

“...Yeah. Pretty terrible ones... I haven’t slept of my own volition in a few days now, only when my body just passes out from exhaustion.” A small hum escaped her once again as Linde kept massaging her skin. “This just to make me relaxed, or have you got some sort of magic touch, Doctor Almna...? I can’t remember the last time I haven’t had this dull pain in my shoulders...”

GojiBean GojiBean​
 
Linde listened intently, and as Whimsey recalled that the nightmares were "terrible," her fingers paused for just a split second before resuming.

"No magic." She replied soothingly.

"But I do have something that will help you to sleep better at night." She continued.

"Give me a few minutes to get these last few knots out, and I'll fetch it for you." She said.

She continued for about five more minutes massaging Whimsey's shoulders and neck area, and even a bit of the upper back between her shoulder blades. Once all the knots were out, she gave Whimsey's shoulder a soft pat.

"I'll be back in just a moment." She said with a smile, walking through a door joined the back of the Apothecary.

About thirty seconds ticked by before Linde reappeared.

"Here we are." She said, handing a bottle to Whimsey.

The label on the parchment wrap read: Volarian Kiss.

"This is a special brew I came up with about two years ago. After you drink it, the liquid will be absorbed and passed into your blood stream. From there, it flows through the brain and helps it relax by inducing calming and vivid visions. Most of my patients who take it have dreams of soaring through the air like a bird, swimming through the ocean's depths without the need to breathe air, and sometimes even exploring vast caverns beneath the earth."

She gave Whimsey another pat on the shoulder.

"Take a single spoonful of this before you lay down to sleep, and you will be out in no more than five minutes. And with any luck it will help deter the nightmares from coming around." She said with a smile.

"If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Otherwise, please see Cheyanne out front about payment. Okay?"

Mothman Mothman
 
“It’s much appreciated, Doctor Almna...” Whimsey stayed mostly silent as Linde finished up the massage, rolling her shoulders back and letting out a long sigh of relief once she stepped back. The woman had really done wonders on her, even if she still had no clue just what the massage was meant to do. Perhaps it was just meant to let her relax and give her temporary relief?

As Linde left the room to go and fetch whatever it was she was talking about, Whimsey stood up and stretched her arms above her head. The feeling of how light and soothed they felt had blown her mind, in a way. It certainly did make her feel better, at least for the time being.

Doctor Almna returned quickly enough, and Whimsey went quiet to let her explain just what it was she was handing over to her. It sounded like, at the very least, it would be a big help in getting her some real rest. “Thank goodness... I’d kill for a real night’s rest, but I guess I won’t have to now.” An awkward laugh escaped her as she took the bottle with a smile and a nod.

Though, before she could say a goodbye to Doctor Almna and head out, the sound of passing footsteps just outside the window put her right back on edge. Just as she walked to the window to make sure there wasn’t anyone worth worrying about outside, the glass in front of her shattered, with a black mist quickly flying in and forming into a figure in the room. Whimsey immediately scrambled back, neglecting the chair just behind her and crashing to the floor with it. Her eyes stared up not at Linde, but at the figure she was seeing overhead. Made completely of shadow, with a pair of glowing red irises sticking out amidst the darkness.

“G-Get away, demon!” With a shaky shout, a hand reached down to her belt, hurriedly dislodging a knife from her belt and hurling it at the hallucination she was looking at. While the knife was nowhere near Linde, it still flew past her and dug itself into the wall.

To Whimsey, the knife went clean through the shadowy figure before her, not doing a thing to stop it. In her mind, she was convinced that it was one hundred percent real, that she was about to be struck down here, in front of Doctor Almna, by the Red-Eyed Demon. After her knife didn’t make its mark, her hands shot up to her head, one in a feeble attempt to protect herself, and the other grabbing at her hair to get the ringing in her head to stop.

GojiBean GojiBean​
 
Linde was happy to see a bit of humor arise, but as soon as it had come it was gone. Whimsey went to the window, and seemed to react to it as if someone had just broken in. But Linde saw no one. But when Whimsey shouted for a "demon" to get away, Linde's parted and her brows furrowed. Watching Whimsey throw a dagger right past her and into the wall before grabbing her head in an attempt to protect herself, Linde could only take a deep breath as it suddenly dawned on her...

"So that's why." She muttered to herself.

Linde knelt down and calmy put her hands on Wimsey's shoulders.

"Whimsey, listen to me very carefully. Don't ask the demon to go away. Demand it." She cooed, her hands so soft they may as well not have been touching her at all.

"This fear is real. But the source isn't. Demand that it leave you alone." She urged.

Mothman Mothman
 
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