Fantasy Chronicles of Cre' Est

[GojiBean]

Linde took another breath, letting it out quietly through her nose.

"... Truth be told, I've had my own problems with him in the past." She said calmly while stretching her arms above her head.

A small crack came from her elbows, followed by a subtle, but audible wince. After letting her arms down, Linde rolled her shoulders and sighed.

"Whether you believe me or not, Whimsey, the fact remains that he currently doesn't register you as a threat, or an enemy. If he did, you'd be dead. Simple as that."

Her tone was growing slightly more distant and less friendly. But it retained the calmness she had conveyed throughout the entire exchange ever since Whimsey first set foot in her office.

"But I, for one, am glad you're not dead. Every life he crosses paths with and doesn't take is a blessing. One we shouldn't take lightly."

She offered Whimsey a smile, and her friendly tone started to come back.

"I can see you're frightened, Whimsey. And you should be. Having a healthy concern for the future after you crossed paths with him and lived is fine. But allowing the fear to overwhelm you does you no good. The best thing you can do for yourself now is to find a way to deal with what's happened about Ernest, and then move on. It won't be easy, and I won't pretend that it won't hurt. But you're the only one who can make these fear-driven hallucinations come to an end. All the medications in the world won't make accepting you current reality any easier. And they're only a temporary solution to your sleepless nights. But if it's any comfort at all... Just know that you're always welcome here." She offered.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"I suppose I can at least understand where you're coming from..." She wasn't ready to believe that the Red-Eyed Demon really had no intention of coming after her again, but was at the very least willing to agree with Linde in a hypothetical sense. It still troubled her as to just why Ernest was killed, but she was left alive. Was she not just as horrible as him? She was the one going through with the deeds, and with so much blood on her hand.

Once Linde was finished, she lowered her head to her knees and went silent for a long moment. With a few drawn out breaths, she brought her head back up and looked to Linde. "This life is all I've ever known." She started off simply, unsure where she was going with it. Everything from Utoros' death, to Ernest's, and to her run in with the Red-Eyed Demon, had all served as a huge reality check for her. One that, more than anything, had left her lost and confused. "My mom raised me as a killer. I never got a real education, a real childhood... If I can be so frank, Doctor Almna, you're the only one that's ever listened to me so sincerely. And... While I really do appreciate it, it frustrates me all the same." A hand drifted up to her neck, grabbing a hold of the back of it as she rolled her shoulders.

"God, I don't even know what I'm saying..." Clicking her lips, she uncrossed her legs and leaned forward in her chair. "...I guess I'm just lost. And tired. Tired of living like this, waiting for something to go wrong and to drop dead. I just want to get it over with. The hallucinations, the paranoia... Have all just been helping me realize how wrong I've went with everything in my life."

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde nodded slowly as Whimsey spoke, and lowered her eyes to look at the desk.

"So much alike..." She whispered.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

Whimsey raised an eyebrow as she saw Linde’s mouth move, but didn’t comment on it.

“Thirty minutes is almost up, huh...” Whimsey stood up and glanced to the window. Shutting her eyes for a moment, she walked back to the door, putting a hand on the doorknob. “Probably the last time I’ll come bug you, Doctor Almna...“ She stood, hand on the doorknob, for a long moment, not saying a word. “I should be going.”

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde's eyes were closed, and her head tilted slightly down.

"... Take care, Whimsey." She said quietly.

Lifting her head to give the girl one last look, she gave a smile.

"You'll be fine."

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

Whimsey stayed frozen as Linde gave her kind words, free hand balling into a fist as she took a few breaths. “...Yeah. Tell him I said hi.” She referred to the Red-Eyed Demon, curious as to just what sort of ‘trouble’ they had previously. With that, she opened the door and went back into receptionist.

“How much?” She said with a dull tone, leaning on the counter and looking Cheyanne over.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

As Whimsey closed the door, Linde's smile remained as she sat back in her chair. Her eye lids grew a bit heavier as she thought about Whimsey's final words.

"... I will." She whispered, her lips still curled in a smile.

She stood up and walked through the side door to the office leading to the clinic, as it was time to get back to work.

Cheyanne, meanwhile, fixed a few items on her desk as Whimsey came up and asked about payment.

"Ah. It was a consult, yes? So that'll be ten Copper, please!" She said happily.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Yeah." Fishing around in the pouch under her cloak, she eventually found the coin inside of it and set it onto the counter. "If she asks, the stuff she gave me last time worked perfectly. Take care." A yawn escaped her at the thought of using it again tonight; though she didn't think it would be as necessary. Her thoughts on the entire situation had shifted from extreme paranoia and anxiousness about Shadow, to hopelessness and depression about her current state of living. Even as she gave a wave to Cheyanne and left the clinic, it was still sinking in. What the hell was she supposed to do now?

For a long while, she simply paced around Valkyom, as if hoping something would magically fall into her lap. More than anything, she wanted to put her killing life behind her. With Ernest gone, she believed that now was the best time to do such a thing. Leo wouldn't know enough about her to report her to the guards, and even if she returned with Faliea dead, she doubted he would pay out. If there was ever a time to get out of her field, it was now. Even so, the thought troubled her. Just what would she do? At the end of the day, killing was a way to keep a roof over her head and food in her stomach. Mercenary work had always slightly intrigued her, but she wasn't a fighter. Her skills lied solely in stealth, infiltration, and assassination. And, as unfortunate as it was, her line of work was pretty much the only field that benefited from such traits.

Eventually, her legs grew tired of walking in circles around Valkyom, and she stopped in the nearest tavern she could find. With her visits to Linde's clinic, and lack of an upcoming payment thanks to Ernest's death, she really didn't have the money to be wasting on drinks. Though, that was the farthest fact from her mind, as she ordered a pitcher of ale and decided she'd drink the issues in her mind away, at least for the night.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

As the crescent moon rose to its peak, Linde sat by her window in a silken white night gown. Her window was slightly ajar, allowing a gentle night breeze to caress her face and hair as it gently swayed behind her.

Is it safe to do that? She thought.

All afternoon, following Whimsey's confession about what she does and about meeting Shadow, Linde had contemplated telling him about her. If for no other reason than to get his opinion on what he thought she should do. The two of them shared so much in common, it was almost like looking at two sides of the same coin. Linde couldn't help her beyond the basic medication for sleep deprivation and giving kind words to help lift her spirits, if even only a little bit. But Shadow... He might be able to give her something more worthwhile.

At that thought, she stood up and pushed her window all the way open and gave two loud, rising whistles. From down the road, someone yelled back "Shut up ya asshole!" Linde chuckled and turned around to sit back down in her chair. And as she turned to take her seat and looked at the window, there he was perched on the windowsill and staring straight at her.

Linde sat down calmly, crossing one long and elegant bare leg over the other.

"She said you found her the other night."

His eyes narrowed.

"You spared her life, and I wanted you to know I'm grateful to you for that."

"She's like me."

Linde smile.

"So you recognize that too?"

He nodded.

"You've caused her nightmares. Even before she met you. She was, and still is, paranoid that you're going to find and kill her. I've tried to help, but she doesn't seem ready or willing to accept what I told her."

"Did you tell her about us?"

"No... How could I tell her about our time together? I only hinted that I knew you better than most, and she seemed to pick up on it."

"What do you want, Linde?"

"I want you to go see her, and confirm for her in person that what I said about you not perceiving her as a threat or an enemy is true and that you'll leave her alone."

"I can't do that."

"Why not? Are you threatened by her?"

"No. But I won't pretend another assassin isn't an enemy."

"Shadow. She's used, confused, and now she's lost. You killed Ernest Selev, didn't you? When you did that, you took away her sense of purpose."

"She can find another."

"Shadow, please. You of all people know what it's like to be in her situation. She needs a purpose, or she's likely not going to make it."

"What concern is that of mine?"

"Shadow!" Linde barked, standing up from her chair and knocking it backward to the floor. "You said you didn't want to be like them anymore. That you wanted to be more than what they molded you into! So does this girl! She wants to be more than what she was made to be! She IS YOU!!" Linde shouted.

Her chest rose and fell in deep, long breaths through clenched teeth. Linde's furrowed brow, tight fists, and deadly stare caught Shadow somewhat off guard. He hadn't seen her like this in a long time. And after a long moment of silence, Linde took one final breath and relaxed her posture.

"She's you, Shadow. She's you in every way possible without coming from Te'i Sai." She walked forward, looking him dead in the eyes as their faces came within inches of one another. "I told you that they weren't the only monsters out there." She whispered.

The two remained face to face for a long moment before Linde turned around and picked up her chair to sit back down. And as she did so, she looked at the floor in contemplation before her eyes trailed up and locked onto his.

"I've done all I can for her. And I'm asking you, as a favor, to help her find a purpose."

Shadow remained silent, but refused to break eye contact. And once again, there was a long, long moment of wordless communication between them. And as the moment faded, Shadow spun on the windowsill and disappeared into the night. Linde took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead.

"I really hate it when you just leave like that." She mumbled.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Ma'am, you're not drinking another drop." It was the middle of the night, and barely a soul sat inside the tavern, save the bartender. Save a man reading in the corner, someone who likely had to work during the night and sleep during the day, there was only one woman, hunched over at the counter. Her cheeks had gone red after hours of drinking, and the bartender in front of her had finally decided to put an end to it. "I'm gonna have to ask you to be on your way." The woman was drunk out of her mind, sure, but he wasn't running a charity case. If the woman would try and stay here all night, it would cause problems.

"...Gimme one more, and I'll go..." Her speech was slurred, and it was clear Whimsey was the type of drunk who wouldn't get super physical or confrontational. More of a passive, frustrated drunk.

"Ma'am, I can't do that. You're already going to wake up with an awful hangover." The bartender shook his head and walked back over to the woman at the counter, getting close enough to make eye contact with her. "I won't ask again. Get going."

A sigh escaped Whimsey as she didn't so much as make eye contact with the man. Without another word, she stood up and made for the door, finally realizing just how incoherent she was. Just walking to the door was difficult enough, and as she opened it, she nearly fell face first out of it. Thankfully, the nearest Inn was awfully close, and while she didn't consciously realize it while she was paying for her room, but she was down to just a bit of copper in her bag. Another meal or two at best. Once in bed, she was quick to take another dose of the medicine that Linde had given her. It was probably super unnecessary; with how drunk she was, her body seemed ready to pass out at any moment.

When her eyes shot open in the morning, all that escaped her was a long groan. Her head was pounding, and her body felt like she had just run a marathon. It was already midday, and she was only just waking up. "God... Dammit..." Pulling herself out of bed and standing up, she found herself at least more in control of her body than the night before. Still, the pain in head persisted, and was enough to drive her insane.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Finding her wasn't easy. But he did. Near passed out drunk at the tavern and stumbling her way to the inn, Shadow watched her from nearby on the rooftops.

"... Too drunk." He mumbled.

In her state, she wouldn't hear him even if he spoke at normal volume. So he decided it best to leave her for the night to sleep this off. And after trailing her to the inn she was staying at, he made himself comfortable on the rooftop across the way and waited until she woke up the next morning. When she did, he observed her holding her head. A hangover no doubt.

But hangover or no, and if it would get Linde off his back, Shadow knew now was the time. He quietly made his way across to the roof of her inn, and descended until he was just above her window. Using the upper ledge above the window as a perch, he lowered himself down to hang next to the window and off to the side so as not to give himself away. Without a balcony, holding himself up with one arm wasn't too difficult. But it was uncomfortable. He used one of his daggers to get a grip on the window frame, and plucked it outward to open it up. With the window open, he pushed off the wall with one leg and swung into her room, landing with a soft "thud" on the wooden floor.

Standing to full height, he calmly gave her a once-over from bottom to top before seeming to sigh through his nose.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

Whimsey had found her way to the bathroom of the room, splashing some water on her face with hopes of getting her bearings at least a bit. Though, as she was, a loud thud sounded out from the main room. Not bothering to turn the water off, she barreled out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, already having drawn a knife. The slight jump in adrenaline only made the pain in her head more unbearable, but she manage to put that behind her when she saw exactly what had happened.

He was back. Exactly as she had assumed, here to finish what he had started with Ernest. While she kept the knife clenched in her hand, she knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against the Red-Eyed Demon when she was rested and healthy. Much less in her hung over, depressed one. “...The hell do you want this time, demon?” The words came out coldly, though she sheathed her knife after speaking.

With how calm and poised the man was, she was certain that the Red-Eyed Demon was once again looking to toy with her. What did laws matter to a psychopath like him? The whole city was on a damned lockdown, and here he was still prowling around and taking lives. “...What’d you do to Faliea?” While she had no intention of following the woman and killing her as she originally planned, what the man in front of her might have done still bothered her.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

"..."

She seemed spunky enough to make a decision.

"You want to get paid for using the skills you have, right?" He asked.

With his left hand, and from behind his back he pulled out a small dark brown leather pouch and held it up for her to see. He untied the opening, and poured five Gold piece into the palm of his right hand.

"Ten Gold pieces. Five now. Five when you finish. The offer's good for exactly thirty seconds, starting now."

He extended his right hand, ready to drop the coins into hers should she accept his offer.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

Shadow’s words immediately caught her off guard. Why would he be requesting something like this of her, of all people? It had to be him messing with her again, it just had to...

“...I don’t know what you’re talking about. Explain.” Her knife came out again, though she kept it only loosely held under her cloak. A hand would occasionally drift to her head, grabbing at her hair to try and quell the pain in her head.

“The Red-Eyed Demon needs a hitwoman...? Don’t blame me for not believing you.” She narrowed her eyes at him, scowling and taking a few steps back. The door was right there; her bag was still in the room by the bed, but she could manage without it. It wasn’t like she had much to her name at the moment, anyways. She could always come back for it. She just had to get the door, and get away from him.

“Why Ernest? I agree he’s scum of the earth, but why him and not me, too?” She doubted the man would actually answer her. All she was really trying to do was talk and keep him focused on her words, and not where she was slowly trying to walk to. The last place she wanted to be was alone in a room with Shadow.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Shadow's eyes narrowed the more she spoke.

"You ask too many questions." He growled.

His hand holding the coins clenched into a fist, and soon after he returned the coins to the pouch.

"Time's up."

He put the pouch behind his back again, giving her a dark glare.

"To be clear, I don't need you for anything. But someone wanted me to give you a purpose so you'd stop wallowing like some pathetic lost child. If you don't want a purpose, that's not my problem."

Shadow turned and began walking towards the window.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

“I never said I wouldn’t... That I wouldn’t take the job.” Whimsey’s voice broke a bit as she agreed to whatever work Shadow had in mind for her. It didn’t make her feel great, as this was exactly what had happened with Ernest... She had agreed to help him out when she was in a desperate time, alone, starving, and hopeless. That never turned out great for her.

“I wouldn’t ask so many if you answered even one, dammit...” She muttered to herself and rubbed at her temple with her free hand. “...So you and Doctor Almna are close.” She made the accusation in the same moment she had the realization. It warmed her heart to know Linde was looking out for her, but worried her that this was how that turned out. “...This wasn’t what I meant. To keep killing. But I’m not stupid enough to turn down help... What do you want from me?”

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Shadow had one foot on the windowsill when Whimsey spoke, hinting she would take the job and about her knowledge of his relationship with Linde. He glanced over his shoulder, taking in her words first as Linde had taught him to do in conversation.

He stepped down from the window and turned to face her, his face still molded into a cold frown.

"I never offered a hit. I offered the chance to use your skill set. There's a big difference there. And one you'd better get familiar with quickly if you want to survive." He growled.

He brought the pouch out once more, but this time he didn't remove any coins.

"An assassin's killing blow is only the final stroke of the brush on a canvass. But the canvass itself, as well as the brush, are entirely different worlds to the stroke in question."

He opened the bag and put five Gold coins in his palm once more, each being worth 50 Copper a piece.

"So I'll ask again... You want to get paid for using the skills you have, right?"

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

Whimsey could tell Shadow wouldn’t answer any questions she had. As much as that aggravated her, there wasn’t much she could do about it. She still didn’t get what Shadow meant regarding ‘using her skills’ that didn’t involve hits. His talk of brushes and canvases also interested her, but it wasn’t something she would comment on here and now.

“...You’re a strange one. But fine, you’ve got me.” She sheathed her knife and walked over to her bed, taking a seat on the side of it and looking to Shadow. It was clear she was far more calm, though still a bit on edge with all that had happened. Even with him offering her work, having the Red-Eyed Demon so close to her made her awfully nervous. She still wasn’t certain that the man didn’t plan to kill her, but practically had no choice but to hear him out.

Lacing her fingers together, she leaned forward and nodded her head to Shadow. “Alright. Enlighten me, then. Perhaps you have a name? Or do you prefer ‘demon’?”

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Tired of waiting for her to take the coins, he tossed them to her.

"Shadow."

He put the coin pouch away, and turned half-way towards the window.

"And for the record, Linde and I aren't close."

He turned to the window and glanced over his shoulder.

"Keep up."

With that, he launched himself out and, gripping the upper lip of the window frame, he pulled himself upwards and used the railings and the balcony of the next floor up to hoist himself higher and ascend to the rooftops to wait for her.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

“I’m sure you aren’t... Shadow.” Whimsey rolled her eyes as Shadow denied it. Just how a man like him and a woman like Doctor Almna got to be at the very least friends. As Shadow chucked the coins at her, she caught two of them, but allowed the other three to hit the floor. Scooping them up, she tucked them in her pocket and followed Shadow towards the window, quickly grabbing her bag and throwing her cloak on.

It wasn’t until she watched the man hoist himself up on the roof that she realized just what she was doing. She was actually working with the Red-Eyed Demon... “So...” She started speaking as she put a foot on the windowsill, reaching around and grabbing at the top of the window. It took her longer than it did Shadow, the girl generally blending in on the streets as opposed to scaling buildings.

Once she had pulled herself up, clearly not familiar with the easiest way to do so, she continued. “...You recruit people like this often? Or only when Doctor Almna asks?”

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Shadow was waiting for her as she hoisted herself up, a cold, stoic stare seemingly a permanent fixture in his features.

"I don't recruit people. Now keep up."

Shadow stood up and looked to the rooftop across the way. The gap between this one and it was around eight feet. Any athlete worth their legs could make the jump. Shadow took a half step back, darted forward, and leaped the gap with ease before continuing on running across the long, connected roofline towards an unknown destination.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

“...Then what do you call this?” She gestured to herself, as if asking what exactly their relationship was now. If she wasn’t being hired for a hit, or recruited for something of the sort, then just what was she here for? It didn’t make a lick of sense to her, but she didn’t have time to fight with it.

As Shadow vaulted the space between the rooftops in front of them, she let out a small sigh. Could she make a jump like that? Absolutely. She was moreso worried about making it in her hungover, dysfunctional state. Not wanting to lose sight of Shadow, she simply shook her head and took the jump as well. She cleared the gap just fine, though her landing wasn’t perfect. Regaining her footing, she looked up and immediately started following the man over the rooftops.

“I asked already... But where the hell are we going?” Once she was caught up enough with the man to at least be in earshot, she spoke her question loud enough that he would likely hear her.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Shadow glanced over his shoulder, and then back to the path ahead.

Leading her through a gauntlet of pathways over the rooftops, following awkward slopes, climbing taller buildings and descending rapidly either by balcony leaps or slides down the wall, through alleyways, and a little too close to the open market for comfort, he finally led her to the Slums. Once there, he led her over the dilapidated leftovers of what were once proud buildings before crouching on a ledge overlooking an open space that was once similar to the Main Square back in the heart of the city.

In the space, where once a market stood and people bustled too and fro, were now nothing but broken benches, old, worn down cobblestone streets discolored by years of untended environmental damages, debris, marks on broken walls where the vagrants pissed or left fecal matter, and more. But what stuck out the most was how the vagrants used what little was at their disposal to create makeshift tables, stools, leanto shelters, chess tables and pieces, and even makeshift toilets (although there was still plenty of dung on the ground from those who couldn't make the journey in time).

"Watch closely." He whispered, eyeing one particular vagrant leaning against a wall near an old statue of the Goddess Peur'Tia.

The man's eyes eye closed, and his breathing was slow and steady. His head was bald, but his beard was full. He was thin, but not unhealthily so. And although he lacked significant muscle mass, he held a subtle athleticism of one who knew their way through these forgotten trenches of society. The man's eyes opened, and were clean and white. The eyes of other vagrants were yellow, bloodshot, or otherwise vacant and devoid of life from having long since given up rejoining "civilized" society in the main city.

Shadow looked at Whimsey.

"What separates that man from the rest?" He whispered.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

As Whimsey finally caught up with Shadow, a deep sigh escaped her. She wasn’t winded, far from it, but was still a bit out of it. Running like this after waking up with a hangover was sending a feeling she didn’t love all too much, and one she wasn’t familiar with. She drank often, but never as much as she had the night before.

She was familiar enough with the slums, though. The slums were a place she avoided like the plague, unless it was completely necessary for her to end up there. It was putrid, dangerous, and unpleasant to boot. When Shadow told her to observe, she followed his gaze to the man beside the statue, going quiet and simply observing.

“He doesn’t belong here. Probably more than just a thief or brigand preying on the weak.” She crossed her arms and crouched down, just the slightest bit concerned of somebody seeing them atop the roof. “Where’re you going with this?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

"Just watch." He ordered quietly.

It took a long time. Almost fifteen minutes in fact. But finally, a single sound cut through the air. A screech from a crow. The man looked up towards the sound when no other vagrants did. And as soon as he confirmed the sound's origin he began moving at a calm, but determined pace. His trajectory was towards the heart of the Slums, and the alley immediately to his right was his first refuge.

"You wanted to know why I killed the degenerate Ernest Selev? Then tail this man to his destination."

He turned his head in an almost robot fashion to look at her.

"You'll lose him if you sit here any longer."

Mothman