the Light of Day chases even Shadow-Cities away

Fred fell asleep with the thought that though being cursed was not the end of the world it was the beginning of trouble, at least that was one of the many thoughts with which he went to bed. His dreams swished and sloshed like water frothing in a tub. Images, memory, strings of sound and sight; seeing himself whole and uncursed with his smiling family but then hearing them scream as his limbs twisted and his flesh grew fur; feeling a darkness chase after him but never being able to turn his head, never able to look it straight on, only having the power to run, and then tripping over his own malformed legs. Fred awoke troubled, he could not remember his dreams, only that he dreamt. He had hoped that breaking the draconian gem would somehow free him and the Amazon, but it had not. He had failed. He had failed himself, the Amazon, his House and his people. Fred lifted his deformed limbs from the cot and stretched, his longish tongue wagging out of his mouth as he yawned. He hoped that today would bring new life, new hope, a new start.

"By the Goddess!" yelped Astra as she looked out the window of the inn.

Fred rushed to the window and could not believe his eyes: the town was gone! Or rather, most of it was! The two Heroes left their room and went into the main pub, it was deserted - no bartender, no wenches, no patrons drinking their day away. Even three of the walls were missing! They walked past an overturned table and observed that most of the inn had been only fronts of wooden frames, by a few long sheets of material on the ground it seemed that the frames had been covered in cloth like a tent! Indeed, in walking outside they saw that what they had thought were solid constructs only yesterday were nothing but flimsy half-walls of wood and cloth!

They went to the Gate in which they entered, the great wall of ancient times was there, but without the other buildings they now saw that the wall was not complete, it had been beaten down, burned, destroyed in nameless battles long ago... it was yet another front. Then they heard a voice.

"Whactcha gawking for?" it said. "Ain't never seen a shadow city b'fore?"

Upon turning they saw an old man, stooped and walking with a stick. "What has happened here?" asked Fred.

"What happens all th' time," answered the man. "They pick up and go. Got wind you know, of something coming... the patrols that is."

"What patrols?" asked Astra.

"A big raid from the uppity-ups in Hensmal." Our Heroes gave only blank looks. "Aw, c'mon, you know... Hensmal, the Garrison of Malboncton. They come up these ways every now and then and 'try' to root out the bazaars of the Black Market."

"I thought this place had the blessing of the leaders of the land," said Fred.

"Nope," said the man. "Otherwise why call the bazaars shadow cities? Now don't get me wrong, the uppity-ups get their fair share of loot and winnings and bribes, but they still gotta make a show of things y' know."

"I should have realized," said Astra. "My mother advised the eastern guard in their vigilance over the borderlands; she told me some things regarding the Malbonctonmen, but it bored me."

By this time the old man had disappeared behind a wooden door that led to nothing, apparently searching for something. That's when Fred and Astra noticed that there were others also going in and out of meaningless doors and walls. There were old men and women, little children, mostly human but some small furred folk. They were moving in and out and all about where once stood the buildings, their tented walls having masked the impermanence of their existance. Now the tents had been picked up, the walls taken away, and the naked truth revealed - an open expanse of earth and grass round an old abandoned wall from some great city long forgotten.

"They're scavengers!" whispered Astra to Fred.

1. Scavengers indeed, and a few just discovered the loot left by Fred and Astra...
2. meanwhile in Atlantis....
3. meanwhile farther north, near the Goth Mountains and in a hole-turned-brewery...
4. meanhwile, at the Southern Caves, Duke Dred and his men begin their Quest to Find Fred...

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree