Blog Post #2 12:24 A.M. Monday, January 23rd
It all began with a young boy who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, though now looking back, it may perhaps have been the right place at the right time because without the following events things might have turned out much differently.
The boy was new to Synderveil, having recently left his hometown, a small tribe on the outskirts of Rumaal, to explore and learn as much as he could. He was only fifteen and yet traveled alone and without caution. Hence the fact that he currently found himself in one of the shadier neighborhoods in Synderveil. The cobblestone street beneath his feet crumbled a little more with every step, large dogs and vixen were chained to every mailbox, and Soren suddenly noticed the absence of the swallow’s chirps that had previously surrounded him.
He slowed his rapid pace and clutched his small satchel tightly to his chest. It wasn’t that he was scared, of course he wasn’t scared, it was just that he could feel the once pleasant valley air growing thicker and forcing itself into his lungs. He could hear his own heart racing to keep up with the drops of rain now pouring from the sky. Thunder roared loudly and Soren practically threw himself at the closest doorway before remembering the murderous beasts in his way.
He began to turn around, quickly deciding this shortcut may not have been the best idea after all, but a voice stopped him.
“Hey who’s that!”
Soren turned to see two men standing in the adjacent alley, neither looking too pleased by his presence. The one who’d spoken was tall and bulky. He wore a grubby brown cloak and had a rather large dagger strapped clearly to his waist. Soren gulped as he spoke again.
“You said we wouldn’t be interrupted here! You said it was safe!”
His attention was now drawn to the other man. He was at least a head shorter and looked too young to be consorting with the menacing man before him.
“Look, everything’s fine. We’ll just take the kid to the general and let him deal with it.”
“And what do you think’s gonna happen then, huh? He’s gonna thank us? Maybe offer us a raise? You may be his favorite but that doesn’t mean you can’t mess up!”
Soren started backing away as the two continued arguing.
“Well what do you wanna do Merick, we can’t kill the kid, he’s like ten years old!”
“So are you, Margaret!”
“What did you just call me!”
Soren turned and began running as fast as he could in the opposite direction, bare feet pounding the cobblestone with purpose. The two thugs finally stopped arguing for long enough to notice his escape and began to chase after him.
“See, Ry! Are you happy now!” the big one yelled.
“How is this my fault!”
Soren ran as quickly as he could but his short legs were no match for the men who were gaining on him rapidly. He had to do something, and fast. Looking around him as he ran, Soren tried to find something useful. He just needed a quick distraction, something to slow them down until he could find a way out of this mess. And then it came to him.
Soren skidded to a halt and flung himself at the nearest dog. It snapped at him angrily and he shuffled back a step.
“Hey big guy,” he cooed, slowly placing one hand on the beast’s muzzle. It growled low in its throat, but Soren ignored it, instead using his other hand to reach behind it and unclip its collar. The dog immediately leaped forwards, knocking Soren to the ground in its haste to escape. He shot to his feet and took off again, glancing back to see the shorter man fighting off the hound while the taller one continued his pursuit, barely ten yards away.
“GET BACK HERE!” The short one yelled as the dog managed to get the upper hand. The tall one ignored him and continued gaining on Soren who was starting to panic. He made it two more steps before being tackled to the ground by his pursuer. The man grabbed Soren’s hands and pulled them roughly behind his back. Soren struggled until he felt the cool metal of a knife beneath his throat. He stilled and tried to calm his racing heart.
“Stay quiet and it will all be over quickly,” the man whispered in his ear. Soren whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut. The dog’s dying screams echoed around him and Soren tried to hold himself together. If he was going to die, then at least he was going to die with dignity. A single tear betrayed him and slipped down his cheek as if to point out the hopeless situation he found himself in. Soren felt the knife slowly press into his throat. He felt a small trickle of blood drip down to mingle with the tear. He tried to make peace with the world the way he’d been taught. It was important he do this, to be allowed access to heaven.
“STOP!” the short man yelled. Suddenly the weight on his back disappeared along with the knife and Soren lay in shock listening to the scuffle around him. From what he could hear, the two men were now fighting each other as ferociously as they’d pursued him. Pushing himself to his knees, Soren pressed a hand to the small cut on his neck. He saw the shorter man pinning the taller one to the ground, blood dripping from fresh gashes on his arms. Soren winced, he hadn’t meant to hurt anyone when he’d released the dog, just distract them.
“I am going to escort this kid to headquarters by myself,” the short one seethed, “Am I clear.”
The taller man just growled in response.
“I said, AM I CLEAR!”
“Yeah, yeah, I have to go stop by Aaron’s anyway.”
The short one rose to his feet, shaking his head.
“You know I’m going to have to report this, right?” he said.
“Yeah whatever. See how far that gets you.” The tall one sulked off into the night leaving Soren alone with the man who probably just saved his life.
“I’m sorry about your arms,” Soren muttered.
“What?” he glanced down at his arms wincing a little as he saw the mangled flesh, “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”
“Your name’s Ry right?”
“Listen kid, I don’t know who you are or what the hell you were doing in a place like this, and while I would love nothing more than to bring you back to your family and move on with my day, unfortunately that’s not gonna happen.”
“I promise I didn’t see or hear anything, and even if I had I wouldn’t tell anyone, you have to believe me!”
“Relax, no one's going to hurt you, Merick wasn’t following protocol. The general is a reasonable person. He’ll listen to your side of the story.”
Soren wasn’t convinced.
“And what if he doesn’t like what I have to say?”
“Look, that’s not my problem. Just shut up and keep walking.”
Instead of going back towards the heart of the city, Ry led Soren deeper into the slums. The blood from Ry’s arms dripped down the hand he had at Soren’s back and seeped through his thin shirt. Soren shivered at the feel and resisted the urge to wipe it away. Finally they emerged into the wharf and Ry led them straight towards the largest building Soren had ever seen.
It was a large square shaped building made of brick and sandstone and it was marked by six golden letters spread across the front-facing side. D E F F A I. Soren almost asked what it meant, but the set of Ry’s jaw quickly squelched this idea. As they reached the entrance of the building Ry stopped and turned toward Soren.
“Well, this is where I leave you. Merick will have already reported your arrival so just go in and ask for the General. Oh and about that. If you want any chance of surviving here, never mention what happened between you and him. Merick I mean. He’s not one to have as an enemy.”
And then he was gone.
-ZF
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