It had taken a few days, but Simon was finally able to walk. His leg was still heavily bandaged, and he had to use a crutch, but he was doing something other than lying in bed. Not that he hadn’t enjoyed the past few days.

He and Lucy talked more than they did at first, and it showed. The air in the room was no longer cold and tense. Now it was different. Simon told her of his most notable adventures such as finding the goblins who had been tunneling under a city, or the time a flesh-spider had awoken him. In return, he learned more about her. He learned about the money that her parents had left her, about other strangers she had let share her house from time to time, and about her avid curiosity for anything incredible.

One of the best parts had been showing off his skill with runes. His magic had slowly come back, and he had been able to create small knives and sparks. In addition, he spent one painstaking day inscribing a rune onto his bandage that would speed up the healing process.

Now the fruit of his labor was apparent. He hobbled around the room in circles. Even though he hadn’t been bedridden for all that long, he was still excited. He was one step closer on his journey to New Haven.

Lucy leaned against the wall and nodded in satisfaction.

“While I will admit that your fancy runes helped, it was my medical skills that truly brought you this far.”

“Really? You can’t let me have this?”

“No,” She smirked at him, “But if you really need a win, then I have an idea. There’s going to be a market in town today and I was planning to get a few things. Since I have decided, in my expert opinion, that you are fit to walk for extended periods while leaning on someone for support, how would you like to join me?”

“A chance to get outside? What do you think?”

* * *

Freemont was a sleepy little town. Simon had seen it while looking at his map, but never thought to head towards it, especially since Dawnbell was a hell of a lot closer. Even though it wasn’t very notable, it did have a lot of charm. Decorative flags were strung between buildings, obviously made by children, and the sign near the entrance to the town read “Welcome to Freemont, we hope you find what you are looking for!”.

Some kind of harvest festival was happening, and it had brought a large market with it. Stands lined the edges of the streets, which were packed with people. It made things difficult considering that Simon had to lean on Lucy’s shoulder, but they made it work.

They made their way slowly through the crowd, almost tripping over the occasional running child. They would stop at stands, buying fresh meats and vegetables, as well as things like cloth and books. Every once and awhile a stand owner would recognize Lucy and make small talk.

“Well look who it is! I didn’t think I would be seeing you today Miss North.”

“Hello Henry. I thought that it might be a good day to get out of the house.”

“It sure is. And who would this young man be?”

“This is Simon,” she said before he could open his mouth, “I found him outside the woods, and he looked a little beat up so I’ve been treating his leg.”

“A kind heart, just like your parents. Speaking of which, are you going to sell me your father’s book collection any time soon?”

“If I’ve said no once, I’ve said it a thousand times Henry. My father was very protective of his books, and he wouldn’t want just anybody handling then.”

“Ha! Just as forward as your parents too. Have a nice day Miss North!”

“You too Henry, say hi to your wife for me!”

So, her last name was North? Strangely that had never come up in their conversations, and luckily, neither had his last name. He could have sworn he had heard that name before though. He was about to think on it a little harder when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

“Hey! I want to look over there!”

They hobbled over to a wall that he now realized was attached to the building that housed the town guard. Occasionally a slightly armored man holding a spear would come out and begin patrolling the streets. What caught his eye, however, were the posters attached to the side of the building. Wanted posters.

Simon had always been fascinated by criminals. This was a world where through magic, ingenuity, or sheer determination people could perform amazing feats. It always intrigued him that some chose to use this power to hurt instead of help, especially with monsters around every corner. He began reading the posters.

The Ricardo Brothers. The sketch on the poster showed two mutton-chop sporting men who would have looked identical if it weren’t for the eyepatch worn by one of them. Hunters for hire who will eliminate any prey.

Sylvia the Blood Queen. A woman with spiked black hair and a face covered in tattooed runes. A self-proclaimed witch who found a way to make her magic stronger by using people’s blood.

Shawn “The Slicer”. This one really disturbed Simon. The picture was of a young man wearing a cowboy-style hat, and peeking out from beneath it were eyes that, even in drawing form, looked like they were staring past your skin and into your organs. Beneath that was a crooked nose and a mouth full of perfect teeth that curved into a disturbing smile. Shawn was a mass murderer who liked to make his presence known. He would usually telegraph his murders, but commit them before anyone could act. What was disturbing was that no one had heard about him in weeks, meaning that he could be anywhere.

He was about to look over at the last poster, but Lucy had ripped it off the wall. She slowly folded the piece of paper and slipped it into her pocket.

“Um, are you okay?”

Lucy quickly glanced over at him, “Uh, yeah. Don’t worry about this one, it’s a fake. A prank pulled by some kids or something. The… uh… flying cannibal pirates. Isn’t that the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard?”

Simon nodded as though he was agreeing with her, but something didn’t seem quite right. He had glanced at it on the way over, and it looked official enough. Then again, it did have a skull on it like a pirate flag. Whatever, if she didn’t want him to see it, she probably had her reasons.

They continued on their way, but Lucy seemed distracted, staring off into space as she walked. He was also distracted, specifically by a delicious smell emanating from a nearby tavern, which is probably how they walked directly into somebody.

Simon and Lucy both fell to the ground, Simon's wooden crutch clattering on the pavement and the groceries rolling away. The man they ran into was also on the ground. Lucy sat up and rubbed her head

“What the hell, watch where…” her eyes suddenly widened, and she began helping the man to his feet, “Mayor Gryffin! I’m so sorry!”

Mayor Gryffin was a short man with thin limbs that seemed to strain under his larger body. He was obviously balding, but was trying to hide it with a combover. His entire body looked greasy, as though he had just finished a run, or was stressed over something. He talked like he was running out of breath with every sentence and as he stood up and brushed himself off he began nervously fidgeting with the glasses perched on his crooked nose.

“Ah, Lucile North I believe? Don’t worry yourself, I wasn’t paying attention, no I wasn’t. Ah, but I really must be going…”

“Wait, Mr. Gryffin, I thought that you were going out of town.”

“Ah, yes, well, you see, I was going out of town for an event, but it would seem as though it was canceled unexpectedly, yes. Now I really must be getting home, good to see you again Miss North… and company.”

As the small man waddled off in a hurry, Simon and Lucy collected themselves.

“So that was the mayor?”

“Yup! He’s a really nice guy, always going out of his way for people.”

“I don’t think he liked me very much.”

“Nonsense. He likes everybody.”

“Yeah, but I felt like he gave me a strange look as he left.”

“You’re just imagining things. Let’s just go find something to eat.”

Simon perked up, “I just smelled something great coming from that tavern over there…”

* * *

Holmes Gryffin slipped into the mayor’s building without running into any more distractions. He pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed his forehead while sighing deeply to himself. He was amazed that more people hadn’t run up to talk to him, and that the things they did talk about were normal. It meant that the monsters hadn’t come.

Gryffin swore to himself as he walked over to his study. One of two things had happened, either the monsters never came, or they did but nobody noticed. The only way the second thing would make sense would be if someone had killed them. Since the only people who could fight in this town were long gone, it had to be an outsider, like the boy who was with Lucile North.

Damn! He saw the backs of that boy’s hands. They weren’t just scars, they were runes! This wasn’t good. If anyone found out about this he would be ruined! The plan was so simple! Place the crystal, skip town, then take the payment to pay off his debt. What would they say if they found out he had failed? This wasn’t just anybody we were talking about, this was one of the most powerful people in the world!

He opened the door to his study, and entered the darkness. He crossed over to a painting on the wall. The painting showed the town’s founder standing atop the corpses of slain monsters. Gryffin gently pressed on the spot where foot met monster, and with a soft clicking noise, a panel opened in the wall beneath the painting. He keeled down and reached inside to grab… nothing.

“Looking for something old man?”

Gryffin’s blood froze as he heard the voice. He slowly turned around, and noticed a figure sitting in the darkness. The figure lit a match and used it to light a candle on the desk he was sitting on top of.

The light began to reveal a young man with a crooked nose and eyes full of madness. He smiled using his perfect teeth and tipped the brim of his hat in greeting.

“Sh… Shawn…”

“The Slicer? Yes, that would be what I’m going by nowadays.”

“Ah, I… I don’t… why…”

“Don’t have a heart attack old man, I’m not here to kill you. Yet.”

Shawn opened his coat and pulled out his knife. He used it in every murder he had committed. It was a work of art, perfectly weighted and designed to slice, saw, or stab. As he grabbed it, something could be seen glowing within the folds of his coat. Gryffin immediately filled with anger.

“Ah! That’s my crystal! What are you doing with that!”

Shawn sighed as he twirled his knife in his hand, “How dense can you be? I’m stealing from you old man. Now I know what you’re thinking, why does Shawn the Slicer want this crystal? Short answer is, I don’t. Someone else does.”

“B… but… That crystal was given to me by the ruler of a kingdom! An entire kingdom! What makes you think you can do this!”

“Two reasons. First of all, if you tell anyone I came here, I would crawl out of the pits of hell itself to rend your flesh from your bones.”

The cheery way in which he said that, coupled with the way he ran his tongue across his knife caused the old mayor to be almost paralyzed with fear.

“And secondly, I can guarantee that the person hiring me is bigger and better than the person hiring you. For a frame of reference, the person who gave me this job can guarantee that I will never be punished for any crime I will commit or have committed.”

Gryffin almost started crying. His chance to get out of this cesspool of torment was right in front of him, but now it was being torn from him like the head of Shawn’s first victim. Shawn noticed this and sighed.

“Listen old man, I don’t like you. I never have. I have wanted to kill you for years. But now I have a better idea.”

Shawn reached into his coat and pulled out the crystal. It looked green, but in actuality it was clear. Coming from somewhere within the crystal was a soft, pulsing, green light that illuminated the room. It was about the size of a breadbox, with geometric patterns extending in all directions.

Shawn twirled the knife in his hand and swiftly slashed it through the crystal without making a sound. A piece a crystal, no bigger that a thumb nail, slid off the top o it and clattered to the floor.

“There. I’m sure my employer won’t miss a tiny piece like that.”

“But, but, but,” Gryffin dropped to his knees and scooped up the tiny green pulsing sliver, “the monsters, they’ll follow you instead of coming here.”

“Not exactly. My employer apparently knows a lot about these crystals, while yours is still figuring out exactly what they are. This coat will dampen the effects as long as the crystal is inside of it.”

Gryffin held the crystal piece in his hand. There was still some hope for him. As long as Shawn didn’t kill him…

“I’m not going to kill you.”

Gryffin looked up and saw Shawn standing over him. His teeth looked like twin lines of marble gravestones, and his eyes seemed to glow from within the shadow under his hat.

“I’m not killing you because I know that what is coming for you is worse than me. You are a wicked man, and you have been condemned to die. And when you do, you will know that it will have been brought about by yourself.”

Shawn walked over to a nearby window and opened it, letting in the sounds of the night. Before he could slip out into the dark, Gryffin stammered out a response.

“Ah, but what about you! If I am wicked, then you, yes, you, must be wicked as well Shawn!”

Shawn stopped, one foot on the windowsill, the other outside. He turned to face the mayor of Freemont and smiled. His eyes danced with a malicious light.

“Then I guess we’re both going to hell old man. But while you will go down kicking and screaming, I am going to relish every second of it. Sleep tight.”

Holmes Gryffin was left alone in the darkness with the last remnants of Shawn’s laughter fading into the night.