Delmechia
You decide to play it as safe as you can and room up for the night. You'll get the paper tomorrow and see if you can find out anything else.
The buildings go by in a blur as you make your way to an old and shady motel you've seen in the center of Expuridius. When you step into the parking lot, you're greeted by a bright sign that spells "Bob's" something, although you can't tell what the something is, since the lights on the last half of the text are out. The motel itself is small and unwelcoming, but at least that means it's ominous.
You make your way to the front lobby, where there's a lit window and swing through the door and out of the rain. You're greeted by the glare of a bald man with long sideburns from behind the desk.
"I need a room," you say.
"No vacancies."
"Bullshit. You don't have half of your rooms filled."
"We don't have no vacancies." he repeats.
"Hmm. Is that why there's about three vehicles in the parking lot?" you growl.
"I don't have any room for you! Get the hell out of here!"
You step forward and pound your fist on the small man's desk hard enough to make his eyes pop.
"Either you give me a fucking key or I'll be sleeping in your lobby tonight and what's left of your broken ass will be out on streets."
He backs away with a red face and goes to grab a key off the wall behind him. When he comes back his eyes are wet and he's trembling with some sort of mix of fear and rage.
"I could call the cops. I don't have to give you elementals rooms."
You take the key from him and slide a gold coin on the counter.
"You'd be one sorry son of a bitch if you did. Thanks for the key."
You step back out in the rain and look at the number on your key. 105. He had to make you walk to the second story of course.
You sigh and make your way to the steps that lead to the second story and walk up them and pass along the outside railing until you come to your door. The inside is about as grungy as you expected, but it's not like elementals are used to luxury like the elves and gnomes are. There's a bed with a big piss-yellow stain on the blanket, a side table with a lamp, a small TV, and a bathroom door.
You throw down your cloak, take off your pants, make sure the door is locked and bolted, and then go to empty your bladder. When you finally come out of the bathroom, you sit on the bed and get your cell phone to call one of your partners. He answers on the first ring.
"Murlough," you say. "I won't be coming back tonight."
"Won't be coming back?"
"Yeah."
"What the hell did you do this time?"
You recount the night's events to him, omitting that the shooting could be related to you. Murlough, as intuitive as he is, probably already suspects it anyway.
"What the fuck are you hanging out in that part of the city for, anyway?" he asks, once you've finished.
"I like the scenery."
He sighs.
"Alright. I'll have to inform The Boss of where you're at and he won't like it. Our clan's reputation is more important than you think, and you should keep that in mind the next time you wander into Expuridius."
"Hmm. Well it paid off didn't it?"
"Who knows? We were hired to protect city, and we have an agreement to honor. We can't go stirring things up."
"Yeah."
"Just try to find out what you can in the morning and get out of there."
"Hmm."
You hang up the phone and sit for a second in your undergarments. Then you get up and flip off the light and pass out in the bed on top of the blanket.
In your sleep, you dream of the woman. What else?
You lay on the clean sheets of a small white bed in some log cabin room, while she stands and your bedside and speaks to you. Each word is as unintelligible as it is meaningful, and morning sunlight pours in through a small window behind her, defining each curve of her body and illuminating her fiery red hair so that she appears as a goddess of legend.
You take a deep breath and blink your eyes and suddenly you are back in the Lantern Forest by the altar, only the green and blue torches aren't lit and the giant stone platform is empty and silent. You suddenly hear a branch snapping in the trees and you turn to see her standing naked and wandering aimlessly into the clearing.
"What are you doing?" you ask as she stumbles closer. She pays no heed.
"What's wrong?"
She continues forward, and when the moonlight illuminates her breasts and face, you can see that her eyes are pale white and that she is blinded and lost.
She disappears and then you can hear her screaming from way out deep in the woods, and her voice continues to grow distant as if she is becoming more and more gone with each second. You rush into the forest to try to find her, but it's no use; no matter how fast you fight through the branches you cannot find her.
During your hunt, you realize that you're in a dream and casually wonder where the woman is now, even as you run to try to find her.
Where is she now?
Suddenly, you're awakened by a loud pounding noise. You open your eyes and it takes a second for you to get your bearings. Back in the crumby motel. Your cloths on the floor and the smell of dust and old piss in the air.
There's another pounding noise and you look over at the door with your dilated eyes piercing the darkness like night vision goggles. Someone is knocking almost hard enough to rip out the bolts in the wood.
"Open up, this is the police!" yells a voice from outside.
"The police?" you whisper aloud. Even if the motel owner actually did call them, you doubt they'd get involved over something as trite as you threatening to kick his ass.
Whoever these people are, you're going to have to act now; the bolts on the door aren't going to hold out forever.
The buildings go by in a blur as you make your way to an old and shady motel you've seen in the center of Expuridius. When you step into the parking lot, you're greeted by a bright sign that spells "Bob's" something, although you can't tell what the something is, since the lights on the last half of the text are out. The motel itself is small and unwelcoming, but at least that means it's ominous.
You make your way to the front lobby, where there's a lit window and swing through the door and out of the rain. You're greeted by the glare of a bald man with long sideburns from behind the desk.
"I need a room," you say.
"No vacancies."
"Bullshit. You don't have half of your rooms filled."
"We don't have no vacancies." he repeats.
"Hmm. Is that why there's about three vehicles in the parking lot?" you growl.
"I don't have any room for you! Get the hell out of here!"
You step forward and pound your fist on the small man's desk hard enough to make his eyes pop.
"Either you give me a fucking key or I'll be sleeping in your lobby tonight and what's left of your broken ass will be out on streets."
He backs away with a red face and goes to grab a key off the wall behind him. When he comes back his eyes are wet and he's trembling with some sort of mix of fear and rage.
"I could call the cops. I don't have to give you elementals rooms."
You take the key from him and slide a gold coin on the counter.
"You'd be one sorry son of a bitch if you did. Thanks for the key."
You step back out in the rain and look at the number on your key. 105. He had to make you walk to the second story of course.
You sigh and make your way to the steps that lead to the second story and walk up them and pass along the outside railing until you come to your door. The inside is about as grungy as you expected, but it's not like elementals are used to luxury like the elves and gnomes are. There's a bed with a big piss-yellow stain on the blanket, a side table with a lamp, a small TV, and a bathroom door.
You throw down your cloak, take off your pants, make sure the door is locked and bolted, and then go to empty your bladder. When you finally come out of the bathroom, you sit on the bed and get your cell phone to call one of your partners. He answers on the first ring.
"Murlough," you say. "I won't be coming back tonight."
"Won't be coming back?"
"Yeah."
"What the hell did you do this time?"
You recount the night's events to him, omitting that the shooting could be related to you. Murlough, as intuitive as he is, probably already suspects it anyway.
"What the fuck are you hanging out in that part of the city for, anyway?" he asks, once you've finished.
"I like the scenery."
He sighs.
"Alright. I'll have to inform The Boss of where you're at and he won't like it. Our clan's reputation is more important than you think, and you should keep that in mind the next time you wander into Expuridius."
"Hmm. Well it paid off didn't it?"
"Who knows? We were hired to protect city, and we have an agreement to honor. We can't go stirring things up."
"Yeah."
"Just try to find out what you can in the morning and get out of there."
"Hmm."
You hang up the phone and sit for a second in your undergarments. Then you get up and flip off the light and pass out in the bed on top of the blanket.
In your sleep, you dream of the woman. What else?
You lay on the clean sheets of a small white bed in some log cabin room, while she stands and your bedside and speaks to you. Each word is as unintelligible as it is meaningful, and morning sunlight pours in through a small window behind her, defining each curve of her body and illuminating her fiery red hair so that she appears as a goddess of legend.
You take a deep breath and blink your eyes and suddenly you are back in the Lantern Forest by the altar, only the green and blue torches aren't lit and the giant stone platform is empty and silent. You suddenly hear a branch snapping in the trees and you turn to see her standing naked and wandering aimlessly into the clearing.
"What are you doing?" you ask as she stumbles closer. She pays no heed.
"What's wrong?"
She continues forward, and when the moonlight illuminates her breasts and face, you can see that her eyes are pale white and that she is blinded and lost.
She disappears and then you can hear her screaming from way out deep in the woods, and her voice continues to grow distant as if she is becoming more and more gone with each second. You rush into the forest to try to find her, but it's no use; no matter how fast you fight through the branches you cannot find her.
During your hunt, you realize that you're in a dream and casually wonder where the woman is now, even as you run to try to find her.
Where is she now?
Suddenly, you're awakened by a loud pounding noise. You open your eyes and it takes a second for you to get your bearings. Back in the crumby motel. Your cloths on the floor and the smell of dust and old piss in the air.
There's another pounding noise and you look over at the door with your dilated eyes piercing the darkness like night vision goggles. Someone is knocking almost hard enough to rip out the bolts in the wood.
"Open up, this is the police!" yells a voice from outside.
"The police?" you whisper aloud. Even if the motel owner actually did call them, you doubt they'd get involved over something as trite as you threatening to kick his ass.
Whoever these people are, you're going to have to act now; the bolts on the door aren't going to hold out forever.