Advent of Eternity - Chapter 104 (Patreon)

The night passed peacefully, and after a pause to take his turn for the watch that night, Knell finished his meditation the following morning. He was only sure it was morning because of the mental clock in his head, as there were no windows to reference for light.

He rose to his feet, brushing himself off. A large, round bug skittered across the ground and his staff flicked, crushing it. Cyll and Maya were already awake. He tapped Stix, who was sleeping on the floor, on the ankles with his staff to wake her up. She sat bolt upright, reaching for her bow before she realized where she was.

“Is it morning already? I hate this town. It still feels like night. I want to sleep,” Stix muttered as she stood and stretched, arching her back with a grimace as she worked to get the blood flowing again.

“Unfortunately,” Cyll said from the bed. He patted it and faked a yawn. “It’s tragic. This bed was so comfortable, really. I got the greatest rest I’ve ever gotten.”

“Shut up,” Stix muttered. “I got to use one for just as long as you did.”

“But it was better when I was in it.”

Knell ignored them, pushing the door open with the butt of his staff and glancing down the hall. People were trickling out of their rooms and heading toward the inn, but based on their numbers, there weren’t many moving yet.

“Come on. We’ve got ground to cover.”

They headed out, pausing in the inn for a quick breakfast. While they ate, Knell caught the attention of a waitress.

“We’re passing through Rosewood,” Knell said. “Would you happen to know what the Ruler is like? We’ve never been here before.”

The waitress’ flitted around, but not once did they meet his face. She studied the floor intently, both of her feet pointed away from Knell and her body halfway in motion toward the kitchen door.

“He’s nice enough. I don’t have any complaints, and he keeps the city safe.”

“Does he get along with the adventurer’s guild?” Knell asked before the woman could escape.

“They don’t really interact. The ruler keeps the city safe from stuff inside it, and the guild protects it from the stuff outside.”

The waitress darted off before Knell could get another question, vanishing through the door and shutting it firmly behind her. Cyll raised an eyebrow.

“Cap, you need some tips getting women? Because that was not the way to do it.”

“If I did, you would be the last one I asked,” Knell replied, finishing off the rest of his food. “And she gave me the information I needed. The guild and the Ruler here don’t like each other much.”

“Can’t blame them. Does the Guild like anyone?” Maya asked.

“There are varying degrees of dislike. It’s important to determine just how much they don’t care for each other.”

Knell studied the room to see if he’d missed anything the previous night. There were a few other groups of people sitting around, and the walls were largely plain. There wasn’t much in the way of decoration or Adventurer’s Guild paraphernalia. For that matter, there wasn’t any sign of the Ruler’s flag either.

Of the idiots that had attacked them the previous night, there was no sign. They were either still holed up in their room or had left early in the morning.

The others finished shortly afterward and they departed the inn, heading out into town. Dull, gray light lit Rosewood in flickering waves, the sun hidden behind a heavy blanket of dark clouds.

Streets were largely barren, aside from one or two people trudging in one way or the other, heavy bags slung over their shoulders to presumably deliver supplies.

“Why’d they choose Rosewood, you think?” Cyll asked as they walked. “This place is drab. No signs of roses anywhere.”

“Maybe the wood was brighter before?” Maya guessed. “It could be old.”

“Or just the last name of whoever founded the town,” Knell said. “The Ruler’s standard had a tree on it. His parents or grandparents probably established the town and passed it onto him, and their last name was likely Rosewood.”

“That makes sense,” Stix said. Knell stopped by an alleyway and peered into it, but it was spotless. Despite the run down, cracked stones and dreary atmosphere, there wasn’t a single scrap of refuse anywhere in it.

“I’m surprised there’s a Ruler here in the first place,” Maya said.

“What?” Stix asked. “Why? I didn’t think they were that uncommon, but I don’t know much about them.”

“Most Ruler lines got offed during the Shattering,” Knell explained as they continued down the street. He paused to check another alley, but it was much of the same. Completely and utterly empty. “The ones that survived were either weak or cowards. Still, the Ruler Path is considerably stronger than most.”

“How’s it match up to a Scion?” Stix asked.

“Depends on the Scion,” Knell replied. They came to a stop in the town square again. It should have been the busiest part of the city, but it was just as deserted as the rest of it. The windows of shops were latched and shuttered, and aside from them, the only other person in the square was a haggard looking man lugging a sack over to one of the closed storefronts.

“I’m starting to agree with Cyll,” Maya said. “This place is dreary.”

“Why was my brother over here?” Stix asked, looking around and clenching her fists. “The thing at night?”

“Possible,” Knell replied. “Or that dungeon that Maria found out about. We need to find out what happened to it, but the Adventurer’s Guild isn’t going to be particularly helpful.”

“Is the Ruler going to be any better?” Cyll asked, stroking his beard. “From what I remember, they were raging pricks. All of ‘em. Too much power and too little blood to power both of their tiny heads.”

Knell sent a flat stare at Cyll, then shook his head and pursed his lips. There was something seriously off with Rosewood, and it had to do with the streets. Obviously, something was going through them at night. Whether it was a living creature or some force of nature had yet to be determined, but he was fairly certain that it had something to do with Alan’s disappearance.

The best place to start would be determining what exactly was on the streets at night, but he didn’t think the Ruler or the Guild would be particularly willing to tell him anything.

Over the course of the next hour, Knell took his increasingly bewildered crew through the city, checking every alley and street corner they passed through. He occasionally found a scrap of metal or a shard of glass trapped between some rocks, but never anything more than that.

“Did we volunteer to clean the city up or something?” Cyll joked as Knell pocketed yet another tiny fragment – probably the tip of a butter knife, judging from its shape.

“Perhaps we did. I don’t suppose any of you saw anything lying around while we were walking? Any homeless or beggars? Molding food?”

“Nothing,” Maya said, shaking her head. “And is there really anything we could spot that you can’t?”

“I’m far from all-seeing,” Knell said with a chuckle. “My powers are very focused. Even if my mind can comprehend the bigger picture, it doesn’t mean my eyes will see everything. Nonetheless, I think this has given us a starting point.”

“A bunch of garbage?” Stix asked curiously. “How?”

Knell took out the scraps he’d collected. “None of this is living material. None of it ever was. Metal, stone, glass. That’s about all we’ve found. That isn’t realistic for any form of city. It isn’t even realistic for a single house.”

“They’re cleaning the streets somehow? That’s what you think the disturbance at night is?” Stix guessed.

Knell inclined his head. “The streets are certainly being cleaned, but it’s too early to say who is doing it – or if it’s intentional. Also, there was a possibility that some sort of powerful enchantment powered by an artifact or the like was cleaning the entire city.”

“You say was,” Cyll asked.

“There was a bug in the room,” Knell replied, tapping his staff on the ground. “Yet we didn’t see anything crawling around outside. Nobody in their right mind would build a cleaning artifact that only cleans the streets voluntarily.”

“So you don’t think it’s under the city’s control?” Cyll leaned against the old wall behind him and worked his fingers through his beard. “But what would just clear out the streets and not bother with anything else in the city? Monsters would attack the houses to get all the tasty little meatbags hiding inside them. There’s no way they’d pass up an easy meal unless they’re somehow getting full on garbage.”

“That’s probably unlikely,” Knell agreed. “But it gives us something to work with. Our next step is to determine what happened to the anomaly that was in the area and see if it is still active.”

Stix scrunched her nose in distaste. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but are we about to go apply to work as accountants again?”

Cyll and Maya glanced at the other two members of their crew in surprise. Letting out a snort of laughter, Cyll nodded.

“I can see that, actually. Knell would make a perfect accountant. He already talks like one.”

“No accounting this time,” Knell said, shaking his head and permitting himself a smile grin. “But it will involve a little bit of investigation. I’m going to have to do this on my own, though.”

“What?” Maya asked. “Why? Wouldn’t it be safer if we stuck together?”

“No. I’m going to be entering the Ruler’s mansion and looking through his records to see if I can find some information on the city. It’ll be far easier to do on my own, without having to worry about someone else.”

“I’m pretty stealthy,” Stix muttered. “I wouldn’t get caught, but whatever you think is best is fine with me, I guess.”

“Normally, this wouldn’t have been a bad job for you,” Knell said, rolling his neck and sighing. “But this information could be very old, and there’s a possibility it will be in a cypher. You wouldn’t know what to look for.”

“So you’re going to infiltrate the Ruler’s mansion?” Maya asked, doubt evident in her voice. She cleared her throat. “Uh, not to be rude, but how? You aren’t exactly stealthy.”

“I never said anything about being stealthy.” Knell glanced up at the skyline. The Ruler’s mansion was glaringly hard to miss, its brilliant walls shimmering even in the drab day. They were only a little over a block away from it.

Knell drew on his power and sent it into his body. He grimaced as his leg shifted and popped, flesh growing over the scarred tissue. His face morphed as well, changing until he was whole once more.

He handed Stix his staff, then nodded up at the mansion. “Stay here.”

“You sure they won’t recognize you?” Stix asked.

Knell raised an eyebrow. “People see what they want to. And I won’t be breaking any laws, don’t worry.”

None of his crew looked convinced, but he strode out of the alley anyway. It was a bit odd, walking without a limp, but his body took to it naturally. A flicker of bitterness passed through Knell, but he dismissed it.

I am the only one responsible for my mistakes. My injures are at my own hand. Mordrigal was simply the spark, and my own idiocy the wood.

It was a strain to keep the magic going, but Knell kept a firm grasp over it. It was important that, on the off chance anyone saw him approaching, they saw a whole man and not a cripple. An eyewitness at the wrong time would be very unfortunate.