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In the Shadow of the Myre

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du gaulois

du gaulois

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"Lem'me know if ye' need anything," the old man spoke once more. "I'll be headin' to my own room."

"Your name. What's your name?" I asked him, just before he could walk away.

"Folks'round 'ere call me Lemmy. Ya'know, like, 'Lemme get a bottle of rum', or 'Lemme get out of here, before Vyrewatch turn me into a community bloodbank'. Whadd'bout you?"

"I'm Selias.. I actually used to live here, too. Now I'm back."

"Well, welcome back, friend. Sorry I ain't got a real bottle'a rum ta' greet'cha with."

"You opened your door for me," I looked up to him while sitting on the floor, arranging a small lunch before sleep. "That's more than I can say for anybody else around here."

"Bah, don' worry 'bout them. They're scared's all. They ain't tryin'ta spend their wanin' days in the daeyalt mines.

But, 'ey, listen, I'll wake'ya in the mornin' if ye' ain't up already. Keep an eye out for me while yer' awake."

Lemmy went off to his room, making a noise that I thought was a yawn.

I took a bite of some bread, and considered the possibility of actually finding the rest of my family in Meiyerditch.
What if they've been sent to the mines indefinitely? What if they were relocated to another region?
What if they've been turned?
And, so quickly, that possibility seemed miniscule in comparison to the possibility of finding them in a bad condition. 'Stop thinking so negatively. That's not what you're here for.'

22-Jul-2014 08:03:27

du gaulois

du gaulois

Posts: 247 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
I finished up the slice of beef and bread I had out for myself, and climbed into my bedroll. There was a very long period of time that had passed before I actually felt ready to sleep. The whole time, my eyes were glued to that window, staring out at the passing Vyrewatch in the sky like traffic in Ardougne Market at high noon.

'Tomorrow will be better,' I thought. Sunlight in Meiyerditch is a gift from the gods themselves, as it is too dangerous for the Vyrewatch to fly in direct sunlight. Travelling is made much more simple as the Vyrewatch are restricted to ground travel and heavy, dark cloaks to protect their skin. Easy to evade, easier to kill.. Though there was not one thought going through my head that involved direct confrontation with a Vyrewatch.
I eventually fell asleep simply from thinking too much.

I awoke to Lemmy's shoving against my shoulder, which wasn't much of shoving at all. He had no muscle to shove with. My eyes fluttered open slowly, and I then blinked a couple of times, now fully aware. I had almost forgotten what I had got myself into the night before, and it took a minute for my surroundings to sink in. I let out a short cough, and climbed to my feet to roll up my sleeping-bag.

"Sounds like there's been some trouble up the road," Lemmy told, hands on his hips, looking past me out the window.

"I oughtta check it out before ye' step foot outta this house."

I nodded, and then took a moment to actually notice just how bad Lemmy looked. Emaciation and old age really took a toll on his physique, or whatever physique he might have had in the past. He headed for the front door and pulled it open, sticking his head out first. He then went outside and shut the door behind him.

I peered out the window as he left, and looked to the sky. My hopes for bright sunshine and happiness were crushed. The sky was overcast, the sun nowhere to be seen. In fact, the sky was more grey than the city itself. 'When is it ever easy?'

22-Jul-2014 08:09:03 - Last edited on 22-Jul-2014 08:11:35 by du gaulois

du gaulois

du gaulois

Posts: 247 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
I then looked to the doorway behind me; Now that the rest of the house was visible, I could look around. I ventured into the next room, and saw a kitchen to my left, and a staircase to my right. I walked into the kitchen and opened the cabinets, curious as to whether or not his kitchen was actually in use.

In the cabinets were not pots and pans, but instead cobwebs and rat droppings. Inside of the food pantry was the one loaf of bread I had given him the night before, and some old chicken bones on the bottom shelf. A kitchen like this was very typical for Meiyerditch residents.

I made the conclusion that his personal living space was upstairs, so I didn't look around there out of respect for Lemmy. It only took another few minutes for him to return, and he was more wide-eyed than I remembered him being when he left earlier.

"What's up? How is it out there?" I asked.

"Couple'a places nearby got sacked by Vyrewatch. You've got' ta get outta here. Get'cher stuff, and let's get movin'."

I grabbed my backpack and threw it onto my shoulder, heading out the door with Lemmy following behind. I looked around to get a feel for my surroundings. Every house was generally the same; Tall, closely-knit with other houses, and made of dead wood and metal sheet. Some clotheslines crossed second-floor windows, and a stray dog ran across the road ahead.

There was no grass, only dirt and mud. Only a few people were outside of their homes, while everybody else was inside, occasionally watching out the windows. One thing was definite, though, everybody was silent. No noise was heard at all outside, except for the sound of wind whipping through the city corridors.

Lemmy closed the door to his house, and started walking down the road. I promptly followed, and kept my eyes peeled, watching for anybody or anything that may have came. It was amazing that Lemmy knew his way around, everywhere I looked, everything appeared the same, no house different than the last.

22-Jul-2014 08:19:44

du gaulois

du gaulois

Posts: 247 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
I didn't remember it being so bad.

"Where are we headed?" I called out to a swift-moving Lemmy. He stopped, and waited for me to catch up before talking.

"It's my friend, Ciecel, I think he knows one of them informants the Myreque got all over the city." I frowned when he mentioned the informants, though I thought it best not to mention to anybody that the Myreque no longer had as tight of a grip on Meiyerditch.

"Right, how far is Ciecel?"

"We'll git there in no time," Lemmy assured. "I always go o'er there."

After what I would estimate to be eight minutes, and after turning many corners into more identical neighborhoods, Lemmy stopped at the door of a house. It was the second house on its side of the block, and all the windows were draped. Lemmy pounded his fist on the wooden door, and coughed hard. He spit at the dirt, and turned when the door opened.

"Hey Ci*cel, lemme in, would'ya?" Lemmy said. Ciecel beckoned him in, and stared at me. Ciecel was a middle-aged man with deep crow's feet marking the corners of his eyes, and black hair pulled all the way back to a tight ponytail.

"Who's that guy?" Ciecel asked. His voice was thick-accented, I could tell he was a native of this region.

"Don't worry, I'll tell'ya all 'bout it when you close the damn door." Lemmy insisted.

Ciecel shrugged long, and stepped back as a gesture to allow me through. I stepped into the doorway, nodded to Ciecel, and strode across the room next to Lemmy. There were two chairs next to a table by the window, but I didn't bother to make myself at home. Ciecel shut the door, and looked at Lemmy for a good, long moment before speaking.

"So, you made friends with a stray dog, I see?" Ciecel spouted, with a bit of laughter under his breath.

"Nawh, Ciecel, he's with tha' Myreque! He was the guy that jumped off'tha wall last night!" Lemmy explained. Ciecel approached me, and looked me up-and-down.

22-Jul-2014 08:29:19 - Last edited on 22-Jul-2014 10:20:46 by du gaulois

du gaulois

du gaulois

Posts: 247 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
"You're right, he looks too healthy to be a citizen," Ciecel said. "Quite a feat you pulled off last night, my friend. You're lucky you aren't a carcass covered in gnaw-marks right now, you know that? Many people ended up that way last night because of you."

"Look, I'm sorry, but I need to find a Myreque informant. I can't do anything for the people here if you can't make that connection happen." I told. Ciecel sneered, muttering something I couldn't hear.

"Yeah, fine," he answered, clearly unsatisfied with how his day was starting to go. "He doesn't want anybody to know where he lives, especially not Vyre-bait such as yourself. Lemmy, you keep him here. I'll go find the informant and bring him back. And, you. This is the only time I'm doing you any favors, and only because it's for the Myreque."

Ciecel swung the door open and shut it loudly on his way out.

"He loves new people, huh?" I joked. Lemmy didn't laugh, only kept his head aimed out the window, peeking through a crack in the curtains. I sighed, and sat in silence while I waited.

---

I was falling into a nap just as Ciecel returned with a figure behind him. He let the person in first, then followed in and shut the door. He bolted the door, and peeked out the window. Turning back to me, he spoke.

"This is the informant, however he will remain unnamed for obvious purposes."

This informant appeared much like the Myreque contact I had met with in Burgh de Rott. A hood completely concealed his face, he had a large cloak, and he kept a mysterious aura about him. I stood and greeted him.

"Hello, I am Selias. I was sent here to find the Sanguinesti Order and recieve assignment. Suppose you could lend a hand?" I explained to him. He gave one long nod.

"The Sanguinesti Order is located east from here, not far at all. I can take you there now, if you are ready." he said in a deep, non-accented voice.

"Yes," I responded. "I'm ready to go now."

22-Jul-2014 09:21:26

du gaulois

du gaulois

Posts: 247 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The windows were smashed open upstairs, without warning. The hooded Myreque informant took from his belt a shiny silver flail, and cautiously walked to the stairs, and then up them. And, as we heard him shouting, the front door burst open, two Vyrewatch standing in the doorway.

I reached for my sword, and felt nothing where it should have been. 'I must have dropped it when I fell last night! How could I forget?' The Vyrewatch on the left pounced on Lemmy, sinking its fangs into his frail neck. His eyes shot up at me, and then rolled back as his blood was drained. Ciecel backed up quickly, but accidentally backed into me, and made us both fall to the floor. The second Vyrewatch attacked Ci*cel on top of me, and I could only sit and listen to the sound of his jugular vein being penetrated and sucked of blood.

I tried to push both Ciecel and the Vyrewatch off of me, but instead, the Vyrewatch that had dropped Lemmy to the ground came over to me, seemingly finished with my now-potentially-dead friend. It knelt down, and threw my head hard onto the floor, knocking me unconcious.

---

I awoke to the sound of chains being moved loudly. I opened my eyes and looked at myself. I was shackled and my clothes were more torn than before. I also had a familiar pain and ache in my neck, and when I felt, just as expected, were two unhealed tithe-marks. Blood was still dripping. I groaned and made an attempt to stand, but found that I was much weaker than I had been before coming in. Again, as expected.

Where was I?

My backpack was gone, I was covered in dust, shackled, somewhere dark... It soon became clear that I was in the daeyalt mines. I nearly felt bad for myself for believing that coming back to Meiyerditch would result in any fate other than this. 'I'm pathetic. This is what I get for coming back. I already had my chance to live my life in the real world. I blew it.'

22-Jul-2014 10:05:46

du gaulois

du gaulois

Posts: 247 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
I didn't see anybody around that I could recognize. To my right were three other mine workers drearily swinging pickaxes at daeyalt ore deposits in the rocks. To my left were two mine workers further down the cave.

It seemed as if there should have been another worker to my immediate left. I looked down, and saw on the rocks an unconcious worker. 'Probably just came in, like me,' I thought. I knelt beside him and tried to wake him up, but noticed he was in very poor condition, his throat being very bloodied and much skin torn away from his neck.

The Vyrewatch had likely put him there to add insult to injury, and nothing else. There was no way that this man could work. He'd probably be dead within the hour, if not sooner. His eyes opened suddenly, and he quickly grabbed my arm. I was completely confused by that point, backing away. That's when he began talking, but struggled to do so through much more than gurgles.

"Myrrr... Eque.... Inform...." was all I got out of him, initially.

"You're the Myreque informant from before?" I asked. He nodded weakly. "Oh, no.. You've got to tell me the name of the other informant. That's my last hope to rendezvous with the Sanguinesti Order. If I get out of the mines.."

"Lomb... Bardo...." he choked.

"Lombardo?" I asked. He nodded again.

Just as I was preparing another question, he went into full-spasm, choking on his own blood. It was more audible now than ever that he couldn't breathe and was probably close to bleeding out anyway. It was only seconds before he went motionless. Seven out of the eight Myreque informants in Meiyerditch were now dead.

I stood for a moment in silence, and then returned my attention to my own escape.

Near where I had woken up was a rusted, old iron pickaxe lying forlorn over a low pile of pebbles and small rocks. I quickly walked over and pulled it off of the ground, noticing that it was heavier than it had previously appeared.

25-Jul-2014 00:04:53 - Last edited on 25-Jul-2014 02:52:45 by du gaulois

du gaulois

du gaulois

Posts: 247 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The shackles around my ankles were also rusted badly, and I hadn't imagined that it would be difficult to break them. With what strength I had left in me, I raised the pickaxe high above my head, and threw it down onto the chains.

I lost a little bit of my balance and nearly dropped the pickaxe. I had completely missed the chain. I could feel fatigue and nausea begin to take hold, as it was becoming apparent that the Vyrewatch had drained out more blood from me than they usually would have in the past.
Or, perhaps so much time had gone by since then that I had completely forgot what it felt like to be victimized by them. Regardless, it didn't help with my task of breaking apart what kept me restrained.

I aimed the pickaxe down at the shackles, raised it once more, and swung downward with as much force as I was able to apply. I managed to land the pickaxe where I intended to, but that wasn't enough. I took a deep breath, and felt my muscles struggle as I continued trying to smash the chains.

I hit it it twice, and missed one time before they were destroyed. I threw the pickaxe down and ran down the tunnel, but quickly slowed myself when I got extremely light-headed, and felt a strong wave of nausea pass over me.
I couldn't hold it back any longer, and squeezed my eyes shut as I vomited all over the floor. My throat burned and began to hurt, as I threw up nothing but water and stomache acid.

Some of the nearby workers noticed me, and turned over to stare in my direction, but nobody came to help. It seemed they were either too frightened to assist, or their own fates were more dismal than my own. I pushed myself onward, stumbling, but I wasn't going to give up until my dying breath. 'Come on... I've been through worse than this, more than once... Don't let them win...'

25-Jul-2014 00:09:13

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