The blow came hard, bone and muscle cracking into my cheek at a blinding speed. I felt my brain rattle and crash into the walls of my skull, all the while I spat blood onto the trash lined ground. Tears spilled out of my burning eyes before I crashed my boney rear onto the ground. Filthy, scum-filled water splashed into my hair and soaked my ragged tunic. Clutching the right side of my face, my eyes flickered to the origin of the attack. Hovering over me was the hollow shell of a man, his thin and gaunt features only hidden by the dirt and filth stuffed into his pores.
"Aye ya little bastard! Trying to steal from you are, you little guttershite?! This was my treasure fair and square!"
I scrambled away from the skinny man, surprised how his arm didn't snap from the force of the punch. He glared at my with his dark and sunken eyes, which were partly hidden from his gray, matted hair. He took two steps toward my cowering figure, his footfalls rippling into the rancid puddles of water at our feet. The cans of tuna, which were now forgotten amongst the squabble, lied in a pool of leaves, excrement, and carcasses.
"Pl-please mister! I was just hungry!" I pleaded.
"Oh yeah? Well so am I, and everyone else in this goddamned CITY! I know what's it's like kid, to watch as the high and mighty dine on fine cuisines and feast on steaming blood ox. Maybe, if you hadn't have stolen me food we could have helped each other. But no! Now, you've dug your own grave!"
The last hint of a plea in my eyes had burned away as heavy falls of fists pounded onto my skin. My body was curled into a fetal position and the blows continued to come. Pound after pound, beat after beat. They never let up and after a while I felt my nose and various other parts of my body… crack. Ever since the plague started a little less than a year ago, I had become frail and brittle from the lack of proper nourishment. Compared to my tormenter, I probably weigh about ten more pounds than him and he wasn't on the chunky side.
After about five minutes, I laid on the wet ground covered in blood and filth, snuggling up to diminish the chill of the brisk Dunwall air. But, to no avail, I continued to freeze.
Uncle, if only you were here.
The man had stopped hitting me, looking somber and enraged at the same time. To the right of us a light had begun to reveal itself coming down the stairs that led to the upper streets. Hope ached in my chest and I began to whimper for help. The light was followed by the sharp clack of boots hitting the cemented stairs. The light grew stronger and stronger and stronger until it revealed its carrier. I was able to make out the crisp uniform and helmet of the City Watch, a group of four men chatting amongst themselves.
The man noticed them too, taking the chance to hobble to them. One man in the front of the group withdrew his sword from its sheath, brandishing it to the man.
"Stand back citizen and state your business!"
The man took a giant leap backwards before holding his hands up in surrender.
"Easy there Sir! I've come to report a theft!"
The guard looked back to his fellow members of the Watch, consulting them for further action. One guard in the back, the one who held the lantern spoke up. "Where is the perpetrator sir?"
The man turned back to me, pointing his finger at me accusingly. "Him!"
The entire group of guards gazed at me, some disgusted, others pitiful. The man who stared at me the most intently though had no expression. His features were quite handsome, a strong jaw structure and firm eyes which were both adorned by a straight nose. Those features and his strong body made him one of the most intimidating of the group, if not the most scary. He strided over to me and studied my wounds.
"Ah, let's see. Brittle bones, countless bruises, a no doubt broken nose, and… bloody tears." My heart skipped a beat and a burning sensation rose in my throat.
No.
The guard backed away and my hands flew up to my eyes, checking for blood. There was none.
"That's what we'll say gentlemen. Bloody tears. We had to put this poor boy out of his misery," the guard said coldly before leaning closer to me. "Do you understand boy? That's our story."
"But I'm not crying blood!"
The guard lifted his leg and crashed his foot into my gut. I doubled over, writhing in pain. He let out a laugh and continued.
"Damn, that old geezer got to you before I could. You see, my sister and mother were recently killed. The only thing the murderer took was food. No jewelry and no money. Just food. My neighbor, Mrs. Aladrems told me something peculiar. A small boy was seen running from my home with armfuls of food and herbs. I'm going to take the chance and say that was you."
He delivered another kick to my gut, sending me a couple feet back.
"NO! I did-didn't ki-ki-kill them! The door was open, so I took the food and ran I swear!"
My voice started to crack and tears fell from my eyes.
The guard unsheathed his sword and braced the tip against my neck. I closed my eyes and began to sob.
"You lie you little slum rat!"
"No! I saw a man leave! He was- he was-"
I kept stuttering and spouting anything from my mouth to try and keep me alive.
Uncle!
Somewhere from the back of the group I heard a thud and a sound like meat being ripped open at the butcher shop. Another man yelled and screamed out and that's when I opened my eyes. It was hard to see far away because of the tears clouding my vision, but the scene was almost impossible to misinterpret. The guard had turned away from me and now faced a masked man, who had single-handedly ripped through an entire squad of the City Watch.
"You BASTARD!" the last guard yelled out. He withdrew his pistol and fired a quick yet inaccurate shot at the masked assailant. The tiny explosion that sounded through the alley drilled into my ears. With my lost of hearing in both ears, I could only watch the next few seconds.
The masked man hadn't even move when the bullet was fired. The guard trembled in shock, unable to believe he had missed. The fact was however, he didn't. The masked man stood still and silent, not moving. Slowly he raised a glowing left hand and revealed to us a tiny piece of sharp metal. It was the bullet.
By the Outsider! How?!
The guard dropped his pistol, his knees wobbling. The masked man slowly walked forward, taking a chance to flick the bullet at the guard. As his footsteps clapped onto the ground I got a better look at his mask. It was metal, but with jagged, welded features formed to make a skeletal figure. His eyes were glass, one having three tiny pieces of circular glass rotating in the mask's eye socket. His sinister grin had tried to be wired shut with metal, but alas it only made him scarier. He wore a coat fit for a noble, but it was dirtied and torn.
The masked man stopped a foot away from the cowering guard and studied him. They both were to my left so I had an amazing view of his left hand. As I studied the tattoo (or that's what it looked like at least) I took notice of the intricate shapes and patterns. I could not even explain what it looked like. In the masked man's right hand however, was a sword, slick and dripping in crimson blood. With a quick flick of his wrist though, it was covered in even more blood. The guard which had just earlier laid at his feet was slumped over, gagging with his throat gushing blood.
Uncle, help me!
We were now alone in the alleyway. Just me and a cold-blooded monster, but then the monster glanced my way.
Oh Outsider, have mercy on me!
He walked closer.
Uncle!
Closer.
Let me LIVE!
The masked man stopped, and extended his left hand which held something. Unsure of what else to do, I shakily held out my hand underneath his. His hand opened and something hard and chilling dropped into my palm. I studied it in terror. It was a piece of whalebone it seemed, which was carved into a similar fashion to a candleholder with two diagonal wax stalks. It whispered to me and wisps of purplish-black smoke billowed from it. The smoke filled my crooked, broken nostrils and a voice whispered into my head loudly.
"Be thankful, for my friend's gift little one. May the rats give heed to your presence in this shambled city. Goodbye."
My whole body shook and the little charm froze into my palm. I looked up at the man, astonished and ready to let my body collapse. He chuckled like he knew this feeling and spoke only two words.
"Hide it."
I blinked, confused and weary, but he was gone. I was alone. Alone with a mass of corpses. I crawled onto my hands and knees and finally onto my feet with the support of the alleyway wall. It took me a while, but I finally stumbled over to the beggar man's "home." It wasn't anything special. A bed propped up against the corner with food tucked under the stained pillow which laid on top. I stuffed my arms full of food with the bone artifact tucked into my tattered breeches. Careful to step over the corpses, I limped out of the alley way and headed home.
. . . . . . . .
"That's bullshit Eidolon!" Eleutheria shouted as I finished my story.
I shook my head,"Believe me if you want Eleutheria. I know it happened though."
Eleutheria kept laughing and laughing, tears brimming in her eyes. "Yeah," she shouted,"the 'Legend of Dunwall' Corvo Attano, gave YOU a heretical bone charm?!"
"Yeah! That's what happened!" I shouted, frustrated and embarrassed. "I bet you two thousand coins and Tyvian wine that if I spoke to him, he would remember me."
"Sure! He's gonna admit to the murder of a whole squad of the City Watch and possession of heretical artifacts! That's rich Eidolon!"
No matter how frustrated I was, I still found a beauty in her smile. Eleutheria and I have always been good friends, even during the Rat Plague, but one doesn't ever get over her annoying laugh. It sounded quite similar to boar giving birth. Other than her laugh though, every part of her was perfect. Her skin was dark and tanned, mostly because of her Serkonan heritage. Eleutheria had silky long brown hair, accompanied by bronze eyes which gave her a cat-like appearance. Her body also screamed hot, attracting most men's gazes from afar.
She started cleaning a glasses from the the countertop of the pub, her laughter finally dying down. I sipped on a glass of whiskey, feeling myself getting more and more relaxed with every sip. Most people couldn't stomach the stuff that Eleutheria's father, Neb, brewed. With a stomach of iron and enough willpower though, it slides down your throat rather nicely. I was about to take another sip when Eleutheria jerked the glass from my hand.
"Hey!" I shouted.
"I don't think you need anymore of these mister!" she chuckled.
Sitting back down, defeated and aggravated, I rested my head on my right arm.
"Eidolon, you can't keep telling this story okay? This was fifteen years ago! I remember that night you came see me out by the docks. Your eyes were bleeding, telltale symptoms of the plague! Who knows what was going on in your head. Just be lucky I was able to snatch that elixir from Slackjaw's factory."
She grinned mischievously, wiggling her fingers playfully.
"Yeah," I began,"you always were good at stealing stuff. You were actually just always good with your hands. I should know-"
The sound of glass shattering signaled my exit. In a split second I had hopped out of my chair and started backing up towards the door of the pub. Eleutheria had already ripped off her apron and jumped over the bar. Her face was bright red, either from embarrassment or rage, or maybe both.
"That was one time!"
I grabbed my coat and hat from the rack next to the door and began to open the door. I needed as much room to run as possible for this next joke.
"Sadly, you're right!"
And like that, I was gone, out the door and onto the street with the angriest woman in Dunwall hot on my tail.
. . . . . . . .
Walking through the hustle and bustle of the Dunwall streets always threw me off guard. The Plague was fifteen years ago, and I'm still used to the emptiness and dread of the dead streets back then. Now, children chase each other down the sidewalks which were once lined with rotting corpses. Women shop in stores which once housed criminals and Weepers. Men now drink and eat food from factories that were infested with rats. Most of us remember all of this, others choose to forget. It's better that way.
I stuffed my hands into my coat and secured my hat tighter onto my mass of brown hair. The Dunwall air always had a way of chilling you to the bone, even in the summer. A transport train blared its sirens overhead, sliding on the electric tracks. A group of guards stood in a circle on post, chatting and betting. Five children, two boys and three girls, chased each other through crowd. One of the boys yelled,"Cooties!" I chuckled a little.
Be glad you didn't have my childhood kids.
As I walked out of the market district, the sea air filled my nostrils. I was by the docks. Huge whaling ships floated lazily in the harbor while fishermen unloaded the products. I took notice of a young boy, no older than fourteen carrying a large fish. As he walked off the ship and onto the docks the fish in his arms began to move spastically. I laughed as the boy struggled to keep his hold on the fish. Other passersby began to notice the scene and they all joined me in laughter. Finally, the boy tripped over the rope which kep the boat from floating away. Down he went, the fish now free and flying into the water with him. The scene abruptly ended and I was on my merry way again.
I strided up the streets again, passing the Dunwall Courier and the Boyle shop. The crowd of people which were usually accompanying the sidewalks started to thin as I got closer to my destination. My destination was Dunwall Tower, for I was going to confront the Royal Protector. I was going to give him back his gift.
As I reached the entrance to the tower a guard stopped me. He was a short, but well built man who wore the City Watch outfit. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
"State your business citizen."
"Ah well," I began," you see, I wish to speak to the Royal Protector, Corvo Attano."
The man looked at me like my intelligence rivaled that of a rat. If he had thought of anything rude, he did not voice it and remained formal.
"You are aware sir that not anyone can see the Royal Protector. Do you even have an appointment?"
I began to sweat and really think about how stupid of an idea this was.
"Ah… well um, I'm sure if he met me he would be willing to speak." I smiled nervously at the man.
"Sir, if you don't have an appointment with the Royal Protector, or he doesn't inform me of your arrival beforehand, I'm not authorized to let you see him."
God, I'm an idiot.
"Yes, I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Please excuse me, I'm a little slow," I laughed.
The guard shared a chuckle with me and waved me farewell. To be honest, it was quite odd to see a member of the City Watch so nice. As I turned around though, I stopped mid-step. There in front of me was the Royal Protector. He had a dozen or so guards behind him, convoy style. In front of him was a lady who wore a black veil which obscured her face. So, being myself, I did something everyone would label "the stupidest thing someone could ever do."
I approached the Royal Protector, Corvo Attano.
"Royal Prot-"
In an instant, his sword was unsheathed and the tip of it pointed into my neck. The feeling was very nostalgic. Within seconds, half of the City Watch had surrounded me, swords drawn and pistols ready to fire.
"-ector…"
I gulped and felt the tip of the blade caress my adam's apple.
"Step back or watch your own head roll on the pavement!" one guard yelled.
Corvo Attano didn't pay them any mind though. He kept his gaze fixed on me. His eyes were scarier without his mask. Now that I looked at him though, age was evident in every crease on his face. His short, graying hair rustled slightly in the wind and despite the cold weather, I broke into a sweat.
"Please, Royal Protector, I only wish to speak."
His gaze didn't waver, only to be broken when the lady from earlier spoke up.
"Father, who is this man who interrupts our mourning?"
Father? By the Outsider is that…
I broke eye contact with Corvo and studied the woman, but couldn't make out her features behind the veil.
Please don't let that be…
The woman lifted the veil and revealed her beautiful, striking features. She looked even more beautiful in person.
...The Empress.
"Yes, Emily I'd like to know that too."
That was my cue.
"My name is Eidolon your Lord and Majesty."
"And what business do you have with me Eidolon?" He said my name with a tinge of venom in his voice.
"I wish to speak with you Royal Protector. I have something I must return to you."
"And what may that be?" he spat.
I looked around at the City Watch and answered.
"Fifteen years ago, I looked into your eyes. Not those which rest in your head, but those of which rested in metal. I watched your left hand burn blue and orange, a mark carved into the very bone of it. You handed me an ornament of bone, one which saved me from the hands of Plague. He whispered into my mind and said it was a gift. You said,'Hide it,' and in a blink, you were gone."
Everyone was silent, no words were spoken. Only the wind whistled in our ears. Recognition etched into the Royal Protector's face and he lowered his sword. He signaled the guards to do the same and then rested his left hand on my shoulder. The charm froze my buttock in my pocket at his touch.
"Come Eidolon. I wish for you to join us on this horrible anniversary. Please walk behind me and stay at least ten feet from the Empress at all times." He smiled warmly at me.
The Empress stepped forward and whispered into Corvo's ear, though I could still hear her.
"What is this about father?"
The Royal Protector glanced at me, then to his daughter. "Emily," he answered,"I'll explain later."
With that, I followed the Lord Protector up Dunwall Tower and into the throne room.
For the first time today, it clicked in my head that today is the anniversary of Empress Jessamine Kaldwin's death.
Fifteen years ago today, the city of Dunwall fell into absolute chaos.
Now, in the present, history repeats itself.