Chasing the Shadows of Revolution
Written by Roderick D. "Atlas" Lynch II
Chapter 1: Footprints of a Shadow
Usually the summer nights in Prontera are pretty warm, but this night, of all nights, was extremely frigid. The city guards that patrolled the streets packed it in early in response to the sudden temperature change and without their vigilant eyes, the more unruly citizens were free to move about in the recesses of the stone walk ways and cracks of the buildings. One in particular happened to be on the bottom rung of society.
Just near the outskirts of the city, the shroud of darkness was torn by a single building's illumination. From inside one of the best medics in the world; Doctor Morrix, examined a woman on the table. Across from them sat a nervous looking fellow who obviously had no etiquette at all as his posture and clothing suggested. He was one of society's bottom feeders, a thin, black haired stalker with little to work with in his life.
"So… How's it look doc?" The stalker spoke, breaking the tense silence of the room as his knee bounced up and down.
"No no no, not good at all Sho. It has spread too far into her body. There's nothing I can do now." The doctor spoke while turning to Sho, his hands being placed in the pockets of his white coat.
"You told me to bring the money! I made enough finally and now I need you to help her!" Sho roared out as he jumped from his seat with fist balled and all intention to do harm if his demands weren't met.
The woman on the table reached out and touched Sho, her palms icy and yet wet from sweat.
"P-please Sho, don't…cause any problems. Let's….Just go ho…-"She tried to push, but her life was cut as short as her words were at that moment.
Sho's eyes opened wide with more emotion than his mind and heart could take. Almost instantly he broke down onto the floor, knowing that all of his actions were for nothing. His fist pummeled the ground until the warm crimson leaked from his knuckles and onto the floor.
"S-Sonia….Shit! Shit! Shit!" Was all he could muster from his vocabulary.
Sho lunged up, grabbing the doctor while pulling a rather sharp blade from his pocket and pressing it against his neck in seemingly one fluid motion.
"You should have helped her! You had time months ago! Now she's dead, why, Because of some fucking zeny!?" He yelled out while pushing the doctor and throwing a large bag of zeny at the doctor's face, breaking his glasses and opening his face.
The doctor crawled across the floor, tipping the lantern over in his frantic state. He reached for the door and just barely made his way out into the streets where he ran to an open area and began to call out.
"Help! Guards! Guards!" He shrieked while looking behind him for Sho.
There was silence until the wind blew across the open areas of the city, creating an eerie tone in the air. The doctor could have sworn he felt a breath on his neck, but chalked it up to the wind. His heart raced as he waited for the guards to arrive. His nerves on end and his hands uncontrollable, he fell onto his butt and pressed against a crate for his own false sense of security.
Thinking he heard the sounds of armor clanging in the distance, he noticed foot prints on the ground showing up ever so faintly. With even more panic he reached around his form, searching desperately for something.
"Oh god no, where is it!?" He yelled to himself as he pulled an indigo clip from his back pocket and clamped it onto his white coat which was now covered in dirt. "Sight!!"
His words almost seemed to echo in the carrying wind as a flash of ethereal light surrounded his body. He looked around but found nothing at all, not even the slightest hint of another being. He crawled forward, each movement feeling like an eternity to him while he watched around his body. Up ahead of the doctor were two Crusaders and a Royal Guard, each armed with a spear and shield. With a sigh of relief, a smile and a ghostly color on his face, he tried to run forward but couldn't move.
As he looked down, he noticed a dark red aura around him and a steamy breath near him. His eyes widened when a faint voice spoke to him.
"I…will…come back…" The words fell out and burned themselves into the doctor's mind as he was set free, causing him to stumble onto the ground in front of the grand pecos and the gryphon.
The Royal guard looked down at the doctor, but his attention was quickly moved to the sight of smoke coming from the clinic. With a quick dismount, he quickly trotted across the area and into the now burning building to pull the dead woman's body free of the flame's grasp. The guard sat her down and lifted his hand to the sky before closing his eyes.
"O King of the arctic, frost be thy nature. I call forth your hyperborean touch!" His words resonated throughout the area as a ring of light encircled his feet and released more icy air around them, causing ice to form around the ground and on the surrounding buildings.
From windows, doors and the streets, heads began to peek out at the night disturbance. Most of them just walked back into their warm homes, denying their curiosity in regards to the cold. Others fought against the biting edge of the cold to watch. The sky tore open in that instant, releasing a blinding light that collided with the flaming building. The area was covered in a thick blanket of ice without delay as the flames died down inside.
"All of my work….lost because of some smug Stalker…" The doctor muttered without realizing it.
One of the crusaders turned to him and helped him up.
"Stalker you say? Tell me who this person is and we will seek them out." He assured.
"Shodelth Sekirin…Also known as Sho Seki. He came to me months ago for treatment for this woman. Unfortunately… he um… couldn't afford the bill so I turned him down. He said he'd return and pay it with great haste, but when he arrived tonight, it was already too late. She was too far into her condition for any medicine I could have provided. He went crazy and in my panic, the lantern fell and the end result of my clinic is the way you see it now." Morrix explained.
"………Sho……Seki? That is no name registered here. I know the name of every citizen; he must be from one of the neighboring cities…Probably Morroc or Payon." The royal guard said as he jumped atop his Gryphon. "I suggest you head home doctor. There is nothing for you to do at the moment."
One of the crusaders grabbed the woman and placed her on the back of his peco before taking his leave with this superior. The people all returned to their homes, the cold too much to take even for summer heat relief. Just as the last door closed, the doctor stood, but remained still. He spotted footprints heading towards the south exit and multiple puffs of steam with every step. He could only panic and run in the opposite direction, hoping Sho would leave him alone for the time being.