The Wine Alley
Lleu stumbled out of the hideout, sunlight blinding him. He was in a narrow, smelly, and depressing alley. Just like the rest of the town, Lleu thought with grim humor. Nevertheless, Lleu would have kissed the ground had it not been so covered with trash and waste. He breathed in the slightly vomit inducing air deeply, glad to at least breath the air of the outside world.
The entry to the hideout, Lleu could now see, was a trapdoor with a few attached rotten planks. Dried mud was seen around the entry, recent footsteps neatly being cleaned up. Lleu looked to ShadowStrike, still bloodied and in its 'Handran' mode. Lleu, pulling the least dirtied rag from the alley, wiped the blood and gore from the weapon. Muttering "Nagash" after the job was done; he placed the weapon in its sheath, and strode down the alley, his freedom once again assured. He exited the forking alleyway unto a fairly populated street. In a flash of memory, Lleu wet a nearby rag and wiped the blood and sweat from his body. Then, he moved into the street and the curve of traffic.
He was mostly ignored as he made his way. It was late afternoon, and the sky was tinted a bit orange, gilding the clouds. The street he now walked on was a finer one, where buildings were fairly well constructed and seemed to shine in the sunlight. These building were obviously for the rich upperclassman, who had supported and ensured the Kings rule. Lleu felt out of place as he walked these paths. I am bloodied and hungry, not a rich person like those that live here! The street now made a sharp turn, and the scene changed.
Houses were destroyed, and strewn along the pathway. A small fire had started in one home, sending sparks and danger into its neighbors. The homeless were seen crawling through the wreckage like ants, scavenging any riches or wealth left in the burnt timbers and upturned furniture. One man ran by, staring at a golden chalice he held dearly to his chest. Another two were seen lugging a large elaborate table which was only slightly singed. Further away, guards had come to enforce discipline, and keep the looting at a minimum. Already, five dead were seen around two of the guardians, who were 'stopping' any unfortunate who happened to run by with any odd or wealthy items. Thinking carefully about all the priceless possessions he held, Lleu inched back from the destroyed area, amazed at its destruction. Why, how, would anything do this sort of damage? Has the city truly been lost in such a vile manner? Lleu escaped the way he came, not being noticed by the guards, who were busy firing arrows into a five year old boy who was carrying no more than three elegant candles. Lleu averted his gaze, for if he saw this young lad killed, he knew he could not stop his anger at the guards, and would do something rash. Quickly, he fell into the darkness of an alleyway.
Lleu came out at the main plaza, where the fountain in the center seemed just as serene as before. Most of the stalls were closed, large piles of gold laid out on the shelves as the smiling vendors counted their earnings. Marie wasn't there; only a young couple sitting at the base of the fountain and a few rushing citizens making their way to their dinner reservations, holding their hats and muttering under their breath. The castle rose in the distance, one side seeming light in the crimson sun, and the other black in the shade.
Lleu began the long walk to "The Wine Alley," the inn shown to them by the kind gatekeeper. The area became decrepit quite quickly. Lleu came upon another seen of destruction. Here, the road was churned up, and the houses all smoldering. An enormous bucket line had been set up, stopping the most remote chance of a fire spreading. The looting was not as bad here, yet a few bodies lay at the side of the road, bleeding away their lives for a chance of wealth. More charred bodies could be seen in the wreckage, their contours mangled beyond perception. Lleu turned his eyes away and walked by the destruction quickly, once again wondering about the damage.
The trail became more laborious as darkness fell, as Lleu had to dodge large piles of manure and heaps of trash. Thugs, who were coincidentally the same shape and smell as antecedent obstacles, were also a major danger. One jumped Lleu, yelling fiercely and swinging a rotten board, but was quickly dealt with as Lleu unsheathed his own weapon. I am no longer an innocent, Lleu thought grimly, I can defend myself now. In about one hour, Lleu had reached his destination. The building had lost a few more shingles, and of the two ropes hanging the sign, "The Wine Alley," one had been severed, leaving the sign at a crazed angle. A window shade had also been removed, and a few boards were missing, exposing the inner rooms.
Lleu strode in. A small gibbering group of men hid in the corner, talking animatedly. A hooded man sat at the bar counter, and the tender was nowhere to be found. Two men were playing a game of cards with an incomplete deck in the corner. A sputtering fire was dying in the fireplace, its embers blood red. Marie, however, wasn't there. Lleu pulled up a seat at the bar disappointedly, sweeping off the dust and the debris. The tender came in from a backdoor and leaned on the counter with mock anticipation, cleaning a greasy cup. "Whatch'a do ya for?"
Lleu looked up at the tender, and replied. "Just some dinner and a mug of beer." The man grunted, and went into the back room, the door swinging in his absence. The men in the corner could be heard now, talking with gusto.
One spoke, "All this has been happening so quickly, ya' know? I mean, firs', they come, then the streets r' in chaos!" The man leaned back, swirling his mug of beer. Another spoke up.
"Have ya' seen the sites? Explosions, blood, makes ya' feel safe ta' live in this shack!" The man took a hearty swig of beer, emptying the mug. Lleu was now listening intently, trying to draw connections and observations from the conversations. Yet another person spoke up.
"Well, we'll see how this plays out from the sidelines, eh? No use jumping into danger and death!" This man hadn't yet drunken from his mug, and was leaning on the table. His words seemed more straight and understanding than the others.
"Heysh, guys," the one speaking was smiling widely, a grin on his face. "You's been to the market reshently? They have alsh of everthang! Showrds, glash, all shorts of shtuff!" Two empty mugs lay on their sides on the table, another empty one clenched firmly in the drunken mans hand.
The first man spoke up. "Jen, you're more drunk than a Skelrith!" Lleu smiled, thinking of the large Skelrith, a creature which had died out centuries ago. The Skelrith had been known to have a taste for beer, and were commonly seen on drunken rampages. Coincidentally, the best time for Skelriths to rampage was when they were drunk.
Jen looked around with glazed eyes, still smiling. "A Shkelrith could come crashin down through the sheiling and I wouln't bat an eye…" He smiled again, and then, with the help from the others, was hoisted up, carried to the door, and thrown out seven clear feet. The others returned to the table and sat down, unperturbed.
The bartender returned to the counter with half a loaf of bread and a bowl of soup, and set them dejectedly before Lleu, quickly returning to the backroom again. The fire, finally giving up the last troughs of its life, perished silently. Lleu dug into the food vehemently, ripping at the loaf, gulping the soup, and finishing off the meal with wiping the bowl with a piece of leftover crust. The men in the corner had quieted down, but Lleu's conscience had not. How could I have left my sister? I know I was gone for nearly four days, but what of the time in the hideout!? I have been a failure to her. She could have gone home…but that's not like here. Anyways, how would she get home? I need to find her tomorrow!
The bartender came in and placed a mug of beer on the counter, the top still foaming. Lleu took it gratefully and took a swig. He hadn't had beer since his thirteenth year of life, when his father went out of the way to find a brewer. How Lleu missed his family! He knew, though, that he had a task set for him, a task which could take years to finish. Will I see my parents again? He thought grimly. He smiled, noticing how most thoughts were grim nowadays. The beer was delicious, making Lleu feel lightheaded and joyful. The man to his left stood up, his cloak still obscuring his face. He was more than six feet tall and skinny as well. He turned and walked briskly out the door, as if suddenly remembering he was late to an appointment. His shadow disappeared into the night.
A few men at the table had left, leaving only two to their beer. The card game elsewhere was long over; having broken down into a brawl after both players discovered the other was cheating. The table was still upturned after the escape, the cards strewn crazily about, and one still smoking in the fireplace. Lleu flipped the now present bartender a few coins, and then rented a room for the night. As he left the bar, he heard the two men again.
"They called themselves…no, its gone. How could I forget! Anyways, they tore this place up bad."
The man who hadn't drunken gave up the battle and took a few timid sips. "Those things are worse than you think! They killed who knows how many." He sobered, looking down. "They killed children, the butchers. They killed my nephew."
Lleu stopped in the shadows at the foot of the stairs. He held still as he listened to the ongoing conversation.
"Nobles n' such, though, right? They din't eve near us. But, children? How, why? Odd though, they were lookin' for something er' other."
"Yea. You know, its quiet here, and I'm tired." The man without beer picked up his mug, took another swig, returned it to the table, and scooted his chair in. The other man did likewise, leaving two coins on the bar, saying goodnight to the other, and pulling the brim of his hat down as he shuffled out the door. The sound of unrelenting rain plastering the cobblestones outside echoed into the bar. The man without beer walked to the bar, put a coin down, and was heard saying as Lleu decided to retire, "One for the night."
The room Lleu entered was depressing. The bed was worse off than before, several springs leaving the cloth. Many boards were ripped off the side of the walls, and an enormous amount of water was leaking into the room. A few buckets at the side were for this emergency, and Lleu fulfilled their purpose deftly, placing them under the numerous drips. Sighing before snuffing the candle, Lleu thought of Marie, and wondered what she had gotten into.