Chapter Six
The thief stared down the last remaining member of the trio that had pursued him. His smug demeanor secretly upset the survivor. It was added insult in the wake of his fallen comrades, but years of experience helped him keep this anger at bay. He took note of it, but didn't allow it to affect his mental fortitude. He spoke, hoping to gain some level of understanding from the thief.
"How did you find this city?"
"The manners of its citizens seem to be harder to find", the thief responded. "No exchange in greetings? No names traded? At least allow us to know who we each are conversing with. One warrior to another."
"Very well. Speak your name."
"Well you can refer to me as Alacus", the thief shared. Alacus then motioned jokingly for the survivor to share his name, hand at his ear waiting to hear.
"Semele…", he answered. Alacus laughed. This did nothing to Semele though. He was used to these jeers and snickers at his name from when he was just a little boy. He had long conquered those demons.
"Oh this is priceless", Alacus struggled to catch his breath from laughing. "I'm guessing daddy wasn't around to name you huh?"
"Enough of this. Answer me Alacus, how did you find this city?"
"Ahhh yes, I'm sure you guys think of yourselves so highly. Gods and demi-gods alike, living in harmony. It would be weird to see a full out mortal in this city huh?"
"You know much of this place."
"Well if you know as much as I do, you should know I obviously couldn't find this place. No matter how I try I could never. Even learning of its existence is next to impossible."
"Then explain yourself."
"I was obviously invited here. Nomad is a city you can't find. It is constantly moving. The city is never in one place. Not even in books and legend. It's a city only known to the Gods and who the city itself deems worthy of showing itself to. So yes, some people may accidently stumble upon the city, but even their minds become lost. They are incapable of making that adjustment."
"I am well aware of this Alacus. So the better question I suppose, is who brought you?"
"Oh I couldn't just disclose that information. That would throw an entire wretch in what is planned." Semele was still patient. He was gaining information, albeit not as much as he wanted. He felt Alacus, in his arrogance, would give him something.
"So Alacus, since you won't tell me who, tell me why?" Alacus looked up to the night sky. He pondered for a moment.
What's he thinking? What's Alacus hiding?
Alacus shifted his focus back to Semele.
"You and your kind have lived in isolation from the rest of the world. Us mortals could never dream of reaching you and the major Gods are shrouded from this place with the help of ancient magic. This refugee spot for demi-gods and minor gods, you have so many things you can share with the world. I'm here to help you share." Alacus grinned as he noticed a scowl slowly break across the face of Semele.
"This will break the natural order of things."
"Natural order is broken all the time. That is the true natural order of things…change." Semele was reaching the end of his patience. This was beyond what he feared. It was bad enough that the city was infiltrated and that those pills were stolen, but Alacus was spouting dangerous ideals.
"I'm sorry Alacus, I know you seem to be enjoying yourself, but I'm going to have to end this."
"Such a pity. And here I thought we were bonding." Semele raised his hands and got into a fighting stance. Alacus followed suit, grinning the whole time.
Suddenly a bright light flashed. Both parties looked away briefly. When they looked back a figure stood in the distance between the two. The new arrival was tall and slender. He had a big mustache and big dark shades. He wore a cheap green suit, much like you'd see from shady car salesmen. Long slick black hair that reached his shoulders showed briefly as the lights dimmed and dissipated. Black pointed dress shoes matched the new arrivals hair. He looked at Semele, who could no longer hide his emotions. Shock was visibly painted across his face. The man turned toward Alacus. For the first time since he was being ran down, he broke sweats, the worry on his face exposing his thoughts. Alacus was the first of the two to gather himself. He kneeled immediately. The suited man walked up to him, his feet making small splashes and ripples within the puddles that littered the alleyway.
"Stand Alacus", the voice was a whisper. Alacus listened. His gaze did not leave the pavement though. "What's wrong? You've fallen so silent."
"My lord?", Alacus asked quietly, still averting the gaze of the suited man. Alacus did notice him lifting his hand though. His eyes followed the suited man's hand as it rose and the reached into the stomach of Alacus. Alacus gasped, pain went across his face, shock in his eyes, but there was no blood. There were no wounds, the hand of the suited figure had phased through Alacus' stomach. When it was pulled back, the hand held the pills that Alacus and devoured earlier on.
"Now you know you getting high off your own supply is a cardinal sin", the suited man snickered. Alacus had now fallen to the wet ground. He was spitting and coughing uncontrollably. Semele had seen enough. He charged at the figure.
And that was the last action he would ever make. The suited figure turned and seen the charging man. He once again was consumed with a bright light. As Semele gazed upon this brightness, it was even more intense than when the suited figure arrived. Semele let out a blood curling scream. His eyes consumed the light, his skin started cracking from his eyes and going across his body. He burst into ashes. The light continued to shine. A shining hand grabbed Alacus by his chin and lifted it so that Alacus would gaze upon the bright lights. Alacus accepted his fate. He held back his screams, but turned to ash all the same.
The suited man looked around at his work. Pleased, he let out another grin. He put the pills into his suit pocket. He then melded into the shadows of the alleyway disappearing. The wind blew and the ashes scattered into the night. The City of Nomad and its city streets shifted once again, much like a Rubik's Cube. It was almost as if none of this had ever occurred.