Ghost Town

Dully staring at the baron below her, Savina rested her head on her hand as she listened to the baron's ramblings, his repeated attempts to implement more laws that would only benefit himself, fell on deaf ears.

Savina's attention shifted as the doors to the throne room flew open, a girl, a maid. She couldn't be much older than sixteen.

"My queen!" Bursting into the throne room, the maid tripped on the rug, falling onto the floor.

Seeing this sudden incursion, the baron turned around in a huff.

"Peasant! We are discussing matters of urgency. Leave before I have you executed!"

Picking herself up, the maid ignored the man as she approached the throne, Savina's Royal Guard readied their spears.

Seeing a frantic look on the girl's face, Savina held up a hand. Her Guards lowered their weapons.

"Speak maid, why have you entered my court unannounced?"

Taking a moment to steady herself, the maid almost fell again before being caught by one of the guards.

Now standing on her own two feet, the maid looked up to Savina. "Your majesty, she's here. The Hero Vesh is here."

Savina stood up. "What?" She knew one day that the Champion of Justice would come for her…

"The captain of the Royal Guard has already engaged the Hero's party, he sent me to warn you. The Hero entered the courtyard through the front gate with a mob, they're all calling for your head. He met them at the entrance, but he doesn't believe he'll be able to hold them for long-"

The maid's words were interrupted as four beams of light shot out from the doorway, each light piercing through the bodies of the four who stood below Savina. This sudden change left Savina in a state of shock as their bodies slumped lifelessly to the ground.

"No. This isn't how it happened." Savina's voice rang out in her own head as her body froze.

The Hero Vesh stood in the doorway, but she was different. The majority of her body hidden in shadow, the parts Savina could see were distorted, almost inhuman.

"Vesh would never strike an innocent woman."

Taking her sword in both hands, Vesh brought the blade over her head. The sword ignited in a dazzling light.

Savina froze. As the light descended, all Savina could see was Vesh's face, an evil smile on her lips.

~~

Waking up, Savina felt her heart racing as she breathed rapidly. Holding a hand to her chest as she tried to calm down. A notification popped up, signifying that the effects of Minor Trauma Resistance lvl 2 had automatically activated. Feeling her heart rate level out. Savina looked around her. From the small campfire, she and Rio had set up to the sleeping Rio lying close by.

A few hours have passed since the party escaped from the slaver's ship. As the sky began to darken, Rio suggested they make camp.

"A nightmare… I guess that resistance skill doesn't work when I'm not conscious… I think a walk will help clear my mind." Savina muttered to the sleeping Rio.

Clambering up a nearby grassy hill, Savina found Iseul atop it.

"Oh hey, Iseul. I take it you couldn't sleep either?"

Sat cross-legged, Iseul was holding his helmet on his lap, although at hearing Savina join him. He quickly put it back on.

As the silence settled around them, Savina scratched the back of her head. "Oh right. Sorry."

Pointing a finger over the plains, Iseul pointed to a spot in the dark.

Following his finger, Savina couldn't make out what he was pointing at. "I don't, I can't see what you're pointing at?"

After a moment, Savina sat down next to Iseul.

Glancing at Iseul, Savina bit her lip as she thought. "So he's a Champion? I guess that explains everything, how those slavers were no threat to him at all… I wonder how they were able to capture him in the first place. What kind of power do the slavers actually have?" Shaking her head, Savina clenched her fists, tearing up tufts of grass. "I'll need all the help I can get if I am to regain my throne."

"Hey, Iseul. Can I ask you a question? What do you think of the Queen? I know many people hate her. But as a Champion, a God selected you from another world… So you may have an unbiased opinion, wait. You're not going to be able to answer, now I feel like an idiot." Savina sighed.

Holding up his hand, a message screen appeared in front of Iseul.

"Smart!" Savina half-whispered.

Holding a finger to his lips, Iseul pointed in Rio's direction.

"Right, sorry, sorry."

A notification appeared to Savina. Message from Iseul.

Accepting the notification, Savina read his message.

Iseul: I know who you are, Savina.

Feeling her heart beat faster, Savina glanced at Iseul who had returned to staring off into the distance.

"H- how do you know who I am?"

Using one hand, Iseul's fingers jumped around the screen as he responded.

Iseul: You don't know much about how to use the system, do you. You can inspect people using the system, that's how I know your name Savina, and how I know you're the Champion of Wisdom. Wur has informed me about how everyone hates you. But I don't care, I'm not going to tell you to get lost. Rio likes you.

"Are you- Are you going to tell him?"

Iseul paused. Slowly shaking his head, Iseul typed his response.

Iseul: No, because you're going to. He won't care either way.

Iseul and Savina looked into the darkness around them as a howl echoed throughout the night.

Iseul: Go and sleep, you'll need your strength for what's to come. One last thing.

A new notification appeared.

Party invitation from Iseul.

Yes. No.

"This, you want to party with me?" Savina could feel herself faintly smile at Iseul's proposal.

Iseul: With this, we can keep track of each other using the map, and the system will give us some other bonuses if we are partied.

Closing his message window, Iseul held a hand out to the party invitation, implying he was finished talking.

Feeling like she wanted to cry, Savina accepted the invitation. "Thank you Iseul."

Nodding, Iseul returned to looking into the darkness as Savina left.

Watching the shadows, Iseul could see faint torches flickering in the distance, accompanied by faint voices and shouts.

~~ The next morning

"So there's a town nearby?"

Slowly starting to wake up, Savina could hear Rio's voice and the voice of an old man. His voice ragged like he had recently seen a ghost.

"Y- yes. But you mustn't go there, I don't know what happened. Yesterday it was a bustling place of trade now…"

...

Blinking, Savina rubbed her eyes to clear them as she sat up.

Placing a hand on the old man's shoulder, Rio smiled. "Don't worry mister, whatever has happened there. We three are strong enough to deal with it. Do you have a place to stay, or would you like to accompany us? We will get you somewhere safe after we have looked into that village. We're quite low on provisions and haven't eaten in a while."

Slowly nodding, the man held his wooden cane to support himself. "I, I will be fine. I have a place to go. I'm sure that the village will have all the provisions you would need."

Nodding once more at Rio, the old man glanced at Savina before leaving down the dirt road.

"What was that about?" Savina asked, her voice groggy from only just having woken up.

Rio sat by the burnt-out fire, prodding it with a stick he found. "There's a town nearby that may have supplies, but according to that man, something has happened to it."

Looking down the dirt road, Savina couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this. "Why would an old man be wandering around this early in the day?"

"Apparently he went to the town to pick up some medicine for his wife. But when he got there, well he didn't really say what had happened. But I've sent Iseul to go and scout it out. Told him to message us if he finds anything."

At this moment, a notification popped up for both Savina and Rio.

Message from Iseul: Both of you get down here, I'm not going in this place alone.

~~

After a brief sprint to the town. Savina found that it was in the direction Iseul was looking at when she had found him.

Approaching the town. Savina racked her brain trying to figure out where they were and which town this actually was. There was a large stone wall surrounding the town and a large wooden gate stood at the end of the dirt road. This was no small town.

"Which towns would require a wall that size." Savina thought.

Leaning against a nearby tree, Iseul's head perked up when he heard the two of them approach.

"Iseul." Rio panted from the fast journey. "What's the matter? "What, what could be so worrying that you'd want us here?"

Putting a handout, Iseul pointed two fingers downwards.

"What's he saying?" Savina asked, also slightly winded.

Putting his hands together, Rio created a portal. "It's his way of asking for his swords."

Just like on the boat, Savina watched as Iseul's swords dropped out of the portal. Sinking into the dirt and just like before, Iseul picked them up with no effort.

With one sword hefted onto his shoulder and another left to drag across the ground, Iseul made his way to the front gate.

As the pair followed him. Savina noticed something was also off here.

"Rio, do you hear that?" Savina asked worry faintly creeping into her words.

Listening to the surrounding silence, Rio lightly shook his head. "No? What's wrong?"

"That's exactly what's wrong. You would be able to hear voices this close to the town's walls, the hustle and bustle of daily life, and... there are no birds. In fact, I don't think I've seen any animals since we got here."

"I'm sure it's nothing Neia. Anyway, Iseul, why didn't you want to go in alone? You're not scared of something, are you?"

Receiving no answer, Savina spoke up.

"It's because of the silence, isn't it. Even with your enhanced hearing, you can't hear any sounds. No animals, no voices, no footsteps."

Iseul pointed the sword on his shoulder at Savina as he nodded.

Stopping at the front gate, Iseul looked back at the group. Seemingly telling them to be prepared.

Savina summoned a ring of violet flame around her wrists as Rio drew a sword out of his portal. Looking at each other, they nodded to Iseul.

Wasting no more time, the Iseul kicked the front gate open.

Both doors swung open with a bang, revealing… nothing. Walking into the town, the party kept their heads on a swivel as they looked around.

The street was empty, no children playing in the streets, no horses pulling carts, no stores bustling with early morning patrons.

Peering into a shopfront, Rio looked back to the group. "Anyone else starting to feel really unnerved right now?"

Forming a small ball of flame in her palm, Savina passed it from one hand to the other as she looked in the window of a home. The dinner table was laid and all the food had been served, yet it looked like no one had touched it. "Rio, you said that old man saw something that scared him… I don't like this."

"At this point. Neither do I-"

Rio was interrupted as loud screams cut through the silence.

Looking at each other, Rio shouted at the group. "What is that?!"

Without a word, Iseul started running towards the screams. Following close behind, Savina and Rio could barely keep up as Iseul ran at inhuman speeds to reach the voices before anything happened.

Turning a street corner, the screams stopped just as suddenly they had started. Iseul continued to guide the party to where the scream had originated from.

Rio and Savina almost tripped as Iseul came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the market square.

Taking a few steps forward, Iseul pressed his fingertips against the cobblestone ground. Watching Iseul, Rio stood next to him. "What's wrong? Where'd those screams come from?"

Holding a hand up, Iseul was trying to focus on a faint noise he could hear.

Feeling vibrations coming through the ground, Iseul could only just decipher what they were. Slithering, the tapping of hundreds of small feet, the flapping of wings. Three very different sounds all at once. Hearing a louder noise akin to an animal's roar, Iseul located the source of the strange noises.

Savina, Iseul, and Rio stood around a well in the middle of the square.

Looking at it, Savina raised an eyebrow. "Fill us in, Iseul, why are we standing around a well in the middle of a ghost town?"

Pointing down the well, Iseul picked up a small rock. Holding his hand out, the rock slowly rolled, off of his hand, down the well.

Banging against the inside of the well as it fell. After a few moments, the sound of the rock hitting the ground echoed back up.

"I think he's telling us that whatever made those screams. Is now down there." Rio added.

"Thank you, Rio, I realize that. Are we sure that the well hasn't run dry, and that sound wasn't just the bottom of the well?"

Staring at Savina, Iseul prepared to drop before Rio stopped him.

"Have you got any better ideas?"

After a moment's consideration, Savina shook her head.

As Rio let go of Iseul. He continued to vault the well, dropping into the darkness below.

"So does he have some kind of death wish?"

"Nahh, I bet he knows how far it is to the bottom because of that rock he dropped. Knows it's a fall he can survive." Testing the rope dangling in the middle of the well. Rio prepared to climb down. "Not that I'm taking that chance."

Watching Rio begin his descent. Savina stood alone on the surface, as she grabbed the rope to climb down, Savina couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

Descending into the darkness, the violet flames around her wrists lit her way.