Another Mess

Every story has a villain. Some complicated some not even of their own will. Rather victims of their given fate, unable to turn it around. Then you have villains purely evil just because they can.

On that dark night in Enver that same dark cloaked figure hunts. Walking from rooftop to rooftop, welcoming the small heights and the feeling of adventure. Only two more of these traitors are left. Two were killed by his own hand whilst another was wrongly taken from him.

Secessus continues to slowly walk, his eyes and ears filled with blood as he listens to all whispers and sights of the surrounding darkness. Again the useless babbling of humans fills his ears, talking about all the gossip they heard.

"Another body." A mercenary of "The Beggar's Coin Pouch" says to another of his mercenary core. Keeping guard in front of the tavern door of "The Pleasant Copper Coin."

"Who was it now?" His companion asks also standing guard in front of the tavern door.

"This time it was Yista. Her entire core died these past days."

"What happened?" The question of his companion makes the other lean over, as he whispers in the downpour of rain. The shadows stick closely.

"Well, firstly one died, horribly beaten and abused. Then Lhedo died after a bar brawl apparently some half-giant smashed his head against the wall. And today you had Yista and their leader dying. They were seen drinking together before their demise. A few hours after Yista had cut her wrists whilst their leader drowned himself. A suicide note was attached to the bronze helmet that he left in the harbor." The mercenary continues to gossip with his companion. Neither of them has their eyes on their task any longer.

Using his shadow walk ability Secessus's steps out from the shadow of one of the many tables in the tavern. Without any haste, he walks up the stairs. Following the lingering scent of blood. He inhales the familiar smell with every step, his body begging to kill.

Soon he arrives at one of the many tavern rooms. He opens the door and looks at the body and the room. The room is messy, personal belongings are all over the place. Letters to home are disorganized and mostly unsend. Weapons are in an abundance in this room, a rusted mace and about ten short swords are lying on the ground and desk. The only place orderly is the bed she committed suicide. Velvet blood is spread all over the sheets, with deep cuts on both her wrists.

The shade demon grabs the neck of the dead woman still in her armor. Holding it tightly as he continues to look at the woman's face. The still dead body with her blood-drained face was now in his full control.

About a minute passes by as he lets go of the corpse of the woman. His hands shake as his aura runs wild. "Who...WHO!" He yells, the desk creaking under the pressure of his aura. The sounds of two pairs of footsteps rushing over as a consequence. Secessus cast some strings of darkness and commands it to tighten itself around the door.

The emerald eyes continue to scour around as he searches through the desk, reading everything he possibly can. Almost all letters are unfinished most even stopping one sentence after the greeting, the sentence scratched out making it impossible to read. The few letters that remain readable all contain the same content. The mercenary profusely apologized that she ran off whilst apparently sending financial aid to her family. The earliest written letter was about 4 years ago whilst the latest was around a week ago.

The content of the letter seems to gradually change throughout time. Sentences that used to start with "Dear mother, Father. Do not worry..." have transformed into letters of this magnitude "Father, Mother... I'm sorry. I don't...."

*Bam Bam* "Hey is anyone in there?" The familiar voice of one of the mercenaries standing guard asks. Continued to try to force open the door, their combined strength probably enough if Secessus's aura hadn't enveloped the door.

Secessus doesn't glance over, continuing to search the desk. Underneath a pile of letters a small book lies. A book with a lock attacked, a faint magical presence around it. Secessus tries to open the book but finds himself resisting, the faint magical aura unmoving.

He inspects the lock attached to the book. Underneath a rune seems to be engraved. It's nothing special simply a rune in the form of a circle with crooked jail bars seems to be drawn underneath. The shade demon uses his blood magic and commands it to go into the rune, the aura swiftly dissipating.

Secessus opens the book and begins to read it. Yista kept a diary, not just from her time in the mercenary core but also from before then. The woman was the eldest of three in her family. An impoverished household trying to make a living. Since the age of eight, little Yista had begun working. Helping with whatever she can. This included helping in a tavern, popular with mercenaries. The young hands and words try to describe her feelings and the mentioned piles of gold that the mercenaries talked about.

Her writing especially in the early parts of the diary is a mess. Words are constantly spelled wrongly and with no true grammar followed. The i and j are constantly confused leading to entries starting with "Good Mornjng" or words like "Ieaulous" one of the many examples.

Secessus swiftly makes his way through those parts. Skipping them entirely for some. The diary continues to describe her situation and eventually her decision to be a mercenary herself. Her writing at this point is neat and quite orderly.

Secessus's head scrunches up as he continues to read. Yista describes joining the leader who promised her gold and wealth beyond belief. Apparently the first member of their group of 5. She writes elegantly and pronounced, describing everything in vivid detail. However, the entries start to become more forced, less elegant, and less described. The detailed descriptions she even wrote of her childhood are nowhere to be seen in the new writings.

"We found a woman with amnesia. The group of mercenaries she traveled with were all killed. I recognize those weapon marks anywhere. Only "Shallow feelings" would leave behind such a mess."

"We've made our new base of operations in Enver. The city has more money than perhaps even the dwarven cities. Boss says he has made some interesting contacts… I'm scared."

"He keeps saying that everything is under control. That I'm worrying about nothing. After the recent encounter with Lhedo's companions and the smuggling mission... I don't know. I got nothing left to lose." The entrées end, no more letters or another written page in the diary to be researched.

The banging on the door has lessened, only the sound of curses can be heard in the otherwise silent establishment. Cloaked in darkness, Secessus's shadow walks away. Dispelling his strings of darkness.