The Tale of the Black Ghost

"Are you sure this is where we are meeting him?" we had both entered a diner-like place as we waited for the person in-charge of the project here. Before we left Ares told us he would have someone waiting here for us to show us around for the inspection.

"The address is cor-"

"What can I get you two?" a monotonous voice interrupted. We both turned to see a young lady with an apron round her front and a cloth tied on her head to keep her hair out of her face beside us, tray in one hand. "What would you recommend?" Lark asked back.

She turned more to him as she answered, "Hmm, we got some good meat here." She jabbed her thumb behind her as she continued, "Our cook's pretty strict on quality. How about some-"

This time she was the one interrupted by a hand landing on her shoulder, she looked back just as we traced the hand back to its owner, a young man in his 20's he was dressed a little rough, "Hey Jas! They're with me. Get us the usual, would ya?"

Jas glanced at us once again before answering, "Sure. I'll get the food out soon." As soon as she finished, she walked away. We turned to the man who sat on one of the empty chairs introducing himself, "Nice to meet ya, name's Henry. I'm to guide you as per His Highness' orders."

He stretched his hand to Lark first asking, "What's yar name boy?"

Before Lark could make a sound, I quickly introduced us to Henry, "Nice to meet you, his name is Arc. I'm Alec." I stretched my own hand to him, unfazed he moved his waiting hand to mine and shook it hard.

We chatted a bit before the food arrived. Going along a story that we were friends of Ares from Capital who joined him on a whim and because we were bored. He's only comment on our story was- "Ya nobles have too much time on yar hands b'coz yall make other do the work for ya."

We chuckled and agreed, it had some truth to it. "I hope yall won't make trouble with His Highness for me, I didn't mean to be rude to ya."

"Not to worry." Lark said lightly waving his hand as if to drive away any negative feelings, "Do you hate us- nobles??"

"Not at all. Yall are who yall are. As long as yar make no trouble we have no issues." He nodded in acceptance. After lunch Henry showed us around, he was very well known among the people there and very friendly. Nearly every single person we passed had to say a greeting and add some more after before we moved on. Henry would introduce us to them as well- the aides of His Highness- the people would nod in understanding as they smiled at us, some would have a small conversation with us too, asking about what we were doing here and what kind of work we were doing.

We were just leaving a plump old woman with the reddest cheeks I've ever seen as she called back saying, "Now you boys don't go near Old Man Danny today. He's in one of his fits, shouting about how the Black Ghost is taking kids again like back in the day when we were kids ourselves."

"Oh pity… I was hopin' to see him today so he could have met ya. He's real gold on his good days." He voices dropped a bit and a small smile pulled at his lips.

"Can I ask who is this Black Ghost?" I asked, the name was very curious and catchy too.

"Nothin' to worry bout. It just an old tale told to kids to scare em and 'em outta trouble." He shook his head as he spoke, completely dismissing it.

"Please, I insist." I pushed a bit harder. Henry gave a bit of a weird look, but before I could say anything more Lark stepped, "He likes tales like this. Indulge him please. He won't let up anytime soon f you don't."

He quirked an eyebrow before he began the tale,

"The Black Ghost was once a big noble. He was very rich, so rich that it is said he swam in gold every day. But one day he realized he's grown. He's b'come old. Hair grey and body weak. He summoned his healer and demanded that he be made young again. No matter the cost or what he had to do. He wanted to live long ya see, he collected gold but it wasn' enough. He wanted more. The healer told him, it wasn' possible. It would be a miracle if anyone could b'come young again if they wanted to! Angry with the doctor and with the world the noble screamed like there was no tomorrow. He screamed his sorrow, his hatered and his angry. He screamed for days. Ate nothing, drank nothing. And then one day he fell ill.

The healer was called for again. The healer shook his head and said, 'The Lord needs to eat and rest or he will die soon.' Hearing this the noble became angrier, he would not die he exclaimed and in his anger, he killed the healer. Those who witnessed their lord fall into madness ran away in fear of their lives. The story was whispered to the other servants and they ran too, and then some more until one day nobody stayed beside him anymore. Only the dying noble remained in the big house. He locked himself in, nobody saw him for days, the big house was always dark and nobody dared to go look. Nobody wanted to meet the angry noble that could kill them if he left like it. Not long after children started to disappear, it was only one at first than it turned two, then four, then seven an' the numbers increased.

Then one day someone saw the noble, he was fine, the lord was healthy. The families of the stolen children ran to the noble askin' to help. But the noble never opened his door no matter who hard they pounded, or how loud they screamed to help. Their lord had abandoned them they thought. Angry and sad the families returned to the back and retold how their lord was heartless. How he did not even glance at em. Everyone lost all hope. They did what they could to stop the children from being kidnapped, it didn' help much.

One day, someone saw a person leading a child somewhere, they were covered in a black cloak head to toe. The next day the same child was missing. The person told everyone what they saw. Soon more people starting coming saying they saw the same thing but didn' think much of it since the child they saw followed willingly. The children were warned again. But the kidnappin' didn' stop. They were less but not over. Until someone was the black clothed person leading a child one evening. They followed silently. He was sorry for using the child but he knew he couldn't stop this person on his own. He could only pray for the child's safety.

The shock, fear and anger all mixed in when he saw the person led the child to the lord's mansion. He opened the door and pushed the child in. He looked around before shuttin' the door behind him.

The man was terrified, he ran, stumbled and fell but got up and ran again, he ran back with all he could and he told everyone what he saw. Everyone was angry. Their lord would do this to them! To innocent children who did nothin' wrong! They picked up whatever weapons they had, lit the torches and marched to the mansion that very night. They barged in. Breakin' down the doors and windows to enter. All men and all women, all who could walk and fight, the young and the old. They stormed the mansion only to find their lord, fork in one hand and knife in the other. They demanded for answers. Demanded where their children were.

The noble looked at em with eyes of frost, uncarin' he said that he ate their hearts, their livers, he ate em whole. That they were the Cure! The medicine for immortality!

Horrified, saddened and depressed they killed their lord. His name was too digustin' to be remembered. His title too unworthy. He was forgotten but not fully. He was called the Black Ghost. And now when children are bad and parents are angry and look away from em he comes too steal em away so feed his never endin' hunger."

"It's a sad tale, not a good one. Nothin' good in the entire tale." Henry said after he finished the story.

"Has this Danny always shouted about this Black Ghost in his fits?" I asked.

"Don' think so… it's always some nonsense or the other tho' pay it no attention. The Old Man's just been getting on his age." Henry replied, "It's just that his age has finally caught up to him."

I hummed back. "Shall we continue the tour?" Lark asked. Henry immediately responded saying that we wasted a lot of time on a stupid old tale that probably isn't even true.

We continued on with the inspection. Each building, each store. We checked with the residents what issues they have been having. Most were more determined to make sure that we would inform Ares of our grateful they were for the new structure rather than voicing the complaints and issues they were having. The recently renovated slum areas were more than the others. Ares made a deal with them to give them a small room that they could turn into either a home or a work place in exchange of labor to rebuild the projects

A smart idea, benefits both sides and builds good reputation too.

It was late evening by the time we finished, Henry walked us back to the diner we met him at. "So what did ya think?" he asked when we reached there.

"A job well done honestly." I replied.

"Agreed. Every thing's come together nicely and from the reports I've seen you hardly had any issues come up." Lark added.

"That's not true." Henry said, "We had a lot of problems with the 'regular' folks round here. We didn't mention half of those em to His Highness until after we resolved them."

We both narrowed our eyes at him. This is was a serious problem and to not report right when it happens…

He quickly shook his hands about saying, "Nothing to big! We could handle em. We wanted to take care of em before we told His Highness so he doesn't worry bout it as much."

"Why tell us now?" Lark questioned.

"I was gonna ask ya to tell His Highness that we had these issues happen but didn't report t until we solved em and to return this." He handed a brown pouch to us, "His Highness paid me and the others extra for resolvin the issues as soon as they popped up."

I nodded and said, "You might be called in later today for this. I hope you are prepared for that?"

"'Course! Explanatio' need to be given."

"Before you go I wanted to ask you about something Henry." I started.

"Sure! Go ahead."

"It's about the recent kidnappings, what can you tell us about it?"

"Ahh… it's bad business that's going on, bad, very bad." Lark and I glanced at each other before urging him to tell us more. "Not here. Not here. Let's go somewhere more private." He whispered. We nodded and followed him to his house where he began talking about it.

It was quite late when we finished and said our goodbyes and went our back. Henry offered to escort us back but we knew the way both so we declined and headed out.