I finally make my way up the endless flight of stairs. My knees are shaking and my chest heaves with a sharp pain as I struggle to collect my breath. I haul a tired fist against the wooden door at the top and with a tiresome shove it flings open with little effort. I stagger out into the late afternoon sunlight, the mysterious blade in hand. I lean over and give myself a moment to catch my breath. Even with these "heightened physical capabilities" my real age always seems to get the best of me upon overexertion. Feeling more refreshed, I stand back up and head back inside the castle hall.
"Master Darwin!" A voice calls from the left. It's Cynthia, barreling towards me with a look of both anger and concern. She's holding her signature gown up with her arms as she teeters towards me in her heeled shoes.
"Where in Intercaeleus have you been!?" She wails, out of breath and panting from the sprint making her scolding more humorous than effective.
"I was training with Garth." I say with confidence. I mean I'm not completely lying.
"Well tell Garth next time you can't spend all day training! You're a hero Darwin, we have things to do!" She huffs between gasps.
"Things to do huh, I would have imagined if we needed to attend to things my trusty attendant would have been more on the ball this morning. Don't you think sleepyhead?" I mutter sarcastically. Cynthia scrunches her nose at the comment.
"You're the one who didn't wake me up! Forget jokes Darwin, we really need to get going-" She mumbles, tugging on my cloak as she begins to drag me back the way she came. After passing through a few halls we come to what appears to be the foyer. Its pearly, grandiose staircase isn't easily ignored. Grand tapestries in the vermillion blue from earlier have depictions of lions tailored on their hanging fabric. Across from the stairs leading to the second floor, two large redwood doors sit nestled between two marble pillars on each side. I assume these are the doors to the outside.
"Stop gawking and walk like a normal person." Cynthia growls, nudging me onward towards the doors. Like before, two guards open the doors for us without hesitation and I'm once again blinded by the light of the low hanging sun. The fresh breeze feels spectacular against my skin. A rush of serene euphoria hits me as the wind tangles through my hair. Since the courtyard was walled at all sides, no breeze was able to make its way to me this morning.
As Cynthia leads me outside, I can truly put a scale to the size of the castle which proves itself to be gargantuan in comparison to the few rooms and halls I had been in. The sheer height of the towers made of brick and the churning sea below the many bridges connecting different sectors of the palace. All of this magnificence painted in the young sunset glow. Me two decades younger would have been on his knees sobbing right now.
We walk along the lengthy stone bridge that connects the castle to the rest of the land. Many armored guards pace their rounds on the sides of the bridge with sharp spears and swords in hand. As the castle gets smaller from view I begin to see tiny shimmering lights in the distance. There are many in a cluster that seems to spread for miles. A village, bustling with people.
"I would have had a carriage arranged for you if we had gone earlier." Cynthia says without turning to me.
"I could use the exercise." I assure her as we come to the end of the bridge. The echoey lyrics of distant music mixed with the ambience of the town churns into a sweet hum that hits my ears. A large wooden arch stands over my head as the mark of the beginning of the village. Immediately I feel the stares of the passerby's hit my skin. Eyes both old and young turning to get a glimpse of me in the ever moving crowd.
"Just ignore them for now, but welcome to Aelia! Caeleus's largest town." She announces, waving her arms around almost playing the part of the tour guide.
"So then... are the people here called Aeliens?" I retort. Cynthia purses her lips, her once waving hand becoming a fist.
"Not time for dad jokes you old fart!" She grunts, turning away with a twirl and skipping off. I roll my eyes while laughing under my breath as I take off after her. The crowds of people only seem to get more dense as the sun sets below the buildings. I find myself squeezing through them quite often. I only end up more irritated after the fifth time someone stepped on my boot. The scent of body odor, liquor and other foreign aromas flood my nose. It's disorienting. I'm thankful for my taller than average height to be able to pinpoint Cynthia's golden head in the growing crowd. I still can't shake the feeling of the villager's stares.
"Cynthia!" I grumble, shoving my way past a few men to finally catch up to her in the break in the crowd.
"Oh goodie, you're alive!" She giggles half heartedly, motioning to the building set behind her. The heavy wooden door swings open. Two slender men pop out, mugs in hand filled to the brim with some sort of beverage. The foam spills over the edge as they begin to hobble down the street, leaning on one another blabbering nonsense. I look over to Cynthia with concern and she catches the door with one hand before offering me to head inside.
"Ladies first." She smirks.
"Oh, I thought corny jokes weren't allowed?" I raise my brows, giving her a look before walking inside. A loud thrum of voices hit my ears as I enter the crowded tavern. Many men of all statures huddle around each other at the wooden tables stained in hard liquor. I wince, exhaling forcefully. I hated alcohol. I had an addiction back in the day and stopped when Marcia was pregnant. I haven't had one since.
"Aye, look what miss Cynthia's got for us today boys!" An accented voice chimes as I push my way towards the bar, Cynthia paces behind me.
"So who is this fine lad?" The voices owner asks as I haul myself onto an empty barstool. The man before me looks a few years older than me, his balding head and red moustache speak for themselves.
"Darw-" I start but am quickly cut off by Cynthia's enthusiasm.
"Russ, this is Master Darwin, Intercaeleus' newest hero." She beams, squeezing herself beside me as she struggles to climb up the barstool.
"He's going to be the one to kill the demon king, I can feel it." Russ reaches his gloved hand out to me. The leather is heavily worn with multiple stains. "I'm Russ, I own the Shrieking Crawlers' Tavern which is what you're in right now."
I shake Russ' hand. He has a firm grip.
"Lucky bloke to have her around." He says as he slides a mug over to Cynthia. "She used to come here a lot. Regulars could never even get close to her though; she kept tellin' em she was saving herself for her hero." He chuckles, Cynthia's face lights up in a pink flush as she attempts to hide behind the mug. "Guess she got her wish." He lifts up another mug that's frothing at the sides. "Care for a glass?"
I shake my head dismissively. "No, I don't drink."
"Eh? A hero who doesn't drink? Ah well, you're missing out. This stuff's my own brew." He leans on the counter before taking a big swig of the mug's contents. He slams it back onto the bar with a sigh. I begin to slouch in my seat, peering over at Cynthia who is struggling to down her glass.
"So why exactly did we need to come here?" I ask her as she chokes on her mouthful.
"Well, if we had come earlier in the day... I would have had you come visit Aelia's school and the church and even the market place. This is... really the only place that's open at this time of night." She says, forcing down her coughs.
"So in other words, I take it as you just wanted a drink." I sneer, patting her on the head jokingly. She pouts, I can't tell if her face is flushed from the alcohol or something else.
"When I kill the demon king and go home I'll leave you whatever the hell I earn in this world. You can have all the rum you want." I say, trying to console her. Her face goes sullen, appearing hurt.
"Oh kid, there's a lot of things you gotta know about this world before you even think of challenging the demon king." Ross chimes in with caution in his voice. "There's a reason no one comes back." He begins to unfasten the buckle around his left glove.
"I was attacked by one of em' creatures five years ago. I survived of course but-" He carefully pulls his glove loose, revealing his hand which is rotted in charred a deep lilac. Vibrant purple liquid oozes from where the flesh is being eaten away from whatever is attacking his skin. His fingertips are nothing but bone. The scent is unlike anything I've ever imagined. A nauseating feeling rises in my stomach as I have to turn away. To my horror the closer I look at the other tavern goer's the more I realize this strange rotting in others. Men with their legs being eaten away, one man with half a face and half a skull. The puss-like substance running down his face. I gag. Thank god I don't drink.
"What the hell is that?" I blurt to Russ, shit like this makes my stomach turn.
"We folks round here call it wandering disease. Mostly cause you gotta come in contact with a void wanderer to get it and those things are out of the city." He says while dabbing his hand with a warm cloth.
"Void wanderer?"
"Rotten shapeless creatures." Russ cusses under his breath. "If their poison takes over, you become one." He clutches his fist, eyes hardening.
"They attacked Aelia a few years back. A whole pack of them in the city." Cynthia whispers, eyes low. "A lot of people died or got infected. Everyone is scared they'll come back."
I nod at her comment, a heavy heart welling in my chest. These people were perhaps no different than the ones in my world. We all suffer the same. If I could save these people and get back home, what better deal could I want. I let out a huff and turn towards Russ who is still tending to his hand. With a quick shove, I push myself up on the bar and swipe up Russ' empty mug.
"People of Aelia!" I shout, the tavern quiets to a few clinks of silverware.
"I will not rest until the demon king is dead. I will kill the demon king so you don't have to live in fear." I holler across the room, hoisting the mug heroically over my head. All the peoples sunken eyes watch me, glittering with unknown emotions.
"To Intercaeleus!" I bellow, my palms beginning to sweat.
"To Intercaeleus!" The crowd hollers back in an uproar of cheers.
"I like your spirit kid, you've got all the best prayers from me." Russ smiles, patting me on the shoulder a little too hard as I climb down. I tumble down back onto my seat beside Cynthia who pulls me into a hug.
"You'll do it Master Darwin! If it's anyone it will be you!" She grins excitedly, squeezing me tightly. I pat her on the back and grin sheepishly.
I sure fucking hope it's me.