Cragston's Most Wanted

That’s the thing about this city, it’s always able to keep shocking me. I never thought that anything would be able to top the dead mage behind the Dog's Head Tavern. Popped into the alley to take a leak and had his pecker ripped off by a sewer mutant he happened to be pissing on. I’m not sure I would have ever solved that one if the claw marks hadn’t been so distinct. After the first year or so, you start to think that you’ve seen it all. A troll in the gutter with his own liver in his mouth, becomes nothing more than the average pixie dust deal gone awry.  And even more stunning things, like the Arch Wizard who had been split into six pieces and spread across the city without spilling one drop of blood, just harden your heart to what’s possible in a place like Cragston. Twenty three years walking these cobblestone streets and yet everyday still brings something new. I can’t tell if the crooks are becoming more creative every day, or if i’m becoming less imaginative. Either way, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for last Saturnsday night. 

    The smell of blood was often omnipresent in this part of town, but the freshness was undeniable. The cordon wards flared a magnificent orange as I passed the perimeter.

    “How many?” I asked even though I could tell the other watch officers weren't sure. There were so many orc bits strewn about the alley, one could scarcely even begin to put together a solid body count. It was always best to enter the scene on an easy-ish note.

    “Seven so far sir, maybe eight or possibly more.” the guard on duty replied, he was clearly a bit out of sorts but doing his best. It was obvious that he was green, but tried to act like he was steeled against the horrors of the scene.

    “What do we know so far Corporal?” I crouched down and started to get up close to the mess that I knew I was about to become all too intimate with.

    “Local hang out area of the Red Banner Clan, tenants next door said it was a usual night, noisy, violent, and then they heard one single scream, and everything went silent.”

    “A scream?”

    “Yeah , sounded like a young girl they said.” The Corporal rifled through his papers and held out some witness statements. I put my hand out indicating I didn't want them. Reaching into my pouch I felt around for the small seeing stone I had bought last moon.

    “It’ll show you what was, not what is.” the old wizard cackled whilst coughing enough to cause some concern for his health.

    “If you want twenty guilder for it then you’re gonna have to be more specific than that pal.” he forced the stone into my hands and held them tightly together.

    “Try before you buy Captain!” a flash of purple and orange flew around me, suddenly surrounded by ethereal beings I saw what appeared to be the wizard and others setting up their places in the bazaar. Another flash of the color of magic and the world returned, the wizard, hands clasped around mine, looked at me like a young child who had just performed a summersault. “Seen what was, did we?” he snorted and hobbled back to his seat. “Twenty guilder, no less.” I couldn’t be sure of its accuracy, but I knew a valuable tool when I saw one, I dropped twenty five guilders into the old codgers hands and went about my way. “Blessings on ya Captain, a real man of honor you is.”

    Pulling the stone out and grasping it tightly I felt a flush of warmth and a flash of orange and purple. The alley was full of Orcs, steins of grog in their fists, a few playing white bones in one area. Turning around I saw her. A young feminine figure at the end of the alley, a hood covering her face. She started walking down the alley as if it were full of wild flowers and not bloodthirsty monsters. Her phantom form skipped past me when an orc reached out and grabbed her arm. A blood curdling scream fell from her lips and in an instant the orcs bodies burst like so many bubbles on the surface of a boiling cauldron. The illusion fell away and I was standing there soaking my boots in that orc stew. 

    “I want magic scrimmers down here right now!” I shouted. The corporal quickly rummaged in his satchel and pulled out his calling stone. 

    “Requesting Mag Scrim team at my location.” blue sparks flashed in his face, as the runes glittered across the stone. “They should be here soon sir.” I waved an acknowledgement to him. Walking further down the alley I began to sense that it had more secrets to tell me, if only I would listen. 

    I did my best to quiet my mind. Rubbing the seeing stone in my pocket I felt the familiar wave of magic echoes pass over me. She stood there, covered in the blood and giblets of the splattered orcs. I could hear her crying, ever so softly. She pulled back her hood, exposing her pointed ears. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There had been no record of a living elf in the kingdom in over forty years. Elves had been banished after the massacre of King’s Bay. Those who resisted the order were hunted down and killed, for years teams of elf trackers roamed the streets seeking their quarry. That was many years ago, the need of their services fell by the wayside after elf sightings came to halt. How in the world did this little one survive? And how had she made it so far into the city without being seen? The ghostly figure wiped her eyes and walked down the alley until she came upon an empty barrel, she clambered inside and gently set a lid atop. With the vision disappearing I could see that the barrel was still there, undisturbed, lid slightly ajar.

    “Scrimmers are here Sir!” the Corporal chirped dutifully. Three men clad in black robes were already waving their wands about at the entrance of the alley. I couldn't let them find her, I knew what they would do to her. The scrimmers were inching their way down the alley, I would have to do something.

    “Did you see that!?” I shouted pointing upward “ On the roof tops, The suspect is making a run for it!” The scrimmers and the corporal all craned their necks to the sky. “Well, get after him dammit!”

    “You heard the captain!” the Corporal snapped obviously trying to shirk the responsibility onto the scrimmers. They hurried themselves out into the main causeway looking at the rooftops trying to track down a suspect that didn't exist. When they were out of sight I slowly approached the barrel and gave it a little kick.

    “You can come out now miss.” The lid of the barrel slowly shifted and then fell to the ground. Two little hands appeared and grasped the edge of the barrel. The girls face appeared, smudged with soot and slightly sullen with hunger. 

    “Keep away, I’m dangerous.” she said a bit skittishly.

    “I can see that.” I gestured around to the blood and gut mural that she had so quickly painted.  “But maybe I can help you find somewhere safe?” I offered my hand out to hers

    “I’m different you know. They hunt ones like me” she said accepting my hand and allowing me to hoist her out of the barrel. 

    “Oh I know that, but maybe not as different as you think.” I brushed the hair away from my ear showing her where my ears had been clipped many decades before. She gave a knowing smile as I pulled her hood back over her head.”What’s your name girl?”

“Kalwyn.” she said 

“Alright Kalwyn, I'm Captain Grimsby. What say you to getting some food and a bed for the night? I hear the Dog’s Head has a great dragon egg omelette.” Kalwyn took my hand in hers and we set off north towards the Dog’s Head Tavern. I didn’t know for sure what the plan was, but I knew that I usually think better on a full stomach. “So what is a girl like you doing here anyway?” she hesitated a moment.

“Promise not to tell?” she looked me dead in the eye.

“Guard's Honor” I said holding up my left hand and placing my right over my heart. “After all, I’m trusting you not to tell my secret.” she smiled and gave a little nod. 

“I’m here to kill the king.” she smiled and turned around and began walking again leaving me standing with my mouth wide open, still holding my guards salute. “Well c’mon. I am hungry.” she held her hand out for mine and giggled.

That’s the thing about this city, it’s always able to keep shocking me.