You see, typically, some traveler or dock worker would appear at that time, when the blazing twins on the sky plummeted onto the edge of where the eyes could see, painting their celestial home with embers and a faint chill. They would push the heavy door on the side, leave their hat by the entrance and ask for a quick drink. Once they had finished it, the question would always be the same, whether or not there were any rooms available in that old shack.
The answer would of course be: yes. This joint sees very few people willing to stay the night, not because it's dangerous or anything, no. Most of that little town had already been filled with warehouses, shops or simply the dwellers' houses, leaving little to no room for a sleazy tavern to be built properly. So, as a businessman first and foremost, the owner decided to build it outside the town, right on top of that hill, there, at the end of the path leading to the lake.
Now, even from the outside, one can see that it was built with the intention to become a respectable establishment. The merging of the wood and the stone used to construct it is seamless from the outside, and feels organic when viewed from the inside, and despite the years these materials have endured, even the most plain man could see that the wood is all but rotten and the stone pure and well cut.
It is rare for Murklake to be a host to something as well cared for as an establishment of entertainment, even if it is for a few travelers, and this very nature of it is the best camouflage as well. Who would pay attention to these details, other than those who intended to visit it in the first place? The townspeople don't care much for a second glance at its direction, and as such, the corporations funding this town don't know about it… and this cannot tax it.
Brilliant.
You see, Murklake exists for a single reason, and that is because it stands as the sole interval between the furthest World of the Veil, Winter's Deep (standing at the very edge of it), the six largest factory Worlds this side of the Veil, and of course, the rest of the Veil. For that reason exactly, all six of these factory Worlds rely on (and heavily fund) Murklake for the transportation of their goods, materials, and so on.
If the people of this tiny world were any smarter, this place would have been a paradise for the working folk.
But, they're not, and the only place with actual business of its own that doesn't rely on corporations is this jolly little tavern.
The regulars of the place are few, yes, but ask around town and there will always be that one tired old man or dream-struck young lad that will be staring off into the sunset (or sunrise, depending on whether they're having their morning coffee or their whiskey) by the windows on the second floor.
Understandably, very few people would bother hiking up that hill just to spend a night or to simply have a drink with a nice view.
There have been some interesting offers proposed to the owner, for a better location in the town, even near the docks where he'd be getting more customers. However, one thought always made its way into his mind when it came to considering the propositions.
You see, very few people have the privilege to witness so many beginnings, yet so few ends. "Of what?" One might ask... Stories, of course! and adventures, deals and loves. How many times had he seen a young lad or gal waltz through his door, looking for someone or something, asking for advice on how to reach that one particular place.
Teenagers looking for adventures, life-worn men and business seeking women have passed from these tables. Some from the other side of the Veil, having traveled from world to world in order to reach a destination, taking a break in his small tavern before setting off into the known unknown!
Oh, he had only seen it once, long ago, though it is hard to forget the reality of it. The Veil is something out of a fever dream of a God, who got lost into the fever of their creation. A chart of different worlds, varying in size, scattered across an empty colorless sea, where each world shines in its own bright light, calling out for life to seize it.
There are many ways people view it, though the most commonly accepted one is that of a flat map, where each world is depicted by a bubble, whose size depends on the size of the world it represents. Each world is connected to specific others through the Veil, represented via lines, connecting the bubbles on the map. It's simple, yet it serves well, since it helps understand which worlds have access to which, so travelers can understand where they're going.
The owner heard stories about worlds sixty times the size of Murklake, large enough for them to have a sun and even stars! Smaller worlds like this one barely get the chance to see a single star in a hundred years, and the light they get during the day is… well, so far unexplained, no matter how much research has gone into it.
He always listened to these stories, about worlds with suns, with stars, some with jungles trees so thick and tall, that the people on it live around, inside and above them. So, he listened until they passed out from exhaustion or from drink, then he cleaned the glasses and moved on with his night, until another traveler came by with another story.
These kinds of moments were few and far between, but when they happened… he could see it in their eyes now, after getting used to these people. They always chose the most unpredictable times to run up the hill and go through his door. Some came through when a bloody tornado was right over the town, running in like a goose that lost her eggs. What were they doing outside with a damned tornado?!
Though, there's one little thing that he will never forget, one beginning that he actually managed to see the end of. He never understood what drove that man, well, he was really close to being a boy if his opinion was to be asked, to go for a walk during a thunderstorm. Even when looking out the window that night, he could see raindrops the size of blades fall from the sky, hammering the earth harder than artillery.
Yet he came through, head bowed down, not even wearing a hood. His deep dark hair sticking against his skull as he shut the door behind him. His outfit was familiar, though not entirely, resembling that of a drifter's, with a leather vest and baggy pants. The damp visitor had his coat tied around his waist and a slim backpack hanging loosely from his shoulders, seemingly empty.
"What were you doing out there in this weather, kid?" He remembers asking once the stranger had taken his first step inside. Usually, he gets mad at people making his floor wet, that meant he had to mop once more before closing for the night.
"Was out for a walk, really" He replied with a rather softer tone than what you'd expect from his look. He wasn't gruff or anything, but he had that look (of a tough guy).
"In this weather? And up here of all places…" He replied, sliding a small glass of whatever he could find the fastest towards the newcomer.
"I'm meeting someone, upstairs, with whom I'll need a bit of help with" The lad said, picking up the glass.
"Don't involve me with this kind of business, buddy. I just own the place, serve the drinks and give the tired folk a bed" He explained, quite hastily. He had no illusions about what these folks were doing once they met up in his place, one was worse than the next and bloody hell surely followed. He usually chose to stand aside and let them at it, cleaning only after they were done and speaking none of it to a soul.
He didn't consider himself a good man for that, but it kept his business alive, and thus, himself.
"I just need to know which table is reserved on the name Snow White" Said the lad patiently.
He didn't seem to be in a hurry, unlike most who would ask the same question, nor could the owner see any signs of mischief in his eyes. His fingers were curled around the freshly dried, and hence warm, glass with nothing more than a soft grip, like an embrace.
Nothing on that lad betrayed if he was of any danger, and yet, out of simple reflex, he hesitated to answer. "I can just walk up to every table and ask if they're Snow White, which I really don't want to do, so please, tell me" He repeated after a defeated sigh. The day must've been long for 'im, was the owner's first thought, shame he's meddling with them shady bastards.
"First floor, table by the window, the one with the couch" He said, picking up the stranger's glass once he had left his seat and made his way up above.
"Wait" The owner called to him, making him turn every so slightly, "I don't snitch on people for free," He said, holding out his hand and whistling innocently.
The lad glanced at his hand, pressing a little coin against the man's palm, "Goodnight, sir" Was all he said before walking up the stairs.
With a night like this, it was certain that the girl who had booked the table originally would come back to him and rent a room for the night. Whether or not it would be with that lad, he didn't know and for better or worse, he hoped not. Few were not the times when he had to clean up blood, and other bodily fluids after nights such as that one.
Nevertheless, he tucked the coin into his pocket, before dipping the piece of cloth into a bucket of water he had under the counter. All he could do was to start cleaning the glass methodically, pretending that he hadn't already done that three times that evening. From his previous guess, he would only have to wait for half an hour before they came to him again.
--~--
As the owner had told him that night, there was indeed a table near the back end of the first floor with the view of the town through a foggy window. Its saving grace was the couch that stood in the place where chairs usually were, making it look more appealing than it actually was.
However, his attention was drawn by something other, more simple. There was a faint, blue glow coming from a laptop on the table, sitting there on its own with no one to man it. Seemingly so, at least, because the glow, as if intentionally, guided his eyes to the redhead on the windowsill, leaning against the thick glass. She hadn't noticed him watching, yet from there he could see her fingers twitching, tapping against the window with unease. He has had anxious customers before, who were unsure of whether or not to go along with the services he offered, so this seemed like one of the usual.
Now, of course, the first question he could think of was why would she give herself the nickname Snow White? Yes, she was slightly pale, but look around this town and every human being in sight can be mistaken for a ghost in nights like those.
Alas, the question was not of the important ones, so he held it in his mind as he took the first careful steps to her direction. The redhead, like a deer looking for the hunter on her trail, snapped to him with a weary look and black lines under her eyes. She didn't speak, nor did he either, until he was standing over the couch, face to face with her. "Are you Snow White?" He asked, holding out his phone. On the screen, a column of texts revealed their conversation from a few nights ago, when she had requested his services.
""That'd be me" She nodded, leaning further against the window with her hands wrapped around her knees defensively. Apart from that, her tone and look showed nothing less than a girl willing to stab him in the neck with the fork she had hidden between the palms. He had noticed from the staircase, since it's hard to hide something that reflects that much light, but pointing it out would only make her only more hostile. Even from the texts, she wasn't messing around. No one that needed him did, but is it too much from a man to ask for variety?
"So," he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the head of the couch, "what do you need me for?"
"I…" Snow White's eyes left him for a mere moment to observe the environment, searching for anyone that might be willing to listen to what she had to say, for anyone dangerous. "... I need you to take me somewhere, it's far, though. Really far" She said, her tone on the verge of a whisper and a cry for help.
How many times had he heard that line, take me away, far far away. "Whatever you're running from won't just leave if you go far, it'll follow you" He tried, as he had promised himself he would long ago, after making the same mistake. Everyone had their personal philosophy and his was that problems that you can run from are problems that can also be faced. Despite that, he helped people like her run away, make a break for it.
What that entailed was usually their own responsibility.
"Oh trust me, it's really far away" She reassured, chuckling at that word she so heavily stressed. They always believe that, though, don't they?
How far is far enough, though, kid? He thought, imagining that for a moment he had actually said it, even if more discreetly than that. "Where are we going, then?" He shrugged and strode over the other side of the couch, where he finally sat, still facing Snow White.
"First, your name" She slid off the windowsill, and onto the couch.
He gestured at the girl's laptop, "Warden, you know this"
"That's not your name"
"And yours isn't Snow White"
"Touche"
"I'm aware. Now, please don't make me ask twice"
"We… are going to Earth"
Silence, real and deep.
The sound she just produced, the word she just uttered rang the most primitive, built-in bell a man could even have to be rang. Earth, she says, that one place where it all started. Which story about the long lost home of humanity came to his mind at that moment he does not remember, but all of them were tales that had held for millennia. Earth… how easily had she spoken that word, as if reaching it was the only problem. What about finding it? What about going through all those people who searched for it alongside them, or even against them? It has always been somewhat of a competition, who will find the mother Earth first. What the prize was other than setting the first flag, he didn't know.
"I'm not even going to bother listing the issues with that statement" Warden said, saving them both from the trouble. Of all the places, of all those planets and homes she could want to reach, this was it.
"I know the issues, which is why your contract is to help me find it and reach it. The why is my concern" Said Snow White from behind the screen of her phone, which she was tapping relentlessly with only brief pauses.
Under most circumstances, he wouldn't have objected with the destination or her general unwillingness to share, but that contract was far from anything he had been asked to help with. Half the time people want a contract with him, it's because someone is needed dead, which he always refuses. The other half, which he always takes, are contracts from kids and people who want to escape from their broken lives and find something better.
Sometimes it gets interesting and they want him to free someone else, like a daughter or sister who is either trapped, taken or missing. However, in all these scenarios, he can actually do it, devise a plan and execute it. It is almost always clear what he is supposed to do and who to ask for information.
Now what is he supposed to do? He can't say that he'll give up and let it go, because the job is to simply see this through to the end, it's always a part of the contract. He can't talk her out of it, because… well, the reason doesn't matter. He can't convince a client to take the contract back, so the first of many questions is born.
How will he find it?
"Hey, are you still here?" Snow White snapped her fingers amidst his eyes, making him look away from the window and towards her.
"Yeah, I'm thinking about your… request, let's call it. This isn't going to magically happen, you realize that? I have people who know a lot of things, but… this? Even those who might know will probably refuse to say anything" Warden explained, placing his phone against the table.
Seeing the faint glimmer in Snow White's eyes after that gesture, he understood that she had been informed of how he works, word spreads fast to those interested. She was told about his stubbornness, how he never leaves a contract unfinished… whoever introduced her to this knew quite a lot.
"They told me you knew pretty much everything" She retorted with eyes fixed on the phone. Knowing that look, the one of second thoughts and doubts, he played along.
And who told you that?
"Everything is… an overstatement, though I have my sources. The problem here isn't if I know the right people, kid. The issue is whether or not they'll try to shoot me in the ass when they hear what I need" He cocked an eyebrow, being somewhat surprised at the thought of someone believing people would share the information they had on Earth.
If everyone who held some knowledge met in the same place, even the tiniest fraction of it, about where Earth was located in the vastness of the Veil, then there would be a chance of finding it… yet who would be willing to share something like this when they could be the ones taking the glory for themselves?
Then… there are those who know, yet want no one to discover it.
"But you can find it," She said, glimpsing at him for the most brief moment.
"You're asking me to find the long lost home of humanity as if I'm looking for your lost crayons" Warden replied, wide-eyed.
"I'm not that young, and no, I'm asking you to help me find it in general. I never said it was gonna be easy" Snow White, obviously annoyed, slipped her hand on his phone and held it, staring at the screen. On it, two buttons flashed brightly, one green and one red, which signified what was self explanatory. All she had to do is choose.
"I'm having difficulty believing it's even possible, let alone easy" Warden said, trying to keep himself from repeating the same sentence over and over again. He knows how the story goes, he's seen it before and all the people who might know nothing would shoot him, should he ask about it.
If only you knew, kid...
This was far from the usual contract, with nothing close to an achievable goal and positively no way of knowing if they'll succeed. You see, Warden's main gripe with this situation is that he knows who he will need to face if they are to have a chance at finding Earth, meaning he will… who am I kidding? I could easier catch a unicorn than convince her.
"Are you going to help me or not? Time is still linear and we're wasting it" Snow White left the phone on the table, though closer to herself than Warden.
What kind of question was that? He told her things she already knows, that not a single person, not even empires and corporations with resources greater than a phone and nice outfit haven't found Earth, and yet she's asking if he will do it. Even those which he did not dare say outloud are enough to make anyone with common sense reject the idea of trying, let alone completing the task.
Though, whoever begins this kind of search doesn't have common search anyway, let alone a teenager with issues she wants to run away from.
"Yes and I don't say this very often, but I expect to be paid, though cash won't cut it for this one" Warden said as he leaned forward, tapping the bright green button on the phone.
A text appeared on the screen: Contract Accepted.
"Now, kid, you can let go of that fork"