"This is…," my mouth hung open as we stepped off the dock.
"Worse than you expected?" Taylor finished for me. "It looks about how I remember it." She sighed and pulled her hair back. "Home sweet home."
After several days we had reached the slums of the Empire and our ship dropped us off. We still had Pina and the carriage but as we looked into the mess of boarded up buildings and barely tacked on roofs I was beginning to feel we should have left them behind. I still had memories of the slums from my time as Caius but seeing it again was different. Back then I had been desperate to survive, now from the outside, it was truly a broken place.
The sun had set casting an even more ominous atmosphere. We huddled close together guiding Pina and the carriage through the mess of the one road still large enough for us to pass through. Hundreds of alleyways broke away from us into a maze that was practically impossible to understand. Every day the paths changed as homes fell apart and new ones were built. Even Taylor would have trouble to find what she needed. Men and women dressed in ragged clothing skirted nearby, many with hungry desperate eyes only moments away from jumping our carriage. The only thing stopping them were Earnest and Caius' hard glares. Worse still were the elderly and children who mobbed together, their body's skin and bone. The thing was, this wasn't even the worst of it. This was still a main road and the further from sight you travelled the darker dealings that went on.
An old man stumbled forward bleeding from his head. One look at us and he quickly shuffled to the side of the road.
Marley went to his side, "Are you alright?" No matter her infatuation for the injured she was still a priest of the Goddess.
"No!" the man shouted. "Leave me, I have no more."
"I'm just trying to help," she touched his head and a healing glow left her finger tips. "There is that better?"
"Th-thank you, young lady-," the elderly man smiled.
Caius grabbed the hand hidden behind him, a knife had been poised, "Leave old man." He squealed and ran into the alleys as Caius let go. It looked like neither Taylor nor I would have to intervene.
"Ah…," Marley faced Caius surprised.
"The people here are desperate and tricky. You would be best to not show so much kindness."
"Right…," she bowed her head with a stiff expression.
Taylor placed her hand on Marley's back, "It's a weird place, don't worry about it."
We crept forward with Taylor leading the way. The twisting road led us deeper to the heart of the slums. Slowly the paths widened and so did the liveliness. What started as a pit of desperation became what happened after, men and women struggling to survive and doing whatever they wanted or needed to succeed. Businesses and stores with stable walls, guards in thick black armour with crude weapons, scantily clad women winking towards us, and slaves being pulled by the collar. Seeing a thief run by was an all too usual sight here, and it was probably where Taylor first started to learn. This was the reason why the slums still existed, or at least the centre portion. It was a place to get things done, a place to find things you normally couldn't and a place to hide. It was a city in itself.
"This way," Taylor pointed us towards a narrow path. The carriage grated against the walls and Pina squawked in displeasure. Taylor calmed her down, "We're almost there."
A few minutes later we arrived at an open compound. Children ran around freely but at the sight of us they quickly hid with fearful eyes. Taylor continued forward ignoring them and knocked on the door of the two story building nearby.
"Speak your name child," a smooth feminine voice replied.
"Empress," Taylor answered.
The sound of a thick lock swung out of place and the door opened revealing behind it a mature women. I was immediately reminded of the Taylor I first met, not because of her immediate features but the way she carried herself and dressed. It was lavish and distinctly sexual but in a charismatic way as if she were untouchable. She held a pipe loftily in her hands, pointing it downwards as the tobacco inside smouldered. Her mouth twitched into a pleasant smile as she blew a whiff of smoke into Taylor's stiff expression.
"So you have returned," she chuckled.
Taylor spoke in a strict business tone, "I need safe passage through the slums and to the Magicians Guild. I'll be taking any information and maps you have as well."
The women touched Taylor's cheek, "Is that any way to speak to the women who raised you?"
Taylor flinched and stepped back, "I'd hardly call that raising."
"And yet here you stand a beauty, a master thief and most importantly alive," the women turned her head our way. "Oh and what handsome men you have brought with you… and a darling girl." She licked her lips at the sight of not us but Marley. Sensing danger she hid behind Caius.
"Excuse me," I stepped forward. "My name is Rain Axel. We're currently on an important mission and any help you can give us would be greatly appreciated and rewarded in time."
"Oh?" her eyes dug into mine. She laughed and turned to Taylor, "Is he the one?"
Taylor defensively moved in front of me, "Hands off."
"I see," she smiled and poked her head around to eye me once more. "I must congratulate anyone who managed to steal the heart of our Empress."
I firmed myself, "I didn't steal anything. She gave me hers and I gave her mine."
She puffed out another wave of smoke this time enveloping me as well, "Well it has been a few years, though I didn't think you'd change this much."
"Can you help us or not?" Taylor frowned.
"Please come in," she gestured us to come closer. "You may rest and be safe here. Mama protects her children as long as they behave."
We left the carriage by the door. It was locked and had its own security both from Ardent's, mine and now Caius' tampering. Not that many people could come close with Pina on guard. The bird could be surprisingly territorial. As we entered the building we were welcomed by the strong smell of perfume. I recognised the smell and crinkled my nose and mouth. It was a mild mind affecting drug to calm people, it also acted as an aphrodisiac in certain situations. The effect however wasn't potent enough to worry about. Taylor's face flushed from the familiar smell, her eyes narrowing at the woman.
Eventually she sat us down in a posh living room. The shelves were lined with books and other unique ornaments. I didn't miss the several sets of thieves tools tossed between.
"Now what can Mama do for you?" she leaned back on a couch and blew smoke into the room.
I looked at her with interest, "Like Taylor said we'd like your assistance… ma'am?"
"Please call me Mama," she whispered seductively sending a chill through not just my spine but everyone in the room. Reasons for the chill varied.
"Umm Mama…."
"Don't call her that," Taylor declared.
"Now, now my sweet Empress, how is that any way to treat your Master?" Mama smiled. "Don't you remember all those nights we had 'teaching' each other?"
"I try my best to forget," Taylor stood her ground.
"I am interested in you, 'Mama'," Caius said bluntly. "The mana around you moves in strange ways."
She replied teasingly, "If you'd like I can teach you a few lessons as well, demon."
"Oh so you noticed," Caius let out a smirk. "You really might be worth my time."
"Okay!" I cut between them. This was starting to weird me out way too much for comfort. "We're here to do business, not flirt and potentially traumatise me."
"Don't worry handsome, you're invited. Taylor too if you'd like," Mama winked.
I sighed. I was beginning to understand where Taylor got her attitude from. "Please just answer me this, will you or will you not help us?"
Her eyes turned to Marley, "I want her." Marley flinched, this time hiding behind Earnest.
"No dice," I declared bluntly.
"Not for those reasons, though I wouldn't mind that as well." She changed her tone, "We have sick and injured here. The girl is clearly a priest of some kind. Heal my children and I'll return the debt."
"Is-is that really all?" Marley asked hesitantly.
"Yes, that is all. You have my word," Mama nodded. Whether or not that was trust worthy… I looked to Taylor who after a small sigh nodded as well.
"If that's all you need I'll help," Marley said determined.
"Then this way," Mama stood up.
"Hold on, I'm going as well," I moved closer to Marley. "I'm an apothecary. If it's disease or sickness, I have more experience."
"You might as well all come," she laughed and together we moved through several corridors. The turns were abrupt and in the end I could hardly tell where we were compared to where we started.
Mama opened a door and behind it revealed row upon row of beds. Almost each one was filled with a child. Their ages ranged from the infantile to the teenage. The problem laid in their unmoving and stiff expressions. At times their bodies jerked trying to rise but thick ropes bound them down.
"It started several months back. Poisoned food and drink being distributed freely. As much as I told them not to take things from strangers their stomachs got the better of them. During the night they just stop as if losing their minds, trying to move somewhere," Mama stared down at them with a caring concern. "The ones that left never returned. Since then I have kept the affected down here."
"Do you know who did this?" Marley asked as she inspected the closest patient.
"The Imperium right?" I answered in her stead.
Mama's eyes narrowed to mine, "Yes, the Imperium. They've been gathering people in the slums in hordes. Children and the elderly mostly."
"I've seen it before. Do you remember Kerchest Taylor? It's the same thing. This is how they're fuelling the spell that's controlling Lara." I rested my hand on one of the children, "The symptoms however are worse. Caius, Earnest can you get me my apothecary kit?"
"Are you ordering me around now?" Caius puffed.
"Well it was a request, so 'please'?"
"Fine. I rather not see children suffer." He walked to the door, "Come swordsman."
Earnest's lips twitched, "You should really call us by name."
"When you have earned it."
Taylor looked at me, "Were you really that pretentious?"
"Apparently," I sighed. "Mama we'll do what we can here. Please prepare everything we need. Regardless of what we can achieve we need to leave by morning."
"I understand," she blew a puff of smoke towards me. "If you require rest, the rooms in the corridors are free. The walls are thin, but don't worry no one minds a bit of noise here."
As she left I stared at Taylor with a slight smirk, "So that's your 'Mama'."
"She picked me up and taught me, nothing more. Trust me when I say she's not an angel. The kids here are protected but they do their fair share of work." Taylor's brows tightened together and she stepped closer to lean on me. "Sorry, it took more than I thought to come back here. The way she talks and looks at me… It felt like I was under her control again."
I gently caressed her head, "It's okay. I'm here, we're all here."
Marley cleared her throat, "Yes, we're all here so can we get back to work?"
"Right sorry," I focused myself and began to inspect the unconscious child. "Let's see what I can find."