"You two! Get back to The Rift now! Tell Gellamore we've been overrun-"
Haren's head fell, a clean stroke from a Nomuan grunt. Lyle breathed heavy and stumbled back, the dense mist obscuring the cries of war in the Nomuan advance. "Lyle let's go! Now!" Lyle stood, staring, staring. "Lyle!"
Lyle's eyes snapped open. Sweat pouring from his brow. Hand to his head. Back to normal dreams. The room he was in was coated in darkness aside from the light that pierced through the barred window in the door. The floor was hard, and the confines were small. No other feature discerned the space of its black cragged uneven walls. Where am I? He was probably in prison, or worse. Things always seemed to get worse, you'd think you were at the bottom of it all, and then a grand new terrible revelation. Always. Things could always be worse.
What happened? He found Gord dead and then… And then…One thing was certain. If he got out of this mess, he would leave Moonfall for good. Even if it leads to his death. The journey on foot is a dangerous one, and there's no chance of an airship commodore taking him anywhere. So, he'll have to jump into the bowels of the Sellian wilderness. If he dies, so be it. Maybe then, his dreams will get better, his hallucinations might go away. Just an ounce of peace and safety. What a wonderful life that would be. So far-
"Bad dream?"
"Just the usual M-"
Lyle started and spun. He kicked his legs until his back hit the wall. There was someone in here with him. He darted his eyes, trying to make them adjust, and then, he saw. A black silhouette leaning against the far wall, accompanied by a light accented woman's voice. Was she here the whole time?
"Who are you?" Lyle muttered, a shakiness to his voice.
The woman was dressed head to toe in black. The garb had rips and tears all over revealing more black fabric underneath. Her face was completely covered in a similar material, black shoulder length hair spooling out. At her side lay two short swords connected to each other by a chain at the pommel. Lyle had never seen such a weapon before, even out in the Corridor's Veins he'd never seen such a thing. Always something worse.
"Me? I'm your dear interrogator."
"For what crime?"
"Just the small business of murder."
"Murder?" Gord…
Her voice was soft and completely at odds with everything she was saying. How did he get here? Who murdered Gord? What in all the stars was going on? She left the wall she was leaning on and strolled over to Lyle, "Wrists up."
"Why?"
"Now!"
Lyle obliged and lifted up his arms, baring his wrists. The woman knelt and seized each wrist tight, gripping like a vice. Her fingers slowly scanned up and down until they stopped. She craned her head up to meet Lyle's, the only thing visible was the black garb stripped across her face.
"How can you even see in that?"
"I'm like a fish, I don't need eyes."
"Fish still need eyes."
"Some fish don't."
"But you're not a fish."
"Prove it then."
"Er, I don't have a fish on me at the moment. But-"
"So, I'm a fish then."
"That's not how that works!"
"I'm a fish, case closed."
"Why would you want to be a fish?"
"I didn't choose to be a fish."
"You're not a fish!"
"Let's agree to disagree."
Whatever Lyle was expecting, this wasn't it. The woman still gripped his wrists tight, a stinging pain just forming underneath.
"Good. Now that I've answered your question, you can answer mine."
Lyle paused, "Fine."
"Good. Who told you to kill Gord?"
"No one!"
The woman didn't say anything. It was hard to tell what was going on in her head, when every emotion was muted by a black cover.
"You killed him of your own volition then?"
"No! I woke up and found him like that, I swear! And then…"
"And then… what?"
Then what?
Lyle you're awake!
Lyle snapped his head towards the door. An azure light lit up the dim space as he could see Myr slowly trotting through the barred window. The woman spun to meet Lyle's eyeline and look at his distraction.
This place is very easy to get lost in…
"What are you looking at?"
"Er, nothing," Lyle said, a slight shake returning to his voice.
The woman said nothing for a few moments again. Then, she grew tense.
"Lie."
"What?"
"That was a lie."
Her hands wrung his wrists even tighter as Myr sat next to the woman's head, floating.
She's funny!
"You're looking at something!"
"No, I'm not!"
Another pause.
"Another lie! Shall we keep doing this?"
Lyle's breathing grew heavier as he squirmed in her grip, "I… I"
"I? I?"
Lyle closed his eyes and brought his breathing back under control, calm.
"I have a condition."
"Condition?"
"I see things."
"What things."
"Things that aren't there, things that I can see but you can't."
Another long pause. Then, the woman let go.
"Truth. So, you suffer from hallucinations?"
Lyle hung his head and nodded. How could she tell he was lying? More importantly, where was he? His interrogator didn't look like the kind of person the Moonfall Watch would have in their employ. That being said, he wouldn't put it past them. The Moonfall Watch weren't ones with such gleaming reputations as to forgo a rough interrogation. On the other hand, she hasn't hurt a single hair on his head. A stinging wrist is hardly something to suffer over.
"Where are we exactly?"
"Thought you would have put the pieces together by now, considering Gord's line of work."
"I never asked questions, I was just happy for the roof over my head."
At least this place was a little warm, he'll have a grand old sleep when the time comes. Come to think of it, he had zero idea the time of day. Whether he was in here for good. Always something worse.
The woman played with the chain connecting her two swords at her side, "You are guest to Pillow Tree. The Lockhouse basement to be more specific."
Lyle snorted. "Always something worse," he muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing. What'll happen to me now?"
The woman spun and dramatically pointed at Lyle, "You shall know the true meaning of terror! And I'll watch as you wallow in a chasm of excruciating pain! Mwahahahaha!"
Lyle sat there, wide eyed. And then for first time in long while, he laughed. He'd forgotten what it felt like. The last person that made him laugh had returned to the dirt for what seemed a lifetime ago. Everyone goes away in the end.
"Is everyone here like you?"
"God, I hope not. I'll report back what I've learned. We'll deal with you after that."
"And what have you learned?"
"It appears our killer still roams free."
The woman left, locking the door behind her. And just like that the room was quiet again, and Myr stared at the door.
"She was interesting."
I like her!
"She's a criminal Myr. Pillow Tree's reputation isn't exactly a good one. She's probably killed more people than…"
Then…
Lyle looked down at his hand. At the trenches of mud that flooded the creases and the treasure trove of small scars that draped across his fingers.
"Then I have."