A Guarded Place

Tyra and Bellbraun continued to talk about their past. They talked about briefly about their current situation, but nothing that would give away what they were currently doing. And neither of them would dare think about what could have been as the mere thought of it would bring both of them to tears.

Syren and Whisper observed Bellbraun's band of mercenaries worshiping the black sun. It was strange, but Syren wasn't one to judge them based on their beliefs. They were of different races, but they all seemed so uniform. And they didn't seem to be bothering anybody. But Whisper felt that something was terribly wrong with them. They seemed more like monsters. He wondered what was actually behind those masks.

One man and his companions arrived back from the town castle. They waited as Bellbraun was laughing and drinking tea with his dear friend. Bellbraun noticed him in the corner of his eye. The man dressed in gold nodded his head.

"Well, it's nice seeing you again, Tyra," Bellbraun said, "But y'know how mercenary work is."

"Can you tell me anything about your current job?" Tyra asked.

"Sorry. Can't. But if you'd like to join us, you're always welcome."

Tyra smiled knowing that she couldn't. "I hope to see you around."

He smiled back for a brief moment. "Yeah."

The robed men stood up all at once in uniform as they finished their prayer to the eclipse. And so, Bellbraun and his Golden Band walked away towards the town castle. Tyra and Bellbraun waved good-bye to each other. As he left, her smile faded into a frown.

Syren didn't particularly care for Bellbraun, but Whisper felt like his band of mercenaries were strange. Even though he felt it, he didn't think to say anything about it as he didn't really know if his feelings were anything serious.

So, Syren and Tyra looked around for a house guarded by many soldiers, and it didn't take long for them to find one. And Whisper could definitely feel something come from inside that house. He knew there was some kind of demon in there.

But to get inside, they'd have to fight against a whole squadron of knights. Even if they got past them, more would show up. It would turn into a war zone, which Whisper wouldn't have minded but not the other two. So, instead, they chose a more stealthy approach. Two knights were coming to deliver food to the house. They carried a few small bags of provisions.

The two knights casually talked as they approached the house.

"I sure hope for a promotion. Heard about a few mercenaries coming to work for us."

"Yeah. Hope that takes the load off of things."

Tyra and Syren both grabbed him from inside the shadows of an alleyway. They knocked them out and left them there with only minor injuries. Or at least that's what they hoped. Whisper went over to check on them. Once, Whisper realized that they weren't dead or dying, his whole face was full of disappointment which told Syren all he wanted to know.

Syren and Tyra dressed up as the knights. Their faces were completely covered. However, the armor was a little loose on Syren. And Tyra's was a little tight.

"Well, I guess we're lucky that it mostly fits," Syren said.

"I know. This would be a lot more awkward if it didn't," Tyra replied.

All of the food spilled onto puddles of mud, but they just put them back in their bags as is. They hoped that they wouldn't check.

The two of them went out of the dark alleyways as if nothing happened. Although, Syren hit the side of his head on a nearby wall.

"How does anybody see in these things?" Syren complained as he stopped his helmet from shaking.

Syren and Tyra walked over to the line of soldiers in front of the house. Whisper was there just being dragged along for the ride.

"Sir," Tyra saluted as Syren followed.

"Is that his weekly provisions?" the soldier asked.

"Yes, sir," Syren replied.

"Alright. Open them up. Let me just see what's in there," the soldier ordered.

Syren, Tyra, and Whisper all knew that the food was all covered in mud. Whisper was being a little excited for a fight. But Tyra and Syren remained calm on the outside. However, behind their helmets, they sweated an ocean.

Syren and Tyra slowly opened their bags with shaky hands. The soldier looked inside and noticed all the dirt and mud on them. He eyed them suspiciously.

"Uhh. It's pudding, sir," Syren said.

"Pudding?" the soldier exclaimed as both Tyra and Syren stood frozen.

"Yes, sir. Pudding," Tyra repeated, "The local shops... provided it."

The soldier could tell that all of the food was covered in mud and dirt. He even saw a worm crawl in there.

"Whatever. It's all his fault anyways. Captain Jaro has always been a pain. Go on and take it inside," the soldier replied.

Tyra, Syren, and Whisper were all surprised and shocked by this turn of events. Syren and Tyra had hold in their surprise, but Whisper did no such thing. He shouted into the air for only Syren to hear, "How!? How did that work!?"

"Thank you, sir," Syren said as they began to march forward.

"Wait," The soldier commanded as the two froze.

Syren and Tyra froze in place. Their bodies shook in fear. They thought that the soldier must have figured out that they weren't soldiers. But that wasn't it at all. He said, "Your armor's a bit loose around the waist. Head to the barracks when you're done making your delivery and get it fixed."

"Of course, sir," Syren replied, "It will be done."

And so they entered into the home. It was a nice house. Cozy. Made of wood. But they didn't see the one who started this whole thing. Captain Jaro was his name.

They left the bag of food alongside many other bags - none of them touched. There were cobwebs and dust along the walls. It was like no one has been in this house for weeks.

Tyra and Syren took off their helmets and placed them on the table to see their environment better. They thought that perhaps the captain had taken a walk, but it would have been foolish for him to do so. He was the mob's main target. Then again, all of the knights were masked with their helmets.

"Well, if he's not here, then he'll be back. We could wait," Syren suggested.

Whisper walked around in circles without paying attention to anything.

"It's strange," Whisper said, "This demon is here. He's somewhere around here. It's like he's right in front of me, but I can't see him."

"Do you think it could be this house? The house itself is a demon?," Syren asked.

"That's ridiculous," Whisper said, "Probably. Maybe, it is. Might be. No clue."

Tyra felt around the dust. "If it was, couldn't he have cleaned up a bit?"

"The demon's name. His name is Invidia, right?" Whisper asked, "That's what Superbia said. Invidia."

"Yeah. Invidia," Syren replied, "Do you know anything about this one?"

"Not much. Invidia is the demon of envy. There isn't much to say about him. He's nobody special. He's not mindless like Gula, but doesn't really have much of a personality either. I don't... he could be hiding somewhere, but where?" Whisper said as he looked around. Then, he looked down at a rug that was recently disturbed. "Hey, Syren. There's something underneath this rug."

Syren went over and moved away the rug. There was a hatch. He opened it up to reveal a dark, wet basement.

"Good eye, Syren," Tyra said.

"Thanks," Syren replied.

"Hey. Don't take credit for what I did!" Whisper complained.

They looked down at into the shadows to see nothing staring back. The sound of water dripped onto old wood. It looked to be a very long way down, but once they actually took a few steps, they were already on the wet floor. A few candles were on the side just barely being lit. With just one splash of water, they would just vanish, but they stood among the shadows and dirt as a beacon.

The three of them took a few steps forward and they could see two men. One was shrouded in darkness while the other was chained up to the wall unconscious or dead with many incisions. Syren immediately took out his black tome while Tyra stood in front with her blade.

The lights began to pick up even as the water level rose. But the shadow remained the same. He looked back at Syren, Tyra, and Whisper with dead, dry eyes - almost as if he had been crying. His whole body had no features. He was just a shadow with nothing to distinguish himself.

"You have finally come to reclaim this lost piece of yourself, Syren," the shadow said calmly, "I am Invidia - the demon of envy."