The Sixth God (Arc 1: From The Pale Ashes) [BL]

Chapter 19

Constructed close to the edge of Ghostlight Woods, 10 miles North of Snakemoor River, was a long-deserted metropolis. No one remembered the name of it, it's history forgotten by historians, it's coordinates never entered the mapmakers mind or written by their hands. It was surrounded via woods, hills, and wastelands, never discovered by a weary traveler.

It rested inside the center of nowhere.

Yet, that was where Clay took him with the assuredness of someone returning home. There were no paths yet Clay never hesitated once during travelling. Shida watched in trepidation as the walls came into view.

Decrepit walls surrounded the area, some parts nothing but piles of rubble, other areas standing firm with only a few bricks missing. The door was shut with rotted wood a breath away from collapsing, the ironworks missing in some places, others hanging on by a particularly stubborn nail.

Clay stopped at the entrance and swung off the horse. Shida followed suit with less finesse, stumbling but managing to keep from falling on his butt like the last few times.

Clay nodded in approval but instead of heading towards the front gate, he dragged Shida over to the rubble parts of the wall.

"The door isn't stable." Clay explained as they climbed the rubble.

The sounds of shifting rocks and tumbling bricks was loud in the quiet. Clay happily started whistling a strange tune and when they finally made it to the top, Shida's eyes widened.

In no way was this place abandoned.

On the outer side, with its decrepit walls, humans wouldn't recognize that inside the city, became the house of outcasts, thieves, and bandits. This was the place where under the table deals and services have been made and any idiot without a knife or weapon could come to be dead, naked on the street, or in the back of an alley, if they had been feeling generous. The people who were here hid their faces, only a few walking with confidence, most likely under the protection of some gang or group whose bite was far worse than their bark if their assets was messed with.

Few stalls were open in front of patched-up houses and incredibly it was peaceful though an underlying current of anxiety pricked the back of Shida's neck as he walked. It seemed like unspoken rules were in place, whoever running the city was holding a dagger to its neck, just begging people to act up.

When the people noticed Clay their faces paled, some going so far as to bow as he passed. Clay cheerfully waved and called out to them, the people wincing as their names rolled off his tongue. A few fled, dropping whatever they were doing.

Clay laughed when he noticed this, tugging on Shida's chain. "In the future, you may be capable of doing this. Because your considered one of mine now."

They kept walking the dirt road until they stopped at a tavern. The sign was in surprisingly good condition, a painted picture of a potbellied pig holding an ale. Clay walking in, pulling Shida along.

The floors were grimy but the tables were wiped clean.The bartender was fiddling with bottles when he spotted them. The man was an older gentleman, tall and lanky, with a stunning innocence in his eyes that lit up..

"Clay!" The man ran to Clay like a little boy spotting his father.

Clay laughed and pulled the man right into a hug. "Hughy! Did you miss me?"

The man nodded vigorously, looking like his eyes will fall out of his head. " I watched the bar for you."

Bar? Is this where Shida would be working? That didn't seem so bad. Doing dishes, cooking, cleaning the floors and tables. It wasn't much different than what Shida was doing at Milly's.