NEMO: Into The Depths

Chapter 4: An Accidental Kidnapping

The day started with a bang. Elyza shot up to her feet, her senses immediately on high alert to face the danger. Despite the grogginess that clung to her, she could make out a projectile hurtling toward her, raising her hands in a bid to intercept it. The object slipped between her fingers and hit her squarely in her face, bouncing off her harmlessly, allowing Elyza to attempt to catch it in its rebound. As her hands felt the object, and her eyes began to work again, the smell of fresh bread made it clear to her that she had been attacked by a roll. She glanced up to see Alex standing nearby, hand over his mouth, attempting to stifle his laughter.

Alex inhaled deeply, his expression shifting to a somewhat more serious one, "Your clothes looked old and tattered, so I got you some options," he gestured towards a heap of clothes behind him. "Wear them, don't, doesn't really matter much. There's a bath downstairs if you want to clean up. Just be at the execution on time. I have to crush the hopes of a cockroach"

"There's an execution this early in the morning?" Elyza quizzically asked, still half-asleep.

"Early?" he said, pulling apart the blinds of the room's one singular window. The sunlight flooded her temporary lodgings, momentarily blinding her. She held up the bread roll to shield her eyes as they struggled to adapt. Alex continued without a hint of guilt, opening the window as well, "I guess you've only been napping for a good thirteen and a half hours."

He moved towards the door, adding, "Be at the town square in thirty minutes, and make sure to deal with any business you have left. Remember, you're either dying or coming with me today. Now if you excuse me, I have to prepare to go against a 'goddess' will', so I'll be on my way." Alex declared as he ducked into the hallway. As she listened to his dampening footsteps, Elyza considered going back to sleep, to embrace the welcoming warmth of the cotton mattress again, but instead took a bite of the bread roll and sighed.

"And try to keep up with the prisoner afterward!," Her new companion's voice declared from outside the window, almost making her drop her breakfast.

She didn't know who he was talking about, but Elyza's weary body and hungover brain discouraged her from inquiring further. Even after a single day of hanging out with him, his eccentricity did not have the same effect any more, instead she was more worried about changing out from her stained clothes. Starting to sift through the pile of clothes, which ranged from extremely bright pants to a priestess' outfit, her eyes pierced through the heap, quickly finding a faded green shirt which she could pair with some brown pants. What worried her was that both of them fit her surprisingly well, almost the perfect size, forcing the doubts about Alex to resurface in her mind once again, but still her curiosity overpowered her mind.

Walking out of the building, Elyza's senses were ambushed. A multitude of smells attacked her nostrils, as the talking, murmuring, and whispering of the river of people overwhelmed her. It seemed like the town had transformed overnight. Stalls flanked the crowded street, many of them selling some kind of fried, sweet, or both delicacy. It seemed as if everyone was moving in the same direction, like a line of ants marching towards the castle, and as she considered what Alex had mentioned, she melded into the procession.

The longer she followed the crowd, the harder it was to keep her focus, the fragrance of the salty and sweet pastries making Elyza salivate. Till one stall finally made her stop. On its counter, there were some kind of rolled up pastries with what looked like a slice of cheese on top, smelling of sea salt and mushrooms. She concluded that there was no reason for her not to gorge herself, it being her last day and all, her stomach growled in agreement. However, the reality she had to deal with was that to snack on the dish in front of her required money, and she had spent all she had left on a bribe already.