Echoes Of The Wixx

Chapter 1: Echoes In The Shadows

Chapter One
                                                                                

Echoes In The Shadows

The wooden mug filled with mead hits the counter, as well as splashing some onto the counter. A sigh of enjoyment and delight comes out of Alister's mouth. His enjoyment of a hard day's work is spent in a run-down tavern within the city of Carnesh, the capital of Beatrove. Beatrove is a rather large state that is blessed with gorgeous green meadows that flourish with life that roams this land. However, like other cities in this world, some parts are more dangerous than others. This tavern resides in "that" part of town where there aren't frequent visitors; however, Alister enjoys frequenting this tavern because he believes the mead tastes better here and it's cheaper. He inhales his drink and slams the mug onto the counter, insisting the bartender get him another one.

The bartender finishes wiping the mug in his hands and tells Alister, "Don't you think you've had plenty for tonight? That's your eighth mug tonight." Alister, beginning to slur his words, states, "Come on, give me one more, then I'll call it there; no more for tonight," he says, wasted. The bartender agrees to this and begins to pour the mead that fills the mug and slides it over to Alister, while Alister throws two copper coins into the bartender's hand.
After a while, the bartender asks Alister what he does for a living, and Alister, finishing his drink, begins to explain how he's an adventurer and how he will slay any creatures for the right price. The bartender thinks that makes sense because Alister always enters the tavern covered in dirt, muck, or even some night's blood. Alister then flips the mug upside down and suspends it above his head, seeing if any liquid is left, before slamming it into the counter with tremendous force, probably from being wasted. Alister grabs his worn iron sword and turns to the bartender, who's cleaning up the mess that Alister had just caused, and happily says, "Thank you again for the fine drink." The bartender rolls his eyes and says goodbye, as Alister is already stumbling out the wooden swinging doors.
However, what Alister had failed to see was a cloaked figure stalking him. This hooded figure stood shorter than Alister, who had a rather slim figure and had seen combat in the past. The ragged black cloak was tethered and beyond repair. The daggers to their sides were worn down from combat, the blade chipped and dull, but with enough force, they could still cut someone or something down. The boots on this person were also worn down horribly, and it was still a miracle that they were somehow still intact. The cloaked figure walks out the door after Alister, then sits in the shadows and waits for her time to put her brilliant plan into action.
Alister has been stumbling down the vacant streets, muttering and pondering to himself, and for some reason, he can only think of the last time he and his father spoke and how it pissed him off beyond belief. He recalls the nice day outside his family's estate when he first heard the truth about his family. Alister Wixx comes from a wealthy family who are well known across the land of WallBrim as masters of the blade; from great swords to the rapier, they were true masters at their craft. Alister, at a young age, began to learn to wield a sword and the techniques required for this craft. He would then decide what to do to become like his father, head of the Wixx family, and show his family he had what it takes to take that position. His family's wealth came from doing quests given by the guild and taking on any job for the right amount of gold. His family was known for fighting on either side of the field as long as it was a nice payday.
At the age of 16, Alister would take on his first quest alone, taking on blue slimes that had made a home within the nearby forest. Blue slimes are the easiest monsters to take on, for they are slow-moving and have little to no health. This would be a great way to prove to his father how strong he has come in his training. He stood there in excitement, looking at the poster he had just torn off the job board, thinking of the praise his father would give him. The job would pay 2 silver and 3 copper coins, and anything he found he would get to keep. Though the job didn't pay well, he was still very eager to show his father how far he had come.
Later that day, he came home in slime juice and was tired, but he had successfully eliminated all the slime within the forest. He walked through this large, spacious corridor filled with their fancy pillars and decor. As he approached his father's room, he would think to himself and ponder what good things his father would say. Would he say, "Good work, son; I'm so proud of you," or would he say, "Son, you should be careful; who knows what could have happened to you?" Alister's smile would reach ear to ear while walking down the corridor.
Alister then approached the door leading to his father's chambers, where he heard two people talking to him. The door was open with just a crack, and I could see two tall men in cloaks with hoods covering their heads; however, the dim light of the candle made their faces visible. They had rugged faces filled with scars accumulated from past battles, and one of the two had an eerie-looking black ring on his pointer finger. Alister recalls from his lessons growing up that members of high rank are only allowed to wear any jewelry on their ring finger as a sign of wealth, status, and power in this world.
He continues to eavesdrop on the conversation that these men and his father are having. "Well, so does that mean we have ourselves a deal then? To reiterate, we will pay one hundred and twenty gold for your services in eliminating "you know who." We will then give you twenty now and the hundred once his head is in our possession. Is that clear?" His father, with a smile that looked twisted and sadistic, firmly agreed, "You don't have to worry about a thing, and we will start once the son rises.".
As the men begin to get up from their seats, Alister is unsure of what he has witnessed and is puzzled about what's about to happen. The men begin to approach the door that Alister is peering in from. The young man bolts to find a good hiding spot where he could continue to spy on these people. The two men then exited his father's chambers and began to walk away, murmuring to themselves in a whisper. Alister, unable to hear them, then decides to head to his room and continue to ponder, "Why would my father do this? We are a family that slays monsters, sure, but not other humans, right?" Alister,still unsure whether he understood what he had observed was even real, decided to shrug it off for now and then forget about it for now.
Weeks passed, and his father returned from his "mission," which had taken longer than expected. Alister, excited to see his father, ran up to him and spoke to him. His father smiled and patted his head. Moments after his father's mouth opened, he began to say, "Hello, son, it's nice to see you. We will have to catch up later today because we will have guests over and need to discuss business." Alister nodded and casually walked away, beginning to wonder if it was the same man as the other day.
Sure enough, Alister would then plan to eavesdrop on their conversation again and would be ready to wait patiently for their meeting. That night, two strange, cloaked men walked into his father's chambers; however, this time one had a sack that, with every step, a faint chime would resonate from within. As the door slammed behind them, Alister could only listen to the horrors that would come from within that room. His father greeted the men, and they sat down. When they did, a heavy bag created a thud on the ground, and again, the chime resonated from the bag. "Is it done?" said one of the men. His father nodded and softly spoke, "Why don't you look within the crate over there? You might enjoy what you see." Alister only imagined the chaotic smile his father once had. The crate creaked, and the fear that Alister had thought would surely have been false. However, the two men's laughter was loud, and it shook the room.
The men then began to seal the crate, and in that moment, Alister had barged into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Alister was outraged at this: "Why, father, why would you slaughter others of the same race for? For money, is that it, and is that all you ever think of? The Wixx name is a name remembered across the land as tough warriors, not killers." The two men and his father paused, looked at Alister, and laughed uncontrollably. His father furiously exclaimed, What's the point of wielding a blade if you're not going to put it to use?" Alister, frozen in place, not sure what to say next, his lip quivering, then getting a grip, muttered, "This is insane, and I would like no part in this family, and how insane you are, father. Our blades should be used to protect the people of this world, rather than cutting them down." His father hysterically laughs in his face. "Well, then leave; we don't need a weakling such as you to be a part of this family anyway. A person like you turns down money because you're too scared to shed blood. The Wixx family is built on the concept of shedding blood, the concept in which we shed blood to thrive in this world, to continue our legacy, and to teach others in future generations to thrive, such as us". Alister would then leave that day empty-handed, with the idea of never returning home again. He would years later hear the story of his banishment from the Wixx house and was given the name Alister, the Forgotten.
As Alister stumbles on his way home from the tavern, tears run down his eyes. He still loved his family; he just could not see past the bloodshed of other humans.