Challenging The Absence

Chapter 1: The Election

The election. It only happened once every twenty years in Werdentown. Because of that, it was  a vastly special day, and was celebrated with a large festival that went on for weeks. 

The entire village was headed toward one destination: The center plaza. It was a large circle about 100 feet in diameter that was paved with red brick. In the very center was a platform with a podium, surrounded by massive, mighty oak trees, their leaves orange from the changing  of the seasons.

The election was done just before sundown, so that the orange light of sunset could reflect off the quartz mountains just a mile away down onto the village. It was absolutely beautiful.

Among the first to arrive was Vyxi. She was about five and a half feet tall, and sixteen years old. She had hazel eyes and freckles on her cheeks and arms. Her hands and clothes were always scuffed up from all her misadventures, and she loved nature and tending to plants.

Coming in with the second crowd was nineteen year old Jomax, who was a burly and tall man. He was clad in brown boots and gloves, with a deep green outfit goggles around his forehead, which kept his brown hair swept backwards behind his head. He was quiet, though friendly.

With the final crowd came Soul , a hybrid between a wolf and a human. The only evidence of that, though, was the tail that poked out of his shorts. He tended to stay far away from people and had many violent tendencies (basically as edgy as edgy gets.). In that same crowd was Fate.

Fate was a bit off putting. She didn't usually smile, or talk, or wave hi back. She walked with crossed arms and a slouch, though she doesn't seem to be depressed or insecure. She had her own hobbies too; she was usually buried deep in a book.

The hum of the village folk speaking to each other in the plaza was quieted quickly hushed by the town's most talented wizard; the soon to be ex mayor. He brandished a grey stubble and a black leather jacket with a high collar and square glasses, appearing aged but spry.

"It has been a good twenty years in this town. I have watched over you all, and for 20 years, I have granted people the right of independence by coming of age." He smiled at Jomax, who had done his ritual last week. "I have taught," he smiled at Vyxi, "And been taught," he looked at Fate, "By each and every one of you. Now, however, it is time for me to be replaced." The crowd murmured with a sad tone in their voices. "I ask that you don't cry because it's over, but smile because it happened." He smiled out at the crowd and cleared his raspy throat. "Now, our three runners for The Election, please come onto the stage."

Three men walked up onto the low wooden stage. One was somewhere between 50 and 60, looking quite aged. The other two appeared younger, as one was clearly only in his twenties, and the other couldn't have been older than 40.

The elderly man wore an orange poncho that brandished the town insignia and used a sword as a cane.

The man in his 40's wore a high collared black trench coat and fedora with a long sleeve white shirt and a long walking stick. He was an average sized man, about 5'11.

(I FORGOT TO SAVE ABOUT 400 WORDS UP AHEAD: Here's a TLDR of everything that happens.)

The man in his 40's turns out to have won the election, and is revealed as Mr. Shade, but oh no! He's evil and tries to take everyone's soul. The aforementioned four try to stop him but fail, as they keel and are unconscious on the ground, alive but fatally wounded after Mr. Shade tried to take their souls to become powerful and use the soulless bodies as husks. Edgy.

(It gets better. I think.)