Alaina walked through the unfinished streets of Lai, looking at the mish-mash of old architecture next to the new, both unfinished and covered in ancient dust.
Nothing in this town ever got finished. That's just how things went. Well, one thing in this ramshackle town did get finished. But Alaina wouldn't call it an accomplishment. At least not a good one.
She rounded the corner of the mostly paved streets and saw the lights of a ferris wheel, still on despite the bright afternoon sun. Faint laughter rang through the air, along with the sound of whirring and chiming machinery.
It looked like a normal amusement park, full of fun, entertainment and from the sound of it, extremely fun. But Alaina knew better. She'd learned something about that place. Something she wished she didn't experience.
She turned away from the park, shaking her head. "I wonder how many people will become lost today." She whispered, her eyes watching the multi-colored light flash in spectacular rainbow patterns.
She had almost became lost herself. The park had an intoxicating atmosphere of fun and games, but once the sun began to set, things get more dangerous, and well, extremely deadly. Especially for common folk. Luckily for Alaina, she wasn't a common person. She was an Alchemist. A fairly powerful Alchemist at that.
Her Scyld (magical insight and senses) warned her of the danger before it was too late. She was able to escape with her life, but just barely.
She shook her head and sighed. "I'm going to have to tell Toriza about this one aren't-?"
Alaina froze mid-sentence. Something was staring at her through the closed shutters of the house next to her.
She let her Scyld flow from her feet and into the darkness of the building, pretending to be staring at the mesmerizing lights. Alaina sensed a small boy-like figure inside, peeking out toward her.
She turned to look at him and saw two reflections of red light off his eyes. 'It's one of them, kill it!' Her Scyld muttered excitedly. A rush of energy flowed through her with the words, but she held it at bay.
'It's still just a child! It's not dangerous and it's defenseless!'
She felt her Scyld groan 'Yet,' and the rush of magical energy began to fade slightly.
It usually listened to her, but on occasion it decided to have a mind of its own and cause her to do something...rash.
"Miss! Miss please! We're starving! Please help!" The little boy, called out to her, pulling the gap in the shutters a little wider so she could see his eyes and a little bit of his nose. She could still see the red glow, but to a common person, his eyes would look completely normal, and a little frightened.
Alaina knew for a fact that there was no one else in there, but despite that, she felt as if the room the little boy was in was full of little kids, perishing with hunger and begging her to come closer and help.
Her Scyld told her otherwise though. 'It's just an illusion Alaina. They aren't real. Do you want me to brush it away for you?'
'No, that'll reveal where I am. I have a better idea' Alaina responded silently, her eyes still locked on the boys.
"Miss! Please!" The boy called out again, strengthening his illusion. But it had lost its hold on her mind completely. That was the beauty of illusions. One you saw through it, they didn't have any power over you, unless the power increased exponentially.
"Back off Blood demon!" Alaina shouted in a strange, deep dialect that caused the boy to jump in surprise.
She hated using Infernal, the language of demons and undead. It was such a harsh and unsettling language. But it was the only way to startle him without revealing her true nature as a Alchemist.
"Oh forgive me! I thought you were someone who had somehow wandered away from the carnival. Please forgive my youthful ignorance mighty one." The boy responded in the same tongue, stepping away from the stutters and disappearing into the house before Alaina could have the chance to smite him.
'That was your plan? To shout an insult in Infernal and hope that it worked out?' Her Scyld didn't sound impressed.
"This is a little bit more than the simple Blood demon colony I was sent to remove." Alaina whispered, pulling the hood of her dark blue cloak over her head.
"Well, I guess it's time to call for reinforcements" She breathed, heading to the edge of the ramshackle town. She was going to need a lot of help.
'You think?' Her Scyld said, and Alaina imagined it rolling its nonexistent eyes. Sometimes she wondered if everyone's Scylds were as talkative as hers.
'Not usually, no. I'm special because of who you are and where you come from' her Scyld interrupted.
'Shut up please! I'm trying to escape stealthily and you aren't making it easier' Alaina shot back to her Scyld as she walked confidently through the broken village and into the wood beyond. She was safe. At least for a little while.
