The King's Game - Seven Calamities Arc (Part 2)

Chapter 31: The Weeping Shore & Gallo of Death's Door

Shadow and the man in rags' journey was a silent one, the man in rags soon came to terms that despite his "interesting" stories, the Calamity of Pride stuck true to the rumours and didn't utter a word in response. What the man in rags always found strange was the fact that whenever he felt his soul being sucked out from his body and he shut his eyes, when he later opened them they would have transverse a great deal of distance. It wasn't long before they arrived at the remote and shockingly lively village called the Weeping Shore.

"Place really doesn't live up to its name. Wow, why would a lively village opt to call itself the Weeping Shore; surely that would make people and merchants stay away." The man in rags said as they entered the village.

Tired from their long journey, the man in rags suggested that they find an inn to rest in as night was a few hours away. Shadow merely nodded his head as the man in rags approached an old fisherman.

"Excuse me dear sir, me and my"—the man in rags looked at Shadow for a brief few seconds before turning back to the fisherman—"companion have travelled from far to this small village and were wondering if perhaps you could recommend a place to stay for the night?"

The fisherman looked at the rag and tag companions with a hint of suspicion, "The place ye be looking fer be the Dusty Wall, finest establishment in 'ere small home. She be right there, can't miss her."

"Thank you my fine sir." The man in rags said as he placed four bronze yhtas in the fisherman's hand.

"One more thing laddie." The fisherman said as he leaned in close and whispered into the man in rags' ear, "The Weeping Shore be not a fan of foreigners such as ye self. So I suggest when ye sleep tonight ye remain sleeping, those who don't 'ave all been seen walking into the ocean, never te be seen again."

"What could be causing these people to simply walk to their death?" The man in rags asked as he pulled back from the fisherman.

"It be de bidding of Gallo; he be taking the poor sobs down te death's door."

As the old fisherman finished his sentence, an icy cold wind cut through the village.

"I 'ave said too much. Heed my advice laddie; sleep till morning, lest ye wish te answer Gallo's call."

With that the fisherman rushed off leaving Shadow and the man in rags in the middle of the street. The two soon realised that the lively citizens of the Weeping Shore were keeping their distance from them, all the while giving them a variety of looks, from disgusted to fear.

The man in rags looked at Shadow, "Let us be on our way to the Dusty Wall then."

Shadow gave the man in rags a nod as the two walked in the direction the fisherman had given them. It wasn't long before they came before a grand looking inn with a sign reading "The Dusty Inn" hanging on the wall.

"Looks to be quite the fine establishment as the fisherman said. I suppose we could use some rest too; the journey was long after all." The man in rags said as they entered the inn.

A bubbling young man escorted Shadow and the man in rags to two separate rooms. In front of the rooms the man in rags turned to Shadow.

"I've been meaning to ask, but how did we make this four prytorst journey in half the time?"

Without even looking at the man in rags Shadow entered his room, closing the door behind him.

"Seems a bit rude considering we made the journey together." The man in rags said to himself as he entered his own room.

The rooms were small, but other than that they were nothing to write home about. It wasn't surprising considering the village was remote and it didn't seem as though the locals appreciated any foreigners that happened to stumble into their little sanctuary. The sun was setting and as night approached the man in rags couldn't help but think about what the fisherman had told him. As the thoughts consumed his mind, the fatigue of the journey dawned on the man in rags and pulled him into a deep slumber.

Woken by a nagging noise in the back of his mind the man in rags looked around his room for the source. Instead what he found was a broken down room and the clouded night sky above him. The man in rags first thought he was still dreaming, but the sight of Shadow moving outside towards the pier made him question whether this was all a dream. Rushing outside he was met by a ruined town; ruins that seemed to be thousands of krosts old. When the man in rags reached the pier he saw a small shack floating next to the pier and Shadow standing before it.

"Shadow what's going on? The entire town is in ruins, but these ruins are far too old for it to be a recent event that happened while we were sleeping. Are we dreaming?"

"I assure you this is no dream; although you soon will be wishing it was." A voice spoke from inside the shack.

"Who's there?" The man in rags asked.

"Ah how rude of me not to introduce myself even after I called you here. I go by the name of Gallo, I am a ghost and welcome to my little shack, Death's Door. Tell me what do you two desire?" The voice said as a ghost came through the wall of the shack.

Shadow raised part of his mask, whatever he revealed was enough to get a shocked expression from Gallo. The man in rags attempted to get a look at Shadow's face, however by the time he got next to Shadow, the mask had already been replaced.

"One has been granted the right of passage, back to the place where he belongs; however, what of you my friend? Will you be granted passage; or will you be dragged into the depths, never to return to the mortal plane again?"

"I am here to speak to Arazach." The man in rags exclaimed.

"Many mortals seek to speak to the great Demon King, none have been worthy. While you may know his true name it does not make you worthy. Passage denied, you shall be dragged to the depths to spend all eternity there."

"Viezil has almost been resurrected. I know things that should peak Arazach's interest!"

In the blink of an eye Gallo appeared right up against the man in rags' face, "You speak of names from long distance pasts. While you just mentioning that name makes me want to crush your soul, I'm sure King would find it interesting to obtain all knowledge from you before casting you to the depths!"

"Excellent, so I can see him then?" The man in rags asked as Gallo floated back towards his shack.

"Two have been granted passage, and so Death's Door shall be opened." Gallo said, completely ignoring the man in rags' question.

A lone broken down boat with a dim light emerged from the ocean depths. Gallo motioned for the two to enter the boat. Not wasting anytime, the two entered the boat and as Gallo entered the boat it slowly begun to move forward. A thick mist could be seen in the distance and Gallo steered the boat into the heart of the mist. The man in rags could have sworn he heard Gallo whispering something under his breath, but before he had a chance to decipher what little he heard the boat emerged from the mist and docked at a pier.

"What in the world ..." The man in rags said as he observed his surroundings.

The sky was now replaced by a rocky ceiling and the stench of death filled and overwhelmed the man in rags' senses.

"It would seem that one of us is not accustom to the presence of death." Gallo said before he let out a low chuckle, "Welcome to the Demon Realm."