As an only child born into the honorable Rollins family, young Seth found himself poised to be the next King of West Worchester Ending. With everything a man could want in his possession all seemed well, until he's overthrown by his long lost uncle...
With the store locked up I make my way to the path home. By now anyone in their right mind would be home with the doors locked and bolted, but that's a luxury I've counted myself out of. Ogres, demons, fairies, everything you'd want to avoid comes creeping out of the shadows the moment the moon dominates the sky. The city guard is good enough but they're about the money. Their main focus is imposing Hunter's tax laws and nickel and diming every citizen they possibly can.
By the time I get home it's near 9 and the only sound for miles is the loud music at the saloon down the way. It's another one of those nights. I make my way into my apartment building relocking the doors behind to keep out intruders. I called myself selfish for taking an entire building for myself but I love the space and I appreciate not having to scavenge for somewhere to stay. There are plenty of abandoned buildings to choose from, with over 99% of the human population gone. After my workout and a quick dinner I lay down to sleep only to hear yelling in the streets below. "State your name and home address!" A guard yells. "Sasha! I told you I live here!" I hear. I rush from bed and see Sasha on her knees with ropes around her wrists for handcuffs. "Please let me go!" She cries. I run down the stairs and unlock the door. "What are you doing to my wife!" I act out. "Your wife? Since when are you a married man?" The head guard Joe asks. A large man hailing from Aulele with an attitude sharp enough to cut air. Just seeing him is enough to scare most townsfolk. "We didn't have a formal relationship." I imply. "Oooohh." He says looking from me to her. "I can understand a man having needs." He catches. "Untie her, I'm sure he'd like her back." He orders. The guards untie Sasha and she runs to me. "I'd suggest you keep better tabs on her." He warns. "I will." I reply.
I usher her inside and lock the door. "Are you alright?" I ask. "Yeah, those men just came out of nowhere!" She answers. "That's the city guard. They're supposed to make sure the town is safe and at night they go out looking for trouble, literally." I reply. "Well they're horrible." She says. She looks around, "Is this your home?". I blush a bit, this is the first time I've had anybody over. "Yes, it's my humble abode and to answer your question, yes it's safe here. I have the entire perimeter secured and I myself don't prey on women. Meaning you can stay as long as you need." I answer. She seems taken aback, "You're letting me stay with you? Even though we just met?" She asks. "You need a place to stay and I have plenty of room. My parent's would probably be pretty upset to see their son kick a woman out on the street." I answer. "Well I promise I won't get in the way. I'll be passing through soon." She replies. I nod, "Sounds good." I say. I go to the pot of stew I made for myself earllier, "Do you want any, I have almost a whole pot?" I ask.
She hesitates, "Maybe a teensy bit." She answers. I smile and pour her a bowl. She bows as I hand it to her. "I haven't seen courtesy like that in a while. Where are you from again?" I ask. "Bosstown. It's up north, a few hundred miles from Capital City. We're a gardening people, the entirety of our food comes from nature." She answers. "Sounds nice." I reply sitting down. "It was, until Hunter stole something very important to us." She says. I see her thinking of something. She shakes it quickly and smiles over at me, "This smells delicious." I smile, "It's beef, carrots, potatoes, and bone broth." I recite. "A hearty meal." She says.
I start a fire in the fireplace while she eats her dinner. I've decided she'll have the third floor of the apartment building to herself while she stays. I'm confined to the second and the first is merely a storage for the animals' food and supplies. This place wasn't very homely when I found it but I've done the best I can to renovate it.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I've managed to fix all of the windows and broken down interior over the years. It's as good as new in my eyes.
"Tyler, can I ask you a question?" Sasha asks. "Sure, what's on your mind?" I ask. "Is---is your house haunted?" She asks. I laugh a little more than I expected. "There's ogres and demons outside and you fear ghosts?" I ask. "Absolutely!" She answers. She grips her glass of juice, "Something about them horrifies me." She says. "There aren't ghosts here. Though I assume you know about the legend of The Undertaker." I ask. "No, what is that?" She asks. I sit beside her, "The Undertaker is the being that assists souls of the dead to the other world. While you can see him and still be alive he comes for you when you're near death. He's a gentle man that doesn't engage in conversation but he's capable of fighting evil spirits." I answer. "And he's real?" She asks. "I've seen him." I answer.
"What?" She asks. "My father was killed years ago and I fought the man that caused his death. I was beaten within inches of my life and I saw him. He's tall, has black hair, and wears a wide brimmed bolero hat." I answer. "For some reason he left me and vanished into a fog. He had a gathering of souls following behind him so I assumed he already had enough to return to the river Styx." I remember. I see her wiping her eyes. "What's wrong?" I ask. "I'm sorry you went through that. You're too kind of a person to experience something so horrible." She answers. "Sasha...." I begin. She waves away my concern, "I'm just a softie. It's fine." She says with a small laugh. I smile and stand from my seat, "I'll leave you to get ready for bed. Maybe you can help me at the store tomorrow." I ask.
