The Warden's Awakening

Interlude

"Calcinia still rubble! All people in danger!" the town crier yelled in the middle of the city square. The boy was young, wearing a simple brown vest, off white shirt, and tattered green trousers, light clothes for this time of year. Heats time always hit Castal hard. Though they received a strong breeze from being a large region of close islands, the wind sometimes was just as warm as the stagnant air. His feet were bare and calloused from running around the city. Not quite as calloused as his throat would be after today's news stories.

The life of the boy crier was not exciting every day. But today people wanted to hear about Calcinia. In the weeks since the stories of the city's devastation, no one had heard much, other than they would rebuild, and the culprit was captured. People wanted more. They wanted details and the gorier the better. It was at this, the boy excelled. He new how to draw a crowd, and he loved every minute of it.

"Tell us, Boy. What has been happening in the city?" a man asked. He wore a light shirt, only covering his chest. His arms were bare, as was a good part of his stomach. He could use a better fitting shirt.

"Oh, it's terrible, Sir. People still bein' found under rubble and carriages. It's been weeks, and some people think they'll be at rebuilding for years!" he said, drawing attention from the rest of the crowd. A small crowd was gathering listening to the boy spin his tale.

"One of my sources in the city gave me all the grizzly details about one man- parts of him on one side of the crack, parts of him on the other. It was brutal, I tell you," he embellished. As the crowd grew, he climbed atop a wall, and began crying again, this time of other news, just to see if people were really paying attention.

"New Veldar preparing to launch ship east to explore unknown ocean! People getting ready for the journey!"

"If the reports of these World Renders is true, then that's where my family will be soon. Sign me up for the first boat off this rock," another man said. Short, not as fat as the first man, but equally balding.

"Yes, tell us of the World Renders, boy! What news of them?" another man yelled. The boy smiled. He had heard that the one who caused the crack in Calcina was in prison there, but now was his time to dazzle the crowd.

"I tell you what, ladies and gentle sirs. You give me each a chip, and I'll tell you everything I know."

"Boy, you tell us what you know, and I'll give you a mark. I need to make sure my family is safe!" a well dressed man said, holding up a mark. The boy had only ever seen one of those in the hands of others. A whole mark for himself! That was fifty chips! He climbed off his wall and began his tale.

"They way I hear it, sir, is the thing was huge! As tall as one of these buildings right here. It had appeared almost out of nowhere, right in front of the Inquestor's Office. Everyone was screaming, running for their lives. People were tripping over everyone to run away from the mighty thing. It had thick red skin, long, sharp black hair that went from the top of it's head to it's back. It's arms were longer than this light post, with huge hands, and huge claws that could rip a Militiaman in half," he said, excitedly. Of the women who had been listening, one of them fainted.

"And so the creature stood there and flexed it's huge muscles, bulging yellow veins pulsed through it's arms, back and chest, glowing even in the midday sun. It let out a terrifying, mighty bellow that knocked back every person around it. People were slammed into walls, horens were tossed aside like tuffs. And just after it let out the scream, the beast stomped upon the ground with a mighty foot.

"The ground ripped open, sucking innocent people inside it. The body count is still rising to this day, as more and more people are found under the rubble of the city. Tremors rocked every single stone lose from it's place, and they crashed onto the street, some of them on to the people below them. Why, I hear of one man who was flattened by a rock. Nothing left of him but powdered bones and blood.

"And when the shaking finally stopped, the beast suddenly stopped and looked at his destruction, and laughed. The inquestors took him to a special prison in the city, but the beast still sits there, laughing away in the jail cell, laughing at what destruction will come next," the boy said, finishing his tale. The man who promised him the mark look white, and he handed the crier his promised payment. Others threw chips at him and walked away quickly.

The boy scooped up the chips on the ground, and counted in his head. He had a pile of about fifty seven chips, plus the mark the man had given him, totaling two marks and seven chips. The boy piled the chips up against the wall and rested his head on them like an uncomfortable pillow. He looked at the mark in his hand, admiring the shiny red fabric that was laced into the smooth paper. On the mark was a likeness of King Brocan Durant, the current King's grandfather, with an exaggerated mane of hair. He smiled.

"That'll be me one day," he said, dreaming about what it would be like to be the King of the Empire. The boy dreamed for several moments before collecting his coins and getting atop his wall again.

"Possession victim sighted in Calcin! Everyone on alert!" he yelled. Once again, another crowd gathered. This would be a good day for profit.