- Posting Speed
- 1-3 posts per week
- Writing Levels
- Intermediate
- Adept
- Advanced
- Prestige
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Male
- Female
Located where country and ocean meet, East Clertaux is perhaps the biggest trade center this side of the hemisphere. Hundreds of thousands of people travel to the harbor town to sell any rarities and merchandise they may have collected over the years, the season's harvest or the booty collected from foes killed in battle. Dozens of ships come and go, bringing spices, metals, rare elements and anything else that could fetch a price on the market. It's a merchant's paradise, heaven for the eccentric buyer. Nothing is out of reach in the city.
The city streets are constantly noisy, only going silent halfway into the night. Auctioneers yelled out bids and salesmen advertised their products and "low prices" to any passerby's, tempting them to spend their hard-earned cash. The scent of the sea mingled in the air, mixing with cooked foods, raw meats, and ripe fruits, creating a smell that one would either love or hate. The city itself had such a rich economy that it could potentially exist on its own without the backing of its country, staying only out of loyalty to its nation.
But despite the booming city, all was not well and has not been for weeks now. It started with the capsizing of a large trade ship in the dead of the night. It was found hours into the day, split right down the middle. While foul play was suspected, no one was accused due to a lack of evidence nor any knowledge of someone capable of committing the crime.
The second night more ships met the same fate, as did the crews that slept on those ships. The boats were destroyed, broken into wooden pieces or split in half, but the bodies were nowhere to be found. In response, security detail on the docks was more than tripled in an attempt to figure out who or what was destroying property. That night, the guards were met with a horror they were unprepared for.
That night the horizon was covered in fog and the waters began to slow, growing cold, cold as though it were winter despite the summer season. It was difficult to make out, but one guard was able to make out the front of a large ship, the bow of the ship having been carved into the head of a dragon. But it wasn't the ship itself that would fill the guards with terror but what was upon the ship. The skinless bodies of the undead, rotting flesh dropping into the water, white bone open for all to see.
The guards stood no chance. The battle was brutal, no weaponry seemed to work against the creatures and while magic was effective, it was difficult to put them down for good. By the time the sun had risen the undead abominations had retreated back to sea leaving few guards left alive. Those that survived reported back to their leadership with news of what transpired the night before and the news spread quickly. East Clertaux's reputation and very economy was now at stake as fear rippled through the city, causing a few merchants to shut down temporarily or even leave the city altogether. As the nights passed the undead warriors only became more brazen, even daring to go beyond the docks and into the city itself.
Though the people of the city stand strong against the threat, without an answer soon many of its citizens and businesses will leave or be killed in the chaos.
********
For Ryan Chronus, this was a no-no. Not only was the city just beautiful, but he often bought materials for his inventions from Clertaux, and it was one of his shipments that was lost in the initial chaos with more following after. At first, he thought he'd just pay someone else to take care of it, but then he could feel that familiar tingle in his spine. This could be worth going to see himself, there could be something to discover, and if not there was always an adventure! Just the thought of a life-risking, rabble-rousing, fist-throwing, heart-beating, bruise-giving adventure was enough to send tingles down his spine.
And so, against the judgment of his peers, Ryan found himself sitting on a bench at the docks, toying with a finger trap he'd gotten stuck in. Despite the night being a few hours away many of the shops on the docks were already closing their doors, not wishing to tempt a run-in with the undead marauders. There were a few people, perhaps heroes in the making, that anticipated the arrival of night, hoping to solve the city's problem and make a name for themselves in the process. Some of them, however, looked like they were up to no good. Perhaps it was his eye for detail and an overactive imagination but he could practically see the evil intent just oozing out of them. Maybe they were going to wait and see if any loot was left over for them to take, seemed to be the most obvious answer.
"Hey...you look familiar." A man, a very large man at that, grabbed Ryan by the back of his shirt, lifting him into the air so that they were eye to eye. Ryan was about average height for someone in this thirties but this guy easily towered over him, one of the fortune seekers no doubt. "Hella familiar..." The man stared at Ryan and Ryan stared back. Both were silent for awhile, the man waiting for Ryan to tell him who he was and Ryan wondering if he should use a silly alias or not.
"Oh yeah, you've probably seen me around, I'm pretty popular." He grinned at the brutish stranger, raising both his thumbs up. "I'm a genius, pretty smart dude. Chronus is the name, getting my fingers unstuck from this trap is the game." He raised the finger trap so that the man could see. "You sir, have a good eye! Nobody else recognized me!" In truth, it wasn't a good thing, but he could probably control the situation somewhat if he was just honest. All the guy would want is a little money after all. "So if you put me down, I can get back to this finger mess and you can walk away with some gold in your pocket!"
"No...way..." The brute was quite shocked for a moment. This was a good day for him, not only would he become a legend tonight but he'd get some extra gold on the side! He could use that to buy those slick new boots he saw the other day. He was just about to lower Ryan to the ground when another thought hit him. "No way...I could get rich for life if I keep you!" He could just ransom him off, someone would pay a lot of money for this guy, right? He was a genius inventor, his people needed him!
"Hm." Ryan pouted, his nice dress shirt was going to be ruined at this rate. The man's eyes scanned the docks as he weighed his options. He could call out like a damsel in distress, but that could attract negative attention to him. He could try to fight back but that could yield the same results. Besides, he was far smaller than this guy, he'd have to go for the eyes and that just didn't sit right with him. People needed to see! He also had to save the good tricks he had for when he needed them most. So for the moment, he would just sit there and look pathetic until option number two was his only option or some kind soul decided to help him out.