The Saga of James Conrad Ends
James was sitting in his officer alone. He was drinking some fine wine from his jewel encrusted glass. He looked over the map once more and thought about where he had come from. When he was younger born the only child of a noble lord that was once rich and prosperous. Yet when their salt mines dried up so to did their power. Yet for selling all he had for this position. He had indeed come far, but he believed he will go much further. With his influcence,money and relationships to provide good stepping stones he couldn't help and think if they were all real. So he drank and looked over the map and his notes.
"James Conrad?" A raspy voice fluted with melodic consanants and swooping vowels creaked. The door was slightly ajar and two pale blue eyes peered in.
"James Conrad?" the stanger asked once more.
James looked around assuming it was the ghost man who he had spoke to earlier. "Yes, what do you need now?"
The door opened all the way but was quickly shut with a gust of wind. A tall standing figure stood in the office and the smell of jasmine permeated from the man. Two cynical eyes were placed on an abscure face, stained deeply with the color of ash. His hands that hung from loose sleeves were aso similarly colored.
Other than the strange skin, the figure was plain, and dressed in a loose black cloth tailored in a manner alien to this land.
"We've never spoken before," the figure said. "However, it has come to my attention that you bear... a
badge."
He took a moment to think and then realized this was another from Salvation. "Ah, yes a Badge. Indeed I do. What is it to you exactly?" James pondered the thought of who this was and why he had come here.
"It's very important to me," the ashen man spoke again, his hand flashing a glint of his own badge quickly, "now tell me as quietly and quickly as you can: who knows you are here."
He thought for a moment "No body or perhaps everybody. Usually if I'm not off speaking to others on important matters they tend to assume I am here."
The ashen man's hand balled into a fist. He quickly made his way right next to Conrad, leaning in as to look into the other man's soul, "Conrad, who, and I want names this time, who have you spoken too, and who knows you're here."
He took a moment "The only ones who would truely know I'm here is my dim-witted friend Rapdori and Lae'Vesi Trielia."
The man's hand grabbed Jame's shirt and pulled him close, "holy Azueral, you simpleton, why are you talking to a Vaelie?"
"Well, she is rather young and isn't even a true inquisitor yet. Besides who would expect a heretic would get-"
A flat slap echoed off of James' face. After an angry huff, the man released Conrad, "I feared the worst, and that's what I got."
A begrudgin finger wagged at James," From now on, you follow me, Conrad."
"And you are who exactly?" James wondered while rubbing his face from the slap.
"Ivoni," the man hissed between his teeth as he walked over to a closet by one of the dusty bookshelves of Conrad's office. Immediately he went to work on the thin door, tugging on the doorknob.
"You do not have permission to be surprised when I open this door, I was here earlier, much earlier."
With no more said, Ivoni ripped the door open and the acrid stench of flesh filled the room as a loud thud sounded. A corpse fell sprawled out onto the floor, ripped clothes stolen from James adorned the uncannily similar deceased man.
"Congratulations," Ivoni said grimly, kicking the body onto its back. Clearly from repeated blunt strikes the victim's face was violently bashed into a scarlet mess of indistiguishable gore. "You just got beaten to death."
"Uh....what. Why am I going to be playing dead? exactly?"James said as he looked over the dead body
"It's play dead or be dead at this point," Ivoni answered, "and I'm kind of glad we are playing, because it would have be honestly awkward just shoving a dead stiff into a closet for no reason." Ivoni's rough voice seemed humorless despite the nature of his words.
"Besides, others don't want the inquisition anywhere near here right now, let alone focusing on us."
"Consider yourself reassigned to a higher advantage, you're now a ghost, my ghost." Ivoni smiled, revealing teeth filed to points.
"To a higher advantage, what do you mean exactly? Also, what about the old life and bussiness I started as James?" He asked wondering what was happening.
"You'll get it back when we are done, but we aren't done," Ivoni answered, "you're dead, you no longer exist, and I never existed. So now that we are both non existant, we have a task to do."
Ivoni paused, "you aren't opposed to shedding innocent's blood are you? They won't fight back don't worry about that."
"I've never been much of a fighter but that isn't to say I havn't killed people in the past. Though what do you mean "I'll get my life back" if people think I'm dead?" James was confused of the whole situation.
With deft hands Ivoni procured a knife from an unknown belt and handed it to James. "take this and don't ask too many questions, the dead hardly speak and we have a lot of work to do in preparation, Ghost."
James took the knife and nodded.
"Come, Conrad," Ivoni walked close to Conrad and wrapped a thick scarf around his face into a strange turban, "we need to fix your appearance, but first, I will bring you to the safehouse. We leave through the window."
James followed the man out the window. As their feet hit the ground softly, Ivoni quickly pushed the pair into the shadows of the building. Slowly they followed its perimeter in silence until the shadows of the outercity loomed thicker and alley ways started to web through the urban area.
The dull scent of dust and muck began to overtake the once lavish scents of the higher class buildings and before long the pair found themselves walking ankle deep through a brackish gutter than ran down a thin alleyway.
"James, have you heard about Jakinius?" Ivoni asked suddenly.
James nodded "You mean the brute that would likely have us go to war upon his accension to the throne. Yes I do."
"I mean," Ivoni continued roughly, "about how he plans on marching his army to the capital and taking his throne by force?"
"I have not, is that truely what he plans to do?" James said quietly.
"Yes," Ivoni said simply, "and you and I are fair and innocent people, so I say we should warn the idle people of the slums. In turn they will warn their family, and in turn they will warn the guards, then we will be safe from a potential siege, no?"
"No... because there isn't a true seige but he'll believe that they are casting him out correct?"
"There is a damned siege, Conrad." Ivoni hissed, "and we are going to warn the slums."
"Alright, but I still need to be changed ya know cause I'm kinda dead..."
"You'll look the part soon enough, and don't forget to enjoy the gossip of the poor folk, most of them already know about Jakinius. It doesn't hurt to join in on the growing hysteria though." Ivoni paused as they reached the end of the alley, where the light broke the darkness ofthe shadows. Herds of plain looking commoners crowded the cracked streets of downtown and loud hawking in the far distance added to the cacophony of every day life.
Ivoni took a long inhale, his face untwisting to the acrid stench of feceses and sweat that held providence in this rotting area. He looked at James, "buy yourself some rags, burn your velvet, silk, or whatever you are wearing and find me at that warehouse."
A ashen finger pointed to a boarded up mess of bricks across the street. His pale eyes turned back to James, "maybe forget to shave. Got it?"
James nodded and went to do as the man asked
urukhai