Chapter 45: Chapter 43: Meanwhile, back at the inn

“Do not push! The fastest way to leave town is to take the left hand road and go straight down it without stopping!” The old innkeeper yelled at the top of his voice as patrons and maids ran towards the door. Several of his strongest employees stood by to make sure people proceeded through in an orderly manner without trampling one another. “Keep your heads down and don’t run alone! I don’t know what’s out there but it’s safer to go in groups!” His throat was dry and cracked from yelling. He turned his gaze over to the stairs that lead to the second floor. “You five, keep the line in order!” He barked.

Limbs creaking and cracking, he pushed through the crowd to head for the stairs. He had kept count of those coming out and realized he was short several inn guests. Specifically, the rich boy and his strange entourage.

Still as he ran up the stairs as fast as he could, he opened every door in the hall, each empty except for whatever items the person staying could not carry with them. He noted with some consternation more than a few decorative vases were gone. “Of all the things to take,” he shook his head as he opened another door. The fire looked like a false sunrise in the distance and he felt his shriveled heart drop slightly in his chest.

He opened the door of the rich boy’s room, and then paused.

It was clearly dried, but there was still a terrible amount of blood staining it. He expected bodies but instead there was only a small pig sitting inside with its snout resting on a doll and its body curled up on some bloodied blankets. The pig lifted its head to look at him, snorting almost sadly before it got up on its trotters and turned its head towards the window. It looked like stars were beginning to fall towards the fire.

Huffing, the old man stepped away from the door and shook his head. Where ever the rich young man and his friends were, they were certainly not in his inn.

He checked the last three rooms, all of which were empty of people. He sighed in relief and turned around to rush back down the hall. As he ran, he noticed that the door of the first room beside the stairs was bulging strangely. Time slowed to a crawl as the wood flexed outwards, then burst into several large chunks as a bear-like skinless creature tumbled through. It howled in agony with the voice of an old woman as he shrieked in terror. It turned a too-human like face towards him and sank heavy talons into the ground as it righted itself.

The old innkeeper scrambled backwards, nearly tripping over himself as the monstrous sight began to plod slowly towards him.

Its jaws dribbled steaming saliva that dripped heavily with each step, deep inset eyes filled with pain and madness glared at him. He was already imagining its sharp fangs crunching into his brittle old bones with the monster suddenly screeched in pain, rearing up and toppling over itself as it clawed at its face. The dark shaft of an arrow sprouted from its hand, pinning it to the monster’s face. The thing shuddered, then went still. Then suddenly its face seemed to implode, pieces of scorched bone and flesh splattering over the wall.

A hand forced the old man back onto his feet and shoved him forward.

“What are you doing, you old fuck?! Start running!”

The innkeeper did not question the voice or look back; instead he ran faster than he ever had in his sixty seven years of life.

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Once he hit the ground floor running he was still pleased to see his employees waiting for him and everyone else gone despite his fear. “Come on! We got to leave!” He ordered.

“Boss we heard noises upstairs!”

“That’s why we’re leaving!”

 

As the innkeeper and his remaining employees fled the inn, a youth wobbled down the steps, leaning against the wall for support. The brief moment of adrenaline had been spent saving the old man and they found it hard to walk on two legs again. They clutched a bow and a doll tightly to themselves, hissing a little in frustration as they squeezed the wood and flexed their fingers around the doll.

“Fucking. Useless. Stupid.”

Amber eyes swept over the empty inn and then the opened door. Occasionally a person would flash by, running, pulling carts or carrying someone else. The smell of burning wood and flesh was faint but noticeable.

They hit the last step and felt their foot twitch in pain. Yelping they fell over on the ground, grunting in pain. Taking a deep breath they got back onto their feet and made the last few steps to the threshold of the building before falling to their knees and looking up at the starry sky. “Yeah! Sure taught me a thing, didn’t you!?” They yelled to the Heavens. “Thanks for lifting the fucking punishment due to ‘extreme circumstances’, you couldn’t have done that earlier when the demon appeared? Or when she was shoving me through a window!? I could have done something! I’m going to work for your brother after this because at least he’s not an uptight stupid asshole who gets offended if I don’t serve the fucking dessert right! Fuck!”

They wanted to spit blood and vomit in rage but instead just glared up at the mocking stars. A few more streaks of light fell downwards. As the lights came closer and closer, they resolved themselves into the shapes of young women in pale traveling clothes with weapons in hand. The very air around them seemed calmer, despite their rapid descent.

Staring up at the girls, they worked through their memories before their mouth opened slowly. “...Oh, Lady Gu’s disciples,” they muttered. The disciples were probably called upon to stop whatever unnatural catastrophe the city was currently grappling with.
Their eyes looked upon the doll and after a long moment of feeling their insides twist in a mixture of shame, guilt, and rage, they placed it in their sleeve. “The White Flame can probably handle himself,” they told themselves, turning on their heel. “If anyone can find out where Zhu Er is, it’ll be Lady Gu.” Behind they heard a shrieking cry. The thing had already recovered and the sound of its heavy steps thudded through the inn.

They realized now would be a good time to make themselves scarce and started running down the abandoned street with half a plan in their head and a pig-headed determination to save their friend.

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