“Well aren’t you something”
The peddler approaches me as I rest on the ground. His lanky arms grab the mannequin''s limbs and pops them off its joints; it was quite the swift task. Unravelling his carpet of many things, he plops to the ground and crosses his arms.
“Hmm… here, have this.”
He tosses me an odd vial and takes 2 limbs from the pile. Cautiously observing the vial, I look over and ask,
“What’s this?”
“Helps with exhaustion. Drink up.”
His eerie grin maintains its smirk as his voice mellows out. Popping the vial, I give a moment of hesitation before tasting. It had an odd fruity taste, which lingers like perfume. I glance back and forth at the peddler and shrug.
“Guess it’s safe.”
Downing the rest in one go, I gag a bit. Its syrupy, slimy texture lingering on my tongue. After a few moments, my limbs stop aching. I let out a yawn and walk over to the peddler.
“So, what’s the reward?”
I ask as the peddler strokes his chin. Rummaging around his bag, he tosses me a single glove.
“You’re going to need this. There’s a pair to it, but I lost it in the tunnels.”
“What does it do?”
I inquired, curious about the fancy patterns stitched within the silk. The peddler lets out a horrid, drawn out laugh.
“You’ll know when it activates. It’ll glow.”
I give an unsatisfied look as he maintains his smile and shrugs.
“Fine, if you must know, it’ll block an attack.”
Nodding, I look around at more wares. A few strange vials, an odd clockwork ball, a few rolled-up scrolls, and a bunch of other trinkets. Besides the clockwork ball, nothing else catches my interest.
“What’s this ball?”
I ask the peddler who stares off at the wall. Sounds of laughter clatter its way out his form. Shrugging, I turn around and head towards the settlement.
A musty scent lingers in the air as a light as bright as the sun hangs overhead. An intense weight of Deja vu twists in my stomach as I walk down the main road. The decrepit houses feel strangely familiar.
clover...
A faint voice calls my name. But nobody was there. With a shrug, I traverse around, keeping my attention on alert. There was something off to this place.
Creak, Creak, Creak...
A group of mannequins turn the corner. Quickly moving into an alleyway, I wait for them to pass by. After they cross the alleyway, I run past them without looking back.
In the distance, a lonesome mannequin sat on a wooden crate. A red cloak drapes over its shoulder with a quarterstaff resting on top of that.
“Ah, well aren’t you a familiar face… How long has it been?”
The mannequin’s voice peek out from his emotionless face. His words held recognition to them.
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“Who are you?”
A slight irritation was in my voice. Why do all these figures know me?
“I’m Pedro. It’s been too long it seems.”
Pedro stands up, towering above me and reaches out his hand. Accepting the gesture, his cold hand shakes mine.
“Keep your head up young one, for the others have gone astray.”
He turns around and sits back on the wooden crate. Nodding, I go on ahead.
The path leads into a center, where a stone pillar stands upright with houses surrounding it. Approaching, I notice familiar drawings etched onto the stone.
“Didn’t I draw this?”
My fingers brush over the lines that made up a silly drawing. A few words were etched beneath it.
For the world that forgot, for the world that remembered… I will return from the nothingness once more…
Was there something wrong with my heart? I shrug and grasp the headless spear and remember Khalid’s words
Take good care of that spear, will ya?
Suddenly, my glove shimmers a bright green as the quarterstaff vanishes from my hand. Clang! A metallic ring fills the air as I turn around. The staff had intercepted an attack! Unable to maintain its hover, the staff falls to the ground as the light fades away. Taking this chance, I snatch up the staff and bolt.
The road ahead was not so linear. Wreckages laid on the ground, and even a house was destroyed! My ears catch the sounds of skittering. I scan my surroundings, shaking off the creeping unease and push forward.
“Over here, hurry!”
Something calls out to me as the ground starts rumbling. Pushing off the ground, I run towards the voice. Suddenly, an arm sticks out of the ground.
“What even is that?”
I turn around and ask the voice. My face pales as my eyes look at the voice. A pile of heads sat in the odd corner, its soulless eyes darting around aimlessly.
“If it isn’t Clover! Truly thought we’d never see you again.”
A head speaks up, acting out a female voice.
“Indeed, when we heard you escaped, we were ecstatic!”
A male voice speaks out from the pile.
“What even are you?”
I step back in disgust as they clatter a hideous noise.
“We’re what remains of this place. Ever since the others went rogue.”
An aged voice answers as the others clatter around.
“I hate to request this, but please save us from this hell!”
A young voice pleads. Taken aback, a pain ached at my chest as I ask,
“How can I help?”
The heads clatter around some more, filling the air with cicada-like noise.
“You have to unlock the Mage tower up ahead!”
They all chant chaotically. Their voices rise in a frenzied chant, shrieking like a murder of crows. Suddenly, the ground rumbles slightly and they all fall silent.
“Go now!”
A hush elderly voice speaks out as I dash out of that strange encounter.
Weaving past the wreckages, I carefully make my way around this time. One could only imagine what was below the surface. Was it a worm? Or something much more grotesque? I shake off my curiosity and look around me.
The buildings were noticeably damaged, and the stone walls had eroded away. A lone mannequin stands up ahead holding a very odd posture. Getting closer, I hold my ground as its limbs creak and shake.
Like a stringed puppet, it tugs its arms up and down, bouncing in a rhythmic pattern. Suddenly, its arms drop to its side and its head snaps towards me. Bowing down, the mannequin extends its arm as if inviting me to a dance.
“That’s odd, but what’s the catch?”
I think as I look around. No danger in sight. Hesitantly, I accept the gesture.With a harsh tug, its arm locks around me, forcing us into an odd posture. In the distance, a crowd forms around us.
“Shit”
I attempt to pry out, but its grip remains rigid. Without warning, its arms yank me into a waltz.
One two three, I stumble over my own feet.
Two two three, I learn to mimic its flowing steps.
Three two three, clatter fills the air as we twirl across the floor.
Each movement quickens, as rocks fly around us. Before I know it, the waltz becomes a tango. Sometimes I twirl in place. Other times, It throws me low to the ground. The dance comes to an abrupt halt, and I gasp for air.
Huff, puff,
I glance up to mannequins surrounding us, each one gripping a weapon.
With a nod of acknowledgement, the mannequin swings me off my feet as a quarterstaff shatters the tiles below. I land in a tight posture and twirl, readjusting my balance. A sudden tug pulls me towards it as a spear thrusts behind me. After a few swift steps, we waltz around the incoming attacks.
A dagger there, a sword here, I hold my trust with my dance partner as we weave past the chaos and clutter. Before I knew it, the ever-flowing dance halts, and it let go of its grip.
I collapse to the ground as my quivering legs beg for rest. My breath falters, exhaustion pressing at my chest.
Creak creak,
The dancing mannequin bowed down and froze in place. Looking around, it was quite an odd scene. Everything held still, from the first quarterstaff attack to the final bow. The exhilarating life of the dance had vanished away. Crawling back, I stood up and kept my eyes towards the mannequins, waiting for them to move. But to my disappointment, the show had already ended.