Zane felt like being productive today. After all, he could easily go through his life lazing about the whole time and doing nothing at all, but when it came down to it the world revolved around jewels, something that he actually had to put effort into to obtain.Walking over to Era's fine quest board, Zane took a look at the selection and... nothing of interest, really. Zane sighed. He was tired of just doing jobs that involved scrubbing floors in some random diner or getting a cat out of a tree. He didn't want a challenge, just... something more interesting, he supposed. Sulking through the streets of Era at his lack of fun work, he couldn't help but hear some rumors. A cursed child, roaming the streets of Era somewhere. Now this sounded like something he could really dig into...

Zane had to admit that he leaned on a couple of walls to eavesdrop on some of these rumors, but in the end he didn't get much. While Zane wasn't the most frequent quest-taker, he knew that usually a good place to gather more info on something like this was a bar. Luckily there was one just down the block, filled with a fair amount of people but not quite enough to be too crowded that he couldn't hear a thing. He decided that he should just try to question everyone in the bar about it. As per usual with Zane, he started off with a pretty girl, perhaps on purpose... still, maybe she knew something?


256 Words

Just as the blonde man turned away, Faye stepped up closer to the wide, neatly arranged request board. It was near empty at that time of the day and she found herself frowning just by looking at the list of other boring jobs with no merit or interest. Eventually, she turned away and walked down the street, heading straight down to the bar she walked past only a few moments ago. It was something she just happened to overhear earlier but the whole town was talking about some sort of curse and a child. There wasn’t much information to go about it but Faye did, for one, know that she would find her clues in a bar.

Ten minutes later, she was already sitting at the counter observing the variety of people coming in and out, especially looking towards the bar owner in hopes of catching his attention. She realized this earlier but without Hana by her side, it was just too difficult to start up a conversation anymore. But as she was about to get over herself and speak, another voice interrupted her from the side and Faye quickly turned her attention back to a tall, skinny looking male with blonde hair.

She frowned. Was he asking around about the cursed child too? “Wait,” Faye almost grabbed at the sleeves of the young man. “You are talking about the curse-“

“The cursed child!” Came a strong, heavy voice from behind. Behind them was someone Faye only knew in name and profession. Gaud Teller, a travelling merchant that is currently settled in Era. And he seemed quite interested to share something with the two of them.
276

Well, it certainly didn’t take too long for his conversation with the beautiful woman to be interrupted. Just as she started to speak, a merchant who Zane barely recognized had butted in on their conversation. Zane hadn’t actually met him or anything like that, but he knew him from afar in many of the towns he visited.

"Yeah, do you happen to know anything?" Zane inquired, Gaud Teller stroking his beard a bit as he would recall some info. "Yes, I do... if I recall, I've been overhearing some things about a child somewhere in Era capable of using a frightening dark magic, most likely able to kill anyone. And it has killed, just a while ago in fact, meaning it's become the talk of the town."

Zane blinked. He didn't realize things were this serious. "Well then, if someone's actually died, this is definitely a story that needs to be looked into as soon as possible." Gaud nodded in response to Zane's comment, a concerned look on his face. "We need to figure this out for the sake of all of Era. I've got a hefty sum in for you and the girl if you can manage to solve this all before someone ends up getting hurt." Zane put his hand on his chin, looking to the girl. Would she be able to help? Still, he couldn't help but want to have someone to help out with the task, especially a pretty girl like her.. so, Zane asked. "Would you be up for helping each other figure this out? I'm Zane, by the way."

521 Words

Faye listened quietly for a long time to the conversation between Gaud and the other man. While they were discussing, Faye was already mapping out and connecting the rumors with the other fragments of information Gaud was telling them. It was horrific hearing about some child going around and killing people. Subconsciously, it made her think of her own depressing childhood. She, too, like the young traveler, was determined to get to the bottom of these rumors.

So when they both turned to her seeking to know whether she would help out, Faye immediately voiced out a yes. “I initially came here to see what this rumor was about anyway. Hearing about it from you, I am even more interested in what this is all about. Are we really looking for a child? It sounds cruel but perhaps there is more to all of this…” And as Faye trailed off with her thoughts again, Gaud was smiling at both of them. He finally found a couple of mages willing to seek information out for him. Thus he did not spare another minute and quickly wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it over to her.

“Here, this is the address of a man that can provide further details about the situation. I suggest you go quickly but be careful,” Gaud informed them as Faye took just one look at the paper and gestured for the young man to go with her. Again, Faye found it a little difficult to be vocal about things, but decided that if they were going to be doing this together, he might as well know her name.

“I’m Faye. You…are?”

553

The girl’s voice was soft and weak, something that was a mix of both cute and somewhat worrying to Zane. Regardless, the two of them had been setup to take on this task together, and so they were given this piece of paper with an address to check out. Based on what Zane knew of Era, it was in the northern end of town, which would certainly take a little bit of time to get to.... oh well, it was worth the walk. Smiling over to his partner, Zane gestured her to follow her outside as he spoke. "Nice to meet you, Faye." he said, opening up the door of the bar to the streets of the city. "I'm glad you'll be with me. I think the location is a little under 10 minutes North of here." he noted, heading up the street in the direction of the address.

As he walked, Zane though to perhaps make some small talk with the girl. She seemed a bit timid, but she was pretty attractive... and even if in a different universe she wasn't attractive, Zane was still one to make conversation regardless. "So, have you been in Era a while, Faye?" he asked, figuring this was also a good way to see how much the girl knew of town. Someone like Zane traveled so much that he was very familiar with many of the towns in Fiore, but he knew there we some out there who were not quite as fortunate. "Don't worry though, I know this place quite well."

780

Faye appreciated Zane’s help with the directions a lot. As much as of a traveler Faye was, it was still her first time in Era. At the start of her journey Faye had spent way too much time in Orchidia and along with all the other incidents that took place over there, she was stuck in the same town for over a month or two. It felt nice to be out and traveling again although she gravely missed her little puppet, Hana.

“It is my first time here. I have only heard of this city. It is just as it is in the rumors; Rune Knights are EVERYWHERE” She emphasized the last word, wrinkling her nose a little as if she hated just thinking about it. In a way, she really was not all that fond of those self-righteous pricks –not saying that there were not any nice ones.

“So I’m assuming you are a traveler, too? You must know more than me…I was stuck in Orchidia for a while” Faye looked over to him, automatically matching her steps with his as she walked. They were almost there at their destination, just a few more minutes away. “Do you really think it is a child that is doing all of this?” Faye asked, throwing out a puzzle she was turning on her own in her head. It was hard to believe yet not at all strange in their sort of world. Whatever it was, Faye just hoped this man they were meeting would have some good information for them to work with.

816

She seemed to not like the Rune Knights. While Zane didn't really have anything against the group, he had to admit that they were not fun to deal with sometimes. In Era especially... sometimes it felt like they were practically breathing down your neck at every single moment you were in the town. Definitely a bit stressing, though Zane didn't really have anything to hide either. "Yeah, that's about the best way to sum up Era." he noted, nodding in agreement with a smile grin on his face. "Ah, yeah, I've been almost everywhere in Fiore. I know a lot of the places like the back of my hand by now, even if there are some places I only visited for the first time rather recently - like Astera, for example."

Was it really a child doing this? Zane had his own take on it, even with the limited amount of info he had. He too was cursed, though in a different way than the child in the rumors. "I'd say that the child's just carrying around the curse with them is my guess. I doubt they're actively seeking out victims.. most likely the curse is just passively harming those around them." he said, as he looked at the paper again. They had gotten to the street. "The address is on this street, house number 37. Keep a lookout for it." he said, as his eyes scanned the many residential, little houses on the block. A lot of them were nice and colorful, making the street look kind of cute, which just made it even more eerie when you considered the fact they went here to hunt down a child who was using dark magic to kill people, supposedly.

1069

Faye more or less had the same theory as Zane. It was difficult to believe a child doing it on his or her own accord. Something must be affecting them and consequently causing such disaster. She was voicing her agreement with him as they reached the residential block.

“37…37…” she chanted absentmindedly, scanning over the golden colored numbers over little square plates above the house doors. “37!” She pointed at a building almost at the end of the street. It was oddly smaller than the other houses around the block and seemed to hold a strange aura on its own. Gaud had not told them much, but just as they were leaving he did say they should be careful. Faye did not know why he would especially say that but as the two of them made their way over to the house, Faye felt stranger and stranger, just as her frown deepened.

Stopping right in front of the door, Faye gave Zane a look before bringing a hand up and ringing the bell. They waited for several seconds until Faye once again ran out of patience and pressed a finger to the bell once more. Something clicked and clattered inside but no one came out or said anything. “Is no one home?” She finally raised her voice, perhaps the first time she said something that sounded like more than just a whisper.

“Ju-just a minute!” A muffled voice replied and more clattering noises later, someone finally opened the door so very little that only a thin strip of sunlight entered the darkness inside. “Yes?”

1,080

Luckily it turned out that Faye had a much better eye than Zane, as she was able to find the house while Zane was having no luck. "Nice!" Zane said, moving up to her as the two approached the house. It definitely seemed a bit different from the other houses on the block. There was an eerie sensation as Zane approached it.. the house also looked quite a bit more run down than the other ones on the street as well. It wasn't a dump or anything, but it looked as though it had not received much love or care in recent years when it came to upholding the physical state of the building. At this point, even Zane felt a little oppressed from the vibes the structure in front of them was giving off. His heart even started to beat a little bit faster. Zane didn't even notice that Faye had already rung the bell... not a good look, to be scared in front of some random house next to the pretty girl. Oh well...

The door opened, though just barely. Even if it was only a little, Zane could see the man's face - it looked infected, like his skin was different than normal. "We're here to talk about the cursed child that's been the talk of the town. We heard you may know something." Zane noted, as the man opened the door a bit more, showing that his face was spreading with whatever infection was causing his skin to look so weird. Zane tried his best to look cool, no matter how gross it looked. "Come in..." the man said, gesturing the two of the mages to walk in and discover whatever it was the man wanted to show or tell them in there. Hell, maybe it was a trap? Zane made sure to be on his guard, just in case. Perhaps the cursed child was just around the corner...

Should the two decide to go in the house, the man would shut the door behind him. The house was even worse on the inside than it was on the outside. The impression that Zane got was that this man was barely surviving on a financial level. "This way.." he said, as Zane nodded to Faye. The two went to his living room, being gestured to sit on a run-down couch. Well, it was better than nothing...

Sitting down on the couch, Zane spoke. "So, is there something you can tell us? We'd appreciate anything you know about the subject. The cursed child is getting dangerous nowadays." Zane noted. Zane was also curious about the infection the man had on his face... was it related to the child in any way? Still, it was a bit too early to ask. He had to take this one step at a time. He hoped that Faye would follow his lead - though he didn't worry too much on that, as it seemed the girl was a natural at this. He didn't really have any issues when it came to working with her.

1580

Faye was taken aback by the man’s appearance. It was infected with red spots covering almost all of his face. It looked inflamed and in very bad condition – inarguably a terrible nightmare if it affected a woman. So she took one step back behind Zane and only proceeded while keeping ample distance between herself and the man. She did not know yet whether it would spread or not, even if it was perhaps part of the curse they were investigating about.

He must have sensed her hesitation to be near him since he seemed to consciously indulge Faye with the amount of distance she wanted between them. This in turn reassured Faye that this man was good. He was clearly not very well off financially. The whole house was rundown and the furniture looked extremely weary. He seemed to be a vendor of sorts, Faye gathered from the sort of things she saw lying around his house. There were all sorts of things packaged and piled up around the corners.

As Zane and the man spoke, Faye listened, nodded and then began voicing her own doubts. After listening to Zane, the man looked somewhat depressed. He sighed and turned his face away as if he was thinking of something he did not want to.

“I did not think it was getting so out of hand. I have also heard the rumors.” He twiddled around with his fingers, carefully choosing his words. “Honestly, I do not know much about it either. At least, I don’t know how it all began. I can only tell you what happened to me. I’m afraid the rest is up to the two of you.”

Faye nodded, more or less understanding that this topic was uncomfortable for him. However, they needed more information. So far, they do not even know who or what this child is, or where he or she is from. All they had was some concerned rumors and fragmented information. Knowing that she could not just directly invade into his mind, Faye decided she will let him talk on his own. So as if carrying out a casual conversation, Faye asked, “Mr. what happened to your face?”

Faye lightly tapped the side of her own, gesturing to what she was talking about. Not until the question was asked did she wonder if it was too rude of her to just directly enquire about it. But the man did not seem to mind. He only seemed sadder, and also frightened.

“This…is because of that child, too. I was only visiting the orphanage like I always do…I don’t know how I offended her…” He rubbed the side of his face while speaking, clearly reminiscing the way his originally good enough appearance turned so hideous. Faye was at a loss too. She clearly did not want to poke her nose into something he did not want to disclose yet she was so sure that he knew about exactly what they needed to hear. Perhaps a location or a name or anything.

1,585

Zane did noticed on how Faye chose to stand behind him. It actually made him feel pretty good with himself, though he tried not to develop an ego or anything. Then again, for all he knew, this girl was much stronger than him - similar to Kaiser. Now was not the time to worry about that though. What was really important was information, and the man gave it. It seemed like the issue with his face was caused by the cursed child as well.. scary. Still though, if they were going to track down the child they needed to know where it was the man ran into the child. "So, where did you encounter the child?" Zane asked, the man grumbling. "There's an orphanage in the western part of town. It's the only one in that area, so you can't miss it. That's where the kid was.. I was just trying to drop off some supplies to help the kids that live there, and then..." he put his head down, clearly stressed from telling the story. Zane decided that he knew enough, putting an end to the man's stress here.

"Perfect, that's all we needed to know. I promise you we'll get to the bottom of this." Zane said, with the man nodding. "Thank you...and good luck." standing up from the couch, Zane gestured for Faye to follow him on the way out. It seemed the orphanage was their next stop if they wanted to go and hunt down this cursed child.

Once the two were outside, Zane leaned against the wall of the house on the outside. "So, Faye, it seems like the orphanage is most definitely where the child is. You wanna go check it out now?" he asked, walking down the steps of the porch. "I have to admit, it feels nice to have you with me. Somehow I feel like this is going to work out, regardless of how creepy this whole situation is." Looking up to Faye once he was at the bottom of the porch stairs, Zane spoke again. "So, you with me?"

Should Faye answer yes, the two would figure out their plan of attack on the orphanage. It was only August, but it already felt like October with how spooky this entire situation was. Zane didn't mind a good ghost story, but he had to admit that he wasn't a fan of living in one. Still though, if it meant a pretty girl could walk behind him for protection again, well... he didn't mind in the end.

2004
Exit

Faye did not fully expect that. An orphanage? So the child they were dealing with must have been one of the children there. Now that made this even trickier. If they went to investigate it and something bad happened, both Zane and her would be held accountable for what happened. Not to mention the Rune Knights have a tendency not to listen to rhyme or reason when it comes to things like this. They would have to be discreet and get the job done with as minimal damage as possible. Just thinking about it made Faye’s head hurt. She initially thought it would be an interesting job but now it is just a plain pain in the neck.

As they finished their conversation, Faye gave the middle aged man a slight bow and followed Zane out. Just as she went out, Faye noticed the frightened look on the man’s eyes as he closed the door. Perhaps he remembered things he did not want to or maybe he thought something bad would befall him because he told them about the cursed child. Faye did not know and she did not care to know. She just wanted to get things over with. All she could gather from his story and facial expressions were that this child, whoever it is, is pretty much dangerous. Whether she is doing it consciously or not, she has been attacking people and other children left and right.

“There is no other choice,” Faye answered. “We would just have to check it out. It’s not like we can leave it alone now that we have gotten this far. I assume we should be careful, however…” She trailed off again, one of her signature traits at this point.

She was back in her thoughts, absentmindedly following Zane’s footsteps. They were going to check out the orphanage next and the day was almost at its end…what a creepy investigation this will soon turn out to be. Faye shook her head, cleared up her mind, and just walked forward. “I’m glad I’m not alone in this either. It would have been such a drag to do alone,” she honestly answered.

Yes, she certainly did not want to be doing this alone. That would have been crazy. Just from finding that man alone, Faye was creeped out. His infection –caused by the child- kept flashing in her mind. What kind of power was it? Just dark magic? Or was it really some kind of curse? It did not seem ordinary. Faye would have to be careful if it came to an actual fight. For one, she certainly did not want her face to be ruined with an infection. And secondly, she did not want to have to hurt a kid. Finally, she hated anything like this; dark magic, children, eerie atmosphere. It just gave her flashbacks of things she wished to forget. What an annoyance this is…Anyhow, they will just have to get to the bottom of it. The man earlier was kind enough to reward them just for listening to him anyway, so now it was also a duty to fix this.

2106

-Exit-