And Then, Like A House Of Cards...

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A drop of water fell.

And then another.

From the crack in that poorly insulated limestone ceiling, I watched as those drops continued to splash in a puddle beside me, taunting my chapped lips with the presence of that which I needed most to survive.

Water.

My chains rattled as I tried to position myself in a way where I could siphon a taste of the stuff, but my efforts went to waste. In fact, the shackles around my wrists dug only deeper into my battered flesh. Meanwhile, blood oozed from the gash above my right eyebrow, rolling down the side of my face and onto my shirt collar.

With bones and spirit broken, I stood chained upright against a wall in Castle Red’s dungeon. My eyes were blank, unfeeling, even as I heard the aforementioned—and insanity-inducing—drips from the ceiling and the pained cries of the other inmates.

Would that I could piece together the machinations of those who had doomed me to these restraints, like that damned dagger thief, but all I knew was: It was a set up, and whoever was out to get me had got me good.

“Your public execution is to be held three days from now, so try not to die until then, street rat. It would be far too merciful an end for the likes of you...”

I heard Captain Grimwick’s chilling voice over and over again in my head as my memories swirled. They were convinced that I had done something truly unforgivable, something that had implications far beyond myself. And perhaps they truly believed it, it sure didn’t look good for me.

But it doesn’t matter now—what I did or didn’t do—my fate is sealed, etched in stone.

I clenched my teeth, moisture welling up in the corners of my eyes, though not quite tears due to the dehydration. Just once I wanted to feel like I had a place here in this awful world, but at every turn it threw me just a little bit more than I could handle until there was nothing left. Not a damn thing.

Now finally, with no collateral to take, it decided my life was just enough to pay the tab. I was powerless to fight against it, and to protect that kid most of all.

“Just my… luck.”

And to think, the morning had started out so well…

…

EARLIER THAT SAME DAY…

Folding my clothes neatly to the side in the changing room, I entered the bathing area as a wave of steam and the smell of exotic soaps hit me. It was in the early hours of the morning before most folks would wake up for their daily chores, and I was enjoying some time to myself.

Not only had I received a small sum of Dān—the local currency—from the guild for delivering Milton’s missive to Captain Grimwick, but the Guildmaster had also given me a free-entry coupon to the local bathhouse, something worth more to me than gold at this point. I remembered how insistent he was, shoving the flyer into my hand.

“Please, by all means, dear boy! Consider it a bonus for all your hard work.”

In truth, he may have received a complaint by other guild members about my hygiene issues, but I wasn’t one to speculate. I certainly wasn’t the only adventurer who struggled with money in any case. To be a member of the guild was to accept odd jobs and contracts to pay the bills, and that sort of income stream had a tendency to dry up without warning.

Reasoning aside, I was just happy to be able to relax for the first time in as long as I could remember. Thankfully this world had some sort of indoor plumbing technology, something about magic water crystals, but I didn’t know the full details nor did I venture to ask. After cleaning myself off in the shower with soap, I approached the bath.

The warm water rushed over my pale skin as I dipped my body in, letting out a groan like an old man. My pecs and arms were covered in scars, proof that I still was alive after countless fights and challenges, and my muscles released a bunch of tension as soon as I hit the water.

“This is more like it.”

If I could start out every day like this, I felt as if my problems could eventually melt away. A good bath could make an idealist out of anyone though. That’s what I thought.

Oddly, it appeared like I wasn’t the only one in the men’s baths at the time, as a tall and muscular young man with blue hair was leaving shortly after I entered. He was seriously jacked, and made my lean physique look downright scrawny in comparison.

We made eye contact as he was leaving, and he gave me a toothy grin along with a polite nod. His crimson eyes smiled along with him, which I thought was an unusual response to seeing me. He stopped mid-step.

Hmm?

“Hey, partner?” The man suddenly said, halfway out the door into the changing room. “You ever had coffee milk?”

““Partner”… Eh?” I couldn’t help but be surprised by his question, and I wasn’t used to anyone addressing me so nonchalantly. “Why?”

“Ah, sorry, I was just curious. So, had it?”

I nodded, it was a staple at some Japanese bathhouses.

“You like it?”

I thought for a moment.

“Yeah, I don’t mind it, I suppose. But anything is good, really.”

I didn’t have the kind of income of someone who should be picky.

“Humu, humu, that so?” The man nodded sagely, like I had given him a satisfactory bit of information. The conversation was strange, by any metric. “Anywho, I’ll catch you around, partner. I have a feeling we’ll meet again before long. Keep your head until then, ‘Kay?”

“My head, what do you—?” Before I could ask him what he meant, he was out the door with another warm look.

When I left the bath, there, on top of my neatly folded clothes, was a glass bottle of coffee milk. I couldn’t help but smile to myself.

“Hmph, what an absurd guy, didn’t even give me his name.” I scoffed, chugging down the drink with a satisfying exhale. “But… thanks, mister, I feel like I can take on the day now.”

Having been energized by a nice bath and a refreshing drink—and no longer smelling of the marketplace—I set out to take care of a few errands before the morning rush.

…

Some time passed as I made my rounds, fighting off a couple of street touts who insisted I needed the kind of services they were selling. However, I wasn’t looking for the comforts that came with that kind of company.

It would take a bit of recouping to make back what I gave to the farmer, but my conscience was clear at the very least. After such a trying evening the day before, I felt like the pep in my step had returned, if only just a bit.

Life in Redrook could be a constant game of give and take. If you gave too much of yourself without thinking—whether it would be at work or just personal favors for others—you were likely to collapse someplace before the good karma redistributed itself back to you.

That’s why I figured, at least I only had myself to worry about. I couldn’t help but feel the ones truly struggling were the folks in this city with families to raise, or massively in debt to others. I had seen them, the “indentured servants”, as many of the merchants called them. A whole class of citizens whose plight the garrison turned a blind eye to, Beggar’s Alley was chock full of them.

I shook my head at the thought. Meanwhile, I had wandered further westward than usual into the edge of the Palace District, but something felt off immediately. A weird fog had begun to set in, and the activity thinned considerably.

“—!” By the time I heard the groan, I was already on my back and struggling for my life.

The monster, a zombie, tried to make a meal of me then and there while I was still dazed. Its salivating mouth snapped at my neck, and its eyes were a blank white, devoid of any life.

Fucking hell!?

I tried to fight it off as I slid up against a brick wall, but it was absurdly strong for something built so gauntly and rotting. There were sightings of undead in the Residential District the day before, but that was on the other end of town. Did they miss one? That was my first thought.

“Let go… you slimy bastard!”

Its bony arms pressed me into the ground as I grimaced in pain, frantically searching for something to gain the upper hand with. Unfortunately, I was still unarmed after the Garrison confiscated my shiv, but divine intervention found me when my fingers clasped around a loose brick from the wall behind me.

“Take this!!” I pulled it out and swung as hard as I could, grunting as I did.

“URRGH!!!” The creature cried out, loosening its grip on me.

After bashing the skull of the zombie once with the brick, I disoriented it enough to trade positions. With my knee now in its chest, I repeatedly caved the monster's head in, spattering its putrid blood on my face until it finally stopped moving. I had survived the harrowing ordeal.

Gasping for breath, I pulled myself to my feet, brick still in-hand. Spinning around, I didn’t immediately spot any other zombies, but I couldn’t be too sure that there weren’t any just yet. I wondered, hands on my hips, how there could be undead here of all places. The Garrison should have this district locked down tight as it’s their most important jurisdiction.

The wealthiest of Redrook’s high society lived here, no friends of mine, but I figured they warranted more protection from the perspective of the Garrison. However, a realization hit me as I recalled something Milton said after I asked him how things had wrapped up with yesterday’s undead problem.

“… Yes, we were able to clear out all the undead, dear boy, but the perpetrator left a concerning note behind threatening further action in the Residential District today. Shady business, that, but what do you think?”

What DO I think?

I only shrugged back then, but as a result of the threat, the Garrison increased its guard presence in the Residential District tenfold, leaving other areas of the city vulnerable. There also seemed to be additional resources diverted to the Northern District after a similar notice was found where the fire golem was defeated, outside the Institute.

“Me, you ask? Why, I believe it may be a diversion—a rather obvious one—but the Captain was not so convinced by my hunch. How many will suffer for his pride, I wonder? I seem to recall his shortsightedness throwing some important people into harm's way before, but you didn’t hear it from me…”

The Royal Family is what he likely meant, which I also figured from the way Grimwick’s former vice captain was thrown under the bus. After that, Milton told me to stay vigilant and report anything that I found odd.

The Guildmaster was as sharp as anyone, if he believed this was some sort of conspiracy, then I had no choice but to believe the same. But without much of a guard presence in the surrounding area, the residents of the Palace District could be in real danger, even if the castle itself was locked down air-tight.

The Adventurer’s Guild was too far away to run to for help, and as much as I hated to admit it, there was only one person I could go to in this situation as he rarely ever left his post outside Castle Red. That, of course, was Captain Grimwick himself.

“Geez, what a pain in the ass this has turned out to be.”

If only he listened to the Guildmaster from the beginning, this might not have happened, but we were past that. I needed to warn him so he could put a force together to protect the district, since I could do little by myself with a brick and good intentions.

As I approached Castle Red, my worst fears were realized. A whole pod of zombies were alerted by my presence as I stepped into the main square, many of whom were wearing the clothes of the district’s denizens, and feasting on their own people. Meanwhile, survivors ran by me frantically, trying to escape with their lives.

Damn it… I was too late!

The zombies suddenly charged, leaving me no other option than to fight them, though they wore the faces of people I had seen before in passing. Putting them down would be unsettling, but there was no way around it.

“Nothing personal, everyone.”

I ducked the grasp of the first zombie, the fattened corpse of a nobleman, or what was left of one. I kicked his shin, bringing him to a knee, and slammed the brick down on his head, ending the threat swiftly. But I was far from clear of danger.

The others quickly overwhelmed me, even as I took down another, and forced me back, closer to the shadow of Castle Red. I expected them to give chase, but as soon as I approached the drawbridge—which was down for some reason—the zombies stared at me with their beady eyes, unmoving, before turning around and losing interest in me entirely.

I don’t know how I expected them to behave, but the zombies that attacked me defied popular conventions and my expectations besides. They reacted as if they had a set territory, and crossing outside of it was out of the question, like you might see in an MMORPG.

“A boundary line?”

The fog also lifted almost instantly, returning the overcast sky and streaks of sunlight to the area around me. I couldn’t dodge the unsettling feeling that hit me as soon as I ventured into the Palace District, though. In fact, it was even more prevalent the closer I got to Castle Red.

Can’t lose my nerve now, not after sticking my neck on the line for this.

I could say that in my head, but I was a bit out of my element, wasn’t I? And who did I think I was, the “brick hero”?

Wouldn’t want that to stick. But Milton wouldn’t back down, and I’m a real member of the guild now… It's time I acted like one.

Shaking any hesitation from my mind, I crossed over the drawbridge. I normally wouldn’t be allowed inside castle grounds, but since I had a good enough reason, I’d ignored the risks. The guard station wasn’t very far into the compound either, so it was a short sprint there.

Nobody accosted me outside the barracks as I strolled up, which was unusual. Normally I’d have been in cuffs already by the pricks. Knocking loudly on the door, I tried repeatedly to get someone’s attention but the door was locked and nobody answered on the other side. What’s more, the entire compound seemed to be abandoned.

“Not a soul, what’s going on here…?“ I muttered. “Yo! Anybody there!?”

My shouts were met with only echoes of my own making, and the sound of birds cawing. Buzzard-like reptilian creatures also circled overhead, drawn in by the scent of death. Finally I heard something that sounded like a person, but it sent a shiver up my spine.

“AHHH, HELP ME!”

A shrill scream, from a young woman or child, echoed into the mid-morning air. It originated from closer to the entrance of the castle. Without thinking too much about it, I rushed in that direction, hoping I might get there before it was too late this time.

I gasped.

“It is a kid!”

Laying flat on their face was the body of a child, or perhaps a person much smaller than I was, in a pool of their own blood.

“Oi, are you alright!?” Panicked, I ran to their side, grabbing their shoulders. However, there was no response. “No, kid, stay with me! Shit…”

What do I do???

I saw a tiny bit of movement, which prompted me to flip the kid over gently, but when I did…

“Prince… Nou…?”

I would recognize this doll-like face, freckles, and well-kept strawberry hair anywhere. The subject of reverence, beloved throughout all the Kingdom for his wisdom and kindness at such a young age, even well outside of Redrook. The last hope of a dying nation… was now dying in my arms. And what’s more, and perhaps the most damning detail…

“—!”

My eyes widened. Khorag’s dagger—The Ashen Fang—the one I had stolen from me before, protruded from his gut.

“This is bad… really bad…”

The prince’s eyes were open, but not in focus as he stared at me, his life force draining away. I was no doctor, and so there was little I could do to stop a chest bleed besides applying pressure around the wound. With a conflicted look, I removed the dagger, setting it down. Tearing off a piece of my shirt, I pressed it against the wound but the blood continued to flow.

This is all my fault… If I hadn’t been so careless, then maybe…

“The Kingdom in danger… please….” Feebly, the prince whispered, lifting his arm and pointing out something behind me.

As I followed his gaze, I saw a flash of white as something like the spectre of a lion hit me, an attack that knocked me well away from the prince. Blood poured down my forehead, clouding my vision as a huge gash opened up above my eyebrow.

“Surround him, men, don’t let the street rat escape!”

Still wavering, I scrambled to my feet, trying to get away, but the Royal Garrison’s soldiers were closing in on me.

I knew how it looked. A bloodied delinquent, a dagger, and a dead prince. My situation was grave.

I narrowly avoided the hands of a guard, and took off sprinting towards the exit. However…

“GACK—!” My head suddenly pounded as I fell to one knee, pain raging across my body. It felt as though my capillaries were on fire. “You asshole…”

“Savor that feeling, street rat. It’s my otherworlder ability, Providence.” Captain Grimwick suddenly appeared in front of me, piercing me with his blue gaze. “The stronger the defiance of my target, the more damage their body takes. Perfect for someone like you. And after I told you to keep your nose clean…”

“You mean… you too…?” I grabbed the area around my chest. “You have it… all wrong… I—!”

I hardly felt the kick to the side of my head as I was out, the world fading into black.

“Save it for the block.”