Wren
Ch. 3
Rich arrived at his house, and immediately collapsed onto his bed. His muffled screaming could be heard from half a mile away. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, pondering his situation. I’ve lost my sword. That’s new. That’s great. Someone literally has power over my life and death. I barely have anything to go on, and if I’m right about my hunch, I’ll have even less. He laid for a while, contemplating his lot in life. Alex is gone. Over a year of daily drinking and I still remember him. At least I can afford it. But I wish I knew what he’d been planning. I can’t imagine what it could have been that I wouldn’t have willingly helped with. I suppose it’s better that I don’t. He leaned up and surveyed his room. There were the curtains. Still there. There was his mirror and his chest of drawers. Still there. There was the portrait of himself and Alex, with the latter’s presence charred off. I really should get rid of that. Soon. Shifting in bed, he felt something in his pocket. Reaching in, he could tell it was a folded up parchment. He pulled it out of his pocket and unfolded it.
Tonight, in The Red Lion, located in the Rosedale district, there will be a large man, bald, with a thick beard and a ring on each finger. He will speak with a Osparian accent. Kill him. The next message will be located etched into the bottom of a bench on Claremont Avenue in Bellevue. You will receive your next target there.
P. S. You’ll want a weapon. Magic won’t work.
It was scrawled in multiple different handwritings, smoothly transitioning between them. Shit. Now I really need to consult with Brandon. He got up from his bed and grabbed a dagger from his desk. Finally getting some damn use out of this thing. Barely touched it since… His internal monologue trailed off. He didn’t want to think about the person who meant he no longer used it. He thought about what else he knew. There was the possibility it was a shape changer. But it seemed tenuous at best, and outright contradictory in places.. I guess I should get to the archive. Brandon will be able to help me figure this out. He headed out the door and set out towards the university.