“Teehee?”

She…actually stopped?

Corpse arms hang in the air, all around the boat, floating dark phantasmic flesh ribbons.

[Stormy Breeze of My Loneliness, Gather Forth-Gust]

Channeling spirals of wind twist under my fingers, forming mini-tornados in the mist. I keep the spell at the ready, watching the Stranger’s back. My gaze is drawn towards the strange black chain hanging from his gloved hand. Jasi had that…what is it? I realize that my heart has been pounding so hard it might break a rib. One of the Demi-boys has literally fainted on the spot. Meera hesitates, unsure what to do now that the Witch has stopped attacking. Her grip is tight on my left arm. As for Echo, she slowly lets go of my other arm and takes a step back. For some reason, her angry roar keeps ringing in my head. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard the Stranger’s lieutenant raise her voice.

“Leave them!”

“They’re too weak to survive…”

*Plop*

*Plop*

*Plop*

Abruptly, the many corpse arms sink back into the water. For a second, the surface is still. And then that writhing nightmarish figure appears again. The Flesh Witch. A beautiful dancing zombie of flesh and bleached bone, pretending to be a real girl. She rises up from the murky water and I’m reminded of a rotting flower growing atop a grave. Flailing corpse arms caress her slim white body like undead roots. The dangling eyeballs under her Witch’s hat bounce about in random directions, dripping green preservative. They lock onto the Stranger and her head snaps towards him. She raises one of her arms and speaks. The goat skull, she wears as a helmet, clacks its jaws as if to punctuate her words-

“Dead rats…cannot claim contracts.”

*CLACK*

“Heeheee…hurry up! Stop waiting! Fight! Try to live!”

*CLACK*

“Why won’t you fight? I’m right here? It’s your only chance! Fight or I’ll eat you!”

“Liar. You’re bound.” The Stranger’s voice is smoother than butter. He shows no signs of tension on the outside, but I know he’s hiding it. Call it a feeling if you will, or just intuition, but I know he’s probably sweating bullets under the mask. “Flesh Witch, Issel! Though Jasi may be dead, his contract still stands! You are bound by it…and I claim the terms in his name. What is it that he offered you for passage through the undercanals? Do not try to deny it! I know you cannot abandon a contract!”

…

*CLACK*

*CLACK*

*CLACK*

The Flesh Witch’s goat skull gnashes its teeth and her glowing red eye sockets dim into smoldering embers, becoming empty black pits. She opens her mouth,

“Heh…I don’t know of any contract…nooo! No contract…what contract? That servant was nothing…his words are null…void with death…you should fight!”

*CLACK*

“Liar! Issel, admit the truth!”

*CLACK*

“Gaaah…how do you know of our bindings, child? Who taught you such things? All who should remember…are no more. They have returned to us. As you will too. It is inevitable. I am your flesh. Mother to all your bodies. Will you deny me, a mother’s right? I gave you everything! You…all…owe…ME! And I want to eat! Ungrateful! UNGRATEFUL CHILDREN! Yuel, Daggos, Naehi, they demand so much more…yet all I ask is your body! Mana mana mana! I just need a little taste…a few thousands will do! Maybe even less than a million! Why are you all so ungrateful when we gave you everything you have?!”

“Perhaps we are ungrateful,” the Stranger’s reply never wavers. He unflinchingly stands before this ancient thing that could crush the boat with a single twitch. And raises a finger. “But! That is irrelevant. You must honor the contract. Now stop stalling, Witch. Tell me the price!”

“Price? Price? Price…you want to leave? Why-y-y? Don’t go! Stay here and play with me…you’ve all left Issel in the dark for so long…isn’t that too mean? I have many toys…but no one to play with…they’re all…dead…dead…dead…well…maybe I ate them…teehee! Do you like my snacks? Want to play a game? It’s called…guess the taste.” Issel touches herself lovingly, hands reaching out towards one of her own corpse arms. The human body at the end offers itself to her. Issel’s colorless fingers flick out and dig into the corpse’s jawbone. With a sickly squelch, followed by a crack, it comes off teeth and all. “Eyes are my favorite…but I ran out a long time ago. Teeth are good…but then there’s no one to talk to. Tell me…what do you like?”

Issel tosses the jawbone up into the goat skull’s mouth on her head-

*Crunch*

The Stranger isn’t distracted by her show.

“Witch. My patience is limited. Name your price!”

*CLACK*

“Gah! I hate you…child, the price is only for the one with the token…not strangers…and to get a token, you must make a deal!”

“I have Jasi’s token!” the Stranger shakes the black chain in his hand. “Stop playing games, Witch! We both know you’re dead. And as such, you must obey the rules. State the price so that we may finish this transaction!”

“You…you are knowledgeable…dangerous…I do not like you…you should let me eat your lips. Then you wouldn’t be able to talk back…”

“PRICE, ISSEL!”

*CLACK*

“One corpse for a boat. That is the price of passage…”

*Creak*

I turn around as there’s a noise behind me.

“Will this do?” Echo’s short frame effortlessly lifts up the Ferry-Rat’s body and shows it to the floating Flesh Witch. “His body is still fresh.”

Issel gnashes her teeth, her eyeless face twisting in annoyance. The goat skull snaps its jaws at us-

*Clack*

*Clack*

*CLACK*

…

“Weak meat...rat meat…not tasty. Too chewy. I want something tasty! The boy!” Issel’s fingers points towards us. The Demi’s shy away-

“Not part of the offer.” The Stranger steps in front of her finger. “Jasi’s contract, surely it doesn’t allow you to choose the one seeking passage. Take your price and leave!”

“Gahh! Contracts…I want him…the one with so much mana.” Her face begrudgingly slips into a frown as the goat skull nods atop her head. The Stranger simply stares at her however. Eventually, she sighs. “Fine…but you come back and play soon, child who knows too much. Bring food…just like Jasi used to. That was part of our deal! You must agree…or the contract is void.”

*CLACK*

“Done! Then we have a deal!” The Stranger snaps his fingers and Echo throws Jasi’s body overboard. As his bespeckled face slips into the murk, Sila whimpers. The little Demi-Raccoon reaches out trying to catch the Ferry-Rat, but Meera rushes over and holds her down.

“Jasi-! N-o-o-!”

“Shh…don’t move, Sila. It’s okay. He wanted to save you. But he’s gone now. Let him go.”

*Splash*

*CLACK*

“Teehee! The price is paid.” Issel giggles once the Ferry-Rat’s body disappears completely. “Can you live with the guilt? Can you? Can you?! Teehee!”

The Stranger just tucks the Ferry-Rat’s black necklace into his sleeve.

“May we go, Issel?”

“Mmm…” Issel’s smile turns crooked as she cocks her head. “You…may…leave. But wait…I think someone wants to say goodbye first!”

*Splash*

A new corpse breaks through the murky surface. Dripping green water and already turning pale, the Ferry-Rat’s body shoots up. A thick rotten flesh tentacle holds him up like a scarecrow on a post and he hangs there…baring his teeth an in inane grin-

“N-No!” Sila screams. “Jasi!”

“Jasi?”

Holy crap!

“Goodbye, Children!” the Flesh Witch’s newest corpse arm chants happily. “Come back soon! COME BACK SOON! COME BACK SOON-!”

She already turned him into one of those things?!

“-Help him! Please, Mister? Meera? Anyone! Help him!” The little Demi-Raccoon turns to each of us in turn, but finds nothing but despair. She leaves behind the other terrified children to beg. Her twisted face is heartbreaking. “Please? You’re strong right? PLEASE!”

“Sila…I’m sorry.” Meera clamps her hands over Sila’s ears. “It’s too late.”

“Let’s go.” The Stranger sits down and takes the oars as Jasi chants goodbye.

“COME BACK SOON! COME BACK SOON! COME BACK SOON-!”

“Tehee! Come back soon!” Issel giggles and waves as we turn around-

Is she really going to let us go?

Just like that?

“Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon!”

…

…

Sila is still struggling to pull Meera’s hands from her head. However, the Rainstopper assassin simply grabs her into a tight hug. She helplessly looks over her shoulder at me, as if asking what to do. Through her one good eye, I see tears glistening behind the mask. Meera’s…crying?

“W-Why? Why won’t you help him?”

…

“Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon!”

…

“Shh…it’s going to be okay. Think of something else.” Meera’s voice trembles. “It will all be over soon. Let him go…”

…

“Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon!”

…

“But he’s right there, Meera! PLEASE HELP HIM!”

…

“I…can’t.”

…

“Nooo! Stop the boat! We need to go BACK-!”

“Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon! Come back soon…”

“Teehee!”

…

…

…

For a long time after Jasi’s demented chanting ends, I still don’t believe Issel is honoring her word. But somehow, miraculously, the little rowboat sails out of that strange, flooded room, undisturbed. We head for a horizontal pipe at the far side. The Stranger doesn’t bother consulting a map. He just rows. In silence, we all sit there, a bunch of shivering children and masked assassins. I’m the only one with a bare face and I feel oddly naked. Reaching into my pocket, I realize that at some point, I’ve lost my cat mask. All that’s left is the true Midnight mask stowed securely inside my coat. I have a million questions for the Stranger, but in the end, it’s Meera who can’t contain herself. As we pass inside the narrow pipe and finally leave behind the Flesh Witch’s graveyard, she rounds on him by the oars.

“You…you’ve been lying to us,” she hisses, her voice low and dangerous, “For all your talk of honesty, and trust, in the end, you’re the same as everyone else. We all know you had the Ferry-Rat killed. Echo only listens to you. But YOU told us you just wanted to talk with him. Explain that. Why didn’t YOU tell US, the real reason we’re down here? Why’d you lie? Go on, wiggle that tongue of yours! I’m sure you have a g-r-e-a-t explanation…like always!”

*Splish*

*Splash*

The sound of the oars entering the water is the only thing for a few moments. The Stranger’s face, as always, is inscrutable behind his smiling mask. After a time, he answers.

“I may have bent the truth a little bit-”

“You lied! You said we were going to bring him back for interrogation! But really, you just wanted us to hunt him down! There were even children involved-!”

“Girl! Hold your tongue and let me explain!”

“NO! I won’t hold my tongue! I won’t shut my mouth! I’m tired of your little games! You’re using us. And that’s okay. We know that.” Meera glances over at me, and I see something in her eye. She’s goading him, but the emotion in her voice. It sounds awfully real. “You’re using us. But today…you outright lied. How can we trust anything you say after that?” Did seeing the Flesh Witch rattle her? No…she wasn’t scared. Not as scared as me. Then why is she so mad? Meera doesn’t care about kids. Especially Demi-kids…right? I mean she was the one who said we should abandon them. I wait as the boat glides through the water with each pull of the Stranger’s arms.

*Splish*

*Splash*

“Little Rainstopper, I would have thought you of all people would understand.” He rows a little faster. “I bent the truth a teensy bit…to make it more palatable for your young master. The truth is…I know he’s not a killer. And so do you. He might make bombs, but doing the deed himself? With his own hands? He doesn’t have the stomach for it. Especially considering the target was a Demi. Or do you think I’m wrong…?”

“I…” Meera glances at me. I can’t really meet her one-eyed gaze right now. Tiredly, I shrug. Her fierce gaze softens and I see her looking at the Demi-children. Sila is trying to wake her friend, the one who fainted. Nika, is hunched over, trying to act as small as possible. As if he’s hoping that if he stays still enough, he’ll turn invisible. They’re terrified. Meera sighs, “You could have told us the truth. We deserved to know what we were getting into.”

“And I see that now.” the Stranger hands the oars off to Echo, who takes them without a sound. Wordlessly, she begins to row as he stands up. “I…did not mean for you two to get caught up in all this. The Flesh Witch’s corruption has grown far quicker than I ever thought possible. Jasi…must have been feeding her well. He had to be stopped. I hope you understand that he was not a good man. Every time he came down here, for every Demi he saved, a price had to be paid. Jasi would have been apprehended by the Omniscient Guard even if we failed to find him. At least this way, he didn’t give away anything important. Echo merely ended the life of a murderer…a teensy bit sooner. Poetic justice really, he stole time from others, and in the end, his time was stolen from him-”

“Jasi isn’t a murderer!”

“Oh? Is that what you think?” the Stranger looks around to see Sila glaring at him. The tiny Demi-Raccoon puffs up her striped tail and spreads her arms to look bigger. As the tall man’s gaze falls on her face however, she shivers. He chuckles darkly seeing it’s only a child. “Girl, I’m afraid I speak only the truth here. Jasi was an icon to Demi’s. A savior…but to the humans of this place…he was nothing but a stinking graverobber. A killer. Heh, ‘Ferry-Rat’…a better name would have been Corpse Rat. You want to know what he was really like?”

“...” Sila struggles to hold the Stranger’s intense stare. Eventually, she shudders and shakes her head. However, the smile on his mask only seems to grow more devilish. He speaks each word slowly, as if savoring the taste.

“Jasi…killed so many people, that the Omniscient Guard mistook some of his kills…for the work of my boy here!” The Stranger claps his hand to my shoulder and I shy away. “This boy is the genuine Black Assassin, if you didn’t know! Merekeep’s most wanted murderer! But don’t be scared. That’s just what the Daggas clan wants you to think. I mean look at him. He’s just a big softie. His bombs are nice and flashy but he’s afraid to get his hands dirty. Truth be told, he’s not a killer. In the end, the real killers are you Demi’s-!”