Shadows in Light

I finished my drinks, and then went into the bathroom. I used the privacy of it to take gun out of my bag and put it into my coat pocket. It fit in there perfectly. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have any trouble pulling it out when I needed it.

I made sure I looked as best as I could in the mirror, but that wasn’t going to go well. I had quite a few bruises on my face, and a couple of cuts. Plus, I had a big cut on my thumb from Elis’ weapon. Still, I did the best I could before heading back in. I was about to head down into the Underground, and instead walked over to the bar. Bill was there cleaning glasses and having a sit down in a quiet corner of the bar.

He nodded when I came up, “Hey again Ryan. Can I get you something?”

“Actually, I was just wondering something. Do you know Club Essence?”

Bill glanced around for a moment, then looked to me and nodded slightly

“Do you know who runs it?”

Bill relaxed after a few moments but shook his head, “Sorry no. Dodgy place though, wouldn’t go there if you paid me.”

“Don’t disagree with you there. Any problem with me leaving by the Underground?”

Bill waved to the door, “None whatsoever, but you be careful down there. Don’t get good tippers come here nearly often enough.”

I chuckled, and left Bill smiling to himself as he cleaned up the glasses.

Exiting the pub, I came out onto an alley, with a street a few feet ahead of me.

I was also greeted by the sight of the bouncer from upstairs. That caused me to pause for a moment as I looked at him, and he looked at me. I was confused for a moment as I hadn’t seen him wander past, or anyone else upstairs guarding the front door. I was about to ask him about it, when I spotted a scar on his cheek that wasn’t there before.

Twin bouncers at both doors. Interesting.

He was watching me as I thought this through, and my confusion and realization must have shown on my face when I figured it out as he chuckled softly. I gave him a nod, getting a polite one in return before he focused on keeping an eye on the street ahead.

I started thinking about where I was on the streets above in relation to Club Essence and I took a breath, preparing myself for the worst as I walked out into the main street.

I was expecting more of what I saw when I was first down here, rundown streets with garbage filled passageways, things hiding in darkness, building fronts falling. It’s what you might expect from something buried under a City.

That’s not what I got.

Exiting the little alley, I was in, I could see a street lit by a mixture of gas and electric lights, showing off stone front building. Instead of mud or sewerage, there was a mix of flagstone and concrete paving.

The buildings weren’t just homes for people either, there were shops down here as well. There weren’t any major brand convenience stores or fast-food restaurants down here, or at least I hadn’t found them yet. I wasn’t ruling out the possibility of them. The shops were places like that dealt with stone carving, alchemy products, and books. The stores were showing off items in their glass windows that matched the stores themselves. The Stone store had statues carved that were marked as various deities from all over the world. The alchemy shop had glass bottles filled with substances that I had no clue about. The bookstore had a simple book opened to a page, which as I looked at the words shifted and moved under my gaze.

I started walking down the street, a little dazed at what I was seeing, peering in shop windows. I passed by a shop that sold guns, while the next space over was a large honest-to-god old fashioned metal forge where I could see someone was currently striking at a metal with a hammer, sparks flying off it as he did. He plunged it into the water letting steam rush off it and pulled it from the water to reveal a sword like blade that was as long as my arm before he spotted me.

“If ye want to buy one, go in the store” the man said, pointing the blade to the gun store.

I nodded, but walked on, fascinated by what I was seeing. This place had old world technology merged with new world technology. Swords are display items overall, not something you expect now, surely no one uses them in battle.

But then again, I can only be killed by removing my head apparently. Swords would do a good job of that.

The gun store wasn’t the only proof the underground was keeping up with the modern era. Soon I came across a large store with a mass of computer parts in the window with a sign proclaiming a sale on laptops, and a discount on repairs.

I paused on a street corner trying to take it all in, and watched the other people passing by. There were people who looked as normal as I did, women giving off an aura of extraordinary beauty swaying down the street, men who seemed somehow admirable, mixed in with people that brought on a feeling of faint dread and fear. One of them glanced in my direction, and I found the seemingly normal face I was looking at fading away, revealing a green face with tusks and long flowing horns behind him. Then he looked away, scurrying off faster than he had been moving, the face returning to the normal looking one as he went.

I heard a loud stomping to my left, and I turned to see this huge hulking figure moving down the street. By huge I mean he was at least a good thirteen feet tall, with a chest that I couldn’t have stretched my arms across, never mind try to wrap around. It had a simple ragged cloth like thing around its waist and was gray all over.

Whatever it was, it looked like it was made from stone. It had to bend over to avoid scraping against the ceiling. Its eyes looked over me for a moment but continued. I ducked back to avoid being stomped on by its feet. I don’t think it would have noticed me if it had stepped on me.

Hidden beneath the smooth stone ceiling, beneath the streets of Seattle, there was a whole world. It was incredible and made me a little giddy for a moment as it came to me that all those myths and legends might not be entirely myths and legends anymore.

I carried on down the street, and I admit, I forgot Caoimhe’s advice. I stared.

It was truly maddening that I was only just seeing this, and all the things within it, for the first time today. How could we live in the world as we do and not see these kinds of things? Did that forgetting thing happen to all these creatures? So many questions to ask, and no one to answer them.

I walked along without remembering why I was supposed to be down here, I admit it I felt a little like a kid going to a theme park. I wanted to see it all as quickly as possible. I walked and saw shops of all kinds, businesses offering services both legal, illegal, and highly immoral. They weren’t too concerned with things like prostitution. Or assassination either. Both of those kinds of shops were down here too.

And it was two for the price of one on assassinations today too.

It wasn’t all shops though, there was also some places that had been converted into large areas, although heavily armed people stood at some the doors to them, staring at me as I walked past. I probably wasn’t going to get an invite into those places any time soon.

I suspected there were houses down here, and apartment areas. All kinds of living areas for the strange and unusual creatures that lived under Seattle. Some of them didn’t seem like they could pass mortal inspection, but at the same time they might not care about hiding what they were under here. I mean who’s going to complain to a thirteen-foot thing?

Each street had something interesting to see on it. This was a place you get easily lost in without any issue while exploring.

“Hey! Hey sir!” a female voice called out.

I looked around in confusion, before spotting someone in an alley of the street waving at me, hunched over a little “Hey! Sir! Can you help?”

“What’s wrong?”

“My doors stuck, can’t get it open. Hurt my back. Can you help please?” her voice sounded soft and in pain.

I couldn’t see anyone else around, and I couldn’t see into any of the other buildings to see if anyone was home. Then again, it’s not exactly uncommon for people to not know or get along with the neighbors.

I was a nice guy, wasn’t I? Helping people is part of being nice.

I walked over.

I know, I’m dumb.

“Bless you sir, bless you for helping. Just down here. Been struggling for ages I have.”

“Happy to help, doors can be tricky at times, I doubt that being down here makes them any easier.”

“No sir, definitely not. Damp gets in. Causes issues. Especially during Winter.”

She hobbled along with me and pointed to a door set into the alley wall “There sir, that one. Thank you so much.”

I walked on down to it and gave it a try. It didn’t budge an inch. I tried pushing and pulling without much success. It was almost like it was locked.

“I can’t believe you fell for that.” the female said, I looked back to see her straightening, pointing a crossbow at me. Behind her were two gentlemen. All of them were dressed like something out of a video game. Long hooded cloaks hiding most of their faces, with leather armor mixed with sharp looking weapons.

“This is a trap isn’t it?” I said lamely.

“Very much so. Can also tell the new ones. Drawn in by the sights and sounds. Now, if you’d be so kind, remove your bag and coat? Call this a life lesson. Cause issues, we’ll remove your head.”

Guess I was less of a nice guy, and more of an idiot. I fell for such an obvious trick in hindsight. I looked out onto the street, vaguely hoping for some form of police to show up.

They didn’t. I wasn’t surprised.

Part of me was concerned though. I’d been through this before, and it hadn’t ended well for me.

But I started off by dropping my bag slowly and taking a step back from it. My muggers gave me a pleased look.

“So kind. Coat too.”

“But I just bought it!”

“Oh well, if that’s the case.” The arm holding the crossbow pointing straightened “Take it off carefully.”

I looked them all over. I wanted to back off. Not get hurt anymore. I could replace what was lost. But a new part of me was waking up. Telling me I couldn’t do that anymore. It wasn’t what I wanted to be.

“No.”

The men laughed at me, while the woman said in a warning tone, “Last chance.”

Hands moved to knives.

I tensed up myself, ready to move. “Nope. Not happening.”

She didn’t respond, instead she fired the crossbow straight at me.

I spun to the right, barely in time for it to miss, and calling the Shadow as I turned to face them. The other two were moving towards me in response to the bow firing.

I felt pleased with myself as I threw an undercut at the first, and Shadow lashed out in a mass, striking him in the gut and sending him flying back onto the street.

Now while I’d gotten that shot off, the second guy had gotten close enough to ram me in the gut and take me down to the floor. We hit the ground, and he was above me, punching me with some vicious boxing like punches in my gut and then one at my head. I think he broke my nose.

If you haven’t guessed already. I never learned hand to hand combat. He went for the knife in his belt while I was recovering from being punched in the face. I saw it coming for me, and smashed it to one side, causing him to be closer to me, and allowed me to punch him with the other fist.

It wasn’t a brilliant hit, but it stunned him for a moment or two, while I sent a ball of Shadow into him, causing him to fly up and backwards into the crossbow holder.

They tumbled over each other, while I got to my feet, pulling my gun out of my pocket and pointed it at them as they got to their feet.

“Enough”

They all paused, the boxer and crossbow holder seeing the gun and carefully raised their hands, while I moved carefully, glancing to check the first one I’d hit. He wasn’t moving much at all.

“You’re not new!” the woman said accusingly as I waved the gun at them.

“I never said I was. Now, pick up your friend and go away.”

The two eyed each other for a moment, then the woman and man scurried to their fallen comrade, picking him up and disappeared into the street. I waited a few moments to ensure they were gone before I slipped my gun away into my pocket and grabbed my bag. I looked down at the fallen crossbow.

It wasn’t one of those new fancy ones, but an old simplistic one. I gave in to a moment of revenge and broke it against the wall, leaving the remains scattered over the alley before I exited.

Childish I know, but they did try to mug me.

I got out and started walking away quickly, but the event made me understand that despite the sights and sounds of this place, I was still going to need to be careful here. It wasn’t all fairy tale and fantasy. Although I guess being mugged by someone with a crossbow kind of was.

A few streets over I used a faintly reflected window to clean up my face. My nose was broken, and I had yet more bruises to my face. And my gut was hurting a little, and my wrist was hurting from punching the boxer.

I took off as quickly as I could, tossing the rubbish into a bin that was sat by a corner. Guess they cared about litter in this part of the Seattle. Looking around it was cleaner here than some parts of the ground floor Seattle.

While I’d been going along, I’d been trying to keep a map of where I was in the City above in my head, but honestly, it’s disorientating to walk without any sight of the sky. Or street names too, I guess. By this point I had no real clue where I was compared to the above ground Seattle. And so, had no clue where Essence or the Pub was.

I needed to find someone to direct me. I looked over the shops that were nearby. There were food stores with cans in the window, a butcher, even if he did have a sign up for ‘Faebeast 16$ a pound’ in the window.

I wasn’t even sure what that was, but right now I wasn’t interested in finding out.

I needed something more open and inviting. Walking along I found myself outside a rowdy sounding pub which had big open windows showing off a mass of customers drinking. I could see normal looking people like myself, a couple of huge bulky people that reminded me of the stone creature walking down the street, although shorter, and creatures with all different colored skin.

It looked about my best option, so I entered. Much like cowboy films when the stranger enters the saloon, this place went quiet in an instant after I stepped inside, with everyone staring at me.

“Hi? I’m looking for directions?”

A few of them seemed to accept that and resumed their conversations, ignoring me once again while the bartender waved me over. He was normal looking, except his eyes were completely white. No black pupils, although he seemed to focus on me without any trouble.

“Where you are looking for?”

I didn’t want to give away where I was looking for, so I decided to aim for somewhere familiar and go from there.

“Well, I’ve kind of lost where I am, but I’m trying to go towards Madison?”

He leaned in and seemed like he was peering at me. “Ain’t gonna get there going this way. First time down here? Don’t you worry kid, you’ll get used to it all. Normally I’d say straight for two, then left and straight on till you hit the edge of it. But if I be remembering, some work going on that route. So, your best bet is to go back 3 blocks, right, then straight along.”

“Work?”

The bartender chuckled “Aye, work. Stone trolls making sure the ceiling doesn’t collapse under the mortal weight.”

I’m sure that made sense to him, even if it didn’t make much sense to me, so I nodded “Thank you. And thank you for the directions.”

“No problem. Careful down here kid. Not all sights are delightful.”

I gave him a grateful inclination of my head, heading out onto the streets following the bartender’s directions.