The guards around the city’s outer gates did as all bored humans did and tried to find ways to occupy their time. Usually with card games. Very few people enjoy the night shift in the cold months. Sometimes they would put out tents to ensure there was a place to keep warm for more energized guard duty. However, the finances for the military faction were cut thanks to the king and his obsession with his daughter’s health. Most of the kingdom had begun to receive financial support from the noble faction. So, no tents were to be found. Most of their weapons were reduced from pikes and spears to short swords during night shift hours.

  The dense fog continued to roll around the city. Their job was already difficult without proper supplies overnight, but now it was almost impossible to protect its walls without something more. The only temporary solution was to add more manpower to the Nightwatch.

  “Hey captain, do you see that over there?”, one guard spoke out. A tall guard dawning blue-gold lined silver breastplate that was pacing steadily around stopped and turned.

  “See what exactly?” the other responded.

  “Out towards the forest, does that look like a man to you?” The captain’s eyes squinted but could only see a shadowy blob in the middle of the plume of fog against the night.

  “Looks like a shadow, which is much more likely than a man at this time of night.”

  “I guess you’re right, but it seems to be getting closer.”

  “You’re just imagining things, get back to work. Only a few more hours of our shift left.”

  “Oh, uh, yes of course!” the first guard said, but he couldn’t help but look back toward the fog and squint.

  With each step, Erzo took, the more distorted his physical features became. Soon, his skin was just as translucent as the fog. And like a thin mist, Erzo slowly walked next to the guard while the confused man continued to squint towards the forest’s edge.

  The city at night was just as violent, if not more, than in the daytime. Crime was not always as common, but fights were much more frequent. Drunkards attempting to get their next drink, or angry disagreements usually led to more drinking and confrontation. Thankfully Erzo knew the streets like the back of his hand, so avoiding trouble was not a problem. Surely he could always whisk away using magic, but there was no point in weaving that much mana for a problem that small.

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  Erzo hooked around a corner into a small, unlit, alleyway as a shortcut toward his old hideout when he heard a scuffle. A bit unusual for this area in particular because there are no pubs around for at least a few blocks. He ignored the thought and continued to make his way until a sudden shriek paralyzed his legs. It sounded familiar. Erzo didn’t need anything important from his hideout, but it would have been nice to move out properly.

  Another shriek confirmed his suspicions. He couldn’t tell where from, but he knew the voice of the person. At least he thought. It sounded like a girl’s voice. Erzo whipped back around through the alleyway and made a quick cut behind a few buildings into the central square of the outermost district. The same place where he was almost beaten to death by the butcher. The pit of his stomach twisted the closer he drew. No one would ever forget how close they were to suffocating in pig food.

  Not all of the lanterns were lit in the square, which was pretty typical of these people. Not much to expect when no one expects anything of you.

  Erzo kept himself close to a corner wall of a building where one of the lanterns was still unlit and observed. He clung to the shadows just in case.

  A large man with a wide and hairy back just stood from kneeling on the ground and took a few steps back. The person on the ground in front of the man was not moving, and there was a single tear sparkling from their cheek against the night. Not a single twitch. Nothing. They were left soaking in a pool of their own blood. The sight sickened Erzo. He couldn’t make out who they were due to the fog inside the town but the person on the ground was surely much smaller than the man. A boy?

  “Jimmy!” Another shriek bellowed.

  “Jimmy? No..” Erzo’s eyes grew wide.