A World Without a Sun

“Tell me, Elsa, if one day there were ships from across the Abyss, what would they say when they saw us? D’you think they’d know we did it?” An aging man, perhaps a handful of pounds overweight, leaned across the bar counter to down the rest of his beverage. Snatching the mug from his fingers, Elsa gave him a glare from across the counter as she turned her back to him.

“You’re drunk, Marius, go home and sleep. There’s nothing across the Abyss,” she responded, a drop of humor still in her voice, though exhaustion overwhelmed it all but completely. Elsa turned once more to face the man, giving him a hard look that would’ve made a stone think twice about sitting where it was.

If Marius noticed it, though, he paid no heed, instead slapping his palm onto the countertop and continuing defiantly, “I mean after all, y’don’t just kill the Creator and expect ye’ll be the only one t’suffer for it. They’d probably be comin’ over here lookin’ for the sun, wonder’n where it’d gone, eh?” He let out a loud, raucous, joyless laugh that turned into a snarl halfway through, “They’d probably come over here just to finish us off.”

“That’s enough, Marius! Get out of my bar and go home, you waste of flesh. No one wants to hear your whining tonight.” All humor had left her voice, exasperation the only thing to note, now. Her glare was furious, the mug in her hand all but forgotten as she squared off against him. The last few patrons in the bar that night were watching now, all familiar with the scene. Marius didn’t get this drunk too often, but he was not a happy man when it happened; no one liked seeing it, though. It wasn’t that anyone disagreed with him, but no one enjoyed being reminded either of it either.

The man slammed the countertop again but spoke nothing, this time, instead standing up and kicking the barstool away as he stormed out the door into the night. Cold air met his face a moment later, and for all the warmth alcohol gave him, Marius shivered. The nights were always dark now, even though the sun hardly shone during the day, and the air seemed to suck all the heat out of the world.

It had been four years now since humanity failed. No one alive knew exactly what had happened, but everyone knew the unfortunate reality that was left in its wake. The Creator was dead. Some said the Darkness had killed him when he descended, others said that the wickedness of man had destroyed him. One way or another, he was dead, and the 1000 Year War against the Darkness was over. Humanity had lost.

The sky was always filled with dark clouds, now, and the storms were unbearable. Civilization had been pushed back away from the great point of Disaster, and now barely clung to survival. Many had retreated to the mountains, where you could climb higher than the clouds, while others simply lived on as best they could in the towns and cities the Darkness hadn’t reached yet.

Some said there was hope still. The spread of the Darkness had slowed over the last two years, and there was still room between them and the Abyss, the great ocean to the east. What little was left of humanity’s military fought as hard as it could, but little success had been found by them over the last four years.

No success, in Marius’ opinion. He had served in the army a long time ago; four years ago, in fact. Everyone who fought in the battle of the great Disaster died in that spot, but he had been closer than many who still lived today. Humanity would be damned for their failure.

He stumbled to the door of his home and paused to give one more doleful glance to the night. It was supposed to be spring, but ever since the Disaster it always felt like winter or perhaps autumn on a good day. Some things still grew, of course, but everything felt stunted and close to death. Marius wrenched open his door, quickly making it inside. Damned indeed.

The glow of lightning flashed upon a grizzled man's face who sat upon a hill overlooking the distant Abyss. Streams of water ran across his ugly, rough face as he stared out across the darkness. His hands twitched, clenching the remnants of an old leather book that had long since lost its pages. Turning his attention away from the Abyss, he stared down at the book lovingly and gently caressed a faded picture with the back of his index finger.

The man let out a deep sigh as he again stared out into the emptiness, lighting illuminating his figure. This was a man who had long since let himself go. Beads of water began to collect in his long, mangled brown beard, washing away dirt that had accumulated over the past week. His soaking leather coat was old and worn, and as he stood up he placed his matching leather book inside of it. Leaning over he picked up his bottle of whiskey, pulled out the cork, and took a long, drawn out swig.

Wiping his lips with the back of his arm, he limped down the hill, taking care not to slip in the mud. He was nearly a kilometer away from town, and he could barely see its flickering lanterns as they struggled to give light through the storm. His home sat between the cathedral and the inn, and while he had no place for God in his heart, he always loved spending his evenings at the bar. For the past few years he had made a ritual of brooding on the hill, and every time he went he was met with rain and thunder. The weather, gloomy as it was, was comforting to him.

Nearly an forty minutes had passed before he had finally stumbled to the border of the town, all the way sipping on his liquor. Wiping the water from his eyes he could barely notice the sign hanging outside the inn, his vision clouded by intoxication. Slowly he made his way toward its entrance, slipping through mud as he wandered. His breathing grew heavy, he was getting tired. To him it seemed like hours, yet was only minutes, before he reached the inn. Opening the door he was blasted by the light of the fire, shielding his eyes he allowed them to adjust.

Clumsily he made his way to a table in the corner of the inn. He grimaced as he sat his round, soaking body onto an old wooden chair as a woman walked over to him. "May I get you anything, Dargus?"

Dargus stared up at her, his vision blurred. "Uh, hrm, hello Elsa," he mumbled, belching. "Yeah, uh, get me a tonic and some bread."

"Sure thing," Elsa replied with a forced smile. Dargus always disgusted her. As she walked away Dargus pulled out his soaked, leather book. Looking at the picture he smiled, then slowly he rested his head upon it. Quickly he drifted off to sleep as Elsa placed the tonic and bread near his large, hairy head.

Marius slept and slept, the drunkenness fading from him over the night. He’d moved into the town only a year ago or so, and for the most part he’d kept to himself. Four years ago he’d been a soldier and before that a blacksmith. Now he did simple repairs on objects when he could, but for the most part he lived simply and to himself. People had cut out for themselves little niches where they could be powerful in this dying world, but for the most part the world held low expectations for their future, allowing people like Marius to live and spend lightly.

Several hours after the sun had risen, though with the overcast skies the effect was stunted, Marius woke groggily. Plans for the day? None, as usual. His head pounded uncomfortably from the alcohol of the previous night, but he shrugged it off as best he could, cleaning himself up and dressing for the day. Perhaps he’d find some odd jobs to pay for another night at the inn. The man wasn’t particularly addicted to the drink, really; there simply seemed no other point but to drown out his sorrows.

A hard knock at his door broke the silence and hammered at his temples painfully. Grumbling, the man worked his way through the mess of his home to the entrance, yanking the door open, “What do you want?”

A boy in his later teen years stood outside the door, a look of impatience on his face. Marius recognized the kid, apprenticed somewhere on the other side of town, though he couldn’t remember to whom. What was the point in learning a trade when everyone would be dead before they were five years older? Wrapped in cloth, the boy held a package in his hands as he spoke, “Miss Mahri asked me to send this to you. She said you could fix it.”

Leaning on his doorpost, Marius nodded emotionlessly, reaching forward and taking the package from the boy to look at the contents. The job would be simple enough and probably only take a few hours by the looks of it, but he merely grunted, “Fine. I’ll have it done in a week.”

Turning to go, though, the man noticed the boy hadn’t left yet, still standing there with a look of discomfort and disgust, finally speaking up sharply to the man, “How do you live with yourself, Marius? Are you just going to hole yourself in here and drink until the Darkness wins?”

The man narrowed his eyes and shifted uncomfortably, “Darkness already won, boy. Just because the world’s coming to an end, though, doesn’t mean you can’t have some manners. Get out of here.” The door slammed a moment later, and Marius shuffled back through his house to lay down the package, plopping down on a seat to stare at his barren fireplace. Of course there was no point. Only foolish children who hadn’t seen what he had seen thought there might be.

As he looked around in his squalid quarters, though, the place suddenly seemed to be even more claustrophobic than usual. Filled with a sudden sense of cabin fever, he immediately made for his cloak, snatching it and leaving through the back door in his house.

The day was cold enough, but the storm from the previous night had abated at least, though the ground still held half the moisture. The man didn’t know where he would go, but perhaps some fresh air would clear his head. The world seemed close to collapsing as of late, the ever-present shade the world had been thrust into feeling thicker than usual. He did his best not to think about it has he walked around the outskirts of the town.

Dargus's head pounded as he aroused himself from sleep. His head was laying in a pool of drool and dirty rainwater that had accumulated over the past three hours that he had been out. Lifting his head slowly, he surveyed the room, eyes half open. Looking down he noticed the tonic and bread that Elsa had brought him. He was thankful for this, it was just what he needed. Lazily he lifted the bottle of tonic to his lips, pouring it down his beard as he missed his mouth. It took him a moment to notice this before he adjusted his aim, and as the tonic ran through his body he began to feel reinvigorated. Starving, he quickly grabbed the bread, crushing it in his fist and shoving it in his mouth, crumbs littered his beard.

Quietly Elsa entered the room. She held a broom in her left hand and was adjusting her hair with her right. Dargus had always been attracted to her, and on many occasions had tried to display those fealings but it never seemed that Elsa caught on. Or perhaps she did, and pretended not to. Noticing her, Dargus sat up straighter and attempted to clean himself up. Brushing the crumbs off his beard and combing his hair with his fingers he spoke to her, "Good morning, Elsa."

Elsa stared at him for a moment, then smiled nicely. "Morning, Dargus." After this she looked down and began to sweep. This disheartened Dargus, he had always wanted her to give him notice, at least, genuine interest. It was something he never received.

After finishing his bread and tonic, he began to feel much better. His headache had nearly vanished and his vision was returning. "Well, thanks Elsa," he said this while walking towards her. Elsa pulled a face as he approached, he truly smelled awful. Reaching in his pocket, Dargus pulled out a few coins and put them in Elsa's hands, smiling. "There ya go."

"Oh, thank you Dargus," she said, fighting through the stench to show another forced smile. "You take care."

"Ah, thanks!" he said back at her, exiting the Inn. The day outside was as many of the others had been for the past few years. Overcast and gloomy. While it was not raining, Dargus still fealt soaking wet because of the previous night. After some thought he decided it would be best to go home and change into something dry and clean, which he did so. As he changed jackets he once again put the wet, old leather book into his inside pocket. He took it with him everywhere.

Dargus did not stay at his home long, for he loved walking in the wilds beyond the town. Today he thought he would spend the day just outside the boundaries of the town, and so he began to walk. Carrying his whiskey in one hand, and a walking stick in the other, Dargus set off.

The day? Bleak as always. Going outside was always a dismal experience, but this close to the Abyss the air was still fresh. Marius shuddered as he remembered the lands to the West; the stench had been unimaginable the closer you got to the point of Disaster. Some people still lived somewhat close, though the idea was beyond Marius. He had seen a number of dark things, especially since the Disaster, but living near it would have been intolerable. Pausing to figure out where he was actually going, the man took a moment to examine his surroundings.

The trees began some mile or so from town, away from the Abyss, but the forest itself was all but dead at this point. People still managed to grow some crops in the fields to the south, but everything carried a bitter taste now, and half their crops didn’t make it to harvest. Most people had found themselves without the stomach to really eat during this famine, but it was just one more thing to add to the pile. Puddles littered the dirt paths from the storm of the previous night, and Marius did his best to pick through the muddy patches on his circuit around town.

A ways off, though, he spied a man he knew very little of. What he did know of Dargus, though, would likely have curdled the skin of the boy at his door earlier. On the one hand, even Marius was slightly taken aback by the swine-like behavior of Dargus; on the other hand, though, the man certainly had a way of embracing fate. It was hard to say the man wasn’t enjoying whatever last few days he would have on this earth. Well, he may as well be respectful, “Hullo, Dargus. How’s the day treating you?”

Dargus trudged across the damp earth with his head down, his whiskey bottle bouncing at his side. The day was young and though Dargus had yet begun drinking his whiskey, he still walked with a sort of stumble. Sweat began to bead on his brow and his breath was heavy as the extra pounds he had packed on over the past few years made walking more difficult. However, though it was not as easy as it had once been, Dargus still enjoyed the long walks. They brought him peace of mind.

Dargus hadn't been outside the town for long before he was confronted by a man, and as Dargus lifted his head, he recognized him. He was a man that Dargus knew, though not well in the slightest sense.

"Oh hello, Marius," Dargus replied, belching quietly. "Ah, excuse me, hrm... Yeah, today's been pretty good. Nothin' to complain about I guess." Dargus wiped his mouth, noticing how dry it had become. Quickly he uncorked his whiskey and took a drink. "How are you?"

The reasons the town disliked Dargus came back to Marius very quickly. Elsa had complained of him plenty over the last few months, but Marius was always astounded by the man's demeanor. If the Darkness doesn't kill him, he thought sourly, then he'll surely drown in his own vomit one night. Marius had no clue as to why the man drank as much as he did, though it was surely to cloud up some memory from a few years ago. While it was a shame he knew nothing about the man, more than part of him was glad for it.

He responded in as good as a manner he could muster, though he was quickly wishing away the conversation altogether, "Oh, as fine as can be said, I suppose. Hopefully the weather stays clear for a bit, hm?" He let out a joyless laugh, "If only." He paused for a moment, moving a hand up to scratch at the stubble that had been collecting on his neck for the last two or three days, creating a field of short hairs that wound their way around the curves of his neck. Frowning, he lowered the hand to his belt line, attempting to hoist his pants a bit higher. Feeling a bit odd for initiating a purposeless conversation, he decided to make it last a little longer, "How... ah... how has work been?"

"Heh," Dargus said while scratching his gut with his dirty fingernails. Work. Dargus really hadn't held a job in the true sense of the word for quite a while. He had done what he could to earn a living by crafting ordinary carvings out of wood and selling them. Not many people actually cared for them, but there were a few select customers that had always liked what Dargus was able to create.

"Well, its been good I guess," replied Dargus, a smile faintly showing through his facial hair. "I was just goin' to look for some pine er something to start some new carvings."

It was then that Dargus began coughing, something had built up in his lungs during his hike. "Sorry, erhem," he said trying to fight through the urge to cough. He pounded his chest and bent over. Finally whatever it was cleared up and he regained composure.

Placing his hands on his hips, Dargus stretched out his back. He had set his whiskey on the dirt and was happy to hold this conversation with Marius. "So yeah, what you been up too lately?"

Marius grunted noncommittally to Dargus' question, "Much the same as you, I suppose. Just doing odd jobs here and there to get along." He heaved a huge sigh, scratching the back of his head indifferently and looking around as if for some escape to the conversation. Maybe he had been wrong; perhaps being polite was certainly overrated. Before he could think of a clever way to break the conversation, though, something intervened for him. A child, perhaps eleven or twelve, was hurrying toward them looking out of breath. He had been coming from the village, so hopefully it was no emergency. Marius was in no mood for fleeing again. After all, there wasn't very far to run.

The boy spoke hastily and out of breath though, his words half jumbled and hard to understand, "The mayor," gasp, "is calling a town," gasp, "meeting tonight. He-wants-everyone-to-come." Marius nodded much more thoughtfully than he really felt. A town meeting sounded like a waste of time to him, but if it meant an excuse to return home and take care of business away from Dargus then perhaps it was worth it.

Trying not to sound as sour as he felt about the whole thing, Marius spoke slowly, "Well, I suppose there are some things I should be taking care of, in that case. Perhaps I'll see you tonight, Dargus?" The man would likely stay to himself, drinking at home like usual, and Marius would be free of him.

Dargus had been listening intently to Marius, genuinely interested in his answer. Even though the conversation was dry and almost forced, Dargus enjoyed it. When the boy ran up, Dargus allowed himself to be concerned. It wasn't often that someone ran towards him with such purpose. As the boy gained a close up view of Dargus he immediately averted his eyes toward Marius, something about Dargus had made him uneasy.

A meeting, eh? Dargus rarely cared for these meetings, and while he would normally shrug this one off as well, something was nudging him toward going. Suddenly he realized that Marius was leaving, cutting short their conversation. "Ah, well ok," said Dargus, picking up his bottle of whiskey. "It was, uh... nice talking to you, Marius. Oh, and yeah, see you there."

Darius smiled as Marius walked away. He waved at him then looked around. Around one hundred meters away he spotted a fallen pine tree, it would be a perfect source of carving wood. With his walking stick and whiskey in hand, he marched off towards the tree.

Again his mouth began to feel dry, so he uncorked his whiskey and took a long swig. The warmth of the alcohol running through his insides pleased him as it always did. Something about it seemed to soothe him, it almost seemed to take him to a place far away from where he was, a place where things were better. Walking along, he took a deep breath through his nose. The air was clean and felt good to Dargus as he enjoyed the mild weather.

It wasn't long before Dargus reached the fallen pine tree. Setting his walking stick and whiskey down, he knelt down next to the large tree. Reaching into his jacket he searched for his knife, stopping when he felt the leather book. He pulled out out gingerly and held it with both hands, admiring it. His head drooped to one side as emotion swelled within him. Several moments passed by as he stared at the book, occasionally stroking its cover with his fingertips.

Suddenly a very large bird began to crow loudly above him, bringing him to his senses. Looking up at the gliding bird, he placed the book back inside of his jacket and pulled out his knife. Unsheathing it he carved out a few chunks of dry pine and severed several limbs. He then gathered them and placed them in a pack slung on his shoulder. These pieces satisfied Dargus as he stood up and stretched his legs. He began to think of what he might make out of these as he made his way back towards the town. Perhaps he would carve the bird he had just encountered, or maybe the boy that had interrupted he and Marius. It wasn't long before his thoughts and steps had carried him back to town, and while taking yet another drink of his whiskey, he quietly vanished inside of his home.

While the meeting was set for the theoretical evening, no one really liked the idea of going staying out past dark if possible. There were men like Dargus or Marius who didn’t care much one way or the other, but some people still seemed very sensitive to the subject. Ultimately, this resulted in the town-meeting taking place four or five hours after midday. With the ringing of the town bell, Marius followed the streams of people toward the central hall where all would meet.

The man took a chair somewhere off to the side in the larger room. Despite the candles and lamps being lit, there was still a general dimness that invaded a room of this size. Men and women were already filling up the seats around them and giving Marius a wide enough berth; he did half-wish someone would sit near him, though, in the unlikely case that Dargus might actually show up. The man was a nice enough fellow, but he wasn’t sure he could bear another conversation with him. He wasn’t sure he would be able to stand sitting next to him, for that matter.

With or without Dargus, though, this meeting was likely to end with headaches and groaning for him. He had already taken care of that small job Miss Mahri had sent his way in anticipation for this, but he was hoping that hadn’t been necessary. This was about the time of year the town often sent out soldiers to the front from the younger men of the towns and villages. It was bad enough thinking that people were still spending the last of their years on the front to fight for a hopeless cause, but to actually watch them go out was another thing. Worse, he often was requested to make weapons for these kids. When would they learn it was a waste of breath, time, and metal? He sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Hmm, that looks about right. Dargus was finishing up the left wing of the crow he had seen earlier, overall it was turning out better than expected. He had spent the last few hours carving away on a sizable chunk of pine, his only company was that of the crackling fire beside him. Although Dargus didn't have an official job, at least he could say he was doing what he enjoyed. In fact that was something Dargus was great at, doing what he enjoyed, and rarely would he ever willingly participate in something he didn't.

Then, off in the distance, Dargus could hear the town bells ringing. The time had come for the town to gather in audience of the mayor. Looking at his carving he debated within himself if he would rather go to the meeting, or remain in his home with his fire, knife, and sweet smelling pine. While the comfort of his home was indeed enticing, Dargus had told Marius that he would see him at the meeting, and the idea of making a new friend in Marius was more persuasive to him than remaining home. His mind decided, he set his carving tools down, put out the fire, and set off for the central hall.

Entering the large, dim room Dargus looked around. There were many people here, all gathered around the various candles and lanterns, and as he was searching for a seat he noticed Marius sitting somewhat by himself. Luckily for Dargus there was a chair close to Marius, so with a smile he looked Marius in the eyes and pulled up the chair next to him. For a man his size, Darius sat down rather quickly, the chair underneath him letting out a moan in protest to its occupant, and in what would be considered by anyone else as invasive, scooted his chair uncomfortably close to Marius.

Sitting up straight he pulled his stained jacket tight and brushed off the many pine shavings that had collected over his belly. Then, attempting to get more comfortable, he wiggled in his seat, rubbing vigorously against Marius's side. "Hullo Marius," Dargus said, peering at him with a smile. "So what do you think this is all about?"

((This post is for Quill))

The storm had swept in fast and hard, and all boats in area quickly turned tail and fled to the docks. The storms in Cradence had always been ruthless, but when the Sun Set four years ago things had gotten that much worse. As the waves became swollen and the winds sheared masts in half, every man was ready to take shelter in the city for the next day until the storm had abided. Plenty of foolish men who wanted to see the heights of the storm found themselves sucked in by the might of nature, destroyed instantly against the waves.

Cradence had stood for centuries, though, and the stone buildings could withstand some of the fiercest beatings. With the city packed as tightly as it was, directly off the coast of the waters, it proved time and time again to be a stronghold against the elements. The continued existence of the city itself seemed to be in mere defiance to nature with its great towers that reached beyond sight, constantly battling the lightning of the storms.

Despite all the safeties of the city, though, Dayn had yet to make it there himself, instead just arriving at the docks. His ship, small as it was, would survive the storm as it was built to do, but if he could not tie it down and cover it in time, his own life would be a different story. Securing the vessel was something practiced a thousand times and then yet another thousand for good measure; like all sailors, he was quick about it. Besides, his soul would not be overtaken by nature this day. No, despite Dayn's father’s firm belief that his goals would deface his status to lower than a woman’s, the young man felt invincible.

Today he had lived for twenty-six years, and he was eligible for re-testing. Like near everyone in Tyria he possessed a certain magical aptitude, a gift from the Sons of the Creator, but the testers from the Temple of Asol only took away a select few every year to be trained privately. It was an honor of the highest regard, and Dayn believed firmly that he belonged there. He could feel it inside himself: a destiny for greatness. The day would come when he owned his own sector of Cradence, a large ship, and as many servants as one could dream of. The test was his opportunity.

A year after failing the initial test, given to all who would try at the age of twenty-five, men were offered a second chance, but it came at a cost. It was required to travel to the Temple of Asol itself for re-testing, instead of simply from the city. The trip was dangerous, expensive, and risky if you were not confident in your ability. For Dayn, though, nothing else mattered. He would pass this foolish test and people would recognize him.

Even Cradence, considered to be the most arrogant city of them all, had members of its society that boiled the blood of everyone with their swollen heads. By the time Dayn was finished with this life, though, everyone would recognize his personal pride as justified.

A particularly strong gust blew his mind back to the present, and he finished lashing the long rope to the dock. As the storm grew the waters would certainly rise, and the lengthy rope would keep his boat anchored. The docks of Cradence were built on a vertical incline, of sorts, that raised itself far above natural sea-level with ladders for sailors to travel vertically. When the water level rose, everything Dayn was standing on now would be submerged underwater.

Moving away from his boat now, the young man scaled the ladder as quickly as possible, stopping a couple of times to wait out the stronger winds that required his body to be fully braced. It was a dangerous career that paid only average wages, and Dayn was happy to think about leaving it forever. Hauling himself over the end of the ladder, he quickly made his way toward the city, seeking shelter between the densely packed buildings. He had preparations to make.

((This post is for Toko))

Marius did his very best to suppress the grimace on his face as Dargus neared him and sat down. There really must be something wrong with the man. Bad enough that he had come; now Marius found himself uncomfortably close to the town’s most disgusting man. Well, perhaps better him than someone else; he’d bumped elbows with creatures of the Darkness before, and that was something never to be forgotten. Dargus was a close second, though.

He did his best to refocus his attention. Creator’s last breath, he found himself even longing for the ignorant, drawling mayor to address the town with more of his inanities. His tongue curdled in his mouth at the thought. Well, at least he could answer the man’s questions; that would keep him busy enough, likely, “Couldn’t really tell you, I’m afraid. Might be about sending more kids out to fight, though, I’d imagine. He always drags us to listen to him about this; can’t say it really matters, myself.”

"Ah, well that's too bad," Dargus said, releasing a long sigh. "Hate to see the youngins have to go." The area around Dargus and Marius had expanded since Dargus's arrival, his stench most likely the culprit. Dargus himself was never aware of his disgusting nature, perhaps because he was so used to it, having lived this way for as long as he could remember. For some reason, that Dargus could never understand, people usually steered clear of Dargus. That changed today, when Marius had actually approached him and started a conversation with him, and because of this Dargus was happy.

Things began to feel a little cramped to Dargus, so he lifted his large, grimy arm up and over Marius's head, resting it on Marius's chair. His arm was now leaning heavily against Marius's neck. Dargus then began to turn his big hairy head to look around the hall, his hair occasionally brushing against Marius's face. "I've always loved this place," Dargus said, smiling. "Its just so.... neat."

Marius couldn't withhold the grimace this time, so he turned his face in the opposite direction of the man at his side. The building was "neat"? The man was truly something else; perhaps if the smell hadn't been nearly overpowering, he would've felt somewhat sorry for Dargus. Just as the acrid smell was becoming unbearable, though, the mayor made his way onto the stage. The audience quieted quick enough. Some people cared to hear what he had to say, but others like Marius simply wished this to be over as soon as possible.

The mayor spoke loud enough to be heard, though his nasally, whining tone didn't make it a pleasant experience, "Citizens of Luxin, I have gathered you here today to discuss a number of important matters..." And on and on the man drawled. Marius, nearly stifled between an unusual heat and the proximity of Dargus, grimaced and did his best to imagine drowning himself in the Abyss. Finally, though, the mayor reached a topic of importance, "We have reached the beginning of the season of growth, and with this we send out our bravest young souls to hold the Darkness back yet another day." The list of names was short, but Marius recognized most of them; the town wasn't very big, after all. The thought still made his stomach sicken, though, and between that, the heat, and the proximity to the loaf of a man on his side, the restlessness in Marius reached a point of near explosion.

The mayor always finished his little speeches with some sort of request to the townsfolk. Sometimes it was general, other times it was specific and required speaking with the little man afterwards. He mentioned something involving metal-work, Marius wasn't entirely sure what, but he stood up the moment the man was done speaking. It would be an excuse to make it away from Dargus; he'd go up there, talk to the mayor pleasantly and remember passingly that he couldn't actually do the task, then he'd slip out and have the rest of the night to himself. That would do it. Muttering an "excuse me" to the people around him, Marius quickly hurried up to the front.

Dargus was growing more and more uncomfortable, due to the poor quality of the chair he was resting on. He continually fidgeted, squirmed, and adjusted himself as they waited for the Mayor to make his appearance. Luckily for his bottom, it wasn't long before the Mayor did indeed appear. This was the first time in recent memory that Dargus had actually shown up for one of these, and he had to admit to himself that he was quite enjoying it. The Mayor had prepared a speech for them, and with the atmosphere along with Marius's company, Dargus would rather be nowhere else.

The Mayor's speech was nice, and seemed rather important to Dargus. He mentioned many important topics such as the need of more crop growth, an effort to clean up the town, as well as the annual "sending off", which was the deployment of Luxin's young to battle. Poor fellows, Dargus didn't envy them one bit. The Mayor continued his address, and soon enough drew to a close. At the end he mentioned something that had to do with metal and with that Marius stood up and headed toward the Mayor.

Dargus was now left alone in his chair as he watched Marius walk. What it was that the Mayor needed was unknown to Dargus, however today he had been happier than he had in a while, and that was due in large part to his time spent with Marius. Whatever it was the Mayor wanted, if Marius was going to do it, Dargus wanted to as well. His mind made up, Dargus sat up quickly, his chair falling on its back behind him. With purpose, he strolled up to the front, right behind Marius.

Wiping his nose with his sleave, Dargus suppressed his smile as he approached, attempting to seem serious. He did not want to lose the opportunity to help Marius out, after all. Marius and the Mayor were huddled together, engaged in conversation. Once again, with no regard to personal space, Dargus placed himself to close for comfort, standing shoulder to shoulder with Marius, their elbows joined together. "So, what is the situation?" Dargus asked.

On and on the mayor went about this task Marius had very little interest in, but movement from a big hairy shape in the corner of his eye made his stomach churn. The man was coming as well?! Doing his best to speed up the conversation, he cut the mayor off and inquired specifically with some faked excitement. Anyone but this man might have seen through, but the mayor simply smiled complacently at Marius' vigor and finally answered Marius' only question, "Oh, well in that case I'll get you going right away. I'll have the carts prepared to leave for Kova first thing in the morning!"

A trip. A trip! This was what the mayor had been bumbling on about for the last minute and a half? No, absolutely not. Kova was a neighboring town up in the mountains, but it was by no means close. He tried to speak quickly, hoping to finish before Dargus arrived, "Well, I'd absolutely love to, b--" Too late, Dargus had spoken, and the mayor turned his attention.

"Ahh, Dargus," the mayor said slowly. The man was clueless, as far as Marius was concerned, but even he had apprehensions about Dargus. If Marius had realized what was about to happen a moment earlier, he would have bolted for the door before the mayor could speak another word. "Marius has just offered to make a trip to Kova to deliver some metal-work that's been done here. Would you be interested in going as well?"

Marius' heart sank.

Dargus fought even harder to hide his smile as the mayor suggested he set out with Marius to Kova, however the excitement was to hard to suppress. Dargus had never had a true friend, and for the first time in his life he was beginning to feel close to someone. He looked over at Marius, grinning, then turned back to the mayor and said, "Of course! We'd love to go!"

Dargus couldn't contain himself anymore, and as the excitement within him swelled over the edge, he turned towards Marius and punched him in the arm awkwardly. "Are you as excited as I am Marius?"

He was going to be sick to his stomach. How old was this man? Something truly must have addled his brain over the course of his life. Perhaps the Disaster had stolen all his marbles along with the sunlight, but he didn't really care. All that took precedence now was figuring a way to get out of this situation. As the mayor, began to leave, though, Marius became certain his chances of escape were going as well. He could always become violently sick, but he was afraid Dargus might show up in his house and try and take care of him. What was wrong with that man?

He felted dazed by the whole thing. Kova was in the mountains! That hike would be insufferable even without Dargus clinging to his elbow. He need to escape this infernal room, go home, and drink. Nodding mechanically at Dargus' question, Marius responded bleakly, "Yes, yes of course. Look, Dargus, I've got things to take care of so I'll see you tomorrow, all right? Right, have a good evening." And with that, the man stole away as quickly as possible, hoping beyond hope that the Darkness might be waiting right outside the door, ready to save him from this Hell that seemed right at his doorstep already.