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“This should be enough.” Shadow whispered as Resin observed the contents of his sack. Most of it were artistic wood carvings from various elven villages. There were some Umbral Woods goods there as well. There was even some white stone from Earthwall. All of it was stolen of course. The pile was the product of about five weeks’ worth of theft. “This will get us in the Bazaar and out again.”
“If you say so.” Resin said. The elf felt like he should be jaded towards his incorporeal guide. Yet the thieving and the skulking felt oddly comforting. Like he had found a job actually worth doing. Still, normal people don’t think like that. So he tried to pretend to dislike the tasks. “We’re going then?”
“Yep! Grab the bag and stand in the tree’s shadow. Then just wish hard enough you were in the Shadow Bazaar.”
Resin did as he was told. He closed his eyes as he wanted nothing more than to be in this place that the one Umbra they met kept describing as a place of endless, bustling activity. It was hard to imagine as an elf of the woods. For him Sanctuary was the biggest, most busiest place he could imagine. Hell, Resin had never even been to Sanctuary.
Yet when he opened his eyes a wall of noise overtook him. Suddenly he found himself stepping around a corner into a main thoroughfare. “Gracious Celestine.” He said out loud. All kinds of creatures were passing him by. Some looked like him, yet had rounded ears and looked a bit less… healthy. Others were completely different. Most didn’t pay him much mind.
“You gotta blend in! Blend in!” Shadow urged in Resin’s mind. “Start walking. Start moving.”
Again Resin did as he was told. He started to walk aimlessly through the street passing all sorts of stalls selling all sorts of things. It didn’t take long for Resin’s curiosity to get the better of him as he strode closer and closer to the side and near the stalls.
“Something to your liking?” Shadow teased.
“The food… it smells so good.” Resin said out loud as his eyes and stomach wandered over the various small grills and open kitchens. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” It didn’t take long for his fingers to wander as well.
“Don’t do it, Resin.” Shadow quickly warned. “Not here.”
The elf just frowned. His guide had done nothing but encourage his thieving habits in the last few weeks, and now he had to stop? Screw that.
“Don’t do it. I’m serious.”
If something happened Resin could always melt through the shadows to get away. He had done it countless times. His hands moved over an open grill filled with skewered meat. It had two fewer when he passed.
Resin would continue to move away from where he stole the meat but before he could move too far, a person stepped from behind another stall. Seemingly lost in thought, she bumped into Resin, almost knocking him over.
The person, a female, was the most charming person which Resin would ever see in his life. Dressed in expensive clothing with a golden bow tying her black hair, she apologized for her clumsiness and turned to walk away but then turned once more towards Resin.
“ I am truly sorry. Looks like I need to look better at where I’m walking. Many apologies, I am Applepie of the Underground. ” said the elven woman with an extremely attractive smile and a flirtatious look in her eyes.
“I’m Resin.” The male elf said with a big smile. There was something so alluring about her. He wanted to get to know her better.
“Careful Resin.” Shadow warned. The ring’s consciousness was vastly more wary of the whole situation.
“I’m new here, to the Bazaar I mean.” Resin ignored his guide and kept talking with sweet Applepie. “Maybe you could show me around?”
Applepie looked at the ring Resin had and shook her head slightly before looking at Resin once more, straight into his eyes.
“ I can see that you are new to the Bazaar. If you accept my apology, I’d be more than happy to show you around. Come, follow me. ” replied Applepie while grabbing Resin’s hand as she started to guide him through the stall maze. Eventually she stopped in front of a fountain.
The fountain was decorated with jewels and made out of solid dark-gold but that wasn’t the most impressive feature of it. The water that would normally shoot out of it, wasn’t water. Liquid shadows, the same which the Dawnborn were made of, was shooting out of it. Making different forms, letters, in the air and they’d hang in there for a few seconds before hitting the pool and flying up into the air once more making different sentences everytime before repeating them again. Each letter was in polyglottis, the universal language which everyone inherently understood.
The messages were clear. All of them being Ashevelen’s commandments and the rules of the Shadow Bazaar. Curiously, there was a message that was being repeated more and more until it was the only one being formed. It read “No thieving.”
“It’s beautiful!” Resin exclaimed as he read the various rules. The no thieving rule passed his eyes every now and then but he didn’t really care. Every place had a no thieving rule. He had been chased enough to know people didn’t like it when you stole things from them. Then again, if you let it be stolen maybe you shouldn’t have it in the first place? The rule never stuck. His eyes had more attention for the beautiful elf beside him. Meanwhile, he was also starkly ignoring the bone-chilling sense coming from his ring. Shadow had gone silent again. That did make Resin worried, but not worried enough.
Then the other rules began to fade as they were replaced with the no thieving rule. The elf’s heart began to drop. When nearly half the fountains’ rules had become unified he realized something was deeply and horribly wrong. “I-I think I need to leave.” He stammered as he took a step backward, making sure he stood in the shadow of the fountain before calling on the ring to blink him out of danger.
Applepie just watched Resin as they read the rules and was expecting him to bolt the second he read them but instead he just sat that and admired the rules…that is, until Applepie slowly changed the way of the rules all writing the same thing “No Thieving” and sure enough, Resin figured out the danger he was in.
Applepie’s form suddenly changed to her usual divine one but remained the same size as Resin, for his benefit. Appl–Ashevelen now watched him with interest as he jumped into the shadows and then she realized what the ring actually was.
“ Silly mortal. ” were the only two words she uttered as she snapped her fingers, just as Resin was teleporting away. The moment he disappeared, he would appear next to Ashe, just within arm’s reach and then Ashe decided to have some fun.
“ If you like teleporting in my shadows so much…here, have a taste of it. ” continued Ashe as she tapped two fingers together and each time she’d do that, Resin would teleport to a different random location within the Bazaar. Of course, he wouldn’t have time to take a breath as he’d be teleported again and again. Thousands of times until, finally, Ashe chuckled and made him appear right in front of her. Healing his most obvious injuries from being teleported unnaturally so many times and so fast, Ashevelen immobilized him by making the floor “eat” his legs.
Taking the hand which had the ring on, she inspected the ring before giving it a gentle tap. Almost immediately, a tiny explosion of air happened next to them and an Umbra appeared. A blank stare in their eyes showed that it was an empty one, without any kind of sentience and then, a small sliver of power was transferred between the ring to the Umbra.
“ I am Ashevelen, spirit. The Goddess. Lady of the Swift Trade and Shadows. Is it you who possessed this mortal and made him break the rules? ” her voice was low, threatening as if she could snap at any moment and kill both of them.
“M-M-Me?” Shadow stammered. His Umbra shape was twitching and shaking. It was beyond unnatural for him. He was attached! Always! At all times. With little self-control over the act he dashed over towards a heaving, sickened Resin and attached himself over the elf like a cloak, utterly unable to release himself. “I-I just tried to warn him, Your Grace.” He tried to muster up a defense. “He shouldn’t have stolen. He shouldn’t have!”
Ashevelen shook her head once more and separated the two as two cages appeared from the ground around each of them.
" And yet you allowed him to be dumb enough? Unless, is he your master? Did he imprison you in that artefact? Stole you from your divine? If so, tell me your maker's name and I'll make sure you arrive safely. Kidnapping and thievery isn't something I look kindly upon. "
The Umbra form of Shadow was actively flinging itself against the cage in a futile attempt to reattach itself to the elf. “I… Can’t.” He answered. His voice was straining itself.
“I’m not his master.” A physically drained Resin managed to get out as the dry heaving abated. “He’s my guide. He told me not to do it.” The elf was gathering himself faster than most mortals would manage. Despite the shock, he bit through and tried to keep his head cool. Even when his legs were ‘eaten’. “I’m sorry.”
With a wave of her hand, Ashe dispersed the cage that surrounded them both and after snapping her finger they all got teleported to a different place.
Inside one of the towers that one could always in the distance, laid a prison of sorts. Same prison which Ashevelen used to house the elves that broke her rules before.
Only a table and a chair stood there, seemingly out of place considering the prison was empty. No cages, no prisoners…nothing. It was as if someone built the prison but then midway through the construction stopped.
" Take a seat. We need to discuss your punishment. " said Ashe while doing what she told them. Three glasses of Umbral alcohol appeared on the table.
Resin did as he was told. Though he was still very much leaning on the table to get to the chair. His legs felt weird now. Shadow felt significantly worse off. His Umbra form clutched around Resin for dear life. His own shadowy fingers laced those of the elf and its face hung over the elf’s shoulders with a void look. “Sure. Seems fair.” Resin said as he slowly sat down on the chair. The punishment process seemed to have started on a much better note than usually anyway. He didn’t touch any of the glasses though.
" What is your name spirit and do you want a different form? Looks like you are in pain. That's punishment enough, I'd say for you. And yours, mortal? After you answer that, you may start. I am waiting. Don't have a lot of time. "
“My name is Resin. And the shade on me.” “Don’t say my name!” Shadow sneered in Resin’s mind. The elf stopped for a second. Ignoring Shadow had never been a good idea so far. Still, it wasn’t like he really had a choice now: “Is called Shadow.”
For a second the elf remained silent. He was expecting some sort of explanation. When it didn’t came he decided to speak up: “What am I supposed to start?”
“ A serenade. Maybe some dance and of course to start answering all of my questions. ” quickly replied Ashe with a note of annoyance on her face. Realizing that the mortal might not be smart enough to realize, she added : “ Apologizing for what you’ve done, an explanation of why you’ve done it and…the bargaining. What do I get for allowing you to live after you’ve broken my rules? ”
“I’m sorry I stole.” Resin said as he tried to keep calm. Despite the threat on his life. “I just… I just saw the food and I wanted it.” It was the truth. It wasn’t a good one but at this point he was dealing with a goddess, so he figured telling the truth would be his only way out. “And…” Quite defeated, he then slumped in his chair. What in the name of Celestine could he even offer to a literal goddess? Servitude?
“You’re already claimed.” That familiar voice of Shadow whispered in his mind. “You made the deal remember. Power in exchange of servitude. Do not offer what you do not have.” Resin didn’t like that statement, but it was still a fact.
“Then get me out of here.” Resin thought. Shadow didn’t answer. So he sighed deeply. “I can’t offer you anything of worth. I can’t bargain.” So this was his end? Well, he lived a good couple of weeks at least.
" You wanted food and you took it. Maybe my siblings would allow that excuse to work on them, but I'm the wrong Goddess to try that on and I've got a question before I decide what to do with you, who do you serve, little mortal? I can see the strings attached to your soul. " replied Ashe, already losing patience with the mortal.
“I serve-“ He stopped his answer in its tracks. Who did he really serve? Something just offered him power. It had been nothing more than a voice. “Shadow?” He asked in his mind.
“It’s too early. Far too early.” The entity replied with hissing thoughts.
“Well she’s going to kill me if I don’t give her something!” Resin shot back with increasing frustration. Something he wasn’t good at hiding.
“Just… weasel your way out.” Shadow sounded rather unsure of that.
“Are you just going to let me die!?” Resin shouted out loud now. He was sick and done playing these games with his life in the balance.
“Ithril!” Hissed Shadow out loud now as well. “He and I. We serve Ithril.”
As soon as Ashevelen heard the name, a papyrus appeared next to her. Taking the papyrus in one hand she looked upon it with interest. Names of known divines, their domains and creations were written there but Ithril wasn’t there.
“ Ithril. That’s one divine brother I haven’t yet met. I think I need to have a word with him about his creations invading my realm and breaking my rules. Are you worth something to him, either of you? ” said Ashe as the papyrus disappeared.
“I just steal things.” Resin resigned to his fate really. “That’s what I… agreed to do for this Ithril.” Shadow went quiet again. Either to keep information hidden, or out of fear. Resin didn’t know. He just wanted to get out of here. “And I’m good at it. We were really just passing through your realm. I don’t think this Ithril wanted me to break your rules. In fact, considering Shadow telling me not to, I'd say that he didn’t want any of this happening.” Resin wasn’t entirely sure why he was talking so much suddenly. Maybe he just got tired of the tension and decided to get it all over with.
“ So you’re just a common thief. Is that what you’d want me to believe, mortal? That artifact you’ve got on your finger is more than enough to prove you’re full of bullshit, not gonna say anything about your guide . That’s not something a divine just gives to a mortal without any plan behind it. But maybe, just maybe, you just can’t see that. Your guide on the other hand could be a bit more truthful to you and tell us your real purpose. Have a chat with him later on. Either way, I don't know what to do with you. You're essentially useless to me but I've got to set an example 'lest others get any ideas. " replied Ashe, astonished at the mortal's apparent dumbness.
She stood up from the chair, conjured some mirrors forth and seemed to read things off them but for Resin it would look as if she just stared into nothingness.
" Ah. I know. Choose your punishment. Anything that fits a thief but you're not allowed to choose freedom as the punishment or anything of the sorts. " said Ashe as she turned towards Resin
For a second the elf was stunned. He thought he was going get blown apart by some divine smite. Instead, he gets to choose? “Just… have me beaten to a pulp? That’s what generally happened when I got caught in the past.”
“ That’s boring, lacks any kind of imagination and if I’d beat you, you’d be dead. ” replied Ashe with a bored look and then suddenly, she grinned.
“ I’ve got an idea that neither of you will like. ” said Ashe before laughing out loud. Her laughter shook the walls of the tower.
Ashevelen lifted Resin and Shadow from the table and as they floated in the air, approached them. She looked at the ring, then at Shadow’s Umbral form and then at Resin…grinning all the time. Making her hand similar to a sword, she cut through Resin’s arm like a knife through butter. No opposition at all. Afterwards, she grasped the ring in her hand and held it thigh, shadows started to pour out of her hand, blending with Shadow’s Umbral form.
Initially nothing happened with it but then it started to contort, making itself smaller and smaller until finally it formed the shape of an arm which attached itself to Resin. Fully replacing his lost arm that now disappeared in the floor. The arm had a small mouth in the middle of the hand through which Shadow could talk or eat if he wished to.
" There. One hates being a physical being and the other one is dumb enough to try to steal from a divine. May you keep each other company forever and stop each other from doing more dumb stuff. "
“What the-” Resin’s curse was quickly stifled by Shadow’s arm covering his face. The elf was furious at first as he clutched the shadow arm. Eventually, Shadow released his grip and turned towards Ashe. “We are most grateful for your enlightening lesson and punishment. With this I presume we are free to leave?” Shadow was being extremely cautious with his words. In truth the Ring’s entity wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of this horror show of a place.
“ Did I say that? I punished you and you should be grateful I didn’t remove the both of you from this plane of existence. But, you deserve a reward as well . You’ve exploited something that I didn’t expect, in a massive oversight, on my part. Just because it’s written that sealing isn’t allowed, it won’t stop mortals from doing it and I can’t just chat with all of you. ” said Ashe while looking at the two.
“ I know. I’ll give you something to wear to accommodate your new body. ” exclaimed Ashevelen as shadow-woven clothes appeared on the table. They were of good quality and the exact same size as Resin, minus the Shadow arm which seemed to always pinch in the wrong place when it moved.
“ Take them and leave. Next time you return to the Bazaar, make sure to check the fountain I’ve led you to initially. There will be a surprise for you. ”
The surprise was another punishment of sorts. Above the fountain there was now a painting of Resin and the writing “First Thief, may it be the last one…or else” just below it, for all who pass by it to see.
“ Bye-bye. ” said Ashe as they grabbed the clothes and snapped her fingers teleporting them both outside, on the other side of the bazaar.
Resin wasted no time at all as he rushed through the Bazaar, though he was careful not to bump impolitely against anyone. Who knew what more rules there were in this shadowy hellhole. Shadow was eerily quiet. When the elf reached the fountain where his sack of goods still was, he saw his picture. For a moment he felt a swell of pride bloom in his chest. Then he snapped out of that feeling again and grabbed his sack. Seconds later he opened his eyes while standing in the middle of a field. The sun stood high in the sky and he let out a sigh of relief.
“Ditch the clothes!” Shadow immediately said in Resin’s mind.
“What? But we got-“
“Are you seriously going to trust the gifts of a goddess who just took your arm for taking two skewers of meat!?” Shadow could barely believe his luck. Resin was a talented thief for sure but the kid had no gut feeling. He just took everything as it was. It had been a useful trait when his master came along but now it was getting beyond dangerous. “Ditch them. Leave them in the bright sun!”
“Wait I don't have any other-“
“Just do it!” Shadow snapped.
The elf did as he was told, as per usual, and took off all the shadow-woven clothes and left them in the bright sunlight, making sure that none of them had any shadow at all. Then he ran. There had to be a village nearby where he could klep some clothes.
“And so a force of this world revealed itself.” A voice whispered to itself from far away. “Now how should I go about trying to ruin your Bazaar, dear sister?”
