INTEGER UNLIMITED

Once the two of them were inside, they heard the door close behind them. They turned to see the kid, who couldn’t be older than 10, as he started to lock the door. He gestured for them to follow him as he walked up the stairs, as he took slow methodical steps. Marem followed without pause, as she held her torch and staff at the ready.

Leo was anxious, he still wasn’t certain what was going on, but definitely didn’t want to smash the floorboard and make too much noise. Though as he took his first step, he felt much more control with his body. His newest restrictions and practice have helped him control his strength even better, as he followed them up the stairs.

The kid led them up the stairs and down a hallway, as he opened a door that seemed to lead into his bedroom. Leo saw from the closed windows that this was the same room he spotted the kid in. The kid pointed at Marem’s torch, until she put it out. Leo felt a bit uneasy, not certain why the kid would have them in darkness.

Though thanks to his darkvision, he saw the kid fiddle with a small candle until it turned alight. The lighting was subtle, barely illuminating the room they were in. This light wouldn’t be seen from the outside unlike the torch. The kid placed it on the ground and sat down, as he looked at the other two, as he waited for them to do the same. When Leo and Marem sat down, the kid finally spoke up.

“Are you heroes?” asked the kid.

Leo took a second, “Yes, we are, can you tell us what’s going on?”

The kids' eyes welled with tears, “Mom and Dad left, and now I stay here hiding from him and waiting for them to come home.”

“Who are you hiding from?” Asked Marem, as she placed a comforting hand on the kid’s shoulder.

“The spikey man,” the kid answered, his face snotty with tears.

The kid tried his best to stifle his tears, as Marem gave him a hug to try and calm him. Leo wanted to know more, hoping to get a better grasp on the situation, but didn’t want to distress the kid.

“Hey, champ, is there anyone else around we can talk to?” he asked.

The kid took a second to respond, “Mr. Philips, he’s the only one that didn’t leave.”

Leo felt relieved to know the kid wasn’t fully alone, “Do you know where he is?”

“He’s in the mayor’s office,” the kid responded.

Leo knew there was at least one person he could talk to about the situation, a good turn of fate. The kid grew unintelligible with tears, as Leo decided to ask Marem for more information.

“Do you know where the mayor’s office is?” he asked her.

“I remember it, it’s this big building in the middle of the city. We should be able to find it easily,” she answered.

He looked at her and the crying kid, as the kid seemed to be letting out a wave of tears. Leo knew the kid wouldn’t stop crying anytime soon, and whatever was out there would be drawn to it. Looking at Marem, he felt confident enough that she could handle danger, and that she could help quiet the kid.

“I’ll go to the mayor’s office and find out more, you stay here with the kid,” he said.

She tried to argue, but the kid's sobbing intensified when he felt her move away. The kid muttered about his parents, his voice drowned by his tears. Marem knew that she couldn’t leave him alone like this, if something was out there it would hear him.

“It won’t take me long, I’ll be back soon,” he promised.

Leo walked out of the room, went down the stairs, and unlocked the front door and closed it behind him. The darkness would be his cover as he moved through the night. While he didn’t know what was in the city, he hoped it would be more attracted to him than Marem and the kid.

He followed down the main street, moving ever closer to the heart of the city. While he didn’t see the mayor's office yet, he figured he was moving closer due to the ever increasing quality of the buildings. Near the center of the town, there were stores selling high quality fabrics and wares.

While he was tempted to go search through, considering there wasn’t a guard in sight to stop him, he knew this wasn’t the time for looting. What did unsettle him was the ever increasing amount of splattered blood, some streets being fully dyed red. He also wasn’t comforted by the inexplicable destruction of the city.

There would be shops that looked as if a bull charged through, while every other store on the street looked pristine. If there was some grand struggle, shouldn’t the destruction be spread throughout the entire city? He hoped Mr. Philips could help shine some light on what happened here.

Down the most blood stained section yet, blood splattering up the wall of the nearby building, was a masterpiece of architecture. It had columns that jutted out into the sky, each one adorned with detailed gargoyles. There were large walls in between them, made of gold tipped bars. He saw intricate statues dot along the path past its gate, alongside a perfectly manicured lawn.

He walked past the open gate, as he headed to what must be the mayor’s office. The pathway was splattered with blood, the marble statues painted red. Whatever happened to this city, it was clear the most fighting had happened here. Walking deeper into the estate, he saw grand doors that led into the building.

Leo knocked it down with a shove, causing a loud resounding thud on the ground. While he walked inside, each step echoed through the grand hall. It was different from the other places in this city. There had been blood stained throughout the walls, alongside damage on the interior. What was odd, was that it appeared some of the blood had been cleaned off.

Though as he reached the end of the corridor, his attention on the branching paths, a man emerged. He had raggedy brown hair, eyes that showed no signs of rest, and a determined scowl. He had a wand raised and aimed at Leo, as his eyes glowed a brilliant aqua hue.