The First Arc
Morphine's footsteps could not be heard as she ran along the castle wall with stealth. She narrowly avoided the guards posted along the parapets, slipping behind them and using the edge of the stone rising as a foothold from time to time. The clouds in the distance parted for the day-breaking sun as delicate streaks of warm golden light peeked over mountain tops. Wind nipped at her cheeks creating a faint red flush. Although the cowl of her cloak covered her head, it still didn't protect her from the chilly breeze that blew in the opposite direction from where she was running.
Her sights were set on the stone arch leading into the castle that was on the other stone wall right of the one she was currently on. From her intel, this was the time of day where the guards were scarce. Even though it would not have been a problem for her to face them, she was instructed that this was the best time because of that. Attention would certainly be drawn to her if she left a trail of dead bodies, so for now, she could only use her stealth to keep her going.
As Morphine slipped behind the last guard with her footsteps light as air she darted for the arc. Once the last stretch of the stone wall was covered she slowed as she approached the inside of the castle. This was the point where she was most vulnerable. Someone could have seen her from the inside and with the sun now rising she could not see in from where she was. With the help of the information she had, she hoped that there was no one there. If it were to turn out to be the complete opposite then it would not have been her to feel the consequences but the person who shared the intel.
Looking back every so often she crept through the stone arc before finally becoming one with the gloomy hallway. Faint sunlight made the windows lining the left wall glow faintly, but it was not enough for any substantial lighting. Allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, she could see that the walls had flower portraits on them and in between each was identical arching wooden doors. Pillars protruded from the walls every so often leading up to the tall ceiling that was also an arc. Morphine could not figure out the color of the walls but quickly let go of that thought, refocusing on her mission.
There was a map in the inner pocket of her cloak in case she needed it but with her route in memory, she swiftly navigated the corridors as if she had been doing so for years. Using the dark hallways to her advantage she often hid in corners and next to pillars to evade patrolling guards. There was a close call and on instinct, she reached for her dagger that was safely hidden under her cloak and attached to her waist so that she could slit their throat, but she held back.
After passing through countless identical hallways for five minutes she finally arrived at her destination. The door was one amongst four that lined the hallway. The handle and lock were metal and were painted black. She looked around to make sure that the coast was clear and then stooped down so that she was eye level with the lock. The door was locked as she was told that it would be so she reached into her cloak and pulled out tools that would allow her to pick it.
The tools clinked softly as she worked quickly on the lock. A couple of seconds later she heard the door unlock and quickly opened the door and shut it behind her. The room was darker than the corridor. It was still possible for her to see but it had her straining her eyes more. When she stepped forward she noticed that faint light came through the cracks of the door illuminating small sections of the floor and drawing attention to a few of the many books that were in the room. A few windows were perched high up on the walls but since they weren't facing the rising sun so she could still see the last stars fading away.
The room was fairly large and was filled with books. Piles and piles were littered all over the floor that it made it hard for her to walk. Selves that disappeared into darkness brimming with leather back pages of information were almost overflowing. If this was the library of the castle it was definitely not what someone would imagine, especially for royalty.
Morphine was told that what she was looking for was in this room. Their intel is a staff member that worked in the castle so their information should be trusted. It was said that it would be kept in a box somewhere in this room. With the level of importance that his item held she imagined that it would be held in a more secure place but shockingly it was in here. She began moving books to the side and dug through mounds of papers. She opened countless drawers and looked through many shelves. The only description of the box she had was that it was dirt brown and had a silver latch. The longer she searched the more a sneaking suspicion arose in her mind that maybe her information was false. Maybe the informant had seen the box taken in here but things could have changed.
Why weren't there guards outside? Or why was this room so easy to get into. It didn't make sense.
Morphine didn't have too much time to think about it because moments later the door rattled. She acted fast and hid behind a crowded shelf. In her searching attempt she had moved back closer to the door so she could see who had entered. This person broke the darkness in the room when they opened the door and briefly she could see that they were wearing a long black cloak and spotted small frays of blonds peeking out from the bottom of their hood. They mumbled something inaudible before shutting the door.
From what she could see they moved towards a pile of books and began to move them. It was hard to see them because of the color of their cloak but she could make out their movements due to the sky that was gaining light. They would mumble to themselves occasionally as they looked through the room. Morphine guessed that they were also looking for the box. Their movements were more erratic and made a lot more noise than she did. The sky was getting significantly brighter the longer they searched. She knew that she had to get out soon. If it became too bright then it would be harder to exit the castle undetected.
Leaving the room without gaining the attention of the individual would be quite difficult. Her hand snaked down to her dagger and she slowly pulled it out. A quick slit to the throat and then she could get out before someone noticed the body. In silence, she made her way around the shelf and slowly approached the person from behind. She gripped the hilt as she raised the dagger but at that moment she was interrupted.
"Your Highness," a voice that came from beyond the door called.
Both figures froze and then the person in front of Morphine turned around suddenly but went rigid when they saw her and more importantly her weapon. The dagger was raised to the perfect level of their throat. They met gazes. Morphine studied them and could see that the person was male. Not many more details were noticed before he backed up quickly and then opened his mouth to ruin her plan.
"Help!" he called out in despair, his legs continuing to take him further away from her. He stumbled over some books and tripped.
She heard rapid footsteps and a shadow appeared outside the door before it was roughly opened. Not missing a beat, Morphine fled throughout the door, pushing the person to the side and darting down the hallway. Annoyance flared up inside her as a scowl formed on her face. Shouts bounced off of the castle walls and that was the end of her mission. Everyone in this wing of the castle was probably alerted and soon the entire castle would be buzzing.
The path she came was the path she left through. She basically flew through the halls. And when she came out to the castle walls the guards posted there still had not heard the commotion so she stealthily leapt over the wall, skid down, and landed on a roof that was below it, cushioning her fall with a roll. Morphine cautiously got off and made her way back the way she came. She needed to return to the slums of the kingdom so that she could report all that happened.
The day was still new and dew still resided on the tips of leaves. As Morphine maneuvered through the noble region that vastly surrounded the castle she was sure that no one would be awake to see her. Sending a glance back up to the castle she disappeared from the view of anyone up there as she went between two houses.
Seron was a country that resided in the valley between two mountains. The country is structured so that the castle of the royal family sits in the centre. It's surrounded by the houses of nobility on all sides. And after the nobility were the slums. Located on the outskirts of the kingdom, the slums were rejected and ostracized by everyone. Even people who had to live in them. If the kingdom were to ever come under fire the people in the slums would take the first hit. The country has been battling famine for the past decade and the ones to suffer the most from it were those of the slums.
The nobility and royalty cared little for them so many have been suffering and dying due to malnutrition and starvation. A river ran through the kingdom so fish is a staple food for our nation but the river is mostly gate kept by the rich so a chance is not even given to anyone else. The land had been mostly barren in the slums so growing produce was out of the question. There was the option to leave or to find some land in the mountains but many are too weak for the kind of journey.
All this time the royal palace has been flourishing with foods of all kinds from different kingdoms but the farthest that food ever goes is to the politicians and councilmen of the king. With no one being able to bring food from outside or to go searching for it, the mortality rate of the kingdom spiked in the last decade and the king has done nothing to help. More than half of his population is riddled with poverty and he continues to ignore those in need.
That was the reason why Morphine was sent to the royal castle. The castle of the Faulkners. It has been standing for the past three hundred years and is said to hold some of the most dangerous and prosperous secrets of the land. Seron is a land of strife and starvation and yet at one time, it used to contain magic. Over a hundred years ago the country was invaded by the neighboring ones because the king at that time, His Majesty Fellis Faulkner, refused to share magic with anyone other than his favored few.
And so the land was overtaken and decimated. The king was killed but his wife was saved. Most of the magic was snuffed out and taken but she held onto one last piece that was powerful enough to save the kingdom if it were ever in dire need of it. It was called the Myraina Root. Before the queen died she left back a map to the plant. Although no one except her had seen it, she left back a map that was hidden somewhere in the kingdom to be found so that when the time came it could be found. The Myraina Root was said to have the ability to make the land fertile again. Now more than ever that sort of miracle is needed for the people of the slums and only a few weeks ago the map was found by the king's troops.
She was walking for about ten minutes before she reached the river that split the kingdom in half. The castle was actually built over the river so it ran cleanly under it. Morphine stopped her thoughts as she cautiously crossed it, walking over the bridge that was built decades ago.
The King was planning on sending out a team of people to go look for the plant but no one knew when. The kingdom rejoiced when the news left the castle. It was exciting for all the people who suffered in squaller for so long but even if the map was found it would not change anything for them because the reason why Morphine was in the castle was in an attempt to steal the map.
She was given direct orders that the map should be stolen and brought back but it seemed like the information they gathered was wrong so now she was forced to return empty-handed. Her 'benefactor' would not be too happy with the way things turned out. He would not be mad at her per se but someone was going to get yelled at.
Although she lived in the slums her life was not affected by the famine so she had no sympathies for anyone who suffered from it. She spent her entire life being nurtured and taught so that the misfortunes of people had no effect on her. She was a trained killer for her benefactor and grew up with him her entire life. He was the closest thing she had to family and so she trusted and listened to him. He wanted her to steal the map so she went to steal the map.
The matters of others had nothing to do with her. Her entire life was spent on the entrails of victims of her benefactor. She had rock-solid skin and an even harder will. So although the Myraina Root would be for the greater good of her country, there was not an inkling of pity or hope for the people of the slums. She did what she had to do to survive and please her benefactor and that was all she needed to survive.
The scenery began to change drastically as she neared closer to the slums. Tall, and properly structured houses became bleak wooden sheds of houses. The orderly and clean road became covered in dirt and garbage. There was a large dirt outlining that surrounded the slums. It ran about four meters across and clearly separated the slums from the rest of the kingdom. The familiar unpleasant odor of the place wafted in her face as she entered it. It smelled of rusting metal, rotting food, and as always there was the hint of carcass.
Entering an alleyway between two shambles of wood that probably should not be called houses, she moved a giant piece of wood away from the door that was hidden at the back. Morphine worked for one of the most dangerous crooks that basically had full control of the slums. Everybody knew his face and everybody feared his name. He was the one who raised her and was the one who taught her how to kill.
No one knew how he did it and how he has not been caught by the king's guard yet but with his cunning and ruthless nature, he was able to build his empire for the past thirty years. His name was Lucifer Redwood and he was the crook that ran the slums.