Cycles of Entropy

"The Quiet?" I asked, confused.

"It's a plague, supposedly," the bartender responded. "Although I haven't seen anyone sick yet. I'm fairly certain it's all nonsense."

"That's because it's not a plague," a burly man drinking at the bar interjected.

"Oh shut up Marcus! Don't mind him, he's even more panicked than the rest of them," the bartender dismissed and I gave the man an appraising look. He looked just as carefree as the rest of the patrons in the inn, far from panicked. I just shrugged it off. She knew these people better than I did, and it didn't really make a difference to me.

"Oh shove it, Livia, you just don't want to admit I'm right. Listen, girl, this ain't no plague. The Quiet is a curse. That's why I ain't runnin'. Curse don't care how far you go. We're all gettin' Luna's gift, whether we leave or not," Marcus grumbled before going back to his drink. I gave him another look and my earlier question was answered. The man wasn't carefree. He was hopeless. He was enjoying himself because he didn't figure there was anything else for him to do.

After everything else that's happened, I couldn't help but feel jealous. It wasn't much, but it took a certain kind of strength to do what he was doing. Just... living what he saw as his final days, still trying to enjoy what he had. It wasn't something I thought I could do. My musings were interrupted by Livia, the bartender.

"There's no such thing as curses, and plagues don't kill people in an instant. They wouldn't be able to spread. If you ask me, a couple of people just moved away without telling their friends. People get scared when change happens, thought they were taken by some ghost or ghoul are some other nonsense like that. Rumors got around, people came up with these plague or curse ideas and started leaving themselves, thus perpetuating the rumor. It's just a big scare over nothing, trust me," Livia explained, completely unworried herself.

"W-Well," I replied, a little awkwardly, "I suppose that depends on what you mean by curses. It's true mages can't target people with an ambient spell. The mage has to be near the target of their spell. They can't really do delayed activation. I guess some can cast something that causes an effect over time though, so it could be kind of like a plague. But what people think of as a curse is impossible. If it's magical in nature, fleeing should probably work."

"What do you know kid?" Marcus barked back at me, "I know what I know, and I know this town is cursed. There ain't no runnin' from the Quiet!"

"Leave her alone you grumpy old jackass," Livia chided. "You don't know shit. Nobody is being killed by a damn curse!"

"Tell that to Virgil," Marcus retorted. "His husband was taken just this morning. One moment, they were having breakfast and the next poor Albin was cold as stone. Said his skin was colorless and like wax to the touch. This is happening whether you like it or not."

Livia just rolled her eyes and went back to cleaning. I almost dismissed Marcus as well. A spell that is activated from a distance was unheard of and the supposed systems didn't make any sense either. But... I had ignored people before and... So I looked over at him to follow up. "What happens to the bodies?" I inquired and Livia just groaned.

"Oh don't encourage him. There are no bodies. That's what I'm saying! People are just leaving, that's the whole damn story!" she insisted but I ignored her. I thought she was probably right, but if I could do nothing else good, I could at least listen. So I looked at Marcus and waited for a response.

"No one knows," Marcus grumbled, "Virgil said he went to get help, and Albin was just... gone when he got back. There was nothin' left of him but the eggs he was eatin'. In fact, he wa-AAugh!" Marcus jumped and yelled as the grandfather clock in the corner of the room tolled. The entire room held their breath and I could feel the tension in the air at every chime. Even Livia bit her lip and everyone looked around. Then it stopped and... nothing happened.

"See," Livia gloated, "Another hour and no one was taken by your Quiet Curse."

"Wait," I cut in before Marcus could protest, "It hits people... on the hour? How do you know that?"

"We don't, just another of Marcus' conspiracy theories," Livia complained but I couldn't dismiss it so easily. That was a fairly specific detail and not one that could be explained by mass hysteria. It didn't sound like any magic I knew of, but it did sound like something done with intent. For a moment, I was distracted thinking about it, then I remembered what I was there for. It wasn't something I could do anything about, and nothing had happened on the hour. So I shrugged it off.

"Well, for what it's worth. I think you have the right idea, coming here instead of running," I finally said to Marcus. "There's certainly nothing better to be found out there." He raised a glass to that and took a deep drink. "Can I have a drink, and a meal if you are still serving them," I added, addressing Livia.

"Yeah, I got some stew still. Any preferences for the drink?" She asked and I shook my head.

"Whatever is on tap will be fine, thanks," I responded. She served up the lukewarm stew and warmer beer and I began to eat, slowly. It tasted like shit, but it was better than what I ate on the road. "How long have you been here? In Beddenmor, I mean" I asked between bites.

"Me?" Livia replied, "I've been here all my life. Most people have been. We aren't close enough to anywhere important for many to want to move here." I nodded. She looked like she was in her forties or so. If she worked at the only inn in town, she would have met Camilla.

"Have you been working here for a long time? I'm looking for someone who may have passed through sometime in the last eleven years," I began and she looked at me like I was an idiot.

"Sometime in the last eleven years? Yeah, I worked here the entire time but if you want me to remember every traveler I have ever met, you are out of your damn mind," she mocked.

"She would have been memorable," I responded, nonplussed. "She had vibrant red hair and brought life to any room she was in. She was a powerful flora mage as well. She might have revived the foliage around town or even the plants around the inn? Please, if you remember anything about her, I'd be extremely grateful."

Livia was shaking her head before I got halfway through and my heart sank. No matter how many times I asked, and no matter how many times I was disappointed, I still couldn't suppress the hopeful anticipation as I asked. I chided myself for letting that happen again. I was like a gambling addict, always letting myself believe the dice would finally land in my favor. As a result, the inevitable answer only dragged me down further.

I slumped, pushing around what might have been potatoes in the old soup. I idly considered turning back time on the stew a bit, but it would have been more trouble than it was worth. "There's a garden in town, lasts a further into winter than it should. You could check there," Marcus chimed in and I felt a pang of... panic. That was a good lead. Not the first of its kind I have ever gotten, but a good one nonetheless. But... much like a lack of information upset me, useful information scared me.

At the end of the day, I was terrified to find Camilla. She wouldn't be happy to see me, and I wasn't sure I would know what to say. I had to find her anyway. "T-thanks," I stuttered, "Do you know where it is?"

"Southernmost part of town, just by the graveyard," he answered, "but you won't be able to get there now."

"Oh? Why?" I ask, trying to keep my warring emotions out of my voice.

"Guards have it closed off. Have for a week or so now. No one's sure why, but it happened just after the first rumors of the Quiet started showing up. My money says it's got somethin' to do with that," he explained. I immediately felt relieved. Then I felt guilty for feeling relieved. Finally, I just felt tired, and my stomach twisted in knots.

"Well, it's worth looking into," I responded, pushing the half-eaten stew away and dropping a few coins on the table. Livia casually collected both as I continued talking to Marcus. "How long has it been there, or rather, has it always lasted longer than it should?"

Marcus rubbed his beard in thought at the question. "I can't rightly say for sure I'm afraid, but... I suppose I've been hearing rumors about it for maybe six or seven years now?" he answered uncertainly. That fit. Camilla could have been there any time in the last ten years, and if it changed in that timeframe, it really could have been her.

She had always been unwilling to watch a garden suffer. Any kind of plant, really. No one knows if a person's innate magic directed their personality or the other way around but either way, Camilla was a perfect fit for hers. She was always full of life and energy, and she cared for and nurtured everyone. I, on the other hand, was always impatient for the future. Then, once I got there, I only longed for the past. Time magic was a perfect fit for me. Camilla would definitely have given a garden extra time to live.

"I don't suppose there is someone I could talk to about visiting the garden anyway," I asked, looking into my beer.

"It's managed by a man named Hadley," Marcus responded, "he might be able to answer your questions. He lives just outside of the area. Ask around and you'll find him."

"Guards still won't let you into the garden," Livia chimed in, "Although if you are desperate, you can always speak to the captain. Her name's Octavia. Give her a visit at the barracks in the center of town. I don't like your odds, but it can't hurt to ask."

"Thanks," I said while that peculiar mix of hope and fear raised my heart rate, "I might as well go do that now. I appreciate the meal."

Livia shook her head, "I wouldn't bother. It's a busy time of day for Octavia. Go in the morning, she'll be in a better mood before she's had to deal with a dozen other problems first," she explained and I paused. I supposed that made sense. And if I wasn't going to see this guard captain yet, I reasoned there was no point in meeting the gardener either. It was just an excuse. A delay in case I actually found something useful. But in the moment, it felt reasonable.

"Well, alright. Thank you," I replied. "Do you have keys to the rooms? I'd like to unpack my things." She dug around under the bar and pulled out a box.

"Any preferences? You want a window into the ugly alley, the uglier alley, or the road out front?" she joked and I shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," I answered so she picked a key and tossed it to me. "Thanks, for everything. You too, Marcus." I then began to head up the stairs.

"Wait, I need your name. Just for the logs," Livia called after me.

"Mars," I responded, then made my way to the rooms. A ragged three was carved into the wood tag on the ticket, so I unlocked the room with a matching placard and dropped off my things. It was a bit dusty and I was skeptical of the frequency with which the sheets were changed, but it had a wash basin and a bed. It was all I needed.

I didn't have the energy to lug water up to the room and I doubted Livia would be interested at the moment, so I just unpacked my meager belongings and laid on the bed. It was too early, but I had been walking all day and I couldn't muster the motivation to do anything else. Without so much as getting changed or lifting the covers, I fell asleep.

Day 0 - End