17th Cylus, 718
Scalvoris Town
Scalvoris Town
A pall of unease hung over Scalvoris like a mist.
How long ago had it been now since the killings had started? An arc? More? Tio couldn't quite remember when he'd first heard about it, but with every season that passed more bodies had turned up bearing the same signs; signs that all pointed to a serial killer stalking the island. The victims back then had all been prostitutes, the kind of people few cared enough about to be concerned with, and so most people had been content to keep their heads down and wait for the Elements to eventually sort things out like they always did. The unwritten rule was that as long as you weren't a prostitute you were safe, and that had been enough assurance for the residents of Scalvoris to sleep easily at night.
Yet who would have though that it would be the catching of that serial killer that brought things down from bad to worse?
'Skinny Jim' had been found butchered in the streets last season, along with a note from some nut calling himself the Prince of Eternal Mercies proclaiming himself to be the real monster in town. The Elements had found evidence to confirm that Jim was indeed the killer, and despite the violent nature of his execution and the threatening message attached to him the citizens had rejoiced that the serial killer had been taken care of. But now more people were turning up dead, each one bearing the calling card of this Prince of Eternal Mercies fellow, and wanted posters had gone up around town offering a reward for the capture of 'Cuckoo', the name of the man behind the title. As if that wasn't enough, groups of vigilantes had sprung up all over the place, attacking and branding whoever they believed to be a criminal (often mistakenly), and among certain circles there was talk of a group of fanatics gathering together for some unknown purpose. Now it wasn't just prostitutes in danger. Now nobody slept easily.
And like it or not Tio had become wrapped up in this problem when it had encroached itself into his world. Last night, the same night that three women across Scalvoris had been found dead with a message from Cuckoo, a small group of vigilantes had jumped some of his crew as they came back from a night of drinking. His crew had been able to run away with little more than a few nicks this time around, but who knew if they'd get so lucky if it happened again? Tio was the captain, it was his job to lead the charge against anyone who threatened his men, but how did you fight against a group intermingled throughout the population of the island? The only solution he could think of was to catch the man behind the murders, the one emboldening all these vigilantes to act up, and turn them over to the Elements.
It wasn't that Tio had suddenly turned into some law-abiding goodie two-shoes, but in this rare occasion helping out the Elements was in the criminal underworld's best interests. These vigilantes were only crawling out of the woodwork now because Cuckoo had made the Elements look weak, and now they thought they could get away with doing whatever they wanted without fear of reprisal. This 'justice' they claimed to be carrying out was nothing more than egotistical posing and an excuse for violence; after all if they were truly concerned about the criminals around town they wouldn't have waited for a serial killer to come along to inspire them! But if the Elements could make a show of putting Cuckoo on trial and regain their lost strength those vigilantes would scurry back down their holes and toe the line again in a heartbeat.
It was to that end that Tio found himself in Scalvoris Town that night, in the streets outside the house of one of the murder victims. The Elements had cordoned off the place when they'd come to investigate that morning, but now that the moon rode high in the sky they seemed to have all gone home, leaving only one soldier by the front door to stand guard. In order to catch this murderer Tio figured his best hope was to investigate the scene of the murder for any clues, and then make some inquiries about what he found to his network of underworld contacts and see if any leads came up. The snow dusting the city made the handholds along the wall slippery and cold as Tio clambered his way up them, forcing him to take it slowly and carefully, but thanks to the darkness of the night, the power if his ring and his own natural skill in stealth and acrobatics he was able to make it to the second floor without being spotted.
With near-silent footsteps Tio crept through the house, and slipped through the door into the room of the crime scene. It was a grizzly sight; blood stains were splattered everywhere, the slight whiff of decay hung in the air, and in the centre of the room a white sheet lay over the outline of an unmoving woman, red stains indicating the many areas that lay directly over a wound.
Tio bowed his head in a silent gesture of respect for the departed, then began looking around the room for clues. While investigation wasn't a strong suit of his, there was a lot of mess around here to work with. Surely there must be something about that could be of use?
How long ago had it been now since the killings had started? An arc? More? Tio couldn't quite remember when he'd first heard about it, but with every season that passed more bodies had turned up bearing the same signs; signs that all pointed to a serial killer stalking the island. The victims back then had all been prostitutes, the kind of people few cared enough about to be concerned with, and so most people had been content to keep their heads down and wait for the Elements to eventually sort things out like they always did. The unwritten rule was that as long as you weren't a prostitute you were safe, and that had been enough assurance for the residents of Scalvoris to sleep easily at night.
Yet who would have though that it would be the catching of that serial killer that brought things down from bad to worse?
'Skinny Jim' had been found butchered in the streets last season, along with a note from some nut calling himself the Prince of Eternal Mercies proclaiming himself to be the real monster in town. The Elements had found evidence to confirm that Jim was indeed the killer, and despite the violent nature of his execution and the threatening message attached to him the citizens had rejoiced that the serial killer had been taken care of. But now more people were turning up dead, each one bearing the calling card of this Prince of Eternal Mercies fellow, and wanted posters had gone up around town offering a reward for the capture of 'Cuckoo', the name of the man behind the title. As if that wasn't enough, groups of vigilantes had sprung up all over the place, attacking and branding whoever they believed to be a criminal (often mistakenly), and among certain circles there was talk of a group of fanatics gathering together for some unknown purpose. Now it wasn't just prostitutes in danger. Now nobody slept easily.
And like it or not Tio had become wrapped up in this problem when it had encroached itself into his world. Last night, the same night that three women across Scalvoris had been found dead with a message from Cuckoo, a small group of vigilantes had jumped some of his crew as they came back from a night of drinking. His crew had been able to run away with little more than a few nicks this time around, but who knew if they'd get so lucky if it happened again? Tio was the captain, it was his job to lead the charge against anyone who threatened his men, but how did you fight against a group intermingled throughout the population of the island? The only solution he could think of was to catch the man behind the murders, the one emboldening all these vigilantes to act up, and turn them over to the Elements.
It wasn't that Tio had suddenly turned into some law-abiding goodie two-shoes, but in this rare occasion helping out the Elements was in the criminal underworld's best interests. These vigilantes were only crawling out of the woodwork now because Cuckoo had made the Elements look weak, and now they thought they could get away with doing whatever they wanted without fear of reprisal. This 'justice' they claimed to be carrying out was nothing more than egotistical posing and an excuse for violence; after all if they were truly concerned about the criminals around town they wouldn't have waited for a serial killer to come along to inspire them! But if the Elements could make a show of putting Cuckoo on trial and regain their lost strength those vigilantes would scurry back down their holes and toe the line again in a heartbeat.
It was to that end that Tio found himself in Scalvoris Town that night, in the streets outside the house of one of the murder victims. The Elements had cordoned off the place when they'd come to investigate that morning, but now that the moon rode high in the sky they seemed to have all gone home, leaving only one soldier by the front door to stand guard. In order to catch this murderer Tio figured his best hope was to investigate the scene of the murder for any clues, and then make some inquiries about what he found to his network of underworld contacts and see if any leads came up. The snow dusting the city made the handholds along the wall slippery and cold as Tio clambered his way up them, forcing him to take it slowly and carefully, but thanks to the darkness of the night, the power if his ring and his own natural skill in stealth and acrobatics he was able to make it to the second floor without being spotted.
With near-silent footsteps Tio crept through the house, and slipped through the door into the room of the crime scene. It was a grizzly sight; blood stains were splattered everywhere, the slight whiff of decay hung in the air, and in the centre of the room a white sheet lay over the outline of an unmoving woman, red stains indicating the many areas that lay directly over a wound.
Tio bowed his head in a silent gesture of respect for the departed, then began looking around the room for clues. While investigation wasn't a strong suit of his, there was a lot of mess around here to work with. Surely there must be something about that could be of use?
