Red

Well, tonight was weird. Malkator and I split up to look for information on Silvermist. I decided to hit a few bars. While I was looking around, asking if anyone had heard that name before, I managed to find someone. Things went kind of strangely.

I saw this girl with bright red hair sitting at the bar. I couldn't find anyone else in the bar who knew anything, so I figured I should go up, order myself a drink, and casually ask if she knew anything.

I went up and asked. “Excuse me?” I said to her.

“What's up?” she replied.

“You haven't heard of any one called Silvermist, have you?” I asked.

“I have, actually,” she said.

“Really?” I asked, trying not to sound to desperate for info.

“Buy me a drink and I'll tell you where you can find her,” she said.

That was better than I had hoped for. I ordered us both a drink. Then she told me to follow her.

She led me down an alleyway.

“This is the way to Silvermist, right?” I asked.

“Not quite,” she said.

I looked over my shoulder. There was a group of people behind me, blocking the way out of there. I looked back at her. More people, surrounding us.

“What's going on?” I demanded.

“I brought you here for one reason,” she said. “I am going to help you find the Dying Man, but first, there's something I need from you.”

“And what would that be?” I asked.

She was suddenly right in front of me, nose to nose.

“Your body,” she whisper, just before leaning in and kissing me.

My vision blurred, and I passed out. I was suddenly inside my subconscious, on the ship. But things had changed. The ship was sailing through an Ocean of blood. The skies were crimson. I looked around, and then he showed up there.

“Reverie,” I hissed.

“Hello, Daniel,” he said, smiling with his pointed fangs.

“What's going on!?” I demanded. “What did you do to this place!”

“Oh, this isn't my doing,” he said. “You can blame her.”

I turned around and saw something else weird. Blood was seeming up from the ship's planks, floating into the air, and mixing together, taking the shape of a woman.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked, taking a step away from her. She looked straight at Reverie.

“Oh, you're here,” she said.

“You seem displeased,” he said.

“Well, I'm not really happy with your activities as of late, Grotesque,” she said.

“You have no respect for me, do you?” he asked. “It's not like you haven't impeded my plans at all.”

“Silence, worm,” she said.

“Who the hell are you!?” I shouted. “I want some goddamn answers!”

She moved directly in front of me, like some kind of weird phantom.

“I am the Red Cap,” she said.

Shit. The thing that HELLFIRE referred to as the Dying Man's mother.

“Why are you here?” I asked her.

“You are my Vessel now,” she said. “You belong to me.”

“Bullshit!” I yelled, punching her the face. She didn't seem to feel anything, but she still backed up a bit. “I want you both out of my head! NOW!!”

“But I thought you wanted to know where Silvermist is?” she asked. “I can show you. All you must do is submit.”

“Not happening,” I said.

She moved toward me, but I summoned a sword and cleaved her in two. She reformed and attacked me. I kept fighting her off. I must have worn her out after a while, because she vanished. I could still hear her voice though.

“You are persistent. If you wish to find Silvermist, all you need to do is follow the night.”

How vague can you get? Follow the night? What does that even mean?

I heard Reverie laughing behind me. I turned to him.

“What are you still doing here?” I demanded.

“Oh, I just wanted to see what Red wanted with you,” he replied. “I'll go for now, but I'll be back soon enough, Daniel.”

He faded away. I woke up in the alleyway. The people were gone. I got up and returned to the hotel. I still need to figure out what “follow the night” means.