"A few years ago, but still before you were born, my boy, we had somethin' strange happen in the Kada-El tavern. Most of the guild won't talk about it, but I think it's about time you know.
Me and Hom Sawers were standin' at the bar with the rest o' the crew, tellin' stories and exchangin' laughs with each 'otha. It was a normal day, as normal as most days in Hydlaa. Young boys were searchin' for drop bears under the trees near Harnquist's forge, the guards were makin' their daily rounds. Even that strange Diaboli fella was walkin' aimlessly around, pointin' at people like some cleric of Talad sayin' "repent!", tellin' people that they weren't 'The One.' Strange fella, prob'ly spent too much time with those serpent gobbles. Thems boys gobbles mess with your head like none under the crystal."
Grandfather Laras laughed, obviously in remembrance of his time spent with the strange gobble-folk near the rivers of Yliakum.
"Well, in otha' words, the day was pretty darned normal. I remember it like it was yesterday:
So thar's we were, sittin' at the bar"
βββ"I thought you were standing, grandfather!"
"Ah, aren't you a smart 'un. Yeah, we was standin'. Maybe I don' remember it as much as I thought!" Grandfather chuckled again, then continued. "So we was sittin'"
βββ"Standing!"
"... at the bar, orderin' our drinks. I don't know about that new barmaid there, she seems a bit shifty, but back in the day we had a mean old Kran named Momma Kozo. And by Talad, she served the best brandy in the top layer!
But now I'm a'gettin' off topic. So there's we was, standin' at the bar, orderin' them brandy we was so darned fond of, when suddenly, a windβa strong wind, unlike anythin' we had eva seen beforeβblew through the tavern and shook us to our very bones! 'Sept for Momma Kozo, she din't have bones!"
βββ"Why didn't Momma Kozo have any bones grandfather?"
"Boy, what's gotten into you? You so darn dumb that you don't know what Kran is made out of?" Grandfather Laras slapped the young lad in the back of the head. "Now pay attention, the story's just about pickin' up...
Now, this wind harkn'ed a storm, and a storm it was! We darned found ourselves takin' shelter inside the Kada-El while the crystal poured down water and lightnin.' And with that storm, a little small man came in."
Now, this little small man was a tiny fella, wrapped in a big ol' cloak that looked like it could fit a 'ulbernut on his figure. Acturely, I still ain't sure he was a man. Nobody really knows who he is, he just blew in the doorway with his little head all hidden in that big ol' cloak. So this small little man stepped up to the bar, all yonder eyes watchin' his ev'ry move as he stepped across the room. He stood up at the bar and ordered one of the very brandy we was drinkin.' After he got his booze, he sat down at a table, eyes scannin' the room like some darned rogue. After an awkward silence that wus only prolonged by the noises of that storm a'outside, some brave Ynnwn decided to a'ask this stranger a question."
Grandfather's eyes darkened.
The Ynnwn asked: 'Now, a'where did ya come from, sir?' And ya know what the little small man said? He just said that he come from Yliakum. Well, duh! Who don't come from Yliakum? After implorin' a bit further, the Ynnwn finally got an answer from the little small man. He asked what layer the little small man a'came from, and you know what the little small man said?"
βββ"What did he say, grandfather?"
"The darned soul said he din't come from no layers. He said he come from places where water don't drip, where people don't sleep. I remember his words like it was yesterday. Those was his exact words, and theys shook me to the bone! But not Momma Kozo, o'course. She din't have bones.
And then you know what the little small man did then? He stood up, all his height. Darn, he looked like a dwarf! His little head was still cover'd by that little cloak, so as you could only see his eyes peekin' out from between the covers. And when he stood up on the top of that table, he said these words:
'Gather 'round, all ye peoples of Yliakum! Fer I come to entertain ye!' We all a'cautiously as klyros came 'round the table he was a'standin' on, wondrin' what he means. The little small man continued:
'Ye is about to see what nobody has seen on this side of the world before! Ye gonna see thins that might shake ye, things that might make ye fear, things that might make ye scream.'
A deadthly hush went over the crowd as the little small man plucked out a small, red ribbon from insides his cloak. And ya know what he did with this ribbon? He a'took it, and a'snapped it in 'is hands, and there was two ribbons! Howeva, the crowd was unimpressed. The little small man was as undaunted as an arangma lookin' down the gullet of a consumer. More borin' tricks occurred, an' people started ta leave, but me and an around twenty-so othas still stayed. We knowed the little small man was obviously an amature, he din't know how to work magics. But we sat on, findin' this a bit humerus. The little small man then went an' pulled a small yulber out ah' his cloak. We all a' gasped in astownisment: it can't have had a'been thar before! But it was, and it wiggled an' squirmed on the ground like some crazy man from a gobble town. I tell you, boy, thems boys gobbles mess with your head like none under the crystal."
"Now ah' what he did with this little yulber was somethin' truly amazin!' For lo an' behold, he grabbed the yulber below the jaw an' pulled its skin clean off! But when the ah' skin came off, so did the yulber, meanin' the yulber disappeared, poor thin'! It plain out disappeared into thin-air! It was the most darned amazin' thin' we had eva seen. Hearing our ex'laimations of awe, people started a'comin' back. But you know what the little small man did then?"
βββ"What did he do, grandfather?"
Quiet up an' let me tell the story. The little small man said these same words: 'Now, I'm a-going to perform the greatest trick yet, the greatest trick of all.' He pulled out a little pouch from inside that mysterious cloak of 'is..."
Suddenly, grandfather's eyes darkened. He continued at a slow, monotonous pace.
"The little small man told us he was goin' to.... he was goin' to.... souls...., just like that. We was all mezmerized... so mezmerized. I don' very much remember much afta that, though, not much afta that. Neitha did anybody else. All I rememba is that after he did what he did, the little man snapped his fingas and disappeared, just like that." Grandfather's eyes wandered.
"... just like that. Just... like..."
βββ"Grandfather?"
Grandfather's eyes were blank and expressionless. His mouth hung ajar, and no words came out. I stared on at his face.
βββ"Grandfather!"
In the back of my mind, I swore I could hear someone laughing. "Just like that!" It said, cackling, "Just like that, just like that, just like that, just like that, just like that, just like that..."
βββ"Make it stop!" I screamed, clutching my ears so hard my knuckles turned white and my fingernails dug ruts in my skull, drawing blood that poured down my face. And still, the menacing cackle continued. I still hear that cackle to this day. It haunts my dreams and memories. And since then, I will hunt him. The one who takes souls. I would avenge what happened to my clan that fateful night. My name is Azeragh, and this is my story.