Petty Squabble [ROUND 3] [Goldhenge]

The strangest thing about Goldhenge was how familiar it was.

The illusion of New Atlantis had been completely unlike anything Parsley had ever seen - not only the machines, but the very walls of "Fort Ayers", and even the clothes worn by the locals. It had been a shock.

The abandoned city had not been quite so incomprehensible, but it was still quite foreign to Parsley's eyes. The architecture, the strange so-called gods, and the acidic river all told him that this was a world unlike his own. Of course, it was all a lie, but damned if it wasn't a well-designed lie.

Goldhenge, however, might have been any of a dozen small villages that Parsley had passed through in the course of his career. And that made it all the more disturbing.

He kept glancing at the mirror shard, but all too often, it showed him the same houses, the same villagers, the same scene.

The truth was still unpleasant, of course. Though he could see a bright sun up above, the mirror showed a night sky. And the mirror-villagers looked worn out, and their clothes were ragged. It seemed as though the demon was keeping them awake with the illusion of a day, and no doubt the exhaustion made their minds more susceptible to its crueler tricks.

It was disconcerting, but Parsley found the Goldhenge structure even more worrying. He'd only seen it in the distance so far, and hadn't been able to get a good look at it through the mirror. He couldn't help but wonder just what it was.

At first, he thought the demon must have created it - but the so-called Charlatan had drawn Parsley's attention right to the structure. If Goldhenge was, in truth, something of value to the demon, why allow the demon hunter to know of it?

Because it was a trap. That was the obvious answer.

But demons were tricky sorts. When they set a trap, even if you knew of it, you could never be sure if it was better to spring it or to leave it be.

Fortunately, Parsley could clear the matter up with the mirror shard. He'd scout out Goldhenge, see what it truly was, and work out what to do from there. His mind made up, he started walking towards the hill.

He only made it a few steps before a heavy hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Now just a minute there, hunter. Where do you think you're going?"

Parsley turned, half-expecting to see Sir Archibald - either his true face or the mechanical guise from before. Instead, he found himself facing a young peasant in unimpressive armor, holding up a crude spear.

"You're here to rid us of the demon, am I right?" the peasant asked.

"Aye, that I am."

"That's what I thought. Mayor Elmwood will want to speak with you first." The guard pointed in the direction of the town hall. "He should be in his office, second floor. Might be a bit busy, but I'm sure he'll make time to see you."

"Thank ye," Parsley said, nodding, heading over. "I'll go pay him my respects, then."

***

Mayor Elmwood looked like most of the mayors Parsley had met in his career; elderly, bespectacled, and with a long white beard that seemed to exist for the sole purpose of being stroked thoughtfully.

As the guard had predicted, Elmwood was quite busy with paperwork. Scrolls littered his desk, and there were at least three empty inkwells lying around the room. He had his pen hovering over a scroll when he saw Parsley at the door.

"Oh! You're here!"

Elmwood put his pen down, rolled up the scroll, and greeted Parsley with a relieved grin. Parsley sat down and returned the smile.

"It would have been nicer if you'd gotten here three weeks ago, when I sent for you, of course..."

"My apologies; I never received a message," Parsley replied. "I have no doubt you tried to send it, but perhaps it never left the village."

"Given who we're dealing with, that could well be true," Elmwood muttered. "How did you come to find us, then?"

"Some rumors reached my ears, and I thought to check them for myself."

"Good that you did. I imagine you had trouble even getting into town."

"Aye. Our foe is quite the crafty one."

"So before we begin, I suppose you want to negotiate your pay."

Parsley shook his head.

"Nay, sir. Ye needn't pay, or if ye insist I'll take the regular rate after the job's done. I know well what's at stake here. Needn't add finances to yer problems."

"This sounds quite different from what I'd heard about you," Elmwood said, his eyes widening behind his tiny spectacles. "You're quite sure?"

"Aye. In fact, I daresay our foe's responsible for whatever ye've heard about me. Can't trust everything ye hear, given the trickery afoot."

"I suppose not. We're dealing with a powerful enemy, after all."

"Now, what can ye tell me about this demon?"

Elmwood handed him a small scroll.

"Not much. This is a list of people who've complained, and what they said. Maybe you can get more information out of them. About all we've been able to work out is that it's most active around Goldhenge - the thing on the hill, I mean, not the entire village."

Parsley nodded.

"Aye, I was about to take a closer look at that when I was sent your way."

"You've got good instincts, then. I hope they're good enough to see you through this trouble alive."

"They've done a fair job of that so far," Parsley said, standing up.

"Perhaps. But may I remind you that our enemy is bloodthirsty, ruthless, and cunning. You're a threat to them, and they know it. You need to watch every single step you take."

"I've handled many a demon before, sir. I've even faced a good number of men who could pass for demons." Parsley walked over to the door. "It's the townsfolk who need yer concern, sir. Myself, not so much."

As the hunter left, Elmwood let out a sigh of relief and unfurled the scroll he had been looking at when Parsley entered.

The Goldhenge Town Council has unanimously agreed to the following terms:

-The Holy Order will exorcise any and all demons within Goldhenge at the time of signing.
-All residents of Goldhenge will swear allegiance to the Holy Order.
-The Goldhenge Town Hall will be demolished, and a cathedral of the Holy Order shall be built upon the site.
-The entire treasury of Goldhenge will be entrusted to the Holy Order.
-The Goldhenge Town Council will be dissolved, and replaced with a new council approved by the Holy Order.
-The Mayor of Goldhenge shall resign, and be replaced with a new Mayor approved by the Holy Order.
-The Holy Order will have full power to approve, repeal, and enforce the laws of Goldhenge.
-All citizens of Goldhenge will pay ten percent of their income directly to the Holy Order, in addition to existing taxes.
-The Holy Order will continue to exorcise all demons within Goldhenge so long as this agreement is upheld.

As Mayor of Goldhenge, I hereby endorse this agreement:
________________________


"Couldn't have cut it much closer, could you," Elmwood muttered to himself.