The Stained Tower

Several hours later, I am at the Gate of the Rich and Destitute surrounded by people, supplies, and finally, a stack of forty-three cages. Inside each of these cages is a giant insect captured from the chamber pot tunnels by a pilgrim that accepted my quest. ‘That quest has become more than I really intended it to be. There are so many cages, and these are only the duplicate creatures that have been turned into the BDP at least once already....’

Terra and the others who helped her did not stay long after making the delivery. This is not too surprising since Terra is just as busy as I am. Earl, on the other hand, spent a lot of time aggravating the insects who are trapped in the cages. When one of the insects swung its arm so hard that it burst through the side of a cage, Earl grinned with satisfaction and is now in a tree watching and humming to herself.

So besides myself and Earl, there is the BDP, Pilgrim Hill Schematics, and a surprise guest, Doctor Jäger, the epidemiologist that I awakened nearly a month ago now. Doctor Jäger tells me that he went back to his country with his wife to gather some things and then return. Except when they came back, the Kiln started to sprout, and it took them much longer than they anticipated to get back to Central Park.

“Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to help, Miss Nightingale, and Though my field of study doesn’t really involve insects all that often...” He looks around to make sure that no one is listening in, adjusts a huge knapsack that he’s carrying on his back, and then says, “I think I can definitely help with testing and discovering the intricacies of how the gas mutates them. Also, I am aware that our experiments should all be kept secret and in-house.”

Using my whiteboard, I reply to Doctor Jäger, “Aye. All the testing thou art doing here should only be discussed amongst the Speaker of Speakers, Byron, Shriek, and myself. The Mistress does not wish for unneeded information to spread. Both of us are glad to have thee here, and we thank thee for thy discretion.”

He nods and runs his fingers through his beard. “I am certain there is nowhere else in the world where my expertise could be put to better use than here.”

‘To be honest, I am not certain how he can say that with such confidence...’ 

I glance at the people moving about all around us and remember that Terra informed me that Doctor Jäger is here for another reason as well. Erasing the whiteboard, I write, “I almost forgot to ask, thou art going to be caring for those that shall be awakening while we are inside the Tower, correct?”

“Ah! I was wondering what you were looking at.” He nods and also glances at all the people around. “I’ve been told that everyone here right now is to be exposed to the gas much like I was, and so, of course, I shall be doing what I can to take care of them. I have even been provisioned with medical equipment, oxygen tanks, a centrifuge, an autoclave, and a few other things I’m not even sure we’ll need. I’ll do what I can and see if I can learn anything that may help mitigate or bypass any complications. If I learn anything big, maybe we can even reduce the…” Lowering his voice, he again makes sure that no one can hear him. “...well, the fatality rate.”

‘Aye, I am glad we have someone like him here.’ My gaze drops, and I nod. ‘Terra informed me that they have now awakened a hundred-fifty people and that there have been some… losses and some people who are not waking up.’

For only a moment longer, Doctor Jäger and I continue our conversation before cutting it short since the two of us are supposed to be helping take stock of the supplies that were brought in. 

Together, we join the others, and from what I have seen and been told, the supplies include things like: twelve canisters filled with haze, lumber, torches, alchemy equipment, medical equipment, some empty cages if we need them, ‘generators,’ metal fencing that will surround the camp, and some firearms.

“Alright, I think we’ve got everything we’ll need,” Chance from Pilgrim Hill Schematics says. “Yeah, in fact, I think we’ll have a decent amount of extra lumber.”

‘Excellent, they have more than they shall need. Now it’s time to move onto the insects.’ My gaze turns toward the cages that have creatures bumping and hissing inside. ‘What I need to do as soon as possible is introduce the creatures that shall make up the bottom of the food chain. It would be best if they were released as breeding pairs. So I should find something that is not too ferocious, eats vegetation or fruit, and breeds quickly. Once they have settled in, I can start adding some of the creatures above them and so on, eventually building a fully functioning ecosystem.’

While I am lost in thought and inspecting some of the insects at the outer edges, I hear two pairs of footsteps next to me. Glancing to my left and right, I find Shriek and Mollie flanking me, staring at the pyramid of cages.

“So the people raided a pet store and stole all their animal cages?” Mollie asks, raising an eyebrow.

My eyes drift away from the insects inside and toward the cages themselves. Some of them are metal, others are plastic, they all look to be different shapes and sizes, and every one of them is in a different color. ‘I did think it was odd, but the world outside my Tower is odd, so I did not think to question it for long.’

Shriek rubs the back of his neck. “Well…” 

Mollie crosses her arms and stares at Shriek with a knowing smile. “You were there, weren’t you?”

Tilting his head, Shriek rubs the back of his head, and while staring at Mollie’s smile, a blush spreads across his cheeks. “Nah, I wasn’t, but my friends were, and to their credit, the owner had abandoned the pet store with a lot of the animals locked inside.”

“Ah, well, that makes sense. I guess they went back for the cages after the quest started.”

“Yeah, and the Alliance adopted a lot of the animals too. So now the Alliance building has like, twelve dogs, eight chinchillas, five rabbits, twenty lizards, and some cockatoos that have all agreed that they hate me for some reason.” His shoulders drop, and he lets out a long-drawn sigh. “And I was stupid enough to volunteer to clean the cages. It’s been a nightmare. It’s fine though, this is just my origin story, after all. My time will come later….” 

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time,” Mollie responds with a chuckle.

Glancing at Mollie, Shriek smiles. “Maybe you’d like to come and see the animals sometime? Then after, we could maybe… I don’t know, go to the food stalls or somethin’ together? My treat, of course.”

From one of the trees, Earl’s humming stops. “Query: Mistress, this one wishes to know, is this a fleshie mating display? Statement: This one thinks the female fleshie is unlikely to reciprocate due to the substandard quality of the male fleshie, but this one is curious to see the completion of the display.”

Mollie’s expression stiffens, and just when she is about to say something to Shriek, one of the insects crashes into the side of its own cage. Mollie bites her tongue, takes a breath, and then looks toward the rattling cages. “By the way, I’ve meant to ask, are we going to trek all those bugs to the camp? That’s like a mile from here, and I swear they seem madder and angrier than when they got here.”

I glance at the smiling girl in the tree. ‘I cannot fathom why.’

A bush shakes when Byron walks out, carrying a big whiteboard. This whiteboard was brought in because I am told it is ‘waterproof,’ and since everything in Fairy’s Pantry has a tendency to grow damp over time, the researchers will use this for notes.

“Hey, Shriek, can you give me a hand?” he says, clapping his hand against the whiteboard. 

Raising a finger, Shriek looks at Mollie and says, “Uhm, we’ll talk more later… about the food stalls.”

Mollie does not respond; instead, she stares off into the distance like she did not hear him. That or she was looking away because Shriek is wearing a helmet that has a torch fastened to the top.

“Statement: Perhaps next time this one shall witness the display to completion. This one shall spy on the fleshies later.” Earl’s humming resumes.

While Shriek rushes over to assist him, Byron continues, “And to answer your question, Mollie, no, we won’t. According to Fairy, most of them will be left next to the gate, and someone will pick them up later.”

Everyone’s gazes turn to me, searching for an explanation for why all these insects would be brought in, only for most of them to be taken back out. I hold up my finger and then walk over to Shriek and Byron.

Shriek and Byron lift the whiteboard, and Byron asks, “Is there somewhere you want this specifically?” I shake my head and point at the trunk of the nearest fig tree. “Alright, gotcha, we’ll just lean it against that tree then,” he responds.

The pair shuffle toward the fig tree and prop it against its base as requested. I perform the customary thumbs-up and then begin to scribble on the whiteboard. Since the whiteboard is around five feet in height, or just a tad taller than I am, there is plenty of room for me to write so that everyone may see it despite the eternal dusk of Fairy’s Pantry. Which I suppose is not much of an issue anymore because one thing that was included in the supplies was the helmet Shriek was blinding Mollie with earlier. ‘I feel like a dozen suns are shining upon me at the same time. Do they truly require such bright torches?’

Walking out front, Byron waves his hands, saying, “Guys, guys, turn off your lights. You’re gonna blind the Fairy.”

“Oh, oops,” Shriek says, clicking something and shutting off his torch. “I didn’t know mine was even on.”

The lights turn off one by one until the light returns to its normal violet softness. ‘Good lord, I thank thee.’ 

Byron walks over and props one of the helmets up using a plastic bottle, illuminating the whiteboard. “Alright, should be good now,” he says, making a thumbs up and joining everyone else.

Taking a marker that is stuck to the front of the whiteboard, I begin to write, “Everyone, please gather around because it is time that I inform thee of the task that the Mistress has bestowed upon all of us here.”

They glance at one another as realization spreads that they are finally going to be told their primary goal. Without a word, everyone hurries over and gathers beneath the fig tree.

I nod and begin to write. The only noise to break the silence is the squeak of my marker against the board and the bump of the insects in the cages. “I thank thee for thy patience and understanding.” I glance at them to see them nodding, but no one speaks. “So I shall simply tell thee that we have been commanded by the Mistress to select and seed this place with life. This is a time-sensitive matter, as both the Mistress and everyone outside is eagerly awaiting our results.”

Everyone looks at one another, and whispers spread:
“A special quest related to the Tower and given to us by the Mistress herself?”
“The Mistress and everyone outside… Aren’t they waiting on us to finish this then?”
“Isn’t this sort of a lot of pressure?”

Hearing the anxious voices, I write, “I am aware that everyone has questions, but prithee, hold on to them for later and keep in mind that some I may answer, and some I may not.

The whispers give way to a hushed silence.

Behind me, in one of the trees, I hear Earl, “Query: Why do these fleshies insist on flapping their wet, bacteria-ridden mouths so often, Mistress? Statement: They are not even directing their questions to the Mistress, the only one who could even answer them.”

{I suppose because they have mouths to flap, unlike me.}

Ignoring Earl’s response, I gesture toward the cages and then write, “Our first goal is to select a few species that shall make an excellent foundation to build upon. These creatures do not need to be anything special or unique. Just something more practical would do just fine. The problem is we do not know enough about them, so I would appreciate it if everyone from the BDP could start inspecting them.” Pointing at Pilgrim Hill Schematics with my free hand, I write, “And as for Pilgrim Hill, I would be thankful if thy group could construct sixteen enclosures in four different sizes.”

Chance raises his hand to get my attention. “So you mean like small, medium, large, and extra-large cages? I don’t think most of us will really mind helping, but can you be more specific about the sizes?”

“Aye. Let’s say four enclosures that are capable of holding a mouser, a hound, a donkey, and then a horse.” While thinking, I erase part of the board before continuing, “All enclosures would need to be sturdy and reinforced with boards. The smaller enclosures can be prioritized over the larger as they shall be required sooner than the larger enclosures.”

While Pilgrim Hill Schematics whispers amongst themselves, the researchers with BDP begin asking me their questions. These primarily consist of requirements for the insects, which is surprising because I anticipated more questions regarding intentions and trustworthiness. When I am done answering their questions, Pilgrim Hill Schematics do much the same, agreeing to make the cages without showing any suspicion.

‘Are people of this time so trusting, or is it that they trust the Fairy? ...I guess anyone willing to lock themselves inside a dangerous and alien Tower would have already decided to put their trust in the owner. I am not accustomed to this. It’s strange; no one in the London squalors would dare be this trusting of anyone or anything. Misplaced trust only leads to being taken advantage of and suffering.’

“Statement: This one is glad the Mistress got to them first. Now the Mistress may feed on their naive Essence.”

‘...That is not what I meant by that thought, Earl.’

When everyone’s questions have been sufficiently answered, we get to work going through the forty or so cages. Many of them appear to be mutations of the same types of insect. Unlike the Elderly Rats, these insects probably all evolved in a similar place but separate areas, temperatures, or situations. If I am correct in my presumptions, if I knew exactly where and how these insects awoke to mana, I could perhaps recreate them. Though, to be honest, I am not interested in recreating most or any of the ones I have seen thus far.

At least ten of them are just different variants of roach. One of them looks to be a roach that has grown legs all over its body, and they all work. I sit watching as the roach crawls on the ceiling and the side of its cage without actually changing the orientation of its body. ‘I shan’t lie, watching the way this one moves makes me rather uncomfortable.’

Then there is a roach variant that has grown hair all over the ends of its legs. It will sometimes raise these legs into the air and catch water droplets on the end of the strands. When enough drops stick to the hairs, it places the legs into its own mouth before drawing them out again without the droplets. ‘...Aye. This one also makes me uncomfortable, but it does seem harmless….’

Each of these roaches has some odd mutation, and though they may be a part of the food chain, I do not believe they will make the best foundation. The issue is that any of these insects are not going to fare very well. What I want are a few insects that will thrive here to the extent that seeing one is nothing of note. These might do well enough, but they do not seem… ‘built’ for the environment.

I move to the next row of cages. Hanging upside down inside a cage is a beetle around two feet in diameter with rows of spikes covering the outside of its shell. The spikes leak a slimy liquid from their ends, covering the bottom of the cage. ‘I would wager all of these insects are the prey of larger creatures in the chamber pot tunnels. Which explains why the BDP has received duplicates since anyone could catch them. It could also explain why they have been fleeing the chamber pot tunnels in mass all over the city. Not much of a threat in a battle, aye, but still good training and adaptation potential perhaps....’ The cattail begins to wiggle inside the arc suit. ‘...and if they are being hunted, maybe the taste is good too.’

“These bugs are gorgeous… but Fairy.” Hearing Byron, I look over to find him gawking at a millipede that has grown snippers out of the front of its head. “If we’re searching for things that can basically be harmless prey, we’d probably want a household pest that’s more well-rounded. I mean, I can’t really say I understand these bugs fully, but they definitely seem like something that evolved somewhere like a sewer. In fact, they’re almost too adapted for life in a sewer, to the point they wouldn’t do that great anywhere but a sewer.”

I nod. ‘Aye, he seems to have noticed the same thing as I did.’

Pulling some of the cages away to see what’s more toward the center of the stack, I find something that piques my interest. Inside a blue cage, there have to be at least a few dozen insects in this one cage. All of them are around the size of a mouse except for one that looks to be around three feet long.

They all have long bodies that sit very low to the ground; they remind me of how a fish might look if laid on its side. Their head has two long antennae, three antennae-like appendages at the back, and six legs on their torso.

Looking closer, I believe they are silver, but their bodies reflect the light of the empyrean. ‘Interesting, they would be hard to see in the empyreans violet light. They might do well here.’

Byron walks behind me and peeks into the cage. “Ooh, it looks like a type of silverfish, and it must have given birth while in the cage. They like low light, high humidity environments, so if it weren’t for them being crammed together, they’d probably be loving it here. They seem a lot more reflective than their smaller counterparts, but they don’t even look to have changed that much. Which makes sense, because they’re among some of the oldest unchanged species in the world.”

‘Ah, a silverfish that has given birth.’ I move some cages out of the way and then tip the one that has the silverfish in it on its back. Hitting the side, all the silverfish fall from the sides of the cage and on top of one another at the bottom.

“What are you about to do?” Byron asks.

Gesturing at the cages, I point at the door and make a twisting motion with my hand. ‘I am going to take one out to get a closer look.’

He nods and rushes away. “Alright, go ahead, I’ll be right back!”

Byron’s muffled footsteps echo as I reach out, twist the door handle, and open the cage. As swift as I am able, I shove my arm into the cage and attempt to grab one of the baby silverfish. The mother thrashes against the side, desperate to escape the confines of the cage. I pin one of the babies against the side of the cage, pinch it tightly, and then yank it from the cage before shutting the door.

“Here, put it in this,” Byron says, walking up with a small, clear glass box.

I take one more look at the wiggling insect and then drop it into the case. While Byron takes care of the one I placed in the box, I lift the cage full of giant silverfish and place it next to the whiteboard. 

Taking my marker, I think for a moment and then write, “Violetfish - Study temper. Good potential.” I tap on the board, and after gaining everyone’s attention, gesture at the newly named Violetfish. “I wish for four more insects similar to this one for study. We are short on time, so I wish to know everything we can about them within two days.”

Everyone nods and proceeds with digging through the cages, all except for Mollie, who is hesitating to touch the cages.

I wave at Mollie to get her attention.

“Oh.” She smiles upon noticing me and walks over. “Is there something I can do for you?”

I nod and write, “Do not concern thyself with the cages. Take the Violetfish from Byron and study them instead. His attention will need to be elsewhere.” Looking over, I notice Shriek staring into one of the cages. “Also, please inform Shriek he shall be assisting Doctor Jäger and Byron.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, glancing toward the pile. “I… I really don’t mind picking through the bugs.”

“Aye. I am certain. The Violetfish are important, and as I said, Byron has other things that shall require his attention.”

She brushes some damp hair from her eyes as she seems to consider protesting further. “...Alright then, I’ll take care of the Voletfish.” Leaving to retrieve the Violetfish from Byron she stops, and says, “I appreciate it. I’ll get better with the bugs. This is all just a bit new to me.”

I nod once more and wave her on.

Some time passes, and in the end, we remove thirteen of the cages for further study and leave thirty of them. Just as everyone is about to leave, I gather their attention and point toward the fences. “Before we depart, those fences near over there need to encircle the cages. That way, if one escapes, they shan’t be able to go far.”

“Yeah, those are just standing fences, so a few zip ties should do. We’ll take care of that.”

I nod, and while they begin to place the fences in a circle around the cages, Byron walks up next to me. “Fairy, if a bug gets out of their cage, they’ll probably be able to climb over that fence.”

Shaking my head, I write, “Do not worry. Some people shall retrieve them soon enough, so the fence only needs to stall their escape.”

“I mean… if you’re sure, but...”

Tapping on the whiteboard, I once again shake my head, writing, “Aye, I am certain that none of them shall have the opportunity to escape.”

Byron hesitates but ultimately nods, and so while they make the challenging walk back to Knight’s Respite, I watch as the silver metal fence is erected around the hissing pyramid of angry insects. ‘Aye. I am certain.’

---

It’s nighttime in Fairy’s Pantry, and I have returned to the Gate of the Rich and Destitute where the thirty cages sit much as they were earlier... except not quite. They are not in the middle of the fences as they once were, now they are all to one side, and the cages face the same direction.

To be honest, I told Byron and the others a tiny lie. There was never anyone coming back for these insects, that is, excluding me. 

I reach for the hilt of my sword and draw it from its sheath. The empyrean’s light reflects off the blade’s surface, dying it in a violet hue much like the Violetfish. ‘Ah, little insects, my apologies, but I am in search of new adaptations and skills.’ The arc suit bulges at the back of my neck as the cattail slips out and wiggles in the air above my head. ‘I hope thou may provide me with what I seek.’

There is movement as three sable copepods turn into a puff of haze, and with it, three cage doors creak open—the creatures within stir.