Lieutenant Haverson needed a drink. The report of the arrest before him was ridiculous, and somehow he had to be the one to put his stamp on it. Normally that would be the Captains job, or at least some duty officer that he could delegate it to.

  Somehow, the gods decided that neither would be the case today. The duty officer was indisposed after the recent riots, something about an arrow to the knee, and the Captain didn't want to touch this report with a nine and a half foot pole.

  The only saving grace was that he wasn't the poor sap that had to write this god's damned report. Lieutenant Haverson would have to remember to keep him in his prayers, assuming he wasn't already retired or dead. Maybe it would get better if he read it one more time?

  Early this morning, Sargent Briggs and Corporal Tace responded to a disturbance at the town gate.

  A madman wearing rags was ranting at passerby.

  The rant was recorded as follows by the passerby.

  “Towers of glass and metal, tearing at the sky. Strange beasts roar on the ground, the water, and even the sky. Humanity breaks what it doesn't understand, spreading like a plague infecting worlds!

  The Air angry, rejects your every breath and the earth is covered in black and grey slabs to chain it under their feet. Strange machines sift through humanity, all who protest are silenced by distant tyrants!

  Strange magics fill the land, the people enslaved through glass slates that prevent them from seeing the world around them.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Through it all, they watch! They watch! Waiting for weakness!

  Creatures beyond the worlds! This world is just a mote in the darkness, just a leaf on an infinite tree! Your little lives are specks in the universes!”

  At this point his ranting was interrupted by hecklers throwing stones at the madman and we intervened.

  We decided to bring the madman, who refused to give their name, to the jail pending evaluation by priests.

  The madman was silent once we had him in the cell, but at around noon while we were handing him his lunch tray, he vanished.

  The priests have stated that they detected no magic was used to remove him from the cell.

  Lieutenant Haverson rubbed his eyes again. It did not get better with a rereading.

  He looked up at one of the servants at attention at the door.

  “Boy, get me a drink, and call in Sargent Briggs and Corporal Tace.”

  He sat back.

  While the rant was ludicrous, an escape from a cell was no laughing matter.

  A cup with a steaming liquid was placed before him and he looked up at the two officers of the guard.

  Sargent Briggs was a large man, scars from a military life ran across his cheek. Corporal Tace was dwarfed by comparison, he seemed to sink into his armor, as if it was wearing him and not the other way around.

  They both were looking around the office, obviously trying to avoid to make eye contact.

  “I have a job for you two.” Lieutenant Haverson began. “Find this madman and figure out how he disappeared. I don't want to see you back here until you do.”

  “We don't have any leads on where to start looking sir” Briggs began.

  “Then find some” Haverson replied.

  “What if we can't find him?”Tace asked

  “Then consider yourself fired and blacklisted until you do.” Haverson answered. He sighed “I don't like this either, but I can't submit this report or I’d be fired, and likely hanged. I can give you an advance on this next months pay, but after that you will be considered on leave without pay until you get this man back.”

  He knew it sounded harsh, but it was a small mercy. Haverson hoped they did the smart thing, and just took the pay and disappeared.

  Having Guards go AWOL would be an easier report to submit over. . . Whatever this was.

  He didn't think they'd actually find the man.

  That would be beyond belief.

  He had no idea what he had just set in motion.