Benlunar - Episode 28
Lilian is reunited with a friend that has been missing for a long time…
The city, like a hive is teaming with life
People crawl over it like insects or parasite
It’s a place you can thrive or die in a ditch
Where you can step on the poor to get slightly more rich
When the mountains are flat and the seas are dry
The towers will stand stabbing the sky
As long as there is freedom and people in chains
Humanity dies, Freedos remains
There was no time to celebrate, no time for sentimental reunions, there wasn’t even time to think. Lilian barely had a second to realise that she wasn’t still curled up and asleep in the bottom of the wardrobe. An explosion of some kind had just destroyed the attic door and a figure claiming to be Mr Attorcop was standing in the wake of dust and debris. The imposter whirled round at the sound and, seeing that he was under attack, leapt over to the desk nearby. Lilian stood up shakily and watched him as he reached for the top of one of the legs, gripped a wooden corner and pulled upwards, revealing a two foot long blade. It must have been cleverly concealed inside the desk and Lilian quickly wondered if the attic had any more hidden dangers. The imposter did not speak, instead he shouted loudly and angrily while running across the room towards Mr Attorcop. Lilian still could not believe that he was really here and her heart nearly stopped in fright, realising that she might lose him again the moment he had returned. But out of the black depths of his cloak Mr Attorcop met his attacker’s weapon with his own blade, a flash of shimmering silver against his night black clothes. The weapons collided, clanging and ringing with every swipe and parry. Lilian was still so stunned, she forgot herself and realised quickly that she needed to help Mr Attorcop. She looked around desperately for a weapon, but she couldn’t see anything that wasn’t soft or breakable. Mr Attorcop was slowly pushing the imposter back inside the attic. Another flash of lightning made them dark martial silhouettes against the large attic windows. Mr Attorcop’s face was stern but his attacker looked determined to defend his stolen property. Lilian couldn’t stand to be useless any longer so she grabbed a handful of dirty rags, and as the thunder rolled overhead, she began to throw them at the imposter’s face in an attempt to blind him. The first one missed but the imposter cursed loudly as he realised what she was doing. Mr Attorcop took advantage of his momentary distraction by feinting a chest high thrust, only to follow swiftly by a slashing back hand. At the same time, one of the rags smacked onto the imposter's eyes and he was briefly blinded, meaning that the slash cut a large tear in his shirt. Had he not stepped back the blade would have hit his chest. This put the imposter on the defensive and he took a few steps back towards the steps in the middle of the attic to reassess his situation.
“You two need to reconsider this. I have powerful friends you understand? As soon as they find out…” He was interrupted by Mr Attorcop.
“So run along and tell them. We’ll be here. And when they come we shall bring our boots down on them like the cockroaches they are.” Lilian heard a terrible anger in his voice, he was normally such a calm man. The imposter spat on the floor, turned on his heel and ran up the steps onto the attic’s upper level. Mr Attorcop still had his sword up and ready in a guarding stance. He never took his eyes off where the imposter had disappeared to, not even while speaking to Lilian.
“Who is he?” The urgency in his voice and in the situation in general made Lilian’s tired and hungry brain snap back to sharp attention.
“An imposter. He’s been saying he’s you and he’s making and selling a drug called Nightshade.”
“What does it do?”
“It gives you strength. Strength like I’ve never seen. It’s very dangerous, if he drinks some…”
“He won’t.” Lilian didn’t ask him how he knew this, but he seemed very sure.
“Lilian,” Mr Attorcop continued, Lilian permitted herself a smile, it was good to be talking to him again, “You’re going to do exactly what I say, as soon as I say it, do you understand?”
“I do.” she replied quickly.
“You need a weapon, take this.” Without looking at her, Mr Attorcop flipped his sword around and offered her the hilt. Lilian took it. The sword was lighter than she expected it to be. She tested it with a few practise swings before settling into her own guard stance. Right foot forward, left toes on the floor ready to spring the body forward or accept the weight back, both hands up ready to strike and parry. Lilian breathed out slowly and felt a familiar calm wash over her body. The fight was still in progress, but she was safer now. She could think clearly.
“When he comes back, we take both flanks, I’ll take the top, you aim for his legs.”
“Do I hit to kill?”
“No, disarm and subdue. Kill only if it means saving yourself. Ready yourself, he’s coming back.” Lilian started moving slowly towards the right while Mr Attorcop moved round to the left, pulling out a shining vial of essence and unstoppering as he did. Lilian kept her eyes on the stairs and seconds later the imposter reappeared. He had apparently gone to fetch more weapons as in his left hand he held a brown glass bottle which he was busy shaking vigorously. In his right hand he clutched a short, mean looking club. It looked like a short bat that Lilian had seen some children using to hit balls with in a park a few days ago, only this one had rusty nails poking out of it. The sword he had pulled out of the table was currently in his teeth. As he surveyed his attackers, Lilian noticed more of those little brown bottles strapped to his belt. This man looked as though he was ready to defend himself against an army. Thankfully his eyes, although filled with malice, didn’t have any traces of purple leaking out of them. Lilian braced herself. And the battle began.
The imposter hurled the brown bottle he was shaking directly at Mr Attorcop, he was ready for it though and deflected it off to his right. Out of the corner of her eye she saw it smash into the wardrobe behind him with a loud crack. It left a perfectly round hole in the wood large enough to fit a head through and Lilian breathed a small sigh of thanks that she was no longer hiding inside. Taking advantage of Mr Attorcop’s momentary distraction, the imposter flew down stairs and was upon Lilian. The sword fell from his teeth and he caught it with his left hand mid swing. Lilian met the blade with her own, producing a flash of sparks. She had no time to offer a counter attack however as the spiked club came hurtling in from the side. Lilian ducked in time to hear it whoosh over her head. She was low now, and remembered her role in the fight: she was to attack his legs and affect his balance. She stayed low then and kicked out hard. Mr Attorcop was on the scene just as Lilian’s foot connected with the imposter’s shin. He let out a pained groan, but the kick had not quite been hard enough to knock his foot away. Luckily Mr Attorcop was putting pressure on the man’s torso, punching high and fast. Lilian saw silver across his fingers and realised that he had fashioned the essence into spiked knuckle guards. Each one flashed back and forth in a flurry of blows, Lilian had forgotten just how fast he was, especially for a man of his advanced years. The imposter was doing well enough to dodge most hits, but a few still managed to break through his guard. Lilian swiped at the imposter's knees with her sword, knowing she could cut vital tendons with a well placed slash. The imposter, however, was turning out to be a competent fighter. He lacked finesse and technique but he made up for it with a massive supply of energy and determination. He managed to shove Mr Attorcop back a few steps and started hurling brown bottles at him, after placing the hilt of his sword back in his teeth.
Having seen the effects of just one of these bottles Mr Attorcop dashed backwards to give his reactions more time. He span left and right, avoiding or redirecting every bottle. More holes began popping into the floor and furniture. Lilian remembered the layers of explosives beneath them and thought the imposter insane to risk blowing up the entire building. Or perhaps these bottles didn’t react with those particular bombs. Whatever the reason, the imposter had no qualms about hurling more and more bottles at Mr Attorcop. Lilian felt she needed to step in so she ducked into the imposter's blind spot on his left side and quickly brought her sword up in a wide arc. She felt it connect with the imposter’s hand and he flinched back, spitting curses through his clenched teeth. Lilian caught a glimpse of scarlet on his palm and she knew that she had disabled his good hand. Unperturbed by the hit, the imposter reached round to the back of his belt and brought a bottle up to his lips. This one was flat, like a hip flask and green in colour. Lilian watched him take its contents into his mouth and keep it there before chucking the bottle at Lilian’s head. She managed to duck and heard it smash on the floor behind her. Before Lilian could plan her counter attack, the imposter was above her, he took a deep breath in through his nose and spat the liquid all over her in a burst of spray. It smelt of strong alcohol and stung her eyes. A panic swept through Lilian’s body, if a spark from her blade landed on her now she would be consumed by flames. The imposter knew this of course and came at her swinging and slashing. Lilian switched to a mindset of dodging rather than parrying and made sure to keep her silver sword well out of reach of his attacks. After a particularly heavy strike Lilian rolled backwards, this gave her a second to check on what Mr Attorcop was doing. He was not attacking, but instead, he had slipped one of his knuckle guards off and was putting it in his mouth. Lilian watched the metal soften into a chewy substance as soon as it connected with his teeth. This odd behaviour was drawing the attention of the imposter, who was standing between them confused. He did not wait to see what Mr Attorcop was planning and as quick as a flash he pulled a matchstick from his pocket and struck it against his belt. The match hissed into life and Lilian’s heart began pounding against her chest. One flick of his wrist and Lilian’s fight was over. She glanced at the splashes of liquid all over the floor and wondered if she would be able to escape the flames if they chased her.
“Put your weapons down, you hear me?” The imposter spoke between heavy breaths. “Nice and easy, and we can negotiate. You’ll find me to be quite reasonable when my life is not in immediate danger. Just put… your…” The imposter’s speech slowed to a stop. He didn’t even finish his thought. He was staring intensely at Mr Attorcop, his eyes slowly widening in disgust and disbelief. Lilian followed his gaze and found herself equally entranced by what was happening to Mr Attorcop. His mouth was open wide, wider than a normal human should be able to open their mouths. Lilian couldn’t see his tongue or teeth, instead she was just staring into an ink black abyss. Mr Attorcop was making no sound, save for a soft rasping breath. Lilian watched in horror and awe as the blackness began to slowly spill from his mouth and flow down his chin like dark vomit. The liquid darkness (for that is really all Lilian could think of it as) began to flow over his clothes, onto the wooden floor and into the cracks of the floor boards. Lilian thought she heard the imposter swear something under his breath before taking a few steps back in wide eyed fear. Lilian realised then that through all the training and all the encounters they’d had, Mr Attorcop had never really pushed himself to his full potential. Most likely, he had never needed to, but now, his anger was up and the darkness was enveloping him and everything around him.
The imposter, taking this for some cheap scare tactic, rallied himself and ran straight for Mr Attorcop and began slashing at him with his blade. He was running fast and had his full weight behind every swing, not wanting to take any chances. Lilian winced as Mr Attorcop failed to defend himself and ended up getting struck hard in the shoulder. But Mr Attorcop did not react. His shoulder began bleeding the same black substance that was still draining from his mouth. The imposter struck him again and again but Mr Attorcop showed no sign of feeling any pain at all. Instead the black liquid just flowed quicker and quicker, splashing all over the imposter’s blade and clothes. Red in the face with effort, the imposter tried to step backwards and rethink his strategy, but the liquid had become sticky and even though Lilian was sure that both men were standing on solid ground, they began to sink into the inky darkness. The imposter tried wrenching his feet upwards, he even managed to get one out slightly, but he could not step back far enough to avoid stepping back into the liquid. Lightning flashed again but the dark patches on the floor reflected no light. They weren’t so much black, thought Lilian, but rather an eerie absence of all light. Mr Attorcop had almost completely dissolved now and Lilian got to her feet, still ready to continue the fight if she was needed. The imposter was trying a new tactic, he was slashing at his feet, hoping to cut the sticky strands that tide him to the ichor. His eyes were filling with fear but he was gaining some success. His right foot managed to find the wooden floor behind him, but Lilian wasn’t going to let him escape. She maneuvered herself round so that she was directly behind him, he occasionally shot out a look, trying to keep track of her, but his trouble with the black liquid was proving to be too distracting. Lilian gritted her teeth and took a few steps back so as to have more of a run up. She began her sprint just as the imposter was pulling his left foot up and out of the floor, a second later and he would have been free, but Lilian was upon him. She jumped and propelled both feet into the imposter’s chest as he turned. The flying kick caught him off guard and he dropped his sword and club in surprise. He was also forced off balance and fell back and down into the swampy blackness. His arms flailed as he fell, desperately reaching for a hold or hand that was never there. His impact created little in the way of splash and his full immersion meant that escape was now impossible. Lilian got up and stood over him. She saw desperation fill his eyes and felt a small pang of pity as she watched him flail his arms.
“Please, little girl, I’m sorry I threatened you. You can have the attic, I’ll clear out my things, I’m sorry you understand?” Lilian said nothing. She knew that Mr Attorcop was trying to scare him and it was working, speaking now would undermine the effort. She merely watched as what looked like a black hand came out of the dark pool and clasped itself over his mouth, muffling his empty apologies. His nose remained uncovered so he could still breathe, but the stifling must have still been quite a shock.
Lilian wondered if Mr Attorcop was taking things a little too far, but then she recalled the man’s threats of bringing his friends back to exact revenge. If they were going to be truly rid of him, he would need to be made scared of ever coming back to bother them. The dark liquid then did something strange, it stopped behaving like a liquid at all and began solidifying. It dried quick and tough like wax. The imposter’s erratic movements began to slow as his arms and legs became stuck in place. The process took less than ten seconds and when it was over the imposter was left frozen, half sunken into the floor, surrounded by blackness with only his head, hands and left leg visible. Thunder rumbled overhead as Lilian listened to his rapid breathing. His eyes darted between Lilian and her blade, still shining brightly in her right hand. Lilian waited. She was hungry, and tired, but still happy to wait a little longer. Suddenly, she heard footsteps from behind her. She didn’t need to turn around to know that it was Mr Attorcop, stepping out from a shadow to confront his impersonator.
The newly reunited duo stood over their prey. The imposter’s wild eyes darted between them. They waited until the fight fell out of him and he calmed down enough to speak. With a flick of his hand Mr Attorcop dispelled the dark limb that silenced the imposter. It slithered back into the darkness with a wet slop. The imposter did not shout or call for help. He merely looked up at his captors, knowing he had lost.
“You’ve been very busy while I’ve been away.” Mr Attorcop let the comment hang in the air before following it up with his first question. “What is your name?” The imposter tried to move his head so as to get some strands of hair out of his eye, but his movement was so limited that even this simple act was rendered impossible. And so he blinked incessantly while speaking.
“My name… I… my name is Simos Helmont.” Lilian looked up in time to see Mr Attorcop narrowing his eyes in reaction to the name.
“Helmont. We’ve met before I believe.”
“We have. Years ago now.”
“Hmm. And what made you think you could move in here and set up shop in my attic?”
“Word was that you were dead. Assassinated. I had just started working when I heard and thought that your name would be a good cover in case things went sour. I knew the attic would be empty so I paid off a locksmith, made new keys and moved in.” Mr Attorcop waited, considering the answer. Finding it to his satisfaction, he moved on with his line of questioning.
“Tell me about Nightshade.” The man, apparently called Helmont, closed his eyes as if he’d just been delivered some terrible news.
“I didn’t invent it, I don’t know who did. But I make it and I sell it. I don’t have any here though I swear…”
“He's lying.” It was Lilian’s turn to speak. Both men looked at her and waited for evidence of her claim. Lilian turned around and walked back across the room, round the desk and stood next to the wooden panel she had previously tried to pry open. She had known then that there was something hidden there but she had had to be quiet. Now she just turned around and kicked out like a donkey. The thin wood splintered easily and Lilian chucked the broken panel aside before reaching in and pulling out two bottles filled with dark purple liquid. She walked back over and handed one to Mr Attorcop. He studied it slowly, turning it in his hand and holding it up to the light of the window. He then handed it back to Lilian and knelt down close to Helmont. Unblinking he spoke in a low tone.
“Let me give you some advice. Considering that the world thinks you’re me and I’m clearly here in front of you, it would stand to reason then, that if you disappeared no one would look for you. I could have this hole swallow you up and anyone who ever spoke the name Simos Helmont again would be doing so only in reference to a fading memory. With that in mind my advice is: Do. Not. Lie. To me. Again.” Helmont stared at him despite the hair bothering his eyes, he gave as much of a nod as he could manage and Mr Attorcop stood up to resume his questioning.
“Who taught you how to make it?” Helmont was quick to respond now.
“No one, I just got a set of instructions. They’re up there.” His eyes pointed to the upper part of the attic, “not easy to follow and you’d need a fair amount of chemical manufacturing experience to follow them so it can’t be made by any old fool. I used to work for a dye and tanning factory so I know my measurements.”
“Who gives you the instructions and ingredients?” Mr Attorcop’s questions were quick and impatient. The quick tone elicited quick responses, except for this one. Helmont paused, nervous about his answer.
“Tell me. Now.” Helmont resigned himself, it was clear that answers were the only thing that would release him from Mr Attorcop’s dark grip.
“The Weardian.” Mr Attorcop looked confused, he shot Lilian a look and she nodded, confirming the answer. Mr Attorcop looked back at Helmont and spoke a single word.
“Why?”
“I was only doing it for the money. Good money too. They never told me why but I have my theories. You’re a smart man Cromwell. Think about it, why would the powers that be want illegal chemicals flooding their own streets?” Mr Attorcop gave it a moment's thought before realising the answer.
“The chemical gives you strength. Who should need it most then, than the weak? Sell them their own power and then arrest them for daring to claim it.” Lilian followed the logic.
“They’re using it to find dissenters. People who are desperate or want to cause trouble. They’re taking advantage of their hopelessness by selling them a solution and then imprisoning them once they use it… that’s…”
“Genius.” said Helmont.
“Evil.” said Lilian. There was a pause. Mr Attorcop paced around the room. The lightning and thunder had long rolled over the city and the only sound left was the heavy clunk of Mr Attorcop’s boots on what remained of the floorboards. After a few lengths back and forth Mr Attorcop stopped and turned to Helmont.
“I’m going to let you go now.” Lilian almost spoke up in protest, but realised quickly that they had little more to gain from keeping him here. “You’re to start using your old name again and you’re to stay in the city for at least a month. You’re to check in at The Dim Candle every three days to see if I’ve left you a message. If I have then you do exactly as it says, do you understand?” Helmont nodded emphatically.
“Yes, yes of course.”
“Good.” And with that, Mr Attorcop reached down and clasped Helmont’s hand. As soon as he did so the dark substance began to crumble and flake away. In no time at all it was just a pile of black powder on the floor and Simos Helmont was patting himself down, wiping the excess dust away. The floorboards were back to normal, with no sign of break or dent, Lilian even surreptitiously put a little pressure on the spot where Helmont had been trapped, just to see if it gave way or revealed a trap door. It did not. Mr Attorcop took back his blade and melted it back into a vial of essence, all while keeping a close eye on Helmont as he collected a few vital things. When they finally shut the door behind him, Lilian let out a large and long sigh of relief. She turned to look at Mr Attorcop and rubbed her eyes. Half in an attempt to wake herself up, half as a measure to double check that he really was there in front of her. She opened her eyes and he was still there, standing just as she remembered him. His beard was messier than she remembered, his cloak a little dustier, but it was Mr Attorcop all the same. He was about to speak but Lilian already had her arms around him.
They spoke for a while but Lilian was conscious of Fritha needing food, water and a walk. She also needed to explain her absence to Mr Twitchett, so with a quick promise to return as soon as she could, she left the attic residence and stepped thankfully into the fresh afternoon air. One thing they did address before Lilian left was how Mr Attorcop knew that Helmont wouldn’t drink any Nightshade. As he put it,
“If he was going to drink it he would have done so the moment I stepped through the door. Substances as powerful as Nightshade do not sit idle without reason. I suspect our Mr Helmont was very aware of the dangers his concoction presents. He, after all, knows exactly what’s in it.”
Fritha had never been so delighted to see Lilian walk through the door. She practically knocked her over in an effort to lick her face and after a quick meal of raw chicken Lilian had picked up on the way home, the two of them dropped in on Mr Twitchett. Far from being angry with her, Mr Twitchett was just as relieved as Fritha was to see that she was safe. Lilian explained what had happened, leaving out any bits about gloaming or lunar essence. When she had finished telling her story Mr Twitchett asked if she could deliver a finished piece to a client, it was a beautiful and colourful parrot that had apparently been a cherished family pet for many years. Lilian handled it with utmost care and Mr Twitchett said that after the delivery was completed she would not be needed for the rest of the day. Lilian thanked him and carefully transported the animal up the hill to the correct address. She was thankful that her job allowed her to travel around the city in this way, without it it would have taken a lot longer to get to know the many streets and districts of the vast metropolis. She still got lost occasionally, but she quickly learned which kinds of people she could trust to ask for directions. Fritha trotted along happily beside her, sporting her shaggy dog look and snapping and any pigeons that came too close. Once the delivery was completed (the client was extremely happy with the result) Lilian began making her way back down the hill to go and see Mr Attorcop again.
It so happened then that she bumped into Katherine as she walked and she was able to fill her in very briefly on the developments. The two agreed to meet again within the week and Lilian set off with a wide smile on her face. The city Summer sun was shining, street vendors chorused their wares and everything was well in the world.
Lilian got back to Mr Attorcop’s attic by late afternoon. The air was cooling as evening set in, but the height of the attic meant that it was still very hot inside. Lilian wiped her forehead as she climbed the last of the stairs and stepped through the broken door, tiptoeing round broken shards of wood as she. Fritha sniffed the floor and air, wagging her tail furiously as the scent of someone familiar filled her sensitive snout. Lilian heard a rustling and crashing coming from the back of the attic and climbed the few steps to go and find Mr Attorcop. She saw him crouched beside a large basket, he was sorting through bits and pieces left behind by Helmont occasionally chucking things into the basket to be taken to the city dump later. Lilian greeted him and he smiled when he saw her. Lilian hoped that his new habit of smiling would stick as happiness suited him. Fritha ran ahead, her lead breaking free from Lilian’s grip. Her tail wagged so much that she nearly knocked a glass beaker off a table. Mr Attorcop laughed and stroked her ears.
“Yes yes I’ve missed you too you great big oaf. Settle down now settle down.” But Fritha continued to bark her bell like sounds, licking his hands and leaning her full weight on him.
“We’ve both missed you.” said Lilian. Mr Attorcop looked up at her with a solemn expression.
“I know. I’ve missed you too. I’m so sorry Lilian, I tried everything in my power to get here sooner but I was…” He paused, searching for the appropriate term, “Waylaid.” Lilian heard sadness in his voice.
“Well, you’re here now, that’s what matters.” He smiled.
“Yes. I’m here. I’m back in this silly city and I am eager to get back to work.”
“I’ve actually just come from work. I didn’t know what to do in your absence so I got a job at a taxidermist’s.” Mr Attorcop raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“That’s good Lilian. You should keep it, we will be able to resume training in the evenings and when you have days off, my work in the meantime will mainly consist of getting this place back in order.” He looked around at the mammoth task ahead of him. Fritha was busy pushing a cork bowl around and chasing after it.
This part of the attic was a little darker than the entrance, with only two small windows in the back wall for natural light. There were tables and desks shoved carelessly against the walls and littered with a hundred different beakers, mixing bowls and chemical apparatus. There was a drab looking bed in one corner with a small nightstand beside it. The entire space looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months and Lilian reminded herself that it probably hadn’t. Lilian began picking up anything that was broken or useless and placing it inside the basket. She had many questions burning away inside of her, but for now was content with just having Mr Attorcop back.
“So what do you make of Freedos?” Lilian considered the question, turning over a broken set of scales as she did.
“It’s nice…” Mr Attorcop saw straight through her.
“But…”
“But it has a lot of problems.” Mr Attorcop snorted derisively as if that was the understatement of the century.
“It only has one problem. Poverty.” Lilian didn’t quite agree with this.
“I don’t know,” she said, “Benlunar is not a rich town but we don’t have the same problems. People here are desperate, you know? And judging by what we learned today the people in charge don’t seem to be making life any easier.” Mr Attorcop nodded. “Has it always been like this?”
“More or less.” he replied, setting aside a large abacus to keep. “Although it has gotten steadily worse in the last few years. Since the Emperor died.” Lilian had heard about that when it had happened, Benlunar was far away but not completely cut off from the world.
“If you could,” proffered Lilian, “what would you do to help the people of Freedos?” This question made Mr Attorcop pause. He shrugged nonchalantly before going back to work and replied,
“Oh I don’t know. I suppose we could kill the Empress.”