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Towns on the coastline always seemed to be shrouded in mystery. Lost and forgotten souls, strangers that smile as if you were a close friend, and whispers that follow through the fog are what greeted Argentum when they first entered the town of Dalry. They had come due to reports of fog “swallowing people” and these people never being found again, even their remains. A supernatural phenomenon that Argentum knew they would have to follow. They stomped on the spider that attempted to get closer and grabbed their notebook. Some statements from the townsfolk would be a good place to start.
People of the town weren’t the best source of information. Many of the statements were useless as they had not interacted with the entity themselves and the ones who have refused to speak to anyone. The best lead Argentum had gotten was from a man named Kelly. He spoke of a young man who’s form was shrouded in fog, the sound of beads tapping together, and piercing eyes that stared deep into his soul. No voice or name or even how to come across this entity, but it was better than nothing. Kelly did say that most of the disappearances seemed to happen towards the northern side of the cliffside. A lot of the victims were last seen there according to him. Nobody else had said this, as a lot of the victims were last seen either heading towards the cliffside or simply just when they had left home, but Argentum wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
There wasn’t any sort of plan when heading towards the cliff except for the hope that they weren’t pushed off the edge, never to be seen again. People had claimed that the excess amount of fog was the reason for the disappearances. Most of the reports were passed off as mass suicide event, delusions from a small town trying to cope with loss. Argentum had their fair share of interactions with avatars to know this is most likely the work of one of them, but the lonelys were always one of the hardest to find. They hardly wanted to interact with others, even other avatars. Finding this one was going to pose a bit of a challenge.
Getting to the cliffside wasn’t much of a problem. It was easy to find out the correct paths and areas to avoid lest they meet an untimely death. Somehow it was uncomfortably quiet. Waves were still crashing upon the rocks below, yet they were muffled. Almost as if someone had placed cotton over their ears. Fog curled around their legs, almost as if trying to grab hold. It wasn’t unusual for cliffsides to be extremely foggy, Argentum can see why people believed people simply fell off and were never found. The fog made it hard to see and the waves were harsh enough to sweep anything that fell in miles away,
“If you’re there, why don’t you come out and have a chat with me?” They knew someone was around here, just on the edge of their vision. This person was using the fog as a cover, hidden in plain sight for most. The fog thickened as it curled around Argentum more. It filled their lungs and made it hard to breathe as they stood their ground, “I’m not here to tell you to stop. I simply want to talk to you.”
“You lot always want to talk,” A gentle but deep voice whispered around them. It was impossible to tell which direction it came from, “I know what happens when people talk to you.” Argentum scoffed and waved some of the fog away,
“Is it not enough for me to want to learn who you were, who you are now? This is a chance for your story to be known.” They coughed slightly as the fog filled their lungs again,
“I do not want to be known.” The voice was still soft but stern, Argentum knew they were closer now,
“Then for my records only, have a simple conversation with me.” A figure appeared a good distance away. Fog still shrouded the surrounding area but Argentum was pretty sure they were standing well after where the cliff ended. They stepped closer and the figure disappeared,
“Behind you. Unless you want to fall to your death.” The voice was less of a whisper now, coming from behind them. It sounded more physical, yet almost like a wisp against the wind. Argentum turned and faced the person that had been hiding this entire time. They were similar to what Kelly had described. Furs lined their vest with beads hanging off their waist, they looked like they were accustomed to the cold of living on the coast. Their form was shrouded in fog, but it was only in certain sections where it seemed to cover the entirety of their skin. Looking closer, Argentum noticed that there weren't actually parts of their body there. Instead it was replaced by the fog that swirled around and showed a void where flesh should be. The fog also seemed to form a horn-like shape atop the left part of their head, just above the eye. It also ran down their spine and moved to wrap around their hand almost like it was a tail.
He stared at Argentum and his eyes gleamed despite the dark look and they noticed the vibrant streak of white that fell in front of his face. His face was blank, almost bored, as they stepped close, “Are you dead?” Argentum could see them clearer now, chunks of flesh replaced with a mist that oozed almost like blood. They couldn’t see inside his body, even as the haze dissipated around the area,
“Not technically,” His voice was clearer now and Argentum noticed the accent, “My lungs still fill with air, my heart still beats. Even if those weren’t happening, I’m still standing here aren’t I?”
“What is your name?”
“Stop that.” Mist flowed from his mouth, “I answer your questions normally.” Argentum furrowed their brow but nodded, scribbling something into their notebook, “Sunder.”
“Last name?” He shook his head, “Alright. Tell me about yourself.” There was a deep sigh,
“There’s not much to say, to be honest. I lived by the ocean most of my life, made friends, traveled lots, lost those friends.” Argentum scribbled in their notebook, “Ended up here. The people here are friendly, but not enough to care. They act like it, soft smiles and cheerful hellos. There’s never any connection.” The fog in the area seemed to thicken, as if trying to isolate them from the outside world, “I ended up here most of the time. It was quiet, the only sounds being the waves crashing against the rocks. Something about it called to me and I found myself standing on the edge. Falling thousands of feet is something exhilarating, I don’t even remember hitting the rocks below. Maybe I never did. I ended up on this cliff after, the way you see me now.” He spread his arms almost like a performance, “As for the others, it’s not my fault they felt the call of the ocean as well.”
“So you are responsible for those murders.”
“They never truly died,” Sunder disappeared from view, “Simply lost their way. It’s not as if they had anything in their life.”
“And their families?” Argentum looked around to try and spot them, “What about the people who cared for them?”
“You don’t truly care about that, do you?” The voice was faded again, “You go around, writing in your journal but you don’t actually care about the people. You just care about the information you gain from it. You all do.”
“Is that such a problem? To be in the pursuit of knowledge?” Sunder appeared in front of them causing them to take a step back,
“I know the spiders might like that but you will stay away from me after this. I have no desire to be part of your little archive.” Argentum stared into their eyes and tried not to feel the cold seep into their bones. Sunder stared back just as hard, despite the slight tremor in his hands. They both stayed like that for a moment before Sunder suddenly disappeared again, “Make yourself sparse before I decide to keep you wandering.”
“Understood. Was nice chatting with you, Sunder.” Argentum watched as the fog dissipated to a more reasonable density and they were able to actually see in front of them. The sound of crashing waves and birds crying out reached their ears for the first time in what felt like hours. Taking a deep breath they began their walk back to town. There was still one other thing they had to do.
Kelly was hidden away in the woods when Argentum found him. He shouldn’t have been able to be found without explicit instructions, really. A loud squawk alerted Kelly to their presence as he turned around, “You met him.”
Argentum nodded, “You know him. More than you cared to admit.” They knew he had lied back when they first talked to him, “Why did you hide that information?” They watched as Kelly seemed to choke on his words for a second as his eyes filled with fear for a split second,
“He’s helping me with a personal mission. I need him to work with me and I help him stay unnoticed by the people coming to this town to investigate their mysteries. It’s a win-win so of course I wasn’t going to tell you everything I know but obviously you can just get me to anyway.” He gasped for breath and glared at Argentum,
“There’s no reason for him to need you. He is an avatar. That’s enough power to keep regular people away no matter what. He most likely lied to you.”
“And? He still helps me so where’s the harm in that?”
“Until you find yourself lost in the mist like the rest of his victims.”
“Cut the shit,” Kelly stood up hastily, “You don’t give a rat’s ass about me. All you do is antagonize and force others to speak. As far as I’m aware, you’re still human enough to be killed. Don’t test me.”
“Fine,” Argentum looked Kelly right in the eyes, “You will die soon. Perhaps it will be painless or perhaps not. Watch yourself.” He turned pale and his bird started to squawk again. They stared at him for a little longer before turning on their heel and walking out of the woods. There were places to be and things to write about.
Allegedly there was a man in armor acting like a mercenary for hire.