Cycle 1
Azra's eyes shot open and he sat up, his heart was racing as he looked around his room in the back of the inn. He groaned and put a hand to his head.
"Drank a little too much," he said to himself, looking around the room.
He got up and threw on his ornate clothing, with jewels and silver chains adorning his cloak, and grabbed his crystal ball stepping out into the Tavern.
The orc running the place, Broom, grunted and smiled as he walked out.
"You're up early," he said as he cleaned a glass. "You ready to tell your stories today?"
"It's gotta be done," Azra said with a wink. "Just make sure to get them nice and drunk before sending them my way, and I'll make sure they keep coming back to eat and drink here."
"Of course. Hey, the Councilman's Wife had heard about you and said she was curious about your skills," Broom said. "Make sure you don't upset her if she shows up... But try to get as much money out of her as you can."
They laughed together for a little as Azra set up his corner in the tavern.
The day went by pretty normally, with housewives, drunks, skeptics, and fans of the occult taking a seat at his table to see what the spirits would tell them about their fates. Of course, the spirits had nothing to say except for very unkind words for Azra, but he made some things up that got them to pay him. He liked the con most of all, but the money was good too.
After a day of hard work, he settled up the finances with Broom to make sure their partnership was still a beneficial one and he went to sleep.
The next day went very much the same.
And so did the next, and the next, and the next....
Cycle 588
Azra's eyes shot open and he sat up, his heart was racing as he looked around his room in the back of the inn. He groaned and put a hand to his head.
"Drank a little too much," he said to himself, looking around the room.
He got up and threw on his ornate clothing, with jewels and silver chains adorning his cloak, and grabbed his crystal ball stepping out into the Tavern.
Broom was cleaning a glass and looked up at him.
"You're up early," he said. "You ready to tell your stories today?"
Azra was about to speak but he stopped suddenly.
"Huh," he said, scratching his head. "Sorry, I suddenly had really bad deja vu."
"Bless you," Broom said quickly. "Had really bad what?"
"Nevermind," Azra said, taking a deep breath. "Just make sure to get the people nice and drunk before sending them my way, and I'll make sure they keep coming back to eat and drink here."
"Of course. Hey, the Councilman's Wife had heard about you and said she was curious about your skills," Broom said. "Make sure you don't upset her if she shows up... But try to get as much money out of her as you can."
Azra stared at him for a few moments and put his hand to his brow, feeling a headache coming on before fading away.
"Yeah, sounds good."
Cycle 935
Azra's eyes shot open and he sat up, his heart was racing as he looked around his room in the back of the inn. He groaned and put a hand to his head.
"Drank a little too much," he said to himself, looking around the room, before feeling a pit in his stomach like something was wrong. "Wait... isn't this?..."
He stood up and walked over to his clothing, seeing them laid out with his jewelry next to it. He quickly threw on his cloak before walking out the door to the main room.
Broom was cleaning a glass and looked up at him.
"You're up early," he said. "You ready-"
"To tell my stories today?" Azra asked.
"Yeah, that's what I was gonna say!" Broom laughed. "Your looking to the future must've gotten better."
"Yeah, maybe that's it," Azra said, feeling unsettled as he walked over to his table. "Is the Councilman's Wife coming?"
"I was just about to tell you about that too!" Broom said, putting down the glass. "I gotta hand it to you, your scam is getting good."
"Hand..." Azra thought to himself and looked at Broom.
An image of him flashed in his mind, Broom's hand cut off and attached to the wall behind him. An Aarakocra standing beside him as he asked about it. Then suddenly a searing pain that made Azra drop to his knees.
"Hey! You okay, bud?" Broom ran around the bar and kneeled at his side. "You drink a little too much last night?"
"I-... I just need to go lay down. I'm sure everything will be fine," Azra said with a smile. "The spirits are stronger than I some days."
Broom helped him to his feet as he walked into the backroom, just as the door to the Inn opened up.
"Oh, hello, Master Covington," Broom said with Azra around his shoulder. "Take a seat and I'll be right with you."
Cycle 1330
Azra's eyes shot open and he sat up, his heart was racing as he looked around his room in the back of the inn. He groaned and put a hand to his head. Then sighed.
He stood up and stared at his outfit and jewelry. He put them on and then grabbed his bedsheet, throwing it in a backpack. He then grabbed a spoon, a piece of wood, and after thinking for a bit, a small mirror that was kept in the desk.
"This should help with getting out of the Library," he said to himself. "Running to the Right and Left didn't work, so I'll have to try jumping through the window this time. The mirror should distract that guard..."
He walked into the main room, seeing Broom behind the bar.
"You're-" Broom started.
"Up early, it's gotta be done, councilwoman, what cycle, you're going crazy, I'm not crazy, blah blah blah," Azra said tiredly. "I'll see you later."
Just as he was about to get to the door, it opened and Grishold was standing there with some guards behind him.
"Hey Azra," Grishold said with a smile. "Can we talk for a minute?"
"I'm a little busy actually," Azra said, frustrated. "I'll read your palm later, okay?"
"Later?" Grishold asked with a laugh. "You tried right and left, so I'm guessing you're going to jump through the window this time?"
"You... You know about the cycles?" Azra asked. "How have you-"
"Yes, I've been watching you for a while to see if you were truly like me," he said with a reassuring smile. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'll share whatever information I have with you."
Azra's shoulders relaxed as he stepped forward towards Grishold, who put an arm around his shoulder as they stepped outside the tavern.
Cycle 10,980
Azra's eyes slowly opened as he felt the chains around his wrists. They were healed again, so another cycle must have started.
His eyes haven't yet adjusted to the darkness of his cell, not that it mattered anyway. Every brick, every inch, every crack in the ground was burned into his brain. And every day he thought about what Grishold had told him all those cycles ago.
"They left you here." Grishold had told him. "They achieved their goal, and you were left behind in my care."
"Why did they leave me?" Azra had asked. "Wasn't I their friend?"
"You had tried to barter for their freedom," he said. "You asked Veldred if he would let you all go, that it wasn't your fight in the end. Veldred had lied to you and killed you, but they continued on anyway. And when they had the opportunity to leave, they took it."
"Well... they just didn't know. If they had known-" Azra started.
"They could have found a way to revive you even then," Grishold said. "And they're outside the cycle. They could have even tried to bring you back. But they didn't. And now I can't have you risking anything for my people here."
"Risking your people?" Azra had asked. "I'm not going to-"
And that's when he blacked out. When he came to, his head was bleeding and he was attached to these chains. And this is where he's been ever since.
He heard the flap at the bottom of the door open as the food was slid under.
"Breakfast is served, your majesty," the guard outside the door said with a laugh.
It got funnier every time.
Cycle 12,250
KILL THEM KILL THEM ALL GET THEM FIND THEM END THEM FIND THEM KILL THEM ALL OF THEM THEY LEFT ME THEY LEFT ME THEY LEFT ME FIND THEM AND END THEM GET OUT OF HERE I'LL FIND THEM YIRKI WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME SARQEN WHY BIGSBY WHY ROTA WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY YOU'LL PAY YOU'LL PAY YOU'LL FEEL WHAT YOU'VE DONE I'LL FIND YOU AND MAKE YOU FEEL WHAT I'VE FELT EVERY SINGLE DAY EVERY SINGLE DAY EVERY SINGLE DAY EVERY SINGLE DAY