Brimstone and Crimson

A man finds himself lost in a new city. Hit by culture shock and confused by the new order this city reveals, will he be able to adapt fast enough to endure?

   It was dark out, the eerie shadow of the skyline creeping into the streets as the colossal sun fell, filling the sky with it's vibrant colors. "Come along Reginald. I'd hate for you to get lost behind." I sighed and hurried up my measured paces, quickly falling into line next to the older man. His hair was dark with just the beginnings of grey, showing he was close to the point where one might consider him elderly. Of course despite this his ruby eyes were vibrant and lively, each step he took strong and purposeful, carrying himself with the deliberate air that you'd expect a man in a top of the line suit to have. Which made perfect sense considering that he was one of the aforementioned men currently in fact wearing said suit. Along with this suit he had a black cane, the top of which depicted a silver serpent. However the most astonishing features of this cane were the serpents eyes and the small gemstone at the bottom of the plain looking black staff. For each gemstone was a red so deep that the only words applicable in my eyes to describe such a hue were blood crimson. For these words carried the sharp gleam and rich feel that the color delivered upon my eyes. "Reginald!" His voice chimed out angrily. That is not to say furiously but rather irritated with my behavior. "I-I'm sorry sir, I was lost in thought." I hurried ahead and fell inline next to him once again for I had fallen quite a few paces behind him whilst I pondered his appearance in all it's queer mannerisms. How curious it was to be in this filthy city alongside a man as well kept as him. For around us the cobblestone ground was rather appalling, covered in much and grime the origin of which I thought better than to inquire about. A smog slowly wafted above the buildings, dark grey and wretched tan collors sweeping across the air. A city of brimstone and crimson this one was called. For the smoke smelled just like the vile substance of brimstone and the wealthy men like the one I accompanied were thought to have achieved their success on the crimson stained money of others. Blood money was the common term. Earned at an expense to great to consider, yet apparently that was not at all true based on the man in front of me. Just then I heard a sound so pitiful and weak that I thought it must have come from a stray mutt. As I turned and saw the woman on the ground ahead of me, pulling herself out of the grim alley towards my direction I discovered my assumption had been correct. "Please sir, just some coins. I need money for my baby. We're starving you see." Her cheeks were covered in dirt except for a few clean patches that shined rather disgustingly. She looked like she would've been crying except for the dehydration and the evidence upon her face that reported she already had been. I took pity on her however, and took a few steps forward to offer her some spare change. Yet just as my hand reached my pocket, the silver serpent caught me by the shoulder, yanking me away from the woman and pulling me further along the road. I looked over curiously at the man beside me, as he lowered his cane back to the ground and kept walking purposefully. "That woman back there, why did you stop me from helping her?" I asked with a tone of befuddlement. He didn't even turn his head towards me the slightest degree as he answered, "The effort you took to reach out to that woman, these people are hardly worth it. Much less the money you almost gave her, what a waste that would've been." I frowned and asked a second hopeful question. "Then why did you go back to get me if it's not worth the effort to help?" He smiled a bit at that and replied dryly, "They aren't worth it Reginald, you however are. Sophisticated at that, a good use of my spare time. Not that I have much mind you." I nodded thoughtfully and replied. "Yes master, of course." For in the past two days that's what I'd learned to call him. This land was indeed different from my normal clean idealistic paradise and it'd opened my eyes to what poverty was. If not for this man I may be broke at this very moment! Imagine that, the educated upper class gentleman humbled down to a level unimaginably low. Not to mention I'm in this god forsaken hell hole and the question of where exactly I am in this hell hole can be answered at any time with the phrase 'god knows where'. That is to say, that while a deity may have my location within knowledge I do not. "Master, where are we going?" I asked curiously. All the pondering about my location had sparked an interest after all. He shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Where your fortunes take you." I thought this to be a rather queer answer as it was both cryptic and suggested it was only my fortunes that would determine our destination. "And what about your fates master?" I inquired. He smiled at me, his lips curling back slightly in the first display of animistic nature I had seen him demonstrate as of yet. I was surprised to note that his teeth were, rather pointed. That is not to say as like needles or fangs, simply more so than the average humans should be or would be. "Well dear Reginald, I've already found my fate. Now is the time for you to find yours." I nodded, thinking I understood. However apparently I did not for as he turned the corner and vanished from my sight I was astonished to see he had disappeared! As I rounded the corner he was gone, as if he'd been an apparition all along.
   Indeed perhaps he had been. For you see dear reader, I never saw him again. The peculiar old man with the black-silver cane, the crimson eyes, and the dark hair seems to be but a distant fantasy of a troubled time. I hope for my own sake that it wasn't, for I'd hate to think that the twisted thoughts he exposed me to were in fact my own. For the wretched mongrels that wasted away in the streets received none of my pity from that point forth, nor could they avoid my wrath.

Author's Note

This is a work in progress. Please be aware of that.