"Who are you?" Cain asked the man, still holding his smoking gun.
"Wrong question. Here in this nightmare, it's often a question of what, not who," the man said.
The stranger looked down at the beast whose neck had been snapped, saliva flowing from its open mouth.
Stepping out of the shadows, the man took off his top hat, pulling it down to cover his chest.
"My name is Lord Leonard Wigram, and I humbly welcome you to the city of Carcosa," Leonard said, bowing.
Leonard was a man of average height, fair-skinned, with light blue eyes and narrow cheeks.
Cain furrowed his brow.
"What makes you a lord? Do you own something around here?"
Setting his hat atop his curly locks of brown hair, Leonard chuckled lightly, his thin lips rising into a smile.
"No, my friend. I'm called that for a very different reason."
Stepping past Cain, Leonard fired a bullet into the dead animal's heart.
"What was that for? It was already dead," Cain asked.
"Just insurance," Leonard said, walking away.
Cain perked up like he had just remembered something.
"Roland, damn it. I've got to go help him."
He started to walk away before a hand shot out and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.
Cain looked back at Leonard, a grave expression on his face.
"No use. He's gone. Dead long before his body was undoubtedly dragged off into the dark night."
Cain stopped, his shoulders dropping as he sighed.
"Become a lord, you said?"
"Yes, I did. You learn quickly. Come, follow me before more beasts sniff us out."
Cain turned and followed Leonard down the winding streets.
The bright moon cast an orange glow along the bricks as the two men walked through the streets.
Wind howled through the corridors of the city, sending a chill through Cain.
Leonard and Cain walked for a long time.
"Where are you taking me?" Cain finally asked, shivering in the cold as he looked down at the ground.
"Don't worry, we are almost there," Leonard said, noticing Cain shiver. "To one of the only safe havens around. A gathering of those unfortunate enough to be cast down here."
"How many people live in Carcosa?" Cain asked, looking at the boarded-up windows and broken-down doors lining the streets.
"It's hard to say, really. In this district, the working estimation is between three and five thousand, but definitely not less than a thousand. To put it another way, you could go months without meeting another person from outside your circle, but you'd find traces of others around."
"You still haven't answered my question."
"No, I haven't, have I, Cain?" Leonard sighed, breathing deeply.
He took three bullets from his coat and flicked open the chamber of his revolver.
"To become a lord of slaughter, you'll have to single-handedly kill an orange-eyed beast with a high kill count on a hunt. It's quite simple, really."
Mid-reload, Leonard ducked under Cain's fist as it came sailing toward him.
"Here in Carcosa, lordship is granted to those who are skilled at killing," Leonard finished as he snapped his gun closed, pointing it at Cain and raising an eyebrow questioningly.
"When we first met, you stopped me from going to look for the man who was dropped down here with me, telling me he was dead and dragged away into the night.
"You could only know that under one condition. So I waited for you to slip up and prove me right. I never told you my name, Leonard."
"You were there watching me from the very beginning, weren't you?" Cain said, glaring at the muzzle of the gun aimed at him.
"Impressive. A fighter and someone who thinks. You'll make a great lord yet," Lord Wigram said, twirling the gun in his hand before placing it back into his belt holster.
"Yes, Cain, I was watching you the whole time. From your drop, to your mad jaunt through the streets, to you outsmarting that beast."
"Why?" Cain asked, confused, not taking his eyes off the gun.
"As I said, the people here are few and far between, and even rarer are people who can fight, much less men who can also strategize.
"Even if I could have done something for Roland, it wouldn't have mattered. He would have died to the next creature he stumbled across," Leonard explained, shrugging his shoulders.
"So what do you want?" Cain asked, his eyes still narrow and suspicious.
"You caught my eye, Mister Cain. From the moment you dropped here, your eyes have been scanning this place. You're here for a reason," Leonard said.
Walking forward, Leonard kept his eyes on Cain before turning down one last street and disappearing.
Breaking into a light sprint, Cain ran to turn down the same street Leonard had taken.
His breath caught in his throat as he saw the cathedral before him.
An ornate cross sat atop a mountain of carved stone, and intricately carved patterns lined the outside of the church. Pillars held the walls, the roof draped in ivy. Large arched doorways marked the entrance to the cathedral.
Leonard stood at the front entrance, one hand on the door.
Looking back at Cain, he said,
"Welcome to the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene."
Walking inside, Cain was awestruck by the magnificence of the massive old church, lit by torchlight.
Massive stone pillars extended to a second floor overlooking the entrance. Aside from the large ornate table, many others lined the room. A roaring fireplace behind it bathed the space in warmth and light.
One thing stood out as odd to Cain. It was clean and tidy. Chairs were tucked in properly, and the books lining the shelves were uniform. It was the opposite of the Carcosa he had known until now.
More than that, there were people eating, talking, and cooking, all gathered around the main table.
"Up those stairs to the left, you'll find many empty rooms. Doors that are open are free to use. There are only twenty-seven of us here and forty bedrooms total, so pick one to your liking," Leonard explained, gesturing upward with his whole hand.
"There will be a clean set of clothes for you to change into. Do that and meet me back here. There's someone who wishes to meet you."
Cain nodded and followed Leonard's instructions. Stopping halfway up the stairs, he once more looked over the grand hall at the dozen people gathered there.
The mood was not as dreary as he had expected. People did not seem happy, but there was a sense of normalcy. They cooked, read, nursed wounds, talked, and laughed. Most were dressed simply, in clean, well-made shirts and pants.
Except for the lords, who wore long black leather padded coats.
Cain passed many small rooms with old pictures lining the walls before finally finding an empty one.
The room was quite small, with just enough space for a bed topped with folded clothes. The clothing consisted of a simple white woollen shirt and grey pants, clean and unworn.
Across from the bed sat a desk with a single candle illuminating the room. Beside the candle lay a belt and holster for a revolver.
Where am I supposed to go to the bathroom? Cain silently asked himself as he put on the fresh clothes and used the revolver holster to hoist up the pants, which were a tad too big.
Closing the door behind him, Cain made his way toward the staircase.