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Description
The Wanderer's Road
Issue 1: The Stray
Written by M.R.Maloney

Page 1:
Panel 1: The city is cold, a chill in the air snuffing out even the bravest flame that struggles against it. The protagonist, Nemon Itzal Kobor, huddles against a wall in an alleyway rubbing the sides of his chest. His lips are broken and hard, his tongue dry as he tries not to let the moisture in his body escape in his breath and utterly fails. Icicles hang from his nose. His garments are clearly castaways, taken from the refuse of those fortunate enough to have enough to spare to merely discard them. He, conversely, cannot. His over-sized clothing is tattered and worn, the fabric like cheesecloth in areas, mismatched patches affixed to it in a desperate attempt to keep in the minute warmth it retains. It carries the stench of its origin, with a faint scent of mothballs and rum, intermingled with that of decomposing matter. We can clearly see stains on it. The panel is large, showing the city in the distance primarily and Nemon in the foreground, only part of him visible peering out of the alley toward the readers. Nemon is young, in his early teens it seems, with emerald eyes. The panel covers the full width of the page and most of its height. The air in the distance carries not only ice and snow in the wind, but also trails of lung-clogging black chimney smoke, and that of coal-fueled factories in the distance. It is very early morning.

Narr. (Nemon, but in a box): "Thankfully I'm upwind of the slaughter-yards, but the wind still howls in an unearthly manner, a tortured beast screaming and writhing in pain."

Panel 2: Nemon gripping his stomach and wincing. Wide panel.

Narr.: "Another beast grumbles as well, deep inside my thin frame. The last thing I ate was a rat I had cornered and skewered with a sharp stick, but that was well over three days ago."

Page 2:
Panel 1: Nemon staggering alongside the buildings, keeping to the shadows, the coarseness of their surfaces creating new wear on his coat. Wide panel.

Narr.: "Winter has been a cruel mistress in the past, frigid and uncaring, but this year she has been harsher still, her claws stretching across the countryside, choking it. I stumble against her invading army, my feet trudging in the tail of her gown, skirting dangerously within her reach, struggling to not fall behind her as she marched towards her sister Spring."

Panel 2: Nemon turning a corner, seeing a man nearly a hundred meters ahead of him at the end of the alley he has just entered. The man's nose is almost ablaze with how drunk he is. Even at the distance we can hear his off-key singing and see Nemon wincing at the stench of drink the wind blows towards him. Despite how drunk the man is, he clearly has prosperity the likes of which poor Nemon has never had.

Drunkard: "La-LAH-LO!"

Drunkard 2: "She WUZ a PRETTY lady who..."

Drunkard 3: "Who..."

Narr.: "Without more sustenance I will likely not last the night."

Panel 3: Nemon carefully, hesitantly taking slow steps in the snow, trying not to alert the man to his presence.

Narr.: "He can afford to spare whatever finances remain on his person. I have never pick-pocketed anyone before, and never stolen anything of enough value to be noticed. I have just taken what I have needed to survive, and even that pained my conscience."

Panel 4: Nemon closer to him now, able to see the man's face more clearly.

Narr.: "Edward Duxley, one of the town's few doctors. He is well known for his skill, but he never paid my poor soul any attention, his aide turning me away each time that I came to his door. I had to fight off my own fevers, and each time I became weaker."

Page 3:
Panel 1: Nemon appearing even more determined now, wary, but at least able to justify his actions, if not to the authorities and the heavens, at least to himself.

Narr.: "Theft is theft, but a man of his nature did not deserve to be misusing it when so many other waifs such as myself do not have enough to spare."

Panel 2: A light illuminates the alley, Nemon looking around and seeking to put it out before the doctor takes notice of him.

Panel 3: Nemon finally looking up, his mouth dropped in shock. There, suspended five meters in the air above his head is a shimmering light, shifting in hue and saturation like a soap bubble, but far more dense, far more solid, if such a thing were possible. It has a pentagonal shape and a hand is reaching out of it. Nemon is taking a step back toward the doctor.

Panel 4: A man falls out of the light onto the snow below.

Panel 5: The man lying motionless on the snow, the light disappearing mysteriously.

Page 4:
Panel 1: Nemon looking toward Doctor Duxley, but the man has falked further down the lane, unaware not only of his presence, but also of the apparent witchery in the sky.

Panel 2: Nemon looking back to the man and trying to turn him over, seeing that while his clothing is not as refined as that of the doctor, it is still more lavish than his own.

Panel 3: Nemon looking at the man's clean-shaven face. His hair is like wheat, soft and blonde, waving across his scalp like fields of grain in the wind. A bag is strapped across his shoulder, sprawled on the ground next to him, and his coat is open wide with an assortment of parchment and odd trinkets.

Narr.: "Nothing worth pawning."

Panel 4: Nemon trying to open the bag, but there is a bizarre combination lock on it.

Panel 5: Nemon sighing.

Page 5:
Panel 1: Nemon awaking in the foreground four hours later (the sun's position higher in the sky through the broken facing of the clock tower) in his hiding place. The abandoned clock tower looks out on the lane the doctor had been in, and the man Nemon helped is at the broken clock facing, gears and shafts, wooden and splintered in the midground.

Panel 2: Nemon taking a step toward the man, the floor creaking, the man turning rapidly with a scowl on his face.

SFX: "Crreaakk"

Panel 3: The man's face softening and he smiles lightly, pointing at himself.

Ludwig: "Ludwig Von Himmelseher."

Nemon (off-panel): "Nemon Itzal Kobor."

Panel 4: The man's blue eyes sharpen for a moment. Nemon has moved closer so we see part of him in the panel now.

Nemon: Welcome, Ludwig, man from the sky.”

Page 6:
Panel 1: Ludwig laughing, Nemon relaxing in the midground.

Ludwig: "Ahahah!"

Ludwig 2: "I was afraid I had perhaps landed in a place of savages bereft of civilized tongue."

Ludwig 3: "But I see that the language is not too far different from my own."

Ludwig 4: "Thank you for your kind welcome."

Panel 2: Nemon watching the man looking back out the hole again.

Narr.: "At least it is not the tone akin to that of a demon."

Panel 3: Ludwig looking back at Nemon, inspecting him for a mere moment.

Panel 4: Ludwig frowning as he sees there is but one door, but reaches down to his bag, fiddling with the dials on it to unlock it.

Panel 5: Ludwig holding out a wax-paper wrapped package to Nemon, and the youth takes it gingerly.

Panel 6: Ludwig has opened his and takes a bite out of the contents.

Page 7:
Panel 1: Nemon bowing and taking a bite.

Narr.: "It is dray and thick, but..."

Panel 2: Nemon's face lit up in surprise and joy.

Narr.: "Such sweetness."

Panel 3: Nemon licking his fingers, looking like he is about to ask for more.

Narr.: "And yet my hunger is abated."

Panel 4: Nemon holding his belly in confusion and looking at Ludwig, who is laughing as he finishes eating.

Ludwig: "Obviously you have not eaten well in quite some time, Nemon, but these rations will keep you full for nearly a day."

Panel 5: Nemon blushes and bows, and Ludwig merely smiles, his eyes like a hawk as he examines Nemon again, pulling out three more packages and setting them on the floor. Two are further rations, the third wrapped in cloth.

Ludwig: "In payment for your generosity and speed taking me from my place of landing."

Panel 6: Nemon cautiously stuffing the rations into one of his pockets with one hand, opening the cloth slowly.

Page 8:
Panel 1: The faint light of the dawn is still enough to pierce the holes in the tower's walls, and reflect of off the item Nemon holds in his hand. It is a silver brooch, inlaid with a few sapphires. Enough value, perhaps, to exchange and afford food and lodging for the winter and beginning of spring. Enough to keep him alive longer if I am able to find legitimate employment during such time. His eyes are wide and he beams at Ludwig in desperate hope at such a gift, but the man merely smiles and nods.

Panel 2: Nemon pockets it and moves closer to Ludwig. Ludwig seems a little surprised by Nemon's question.

Nemon: "Are..."

Nemon 2: "Are you an angel?"

Panel 3: Ludwig shaking his head.

Ludwig: "I suppose I'm more akin to what you might call a wizard?"

Ludwig 2: "If your world has such a thing?"

Panel 4: Nemon nodding.

Narr.: "I recalled a book about one I had once read in a library before I was thrown out."

Nemon: "Only in fiction though, to the best of my knowledge, sir."

Panel 5: Ludwig smirking and putting a hand up to the side of his mouth as if sharing a secret knowledge, which, technically, he is.

Ludwig: "Well, what I am is a traveler, a man who wanders across and through the stars, dancing between the dimensions."

Ludwig 2: "I am technically forbidden to tell you of this, but I suspect that you already knew I was not from your world due to my entrance into it."

Panel 6: Nemon's jaw dropped in awe. Ludwig is looking out the hole again, worry on his face.

Page 9:
Panel 1: Nemon next to Ludwig, looking out the hole, light coming out of the alley below.

Panel 2: The doorway reopens.

Panel 3: A man clad in black leather with fiery hair steps into the lane and looks up as if looking into Nemon.

Panel 4: We zoom in and see his emerald eyes focusing up as if he sees Nemon's own eyes (and the reader's from the position), his very soul.

Panel 5: Ludwig looks disturbed as Nemon, even more fearful, grabbing Nemon's arm harshly, pulling him along.

Ludwig: "Come with me Nemon, this place is not safe if he is here."

Page 10:
Panel 1: Nemon hurrying along after Ludwig as they descent the tower's spiral staircase, being tugged along, hurting him lightly and he winces visibly in the panel.

Narr.: "I knew not who the foe that dogged him was, but clearly it was not someone he wished to be found by. His pull hurt me a little but I did not voice such concerns, for his haste seemed appropriate."

Panel 2: We see the man in black, guarding the only exit to the staircase, his emerald eyes burning to look at, so fierce the gaze.

The Man in Black: "Let the boy go Lud."

The Man in Black 2: "You need not bring an innocent into this."

The Man in Black 3: "Your crimes against the council will be held in trial, and I will do everything in my power to lessen your sentence."

Panel 3: Ludwig's face is infected suddenly with a vile scowl, his teeth bared in rage as he spat back at the man in black.

Ludwig: "You think I fear the tribunal?!"

Ludwig 2: "You ignorant fool, I am but a pawn in this whole affair!"

Ludwig 3: "Those responsible will do far worse than exile me for years without my key, they won't even have the shred of decency to kill me!”

Panel 4: Ludwig fumbling with his bag, pulling a dagger out of it pressing it to Nemon's throat. The Man in Black unsheathed a sword from his side in the same panel.

Page 11:
Panel 1: Nemon's eyes wide, tears in them, trying to speak, but the blade dug deeper as he tried, so he stopped.

Panel 2: The Man in Black steps to the side, circling Ludwig as he walks past with Nemon.

Panel 3: With his back to the door, Ludwig releases the blade and pushes Nemon toward The Man in Black.

Panel 4: Ludwig tried to get out the door quickly, but The Man in Black casually rolls the stumbling Nemon out of the way, pursuing the traveler with a speed that astonished he and Nemon alike.

Page 12:
Panel 1: Ludwig out in the snow, driving the dagger into his own chest. The Man in Black is halted in utter horror a few feet from the building's door, dropping his sword.

Ludwig: "AAAAAAAAGGGGHH!"

Narr.: "The only man to show me kindness in many long months, the man who put more fear of the Lord in me than all the priests in the city..."

Narr. 2: "With a single thrust of his blade, he was dead."

Panel 2: The Man in Black pulling the dagger out of Ludwig's heart.

The Man in Black (almost a whisper): "Lud..."

Panel 3: The Man in Black holding Ludwig in his arms, his eyes filled with tears.

The Man in Black (rasping, mournful): "Why?"

Panel 4: Nemon from inside the building on his knees, tears streaming his cheeks as well.

Narr.: "Though I barely had met him, he had offered me my salvation if of my body and not my soul, and I was beginning to want to know more. That is until this stranger arrived, and now Ludwig was dead."

Page 13:
Panel 1: The Man in Black composing himself, setting the corpse down and setting his coat on top of Ludwig.

The Man in Black (soft, small): "Requiem Aeternam dona ei
Domine R. et lux perpetua luceat ei:
Requiescant in pace. R. Amen."

Panel 2: The Man in Black sheathing his sword, looking at Nemon, his emerald eyes so soft they seem to melt. Nemon's hands are up to cover his face, expecting The Man in Black to attack him to cover his tracks.

Panel 3: Nemon lowing his arm, seeing a hand extended toward him, palm up.

Panel 4: Nemon taking the hand hesitantly, looking to Ludwig's husk. The Man in Black sighs.

The Man in Black: "I'm sorry that you had to see that."

The Man in Black 2: "I was hoping to take him in alive to face trial, but he took his own life. Whatever forces had been manipulating him must have been more influential than any of us had thought. I must report this to the council when I return."

Panel 5: The Man in Black reaching into his vest pocket and pulling out a handkerchief.

The Man in Black: "Are you all right?"

The Man in Black 2: "That's a fairly bloody mark you have there."

Panel 6: Nemon looking up at the man with tears in his eyes as the handkerchief is used to wipe the blood away.

Narr.: "I feel the wound and can tell instantly that it would leave a scar, but that Ludwig had been careful not to cut too deeply."

Nemon (small): "Where are you going to take him?"

Page 14:
Panel 1: The Man in Black's eyes focus on Nemon's, who is covering his mouth.

The Man in Black: "I don't know how much he told you, but we're not from this town, I-"

Nemon: "Travel through the stars."

Panel 2: The Man in Black walking over to Ludwig's covered body.

The Man in Black: "Yes, I can see that he told you more than he should have."

The Man in Black 2: "Very well, yes, I am a Wanderer, and I am going to take him back to his home, to give him a funeral as people of his land prefer, as soon as we are able to determine what that is."

Nemon: "I want to come with."

Nemon 2: "He's the only one..."

Panel 3: The Man in Black looking back at Nemon as ties his coat around Ludwig, frowning.

Nemon: "He had been so kind to me, giving me food and..."

Nemon 2: "I can scarcely remember the last time I saw a waif like myself get help that didn't come with a scowl, let alone a smile like his. For as long as I can remember. I think I might have even been imagining some of those smiles given their response to other waifs later."

Nemon 3: "I have to see him home with you."

The Man in Black: "I'm sorry, but that's just not done, we can't-"

Panel 4: Nemon clenching his hands at his sides, almost shouting at The Man in Black who sighs.

Nemon: "Look at me."

Nemon 2: "I have nothing here."

Nemon 3: "No family, no friends, no home."

Nemon 4: "I wouldn't be missed by anyone."

Panel 5: The Man in Black off-panel while Nemon shrugs and scowls.

The Man in Black (off-panel): "You realize, if you come with me, your word will mean very little in the decision of what is to be done with you. You will be brought before the council for review and if they agree, they'll have you relocated to a better place, but they might just as easily decide to have you returned here, with all trace of Ludwig's arrival here erased, your memories removed."

Nemon: "I don't care."

Nemon 2: "Just to see him laid to rest, to see the stars, will be enough for me."

Panel 6: Nemon's eyes watering and softening, but not giving up his resolve, The Man in Black staring at him.

Nemon: "Such a miraculous thing has happened to me today, and had it not, I might have be the one laying on the ground, dead from starvation. I owe him at least as much to see his body taken care of properly.”

Page 15:
Panel 1: The Man in Black laughing and extending a hand once again.

The Man in Black: "Very well, but you'll have to stick close to me at all times until the council decides what to do with you."

The Man in Black 2: "I shouldn't even be taking you with me, but I have a strong feeling about you..."

The Man in Black 3: "There is some fire in you, I'll give you that."

Panel 2: Nemon shaking the hand of The Man in Black, Oddmund Branson, grasping it as tightly as he can.

Oddmund Branson: "Who knows, maybe the council will see it too.”

Oddmund Branson 2: "Oddmund Branson."

Nemon: "Nemon Itzal Kobor.”

Panel 3: Oddmund nods and picks up Ludwig's body. The sun is still not at its peak in the background, but higher.

Narr.: "It is not yet late in the day, but it is Saturday, and most men are cursing that they had too much brew the night before. The women sleep, thankful that their children will as well, not having to attend lessons for the day."

Page 16:
Panel 1: The two (and Ludwig's body slung of Oddmund's shoulder) in the alley where the two Wanderers had come out, the light in the sky again as Oddmund holds a small box in his hand.

Oddmund: "Ĝiri dab."

Nemon: "So high still..."

Panel 2: Oddmund throws a hook up to the light.

Panel 3: The hook disappears into the light and Oddmund tugs on the rope.

Panel 4: Nemon gulps.

Panel 5: Tall panel, looking up at Nemon as he ascends toward the light.

Description
The Wanderer's Road
Issue 1: The Stray
Written by M.R.Maloney

Page 1:
Panel 1: The city is cold, a chill in the air snuffing out even the bravest flame that struggles against it. The protagonist, Nemon Itzal Kobor, huddles against a wall in an alleyway rubbing the sides of his chest. His lips are broken and hard, his tongue dry as he tries not to let the moisture in his body escape in his breath and utterly fails. Icicles hang from his nose. His garments are clearly castaways, taken from the refuse of those fortunate enough to have enough to spare to merely discard them. He, conversely, cannot. His over-sized clothing is tattered and worn, the fabric like cheesecloth in areas, mismatched patches affixed to it in a desperate attempt to keep in the minute warmth it retains. It carries the stench of its origin, with a faint scent of mothballs and rum, intermingled with that of decomposing matter. We can clearly see stains on it. The panel is large, showing the city in the distance primarily and Nemon in the foreground, only part of him visible peering out of the alley toward the readers. Nemon is young, in his early teens it seems, with emerald eyes. The panel covers the full width of the page and most of its height. The air in the distance carries not only ice and snow in the wind, but also trails of lung-clogging black chimney smoke, and that of coal-fueled factories in the distance. It is very early morning.

Narr. (Nemon, but in a box): "Thankfully I'm upwind of the slaughter-yards, but the wind still howls in an unearthly manner, a tortured beast screaming and writhing in pain."

Panel 2: Nemon gripping his stomach and wincing. Wide panel.

Narr.: "Another beast grumbles as well, deep inside my thin frame. The last thing I ate was a rat I had cornered and skewered with a sharp stick, but that was well over three days ago."

Page 2:
Panel 1: Nemon staggering alongside the buildings, keeping to the shadows, the coarseness of their surfaces creating new wear on his coat. Wide panel.

Narr.: "Winter has been a cruel mistress in the past, frigid and uncaring, but this year she has been harsher still, her claws stretching across the countryside, choking it. I stumble against her invading army, my feet trudging in the tail of her gown, skirting dangerously within her reach, struggling to not fall behind her as she marched towards her sister Spring."

Panel 2: Nemon turning a corner, seeing a man nearly a hundred meters ahead of him at the end of the alley he has just entered. The man's nose is almost ablaze with how drunk he is. Even at the distance we can hear his off-key singing and see Nemon wincing at the stench of drink the wind blows towards him. Despite how drunk the man is, he clearly has prosperity the likes of which poor Nemon has never had.

Drunkard: "La-LAH-LO!"

Drunkard 2: "She WUZ a PRETTY lady who..."

Drunkard 3: "Who..."

Narr.: "Without more sustenance I will likely not last the night."

Panel 3: Nemon carefully, hesitantly taking slow steps in the snow, trying not to alert the man to his presence.

Narr.: "He can afford to spare whatever finances remain on his person. I have never pick-pocketed anyone before, and never stolen anything of enough value to be noticed. I have just taken what I have needed to survive, and even that pained my conscience."

Panel 4: Nemon closer to him now, able to see the man's face more clearly.

Narr.: "Edward Duxley, one of the town's few doctors. He is well known for his skill, but he never paid my poor soul any attention, his aide turning me away each time that I came to his door. I had to fight off my own fevers, and each time I became weaker."

Page 3:
Panel 1: Nemon appearing even more determined now, wary, but at least able to justify his actions, if not to the authorities and the heavens, at least to himself.

Narr.: "Theft is theft, but a man of his nature did not deserve to be misusing it when so many other waifs such as myself do not have enough to spare."

Panel 2: A light illuminates the alley, Nemon looking around and seeking to put it out before the doctor takes notice of him.

Panel 3: Nemon finally looking up, his mouth dropped in shock. There, suspended five meters in the air above his head is a shimmering light, shifting in hue and saturation like a soap bubble, but far more dense, far more solid, if such a thing were possible. It has a pentagonal shape and a hand is reaching out of it. Nemon is taking a step back toward the doctor.

Panel 4: A man falls out of the light onto the snow below.

Panel 5: The man lying motionless on the snow, the light disappearing mysteriously.

Page 4:
Panel 1: Nemon looking toward Doctor Duxley, but the man has falked further down the lane, unaware not only of his presence, but also of the apparent witchery in the sky.

Panel 2: Nemon looking back to the man and trying to turn him over, seeing that while his clothing is not as refined as that of the doctor, it is still more lavish than his own.

Panel 3: Nemon looking at the man's clean-shaven face. His hair is like wheat, soft and blonde, waving across his scalp like fields of grain in the wind. A bag is strapped across his shoulder, sprawled on the ground next to him, and his coat is open wide with an assortment of parchment and odd trinkets.

Narr.: "Nothing worth pawning."

Panel 4: Nemon trying to open the bag, but there is a bizarre combination lock on it.

Panel 5: Nemon sighing.

Page 5:
Panel 1: Nemon awaking in the foreground four hours later (the sun's position higher in the sky through the broken facing of the clock tower) in his hiding place. The abandoned clock tower looks out on the lane the doctor had been in, and the man Nemon helped is at the broken clock facing, gears and shafts, wooden and splintered in the midground.

Panel 2: Nemon taking a step toward the man, the floor creaking, the man turning rapidly with a scowl on his face.

SFX: "Crreaakk"

Panel 3: The man's face softening and he smiles lightly, pointing at himself.

Ludwig: "Ludwig Von Himmelseher."

Nemon (off-panel): "Nemon Itzal Kobor."

Panel 4: The man's blue eyes sharpen for a moment. Nemon has moved closer so we see part of him in the panel now.

Nemon: Welcome, Ludwig, man from the sky.”

Page 6:
Panel 1: Ludwig laughing, Nemon relaxing in the midground.

Ludwig: "Ahahah!"

Ludwig 2: "I was afraid I had perhaps landed in a place of savages bereft of civilized tongue."

Ludwig 3: "But I see that the language is not too far different from my own."

Ludwig 4: "Thank you for your kind welcome."

Panel 2: Nemon watching the man looking back out the hole again.

Narr.: "At least it is not the tone akin to that of a demon."

Panel 3: Ludwig looking back at Nemon, inspecting him for a mere moment.

Panel 4: Ludwig frowning as he sees there is but one door, but reaches down to his bag, fiddling with the dials on it to unlock it.

Panel 5: Ludwig holding out a wax-paper wrapped package to Nemon, and the youth takes it gingerly.

Panel 6: Ludwig has opened his and takes a bite out of the contents.

Page 7:
Panel 1: Nemon bowing and taking a bite.

Narr.: "It is dray and thick, but..."

Panel 2: Nemon's face lit up in surprise and joy.

Narr.: "Such sweetness."

Panel 3: Nemon licking his fingers, looking like he is about to ask for more.

Narr.: "And yet my hunger is abated."

Panel 4: Nemon holding his belly in confusion and looking at Ludwig, who is laughing as he finishes eating.

Ludwig: "Obviously you have not eaten well in quite some time, Nemon, but these rations will keep you full for nearly a day."

Panel 5: Nemon blushes and bows, and Ludwig merely smiles, his eyes like a hawk as he examines Nemon again, pulling out three more packages and setting them on the floor. Two are further rations, the third wrapped in cloth.

Ludwig: "In payment for your generosity and speed taking me from my place of landing."

Panel 6: Nemon cautiously stuffing the rations into one of his pockets with one hand, opening the cloth slowly.

Page 8:
Panel 1: The faint light of the dawn is still enough to pierce the holes in the tower's walls, and reflect of off the item Nemon holds in his hand. It is a silver brooch, inlaid with a few sapphires. Enough value, perhaps, to exchange and afford food and lodging for the winter and beginning of spring. Enough to keep him alive longer if I am able to find legitimate employment during such time. His eyes are wide and he beams at Ludwig in desperate hope at such a gift, but the man merely smiles and nods.

Panel 2: Nemon pockets it and moves closer to Ludwig. Ludwig seems a little surprised by Nemon's question.

Nemon: "Are..."

Nemon 2: "Are you an angel?"

Panel 3: Ludwig shaking his head.

Ludwig: "I suppose I'm more akin to what you might call a wizard?"

Ludwig 2: "If your world has such a thing?"

Panel 4: Nemon nodding.

Narr.: "I recalled a book about one I had once read in a library before I was thrown out."

Nemon: "Only in fiction though, to the best of my knowledge, sir."

Panel 5: Ludwig smirking and putting a hand up to the side of his mouth as if sharing a secret knowledge, which, technically, he is.

Ludwig: "Well, what I am is a traveler, a man who wanders across and through the stars, dancing between the dimensions."

Ludwig 2: "I am technically forbidden to tell you of this, but I suspect that you already knew I was not from your world due to my entrance into it."

Panel 6: Nemon's jaw dropped in awe. Ludwig is looking out the hole again, worry on his face.

Page 9:
Panel 1: Nemon next to Ludwig, looking out the hole, light coming out of the alley below.

Panel 2: The doorway reopens.

Panel 3: A man clad in black leather with fiery hair steps into the lane and looks up as if looking into Nemon.

Panel 4: We zoom in and see his emerald eyes focusing up as if he sees Nemon's own eyes (and the reader's from the position), his very soul.

Panel 5: Ludwig looks disturbed as Nemon, even more fearful, grabbing Nemon's arm harshly, pulling him along.

Ludwig: "Come with me Nemon, this place is not safe if he is here."

Page 10:
Panel 1: Nemon hurrying along after Ludwig as they descent the tower's spiral staircase, being tugged along, hurting him lightly and he winces visibly in the panel.

Narr.: "I knew not who the foe that dogged him was, but clearly it was not someone he wished to be found by. His pull hurt me a little but I did not voice such concerns, for his haste seemed appropriate."

Panel 2: We see the man in black, guarding the only exit to the staircase, his emerald eyes burning to look at, so fierce the gaze.

The Man in Black: "Let the boy go Lud."

The Man in Black 2: "You need not bring an innocent into this."

The Man in Black 3: "Your crimes against the council will be held in trial, and I will do everything in my power to lessen your sentence."

Panel 3: Ludwig's face is infected suddenly with a vile scowl, his teeth bared in rage as he spat back at the man in black.

Ludwig: "You think I fear the tribunal?!"

Ludwig 2: "You ignorant fool, I am but a pawn in this whole affair!"

Ludwig 3: "Those responsible will do far worse than exile me for years without my key, they won't even have the shred of decency to kill me!”

Panel 4: Ludwig fumbling with his bag, pulling a dagger out of it pressing it to Nemon's throat. The Man in Black unsheathed a sword from his side in the same panel.

Page 11:
Panel 1: Nemon's eyes wide, tears in them, trying to speak, but the blade dug deeper as he tried, so he stopped.

Panel 2: The Man in Black steps to the side, circling Ludwig as he walks past with Nemon.

Panel 3: With his back to the door, Ludwig releases the blade and pushes Nemon toward The Man in Black.

Panel 4: Ludwig tried to get out the door quickly, but The Man in Black casually rolls the stumbling Nemon out of the way, pursuing the traveler with a speed that astonished he and Nemon alike.

Page 12:
Panel 1: Ludwig out in the snow, driving the dagger into his own chest. The Man in Black is halted in utter horror a few feet from the building's door, dropping his sword.

Ludwig: "AAAAAAAAGGGGHH!"

Narr.: "The only man to show me kindness in many long months, the man who put more fear of the Lord in me than all the priests in the city..."

Narr. 2: "With a single thrust of his blade, he was dead."

Panel 2: The Man in Black pulling the dagger out of Ludwig's heart.

The Man in Black (almost a whisper): "Lud..."

Panel 3: The Man in Black holding Ludwig in his arms, his eyes filled with tears.

The Man in Black (rasping, mournful): "Why?"

Panel 4: Nemon from inside the building on his knees, tears streaming his cheeks as well.

Narr.: "Though I barely had met him, he had offered me my salvation if of my body and not my soul, and I was beginning to want to know more. That is until this stranger arrived, and now Ludwig was dead."

Page 13:
Panel 1: The Man in Black composing himself, setting the corpse down and setting his coat on top of Ludwig.

The Man in Black (soft, small): "Requiem Aeternam dona ei
Domine R. et lux perpetua luceat ei:
Requiescant in pace. R. Amen."

Panel 2: The Man in Black sheathing his sword, looking at Nemon, his emerald eyes so soft they seem to melt. Nemon's hands are up to cover his face, expecting The Man in Black to attack him to cover his tracks.

Panel 3: Nemon lowing his arm, seeing a hand extended toward him, palm up.

Panel 4: Nemon taking the hand hesitantly, looking to Ludwig's husk. The Man in Black sighs.

The Man in Black: "I'm sorry that you had to see that."

The Man in Black 2: "I was hoping to take him in alive to face trial, but he took his own life. Whatever forces had been manipulating him must have been more influential than any of us had thought. I must report this to the council when I return."

Panel 5: The Man in Black reaching into his vest pocket and pulling out a handkerchief.

The Man in Black: "Are you all right?"

The Man in Black 2: "That's a fairly bloody mark you have there."

Panel 6: Nemon looking up at the man with tears in his eyes as the handkerchief is used to wipe the blood away.

Narr.: "I feel the wound and can tell instantly that it would leave a scar, but that Ludwig had been careful not to cut too deeply."

Nemon (small): "Where are you going to take him?"

Page 14:
Panel 1: The Man in Black's eyes focus on Nemon's, who is covering his mouth.

The Man in Black: "I don't know how much he told you, but we're not from this town, I-"

Nemon: "Travel through the stars."

Panel 2: The Man in Black walking over to Ludwig's covered body.

The Man in Black: "Yes, I can see that he told you more than he should have."

The Man in Black 2: "Very well, yes, I am a Wanderer, and I am going to take him back to his home, to give him a funeral as people of his land prefer, as soon as we are able to determine what that is."

Nemon: "I want to come with."

Nemon 2: "He's the only one..."

Panel 3: The Man in Black looking back at Nemon as ties his coat around Ludwig, frowning.

Nemon: "He had been so kind to me, giving me food and..."

Nemon 2: "I can scarcely remember the last time I saw a waif like myself get help that didn't come with a scowl, let alone a smile like his. For as long as I can remember. I think I might have even been imagining some of those smiles given their response to other waifs later."

Nemon 3: "I have to see him home with you."

The Man in Black: "I'm sorry, but that's just not done, we can't-"

Panel 4: Nemon clenching his hands at his sides, almost shouting at The Man in Black who sighs.

Nemon: "Look at me."

Nemon 2: "I have nothing here."

Nemon 3: "No family, no friends, no home."

Nemon 4: "I wouldn't be missed by anyone."

Panel 5: The Man in Black off-panel while Nemon shrugs and scowls.

The Man in Black (off-panel): "You realize, if you come with me, your word will mean very little in the decision of what is to be done with you. You will be brought before the council for review and if they agree, they'll have you relocated to a better place, but they might just as easily decide to have you returned here, with all trace of Ludwig's arrival here erased, your memories removed."

Nemon: "I don't care."

Nemon 2: "Just to see him laid to rest, to see the stars, will be enough for me."

Panel 6: Nemon's eyes watering and softening, but not giving up his resolve, The Man in Black staring at him.

Nemon: "Such a miraculous thing has happened to me today, and had it not, I might have be the one laying on the ground, dead from starvation. I owe him at least as much to see his body taken care of properly.”

Page 15:
Panel 1: The Man in Black laughing and extending a hand once again.

The Man in Black: "Very well, but you'll have to stick close to me at all times until the council decides what to do with you."

The Man in Black 2: "I shouldn't even be taking you with me, but I have a strong feeling about you..."

The Man in Black 3: "There is some fire in you, I'll give you that."

Panel 2: Nemon shaking the hand of The Man in Black, Oddmund Branson, grasping it as tightly as he can.

Oddmund Branson: "Who knows, maybe the council will see it too.”

Oddmund Branson 2: "Oddmund Branson."

Nemon: "Nemon Itzal Kobor.”

Panel 3: Oddmund nods and picks up Ludwig's body. The sun is still not at its peak in the background, but higher.

Narr.: "It is not yet late in the day, but it is Saturday, and most men are cursing that they had too much brew the night before. The women sleep, thankful that their children will as well, not having to attend lessons for the day."

Page 16:
Panel 1: The two (and Ludwig's body slung of Oddmund's shoulder) in the alley where the two Wanderers had come out, the light in the sky again as Oddmund holds a small box in his hand.

Oddmund: "Ĝiri dab."

Nemon: "So high still..."

Panel 2: Oddmund throws a hook up to the light.

Panel 3: The hook disappears into the light and Oddmund tugs on the rope.

Panel 4: Nemon gulps.

Panel 5: Tall panel, looking up at Nemon as he ascends toward the light.