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The town of Salem was a town just like any other: people lived in houses and walked down stone paths, greeting neighbors and offering services in exchange for what they needed. Shrubs and flowers grew around houses, and while the people desired more, few suffered the consequences of having nothing.
In this town, a pair of brothers served as the local fishermen. Meat could be difficult to come by, with how long livestock took to grow and how many resources went into feeding them, so the brothers’ services were beloved by those with enough coin to purchase them. When paired with vegetables grown by the local farmers or the herbs grown in gardens, the fish featured in feasts and holy events.
This success did not equal happiness for the brothers. Their father had died when they were young, so it had been up to their mother to raise them and their three siblings. Their youngest sister, little Rose, suffered from illness throughout much of her life. The town doctor thought she would not make it through a year, but so far she had made it through five, though her weakened form left her unable to enjoy the world as her siblings did. Their other two siblings, a pair of twins known as Anne and Hemlock, were enrolled in school but spent many afternoons and evenings aiding townsfolk in gardens or making deliveries for the local shop. All money earned went to either medication or boat repairs, and they only ever ate what the brothers could not sell or vegetables grown in the garden.
Still, they persevered. The brothers agreed that, no matter what happened, they would stick together until the tides rose to swallow the earth whole.
Plans such as these are more empty than the speakers intend, for they never truly consider everything that may happen. The year that the oldest brother officially stepped out of his teens and became an adult, things went downhill.
Nobody knows quite ‘how’ it happened. Some accuse the heretics, citing that their non-belief overwhelmed the belief of the worshippers and brought the gods’ wrath down upon them. Others whispered of a mage slighted by the town’s mayor, or perhaps attacked by one of the town’s hunters. However it started, the end result remained the same.
Famine.
Across the farms and gardens of Salem, crops wilted before so much as a single leaf could grow. The expected arrival of perennials was anticipated but never celebrated, for the leafy kale and garlicky leeks choose to extend their hibernation that year. The chickens stopped laying eggs but even putting the poultry to the butcher’s blade only delayed the town’s suffering further.
As for the fish, the brothers’ source of income, they were nowhere to be seen… the long tendrils of shadow that moved under the waves made sure of that.
So Salem starved. Loyal pets were slain and laid upon plates, people tried their best to ration what little was left, but their forms decayed and their energy drained. Skin clung tightly to bones as ribs threatened to punch holes through the flesh, and people moved around in a haze, their eyes dark and empty as all they could think about was the pain in their stomach.
If nothing was done, then Salem would die, but how could a starving town fight against the conditions of the Earth itself?
It was then that a sorcerer stepped into town, offering a spell that would save them all- and all he asked for in return was the sacrifice of a single person. To the town, this deal felt perfect. What worth did one life have when compared to the lives of many?
The mayor accepted the deal, and the sorcerer selected his prize.
The younger of the fisher brothers.
When the older brother woke up to find his brother had vanished, he realized what had happened. Without a second thought, he set out on the boat to venture down the river to find the sorcerer and where he had taken his brother.
The brother searched day and night, tracking down any lead he could find regarding his lost brother’s whereabouts. The river brought him further and further inland, until the boat’s motors grunted and groaned, breathing out its final, dying breath.
As the brother battered against the motor, pleading it to keep going, the noise produced attracted a nearby person: a sorceress, who rarely saw anybody this deep into the forest. She approached the boat and asked if she could be of assistance.
Though hesitant at first, the brother relented and told her of his situation, of his broken boat and stolen brother. He told her of his quest, of how he would spend the rest of his life searching if that was what it took.
She listened carefully, colorful eyes shining with recognition as he described the sorcerer. Once he finished weaving his tale, she nodded, her considerations leading her to a conclusion.
“I believe I know where your brother is, but it is dangerous,” She warned him. “If you truly wish to save your brother, you must go against not only the sorcerer, but the monsters that roam his domain. As you are, it is not something you can do.”
Unwilling to accept this, the brother opened his mouth to argue-
“However,” The sorceress interrupted him, holding up her hand. “I am willing to help you. It won’t be easy, but if you accept, I will give you the power needed to save your brother.”
Stunned, he almost accepted- but he pulled his hand back before the deal could be finished. With a head full of warning, he asked her what she got out of helping him. The sorcerer’s deal had cost him his brother, who’s to say the sorceress wouldn’t cost him something more?
“Hmm…” She hummed, appraising him better than she had before. “My wife is a merchant. She’ll appreciate the business that you and your brother will bring about.” Those words made sense on their own, but the brother could not think of how to apply it to this context. “Do you accept my offer, fisherman?”
Although still hesitant, the brother found he had no choice, so he took her hand.
Magic overtook him, his bones hollowing and cracking. An itch spread across his skin as something sharp- no, something soft- no, something sharp and soft- grew out from his pores, covering his quickly-shrinking form. He tried to cry out, but all that came from his mouth was a loud ‘CAW!’
“I will send your ship after you,” The sorceress promised, picking him up without concern for his claws. “Take as long as you need.”