As Mash exited the house, he was surprised by the sunlight that hit him. It was early in the morning, but he didn’t realize that he had been in the house for so long. Reading the journal had distracted him and he lost track of the hours. Since they were in a dungeon Mash wasn’t sure if Priscilla could send a message to his sister, but he checked either way.
[Are you still connected with the body we left with my sister?]
Mash sent her the question, and he waited for her to attempt it. He assumed that she would have some method of testing to see if it had worked. The response came instantly.
[I am connected in a sense, but the distance is too great for me to relay information. I know she is alive but cannot send any information. It is not something that needs to be checked either, it is not some spell to be used.]
She sounded a little offended at the implication that it was a type of skill, and Mash let the matter drop. For Priscilla, her additional bodies were essentially a part of herself, or even her family in a weird way. He could see how treating them like a skill could be offensive. He gave her a quick apology, before focusing on his current task.
It was easy to find his way to the mansion, as it was the only building at the tip of the hill. Not to mention the fact that it is visible from anywhere in the town. He dashed up the hill, which was more annoying than the descent, but he still managed to do it quickly. He probably should have flown but didn’t want to do anything that might startle the people. Based on what he read, Mash hadn’t displayed any of his transformation skills in the scenario, and he guessed that using them might cause some problems. He would still do it, if necessary, but not just for convenience. So, he ran on foot. It added a few minutes to his journey, but he knew that he had already wasted several hours reading the journal. A few minutes wouldn’t change much.
Mash arrived at the mansion and wondered if he went to the wrong place for a second. The flowers around the house had changed from last night. Last night the flowers had been a mix of colors, but now all of them were white. It was a strange sight, but he knew that it was the right house, and knocked on the door. He obviously put too much force behind his knocks, as he heard the wood strain under his knuckles.
A servant opened the door, looking surprised to see him standing there. The servant was a girl who wore a similar dress to the one Red had on yesterday. She had black hair that curled around her ears.
“Mash, what are you doing here so early in the morning?”
Mash guessed that the girl knew him somehow, but he pushed that thought away for now. The information he had discovered, needed to reach his friends, and it would probably be important for the Linwood family. His father’s journal had revealed the name of the family and had even provided a bit of information on them. They were a powerful household, but apparently, the head of the house had done something to be evicted from the kingdom. He was assigned to watch over this nameless border village in the middle of nowhere as punishment. However, the family adapted well to the somewhat secluded life in the village.
Seeing the servant's confused expression, Mash gave her a shortened version of the truth. He remembered to stay in character and managed to alter what he was going to say to sound appropriate.
“My father is missing! I think he’s in trouble and need to tell Mister Linwood.”
Mash spoke loudly, trying to emulate someone who was desperate. Honestly, he really did want to save the man, even if this scenario was entirely fabricated. The girl nodded and spoke just as loudly in reply.
“Come on in, I can take you to him!”
Mash followed her instructions and stepped in, although he was unprepared to receive a hug from the still nameless servant. It was awkward, though Mash thought quickly and returned the hug somewhat stiffly. He tapped her back after a short while, and the girl released him, and Mash noticed some tears in her eyes. It seemed like the person who Mash was pretending to be, was very well-liked. The journal told him as much, but he still doubted it as the beginning of it had described how mistreated he had been.
As they walked, he thought about the names from the book. There were a few mentions of his friends in it, and it had mentioned a girl who was likely to be his fiancé. He guessed that this was her but didn’t want to risk asking.
She led him to a black wooden door that he hadn’t seen before. She knocked quickly and announced her presence too.
“Mr. Linwood, it is Coraline, and I’m here with Mash. He has some urgent information for you.”
It turned out that Mash was right, and the girl was indeed his almost fiancé. He didn’t know what he thought about that but decided to leave it alone for now.
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The door swung open, and the man in question stood before them. He was tall and had to look down at them. When he did so his smile vanished, obviously noting the concern on their faces. Mash spoke first, not wanting to delay the investigation further.
“My father is missing, and it looks like he was kidnapped.”
Mr. Linwood’s eyebrows rose, and his mouth dropped open for a second. He managed to control his expression afterward and spoke quickly.
“Come inside and explain what happened.”
Mash listened to the man and entered the room. It was a workroom, and he saw stacks of paper laying on a desk at the center. Several other stacks were spread throughout the room as well. There was a window behind the desk that let sunlight fall upon the papers and lit up the room.
After a cursory glance of the room, Mash began telling the man what he saw at his home. The explanation was accurate though he avoided talking about a time frame. The man noticed it and pressed the matter.
“Why are you only coming here now?”
Mash had prepared an answer for this question, in that, he planned to tell the truth. The past few months had revealed to Mash that he was a poor liar, and he had no reason to hide the truth.
“When I searched through my father’s room, I found his journal and got distracted reading it…”
His words slowly trailed off, as he remembered bits and pieces of the story. It probably helped his story, that Mash had genuinely been affected by the journal. Mr. Linwood seemed to understand, as his gaze softened significantly. The man was compassionate, and he spoke quickly and loud enough that others in the house would be able to hear.
“We will find your father, quick call upon my sons. They will help you search.”
“Call for Jill as well.”
Mash added the request, and that got him a confused look from the man. On the other hand, Coraline’s eyebrows turned down, and she looked a little angry.
“What do you need a beautiful bard for?”
After hearing her indignant voice, Mash felt an urge to roll his eyes. That reaction seemed a little too stereotypical. This whole situation had been feeling a little novel, and this only added to the effect.
“She isn’t a bard; she has some prophetic abilities.”
Mash and his party had shared information about their new skills while traveling to the dungeon, so he had an idea of what Jill could do. She had gotten a lot of things related to fate and her vision, and he believed that she could manage something for this situation. At the very least, it couldn’t hurt to try.
Coraline’s face quickly twisted from frustration to understanding. It was obvious that she felt bad, but she didn’t get the chance to apologize as one of Mr. Linwood’s sons entered the room. He was quickly followed by the other, and everyone else too. It seemed like everyone was doing something together, and they all rushed here after hearing about the news.
Mr. Linwood gave everyone a rundown of the situation, and Mash saw the others giving him some strange looks. At the end though, Mr. Linwood asked Mash another question.
“Do you know why your father might have been taken? I don’t know of any bad relationships in his past.”
Shaking his head, Mash told him about the conclusions that he arrived at. He spoke clearly, getting across all the information he felt was important.
“I think it was for plans on your house. He is the only person who knows about your house’s layout and building. I can’t think of anything else he did that would warrant something like that. Plus, there was that recent assassination attempt too.”
The big man nodded his head, and his gaze turned a bit melancholic. He looked Mash straight in the eye for his next words.
“I was afraid that was the case, and if that is true it is unlikely that he would still be alive. I’m sorry, this is all my fault.”
Well, Mash was not expecting that reaction. That a man with his power and position had enemies was obvious, the assassination attempts alone proved that. Although his reasoning for his father's assumed death felt a little short. It annoyed Mash that he didn’t know if this was even related to the dungeon scenario, but he pressed for an explanation. After all, it would be better to leave no stone unturned.
“What do you mean your fault?”
Mash looked at the man carefully, trying to discern what he was thinking about. The man seemed older now, and far more exhausted, but he still kept a firm hold on his facial expression as he responded.
“My family, more specifically my daughter was born on a very inauspicious date. Several people believed that she should be killed, it was the reason for our ousting, and why my wife is dead. If they chased us out here to take my daughter from me, I will assure you that I will get you your vengeance.”
His voice kept growing colder and harsher, and by the time he finished speaking, Mash felt like he was looking upon a powerful monster. One of his sons rested his hand on the man’s shoulder and the pressure vanished. He looked over the group once before speaking, his voice was a lot softer now.
“Sons go with Mash and Jill to help them find his father. Find the ones who would harm your sister and deal with them as you see fit. I will stay and protect your sister.”
“Of course, father.”
Both of his children spoke simultaneously. The fact they were twins made the response creepy, and Mash felt his skin crawl a little. With that done, Mash decided that he was glad to have brought the situation here. Getting the help of two people who were over level 100 would be significant, even if they weren’t good for much outside of combat. Jill was coming along too, and even Luke managed to worm his way into the adventure. He had claimed that he could try and save anyone that needed it and would be glad to help.
The problem was that Red didn’t have a good reason to join. Mash was surprised to hear her offer any reasoning and doubly shocked that it looked like it was working. She was talking with the head of the house and explaining how she wanted vengeance on those that harmed Rebecca. That was his daughter’s name, and the vehemence that she spoke with seemed to be convincing the man. Her whole visage seemed to change as she talked about her desire for justice, and even Mash believed that she truly wanted revenge. In the end, she got her way, and Red joined the group for their investigation. They left immediately, heading for Mash’s house.