The Moon had reached the pinnacle of the night sky when Nico returned to the tavern. The warm glow of candlelight flickered across the dimly lit room as Nico leaned back in his creaky wooden chair, one leg propped up on the table beside his untouched mug of ale. The table was beginning to look like swiss cheese from the bread knife being repeatedly thrown into it. The crowded tavern in the next room bustled with life all around him, but he remained fixated on the window that revealed the dark waters of Lake Iseo beyond.

Deo starred as Nico took out his silent frustrations on the poor wooden table. He shook his head, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Nico, ease up on the furniture," he said, lowering his voice in mock-sternness. "I’m not in the mood to charm the shopkeeper into not charging us for a new one."

"Sorry, Deo," Nico replied, taking in one more moment before turning from the window. "But why are you making me sit here? I can't just sit here and do nothing while we know where the Hounds are." He traced the rim of his mug with his index finger, the suds swirling in small circles.

Deo exhaled heavily, pushing his silver-tinged locks away from his forehead. "I understand your worry," he started, "but the only battle you'll be taking on tonight is with your impatience."

Nico scoffed. "Who needs patience when we are two super powered Knights who have the element of surprise?"

"Element of surprise?" Deo raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure that would be enough."

"What do you mean?" Nico kicked his feet off the table, sitting up in his chair. "Look, I am sure that whatever they are doing is tied to my Labor. I have to go to the island anyway to investigate the ghost myth. In case you forgot, I have nine more labors to complete after this one. I can not be wasting time sitting and waiting because you say so."

"First, let's go over what you learned again." Deo's voice was stern as he leaned closer to Nico.

"Fine." Nico rolled his eyes. "According to Rosa, the Hounds took over the castle a few months ago. They've been using the legend of the cursed castle to scare the locals into paying protection money." He paused, taking a sip of ale before continuing. "According to the legend, a never ending storm is tied to the island causing frequent lightning strikes, but somehow the Hounds are able to bring supplies to and from the island unharmed. Rosa even saw them unload barrels that looked full of Red Jelly.“

"Interesting," Deo agreed, his brow furrowing. "I would bet my horse that is where they are making red jelly. Regardless, we have to wait for reinforcements to arrive in the morning before confronting them. It would be foolish to take on a whole island full of thugs alone."

“What reinforcements? Is that why you disappeared earlier? You said you had to relieve yourself.” Nico said.

“I did, and also sent a message through a loqui disk.”

“Seriously, without me? You know I love seeing a loqui disk in action,” Nico listed, “it is so fun watching all the bubbles it makes, plus being able to talk to people miles away is always neat.”

“Jeez if it means that much to you, I will let you do the summons next time. Anyway the Grand Knight stationed at Como agreed to send a regiment to help us. They should be here in the morning.”

“Why call for more men? I need to get on the island and look into this legend. The Council will behead me when they find out a whole regiment helped me complete this Labor!” Nico cried back. He turned away to face the window again.

Deo stood up and walked around the round table. He stood behind Nico and paused before saying “If what you said is true and the Hounds have found a way to make Red Jelly on that island, then your Labor has turned into a military issue. We can not allow more of this illegal substance to enter our kingdom. Please understand, we need to make sure we arrest everyone involved. After we finish cleaning up the Hounds mess, you can continue working on your Labor.”

Nico's fingers clenched around the handle of his mug, his knuckles turning white. "You know I don't like waiting, Deo," he muttered, staring at the floor.

"Patience, Nico," Deo repeated softly. "One step at a time."

"Fine." Nico sighed, taking another sip of ale. He couldn't shake the restless energy coursing through him. He knew what he had to do, even if Deo wouldn't approve.

Late that night, after Deo had retired to his room, Nico tossed and turned in his bed. His mind raced with thoughts of the castle and what horrors the Hounds might be planning.

Every moment they stayed in this town meant more people would get hurt. Why did this town request aid for a ghost story and not any help with the gang members? Perhaps they couldn't get the message out unless it was something unrelated? They are lucky I was sent here as punishment, there is no way they would have sent Knights otherwise. I need to go to the island and take a look, just confirm that my labor is connected to what the Hounds are doing.

You promised to wait.

You also promised to never wait again.

Images flashed of his sister dying in his mother’s arms. He started sweating as he relived his memory. He had made a promise to his sister, to be the greatest Knight ever. He had to gain his knighthood.

It had been hours after midnight and Nico could take it no more. He rose from his bed, careful not to wake Deo, and strapped on his sword. There would be no waiting for reinforcements. The Hound’s plans had to be stopped tonight. He grabbed his brigandine chest armor and sneaked out the room’s door.

Nico crept downstairs and out the inn's front door into the cool night air. He turned back to make sure nobody saw him. "Sorry, Deo," He whispered under his breath, "but I can't just sit here and do nothing."

He hurried through the moonlit streets of Iseo, making his way towards the shore of the lake. The wind howled, whipping up whitecaps on the water's surface, and the ominous castle loomed in the distance. Nico slipped into the shadows and made his way to the lakefront, where a single boat was moored. He climbed in and began rowing across the dark waters toward the castle, his heart pounding with each stroke.

This is reckless, Nico thought as he approached the island. What would Deo say if he found out I was gone? “Oh hey Deo! I was just checking out the castle and seeing what the talk about this ghost was about?” He would probably stab me with his sword.

At last the boat scraped against the rocky shore of the island. Nico leapt out and drew his sword, slowly advancing toward the left side of the castle’s main entrance. His boots splashed through puddles as he hastened towards the castle, lightning illuminating his path like a celestial spotlight.

Because of the constant downpour, the castle was in ruins. Nico walked past piles of collapsed walls and cut through overgrown veins. The main building and one tower were the only parts of the castle still standing, though most of the brick around it had eroded away. Exposed underneath were strange looking polished walls of metal, with the same blue zig zag lines as the large Mors Tower back home. The shape looked like a colossal finger pointing accusingly at the heavens, daring them to send more rain.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Nico crept along the Tower's base, searching for an entrance. The heavy rain helped him hide in the shadows as patrols walked around the main courtyard of the castle. He spotted a rough-hewn wooden scaffolding built against the outer wall of the main building and grinned to himself. "Amateurs". He began a silent ascent. The top of the scaffolding stopped at a hole in the roof.

From above, Nico could see inside the main building. It used to be a dining hall judging by the long wooden tables and chairs to match. Nico watched as the Hounds inside scurried about like ants on a disturbed anthill. Their laughter echoed throughout the hall, mingling with the cacophony of wind and rain.

These members looked different from the thugs from earlier. They had the same paw print painted on their faces, but the similarities ended there. They wore tattered clothes adorned with canine skulls and bones, each member displaying their own unique flair. In the shadows, he noticed several large barrels, their contents shimmering with different glows of red and blue.

"Red jelly and jolt jelly?," Nico whispered, watching as the Hounds carefully positioned the barrels around the Tower's exterior. "Guess Deo was right, they are making red jelly here, But how?"

He observed as one of the Hounds cracked open a barrel, revealing the glowing substance within. "Hey, you! Pass me the red dust!" one of the Hounds barked, his voice rough and impatient. Another thug handed him a small pouch, filled with red powder that pulsated a soft red glow.

"Perfect timing!" the first Hound said, grinning wickedly as he poured the powder onto metal plates. Another member would then gingerly scoop out a portion of the blue jolt jelly, careful not to touch it with their bare hands. With calculated precision, they smeared it onto the same metal plates, which were then hoisted high up towards another massive hole in the roof using ropes and pulleys.

As the storm raged overhead, lightning struck the exposed metal plates with astonishing frequency, causing the jolt jelly to flare up in brilliant bursts of red light. The Hounds cheered each time, bringing down the now charged up red jolly and scrapping it into a new barrel.

“A couple more boat fulls and we should have enough to fulfill the order,” One of the Hounds comments. “Tell the men to start packing, we will be finished here by tomorrow night.”

"Unbelievable," Nico thought. Who are they making this for? Who needs so much red jelly?

A sudden gust of wind shocked the scaffolding and nearly knocked him off balance, but he managed to steady himself just in time. Nico Looked at the storm overhead and figured he didn't have time to find out more, he needed to figure out how to stop the storm.

If Rosa’s story was true, the legendary ghost of this island should be connected to the constant rain storm. Where would a ghost hide in a destroyed castle overrun with thiefs and wrongdoers? He looked up at the tower to see small lights of blue and gold coming from a small window.

“Looks like the party is upstairs, at least I can get out of this rain.” He told himself as he made his way to the tower entrance.

He looked for ways of getting past the guards stationed at the entrance. He eventually decided to use his agility to his advantage, climbing up the side of the Tower with the finesse of a seasoned acrobat. As he scaled the massive stone walls, he couldn't help but marvel at the intricate carvings that adorned its surface - depictions of legendary heroes and mythical beasts from a time long past.

"Didn't think I'd be doing this when I woke up today," he muttered under his breath. He carefully tested each stone as he climbed up the wall. The wind and rain became more violent as he climbed higher. Nico gripped the stones so hard his fingers started to feel raw from the scrapes.

At Fifty feet, he was right above the guards at the entrance, Nico looked up and could see the window. He was just placing his foot as lightning struck near the castle, making Nico jump and push too hard on the stones he was standing on. The mortar started cracking from the weight, a loose stone started to fall and give away his position to the guards below.

Well I’m dead he thought as he watched the stone fall, aiming for the left guard’s head. Moments before being struck, the left guard started having a series of sneezes and took a couple steps forward. The stone struck the ground and sunk into the mud around the guards.

Nico cried a little as he mumbled to himself. “Who knew sneezing could save lives?”

Once he reached the highest window of the Tower, he took a deep breath and slipped inside, silently congratulating himself on his stealthy approach. However, his celebration was short-lived as he soon found himself facing an empty room and a long downward spiraling staircase.

Great, wrong window Nico thought, rolling his eyes. Must have climbed up too high.

As he made his way down the Tower, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something was watching him... or someone. Once he reached the floor below, Nico's eyes darted around the dimly lit chamber, taking in the intricate tapestries and the softly glowing crystal orb that occupied the center of the room. The room looked like a professor’s room, lots of tables and papers everywhere including the floor. Venice had many professors whose workshops looked like this.

Whoever worked in this room was probably smarter than any professor I know Nico thought. He slowly creeped up to the orb and before he could reach out to touch it, he suddenly felt the wind move behind him.

"Who's there?" he called out, spinning around frantically looking at every inch of the room.

"Welcome, Nico Cornaro," a melodic voice responded, echoing through the halls. "I've been expecting you."

Before him appeared a woman unlike any he'd ever seen before. Her form seemed to be made of a soft yellow light, shimmering and ethereal, as if woven from the very fabric that makes sunbeams. Her eyes were a captivating shade of electric blue, and though her smile was warm and inviting, there was a palpable sadness behind it.

"How do you know my name? Are you the ghost trapped here?" Nico asked, moving his head around noticing he could see through her.

The woman replied “I have been watching you since your arrival in Iseo. As for what I am? I have been called many things, My previous master Septimius called me a nymph. But you can call me Prism.”

“Okay… Prism, are you the one controlling the weather outside?” Nico asked.

“Indeed. I have been tasked with keeping the weather focused on this island.” Prism replied and then disappeared. Torches started revealing themselves on the walls as they started lighting up suddenly, the fires a true blue color similar to Bugloss flowers.

Nico started seeing more of the room, following the tubes of different metallic colors coming from the wall and connecting to the pedestal the crystal orb was floating above. There were column pillars circling around the crystal orb with foreign images lighting up, and writing scattered all along the walls. All this stuff looked like it was a part of some Roman invention. Anything Roman like this was out of his league, just trying to figure out Roman technology always gave him a headache during his studies.

He called out loud. “If you have not noticed Prism, the weather around here is not peaceful. The town is afraid of you, they live in a constant fear that you will release a storm so violent that the town will be destroyed.”

Prism suddenly reappeared next to the window, staring out towards the lake. “The tower was already failing when I was brought here by Septimius. All I could simply do was contain the storm, keep it from growing in size and harming people.”

Nico didn't know what she meant, but felt she could help him. “ Look, the Hounds are using this place to make an illegal drug that will harm a lot of people. If you can not stop the storm, what can we do?”

The nymph's translucent body changed from yellow to a shade of blue similar to an ocean during a storm. She continued. "The goal of this Tower was to maintain a balance in the weather," she explained "But the Hounds have taken advantage of my abilities. They brought someone who knows how to operate this Tower and forced me to generate double the amount of lightning all over the island."

"I saw why, to create a substance called 'red jelly.' It's powerful, valuable, and highly dangerous in the wrong hands." Nico replied. He noticed the blue hue of the nymph’s body now turned a shade of purple. He walked up behind her and tried to place his hand on her shoulder, only to naturally fall forward as he phased through her body. “Idiot” Nico cursed himself, ready to die from embarrassment. Instead of dying right there, he instead immediately stood up straight and looked at Prism. "Don't worry, I'll make sure they can't use you to create any more of those storms."

"Thank you, Cornaro," Prism replied. "There is one way to stop the storms, but it may destroy the whole island."