As the first light of dawn bathed the quaint village of Starch in a warm, golden glow, Ariah and Elias Silver set out on the familiar path towards Dusty's Shop. The air was crisp and still, carrying with it the promise of a new day and the weight of impending adventure. With each step, the siblings felt a sense of anticipation building within them, their hearts quickening with excitement for the journey that lay ahead. The smell of dew-covered grass mixed with the faint scent of fresh bread from nearby homes, creating a comforting yet energizing start to their mission.
As they approached the shop, they were greeted by the sight of the six Starch guards, their stoic expressions illuminated by the soft light of the rising sun. These seasoned warriors, clad in armor adorned with the emblem of their village, stood ready to join Ariah and Elias on their venture to Dockton. With a nod of acknowledgment, the twins exchanged glances, their determination mirrored in each other's eyes as they prepared to embark on their quest to uncover the damages of Dockton, and to possibly save anybody who was left behind.
“Guards!” Ariah said loudly. The six of them acknowledged her presence and got into their cordial greeting stance. Dusty peered through his window, a bright smile spreading across his face. He quickly made his way outside with a basket of assorted goods and wares for the party to bring with them.
Dusty approached the twins, putting a fist to his mouth as he cleared his throat and spoke with as much nobility as possible. “Elias, Ariah! Good morning to you two. I have ensured your guards had eaten their breakfast and I prepared some food and water for you in this basket. I know you are in a hurry, so I'll finish my piece—good luck and make it back safely, please?”
The twins chuckled at this because they were used to Dusty being raw in his speech and demeanor. “Oh, you don’t gotta do all of that, Dusty. We’re not royalty, nor do we want to be treated as such. Hold the fort down for us while we are gone. And as for the food and water, it is much appreciated, my friend.” Elias responded, a light grin following as the sunlight gleamed across his clean-shaven face. Elias had been growing his hair out, now tied into a short ponytail. The twins gave Dusty a group hug, made from love and compassion for the big oaf's attention to caring. After a quick glance between the three, they greeted their guards once again, the exit just behind them.
As Ariah, Elias, and the six Starch Guards made their way towards the exit of the village, a solemn hush fell over the group, punctuated only by the soft crunch of gravel beneath their boots. The path ahead stretched out before them, its once well-trodden surface now bearing the stark absence of any new footsteps or wheel tracks. It was a haunting reminder of the recent events that had befallen Dockton, a village now shrouded in tragedy and uncertainty. As they ventured forth, the weight of their mission hung heavy in the air, each step forward a testament to their determination to uncover the truth and bring justice to those who had suffered at the hands of the raiders. With every passing moment, the path grew more desolate, yet Ariah, Elias, and the guards pressed on, the lightly wooded forest just ahead.
The journey to Dockton could take half the day on foot, which is why they chose to leave so early. They hoped to return that same night, wielding any answers or hints as to why the orcs had decided to ambush the poor independent town of Dockton.
“I can’t believe I’m going back to this place. If my parents were alive to see and know what had happened, they would be jumping out of their trousers.” Shina's voice was filled with a mix of disbelief and sorrow. Elias placed his hand on her shoulder, showing empathy, knowing all too well the pain of losing parents, and sensing the fear that lingered in the air, for they didn’t know what to expect upon arrival.
“HEY! DID YOU GUYS FORGET SOMETHING, OR SOMEONE?!” A familiar voice echoed from behind.
They all looked back, and in immediate response, the twins spoke in unison as they always did in moments like these, “Fuck, Rokas!”
Rokas sprinted along the path to catch up to the group, stopping with his hands on his knees, panting. “Ya know, I get that I slept in, but come on, did you seriously forget about me?”
Ariah felt a heavy amount of guilt. “Rokas, we are so terribly sorry. Wow, I cannot believe we forgot. It’s just that we are incredibly anxious and have a lot on our minds. I promise you it is nothing against you. I hope you understand. Here, have some water!”
Quickly snatching the ceramic bottle from Ariah’s hand, Rokas emptied it to the last drop. Thankfully, this was just one of the many bottles they had prepared for the trip. Placing the empty bottle into his satchel, Rokas gestured his acceptance of their apology and began walking ahead of the group as they stared at him with happy surprise.
As the group resumed their journey to Dockton, the world around them slowly came to life. The early morning light bathed the landscape in a gentle, golden hue, casting long shadows that danced with the sway of the trees. The path ahead was flanked by dense forests, their tall, ancient trees rustling softly in the morning breeze, whispering secrets of ages past. Birds chirped melodiously, greeting the new day with their songs, while the scent of dew-kissed earth and blooming wildflowers filled the air. The occasional rustle in the underbrush hinted at unseen creatures scurrying about their morning routines. The sound of a nearby brook added a calming cadence to their steps, the water gurgling over smooth stones as it made its way to join larger streams and rivers. Despite the weight of their mission, the natural beauty surrounding them offered a momentary reprieve, a reminder of the world’s enduring serenity even in times of strife.
With the luck of flat roads and paths to follow ahead, the adventure for the party should see them arriving upon sunset, still with enough time to investigate.
Hours passed, and they found themselves in the home stretch of Dockton. Off in the distance, the party could see the remnants of a once-bustling shore town. The sun reflecting off the eye-catching ocean waters past it gave the place an eerie irony, considering its current state.
“To think of the few times we have been here with Dusty, I would have never imagined that the amazing fish dinner we had would be the last time we enjoyed our time here. The orcs will pay…” Elias broke the silence, his voice filled with a quiet determination. The sound of tired footsteps crunching into the unbothered gravel below them was like a clock ticking, each step marking the time coming to an end for the initial walk to the town.
“Hey, we never asked for your name earlier. My apologies,” Ariah asked the silent guard who had spoken earlier in the day.
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She spoke with hesitation, “Shina, my name is Shina.” She looked to the ground, a flicker of fear in her eyes.
“Look up, Shina. There is no need for any fear or negativity that may linger in your mind. My name is Rokas, and I have been to your family's shop quite a few times in the town center. Hell, that’s where I got most of my socks and coats from.” Rokas chuckled, his arms behind his head. “Anyways, your family may have left behind some kind of memorabilia if it wasn’t destroyed. I say we should try and find their old shop or your home here and see if we can find something, sound good?”
A glimmer of hope shone in Shina’s eyes, and a bit of a smile appeared as she thought of seeing her old home once again. She prayed that the damage done wasn’t enough to take their family remnants from her.
The welcoming wooden archway with a sign attached that had the word "Dockton" hung in front of the group. The backside of the archway and sign were tainted with black dust from the burning of the town. The once-trodden dirt paths that made up most of Dockton’s roads were also littered with the blackness of smoke dust.
“By the two moons…” Rokas sighed. As everybody looked around, the perspective of Dockton left an immense distaste for what remained. This would unfortunately lessen the hope that Shina possessed mere moments ago.
Elias cleared his throat to gain the party’s attention. “I believe it is in our best interest to split up into two groups. There are nine of us. Rokas, you take four of the guards including Shina. Ariah and I will work with the other two guards and scatter around looking for anything dead or alive. I’m certain we will have plenty of burials that we will have to do.”
“Yes, sir!” The six guards shouted with the Starch Guard salute.
Rokas, Shina, and the three other guards began to walk straight to the town center where most of the trading, bargaining, and local events took place. Elias, Ariah, and their two guards started on the southernmost perimeter, scouting through the burnt homes and small shops. A gust of harsh wind began to thrust through the town as they started their search, like an oddity acknowledging their presence.
“These poor people, I wish I could’ve been here in their time of need. A brutish ambush by the orcs during the day… how did they reach the town without being noticed by ship?” Rokas asked aloud.
“They didn’t come here on orcish ships. They had somehow managed to take two Saintsland galleons. There were hundreds of them onboard, cloaking themselves with their enemy's garbs. It’s sickening and cowardly,” Shina responded.
“So you had seen them board the docks then?” Rokas inquired.
Shina looked to the sky, her eyes shut, a tear rolling down her left cheek, and her black hair flowing in the wind. “Yes, I was one of the first to notice who they were. It isn’t often that the Saintsland army ever docked here unless they were just using us as a resting point to reach the elven lands, but the orcs didn’t reveal themselves or blow their war horns until about a hundred of them were already on the ground. We scattered in fear, screaming as arrows were shot from the ships, orcish shamans casting spells from the deck, and their warriors slaughtering our people.” She stopped speaking, her lips trembling at the memory of the terrifying moment.
Rokas looked at Shina with utmost sympathy. “Say no more. Let us make it to your shop first. Just know I am very glad you survived and made it to Starch in time. Though I am unsure why they would attack an independent town like Dockton, I would like to believe those brutes of a species don't require much reasoning for their vicious ways. Come on, let us find some semblance of peace.”
They were closing in on the town center when they realized that there were still barrels of produce, old fish, and vegetables plagued the air with their stench. Shockingly, no bodies could be seen. However, the splatters of dried blood stained various parts of the ground and walls of shops or homes. Arcane runic spells were etched into many of the buildings' walls. This was an onslaught; these orcs had something to prove, but not to the humans.
As Rokas, Shina, and the other three searched the town center, the other group discovered a home that miraculously appeared untouched by the sketches of battle. The door was locked and barricaded, windows covered; something was being hidden here, and the twins wouldn’t be fooled into believing otherwise.
Ariah attempted to use her needle threader spell to pick the lock to the front door and hopefully bash through the barricaded entrance, but with no luck, it seemed there was also a magical barrier placed on the home. Upon further searching, Elias found a wooden trap door covered by crates and barrels on the backside of the house. This opened with ease, the first thing to go their way since they entered the wretched town.
“Hey, you guys might wanna see this!” Elias spoke with urgency. Ariah and the two guards rushed to his side, peering into the dark abyss of the trapdoor. One of the guards pulled out a torch and queued the other guard to light it with their flint and stone. With the torch now lit, the guard dropped it into the darkness. It fell for about five seconds before the thud of the torch hit the stone floor beneath them. “Weird,” Elias whispered.
There had to be something down there, or someone. Only time could tell as they started climbing down the ladder one by one. Ariah, Elias, and their two soldiers descended the creaking wooden ladder, each step echoing through the narrow shaft as they made their way down. The dry air grew thicker, almost oppressive, as they descended, carrying with it a faint, acrid scent of earth and stone. The further they went, the more the air seemed to leech moisture from their skin, leaving their throats parched and their lips cracked.
The stone walls that framed the shaft were rough-hewn, their surfaces jagged and uneven, carved hastily by ancient hands. Tiny fissures and crevices crisscrossed the stone, housing small deposits of dust and grit that had collected over the years. Every touch against the wall left a fine layer of gray residue on their fingers, a testament to the centuries of neglect.
As they reached the bottom, their boots crunched softly against the packed dirt floor of the empty room. The room itself was stark and bare, its earthen floor undulating slightly with the contours of the underlying rock. The smell of soil was stronger here, mingling with the musty odor of age-old mildew, creating an atmosphere that felt both stale and ancient.
In the dim light, cast by two flickering torches mounted on either side of the room, shadows danced erratically across the stone walls. The flames' movements cast an eerie, wavering glow, highlighting the rugged textures and casting deep, shifting shadows in the crevices. The torches themselves were crudely made, their bases thrust into iron sconces that were rusted and corroded, their flames sputtering and hissing as they consumed the limited air.
The lone door stood directly opposite the ladder, its wooden surface scarred and weathered. Heavy iron bands reinforced its structure, each rivet a dark spot against the grain of the wood. The door seemed almost alive in the torchlight, its surface appearing to pulse and breathe with the flickering flames.
The room was silent, save for the occasional pop and crackle from the torches, and the soft, echoing drip of water from somewhere far above. This silence, combined with the oppressive dryness and the weight of the stone walls, created a palpable tension. It was as if the room itself held its breath, waiting for the intruders to make their next move.
“These torches are lit? I thought Dockton had been left vacant since the attack, or at least you would assume so…” Elias spoke softly.
Running her fingers down the wood door, trying to detect any magic, Ariah tried gaining sight of what was beyond the door by the small cracks that shuttered through. “I couldn’t agree more, but perhaps this was a villager that had this hidden for cases like this. What should we do, knock or just let ourselves in?”
As she let the words out, one of the guards that accompanied them brought himself to simply kick open the door, and with a thundering crack they laid eyes on a cartography room with nobody inside.