The man raced along the dirt road, his horse continuing its fast-paced galop. In the past several hours, Linken had set a hard pace toward the city of Fellsmarch, only stopping once to allow his horse a chance to drink water. Earlier that day, Linken had been guarding Lord Gray at his home, still thinking about the new dungeon. Just like all the villagers in Rainy Hollow, the news of the dungeon filled him with excitement and anticipation. Linken had the chance to guard the dungeon entrance after its appearance, and the happy adrenaline from then was a stark contrast to the worry and panic he now felt. Ever since he was a boy, Linken had hoped to one day become an adventurer, but after marrying his wife, he decided it would be more prudent to stay on as a guard for the Gray house. The appearance of a low-ranked dungeon had been Linken’s sign that perhaps he could still get the adventure he craved. That feeling was now swept aside with thoughts of more pressing matters.
The horse leaped over a particularly deep pothole in the road, and Linken jostled in his saddle. He tried to relax into the motion of the horse but knew it was a losing battle. Just a few hours prior, Linken had been present when one of the messenger boys had rushed into the Gray mansion. The boy had let those present know that Duke Gladys had arrived, but not in peace. When Lord Gray learned that his son, Robin, had not only been attacked but that the duke seemed set on continued violence, Lord Gray rushed into action. A couple of minutes later, Linken was sent out to the stables with an important letter in hand. He had no knowledge of what had happened after exiting the village, but he knew it couldn’t be good.
The trees and scenery rushed by as he and the horse continued on. The reason the two could move so quickly was thanks to one of Linken’s skills. The movement skill gave the user long-distance speed, which Linken could extend to his mount. He now used the skill to get to Fellsmarch as soon as possible. A couple of minutes later, the large city could be seen ahead of him. Linken just hoped he wouldn’t be too late.
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Duke Raymond Albrecht sat in his study, reading a report on the week's finances. This had always been his least favorite chore, but the promise of a pleasing dinner kept him working. As he began to pack everything up, Duke Albrecht noticed the sun was close to setting.
“Is it time already?” he muttered to himself.
The Duke set his finished pile of work at the edge of his desk, then hurried toward the office door. As his hand reached for the door handle, he was surprised when the wooden door suddenly swung inwards, almost slamming into him. Duke Albrecht nimbly reacted just in time and took a few steps back.
A harried guard rushed into the room, surprised to see the duke right next to the door. “My apologies, your grace! But we have pressing news from Rainy Hollow!”
The soldier’s words and tone stopped the duke from beginning a stern rebuke. Instead, the duke said, “What has happened? Is it my wife’s family?”
“Not entirely sure, your grace.” The soldier pulled out a letter, marked with Lord Nathan Gray’s insignia. “This is for you.”
The duke took the letter and began to read. “Gloria’s Angels, I can’t believe this!”
Without another word, Duke Albrecht rushed out of his study and began to jog down the hallway. The soldier followed close behind, and said, “The letter was given by one of Lord Gray’s personal guards, he is currently downstairs, waiting for your reply.”
“I see. Where is my chamberlain?”
“I believe he is downstairs with the guard, your Grace.”
Duke Albrecht merely nodded, then began to descend the large staircase towards the main floor. “Did the guard say anything else of note?”
“He wanted to wait until you got there, your Grace.”
When Duke Albrecht walked into the castle’s main entrance, he spotted his chamberlain along with two of his guards, and a haggard man he assumed was the visiting guard from Rainy Hollow. Chamberlain Georg was the first to spot the duke, his gaze turning from the frazzled guard.
“Your Grace! Were you able to read the letter?” Georg asked.
“Yes, I was.” The duke walked up to the newcomer, “What else can you tell me of what is happening?”
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Linken, as Duke Albrecht soon learned his name to be, apparently had more shocking news to tell. “Yesterday, a new dungeon suddenly appeared near the village.”
“Really? A new dungeon near Rainy Hollow?” the duke asked.
“Yes, it appeared in a nearby meadow, and Lord Gray sent his son’s adventuring team to clear the dungeon. To everyone’s surprise, someone or some team was already inside, keeping anyone else from entering.”
“Was young Robin able to claim the dungeon for his father?” the Chamberlain cut in.
“Unfortunately, no. Someone cleared the dungeon and claimed it as Robin’s team and a few others were waiting outside the entrance. I and a fellow guardsman waited for hours, but no one exited the dungeon. We have no idea who ended up claiming it.”
“You are sure the group inside didn’t just die?” the duke questioned.
Linken shrugged, “Robin confirmed that the dungeon had been claimed, and when the dungeon was checked this morning, the claim was still in place.
Duke Albrecht frowned, “A mystery for another time, then. So your letter mentioned a conflict with Duke Gladys and perhaps a Baron. Why did the duke decide to take aggressive action against Lord Gray?”
“My lord mentioned he had been getting some pressure from Duke Gladys of late,” Linken replied, “I am unsure of the details, but he seemed worried that the news of the dungeon might incentivize Duke Gladys to take drastic measures. Right before I left, we found out the Duke had immediately attacked Lord Robin upon arriving at the village before taking him into custody. Lord Gray seemed to understand things would end up far worse for the village once Duke Gladys found out none of the Gray Lords had claimed the dungeon, so he sent a couple of guards out to inform other nobles of what was happening.”
“Where did-” Duke Albrecht stopped when a blood-curdling shriek could be heard from upstairs.
Everyone went silent at the words, before suddenly jumping into action. Duke Albrecht knew his own wife’s voice. As the group rushed up the stairs, they found the duchess running down the hallway in their direction. The duke ran up to his wife, checking her over for injuries.
“What is it? Are you alright?” the duke asked the pale Yelena.
The duchess shook her head and held up a hand towards the duke’s face. “My ring… it… my sister!” she sobbed.
Duke Albrecht looked down at the proffered ring. It was a silver band with a white opal which usually shone with a pale light. The opal in question was now dull and a crack could be seen splitting the opal in half. The duke had given this ring to his wife as a gift and knew what this meant. Yelena’s ring had a matching twin, given to her sister in Rainy Hollow. The duke had hoped by giving this ring to his wife, she would be more willing to leave her family behind to stay with him in Fellsmarch. The twin rings were connected so each could know how the other was doing. If Yelena’s ring was cracked and dull it meant her sister was dead.
“What’s wrong?” a voice from behind the duke asked.
The duke didn’t turn around, saying, “I am afraid the situation in Rainy Hollow is much worse than we thought.”
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As the sun continued to set behind the treeline, Lia could only pray to whatever god might be listening for help. She watched as her father carried her mother’s body out of her childhood home, the devastation clear on his face. Lia rushed to his side, sorrow welling up within her.
“Father! What happened?” Lia cried out.
The absolute devastation on her father’s face made Lia’s knees weak and she wrapped her arms around his waist. After the meeting with the group in the Moon Raven camp, Lia rushed outside to find her parents. She knew her mother might have a way to contact her aunt, so Lia had been tasked to hopefully send for help. Seeing the now-empty gaze of her mother emptied Lia’s mind of every other thought than the sight in front of her.
A sob escaped her father’s trembling lips as he tried to answer his daughter, “I… I don’t-” he took a shuddering breath, “I wasn’t here for her.”
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All across the village of Rainy Hollow fires raged, people cried out in pain and fear, soldiers attacked innocent villagers, and above it all, Duke Gladys stared out a broken window in the Grey Mansion. The duke clenched his hands into fists as news of escaped prisoners reached his ears.
“What do you mean, the two escaped!” Duke Gladys roared at the unfortunate guard.
The seasoned guard stiffened, but kept his gaze straight ahead, still at attention. “Robin’s adventuring teammates were teleported away, your Grace.”
The duke growled his anger but allowed the guard to continue his report.
“A fire started in the guard barracks, forcing the men to evacuate. During the commotion, an unseen intruder, most likely using some form of invisibility entered the building and teleported the two prisoners away.”
Duke Gladys swore his disapproval, “This is unacceptable! First, the Gray siblings escaped and now this.” He rubbed his forehead with one head before turning to the man beside him, “Send out an order to bring as many villagers as possible to the grounds in front of the manor. I need some insurance so the Gray boys don’t flee entirely.”
“As you wish,” Captain Northwood answered. “What about those that try to escape?”
The duke waved a hand in indifference. “Just kill those that try to escape. Everyone else will soon fall in line once they know the choice is between death and obedience.”
The captain saluted the duke, “As you say, your Grace!”