The familiar forest ambience echoes through the ever still trees, with a slight breeze and cool in the air. The leaves are a purple and orange shade, as fall is currently on the rise, in fact, is here. A slight patch of grass, free from the tree’s cover, is shining in the sun. A deer stands upon it. As it bends its neck down to chew on some more grass, an arrow flies straight to its heart in a swift, efficient, and accurate shot.
“Wait, I will take it. Wait there,” says a man with a pack of wolves behind him. “Here.” The man reaches into his satchel to take out a clean-cut dagger. He skins the beast, and takes a bit of the meat with him for his travels. He leaves the carcass there, allowing the animals to consume it. A pack of six wolves slowly walk up to it, before one-by-one take their share of the meet before a majestic creature walks by, a grizzly bear. The bear, obviously waiting for his share, looks up to the hunter sitting on a log nearby. “You’re welcome, now feast. The sun will be falling soon.”
As the bear finishes, the hunter takes some notes in his journal that he keeps.
“A hooded man has requested to meet with me at around 12pm, the wolves are at the ready. Says he has a message to deliver, and that it is recommended I bring all of my belongings.”
The hunter signs the page, like the rest, with his familiar signature. His name was George Burt.
When the deer is done with by all his animals, they set on to his log cabin hidden deep in the woods. He opens the door to find a note on his bed, written in official ink from Castle Adiart.
“Hello, my name is Arthur Scott, a noble of Castle Adiart. As you can see, our messengers have delivered our message. We come with urgent news, and request your immediate presence in our kingdom. More information will be given at the time of our carriage’s arrival. In the mean time, your belongings should be packed in the bag we left near your dresser. See you soon, Castle Adiart."
George looks to find, indeed, the bag they left marked with the castle’s symbol of the Blue Dragon, the leading majority and faction of the kingdom. “Well, that explains it…”
George goes outside to find his animals at the door, awaiting orders. “Rest, we have a big day tonight and tomorrow, and forever how much to come…” The wolves and the bear, loyal to George, find their space, and fall into slumber until awoken. George pulls out his journal and writes about this notification plus his thoughts. As the evenings falls upon him, he decides to rest in his bed before the journey.
A knock, three taps on his door, awakes George. In a haze, he answers, to find a tall masked man. “Come, it is time.” George grabs his bag alongside his bow to walk outside. As he enters the carriage, he orders two wolves to come with him, and obviously brings the bear to walk aside the horse-driven carriage.
“So…. What’s this all about,” George asks, “and why am I going to such a royal place?”
“Your father. You have royal bloodline in you, which he has never told. He has always quarreled with the way things are run, but he has been executed under the new king’s orders. He worked as a representative of hunting and agriculture in the royal palace. He’s never told you that though either.”
George wasn’t very close with his father, but the death did send a spark through his body. “Who killed my father?!” “Like I said, under the new king’s orders, things have been changing. Taxes for the peasants have been raised, with criminals being pardoned for unknown reasons. The vote for your father was heavily argued, but a select few of men have voted yes alongside the king. “
George, now infuriated after hearing such news, swore to himself to get revenge on the corruption in the kingdom and once and for all kill these individuals. “So, what exactly… Am I being brought in here for?”
“You will be given a seat in the Royal court, a place where we all discuss and progress. The kingdom’s finest area. Take some rest, we still have a while.”
“Get up, we’re here.” George, half awake, starts to sit up in the back of the wooden carriage to see a giant castle with villages surrounding it. “Here’s your stop. It’s a ten-minute walk, good luck. Bless you.”
George steps out of the carriage to be met with his companions. He orders them to continue walking as the stop is soon. George starts walking to come by a market claiming to be selling swords.
“Come, come get your swords! The Unseen will kill unless you get your swords!” George, obviously curious of what the unseen are, asked the shop owner what he means. “Ah, the Unseen… You must be new here. They’re a corrupted, evil version of the Blue Dragon that will kill anyone just to get their way. These folks plan on overtaking the kingdom, converting the loyalist of the Blue Dragon. Their identities have been unknown for a while, and the kingdom plus its surrounding area have been in turmoil since.”
George, now informed on these “Unseen” now gets an idea of what killed his father possibly…
“Thank you for this information. Do you sell bones?” “Ah yes, I do! Only 10 Atka.”
George purchases the bones and gives them to his animals to give them something to do. “Thank you. Have a good day.” He walks away, and returns to his travel to Castle Adiart.
As he arrives, the details of the castle come into full view. Large, wooded double doors hold the entrance close with gigantic stone pillars holding up the roof above it. They must’ve been twelve meters high. The rest was only describable through vision as the castle was simply so large and fascinating.
“Well, this is it. Here we go.” George says to his animals, and himself. He knocks on the doors. As soon as his knuckles hit the doors, they open in a majestic manner. At the front were two guards, fully plated in steel armor. “Come, Noble. The court is just getting started,” one of the guards say. “Please leave your animals in your room, take a right then two lefts.” George begins to walk in the completely gold floor with Blue Dragon banners on the wall. In complete awe, he takes a minute to stare at a photo. “Fascinating, isn’t it?” A man walks up to him. “Relax, I heard you were coming and I wanted to see who that was. Those your animals?” “Yes, they are. Who are you?” “Why, I’m Ivo Young. I’ve been living here for over ten years, advising kings and communicating with the dead.” “So… You’re a psychic?” “Indeed! Yes, I am! Your fath-““My father? You’ve met him? You can still talk to him?” “Yes, I can, but more on that later.” Ivo Young and George walk over into a massive room with at least a thirty-foot-high ceiling with banners almost as tall as it. A large, stone, circular table sits in the middle with sixteen seats. In the middle was a candle burning in a large circular bowl of wax, but barely six inches high.
“This is the Court of the kingdom, where we all converse and solve issues at hand. Recently it has been the reason of many deaths… But that’s not the point. A large list sits on the part of the table where a giant throne sits. That’s where the king is. “Here is where you will be sitting…” Ivo takes out a seat made from very high-quality wood. A skilled carpenter must’ve made this. “Well, the sun is starting to set. Take some rest, long day tomorrow. Trust me when I say that.” “Alright, well, goodnight. Thanks for everything so far.” George walks to his room, to discover a setting perfect for him.
A dear carcass lays on top a wooden table, with a bucket nearby. Perfect for gutting and food. A fireplace in the corner, with a platform for wooden logs to be held. Two barred windows allow fresh air to come in with a bed under one. A rug lays right next to the bed for a place for his animals to rest. Upon enter, his animals immediately rush to rest for obvious reasons. Encumbered by such a long journey, he also decides to rest. Before doing so though, he orders his bear to guard the door of any potential attackers lurking around the halls at night… As the bear reaches the door, George finally falls asleep.
As he wakes up, he sees a puddle of blood seeping into the cracks of the door. Intrigued, he opens the door to find a hooded man with a knife in his hand. An assassin. The assassin, obviously dead, sits in a puddle of blood that appears to be old but expanding. His bear’s location is where he left him, guarding his door. The bear’s mouth was covered in blood with barely a scratch anywhere on him. “Good job, now go. Get some rest.” The bear agrees, and goes inside the room to fall into slumber for the day. Otherwise, George searches the body for any useful information. Four vials of Nightshade poison, usually used for killing large mammals. He also had a flute, for distracting an individual for ten seconds. Other than that, black clothing and a journal explaining his reasoning and why people should join the Unseen.
George begins to move past the body and walks through the everlasting hallway to see 15 other people lining up to sit in their designated seat in the court… The king spoke first. “Ah, hello my kingdom! Welcome to another wonderful morning… Now, what information do you have to provide? Please, whisper me them or tell all of us!” Like a spark hitting a tree in the forest, three people got up to talk to the king. Suddenly, a voice rings the heads of the nobles. A supernatural voice. “Hello, as you can see I’m the psychic. I spoke to the Sheriff last night, and in his investigations, he found that Arthur Scott is a member of the unseen. He did not come out with such information yesterday due to the fact he does not trust the king.”
The court heard the message. One, three, seven votes for Arthur Scott arose. Immediately, he was put on trial for everyone to hear. “Ah… Well, I’m a butler. Here are my logs.” The King, without even reading them, pushes for a pardoning before most of the court voted for execute in a swift twelve to two. One abstains, saying he doesn’t know what to vote for. The first voter reaches in his bag to pull out a giant sword, capable of killing whatever walks in his way. “For the Kingdom!” He yells, as Arthur begins to say, “Well, if you ever wish to see past such a little life, come to the Unseen…” The executer, Anthony Harte, does two quick slashes in the man. He drops quickly to the floor, leaving a bleeding dead body just sitting in front of the throne. Anthony reaches down to investigate the body, and indeed, Arthur Scott, was a converted member of the Unseen. “It says here… He was a servant of the unseen’s mastermind. He was going to poison the king a few days ago, but the mastermind ordered for him to not do so. I say we simply get this King tomorrow, as his minions are dying out one by one!” The comment was supported with cheers.
With the court in glee, someone spoke above the midst of cheers. “Hey guys… What about the reaper? The death of Lewis White a few days ago? I’ve been looking at the body… He didn’t speak the day after his death, I recall. His logs weren’t updated since the night before he started talking. I think a reaper stole his soul, and is hiding among us…” The cheers stopped, and by that they completely ceased. “Bu-but what abou… What about Reginald Lovell? The reaper killed a few days ago? By the prince? “That’s what we want to think… A physician has been converted to a herbalist, allowing them to fake the jobs of our own people. That wasn’t a reaper. That was a loyal Blue Dragon member. The Unseen killed them. See, that’s the issue.” Immediately, fingers were pointed to everyone and their neighbors. “Niclolas!” “Geralt!” “Oliver!” But, no. No progress was made. The sun was setting, and everyone was on edge after hearing such news. Sadly, the sun was setting, and the nobles had to go back to their rooms.
“Hey, psst. It’s me. Ivo.” A voice is heard inside George’s head. “Look, go in your room and lock the door. Don’t make your animals do anything. No. Scratch that. Send a wolf to Peter’s room, down the hall. Remember how I was talking to that sheriff? Well, I don’t know if you noticed but be and him were whispering earlier today. That guy is a member of the Unseen!” Like anyone else would, George ordered a wolf to attack Peter’s room. Hopefully his friend was right. “Son, I’ve got to make this quick. We will meet soo- “As the mind link cuts. His father! George’s father! Ivo’s a one-way ticket to his father! Alas, the sun was rising, and George had to get out of this room. The night goes by fast when you’re preoccupied.
As soon as everyone sits down, a voice spoke. “I’ve found a body. Peter’s body. We found our herbalist.” The kingdom cheers, but still remembers the lurking reaper… Another person stands up to walk over towards the king, bending down to whisper into his ears. The king’s eyes widen as this person spoke, and the king immediately yelled for the execution of George’s neighbor, John. The kingdom was clearly not loyal to such a king, and they clearly weren’t going to blindly vote. “King, why should WE trust YOUR words?” The king pointed his finger, forcing the maids of the kingdom to vote. The King’s vote counted for two now. “Because this man is the REAPER!” Such an accusation had to be backed up. “Again… Why should we trust your word? What makes YOU right?” The King, clearly getting mad, yells in return. “BECAUSE I CHECKED HIM LAST NIGHT. I SENT MY SPIES TO INVESTIGATE HIM, AND HE IS A NEUTRAL INVIDIUAL. HE IS CLEARLY THE REAPER!” In response, John tells the kingdom calmly about what he is. “Why… I’m an Alchemist! I don’t care for your affairs, I just fight for life. I’ve been sending my healing potions to Ivo. I’ve poisoned no one yet! I’ve been helping!” The thing about Castle Adiart was the unrelenting hate towards Neutrals. They’ve always tended to evil.
Ivo speaks out. “Indeed, this man speaks the truth… I was attacked last night, now that you mention it. I was healed.” Hearing the news, the court instead puts their votes towards the king. “You FOOLS! I’M YOUR KING! I’VE LOWERED TAXES FOR THE PEASANTS, AND HAVE GOTTEN RID OF ALL OF EVERYONE WHO OPPOSES OUR VIEWS! WHY WOULD YOU POSSIBLY DO SUCH A THING?!” “We can tell, king. I vote execute.” “Execute.” “I’m executing this.” As these execution votes go up, two people remain quiet. “I pardon,” says a quiet person. “Why would you possibly pardon such an obvious evil?” Silence.
Executions win, and the king is executed. That’s it. He’s dead. “What now…?” “Get the abstains. And get whoever pardoned that.” As the king’s body was searched, it reveals the true faction of him. “His logs… We did it! He was an Unseen sided king!” If yesterday’s cheers weren’t anywhere near proud, these were multiplied by ten. With a prince still alive, alongside hopefully some knights, what could go wrong?
George begins to walk back to his room for the night to be met with a… Peculiar person. The Kingdom’s drunk. He has Royal Blood, somehow, but he didn’t really… Operate. “UhghH! HaVE a dRiNk with ME!” The Drunk was clearly trying to debauch George, but hunters are immune to such an action. George walks into his room. As the moon illuminated the sky, George sat by his window and filled out his journal about everything. Suddenly, he notices something… The person who pardoned the king! Why would they do such a thing? They’ve been quiet the whole time he has been here… And now he just shows up? He also pardoned… No. Yes! This was it! He is the mastermind! “Wolves, on me. You have to attack someone for me.”
As you can guess, the door was locked. And when the wolves entered? Nothing. No one was there. Instead, the wolves traced her scent to… The Dungeons. Sadly, George or his wolves couldn’t enter without a key. Luckily though, that meant something else. The Prince held onto her. The other part? She’s dead. The Prince executed her. The Unseen was dead! The killers of his father, gone from the castle! Now for the reaper…
“Look, I don’t know if we’re literally the luckiest people ever, but I followed Thomas Manston last night, and he visited Nicolas. From what I see, I haven’t even see Nicolas breath yet… I say we vote Thomas.” “Hold your horses,” says Ivo, “We need to vote for a new king.” Immediately, you guess it, the Drunk steps up. His name was Symond Savage. “I saYyY yoU vote me!!” “Well, clearly he’s Drunk. You know, he’s probably the most trustworthy people right now,” says Ivo, “we might as well.” Like dominoes, one by one do people vote up the new King to lead. Castle Adiart never really knew how to manage power. Ivo walks over to George. “Hey… Visit me tonight at the graveyard. Let’s celebrate.”
“AlrightY, NoW FoR THE REAPeR” The kingdom votes the reaper up, and executes without even listening to a defense as the king decided the fate on his own. The king himself goes to the body to see what he was. “REAPER!”
George’s job was, in fact, done. No more murder. No more lies. It’s… Done. George walks to the graveyard to meet Ivo, his dearest friend. “As promised…” Ivo summons a circle, and they step inside to see the past lives of the recently deceased in the graveyard. Many voices filled the area, but one stood out to George. “Father!” George runs to meet his father, the man he hasn’t really seen in a while. “I see you’ve completed your task, son… Here’s this, in return.” His father hands him a silver necklace, with an amulet that falls upon George’s chest. “This is for you to remember me, and whenever you wish to talk you hold it.”
They talk, for quite a long time, before it’s time to leave. George says his goodbyes alongside Ivo Young, and return to their own world. “So, what’s next?” Ivo asks. “I’m going home,” George responds.
George says his goodbyes and packs his bags, headed for the long journey home because he completed his quest. It was hard yes, but was worth it. As George leaves the castle, alongside his animals, Ivo rushes to say his goodbyes. “Thank you, George. You really, really helped us out. Here, here’s something for your travels.” Ivo Young hands a book to George, but not just any book. Royal passes, and anything a citizen will ever need. “Thank you,” George says as he leaves to travel into the village.
George walks through the unfamiliar but recognized area to find his carriage, waiting. “Shall we leave, George?” “Yes.” They leave for his house, to hopefully never be back again.