1 Mysterious Death

Three guards sit around a table, just outside the village wall, playing cards while talking.

"This is the best shift in the corps! We get to relax all day, away from prying eyes. We don't have to worry about anything!" One of them says.

The oldest guard looks sideways at the one who had spoken, "Of course there's a certain degree of risk as well." He says while placing a card.

With his eyebrow twitching in annoyance at the card that was played, the last guard speaks, "What risk could there possibly be when this location is so isolated? We never get any visitors either."

The older guard speaks again, "It's because the location is so isolated that there are certain dangers. We could be seen as an easy target for bandits or attract other unsavory people, running from the law."

Both of the younger guards gulp at his words. They hadn't really thought about bandits or murders using their village as refuge. Just as the older guard finished, the silhouette of a man appears in the distance. His figure shimmers in the heat of the sun as he continues walking towards their post. The two younger guards look at each other nervously as the words from their earlier conversation echo in their head. A murderer? A bandit leader?

The older guard interrupts their thoughts. "Just because he could be bad doesn't mean he is. He is probably just a traveler passing by."

The man in the distance finally arrives in front of them and pulls back his hood to reveal a startlingly handsome face. He appears to be in his mid 20s with pitch black hair, pale skin, and eyes as black as night. The man gently smiles, "It's about that time gentlemen."

The wary looks on the faces of the three guards change to ones of confusion. Just as the oldest guard opens his mouth to question what the man's words mean, the stranger falls face first, dead.