Chapter 11: Grim Tidings

Alba Leavayne and her friends were having lunch at a tavern in Midhill, not neglecting to chat pleasurably with one another. They were still blissfully unaware of what had just transpired in another part of the city, a few steps away from the flow of the Thetis river. They had bright smiles on their faces, as the life of Midhill, the joy of halflings and the sound of lutes and timbrels surrounded them.

Their dishes were all of a kind very much loved by halflings: fish cooked in various ways, with greens and bread as a side. The five of them found themselves pleased with it.

"Usually, I'm not exactly a fish kind of guy..." Fergus remarked, between a forkful of fish placed in his mouth and the next "...But I'm loving this!"

"Wow, you people sure know how to cook fish!!" Kain exclaimed, to which both Alba and the halfling man hosting the adventurers in his tavern could only smile.

"But, how do ya guys get yer fish?" Fergus asked "I don't think you can fish in our part of the Thetis river..."

"Of course one cannot, Fergus." Edward replied "Yet, there are other ways to have fish, among which, obviously, there is commerce with coastal towns."

"Not to mention, my friend..." the owner of the tavern added "We have our own places where we can have fresh fish, in the forest!"

"I thought the forests were firmly held by elves, and spirits of nature..." Mina mused.

"Nah, as long as you're not going for their lives or their homes, you're free to pass. You can even get wood if you need it, provided you don't cut trees inhabited by a dryad." Alba explained "Elves can be stuck up, but aren't stupid, Anything but, in fact."

"Not to mention, we halflings live in communion with nature by tradition." the owner of the tavern added "And this endears us to the pointed-ear folk." He concluded his statement with a heartfelt laughter, which was eventually joined by that of his guests.

However, the laughter stopped as the adventurers noticed a faint, yet steadily growing light from their pendants. They were quick to understand what that meant.

"Something big is happening." Edward spoke up "As soon as we are done with lunch, we are to head to the Guild Office to receive instructions."

"Oh man..." Kain uttered "Something big, eh?"

"I wonder if it has anything to do with the staff that Edward had retrieved from that warlock..." Mina mused.

"We cannot rule that out, Mina." the young spellcaster was quick to reply.

"Duty calling, eh, Alba?" the owner of the tavern mused, to which the rogue nodded.

"Yep." she replied.

"Midhill's with ya." the halfling man stated "Best of luck to all of ya!"

"Many thanks, good sir." Edward replied "We'll need it."

...

Once they had finished their lunch and waved off the Leavayne family, the five adventurers walked out of Midhill, heading to the Guild Office of the capital of Albion.

Edward, remembering how his colleague and friend had felt upon returning to Creedwood after quenching the raid, glanced at Fergus's face to see his expression. He was relieved to see that the half-orc looked much more serene than he was when he entered the halfling district.

"Feeling in brighter spirits, are we, Fergus?" he commented, with a calm smile, to which his colleague grinned and gave a thumbs up.

"Of course!" he replied "I'm feelin' much better, now. Thank ya, guys."

"Hey, that's what friends are for, ain't it?" Alba stated, with a smile of her own.

It wasn't long before the five adventurers reached the Guild Office, and crossed its doors. They could see that all the adventurers of Creedwood were assembled in the hall, as if they were waiting for someone. As soon as they saw the entrance of the young Crowley mage and his fellows, some adventurers made way for them to reach the center of the hall.

After some instants, the Guild Master Wildham walked towards the center, until he stood in front of all the members of the Guild present in Creedwood.

"I thank you all for coming, ladies and gentlemen of the Guild." he started. "We have called you here because we have grim news to bring to you all. Our duty is calling." He then proceeded to explain the reason behind their recall "A few minutes ago, young lady Darlington and her tutors have failed to prevent the abduction of a child by the hands of an unknown rogue. As some among you may know, this is but the latest instance of a series of grievous crimes against our people." Murmurs began spreading among the crowd at those words. The series of abductions was, indeed, something already known to a large part of the members of the Guild. However, Wildham tapped his cane on the ground, in order to regain silent attention from the adventurers.

"Our suspicions that the culprits behind such vile actions are a congregation of individuals with unclear, yet manifest dark intentions have only grown after lord Edward Crowley's retrieval of an object during his latest quest." Wildham continued on, before showing the pieces of the warlock staff handed to him by the spellcaster, whose eyes were wide.

"After receiving this staff, we scoured through our documents, searching for clues regarding its provenience, and we have come to the conclusion that the ones responsible for attempting to poison the heart of our people with despair... Are cultists of Myrkul!" Once again, a buzz of murmurs spread among the adventurers.

"Myrkul, the old God of Greedy Death?"

"Didn't he die long ago, at the hands of other gods?"

"Death is never definite, for gods..."

"Must have cheated death somehow, or else, his cultists are that fanatical, and he is able to cling to life because of it."

"Silence!" the Guild Master called once more, and the murmurs ceased instantly. It was then that the elderly man spoke once again.

"We believe that this staff may have been given to the orc raiders attacking Rockham by the culprits, who may have directed them towards the commercial caravan and the town nearby as a distraction for us." Edward rose his hand, calling the attention of the elderly man, as well as the rest of the adventurers present in the lounge, and spoke up.

"They must have been aware that Creedwood was the closest city provided with a Guild Office hiring registered adventurers, which denotes a quite thorough geographical knowledge of the nation, whether they planned to strike in Creedwood beforehand or not." His observation elicited a nod from the Guild Master, who then resumed his speech.

"As a consequence, we cannot afford to leave the city and the surrounding settlements unguarded. A party of selected adventurers will undertake the expedition to find these felons and put an end to their evil deeds, while the remaining ones will assist the City Guard militias and the Commissioners of Justice in defending the province." One of the workers at the reception desks, a Tiefling woman, stepped towards the center of the main hall until she was right beside the Guild Master.

"After a search among the adventurers of Creedwood, our choice has been made. We believe that young lady Catherine Darlington, along with her magic mentors, Aaron Conaill and young lord Edward Crowley are best suited to undertake the expedition."

"Search and destroy." Wildham added "This is the core of your task, adventurers. As for those who have not been called, we shall be counting on you to defend the city in its time of need. Does anyone have any questions?"

A mage in the crowd raised her hand, which was noticed by the Guild Master.

"Yes, miss Fawcett?" he asked, to which the mage asked her question.

"Lady Darlington is still but a child." she objected "Is it really right to send her out?"

"To send her out would be troublesome, indeed... If she did not have her mentors by her side, that is." Wildham replied "Despite her young age, she does show a great talent in magic. What she lacks is experience, and only active work will provide her with that." The mage let out a sigh, as Edward was the next one to raise his hand.

"What is it, young lord Crowley?" the Guild Master replied, eager to hear the youth's question.

"Are we authorized to request the assistance of other adventurers of the Guild, should we come across them in our journey?" the spellcaster asked. The elderly man nodded at the question.

"Of course." he replied "Clerics and paladins may also assist you in your mission, if available." Once the answer to that question was given, the Guild Master looked around, to see if anyone still held doubts. But no more hands were raised.

"Very well, then." Wildham concluded "The expedition body shall assemble here tomorrow at ten. I wish good luck unto all of you." The Guild Master then walked up the flight of stairs that led to his office, while the Tiefling woman headed back to her post behind the waiting desk, as well.

As the crowd began dispersing, Edward looked for Catherine and her servants, some questions still lingering in his mind, and as soon as he was able to spot them, he paced towards them and called their attention.

"Cathy." he called, to which the young heiress looked at him with a slightly saddened look in her eyes...

"Edward..." she replied "I'm sorry I wasn't able to-" The spellcaster immediately brushed off her apology, shaking his head with a slight smile, as if to say it wasn't needed, before asking his question with a serious and grave expression on his features.

"How did the crook elude you, exactly?" he asked, to which the two magic mentors gave their reply.

"Milady and I created a wall of ice to forbid the felon from running any further..." Alfred explained.

"And then it came at us." Vincent added "We attempted to fend it off, but we eventually realized that it was but an illusion, that the barrier had amounted to nothing, and the crook had escaped with the child..."

"Illusion magic..." Edward deduced "And perhaps even nullification..." He stroked his chin with his fingers. "Something doesn't seem right to me... I sincerely doubt that cultists of Myrkul would even be interested in magic of the former kind, while the latter would perhaps make more sense..."

"As far as we know..." Catherine mused "They could be backed by a seditious noble, willing to hire assassins that might aid their purposes..." Aaron, having heard the conversation, stepped closer to the four.

"That is a possibility that cannot be excluded, either." he replied to the heiress's musings. The young mage girl jolted from surprise at hearing the Aasimar paladin's voice.

"Ah, Mr. Conaill!" she exclaimed "I was not aware that you were here..."

"Well, starting tomorrow, we shall be working together on this investigation." Aaron remarked, to which his interlocutors could only nod in agreement.

"We are looking forward to working with you, sir." Edward stated, with a calm smile, to which the paladin shook his head, smiling in kind.

"Just Aaron is fine, lord Edward Crowley." he replied "And likewise." Kain walked closer to the spellcaster and the knight, shaking his head as he let out a sigh.

"I'm just sorry that I can't come with you this time..." he said, with a disconsolate tone "I'll be stuck in here while you'll be risking your neck out there..."

"You can still help, however, Kain." Edward reminded his friend "You will be tasked with helping my father and my brother in defending the town from any other attempts of committing felonies in this city, if not making a more blatant attempt at its state." Kain's eyes widened at the trust the spellcaster was placing in him.

Aaron's eyes widened, as well, albeit for a different reason.

"Do you think the culprits might make an attempt against Creedwood itself?" he asked, to which the young mage nodded resolutely.

"'Tis cultists we are talking about." he replied "Nothing can be ruled out, for safety's sake. And, like I said, I am not completely certain that it is Myrkul they worship..."

"Whether it is true or not, only the investigation will yield." Vincent remarked. His statement was met with a nod of agreement from the young Crowley.

"Indeed." he replied, before turning to the young girl his former interlocutor served as a mentor "Also, Cathy, before I forget..." He then plucked a small chocolate, wrapped in paper, from the pocket of his robe, and showed it to her, leaving her gobsmacked.

"F-For me?" Catherine asked, in utter stupor, to which the spellcaster nodded, with a calm smile.

"I went for a leisurely stroll in Midhill, with Kain and his fellows." he replied "Since we happened to come across Mr. Fickelsmore along the way, I figured I could as well bring back something for you..." The young heiress blushed, caught by embarrassment of receiving a sweet as a gift, yet finally sighed, knowing full well that her friend only meant well, and gracefully accepted the gift.

"Thank you, Edward." she murmured, while taking the chocolate, and beginning to gingerly unwrap it. She could not stop herself from smiling at the sight of the delicacy hidden in the paper. Edward smiled at her reaction, and took it as his cue to leave the premises. He did have people to talk to, after all.

They would have had to know what had transpired, first and foremost...

...

In Mermaid Square, in front of the main facade of the Cathedral of True Dawn. Derrick Crowley was reunited with his two sons, who had important news to discuss with him.

"It would seem things are starting to move..." Jonathan remarked.

"So you shall depart to investigate about the culprits behind these felonies..." Derrick murmured, concern clearly audible in his voice. Edward nodded at his father, before turning his gaze to his brother.

"Jonathan, I trust you to protect the city while I am away." he stated "You may count on my father, as well as on my dear friend Kain and his fellows, for assistance in doing so."

"I take it you fear our mysterious assailants will continue their vile pursuits in this city." Jonathan remarked, understanding his brother's concerns.

"Indeed. If not worse." the red-haired mage was quick to reply.

"Will you be fine, Edward?" Derrick asked, unable to hide his concerns regarding his son.

"There is no need to fret, dear father." the young spellcaster replied, with a reassuring smile "This has not happened only in Creedwood, which can only mean that the Guild Offices of other pivotal cities will with utmost certainty be mobilized as well, without making mention of the clergies. We are sure to find assistance along our way."

The conversation, however, was cut short by the intervention of the Dean of the Cathedral himself.

"Pardon me, gentlemen..." Father Aurelius spoke up "I seem to understand that the young lord Crowley is to leave the city to investigate on the felons responsible for the children abduction. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that is right, Father Aurelius." Edward replied, with a nod, to which the Morninglord of Creedwood smiled.

"In that case, you shall surely be pleased to know that you shan't travel alone." he stated "One of our most trusted clerics will join you. She has already been given instructions to meet the expedition party at the entrance of the Guild Office." The spellcaster smiled at what he had been hearing, and so did his father and brother.

"I trust the Guild Master has been previously notified." he remarked, to which the Morninglord nodded.

"Of course, my young lord." he replied.

"You have my gratitude, Father Aurelius." Edward stated. At those words, the Dean of the Cathedral of the True Dawn bowed at him.

"'Tis but our duty." he replied "May the light of dawn shine upon you, and bless your endeavors." The spellcaster courtly returned the bow, before his gaze returned to his family.

"It seems everyone of us has his duty." he stated, to which the alchemist and the Commissioner of Justice nodded. Derrick still had some fears about Edward's quest, as well as his safe return. It is only natural for a father to worry over his son, after all. But knowing that he would have traveled alongside a cleric made him feel slightly more at ease.

The following day would have been one filled with beginnings of strife, and the three Crowleys were all were aware of it.