The foods cold but it’s not rotten, it hasn’t been that long since someone was in here… maybe the guy upstairs set this up? I thought. As we entered the dining room, we could hear noises coming from the room across the entrance hall.

  “Does that sound like armour clinking to you? Rhua says bracing her shields ready for a fight. Wardi looked out and suddenly a group of knights in full plate mail from various cultures were standing in the hall.

  “Yup, that's definitely a normal sight." Wardi said raising a brow.

  They gathered and practiced a sort of military protocol with their weapons, twirling them around before standing before a portrait we didn’t see next to the stairs and kneeling.

  “Hello there, are your group a noble sort standing in there hiding?” A soft voice spoke out to us within the air itself.

  “It is I, lady Frigibits of the Von family, I’m speaking to you through my telepathy art, I’m hiding within the Ayshun Knight armour, and my daughter Skankerella is in the Thurian one with the robe at the back there.

  Rhua whispered into the air “What’s happened Lady Von? The house has a barrier over it, we had to go through the sewers to gain entry and an incredibly dangerous parchment trap was ready for us, we barely made it through!”

  “It’s my husband” she said sadly “Broekslang Von has completely lost his marbles and we’ve been hiding from him. Some peculiar well-dressed elites visited our humble abode, then the next day…he wasn’t himself, as if he had been switched with an evil twin, I can feel his vile aura still even now. “Please, we can’t keep this up much longer, our strength is waning, please rescue us! I’ll hold off the armoury door for you, these knights they are under enchantments with exceedingly powerful manipulation and defensive arts you won’t be able to manage if they join in the fray."

  As she finished speaking, the knights stood up and marched back into the around room, slamming the door shut in the process. The word “please” echoed and trailed off around us softly.

  “This is fine” I said sarcastically.

  “So, where do we go from here, we’ve looked everywhere! Larry blurted out frustrated.

  “WHAT, about outside?” a scared Horace piped up.

  “The barrier covered most of the land as well as the house, maybe the garden is still accessible, does someone want to try the front door? Wardi asked the room but went ahead anyway and opened it. The garden was modest considering the size of the manor and rather minimalist. A greenhouse that seemed to be teeming with various plants, Singing Sallie flowers were the most notable bobbing up and down humming and occasionally singing songs they hear from visitors.

  We wandered over to the greenhouse and looked inside to see if anything else was in there. Leks & dafdils oddly lined up next to each in an oddly coloured soil, and I could smell something familiar.

  “Seedar in the air again, not as much as the last guy though” I said.

  “Who’s there!? a voice whispered in fear. “Is that you Lady Von? “Hans!? Larry was surprised to hear a familiar voice and barged past Wardi.

  “Larry!? What in the devil are you doing here boy!?"

  “Well, that giant barrier would be one reason and there have been some mysterious things happening around the manor that the whole town witnessed."

  Hans was a mixed individual from the Koan lands, half Koanor from the chest up with bird-like features, orange beak, feathered arms and noticeably big orange eyes… just without wings, he was also half Koanit from the waist down, though his girth was far abnormal than usual for a Koanit, maybe he just has a slow metabolism or something, but those legs were tiny how can it even support the weight!?I thought. Impeccably dressed for a butler too; the black tailcoat was dazzling, adorned with multiple iridescent gems reflecting the light from the BOF outside back at us like a miniature rainbow disco.

  As he sat up, he began to grunt and speak. “Broekslang has been meeting with a group called the rising dawn, they’re fanatics obsessed with following their self-imposed ways of honouring Serilia, the leader he seems to be an incredibly powerful manipulator and is selecting specific targets from the upper elites to bring more into his personal circle.

  "I fear the good lord is long since capable of returning to his old self but if you can try to grant this fools request, then I can die here today; happy." A healing spell began aiding the man on the floor but this time no barrier appeared to weaken the effect.

  “Thank you miss, it seems fate doesn’t deem me ready just yet” he grunted but appeared to be in much better spirits I noted. “Now… how far into the manor have you explored? Have you encountered anything dangerous yet?

  “Only thing that was dangerous was the parchment trap that had been set up in the cellar, it’s been non-hazardous other than that though” Wardi said.

  “Larry had heard been some strange chanting occasionally but couldn’t identify it, we found a young man that we had assumed was your replacement in one of the rooms upstairs, he was badly hurt, and he had an obnoxious odour about his person” Wardi continued, piquing Hans’s curiosity.

  “Calder, I was training him to be my replacement but the boy is soft, too soft after all this , the seedar lasted thank the gods, I am a Perfumologist and my abilities make scents with social enhancing benefits but I made him one with my only defensive ability, seedar musk, only a minor defensive benefit but the lord of the house, he absolutely detests it and will avoid it like the plague.

  “That’s a surprisingly niche and situational thing to have” I said to Hans which grew him a smile.

  “Yes well, his lordship has always had a distaste for it, and as we came into this newly formed world the first ability I learned, was that one.” He said and continued speaking “I could never have predicted that I’d have to use it against him however.”

  “That’s almost like FORESHADOWING” Horace piped up.

  Ignoring him Lucy pressed Hans on. “We’ve looked everywhere Mr Uwe sir, is it possible he’s left the manor?” Lucy asked him calmly. He was a bit taken aback by her politeness or possibly her bizarre attire.

  “Uh…oh-um, well, did you check the bedrooms or the dining room? The cellar?... no wait you came from there so that wouldn’t make sense, the armoury perhaps?” he rambled without pause.

  “Lady von is hiding within the armours with little miss Skank” I said.

  “That’s Lady Skankerella, I’ll have you say sir, she’s earned her title and don’t you forget it.”

  “Oh, she DEFINITELY earned it, you just don’t want to know how” I winked at Rhua who bit shot me a few daggers, but I could see Wardi behind her trying not to laugh by pinching himself.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  “Hmm, did you try the attic whilst you were wandering? If he is still here, that could be the only place. Return to the master bedroom, pull gently on the cord connected to the fan in the ceiling, it’s a faux device, it will bring access down for you get up there” Hans said to us.

  “Back in we go then troops!” Wardi said in a rather annoyed tone. We tried to encourage Hans to return inside with us, but he insisted on staying in the greenhouse as he’d rather be around the things that can at least keep him sane whilst this is on-going.

  When the door opened back into the manor, an incredibly loud chanting; from what we assume is the attic, came from above us.

  Moarte, Tod, Death

  Moarte, Tod, Death

  “We should be ready for anything at this point, keep your eyes peeled I feel like something has changed” Wardi said; arms ready to grab his swords at any moment. Walking towards the staircase, all of us taken by surprise as the light in the room darkened, slowly as if the sun were setting but it couldn’t deliver us any sort of light. The chandelier, slowly absorbed into the ceiling, warping, twisting, and changing into a large, serpent-like eye. The gaze was piercing, all of us shaken by this monstrosity that just appeared. For some reason, it felt familiar but not in a safe way, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

  “What is that!? “Rhua said trying to break the gaze by reacting to it audibly. It didn’t work, however. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of a monster like this if it even is one? Everyone, get ready to r-.” Upon Wardi trying to speak, I noticed the room quickly turned eerily silent, my party members and Larry appeared frozen when I looked around, not by ice; but as if time had stopped.

  “Fate denier” … the words bellowed, which sounded like it came a from a choir of many different voices all at once.

  “Fate denier? who and what is that when they are at home” I joked in the way we did back on the old world. “The fanatics of gods, they will test you on this day, you and your party, may face real death; one that there is a point of no return by any means” the voices continued to come forth, it was overwhelming, like some sort of critical hit on the senses.

  “A cursed baptism will take place soon, one that will push you yourselves, to limits you did not know you could reach.”

  “This sounds insane, what are you even saying, how does anyone curse a baptism? As I said this, dark lights began to form and fall from the eye itself. One by one they slowly floated towards the floor, the most pleasant twinkle rang out as they hit the floor then bounced upwards, forming into what appeared to be a tear drop like object, the colour changing from black to slight colours of the elements thought, the first tear stayed the same colour, onyx black. The rest were: Red, blue, green, brown, purple, grey, and white.

  “What are these? I said aloud to the voice.

  “What you will soon face, you must fight it in ways you would not think to. Use the tears, they will guide you to victory. Fate denier, fear not the darkness, be ready for the battle ahead… I must leave now. Your friends will awaken upon my departure.” The words still echo as it slowly blinked, and the ceiling formed back to its original appearance.

  What is wrong with this world, I just want normality! I screamed in my head, It is best not saying anything to the others I don’t want to draw attention to myself, first I get visions of the gods now I get 1 on 1 meetings with horrific entities saying they’re going to help me… if the others were aware of this it’s going to lead to questions and I can’t give answers, not to mention Larry is here, word could spread, who knowns what nutters may end up trying to pay me a visit as well. My mind racing with so many thoughts my heartbeat skyrockets in turn and I take deep breaths to try and calm down.

  When the ceiling at finally reverted to its original look, Rhua was the first to talk, as she was beginning to say something before the event caused her to freeze. “Leave us alone you fr-... huh, where did it go!?

  “I think it was some sort of knockout art, probably a last line of defence the owner had in place for coming back in the manor” I said pretending and acting like I was a little shaken now. Wardi pointed at the floor noting the tear drop ornaments on the floor.

  “Hey, I don’t remember seeing these before. I picked the one closest to my foot and grabbed it. It turned a swirling, deep yet pleasant onyx black within, it was the tear that didn’t change as much as the others I noted.

  “Oo shiny, maybe we can sell them? what do you think Larry? I said, he looked slightly perplexed by all this happening so quick.

  “Well … uh, they probably belong to the Von family… thought they are tempting however… but…uh…. perhaps we should wait maybe before taking? Ask for them as a reward?” Great cover story Larry, I thought in my head, not before I picked and placed all of them into my inventory whilst everyone started walking off.

  We ventured back to the lord’s bedroom and with the latest information at hand, activated the device to get us up into the attic. We were surprised when it came down like a vator from back on terra, “talk about showing off by having something like this just to go into a room you probably only used once a bloody decade, this decadence schmecadence is not a life for me” Wardi blurted out unlike him to use big words like that.

  “Make sure you have a wash when we are out of here, I know it’s you making the room smell so bad.” He pointed at me then turned a point into a fist shaking it at me like an old man. Suddenly the chanting really amplified in volume only this time the word death repeated over and over. Looking at the device to take us up, I asked aloud if everyone was ready, looking at each person nodding and tensing up as we hit the switch on the vator.

  The attic was by far the biggest part of the manor, the room itself took us to the northeastern most corner and we could barely see more than a few steps in front of us. “Horace, check if that device is working again, see if you can pick up any traps?” said Wardi.

  He nodded and activated it, it whirred up in power and it picked up one or two traps that had been placed along the path, but it quickly lost power again “damn thing, wonder why it’s so temperamental I’ll have to ask how to charge it” Wardi said quietly. Horace took the lead having been the only one to see where the traps were located and walked on ahead but not before giving us a vision boost from one of his shells. ‘C-more in the HOLE’ piped up Horace as quiet as he could.

  *Dark vision increased by 10ft*

  Said the notebook as I examined it. It was best we used this over a light source so as not to draw attention. It seemed however that despite knowing there was a trap ahead, the activation triggered by someone’s foot being on it, dropped heavy logs in our direction, we avoided it quite well though considering the poor light. The chanting had stopped after the heavy thuds from each log hit the floor. However, one or two of which broke through the floor the impact was so strong.

  “WELCOME TO VON MANOR, IT IS ME YOUR HOST BROEKSLANG VON.” A snarling wet voice shouted into the air and a click could heard in the distance, resulted in the attic light, and turning on, suddenly what was causing the smell had become visible. Victims of Broekslang’s madness were here, gathered in a pile towards the southeastern end of the manor, though judging by the lack of decay on the topmost bodies, it’s likely these were taken out in the last day or two.

  “ISN’T MY MOSAIC PRETTY ADVENTURERS!? all of THIS, is for SERILIA~ We all need to LOVE HER MORE show her your devotion!” The voice twisted increasingly, growing deeper, eviller. The hulking figure stood on top of the pile and began stamping, causing the floor to begin buckling.

  “IT IS MY TIME TO SHINE SERILIA, I HOPE YOU’LL SHOWER ME WITH YOUR GRACE FOR ALL MY EFFORTS, TO THE RISING DAWN! the floor finally caved, and the bodies began dropping down in the entrance hall, it appeared Broekslang used his new abominable form to grip to the attic ceiling rather than fall with the victims.

  Horace panicking like a madman but also being a legend, had already started unloading enhancements for us, a vividly pale shell was fired and blew out a gust of wind to boost our movement speed and he sprayed us with a viscous brown gel whilst running in which he said, “This will help us avoid getting grabbed by HIM!”

  We bolted together running towards the closest floorboard leading us back into the bedroom, as Broekslang launched himself towards us buckling the floor further. Lucky for us, it’s not the first time a chase has occurred from a particular nasty foe, and we land on our feet and quickly make an escape out into the hallways. A loud bang heard from behind, as Broekslang has busted through to the hallways from the attic and is bounding after us screaming:

  “COME HERE DARLINGS, LET ME RELEASE YOU TO HER MAJESTY, YOUR BONES WILL CRUMBLE TO DUST IN A WARM EMBRACE I’LL MAKE IT AS DELECTABLE AS POSSIBLE!” Broekslang growled.

  “Leave us alone! Lucy shouted, “why don’t you go back to a dark place and never come back.”

  “It’s too constricted in here, let’s try and get him outside… c’mon! the door is just ahead then we can sort this one out” said Rhua. As we approached the door Rhua used her quick dash ability to quickly close the distance and break through, we can’t take any chances of getting stuck fighting with all the victims on the floor, it’ll just be an obstruction after all, quick thinking on her part.

  The daylight was a welcome addition, a blast of partially fresh air and we quickly braced ourselves. Broekslang made quick work of the entrance doorframe and sent bricks flying towards us in the process.