Chapter 1 - Haunted Castle

After their great victory in the Tomb of Astelon the Grim, Fiona and Selin have gained some renown in the Adventurer's guild. However, with their friend Valmuth gone on a personal quest, once again they find themselves down on their luck, as no good contracts seem to present themselves.

Fiona Aedelmar: "I just can't believe all we've got is goblins again."

Selin Anvell: "And slimes... after our last adventure I'm even more scared of them!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "You made the last one explode with a single spell!"

Selin Anvell: "And I still remember the squishy sounds." She shudders "It was... squirming. All over."

Dridia: "Hey, hey, adventurers! Congratulations on your success on the Tomb of Astelon the Grim!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Dridia! What are you doing over here? Do you have a special job for us?"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Please tell me you have a contract for us"

Selin Anvell: "Uhm... mister Valmuth is away on a quest on his own so... maybe we can't accept this one?"

Dridia: "I am aware of that! That's why I was looking for you two specifically!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Wow! It seems our reputation has really increased around here! " "So... is it a special kind of contract? A special board job?"

Dridia: "Not a board job exactly. A commission with the Adventurer's guild of Medel. "

Selin Anvell: "Eh? Medel? What kind of contract could that be?"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Oh wow! That actually sounds important!"

Dridia: "That's right! It's a quest to go to the somber peaks! "

Dridia clears her throat, while adjusting her glasses carefully.

Dridia: "Ehem— 'Travelers out of the northern snows keep telling the same story — lights moving in the ruins of a Castle, a pale figure on the battlements, and an old, cold song over the drifts at night. And the newest ones say the ruins run deeper than they look.'

Dridia: Lights in the depths... could be a dungeon so it's worth checking out!"

Selin Anvell: "Yes, but... the Somber peaks — that's a long way to the border, isn't it?"

Dridia: "Correct again! And — since you girls cleared a B+ Dungeon with just three party members... I thought about you! Look!"

Dridia: She proudly slides a folded paper across. "One hundred gold, paid on report! Ta-dah! More if you bring proof. The guild wants answers before the rumors become a monster attack."

Selin Anvell: (fidgeting with her sleeve) "Um. Isn't that a bit too much gold?"

Fiona Aedelmar: (foot already tapping) "Hah! A scary ruined castle and a mysterious figure? Selin, did you hear that?" "That's a hero quest. That's a statue-of-us-in-the-square quest!"

Selin Anvell: "I mean — yes! Yes. It sounds... not that scary. A song is — songs aren't dangerous. Probably."

Dridia: "And there's only ONE catch~!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Right — Selin! There is just one —!"

Fiona Aedelmar: ...

Fiona Aedelmar: "Ugh — Spit it out, already."

Dridia: "You have to team up with two adventurers from Medel. Both our guilds are doing a partnership for this one. The guildmaster said it encourages cooperation and uh, bonding."

Fiona Aedelmar: "T-that's not so bad."

Dridia: "Yeah. That's why we needed two adventurers specifically. And, honestly, this was driving me a bit nuts, teeheehee~! "

Selin Anvell: "W-well, then. S-so... who are the two adventurers who are going to team up with us?"

A large, unkempt man appears from the crowd, striding forward like he owns the place. He reeks of alcohol even that early in the morning. He arrives with a tankard he did not buy, bows to Dridia anyway.

Jon Lawful: "Make way, veteran hunter coming up! One of the good ones!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "M-more like Veteran drinker. Who the hell are you?"

Dridia looks up with a mix of surprise and disbelief.

Dridia: "R-Renk? They sent you?”

Fiona Aedelmar: "H-him?"

Jon Lawful: "Renk's dead and buried, love. My name is Jon Lawful now. Adventurer. Nightblade. Dangerous man. "

Dridia: "U-huh, Is... is that so?"

Jon Lawful: "So... what'cha got here? A ghost that keeps its house warm and lights the candles and sings? "

Jon Lawful: "That is not a monster problem. That is a host problem. And I was raised by wolves with better manners than most hosts (drinks) — I shall teach it the hospitality of a true wildman." (he flicks the paper open with two fingers)

Jon Lawful: "Also, the Lawful thing to do is takin' the free gold."

Selin Anvell: "T-that makes no sense at all."

Jon Lawful: "Course it does, glasses!"

Selin Anvell: "Gla-glasses?"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Did he just... "

Fiona Aedelmar: "Did you just call HER glasses?!"

Jon Lawful: "Don't be jealous, redhead. It's just a friendly nickname. We're friends, right?"

Fiona Aedelmar: "I'll show you friends! I'm gonna—!"

Fiona stops. Her adventurer instincts make the back of her head tingle as they direct her towards the the most threatening presence in the room: Dridia.

Dridia: (ominously) "Jon Lawful... let's see. Here it says you have been blacklisted from Medel. AND... you owe the guild a two-hundred and ninety seven gold."

Selin Anvell: "D-dridia...? I-I've never seen that face before."

Fiona Aedelmar: "I have... this is gonna be GOOD!"

Jon Lawful: "I... d-dammit, girl, don't look at me like that, I know."

Jon Lawful: "I got into a... uh... d-disagreement with the managers... which is why I... look... I wanna make amends."

Dridia: "See to it."

Dridia: "Please."

Jon Lawful: "I'm serious this time! Look, I joined the party of an adventurer of Medel, which retired and even blacklisted adventurers can do every now and then. "

Dridia: "I see— and who did you trick this time to tag along with you, "Jon"?"

Jon Lawful: "Well I..."

Lan Tails: (poking her head under his arm to read) "Myahaha! Hello!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "A... demihuman girl?"

Lan Tails: "Hi! My name is Lan Tails. I'm a brawler — a tiger-style brawler. "

Fiona Aedelmar: "Tiger-style? Never heard of it."

Jon Lawful: "Well she's good, Red. She can kick ass and dodge like a spooked goblin. "

Lan Tails: "And Jonny here promised to give me his share of all the items we find."

Jon Lawful: (Jon drinks the whole tankard to stomach his next words) "Yeh. Whatevs, kitty, Jon Lawful doesn't need no artifacts, only his wits and his guts and his nerves of steel."

Fiona Aedelmar: "I can't believe Dridia is doing this to us."

Selin Anvell: "Uh... D-dridia? Is that really going to be our party?"

Dridia: "It's — it's just a scouting mission, pretty much, but it's far so the price is high. Don't fight it if you don't have to. Stay away from harm. The guild's not paying for a battle. We're paying for the truth."

Dridia: "Come back with something. Anything, really! Not much is expected from you guys!"

Dridia: "Bye bye~! "

Dridia runs away, almost feeling guilty for what Fiona and Selin will have to deal with.

Fiona Aedelmar: "T-that little monster... she set us up and left."

Lan Tails: "So, uuh—"

Lan Tails: "Where are we going?"

CHAPTER 2 - Peaks of Shadow

And so, our heroes decide to venture beyond the border of Gadresh, into the somber peaks where the sun barely reaches. Through roads and forest they travel north into Malorisian cold. They crest a drift ridge and see it:

a castle drowned in snow, towers snapped, banners gone, and — exactly as the rumors said — a candlelit window. Nothing moves but wind.

Fiona Aedelmar: "Right. That's our castle, just as the contract described it. Everyone ready?"

Jon Lawful: huffing and puffing

Lan Tails: "Tee-hee~! The old man is tired!"

Jon Lawful: "S-shut up kits! " "Anywho, W-who's the idiot who would build a castle on top of the middle of nowhere?!"

Selin Anvell: "Many castles were built here during the war of red and gold. Many of them housed Demon Lord Sargol's most powerful servants."

Lan Tails: "Who might those be?"

Selin shudders just by thinking about it. She pauses, looking at the distant castle and says:

Selin Anvell: "Vampires."

Fiona Aedelmar: "We never get contracts on these. They're mostly extinct, aren't they?"

Jon looks at her, with a face that makes Fiona take him seriously for the first time since they met.

Jon Lawful: "Oh no they ain't, girl. Vampires are veery real. I've dealt with lesser ones and kicked their ass Lawful style, but the higher ones... those are a whole different story."

Jon Lawful: "Higher vampires are smart. They play the looong game and they don't mess around. I've never seen one, but If you ask my lawful opinion I think they're sleeping. Somewhere. Waiting for the time to strike."

Lan shudders, her hair slightly bristled, her ears down as if she feared Jon's words had conjured one of these ancient nightmares.

Lan Tails: "So scary! I hope they stay asleep forever. V-vampires are horrible creatures — with sharp claws and fangs!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Don't you have claws and fangs too?"

Lan Tails: "T-that's totally different!"

They reach the large gate, still standing despite so many centuries and a feeling of unease starts creeping in; a strange engulfing loneliness, and yet... something else. A lingering presence.

Fiona Aedelmar: "Right. So here we are. Let's find a way in and get this over with. "

Selin observes the crest at the gate. A crimson orb with two bats on each side, and a name below: "Valkestein"

Selin Anvell: "Valkestein."

Fiona Aedelmar: "Ringing any bells, scholar?"

Selin Anvell: "Uh. No. I have pretty much forgotten what we said in class about the war of red and gold. S-sorry."

Selin Anvell: "That said, it looks ancient. Older than the war itself."

Lan Tails: "That means ancient artifacts! Myaa!"

Jon Lawful: "Hey, kitty— about the artifacts I promised you... how about I give you HALF of what I earn instead?"

Fiona Aedelmar: "What happened to those nerves of steel, buddy?"

Jon Lawful: "I mean I got'em — but I really, REALLY need to pay that debt with the guild. Or else. Seriously, did you see the little girl's face? Few things can make my blood run cold, reds, but that's definitely one of them!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Yeah, she might be nice and friendly most of the time, but she gets things done. That's why Brakka loves her."

Fiona Aedelmar: "And don't call me reds!"

Lan Tails: "Well I don't care about that Dreadia girl and your debt! A deal's a deal. No backsies!"

Jon Lawful: "Oh come on, kits, dont' be like that! "

Lan Tails: "If you try to trick me I'll whoop your ass tiger-style!"

Selin Anvell: "Wait... back at the guild... you said you were a brawler, didn't you?"

Lan Tails: "Co-rrect! Myaa~!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "I thought you were just a brigand at first, so skinny, nimble and... well.. tiny. "

Jon Lawful: "Wait, she's not a brigand?"

Lan Tails: "AAAH I AM NOT A BRIGAND YOU DUMMY!!! I AM A BRAWLER! I use my fists in battle!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "You mean your wittle paws~"

Lan Tails: "Y-you! You'll pay for that! Mya! "

Jon Lawful: "Careful, red. She'll scratch you. And I mean it!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Yeah, well, as long as she can put up a fight I'm ok with that!" "And do NOT call me red."

Jon Lawful: "She's fast enough to hit Jon Lawful, she's fast enough to hit you."

Fiona Aedelmar: "I don't even know your profession yet. What's that whip even for?!"

Jon Lawful: "Heheh... brigand, aye. Nightblade. But I fight like a brawler and I've got the heart of a warrior!"

Jon Lawful: "And that whip, F-Y-I, is coated in SALT. Creatures of the night and evil spirits hate salt. That's why no one should trust a person who doesn't love salt!"

Lan Tails: Yikes. I hate salt!

Jon Lawful: "Case in point, kits! I don't trust you."

Lan Tails: "Well I don't trust you either you— you beer... belch."

Lan lowers her head, then pretends to think of a way in for the party. Fiona seems to be the only one taking the quest seriously, as the sun is going down, and they need a way into the castle.

Even Selin seems distracted. She looks at Jon Lawful's hand, something about it feeling wrong.

Selin Anvell: "What about that tattoo on your hand? It feels... strange."

Jon Lawful: "That one? It's a funny story. I don't even remember how I got it."

Jon Lawful: " I was drunk as a skunk, when suddenly I see these robed guys and— "

Just at that moment, the portcullis of the castle makes a metallic sound. The mechanisms groan as all the heads turn towards it.

The rattling of the chains continues as they begin pulling the heavy door up. The mechanism holds, even after all these years and the extreme weather.

BLAM!

Selin Anvell: "D-did you guys... see that?"

Lan Tails: "The massive-rattling gate opening?"

Selin Anvell: "Um, yeah. I mean... but..."

Selin Anvell: "I-It opened! The portcullis opened by itself!"

Fiona Aedelmar: (sword half-drawn) "Oh wow. Okay. Okay. Traps open outward, right? Things don't invite you in unless— "

Fiona Aedelmar: "Unless they think you can't hurt them" (she adjusts her armor below the chest) "...Or they want you to come in."

(unhurried, Jon wipes frost from his whip's salt crust, looking at the gate like a genuine hunter for once)

Jon Lawful: "Ah — correction, my dear redhead: things invite you in when they want an audience. Question is only whether we're here to watch the show or be the show."

Jon Lawful: "And lemme tell you something. Jon Lawful IS the show."

Fiona Aedelmar: (sigh) "Riiight— "

(he steps over the threshold, bows slightly at the empty gatehouse)

Jon Lawful: "Pardon the intrusion, ghostie, but Jon Lawful is a man of action!"

Aria of Sorrow

They wander around the howling ruins of the castle just as the sun goes down. The castle was majestic once, but now it's only an empty ruin where all of the half-crumbled rooms have been devoured by the passage of time.

There are no frozen corpses, no monsters to be fought. Even if the signs of past battles still scar the ancient walls, no one has been here in a long time. Not adventurers, not demon lords and their minions, not anything else.

Only the thing that was once the courtyard still stands. They find nothing but frost and the cold wind. The place does indeed look abandoned.

Fiona Aedelmar: "It's useless! No dungeon, no traps! There's nothing worth fighting in this empty ruin! "

Jon Lawful: "Now there is. I walked in, didn't I?"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Don't give me ideas you— "

Then it happens. A voice interrupts them. A melancholic feminine voice echoing in the moonlight. Haunting, beautiful.

"We swore our love would never die, Beneath the black and moonless sky. You broke your vow, you fled from me, And left me chained in agony."

Selin Anvell: "G-g-g-g-guys? D-did anyone else just hear that?!"

Jon Lawful: "Aye. Beautiful tune, huh? If a bit too slow. Can't dance to that."

"My servants fade, my halls decay, My glory turns to dust and grey. I walk alone, I mourn and cry a piece that's yours and cannot die. For still I keep what you denied, A heart that broke, but that survived."

Fiona Aedelmar: "So... eerie."

Fiona Aedelmar: "That has to be the ghost. Or spirit... so there IS something here."

Lan doesn't get distracted by the sound. Instead, she smiles smugly as her cat-like ears twitch.

Lan Tails: "Hmm... my kitten instincts are feeling tingly."

Lan Tails: (crouched by the frost-covered statues of the Valkestein line, tail bristled) "Guys. Guys. These statues are facing the gate."

Jon Lawful: "Yah? What about them, kits?"

Selin Anvell: "All of them..."

Selin Anvell: "But one!"

Lan Tails: "Precisely!"

Selin Anvell: "That could be something. Let me take a look."

They hurry past. Selin's Perception catches something the others miss: a flagstone next to one statue, its snow just slightly too neat.

Selin Anvell: "Over there! I think I've found something!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Hold on, Selin. Let me go first. I'm the warrior, after all."

Selin Anvell: "Ah?! N-no, Fio! S-stop— don't step—"

Fiona steps on it.

Fiona Aedelmar: "WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

The floor beneath the flagstone drops, alongside a large pile of snow and Fiona herself.

THUD!

Fiona Aedelmar: "Ouch."

Fiona Aedelmar: "My ribs."

Selin Anvell: "F-Fio! Are you okay?!"

— fifteen feet into a root cellar with a very surprised expression and, mercifully, only her pride dented

Fiona Aedelmar: (from the dark, muffled, furious) "I'm fine. It's fine. This was uh... reconnaissance."

Jon Lawful: "Hold on, I'm coming!"

Selin Anvell: "Wait, don't do it! It's not an easy jump and you could—!"

Jon Lawful: "DO YOU WANNA LIVE FOREVER! YAAA—AAAGH!!!

Jon drops off and lands gracefully with his tankard intact.

THUD!

Fiona Aedelmar: "Well, now any ghosts, monsters or creatures hiding there will know of our presence. Thanks, bud."

Jon Lawful: (he drinks from a Tankard that should have been empty long ago) "Welp. Anyway, congrats, Red! You found the way. I knew you had it in you!"

Fiona Aedelmar: My name is FIONA! F-I-O-N-A! And how did you even find a beer in this place?!

Jon Lawful: A man of the world's gotta come prepared.

Lan Tails: (peering down, absolutely delighted) "Well, at least it has a bottom. Thanks for finding it, F-I-O-N-A!"

Lan Tails: "Alright, my turn. Tigeeer... jump!"

Lan Tails: "Yaaay~!"

STEP!

Lan Tails: "Oho! I landed better than F-I-O-N-A! Look! Myahaha~!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "This quest is gonna be the end me. Or my patience. Or both."

Selin Anvell: "W-wait for me! I can't— A-alright Selin. Use your brains."

Selin Anvell: "L-levitation! "

Selin gracefully wobbles all the way down.

Selin Anvell: (voice tiny, hands shaking, eyes closed) "Please work please work please work"

STEP! She lands, almost as gracefully as Lan.

Selin Anvell: "Oh? What is this place?"

Portraits of Ruin

Below the trapdoor: corridors of paintings under cracked varnish, dust on the frames, and candlelight that follows them like a lantern-bearer. Selin notices it first — the light moves when they move, never otherwise.

They walk. They turn a corner. Another corridor of paintings. Another. They count turns, chalk an arrow on a wall, walk ten minutes — and pass their own chalk arrow going the other way.

Selin Anvell: (pressing a hand to the wall, voice thin) "It's— we're going in circles. Not walking in circles, exactly... but getting nowhere. "

Selin Anvell: "I-I don't think there's a way out by walking at all."

Fiona Aedelmar: "There's always a way out! We just haven't hit the right wall yet— "

Fiona draws back her sword at a painted landscape, ready to strike, but Jon Lawful interrupts her, catching her wrist, gently.

Jon Lawful: "Ah-ah. Look first, sweetheart."

Fiona Aedelmar: (Pulling away) "Y-you!! Don't touch me!"

He raps his whip handle against the frame; the sword-strike would have landed on solid wall.

Jon Lawful: "This is a house of lies, reddie, but the walls are the real deal. This is not just an illusion. "

Fiona Aedelmar: "You call me anything but FIONA again and I'll make a way through the wall. With your skull!”

Selin Anvell: "But h-he's actually right. This is no illusion, but some sort of... enchantment. A simple one. "

Fiona Aedelmar: "So, can you dispel it?"

Selin Anvell: "Uhm... no."

Fiona Aedelmar: "Right."

Lan Tails: "..."

And then Lan Tail — wandering at the back, nose near the frames, the one who lingers — freezes mid-step.

Lan Tails: humming cluelessly "Hm hm-hm hmm!"

Lan Tails: "Hm hm-hm h—"

Lan Tails: "Hm?!"

Lan Tails: "...M-mya!? G-guys! The lady in this painting just looked at me."

It's the lady's portrait — young, pale, in the dress of the old house. And when they all crowd over, her eyes are exactly where painted eyes should be. Only Lan Tail saw them move, and Lan Tail's tail is bottle-brushed.

Fiona Aedelmar: "So that's our ghost, huh?"

Jon Lawful: "I'd hit that."

Fiona Aedelmar: "Jon. Please behave."

Jon Lawful: "In fact, I think I WILL hit that!"

Jon Lawful: "HYAH!!"

Jon Lawful hits the portrait with his salt-coated whip. Nothing happens.

Jon Lawful: "Nah. No evil spirit here. Cat just got spooked. Making up things. Trust me."

Lan Tails: "H-how dare you! I-I'm not making anything up! She LOOKED at me! I'm a professional brawler. I fear NOTHING! You hear me!"

(silence)

Lan Tails: (two seconds later, ears flat, then recovering with a sniff)

Lan Tails: "Mya! G-guyss!!"

Lan Tails: "Waait!"

Two corridors on, they pass a different canvas, and the mood of the whole gallery changes. A portrait of a demon lord — and its face has been slashed with claws, long and furious and very old.

Selin Anvell: "That's... him. That's Demon Lord Sargol. I've seen engravings in the academy stacks. But why would anyone— the paint's torn, not just cut. That's not a key or a blade. That's nails."

Jon Lawful: "Ooooh... that's a lady's anger alright. Someone in this house hates him very personally."

Fiona Aedelmar: "...And she invited us past it."

Nobody asks why. Nobody needs to. The ghost lady of this castle must have hated demon lords.

They walk on — and this time Jon, strolling at the rear with his tankard, feels it: a thread of moving air. Cool. Real. He stops. Backs up. Holds the salt off his whip-tip toward a canvas — a painting of a corridor, dark, with a stairway descending into black — and the salt grains drift toward the canvas.

Jon Lawful: "Huh?"

Jon Lawful: "Yeah no. Ladies. Walking we ain't gonna get anywhere. The exit is either a hidden wall or something behind a painting. "

Fiona Aedelmar: "So I WAS right."

Fiona Aedelmar: "My adventurer's instinct never fails!"

Already pressing her face near it, Lan Tails smells the air, whiskers twitching. The scent. It's different.

Lan Tails: "There's a breeze coming from INSIDE this painting! Real breeze! —"

Everyone turns to look at Lan, who smugly points to the secret entrance.

Lan Tails: "Tiger slip-through! Keep up, you slowpo—"

And the moment they grip the frame to step in — a swarm of bats erupts out of the canvas, shrieking, wings everywhere,

Lan Tails: "MYAAAAA—AAHHHH!!"

one tangling itself comically in Fiona's ponytail as the whole swarm flutters away into the gallery's dark.

Fiona Aedelmar: (two full seconds of undignified shrieking, sword swinging at nothing, before the bats are gone)

Fiona Aedelmar: "I-I..."

Fiona Aedelmar: "I MEANT TO DO THAT."

Selin Anvell: "M-me too. I meant to scream from the top of my lungs. And I did."

Lan Tails: (helplessly wheezing on the floor) "Tiger— tiger got— batted!" (she wipes her eyes) "Okay. Okay. I'm walking through. Nobody look at my face while I do it."

Jon Lawful: "Holy fri—cken hell that almost gave me a heart attack!!!"

Jon sips again from his tankard and his face changes again to his trademark smile, if a bit more shaken.

Jon Lawful: "Ehem, I mean— Well, congrats kits. You found the way! BWAHAHAHA!"

One by one, they step into the painted corridor — and the gallery's candlelight closes behind them like a book.

CHAPTER 4 - Circle of the Stairs

The painting was honest: a vast stone stairway spiraling down into darkness, lit by an endless procession of wall-candles. The air is still and the stone is old, and the descent feels welcomed.

It never ends.

Ten minutes. Twenty. Selin counts aloud; the numbers stop meaning anything

Selin Anvell: "That can't be right. It's impossible. These stairs... there's something wrong with them."

Jon Lawful: "Yeah, they never end. It's a trap. Let's go back up. "

Lan Tails: "Wait— look up!! Where's the exit?!"

"Lan Tails thinks for exactly a second, and that's already too much for her. "

Lan Tails: "I got this! Let me... tiger-sprint!!"

Selin Anvell: "Lan! Don't split the party!"

She goes up and disappears into the distance.

Selin Anvell: "She's gone."

Jon Lawful: "Should I call her back?"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Wait a minute. I think I've found out something."

Fiona goes down, leaving her buckler against a step as a marker, then they go downstairs;

the same three wall-hangings pass by again, and the buckler is behind them, sitting where they left it — as if they'd never moved. Just then. Lan Tails returns... from below.

Lan Tails: (Wheeze) "H-how did you guys get there so fast?!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "We never left you dummy. This is not a stairway, it's another trap. A spell of some sort, right, Selin?"

Selin Anvell: (staring at the buckler, very quiet) "We can't go up. I want to be wrong about that, but— the loop doesn't even bother hiding itself upward. It's like— like the stairs tolerate us going down and don't permit anything else."

(leaning over the rail into the dark below, unhurried, Jon takes another pull from the now obviously empty tankard)

Jon Lawful: "Well. Somebody built this somewhere, and people who build secret rooms love secret switches.

Jon Lawful: "Lan. Your kitty eyes are better than mine and you've got thief's instincts. What do you see in these walls that isn't stone?"

Lan Tails: "OON IIIT!"

Lan Tails: (nose practically against the wall, working along the candle-line, muttering) "Candles, candles, sconce, candles, candles, sconce? wait."

Lan Tails: "This one's dimmer. Just a little. Like it's sleeping." (frown) "...Or plugged."

Once every three candles, the pattern repeats — and every third candle in the cycle, one wick burns a shade lower than its neighbors. Not levers. Not anything. Just candles. Except Lan Tail, spending her Stealth-honed eye on it, notices the dim ones sit a hair's-width proud of the wall — candle sconces that move.

Lan Tails: "Aha! It's a candle. That's a switch. That's—" (grin spreading, fangs showing) "—that's it. Fine. Got it!"

Selin Anvell: "No, wait! What if it's a tra-"

She presses it.

A deep, grinding clack runs up the stairway — and the stairs liquefy into a slide, spiraling away beneath them.

Selin Anvell: "HAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

Lan Tails: "MYAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Jon Lawful: "(dropping his tankard, which the slide keeps pace with) "D-damnit—"

Fiona Aedelmar: "THAT'S NOT HOW I WANTED TO DIEE!!!!"

Jon Lawful: "YOU WANTED TO DIE?!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "SHUT IT!! WAAAAAAAAH!!!"

The slide takes them shrieking and flailing down through the dark — Fiona screaming the whole way out of pure principle, Selin levitating herself for exactly two seconds before overcorrecting and doing a slow cartwheel, Lan Tail surfing it with her arms out and her ears pinned back.

Jon Lawful: "Lawful Descends in Style—LAWFUL DOES NOT DESCEND IN STYLE—! "

Jon Lawful: "SHIIEEAAAGHH—!! "

Order of Siros

The slide spits them out in a heap at the bottom. It is not graceful, and it is not free. Four bodies land in a tangle on cold flagstone — bruises blooming, joints rung, Selin landing across Fiona's back with a winded oof. Nothing broken, nobody down.

Lan Tails: (Lan sits up, forearm stinging, ears flat, lower lip wobbling — and for once not an act at all) "Ow. Ow. That's not how Tiger-land works!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Tiger land works by landing on everyone, apparently—"

Selin Anvell: (from underneath the pile, muffled, Selin yells) "G-get off— get off, I can't feel my— hello? I-is everyone alive?"

Fiona Aedelmar: (Fiona falls flat on her back, staring at the ceiling, absolutely dying inside) "...Yeah, only my pride as an adventurer got bruised. Badly."

Jon Lawful: (rolling upright, John retrieves his now infamous tankard, which somehow survived) "Well that kinda sucked, folks!"

Jon Lawful: "Gonna have to get serious with this dungeon."

The hall is large, dark, and full of armor. Rows of ancient plate with the crests of Siros and Maloris stand shoulder to shoulder in one corner like an honor guard; elsewhere they stand scattered and alone; one faces the wall outright, like a soldier in disgrace. A wide fireplace occupies the far end. It has been still for a long time.

The party does exactly what the room wants them to do: they study the arrangement.

Fiona Aedelmar: "Honor guard there. Loners there. That one's being punished. It's a formation, it has to mean something—"

Selin Anvell: (On hearing that, Selin frowns, gazing around, more uneasy than usual) "O-Or... it means nothing? I keep waiting for it to resolve into a pattern and it— doesn't? It's like a puzzle made to be looked at. Everything else in this castle lied to us productively. This room is just... arranged."

It's Lan Tails — rubbing her skinned arm, wandering the rows half-sulkily — who notices one armor is heavier than the rest. She peers in through the gorget and goes very still.

Lan Tails: "Eek! Th-There's bones in this one!"

Inside the plate: the skeleton of a knight of Maloris — one of those killed during the war of Red and Gold, kept standing in her hall in death. And not just one. Several of the armors are not empty.

Fiona Aedelmar: "T-this is somehow worse than the tomb of Astelon. By far!"

(the bravado draining out of Fiona's face; she adjusts her armor below the chest, the anxious tell, and doesn't say anything else at all)

Jon Lawful: taking a sip from his empty tankard slowly in one hand "She beat them. She kept them. She stands 'em up."

Jon Lawful: "Gods. That's not a trophy wall, ladies. That's a guest book."

And as they drift along the rows — softly, without fanfare — a helmet is not quite pointing where it was before. A tilted visor here. A helm that faced them on the walk back that hadn't on the way past. Selin feels it first, the way you feel being watched before you see the watcher: the back of her neck prickling.

Selin Anvell: (whispering) "Th-th-th-they're turning. Not— not animating, they're just... looking. With their... visors."

Lan Tails: “Staring at a lady, huh? I'll show you. Tee-he hee, Tiger... !!”

Selin Anvell: "S-stop! Don't!"

Lan Tails: "..."

Lan Tails: "Tiger-polite-knock!"

TONK

Selin Anvell: "..."

Lan Tails: "What? Did you think I was going to do something stu—!"

The armor takes one step off its plinth and grabs her. Plate shifting, gauntlets flexing, dull ancient swords clearing scabbards.

Lan Tails: "WAAAAAAAAAAA—AAAAAAAAH!"

Selin Anvell: "EEK!"

Lan Tails: "H-h-heeelp— it's got me, it's got me—!!"

Jon Lawful: "Right... I think it's lawful time I stopped being polite! RAAAAAGH!!!!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Feel the wrath of a REAL adventurer! HYAAA!"

Fiona bashes the armored head off with her shield, while Jon round-house kicks it into pieces. The armor falls with a heavy clatter.

Jon Lawful: "Now that's the lawful way to do things, Reds!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "For the last time, stop calling me R—"

CLUTTER CLATTER CLUTTER CLATTER

Fiona Aedelmar: "Oh gods."

The armor starts reassembling itself and standing up once more.

Fiona Aedelmar: "Oh gods it's getting back up — It's reforming itself!"

The armors all adopt a straight posture, all of them looking at the party now.

Fiona Aedelmar: "Oh gods why did I do that?!"

One after another, the animated armors ready their weapons, if they have them, then start advancing towards them.

Fiona Aedelmar: "W-what's the lawful thing to do now?"

Selin Anvell: "R-RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Jon Lawful: "Run? Love, Jon Lawful don't fricken run!"

Jon Lawful: "COME ON YOU BASTARDS! I'll SHOW YOU HOW A MAN DIES!!"

Jon tackles the first row of knights, using his fists, roaring and laughing like a madman

Fiona Aedelmar: "Right! I'm still a warrior! BRING IT! HAAAAH! YAH!"

Fiona easily defeats two more knights, dodging and skillfully timing her attacks.

Fiona Aedelmar: "Come on, Selin! Let's show'em!"

Selin Anvell: "Right!"

Selin Anvell: "F-fireball!"

Selin Anvell: "HA!"

The fireball explodes, stopping the armor for an instant.

It tilts its head down, surprised it did no damage.

Then continues reaching out towards Selin.

Selin Anvell: "Right... I should have known."

Selin Anvell: "YAAAA—HH!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!""

Fiona Aedelmar: "Hey, tin-cans! Get away from my friend! HAAH!"

Fiona beheads two armored knights with a single swing.

Unfortunately, they still move and grab her.

Fiona Aedelmar: "N-NOT FAIR! NOT FAIR!! HEEEELP!!"

Lan Tails: "I've got you, Fio! Tigeeer... LAND!!"

Lan crashes into both armors at the same time, sending them flying and releasing Fiona. She falls down near the fireplace.

Fiona Aedelmar: "Thanks, Lan! You really did it!"

Lan Tails: "Ow, ow ow... gotta practice that landing."

Then, she notices it. The breeze again.

Lan Tails: "Aiya?! A-a breeze?! This is not a fireplace... it's...it's a tunnel! "

Jon Lawful: "These bastards keep reforming! They want to tire us out!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Chimney. chimney, chimney— GO GO GO! Selin, you first!"

Selin Anvell: "D-don't stay behind! "

One by one they cram into the crawl-tunnel behind the flue — Lan Tail second despite her arm, then Fiona, Jon last, backing in with his whip cracking one final crack at the reaching gauntlets. As they crawl away into the dark, from the hall behind them comes the sound of suits stepping neatly back onto their plinths, one by one.

The Lost Painting

The chimney tunnel opens, and the castle changes. A dim library: paintings in gilded frames between the bookcases, books everywhere, a low fire, deep comfortable chairs, a dim lamp per shelf. It smells of old paper and warm wax. After the gallery and the stairs and the hall of the watching dead, it is the first room that feels like a room. It feels safe.

Fiona Aedelmar: (As they get into the safety of this new room, Fiona collapses into a deep chair, armor creaking and an honest relief all over her face) "Oh. Oh. We're— okay. We're okay."

Fiona Aedelmar: "There's a fire. There are chairs. Whoever she was, this singing lady had taste."

Lan Tails: (Lan's eyes narrow. Her nose twitching) "Hold on, Fio. This is a trap room. I can smell it!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "YOU of all people can smell traps?! YOU?!"

Lan Tails: "I can smell someone's house. Someone dusts these shelves. Someone reads these books. " (her ears flatten) "We're not in a ruin. We're in a home."

Selin Anvell: (Selin looks at the shelves, cautiously delighted, feeling herself at peace near the books) "Look at the— these aren't trophies. Some of these are annotated. In the margins. There's tea-stains on this one. Lan is right. (she smiles) Someone reads in the rain. "

Selin Anvell: "W-wait. Someone reads in the rain here, in a crypt, with a fire—"

Jon Lawful: (flipping through a volume, idly) "Bah! Books are the most unlawful thing to do."

Fiona Aedelmar: "Yeah, we can tell."

Jon Lawful: "Yeah, ha-ha. But my gut is telling me that whatever is waiting for us beyond this... it knows we're here. It's always known we're here."

Jon Lawful: "So let's stop being a buncha nerds and move on. My whip is thirsty, ladies."

Jon Lawful: "Speakin o'which, daddy's also thirsty. " (he gulps once more from the tankard)

Fiona Aedelmar: "How do you even find a refill for that HERE?!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "You know what? I don't wanna know. Just follow me, guys. There has to be an exit here somewhere."

Lan Tails: (small voice, big eyes — and for once, not entirely an act) "...C-can someone walk in front of me?"

They explore the room thoroughly and find nothing but books and paintings. Nothing remarkable. No exit. After a while, the party splits without noticing they've split. Fiona sinks deeper into her chair and stops watching the door. Selin drifts along the annotated shelves, absorbed. Jon pours himself into reading a disputed hunting-club history out loud to no one. And Lan Tail — sore, restless, curiosity with whiskers — pads off alone along the far wall, where the paintings hang.

Lan Tails: "Paintings, huh? Paintings were the answer before... and this cat has learned her lesson. Let's see..."

By the time she notices, the painting is already right behind her. It's too late for her.

WHOOOSHHHHHHH!!!

Lan Tails: "MYAAAHHH!"

There is a soft sound — like a page turning — and then a muffled scream. After a while. The party gathers again at the main hall of the library.

Selin Anvell: "Has anyone seen Lan?"

Jon Lawful: "Thought she was with you. Or reds."

The wall where Lan Tail was standing is empty. And a painting that wasn't there before, or maybe always was, hangs at exactly her eye height:

Fiona Aedelmar: "Oh gods... guys! Guys! Come quickly!"

Jon Lawful: "Calling for help, sweetheart?"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Shut up and look up there you idiot!"

Selin Anvell: "Fio! Are you alright?! Why were you... OH!"

The painting depicts A demihuman catgirl in an elven tunic, rendered in horrified, screaming brushstrokes, painted reaching out of the frame.

Fiona Aedelmar: (Fiona draws her sword, then slams her free palm against the canvas) "LAN! LAN! It's a painting— it's a TRAP, it's—"

(her fist passes through painted canvas and hits solid wall behind it; the frame does not even rattle)

Fiona Aedelmar: "No. No no no, damnit! Take her back— she's— she was RIGHT THERE—"

Selin Anvell: (white-faced, her voice shaking, Selin reaches for the painting with Arcana and recoils from it. In her eyes genuine fear.) "She's not in there. She's—"

Selin Anvell: "She's already somewhere else."

Jon Lawful: "The painting is a message. It's showing us what happened. Damn it all!"

Jon Lawful: " I'm gonna thrash this entire place until we find kits!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Wait. Let's think for once instead of charging forward. We're not separating again. Period."

Fiona Aedelmar: "Someone snatched Lan... and where do snatched things go in a house like this? "

Selin Anvell: "A hostage?"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Exactly. We're at the negotiating stage, and we came to it one friend short."

Jon Lawful: "Stay close. It's the lawful thing to do in this situation. Someone's hunting the hunters."

They search the halls with desperation and frustration. They find no seam, no latch, no sign of her.

In a dark corner, they find a full-body mirror. No trace of Lan.

Fiona Aedelmar: "She's not here either. Whatever is doing this, it's toying with us... patiently."

Jon Lawful: "Our host is having fun at our expense."

As they leave. Selin feels SOMETHING behind her. A presence.

Selin Anvell: "Oh? Someone — B-behind me?"

Selin Anvell: "A-ah!"

As they leave, Selin's gaze lingers a second too long in the full-body mirror. The image is all wrong. The silhouette... it's not hers. All black. And with red glowing eyes.

Selin Anvell: "I-I-I... ah... I can't... m-move...!"

Selin Anvell: "S-Somebody... that gaze...h-help."

The figure's smile widens as she notices Selin's fear. Her inability to move.

STEP

Selin, alone, stares at it for four full seconds of spiritual cold before Jon's voice from across the room breaks it.

Jon Lawful: "Hey, glasses. You ok?"

Selin Anvell: "I... something was wrong. The mirror wanted me. I couldn't move. If I'd gone to look at it alone—"

Jon Lawful: "Save it, love. Stay close. This is getting interesting."

They delve deeper into the library, always together. Then Selin, walking the shelves with wet eyes and a mage's stubbornness, notices something.

Selin Anvell: "This bookcase's books are dust-free on one edge. There must be something about this... "

When she presses it, the bookshelf rolls aside on a rail with a whisper, opening onto a corridor breathing warm air and candlelight from below.

Fiona Aedelmar: "You found it! I bet they didn't expect that!"

Jon Lawful: "Good job! Now... it's time to kick some proper ethereal ass. My whip's getting itchy."

Jon Lawful: (scratches head, then cheek and chin)

Harmony of Despair

As they walk in, they reach an elegant corridor full of candelabras that light as they pass.

Jon Lawful: "She's waiting for us, our ghost."

Fiona Aedelmar: "Okay. She has Lan. She's had Lan for an hour. Nothing we do through that door end in violence unless necessary, got it? "

Fiona Aedelmar: "Nobody draws. Nobody threatens. We get our cat back with words, or we don't get her back at all. ...Selin, you're doing the talking if my talking starts failing. Jon—"

Jon Lawful: "Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I'll do the talking. And I've negotiated with worse things than a lonely ghostly noblewoman. Usually drunk, admittedly."

Fiona Aedelmar: "J-just don't say anything. At all."

Jon Lawful: "Aye. Gladly, madam. I'm a man of action, after all."

A throne hall kept perfectly — waxed floor, silver candelabra, a table laid for tea. And on the throne, pale and elegant in a gown of sable and silver-thread: a woman with reddish-brown hair and eyes like old wine. The pale figure from every traveler's tale.

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Ah, the rest of my guests, at long last."

(she rises — and every candle in the room leans toward her)

Selin Anvell: "That... presence. She's ... we're not dealing with a ghost."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Why of course not, my dear mage. Pity you didn't get here earlier. I would have enjoyed your company."

Selin Anvell: "H-h-"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "But oh, how lovely it is you all made it this far. Do come in dear guests — mind the rug, the castle is old and I am sentimental about it. "

Fiona Aedelmar: "You're no ghost. Who— What are you?"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "I am a vampir. Isn't that obvious?"

Selin Anvell: "A vampir...!"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Ah, that's right. Where are my manners? "

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "My name is Emilia Vohn Valkestein. Last of the Valkestein. Last of my kind.."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "You have been wonderful tonight, all of you. Truly. The gallery bit, the lever slide — I have not laughed so in years."

Fiona Aedelmar: "We're here for Lan. What have you done with her?!"

Amused by Fiona's question, the vampire nonchalantly approaches one side of the room. She raises her hand, as if performing a magic trick with her cape.

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Do not rush. "

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Your lady—"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "— is here! "

The room transforms to reveal a cell beside the throne.

On the cell right beside her, ears flat and eyes enormous, sits Lan Tail — alive, untouched, and furious at herself, and playing it helpless anyway because it's the only tool she has left: trembling lip, big wet eyes,

Lan Tails: (wobbly) "Gweehhehee~ Fiona. I got caught. I got caught. I never get caught—"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Let her go you monster!"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Monster? "

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: (mildly, sipping her tea, her gaze pierces Fiona once more, devoid of anger)

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "No, my dear. The word you are groping for is landlady. "

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Your friend, Lan is but a... nosy guest who was rude enough to go wandering alone in my reading room, and I was frightfully rude back. We have both apologized, haven't we?"

(a glance at Lan Tail; Lan Tail sniffs and glares, which tells the party more than anything said aloud: they have been talking, and Lan Tail has been dealing with her own ordeal.)

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "She was never in danger, my dear. She was... leverage. A lady has to keep safe in these troubled times. Don't you know that, adventurers?"

Fiona Aedelmar: "I'll just say this once more. Let her go or—"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Or what, exactly? More... bravado? "

Fiona Aedelmar: "Tsk!"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "You are dealing with a core guardian, young girl, and an elder vampir at that. I wouldn't be so reckless if I were you."

Selin Anvell: "C-core guardian! That means..."

Fiona Aedelmar: "T-then that means... you serve a demon lord!"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "No I do not. Kindly sit down before you embarrass yourself further, my dear."

Fiona Aedelmar: "..."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Allow me to assist you."

Emilia's eyes glint, then she pushes her back with a gesture of her hand. Fiona falls into a chair, materialized out of nowhere.

Fiona Aedelmar: "UNKH!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Y-you..."

Fiona Aedelmar: "Wh-what do you want from us?"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Oh? There is a mind under that hair. Sit. All of you, I mean. "

They obey her. For the sake of their friend.

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Well, what is your purpose here? Did the guild send you? I didn't know it was still a thing."

Fiona Aedelmar: "Not just a contract. A special commission. From Medel aand Galadarn. We came for answers. Exploring, finding out if there was danger, or a dungeon."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Good girl."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Now wasn't that easy?"

Selin Anvell: "This is no good. She has us where she wants us."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "On a chair, darling?"

Selin Anvell: "Ah... yes —No! I mean—"

And, almost as if by accident Jon interrupts the scene by standing once more and bowing with his whole theatrical title

Jon Lawful: "Chair or not, glasses is right. Look girls, I've tried to let the others do the talking, but it's time for some proper and lawful negotiations."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "And you are?"

Jon Lawful: "Jon Lawful here, at your service, my lady, and may I say this is the finest court I have invaded uninvited."

Emilia stops. Looks at him. Looks at his left hand.

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: (very softly, manners going slow and cold) "...And what, may I ask, is on your hand, good hunter?"

Jon Lawful: (flipping it over cheerfully) "Uh... that? A... Drunken tattoo, my lady. Guild days. There was a bet and a goat involved—"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "There was not. That is a mark of the cult of Nekdos."

Jon Lawful: "A WHAT?!"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "We shall discuss it another night. Perhaps. If you call on me again. For now, I want you all to feel at ease."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Listen well. I do not have any intentions of harming you. I might even return your companion back... alive. But I need something from you in return"

Selin Anvell: "The singing— the song everyone hears — it's you, is it? It comes from under the floor. Coming from below... haunting... sad." The temperature of the conversation drops three degrees. Emilia's smile stays perfect. Her eyes do not.

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "..."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "That, my shy dear, is the one question in this house with a price on it. A price you can't pay yet."

(she descends from the dais, unhurried, and stops just beyond the threshold of their comfort zone, examining them carefully)

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "I will tell you what I tell the wind: the castle keeps nothing but memories and sorrows, and I wish to depart from it. But since you climbed all the way down to ask politely— I think I may yet reward you. "

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "This... commission of yours: tell your guild there is no monster in the north. Tell them the lady of Valkestein is but a ghost. It feeds no more and threatens no road. And then—"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "I require you to do something else for me."

Fiona Aedelmar: "She's coercing us into... lying for her."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Quite right, my dear. And your little feline friend will stay by my side until you do so... and then return."

Jon Lawful: "All the way up here again?! C'mon, baby. You're not gonna make us go all the way back just to kill us, right?"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "I am centuries old, and hardly a 'baby'. And no, I am not going to kill you. "

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "You're from the guild, right? You find and clear dungeons. So... I'll ask you to do exactly that."

Jon Lawful: "Well I was actually b—"

Selin Anvell: "We are! We are from the guild. R-rank C adventurers."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "Very well, then I shall eagerly await for your return. Do not disappoint me, my dears. I am a good host... until my guests wear out their welcome. So... have we reached an agreement?"

Lan Tails: (Lan looks at them wit teary eyes and whispers) “Say yes and then stab her or something! Don't leave me here!! Pleaase!"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "I can hear you, kitten. You do know a vampire's ears are sharper than a human's, don't you?"

Lan Tails: (She responds with a trembling lip which isn't as fake as she might want) "I'm sorry my lady it's just it's so beautiful down here — I'll keep you company! I'm a good kitty!"

Selin Anvell: "Agreed! We do have an agreement!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "S-Selin!"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "She's the smartest among you lot. I would respect their choice."

Fiona Aedelmar: "I... tsk! I agree... but if you do anything to Lan...!"

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "I will not. You have my word. And I will need her nose for sniffing out traps. "

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "But do not test my patience. Leave. Now."

Emilia Vohn Valkestein: "And you, dear Lan... how about some Turgralian tea?"

Dawn of Sorrow

The journey back is quick. The weather helps, and no monsters are around. Climbing down becomes an easy task. The party pretends everything is normal. Fiona still slightly batting at phantom wings, Selin replaying over and over the four terrifying seconds she spent in front of that mirror, and Jon, for once, silent. Looking at his hand tattoo. One of them is missing. They all feel it.

Rondo of Beer

(the commission paper, the report, and the 150-gold outcome — same as before, but the content is different)

Fiona Aedelmar: "No monster in the north. The ruins are empty and there's nothing there but wind and cold. The pale figure is a harmless ghost, the monsters are in the mountain itself, but that's already a dangerous area so I'd avoid it. "

Dridia: "And the ruins? Did you find a dungeon?"

Fiona Aedelmar: "The ruins run six floors down and every one of them is a person's home. We didn't clear it because... because it doesn't need clearing."

Dridia gives a quick look at the three of them. Fiona wind-burned and quieter than usual, Selin standing a little straighter, Jon with frost still in his hair and a new question in his eyes.

Dridia: "Well... that's strange, but if you say so... then it must be true.

Dridia: "The guild pays one hundred gold for answers. For this—it pays one hundred and fifty. "

Dridia starts watching that board for your names. Selin counts the gold. Twice. Doesn't believe it either time.

Jon Lawful: (Jon pretends nothing actually happened and raises a tankard bought with someone else's coin) "DAH- HAAHAAA! We Won! To the lawful band!"

Jon Lawful: (then, in a quick sideglance, looking at his left hand, he adds) "...Nekdos... bah! D-drunken tattoo. Definitely. "

Dridia: "Hold on a second. And Lan? Lan Tail? Where did she go? "

Fiona Aedelmar: "She..."

Selin Anvell: "Um..."

Jon Lawful: "... is on a date. We're dating."

Selin Anvell: "WHAT?!"

Fiona Aedelmar: "Y-you cretin!!"

Jon Lawful: "Lighten up, I can't report to the adventurer's guild of Medel 'cause I'm blacklisted there, so she went there alone hoping to get the full reward as well. Sly fox, er— kitty."

Selin Anvell: "That was... surprisingly clever."

Dridia: "That is... well, not —unexpected."

Dridia: "But hey, bureaucracy problems, huh?"

Dridia: "Well, that concludes the comission, then! Don't spend it on beer."

Jon Lawful: "..."

Dridia: "...Fine. Spend some of it on beer."

Dridia: "But remember your debt. The guildmasters may forget, but I do not."

The quest for Castle Valkestein is completed, but now, another, more urgent quest has begun. Will our heroes be able to rescue their companion from the grasps of the elder vampire Emilia Vohn Valkestein? What is her purpose? And perhaps most importantly... what is that mysterious tattoo on Jon's hand?

Find out in our next episode!