Blood Moon: Chapter 3 – Calamity before Dawn

“You. You. YOU!” Thorinus sneered through tight lips. “You shouldn’t have come here!”

“Why is that? So you can destroy the lives of the innocent? Did you forget our goals, our ideals, our motivation as Hunters? Tell me why.” I said slowly.

“You think you know the world, you think you have power to change things. You don’t. No one does. Not without transcending the shackles of life. YOU KNOW NOTHING OF POWER.” He spat, his eyes shooting daggers.

“But that isn’t our way.” I said simply.

“Our way? OUR WAY? Our way is outdated and flawed. You are all too ignorant to see it! Storm and Ashley are working towards the goal that the Baron set for us; soon it will be too late for-”

“No Thorinus, it is you who is too ignorant to see the true path. I’m sorry, friend.” I said after I drove a stake through his heart, causing him to shriek and convulse. “I am fully aware he was your prisoner, but he was my friend... once. I hope you understand that I had to do that.”

“Of course Corven. Truth be told, we learnt nothing from him ourselves and were going to dispose of him shortly anyway. We didn’t think that it could have been one of the other hunters, we should have known.” Gareth said solemnly. “Come, it is getting late and I am sure you want to get some proper rest. I will arrange for horses to take you back to Systrella shortly, in the mean time, your weapons should be close to finished. I shall take you to the armoury.”

The Gilded Blades armoury was located a short way from Gareth’s quarters, and it was good to be out of the dankness of the dungeon. The door was slightly taller than normal and the handle was forged in the shape of a hammer. It was clear that the smith was at least creative. We pushed it open and from inside came the roar of several furnaces. Two faces were observing different metals when we walked in.

“Fletch, Marn, how are Corvens things coming?” Gareth said, hardly audible over the crack of coals.

“Huh? Oh, they are done. We finished them not too long ago. Damn fine weapons and Fletch agrees. We would very much like to learn from the original smith if it’s possible once this whole fiasco is over and done with.” Marn replied.

“I’ll see what I can do, certainly.” I said. “I’m sure he will be glad to share his ways. Now, on to business. What have you improved?”

“Of course, of course. First things first, your blade. We reinforced the spine with an alloy we created especially for this purpose. We haven’t really named it yet, but that’s not the point. We also sharpened the cutting edge and touched up the handle. You will notice the balance is unchanged but you will find the changes make your life much easier.” Fletch said, bringing forth the dagger and offering it to me.

I took it and swung it several times in front of me, and then made some stabbing motions. He was right. It felt the same as usual, but at the same time it felt more like an extension of myself rather than just a tool. Perfect.

“It feels wonderful! The others are similar I assume?” I said, awed by their skill.

“Yes and no. The stakes you left with us are merely tipped with our alloy and blessed by resident clergymen. This is also true with your crossbow bolts. The crossbow itself however, is a different story.” He passed me everything aside from the crossbow.

“Essentially, your crossbow was at the end of its time. We replaced the firing mechanism and legs with more recent versions. This will allow your bolts to travel with more force and accuracy than before. We also swapped out the string with a high quality metal thread. To finish off, we redesigned the handle for comfort and speed. This will probably take a while to get used to, but you will enjoy it, we guarantee it.” Fletch said, pointing out the different enhancements before finally passing it to me.

“It feels fantastic. You have my thanks gentlemen.” I said bowing before the pair of them.

“Oh, the pleasure is all ours.” The pair of them said in sync. “The sooner you deal with the Baron, the sooner we can get back to building tools and machines!”

“I forgot to mention that the pair of them are inventors, didn’t I?” Gareth laughed before bidding them good bye and exiting the room.

“How on earth do you keep the fumes from filling the rest of the building?” I asked as we made our way back to the world outside.

“I told you they were inventors; they were the ones that drew the plans for this place. They had several pipes installed to draw the smoke away and back outside. They are spread out of course as to disperse the smoke and not draw attention to what is happening. Quite ingenious if you ask me!” He explained.

“...Quite ingenious indeed.” I replied.

As we emerged into the cool night air, I once again was met by Janek. He saluted us and hopped up onto his horse.

“Ready and waiting sir!” He said eagerly, eyes beaming from beneath his bushy brows.

“Great work Janek. You are a good man, and an even better soldier. Your parents would be proud.” Gareth said, returning the salute. “As for you Corven, I expect you back here tomorrow shortly after noon. Don’t disappoint me.”

“I won’t, I assure you. Thank you again for everything you have done for me so far. The dawn approaches soon my friend.” I said as I mounted up.

“The dawn approaches soon.” Gareth echoed before turning and returning inside the manor.

“Shall we make it quick?” Janek asked.

“Aye. The sooner I can rest the better.” I replied.

The ride back to Systrella was as uneventful as the ride from, however I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched from time to time. By the time we arrived at the stable it was by my reckoning just after midnight. We left the horses in the stable before making our way to the Fairburn’s house.

“So... about this family. Mind filling me in?” I asked.

“There isn’t much to tell. Stanley is the man of the house; he helps run the lumber yard to the north. He married Evelynn almost three decades ago – shortly before the birth of Lydia. Evelynn buys the food with the money Stanley makes, and Lydia tends to stay indoors painting fantastical scenes because no one in the village particularly takes her eye.” He explained.

“She paints? That is rather extraordinary. No wonder she finds the rest of the men boring.” I mused.

The house was one of the nicer looking houses in the town. Not particularly due to the quality of the build, but more because you could tell that the people who lived there genuinely enjoyed their lives. It felt... homely. Lights could be seen glowing from the east facing windows on the ground floor and a single window on the first floor. Janek knocked firmly on the door three times and stood back crossing his arms. The door opened after a short pause and a muscular man with a neatly trimmed beard pulled open the door.

“How many I help you gentlemen tonight? Wait, don’t tell me. You are our guest are you not?” Stanley said.

“Yes. This is Corven Lionheart. He has already met Gareth and knows what to do. Thank you for letting the blades use the room.” Janek said extending a hand for Stanley to shake.

“Don’t mention it. As long as nothing happens between him and my daughter, everything will be fine.” He joked.

“You don’t need to worry about that sir. I’m a man of honour, and my work comes before anything else.” I said bowing my head.

“But of course, I wouldn’t expect anything less from a famous hunter. Please, come inside and I will show you around.” He said, moving to allow me in.

Stepping past Stanley I could smell the remains of dinner, some kind of broth was likely. I moved through the corridor and waited at a door further down and noticed some of the paintings that Janek was talking about. They were nothing short of masterpieces.

“She is quite an artist isn’t she?” Stanley said noticing my gaze.

“Yes. I haven’t seen anything like it. They are beautiful.” I replied, dumbstruck.

“I’m sure she will enjoy the compliment, but she is fast asleep right now. So is my wife. The kitchen is through here.” He said before motioning to a door further down the hall. “Your room is up the stairs on the left. The door should be open and the bed is made. Outhouse is through the door in the kitchen and at the end of the garden. We will wake you an hour before noon. Good night Corven.”

Before I could thank him, and before he could turn around, the sound of a window shattering upstairs echoed through the night, followed by a shrill scream.

“Lydia!” Stanley cried, dashing up the stairs two at a time. I flung open the front door and glimpsed three men sprinting into the forest towards Manor LeShay, with the middle one carrying a blonde haired girl over his shoulder.

“LYDIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Stanley yelled from the window above.

“Yelling will do you no good. Leave it to me. I’ll find Janek and return to the blades. So much for a good night’s sleep.” I called up to him. “You tell Evelynn things are under control and get this window fixed.

I started towards the Tavern, it’s where I found him to begin with, and it was likely he would be there now. Somewhere in the forest a lone wolf loosed a blood chilling howl. Why did things have to get so complicated, I wondered.

>Next Chapter<