346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEg8Rm05JBE
He’d not eaten, he’d not slept, nor had he dressed the innumerable wounds that plagued him. Yet, still he trudged forth, through the muck and rain, for he felt no hunger, no tire, nor even pain. A day and a half down the mountainside, and another through the greying woods and meadows, before finally arriving, in this forsaken place. With grey skies and greyer yet faces all around, it was nearly as dead as himself.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aZkI6rGME
Despite his best efforts to hide his face, there were still those who turned to whisper to one another as he passed. As if the broken blade in his belt, and rent armour that hung from his chest were not to sufficient, he had only imagined the horrific wounds on his face, wretched slices and gouges, the flesh torn apart. Or at least, that is what he had seen upon his comrades, only to assume he bore the same. He hadn’t yet dared to look in the mirror, for fear of what horror may stare back at him. Thus, he wrapped himself in his tattered cloak as best he could, and trudged on through the mud ridden streets.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOSaYUXq08
Letifer Mourse, that was his name once. Or at least, he’d deduced so. After days (or he hoped only days) of pouring through the quartermasters records, digging up corpses, and sketching faces, he’d come to the conclusion that he was indeed Letifer Mourse, a Knight of the keep of Haltoth.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vRCh25TMD
But there was something else.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7j6rLQCFQ
The quartermaster’s logs had shown that there was a child, who shared his rations and quarter. A boy. He could only assume, only hope, that this was his son.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXsuR2ZwO4
And thus was the reason for his arrival here. He’d found no children’s corpses in the mass grave, thus, it was clear that the child did not fall in the raid. He could only hope that he escaped the carnage, and by logic, this would have been his first destination.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5rDm34B5Q
Letifer could not deny that this was likely his homeland. Holtarthen, a burgeoning township, not far from the foot of the mountains. A likely origin for a knight of the keep, not too far into the range.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTFYcYoEP7
The question being, what action would a child take in a situation such as this? By logic, Letifer assumed from the boy’s description that he was somewhere between ten and thirteen years of age. This would make him small, seemingly innocent, and desperate. Thus, Letifer assumed that he would have stolen to survive. And as such, he made his way to the lord’s manor.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nVW2m0NDF
The two shieldsmen at the door were the first to hinder him. The man on the left grabbed him by the shoulder, and shoved him back. He showed a brief moment, not but a second, of confusion, feeling no warmth from the contact, but quickly regained composure.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwoDke5fp0
"I'd lose the hood, lest you wish to go unsuffered." He uttered, with a grimace.
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Reluctantly, Letifer removed his hood, causing the two shieldsmen to don a face of terror.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWLoJ5FTzm
"Be at ease. I am no manner of reaper, gheist, or ill omen." He uttered from his cracked lips, “I beseech someone. A prisoner.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJvCCSktzP
One of the shieldsmen nudged the other, whispering, “He’s of the Fell Kin, we best not wrong him.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeGSznYx9P
“Wise of you.” Letifer responded, pulling his hood back over his head.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ad3tTB4f4
One of the shieldsmen sighed, turning to his comrade, and quietly muttering, “Fetch the keys.” He sighed again, “Go take a gander at the underhalls. But you’d best make it quick. And uh, you would be a kind… fellow, not to go yackin about in regards to this little favour.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8o0DxNcza
“Of course.” Letifer replied, in his usual soft tone.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpR25bZVzYi
Quietly making his way through the doors, he was met with a room illuminated by the warm light of an ornate fireplace on the far side. A staircase enveloped in a faded purple carpet fringed with gold, curled along the left corner, leading to the higher floor. But that was not Letifer’s destination. No. He quietly found his way down the deep places of the manor, where the sun did not penetrate the walls. This is where he passed the wine cellar, and came upon the cells.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7j8WYLrfST
Searching through them, he found only drunkards and madmen. Not a child to be seen.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBJiXBEZnf
“And what would be your business here?”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyNSXh5wd5
Letifer turned to face an ageing man leaned against the archway leading to the cells. Clad in a dark red tunic and trousers, he bore silver hair that found its way down just past his shoulders, and a face veiled in the scars of battle and the ravages of age alike. Surprisingly enough, the elder was not taken aback by the sight of his face.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkv0Dju0ezZ
“I beseech a child. I have reason to believe he may have been taken here.” Letifer replied.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxmsbIXhBm
The elder was silent for a moment. “My eyes are not what they once were. Come close, let me see your face.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3njFP7OFd
Reluctantly, Letifer strode towards the man, prepared to face a terrified recoil upon his proximity.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmN3I8ZL3V
“Tell me,” uttered the aging man, “What dealings would Fell Kin have with children? Don’t tell me it was he who slew you.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMQ2AohH91
“He is my son, or so I believe.” Letifer responded, setting his eyes to the floor, for but a moment.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49vnI0Dyfq
“I have dealt with your kind before, phantom. Left unburied, desecrated, doomed to a living death, until vengeance is wrought. And it is to my knowledge that, assuming you fell with the mountain keep, your memories have rotten with your corpse.” The man explained, “Tell me, what would you know of your former offspring?”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGugPPbdzK
Letifer sighed, “Forgive me, but that business is mine alone.” he stated, not wanting to recount his ordeal, “And what business would you have in such a foul place as this?”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlclUarOcKs
“This foul place is my own,” the old man explained, as he stood from his leaning position, “It is a rather undesirable inclusion to my manor.” He proceeded to introduce himself, holding out his hand to shake, “I am the Earl Dascule, and you are?”.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6avvS0igtN
Letifer took his hand, answering his question, “Sir Letifer Mourse, my lord, if my deductions are correct.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvczggf1eOr
“A fell knight?” asked the Earl, “Well, I suppose I should be without surprise.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGWc0VGxSO
A voice called from the wine cellar, “Phantom?”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jlokyDWpW
“Perhaps not a monster. Perhaps a man.” The 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDkABuOUu3
He’d not eaten, he’d not slept, nor had he dressed the innumerable wounds that plagued him. Yet, still he trudged forth, through the muck and rain, for he felt no hunger, no tire, nor even pain. A day and a half down the mountainside, and another through the
greying woods and meadows, before finally arriving, in this forsaken place. With grey skies and greyer yet faces all around, it was nearly as dead as himself. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQg6SnQMH4j
Despite his best efforts to hide his face, there were still those who turned to whisper to one another as he passed. As if the broken blade in his belt, and rent armour that hung from his chest were not to sufficient, he had only imagined the horrific wounds on his face, wretched slices and gouges, the flesh torn apart. Or at least, that is what he had seen upon his comrades, only to assume he bore the same. He hadn’t yet dared to look in the mirror, for fear of what horror may stare back at him. Thus, he wrapped himself in his tattered cloak as best he could, and trudged on through the mud ridden streets.346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjc33sZdviy
Letifer Mourse, that was his name once. Or at least, he’d deduced so. After days (or he hoped only days) of pouring through the quartermasters records, digging up corpses, and sketching faces, he’d come to the conclusion that he was indeed Letifer Mourse, a Knight of the keep of Haltoth. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamZxFBkckQ
But there was something else. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPl3jWD93jk
The quartermaster’s logs had shown that there was a child, who shared his rations and quarter. A boy. He could only assume, only hope, that this was his son. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXY51XE9oT
And thus was the reason for his arrival here. He’d found no children’s corpses in the mass grave, thus, it was clear that the child did not fall in the raid. He could only hope that he escaped the carnage, and by logic, this would have been his first destination. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgfmUlP64x
Letifer could not deny that this was likely his homeland. Holtarthen, a burgeoning township, not far from the foot of the mountains. A likely origin for a knight of the keep, not too far into the range. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvMQFJLjkU
The question being, what action would a child take in a situation such as this? By logic, Letifer assumed from the boy’s description that he was somewhere between ten and thirteen years of age. This would make him small, seemingly innocent, and desperate. Thus, Letifer assumed that he would have stolen to survive. And as such, he made his way to the lord’s manor. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWAz6Fnxfa
The two shieldsmen at the door were the first to hinder him. The man on the left grabbed him by the shoulder, and shoved him back. He showed a brief moment, not but a second, of confusion, feeling no warmth from the contact, but quickly regained composure.346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbtcJpymZf
"I'd lose the hood, lest you wish to go unsuffered." He uttered, with a grimace.346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqe5agYVm3
Reluctantly, Letifer removed his hood, causing the two shieldsmen to don a face of terror.346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5QnhJSmjV
"Be at ease. I am no manner of reaper, gheist, or ill omen." He uttered from his cracked lips, “I beseech someone. A prisoner.” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyXQcXJIOQ
One of the shieldsmen nudged the other, whispering, “He’s of the Fell Kin, we best not wrong him.”346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡju4fEKvKWk
“Wise of you.” Letifer responded, pulling his hood back over his head.346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7zInh8818
One of the shieldsmen sighed, turning to his comrade, and quietly muttering, “Fetch the keys.” He sighed again, “Go take a gander at the underhalls. But you’d best make it quick. And uh, you would be a kind… fellow, not to go yackin about in regards to this little favour.”346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7bmwbmJDN
“Of course.” Letifer replied, in his usual soft tone. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHu9MRSgpG5
Quietly making his way through the doors, he was met with a room illuminated by the warm light of an ornate fireplace on the far side. A staircase enveloped in a faded purple carpet fringed with gold, curled along the left corner, leading to the higher floor. But that was not Letifer’s destination. No. He quietly found his way down the deep places of the manor, where the sun did not penetrate the walls. This is where he passed the wine cellar, and came upon the cells. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNLtggViiH
Searching through them, he found only drunkards and madmen. Not a child to be seen.346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPNLT6VmAB
“And what would be your business here?”346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRiTS8rGCU
Letifer turned to face an ageing man leaned against the archway leading to the cells. Clad in a dark red tunic and trousers, he bore silver hair that found its way down just past his shoulders, and a face veiled in the scars of battle and the ravages of age alike. Surprisingly enough, the elder was not taken aback by the sight of his face. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNo0HJ1iV7
“I beseech a child. I have reason to believe he may have been taken here.” Letifer replied.346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYWqsXpqsw
The elder was silent for a moment. “My eyes are not what they once were. Come close, let me see your face.” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzLnnFB4C8
Reluctantly, Letifer strode towards the man, prepared to face a terrified recoil upon his proximity. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZS0o0W1Yxk
“Tell me,” uttered the ageing man, “What dealings would Fell Kin have with children? Don’t tell me it was he who slew you.”346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNlbw3WCtF
“He is my son, or so I believe.” Letifer responded, setting his eyes to the floor, for but a moment. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlImlC1GZNk
“I have dealt with your kind before, phantom. Left unburied, desecrated, doomed to a living death, until vengeance is wrought. And it is to my knowledge that, assuming you fell with the mountain keep, your memories have rotten with your corpse.” The man explained, “Tell me, what would you know of your former offspring?” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoPuVTUJvS
Letifer sighed, “Forgive me, but that business is mine alone.” he stated, not wanting to recount his ordeal, “And what business would you have in such a foul place as this?” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡap7pk9HW5z
“This foul place is my own,” the old man explained, as he stood from his leaning position, “It is a rather undesirable inclusion to my manor.” He proceeded to introduce himself, holding out his hand to shake, “I am the Earl Dascule, and you are?”. 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxKBDUTDlx
Letifer took his hand, answering his question, “Sir Letifer Mourse, my lord, if my deductions are correct.” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoK1zEHRnrg
“A fell knight?” asked the Earl, “Well, I suppose I should be without surprise.” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD0lvqeAkh
A voice called from the wine cellar, “Phantom?” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoncrE0uiia
“Perhaps not a monster. Perhaps a man.” The Earl called back to his shieldsman, “Leave us.” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaidBZvOhKm
Entering the archway, the soldier took a quick bow, “Apologies, my lord.”, before quickly taking his leave.346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHw1OsOPsn
The Earl sighed, “My roundsmen brought a child but a fortnight ago, saying he stole a loaf of bread. I fed him, shoed him, and sent him on his way. Last I saw, he was heading west.” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKH0hofiaQ
“My thanks to you, my lord. You are a generous man.” Letifer replied, as he began to take his leave.346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs61U6gA32L
“So I suppose you’re not to stay for supper?” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJF9wtgd7YM
Letifer turned for a moment, “No, I suppose not.” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2lW0ULHW4
“Do be careful in your search.” The Earl called to him, “There are many who see less than I.” 346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvNAeKSiwl
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc69i7Fl89e
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasVSTDkBoo
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346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kHNs9NW7j
