Chapter 23

(Argthanaw 28th Year 672 of the 4th Age)

The rest of the travel to Acrine Village goes smoothly. Jemeir and Radclyff advise as they train Arven, Kaera, Merrick, and Sylfinas on nights in the wilderness; even Heilim provides his input and tips from his experience. They arrive at their destination right on schedule.

At the edge of the Kininan Woods is Acrine Village. On the other side, there are rolling hills. The village is known for woodworking due to being close to the woods. With the water flowing from a couple of creeks powering the sawmills, its local economy is lumber. The buildings are in satisfactory condition, which signals to people that the local economy is doing well. The group immediately sees two points of interest: a lonely building that is wholly rundown and abandoned and a small fort nearby.

Heilim points the rest over to the fort. "I want to go there first. Since the bounty had a royal seal, I can turn it in there. I'll give part of the reward to you since you aided me in killing Thalzur. Once that's done, we'll go our separate ways."

"What if they don't have enough?" Arven asks.

"Then they'll send a bloodhawk over to the king, and I'll get the remainder from another bloodhawk at some point. If that's the case, I'll be staying in the village for much longer then."

They walk over to the front gate of the fort before a guard stops them. "Halt! State your business." His helmet obscures a part of his head, although the party members surmise he has Elven traits from the eyes and facial structure.

"I'm Heilim. I'm a bounty hunter turning in a contract on Thalzur." He hands the guard the wanted poster.

"What proof do you have to show me that he is dead, Farlander?"

Irritated, Heilim gets Kaera to turn over the oversized greatsword. "That's your proof. I highly doubt that he would part ways with it by any other methods besides killing him. If you need more, I can take you directly to where his corpse is rotting."

"That won't be necessary. Let's see. Thalzur is worth three thousand gold and even has King Lanar's seal on it." The guard points at a random soldier carrying a box. "You there, see what we have in the funds to give to these people!"

"Yes, sir!" The random soldier in the courtyard heads inside.

"It'll be a few minutes."

"We have plenty of time," Heilim responds.

The guard notices Arven's military gear. "Just out of curiosity, where were you stationed at?"

"Camp Echo."

"Echo? Is Wilkin still there?"

"You mean the grouchy old drill instructor?"

"That's the one."

"He's still there and still the same grouchy old self."

"Haha. That guy is never going to leave, I swear. Does he still do the Death March?"

"Yes."

"Brutal?"

"Oh, yes."

"I remember those days. Say, what's your name?"

"Arven."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Iedren." He offers a handshake, which Arven accepts.

"Nice to meet you as well."

"Planning on going back there soon?"

"I was, but I received a letter from King Lanar that I've been accepted to try out for the Ebony Legion. He granted me relief from my duties until the tryouts start, so I figure that I would travel around and gain more experience from various sources before I go to the capital."

"Well, may the Strife Siblings give you the strength to succeed."

"I appreciate it."

The soldier in charge to get the funds returns with coin, huffing from carrying a ponderous, wooden chest. As soon as he stops, he drops it, shaking his fingers. "I was told this is how much we can spare." He reveals three thousand gold.

Iedren hands Heilim the money. "Here you go."

"Much appreciated." The Certh turns and gives the group a hundred gold each. "This is for helping me." He looks at Iedren. "Know any bounties in there?"

"No."

"Thought so." Knowing the village is dry on contracts, Heilim turns to the group. "I guess this is where we go our separate ways."

"Where will you go?" Sylfinas questions.

"I'll take a look around in Acrine Village. Doubt I'll find a bounty worth my time, but you'll never know what is on the bulletin board in taverns. It'll be a quick search. Then I'll head for Belburn. I know there are bounties there worth taking."

"Let's go find an inn to stay for tonight," Jemeir suggests. "I look forward to sleeping in an actual bed."

Radclyff agrees, "I second the motion."

The group members find an inn called the Drunken Woodsman. Despite them convincing him to bunk with them, Heilim leaves, preferring the secludedness the wilderness provides. After inquiring from the innkeeper, they know that each room has two beds. Radclyff and Jemeir claim one chamber. Merrick and Sylfinas reserve another, and Merrick assures Kaera that he won't have nightmares. After her persistence at being with someone, she and Arven share a third room instead of getting a separate one for her. The total amount for the night, including the food, is eight gold.

"It's too early for dinner. What do you say about taking a look around the village?" Jemeir offers.

Everyone takes him on his offer and leaves the inn. The village is vast, on the verge of gaining the status of a town. Radclyff smells a scent he is all too familiar with while exploring with the group. It is the scent of pie, and it's fresh. His tail starts to wag. 

"Can we stop for just a moment?"

"What is it, buddy?" Jemeir inquires.

"I smell pie, and it's fresh."

"Go for it. We'll be around somewhere." Otherwise, he will annoy me about the pie until we leave.

"Thanks, Jemeir." 

Radclyff breaks away from the party and follows the aroma. The aroma takes him to a building with pies in display cases. A lone, whole pie with pecans on top sitting on the edge of the window is the source of the smell. He gets closer to the building and enters. Baked goods are on full display when he enters, and the scents of various products overwhelm his senses, salivating from berry pies, apple pies, and pumpkin pies. There is an empty spot on the shelf with a sign for a pecan version, probably where the pie at the window will end up once it cools. Along with the pies, there are muffins, cupcakes, scones, and doughnuts. The person behind the counter is mostly covered, so it's hard to discern any features other than she's Human.

"Can I help you?" Radclyff can detect a little bit of hostility in her voice, hiding his perplexment.

"I would like a slice of that pecan pie sitting on the window, and I also would like a slice of cherry and pumpkin."

"The pecan's going to take some time to cool down. In the meantime, I'll get you a slice of cherry and pumpkin. Anything else?" Again, he can hear a little bit of anger.

"That'll be it."

"Three gold and four silver."

He hands her four gold and receives six silver in return. The cherry and pumpkin pie are put into their own containers. Then a slice of pecan pie is next after the temperature goes down.

"Thank you."

"Come again anytime." Radclyff can hear her say, "Actually, don't," in a much lower voice. What is her issue?

While Radclyff is away, Sylfinas finds a shop with guitars. He goes inside while the rest wait outside. The instruments inside are mostly guitars made from various kinds of wood. Small pockets of other wooden instruments, like flutes, lie in their spots. The person running the place is a male Half-Elf. The large nose is the first body feature Sylfinas sees. The Half-Elf is busy doing some bookwork when he notices Sylfinas.

"Welcome. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you have a guitar that someone from a band, like Iron Fist, would play."

"I don't have any of those that can do it already. All I have are acoustic guitars. Some have features that allow them to be upgraded to the ones you seek, but you would have to go somewhere else to do that. That's the best I can do."

"Can you show me the ones that can be upgraded?"

"Right this way." The clerk takes Sylfinas to where they are at. "Anything else I can do?"

"I think I'm good for now."

"Well, if anything else you need pops up, I'll be over there."

"Thanks."

During his inspection, Sylfinas discerns four guitars have the capabilities for upgrades. All have six strings, with three coming from an identical wood. There are some slight differences in the pattern between them. The wood on the other guitar is deeper in color. Sylfinas chooses that guitar and walks over to the other Half-Elf.

"Found something?"

"I have. I'm interested in this. How much?"

"Forty-seven gold."

"Deal."

He hands him the gold and leaves. Radclyff reunites with everyone as soon as Sylfinas returns, appearing ecstatic with his eyes closed as he ingests a piece of cherry pie.

"Got your pie fix, for now, Radclyff?" Jemeir inquires.

Radclyff nods, consuming the final bite of cherry pie. "For now, Jemeir. Something weird did happen when I was getting them."

"What was it?"

"I don't know why but I could sense that the person helping me sounded like I wronged her a long time ago. The thing is, I don't recognize her anywhere."

"What does she look like?"

"She's Human, but the clothes she was wearing covered most of her body that I couldn't make out any more features."

"Wonder if the news from Belburn made it here, and Malfias is influencing people," Sylfinas utters.

"If it is, Sylfinas, it just got here because the people here so far are looking at Radclyff and me with a curious look before going back to whatever they were doing," Jemeir responds.

"Good thing we won't be staying here for long. Fewer chances of me getting kicked out of another settlement again," Merrick mumbles to no one's notice.

Jemeir looks at Radclyff. "Try not to let her get to you, buddy. If she doesn't escalate further, we have no issues."

"You're right, Jemeir." He takes out the pecan pie and eats it, savoring the warm, gooey, and crunchy aspects.

"How is it?"

"Delicious. That's all I'm going to say."

The group members walk by the only building in the village that's abandoned. From the looks of it, it's been that way for many years. The paint is dull in color, and cracks are forming in it. Some windows have holes in the glass, while some apertures don't have windows at all. The yard is a mess with tall grass and weeds. Vines grow on the side of the house from the ground up to the second floor. Some spots on the roof have holes in them.

"With all that's going for the village, why is this house not seen improvements?" Sylfinas asks nobody in particular.

"I see someone inside." Kaera enunciates.

"Where, Kaera?"

"Up there." She points to Sylfinas and the rest over to a window on the second floor. They don't behold any silhouette or any activity going inside, only curtains blowing in the wind.

"I don't see anyone," Merrick utters.

"There was someone inside. I swear."

"Your eyes may be playing a trick on you. No one has lived there for years, judging by the looks of this place." Sylfinas responds.

"I'm telling you, Sylfinas, that there's someone inside."

"Even if there is, it appears hazardous to go up and greet him or her. Let's go see what else the village has in store." As the group leaves and wanders around the settlement, Kaera glances towards the decrepit mansion occasionally.

The party strolls around the rest of Acrine Village until dinner time arrives. They head back to the inn, where they have rooms, and sit in the dining hall. The inn is packed with people. Only one table that can seat six is available. Arven, Kaera, and Merrick go with some kind of ale. Radclyff decides to go with milk. Jemeir has coffee, and Sylfinas has water. The night's special is a braised lamb on top of mashed potatoes with a side of carrots cooked in some of the meat juice. Since the special appeals to them, everybody, besides Jemeir, orders it. Jemeir requests fish that come from the nearby creeks with lemon, butter, garlic sauce.

A local bard and his group of friends play music to the crowd. The crowd enjoys the music. What really steals the show is a female Dragonkin with silver scales playing the fiddle. She sings along with the main vocalist that also plays the guitar simultaneously. A woman comes running into the inn hysterical and screaming, disrupting the mood.

"Help! Somebody help me, please!"

One of the patrons speaks. "What's the problem, Eilein?"

"My son! Something kidnapped my son!" She reveals fresh cuts on the left side of her body.

"We'll organize a search party, but I hate to say it. The Bloodied Mother most likely has him, and we're sorry for your loss."

The woman's hysterical emotion transitions to furious in a flash, scowling at the crowd. "That's it?! That's all you're going to do?! I should just accept that my son is as good as dead! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck everyone in this tavern! Fuck everyone in the village!" She storms out.

"Eilein, wait!" She doesn't respond. The man goes back to his seat, and the mood grows somber in the inn. "Fucking shit."

Jemeir gets his attention, sitting in front of him. "Pardon me for intruding; what's the Bloodied Mother?"

"A fucking devil is what she is. Snatches kids by luring them or, in the case of Eilein, by force. Once she has them, that's it. There's no hope for them."

"Let me guess, the abandoned mansion is her domain." Sylfinas presumes.

The man turns his head to the table where Sylfinas is at. "Aye, and she lets you know about it in a heartbeat if you dare step in, Half-Elf."

"What's the story about the mansion?" Jemeir inquires.

The man focuses on the older Human. "The Drisdell Manor was once home to the Drisdell family. Emelius was the head of the family, and he used to run the sawmills and other woodworking businesses his great grandfather started. The Drisdells were responsible for the expansion of Acrine Village and bringing prosperity to the people. On the Feast of Reflection fifteen years ago, tragedy befell them. They threw a party for the holiday. Two family friends and two relatives spent the night due to very bad weather approaching, and they had a long trip back. Sometime in the night, an intruder came and brutally murdered Emelius, his wife, friends, relatives, and all but one of their eight children. The youngest were three-year-old twins. The wife was raped before she died during the murders. A bloody ax was discovered at the scene, but no one was held responsible to this day. Legend has it; the mother still remains in the manor and is pursuing her quest to gather all of her children back by any means necessary. Her scream is powerful enough to kill anyone unfortunate enough to hear it."

"How did one of the children survive?"

"He had a terrible illness and was staying at a hospital in Belburn for treatment. As far as I know, he's still alive, but his whereabouts are unknown."

"How come this village didn't fall into a sad state and instead is almost a town?"

"The Drisdells had four partners. Before the murders, Emelius made a will and granted them an equal share of the businesses. They would've continued with or without the will, but it made the transfer process go by much quicker."

A random person enters the inn. "Just to point out to everyone here, I just saw a woman marching into the Drisdell Manor."

The crowd started talking to each other about the sudden development. "That crazy bitch just sealed her fate," said the man talking to Jemeir.

"I'm going in."

The man turns quickly to Sylfinas. "You're crazy as well, Half-Elf." The rest of the party throw their support of going into the manor. He shakes his head in disbelief. "You all have a death wish, I swear."

"We aren't afraid of no ghosts," Arven replies. "We're going to do what the rest of you are too much of a pussy to do. We'll vanquish the Bloodied Mother and rescue the woman and her child."

The man looks at Arven, "Be our guests, but you underestimate her."

"Ready, everyone?" They nod yes, "Then let's go." With Arven leading the way, they leave the tavern, heading towards the haunted estate.