Private Tales Ghost Town

[Byanka Valkas]

Spoiler: Music & Vibes

Byanka was not afraid of the dark.

She was, however, afraid of what hid in the dark. The unexplained. The unknown. She supposed that was a commonality for most, but they associated fears of the unknown with fears of the darkness.

The town of Rustwood was bordered on two sides by a forest of trees with trunks and branches the color of rust. As Byanka, Gruki, and two squires excited these woods, Byanka thought the trees were more similar to the color of dried blood. Or perhaps her quite vivid imagination was messing with her, given the nature of this mission.

Rustwood was plagued by a what seemed to be paranormal activity. People disappearing, only for their bodies to reappear days later in strange locations with strange marks. It was a small town with not many people living in it to begin with, and after increased mysterious sights and happenings, those with younger children had fled. No one was entirely sure if those who fled had survived and made it to another village safe- they seemed to disappear from existence as soon as they left the town.

Some of the less superstitious folks in the town (there were few) had called on the Knights, asking for help. They believed there was magic involved, that some sort of magician was playing tricks on them, for reasons unknown. This mission was more of a mystery than a fight, but they ought to be prepared for everything; therefore they sent Byanka, from Dusk, who was slight but well-versed in the ways of the mind; and Gruki, from Dawn, who was stronger than the rest of the party combined. The two squires- Norah and Viktor- were supposed to be using this mission as a learning experience, and assist in any way they could. Though the two looked more frightened than anything else.

Byanka could not fault them for it- they were walking towards the stuff of horror stories, told around a fire when nights were cold and dark. The night was certainly cold and dark, but there was no warm fire to reassure them. The town was dark up ahead, and wind whistled through the trees behind them. There were faint moans and howls from the forest behind them as well, and Byanka was 98% sure it was only animals.

She looked up at Gruki, doing a terrible job of pretending not to be nervous.

Gruki

 

[Gruki]

The town of Rustwood looked like a corpse from far away. Rotting timbers. Boarded windows. Crows adorning every rooftop and spire. The view wasn't much better up close. What happened here? Gruki thought to herself as they approached the town along the easternmost arterial. The road itself led directly to the town square, though Gruki doubted it had seen much use as of late.

Armoured in her trademark half plate, with a blade sheathed across her back and another by her side, Gruki led the way into Rustwood, cautious, careful of disturbing this... dead place, and the people still trapped within.

No, not trapped, she reminded herself, smiling reassuringly as Byanka turned to her. Those few who yet remained had chosen to stay here. And to some small degree, Gruki could understand why.

'One finds it is never easy to abandon one's home, despite the circumstance in which one may find themselves.'

Glancing over her shoulder at the two nervous squires, Viktor and Norah, Gruki spoke up. More to reassure them than anything. 'Still your minds. Pay no heed to the fearful thoughts whispering in your ear. We are here to investigate, and, if able, locate and remove whatever it is haunting these parts.'

If the place really is haunted. They had very little to go on, save hearsay.

Byanka Valkas

 

[Byanka Valkas]

Byanka got the feeling that Gruki was not the superstitious type. She was quick to give Byanka a reassuring smile and reassure the squires as well.

Soon enough they were walking into the town center. Two of the townspeople were waiting for them by a dry, marble fountain. If Byanka had been blind she still would have been able to detect their fear.

"We thank you for coming," One of them, a middle-aged man, stepped forward. He looked skeptical once he'd taken in the four the Order had sent- two of them barely adults and the other two still children.

"Tell us everything you know, anything that might help us help you," Byanka said. Even though her voice had not been loud, it still echoed around them.

She thought she saw a shadow move by a window but she blinked and then it was gone.

"It started ten years ago, but hasn't really picked up until now," the man began, "Ten years ago, a group of children, about your age, went picnicking in the forest, but they never came back. There were plenty of searches for them, but nothing was ever found. After, some have said they saw the children in the village, or heard them speaking or laughing, or heard them screaming as they died." He paused, glancing around nervously. "Only recently have the sightings picked up, or even been taken seriously."

The story was certainly a good one. Grief and fear of the unknown did strange things to the mind, and the initial stories could be dismissed as a fearful and grief-stricken mind playing tricks on people, but now there were dead bodies. Solid, rotting evidence that there was something real threatening this village.

Gruki

 

[Gruki]

'How many townspeople have fallen victim to these... apparitions?' Gruki asked. 'So far? Nearly three dozen,' replied the elder, a man with a stooped back and lank beard that reached down to his knees. 'Many of our friends and neighbours have fled town. A number of them spoke of having suffered terrible nightmares and visions of doom before they left. We do not know what happened to them, whether they made it safely away from this... cursed place!'

The elder shivered, shrinking in on himself.

'I hope so, for all our sakes!' Looking up at Gruki beseechingly, the old man extended a shaking hand towards her. Gently, she took it in her own. 'Will you help us, Syrs? Help rid us of the monsters infesting our dreams?'

'We will!'

Turning, Gruki eyed Viktor as he placed a hand on the hilt of his side-sword. The squire's face was as white as a sheet, and though he tried to hide his fear behind a mask of confidence, the she-orc could tell the elder's words had shaken him. Norah didn't look much better, but at least she had the good sense to remain quite.

'We will!' Gruki pledged, turning back to the two townspeople. The words were easier to accept coming from her lips, she knew. The men nodded, relieved. 'Before we leave to search the vicinity, I would appreciate it if we could take a look at the bodies. Your... plight is uncommon, to be sure, but it is not without precedent.'

She had studied similar events during her classes back at the monastery. Tales and fables and folklore mixed with the accounts of knights, past and present. Maybe they would help her face what was to come?

Byanka Valkas

 

[Byanka Valkas]

Terrible nightmares. Visions of doom.

Monsters infesting our dreams.

Byanka was all too familiar with such things. Your own mind could play horrid tricks on you and you would be none the wiser. It was why she dedicated herself so much to her studies and practices of the Loch. Dreams were her specialty, and if she knew anything, she knew dreams (and nightmares) all came from somewhere. So too did these.

Victor declared his determination with false confidence. A few moments later Gruki echoed the sentiment, and she seemed more sure of herself. The she-orc's own calmness soothed Byanka- what had they to fear, really? They had seen and heard so many horrifying things; it was inevitable in this line of work.

The two men looked quite relieved to have help, young as they were. The younger man nodded at Gruki's last statement, and led them into a dark and dilapidated building facing the square. As soon as he opened the door, the smell hit Byanka. It smelled like death. Which was obvious, because through another room there were bodies. There were twelve, much fewer than the elder's estimate; but Byanka figured the first victims had been buried, burned, or otherwise disposed of by now.

Byanka covered her mouth and her nose with her hand, noticing Norah, Victor, and the two townspeople did the same. At least, shut in from the outside, the bodies were not decaying as quickly as normal, but the scent of rot was certainly not hiding. On the bodies, which were only in the barest of clothing for some semblance of privacy, were vicious looking gashes. On some of the older-looking bodies there were maggots crawling out of the wounds and Byanka did her best to keep her stomach calm.

There was apparently no pattern to the wounds on the bodies, but the wounds they did bear looked to be caused by animals.

"We don't always find all of the bodies," the middle-aged man said, his voice muffled through his hand. "Since the first group of children, the body count has risen, and we've only just begun to try and look for some connection, some explanation why so many are dying and seeing horrific visions." He paused, surveying the bodies of his neighbors. "So far, all we've found of note were that they had their own flesh buried under the fingernails, as if they were... clawing at their own skin."

Byanka glanced over her shoulder at the two squires standing behind her and Gruki. They both look nearly as pale as the bodies in front of them.

Gruki