Fable - Ask Rise of Darkness

[Dauner]

It was a day just like any other in Alliria. The city bustling with activity slowly went to sleep as darkness fell. That night in the outer city, a local drunk was making his way home from the tavern. He'd just had a fight with some thug and got kicked out, without having got drunk enough.
As he walked home, he noticed a shady group of cloaked figures, each carrying a child across his shoulder, sneakily walk into an old house. Curious as he was, he tailed the cloaked men, following them in and watched them go down to the basement. He quickly hid himself as they walked back up and left the building just as sneakily as they had entered.
The man made his way down to the basement and recognised the strong smell of alcohol. He got excited, thinking he had still had some hope to get wasted that night, but was struck with horror at the sight that awaited him. Behind some carefully placed barrels were the dried corpses of a dozen children, each about 10 or younger, and a black scepter exuding a thick and visible fog of evil energy. The energy seemed to be sealed by what looked like a magical formation set up around the scepter.
Horrified at the scene, the half drunk man immediately sobered up and ran away as fast as he could.

---

It hadn't been long since Dauner had returned to Alliria from his ruin exploration. He'd been to a good number of ruins in the vicinity already, but had barely obtained enough valuables to keep himself fed. As such, he had planned to head further west to try his luck. However, his plans would have to wait.
While in the tavern, he heard rumors about one of the local drunks who had gone crazy and was holing himself in his house, screaming about demons and how they were after him. This caught his interest.
"Pardon me, friend" he said to one of the regulars. "What is it you were saying about demons?"
The man took a second to size Dauner up before answering. "Old Joram seems to think demons are after him. He keeps seeing them everywhere and yelling like a lunatic" he said, drinking down a gulp of his mead. "Perhaps the alcohol finally whacked his brain"
Listening to this, Dauner instantly knew where to head to next. After paying for his drink and asking for directions, he set out to find this Joram. Soon enough, he stood before Joram's house, the sound of the man's whimpers and cries permeating the environment. He had a feeling this wasn't something he should miss, and was counting on encountering an interesting situation.

Jacob Ford APenName

 

[Elra Mistfall]

It wasn't often that Elra went to see her patients and not the other way around, but a friend of a friend had asked her for help. Something about an uncle having gone mad over the past two days, babbling about something he saw while drunk one night. It sounded like alcohol enhanced delirium to her, but she kept an open mind.

After all, she'd seen many things during her time as an adventurer, including mad cults and servants of wicked deities. How could she readily dismiss the claims without speaking to the man herself? And so she gathered her supplies and set out for the man Joram's house.

Outside she stopped, seeing a young man standing by the door. Inside, she could hear the cries of her soon-to-be patient. Frowning, she stepped forward and cleared her throat to get the stranger's attention. "Good day. Might I ask your name? And what you're doing here?"

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Jacob Ford]

Alliria, a place full of all manners of wonders. From the most vile of creatues, to the most docile of them and everything in between. Many call it home, and just as many dread the place.
Jacob had been wondering about, as usual, looking for just about anything to tickle his interest but like most times, failed in finding one such. Finally, filled with the feeling of boredom and frustration, Jacob made a decision to take a nap. Perhaps a 2 to 3 decade nap will be better off at this juncture than to continue wondering about... He thought to himself, as he made his way into Allirian lands.
"Alliria will be my resting place this time. They should have some interesting things present in the city in the next few decades." Jacob said, out loud to particularly no one.
He'd grown accustomed to talking to himself, due to the fact that he seldom found a person to talk with.

The second Jacob's feet crossed into Allirian borders, he felt a pang of dark energy hit him with a faint, but shocking force. Odd!!... He thought to himself. Alliria normally had a mixed aura of good and sinister energy around its territory, but, this time the dark aura was was more sinister than usual.
"Is today my lucky dayday to stumble upon something interesting?" Jacob's eyes lit with a mix of excitement and curiousity.

Hurrying into town, he meets a young begger girl. He looked straight into her eyes, and his vampire charms did the rest, following a question.
"My young one, you seem to get around a lot. Do tell, has there been any strange activity here in Alliria?" The child, took a few seconds to register the question before responding.
"Well there's been a drunkard raving on about demons for the past few days sir. He lives just down the street." She pointed in the direction of a street lined on bothering ends with stoic wooden cottages. "Thank you my dear." He thanked her and tossed her five silver coins. That should fetch you some supper...

He zoomed down the street with his vampire speed, only to stop at the front of a house at the far end, seaming seperate from the rest of the other houses. In front the house, was a young lady who looked like a doctor, and a young man with a rather strange aura.
"Wow you two are an odd couple... No offense intended.."

 

[Dauner]

Dauner would have knocked on the door the very moment he arrived, but he didn't. There was a stench about that house. A stench he was more than familiar with. Although minute, it was one of the purest forms of it he had seen. He had an idea about what was going on, but he hoped he was wrong. His expression, which was always cheerful, suddenly became a cold and indifferent one.

"Good day. Might I ask your name? And what you're doing here?"

Dauner snapped out of his dazed state and turned to the woman. From the looks, or rather smell, of her, she was an alchemist, most likely come to diagnose the patient. If she were an ordinary doctor, it would be futile, though. Only two forms of energy could heal this man now. Holy or demonic.
Upon closer investigation, he noticed she was an elf. The rumors of their beauty indeed didn't disappoint. His smile immediately returned to him as he turned to face her. "Good day, miss. I'm here to check out Mr. Joram. Although I must admit, I did not think I'd be meeting such a beauty today" he said, extending his hand. "Dauner A. Light. And you are?"
Shortly after, they were joined by another. This one had a unique smell on him. He wasn't human, or any other specie Dauner had seen on Arethil. He smelled of blood. Reeked of it. This somewhat intrigued Dauner. Thing's might be more interesting than he'd thought.

"Wow you two are an odd couple... No offense intended.."

"Are we now?" Dauner replied jokingly. "None taken" he added. "I'm assuming you are here for the same reason we are?" he inquired, turning to the door and knocking on it. "I guess we should be checking on Joram now"
Jacob Ford Elra Mistfall

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra raised an eyebrow, friendly, which meant that he probably wasn't responsible for Mr. Joram's current state of distress. She took his hand and chook it. "Elra Mistfall, charmed," she said dryly. not at all impressed by his words. Perhaps he meant it innocently, if not it'd take far more than that to impress her.

She drew back her hand right as another stranger joined them. The two of them were, rather strange, at least something felt off about them. Maybe it was because of where she was meeting them, outside the house of a man warning of demons. Still, she smiled politely. "We only just met. My name is Elra, and who are you, may I ask?"

She glanced to the side when Dauner knocked. "He could be paranoid, after whatever happened to him. So, he might not answer to a knock." She stepped up next to him and called out in a soft voice. "Excuse me? Mr. Joram, your niece sent me, can you please open the door?"

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Jacob Ford]

The lady was an elf. Her race given away by her pointy ears and regal aura. She also smelled of potions. An alchemist... Jacob thought.

But the male, he was different from your average Joe. He had an aura that said human, but Jacob also picked up a demonic vibe from the man.
Half breed like me huh?.... This'll be fun!.

"Are we now?" Dauner replied jokingly. "None taken" he added. "I'm assuming you are here for the same reason we are?" he inquired, turning to the door and knocking on it. "I guess we should be checking on Joram now"

"A joker I see... I think we'll get along just fine." Jacob said with a sma Thell grin.
He then turned to the lady when she spoke.

"We only just met. My name is Elra, and who are you, may I ask?"

"My mistake." He smiled at her. 6"Call me Jacob." He added. The

"Excuse me? Mr. Joram, your niece sent me, can you

The elf mentioned a niece. So the elf was here as a doctor. But why was the other fellow here. Well, he had plenty time to find that out.

A bit if rustling was heard in the house, before it went completely silent.
"I think we should let ourselves in." Jacob said to the others while taking hold to the tilt of his sword at his side.

 

[Dauner]

Dauner didn't expect much from knocking. He was already aware of the man's condition. He'd witnessed many who had lost their sanity under the influence of demonic energy, most of which were caused by him. The one symptom they all exhibited, was intense paranoia, which didn't just manifest as them thinking others were out to get them, but rather in the form of illusions. The man right now must be constantly tormented by the illusions of the souls of the dead.
Elra's idea did help a bit, as it help assure the man that it was help from someone who cared, but he still wouldn't dare open the door. Fear. The fear of the unknown. The fear of what might be behind the door. Those were what held him from answering to them.
The rather impatient Jacob, proposed to break down the door instead. However, Dauner would stop him, as he tried to get his sword.
"That would be a bad idea" he said calmly. The man's state of mind was already unstable enough, and acts of violence would only worsen the situation.
A creak was heard as the door slowly opened. Joram had successfully mustered enough courage to open the door.
"Did my dear Mira send you?" he asked as soon as he laid his eyes on them. His voice was faint and coarse, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He was visibly weak. Signs that he had not had a good night's sleep in a while.
Seeing the man for himself, Dauner was sure of it. He had not gotten into direct contact with demonic energy of any form. However, he had been affected by being in close proximity to extremely pure and refined demonic energy. There was only one explanation to why that foul energy would be in a city. Sacrifices. And that of kids too young to have been tainted by the filth of the world.
"Despicable" Dauner would mutter under his breath, not paying attention to the frail man who seemed like he'd fall over at any moment.

Elra Mistfall Jacob Ford

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra turned and frowned at Jacob. "We are not 'letting ourselves in.' If you don't care about the mental state of the victim, at least try to remember that it's broad daylight in the middle of Alliria," she said sternly. Why either of them were interested in Mr. Joram, she didn't know, but she wouldn't let them make things any worse for her patient.

She looked back to the door when it opened, smiling to reassure him. "Yes, Mira reached out to me, she's worried about you." She didn't know how to explain the presence of the other two, so she didn't. "Can I please talk with you?"

He didn't look good, showing signs of sleep deprivation, perhaps malnourishment as well. Nothing her potions couldn't help fix. She paused when she heard Dauner whispering behind her. He sounded upset, but what about?

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Jacob Ford]

"We are not 'letting ourselves in.' If you don't care about the mental state of the victim, at least try to remember that it's broad daylight in the middle of Alliria,"

The elf lady replied to Jacob's suggestion in an absolutely stern manner. "Hahaha relax doc. It was mearly a suggestion. And I didn't mean we should break down the door or something." Jacob replied in a light chuckle.
Just be for he continued, the door creacked open, revealing the face of a man who has obviously been sleep deprived, possibly malnourished and also mentally unstable.

But what caught Jacob's attention was what felt like residual energy left on the man. Pure demonic energy. One of utmost cruelty and despicable evil. One that could only be gotten from a source as equivalently pure.
"Child sacrifice!!" Jacob exclaimed in a whisper.
Jacob had a soft spot for children. Learning that there were scoundrels killing innocent children for power, a rage began to swell itself in Jacob. He took in a deep breath, then let it out
again, in order to calm himself. He didn't want to loose his temper...The At least not here anyway.

"Yes, Mira reached out to me, she's worried about you." She didn't know how to explain the presence of the other two, so she didn't. "Can I please talk with you?"

Elra spoke in a calm tone to try and calm Joram down. And it seamed to work, because Joram visibly calmed down when he heard Elra's explanation.
"We would also like to talk to you too if that's alright with you sir." Jacob said with a warm and reassuring smile...

 

[Dauner]

Dauner sighed, scratching the back of his neck. Things had taken an unprecedented turn. As the others spoke to Joram, his face would immediately fill with dread as his gaze fell upon Dauner and Jacob.
Although Elra looked normal to him, his vision of the two guys would be a distorted and frightful one. "Demons!!" He would yell as he stumbled backwards, falling to the floor. Dauner's immediate reaction would be to flick a stone to the man's forehead, knocking him out.
Dauner had witnessed a lot of demonic rituals in his lifetime, and the ones that produced this pure form of demonic energy, were the ones in which a powerful artifact was used to refine the blood and souls of several kids, and one thing he knew for sure, was that the stimulation and resonance caused by Dauner's demonic presence would have killed the man if he didn't knock him out.
Healing Joram was a simple matter to Dauner. As a being composed of pure demonic energy, he could easily absorb that which plagued the man. But from his experience on Arethil, revealing his bloodline would have others point a sword to his throat in seconds. He had first hand witnessed how biased people on Arethil were about demons, especially pure blood ones.
"Do any of you know how to dispel demonic energy?" he would ask pensively, as though he had no idea how to.
Elra Mistfall Jacob Ford

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra furrowed her eyebrows when Joram spoke up. "Demons? What are you talking about?" She glanced over her shoulder at her two companions. Did he recognize them from somewhere? Her eyes widened when Dauner flicked a rock at the poor man, rendering him unconscious.

She clenched her fists. "What do you think you're doing!?" She tore her attention away from him only so she could help Joram, dragging him into his house. Thankfully, he'd only been knocked out, no other damage had been done, physically at least. She pursed her lips. "Demonic energy? No, it'd be best to call a cleric."

Dauner Jacob Ford

 

[Jacob Ford]

"Demons!!"

Joram, clearly delusional, thought Jacob and Dauner were demons. Some how he could feel the strange energy emitted by the two half breeds.
"No sir, we aren't... " Before Jacob could finish his sentence, Dauner knocked him out with a small stone.

She clenched her fists. "What do you think you're doing!?"

An action which Era clearly didn't approve of.
"I think its for the best that he is knocked out doc. We should try keeping all of this as quiet as possible." Jacob reassured.

"Demonic energy? No, it'd be best to call a cleric."

"Cleric, priest, reverend, it don't matter. That demon energy has to be removed from him as soon as possible. Although... " He turned to Dauner. "... I think you can..." He paused for a moment as a thought crossed his mind.
Now Dauner could easily dispel this energy. Why doesn't he, if he claims to be here to help... Hiding something huh?
A small smirk placed itself on Jacob's lips.. ".. Never mind. I don't thing to could work."

The doc was racking her brain on what to do next, Dauner, although with the ability to help, refused to and Jacob just stood there trying to solve the puzzle as to why Dauner won't help...

 

[Dauner]

Demonic energy? No, it'd be best to call a cleric."

The thought of having to be seen by the divinely attuned scared Dauner. If a cleric found out he was a demon, then it was likely he might have to leave Alliria for good. His peaceful days depended on that not happening.
Although Jacob seemed to have guessed what Dauner was, he didn't seem to have any prejudice against his kind, and although almost did, didn't actually reveal Dauner's secret.
"Let's not do that" he said, clearing his throat. "From all indication, the man's mind is being eroded by the demonic energy, and it might be too late by the time the cleric gets here" he added, hoping it was explanation enough. He gave Joram one more look, and then sighed. "I think I might have a way to save him, though I'm not completely sure"
Dauner pulled out a quill and a small shaped paper from his jacket pocket. It would be bad if they failed to help the man, as he was an important clue to what was going on in the city. But still, Dauner wouldn't take his chances and revealing himself.
He pricked his finger and used the blood to draw some rune-like figures on the paper. As he did, he imbued lightning into the pen to produce some special effects, in hope that it would disguise what was actually going on.
As soon as Dauner placed the paper on Joram's head, the blood would light up, not due to the runic symbols effect, but due to the effect of the blood itself. The paper burst into flames, burning itself out almost immediately, and from Joram's head, black smoke would emerge.
Before it could claim another victim, Dauner grabbed the sword on his back and pointed it forward, instantly absorbing the smoke into it, before falling to the floor exhausted, or at least pretending to be.

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra huffed at Jacob's excuse. "Keep what quiet? I don't know about the two of you, but I'm not doing any criminal here." She returned her focus to Joram, thinking through every remedy she knew, maybe she had a bit of holy water in her satchel? She turned and started to search for it when Dauner decided to act.

How strange, if he knew a cure, why was he reluctant to employ it? Unless there was something he didn't want them to see about it. She watched carefully as he wrote a runic symbol, committing it to memory. She'd look it up herself when she got the chance.

Her eyes widened when black smoke poured out from the victim. "It, really is demonic energy," she whispered, she recognized it, though she seldomly encountered it throughout her time as an adventurer. She watched Dauner absorb it into his sword. Her eyebrows furrowed. "What, was that?"

Joram groaned and started to wake from his slumber. Some of the color returning to him as he did.

Jacob Ford Dauner

 

[Jacob Ford]

"Let's not do that" he said, clearing his throat. "From all indication, the man's mind is being eroded by the demonic energy, and it might be too late by the time the cleric gets here"

Dauner smoothly regected the idea of calling a cleric. Clearly, he feared getting discovered. That's it...
Realisation hit Jacob. Dauner didn't want his identity as a demon, even though half demon, to be found out by the locals.
As I recall correctly, Alliria didn't take too kindly to demon folk... Jacob thought to himself.

Elra huffed at Jacob's excuse. "Keep what quiet? I don't know about the two of you, but I'm not doing any criminal here."

"Very true doc. We aren't doing anything criminalistic here. But I'd like to inform you...This man's been exposed to the type of demon energy that is of the purest form. One that could only be obtained from child sacrifice. I'd say children below age 7.
So this town must be on edge looking for their missing children." Jacob explained in detail.
"Their security forces would be on high alert." He continued... "You wouldn't want to be answering long questions now would you?"

Dauner's actions solidified Jacob's initial finding. He was indeed half demon. The black smoke released itself from Joram, which Dauner absorbed into his sword.

An idea popped into Jacob's mind as he watched some color actually return to Joram's face, indicating he will eventually be fine.
"Now that the demon energy is dispelled, I think I have an idea to find out what happened." Jacob said looking from Dauner to Elra.
"I could perform a head dive, taking us into his mind. From his memories we could see what happened. I think that's the fastest way to find out what's going on. He'll be too weak to talk, and we don't have time wait."
Jacob looked at his two companions waiting a reply...

 

[Dauner]

After putting in much effort to deceive Elra in particular, Dauner returned the sword to its place on his back, before turning to face the curious Elra.
"It's a cursed artifact I came across a couple of years ago" he said nervously. It wasn't like he could tell her that it was an ordinary sword which became cursed because of the blood of tens of thousands of people, beasts and soul creatures slain by it.
Jacob's suggestion was a welcome break from the topic about him and his sword. "Great idea!" he said, enthusiastically jumping onto the new topic. "It'd be good to get as many details as we can, but" he paused. "Does your method pose any threat to him?" he asked in a concerned tone.

Jacob Ford | Elra Mistfall​

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra narrowed her eyes at Jacob and opened her mouth to object when he mentioned where the energy would've come from, the color draining from her face. She went silent at first, but soon her expression hardened. "We have to tell the guards, I have connections in Alliria, they'll listen to me."

Whatever suspicions she had of Dauner and his cursed sword were put aside as she was now consumed with the thought of stopping such atrocities from being committed. She stopped only to examine Jacob when he suggested delving into the victim's mind. "I see now, you're a vampire then." His kind she had dealt with before.

She stole a glance at Joram. "If your, powers can glean the information we need without hurting him, then, very well," she said, the words distasteful to her own ears. "But shouldn't we try to question him first? He may be able to describe the information without us rifling through this mind."

Jacob Ford Dauner

 

[Jacob Ford]

"Great idea!" he said, enthusiastically jumping onto the new topic. "It'd be good to get as many details as we can, but" he paused. "Does your method pose any threat to him?" he asked in a concerned tone.

Jacob smiled at Dauner's attempts change the subject. Followed through with Jacob's questions.
"Rest assured, this process poses absolutely no threat to him. In fact, in his current state it's better, since he is weak and his mind will be more open and will easily succumb to me."

"We have to tell the guards, I have connections in Alliria, they'll listen to me."

"You still don't get it doc. If he was exposed to energy, meaning the ritual was already done, meaning the kids are dead. But the town doesn't know that. And we still don't know who is doing all this, so letting the town know of our presence, and our actions in finding the culprits, could prove rather dangerous, as the culprits could be tipped off." He explained.
"Keeping things quiet until we know what's what, is one of the best things we can do now." He added while looking Elra's eyes, hoping his explanation was taken seriously.

"I see now, you're a vampire then." His kind she had dealt with before.

"I wouldn't say I am a vampire, but that's close enough." Jacob said with a bashful grin. It was the truth. He wasn't just a vampire. He was much more than that.

She stole a glance at Joram. "If your, powers can glean the information we need without hurting him, then, very well," she said, the words distasteful to her own ears. "But shouldn't we try to question him first? He may be able to describe the information without us rifling through this mind."

"As I said before, this process won't harm him. But I guess we could try the traditional approach of questioning him. If that doesn't work, then we go into his mind..."
Jacob said, in a rather firm tone.

 

[Dauner]

'What's a vampire?' was what Dauner was about to ask, but he kept his words to himself. He was sure this new mystery would be better answered under a mountain of books in the library. He made a mental note to check it out later.

When Elra spoke of alerting the guards, Dauner, like Jacob, was against doing so. At least not immediately. He knew that as soon as the guards got involved, his investigation might end up hitting a wall.

"Let's keep the guards out of this for now. We could always involve them later, after investigating the site where Joram got infected. It'd be nothing but bad if that energy were to be released in the city while we waste time, trying to get the guards to mobilize"

He hoped what he'd said made sense and showed the urgency behind the case they were facing.

"If Joram got this bad by simply being close to that energy, then imagine what would happen to those who get in contact with it"

Although Dauner'd rather use the faster approach by having Jacob take the dive, he wasn't especially anxious about annoying the pretty elf. If anything, he'd much rather piss the vampire off, because he wasn't really into dudes, so he would care.

"Let's try talking to him first. If we can't get much, then we'll follow... Jacob's idea" he finished, only remembering the vampire's name at the end of his sentence.

The door would creak again as it opened, revealing a pretty young lady. She would rush over to the old man, seeing him relaxed and not blabbering on about demons anymore.

"Uncle!" she exclaimed.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra sighed and shook her head. A vampire and some strange adventurer with a cursed sword, such an upstanding group she'd managed to run into. Still, they made some semblance of a point though, even if the guards reacted immediately it would take them too long.

And when the lives of children and Gods know what else in the balance, the oversight might be for the best.

She lowered her gaze to Joram, who still looked a bit out of it. She reached into her satchel and drew out a small case. "I know how to wake him up." She opened it and held it in front of Joram, who, upon taking a breath, would fully awake.

"Uncle!" she heard someone exclaim.

Elra drew back the case and looked toward the door. Putting on a calm smile and raising a hand. "He's recovering, but he might still be a bit delirious."

Jacob Ford Dauner

 

[Jacob Ford]

"Let's keep the guards out of this for now. We could always involve them later, after investigating the site where Joram got infected. It'd be nothing but bad if that energy were to be released in the city while we waste time, trying to get the guards to mobilize"

Dauner supported Jacob's idea, giving another side as to why involving the guards would be a useless move. His own reason sounded even more convincing to Elra.

Jacob tensed for a bit, as he felt a presence the door. "Someone's here!!" He whipped his head back to look at the door, just before a young lady rushed her way through, addressing Joram as her uncle.
And this must be the niece... Jacob thought.

"He's recovering, but he might still be a bit delirious."

The elf spike first, reassuring the lady.
"Hello my lady, my name is Jacob Ford and these are my companions, Dauner Light and Elra Mistfall." Jacob said, introducing the bunch. "We are here to help your uncle, and further investigate on what happened." He added.
"Please you wouldn't mind answering some questions would you?..."

 

[Dauner]

Joram held his head, as he tried to sit up. He felt as though he was having a hangover as drinking all night.

"Ugh!" he exclaimed, the splitting headache that was the after effect of the demonic energy trying to gnaw away at his sanity, slowly dying down. He tried to see the faces of all those around him.

"Uncle!" Mira rushed to her uncle. She had been extremely worried about him ever since he'd begun seeing demons everywhere he went. Thinking he might have begun to lose his sanity, she had called a doctor for him. That was where Elra's help had come into play.

Dauner was somewhat relieved he wasn't there alone. Waking the man up this quickly, using Dauner's methods, might have hurt much more than it needed to.

While Joram was still trying to get a grip, Jacob would approach Mira to ask some questions. Dauner didn't really see much of a point in asking her, rather than Joram, but he guessed Jacob had his own idea what he was looking for.

"Sure. If there's anything I can help with" she'd say, wiping the tears that had somehow managed to make their way down her cheek.

Dauner pulled a kerchief out of his jacket packet and crouched beside the girl, handing it over to her with a warm smile. Coupled with his unnatural charm, which could make a girl's heart flutter, he'd try calming her.

"With a face like yours, I'd wager you'd look a lot more beautiful if you smiled. Your uncle's going to be okay" he'd assure her once again, turning to Jacob hinting for him to go ahead and ask his questions.

---

Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

 

[Elra Mistfall]

Elra bit her tongue when Jacob spoke up. They were his companions now? She was the only one who was actually supposed to be there. She sighed and kept her attention on Joram, helping him onto a nearby chair and handing him a small vial of green liquid. "I need you to drink this, it's an energy potion, it should help you regain your bearings."

Joram stared at the vial suspiciously before downing the vial. He set a hand on the side of his head and groaned as it started to take effect. Slowly, his eyes came back into focus and some of the exhaustion faded from his face.

Jacob Ford Dauner

 

[Jacob Ford]

Elra's potion was working, Joram was slowly recovering. His niece took the handkerchief handed to her by Dauner, and wipe her eyes, before Jacob spoke to her.
"I know you were probably traumatized about the state of your uncle, but he's gonna be fine now." Jacob assured with a warm smile.
"But do you have any idea as to where he might have gone to get infected by dark energy?"
"Dark energy!?" Joram's niece exclaimed, with a hint of query in her voice. "I wouldn't know." she continued. "My uncle is a drunk, he could have been to anywhere." she added, while wiping a stray tear from her eye.

Jacob was in thought, thinking of the next question to ask.
"Why not go to the bar where he usually drinks, and ask there. You may find some clues there." The niece said, interrupting Jacob's strain of thought.
"Yes, that could indeed prove helpful." Jacob nodded with a straight face. "One more question my lady" Jacob slightly raised a finger. "How many children have gone missing in town?"

The girl looked at Jacob with eyes that held sorrow. Not for her uncle, but for the children. "Six. Six children have gone missing." She answered, with her head low.

Jacob's face was immediately contorted with a frown as he processed the info. Six already?

"Thank you for your patience my lady, that was helpful." Jacob thanked the girl, and then turned to Elra, who was standing by Joram.
"I think you should ask him your own questions. I think he'll be more comfortable talking to you than any of us."
Jacob stated, gesturing to himself and Dauner...
Elra Mistfall Dauner Light

 

[Dauner]

For a second, Dauner had though that Jacob had been accidentally infected by a stray wisp of dark energy. As far as Dauner could tell, the questions he'd been asking were largely irrelevant. There really was no need to run around town asking questions, when Joram himself could just point them to the right location.

"Six. Six children have gone missing."

Dauner paused upon hearing Mira's words. There was no way that was accurate information. This fact was obvious enough to Dauner, seeing as the sword on his back was still restless after absorbing just wisps of the dark energy. The only explanations were either Mira was lying, or there were more missing kids than reported. Dauner choose to believe the latter.

Dauner would smile towards Elra. "You go ahead and ask the questions". Jacob alone would then hear a voice in his head. "Some questions are best left unasked to certain people"

Dauner's experience with people over the years had taught him about how certain topics, no matter how carefully one put it, and no matter how the other tried to hide it, would still raise a lot of unnecessary worry. He'd hoped these words were enough to make Jacob shelve any other rather insensitive questions, which didn't need to be asked. If not, he might just have to smack the vampire.

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Elra Mistfall | Jacob Ford​

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