The Masked man walked through the forest, vegetation rotting around him. He took a small glance from time to time, eyeing the beauty of the forest around him wilting away.
His facial features were hidden by the clothing he wore, as well as a mask. He wore a large black cloak that seemed to be shrouded in complete darkness, no matter if the sun was beaming, or if shade covered the cloak. The cloak kept all other clothing the man was wearing completely out of the public eye. Though, there wasn't exactly anyone near to see the Masked Man.
The mask he was wearing was a strange one. Completely white, contrary to the extreme darkness of the man's cloak. A single slit stood in the middle of the mask, one would assume was so the man would be able to see. The design of the mask stood out, as red lines painted the mask. The colour stood out even more so than the white, as this was the only true colour the man adorned.
Although the man's face was completely hidden by the mask, one feature was noticeable. A dark red colour came from the slit of the mask, where his eyes would be located. His eyes seemed to shine, but in no way was this a positive aspect, these eyes were terrifying, One which would strike fear into even the bravest of men and women.
This strange figure met his destination, as he stopped in front of a large base of sorts. Made of wood, the building, or buildings, stood at a huge size. This place would seem to be the 'home' of bandits, used as a headquarters.
An archer on guard duty aimed his bow at the man, "Who are you?! If you wanna join us, come tomorrow! It's too late for that."
The Masked man looked at the archer, speaking, "Let me in." His voice kept the same atmosphere as the rest of the man, terrifying. Deep, muffled by the mask, his voice seemed to put the archer in a trance, his eyes agate.
"Yes, Lord." The archer spoke, focusing his eyes onto the Masked man again, opening the large gate for him.
"Hey! What are you doing!?" Another man on guard duty yelled out to the archer while the Masked man continued on inside.
An alarm was triggered, waking all asleep, and alarming all awake. Before the Masked man knew it, he was met with the entirety of the bandits.
"What the hell?! It's just one guy. What in the world was all that fuss about?" One would assume the man speaking up amongst the crowd would be their leader, that assumption would be correct.
Rowan Medge was a feared man. He was a former knight commander, said to be equivalent or above the skill of a B-Class Adventurer. The greedy man thought the pay wasn't high enough, he eventually got into the business of stealing, robbery, and such. Stealing from others became more profitable than his former job.
However, continuing on about this corrupted man will lead to nothing.
"Ah, hello Sir Rowan. I am... A messenger of sorts." The Masked Man spoke with courtesy, bowing towards Rowan.
E--
-
"Alright, hold up, Trent! What's with you and talking super fancy all of a sudden!? It's getting old, Quick. Seriously, this isn't some story, either."
"W-- Well, I was setting up the mood..."
"What is this, a date or something now?"
Gh-- This god damn brat! First, he impales me, then, he ties me up, Now this!
"Oh, okay, and now you're being quiet! And thinking about it, you totally made up that beginning part! Didn't you? There'd be no way you'd be able to see this 'Masked Man' unless you were following them the whole time!"
"It was for dramatic effect! Can't a guy tell a good story? You're the one who asked me about it, after all."
"Yeah, I did! I asked you to tell me what the hell that black orb and stuff was, not for you to tell me your life story! Sum it down to like, a couple of sentences! I don't have all day."
"Fine, fine. So, that guy in the mask told us he was a member of this cult called... One second, I'm sure I can remember this."
"GET ON WITH IT! I'll get you thrown in prison once we reach the capital if you don't talk quicker!"
"Okay, don't act rashly here!"
"Oh, I will if you don't stop dawdling and start remembering!"
"Jeez... It was like, ah! The Cult of Tal Darle, Yeah... That was it." The name seemed to catch the attention of the Beastman Girl, as she looked over at me for a split second, looking back out the window of the carriage... The hell was that?
"Eh? Tul Darle? What is that, a god or something?"
"Couldn't tell you."
...
It went quiet for a bit until the hooded brat spoke again.
"Sooo, what? That cultist guy gave you bandits the black orb... For no reason, then?"
"Seriously? Of course not. He said something like... '
This is but to get the product into the general public', or something like that.
"Product...?" He spoke again, whispering to himself after.
"Yeah, that's what I sai--"
"SHUSH! I'M THINKING!" He yelled at me... the nerve of this guy.
He went silent again, probably thinking about G'hara knows what.
"Well, nothing I can do about it... Might as well just wait and see how this thing unfolds..." He laid back in his seat, putting his arms behind his neck. "Hmm... Hey Terry...?"
He got the attention of the carriage driver whom I can only guess is named Terry, whispering something to him.
"A-ah, yes, I believe so." He answered, looking remarkably anxious, even more so than he seemed usually.
Terry's answer put a vicious grin on the hooded brat's face, snickering to himself. I can only guess at what evil intentions he has... Not like I can really say anything about bad intentions.
"Oh! Hey, don't mean to bother, but when exactly are we going to get to the capital...?" He talked again, Referring to the carriage driver.
"Oh, I-- if we keep at it at this pace, including breaks for the horses, We can get there in two days!"
"... Come again?"