The trip took 3 days by horse. Mainly because Morgianna had never ridden a horse before and partially due to planning. There was not a lot of information for this mission. There being more guild members dead or missing for this mission than any other for the past few years combined.
Alnwick had a population of only 89 people each family only 3 or 4 members each. It was 1 of 3 towns that bordered the Agarath Forest and due to its proximity to the place it was far removed from tourist destinations. The other two towns Goulcrest and Luton had both been hit recently by a string of robberies so if her hunch was correct they would find their target here.
The picture that had accompanied the mission was just a sketch of a man: tall, skinny with patchy facial hair and beady black eyes. He looked like a beggar. Nobody even had a name for him, as he was not a member of any of the small towns and villages.
He had been wanted for 3 years, and always circled the same area yet he was never caught. For the most part it was said he would just steal the valuable items and food from the homes he hit, but sometimes he would kill the occupants of the home. In such a small town that already had such small numbers each body weighed heavier.
As they rode their horses into town Morgianna already felt the prickles on her neck that told her she was being watched. Using one of their many whistles she signaled Fafnir to keep his eyes peeled for any sight of the man.
Up ahead was the town center and the town mayors home, if you could even call the man a mayor. He lived in the nicest home of the area, a 2 story stone's abode with a wrought iron fence that surrounded the whole property. It was the only place in the whole town that was more than a shack. Even the bakery and other places of business were little more than 2 rooms.
Still feeling the eyes on her and Fafnir, Morgianna walked up to the gate and rang the bell that was hung just outside.
She waited impatiently for what felt like an eternity before a round man stepped through the front door and waddled their way. He was short for a man and was almost as round as he was tall. His blue suit almost made him look like a blueberry if not for the god awful mustache on his chubby red face.
"Hello, Hello! You must be the new guild members to come and try to get our problem taken care of. Maybe you will be able to do what everyone else failed. Where is the rest of the party?" The man gave off the vibe of a snake oil salesman and she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. Which judging by his size would be nowhere.
"They will be here shortly, there are 12 of us including my partner and me." She let the lie roll off her tongue gauging the man in front of her reaction.
Fafnir heard the lie but didn't react, knowing that she had her reasons. He also felt there was something off about the man in front of him. A slimy feeling that soap would not get rid of.
"Mayor..." she let the word trail off hoping he would get the hint to introduce himself.
"Ah! Of course, I am Mayor Fernheim and why don't you stay here at my estate until the rest of you arrive." He grinned a toothy grin, a grin that could rival the Cheshire cat. His eyes almost closed into crescents.
Morgianna shivered slightly but before she could answer Fafnir took the lead. "We appreciate the offer, but we are sorry to inform you that we are unable to stay here due to our work with the guild. If you could just point us to where we should set up our tents."
Mayor Fernheim frowned clearly displeased with their answer but knew he couldn't argue. There was a calculating look in his eyes as he peered at them as if trying to sus out the truth in their words.
Morgianna was relieved at Fafnirs quick thinking and quickly excused them of the Mayor's presence. She wanted to start asking around town if anyone had seen the target, and find out what exactly was stolen.
"That mayor gave me a bad feeling as if he would eat me if he had the chance." Morgianna could still feel his eyes on their back as they walked away.
Fafnir nodded as he shifted his eyes around noting the absence of citizens. Even if the population was small, they should have seen at least someone other than the mayor. "Should we start knocking on doors? Or go to places of business first?"
Morgianna mustered up a small smile, Fafnir knew her best after all and would know she wanted to put the Mayor far behind them and focus on the mission. "Let's go to the bakery, people need to eat every day so it may be our biggest chance of seeing someone without going to their home."
In the past they had sometimes not been treated kindly as outsiders, and knew firsthand how someone may react if someone encroached on their privacy.
The town was small and within minutes they arrived at the bakery. There was one window beside the entrance but it was dusty as if it had not been cleaned in a long time. Months or maybe even years. Morgianna reached her gloved finger out and ran it down the window looking at the clear spot she had created with a frown. 'A place that someone buys food should be clean, or maybe the townsfolk just do not care?'
"Well we won't find anything out here, I will go in first and see if there is anyone here." There was an unspoken agreement that while she went in he would watch her back. Make sure nobody approached that was not supposed to.
The door creaked loudly as she pushed it inward, dust billowing from the ground and hitting her in the face. She coughed twice causing Fafnir to peek into the dimly lit room. She gave him a thumbs up and he turned back to watch their surroundings.
The interior matched the exterior in that everything was covered in dust. She crept slowly forward seeing a small scuff in the dust covering the floor as if someone had recently passed through heading to the back room. She stepped lightly so that she did not disturb the dust more than was needed following the trail.
When she walked through the door in the back she was met with a club straight to the face. She had not felt anyone's presence and had no time to even scream before black dotted her sight. She tried to reach out to steady herself but instead of her fingers brushing a wall she felt warm fabric. She tried to look up, her head feeling like it weighed a hundred pounds. It felt like a thousand ants were parading around in her brain and she couldn't get her eyes to focus on the figure in front of her.
"Sorry almost tripped, there is nobody here, I am going to move farther in." The words sounded like they came from her mouth, but she had said nothing. She tried to make her mouth purse so she could whistle that she needed help, but a large hand covered her mouth. A sweet scent wafted up to her nose and any hint of consciousness she was holding onto slipped from her grasp.
Fafnir waited outside for Morgianna to return, he almost entered when he heard the thump but Morgianna's assurance that everything was fine kept him outside. This whole town gave him a bad feeling deep in his gut. The door behind him slammed shut the bang sounding final and ominous in this quiet town. he tried the knob but it wouldn't turn, not even budging. "Red?" He used her guild name, not wanting to risk her identity even in this ghost town. There was no answer, not even a slight sound coming from within as if it was empty.
Panic started to set in, 'surely she wouldn't have left without saying something..'
The seconds felt like hours as he heard no answer. He began kicking the door, the wood splintering with each time his foot made contact. With one last kick the door flew from its hinges causing the dust to once again billow into the air stinging his sensitive senses. Underneath the smell of dirt was a small underlying smell of blood. He had not smelled it outside as if there were something within that had blocked him. He moved quickly towards the back room and stopped abruptly his breath becoming ragged. There on the floor was her cape a slight bloodstain on the hood. Wherever she had gone, it had not been willingly.