Rain pours down upon the lattice tile of the roof. The pattering sounds reverberate around the large stone room. Comfortable seats and expensive art are scattered about the floor. Several candle stands adorn the walls, but only a single light source illuminates the room. A solitary man sits in an ostentatious chair akin to a throne; his firm hand flicks a quill pen quickly along a piece of parchment. His brow is furrowed. The rough sound coming from his writing utensil makes it clear he's upset. A knock breaks the low hum coming from the ceiling at the door.
'Knock, knock.'
"Come in!" The man rises from his seat to greet his guests. The single candle on his desk lights up his face from below, making him look even more serious. His shoulder-length black hair is disheveled from running his fingers through it.
The door creaks open, and two men walk into the room.
"Sir." The taller one of the two men opens with a short greeting. He has blond hair and blue eyes. He's also wearing full plate armor, which makes him resemble a medieval knight.
"What's the report, Reynolds?"
"Yes, Count Richter." The two men in armor glance at each other before Reynolds continues his piece. "We were unable to obtain any definitive information regarding your stepdaughter, Shinobu."
"God dammit!" Count Richter's yell reverberates against the walls. The two men in armor take a knee and lower their heads to the ground to avoid his wrath.
"Kobayashi, what about your guards?" The shorter one of the two men stands up at attention. With his scaled armor and thin blade, he has the appearance of a Samurai.
"They haven't seen anything, sir."
"What about those hooligans you hired?" The Count asks as he turns back to Reynolds.
"Sasha hasn't been seen for about a month, sir."
"Then where's your ear to the ground? How are you gathering information?"
"We are looking into finding some more employees, but we only realized they were missing recently."
"You said they've been missing for a month!" Count Richter fumes.
"These types of dubious individuals are notorious for disappearing for a short time. We also don't try to contact them very often."
"Worthless, the both of you." Count Richter shouts and moves angrily to the window. The tension in the room is suffocating as the two men await their fate. They know the Count in front of them is prone to outbursts. "What did Jezabel say when you asked her about the situation?"
"She refused to respond," Kobayashi provides an immediate answer.
"That bitch! What could she be planning? My daughter's life is at stake." Reynolds and Kobayashi want to say something but keep their mouths shut. "What about our other sources?"
"The butcher sold a large amount of dried meat to a child yesterday. We also heard that the magic shop just sold a bunch of spell rods as well."
"Who bought the spell rods from the magic shop?"
"We believe it was a young adventurer, but we don't know his name."
"Find him quickly and bring him to me."
"The fact that he could afford such expensive equipment indicates that he's probably a Noble." Kobayashi's eyes narrow as he waits for the Count's response.
"I don't care who it is. I want them in this room now!" The two men in armor exchange glances once more.
"Sir, capturing the child of a Noble will only cause more problems. There's long-standing precedence of sovereignty among Nobles, and if you break that–"
"Don't you think I know that?" Count Richter yells as he quickly approaches the two men. "I don't care what it takes; I want her back. We also need to deal with the pesky Guild Master. Isn't she with some cat woman? We should be able to use that against her?"
"Count Richter, sir, Jezabel is very well respected within the community; moving against her will only bring the ire of the citizens upon us." Reynolds reminds him. "There have been several occasions where she kept the town from being destroyed or abandoned; the people won't forget that easily. We also need to keep in mind that she has the Adventurer's Guild behind her."
"I'm the guardian of this town. I don't need anyone challenging my rule." Count Richter paces around the room as he rants. "With how homosexuality is frowned upon in this country, we should at least be able to have her removed from her position."
"The Adventurer's Guild is an international organization. The kingdom has an agreement not to interfere in their business. I know you're upset, but turning everyone against us won't improve our situation."
"Insubordinate!" Count Richter shouts at his vassals. "I should have the both of you hanged."
Reynolds and Kobayashi stand stock still. They are fully aware that a situation like this may have arisen before they even entered the room.
"To relieve you of your sins, I order you to capture that buy."
Silence. The two vassals take one last glance at each other and nod. They had been prepared for this but were still hoping it wouldn't come to pass. The plans have been set, and the troops have been organized; now is the time to act. The Count's face grows red as he sees his orders not being followed.
"You dare disobey me?" He strides up and punches Reynolds square in the nose.
'Crack'
The din crunch of bone s breaking echoes off the high stone walls.
'Crack'
The Count takes another swing.
'Crack, crack, crack'
As his rage subsides slightly, he pulls back from the battered man. A trickle of blood is running down Reynold's nose, but he still stands tall.
"Do you understand now?!" screams Count Richter. "I'm the lord of this territory, and you will do as I say."
"I respectfully decline." Blood flecks from Reynolds's lips as he speaks.
"Hahaho, have you already forgotten your position? Apparently, my predecessor spoke very highly of you, yet this is how you repay your debt to him?"
"With all due respect, my allegiance was to the former count, not yourself," Reynolds says with a grin.
"You insolent piece of shit!" Count Richter raises his fist to strike Reynolds again.
"The former Count Richter was a brave and noble man; I think you could learn quite a lot from his legacy."
"I'll have your head for this!" The Count flashes his teeth in rage.
"I figured you would say something like that; I've prepared my men for a fight. If you want my head, you'll have to come get it."
"If you make a move on Baron Reynolds, then my house will have to take up arms as well." Baron Kobayashi stands up and moves next to Reynolds.
"I'm a Count; you don't think I have enough to annihilate the both of you?"
"You probably do. That being said, I'm sure we'll be able to get some help from the guild when we explain to Jezabel what you plan to do to her if we're killed." Reynolds grins fiercely in defiance.
"Also, the territories will be much less forgiving when we explain what you've been doing to Shinobu." Kobayashi raises his upper lip in an expression of repulsion. The color drains from the Count's face as his skeletons are freed from their morbid closet. The two Barons take his reaction as an admission of guilt and press forward with their plan.
"We will begin taking control over the administration of this town." Reynolds takes a step as he speaks. Kobayashi shoots him a menacing glare. The Samurai moves to confront the knight.
"That wasn't part of the plan. We were just supposed to protect the Count's daughter and our families; what is this going to accomplish?"
"Think about it for a second, Kobayashi; if we control the town, then we'll be in a much better position to defend ourselves if Count Richter tries to make a move."
"This was never about Shinobu; you just wanted more power."
"I'm just trying to think ahead. We can revive this territory just like the former Count was trying to do. This is bigger than just the two of us. Even now, the merchants are returning in larger numbers, bringing immigrants with them. This town was supposed to be a focal point of the kingdom and can still be. Think about how much we could do for the people."
"The former Count wouldn't have wanted it done this way."
"Well, he's dead, and I think we both know who was responsible for that." The Barons turn to face their inert opponent. Count Richter stares at the ground as if his soul has been sucked from his body. "We wouldn't have to do any of this if it weren't for you killing your predecessor."
Reynolds points at Count Richter. The Noble realizes what he's being accused of, and life flushes back into his eyes.
"How dare you! I had nothing to do with his death."
"You had the most to gain from it. You were just a Baron like us until you married his widow, which is the only reason you're in this position. I bet you saw an opportunity to move up and made your insidious move." Kobayashi's glare toward the Count deepens as Reynolds recounts this revelation.
"I saw how sad she was and tried to help. I didn't plan anything. You know not of what you speak!" Count Richter stands back up to defend himself.
"It doesn't matter what happened in the past; the only thing that matters now is what we're going to do in the future." Something occurs to Richter, and a grin spreads across his face.
"You think you can run this Backwoods town? Do you even know how anything works around here? Which merchants are trying to swindle you? Which bureaucrats are embezzling where they think I can't see? This whole town would collapse without me," Count Richter says confidently. The two Barons frown as they notice the bind they're in. They may be Nobles, but they've never governed a territory before. "I'll send a letter to the Duke, and we'll have a conversation regarding this turn of events, and before you say anything, all he cares about is how much this town is producing. You can message him all you want about my sins, but I guarantee your complaints will fall on deaf ears."
"We'll be ready," Kobayashi responds.
"We have our means," adds Reynolds.
"You two think I just fell into my position, but my family has been a powerful Baron house for generations. We've been amassing wealth, favors, and connections long before you were born. You can grandstand and try to usurp me all you want, but we will stand victorious in the end."
"We'll see how those connections behave when you threatened one Noble and assaulted another." Reynolds grins, showing the blood sticking to his teeth.
"Fools." The Count frowns in disgust at the sight. "If you have nothing further to threaten me with, then you may leave. I'll continue the investigation on my end without you."
"Of course. We'll see ourselves out." The two barons make for the door. Just as Reynolds touches the handle, he turns around. "Oh, I'll leave you with one last piece of information. That Noble boy you're after, he has made an enormous jump in power over the last few months. Even Jezabel has taken notice. There are rumors that she has started to train them personally. It's likely that Shinobu will have a similar amount of growth, that is, if she's even with him."
"I didn't ask for your help."
"The only reason we were here in the first place was because you asked for our help." Reynolds smiles condescendingly.
"Are you done?"
"Not quite; I've also heard that he is in contact with the fairies. If you make a move on him, you will likely need more than the garrison of a small town to defeat him."
"Then I will gather an army."
"Good luck with that." Reynolds waves behind him as he leaves. The room fills with a deafening silence now that the two men are gone. Count Richter breathes heavily to recover his composure. His shoulders drop, and he limps back to his chair. All the majesty of the office has disappeared. The fine art and strong stone walls feel hollow now.
"Good luck with that..." Count Richter quietly echoes the words of the Baron as he slumps into his seat. The castle he has been building for himself has collapsed. The world feels much smaller. He lifelessly opens one of the drawers at his desk and removes a parchment.
'Dear Duke Avaritan, I hope all has been well. Things have been progressing nicely regarding your instructions, although I have encountered a problem….'
Count Richter completes his letter and has a courier deliver it across the country. He extinguishes the candle at his desk and retires to his room for the night.