Helmfirth, a small town towards the far north-east of Arcturus. When the Sacred Order reached the town, the violet moon was already hanging on the star-filled night sky. Illuminated by the violet moonlight, the town was clad in an almost haunting atmosphere. The dirt path of the town was lined with worn out looking houses.
They could see the inside of the houses were illuminated by dim burning lanterns from the light escaping through the windows. As they looked around, they could see faces of the townsfolk from the windows. As soon as the townsfolk saw them, they'd go hide inside and turn off their lanterns.
"Hmm.." Lonz looked at Roe. "Was Helmfirth always like this?" Looking around the ghostly town, Roe shook his head. "No, it seems something has happened here." The knights at the front suddenly stopped their horses, which made the others come to a stop too.
Lonz and Roe got off from their horses and walked towards the front. When they got to the carriage, Thorn opened the door of the carriage and peeked out. "What's happening?" He asked the leaders.
"We're not sure Sir... We're going ahead to find out." Roe replied. Thorn nodded his head, "Alright. Be careful. We'll also stay ready in case anything happens."
Zane and the rogue seekers were back on the wagon, watching the two go to the front while Edana kept an eye on them. Zane turned his head towards Edana, "Shouldn't you go too?" Glaring at Zane, she replied curtly. "They can handle it themselves."
The knights parted the way for Lonz and Roe to walk through. When they reached the front, they saw a short old man holding a lantern in the middle of the path.
"What's happening?" Lonz asked a knight in the front. Shaking his head, the knight replied, "I don't know, he suddenly appeared on the middle of the road." Lonz looked at the knight, "Didn't you go talk to him?"
The knight looked at the creepy old man who was giving an amicable smile. With a nervous look on his face, he looked at Lonz. "The leaders arrived right when I was about to go haha." he muttered in almost a whisper.
Shaking his head, Lonz and Roe walked towards the old man. "Hello." Roe gave a friendly smile to the old man. "We are from the Sacred Order and are seeking a place to stay for the night."
The old man's slit eye opened a bit and scanned Roe and Lonz in front of him. Stroking the white beard on his chin, he gave a smile with his rotting teeth. "Oh the Sacred Order." He spoke in a coarse voice. "I was wondering who came with a group at this hour so I came to check."
"It just so happens that I run the inn here in Helmfirth." The old man pointed towards a big house to the side of the path. "How many people does your group have?" He asked.
Lonz and Roe looked at each other before turning back to the old man. "We are about 25 people here." Roe was the one to answer. "Do you have enough room?"
"Ha ha ha..." The old man coughed out an eerie laugh. "Please come and rest your horses at the back. I have enough room to accommodate all of you. Please follow me."
By this time, Thorn and Vine had also gotten off their carriages and arrived at the front. Noticing their arrival, Lonz walked up to them and explained the situation.
"Haah.." Thorn looked at the inn of the old man. "Although there is something abnormal with this situation, we have no choice but to stay there for today." He explained. "Bring everyone to the inn. Make sure to watch the rogue seekers." With that, Thorn followed the old man and headed towards the inn.
After taking the carriage, wagons and horses to the back, the knights also entered the inn. The interior of the inn was simple. The ground floor was a dining hall and contained many dining tables for the guests while the upper floor led to a corridor which was lined with rooms on both side.
The knights and seekers began to sit on the dining tables and noise began to fill the hall. Zane carefully went towards a table next to the table where Thorn and the others were sitting. The old man from before was also sitting opposite to Thorn, chatting with them. Zane inched a bit closer towards them and perked up his ears, eavesdropping on them.
"Sorry for the lack of hospitality from the townsfolk right now." It was the old man who was speaking. "They are wary of strangers right now, and for you to have arrived after nightfall did not help their paranoia."
"What happened here?" Thorn asked the old man. "It wasn't like this the last time I was here." He muttered.
Helmfirth was a town outside the jurisdiction of the Sacred Order. This was because when the Sacred Order visited them to convert them and build a temple, they rejected them and sent them away. Thorn was present during this but he was just a knight back then.
This time, when the Sacred Order went to the cult's town, they took another route so they didn't know the condition of the town.
With a heavy sigh, the old man looked towards Thorn and the others. "It started a few weeks ago." He began explaining. "At first, it was our hunter who didn't return from the forest. We thought something happened to him but we couldn't set out to the forest during nightfall, so we searched for him after the morning sun rose." He sighed. "But we couldn't find any traces of him, not even his clothes. Then after that, it began." He looked around the table. "People started disappearing day after day during the night." He paused. "If anyone stepped out during the night, they'd disappear."
"So the townsfolk started locking themselves up during the night. They wouldn't even come out of their houses." He shook his head. "We don't know what we are haunted by." He started looking around at Thorn and the others. "Knights of the Sacred Order, Please can you help us?"