"Fucking savage!" A man shouted as he heard the tale a young girl had just retold to him.
She was adorned with cuts and bruises, with ash and dust still in her pink hair. As the sole survivor of her village, with the help of the gold orb the girl had left Eldridge village and ventured until she found someone who would hear her out.
Now, she didn't speak his true name or his lineage but she did tell the man who sent the monster. She told them that Hoff Village was holding something sinister in their streets.
"Viktor bloody Fritz huh." Another man in the group spoke. "You know a buddy of mine had gone to Hoff once about a year ago, the kid was a healer or something. But to think he would destroy a town." He finished shaking his head.
"But why would he do that?" questioned a third man. His voice was rough and filled with an undertone of unease. "A healer destroying a town... it just doesn't fit."
The girl in front of him shrugged, her young eyes filled with the horrors she had witnessed. "I don't know why, but he did," she insisted. "A wave of his hand and our home... our home was reduced to ashes."
Her words echoed through the tavern, silencing the gruff voices that had been bantering and laughing moments ago. The men exchanged uneasy glances as they digested this new piece of information.
"That can't be right," a fourth man interjected. He stood up from his seat, his face crinkling in concern. "Viktor Fritz was a good lad when he passed by our place last year. A little quiet, sure, but evil? I have trouble believing that."
The girl met his gaze unflinchingly. "Believe what you will," she retorted. "But I saw with my own eyes what your 'good lad' is capable of."
The tavern fell into a tense silence as everyone pondered her words. As the somber atmosphere hung over them, the door creaked open to reveal another figure.
He was tall, clothed in the dark uniform of their gang. His eyes, sharp and piercing, swept over the crowd before landing on the girl. A grim smile twisted his lips as he made his way to her.
"Little one…" he began, his voice a mixture of mocking sweetness and thinly veiled disdain. "It seems you've been spinning quite a tale."
Ignoring the jeers of some of the men, he pulled out an intricately carved stool and took a seat. His attention never wavered from the girl who stared back at him defiantly.
"I have no reason to lie!" she spat out in indignation. "I saw him myself — Viktor Fritz is a monster."
The tall man leaned back, crossing his arms on his chest as he regarded her carefully. He was silent for a while, the air around him heavy with anticipation. The girl held her ground, determined not to back down under his scrutinizing gaze.
"Viktor Fritz…" he finally spoke, saying every syllable distinctly as if tasting each word on his tongue. "A monster?" His grin widened, revealing rows of perfectly aligned teeth that glittered under the dim tavern light. "That's an interesting claim, little one."
The girl bristled at his tone but remained silent, her hands clenching into fists on her lap. Her defiance was admirable but the tall man did not seem impressed. Instead, he continued to study her like she was a particularly interesting puzzle.
"I think," he said after what felt like an eternity, leaning forward so she could see every crack in his stony veneer. "That it's high time we pay this Viktor Fritz a visit."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd, followed by a chorus of clinking glasses. The girl's heart pounded in her chest like a drum, her eyes wide as she stared at the man in front of her.
"Does that mean…" She faltered over her words, worry etching lines into her young face.
"Yes," The man confirmed, his smile never waning as he rose from his seat. "We're going to Hoff."
The girl watched in silence as the tavern erupted into a flurry of activity. Men were shouting and laughing, slapping each other on the back as they prepared themselves for their journey. Through this chaotic scene, she managed to hold onto the tall man's gaze.
There was no joy in his eyes. Only a terrifying resolve that sent chills down her spine.
"I hope," he said quietly, his voice barely audible over the din of the tavern but clear to her nonetheless. "That you are ready to face whatever it is you've stirred up."
Swallowing hard, she nodded and found herself whispering back, "I am."
But even as she said those words, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease creeping into her heart. She had asked for aid against Viktor Fritz – an enemy she barely knew at all. But now she found herself aligned with strangers whose intentions were as uncertain as the coming night.
As the tavern emptied out and the villagers started their journey towards Hoff, she couldn't help but wonder if she had just made an irreversible mistake. But there was no turning back now, not when they were marching towards Viktor and her revenge.
Even as they journeyed through dense forests and across wide rivers , she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that seemed to hang over her like a dark cloud. The men's laughter and camaraderie did little to lighten her spirits as they churned with apprehensions about the looming confrontation.
Sometimes, when the sun was just beginning to set and they made camp for the night, she would find herself looking towards Hoff in the distance. Her stomach churned with dread and anticipation. She couldn't help but wonder what awaited them there: a chance for redemption or a terrible end?
Her nights were troubled by nightmares. The scenes of destruction replayed unendingly in her dreams—fire licking the heavens, homes turned to ash, and Viktor standing amidst it all, his face a mask of indifference. She jolted awake each dawn, her heart thudding against her ribcage as sweat trickled down her temple.
Each clatter of horse hooves on the rocky path seemed to echo her pounding heart. Every rustle of leaves in the wind whispered warnings. Her gaze darted around, taking in the stern faces of the men surrounding her, each one a mask hiding unknown intentions.
As they neared Hoff, she could see the cobblestone paths leading to the village, winding its way through lush fields dotted with wildflowers. Beneath them, their horses' hooves clip-clopped rhythmically, a steady beat that somehow felt ominous.
There, sitting innocently amidst the verdant greenery, was Viktor's quaint cottage. From afar, it looked peaceful as always. It was difficult to believe that this idyllic scene could be home to a monster.
The sun was setting as they entered Hoff, casting long eerie shadows across their path. The villagers had retreated into their homes and now peeked from behind curtains and shutters at their arrival. It was clear that Hoff Village was not accustomed to such an intimidating entourage.
The men dismounted their horses in unison and a hush fell over them as they stared at Viktor's home. The girl found herself holding her breath as well, wrapped up in the tense silence of anticipation.
The tall man broke away from the group first, striding towards the cottage with purpose in his step. He paused at the door for a moment before knocking sharply against the wooden surface.
No response came from within and he knocked again, harder this time. Still nothing.
Then suddenly Rose poked her face out the door. "H-hello? Can I help you?" She asked, a worried expression on her face.
"If your looking for my husband, Eric is out. I assume this is something Guild related?" She finished taking note of the five or so rough looking men at her door.
"No, madam," the tall man replied, his voice carrying across the stillness. "We are here for Viktor Fritz."
A gasp fell from Rose's lips, her hand flying to her mouth in disbelief. "Viktor? What do you need with a kid? He's not even fourteen and also only a D rank adventurer. So I apologize but he can't join your team. Good day." Rose said closing the door.
A murmur of confusion passed through the crowd before spilling into a wave of laughter. The girl felt her cheeks heat up, the blush creeping up and setting her face aflame. All this time, she had been rallying men and horses against a mere boy?
But the tall man did not look away from the cottage door. His eyes narrowed, his smile fading away. "That's exactly who we need to see," he informed her, his voice no longer filled with mirth. He stepped forward as Rose reopened the door a crack, her eyes wide with surprise.
"What do you want with him?" she asked suspiciously, her gaze bouncing back and forth between them.
The man's gaze softened at her protective stance. "We just have some questions," he reassured her gently. "No harm will come to him."
The murmurs died down as Rose hesitated, looking uncertainly at the imposing group of men waiting outside her home. After a moment's deliberation, she reluctantly opened the door wider and gestured for them to enter. "Viktor is upstairs in his room," she informed them, wringing her hands nervously.
As they followed Rose, the girl watched the tall man's back. His shoulders were tense, and his footsteps were heavy - mirroring the heavy feeling in her own heart. She realized then that it wasn't anticipation that filled her but apprehension at what they were about to uncover.
Ascending the narrow staircase, they found themselves in a small room that was sparsely furnished but impeccably neat. A young boy sat on a wooden stool by the window, engrossed in sketching something on a parchment.
He looked up in surprise as the group entered. And contrast to what the girl remembered this boy had dark brown hair and matching eyes.
"Viktor Fritz?" The tall man stepped forward, his gaze falling on the boy. His eyes were piercing, demanding yet strangely gentle.
"Yes," Viktor replied, a slight tremor in his voice as he met the man's gaze. "Do I know you?"
The man shook his head. "We're here to ask you some questions about...certain events." His voice was cautious, as if trying to handle a fragile object.
Viktor cast a troubled glance at his mother who stood by the doorway. A silent understanding seemed to pass between them before he turned back to the tall man and nodded slowly. "All right."
As she watched them converse, the girl's heart pounded against her chest. Her palms were sweaty, her body stiff with tension. She cast a look at Rose who had tensed up too, her light brown eyes filled with fear and concern for her son.
The man began questioning Viktor, keeping his tone low and controlled. Each query sent a jolt through her heart, but Viktor's calm and straightforward answers only increased her confusion.
It became clear that Viktor was just as clueless about the strange occurrences as they were. But there was something in his demeanor that caught her attention – a maturity beyond his age and an underlying strength that seemed out of place in someone so young.
The group took their leave and apologized for the inconvenience.
"What was that all about?" He asked Rose. "Why were they asking me about three days ago?" I don't even remember anything from before yesterday. Heh, whole weeks been a blur." He joked.
Rose looked down innocently at the boy and simply ruffled his hair smiling tenderly. "I'm not sure, darling," she replied, choosing her words carefully, "They didn't tell me much. But don't you worry your head about it."
Viktor stared up at his mother, his dark eyes searching for any hidden meaning in her words. There was a brief flicker of worry in them before he nodded, deciding to trust her judgment. He turned his attention back to the parchment in his hand and resumed sketching.
The girl trailed behind the men as they made their way back to their horses. The sun had set completely now, plunging Hoff village into darkness. The only sources of light were the moon and stars above, and the sporadic glow from the windows of homes where villagers huddled inside.
Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. She looked back at Viktor's cottage, nestled innocuously among the other dwellings illuminated by dim candlelight.
Was it true? Was she wrong about Viktor?
She clenched her teeth, frustration bubbling up within her. How could she have been so deceived?
She mounted her horse in silence, watching as the men spoke amongst themselves in low tones. They too seemed baffled, unable to make sense of their encounter with Viktor.
"Tch, I hate being laid to." The tall man spoke, his right hand man came up to him.
"What do you mean Neel?"
The tall man simply shook his head. "Frederick, here's something strange about the boy. His demeanor, his eyes... it's as though he knows more than he lets on."
Frederick pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Are you suggesting that Viktor is lying? The lad seemed as innocent as a new-born lamb to my eyes."
Neel stared at the dark shape of the cottage, his gaze thoughtful and distant. "I can't exactly put my finger on it," he said slowly. "But there's something unsettling about this whole situation. The boy claims he doesn't remember anything from three days ago, yet I find it hard to believe."
The girl couldn't help but echo Neel's thoughts. She remembered Viktor's anxious glance at Rose when they first mentioned the strange occurrences. She remembered how quickly he agreed to answer their questions, how calmly he answered them, how easily he returned to his sketching once they were done.
Despite the villagers' laughter and her own initial disbelief, she was beginning to understand that Viktor Fritz was no ordinary fourteen-year-old boy.
"Captain," One of the gang leaders associates spoke up. "Why ain't we just kill the kid and take the bitch?" He asked, his speech obviously not the most impressive. That's how we normally do it." He laughed.
Neel shot a sharp glare at the man, his eyes flaring with hostility. "That's not how we do things, Rolf. We are not mindless murderers. We value honor over brutality. Never forget that."
The group all paused in their tracks for a moment, before a sudden burst of laughter erupted within them.
"Who the fuck am I kidding?!" Neel shouted pounding at his knee as he laughed. "Carl and Mack are in that house as we speak."
"Carl? Mack?" The girl's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, her eyes searching Neel for answers.
"You've forgotten them already, love?" He asked with a smirk. "They're two of our best men."
"Wait," she said slowly, as realization dawned upon her. "You mean to say that they were in the house while we were talking to Viktor?"
"Exactly," Neel flashed a triumphant grin, and the surrounding air seemed to grow colder.
Her mind raced. That was why Neel's questions to Viktor had felt so off- they weren't for him at all. They were for the two men hidden inside the house, listening in on their conversation. She felt a lump forming in her throat as she considered the implications. The whole thing had been a ruse, a plan meticulously laid out by Neel, and she had been an unknowing participant.
But what she wasn't sure about was the motive behind this cloak-and-dagger tactic.
"We have something else planned," Neel finally broke the heavy silence that had settled over them. "We are not just here to interrogate Viktor and leave Hoff village. We needed to plant our men inside without arising any suspicion."
"But... why?" she ventured to ask. She worried that whatever demon she had seen days prior would show it's self once more if anything we're to happen to the boy's mother.
He turned his gaze back to the Fritz household, shrouded in the darkness. "We believe that something peculiar is happening within that place," he replied cryptically. His lips turned up in a cold smile as he continued, "And we're not leaving until we find out what it is. And besides, that Rose slut is one nice piece of ass."
The young woman's blood ran cold at Neel's invasive remark, her hands unconsciously clenching into fists. As much as she despised Viktor and his secrets, the thought of harm befalling the innocent Rose was unbearable. She swallowed loudly, her mouth suddenly dry.
"Even so…" she began, cautiously navigating her words amongst the group of rough men, "Aren't you risking too much? What if your men are discovered?"
Neel only laughed again, a booming sound that echoed hauntingly through the moonlit silence. "Oh, lass," he said, wiping tears from his eyes. "You underestimate our resourcefulness."
"But what if--"
"Enough," he interrupted with sudden harshness. His amusement was replaced with a stern look that silenced her immediately.
She bit her lip to stop herself from retorting and glared at him instead from underneath her lashes. The taste of the metallic tang of blood in her mouth grounded her rising anger.
Around them, the other men had retreated back to their conversations, their words whispered beneath the breeze rustling through the trees and grass. The girl could not help but notice how deeply they trusted Neel's judgment despite his questionable decisions.
When they reached their temporary campsite on the outskirts of Hoff village, she slumped onto a bedroll near the fire pit. Her mind was reeling from everything she had learned tonight - doubts about Viktor's honesty, curiosity about Neel's secretive plans, and above all else, concern for Rose.
***
"Hey Rose, you know when Eric will be back?" Viktor asked, after the men's strange questions he had gone downstairs to eat with Rose. Unbeknownst to them the danger that lurked in one of the spare rooms of their home.
Rose glanced up at Viktor, stirring a bubbling stew over the hearth fire. Her face was marked by lines of fatigue and worry, yet her eyes held a warm kindness that made Viktor feel at ease. "He said he will be back by dawn tomorrow," she replied, her voice as soft as the light of the candles flickering on the wooden table.
Viktor nodded absentmindedly, his mind returning to the men's unsettling questions. There was an underlying tension in their voices, a tinge of suspicion that left him unnerved. He knew he had to tread carefully, for any wrong move could spell disaster for him and Rose.
"Splendid!" Viktor beamed, straining to put up a facade of cheerfulness. "I can't wait to see him!"
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Carl and Mack lay still in one of the spare rooms upstairs. Cloaked in darkness, they listened to the innocent conversation between Viktor and Rose. The anticipation hung heavily in their room, along with the smell of dust and old sheets.
As night descended upon Hoff Village, the men from Neel's gang grew restless around their campfire. Their laughter and tales echoed through the looming forest, but Neel himself remained silent. His gaze was fixed on the distant shape of Viktor's cottage, his mind busy piecing together what they knew about the boy.
Beneath his tough exterior and crude remarks, there was a shrewd tactician at work - calculating every possibility, turning over every bit of information they had gathered so far. His thoughts ran deeper than any of his men knew; more than just figuring out what was happening within the Fritz household, he was playing the long game, carefully planning for the days to follow.
Meanwhile Viktor and Rose had finished their meals and had gone to their respective rooms.
Viktor sat still in his bed as he began to drift off to sleep. His thoughts danced around the events of the day, painting vivid images behind his closed eyelids.
Outside, a soft fall of rain began to patter against the windowpane, lulling Viktor into a shallow and uneasy sleep. The boy tossed and turned beneath his covers, a victim of nightmares filled with murderous men and secretive plots.
In the cramped room upstairs, Carl and Mack lay as still as statues. Their ears strained for any hint of movement from Viktor's room but all they could hear was the steady rhythm of Rose's quiet breathing from down the hall.
Yet as soon as they believed it to be the right time Carl went to Viktor, and Mack to Rose.
Neither man spoke as they carefully navigated their way through the moonlit house. Every floorboard, every creak in the old wood was a potential alarm bell that could wake the sleeping inhabitants. As they made their way to their respective targets, their hearts pounded in anticipation.
Carl slowly pushed open Viktor's door. The boy lay restless, his face contorted with unseen horrors in his dreams. He quietly approached the bed and extended a hand towards him.
Simultaneously, Mack was edging his way towards Rose's room. His pulse quickened at the thought of what he was about to do; but he steeled himself and remembered Neel's orders.
Back at the campsite, Neel sat alone by the dying fire. The encroaching darkness seemed to mirror his thoughts - hidden, dangerous, and inscrutable. His men had positioned themselves as silent sentinels around him, their keen eyes scanning the forest for any sign of trouble.
Inside the Fritz household, Carl's hand was just inches away from Viktor when a noise startled him. He swiftly withdrew his hand and pressed himself against the wall next to Viktor's bed. His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for any sign that he had been discovered.
Similarly, Mack had made it to Rose's room and found her sleeping peacefully under her blankets. He slowly approached her bed, crouching down next to it as he prepared to carry out his part of Neel's plan.
In an instant, both men grabbed their respective targets; Carl clamping a hand over Viktor's mouth before he could awake and cry out and Mack doing the same to Rose.
Yet despite hearing Rose's sudden panic, Viktor which much calmer, even as he nearly shouted. Why?
Because in the corner of his mind a familiar voice had called out to him.
"Fritz…" The voice called.
The two voices found themselves in a stark white room with nothing for what seemed to be an eternity, just a prism of white.
"K-Kirchner?" Fritz rang back looking at the white haired blue eyed boy In front of him now.
He put his finger to his lips. "You need to wake up, there are two people in the house, and I'm fairly sure they want to kill you."
"And I might just let them…"
Next Chapter: 39- Trouble In The White Room