willowfield was a small town on the outskirts of Martlock kingdom, but having its geographical position bordering the elven and demi-human kingdom it holds much value.
Entrance to the city was guarded and everyone was thoroughly checked, security just even got tighter after the recent orge attack, its source still being unknown.
The lordship was Heridetery and the current lord was lord Gareth Windmere.
reibar and sick milio reached the gate and told their identities as adventurers upon which they were welcomed, but one thing was uncommon, they were escorted by a solder and were told that lord Gareth asked for their presence.
"well it saves us from the trouble of meeting him, but something doesn't feel right" reibar thought. Upon asking questions from the soldier escorting them they did not get any suitable answer.
They walked through the cobbled streets of the town, their escort leading them toward the lord's mansion. The air felt heavy, and townsfolk stared with uneasy curiosity. Just as the mansion's spires came into view, a group of ten guards, clad in gleaming chainmail, emerged from an alley and swiftly surrounded them.
Their leader, a stern-faced captain, stepped forward and declared with an unwavering voice, "Reibar and Milio, by the authority of lord Gareth Windmere., you are charged with the murder of his son. Speak no more, and come quietly, or face the consequences."
Reibar's eyes widened briefly, a flicker of shock crossing his face. Then, as realization dawned, his lips pressed into a grim line. "Lissana," he muttered under his breath, the name carrying both anger and bitter understanding. It all made sense now—she must have reached the lord first and twisted the truth, painting them as the culprits.
While Milio's eyes darted between the guards, searching for any hint of escape. "This is a mistake!" Reibar protested his voice firm yet pleading. "We demand an audience with the lord. We have nothing to do with this crime!" Milio echoed her words.
Their pleas fell on deaf ears. The captain's reply was cold and resolute: "You'll have your chance to speak, but not here. The lord will see you in the city prison. Resist, and you'll be tried for treason alongside murder."
Reibar and Milio exchanged tense glances. Ten armed guards were too many, even for skilled fighters like them. To resist now would only seal their fate. With reluctant steps, they allowed themselves to be shackled and escorted toward the city prison, their protests drowned by the murmurs of the crowd. The truth burned in their hearts, but for now, silence was their only option.
They were thrown into an empty cell behind the bars having nothing inside just a comod that was in no good condition and a wooden bunk bed with no mattress.
"ah does these people expect us to poop here in front of each other? WTH" Milio thought doing a facepalm.
The day was passing by and there were no guards and didn't look like anyone was inside that old prison. Milio's condition was getting worse as time passed by and she sure did need the attention of a doctor now. Her skin getting paler and blood coming from the frequent coughs.
The light was coming from the only window in the cell.
It was evening when they heard some people approaching. Milio was completely laid on the bed by now.
It was Gareth Windmere, a man in his late forties and his attire befitting of a lord.
He stands in front of the cell along with that same stern-faced captain a few steps behind him.
Gareth's eyes were cold as ice, he only uttered one word "Why?"
"It was Lisanna who killed Eric, not us!" Eric hissed.
"he trusted you, always telling me about his friends, then why?!" Gareth's tone is still cold but their voice increasing.
"how you guys even got the guts to enter the town after doing such a thing, death will be a small punishment for you" this time the captain spoke.
"Look I meant no harm, but it was Lisanna who set this up she got us ambushed by the goblins and we couldn't save Eric for which I am ashamed of myself but here we came just to warn you that she has been planning to kill you next and taking over the town... I heard her"
"As the captain said why else would we have come here?" reibar pointed towards Milio and said that her condition worsening and even showed him his old wounds from that goblin ambush.
Gareth was no fool he could differentiate between a lie and a truth, but Lisanna's story was what came to his ears first. Those two murders Eric and Lisanna could make her escape miraculously, it was just that the murder of his son kept his mind from focusing. It only makes sense now why Lisanna disappeared from the town after telling him about this murder and why these two arrived so late, Not to mention that failed assassination before he met with Lisanna.He was only alive today as his captain was a skilled fighter and he managed to kill that mercenary who even managed to bypass all of the mansion's security and entered into the city.
Lissana didn't expect them to return to the city after thoroughly checking routes of the woods towards the city, Ofcourse reibar was no idiot and they took a detour, Lisanna might've expected them to retreat to the elven kingdom when she couldn't find them not knowing Eric had heard about her plans.
Eric told Gareth that during the way they were met by some walking dead, a lot of them might be connected to some threat to the town or maybe connected to an orge attack it can't be just coincidence.
Both Gareth and the captain remain quiet and surprised as a commander analyzing the situation.
"walking dead ?" the armed captain blurted. He knew that soldiers and people had been going missing for months since the last attack in town and every search party no matter their number had gone missing too never to be heard of. They even had alerted the townsfolk to avoid that route and were guessing it might be the work of some magical beast.
Eric also informed that some of those sluggish walking dead were in the same armour as he of the guards in the city.
The town was saved last time only because of the decisiveness of Gareth, but this time his decision was deluded as he was thinking about only one thing Eric.
As Reibar spoke with Lord Gareth and the captain, a faint shuffling sound from the corner of the cell drew his attention. Milio, who had been eerily silent the whole time, suddenly stirred. Her movements were unnatural, jerky, as though she were a puppet pulled by invisible strings.
Reibar's brow furrowed in concern. "Milio?" he called, his voice laced with worry. She didn't respond. Instead, her head tilting at an odd angle,
Before anyone could react, Milio lunged at Reibar, her hands clawing at him with aggression. Reibar barely managed to grab her wrists, his eyes wide with shock. "Milio, snap out of it! It's me!" he shouted, desperately trying to reach the friend he once knew.
From outside the cell, Lord Gareth and the captain watched in stunned silence, their disbelief rendering them momentarily frozen. "What in the gods' names—" Gareth murmured, his voice trailing off as he took a step back.
Reibar struggled to restrain her as she snarled and thrashed, her strength far greater than her frail form should have allowed. "She's not herself!" Reibar shouted. "Something's happened to her—she's acting like one of those!"
The captain hesitated, glancing at the lord for instructions. Gareth, though horrified, gave a sharp nod. "Unlock the door and help him before she kills him!"
The captain hesitated no longer, unlocking the cell and stepping inside. Together, he and Reibar tried to subdue Milio, In the chaos, the captain shoved her away with a forceful push. Milio stumbled backwards, her head striking the edge of the metal bunk bed with a sickening crack.
She collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
A heavy silence fell over the cell, broken only by Reibar's ragged breathing. He knelt beside her, his hands trembling as he reached out to her still form. "Milio…" he whispered, the weight of loss and failure crushing him. he had lost all of his friends....lisanna had betrayed, Eric and milio dead both by his own hands.
He doesn't know why but the words of his eldest brother from the orphanage Chronos valenhart from years back echoed in his ears "You are cursed" That was all he had heard directly from his mysterious brother in his 18 years of life at the Orphanage.
Lord Gareth and the captain exchanged grim looks, the shock of what they had witnessed lingering in their expressions. Whatever had happened to Milio, it was something beyond their understanding—and Gareth knew something miserable was going to happen as according to a report on his table people missing numbers had gone to 1000, he only ignoring that, he knew how much clouded his brain had gone because of his son.
The thought of 1000 such things rampaging his town sends a shiver down his spine, A little to his knowledge that thought was going to become reality sooner then he could imagine.