Fear gripped the doll as she covered her mouth with trembling hands. Hans yanked her arm, then leaned in threateningly. "Talk! Who are you? And what kind of madness am I in?"
The doll shut her eyes tightly while Hans examined her deformed, cracked face, warning, "If you don't speak, I'll kill you."
She tried to scream, but Hans shoved his fingers into her mouth again and snapped,
"I've been tricked by a fool, robbed by a damn thief, and now I'm stuck in a house full of dead people. I have too many problems already, and adding your death to the list would be easy."
Finally, in a trembling voice, the doll said, "I… I will talk…"
Hans stepped back slightly, smirking. "Finally, go ahead. What's going on here?"
The doll sat down, struggling to keep her body from falling apart. She began her tale, "We are from the village of Wambry. Three months ago, a man came claiming to be from the Wambry family. He wore a red hood and a white mask. He showered us with money and wealth, then… he made an old house in the village his home."
She took a deep breath before continuing, "The elders began worshipping him, declaring him the village's protector. He ordered us to draw those symbols on the walls, and… one day, a child was born in the village. When that man saw him, he grabbed the child by the head and smashed him against the ground until his body flattened. He screamed that this child was an offering to something greater than us. We were forced to bow around the child's corpse."
Hans, stunned by what he heard, asked sharply, "And why did you follow him?"
The doll trembled as she replied, "We don't know… After he showered us with money, we became numb… Every word he spoke felt like an absolute command."
Hans narrowed his eyes. "And why do your bodies look like this?"
The doll struggled to hold back tears. "I don't know how it happened… One night, he gathered us all, and his 'brothers of the oath' came. The entire village assembled under the moonlight as he pulled out a small notebook and wrote in it. Then he chanted… We fell into a deep sleep. When we woke up, he told us that we had slept for ten days, and our bodies were like this. From that day on, we were ordered to be his followers, to gather people for him at night and sleep during the day."
Hans was horrified. "Why did he turn you like this? And how could you all accept it?"
The doll's voice was filled with surrender. "We wanted to resist, but… the elders worship him like a true god. We can't escape. He watches everything. Anyone who tries to run is killed."
Hans swallowed hard and asked, his voice shaking, "Is… is he here now?"
The doll's voice turned ominous. "Yes, he's here. He knows about you. I feel sorry for you, little boy… You'll meet the devil soon."
"Is there a way out?" Hans asked quickly.
"The main gate is heavily guarded, but there's a small crack. Your size might allow you to slip through."
Hans left the room, cursing under his breath. The place was dark, its corridors long and filled with dread. As he walked, he heard noises coming from a nearby room. He tried to ignore them and move away, but suddenly, the door burst open, revealing Bella behind a group of dolls.
Hans sneered, "You damn thief! What the hell are you doing here?"
Bella screamed in terror, "Stay away! They're going to kill me!"
She bolted forward, and Hans tossed a piece of paper from his notebook into the air. Flames erupted, engulfing the dolls and knocking them down. When he turned to Bella, he found her lying on the ground, soaked in blood from the dolls' arrows.
He chuckled bitterly. "You look so entertaining when you're in pain."
Bella glared at him weakly and muttered, "Go… If you have nothing better to do."
Hans smirked. "Oh, you pathetic rat! I'll heal you—not because I'm kind, but so you'll remember that the only reason you survived is because you're scum."
He threw a healing ointment onto the floor near her and mocked, "Oops! It fell. Wipe your filthy body with it if you want to recover." Then, he walked away, leaving Bella to treat herself.
Hans's fear returned after his brief moment of triumph. He entered a large dining hall and sat down, overwhelmed by everything he had experienced. He muttered to himself,
"What a thrilling story… If I tell it at a tavern, I'll become a famous adventurer! But first, I need to get out alive before that devil worshiper finds me."
As he spoke to himself, the door suddenly opened again. This time, Bella appeared, holding a long spear, her eyes burning with rage. She charged at him, but Hans dodged her attack with ease.
He grinned mockingly. "You tricked me twice, nearly got me killed, and now you want to finish the job after I saved you?"
Hans tossed an explosive stone to distract her, then struck her with several punches. As he moved to write on a paper, she lunged at him, but he dodged and placed an explosive note on her stomach, sending her crashing to the ground.
Standing over her, he laughed and said, "Did you really think a pathetic rat like you could beat me? I am the Green Scribe! Now, I'll leave you with the dolls. Enjoy your time! Oh, and you might meet the devil worshiper—rumor has it, they eat human flesh. Goodbye."
Hans walked out of the room, humming a tune, making his way through the dark corridor until he reached a grand door engraved with strange symbols. He slowly pushed it open, and what lay before him was exactly what he had feared encountering since stepping into the manor.
Fear gripped the doll as she covered her mouth with trembling hands. Hans yanked her arm, then leaned in threateningly. "Talk! Who are you? And what kind of madness am I in?"
The doll shut her eyes tightly while Hans examined her deformed, cracked face, warning, "If you don't speak, I'll kill you."
She tried to scream, but Hans shoved his fingers into her mouth again and snapped,
"I've been tricked by a fool, robbed by a damn thief, and now I'm stuck in a house full of dead people. I have too many problems already, and adding your death to the list would be easy."
Finally, in a trembling voice, the doll said, "I… I will talk…"
Hans stepped back slightly, smirking. "Finally, go ahead. What's going on here?"
The doll sat down, struggling to keep her body from falling apart. She began her tale, "We are from the village of Wambry. Three months ago, a man came claiming to be from the Wambry family. He wore a red hood and a white mask. He showered us with money and wealth, then… he made an old house in the village his home."
She took a deep breath before continuing, "The elders began worshipping him, declaring him the village's protector. He ordered us to draw those symbols on the walls, and… one day, a child was born in the village. When that man saw him, he grabbed the child by the head and smashed him against the ground until his body flattened. He screamed that this child was an offering to something greater than us. We were forced to bow around the child's corpse."
Hans, stunned by what he heard, asked sharply, "And why did you follow him?"
The doll trembled as she replied, "We don't know… After he showered us with money, we became numb… Every word he spoke felt like an absolute command."
Hans narrowed his eyes. "And why do your bodies look like this?"
The doll struggled to hold back tears. "I don't know how it happened… One night, he gathered us all, and his 'brothers of the oath' came. The entire village assembled under the moonlight as he pulled out a small notebook and wrote in it. Then he chanted… We fell into a deep sleep. When we woke up, he told us that we had slept for ten days, and our bodies were like this. From that day on, we were ordered to be his followers, to gather people for him at night and sleep during the day."
Hans was horrified. "Why did he turn you like this? And how could you all accept it?"
The doll's voice was filled with surrender. "We wanted to resist, but… the elders worship him like a true god. We can't escape. He watches everything. Anyone who tries to run is killed."
Hans swallowed hard and asked, his voice shaking, "Is… is he here now?"
The doll's voice turned ominous. "Yes, he's here. He knows about you. I feel sorry for you, little boy… You'll meet the devil soon."
"Is there a way out?" Hans asked quickly.
"The main gate is heavily guarded, but there's a small crack. Your size might allow you to slip through."
Hans left the room, cursing under his breath. The place was dark, its corridors long and filled with dread. As he walked, he heard noises coming from a nearby room. He tried to ignore them and move away, but suddenly, the door burst open, revealing Bella behind a group of dolls.
Hans sneered, "You damn thief! What the hell are you doing here?"
Bella screamed in terror, "Stay away! They're going to kill me!"
She bolted forward, and Hans tossed a piece of paper from his notebook into the air. Flames erupted, engulfing the dolls and knocking them down. When he turned to Bella, he found her lying on the ground, soaked in blood from the dolls' arrows.
He chuckled bitterly. "You look so entertaining when you're in pain."
Bella glared at him weakly and muttered, "Go… If you have nothing better to do."
Hans smirked. "Oh, you pathetic rat! I'll heal you—not because I'm kind, but so you'll remember that the only reason you survived is because you're scum."
He threw a healing ointment onto the floor near her and mocked, "Oops! It fell. Wipe your filthy body with it if you want to recover." Then, he walked away, leaving Bella to treat herself.
Hans's fear returned after his brief moment of triumph. He entered a large dining hall and sat down, overwhelmed by everything he had experienced. He muttered to himself,
"What a thrilling story… If I tell it at a tavern, I'll become a famous adventurer! But first, I need to get out alive before that devil worshiper finds me."
As he spoke to himself, the door suddenly opened again. This time, Bella appeared, holding a long spear, her eyes burning with rage. She charged at him, but Hans dodged her attack with ease.
He grinned mockingly. "You tricked me twice, nearly got me killed, and now you want to finish the job after I saved you?"
Hans tossed an explosive stone to distract her, then struck her with several punches. As he moved to write on a paper, she lunged at him, but he dodged and placed an explosive note on her stomach, sending her crashing to the ground.
Standing over her, he laughed and said, "Did you really think a pathetic rat like you could beat me? I am the Green Scribe! Now, I'll leave you with the dolls. Enjoy your time! Oh, and you might meet the devil worshiper—rumor has it, they eat human flesh. Goodbye."
Hans walked out of the room, humming a tune, making his way through the dark corridor until he reached a grand door engraved with strange symbols. He slowly pushed it open, and what lay before him was exactly what he had feared encountering since stepping into the manor.