In the northwestern reaches of the central Hyrule region, past the minor clusters of villages and camps, and beyond a small forest lay a humble village known as Rorenville. It was far out of the way, and was a lumbering village that saw much use during the reign of the earliest kings of Hyrule. Everywhere one looked around this settlement, one would see the shadows of prosperity long past, be that it the abandoned lumbermill, the many barely used log storage facilities, or that their stables were completely empty with no sign of usage beyond the odd traveler's horse. The peoples here fared no better to reflect the somber state of this village, no one dared step outdoors without a compelling reason, and others who chose not to fear the air of death that had recently taken hold of this place they called home, would be looking over their shoulders every so often. There were no soldiers, no militia, as if this place was abandoned to its fate, and by the way the lord that owned this small fief had acted, that seemed to have been the case. It was a village that brought very little value, and so its people were often forgotten. Perhaps some of the newcomers present, did not know of this place.

"A Hylian Knight...? Truly, are we not forsaken? Though there are fewer than I had expected...", an old man had come out to meet the group of barely a hand's count. Consisting of a Goron, Sheikah, and Hylander, led by the young lady knight standing in front.

"My apologies. My name is Lady Afira, and I am sure this is a group you were not expecting, but know this... This party is bound to an oath to protect Hyrule and its peoples as much as the Hylian Knights are, for they are the Valorbrands, led by myself", she assured the man that they would demonstrate the due diligence, yet still the sentiment was fairly meaningless in the old man's eyes. He did not see trained soldiers, but a small picking of mercenaries, led by a single Hylian Knight, and a young lady at that, who appeared to not have seen more than a handful of skirmishes. Whatever name they went under, it was meaningless to him in the face of reality.

"Very well... I suppose it is better than having to... Abandon this place. It is a sad village compared to some others, but for many here it is home, and abandoning it would only be done in a dire circumstance... I am the village elder, Relan", he gave a defeated sigh, knowing this may just be the best he has.

"I... I see. We have gotten reports of recent murders here, might you tell us more about what you know?", the young lady knight inquired.

"Mmm... Recent you say...? No they've been happening on and off for some time now, almost regularly each month. Our lord then deigned not to share this news with the Knights for months then it seems... We had sent word to him, in hopes of getting help, but it seems only our direct message to the Knights really did reach them", and even then, not even the Knights sent a proper party here. The old man shook his head, then turned around to the village. There were some villagers standing outside their homes to observe the happenings, while others might peek from their windows. There were the odd few who were still going about business, such as the ones cutting wood to sell in another town.

"The most recent occurrence happened near the old lumbermill... The poor sod, barely recognizable when we found him... His name was Eidan, and his family is... In the house over there", he pointed at a small house, no one outside, but there was smoke in their chimney... Just over in the corner of the village.

"The one who found his body is a young lady who lives in the house right next to mine... She is my daughter, Relia, and this event has been quite harrowing for her. Though we have had deaths before this one, none were so abhorrent as this. At least the other bodies were not desecrated so...", there was a sadness in his voice, and for very understandable reasons.

"Thank you for sharing, it must not have been easy to share, elder Relan", she gave him a solemn bow, before turning back to business. "Do we have the freedom to question and investigate the village?", she inquired.

"Of course... We want to be rid of whatever this nightmare may be, please... As backwater as this village is, it is still home for us", with his blessing, the group was now left to their own devices. Afira turned to the group,

"I will go and investigate the lumbermill. Might I request one of you to accompany me? The others, I ask that you learn what you can from the daughter and the family?"

---

@rawkhawk64@ChozoHunter@Jerkchicken

>Investigate the Lumbermill
>Question Eidan's family
>Question Relia, the witness

---

Rikshath looked around the small settlement that they'd been dispatched to. It was a somber-looking place, with an atmosphere that spoke of fear and dark tidings. Perhaps that was to be expected, considering what they'd been told about this job. It wasn't too long before their admittedly ragtag group were introducing themselves before the elder.

After learning about how long these murders had been going on, Rikshath could only wonder why the Knights that had been sent before had not deigned to resolve the issue. However, it wasn't too long after his wonderings that their leader had turned around to face them.

"I will go and investigate the lumbermill. Might I request one of you to accompany me? The others, I ask that you learn what you can from the daughter and the family?" At her request, Rikshath stepped forward.

"If you will have me, Lady Afira, I will accompany you to the lumbermill." Rik figured that his Shiekah training would (hopefully) prepare him for whatever grisly sight awaited them. If what the Elder had told them was true about the body, having someone losing their most recent meal over the crime scene would only hinder an investigation. As he turned around and glanced at the lumbermill, he could see that it had been a long time indeed since it had been last used. "I have a bad feeling about this..." he muttered to himself.

The march to Rorenville was fine. Ghent was sort of zoning out and appreciating the scenery. There was a lot of the natural beauty of the forest to appreciate. Although this wasn’t a pleasant hike. They were heading to investigate a series of grisly murders. And when they arrived it was easy to tell the killings took a toll on the village’s mood. Not even in the Hyland’s was a place with such a miserable feeling. Oh sure, it was definitely one of those backwater villages that was falling into neglect. But even those had a type of life to it, this place was sapped of that energy.

Eventually, they’d be greeted by the elder of the village. He’d stand there listening as the man explained what was going on to Afira. It seemed that due to the village’s position, their duke didn’t take much attention to their complaint. Ghent would think to himself that it was shameful to neglect these people. Well, at least they were here, but that was hardly reassuring given Relan’s reaction.

Once the man was done speaking, Afira would address the group with what would be their plan. Rikshath was the first step up to accompany her to the lumber mill. That meant it was just him and Nareck to interview the witness and the family. Not wasting any time Ghent would speak up, “Got it. Nareck and I will go interview the family first and then the elder’s daughter.”

There was a relaxing rhythm to the crunch of the groups footfalls on the dry earth as they approached, only accompanied by the whistle of wind. The area certainly felt dead, or as close to is as possible. The burly goron scooped up a rock and took a bite, cracking through the solid mass easily but spitting it out after only a few chews. It felt off, eerie, like everything here, as if the terrible events had tainted the land itself.

Nareck listened with folded arms, saying nothing but nodding in understanding as the elder explained and when Ghent volunteered them both he lay a heavy calloused hand on the hylanders shoulder and spoke in a deep, respectful tone. "Do not fear, we will uncover the cause behind all this."

@rawkhawk64

The trek up to the lumbermill took them through the trees out the back of the village, a dirt path that was barely visible, unsurprising as it hadn't been in use for some time reportedly. How close they were to their destination was marked by the appearance of stumps and logs becoming more and more frequent, but it would be barely a few more moments until they would see the mill itself dead up ahead on the straight path. Afira and Rikshath were silent most of the way, only with occasional directives from the fair knightess as they made their way.

The lumbermill itself looked like people had simply stopped working here, and was left like this for many years. The small pile of tree logs, some equipment rusted and left into disrepair, tools broken or unusable. The grass had grown tall over some of the areas where work was done as nature slowly reclaimed it all. There was but one thing however that did see any use, and that was the stack of firewood, though that should not be of note, as it seems villagers until recently had come here to claim some of it, or use some of the things here to cut wood for the winters.

"I believe the site was reported to be inside...", she remarked. Lady Afira seemed to with heavy heart approach the lumbermill's front doors. Large, wooden doors, similar to a barn. From the size of the mill itself it seemed there was once pride in it's creation. Though, such thoughts were of no import now, as the two bore witness to the results of these 'grotesque murders' with their own eyes.

The first thing they would notice is the smell. Opening the doors seemed to have let it all free as the rotting musk assaulted their senses. Soon as they are able to compose themselves, they would look forward, the trail of viscera getting thicker as it led their eyes to the corpse, writhing with maggots and swarmed by flies at this point. It seems for fear and disgust of the murderer and the victim's fate, they did not try to clear it away at all. There was certainly a body of some kind recognizable, and a man's from the strands of hair that were visible as but bloodied tufts from the blooded and crushed face. The torso was ripped open, exposed ribs, but curiously no organs were visible, like his entire insides had disappeared. The victim's limbs while heavily bruised, missing bits and chunks though, were the most untouched. The clothes were much the same to reflect this, with only the inner areas being completely shredded or gone, but any clothing covering the limbs were only somewhat ripped. Truly, it was a horrible, yet becoming curious as one were to not avert their eyes.

Covering her nose, Lady Afira pressed forward, resolute in her duty, finding it in herself to despite being a high born woman, dared approach such an undignified site. "We... We must attempt to identify how the... This poor man had died", she was breathing unevenly trying not to take another breath of the rot, but she knelt down, and began to inspect the body...

---

@ChozoHunter@Jerkchicken

When the two inquired about the family to the elder they were informed that it was the Rills who were affected, and prior to their departure for their little abode they were told it was the father who had died. Eidan Rills was his whole name. As an aside they were also told where to find his house where they can talk to the daughter Relia afterwards.

As the two approached the house, a young man was outside, most likely the victim's son, who was chopping some wood. Albeit with some struggle. It seems the axe he was using was somewhat chipped, and old from the wear on the steel. The young man, brown hair, Hylian, with green eyes saw the curious pair... A Hylander, and a Goron together. They were a Zora short of a popular Faron joke. "Ma! It's those knight folks! They've come to ask 'bout pa!", the forced energy of the young man's call for his mother to come greet them was wasted as she slowly opened the door to their small cottage. Her face was gaunt, and eyes red...

"H-how... Y-you've come to... We didn't expect a-anyone would come, this village's small see and not even our lord would give us scraps... I had given up finding justice for my dear Eidan!", the woman was distraught yet from her tone their presence had given her some small measure of hope.

"I-I'll tells you whatever I can, just... Please, after the horrible news of the other villagers disappearing too... T-this was the first time a-anyone's... Been found... A-and they... He...", she howled, her tears overflowed. As the two waited for her to calm down so they could ask questions, they can infer that others in the village had died too likely at the hands of this same murderer, yet their bodies were never found. Only Eidan's was, recently too... Their timing here was lucky as having a body would help them greatly.

Rik'shath dutifully followed the leader of the small band that called themselves the Valorbrands. As they made their way to the lumber mill, the silence was only broken by the sounds of nature around them, as well as the directives that Afira gave him. Rikshath made mental notes as the directives came, but otherwise kept his thoughts focused on what they might find ahead. However, when the door was opened, all his expectations were shown to be lesser than the grisly scene that lay before them.

When the large wooden doors were swung open, a very strong musk of decay and death assaulted his nose. Instinctively, the Sheikah recoiled ever so slightly, but quickly recomposed himself. Trying to breathe as shallowly as possible, the Shiekah followed the Knightess inside. Viscera made a macabre trail leading to the poor victim, whose body had been unceremoniously left to the ravages of nature. Rikshath duly noted the maggots that crawled freely over what remained of the body. While his leader valiantly stepped forward and busied herself with examining, the body, Rikshath instead moved around to examine the rest of the lumbermill.

It seemed that the old lumbermill was seeing use, just perhaps not how those that had originally constructed it had intended. Rik found various bones laying around, ranging from intact to just shards. Other macabre things were spread about such as bits of flesh, and what the Sheikah strongly suspected were entrails. After making note of some markings that looked strangely like tracks, Rik joined his leader in examining the body.

"My Lady, I've noticed a few unusual things in the surroundings. Something has been using this lumber mill as a hideout, if not as a home. Bits of bones and other viscera are here, likely not from our victim. I've also found bits of what appear to be tracks, although I can't make out enough to identify what made them." Rik then examined the body, noting the markings around the wound in the torso. Then, he looked at the gaping hole where the man's intestines used to be. "I'm sure you already might have noticed, but these marks weren't made by a man-made weapon. I can't fathom why the intestines are missing. My best guesses are ruled out by other oddities I see in the body. I'm afraid I'm at a loss as to how the body got here."

"You have our deepest condolences." The large goron spoke as he inclined his head to the grieving woman. "Forgive our...invasiveness, but what can you tell us of the last time you saw your husband? Was anything out of the ordinary? Had he recently argued or had any altercations with anyone? Did he work at the mill?"

He folded his massive arms across his chest as each second with the crying widow stabbed at him. He felt a chaffing resistance to just standing around talking, he wanted to move, to act, to find whatever caused this. This town had been forsaken, that much was obvious and now some abhorrent thing was preying on the already downtrodden residents. It was vile and infuriating. Taking a breath to swallow back his mounting frustration, Nareck spoke both to ease the woman and reassure himself.

"It is difficult, i have no doubt. And you have my sympathies for needing to relive such painful moments but any information you can provide will aid us in a swift end to this mystery and justice delivered for your loss."

@rawkhawk64

By the time Rik'shath had returned to Afira with his finders, the fingers of one of her greaves were smeared with blood, it appears she had also decided to move the body around a bit, as well as some of the scrapped clothing were removed too. As she listened to the Sheikah, she too was at a loss... Though, not entirely for the same reason, rather, she pointed to some of edges of flesh where the torso was once whole, and ran her fingers along them.

"I have... Seen wolves bite flesh clean from people before and... These, look like teeth marks, not from a wolf, but...", she began. The teeth marks she was referring to were only obvious when pointed out, jagged and sharp, like a row of knives had sliced right through in uniform fashion. "I don't know... The marks are not familiar", she could not glean much more from that, but Rik'shath's note on the tracks was promising. She stood up, pulling out a small white cloth to clean her fingers as she continued to speak.

"Those tracks, follow them. I will be close behind", she ordered, ready to follow him. It wasn't unusual for Sheikah to be trackers and while this was not explicitly his job in the unit, it was a familiar role he was placed into.

---

@ChozoHunter@Jerkchicken

When the poor lady had finally calmed down, she introduced herself and answered their questions, tears being wiped from her eyes with her son holding her shoulders to help keep her calm. "O-of course, I am Eila, forgive my... Outburst", she took a brief pause to breathe. "No one works at that mill, not since it's been abandoned some many years ago but some folk used to go there to cut any wood the village might need, and no more. My dear Eidan was one of the ones who would be asked such of. Last I saw him was... Was...", she took a moment to cradle her face, before bringing her gaze back up. "I-it was... Maybe a week back, or two... I don't know anymore. He was also an agreeable man, no one in this village had hated him but...", she took yet another breath, looking down in contemplation.

"There was... Another man, many moons back, maybe seven or eight. His name was Toltan, and before Eidan had passed, he mentioned that man in passing, said he needed to get more firewood, and then I... Never heard from him again", there was a moment, where it seemed she might have it all together but... The howling continued. Well, this was decent information it seemed.

"A-about Toltan, was a beggar of sorts 'e was, lef' this small village all bitter like... dunno for whot, but I 'ear the village chief's lass talked to the man a lot", if there was anymore they could ask about here it wouldn't be immediately apparent. The young man and his mother stood there with him consoling her as the two awaited perhaps further questions.

Ghent found himself using his spear as a sort of cane to lean on while Nareck and the widow spoke. It seemed unlikely that anyone in the village would have murdered the fellow. However, the widow did produce the name of someone who would be of interest. And their best source of information on it would be their next witness. He wondered how the other two were doing, poking around at that abandoned lumber mill. “Ma’am, before we go, I got two more questions I’d like to ask if you’re able to answer them for us. What time of day did your husband leave to get this wood, and would you be able to tell us about the circumstances of the other previous deaths?”

Rik noted the markings that Afira pointed out to him. Subtle markings indeed on a body in such a grisly state as this. The Sheikah cast about once more to ensure that no details had been missed. Satisfied, he followed his directions, leading the Knightess to the start of the trail and following it.

Rikshath picked his way carefully along, not rushing to ensure that he did not miss the tracks. Every so often, he would stoop down and make a note of the nature of the tracks, but their source was no clearer now than when the pair had begun tracking. Fortunately, the trail was relatively easy to follow, mostly sticking to a straight line.

The tracks abruptly ended, but the Shiekah decided to take a gamble in moving forward anyway. After another few minutes of walking, he spotted a cave up ahead. Not awaiting orders, the Shiekah readied his weapons just in case and moved ahead to investigate. After a few minutes, he returned to Afira.

"There is a lair up ahead. I suspect that the creature may reside in the cave. I see the remains of wolves and Bokoblins. They're in a similar state to our victim, and they definitely look like whatever killed them ate off of their corpses. The strange thing is that the remains ahead are weeks old, perhaps even months. This may indicate that there are more of the creatures, or that the creature does not need to feed constantly. It could also have multiple hunting grounds. What do we do next, My Lady?"

@rawkhawk64

Lady Afira pressed her chin in thought to the Sheikah's words, who had decided to scout ahead, with her ready to assist if needed. Seems there was no need, fortunately. So the wilds around here were being wandered freely around here, even to be as comfortable as to hunt so close to the village... The possibility of multiple was also raised, which would certainly increase the difficulty.

"The more and more we investigate, the less likely it seems our quarry is a person... If it truly is a beast out here, we are not equipped for this I fear...", she thought to herself. Still... There was much on the line for this outing. If they returned empty handed, then it would truly all be over.

"We shall take another look around near the lumbermill, then head back to the village and hear what the others have found out", she settled on doing this. There was a slight fear, that if they were to find their target, they may not be able to handle it without all hands. Perhaps regrouping would be best...

---

@ChozoHunter@Jerkchicken

"I-it was... The dead of night, I fear. In my half-asleep state, I had not thought it strange he said he was going off to retrieve more wood at the time but...", there was some remorse and sadness in her voice, before she began to sob into her son's arms. There wasn't much else they could get out of them at this point it seems.

"Aight, he kept makin' excuses to go out at odd times, sometimes with food, or just because. I won't know much more than that though... P-please, speak with the chief's lass... She might know more", the young man had said, consoling his mother. As soon as the two would leave, they'd hole up back inside their little home.

Nareck nodded along with the pairs explanation. Strange behaviour before the man's death gave him an uneasy feeling that this was more than just a random impulsive attack from some beast. Still, ruminating on theories without more information was a waste of time. With one last solemn bow of the head, the goron turned to begin his way to the house the elder directed them to in search of Relia, only vaguely looking over his shoulder to see if Ghent was following or had their own idea to pursue.

Reaching the house, he tapped his knuckle on the doorframe, trying not to surprise whoever was inside.

“Well, that was disappointing. I figured it would be useful to ask if there are any common threads between all these deaths. Well, time to go find the chief’s daughter. Somehow I feel like that guy they think is suspicious is gonna be a waste of time and not important to our mission. But we might as well ask about him.” Ghent would say to Nareck as they approached the Chief’s house.

He stood aside as the Goron knocked on the door waiting for it to open. He already had his canned opening statement ready: “Good morning miss, we’re here to investigate the murders and came here to ask you a couple of questions.”

@ChozoHunter@Jerkchicken

The walk over to the chief's house was slow, there were some other villagers around going about their day, or gawking. Particularly the few children that were still in the village. In not too long they would find themselves at the chief's doorstep, knocking upon it. They were first met with the voice of a young lady from within, "coming!" they would hear, uncharacteristically cheerful compared to the entirety of the village.

The door swung open for the two to be greeted with a young Hylian lady who maintained a rather cheerful demeanor, long, light brown hair and blue eyes, with dainty, angular features more typical of a city Hylian. Although one could tell such behavior was normal for her, the tired lines across her face would inform one she had been forcing it for awhile now. Just as they were greeted with her sight, she would be greeted with a question.

"Ah, yes! Father had told me to expect some guests, please, come on in. I'll serve up some tea", she said. Whether the two wanted to or not, they would have to filter inside, as she had already run off to prepare the promised tea. Without facing them, and putting hot water into the teacups, she continued to speak.

"The, murders have been going on for awhile now and everyone in the village is right glad you're here to... Do something about it", she began. "And guests, it's been some time. Truth be told, I used to live in Faron, but came here not too long ago to visit my father, and now... I'm involved in this whole mess too", she sighed a little as she spoke. In not too long she would come to the table with three cups of tea, and proceed to take a seat herself.

"So, please... What would you like to ask?", she seemed settled, and despite her somewhat tired expressions underneath, she seemed genuinely glad to have company.

Ghent would follow the young woman inside. It was already too late to say, “No thanks” and he’d take the tea politely, but it was clear he was not terribly interested in drinking the beverage. “Ahh, so you’ve been living in Faron? Been living there as well. Although I’ve only been living there not too long ago.” He said as he took a polite sip. “Anyway, I got a handful of questions I’d like to ask. The first being if you knew anything about Eidan or saw anything weird during the day of his disappearance. Then following that, if you know anything about the prior disappearances. Finally, who’s this Toltan guy? The other family brought it up that you’ve been speaking with him.”

Nareck would offer a friendly wave to the children they passed. At Ghent's musings he grumbled, "I have a gut feeling someone is keeping secrets here. A town like this makes people terribly desperate."

The oddly cheerful demeanour of the woman caught him off guard but he smiled in return and squeezed to fit through the door into her house. Electing not to sit down in case he broke something, Nareck stood with his arms folded as Ghent asked his questions, adding to the end with, "Forgive my being pedantic but would you also mind giving us your version of how you found the latest victim?"

@ChozoHunter@Jerkchicken

"O-of course my sirs... I... Suppose I'll start with Eidan", she said. She seemed to be a little nervous, her cheerful behavior breaking for just a moment, as if she was remembering something that perturbed her. Though, it would not have anything to do with Eidan, as she would give an answer about him that most in the village would. "He was respected here, and a bit of a bleeding heart, always trying to help anyone he could, even if he wasn't so well-off himself. I suppose it wasn't a surprise he wanted to help Toltan", she began, putting down her cup as she did after taking a brief sip and pause.

"Toltan, he's a beggar... Well, rather, a former Hylian Knight, discharged and sent back home due to becoming a cripple. Lost part of his good arm", she sighed a little, before continuing. "Always going on about his days as a knight he did, Eidan and I were the only ones who gave him the time of day, and then one day he just... Disappeared. Never showed up again after storming off and cussing out some folk around here", her expression changed, furrowing as if recalling what she could.

"This was... Many months ago however. When I heard Eidan had seen Toltan again just a week or so back, I was curious, and went out about looking for him. Of course, always came back before sundown. I'd known how dangerous it had become of late, never going far... Well, that was when I found poor Eidan, in the lumbermill... Or, what was left of him", she took a moment to compose herself, placing her hand over her mouth, taking deep breaths. The two here didn't know how grisly the site was, but it seemed she was holding back some measure of disgust.

"From... From what I understood... Eidan had been meeting with Toltan at night, and only at night. Bringing him some food or... Water, just supplies. And then one day he was just... Murdered. I'm... Afraid I don't know much more than that though... I thought it strange he only went out at night, full knowing the dangers. You know, a big beast had been spotted a couple times over the last few months, but only ever at night...", she sighed... "Perhaps it was simply this mad beast..." Well, the two here had already heard that other people in the village were killed too, but it's only now they got a body.

"Well, that ought to be all I know... Unless there is more you sirs wish to ask", she craned her head back up to face them again, taking a sip of her tea, which seemed to soothe her and her demeanor began to change back.

@ChozoHunter@Jerkchicken@rawkhawk64

The group gathered back up in the village square by the well, in order to gather their information together. Figure out what was happening. Information from Nareck and Ghent, suggested that their target was Toltan, yet such a man who was crippled could not possibly do the kind of killings that resulted in what Rik and Afira had found. A few things did line up for them, that some sort of beast might be behind this, it seemed to always be at night, and that it seemed to target this village with animosity uncharacteristically, as there were other deaths before, but never found, or too old to follow up on. Everyone here had some experience fighting a beast, of course, particularly Ghent, who was a Hylander.

"Hmmm...", Lady Afira crossed her arms in thought... She felt uneasy, despite the supposed quarry being something they could handle. Her gut told her they needed more people... No, just more bodies might not be right. Her mind flashed back to the way some of the bodies were left. Those were rather large jaw marks, almost a whole body's... On the other hand... If the came back empty handed from a supposedly 'simple' job such as this... They'd never be taken seriously. This was their first outing, so their success was paramount. Plus, she doubted they'd send help off of just a hunch, or even for a good reason unless it lined some nobleman's pockets.

"We'll stake this out. All of you make whatever preparations you need, we'll be going up to the lumbermill once we're ready", she began. "I'll make a request to the village chief too for something flammable... It is most likely our quarry is fearful of light and heat to some degree. We'll hide out in the lumbermill, illuminate it when it comes in, and then kill it before it can do a thing", that was her plan, but if anyone could build off of it, now was the time to suggest something, before they all got moving.

"One concern I have is if it's smarter than your usual forest beast. An animal desperate enough to start preying on humans is one thing, but if it's a clever monster than we have an issue. I think we should also try and minimize its chance to escape or at the very least make escaping as slow as possible. Traps and perhaps some obstacles to control the movement of our target would be useful to set-up." Ghent said to the team. He was expecting this to be a bloody fight, where they end up having to chase this thing through the woods. Not exactly the most optimistic view, but he just felt that this wouldn't be an easy fight either.

As everyone reported what they had found out in their investigations, there were a lot of things that didn't line up to Rik. The information he had gathered with Afira did not match up with what their two larger companions had found out from the villagers during their questioning. As Afira hashed out their plan, something at the back of Rik's mind told him that what was to come would not be a fun or pleasant experience. As Ghent spoke up about traps, Rik nodded.

"If you wish, I can assist you in setting up some of the traps. I have some throwing daggers with me if we need to set any ranged traps. I'll let you take the lead, as you have more experience with traps than I."