"Asked the guard about what had been happening. He told me to F-off. Even more reason to sort that king out and get Isaac back." Wardi was looking ready to cause some pain.

"How bloody rude!" Rhua snapped out loud. Wardi shrugged it off and pointed to his right.

"Let's not waste any time her-"

A window smashing interrupted Wardi, and the trio couldn't help but investigate. They noticed there was a smell in the air now, a familiar smell of rot.

"Is this going to be another Broekslang situation?" Wardi began drawing his rapier from the holster, the others readied their equipment in turn.

A small Scaq wife and her over-muscled, yet equally sized husband had run out and started screaming down the street.

"Ah you're an eejit, Barvo. Why did you stick me Sjokko in the sun so long, it's fecking melted and those Green-belled Fleyes have vomited all over it. Last of me mams stash from the Imp wars that!"

"Fugula ya bint, YOU were never gonna have it. Cause it's fecking rotten, ya daft coot!"

The trio watched on, wondering if they should intervene in the domestic incident. The guards didn't exactly care. It wasn't like they rushed to investigate. Wardi sighed and pointed over to them with his head down.

"Hey! Everyone OK over here? Seems like there's something up?"

"Piss off you nosey nod," said the woman named Fugulu "And that's why ya have no feckin friends. Feckin psychotic sqatch," Barvo replied. Everyone felt a sign of danger in the air. Veins bulging in her fishy turned into her head expanding, spikes protruding as she did so.

"You what? What did ya call me!? She lunged at Barvo headfirst.

Lucy intervened before anything else happened. She calmed the two and separated them with Ghorthen Arts Emotica! Boulderado!

That's enough! Rhua stepped over to Fugula's side and dragged her away. The spikes bounced off her helmet, causing the highly acidic acid to fizz against Rhua's helmet as they did, whilst Wardi and Lucy sat with Barvo.

"No need to treat a lady like that."

"You don't live with her pal; she just never stops yapping over the most pointless feckin shoite you've ever had the displeasure of hearing."

"Just walk away then dumbass." Wardi was getting ready to give Barvo a kicking.

He shook his head at Wardi.

"I can't. I'm being watched, Fugula too... from the kings' lot. Nobody can leave town, it's the same everywhere else in the kingdom. If you try to leave, the King's circle hunts you down."

Wardi and Lucy looked at each other and realised the situation was worse than they thought.

"...What are they doing with the prisoners?"

Nobody knows. It's been a week, and we've gone from a quiet place of around forty or so people to seven." Barvo was calmer, bubbling a little less at the surface now.

Shocked at the response, Lucy began to panic.

"Wardi, I don't like this at all, I'm nervous." Her hands shook, only barely calmed by Wardi putting his hand in hers. As she continued staring into the distance.

"Thanks for telling us that, we'll be sure to avoid going it and take a safer route from here. Look after the wife, though, you'll miss her when she's gone, trust me." I hope you're doing well, Rayen.

The pair walked off, and the now calm Barvo walked back to his wife. Rhua warned him as he stepped close. "Don't be a fucking idiot now. We are not leaving yet, and I don't mind scrapping to get my point across." Walking away, she felt untouchable, hopefully, the feeling would last. She overheard both of them apologise, but she didn't look back.

"In case you were wondering, she didn't say a bloody word to me either," Rhua told her companions after talking with Fugula.

Wardi smirked. "I heard everything, which was nothing at all."

"Barvo on the hand... has either told us some pretty bad news—Von Manor levels of bad news."

Sighing, Rhua responded, "I don't need any summoning circle-induced horrors in my life right now."

"Me neither," Lucy tightening her grip on Wardi's hand. It hurt him like hell but he just smiled to try and make her calm down.

"I will keep my fingers crossed that this is within our capabilities," Lucy said as they started to walk in the direction of the castle. Making a beeline for the woodland.

It was an uncomfortable feeling for the trio. They didn't have half their usual sneaking aids thanks to Horace being with the others. Wardi, exhausting his Kaha, scouted ahead occasionally, trying to keep his companions on a path away from harm.

"He's overexerting himself. Let's stop when he returns, it's not sustainable." Rhua said. A nod of approval came from Lucy. It wasn't long before he came back again, this time holding his arm.

Wardi told them that there were Art traps ahead. A new path was necessary, and Rhua had held him back from diving back out there; a rest was needed now. "Enough, sit for a bit. We'll be fine with Lucy hiding us temporarily. Right Luce?"

Nodding, she whispered something far too quiet for the others to catch. Waving her wand, she slowly created a translucent bubble that began enveloping them. A sound like Fwoomp could be heard as it did so.

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"So what else is up ahead? You must have gone quite far?" Rhua asked him. His arm was burned from whatever the trap was that he encountered. A soothing salve from Lucy was the cure Wardi needed right now.

"The guards are pissants, the Automs however are going to be a problem." Rhua was displeased hearing that word. She hated being in fights against things she couldn't hit. "I knew those bloody things would come back to haunt me," Rhua's disdain earned her a jab from Wardi to jab. "What are you crying for? They're weak as hell to Arts." She twitched at his words; she knew that, but he wasn't the one who was facing them directly.

"Easy for you to say Dorki. You can go off hiding in the shadows whilst num nuts here get's thrown around like a chew toy!" he couldn't help but laugh, and reminded Rhua of the agreement. "You get hit, I slice 'em, MC does a bit of everything, Horace is our little angel, and Lucy saves the day. Thems the rules, dear." "THANKS, HUN." Rhua angrily whispered at him.

Lucy was hiding her laughter at the sight of Rhua growing redder by the second, and needed to bring the conversation back. "Behave, both of you, before we end up getting caught! What should we do? The bubble will only last for a little bit longer." Rhua had a realisation, something new may work here… "What if we use that new ability I got as a distraction? Then make a run for it, what do you think, would it work?" It was a solid idea, and both Wardi and Lucy nodded in agreement to the idea. "Brilliant idea, Rhua." Lucy jumped, psyching herself up. Wardi trying to annoy her even more said, "Didn't know you had it in you hun. Zing~" She smacked his arm and said, "It's not funny when you say it, get your own catchphrase." Lucy nodded in agreement, Wardi was heartbroken.

The plan was for Rhua's clone to just run in a set direction westward as the castle was true north from their position. Making their way as fast as possible without being detected. "Alright 3, 2,1 – go go go!" Wardi ran, leading the way.

They panicked for a moment when it made something of a loud noise after being summoned, with how loud the Autom's machinery is however, the sounds were drowned out by the droning of parts.

They skirted around the Autom's and guardsmen that were now alerted to movement in the western direction. The gates were wide open easy for the trio to get inside and begin their frantic search for Isaac. Two guards patrolled the walkways and Wardi dealt with them whilst Lucy and Rhua made their way behind a cart stacked with barrels. "Does it look like there are any routes that lead underground?" Lucy whispered to Rhua, trying to find something of her accord.

"Not that I can see, it's a big castle though. Maybe we need to check further in?" This isn't going to work with how noisy my armour is, though I need to remove it." Rhua unequipped her armour and was ready for action in her casual wear. Lucy nodded in response and followed with saying, "Times like these, I wish we had Horace with us."

Wardi returned to them after making a slight detour, to look using his shadow step ability. He pointed towards a door that seemed to split into two hallways. It was so far, the best bet for the trio well.

There were far more staff inside the castle than outside. It was going to make navigation tricky. Time for some old-fashioned methods, thought Wardi, picking up a stone and tossing it inside.

Plunk plunk plunk, the sounds it made as it made its way down the left corridor. "You hear that, Jaye? The man looked down the corridor, and his companion walked down with him. "Probably Råti trying to get into the food stores again." The woman sighed as she headed down, Lucy whispered 'cacher', and they slowly became less visible but not invisible, she didn't have those sorts of Arts available. They headed inside, hugging the walls, looking for anything that gave them a sign of 'People being kept prisoner here,' door after door.

They jumped out of their skin when one of the members of staff caught them wandering. Withdrawing their weapons, ready to strike, the person whispered "Wait, I'm not part of this, I want to help," Wardi pushed her for information. "How so? Tell us what's going on?" The woman waved them into a side room and activated a muter sphere. The jade mist coated the four of them, ready for a private conversation.

"It's the king, he's gone mad! There are dozens of townspeople from across the kingdom all tied up, no idea what he's up to, it can't be good though…" She said, rushing to get her words out. Rhua walked over and put her hand on her shoulder, as if to say relax.

"How long ago did the king change to this lunatic kidnapper? Asked Lucy, looking puzzled. "When the fight with Areya happened, a group of very well-dressed individuals paid a visit. They insisted on going somewhere private.

"Shit" groaned Rhua following up by saying - "It's those lot again, that rising dawn group; I'm sure of it." Her look turned sour, she knew this could end up turning south very quickly. Wardi and Lucy nodded. Lucy responded, "I think you may be right there, but what else happened…sorry you didn't tell us your name? I'm Lucy" "It's a Deborah." They nodded at each other, and Deborah continued speaking.

They came with a wagon full of money and rare materials. Nothing left the wagon, and they disappeared as quickly as they arrived. He was fine at first. Then the twitching and sudden jerking began to happen, lashing out at the staff as he did so…never saying a word either." Recent events have influenced the mental health of so many across the world.

After a pause for a few seconds, five or so approximately — Deborah became angry and continued speaking again. "Out of the blue. He ordered the guard to start bringing back people. Just people, nothing else. Many fought back and were able to flee elsewhere, but most of the crafters and gatherers got taken here." Deborah said, looking ready to scream.

Concerned for her safety, Wardi asked Deborah. "Are you able to make your way out of here and take any of the others with you?" She shook her head side to side. "There's an anti-escape Art in place; once you're inside, it alerts the guards." Wardi mouthed the words 'fuck' whilst Rhua and Lucy gasped in shock. "I didn't predict that would happen," Wardi, kneeling, began punching the floor. "Don't worry, Wardi. We can deal with this," Lucy said confidently.

Deborah told them what to do - "Head down; the best way is through the pantry. There's a trap door that'll drop you down in the guard cells. You can open the doors with a switch at the end of the hallway, it'll trigger an alarm when you do, though, so be prepared."

"Thanks for your help, lass. Go hide outside somewhere, be prepared to just go for It, they can't catch everyone. Well fight our way through if needs be." Deborah nodded and left. "Let's do this, gang." Lucy and Rhua nodded in agreement to Wardi's words.

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