The Rising Sword: Lucas Raufoss Fights the Blackhands

The small village was quiet, peaceful. The sun was rising, bathing the village in a warm glow. Birds chirped merrily, and the waves crashed against the shore, a raucous din that was loud enough to wake the dead.

The knight passed his hand over his face, wiping away the last remnants of sleep. He had been on his way to another town, but he had stumbled upon this little place on accident- and with what he had seen here, it was no wonder he didn't want to leave. Even now he couldn't believe what he had witnessed the night before.

A young woman had gone up against an evil sorcerer and won! She stood by her father's side as they were presented to the court, and for a moment it seemed like everything would be alright. Then she looked at her father...and then she looked down at her feet...and then she walked out of the hall.

She couldn't bear being near him any longer. Even her father looked sad. Despite their victory against the sorcerer who held much of the kingdom in fear, they were still no closer to getting their kingdom back. They couldn't afford to start a war with this evil lord while they were still under seige by him. They needed time to gather their forces, time to bring together the rest of their allies and time to plan out how they'd take back what was rightfully theirs.

The king sat alone in his great hall, looking around at all his people as they celebrated their victory without him. His eyes lingered on his daughter as she left the hall, wandering off into the dark corners of his castle alone. He tried to offer aid to her or even a kind word...but even after all that had happened last night, there was nothing that could ease her heartbreak- not from him at least. No matter how many times she tried to tell herself that he wasn't responsible for everything that had happened in their kingdom, she just couldn't get past it. It was hard enough for him when it was just his wife that died...how could he expect her to forgive him for killing her mother too? How could he expect her to forgive him for helping them kill her mother?

The knight sighed heavily as he rubbed his eyes again and got up from his bedroll outside of town where he slept last night. He didn't have time for regretting choices or lost loved ones; not if he wanted to protect those left behind from suffering like this princess did...but right now he didn't know where even to start looking for them both when they were so far apart. If only there was something else that could lead him in the right direction! There had to be something here somewhere; perhaps someone who knew more about what happened here last night or where they both might go next...someone who could help him reunite them before it was too late!

He walked through the part of town closest to him and listened closely as people talked among themselves about last night's events around him. There were whispers about how brave and strong Princess Aerine had been against an evil sorcerer and how many lives she saved! One man even claimed that she defeated Sir Richard Vrihad single handedly herself! The knight smiled softly as he listened in on their gossiping...he wondered if she realized just how much of a hero she truly was now? Couldn't she see how others would worship her if she stayed? What good would bringing happiness back home do if no one staying behind to enjoy it afterwards? What good would living her life away from her father do? It didn't make any sense at all! He needed some answers before both of them ended up making a mistake worse than this one!

He made his way through the crowd towards a merchant sitting behind his wares selling breads and other items from thy marketplace set up nearby when suddenly someone grabbed him by his arm and pulled him aside! The knight tried freeing himself from whoever had hold of him but found that all efforts were futile when a strange looking creature appeared before him blocking all escape routes! He gasped in shock as its demonic red eyes peered deep into his soul causing him great pain! This thing must have been working with Sir Richard Vrihad; no doubt it wanted information about Princess Aerine or some other valuable asset here in this village- anything else would have been foolish because everyone's stories turned out exactly like they did with Princess Aerine! This thing must have been using mind control magic on everyone else around here so they could play dumb while searching through everyone's homes instead! That's why everyone's gossips sounded so similar too; this demon must have been using illusions too keep people busy so no one would notice anything suspicious going on around them until it was too late!!

"Well well well..." The creature said with an eerie grin spreading across its face, "It looks like someone knows more than I thought!" It chuckled slightly and ran its hand along its chin thoughtfully as it studied its captive carefully thinking over exactly how best to use this new bit of information against its master's enemies; "I wonder if I should send you back now or hold onto you for later?" It pondered teasingly before deciding on "Oh what the hell; let me go ahead and treat myself instead." Before anyone could react though, the demon vanished disappearing into thin air leaving only its victim behind who fell unconscious onto the ground from sheer pain from whatever magic it used against him not long ago...