Duran's Iron Will

The moon was high in the sky, full and white and bright. My home, the streets of Volia, were dark and quiet. The rich would be feasting and drinking tonight; the poor would be huddled together in small groups, grumbling about the way things are, and wishing for change.

I walked through the streets slowly, careful to keep myself hidden in the shadows. I needed to get a look into Lord Nicas' estate. The rumours had been getting more and more intense lately; people said that he had started dabbling in magic again. Rumours that he had been seen talking to monsters at night in the woods; rumours that he ate human flesh. I didn't believe it - not entirely - but I wanted to see for myself.

I finally got close enough to hear voices. One voice sounded like my cousin Luka's; he'd told me about an underground tunnel from his house beneath Lord Nicas' mansion that led out onto the rocks on the other side of town. That was where I was headed now. If I could get inside Nicas' mansion, then maybe I could find some evidence that would prove he was responsible for all the deaths around here lately.

I pushed aside a loose board, causing dust to swirl up around me, and crawled through the tunnel until it opened up into a small room filled with crates and barrels. There were even a few skeletons sitting against one wall near a small table with wine bottles on it. A little further down a dimly lit hallway, I could hear voices echoing towards me; they were louder than before, so I knew it wasn't far until I reached his study or secret meeting place.

Suddenly there was a loud bang! And a bright light shone out from under Nicas' door as it flew open inwards, slamming hard against the wall behind it. Shouting filled with rage came from within, followed by heavy footsteps that approached the door quickly on either side of me - two guards carrying torches appeared from each direction and began walking past me down towards the main entrance hall as if they didn't see me lurking behind them in their path near Nicas' door which had swung back open just enough for me to see inside again.

I took advantage of the opportunity to slip over the threshold after them into Nicas' study before anyone noticed me crouching outside in the hallway. Once inside, I stood up straight and looked around at all of the strange contraptions hanging from the ceiling that made his place look more like an alchemist's workshop than someone's living quarters. At first glance, there didn't seem to be any guards inside with him.

Just then, there was a loud clang! A gong began ringing loudly right beside my ear as something fell down from above directly onto a basket with chains attached on either side. It appeared that it hadn't drawn attention yet, so I decided to venture further inside cautiously.

"You know how many people have disappeared these days?" asked Lord Nicas suddenly, catching me off guard. "People are starting to notice!" He continued angrily, "and if they find out what you've been doing with them, then we're both going to be put in prison!" He stomped away towards one corner of his study without looking at anyone.

"My lord," said a servant standing nearby, "you should tell him now." He whispered quietly so that only those nearby could hear. Intrigued by the conversation, I listened carefully trying not to miss any critical information.

The servant explained the sinister workings happening in Lord Nicas' estate – servants crafted from human flesh, produced by machines that could replicate living beings. While these creations resembled humans in appearance, they were soulless beings devoid of emotion and thought. Unlike myself and other living beings with souls and life, these fabricated servants were dead at their core.

The shocking revelation of Lord Nicas' twisted experiments made it clear to me that something needed to be done. I set out to gather evidence and expose the cruel, dangerous activities taking place within these walls, hoping to bring justice for the countless lives lost and forever changed by the machine.