The ornate walking stick struck dirt like a war drum.
*Tap-tap-tap-tap.*
Lord Adrian burst from the holy house, pristine robes clinging to sweat-slicked skin. The red plume atop his crown bobbed frantically as he stumbled down the path, white knuckles strangling his staff.
His turmoil was unmistakable even in the dying light. Every onlooker's attention snapped to his figure.
What happened? some wondered, while others thought, So he finally found out...
Lord Yrell summoned me to discuss the village's future, but those plans are worthless now. What in sanctum's name is happening? That outsider Joseph—stabbed in the chest by those Rert district rats? Even I expected better of them! To think they'd go this far... what could he have done to provoke them? I pray to the ancestors—keep him alive!
"Lord Adrian!" A group of humans approached, worry etched across their faces.
"Is it true? That outsider was nearly killed in the Rert district?"
