Beyond the Flame

[hachigatsu30]

Two days after the events at the abandoned castle...

His eyes widened. His hands were shaking. The report in his hand contained nothing he had hoped. “Where are you, dear brother...?” Shintaros thought to himself, sighed, as his gaze turned to the window on the far end of the hall.

The report was twenty four pages long, carefully handwritten by the smith, Eufydd, whom the Lord Shintaros sent to join the investigation party led by Agent Adelaide Adlersflugel. It contained the smith's point of view of what's happening in the castle, combined with the notes from other adventurers whom he had met during the investigation. While the investigation team have a focus on what to investigate, Shintaros insisted that Eufydd focus on one thing: the whereabouts -or rather, the recovery- of Shintaros' brother, who was one of the soldiers previously sent by King Ernst to investigate Mystra's abandoned castle, and reported KIA.

"So this is what you got?" Shintaros asked Eufydd, trying not to lose himself in sorrow, "You didn't see my brother in there?"

"I didn't see him, my Lord." Eufydd answered slowly, kneeling and looking down, showing hints of fear, as he didn't know what his master's reaction to what he wrote would be, and didn't want to find out, "Those are what I found, combined with what a Paladin named Summerstream has in her note, and what some other adventurers found in the investigation." He sounded shaken, "Please forgive me, my Lord."

"It wasn't your fault," Shintaros' voice softened, as he regained his calm, "you haven't done many investigations, but we didn't have anyone else available in the college, and I had the college's matters to attend to." He then paused, as if he was remembering something, then he rechecked the last few pages of the report. "This Summerstream said she was reassigned... by the King?! Could she be...?"

"Is there anything else I can do, my Lord?" Eufydd asked, still kneeling, but as a gesture of honor him this time.

"That would be all, Eufydd." the Lord showed signs of gratitude, "Thank you for your help. You can return to your job."

"Yes, my Lord. Thank you, my Lord."

Eufydd then left the hall.