Chapter 4: A Less Noble Form of Feudalism

[GravityEmblem]

The Elf twiddles his thumbs.

"Ah, Sir Duke, I was afraid you weren't coming," he says, in a timid and apologetic tone. "My name is Hylith, and I serve the Night Hydras--"

"What is it?" he snaps. Hylith waves his hand.

"Oh, well, you see, we noticed that you were coming here with a rather large army, and well, that puts us in a bit of a predicament--"

"It's for hunting down the rogue nobles who tried to kill the king. Your gang is in no danger," the Duke says calmly.

"Oh, no doubt, no doubt. But, well....we fear that you might be, shall we say, tempted to, following the capture of the rogue nobles--"

"We have no such intention, and may Elshodi strike me down if I break that promise!" Blackpool bellows.

("Elsh, don't overdo it," Meine mutters.)

"Yes, well, you see," starts Hylith. "We had, er, well, just done something, not serious, of course, just as, you know, a reminder of your loyalty to us? I suppose? Perhaps I'm not explaining--"

"Spit it out, man!" Blackpool bellows again.

"We kidnapped your daughter."

A silence falls, before the Duke squeaks, "What?"

[Daos]

Daos glances to the duke in surprise, having not even been aware he had any children.  He then turns his attention to the elf, Hylith.  "My understanding was that the Night Hydras went out of their way to avoid harming innocents.  It would seem that was only a baseless rumor, if you're taking people hostage."

[GravityEmblem]

"Oh, no, she will come to no harm. We won't even kill her," he insists. "In fact, the Night Hydras usually don't take hostages, but we made a special exception, just this once."

"Which means you are nothing but hypocrite criminals!" Blackpool snarls. "You're...hypocriminals!"

"We were going to return her--what was her name?"

"Julia," Duke Tormenton stammers out.

"Yes, yes, Julia. She was going to be returned as soon as you got back, but we caught this news of an army, and, well, we wanted some insurance, you see," Hylith explains, with an apologetic tone. "Is there anything I need to help you with? Before I head out, I mean."

[Daos]

"You say you won't harm her, and yet, the implicit threat is quite clear," Daos remarks.  "Wait...you mean to say you kidnapped her before you knew about the army?  Why then?"

[GravityEmblem]

"It was merely, you know, a reminder," Hylith explains. "She was going to be returned immediately, but--"

"A reminder?!" Blackpool shouts. "You mean, of the power you have over your rightful Duke? That any time he may defy you, his family can easily be killed?"

"...well, when you put it that way, it sounds so rude," he stammers.

"You are nothing but hypocrites. Daos is right. Your 'code of honor' means nothing when you break it when is convenient for you," Blackpool spits. "Neither the Duke nor the army will make a move against you while you hold his daughter hostage. But know we have nothing but contempt for you."

[Daos]

"You should probably be on your way," Daos tells Hylith.  "And make sure that no harm comes to the duke's daughter, or the consequences will be quite dire."

[GravityEmblem]

"Oh, of course, sir," Hylith says with a bow. "Good day to you," he says as he leaves.

"A thoroughly unpleasant little man," Blackpool says. "So, what now? Strike these 'Night Spiders,' or whatever they call themselves, before they can react?"

"Surely you don't trust them to keep their word and spare Julia!" Duke Tormenton snaps.

"Of course not--I wouldn't trust a single syllable that came out of his mouth," the General replies. "But if--"

"No, no, the risk is too great," he says. "We'll have to make a new plan."

[Daos]

"They probably hope that we'll use the army to take out their rivals, and leave them untouched, giving them a monopoly," Daos remarks.  "However, it's entirely possible the Scarlet Dragons may have the exact same thought.  Your grace, you don't have any other relatives that might be in danger of being taken hostage, do you?" he asks the duke.

"Regardless, our main priority is still to find the rogue nobles.  However, if we can stage a rescue of the duke's daughter, as well, we can remove any leverage the Night Hydras hold, and can deal with them appropriately, as well."

[GravityEmblem]

The Duke starts sighing and pacing. "There's-there's my wife, of course, Anastasia. And my mother, Nora." He sighs. "They're of two different minds on the gangs. Mother just wants me to stay alive, but Annie despises them and wants them destroyed. This...this incident won't put either of their minds at rest."

[Daos]

"I would recommend you check on them straightaway, and make sure they are both safe," Daos recommends.  "And if so, do whatever you need to in order to ensure they remain safe.  Find people you can trust and put them under guard, or if you can't find anyone you trust, perhaps the good general can loan you some of his own men."

[Igordragonian]

"How did they get to your daughter? Do you wish me to catch this little man and force truth out of him?" Qurrak ask

[GravityEmblem]

"Yes, yes...yes, good ideas," the Duke says. "Blackpool, go fetch a few of your finest troops--to protect my family, you see."

Blackpool jumps up, salutes, and heads back to the troops to find some suitable guards.

To Qurrak, he shakes his head. "No, no, we must step delicately. Come inside," he says, gesturing to the three. He glares at the guard as he passes them. One shudders. Another snickers.

"How did they kidnap Julia?" Meine asks, much more softly than she usually speaks to the Duke. "There are all these guards--"

"Useless," he says bitterly. "They would drown their own brother for a copper piece. The gangs are eager to remove anyone who isn't crooked--my family is probably safer without them on duty." He sniffles. "Not...not by much, apparently." Meine pats him on the back.

[Daos]

"We'll get her back," Daos assures the duke.  "We can search for leads on where they are keeping her while we search for Cryfold and Lenkenshire."

[GravityEmblem]

"Thank you," the Duke says as they enter the throne room--and he is immediately tackle-hugged by a red-haired human with eyes and cheeks to match her face.

"Dirk! You heard what happened, didn't you?" she blubbers. The Duke holds her close.

"Yes, darling. We'll get her back. I promise."

"This is all you fault, you know," snaps an old woman with greying brown hair.

"How is it his fault?!" Anastasia snaps back. "Was he simply 'too easy' of a target for those wretched gangs?"

"He tried to defy them, however indirectly, by getting this army sent in!" Nora retorts. "Doesn't he know how little of a temper these brutes have?"

"Hold on, they kidnapped Julia before they knew about the army--just to threaten him," Meine explains.

"See?" Annie says. "If this is his fault in any way, it's for not standing up to the gangs sooner!"

"Oh, yes, because then we'd all be murdered in our beds a long time ago!" Nora snarks, before the two descend into an outright row.

"This happen a lot?" Meine asks. The Duke nods.

[Daos]

"You don't need to worry," Daos assures the two women.  "We will see to Lady Julia's safe return.  And if all goes well, neither of the gangs will be a problem any more, as well."