The Hybrid Fateful Sorrow

The Witness

In the village of Masse, the renowned families of the Longrider and Stockholm, both old and well known in Masse for their contribution to safety and prosperity.

The Longrider, a family of warriors, a legend in the past. Every single one in Masse has heard of their deed.

They fought in the Great Battle of Dulenveil pass near the city of Grisaia.

It was the war against the overflowing power of Grearia under the reign of Queen Catherine Whitemaiden.

Many of the Longrider descendants have fallen in that battle, sacrificing their lives to hold the Dulenveil pass. 

Their experience and skilled horseback riding, with the use of Palfrey a type of horse that is suitable for riding long distances, although, opposite to the Grearian war-horses. 

The Grearian Destrier war-horses are well-built and muscled with strong bones and heavyweight.

The Palfrey is a lighter-weight horse that can smoothly gait, suitable for The Longrider family to quickly steer and snipe on Grearian armies with their longbow.

Although they are meant to be a support, with their fast horses for reinforcement. They have held the Dunveil pass on their own against countless Grearian forces resulting in a great blow of losses to the Longrider family.

Their oldest, the patriarch head of the family, Fahrer Longrider, and his brother Hoch Longrider both survive the Dunveil battle.

Jewel Longrider Hoch's wife owns a weaponsmith and their widowed daughter, Rosett Longrider, tends the lumber mill with the help of her son, Bogen Longrider, and the step-mother of Rollo Longrider, a bastard son of her husband.

While the Stockholm family is known best for their trades, and their contacts with the East-lander that supports their village with prosperity from having Eastland seeds that grew much bigger than normal and could be sold doubled.

With both Longrider and Stockholm families, the village of Masse didn't suffer a lot from the war as they could store countless food. But with the great losses of soldiers, the land started booming with barbarians whose trades with the Eastland had to be minimized.

The Stockholm family, Geld Stockholm as the head of the family that owns a farm near Masse, and his wife Handel Stockholm with their only son Bran Stockholm.

Handel's sister Munze Stockholm owns an inn in Masse that she called Bucklers and Sword Tavern, as it has been known to mercenaries with their discounted price for Sellsword.

Inside the large house of Stockholm family with their ongoing meeting about the Vaxia fort and their growing harassment in the village. They were seated on the long table of Stockholm with each head of the two families at the end of the table.

They were the patriarch head of the family, Fahrer Longrider, the elder Grisian warrior, 67 years old, 5.9 feet tall with slim but fitted light brown skin.

Beside him was his brother Hoch Longrider, an old Grisian warrior that resulted in his left eye being blinded by an arrow wound, 65 years old and 5.10 feet high with a much bigger build than his brother, who owns a blacksmith in Masse.

Next to Hoch were his daughter Rosett Longrider, a 40 years old widow, and her son Bogen Longrider, a 20 years old young man.

While the other end of the table where the Stockholm family is seated. 

Geld Stockholm the head of the family, a renowned merchant, 55 years old.

Beside him is his wife Handel Stockholm as she restless seat seeing the empty chair that her son Bran Stockholm should be.

“Should we continue? Or are we waiting for your son?” Fahrer said with a slight irritation in his voice.

“Damn, that son of mine has been sulking for a whole month, ” Geld replied.

“I saw him in Bucklers and Sword tavern, ” Bogen said.

“Then he's not coming, ” Fahrer said.

“Well, yes, let's proceed then… Do you think we can ask The Queen for help through your son, Rosett?” Geld said as he steered his eyes on Rosett.

“Who? Rollo?” Rosett asked.

“As far as I know you only have two sons now, and Bogen is far from talking to any Queen, ” Geld replied.

“Rollo is no son of mine. He was a disgrace when he was first brought to me by my dead husband. He is a son of a Grearian wh*re, no wonder he licks Queen Catherine's feet already, ” Rosett said Irritatedly.

“Be careful of using The Queen's name, as much as she is a Grearian, we need her help, ” Fahrer said as he looked at Rosett.

Hoch slammed the table.

“Rosett, respect my grandson Rollo, he works his blood and sweat daily for our name to be heard again, ” Hoch said angrily.

“If your mother would hear that, she would have already slapped you in the face, ” Hoch added.

“How is your wife doing Hoch? I have new trades coming bringing medicine from the Eastland that might prove useful, ” Geld asked.

“She is still bedridden, she's getting weaker every day, she might be old, but I know her to be strong, there is something that is weakening her in this place, ” Hoch replied.

Upon hearing that Handel started to speak.

“I believe there is something wrong with the water, it's affecting some crops as well, ” Handel said.

“Handel, we've been drinking the same water for years now, ” Geld said.

“Let's not sway further from our meeting. Let's have Rollo Longrider ask the Queen for assistance, ” Fahrer said.

“I can keep the mercenary of Vaxia away for now, as I send them food supplies per their demand, ” Geld said.

“And we can't keep doing that, they will eventually ask more, ” Handel added.

“I agree, we must make haste and deliver the message to Rollo. The outcome of our Village will be in his hands now, ” Fahrer said.

“How about the huntsman?” Rosett said.

“That crazy man will not do any help, just look at Kassandra's state. The poor girl, he left her with a newborn baby, leaving the mother to take care of the responsibility on her own, ” Fahrer said.

“Speaking of that, Kassandra has been sick since he left. There is something in our village that is causing this, ” Handel said.

“Yes, and it's targeting weak and old people first, we need to find out before it will be too late for all of us, ” Hoch replied.

The long table where they are all sitting slightly shakes from an earthquake.

“What was that? I can feel something terrible” 

“It could be nothing.”

“It was just a short and small quake.”

“Anyway, it's gone now and I'll need to find my son. He dismissed another meeting again and I will make sure he's straightened, ” Geld said as he stood.

“Thank you for your hospitality, and the sacrifice you've been doing for all of us Masse, ” Fahrer said as he stood.

“We are grateful to the Stockholm family, ” Hoch said as he prepared himself to leave.

“The fate of Masse will be now in Rollo's hand, ” Handel said as she started to clean the table.

While Rosett didn't utter any word and just proceeded to leave.

——

A 20 years old, slim young man, with short beige hair and a babyface. 

Walking in the forest half-drunk following a path of trampled trees in his sight.

It was Bran Stockholm plodding the forest following Amadeus in the woodland. The afternoon just got colder when he first saw those massive and innumerable fallen trees as if the storms got together and had a race.

The trees didn't fall naturally or axed down. It was pushed down by something large and powerful by the mess it made.

'What happened here? Look at all that waste. Who would need such an abundance of wood? Did the land quake cause this destruction? But it wasn't that strong,' Bran thought as he continued to move forward.

'But that guy! Where could he have gone, and he didn't answer my question? Who he is!' Bran's mind as he the woodlands.

'He's just a guess here. I'm sensing something wrong with him. He could be a murderer. Damn him pushing me aside like I was nothing,' Bran thought as he flounced the land.

As he continued to walk for a long while, realizing something, a pattern of large prints.

'This mark of large paws, I didn't think much of it earlier, but I have been seeing this since I started walking. This makes me remember that horror… in that cave,' Bran thought as he pondered on the past. 

'Who do you think you are?' The beast voice.

'A 7 feet tall greyed beast once asked me what I did was run pathetically and did my best not to p*ss myself.'

Bran approaches the center of the forest, a place where Wolfvir once stands turning the place into a land of darkness.

Seeing an old man, wearing his bloodied fur. His staled eyes still lurk in the past, far from what's ahead of him. Walking towards Bran, holding a pile of broken bones securely on his chest, as he ignored Bran's presence.

“What happened here?” Bran asked the old man.

“Hmm?” A confused notion was uttered from Thomas as he stared at the young man.

A long quietness passed before he continued walking as he let out.

“Nothing good.”