On A Knife Edge

Chapter 5: The Haunted Mansion

As the sun was setting, casting a ruby amber glow across the room. The party surveyed the bustling common room, their gazes flitting from face to face, searching for the elusive Grimble. As they strategized, a lanky and tall ragged figure emerged from the shadows near the fireplace. His clothes were a patchwork of mismatched leathers and faded fabrics, and his beard, a tangled amber mess that rivaled Rory's. He shuffled towards them, his boots whispering against the rough wooden floor. The closer he got the party could see his ethereal looking eyes.

The newcomer cleared his throat, his voice. "Excuse me, travelers," he rasped, his eyes flickering nervously between the companions. "Sven said you needed my help?" He used his thumb to point back over his shoulder at the barkeep.

Lucian's posture stiffened. "You must be Grimble?" He cautiously leaned forward.

"Indeed." The stranger said.

"What can you tell us of its location, hunter man." Rory mused. "We were hoping to set out right away in the morning."

The ragged man leaned closer, his breath carrying the faint scent of wood smoke and cider. "Information can be... expensive," he said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "But I have the knowledge you seek. I can tell you where the peaks are and I can give you a little of an idea of what you can find there." The man pushed Lucian to the side at the booth and sat next to him. "Look, I have the map right here." The man pulled out an old beat up scroll. Rance reached out to grab the scroll and like a flash the older haggard man stowed it away before rance could get a hand on it.

"I told you. Information has a cost. You help me and I can help you." The man breathed.

"Okay. Well how do we know that you have reliable information? From what I know of the hills it's not a place you can really go by yourself and come out alive." Rance chided.

The older man reached into a pocket and flicked a small brass coin onto the table in front of everyone. "That's how."

Lucian reached out to pick up the small smooth coin. He noticed the coin felt much lighter than it looked and had a wolf's head carved into it. Lucian then looked over at Kainith. "I'm not sure why I thought this would mean anything to me. Kainith, have you ever seen one of these before?"

Kainith turned the coin over in his fingers while he studied it. "This boys is a symbol of The Pack."

"The Pack?" Lucian asked.

This time Rory spoke up. "The Pack? No way!" A huge smile started to form on Rory's face. "The Pack is a famed hunting group! They accept contracts and hunt as a pack to take down whatever they are assigned. They usually hunt beasts and creatures, but some break away from the credo and become mercenaries."

This time it was Grimbles time to show surprise. "You know a lot about us. How?"

"Well I grew up in Bryonton where you guys are headquartered and I wanted to hunt with the pack so bad when I was growing up!" Rory gushed.

Rance leaned back in the seat. "Okay, I guess we can trust you. Rory is going to require us to help you anyways so get on with it. What do you want from us?"

He paused, his gaze darting around the room before flickering back to the party. "There's a manor, haunted by restless spirits, north of Fallwind. A place shrouded in darkness, cursed by a vengeful lord. They say the key to breaking the curse is killing this lord. Anyways, the curse doesn't matter to me. I was just contracted to kill the lord."

"That sounds a lot like something you and The Pack wouldn't need help with. What's with the subcontract?" Rance questioned.

The hunter glanced around the party now. "Look, this is a fairly easy mission. I was actually sent alone. This is going to sound really dumb but..." Grimble now with a look of shame spreading on his face "I'm scared of ghosts and I can't tell The Pack no because I'm scared."