Wisteria

Salvator

The sky was grey and gloomy, and everyone was growing restless. The letter from the manor owner was supposed to arrive two days ago, yet the mail remained mysteriouly empty.

Servais and Freddy have shut themselves in their rooms, appearing only in mealtimes. They rarely see Kreacher as well, and no one really knows where he loiters. Naib half-wished he had never left his room either, because he unwillingly found himself in the parlour having a tea-party.

He groaned and pushed the plate of biscuits towards Martha. "This is stupid. "

"Oh, just humour her." She quipped, sipping from her cup daintily.

The both of them, along with Kurt was herded into the parlour by the cheerful gardener. She claimed that tea will help relax them and soothe their nerves. So with Emily's reluctant help, she managed to procure enough tea and biscuits for five.

"I just think it's unnecessary-"

He trailed off when he saw Lucky by the doorway, crinkled parchment clutched tightly in his hands.

"Guys," the blonde announced in a feeble voice. "It's here. "

That caught everyone's attention. Martha walked over towards Lucky, plucking the letter from his shaking hands. The seal was already broken, and she unfurled the paper to reveal its contents.

"We cordially invite the following to participate in tomorrow's weekly match:

The gardener, Emma Woods
The explorer, Kurt Frank-"

"Why does it always have to be me?" Kurt groaned in the background, burying his head in his book.

"-The mercenary, Naib Subedar and
The coordinator, Martha Behamfil."

Martha's eyes flicked towards his before continuing.

"Meet at Lakeside Village, 6 P.M.

A carriage will arrive to take you there.

Do NOT be late. "

...

Naib opened his eyes groggily. The sky was already dark and mist blurred out his vision. The air vibrated with the clicking of hundreds of cicadas, making the pounding in his head worse.

'Where am I?'

The place was dismal and damp. Long grass grew everywhere and he could see dilapidated shacks and huts in the distance.

How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was getting into the carriage with the others, and then some kind of gas came out that made his chest hurt, and then..

And then nothing.

He needed to find the others. The ground was soft, and his boots left footprints on the mud as he ran. A soft clacking noise reached his ears and Naib could see a long metal rod jutting from the tall grass, a soft glow was emitting from it.

He waded through the thick cornstalks, careful to be silent. What if it was a trap by the hunter? He could see the faint outline of a familiar figure typing away on the cipher, and he stepped out into the open.

"Kurt."

The latter let out a strangled noise, and sparks shot out of the machine.

"My God, Naib. You're going to give me a heart attack. " He hissed.

He raised his hands in surrender, voice dropping in a hush. "Alright, I'm sorry. "

The explorer already turned back on the task at hand. "It's okay, you just spooked me. Hurry up and help, I'm pretty sure the hunter heard that. "