Urges of Heroism (Part 1)

“When mayhem comes it’s soon to fade,

But to be at ease is to be played.

It will come back, it always does,

It will come back, greater than it was.”

- The Poet, A Ghost in the Frost: Diaries of the Lost

            Panic. It was something the Thief had seen time and time again during his life of pickpocketing. For whenever people lose something dear to them it shows up, always without warning. And those who have been stolen from become berserk and irrational, acting carelessly without the means to control their thoughts. But for as many times as he had seen it, this was the first time he had felt it. And he didn’t like it at all. The Bard had once again died and the Swordsman was missing. Now this could have meant that the Swordsman had killed the Bard and then fled the scene. However, the evidence didn’t support it. The Bard had no new wounds and the Swordsman was not the type to kill someone in their sleep. That was more of a thing for a thief. Thus it seemed as if there was another force involved, a force from outside of the tavern. But if such was the case, it meant someone or something had snuck in during the night to create this peril. Yet to accomplish such a feat and not wake the Thief required greater stealth than even he possessed. And that’s what made him panic the most. How could such a being exist?

            The Ranger, meanwhile, not suffering from the effects of panic or paranoia was able to think about the situation more rationally. It was true that the Bard was dead and that the Swordsman was missing, but nothing stood out for to be any reason to be alarmed. One, the Bard should have already been dead so it was of no surprise to find him so. Two, the Swordsman seemed to leave on his own will. There was no sign of forced entry into the tavern and only one set of tracks wondered off into the snow outside. It was clearly not a kidnapping. Besides, who would travel all the way up into the Frozen Abyss to kidnap someone in the first place? This region was not known for having the best or wealthiest of souls, only the forsaken. Nobody cared about these people. A ransom would be impossible to collect.

            Overhearing the discussions of the others in the room it sounded like the Prince had come to the same conclusion. Yet his next remark was met with more resistance. If the Ranger heard him correctly it sounded like he was going out to look for the Swordsman. A few of the others tried to dissuade him, but he was having none of it. And so without another word he was gone. The door closed behind him and that was that. Perhaps the Swordsman was in danger. Perhaps he needed help. Or perhaps the Prince would soon need some of his own…