**Janus**
I woke up the next day, after a thankfully dreamless sleep. Most of what happened on the final day of the undead assault is still really hazy to me, except, of course, that thing that “Creature” just won’t get out of my head. I managed to wake up in time to save Joel from that hooded figure. Still, I feel reluctant to thank a dream of mine, mainly due to its grotesque appearance.
But enough of my nightmare monster, and back to the topics at hand. The person wearing the hood sadly managed to escape. According to my father, who tried to go after it, it just rose into the air and flew away. We still had no idea if the attacker was the necromancer or just an accomplice. Not to mention that, except for the mine entrance, we have no clue where all these corpses even came from. Some were the corpses of local monsters and fauna. While the Human bodies all seemed to come from different locations, though I did recognize some of them as the bandits who had pillaged the farm we had come across on our way to Aldmoor.
Our immediate task is to launch a thorough investigation into the mining tunnels and any recent incidents of grave robbing. The northern Kingdoms, being the only countries on the western side of the continent that still bury their dead, are of particular interest. Because just the thought of importing such a large number of corpses by boat felt ridiculous.
So, our attackers have fled, much of the city is in shambles, and hundreds have died. No one was in the mood to celebrate except for one.
As I pushed my body forward through the pain of my sore muscles. I heard a shrill, high-pitched “noise” calling my name.
“Juhu! Janus<3.”
Oh no.
“I’m good, how are you? You know my handmaid had forbidden me to watch, but I just couldn’t resist. You were so cool while you were defending me. Uh, and have you heard...”
She practically threw herself at me while pulling on my sore arm, while chewing my ear off with countless redundant stories. I tried to explain that I wasn’t defending just her, but I couldn’t even get a word in.
“I…”
“Your arms are so big and strong. I wish you would hold me forever.”
And as I hoped for a miracle to arrive, it came in the form of Gertrude’s Father, Duke Siegfried Lunae.
“Gertrude! Where are you?”
He burst through the front entrance of the Baron’s manor and immediately started shouting for his daughter. With him came an entourage of knight branding a sigil of the sun on their chests and hoods.
He brought the Solar Knights, the military arm of the Amantes faith.
This initially surprised me, but upon further thought, I realized they arrived because of the undead, not to help a duke capture his runaway daughter.
Gertrude hid behind me, careful not to make a sound. Still, her fluffy dress betrayed her, and she was instantly spotted by her father, whose face only contorted more when he saw her hiding behind me.
“Young lady, come out right now!”
His voice didn’t allow for disobedience, and so Gertrude inched her way out of my shadow, blinking with fearful eyes towards her enraged father. Was she trying to act coy?
“But.., But dad I just…”
“Just? JUST!? No, no, no, you don’t get to use that word when you sneaked away while lying to your mother. Do you have any idea how you made her feel? She has been worried sick.”
“I… I didn’t lie, I told her I was going to visit some friends.”
“Lies again? Have you no shame? And who is your so-called friend in this backwater? You obviously tried to sneak off just so you could see Janus again. How many times do I have to tell you that your obsessive behavior is the very reason we haven’t received even a single marriage proposal yet? Not one day goes by that your mother isn’t worrying about you staying alone forever.”
Despite the duke’s harsh words, he was right out of all the things I could say about why I didn’t like Gertrude as much as she wanted me to was because of her obsessive nature. The poor man has traveled for months to get her back. He deserves to be angry. Meanwhile, I’m trying to sneak away so they can have some father-daughter time. But before I could slip away, her father turned to me and actually bowed his head.
“I’m so sorry for my stupid daughter’s behavior.”
“Daddy!?” exclaimed Gertrude in shock.
But her father just turns around, already berating her again.
“Shut it, I swear one more word of protest and I will send you to a monastery.”
Thankfully, this distracted him long enough for me to slip away.
It was later decided that Gertrude would follow her father to their home, where relief funds and supplies would be gathered for Aldmoor. While the Solar knights would be deployed to defend the city from any further undead threats.