JanSaav and Guests thanks for your kind words. I'm trying to update this adventure with a new chapter everyday.


To see what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice.

The elderly lady was very pale with thin wisps of hair on her head. She leaned back against the wall and sighed tiredly.

"Three weeks ago, a beautiful, young woman, named Morganna Debouis, came to court. She told us that she was thrown out of King Leoric's court for having an affair with one of his favorite knights. She appealed to our good nature, to let her stay in the city for a few days, so that she could gather her resources. She seemed vulnerable and I felt it wasn't fair that she was punished while the knight was not."

"So we gave her a house and servants, since it was to be temporary. She started coming to court a lot and became very popular, very quickly. One by one, the courtiers, our friends, even the soldiers were bewitched with this young woman. But it seemed rather strange. They seemed to be mindlessly in lust with her. And they were desperately passionate to do anything to be with her."

"I mentioned this to my husband, who laughed at me. He felt I was being paranoid. Morganna would be desired, he said, she is a beautiful woman. I listened to him until one day, I saw my husband fall to his knees in his own throne room and give his kingdom to Morganna, because he felt she was his queen."

Pepper gasped. "You are the Queen of Carinthia? Oh, your highness! And this Morganna, she..."

"Yes, I was the Queen of this city. Queen Jacinta." The lady said sadly. "That day, the she devil took over my kingdom and throne. Our own guards, so hypnotized with her beauty, clapped me and my husband in irons and imprisoned us. We were separated

I know not where my husband is. For a week, I languished in this cell. I struggled to understand what spell, what dark magic, had Morganna placed on my people. It seemed to affect men and women alike, though the women just became blind drones, willing to obey her."

She sighed again heavily. "Each day, I heard young women being brought into this dungeon and jailed. Each night, I heard at least two or three of them, being dragged away, kicking and screaming but never returning."

"Then Morganna asked for me. I was taken to a chamber, deep in the depths of the castle, below ground. A room with a bed, a fire and a mirror. And then I learnt..."

She trailed off here, her entire frame shivering. Pepper caught her hand comfortingly but then recoiled at the coldness of the Queen's hand. And its paper-like texture.

Queen Jacinta continued, inhaling harshly. "She has made an unholy alliance with an otherworldly being of great power. It has given her a jewel that drains life. She then stores the life force in special crystal containers and bathes in the energy, every day. That is the source of her beauty. The jewel infuses the life force maliciously with a spirit of blinding desire and lust, that's why all men are bewitched by her."

Pepper felt goosebumps rise on her arms. "It drains life? So all the young girls..."

The older woman nodded sadly. "It reduces the victim to a husk of bones and skin. With young women, its effect is instantaneous; all their beauty and youth is drained and the victim is dead at the end of it. Nothing but a pile of ash. That's why there are no corpses and the people of the city, suspect nothing."

"With older women, there is less beauty, less youth, so it's a more painful, slower, draining." She started to whisper pitifully. "Only coldness remains in your veins. The slightest breeze pricks your skin like a thousand needles. Your organs feel so heavy on your bones."

Pepper widened her eyes in horror. "Your highness, did Morganna..."

The Queen stared weakly at Pepper, tears slowly pouring out of her eyes. She gestured at the locket around her neck. Pepper opened it and gasped as the locket revealed two portraits of a middle aged man and woman, both wearing crowns.

"That devil! She took your life force as well!"

The Queen nodded weakly. "For the last five days, Morganna has been draining me, little by little. Now there's nothing left of me."

"Your Highness, I... we can save you. My lord Anthony may be in this castle as we speak. He's..."

The Queen widened her eyes and croaked, "You must save him. If Morganna seduces him, he will be lost to her forever. Go find him and work together to kill that bitch. Here."

She pulled out a thin scrap of parchment from her robes. "There is a long, secret passageway, running through the castle's walls. The passageway has a secret entrance to nearly every room in the castle, except the dungeons and basement. Use this to move around."

She closed her eyes tightly and said, "It is too late for me and perhaps, for my John as well. I am happy at least, that he will not see me like this, broken. Take care, young man. Find a way to stop this evil."

Pepper watched with dismay, as the Queen stood up and began to crumble into ash, before her very eyes. In a few seconds, there was nothing left of her but a small pile of dust, the locket in its center. She picked it up and ran out of the cell, bile rising in her throat.

Tony and Happy, I need to find them and we need to stop this. I hope to God, they are ok.

Just then, she heard a very familiar, loud voice, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Consarn it, you pissants! LET ME GO!" This was followed by scuffling and shoving and another voice swearing.

Happy! He's coming down the stairs. Wait, what about the sleeping guard?

The sound had roused him and Pepper charged at him quickly, knocking him down before he could fully awaken. The guard fell over on his rump and Pepper picked up his shield and hit him in the face, hard. He fell down, unconscious.

She picked up his short sword and held it in both hands. Remember your training. Defend using the sword. Use the force coming towards you, to repel it.

She stood in the stance Tony had taught her, for the short sword. Sword hilt in both hands, sword raised backwards, ready to swing forward, one knee in the front, one knee back, body weight balanced in the middle.

Happy came tumbling down the stairs, the guard behind him guffawing loudly. He stopped laughing, however, when he saw Pepper, poised to attack. Then he nimbly jumped over Happy, charged and raised his axe, roaring at Pepper. She held the sword in both hands and deflected his blow. Then she used her elbow to smash him in the face and when he stumbled back with pain, she raised the sword high above her head and brought it down in a clean strike.

The guard lay dead at her feet and Pepper stared at him, the enormity of what she had done, shocking her. I... I killed him. His blood was dripping from the sword and she absently wiped it on her sleeve. Now the bright, thick red blood was on her clothing and she began to feel nauseous.

Then she felt Happy take the sword from her and he pushed her to sit on the floor. She could hear him murmur soothingly, "There, there, Pepper" "It is ok, Pepper". He made her fold her knees and gently shoved her head between them.

Her head began to clear and she inhaled deeply. Happy said quietly, "Your first kill is always the most difficult. It is not easy to take a man's life but sometimes, you have to do so, to save your own. This time, you saved mine and I thank you."

She gulped and stood shakily. Now is not the time to go to pieces, Pepper. Think about what Queen Jacinta said. Save this city.

"Happy, where's Tony? The evil Queen needs to be stopped, you have no idea what horrifying acts she's been up to."

Happy flushed guiltily. "Well, I and Tony got cornered by the Queen and I... I wasn't much help, I..."

"You found her very attractive and thinking about her lustily, addled your mind. You couldn't focus and all you wanted to do, was to take care of your Queen." said Pepper matter-of-factly.

Happy gaped at her. "How... how do you know that? Did you see me? What, Pepper..."

"Happy, where is Tony?"

"He and I were forced to see the Queen in her chambers. I sort of remember going there and then... the Queen lifted her jewel and blasted Tony in the face, with a blinding red light. He flew backwards and hit his head hard. Then I snapped out of my lustful haze. I charged at the Queen but her two burly attendants stepped in and I fought them but I was overpowered. She told them to take me to the dungeons. Tony was carried off somewhere."

Happy grew pale. "Shit, Tony... I'm scared now. What will they do to him?"

Pepper quickly told Happy what Queen Jacinta told her.

Then she and Happy came up with a plan of action: Happy would run back to the inn, to get the Iron Knight suit's breastplate and gauntlets. They would need this to fight this Queen Morganna. When he returned, he would free all the girls in the dungeon

Pepper would find Tony, using the secret passage way, to move through the castle undetected. They split up, each determined to see this through.


Morganna draining young girls for their beatuy, is in part inspired by Elizabeth Bathory.