A thin layer of fog crept slowly over the broken dirt path. Almost like a grasp upon reality, the sound of the wilderness was muffled from awareness. It slid close to the ground and seemed to increase as two figures ventured further. They galloped a steady speed, making certain to stay on the right path and get there soon. Frederick Belmont, and his brother Henry, were on a mission; a self-appointed one at that. Henry's instincts had begun to make sense to Frederick, for he wanted revenge against this man who plotted death for his other brother Victor. When assaulting a Belmont, one has to worry about the returning strike from the rest of the family. Frederick thought it was about time that that vow would reach Stephen Waltz the hardest. Henry wouldn't hesitate to strike someone back, but Frederick was usually more rational over these impulses. But, he thought, this time he would join his brother to strike at a newly found enemy.
Frederick, for a slight moment, gazed at how his thoughts plagued him. He found it surprising that he had decided that this man was his enemy, but he never met him. It was a vicious revelation to him, but he also quickly remembered why he hated this man so. Frederick had made up his mind, as contrary to his nature, and hoped that it would be the right one in the end. The leaves from the forested path started to fall in due part to the breezes that grew in strength during the fall season.
It was mid-day and the fog started to become troublesome. Even Henry noted its peculiarity, as he said, "Awfully abundant, isn't it, brother?"
Frederick nodded, using his feet to hasten his horse faster. He was hoping to see a large manor soon, but so far no sign of any structure. He remembered Talin noting that the manor was being reconstructed due to Stephen Waltz's instructions, for what reason he had no idea. A stronger wind seemed to come against them, making the leaves blow by them in hurry; their bright colors and faded appearance floating around them. Frederick could even see the fog blowing by them with the wind, however the silence still lingered. The trees rose high, clouding the sun's light.
Henry raised his hand and pointed, " Look! A clearing."
Frederick saw it as well. The path widened slightly, and the fog cleared just enough, for him to see a rusty broken down gate. It was especially large, wide enough for a caravan to pass through with several horses. The gate, however, had lost one whole side of it and what was left of the other rested on very little support from its hinges. It almost looked like someone forced it apart; brutally at that. Frederick and Henry did not stray from their pre-determined path, they continued through the gate.
In a feat that Frederick rarely ever saw, the fog seemed to clear right away as they passed through the gate. With one last brush of wind, the scene was revealed to them.
They witnessed, what looked like materialization from amidst nothing, the creation of a courtyard. The courtyard opened into a circular open area, containing a poor dried up fountain amongst its middle. Randomly, almost as if a palace made of stone, placed pillars of stone jutted from the ground. Some stone even littered the front of the path into the courtyard in very little pieces, like someone had smashed the pillars into a wreck. Frederick and Henry gazed around, lost in the haunting visage of this property. It looked as if no one at all was working on it; the haunting silence from the fog seemed to stay even though the fog did not. At the end of the large courtyard emerged something bigger into Frederick's view. It loomed high and wide, looking like the entrance to a vast kingdom. However, the lush and vibrant powers that accompany a doorway to kingdoms were lost in the broken walls of this mansion. It held no desirable qualities for a home; it looked vacant and barely able to stay strong. The fact that this place was home to a man who would try to orchestrate the death of Frederick's brother made all the more sense, it looked broken and in shambles like the heart of this man. There was no real reason for idle viewing, so Frederick hurried his actions.
"Henry, this is where we should let our steeds stay."
"Alright," Henry responded with a grunt as he hefted himself off.
The two brothers made sure their equipment was fastened tightly, as they readied their assent up the courtyard. Jumping off their horses, they marched forward with a cautious outlook. Henry actually lifted a shield he took with him, a strong one with many metal lashed on the front but none that could dull out the symbol of the church. The power of the training Henry received made him more confident than he had ever been. Frederick, however, relied on no such training except the type that his father taught him directly. Henry had more armor pieces on him, but Frederick only wore some at his joints, like gauntlets and shoulder pieces. He wore mostly leather jackets and tougher clothing, his tactic usually revolved around his quick reactions and movements. He had gotten into some vicious swordplay before; his father would always compliment his skill with a blade. That's why with only a blade he felt more confident than anyone else.
The two Belmont brothers stepped up to the big heavy wooden doors to the ominous mansion, each one taking a grasp of both handle and pushed them open quite harshly. The doors flung up to their strength, letting a powerful breeze meeting them from within the main hall. The fall tones outside seemed to mimic the tones inside the mansion's lobby, browns and red's decorated the walls and few furniture pieces. The large and demanding staircase dominated the lobby. The Belmont's looked around the empty and dark lobby, wondering what exactly it looked like they were doing. It almost made it look like they were breaking into an abandoned mansion, which wasn't too far off from the truth.
"Shall we proceed?" inquired Frederick.
Henry nodded, " I don't think anyone will greet us."
They slowly entered, hearing the lobby creek and moan to their entrance. A dim ray of light was the only source to penetrate the darkened entrance from a high window, one that, unlike the rest of the windows, wasn't boarded up. The gloom itself was abundant. Henry walked forward first, his hand hefting his long sword from its sheath and readying it with one arm. Frederick nearly held his breath in anticipation of Henry shouting a warning into the empty lobby, which would be a very bad idea especially since they weren't sure of what they were walking into. Frederick was mostly aware of how reckless he was being, but he still retained some level of caution. Even the scampering of tiny spiders alerted his senses; running from chair to dust-covered chair.
Frederick didn't know how Henry exactly felt, but he sensed no one around. The two brothers spread their search further into the lobby, swords prepped for battle. The thought of something coming out at these two brought horrible tension, but they stomached it with dutiful resolve. Their search of the lobby was complete; no one else was there. There weren't any signs of anyone being they're recently either.
They found three doors down in the lobby, all three doors reside in the northern, eastern, and western ends of the lobby, but found one up the stairs. The brothers decided to investigate this northern most door upstairs because of its more elaborate design. The etch work upon the wooden surface of the door was rather extravagant. It had a pale coloring to it that held a weathered look but still seemed to draw attention to its extravagance. Frederick decided to push the door open.
As the door inched its way open, a slow but loud creak could be heard down what appeared to be a hallway. What Frederick could not understand was that it was difficult to see at the end of the hallway, like a mist was clouding the light at the end of the hall. Henry came up behind him and looked over his shoulder, noticing the shroud.
"I don't like this," he said.
Frederick didn't respond as he took a step forward and walked into this long corridor. The mist seemed to dissipate as he progressed through it. Henry came into the hallway reluctantly. The tight hallway seemed to shrink as they moved on, especially to Henry who had a rather larger build. His uneasiness would not be cast aside so easily. He joined his brother in a larger room, somewhat devoid of any furniture. The only signs of comfort were a few picture frames, but they didn't hold any pictures. Frederick walked around looking for anything but found only dust and emptiness. He walked back to the beginning of the hallway and turned to Henry.
"I'm going to check another room, there's nothing here," he said.
Henry seemed to wave him off, standing in the middle of the room. He lowered his sword and stood more relaxed.
"There really isn't anything here, not even a chair," Henry stated.
The stronger brother started back to the hallway- then an explosion ripped up through the floor. The huge upheaval of wood splinters flew up at Henry's and Fredericks face; engulfing Henry in a tidal of forceful wood chips. Frederick raised his hand to try and catch Henry as he leapt from the hole ripped forth beneath his feet, but the room was too big. He fell down the hole that seemed to go down floors; the images of the depth planting themselves in Frederick's mind as he saw his brother fall down a hole from a explosion that came from no where. The force that ripped the hole was bigger than thought, as Frederick was shoved back as well in the hallway. He crashed onto his back, seeing the end of the hallway becoming blocked off by a hefty amount of debris. Frederick was blocked; he could not go any further to save his brother. He could only hope that he was still alive, at least long enough to go looking for him.