Chapter 44: Sg Town
Nightfall had settled over the town, the snowfall nearly ceased—only a few scattered flakes drifted down, blanketing the ground in a thick, silent layer of white. The village lay in oppressive stillness, its streets swallowed by darkness. People had drawn their curtains tight, called their children indoors, and shuttered their homes like frightened animals. Only the manor of the Baron stood defiantly lit, its windows blazing against the cold, endless dark.
At the crossroads, a weather-worn stone marker bore a single name: Sg Town.
A remote frontier settlement nestled on the edge of the Lakanman Family’s domain, it once flourished on vast, fertile plains—ideal for farming. A century ago, a distant ancestor of the family had led his men here, carving out a thriving community from the wilderness. For years, Sg Town had grown into a bustling township of over a thousand souls, supplying grain to the surrounding lands.
But its isolation had come at a cost.
Frost Giants, snowmen, and even the dreaded White Dragon had visited time and again. The town had been rebuilt more than once, its foundations buried beneath the rubble of old dreams. Now, fewer than four hundred souls remained—mostly Peasant Laborers, too weak or bound to the land to flee. The rest were humble merchants, millers, stable hands, and servants who served the noble house.
The Lakanman Family only sent its least favored kin here, assigning them to feed Northwind Keep. And now, Baron Todd Lakanman—a younger son, not the heir—had been exiled to this frozen backwater.
Not long after his arrival, whispers spread: The Night Devil. Young women vanished under the cover of darkness, their disappearances unexplained, their fates unknown. Fear had taken root, thick and suffocating. The townsfolk lived in dread, their hearts heavy with silence.
Inside Baron's Manor, Todd Lakanman sat at an ornate wooden table, his long fingers pressed beneath his chin. His face was grim, shadowed by thought. Before him, a silver goblet held a thick, crimson liquid—blood, sweet and dark.
"Damn Ashen Hollow."
The name alone seemed to stain the air with Gloom. His jaw tightened. Last time, every man he’d sent into the Mine Shaft had died. His former Head Steward, Hart, was rumored to have been taken—only a handful of trembling Peasant Laborers had returned, babbling about horrors beneath the earth.
At first, he’d dismissed it as the lies of terrified slaves. But then, the Eagle Guard, the family’s most elite force—trained in the skies above Northwind Keep—had suffered a crushing defeat in that same cursed place.
Now, the truth was undeniable.
A Monsters Nest so fierce even the Northwind Eagle Guard couldn’t breach it. A place said to be ruled by Flyflame, the Red Dragon.
And here he was—without gold, without troops, only a pitiful band of Peasant Laborers and a few loyal Guard. He was no warrior. No lord. Just a second son, stranded in the snow.
Could he really spend his life here, feeding the keep, forever banished from power?
His eyes narrowed. A cold, hungry light flickered in their depths.
"I will return to Northwind Keep."
"Father will recognize me."
The thought tightened his face, turning it even more hollow. A hunger stirred—not for food, but for blood. And tonight, he would feed it.
"Lord Baron, outside—"
A Guard burst through the door, breathless, urgent. But the moment he met the Baron’s gaze—those eyes, so still, so hungry—he froze. His voice died in his throat.
Todd’s fingers twitched. He forced himself to calm, to speak slowly, dangerously.
"What is so urgent?" he asked, voice soft, almost kind. "So urgent it must disturb my rest?"
The Guard shivered. He’d heard the rumors. The stories. They called this man "The Bloody Baron" behind closed doors.
A maidservant once stained his Formal Attire—and vanished. No trace. No body. No explanation.
Now, trembling, he stammered:
"Sir… it’s… it’s Hart."
"Hart?" Todd snapped upright. His voice cracked like ice.
"How? He was taken!"
The Guard shook his head. "I don’t know, my lord. He’s… outside. Says he needs to see you. Claims he has something important to deliver."
His voice cracked. Tears welled.
Todd stared. The loss of gold. The loss of men. The rumors of Hart’s capture. All of it coiled into a single, seething rage.
He laughed—cold, sharp, broken.
"Good. Good. Good."
He stood, slow and deliberate. "Where is he?"
"Sir… he says you must come to him. He insists you go out."
The Guard sounded near tears.
Todd’s lips curled. "Then I’ll go."
"Let’s see how well my disappeared steward is doing."
His voice was a whisper, edged with venom.
"Yes, my lord." The Guard swallowed hard, then turned, leading the Baron out into the night.
The manor was small, newly built. Just a short walk through the grand hall, down a narrow corridor of no more than fifty meters, and they reached the front gate.
Outside, a figure stood—ragged, filthy, hair matted with snow and dirt. At first glance, one might mistake him for a Tiefling or a wild beast. But Todd inhaled.
Blood.
The scent was unmistakable.
His pulse quickened. He knew that scent.
It was Hart.
The Baron stepped forward, voice dripping with mockery.
"Hart. Long time no see."
"Once my most trusted steward. The one who promised to bring me gold."
"Why did you vanish? And now… why return?"
Hart trembled, eyes wide with fear. "Lord Baron… I must report something vital."
"Oh?" Todd tilted his head, a faint smile on his lips. But behind it, the hunger burned. His mind was slipping. He hadn’t tasted fresh blood in days. And now, here was a man who had no use left—only a body, only a meal.
"Please… let your men step back," Hart whispered.
Todd nodded. "All of you, leave."
The Guard hesitated, then obeyed, retreating into the shadows.
Only the two remained—Baron and former steward—deep in the secluded, overgrown Rear Garden of the manor. Perfect.
Exactly as Todd had hoped.
He was about to feast.
His eyes—once blue—had turned Crimson Red. He smiled, slow and cruel.
"Speak, Hart. I’m curious. How do you plan to defend yourself?"
Hart’s voice shook. His smile was worse than tears.
"The Dragon… has arrived."
Todd blinked.
"What?"
The world went dark.
A shadow, vast and terrible, swallowed him whole. Wings—massive, leathery, edged in fire—stretched across the night sky, blotting out the moonlight. The air grew thick with heat, with the scent of ash and ancient power.
Above him, Red Dragon—majestic, terrifying—hovered, its golden vertical pupils glinting in the darkness like molten suns.
It lowered its head, jaws parting in a grin that was neither human nor beast.
"Need I repeat it, my unseen Lord Baron?"
"The Dragon is here."
(End of Chapter)
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