Into the bounds of the forest, the threshold of Haul's territory was found by the lanterns posted on trees. Leon glanced back, watching as Phoenix followed closely beside him while the carriage became a distant sight.
"That big butler…He said we'd be looking for some sort of cabin in the forest at the outskirts of the Haul Domain, right? I don't see anything," Phoenix observed.
"Just keep your eyes peeled," Leon quietly said.
Through some hiking, passing by forest critters, the sight of an oak-built structure hidden amidst bundled nature caught his eye.
He quickly moved his feet, leading the way as he pushed the prying bushes out of the way, "Up ahead."
"Oh? You're right," Phoenix remarked.
As he approached the front of the cabin, he looked around, not able to see anything through the boarded windows. With vines clinging to the structure, gripped in overgrowth, it hardly looked occupied.
He approached the grass-infested door, knocking on it with three taps before pulling his hand away. A moment passed and it did not open, bringing him to look over, sharing a glance with his companion as they both seemed to not know what to expect.
Raising his fist to try again–
"Ruuuagh!"
A roar from the other side of the door forced him to react quickly as he jumped back just as the wooden frame was completely annihilated. He readied a flame in his hand while Phoenix drew his flame, finding the culprit who so barbarically destroyed the door–
A man shrouded in dented, steel armor, tall and burly enough that he had to crouch to fit through the smashed entrance, looked at them through the obscurity of his helmet, "Oh. You two aren't with them."
"Huh?" Phoenix let out.
Leon looked at the stranger in steel, still holding his active flame, "I'm Leon Schoeller. I was contacted by Darius Haul for my assistance."
In the large man's hands, the greatsword he carried was lowered as he slumped his shoulders, "Oh, Lord Schoeller–come in. Sorry about the scare."
'Scare? You almost killed me,' he thought, dismissing his flame.
An exchange of glances was shared with his companion before following the armored figure into the dingy cabin. The interior was rather neat and well kept, not resembling the outside in the slightest as there was even a nice, floral scent emitting from a candle atop a shelf.
"I'm Jon, by the way. I'm the Captain of Haul's personal force–well, not that there's much left anyway," the armored figure introduced himself, removing his helmet.
The face beneath had undoubtedly seen countless battles, covered in scars with an eye entirely missing; Jon had patchy, light-brown hair, some of it turned white either by age or stress.
Leon introduced the adventurer with him, "This is Phoenix–think of him like my bodyguard of sorts."
"Well, in any case…Make yourself at home. I'll get the young lord down here to brief you on the situation," Jon said, ascending the stairs with steps heavy enough to cause the cabin to creak.
The room was outfitted with some wooden chairs and a table, with sacks of presumably food left sealed as though those that occupied the cabin were trying their best to lay low.
Phoenix sat beside him, practically slamming himself on the rickety chair, "Isn't this whole situation seeming to get worse and worse by the moment?"
"We don't know what the full picture is yet," Leon quietly dismissed.
After a minute, footsteps descended the steps, giving way to a woman with silken, brunette hair dressed in a gold-and-black suit meant for a man, though it suited her feminine figure well. As she sat herself down directly across from him, their eyes met, finding himself enchanted by her emerald irises that shined with a certain brilliance.
Jon stood directly behind the girl in silent servitude like a stone statue, though a question was left on the table–
"Not to sound rude, but," Leon stated, looking at the emerald-eyed woman. "You don't look like a "Darius" to me."
"You're right," the woman answered with a slight smile, placing her hand over her chest earnestly. "I am Elena Haul, the younger sister of Darius."
"Sister? Pardon me, but I'm supposed to be meeting Darius, right? Did something happen to him?" Leon questioned, placing his hands on the table.
Elena's gaze didn't waver as she answered, "My older brother is being held prisoner in his own home as we speak. Those savages–the bandits, they've completely taken hold of the Haul Domain."
"Seriously? It's not just the mines, then? Everything?" Leon asked.
The young woman nodded her head, "That's right. I was the one that wrote the letter, actually–please forgive me for that deception…I just didn't think my own name would provide any haste."
In utmost earnest, Elena lowered her head in shame before raising it with a look of guilt in her eyes. Leon couldn't feel any type of animosity being on the receiving end of a look like that, only shaking his head.
"You didn't need to pretend to be your older brother, but I get it. No harm, no foul–let's get to the brass tacks here though," Leon said adamantly. "What information do you have on the Brotherhood of The Eclipse?"
"You're to the point. I like that," Elena remarked in surprise, intertwining her fingers as she placed her elbows on the table. "If I'm being honest, we're lacking in information on these bandits."
"Really?" Leon questioned.
"Unfortunately, yes," Elena confirmed. "They didn't attack like untrained thieves. These bandits wiped out the guards all in different positions, at the same time. There was nobody left alive to warn our main force."
"That sounds…scary," Phoenix mumbled.
In the rather quaint cabin, the scent of lavender filled the room, though it was hard to tell if it was the candles or the woman's perfume.
Elena continued, "To be honest, there was no "battle"—it was a one-sided affair."
"They took control in one fell swoop," Leon reasoned.
"As such, we weren't able to gain much in the way of information. Jon managed to survive his encounter though, so he has firsthand experience," Elena informed them.
As prompted, the scarred veteran stepped forward, "I fought alongside my men when the Brotherhood reached the mansion. We had a force of three hundred. From what I could gather, there are five members."
"Wait, five—?" Leon questioned in surprise.
In his mind, he imagined essentially a small army being required to take hold of such a high-profile domain.
Jon grumbled as his brow twitched at the memories of defeat, "They're few in number, but each is elite. I can assure you each of my men were trained well in the art of combat—they were slain like cattle. Only a handful survived the battle, enough to get Lady Elena out."
"Just five people managed that sorta attack? Phew…" Phoenix exhaled sharply, ruffling his hair.
"I apologize, but I wasn't able to see what kind of abilities they each possessed, only three of them I'm certain of," Jon spoke firmly, recalling the thorny memories.
The air in the cabin seemed tense with the relaying of information, only delving deeper into Leon's mind that he signed up for a battle that would require his full effort.
Jon spoke, "A mage among them disabled the barriers around the domain–one of our scouts identified them as a dark-elf woman. The one that led the assault was a man surely of half-giant blood; he wielded both a battle axe and hammer in each hand. Blades broke on his skin–a laughing barbarian of steel."
"That sounds…terrifying. I'm assuming that's their leader, then," Leon reasoned, not liking the idea of facing such an enemy.
A light shake of the guard captain's head dispelled that idea, "He is not. Actually, the leader of the Brotherhood is one that we have suitable information on–he is one of the most wanted criminals in Wuxtria."
"And the bad news stacks on," Leon mumbled with a sigh.
"Elias," Elena informed them. "He's regarded as the greatest thief in the world. It's theorized he owns more jewels than most kings, yet that doesn't stop him from continuing to steal."