I'm on a tight schedule, so part two coming up.
You and Ben speedily head to Lord Jameson's estate, where he is already with his horse and crossbow. There are no guards around, which is good.
"Ah, Drake, you returned quickly. I assume that is Ben, your manservant?"
"Yes, he is." you say, nudging Benjamin ever so slightly, and the man angrily accepts his role, with a massive scowl on his face.
"So, let's get hunting then, eh?" he says and gallops off. You can catch up easily. First, you have some information collecting to do.
You approach Arianne and Rachel, both of whom are wearing luxurious gowns, which Lord Jameson obviously supplied them with. Another thing you notice are the recent bruises around their necks, which must have undoubtedly come from the same person who gave them the dresses. This could be a potential cause for alarm, but you have more pressing things at hand.
"My ladies, so good to see you."
"Hello, sir, good to see you too" says Arianne, her usual positive self. You notice that Rachel is more quiet, almost nervous.
"So, what have you learned about our dear lord?"
As usual, it is Arianne who answers.
"Not much, so far, but we do know he uses moondust. Sorry, but like I said, we don't have much else."
"It's good enough for now."
With a nod, you let Ben go forward, and he greets his wife with a scold, and the fierce woman replies back. You don't pay particular attention to the dialogue, but their argument goes back and forth, before dying down. To your surprise the two kiss and hug. Those two are more affectionate towards each other than they let on.
You quickly run to catch up with Jameson. He is down from his horse, crossbow in hand, and he seems frozen in fear. A quick glance nearby shows why. A wolf is there, alone, but still very dangerous. To a human anyway.
You hiss at the lupine animal, and it glares at you, and makes eye contact. Perfect.
The familiar feeling of hypnotism and mental control resurfaces, much easier since this animal isn't even sentient. Jameson, noticing that the wolf has, for some reason, relaxed, takes aim and hits the beast in the heart. With a sigh of relief, he acknowledges your presence.
"Oh, hello there Drake, see how I made that shot there?" he says in a smug tone.
"A brilliant shot, my lord."
"Thank you, thank you." he says, exuding arrogance. All this bowing and scraping is getting on your nerves, but you calm yourself.
"I think that's enough excitement for one night," says the lord, "I'll go back to the castle. You'd best head back to yours."
You do so, bringing Ben with you. The girls are still there, gathering information. On a side note, you apologize to Ben, who, despite being still angry and hostile, relaxes a bit.
As you rest in your coffin, thinking of your day ( or night ), you drift asleep...
End of part two. Keep posting, suggesting and plotting. Goodnight.
Sorry if the apologizing to Ben part was too short. Oh, and Ben doesn't actually know that much about the two lords, other than what the common peasants know.