The Dunleavies are an old lineage that has just recently grown from a house of knights to a house of barons. Though the Alocian empire is a young empire, being only three hundred years old, the Dunleavy house came from the older Alocian kingdom.

The Dunleavies were actually among the leaders that expanded the kingdom to an empire. Having managed much of the campaign for the Rolyra Kingdom, while their rival house of Faiguld managed much of the campaign for the Akrodal Kingdom. Akrodal being Alocia’s sister kingdom.

With a long and proud martial history at their back, the modern Dunleavy’s have become an economic powerhouse, with ties from Isca to the dwarven hold of Virnrogh. The family manor being in the noble quarter of the city of Veta.

Their trade centred on shipping, lumber, glasswork and a few small shops and sponsored artisans. Their trade fleet travelling to almost all of western Eiwoa and even to the Anchored Isles. The latter being mostly thanks to them owning two of the incredibly rare airships.

This change from a martial to a merchant house has not been overly kind on the Dunleavies however. With their move from being knights, their strong martial bodies have degraded and now only a few of the younger children or those from their vassal knight houses walk that path. Though a shadow of their former martial power and prowess they’ve gained great influence and wealth within the Alocian empire in return, with six knight houses under them.

These knight houses coming either from the lines of second or third children in the family making their own houses or families that were allies or vowed vassalage to the Dunleavies.

Like many a noble house, there are rumours of ill repute, corruption, decadence and dark deeds. Though their honourable past and great men of character the house has produced makes them much the same as simple rumours of those jealous of their successes.

-A Primer on Alocian noble houses.

He couldn’t believe it! The utter audacity! The criminal stupidity of these peasants! They were his! His! He had persuaded them to come with him to this armpit of a frontier region. He had funded the humongous caravan to take them here with the resources they’d need to build a defensible town! He had hired the guards from his own coffers no less!

He was the esquire of the Dunleavy household! He might be the fifth son but he was still noble-born! His mother had even been the second daughter of a viscount. He couldn’t believe the absurdity he was currently in! Tied down like a darn hog with his crumpled up handkerchief stuffed into his mouth.

He felt like crying with indignation, they had turned on him after the attack and now they were leaving him to either starve or be eaten to death. He lay there wallowing in his sadness and hate for those ungrateful peasants. After everything, he had sacrificed for them.

After what felt like hours he began to hear a sound from the outside. He craned his neck as he listened to doors open and then close. Furrowing his brows Elliot strained his ears to try and listen. There it was! A strange sound. A whistling, it seemed cheerful yet somehow ominous, starting in short then long whistles in a strange building pattern.

Then the door opened and in walked Vlad. The man looked surprised to see Elliot there all tied up. Then the blasted elf smiled and a shiver began to build at the base of Elliot’s spine.

He had screamed angrily at the man to get his goat born feet over and untie him this instant when he had gotten out of his own surprise at seeing Vlad enter his home. Then the man had smiled and he began to quiet down.

The elf removed the handkerchief out of his mouth but before he could talk he placed his fingers to his lips. He was confused at that but then realized the look in the elf’s eyes, those where the eyes of someone that didn’t value life at all. Or perhaps it was simply that he didn’t value Elliot’s life.

When the elf spoke and asked his question Elliot decided to lie a little. Telling Vlad that his noble class was simply a semi-combat class as it had given him some little magic. As well as to not tell Vlad about his level 12 squire class either.

Then as Vlad began to untie him, the elf spoke of some sort of game, and the more he listened the more his unease built. This wasn’t something a normal peasant would say to a noble, nor a concept he was familiar with.

He noted that Vlad spoke as if there were more than just them in the room when he explained the rules of the game. Elliot took it upon himself to untie his legs and then he sized up Vlad.

He had heard of how low Vlad’s classes were and he was sure he had a very decent shot at taking the arrogant worm in a fight.

Then the elf finished his words fully and opened the door outside. Elliot thought that perhaps Vlad was letting him run outside his manor, then he saw them. Pure ivory skeletons, five wolves arranged in a wedge formation and above them, a skeleton horse towered.

All had empty eye sockets save the small little blue ethereal pinpricks of light, a soft almost white blue smoke drifted off the lights softly. It dissipated even before it fully left the sockets.

Within the ribcages of each creature was a hovering mass of white powder or dust, swirling around and filling up the ribcage’s empty area along with a little into where the creature's stomach was supposed to be.

Elliot then realised that Vlad was a necromancer. With that dawning realization of sheer horror, he looked at Vlad before he began to sprint into his manor. He had to get away and into his office. He had to!

After only a few short heartbeats later, he heard the unnerving sound of bare bone clacking along on the shined wood flooring. He began a mantra in his head of what he had inside his office that might help in this situation. There were the two skill scrolls! What was the first one again? Analyse? That was it! But no! It wasn’t useful for the situation!

What was the other one?! He continued to mumble in his head before Vlad began to whistle again. Much louder than before but it sounded almost like some sort of hunting song.

Gripping the handrail on the stairs leading up once one got through the corridor from the entry hall, sliding a little due to his momentum. Then he raced up the stairs and looked over his shoulder right as he was about to crest the top stairs. He saw that the horse hadn’t been able to turn so suddenly and had barrelled into the wolves earning Elliot a precious few seconds.

In his haste he stumbled over the last step and fell forward onto the floor, smashing his face into it and feeling the heat of his blood running down his lips. He had managed to break his own nose with that mistakes.

Shaking off the pain he stood and began to run once more. His frazzled mind reached out for anything to save himself. The second skill scroll. That was it! It was the skill Aegis.

That might allow him to get out of this. The sword he had in his office would definitely be of help, though he wished for a mace. As he came past a small table with a stool next to it, he looked over his shoulder. There was one of the wolves staring at him from the top of the stairs and another sprinting towards him.

With a cry, Elliot grabbed the stool and swung it with all his might at the creature as it lunged at him. The sounds of bones fracturing resounded before the creature was thrown back to crash into the table. The table buckled under the sudden and violent hit of the creature and one could easily see the fractured bones it was sporting.

With two chair legs still in his hands after smashing the stool, Elliot looked from the fallen creature and then to the one staring at him. He could have sworn it narrowed its eyes at him. Gulping he turned and ran once more.

He heard the snap sound of bone upon bone as the wolf snapped its jaws and the other three wolves came barrelling up the stairs followed by the horse. The horse had to have gone slower on its way up. Elliot came upon a door in the hallway and he closed it in desperation, hoping to lock the creatures away so he had time to get his arms.

Shoving one of the chair legs into the door to try and jam it a little. Elliot Dunleavy then did as he had been doing, he ran.

A loud bang reverberated as he had reached the halfway point to his office. He turned to look over his shoulder only to see the door crack with one more banging crash into it. A third occurred and the door still held. Elliot smiled as he realized that the door would hold.

He smiled wider as no other crash happened and then began to walk backwards while staring at the door. “T-that’s right!” He shouted, his nerves causing his voice to crack. “You can’t even get through a door. What makes you think you can beat me!” He shouted then hoarsely as he continued to walk backwards towards his office.

Then a sudden sound of wood groaning reverberated through the hallway, then the doors burst open as the skeletal horse came charging through it. Small fractures covered the creatures forward-facing body as it charged towards Elliot.

In panic, Elliot threw his last stool leg at the creature and to his relief the leg somehow tripped up the horse. It crashed down onto the floor and skidded there before it tried in vain to get back up, stopping as its fractures seemed to widen and worsen as it thrashed.

With a cheer growing in his throat his hopes were dashed as the four skeleton wolves jumped through the burst open door. The one he supposed was the leader of the pack stopped at the horse's prone form while the other three charged ahead.

With tears streaming down his face, he picked up the ominous whistling of Vlad as he made it up the stairs. Sprinting as fast as he could he made it to his office door but he didn’t have enough time to close the door after him.

Diving over his desk to make even just a little more space between himself and the perusing wolves. He gripped the sword on top of the desk and held it, still sheathed in its scabbard and looked at the wolves. He could feel his sphincter clench at the sight of the wolves stalking into the office.

One snapping its jaws at him while another seemed to be almost chewing the air. Elliot tried to console himself with the thought that these creatures only needed to be hit a scant few times to be broken apart.

“Come on then!” He bravely cried out, as snot ran down his nose and his eyes were puffy with tears.

The wolf that had snapped its jaws didn’t hesitate and lunged at him, leaping over the desk much like he had. With a roar, Elliot swung his blade and managed to hit the wolf squarely on the side of its head and parts of its rips in a single blow. Sending the ivory abomination careening into a bookcase where the sound of fracturing bones made the creature limp away.

Elliot felt he could do this and as the one that was in between the other two dashed around his desk, he kicked the chair at it. Only to have the last one’s jaws close a little around his shoulder. They had both come at him at the same time.

He counted himself lucky that the first had entangled itself in the chair as he gripped the skull on his shoulder and with all his might managed to rip it off. With blood spilling out from the wound he threw the creature over the counter and into the door frame, almost breaking its spine in half.

The other managed to untangle itself and had used the chair as a stepping stone as it charged at Elliot. Putting his blade in front of himself to deflect the creature’s lunge he was still scratched by its bony claws. Then a sudden pain in his calf caused him to cry out as the leader had moved in behind him and had sunk its teeth into his calf.

With just enough time to push the jumping wolf over his desk Elliot’s leg was pulled back and he fell forwards onto the sprawled chair.

Managing to turn around right as the lead wolf pounced on him, he managed to put his sword up to guard. However the heavy blow the lead wolf delivered caused the chair to splinter and shatter under Elliot’s back.

Another snapping of jaws made him look over to see the one he had pushed away come back around the desk and his blood ran colder than it had ever done before.

In desperation he kicked hard at the advancing wolf, hitting it enough to break a part of its skull and cause it to flee. All the while barely managing to keep the lead wolf off himself. Then as he managed to put his legs under the wolves ribcage and punt it off himself he heard it. That darn whistling again, and it was coming closer and closer.

Elliot was certain that Vlad was simply playing a game with him. Making his minions come at him so sporadically so they were manageable and to flee when they began to be too wounded. Again the lead wolf came at him. With a mighty heave, he planted both of his legs on the snapping wolves ribcage and then kicked hard enough with both legs this time to send it flying into the frame above the door.

The cracking sound of bone was satisfying to Elliot's ears and he saw the hip bone almost split on the wolf.

Then as the last of the creatures limped out of the room, he heard the sound of Vlad’s whistling much more clearly. “Stop that horrid whistling!” He shouted at the empty door frame. This had gone on far enough and he ripped his sword out of the sheath and readied himself.

If it was the last thing he did then he’d end this filthy necromancer right here and now. His legs might be trembling but he wouldn’t go without a fight!

“Oh? So not a fan of in the hall of the mountain king?” Vlad asked and then a few moments later a white figure walked into the room. It looked almost like human insectoid. White pale chitin covered every inch of the figure ending in angled holes along the eyes which were cross-shaped and stared at Elliot. Opening the mouth showed chitin that seemed to angle into four canine teeth on the outside as he spoke. “Shocked?” He asked and seemed highly amused.

“Y-You’re a monster!” Elliot shouted as he charged at Vlad, his sword held high aloft in one hand as he was about to swing down with all his might. Then Vlad took a step into the path of his swing and gripped both of Elliot’s shoulders, then he drove the man down onto his knee.

A wheeze escaped Elliot's lips as all the air was driven out of him. Then clawed chitin fingers closed around his chin and he was moved to look up at Vlad. His eyes where those of someone smiling as he suddenly let go and took a step back. Then Vlad delivered a hard push kick into Elliot’s chest and sent him flying back the three-step distance to his desk.

His sword dropped from his hand as he felt the pain run up his spine. He felt his breath catch in his lungs and began to struggle to breathe. “Yeah that never feels good does it?” Vlad asked with mirth as his carapace suddenly began to grow black, with very small almost oily smoke leaving the faintest trail as he moved.

Vlad seemed to look over his body and then chuckled. “I was afraid this skill would make my carapace alive and against me. Seems like it was a good idea to upgrade the carapace to try shadow imbuing.” He said as he flexed his clawed fingers a little and then looked at the still gasping Elliot.

Vlad began to whistle again as he leaned down and stabbed his bony claws into both of Elliot’s shoulders, hard enough to dislocate his shoulders. The pain allowed Elliot to gain his breath back just to scream in pain.

The screaming got only louder as Vlad stomped on his thighs and broke his thigh bones.

Elliot began to whimper and cry as Vlad gripped a handful of his hair and attempted to raise the broken man up but wasn’t strong enough for it. “I would have preferred if the people had simply taken you with them but, what can you do. After all, I can’t have an asshole like you witnessing what I can do.” The words poured ice over Elliot’s mind as Vlad let him go and then walked out of the room.

Elliot was confused, through his haze of utter pain that is. He had gone into shock and was staring after Vlad’s retreating back. Why did he say that he wouldn’t allow Elliot to witness his abilities and then just leave him crippled behind?

His answer came as the tapping of bone on wood came from the darkened hallway. The six creatures slunk into the room. All fractures and cracks healed, the swirling white mist within their ribcages slightly diminished.

Elliot’s last act was to scream in sheer terror. The last thing he saw was bared claws, fangs and teeth topped by hollow and eerie blue lights rushing towards him.

Vlad would hear the screams all the way out of the small manor, whistling in the hall of the mountain king the entire way. To him, it seemed that things just might turn out to be good for him.