A/n: Includes small mention of non-graphic gore
"Uuwahhh~"
Cale yawned for the third time since the carriage started moving. Hans was driving the horses, which meant that Cale got the inside all to himself.
If he curled his legs he could probably lay down and take a nap with no problem, or at the very least rest his eyes. He had not gotten any sleep the previous night, meaning he felt like death itself.
The steady sound of horse hooves and Hans' muffled humming was slowly drawing him into a sleepy trance. If he was not careful, he might actually drift off.
Clip clop. Clip clop. Clip clop.
It was relaxing and repetitive.
Clip clop. Clip clop.
His head felt heavy.
Clip clo— Gasp! Neigh!
"Oh my!"
Cale jolted up from a slouched position; he had almost fallen asleep, but the abrupt stop and Hans' voice startled him awake. He opened up the small window placed between the driver and the passenger areas.
"Hans, what's wrong?"
"T, there is a person on the road, young master! And a lot of blood! What should I do? There's no easy way around him, and he looks to be dead!"
Hans thought the elderly man who was laying face down on the road looked dead. His chest didn't seem to rise, and the amount of blood coating the road was enough to think someone cut off his limb.
"...Are you sure he's dead?" Cale frowned slightly.
"No, but he does not seem to be alive! I will go check on him. Young master, you do not need to move. This Hans will be back in a minute!"
Cale sighed and plopped back against the carriage wall. He was curious, but seeing a possibly dead body might haunt his sleep cycle even worse, or at least make him nauseous.
'Hans will take care of it.'
So Cale just sat there, waiting for Hans to return.
'...'
The wind seemed to be stronger than usual today, judging by the faint whistling sound.
"...It's been two minutes."
Something was strange. Why had Hans not yelled back the status of the man? Why was he taking so long to check a pulse?
All of a sudden Cale's spine started tingling, sending chills throughout his body.
He reached for the door, ready to check on Hans. If he stayed in the carriage nothing would get done anyway, even if there was a murderer standing right outside. He was trapped if he stayed inside.
Creaaak.
Cale stepped out slowly, glancing in all directions. He then stepped towards the front of the carriage, where Hans had gone. Subconsciously holding his breath, he crouched down just behind the corner of the carriage.
As Cale peeked his head around the corner while using the horses as cover... a bright orange head of hair appeared in front of the horses. On his back was the man.
"This guy is alive! Let's put him in the carriage and stop the bleeding!"
"Ah... Fine. But you're going to clean the inside after we get back to the county." Cale let out the breath of suspense he had been holding. Perhaps his lack of sleep and constant nightmares had put him on edge.
"Yeah, can you help me with him? He's heavy!"
Cale cringed at the dried blood that stuck to Hans' clothes. This old man seemed to have been cut across the chest with a sword, or maybe run over by a wagon.
He really didn't want to help load a dirty stranger into his carriage, but his morality was whispering in his ear to help at least a little.
"Tsk. I'll carry the legs."
Cale opened the carriage door and held out his arms. He clearly wanted to get the situation under control as quickly as possible.
"Alright, here. Ah, there's thorns on his clothes, don't get pricked."
"Hmph."
Cale didn't see many thorns, but as he held and spun the man so that Hans could start holding the upper body, he did indeed feel a prick on his hand.
'Che. Just my luck.'
His mood soured further at the stinging feeling, meanwhile Hans was starting a countdown.
"On three. One, two, three!"
Cale and Hans lifted the man inside the carriage over one of the benches, which was immediately stained red.
"You know how to stop the bleeding right? Why didn't you do it outside before putting him in here? Now the cushions are all bloody."
"Ah, I'm sorry! I forgot because of the situation!"
Cale raised an eyebrow. Hans seemed to really want to save this stranger. How annoying.
"Anyway! I'll go drive the horses now. Call for me if he wakes up."
"Fine, although I doubt he will."
And so, Hans started driving once again, leaving Cale alone to watch over this old man.
As he looked through the carriage window towards the forest bushes, he couldn't shake the feeling of someone watching him.
...
It had been twenty minutes, and the man had still not woken up. Cale yawned again, thinking that this made the already boring trip even more irritating, since he couldn't sleep with a blood covered stranger right next to him.
Hans had stayed quiet for most of the ride, his usual humming nowhere to be heard. Only Cale's heartbeat and blinking noises occupied him.
At that moment, Hans surprisingly made a comment through the window.
"Aren't you tired? You can sleep now, the old man probably won't wake up for another couple days because of the blood loss."
"...I'm fine." Cale was not fine. He desperately wanted to sleep.
"Ah... I see."
Hans sounded a little disappointed at Cale's response, which Cale found annoying. Normally, Hans was not as obvious with his personal feelings, but the past few days he had been acting more bold.
However, he did make Ron's absence less noticeable, which in return kept Cale from feeling even more lonely. So he ultimately decided to ignore Hans' unprofessional behavior.
...
Another twenty minutes had gone by, and Cale was extremely sleepy.
His limbs felt heavy and his muscles were relaxed. His breathing had also taken a swan dive and was a nice and steady, slow pace. The old man had not woken up, just as Hans predicted. Maybe it would be okay to sleep. He could not get murdered by an unconscious man, right?
'I... really should... stay awake thou—...'
His eyes closed fully and he accepted sleep's cozy embrace. This nap felt much deeper and more refreshing than any other nap he had experienced before, making him feel nice.
Or maybe it was just him.
...
"Mmm...ugh..."
"!! You're awake!"
"Huh...?"
Cale slowly opened his eyes and started to take in his surroundings.
'Haha. Fuck.'
He was in an extremely dimly lit area that looked similar to an empty wine cellar, seated on a hard chair, with his hands tied to the chair backing behind him and legs tied to the chair legs.
Hans' voice was coming from right behind him. If Cale turned his head he could barely see Hans' arm tied to a similar chair. It seemed he was in the same predicament.
"We've been abducted!"
"No shit." His voice felt scratchy and dry, and the ropes around his body dug into his skin if he shifted in his seat. 'Was it the old man? Why would he...? Oh. It's probably money.'
"Ugh." Cale groaned a bit louder this time. He just wanted to be comfortable!
He could hear Hans moving against the chair at that moment. Creaking rope and wooden chair legs rubbing against the rock floor echoed through the room. "Hans, did he take your weapons?"
"...Yes. And everything else I had as well, besides my clothes. What about you?"
"I don't usually carry daggers in my coat pocket."
"Ah... Right."
Cale started wracking his brain for a solution to this situation. There was nothing around them, just a large empty space, meaning no makeshift tools or weapons were available. The ropes were thick and tight, and the chairs also felt sturdy.
It seemed impossible to escape.
It was at that moment.
Creeeeeeak~
Hans was the one to speak up after hearing the door open. Whoever had entered was too far into the shadows to be visible, but the build indicated it was most likely a man.
"Who's there! Reveal yourself!"
Tak.
Tak.
Tak.
Echoing footsteps filled Cale's ears. As the man walked closer and closer to them, more details became clear.
Cale recognised him.
"Haaaa. What was I even expecting? Of course it's that scummy bastard."
"..."
The man frowned heavily. He did not like what was spewing out of Cale's mouth.
"Hey, you bastard, let us go."
"Hah!"
The man was the baron Cale had knocked unconscious in two hits at the capital. Cale continued to talk.
"So, was it a magic device? How did you change to look like an old man? Or did you just take your usual makeup off?"
"...You think you're funny, don't you?"
"Eh~ You're one funny bastard though, kidnapping trash. Need some money then? Is the manure business not working out for you? I'm sure if you just ask around, people might give you their spare change."
Grit.
The man seemed to react well towards Cale's obvious insults. His teeth grinding was audible even from this distance. "Haha... I didn't use magic to disguise myself. Do you want to know what I did instead?"
"Actually, I'm kind of tired. Hurry up your shitty villain monolog—"
Cale was interrupted by something being tossed on his lap.
It was a human face.
"I used magic to seamlessly blend it to the rest of my head, but the face itself is real. Just to kidnap you, I carved that poor elder's face off."
Cale gulped as he took in the rubbery appearance of the mask. It looked real.
"It's all your fault that man is dead. It's also your fault his face was stolen. And now it's your fault that guy is kidnapped as well."
He gestured towards Hans, who could hear their conversation. Hans had been silent for a while now, but Cale could see his arm shaking.
'Fuck. This...'
They both might be in danger if this psychopath was telling the truth. Cale's panic level started to rise.
___
"Ah, Count Deruth, what brings you here?"
"Eric, is my son still visiting?"
Eric Wheelsman looked at the count in confusion. "Uh? He left a few hours ago. Did he not return home?"
"No... Hans said they would be back in time for lunch, but it's now almost 4. Did he mention if he was stopping somewhere before heading back to the mansion?"
"I don't recall that coming up in any of our conversations. Perhaps he got sidetracked on his way home?" Eric then gasped. "Or maybe gangsters or bandits found him?"
"Hmm." Deruth's mood turned grim in a matter of seconds. It was quite possible that Cale had gotten into danger while coming back home. He was bound to have some enemies with that problematic personality of his, and the fact that he refused to take any knights with him only added to Deruth's worry.
Eric stepped aside and kept the door open. "You should come inside. I've needed a break for a while now anyway, so your company is welcome. Let's discuss what to do about Cale's disappearance."
It was then that Deruth finally noticed the tired expression in Eric's eyes. His fingers had many paper cuts on them as well, as if he was handling a lot of paper in a rushed manner. His hair was ruffled in such a way that Deruth could easily picture him pulling at it or running his hands through it anxiously.
"Ah, of course. I wish to find my son as soon as possible."
...
It had been exactly 35 minutes since Deruth had entered the Wheelsman mansion.
They were both standing, packed and ready to leave at a moment's notice. Strewn around them lay numerous papers, most of which detailed the ins and outs of Baron Crassterd's life.
For the past four and a half hours, Eric had been going through each one, attempting to find dirt on the baron. Deruth, after hearing about the situation, helped as well, but the rest of the time spent there was put towards finding Cale.
Their subordinates could not find him in Rain city, nor anywhere near the Henituse or the Weelsman territories. Right now, Eric and Deruth were getting ready to head off on their own search. Gilbert Chetter had been visiting nearby and had sent a message that he would also be joining them.
"My carriage outside is the usual type, but parading around with my family's turtle crest wouldn't be smart. Do you have a bare one?" Deruth spoke as he adjusted his clothing.
Eric nodded. "Yes, I'll also bring in a few of my best knights. I assume you brought yours as well?"
"Of course, the vice captain of my knight squad and three of the strongest knights accompanied me. Gilbert Chetter will bring a few as well, which means we will have about 12 to 13 people in the search party. Let's search all the back roads leading out of this territory as planned."
"Agreed, searching a large city is pointless. We should leave as soon as possible as well. It is already afterno—"
Knock knock knock.
Eric was interrupted by three firm bumps on the study door. Not many people would bother him because of how he had warned them, but if it was an emergency or something related to Cale...
"Enter."
Click.
In walked an unfamiliar face, followed by five more unfamiliar faces wearing lightweight armor.
Eric turned to face the leader of this small group as he talked. "Who are you?"
The leader spoke firmly with her head held high. "My name is Tasha, and I work for his highness the crown prince. The men behind me are experienced knights who specialize in tracking and prolonged chases. We were sent by the palace to aid in the search for Cale Thames."
Deruth's eyes blew wide at the mention of Thames. This was not something done by the crown prince, this was a message from the king. Somehow, he knew Cale had gone missing in this short time frame, and also wanted to help find him.
But there was one person in the room who did not know of the significance of that name.
"Thames...? Not Henituse? Anyway, how can we trust that you are telling the truth?"
"Eric, it's fine. Let's trust them. His highness Alberu Crossman must care deeply about Cale's wellbeing for him to send out some additions to this search party."
Eric's eyebrows furrowed at those words for a moment before he seemed to realize something. "Hm? ...Ah, I get it. Of course, we will accept his aid. Let's try our hardest to find Cale!"
Tasha watched this slight misunderstanding occur in amusement. 'I'm sorry for the headache, dear nephew. It looks like I'll be using your name as I please today, haha.'
Eric continued in newfound energy. He did not know that the crown prince had no idea what was happening at this moment. "And for his highness, Alberu Crossman as well! We will safely return Cale!"
In another place, kind of far away...
'?'
"Why are my ears so itchy all of a sudden?"
A/n: pls keep commenting funny shit it's hilarious
Thx for reading.