It was the 28th of May.
On this day, the world had veered away from its typical routine.
The usually radiant sun was nowhere to be seen, obscured by a sinister veil of roiling black clouds. As a result, it was as though all colors had drained, replaced by an eerie spectrum of greys and blacks.
And honestly, it looked like a scary picture from a dark storybook.
This view was so out of the ordinary that it sent an involuntary shiver down the spines of all who beheld it, whether they were the humblest commoner or the most esteemed nobility.
Today, they all knew, was the day they dreaded the most!
In the commercial section of the Stronghold, a baker stopped kneading his dough when he caught sight of the eerie spectacle in the sky.
“By the gods,” he muttered, “it’s an Eldritch day.”
It was easy to recognize an Eldritch day. After all, when an Eldritch day came, the sky over one’s head would be swallowed by black clouds and day would look no different than night.
An Eldritch day was a rare and feared event.
It was a day steeped in superstition, and it was widely accepted as a harbinger of ill fortune, and its arrival would cause the ones that were experiencing it to tread with utmost care.
“Last time I dared to work even on this day to feed my family, I was struck by lightning. If not for the grace of a missionary, I would’ve died. This time I won’t repeat my mistakes.”
The baker closed the shop and ran back home to cuddle with his busty wife.
Over at the smithy, the blacksmith ceased his hammering as he noticed the strange signs in the sky. He was familiar with them and he knew what they announced.
“Never a good sign, this,” he grumbled, removing his sweaty cap and scratching his head. “Last time we had an Eldritch day, my forge fire wouldn’t light. It’s useless to work on this day. I am better off just resting and waiting for the day to pass.”
A group of children was playing in the only park that was built in the IronSpire Stronghold using bloodline skills when they noticed the growing darkness in the sky.
The oldest girl looked back at the children with a grim expression, “Remember the stories Grandpa told us about the Eldritch days? We better go home if we don’t want to get kidnapped by devils.”
The children nodded. They parted ways and scrambled back to their homes.
At the IronSpire stronghold, a knight of Joshua saw the darkening sky from a tower. He yelled, “Sound the bells! Alert the stronghold! An Eldritch day is upon us!”
His comrade, an older knight of Joshua, looked at the sky and sighed heavily. “Let us hope this day passes without incident. Prepare the men in case of any unforeseen events and tighten security at the premises.” 𝑶𝐯𝑙xt.𝗇𝓔t
The Ruler of the IronSpire Stronghold watched the dark sky from the balcony of his Manor and chuckled, “Should I just blow it away?”
As the stronghold faced this scary sign, life went quiet.
Everyone in the IronSpire Stronghold paused their daily jobs and waited for this spooky day to pass.
The busy markets and streets became empty, looking like a ghost town. Children weren’t playing in the streets and the park, the soldiers of the stronghold weren’t training on the grounds, and even the servants of the manor stopped their work.
Normally, Ironspire Stronghold was a place full of life, but on this Eldritch day, it was silent and still, as if time itself had stopped.
Deep within this stronghold, ensconced within the comforting solitude of his room, Val sat engrossed, his eyes roaming over the Whitemore Bloodline Upgrading Recipes.
These precious scrolls were bestowed upon him by Joshua after his transformation into a bloodline user and they held the secrets to upgrading one’s Whitemore bloodline to the astounding fourth level!
Val was so engrossed in memorizing these scrolls that he failed to notice the gloom that had cast its veil over the world outside his window.
The insidious shadows, the uncanny darkness that had descended – he was oblivious to it all.
He didn’t know that an Eldritch day had already dawned!
Creak~
The tranquility of Val’s secluded world was disrupted when the door to his chamber swung open, and someone familiar strode in. It was Joshua, the patriarch of the Whitemore family. His eyes quickly scanned the room and landed on Val, relief washing over him.
Val was also looking at him, wondering why he had so rudely broken into his room. Does he regard his privacy as a mere joke?
“Are you planning to head outside?” Joshua asked, his brow wrinkled with concern.
Val, slightly puzzled by the unusual inquiry, replied, “I’m thinking of training in the forest one last time before I am sent to the frontier.”
“Val,” Joshua’s voice hardened with urgency, “I advise you not to venture outside today.”
“Why?” Val’s eyebrow raised in question, his curiosity piqued by the peculiar caution.
“An Eldritch day has arrived,” came Joshua’s answer, his face grave.
Val, initially planning to head out to the Evernight forest to farm beasts for EXP after memorizing the recipe of the potions needed to upgrade his innate bloodline, decided to heed Joshua’s advice. Though he had a skeptical bend of mind, he had come to realize that in this world, where men, monsters, and devils shared the same reality, superstitions often held an unsettling grain of truth.
They were more often true than not!
With a curt nod, Val acknowledged, “Very well, Father. I’ll heed your advice.”
“Good,” Joshua said, and with a final glance at Val, he took his leave, closing the door quietly behind him.
Val, now alone, walked over to the window. He look outside the window and saw an unsettling spectacle. Dark, swirling clouds blanketed the sky, blocking out the sun’s comforting warmth.
These clouds, their shapes, and shifting patterns, their eerie aura – it all felt like a harbinger of a storm, a sign of an imminent chaos.
Something within him told that it was just the calm before the storm, and whatever was coming, he needed to brace themselves for it.
“Whoever troubles me, I will respond to them with an iron fist!” Val proclaimed.
Under the somber sky of an Eldritch day, a clamor suddenly arose near the gates of the IronSpire Stronghold.
An impressive cavalcade moved through the tents of the illegal immigrants outside the Ironspire Strongholds and approached its sturdy, catching the attention of the guards stationed at the entrance.
At the heart of this imposing procession was an elegant carriage, its opulence hard to miss, even from afar, was steadily approaching. Its polished ebony wood shimmered faintly under the obscured sunlight. Gold filigree work traced along its edges, and a distinctive insignia adorned the door – a silver mountain peak etched against a background of royal blue.
This was the well-known mark of the Kendricks, lords of the SilverPeak Stronghold, a human settlement neighboring the IronSpire Stronghold.
The approaching carriage snapped the guards at the IronSpire gates out of the eerie stillness. One guard, a burly man with a grizzled beard, stepped forth and raised his hand to halt the entourage of Lord Kendrick.
As it was so dark that even the glow produced by their torches only slightly brightened their surroundings, they weren’t able to see the middle carriage. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have bothered halting them. After all, it was a well-known fact that Kendricks were good friends of Whitemores, their friendships as deep as the ocean’s depth!
“State your purpose!” The guard stationed at the gates of the Ironspire stronghold barked.
A small viewing window on the driver’s box of the frontmost carriage slid open. A man of rather plain features peered out. His face was nondescript, with round, forgettable eyes, and a balding head revealing a shiny crown, yet it was clear that he was not someone ordinary because of the way he was dressed. He was dressed in the attire of a servant, donning a well-fitted black coat and trousers. His outfit was completed with a pristine white shirt and a neatly tied bowtie, with intricate silver embroidery.
“Relay this to your lord,” he said, his tone resounding with an undercurrent of arrogance and amusement. “The ruling family of the SilverPeak Stronghold requests an audience with him.”
Caught slightly off-guard by the proclamation, the guard stiffened. He was just an ordinary soldier, but even he understood the gravity of this situation. Visitors from the SilverPeak Stronghold didn’t make impromptu visits, especially not in such a grand fashion. Not to mention, he believed that only people with ill intentions would visit others on an Eldritch day. There was definitely something wrong with this. He definitely couldn’t allow them entry without Lord Joshua’s permission. But he also couldn’t offend them.
“Understood, sir,” the guard replied, his tone carrying a hint of apprehension. He gave the ordinary-looking gentleman a curt nod as he said, “Please wait here. I will relay your message to the lord immediately.”
Then, the guard turned to deliver the message, leaving the distinguished guests at the gate.
As he disappeared from sight, a man stepped out of the carriage in the middle of the cavalcade. The man had a round face that was pocked with the faint marks of aging and dominated by a pair of steely eyes. His looks were framed by long silver hair that shone under the sunlight, and he was dressed in richly embroidered robes that screamed nobility.
This man was Lord Kendrick.
He adjusted his doublet and looked upon IronSpire Stronghold, a subtle smirk playing on his lips and a malicious glint flashing in his grey eyes.
It was clear that he wasn’t here for a friendly visit, far from it!