Making a deal with devils - William James Moriarty x OC

Chapter 13 - The Hunting of the Baskervilles Act 2

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"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." – Terry Pratchett
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⚠️This chapter contains content taken from chapter 11 of the manga⚠️

In the slums of London, the carriage arrived just as the man had said it would. Children began gathering near it before the coachman asked a question.

"Why, hello there. Would you like some candy? I've got plenty. And I'll gladly share some with you for free." The coachman said.

The eldest became protective of their youngest, somewhat suspicious of this random man talking to them.

"No need to be shy... There's a lot more where that came from." The coachman said, throwing candy into the street.

"Wow!" One of them exclaimed.

"If you want more, just hop in my carriage. I have more than candy to hand out. My master at Dartmoor is quite the benevolent person you see. He's the kind of person who can't stand to see children like you go hungry. And if you show some manners, he might even offer you a job! However, I can only bring as many of you as will fit in the carriage. So, who will it be?" The coachman asks.

"What should we do...? Do you reckon it's okay to go with him?" A boy asked.

"Well, if we can get a job, then we can finally leave this life behind. I say it wouldn't hurt to try!" Another boy replied.

"All right, let's go!" Another boy added.

"I'm coming too!" A young girl added.

"Excellent." The coachman muttered to himself.

"Found it. That's the human hunters' carriage!" Fred said aloud before going back and informing William.

The six of them then proceeded to the outskirts of Dartmoor in western England.

"Guards, huh?" Moran commented.

"Seems so." William replied.

"But we have the numbers advantage." Lisa added.

"So the forest itself is part of the Baskervilles' domain?" Moran asked.

"According to the intelligence Fred has gathered, this is one of the locations a group of nobles centred around Enders would use for their human hunts." William said.

"We're surrounded by a river and mountains to the north. And even if you managed to leave the forest, you'd just end up in a wide field of nothing but marshes with no way to escape." Victoria added.

"Quite the closed-off garden. An ideal location if one were to organise secret hunting games. But how are we going to get in? The only entrance is surrounded by guards." Louis pointed out.

"Entering through the front would be hard. If we head east from here, we'll encounter a river. Once we hit the river, go north and look for a way in." Moran said.

"But we have to hurry! A lot of time's passed since they brought the children here!" Fred commented.

The group then proceeded to follow as Moran had suggested before stopping halfway up a hill and gazing at the building before them.

"The fortress. There's a large one there. And two smaller ones down the river." William said.

"Those must be their hunting compounds." Moran commented.

"The nobles would definitely have to convene at the large fortress during their hunting session. That's where we will strike." William said.

"Master William! Look, a bridge!" Fred pointed out.