CrestFallen

A Lead

The inside of Castle Oklaind wasn't nearly as active or packed as Annabelle had initially imagined it. With the death of Earl, she had fully expected it to be crawling with Knights and foot soldiers under the rule of House Birend and House Valerz, the two territories encompassing Castle Oklaind.

However, the only Knights spread throughout the buildings outer courtyard and deeper innards were Knights under the direction of the Church Of Yggdrem, distinguishable by their brightly colored emblems embedded into their armors. These Knights had already taken it upon themselves to begin a thorough investigation, using a variety of Crest Abilities and standard sleuthing to identify what had transpired during the castle raid. Though a bit annoyed by the presence of the Church, Annabelle shrugged it off. Lodging a complaint now would merely fall on deaf ears.

If anything, it would make it a bit easier for her and her own subordinates to gather the intel she desired.

"Halt. This Castle is under the jurisdiction of.....oh Lady Hresgeld!!" The objecting Church Knight immediately got down on one knee the moment he recognized the approaching figure. "Apologies. I knew not of your arrival."

"Think nothing of it." Annabelle didn't even give it a second thought, not the least bit worried about such formalities. "More importantly, what has become of this castle? I was informed that Earl Oklaind had expired during the attack but I wasn't given much detail. Am I correct in assuming the present Church Knights have already gathered all they can?"

The man swiftly rose back onto his feet as the princess posed her question, standing at attention. Upon hearing what she had to say, he gave her a small nod.

"Putting the matter of Lord Oklaind aside, the Knights have managed to secure the testimonies of everyone here as well as analyze the extent of the castle grounds." The young Knight pulled out a small crystal from a pouch attached to his balcony hip. "Would you care to hear what we have gathered?"

"Please. Proceed."

The man immediately delved into the topic, showcasing the past actions and remarks obtained from the ones who had survived. Surprisingly, all the testimonials seemed to fall in line with one another, filling in the gaps.

It started around midnight, that was when the first guard, the one overlooking the north wings lookout tower, was rendered unconscious. There was no warning or signs, just a quick blow to the temple. From there, everything went downhill rather quickly as more and more guards, and even Knights, were summarily subdued. No one got a good glimpse of the attackers due to them wearing colored masks identical to each other, but it was clear they were highly trained. Just one of them had managed to run through three Knights without so much as pausing.

Based on the witnesses, there were only around 5 to 7 attackers within the castle. Against a squad of highly trained individuals this feat alone made the enemy that much more dangerous. Either the assailants were that much stronger or they were just that much smarter. Both outcomes were unsavory to say the least.

The concept of an insider operation was almost a guaranteed.

There were other things the Knight started to explain but Annabelle found herself sidetracked, her gaze wandering around her surroundings. The burned and ravaged wall, the nearby Church Knights, the befuddled guards who still had yet to collect themselves despite how much time had passed. Eventually, her gaze landed upon a figure leaning against the far side of the castle, hunched over with face tucked into his own arms. Even from the distance she was at, she recognized him as a member of the Yggdrem Church, an Air Knight by the looks of it. Despite the fact that her informant hadn't finished speaking, she departed the area and made her way towards the unknown entity.