Trespassers will be Prosecuted

Her gear included a standard issue gun, plenty of ammunition, and the ever-present feed from Byte in her ear. The map of Cawer Castle appeared directly in her right eye, disorienting her at first like some glitchy video game HUD that had gone rogue. She wasn't going in alone, though—accompanied by three other rookies, two B-level agents and one C-level grunt, she didn't know whether to feel reassured or more nervous. Great, a group of us with varying degrees of incompetence. 

The small aircraft that had ferried them from the island near Plock to the ship was now their transport to Cawer Castle. The only new piece of gear she had been shown the night before was this massive bracelet made of what PS called nano-tech. Apparently, it could be controlled with her mind. Nano-tech! It's like they were really leaning into the sci-fi vibes. According to PS, this thing was impenetrable and could cover their entire body in a protective layer if needed. Genius, she thought—because when I inevitably screw this up, at least I can't die that easily.

They were dropped off about 2 kilometers from Cawer Castle, the crumbling mess of a fortress they had been sent to investigate. It looked abandoned from a distance, surrounded by private property and littered with 'Keep Out' and 'Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted' signs. Real welcoming.

The forest around was dense, the towering trees standing like silent sentinels, their branches intertwined so tightly that the sunlight barely filtered through, casting the ground in a murky half-light. The undergrowth was thick with brambles and ferns, and the air felt heavy, almost damp, as if the place hadn't seen a breeze in decades. The ground was littered with leaves that seemed too wet to crunch underfoot, yet too dry to stick. Moss clung to every available surface, and the occasional gnarled root poked out of the earth like skeletal fingers.

What really unnerved her, though, was the silence. It was unnatural. No birds, no insects, not even the distant rustle of an animal scurrying away. Just an oppressive, deafening quiet that seemed to swallow up any noise they made. The kind of silence that felt wrong in a forest this big—like something was watching, waiting. Each step felt too loud, echoing in the stillness, and even the others seemed to be on edge, glancing around as if expecting something to jump out from behind the thick trunks at any moment.

The sky above was a dull, overcast gray, adding to the overall gloom. The kind of sky that made everything look washed out, colorless, and set the perfect scene for a horror movie. It also reminded her of western movies when they depicted any 'Thirld World' country.

If only she had trusted her gut and run away.

———————————————————————————————

As they trudged through the eerie silence of the forest, Byte's voice crackled in her ear, startling her for a moment. "Alright, kid, you're about 2 kilometers from the castle. Keep heading north, and you should see it soon. I've uploaded the floor layout of the castle to your right eye. Just don't get too excited—it's a maze in there."

She blinked, and the map flickered to life in her vision, overlaid on her actual surroundings. Again, the disorienting mix of reality and virtual lines made her feel like she'd accidentally activated "confuse me now" mode, but she quickly adjusted. The castle was a sprawling mess of narrow hallways, hidden rooms, and staircases that led to nowhere. "Great," she muttered, "looks like an old labyrinth designed by a madman."

The castle itself was a hulking relic, its stone facade weathered and crumbling in some places, giving it a foreboding air even before Byte's sarcastic commentary made it worse. As the map in her right eye flickered with more detail, the full scale of the structure became clear.

The castle had four main floors:

1. Ground Floor – The largest floor, with a grand foyer at the entrance and two massive wings stretching out on either side. The left wing was a long hall lined with empty rooms and decrepit furniture, leading to a kitchen and servants' quarters. The right wing featured a massive ballroom, complete with an ancient chandelier that probably hadn't sparkled in centuries. Several smaller, offshoot corridors led to various storerooms, a library, and an old study that looked more like a mausoleum than a reading room.

2. First Floor – Accessed by two spiraling staircases in the foyer, this level was mostly residential. Dozens of bedrooms, all lined up in two rows, with each room creepily resembling the next, like a horror movie that had run out of set design ideas. At the far end of this floor was a dilapidated master suite, large enough to be a small house on its own, with an adjacent tower that climbed further up into the sky.

3. Second Floor – Fewer rooms, but far more hidden passages. According to the map, this floor was designed with secret staircases that connected back down to the first and ground floors. Hidden rooms behind what appeared to be solid walls were highlighted, their purpose unclear. Some areas weren't even fully mapped, suggesting that certain sections were either collapsed or lost to time. This floor gave off the most "stay away" vibes, with too many dead ends and too little natural light.

4. Third Floor – The final and smallest floor. It held a strange assortment of rooms: an observatory (because of course a creepy castle needs one), an alchemy lab (classic), and what looked like a chapel that had been repurposed for something else—judging by the bizarre symbols etched into the walls. At the top was the tower Byte had mentioned earlier, offering a panoramic view of the entire island.

The whole structure was tied together by multiple staircases, some of which appeared to serve no purpose—leading to dead ends or collapsing entirely. The maze-like quality of the building was made worse by long, twisting hallways and doors that seemed out of place. Even with the map, it was clear that moving through this castle could turn into a nightmare of wrong turns and dead ends if they weren't careful.

"Good luck not getting lost in there," Byte added helpfully. "Just don't forget—west side of the ground floor has an exit. In case, you know, things go sideways."

She rolled her eyes, adjusting the gun strapped to her side. "Nothing like the warm, fuzzy feeling of having an emergency escape plan."