Pale in Comparison

"Don't worry about me, King. It's just a recon mission."

Clancy taps the top of his shell with his claws, fretting. "STRONGER TOGETHER."

Barns pats Clancy on the pincer. "Of course we are. But you're not exactly the stealthiest guy."

Clancy slumps. 

From behind the two of them, Osmond steps forward. "I've been to the Pale Court a few times, but that was in the early days of the apocalypse. Even still, I should be able to get us around."

Barns nods. The 'Pale Court' was the name of the kingdom directly to the north of Dimartino. It received the name long before evil descended into the kingdom - it was a beautiful lowland valley that was draped in endless fog. 

That same fog still hangs over the valley, but now it serves a sinister purpose - blocking out the light from the sun, vampires can roam freely throughout the Pale Court. 

"It's filthy with vampires," Osmond notes. Barns had already heard as much.

"The only way to free the humans of the Pale Court will be to kill the vampires. They did not turn humans into monsters - they became Thralls. Now the humans shuffle aimlessly, their souls stolen by vampires and used as livestock."

"Lovely," Barns replies. 

The duo sets out on the road. Up until now, not a single citizen of the new Dimartino Kingdom has journeyed beyond the borders. Barns and Osmond would be the first.

As they exit the great gate that divides the two lands, the road ahead of them sinks downward - as if they were at the top of a great hill. But Dimartino was only just around sea level - this valley was one of the lowest places on the planet, at a staggering two hundred feet below sea level. It was a miracle this place never flooded.

The long road seems to stretch forever into the fog. Barns looks back at Osmond and gives him a cheeky smile.

"Kinda…creepy, huh?"

"Wait until we get below the fog."

They walk the lonely road in relative silence. Barns tries to start up a conversation, but he's not sure what to talk about. 

Osmond finds himself similarly tongue-tied. It was so much easier to talk when they were enemies.

"So, Ozzie. You uh…got any hobbies? Other than…turning people into monsters and simping on your girl?"

"Tch."

Osmond starts walking a little faster, breaking pace with Barns. Barns speeds up, matching his pace. Osmond keeps trying to pull ahead while Barns persistently follows. They just about break into a jog before Osmond slows down again.

"I'm a pure-blood demon, what do you think?" Osmond snaps. "I like to indulge, that's my hobby. And indulge I do - every time I bury myself in my sweet Maria's beautiful-"

"Sh," Barns says quickly, putting his arm in front of Osmond and reaching for his sword. He hears something in the forest. 

Barns calms down when he sees it is just a fox running through the woods. He lowers his hand and turns back toward Osmond.

"Sorry," he says. "Can never be too careful."

They resume their walk, heading further toward the thick pall of fog. 

"What about you?" Osmond mumbles quietly.

"What's that?" Barns asks, smirking. 

"Do you have hobbies?"

Barns ponders the question. He spent most of his recent childhood banging coconuts together and climbing trees. He didn't exactly have access to many 'hobbies'.

"The first time I grew up, I was part of a warrior clan," Barns remembers. "I fought and trained most of that life, but I did have some joys. You know those picture kits where you can make your own art…?"

Osmond stares at him blankly.

"Of course not," Barns sighs. "Well, I used to do those. Puzzles, too - anything slow and organized that I could work on in small steps."

Osmond laughs heartily, showing his sharp fangs. "Such wonderfully human activities. Hmm. Maria loves to play 'board games', we do one every Sunday afternoon. Perhaps you could join sometime, hm? I think you and Maria could stand to get along better."

"Oh, I think I've gotten on with Maria plenty well," Barns smirks. "But a board game sounds fun. Count me in for the next one."

The two continue their trek into the fog, further and further down.

Meanwhile, at Dimartino Castle…

Maria sneezes suddenly into her handkerchief, startling Yunie who walked beside her.

Maria doesn't say 'excuse me', she just waves her dirty handkerchief in Yunie's face dismissively. Yunie gives a polite smile.

Yunie was grateful to be there, so she tries not to make a fuss about it. "You're sure the Adventurer's Guild can have this entire space?" Yunie says excitedly, looking around the room. 

The two women were standing at the north end of the castle, where an elaborate center for traders and merchants once boomed. Now, it lay in quiet waste, a consortium of empty stalls and meeting spaces.

"It's not my castle anymore - I'm sure Barns would approve."

Yunie beams from ear to ear. "Thank you, Princess!" Yunie gives a quick bow. "As we adventure into the Pale Court, this will serve as a wonderful base of operations."

"I'll leave you to it," Maria says, leaving Yunie in the large hall. Maria exhales deeply, muttering under her breath as she leaves. 

"I've still got one more damn meeting today," she whines. 

She walks down the west wing of the castle, which overlooks the residential wing. Clancy was over there somewhere - the former king and queen were showing him the network of secret passages that connected all the castle together.

Despite Clancy being 'King', the new leaders of the Kingdom of Dimartino split up responsibilities between them. Yunie continues running the Adventurer's Guild, and Quinn oversees all residential matters. Underhill commands the artisans and oversees the distribution of wealth and food to the city. Maria now handles all castle affairs. 

The nature of Clancy's power meant he would often be absent from the castle to handle 'foamings', so Maria was his official understudy.

She walks into the room where she'd have her last meeting for the day - done at a dismal 1PM. She didn't even know who she'd be meeting with.

As she steps into the room, her guest is already sitting at the table. A young man with a leather cap, with dark eyes that stare at her from underneath its shadow. He swings a gilded cane around and places it on his shoulder.

"Good to see-ya, Maria," the man chirps. "Name's Underhill, sweetheart. And I've got what some might say is the deal of a lifetime."