Episode 11: Grave matters, part I

Isabelle Ming spent several hours roaming the town. She wasn't good at talking to random townsfolk, and the local tradesmen such as the smith were all either busy or not in. After a while she stumbled across the town cemetery—it covered a small hill near the trees—and stared in awe and bafflement at the tombstones and mausoleums. A few graves had swords either sticking straight out of the ground or thrust into the headstones. One mausoleum was chained shut while another, the largest in the cemetery, stood open. The names carved into the granite slabs and sculptures dotting the earth were often legendary, and Isabelle spent more time remembering stories than she did walking amongst them.

Eventually Isabelle grew curious about the open mausoleum and decided to look inside. She entered it cautiously. Just inside the doors was an inscription carved into the stone floor:

          Here lies love;
          Here lies honor;
          Here lies memory;
          Here lies friendship;
          Here lies good cheer.
          Here lies empty graves.

Someone spoke behind her. "The tomb of those presumed dead or whose bodies were unrecoverable."

Isabelle spun around, her reflexes working faster than her thoughts; she recognized Arthur even as she realized that the mausoleum was distorting his voice.

"I dropped by to visit an old friend. Come on, I'll tell you about him."