Craggard could not put what he saw into words. Grimm Castle was everything he had dreamed of and more. The hallways twisted this way and that like an expertly crafted labyrinth, and yet their backwards-walking guide turned corners effortlessly- never once looking behind him. The spacious floors- composed of marble and granite, he assumed, were dark but glistening. Intricate paintings lined the walls, their subjects all strange creatures, some Craggard had heard tales about as a child. As the two groups progressed down the halls, the paintings began to twist and mutate into creatures more and more beast-like. Craggard felt a strong desire to trace his fingers along the intricate silver framing, but resisted the urge.
For once in his life, Craggard didn't utter a word as he strode through the halls. The gloomy exterior of the castle meant nothing to Craggard- it was rather unsettling for sure, but he knew that once the Onxyians had the castle, they would fix the eerie atmosphere- preferably by replacing the gargoyles with statues of fair maidens, but he could settle with a few motivational tapestries, too.
Just as the nobleman was considering offering his guides some advice on interior design, he was cut short as the two groups skidded to a halt in front of two huge doors. Craggard took a deep breath as the doors were slowly pushed open. He straightened his back and his usual crooked smile disappeared, replaced by an unusually neutral, calm expression. Almost compulsively, Craggard bowed deeply and emphatically as Lord Grimm himself turned to the two factions. He rose at the Lord's insistence on showing them something.
More out of curiosity than obedience, he raised his head to see the two knights remove their helmets to reveal silver hair and eyes of the same glistening color, dark skin, and pointed ears. Craggard's eyebrows raised in surprise. This was a trick. It had to be- dark elves weren't real- they were mere folktales, myths, silly little children's stories. He had no idea how they managed to look like a dark elf, but whether it was a trick of the light or cosmetics, he wasn't fooled. The portly man looked around to see if everyone else was falling for the silver-haired fakes, and was shocked to see most were. A surge of annoyance worked its way to his brain. Dear God, they were so so obviously imposters. His poor fellow Onxyites- were they really this dim-witted?
Bah. To think the great Lord Grimm actually thought he was stupid enough to fal for such a trick.
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