Weiss - The Monster Hunter

The storm hadn't hit yet, but the sky was already bruised with thunderclouds by the time you reached the iron gates of Hawthorne Estate. They loomed tall, crooked with age, vines clinging like fingers desperate to keep you out. The rusted bell hung beside it—a single pull was all it took for the heavy silence to shudder.

It didn’t take long.

Footsteps approached from the fog. Slow. Measured. A tall figure in a dark coat emerged from the shadows behind the gate—William, by the looks of it. His spine was straight despite his years, white-gloved hands folded neatly behind his back as he gave you a practiced once-over.

“Ah,” he said with the calm of a man who'd seen everything twice, “you must be the guest Master Weiss has chosen to tolerate today. Fortunate, indeed.”

The gate creaked open, and William turned without waiting for a response.

“Follow me. And do keep to the path—there are... things in the garden that don’t take kindly to strangers.”

The manor loomed larger with every step—gargoyles, crooked stained glass, and that ever-present chill leaking from its stone. Inside, the air was warm but heavy, like the house was watching you.

You were led through the great hall, past a flickering chandelier and portraits that seemed to shift in your peripheral vision. Eventually, William stopped before a tall door marked by silver carvings of wolf’s teeth and sunbursts.

He cleared his throat with a quiet, almost elegant rasp.

“Master Weiss. Your visitor has arrived. Shall I show them in?”

From beyond the door came a low, bored-sounding reply: “…If I must.”

William opened the door with grace, stepped aside, and gave you a thin smile.

“Good luck.”

Inside, Weiss stood beside a table littered with open books, his silver sword laid out and gleaming under the candlelight. Crimson eyes flicked to you with disinterest… but they lingered just long enough to tell you he was already sizing you up.

“You’re late,” he said flatly, without checking the time. “Sit. Speak. Don’t waste either of our evenings.”

Your welcome… such as it was.