The town of Balderburg

,Balderburg was a small rickety town located in a valley near the icy mountains of Praag, particularly known for its shady dealings and dodgy people.

Magic wasn't practiced much there because people who took interest in the Magic arts didn't want to be seen or have associations with the town. It was crawling with miscreants everywhere having more dark corners than one even on days when the sun shone the brightest.

Criminal activities ranging from theft to the trading of homeless children as slaves, to selling illegal books of spells were all normal activities in Balderburg. Some of the townspeople who were still in their senses, gravely affected by the evil in their town often sent letters to the Castle complaining about their plight but it was usually reviewed by the Noble in charge of the town.

The contents of the letters were usually changed and sent to the castle conveying different and untrue messages as the Nobleman benefitted from the horrid state of the town, it was organized crime and he taxed criminals and also collected large sums of gold every week from them. The Castle wasn't a place where anyone could just walk in to make complaints, as there was no room for it so it discouraged people who wished to embark on journeys there.

The four of them arrived in the town after a week's trek, it would've been easier to go on horseback or use a portal but they preferred to be discreet even with their perfect disguises, as Portals used within the demon realm could be tracked.

"It looks short of life here," Peter said looking at the dilapidated structures and muddy paths with almost no one in sight.

"it wasn't this bad the last time I visited," Mrs. Burton said. It seems more people have left the town".

"You could hardly blame them, even I wouldn't want to live in this dump," Melissa said pressing her scarf against her nose wearing a look of disgust on her face.

They asked people around about the location of the old man but it seemed everyone was more interested in how they were dressed than the question being asked.

"Lost causes these lot," Melissa said pulling her scarf from the hands of a horrid-looking man demanding she gave him gold. They were stuck with no clue as to how they could find the old man. Just then a man who didn't look as deranged as the other townspeople they met previously, walked up to them.

"what do ye seek?" the man asked as he closely observed Peter and Alice.

The man went by the name Aspaz and if they were properly informed they would've known he was the head of the child trafficking ring in the town. He was of average height with fat cheeks and a saggy stomach with pale skin and one blue eye, the other was blinded and had a rough scar across it probably from a rusted blade. He also had a scarf over his mouth, possessed a sheathed knife strapped across his chest and had very good control of magic which his appearance didn't give away. He was anything but decent but still looked better than the few people they saw early on.

"Can you perhaps point us in the direction of Mr. Greyhorn," Mrs. Burton asked politely.

"Ahh, the old man with the black horn yer mean, I knows him very well, ye was my buddy back in the day, we used to hunt baby dragons ye tall(gesturing with his hand) together up in the mountains of Praag," Aspaz said. Mrs. Burton was a little confused because she knew the old man to have had a grey horn thus the name. But both of them were right he initially had a greyhorn but due to his shady escapades and the trouble he got into all the time the color of the horn changed slowly over time into a light shade of black.

Aspaz led the way through a small path created by poorly constructed buildings built facing the other. They were so poorly constructed that to Peter it seemed they would collapse on them if a mighty wind blew threw the city so he was always on guard as they continued walking the path. He wasn't alone in that regard as Alice seemed to think the same about the poor construction of the place but not Melissa and Mrs. Burton as they'd both been here during their adventures. as they continued Alice who was walking directly behind Legolas noticed he had slowed down pace. As she tried to inform her mother behind her Legolas turned and grabbed her holding his knife to her throat before Mrs. Burton or Melissa could react they heard the sound of a struggle from behind it was Peter who was facing the same fate as Alice, a knife to his throat.

"What is this?" Mrs. Burton asked angrily as she was slightly raising her hand to conjure a spell.

" I wouldn't do that if I were ye, maybe a quick disarming spell would be faster than me trustee dragon tooth(referring to his knife) but luckily for me yer can't do any magic can yer?" Legolas said with a crooked smile on his face. a spell was cast on the path they were taking by Legolas the moment he heard travelers had arrived in the town and were accompanied by children who were still ripe for selling. it was a spell conjured by spilling dragon blood on the path and using a cursed dragon relic the spell made it impossible for a sorcerer to do magic and it was a spell that was exclusive only to Witches.

"why are you doing this?" Melissa asked.

"They'd fetch yours truly a fair share of gold don't yer think?" Legolas responded as he left with Alice and Peter accompanied by his two cohorts and they disappeared. after they left Mrs. Burton broke down in tears.

"Now isn't the time to cry Sarah we have to find them," Melissa said wiping the tears off Sarah's face.

"How do you suppose we do that?" Sarah asked sobbing.

"They're witches which means they couldn't have traveled far and I also hope you didn't forget I was their guardian before you came along Sarah?" Melissa said with a smile on her face

"What do you mean," Sarah asked as she slowly got up.

"I put a spell that lets me monitor their movement on them. Like we used to do back then remember?" Melissa said. Sarah instantly hugged Melissa as she felt deep relief and strength rushing into her. At that moment she was ready to destroy anybody who stood In the way of finding her daughter and godson.

After they came out of the path Melissa opened a Portal that took them exactly where the children were. When they arrived at the location the portal took them it was already night time and it didn't look like they were still in Balderburg it was a different town teeming with life. The street was filled with people buying and selling Merchants and plenty of carriages could be seen making their way Into the town and there was an event going on too. The Dragon festival. It was an event that was usually celebrated once every month by Witches because the full moon only appeared once a month and 12 times a year In the Demon realm so they used that day to give thanks to the Dragon. Melissa and Sarah were still trying to make out the location of Alice and Peter when they heard the loud grunt of Legolas as he toppled over the carriage of one of the Merchants whom he refused to pay after stealing his enchanted chains with which he used to bind Peter and Alice who were already unconscious on the ground behind him. before Melissa could say anything Sarah dashed out towards Legolas creating a light that was caused by the conjuring of a paralysis curse in her hand. Legolas was still trying to intimidate the Merchant when he saw a flash of light coming at him he immediately knew what the curse was intended for so he used a negation spell for it but he still fell to the ground and he began breathing fast with no control. Mrs. Burton walked over to him and said "that's for my children" and walked over to free Alice and Peter.

"wh-at did yer do to me yer wen-ch?" Legolas asked as he struggled to speak. the spell was not a paralysis curse it was perfectly disguised by Sarah to look like one it was a curse that increased the heartbeat causing an overflow of blood until the victim dies with blood rushing from the openings in their skin and that was the fate of Legolas. Upon seeing the sight his minions who went out to get cold brews tried to flee but Melissa saw them and trapped them in an invisible bubble that became smaller the more they struggled until it crushed them. they would have been able to repel the curse as it was a simple one but they were from Balderburg too stupid to learn Magic.