As the Inquisition pressed forward River began to wonder if they would ever reach a destination. It was not much after that the order to halt was given and the band of men creeped up towards the edge of the forest. This is never a good sign. Though the forest's trees should do well as cover from those who wish to know of our presence, I cannot help but feel unease. The sight was almost unimaginable, bodies slew across the streets and the parade of death marched on in the scenery. Spears taller than man steak'd through the ground with mangled bodies on their cores proudly in display. The gobs of corpses presented a sickening display as well as a horrifying story of battle, could this even be called such? River's eyes flickered across the fields as he then began to noticed the praying men who hands have been bound and bodies impaled by what appeared to be the same skewers that ran through the hundreds below. A slight change in the breeze quickly wafted the scent of death and decay towards the lalafellen inquisitor forcing him to wince away as the winds shifted back. It was as if the world was speaking to him, wanting him to do more than look on, wanting him to feel, smell, and taste the horrid onslaught that was presented before him.

It didn't take any magic to tell the horrors that laid before him, though the most peculiar of all was the portcullis that was blown out as if from some great force and strewn across the fields away from the city itself. No, mayhaps not a force at all. Explosions, Force Magic, a beast of insurmountable size...what am i missing here. If magic is at play then per chance a series of complicated ley lines in the appropriated arrangements could gather the force it would take for such a feat. Nay i dare say that there would be more signs. I must get a closer look. No sooner from his mind did the thoughts spring than when he noticed the Ardur speaking towards two elves who hurriedly fled the scene with what was most likely a missive.

River began to take a step closer to analyze the scene when "The Blight did not befoul this city nor did her terrible monsters breach her walls," Ardur spoke, pausing to take a glance at the very same puzzle River wished to solve."something monstrous attacked this city, and I have yet to figure out who it was. We will wait here for two hours before we advance towards the city. Any questions?" River raised his hand and just as quickly lowered it beginning to pace back and forth as he spoke "And what pray tell do you wish to have us do in these hours we waste? And why, if i am to be so bold, two hours? I can spy your curiosity for the portcullis is as much as mine and i would very much like to examine it."

Cyterius dismounted from his horse as did the others when they were told they were nearing their target destination, and approached the edge of the treeline as Ardur ordered them to. Cyterius followed with his other fellow Inquisitors while leaving behind his scouting team composed of his friends in the Luna Falcons. Nischa Ariteni, an energetic girl with Raven-black hair tied into a ponytail, came with him. Like Cyterius she also had tanned skin, but her eyes were piercing blue as opposed to his green, and her demeanor was almost a polar-opposite to his.

She insisted on tagging along for the initial reconnaissance with an almost childlike curiosity, which Cyterius would have scoffed at had he not known her for years, and knew just how accustomed this girl was to danger. "Stay close and don't poke too far out the treeline. We don't know if whatever besieged the place is still there and we shouldn't give up our element of surprise." He said as he gestured for her to follow behind him. Nischa rolled her eyes at that before responding. "I thought you knew me better than that, Cy. My marks never spot me til I want them to," She replied casually as she jogged along behind him...

The Inquisitors spent a good 30 minutes surveying the area, and had gleamed as much information as they could from watching from a distance. The grisly display of bodies on the walls and ground level were the results of a battle, but Cyterius knew it was more than that. The way they were skewered to hold them high, and those bodies that were kept in a praying position as the weapons were driven through them, it wasn't simply the aftermath of an execution. Whoever did this was trying to send a message. And what better way to send a message than dead bodies... He thought, thinking back to the times the Luna Falcons had employed similar tactics during their mission of revenge to scare their marks into going on the defensive.

A shift in the winds brought the smell of death and decay from the city to where the Inquisitors stood. Most would have backed away from the smell or made attempts to cover their noses, but Cyterius and Nischa merely winced as they had become used to the smell of long dead bodies in their escapades through the criminal underworld of Artuvia. Cyterius sniffed the air to make out details in the scent. The smell was rancid, that of decay instead of smoky like burnt meat. That meant a majority of the people were killed by other means, not from the flames that ravaged the place. The fire was either a distraction, or an after-effect of whatever attack took place there. In any case it wasn't a prolonged siege, as fires and structural damage would have killed more people and left a more noticeable burnt smell in the air. Whatever attacked struck quickly and slaughtered the people quickly.

The portcullis' wrecked debris outside implied that the main attack came from within, not from outside, further supporting his theory that it was a quick and brutal surprise attack that the defenders barely had time to react to. The fires then were likely started after the fighting erupted, as people wouldve fled their homes to escape the danger instead of being trapped and burnt to death. However that still left the question of what was so powerful that the portcullis was blown completely outwards. Cyterius considered explosives or magic as potential causes, as a battering ram was unlikely since it would have had to come in from the outside. If explosives were used then there should be noticeable scorches and blast marks around the gate area, if they're absent then the cause was likely magic, though I only know of it through secondhand knowledge from books. In either case, I would need a closer look to confirm or deny it

A loud whistle drew the duo's attention and they turned towards Ardur's position, walking silently to them in response to his signal.

"The Blight did not befoul this city nor did her terrible monsters breach her walls... Something monstrous attacked this city, and I have yet to figure out who it was. We will wait here for two hours before we advance towards the city. Any questions?" Ardur addressed the gathered Inquisitors.

"And what pray tell do you wish to have us do in these hours we waste? And why, if i am to be so bold, two hours? I can spy your curiosity for the portcullis is as much as mine and i would very much like to examine it," The short Lalafellen Elf asked their leader. Cyterius nodded in agreement to the elf as he turned to Ardur. "The sooner we move on the city the better, but we must not go in blindly if we can help it. Something tells me the display of bodies was meant to get some sort of rise out of us..." He said as he glanced towards gory scene on the walls. "If you will let Inquisitor Fontaine conduct his examination, then my team and I would be willing to accompany him. There are a few details I should like to see for myself, given the opportunity. We can remain silent and we will not venture further than you will allow us, Inquisitor Ardur" he added, using Ardur Skor's first name to differentiate him from his sister Anora.

The fact that they were asked to come to come to the City of Ash in such short notice was quite concerning. More so now as they were greeted with the aftermath of a bloodbath that had occurred to the city. The Tiefling mumbled a prayer to the Gods for the safety of the souls of the fallen as an unconscious means to appease herself rather than tethering such acts to beliefs and deities.

Despite the sight, Aanshi wandered as far as she was allowed to within the trees and saw the mockery that the bodies were made to appear. While it seemed only horrible for some, her mind seemed to tell her that it was more of an insult to whoever it was meant for. Perhaps it was for them but it could also be for anyone. The Tiefling’s mind raced to make sense of what she was seeing. But the “who,” the “why,” and “hows” could not be deciphered from where they stood at the moment. Whoever or whatever attacked these city folk were numerous; possibly large, likely powerful. It reminded her of an old story pertaining a powerful man that skewered his victim’s bodies and heads on stakes to incite fear on his enemies. If not for the sight, at least the smell would have deterred those unaccustomed to such horrors. Thankfully she was not one of those people and was generally unaffected sans an instinctive scrunching of her nose when the wind decided to give them a taste of the horrors that await them within the city’s walls. The air was definitely pungent, but it seemed relatively out of place. Her eyes wandered to the wisps of smoke inside the city and wondered what they truly burnt.

The Tiefling attempted to find a way to get nearer to the walls without stepping out of their cover when a piercing whistle caught her attention. She swiftly jogged towards the sound and fell in line behind everybody else. There, her superior explained that it was not the Blight, but something else. She eyes the city’s broken gates and wondered to herself if it was a breach. “Breached? No. Infiltrated? Why two hours?” she asked herself. Outside her mind, Aanshi furrows her brows, wondering if she should voice out her slowly accumulating thoughts or if they were worth everyone's time. Her worries however were somewhat answered when the others asked in her stead. "I-is everyone required to follow the investigation, sire?" the Tiefling asked in a voice far softer than is expected from someone her size.

Gilead crouched in silence, getting a more level view of the field, his sword stuck in the ground to help him stay in this position comfortably. The breeze blew his hair gently and brought the immense smell of death and decay to his nose. He could hear his compatriots speaking behind him, but he was paying them little mind. His mind was busy surveying the field. The strange positions the dead were in, the make of the spears, the lack of other dead, almost like the entire city didn't fight back.

He had been one of the first to volunteer for this mission, almost against his better judgement but now he was glad he came. Something major happened here, something that would change the way of the world, and he, Gilead Davidian, would be a part of it.

"Wait." Gil said, standing and removing his sword from the ground, cleaning the dirt from it's blade. "If we're going in, we need to go together. There'll be strength in numbers. However, if all of us go, anyone in those towers or on the walls will see us from a mile away." He glanced to the shining sun, "I'm sure the glint of our armors has already given our position away. If i may make a suggestion sir," He addressed Ardur directly, "I would say we go on foot, and as low to the ground as possible, so as to remain as unnoticed as we can manage. And the longer we wait, the darker it gets, the better for us. Sir." Gil bowed his head gently.

---

While the others hid still in the tree line, Lanithil moved swiftly and silently along them. The story told by the field ahead, the death and decay was clear as daylight. The forest, however, usually had a story of it’s own. His allies wouldn’t have to worry about the elf as he dashed from tree to tree. It would take truly the keenest of eyes or even magic to even glimpse the ranger’s movement. Yet despite his skill, Lanithil was surprised to find that there was nothing to be found. Not a twig snapped or a blade of grass bent. Wherever the enemy had come from, they had done so without leaving a trace.

Hearing the whistle of his commander, Ardur, Lanithil dropped his search and emerged out of the woods with his comrades. Once Ardur gave them their orders to wait, Lanithil nodded and gave what little information he had gathered. “I found no tracks in the surrounding area. They either leave no prints or know how to hide them. They also seem to have an understanding of human religion judging from the poor souls up there.” Lanithil pointed to the bodies bound to look like men praying, “Whatever did this is not mindless. In fact I would say they are quite tactical. Any action we take should be done with great caution.”

Once he had given his findings and opinions, the others began asking questions and even tossing some suggestions on how to proceed. One comment from their resident half-elf, Gilead Davidian, sparked a reply from the wood elf. “If you’re worried about your armor giving us away, Gil, you could always go in naked? The sight alone would probably be more terrifying than anything else the Inquisition could throw at them.”

He gave a sly smirk to his ally before turning his gaze upon the towers. Gil did have a point. If anyone was in those towers they would have a clear view of the inquisitors. Keeping his gaze fixed on the towers, Lanithil trusted his trained eyes would catch any movement and hopefully save them from a potential ambush.

Gil chuckled and laid his hand on Lanithil's shoulder.

"Hmm that barmaid a few towns over sure was screaming, but I don't think it was out of terror." Gil surveyed the group around him. Ardur, was the twin of Anora, and was by far the more likely to engage in conversation. Gil respected Ardur and trusted his leadership, as well as admired his care for his men.

River, the plainsman, was one of the Inquisitors that Gil had interacted with the least since he joined, and as such didn't really know him, not that he really knew any of them as well as he would like.

Aanshi probably intimidated Gil the most out of all of them, and as a result, he had yet to approach her much.

Cyterius made Gil uneasy. He felt the man was sly and cunning, and just by first impressions, Gil questioned whether or not he could trust Cyterius. He hoped he could though.

Lanithil was probably the Inquisitor he had interacted the most with in a more casual setting. Gilead normally found himself setting up his tent next to Lanithil's when the army stopped after a day's march, and when they were lucky enough to stop in a town, the two most lighthearted members of the Inquisition could normally be found drinking together.

Reptilian eyes wandered over the open area around the walls of the City of Ashe. The bodies cut in half piqued his curiosity, he'd have to get closer to get a better idea of what happened. The ones adorned with a ten foot spear were less interesting but equally as dead as the rest. Those dully glowing eyes flicked up, taking in the sight of the 'praying' corpses speared high on the walls. The others chatted among themselves while the giant among them looked over the field. The wind changed direction bringing the stench of decay, but the great bestial man didn't shy away or flinch. He inhaled deeply, trying to catch the scent of anything else but a dead body, decaying clothes, or rusting metal.

Glancing to the side he looked at the diminutive elven being, River, with a dull look. "Two hours just in case Anora has orders possibly. Would be kind of mean to leave and have a lone messenger wander about here aimlessly...." He rumbled, his voice unsurprisingly deep but kept quiet so it didn't boom off into the distance. One of the others spoke up, Lanithil, about whatever doing this not being mindless. "The speared corpses had time and effort put into them. The ones cut in half were not. Could be multiple sane and multiple insane, but controlled, people." He said, gesturing to the cleaved corpses.

"Whatever did some of this wasn't human. It's nearly impossible for a human to cut another in half. So if those bodies are a single clean strike then something stronger was here..." He stated, but he'd need to get closer to inspect the bodies. Two of the scout party were making a little joke here and there, something possibly necessary to stem the tide of horror brought on by the swath of bodies.

Halek had been observing the others discuss their plan of action with a bit of interest. While some of them believed in taking fast action, the commander gave the order to wait, so wait he will. Halek stared out towards the destroyed city with curiosity. The gate was blown outwards so the enemy had either began its rampage inside the city, or had help. For so many bodies to be impaled like that a large force must have done this, because a small force would take forever to do all this work. Some magic must have been used to trap the city and its inhabitants inside seeing how there were no survivors. This was an interesting puzzle.

Halek turned back towards the others and began studying them. They were a mismatched rabble, but looked like good fighters. The half-goliath would be a devastating force in a fight, while the plains elf would probably be a competent mage considering the races affinity for it. The half elves were incredibly fast and fairly strong, and the tiefling appeared to be strong and menacing. Their leader seemed calm and level headed, and Halek knew of his strong fire magic. Halek thought this was one of the better teams he had worked with.

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"Though I appreciate you're help in both my endeavour to analyze the field up close as well as in having Ardur approve of such a task I do not believe we should split up. For all we know they may still lay in wait, just passing their time until the trap is sprung making us the victim of this sadistic game. No Cyterius I do believe we must wait as much as it pains me to say, not unless anyone here is capable of divination via aqua for then we may have an advantage on how best to spy below. Unfortunately I'm not far enough in my studies of hydromancy to do such a task." River placed his hand onto his chin into a very pensive positioin looking deep in thought. He then broke it almost abruptly and patted them on the leg and began making rounds on who to address.

He stopped by in front of the teifling staring as if perplexed by The words that escaped from them. River opened his mouth as if to speak and then didn't, attempting to find the words and meaning he wished to convey. "I've never known a teifling to be meek and I am curious as to why you ask such a question. Do you wish not to enter the lands below and find who or what is responsible for this?" he placed his hand on their wrist in a form of comfort "You are stronger than you give yourself credit for and you're braver than you let on, don't you ever forget that lest you lose yourself." a smile radiated from his face, one almost of a child as he let go and moved toward Gil covering his eyes as the sun shone off his armor.

He shook his head almost as a father would to a child when mildly disappointed. "I dare say If You shone any brighter we could replace the sun with you and call it a day. Though I'm hail and high glad that your minds as sharp as your sword and as bright as your armor. Yes a night covered investigation would prove to conceal us more unless the creatures are ofcourse dwellers of the darks or underground like myself in which case they more aptly see in the night whilst most of us will struggle to distinguish clues to the dim lights. Might I suggest you grab a blue cloak and wrap it around yourself so as to not shed a light on our whereabouts to the world? Rivers words meant well though they could sometimes come across as pointed. He moved away from gil and plopped himself next to a tree bearing shade and began pouring through his book "Yes, wait we shall I suppose."

Gil wrapped his cloak around his body and sat next to the little man, "I had my cuirass, greaves and gauntlets blackened in the forge for the very purpose of not glinting in the sun and here I am, wearing only my freshly polished chainmail." Gil shook his head at his momentary lapse in foresight.

"So, River, what are your thoughts? What manner of monstrosity could lay such waste and deal such wanton death?" Gil was genuinely curious as he had never encountered such atrocities. He had seen all manner of wicked machinations of the minds of men but none of the like of the field ahead of him.

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A heavy sigh escaped Rivers lips as he glanced towards the scenery of death once more. He stood up and began to dust off any dirt or leaves that may have clung to him from his brief respite and then stood there staring towards it. "I suppose I could do some research from our current vantage point. Though far from the objective even a glimpse at what perchance came through here may better equip us in the coming times." River opened up his book holding it in one hand then hovering the other hand above it. A faint glow began to come from his facial tattoo as his gaze stayed facing the entire display of carnage analyzing for any hint that may help them. For the most part all he ggotbwas the same scene he's been staring at since his arrival yet there was one oddity and once again it was the portcullis. The portcullis is rather strange in that it appears to have been broken outward by a giant humanoid beast, with the bottom outward edges of the gate still locked in its grooves while the center is blown outward, with the high point forming the shape of a head.

"Now isn't this fascinating? Gil come here" he waved the man over eyes never straying from the portcullis. "See there how the portcullis is still locked in place whislt the center is a blast. That is plain as day from all our stand points I'd hope but upon further inspection there ofbthe shape of a head indented into the gate which means..." he paused again in a pensive thought wondering how these words would weigh on our draconian/goliath friend "It means that a humanoid race of gigantic proportions was responsible for the tearing of the portcullis which if they are still around may prove a fiersome opponent but and easy one to spot as well. I did not however detect any movement below."

Gil looked towards the gate, his elven blood enhancing his eyesight enough to see of what River was speaking.

"Strange. Although I'm sure whatever is in there is no match for Kharne here." Gil flashed a small and friendly smile towards the giant. He left River to ponder over his books. Wandering over to his dappled black and silver stallion, he removed his plate armor from where it hung on the horn of his saddle. The blackened steel was simple but strong and had saved his life more times than he cared to count.

He removed his cloak and unbuckled his sword belt, before fastening his armor on. He'd had the breastplate adjusted to be strapped at the side instead of the back, so as to remove the need for someone to help him put it on. After his breastplate, he strapped on his bracers and greaves. Finally he donned his arming cap and coif.

After outfitting himself in his armor, he buckled on his sword belt and fastened his cloak to his pauldrons before removing his helmet from his saddlebags and hefting his shield over his shoulder. He'd rather be entirely ready for whatever was out there than risk getting caught with his pants around his ankles.

Gil looked at the monstrosity charging towards them and smiled. He drew his sword and hefted his shield, standing in the phalanx position.

"Ardur! If i may be so bold, have our magic users debuff this guy in any way they can! Send a small group to charge the beast head on to distract him from our mages. Have the archers flank him and try and find any weak spots they can. I'd say Cyterius and I, maybe some of his team as well, would be enough to dance in front of this bastard and tease him a little. Maybe send Kharne too."

Gil knew his plan was risky and would probably get people killed but it was the only thing he could think of that would not result in EVERYONE dying. He knew that magic was probably their only way of beating this thing. He hoped one of their magic users could find a weakness quickly. Gil hated any situation he couldn't kill with a good swing or two from his sword.

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"find a spot, and examine those spears," Ardur continued onwards as he spoke to River alone "there is something too perfect about how they are symmetrically pointing upward," there was a contemplative pause as if he was choosing he next words carefully "try and figure out why." With that River gave Ardur a quick not if understanding and made his was way up on of the trees to get a better view than before. As he scanned each spear a new he began to do so with much more fervor. Upon a closer look at the spears, and the bodies they're driven into it began to make more sense what Ardur had stated about them being perfectly symmetrical. There seemed to be a faint but noticeable magical signature emanating from the blade,almost appearing to have a red hue to them.
The bodies appeared to be completely drained of blood leading River to believe that the blades magic lay in leeching the victims blood but to what avail aside from killing his subjects he knew not.

An ominous voice appeared within Rivers mind, it appeared others heard it as well. He spoke of prayer and offerings as if he believed himself worthy of such praise. Ardur began giving out orders for the inquisition to fan out and keep weapons ready. River quickly created a sword of ice in case he needed to fight in close quarters as the already formed blade would cost him little to no energy to have. He awaited atop in the tree searching for his enemy with a monstrous brute emerged from the portcullis, coated in black armor with the only skin that was showing being that if his enemies plastered onto the armor in a grotesque fashion. "Buy me sometime so that I may look for a weakness to exploit, if all else fails I have a theory we could test on this most abominable of foes. Kharne if you can spew your volatile saliva towards the flesh to best expose his armor, weak points take priority such as the calf, armpit, where the arm bends, and thigh. Ardur once exposed you and I may launch a magical assault of hellsfire and leviathans wrath so that we may turn his book into a brittle plate even the smallest of children can break. Once that is done we are to sever the tendons in this exposed areas so that his attacks and movements become limited. Till then can we have the archers play with him so that I may study his armor and movements to find the best weak point. Oh and last I not forget I believe the tips of those Spears to be enchanted so as to drain a victims blood from their body. We may use these books but caution as so may he and I'd rather not have my comrades blood drained for this monsters prayers." River nodded at the group having said what he thought and began to focus on the new enemy searching for even the smallest of weaknesses on this armor.

Kharne listened to the others speak and joke, make observations while the giant reptilian man scented the air. He only got the smell of corpses, burnt dwellings, and the nature around them. Nothing to give him an inkling on who or what could have done all this damage in such a short amount of time. Gil eventually piped up about whatever being had destroyed the portcullis would be no match for Kharne. "There's always something bigger, stronger, or more skilled." He stated, he was not a god. He was a monster in battle but he could still be killed.

After a moment or two Ardur said Kharne was correct more or less. At the mention of cunning Kharne's eyebrow crept up."This looks about as cunning as a rock. Slaughtering people takes little to no cunning..." He said while observing the rotted bodies. They were told to spread out but not get closer to the city, so Kharne went off into the woods to observe the area for the next two or so hours.

Some time later a group of Inquisition soldiers arrived, about thirty of em from what Kharne could see. As Ardur was giving out orders a mysterious voice echoed through everyone's mind. Red eyes narrowed while his ears swiveled, hunting for a potential source. Hoping someone was just using some sort of amplification over actually invading minds.

It didn't take long for the soldiers to be told to spread out and get ready. Drawing his sword, Kharne watched the gate until a giant heaved its body through the hole. It was even bigger than Kharne. But size didn't always show off strength, it could be weaker or it could be stronger. But it was heavily armored, even the joints had plating somehow. Sheathing his blade he rolled his shoulders while he prepared himself. Opening his maw he fired off a stream of Draconic Acid as the hulking armored foe started to charge.

The others were talking to much and not reacting but Kharne was trying to make himself seem like the biggest threat so the construct would aim for him and not the softer soldiers. "At least we know what cut the citizens in half..." He muttered as he prepared himself to move out of the way of the charge.

"if it were the Blight I may have approved of it; however, we are faced with a new, even more brutal and cunning enemy than our age-old one... the enemy could be watching us right now... until we have further reinforcements we must all stick together, and limit the risks we take, at least until we know more about what happened here," Ardur answered. "Alright, everyone spread back out, and if you see anything that may be important bring it to my attention," He ordered.

"As you command, sir" Cyterius responded with a salute before turning to Nischa. "Summon the rest of the unit, I want us spread out with eyes covering as many angles as we can" He told her. "Fine but if I miss anything good, you owe me" the girl replied. Cyterius rolled his eyes as Nischa left with a chuckle.

---

Over the course of two hours, the Luna Falcons had set up around the treeline in hidden spots, spread among other Inquisition scouts, so that if any of them had spotted anything of note they could immediately tell Cyterius and Ardur, as their perception was a cut above their peers given how early they had begun their training in the art of scouting and tracking. The Elven Inquisitor Lanathil had already taken the initiative of checking the woods for any signs of a force passing through but strangely found none, and Samson and the others corroborated that after Nischa had brought them through. It was odd, and the sense of wrongness about the whole affair was putting Cyterius on edge An attack from the inside. No traces of outside forces supporting them. No trace of anyone leaving either. But no signs nor noises so far to say that whoever attacked is still in the city... What are we facing here? He wondered with concern as he continued observing from his lookout point above one of the trees, wearing his Falcon cloak to hide the shine of his armor in case there were any enemy scouts on the walls, which there did not seem to be.

He flinched slightly when he heard the distant sound of horses approaching from behind them, but relaxed when he remembered that Anora and her reinforcements were supposed to arrive by now. Still he decided it best to err on the side of caution and ensure it truly was their allies arriving, so he quickly climbed down from his perch and went deeper into the trees. Upon seeing that several of approaching humanoid figures had the symbol of the Inquisition, he gestured at them to guide them towards their main position where Ardur was situated so that they could immediately report in to him. Cyterius accompanied them as they reached Ardur and listened in on their conversation, explaining why Anora was not with them as they had expected her to be.After which, he gave everyone present their tasks.

"Spread out the soldiers evenly along the line, we will move forward on the city shortly," Ardur began before gesturing for Cyterius to approach him. "Cyterius, prepare your friends, as the main body of soldiers approaches I want your unit to find a way onto those walls, stay hidden and be ready to strike if need be, go" He commanded.

"It will be done," He responded as he turned away while their leader spoke to the others. He put his hands up to his mouth and let out a high-pitched bird whistle which was his practiced way of telling the Luna Falcons to regroup with him. He stood patiently and awaited their arrival in the main area when suddenly a booming voice echoed in his mind, causing him to grimace as he put a hand up to his head in confusion.

"Finally... Come, now, soldiers of the Inquisition," It demanded in a raspy, eerily ghost-like voice. It suddenly shifted into a whisper however as it continued. "step out from the shadows and into the light... let me see those who offer their prayers to me," it finished as everything became silent once more. "What in the gods' name..." Cyterius muttered, disturbed by what he, and everyone else had seemingly experienced. He knew of the powers of magic and how they could bend reality to a spell-caster's will, but such a feat as speaking into all their minds at once was something he had only heard of in fairytales and legends. The implications were far from comforting.

"Cy! What just happened?! A familiar voice called out as Nischa arrived, with the rest of the Falcons following behind. "I think everyone heard that voice, where did it come from? Samson asked him urgently. Cyterius wasn't sure how to answer.

They heard Ardur's voice ring out from nearby however Inquisition, move out!" He ordered as the thump of dozens of armored feet began shaking the ground. Cyterius turned back to his unit. "I don't know what just happened, but we should be wary of our enemy now more than ever. We have orders: Find a way for our soldiers through the walls and that's all we should be concerned with right now. Falcons, on me!" He commanded with a gesture as they began running to one of their army's flanks to draw as little attention to themselves as they could during the approach.

"Good, good..." the voice whispered again. "MY CHAMPION AWAITS YOUR PRAYERS" the voice bellowed suddenly "MAY YOUR PRAYER BECKON LOUDER THAN HIS" It finished in a booming echo. "Ignore it and focus, everyone!" Samson called out to the other 5 Falcons, as always the glue that kept their group together. "We need to find an entry point as soon as-" He began but was suddenly cut off when loud thumbing began to shake the ground beneath them. "That's... not our army is it? Valena, the Falcons' resident archer said. "No... It's not," Cyterius answered as they scanned around for the source of the tremors. From what they could tell it came from within the walls of the City of Ash. Their group stopped just a little way ahead of a group of Archers on army's right flank, with the gates further to their left. Their hands all gravitated towards their weapons as they awaited what horrors would emerge from within.

Their questions were answered when an ironclad giant emerged from the ruined gates, no chinks or gaps in the armor as far as anyone could see. Covered in the flesh and guts of its victims while holding an impossibly large axe. It let out a deafening battlecry as it began to run at them.

"MOVE! Everyone to the right flank!" Cyterius ordered as they distanced themselves slightly from the main force that the giant was coming to meet head-on, hoping to keep themselves from engaging it until it was the best time to do so. "How do we kill that?!" Darius, their group's assassin and stealthiest member asked in what came across as a harsh whisper. Cyterius had no answer to give, having never seen nor heard of any creature such as this. But knew if they did not think of something fast their whole army was in danger of being completely routed.

From the side, he overheard River's long explanation, and stopped to listen but remaining tense to move on a whim as their foe rapidly closed the distance. Kharne immediately spewed out a jet of acid on the giant the moment River told him to. As far as he was hearing, their only option at the moment was to buy time until they had a solution.

"Valena, Percival, stay with the Archers and fire in unison. Samson, Nischa, Darius, you three are with me. We'll circle the edge of the battlefield and make for the gates of the city. Once that monster reaches our forces, we'll draw its attention and kite them into the ruins. It's strong, but not strong enough to bash through the stone of the walls. We can lead it on a chase through the ruins if necessary" Cyterius ordered as they split off and began running, hoping their allies could make the most of their time. "We're going to play tag with that thing? And you tell me I'M the one who has crazy ideas?!" Nischa retorted but followed anyway along with the rest of the team, trying not to draw attention to themselves until it was their turn to kite the giant

The forest was calm and silent. A little too silent for the shaman. He had broken off from the others that marched toward the town. Being a shaman did give him a bit more liberties when it came down to it. The giant half-Orc half-Goliath needed to break away at times, he needed to get a feel for the area. Feel the spirits and their emotions, mostly pain and agony from these lost souls. Subtle foot steppes and growls of a rather large brown bear could be heard as it casually wandered towards the kneeling shaman. The bear and its many runic markings brushed against the shaman as it walked by.

“Did you find anything Artur?” he didn’t have to talk to it vocally, the two were bonded after all. They could just as easily communicate telepathically. However, Genthok has found that the others prefer him to talk normally whenever possible. The bear looked at him for a moment before continuing to circle the shaman. Genthok never could get words out of the bear, just feelings. And right now there were two that his companion was giving off, one said “No” the other was cautious. His instincts were true to the core, this place felt off, like a corruption was spreading through the forest.

The plants he had set out to gather where, strange. Mushrooms, vines, flowers, tree bark, and roots. All could be found here but they looked slightly different. As if mutated, if they were there at all. Whatever was influencing this place seemed to be coming from the direction the others had gone in. he had noticed he had been absent for some time, but he didn’t hear any signs of battle just yet. But, he had nothing left to do here, “I suppose we should head back then, Come on Artur” the bear grunted and followed the shaman back towards the others.

The subtle noise of hollow bone hitting the stone and tattooed runes that littered his body could be heard as he wandered up to Ardur. It seemed that most of the other captains and inquisitors had already gathered at their leader’s side. Such an action can only mean one thing. They were preparing to go into the town.

Then suddenly as if knowing of their intentions, someone or something spoke to their minds. For him it was painful, as he had a slight resistance to it. This telepathy was the same he used when communicating with Artur. He stood there quietly behind the group and listened then began to speak while this thing was talking. Really he was thinking aloud as his mind seemed occupied. “Telepathy?” looking to how the others reacted he could tell it was a new and strange experience for them. To him it always felt… cold.

“Mass telepathy. It’s strong and powerful yet somehow familiar… why?” the half-breed snapped his fingers and looked to Ardur, “War Chief” a name he called Ardur on occasion. “My instincts tell me we could be dealing with a demon or devil of some notion. The corruption that floods the surrounding forest from the town could very well be a hell gate of some kind.” He hoped he was wrong about the gate, he had only dealt with one before and it was only open for a few hours. Not only does it mean someone opened it, but they also sacrificed something grate to do so. Of course there was always the chance he could be wrong The voice ended but was replaced with thunder… no. replaced by an earthquake.

“If I may War Chief. The one who spoke to us all. He seems to have a flare for the dramatic. I can only guess that this city and its people simply bored him. The skeletons on the wall, destruction of the city…” interrupted momentarily by the metal champion that seemed to be the source of the sound. “A champion in metal. We should prepare ourselves for horrors we cannot fathom. May the goddess bless us all.” Again he was cut off by a roar from this champion as it charged at them.

A few of the others took up positions and began to fight the beast, “Artur. Fall back and help River, you won’t be much help with this one. River he’s all yours” his brown bear roared back at the champion before taking position near where River was. The shaman slowly walked up behind the flanks and set his hammer down. The champion was getting very close now and his companions didn’t seem to be in position just yet.

Genthok drew a small bone blade from its place on his shoulder, his eyes began to glow brighter as he spoke, “payment is required in blood!” gripping the blade with his right hand and pulling it from his grasp with his left. “Willingly sacrificed!” Genthok made a fist with his right hand and raised it high. Crimson blood slowly dripping down his arm. The champion was drawing closer. The surrounding men began to question why they were there. Sure, a likely reaction when facing certain doom. “Hold your ground!” running his bloodied hand across his chest the runes began to glow the same color as his eyes.

A ghostly blue enveloped the runes and then his hands. The magic flowed through him, he could feel it in his very core. But, if he held on to this for too long it will consume him. With a great amount of force the half-breed slammed his hands on the ground. It looked like bolts of lightning, but they were running across the ground. The blue light branched out again and again under the feet of the soldiers. Then it bolted out from under them towards the giant. The ground in front of the soldiers began to crack and cave along the lines.

Genthok knew the giant was heavy, it’s metal after all and you can feel every step through the ground. This spell was a simple one all it did was destabilized the ground. He knew that this spell would more than likely not stop it. He only hoped that it would slow the creature down. “Come friends are you to meet death, before your place is taken?” a simple saying, but he said it with a smile on his face. “Today is going to be a good day.”

The second the summons hits her hands, Lilianna lost it. Giving it a quick glance over and cursing at everything and everyone, she shredded it to pieces as she stormed through the perimeter of the quarantine and shrugged out of the robes and started strapping on her armor. She strapped her dawn blade into place, double checked her medical kit was topped off, and leapt onto a horse after giving the soldiers protecting the area strict instructions no one enters the village without her permission. She took off quickly.

Lilianna grumbled for the entire ride. Getting exclusive access to the quarantined area cost her precious months of time, putting her behind schedule on research designed to advance their understanding of Blight mutations. She really wanted to advance their knowledge to a point that would allow them to predict which mutations an individual suffering would undergo but that was ambitious at best. The amount of politics and soirees she’d attended to secure the resource put the high houses to shame. In fact, she’d returned home for a crash course in social niceties and ignored the disappointed look her mother fixed her with when the family found out it was for research purposes and not finding a husband. And even then, she’d almost smote a council woman who derived pleasure from nothing but Lilianna’s personal suffering. It had taken most of that time pandering to the woman to avoid losing the spot to a colleague who couldn’t be trusted to handle a puppy, much less advanced Blight. And now Ardur, armed with the Council’s approval, called her away.

“You’d better be dying Ardur.” She growled under her breath. “Or I will make sure you are.” Trees rose quickly over the horizon after a few hours and she slowed as the ground shook and a horrifying roar echoed past the trees. Her horse whimper and neighed so she slipped off, tying him to a tree and ran through the woods. She drew her sword, the light radiating from the blade a familiar comfort. Her jaw dropped. A metal colossus charged the Inquisitor’s line.

“What in the endless hells have you dragged me into Ardur?!” She shouted as sheathed her weapon and started passing a length of rope between two trees. Priority one, create a clearly marked space for the injured.