Nehir grunted as Neffy spoke, eyes calmly looking over the barren path, the weight of his companion resting behind him. Sharing a horse was....economical. Though admittedly at this point, his back ached for some sort of support that did not reflexively drift away. "Yes. They should..." He said, his frame dipping low for a moment as he hefted his staff from its sheath on the saddle. His thumbs traced lightly over the runes carved in the brass, feeling the faint cold as he brought portions of a spell to life.

He turned around, or atleast as best as one can while ridding a horse, before switching to Nemmish. "I'm going to slow the group down to a half trot." He said in a soft sweet tone, borrowing a tactic he'd seen other adventurers use and pretending to be a spouse in mid assurance. While Velmet and Raphael practically screamed combatants; He, Mellifleur, and Neffy were more or less armed like normal travelers. The tactic wasn't exactly...well, typical of the noble adventurer image. But Nehir had heard too many stories of mages in the guild turning an ambush into a one sided slaughter because they were written off as being less dangerous than the big people with a sword.

"Hop off and head into the tree line on the left. About ten feet in and stay twenty ahead of us. Any further and you're in my blast radius." He continued sweetly, though fixing Neffy with a deadly serious look at the last part."If you see anything break back to the road and let us handle it, ok?" He finished, tutting slightly and gently slapping his heels against the horse; trusting Neffy to dismount on her own as he pulled to the front of the group and slowed their pace.
@1Charak2@Rune_Alchemist@Raineh Daze @VitaVitaAR

Ifrari & Rex

They did indeed had to ask around about the disappearances, though Ifrari didn’t notice anything outright suspicious at any of the small villages they’ve gone to. They were travelling on foot, since taking any sort of vehicle or mount would have only drawn attention to them and might have not been worth the hassle in any case.

Ifrari and Rex were able to narrow down the disappearances to somewhere in the beginnings of the hilly terrain, on the westward side of the road toward Haestings. If they were to make their way straight to the west from where they were, they’d make it to Keelgravv, but Ifrari really didn’t think that city was involved; it was too distant. As it was, the pair of adventurers had made it to a crossroads, the land around them desolate. The question was, which fork to follow, if any?

“I can cast a spell to increase eyesight or hearing for a few minutes,” Ifrari began, speaking in a whisper. “I’d prefer not to use both on myself, because it’s kind of overwhelming to suddenly possess two heightened senses, but I could cast one on me and one on you. If you agree, it’s up to you to decide whether you’ll be seeing or hearing better for a while. Just pick whichever you think you could use to search for clues more easily,” the dark elf explained.

"Magic senses?" Rex barked. The hundi looked at Ifrari suspiciously, keeping an eye on the position of his hands. Rex was admittedly not the greatest fan of magic; mostly because magic casters were his greatest weakness. Though, out here in the hilly terrain, he could see the benefit of being able to sense more, especially when he accounted for the very real threat that they may be ambushed. "Well, if you insistin', I'd rather be seeing farther than hearing louder."

"Hocus-pocus aside, I'm havin' trouble thinkin' where we've oughtta head after this crossroad here. I'm from down in Ithillin, only been here in Estival some moon cycles, so I've not a clue where we are. And though them villagers were real helpful, there's still a whole host of barrens we've gotta scour if we're gonna find our target."

"Yes...magic," Ifrari drawled, rising a brow at the Hundi's bark. Seemed like the youth wasn't too much of a fan, though he did agree in the end. "Mm, alright then, seeing it is. I'll also step away a bit, so your breathing and heartbeat won't bother me," he remarked. With a brief touch to Rex's arm, the dark elf intoned, "Skeptomai," which was all that was needed for the enchantment to take hold. As he'd said he would, he then walked a few meters away, though remained well within sight. With a blink, he chanted, "Akouo," and after a short-lived buzzing in his ears, he could suddenly hear much more clearly. First was the pounding of his own heart, the rush of air on each inhale and exhale, the faint noise of his lifeblood sustaining him. Then, the breeze, the shifting of grass, the rare critters crawling away, the minute crunching of small stones and loose earth with even the slightest of his movements. Breathing deeply to center himself, Ifrari closed his eyes, and listened intently, ignoring Rex's and his own presence with a practiced focus. He was seeking any and all oddities within the environments sounds, seeking auditory clues.

Rex, on the other hand, had taken to his newfound sense of sight far less gracefully. As the scope of his view widened and the resolution of his glare narrowed, rather than seeking visual clues to compliment Ifrari's search, Rex immediately closed his eyes tight. It was clear to him that he'd have to open them eventually, but for now, he required a moment to gain his bearings.

Opening his eyes, the visual signals hit him like a truck. Ifrari was not joking when he said that magic sense could be overwhelming. Each and every blade of grass oversaturated Rex's few, each glint on the horizon stole his gaze. It was a breathtaking experience, out here in the tonelessly jejune hills, but it was also extremely stressful. Rex had never had particularly good eye sight, so for him to have been met with such a plethora of color and activity was nothing short of an overload. He shut his eyes tight again, after not even a minute of searching around.

Rex was hardly one to give up. He cracked his eyes open, slower this time. An extreme effort was made to keep his gaze focused on the horizon. With his steel-clad willpower, Rex painstakingly raked his vision across the rocky hills. He would certainly have a migraine later, but that was a problem for later Rex to worry about. For now, he must search for any clue whatsoever. Ifrari was depending on him, and Rex could not let him down.

@Raineh Daze@SilverPaw

It was quiet.

Not the sort of quiet that one expected on a road. One still expected to see a patrol, in an area with orcs reported. And failing that, one expected to hear the wildlife... but there was nothing.

Not a sound.

After days of feeling as if she'd been assigned to entertain bored soldiers, Sophie had been hoping they'd come across the orcs so they could take them all out. But she certainly didn't want it to be at the expense of, say, one of the patrols... And given the sudden lack of them...

"..."

She didn't understand Nemmish, but it seemed as if Nehir was relaying some kind of plan, keeping up a nonthreatening ruse. Or at least attempting to. Frankly, the small purple-haired Sword didn't know if that was the wisest idea at the moment. Not that immediately being obviously on guard was any better, but the total silence... Sophie felt as if it indicated a potential ambush. She wanted to crush the orcs quickly, before they could harm anyone or any could go running off to harm anyone else. That was what was most important to her. So the slow approach of trying to put up some kind of ruse like this... it irritated her, at least a little.

"... If they're around here..."

Still, she did try not to disrupt the Nem's plan, at least for the moment. Her hand tensed, ready to grasp her axe, but aside from that...

@Rune_Alchemist@1Charak2@ghastlyInc

"And should such a threat arise," a voice floated in from the foliage above, heralding the descent of a particularly man-shaped clump of leaves that punctuated with a soft thump a meter or two from Jane's right. "It'll find a broadhead a most disquieting breakfast."

Tristram had, once they had well and truly passed the trailhead in earnest, taken to quickly scaling the nearby trees in search of vantage points, both to monitor their path forward for upcoming obstacles that may have been obscured by topography and an attempt to get an early bead on the exact location of their lost monastery. No such luck yet on the latter front, as the outermost trees tended to be younger— the canopy rose, inch by inch, as they further marched into the verdant depths. A few more minutes of hiking along, especially once they cut east and moved a little uphill, would likely remedy that. Even fallen into disrepair, crafted stone spires were visually distinct from forest landscape.

"Nothing jumping out at me that'll impede progress." the forest phantom reported as he strode forward, rejoining the mass of the group. "Nice day, too. A little breeze, a little birdsong, and as clear a view as I could ask for down here on the floor." He gestured broadly, sweeping an arm to catch the pillarlike pines in its wake.

The forest had it's own way of telling you when you were in danger, and none were more pointed than silence. Not quiet, but true silence: the kind that deafened you with your own heartbeat, a deathly stillness that rose from not one single move daring to be made, where the world was so taut as to snap. That was when something truly terrifying was prowling, and more than likely had its eye locked on you.

Cougars. Wolves. Bears.

Well, certain bears. Others (the bigger ones) didn't give a shit and made all the racket they liked, but the point remained— this pleasant ambiance carried more than just the purity of nature to quiet the soul.

Noise meant all clear.

As such, he was quite happy to chat freely as well. They didn't run risk of startling anything like this, either.

From beneath the hood, his eyes continued their sweep of the path ahead.

"Once we're a bit further along I think we can start cutting North. Wanna get a little more height to try and bust through the top layer." he explained, allowing a hand to drop onto the machete at his belt. "Any of you fancy yourselves artists? Before we go off-trail we should decide how we mark our path. I prefer scratching a cross into a trunk, but color's easiest to spot and follow if we end up in a rush."

The hills and road in the distance look much the same as their current spot, the grass thin but alive. It appears almost like nobody has passed this way for weeks, no heavy trail or clear sign of travellers being dragged off towards the hills. From the current vantage point, Rex can see a shallow cave, although it appears to be empty aside from a mess of abandoned spiderwebs. On a distant hill, a lost sheep with its coat overgrown ambles about eating through the grass. The sheep appears to be the largest living thing in the area apart from the spiders.

@Derg2

@ghastlyInc@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze

---

"Mhm...on it. Stay alert." Neffy replied simply in Nemmish. That was...a decent strategy at least, given the circumstances. Right. This was what she was good at. Easily done. Although his little misdirection tactic felt a bit out of place. Well, not her place to judge. She just needed to scout. "If I run into trouble...will signal..." Hopping off of the back of the horse with a nimble leap, Neffy hit the ground running, making a beeline for the treeline.

Exhaling, she reached for the hilt of her sword, casting a simple haste and muffle spell, ensuring she could move swiftly without making too much noise. It was easy enough to reach the position Nehir had suggested, now she just had to keep her eyes open for anything odd or any of the orcs supposedly in the area.

Something bad must have happened, had the regular patrols not even met them. But what? The Nem narrowed her eyes, scanning the deeper forest from under her hood as she kept a low profile, moving swiftly and silently. Orcs? But then there should at least be something left behind. Some sign of battle on the roads? Unless the battle happened deeper in the forest, or something had cleaned the scene of fighting. That might indicate an Ambush?

Neffy frowned. She was thinking too much. She just needed to focus on spotting anything from the forest. Maybe if she was lucky she could solve this with as little fighting as possible.

It really was a gorgeous day.

The forest was peaceful, seemingly quiet but filled with the sounds of its denizens every moment. Birdsong, leaves rustling from wind and animals alike. The sounds were all unfamiliar to her, but soothing nonetheless. The sun breaking through the canopy helped, too. There were trees in Sigi's homeland, of course, but nothing like this. Evergreens were all you would find up north and those forests were darker, quieter places. Forbidding even. Like anything else in the north those forests were not for the faint of heart, and traversing them was not a peaceful walk. Without your respect, the things that could be inside those woods could be a painful lesson.

But such thoughts belonged to another place, another life. The day was beautiful.

The whole trip had been easy enough, and everyone got along decently well so far. Finn and Tristram didn't. Predictably. But everyone else was civil, at worst. Except for Jane. She always seemed to stay as far away from everyone else as possible, and Sigi didn't really understand why. Leona and Tristram were talking about their path, what they might find, that sort of thing up towards the front. She was listening, but...

It didn't really concern her.

Not that she didn't care, or it wasn't important or anything like that really. But Leon seemed to be the natural leader of their half the group, and Tristram had assumed the role for theirs. And he could have it. It was nice that Finn thought it should be her but she really didn't want to do it. Being nice to people is easy, solving problems is easy, pulling her weight is easy. Sigi could even play a pretty good mediator if she needed to. She enjoyed doing it all, and it wasn't really that she was lazy. Maybe a little, but that wasn't why.

For all his many, many faults Tristram had a more realistic view of the world than she did. Sigi was an optimist. She knew it, too. She liked to think the best of people, and she liked to take them at their word. Not naively. She could see a lie for what it was fine. But that was different from telling whether or not someone was telling the truth. The realistic, sometimes harsh appraisal needed for strategy... She couldn't really do it. It was a lot different from understanding the enemy in front of you. Plus it suited his ego nicely. No, Tristram could have the job. It left her free for more important concerns.

Keeping the party to her right, Sigi lagged behind a few steps to let Jane catch up to her and then carefully matched pace. She flashed the helmeted woman a wide smile and cocked her head a little.

"You're Jane, right?"

"You're Jane, right?"

Jane was so lost at the scenery that she did not notice Sieglinde lagging behind the party in what was otherwise an obvious attempt to meet her. She was startled at the greeting, her head jerking forward as if Sieglinde was an attacker, but otherwise kept quiet.

Sieglinde, or Sigi for short. That laidback, carefree girl from the north. Jane did not trust her usual behavior, especially when she was a six of Swords. Her hidden depths did not concern Jane, what was more of note was her devotion to Reon. She may not be a Mayonite but the Churches of Mayon and Reon were intertwined. Jane cannot take any chances with her. Not that she took any chances with anybody.

Still, Sigi's cocked head and silly smile almost made Jane smile back. Not that anyone would have noticed with her helmet in the way. But just as the feeling of friendliness came, it passed to make way for caution. "Y-Yeah...?" Jane replied in her typical meek manner. "Do you... need something?" Why did Sigi want to talk to her? Wouldn't she enjoy talking to the other, more sociable party members?

Even though she couldn't see the other woman's face the way her head jerked was unmistakable and it was enough to make her frown.

It wasn't something she did. Or, well, it was a normal reaction to something she did. It was possible something about Sigi's greeting reminded Jane painfully of someone else, but just a greeting? She'd get set off all the time. No, so it wasn't something she did. But maybe something about who she was? Maybe, but Sigi had a feeling she was reading too much into her. But she wasn't entirely wrong.

It was something in Jane's voice, the only chink (almost literally) in the woman's armor. The one thing she couldn't really disguise. You didn't get to be a Four of Swords by being that meek, not at your core. To pick up a sword at all required a choice. To learn to use it required discipline. To learn to use it well, well enough to be a Four, required... Well, heart. All the technique in the world meant nothing if you crumbled as soon as someone stood across from you to spar. Or across from you on a battlefield. It took guts. Not limitless. Good people could come up against something they just couldn't find the strength to overcome. But that didn't change the spark in there, however deep. And standing here, in this forest, prepared to explore a forgotten ruin, Jane had to have that spark of courage.

A heart like that didn't break, not easily. But it could be weaken. Wounded, trod upon, made to feel diminished. And that was what Sigi heard. She knew the stories, of course, about why Jane wore the mask. And the people in her homeland must have been truly cruel. It took a long to diminish someone so, it took years of constant pressure to wear them down like this. And in a second Sigi decided, even more than exploring the ruin, that building this woman back up even just a little was her mission.

"Mm mm." She began again softly, smiling wider than before. Her words lilted in dialect of her home, gentle and warm. She extended her hand slowly, without sudden movements, palm slightly up for the woman to shake. "I just wanted to talk to you, if that's alright. I've worked with Tristram and Cass before, and Finn is pretty talkative. I don't know Leon and Maribel that well but they're busy. I was hoping to get to know you a little. At least introduce myself."

"I'm Sieglinde."

"Mm mm."

Jane was unnerved by Sieglinde's smile. She did not like where this was heading.

"I just wanted to talk to you, if that's alright. I've worked with Tristram and Cass before, and Finn is pretty talkative. I don't know Leon and Maribel that well but they're busy. I was hoping to get to know you a little. At least introduce myself.

I'm Sieglinde."

Sieglinde held up a hand for Jane to shake. This was bad. Jane had rehearsed her lines for moments like these, sure, but moments like these were not optimal. The carefree-seeming woman before Jane appeared genuinely interested in her. Something Jane hoped to avoid in this whole job. Damn it! She should have backed down when the party swelled. It was obviously trouble for her, but she stubbornly went with it. 'Less attention in a crowd', what was she thinking?

Jane should not be surprised. She was no stranger to bad decisions and dilemmas. And it appeared the fates was not done handing her more. She could shoot down Sieglinde, brush her off like what she should have done with Reverdin, but that would probably arouse suspicion. She realized she used the same reason with Reverdin and look where that got her. Still, the Mayonite cleric appeared not to be curious with her anymore. She needed to answer, and time was running out.

Several awkward moments passed before Jane grabbed Sieglinde's hand to shake. "I-I'm Jane. Jane Doe. Although, I think you already know who I am. A lot of people in the guild do. Not sure what else you want to know about me."

Not far off from the group proper Cassia skipped her way through the forest. The relatively clear underbrush of Amalril made it easy for her to keep the rest of them in sight, and occasionally she could hear snippets of conversation drift her way. It felt... good to be back out in nature again. Sure, the city was was closest she'd call to home right about now, but being away from civilization felt like home. She had half a mind to follow the woodsman's example and scale the trees around, though for more childish reasons than doing any proper scouting ahead. The rattle of her pack, weapons, and armor dissuaded her from that; she wasn't as confident as Tristram that branches would hold her weight.

She smiled, one foot sliding in front of the other as she balanced her way down the trunk of a fallen tree. With half an ear Cassia listened to Léon and Tristram speak after the latter had dropped to the ground, their voices distinct from the rustle of trees swaying in the breeze and bridsong that permeated the air.

"I am an artist!" Cassia chimed in, her golden hair swinging as she hopped down from a moss-covered boulder that her meandering path had taken her too. "But uh, I ain't got no paints or nothing, if that's what you mean."

@Lunarlord34@HereComesTheSnow@Caasicam@PaulHaynek

---

---

Finn Was light on his feet through the forest. Having a small leather back pack tugged tightly against his back, the few items he had stored in there packed neatly as to not move around when he had to move around quickly. Rather not staying on the path directly but just off of it, using the time to practice his footing on the boulders or logs. His bow in hand. Compared to the others he probably had the lightest amount of gear. Not even having a bed roll, and having a bare minimum amount of food. Planning on hunting any small game while they traveled.

He just so happen to be next to Maribel when she asked him a question. “Wel-“ he started when suddenly Leon cut him off and answered her. This annoyed him slightly, Finn didn’t sound at all like Leon. The guy then went on with a lengthy explanation. With 90 percent of it not really ANSWERING the question at hand.

When he was finally done, he looked to Maribel. ” As I was going to say. Lots of Ruins are usually empty, unless it’s a crypt or fortress which would have traps and or undead. While it’s a possibility considering when it was lost and why the guy didn’t decide to come back.

Normally it would be good to keep eyes out for bears, wolves or large cats that make it a home. Which Could be another reason he didn’t want to risk it. I would probably think it would be a pack of wolves or bear, ive seen some in these woods not too far from here actually. not many normal hunters would want to risk that.

Bandits making camp is unlikely as the hunter wouldn’t have been able to get a trinket from them otherwise.

He looked at Tristram as he was wanting to scout out more to the west before heading north to get some height.
you are only going to ge the same amount of trees and leaves. I can guarantee those trees grew taller than the church and new trees filling in the courtyards. he then pointed north, north west slightly with his bow. “you see that line of suppressed trees over there? The ones with more of it’s canopy lower than the rest running north? The trunks are thinner compared to the rest. Yet the height is almost the same as the canopy. Meaning it got more sunlight for many years.

They might not see it he thought to himself. Having grown up in the forest he picked up on these things. As for marking the trees he preferred they cut them to mark it. But he rarely got lost in the woods and didn’t think about bringing anything else. So he kept his mouth shut on that. He just continued to look for signs for bears or wolves. Be it markings on a tree or scat. Or any other indications of people being there.

"I know a little, sure, but that's not the same as getting to know you." Sigi pulled her hand back slowly, taking care not to move too suddenly. Her hands found natural resting points at her belt, thumbs looped through the worn leather. "Where you came might be a little personal, but what do you like to do? How long have you been with the guild?"

Now that she had a dialogue, how about a rapport? And nothing built trust like offering something up about yourself, first. The northern woman laughed softly and waved a hand at their surroundings.

"This is nothing like home for me. All of my trees were evergreens, the whole forest was different. When I came south for the first time I was astonished. I couldn't understand the warmth, the sun, how many colors could be found in nature. That was a couple years ago, now, but I still love to see new places. I think it drives Tristram a little nuts how excited I get."

The good news was that Neffy had found where the patrol along this stretch of road had gotten to by rushing off into the treeline. The bad news was that Neffy had found where the patrol was. Going through the bushes and into the treeline, the woodland opened up a little, and the signs of recent passage were obvious. Amongst the trees there were the signs of what was probably a temporary camp: cooking gear was set up, there were some tents, armour and weapons, soldiers...

But the cooking gear was still set up, with a few bits of leftovers. The armour and weapons were just piled--obviously broken, discarded junk of no particular use any more. The tents were equally broken. As for the soldiers, what was left could either be described as "stripped to the bone" or part of the leftovers.

"This is nothing like home for me. All of my trees were evergreens, the whole forest was different. When I came south for the first time I was astonished. I couldn't understand the warmth, the sun, how many colors could be found in nature. That was a couple years ago, now, but I still love to see new places. I think it drives Tristram a little nuts how excited I get."

"It's like a whole different world, isn't it?" Jane could give this one to Sieglinde. Nothing sensitive was being broached here. Save for the first questions which she was trying to avoid. "Head into somewhere far enough and everything's different. The people, the buildings, the customs, all that. My homeland may be similar to here but I noticed all the differences."

"I'm glad you're enjoying your stay here, Sieglinde." Jane finished. "Do you miss your home, though?"

Rose certainly did. But there was no way she could return there and even if she did, it would not be the same. She would never enjoy Thaln like she did before. However, that was Rose's story. One that Jane would take to the grave as much as possible. Meanwhile, Jane did not miss her cruel homeland at all. She was glad to be away from there.

@ghastlyInc@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze

---

It hadn't taken her long to find something of note in the forest. The first thing she saw was the tents, but it had soon become apparent something was very, very wrong. The broken remains soon led her gaze around the rest of the camp. Cooking utensils...half eaten food, discarded and broken weapons...

This was...

"Mera..."

The Nem felt her shoulders slump. This was upsetting, but there was nothing she could do. Was it the orcs? Maybe if they had just been a bit faster they could have prevented whatever this was. It looked recent, recent enough that-Neffy took a quick look around her surroundings. Recent enough that whoever did it might still be around. She needed to make sure she didn't get ambushed, and she needed to tell the others what she had found.

Neffy quickly returned to the others, not wasting more time than she needed too.

"Ah found a camp. Not far in...It's...not good." She said to her companions, forgoing Nehir's little act and leading the others to the site. She couldn't explain what happened well, it'd be best for them to see it for themselves.

Nehir could less see Sophie's discomfort than hear it. The soft creak of her metal gauntlets against the leather of her reigns as much a signal for her agitation as the grumbled swears. He didn't say anything to comfort the Sword, doubting his ability to put her at ease with the situation. She didn't sound eager in the least, which was a good sign as far as Nehir was concerned. An outraged Sword was deadly at worst, and Sophie far more so than most. "If they are then I want to make sure you hit them first." He said flatly as his thumb circled a rune on his staff. "We can't be totally sure of Nefrena's experience in combat. I know its frustrating but this is just to make sure the party is as safe as possible for now." He continued, hoping that would atleast help the human calm a little.

As Neffy broke from the treeline Nehir felt his body tense for a moment; magic swirling up from within before being squashed back down, a small drizzle of freezing air escaping his lungs as he stopped the half finished spell when he realized she wasn't running for her life. The walk to the camp was silent but thankfully short. Most of them already knew what to expect, but investigating the site was part of the job. It was...as bad as he had expected honestly. Nehir felt a shiver run up his spine, less from the morbidity of the camps state and more from just how mundane the sight had felt for a moment.

Nehir hovered a hand over the fire pit, careful not to touch the cooking equipment for a variety of reasons. "Still some warmth to it." He said as he shook the radiant heat from his hands. "Probably got hit last night if I had to wager a guess...Poor folks deserved better..."
@1Charak2@Rune_Alchemist@Raineh Daze @VitaVitaAR

Between Tristram and Finn it was clear that there was nothing on the path, no clear signs of animals... which could be considered rather strange, as hadn't it been a hunter that found this church? But with better knowledge of the woods, there did seem to be a trail off this path--little used, and obviously one that was forged by animals rather than the passage of humans like the path that lead here. If there was anywhere that the hunter would logically have been following to find some sort of prey, it would stand to reason that it was down that trail...

Even though there seemed to be a lack of anything that made it.

"I am not exactly the artistic type, but I can handle marking our path," Léon replied to Tristam. "Just let me know which direction you want us to go and I shall apply a trail mark."

He himself wasn't much use in this situation, and was able to discern very little from his observations. No obvious path, no sign of animals, just trees and more trees. There was also another matter on his mind- the circumstances of the monastary's rediscovery. To his knowledge, this ruin's location had remained lost and undiscovered for thousands of years. Was there a reason it had taken so long for someone to stumble across it? Was this region of woodland somehow unexplored, or was it avoided? Perhaps it was simply overlooked- after all, after several thousands years in this forest, Léon didn't expect to find anything more than a few crumbling remains of stone walls jutting out the ground from a foundation buried beneath millennia worth of pine forest detritus.

I wonder if there will be anything that remain of Elionne's shrine in a few thousands years. Will the works of today survive as long as the works of yesterday?

@HereComesTheSnow

Sophie's hands tightened into fits.

She'd killed monsters and bandits before. The violence was to be expected. But this...

This was like a butcher's abattoir. The remains of people were piled up, whatever the orcs didn't want had been left behind. There was very little to be said at this point, at the sight of something so grotesque, so awful.

The small girl's eyes narrowed.

"We're killing all of them," she said, simply, "Not a single orc is going to live. Not one is going to escape. We're slaughtering every single last one of them. They're going to live to regret this and no longer.

This was a vow she took in her heart as well. Sophie wouldn't allow the people who died here to go without vengeance. No, she would indeed serve as the instrument of their vengeance. It was what required of her, both in their memory and due to her role as an adventurer.

She'd bring back every orc in the raiding party's head if she had the chance. She wouldn't tolerate a single one managing to escape.

The bastards were going to die.

@Rune_Alchemist@1Charak2@ghastlyInc