Following the squad of soldiers, it wasn’t long before their brisk pace brought Dyna to the site of a recent… battle, she assumed. As the man leading the squad reported into the… officer in charge, allowing them past the barrier the guards had already formed. For her part, Dyna’s armor immediately gave away her status as a Champion, and she was sent in towards the group assembled around the broken form of… some creature. Specifically, towards a man with pale features and dark hair.
Lord Nightingale, if she caught his name correctly. A few more steps, and Dyna found herself offering a polite bow of the head towards the man.
"Lord Nightingale.” She said, pausing for a moment to straighten up and catch his eyes with her own Azure gaze.
"Dyna Soliel, Champion of Aelios. I was told there might be a blightborn related incident, and came to offer my aid in resolving the situation… if that isn’t the culprit on the ground there.” She said with a gesture towards the dying creature on the ground.
Orion’s sanguine gaze ensnared Dyna’s azure eyes, his head inclining with the slightest articulation of deference.
“Champion Soleil,” he intoned, his voice tempered yet brisk,
“Your timing is fortuitous. We could use every capable blade tonight.” His attention shifted momentarily to the grotesque remains of the fallen creature, its decaying form coalescing into an inky effusion that seeped into the earth like a festering wound.
“This aberration,” he continued,
“was but a crude diversion. The true threat is still at large.” A contemplative pause followed, his sharp gaze narrowing as his mind dissected their next course of action.
“Were any details relayed to you en route? Concerning the princess, her assailant, or even the prince’s whereabouts?” The champion shook her head, giving the man an apologetic look as she spoke up.
"None, the men I followed here weren’t sure just what was happening beyond an attack and a blightborn might’ve been involved. Was the Princess the one attacked, is she unharmed?” The Champion asked her question with a hint of concern in her voice, even as her gaze remained mostly neutral.
“Far as we know. We only have to hope she and the Prince are safe. He left us without a word of his destination.” Lord Coswain said honestly and to his discomfort, a Champion was a formidable fighter but also prone to be…Zealots. They were a danger to you, themselves and the enemy all in one. He never had Zelots in his Battalion. He hid that well as he could, he was glad for help but hoped she had a level head.
“Be careful, it may be psychic, and use a sword and other…weapons. It's already taken a skilled guard.” He said with distaste about the death and the nature of the attacker.
“Lord Castellan Coswain, Lunaris, and our tracker Valthyr who has the scent. Lord Nightingale, This the most we got? Then we should not let them add any more time on us.” The battle damaged Knight gestured to the wolf as he named him, he was still unsure about the woman, and what did the church want with sending a Champion too? They never came for no reason.
A Lord…blightborn? That was odd to say the least, but Dawnhaven though and his mind soon turned to how best to use the soldiers they had and potential tactics. He had been a commander too long and it was automatically already turning the gears in his mind.
A lone guard raced toward the group, his armor clanking with each hurried step. His face was flushed from exertion as he came to a sharp stop before Orion and the gathered company, snapping a swift salute.
“Lord Nightingale,” he said, breathless but urgent.
“Word just came through—the Prince is with the Princess. She’s shaken, but safe. The Commanders have all been notified. Sending more reinforcements.”He hesitated briefly, catching his breath as a wave of relief passed through those present, but the guard wasn’t finished. He glanced uneasily at the others, his voice grim.
“Still no sign of the attacker’s whereabouts, though.”Valthyr could hear the reinforcements coming from quite the distance already, which was far less of a feat if one considered the sheer amount of heavy metal they brought along with them. Having some strong people around definitely was a good thing he thought -- just in case he'd be injured a second time and not be able to walk anymore. It would need some to carry him back to the village as human, and probably all of them if he somehow had to stick with the wolf.
He sniffed on the ground again and moved a bit away from the group. With so many new scents around it was easier to get some distance before even trying to pick up the faint trace again. The clean, crisp air would have been much more enjoyable without the stench, but at least the latter allowed him to carve another arrow into the snow beneath next to a single word:
"Weak!"Hopefully everybody would understand and follow him -- or preferably somebody would take the lead so he could keep sniffing with a bit of protection around. With eyes down on the ground, he was not really able to look ahead much.
Orion felt an icy prickle crawl up the nape of his neck, the kind of primal unease that defied logic and demanded attention. His crimson gaze flickered toward the treeline, narrowing as his senses strained to decipher the unnatural discord saturating the air. He extended his hand, commanding the group to halt without uttering a word. The mere gesture carried an authority that left no room for question.
“
Something isn’t right,” he intoned. Though softly spoken, the words bore a weight that sent an unspoken warning rippling through the group.
The party froze in synchrony, their gazes darting toward the shadow-draped forest, every pair of eyes searching for the slightest sign of movement. Orion’s instincts screamed for vigilance, but as he focused on the oppressive silence, his heightened senses offered no clarity—only a deepening unease. Then it happened: a shadow, fleeting and erratic, flickered between the skeletal trees. Orion’s gaze snapped to the disturbance, his thoughts alight with suspicion and calculation.
“
There,” he murmured, gesturing toward the elusive form. “
I saw something. Be prepared.”
The shadow darted again, closer this time, its movements a disjointed blur that defied natural rhythm. One of the guards raised a torch, its sputtering flame casting a wavering light into the abyss of gnarled trunks and frost-rimed branches. The glow illuminated only desolation: barren trees swaying listlessly and a thin layer of snow disturbed by the errant wind. Orion’s jaw tightened, frustration simmering beneath his composed exterior as his narrowed eyes scoured the void for answers.
Unbeknownst to him, his laser focus on the flickering shadow blinded him to a crucial detail. Faint tracks diverged from the group’s path, their impression fresh, leading into the depths of the forest where light dared not venture.
Everyone was missing clues in the dark woods as Lord Coswain advanced With caution and looked for signs of the threat in indicated direction but none was seen.
“Something has not been right for almost a decade, but at least the Prince and Princess cannot make it harder in the lodge.” He said as he was glad they were safe, that was one less thing and problem for him to tackle, the one he had was a dangerously lethal one though.
“Nothing” He reported as he looked alert and a blade ready, they had a Champion, a lord, a bunch of guards…and the only one with any idea was a damn shape shifter, he would have to laugh over an ale after this if they all made it back safely.
“Widen the line, 3 groups, mutual support. Shallow V formation. Form. ” He looked back at the guards who were blocked up, and he saw they would get in the way, technically he could not give such orders but he did not see a senior officer and they needed more space to fight efficiently. He understood why they did it but the mutual protection was right now at the expense of the ability to use bows or heavier weapons easily.
Even if not even of the same nation, the tone of a seasoned Battalion officer was universal. He gave Orion a nod, but no apology at getting his guards in better form.
With Valthyr leading, the group moved in silence, their breath curling in the cold air. For minutes, it seemed they wandered aimlessly, the wolf-man’s steps slow as he followed his nose. Then, without warning, he stopped. His head lifted, nostrils flaring as he tasted the air. A sharp, metallic tang prickled his senses—faint but unmistakable. Blood.
He glanced over his shoulder, eyes narrowing as he gestured with a quick jerk of his head. Wordlessly, the group followed as Valthyr lowered his nose to the snow, prowling forward.
With each step the scent grew stronger, pulling them deeper into the darkest parts of the woods. The snow beneath their boots and paws grew thicker as they walked, its chill seeping through seeping into their bones.
"Look." one of the guards whispered, pointing to the ground ahead.
Small specks of red marred the pristine white. The group’s pace quickened, tension coiling as the stains slowly grew into larger droplets, then streaks, then puddles, leaving a grim breadcrumb trail.
After some time, the visible trail seemed to suddenly vanish. They paused, surveying the area. The snow here was uneven, as though it were hastily disturbed. Fresh flakes drifted from the sky, helping to obscure whatever signs might have been left behind.
But Valthyr continued, entirely focused on scent. He guided them into a cluster of ancient pines settled at the base of one of the mountains that shielded Dawnhaven from the outside world. The trees grew close together here, their thick branches swallowing the pale moonlight overhead, leaving only the glow of torches carried by the guards to light the way.
Valthyr slowed, his nose to the ground. A bitter edge joined the metallic aroma, like the faint rot of decay. He stopped, lifting his gaze to find a massive boulder nestled beneath a towering pine.
The stone was massive, weathered and lightly dusted with snow, its presence slightly out of place. Nearby, the lower branches of a pine were clawed and broken, as if something—or someone—had scaled it in a frenzy. The snow near the base of the boulder appeared fairly undisturbed, though branches scattered the ground, concealing any visible signs of violence. But to Valthyr, a metallic scent lingered thick in the air, heavy with the undeniable stench of death.
A small pile of snow had built up on the wolf’s nose as he had dipped it a bit too low several times over the course of the last couple of minutes. He assumed the others had already recognized how odd the whole surroundings looked just as he had, but knew they were still unaware of this special kind of odour that told an unmistakable tale of death.
The giant creature that he was stood on its hind legs and started scratching the tree as if it was the finest and most expensive piece of furniture one could find in Ayel’s private residence and he was still a fluffy cat. Releasing a howl was just out of the question unless he wanted to alert everything to their presence and location in an instant. If only that tree had still had its branches left and he’d have been less injured, then climbing would have been worth a try for him.
The way things were however, Valthyr once again dug his paw into the snow to scribble a simple question:
”Raven?” He doubted anybody else could climb up there easily without having a disadvantage, but flying up there would change the whole setting.
Dyna’s attention followed the gazes and gestures of the others in the group, where they claimed to have seen shadows moving in the treeline… yet she saw none. A look of concern danced only briefly across the Champion’s features. Dyna’s emotions remained even, while she slowly picked her way up front in their group’s formation. Unsheathing her sword and shield, the Champion prepared herself to be the wall that a would-be ambusher would break itself against.
Still, it’d help if she had any inkling of where their prey might be, beyond following the massive wolf… thing that seemed to have its scent.
As the group came to a halt and the wolf scribbled out a message in the snow, Dyna moved to take a step away and allow one of the others to answer the Wolf. Instead, she kept a critical eye on the trees surrounding the group.
She might not understand what was going on with the wolf’s question, but she
could ensure the group had no unwanted visitors.
Lord Coswain was put in clear space, a little opened up as the long two handed blade was not something he could bring to bear as easily tight up. His Oath dagger was with the priestess, he had another blade but it was far from his best, more a general purpose dagger than one he wanted to rely his life on.
The champion was armoured also, shield and sword she was armed, thinking slightly Lunaris and Auralia made an effective balance of attacks and defence ability. Both were heavily armoured and more than those behind able to tackle a head on assault.
He glanced back at the wolf and nodded, what the hell, it had worked so far, might as well keep trying.
“Scout sounds good, 3 caws rapid for alarm.” He decided it would be a quick signal and reflected the guards training on the 3 bell alarm. A universal signal guards used in distress.
“What a day… Party, feast, weddings, murder squirrels and more.” He said with dark humour to Dyna and the others, really if he was still kept out of loop after this…
Orion remained momentarily reticent, his sanguine gaze affixed upon the towering pine and the disarrayed snow beneath its boughs. His digits coiled ever so slightly, tension manifesting in the subtle tremor of his hand. An intangible presence loomed here—something lurking just beyond their perceptual grasp, obscured within the convoluted umbra of the venerable forest.
And it troubled him greatly that he couldn't see it.
“Valthyr,” he finally spoke, addressing the wolf-man.
“You’ve led us true thus far. But tell me—does this trail feel… intentional? Are we chasing prey or being herded into a trap?”He didn't need to voice the stakes for the others to understand. If the enemy knew they were coming, if they were walking into something they couldn’t control, then they needed to adjust their approach accordingly. Orion’s experience in war had taught him one thing: the unknown was far more deadly than the obvious threat.
“Dyna, Coswain—if this leads to confrontation, I’ll rely on you both to form the front. The guards will hold formation, but we cannot afford to be bogged down. Valthyr and I will flank—force our quarry to move where we want them.”A glint of crimson scintillated in his eyes as he added,
“Assuming they haven’t already done the same to us.” He exhaled slowly, his voice dropping into a quiet, resolute murmur.
“Your call, Valthyr.”It seemed they didn't understand as the offer of turning into a raven was left without a response. Did most of them even know that he was a human somewhere underneath that different shape ? For the first time since a couple of minutes ago, he actually looked at the others for a few moments instead of inspecting the ground and tried to read their faces.
The man with red eyes prompted a quite sensible question. A trap ? Thinking about it logically, whoever was behind this would have had to make some assumptions in order to come up with the idea of setting up his or her pursuers: First of all, he or she must have predicted that some party would come after in the first place. Secondly, the perpetrator must have had enough confidence that said party would not be too large or skilled for the trap to work properly. The most harrowing was the last one though: Why should somebody stop his or her escape in order to pitfall any pursuers ? It only made sense if there was no escape in the first place, but the intention to return.
"If intention, attacker might return to village. Who back there ?"Maybe that was the kind of trap. What if the murderer was back in town while the elite of its guard was out here ? Given how the prince had run away without giving proper orders and how some others had joined more due to coincidence than organisation, the druid was actually pretty concerned that this whole issue had been thoroughly overlooked.
"Stench of onset rot. If everything just speculation, do not change plan." He also scratched yet another arrow pointing at the large boulder next to his words before lumbering towards it. In spite of its humongous size, the wolf shape was not very well equipped to shoving such things around and especially not so with one leg having been injured.
"Help push."Coswain and Dyna stepped forward first, their boots crunching into the snow as it gave way beneath their weight, swallowing their feet up to the ankles. With a shared glance, they braced themselves against the boulder's frozen surface and pushed. The stone didn't budge more than an inch, resisting their effort.
"On three," Orion said, stepping in beside them.
“One... two... three.”This time, bolstered by Orion's unnatural strength, the boulder shifted, snow cascading off its surface as it rolled onto its side with a heavy thud.
A dark pool of crimson stained the snow, a violent splash of color against pristine white. At the center of the blood-slicked ground lay a body—mangled and grotesque, its form twisted and crushed by the weight of the stone. But it was not just the boulder that had done this. The body bore the marks of a brutal attack. Chunks of flesh torn away and bite marks marred what remained of its face, rendering it unrecognizable.
The corpse wore dark, tattered clothing, the fabric slightly worn and frayed. Simple and practical, like something a common traveler might wear. Yet the clothes did not fit the body. They clung tightly to its figure, stretched to their limits, as if they had been meant for someone smaller.
The Champion wore a neutral expression, forcing herself to conceal the concern that flared up within her chest at the mention of the killer potentially being back in the town.
With Ranni. Dyna shook her head at the thought, forcing it from her mind for the moment. She couldn’t worry about the what ifs, not at the moment, she just had to trust that Ranni would be able to keep herself safe.
Minutes later as the boulder was moved and the corpse revealed, the Champion swore lightly under her breath as she shot both Coswain and Orion a look.
"Storing its snack for later? A boulder doesn’t bite.” She said, a hint of concern in her voice as her gaze cut to the surrounding trees.
"Or bait, for a trap?” The boulder was a tough move and the older soldier was starting to feel his age, scars and wondering if he thinks have taken the retirement he was offered with…conditions…
“Urgh… I thought I was past this when I made Captain, 1,2,3…Push.” He said as they pushed it clear, keeping his own count with the final roll to a stop. The scene that unfolded was Ugly, the body very much was dead, clothed too small and did not seem to be armed or armoured.
“Or some unfortunate, out too far at the wrong time. Not all kills are planned.” He had seen many things and many dark days, not all of them were deliberate. Some were just being a lucky or unlucky bastard. He had seen men taken In eye clad in full plate by an arrow and another somehow glanced a balista bolt and walking wounded..
"We know one thing, this one will kill, so we kill it first and worry about the details later." He said frankly as he brought his blade up.
"By Seluna, what id do have Lance Company with me right now. He said honestly, not thinking at times his Company had built up a reputation over the years and it was not always a nice one, but they got the job done with grim resolve or cold blood if a task called for it.
His jaw clenched as Orion’s sanguine orbs traversed the ranks of the warriors gathered before him.
“We assumed the attacker was still ahead of us, but what if we’ve been truly chasing a decoy? Or worse—what if the attacker is already back in Dawnhaven?”He pivoted towards Valthyr, his brow furrowed in apprehension.
“Does the scent of our quarry extend beyond this point?” For if no trace lingered beyond this juncture, if the scent failed to lead them onward—then they stood guilty of a grievous miscalculation.
And someone in Dawnhaven might already be paying the price.
Even as a wolf, Valthyr made a step back on all four legs the instant the boulder revealed what it had been hiding. A face ripped off or being squashed by a massive stone were ugly enough on their own, but combined they reached a new level of sensory insult. So the attacker had killed at least twice as the druid was not aware of any naturally occurring animal that had such a preference for the frontal part of a person’s scalp. Was this his wicked signature move, just a macabre habit or even the result of some kind of very distorted anatomy ?
”No further scents here.” he scribbled into a patch of snow a fair bit away from the mangled corpse. Disappointment was an understatement for this – had they just come too late, had the attacker cleaned up properly enough or did he just not emit enough smell even for him to pick up ?
”Go back to village ? Would need big clothes and maybe healer ?”Dyna’s hand clenched tightly about her sword, the weapon seemed to shake slightly as she tensed.
"Then why are we wasting time?” She said, a slight edge creeping into her tone that betrayed some sort of personal attachment back in the village. Some sort of investment beyond an interest in ‘holy values’.
"If the scent doesn’t go on, then we should be heading back to make certain Dawnhaven is secure, no?” She asked, though her tone made it clear that she’d already decided upon their best course of action.
Orion’s gaze darkened as Valthyr confirmed the worst: there was no further scent to follow. Whatever game their quarry was playing, it had played them masterfully. If the killer had doubled back to Dawnhaven, then this pursuit—this fevered chase through frost and forest—had been nothing more than a ruse. A meticulously laid snare to draw the strongest blades away, leaving the village vulnerable.
And if that was the case, then they had been played for fools.
His attention shifted to Dyna, sensing something more volatile beneath her words. This was not just duty that drove her, not just the righteous fury of a Champion of Aelios—this was personal. Someone she cared for was in the balance. He knew that brand of desperation well, the gnawing dread that made a warrior reckless, made them dangerous. He had carried that same weight before, long ago, and now—now, perhaps, he carried it again.
A sharp exhalation escaped him, an icy wisp unfurling against the backdrop of twilight. “
Agreed.” His voice was steel-edged, brooking no argument. “
We’ve wasted enough time. Dawnhaven may already be compromised.”
His gaze turned to Coswain. “
We split. Half return to the village at once—swiftly, without delay. The rest will cover our retreat in case this is yet another misdirection.” His gaze swept across the assembled warriors. “
I’ll take the lead back to Dawnhaven.”
The decision was made, and for the first time in years, a chilling thought took root in his mind:
Had he just left Flynn to die?
The notion coiled around his ribs, but he did not allow it purchase. Instead, he turned on his heel, eyes flashing like molten embers in the winter dusk. The hunt was over. No longer a game of patience and pursuit. Now, it was a race. And if the gods were watching, they would bear witness to how it ended.
Lord Coswain shook his head to banish the stress he felt and calm as he checked his beard in a passive action, his hair and bearded where kept short and military to not allow anyone to grab advantage. His eyes however where annoyed as they had failed and now it seemed as senior solider he was one to be the lead the withdrawal. He was always being screwed with by Auralians.
"We secure, and withdraw. We can better work out an plan, when we have chance to take stock and help secure the town." He said, slower and forcing calm and his general experience as a veteran officer to not let your metions control you.
"Seems ive got rear guard, unlike your prince, i will not let Personal matters cloud my sense." He added with a cold comment at the end and looked for who chose to remain with the rear guard.
A feebler man might have bristled, spurred to retaliation by the slight. But Orion had long since mastered the art of restraint. So, his voice did not crack like a whip, nor did it simmer with veiled ire.
“
He is still your prince.”
With that quiet assertion, Orion turned away, striding to the front of the group.
"You wanna fly over head, give us a warning if you see anythin? Dyna i assume you want to make haste." Zealots... yes. Do not fight, just set them direct in a way that works for you. The first bit he looked at the wolf, plus he doubted he wanted to walk back vs flying, he had taken a pretty bad wound over the hunt against the murder squirrel. He was a little gruff but far from blind to the groups needs and nature.
