The way the sun hung in the sky above Galrond made it look almost otherworldly. It was interesting, but Rebecca just couldn't shake the feeling of unease rising within her. After all, she was here for a reason. Despite how cheery and peaceful the town seemed in the daylight, rumors had spread across the country about a mysterious beast appearing in the night. The beast was said to have been the death of many an heir, and had terrorized the people if Galrond for ages. It was only natural for Rebecca to want to investigate. If she couldn't use her blessings to protect world order, what good were they?

She had arrived earlier in the day, and was surprised to find a town that didn't seem gripped by fear of some fantastic beast. The streets were absolutely bustling with activity, making it hard to guide her horse through them with out getting a few annoyed looks. She needed to find a place for him to stay as soon as possible. She tapped on the shoulder of a man passing by for help. "Excuse me," she began.

The man turned to face her, and was met with a strange sight: a dark skinned woman dressed in polished armor and carrying a large halberd. It definitely wasn't something you'd see every day. Was she going to war or something? Rebecca carried on without noticing his confusion.

"Excuse me, sir" she continued, "I'm looking for an inn to spend the night in, preferably on with a stable for my horse. Could you show me-"

"Stay the night!?" the man exclaimed, "Are you mad!?"

It was Rebecca's turn to look confused. "Mad? I'm only looking for a place to rest."

"You should leave." The man's eyes were nervously darting left and right. "It isn't worth risking your life." With that said, he sped back back to the rush of people around them, leaving the confused champion to wonder just what was going on. Maybe there was something to these rumors after all.

As the time passed, the crowd was slowly thinning out. Rebecca and her horse cpuld finally move comfortably, but she still couldn't find any sign of an inn. Suddenly, screaming could be heard up ahead. People began to fall left and right as a hail of pebbles rained from the sky. Rebecca raised her arms to protect herself, and the pebbles loudly bounced off of her armored gauntlets. Those around her weren't so lucky. The pebbles fell like a hail of daggers through the unprotected people. Those caught in the attack dropped like stones, never to move again. Those who could still move were panicking wildly. They all struggled to push past each other to reach what safety they could. In the resulting commotion, her horse panicked. She grabbed hold of the reins, struggling to calm her steed,  but it snapped its constraints in the struggle. "No, wait!" she shouted, but the horse ignored her. He sprinted off with the crowd, leaving Rebecca on her own.

[i]Let him go![/i] her instincts screamed in her mind, [i]People are being attacked right in front of you, and you need to help thrm first![/i] She turned to face the coming threat. A group of strange men were at the center of the chaos... [i]No,[/i] she realized. Theses weren't normal men. These were... [i]mages[/i]! She tightened her grip on her halberd. This was going to be a difficult battle.