Veilena's eyes widened the moment she heard the fort's garrison was dead.

"[i]What?[/i]"

For a moment her typical cynical, somewhat arrogant demeanor crumbled.

"Th... that's not possible. That shouldn't be possible. Even if someone had touched it..."

Her pale hands clenched.

"I-it should only have been able to affect one person at most," she insisted, averting her eyes, "Even if someone had managed to find it and unwrap it, I can't understand..."

Fanilly took a deep breath.

"Lady Cazt," she began, "What were you doing? Why was the shard in the fort to begin with?"

By this point, it at least seemed as if the Cazt heir had truly intended for her actions to he helpful in some way. But Fanilly hadn't the faintest idea how. None of it made any sense to her. How was there even an Angroron shard present in the first place? What was she doing here?

Veilena paused for a moment, before taking a deep breath.

"That assassination attempt on the First Princess," she began, "Isn't it strange how quickly the conspiracy behind it crumpled? It's as if it was intended to do so from the very start."

Certainly, there were a lot of questions about the conspiracy. It seemed to have been doomed no matter how far it got, from an assassin only participating due to blackmail to the violent hatred brewing between the conspirators. But how could that possibly have any relationship with the shard? With any of this?

"Because it was. The entire thing was a distraction. I'm sure many of their feelings were genuine, as twisted as they were," Veilena continued, "But they were just being used. The very same night, that fragment of Angroron disappeared from the possession of the Mage's College. While no-one was there to intervene."

What?

That was... In the first place, the Mage's College had possession of a shard of Angroron? But how did Veilena even know all of this? Fanilly was completely taken off-guard.

"Heeeh? Heeeh? Were those crusty old geezers in charge of the college planning something baaaaad~?" Clarice leaned forward, one hand to her lips.

Veilena's stare was clearly unimpressed.

"... Get out of my face, you walking pair of udders, before I have Haelstadt remove you."

Clarice soon joined Fanilly in a state of shock, albeit for different reasons.

"I already suspect something as a student, so I-"

She stopped.

Haelstadt's sword sang as the immense blade was drawn from its sheath.

"You. Alette's spare set of breasts. You're an expert in curses, can you feel that?"

"D-don't call me that, you little brat!" Clarice cried with a scowl, ignoring the fact she was about the same height as the Cazt heir, "I'm Clarice Kastin, Shadowy Mistress of Curses! ... Er... but I do feel something..."

Fanilly's hand flew to the hilt of her her blade. While she certainly couldn't sense any sort of magical disturbance, she could tell the atmosphere had changed somehow.

And then they appeared.

They were similar to dogs, though earless and eyeless, their gaping maws filled with jagged, serrated teeth. Emerging from the foliage, a black mist seemed to emanate from their emaciated-seeming bodies.

"Curse Hounds?" Veilena's eyes narrowed.

Fanilly drew her sword.

"Iron Rose Knights, form a perimeter around Lady Cazt."

From beyond the Curse Hounds followed a considerable number of figures, in black armor with golden detailing. Those bearing shields were adorned with boars.

"Attack with the hounds, and we'll be done nice and quick" declared a particularly bulky figure, in full plate, "We're here for the Cazt girl, so take her alive!"

It was the Golden Boars, that much was certain. But how were they here without anyone having noticed? And who had provided them with these 'curse hounds'? Fanilly thought she had heard the name before, perhaps as some sort of mage's familiar.

"Don't let them reach Lady Cazt," Fanilly spoke as she took as step forward, both hands on the hilt of her blade. They were outnumbered, but not by an overwhelming amount.

She had to lead them to victory. And then they had to find out what was going on.

The hounds lurched forward.

The Boars charged.

[@Rune_Alchemist][@HereComesTheSnow][@Raineh Daze][@ERode][@PigeonOfAstora][@Conscripts][@Crimson Paladin][@Creative Chaos][@The Otter][@Krayzikk][@Psyker Landshark][@6slyboy6]