[center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_hwU7irZTs][b]Château de D'Aubigne – Staircase Chamber - Noble's Quarter[/b][/url][/center]


Years ago, Korkud had first hand experienced the defeat that would be inevitably caused by trying to defeat gunpowder with steel. And now, here he was, nearly two decades later, and this time, he was on the winning side. He was on the side that had the tactical advantage and the firepower. For a moment, he thought that he should pity the retainers that were about to get torn to shreds. But they did not need any, he believed, and with a subconscious smirk watched as the explosions and musket balls ripped through steel, flesh, organ and bone. [b]‘’Spare none!’’[/b] Korkud roared as he cautiously followed the Nezamis who entered the fray after the barrage. The few men who were still upright were nonetheless disoriented and wounded, and the Nezamis took advantage of this by simply pushing over those who were too weak to stay on their feet and stabbing them in the neck, as if they were dealing out mercy kills. Korkud himself used his sword as a misericorde for an Azad who had lost his leg.

As expected, the one-sided melee ended very quickly, and soon Korkud and the Nezamis found themselves amongst a ruin of massacred noble warriors. [i]‘’As for a statement,’’[/i] Korkud thought to himself as he walked amongst the corpses of Azad, Zhayedan and Nezami alike, looking for the Azad leader. Eventually, he came across a corpse bearing a helmet more gilded than the others, and immediately used the edge of his sword to saw it off. Hoping that the head would be found and recognized, he threw it out of the window with questionable accuracy, and spat after its trail.

Huffing, and feeling his frustration calm down somewhat, Korkud looked around the chamber to reassess the situation. It seemed that there were no other hostiles in the immediate vicinity, though his eyes couldn’t help but stumble upon figures that weren’t there before, including a heavily armored man who thankfully did not look hostile, and a broken instrument that resembled a Valanian spinet. Upon seeing the man and the instrument, Korkud got more confused than anything else, but then he remembered that the building they were in was, after all, supposed to be hosting a colorful banquet. [i]‘’Don’t slip up,’’[/i] his mind echoed as he turned and hailed the Nezamis to get deeper into the building.

‘’Gather up the men, officer,’’ he spoke loudly, albeit exhausted. ‘’These walls won’t stay up for long.’’ Tired, Korkud rested his back on one of the walls as he watched the Nezamis group. He raised his eyes up to the banquet survivors. Before he could speak, the walls shook once more, albeit much calmer than before. Dust from the rumbled walls settled on Korkud’s hair and shoulders as he spoke. ‘’Don’t suppose you know a way out?’’ He mused, weariness apparent in his voice. He sighed as he further leaned on the wall, at which point he felt something… heat.

Immediately pushing himself off the wall, he started sniffing the air like some sort of madman pretending to be a predator. His large nose huffed in and out as his eyes reopened wide and his expression turned from one of tiredness to one of alerted frustration. For a moment, he pulled himself up from one of the windows to properly see what was going on, and at that moment his face was hailed by the heat of flames, forcing Korkud to drop himself from the window. His face had gone moist from the heat.

[b]‘’Officer! Lead the men inside immediately!’’ [/b]