[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/B7KsN1D.png[/img][/center] [hr] [b]Location: Meldheim Harbor Characters: Gerard, Birger[/b] [hr] [color=a0410d]"So this is the thing they found in the prison."[/color] Birger watched from the safety of the harbor as Meldheim’s bay slowly filled with blood. All along the horizon, Eskandr vessels could be seen retreating towards the city as a behemoth the size of a dragon attacked everything in sight. A fishing boat disappeared in seconds when a mass of flesh broke the water’s surface and shattered it to pieces. Try as they might, the doomed sailors had no chance of swimming to safety, for the hungry beast had no intention of letting them escape. Their hopeless screams lasted only an instant before they were swallowed whole. [color=F92D00]”I can’t sense its presence at all. Asier told us that it can disable our magic usage.”[/color] Gerard pointed out, having accompanied him to the scene. He was still dressed as a Kressian pilgrim. [color=a0410d]"Aye. It was the only way they could keep your best soldiers under lock and key."[/color] Birger replied. [color=a0410d]"But for it to bring about such carnage, they must have tortured the pitiful thing."[/color] Gerard grimaced. [color=F92D00]”It would be much easier to pity the creature if it didn’t want to use our bones as nourishment. Our escape will be very difficult now that it is loose.”[/color] The two men weren’t the only ones watching the destruction unfold. They had to speak in whispers, as Meldheim’s citizens had also gathered in droves atop the docks. They too could only watch helplessly, for without magic there was little hope of saving those still stranded on the water. Taking any more ships out to sea for the sake of a rescue would only cost them more lives. “Where is it going to hit next?” Gerard heard someone ask. Others began speaking of friends and loved ones whose lives were at risk aboard the ships. [color=F92D00][i]It doesn’t matter to me.[/i][/color] The red Rezaindian thought to himself. [color=F92D00]”Let us move on before it targets us next.”[/color] He murmured so only Birger could hear. The Eskandr convert tipped his head in reply and the two attempted to skulk away from the crowd. Although the monster’s rampage did complicate their long term plans, at the moment it was a welcome distraction. If word spread up the chain of command that Meldheim’s people were in danger, it was possible the detachment headed to Rigevand would be called off. It would also create some breathing room which the Perrench in the capital could use to make preparations for the fire attack. Seemingly out of nowhere, Gerard’s sixth sense returned, though only for a few fleeting moments. Yet that flicker of awareness was all it took for him to immediately turn back around. [color=F92D00]”Birger.”[/color] The bishop hissed. The older man gave his ally a strange look. [color=a0410d]"What is it? Do you want to watch more of my countrymen die?"[/color] [color=F92D00]”No! It’s coming!”[/color] Gerard reached into his clothes and drew his sword, which had been kept hidden under his robes. The bystanders only had seconds to notice the giant shadow growing underneath the waves. Before those who realized could warn their fellow men, a giant pinniped covered in blood breached the water’s surface. Many stumbled backwards in fear as the monstrosity proceeded to tear the wooden walkway apart. [color=F92D00]”By the gods, it’s huge!”[/color] Gerard exclaimed. [color=a0410d]”Got a good look have you? Great! Now let’s go!"[/color] Birger wasted no further time and sprinted off to their next destination. Perhaps he was too hasty in his retreat, for he would not bear witness to what happened next. He had not seen what Gerard had seen. The fiery priest had every reason to follow his colleague away from the carnage, but his feet were frozen in place. [color=F92D00][i]It’s…![/i][/color] Gerard watched as the monster [b]jumped[/b] straight out of the water and land on top of the walkway, crushing a man to death underneath its massive bulk. As the breath was forced out of his lungs, his pitiful scream echoed through the open air, sending a chill down the priest’s spine. “Papa!” A little Eskandr girl emerged from the fleeing mob in a dead sprint towards the sea monster, completely oblivious to the danger she was exposing herself to. The child’s desperate cry shattered Gerard’s state of mind, replacing it with a dormant instinct that had long been buried deep. In that moment, the life of an innocent weighed heavier on the scales than any hatred Gerard had for Hrothgar and his people. Conscious thought ceased as muscle memory and adrenaline took over. The holy warrior unleashed a battle cry and charged forward, armed with nothing but the sword in his hands. He knew the beast was blocking his magic, but training was a suitable remedy for despair. A soldier of Echeran knew no fear. In the instant before the bloodthirsty creature fell upon its next victim, Gerard’s blade struck true. A lucky strike buried his longsword deep inside the beast’s vulnerable nostrils. Its frenzied vocalizations were loud enough to push him back through sheer pressure, making the Rezaindian lose his balance and topple to the ground. He quickly snatched the girl up and scrambled to his feet. The monster was too maddened by pain to pursue them as he made his frantic escape.