[color=1a7b30][h2]Rezello[/h2][/color]
[hr]

A man garbed in green and black wandered the empty streets of an abandoned city, the sound of footsteps on stone roads echoing in the unnatural silence of the pristine ruins. Cobblestones gave way to gravel, and gravel to dirt and mud as he approached a riverbank, staring across the flowing water into the darkness of a thick forest that consumed the other side, stretching endlessly in every direction.

[color=a2d39c]You think you’ll find anything in there?[/color]

A pale apparition appeared at his side, a vaguely humanoid silhouette gazing into the trees beside him.

[color=1a7b30]Maybe. I doubt I’ll ever have another chance to find out.[/color]

[color=a2d39c]Fair enough. I hope you’re ready, then. It’s time to move out.[/color]

The forest, river, and city suddenly collapsed into void as Rezello was jolted awake by the carriage’s sudden stop. After four days of uneventful travel along what seemed to be nothing but fairly standard forested road, something had gotten the coachman worked up. Rezello shifted to look outside, spotting the light of the group in the distance. The carriage shook again as two of his fellow hires made their exit and their way towards the glimmer. Given the coachman’s urging, and the sounds coming from the direction of the light, now was no time for grogginess; forcing himself awake, Rezello pushed himself out of the vehicle, his body enveloped by a flash of silver light and his feet landing on the ground beneath with a thud as his armor manifested upon him.

Breaking into a sprint, he quickly scanned the scene before him; two armored mercenaries in the frontline, an older elven gentleman - the source of the light, and no doubt their employer - in the middle, and a pair of elven women in the rear, one an archer and the other some kind of spellcaster. Facing them, something around a dozen... monstrosities of some kind, though not like anything Rezello had encountered before. Akari and her duplicates had moved to reinforce the front and left flank, while Verdant had slipped behind the beasts, so Rezello shifted to reinforce the right, extending a hand that was soon filled with the grip of his spadone, sparks of lightning manifesting from the guard and traveling up its blade as he readied an attack.

As he approached the front line, he moved to transfer his momentum into a thrust of his blade, releasing a line of lightning focused on striking the three southernmost beasts - aimed directly at the one further back, while threading the gap between the closer two.