[IC] The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Redwater Point
Mid-Morning

---

@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor@Crimson Paladin

---

“Grraaah, human mocking me!” The Fomorian bellowed, frustrated that a human was seemingly matching him in strength somewhat. “If you won’t come to me, I come to you!” Unfortunately the large fomorian seemed to have a different idea than what Reinhardt envisioned. Instead of pulling more, he’d instead choose to make an attempt to close the distance between the two of them.

This in turn, made the uppercut somewhat less effective as the creature wouldn’t be stumbling back as he had hoped. Still, if Reinhardt continued to do as he planned the strike would land true, slamming right into the creature's jaw.

“Gah-!” The cyclopean humanoid responded with a grunt of pain, something cracking in his jaw. “Dumb-human-why so strong-!?” He would attempt to move his free though injured arm only to find that any attempts to move it were met with pain. A bellow of pain and rage as Ethelreds lance would pierce the creatures flesh, blood freezing instantly as the weapon hit its mark. It made an attempt to grab Reinhardt with its impaled arm -

“Gggrrk….!”

A pained, muffled growl as Marduk’s spear would instead find its mark first, piercing the fomorian’s skull from behind, positioned just right so the blade would come right out of the things eye on the other side.

“Ggrk-gggrk!”

The fomorian’s entire body tensed, not immediately falling to the ground. Marduk would be the first to tell, something wasn’t right. A mass of magical energy was being focused on its pierced eye. Whatever it was doing, wasn’t going to be pretty - likely enough to blast away whatever it was immediately in their vicinity.

“Ballooogggkkkk-!”

Whatever he was shouting he didn’t get to finish. The entire upper body of the fomorian began twisting and warping, blackening in a sickening manner as it began bulging and growing outwards like some sort of tumor rapidly growing…until it would reach critical mass, exploding outwards.

The fomorian would fall to the ground, its mutated body looking far less humanoid now, its head missing entirely. Where its head had been attached to its shoulders, there fell no blood, only what seemed to be…dozens of hands that was now encircling its neck, hanging limply from what seemed to be a deep black crevasse within the giants body. A small stone sphere, cracked and hot to the touch rolled a few feet away from the body before promptly turning to ash, disappearing into the wind.

…

Well, it was at least, now, it was over.

---

@Pyromania99@VitaVitaAR@FrogRFlowR
Location:
Southern Giants Rest
Late afternoon

---

Niall’s spear clanged against the Fomorians, metal clashing against metal as it would the force would drive the spear downwards, just barely grazing Luna’s leg as the fomorians Katana bashed against the Knightess’ shield. Her own sword would arc upwards, planning on disarming the fomorian - his free hand however, would aim to deflect the blow, grabbing Luna by the wrist, superhuman strength tossing her blow to the side as though he was merely pulling a small animal along on a leash - but before he made a move to finish the job, he’d pause, glancing upwards.

“...heh.”

A small chuckle.

Thankfully for the sword witch, she had plenty of time and foresight to dodge the attacks towards her, the enchanted daggers harmlessly falling into the ground some distance beneath and behind her. The fomorian didn’t have the time to move, having to use the time to engage with both Niall and Luna. The blades would form above him…and come crashing down with righteous fury.

“Very well. Maybe I’ll get a little bit serious.” A statement as he would inhale, the blades coming crashing down upon him. Something under his cloak moved, pushing past the ragged looking fabric and causing it to billow outwards briefly, just long enough for both Niall and Luna to see. Instead of possessing three arms on his left arm, all he possessed was a single large arm.

He immediately pivoted, turning to face the large blade that was hurtling towards the ground behind him. With a mass of magical energy being gathered in his arm, his veins would light a bright, fiery orange as he’d meet the projectile head on. Light from the blade mixed with a fiery blast would shatter, briefly blinding the people present.
When the dust settled, the fomorian had recloaked himself, standing some distance away from the group.

“Hm…Ambitions knights that seek Albion’s throne. I must commend you for your teamwork.” He would say, bowing lightly, a horse neighing catching his attention as Leo would come running back towards the fort. “But with my allies having mostly fled…there is no reason for us to continue fighting.” Assuming none of the knights would stop him, he would turn to leave leaving them with a simple final, somewhat cryptic warning. “Do not allow your paths to falter…or the Wings of Dark shall usurp your throne.”

“Luna, Queen Sorcha, I’ve returned.” Leo would greet the knights, watching as the Fomorian left. A bandit had been hogtied and was currently laying across the back of Leo’s saddle. “...are we going to let him leave?”

“If you want to go after him, be my guest. We have more important matters to attend to at the moment.” Sorcha replied with a glance towards her Knights. “Good work, you three. Leo, Gabriel, move him to some place where we can interrogate him. Luna, Niall, Fio, if you’ll follow me we can get caught up on the situation here and introduce ourselves to our new guest.”

[Cu Chulainn]

Aftermath

---

Marduk basked in the blood of his slain foe, seeing it as another unclean one wiped from Albion. He raised his arms to the air and let out a howl in victory as the Fomorian's tainted blood rained from the air. Victory has been attained, and the battle was over. This did not mean that his wrath waned, however.

"Accursed witchcraft!"

The Elf's spear quickly shifted into a massive blade once more as he cleaved his blade downwards at the Cyclops's hollowed neck. Gazing at how the arms were connected from within, Marduk let out a low growl as his suspicions were confirmed. His blade shimmered away as he hopped off the beast, walking past the two knights who had helped him slay the beast.

"Black magic. That thing was likely an amalgam of lesser beings." Marduk began, picking up his discarded staff and scraping off what was left of the Fomorian whose skull he crushed from it. "Whether it's from other Fomorians or... Marduk growled, once more, "… other unfortunate souls is not known to me. What I do know is it was too smart to be a Fomorian of your standard stock, yet too dumb to be anything exceptional. My guess is there are darker magics at play."

Marduk threw his hood up as he turned to the others, clutching his staff like a hiker's stick.

"You two aren't here for vacation either, I take it? Hunting for the cursed kin as well, then? If so, perhaps you can help me find the source of these attacks. You two are formidable warriors, and I'd rather not hunt a witch on my own. Just know this though."

The Elf's eyes would shine once more, with the same golden glow that permeated his weapons.

"Don't get in our way."

[FrogRFlowR]

Success. Niall successfully managed to deflect the spear thrust which in turn at the very least helped Luna manage the rest the foe's attack. Niall's own counter attack in the form of a slash to the Formorian's abdomen seemed to have been dodged as the enemy suddenly moved after grabbing Luna's wrist to throw her. Niall had to back down and step back as to net get hit by the caster's falling swords. Though he did not see them stray too far from their intended target yet, he still needed to play it safe and defensive against this enemy.

Niall was fully ready to engage again, this time unleashing his own ability...however, when the dust from the previous attack settled, the Formorian had himself backed out. He had stepped some distance away, but Niall figured he could still reach the corrupted elf with Gwdihw's wind - but he didn't. It was apparent that, for now, the fight was over. Niall stood down.

Instead, as things calmed down, Niall walked closer to the queen herself and the other knights. He did not yet know them, having been contacted by the Queen only recently, and so remained silent for the time being. It didn't help that his interactions with actual fellow humans had been few and far between since he had left the Tuathas that raised him. He instead opted for finding the nearest rock or tree stump to sit at, Lance against his thigh as he would clean the blade until they were to move on.

There would be time for proper introductions once things settled down.

[Crimson Paladin]

Ethelred had only a moment to release his lance from the cyclops before it exploded, showering him and his horse with gore. His mount reared up in alarm and backed a few paces away, but the knight managed to maintain his seating, but fortunately the explosion didn't seem hurt them.

It looks like he was trying to use some sort of magic, and the elf's attack probably caused it to misfire, the knight guessed based on his limited knowledge of magic, as he surveyed the carnage. While he could normally see through his crystalline helmet, his vision was presently hindered by numerous flecks of gore now stuck and partially frozen to his helmet. Nonetheless, he was able to see well enough to notice that most importantly, the other two combatants were unharmed. He also couldn't help but notice the grotesque, unnatural state of the cyclops' insides.

Those are...hands? Hands, emerging from inside of the corpse? Ethelred observed, aghast at the revelation of just how wrong this thing was. It was a disturbing reminder of just how truly inhuman the Fomorians were- as malformed-looking as they were on the outside, what lay inside was even more bizarre. The mysterious elf was clearly just as curious, cutting open the fallen foe's neck to get a better look at the limbs within.

According to the elf, the cyclops was formed from many other beings, as evidenced by the hands and arms. Ethelred snarled at such a disgusting concept, to combine many beings into something like this, and even moreso if the victims were unwilling. It made him wonder, however, how many more of these things were out there. What if they were actively making these out of the inhabitants of the villages that were being attacked?

If they're making these things out of the villagers, it's all the more reason we need to put them down.

"You need not worry about us getting in your way, stranger," he assured the elf. "We are knights of Queen Sorcha, and have come here to put an end to the Fomorian attacks. My name is Ethelred. I apologize for not showing you my face, but ever since I was cursed by an Unseelie, this armor of mine has become impossible to remove."

He would leave the particulars of joining their forces to Reinhardt, not wishing to undermine his leader's authority.

"Speaking of which, I don't suppose you've crossed paths with a certain knightess passing through here, have you?" he asked the elf. "Blonde hair, red eyes, black armor of similar coverage to yours, bright red sword?"

@Guy0fV4lor@Cu Chulainn

[Pyromania99]

After she was tossed aside, she turned back to see his oversized arm meet with Fio's blade. And then a dust cloud. And then the Fomorian gone, off in the distance. He bid himself farewell and Luna had half a mind to chase after him but... No, it would be best she didn't. Instead, she gritted her teeth for a small time before repeating his words aloud. “Do not allow your paths to falter…or the Wings of Dark shall usurp your throne.” She mewled the words over for a second before her Queen bid her to follow. And so she did. "Next time he won't be able to retreat unscathed."

She looked to her two brothers and nodded at them, "Gabe, Leo, we'll have a nice little get together after our discussion." The woman said, almost tiredly after finally letting her shoulders shrink down, finally out of a fully guarded mind set. As her, the Queen and the two others convened, she looked toward the Queen. "Wings of Dark? Everything he said was cryptic. Was he talking about a raven or something of the sort?" She questioned aloud, not directly asking the Queen though it was obvious who her statement was pointed to. "Aside that, he was a rather powerful foe. His attitude was..." A frown. The knight shook her head, "Irritating."

[VitaVitaAR]

"... Hmph."

With a huff, Fio dismissed her catalyst, the blade disappearing into light once more. The barrier beneath her feet lowered to the ground, until the distance been it and herself was small enough for her to hop off safely.

"Saying something cryptic like that and then retreating? I guess annoyance was his secret weapon," she complained, as Mieka lifted her hat from beneath it and peered out to ensure that the surroundings were safe.

Still, as irritating as the warning left behind by the Fomorian was, that didn't mean it was without any benefit. Whatever these Wings of Dark were, it was clear it was a threat to Sorcha's claim on the throne. But Fio had never heard of such an organization, or individual, or concept.

Whatever it was, it seemed like a topic to pursue when it came to research. Not only due to the immediate threat it posed, but how they related to Sorcha herself.

Perhaps it would help her learn more.

Fio stepped forward, approaching the others as she lifted her hat to help Mieka out from beneath it. The doll looked around warily for a moment, before choosing to make a proposal of her own.

"I think we should learn all we can about these 'Wings of Dark'," asserted the doll.

"Of course," Fio began, "Only an idiot wouldn't follow up on information like that."

@Pyromania99@FrogRFlowR@Rune_Alchemist

[Guy0fV4lor]

---

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin@Cu Chulainn

The Fomorian assault ended just as violently as it had begun-- the Cyclopean figure detonating in gruesome show of whatever twisted magics had empowered the creature; and revealing the Fomorian's true nature...

Reinhardt wiped the his gore-coated eyes as he silently looked over the fallen creature; examining the fallen enemy from toe to tip. Even throughout all his years in the Laughing wood... He'd never seen anything like this. If the elf was to be believed, the Cyclops itself was created by someone, or something-- and more than likely directly connected to the increasing Fomorian activity in the area... As well as the midnight skinned Fomorian that he and the others were likely to encounter in their seach for Elnith.

The Knight paused, his head raising as he slowly scanned the surrounding area as thoroughly as possible.

Od was missing-- without a trace of her putting up any form of fight. A group of Fomorians seemed to spontaneously appear in the middle of a settlement. Unusual patterns of Fomorian activity along the neutral border. Elnith's lack of contact. The sudden assault on Airedale that resulted in only half of the Queen's retinue to be dispatched for her retrieval.

More than halfway into the journey to find Elnith; who had been dispatched to deal with the midnight skinned Fomorian, one of his fellow knights would disappear with out so much as a trace? After their numbers had already been halved for the mission? How suspiciously convenient.

Reinhardt's jaw clenched tightly. Whoever the unidentified party at play was... It was clear that the chain of events were all meticulously planned; Od's abduction likely to be an attempt to buy the unseen enemy time to deal with, or dispose of Elnith.

Trying to recover Od would only futher play into the enemy's hands... And the fact that someone that would happen to be exactly what was needed to fill in for her absence suddenly seemed to just show up? It was all highly suspect.

Turning his gaze to the Elven stranger; he looked the man up and down sternly; finally offering a response after a long moment of consideration. "You're more than welcome to join us on our hunt stranger--" the knight spoke calmly, "My name is Elias Von Reinhardt of her Majesty Sorcha's royal knights."

Retrieving the sword he'd discarded previously, the knight would then remove the harpoon he'd utilized; examining it for damage before sticking it on his belt, continuing to talk all the while. "We're headed East toward the neutral area just outside the Harzelslack border. Where we believe we might uncover the source of the increased activity. We're departing immediately, so come or don't-- it makes little difference to me."

Elias knelt down in the debris from the fight, gathering what remained of the Cyclops' armor so he could have it examined later.

The knight swiftly turned on his heel in the direction of the stable, passing a glance over his shoulder "If you're in need of a horse, we have one you can use. And Ethelred-- I hope you have those supplies. Because there's been a change of plans-- we're double-timing it from here on out."

[Rune_Alchemist]

Redwater Point
Mid-Morning

---

@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor@Crimson Paladin

---

The commotion finally settling down, the people who had managed to escape would slowly come drifting to see the remains of the fight that had just occurred. It was not long however, before the local guard would come running, shooing off the people and forming a perimeter around the market. Thankfully, the three knights didn’t seem to be something they’d concern themselves with, focusing more on making sure there weren’t any more fomorians skulking about.

Just as Reinhardt turned to leave, however, he would be stopped by an older man, dressed in a simple black robe with short, somewhat haggard looking hair and an overall tired looking appearance with sharp, blue eyes.

“If you’ll allow me a moment of your time before you leave. Allow me to thank you. I am Conand, Mayor of Redwater. I oversee things in place of Lord Alistan. I understand you are in a hurry, but you must allow me to provide you a small reward for your assistance.” Something about this...Conand's presence was odd. Not wrong, or unsettling just...odd. Perhaps it was simply the neutral, inexpressive tone he spoke with, a slight dissonance with what he was saying and what his facial expression was doing.

---

@Pyromania99@VitaVitaAR@FrogRFlowR
Location:
Southern Giants Rest
Late afternoon

---

“He was not your average Fomorian, that much is obvious.” Sorcha replied to Luna and Fio as Leo and Gabriel began escorting their new prisoner to the forts’ prison. They seemed a bit concerned about whatever it was that Luna wanted to talk to them about, but they’d focus on their task at hand. “We’ll have to follow up on this information once we are back in Airedale.” The queen continued, leading the trio into the fort. “We need to focus on our task at hand for the moment.”

The fort itself was well, exactly what one would expect of a small out of the way fort on the edge of one's territory. It wasn’t lavish or expansive, providing enough shelter for a dozen or so guards to be stationed in, one of which would lead the Queen and her knights through the narrow corridors to a small strategy room.

“Which is figuring out the source of our bandit problems. First, let me introduce you to Niall.” Sorcha would motion to the armored Owl Knight. “I’m sure you’ve heard rumors of a Knight recently that has been dealing with bandits and keeping the peace. I sent another letter along with the one I sent to the Lightsword family, telling him to meet us here.” She would offer the owl knight a warm smile. “Allow me to thank you for the assistance just now. Your help dealing with these bandits will be invaluable.”

“I as well,” Leo would say stepping into the room not long after them. “Without all of yours timely intervention I doubt we could have handled whoever that formorian was on our own.”

“Leo. I trust our prisoner is being seen to?”
“I left Gabriel with him. We’ll get information out of him one way or another.”

“I see, good. Now…what of these bandits?”

“Not much information to report, Queen Sorcha. We’ve sent scouts out but we’ve come back mostly empty.”

“But not completely?”

“We don’t know exactly where their main base is located or just how they’ve gotten their numbers without us or someone seeing something.” Leo frowned. “But…we’ve found what seems to be a well fortified encampment towards the east, in the foothills. The scout we sent said it was definitely home to some unsavory types, but beyond that we don’t know anything or if they’re even affiliated with these bandits.”

“...hm. Alright. We’ll have to scout it ourselves, then.” She’d glance at her knights. “...that said it is getting a bit late. I’ll leave this to you then, my knights. You three can scout it out tonight or we can wait until tomorrow too. No doubt slipping in under the cover of darkness will make the approach easier, but after the battle just now it may do us well to rest for a bit.”

“We’ve had lodgings arranged for all of you, of course…well, you three will have to stay in the barracks. We’ve prepared a private room for Lady Sorcha.”

“Thank you for the consideration, though I am fine with the barracks.” The Queen paused for a moment, frowning in a slightly embarrassed seeming manner before continuing. “More importantly…I don’t suppose you have dinner ready already…?”

“...I’ll go tell the servants to get started.”

[FrogRFlowR]

Silently and diligently cleaning his Lance's head, Niall was listening to the discussions going on around them. So that knight, Luna, was a Lightsword it seemed and these two men were her brothers. She certainly seemed to have a fiery character to her and obviously knew how to defend herself well, as expect of the Queen's knights. Niall was gad to have her around. The same would be said of the magic user - Fio. Her attacks were relentless and deadly, as well as often proved to be the focus of the three knight's strategy in the previous fight.

As for Luna's out-loud questions, Niall remained silent. He could have theorized and asked questions of his own, but the fact of the matter was he knew nothing about that enemy so had nothing to share, for now. Being a newcomer in the group, he was content to wait and listen for now.

When the Queen joined them, Niall stood up, Lance at his side. He followed them to the fort. Once in the room, Niall propped his lance against the table close by his. He did a small and polite bow to the knights when he was introduced.
"Pleased to serve alongside such skilled fighters, Queen Sorcha ." he simply answered.

He listened to the rest of the discussion and plans before adding. "If I may, my skills are best suited for the cover of darkness. It would be no issue for me to scout at night time. That being said, I will accept whatever decision the majority agrees with." he said, politely. Niall himself was already well rested, but food was always a welcomed sight.

[Cu Chulainn]

Aftermath

---

"Cursed, huh? No wonder why you smell like them." Marduk quipped Ethelred, noticing his curse previously before. As for the notion of them being knights of this "Queen Sorcha," such a thing only piqued Marduk's curiosity slightly. Not merely a duo, but part of a troupe of heroes wandering Albion and fighting off against the many threat that plague it? Well, if the "heroes" were anything like the two Marduk had run into, they might as well be a group of misfits rallied behind an even greater weirdo. Still, it wouldn't hurt too much to hear them out.

"As for whoever it is you're looking for, I've only heard rumors. Otherwise, I would've crossed blades with them both." Marduk stated as a matter of fact. "If not for our common enemy, I may have even tried having a round or two against the two of you. Ancestors know that I'm itching for a good fight, and you two look like you'd give one, knights and all."

In regards to the knight who seems to believe they're in charge, Marduk could only scoff at his demeanor. After all, he left the Elves to be free from being told what to do, his quest be damned. To be commanded especially with one who fights as crudely as this human knight only seemed to annoy the warrior further. Still, he chose to leave airing out his frustrations of the matter for another time. After all, they were still rocked from their previous fight, and Marduk had taken the brunt of it.

"I'll join you monkeys on your quest," Marduk began, ignoring the fact that he, too, was also primarily of simian origins, "but I do not acknowledge whatever authority you have in this troupe. I will respect you as a fellow warrior, but do not treat me as some soldier you can order. So long as we can come to that understanding, the Swordwind will be more than obliged to lay waste to whatever it is you are hunting.

"As for a horse, I only see a beast of burden as a burden to myself. As a trained warrior, my legs are more than suited for marching long distances..." Marduk began, before coughing a small spittle of blood once again. He did his best to hide this from his allies, although his painful wheezes make it difficult to mask his injuries. It was clear that he needed to not exert himself as hard. "... That said, a steed does sound helpful."

In regards to the rather grim mayor of this town, Marduk simply nodded his head to the stables at the mention of a reward, making his way to take what he had rightfully earned by way of might.

[Pyromania99]

"Yes, thank you for the assistance Niall. You seem to be a strong warrior as well. Glad to have you along." Luna said with a small smile. Still, scouting? That was a good thing of course, but still... "Truthfully, I could use some rest. We've been traveling for a while now and like to get a little shut eye before we did much else." The knight said, stretching a small bit. "But, it's up to you guys. If you want to head out tonight, I'll go with you." Still, she was looking forward to the food, most of all. It was a bit difficult to travel with good food when you were riding with a light load. "Well, it's up to you Fio, I suppose. Unless Niall wants to risk going solo."

The Knightess gave a light shrug. If Queen Sorcha had approved of their skills, than Luna was confident they could likely handle themselves in most situations. "Either way, I'd like to talk to my brothers for a small bit before we do anything. I really need to tell something to Leo..." Luna seemed a bit... Irritated. Somewhat out of character for her. "Just something small to discuss with him. Nothing big. And it'd be nice to catch up with Gabe."

She gave a small sigh. "Well, that aside, when was the last time I've slept in the barracks? It hasn't been that long, but it feels like a lifetime ago." The Knightess thought aloud. It wasn't that difficult really. They were always kept fairly warm with some magical items so no one was going to suffer from frostbite at night or anything. "If any of you need anything, just ask me if you can't get ahold of Leo or Gabe. I'm still a daughter of the house and they all listen to me still, I'd like to think."

[Crimson Paladin]

I see this elf's quite the charmer, Ethelred thought as he listened to the stranger's reply. He's right up there with that Unseelie I met the other day.

On the other hand, while Ethelred didn't like being casually insulted, there was a certain refreshing honesty in the elf's words. The fact that he was so blunt and devoid of tact suggested to the Frozen Knight that the elf was an honest sort, not used to leading others astray with honeyed words and false reassurances. Better a rude ruffian whom you knew where you stood with than a charismatic charmer whose motives and intentions were obscured behind diplomatic pleasantries.

There was also the matter of the reward that the mayor had offered. The mayor's impassive demeanor was strange to Ethelred- perhaps the man was simply numbed by grief or trauma, or perhaps he was just nigh unflappable. After all, back when Ethelred's family protected Redwater Point, it was important that the reeve overseeing the town was somebody that could remain calm even in dire situations. There was also the possibility, Ethelred worried, that the man was in great pain, either from the horror of the attack or perhaps having just lost a loved one.

"I'm afraid that I am bound by old oaths that prevent me from taking a material reward from you, good sir. Besides, I believe the town needs it far more than I," Ethelred replied to the man. By the ancient laws, the town was under his family's jurisdiction, thus it was improper to accept a reward for doing his sworn duty to protect it. The locals probably wouldn't see it that way, but Ethelred would not taint his conscience or credibility by taking what he'd consider to be an improper or discrediting act.

"However, I would be most grateful if you could provide us with information," he continued. "We're looking for a particular Fomorian with pitch-black skin and powers of fire, which we believe has attacked a number of villages. We're also looking for a knight named Elnith who was sent to stop it. She's not hard to miss- blonde hair, red eyes, wears black armor, and carries a large blood-red sword. Do you know anything about the possible whereabouts of either of these individuals?"

@Guy0fV4lor@Rune_Alchemist@Cu Chulainn

[VitaVitaAR]

For a moment, Fio considered what Sorcha had proposed. On one hand, striking while the iron was hot didn't seem like a terrible idea, they also simply lacked knowledge. Not that Fio didn't have the utmost confidence in the fact she'd crush any bandit encampment with little effort, but they didn't know anything about these 'Wings of Dark'. Were they an organization? Was it a creature? Was it a title? At the moment there was so little to go on, and simply crushing bandits might not have offered the information that they desired.

"This fort has a library, right?" she asked, glancing towards the structure, "Even somewhere like this must have at least a small one. I'd like the opportunity to do some research, and see if these 'Wings of Dark' come up anywhere else."

As she spoke, Mieka emerged from beneath her hat full, clambering down. Without pausing, the Sword Witch carefully supported the doll with her arm, allowing her to sit and see the others.

@Pyromania99@FrogRFlowR@Rune_Alchemist

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Razed Village
Noon

---

@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor@Crimson Paladin

---

“...hm, I see.” The mayor responded, watching Marduk walk off with what seemed to be his usual passive expression. “If you mean the supposed fomorian accosting the countryside near the Harzelslack border, I’m afraid I can’t say much, aside from rumors the occasional refugee has mentioned.” He would fold his arms behind him as he spoke, tired eyes seemingly studying Ethelred. “My advisor would know more, but unfortunately he is out and not likely to return until this evening. The only piece of useful information that I might have is apparently the thing is incredibly stealthy. The few rumors I’ve heard say it attacks with barely any warning. Only a ferocious roar moments before it does. Thankfully it seems to have been pacified or fallen into a slumber but there’s no telling how long it will. As for that cursed knight you mentioned. I assume you mean the one the guards barred from the town for causing a disturbance…I do not know where they went, though I am surprised to learn that someone would…employ such a woman.”

“Sir Conand…” A guard would run over. “Apologies for the interruption.”

“No matter. What is it?”

“We’ve secured the area, the dead have been gathered. No Fomorian walk the streets now, sir.”

“Ah, good. No more interruptions…will the tower be set back any?”

“Nay, sir. They didn’t bother it.”

“Good, good.” He would turn back towards Ethelred. “If there is nothing else then, I believe that is as much help as I’ll be able to provide. If you’ll excuse me…” Assuming he had no more questions for Conand, he would walk off, flanked by a pair of guards as he’d head back towards the manor, leaving the knights to head for the Harzel border…

After loading up the pieces of armor that he could from the cyclopean fomorian they would set off. From Redwater, the trio would travel across the plains and along the coast, continuing northwest just as they would pass ruins Ethelred would be most familiar with. Remaining on high alert, Reinhardt would remain so for the duration of their trip - it saved them the trouble of getting ambushed by another small group of Fomorians and ultimately they would arrive at their destination about noon half a day later.

It was a disheartening sight.

The village was completely burned to the ground. Not a single building remained standing, black ash covering the burned and forsaken ground. Not even the trees nearby were spared becoming little more than burned, blackened husks. Curiously, some walls that remained standing had large marks carved into them, as though the massive claws of some beast had carved themselves into it. There seemed to be fomorian corpses in stages of decomposition, and similarly burned scattered about too.

There was, however, no sign of Elnith or what had immediately happened here.

“Eeeek!”

Save for a shout that had come from deeper within. A brief investigation would reveal a pair of kids, barely old enough to be out on their own…and a group of Fomorians numbering about seven. Some short goblin like ones, and a single more lanky one with more agility that they had encountered in Redwater.

“D-damn it! W-what are fomorians doing here?!” The boy would shout, holding a sword in front of him. A small girl behind him trembled in fear.

---

@Pyromania99@FrogRFlowR@VitaVitaAR
Location:
Southern Giants Rest
Early Night

---

“Fine with me,” The queen would respond with a yawn, stretching her arms above her head. “I could use some rest. Horseback is not my preferred method of travel…that said, Niall.” She’d turn to face the owl knight. “I realize I do not have room to command you beyond our agreement, but if you are confident in your abilities, I’ll send you and one of the Lightsword brothers to scout the place tonight before we make an assault tomorrow. In the meantime, Luna, Fio, and I shall rest from our travels.” Sorcha glanced towards Fio. “Report immediately if you find anything, Fio. I shall be waiting for the food to be done.”

The queen then left, leaving her knights to do as she instructed, Luna would follow not far behind her as they would both head towards the barracks mess hall. She’d let Luna lead the way as she was more familiar, content to simply follow along behind her knight. A few local guards would pass by, saluting both Luna and Sorcha.

“Your guards seem well trained.” She’d idly comment as they’d pass. “I’d expect nothing less from the same family that trained you.” The queen smiled, giving Luna a friendly bap on the shoulder. “I just have one question - do they make food as good as they produce soldiers?” This was accompanied by the rumbling of the queen's stomach, earning a small embarrassed laugh from the queen as they’d step into the dinner hall.

@VitaVitaAR

---

The Library would be easy enough for Fio to find. A few directions from the soldiers stationed here and she’d find herself on the side of the fort opposite of the dinner hall and barracks and up a single flight of narrow stairs she’d find herself in a library study. The room was richly decorated, a carpet covering most of the wooden floor while against the back and left wall were a series of bookshelves. A single chandelier and a window on the opposite wall, positioned to face the setting sun was the only source of light. A desk set near the window, a few scrolls of paper and ink bottles on it ready to be used. Looked like this place wasn’t used much, perhaps no surprise considering it was a simple fort on the edge of the Lightsword territories.

What was surprising though, was that Fio wouldn’t be alone.

“...nhn?” It was an elf, at least she looked like an elf, dressed in a maids uniform, a more dusky skin tone than what elves usually had with rose colored eyes. A small stuffed animal that presumably belonged to her sat nearby on a bookshelf she was dusting. “...you must be one of the guests…” She’d cough, covering her mouth with her right hand as she’d turn to face Fio, the other being held to her chest. “S-sir Leo…asked me to look after you all…” Her voice was quiet, and a bit tired sounding and from the second cough she might have given, perhaps she was Ill.

“I-I am terribly sorry to bother you, but…” She’d approach Fio, still holding a hand to her chest with a somewhat pained expression. “...I think…my heart hurts a bit…Can you c-check if something is wrong?” She removed her hand from her chest…and proceeded to present Fio with her still beating heart.

A small trickle of blood would pour from the corner of her mouth as she would smile at Fio in a completely innocent manner.

@FrogRFlowR

---

Night fell over Albion, the cold crisp air only kept at bay by the relative warmth of the hot springs. Gabriel had been assigned to go with Niall, having decided to let their prisoner end up in the prisons solitary confinement area for some…enhanced interrogation for the night. Asking the queen for details before the pair had set off, she made it clear that this was only a scouting mission. Their goal was to determine their numbers, any weakness they could exploit in dealing with the bandits, as well as any potential dangerous threats.

The trip there would have Niall leading the way with his superior vision while Gabriel followed behind, relying on the moonlight itself to follow the knight in front of him. The Lightswords second eldest would make friendly chatter with the Owl knight, though not all of it completely…knightly. Like how beautiful the queen was, for example. He also chattered idly about Luna and his family, and the bandits themselves if asked.

After some hour or so of travel though, they would finally be at their destination.

In the foothills, near the easternmost part of the Llobrokr mountains, they would soon find themselves in a small forested area. A feeling of wrongness immediately hung in the air, noticeable immediately to the both of them, and even more so to Niall with his Tuathan upbringing.

“...wait…this…” Gabriel frowned as he’d hop off his steed. “...a Wasteland? In this forest? This wasn’t in the report…” It was definitely one. The forest was silent. Eerily so, the only sounds coming from what sounded like human voices just over the hill. A feeling of wrongness hung in the air, causing the two to unwittingly just feel a tinge of hesitation upon nearing it. “...we’ll report that later. How do you want to approach this?” He’d ask, deferring to Niall’s judgment.

The pair had approached the bandit camp from the east, and were currently just now on top of a small hill near it. The camp itself was fairly large, built into what seemed to be a small rock that towered over the forest. A wooden wall had been constructed around it, too, with only what looked like two entrances. One on the side they had approached from, and one on the northern side. Two guards stood at either entrance, though they looked bored out of their skulls. It was hard to tell anything else from this vantage point, but several more wooden structures could be seen.

Seemed the bandits had dug in their heels into this place. Raucous chattering and laughter could be heard from within, though it would be hard to make anything out completely from this distance.

How would Niall proceed?

[FrogRFlowR]

“I realize I do not have room to command you beyond our agreement, but if you are confident in your abilities, I’ll send you and one of the Lightsword brothers to scout the place tonight before we make an assault tomorrow. In the meantime, Luna, Fio, and I shall rest from our travels.”

"Understandable, Queen Scorcha. The road must have been tiresome. I should be back before sunrise. We will not disapoint." Niall said as he picked up his lance and took a quick glance at the map on the table.

As the duo were making their way in the night, Niall sent his Owl to scout ahead for any obvious threat on their immediate way. If there was any, Gwdihw would come back to let Niall know. Other than that, it was as of yet pretty uneventful. Gabriel engaged in small talk and it would be hard to tell if Niall was listening at all, if not for the occasional nod and grunt of acknowledgement. All in all, Niall seemed focused and socially inept, but not completely solitary nor cold. He was particularly interested in hearing what Gabriel had to say about the Queen and his sister, Luna. Any information he could gather, he gladly absorbed.

As they reached the Wasteland's edge, Niall also unmounted his steed. The knight could hear no animals in that forest - no natural sound one should hear at this time of the night. "Let's get closer." he simply answered before they kept going forth until they reached the small hill near the bandit camp.

"They seem well entrenched...and their camp is on top of that rocky formation. Any battle would be uphill. Bothersome..." However, the guards seemed not too attentive. They were but bandits after all, so their lack of focus and discipline could play in the knights favor.

"Gabriel, could you go around the camp? We need to see if there are any other ways in, or if the wall or the rock beneath it have any weak points. We would meet up in a hour or so near the horses. As for me..." Niall said as he grabbed his lance and changed stance, ready to move. "...I will take a look from the inside."

With that, Niall carefully approached the main gate that was in front of them. Once close enough and hidden behind a rock and some bush, he pointed his lance at the entrance. Suddenly, a dark area fell around them. For the bandits inside the area, it would seem as if a thick cloud just passed over the moon, taking all the light away for a brief period. Just enough time for Niall to summon forth his air magic and launch himself right between the two guards when they seemed particularly absent minded. His speed was such that they barely heard a gust of wind as he passed them. Once inside, still in his Eye of Night area, Niall would quickly readjust his position to behind tents and the wall, hidden in the shadows. He would then spot the nearest high point he could get onto, be it a guard tower, a building or anything that allowed him to gain altitude and then crouch to take a look around the camp. His Dark vision allowed him to see guards way before they could see him, and his armor and clothing didn't seem like they made much noise, possibly another part of the enchantments he was gifted by the Tuathas.

On his perch, protected by his summoned darkness, he took the time to take a better look at the camp and plan his next move. He also kept an ear out to see if anyone would spot Gabriel outside.

[VitaVitaAR]

While a larger library would have been appreciated, Fio found the surroundings cozy at least and an excellent place to do research. However, before she could begin searching the volumes for information on the 'Wings of Dark', she was interrupted.

It was a maid, an elf with darker skin then expected from most of her kind. She did not seem particular healthy either, given the fact she looked exhausted and she was coughing.

Fio hardly needed assistance with the library. Anyone attempting to help would likely be an annoyance, especially if their health was rather poor at the moment. She had no desire to babysit someone who was dealing with an illness, nor did it seem like it was the best choice for the maid's self-care.

"You should li-"

And then the maid pulled her own heart out. For a few moments, the Sword Witch almost seemed to go blue in the face, eyes wide as her jaw hung open and she stared in shock.

What?! Why?! How?! These were the thoughts that circulated through the petite girl's mind in that instant. Her stomach felt almost like it was about to turn itself inside out. The heart was still connected, still beating, and the elven maid didn't seem to think anything was wrong with what she was doing!

For a few moments this was the only way she could even function, to simply stare in mute shock with her mouth hanging open. But Fio's mind slowly caught up with the situation, and realized that the heart before her eyes was no ordinary organ.

It was drenched, suffused in curses, magical energy radiating from it like the most wicked and abominable Fomorian.

"That... y-your... your heart, it's cursed!" Fio nearly stumbled over her words. The alternative explanation was this girl was a Fomorian herself, but that seemed unlikely given her profession as a maid, "Y-you... C-can't you at least tell me before you do something like that?!"

@Rune_Alchemist

[Crimson Paladin]

It wasn't until after their meeting with the mayor that Ethelred had realized that Od was nowhere to be found. He hadn't had much concern for her, having assumed that she'd be fine. After all, with her martial skills and potent powers of healing, Ethelred was confident that Od would be able to handle herself against the Fomorians. Sadly, he was horribly wrong. During the battle, as far as Ethelred could piece together, Od must have been abducted by the Fomorians, no doubt to make use of her life-giving blood.

Ethelred wanted to go after her while the trail was still warm, hoping to catch them before her abductor could retreat back to whatever dark place they had crawled out of. However, their Reinhardt instead insisted on continuing their original mission. It didn't sit well with Ethelred to let the trail of her abduction go cold, but the queen had ordered him to follow Reinhardt's orders as if they were her own. Additionally, as much as Ethelred didn't like it, there was a cold logic in Reinhardt's course of action. It was very unlikely that Od's abductors would kill her, because she was worth far more to them alive. For now they needed to find Elnith and ensure that the destructive Fomorian that they were pursuing was neutralized before it could destroy another settlement.

As they left, they passed by another grim sight for Ethelred- the ruins of his family's castle. In the time that had passed since he had been thawed by Sorcha, Ethelred had only visited the site once before, prior to joining up with her. He had not set foot on the actual castle grounds since before he had been frozen, having at the time not been ready to face the discomfort of seeing the destruction up close. If it were not for the matters of both Od and Elnith's disappearances, and the urgency at which Reinhardt spurred the group on, Ethelred would have asked to have some time to walk among the ruins. Perhaps he would have the opportunity after the mission was complete.

The combined shock of losing Od and seeing his family's ruined castle had left Ethelred in a rather poor mood. Even with his helmet concealing his facial expressions, his mournful demeanor could be seen in the chilled but not frigid air surrounding him, the accompanying condensation almost akin to the shedding of tears. As they continued onward to their destination, Ethelred pondered on how they would break the news to Sorcha about losing Od. It was true that the life of a knight was a dangerous one and that they must be prepared to lose friends, but it was evident that Ethelred had not been mentally prepared for this particular possibility.

When they reached the burned village, it was largely what Ethelred had expected that they'd find. The entire settlement had been burned to the ground. Ghastly claw marks could be seen carved into the remains of some of the buildings, further evidence of the sheer violence that transpired here. Ethelred didn't anticipate finding any bodies aside from perhaps charred bones, but lying throughout the ruined town were the rotting, scorched corpses of Fomorians.

"Judging by the burns and state of decay, I'd say these Fomorians fell during the attack. I doubt that a village militia would have taken down even one of them, however," Ethelred spoke to the others, assessing the corpses. "I'd guess that this was Elnith's work."

Just then, Ethelred heard a scream coming from inside the ruined village. The Frozen Knight swiftly rode towards the source of the scream, where he found two human children surrounded by Fomorians. Most looked like the smaller variants that they had encountered on the road to Redwater Point, but one- possibly the leader- looked like the Fomorians that had attacked the town. From the look of everything, Ethelred figured that these children were probably from a neighboring village, trying to test their courage by visiting the site of the Fomorian attack. When he was a child, Ethelred was similarly adventurous. One of his childhood friends was the daughter of one of the family's housecarls, and had always insisted on playing the role of the young etheling's bodyguard whenever they snuck off to some place they shouldn't be. Fortunately, they never had the misfortune to find themselves in this much trouble.

Ethelred needed to act quickly to draw their attention. He charged towards the group of Fomorians, lance couched. He was aiming for the big one but would not pass up the opportunity to stab or trample any that were unfortunate enough to not get out of his path. He was certain that Marduk and Reinhardt would be close behind, ready to cut down any beasts that avoided the incoming lance, hooves, and horns.

@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor@Rune_Alchemist

[Pyromania99]

As everyone made their seperate ways, Luna didn't have much to do. Any exploring of the camp was, well, something she'd do with Her Majesty. Not like it's been far too long since she's been at this fort anyhow. It was the last civilized location she stopped at in Lightsword territory before making her way to the Court of Queen Sorcha. "Let me accompany you, Your Highness." Luna said as she followed the Queen. As the walked, she took a look around to see if there were any changes to the fort or... almost more importantly, any structural damage. At one point, she was the one who took the most patrols and was held responsible with such things. Leo being involved in court matters and Gabe doing some of the many other things that were expected of him.

Still, she was with Queen Sorcha now... And the soldiers were being complimented. This made Luna puff her chest with some small amount of pride. "Many thanks for the compliment. It does me well to hear such things. After all, many of the men stationed here were trained by me. Gabe also had a hand in things, I suppose. Until I took to your Court, Gabe would set the blade into shape back home and then I would temper it out in the field."

"But, if it's food you're wondering about... Well, it's nothing the city couldn't readily out-do, but we do what we can to make it taste more than edible." The knightess held back a giggle from the Queen's embarrassed look on her face. "Follow me, if you will. I'm sure Leo told the kitchen crew to make food but they're probably not sure what to make for a Queen." The two soon arrived at a building inside the fort, one with more than a few chimneys actively releasing smoke. Once inside, it was obvious that this was the fort's kitchen with a number of chairs and tables acting as a cafeteria. Luna lead the Queen to a fairly nice table, obviously meant more for nobility than the common soldier, and pulled out a chair, "Please, take a seat. I'll be right back."

Luna walked behind a small countertop where the Queen could see a number of soldiers working as cooks. There were a few stoves and some giant pots cooking something, a stew most likely. The woman started to discuss something with them for a few minutes before scooping some stew into a bowl. "Here you go, Your Majesty. For now, just think of this stew as an appetizer. I'm having them cook up something with a bit more of a Lightsword touch. This stew is a pretty common affair, but we were afforded some extra spices and such since Leo came here. It's venison with a touch of locally gathered vegetables... And I would appreciate if you ate the plant life in there as well..." The Knightess said as she half stared into her Queen's soul.

[Guy0fV4lor]

---

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin@Cu Chulainn

Though Reinhardt felt a need to remind Ethelred to be more tight-lipped about their primary mission focus of locating Elnith nagging at the back of his mind-- the matter of preventing ambush or any parties attempting to stalk the operation took precedence.

And if the colder than usual air hanging around the frozen knight was anything to go off of... It was likely best to leave any corrective reprimand until a bit later for the sake of morale.

It was when they finally arrived at what remained of the village that Reinhardt's blood ran cold. Among the ashes of decimated homes and the charred corpses of its inhabitants were equally scorched Fomorians. Enough that they should've been easily noticed in the fray... Not only was it highly unusual for weak Fomorians to co-operate with the more powerful members of their ilk, but this also greatly differed from the reports that the queen's scouts had gathered from assault's survivors...

The Knight's brow furrowed.

"So they have humans among their ranks as well..." Reinhardt muttered, his teeth gritting tightly beneath his helm.

The strange pattern of assaults. The inaccurate reports. Elnith's disappearance. The sudden bandit attack. The irregular coordination of greater and lesser Fomorians. Od's kidnapping. The Cyclopean Fomorian's artificial nature...

This entire series of events was a trap designed to split the cohort and pick them off, one by one.

A shrill cry cut through the air before Reinhardt could voice his concerns to the others; interrupting his thoughts. A young pair of children were beset by a pack of Fomorians in a ruin otherwise devoid of any and all life...

Was this another piece of the trap lain by an unseen opponent? Or were these children simply victims of circumstance; having survived the initial attack only to be set upon by the stragglers of the invading force?

Whichever the case-- it was a Knight's duty to protect those in need, even when doing such was likely playing into the enemy's hand.

As Ethelred charged headlong into the center of the Fomorian grouping-- Reinhardt pulled his newest weapon from his belt; wrapping the attached rope firmly around his wrist, hurling his harpoon at the Fomorian closest to the children!

[Cu Chulainn]

To Battle

---

Marduk cared not for the information they were given. After all, it is his traveling companions' job to parse such rumors and plan for a course of action. If anything, Marduk was glad he was in a group that would do the talking for him. So long as it lead him to laying waste to more Fomorian scum, the Swordwind was contempt with whatever leads these knights chose to pursue.

And battle, it seems, would soon find the trio as well as they made their ways into the burnt remnants of a village.

Marduk growled softly, his heart flared once more at the sight of the slaughter. To think that these cursed kinsmen are free to wander and destroy at their whim sickens the Elf-blooded warrior to no end. Such a scene reminded him of his duty, his self-appointed quest to rid the world of these cursed beings. The horrified screams of a child would be his call to enact this mission, however, as his allies both charged into battle. A group of Fomorians seemed to be grouping up against a pair of children. The Frozen Knight quickly rode in to face what appeared to be their leader, whereas the Brute had moved to a position where he could defend the children.

The Swordwind was the last to enter the fray, stepping up on his horse as he rode it in a crouched position as he clutched his staff tightly. He briefly considered drawing upon his Leargas before deciding against it, believing he would not need its power against mere chaff. He knew well that if he relied too much on his ancestors' power, they may soon overtake him. It would be best to save his bloodline's arms for when they would face their next great adversary, if those massive claw-marks on the walls were any indication of such.

Marduk would then leap from his horse, holding his staff aloft with two hands as he aimed on landing within the center of their formation. As he landed, he would sweep his staff into a large circle, knocking the goblinoids away from his landing zone. Wasting no time, Marduk made his attacks. Like a whirlwind, his staff would crush those cursed beasts that surrounded him, shattering bones and cracking skulls with each swing.