As the Sun shown through the acient trees the group prepared to leave with the wagans packed. Thorne stood by Inferna feeding her some of the meet from the Gorack they'd previously defeated when Sir Lucanas and Madan Vesper approached." Thorne, I need you to scout ahead and see if the Border Wardens still have an encapment. It would make alot easier if we had a place to break between hear and the next settlement."
Before Thorne could respond Madam Vesper approached the pair then Produced a Nuvalin sword, made of the blessed metal of their land built to be calapseable as when the blade guard collapsed and extended so did the main blade with the push of a button. The blade also had sturding runes ingraved into it but wht made it stand out is that the merchants had manged to blend a fire crystal into the blade." For your assistance yesterday. We felt we owed you a little." Madam Vesper said as she presnted the blade." I accept this with great honor, Thank you Madam."Thorne Bowed." Also a new arm piece and gauntlet for you it is Nuvalin shadow steel but the strength runes should make up for the weight, we pay back our allies." Vesper said with a serious expression.
With that Thorne mounted Inferna ready for anything that may lie ahead. " Remember being prepared is step one.." Sir Lucanas began " Being ready is step two." Thorne finished with a smile. With that the two ascended into the air with increadable speed leaveing a flame trail from Inferna's feathers behind.
Even above the massive trees of The Dark Wood the forest seemed to absorb the light around it except for the purple bioluminescence of the leaves. However ahead on the trail she could see smoke a few miles ahead, were the encampment should be. " Faster girl!" With that Inferna gace a boost from causal flying to speeding that direction.
As Thorne got closer she could see the full encampment, or what was left of it. First she could see that the walls, Nuvalin shadow steel with crystal wards and power crystals embedded. However the wall on the west side was devastated with bodies of border wardens thrown about." Gorack maybe.." Thorne thought aloud. Upon landing it appeared the dark wood was being extra dangourus for everyone yesterday. As she looked around it appeared that a Gorack had destroyed the wall while a pack of Gnralhounds had attacked. This worried her shed never heard of the two monsters working together. At least not in this era. But Thorne didnt have long to think about it as she was surprised as a pack of twelve Gnralhounds appeared to ambush her from the rubble. It didn't take long for the beasts to surronund her. However they hesitated as Inferna flared her wings and Thorne drew her new sword. With the click of a buttone the sword blade guards extended then the blade.
As Thorne activated the flame crystal of the blade as well as channeling her own fire into it making the weapon white hot ,the Gnralhounds hesitated. Until an Alpha stopped them. With a bark at the others the lightning alpha stood taller than the others but also it was different than any she'd seen in all her time in the borderlands. This alpha appeared to have armor, forged from what appeared to be the currpted metal and bark of The Dark Wood. " That can't be good." Thorne said. As if it understood her the alpha made another bark like noise couseng the others to rush forward. With no time to think the two sprung into action. Inferna immidiatly flared her wings causeing a burst of flame tht didn't effect Thorne but did incinerate the first four. After that Thorne would use her new blade to channle a slash of fire across the next four turning them to ash.
However the last four did not rush forward as if it had learned the alpha stopped the other gnarlhounds in there tracks. As the beasts began to circle them Thorne heard the first horn of the caravan, signaling they were only a mile out. With that she decided to charge forward taking the alpha apparently by surprise. When that happened Inferna attacked the last four in a surprise attack snapping at the first one with strength that took the gnarlhound's head. The alpha moved with unexpected gract dodgeing the first swing of Thorne's sword. In that flash of movement it attempted to bite at Thorne's arm. But the new shadow renforced runes of the new arm guard not only stopped the bite but absorbed the lighting coming of the monster. That's when Thorne kicked the beast sending it flying back a few feet. As Thorne was about to attempt to finish the alpha she saw a glint of Amber from the tree line that caused her to look away. In that instant the alpha ran from her disappearing quickly into the tree line. After watching the alpha run she turned to help Inferna but it was to late. The griffin was feeding on the bodies of the fallen gnarlhound's.
" Good work girl, but that was strange." After that they heard the final horn announcing the arrival of the caravan. With Sir Lucanas in the lead she could already see his concerned expression. " What happened? Smell like roasted flesh." He asked. " Gnarlhounds, but I can give you the details later first we should set up a perimeter and see if we can find clues as to what happened before I got here." Thorne responded.
As the merchants and Golems set up a perimeter and made temporary fixes to the walls Thorne told Sir Lucanas about the gnarlhound's and strange alpha. " Armored? That cant be good." Sir Lucanas said with a hand on his chin. " Do you think it could be a magical object?" Thorne asked. "Seems the most likely scenario but there hasn't been anything like that since the Rootrot was defeated." Thorne knew he spoke of Malaikai the Rootweaver, a Demi god born during the ancient age before the Dark Wood crisis when the wood took over the land between realms. Anything made from that age was trouble.
That's when one of the caravan's healers rushed forward. " Guardians! We found a survivor." The rushed to the healing tent to find a border warden in very bad shape. While he wore the leathers of the border wardens, made from a mix of Gnarlhound and dreamwraith skins. Seeming to be partially alive and consuming the light around it. However he was missing his left leg and arm along with a piece of his cheek. " We found him in the command tent surrounded by three gnarlhound's." The man gasped awake upon hearing the healer." Where am I?!"he screamed as he tried to get up to no avail. " Calm yourself I'm am Sir Lucanas guardian of the flame. You are safe in this wandering merchants caravan." Upon hearing Sir Lucanas announce himself the man calmed, Sir Lucanas's tital carring its weight. " Now tell me what happened here Warden?" The man layed back and begun his tale." It began two nights ago. We began hearing Gnarlhound calls at the east wall. But while we were distracted a Gorack in some form of make shift armor burst through the west walls." The man wenced at the memory." So they were coordinated?" Thorne said with concern." Yes and it moved with disterbing intelligence.." " but why here?" Sir Lucanas " I Believe they wanted the captains sword." The warden stated." it was a relic from the first contact era and the Gorack went straight for him while the gnarlhound's attacked us." " Good work warden get some rest." Sir Lucanas said as the healers began to use light crystals to perform healing magic.
" What should we do now Sir?" Thorne asked ." I'll send word to the kingdom, maybe we can get some form of renforcements." Thorne nodded " In the meantime we should prepare for anything on our way too Alurin, I believe its the next settlement on our road." " Yes Sir its only about three miles from here but we should definitely go now an travel during daylight with whatever is going on before it gets dark and those things come back."Thorne responded. With that Sir Lucanas headed for the main wagon to send a message to the Penticary while Thorne headed to the west wall.
The path to Alurin wound through increasingly treacherous terrain. Ancient ruins jutted from the forest floor, their crystal spires long since corrupted by the Wood's influence. The wagons navigated carefully around massive roots that broke through the earth like serpents frozen in stone.
"Alurin's beacons," Sir Lucanas called out as midday approached. Through gaps in the canopy, Thorne could see three towers of pure crystal rising above the trees, their surfaces catching what little light penetrated the Wood and amplifying it. The settlement's famous light-ward system, powered by those beacons, had kept it safe for generations.
As they approached the settlement's gates, Thorne noticed something odd - the guards seemed unaware of any trouble at the Border Warden encampment, despite it being less than half a day's ride away. The usual bustle of trade and activity continued undisturbed within Alurin's walls.
"Welcome to Alurin," the gate captain called out, performing the standard inspection of their caravan. "Any trouble on the roads?"
Thorne exchanged a glance with Sir Lucanas before he spoke. "We need to speak with your commander. Privately."
Inside Commander Darius's office, the gravity of the situation became clear. The gruff veteran's face darkened as they described the destroyed encampment and the armored creatures. "Impossible," he muttered. "We've had patrols in that area. Nothing unusual reported."
"When was your last contact with the Border Warden outpost?" Thorne asked.
"Yesterday morning. Routine check-in, all clear." Darius pulled out a logbook, his weathered fingers tracing the entries. "They were supposed to report again this evening."
"The attack was precise," Sir Lucanas observed. "No warning, no survivors except one, and somehow contained enough to avoid detection by a major settlement barely three miles away."
"Whatever did this," Thorne added, "wanted to test the Border Wardens' defenses without alerting anyone else. They're learning, probing for weaknesses."
Commander Darius stood, moving to a map of the border region. "I'll send scouts, quietly. If someone's coordinating these monsters, we need to know how and why." He turned to face them. "In the meantime, I suggest you both rest. The merchants can trade here safely enough, but something tells me your journey to the capital just became more urgent."
As they left the commander's office, Thorne noticed the normal activity of the settlement continuing around them - traders haggling in the market, children playing near the crystal beacons, guards performing their routine patrols. None of them aware of the calculated threat growing in the Dark Wood.
That evening, as Thorne stood on Alurin's walls watching the sun set through the canopy, she couldn't shake a disturbing thought. The armored alpha had looked right at her before retreating, its eyes showing an intelligence that shouldn't have been possible. It hadn't just been running away - it had been assessing her, learning.
"We leave as soon as the merchants are stocked," Sir Lucanas said, joining her at the wall. "The capital needs to know what's happening out here."
Thorne nodded, her hand instinctively put her hand on the hilt of her sword. Whatever was stirring in the Dark Wood, it was patient, intelligent, and methodical - a combination that made it far more dangerous than any simple monster. As darkness fell over Alurin, she wondered how many other settlements along the border were about to discover just how vulnerable they really were and if the Eildoria could send help, they were still over a week From the Nothern border station.