I
The city was in a state of disorder that not a single citizen had ever seen in their lives.
The cause of such a commotion was the recent announcement from the captain of the city guard at the beginning of the last month:
"Listen well my fellow citizens of Amul. We have heard your pleas for help and your desperation and we are here today to tell you to not fear anymore!!"
But what was the origin of said desperation?
The answer to that question could easily be seen on the mountain filled horizon towering over everyone who could see.
The castle of Sangar.
An old fortress used in ancient times of wars no longer known to the people who lived in the present.
It was only about five months ago that this gigantic shell of stone appeared back into the minds of the citizens of Amul when a strange mist started to come out of its walls and started approaching the city slowly but surely.
Of course the mist did not come alone. Alongside it came the dark and the occult, an assortment of beasts and phantoms of many forms and sizes ready to engulf everything or so it was said.
It wasn't until fifty five people at the very least had disappeared (alongside a notable amount of resources and food) that any real effort to combat it started.
This was the fear that captain Parkus was referring to.
"After preparing for an entire month we are finally ready to set forth and enter that den of evil and eliminate all the evil that lies in its hearth"
At this point there was a pause and immediately after a barrage of clapping and energy from the citizens in support of the captain`s words (a pause that for those of the more cynical eye would have certainly be seen as manufactured precisely for that reaction).
"We will depart with two thirds of our forces in a mere five days so I implore you all: if you wish to support us as part of the rear forces we will welcome you all with fervor!!!"
And with these grandiose words the captain took his leave from the podium of the plaza surrounded by the supporting chants of the people.
The shining armor of all the knights of the guard was like dazzling star among the stone paths.
"W-wait for me please!!!" a meek figure among those clad in armor managed to say from the very back of the line. It was a short young man, moving frantically to catch up to the group.
"What's the matter young man?" said a random woodcutter.
"Not your problem sir" the young man responded in a rather rude manner that at the same time lacked any real weight and then continued his march.
"Do those idiots need to walk so unreasonable fast" he clamored in his hearth and maybe under his breath.
After walking for a bit he managed to see a figure wearing the same armor as him waiting for him while inspecting some silk imports on a store.
"Visha!! Did the captain order you to wait for me?" his voice denoted with total clarity that he did not like this person.
The sound of laughter came before any words.
"Oh? Does his majesty not like to be treated like this" the girl said while stretching her limbs after paying for the silk, "sorry to disappoint you but I'm just here to have some fun before our mission Sir Andras".
Her melodic voice did not help at all to placate Andras's disgust with her attitude.
"Could you stop calling me names like that?" Andras wasn't particularly fond of being reminded of his lost titles.
"Depends on how much you are willing to pay kid" her hands signaled towards him while speaking.
"You are only two years older than me you fiend"
"I'm still older"
"Shut it" he sighed, "I don't have any Drachmas on me right now anyways"
"Well that's too bad for ya then" she laughed and started walking away from the store "let's go kid, we need to go back to headquarters before it gets dark".
"Why is everyone so eager and impatient? Are we going to depart sooner?" he asked while they walked.
"Nah I doubt it" she put on the silk around her neck while speaking (which looked really weird on top of her helmet), "The Magi that the captain asked for hasn't arrived yet".
"Do we really need one of those for this mission? I've heard plenty of weird things about those who deal with the divine"
"I don't trust those weirdos either to be honest but considering what our scouts are saying about the beasts that are coming from that castle" her grip on her spear became stronger, "I think it's better to have anything that could help"
"I guess you are right"
"I sure a-" her voice was suddenly drowned by a scream coming from a couple streets away.
"What was that?"
"Nothing good I bet"
And that was all they said before sprinting towards the noise, spears in hand.
They both quickly arrived at the origin of the scream to be witness to a grim scenario.
A man laid immobile against a wall, blood gushing from his neck, while a figured towered over him with a bloodied hatchet in hand.
But the weirdest thing was most certainly the fact that the aggressor's eyes were completely clouded and shining with a strange glow that neither of them had seen.
Visha and Andras did not need to exchange any word to realize that they couldn't reason with the man and that it was time for combat.
They both prepared their spears and took their shields from their backs, ready to fight.
For a few seconds silence reigned on the alley.
The first move was made by Andras, who circled around the man slowly to cut of his escape route and have him surrounded. He knew that if the man attempted to attack him while he did this the opening he would create would allow Visha to attack and defeat him.
But the man did not move.
There was no movements on his body for almost a minute and this fact only served to put more pressure on the two warriors who were very much not accustomed to this kind of encounter.
After another minute, as sudden as a thunder strike, the man jumped towards Visha and struck with his hatchet with a force way above any normal man.
If it wasn't for Vishas quick feet, fast reactions and her shield her head would have been splattered instantly.
She stumbled back and almost fell down, the top part of her shield completely destroyed.
The man again jumped but this time he could not finish his attack because Andras struck him from behind with his shield and threw him against the wall.
Before he could retaliate against Andras Visha had already regained her posture and impaled the man's shoulder with her spear, pinning him on the wall.
The man tried to cut the spear to free his shoulder but at that point the battle was already over.
Andras used his spear to impale him through the brain and put an end to his life.
Neither of them spoke for a good while. Both were struck by what they had just seen.
It was the first time they had truly encountered such a manifestation of the supernatural.
"We…we need to tell the captain about this, the mission needs to happen as quickly as possible" said Visha.
"That's….true" Andras still couldn't shake away from the events that had transpired.
If the beasts of the occult had already infiltrated the central city, even to a small extent, they needed to act.
Quickly.