![]() and you will know it when it comes.” The figure continues on. She calls to Eiko, who gives her a brief glance, but Reios can see her pack instincts overtaken by the thrill of the hunt. “The shadow approaches…” the elder’s words click in her mind. He is different – inhuman in his movements. And then, she spots a shadowy figure moving through the fray. The duel is over, and cultists pour in.Ĭursing, Reios fights to get to Eiko but the battle is an endless tide. She moves to end this, but quickly pivots back as an arrow narrowly scrapes her cheek. The surprise momentum throws the Fallen Commander off his stance and, for a second, he falters. The folded metal ignites in a fierce red glow – a red energy pulled from the fabric of Eucos itself – and Hortuk’s halberd shatters. Her blade connects with Hortuk’s, a pinpoint accuracy, and a guttural scream erupts from her core. She draws on her mother’s rage, who gave everything to defend her daughter the Old Wolf’s respect, who brought a wild pup into her mottled band a mercenary’s pride – her pride – to stand beside those who would give everything to protect. Nowhere to go, Eiko focuses all her strength on a single movement. A misjudged parry forces her into a corner and Hortuk seizes the opportunity with a grim finality. This is the moment she’s been waiting for, she can’t falter now. Hortuk fights with an unrestrained ferocity, Eiko matching his strikes. The young wolf and the scarred lion meet. ![]() ![]() The rising flames reflect in their eyes, but a greater fire burns in each. The young wolf and the scarred lion stand in opposition. And then the Old Wolf breaks off, charging forth to prevent Hortuk’s faithful guard from intervening. The two lock eyes, and for a brief moment something passes between them. The Old Wolf may be the leader, but the young wolf has waited for this moment, and she will not let the past be repeated. Reios steps forward, but it is Eiko alone who calls out a challenge. Flanked by a guard of loyal mercenaries, he is unstoppable – a lion among wolves – and many fall to the might of his halberd, which never ceases in its deadly advance. They fight fiercely, and once more Raneko holds, until Hortuk enters the fray. The band and the villagers rise to meet the challenge. And then, a miscalculation: a betrayal from within leaves an opening, and the cultists break through. Giramonte’s devices are at full power, quelling large-scale fires that threaten to overtake the village’s otherwise rustic defenses. Despite the overwhelming numbers, the village is able to hold. The cultists swarm outside the small village of Raneko, but its position on the cliffs overlooking the Great Eye gives it a strategic advantage. And you will know it when it comes,” clicks the Elder. But no image remains as strong in her mind as the man in the lion’s armor his recently scarred face glowing in the flames, and in his eyes: pride.Īs the sun sinks low on the horizon, the endless stretch of ocean reflects a hazy red. The sounds that followed still greet her on sleepless nights. She remembers watching as the town hall was set aflame. She remembers her mother fighting violently, striking the assailant in hopes to draw the focus away from her daughter’s hiding place. She remembers being hidden within the walls of their small home when raiders came door to door. The residents were gathered together and boarded up inside the town hall – all except Eiko. When Eiko was young, a viking raiding party razed the town of Tidomon to the ground. What fuels her ferocity when she loses herself in a fight… and she could feel her moment finally approaching. It’s why the band exists what binds the band together. A lesson aimed more at the ocean than Reios or Eiko. And so we must protect this power, this gift, all of us”, he surmises, his mouth clicking between thoughts. Of a being that fell to a darkness, and the power that surged through the land. As Reios and Eiko sit looking out over the Great Eye, the elder regales them with stories of lands beyond the seas, far to the west. He speaks in riddles, but amongst his grand tales lie hidden gems of wisdom. The elder of the village is a strange old strix.
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