“Though most laypersons would be more willing to count the large swathe of forests that encompass Eastern Melton, Volksgrad, Northern Carrador, and beyond as simply the ‘Mistveil’. It is actually only an arm of the much larger Adonari Woodlands. As ancient as it is mystical, the whole of the woodlands could be considered an area of abnormally high mana concentration. Though notably, the area of the ‘Mistveil’ was the only part that suffered the lasting adverse effects of Arnethean magicks and then subsequently experimentation of magical curses under the Nautican Empire. Creating the odorless but highly prominent fog that is the veil’s namesake.”

  - Professor Adam Philos, Pathfinders Guild Topographer, “Landscapes of Cyndralia: Forests - Mistveil”

  The party hurried along the streets, their footsteps now out of sync and more erratic. Though they weren’t in a panic, the possibility of a fight was still something that they wanted to avoid for now. Around them, inhuman clicks and craws slowly grew in number into an incessant cacophony, spreading from one rooftop to another. More concerningly for Sophie, whatever creature that was perpetrating it had yet to show itself, still hidden amongst the eaves and roofs, out of sight, but very much watching.

  Once more, the mission had deviated from their plan. Another shift from what should have been a simple search and recovery of documents related to the fall of Eichafen. Another complication onto the already fraught expedition.

  Understrength, underprepared, and uncertain of what to expect. Sophie had a troubling thought of the academic expedition that had unwittingly stumbled upon her in Saclia and the one before them that had succumbed to Arantos’s cult. The violence and chaos that had been wrought that day and the horrors that she had witnessed as a result of their ritual.

  It had been an uncomfortable experience, but one that only seemed to grow ever more pertinent the more they unearthed about Eichafen’s collapse. Like them, she felt increasingly as if she had stumbled upon something that they were not prepared to handle. At least, not right now.

  Crash.

  Glass dishware shattered somewhere nearby, making her jump a little. But Mila simply moved one hand to steady her before pushing her forward. They had no time to waste, they needed to reach the gatehouse.

  Low gurgles and groans followed. The bone rattling screeching and clicking had summoned more than just others of its own kind. They acted as a beacon to rouse the city’s former inhabitants from their eternal slumber.

  In the shade of fallen timbers and behind boarded up windows, shadows flickered to life as the undead found themselves unintentionally called to arms for one last defense of the city. Except this time, the living were those who had intruded.

  That however, still left one prominent question echoing in Sophie’s mind. Then what the hells was that in the guards barracks?

  It was a question that would have to wait. For the closer they got to the streets surrounding the gatehouse, the more they could make out the sound of human voices. In particular, the shouting and barking of orders. It meant one of two things, either the others were fighting, or preparing for one. Whatever it was, they were late. They would have to hurry.

  Cutting through Marius Platz had ironically been the hardest bit. With how clear the plaza was, the shrill inhuman clicks from the roofs seemed to echo just as loudly from every direction. While it still technically posed no direct threat to them, it only seemed prudent to avoid the loudest corners in hopes that if it is a creature of sorts, that way, they wouldn’t attract anymore attention than they already did.

  A few more shamblers had wandered out onto the street from all the commotion though thankfully in limited numbers that they needn’t use more than one hand to count at each intersection. Still, that they were there at all suggested that Sir Taurox’s fears had come to pass. That the Golden Quarter had been quite poorly cleansed during the brief Astralian expedition onto the city. Even that, however, had been cut short because of her. Though she was certainly grateful that they had come to her aid back in the barrows. She wondered how different things would’ve turned out for both herself and the city if they hadn’t.

  The party finally rounded a corner to find themselves back in the quarter’s main road. Wasting no time in following it down towards the gatehouse. It was then that they all saw it.

  A hazy dull orange red flash in the sky, one almost obscured by the fog if not for how violently it exploded into light. A spell had been shot into the air from the direction of the gatehouse. The sign of trouble, worrying enough that Janos and Eva had deemed it necessary.

  With that singular sighting, the last vestigates of caution were thrown to the wind as the party now started running down the street, uncaring of any attention drawn to them. There was now little doubt that the situation had changed not just for them, but for the others as well. Perhaps the only somewhat positive factor of all this was that the spell would’ve signalled the remainder of the expedition in the city to gather them all together. When their numbers were combined, Sophie could almost pretend that they were a proper team of explorers instead of the last minute hobbled together remnants of drastically different groups of people.

  She thought back to when Annalise’s group worked alongside the Crows. Though they would ultimately turn traitor, they had moved like professionals. Whereas Runebound was far more lax though still just as cohesive in their movements. It was much like her and Eva’s squadrons. Where the saints and saintesses acted very much as one wholly orgainized unit. Sophie and the others meanwhile, were a little more laissez faire in their own motions, even if they were technically one grouping. At least I don’t have to worry about Eva being a turncoat. Sophie sighed.

  Catching sight of the hardened bricks of the gatehouse, they quickened their pace only to find a small skirmish already well underway. A few makeshift palisades and spikes funneled what undead there were into little chokepoints. The saints and Eva taking up the reins on the frontline, their blessed skills and strength allowing them to easily dispatch the roaming dead that had awakened. Templars held the flanks in case of strays that got too close or more dangerous threats. Inquisitor Janos and a templar sergeant were busy monitoring the defences. Though out of them all, Sophie had yet to see Sir Taurox, Sir Hermann or the other red hawks.

  “Lady Kastianne, over here!” One of the templars bellowed upon sighting them.

  Acknowledged by the defenders, Sophie and Mila quickly exchanged a glance and nodded. Push forward.

  Her sword raised forward, Sophie led the charge as the others followed. From within the barricades, Janos allocated two templars to assist the saint squadron as they moved to cut down the remaining undead that had gathered.

  The handful that could resist were then divided between the flanks. Skeletal guardsmen, decayed zombies, and decrepit monsters shambled their way towards the living. With quick strikes and sure hands, Mila and Sophia darted forward, precise blades biting into necrotic tissue before severing key limbs to bring down the dead. Sophie herself was a fair bit more forceful, her own swordsmanship lying in the ability to deliver either quick cuts or heavy blows with little room in between. Against her brittle foes however, there was little need for agility as they simply needed to be silenced without protest. With a bash here, a jab there, they crumple just the same.

  On the other side, templar training was on full display as the silver warriors simply cut a swathe through the undead with every blow. Each swing of their weapons rending bone, armor, and flesh in their wake like they were but papier mache. The saints and Eva meanwhile, brought the ferocity of training and tight formations into play. Shields and blades carving out a gap, the archers and mages in the rear occasionally firing a projectile or spell into the unlucky dead.

  One by one, the undead fell to the renewed onslaught. The combined attack quickly whittled the already fragile numbers down. Fortune smiled on them in a way. The emaciated undead here, while haunting in appearance, carried little weight behind their own attacks. Most were deflected if not simply shrugged off, more sluggish blows were outright sidestepped before the undead behind them were cut down.

  In only about a minute or two, the last of the dead had been put to rest once more. The templars were already setting about to the task of pushing the bodies into a pile to be lit into a bonfire, a solemn but necessary task to prevent potential reanimation by necrotic magicks.

  Sophie and the others, meanwhile, exchanged some grateful greetings with Eva’s group. The older girl flashing a bright smile at her timely reappearance. Inquisitor Janos quickly beckoned for everyone to reconvene, clearly aware that the situation in the city was shifting faster than expected.

  “Lady Kastiane. Inquisitor. Glad you could rejoin us in time.” Inquisitor Janos curtly addressed them.

  “Sir Janos.” Mila grunted.

  “I trust there were no casualties or injuries on your end?”

  “None so far.”

  “Lady Rosengart?” He turned towards Eva.

  “We did fine holding the line.” Eva shrugged.

  “And Lady Kastiane, I take it you were already on the way back given your timely arrival.”

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  “Yes, sir.” Sophie nodded.

  “Might I inquire why?” He arched his brow.

  Sophie turned to Mila, who then pulled out her magically sealed box. The girl’s face seemed to drop a little, yet remained knit with a tension that Sophie couldn’t quite understand yet.

  “Lyudmila?”

  “Plague samples. We found an inert plague bloom and confirmation of unknown entities and potentially additional creatures. Sir Taurox and the red hawks said they would mop up the guard post. We found this sample in the merchant’s guild near the heart of the quarter. I suspect there might be more.”

  Sophie saw Sir Janos’s normally restrained demeanour break for a moment as his eyes widened at the mention of a plague bloom. For a split second he seemed to grit his teeth in frustration before calming back down. He reached up to give his head a frustrated scratch before letting out a tired sigh.

  “I see.” He muttered.

  In the pause, he motioned for Mila and began conferring with his colleague. The two alongside the templar commander took their conversation inside the gatehouse. Likely to study the plague sample without exposing it to the others.

  Looking to fill the brief silence that followed, Sophie decided to try and figure out what exactly actually happened to alarm the gatehouse unit.

  “Did you guys hear it too?” Sophie asked.

  “Hear what?” Eva answered before the inquisitor could speak up.

  “The weird chittering and clicking noises on the rooftops. They hounded us near the platz but seemed to die down a little the closer we got to here. Actually…” She paused mid sentence, straining her ears before pursing her lips, “It is rather quiet here.”

  Eva seemed a little bewildered by the information and just shook her head. The older girl turned towards her subordinate Suzuki who shared an equally puzzled expression.

  “I don’t think so.” Eva finally answered.

  “It seemed to be what was waking up the dead near the platz.” Sophie explained, “A very, very loud chorus of clicking and calls from the rooftop. But whenever we looked up, we couldn’t see anything. They must be camouflage or hiding, but could see us.”

  “Aye. Grew louder when we walked in certain directions. Like a warning.” Sophia added.

  “A very loud one.” Elaria chipperly added.

  “Loud clicks that grew louder?” Eva frowned and turned to Suzuki.

  The outlander just shook her head.

  “We only heard the undead. At least the rest of us did.” She answered for Eva.

  “Ah! I did feel some shifting of energy though!” A voice chirped out from the side.

  The group turned to find Ayumi gesturing in the air with her staff. They followed her direction as it pointed towards somewhere in the north.

  “Some strange fluctuations, very small. But it was like… ummm, like…” The girl furrowed her brow as she struggled to explain it.

  “Vaccum?” Suzuki suggested.

  “Yeah, like a vacuum. But really weak. But since nothing was happening at the time, I didn’t notice.” Ayumi nodded.

  The outlanders turned to their most quiet member. The shrine maiden Miyuki, who even now had simply stood off to the side. Alarmed at the sudden attention directed at her, she performed a flustered bow before tepidly nodding. It was a silent confirmation, but equally, a concerning one .

  Sophie could feel herself tense a little, as did the expression of the few who seemed to have quickly grasped what that meant. For it meant that the rousing of so much activity throughout the city wasn’t just a case of some screeching creature on the rooftops. But possibly the work of some, based on testimony, weak yet likely foul magicks for it to have awoken the sleeping dead. The only ones who could tell however, were the inquisitors and templars. Who were, at this moment, locked in their own little conference.

  Sophie grimaced. With the complexities and dangers piling up, this expedition into Eichafen seemed more and more like a doomed endeavour. At least they already had ample evidence of the treachery and disaster that laid it low. Still, she could help but cast her gaze deep into the Golden Quarter and the castle beyond. Undead, strange monsters, dark magic. She shuddered, it’s Melisgrad all over again.

  “Soph?” Eva softly queried, her voice a small balm against the oncoming doubts.

  “Eva.” Sophie grunted.

  “Something the matter?” Eva smiled as she cornered her.

  Around them, the others devolved into their own little chattering as the expedition found themselves with a brief respite against the chaos of Eichafen.

  Sophie sighed and turned towards Eva, finding that ever familiar grin of hers to be a small font of strength against the dreary gatehouse.

  “Worried. S’all.” She murmured.

  “Sophie.” Eva chided knowingly.

  The older girl flashing a bemused smirk at her that let her know there that she was in no way convinced. A hold over from their younger years whenever Sophie would forget a task or two. Though equally, she could just as easily recognize that Eva too, was worried by how she kept touching at her hair and shuffling her feet despite her otherwise composed demeanour.

  “Honest, Eva. Nothing to worry about.”

  “Sure, sure. But what were you thinking about that’s got you frowning, hmm?”

  “That’s…” Sophie sighed, “Just wondering how everything’s connected.”

  “Oh? Is it conspiracy time?”

  “Eva, I'm serious. Remember when I told you about Melisgrad? Saclia?”

  A nod.

  “I had to deal with this ‘God’, Arantos. Or so he was called. One of his followers was the former expedition leader back when I was in Eichafen. A Direktor of the Pathfinders Guild here.”

  Eva remained silent, the girl processing each tid bit of information as Sophie watched her connect the dots.

  “The one who betrayed Annalise and the others at the ruin, right?” Eva eventually asked.

  Sophie solemnly lowered her head. “Yeah.” She whispered.

  “I can see why that’s concerning.”

  ‘Mhmm. I… I think they’re connected. But…”

  “But?”

  “Melisgrad… it was falling… turning into a hells of its own. Here… it’s already gone.” She mumbled.

  “I see.”

  Sophie snuck a glance over at Eva. Though she was comprehending Sophie’s words, she too, seemed distracted by her own mind. Knowing Eva though, she knew she wouldn’t share much if she hadn’t already shared it by now. Letting out a small snort in honor of better times, she gave her mistress a quick prod to the sides.

  “Gah.” Eva squawked.

  “You’re thinking too.” Sophie jokingly tried to pout to no avail.

  Seeing her chance, Eva reached over to squish Sophie’s cheeks, much to the elf’s dismay at the embarrassing display.

  “And what if I am, huh?” Eva pressed the attack.

  “Boutta what?” Sophie managed to muster out a question amidst the struggle.

  At this Eva paused her attack, her grip loosening into a more gentle rub of Sophie’s cheek. Her eyes made their way downwards and away, almost sullen in stark contrast to the momentary levity on display.

  “You guys mentioned the plague. I know it’s silly but Mila used the phrase ‘inert’. That means it hasn’t been eliminated. And it’s been a year…”

  “Ah.” Her worry finally clicked in Sophie’s mind. “Home.” She uttered a single word to her friend.

  “Home.” Eva confirmed.

  The two hummed wistfully to each other, different but similar little tidbits of pleasant memories flowing between them. Then Sophie brushed off Eva’s grip and clasped her hand onto the girl’s shoulder, offering a hopefully reassuring little squeeze.

  “It’ll be fine. It’s been a year and it hasn’t spread. Besides, they know now, if anything, the church might be the next big headache. Heh.”

  “Heh. Fair enough. Still, it’s what? About a day and a half’s ride away if we weren’t rushing? I have some reason to worry, I’d say.”

  “Of course, but you’re capable. Most capable in all of Carrador.” Sophie declared.

  “Pfft. Flatterer. Always did miss the compliments.”

  “It’s true!” Sophie insisted with a smirk, “Besides-”

  Before she could continue, a call from the outer sentries interrupted her.

  “Riders on approach!” A templar announced.

  The two cast a glance at each other. The only ones on active mounted duty within the city was Theo’s contingent. Their system of using magic as a signal appeared to have worked rather well. Though the relief on Eva’s face that her brother was alright wasn’t shared in full by Sophie. For that meant Sir Taurox and the red hawks were still missing.

  As knights and footmen quickly assembled at the entry to the gatehouse, Sophie motioned for Eva to go debrief her brother. Disappointed, Eva shot her a glare before finally reasserting herself as one of the Carradorian leaders of this expedition. The others meanwhile, turned to Sophie and Suzuki for guidance, this extended lull having only seemed to put everyone’s nerves more on edge.

  Sophie just shook her head before gesturing towards the gatehouse itself. Without a threat assessment from the inquisitors, they were stuck in place for a while. Understanding the message, Suzuki barked some orders for the saints to reform themselves into a more battle ready stance. Sophia and the other two naturally separated from the outlanders and moved towards Sophie. Both her sisters seemed to share the same knowing look in their eyes as they stared at her, one that made her profoundly uneasy. Raylani, at least, seemed unbothered once again, her attention focused solely on potential threats.

  “What is it?” Sophie eventually grumbled under the stares.

  “The castle then?” Elaria quipped.

  “What?”

  “The castle. That’s where we’re going?” The bard rolled her eyes.

  “I… I don’t know? Why?” Sophie muttered.

  “It’s like when It intervened isn’t it? Or the other times you ran into the cult. Probably a dead or fading crystal though, given that even I don’t feel it much.” The bard mused.

  “And you think I’d want to investigate?”

  “Don’t you?” Elaria chuckled.

  Sophie looked away. She wasn’t wrong. The more important question for her, however, was the how. After all, from her rudimentary knowledge of plagues. Whatever the malaise had been here, it had clearly spread throughout the quarter in some way. She already knew at least one of the inquisition’s conclusions would be that the center of the golden quarter and beyond would likely have been susceptible to plague exposure, rendering that area inaccessible. Without covering that terrain, getting to the castle would be a nearly impossible task. They would need either some way to protect themselves or another way around.

  Almost as quickly as the thought entered her mind, a peculiar idea snuck up in the same measure. There was a way forward. A slight possibility, but a possibility nonetheless.