The party found themselves at the edge of the forest within the hour of setting out. A meadow extended out for several miles between them and a castle in the distance. Dark smoke rose out from behind its walls. As they came closer it became clearer that the walls, that appeared to have been once insurmountable in some distant past, were nothing but crumbling masses that served only to mark a border, but could not stop any person, let alone an army, from going over it with relative ease. Even as the party saw this they decided to approach the castle at the gates and enter as would any traveler. If for the smoke and the knowledge that they were heading for a dungeon the castle would easily be mistaken as deserted, abandoned to the ages to turn to dust.

Upon seeing the wreckage Jason was doubtful of Apisis, “Are you sure about treasure being in there?”

“Oh most assuredly, Jason, a few of our soldiers have been able to enter and escape with few precious materials. I do not know what your kind values, but I do not think it is outside the realm of the possible that whatever we find my kind would surely trade with you for something you would highly treasure,” Apisis replied.

“It’s a spooky dungeon, baka! They always have good stuff in games!” Rina chimed in.

“If this dungeon meet your standards you can always raid my dungeon,” Xev said suggestively.

“I…,” Jason began, but he was cut off by a rock hitting him squarely in the head. “What the fuck?” he shouted, turning his attention towards the direction that the rock came from only to be hit face on by another, larger, rock, knocking him off his feet.

The group scattered, Xev grabbing Jason up, pulling him into action and finding whatever cover they could find in the open field. Luckily there were a few boulders and a wagon nearby that they could hide behind. Just as they found themselves safe dozens of rocks of various sizes and shapes came flying over head and thudded against their cover. Jason tried to clear his headache, but his broken nose that was gushing blood was not helping his situation. Before he could say anything, Rina cast a low level healing spell which was enough to put Jason’s bones back where they belonged, but did nothing for the pain he was feeling, but he he tried to focus. “Uhhg, any ideas… t’ get them. I got… no projectiles,” he managed to force out out.

Rina looked over the edge of the cart towards the source of the stones. Along the walls were hairy creatures with horns on their heads and broad mouths. They wore dark robes that hid their bodies and made them blend into the stone of the walls. There were already so many Rina couldn’t count and more kept appearing. They were safe for now, but at the gates several of these hairy creatures began to gather, appearing to be getting ready to charge out from their safety to hunt down the group. It was only a matter of time before they would be forced to come out into the hail of stones and be pelted to death. The group of enemies forming at the gate didn’t worry Rina. She believed that Jason and Xev could easily handle them if they could pull the creatures behind the wagon, but there was very little chance at being able to do that without being hit by one of the many rocks and Jason being out of it.

“I do not have weapons to attack from afar,” Lady Apisis said.

Rina pulled out a piece of paper with writings sprawled on it that looked like a list and wrote down “buy ranged weapons.” Meanwhile, Xev stayed quiet as she watched the enemies prepare to rush out at them.

That was when a howl sounded in the distance. Then they heard clanking, like a metal sabaton crashing over and over again into the ground in heavy rapid steps approaching them, getting louder with each passing second. Before long a figure dressed in full plate armor came rushing down the road. As it got closer, it appeared to be a Tok`phane. It saw them pinned down. “Follow me,” it shouted in in a masculine voice as it passed by them, before dropping down to a knee and having an onyx shield form over his arm. After fully forming, the shield exploded in light as a translucent barrier about 3 meters wide wrapped half way around him, leaving space behind him for the party to take cover behind him, but he didn’t wait for them to react. He continued his charge directly at the gates of the crumbling castle.

Xev called out, “Rina, let’s go,” as she lifted Jason, lifting him up to take the dog knight’s offer of goodwill. Apisis followed suit, being no stranger to military tactics, nor wanting to lose an opportunity to get out of the situation they were in. Rina scrambled to follow them, but things moved too quickly. She tripped over own feet and crashed to the ground. Apisis heard the fall, returning to Rina’s side just in time to block a stone with a slash of her sword. Had she not returned to save the girl, Rina would almost certainly have died from the impact. Apisis yanked her to her feet and the two together raced to follow after the dog knight.

The storm of stones followed the party and it might have worked to target the dog knight from above as the barrier’s top was open, but to everyone’s surprise the barrier was raised to protect the party and simultaneously opened the front so that they could engage with the mob of enemies that had formed at the gates. By the time they reached this point Jason had recovered and seeing the path forward, jumped into the mob without a worry for his own safety, taking up the vanguard role. Apisis took the initiative to take up fighting at Jason’s back while Xev stood back by the Tok`phane under the pretense that she was guarding him, but really, she wanted the others to continue to get better and with her help it wouldn’t be much of a fight. Rina, for her part, had already started casting her healing spells to keep any cut from lasting long on anyone.

“Watch out,” the dog knight shouted as he once again brought the barrier forward and charged forwards, pushing aside the mob of creatures, disrupting any sense of formation they had. Apisis grabbed Jason and flew him up over the barrier, exposing them to the stone bombardment once more just long enough to get behind the dog knight. Apisis was quick to drop Jason, not able to support his weight for long. He landed beside the dog knight as Apisis dropped back out of sight of those enemies on the wall. Rina and Xev moved forward beneath the arch of the gate, getting out of the open, but didn’t do much more. They didn’t see the need to get involved further than they already had at the moment. No one had injuries and everyone was secure beyond the ability of their attacks to reach them.

With the enemy mob split apart and given time to breath Jason was able to count that there was about 20 of the creatures and they seemed to have something similar to goat legs each weilding a polearm similar to a naginata. The creatures regained quickly their composure and surrounded the party, their polearms held forward at the ready to receive any attack from the party. Apisis and Jason stood at the side of the dog knight prepared to launch into an attack in a moments notice.

“Get ready, the barrier is about to give,” the dog knight informed them.

“Good to know. Got a plan?” Jason asked.

“Attack when the barrier fails,” he replied.

“That is a terrible strategy, Lord Tok`phane,” Apisis informed him.

That is where the conversation ended. The barrier fell and all the combatants engaged. The dog knight with no weapons bum rushed into the line of polearms, easily knocking several of them away and a few back, making their wielders tumble to the ground. Apisis followed in after the dog knight taking advantage of the opening he made to slash at the off balance creatures. Meanwhile, three of the satyr-like creatures charged in at Jason. He spun to spun to the left, pushing the polearms to the side, ending the spin with slice across the face of the satyr, blinding it. Instantly, that satyr dropped its weapon and grope for its eyes. The second satyr was trapped between the other two. As it tried to figure out what to do next its time was up. Jason had stopped in the middle of the arc of his attack and stabbed forward as hard as he could, falling forward, piercing through the brainpan of the lost satyr. The third saw an opportunity. It spun its naginata around and stabbed down into the back of Jason. Rina’s eyes went wide and sent a heal towards him, but it was unneeded. The satyr’s blade was unable to go through the ARMS armour he wore, but the force of the attack forced him to the ground.

Xev took the opportunity created by everyone distracted with fighting to sneak over to the wall and take a seat, observing things while she thought about the oddity that was these new creatures that could exit from the dungeons. She was sure that this new ability would soon become a problem to this world, but what concerned her more was that Jason had no qualms killing them. They seemed to be conscious in their encounters and if he could see them in way that made it is easy for him to kill them it made her wonder how he saw her. Was she just like them to him? She couldn’t be sure, but she hoped that he could recognize the difference. Of course, Xev losing herself in thoughts left Rina vulnerable.

Rina too had lost her in watching for any need for her heals that it was too late for her to do anything when realized three more of the satyr creatures surrounded her. She saw their weapons raise in the air and begin coming down on her. She screamed at the top of her lungs. Apisis had no reaction. She know that a human screaming meant that they were in danger. Jason’s eyes shot towards Rina’s location. Xev was drawn out of her contemplation. Neither could react in time to save her. It was all but too late to do anything, but that is when the dog knight appeared above Rina, placing himself between her and the blades of her demise, his arms placed over his head so that his shield caught them. He pushed up and against them then followed that with blows from his fists that sent two of them flying in either direction. The last he uppercut with enough force to launch it up high to almost touch the ceiling.

Xev caught the one the flew towards her by the neck. She did not like this creature and she did not like that it thought was alright to attack such an innocent child. Whoever had created these monsters had clearly not given them a code of honor. Her hand squeezed around its throat, slowly, so that it would endure as much suffering as she could inflict on with as little effort as she could, until its eyes popped from their sockets, blood spewed it mouth, and the last sputtering words it tried to utter ended with the snapping and crushing of its neck. The damage was so severe that when she threw it away towards the other satyrs its head and body separated.

The satyr that found itself in the air maneuvered its body into a position to come down on top of Rina, impaling her, but his plans were eviscerated along with his body as Jason’s sword passed through its center. The force of the blow sent the satyr’s upper body away from skirmish. Its lower body dropped in front of Rina. Jason landed moments later, and then a rain of blood fell upon them, covering them both with it. The dog knight had already moved to follow up with the last of the three satyrs, running its head into the wall, crushing it beneath his fist, it’s body slumping to the ground.