“Infantry formations, well drilled and efficient, can turn the tide of most major battles. Provided you are not so horrifically outnumbered that nothing could offset that disadvantage. Or that your comrades aren’t shitting their britches at the sight of building sized demonic monstrosities barreling towards them. I’ll admit it, I deserted right then and there. Now I’m the only one left from my village” - Levy Sergeant Gregor Castel, Battle Report: 24-167 - Allied Expedition into Praemoni Deadlands

Sophie opened her eyes to an uncomfortable rumbling that seemed unending. It took more than a few moments for her to drag herself out of her confused stupor. Around her wrists a sturdy rope bound them together, and struggling as she might she found that she could not shimmy or break loose from her bonds. It was only when she grew defeated that she stifled a gasp at the sight around her. A dozen or more elves like her, but dressed in rags and bound far more tightly with wooden handcuffs and boards as if preparing them for a pillory or the stocks. Surrounding them were sturdy wooden walls, as if they were being transported inside prison carts. Knots tightened around her stomach as she finally processed the situation she was, the fear smashing into her like the front of the wardrobe.

That’s right! The wardrobe, and the guards, but what the hells happened? Surely the ducal guards wouldn’t just ship me away, would they? For the first time in a long time Sophie was uncertain of what to do, normally it’d be pretty simple, clean the bed, clean the floor, wipe this, wipe that or in the past week, eat and sleep. But looking around, no one here looked like they would be willing to tell her what to do, nor did they seem inclined to explain the situation to her. She wanted to ask them, to inquire about what’s going to happen, she had an inkling but hoped that she was wrong. She wanted many things, but the words she desired never arrived, her voice choked at the back of her throat and nothing escaped from her mouth except for unsteady breaths.

Sensing no immediate solution to her situation, she dropped her shoulders and leaned against the rough wooden wall of the prison cart. Sophie scratched her head trying to make sense of what happened, all she could recall were the armoured men knocking her out but judging by the dozen odd people in this cart it would indicate they were much further than the Rosengart demesne.

“So you’re finally awake?” A gravelly voice asked.

Sophie’s attention shot toward a middle aged looking elf, his face scarred and battered like a soldier from a battlefront.

“You just got thrown in here all of a sudden you know, really surprised us.” He continued, garnering the attention from the rest of the cart. Sophie spied men, women and even a child in the cart with them and before the man could continue a younger elf chimed in.

“Tsh don’t waste your time on her, look at her outfit, she’s a leech sucking humanity's teat.” The young elf growled. “And her ears, she’s a halfblood.”

A murmur of assessment ran throughout the crowd as some of the others scowled at her, making Sophie shrink back ever so slightly. What have I done to them? Why are they so angry?

“Now now, we can all be civil here.” Gravel voice replied.

“You know he’s right, bet this bitch sold some of our kin out too!”

“Yeah, look at her, definitely lived a better life than the rest of us huh! But look at what happens when your masters leave you, you svitoir.”

“See her reaction? Doesn’t even know what you’re talking about.”

A series of jeers and mockery ensured as Sophie huddled herself up against the wall, confused and afraid until a sudden banging startled everyone.

“Shut up back there.” A voice ordered from the outside, shutting up the commotion instantly.

Seeing her lack of response or protesting the other prisoners drifted back to whatever depressed moping they were doing before, even the angry young elf that gave her a final glare of hatred. Surprisingly gravel voice turned to face her, offering a look of support before he promptly ignored the likely guard’s orders.

“So what were you caught for? That boy and family over there? They were refugees. That group over there?” He pointed to the angry elf, “They were caught for living in a claimed forest. As for me? Well I suppose some people just don’t like wanderers, think we're spies.” He chuckled.

“Tch, claimed forest old man? I think you mean they slaughtered my people and then chained us up. Don’t sugar coat things.” The angry elf grumbled.

“I’m not, I’m just easing the information. Heh, time is the only thing we have at this point, might as well make the conversation last.”

“You city dwellers never understand the real problems that plague our society.”

“So girlie? Why are you here?” Gravel voice asked, ignoring the angry elf’s outburst.

Sophie opened her mouth to reply but found no words coming out, she had no idea. She didn’t know what happened, or why she was here. She had expected perhaps that the guards would throw her out or at least kill her but this? This was unexpected. But before she could reply the angry elf had jumped up, using his handcuffs to slam her against the wall.

“Look at this svitoir, she thinks she’s better than us. What is the old man that offensive you won’t talk huh? Look at me, look at me! I’m talking to you now!” The angry elf yelled at her, flecks of spittle landing on her face as he raged, flinching with every shouted word. “Just because you work with humans you think we are dirty, like them?!”

“Hey now just calm down before the guards…”

“Huh?! Do you!? My sister died because people like you never speak up, never fight.”

A loud shout from outside brought the conflict to an immediate halt as loud thuds smacked the cart walls.

“What’s going on?” One of the women asked softly, as if her voice would bring forth the guard’s wrath.

Another loud smack into the cart walls and things quieted down outside leaving only nervous murmuring amongst the prisoners. Thankfully their uncertainty was brief, with a click a part of the wall opened and both Sophie and the angry elf tumbled right out as their panel disappeared. Landing in a messy heap she stared at the figures above them. Cloaked figures loomed over the two as another gestured to the people inside the carts.

They murmured in words unfamiliar to Sophie and began uncuffing and untying the prisoners. One even managed to untie Sophie’s bindings before lift a small waterskin to her mouth before the angry elf began yelling at her, pointing his finger and gesturing at her whilst gravel voice tried to protest. But before she could ask what was going on her eyes focused on the hilt of a sword moments before she lost consciousness again.

Opening her eyes she saw nothing, just darkness and a tingling sensation all over her body. A flurry of emotions that passed through her almost instantaneously from pain, to anger, to ecstasy, to pleasure, and sorrow. She wanted to speak but the darkness latched onto her face leaving behind a void and she couldn’t tell if there were tears on her face or some otherworldly matter.

One moment she felt the viscous liquid wrap around her, the next she was spat out and crumpled roughly to the floor, slamming against marble brick, a sickening crack echoed from the ground. Wincing from the impact she cradled her head as a small whimper escaped from her lips. Soon however, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of screams in the distance and when she finally pushed herself up she froze.

An orangish sky lay before filled with clouds of ash and soot. Dark writhing objects protruded out of the ground gnashing and grasping at anything and everything around them. The town around a burning husk of its former self, collapsing buildings, rampant fires and the screams of death stilled her heartbeat. She watched as people were ripped from wherever they were standing, torn into pieces or simply impaled onto the tips of the monstrosities, discarded like rotten meat. Others were less lucky as smaller creatures with deformed heads and various unnatural protrusions from their bodies also lurked the streets of the town, searching for a meal of their own.

Feathered monsters with bony spikes jutting out of their flanks jumped from rooftop to rooftop, picking off survivors with cunning swoops and slicing into them with their appendages. Scaly hunters roamed the streets below, adeptly avoiding the debris and pouncing onto fleeing citizens before ripping them apart in an orgy of claws, teeth and violence. Two headed humanoids with varying assortment of limbs stretching at weird angles slashed away at any who resisted their deaths gleefully, releasing distorted groans of what she assumed to be cruel laughter.

Humans, unfortunately or fortunately, were not the only two legged monsters present. Hulking beings of mangled flesh and decay roamed the streets, eviscerating their foes man and beast alike. Horned demons known as Chaosbreeds stood in a perimeter around the dying town, their humanoid forms giving hope to survivors who saw the flickering shape of a warrior, only to cut them down. And like the books of heroes she read as a child, the horned creatures had their faces warped into a cruel sadistic smile, a hunter whose joy is the suffering of others.

Backing away from the carnage her fingertips felt a cool smooth surface under them and she spun around to find that the darkness had coalesced itself around a crystalline entity. Examining it further she noticed a pale blue gold seeping out from where it was and stared in horrified awe as colored tendrils slowly forced their way out of the crystal.

Free Us

A loud voice startled her from her curiosity and she jumped backwards, one foot almost falling off the edge of the marbled tower platform. It was both feminine and masculine, steady but distorted, like a multitude of voices just ever so slightly out of sync. Steadying herself she looked back towards the crystal and tried to figure out where the noise came from.

Save Us

Again it spoke and she clutched at her head, a slow aching straining her perceptions as the pain grew more prominent. She struggled to breathe as she calmed back down only for a screech to interrupt her thoughts. Tendrils began wrapping themselves around her as the pale blue light of the crystal faded away, the dark regaining its hold over the light. With a horrified gasp she watched as within the shadow a head began to coalesce.

Remember

A thin wispy line opened up to a mouth full of spiked teeth stretching half the ‘face’ as it looked at her. No eyes or nose remained on the appendage and scaly reptilian skin grew onto the head. The mouth retained a permanent unmoving disfigured smile even as it spoke, leaving her wondering if the words were just another part of her deteriorating psyche.

The Stolen Light

Its echoing grew unbearable, every fiber of her being struggling to process the growing cacophony of voices. Releasing a stressful breath she suddenly felt lightheaded and her brain tensed as she sensed the dark communicating once more. Her muscles strained themselves past the point of numbness.

Bring us…the Dawn

She watched as the face burst open just for a monstrous eye to protrude from the wound. Pus, blood and other unidentifiable liquids splashed to the ground around it, leaving behind a sickly crimson membrane over the floor. With a sly chuckle the tendrils restraining her tightened their hold and began pulling in different directions as they lifted her off the floor. Trying to scream, she cried as two more tendrils emerged from the hideous face and in one fell swoop pierced through her body.

No no no!