Liana's landing created an echo. With the light of her manasite, she was able to make out the small arena, and in the center was the dead orc her and Liana had killed yesterday.

"It's down here!"

"Alright! We're on our way down!" Kline called back before beginning to repel down. "How did you two make it all the way down here anyway?" He asked as he activated his manasite. He had his trusty knuckle dusters on hand, always preferring to fight his enemies up close.

"Bet Silica was leaning on an unstable wall, again," Garo said as he reached the bottom. Strapped to his back was a blunderbuss, his preferred weapon of choice when venturing down into the depths.

"Uhhh, something like that," Liana said sheepishly.

The last to join them was Van Jorhan, the sergeant of the town. A man in his early forties with light ginger hair, a pointed goatee, wearing the customary battle armor of the empire. "Is this where you two heard that noise?" He said as he drew his pistol.

"It was... around here," Liana cast her light further afield towards the giant domed building buried in the earth. "Has anyone ever been down this far?"

"I think my predecessor launched an expedition down here in an attempt to clear out the Burrow." Van Jorhan said walking towards the building.

"Really?"

"That was a couple of years ago... roundabout when Silica was brought to us," Garo said, his blunderbuss tucked under his arm. "About a hundred guys was sent from Gormot. Needless to say, it was a massacre. I think about three men made it back."

"That's precisely why we entrust the catacombs to the guild," Van Jorhan added. "With the situation between the Empire, Gao, and Mahama, we can't waste good men on exterminating every orc and goblin tribe in our territory."

"I didn't know that,"

"Ah, it's just political crap," Kline said as they found the entrance to the dome. "They just need soldiers on the fronts rather than wasting them on the island frontiers. Goa and Mahama ain't that different in that regard. As far as they're concerned, the job of the guild to take care of that stuff in their stead."

"Can't say I disagree with you..." Van Jorhan said reluctantly. He joined Kline next to the entrance, a hole in the center of the ground with a short drop.

"I'll go first," Garo offered. With his blunderbuss in hand, he skidded down the entrance, followed by Kline then Van Jorhan. Liana was the last, joining the other three in the now lit up dome.

"Whoa..." A gasp escaped her lips, using her manasite to fight back the darkness. "Hard to believe something like this made it underground."

"So where exactly did you hear this morning?" Van Jorhan asked, and was answered when a moan echoed through the chamber, sending a chill down Liana's spin. Whatever it was, it sounded much closer than before.

"By the Goddess.... What was that?"

"Certainly, no goblin, that's for sure," Said Garo, readying his blunderbuss. "Sounds like it echoed from somewhere much deeper."

"Hey! Over here!" Kline called by a collapsed pillar. "It sounded like it came through here," He told the others when they gathered around the man, spotting a small crack in the wall. "It sounded like it came from though here."

"Seems a tight fit," Garo said examining the crack, shining the manasite through the slit. He could see the other end a short distance away, but the walls were too thick to simply make the gap wider. It was also dangerous to make the gap any wider as it could cause a cave-in.

"I think I can squeeze through," Liana offered.

"Wait, hold on," Kline said grabbing Liana's arm. "We don't know what's on the other side."

"I'll just scout it out to make sure it's clear. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Kline was still reluctant to allow his daughter to venture further in alone but relented when Garo put a hand to his partner's shoulder. Liana wriggled free of his grip, removing her bow and quiver from her back. The gap was just wide enough for her to squeeze her body through, dragging her weapon behind her.

She reached the other end and pulled out her manasite. Before her was yet another vast cavern heading deeper still into the depths. There was nothing out of the ordinary (as far as the catacombs are concerned), yet there was a subtle breeze blowing from somewhere up ahead. That would usually mean a crack or opening to the surface, yet there was also a sinister ambiance to it. Tuning her ears, she could hear a sound, a moaning like a hundred muffled voices off in the distance.

"Liana!" Kline called from the crack. "Liana, are you ok?"

"Y-Yeah." Liana called back as she refastened her quill and bow to her back. "I think that noise is coming from down here!"

"Alright! Come back- huh?" Kline suddenly stopped talking as a moaning sound erupted from within the dome.

"..... Dad?" Liana walked back to the crack.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"

"It's coming this way!" Gunshots could then be heard from the opposite end of the crack followed by shouts from the three men.

"Dad? Garo?"

Another loud howl followed, then all of a sudden, the walls of the dome was blasted outwards. Liana huddled as the rubble brushed over her. The hole had been blasted open buy something. Unfortunately, Liana's troubles had only just begun as the sounds of cracking masonry could be heard. The entire section of the wall was coming down.

"Oh no no!" Liana ran away as the cave-in occurred behind her, forcing her deeper into the depths, her heart pounding in her chest as she vaulted over the fallen rocks. As she continued to run she came across a large gap, and without thinking leaped off the edge as the landslide continued. Mercifully, she reached the opposite end, barrel rolling on the ground, laying there for a few moments as she caught her breath.

With her manasite still in her grip, she regained her bearings. Light shone from cracks above, shining a light on the various ruins that aligned the cassis Liana had just jumped. Unfortunately for her, there was no way back, the passageway completely blocked by rubble from the cave in.

"Dad! Garo! Van Jorhan!" Liana called out but to no avail. She was too far down and had no idea of the fate that had befallen her companions. "Damn it..."

With a deep sigh, Liana shone her light at her surroundings. The only thing of note was an orc totem fashioned into a pillar. This meant she had wandered into the Burrow's territory. While that was bad in itself, it did mean that there was a path that would lead to the outside. Each orc camp was always built with a way leading to the surface.

"Guess there's no other way," Liana sighed as she began to walk.

She couldn't remember the last time she had been down this deep into the depths. Typically, she would rather not come this far down unless it was for a job or to make sure Silica didn't go down any further on one of her adventures.

"Hope sis isn't causing too much trouble," Liana chuckled as her thoughts drifted to Silica up on the surface. A part of her was also dreading she had snuck down into the ruins again, which she wouldn't put it past her. All the more reason she needed to find a way back.

Yet as she walked on the more evidence of orc's became more prevalent. Bone idols fashioned from fallen beasts and wooden totems fashioned into orc skulls. Gulping, Liana had her bow at hand. She would rather avoid it, but if the orcs or goblins spotted her she would have to defend herself.

Her foot then came into contact with something. Casting the light down, it was a goblin helmet she had kicked away, coming at a halt a short distance away.

"..... What?"

Before her was a goblin corpse, one that seemed to have been killed recently. And it wasn't the only one. Shining her light around, she made out eight goblins and a single orc, all having been killed in a recent skirmish. Yet the goblins seemed to have been mewed by some kind of wild animal while the orc had multiple slashes across its body.

Infighting?

It wouldn't be out of the ordinary. The Burrow were not a unified tribe which was part of the reason why Holbourgh was still standing. The orcs and goblins were constantly fighting one another for dominance in the catacombs. However, something about this didn't feel right.

Looking to the ground once more, Liana noticed something strange. The white powder was scattered in all directions.

"What is this?"

Liana reached down and ran her hands over the powder, rubbing it against her fingers. It stained her gloves with a gray streak. "Is this.... Ash?"

The moaning came again, now sounding closer than ever. Liana pressed on, stalling away her bow in favor of her dagger. Deeper still into the depths. She then saw a torchlight at the end of the tunnel. Putting away her manasite, Liana swapped her dagger for her bow, drawing an arrow from the quiver as she approached the next chamber. The noise, it was definitely coming from here.

Shimming up to a nearby rock, she peeked into the chamber. There she saw a body of an orc with two human-looking shapes crouched down to its level. The horrible squishing sound and the amount of blood pooling at the body, they were eating it.

"What the....?" Liana slowly backed away, readying her arrow. She barely made two steps when the figures rose. Slowly, they turned to face Liana. Now in full view of the torchlight, Liana saw them in all their horrific, nightmare enduring forms. Both seemed naked males, yet their skin was horribly cracked, pulsing with white globs and veins in several spots and some exposed muscles. Their faces were just as repulsive, fissured, flaked, pulsing with white and red veins, soulless black eyes, and a loose jaw of razor-sharp teeth.

With a moan, they slowly began to shuffle towards Liana. Not wanting to risk them getting closer, Liana fired her arrow, landing a hit with one in the chest watching it stumble backward. Drawing back another arrow, Liana hit the second in the neck. As one dropped to the ground, the final lunged forwards, opening its jaws open wide. Liana ducked out of the husk, drawing her dagger and stabbing it in the back. The creature fell to the ground shortly after.

Liana caught her breath, yet kept her guard up. "What are these things?"

She looked back to the first one, and to her surprise, it was beginning to change into a gray color before disintegrating into dust. The second did the same, disintegrating until nothing was left but white powdered ash, identical to what lay at the goblins.

"I need to let the village know about this,"

Liana pressed on, moving deeper into the catacombs towards the orc encampment. The moaning returned once more, putting Liana more at edge by the sound as she now knew the origin. As she got closer to the source new sounds joined the mix, the sound of blades crashing against each other and grunts and sequels of the orcs and goblins. The encampment was just up ahead.

The passage opened up into a wide space. There were the orc gates, fashioned from rocks and bone strung together and had been smashed wide open. The sounds of battle raged from within.

There was another passageway, one that Liana guessed led to the surface. It was prudent for her to get out as fast as she could, reunite with the others, and report their findings. Yet curiosity got the better of her. Sometimes she was no better than her sister.

"There'll chew me out for this," With bow in hand, Liana crept through the destroyed gates. The torch fires from within illuminated the cavern enough for her to stow away her manasite. The pathway was littered with bodies of dead goblins and orcs and yet more powdered ash likely from more of the fallen creatures. A short distance away was the camp proper where the noise grew louder. Liana crouched behind a collection of rocks allowing her to peek into what was going on.

The camp itself was in ruins, orc tents and hovels burning. At the center was a handful of goblins and four orcs locked in combat with the horrific humanoid creatures as well as another group of foes she was unfamiliar with. They seemed human, yet were covered in a dark gray armor, welding black blades and shields. They clashed against the orcs, being felled one after the other before disintegrating.

What do we have here...?

Liana poked her head out further, trying to get a better view. As an orc fell to one of the knights, its torso rented open and its blood spilling, one of the attackers turned. Liana quickly ducked out of sight again. It was brief, but she saw its face, a helmet with a crown of spikes at the temple, and a faceplate covered by an iron skull.

"Ok... time to get out of here."

Liana ran back to the entrance then up the pathway that she assumed lead to the surface. To her good fortune, the way did indeed lead upwards and eventually lead to one of the wide-open tunnels with ruins folded into one another.

If she was here, then this indeed the way back. "I hope the others are ok."

She took a few steps before a crashing sound occurred to her left, coming from one of the folded buildings. Liana drew an arrow on reflex, pivoting on one foot taking aim.

Something came through the destroyed wall, something massive. What emerged was a massive, bloated monstrosity. Fabs of gray skin folded over one another in a semblance of boils as well as cuts and holes from a recent battle. Its face was covered by an iron mask with long dried up blood. In its hand was a massive cleaver in its disgusting hands.

"What the..." Liana was repulsed by the horrific appearance of the creature, taking an unconscious step back. The creature let out a growl then charged towards the girl, waving the cleaver over its head. Liana fired her arrow which landed on its flabby chest. She then rolled out of the way as the cleaver slammed into the ground, hitting hard enough to crack the ancient stone beneath.

Liana rolled to her feet, drawing another arrow and firing before ducking under a wide swing from the creature, opting for a hasty retreat. The creature was hot on her heels, swinging its weapon wildly. Liana ran as fast as she could, vaulting over fallen debris from the ruins before ducking into an opening one of the buildings at the side, hitting the deck as the cleaver tore through the wall. Gritting her teeth, Liana drew her arrow. A green hue emanated from the tip as she prepared her art.

Armor break!

The mana enhanced arrow struck the creature in the chest, forcing it backward. A large chunk of meat was dislodged from its chest around the area of impact. Still, the creature stood. Though while it was staggered Liana ran out of the ruin, putting more distance between her as she prepared another arrow, readying to fire another art, this time aiming for the creature's head.

She fired again, hitting the creature true. However, even with an arrow lodged firmly in its forehead, the monster still stood. With a horrific growl, it charged towards her again. Liana ducked out of the way as the blade tore through the ground, intending to run past it. With the cleaver still embedded in the earth, the monster tore through the earth, sending chunks of rock and debris at the fleeing Liana. Her body was peppered by the debris as she fell forwards. Turning to her back, the large creature was raising its cleaver into the air. Liana rolled right as the weapon slammed into the earth. Jumping to her feet, she drew her dagger and plunged it into its chubby thigh. Letting the weapon go, Liana ran away from the monster, which still intended to peruse her.

"Damn it all..." Liana skidded across the ground, drawing back another arrow as she pivoted 180 degrees to face the abomination. She didn't want to use it this early on, her trump card. Yet it seemed she had no choice. Straight shot!

The arrow hit its mark, digging into the area where its heart would be, bursting out of the monster's back carrying onwards to the ruins behind her hitting with enough impact to demolish a small section of them.

"Alright!"

Liana's celebration was short-lived as the beast continued undaunted. "Oh, come on!" She swore as she rolled away, avoiding another strong blow from the monster. "What does it take to kill this thing?"

Liana ran away as the monster charged after her once more.

"LIANAAAA!!"

Suddenly, the monster was thrown right, colliding and shattering a collection of rubble with its weight.

Liana skidded to a halt, letting out a sigh of relief. "Dad!"

Kline stood between her and the creature, throwing up his fists with a furious look on his face. "Thought you could get away from us and threaten my daughter your hideous bastard!" He barked as the monster recovered, "Garo!" then charged in as the monster took another swing-

"Got it," Liana spotted Garo a few paces to her left, taking aim with his blunderbuss. He fired when the monster was in the apex of its swing. The blast echoed through the chamber. The shot struck the monster's right hand, completely blasting off the fingers knocking the weapon out of its hand.

Bellowing at the top of his lungs, Kline threw a mana-enhanced right hook into the monster's belly, toppling it to its back. "You're up!!"

Van Jorhan ran past Kline, drawing his blade backward as he ran up the monster. "FOR THE EMPIRE!!" He cried his war cry as his blade carved through its flabby flesh before he reached the head, leaping off the monster before slicing its head clean off.

The creature finally stopped moving. Liana watched as it disintegrated, weapon included until all that was left the dagger she had stabbed into his leg.

"It's gone...?"

"LIANNAA!" Before she could properly respond, Kline locked her into a bearhug. "I was so worried about you! Whahaha! I thought the worst had happened!"

"D-Dad... that hurts..."

"Hey come on. You'll kill her yourself at that rate." Garo said gently waking Kline on the head with the butt of his blunderbuss. Liana gasped as her father finally released her. "Good to see you're still in one piece. Your old man wouldn't stop blubbering,"

"Hey! This is my daughter we're talking about! How else would a father react?!"

"Glad you guys are ok," Liana smiled. "What happened?"

"That creature attacked us after you went through that gap." Van Jorhan said, handing Liana her dagger back. "We managed to fend it off but not before it nearly caved in the entire area."

"I'd say it was good fortune we managed to spot it again when we searched for you," Garo said. "Anyway, are you alright? Seems it gave you a bit of trouble."

"Yeah," Liana nodded. "Though... I think I found the source of the noise we heard."

She explained what had happened in the depths, how she encountered the strange husks and skull knights, and how they destroyed an orc encampment. As she explained, the faces of the men contorted to looks of deep concern.

"I see..." Van Jorhan said, twirling his goatee. "That makes this a fairly serious matter."

"It does?" Liana asked.

"It takes a lot to destroy an orc encampment, even on the surface. Orc's and goblins may not be the brightest creatures in Earthsea, but they have numbers and strength," Garo explained. "If these 'skull knights' were able to overrun one, then it could pose a serious risk to the village."

"Especially if there's more fat bastards like that one," Kline muttered, sounding uncharacteristically serious. "We should let Doal know as soon as possible."

"Agreed." Van Jorhan said. "Although... I must admit I rarely come down to the depths so I'm not familiar with the layout of the tunnels."

".... I think I know this place," Liana said as she walked ahead. "If I remember correctly... there's a tunnel that will take us close to Gran's house."

"Uhhh... I was afraid of that," Kline slumped. He and gran did not get along that well, owing to a small mistake Kline had made and Gran would never let him forget.

"Hey, suck it up." Garo chuckled patting the man on the back.

"How can you be certain?" Van Jorhan pressed, catching Liana off guard.

"Uhh, I came down here... for a mission from the guild." She said with a forced smile. Truth was that entrance was one of Silica's routes that she used to sneak in.

"Ah, I see," Van Jorhan nodded. "I have certainly underestimated how extensively the guild has mapped out the ruins. You're all certainly a credit to the island."

"Yeah. Thanks," Garo said as he and Kline narrowed their eyes at Liana. They clearly knew what Liana was hiding.

"I-It's this way!" Liana led the way, hoping to escape the awkward situation. "Follow me!"

*****

Silica let out a deep sigh, leaning back as she felt the breeze of the sea hitting her face casually tossing a rock up and down in her hand. "Well, that got us nowhere,"

Jil was perched on top of her head, blankly gazing outwards towards the horizon.

"How long are you gonna sulk up there?"

Jil huffed at Silica's question, "I am not sulking."

"Whatever. Just get off already," Silica flicked her hand upwards to gently swat the fairy. Jil fluttered off her before she had a chance, landing on the ground beside her, still with the dazed look.

"Is there anyone else in this settlement who would know about me?"

"Doubt it," Silica shook her head as she leaned back. "Only person who'd know that crap is Gran, and it's still no guarantee she'd tell you. She like's all that cryptic nonsense,"

"But what she was saying...." Jil muttered deep in thought.

"You mean about that stuff about the tower and chosen stuff and me going on a journey to wake up the goddess," Silica snorted. "Still sounds like a bunch of gibberish to me."

"But... she also said that no such thing happens by chance. Perhaps..."

"We were destined to meet up by fate? Please..." Silica flopped to the ground, resting her head on her hands. "Trust me, it was totally a coincidence I found you there. I snuck in to see what the star fall was and was pushed in that deep by an orc. This destiny stuff's just stories you dream up when you’re bored or think too much about life."

"Oh," Jil pouted, resting her hands to her hips. "Then how do you explain that mark on your hand?"

"Hey, I was hoping Gran would be able to tell me about that?" Silica sat up looking down at the fairy. "For all I know, you could be the one who put it on me."

"I-I would do no such thing-!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding, geez," Silica raised her right hand. The mark was still covered by her glove. She had to admit to herself, it was strange how it simply appeared on her after she had found Jil. "Gran said... it was a mark on the tower...."

She lowered her hand. Just off of the Horizon was the tower of Serendipity in all its majesty. "Maybe... maybe our answer's over there? Didn't you say the mark's familiar to you?"

"Y-Yes..." Jil nodded. "But as you know, I am unable to recall any such details as to why."

"Well, if it's familiar to you, you must have fallen all the way from Serendipity." Silica pointed to the tower. "So, if I take you there, you might be able to remember something about yourself."

"..... I suppose that has merit," Jil floated upwards until she was level with Silica's head, fixing her gaze outwards to the tower. "But it looks so far away. How are we even supposed to get there?"

Silica pondered the question. "..... You could fly us over there."

"I will do no such thing!" Jil huffed.

"Can't you take a joke?" Silica said, narrowing her eyes. "If we go to Free Port we could find a boat that will take us all the way to the Dark Continent. Then we just go to the tower, and boom, you get your memories back."

Jil didn't look impressed. "I thought no one but this Vladmar Kresner has been able to enter the structure. Do you even know how?"

Silica went silent, bowing her head back and forth as she thought on her plan of action.

"You seem to react a lot on compulsion over meticulous planning,"

"Hey! I'll find a way! I was planning on leaving this island anyway so, guess it's sooner."

"That is still a goal, not a plan."

"Alright! Why don't you think of something instead of complaining you useless bug!"

"I am not a bug you blundering barbarian!"

"I'm doing more than you-"

"Silica?"

Silica and Jil stopped their argument and turned. Standing behind them were Liana, Kline, Garo and Van Jorhan. All four were giving strange and unreadable looks at the two-

..... Oh no!

Silica immediately jumped to her feet while Jil fluttered behind her back. "Hahaha, heya guys!" S-S-So... how were the ruins? D-Did you... find anything?" She said feigning a smile, praying to the goddess they did not catch sight of Jil.

"Silica..." Van Jorhan was the first to speak, and he looked mad. "What was that?"

"Uhh-hahaha, f-funny story. You're gonna laugh when you hear it."

Jil slowly popped her head over Silica's left shoulder. "They do not seem to be particularly amused..."

"... I didn't say they'd laugh all at once,"

Consequence for our actions

"Greetings. My name is Jil."

The town hall fell silent as the town council, the guild and the ranking officers of the island guard all stared at the small creature hovering in the center of the room. Kline and Liana were also present, along with Mr. Holt and Garo as representatives of the guild.

"A pleasure, small fairy," Doal bowed his head. He sat in his podium flanked by Van Jorhan and another member of the council, Garis Ulther who led the Holbourgh fishing flotilla. "Forgive us the... less than cordial welcome. We were, after all, not aware of your presence."

Silica diverted her eyes, sensing everyone was glaring at her now. After being discovered, everything happened as Silica guessed it would. The town called a hasty meeting to determine who Jil was. No one said anything about Silica hiding the fairy from the village, but she could guess it was coming one way or another.

"Please, tell us. What brings a blessed creature like you to our humble little town."

"I... I don't know," Jil said quietly.

"She's lost her memory." Silica spoke up. "She can't remember anything-"

"I don't recall asking you!" Doal snapped. Silica huffed, taking a step back. "But I would like you to explain to me and the rest of Holbourgh as to why you took this fairy in without declaring it to me or the guild to which you serve!"

"..... I just panicked, alright." Silica pouted, turning the other way so Doal could not see her face. She couldn't bear to look at Liana, Kline or Garo. She knew how serious her actions were and how badly it could reflect on the guild. "It's not like I kept it hidden from everyone. Frist thing I did was took her to see Gran."

Doal still didn't seem too pleased with Silica, but ultimately relented with a deep sigh as though scolding her at the present time would be a waste of time and effort. "And?"

"Well..." Silica stroked the back of her head. "Either she's as clueless as we are or she knows something and is keeping quiet,"

"Of course," Doal bowed his head, rubbing his growing bald spot.

"Well from what young Silica has told us," Garis stepped in, "Sounds to me like you really did fall all the way from Serendipity. If so that's a massive discovery! Imagine the attention it could bring to the island!"

"She's not a zoo animal, you know," Silica grumbled while Jil looked confused.

"I get what you're saying," Garo stepped forwards, walking alongside Silica, “but the general rule regarding this kinda stuff is it must be handed over to Yidvel, the city of Sages."

That was true, and part of the reason why Silica hid Jil. The Sages of Yidvel were located within the kingdom of Southdran south of the Empire. It was a holy city that was solely dedicated to the expedition and study of the Dark Continent at the center of the world. Ruins of the old ones were boundless yet anything related to the Tower was rare, and as the leading experts in the mysteries of the Dark Continent, any and all information was to be surrendered to the sages of Yidvel though mostly the assistance of the guild.

Needless to say, Silica's actions were a serious violation of that relationship, and that was plain in the way Garo made no eye contact.

"Is there anything you can remember?" Van Jorhan asked Jil who shook her head.

"It is as Silica said. I struggle to recall anything from my past. All I am certain about is my name." Jil replied truthfully.

".... And what of the creatures we encountered in the depths?"

The entire meeting went quiet at the mention of the abhorrent monsters that the adventurers encountered.

".... I... I truly do not know what you mean." Jil said, bringing her hands together. "But... I do feel something.... A malevolence of sorts deep below. That's.... that's about all I can say."

"I see," Van Jorhan rubbed his goatee. "Mayor. While this certainly is an incredible circumstance we've found ourselves in, our priority should be the defense of our town."

Doal let out a deep sigh. "True. If these monsters were a match for the burrow then we must see fit to prepare accordingly. Van Jorhan, please go to Gormott as soon as you can, partition the lord for assistance,"

Silica snorted.

".... Something you'd like to add, Miss Hale."

"Like that fat bastard's gonna care one bit about our tiny island."

"Silica!" Garo hissed.

"Oh, and you have a better suggestion?"

"Yeah. We find out who's leading them and take'em out!" Silica pounded her fist into her open palm. "I know those ruins better than anyone in this town. I say you leave this to the guild to find out who's leading those bastards-"

"I think not," Doal shut Silica down. His brows were more furrowed than she had ever seen them to be. "In fact, you can forget about ever setting foot down there again."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Doal looked to Garo. "In accordance with the agreement between the guild and the empire," He narrowed his eyes, "Silica Hale, you are guilty withholding an important relic of Serendipity. You are hereby expelled from the Adventurer's guild!"

"..... Wha-" Silica blinked. "Y-You can't, YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" She exploded. Furiously she looked to Garo for support. However, his expression sapped away all the strength.

"Sorry Silica, but for situations where an adventurer has committed a serious crime, local authorities can exercise the right to expel the guilty individual from the guild."

"..... N-No..." Silica took a step back, shaking her head in denial. The entire room fell quiet as not a soul dared speak. "Y-You can't...."

"Silica..." Liana had made her way over to her sister, gently putting a hand on her shoulder hoping to hug her. Silica was not in the mood and shoved her sister to one side as she stormed towards the door.

"Honestly..." Doal spoke as he exited his podium. "Making something like that an adventure was always asking for trouble,"

Silica stopped.

"Hey!" Garo snapped at Doal. "That's going too far!"

"Wanna say that again....?" Silica said through gritted teeth, her fists twitching in barely controlled rage.

"A dangerous element like you should have no right to become an adventure," Doal continued. "If your mother was anything like you, the storm certainly did us a favor in being rid of her." He commented as quietly as he could.

Without warning, Silica turned, charged and punched Doal as hard as she could, sending him crashing back into the podium. "YOU SON OF A-!" Silica grabbed Doal by the tunic and was about to throw another punch.

"SILICA NO!" Liana hugged her from behind, pulling her away. Embraced by her sister, Silica began to calm her nerves enough to realize what she was doing. Despite his position, Doal did not flinch from his gaze, keeping a narrow gaze at Silica.

With a growl, Silica released the mayor, broke free of her sister, and strolled out of the town hall fighting back her rage and sorrow.

*****

"Come on bozz! Heave!!" With the bark of their orc overlords, the goblins smashed their crudely constructed ram into the large metal doors. The impact echoed through the pocket, even drowning out the grunts of the orcs and goblins. As was their kind, they were impatient, and revealed for the slaughter of that was to come.

"Wat'zz takn' so long!" Warboss Bruzza stomped towards the ram. As was customary for their race, the orcs that became warboss were always the biggest, strongest orc of the tribe. Bruzza was no exception. A hulking mass of green flesh coated in heavy crude metal plates welded onto his person in a haphazard fashion. Strapped to his back was his two-headed great axes. One swing from the weapon was enough to split one of the horrors from the depths in two and turn any human who dared to challenge him to bloody chunks.

"Bozz! We's tryin. Da dor's not openin'" One of the goblins manning the ram squealed before being decapitated by a swing of Bruzza's axe.

"GET DAT DOR OPEN!!" The Warboss bellowed, motivating the goblins to keep up the pace on the door. "In dar's were dem white gits're commin," He monologed to the rest of his hoard, slamming the hilt of his axe on the ground. "Dem gits and dem skull humies have burned our camp's and kill'd our boyzz. We's goin in da. We'll kill em all! Then, we'zz go to da surface, den we'zz gonna burn da humi settlement to da ground! We'zz gonna show dem what happens when day mezz with da Burrow! WHAAAAA!!!"

The rest of the hoard let out their loud war cry's, bellowing at the top of their lungs. The screaks of over a hundred orcs and goblins echoed thought the catacombs, drowning out the sound of the door finally giving way. Bruzza wasted no time. Raising his axe to the air he charged into the dark room. The rest of the burrow followed, weapons raised and screaming at the top of their lungs as they filed into the wide chamber.

Bruzza stopped as he came to a dead end at the far end of the room. Just before him was a strange phenomenon the orc had never seen before. It was a strange black mist with a golden hue emanating from deep within the inky black surface.

The warboss slowly approached it, raising his weapon to prod at the mist with his battle axe. A cry of goblins broke his concentration. At the rear, the goblins had been jumped by the white humans, preceding to tear them apart like wild beasts. Among them where armored humans droned with skulls, decapitating all who stood in its way.

"Da day are'!" Bruzza grunted branding his axe. "KILL'EM ALL!!"

With a furious cry, the orcs charged and crashed into the attackers. There brutish strength and bone weapons smashed through the enemy in a ferocious wave of violence. Bruzza put his prowess to good use, slaughtering human after human with wide and unpredictable arcs as he lost himself in the thrill of battle. So, indulged in the thrill of battle he warboss never noticed the never-ending stream of enemies piling into the room from every direction.

The burrow was being overrun and overwhelmed. The surviving goblins retreated towards the distortion in fear. The orcs ferociously fought back the enemy but were quickly overrun. One by one they fell, their bodies littering the ground of powdered ash and blood; stabbed, twisted, impaled and depowered.

Bruzza got enough of his senses to realize what was happening, his hoard whittled down to five of his best warriors and the sniveling goblins. What seemed like a straightforward raid on those who had attacked them had turned into a massacre.

But the warboss showed no fear. He threw down his axe and undid his armor, letting the bone plates slam to the ground. With a deep breath, the orc heaved his axe once more, banging his bare green chest in defiance to the sea of white and armored humans. "WEEZ JUST WARMIN UUUUUUUUPPPPPP!!!"

His war cry was interrupted with a loud bang and the sickling sound of bloodletting emanating behind the surviving orcs. Bruzza slowly turned around. The distortion had vanished, and in its place was something else surrounded by the bloody chunks of the goblins. The armor was pitched black, rusted and decrepit along the joints. Its helmet fashioned into the vestige of a snarling beast. In its hands, it welded a sword far bigger than anything the warboss had seen, nothing more than a huge slab of iron welded to a giant pole.

"You d' leader of dose gits?"

The black-clad human said nothing, letting out only grunts of a snarling beast. But Bruzza did not need a response. He took a step forward, heaving his axe to his side, letting out angry grunts as he stopped short of his enemy. The human did the same, holding the massive sword in a ready position. The two stood at a standstill, oblivious to the carnage that was wrought around them. Bruzza's grip tightened on the hilt of his axe, feeling his blood burning with passion. Then, he let out a deafening roar and charged, haling his axe overhead, ready to split the warrior in two.

He didn't know what happened after that. His axe touched the ground first as the human now stood behind him, the blade was thrown forwards with blood staining the edge. Bruzza said nothing as his upper body fell forwards while his legs fell backward.

"Wh-What'zz wa-"

A final blow echoed through the chamber as Bruzza's head was smashed open by the large clump of metal. The bestial knight loomed over him, its grip tightening on its weapon.