Minos and Andrew tread their way from the field of battle towards the capital, The City of Aiter.
But within the city, a commotion has erupted. A large crowd has formed around the local guild house. The crowd is numerous and loud, all chanting the same thing.
"There are beasts in the sewer." "A horrid smell is coming from the sewer" "Send a party to investigate, The people are scared"
Adventure partys from across the ranks. copper, bronze, silver, and gold all came to see what was happening.
A group of men was holding back the crowd, all telling them to quiet down. Upstairs the guild master and some major partying groups were in a meeting.
"Sir Gerome, what are we looking at?"
The guild master held his head in his hands.
"It was 5 days ago, a bronze party was sent to search the sewers and check. for the first 3 days the mapped out the area within, noting down anything strange in certain areas."
He takes a map out of a drawer and spreads it over the table.
"On the center was where they first encountered large scratcg marks all over the walls."
"Rat men?" said one adventurer
"Correct, at first. There were definetly claw markings, hell they even found some rat limbs ripped off on to the ground. What concerns me though is what they were scratching at."
He switches the attention to the southern side.
"On the coastal side"
he points to the drains leading from the sewer to the ocean.
"There were multiple missing person reports from the locals. 3 men 5 woman and a couple kids too."
"That's not so bad" said an adventurer to his right.
"That tally was given 2 days ago, the town is now barren."
That shut the adventurer up. An entire town gone, from a handful or two of people too an entire beach front town.
"How has the public not been notified of such a giant disapearance?"
Gerome looks to the man on the otherside of the table.
"Cause the holy knights have become involved on the case. They bordered off the area with a barrier and have begun search teams of their own."
"If they have begun raids of their own, why is the guild permitted in? we're not associated with the military, They dont enjoy freelancer who don't respect their ranks."
Gerome reaches back in the drawer and takes out a warrant with a red eagle wax stamp.
"The pope has directly asked for assistance?"
"Indeed, most of their forces were expended on multiple dragon sitings. Even a red dragon was spotted."
They gasp at the thought, those were the strongest and typically stay dormant within the earth.
"Look, focus up. We're here for the sewers. Not the front, we'll leave that to those crazy zealots."
He stabs his dagger to the storm drains on the coast.
"Tomorrow; The Thunder Eagles, The Night Edge, and The Kraken's eye will embark and run through the center."
pointing to a large circle on the map
"This is the sewers main pipe epicenter, its a large opening with a bunch of pipes that lead throughout the city. Secure it and continue searching."
////////////
It was around midnight, the 3 parties were lit by hand held oil lanterns. Taking off the iron bars, they set apon a doomed quest.
The rusty pipes and dripping waters stain the walls. A mage was leading the pack using a bright wisp to light their path. Her grip tightened on her large staff, she was scared.
"Mildred, you see something ahead?"
She slowly turned her head to the man behind her.
"No, im just feeling a bit claustrophic right now."
The man rubbed his brow and pushed past the Mage.
"Fine, keep the wisp ahead of me and focus on my back, keeps your head out of it."
trudging into a more open room, the walls were lined with giant pipe openings. The floor was flooded almost to the waist.
As the party trudged through sullied waters, you could hear the sounds of disgust from the group.
"ughhh, im gonna need to order so much perfume and take so many bathes to get this smell off of me."
"ahh relax, im sure theres a spell for cleaning that'll get us right."
"I think you've been in need of that for a while."
the people laugh together
in a sarcastic tone "ha ha ha, ok very funny."
"Ah relax Simon, I jest."
he side eyes his comrade
As they trudge through darkness and loud splash echoes behind them.
They all draw edge and quickly turn to the noise.
"Imma hope that was another joke Stan."
He nods no in response.
An adventurer racks his giant iron shield off his back and trudges towards the noise.
Waves rush over to shield and a slurry of dirty water and teeth gauges over it.
The shieldmen holds fast and pushes off whatever was on the other side back.
Another wave rips from a side tunnel, attacking the mage.
A knight steads between and is quickly dragged under the water. Multiple darkened bodies rips into him, no arms just mouth.
the 3 mages of the party rushes forward and torrents the water back. A giant current forces the unseen creatures to the wall.
They send the whisp close to see what they're dealing in a rush.
Looking apon its figure would stick with them for whatever life they had left.
A body, man or woman they couldn't be sure, its shoulders ended off stubs, its face was plastered with a toothy grin, with no eyes to return their gaze, and its body was in horrid shape as if it was a husk of a person.
Filth began to pour in from the pipes in droves. Throwing themsleves with no regard to self preservation.
The parties hack and slash, and the horde begins to pickup as more bodies pour and pile bodies.
A man is pulled in to the waters, screams muffled by filth and ripping maws.
The mages are beginning to tire, whisps lighting their way begin falter back to the ether.
More bodies pour into the room, a fireball is shot from husks of bodies. A tall lanky body waded through the water, it muscles and skeleton were exposed. It fired more fireballs, one smashes into a tanks shield, it burns his fore arms and he drops his shield. Exposing himself to the hungry mouths on the otherside.
Darkness and Filth over run their ranks. Tanks are pulled under, fighters are disarmed and are shredded, mages scream and blast fire. The smoke encapsulates the room, blinding the party, but the Husks are unaffected, lungs rotted away long ago.
The lucky ones suffucated, the rest were trampled and ripped into a bloody mess.
It was said the waters turned red that day, an omen to the end.
3 parties, heads of the guild, were lost in that search. No bodies were found. The bodies joined the ranks.
Once news of this reached the capital, it began relaying distress messages to it's citizens and other cities. Hopefully someone would come to their aid.
