IronGuard

CHAPTER 8

Smoke filled their noses and ash fell on their heads. They enter through the shattered gate of Perion City, bashed and torn as if it was just a door. The flags of Perion half burned, half torn and stained with blood. The streets are littered with bodies both soldier and civilian alike, burned and slashed like the flags. The houses destroyed and the great market is nothing but a pile of debris. Blackened arrows covered most of the city, it seems the walls were overrun. Buildings were either burned or burning, nothing was spared. They pass the great market and see a handful of souls scavenging scatter, fearing that they were demons. 

Just before they enter the second wall of the city, not as grand as the first wall. They are greeted by Captain Gildas, his armor stained and his sword as well. He greets them with a smile but a heavy smile. 

"Glad that you have returned" He says and grabs the reins of Owen's horse. "We have a lot to discuss"

Captain Gildas escorted them to the inner city, where the higher class of the city lived and even here the houses were burned and broken. Along the way they saw the surviving soldiers who either stare at the ground or staring at themselves through the reflection of their swords. Just like Captain Gildas, their armor is stained and even broken for some. They see this soldier trying to clean his broken sword but the frustration is clearly seen on his face and one other soldier holding a pole with a torn flag. 

"How did you survive?" Owen asks, he did not need to ask the obvious questions like were you attacked? It would be an insult to both the living and the dead.

"I said we have a lot to discuss but not now" Captain Gildas said seriously.

The smell of smoke and ash slowly vanishes as they enter the military district where the IronGuard hall is. There they see tables outside and they notice some memorable faces like Perion's Generals and the IronGuard council but only three of the council is present. They see lady Therese standing near the tent of the wounded, she's not wearing her armor but instead a healer's clothes, supposed to be a clean white robe but now all stained with blood and dirt. She notices them and approaches. 

"Welcome back young ones" She greets happily but her smile is also heavy and the horrible events still show on her face. "Gildas, send them to the hall. I'll just clean up" She notices Thren whose pale and weak and takes a look at his hand all covered in bandages. "Leave this boy here, we must take a look at his hand" The soldiers assisting the healers slowly pull Thren off his horse and carries him to the tent. He drops the sword and ring given to him by the old man but Finn picks them up. Thren looks back painfully.

"Don't worry Thren, we'll keep these safe" Finn says and Thren nods at him.

Owen, Elos and Annalyn went to a different chamber while Gildas brings them to the Talon's Hall where they are given food and a time to clean themselves up. When they took their armor off their bodies are all bruised and sore from the hard quest they went to but as they each looked out the windows, seeing the once beautiful city burned and nearly destroyed. Takes all their pain away and makes them eager to know what happened. The IronGuard council, captain Gildas and Lady Therese comes and gathers them into the meeting room. Owen, Elos and Annalyn came with them as well

Lord Harold is the first to speak once they were all seated. "There is much to discuss today but firstly I would like to express our thanks to you, the students of Gildas for fulfilling your task up north"

All of them wonder if they really did succeeded in their quest because all they did is survive a slaughter, nothing more. Lord Harold continues. 

"Many things have happened while you were gone, as saw when you entered the city" Lord Harold stands up and looks out the window with grief. "All this is because of a mistake done by me"