Loud footsteps could be heard all around as many of the villagers ran to the keep, shrieks and cries for help echoed through every nook and cranny it could reach. A frantic group of three ran through the village, collecting villagers, fighting of cultists, and quickly sent them into the keep.
The group of three, our adventures of this story, are tired and weak. They have been up for hours with only a short amount of time to rest. A young human woman, dressed in heavy armor that once shone, now covered in blood of the villains at hand. She fought for justice, it was in her nature to help those who couldn't help themselves. Her green eyes scanned every alley they ran past, her once straight blonde hair was now a tangled, bloody mess that flowed behind her as she ran. She was short, but that didn't stop her from doing much, she was always a helpful soul.
Two men follow after the women, they look just as exhausted as she does. The tallest one, a monk, was panting as he tried to keep up with her. His dark brown hair fell into his blue eyes as he looked around, his hands clenched tightly into fist. His clothes were covered in blood and ash, the jacket that hung loosely before, now stuck to him with sweat that slicked his body. His eyes trailed the paths through the village, looking for villagers and making sure to keep the half orc next to him from wandering off and killing someone. Speaking of the half orc, he held onto an axe, his mighty grip was enough to snap its handle like a twig, his gaze holding no ones in particular, only those that dared look at him wrong. His garments looked worn and patched up in many areas, the sleeves were ripped at the elbow and were fraying immensely.
The group came to a dead end of the road, the womens eyes glanced around the dimly lit road to see if anyone was there. "Lea," the monk spoke as he pointed to an alley next to them. A small child sat next to a wall, holding her knees up to her chest as she let out panicked sobs.
Lea slowly walked to the young girl, leaning down to her level and whispered softly to her. "Are you hurt?" Her voice was almost that of a mother, it held authority but also kindness. It was that of a mother long ago.
"P-please dont h-hurt me..." the little girl cried out as she pulled her legs closer to herself.
"I would never dream of hurting a young child like yourself," Lea placed a hand on the girl's arm.
"Lea, we got some trouble!" The monk shouts from the entrance of the alley.
Leas head quickly snaps to the monk, her hand still on the small child's arm. "Stay here okay?" Leas voice wavered slightly as she stood up and ran tk he entrance.
"What's going on Mark?" Lea huffed out as she stepped out of the alley's shadow.
"A group of cultists, looks to be about five or six of them." Mark spoke as he stood in the middle of the path.
"Alright," lea looked over to the half orc, "you good Bob?" Bob, who was hunched over as he tried to catch his breath, gave her a thumbs up. She gave a soft nod and turned her attention to the group in front of them, their wicked smiles sending shivers down her spine. Their deep red robes stood out against everything else, their eyes hidden by the shadows the hood casted. They looked over the small group, a deep chuckle coming from the man in the front. His hands glowed a soft orange, flames began to spring to life around him. They circled around his body, the flames tossing the warm colors onto his robes.
"Ah, adventures. I see that you are here to stop our fun," his voice seemed to echo through the alley.
"Your definition of fun is not right!" Lea yelled as she pulled her sword from its rightful place on her hip.
The man chuckled as he took a couple steps towards the group, his flames wavered slightly around him as his steps were slow. His hand held its own flame as he stopped only a few feet from the group. "I hope that this lasts long, I am going to enjoy every aching second of your death paladin."
