The walk to the military grounds was a quiet one. Damien, Arielle, and Lyone followed Captain Apnoch past the rising streets of Delwig, where smiths were already hammering at forges and market stalls were being opened under the early morning sun.
Yet despite the ordinary bustle, the closer they came to the fortress's inner yard, the heavier the air felt.
Soldiers lined the path, their armor polished, their spears upright, but their eyes betrayed unease.
Damien noticed it immediately. He kept his stride steady, though inwardly he grew more curious. What sort of thing shakes hardened soldiers like this?
When they arrived at the central yard, he had his answer.
At the center of a runed cage stood a beast that once might have been majestic. A Grade Six ironback stag, its horns gleaming silver with etched veins of essence, now twisted with veins of pitch-black corruption. Its once-proud eyes burned red, drool steaming as it dripped onto the stone floor.
