"Do you know who founded august drop ten years ago?" Benjen asked as the pair of merry friendly adventurers walked through August drops narrow passages.
"No, enlighten me" Krita had his mind on other things. The blade forged from sky metal was a delicate matter. Finding it wasn't the hard part. Taking it was. He couldn't involve his fellow sword guild members due to the rules of advancement. His own private hirelings on the other hand, like the rough brute named Benjen, was fair play. But he doubted they alone could just stroll up and take the sword without any difficulties.
"August" Benjen smiled to himself as he strolled past the small tents and shops. It felt great to be back in the dungeon. Where he didn't have to worry about appearances or holding back.
Krita did not seem very impressed by his knowledge, merely acknowledging his statement with a scowl. Then they heard it, an argument. some shouting at the drop itself. "Sounds like someone doesn't want to pay their two silver," Benjen joked as they neared the sound. He had never been a fan of the drop, they took far more than they needed. But they were so snowed in with the other major guilds on the island that the knife guild couldn't make a move to grab their territory.
"Its just the usual poor adventurer squabble no need for us to care" Krita continued to walk his long dark almost blue hair swayed down his sides as he strolled in at an increasing pace. His metallic armour likely worth more than fifteen gold pieces did not fit well with the surrounding adventurers whose clothing was far from expensive and whose armour would likely fail to stop an arrow if it was sharp enough.
"I guess you're right" Benjen was a little bit bored. They weren't fighting monsters, they weren't harassing the weak or taking a mid day drink, evening drink or morning drink. Truly Krita couldn't be very fun at parties. So who could fault him for taking a little look as they brushed past a path leading to the drop.
"Oi, Oi, Oi wait, ain't that.. And you thought this would be hard" Benjen stopped in the opening staring at the adventurers gathered around a bloody hill folk screaming about some creature down in the depths.
"What" Krita said, quite annoyed, he had to take a few steps back to see what had gotten his companion up in a jiff. And there it was, nudged in the belt of a dead or unconscious hound. The skymetal blade.
"You have to evacuate, something's coming, something not of this world" The crowd which had formed around the arriving adventurer paid little to no mind to his warning. Most just found a shouting screaming hill folk to be entertaining.
"Now, now there's no need to cause a fuss. I'm sure whatever monster that took out your party was strong, but they won't follow you up here" The guards at the top of the shaft brushed him off. There was no need to pay him any mind.
"You don't understand, It wasn't a monster it was some kind of mage but different, it wasn't mortal" Tristin tried his best to convince them. He had to tell them what he knew, what he had seen but would they even believe him? He had a few minutes left before the ominous time limit was up. And he didn't want to stick around to find out what would happen.
"Kid, it's time to move along there are more people who want to use the elevator" The guard gestured for him to get off the platform.
"No you don't understand, it's down there, if you send someone down they'll die! won't somebody believe me?" Tristin tried desperately but it was no use. All he got from the onlookers were eyes of pity and some who seemed to find amusement in his suffering.
This was ideal for Krita, all he had to do was step out of the crowd, say some sweet words, act like he believed the fool. Help the obviously delirious hill folk out of the dungeon and somewhere along the way nab the skymetal sword from the already dead hound. Easy peasy. "I beli…"
"I Believe you" Krita was too late. Instead what walked out of the crowd was an Elf. Yes an Elf along with his three companions. All of elven origin. Which undoubtedly came as a shock to everyone present. Elves were almost never seen outside of Cezen. They never left their mighty empires as they saw the rest of the known world as barren barbarian land.
The elf was a dusk elf. His skin was fair yet an ash brown. He stood proudly covered in a scale plate. With a long teal mantle on both sides of his body. His helmet was strange and round and the metal from which both the helmet and the armour was made seemed a kin to silver yet purer. But what really caught Krita's eye was not the man's fair complexion or elven beauty, but the Halberd resting by his shoulder yet another weapon forged in skymetal.
"I am Hapara, of the blood of Viol, and I carry a named soul, the seer's soul" The statement made the crowd gasp. Not only was it elven nobility, it was also someone who carried a named soul. Something which could only be found naturally in one out of ten thousand mortals. "The seer's soul lets me see truth from lie, and from that i can tell you that this man did not lie"
"This is getting ridiculous" A bit unnerved the Guard decided to test the theory by shouting over the edge of the pit. It was a long way down but the echo should carry his question down. "ROSKI, GINA ARE YOU ALIVE!" The shout echoed against the stone walls of the pitfall carrying itself further and further down until it no longer could be heard. Then came an answer. A tremendous noise. Something which caused one thing to break out among the small crowd. Fear.
"Something is coming" For whatever reason the only one not affected by the sound was Benjan. Who had already steeled himself for what is to come. Darkness. Spewing darkness flew out of the pit covering the entirety of the first floor in the darkmarch alongside the third and second. Many will die.