Horizon's eyez glowed faint red as he observe the feed from the interference bot. Its gate was steady but heavy, each step through the plain a performance of fatigue. Beyond, the first obstacle rose from the horizon — not a village, but a city, small by human standards yet formidable enough.
Wall's of stone circled the settlement, twice the height of a man, buttressed by towers with banners fluttering in the breeze. Unlike the villages Horizon had dissected through corpse's, this place bore weight: order, commerce, and power. Low level by classification, but still a hive of steel and spell. A perfect testing ground for infiltration.
The bot approached careful, its shoulders hunched, a smear of dirt across its cheek. From the watchtower above the gates, horns sounded. Guards appeared, armored in chain with crests emblazoned on their breastplates. They did not point spears idly as villagers might. They held them trained and ready, crossbows angled down, eyes sharp.
