Adrian carefully examined the area around the altar, his gaze lingering on the blackened scorch marks where the cultists' bodies had been, now reduced to nothingness by his primordial fire. He studied the stone itself, searching for any lingering magical residue, any hidden compartments, any clue as to what 'Aerthos' truly was, or what the 'Elder Gods' truly sought. The shadowy stain where the entity had dissipated was slowly fading, leaving only a faint, oily sheen on the obsidian.
"What kind of cult was this?" he muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the now eerily silent chamber. "Just a local splinter group gone rogue? Or part of a larger network?" He thought of the desperate fanaticism in their eyes, the whispers of 'purification' and 'new order.' It felt too organized, too deeply rooted in ancient lore to be just a few madmen. "Are there others out there, with the same goals, trying to unbind more entities? To awaken more 'Elder Gods'?" The scale of the potential threat suddenly felt immense, far beyond what any Guild, let alone an E-rank adventurer, should be dealing with.
A new, gnawing thought began to surface. "This mission... an E-rank? A clear case of world-ending cult activity, summoning primordial entities, and it's marked as an E-rank?!" He clenched his jaw.
"Someone either has no idea what they're doing, or they do know, and they're deliberately underestimating the threat. Or worse... they want this to happen." The implications were chilling. He had been sent to investigate a local anomaly, only to stumble upon a conspiracy of potentially cataclysmic proportions. This wasn't just incompetence; it felt like a deliberate deception. He briefly considered confronting Jana or even Borin, but dismissed the idea. Not yet. He needed more proof, more understanding.
After a thorough, painstaking search that yielded no further hidden clues or secret passages, Adrian decided he had gleaned all he could. The mission was accomplished, the immediate threat to Oakhaven neutralized. He turned, making his way back through the dark, silent halls of the Sunken Temple. The atmosphere, though still oppressive, lacked the immediate malevolence it had before.
He exited the temple and began his journey back through the corrupted part of the Whisperwood, noting that the sickly glow of the fungus already seemed a fraction dimmer, the hum a fraction quieter. It would take time, but perhaps the forest could heal. He pressed on, moving swiftly and silently.
He had just crossed back into a healthier, denser part of the Whisperwood when a sudden cacophony of shouts, sword-clashes, and desperate cries reached him from ahead. It was a full-blown fight, far too loud for a common monster encounter. His adventurer's instincts, and Nyxal's heightened senses, kicked in.
"Too much noise to ignore," he muttered, quickly scaling a massive, ancient oak tree at the edge of the clearing ahead. He moved with practiced ease, blending into the thick foliage, his dark armor and clothing providing excellent camouflage. From his vantage point, he peered down into the chaotic scene.
Below, amidst a fierce melee, a small group of Royal Knights, identifiable by their crests – the stylized griffon of the Eldorian Kingdom – were making a desperate stand. They were formidable warriors, clad in shining plate armor, but they were vastly outnumbered. Around thirty rough-looking bandits, armed with an assortment of crude weapons, swarmed them, led by a hulking figure whose scarred face and massive greataxe marked him as their leader.
At the center of the knightly formation, protected fiercely by two remaining swordsmen and a shield-bearing guard, was a beautiful human woman. Her fine clothes, though now disheveled, and her regal bearing clearly marked her as someone of importance, perhaps even nobility. She clutched a small, jewel-encrusted satchel to her chest, her face pale with fear, but her eyes held a spark of defiance.
"Fall back! Protect Lady Seraphina!" one of the knights, a younger man with a bloodied but determined face, bellowed, parrying a bandit's axe with his longsword. "We cannot let them reach her! These fiends are endless!"
"Surrender, dogs! And hand over the Lady, unharmed!" the Bandit Leader roared, his voice thick with menace. He cleaved through one of the knights' defenses with his greataxe, forcing him back with a grunt of pain. "She's worth a king's ransom, alive and untouched! Don't make us carve her out of you, you fools!"
Another knight, older and more weary, his armor dented and bloodied, thrust his sword into a charging bandit, who crumpled. "Never, you curs! Lady Seraphina is under our protection! The King's honor demands it! We will die before she falls into your grubby hands!"
"The King's honor means nothing in this forest, old man!" the Bandit Leader scoffed, his grin widening, showing rotting teeth. He lunged forward with shocking speed for a man of his size, his greataxe a blur. He batted aside the knight's shield with a crushing blow, sending the man sprawling. He advanced on the woman, his eyes fixed on her. "The Lady comes with us, one way or another! This forest is our domain now!"
Lady Seraphina gasped, shrinking back, her hand flying to her mouth, but her eyes, though wide with terror, held a stubborn spark. One of her remaining guards, a young, fresh-faced knight, barely out of training, stepped forward, placing himself bravely between her and the hulking bandit leader. "You'll go no further, villain! I swear it by my blade and my life!"
"Foolish pup!" the Bandit Leader laughed, a cruel, rasping sound that grated on Adrian's ears. He swung his greataxe in a wide, sweeping arc. The young knight barely got his shield up in time, the impact sending a jarring clang through the clearing. He stumbled back, his arm trembling.
"You think you can stop me? Your king's coin means nothing when you're dead! Give us the Lady, and maybe, just maybe, you'll live to tell the tale!"
The knight gritted his teeth, his face pale with exertion. "You will not touch her! I will hold this line!"
"Then you'll die on it!" the Bandit Leader roared, raising his axe for a finishing blow.
Adrian observed, his mind swiftly assessing the situation. The knights were brave, but clearly exhausted and overwhelmed. Lady Seraphina was undeniably important, likely a political pawn. This wasn't a random mugging; it was an abduction attempt, well-orchestrated, perhaps even ordered.
And these weren't just common bandits. Their leader moved with surprising skill, and their numbers suggested more than mere opportunism. This felt like another thread in the tangled web of Aethelgard's instability, perhaps linked to the "noble games" Jana had mentioned. He had a choice. Intervene, and potentially expose too much of his capability. Or observe, and allow an innocent to be taken. The choice felt clear. The human Adrian, the one who empathized with Elara's sorrow, couldn't stand by. This was a challenge he could not ignore.