Sorinn didn’t know what to make of this situation. 

When she and Nyriia first set out this morning to study these ruins, she expected it to be a quiet, slow day of poring over some dusty old stonework. At worst, she might have expected she’d have to scare off the odd wild beast.

She did not expect to encounter a Kobold and Goblin running out of the ruins, clearly fleeing from something.

As the pair quickly approached, one of them, the Kobold, began waving and shouting for help. Nyriia was the first to react, stepping forward to meet them, Sorinn following behind.

“Please help!” the Kobold pleaded hurriedly, coming to a stop before them, “They still have him, I don’t know what to do, I-”

“Easy now, it’s alright” Nyriia said reassuringly, kneeling down to their level as she spoke, “What happened?” As she spoke, Sorinn couldn’t help but notice the wary look the Goblin was giving them, herself in particular.

Before they could elaborate further, the sound of approaching footfalls drew their attention back to the vault entrance. From the relative darkness of the hall, four tall figures could be seen running towards them, one appearing to hold a lantern. While both of the new arrivals looked concerned by this, the Kobold seemed particularly fearful.

“Get behind me,” Sorinn ordered, stepping forward in a defensive stance. To her right, Nyriia rose to her feet, staff gripped firmly.

Soon enough, the four figures came fully into view, revealing themselves to be three Murae, one with brown fur and two with white, and a human with short, dark hair. Coming to a stop a short distance away, the group seemed just as surprised to see them, and appeared far more agitated than the Kobold and Goblin before them.

“What, more of you!?” one of the white furred Murae exclaimed incredulously. It seemed they weren’t the only ones expecting a simple job.

“Just stick to the plan,” the brown furred Murae responded, before turning their attention towards Sorinn and the others, “Look here, I don’t know who you two are or what you’re doing here, but that lizard’s got something that belongs to us,” they said, gesturing to the Kobold behind Sorinn, “so move aside and hand ‘em over.”

Sparing a brief glance at the Kobold behind her, she couldn’t help but notice the way she gripped her right forearm, something silvery just visible under her hand.

“And what may that be?” Nyriia questioned, “What is the meaning of all this?”

“None of your concern, topsider,” replied the second white Murae before turning their attention to Sorinn, “That goes for you too. If both of you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay out of this.”

Sorinn merely glared at the group, her body tensing slightly in anticipation. “I don’t know what you’re up to down here,” she said firmly, “but you’re a damn fool if you think I’ll just hand them over. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stand down.”

“We’re wasting time here,” she barely heard the human grumble to the rest of the group, “Let’s grab what we came here for and get out of here already!”

Giving a small nod, the brown furred Murae reached for a weapon Sorinn only just now realized was at their side, though she couldn’t tell what kind in the dim light, with the rest of the group following suit. “Wasn’t asking,” he stated, drawing an iron cudgel, “Out of the way, now.”

Sorinn only dug her heels in further, and even Nyriia seemed to be bracing herself for conflict.

The brown furred Murae narrowed his eyes. “Fine then,” he said simply.

A sudden movement behind him caught Sorinn’s eye, as one of the white furred Murae threw something from their hip pouch her way. Instinctively, she raised her shield, only for the object to hit the ground before her, releasing a thick cloud of smoke. The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps from within the smoke followed, and she could feel the hard impact of the cudgel against her shield a second later.

“Get out of here!” Sorinn shouted to the Kobold behind her, “Go!” Snapping out of their shocked state, the Kobold turned to flee, the Goblin moving to follow.

A flash of movement from the corner of her eye drew her attention back to her assailant. She quickly stepped back almost on instinct, narrowly avoiding the dagger her adversary had pulled while her attention was off of them. Sparing a quick glance to her right, she could see the human and one of the white furred Murae scrabbling backwards as a bright flash of light flared out from Nyriia’s staff, disorienting them.

“Grab them, hurry!” the brown furred Murae called over his shoulder as he charged Sorinn again, cudgel held aloft.

As they drew closer, Sorinn swung her blade out before her, forcing her assailant to come to a stop. Not giving him a chance to recover, she swiftly followed up with a left jab, her shield striking the Murae in the face with a sharp crack that sent them reeling back.

At that moment, she glimpsed the other white Murae sprint past her, heading straight for the Kobold. Quickly, Sorinn turned and gave chase, swiftly closing the gap between them. 

Sensing her approach, the Murae quickly spun around to face her, taking a swing at her with one of their daggers as he did. Sorinn raised her shield, letting the blade glance off of its surface. The Murae followed up with a flurry of strikes with both daggers, forcing Sorinn on the defense. Seeing a break in their attack, she lunged forward, knocking him off balance with a bash of her shield before bringing her sword down across his chest.

As her opponent fell, she heard footsteps rapidly approaching from behind. Turning, she saw the brown furred Murae bearing down on her, a deep gash on their scowling face where she’d struck him. She had just enough time to raise her shield, blocking most of their attack, the cudgel catching the edge of her shield and knocking her off balance. She could see him preparing a follow up strike, but knew she wouldn’t be able to recover in time to block it.

She felt a sudden rush of heat pass by her, as a large bolt of fire struck her assailant with enough force to knock them off of their feet. Turning to find its source, she saw the Kobold standing a short distance away, hands outstretched and with an astonished expression on her face. It would seem that their guest might be more capable than she’d realized.

With her two opponents dealt with, Sorinn turned her attention back to Nyriia. She was loosing bolt after bolt of light at her own assailants as they ducked and dodged out of the way, though she had looked just in time to see one of them - the human - get struck in the shoulder as he dodged. For as long as Sorinn had known her, Nyriia had never had to face an opponent like these two, and while she put up a valiant effort in fighting them, it was clear they were pushing her back.

Sorinn quickly rushed to Nyriia’s aid, dashing towards the white furred Murae as they attempted to flank her. The Murae had barely enough time to duck back from her swing, dropping what appeared to be a set of manacles as he did. Sparing a moment to give her an appreciative nod, Nyriia redoubled her focus on the human, successfully driving them back.

As they prepared to press their new advantage, a bolt of arcane energy struck the ground before them, narrowly missing them as they quickly stepped back. While Nyriia was able to quickly conjure up a barrier to blunt the force of the blast, Sorinn was sent staggering back, only just managing to regain her footing.

“Master!” Sorinn heard the Kobold cry out behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she could see them rush forward as their Goblin companion was attempting to hold them back, gazing concernedly past her into the hall.

Following their gaze, Sorinn saw four more figures emerging from within the vault. Within the dim light, she saw two more Murae, one with black fur, and an older, grey furred Murae being escorted by a human, their hands bound by the same manacles the other had just dropped.

It was the fourth figure, however, that caught her interest the most: A Drakai like herself, though older and with red scales, their fine robes marking them out as the patron of this group. He scanned the scene before him with an unamused expression as his remaining underlings fell back, including the brown furred Murae, who’d just finished frantically patting out the last of the small flames that had clung to his clothes.

“I was under the impression we would be the only ones here,” the Drakai addressed the two ratkin, his voice an irritated growl, “So why do I find yet more uninvited guests in our midst?”

“I didn’t think anyone besides us would even be near here,” retorted the black furred Murae, “Why would anyone come all the way out here in the first-?”

“Mar?!” Nyriia called out, apparently recognizing the older Murae, “Is that you?”

“Nyriia?!” Mar replied, clearly shocked by her presence, “What are you doing here?”

“You mentioned in your last letter that you were close to making a breakthrough here, so I came to see for myself,” Nyriia replied. It was hard to miss the pointed look the Drakai seemed to give Mar at this news. “What is going on?”

Before he could respond, Mar’s attention was drawn to the Kobold, who had now run up just behind Sorinn.

“Kihra!” Mar exclaimed, “You have to run, it’s too dangerous for you here!”

“He’s right,” replied the Goblin, “We need to get outta here, now.”

“No!” the Kobold, Kihra, exclaimed, “I can’t just leave you! We…we can still save you!”

Sorinn once again took a defensive stance, ready to strike. “I suggest you surrender,” she addressed the group before them, “if you know what’s good for you.” She knew that the Drakai mage would be a problem, but now that they’ve managed to regain their footing, they should be able to quickly take out their underlings and subdue him. It certainly helped that their confidence appeared to be a bit shaken after their skirmish.

The Drakai, on the other hand, seemed to have regained his composure, studying the group intently. Sorinn had no idea what other magics he may be capable of, and while she wouldn’t show it, that fact unsettled her.

“What do we do now?” the white furred Murae asked nervously, “Think we still have this?”

“We have wasted enough time with this disruption, and there are other matters that require my attention,” the Drakai responded after a brief moment of silent thought, “I am, however, willing to leave a ‘parting gift’ before I depart.”

As he spoke, the Drakai placed a hand on a strange statue Sorinn only now realized was standing along the wall to her left, a strange, dark-green light radiating from his hand before flowing into the construct. Whatever magic was at work here, it was potent enough for her to feel it from where she was standing, Nyriia even more so if her visibly unsettled expression was anything to go by. Behind him, the black furred Murae and the human were backing away nervously, dragging their hostage along with them.

Before they could react, the construct gave a sudden jolt and a lurching step forward, the sound of stone and metal scraping together accompanying its every move, causing the rest of the group to start at the sound. The same green light from before began radiating from its tall body, its eyes practically ablaze with the strange light.

“Though I am loath to abandon this endeavour at this stage, I have been away from my duties for long enough,” said the Drakai, pulling a small, fist-sized object from his robe as he and his two underlings began to back away, “And at the very least, I will not be leaving here completely empty-handed.”

As he spoke, a glowing rune manifested on the glassy surface of the object in his hand. A moment later, a circular portal appeared behind him, the space on the other side obscured by the veil of shimmering blue light.

The sound of stone and metal scraping together followed by a heavy, metallic thump drew Sorinn’s attention back towards the construct. It had taken a long stride towards the white furred Murae, who himself had also noticed the large construct now looming over him, its gaze fixed intently on them all the while. Most concerningly, its single arm was raised high above its head, the light of the portal gleaming off of its blade.

The Murae barely had enough time to let out a terrified yell before the construct brought its blade down, their scream quickly cut off by the loud clang of metal and crunch of the stone floor.

Sorinn and the others looked on in shock. Kihra had leapt back in fright at the impact, and was now huddling behind her legs. Even the other brigands were terrified by what had happened to their comrade.

The Drakai, on the other hand, had barely reacted to the scene before him. In fact, he almost appeared satisfied with how things were playing out.

“I trust this should be enough to occupy you” he stated casually, turning towards the portal, “I shall send someone to retrieve my artifact from what’s left of you later.”

With that, he stepped through the portal, vanishing through the light. The human and Murae accompanying him quickly followed, dragging their captive with them.

“Kihra!” Mar called out as he, too, began to vanish through the portal, “Run!”

“Mar, NO!” Kihra shouted, dashing forward to reach him even as the portal already began to rapidly close.

Sorinn moved quickly, putting her arm out before Kihra to stop her as the construct snapped its owl-like head around to face them. At that same moment, the remaining human and Murae brigands, not wanting to risk passing the construct to reach the portal, sprinted past them towards the exit without even bothering to confront them. At the very least, it seemed that they would no longer be of any concern to them.

With greater speed than its bulk would have suggested, the construct wrenched its blade free of the stone floor and lunged towards them, its bladed arm already prepared for another strike. “Move!” Sorinn shouted, quickly shoving Kihra out of the way. Not having any time to dodge, she raised her shield and braced herself. As the blade approached, she could see a faint wall of light begin to form before her as Nyriia attempted to shield her. The blade struck the ward before it could fully form, shattering it like glass as it passed through, only slightly slowed in its swing by the obstruction.

She felt the blade strike her shield, the force powerful enough to knock her off her feet and launch her a short ways down the hall. Rolling to a stop, she pulled herself to her feet, body aching from the impact. Looking down, she saw that her sword had been lost, wrenched free from her grip from the impact, and her shield, a simple, reinforced wooden buckler, had been heavily damaged, a large chunk broken off where the blade had struck. If not for Nyriia’s ward blunting the force of the strike, she may well have lost her arm, or worse.

Looking back down the hall, she could see that the construct was still focused on her, and was already rapidly striding towards her for a follow up strike. Thinking quickly, she ducked to the side as the blade arm swung past her, the constructs momentum carrying them past her. In the same motion, she drew her spear from her back (the reinforced haft had miraculously withstood the impact) and assumed a ready stance.

The construct, now turning to face her once again, now stood directly in the path of the exit, blocking their passage. Despite its attention being focused on her for the moment, she knew it would be reckless for Kihra and her Goblin acquaintance to attempt to make a run for the exit while this thing was still active. If any of them wanted to make it out of here, it seemed they’ll have to fight their way out.

“That guardian is formidable, but the ages have clearly taken their toll on it,” stated Nyriia, having taken position alongside Sorinn, “If we strike at its joints, we may have a chance.”

Sorinn gave an affirmative nod. It may have only been a slim chance of success, but it was still better than nothing. “You two stay back,” she ordered Kihra and the Goblin, readying herself for the next strike.

Sure enough, the guardian once again rushed them, Sorinn and Nyriia stepping aside in opposite directions. The guardian remained focused on Sorinn, delivering one strike after another without pause. Sorinn ducked and weaved between each strike, delivering quick jabs at its shoulder joint with her spear.

A bolt of light suddenly struck the guardian in the back, causing it to stagger slightly. Regaining its balance, the guardian retaliated with a blind swing behind it, just missing Nyriia as she quickly jumped back. Quickly regaining her footing, Nyriia cast another bolt, this one striking directly in the head, cracking one of the lenses that served as its eyes.

Sorinn followed up with a strike to the back of the guardian's knee, once again drawing its attention back to her. She just narrowly managed to duck out of the way as it swung its blade at her, carving out a deep gash in the wall behind her before briefly becoming stuck, a short struggle dislodging it.

In the brief time the guardian had been immobilized, Sorinn noticed a possible opening in its otherwise impregnable defences: While its missing left arm was immediately obvious from the outset, she could now glimpse some of its inner workings through the space it once occupied, the light of whatever magic was animating it glowing brightly within. If she or Nyriia could get just one good strike through there, they may be able to cripple or even destroy this thing.

Of course, that’s easier said than done given how relentless it was in its assault. As she stepped out of the way of another strike, her eyes briefly glanced over the gash left in the wall. Her gaze quickly drifted back to where the Murae from earlier had been struck down, and the broken section of the floor its strike had created.

Sorinn knew where to find her opening.

“Keep pressure on this thing!” she called out to Nyriia, striking at the side of the constructs knee with her spearhead as she dodged another blow, “I might have an idea!”

“Alright!” replied Nyriia as she prepared a much larger bolt than before, striking the guardian in the back with it as she preemptively retreated.

Almost immediately, the guardian whirled about, thrusting its blade out before it, but only managing to strike empty air. As she retreated, Nyriia fired off another bolt that struck the guardian center-mass. Before she or Sorinn could act, the guardian, seemingly becoming more agitated, lunged forward with a sudden burst of speed, swiping at Nyriia and forcing her to retreat further.

As she stepped back, Nyriia’s foot caught on a raised part of the floor, causing her to stumble. By the time she regained her footing, the guardian was upon her, blade readied to strike. Sorinn rushed at the guardian, but at this point, she knew there was no way she’d draw its attention away before it struck. She could only look on helplessly as the blade came down.

Just as the guardian struck, a large bolt of fire struck it in the side of the head, knocking it off balance and causing its strike to veer off to the side with it. At that same moment, Nyriia instinctively ducked away in the opposite direction, the blade only just missing her. Turning towards the source, Sorinn saw Kihra standing with her hands outstretched, just as before, her Goblin companion a short distance away by the pack of the fallen Murae. Looking closer, she noticed what seemed to be a silver bracer on her arm, a faint glow radiating from it.

Her attention was quickly drawn back to the guardian, who had now turned its focus to Kihra. Before it could move to retaliate, Sorinn made another thrust at the guardian, striking its damaged eye lens and destroying it. Almost immediately, the construct whirled around to strike at her, managing to knock her spear out of her hands before she could fully retreat.

As she retreated from the guardian, something struck the ground near its feet, releasing a large cloud of smoke that completely enveloped it. Sparing a brief glance back down the hall as she backed away towards the wall, Sorinn saw the Goblin clutching the pack she’d been rummaging through earlier, evidently containing more unused smoke bombs. Within the smoke, she could hear the guardian swinging its blade wildly about in confusion, half-blind as it already was.

This was her chance.

“Hey!” Sorinn shouted into the smoke. As the smoke cleared, she saw a dark shape rapidly approach her, throwing herself to the side just as the guardian’s blade smashed into the wall, sinking almost halfway through the stone before coming to a stop. A short moment later, Nyriia cast a bolt of frigid air at the embedded blade, the surrounding patch of wall freezing solid around it. The guardian attempted to dislodge itself as it had before, but its arm remained stuck fast despite its efforts.

“Here!” Sorinn heard Kihra shout. Turning to her, she saw her rushing towards her, her discarded sword in hand. As soon as she was close enough, she tossed it towards her with as much strength as she could muster, the blade clattering across the ground a small ways from her.

Moving quickly, Sorinn picked up her sword from where it had fallen, and charged the guardian, who remained focused on its trapped arm. With all her strength, she thrust her sword towards it, the blade passing through the opening in its left shoulder, cutting through its inner workings as it went. She felt the blade strike what she assumed to be the guardian's core, sinking a good way into the component before becoming stuck.

Almost immediately, the guardian began to violently shudder, the green light from within it rapidly glowing brighter. Letting go of the blade, Sorinn dove away from the guardian just as a surge of arcane energy burst from its body, momentarily filling the hall with a bright green light. The guardian stood still for a moment, wisps of steam radiating from its body as the last traces of light within it faded, before it toppled to the ground with a crash, tearing free of its remaining arm as it fell.

Sorinn rose to her feet, keeping her gaze on the fallen guardian as she steadied herself. When she was certain the construct was no longer a threat, she turned her attention back to Nyriia.

“You alright?” she asked her companion.

“Yes,” Nyriia replied, dusting herself off, “I am unharmed.”

Sorinn gave a small sigh of relief, “Good,” she said, before turning her attention to Kihra and the Goblin, “And you two?”

Kihra gave a tentative nod, “Yes,” she replied, “I…I’m okay.” Turning to look back down the hall, her expression turned sorrowful as she gazed at the space where the portal had been. Sorinn couldn’t help but notice the Goblin’s guilty expression as she shared a look with Kihra.

“It may not be safe to linger here,” said Nyriia as she approached Kihra, once again kneeling down to be eye level with her, “We saw a camp on the way in,” she continued, her tone gentle, “shall we discuss this further there?”

Kihra turned her attention back to Nyriia, hesitating only a moment before nodding, “Yeah,” she replied.

With that, the four of them made their way out of the ruins and back into the cave, Sorinn and Nyriia in the lead while Kihra and her Goblin companion followed close behind. Sorinn spared one last glance back at the scene behind them, reflecting on the strange circumstances they’d found themselves in. Who was that other Drakai? What was he so desperate to find here? How did this Kobold and her master fit into all of this? When she set out with Nyriia to study some dusty old ruins this morning, she didn’t think it would end with so many questions.

She only hoped their new companions would be able to offer them some answers.