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Prologue - Carnage

A party of 8 traversed cautiously through a forest . They composed of 4 warriors, 2 archers, and 2 casters — typical for adventuring parties. They are clearly veterans, all are mostly armored in chainmail and wielded weapons made largely of iron and other metals. High quality by most standards.

They were in a crescent formation with the archers positioned at both ends with the casters behind the crescent. Archers served as the ears to their surroundings, mostly to their flanks and rear.

They advanced as always, with all their weapons brandished. The trees encircled and towered over them imposingly; dominating every view. One of the casters looked upward, she could barely see the night sky between.

They could hear bugs and other wildlife that composed of wings flapping, chirps and creaking. At the distance, they could hardly see the other groups through the darkness and in between trees.

"You think he could kill them all?" A caster spoke in a half-whisper.

Then just ahead of her, a warrior spoke silverly which made clear of his background.

"I very much doubt it. Even if mages as strong as the stories say, stragglers are bound to happen."

To the right of her, an accented archer.

"Nah, saw one em' obliterate gob' tribe once with single spell like they were nothin'. That shit was terrifying I tell ya'. I know these things are vile, but seeing those burnt corpses... I felt different."

"Yes, you told that story before."

"Quiet. All of you. We're getting near." Their captain interjects in a commanding tone. They stiffened and complied.

"See one." The archer on the left softly spoke, drew his bow with good aim and let loose his arrow.

"GRaah!!" The scouting goblin cried in pain within the darkness' embrace, then ceased to move nor make a noise.

The group carried on in silence with anticipation. This is beyond that they are accustomed to, and thus — careful in how they proceed. They could hear the sporadic and agonizing cries and groans of distant goblin scouts being slain. But such is their job they carried on.

They are here; in their positions near the edge of a clearing. To their left and right, they could discern other groups taking their respective points and readying to the fight ahead. They steeled themselves and furrowed their brows.

Before them, there was a large fort on a sizeable clearing which stood on an artificial hill. It was made of a mix of finely carved stone and ancient concrete. It consisted of four walls that formed a square and with four formidable towers on each point. A moat surrounds the walls, and a wooden drawbridge could be seen on only one side. At the center, they could see a keep — the main tower dominating half the sight before them.

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It was dilapidated, but still functional for a goblin army.  On the walls and tower, they could see goblin archers who still hadn't sensed them. 

After confirming amongst themselves that all units are ready, they each lit torches, and light surrounded the fort.

"Geh!?" This seems to confuse the goblins at first at seeing numerous fires surrounding their camp.

After a moment — GREAEAHA!!!

Intermixed with the sudden wave of breezing of hot air that felt like that the flames of hells surfaced from beneath the earth. All of them closed their eyes and covered their faces.

But as the initial after effects of the magic subside, they looked at the inferno that fell unto the hapless goblin army housed within the formidable walls.

A great pillar of flame that can only be imagined in hell itself had appeared. While the buildings and walls themselves did not burn, the fires still left black marks and the flesh and materials within them fueled the gluttonous flames. Prominently, inside of the main tower burned like a great towering furnace three storeys high. Each window is filled with fiery crimson infermo. 

Amongst the sound of all-consuming flames, they could hear hundreds of blood curling screams that pierced the ears and hearts of the surrounding forces ready to cut them down. But they seem to be unneeded.

Like maggots eating out of a rotting flesh, goblins crawled to the top, and out of the walls and windows to escape their demise, however the drawbridge was no use as it burned like the rest of them. But when they crawled over and out of the walls, they fell to the moat below and never rose again. The fortress had became a prison of infernal hell, and there is no escape.

Then, the fiery pillar settled down into a lesser, but still great fire. Even at their distance, the adventurers could feel the heat on their faces.

"Shit..." One of them uttered, and that was the sentiment everyone shared. They were at a loss. They were ready to fight, but now them being present seemed pointless. 

They had defeated a great enemy, but it was no hard fought battle — it was slaughter. Plain and simple. They looked on with mouths slightly agape at the concentrated and calculated death and destruction laid before them.

"Damn, we didn't even get do anything."

"Yeah, I wanna be pissed at that... but fuck..." A warrior touched his forehead while he leaned on a tree. He didn't fight, but he felt tired. Everyone felt tired.

Before them, a small figure seemingly fell from the sky, but gracefully landed. Many could see her distinctive red cloak and fiery bow.

As she observed the destruction, she spoke as if she is in a normal shift at work.

"Hmm, I overdone my work.. again. They wouldn't like that I just did their job. Perhaps, I should've allowed some stragglers? Ah well, that's too late now." She mused to herself.

While most wouldn't have heard, a few sharp ears of the archers pick up at the nonchalance of the mage before them. She was more concerned that she made a bad impression on them by stealing their work than the goblin army that threatened an entire region of the kingdom. However, the few that that could hear had no remark, nor this made a negative impression. Perhaps, a slight fear is negative, but it was mixed with elation knowing that a living embodiment mass death and destruction is on their side.

"So, this is how strong mages are..." A young caster utters which expressed both her awe, fear, and respect intermixed into a confounding feeling that all her comrades felt as they witnessed the carnage imposed by their ally.

As time passed, the voices of dying monsters fades, and their ears are dominated by the sounds of flame consuming anything that could give it life.

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