Scout for clues

Having promptly exited the kingdom as instructed, there was a much needed but delayed conversation had on horseback.

"Someone's gotta say it" Kraig started "so it might as well be me. I think we've wandered off from the real reason we came here."

"What do you mean?" You ask politely.

"Isn't it obvious? We came here to get one book, supposedly about an ancient and forgotten deity, and bring it back to a bald but incredibly sexy and liberated elf who has appointed herself the prophet of that goddess, and doing all this for coin and plunder. Instead, we rescued an elvish king from a self inflicted curse, and now we're on our way to prevent a war that doesn't concern any of us."

"And you're wishing we hadn't?" Bruce asked

"A bit, ya. Especially in that it seems that what we're doing isn't worth the reward we've been promised."

"We've been rewarded for our journey so far." Bruce countered, smugly "we all have been given super weapons made in thanks for saving the King. Your brother is betrothed to a lovely elf girl, who is also friends with Fiana."

Kraig turned back to look at James for a second. His glum face perfectly conveyed his feelings. Even though they often disagreed, the bond between the two siblings was strong; strong enough to cause Kraig to pull back.

"Okay, you have a point, we've gotten our due, I guess, but that can't keep up for long, can it? I mean, what about this Thorina girl? I'm beyond ecstatic for James, but how is that going to work long term? She's not coming with us. And what of these Vilory types, they're not going to throw money or rewards at us for a job well done like the elves did. If this goes sideways, and turns into a full fledged war, what do we do than?"

"Kraig," You ask politely "would it be possible that's your real concern, of getting even deeper into this conflict, and not a matter of our compensation?"

There was a brief pause "Ya, I guess it is. I'm just saying, we go too much further and it'll be impossible for us to turn back. We owe these people nothing, who cares what happens to them?"

"I do" Bruce said, loud and clear, but solemn "If the four of us risking our necks prevents a brutal war, that will be reward enough for me. If you'd ever seen a battlefield and lived, you would too."

"How bad was it?" You ask, interjecting "Whatever you saw, whatever you did, clearly had an impact on you Bruce, but you never talk about it."

Bruce took a deep breath "That's just how it's going to be." He looked out towards the clouds for a moment as he stopped his horse "Some wounds are below the surface, and no amount of time can heal them. The images of those days make me sick to my stomach to this day. That should be enough." With a short kick, he took off on his horse, speeding out towards the direction.

"You just had to ask" James said "the old man plays tough, but he doesn't have the spine if he can't stand for his own actions."

"I'm sure he has his reasons for not talking" You respond calmly "and we should respect them. I'm sure the both of you have things you would rather not discuss. Let's show some sympathy to our friend, shall we?" You chase after Bruce, who had slowed down to a fair pace, followed shortly after by the Dowton's

"Are you okay?" You ask.

"I'm fine" Bruce replied with a nod "I thought I saw something in the distance. It turned out to be nothing, but I think I see the tower in the distance." He pointed at a ridge with an unnatural protrusion "If that's it, than there seems to be some credibility to theory." He points to another watchtower further to the east "There's no way they could go there without being seen by the Grushta."

"Great" James replied "That's quite the distance to travel."

"Be glad we're not traveling on foot." Bruce replies, taking off again, causing the rest of you play catchup. James was correct, it will take all day and even most of the night before you get anywhere close. As the crescent moon rises overhead, you start to hear an unusual, ghastly noise.

"I don't think we're safe" You say loudly "We need to approach carefully". Tying the horses to nearby trees, you transit the remainder of the way on foot. As you draw closer, you hear a shambling sound of armor

"It sounds like someone is nearby, armored and well protected, but something's wrong. Almost like they're drunk"

"Well, we're not going to give them anytime to walk it off" James said as he drew his bow and quickly climbed the hillside. Bow drawn before seeing the threat, he shouted as the arrow fired off. As you all are few paces behind him, you see him successfully duck a bladed weapon. With the distance closed, you see his enemy is a skeletal figure, encased in plate armor. The arrow had met its target but gone between the floating ribs, striking nothing. His brother James was first and foremost to strike, drawing his large dagger towards the neckbone. The brittle bones broke at the impact, causing the skull to fall off and crumble into the grassy dirt. The animated skeletal remains still fought, but without a sense of sight, was easier to fight and bring down.

"Why is it always undead?" James asked "Just once on this mission, I'd like to fight something with a pulse"

"Be careful what you wish for" Bruce remarked, as he looked over the remains. Spotting a piece of fabric along the shoulder, he tore it off and held it up. "This looks like the insignia for Vilory."

"What do you think that means?" You ask

"Hard to tell, at this point. At the very least, this can't be a solitary soldier here. We have our own battle to fight. Let's go"