185 Level of the World (3)

Gatyon's emotions began to settle down, as he seemed to have gotten over the worst of his experiences.

"In desperation, Lord Seth commanded Saint Ren and I to flee while he covered our retreat. We fled and fled and ran, not turning back, not checking if anyone or any *thing* were following us."

"To our shock, we reached the Fetch homestead on that same day. We were so close... So, so close to returning..." He smiled and shook his head.

"Since then, things have never been the same. We've lost touch with the outside world. Our numbers fall month after month. Food is sufficient, but under constant threat of raids and the Darkness, morale is low."

"...We never managed to recover their bodies... Could not bury or even mourn the Captain or Lord Seth..."

"Over time, we encountered more of the Darkness - the crawlers, eyeless creatures that only Divine Light at the level of a Saint can drive away. Anything they touch or wound became... Tainted..."