Corban quickly slowed his mount; pulling up on the reins, his face eased with the sight of Baros and Asana. Both men appeared noble and righteous. The young lieutenant sighed and lowered his head in greeting at being addressed as brother.
His voice was frail and weak for the last few days had been hell on earth for the knight. “Indeed, we have heard rumors, my brother, but I cannot confer as to whether this beast is the same one you seek.” He shifted his gaze upward as the crow spiraled down over and over again until alighting upon his left shoulder.
With greenest eyes of sorrow and fatigue, Corban met each man’s gaze before speaking again. The elf’s presence made him slightly uneasy as it brought to mind a more severe scenario than the one he had already assumed. “My squadron and I were on patrol when the monster stormed in on us. Out of the twenty who rode, only four survive aside from myself and two are in dire need of a healer.” The sound of his voice faded with each syllable as if the very essence of his being was drained.
Focusing upon Baros, Corban made a pause as if to collect his thoughts, but in truth, it was only to rest as his lungs failed him. “The beast is insatiable. I have never seen the like, nor heard or read of it in study. I beseech you to come and camp with what is left of my men so that we might plan some sort of retreat or attack that would be anything more than futile.”
Corban had the appearance of a man defeated. His eyes were dull and his emotions dry. He had only known defeat one time in his life prior to this experience and compounded by the loss of life, he was not coping so well within himself.