When you commune with Eir, the answer you normally received about your brother was silence. This time, you received something different.
The vision you received was vivid, that of the Ozark region (an area you recognised having passed briefly through a few years ago), but it was burning. You knew it wasn’t a region that was heavily populated; in fact it was not an area that encouraged people to stay, not when more populous and abundant areas were nearby. You also received brief images of 7 faces; a dragon, three human females, a dogboy, an Altaran (which worried you as you knew they were servants of the Splugorth Slavers) and a D’Norr devilman.
Encouraged by the vision, you hurried to the region. It was a beautiful sunny day, with nary a cloud in the sky as you arrived. Everything seemed peaceful, but that was not to last long.
CRACK, CRACK CRACK
RUMBBBBBBBBBBLLLLLLEEEEEE
In the distance, you hear several short sharp cracks and the sound of what you thought might be thunder; which was strange as the sky was clear and the sun shining. On the edge of your hearing, you think you can hear screaming for help.
Rushing to assist, you made your way across the stony plain at high speed, able to close the distance within a few minutes and then up a hill near a larger expanse of rock and soil. As you made your way up, you were greeted with the sight on the horizon a few miles away of a large armoured force; you could make out a large contingent of vehicles, what looked to be a giant spider and a giant robot moving away from your position.
There is the smell of burning and the scent of ozone in the air, whilst the sound of screaming was echoing in your ears from down the other side of the hill; this time obviously screaming for help as smoke rose up. As you ran towards the screaming, you are first able to see a burning truck down below, and a hovercycle embedded into the hill. What remained of the pilot of the hovercycle was splattered over the vehicle and hillside. The vehicle might be recoverable, but that was not something you would be able to do.
As you start to gingerly make your way down the ten metre or so stony hillface, you find yourself facing a man, wearing huntsman armour, sitting against a large rock a few metres away from you. He sees you and lifts his rifle.
“Who are you?” he challenged you, coughing as he held his rifle on you one handed.