Chapter 67. Notice Required
The tremors grew stronger as dust rose in the distance, visible now as a thin brown line against the horizon. The rhythm of hooves became distinct; hundreds of them, moving in disciplined formation. Still far off, but approaching steadily.
Sael watched the column for a moment, then turned away. He had time before they arrived.
He started down the hill toward where Ilsa and Orion were finishing with the deer leg. They noticed him approaching and straightened slightly as Sael stopped a few paces away.
"I'm leaving, children," he said. "Shortly. There's a situation that needs addressing."
Both of them went still for a moment until Orion recovered first. "Leaving? Where?"
"East. To Valtor, near the Blackstone Range." Sael paused, considering how much to explain. "There's a... possibly Corrupted warlord. An orc. He's killed two Pillars—the Ashen Sultan and the Buried King—and is currently occupying their former territories."
"Two Pillars?" Orion repeated quietly.
"Yes. He ate them, apparently. In front of witnesses."
"What the fuck?" Orion blurted out.
Sael's gaze shifted to him immediately.
Orion went rigid, his face flushing red. "Sorry—sorry, Master, I just—" He cut himself off, looking mortified.
But Ilsa wasn't much better. Her face had gone completely pale, and she was staring at Sael like he'd just told her the sky was falling. "He ate them?" Her voice came out higher than usual. "The Ashen Sultan? The actual Ashen Sultan?"
"Yes."
"And the Buried King?"
"Also yes."
Ilsa made a strangled noise, somewhere between disbelief and horror. She looked at Orion, who still looked like he might be sick, then back at Sael. "How is that even possible? They're—they're Pillars. They're supposed to be..."
"Invincible?" Sael supplied.
"Yes!"
"They're not."
The silence that followed was thick and uncomfortable. Sael waited, watching their reactions. This was the moment where most people would realize the danger and understand that what he was describing wasn't an adventure or a learning opportunity but something genuinely lethal.