In the dark Shrouded Wilds, three Velmourn soldiers stood back to back, their shoulders almost touching, their weapons drawn. Around them, their Bonds—large beasts with thick hides made to bear even the coldest weather—shifted nervously, low growls rumbling in their throats.
The group looked around with solemn and intimidated looks on their faces, their eyes on the thick, cold, and heavy mist that had surrounded them, limiting their vision. It felt like they were being swallowed by a cloud that refused to let them go.
They couldn't see more than a few feet ahead; even the glow from the strange moss underfoot looked dimmer here.
The air… it felt wrong.
Too still.
Too… quiet.
"…I can't see anything,"
One of them muttered. His voice trembled slightly, though he tried to hide it. It was even stranger considering he was an Elite, a Master Tamer, one of the strongest Velmourns. He had never felt… this nervous before.
But today…
