Blessed Visor

The city beyond these Iron Mountains, nestled in a valley shrouded in perpetual twilight, was known as Karvas. A city of grey stone and winding alleyways, it held a dark secret: the imposing prison of Melvinward, a place from which few ever returned.

The scene shifted once more, this time to David's perspective. He awoke with a jolt, his head throbbing with a dull ache. Disorientation washed over him as he tried to focus his vision. He was in a moving carriage, the rhythmic clatter of hooves and the creaking of wooden wheels filling the air. His hands were bound behind his back, encased in heavy metal cuffs that extended down his entire arms, all the way to his fingertips. The cuffs were connected by thick chains that wrapped around his torso, restricting his movement. A cold, metallic mask covered his mouth, muffling his breathing and preventing him from speaking. The carriage swayed violently with every bump in the road, causing the chains to rattle and dig into his skin.

He glanced around, his vision slowly clearing. He was sitting on a rough wooden bench, facing the front of the carriage. Beside him sat Cael, engaged in animated conversation with Lyra. Cael was gesturing with his hands, small flames flickering in his palms, showcasing his control over fire magic. Lyra watched him with a mixture of amusement and genuine interest, occasionally offering a witty remark or a question.

David paid them little attention. His gaze was fixed on the floor of the carriage. There, tucked beneath the bench opposite him, was a sturdy wooden box. It was plain and unadorned, but David recognized its shape and size. It was almost certainly the container for his Barrett. A flicker of hope ignited within him, a spark of defiance against his current predicament. He strained against the chains, testing their strength, but they held firm. The metal cuffs chafed against his skin, drawing blood, but he persisted, his mind already formulating a plan.

He noticed details about the carriage he hadn't before. It was a simple, enclosed wagon, likely meant for transporting cargo rather than prisoners. The interior was dimly lit, the only light filtering through cracks in the wooden walls and the small, barred windows on either side. The air inside was stale and stuffy, filled with the smell of damp wood and horse sweat. He could hear the rhythmic breathing of the driver outside, the occasional crack of a whip, and the steady thud of the horses' hooves on the uneven road he then glared outside through the simple glare and he realized that these where no mere horse they where huge around four of them the Size elephants they where trojan horses.

He also noticed that the chains binding him were attached to heavy iron rings bolted to the floor of the carriage. They were clearly meant to restrain someone much larger and stronger than him. The thought brought a grim smile to his face. They had underestimated him.

He continued to subtly test the restraints, trying to find a weak point, a way to create some slack. He knew he needed to be patient. He needed to wait for the right opportunity. The Barrett was his only chance, and he wouldn't waste it.The driver, perched precariously on the front of the carriage, squinted at the horizon. A distant dust cloud was rapidly approaching, growing larger with each passing second. He initially dismissed it as a dust devil, a common occurrence in this dry region. But as it drew nearer, its speed and unnatural trajectory became alarming. The cloud wasn't swirling; it was moving in a straight line, like a projectile.

His eyes widened in horror as he finally recognized the shape within the dust cloud: a massive, elongated icicle, easily bigger than the size of a tree, hurtling towards them at an incredible speed. He yelled a warning, yanking on the reins in a desperate attempt to steer the trojan horses away, but it was too late.

The giant icicle slammed into the carriage with a deafening crash, the impact sending shockwaves through the air. The wooden structure splintered and shattered, the trojan horses' terrified screams abruptly cut short as their legs were ripped from their bodies, flying through the air like grotesque projectiles. The driver, caught in the devastating impact, was torn in half, his body flung in two separate directions. The air filled with the sounds of splintering wood, the screams of dying animals, and the sickening thud of flesh hitting the ground.

The initial impact threw David against the side of the carriage, the chains digging deeper into his skin, the metal cuffs biting into his wrists. He instinctively braced himself, using his legs to try and absorb some of the shock. The dust cloud from the impact enveloped the wreckage, creating a thick, choking haze.

Cael, reacting instantly, conjured a burst of flames, intending to create a light source within the dust cloud. However, the fine dust particles hanging in the air ignited with explosive force, creating a sudden, violent flash of fire and a powerful shockwave. The carriage wreckage was engulfed in flames, the heat searing.

David, sensing the opportunity amidst the chaos, threw his weight against the remaining chains, the added force from the explosion combined with the heat softening the metal. The chains snapped, the red-hot metal searing his flesh, leaving painful burns, but he was free. He launched himself out of the wreckage, landing heavily on the ground, his body aching and his skin burning.

As the dust cloud slowly dissipated, revealing the extent of the destruction, Cael and Lyra were revealed to be unharmed, protected by a shimmering, translucent force field generated by Lyra's quick thinking. The carriage was completely destroyed, reduced to a pile of splintered wood and twisted metal. The trojan horses lay dead, their bodies mangled and broken it guy spilled out on the cold snow as it burnt due to the intense internal heat and it stomach acid. The driver was nowhere to be seen, his fate a grim testament to the power of the attack. David, his body covered in burns and cuts, stood amidst the wreckage, his eyes scanning the surrounding area, his hand instinctively reaching for the wooden box that had been thrown clear of the debris.The chains, now weakened and glowing cherry-red from the explosion, finally gave way as David pulled against them with renewed, desperate strength. He stumbled free from the wreckage, landing heavily on the churned earth, his raw, burned wrists throbbing with pain. As the dust began to settle, a truly horrifying vista was revealed. The area was swarming with the massive lizard creatures Stark had encountered – the Gordons. Their multiple, reptilian eyes, glowing with a cold, malevolent green light, swiveled in their sockets, their serpentine necks twisting and turning as they surveyed the destruction, their forked tongues flicking in and out, tasting the air.

Then, from the center of the Gordons' ranks, a truly monstrous figure emerged. It was a Xnihpd, a creature ripped straight from the darkest nightmares. It possessed the head of a lion, complete with a thick, blood-matted mane and rows of serrated, yellowed teeth, some chipped and broken from previous battles. Its eyes, cold and amber, burned with a predatory hunger. Its body was humanoid, but grotesquely elongated and powerfully muscled, covered in coarse, matted fur that was stained with gore. Massive, leathery wings, from which wisps of steam curled into the frigid air, sprouted from its back, the membranes stretched taut like decaying parchment. It was colossal, easily twice Cael's height, its very presence radiating an aura of raw, untamed power.

The Xnihps roared, a guttural bellow that shook the very ground, sending tremors through the shattered carriage wreckage. It began its rampage, smashing through the surrounding trees as if they were brittle twigs, the force of its movements melting the snow around it, sending plumes of hissing steam rising into the air, the smell of wet fur and scorched earth filling the air. Some of the Gordons, driven by a primal instinct or perhaps a desperate hunger, dared to attack the Xnihps, their claws and teeth raking against its thick hide, leaving only superficial, bloody scratches. The Xnihps retaliated with terrifying speed and brutal efficiency, snapping up the Gordons in its powerful jaws, the crunch of bone and the wet tearing of flesh echoing across the battlefield as it devoured them, blood spilling onto the snow-covered ground, staining it a dark, crimson red. Their dying screams were abruptly cut short, swallowed by the Xnihsp's gullet.

Cael, recovering from the explosion, quickly scrambled to his feet, his face streaked with dirt and soot. He drew both his cutlasses, "Sea Serpent" and "Tidal Fury", the blades gleaming with a dull, menacing sheen in the fading light. He rushed to the wooden box that had contained David's Barrett, using his swords to quickly hack through the remaining chains that bound it. He shoved the box towards David. "That's a Xnihps," he shouted over the din, his voice strained with fear.

David, still reeling from the explosion and the agonizing burns on his skin, glanced at the creature. "Don't you mean… a sphinx?" he muttered, his mind trying to reconcile the monstrous figure with the mythical creature of Earth's legends. He realized with a jolt that this creature was the antithesis of the sphinx. Instead of wisdom and riddles, it exuded pure chaos and violence. Instead of a human head, it possessed the head of a beast. "I get it," David said with a grim smile, understanding the twisted, brutal logic of this world. He quickly opened the box, retrieving his Barrett. He fired a single shot at one of the Gordons, drawing its attention away from Cael. David was shocked to see the bullet didn't kill the creature, merely leaving a significant dent in its thick hide, the impact sending a spray of thick, viscous blood it splattered on merchant face, the heat and the corroding nature of the blood already hot mangled his face as it age his flesh.

Then, from behind the Gordons, more reinforcements arrived they where adventure some where mages some where fighter regardless they were strong. Among them hulking figure, almost as tall as the Xnihps but built like a walking tank, charged into the fray. The creature was covered in thick, overlapping plates of crudely forged armor, some of which were cracked and broken, revealing patches of rough, scaly skin beneath. Its lower half was still recognizably reptilian, ending in thick, clawed feet that tore up the earth as it charged. It wielded a massive, serrated sword, its edge chipped and stained with dried blood, and a heavy, dented shield this armored tank whom ever dwelled in it was man and illusion had been cast to make it seem more intimidating that a normal giant armor.

Lyra, seeing the newcomer, quickly conjured a mirage, distorting the battlefield and confusing the Xnihps' vision. Several Gordons, disoriented by the illusion, leaped at the armored figure. He simply lowered his head and charged forward, trampling the Gordons beneath his heavy feet, crushing their skulls with sickening crunches, brains and blood splattering across his armor. He reached the Xnihps and, with a mighty roar that echoed across the battlefield, swung his serrated huge sword, piercing the creature's side. The blade sank in a few inches, drawing a roar of pain from the Xnihps, but it didn't penetrate deeply. The armored figure strained, trying to push the sword further, but the Xnihsp's thick hide resisted. He then tried to pull the sword free, but the Xnihps reacted with blinding speed. Its massive paw, claws extended and crackling with raw, violent energy, lashed out.

The armored figure barely managed to raise his shield in time, but the Xnihps claws ripped through the metal as if it were butter, the screech of metal on metal piercing the air. The force of the blow ruptured the hand holding the shield, the bones snapping with an audible crack, sending fragments of bone and splinters of metal flying. The hand, now a mangled mess of flesh and bone, dangled grotesquely from the wrist by a few remaining tendons. The armored figure stumbled backwards, trying to regain his balance, his severed hand dripping blood onto the snow. Before he could react, the Xnihps seized him by both shoulders with its powerful claws and ripped his two arms off with a sickening tear, the sound of tearing flesh and snapping bone echoing across the battlefield, spraying blood in all directions. A bloodcurdling scream tore from the armored figure's throat, abruptly cut short as his life was extinguished.

David heard the sound of someone running towards the battle. It was Cael, who had witnessed the armored figure's horrific fate. He swiftly swung both his cutlasses, "Sea Serpent" and "Tidal Fury", sliding beneath the Xnihps legs in a desperate, daring maneuver. His blades left deep, bloody gashes in the creature's thick hide as he passed, but the Xnihps barely seemed to notice, its focus still on the mangled remains of the armored figure. As Cael stood up, the cuts on the Xnihps' legs exploded outwards, the pressure of its massive weight causing the wounds to rupture, sending sprays of blood and gore into the air, coating Cael in a fine mist of blood. The beast didn't even flinch, its eyes still burning with cold, amber fury.

Cael, despite the horrifying spectacle before him, a grim smile playing on his lips, muttered to himself, "Next up… your abdomen." The Xnihps, seemingly unfazed by the shallow wounds on its legs, reached down and with a sickening squelch pulled the serrated sword from its side. The armored figure, previously motionless, remained slumped on the ground, seemingly lifeless. Cael, assuming the warrior was still alive and hoping Lyra could heal him later, focused his attention back on the Xnihsp, which seemed intent on returning to its rampage.

The Xnihps, however, paused, its massive head tilting slightly. It focused on the area where the armored figure lay, its sensitive ears picking up the distinct sound of two heartbeats. One was faint and weak, the other… almost nonexistent. The creature could sense a presence beneath the armor, a living being trying desperately to remain still.

Beneath the heavy plates, the armored figure, a man with a neatly trimmed black mustache and a short, pointed black beard, was frozen in terror. He was doing everything in his power not to breathe too deeply just barely breathing very slowly, not to vomit the blood that was now filling his mouth, trying to maintain his composure despite the agonizing pain his eyes wanting to pop out ,his mouth about to spill the blood. Blood seeped from his eyes, nose, and ears, a grim testament to the internal injuries he had sustained. He was shaking uncontrollably, his body trembling with fear.

The Xnihps, however, paid him no further attention, its amber eyes scanning the battlefield for more immediate threats. But the longer the Xnihps stood there, the more the fear radiating from the armored figure intensified, a palpable wave of terror that even the monstrous creature could sense.

Cael, realizing the danger of the Xnihps' lingering attention, yelled, attempting to divert the creature's focus. "Hey! Over here, you overgrown cat!" But his words were barely audible over the din of the battle, and the Xnihps remained fixated on the armored figure. All Cael could hear was the increasingly rapid thump-thump of the man's rapidly beating heart.

Then, Cael's eyes widened in horror. He looked at the armored figure and saw a subtle shift in the plates, a slight twitch of movement. The man was alive. And the moment Cael's gaze shifted, the Xnihps seemed to finally register the man's presence. With a swift, brutal motion, it lowered its massive head and devoured the armored figure, tearing half of his body away in a single, sickening bite. The crunch of bone and the tearing of flesh echoed through the air, mingled with a wet, gurgling sound as the Xnihps swallowed the mangled remains. The armored abdomen, still attached to the legs, remained kneeling on the ground, the metal plates now stained with blood and gore. The Xnihps' massive jaws, designed for crushing bone and tearing flesh, expanded to an unnatural degree as it swallowed its gruesome meal, blood pouring from its mouth and dripping onto the snow.