4. Glimpse into Abyss

The Guardians split up and investigated the burning post. Soon, they came across a creature they had never seen before: a strange humanoid-like monster with green skin and long, clawed fingers, nibbling on the corpse of a fallen soldier. The group started fighting it but struggled to kill it, as the creature seemed able to heal away any damage dealt to it.
During the fight, some Humans attacked the Guardians at the same time, splitting their focus. The group did not recognize them, as they were dressed differently from the bandits they had recently encountered. Strider escaped by climbing on the walls of the keep and fighting the men one at a time; Isabelle kept the enemies at bay with her arrows; Delvin faced the monster alone; and Nero healed him and shielded him from additional damage after Delvin was knocked out.
Eventually, the combined efforts of the entire group managed to down the beast for good. For safety, they dragged its body to the closest fire and burned its remains. After catching their breath, they resumed the search.
Nero heard a scream and led the others in its direction. They found one Guardian who had survived the battle with grievous injuries; Nero healed him up and the group spoke with him. His name was Raf.
He was able to share some information with the Guardians, confirming that the keep had been attacked shortly after the four of them had left and almost nobody had managed to make it out alive. He revealed that there was a secret entrance to the keep that allowed the barbarians to invade it with ease and he said he suspected that a traitor had opened this passage for them.
With Raf’s help, the Guardians found five more man who had managed to survive. They discussed the situation with Reeman and Morgus and were instructed to hold the keep until Morgus’ army made it there. The group started getting organized for the weeks ahead of them, planning to repair the keep, gather enough food for everyone, bury the bodies, and keeping watch for potential attacks.
Nero also revealed his ability to speak with dead bodies; the following morning, the group interrogated the corpse of General Rothna, learning a little bit more about the invasion. Most importantly, they heard the name of the person possibly responsible for the attack, Keldar Visigoth, and they were instructed to protect the mirror in the General’s office at all costs...