Geneva and Cameron stepped forward, blocking the undead's path from Adrastrus. If he needed time to cast, they would do their best to give it to him. Geneva unsheathed her short swords and raised them defiantly. Cameron's great sword was also drawn, and the two of them stood poised to spring into action.

The squat female with unruly red hair stepped forward to attack, and Adrastus called out a strategy to Geneva and Cameron. "That's Winah -- watch out for her fire and dark magic. I have a feeling it has greatly increased in power with her current state."

As if on cue, Winah's hands thrust forward as she unleashed her firestorm attack. Three small swirling balls of flame jetted out from her fingertips and sped toward the group of investigators. They hit the ground a few yards ahead of the group, and at first Geneva thought Winah had messed up her aiming. It wasn't until the flames started to expand outward that she dove out of the way. The first attack had missed, but the battle was far from over.

As a tall, burly man stepped into the fray, Geneva glanced back for some sort of explanation as to who he was. Adrastus, however, seemed to be deep in thought and had begun his chanting again. Geneva refocused and charged the towering hulk. His sword and her two smaller blades connected, and she found that for as tough as he looked he was really not that much stronger than her. She whirled around in a tornado spin, her twin blades crashing against the mighty sword this massive stranger was wielding, and with her final swing she managed to catch him off guard and he staggered back a bit, his right arm slashed slightly.

With a cry of anguish the Crescent Moon Knight uttered a few words. A silvery shimmer encompassed his body, and his skin seemed to prickle and thicken under the shimmering light.

"It's a harden spell," Cameron called out to Geneva. "Don't bother trying to fight him in hand-to-hand combat now -- even if you connect I doubt it'll even slow him down."

Cameron had been engaging the third shadowy stranger, and from the looks of Cameron's panting it had been a pretty fair match thus far. Geneva couldn't remember the last time she had seen Cameron struggle with a fight.

Winah was advancing again, but this time Adrastus was ready for her. He thrust his staff into the ground and immediately the ruby began to glow with intense power. The golden wings emitted an intense light and a scathing ray of the purest light shot forth from the ruby and barreled straight toward Winah. Her squinty eyes widened as the beam connected to her chest and she let out a horrendous screech as she was blasted backward. The light seemed to have severely affected her, for as she lay writhing on the ground her skin bubbled and puckered.

"What was that?" Geneva asked Adrastus.

"It's a very powerful spell that only a select few can perform," he responded, as if anticipating that she might ask how to perform it. "It is devastating to undead creatures because it calls upon the holiest light from the very heavens above."

And apparently Adrastus was right. The looming canopy of the forest had been blasted away from the magnitude of the light, and now a stream of sunlight was pouring onto the forest floor. The vegetation on the ground seemed to shy away from this pure light, as if it were alive and trying to escape any trace of goodness.

Geneva and Cameron turned to face the burly warrior once again, but Adrastus called them back.

"We must go," Adrastus beckoned. "Their magic is far too powerful right now."

"But I just saw you --" Geneva started.

"Such powerful magic is taxing, even to me," Adrastus responded quickly.

They retreated quickly, and to their surprise the other two Crescent Moon Knights didn't bother to give chase. When they had finally stepped out of the forest, the natural sunlight seemed blinding. The Ynuron Forest had indeed become a place overrun with darkness and evil magics.

"So what caused them to become so twisted and evil?" Geneva asked finally. "I assume they weren't always like that."

"I have an idea of what it may be, but I must report back now," Adrastus said coldly. "Your company is no longer needed. I can find my own way back."

And with that he rode off at a manic pace, back toward the Kingdom of Jurion.

"I think there's something he's not telling us," Geneva confided to Cameron. Much to her surprise, Cameron laughed.

"So you don't recognize him then?" Cameron asked her. "That's the famous Red Dragon. He's one of the most powerful mages in all of Jurion. Rumor has it that he can even turn himself into a dragon, though I somehow doubt that's true."

"So what is he hiding?" Geneva asked, annoyed that she seemed to be thew only one out of the loop.

"He thinks he's found the Doithmin Shard," Cameron answered quietly, as if rolling the idea around in his brain. "It's possible, I suppose. They WERE unnaturally strong... but how did they -- no matter. We must go back to the King and report what has happened. I'm sure you're anxious to get back to Tyrak as well?"

Geneva's heart dropped. She had completely forgotten that she had intended to tell Tyrak that she wanted to end their affair. Now she had the entire ride back to Thiltis to try to regain the courage to tell him. This entire mission hadn't made much sense to her, and had actually been a nice distraction from her troubles back at the kingdom.

The ride home had never seemed longer.