It has risen...

The rain was cold and lightly pelting my visor. I moved my gloved hand up the shaft of my weapon, and walked steadily through the mud and muck to stand before an enemy, seemingly countless. I turned to look at The Lizard. The Private was at our side, eager for her first major battle. The enthusiasm made me smile despite the odds, and with a nod, I drove us into the fray...

At first the signs had been subtle. A strange sighting here, a rogue tendril there. But then it became evident. The Thing had escaped.

The Bishop had kept cursing and lifting his eyes skyward for solace. He blamed himself that The Thing had broken through the ward he had constructed with wisdom and craft to keep the land safe. But, inexplicably, It had found a hidden path beneath the walls. It was only a crack, unseen, but enough to grant clear passage for destruction. It was out in the wild... and threatened to overtake us all.

I left The Bishop to his prayers and meditations. I know not of blame or forgiveness, only action and consequence. The Lizard's reports from her local reconnaissance were grim. The beast had moved further, and spread it's tentacles far wider than any mortal might comprehend. We had no time for delay.

I pulled the necessary implements from the stockpiles and said to Gunny, "Guard the perimeter, old girl."

She eyed me with a knowing glance, then retired to the outer gates. The Lizard and The Private took their weapons at my side and we strode, grim faced, into battle with the awful foe.

We waded in, breaking apart to better divide the beast. Hacking and slashing, minutes turned to hours, and we realized that we had to resort to the trenches and sapping if we would have any chance of success. We divided labors, The Lizard and I digging in at two separate points. I was in awe of The Private, who took on the beast with a ravenous ferocity unheard of for such a young warrior, tearing into the stragglers with hungry abandon.

At the end of the day, we had managed to corral The Thing back into its prison. The Bishop, with all of his characteristic obsession, devised and constructed a new fortification to keep It at bay.

We walked away from the battle, dirty, sick, and tired. We had accomplished our task, but a sense of forboding hung above us. Had we contained the chaos permenantly, or would we have to face the foe, perhaps in darker corners of the realm, soon one day? The silence was uneasy, and I needed to break the tension.

"We need pandas," I stated.

The Lizard brightened us with her smile, and quirkily remarked, "No, we need ninja pandas."

Gunny just rolled her eyes and guided us into the keep for supper.