Saturn was grateful that the elders eventually decided to declare a recess from the discussions even though they had mostly finished the topic. It was to give them time to talk among themselves and likely come to a good firm cohesive decision now that they were of one mind. Saturn was in the midst of cleaning himself when echo came to him; it seemed as though that some mindrache had gone missing during the day. Saturn furrowed his brow slightly and couldn’t help but wonder if maybe they had gone out for a walk or perhaps fishing. But echo could confirm that they wouldn’t just simply leave without telling anyone.

The two of them would head out to talk to the various mindrache across the camp. Trying to find out where they had been or when they were last seen. Many of the people they asked had no idea and the rune knight contacts weren’t in question at all given their loyalty to the cause and their understanding of the situation. The dwarves were aghast that anyone would try to take them at such a time and the elves were certain that no one from outside had made it within.

Which meant that the ones responsible for the disappearing mindrache were likely one of the council members or individuals that were more likely to want to stay on the move or perhaps someone getting rid of their rivals within the mindrache caravan. Saturn sat quietly with echo while they were going over the information that they had gleamed from everything.

They were missing about eight or nine mindrache. Most of them were on the younger side which prompted saturn to think that there was a certain demographic that people wanted of the mindrache. Young which meant they could be trained to be whatever the person wanted. He was reminded of what the bandits had done to them and felt his heart twist in anger. His knuckles cracked and he had to wonder if they could save them. It wasn’t fair to the mindrache that they were being targeted like this.

They’d have to increase patrols and saturn sent one of the rune knights away with a letter asking for more forces to arrive here. It’d take some time to mobilize and it’d like be looked on distastefully by some but he wasn’t about to have something so hard fought for fall to the wayside just because someone didn’t want to follow his orders.

It’d take some time before they realized that they were missing almost a fifth of the mindrache caravan goers. Most of them were people that had been supporting saturn and echo’s cause to make it so that they could stay here. Which confirmed their belief that someone on the ‘other’ half was making it so that their usual lifestyle would continue.

Saturn used his cloak to turn himself into a small and pleasant looking mindrache. One with plenty of fluff and a somewhat sassy look. Echo and him wandered through the camp; both of them on high alert. They eventually came across what saturn was expecting. A mindrache elder with a few other mindrache’s either tied up or having their mouths covered with binding. Saturn’s eyes traced to the one meeting them. A man with a crest.

The crest was one he recognized; he felt his blood run cold and his mouth drop a little bit. The words he heard between the two all but convinced saturn to act. He was like a blur, midway through leaping his disguise fell to the wayside and he’d slam into the stranger with the crest of lady wolfenstein. His hand grasping around their throat and driving them with such force into the ground that the wind was instantly knocked from his lungs. Echo had already started working on releasing the other mindrache that were bound. The elder stood there in shock as saturn didn’t hesitate to slam the man again into the ground; knocking the fight out of him. He shrank back from saturn as the demon’s eyes burned with anger.

”Guess we know who was letting the bandits know when to strike.”

The elder looked ashamed and saturn felt a few arrows narrowly miss his massive body. More bandits? He’d look up, seeing what seemed to be a tented cart and a few people with bows. He didn’t hesitate to flex his arm and then twist his hand. The crack and sudden limpness of the body underneath him fell by the wayside. He felt his anger grow further and beyond anything that he could have ever expressed. He was like a blur, leaping up and over the defenses that were supposed to keep the mindrache safe.

He sprinted across the field, batting aside the arrows as they flew at him. Sliding up to one of the archers as they reached for their weapon. It was like in slow motion. His armor had barely changed into it’s lethal configuration. His spear already in hand. His eyes had dilated to an extreme and there was a slow panning of breathlessness. The man hadn’t even started to draw his sword as saturn’s sleeping dragon cleaved him in two.

His role was to defend the people; his role was to help those that couldn’t stand stand strong with him. His role was that of a protector, a caregiver, a man that was to help those beyond his kin. His hand grasped the next mans head and he simply yanked them off of their feet, flinging them behind him with such force that the man soared for about thirty or so meters, slamming into the ground and not moving afterwards. His form felt fluid, he felt the biting sensation of blades against his skin.

He felt his crystals warp, he felt his body grow slightly. He felt his strength and many other instances double; he felt his world view fall into the abyss for what seemed like ages. He was a blur, a mess, a menace. By the end of it he was standing admist a host of bodies that all bore the same crest as the first. The mindrache in the covered wagon had been saved. He’d pull off the top and then start working on freeing them. None of them had seen what saturn had done so when they looked upon the mess their faces paled slightly and the captured elder looked beyond surprised.

”...Many of the elders doubted your words saturn. But seeing this…?”

Saturn gave a curt nod to the elder, escorting them back while a few of the mindrache guards looked at him in a new light. They hadn’t even managed to cross the field to help him fight the bandits. He was a blur of motion that they couldn’t even keep track. His magic and his spear had made short work of them. Saturn didn’t recall using magic, all he remembered was the first two. Saturn could feel the hunger deep down; the desire to do better. The desire to help and protect the people he had sworn to. His eyes looked back to the now destroyed cart. He stood there, letting his armor slowly fall back into it’s usual state and he’d send sleeping dragon away. Many of the mindrache didn’t even get to see what happened and he was fine with that. The less they knew about this event the better. Many of them were stressed and he really didn’t want to add to it more but sometimes that was just life.

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