Gerald heard the sound, for it was impossible to miss. It cut through the din of battle, reverberating throughout the Margel Hills. It grated the nerves, sent shivers up everyone"s spine and as one, the soldiers turned their gaze south, to the stone keep.
High atop it, a screech issued forth again and then a nightmarish creature emerged, peering above the battlements. At first, it appeared to be a giant man, its head, torso and arms very humanlike, but as Gerald"s eyes watched, it dragged itself over top of the crenellations and started crawling down the side of the tower, head first. It was then that its lower torso came into view to the disgust of those watching. It looked as though the giant creature had been ripped apart at the waist, trailing a sickly green ichor that clung to the st
