Suddenly, a piercing scream erupted, accompanied by a surge of black smoke and a foul stench that made everyone gasp for air. Soon enough, the creature fell to the ground and stopped moving.

Adrian and his men cautiously approached the body, only to find that the creature had turned into a dried corpse. Unlike the armored knights from before, this creature was dressed in a simple, ancient-looking robe, pointing to its background as a mage or scholar or some sort when it was still alive. Similar