The mogu sentry sighed as he stepped back onto the gravel road. Lazily carrying his spear resting against his shoulder, the soldier looked left and right once more, searching for signs of movement – and once again, nothing. Following the road, the sentry soon came to the cave entrance near the top of Tu Shen road – inside, the small statue of a Mogu warrior, fists clenched and wielding knuckle-punchers, a favored weapon of the ancient era, stood solitary, the dim glow provided by a small set of candles off to one side. It was clear that there was no one inside, either.
Turning around, the sentry nodded toward his partner, who had appeared at the cave entrance beside him. Roughly thirty minutes ago, the pair had been sent to the Tu Shen road to investigate the glow of bonfires in the area. It was clear that there should be no one there – and from their search, they could find no trace of any bonfires or persons of any kind.
"Bah!" the sentry sighed, turning back towards the road, dimly illuminated by the moonlight shining above, "There is no one here. I see no trace of bonfires, either. This whole search has been a waste of time."
His partner followed alongside him as the pair walked down the road. "The slave village reported that they saw something." he shrugged, turning his head to face the sentry, "My guess is that the slaves got scared of the moonlight. You know how fearful and stupid they are."
"Either way! To send us here looking as fools do..." the sentry muttered as he and his partner paused, peering out over the edge of the cliff-face they stood atop. The Vale of Eternal Blossoms was eerily quiet this time of night – the faint cricket of insects and the faraway crackling of fires could be heard, but little else. It was almost peaceful, in a way.
His partner looked at him, a grin of malevolent glee crossing his face. "When we return to the slave village, we'll tell the Taskmaster that we found nothing. I am sure he will be more then happy to discipline the slaves who sent us here in the first place. And you know how...corrective...his methods are."
This brought laughs to the pair – but only briefly. As they laughed, the silence was interrupted by the crack of branches and the rustling of foliage off to the side of the road. Spinning around abruptly, the pair raised their weapons – the sentry's spear and his partner's shield, and from his scabard, sword.
"In the name of the Empire, I command you to show yourself!" the sentry barked, waving his spear menacingly in front of him slightly.
His partner appeared to perk up, his ears shooting straight in attention. Turning to the sentry, he nodded and motioned with his hand to the cluster of bushes off to their right. The duo advanced into the brush slowly, weapons ready.
Bursting through the other side, they found themselves on another section of the road – and nothing was there. As the pair stood, looking around in bewilderment, they found themselves staring into the bushes and foliage all around them – which appeared, curiously, to stare back.
The pair did not have time to scream before the monks descended on them.