Location: Crystal Peak

Quila was shaking, she was tied up, and being held prisoner by things that just killed an entire brigade of sentries. She didn't know what was going to happen to her, she only remembered having her hands blown off, and one of the tall things bandaging the stump, and then tying her up. Where are they going to eat her? Ransom her maybe? Sacrifice her to their heathen gods?

One of the tall things approached her, one of its strange heretical objects in hand, it had an old looking moth at its side. Were these things golems? Sent by the moths to terrorize the good bugs of Hallownest? She was pulled from her thoughts when the tall thing spoke to her again in that strange unnatural voice.

"What is your name" It said, the voice didn't seem malicious or friendly, it just was.

"Colonial Quila of the 4th City of Tears Brigade, you heathen" Quila spat

The tall thing was infuriatingly unphased as it went on to its next question.

"Why did you attack the Moth Tribe?" It asked in it's unreadable tone.

"Because our King ordered us to, to wipe your heathen filth from Hallownest's Crown" Quila announced in a prideful voice. She wanted these things to know what kind of filth it was, and how they didn't deserve existence.

The tall thing appeared to regard her for a moment, before continuing.

"You tried to commit genocide?" The tall thing questioned, this time it's tone had a hint of anger in it.

Quila looked at the tall thing confused, what in wyrm's name was genocide? She was sent to cleanse Hallownest's Crown, so maybe it meant cleansing? The old moth next to the tall being also appeared to not know the word.

"I apologize for interrupting, David, but I must ask, what does genocide mean" The tall thing, now known as David, looked down at what Quila now knew was a her based on the voice.

"The intentional killing of an entire population of a nation or ethnic group" David snarled, this David appeared to be getting angry. Why did these beings have a word for that?

"What is the structure of your nation's government?" David said suddenly, the anger gone from his voice. This should have been reassuring, but it was strangely… uncanny.

Quila recollected herself, and formulated her answer.

"Uhm… well… ehem, We are ruled by the illustrious Pale King of Hallownest, he is a god, he created the world and all things in it, something you heathen scum appear to reject" Quila regained her arrogant tone. She was a noble of the eternal kingdom, this beast no matter how mighty should learn its place, others would come for her, they couldn't keep up their heathen resistance up forever.

Before the beast known as David could speak again, Quila spoke up.

"I am a colonial of the 4th Brigade, noble of House Clawthorn, you beast are nothing, untie me now and maybe you will be something more than a pack animal when I am rescued by-"

Quila shrieked as she felt an agonizing jolt rush through her body, David was holding some weird device up to her shell. After a few agonizing seconds of holding it there, David pulled it back.

"You will answer my questions, and nothing more. Do I make myself clear?" David said

Quila was shaking, but coherent enough to nod her head in compliance.

It went on like that for a while, David would ask a question, Quila would answer it, if Quila chose to withhold information, she would get shocked. The questions ranged from what kind of monarchy Hallownest was, what kind of military it had, what the socio economic conditions of the kingdom were, the culture of the kingdom, time keeping, and various other bits of information here and there.

When David was finished asking questions, he got on one knee, and lowered himself as close he could to Quila's eye level. He remained there for a few tense moments, before asking another question.

"Do you know what a war crime is?" David said, anger coming back into his voice.

Quila was a wreck at this point, and her mind raced to find an answer before she got shocked again.

"W- when you commit a crime during a war" Quila choked out, tears streaming down her face, she was a wreck at this point.

"Close, but not quite, it is a very specific kind of crime relating to violating conducts of war" David explained

"Conducts of war? L-like, being unhonorable?" Quila asked tears still running down her face.

"In a sense, yes, they are agreed upon terms by which we conduct warfare, and breaking them has serious consequences. Guess which consequence is given to attempted genocide." David said

Quila pieced together what was happening, this beast intended to punish her for trying to carry out her righteous duty.

"Death" David said, interrupting her thoughts.

David took an object from his side, and to Quila's dismay, had a similar looking tube to the objects that were used on her sentries.

"Y-y-you, you can't do this! I was f-f-following my orders!" Quila choked out, practically begging for her life.

David chuckled, like he was laughing at some inside joke.

"You know, there was a saying among my people, that it isn't a war crime if you win"

David leveled the object's tube to Quila's head.

"Unfortunately for you, you lost"

A loud bang could be heard across the mountain top, and Quila's body went limp.

Location: King's Station

"Say again what these beings looked like" Ogrim said to a sentry, who was stationed there during the incident that lead to the death of a great sentry.

"Well, they were tall, wearing white clothing, with this black glass covering their faces. They had two arms, two legs, and when I say tall, I mean it, I think they are even taller than Hegemol" The Sentry recanted

"That seems to be what everyone who has seen them remembers them by, their height" Ogrim chuckled a bit. Do not worry my friend, I and the other Great knight will make sure events like this never happen agai-"

Suddenly, something burst through the wall where the tall beings had previously come out of. Amidst the dust a red glow could be seen, and out emerged what Ogrim could only describe as a giant. It was covered head to foot in metal, and the eyes of it's head piece glowed a hellish read.

The sight of it alone caused the sentries to run away, it was gargantuan, easily larger than Hegemol, heck, larger than Herra the Beast herself, and on it's back was a massive nail. Ogrim backed away, and decided to turn around and run, there was no way he could defeat that thing alone, he would require assistance.

Before he could get far, the giant had already outpaced him, and to his surprise, merely shoved him out of it's way, it was a hard shove, and he could feel his shell crack from both the giant pushing him, and from his hard landing to the ground. The thing was unbelievably fast, especially for one such as it's size. Ogrim wheezed, got up, and began running again despite the pain. The giant needed to be stopped before it could cause harm to the people of Hallownest.