"We've spotted a massive amount of war fog up ahead! This stuff has almost completely cut this valley off from the outside world. No wonder these people are trapped here and nobody's come to rescue them. There's no way to send out a psionic message under these conditions."
As the wind griffin beat its wings, Old Qu had already circled the battlefield once. The scout had gotten a basic sense of the situation and reported to the vampire legion and its auxiliary troops, who were advancing behind him through the team channel:
"I can't make out either side in the fog, but judging by its size, there must be an astonishing number of them. There's also been psionic light flickering inside the fog the whole time. I suspect they're fighting.
"The good news is that the valley isn't very big. We can bring those poor souls back as long as we charge in.
"The bad news is, I don't think the cultists here will happily let us in.
"Also, there seems to be something else here! My wind griffin's really restless. It seems to sense some kind of strange power."
"Huh? Even the wind griffins are scared?"
Meow Brother's voice came through the team channel. The reserve Red Knight asked in confusion:
"Didn't the mountain folk say wind griffins were the bravest birds around? When they gather in flocks, they even dare to cheekily harass thunderbirds. They're the rulers of Feathered Valley. What could be here that would scare those fearless wind griffins?"
"I have no idea!"
Old Qu replied helplessly:
"I told you, this damn war fog is blocking everything. The cultists obviously don't want people outside to know what they're doing. I'm going to go in on foot and scout the fog. How much longer will you need?"