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The Story - Chapter 2 - Unearthing The Past
A new path of destruction was carved, as the Horsemen forged onward to their next unknown destination.
From Sanctum, they headed due south east; crossing plains, mountains, oceans, villages, and more; leaving all a smoldering ruin of what was once vibrant and thriving.
After a month and a day of riding and raiding, the Horsemen came upon the first signs of larger civilization since embarking into the wilds- a massive railway spanning the ocean, and two large statues standing over it in an arch. The Horsemen then followed the rails due east, eventually arriving at a series of fungus-covered islands.
Conquest recognised the area as where his host had originated from, the islands having been consumed by his host's extended fungal mass. The Horsemen took their brother at his word, and continued down the rail.
From here on out, the Horsemen began to notice a peculiar pattern- massive structures, towns, and outposts, but not a single sign of life. A floating city with a massive palace without a single soul; several islands devoid of life.
Finally arriving at the end of the railway, the pattern held true; an entire port city, where not a soul could be found. At this point, the Horsemen were more than curious enough to lend some time to investigate the absense of life in the vicinity. They spread out, searching the city for some sort of clues as to what events had transpired before their arrival.
Shortly into their search, War came across an odd church adorned with symbols familiar to him. He summoned the other three Horsemen to the site, and they managed to find a hidden passage beneath the altar, leading into a foreboding dungeon below. The Horsemen silently nodded at each other, sufficient in their answer, and left the city, following sparce signs of civilization further east.
Many of the settlements they found afterwards were as abandoned as the city had been; until they happened upon a lush valley encircled by snowcapped mountains, with a small, populated town in the distance. Three of the riders rejoiced for finally finding something to play with, but something else had caught Conquest's attention. High in the atmosphere above where the Horsemen now found themselves, a large lifeform was entering the airspace at blinding speeds. He could tell it was vastly more powerful than anything they had so far run into, or subsequently created, and may even be an annoyance for the four of them- if just that it'd make it difficult to leave the area once it met the ground.
Without a pause, Conquest aimed his bow high, and charged a massive spectral arrow overflowing with icy energy. The other Riders only watched, as the entity had now approached near enough for the three of them to also detect it. Adjusting his aim, Conquest let loose the bolt, parting the clouds and stopping the wind with the force of his bow.
An earth-shattering squeal then filled the air, and a massive purple shape dropped from the sky, towards the other end of the plains they were overlooking. The earth shook violently once it hit, and the tempeture immediately began to drop. Within minutes, a full-on blizzard had engulfed the area, and the creature was alive no more. The town they had seen was quickly engulfed in snow and ice, and Conquest's own minions began appearing in the now-barren plains, born of the overflow of power from his arrow.
The area now seemingly a perfect setting for it, the riders decided to build the next castle here; this one, naturally, belonging to Conquest. As their minions were completing the construction of both the Castle and a massive icy wall infront of it, to seal in the valley, Death left them for a moment, venturing off into the plains on his own.
The pale rider was gone for a few hours, but re-appeared as the castle was finished, not offering any particular reasoning for his detour. The other riders had informed him of a small band of survivors that had made a temporary structure across the plains from their original town, and that Conquest had opted to allow them to live, assuming they made him regular offerings for their lives. They had seemed to all start worshipping various odd gods as well, possibly a form of induced insanity from the changing climate and losing their homes so quickly.
The area sufficiently in ruins and the second castle built, the Horsemen took to their steeds and left the plains, traveling this time directly West. Before they cleared the wall, Death took one look back at a particular spot on the now-frozen river, and smiled under his hood.
