Ludo walked out the home alongside Emmer and his retinue. The entire hamlet had changed in these short few days. Prepared for war, there was no sign of the once peaceful rural life from before, now narrow streets had peoples clad in armor and had been barricaded to hold off would be invaders. The air of worry surrounded everyone. Ludo looked nervously back at Emmer who only grinned…

“Balessia sent a small garrison to assist us two days ago. Five hundred mercenaries to keep the necromancer away.” Emmer said as Ludo stared at a pair of faces he didnt recognize. Ranging from the more reserved Haladians, with their reddish skin to the boisterous Felissians sporting large manes and carrying a broad arsenal of weapons. The hamlet bustled with activity he had not seen yet and he couldn't help but wonder, what Balessia’s wealth was like given that all these peoples had come from there.

“Balessia seems like a rich place.” Ludo suddenly said.

Emmer laughed. “Hardly. If there is one thing Balessia is known for, its the mud streets and beggars.”

At that moment, Henry returned. Flanked by a group of soldiers, on each side. Like Emmer, he looked tired and drained, yet he stood there undisturbed.

“Have the three of them healed properly?” he asked.

“It seems so,” Emmer said.

“Good. This means we can rotate some of the men from Balessia away and let them rest.” Henry approached Emmer and placed a hand on his shoulder. “And you should go get some rest, my friend. You haven’t slept in days.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Emmer said. “I don’t need to until we are all out of harm’s way.”

Henry removed the hand from his shoulder but remained unmoved, gazing at Emmer’s disapproval

“I’m fine, Henry. Ready the horses, we’re going on patrol again.”

“Emmer, with all due respect — and I say this as someone who has fought by your side for many years — you need to rest.”

“No.” Emmer bluntly said, pushing his hand away from his shoulder and walking past him. Henry quickly stepped between Emmer and their horses. Emmer tried to push him away but he would not budge.

“Remember what happened last time you decided you were above such menial things like sleeping, eating and—”

“That was different, Henry. We—”

“We were fighting for a greater cause than we are now?” Henry said. “I followed you before and I respect you too much to stop following you now my friend. But you know better, of how this will end.”

Emmer did not respond. He kept looking at the ground with his mouth half opened. It was the first time Ludo had seen him in such a vulnerable state. Henry kept his eye on him, eagerly waiting for a response.

“You’re right,” Emmer grimaced before walking away to his home.

“I’ll take care of everything!” Henry yelled at Emmer who did not reply as he walked away. Then he turned to Ludo with an ashamed face.

“I’m sorry you had to see that.” Henry said. “He becomes so obsessed with dealing with whatever thing lays before him that he forgets he’s merely a man. Come, I’ve got work for you.”

Ludo followed Henry, he quickly briefed him on the situation at the hamlet for the last few days. They had been searching for the necromancer but he had kept himself hidden well. During their conversation, they were joined by a few mercenaries and at that precise moment a certain voice ringed inside Ludo’s head.

“Is that a Virvid?” Ben asked.

Ludo turned to see the mercenary beside him. He saw a gaunt looking figure sitting down by a small fire with bright green and rough looking skin. His eyes were a deep striking yellow with a single dark brown slit cutting it in half while his nose looked as if it had been pushed up his face.

“It’s rude to stare,” Henry told him. It did not take long for them to reach a group of men with their horses. “Emmer taught you how to ride one of these, right?”

“Just the basics,” Ludo said.

“You will have to make do with that.” Henry signaled the men to lend Ludo a horse, which they did accompanied by some armor.

“Armor saves lives. Put that on,” Henry added before he was called by a group of mercenaries that had just arrived. “Don’t worry Ludo, it will be a simple patrol. In and out.”

With some slight issues, Ludo managed to settle in his armor. Though less heavy than what he expected, it sagged a little on his arms and chest. But it was better than nothing.

Ludo and the group of rid

rs set forth to the forest. Leaving no rock overturned, they scouted the area in search of any possible trespassers. Ludo kept himself busy by observing the world through his ability, seeing things others couldn’t. Above him, the clear blue sky had shifted into a series of colorful, curly, and cloud-like hooks which flew carelessly through the air.

“Curious how much the world changes,” Ben said while Ludo rode at the back of the group.

“I know right? All this color and whimsical feeling.”

“And much more.”

“How come?” Ludo replied in his head.

“Your eyes, they seemed to have been given a gift far greater than you realize. I’ve noticed it.”

“Like what!?”

“I’m just a voice, remember! Unfortunately, I’m afraid it’s up to you to discover the potential of this gift.”

“Hey! Hey!” Another voice called out for Ludo. It was one of his fellow scouts. A faun, just like the one that had come to the hamlet before. Like the previous one, he had long horns that escaped from his helmet and curved backwards, and a long beard which he kept neatly tied into a braid. “Don’t wander far behind. That necromancer might be just around the corner waiting to kill us.”

Ludo looked around, not detecting any unusual blobs of magic stalking the group. He let out a sigh of relief, as he followed the faun back.

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“You’re from Balessia, right?” he asked.

The faun chuckled. “What gave it away?”

“Emmer told me that the city is nothing but mud and dirt. I don’t really believe him, but that’s all that he says when I ask him.”

“That old man? He only sees things for their immediate value. Or so I’ve been told. In truth Balessia may not be the prettiest of cities but she is the jewel of desperate women and men who find themselves at their wit’s end.”

“And you are one of these men, right?”

“Sure thing. Came far north from the mountains. Cannot say I have been disappointed with my current life.”

“A city of opportunity I gather,” Ben said. “Nothing but disgraced soldiers and outlaws.”

“And other shady men. Perhaps the same that took my memories.”

Ben laughed loudly within Ludo’s mind, making his ears ring a bit. “Impossible, whatever happened to you was done by someone of a higher caliber. Someone who wouldn’t live amongst beggars.”

“Someone who would be more than happy to pay a beggar to do his dirty work!” Ludo pointed out. “If there is one place where I can find some information it might be there!”

“Why the interest in Balessia?” the faun said suddenly.

“I—ehm. I want to join the mercenaries.”

The faun stopped his horse in his tracks and waited for Ludo to catch up. “You do? Never thought a farm boy like yourself would be interested in joining the life of adventure.”

“There is more to me than meets your eyes,” Ludo said with a sly grin.

The faun chuckled. “If you say so. Let’s talk about this later.”

The leaves to their back rustled and shook. Ludo turned at the direction of the sound to see very large blobs slithering through the foliage. The other scouts picked up on the noise soon after.

Ludo froze, not knowing how to tell the others without drawing suspicions. He heard a Virvid yell out some orders but he could not tell what it was. To his luck, the blobs manifested themselves first, breaking through the foliage. Ludo could see that they were not peoples or skeletons, but rather large lizards. Angrily hissing, they crawled through the forest floor and flicked their forked tongue. As soon as their empty black eyes landed on the scouting party they sought out the horses and their riders with sudden haste, biting into the horses’ legs. The scouting party retaliated, striking any lizard that came close with their swords and maces. Even the horses joined in, stomping the reptiles until they ran away to the safety of shrubs.

The party stopped and quickly checked for injuries. Beyond a few light bite wounds, they had not been harmed, much to the relief of everyone involved. The group resumed their patrol. Not long after, Ludo caught a glimpse with his ability. Yet another set of blobs creeping slowly towards them. He ignored them, assuming to be the lizards, which had learned their lesson and left them be, yet the closer they got, the more he felt faint but troubled buzzing in his head.

“Drop down, Ludo!” Ben yelled.

He dropped flat on his horse without a second thought. A second later, an arrow flew over him and landed in the back of one of the scouting members. He slouched forward and fell from his horse, dead. Before Ludo could say anything, more arrows flew past, hitting horse and rider alike. Some dropped dead, while others tried their best to fight on. But even the horses seemed to have turned on them, the ones which had been bitten by the lizards earlier on had grown feral and did their best to throw off their riders as a large amount of foam dropped from their mouths. A few ran headfirst into trees, killing themselves instantly while others ran off in every direction. Ludo, and whatever remained of the organized scouting force tried to retreat, only to be met by a wall of spear-bearing corpses.

At that moment morale broke and the party dissolved. A daring few tried to charge into the wall only to be ended by the cold steel of the spears. Some turned and sprinted either by foot or horse but were hunted down by the corpses’ arrows. Ludo and a few remaining men galloped away into the thick forest. For a split second Ludo thought himself safe but he was wrong. Many blobs were amassing right ahead of them.

“Watch out!” Ludo yelled as the corpses jumped from their hiding places, not only ahead of him, but also from the canopy above and crawling from the ground below. The attack immediately killed half of the escaping party, leaving only Ludo and another man to stand alone. The corpses slouched closer, surrounding them and cutting off any possible escape routes.

“We’ll have to fight,” Ludo said.

“How!?” The man beside him replied. “We are only two!”

“And that’s all we need.” Ben and Ludo said in unison.

“Before you start this. You know you are about to run into a fight were the odds aren’t on your side?” Ben said.

“I don’t care,” Ludo replied, taking the first defiant step forward.

“So eager to right the wrong standing before you. I like it!” Ben exclaimed.

Ludo charged at the undead. Remembering every single thing Emmer had taught him. His sword clashed with theirs and the loud echoing of metal drowning the sounds of nature. The man joined Ludo in the melee and for minutes, the two-man army attempted to break through the undead horded with limited success. They were relentless, falling upon Ludo and his companion with renewed ferocity, caring little about any wounds being inflicted upon themselves. While defending themselves, Ludo heard the sound of leaves rustling and hissing coming from behind. In between blocking a sword and an axe aimed at his neck and head, Ludo looked behind and saw the lounge of lizards from earlier emerge from the trees. They charged into the middle of the chaos and began to attack the undead blocking their way out and creating an unexpected breach.

“Look, over there!” he exclaimed.

“Stop talking and start moving,” Ben added.

Ludo came to the aid of the man who was busy fending off a rather mean looking reptile and they killed it rather quickly by stabbing its head multiple times.

“We can slip away from this chaos!” Ludo exclaimed. “Follow me.”

Without wasting their time further, they ran as fast as their legs allowed. The undead continued their chase, yet the lizards, unrelenting in their hunt, kept them off them. Their escape seemed closer with every step and Ludo let his guard down. At that keen moment, a second horde of undead, arriving to aid the first legion, crashed into Ludo and his companion.

They separated in the immediate chaos, surrounded by various cadavers holding rusty pitchforks and weathered sickles. Ludo fended off as much as he could, breaking through and looking for his fellow soldier. He soon found him, fending off the second half of the dead. Running quickly, Ludo jumped forward to the man’s aid, destroying two undead with a single stroke from his sword.

“Thought you had left me!” The man yelled once he realized Ludo had returned for him.

“I could never,” Ludo said, crushing a skeleton’s head with his sword.

For the next few seconds it seemed like they were unstoppable, yet as time passed, the man’s movements became sluggish and his breathing rough. It did not take Ludo long to realize why as the man lowered his arm, which he had kept close to his side and revealed a large wound under his ribs.

“What happened!?” Ludo yelled.

“One of them got a lucky hit. It isn’t… it isn’t too bad, right?”

Before Ludo could answer the man fell to his knees. He had lost too much blood. Now alone and having to protect someone, he was being pushed into a corner by the undead. Despite his best efforts, it was a fruitless struggle to fight against all the limbs and weapons hurled at him and it did not take long until one of the rotten hands broke through his defense and grabbed him by the head. A heinous, rotten smell upon Ludo as he tried to free himself. In the middle of the struggle, however, he had a vision of a hooded figure hidden in a cave of sorts. He turned around only for Ludo to see his rotten, green skin and hollow eyes.

“Are you the one?” the figure asked.

Ludo pushed the undead’s arm away and struck him down with his sword. In the midst of all that confusion, he had lost track of where everything was and quickly paid for it as one of the lizards bit him in the arm and dragged him down. A tingling sensation quickly invaded his body.

“Ben! What is this!?”

“It appears to be venom,” Ben said calmly.

It only took a few more seconds for Ludo to stop feeling his arm and the right part of his body. Surrounded, half paralyzed, and with someone mortally wounded by his side, he tried to crawl away from becoming monster food but it was a futile battle. He could feel his face stiffen up as lizards surrounded him. At that moment, a ghastly blue light engulfed his vision and a strange noise flooded his ears. A ghostly explosion, foreign to anything Ludo had heard before, echoed through the forest. The sound sends shivers down his spine, a sense of urgency swelled deep before him, a feeling of true terror that he needed to quench immediately with the venom being the only thing keeping him in place. It reminded him of thunder, but there was something very wrong with it which frightened him. Merely a few seconds later, Ludo felt a sudden jolt of vigor flow through his body and bolted up, free from the venom. He looked around to see all the skeletons and lizards had been disposed of by some unseen third party. However, he could not wait idle for his savior to appear again as the man from before was now lying on the grass in a pool of his own blood.