# TOWN GUARD, RELLES

One sleepy mid-afternoon, the sun cast a warm glow on the guards standing at the gate. The line leading in through the town gate had already run dry and the afternoon rush was still hours away. Staring wearily out over the bare fields, the town guard Relles yawned to himself.

"Hey, what's that?" The other guard asked, breaking the languid silence.

Slowly pulling his eyes together into a squint, Relles stared out over the plains. An indistinct figure shifted at the edges of the forest. "Looks like we gotta do some work," he shrugged.

"Hey, don't they look kinda… funny?" The other guard asked.

"Hmm," Relles replied slowly and then widened his eyes. "Wait… A-Are they naked?"

"No, they're just wearing a loincloth… But that bald bastard is running pretty fast. Yet I don't see nothing chasing 'em…"

"Hey! Slow down!" Relles shouted at the approaching figure. In no time, the indistinct figure closed the distance, but they showed no sign of stopping.

"Oi! Stop running!" The other guard shouted and they both lowered their spears, leveling them at the approaching figure. But the half-naked man didn't slow down.

"H-Hey!" Relles tried to shout one last warning to the stranger. But the bald runner simply put their head down, as if preparing to slam head first into their spear tips.

The two guards braced for impact. But at the last second, the figure shot upwards. The loin-cloth-wearing runner flipped forward and over their spears. A dust cloud erupted from the ground in front of them. Where the figure kicked off the ground, a large gouge marred the dirt path.

Relles flipped around, barely able to spot the figure disappearing into the crowd.

"What the…" The other guard turned to Relles. But he had no explanation either.

# ADVENTURER'S GUILD CLERK, OLIVIA

Olivia yawned, her eyes drooping in the warm stuffy guild hall. The afternoon sun beat into the room through wooden slatted windows. In the afternoon lull, she struggled to stay awake

The guild hall door opened and Olivia blinked in surprise. She gave a long stretch as she struggled to get moving again. Standing up, she approached the counter.

"Finished early today?" she asked, as she took up a pen. But as her eyes focused on the figure, she didn't recognize the adventurer standing there. "Uhm, can I help you?"

The man stood there, almost nude. Only a loincloth protected his dignity from her eyes. He wore a blindfold and his shaved head reminded her of a monk. But he lacked the characteristic robes.

"Uhm, did you feel the shaking last night? Crazy stuff right? I saw my water bucket ripple and stuff. Haha," Olivia tried to awkwardly make small talk. But they didn't react.

"Coin, how much can I get for this?" He asked, setting a large magic stone down on the counter. It shone a dull-red color, fire-type.

"Oh, wow!" Olivia's eyes widened in surprise. "Uhm, let me just appraise it…" She replied. Taking out a magic magnifying glass, she peered down at it. Runes and statistics floated over the glass and she nodded. "Adult salamander, 1 large and 3 small gold."

"I'd like it paid in iron if possible."

"Iron coins? Sure… Let me go get them, please wait a moment," Olivia replied. She hurried into the back and searched through some of the crates of their coinage. "Masta', we got a weird one!" she called out further into the back of the guild building.

"Oh ho? Weird indeed. I saw him enter." An elderly old man appeared from the shadows behind her.

"What? Oh geez, don't scare me like that," Olivia complained.

The old guildmaster chuckled as he circled around to where she was digging through the crates. "Let me know if he gives ya' any trouble. I'll knock him around a bit." the old man said, pumping his wrinkly fists in the air.

"I don't think that'll be necessary, but keep an extra eye out if you'd please," she replied, coming back out of the crate with arms full of coin rolls.

"Sure, sure," the old man nodded.

Olivia smiled and headed back out to the front. As she passed out through the barrier dividing the employee-only section, she put on her more serious expression.

"That'll be ten rolls of large iron coins," she called out as she stepped back up behind the counter. She pulled out a magic scale and put the coins on one side. "If you would," she said, motioning to the empty side of the scale.

The bald man nodded and placed the large magic stone onto the empty arm of the scale. Olivia checked the stone once more with the magic magnifying glass and nodded as well.

"Everything looks in order," she nodded. She took the magic stone from the scale and the bald adventurer took the coins from the other side. But Olivia wasn't ready for what they did next.

The stranger opened their mouth wide and inserted the rolls of iron coins down their throat, paper wrapping and all.

"Wh-What are you doing?!?" Olivia accidentally raised her voice in shock. But the human(?) in front of her ignored her protests. Their throat bulged in long undulations as they swallowed the lengthy rolls of coins. Olivia's mouth froze open, words of disgust and surprise stuck halfway up her throat.

After consuming all ten rolls of coins, the bald man turned and silently left.

The guildmaster exited the back and came to a stop next to the still-stunned Olivia. "That's a new one, even for me…" he whispered.

# HIGH SMITH, HIMMRTACK

"Be sure to take care of it!"

"I will, thank you!"

Himmrtack, a local smith, saw off the customer with a smile. As they left, a breeze through the open door freshened up the stuffy metal shop.

Scattered throughout the small store, display stands propped up swords, shields, and armor. The old man walked through his collection, looking over them nostalgically. Taking a seat behind the short counter, he once again prepared for the wait of new customers.

The sun still streamed in through the windows of the shop and he prepared to relax in the languid afternoon. But as soon as he sat down, the door jingled open and someone entered the shop.

"Forget something?" He called over the racks of items. But it wasn't his previous customer. Instead, a bald half-naked man with a blindfold rounded the corner. "Eh?" Himmrtack accidentally let out a surprised murmur.

The customer walked through the racks of merchandise without giving any of the equipment a single look. Despite the blindfold, they expertly navigated the isles up to the counter where the smith sat.

"Don't tell me you're looking for armor?" The smith tried to quip. But the loincloth-clad man did not react.

"Iron, copper, tin, silver, gold, platinum, aluminium, tungsten, palladium-"

"Hold it! Hold it!" the smith shouted, interrupting him. I think we got some of that, but I didn't recognize anything past gold!"

"Do you sell raw materials?" the man asked back.

"We do, sure. But what's your budget?"

"1 large gold." They replied. "I'd prefer at least 1 iron bar. After that, as much gold as I can purchase, with the rest split between the remaining available metals."

"Hmm… I don't know if I can just go selling raw gold to someone I don't know…"

"I'll pay double for the gold. I don't need much of it either."

"Fine, fine… Let me see what I got…"

The smith disappeared into the back and returned with several metal bars and a small box. "Here you are," he said, setting them down on the counter.

Himmrtack arranged the metal bars into a neat row and he opened the smaller box to show a gold earring. "2 Iron bars, 1 copper, 1 tin, and a bullion of silver. It's all there. And the earring is plated gold if you're fine with melting and extracting it yourself."

The stranger nodded and placed 7 rolls of iron coins on the counter. "You may keep the change."

"I won't say no to that…" Himmrtack smiled. He deftly opened each roll of coins, confirming their contents. "Everything seems to be in order, please go ahead," he motioned to the items on the counter.

The customer nodded and picked up the earring first. But before the smithkeep could react, the stranger threw the earring—box and all—into their mouth, swallowing.

"Oh…" the smith responded dumbly, too stunned to react.

The customer proceeded to swallow the silver bullion whole as well. Then they took a bar of metal in each hand. Their lips flared back as their white teeth chomped through the metal with a screech. They swallowed and opened their mouth again, their teeth now stained black. Yet they kept taking large bites out of the metal.

"Oh…" the smith mumbled again as the stranger finished off the metal bars. In a handful of bites, 3 metal bars disappeared from the counter and Himmrtack stared down in shock.

The stranger gave a satisfied sigh, visibly relaxing. "I apologize for the confusion. I will see myself out," they replied.

"No, that's fine, I think I'm gonna close up shop for today," the smith replied unblinkingly. "Let me see you out…" He said, guiding the stranger to the front door. He silently opened the door, flipping the open sign to closed.

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But as he opened the door to his shop, an unexpectedly cool breeze blew into Himmrtack's face. The cold fresh air snapped him out of his trance and he looked around in confusion.

The once sunny afternoon had become dark and gloomy. Instead of a warm summer breeze, the air nipped at Himmrtack's bearded cheeks. The smith stared up at the darkening sky, clouds rolling over the horizon. His eyes searched the dark sky, concern growing in his belly.

Before he could comment on the strange weather, the ground suddenly shook beneath their feet.

# ADVENTURER'S GUILD MASTER, FRIETH

"That baldy just ran right past my men!" The captain of the town guard explained exasperated to the guildmaster. "At least come back and pay the toll later. I swear, we get no respect these days," he continued, taking a sip of ale.

"Actually, we also saw-" the guildmaster began to reply, but a sudden rumbling shook the guildhall. The two stared at each other and got up. Olivia, the current clerk on duty, ran to the front of the hall and they followed after her.

Dark storm clouds draped the city in shadows, the sunny afternoon a distant memory. Chilly wind whipped the faces of all standing in the streets. The guard captain, Bremmer, began shouting at the passerbyers.

"Get inside! Everyone, take shelter! Stay on the lower floors, or basements if you have them!" The guard captain placed one hand on the hilt of his short sword as he walked around.

"What do you think it means?" Olivia asked, her face clouded with worry.

The guildmaster rubbed his long white beard contemplatively. "I'm sure trouble is on the way. For now, we need to ensure our own survival. You should hide in the guildhall basement."

"I can help though," she tried to protest. But the guildmaster shook his head.

"Your time will come after this storm breaks. We may need all the able hands we can muster." Frieth replied and he started running after the guard captain.

Despite the guildmaster's elderly appearance, in a single step, he shot forward through the street. As he reached the dull shadow of a fruit stand, his form merged with the shadows and he reappeared a short distance farther up the street.

In seconds, he caught up with Bremmr. The guard captain shouted orders to several subordinates and turned back to the guildmaster.

"I'm going ahead, best of luck old friend," the guildmaster said quickly and the captain nodded back. The two parted ways as old man Frieth's form once more merged with the shadows. He hopped from shadow to shadow, maneuvering towards the city center.

The icy wind only got stronger. Storms rarely raged in their peaceful providence, certainly none that appeared so quickly. But they did at least have a warning bell for monster attacks.

The old guildmaster's black cloak emerged from the shadows on the bell tower roof. He stepped out from behind a pillar and spotted the bell hanging in the center. Gritting his teeth, Frieth gave the bell a sturdy kick, and it launched backwards.

The iron shell cracked and the bell thrashed back and forth from the powerful kick. But the frantic tolls echoed clearly around the town.

# CAPTAIN OF THE TOWN GUARD, BREMMR

The town bell rang uncertainly through the air. Over and over it rang out. Every time it seemed to slow, the bell clattered to life, frantically ringing. From atop a guard tower, Bremmr watched over the city.

Despite no smoke rising from the town, embers filled the air. Hail showered down in sporadic patches and the torrent of chilly wind carried an unexpected hint of earthy dust.

The strange storm only got stronger as he watched. Large watermelon-sized boulders fell from the sky. Icicles the size of people rained down into the houses and lightning lit up the dark sky. Bremmr stared up at the dark clouds, brow furrowed.

Finally, the source of the storm revealed itself. Multi-colored scaled wings flapped into view. Dozens of dragons broke through the front of the storm and his jaw tightened.

Bremmr clenched down on the hilt of his trusty short sword. Even a few small or low dragons could easily wipe out the town. And he counted over 10 high dragons spewing magic breath angrily into the air.

Fire, Ice, Earth, Wind, and Lightning. The High Dragons' shouts spewed raw elements in every direction. Flashes of white light cracked down to earth, scorching the plains. Billows of flames followed, leaving the forest smoldering. Slabs of raw stone crashed into the tops of houses. Huge icicles pierced into the buildings of the town. All the while, the gale of winds continued growing stronger. It was all Bremmr could do to stay standing on the tower roof.

Suddenly, an explosion echoed from behind Bremmr. From the center of town, a large dust cloud erupted from the commercial district. As he turned to face it, a black shadow shot up into the sky.

Bremmr snapped his head back, looking up to see the form of a small dragon flapping erratically. "What in the…" He muttered to himself.

The form of the small dragon shot downwards and crashed into the city. In the opposite direction, the black shadow flung upwards.

Another dragon launched downwards as well, followed by a boom as it crashed into the city. Dragon after dragon, the strange black object exploded upwards and shot the limp forms of the dragons down towards the earth.

The High Dragons turned, firing their magic breath at the black form. The torrents of magic eviscerated the small and low dragons alike. But the explosions from the black spec only got stronger. Charred dragon corpses slammed into city buildings. Faster and faster, the rumbling explosions echoed through the city.

"Quite the sight," an elderly voice commented from behind Bremmr.

"Guildmaster…" Bremmr replied, turning around. The old black-cloaked man walked calmly up beside the guard captain, ignoring the galeing winds.

"The eyes on the dragons… They're different," the old man commented. "I've never seen those glowing red eyes before…"

"Allow me to explain," a third voice suddenly echoed from behind both of them. They both turned around in surprise to see a hulking Minotaur standing behind them. "The entity hunted by the dragons is extremely dangerous. If we do not destroy it now, it will surely destroy your world. I ask for your cooperation, humans."

"Huh? Like we'd trust a monster-"

"Very well," the guildmaster replied. "And how can we help?"

"Take this," the minotaur handed over a large crystal. "Activate it on the transmigrator from the shadows. It may be the only way…" The minotaur said and then suddenly disappeared. Their form turned to sand and scattered into the wind.

"You're really gonna trust that monster?" Bremmr asked skeptically.

"Monsters and humans must live in balance. There are times when we must unite behind a common enemy. Whatever is out there, it's neither human nor monster…" The guildmaster replied cryptically, staring up to the sky.

The guard captain also turned up towards the violent storm above and shuddered. Countless Dragon corpses fell from the sky. But even more reinforcements flew in from beyond the horizon.

Each High Dragon dwarfed a city block. But the new dragons towered over even those. "Is that a…" Bremmr trailed off, staring at the new dragons flying in.

"Elder Dragons… Plural." The guildmaster finished his sentence. Even without their magic breath, an Elder Dragon could squash half a city by rolling over in their sleep. As they drew closer to the town, their massive wings stirred up even strong winds, tearing through the city, and blowing off roofs.

The captain and guildmaster hid behind the lip of the tower roof, holding on for dear life. "I've only ever seen one before! But to think, I'd see three elder dragons in one place!" The guildmaster shouted excitedly over the howling gusts.

Bremmr turned towards him, shaking his head before looking back up at the sky. The three dragons shot out fire, wind, and ice at the black spec. House-sized icicles shot up at the black spec and they bounced between the blocks of ice. The torrents of magic breath carried the black spec further into the clouds and the hulking Elder Dragons chased after it.

Up and up, the dragons flew high into the clouds. The dark storm clouds obscured the battle, but the crash of magic clashing boomed down into the city and flashes of fire lit up the sky. Until finally, four huge booms exploded from beyond the towering storm and the roars of the dragons went silent.

"No way…" Bremmr said, pulling his hands away from his ears. The three behemoth Elder Dragons fluttered limply down from the clouds. Their bodies landed in the surrounding fields with massive blasts and Bremmr shuddered.

"It's not over," the guildmaster replied, pointing above the forest. An even more massive dragon than the three before beat its wings with great imposing force. It struggled to remain afloat in the air, pumping its massive wings in huge torrents.

The Ancient Dragon towered over the city. The winds of its landing blew open holes in the city walls. Its massive form collided with the ground, shaking even the earth.

Visible ripples heaved over the plains as the earth undulated under its weight. More city walls crumbled to pieces and houses collapsed in on themselves in the shaking. But by some miracle, Bremmr's shaky guard tower remained standing.

The Ancient Dragon's scales glowed bright white as it reared back its head. Its massive maw opened and Bremmr flinched. Throwing his hands over his ears, he crawled fully under the lip of the stone roof lip. He barely got to safety as the Ancient Dragon released its roar.

Flashes of light shot up into the clouds. The wooden roofs of the city caught fire. Even brighter than the midday sun, the residual light seared the remaining stone and brick cityscape.

Over and over, the Ancient Dragon unleashed its breath into the sky. The clouds thundered, residual sparks echoing off into the distance. Each blast flashed brighter than the last.

Finally, the explosive echoes slowed to a halt, and Bremmr stuck his head out above, looking out into the field. The Ancient Dragon panted for breath, struggling to stay standing. "Is it over…?" He asked the dead silent air. But his arm hair stood on end, suggesting otherwise.

"Get down you fool!" The guildmaster tackled the guard captain, and both their forms merged with shadows. As the black cloak faded into the protective shadows, lightning suddenly struck down from the sky.

From the dark clouds, a single lightning bolt, stronger than any of the individual bolts from before, struck back at the Ancient Dragon. Even stone walls liquified in the resulting flash of light. The remnants of the forest blew flat in the wind. Each hole in the city walls left long black scorch marks into the residential district.

The Ancient Dragon's formerly white scales flaked off, black and charred. The giant dragon collapsed into a burnt heap and the storm finally grew quiet once more.

# ???

The black spec descended from the sky. Its dark form dived through the air headfirst. Arms and legs held tightly to its sides, it took the most direct path towards the ground. But despite its efforts, the fall alone took almost 2 minutes to descend. When it finally approached the ground, the figure flipped, turning its legs towards the ground

With a crash, the figure landed directly in front of the Dragon's head. It stared at the charred head for a moment, and then froze. Before it could do anything, the air around it formed a massive magic crystal and a light glinted from its shadow.

The guildmaster and guard captain erupted out of the wavering shadow as the crystal materialized. Spinning over the ground, they tumbled into two heaps and the guildmaster laughed hysterically.

"Hooo hee hee ha! We did it!" The old guildmaster shouted, sitting up.

The captain held his head, groaning. "What was that?"

"We shadow-stepped several miles back there! I've still got it babeeeey!"

The guard captain looked up and started at the giant charred dragon corpse. Then he did a double take at the dark figure in the crystal prism. "I-Is that the thing?"

"Indeed! I'm fairly sure at least, this is the thing that took down the dragons." The guildmaster said, standing up. He slapped the side of the giant crystal holding the figure. "But rest assured, we've caught them now. I've never seen such a secure seal. This must be one of the legendary god-tier items I've heard about"

The dark figure itself had a human form. But their charred black skin looked anything but. Beneath the angled crystal surface, their skin glinted. Thousands of repeating patterns covered the surface. Almost like woven thread, the dark surface looked more like a suit than actual skin. Yet unmistakable lips and a mouth separated from the suit, baring black teeth at the two humans.

As the elderly guildmaster continued slapping the crystal, the dark figure's head turned, staring straight at him. "Eeep! But uhm, just to be on the safe side, maybe we ought to lock this up in some basement somewhere for now…"

"Let's do it quickly. That thing is creepy as hell…"

# AFTER THE STORM

The two successfully stored away the sealed entity in the basement of the guildhall. As the citizens emerged from their basements, they found a town ravaged by the monster's storm. Countless charred and bloody dragon corpses littered the streets.

But the remaining townspeople, ever resilient, worked together to piece back their tattered buildings. In the months thereafter, they successfully built shelters for the coming fall and winter. The charred fields only provided more nourishment to the new crops they planted. And they all lived happily ever after.

Or so it would be nice to write…

In truth, the survivors left in the Mylied Province never had a chance. Hours after the storm, as the sun began to set, the countless corpses in the city stirred to life once more.

The hundred-odd dragon corpses popped and cracked. Bones and ligaments broke as something forced their limbs to move once more. As they stumbled to life, they roared unintelligibly at the setting sun.

Bloodied human corpses pushed rubble off themselves. Unnatural strength filled their decaying bodies. Charred corpses crawled out of hastily dug graves and entire corpse piles stirred to life, filling the night with horrific gurgling shrieks.

From that night on, all corpses in the world returned to life hours after death, and the unnaturally strong zombies would hunt the living, intent on spreading their numbers.