The city was a mess. Worse than the previous one by a large margin. Hunters were transferring hundreds of motes of light turning in quests to the people of the town in order to help them rebuild. Everyone seemed tired and worn down. Cindy ran up to a half dozen people with golden cracks stull on their body and channeled her healing abilities without so much as a comment.
The hunters looked at her and Dad, nodding solemnly. “Thank you little hunter. We ran out of potions in the battle and the farm isn’t back up to capacity in order to grow us all the healing herbs we would need to make more. Most of our mages fell in battle and those that remain don’t have healing sets.”
Cindy nodded, “Spread word, I’ll heal anyone that has missing hit points and get everyone back into top shape as soon as I can.” Two pieces of her equipment flashed with light as she re-equipped her meditation skill so that she could regenerate mana. Soon enough a line formed of villagers and hunters looking to be healed while Dad handed out what potions he could in order for those in line to get what they needed.
Deep in her chest were burning embers of anger at what Mom had done. It had to be her. She could control these monsters and she sent them to these towns! Why would she do such a thing?! Mind racing Cindy used all of her mana over and over again in order to keep everyone in the town in tip top shape. Three or four groups were asking her to come on missions in order for them to stay safe while they got the ingredients to get the farm back up and running.
A small group of townsmen flashed with their gear and had what looked like militia armor on with plain steel weapons. One woman amongst them had a bandolier of potions on her chest. Dad approached them, “What are you guys doing?”
The eldest of them, a man with a long beard and white hair spoke, “We have old hunter armor that we can use to go out and help hunt. Our buildings are low priority so we need to help ourselves as much as we can.”
Cindy wanted to help, wanted to go on those adventures. She looked at her Dad and swallowed, “What do you think Dad? Do we stay here and help rebuild or do we try to find the source of what is happening and stop it?”
Dad looked around at the town and the dozens of hunters that were working to fix things. His mind slowly churned through all the information as he thought about what to do. Cindy grew impatient and was about to clear her throat when he spoke. “We need to find the source and make sure it isn’t corrupting anymore of the monsters. If it is a person, like you say, then we stop them.”
Cindy nodded now that the last of the people had been healed. Several groups of hunters were milling about looking around and waiting for Cindy to get back to them. She approached them and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry everyone but I am on a quest of my own. I hope you all are able to keep yourselves safe while you get the town up and running. If I have time after my quest then I will help when I return.”
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Several of them sighed with frustration, even kicking out at some of the world around them. All of them checked to see if she was sure that her quest couldn’t wait. Cindy though stayed resolute and apologized several times trying to separate from the slowly tightening circle.
Dad reached down and scooped her out of the circle with ease. She struggled slightly as he moved to put her on his shoulder and gave him a scolding look. “I can walk.” It was almost a growl as she waited for her dad to set her down on the ground.
His eyes looked hurt as he slowly lowered her to the dirt and let her lead the way out back into the world around the town. In the distance, within the trees you could see black cracks of energy spreading across bark and plants. The only sign of where the monsters might have come from. Cindy nodded and started to walk across the plains towards the forest with her fists clenched around her staff. She embraced the burning embers of anger in her chest to hide from the pain that threatened to overwhelm her.
Cracks were all over the place. Plants lay trampled and instead of healing like the rest of the world they seemed to wither and give out motes of dark light that slowly drifted on the winds deeper into the woods. Cindy and Dad looked at one another, “I think if we follow the motes of darkness we will find whatever we are looking for.” Cindy had seen the motes of darkness follow an unseen path to Mom’s chest. Like the pieces of golden light that everyone else got.
Trees were bent and shattered. Giant tracks of land withered of life. There were no sounds of life in the forest, just a mournful wind rustling the leaves. The pair of them walked ever onwards following a slowly thickening of the dark particles in the air. Thick rivers of it all flowed towards something.
The forest gave way to a clearing. A lake of pure black water stretch forwards. It was as dark as oil, glossy and reflective of light. The water was smooth and still, like a giant sheet of black mirror. The air felt thick with promised energy. The promise of violence. Hovering above the center of the area was a creature. It throbbed and pulsed as it took shape. Like a timelapse of a chicken embryo. A head emerged with horns slowly growing out of the back of its skull and curling like a rams. A great beaked mouth formed, hooked and sharp. Wings spread out, great thin membranes of flesh with spikes of growth around the boned wing. Two taloned back legs slowly growing longer and sharper.
“FIRE BEAM CHANNEL!” Shouted Cindy as she placed her hands together and shot a stream of burning hot flames at the beast as it was forming. Fear and anger on her face as the black motes were sent scattering from her magic before the blast hit the creature full on in the chest.
It let out a shriek of fury as its metamorphosis was interrupted. It dropped into the glassy surface of the lake and sent a dark ripple of water out onto the shores.
Dad stood stunned in silence as Cindy poured more magic into the water where the creature fell.
Cindy recognized the monster. She had dreamed about it for years within her nightmares. It chased her and tried to tear her apart every night for months. She drew it once as her mom suggested. When it was completed Mom and Cindy burned it, to purge it from her dreams.
Cindy didn’t stop until her mana was almost completely out. She stood there huffing in deep lungfuls of air as cold sweat beaded on her forehead. “I think I got it.”
The water rippled, “I don’t think you should have said that.” Dad moved into a fighting stance.