Falyar was quietly crouching in the bushes, observing the buildings ahead. Varnutum was a small hamlet on the road to the harbor of Dan Kat. For travelers from further inland, Varnutum represented one of the first signs of civilization on the way to the coast of Fær Zavelin. Although the locals had the river Lanka for fishing, the forest for hunting, and a couple of fields, the greatest wealth certainly came from the Fat Hare Inn. Tired travelers to Dan Kat were able to sleep over at the cozy inn for a cheaper price than in the harbor and had the opportunity to arrive at the ocean shore fresh as a daisy. The innkeeper, Salty, was a walking treasury of horror stories, and while his guests almost never didn't want to hear any, he always found his victim. Falyar usually didn't mind being one because Salty respected him and didn't call him a cat and wasn't spitting on the ground when he entered. Oh, and the fruity sour beer! Falyar remembered that some people traveled to the coast not through the Tribon crossroad but via Varnutum, particularly because of the beer.

That is all gone now, Falyar thought. The rotten smell was thick and stung his nose. He saw lifeless bodies lying on the fields and everything was silent. There were no birds or flies despite the dead flesh. But the most discomforting sight was the Fat Hare Inn. A black cloud hovered in the sky directly above the building and a pitch-black curving line of smoke went into the chimney. Falyar cleared his eyes, but the result was the same. Instead of the smoke coming out of the chimney, it looked like the cloud was feeding the smoke to the inn.

"Oh my spots!" Hewin whispered from behind.

Flayar spun: "I told you to wait in the forest, this is dangerous!"

Falyar looked at Shenian and frowned: "Don't try the sad eyes on me, girl!"

"I will send Ash to scout the fields," Hewin said.

Falyar shuddered, the creature gave him the creeps. But he couldn't protest. Tactically, it was a sound decision.

Ash crawled forward quietly and Hewin closed his eyes. Shenian leaned closer to Hewin as if she wanted to listen to what Ash mentally transmits back.

"They are dead, not rotting though. He senses a darkness in the bodies," Hewin was whispering Ash's findings.

"We need to burn the corpses and then find some soldiers. I am surprised Dan Kat hasn't sent a platoon yet," Falyar muttered.

Shenian pointed her paw at the bodies in red and yellow armor piled near the inn: "I think there is your platoon, Dad."

Hewin opened his eyes: "Looks like we can go there, let's burn them quickly."

Falyar rubbed his chin, then replied: "Alright. Shenian, have your bow ready, just in case. I will burn them with Hew."

He gave them a serious look: "Nobody goes to the inn, understood?"

Hewin and Shenian nodded.

They came out from the bushes. Falyar took a strike-a-light from his pocket and quickly set a big heap of hay on fire. In the meantime, Hewin was running back and forth carrying branches from the forest to keep the fire going.

Hewin noticed tears rolling from Falyar's eyes when he carried the first body. He carefully put the poor woman into the flames.

Immediately, Hewin heard a dry and twisted voice in his mind: Come to me my kin...I summon you...You...are...from...me...Obey!

Hewin's mind fell asleep. Only the voice existed, the voice calling him.

"Don't go too close to the inn, boy!" Falyar noticed Hewin walking away from the fire.

When Falyar took a second body from the ground, Shenian shouted: "Dad! Look!"

He turned around just to see Hewin walk into the inn.

Falyar immediately ran after him.

"Hewin! Stop!" he cried out.

Ash suddenly felt like the loneliest being in the world. Where is, where is? He was sending thoughts but no one listened. He too scurried, trying to find his master. He pulled on stones and a wooden fence with his many limbs basically propelling himself forward.

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Ash caught a glimpse of Hewin going down the steps to the basement of the inn. Wake! He shouted mentally.

Hewin felt warmth in his heart as he was listening to the voice. Yes...Yes...almost here...I will take you...back where you belong.

Falyar ran into the inn and saw the tentacled little monster disappear into the basement.

Ash felt his existence slip away, profound sadness consuming him. He saw his master descending step by step into darkness. Ash jumped and enveloped Hewin's legs.

Hewin tripped and rolled down the stairs hitting himself in the head. The warmth went away. Instead, the rotten smell was unbearable, almost choking him in the complete darkness. He didn't see a thing.

Oh no, He is, here is, Ash cried in Hewin's mind.

Falyar caught up with them, breathing loudly.

"You idiot! What were you th...," a thunder somewhere above the inn interrupted him.

Shenian stood by the fire when a pulse of blackness flew from the chimney of the inn and up the dark line into the cloud. Thunder cracked and the cloud thickened. It grew larger and larger, covering the sun. The bodies of the dead villagers twitched.

Falyar took Lynxbright out from the sheath. The sword came alight revealing a horror.

Salty, the burly innkeeper, was hovering above the ground where a pile of bodies lay. A shadowy cord led from the back of his neck to the hole in the stone ceiling. It wasn't really Salty either. Rather something was wearing the body of the innkeeper as a husk. His skin was loose and sort of hanging on his stomach and chin. His eyes were completely black, with black goo dripping from them and from his mouth.

I am your Lord...surrender...to...me! Hewin heard in his mind and he felt like dreaming again. But this time he knew it was sorcery and he steeled himself.

Never mind...I will...spread...into...him, Hewin felt that the innkeeper turned his attention to Falyar.

"Watch out!" Hewin cried out and Salty opened his mouth unnaturally wide. A black fog came out shooting at Falyar.

Shenian loosed another arrow. The puppet collapsed and caught fire that spread from the heap of hay and branches. She knew she had fewer arrows than there were puppets rising from the ground. But there was no time to deal with it, she simply needed to shoot the bow or die. She felled another one. A tall and lean man was running toward her very fast. She held her breath and sent an arrow in his direction, then another one. He fell to the ground right before her. Then, the soldiers from Dan Kat began to wake.

Falyar aimed Lynxbright in front of him and the fog broke into puffs when it touched the radiant blade.

"Let's kill it, boy," Falyar suggested and made a step forward.

But the innkeeper lifted his arms and a gurgling sound came from his mouth. The pile of bodies beneath him shifted. The dead villagers stood up quickly and armed with maces, pitchforks, and cleavers ran towards Falyar and Hewin. They were all bodies of strong men, their eyes consumed by darkness.

Shenian shot an arrow at one of the soldiers but the arrow bounced off his breastplate. They turned their backs to her and entered the inn. Then she felt a sharp pain in her side and found a sickle stuck in her ribs. She screamed in pain, took one arrow in hand, and pierced it ferociously into the pitch-black eye of the elderly woman in a festive robe.

Hewin cut his hand by the Voidsword and pulled with the wound at one of the puppets. The black core fell out from the body of the young man and he collapsed like an empty shell. Falyar spun and decapitated two puppets at once. Ash used his new trick and tripped one of the attackers. Hewin noticed and rammed the Voidsword into the enemy's head. Ash transmitted pleasure into Hewin's mind.

Then, Falyar heard Shenian screaming. He turned around and saw a group of soldiers in plate armor running down the stairs. They did not try to be careful or anything, they just ran from the stairs with full force right into the fighting bodies. Several puppets fell from the impact, then the falling bodies hit Falyar and Hewin.

Falyar got quickly to his knees and deflected a couple of swords slashing at him. The soldiers then pushed and pushed driving Falyar back until he reached the wall.

"I'm done, Hew!" he shouted. "Run, boy, if you can."

Hewin was lying on the cold floor of the basement, several dead puppets heaped on his lower body. He was unable to move from the waist down. He was swinging the Voidsword at the legs of the enemies that tried to get up next to him.

Givee, give it! he heard Ash in his mind. Hewin caught a glimpse of him crawling on the ceiling toward the innkeeper. Then a soldier obstructed his view.

Givee me it, now! Ash pleaded.

The soldier turned the sword in his hands prepared to pierce Hewin's skull.

But Hewin didn't try to deflect it. Instead, he thought Now! to Ash and rammed the Voidsword right into the wound on his hand all the way up to the hilt.

At the same time, Ash dropped from the ceiling right above the innkeeper. The Voidsword emerged swiftly from Ash and went through the puppeteer's head. The blade pulsated and the innkeeper exploded, chunks of blackness and body parts flew at the walls.

The black cord immediately dissipated and all the puppets collapsed on the floor. Hewin withdrew the Voidsword from the wound and threw up.

"Shenian!" Falyar cried out and ran up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Hewin's mind drifted. He was again in the dream where he and Enyar were kids and they played around the anvil boulder. "You have to remember this day, it is the most important one and the last one. Find me here," Enyar told him again. But this time, Hewin didn't wake up. He ran after Enyar who was jumping between the trees giggling. "Follow me, Hew, it's further away. I was building it all week!" Enyar waved his hand. Hewin ran as fast as he could, but Enyar was quicker, and soon, he lost sight of him. "Enyar!" he shouted. Then, Hewin woke up.