As he walked out of the tent Darius couldn’t help but take a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure what to expect but all in all he thought things went well. Luna followed him out with a cheery smile on her face.
“I guess you weren’t lying about meeting the goddess. You must be special.”
Darius flashed her a grin and shook his head.
“Quite the opposite actually. She made it a point to tell me that I wasn’t special. A simple case of right place right time I guess.”
Luna gave him a look of contemplation and was about to say something when she paused. Darius didn’t ask her what happened because he felt it. It was happening to him. The moon of Eris was bright, and its rays covered the camp. Darius felt the effect it had on him. He felt stronger, more focused and alert. His senses were in overdrive. First the smells hit him. He could smell the meat from the various campfires, the sweet, delicious smell of cooked meat. The raw bloody scent of a fresh kill one of the hunters brought in. He could smell the sweat and musk that enveloped everyone. This world clearly didn’t have deodorant or at least not in this forest. His sight was the next thing to have sensory overload. He found himself seeing things brighter and a bit farther than he could before, and he was able to pick up movement around him that would usually go undetected. Like the squirrel scampering up the tree or the bugs crawling through the undergrowth. His ears were next, he could hear much more clearly and if he focused, he could pick up on specific sounds or conversations in the camp.
“Darius your eyes are glowing.”
He couldn’t see them but if he could, he would see the tell-tale shimmer of silvery light that shone on the celestial wolves when they morphed.
“It’s the blessing, I think it activated. All my sense are heightened.”
Luna let out an impressed whistle.
“Not as amazing as our gift but an impressive blessing indeed. It could come in very handy especially to regular humans.”
Darius had to agree. He essentially got a buff anytime the moon was out. He smiled; this was his first sign of magic happening to him. He wondered what more would happen, he wanted a magic sword. A spear would be cool too. Deciding on what build he would go for had to wait it was time to eat.
--
Before he knew it a week had passed since Darius had been transported to this new world. He had met werewolves and goddesses and almost became food to a monster, but he was alive and excited to see what was next. Luna had told him the camp would be moving on. They were doing their yearly pilgrimage to the scattered plains. Apparently, it’s like a holy place for their people. Every year all the clans meet and discuss the future of their people. They hunt and mate and form new bonds and reaffirm old ones. It sounded awesome but Darius knew better than to ask if he could go. He might be a friend to this clan, but a friend wasn’t family. It wasn’t what he wanted anyway. During his time Darius had heard different stories from others in camp and he couldn’t wait to explore the world. Apparently, the continent he was on was occupied mostly by humans but there were a total of eight continents on Vialia, just one more than earth but it made a world of difference to Darius. This world must be massive. On one of the continents, Welryn he believed they called it is occupied by the Beastkin. The Celestial wolves were well traveled due to their nomadic nature, and they had a lot to tell Darius. Not all of them knew he was from a different world. The matriarch and Luna thought it was better if he didn’t advertise that information, some people might try to exploit him for it. The stories he heard filled him with wonder though and he couldn’t wait to go out and experience everything. He really wanted to see the free city of Merenack. It’s a city built inside the head of a dead colossus. Darius had no idea what a colossus was, but it sounded like a giant construct. Apparently, it’s something left over from the first or second Fall. Luna seemed to think the gods used them in battle. Yes, there was much Darius wanted to see and learn. The most of which was magic. Unfortunately, the Celestial wolves didn’t use magic with the exception of the priestess and even that is more like prayers than magic. They preferred to fight with their teeth and claws. So, Darius would have to find another teacher.
--
The time to leave came two days later. They had already broken up camp and started walking the day prior, but Darius would be going the opposite direction when they reached the crossroads. Darius had expressed his want to become an adventurer so they told him that he could sign up in the closest town. After a day of walking, they finally stopped at the crossroad. The wolves would be heading south, and Darius would be headed North toward Garrenwood.
“It’s certainly been an interesting few days, hasn’t it?”
Darius looked at Luna and smiled at her, that was a big understatement.
“It’s certainly been world changing for me, I cannot thank you all enough,”
Luna shook her head.
“No, we’re the ones that are thankful. Aisha is special to the clan; it would have been a heavy loss.”
“You never did tell me why she was so special.”
“I know.”
She gave him a wink and then enveloped him in a hug. Darius felt a pang in his heart. He would miss these people. Not everyone was friendly with him but the few people that were really made him feel comfortable.
Out of nowhere Darius was tackled to the floor. When he looked up, he saw a small wolf. The wolf nuzzled up to him and he hugged her softly.
“I’m going to miss you too Aisha.”
He grabbed the necklace she gave him. It had her first fang. Luna had said that this was a special honor among their people.
“I will cherish this necklace always.”
The little wolf licked his cheek lightly and ran off. He chuckled to himself. Luna smirked.
“That little coward couldn’t say goodbye with her words.”
Luna said it with a smile on her face. Darius stood up and checked his pack. He found the map and looked at it one more time. According to this he should arrive at the town the following morning.
“One more gift before you go Darius.”
She pulled out a black ring with a red rune scratched on the center. It didn’t look too impressive to be truthful.“Oh Luna, I didn’t know things had progressed so quickly between us.”
A roll of her eyes was the response Darius got to his joke.
“It’s an igni ring. With it you can summon a small amount of fire. You can use it to make a campfire.”
Darius all but snatched the ring out of her hand. A MAGIC RING! An actual magic ring, he couldn’t believe it. He put the ring on and waited to feel the power flow through him and…Nothing happened.
Luna gave him a blank stare and then rolled her eyes.
“Eris’s fangs, you have to say igni and point you fool.”
“Oh, that’s right, how could I have forgotten, it’s not like I’m from another world or something.”
Darius rolled his eyes; Luna wasn’t the only one that could be annoyed. He pointed at the ground and said the word. A small jet of flames appeared where he pointed. The spell was nothing more than a slightly stronger lighter, but Darius was grateful. Fire was important to survival and above all it was magic. Actual magic. Sure, on earth there were lighters and flamethrowers that could do more impressive things than this ring but still this was magic. It struck a chord with everything Darius loved as a child.
All too soon it was time to go. A few hugs and well wishes later Darius was back to how he was when he first entered this world. Alone, however this time he wasn’t ill equipped. He had a plain looking dagger at his side, a magic ring, and provisions in a small pack. He was alone on the trail, apparently not a lot of people took this road to get to the city. Garrenwood was the name. It was located in the northeast corner of the kingdom of Aurendine. Apparently, it wasn’t as large as the capital, but it was a substantial size compared to the other cities and towns in the kingdom. Darius really wished he had a map so he could get a lay of the land. The wolves had no need of maps. They made their pilgrimage once a year and there was always someone old enough to remember the way.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Darius thoughts spun as he walked the dusty trail. What should he do first when he got to the city? Get a room certainly. He had gotten a bit of coins from the wolves. It wasn’t a fortune, but it should keep him for a few days until he could secure a job of some sort. What job would that be? He didn’t come to a new universe just to have a regular nine to five. Did they even have those here? He knew what he wanted to be and that was an adventurer, he wanted to fight monsters and uncover mysteries. As soon as he got to the city he would sign up and take a quest. Probably die too, thinking about it now he didn’t have too much combat experience. He knew some boxing but how was that going to take out an orc? He would have been gnasher food if Luna hadn’t found him and Aisha the first day. He would need to figure out how he would fight. He never held an actual sword before, just pieces of bamboo he and his friends would use to pretend they were samurai. Maybe he should try to be a mage. Do they have schools for that? Do I even have the aptitude? How does magic even work in this world? I doesn’t seem like Harry Potter rules. There was so much he didn’t know. Knowledge and information, those were the two things he had to focus on when he got to the city. Ignorance would get him killed.
--
He walked until nightfall and rested periodically. The walk was uneventful, he saw few animals skitter around in trees. Some he recognized like squirrels and others he had to blink twice to make sure he was seeing correctly. There was some type of serpentine bird with colorful wings. Darius sat a little ways off the road around a hastily made campfire. The sticks and stones were numerous, so it wasn’t difficult to find what he needed. He looked down at the plain looking ring it was worn and weathered but the insignia of a flame was carved into the center and filled in with a red stone. He pointed to the wood and said the word.
“IGNI”.
The flame extended from the tip of his finger in a small jet, it licked the wood and began to smoke until a decent blaze began to take place. The heat from the fire was comforting. It wasn’t cold but there was breeze that every once in a while, left Darius with a bit of a chill. He took out the loaf of bread and dried meat he was given. It wasn’t much but he figured it beat starving. He cut the loaf and set it close to the fire to toast it.
“Forgive me, I don’t mean to intrude.”
Darius nearly jumped out of his skin, up until now there wasn’t any other sounds aside from the sounds of bugs and the occasional animal and it had all filtered into white noise for him, so hearing the sudden words made his heart skip a beat.
“Ahh, I see I startled you, I must apologize it was not my intention.”
Darius glanced up and finally saw the man. He was an older gentleman maybe late fifties. His hair had streaks of white and was disheveled. In fact, the man’s entire presence was disheveled. His robes were old and stained in places. His skin was pale and his face sunken. However, he had a large smile on his face that contrasted with his appearance.
“You see I was just heading towards the city to deliver a message and I smelled the smoke. Then happened upon your camp. If it is not too much of a bother, may I share your fire?”
Darius cleared his throat, finally finding his voice.
“Of…of course, please have a seat I was just about to have dinner. Are you hungry?”
“A fire, company, and a meal? How could I say no.”
Darius smiled. He hadn’t expected to run into other people so soon. He still had about a day’s walk before getting to the city and he was getting lonely without the celestial wolves around. Darius pulled out a bundle from his pack and unrolled the cloth. Bread, cheese, and slices of meat greeted Darius’s hungry eyes and his stomach growled in anticipation.
“I hope I’m not depriving you of a proper meal good sir?”
“Not at all there’s more than enough food here for the both of us. My name is Darius by the way.”
“Pleased to meet you Darius, my name is Roswell. I fear I have come a long way and seem to be running low on rations.”
Darius handed the man half of the bread and some meat and cheese. Roswell took in with gratitude and dug into the food. Both men ate silently for a while until Darius decided to break the silence.
“So where are you coming from Roswell?”
The man swallowed a piece of bread before answering.
“Oh, I came a little west of here. My master tasked me with delivering a message for him. Lots of things are brewing lately it seems.”
“Is that so? I’ve…been away and haven’t had the opportunity to catch up on the latest news.”
“Ohh, there are dark tidings I’m afraid. Wars brew to the west and new dungeons were unearthed due to an earthquake on Welryn, the beastkin are soliciting help from all over to help stop the steady flow of monsters flowing out. Rumblings in Erekesh has everyone on edge. Whenever that place makes noise nothing good is to follow.”
Darius soaked up all this information, Beastkin the man had said. This world has beast people he knew this from talking with the wolves but what he didn’t know was exactly what they looked like. Are they human-animal hybrids or just animals that walk on two legs. Darius was afraid to ask. He didn’t want to make the man suspicious.
“Why would news from Erekesh scare people?”
Darius figured he could get away with a few questions. This world was a big one and he doubted they had access to as much information as he did in his world.
Roswell gave Darius and assessing look before hesitantly speaking.
“Well…Have you never heard of this place?”
Darius froze, had he made an error? Did he just give himself away.
“Uh, well you see. I haven’t the best memory, so I try to keep only the most important information in this small brain of mine.”
Roswell gave Darius another look, then promptly let out a wheezing laugh.
“Oh, you are a man of good humor aren’t you mister Darius. Haha very good indeed. Well, I don’t mind sharing what I know if your brain can handle it, I jest of course.”
Darius sighed in relief.
“Not at all, please this sounds like it could be interesting.”
“Oh, interesting indeed my young friend. Erekesh is known by most as the Isle of the Wicked. It’s an archipelago, many islands linked together by bridges or boats make up this nation of darkness. Those of darker proclivities tend to make it their home. I don’t mean your common bandits or pirates no I speak of darker things.”
The hairs on Darius arms stood up. Roswell spoke in almost a hushed tone, and it made him realize that he was on a dark road surrounded by trees and no one for miles. Suddenly all the ambient noise sounded all the more louder. Roswell kept talking so Darius didn’t dare tell him to stop.
“Yes, I speak of witches, warlocks, necromancers and all manner of evil. The nation is home to the darker inhabitants of Vialia. Those that practice cruel magics and consort with devils.”
“That sounds terrifying, I must admit. How is it even possible for the people there to coexist.”
“Oh, coexist isn’t the word I would use. They curse and kill each other all the time. However the nation like any other has laws and those that govern them. In Erekesh the Blood Coven of Nyxstra oversees the archipelago.”
“A what?”
Darius was still hung-up on witches and warlocks.
“A blood coven is an order made up of Vampires. They’re all over Vialia but this one is one of the oldest and they venerate Nxystra who they believe to be the mother of Undying races. Some attribute all the monsters of the world to her making.”
This world had Vampires! Of course it did! They have celestial werewolves it only made sense they would have vampires. These didn’t sound like any twilight Vampires though.
“If this place is so evil why hasn’t anyone tried to destroy it?”
Roswell let out another wheezing laugh.
“Oh, many have tried my friend. All have failed.”
There was a glint in his eyes as he said it and the unsettling smile on his face made Darius skin crawl.
“Many a king and upstart city-state have tried to bring Erekesh to its knees for glory or righteous justice. On one occasion the Naval Kingdom of Elendale raised a fleet of nine hundred ships to destroy Erekesh and it’s inhabitants. A month after the fleet set sail, four came back. Each ship was battered and worn. They sailed silently into port, not a soul made a noise from the ships. The kingdom sent soldiers on to the ship to inspect what became of the crew. On one of the ships there were piles and piles of corpses. It was the soldiers sent to destroy Erekesh. The corpses were rotted, and many were missing limbs. Suddenly the corpses began to stir and attacked the soldiers sent to investigate. The dead were awake, and they rushed into the city. On two of the ships, other soldiers found barrels filled with worms. They made the mistake of opening a barrel and some of the soldiers became infected with the worms. Turns out these weren’t ordinary worms. No, they were parasites that took over the hosts very own body. The hosts became a passenger of their own flesh and blood. These worms had one mission, to kill and devour and so they did. Men and women watched through their own eyes as their hands killed their countrymen and ate their flesh.”
The food in Darius’s stomach roiled. He was beginning to regret eating at all, but as gross and haunting as this story was, Darius was captivated.
“The true horror was on the last ship. At first the soldiers couldn’t find any sign of an enemy on the ship but that’s because the terror had the power of shadows. A hulking mass of flesh and shadows consumed every soldier and made its way into the kingdom consuming every human and beast in its path, adding to the mass of roiling rotted flesh. The kingdom of Elendale fell in a day. It took a coalition of three kingdoms to stop the nightmares that infested that kingdom.”
Roswell sighed and took a sip from a waterskin on his side.
“That was the last time anyone made an attempt on Erekesh, and so the city remains. A bastion of evil and dark arts.”
Darius shuffled closer to the fire as if by instinct. He would make sure he never set eyes on that terrible place.
“I almost wish I stayed Ignorant Roswell. I don’t think ill be able to get a wink of sleep tonight.”
As expected, the wheezing cackle came again.
“Erekesh is a nightmare in itself my friend. The terrors there are as true as the tales say. It has been a long time since I left, I still remember the sounds of screams and whispers of forbidden spells. The thick fog that covered the extent of the island and the smell of decay and sulfur. I long to go back but alas I have things to accomplish here.”
Darius gripped for the knife at his side as his heart hammered in his chest. This couldn’t be happening. Roswell must be joking; he saw how wound up the story had Darius and was pushing the joke further.
“That’s not a very funny joke.”
Darius managed to choke out.
“Aye because it isn’t one.”
The air suddenly got colder, and it was as if the fire began to dim as darkness crept in on all sides. Darius heard sounds all around him and as shambling figures moved around in the dark. Red eyes and warped silhouettes were all he could make out in the gloom. Then a sliver of the moon’s rays came through a cloud and he felt the blessing of Eris activate. He felt stronger and his senses heightened. He could smell everything around him now and it stunk of death. He could clearly make out the shambling bodies of zombies or ghouls or whatever you call them.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you, Darius. We broke bread after all, and you were kind enough to let me share your fire. Not even those from Erekesh would commit such a sin.”
He wheezed again at his sick idea of a joke. Then fixed Darius with another smile.
“I think the message I have will be delivered by you, this way I can get back to my master sooner. You will deliver my message for me, won’t you?”
A bead of sweat ran down Darius’s arm.
“Of…of course. What is the message and to whom am I delivering it to?”
He couldn’t say no. Darius was no idiot. There are zombies or worse in the forest and Roswell controlled them. No matter what Roswell said he would kill Darius if he felt the need to.
“Good. Good. You will go into Garrenwood and speak to whoever is in charge. Tell them that the sepulcher of Mortis stirs, and the dead awaken. Tell them my master and I await the blood of the living.”
He rose slowly to his feet. And ran a leathery hand through his wispy hair.
“I must go now, please deliver my message Darius. It did take me sometime to get here, I would hate to think it was wasted.”
Darius nodded his head; he kept his eyes on the fire. The turn of events had him more afraid than he had ever been in his life. He would deliver the message, there was no mistaken that.
“Good, then you enjoy the rest of your night it was a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”
Roswell turned and walked off into the night. And the dead shambling things that hid in the forests walked after him.