We’ll skip straight to the point.
The man charges, roaring as he once again swipes his nails towards Durand. Durand blocks it. The maniac then combos attack after attack, aggressively pushing upon Durand. Durand takes step after step backward. As Durand is about to be cornered, the ranger smiles a nasty grin and instantly pierces the man’s body with several organic needles sprouting from the magic he had cast going into the fight.
The door to the tavern slams down in sync with the body striking the floor. Armed men pour through into the tavern, forming a protective formation blocking the exit. Spears stick in through the open windows, ready to stab anyone who tries going through.
“It’s the militia!” Cenvin cries in expository dialogue. “We’re saved!”
“They can take care of this unholy situation,” Brett suggests. “Let’s get out of here.” Durand and Cenvin nod their head in agreement.
As they turn to leave, the same phenomenon occurs again and the wraith reaches out to them. As its hand is about to touch Brett, it disappears, leaving everything normal except for the fact that instead of humans in the building, they find themselves surrounded by gruesome monsters, baring their teeth at helpless prey.
Cenvin’s fight-or-flight kicks in, and as he prepares to risk the spears by jumping the window, Durand’s determined strike splits the aberration’s head in half. The brains splat across a terrified Brett’s face and clothes.
As the adrenaline depletes, so does the power of the illusion. Every monster reverts to human beings. Durand and Brett stare in horror at the deed that was just committed to another human.
By now, the militia had fallen into complete chaos with the maniacs, and Cenvin found himself able to stroll back without drawing notice of the brawlers. The three companions stumble out of the Whispering Wyrm, recovering from shock. Brett was the first to speak.
“Let it be known that us… we… had never committed manslaughter to… Nobody will know…”
Cenvin nods his head and adds, “We will walk away from this place like we have seen nothing that might as well completely shatter our minds…”
Cenvin begins to walk away, and pauses, to his annoyance, to find Durand and Brett are following him.
“Go a different direction please.”
“No.”
“Do you eat Spectralroots?”
They turn to face the stranger, a blue-haired woman with similar features to Brett. She wears a cloak decent-looking enough that tell them that she is in an important position of power, and holds a cane like a sword in its sheath.
“Bright. Mayor Thalia Bright. Pleased to meet you,” she does a polite bow and nothing else, establishing herself as the authority in this situation. She looks sadly at the tavern, now catching fire.
“Pitiful tragedy that our town was hit out of all remote settlements in the world. May I ask if you perceive the sky as dark while the surface is under sunlight?”
“Yeah, it’s trippy,” Durand replies, “what’s the point you’re trying to get across?”
“If I have glasses or monocle right now, I would take it off and wipe it disturbingly so that it makes you feel I’m about to announce some sort of tragedy,” she pulls out a notebook and reads it, “but I’ll do this instead. Much more practical.”
“It’s not practical if you don’t tell us what’s going on!” Cenvin blurts out. Brett shoots him a confused look.
“What are you guys talking about?” He asks.
“My friends(except you, Brett), you are Gifted. Destined to fight against corruption.”
Silence.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Are we supposed to act like you just revealed some huge lore? Is this our origin story?” Durand remarks.
“Follow me. We’ll talk in my office,” Thalia replies.
Turning her back on the burning tavern, Thalia leads Durand and company to her residence not that far away. They walk into her office and sit, patiently waiting for Thalia to speak. From the window, they can see the burning tavern.
Thalia begins to explain. “You’ve seen that wraith, their kind is no good. That is why there are people like us who have fascinating abilities that enable us to achieve things no other mortal can.”
“What’s your ability? You have one too then, right?”
“My ability is Memory Link. It doesn’t assist me in fights except for allowing me to be proficient with weapons, but I can also use it to help speed up the gift-developing process. I’ll be using it to help you fully develop your gift.”
“Oh boy, here’s the supernatural help part of the hero’s journey,” Durand whispers to Cenvin, “We’re rushing this plot quite fast.”
Cenvin raises his hand to ask a question.
“Are there any drawbacks or side effects that can also come? Because this seems too nice and simple.”
“Your very personality might change, depending on some unknown factor associated with your ability. Sorry, that’s all we know.”
“I noticed how you said ‘we’ there. Who’s your associates?”
“I apologize. That is confidential.”
Durand, who had been thinking carefully, asks, “What’s in it for us? We’re not going to save the world for nothing.”
“Good question,” Thalia replies. “If left alone, the Kingdom of Italica will devolve into a living hell. It will be converted to another Realm of Ruin. As a ranger, I’m sure you must hate to see your precious Earth corrupted and dead. ”
“Ya got me, it’s in character for me to agree,” satisfied, Durand steps back. He elbows Cenvin.
“You accept, or you’ll get the fleas,” he whispers to him. Cenvin shudders. He nods rapidly.
“Right, so what now?” Cenvin asks as the tavern collapses in the window. Shadows fly out from the burning wreckage into the woods.
“It’s simple. Just sit still and let me do my thing,” Thalia says as she makes herself comfortable on a couch. She closes her eyes. For a moment, she seems to be sleeping. Durand and Cenvin receive Thalia’s memories of developing her gift, speeding up the development of their gift tenfold. A moment passes in silence and she opens her eyes.
“You have your gift now.”
Cenvin seems unimpressed.
“So… all you did was to make the sky stop flickering? It’s just black now,” He tries to make sense of the sight of the Earth being illuminated by sunlight under a night sky.
“In due time you will get an ability,” Thalia says. “Now, if you will be polite and get Brett in here…”
By the time Durand and Cenvin are summoned back again, what’s left of the tavern has completely burned away. The sky seems denser than ever; night falls. The townspeople sit in the town square in silence to mourn for their losses. The two adventurers sit down on their respective chairs, their cheerful mood dimmed by the sadness outside.
There is a sense of urgency in Thalia’s voice. Brett’s expression is neutral.
“Now all you have to do is find your ability. That will be up to you, every single person's ability is different. They range in purpose and power, and most peoples' abilities come from interaction with the Otherworld. Therefore, I recommend you head to Silvergate. I have not told the townspeople yet, but Silvergate has been attacked and overrun by a horde of Vulture Spectrals. It will be dangerous, but it’s there where you will probably receive your ability. I have horses prepared. The road leads directly to it, you won’t get lost. The forest is dangerous. If you come across any strangers, do not trust them. They could be from Starmetal.”
A scream can be heard from the town square. Thalia nods to Brett and shoves them into the doorway.
A slimy monster made of bloody human limbs tears through the wall and crashes into Thalia’s thin body. Debris flies everywhere, obscuring vision. Cenvin shrieks in surprise and Brett drags him out of the town hall.
A mangled body falls from the sky and splats onto the ground next to Durand’s foot. Brett spots the horses waiting beside the gate and rushes towards it.
“Brett! Get Cenvin on the horse! He’s fallen into a coma!” Durand shouts while drawing his sword, noticing a few wraiths gliding towards them. Durand grunts as his mind falls under attack. The town hall nearby collapses to the ground.
The wraiths close in. Durand swings at one of them, striking but not killing it. As he is about to succumb to the mental pressure, Brett charges into one of them on a horse, giving Durand ample time to get on his horse and escape. They ride out of the gate as fire begins to flare behind them. Spectrals can be seen lifting bodies into the air. The riders rush down the road and leave the burning town behind them. Soon, the only thing visible is the tip of the fires and a prickling warmth from the distance.
Someone should keep track of the death count. Everyone in the town dies(supposedly), so with Eldenhaven’s population of 129, we have 129 deaths. Write that down! I sure hope the number doesn’t drastically increase later!