Terrod renewed the flames yet again. He was nearing exhaustion and only himself and Poppy were still standing. Poppy wore the armor they had been using to destump the northern fallow field and they both were coated in immolating flames.

In the past month his constant use of fire magic had seen his abilities increase drastically to the point his father had started talking about sending him to the academy but after constantly casting immolate and various other fire magic spells to protect his family he was near exhausted.

First His older brother Boris fell buried under a dozen undead pulling out his guts and chewing on his brains causing his mother to shriek in terror and his father to charge the undead in a rage. However, this had simply been the first loss of the evening to their large extended family. The next to succumb to the press of the lifeless was farmhand Aervin when they pulled him down his screams for his mother were excruciating.

They were just a taste of the night of horrors he was to endure. After Aervin they thought they had got away. Then a few of the other farmhands had collapsed on the ground as they had started moving towards the village.

They hastily lashed them to horses to speed up the procession.

They had dragged them along not understanding why the undead had stopped chasing them but grateful for the respite to catch their breath and move on.

As they had moved on Terrod had started to feel more relaxed thinking they were going to be alright but once they were halfway to the village the injured had started to moan and struggle against their bindings.

Terrod and the rest of the family looked on in horror as the former farmhands started ravenously tearing into the horses that they were being carried by and the horses started to buck. As everyone tried to restore calm the moaning from the woods began again.showing that the undead had never truly left but rather had simply held off waiting until their new members rose to cause a distraction.

As he desperately chanted one incantation after another to try and hold the undead at bay he had seen them tear into his mother burying her in their bodies, his father and the other men slowly overwhelmed. The only thing that kept him alive was that none of the undead were willing to come near someone wreathed in flames like himself. Realising this he quickly cast it on the only other member of the group that would be immune his Grandfather Poppy.

He had tried everything to keep his family alive but in the end Poppy had grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him away. There was nothing they could do for the dead and dying.

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Now the two survivors were stumbling less than 30 minutes walk from the town and what they hoped was safety. As best they could tell no undead had followed them from the sight of the ambush and they were moving as fast as their weary bodies would carry them. They stumbled into town going straight to Harrold’s knowing that he was the person most likely to give them shelter.

The streets were deserted as was to be expected given the late hour however the stillness of the night added to Terrod’s growing paranoia. They got to the door of Har’s store and Poppy started rapping on the door trying to stay quiet while being loud enough to get the door opened.

They heard a shuffling sound coming from inside the store and then suddenly a loud moaning sound from the forest. Poppy started banging louder on the door and yelled out “Har open the damn door”.

As he was about to start of third round of yet more insistent banging on the door when it suddenly swung open to reveal not the expected giant of a man but rather a short unpleasant looking dwarf with a long beard. Without saying any words the dwarf grabbed Poppy by the his belt and dragged him in with Terrod but a step or two behind.

Letting the flames wreathing both of their bodies extinguish Terrod sat down heavily on the floor only to realise he wasn’t the only body on the floor rather there was over 40 people the majority of the small town cowering in the small aisles of the store. As he looked around he realised the safety he was looking for was unlikely to be found here.

Suddenly a large man came up out of the cellar and looking at the two new arrivals Terrod could see it was Har but he looked strange. Older and rather than his usual happy demeanor he was sporting a worried look. Har beckoned him and Poppy over before turning around and leading them down into the cellar.

Once they were all in the cellar Har firmly shut the cellar doors behind him before a soft glow started emanating from a crystal he was holding in his hands.

Har turned around with that worried look on his face “Ter did your father send you and Poppy into town?”

Terrod felt his emotions finally starting to overwhelm him after the night of horror he already had endured being far more than any boy should ever have to go through started to cry “No sir we all tried to make it”.

Har cursed and walked over to a large keg and took 4 large glasses poured ale into each and brought them back to the table putting one in from of both Terrod and Poppy and the last in the middle of the table before raising his glass waiting for the other two to raise theirs. “To those who have fallen that we may live one last drink”.

He took a long pull on the beer before placing it down next to the full one on the table. “So you two are the only ones left from your farm. How did you manage to survive? We have been holding up behind the magic wards my daughter installed the last time she visited.”

“It was my fire magic sir the undead wouldn’t touch us while we were covered in it. But I could only cast it on myself and Poppy as it would have killed the others.” Terrod mumbled staring at the bottom of his glass. “Didn’t help in the end…”

Har looking troubled pulled an object from out of a cupboard at the back of the cellar “Do you think you have enough juice left to activate this for me?”

Terrod squinted at the strange looking mirror then with apprehension his eyes widened. “That’s a communication mirror!”

“Aye lad, linked to one in the academy but I normally have to wait for Anth to contact me on account of my limitations”.

Gritting his teeth Terrod gathered his failing magic reserves and pushed them into the silvered mirror Har was holding. It flickered a bit so Terrod pushed his mana even further, farther than he ever had before and the mirror flashed to life.

Har exclaimed as Terrod grinned up at him before keeling over not knowing any more.