The pair awoke to what could only be described as the sound of a small river and described as a sea of stars. Siting up from their uneventful rest, the two watched as the Gleam Mites from the previous evening returned to the canyon after feeding in the forest. The torrent of insects carefully avoiding the campsite.
"This really is one of my favorite sights." Zephyr said mostly to himself. "Now then. Let's pack up and go"
"Already?" Lirien asked in protest. "The sun isn't even up."
"Yes, yes. We still have half a day of travel and an investigation to do after that." He said while putting the various camping implements away.
After a few hours of walking, the pair came to the forest edge; the sun was high into the sky.
"There it is, Faldale. Before we head into town, we will investigate some of the farms on the outskirts." Zephyr Explained.
"Any reason why we don't just go straight into town?" Lirien Asked.
"Because if someone in town is related to the disappearances, it would give them a reason to begin disposing of evidence or reason to flee. The guild master gave us this task directly meaning that no one else knows that the guild has been sent here." He said.
"I see. Where first then?" Lirien asked while fiddling with the pendant.
"As I said, farms on the outskirts. But perhaps if we come across other travelers or vagabonds, they would suffice."
Thump thump thump. "Anyone home?" Lirien called as she banged on the farmhouse door. Thump thump thump... silence.
"Perhaps they went into town?" She asked, placing her hands behind her head and walking back to a hunched over Zephyr, who was examining the ground.
"Unlikely. This is the third house with no answer." He paused a moment, then gestured to the ground. "Look here. The ground shows a lot of recent wear. Too many markings for a small family to make."
"So... there was a group here recently? Nothing is broken, and nothing seems forced, though. Perhaps they had a party and had family over?" She said.
"Well. Only one way to find out. Lets head inside." Zephyr said.
"Ughh. Is breaking in really the first thing you think of?" She complained.
"We've been searching for over three hours, with no leads other than this. We have to look deeper." He said.
"Fine." She huffed and walked to the door, pushing it open with ease. "It's not locked?"
As she walked into the room, Zephyr looked up in horror and called out. "Get out of ther-...."
In that moment, Lirien saw the brief flash of a magic circle.
BOOOOM
She felt the heat sear her skin away, and the pain quickly engulfed her entire body. The entire world quickly faded into ash before her eyes.
Blackness....
Silence.....
Then a light...
Her life flew through her mind. Her days in Selune gone in a flash, but the past few days. Every detail felt like an eternity. The symbol on the amulet burned before her. The unfathomably large buildings, what seemed to be fragments of her memory, burned around her. At the center of it all. That cursed symbol.
It spoke but one word.
"Return"
Thump thump thump. "Anyone hom-..." Lirien paused for a moment before crying out in pain and falling to the ground. "It burns!" She cried out before realizing the pain was gone; however, the aftershock of what had happened made her ill.
Zephyr rushed over. "What happened? "ᚱᛖᚢᛖᛚᛟ ᚹᚢᛚᚾᚢᛋ ᚲᛟᚱᛈᛟᚱᛁᛋ ᛖᛏ ᛗᚨᚷᛁᚨᛖ"(Revelo Vulnus Corporis et Magiae)" He spoke quickly, and saw.... nothing out of the ordinary.
Now confused, he asked again. "What happened. Why did you scream like you were on fire?"
Lirien, still trying to get her bearings, was completely unable to answer. "Let's get you inside to rest." Zephyr said as he nearly dragged her to her feet. He pushed open the door to the house with ease. "What? It's unlocked?" He said when he felt Lirien grab his waist and jump with him in her arms away from the door. A mere moment later... BOOOM. The house exploded in fire and was reduced to ashes in seconds. The shockwave knocked the pair unconscious.
The two floated in a dreamless sleep until the night approached.
"My head. It feels like I've died twice," Lirien thought to herself while sitting up. "Where am I? Why is everything freshly burnt?" As if on command, her memories returned. The first death, the symbol, and the blast from the building the second time.
Clearing her eyes and steadying her vision, she looks for Zephyr, who was still fast asleep next to her.
"He's breathing.... Ok. It looks like I'm the one taking care of you this time." She laughed, trying to push what happened out of her mind.
She quickly set up camp. "I think this is how this spell went." "ᛖᚹᛟᚲᛟ ᛖᚱᚦᛟ: ᛗᚢᚱᛟ ᚱᛁᛋᛖ" (Evoco Ertho: Muro Rise) . She chanted, and a small, unstable wall of earth rose from the ground.
"Not even knee high. But it will have to do." She said to herself as she began setting up the tents. Once done, she gathered some of the smoldering remains of the building to make a fire. She dragged Zephyr over to the tent into his sleeping bag and began making a light meal for when he wakes up. As she's stirring the stew, her gaze wanders to the fire. "What really happened there? Everything felt so real. I'm clearly alive... so was it a vision of the future? Can they cause such pain?"
These thoughts swam in her head for a few hours before she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Are you awake?" Zephyr asked.
"Mostly. I think." She said.
"You saved me there. I was so focused on what was happening I didn't even notice the trap. It was a rookie mistake." Zephyr said, in the most humble way she had ever heard him speak.
"No! I... I think I was the one to trigger it first. The memories of the flames, of burning were so vivid." She tried to explain.
"Future sight?" He asked. "No, by your reaction, it was something you experienced firsthand, wasn't it?"
"I don't know. All I remember was walking into the house and then the pain of the fire. Then all of a sudden I was back in front of the door," she said.
"What else do you remember?" He asked.
"The symbol from my amulet again. I saw it again." She said, her eyes filled with tears. "It... said something. I can't remember what."
Seeing her distraught face, he decided to let it go. "Let's not dwell on it for now. Get some sleep. Ill take watch for the night."
At the first light of dawn, the two reached the rough wooden gate of Faldale. "Hail, we come from Eldermere." Zephyr called out.
The gate opened a crack, and a scrawny-looking guard with messy hair greeted them, and Zephyr flashed his emblem to the guard. "Ah.... The chief has been waiting. Keep going till you reach the blacksmiths. Its the next building over." Zephyr flashed a smile and gestured for Lirien to follow.
Lirien and Zephyr entered the town, their footsteps echoing on the cobblestone streets. "It's too quiet," Lirien remarked, her senses on high alert and her eyes darting to the rather precarious details in the city street. Large holes, some in... odd shapes. All of them surrounded by old wooden fences. Each of them radiating magic.
Zephyr nodded, his eyes scanning the surrounding windows. He could see the eyes of the townspeople on them. Weary and fearful. "The disappearances have taken their toll on this town." he said.
They arrived at the chief's house, although it wasn't any bigger or fancier than any of the surrounding buildings.
"I was... expecting something a bit more grand." Lirien said. "This doesn't look like the house of a leader."
"The people of Faldale don't have much in terms of luxury. A leader pushing to have more than his citizens when the town's in this state would merely cause dissidents." Zephyr responded.
Lirien reached out and knocked on the old wooden door. "Hello? We're with the guild!" She called out.
A gentle shuffling could be heard from within, and a grizzled old Solcaste man cracked open the door and cleared his throat. "State your business.
"We're here about the disappearances~" Lirien said, a bit unnerved by his piercing amber gaze.
His gaze wandered over to Zephyr, and he cracked a weathered smile. "Been a while, hasn't it boy?"
"Entirely too long, Theron. I take it you've been well?" Zephyr Said
"Other than losing some sleep due to the situation, I'm alive." Theron said while unlatching the door and allowing them in. "Come come. We have much to discuss," he called while gesturing to them both.
The interior was a cozy mix of wood and monster ivory and leather furniture, all of them clearly handcrafted by an expert. "I would offer you some breakfast, but you're a day later than expected. Your new partner didn't slow you down, did she?" Theron said, gesturing to Lirien with a slight smile.
"Quite the contrary. We wouldn't have made it at all without her help." Zephyr said deadpan and serious.
Theron's smile quickly faded. "Things are worse than I thought then. I'll call back the search party. Last thing we need is needless deaths."
Lirien sat there in mild awe. From a single sentence, the old Solcaste deduced what they had gone through. "You two know each other?" She asked.
"More than that," Zephyr said. "We've fought together and each other on a few occasions."
Theron, let's out a guttural laugh. "Ah, that's putting it lightly. We slayed a greater Tempest class monster together."
"A what now?" Lirien asked cluelessly.
Theron let out a long sigh. "You haven't even taught her that much, Zephyr? Does She even have a guild badge for fucks sake?"
"Oh, shut it. She's new but capable. She grew up in the sticks like you so she's lacking in common sense." Zephyr said, grinning. Before getting a solid thump by Lirien staff to his head.
Ignoring the hit entirely, Zephyr continued.
"So. What can you tell us?" he said.
Theron stroked his beard for a moment before sighing. "Almost nothing. Their targets are wildly inconstant with no rhyme or reason. If it were slavers, they would focus on the women, children, and healthy men." He paused for a long spell. "They take anyone they can get their hands on. The elderly, infants, and the crippled. Everyone." He slammed his hands into the table. "EVERYONE.... THEY JUST VANISH WITHOUT A TRACE." The old solcaste in tears. "I can't find any trace of anyone," his voice trailed off.
Zephyr was silent for a moment in thought. A group of mages, it seems then. Powerful ones at that if they can hide their tracks that well.
Lirien chimed in. "That explains the trapped house and the holes in the street, right?"
"The house yes. The street was from something else a long time ago. But that's a story for a different time." Zephyr said. "Theron. Get me a map of the topography of the area and the reports of your scouts from the time of the first disappearance till now."
Theron pushed a red folder with some script on it that Lirien was unfamiliar with. Zephyr flipped open the folder and took out the map and began marking each area with where the disappearance occurred based on the reports. After a few moments, he looks up and points at the northwestern edge of the map. "Of the 74 disappearances, 59 of them happen in the northwestern half of the city and outskirts. However, that's not much to go on." Zephyr said. "What was in the north-west again, Theron?"
"That was the direction that....." His voice trailed off, not finishing the thought.
"Lets get moving." Zephyr commanded
"Whats in the north west?" Lirien asked
"Hopefully nothing," Zephyr said, grabbing Therons gear then throwing it at him.
The three sprinted out the western gate toward a lightly wooded area.
"We can be there in 4 hours if we run." Theron said. The Solcaste was deceptively fast considering his short stature.
"Can someone explain what's going on now?" Lirien asked
"Dreadhoof. Those giant holes you saw in town. They were from a tempest-class monster called Dreadhoof. A massive bullgoat creature that laid waste to Faldale." Zephyr explained, "Wherever it stepped, it became contaminated with corrupted magic. When we fought it, we pushed it back to its nest and killed it."
Lirien, now even more confused. "So why are we heading there? That things been dead for decades right?"
"It has," Theron said. "And we need to make sure it stays that way."
Accepting that she wouldn't understand, she continued running in silence.
As the trio continued, the state of the forest became progressively sparser and more rotted, and the holes that were seen in Faldale became far far more frequent.
Theron sighed. "It's been over 70 years, and this place still hasn't recovered in the slightest." His eyes looked pained and tired.
They quickly came to a large clearing at the base of a large hill. Or more apt would be a huge mound made of colossal stones and shredded trees. The entire area was engulfed in a horrid magic miasma.
Lirien fell to the ground sick as an extra-strong wave ripped through the area. Theron flinched and took a knee, while Zephyr seemed mostly unbothered. Zephyr helped Lirien to her feet and smacked Theron's back. "Get up. This isn't enough to bring you down."
Lirien looked up, and to her horror, corpses of various stages of rot littered the outside of the lair. "Are...... those the villagers?" She asked, barely holding on to consciousness after the unspeakable sight.
Theron's face pale. "They are not." In utter panic, he began sprinting full force towards the lair, Zephyr following closely behind.
Lirien stood up and said a quick prayer for the fallen around her. She took a deep breath to steel herself and immediately regretted it. She swallowed her disgust and chased after them.
As she entered the door, an intense dread washed over her.
The chamber was.. larger on the inside. Not just some optical illusion. The space was unfathomably large. Her gaze was drawn to Zephyr and Theron, who were collapsed on the ground bound with some energy, and then to the center of the chamber. Ten figures standing around what appeared to be a skull? No. It was far too large to be that. Right."
"What.... is that thing sitting in? A huge pool of crimson. Blood? No. It can't be. That's way too much blood to poss...." Her eyes were drawn to the ceiling? Hundreds of corpses. Strung from the ceiling, dripping blood down to the crimson pool.
Her entire body went weak. Only able to look upon the sight of the ritual.
The ten figures begin chanting in unison, their voices echoing ominously in the vast chamber, each line accompanied by a synchronized gesture or movement.
ᛖᚹᛟᚲᛟ ᛗᛟᚱᛏᚢᛗ ᛞᚱᛖᚨᛞᚺᛟᛟᚠ! ᛋᚢᚱᚷᚨᛏ, ᛖᛉᛋᚢᚱᚷᛖᚨᛏ, ᚱᛖᚹᛖᚾᛁᚨᛏ!
"Evoco Mortum Dreadhoof! Surgat, Exsurgeat, Reveniat!"
(I summon the death-bound Dreadhoof! Rise, awaken, return!)
ᛏᛖᚾᛖᛒᚱᛁᛋ ᚲᚨᛈᛏᚨ, ᚹᛁᛏᚨᛖ ᚲᚨᛚᛁᚷᛟ, ᛋᚨᚾᚷᚢᛁᚾᛖᛗ ᚨᛖᛏᛖᚱᚾᚢᛗ ᚾᚢᚾᚲ ᚨᛒᛋᛟᚱᛒᛖᛏ!
"Tenebris capta, vitae caligo, sanguinem aeternum nunc absorbet!"
(Shadows capture, life’s darkness, eternal blood now consumes!)
ᛗᛟᚱᛋ ᛖᛏ ᚹᛁᛏᚨ, ᚲᛟᚾᛏᚱᚨᚺᛟ! ᚲᛟᚱᛈᚢᛋ ᚠᛟᚱᛏᚨᚱᚢᛋ! ᚨᚾᛁᛗᚨ ᚾᚢᛚᛚᛁᛋ!
"Mors et Vita, Contraho! Corpus Fortarus! Anima Nullis!"
(Death and life, bind together! Body of strength! Soul of nothingness!)
They each press a hand toward the pool of crimson, blood beginning to churn and bubble as they continue their chant.
ᛞᚱᛖᚨᛞᚺᛟᛟᚠ, ᛁᚾ ᚾᛟᛗᛁᚾᛖ ᛈᛟᛏᛖᚾᛏᛁᚨ ᚨᚾᛏᛁᚢᛋ, ᛋᚢᚱᚷᛖ ᚨᛒ ᛁᚾᚠᛖᚱᚾᛁᛋ ᛈᚱᛟᚠᚢᚾᛞᛁᛋ!
"Dreadhoof, in nomine Potentia Antiquus, surge ab infernis profundis!"
(Dreadhoof, in the name of ancient power, rise from the deepest hells!)
ᛋᚨᚲᚱᚢᛗ ᛋᚨᚾᚷᚢᛁᚾᛖᛗ, ᛋᚨᚲᚱᚢᛋ ᚲᚨᚱᚾᛖᛗ, ᚲᛟᚾᚲᛖᚾᛏᚱᛟ ᛗᚨᛁᛟᚱᚢᛗ ᛁᚾᚨᚾᛁᛋ!
"Sacrum Sanguinem, Sacrus Carnem, Concentro Maiorum Inanis!"
(Holy blood, sacred flesh, concentrate the essence of the greater void!)
ᛈᛖᚱ ᛚᚢᚾᚨᚱᛁᛋ ᛟᛒᛋᚲᚢᚱᚢᛗ ᛖᛏ ᛋᛟᛚᛁᛋ ᚨᛒᛋᛖᚾᛏᛁᛋ, ᚨᛖᛏᛖᚱᚾᚢᛗ ᛞᚱᛖᚨᛞᚺᛟᛟᚠ!
"Per Lunaris Obscurum et Solis Absentis, Aeternum Dreadhoof!"
(Through darkened moonlight and absent sun, eternal Dreadhoof!)
They draw intricate symbols in the air, weaving tendrils of dark magic that coil around the remains, feeding into the pool and animating it with an unnatural glow. The pool of blood in front of each mage erupting into a geyser arching towards the skull.
ᚹᛁᚱᛖᛋ ᛗᚨᛁᛟᚱᚢᛗ ᚠᛟᚱᛏᚨᚱᚢᛗ! ᛁᚷᚾᚨᚱᚢᛗ ᚲᛟᚱᚱᚢᛈᛏᚢᛋ! ᚨᚾᛁᛗᚨ ᛞᛁᛋᛈᛖᚱᚷᛖ ᛖᛏ ᚲᛟᚾᛁᚢᚾᚲᛏᛁᛟ!
"Vires Maiorum Fortarum! Ignarum Corruptus! Anima Disperge et Coniunctio!"
(Strength of the greater forces! Corrupted fire! Scatter the soul and unify!)
ᚹᛁᛏᚨ ᚨᛒ ᛗᛟᚱᛏᛖᛗ! ᚹᛁᚱᛖᛋ ᚨ ᛏᛖᚾᛖᛒᚱᛁᛋ! ᚠᛟᚱᛏᚨᚱᚢᛋ ᚲᛟᚱᛈᚢᛋ, ᛋᚢᚱᚷᛖ ᛞᚱᛖᚨᛞᚺᛟᛟᚠ!
"Vita ab Mortem! Vires a Tenebris! Fortarus Corpus, Surge Dreadhoof!"
(Life from death! Power from darkness! Strong body, rise Dreadhoof!)
With each line, the chamber’s walls tremble and the space warps, the corpses strung from the ceiling sway slightly as blood pours faster into the pool, swirling into ominous patterns around the colossal skull.
ᚹᛟᛚᚢᚾᛏᚨᛋ ᛗᛟᚱᛏᛁᛋ, ᛁᚾᚨᚾᛁᛋ ᚨᛖᛏᛖᚱᚾᚢᛋ, ᛋᚢᛗᚢᛋ ᛋᛖᚱᚢᛁ ᛖᛏ ᛞᛟᛗᛁᚾᚨᛏᛟᚱᛖᛋ!
"Voluntas Mortis, Inanis Aeternus, Sumus Servi et Dominatores!"
(Will of death, eternal void, we are servants and dominators!)
ᚲᛟᚱ ᚱᚢᛈᛏᚢᛗ, ᛟᛋ ᚠᚱᚨᚲᛏᚢᛗ, ᛋᚨᚾᚷᚢᛁᚾᛖᛗ ᚠᚢᛋᛟ, ᚨᛞ ᚹᛁᛏᚨᛗ ᚱᛖᛞᚢᚲ!
"Cor ruptum, Os fractum, Sanguinem fuso, Ad Vitam Reduc!"
(Heart broken, bones shattered, blood spilled, return to life!)
The chant reaches a crescendo, their voices layering over each other, reverberating through the vast space. The blood in the pool glows with a sickly dark light as it begins to rise, enveloping the skull and taking shape around it.
ᛞᚱᛖᚨᛞᚺᛟᛟᚠ ᚱᛖᚹᛖᚾᛁᚨᛏ! ᛞᚱᛖᚨᛞᚺᛟᛟᚠ ᛋᚢᚱᚷᛖᚨᛏ! ᛞᚱᛖᚨᛞᚺᛟᛟᚠ ᛖᛏᛖᚱᚾᚢ
"Dreadhoof Reveniat! Dreadhoof Surgeat! Dreadhoof Eternum!"
(Dreadhoof, return! Dreadhoof, rise! Dreadhoof, eternal!)
With one final, unified shout:
ᛞᚱᛖᚨᛞᚺᛟᛟᚠ, ᚾᛟᛋᛏᚱᚨ ᛈᛟᛏᛖᚾᛏᛁᚨ ᛖᛋᛏ ᛏᚢᚢᛋ, ᛖᛏ ᛏᚢᚢᛗ ᚠᚢᚱᛟᚱ ᚾᚢᚾᚲ ᛋᚢᚱᚷᚨᛏ!
"DREADHOOF, NOSTRA POTENTIA EST TUUS, ET TUUM FUROR NUNC SURGAT!"
(Dreadhoof, our power is yours, and your fury now rises!)
The ten mages erupt. Their flesh and blood feeding the pool. The ritual was complete. The blood, flesh and bone of the corpses and the very lair itself warp and pull in feeding the reanimating creature, its body rippling as first bone, then muscle, the nerves form. Wood and stone wrap around the beast, forming its skin. A shockwave blows the space apart. The once massive lair blown apart and malformed into this beast. The magic that once plagued the land now reformed with its original master.
Lirien, frozen in abject terror, looks down to find herself completely alone. Then looks up to see Dreadhoof looking down at her.
Crunch.