In the shadowy realm bathed in golden light, the chilling cries and guttural roars of countless undead reverberated, their spilled blood drenching the ground. They were locked in a gruesome dance of death, tearing each other apart.
Amidst the carnage, where the remnants of the undead lay strewn about, Archie stood as still as a statue, an island of calm in the storm of chaos. Any undead that dared approach him was swiftly cut down by another.
In his hand, Archie wielded a sword forged from radiant golden light, his stern gaze mirroring the horrific spectacle unfolding before him.
He had called forth an army of undead from the rifts to fight the hordes for him, yet he found himself questioning their loyalty, unsure of who was friend or foe.
Among the sea of undead, one figure caught Archie's attention. This undead was a man, his torn red suit a stark contrast against the backdrop of the battlefield.
The man in the red suit was a gruesome sight, his jaw shattered, his tongue lolling out, and a mixture of red drool and blood dripping from his mouth. His hands were missing a few fingers, and his boots were in tatters. Despite his grotesque appearance, one detail stood out to Archie: a ring on the man's left ring finger.
Archie's curiosity had been sparked earlier when he held the hand of the woman in the wedding dress during the undead attack, who he had identified as Varina. He had felt a small ring with a butterfly-shaped stone on its top in her hands—the same ring that the man in the red suit was wearing.
Piecing together the clues from the machete's inscription, Varina's personal message, and finally Varina in the wedding dress:
[Inscription:
Varina, known as The Slaughterer, wielded a formidable weapon called the Slaughterer's Weapon. This weapon was a gift from her father, Awor, whom she tragically killed while trying to protect her people.
The blood of her father soaked into this weapon, and her father's wrath cursed it, causing Varina to fall under these curses and slaughter her own people using the weapon.
Varina gave her life to seal these curses and secure the weapon.]
Archie arrived at a horrifying conclusion.
'Could it be that the man in the red suit was Varina's husband? Did Varina slaughter her husband and her people on their wedding day?'
Swallowing hard at the revelation, Archie stuttered,
'Does that mean all these millions of people were guests at her wedding or those who celebrated?'
Suddenly, Archie's gaze shifted, and he began to identify the undead he had summoned.
Once Archie knew what to look for, it was relatively easy to spot the undead he summoned. They wore torn suits and tattered gowns, but not all of them did. Some wore different styles of dresses, even though they were worn out and in rags. The kind of dresses they wore was used only during special occasions, like weddings.
As the hour passed,
While Archie pondered the tragic fate of Varina and her father that led to the massacre of her people, the number of undead dwindled as they continued to fight until they were immobilized.
Yet, Archie's mind was consumed by fear,
"Will I end up like Varina, killing my own family? Dad, Aimee, and Uncle and Aunt."
The chilling realization dawned on him that he could suffer the same fate as Varina if he activated the cursed weapon without lifting its curse.
As another hour passed,
The battle finally drew to a close with only a thousand undead remaining. The survivors stood amidst a sea of bodies and scattered blood; the battlefield, once a scene of chaos, was now a grim testament to the conflict.
"WOOSH!" "WOOSH!" As the battle ended, rifts of red and blue began to form on the ground, swallowing everything like gaping pits. Archie stood amidst the chaos, his face a mask of concern as the swirling rifts surrounded him.
The golden light that had once surrounded him began to dim, gradually dissipating until it was barely a glimmer. The light sword he had wielded, now losing its brilliance, flickered before fading completely.
With each passing moment, Archie's fear grew as the light sword disappeared and a wooden machete materialized in his left hand, as the comforting golden glow faded into the ominous darkness surrounding him.
As soon as the wooden machete materialized in his hand, Archie instinctively tried to discard it, hoping to prevent the curse from activating. His fear and urgency were palpable as he attempted to throw the weapon away, his eyes darting around for any sign of the impending curse or danger.
To his shock, the machete clung to his hand, refusing to be thrown or even removed. His grip on the machete tightened involuntarily. As he tried to let go,
[Warning!]
[Sword Activated without Curse being released]
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[Curse Activated]
[Player Life will be the price for activating the sword]
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[Thank you for playing, Player Unknown]
"Wha…. AHHHHHH…" Archie cried out in agony as the machete hilt morphed into spikes, impaling his flesh.
A strange liquid seeped from the machete hilt into Archie's veins.
Archie watched in horror as the machete shattered into pieces, each fragment embedding itself into his flesh. The sensation was excruciating, amplifying the already intense pain.
The pieces of the machete seemed to merge with his body, causing his veins to bulge and a chilling, searing heat to spread through him. Sweat beaded on his skin, his heart hammered in his chest, and he crumpled to his knees, his body convulsing with pain.
As the pain and shock intensified, blood gushed from Archie's mouth, ears, and nose. His skin turned ashen, resembling a lifeless corpse.
Archie mind clouded as the encroaching darkness threatened to consume him.
"SHINE!" A solitary golden light shimmered in the darkness above, spiraling down and bathing the unconscious Archie in its warm glow.
The light journeyed towards Archie's left palm, nestled on it, and infiltrated inside.
"SHINE!" Archie's left palm ignited with a golden light. As consciousness slowly returned, a searing sensation engulfed his left hand.
Summoning all his remaining strength, Archie managed to rise to his feet. He glanced at his left palm and noticed the silhouette of a woman etched on it. Archie had never encountered anyone like this before and was bewildered.
'Could this tattoo be the curse? Is this Varina in the tattoo?'
"WHIRR!" A gentle, yet disconcerting vibration resonated above Archie. He looked up and was paralyzed with fear at the sight.
"AHHH…" Archie's scream reverberated through the battlefield as he spotted a tornado forming above him, its powerful winds whirling and escalating with alarming speed. The tornado descended rapidly, its dark, swirling vortex barreling straight towards Archie.
"What is that!"
Archie shuddered and attempted to escape, but his legs refused to move. It wasn't just his legs—his entire body was frozen, leaving him helpless and staring at the approaching tornado, which only amplified his sense of dread and helplessness.
As the tornado neared, Archie discerned its true nature. It was composed of the blood and dismembered bodies of the fallen undead, swirling around to swallow him.
"AHHH…" Archie could do nothing but scream as the tornado was just a few centimeters away.
Without any warning, Archie's left hand, seemingly with a mind of its own, lifted up, palm facing the undead tornado.
"SHINE!" Archie's palm glowed, and a serene melody permeated the air, originating from an unknown source.
Archie's confusion dissolved into intense concentration as his palm projected a golden, woman-shaped light towards the tornado.
The moment the light made contact, the tornado detonated in a blinding explosion, engulfing everything with its radiant brilliance. As the light expanded, Archie was swallowed, disappearing into the dazzling luminescence.
----
"THUD!" Archie found himself sprawled on his back, gazing up at the azure sky. He realized he had returned to the fallen castle.
[DING!]
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[Failed Rookie Mission: Level 5, The Denouement]
[Level 5 of Prove Your Worth and Release Varina from Haunting Souls Incomplete]
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[Penalty for Failure Received:
2000 credits deduction.]
"Didn't I kill all the undead? Then why does it say I failed the mission?"