A young girl with pale blonde hair sat eerily still atop a moss-covered stone well. Her soft voice carried a strange, haunting melody, drifting through the air like a distant echo. Her lips barely moved, yet the song chilled the atmosphere—ancient and unsettling. The wind picked up, cold and sharp enough to make a grown man shiver, but the girl remained unmoved. The cold seemed to have no claim on her.
From the shadows of the forest, a low, guttural growl broke the silence—a wild, menacing sound. She didn't turn or flinch, as if entirely unaware of the approaching danger. The growl grew louder as a massive black bear lumbered out of the trees, its teeth bared, eyes locked on her. The beast charged, the ground trembling beneath its heavy paws, its snarls slicing through the eerie melody.
In one unnatural, fluid motion, the girl tilted her head toward the charging bear. Her cold, dark eyes met its gaze, and the creature froze mid-stride. The wild fury drained from its massive form as though some unseen force had seized it. Its eyes rolled back, turning black, consumed by an empty void. Silently, the bear lowered itself beside her, docile and lifeless.
The girl's song continued, undisturbed, as though nothing had changed.
---
"Mmmm, wh—" Bel murmured, jolting awake. She found herself cradled in Ban's arms, who had been carrying her like a child.
"Oh, you're awake," Ban said casually, promptly dropping her onto the ground.
"What the—!" Bel yelped, glaring up at him from the dirt, her voice sharp with indignation.
She was ready to bombard Ban with questions, but memories of the previous night rushed back. Scrambling to her feet, she scanned her surroundings. "Where are we?" she asked, confusion etched in her voice. They were no longer at the campsite, and the unfamiliar mountain path stretched out before them.
"Well, the horses ran off, and the wagon got wrecked during the attack," Ban replied, lazily stretching his arms. "While you were *sleeping*, I might add."
"It wasn't my fault! I couldn't stay awake—" Bel began, irritation creeping into her tone.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Ban interrupted with a dismissive wave. "At least you actually *tried* to fight. Unlike someone…" He threw a pointed glance at Darian, who looked away, his expression shadowed with guilt.
Bel blinked in confusion. "Wait, what do you mean?"
Ban's eyes flickered with mild annoyance. "While we were fighting for our lives, your friend here decided to take a nap… after running away, of course."
Bel's eyes widened as she looked at Darian, her voice wavering. "Is that true?"
Before Darian could respond, Taod croaked loudly, signaling that he had found something.
"What now?" Orolo muttered, stepping forward, only to halt abruptly. His eyes widened at the sight ahead—a horse, one of their own, standing over the lifeless body of another, gnawing at its flesh.
"Great Malekith…" Orolo whispered, barely audible, his voice tight with shock. The crazed horse slowly turned its blood-stained eyes toward the group. Without warning, it charged.
Orolo prepared to strike, gripping his axe tightly, but before he could swing, the horse collapsed, its legs severed cleanly at the knees. Orolo glanced down, then over at Ban, who casually held his blade out, glinting in the dim light.
"Oh, sorry. Did you want to get that?" Ban asked with sarcastic indifference.
Orolo rolled his eyes and brought his axe down with a heavy thud, crushing the horse's skull.
Ban knelt beside the horse's body, inspecting it with a frown. "What's wrong with it?" Bel asked, walking up behind him.
"I don't know. Everything we've encountered has been acting like this. It's not natural," Ban muttered, his brow furrowing.
"I can feel something… strange," Bel said, her eyes narrowing in concentration. "There's a faint energy coming from the horse. It's barely there, but it's off."
Ban stood up, brushing off his hands, his expression hardening. He, too, had sensed it. *It's faint—so faint I'm surprised she can even detect it. Even I am struggling to sense it,* he thought.
"We should keep moving," Ban said, stretching his arms above his head. "We need to find shelter. If we keep walking, we'll make it to the bottom of the mountain by tomorrow." Orolo grunted hefting his axe on his shoulder.
"Good enough for me," Ban said
"Let's get going, then," Ban said, taking a swig from his wooden jug before heading down the path, the others following closely behind.
As they walked, Ban handed his wooden jug to Bel, who looked at him in confusion.
"You'd better drink this. It's going to be a long walk, and you don't look like you're at full strength," Ban said.
"Oh, don't worry, I should be fine if I use healing magic," Bel replied, trying to sound confident.
"The basic form of healing magic you use doesn't work on yourself, and besides, your glow is weak," Ban pointed out.
"The princess is capable of healing herself with basic healing magic, so don't underestimate her," Orolo said as they continued walking.
"What?" Ban asked, genuine surprise crossing his face.
"Yes?" Bel said, confused.
"Impressive. You can use basic healing magic on yourself? And you can keep that up with your arc being so low?" Ban questioned.
"I'm an elf, so my body produces its own arc. There's no risk of running out of energy," Bel said.
"Oh, right, I forgot magic-borns were capable of that," Ban replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. *Her body may be low on arc, but it's still circulating it efficiently and producing more. Magic-borns really are something else,* Ban mused, his eyes narrowing as he studied Bel.
The group continued down the path, the tension still hanging in the air.
As they made their way down the mountain, the group encountered numerous animals, either lying dead or acting deranged. Though Ban swiftly dealt with the threats, the repeated skirmishes were wearing them all down. Even Bel and Orolo, usually resilient, began to feel the creeping fatigue.
The further they descended, the worse the situation became. Ban led the group through the dense forest, their feet crunching over fallen leaves and brittle branches. The eerie silence enveloping them was unsettling, but none felt the need to break it—there was nothing to say, and the exhaustion left little desire for conversation.
As dusk settled, darkness began to envelop the forest. Ban's sharp eyes caught a faint flicker of light ahead, shining through the trees.
"Looks like there's a village up ahead," he said, his voice cutting through the heavy quiet.
"Finally," Bel muttered, her shoulders sagging in relief, keeping her hand raised as she maintained a small fire spell to light their way. "Maybe we can actually rest for once."
Taod croaked in agreement, trudging steadily behind them.
Orolo remained silent, his hand resting firmly on the hilt of his axe. He gave a slight nod, signaling his approval of Ban's observation. Darian kept to himself, eyes darting cautiously around the darkened woods.
As they approached the village, the warm, inviting scent of cooked food wafted through the air. It seemed to lift some of the tension that had built during their long descent. The flickering glow of firelight grew more distinct, and they could feel the warmth reaching out to them, as they got closer they could see children playing and adults conversing.
They took caution walking into the village, but as they are spotted by a younger woman, she seemed panicked as she ran into a little hut, while the some others ran back into thier huts, while some stayed out, but they were obviously worried.
"They seem terrified," Darian said, his voice barely above a whisper as he eyed the wary faces peering out from behind the windows of their small huts.
"Obviously," Ban replied, his tone blunt, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the village. "Look at us. I'd be scared too if I were them. And in a world like this, the sight of an unfamiliar face should make you shiver." His tone was firm, a hint of bitterness tinging his words. He paused, glancing at Bel and Orolo. They were discussing whether they should leave.
Before they could decide, the door of the hut the young woman had just dashed into swung open, and out stepped an elderly man.
"Hello, visitors," came the old man's raspy voice as he walked towards them. He moved with slow, deliberate steps, his frail frame hunched under the weight of years. The man was painfully thin, his robe hanging loosely from his skeletal shoulders, the fabric tattered and worn, as if it had weathered more years than any one person should.
His bald head gleamed in the fading daylight, pale against the shadows of his ragged robe. The robe itself was a shade of faded brown, stitched in places, torn in others, and hung like a shroud over his spindly body. Despite his ragged appearance, there was an odd dignity to the way he wore it, as if he were some old monk who had long renounced worldly desires. He barely stood as tall as Bel, his head reaching just to her shoulder, and his stature seemed almost diminutive compared to the imposing presence of Ban and Taod
Yet there was something about his eyes—deep-set and shadowed by the wrinkles of age—that suggested a sharpness, a clarity that belied his fragile form. They were eyes that had seen much of the world's suffering, Ban could resonate with those eyes.
"Peace be upon you, travelers," he continued, his voice carrying a strange, calm confidence. "What brings you to our village." He glanced back at the hut behind him, then returned his gaze to the group, the smile on his face not quite reaching his eyes, which held a careful watchfulness.
"We are just travelling down the mountain and happened upon your village." Ban said, "Oo travelling on foot? You all must be exhausted." The old man said.
"We are now that you mention it." Ban said.
Bel exchanged a glance with Ban, uncertainty etched on her face. The old man's frail frame and gentle demeanor contrasted starkly with the fearful glances of the villagers, leaving an uneasy tension in the air.
The old man gestured with a slow, deliberate wave towards the hut, his bony fingers trembling slightly. "There is room enough for you all, and food to share." His words were kind, yet something about his tone felt rehearsed, as if he'd said it all many times before. "And don't worry about the other shamen, they aren't so welcome to visitors, I'll speak with them, and have them bring you some food." The old man said as he smiled leading them to the hut.
Ban looked at Bel, as if to ask for confirmation as she was the leader of this group, and she nodded as she didn't see anything wrong with it.
The old man leads them to the hut, which had three beds and space for them to drop their items so it was spacious enough for at best four people, but they would have to manage.
"Please, this is all we have on such short notice." The old man said, "no it's fine." Bel said.
As the old man was about to leave, Orolo spoke up. "What is your name? I can't stay in a man's home without knowing his name."
"My name?" The old man paused, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I have no name—I am but a shaman."
"Oh, my mistake. Thank you, nonetheless," Orolo replied, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.
Once the old man left, they immediately began unloading what few belongings they had left. Ban snapped his fingers near the small fireplace, and a single ember flickered to life, igniting the firewood and warming the entire room.
"So... did you see it?" Bel asked Ban.
"Yeah, it was kind of hard to miss," Ban replied.
"What are you two talking about?" Orolo asked.
"Couldn't you sense it? The strange energy coming off those animals—it's practically polluting the air in this village," Ban said, his face twisted in distaste. "It's nauseating."
"Don't blame them," Bel interjected. "Taod is a beastman, so he isn't attuned to sensing magic. Darian is human, and Orolo can't sense Arc or use magic."
"What?" Ban looked at Orolo in disbelief. "I understand the other two, but you're an elf—how are you unable to sense Arc?"
Orolo huffed. "It's not as crazy as you think. Might be a genetic mutation or even a curse, I'm not sure myself. Ever since I was born, I haven't been able to harness Arc, use magic, or anything of the sort," he said, shrugging his
"Huh, sorry about that," Ban said.
"No need to apologize. I have no need for such things," Orolo replied.
"Yeah, I get that, but it must really suck," Ban said mockingly.
Orolo raised an eyebrow, "I'm not gonna entertain your foolishness." He said giving Ban an unamused look.
Ban took another sip from his wooden jug, as he thinks back to the whole reason why he was even here, the creature the elder talked about, the creature formed from black mist, capable of killing and then taking over anything it touches, it seemed very similar to what they have encountered with tge animals in these woods, and the unded they encountered a day ago.
As he was thinking Bel spoke up, "Do you think it's necromancy? Maybe a wizard or Sorcerer is generating this energy?"
"Nah, a Sorcerer would be completely drained after spreading out such a spell over a large are, and a Wizard would have to weave a massive magic circle or something to keep something like this up, which both of these things could happen, but I don't think it's likely." Ban said tacking another drink from his jug.
"Besides how does that matter to us?" Ban said taking another sip from his jug.