The wind screamed through the desolate landscape, whipping through and carrying with it a faint scent of ash and earth. Dark cloud had settled above them, oppressive, and a gray veil spread across the horizon. She saw the damaged ground before her: broken, scarred, worn; remnants of the battle still lay visible in cracks and fissures which streamed across the horizon. The fast-fading sunlight flickered against the distant horizon and cast long, fierce shadows over the torn landscape.
Seraphine stood at the front of their little group, her hand lightly lying on the pommel of her sword. She was finely attuned to the minutest shifts in air all around her. She could feel the buzzing of magicks in the earth beneath her feet, an aftermath of the kindling the Shadow King had done, poisoning the world like a festering wound. Though they had struck a mighty blow, it was far from over. They had merely cut the connection to the Shadow King's army for a moment, buying them precious time. But it wouldn't last.
Garin walked beside her, scanning the darkening horizon for signs of threat. His bow was at the ready, each step he took a cautious one. Elara followed behind them, her staff supporting her weight as much as it could, but her face was pale with exhaustion. She had drained herself drawing out the magic to hold back the shadows, and now like them all was running on fumes.
"We can't go on like this," Garin said softly, his voice full of worry. "Elara can barely stand and you…" He trailed off, casting a flicking glance at Seraphine's face. She saw the question he didn't ask, how much further they could drag themselves before their strength deserted them.
Seraphine's head shook, her tired smile pulling at the corner of her lips. "I'm fine. We don't have time to rest. We have to make it to Lysandra before the Shadow King regroups, or all this will be for nothing.".
Elara breathed heavily, speaking just above a whisper. "The road to Lysandra is treacherous. Not just the minions of the Shadow King we'll need to be prepared to fight, but darker things reside here, more powerful and ancient than anything we have faced so far."
Seraphine set her jaw. "We have no choice. Lysandra knows how to end this war. If she can't aid us now, then all hope is lost.
Garin clenched his fists, his jaw set hard with purpose. "Then we fight. No matter what it takes."
They rode in silence. Their task weighed heavily over them. No easy road lay ahead to Lysandra's sanctuary. Few have tried, and even fewer survived. The country itself was savage and foreboding, full of dangers seen and unseen. Creatures twisted by the sorcery of the Shadow King roamed the plains, their unnatural forms ravenous and forever unsated. Yet it was not with the creatures alone that the danger lay. The land itself had become corrupted, grown twisted by the dark magic that had seeped into every corner of the world.
The shadows had begun to stretch longer, deeper, and thicker, oppressive as the air had grown cold, its chill having nothing to do with the evening's drop. He could sense how endless it seemed before them, twisting through wind-tortured hills and age-blackened, gnarled trees whose eyes were unblinking, as if watching. It felt wrong even beneath their feet, like living flesh holding a grudge against their tread.
In her mind's eye, she envisioned their last battle with the forces of the Shadow King, the desperate final stand in which they fought not just to survive but for the future of the world itself. The taste of victory was bittersweet. She hadn't even had the time to savor it; its weight settled on her shoulders quickly enough. She could still feel the presence of the Shadow King in the back of her mind, an insistent whisper that never quite left her.
"You're running out of time, Seraphine," his voice had mocked, cold and unrelenting. "You cannot hide from what you are."
He had spoken not, but she had heard the words, now lingering in her thoughts like poisonous mist. What am I? She gripped the hilt of the sword beneath her hand. Born into this war, destined to fight the darkness, but at what cost? And if she failed.
There, Elara's voice snapped her out of her trance. "Seraphine," she whispered, her voice dripping with unspoken worries. "There is something not quite right here. I know it. The land is. changing.".
Seraphine stopped, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed their surroundings. The forest was abnormally silent-the wind no longer whispering through the trees. Shadows danced in an unnatural rhythm, and the very air was heavy with stench of rot. She felt her instincts flare, and she raised her sword, ready for whatever was coming to her.
No sooner than that, Garin drew his bow and contemplated the trees with fixed stare. "What is happening?"
Just as Seraphine spoke, a low rumble shook beneath their feet. The earth moved violently and a shockwave sounded through the air with a rattle of their teeth. Ground gave way to deafening roar as the tremendous figure came forth from the fissure: big, dark, and twisted.
It was a thing they'd never seen before: a creature, rather, something shaped like a parody of an animal, but constructed as much out of shadow and stone. Its eyes blazed unnatural light, its maw drooling with venom. An ancient thing, born of corruption that had seeped into the earth, it stepped forward, and the earth buckled beneath its weight.
A wave of fear shot down Seraphine's chest. "One of them," she breathed, her voice tight with tension. "One of the ancient keepers of the land, tainted with the dark sorcery of Shadow King.".
He roared, his sound shaking even the heavens themselves. About them, the trees groaned as the ancient limbs creaked in agony. Seraphine locked eyes with the creature, its mouth opening up into a twisted grin as it lumbered toward them, its fists clenched, massive like blocks of granite.
We have to stop it before it can call out any more of them," Garin said, his voice steady yet urgent. "I'll draw its attention. Elara, can you weaken it?"
Elara nodded grimly, her staff crackling with energy. "I'll try," she said, lacing her voice with exhaustion. Elara was clearly pushing herself to her limits, and they had no alternative. She and Garin had to defeat this creature, or they'd never make it to Lysandra.
No more ado, Garin shot an arrow, which struck the beast in the eye. It let out a scream of agony as its great bulk stumbled back, stunned for a moment. Seraphine didn't hesitate. She charged forward with the last of her strength, sword flashing, and swung it in at the creature's leg. The blow struck home but the creature didn't flinch much. It was tough, far tougher than anything they'd fought before.
Elara moved forward, her staff held aloft. Pure white, shining energy shot forth from the end and smacked into the chest of the creature. The scream of its impact reverberated through the air as the momentum of the blast threw it several paces backwards. Yet even in stumbling, its eyes shone greater still, its form expanding with wrath.
We can't let it regroup," Seraphine said, panting, and wiping the sweat from her brow. "Elara, give me more power. I need it!
Elara gritted her teeth, shaking with the exertion. She nodded, meanwhile, her hands weaving an intricate pattern in the air as she chanted the words of an old binding spell. The air around them hummed with power as she released it. Tendrils of light shot from her staff, wrapping around the creature's limbs, holding it in place.
Garin moved quickly and slew the beast; in rapid succession, he found his marks, striking the creature at its joints, weakening him, and forcing him to his knees. The beast howled with rage, but it couldn't break free from Elara's magic.
Seraphine took the opportunity and charged in with a final, powerful blow. Her sword plunged into the heart of the creature and with an earsplitting screech, the creature fell to the ground in complete dark dust.
For a fleeting moment, the whole world fell silent. The earth was not shaking, and the crushing weight of creature presence was gone. Seraphine knew, however that this was only but just the starting point for all of these. More would come. The land is still infected by Shadow King's magic and time runs out.
"We have to keep going," Seraphine said, her voice low and intent. "Lysandra waits for us. And we can't let the Shadow King win."
As they took a step forward the road stretched ahead of them and the perils along the way were far from clear, but one thing was certain: they were not alone in this battle. And together they would face whatever darkness awaited them.