Nuvesia City's Adventurers' Guild hummed with the usual chaotic energy. The scent of ale mingled with the musty odor of old maps and well-worn leather. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air.A burly old man with a thick mane of gray hair tied back in a practical knot entered the hall. His presence commanded attention. Every adventurer in the room, from nervous rookies to grizzled veterans, turned to look. He carried a rolled parchment, which he proceeded to pin to the already crowded quest board. He clapped his hands sharply, the sound cutting through the din. "Listen up!" he bellowed.The room quieted. "We've got a new quest," he announced, his voice booming across the hall. "A D-Ranker at minimum, open to all. Details are up on the board, but I'll give you the gist." He paused, scanning the crowd, his eyes lingering on a group of younger adventurers near the entrance."This one's about dark energy," he continued, his tone shifting to a more serious register. "Corrupted energy, malevolent energy… whatever you want to call it. The King's concerned about reports of increased activity. This quest is about investigation. You'll be searching for traces of this dark energy, primarily within monster heartstones." He tapped the quest board for emphasis. "We believe these heartstones are acting as conduits, amplifying and spreading the corruption."A ripple of murmurs went through the crowd. This was different from the usual monster slaying or treasure hunting. This was… unsettling."The quest will scale according to the difficulty of the location and the monsters you face," the old man explained. "Find a corrupted heartstone, bring it back here, and you'll be rewarded. Up to 30 gold per stone, depending on the level of corruption. And yes," he added, anticipating the question, "you can repeat this quest. As long as there's corrupted energy out there, there's work to be done. The King's authorized unlimited funding for this."The hall erupted in cheers. The prospect of repeatable quests with such high rewards was unheard of. "Thirty gold a pop?" one adventurer shouted. "We'll be swimming in coin!"The old man clapped again, a sharp, percussive sound that silenced the room. "Hold your horses," he warned. "This isn't a simple monster hunt. This dark energy is dangerous. It can affect you, corrupt you, if you're not careful." He lowered his voice slightly, adding a note of urgency. "That's why," he emphasized, "it's absolutely crucial that every party taking on this quest includes a priest."He pointed towards the second floor. "A priest is essential to detect the presence of this dark energy and, more importantly, to protect you from its influence. Exposure to dark mana can have… unpredictable consequences." He paused, letting his words sink in. "And our Saintess, Angelina Colcher from the Hero's party, will be the one verifying the heartstones upon your return."The mention of the Saintess and the Hero's party sparked another wave of excitement, though this time tinged with a degree of awe. The Saintess, a figure of renowned purity and power, added a significant layer of legitimacy to the quest. Angelina emerged from the second floor, offering a gentle smile and a nod to the assembled adventurers. "I look forward to assisting you all," she said, her voice carrying clearly through the hall.The cheers were deafening. The prospect of working alongside a member of the Hero's party, combined with the potential for substantial rewards, had lit a fire under the adventurers. However, amongst the jubilation, the more experienced adventurers, those ranked B and above, maintained a more cautious demeanor. They understood the inherent dangers of dealing with dark energy. And at the bar, the S-Rank adventurer with the katana remained impassive, taking another slow sip of his beer, a silent observer in the midst of the frenzy.
_______________________________
The air in the cavern hung heavy and still, thick with the smell of damp earth and stale air. The only light came from flickering torches placed sporadically along the rough-hewn walls, casting long, dancing shadows that played tricks on the eye. The adventurers breathed heavily, their breaths echoing in the oppressive silence between the clangs of steel.Renould, a man wearing light armor and wielding a sword and shield, his face grim, shouted to a female beastman standing nearby. "Limia! Go! Run! Dumor and I will hold them off!"Limia, a porter by trade, her beastman heritage granting her superior agility, stood frozen. Her legs trembled, tears streaming down her cheeks. She dropped the large, cumbersome baggage she had been carrying, the thud echoing in the cavern. Fear gripped her. She had just witnessed something that defied explanation.An orc, clad in dark armor, stood at the back of the cavern. He held aloft a staff topped with a pulsating purple gem. Limia had seen him use it on the werewolf their party had just slain. The werewolf's body, lying lifeless moments before, now twitched. Its eyes snapped open, glowing with an unnatural purple light. A dark aura emanated from its form.The orc laughed, a harsh, guttural sound that sent shivers down Limia's spine. With a wave of his staff, he summoned more creatures. Skeletons, their bones rattling, rose from the cavern floor, their empty eye sockets glowing with the same malevolent purple light as the werewolf. It seemed an endless horde.Renould and Dumor, a dwarf wielding a heavy hammer, braced themselves. They stood back-to-back, forming a defensive circle against the swarming skeletons. The skeletons attacked relentlessly, their rusty blades and bony hands inflicting numerous cuts and bruises on the two defenders. Renould parried a blow with his shield, the impact jarring his arm. Dumor swung his hammer, crushing several skeletons in a single blow, but more kept coming. Their stamina began to wane against the relentless onslaught. The werewolf, its eyes still glowing purple, had yet to join the attack, a more significant threat looming over them.Limia, spurred by Renould's command and driven by her own terror, finally moved. She turned and ran, her beastman agility allowing her to navigate the uneven cavern floor with surprising speed. She didn't look back. She couldn't. The image of the resurrected werewolf and the endless horde of skeletons was burned into her mind. She ran for her life.The orc warlock raised his staff again, the purple gem at its head pulsating with dark energy. He chanted in a guttural tongue, the words echoing through the cavern, amplifying the oppressive atmosphere. The purple glow intensified, bathing the cavern in an eerie light. Then, with a final, forceful gesture, he unleashed his power.
The three resurrected werewolves, their eyes burning with unnatural purple fire, lunged at Renould and Dumor. The two adventurers braced themselves for the impact. The werewolves attacked with a ferocity that surpassed even their living counterparts. They moved with unnatural speed and strength, their claws tearing at Renould's light armor and their teeth snapping at Dumor's thick dwarven hide.Renould parried a claw strike, the force of the blow sending tremors through his arm. He retaliated with a swift thrust of his sword, but the werewolf seemed unfazed, barely flinching as the blade grazed its thick fur. Dumor swung his hammer, connecting with a solid blow to a werewolf's head. The creature staggered, but it quickly recovered, its purple eyes burning with relentless fury.The werewolves seemed impervious to pain, ignoring the injuries inflicted by the adventurers. They continued their relentless onslaught, driven by the dark energy that animated them. They were no longer living creatures, but puppets controlled by the orc warlock's dark magic, their only purpose to kill.Except for one. One of the resurrected werewolves, instead of joining the attack on Renould and Dumor, turned and bounded after Limia. Its movements were fluid and swift, its focus solely on the fleeing beastman. The other two werewolves remained fixated on the two adventurers, but this one had a different directive. It was hunting Limia.Limia ran on all fours, her beastman physiology granting her enhanced speed. Fear amplified her movements, pushing her to her physical limits. She risked a glance over her shoulder. The werewolf pursued relentlessly, its pace unwavering, its glowing purple eyes fixed on her.The distance between them narrowed rapidly. The werewolf gained ground with each stride. It lunged, its claws extended. They raked across Limia's legs, tearing through her clothing and flesh. She cried out in pain, stumbling and falling heavily against the rough cavern wall. The impact knocked the wind out of her.The werewolf loomed over her, its claws raised, ready to deliver the killing blow. Just as the claws were about to pierce her, the werewolf's eyes flickered. The purple glow intensified, then dimmed slightly. The creature froze, its attack halting abruptly. It seemed momentarily confused, as if struggling against an unseen force.Then, the werewolf's behavior shifted again. It no longer seemed intent on killing her. Instead, it reached down, grasping Limia by her hair. It yanked her upward, dragging her across the rough cavern floor. She cried out again, struggling against its grip, but her efforts were futile.The wounds on her legs began to emanate a faint, dark energy. A numbing sensation spread through her injured limbs. She tried to move them, to pull away, but they were unresponsive. The dark energy had paralyzed her. Escape was now impossible. She was at the mercy of the undead creature.Scene: Dimly Lit Caverns.POV: 3rd PersonThe werewolf dragged Limia back towards the orc warlock. As they approached, Limia's terror intensified. She saw Renould and Dumor. Their bodies were pinned to the cavern walls, their arms and legs held in place by large, sharpened bones that pierced through their flesh. Their eyes were weak, their faces pale, and they bore numerous injuries from the earlier skeletal onslaught. The skeletons parted to allow the werewolf to drag Limia through.The orc warlock laughed, a harsh, guttural sound that echoed through the cavern. He raised his staff, the purple gem at its tip pulsating with dark energy. He began to chant, the words guttural and rhythmic. Limia's body began to levitate. A dark purple glow enveloped her, bathing her in its unnatural light. She was pulled towards the wall next to Renould.Sharp bones, similar to those pinning Renould and Dumor, materialized and pierced Limia's body. One impaled her right arm, another her left. More bones pierced her legs. She screamed as each bone drove through her flesh, the pain excruciating.The orc warlock continued his chant, his voice growing louder, more forceful. He then gestured with his free hand towards Dumor. Dumor's body began to tremble violently. His eyes and mouth glowed with an intense white light. The orc warlock was extracting his soul. A spectral wisp of white energy emerged from Dumor's body and flowed towards the orc's staff, where it was absorbed into the purple gem.The orc then chanted another spell, his voice now deeper, more resonant. He turned to one of the nearby skeletons and extracted its soul, a similar wisp of white energy flowing from the skeleton's empty eye socket. This soul was then forced into Dumor's now vacant body. Dumor's eyes snapped open, now glowing with the same unnatural purple light as the resurrected werewolf. The bones that had pinned Dumor to the wall retracted, and he stepped forward, lining up alongside the other skeletons, now under the orc's control.Limia, witnessing this horrific transformation, lost consciousness. The sight of her comrade's soul being ripped from his body and replaced with that of a skeleton was too much to bear. The darkness claimed her, a merciful escape from the horrors unfolding before her.