Thorne's world went dark, and he felt himself being pulled through a vortex of swirling colors and distorted sounds.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the middle of a dense, misty forest, surrounded by towering trees that seemed to stretch up to the sky with trunks as wide and thick as a room roughly 50 by 50 metres.
The trees surpassing the mist in height.The air was cool and damp, filled with the scent of wet earth and decaying leaves.
Going up to one he felt its trunk which was rough and littered with jagged bark. Curiosity peaked Thorne unsheathed his sword and stuck a the tree. A shockwave reverberated across his body rattling his bones. Stabilizing himself Thorne assessed the damage and to his dismay there was only a small thin gash not even 5cm deep."Oh well there not that important to me any anyways"he said to himself.
Shrugging Thorne stumbled continuing onward, his feet sinking into the soft, mist-shrouded ground. Green moss mixing in with black dirt and sand.
As he walked, the mist grew thicker, reducing visibility to mere feet. Thorne's senses were on high alert, his ears straining to pick up any sound that might indicate danger.
Thorne's grip on the Flower of Darkness tightened, his heart racing with anticipation as he heard a tree branch snap a bit into the distance.
Suddenly a faint whisper assaulted his ears beckoning him to come closer. Thorne felt himself being drawn deeper into the mist-shrouded forest. He stumbled forward, his senses disoriented by the eerie, unnatural silence apart from the constant whispering.
Thorne's instincts screamed at him to flee, but his curiosity kept him moving forward.
As he walked, the trees seemed to grow closer together, their branches tangling overhead to form a canopy of twisted wood.
Thorne's journey through the mist-shrouded forest had begun hours ago, the dense fog obscuring his vision and disorienting his senses. He had stumbled forward, his hand on the hilt of the Flower of Darkness, his ears straining to pick up any sound that might indicate danger.
As he walked, the mist grew thicker, until Thorne could barely see his own hand in front of his face.The whispers growing louder before disappearing entirely.He slowed his pace, his senses on high alert, waiting for something to reveal itself
And then, without warning, a figure emerged from the mist.
It was a twisted, humanoid creature, its body a mass of writhing, pulsing tendrils. Its eyes glowed with an otherworldly energy, and its very presence seemed to fill the air with an unspeakable horror.
Thorne drew the Flower of Darkness, its blade shimmering with a faint, eerie light. He charged forward, the creature meeting him with a twisted, nightmarish scream.
He used Identify on the creature summoning the runes coalssing which revealed it's information
[Tainted wraith squire]
Rank:Dormant cacopythe
Abilities:???
"Fuck! Question marks only mean one thing.Strong"he said unsheathing his sword and getting into a battle ready stance
Starring at the wraith Thorne leaped at it sword in hand commansing there bout
The battle was intense, the two combatants clashing in a flurry of steel and tendrils. Thorne's blade sliced through the creature's defenses, striking true again and again. But the creature refused to fall, its tendrils writhing and pulsing as it absorbed the blows.
Thorne stumbled backward, his chest heaving with exertion. The creature pressed its advantage, its tendrils snapping wildly as it sought to ensnare Thorne.
Thorne rolled to the side dodging the attack.'It hasn't used its ability so I should finish this quick...'not finishing his thoughts Thorne dodged another tendril. Before he could attack Thorne cursed inwardly as a dark spherical orb came hurtling his way.
Dodging again Thorne turned around to see the orb hit a tree close by leaving a small dent in its trunk.He let out a sigh of relief as it hadn't done much damage.
Compared to when he tried to slash at a tree earlier this was nothing.
Thorne was no stranger to combat so with a swift motion he dug up some sand and hurled it at the abomination.For a wraith which most commonly would be completely phantasimal this one still had some physical aspects like its tendrils or"Its eyes".
Thorne had grown up in the slums and had his far share of fight.What did he learn from them obviously fighting but also cunning,using his environment to his advantage.
So why not do the same here.A grin plastered his face as he saw the abomination writhe in pain
The creature let out a deafening scream as the dust enveloped it, its tendrils thrashing wildly as it stumbled about clutching its eyes. Thorne took advantage of the distraction, his blade flashing in the dim light as he struck the final blow.
The creature collapsed, its tendrils ceasing their wild thrashing. Thorne stood over it, his chest still heaving with exertion.
*Notification: You have vanquished the " Tainted wraith squire" (Abomination Rank: Dormant cacopythe)*
A surge of dark energy courses through your veins, imbuing you with a faint, unsettling power. Your senses seem heightened, your perception of the world around you subtly altered.
An influx of energy surged through him strengthening him and his sigil as it's dark hue grew that much darker and the runes growing slightly more detailed.
Thorne's eyes narrowed as he took in the notification. That wraith was a formidable foe and he would've died if he hadn't thrown that sand , but he knew that there were far more powerful abominations lurking in the shadows.
Felling tired Thorne look up to the trees scouting out for a hole big enough for him to sleep in. Finding one he used the "Flower of darkness" as a climbing tool. The wind assaulted his face making him squint his eyes. The mist unsurprisingly grew thinner the higher up he went but not enough to see the horizon.
Reaching his destination he sheathed the "Flower of Darkness", his mind already turning to the challenges ahead. The mist-shrouded forest was full of secrets, and Thorne was determined to uncover them.
With a deep breath, Thorne closed his eyes,the mist below swirling with untold horrors
He knew that he would have to be prepared for anything, that the forest would not give up its secrets easily.
Before he could sleep a notification popped up runes coalesceing, they read.
*objective:
Traverse the outer edge of this forest,find a tree that looks out of place in this jungle of titanic trees,slay it's guardian and pass the trial.
Upon failure :Death *