Trail of Death (Private, Solo)

"It was dark. It was quiet. It was quiet as the wind howled. The trees rustled, the sounds of their nearly dead leaves adding to the ambiance. A light fog covered the night, the natural phenomenon only making the area look more haunting. It was the stereotypical look. A scene that had jumped from the latest horror story novel or the latest episode of a spooky and cheesy lacrivision show. But, instead of fiction, it was reality. It was the Cursed Lands. Of course such a named place would not be covered in sunlight and colorful rainbows. It was cursed. It was mysterious. It was malevolent. Nothing good ever came from there. Only the foolish or powerful ever went there. Or even got close.

Such was the case of a small group of people. Foolish enough to walk by the borders of the land, and foolish enough again to travel by night. They were not powerful mages. They were merchants. All of them were a part of the same guild and working together to deliver a wagon of goods to the next town. They should have been extremely worried about their chosen route. After all, it was far from the recommended path when they had zero ways to defend themselves or had the proper escort. The typical thief or bandit they could handle, yes. The horrors that were beyond the trees of the Cursed Lands? Doubtful.

Only one among the group fully understood the possible dangers. Well, knowing the rumors and stories of the place and making an assumption based on that if truth be told. Still, it was something to consider. The smart and cautioned one had tried to warn her fellow merchant guild members. Time and time again. They ignored her. Brushed the warnings away as if the warnings, and her opinion, mattered little. They were fools. They were going to get themselves killed. Get her killed! Fail the delivery! Fail the mission! Fail the guild! All because the leader of the group had way too much pride to second guess his decision. Maybe he was wrong. No. There was no maybe about it. He was wrong! She knew it! Why did no one else see it? Why was everyone so blind? Why were they all so freakishly calm despite traveling right beside the border of one of the most terrible places of Ishgar? They might as well just start delivering in Sin as well!

It would be too late to consider a new horrible place to do their work though. They were already doomed. Any moment now something was bound to grab them and take them further into those dark and cursed lands. They had no choice now but to meet the horrible fate that awaited them. One by one. No one would ever know what became of them. No one would ever be able to guess.

The howling winds were accompanied by the inhuman growls and groans of the monsters that watched. They were coming. It was over."

"Oh for pity's sake! Will you stop with that already?!"

(Word Count: 512)

The agitated yell stopped the narration. Emily, the one who had been narrating their current travels stared at the angry burly man at the front of the wagon. She had finally done it. His buttons had been pressed to the point that he snapped. Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough. She had wanted him to turn around and use a different route. That part of her exaggerated story was true. Even before they left she had warned her team that it was a bad idea. They disagreed. "You're right," Emily said, folding her arms over her chest. "I should wait until it actually happens to fill in the details." Her comment was sarcastic and it was clear to the rest of the group that she was very unhappy.

The other part of her story that was true and not exaggerated was that they were all from a local merchant's guild. Ivorybrand. It was small. Many other guilds were much more famous and powerful. However, to those that were members of Ivorybrand it was home, and it was a place to work. They got enough business to live comfortably and that was all that mattered to them.

"Don't blame her too much, Bill." A thin blonde man spoke up, partially in Emily's defense. He was a newer member of the merchant's guild but was there before her. Tyler was his name. Emily had travelled with him previously so she got to know the guy a little bit. He wasn't the bravest man out there, but he wasn't a complete coward either. The fact that he was still there despite looking over his shoulder constantly was proof as much. "She kind of has a point. Even I'm a little freaked out walking this route. I keep having this feeling that something is watching me." He looked back again and then towards the dark space between the trees again. Nothing was there but he was still not convinced. The faster they made it through the route the better. At least on the way back they could take the normal path home.

"Remember a few years back when things were coming from the Fat Monsterlands?" Eddie, the fourth member, added to the conversation. He was the second oldest of the group, right behind Bill. If he was afraid he didn't show it. He remained calm and stoic, as always. Of course, it was hard to tell a facial expression when it was covered completely like some wannabe ninja. His tone of voice didn't give anything away that was for sure. "I remember they had to send a ton of mages there to get rid of them."

"That was practically in the belly of the Cursed Lands! We're not even touching its front door. Get some spine! I've taken this route plenty of times before and never seen or heard anything more threatening than Emily's ghost stories." Bill would not be convinced. It was ridiculous. The chances of them running into anything dangerous was slim. The Cursed Lands creatures stayed where they were expected to remain. Inside the Cursed Lands! He couldn't even remember the last time he heard of any other merchants or travellers running into trouble on that route. As a regular at many inns throughout Fiore and beyond, he definitely would have heard something.

The fifth member of their traveling party said nothing. Lindsey never said anything. Whether that was by choice or she was incapable of talking Emily had zero clue. The curly-haired blonde had been a member of the guild since she was a kid and the last time Emily asked about it she was told that it was none of her business. So, she left it alone. Even if she was quiet Emily liked her well enough. She was kind and gentle and on that particular trip Emily could only be grateful that she wasn't the only woman in a group of guys. Not that Lindsey helped her argument or was on her side. She happily walked in front of the slow moving wagon, petting the horse that pulled it along on occasion.

Some might claim that their method of moving goods around was a bit outdated. After all, plenty of people had magic vehicles and flying transports now. That stuff was expensive, and really many of the members preferred the more traditional ways. Emily would have agreed since it meant she could enjoy the journey longer and see many things along the way... except when they happened to find themselves near the Cursed Lands. That was a negative.

Emily continued to walk behind the wagon and everyone else. Eddie had been on the right of the wagon and Tyler on the left. Bill took the lead. If they had been jumped by the typical expected thieves and bandits they had all sides covered. Emily just had to hope that that was all they'd run into if anything. Still, she refused to give up on the topic and continued to bring it up. "Why are we taking this route anyway? There are more traveled and established paths we could have taken to be safer."

"Yes, and those paths take longer because they go around," Bill answered, his previous annoyance having faded a little. "This road saves time. As they say, time is money, and we were offered extra if we make this delivery quicker than expected."

"Am I the only one that prioritizes my life over a few extra jewels?" Emily thought out loud. She didn't expect any serious reply, but what she did get was a mix of soft chuckles and joking yeses. She sighed. Bastards. "How much longer until we reach the town anyway?"

(Word Count: 946
Total So Far: 1457)

A few more hours had passed by. It was well into the night now. The air had gotten colder and the sky darker. Aside from the torches and lacrima lights, the merchant group carried there was no other light. Clouds had covered the stars and moon above them. They were no longer bothered for the most part now. Even Emily had chilled out. Nothing dangerous leaped from the forest, and they had even managed to stop and take a peaceful break. Maybe Bill had been right after all. That was Emily's last thought before things took a turn in the very way she had expected it to. Being right never felt so horrible.

It all started with Charlie, the horse. He was a tanned colored draft horse that was just as brave as he was loving. Nothing could spook that horse. The entire time while the humans around him chatted nervously he remained calm and continued pulling the wagon with zero hesitation in his steps. Until finally, he did become spooked.

No one had noticed anything wrong at first. The nervousness he displayed. His eyes widening in fear. It was a sudden change. How could they have taken notice? It wasn't until Charlie stomped his hooves into the dirt and refused to go further that the group finally put their attention on him. Surprised, they all stopped as well. Tyler and Lindsey had even attempted to comfort the horse but it was no use. Charlie ignored them and whinnied loudly. He backed up as much as he could, the cart also moving backwards as well. It was now clear to them all that he was frightened. By what they couldn't understand. Not until it was too late.

"Get that horse under control!" Bill shouted. His concern was that Charlie would take off in a random direction. Losing the horse was one thing, but losing the supplies was something he couldn't have happen. Since Charlie was still attached to the wagon, that would be exactly what happened if the horse took off in a chaotic run.

"He's never done anything like this before," Tyler stated while still trying to calm him down and make him stay put. Lindsey was helping too, but when Charlie rose on his hind legs Tyler grabbed onto her and moved her out of the way as well as himself. Charlie was no longer stable. He kept giving a mix of snorts and frantic winnies, as if trying to warn those around him of what he could sense. Something dark was there now. Something not natural. Something evil.

"What's gotten into him?!" Bill shouted again, but this time doing the work of getting the horse under control himself. He grabbed onto the reins and tried to use them to pull Charlie back down into place. Eddie and Emily stayed back and watched. It didn't take them long to notice that something was moving from beyond the borders of the Cursed Lands. They could hear it even through all the commotion with Charlie. Then they could also see something. Figures beyond there. Human shaped but something was still... off about it.

"Someone is back there," Emily stated to alert her group. She got closer. Foolish perhaps, but she was not unarmed. The woman unsheathed the small sword at her side. She lacked magic herself, but the sword itself had a minimal amount of it and she was no stranger to basic sword combat.

"Emily, get away from there," Eddie advised and walked closer to her to hopefully drag her back before whatever it was behind the trees came out to say hello. The other three members of the guild didn't seem to acknowledge anything else besides the frantic Charlie. It was because of that that they were even more surprised than they should have been.

Just before Eddie made the move to grab Emily's arm to drag her back, something leaped from the darkness of the Cursed Lands. It was human or rather was. It was clear from not only the stench that came off the creature but also from the decayed and missing flesh. The thing was dead. Or had been. Now it existed as some sort of undeath being that most would have categorized as a zombie. Everything went to chaos after that.

Once the zombie had jumped out, Emily acted by lifting her sword defensively. The creature was faster than the common stories that spread around. Still, she was able to fend it off and even strike it down. Another appeared while she was busy with that one and if not for Eddie being there to take care of it with his own weapon she would have had issues. Unfortunately for them, they were not masters of combat and it soon became evident that they were outmatched. It didn't take long for the numbers of the foe to increase beyond what they were capable of handling. Eddie managed to take care of himself but Emily was taken.

"Emily!" Eddie cried out for her over her own screams and demands to be let go. But that faded into the depths of the forest of the Cursed Lands. He took steps forward with the intent to go after her and the zombies that took her, but he stopped. He knew he couldn't do it by himself. Not in there. Possibly not at all even if it were anywhere else.

The sounds of the terrified horse and the cries of the rest of his group brought Eddie back to what was going on around him. More of the zombies had come out of the forest past him and had now swarmed the wagon and his guildmates. Charlie would have none of that. The horse charged and ran down a couple of the zombies, but Charlie did not stop there. He continued on, running like the terrified beast that he now was and taking the wagon with him. Some of the supplies flew out and hit the ground as the wagon swayed roughly to the side and went over large rocks in the way. On the ground is where they would stay. Charlie would not be coming back. The traveling merchants would also have to forget all about their lost supplies. Lindsey and Tyler had been taken by the zombies as well, leaving only Eddie and Bill.

It was then that the zombies stopped in mid-action. They turned back to the forest and disappeared into the darkness. Eddie and Bill were now safe. If that was what it could be called. They didn't feel safe. Mostly they were now utterly confused. That did not mix well with the terror they were still feeling. "This doesn't make sense," Eddie said, his breath now heavy from having fought through a couple of the zombies. "Why are they taking them? These creatures kill, not kidnap!"

"I don't think they'll be alive for long." Bill sighed as he spoke and sat on a nearby boulder in a small attempt to calm himself. The hopelessness he felt was written all over his face. He was being realistic. He was old, and even though he was a big man he was not the kind of fighter that took on the undead in their own territory. Trying to go after the zombies that took Emily, Lindsey, and Tyler was a lost cause that would cost both the lives of himself and Eddie.

(Word Count: 1236
Total So Far: 2693)

"We can't just leave them to die out there!"

"Yeah, and we aren't fit to rescue them either. And by the time we alerted the Knights or any of the mage guilds it'll be too late! Face it! They're gone."

"Not quite." A voice neither recognized spoke from the trees. The source of the voice ignored the demands that came next. Something along the lines of bringing back their friends. The threats of harming him were also quite empty. If they couldn't handle a zombie ambush then they were far beneath him. They were magicless and helpless and would only serve as extra units for his undead army. However, he would spare them. He needed them alive.

A red mist began to appear, surrounding and illuminating the source of the voice. It was a man, but not an ordinary one. He was alive, unlike the zombies they had just faced, but the way he dressed and masked himself led the two merchants to believe that he was a part of some cult. That or he was really into some dangerous dark magic that they had no business being associated with. "I will keep your friends alive for the time being. I will even allow for their rescue. For this, you must send mages to search for me. Capable mages."

It wasn't a bad bargain. That would have been the plan anyway if Bill and Eddie thought that there was enough time to recruit mages to aid them. Now they knew there was. If he was telling the truth. Neither of the merchants trusted him to keep his word, but it was all they had. After the dark mage spoke his words, he and the red mist disappeared. Only darkness beyond the trees remained.

"I wouldn't call this hope, but it looks like we have a mage to hire."

"Probably multiple. I don't think he wants us to send mages his way so he can make friends. I have a bad feeling about what he'll do to them."

"That's not our problem. They take the job, they know the risks. That's how it works. We just need to hope that one succeeds. That mage might not have said there was a time limit, but I'm sure there is one. I doubt he's keeping our friends in a cozy well-stocked cottage in the forest." The implication was simple. If the necromancer wasn't going to give them food and water the kidnapped merchants would die of starvation and dehydration, assuming they weren't killed before then.

"Let's get to town then and make the mission request."

(Word Count: 432
Total So Far: 3125)

And so that was how Eyir came into the story. The two remaining merchants had done exactly what they said they would do. By the next morning, the local authorities had been alerted and a request for a guild mage to handle the rescue had been made. They weren't exactly choosey on which guild to hire so the request went out to all of them, magically created and delivered, of course. That was how the angelic spirit had entered the picture. By taking the newly added request for aid.

Eyir had not been a member of Luminous Rose for very long. The spirit was still getting used to the guildhall, its members, and the very idea of being a part of a guild itself. For so long she had been isolated. On purpose. Now she wasn't. Again very intended but also partially not. The libram she had acquired from an old departed friend had given her the final motivation to go through with joining a guild. She couldn't very well say that she was ecstatic or happy about joining. She never felt that emotion. Nor was she dissatisfied. Her eternal state of contentment remained. For those that did not know whether that was a positive or a negative thing... well Eyir would not be able to clarify. The world had not changed so she could only assume that she was where she was meant to be and everything around her was as it should be. This was adequate.

Now that she had become a sprout among the pink roses she needed to take the next step. She had seen and heard before of mages of all kinds taking job requests for the rewards. It was how many made a living and managed to survive. Eyir did not need the currency that was often given. A spirit of her nature did not require the things that particular currency could buy such as food and shelter. Her reason for taking on a job would be for reputation. Not particularly for herself. She was far from being a well-known entity even if she succeeded with one job. Her interest was helping the reputation of Luminous Rose. If she completed an important task then the guild's name and fame would rise higher. If only a tiny bit. Considering her own weak power level she couldn't take on truly difficult missions that were reserved for those of much higher rank than herself. Still, she was sure there was something that she could complete that would stand out and be above the standard delivery missions.

The task of viewing the job board was easy. She had been the only one there. There were many requests on its surface. Some were fully detailed to the point of being long essays and some were so vague that only a location was given. The tendrils of light that made up her wings touched the various requests. Many were out of her league. Others she did not care enough to bother with. After several minutes of reading, she finally took notice of a request she had skipped over before. She didn't know why it suddenly got her attention. After all, the spirit had already passed over it once before. Now though she couldn't focus on any of the others. She reached out and took the request off of the board. The details were intriguing, if not alarming.

Eyir had decided. This would be the mission she would do. Her first real official job.

(Word Count: 583
Total So Far: 3708)

Meeting the clients of the job was usually the next step in the job completion process. This one was very urgent, however. Or so it had been labeled. Meeting the merchants was not required. They just wanted their fellow guild members rescued and brought back home. That was fine with Eyir. Meeting new people was often difficult, and, given the nature of the attack by the undead, there was a chance that they would not enjoy meeting a being that was also of the supernatural. While she would have been content with the awkwardness it was possible they would not be. That was best saved for later after the job was completed successfully. They'd be thankful instead of being horrified and think that she had come to take them away to the necromancer as well. Being a part of Luminous Rose really should have implied that she was a "good" mage on the alignment scale, but Eyir did not have much hope that would be enough in this case. If they gave her a chance to explain who she represented first before reacting anyway. Regardless of what may or may not have happened if she had chosen to meet them, the fact remained that she chose not to. The angelic spirit left to make her way to the location the attack and kidnappings had occurred: The Cursed Lands.

The luminescent wings of the spirit took her to the path the merchant guild members had taken. It was an easy enough path to follow. Very straightforward. It was calm even. Perhaps because the sun was high in the sky and the blue skies were clear of any clouds. The complete opposite of the dark night that ruled the sky only hours ago. The job slip didn't give specific coordinates of the attack, not that Eyir would have really understood how to find a specific place using them anyway. Instead, she had to rely on instinct and whatever clues she found along the way to find the exact spot. For some that might have taken quite a bit of time. For Eyir it didn't take long. Not because she was particularly skilled in tracking and clue finding, but because of her connection to the magic that had been used.

The necromancy magic still lingered. Strongly. As Eyir flew the sensation of that dark magic hit her and caused her to lose focus and height. The spirit dropped a bit until she regained control. It wasn't so much pain that she felt. After all, it was just a lingering presence of the magic that had been used hours ago. It had not been a newly casted spell with her as the target. It was more of an uncomfortable pull. One she could not ignore. She wasn't powerful enough to overcome it completely. The weight of the magic was strong indeed. More than that it was a call. Tempting and nearly irresistible. A call that only those of the dead, undead, and of spirit nature could hear and feel. Eyir did not like it. The angelic spirit was grateful that she was not a typical spirit and could not be controlled that easily. At least, not just from a small presence. She would have to be wary when facing him in person. Judging from just that small interaction he was powerful in a way, but no more than her. A positive fact. If the necromancer had been out of her league she might have had to turn around and leave, else she would just become another of the necromancer's servants.

(Word Count: 596
Total So Far: 4304)

It didn't take much longer for the angelic spirit to find the location where the merchants had been attacked. Unless supplies being on the ground in a disarray fashion was the norm around those parts then that was evidence enough that she had found the spot. Eyir descended fully, her armored boots touching the ground gently and the light streams of her now inactive wings slowly moving in the air at random as they always did when idle. She walked past the scattered supplies and immediately went for the corpses that lied on the ground.

Kneeling, Eyir moved in for a closer look, although she could already sense what her conclusion would be. They were the corpses of the zombies that had been slain before the clients made their escape. The sense of death was unmistakable and hit her before anything else. It wasn't the grotesque looks or the smell or anything else that others would have picked up on to tell the obvious. It was the passage of time that had elapsed since true death had touched those bodies that told her what they were. The feeling was much fainter than it would have been if it was a recent death of a living being. The reaper's previous call was barely a lingering whisper. Dark magic overpowered it now, shouting loudly. Those bodies were still tied to the necromancer, just waiting to once again be revived if he had willed it. Considering they had not yet moved he did not will it.

The angelic spirit looked up from the corpses and faced the black fog of her hood to stare beyond the trees. She could see nothing but the shrubs and limbs of the full trees move in line with the beckoning wind. Eyir couldn't sense being watched, and there were no other indications of death or dark necromancy. Not right there at that spot anyway. There was something else that lingered, but its strength was deeper inside the forest. That was most likely where the necromancer and the kidnapped merchants were. Along with whatever servants the necromancer had under his control. She could feel them too. Deeper inside the forest as well, moving around at different speeds. Some not moving at all. Avoiding them was possible because of her ability to sense them, but this did not mean that they could not sense her as well. The chance of detection was still high even if she tried to avoid them.

With that possibility in mind, Eyir threw caution to the wind. If she would have to fight them then so be it. Combat was never her first choice, but having to deal with undead minions did have a way of making allowable exceptions. She would just have to remember to play it more wisely when dealing with their master. For now though, the angelic spirit stood and confidently walked into the forest, eventually disappearing entirely into its dark and mysterious depths.

(Word Count: 493
Total So Far: 4797)

The woods were far from silent. Eyir could hear the souls that resided there. See them even. Most did not bother her and continued on with their wanderings. There were those that screamed at her though. She did not belong there. Many were even drawn to the light that surrounded her, that light being the only thing in the dark cursed lands despite the sun having been shining bright on the other side of the trees. Well, the only light besides the wandering souls themselves, but she couldn't differentiate between the ones that mortals could see and those that only she could see. Whether they truly lit up the forest or she was just seeing things was still unconfirmed. Regardless, many of the souls were angry with her presence, others indifferent, and then there were the curious ones that would come up to her and then back away just as quickly. Eyir did not react. She continued walking through the haunted forest, only stopping when a curious or malevolent soul got close. During those times she would wait for the soul to lose interest before moving on.

An interesting conclusion was made along the way. The number of souls was growing. Eyir was getting close to something and it soon dawned on her what it was. The Cursed Lands had a cemetery within its borders. That certainly explained why the necromancer was there besides it being dark, cursed, and falling into every cliche of horror stories. It was a resource for his style of magic. His power was probably also much stronger there as well. The mission just got a tiny bit more difficult with that realization. Eyir felt no strength from the cemetery despite it being a place for the dead and herself being something in-between. Instead, she felt weakness and unease.

Fighting a necromancer at the same level as herself was one thing. An ancient cemetery within the Cursed Lands was another thing altogether. It could not be purified, certainly not by her. Not at her current level of rank and experience. Probably not at any level without the assistance of many mages capable of purifying such a corrupted land. Yet, despite her being an annoying fly of an intruder the land beneath and all around her still responded. She was no threat to it, but at the same time it chose not to ignore her presence. It wanted her gone just as much as the more malevolent sounds did. She could feel its intense dislike for her only growing the further in she traveled. There was no breeze yet the trees rustled loudly. The branches cracked and groaned, disrupting the natural silence. There were also other sounds around her. Not from the wandering souls and not from any undead that she could see. It was just the land talking, warning her. Threatening her.

Eyir continued. The warnings and threats were ignored. She had a mission to do. The Cursed Lands would have to do more than that to remove her from its borders. Perhaps that was its inevitable plan. It would allow the necromancer to deal with her. Just as he had dealt with so many before.

(Word Count: 530
Total So Far: 5327)

Eyir was getting closer to the cemetery now. The wandering souls were now accompanied by the walking dead. Zombies just like the ones that had been encountered by the merchants the night before. They moved slowly in no particular direction or goal. They just were. Existing. Nothing more. It was an idle state with no orders or commands from their master and nothing to stimulate their instincts. If zombies had instincts beyond the stories. To say that she was an expert regarding the subject would be a lie. What she was sure was strange was that they did not acknowledge her. It was unlike that of the dead souls of the lands. Perhaps in a way she did blend in. She wouldn't have been enough to spark them to "life" so to speak. Not when she had no living flesh. She still thought the necromancer would have kept them more alert and active though. It was a thought that came too soon. The luminous rose mage had passed by several of the zombies already, all acting the same. And then they turned. The one closest to her turned to face her seemingly without prompt. It leaped at eyir, letting out a loud inhuman and raspy cry as it did. She swerved around and backstepped, barely avoiding the undead minion as it landed where she originally stood and fell over. Another had made its way over during the distraction. It bit down into the armor of her arm. Although rotten, the teeth that remained were strong. They scratched upon the metal, creating a loud piercing ring. There was no pain to be felt from the attack. Even if the zombie had pierced completely through the armor there was no flesh there for it to take a bite of. Only the light and spirit energy of her being would have been there. The mouths of zombies were very ill-equipped to harm incorporeal beings. Eyir hit the zombie that was latched to her arm and then shoved it away. More could be heard now, surrounding her and moving in to attack. She was outnumbered and did not wield weapons to strike them down one by one. Taking them out all at once was her best shot, and she had the ability to do that.

A burst of bright golden energy left Eyir's being and spread a wide distance all around her. The light faded just as quickly as it had appeared, but it had been quite effective. Its holy energy was lethal to them. Moreso than Eyir had originally thought it would be. The zombies that had been within its luminescent light began to burn and turn to ash. Some fared better than others, resisting it somehow with only parts of them being damaged and still being able to move. Eyir used the ability again to finish the job. If only things could remain that easy. More were coming now. The typical zombies were now joined with walking skeletons. Unlike the weaker and completely mindless undead thralls, the skeletons wielded weapons. Eyir did not desire to test their skills at weaponry. She also did not think it a smart play to continue standing in one spot. She had to keep going or be overrun and soon too much out of energy to deal with the true threat of the mission. The angelic spirit kept going forward, speeding up her original walking pace into a jog. The spell she had used to deal with the zombies was used again. And again. And again. Eyir spammed it to clear the way and avoid a true fight with the minions. The strategy worked. She'd consider it as a cemetery cleanup. The land truly needed it.

Soon, Eyir reached the true borders of the cemetery. Gravestones were scattered all around. Old, worn, broken. Many did not have names or dates listed. Others were greatly faded. Where there were no stone markers were wooden crosses. Their shape was even worse than the stone versions. Many holes were also there. The dirt having been disturbed for many purposes. Rituals, ingredient collecting, necromancy. It was a twisted and corrupt place. Eyir could only imagine what the true heart of the Cursed Lands was like. It dawned on her briefly that no zombies or skeletal warriors were there. She had stopped her holy nova spam even before setting foot by the nearest gravestone. Odd. Seeing as there were no other presences, living or dead, the mage continued onward. She left that portion of the cemetery and found herself once again surrounded by trees. The minions of the necromancer and that of the lands left her in peace. Or she could only assume that anyway. She knew she had not destroyed them all. They could still be sensed and felt, but they left her alone and kept a great distance from her. It wasn't until she had reached a large clearing that that once again had changed.

A larger presence was coming her way. Quickly. From her left. She looked in that direction in time to see an ugly abomination charge right through the trunk of a tree and straight for her. The thing was large but altogether dumb. She maneuvered out of the way of its swinging limbs and charge. Too easily, in fact. Not being able to stop was a flaw in its creation. And quite the creation it was. The disgusting beast was a combination of varying corpses and magic that were pieced together to give it shape and life. Even she was deeply concerned regarding its existence. No one should have been able to do that or dare try. The thing ran right through another tree before it could stop. Then, it slowly turned, uttering a horrible inhuman growl. This growl was followed by a beast-like roar as it charged again. The ground shook with each thunderous stomp. Having seen this method of attack once already, Eyir had already come up with a plan that was more graceful than her original sloppy dodge. The angelic spirit glowed and turned into bright glittering light just as the beast reached her. Its massive strike hit the light but did nothing but go right through. The spell had already taken effect and had disappeared. That light then reappeared further away on the other side of the clearing, taking the form of Eyir once more as she conjured and released multiple rays of light that soared towards the abomination and hit it with their holy properties. This attack was followed by a couple more blasts of holy offensive magic, a stronger spell, to finish it off. Once again her magic was strongly effective. The abomination began to turn to burn and turn to dust just like the weaker undead she had encountered previously. Additional holy light blasts were dealt towards the creature as it wobbled and hollered in pain. Until there was nothing left.

(Word Count: 1152
Total So Far: 6479)

As soon as the abomination was dealt with, Eyir began to feel a pull in a different direction. This pull was visualized by the appearance of dark mist of black, purple, and red. It did not spread all around, but rather remained there, marking the way like a thread left behind. Maybe the games were now over and the master was making his presence known. There was but one way for her to find out for sure. Eyir followed the trail of mist.

As Eyir followed the gloomy mist she began to sense signs of life. Four to be exact. Three were likely the kidnapped merchants while the other was the necromancer. The closer she got, the better she could see the aura of life of each of the merchants. That was the way she went, leaving the trail of mist and instead choosing to check on their status. The light of her wings helped them see as she approached. They were well physically. Only scratches and bruises. All three tied up behind gravestones. Considering who they were kidnapped by they were very fortunate that was the most done to them. Their mental state she could only guess was fine. They were afraid. That included being afraid of her. That was to be expected with what they went through and she didn't exactly look like the typical heroic mage.

"I am here to help," Eyir spoke, the softness of her voice and the soothing chiming that accompanied it bringing them instant comfort and ease. That was one of the traits of herself that she was most thankful for. Many felt calm in her presence and her ethereal voice only added to it. It did well to soothe the anxiety and panic of those in the same mental state as the merchants. She had begun to undo the bindings of one of the women when the presence of the necromancer coming into the area fully made her stop. She did not even need to hear his voice to take notice of him.

"So you're the one that they sent." The masked necromancer said as he arrived in a cloud of the same red mist that had led the Luminous Rose mage there. He chuckled, amused. Hardly frightened or threatened by her presence. "I expected a normal mage of the living world to come through here to be the hero. The experiments I had planned after this stage were meant for that." He was arrogant and cocky. He had already assumed that he would have won if a different mage had been sent. "My minions were sent as a test of your power. I would almost call this situation a waste of resources, but this development is interesting." The necromancer paced around, but that was all. Eyir left the captors and walked around so that she could better face her new foe. If that was what he was. Strangely, he did not go on the offensive in any way. His posture and magical aura did not change at all either.

"I'll tell the truth. I have no need for these people. They were just the bait. They can leave here. In fact, you can as well. You're not what I needed either."

Eyir stared silently, saying nothing despite being confused and suspicious. She didn't trust those that practiced the dark arts, especially when they had kidnapped innocent people and also sicced their minions on her. The necromancer seemed to understand this silence and chuckled again. "You're confused? Don't misunderstand. I don't want to let you go, but I gain nothing from this chance meeting. We can fight here and decide which one of us is stronger. You wouldn't be the hero exactly since I had already said those I kidnapped could leave. I am also just one average dark mage of many, so what would that do in the grand scheme of things? As for myself, if I were to win I would gain access to a new addition to my group of servants, but it would be weak. I have no use for another one of that sort. I have decided that our battle will come another day when we are both stronger. Where we will both have more to gain from victory. This interests me much more. And with that, I bid you a farewell."

The necromancer didn't wait for Eyir to respond. He disappeared, disintegrated actually. Black particles combined with the mist and then it all faded. The outcome was odd but not something the angelic spirit minded. She didn't care much for fighting anyway. If she had become the target of him in the future she would just deal with it then. For now, she tended to the bond merchants. They were freed, and she used her magic to heal their minor wounds. Two of the merchants were quite grateful for her assistance. The man couldn't stop thanking her. The woman was silent but her facial expression told her she was just as thankful for the rescue. The other woman had a mouth on her. Eyir couldn't tell if she was expressing an odd form of gratitude or not. She decided to just not say anything and leave it alone.

After they were all mended, Eyir began to lead them out of the Cursed Lands as safely as she could. The necromancer told the truth. He apparently did not want to fight her, and he had allowed them all to leave peacefully. Nothing bothered them along the way. They weren't even close. It was as if all the undead were commanded to keep their distance and allow them to pass. She didn't question it. She didn't even bother to tell the merchants to keep quiet as they bickered amongst each other. Well, two of them bickered. The silent one remained so. At the end of the day, the mission was a success. They made it out of the Cursed Lands. The mission was reported as a success. The trio of merchants went back to their guild, thanking Eyir once again. As for herself, she returned to Luminous Rose. What other missions had appeared on the board while she was gone?

(Word Count: 1032
Total So Far: 7511)

2500 for B Rank Freeform
2500 for B Rank Freeform
2500 for Trail of Death