Eldritch Guidance

All around Sofia, fire raged with unrelenting intensity. Homes were engulfed in flames, their wooden structures crackling and collapsing under the intense heat. The air was thick with smoke, making each breath a searing challenge and filling her lungs with acrid, choking fumes. The once-peaceful community of Gilla lay in ruins, transformed into a nightmarish landscape of destruction.

At the center of the community lay Sofia on the ground holding a stab wound on her side while constantly applying first aid magic on it to prevent herself from bleeding out. All around her were the bodies of locals that were strung up brutality, impaled on pikes.

Standing over her were a group of men in white robes, their figures looming menacingly in the flickering light of the flames. Their faces were obscured by hoods, casting dark shadows that concealed their features, but their presence a palpable threat. These men were the architects of the current tragedy that had befallen Gilla, their hands responsible for the deaths and inferno consuming the village.

Robed Man: “Fucking burning abyss! She managed to take out a dozen of us by herself before we got her!” one of the robed men shouted.

Not far from Sofia, a dozen men in white robes lay sprawled on the ground, their lifeless forms a testament to the fierce battle she had fought. She had cut them down herself, each strike precise and determined. However, amid the chaos, one of the robed men had managed to surprise her. With a sudden, brutal move, he had jabbed a dagger into her side. And now she found herself laying on the ground helpless, for if she stopped applying healing magic to fight these people, she would most likely bleed out.

One of the men in the group stepped forward, his presence immediately distinguishing him from the others. Unlike his companions, who wore plain white robes, he was taller and adorned in more elaborate attire. He wore a striking silver mask, intricately designed and polished to a finish. The mask hinted at his elevated status within the group, setting him apart as their apparent leader.

The man slowly removed his mask, revealing a bald head that shone under the fiery light. His face was marked by a prominent, square jawline and a pair of sharp, piercing eyes that conveyed a hardened, unyielding resolve. The look of grim determination etched across his features.

The man was known to Sofia. He was an old friend to her’s, Teddy Rova.

Teddy: “Sofia! We don’t have to be enemies. Come join the purifiers, like Darra. We’ll forgive you for what you did today.”

Teddy: “It had to be done! There were rumors of a powerful cultist in this community! We couldn’t take any chances and had to kill everyone.”

Sofia: “Even the children!!” she screamed.

Not too far away was what looked to be a child no older than five impaled on one the many pikes in the town square.

Teddy: “No chances! Everyone had to die!”

Sofia squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hand tightly against her wound, trying to stifle the wave of pain that surged through her. The agony in her side was nothing compared to the emotional turmoil stirred by Teddy’s words. Hearing such betrayal from someone who had once been a dear friend struck her with profound distress.

Sofia: “I swore to my master, before she died, that I would carry on the fight against the Nameless Gods and their servants. And you, Teddy, and the purifiers are no better than them!”

Teddy only shook his head at Sofia's declaration.

Teddy: “Shame. I wish it didn’t have to be like this.”

Teddy pulled out a blade and started to approach Sofia, preparing to strike the final blow and end the witch hunter's life.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Suddenly, an icy chill swept through, creeping up everyone’s spine like a ghostly caress. The atmosphere grew thick with an unsettling presence, a sensation so pervasive that it halted Teddy.

Everyone present was a mage, each able to detect the subtle fluctuations of aether that permeated their surroundings. They could all sense the disturbance in the air—a strange and unsettling fluctuation of magical energy that defied the usual patterns they were accustomed to. This aetheric shift felt different, imbued with an undercurrent of something sinister.

Everyone could tell that a spell was being cast, and it was a powerful one.

The once blazing orange flames consuming the building began to flicker erratically, as if reacting to the strangeness in the surrounding. Slowly, the vibrant hues of the fire started to shift, their brilliant orange giving way to an unnatural and foreboding emerald green.

The change was striking, the green flames casting an eerie, otherworldly glow that seemed to distort the very air around them. The emerald flames danced with a malevolent grace, their light reflecting off the charred remnants of the building and casting unsettling shadows on the ground.

The purifiers Sofia had taken down nearby started to rise, almost as if they had come back to life. Similarly, the locals impaled on pikes nearby began to squirm, as if they were still alive and struggling to free themselves. Their eyes now bore the same eerie glow as the surrounding emerald fire.

Teddy: “Necromancer! Everyone, take formation!” he called out to his men.

The group of purifiers quickly formed a tight, protective circle, their movements synchronized to eliminate any blind spots. Each member faced outward, their vigilant eyes scanning the perimeter as they tightened their formation. This defensive stance was crucial as they found themselves encircled. There were corpses all over the village and they were all rising one by one and encroaching on them.

One of the purifiers concentrated, summoning an aether bolt of water into his hand. With a swift, precise motion, he hurled the charged projectile at one of the advancing undead figures. The bolt cut through the air heading towards the undead. The purifier expected the head of the undead to explode upon impact from his attack, but that did not happen. The undead had ducked and the attack had missed.

Everyone that saw this was absolutely surprised. Undead normally have no sense of self preservation, and yet it had avoided an attack just now.

The missed attack appeared to act as a signal, triggering an unexpected reaction from the undead. With a sudden, eerie clarity, the creatures that dodge the attack let out a guttural, bone-chilling moan that echoed through the night.

In a startling departure from their usual slow, shuffling gait, the undead began to run with unnatural speed. Their previously sluggish movements were now replaced by a frantic, coordinated charge toward the purifiers.

The charge and unusual behavior of the undead caused some of the purifiers to panic and start fire off spells haphazardly.

Teddy: “Don’t panic, hold steady!” He called out to his men.

Despite Teddy's commands, no one was paying heed. The purifiers continued to unleash their spells in rapid succession, each incantation erupting with a burst of magical energy sent flying forward. However, the majority of their attacks went astray, as the undead actively maneuvered to evade the incoming spells. Their movements were erratic and unpredictable, weaving and dodging with an unnatural agility that made targeting them increasingly difficult. The scene became a chaotic display of flashing lights and magic, with the undead relentlessly advancing upon the group.

As one of the undead closed in on a purifier, it lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. The creature then sank its teeth into the purifier's throat, overpowering him in a vicious attack.

Purifier: “Shit!” shouted another purifier that was standing beside the one that got lunged at.

In a swift motion, another purifier drew a blade and severed the head of the undead creature that was attacking his comrade. The decapitated body slumped over the fallen purifier it had been feeding on. The purifiers rushed to check on their fallen comrade, only to find a grievous wound on his throat and the absence of breath.

Realizing the futility of trying to save their fallen comrade, they shifted focus back to the approaching horde of undead. However, to their shock, their deceased companion rose to his feet, his eyes now aglow with that eerie emerald light. The newly turned purifier launched a surprise attack on his former allies from behind, catching them off guard.

Seeing that their fellow companions instantly turn into undead caused panic to fully set in. The line was breaking and some of the purifiers broke from formation to run for it.

Teddy: “Don’t break formation, or we’re all dead!” he cried out.

It was too late, the purifiers that ran off were instantly swarmed. Their blood curdling screams sent chills as they were devoured.

The defensive line shattered, and one by one, each purifier was seized by the undead and consumed. Sofia could only watch as the gruesome scene unfold before her eyes, aghast, as the group of purifiers was overwhelmed and devoured by the relentless horde of undead.