The following morning, Lord Sebastian and Ramel headed to the shrine of Ishani to seek the Goddess’ blessings for their family and help the priests make the necessary arrangements for the upcoming festivities. Meanwhile, Aurelia and Ezra decided to visit the town square to oversee the festive decorations and theatrical arrangements. Ishtara wasn’t just a time for worshipping the Goddess, but a revelrous celebration of life through joyous songs, delightful plays, and many other acrobatic and artistic performances. The fire-breathers and jugglers had started training several weeks prior and the young actors and musicians were practicing day and night to perfect their performances. Even the bards from different roadside inns and local taverns had flocked to Aranor to sing their ballads and fill their pockets with coin. Aurelia loved how their little town transformed into a lively carnival ground during the annual festival of Ishani. However, her only regret was that it would be over
Aurelia did not want to stir any panic among the residents of Aranor as it would spoil the festive spirit, but she knew they had to act quickly if they wanted to save the children. Instead of informing Lord Sebastian or seeking the help of the town guards, Aurelia chose to rely only on Ezra. “I have a feeling this might turn into a monster hunt. I’ll get the horses ready and you can go and buy some potions and supplies in the meantime,” Aurelia said to Ezra before regrouping with the villagers outside the tavern. Ezra restocked on healing and magic restoration potions and also grabbed a few grapeshot bombs from the store. As the clock struck twelve, Ezra and Aurelia mounted their horses accompanied by the villagers. Together they headed out from the east gate of Aranor and rode hard down the snaking dirt road that passed through the tribal settlements. Although traveling in a carriage would have been a lot more comfortable, Aurelia ditched the luxury in favor of stallions because
Aurelia had kept the findings a secret from the villagers so far, but now that she was ready to leave with her brother, the people flocked to her for answers. “What did you find, my Lady?” the village chief asked. “Who is responsible for the abductions?” Aurelia realized she could not hide things forever and eventually relented. “It’s not a who, it’s a what,” she replied, stopping in her tracks. The villagers looked at each other in confusion; then one of the younger men asked, “Do you mean those children were taken by beasts?” “No,” Aurelia answered with a definitive shake of her head. “They were taken by monsters…necrophages to be precise.” One of the older men in the group stepped forward, pushing through the crowd, and asked, “What are necro…phagus?” “They are carrion eaters who feed on rotting corpses,” Aurelia replied. “But…why would they steal our children then?” one of the women burst out. “Our children were all healthy and…alive.” Aurelia knew if she divulged the horri
Having dealt with the Drekavac Fledglings, Ezra started looking for the missing children. But all he found were old, rotting corpses that had been buried here many months ago. The Drekavacs had dug up some of the more recent mounds and pulled out the villagers whose bodies had not fully decomposed yet. However, there was no sign of any fresh kill. “Are you sure these creatures wanted to feed on the children?” Marlin asked. “What do you mean?” Ezra asked. “What else would they need the children for?” “Well, necrophages are known to feed on dead, decaying corpses. They usually do not like attacking the living,” Marlin replied. “These ones are different,” Ezra answered as he continued to look around the headstones. “Drekavacs like preying on the weak and helpless. They like feeding on the soft flesh of infants.” Ezra searched the whole graveyard for the children, but he could not find any clues that would lead him in the right direction. Suddenly, something clicked in Ezra’s head.
While Ezra was busy dealing with the Drekavacs at the graveyard, Aurelia had made her way to the abandoned well. Many decades ago, when the people of Ashgrove used to worship the pagan Gods, the village elders had decreed that this well would serve as the perfect conduit to return the ruined gifts to the primal God of Death, Xerador. And so began the practice of dumping the stillborns inside the well and pouring tar over their bodies to signify their reunion with the darkness of death. All the unfortunate infants who had been dumped into this well had never received a proper burial, and the elders at that time had forbidden the villagers from performing their last rites. The dark days had finally come to an end with Ishani’s Priests converting the villagers to a higher faith and abolishing the malpractices. But even after all these years, the well remained intact as a grim reminder of the cruel past. Aurelia’s feet trembled as she neared the well. Crude, handmade dolls with butto
The Primal Drekavac pulled its lips back and bared its fangs at Aurelia, hoping to intimidate her, but she remained unmoved. Locking her eyes on her target, she fired her weapon. Bang! The golden orb decimated the Drekavac Fledglings within the frontal cone of Aurelia’s vision, but the Primal Drekavac survived, sustaining minor second-degree burns. “It looks like you are quite well-fed, big boy,” Aurelia smiled and holstered her gun. Before she could replenish her magic power, the Drekavacs standing around pounced upon her. Their razor-sharp claws were about to rip her open when she touched her rose-shaped pendant. Aurelia’s Spectral Companion materialized with a burst of white light, cocooning her inside a divine magic barrier. The Drekavacs, which had dared to pounce upon her, were vaporized in an instant, and the light emitted by the magic shell pushed the others back, dazzling their eyes. Blinded by the intense radiance, even the Primal Drekavac had no choice but to slowly b
The villagers moved like a collective horde, their eyes staring blankly into the emptiness and their faces cold and expressionless. “The Lord of Decay will offer us salvation.” “The King of Death will lead us into his light.” “All things must perish and return to his fold.” Holding flaming torches and pitchforks in their hands, the villagers moved while chanting praises of Zepheroth. Aurelia pulled Ezra by his hand and urged him to get a move on. “What is going on here?” Ezra felt as if he was living a nightmare. Everything felt too surreal, and nothing made sense. “They were all okay just a few minutes ago. We can’t leave them like this.” “This isn’t in our hands anymore. Only Ishani’s priests can help them now,” Aurelia said, firing a blank shot in the air. The villagers, however, did not even flinch. It became clear that they were no longer in their senses. Leaving them to their fate, Aurelia and Ezra mounted their horses and returned to Aranor. “It is best if we don’t m
The town of Aranor sprang into life with the first rays of the morning sun as the priests from the shrine of Ishani blew the sacred conch shell to signal the start of the festivities on the first day of Ishtara. Traveling merchants, traders, and sellers of various baubles and knickknacks set up their shops and stalls in the middle of the town square, displaying bright signs and posters to advertise their products. The whole town donned festive colors with brightly colored dahlias and tulips decorating the cottages and huts. Children played in the streets while women flocked to the shrine to offer their prayers to the Goddess. The open field behind the shrine of Ishani was transformed into a fairground with jugglers, magicians, and fire breathers setting up shop in designated locations. Meanwhile, the bards and mimes performed on stage, inviting both humans and non-humans alike to enjoy their show. Following in the footsteps of ancient familial tradition, Lord Sebastian went down to