Ezra had heard about necromancers raising the dead from their graves and even twisting corpses with dark magic to turn them into necrophages. However, he had never read about wild animals being transformed into the undead. The Night Walker had not only killed the brown bear but corrupted its body as well. Its flesh was now merely a husk of its former self, and the creature ambling toward them was nothing more than a walking corpse. However, the surprising thing was that the bear’s flesh had not started decomposing, and the only signs of decay were visible on its furry hide. Apart from that, the bear looked to be in great condition for a walking dead. As Ezra and Aurelia prepared their weapons, distant growls reached their ears. Dozens of blood-red eyes stared at them from the darkness, surrounding the village from all sides. Undead direwolves killed by the Night Walker joined the fray, ready to do their master’s bidding. They looked pale, and their fur was stained with blood, but
The stench of death lingered in the air, but not even maggots dared to touch the villagers killed by the undead. Even the vultures in the sky avoided flying over the village. It was almost as if they could sense the suffering of the deceased. While Ezra went from hut to hut to check for any useful items, Aurelia made her way to the pit where the half-eaten corpses of the villagers had been dumped along with many animal carcasses. “May your souls rest in peace. You all deserve a proper funeral, but I am afraid there is no one left to perform your last rights. All I can do is offer my humble prayers and hope you find relief in the afterlife,” she whispered, joining her hands in prayer. Even though the rotting stench wafting from the pit was unbearable, Aurelia continued praying for several minutes before finally moving away and tossing two flaming bottles into the pit. As the fire spread across the pit, the flame feasted on the decaying bodies, licking them with its searing tongue an
The boy who had been hailed as a prodigy in his early years had yet again become tangled with the threads of fate and awakened an old prophecy. “I have never seen anything like this before. This weapon isn’t a gun. It cannot be,” Marlin remarked as he analyzed the blueprint spread atop the altar. “The one who designed this wasn’t trying to create a firearm. This is entirely different. It’s shaped almost like a dragon’s gullet. There is no way this thing can shoot bullets.” “I don’t think he designed this weapon to fight other gunners. Maybe this was created to deal with the undead,” Ezra replied, taking a good look at the strange blueprint before him. “But how did I become a part of this prophecy? What has this got to do with me?” Even Marlin was surprised to learn that his fellow Gunsmith had kept a blueprint hidden for Ezra. There was no way to dismiss it as a coincidence anymore since Ezra had seen the village in his visions, and the pillar’s magic seal was awakened by his touch.
When Ezra and Aurelia returned to Dragon Claw's guild house, the Elders had gathered not just the Gunners, but the other important dignitaries as well. Even Lord Wilhelm was there along with his attendant. Iraka and Jasenki too were back from their mission. “What news do you bring?” Abigor asked as Ezra and Aurelia walked into the council room. “It is bad. We encountered a Night Walker out there. It was trying to perform a dark ritual to resurrect the dead and turn them into walking corpses,” Aurelia replied. “We had to burn the whole village down to prevent a repeat of the incident.” “That sounds a bit excessive, don’t you think?” Lord Cornelius asked, raising his eyebrows. “It is always better to be safe than sorry,” Flavius replied on their behalf. He then turned to look at Ezra. “Were you able to find any clues which might point us in the direction of the necromancers?” Ezra shook his head. “Nothing. The Night Walker was the one leading the undead horde.” Lord Sebastian ask
Once the other Gunners left, Lord Sebastian headed out with Abigor to inspect Aranor’s defense and check on the town guards. With the election coming up shortly, he wanted to spend more time with the common people and understand their hardships and grievances to serve them better in the future. Since the news of Zepheroth’s awakening had already spread like wildfire, the townsfolk were already beginning to doubt the Goddess, and many were even suggesting that they should leave Aranor and find safety behind the walls of the capital. The town guards had also started panicking because they were only used to fighting bandits and wild animals. However, none of them imagined they would be asked to defend this little town against the undead. Being a commoner belonging to the lower rungs of society, Abigor had been able to interact freely with the townsfolk and learn more about their opinions and this helped Lord Sebastian understand whether he was walking on the right path. If the electio
Ezra knew a blueprint that had been hidden for so many years would help him get his hands on a powerful new weapon. But for that, he needed to acquire two more components. “Where do I find these?” Ezra questioned Marlin, hoping the Gunsmith would have a better idea about gun components. But Marlin was as perplexed as him. “Like I said before; this blueprint isn’t for a conventional gun. I do not think just any component would fit with this weapon. You might need to acquire very specific parts designed especially for this particular blueprint.” “That’s not very helpful at all,” Ezra replied with a disappointed look on his face. He was so close to acquiring a powerful new weapon, yet its two parts were still not in his possession, and he had no idea where to look for them. Marlin peered at the blueprint for a good while and suddenly a thought occurred to him. “Where is the component you retrieved from that shrine? Show it to me.” Ezra retrieved the customized steel nozzle from his i
The dim light of the crescent moon filtered through the cloud cover and illuminated the town with a dim glow. Ishani’s shrine lay secluded in partial darkness, with its tinted glass windows glimmering as the moonlight washed its façade at uncertain intervals. The guards stationed outside the shrine had been hand-picked by Lord Sebastian himself, and were actively patrolling the area to keep trespassers at bay. They weren’t like those piggish sentries who gobbled gluttonous meals after dark and fell asleep as soon as the clock struck one. Ezra knew he had to be careful, or else he risked creating a bigger mess than he had ever been in. Attempting to sneak into the shrine would raise several questions about his intentions, and if Lord Wilhelm and the others found out, they would not miss the chance to drag his family name through the dirt and fling accusations at all the Romanovs. “It feels like you are stealing from your own house,” Marlin whispered as Ezra slunk behind a tamarind
With his eyes fixed on the priests chanting in front of the altar, Ezra began the countdown. “One…two…three!”On the precise count of three, Ezra flicked his arms in opposite directions, pointing his palms toward the two candelabra closest to him.Whooshing through the air, two powerful bursts of magic energy struck the candelabra, instantly blowing out all the candles. Before the astonished priests could turn around, Ezra realigned his arms and unleashed two more magic burst attacks, extinguishing the two remaining candelabra as well.With all the candles blown out, the inner sanctum descended into darkness, allowing Ezra to easily sneak past the priests and make his way to the other side of the room.Once he had reached Ishani’s idol, he asked for her forgiveness before walking up to her altar. The riddle had mentioned the ‘mother’s lap’, and Ezra knew it hinted toward the altar since all newborns would be placed on the altar to obtain the Goddess’ blessings.“What was that?”“The w