When Ezra had received the notification about the Centaurs, he expected to face a horde of archers and heavy melee attackers. But the Shaman threw all his plans and stratagems out the window.Not only was the Shaman capable of casting minor hexes and curses, but also knew how to effectively deploy wards. And to make matters even worse, this Centaur had pledged his allegiance to Zepheroth which granted him the power of raising the dead with his dark magic.Hearing the guttural grunts of the resurrected Brutes, Ezra turned around. The resurrected Centaur Brutes looked even more formidable in death. Their eyes had turned pitch black, and their battle axes were enveloped in darkness. The Shaman’s dark spell had not only raised them from the dead but imbued them with dark magic. Their hides had turned mottled gray, and dirty black veins had popped up on their arms and necks, making them look like diseased abominations.Ezra downed a magic restoration potion and reloaded his revolvers with
Ezra felt a strange restlessness in his heart as he stared at the wooden totem erected in the middle of the settlement. Even though he had killed the Shaman, he could feel an evil presence lingering in the dark.With the Shaman dead, the dark fog gradually dispersed, and the moon cast its pale glow upon the forest, illuminating the dense undergrowth and pushing back the shadows.Ezra gulped the last healing potion in his inventory to slow the spread of the necrotic rot, but it did little to reverse the damage which had already taken place. His flesh had turned squishy, and his skin dry and flaky. “God, that stinks!” He scrunched his nose as the smell of rotten flesh wafted up his nostrils.Bruised and battered, Ezra looked like he had crawled right out of a nightmare. Even his hair was starting to fall off, and the veins on his arms had turned sickly black. Any sensible person would have hurried out of the forest, but Ezra felt drawn toward the wooden totem before him. It was a stran
The Romanov mansion was unusually quiet this time as Lord Sebastian had ordered all the maids and attendants to take the day off. Only a few guards were asked to stay behind along with a single butler.As Lord Sebastian led Ezra and Aurelia to his study, Ezra could not help but wonder why the house seemed so quiet.“Where is everyone else?” he asked, looking around.“I gave them a day off. They have been working quite hard all year round and I thought it would be nice for them to spend some time with their families,” Lord Sebastian replied, walking into the room with his hands behind his back.“But they do get plenty of leaves all year round. It’s not like they work the whole week,” Ezra replied, unable to understand the reason behind such a decision.Aurelia, however, had already untied the knots. “You see, brother, the people of Aranor have been on edge ever since they heard about the Dewdale infestation. Many of them had relatives living in the village. The commoners are starting to
The Rosington firearms were always custom-made for high-ranking nobles, and their single-barrel shotgun was no different. It was a smoothbore pump-action shotgun enchanted with magic glyphs that were carved onto its stock.Ezra marveled at the shotgun’s polished steel muzzle and the specially designed silver trigger with runic engravings on its surface. Unlike the basic 12-gauge shotguns available in the market, this one had ivory ribs jutting out like pine needles from the top of its barrel, and its movable forestock was made of varnished mahogany wood.Just by looking at the gun Ezra could tell it had cost Count Gressil a few thousand Sovereigns at least, and the silver slugs which came with it had probably set him back by another hundred. As Ezra reached for the shotgun, Marlin’s cursed eye re-opened, but his mouth no longer appeared under it.“You’re finally back. I guess you could not contain your excitement upon sensing a new weapon?” Ezra’s question remained unanswered, but h
The following morning, the people of Aranor gathered in the town square to cast their votes and elect the new mayor.It was a diverse multitude consisting of humans, merfolk, dwarves, elves, and even a few woodland nymphs. Apart from the commoners, the four noble houses were also present there.Lord Cornelius and his wife were joined by the Du Vaine household whose head, Lord Arnold Du Vaine still held power over the mayor’s office for now.Lord Wilhelm and his son Jasenki arrived shortly, accompanied by the other members of their house consisting of his second wife, Lady Mariana, and her younger son, Kyson Morelis. The Romanovs were the last to arrive, but they were missing one member. Although the other nobles did not mind Ramel’s absence, the commoners were eagerly waiting for their favored knight to make an appearance.“Where’s Sir Ramel?” one of the young lads asked.“Maybe he is still busy with his training,” another piped.“He never trains alone and I haven’t seen him in a whi
Lord Wilhelm’s family looked utterly disappointed by the outcome of the first phase of the elections, but Lord Sebastian knew the tables could turn quickly after the second phase.The five guild leaders had already cast their votes, but the common folk were yet to declare their support. Currently, Lord Sebastian was in the lead with sixty votes while Lord Wilhelm trailed with forty. However, Aranor’s commoners consisting of both humans and non-humans could alter the results due to their superior numbers. The town had a modest population of ninety adult humans and forty adult non-humans, including the hybrids. This brought the total number of voters to one hundred and thirty, keeping the elections fair and balanced. After the first phase of the voting came to an end, the commoners dispersed to grab refreshments and discuss things with their favored political groups before making their minds up.Aurelia and Ezra seemed confident about a smooth victory since Lord Sebastian had the over
As the three noble families met in the middle of the town square, things quickly became tense, and the townsfolk started chattering among themselves.“We don’t remember inviting you. Surely, as residents of Stonewell City, you have no role to play in today’s election,” Aurelia said.Lord Lucius smiled at her words and straightened his tie. “But my Lady, you forget that I am a businessman, and this town presents quite an attractive business opportunity. I am not here to make friends. I am here to support Lord Wilhelm and his family.”“You have no business interfering in this election,” Aurelia retorted. “You may be a Vice Patriarch of Dragon Claw, but you are still not welcome to influence the results of the general election.”Lord Lucius ignored Aurelia’s remarks and turned to look at Ezra. “I am not here to interfere in the elections. I am here to ensure that your dear brother keeps his promise.”“What promise?” Aurelia asked.“Lord Ezra Romanov promised to duel with Lord Jasenki More
When the people of Aranor had gathered in the town square they had never expected a quarrel to break out among such powerful noble families. On any other occasion, the townsfolk would have never allowed an outsider to drag Lord Sebastian’s name through the dirt, but things were different here since Lord Wilhelm chose to support the Rodels.Although the people of Aranor would have liked the election to reach a peaceful conclusion, the prospect of a duel between the two young rivals made them excited. A few months ago, no one would have bothered to support Ezra due to his disastrous training performance. However, a lot had changed over the past few weeks.Ezra had impressed the miners by slaying the Heragore hiding in the Kasari mines and earned the respect of the dwarves. And this was only the beginning of his heroic endeavors.By slaying the undead Behemoth and rescuing Count Gressil’s only daughter, Lady Tanya, Ezra had caught the attention of not only the commoners but the most aff