Ezra gulped instinctively as he opened his mouth to breathe. The sudden drop disoriented him, causing him to splash around helplessly for the first few seconds. The freezing cold water chilled Ezra to the bone. It was as if he was swimming in a pool full of ice. His clothes were completely drenched by now, and the added weight dragged him down. Ezra looked around frantically, trying to locate the shore, but the only dry land around him were the steep rocky cliffs surrounding the lake. He knew there was no way he could climb the cliff faces without any tools, but staying in this water for too long was going to kill him for sure. To warm his body, Ezra started paddling with his legs and swimming across the lake. He went between the ragged cliffs and finally managed to find a piece of flat land. Passing between the rocky outgrowths jutting out of the lakebed, Ezra swam through the fluorescent reeds and dragged his body to the shore. Once on dry land, Ezra took off his jacket and unbu
“That does not look good,” Ezra mumbled as the Basilisk lifted its upper body off the ground and raised its head to survey its surroundings. The snake’s tail slithered and coiled behind it while it balanced its upper body above the floor. It slowly turned its head from right to left, and Ezra realized he was in deep trouble. To avoid being spotted Ezra scampered back and dived into cover behind one of the demi-human statues. Its base was just large enough to help him conceal himself from the Basilisk. Ezra had heard plenty of tales about Basilisks turning their prey into stone with one look from their coral-red eyes. But the books written by eminent hunters and Beastmasters had dispelled this myth countless times. Still, Ezra knew he had to keep his guard up at all times because even without a petrifying gaze, the Basilisk had other weapons in its arsenal. The Basilisk could use its enormous rope-like body to trap its prey within its coils and constrict them to death. And to make
The spirit of the defeated Basilisk returned to the sapphire ring lying on the ground, awakening it from its dormant state. Ezra slowly walked up the magic circle and picked up the ring. He slipped it on the middle finger of his right hand and held it up to admire its dazzling beauty. [Speckled Green Basilisk has been soul-bound.] [Spectral Companion tamed successfully.] As Ezra touched the ring with his thumb again, it teleported him back to his own world. Once Ezra was back in the basement of their mansion, Marlin’s cursed eye and mouth popped open. “I hate silencing spells!” Those were the first words that came out of Marlin’s mouth. He sounded more irritated than angry, but gradually calmed down when he noticed the ring glowing on Ezra’s finger. “Congratulations! It would appear that you have successfully completed the trial and got yourself a new pet!” Ezra did not miss the opportunity to hit back at Marlin for his previous taunts. “I suppose I am worthy after all. This
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